February 15, 2007
Five soldiers at a military base in Texas are about to participate in a remarkable test to see whether they can regrow portions of fingers they lost in the war in Iraq.Doctors plan to treat them with a fine powder called extracellular matrix, which is harvested from pig bladders. The material, found in all animals, is the scaffolding that cells latch onto as they divide and grow into tissue and body parts.
In the human body, it was long thought to be inert. But scientists have discovered that it appears to activate latent biological processes that spur healing and regenerate tissue.
Medical researchers have been making intriguing progress in the field of regenerative medicine. The pilot test, at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, shows how doctors are trying to apply their recent discoveries to a pressing challenge: helping thousands of Americans returning from Iraq to recover from wounds that would have killed soldiers a generation ago.
Now this is unlikely to result in the complete regrowth of entire digits, or even the bone in a segment – but it may enable some patients to have more complete use of hands after serious injury. That is great advance that will help people in both the military and civilian worlds.
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A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the social networking Web site MySpace filed by the family of a 13-year-old girl who says she was sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old man she met online.The $30 million lawsuit accused the site of having no measures to protect children who use it. The lawsuit also named MySpace's parent company, News Corp., and the 19-year-old, whose criminal case has not yet gone to trial.
In a ruling issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks said MySpace is protected under the Communications Decency Act and cannot be expected to verify the age of every user because that "would of course stop MySpace's business in its tracks."
The decency act cited by Sparks generally grants immunity to interactive computer services such as MySpace so that they are not liable for content posted by users. Without immunity, companies such as MySpace "would be crippled by lawsuits arising out of third-party communications," Sparks wrote.
How far would they like to take this logic? Should the local mall have liability if a kid meets a creep there? How about the local motel, in the event said creep takes his prey there? Why shouldnÂ’t such places also be held to this standard of liability if they lack means to verify they are not being used by sex predators out to feed their unnatural appetites?
And I’m curious – what degree of liability should be laid at the door of parents who lax supervision and negligent raising of their children allows such abuse to occur?
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February 14, 2007
Two reporters from The San Francisco Chronicle who wrote a best-selling book about steroid use in baseball will avoid jail time after a defense lawyer agreed Wednesday to plead guilty to leaking them secret federal court documents, prosecutors said.The lawyer, Troy L. Ellerman, will plead guilty to two counts of contempt, as well as one count each of obstruction of justice and filing false statements in a federal court, according to a statement from the United States AttorneyÂ’s Office in Los Angeles.
As part of the plea, the Justice Department will withdraw subpoenas issued to the reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada, who had been held in contempt by a federal judge since September for refusing to say who their sources were for a series of Chronicle articles and their 2006 book, “Game of Shadows.”
“The government believes that Ellerman’s guilty pleas alleviate the need for the reporters to testify,” the statement read.
I'm glad this case was resolved without some court expanding the absurd notion of a "reporter's privilege". Like every American, reporters are subject to the laws of this country and must produce evidnce in court. They are not an aristocracy above the laws of the United States, nor should they be. And especially in a case in which the actual crime was the disclosure of information to the reporters, they should be required to appear and testify just like the rest of us.
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Hours before getting killed the way he feared most, Capt. Brian S. Freeman looked up and smiled when Abu Ali dropped by his office.After nearly six months of overcoming financial and bureaucratic hurdles in a war zone, Freeman told the Iraqi man, there were promising signs that a pair of U.S. visas -- the last big step in getting Abu Ali's 11-year-old son to the United States for lifesaving heart surgery -- would be issued soon.
The Iraqi was speechless. He asked an interpreter to express his gratitude to the tall American soldier who had made saving the child's life an unofficial mission. Then he pulled out his camera, swung his arm around Freeman's broad shoulders and posed for three photographs.
Hours later, shortly before sunset Jan. 20, armed men in GMC trucks stormed into the government building in Karbala, in southern Iraq. They killed an American soldier, handcuffed Freeman and three other U.S. soldiers, hauled them into the vehicles and drove off. Freeman and the other abducted soldiers were later slain by the attackers.
There are those in this country who believe our soldiers are the moral equivalent of SS stormtroopers, terrorizing the people of Iraq. They claim that our soldiers are intellectually deficient and lacking in opportunities in life, so they are stuck in Iraq because the military was their only option. And there are those who believe that Iraqis don't want or support US troops present in their country. I hope they read this article, and recognize how wrong they are about those things -- and about the terrorists they argue are the moral equivalent of our founding fathers.
American soldiers struggle to bring life and peace to Iraq -- the terrorists bring only death, chaos, and a return to the bad old days of Baathist rule, or worse.
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The Texas House will take its first step Monday to overturn Gov. Rick Perry's mandate that schoolgirls be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus linked to cervical cancer.The House Public Health Committee posted notice Tuesday that it will hold a public hearing on a bill that would pre-empt Perry's order and prevent the human papillomavirus vaccine from being required for admission to any elementary or secondary school.
"The governor has accomplished his goal of bringing attention to this issue," said Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, author of the bill. "All citizens of Texas will have an opportunity to come to Austin to give an opinion."
Bonnen has signed up more than 60 members as co-authors of House Bill 1098.
If the committee votes out the bill, it could be the first major piece of legislation heard on the House floor this session.
IÂ’m all for girls getting the vaccine, but not for a government mandate or a gubernatorial decree dictating it. IÂ’m therefore pleased to see over 40% of the Texas House sponsoring this legislation, for that bodes well for making the bill veto-proof.
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Comedian Al Franken announced Wednesday that he will run for the Senate in 2008, seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican incumbent Norm Coleman.Franken's announcement came on the final day of his show on the liberal radio network Air America. The decision by the former "Saturday Night Live" performer instantly makes him a serious contender and brings national attention to the race.
Well, for the sake of his ego letÂ’s hope that he is a more serious contender in the senatorial race than he was as a talk radio host.
And let me make this observation – if hosting a talk radio show constitutes credential that qualifies someone for public office, perhaps the GOP ought to run former Secretary of Education Bill Bennett for the presidency in 2008.
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But it also shows a difference between the extremists in the countryÂ’s two main religious groups.
First, the Hindus.
One Hindu group, the Shiv Sena, said its volunteers would photograph couples caught in "compromising positions".Overt signs of affection, such as kissing and holding hands, are frowned upon in much of traditional Indian society.
Shiv Sena has warned that its activists will stake out public parks, cinemas and shopping malls in a number of cities, and photographs of couples courting will be handed over to their parents.
Mahaveer Parikh, a spokesman for another hardline group, Bajrang Dal, told the BBC from Jaipur: "We will protest with all our might. We will do anything it takes to stop young couples in a behaviour that is against Indian culture.
Silly, but benign – and odd, coming from the folks who gave us the Kama Sutra.
And then there are the Muslims.
A Muslim women's group in revolt-hit Indian Kashmir burned greeting cards and beat young couples to stop people celebrating Valentine's Day, witnesses said on Wednesday.The separatist Dukhtaran-e-Millat (Daughters of the Nation) raided restaurants and showered blows on some couples and then burned cards during a rally in the summer capital's centre, said an AFP reporter.
The group, along with an Islamic association called the Forum Against Social Evils, regularly wage morality campaigns against movies and other emblems of popular Western culture they deem un-Islamic.
"We will not allow Western culture to take root in Muslim-majority Kashmir," chanted several dozen marchers led by Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Aasiya Andrabi.
Sad, isn’t it, that followers of the “Religion of Peace” become so violent when confronted with signs of love.
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Bob DeMotte was called an “ass†last year by a member of Spokane’s Citizen’s Review Commission after he complained about how police handled a neighborhood fracas involving an off-duty Spokane police lieutenant and two of her children.Now he’s fighting back.
DeMotte, a retired author and Spokane resident, last week filed a $1 million claim for damages with the city. His rebuff before the review commission last October and the insult by commission member Marie Yates constitutes a “chilling effect on First Amendment free speech, defamation of character, and tort of outrage,†according to his claim.
“Robert DeMotte was a citizen of the city of Spokane exercising his First Amendment right of free speech at the invitation of Chief (Anne) Kirkpatrick,†said his lawyer, former Spokane County Prosecutor James R. Sweetser, in a statement accompanying the claim.
The commission’s decision to meet behind closed doors in executive session – over the objection of The Spokesman-Review – and Yates’ insult after members announced their decision to take no action “has a chilling effect on all Spokane citizens’ First Amendment Rights, constitutes defamation of character, and is outrageous,†Sweetser’s statement says.
Frankly, I think Marie Yates got it exactly right – Bob DeMotte is an ass. A million-dollar suit against the city for a comment made by an 83-year-old after a meeting, in a hallway, is evidence enough of that. Even public officials have the right to express personal opinions after a meeting is over.
And Bob – I dare you to sue me, for it will AGAIN prove you to be the First Amendment hypocrite that you have shown yourself to be by filing this one.
OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, third world county, Faultline USA, stikNstein... has no mercy, Big Dog's Weblog, basil's blog, Blue Star Chronicles, The Pink Flamingo, Stuck On Stupid, Cao's Blog, The Amboy Times, The Bullwinkle Blog, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Dumb Ox Daily News, Conservative Cat, Random Dream, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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Bob DeMotte was called an “ass” last year by a member of Spokane’s Citizen’s Review Commission after he complained about how police handled a neighborhood fracas involving an off-duty Spokane police lieutenant and two of her children.Now he’s fighting back.
DeMotte, a retired author and Spokane resident, last week filed a $1 million claim for damages with the city. His rebuff before the review commission last October and the insult by commission member Marie Yates constitutes a “chilling effect on First Amendment free speech, defamation of character, and tort of outrage,” according to his claim.
“Robert DeMotte was a citizen of the city of Spokane exercising his First Amendment right of free speech at the invitation of Chief (Anne) Kirkpatrick,” said his lawyer, former Spokane County Prosecutor James R. Sweetser, in a statement accompanying the claim.
The commission’s decision to meet behind closed doors in executive session – over the objection of The Spokesman-Review – and Yates’ insult after members announced their decision to take no action “has a chilling effect on all Spokane citizens’ First Amendment Rights, constitutes defamation of character, and is outrageous,” Sweetser’s statement says.
Frankly, I think Marie Yates got it exactly right – Bob DeMotte is an ass. A million-dollar suit against the city for a comment made by an 83-year-old after a meeting, in a hallway, is evidence enough of that. Even public officials have the right to express personal opinions after a meeting is over.
And Bob – I dare you to sue me, for it will AGAIN prove you to be the First Amendment hypocrite that you have shown yourself to be by filing this one.
OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, third world county, Faultline USA, stikNstein... has no mercy, Big Dog's Weblog, basil's blog, Blue Star Chronicles, The Pink Flamingo, Stuck On Stupid, Cao's Blog, The Amboy Times, The Bullwinkle Blog, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Dumb Ox Daily News, Conservative Cat, Random Dream, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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Appreciation comes full circle as George Reinwand, Pearl Harbor survivor, recently thanked Rapid River Elementary School students for their support in helping to send him to the recent Pearl Harbor Survivors’ National Meeting in Hawaii.Almost a year ago, through the leadership of the fourth grade, students created a service learning project to raise money for a special community member. Students decorated cans to collect money in, which were then placed in classrooms and school offices. Together, students in kindergarten through the fifth grade raised over $400. This money was presented to Reinwand and his wife, Shirley, in March 2006.
Since returning from their trip to Hawaii this past December, the Reinwands came back to thank the students of Rapid River and presented a plaque of appreciation honoring the students’ hard work, which reads as follows:
“Presented in grateful appreciation to Rapid River Schools Kindergarten-5th grade of 2006 for your unselfish contribution in helping Shirley and me attend the Pearl Harbor Survivors’ National Meeting at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Thank you, George Reinwandâ€
After the presentation, students took turns looking at photos from the Reinwands’ trip.
This is the sort of stuff we ought to see more of – projects in which students both show their appreciation to others and learn something that is rightly a part of the curriculum. And in this case, we have youngsters getting the opportunity to interact with one of those who was a part of one of the most important events in American history. And as we lose this particular generation of Americans, it is important that we make sure that our children know of them, and about them – and actually know them while they still can. My generation knew the WWII generation – they were our parents and grandparents and neighbors. My first real knowledge of D-Day came from Glenn Landbloom, an older neighbor, who was there in 1944. I remember once meeting Adm. Arleigh “31-Knot†Burke as a kid at Bethesda Naval Hospital, an event which helped make the War in the Pacific just a little more real to an 11-year-old fifth-grader. We need to ensure that such opportunities are taken while they still can be.
I salute Mr. Reinwand for his service – and the teachers and children of Rapid River Elementary School for this act of service and kindness.
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Appreciation comes full circle as George Reinwand, Pearl Harbor survivor, recently thanked Rapid River Elementary School students for their support in helping to send him to the recent Pearl Harbor SurvivorsÂ’ National Meeting in Hawaii.Almost a year ago, through the leadership of the fourth grade, students created a service learning project to raise money for a special community member. Students decorated cans to collect money in, which were then placed in classrooms and school offices. Together, students in kindergarten through the fifth grade raised over $400. This money was presented to Reinwand and his wife, Shirley, in March 2006.
Since returning from their trip to Hawaii this past December, the Reinwands came back to thank the students of Rapid River and presented a plaque of appreciation honoring the studentsÂ’ hard work, which reads as follows:
“Presented in grateful appreciation to Rapid River Schools Kindergarten-5th grade of 2006 for your unselfish contribution in helping Shirley and me attend the Pearl Harbor Survivors’ National Meeting at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Thank you, George Reinwand”
After the presentation, students took turns looking at photos from the ReinwandsÂ’ trip.
This is the sort of stuff we ought to see more of – projects in which students both show their appreciation to others and learn something that is rightly a part of the curriculum. And in this case, we have youngsters getting the opportunity to interact with one of those who was a part of one of the most important events in American history. And as we lose this particular generation of Americans, it is important that we make sure that our children know of them, and about them – and actually know them while they still can. My generation knew the WWII generation – they were our parents and grandparents and neighbors. My first real knowledge of D-Day came from Glenn Landbloom, an older neighbor, who was there in 1944. I remember once meeting Adm. Arleigh “31-Knot” Burke as a kid at Bethesda Naval Hospital, an event which helped make the War in the Pacific just a little more real to an 11-year-old fifth-grader. We need to ensure that such opportunities are taken while they still can be.
I salute Mr. Reinwand for his service – and the teachers and children of Rapid River Elementary School for this act of service and kindness.
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C ongress is in the middle of three days of debate on a nonbinding resolution that would express to President George W. Bush its opposition to sending 20,000 troops to Iraq. But why settle for a symbolic gesture of discontent when the representatives have the authority to do something concrete?If Congress feels the troop surge is the wrong idea, it should vote to cut off funding.
It doesn't do that because the Democratic leadership loves to protest and complain about the Iraq War, but doesn't want to be held accountable for the consequences of an alternative strategy.
It is easy to bitch and moan about the war, and to try to make political hay over it. That has been the strategy of the Democrats of late. However, they should be willing to act on that sentiment if they REALLY believe what they are saying. Otherwise, they are at best engaged in a cynical political ploy, if not outright cowardice and hypocrisy. After all, the current course of action would allow them to be on record as opposing this course of action to avoid blame in the event of failure, while still claiming credit when the surge succeeds because they didn’t cut off funds.
Such triangulation would be nothing short of a sick joke, if it didn’t involve opponents of the war intentionally allowing troops to be placed in harm’s way for a mission that Congress does not believe can be a success. That makes it a criminal abrogation of their constitutional responsibility, for they are knowingly and intentionally allowing soldiers to die for a policy/strategy they believe should not be followed? How can they reconcile respect for the troops with allowing them to be the next to die for a policy that a majority of Congress believes is wrong and a mission they view as unattainable?
So let me say for the record – if the DemocratICK majority in the House and Senate really believes that funding the troop surge is wrong, they should vote to cut off funds in order to force a change in direction in Iraq. But if the legislative branch lacks the integrity to do so, they need to stand aside in silence while the president pursues the strategy he believes provides the best chance for success. And at this moment, George W. Bush appears to be the only elected leader in Washington with a plan for success and the will to implement it – which makes him the only real leader in government today, despite DemocratICK rhetoric about charting a new course in the Middle East.
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C ongress is in the middle of three days of debate on a nonbinding resolution that would express to President George W. Bush its opposition to sending 20,000 troops to Iraq. But why settle for a symbolic gesture of discontent when the representatives have the authority to do something concrete?If Congress feels the troop surge is the wrong idea, it should vote to cut off funding.
It doesn't do that because the Democratic leadership loves to protest and complain about the Iraq War, but doesn't want to be held accountable for the consequences of an alternative strategy.
It is easy to bitch and moan about the war, and to try to make political hay over it. That has been the strategy of the Democrats of late. However, they should be willing to act on that sentiment if they REALLY believe what they are saying. Otherwise, they are at best engaged in a cynical political ploy, if not outright cowardice and hypocrisy. After all, the current course of action would allow them to be on record as opposing this course of action to avoid blame in the event of failure, while still claiming credit when the surge succeeds because they didnÂ’t cut off funds.
Such triangulation would be nothing short of a sick joke, if it didnÂ’t involve opponents of the war intentionally allowing troops to be placed in harmÂ’s way for a mission that Congress does not believe can be a success. That makes it a criminal abrogation of their constitutional responsibility, for they are knowingly and intentionally allowing soldiers to die for a policy/strategy they believe should not be followed? How can they reconcile respect for the troops with allowing them to be the next to die for a policy that a majority of Congress believes is wrong and a mission they view as unattainable?
So let me say for the record – if the DemocratICK majority in the House and Senate really believes that funding the troop surge is wrong, they should vote to cut off funds in order to force a change in direction in Iraq. But if the legislative branch lacks the integrity to do so, they need to stand aside in silence while the president pursues the strategy he believes provides the best chance for success. And at this moment, George W. Bush appears to be the only elected leader in Washington with a plan for success and the will to implement it – which makes him the only real leader in government today, despite DemocratICK rhetoric about charting a new course in the Middle East.
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Brushing aside human rights complaints, the White House on Tuesday defended the use of a converted jail in Central Texas to detain families facing deportation – a facility where mothers and children are kept behind razor wire and clothed in prisonlike garb."It's difficult to find facilities," said Tony Snow, President Bush's press secretary, dismissing the suggestion that a less restrictive environment would be more appropriate.
"In the past, children had been separated from their families," he said. "What we're actually trying to do is to keep them together."
Detainees wear navy uniforms that come in sizes small enough to fit a newborn.
The 512-bed T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility, just northeast of Austin, opened in May – a response to complaints about the so-called "catch-and-release" policy that let illegal immigrants from countries other than Mexico remain free pending hearings set weeks or months later.Refugee advocates and civil rights groups complain that the detention center, run by Corrections Corporation of America, a company that specializes in private prisons, remains very much a prison. And they say such a setting is inappropriate for families. The 8-by-8 cells always are unlocked but have only narrow slits for windows.
Well too, freakinÂ’ bad! Jail is what happens when you break the law.
But what are the actual conditions/services provided?
Gary Mead, assistant director for the detention and removal operations at ICE, led a news media tour Friday and emphasized that children receive five hours of schooling each day, have access to a computer lab and gym, and get good medical care, despite complaints to the contrary.Most of the detainees are Latin Americans from countries other than Mexico, though the center, in Taylor, Texas, drew much of its notoriety as home to three Dallas-area Palestinian families in recent months. One of those families was deported to Jordan. The others were recently released.
In other words, these folks are receiving decent treatment, with adequate provision made for the children. The other option is to place the children in foster care pending the outcome of status hearings, with the parents to remain locked up in a much more restrictive facility. But then the advocates for the criminal aliens would be complaining about the separation of parents from their children, wouldnÂ’t they?
Of course, maybe that foster care idea isn’t a bad one. Indeed, it would be a good way of ensuring that the most appropriate course of action be taken when parents are deported – their parental rights to their children born in the United States could be terminated upon the issuance of a deportation order and the children declared immediately eligible for adoption by their foster families. That would certainly solve the anchor baby problem, and make illegal immigration to this country a much less attractive option for millions of border-jumpers.
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Doctors in Britain regularly discriminate against older patients by denying them tests and treatments they offer to younger people, research shows today.GPs, heart specialists and doctors who care for the elderly were all found to be influenced by a patient's age when making their recommendations -and older doctors were more likely to discriminate than younger doctors.
The study in Quality and Safety in Health Care, a specialist publication from the British Medical Journal, found that half of doctors in each of the professional groups treated elderly patients differently.
The researchers compared the responses of doctors to people aged under 65 and over 65. They pointed out that 65 was no longer regarded as being particularly old in British society.
Prof Ann Bowling, of the department of psychology, at University College London, led the study. She said: "Resources are limited and doctors have to make difficult decisions. Maybe they have run out of options and are using age as an excuse.
"When we spoke to the doctors they were quite ready to justify their reasons. They may see older people as less deserving," she said.
The truly alarming thing is that the referrals, tests, and procedures denied to these hypothetical patients are what we in country would consider to be routine care, not extraordinary measures – things like angiograms and angioplasty, or even cholesterol medications. Do we really wish to import such flaws into the best medical system in the world?
And on a related note, Dr. Walter Williams offers some other negatives about socialized medicine in his column today.
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Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) believes it is his right as a Muslim to be sworn into Congress with the Quran. But apparently, the freshman lawmaker doesn’t believe it’s Rep. Tom Tancredo’s (R-Colo.) right to smoke a cigar in his congressional office.Ellison’s office called the Capitol Hill Police on Tancredo last Wednesday night as Tancredo was in his office smoking a cigar. The lawmakers have neighboring offices on the first floor of the Longworth House Office Building.
Tancredo was still stunned a day later. “It’s very bizarre,†said Tancredo, who has never met Ellison. “Seemed to me not a good way to say hello.â€
And let’s face it. Calling the cops on a colleague takes the cake for the nerviest behavior so far among members of this year’s freshman class of Congress.
* * * Tancredo said he would not stop smoking in his office. “Heck, no!†he said. “If he [Ellison] would have [had] the courtesy to say something I’m sure I would have been more accommodating to his wishes.â€
To help keep his office free of impurities, Tancredo has three air purifiers. And he has no plans to meet Ellison anytime soon. “I’m sure we will, but I’m not going to make a point [of it],†the presidential hopeful said, adding that he supported Ellison’s right to be sworn in with the Quran.
Ellison’s press secretary, Rick Jauert, made the call to the Superintendent’s office when he noticed the smoke. “I called because the smoke was coming through the walls,†Jauert said, adding that the Superintendent’s office referred him to the Capitol Police.
Jauert said he then informed his boss what he had done. He said “fine,†Jauert said. “He’s complained of the smoke before.â€
What next? Will Ellison and his staff demand that Capitol Hill offices go dry in accordance with Islamic teachings? Will he act to have ham sandwiches banned from Capitol Hill? Will he insist that Speaker Pelosi wear a burqa (not that it wouldn’t be an improvement)? At the risk for giving offense to the Muslim Congressman by using a Yiddish work, Ellison showed a lot of chutzpah here.
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Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) believes it is his right as a Muslim to be sworn into Congress with the Quran. But apparently, the freshman lawmaker doesnÂ’t believe itÂ’s Rep. Tom TancredoÂ’s (R-Colo.) right to smoke a cigar in his congressional office.EllisonÂ’s office called the Capitol Hill Police on Tancredo last Wednesday night as Tancredo was in his office smoking a cigar. The lawmakers have neighboring offices on the first floor of the Longworth House Office Building.
Tancredo was still stunned a day later. “It’s very bizarre,” said Tancredo, who has never met Ellison. “Seemed to me not a good way to say hello.”
And letÂ’s face it. Calling the cops on a colleague takes the cake for the nerviest behavior so far among members of this yearÂ’s freshman class of Congress.
* * * Tancredo said he would not stop smoking in his office. “Heck, no!” he said. “If he [Ellison] would have [had] the courtesy to say something I’m sure I would have been more accommodating to his wishes.”
To help keep his office free of impurities, Tancredo has three air purifiers. And he has no plans to meet Ellison anytime soon. “I’m sure we will, but I’m not going to make a point [of it],” the presidential hopeful said, adding that he supported Ellison’s right to be sworn in with the Quran.
Ellison’s press secretary, Rick Jauert, made the call to the Superintendent’s office when he noticed the smoke. “I called because the smoke was coming through the walls,” Jauert said, adding that the Superintendent’s office referred him to the Capitol Police.
Jauert said he then informed his boss what he had done. He said “fine,” Jauert said. “He’s complained of the smoke before.”
What next? Will Ellison and his staff demand that Capitol Hill offices go dry in accordance with Islamic teachings? Will he act to have ham sandwiches banned from Capitol Hill? Will he insist that Speaker Pelosi wear a burqa (not that it wouldnÂ’t be an improvement)? At the risk for giving offense to the Muslim Congressman by using a Yiddish work, Ellison showed a lot of chutzpah here.
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No Dentist Left Behind My dentist is great! He sends me reminders so I don't forget checkups. He uses the latest techniques based on research. He never hurts me, and I've got all my teeth.
When I ran into him the other day, I was eager to see if he'd heard about the new state program. I knew he'd think it was great.
"Did you hear about the new state program to measure effectiveness of dentists with their young patients?" I said.
"No," he said. He didn't seem too thrilled. "How will they do that?"
"It's quite simple," I said. "They will just count the number of cavities each patient has at age 10, 14, and 18 and average that to determine a dentist's rating. Dentists will be rated as excellent, good, average, below average, and unsatisfactory. That way parents will know which are the best dentists. The plan will also encourage the less effective dentists to get better," I said. "Poor dentists who don't improve could lose their licenses to practice."
"That's terrible," he said.
"What? That's not a good attitude," I said. "Don't you think we should try to improve children's dental health in this state?"
"Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way to determine who is practicing good dentistry."
"Why not?" I said. "It makes perfect sense to me."
"Well, it's so obvious," he said. "Don't you see that dentists don't all work with the same clientele, and that much depends on things we can't control? For example, I work in a rural area with a high percentage of patients from deprived homes, while some of my colleagues work in upper middle-class neighborhoods. Many of the parents I work with don't bring their children to see me until there is some kind of problem, and I don't get to do much preventive work. Also many of the parents I serve let their kids eat way too much candy from an early age, unlike more educated parents who understand the relationship between sugar and decay. To top it all off, so many of my clients have well water which is untreated and has no fluoride in it. Do you have any idea how much
difference early use of fluoride can make?""It sounds like you're making excuses," I said. "I can't believe that you, my dentist, would be so defensive. After all, you do a great job, and you needn't fear a little accountability."
"I am not being defensive!" he said. "My best patients are as good as anyone's, my work is as good as anyone's, but my average cavity count is going to be higher than a lot of other dentists because I chose to work where I am needed most."
"Don't' get touchy," I said.
"Touchy?" he said. His face had turned red, and from the way he was clenching and unclenching his jaws, I was afraid he was going to damage his teeth. "Try furious! In a system like this, I will end up being rated average, below average, or worse. The few educated patients I have who see these ratings may believe this so-called rating is an actual measure of my ability and proficiency as a dentist. They may leave me, and I'll be
left with only the most needy patients. And my cavity average score will get even worse. On top of that, how will I attract good dental hygienists and other excellent dentists to my practice if it is labeled below average?""I think you are overreacting," I said. "'Complaining, excuse-making and stonewalling won't improve dental health'...I am quoting from a leading member of the DOC," I noted.
"What's the DOC?" he asked.
"It's the Dental Oversight Committee," I said, "a group made up of mostly lay persons to make sure dentistry in this state gets improved."
"Spare me," he said, "I can't believe this. Reasonable people won't buy it," he said hopefully.
The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else would you measure good dentistry?"
"Come watch me work," he said. "Observe my processes."
"That's too complicated, expensive and time- consuming," I said. "Cavities are the bottom line, and you can't argue with the bottom line. It's an absolute measure."
"That's what I'm afraid my parents and prospective patients will think. This can't be happening," he said despairingly.
"Now, now," I said, "don't despair. The state will help you some."
"How?" he asked.
"If you receive a poor rating, they'll send a dentist who is rated excellent to help straighten you out," I said brightly.
"You mean," he said, "they'll send a dentist with a wealthy clientele to show me how to work on severe juvenile dental problems with which I have probably had much more experience? BIG HELP!"
"There you go again," I said. "You aren't acting professionally at all."
"You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading schools and teachers on an average score made on a test of children's progress with no regard to influences outside the school, the home, the community served and stuff like that. Why would they do something so unfair to dentists? No one would ever think of doing that to schools."
I just shook my head sadly, but he had brightened. "I'm going to write my representatives and senators," he said. "I'll use the school analogy. Surely they will see the point."
He walked off with that look of hope mixed with fear and suppressed anger that I, a teacher, see in the mirror so often lately.
If you don't understand why educators resent the recent federal NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, this may help. If you do understand, you'll enjoy this analogy, which was forwarded by John S. Taylor, Superintendent of Schools for the Lancaster County, PA, School District. Be a friend to a teacher and pass this on.
Frankly, I couldn’t have said it any better myself – when one works with human beings and not widgets, there are a whole host of factors beyond one’s control that impact outcomes. Expecting success every time just isn’t practical, no matter how much it is desired.
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February 13, 2007
A group of Senate Democrats introduced legislation yesterday that would restore habeas corpus rights to all detainees in U.S. custody and would narrowly define what it means to be an "enemy combatant" against the United States, a measure designed to challenge laws ushered in by the Republican-controlled Congress last year.The bill, titled the "Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007," strikes at the core of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 by giving detainees access to U.S. courts. It was introduced by Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.), a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The bill would also prevent the executive branch from making blanket determinations about who is an enemy combatant and would restrict the president's authority to interpret when certain human rights standards apply to detainees. The legislation would limit the label "enemy combatant" to a person "who directly participates in hostilities in a zone of active combat against the United States" or who took part in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Interestingly enough, these DemocratICK members of the legislative branch are not actually seeking to overturn executive branch action -- they are seeking to repeal a law tha they passed. But it takes a while to explain that in this article about an effort to give terrorists greater legal rights than the soldiers who fight them.
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Take this example.
Army Giving More Waivers in Recruiting
The article then goes on to talk about so-called "moral waivers" increasing. These generally are used to let in someone who has a conviction, usually in a juvenile court, for serious misdemeanors like aggravated assault, burglary, robbery and vehicular homicide, or even a less-serious felony convictions. They have increased 65%.
But then you get this little kernel of truth a little bit further down the page.
In the last three years, the percentage of moral waivers for all new enlistments in the four services combined has fallen 3 percent, with spikes in the Army and Air Force.
Oh. So moral waivers really are not up at all, and are declining instead. And the waivers that are increasing are actually medical waivers (we discover over half-way through the story) for conditions that do not particularly decrease military readiness -- high blood pressure, asthma, and ADD (an over-used label for boys acting like boys in too many cases).
And the irony is that the Left often demands that supporters of the war in Iraq sign up for the military as a condition of being allowed to hold an opinion on the matter -- including insisting that we seek waivers of factors that disqualify us from service. Now when there are those actually doing so, they complain that the waivers are being granted for relatively minor issues. And let's not forget that certain left-wing politicians are urging a draft -- which would degrade the readiness and quality of members of the armed forces significantly more than the selective granting of waivers for less-serious disqualifications.
The New York Times -- its motto should be "We only print the news that fits."
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An animal lover was mauled to death by cheetahs after entering their cage at a zoo in northern Belgium, authorities and zoo officials said Monday.Karen Aerts, 37, of Antwerp, was found dead in the cage, Olmense Zoo spokesman Jan Libot said. Police said they ruled out any foul play.
Authorities believe Aerts, a regular visitor to the zoo, hid in the park late Sunday until it closed and managed to find the keys to the cheetah cage.
"Karen loved animals. Unfortunately the cheetahs betrayed her trust," Libot said.
“The cheetahs betrayed her trust.”
Betrayed her trust?
They are freakin’ wild animals, aggressive carnivores that survive by hunting slower, dumber prey – like Ms. Aerts.
In-freakinÂ’-credible!
H/T Taranto
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A former stockholder in a technology company sued a beleaguered congressman and a former business associate Tuesday, claiming they bilked stockholders by using business funds to pay bribes.The lawsuit alleges that Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., his wife and Vernon Jackson, former chief executive of the telecommunications firm iGate, schemed to funnel money to Jefferson, his family and foreign officials.
The allegations mirror those in an ongoing federal investigation of Jefferson and his business dealings. Jefferson has not been charged, but the FBI has said in court records that agents found $90,000 in a freezer in his New Orleans home.
As part of that investigation, Jackson, 54, of Louisville, pleaded guilty to paying more than $400,000 in bribes to Jefferson to gain the congressman's help in obtaining business deals in Africa. Jackson was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
The corrupt practices engaged in by Jefferson and his inside co-conspirator have caused the company to all but cease operations.
Will the Democrats act against this criminal in their midst? Nope – which shows the hollow nature of their “ethics reformâ€.
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A former stockholder in a technology company sued a beleaguered congressman and a former business associate Tuesday, claiming they bilked stockholders by using business funds to pay bribes.The lawsuit alleges that Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., his wife and Vernon Jackson, former chief executive of the telecommunications firm iGate, schemed to funnel money to Jefferson, his family and foreign officials.
The allegations mirror those in an ongoing federal investigation of Jefferson and his business dealings. Jefferson has not been charged, but the FBI has said in court records that agents found $90,000 in a freezer in his New Orleans home.
As part of that investigation, Jackson, 54, of Louisville, pleaded guilty to paying more than $400,000 in bribes to Jefferson to gain the congressman's help in obtaining business deals in Africa. Jackson was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
The corrupt practices engaged in by Jefferson and his inside co-conspirator have caused the company to all but cease operations.
Will the Democrats act against this criminal in their midst? Nope – which shows the hollow nature of their “ethics reform”.
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A U.S. study suggests two of Greenland's largest glaciers are melting at variable rates and not at an increasing trend.The study, led by Ian Howat, a researcher with the University of Colorado's National Snow and Ice Data Center and the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory, shows the glaciers shrank dramatically and dumped twice as much ice into the sea during a period of less than a year between 2004 and 2005.
But then, fewer than two years later, they returned to near their previous rates of discharge.
Howat says such variability during such a short time underlines the problem in assuming glacial melting and sea level rise will necessarily occur at a steady upward trajectory.
"Our main point is that the behavior of these glaciers can change a lot from year to year, so we can't assume to know the future behavior from short records of recent changes," he said. "Future warming may lead to rapid pulses of retreat and increased discharge rather than a long, steady drawdown."
The research is online in the journal Science Express.
And then there is this little tidbit from India about glaciers in the Himalayas.
Believe it or not. There are only about a dozen scientists working on 9,575 glaciers in India under the aegis of the Geological Society of India. Is the available data enough to believe that the glaciers are retreating due to global warming?Some experts have questioned the alarmists theory on global warming leading to shrinkage of Himalayan glaciers. VK Raina, a leading glaciologist and former ADG of GSI is one among them.
He feels that the research on Indian glaciers is negligible. Nothing but the remote sensing data forms the basis of these alarmists observations and not on the spot research.
Raina told the Hindustan Times that out of 9,575 glaciers in India, till date, research has been conducted only on about 50. Nearly 200 years data has shown that nothing abnormal has occurred in any of these glaciers.
Now if nothing abnormal is happening to the glaciers, could it be that maybe, just maybe, global warming is a crock of steaming excrement perpetrated by scientific light-weights for political purposes?
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The results of this absurd practice is to make our own, naturally occurring genetic structure the property of someone else – an intolerable intrusion into our own fundamental right to own our own lives and to control our own bodies.
Gene patents are now used to halt research, prevent medical testing and keep vital information from you and your doctor. Gene patents slow the pace of medical advance on deadly diseases. And they raise costs exorbitantly: a test for breast cancer that could be done for $1,000 now costs $3,000.Why? Because the holder of the gene patent can charge whatever he wants, and does. CouldnÂ’t somebody make a cheaper test? Sure, but the patent holder blocks any competitorÂ’s test. He owns the gene. Nobody else can test for it. In fact, you canÂ’t even donate your own breast cancer gene to another scientist without permission. The gene may exist in your body, but itÂ’s now private property.
This bizarre situation has come to pass because of a mistake by an underfinanced and understaffed government agency. The United States Patent Office misinterpreted previous Supreme Court rulings and some years ago began — to the surprise of everyone, including scientists decoding the genome — to issue patents on genes.
Humans share mostly the same genes. The same genes are found in other animals as well. Our genetic makeup represents the common heritage of all life on earth. You canÂ’t patent snow, eagles or gravity, and you shouldnÂ’t be able to patent genes, either. Yet by now one-fifth of the genes in your body are privately owned.
What this means, in a practical sense, is that private companies and researchers can control what information you can have about your own health, and they can also prevent scientific progress that will help improve the health of every man, woman, and child in the country (if not the world). The notion that private individuals have the right to control access to and study of a naturally occurring part of every human body is completely absurd – and morally indefensible.
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Senator Barack Obama of Illinois said Monday that he had misspoken when he suggested that the lives of more than 3,000 American soldiers killed in Iraq had been “wasted.”As he arrived in New Hampshire, Mr. Obama said he would “absolutely apologize” to military families if they were offended by a remark he made in Iowa while criticizing the Bush administration’s Iraq policy.
“What I would say — and meant to say — is that their service hasn’t been honored,” Mr. Obama told reporters in Nashua, N.H., “because our civilian strategy has not honored their courage and bravery, and we have put them in a situation in which it is hard for them to succeed.”
No, Senator, your words were pretty clear – you believe that the lives of soldiers fighting for this country are wasted – hardly a fitting sentiment for a potential commander-in-chief.
And then there indication of ObamaÂ’s lack of preparation to conduct foreign affairs in his verbal jousting with AustraliaÂ’s John Howard.
No, Senator Obama may be a superb public speaker and a charismatic man, but he is not quite ready for prime time. We elect him at our peril.
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Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.) died Tuesday morning, a week after returning home to Augusta for hospice care.Norwood, 65, waged a long battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease. He underwent a single lung transplant in 2004, then developed lung cancer in his other lung while taking immune-response-suppression drugs to prevent his body from rejecting the new organ. The cancer spread to his liver late last year.
Norwood announced he was forgoing further treatment last week. One of his last acts as a congressman was to reintroduce the Norwood-Dingell Patient's Bill of Rights, legislation that put him at odds with the Bush administration and his own congressional leadership. Among other things, the bill would have allowed patients to sue HMOs that overruled doctors and refused to pay for recommended treatments.
Survivors include his wife of 42 years, the former Gloria Wilkinson ; two grown sons, Charles and Carlton; and four grandchildren.
Norwood's office will announce memorial plans later.
Under Georgia law, the governor must, within 10 days of the death of a member of Congress, send a writ to the Secretary of State's office asking for a non-partisan special election to choose a replacement. The election can be held no earlier than 30 days later.
May his family be comforted in this time of loss.
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Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.) died Tuesday morning, a week after returning home to Augusta for hospice care.Norwood, 65, waged a long battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease. He underwent a single lung transplant in 2004, then developed lung cancer in his other lung while taking immune-response-suppression drugs to prevent his body from rejecting the new organ. The cancer spread to his liver late last year.
Norwood announced he was forgoing further treatment last week. One of his last acts as a congressman was to reintroduce the Norwood-Dingell Patient's Bill of Rights, legislation that put him at odds with the Bush administration and his own congressional leadership. Among other things, the bill would have allowed patients to sue HMOs that overruled doctors and refused to pay for recommended treatments.
Survivors include his wife of 42 years, the former Gloria Wilkinson ; two grown sons, Charles and Carlton; and four grandchildren.
Norwood's office will announce memorial plans later.
Under Georgia law, the governor must, within 10 days of the death of a member of Congress, send a writ to the Secretary of State's office asking for a non-partisan special election to choose a replacement. The election can be held no earlier than 30 days later.
May his family be comforted in this time of loss.
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Austrian sniper rifles that were exported to Iran have been discovered in the hands of Iraqi terrorists, The Daily Telegraph has learned.More than 100 of the.50 calibre weapons, capable of penetrating body armour, have been discovered by American troops during raids.
The guns were part of a shipment of 800 rifles that the Austrian company, Steyr-Mannlicher, exported legally to Iran last year.
The sale was condemned in Washington and London because officials were worried that the weapons would be used by insurgents against British and American troops.
Within 45 days of the first HS50 Steyr Mannlicher rifles arriving in Iran, an American officer in an armoured vehicle was shot dead by an Iraqi insurgent using the weapon.
Over the last six months American forces have found small caches of the £10,000 rifles but in the last 24 hours a raid in Baghdad brought the total to more than 100, US defence sources reported.
Those who complain that President Bush is looking for an excuse to go to war with Iran are ignoring one basic “fact on the ground†– Iran is already acting as a belligerent against the United States. Any military action in this case would simply be an acknowledgement of that reality.
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Austrian sniper rifles that were exported to Iran have been discovered in the hands of Iraqi terrorists, The Daily Telegraph has learned.More than 100 of the.50 calibre weapons, capable of penetrating body armour, have been discovered by American troops during raids.
The guns were part of a shipment of 800 rifles that the Austrian company, Steyr-Mannlicher, exported legally to Iran last year.
The sale was condemned in Washington and London because officials were worried that the weapons would be used by insurgents against British and American troops.
Within 45 days of the first HS50 Steyr Mannlicher rifles arriving in Iran, an American officer in an armoured vehicle was shot dead by an Iraqi insurgent using the weapon.
Over the last six months American forces have found small caches of the £10,000 rifles but in the last 24 hours a raid in Baghdad brought the total to more than 100, US defence sources reported.
Those who complain that President Bush is looking for an excuse to go to war with Iran are ignoring one basic “fact on the ground” – Iran is already acting as a belligerent against the United States. Any military action in this case would simply be an acknowledgement of that reality.
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Mitt Romney officially entered the 2008 presidential race Tuesday, a former one-term Republican governor of Massachusetts suggesting that his record of leadership inside and outside government uniquely positions him to tackle the country’s challenges.”I do not believe Washington can be transformed from within by a lifelong politician,” Romney said, seeking to turn a potential liability, his limited political experience, into an asset. ”There have been too many deals, too many favors, too many entanglements - and too little real world experience managing, guiding, leading.”
His speech placed great emphasis upon the American family, and made special reference to the importance of his own family , as he presented himself to the people of this country not just as a politician, not just as a businessman, but first as a family man.
"This Christmas, Ann and I gathered my five sons and five daughters-in-law to ask them whether I should run for President.
* * * "And so, with them behind us, with the fine people of Michigan before us, and with my sweetheart beside me, I declare my intention to run for President of the United States.
And I would have to describe the speech itself as Reaganesque in its lyrical celebration of this country of ours and its deep expression of hope..
"It has been said that a person is defined by what he loves and by what he believes and by what he dreams."I love America and I believe in the people of America.
"I believe in God and I believe that every person in this great country, and every person on this grand planet, is a child of God. We are all sisters and brothers.
"I believe the family is the foundation of America – and that we must fight to protect and strengthen it.
"I believe in the sanctity of human life.
"I believe that people and their elected representatives should make our laws, not unelected judges.
"I believe we are overtaxed and government is overfed. Washington is spending too much money.
"I believe that homeland security begins with securing our borders.
"I believe the best days of this country are ahead of us, becauseÂ…
"I believe in America!
I urge all who still believe in America to consider Mitt RomneyÂ’s candidacy seriously, for his vision of America is one consistent with conservative values and which sees AmericaÂ’s best days as being in the future, not the past.
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A fifth potential father has joined the messy paternity battle over Dannielynn, the baby girl of Anna Nicole Smith, Anna's bodyguard Alex Denk.
In a new US Tv interview, Denk claims he was the late model/actress' secret lover - and he fathered her daughter, who is the subject of a paternity fight between Smith's partner/attorney Howard K. Stern and ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead.
In light of this paternity claim, I feel it is only appropriate for me to comment on the issue. I believe that I am the father of Anna Nicole’s baby girl, based upon a torrid evening here in Houston 14 months ago. Members of the media are free to contact me at any time, and should be sure to prominently mention my blog, Rhymes With Right (http://www.rhymeswithright.mu.nu) in all articles.
In the words of the immortal Kinky Friedman, “Why the hell not?â€
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A fifth potential father has joined the messy paternity battle over Dannielynn, the baby girl of Anna Nicole Smith, Anna's bodyguard Alex Denk.
In a new US Tv interview, Denk claims he was the late model/actress' secret lover - and he fathered her daughter, who is the subject of a paternity fight between Smith's partner/attorney Howard K. Stern and ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead.
In light of this paternity claim, I feel it is only appropriate for me to comment on the issue. I believe that I am the father of Anna NicoleÂ’s baby girl, based upon a torrid evening here in Houston 14 months ago. Members of the media are free to contact me at any time, and should be sure to prominently mention my blog, Rhymes With Right (http://www.rhymeswithright.mu.nu) in all articles.
In the words of the immortal Kinky Friedman, “Why the hell not?”
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A powerful storm and likely a tornado hit the New Orleans area early Tuesday, damaging dozens of homes and business, ripping the roof off a hotel, and injuring at least three people.The storm hit hardest around 3:30 a.m. in Westwego, just across the river from New Orleans.
It tore the roof off a hotel and tossed around FEMA trailers that had replaced homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Westwego Mayor Robert Billiot said dozens of homes and businesses were damaged. Several homes collapsed in other areas, officials said, and at least three people were taken to hospitals.
In New Orleans, the storm knocked down power lines and tree limbs and damaged roofs. About 20,000 people were without power in New Orleans, Westwego, and Metairie, a spokesman for Entergy Corp. said.
"There is just so much destruction," Billiot said.
Come on, Bush-haters, you know you can do it!
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A powerful storm and likely a tornado hit the New Orleans area early Tuesday, damaging dozens of homes and business, ripping the roof off a hotel, and injuring at least three people.The storm hit hardest around 3:30 a.m. in Westwego, just across the river from New Orleans.
It tore the roof off a hotel and tossed around FEMA trailers that had replaced homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Westwego Mayor Robert Billiot said dozens of homes and businesses were damaged. Several homes collapsed in other areas, officials said, and at least three people were taken to hospitals.
In New Orleans, the storm knocked down power lines and tree limbs and damaged roofs. About 20,000 people were without power in New Orleans, Westwego, and Metairie, a spokesman for Entergy Corp. said.
"There is just so much destruction," Billiot said.
Come on, Bush-haters, you know you can do it!
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The National Football League refused to include a print ad recruiting U.S. Border Patrol agents in its 2007 official Super Bowl program because they were uncomfortable with "the sensitive political nature" of the spot, according to a league spokesman.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Border Patrol, had offered to pay for the advertisment, which was part of a campaign to boost the number of agents by 18,000. But money wasn't the issue, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told ABC News.
The ad "was specific to border patrol and mentioned terrorists," he said. "The game was in Miami, where [immigration] is a sensitive political issue...[it] made us a little bit uncomfortable."
Too bad that a sport for men has been taken over by PC weenies running the league office.
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PP,
Jimmy Regan followed a calling to the military, becoming a U.S. Army Ranger and serving double tours of duty in both Afghanistan and Iraq, earning a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and several other medals.Mourners gathered at the Regan home in Manhasset on Sunday to remember the 26-year-old former member of the Duke University lacrosse team, who was killed in combat last week in Iraq.
He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.
I believe this shows the true caliber of the young men produced by the Duke lacrosse team, not the caricature presented by the news media and the corrupt prosecutor in Durham.
We salute this young man, and honor his sacrifice on behalf of our nation.
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February 12, 2007
Transportation consultant and former state Rep. Ed Emmett has emerged as the Republican consensus candidate to succeed County Judge Robert Eckels if he resigns to take a private sector job.The two Republican county commissioners and Eckels, also a Republican, say they could back Emmett, which would give him the job even if the Commissioners Court's two Democrats disagreed.
Eckels said he hopes to make a decision within a week on whether to take a new job. He just began his fourth, four-year term.
Eckels described Emmett as "the kind of guy who I would love to see come behind me."
"He's a guy who understands politics and he has stayed active in transportation," Eckels said.
Frankly, I'm disturbed by this development. That Eckels just ran for reelection last November but may resign just weeks into his new term is troubling, and feels like a fraud upon the voters of Harris County. That his potential replacement for a nearly four year term will come not from among those county-wide officeholders who have received the consent of the governed but will instead be an individual out of elective office for two decades bothers me even more.
Frankly, this situation stinks. If Eckels is to leave the office to which he was just reelected, the position needs to be filled by someone who clearly has the confidence of the voters, not Robert Eckels' buddy. Otherwise we have, at bare minimum, an appearance of impropriety, if not an actual one.
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North Korea agreed Tuesday after arduous talks to shut down its main nuclear reactor and eventually dismantle its atomic weapons program, just four months after the communist state shocked the world by testing a nuclear bomb.The deal marks the first concrete plan for disarmament in more than three years of six-nation negotiations, and could potentially herald a new era of cooperation in the region with the North's longtime foes -- the United States and Japan -- also agreeing to discuss normalizing relations with Pyongyang.
Under the deal, the North will receive initial aid equal to 50,000 tons heavy fuel oil within 60 days for shutting down and sealing its main nuclear reactor and related facilities at Yongbyon, north of the capital, to be confirmed by international inspectors.
For irreversibly disabling the reactor and declaring all nuclear programs, the North will eventually receive another 950,000 tons in aid.
Of course there are problems with the deal, starting with the fact that North Korea has cheated in the past. In addition, as pointed out by former UN Ambassador John Bolton, the message this may send is that holding out and stonewalling may get a country aid, thereby encouraging more rogue states to seek nukes.
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So whether you want to know about Nielsen NetRatings, refractory materials or Windsor chairs, Encyclocentral.com is a great place to start looking!
Paid Endorsement.
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