'We the People’ Loses Appeal With People Around the World! Surprised I am not.

MAYBE the people need to reconsider 'entitlement'.  MAYBE the people who have lost interest are people incapable of grasping the depth of liberty and freedom afforded them by such a document.  Perhaps, like the men who defined the Enlightenment, many peoples around the globe were not capable of incorprating such complicated ideas and philosophies into their lives and political systems.

It makes a heck of a lot more sense than anything in the article as to why the appeal has waned.

February 6, 2012

‘We thePeople’ Loses Appeal With People Around the World

By ADAM LIPTAK
The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Constitution has seen better days.

Sure, it is the nation’s founding document and sacred text. And it is the oldest written national constitution still in force anywhere in the world. But its influence is waning.

In 1987, on the Constitution’s bicentennial, Time magazine calculated that “of the 170 countries that exist today, more than 160 have written charters modeled directly or indirectly on the U.S. version.”

A quarter-century later, the picture looks very different. “The U.S. Constitution appears to be losing its appeal as a model for constitutional drafters elsewhere,” according to a new study by David S. Law of Washington University in St. Louis and Mila Versteeg of the University of Virginia.

The study, to be published in June in The New York University Law Review, bristles with data. Its authors coded and analyzed the provisions of 729 constitutions adopted by 188 countries from 1946 to 2006, and they considered 237 variables regarding various rights and ways to enforce them.

“Among the world’s democracies,” Professors Law and Versteeg concluded, “constitutional similarity to the United States has clearly gone into free fall. Over the 1960s and 1970s, democratic constitutions as a whole became more similar to the U.S. Constitution, only to reverse course in the 1980s and 1990s.”

“The turn of the twenty-first century, however, saw the beginning of a steep plunge that continues through the most recent years for which we have data, to the point that the constitutions of the world’s democracies are, on average, less similar to the U.S. Constitution now than they were at the end of World War II.”

There are lots of possible reasons. The United States Constitution is terse and old, and it guarantees relatively few rights. The commitment of some members of the Supreme Court to interpreting the Constitution according to its original meaning in the 18th century may send the signal that it is of little current use to, say, a new African nation. And the Constitution’s waning influence may be part of a general decline in American power and prestige.

In an interview, Professor Law identified a central reason for the trend: the availability of newer, sexier and more powerful operating systems in the constitutional marketplace. “Nobody wants to copy Windows 3.1,” he said.

In a television interview during a visit to Egypt last week, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court seemed to agree. “I would not look to the United States Constitution if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012,” she said. She recommended, instead, the South African Constitution, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms or the European Convention on Human Rights.

The rights guaranteed by the American Constitution are parsimonious by international standards, and they are frozen in amber. As Sanford Levinson wrote in 2006 in “Our Undemocratic Constitution,” “the U.S. Constitution is the most difficult to amend of any constitution currently existing in the world today.” (Yugoslavia used to hold that title, but Yugoslavia did not work out.)

Other nations routinely trade in their constitutions wholesale, replacing them on average every 19 years. By odd coincidence, Thomas Jefferson, in a 1789 letter to James Madison, once said that every constitution “naturally expires at the end of 19 years” because “the earth belongs always to the living generation.” These days, the overlap between the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and those most popular around the world is spotty.

Americans recognize rights not widely protected, including ones to a speedy and public trial, and are outliers in prohibiting government establishment of religion. But the Constitution is out of step with the rest of the world in failing to protect, at least in so many words, a right to travel, the presumption of innocence and entitlement to food, education and health care.

It has its idiosyncrasies. Only 2 percent of the world’s constitutions protect, as the Second Amendment does, a right to bear arms. (Its brothers in arms are Guatemala and Mexico.)

The Constitution’s waning global stature is consistent with the diminished influence of the Supreme Court, which “is losing the central role it once had among courts in modern democracies,” Aharon Barak, then the president of the Supreme Court of Israel, wrote in The Harvard Law Review in 2002.

Many foreign judges say they have become less likely to cite decisions of the United States Supreme Court, in part because of what they consider its parochialism.

“America is in danger, I think, of becoming something of a legal backwater,” Justice Michael Kirby of the High Court of Australia said in a 2001 interview. He said that he looked instead to India, South Africa and New Zealand.

Mr. Barak, for his part, identified a new constitutional superpower: “Canadian law,” he wrote, “serves as a source of inspiration for many countries around the world.” The new study also suggests that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, adopted in 1982, may now be more influential than its American counterpart.

The Canadian Charter is both more expansive and less absolute. It guarantees equal rights for women and disabled people, allows affirmative action and requires that those arrested be informed of their rights. On the other hand, it balances those rights against “such reasonable limits” as “can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.”

There are, of course, limits to empirical research based on coding and counting, and there is more to a constitution than its words, as Justice Antonin Scalia told the Senate Judiciary Committee in October. “Every banana republic in the world has a bill of rights,” he said.

“The bill of rights of the former evil empire, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was much better than ours,” he said, adding: “We guarantee freedom of speech and of the press. Big deal. They guaranteed freedom of speech, of the press, of street demonstrations and protests, and anyone who is caught trying to suppress criticism of the government will be called to account. Whoa, that is wonderful stuff!”

“Of course,” Justice Scalia continued, “it’s just words on paper, what our framers would have called a ‘parchment guarantee.’ ”

constitution

Stupid People: Fall Out of the Trees Every Day

We all know who the children are, out in the tents and cardboard boxes.  Children who enjoy whining.  Whining about the 1% who have everything.  Whining about not having jobs.  Whining about the rich taking advantage of the 99%, jobs lost due to the 1% wanting profits over compassion ... we know they are children and that they whine a lot. 

Now we know they will cost someone or many people their jobs, and additional services and funds will be cut.  Funds that might help the 99%.  Funds that will never be received now, due to the children requiring parental supervision, and refusing to clean up their messes and go home.

Children who whine.  Let them tell the employees laid off or the family without services why.  Let them explain that their whining did anything but cost human beings their jobs and their assistance.

Let them eat cake.  Would make as much sense.

Mayor Calls For Budget Cuts To Offset Millions In Occupy LA Costs

December 21, 2011 1:10 AM

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The City of Los Angeles reportedly faces millions of dollars in expenses brought about by the Occupy LA movement.

City agencies have been ordered to calculate what was spent on the Occupy LA protests.

Repairs to City Hall’s lawn where the Occupy group set up camp on Oct. 1 will require an estimated $400,000. The police action to clear out the encampment on Nov. 30 cost more than $700,000.

Additional expenses are attributed to hauling away debris from the camp, and cleaning up graffiti that defaced City Hall marble walls and trees.

Mayor Villaraigosa says more budget cuts will be necessary to offset the costs.

children

Dumber than Mud

There are those moment when you stop and wonder why God allowed such dumb creatures.  Ever watch an ant eater?  Makes little sense.  And a sloth - what on earth was going on with that creature.

And then we come to people who believe in fairies.

This is a video clip and will eventually be removed, as happens with all video clips.  However, the article follows.  The video clip can be watched (while it is posted) at this site.  Otherwise, the article follows:

Mexican claims he found a fairy

By Indo Asian News Service


Guadalajara (Mexico), Aug 12 (IANS/EFE) An unemployed 22-year-old bricklayer claims he has found a fairy in this western Mexican metropolis.

Jose Maldonado, who charges a monetary 'donation' in exchange for displaying what appears to be a simple plastic figure kept in a container of formaldehyde, says he has already received 3,000 visits from people eager to see the so-called fairy at his home in Lomas Verdes, one of Guadalajara's poorest and most dangerous neighbourhoods.

'I was picking guavas and I saw a twinkling. I thought it was a firefly. I picked it up and felt that it was moving; when I looked at it I knew that it was a fairy godmother,' Maldonado told EFE.

The tale of the fairy that Maldonado claims to have discovered last weekend has run like wildfire through the area and his home is now besieged by the curious, some of whom wait for up to an hour to enter.

What Maldonado shows the paying public is a small container filled with formaldehyde containing a humanlike figure about 2 centimeters tall, with a gelatinous consistency and a certain resemblance to Peter Pan's Tinkerbell.

Maldonado says that what seems to be just a little plastic figure is a fairy and that it was alive when he found it. And there are those who believe him.

'I've seen everything and, yes, I believe the fairy is real. Therefore, I wanted to come to confirm that those myths are true,' said Cesar Ramirez, a visitor.

To be allowed to examine the 'fairy' for a few seconds and take a photograph of it, the curious must make a donation to financially help out Maldonado who recently lost his job.

His neighbours have also taken advantage of the situation to sell photographs and keyrings with the image of the fairy for about 20 pesos ($1.60), as well as refreshments including drinks and food to those people while they wait in line outside Maldonado's house.

mexico

Christianity should not be the basis for our laws or society (says court)

One does not have to be the most observant Christian to recognize where this policy takes us.  These twats on the high court do not deserve to be on the high court, they deserve ignominy.

The precedent for this is more dangerous than pretty much anything else.  Just when I didn't think it possible to go lower ....



Foster parent ban: 'no place’ in the law for Christianity, High Court rules


There is no place in British law for Christian beliefs, despite this country’s long history of religious observance and the traditions of the established Church, two High Court judges said on Monday.

The Telegraph
By Tim Ross, Religious Affairs Editor
28 Feb 2011



Lord Justice Munby and Mr Justice Beatson made the remarks when ruling on the case of a Christian couple who were told that they could not be foster carers because of their view that homosexuality is wrong.

The judges underlined that, in the case of fostering arrangements at least, the right of homosexuals to equality “should take precedence” over the right of Christians to manifest their beliefs and moral values.

In a ruling with potentially wide-ranging implications, the judges said Britain was a “largely secular”, multi-cultural country in which the laws of the realm “do not include Christianity”.

Campaigners for homosexual rights welcomed the judgment for placing “21st-century decency above 19th-century prejudice”. Christian campaigners claimed that it undermined the position of the Church of England.

The ruling in the case of Owen and Eunice Johns, from Derby, is the latest in a series of judgments in which Christians have been defeated in the courts for breaching equality laws by manifesting their beliefs on homosexuality.

Senior churchmen, including Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, recently began a campaign urging Christians to stand up for their rights and have petitioned the Prime Minister to review human rights laws.

In their ruling yesterday, the judges complained that it was not yet “well understood” that British society was largely secular and that the law has no place for Christianity.

“Although historically this country is part of the Christian West, and although it has an established church which is Christian, there have been enormous changes in the social and religious life of our country over the last century,” they said.

It was a “paradox” that society has become simultaneously both increasingly secular and increasingly diverse in religious affiliation, they said.

“We sit as secular judges serving a multicultural community of many faiths. We are sworn (we quote the judicial oath) to 'do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of this realm, without fear or favour, affection or ill will’.”

The judges acknowledged that there was a “tension” in the case of Mr and Mrs Johns between the rights of individuals to maintain their religious beliefs and the rights of homosexual people to live free from discrimination.

However, when fostering regulations were taken into account, “the equality provisions concerning sexual orientation should take precedence” over religious rights, they said.

Andrea Williams, from the Christian Legal Centre, which backed the Johns’s case, said the ruling “undermines the position of the established Church” in England.

The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the former bishop of Rochester, described the judgment as “absurd”. He pointed out the monarch took a coronation oath promising to uphold the laws of God, while Acts of Parliament are passed with the consent of “the Lords Spiritual”, and the Queen’s Speech finishes with a blessing from Almighty God.

“To say that this is a secular country is certainly wrong,” he said.

“However, what really worries me about this spate of judgments is that they leave no room for the conscience of believers of whatever kind. This will exclude Christians, Muslims and Orthodox Jews from whole swaths of public life, including adoption and fostering.”

Speaking personally, Canon Dr Chris Sugden, the executive secretary of Anglican Mainstream, said the judges were wrong to say religion was a matter of private individuals’ beliefs.

“They are treating religion like Richard Dawkins does, as if Christian faith was on a parallel with Melanesian frog worship,” he said.

“The judgment asserts that there is no hierarchy of rights, but itself implies there is one in which the right to practise one’s religion is subordinated to the secular assumptions about equality.”



















stupid people

People who just don't get it

How secretive and shabby the Americans are


Bob Ellis


There was no rejoicing in Times Square when Hirohito died, though he ordered the killing of 2350 Americans in Pearl Harbor. I remember no such gladness when Hitler died, or Ho Chi Minh, or Mao Tse Tung. Or Che Guevara. Or Salvador Allende. Or Joseph Stalin.

These laughing, flag-waving, crowded scenes outside the White House and across America have no precedent (except, perhaps, in the South when Lincoln was shot) and it is to be wondered why they occurred.

There was a magical-realist quality to Osama Bin Laden. He looked like the risen Christ, and was often thought dead and came always back to life. His broadcasts needed always to be authenticated because the CIA wanted him dead. He’d humiliated them so enormously they kept saying he was dead. He was ‘on dialysis’, they asserted, wrongly; he had to be dead by now. 9/11 was so clever. He had to be dead.

And once again they are covering up, and in denial.

As with John F Kennedy, whose brain was stolen, his car washed of its blood, film of his autopsy made to vanish, his alleged assassin murdered and that assassin’s evidence unrecorded, burnt or discarded, we have here, now, a significant body, the corpse of the world’s most wanted man, ‘buried at sea’. Why do this? Why even think of it, when identifying him forensically was critical to the peace of the Arab and Muslim world?

Uday and Qusay weren’t buried at sea, nor the twenty-four-hour burial rule applied to these two cosmeticked enemy stiffs. Saddam was helicoptered home to his tribal city (by Mike Kelly MP and Minister for Cheese) for interment in his clan’s sacred ground. Why treat Osama any differently? Why put his body where it couldn’t be checked over? Why not have an autopsy? Why not give their most famous son back to the rich Bin Laden family, and see them set him down in their family plot? What right do Americans have to a fallen enemy’s corpse? Where did that new rule come from? How dare they?

Clearly they feared the sight of his widow, wounded in the fire-fight, at the graveside of him and his dead son, and the sight of his grieving daughter and his other sons would humanise him in an inconvenient way. Clearly they feared his grave would become, like that of Karl Marx or St Thomas a Beckett, a pilgrim shrine for apostles yet unborn.

But there were other, forensic reasons too.

A coronial enquiry, with witnesses, would show if women were fired upon, or children. It would show if Bin Laden took his own life, as Allende did, it seems, or if his bodyguard, sworn to kill him in such a circumstance, shot him as well, in the back, perhaps.

It would show if he had his hands up, and he was therefore killed against the rules of war, or if his wife said, ‘Please, no.’ It would also get from his wife and daughter evidence of who had lodged them in their splendid quarters, who paid the bills, who took the children to the local school, and what Mushareff knew, and what Azari knew, and indeed what Benazir Bhutto knew, of his five-year stay, if that is how long it was, only three minutes’ walk from an army academy, the West Point of Pakistan.

How shabby the Americans are. How secretive and stupid.

One thinks of the 600 plots to kill Castro: the poisoned face cream, the poisoned wetsuit, the exploding cigars, the former girlfriend who, after sex, couldn’t do it, even when he offered his gun. How low grade they are. How creepy. How overpaid for their shoddy scheming and their bungled midnight raids.

And Osama Bin Laden was buried at sea. Full fathom five thy father lies. Of his bones are coral made. Those are pearls that were his eyes. Imagine Hitler, buried at sea. Or Trotsky. How stupid can they be?

For there is no end to it now. As with Elvis, his voice, his image will recur on websites for fifty years. Was it him? Did he survive? Is he still alive? He must be. He must be. His widow will charge his American assassins with war crimes for killing and wounding civilians: her son, herself, her daughter. His family will spend millions cleansing his name. The Sunni clergy will denounce the blasphemous travesty of his last rites, not on family ground but the cruel sea.

Karzai will demand compensation for the towns destroyed in America’s vain search for him, in the wrong country. The Saudi royals will be shown to have given him money and Bush to have known this while his father took fees from them. A good few Pakistani colonels will be tortured and shot. The Navy Seals that shot him (in the face, not the legs) will get jobs on Fox News. The Taliban will seize Pakistan and its WMD. And his legend, like Che’s, will grow luminous, and more and more twelve-year-old suicide bombers go into supermarkets whispering his name.

And all they had to do was keep the body, film its autopsy, open it to media view and give it back, in due season, to his family for a proper Sunni funeral, as they did Saddam and Uday and Qusay, in the green, green grass of home.

What klutzes they are. And how dearly we all must pay for their clumsiness, in a rejuvenated al-Qaeda and acts of terror without end, in this country too. And an atomic war, perhaps.

And it’s a pity.

PS. Osama was unarmed, we now are told, but he ‘resisted’ and so was shot ‘above the left eye’ and ‘part of his brain was blown away’. This, and other details, might explain why Barack Obama spent so long rewriting his speech, his worst thus far on a great specific occasion, and why he seemed uneasy giving it. What, we may ask, is he now to say of a murder committed by uninvited American troops on foreign soil, illegally?

And what is he to do with an illegally kidnapped widow, daughter and sons, and their ongoing education in Abbottobad?

And, indeed, with the question, why are we in Afghanistan?

And with the further, larger question, why, if Osama Bin Laden was for five years in Pakistan, and Pakistan’s rulers knew of it, we are not making war on Pakistan today? In reprisal? As we did on Afghanistan?

Why are we in Afghanistan, by the way?

Is there any reason left?
































idiots

You have to wonder: Russian and Iranian Ignorance

Surely we all have populations that need serious medical assistance.  Perhaps they need to sit quietly in the corner for a few hours and de-stress.  Perhaps they need to consult a medical professional for help with prescription medication to aide their well-being.

Whether it is the 'birthers' or the '9/11 Loose Change' nuts, we have enough. 

Those people tend to be the average person - run of the mill, daily type.

Whereas in Iran - it reaches to the highest reaches of government where insanity has found a home, and in Russia where insanity is required to work in the media, and the ability to pervert the truth so your citizens are completely daft all the time is crucial.


Iran's intelligence: Bin Laden had died of illness long before the U.S. operation




By Eugene Gribanov
10-05-2011, 06:02


Iran's Minister of Information, Heidar Moslehi said that he had documentary evidence that the leader of al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden died of illness long before the American special forces operations to eliminate it in Pakistan.

"Why is the U.S. military and U.S. security forces have refused to show bin Laden's body and dumped it into the sea, if in fact they arrested and killed him?" We have precise information that bin Laden had died some time ago ... and we have documents confirming this fact, "- Iranian media quoted words of the head of the Ministry, which serves as the Islamic Republic Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

As noted by RIA Novosti news agency, earlier information about the death of the terrorist number one not once appeared in various media.

In particular, in 2006 the French newspaper Est Republicain citing a secret intelligence report of France said that the leader of al-Qaida had died of typhoid in Pakistan. Later refuted this information, several foreign governments. In 2007, shortly before her death, Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said that bin Laden is killed.

[there is more but it is all drivel anyway]

The Russian newspapers publish this rubbish so as to enlighten their readers with horribly stupid lies that require a restructuring of reality.  In Iran, it tends to be more common - they all tend to be living in a delusional world.


Keep in mind that bin Laden's daughter told the world press they came in and shot her father.

That the world saw the compound burning after - they had come in and shot her father dead.

That his wife was shot while protecting him, after they came in and shot him dead.

That his other wife was also protecting him and publicly stated they came in and shot him dead and tied them up and left and would have taken them all had it not been for the crashed helicopter, on fire in the compound after it crashed, when they came to shoot bin Laden dead.

Al Qaida admitted they killed him dead.

Pakistan confirmed they came in and killed him dead.

But Iran knows he died years earlier, even though his ghost was watching a video of Obama on TV and we see the screen image in the photo  and the video.

That previous video messages have all been confirmed to be him, including the most recent one - commenting on events which occurred days before he was killed dead by the Seal team after their chopper was destroyed and the compound caught fire.

Reality must be ignored in favor of delusion.  There is a word for this - INSANITY.














russia and iran

Reid is a Fear Monger and a Liar

Liar Liar Liar.

If you think back, please do, to the weeks prior to Obama launching his ill-fated healthcare fiasco.  A health panel for women / cancer, and I forget the specifics although more than likely included in this blog file, recommended women cut back on the frequency of the screenings they receive.  The problem with this, as the dolts on the commission didn't seem to understand, is that if women cut back, the in-between time will be when the cancer will grow and by the time of their visit, it will already be at a stage requiring major medical costs and an increased risk to the woman's life. 

The commission stated that since the incidence of cancer in women was so low, it was not worth the cost to do the testing so often.  Duh.  The reason it was so low you dolts is because THEY GET TESTED SO OFTEN. 

This was in anticipation of the Obama plan which would call for reasonable testing ... which is an odd way of suggesting cut back on the frequency, which is what Obama's health care plan would do, because the cost to the government of women getting tested so often would be tens of millions of dollars each time.

And given these facts, we hear Harry Reid say ...





Reid says Republicans want shutdown to close clinics


11:23am EDT

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - Ratcheting up the rhetoric, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid on Friday said Republicans want to shut down the government because they want to deny funding to women's health clinics.

"Republicans want to shut down the government because they think there's nothing more important than keeping women from getting cancer screenings. This is indefensible and everyone should be outraged," Reid said on the Senate floor.



so disingenuous




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
democrats l;ie

But they did it respectfully so that makes it ok.

They are juvenile delinquents.  The police should arrerst them as they tresspass onto his property (and tresspass includes the dumping of trash).  And the penalty should be ... work a weekend in DC cleaning up trash.





Facebook event: Let's dump trash at Boehner's pad


By: CNN's Ed Hornick
April 7, 2011


Washington (CNN) - If the federal government shuts down come Friday, House Speaker John Boehner may be in for quite a mess at his Washington, D.C. residence if some Facebook users have their way.

A Facebook event, entitled "If Boehner shuts down the government I am taking my trash to his house," has popped up and is gaining steam as the shutdown showdown ramps up on Capitol Hill. If the federal government shuts down, one of the District's services that will stop is trash pickup.

"Speaker John Boehner is ready to shut down the government, including District of Columbia city services like trash collection," it says on the page. "Well, if he won't allow us to use OUR TAX DOLLARS to pick it up, maybe we should just BRING IT TO HIM."

As of 2:30 p.m. EST there are 1,476 attending; 126 are listed as maybe; 156 aren't showing up; and 4,652 are still making up their minds (much like Congress, apparently).

The trash-a-thon is scheduled for Saturday and apparently will last through June 30.

Organizers of the event - Jonah Goodman and Nolan Treadway - write on the page that even if the government shutdown doesn't occur, they will "move forward with this event, we'll provide details on location(s) and we'll make sure it's done in a sanitary and respectful way. Please don't list any personal addresses for members of Congress on this page."

Goodman is listed in the Democratic National Committee network. Treadway is the political and logistics director for the liberal group Netroots Nation.

House Speaker Boehner's spokesman Michael Steel did not comment to CNN on the group. But he said that "The Speaker has made clear that he wants to cut spending and keep the government open. The House will pass yet another bill to that this afternoon. If the government does shut down, these folks should focus their ire on the Democrats who are actively rooting for a government shutdown, hoping for partisan gain."

Reaction on the page is, like Washington, all over the place.

Amy Lysander: "Do you plan on trashing the yards of the Democrats who are actually causing a shutdown? The House passed a bill to keep the government open. Two of them, actually. The Senate hasn't. Where's Harry Reid's house?"

Diane C. Russell: "Dems controlled Congress completely for 11 months after Obama submitted FY 2011 budget, but FAILED to do their duty and REFUSED to pass any appropriations, either before or after the beginning of the fiscal year."

Brian Devine: "I'll bring some styrofoam from the Hill caf."

Darrin Morgan: "Darn! I just cleaned out my garage. Oh, well. I have some rotten fruit I can throw at the Weeper of the House."





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
dumbshits

US Response in Libya and Ivory Coast

The US response in Libya - we have slowly pulled back, leaving Europe to handle the issues.  What Samantha Power said was a necessary act to save lives, must now be unnec essary since so many innocent people are being shot and bombed.  The US has slowly begun extricatingitself from Libya although we are still concerned.  I suppose, in anticipation of a political statement from Obama this coming week.




The US response to the Ivory Coast .... we are deeply concerned.



The US response to events in Bosnia .... we are concerned.




















idiots

Of Aliens and Reptiles - Government Secrets

Oh My God - they found out.  Thankfully they did not find out how we came to possess these peripheral nervous system instrument gauges.  At least for the moment that secret is still secret. 

I told them it was too risky trying it out on five public figures.  I told them and told them, but they refused to listen.  They just told me to not worry about it, that one of the subjects was old and no one would pay attention to her, one of them was a blonde and no one was listening to her anyway, the male television personality - he was different, and they directed a whole particle beam for 10 deliseconds more than is permissible under all guidelines.  The fifth subject - well, he is still out there, wailing away, but is such a loon no one has even considered he was subjected to an intense beam of alpha nomial particles, resulting in his insanity - after all, he goes around uttering the most inane and insane things - winning or losing he is truly a sad sack.  They took care of him, planting a suitcase of cocaine on him.  He thought it was his toiletries bag - not a bag full of cocaine.  Now no one pays attention to him.

Regardless of the selection of candidates - I am very happy no one has discovered the source of the code we have in use with our particle beam accelerators.  I mean, what would everyone think if they knew that Area 51 was real an d our technology came from an alien force living under Area 51 in Nevada.   What the general public doesn't know won't hurt them and if they did find out, we'd have to explain that we keep the aliens among us to protect us from the reptilian species living in the earth, who have for decades been taking humans and exchanging them with their reptilian brethren.  I am glad no one has put 2 and 2 together - after all, how else do you explain a dramatic increase in allergies.  The reptilian species are not used to our air and they are constantly sneezing and taking allergy pills.  The reptiles are taking human beings below for a food supply while exchanging the human with an exact replica that is a reptile.  Their goal - take over earth.  Our alien friends are assisting us in fighting off the reptiles.

Thank Xenu for small favors!





Are U.S. government microwave mind-control tests causing TV presenters' brains to melt down?



By Tom Leonard
2nd April 2011
Daily Mail



A bizarre spate of television presenters dissolving into on-air gibberish has sparked claims that the U.S. military could be to blame.

In four high-profile cases, the latest involving fast-talking Judge Judy, the presenters have started off speaking properly but have then descended into undecipherable nonsense - looking confused and unstable.

The frequency of the 'attacks' - and the fact that recorded examples of the mental meltdowns have been popular on websites - has led to conspiracy theorists pointing the finger at shadowy government experiments.

Latest victim: Judge Judy Sheindlin had to stop her courtroom TV show on Wednesday after descending into nonsensical language

A popular theory being circulated online blames the U.S. Military’s supposed research into using microwaves as a mind control weapon.

America has never admitted conducting such research but proponents say the effects - produced by microwave signals stimulating the brain with fake images and voices - exactly mimic those displayed in the recent on-air breakdowns.

As to why the Pentagon might be targeting U.S. television presenters, the microwave theorists are less clear.

The phenomenon, which has provided internet video sites with some of the oddest footage for months, has now claimed one of America’s most highly paid broadcasters.

Targeted? Serene Branson's garbled Grammys report became an internet sensation, while WISCTV's Sarah Carlson suffered a similar meltdown in January

Judith Sheindlin, the fast-talking judge on Judge Judy, was taken to hospital on Wednesday after she began speaking a nonsensical string of words during a live recording of her courtroom TV show.

Studio insiders said Sheindlin, who earns £28 million a year for a show that is the most watched programme on American daytime TV, was sitting on camera and 'started saying things that didn’t make any sense'.

Sheindlin then announced she needed to stop as she didn’t feel well and asked a crew member to call an ambulance.

The 68-year-old lawyer was released from hospital the following day but a spokesman said medical tests had not revealed what caused her garbled speech and double vision.

Over the border: Mark McAllister, of Canadian Global Toronto News, soldiered on with his report on Libya, despite his words being unintelligible

Her verbal breakdown is the fourth such recent case and the odd coincidence has prompted feverish speculation over the cause.

No video has been released of the Judge Judy incident but footage of the other three has rapidly gone viral on the internet.

The first victim was Serene Branson, a Los Angeles reporter for CBS, who delivered a completely incoherent piece to camera on the Grammy music awards last month.

The presenter was unable to get out her words and continued to struggle to speak for around 10 seconds outside the Staples Centre before producers cut to a video.

She said later: 'My head was definitely pounding and I was very uncomfortable, and I knew something wasn’t right. I was terrified and confused.'

'My head was definitely pounding and I was very uncomfortable, and I knew something wasn’t right. I was terrified and confused'

Her doctor later said she had suffered a complex migraine whose symptoms mimic a stroke.

Her case was followed by a Canadian news reporter whose report on his country’s contribution to the military campaign in Libya suddenly collapsed into gibberish.

Mark McAllister of Global Toronto News told viewers that the Canadian defence minister had confirmed that 'more than sifty four 18 fighter jets are spending about as much as 20 and ready to assist 600 hundred, hundred deployed over the an-amount needed'.

His piece-to-camera went on to become even more odd before he signed off.

His employers later confirmed there had been no problem with the autocue but McAllister had also suffered from a migraine.

In January, Sarah Carlson of WISC-TV in Wisconsin was also struck. She started out fine in her report on Wisconsin’s challenge to Barack Obama’s health care reforms, but it soon became apparent that she was having trouble forming words and the camera switched to a startled-looking co-presenter.

Unlike the others, Carlson, 35, has a history of seizures, but America’s army of conspiracy theorists are unconvinced by the medical explanations.









 
 
 
 
 
 
insane and stuopid people

A Nation of Takers, Not Makers

No nation can survive when then have more citizens on one side of the ledger than the other - note all of Europe, now quickly dissolving economically.

A joke - that they would become a power economically.  NOT when the bulk of our stimulus money goes to prop them up!




We've Become a Nation of Takers, Not Makers


 
More Americans work for the government than in manufacturing, farming, fishing, forestry, mining and utilities combined.
 
 
Wall Street Journal
April 1, 2011
By STEPHEN MOORE


If you want to understand better why so many states—from New York to Wisconsin to California—are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, consider this depressing statistic: Today in America there are nearly twice as many people working for the government (22.5 million) than in all of manufacturing (11.5 million). This is an almost exact reversal of the situation in 1960, when there were 15 million workers in manufacturing and 8.7 million collecting a paycheck from the government.

It gets worse. More Americans work for the government than work in construction, farming, fishing, forestry, manufacturing, mining and utilities combined. We have moved decisively from a nation of makers to a nation of takers. Nearly half of the $2.2 trillion cost of state and local governments is the $1 trillion-a-year tab for pay and benefits of state and local employees. Is it any wonder that so many states and cities cannot pay their bills?

Every state in America today except for two—Indiana and Wisconsin—has more government workers on the payroll than people manufacturing industrial goods. Consider California, which has the highest budget deficit in the history of the states. The not-so Golden State now has an incredible 2.4 million government employees—twice as many as people at work in manufacturing. New Jersey has just under two-and-a-half as many government employees as manufacturers. Florida's ratio is more than 3 to 1. So is New York's.

Even Michigan, at one time the auto capital of the world, and Pennsylvania, once the steel capital, have more government bureaucrats than people making things. The leaders in government hiring are Wyoming and New Mexico, which have hired more than six government workers for every manufacturing worker.

Now it is certainly true that many states have not typically been home to traditional manufacturing operations. Iowa and Nebraska are farm states, for example. But in those states, there are at least five times more government workers than farmers. West Virginia is the mining capital of the world, yet it has at least three times more government workers than miners. New York is the financial capital of the world—at least for now. That sector employs roughly 670,000 New Yorkers. That's less than half of the state's 1.48 million government employees.

Don't expect a reversal of this trend anytime soon. Surveys of college graduates are finding that more and more of our top minds want to work for the government. Why? Because in recent years only government agencies have been hiring, and because the offer of near lifetime security is highly valued in these times of economic turbulence. When 23-year-olds aren't willing to take career risks, we have a real problem on our hands. Sadly, we could end up with a generation of Americans who want to work at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The employment trends described here are explained in part by hugely beneficial productivity improvements in such traditional industries as farming, manufacturing, financial services and telecommunications. These produce far more output per worker than in the past. The typical farmer, for example, is today at least three times more productive than in 1950.

Where are the productivity gains in government? Consider a core function of state and local governments: schools. Over the period 1970-2005, school spending per pupil, adjusted for inflation, doubled, while standardized achievement test scores were flat. Over roughly that same time period, public-school employment doubled per student, according to a study by researchers at the University of Washington. That is what economists call negative productivity.

But education is an industry where we measure performance backwards: We gauge school performance not by outputs, but by inputs. If quality falls, we say we didn't pay teachers enough or we need smaller class sizes or newer schools. If education had undergone the same productivity revolution that manufacturing has, we would have half as many educators, smaller school budgets, and higher graduation rates and test scores.

The same is true of almost all other government services. Mass transit spends more and more every year and yet a much smaller share of Americans use trains and buses today than in past decades. One way that private companies spur productivity is by firing underperforming employees and rewarding excellence. In government employment, tenure for teachers and near lifetime employment for other civil servants shields workers from this basic system of reward and punishment. It is a system that breeds mediocrity, which is what we've gotten.

Most reasonable steps to restrain public-sector employment costs are smothered by the unions. Study after study has shown that states and cities could shave 20% to 40% off the cost of many services—fire fighting, public transportation, garbage collection, administrative functions, even prison operations—through competitive contracting to private providers. But unions have blocked many of those efforts. Public employees maintain that they are underpaid relative to equally qualified private-sector workers, yet they are deathly afraid of competitive bidding for government services.

President Obama says we have to retool our economy to "win the future." The only way to do that is to grow the economy that makes things, not the sector that takes things.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
economy

Dumb Prayers: Equal Times for Both Sides

This silly ditty sent out by a union in NJ is really dumb.  I have seen the 'prayer' with Obama and Bush listed at various times, and it is not a threat and not serious - it does reflect the wish of those who send it, that they would prefer a different political figure holding office.





Bergen County teachers union memo jokes about death of Gov. Chris Christie



Friday, April 09, 2010
By The Associated Press


New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie isn't laughing about a teachers union's memo that hints of his death.


The memo is the latest salvo in a war of words between Christie and the union about wage and benefits concessions. The Record obtained the Bergen County Education Association memo that includes a closing prayer:

"Dear Lord this year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze, my favorite actress, Farrah Fawcett, my favorite singer, Michael Jackson, and my favorite salesman, Billy Mays. I just wanted to let you know that Chris Christie is my favorite governor."

Association president Joe Coppola says the "prayer" was a joke and was never meant to be made public.

Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said there's nothing professional about the group.





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
dumb

Libya: It's the Jews, no it's the Americans, no it's the Libyans nor its the Arabs no ....

A coalition of Libyan rebels has urged the US and its allies to bomb mercenary forces supporting Muammer Gaddafi and to impose a no-fly zone as the opposition repelled a fierce assault by pro-regime troops.
Financial Times
By Andrew England in Benghazi, Michael Peel in Tripoli, Heba Saleh in Cairo and Daniel Dombey in Washington
March 1 2011 22:54


Meanwhile, Kaddafi is certain it is a conspiracy -
 
'There is a conspiracy to control the Libyan oil and to control the Libyan land, to colonise Libya once again,' he said in a televised speech before a loyal audience.

Daily Mail
March 2, 2011


And in the US, Louis 'UFO' Farrakhan is certain it is a conspiracy also -

“President Obama,” Farrakhan said, “if you allow the Zionists to push you, to mount a military offensive against Gaddafi and you go in and kill him and his sons, as you did with Saddam Hussein and his sons... I’m warning you this is a Libyan problem, let the Libyans solve their problem among themselves.”


The conspiracy for Louis is the Jews.  The Jews are behind the conspiracy.  Kaddafi saw the conspiracy as one intended to take the oil, but rather, according to Louis, it is the Jews, trying to cause war and division.  You may ask why?  And Louis has an answer ....

The Nation of Islam leader also accused American Zionists of attempting to push Israel into war with Iran, stating that “Zionists dominate the government of the United States of America and her banking system.”

And before you go and call Louis antisemitic and stupid ...

“Some of you think that I’m just somebody who’s got something out for the Jewish people,” Farrakhan said. “You’re stupid.

So why is he speaking out now, why is he saying what he is saying?
"My job is to pull the cover off of Satan so that he will never deceive you and the people of the world again.”

And there you have it - Jews are either Satanic or controlled by Satan, and in turn seek to control everyone else.  Except Louis and Moammar, who happens to be, according to Louis “my brother and my friend.”


I suppose we should let the rebels / opposition in Libya know they are pawns of the Jews and are really not upset by what Kaddafi has done to them for over 30 years, they are being manipulated by the Jews.  The fact Louis walked away from Libya with suitcases full of cash and loans equally more than the GNP of most small countries ... none of that is relevant.















 
 
 
 
librya

Dysfunctional Comes to Mind

Some things are just too strange to be fictional.




Son testifies against father in murder-for-hire plot




LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Feb 2, 2011

To call it a "family affair" is accurate, if an understatement.

Sordid details of what authorities allege was a father's attempt to whack his son over an insurance scam and sexual affairs were recounted Wednesday during a preliminary hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court.

Dominick Harriman, 27, testified his father, Keith Harriman, 48, wanted him dead because he told insurance fraud investigators his father's $160,000 burglary loss claim was a scam to feed his crack cocaine addiction.

Dominick Harriman said his father also was angry because he had slept with both his dad's ex-girlfriend and his ex-wife.

"He said, 'You're gonna pay for this. You're gonna pay for what you did,' " the son testified.

Dominick Harriman was shot at least nine times Aug. 27 at the used car dealership where he worked. The shooter has not been identified.

Keith Harriman's public defender, Gary Guymon, hurled accusations at the son during cross-examination, implying that the younger Harriman's own criminal history was motive for a hit. He suggested that Dominick Harriman might been shot because he was a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration informant.

In a dramatic move Wednesday, Dominick Harriman took off his shirt to show the court his entrance and exit wounds from the shooting. His new scars came when he was taking a smoke break at Nice Cars of Nevada, 3401 S. Decatur Blvd., where he sold cars for his uncle.

The gunman, masked with a bandana, came up behind him and fired from less than five feet away.

Dominick Harriman was struck in the chest, both lungs, the abdomen, back and arms, which he had used to shield his face from bullets as he tried to escape. In court he recalled seeing his own intestines ooze out of stomach wounds before a customer who was a nurse helped.

"The nurse was sticking her fingers in the holes," he said. "My guts were coming out of the holes. I felt like I was drowning in my own blood."

Authorities said he was shot nine times, but a physician reported the number was 12, he said.

Harriman testified he thought his father had ordered the hit because of the insurance scam and because he was sleeping with his former girlfriend, Rena Nikolopoulos, 31.

Dominick Harriman also testified he had slept with Keith Harriman's ex-wife, his former stepmother, Amy Nabors.

Though Guymon hammered Harriman about criminality, including armed robbery, drug dealing, gang activity, and fraud, the 27-year-old denied any link between his past and his shooting.

Dominick Harriman has had several other run-ins with the law. In 2005, he was arrested in Pahrump on a charge of possession of a controlled substance, and he pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a controlled substance in Las Vegas.

Two years earlier, he was identified by police as a member of the 311 Boyz gang and was arrested in a rock-throwing incident that maimed teenager Stephen Tanner Hansen. In a plea agreement, Dominick Harriman did not contest a charge of conspiracy to commit coercion and was given one year of probation and a $2,000 fine.

Also testifying Wednesday was Patricia Harriman, Keith Harriman's daughter. She said that months before the shooting, her father had told her he was sending black men to kill Dominick Harriman and warned her not to stand near her brother when he was at work.

A co-worker at the Nice Cars dealership, Miguel Saca, who was shot in the foot during the attack, also testified. He said the gunman was a black man.

After several hours of testimony, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman said she would rule next month whether Keith Harriman should face trial in District Court.

The elder Harriman is charged with several felonies including attempted murder. He is on house arrest after posting $500,000 bond.

Zimmerman said the public defender's office no longer could represent him after she ruled in the case, which was expected to happen March 4. Zimmerman ordered the defendant to hire an attorney because he has assets that include his business, the Used Car Factory on South Highland Drive near the Strip.

Prosecutor Giancarlo Pesci had questioned why the public defender's office was representing a man who could afford to post a $500,000 bond.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
dysfunction

Dems object to GOP gov't transparency probe


Congressmen say Rep. Issa's inquiry will burden federal agencies



By TED BRIDIS
updated 2/2/2011 4:09:04 PM ET
MSNBC


WASHINGTON — Some Democrats in Congress objected Wednesday to early steps taken by the new Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to conduct a broad inquiry into President Barack Obama's promises to improve government transparency.

Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, Gerald Connolly of Virginia and Peter Welch of Vermont complained in a letter to Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., that his investigation will burden federal agencies responsible for producing government records under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act requested by citizens, journalists, companies and others. Cummings is the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee.

Issa last week demanded details of every such request during the last five years, plus copies of all letters or e-mails between government workers and people with pending requests. He said the effort would make sure that "all federal agencies respond in a timely, substantive and non-discriminatory manner" to requests for records under the information law.

The five-year window would cover part of the Bush administration and the first years of Obama's presidency.

In their letter to Issa on Wednesday, the Democrats said the investigation would require government offices to turn over perhaps hundreds of thousands of documents. "Without a defined focus, your inquiry will place a significant burden on FOIA offices and divert limited staff from processing requests from the public," they wrote.

Issa's investigation into government transparency under Obama is among the earliest by Republicans since they won control of the House, and targets one of the first pledges Obama made after he moved into the White House.

The investigation was at least partly prompted by reports last year from The Associated Press that the Homeland Security Department had sidetracked hundreds of requests for federal records to top political advisers, who wanted information about those requesting the materials.

In some cases the release of documents considered politically sensitive was delayed, according to more than 1,000 pages of e-mails obtained by the AP.

The Democrats said they were uncomfortable with Issa's request for names of all people who sought federal records, dates of their requests, descriptions of what they asked to receive and whether they ever received anything. They said Issa should modify his request to not include names.

"It is unclear why the committee needs the identities of specific FOIA requesters," they wrote.

Names of people who ask the government for records and details about what they sought under the Freedom of Information Act are generally available publicly, and many are published by federal agencies online.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
dems

What a state we have, here in California.

This story is now old (November) and had been ongoing since the start of the Fall semester at this middle school, but I just learned about it.


The video to watch first:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po7k5O9LtBo&feature=player_embedded



What the video doesn’t tell us is more about the details of why he was told to take it down:



He flew the American flag on his bike as he rode to and from his school — Denair Middle School — for two months as he was gearing up for a school trip to Washington D.C. Cody’s display of American pride was cut short though when a campus supervisor asked him to remove the flag because it might be creating “racial tension” and there were some concerns for his safety.

January 7, 2011
http://www.turlockjournal.com/news/article/7371/

or the following

What seemed to be an innocent demonstration of patriotism soon spiraled into controversy when Cody's school administration forbade him from flying the flag because other students found it offensive. The Superintendent of the Denair School District spoke to the press saying he did not want to incite "racial tension" and that Cody was asked to not bring his flag to school for his own safety.



So … Turlock California … racial tensions????


How tolerant.
 

 

Take down the flag so as to avoid bothering people!!  In my country, I should not fly my flag so as to avoid bothering someone (who is not from my country, and to be honest, does not care much about my country) - not going to happen, regardless of racial tension.







 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
tolerance

TSA and their unproductive, violative, idiotic, unjust, dubious actions

This guys story is well worth the time.  Can I not fly - I really really want to go somewhere during Christmas break and in summer, but will make do, here.  They win - I won't fly.  The airlines will lose money, they will ask the federal government for bailout, the government will be hard pressed to explain why they paid for machines that resulted in the airlines losing money they had to give them to keep them from failing. 

All because of intransigent fools who are placed in charge of agencies they are wholly unqualified to head.

While we are at it, abolish the TSA.  Incompetents, many of whom arrived here from a small country far away or a big country just as far away, some are illegals, and others just not the brightest bunch - abolish the TSA, save us all money and do away with this insane screening process.  Use a method that is very nearly full-proof - and it isn't an x-ray machine.


The Story  <-- link and the body (minus the videos is below)



These events took place roughly between 5:30 and 6:30 AM, November 13th in Terminal 2 of the San Diego International Airport. I'm writing this approximately 2 1/2 hours after the events transpired, and they are correct to the best of my recollection. I will admit to being particularly fuzzy on the exact order of events when dealing with the agents after getting my ticket refunded; however, all of the events described did occur.



I had my phone recording audio and video of much of these events. It can be viewed below.


Please spread this story as far and wide as possible. I will make no claims to copyright or otherwise.]


This morning, I tried to fly out of San Diego International Airport but was refused by the TSA. I had been somewhat prepared for this eventuality. I have been reading about the millimeter wave and backscatter x-ray machines and the possible harm to health as well as the vivid pictures they create of people's naked bodies. Not wanting to go through them, I had done my research on the TSA's website prior to traveling to see if SAN had them. From all indications, they did not. When I arrived at the security line, I found that the TSA's website was out of date. SAN does in fact utilize backscatter x-ray machines.


I made my way through the line toward the first line of "defense": the TSA ID checker. This agent looked over my boarding pass, looked over my ID, looked at me and then back at my ID. After that, he waved me through. SAN is still operating metal detectors, so I walked over to one of the lines for them. After removing my shoes and making my way toward the metal detector, the person in front of me in line was pulled out to go through the backscatter machine. After asking what it was and being told, he opted out. This left the machine free, and before I could go through the metal detector, I was pulled out of line to go through the backscatter machine. When asked, I half-chuckled and said, "I don't think so." At this point, I was informed that I would be subject to a pat down, and I waited for another agent.


A male agent (it was a female who had directed me to the backscatter machine in the first place), came and waited for me to get my bags and then directed me over to the far corner of the area for screening. After setting my things on a table, he turned to me and began to explain that he was going to do a "standard" pat down. (I thought to myself, "great, not one of those gropings like I've been reading about".) After he described, the pat down, I realized that he intended to touch my groin. After he finished his description but before he started the pat down, I looked him straight in the eye and said, "if you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested." He, a bit taken aback, informed me that he would have to involve his supervisor because of my comment.


We both stood there for no more than probably two minutes before a female TSA agent (apparently, the supervisor) arrived. She described to me that because I had opted out of the backscatter screening, I would now be patted down, and that involved running hands up the inside of my legs until they felt my groin. I stated that I would not allow myself to be subject to a molestation as a condition of getting on my flight. The supervisor informed me that it was a standard administrative security check and that they were authorized to do it. I repeated that I felt what they were doing was a sexual assault, and that if they were anyone but the government, the act would be illegal. I believe that I was then informed that if I did not submit to the inspection, I would not be getting on my flight. I again stated that I thought the search was illegal. I told her that I would be willing to submit to a walk through the metal detector as over 80% of the rest of the people were doing, but I would not be groped. The supervisor, then offered to go get her supervisor.


I took a seat in a tiny metal chair next to the table with my belongings and waited. While waiting, I asked the original agent (who was supposed to do the pat down) if he had many people opt out to which he replied, none (or almost none, I don't remember exactly). He said that I gave up a lot of rights when I bought my ticket. I replied that the government took them away after September 11th. There was silence until the next supervisor arrived. A few minutes later, the female agent/supervisor arrived with a man in a suit (not a uniform). He gave me a business card identifying him as David Silva, Transportation Security Manager, San Diego International Airport. At this point, more TSA agents as well as what I assume was a local police officer arrived on the scene and surrounded the area where I was being detained. The female supervisor explained the situation to Mr. Silva. After some quick back and forth (that I didn't understand/hear), I could overhear Mr. Silva say something to the effect of, "then escort him from the airport." I again offered to submit to the metal detector, and my father-in-law, who was near by also tried to plead for some reasonableness on the TSA's part.


The female supervisor took my ID at this point and began taking some kind of report with which I cooperated. Once she had finished, I asked if I could put my shoes back on. I was allowed to put my shoes back on and gather my belongs. I asked, "are we done here" (it was clear at this point that I was going to be escorted out), and the local police officer said, "follow me". I followed him around the side of the screening area and back out to the ticketing area. I said apologized to him for the hassle, to which he replied that it was not a problem.


I made my way over to the American Airlines counter, explained the situation, and asked if my ticket could be refunded. The woman behind the counter furiously typed away for about 30 seconds before letting me know that she would need a supervisor. She went to the other end of the counter. When she returned, she informed me that the ticket was non-refundable, but that she was still trying to find a supervisor. After a few more minutes, she was able to refund my ticket. I told her that I had previously had a bad experience with American Airlines and had sworn never to fly with them again (I rationalized this trip since my father-in-law had paid for the ticket), but that after her helpfulness, I would once again be willing to use their carrier again.


At this point, I thought it was all over. I began to make my way to the stairs to exit the airport, when I was approached by another man in slacks and a sport coat. He was accompanied by the officer that had escorted me to the ticketing area and Mr. Silva. He informed me that I could not leave the airport. He said that once I start the screening in the secure area, I could not leave until it was completed. Having left the area, he stated, I would be subject to a civil suit and a $10,000 fine. I asked him if he was also going to fine the 6 TSA agents and the local police officer who escorted me from the secure area. After all, I did exactly what I was told. He said that they didn't know the rules, and that he would deal with them later. They would not be subject to civil penalties. I then pointed to Mr. Silva and asked if he would be subject to any penalties. He is the agents' supervisor, and he directed them to escort me out. The man informed me that Mr. Silva was new and he would not be subject to penalties, either. He again asserted the necessity that I return to the screening area. When I asked why, he explained that I may have an incendiary device and whether or not that was true needed to be determined. I told him that I would submit to a walk through the metal detector, but that was it; I would not be groped. He told me that their procedures are on their website, and therefore, I was fully informed before I entered the airport; I had implicitly agreed to whatever screening they deemed appropriate. I told him that San Diego was not listed on the TSA's website as an airport using Advanced Imaging Technology, and I believed that I would only be subject to the metal detector. He replied that he was not a webmaster, and I asked then why he was referring me to the TSA's website if he didn't know anything about it. I again refused to re-enter the screening area.


The man asked me to stay put while he walked off to confer with the officer and Mr. Silva. They went about 20 feet away and began talking amongst themselves while I waited. I couldn't over hear anything, but I got the impression that the police officer was recounting his version of the events that had transpired in the screening area (my initial refusal to be patted down). After a few minutes, I asked loudly across the distance if I was free to leave. The man dismissively held up a finger and said, "hold on". I waited. After another minute or so, he returned and asked for my name. I asked why he needed it, and reminded him that the female supervisor/agent had already taken a report. He said that he was trying to be friendly and help me out. I asked to what end. He reminded me that I could be sued civilly and face a $10,000 fine and that my cooperation could help mitigate the penalties I was facing. I replied that he already had my information in the report that was taken and I asked if I was free to leave. I reminded him that he was now illegally detaining me and that I would not be subject to screening as a condition of leaving the airport. He told me that he was only trying to help (I should note that his demeanor never suggested that he was trying to help. I was clearly being interrogated.), and that no one was forcing me to stay. I asked if tried to leave if he would have the officer arrest me. He again said that no one was forcing me to stay. I looked him in the eye, and said, "then I'm leaving". He replied, "then we'll bring a civil suit against you", to which I said, "you bring that suit" and walked out of the airport.






 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TSA

Republicans prove why they should be called the Retardicans

And the whack jobs just keep on coming -


Kim Lehman, who is one of Iowa’s two national Republican Committee members, may be one of the first national committee members to publicly state she believes Obama is a Muslim.



In a speech in Egypt in June 2009, Obama said he is a Christian. But Lehman said the speech “just had the appearance that he was aligning himself with the Muslims.”


Lehman in a telephone interview this morning said what matters is not her personal view that Obama is a Muslim, but his own answer to the issue.


“He’s the one that the news is about. It isn’t about me. Call the president. … Say, ‘Are you a Christian or not?’” Lehman said. “If I’m wrong, I’m more than happy to say, ‘Oh, I’m wrong.”



HEY!  Lehman ... he has already said he is Christian, so ... how about you apologizing and stop the lies.
 
Do I like the man?  No.
 
Do I think he is a good or decent president?  Nope.
 
Do I hope he runs again?  Never.
 
Do I like anything about his policies?  Almost nothing.
 
But that doesn't mean I like lies and slander.  Don't malign the man or his more than 20 years in a Christian church led by a preacher who would make most preachers look and appear downright questionable on their passion for God.
 
Do I believe Obama is doing a great disservice to this country and Western Civilization by saying and doing some of the things he has vis a vis Muslims and Islam - yes.  But get over it, criticize on actions, not on a whole idiotic path fools will follow, along with the Birthers - you have a whole section of the right wing of the Republican party ready to take a leap off a cliff over the fear they have created concerning this man.