Printed in your very own West Bend News.... (nice)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Young gay people whose parents or guardians responded negatively when they revealed their sexual orientation were more likely to attempt suicide, experience severe depression and use drugs than those whose families accepted the news, according to a new study. The way in which parents or guardians respond to a youth’s sexual orientation profoundly influences the child’s mental health as an adult, say researchers at San Francisco State University, whose findings appear in today’s journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
(Perhaps what is more pertinent is that the parents failed to teach these children what traditional family values are and the child is reaping the emotional, social and physical consequences of deviant behavior. Let's make sure we give a correct evaluation here.)
‘‘Parents love their children and want the best for them,’’ said lead researcher Caitlin Ryan, a social worker who directs the university’s Family Acceptance Project.
(Exactly why parents oppose sexual misbehavior and inappropriate relationships that put their children at risk. That would be called "a good thing".)
‘‘Now that we have measured all these behaviors, we can see that some of them put youth at extremely high risk and others are wellness-promoting.’’ Among other findings, the study showed that teens who experienced negative feedback were more than eight times as likely to have attempted suicide, nearly six times as vulnerable to severe depression and more than three times at risk of drug use.
If the youth were not involved in risky sexual choices, they would not be in this situation in the first place. Who is teaching? Who is promoting wellness? These kids are victims of poor upbringing, inappropriate choices and/or bad examples.
More significantly, Ryan said, ongoing work at San Francisco State suggests that parents who take even baby steps to respond with equanimity instead of rejection can dramatically improve a gay youth’s mental health outlook. One of the most startling findings was that being forbidden to associate with gay peers was as damaging as being physically beaten or verbally abused by their parents in terms of negative feedback, Ryan said.
This is a ridiculous statement. Of course, words are painful and hurtful. Of course, children should be approached with love in their situations. But the truth about their the potential consequences of their risky behavior needs to be spoken. Don't blame it on the parents. Blame it on our government who supports same-sex marriage, our public school systems who promote special protection for homosexuals, and media (the West Bend News included), who continually shove this garbage down the throats of our youth. Put credit where credit is due.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Grothman blasts City of Milwaukee
MADISON: Today Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) announced his plan to introduce legislation to terminate state aid to cities with programs similar to Milwaukee’s Emerging Business Enterprise Program. Grothman’s bill is in response to a 12-26-08 article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel titled “Police uniforms could come at premium” in which it is apparent the City of Milwaukee may spend $340,000 more than necessary to buy new police uniforms per Chapter 360 of the Milwaukee Code.
The Milwaukee Code appears to give preferences to people who have not finished high school, people who have no knowledge or skills necessary for employment and people who live outside of a traditional family structure. The above estimate does not include the additional cost to Milwaukee taxpayers to pay for staff to administer the unnecessary red tape required by the Enterprise Program.
“The breakdown of the traditional family is the cause of many of the City of Milwaukee’s ills. It seems bizarre that the City of Milwaukee is giving preference to people who ‘lack a traditional family structure,’” said Grothman. “Milwaukee should be encouraging people to finish high school but they are giving preference to people who fail to obtain a high school degree or its equivalent. It is also highly divisive to give preferences to people whose businesses are located in one part of the city and not other parts of the city. How can this type of mindset be helpful to the economy of our state’s largest city?”
“At a time when Wisconsin families are having to cut back their spending, the fact that the City of Milwaukee is spending 33-percent more on these uniforms than necessary shows the Milwaukee City Council has not gotten the message -- apparently, because financially-strapped taxpayers outstate keep bailing them out,” said Grothman.
As fiscal estimates show, Wisconsin’s taxpayers have been extremely generous in providing funding for SE Wisconsin, but they also want some common sense and accountability to accompany their dollars. The City of Milwaukee receives $407 per person in shared revenue compared to the statewide average of $106 per person not including Milwaukee.
Grothman also questioned the constitutionality of the Emerging Business Enterprise Program under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and asked Attorney General JB Van Hollen for a formal opinion. The court system already prohibits the classification of race as a protected class. “I do not see how the City of Milwaukee’s policy of discriminating against married people would stand constitutional muster,” said Grothman.
“As a sign of respect for Wisconsin’s hard-working families, I sincerely hope the Governor will include this legislation as part of his budget,” said Grothman.
______________
WELL SAID.
The Milwaukee Code appears to give preferences to people who have not finished high school, people who have no knowledge or skills necessary for employment and people who live outside of a traditional family structure. The above estimate does not include the additional cost to Milwaukee taxpayers to pay for staff to administer the unnecessary red tape required by the Enterprise Program.
“The breakdown of the traditional family is the cause of many of the City of Milwaukee’s ills. It seems bizarre that the City of Milwaukee is giving preference to people who ‘lack a traditional family structure,’” said Grothman. “Milwaukee should be encouraging people to finish high school but they are giving preference to people who fail to obtain a high school degree or its equivalent. It is also highly divisive to give preferences to people whose businesses are located in one part of the city and not other parts of the city. How can this type of mindset be helpful to the economy of our state’s largest city?”
“At a time when Wisconsin families are having to cut back their spending, the fact that the City of Milwaukee is spending 33-percent more on these uniforms than necessary shows the Milwaukee City Council has not gotten the message -- apparently, because financially-strapped taxpayers outstate keep bailing them out,” said Grothman.
As fiscal estimates show, Wisconsin’s taxpayers have been extremely generous in providing funding for SE Wisconsin, but they also want some common sense and accountability to accompany their dollars. The City of Milwaukee receives $407 per person in shared revenue compared to the statewide average of $106 per person not including Milwaukee.
Grothman also questioned the constitutionality of the Emerging Business Enterprise Program under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and asked Attorney General JB Van Hollen for a formal opinion. The court system already prohibits the classification of race as a protected class. “I do not see how the City of Milwaukee’s policy of discriminating against married people would stand constitutional muster,” said Grothman.
“As a sign of respect for Wisconsin’s hard-working families, I sincerely hope the Governor will include this legislation as part of his budget,” said Grothman.
______________
WELL SAID.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Government indoctrination in the public schools - Call to Dunkirk
____________________________________________________________
Over 75% of all Christian children attend public schools. They spend over 14,000 hours of indoctrination into the worldview. It is a very high expectation to believe your child can come out unscathed and untouched by the government marxist teachings. The Call to Dunkirk is a movement that suggests Christians begin a mass exodus from the public school system. While I don't believe this solution is for everyone, it is obvious there is an infiltration of godlessness that is taking over more and more as the generations come to pass. If we are loading up the public schools with our children and giving the government control over the moral, cultural and social areas of our children's lives on a whopping timescale, we can't expect high moral standards, God-fearing, faith-filled men and women to populate our nation.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Koschnick takes on Abrahamson - Supreme Court seat
Conservative Republican Judge Randy Koschnick is hoping to unseat the current sitting liberal Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson in the May election.
We are at a tipping point---making this the most important election ever. Liberals currently hold 4 seats while conservative judges hold 3 seats on our state's highest court. We need to see the scale tipped in the "right" direction.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Joffe, Racine Unified School District push gay center on community
Wisconsin Family Council shares:
Bruce Joffe, a faculty member of both Carthage College and Cardinal Stritch University, plans to use the residence at 1456 Junction Ave to house his organization, The LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://%28http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lgbtsewisc.org%2Fhome%29. According to the organization's website, and a Racine Journal Times article http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://%28http%3A%2F%2Fwww.journaltimes.com%2Farticles%2F2008%2F12%2F09%2Flocal_news%2Fdoc493dded815213142305884.txt%29%2C the Center will "offer programs and services for LGBT(Q)--that's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning--people, youth, transgenders, people of color and those with HIV/AIDS, LGBT seniors, parents and family of LGBT youth, and children (no matter what age) with LGBT parents."
Bruce Joffe http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://%28http%3A%2F%2Fwww.safehavenofracine.org%2Fstaff.htm%29 is a practicing homosexual, professor, resident of Racine and author of the book, A Hint of Homosexuality? 'Gay' and Homoerotic Imagery in American Print Advertising http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://%28http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.xlibris.com%2Fbookstore%2Fbookdisplay.asp%3Fbookid%3D40500%29. He is the "founding father" of the LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin. The board members http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://%28http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lgbtsewisc.org%2Fabout_us%29 for the center include representatives from Gateway Technical College, the UW-Parkside Rainbow Alliance, Carthage College and the Racine Unified School District (RUSD), as well as three area pastors.The services listed http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://%28http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lgbtsewisc.org%2Fservices%29 by the center confirm the center's anti-family goals for influencing the people, and particularly the youth, of Racine and Kenosha. With an RUSD representative there can be no doubt that so-called "gay" or "questioning" youth from our schools will be sent to the center for blatantly biased counseling. The center will include an in-house (and presumably uncensored) library accessible to both adults and youth. The center plans both political involvement and proactive "outreach" in the community.The center poses a risk to our youth and raises questions of jurisdiction, particularly with an RUSD representative on the board. For example, to which counselor will RUSD students be referred, the counselor hired by the school, or the LGBT Center counselor? There can be no doubt that the purpose of the LGBT Center is to indoctrinate, pursuade and infiltrate our community with the unscientific and unsubstantiated claims of the homosexual agenda.
Bruce Joffe, a faculty member of both Carthage College and Cardinal Stritch University, plans to use the residence at 1456 Junction Ave to house his organization, The LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://%28http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lgbtsewisc.org%2Fhome%29. According to the organization's website, and a Racine Journal Times article http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://%28http%3A%2F%2Fwww.journaltimes.com%2Farticles%2F2008%2F12%2F09%2Flocal_news%2Fdoc493dded815213142305884.txt%29%2C the Center will "offer programs and services for LGBT(Q)--that's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning--people, youth, transgenders, people of color and those with HIV/AIDS, LGBT seniors, parents and family of LGBT youth, and children (no matter what age) with LGBT parents."
Bruce Joffe http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://%28http%3A%2F%2Fwww.safehavenofracine.org%2Fstaff.htm%29 is a practicing homosexual, professor, resident of Racine and author of the book, A Hint of Homosexuality? 'Gay' and Homoerotic Imagery in American Print Advertising http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://%28http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.xlibris.com%2Fbookstore%2Fbookdisplay.asp%3Fbookid%3D40500%29. He is the "founding father" of the LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin. The board members http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://%28http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lgbtsewisc.org%2Fabout_us%29 for the center include representatives from Gateway Technical College, the UW-Parkside Rainbow Alliance, Carthage College and the Racine Unified School District (RUSD), as well as three area pastors.The services listed http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://%28http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lgbtsewisc.org%2Fservices%29 by the center confirm the center's anti-family goals for influencing the people, and particularly the youth, of Racine and Kenosha. With an RUSD representative there can be no doubt that so-called "gay" or "questioning" youth from our schools will be sent to the center for blatantly biased counseling. The center will include an in-house (and presumably uncensored) library accessible to both adults and youth. The center plans both political involvement and proactive "outreach" in the community.The center poses a risk to our youth and raises questions of jurisdiction, particularly with an RUSD representative on the board. For example, to which counselor will RUSD students be referred, the counselor hired by the school, or the LGBT Center counselor? There can be no doubt that the purpose of the LGBT Center is to indoctrinate, pursuade and infiltrate our community with the unscientific and unsubstantiated claims of the homosexual agenda.
Guns in America - Nat'l Geographic disses gun owners
This is from Gun Owners of America....
On Wednesday, December 17, 2008, National Geographic Channel ran a show entitled, "Guns In America." According to the program, there are millions of misguided gun owners across the nation. Why? Because your guns are supposedly more likely to harm you than to help you in an emergency."As a society, we're totally out of control with weapons," said one Philadelphia cop who was interviewed during the show. "You need to limit access that people have to these type of firearms."That was the basic thrust of the program. National Geographic recited the usual worn-out factoids that are peddled by the Brady Campaign. It only cited anti-gun cops. And for every person who was filmed stating he or she believed in a right to own firearms for self-defense, the program would cite "facts" to prove that such a hope was misplaced.
. . . .
The National Geographic Channel presents itself as an educational, unbiased alternative. But "Guns in America" was hardly unbiased, as can be seen by the following agenda items that were pushed during the program:
1. "Guns in America" would have you believe that the guns in your home are 22 times more likely to kill a family member than to protect you. This statistic can (surprise, surprise!) be found on the Brady Campaign website, but its source has been highly discredited. The factoid originates with Arthur Kellerman, who has generated multiple studies claiming that guns are a net liability. (1) But Kellerman has been found guilty of fudging his data, and even the National Academy of Sciences has stated that his "conclusions do not seem to follow"from his data. (2)The truth of the matter is actually quite encouraging for gun owners. Anti-gun researchers for the Clinton Justice Department found that guns are used 1.5 million times annually for self-defense, which means that each year, firearms are used more than 50 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than to take lives.(3)Isn't that strange? You would think anti-gunners wouldn't mind citing a study that was commissioned by the Clinton Justice Department! Apparently, the results of the study didn't fit theiragenda.
2. "Guns in America" overstates the number of children who die by unintentional gunfire. The program would have viewers believe that a child dies by accidental gunfire once every two days. But you can only reach that figure if you count violent-prone teens as "children." In fact, when you look at the statistics involving younger children (ages 0-14), you see that kids have a greater chance of dying from choking on things like the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that you feed them.(4) Hmm, why doesn't National Geographic want to report on those killer peanuts?
3. "Guns in America" portrays twelve times as many negative uses of guns as positive uses -- even though in the real world, the truth is quite the opposite (as guns are used at least 50 times more often to save life than take life). The program does start with a dramatization of a legitimate self-defense story with an actual 911 call playing in the background. But after that, every dramatization is about drive-by-shootings or cops being shot or gang-related warfare.The lesson for the viewer is: Guns are bad.
4. "Guns in America" only quotes anti-gun "authorities," thus leaving the impression that all law-enforcement support gun control. Never mind the fact that when one looks at polls of the police community, they overwhelmingly hold pro-gun attitudes:* Should any law-abiding citizen be able to purchase a firearm for sport or self defense? -- 93% of law-enforcement said yes. (5)* Do you believe law-abiding citizens should be limited to the purchase of no more than one firearm per month? -- 70.1% of law-enforcement said no. (6)* Do you agree that a national concealed handgun permit would reduce rates of violent crime as recent studies in some states have already reflected? -- 68.2% of law-enforcement said yes. (7)It's bad enough that a liberal teacher's union controls the education of our kids in the public schools, and that many of them are being brainwashed with politically correct thinking. We don't need supposedly neutral programs like National Geographic peddling the Brady Campaign's favorite factoids to an unsuspecting public.
On Wednesday, December 17, 2008, National Geographic Channel ran a show entitled, "Guns In America." According to the program, there are millions of misguided gun owners across the nation. Why? Because your guns are supposedly more likely to harm you than to help you in an emergency."As a society, we're totally out of control with weapons," said one Philadelphia cop who was interviewed during the show. "You need to limit access that people have to these type of firearms."That was the basic thrust of the program. National Geographic recited the usual worn-out factoids that are peddled by the Brady Campaign. It only cited anti-gun cops. And for every person who was filmed stating he or she believed in a right to own firearms for self-defense, the program would cite "facts" to prove that such a hope was misplaced.
. . . .
The National Geographic Channel presents itself as an educational, unbiased alternative. But "Guns in America" was hardly unbiased, as can be seen by the following agenda items that were pushed during the program:
1. "Guns in America" would have you believe that the guns in your home are 22 times more likely to kill a family member than to protect you. This statistic can (surprise, surprise!) be found on the Brady Campaign website, but its source has been highly discredited. The factoid originates with Arthur Kellerman, who has generated multiple studies claiming that guns are a net liability. (1) But Kellerman has been found guilty of fudging his data, and even the National Academy of Sciences has stated that his "conclusions do not seem to follow"from his data. (2)The truth of the matter is actually quite encouraging for gun owners. Anti-gun researchers for the Clinton Justice Department found that guns are used 1.5 million times annually for self-defense, which means that each year, firearms are used more than 50 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than to take lives.(3)Isn't that strange? You would think anti-gunners wouldn't mind citing a study that was commissioned by the Clinton Justice Department! Apparently, the results of the study didn't fit theiragenda.
2. "Guns in America" overstates the number of children who die by unintentional gunfire. The program would have viewers believe that a child dies by accidental gunfire once every two days. But you can only reach that figure if you count violent-prone teens as "children." In fact, when you look at the statistics involving younger children (ages 0-14), you see that kids have a greater chance of dying from choking on things like the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that you feed them.(4) Hmm, why doesn't National Geographic want to report on those killer peanuts?
3. "Guns in America" portrays twelve times as many negative uses of guns as positive uses -- even though in the real world, the truth is quite the opposite (as guns are used at least 50 times more often to save life than take life). The program does start with a dramatization of a legitimate self-defense story with an actual 911 call playing in the background. But after that, every dramatization is about drive-by-shootings or cops being shot or gang-related warfare.The lesson for the viewer is: Guns are bad.
4. "Guns in America" only quotes anti-gun "authorities," thus leaving the impression that all law-enforcement support gun control. Never mind the fact that when one looks at polls of the police community, they overwhelmingly hold pro-gun attitudes:* Should any law-abiding citizen be able to purchase a firearm for sport or self defense? -- 93% of law-enforcement said yes. (5)* Do you believe law-abiding citizens should be limited to the purchase of no more than one firearm per month? -- 70.1% of law-enforcement said no. (6)* Do you agree that a national concealed handgun permit would reduce rates of violent crime as recent studies in some states have already reflected? -- 68.2% of law-enforcement said yes. (7)It's bad enough that a liberal teacher's union controls the education of our kids in the public schools, and that many of them are being brainwashed with politically correct thinking. We don't need supposedly neutral programs like National Geographic peddling the Brady Campaign's favorite factoids to an unsuspecting public.
Hartford bans cell phones at Rec Dept
Bravo to the City Council! These devices are wreaking havoc on people's privacy everywhere... Photography media needs to stay out of locker rooms. Period.
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HARTFORD — Officials have taken steps to protect the privacy of patrons at the city’s popular Recreation Center on Rural Street by limiting the use of cell phones and similar devices capable of taking pictures.
Under a resolution passed recently by the Common Council, the devices are banned from locker rooms at the facility, which also houses an aquatic center and pool. A parent or guardian will still be allowed to take a picture of his or her child as long as it is not for “commercial purposes.” In addition, law enforcement officials would still be allowed to utilize camera or surveillance equipment provided they get permission first from the city.
A summary to the council written by City Attorney Karen Christianson spells out that cameras, video recorders, cell phones and any other “device that may be used to record or transfer images” are subject to the ban.
“All persons who utilize this locker room may reasonably expect a high level of privacy, which includes being safe from being observed or having their image captured by a recording or surveillance device without his or her knowledge and consent,” Christianson wrote.
The resolution also establishes that taking such a picture and either distributing it or broadcasting the image would be a Class A misdemeanor. Simply taking such a picture without distribution would be a Class B misdemeanor.
“This just makes good common sense and it puts us in compliance with state statutes,” said Mike Hermann, director of parks and recreation. “We've been aware of this situation for quite some time with the emergence of new cellular phone technology. About two years ago, we put a sign up at the entrance to the locker room stating that cell phones couldn't be used. It's important that people who use the rec center feel their privacy is being protected.”
He added: “Now with the new ordinance, it gives some teeth to punishing violations. People know they have to turn off their phones and can't use them. It's that simple.”
Local businessman Pat Paulson of Rueben's County Market said he uses the recreation center for workouts, but doesn't use the locker room so the privacy issue hasn't come up in the past. However, Paulson said he believes the restriction is a good one and he has friends who do use the locker room who will most likely appreciate the fact the city is adopting the measure.
__________________________________________________________
HARTFORD — Officials have taken steps to protect the privacy of patrons at the city’s popular Recreation Center on Rural Street by limiting the use of cell phones and similar devices capable of taking pictures.
Under a resolution passed recently by the Common Council, the devices are banned from locker rooms at the facility, which also houses an aquatic center and pool. A parent or guardian will still be allowed to take a picture of his or her child as long as it is not for “commercial purposes.” In addition, law enforcement officials would still be allowed to utilize camera or surveillance equipment provided they get permission first from the city.
A summary to the council written by City Attorney Karen Christianson spells out that cameras, video recorders, cell phones and any other “device that may be used to record or transfer images” are subject to the ban.
“All persons who utilize this locker room may reasonably expect a high level of privacy, which includes being safe from being observed or having their image captured by a recording or surveillance device without his or her knowledge and consent,” Christianson wrote.
The resolution also establishes that taking such a picture and either distributing it or broadcasting the image would be a Class A misdemeanor. Simply taking such a picture without distribution would be a Class B misdemeanor.
“This just makes good common sense and it puts us in compliance with state statutes,” said Mike Hermann, director of parks and recreation. “We've been aware of this situation for quite some time with the emergence of new cellular phone technology. About two years ago, we put a sign up at the entrance to the locker room stating that cell phones couldn't be used. It's important that people who use the rec center feel their privacy is being protected.”
He added: “Now with the new ordinance, it gives some teeth to punishing violations. People know they have to turn off their phones and can't use them. It's that simple.”
Local businessman Pat Paulson of Rueben's County Market said he uses the recreation center for workouts, but doesn't use the locker room so the privacy issue hasn't come up in the past. However, Paulson said he believes the restriction is a good one and he has friends who do use the locker room who will most likely appreciate the fact the city is adopting the measure.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
14-year-old arrested - Mequon - sex offender?
Mequon - In a case his parents consider prosecutorial overkill, a 14-year-old Mequon boy has been charged with five counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and faces the prospect of being tagged a sex offender for touching several girls in what his parents admit was an inappropriate manner.
So, last week in Ozaukee County Circuit Court, the boy's parents said no when Ozaukee County District Attorney Sandy Williams offered to reduce the charges to two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and, if he pleaded no contest, to expunge his conviction if he stayed out of trouble for a year.
The parents said their son was guilty of nothing more than disorderly conduct.
"We don't want to have anything to do with sexual assault," said the boy's father, who along with the boy's mother is not being identified to protect the identity of the juvenile boy. "He could be put on a sex offender registry list that would come back to haunt him."
Now the boy is scheduled to appear in court again Feb. 3 for an evidentiary hearing, which amounts to a trial, in which the girls are likely to be compelled to testify and experts will be called to give their opinion on whether a 12- or 13-year-old boy can be sexually aroused by grabbing a girl's buttocks.
The maximum penalty for each of the five misdemeanor charges is nine months' incarceration, according to a juvenile delinquency petition. According to state Department of Corrections spokesman Rachel Krueger, those convicted of fourth-degree sexual assault are not required to register as sex offenders, but a judge could order the boy to do so, especially since the alleged victims were children and because of the number of counts against him.
.......
State law says fourth-degree sexual assault occurs when someone intentionally touches another person to gratify himself sexually, or sexually degrades or humiliates that person.
In the opinion of Buntrock and Williams, that's what the boy did.
To the parents, however, their son is guilty of inappropriate behavior, disorderly conduct and "numskull friendliness," the mother said, quoting a therapist with whom her son has met.
"A 12-year-old boy does not do these things to sexually gratify himself," she said.
According to affidavits submitted in court Thursday in an attempt to block an order to testify in court, the girls and their parents said they did not feel degraded by the boy and that they did not want him criminally prosecuted, only disciplined by the school for the two events on June 6.
Their son and the girls remain friends, the boy's parents said.
_____________________________________________________-
THIS IS a rather troubling occurrence. Since it has been problematic in the past, why does the behavior continue? This young man obviously needs therapy, guidance and consequences. It doesn't sound like any of that has ever been established. Perhaps that is why things have escalated to this point. Since he and the girls are "still friends", there is probably more to this story than what we are hearing. At any rate, I don't think this kid deserves to be labeled a sex offender. He needs help.
MORE HERE:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/ozwash/35692184.html
So, last week in Ozaukee County Circuit Court, the boy's parents said no when Ozaukee County District Attorney Sandy Williams offered to reduce the charges to two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and, if he pleaded no contest, to expunge his conviction if he stayed out of trouble for a year.
The parents said their son was guilty of nothing more than disorderly conduct.
"We don't want to have anything to do with sexual assault," said the boy's father, who along with the boy's mother is not being identified to protect the identity of the juvenile boy. "He could be put on a sex offender registry list that would come back to haunt him."
Now the boy is scheduled to appear in court again Feb. 3 for an evidentiary hearing, which amounts to a trial, in which the girls are likely to be compelled to testify and experts will be called to give their opinion on whether a 12- or 13-year-old boy can be sexually aroused by grabbing a girl's buttocks.
The maximum penalty for each of the five misdemeanor charges is nine months' incarceration, according to a juvenile delinquency petition. According to state Department of Corrections spokesman Rachel Krueger, those convicted of fourth-degree sexual assault are not required to register as sex offenders, but a judge could order the boy to do so, especially since the alleged victims were children and because of the number of counts against him.
.......
State law says fourth-degree sexual assault occurs when someone intentionally touches another person to gratify himself sexually, or sexually degrades or humiliates that person.
In the opinion of Buntrock and Williams, that's what the boy did.
To the parents, however, their son is guilty of inappropriate behavior, disorderly conduct and "numskull friendliness," the mother said, quoting a therapist with whom her son has met.
"A 12-year-old boy does not do these things to sexually gratify himself," she said.
According to affidavits submitted in court Thursday in an attempt to block an order to testify in court, the girls and their parents said they did not feel degraded by the boy and that they did not want him criminally prosecuted, only disciplined by the school for the two events on June 6.
Their son and the girls remain friends, the boy's parents said.
_____________________________________________________-
THIS IS a rather troubling occurrence. Since it has been problematic in the past, why does the behavior continue? This young man obviously needs therapy, guidance and consequences. It doesn't sound like any of that has ever been established. Perhaps that is why things have escalated to this point. Since he and the girls are "still friends", there is probably more to this story than what we are hearing. At any rate, I don't think this kid deserves to be labeled a sex offender. He needs help.
MORE HERE:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/ozwash/35692184.html
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Kooky Cookie House - Capitol Court - Way back when...
I recently read this post from days gone by when Capitol Court was still in existence.
http://www.kookycookyhouse.com/
The pictures that were posted here renewed the childlike excitement I experienced with my siblings (all four of them) as we would take that special car trip from home (39th and Nash) to wait in the long line to get our glimpse of this make-believe candyland. We would brave cold and wind, snow or sleet. Mom would bundle us up with scarves, mittens and hoods tied tight around our faces. I recall getting to the entryway of the little house and seeing all the lights, colorful candy decorations and the sound of a hearty voice ho-ho-hoing from deep within. Once inside, the activity was extreme eye candy.... A mechanical gingerbread boy stirred and stirred his wooden spoon in a bubbling pot. Other animated cookie figures performed their culinary duties as children were mesmerized by the sights and sounds filling the petite confectionary. Santa's lap was thrilling, which was the grand finale of the experience..... Though the coloring paper and, best of all, the big, crispy, delicious gingerbread man cookie on the way out still remains delectable on my mind.... A wonderful, warm fuzzy from my Milwaukee upbringing...
http://www.kookycookyhouse.com/
The pictures that were posted here renewed the childlike excitement I experienced with my siblings (all four of them) as we would take that special car trip from home (39th and Nash) to wait in the long line to get our glimpse of this make-believe candyland. We would brave cold and wind, snow or sleet. Mom would bundle us up with scarves, mittens and hoods tied tight around our faces. I recall getting to the entryway of the little house and seeing all the lights, colorful candy decorations and the sound of a hearty voice ho-ho-hoing from deep within. Once inside, the activity was extreme eye candy.... A mechanical gingerbread boy stirred and stirred his wooden spoon in a bubbling pot. Other animated cookie figures performed their culinary duties as children were mesmerized by the sights and sounds filling the petite confectionary. Santa's lap was thrilling, which was the grand finale of the experience..... Though the coloring paper and, best of all, the big, crispy, delicious gingerbread man cookie on the way out still remains delectable on my mind.... A wonderful, warm fuzzy from my Milwaukee upbringing...
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thumbs down by community on Fitness Center
Well said....
In today's WB News:
I think it’s awesome that someone is able to donate $250,000 to a fitness center at the high schools. To have that money available and do something good with it is what humanitarianism is about. I have some concerns though.
The district came to us last year asking us to approve a $119 million referendum. This referendum did include this fitness center. It also included numerous maintenance issues that had been too long postponed, various improvements, even building new schools. According to Superintendent Pat Herdrich, Badger has already been cited for being non-handicapped accessible and is one of the schools with the most maintenance/improvements on the board. This referendum failed.
I attended the listening session held at the library after the referendum failed. I also participated in the work sessions to try to come up with another plan. I have attended some School Board meetings where improvements and new referendums were discussed.
I have a problem with building a facility onto schools that, we have been told, require improvements and maintenance. I have a problem discussing this kind of money for something that, while nice to have, is not a necessity in any economy. I would think that $250,000 could go a long way in providing some improvements or taking care of some maintenance issues that, according to the district, are pressing needs. To me, it’s like your roof is leaking. You win the lottery and choose to take a vacation to Tahiti, leaving the roof to continue leaking. It just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Nancy Leach, West Bend
In today's WB News:
I think it’s awesome that someone is able to donate $250,000 to a fitness center at the high schools. To have that money available and do something good with it is what humanitarianism is about. I have some concerns though.
The district came to us last year asking us to approve a $119 million referendum. This referendum did include this fitness center. It also included numerous maintenance issues that had been too long postponed, various improvements, even building new schools. According to Superintendent Pat Herdrich, Badger has already been cited for being non-handicapped accessible and is one of the schools with the most maintenance/improvements on the board. This referendum failed.
I attended the listening session held at the library after the referendum failed. I also participated in the work sessions to try to come up with another plan. I have attended some School Board meetings where improvements and new referendums were discussed.
I have a problem with building a facility onto schools that, we have been told, require improvements and maintenance. I have a problem discussing this kind of money for something that, while nice to have, is not a necessity in any economy. I would think that $250,000 could go a long way in providing some improvements or taking care of some maintenance issues that, according to the district, are pressing needs. To me, it’s like your roof is leaking. You win the lottery and choose to take a vacation to Tahiti, leaving the roof to continue leaking. It just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Nancy Leach, West Bend
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Donated Fitness Center could cost WB Taxpayers up to $700,000
You don't say.
The West Bend High Schools fitness center could cost up to $700,000 if prevailing wages and a sprinkler system is required, a subcommittee was told Wednesday. Of that, up to $220,000 would be funded with pubic (yes, this typo really DID happen!) money and the rest through private donors. One donor has committed to $250,000 already, and East Athletic Director Jeff Rondorf said he has a few other donors in the works. Paying prevailing wages is estimated to add $180,000 to the center’s cost, the Citizens Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC 2) was told. CFAC 2 hopes, though doubts, it may avoid paying prevailing wages since the completed facility will be owned for a short time by a private organization — the West Bend Public Schools Foundation — before it is given to the public school district.
MORE HERE:
http://activepaper.olivesoftware.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=V0JETi8yMDA4LzEyLzExI0FyMDAxMDM=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
The West Bend High Schools fitness center could cost up to $700,000 if prevailing wages and a sprinkler system is required, a subcommittee was told Wednesday. Of that, up to $220,000 would be funded with pubic (yes, this typo really DID happen!) money and the rest through private donors. One donor has committed to $250,000 already, and East Athletic Director Jeff Rondorf said he has a few other donors in the works. Paying prevailing wages is estimated to add $180,000 to the center’s cost, the Citizens Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC 2) was told. CFAC 2 hopes, though doubts, it may avoid paying prevailing wages since the completed facility will be owned for a short time by a private organization — the West Bend Public Schools Foundation — before it is given to the public school district.
MORE HERE:
http://activepaper.olivesoftware.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=V0JETi8yMDA4LzEyLzExI0FyMDAxMDM=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
Obama Paper Dolls - Really!
I was just in our local bookstore, browsing for Christmas gifts, when...lo and behold!
In the children's section, nonetheless, a large, punch-out paper doll booklet of YOURS TRULY!
Enter Mr. President-Elect Obama in his skivvies (Ok, they call 'em swim trunks, but my college-age daughter said EWWWWWW! so I am pretty sure they look like boxer briefs to the rest of the world).
Michelle Obama poses in her pretties.... tight capris and t-tank, while the daughters are waiting for warmer clothing upon purchase of this lovely gift and an adoring child who cannot wait to punch out their chic wardrobes. One of the girls looks oddly like she's flashing a gang sign. What is up with that? (Observed by someone else in the store...)
There's something really unnatural about this.
REALLY unnatural.
In the children's section, nonetheless, a large, punch-out paper doll booklet of YOURS TRULY!
Enter Mr. President-Elect Obama in his skivvies (Ok, they call 'em swim trunks, but my college-age daughter said EWWWWWW! so I am pretty sure they look like boxer briefs to the rest of the world).
Michelle Obama poses in her pretties.... tight capris and t-tank, while the daughters are waiting for warmer clothing upon purchase of this lovely gift and an adoring child who cannot wait to punch out their chic wardrobes. One of the girls looks oddly like she's flashing a gang sign. What is up with that? (Observed by someone else in the store...)
There's something really unnatural about this.
REALLY unnatural.
Sex + Texting = Sexting? New cell phone pornography...
Via the Washington Post:
Sending nude photos via cellphone now has a name. It's called "sexting" and it's the latest talking point for parents of teens.
In Seattle, sexting moved to the forefront in June when school officials at Bothell High School heard rumors of naked pictures of two cheerleaders circulating among football players. School officials received copies of the photos in August and suspended the two girls from the cheering squad, one for a month and the other for the entire school year, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Last month, the cheerleaders' parents sued the school district, alleging that the girls should not have been suspended.
The issue of sexting is arising elsewhere as well, with cases reported in at least a dozen states. In the past month, police have confiscated five cell phones of teens between ages 11 and 17 in Scranton, Penn., and in New York, police have charged a 16-year-old boy with allegedly enticing a 15-year-old girl to text him sexually explicit photos and a movie of herself that he then forwarded to friends.
According to a survey of 1,280 teens and young adults by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com, 22 percent of girls and 18 percent of boys say they have electronically sent or posted nude or semi-nude images of themselves. And about one-third of teen boys and one-quarter of teen girls say they have had nude or semi-nude images shared with them. Posting sexually suggestive messages is even more prevalent among the teens surveyed. Nearly 40 percent of them report posting such messages, and nearly half of them say they have received them. In video interviews with the National Campaign, a panel of teens tells tales of sexting in the Washington region. One girl, Mayron, shares the story of a girl from West Springfield High School who sent a photo of herself topless to her boyfriend. "By the end of the day, the whole county had it," Mayron says.
Short of banning camera phones, parents can find ways to get through to teens that sexting isn't such a good idea. For one, "make sure your kids fully understand that messages or pictures they send over the Internet or their cell phones are not truly private or anonymous," says the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "Also, make sure they know that others might forward their pictures or messages to people they do not know or want to see them, and that school administrators and employers often look at online profiles to make judgments about potential students/employees. It’s essential that your kids grasp the potential short-term and long-term consequences of their actions."
In addition, the National Campaign recommends having your teens leave their phones and laptops in a public place in the house at bedtime, keeping an eye on their electronic pages and postings, knowing their friends -- both in real life and cyberspace -- and clearly setting expectations of "appropriate" electronic behavior.
If you have teens, how do you keep up with the latest in teen technology? Do you watch their Tweets and track their Facebook page? Have you heard your teens talking about sexting? And if your child is a pre-teen, how are you setting the stage for when their technological knowledge surpasses your own?
___________________________________________
This article is an eye opener, but it is definitely not surprising. The warning is clear: Set limits. Know your children. Stay involved. Cell phones are not the safe communication devices we had hoped they would be. They have been tapped into as yet another source for perversion, no different than any other media device.
Sending nude photos via cellphone now has a name. It's called "sexting" and it's the latest talking point for parents of teens.
In Seattle, sexting moved to the forefront in June when school officials at Bothell High School heard rumors of naked pictures of two cheerleaders circulating among football players. School officials received copies of the photos in August and suspended the two girls from the cheering squad, one for a month and the other for the entire school year, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Last month, the cheerleaders' parents sued the school district, alleging that the girls should not have been suspended.
The issue of sexting is arising elsewhere as well, with cases reported in at least a dozen states. In the past month, police have confiscated five cell phones of teens between ages 11 and 17 in Scranton, Penn., and in New York, police have charged a 16-year-old boy with allegedly enticing a 15-year-old girl to text him sexually explicit photos and a movie of herself that he then forwarded to friends.
According to a survey of 1,280 teens and young adults by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com, 22 percent of girls and 18 percent of boys say they have electronically sent or posted nude or semi-nude images of themselves. And about one-third of teen boys and one-quarter of teen girls say they have had nude or semi-nude images shared with them. Posting sexually suggestive messages is even more prevalent among the teens surveyed. Nearly 40 percent of them report posting such messages, and nearly half of them say they have received them. In video interviews with the National Campaign, a panel of teens tells tales of sexting in the Washington region. One girl, Mayron, shares the story of a girl from West Springfield High School who sent a photo of herself topless to her boyfriend. "By the end of the day, the whole county had it," Mayron says.
Short of banning camera phones, parents can find ways to get through to teens that sexting isn't such a good idea. For one, "make sure your kids fully understand that messages or pictures they send over the Internet or their cell phones are not truly private or anonymous," says the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "Also, make sure they know that others might forward their pictures or messages to people they do not know or want to see them, and that school administrators and employers often look at online profiles to make judgments about potential students/employees. It’s essential that your kids grasp the potential short-term and long-term consequences of their actions."
In addition, the National Campaign recommends having your teens leave their phones and laptops in a public place in the house at bedtime, keeping an eye on their electronic pages and postings, knowing their friends -- both in real life and cyberspace -- and clearly setting expectations of "appropriate" electronic behavior.
If you have teens, how do you keep up with the latest in teen technology? Do you watch their Tweets and track their Facebook page? Have you heard your teens talking about sexting? And if your child is a pre-teen, how are you setting the stage for when their technological knowledge surpasses your own?
___________________________________________
This article is an eye opener, but it is definitely not surprising. The warning is clear: Set limits. Know your children. Stay involved. Cell phones are not the safe communication devices we had hoped they would be. They have been tapped into as yet another source for perversion, no different than any other media device.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Day without a Gay proposed....
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Some same-sex marriage supporters are urging people to ‘‘call in gay’’ Wednesday to show how much the country relies on gays and lesbians, but others question whether it’s wise to encourage skipping work given the nation’s economic distress. Organizers of ‘‘Day Without a Gay’’ — scheduled to coincide with International Human Rights Day and modeled after similar work stoppages by Latino immigrants — also are encouraging people to perform volunteer work and refrain from spending money. Sean Hetherington, a West Hollywood comedian and personal trainer, dreamed up the idea with his boyfriend, Aaron Hartzler, after reading online that a few angry gay-rights activists were calling for a daylong strike to protest California voters’ passage last month of Proposition 8, which reversed this year’s state Supreme Court decision allowing gay marriage.
_______________
One must truly laugh at this outrageous proposal! So if we choose to have sex with a certain person, we stay home and let the nation know that we are having sex with them, and how much people that have sex with certain people are needed? How absolutely ludicrous! (And immature.)
So Sean and Aaron are going to show the world that gays are important. I think blacks should do this, too. And I think that American Indians and Hispanics should give it a whirl.
Dang it.. Let's go all the way! I think the good ole US of A needs to be slapped into knowing just how much this country relies on all of us heterosexuals. In fact, since we are ALL needed at our jobs, let's just ALL take a day off! Unless of course, you are a virgin or celebate. In that case, you can go to work.
_______________
One must truly laugh at this outrageous proposal! So if we choose to have sex with a certain person, we stay home and let the nation know that we are having sex with them, and how much people that have sex with certain people are needed? How absolutely ludicrous! (And immature.)
So Sean and Aaron are going to show the world that gays are important. I think blacks should do this, too. And I think that American Indians and Hispanics should give it a whirl.
Dang it.. Let's go all the way! I think the good ole US of A needs to be slapped into knowing just how much this country relies on all of us heterosexuals. In fact, since we are ALL needed at our jobs, let's just ALL take a day off! Unless of course, you are a virgin or celebate. In that case, you can go to work.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Fitness Center at WB HS will cost taxpayers...
Questions remain over funding, security at West Bend High Schools
"A private donation of $250,000 may put a public fitness center in reach for West Bend High Schools, if they can overcome some safety and financial hurdles.
A 5,000-square-foot fitness center next to the schools’ south gym was in an initial draft of the $119 million school referendum that voters shot down last year, said Jeff Rondorf, East High School athletic director at Thursday’s Citizens Facilities Advisory Committee meeting. Eight months ago, a private donor approached Rondorf and said they wanted to fund a fitness center that would be open to the public after school hours.
..........
“(The donor) is not going to make any announcements until the district is ready to say, ‘We have our heads around this,’” said Superintendent Patricia Herdrich.
Safety and funding are the two challenges the fitness center has to overcome. The committee’s initial plan is to put the fitness center on the east side of the gym, with an entrance opening to the adjacent parking lot. The entrance would have to meet “safe and secure” standards, which means that during school hours, someone would have to see a person who wanted to enter before granting them access, said Brian Dasher, Finance and Support Service administrator.
..............
The committee decided to seek legal counsel from the outset to see if they’re able to keep costs down with private funding. They will meet next Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in Room D90 in the high schools’ athletics department to study the site firsthand and work out safety solutions.
__________________________________________________________
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FROM AUGUST 4TH within the CFAC-2 committee indicated:
Pat Herdrich's statement "Removing the pool [Badger] would be a direct savings to the taxpayers." (See savings $$ below.)
and
Hearing that the City of West Bend won't take up a portion of the obligation for Badger Pool, though it is a service to the West Bend Community. (It costs the District $100,000/yr. to maintain the pool.)
This is all rather interesting. We hear Pat Herdrich indicate that removing the pool at Badger would save the taxpayers money because of costs to maintain the pool long-term. (I was at this meeting.) The committee indicated that because of the City's refusal to help with the upkeep, this was no longer a viable option for the school district and should be removed.
So, my question is this. Even if someone generously donates the money to build a fitness center onto the WB High Schools, we still have the same issue, don't we? Who will pay for the upkeep/maintenance? Housekeeping? Staffing? Security?
It's a nice thought, but we are looking at the same exact issue as before, only most likely with a heftier cost factor. Why would our district say "yes" to something they would have said "no" to on a different level?
"A private donation of $250,000 may put a public fitness center in reach for West Bend High Schools, if they can overcome some safety and financial hurdles.
A 5,000-square-foot fitness center next to the schools’ south gym was in an initial draft of the $119 million school referendum that voters shot down last year, said Jeff Rondorf, East High School athletic director at Thursday’s Citizens Facilities Advisory Committee meeting. Eight months ago, a private donor approached Rondorf and said they wanted to fund a fitness center that would be open to the public after school hours.
..........
“(The donor) is not going to make any announcements until the district is ready to say, ‘We have our heads around this,’” said Superintendent Patricia Herdrich.
Safety and funding are the two challenges the fitness center has to overcome. The committee’s initial plan is to put the fitness center on the east side of the gym, with an entrance opening to the adjacent parking lot. The entrance would have to meet “safe and secure” standards, which means that during school hours, someone would have to see a person who wanted to enter before granting them access, said Brian Dasher, Finance and Support Service administrator.
..............
The committee decided to seek legal counsel from the outset to see if they’re able to keep costs down with private funding. They will meet next Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in Room D90 in the high schools’ athletics department to study the site firsthand and work out safety solutions.
__________________________________________________________
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FROM AUGUST 4TH within the CFAC-2 committee indicated:
Pat Herdrich's statement "Removing the pool [Badger] would be a direct savings to the taxpayers." (See savings $$ below.)
and
Hearing that the City of West Bend won't take up a portion of the obligation for Badger Pool, though it is a service to the West Bend Community. (It costs the District $100,000/yr. to maintain the pool.)
This is all rather interesting. We hear Pat Herdrich indicate that removing the pool at Badger would save the taxpayers money because of costs to maintain the pool long-term. (I was at this meeting.) The committee indicated that because of the City's refusal to help with the upkeep, this was no longer a viable option for the school district and should be removed.
So, my question is this. Even if someone generously donates the money to build a fitness center onto the WB High Schools, we still have the same issue, don't we? Who will pay for the upkeep/maintenance? Housekeeping? Staffing? Security?
It's a nice thought, but we are looking at the same exact issue as before, only most likely with a heftier cost factor. Why would our district say "yes" to something they would have said "no" to on a different level?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Gonna find out who's Naughty or Nice....
"Christmas" banned....
Based on current advertising, below is a list of companies that avoid, ban, or use the term "Christmas" in their advertising.
(Info provided in case you want to give 'em your 2 cents...)
Companies against "Christmas"
updated 12-01-08
Barnes & Noble 1-800-843-2665 - Offers "Holiday Gift Guide." Christmas not found on website. Online feedback form (bottom of page)
Costco 1-800-774-2678 - Costco's "Holiday Catalog" is obvious in purposely avoiding the use of Christmas. Heavily references "holiday" in its Gift Guide Catalog. email Costco
CVS Pharmacy 1-800-746-7287 - CVS offers a "Holiday Center" on its website. The Nov. paper insert avoids using the term "Christmas." Phone: 1-888-607-4287 or email customercare@cvs.com
Gap Stores (Gap, Old Navy) 1-800-427-7895 - Gap stores avoid using Christmas at every opportunity, being a very secular company. custserv@gap.com
Kroger 1-866-221-4141 -Website uses "holiday" extensively. Weekly ad uses "holiday." email Kroger
Office Depot 1-800-463-3768 - Newspaper inserts reference "holiday" only. Website void of Christmas references. Online form
Olive Garden 1-800-331-2729 -
Radio Shack 1-800-843-7422 - Website search for "Christmas" results in "holiday" page. No mention of Christmas anywhere. Online feedback form
Staples 508-253-0879 - Staples' press release referred to "holiday" 13 times without a single mention of Christmas. Last year, Staples emailed a customer to say it refused to post "Christmas" signs in their store. Live chat with Staples online or email Staples.
SUPERVALU 952-828-4000 -Owns Albertsons and Jewel-Osco. Refers to Christmas decorations as "holiday" on website and weekly ads. email SUPERVALUE
NOW FOR THE "NICE" LIST:
Companies FOR "Christmas" updated 12-01-08
Bed Bath & Beyond
Belk
Best Buy
Big Lots
Dollar Tree
Family Dollar
Dollar General
Home Depot
Kmart
Kohl's
Lowe's
Macy's
Petsmart
Rite Aid
Sears
Target
Walgreens
Wal-Mart/Sam's Club -
Based on current advertising, below is a list of companies that avoid, ban, or use the term "Christmas" in their advertising.
(Info provided in case you want to give 'em your 2 cents...)
Companies against "Christmas"
updated 12-01-08
Barnes & Noble 1-800-843-2665 - Offers "Holiday Gift Guide." Christmas not found on website. Online feedback form (bottom of page)
Costco 1-800-774-2678 - Costco's "Holiday Catalog" is obvious in purposely avoiding the use of Christmas. Heavily references "holiday" in its Gift Guide Catalog. email Costco
CVS Pharmacy 1-800-746-7287 - CVS offers a "Holiday Center" on its website. The Nov. paper insert avoids using the term "Christmas." Phone: 1-888-607-4287 or email customercare@cvs.com
Gap Stores (Gap, Old Navy) 1-800-427-7895 - Gap stores avoid using Christmas at every opportunity, being a very secular company. custserv@gap.com
Kroger 1-866-221-4141 -Website uses "holiday" extensively. Weekly ad uses "holiday." email Kroger
Office Depot 1-800-463-3768 - Newspaper inserts reference "holiday" only. Website void of Christmas references. Online form
Olive Garden 1-800-331-2729 -
Radio Shack 1-800-843-7422 - Website search for "Christmas" results in "holiday" page. No mention of Christmas anywhere. Online feedback form
Staples 508-253-0879 - Staples' press release referred to "holiday" 13 times without a single mention of Christmas. Last year, Staples emailed a customer to say it refused to post "Christmas" signs in their store. Live chat with Staples online or email Staples.
SUPERVALU 952-828-4000 -Owns Albertsons and Jewel-Osco. Refers to Christmas decorations as "holiday" on website and weekly ads. email SUPERVALUE
NOW FOR THE "NICE" LIST:
Companies FOR "Christmas" updated 12-01-08
Bed Bath & Beyond
Belk
Best Buy
Big Lots
Dollar Tree
Family Dollar
Dollar General
Home Depot
Kmart
Kohl's
Lowe's
Macy's
Petsmart
Rite Aid
Sears
Target
Walgreens
Wal-Mart/Sam's Club -
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
McIlheran on Obama, Catholicism, Abortion and Evil
Excellent article written by Pat McIlheran from "Right On":
Hey, here’s a way to be relevant, if you’re a church: Volunteer to be, as commentator Jeffrey T. Kuhner in the Wash Times puts it, “the last line of defense against the new Dark Age.”
Which is to say, the triumph of abortion over any moderating influence in American law. This would be what President-elect Barack Obama has proposed, promising last summer that “The first thing I will do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act,” a measure that would wipe out any state or local laws on abortion, including laws that let medical providers opt out of committing abortions.
Among other things, this would mean, as Kuhner notes, war with Catholicism. “Many liberal Catholics insist abortion is a single issue, a strange obsession of traditionalist diehards,” he writes. “Besides, they argue there is so much more to Catholic social thought. There is poverty, social justice, the environment and Iraq.”
Perhaps, yet there’s something singular about abortion:
“Abortion is the seminal moral issue of our time. Nearly 50 million unborn babies have been murdered since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973. If one includes Europe, the number of dead fetuses is staggering. Abortion has claimed more victims than either of the two great totalitarian ideologies of the 20th century, communism and Nazism.
MORE HERE:
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/mcilheran.html
Hey, here’s a way to be relevant, if you’re a church: Volunteer to be, as commentator Jeffrey T. Kuhner in the Wash Times puts it, “the last line of defense against the new Dark Age.”
Which is to say, the triumph of abortion over any moderating influence in American law. This would be what President-elect Barack Obama has proposed, promising last summer that “The first thing I will do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act,” a measure that would wipe out any state or local laws on abortion, including laws that let medical providers opt out of committing abortions.
Among other things, this would mean, as Kuhner notes, war with Catholicism. “Many liberal Catholics insist abortion is a single issue, a strange obsession of traditionalist diehards,” he writes. “Besides, they argue there is so much more to Catholic social thought. There is poverty, social justice, the environment and Iraq.”
Perhaps, yet there’s something singular about abortion:
“Abortion is the seminal moral issue of our time. Nearly 50 million unborn babies have been murdered since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973. If one includes Europe, the number of dead fetuses is staggering. Abortion has claimed more victims than either of the two great totalitarian ideologies of the 20th century, communism and Nazism.
MORE HERE:
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/mcilheran.html
West Bend's Harassment Policy approved - leaves out students
School harassment policy OK’d
Sexual orientation now included as a protected class
After 10 months of revision and five of public debate, including prayer sessions, picketing and petitions, the West Bend School District has an updated harassment policy. The School Board approved the policy at its third reading Monday night on a unanimous, 6-0 vote. Lightning rod items that fueled debate were including “sexual orientation” alongside religion, race, creed, ethnicity and others in the protected classes portion of the policy; the lack of a mention of parental involvement in harassment cases, and the claim the policy violated First Amendment rights.
..............
On Monday, Maziarka told the board the policy is good “but only for some,” in addressing the list of protected classes. It is not “all encompassing,” she said. “What will happen to the rest of the kids if they are harassed?” Maziarka asked the board to add more generalized statements from the district’s old sexual harassment policy.
..........
Parental notification of harassment cases happens “as soon as practical,” Zarling said. Some community members had told the board they don’t like the “practical” standard and want parents in the process sooner. Board member Kris Beaver said some instances of harassment can be handled in class with a teacher explaining to a student what was said was wrong. It’s not practical in those cases to stop class and notify a parent. Board member Mike Weston said while most of the opposition is against homosexuality and thus opposes listing the sexual orientation class, all harassment is not accepted. Board member Bruce Koenig addressed the notion that sexual orientation is a choice and not a trait. “If you’re going to pull (sexual orientation) out of there, then we need to pull religion and creed out of there as well,” he said. Koenig said the policy is not about the board members’ personal beliefs. “We as a board are doing what is legal and correct for this school district,” he said. Board member Todd Miller was absent and excused.
Well.
The Administrative Rule clearly confirms what we have been saying all along...that the harassment policy is ONLY for the protected classes of students. The school board has broken the trust of the taxpayers, parents and students in the West Bend district. Bruce Koenig's statement was the most disappointing of all. He commented that if we remove sexual orientation, then we will also remove creed and religion. Period. He is treading a fine line of morality with a statement like that. West Bend is a conservative community that has spoken. Our elected officials have chosen not to listen. We will all be reminded of this in January when Kris Beaver and Mike Weston come up for their incumbent seats.
Sexual orientation now included as a protected class
After 10 months of revision and five of public debate, including prayer sessions, picketing and petitions, the West Bend School District has an updated harassment policy. The School Board approved the policy at its third reading Monday night on a unanimous, 6-0 vote. Lightning rod items that fueled debate were including “sexual orientation” alongside religion, race, creed, ethnicity and others in the protected classes portion of the policy; the lack of a mention of parental involvement in harassment cases, and the claim the policy violated First Amendment rights.
..............
On Monday, Maziarka told the board the policy is good “but only for some,” in addressing the list of protected classes. It is not “all encompassing,” she said. “What will happen to the rest of the kids if they are harassed?” Maziarka asked the board to add more generalized statements from the district’s old sexual harassment policy.
..........
Parental notification of harassment cases happens “as soon as practical,” Zarling said. Some community members had told the board they don’t like the “practical” standard and want parents in the process sooner. Board member Kris Beaver said some instances of harassment can be handled in class with a teacher explaining to a student what was said was wrong. It’s not practical in those cases to stop class and notify a parent. Board member Mike Weston said while most of the opposition is against homosexuality and thus opposes listing the sexual orientation class, all harassment is not accepted. Board member Bruce Koenig addressed the notion that sexual orientation is a choice and not a trait. “If you’re going to pull (sexual orientation) out of there, then we need to pull religion and creed out of there as well,” he said. Koenig said the policy is not about the board members’ personal beliefs. “We as a board are doing what is legal and correct for this school district,” he said. Board member Todd Miller was absent and excused.
Well.
The Administrative Rule clearly confirms what we have been saying all along...that the harassment policy is ONLY for the protected classes of students. The school board has broken the trust of the taxpayers, parents and students in the West Bend district. Bruce Koenig's statement was the most disappointing of all. He commented that if we remove sexual orientation, then we will also remove creed and religion. Period. He is treading a fine line of morality with a statement like that. West Bend is a conservative community that has spoken. Our elected officials have chosen not to listen. We will all be reminded of this in January when Kris Beaver and Mike Weston come up for their incumbent seats.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Poinsettias from ECKE RANCH fund Planned Parenthood's abortions
When Christian churches flooded their facilities with poinsettias to celebrate the Christmas season, odds are that at least some of the money they paid for the blooms will be dedicated to paying for abortions, a new report reveals.
According to the Corporate Funding Project assembled and released by Life Decisions International, the Paul Ecke Ranch business of Ecinitas, Calif., has been added to its Boycott List because of its support for Planned Parenthood, the biggest abortion advocacy organization in the world and the largest U.S. provider in the abortion industry.
.........
Officials at Paul Ecke Ranch declined to return multiple WND messages requesting comment. But on their website, they boast "approximately 70 percent of all the flowering poinsettias in the USA and more than 50 percent worldwide get their start at the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, California."
.........
However, the LDI list, developed with years of experience, and updated regularly, is recognized "by virtually all pro-life/pro-family organizations" as the source of information regarding support for Planned Parenthood.
"Many good pro-life people are unknowingly participating in abortion by their daily purchases," a supporter, Ruth Enero, wrote the company. "Luckily, LDI's research provides an effective vehicle for countering the massive corporate funding of the abortion industry. Because the widespread use of the LDI Boycott List can bring an end to abortion, I talk up this organization at every opportunity. …"
PRO-LIFE WISCONSIN SENDS THIS MESSAGE:
It has become tradition in the United States for most churches and many homes to use poinsettia plants to create a beautiful festive atmosphere.
Before you purchase your poinsettias this year, you should be aware that the largest distributor of these plants, Paul Ecke Ranch, is a major supporter of Planned Parenthood.
The Ecke family members have, for years, been honored by Planned Parenthood of San Diego as one of their biggest abortion supporters.
Those opposed to Planned Parenthood have been getting the word out about the Ecke–Planned Parenthood connection and it has impacted the Ecke Ranch to the point where it cut back on its production of poinsettias last year and is licensing its name to other growers.
We ask everyone who loves life to be sure to check the source of your poinsettia plants before you buy them. If they carry the name of Ecke Ranch, pass them up and look for another brand.
According to the Corporate Funding Project assembled and released by Life Decisions International, the Paul Ecke Ranch business of Ecinitas, Calif., has been added to its Boycott List because of its support for Planned Parenthood, the biggest abortion advocacy organization in the world and the largest U.S. provider in the abortion industry.
.........
Officials at Paul Ecke Ranch declined to return multiple WND messages requesting comment. But on their website, they boast "approximately 70 percent of all the flowering poinsettias in the USA and more than 50 percent worldwide get their start at the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, California."
.........
However, the LDI list, developed with years of experience, and updated regularly, is recognized "by virtually all pro-life/pro-family organizations" as the source of information regarding support for Planned Parenthood.
"Many good pro-life people are unknowingly participating in abortion by their daily purchases," a supporter, Ruth Enero, wrote the company. "Luckily, LDI's research provides an effective vehicle for countering the massive corporate funding of the abortion industry. Because the widespread use of the LDI Boycott List can bring an end to abortion, I talk up this organization at every opportunity. …"
PRO-LIFE WISCONSIN SENDS THIS MESSAGE:
It has become tradition in the United States for most churches and many homes to use poinsettia plants to create a beautiful festive atmosphere.
Before you purchase your poinsettias this year, you should be aware that the largest distributor of these plants, Paul Ecke Ranch, is a major supporter of Planned Parenthood.
The Ecke family members have, for years, been honored by Planned Parenthood of San Diego as one of their biggest abortion supporters.
Those opposed to Planned Parenthood have been getting the word out about the Ecke–Planned Parenthood connection and it has impacted the Ecke Ranch to the point where it cut back on its production of poinsettias last year and is licensing its name to other growers.
We ask everyone who loves life to be sure to check the source of your poinsettia plants before you buy them. If they carry the name of Ecke Ranch, pass them up and look for another brand.
Harassment Policy to undergo FINAL READING TONIGHT
West Bend School District’s controversial harassment policy could get final approval today.
(Yep, this is it.)
The School Board will hear the third reading of the policy and could take action on it. A majority vote either implements the policy or sends it back to committee.
Opponents cite the policy’s inclusion of “sexual orientation” in a list of protected classes and say the policy violates First Amendment rights and doesn’t include parent notification early enough in harassment investigations. Those in support say the policy protects all students and meets legal standards. Religious leaders, parents, students and community members have spoken on both sides of the issue.
>>>>>>>>>>
Monday’s meeting starts an hour later than normal – at 8 p.m., after a board work session – in the Education Service Center, 735 S. Main St.
The district’s latest proposed policy on harassment is nearly the same as the Wisconsin Administrative Code PI 9, which establishes procedures on complying with the state statute on harassment (118.13). The proposed policy reads: “Pupil harassment” means behavior towards pupils based, in whole or in part, on sex, race, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability which substantially interferes with a pupil’s school performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive school environment.
Attend tonight's meeting. Speak up. LAST CHANCE.
(Yep, this is it.)
The School Board will hear the third reading of the policy and could take action on it. A majority vote either implements the policy or sends it back to committee.
Opponents cite the policy’s inclusion of “sexual orientation” in a list of protected classes and say the policy violates First Amendment rights and doesn’t include parent notification early enough in harassment investigations. Those in support say the policy protects all students and meets legal standards. Religious leaders, parents, students and community members have spoken on both sides of the issue.
>>>>>>>>>>
Monday’s meeting starts an hour later than normal – at 8 p.m., after a board work session – in the Education Service Center, 735 S. Main St.
The district’s latest proposed policy on harassment is nearly the same as the Wisconsin Administrative Code PI 9, which establishes procedures on complying with the state statute on harassment (118.13). The proposed policy reads: “Pupil harassment” means behavior towards pupils based, in whole or in part, on sex, race, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability which substantially interferes with a pupil’s school performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive school environment.
Attend tonight's meeting. Speak up. LAST CHANCE.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Planned Parenthood offering Christmas gift certificates for...abortion?
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Gift certificates have become a popular holiday gift option, but a controversial new one, already has people talking. For the first time, Planned Parenthood in Indiana is offering gift certificates.
....
Some Hoosiers 24-Hour News 8 talked to asked if the gift certificates could be used towards abortions. The answer is yes. But, Planned Parenthood said that's not the purpose of the gift certificates.
___________________
Of course not.
(Curtsy to Try 2 Focus via Reasonable Progressive via Badger Blogger via Berry Laker)
....
Some Hoosiers 24-Hour News 8 talked to asked if the gift certificates could be used towards abortions. The answer is yes. But, Planned Parenthood said that's not the purpose of the gift certificates.
___________________
Of course not.
(Curtsy to Try 2 Focus via Reasonable Progressive via Badger Blogger via Berry Laker)
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving - What IS important?
So there's this family in West Bend who is spending Thanksgiving at Children's Hospital. Their daughter was born with trisomy 18, a rare disorder, that generally kills a child before birth. Survival is rare. Survival to 9 months is extremely rare. This little girl, Zoe, has beat survival statistics. This is a humbling Thanksgiving thought.... It was written by her Dad.
Zoe is thankful.Thankful for 250 days of grace. Thankful you've walked with her and carried her in your prayers when she couldn't go on. Thankful for doctors and nurses who believe in the pricelessness of a breath and the value of life.She's thankful for things we walk by without noticing - a shadow or a brilliant color. The incredible dexterity in our hands. Wind in trees. For things we forgot had worth. A mother's sacrifice. For a baptism. For a breath.And I think if you could ask her and if she could respond - and one day, you ask her for yourself in Heaven - you'll know Zoe right away, the shapely and tough-as-nails woman, terrible and beautiful as a goddess with a smile that makes you forget everything else - if you asked her if she knew all she had done through 250 days, she'd smile and tell you she didn't do anything at all. That God had done it in her and in you. She just fought and breathed and believed.And you were moved because you forgot life was that simple and powerful and meaningful.Zoe's thankful you remembered.
http://batiansila.blogspot.com/2008/11/zoes-first-thanksgiving.html
Today Zoe is expected to be extubated. This is critical. (While we're thinking about turkey and mashed potatoes....)
Incredible perspective.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
West Bend Store ROBBED at gunpoint...
Hope this didn't ruin anyone's Thanksgiving..... Glad nobody was hurt.
An armed robber escaped with an undetermined amount of cash from the Pay Day Loan Store in West Bend late Monday afternoon, a police spokesman said.
The robber, described as a black man wearing black shoes, blue jeans and a black parka with a hood, entered the store, 1080 Gateway Court, at around 5:54 p.m., displayed a handgun, possibly a semi-automatic, and ordered an employee to open both safes, Sgt. Paul Pokorski said.
The suspect left the store with a green bank bag and the cash. The suspect in believed to have fled on foot, Pokorski said. There were no injuries. The police department continues to investigate.
An armed robber escaped with an undetermined amount of cash from the Pay Day Loan Store in West Bend late Monday afternoon, a police spokesman said.
The robber, described as a black man wearing black shoes, blue jeans and a black parka with a hood, entered the store, 1080 Gateway Court, at around 5:54 p.m., displayed a handgun, possibly a semi-automatic, and ordered an employee to open both safes, Sgt. Paul Pokorski said.
The suspect left the store with a green bank bag and the cash. The suspect in believed to have fled on foot, Pokorski said. There were no injuries. The police department continues to investigate.
SUNBURST Ski Hill OPENS - Kewaskum
Sunburst Ski Area in Kewaskum, Wisconsin has six runs open with five lifts. "The base has held up nicely; especially with these cold night time temperatures," Jim Engel, owner of Sunburst said. "Our new snowmaking system really worked well to get this many runs open so early. Conditions are fantastic."
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Sunburst has its "Progression Terrain Park" open. The Park Crew has worked hard to have lots of fun hits and rails ready.
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Snowmaking will continue with the cold weather allowing Sunburst to be 100 percent open by December 15th... weather permitting.
.
Sunburst has the following hours of operation posted:
Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve..................... 4:00PM until 9:00PM
Thursday Thanksgiving Day ......................... Closed to allow family time
Friday of Thanksgiving Weekend................. 10:00AM until 10:00PM
Saturday............................................................. 10:00AM until 10:00PM
Sunday .............................................................. 10:00AM until 9:00PM
http://www.skisunburst.com/sunburst/
.
Sunburst has its "Progression Terrain Park" open. The Park Crew has worked hard to have lots of fun hits and rails ready.
.
Snowmaking will continue with the cold weather allowing Sunburst to be 100 percent open by December 15th... weather permitting.
.
Sunburst has the following hours of operation posted:
Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve..................... 4:00PM until 9:00PM
Thursday Thanksgiving Day ......................... Closed to allow family time
Friday of Thanksgiving Weekend................. 10:00AM until 10:00PM
Saturday............................................................. 10:00AM until 10:00PM
Sunday .............................................................. 10:00AM until 9:00PM
http://www.skisunburst.com/sunburst/
Cedarburg parents battle for Open Records
The 2nd District Court of Appeals asked the state Supreme Court today to rule whether the transcript of a closed arbitration hearing involving former Cedarburg teacher Robert Zellner should be made public.
The Cedarburg School District fired Zellner for viewing pornography on his school computer. The district refused to reinstate Zellner after an arbitrator said it should do so.
A circuit court judge ruled that the transcript of that hearing was exempt from public records laws because releasing the transcript would defeat the purpose of having a closed arbitration hearing.
But a group of Cedarburg parents appealed, saying they had a right to know what information Zellner shared with the district so they could judge the appropriateness of the district's actions.
The Cedarburg School District fired Zellner for viewing pornography on his school computer. The district refused to reinstate Zellner after an arbitrator said it should do so.
A circuit court judge ruled that the transcript of that hearing was exempt from public records laws because releasing the transcript would defeat the purpose of having a closed arbitration hearing.
But a group of Cedarburg parents appealed, saying they had a right to know what information Zellner shared with the district so they could judge the appropriateness of the district's actions.
Then we read:
Under state and federal laws, the public is entitled to a wide array of information from all levels of government. In Wisconsin, the presumption is that records are available to the public unless there is a compelling reason for them to remain private. Except in very narrowly defined circumstances, the information and documents belong to everybody – and for good reason. A well-informed public is critical to the exchange of ideas that builds community strength. Just as important, residents need to have access to details that will help them make well-informed voting decisions and assist them in keeping government in line. The media has a watchdog function, but it’s a role every citizen can and should play.
Daily Tribune staff members routinely make open records requests, and they, along with members of the media from throughout the state, recently participated in a Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council audit. The audit, which involved 318 records requests in 65 of 72 counties, showed that three out of 10 requests were not filled properly, and one in 10 were ignored or denied entirely. In Adams County, for example, a sheriff’s department employee told a Daily Tribune reporter that the jail booking log was not a public record.
Clearly, under state law, it is.
To his credit, Adams County Sheriff Darrell Renner set up a meeting with staff members to review the department’s open records policy. He took the matter seriously and responded with an effort to educate – an entirely appropriate course of action.
Most public officials get it. They understand the law and will provide information upon request. Still, sometimes a reminder is needed. One of the benefits of public records audits is drawing attention to policies or behaviors of public employees that need to change.
In this state, in this country, the records and information belong to everyone.
________________________________________
Do they? It seems that's what we are told, but when you take a look at incidents such as the one above (and I'll bet there are people that would come forward in droves to affirm this), obtaining those records can take quite a bit of verbal manipulation, lawful skills, and begging. But you don't have to take MY word for it.
Rathergate II: Certification of Live Birth a Forgery?
"The media bought it. The voters bought it. And now some in Congress are resisting the idea of congressional hearings because they believe that Barack Obama's "birth certificate" has been posted online.
Not so.
What was posted was not a birth certificate, but something that resembles a "Certification of Live Birth" or COLB, which, even if authentic, does not prove "natural born" U.S. citizenship. You see, in Hawaii, a Certification of Live Birth is issued within a year of a child's birth to those who register a birth abroad or one that takes place outside a hospital.
It's Rathergate all over again with more amiss than a 1970s Selectric typewriter. But before I tell you what the experts found, let me ask you a few questions:
If you were a natural born American citizen and had it within your means to quiet all the lawsuits and questions with proof, would you do it?
If you were a natural born American citizen, would you spend thousands of dollars to fight the legal cases against you, or would you simply answer the legitimate question of whether you meet the constitutional requirements for office?
If you were a natural born American citizen, would you forge a document called a "Certification of Live Birth" and tell the public it was a real "birth certificate"?
If someone were to violate the law by manufacturing a forgery in order trick the public, would that be enough evidence for members of Congress to conduct hearings and for a court to issue an order for the critical records, including the original long-form birth certificate (signed by the doctor) to ensure that the U.S. constitutional requirements for office were not violated? After all, Congress is sworn to uphold and defend that Constitution, and the justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are "guardians" of the Constitution. That's their job, isn't it? "
MORE HERE:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=81943
Not so.
What was posted was not a birth certificate, but something that resembles a "Certification of Live Birth" or COLB, which, even if authentic, does not prove "natural born" U.S. citizenship. You see, in Hawaii, a Certification of Live Birth is issued within a year of a child's birth to those who register a birth abroad or one that takes place outside a hospital.
It's Rathergate all over again with more amiss than a 1970s Selectric typewriter. But before I tell you what the experts found, let me ask you a few questions:
If you were a natural born American citizen and had it within your means to quiet all the lawsuits and questions with proof, would you do it?
If you were a natural born American citizen, would you spend thousands of dollars to fight the legal cases against you, or would you simply answer the legitimate question of whether you meet the constitutional requirements for office?
If you were a natural born American citizen, would you forge a document called a "Certification of Live Birth" and tell the public it was a real "birth certificate"?
If someone were to violate the law by manufacturing a forgery in order trick the public, would that be enough evidence for members of Congress to conduct hearings and for a court to issue an order for the critical records, including the original long-form birth certificate (signed by the doctor) to ensure that the U.S. constitutional requirements for office were not violated? After all, Congress is sworn to uphold and defend that Constitution, and the justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are "guardians" of the Constitution. That's their job, isn't it? "
MORE HERE:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=81943
TIME Magazine exposes Gay Mafia
A few weeks before Virginia's legislative elections in 2005, a researcher working on behalf of a clandestine group of wealthy, gay political donors telephoned a Virginia legislator named Adam Ebbin. Then, as now, Ebbin was the only openly gay member of the state's general assembly. The researcher wanted Ebbin's advice on how the men he represented could spend their considerable funds to help defeat anti-gay Virginia politicians.
Ebbin, a Democrat who is now 44, was happy to oblige. (Full disclosure: in the mid-'90s, Ebbin and I knew each other briefly as colleagues; he sold ads for Washington City Paper, a weekly where I was a reporter.) Using Ebbin's expertise, the gay donors — none of whom live in Virginia — began contributing to certain candidates in the state. There were five benefactors: David Bohnett of Beverly Hills, Calif., who in 1999 sold the company he had co-founded, Geo-Cities, to Yahoo! in a deal worth $5 billion on the day it was announced; Timothy Gill of Denver, another tech multimillionaire; James Hormel of San Francisco, grandson of George, who founded the famous meat company; Jon Stryker of Kalamazoo, Mich., the billionaire grandson of the founder of medical-technology giant Stryker Corp.; and Henry van Ameringen, whose father Arnold Louis van Ameringen started a Manhattan-based import company that later became the mammoth International Flavors & Fragrances.
............
Among gay activists, the Cabinet is revered as a kind of secret gay Super Friends, a homosexual justice league that can quietly swoop in wherever anti-gay candidates are threatening and finance victories for the good guys. Rumors abound in gay political circles about the group's recondite influence; some of the rumors are even true. For instance, the Cabinet met in California last year with two sitting governors, Brian Schweitzer of Montana and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, both Democrats; political advisers who work for the Cabinet met with a third Democratic governor, Wisconsin's Jim Doyle. The Cabinet has also funded a secretive organization called the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), which a veteran lesbian activist describes as the "Gay IRS." MAP keeps tabs on the major gay organizations to make sure they are operating efficiently. The October 2008 MAP report notes, for example, that the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force fails to meet Better Business Bureau standards for limiting overhead expenses.
_________________________
DANGER - WARNING:
1. It is my understanding an appeal has been filed to overturn the lower court's ruling in the McConkey v. State of Wisconsin Court Case. For more information, please see:
http://www.wifamilycouncil.org/materials/07-07-27%20-%20Initial%20Pleading.pdf - Court Case
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=701716 - McConkey article
http://www.proudparenting.com/node/1068 - McConkey article
2. The Appellate Court could declare the Traditional Marriage Amendment unconstitutional and strike it down.
3. If the Appellate Court ruled that the Marriage Amendment is constitutional, parties to the case could appeal the decision to the Wisconsin Supreme Court where some observe there is a split among the justices - 4 more liberal-leaning justices to 3 more conservative-leaning justices.
4. Should the Marriage Amendment be struck down by Wisconsin's courts, it is likely that liberal interest groups will attempt to introduce a bill legalizing same-sex marriage or same-sex civil unions such as The Equal Rights Amendment (2007 Senate Joint Resolution 2) - http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2007/data/SJR2hst.html .
5. With the Democrats in the majority in the State Assembly, State Senate, as well as the Office of the Governor, challenging days could be ahead in our state as there would likely be no way to stop such legislation.
Ebbin, a Democrat who is now 44, was happy to oblige. (Full disclosure: in the mid-'90s, Ebbin and I knew each other briefly as colleagues; he sold ads for Washington City Paper, a weekly where I was a reporter.) Using Ebbin's expertise, the gay donors — none of whom live in Virginia — began contributing to certain candidates in the state. There were five benefactors: David Bohnett of Beverly Hills, Calif., who in 1999 sold the company he had co-founded, Geo-Cities, to Yahoo! in a deal worth $5 billion on the day it was announced; Timothy Gill of Denver, another tech multimillionaire; James Hormel of San Francisco, grandson of George, who founded the famous meat company; Jon Stryker of Kalamazoo, Mich., the billionaire grandson of the founder of medical-technology giant Stryker Corp.; and Henry van Ameringen, whose father Arnold Louis van Ameringen started a Manhattan-based import company that later became the mammoth International Flavors & Fragrances.
............
Among gay activists, the Cabinet is revered as a kind of secret gay Super Friends, a homosexual justice league that can quietly swoop in wherever anti-gay candidates are threatening and finance victories for the good guys. Rumors abound in gay political circles about the group's recondite influence; some of the rumors are even true. For instance, the Cabinet met in California last year with two sitting governors, Brian Schweitzer of Montana and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, both Democrats; political advisers who work for the Cabinet met with a third Democratic governor, Wisconsin's Jim Doyle. The Cabinet has also funded a secretive organization called the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), which a veteran lesbian activist describes as the "Gay IRS." MAP keeps tabs on the major gay organizations to make sure they are operating efficiently. The October 2008 MAP report notes, for example, that the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force fails to meet Better Business Bureau standards for limiting overhead expenses.
_________________________
DANGER - WARNING:
1. It is my understanding an appeal has been filed to overturn the lower court's ruling in the McConkey v. State of Wisconsin Court Case. For more information, please see:
http://www.wifamilycouncil.org/materials/07-07-27%20-%20Initial%20Pleading.pdf - Court Case
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=701716 - McConkey article
http://www.proudparenting.com/node/1068 - McConkey article
2. The Appellate Court could declare the Traditional Marriage Amendment unconstitutional and strike it down.
3. If the Appellate Court ruled that the Marriage Amendment is constitutional, parties to the case could appeal the decision to the Wisconsin Supreme Court where some observe there is a split among the justices - 4 more liberal-leaning justices to 3 more conservative-leaning justices.
4. Should the Marriage Amendment be struck down by Wisconsin's courts, it is likely that liberal interest groups will attempt to introduce a bill legalizing same-sex marriage or same-sex civil unions such as The Equal Rights Amendment (2007 Senate Joint Resolution 2) - http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2007/data/SJR2hst.html .
5. With the Democrats in the majority in the State Assembly, State Senate, as well as the Office of the Governor, challenging days could be ahead in our state as there would likely be no way to stop such legislation.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Look familiar? Who does this remind you of?
Clues: Gestapo, Germany, holocaust, Adolf (Okay, now I'm giving it away.)
Full article here:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-axelrod-webonly-nov20,0,2527277.storyttp://
(Picture is of David Axelrod, Obama's latest golden child.)
Turkey Quiz??
While I'm in the turkey mood...try taking this interesting turkey quiz.....
http://home.aristotle.net/Thanksgiving/trivia-index.asp
http://home.aristotle.net/Thanksgiving/trivia-index.asp
Do you have unclaimed property?
From the office of Glenn Grothman:
With the holidays quickly approaching, it doesn’t seem like our dollars are stretching as far as they used to. In light of recent economic concerns, are you aware that the Wisconsin State Treasurer’s Office is currently holding in excess of $330 million in Unclaimed Property? With over one million individuals on the list, could the State be holding some of your or your loved ones property?
Unclaimed Property comes from various sources such as lapsed bank accounts, stocks, certificates of deposit, mature life insurance policies, uncashed death benefit checks, utility deposit refunds, and paychecks among others.
To learn if you or your loved ones may be entitled to receive Unclaimed Property, visit this website http://165.189.60.41/UCPWeb/ucpsearch.aspx.
To obtain Unclaimed Property, contact the State Treasurer’s Office directly and provide them with the Property Identification Number.
Office of the State Treasurer
P.O. Box 2114
Madison, WI 53701
1-877-699-9211 – toll-free
www.ost.state.wi.us/home/up.html - website
With the holidays quickly approaching, it doesn’t seem like our dollars are stretching as far as they used to. In light of recent economic concerns, are you aware that the Wisconsin State Treasurer’s Office is currently holding in excess of $330 million in Unclaimed Property? With over one million individuals on the list, could the State be holding some of your or your loved ones property?
Unclaimed Property comes from various sources such as lapsed bank accounts, stocks, certificates of deposit, mature life insurance policies, uncashed death benefit checks, utility deposit refunds, and paychecks among others.
To learn if you or your loved ones may be entitled to receive Unclaimed Property, visit this website http://165.189.60.41/UCPWeb/ucpsearch.aspx.
To obtain Unclaimed Property, contact the State Treasurer’s Office directly and provide them with the Property Identification Number.
Office of the State Treasurer
P.O. Box 2114
Madison, WI 53701
1-877-699-9211 – toll-free
www.ost.state.wi.us/home/up.html - website
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Bush Proclaims Thanksgiving as time for gratitude for freedoms....
Curtsy to Righty Blog...
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
Thanksgiving is a time for families and friends to gather together and express gratitude for all that we have been given, the freedoms we enjoy, and the loved ones who enrich our lives. We recognize that all of these blessings, and life itself, come not from the hand of man but from Almighty God.
MORE HERE:
http://rightyblog.com/?p=660
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
Thanksgiving is a time for families and friends to gather together and express gratitude for all that we have been given, the freedoms we enjoy, and the loved ones who enrich our lives. We recognize that all of these blessings, and life itself, come not from the hand of man but from Almighty God.
MORE HERE:
http://rightyblog.com/?p=660
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Take the Civic Literacy Test....
Post your score here!
http://www.americancivicliteracy.com/resources/quiz.aspx
I scored 54.55%....OUCH!
http://www.americancivicliteracy.com/resources/quiz.aspx
I scored 54.55%....OUCH!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Another good read...
From Where I Sit....
Great conservative blog! Add it to your list of "must reads"....
Great conservative blog! Add it to your list of "must reads"....
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Left rising up to appeal ban on same-sex marriage
In tracking numerous efforts by liberals to further their agenda here in Wisconsin and around the country, it is very apparent their success is often attained through the courts rather than through state legislatures and the court of public opinion. In reading the article below, it is most probable that yet another lawsuit may be brought to strike down Wisconsin's Traditional Marriage Amendment similar to what is happening right now with California's Supreme Court and what has happened previously in the Massachusetts and Connecticut Supreme Courts. Even though 59% of Wisconsin's citizens showed their solid support for the sanctity of marriage a few years back in amending our State Constitution, it appears that the Left is marching on. Stay tuned. Be watchful.
READ ARTICLE BELOW:
California let the cause of equality down this year, just as Wisconsin let it down two years ago.
But that does not mean that the votes in these two states on measures to ban same-sex marriage were identical.
Wisconsin wrote discriminatory language into its state Constitution for the first time -- an indefensibly awful move. But Wisconsin had never allowed same-sex couples to marry.
California did something even more unsettling. After the courts had determined that gays and lesbians in that state had a right to marry their partners, marriages began to be performed. Families finally received the legal recognition they had a right to expect.
The Nov. 4 referendum vote took that right away.
It is bad enough when rights are denied.
It is, somehow, even worse when they are taken away.
MORE HERE:
http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/editorial/315180
READ ARTICLE BELOW:
California let the cause of equality down this year, just as Wisconsin let it down two years ago.
But that does not mean that the votes in these two states on measures to ban same-sex marriage were identical.
Wisconsin wrote discriminatory language into its state Constitution for the first time -- an indefensibly awful move. But Wisconsin had never allowed same-sex couples to marry.
California did something even more unsettling. After the courts had determined that gays and lesbians in that state had a right to marry their partners, marriages began to be performed. Families finally received the legal recognition they had a right to expect.
The Nov. 4 referendum vote took that right away.
It is bad enough when rights are denied.
It is, somehow, even worse when they are taken away.
MORE HERE:
http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/editorial/315180
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Washington County/West Bend have issues with open records requests
Curtsy to Boots and Sabers...
Three in 10 requests made under the state's public records law were not properly fulfilled, according to a statewide audit released Wednesday by open records advocates.
In 30 cases - nearly 10% - requests for simple records were denied or ignored, according to the audit by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
.....
In Washington County, the requester had to provide a name to get the jail booking log. Problems also were encountered in Washington County in getting school and town records, and the West Bend Police Department did not provide records regarding calls to a high school.
Three in 10 requests made under the state's public records law were not properly fulfilled, according to a statewide audit released Wednesday by open records advocates.
In 30 cases - nearly 10% - requests for simple records were denied or ignored, according to the audit by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
.....
In Washington County, the requester had to provide a name to get the jail booking log. Problems also were encountered in Washington County in getting school and town records, and the West Bend Police Department did not provide records regarding calls to a high school.
Local pastor files false complaint against citizen - West Bend
I received a phone call from the West Bend Police Department following a school board meeting telling me that someone had filed a formal complaint against me, stating that I "chased after them" in the parking lot outside of the district offices and made them feel threated in doing so. (I was specifically named in the report.) After a discussion with the police officer, and confirmation of persons in the surveillance video he obtained from last night, we were able to determine that the person in question was a pastor's wife who had ridden with me and mistaken the silver van that the accuser was driving for the one that I was driving, which was silver as well. I saw this woman head towards the accuser's vehicle quickly as it was very cold that night, though she never made it more than half-way across the parking lot and certainly made no threatening gestures, other than holding her coat tightly against herself to keep the wind at bay. I honked my horn to redirect her, and she saw that she had made an error and quickly made her way to my parking spot.
The person who accused me of chasing after her and intimidating/harassing her was a local pastor who spoke out against me personally at that night's meeting. I was quite surprised as she knows who I am and what I look like (as does the individual who was with her), though I have never spoken with her. (This pastor's wife is over 6 inches shorter than myself and was wearing an ankle-length coat. I had on a short brown leather jacket. Interesting.)
This behavior is an appropriate example of how speaking what one believes to be true is punishable by those who feel they are offended by it. What if there had been no surveillance tape? What if this had been a student-to-student action within our schools? How would our harassment policy have protected the accused?
This behavior by a community member is not only shameful, it is obviously an attempt to discredit me in public. I feel I have no choice but to attend all meetings with a witness from this point on for my own protection.
The final reading for this flawed harassment policy is on December 1, 8 p.m., at the District Offices.
(I have a copy of the police report.)
The person who accused me of chasing after her and intimidating/harassing her was a local pastor who spoke out against me personally at that night's meeting. I was quite surprised as she knows who I am and what I look like (as does the individual who was with her), though I have never spoken with her. (This pastor's wife is over 6 inches shorter than myself and was wearing an ankle-length coat. I had on a short brown leather jacket. Interesting.)
This behavior is an appropriate example of how speaking what one believes to be true is punishable by those who feel they are offended by it. What if there had been no surveillance tape? What if this had been a student-to-student action within our schools? How would our harassment policy have protected the accused?
This behavior by a community member is not only shameful, it is obviously an attempt to discredit me in public. I feel I have no choice but to attend all meetings with a witness from this point on for my own protection.
The final reading for this flawed harassment policy is on December 1, 8 p.m., at the District Offices.
(I have a copy of the police report.)
Grothman calls for end to special aid for MPS
MADISON: Today State Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) called for an immediate end to a special $10 million per year grant that Milwaukee Public Schools receives from the State of Wisconsin beginning this year.
“We’ve all heard for years rumors of rampant waste, excessive bureaucracy, and lack of concern for taxpayers’ money,” said Grothman. “Fortunately, Channel 4 News and CRG-Network has chosen to highlight some of the most outrageous excesses. It turns out Milwaukee Public Schools are spending more on consultants than on school books. In a district that always claims to be short of money, the excessive advertising budget and catering expenses are also an insult.”
According to the Department of Public Instruction, in the most recent year available (2006-07), the Milwaukee Public Schools spent $12,471 per pupil, while the statewide average is $11,413 per pupil, and some districts, such as West Bend, spent $9,836 per pupil. Last year’s new grant will increase the gap of Milwaukee Public Schools to the statewide average by about another $110 per pupil. Additionally, Milwaukee also received a grant last year totaling almost $9 million annually for low income districts which is not available to most other districts around the state.
“I call for Governor Doyle to leave this new program out of the state budget next year,” said Grothman. “Rather than throwing still more money at this wasteful school board, we should focus on getting rid of the residency requirement which chases experienced teachers out of the system, changing the law to remove bad teachers from districts, and expanding the School Choice program where children come first -- not consultants and bureaucrats.”
“It now turns out as so frequently happens in government that an overfunded bureaucracy has been able to dupe gullible politicians into thinking their problem is a lack of money,” said Grothman.
“One would think with economies of scale and a lower transportation budget associated with urban districts, Milwaukee would be spending significantly less than the state average,” observed Grothman. “Their inability to hold senior teachers due to their residency requirement should also make their costs less.”
Grothman plans to reintroduce Senate Bill 383 from last Session making it easier to remove poorly- performing teachers in the public schools and will also introduce a bill to end advertising by public school districts. “Does anybody not know that their local public school exists?,” questioned Grothman.
“We’ve all heard for years rumors of rampant waste, excessive bureaucracy, and lack of concern for taxpayers’ money,” said Grothman. “Fortunately, Channel 4 News and CRG-Network has chosen to highlight some of the most outrageous excesses. It turns out Milwaukee Public Schools are spending more on consultants than on school books. In a district that always claims to be short of money, the excessive advertising budget and catering expenses are also an insult.”
According to the Department of Public Instruction, in the most recent year available (2006-07), the Milwaukee Public Schools spent $12,471 per pupil, while the statewide average is $11,413 per pupil, and some districts, such as West Bend, spent $9,836 per pupil. Last year’s new grant will increase the gap of Milwaukee Public Schools to the statewide average by about another $110 per pupil. Additionally, Milwaukee also received a grant last year totaling almost $9 million annually for low income districts which is not available to most other districts around the state.
“I call for Governor Doyle to leave this new program out of the state budget next year,” said Grothman. “Rather than throwing still more money at this wasteful school board, we should focus on getting rid of the residency requirement which chases experienced teachers out of the system, changing the law to remove bad teachers from districts, and expanding the School Choice program where children come first -- not consultants and bureaucrats.”
“It now turns out as so frequently happens in government that an overfunded bureaucracy has been able to dupe gullible politicians into thinking their problem is a lack of money,” said Grothman.
“One would think with economies of scale and a lower transportation budget associated with urban districts, Milwaukee would be spending significantly less than the state average,” observed Grothman. “Their inability to hold senior teachers due to their residency requirement should also make their costs less.”
Grothman plans to reintroduce Senate Bill 383 from last Session making it easier to remove poorly- performing teachers in the public schools and will also introduce a bill to end advertising by public school districts. “Does anybody not know that their local public school exists?,” questioned Grothman.
Appeal rejected - Curt Schmidt - West Bend - to serve full sentence
Justice deserved...
The state Court of Appeals rejected a former West Bend funeral home director's bid today to have his prison sentence reduced for soliciting sex online from a 13-year-old boy and possessing child pornography.
Curtis J. Schmidt, 70, was sentenced in September 2006 by Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Paul V. Malloy to 15 years in prison - 18 months on each of five counts of possessing child pornography, 18 months for providing harmful material to a child and six years for soliciting sex from a 13-year-old boy in Colorado. Each sentence is to run consecutive to the others.
The 15 years is 18 months shy of the maximum allowed under the law.
Schmidt appealed the sentence, contending, among other things, that the trial court failed to explain why lengthy consecutive sentences were necessary and appropriate. He alleged that the trial court erroneously exercised its discretion by imposing consecutive sentences.
Schmidt also contended that the trial court erroneously exercised its discretion by considering disputed, unproven and inaccurate information at sentencing, and by giving undue weight to past undesirable conduct while failing to consider positive factors.
But the appeals court today said Malloy acted within his discretion and provided a rational explanation for the sentences.
According to court documents, Schmidt met the Colorado boy in an online chat room and told him in an e-mail that he wanted to have sex with him and one of his friends.
That and other messages were discovered by the boy's mother, who turned them over to law enforcement.
At Schmidt's sentencing, Malloy cited a history of abuse that included sexually assaulting two nephews; two incidents in Milwaukee for which Schmidt was cited in the 1970s and 1980s; and photographs of child pornography and the genitals of corpses that were discovered by a construction crew at a house in which Schmidt used to live.
It is the second time Schmidt has tried to reduce his sentence. In September 2007, Schmidt filed a motion asking Malloy to modify the prison term.
The state Court of Appeals rejected a former West Bend funeral home director's bid today to have his prison sentence reduced for soliciting sex online from a 13-year-old boy and possessing child pornography.
Curtis J. Schmidt, 70, was sentenced in September 2006 by Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Paul V. Malloy to 15 years in prison - 18 months on each of five counts of possessing child pornography, 18 months for providing harmful material to a child and six years for soliciting sex from a 13-year-old boy in Colorado. Each sentence is to run consecutive to the others.
The 15 years is 18 months shy of the maximum allowed under the law.
Schmidt appealed the sentence, contending, among other things, that the trial court failed to explain why lengthy consecutive sentences were necessary and appropriate. He alleged that the trial court erroneously exercised its discretion by imposing consecutive sentences.
Schmidt also contended that the trial court erroneously exercised its discretion by considering disputed, unproven and inaccurate information at sentencing, and by giving undue weight to past undesirable conduct while failing to consider positive factors.
But the appeals court today said Malloy acted within his discretion and provided a rational explanation for the sentences.
According to court documents, Schmidt met the Colorado boy in an online chat room and told him in an e-mail that he wanted to have sex with him and one of his friends.
That and other messages were discovered by the boy's mother, who turned them over to law enforcement.
At Schmidt's sentencing, Malloy cited a history of abuse that included sexually assaulting two nephews; two incidents in Milwaukee for which Schmidt was cited in the 1970s and 1980s; and photographs of child pornography and the genitals of corpses that were discovered by a construction crew at a house in which Schmidt used to live.
It is the second time Schmidt has tried to reduce his sentence. In September 2007, Schmidt filed a motion asking Malloy to modify the prison term.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
West Bend D.A. rejects citizen complaint
A formal complaint was filed back on August 5th with West Bend's D.A., Todd Martens concerning the referendum video that appeared biased and coercive. The video can be seen here: http://wbcommunityinfo.blogspot.com/2008/07/wb-school-board-promo-video-coerces.html
The entire letter can be read here:
http://wbcommunityinfo.blogspot.com/2008/08/complaint-fileddistrict-attorney-re.html
A follow-up letter was sent in October since there was no response from the D.A.
Since that time, the referendum questions were pulled from the November ballot and rescheduled for spring.
A formal reply came today:
"I received your letters concerning the West Bend School District and the six-minute video presentation, which contained information about the referendum. Although I received your first letter August 5, 2008, I felt that an immediate was not particularly important since the referendum question was withdrawn prior to the November election. (So a three-month wait for an answer is appropriate? Is this the norm for a citizen complaint?) Nevertheless, I did review the script of the video (Yes, we know this already. That's the problem.) and advised the West Bend School District that I did not believe it contained express advocacy for the referendum. (Which is exactly why you refuse to watch the video now. You might have to eat your words.)
Nothing in your letters changes my opinion in that regard. I have not reviewed the video, nor do I plan to. (Whoah! So six minutes is too much to ask? How does one base their decision on this issue without watching the video? How does one determine context, setting, tone without watching the video? Reading the script is hardly the same.) 'Express advocacy' if found at all, must in my opinion be found from the words used in the video. Your concerns about 'over use' of officials, police and firefighters participating and other concerns expressed in your letter do not go toward the question of whether the words of the video expressly advocate passage of the referendum. In my opinion they do not. (And you based this on??? Watching the video? NOT. "Words" are mentioned in my letter, over and over again. This is not addressed in this letter.)
I am very familiar with the law concerning expressed advocacy State of Wisconsin. I agree with you that it is very important that school districts not use school resources for express advocacy of referendum questions. However, the words of the video in question do not expressly advocate passage of the referendum. Therefore, I decline to take any enforcement action against the District or any of its employees."
(I disagree. It seems that our elected district attorney, Attorney Martens, does not have an open ear to the voters in his community, nor does he wish to make the effort to spend six minutes in order to fulfill a citizen complaint and respond with full knowledge of the situation. He won't be getting MY vote....)
The entire letter can be read here:
http://wbcommunityinfo.blogspot.com/2008/08/complaint-fileddistrict-attorney-re.html
A follow-up letter was sent in October since there was no response from the D.A.
Since that time, the referendum questions were pulled from the November ballot and rescheduled for spring.
A formal reply came today:
"I received your letters concerning the West Bend School District and the six-minute video presentation, which contained information about the referendum. Although I received your first letter August 5, 2008, I felt that an immediate was not particularly important since the referendum question was withdrawn prior to the November election. (So a three-month wait for an answer is appropriate? Is this the norm for a citizen complaint?) Nevertheless, I did review the script of the video (Yes, we know this already. That's the problem.) and advised the West Bend School District that I did not believe it contained express advocacy for the referendum. (Which is exactly why you refuse to watch the video now. You might have to eat your words.)
Nothing in your letters changes my opinion in that regard. I have not reviewed the video, nor do I plan to. (Whoah! So six minutes is too much to ask? How does one base their decision on this issue without watching the video? How does one determine context, setting, tone without watching the video? Reading the script is hardly the same.) 'Express advocacy' if found at all, must in my opinion be found from the words used in the video. Your concerns about 'over use' of officials, police and firefighters participating and other concerns expressed in your letter do not go toward the question of whether the words of the video expressly advocate passage of the referendum. In my opinion they do not. (And you based this on??? Watching the video? NOT. "Words" are mentioned in my letter, over and over again. This is not addressed in this letter.)
I am very familiar with the law concerning expressed advocacy State of Wisconsin. I agree with you that it is very important that school districts not use school resources for express advocacy of referendum questions. However, the words of the video in question do not expressly advocate passage of the referendum. Therefore, I decline to take any enforcement action against the District or any of its employees."
(I disagree. It seems that our elected district attorney, Attorney Martens, does not have an open ear to the voters in his community, nor does he wish to make the effort to spend six minutes in order to fulfill a citizen complaint and respond with full knowledge of the situation. He won't be getting MY vote....)
Monday, November 17, 2008
Ann Coulter on David Brooks and liberal Republicans
I just got a good chuckle out of Ann's column today. My thoughts exactly.
For the first time in 32 years, Democrats got more than 50 percent of the country to vote for their candidate in a national election, and now they want to lecture the Republican Party on how to win elections. Liberal Republicans have joined them, both groups hoping no one will notice that we just lost this election by running the candidate they chose for us.
........
Brooks gushed, “I can tell you there is nobody in politics remotely like him,” and even threw down the gauntlet, saying: “You will never persuade me that he is not among the finest of men.” That took guts at the Times, where McCain is constantly praised by the op-ed columnists and was endorsed by the paper in the Republican primary. Even Frank Rich has hailed McCain as the “most experienced and principled” of the Republicans and said no one in either party “has more experience in matters of war than the Arizona senator” – the biggest rave issued by Rich since “Rent” opened on Broadway. They adored McCain at the Times! Does anyone here not see a cluster of bright red flags?
..........
But now Brooks presumes to lecture Republicans about what to do next time. How about: “Don’t take David Brooks’ advice”? According to Brooks, the reason McCain lost was – naturally – that he ran as a conservative. If only presidential candidates would spurn polls, modern political history, evidence from campaign rallies, facts on the ground and listen to the wishful thinking of Times columnists!
...........
In another sign of how popular liberalism is, liberals have to keep changing their name, like grifters moving from town to town. Liberal Republicans used to be known as “moderates,” then “mavericks” or “centrists.” I guess now they’re “reformists.” Why, liberals are so popular they have to disguise themselves for fear of being mobbed by an adoring public! I gather by “reformist,” Brooks means liberal only on the social issues like gay marriage and abortion because – apart from abortion and gay marriage – Rudy Giuliani was a right-wing lunatic. He engaged in aggressive policing, cut taxes and government bureaucracies, abolished New York’s affirmative action office and was repeatedly denounced as a storm trooper by The New York Times.
...............
I’ll accept the results of the presidential election, if you anti-Proposition 8 die-hards in California accept the results of that vote. Earth to protesters: Most Americans oppose gay marriage. On this, even blacks and Mormons are agreed! Why don’t you people go find something useful to do?
MORE HERE:
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Catholic Campaign for Human Development links itself to Obama
Do you wonder why 2008 election data shows that the majority of Catholics voted for Barack Obama even though his record as Illinois state senator proves him the most pro-abortion candidate who ever ran for president?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Why believe in God? DC Buses will tote new ads for Christmas...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — You better watch out. There is a new combatant in the Christmas wars.
Ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday.
In lifting lyrics from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas.
"We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you," said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group. "Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion."
MORE HERE:
Ok, I just had to stop for a minute to wipe away the tears from laughter... This is just too FUNNY! Look at the ridiculous statement made by Edwords, the spokesperson for the AHA... Maybe the agnostics, atheists and other types of nontheists feel alone because they CHOOSE to be alone!
PUUUUUUUHHHHHLEASE.
Um, excuse me? The word Christmas would be nonexistent if there had been no Christ, no God, no believers. If one chooses not to believe, then by all means, relax near the hearth with Scrooge on Christmas Day. And by the way...Christmas has become so secularized that one does not have to have any sort of "belief system" in order to celebrate Christmas. So this whole campaign is just a bunch of bah-humbug! STILL LAUGHING!
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