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Man arrested after paint thrown on Confederate monument
An Alabama man was arrested on criminal mischief and other charges after someone threw paint on a Confederate monument that has been the subject of protests at the Lauderdale County Courthouse, the TimesDaily reported.
Sheriff's Lt. Joe Hamilton said a deputy assigned to provide security at the courthouse saw a man splash paint on the monument Thursday afternoon. The man ran away after seeing the deputy but was captured quickly, Hamilton said.
Courthouse workers used a garden hose to wash away the blue and purple paint, and most of the discoloration was gone within 30 minutes, the newspaper reported.
Seth Jones Robinson, 20, of Florence was charged with second-degree trespassing, third-degree criminal mischief, desecration of a venerated object and attempting to elude. Robinson was booked into the county jail, and court records weren't available Thursday to show whether he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
Erected in 1903, when Confederate veterans and their descendants were attempting to portray the South's cause in the Civil War as noble, the monument has been the subject of complaints for years. Project Say Something, a group that opposes the memorial, has sought its removal but county commissioners cited a potential $25,000 state fine for refusing to do anything.
Appellate court sets hearing in South Carolina abortion case
An appellate court is set to debate a lawsuit challenging South Carolina's abortion law about a week after the U.S. Supreme Court considers a similar measure in Mississippi.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has tentatively calendared the South Carolina case for oral arguments the week of Dec. 6, according to an order from the court posted Friday.
Planned Parenthood is suing South Carolina to over the measure, which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster earlier this year and requires doctors to perform ultrasounds to check for a so-called "fetal heartbeat." If cardiac activity — which can typically be detected about six weeks into pregnancy — is detected, the abortion can only be performed if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, or if the mother's life is in danger.
Opponents have argued many women do not know they are pregnant at six weeks. And, they argue, with such an early deadline, the law gives women little time to consider whether to have an abortion.
Medical experts say the cardiac activity is not an actual heartbeat but rather an initial flutter of electric activity within cells in an embryo. They say the heart doesn't begin to form until the fetus is at least nine weeks old, and they decry efforts to promote abortion bans by relying on medical inaccuracies.
A judge has blocked South Carolina's law from going into effect pending the outcome of a challenge to Mississippi's new abortion law, which the U.S. Supreme Court expects to hear Dec. 1.
Mississippi wants the high court to uphold its ban on most abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy, telling the court it should overrule the landmark Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing a woman's right to an abortion and the 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey that prevents states from banning abortion before viability.
US Supreme Court allows lawsuit against troopers to proceed
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by two state police officers accused of failing to protect a woman from a man who went on a deadly rampage, allowing a civil lawsuit to proceed.
Troopers were accused of failing to do enough when Brittany Irish reported that her boyfriend kidnapped and sexually assaulted her and later set fire to a barn owned by her parents in July 2015.
Her request for police protection was denied.
Hours later, the boyfriend killed Irish's boyfriend, 22-year-old Kyle Hewitt, and wounded her mother before proceeding to kill another man and wound two others across several towns in northern Maine.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case on Monday but didn't say why, the Portland Press Herald reported. The court's decision means the troopers will not be protected by the legal concept of qualified immunity.
The attorney general's office, which is defending the troopers, declined comment Tuesday on the lawsuit. Irish's attorney didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
The man charged in the crime spree, Anthony Lord, pleaded guilty in 2017 to two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault and other charges. He's serving two life sentences.
The lawsuit contends state police triggered the rampage when they called Lord's cellphone, tipping him off that Brittany Irish had gone to police, instead of attempting to find or detain him. She said she'd warned police that Lord had threatened her if she spoke to authorities.
Later, police declined to post an officer outside her parents' farmhouse in Benedicta, citing a lack of manpower.
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said jurors could conclude that police created the danger, removing the qualified immunity concept that normally protects officers from actions in the line of duty.
"The defendants' apparent utter disregard for police procedure could contribute to a jury's conclusion that the defendants conducted themselves in a manner that was deliberately indifferent to the danger they knowingly created," the court said.


I hope this Rongali Bihu will bring cheer, prosperity and peace in your life. Let us pray that we gain enough strength to accept the highs and lows of life with equanimity.
kuli ketekir aru peppar matare aguvam ami a natun bosor rongdhemalire bhora porok amar jivanot Nasim ami kokal bhangi a Rongali bihut Pahori najabo ami Asomiya hodai thakim hahi dhemalire.
Bihuti ahise, dhul pepa bajise, birikhe holaise paat, bihu bihu lagise gaat – The Bihu has come, drums and pipes are being played, new leaves are budding in the trees, it is feeling like Bihu!
Hakoluloi Rangoli Bihur hiya bhara ulog janalu – Wish you all the heartfelt greetings of Rangoli Bihu.
Rangoli Bihu aru natun basarer suvessa thakil – Best wishes for the Rangoli Bihu and the New Year!
Laru, pitha, doi sira lagat alap gur / Bohag Bihu thakak ananda bharpur – Laddus, pithas, curd, parched rice and a little molasses / Let the Bohag Bihu be filled with joy!
Apunalok xkoloke bohag bihur hiya bhara olag janalo – My heartfelt wishes to all of you on the Bohag Bihu.
Sakaluloike jonaishu Rongali Bihur Subhessa – I greet everyone the best wishes of Rongali Bihu.
Natun Bosoror Pratitu Puwai Kodhiai Anok Haanti Aru Homridhi. Tarei Kamonare – Wish you a Happy Bohag Bihu.


text:
Home100 Greatest Men100 Greatest Men: #37. The Louvin Brothers
100 Greatest Men: #37. The Louvin Brothers
August 14, 2012 Kevin John Coyne 100 Greatest Men 2
They would both go on to successful solo careers, but it was the music that Ira and Charlie Louvin made together that earned them a place in the annals of history.
Born in to Appalachian poverty, the Louvin Brothers began their public singing career by performing gospel standards at church. Their distinctive harmonies and instrumental skills soon earned them a spot on AM radio in Chattanooga. After Charlie did a brief tour with the Army, the duo moved to Knoxville, where their sound reached a wider audience.
By the late forties, the labels came calling. as did a publishing deal. The Louvins released a few moderately successful singles before Charlie was sent back overseas, but when he returned, the brothers began incorporating country into their repertoire, a move largely influenced by their appearances on the Opry. Throughout the fifties and early sixties, they released many of the most significant country compositions of all-time, including standards like the #1 hit "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby" and the top ten "Cash on the Barrelhead."
They never abandoned their gospel roots, as reflected in a series of classic albums with a spiritual focus. One of their essential works was the LP Satan is Real, which became notorious for its vivid album artwork along with its music. The increasing popularity of rock and roll slowed down their success, which sadly led to an alcohol addiction for Ira, who was encouraged to drop his signature mandolin from their sound. His deterioration was the primary reason the duo disbanded in 1963.
Both brothers pursued solo careers, with Charlie forging out on his own and Ira performing with his new wife, Anne Young. Tragically, Ira and Anne were killed in an automobile accident in 1965, preventing a reconciliation of the brothers. Charlie proudly carried on the legacy of the Louvin Brothers, recording and performing right up until his death in 2011.
As years have gone by, the songs and recordings of the Louvin Brothers have become increasingly influential, shaping the sounds of the Byrds, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, and others. In 2002, a tribute album by contemporary country, bluegrass, and pop artists was a huge success, winning the Grammy for Best Country Album. Their sound lives on in the work of every duo built around harmony, from the Everly Brothers to the Judds, their songs have been covered by artists as diverse as James Taylor and Dolly Parton, and their themed albums with powerful artwork are regarded as essential classics by both musicians and graphic designers.
Essential Singles:
When I Stop Dreaming, 1955
I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby, 1956
Hoping That You're Hoping, 1956
You're Running Wild/Cash on the Barrelhead, 1956
My Baby's Gone, 1958
The River of Jordan, 1959
How's the World Treating You, 1961
Essential Albums:
The Louvin Brothers, 1956
Tragic Songs of Life, 1956
Ira and Charlie, 1958
Satan is Real, 1959
Sing and Play Their Current Hits, 1964
Next: #36. Ricky Skaggs
Previous: #38. Vince Gill
Ira Louvin
The Louvin Brothers
Single Review: Taylor Swift, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"
100 Greatest Men: #36. Ricky Skaggs
Paul W Dennis
I don't know that I would say "[t]hey would both go on to successful solo careers" since Ira was killed before his solo career gained any traction. CHarlie already had released three charting singles (two top tens) and two albums before Ira's sole album was released, but certainly their influence as a duo is what they are remembered for today.
I got to see Charlie perform in Winter Park, FL a few years before his death. He was quite a performer
Glad to see the Louvins made the top 40.
What led me to discovering them was hearing Emmylou Harris's covers of their songs, usually one on each of her 1970s albums. When I first listened to their music, I remember being pleasantly surprised that here was a 1950s commercially successful country act that was neither honky tonk or Nashville sound, but pure old-time Appalachia. You listen to country records from that time and a lot stands out, but no one as much as the Louvins. Who else was doing folk murder ballads? Who else sang songs about a God that was unseen but scared them to death and didn't make it cornpone but genuinely spiritual and poetic? Who else wrote lyrics that ended up influencing and appealing to rock artists perhaps more than country ones? Their legacy on American roots music will endure forever.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Dave Lewis Joins JSI
JSI announced today that Dave Lewis has joined the organization. Dave will serve as a Vice President of Product Innovation responsible for developing and sourcing business opportunities for the rural communications industry.
Dave will be leading this initiative with clients and vendors to support and expand revenue generating business services that leverage market position, advanced services and in-house telecommunications expertise in and beyond rural markets.
"We are pleased to have Dave join the JSI team. Dave's strong track record of building and growing diverse businesses with a keen strategic vision and direction will help our clients, and the overall industry, realize new and profitable growth opportunities," stated Manny Staurulakis, president of JSI.
Prior to joining JSI, Dave spent a decade counseling ILECs across a range of topics as a consultant. Then, as founding CEO of ANPI, he built the organization to $100 million in revenue, and architected forward-looking solutions, such as ANPI's Voice and Applications Peering Network (VAP) and its Unified Communications Solution, to which more than 100 rural providers have subscribed.
Dave stated, "I am very excited to join JSI and be a part of this leading organization. I feel extremely privileged to have the opportunity to work intimately with the rural industry during this time of great change to identify, develop and deploy new strategies and facilitate the realization of emerging marketplace opportunities."
Dave is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, and is actively involved in his community. Dave attended the University of Illinois where he also started his career at the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Dave can be reached via email and at 941-257-4291.
Brenda Cordwell2017-05-19T10:09:45-04:00October 6th, 2015|News|


text:
Not vomitous
Posted by William A. Jacobson Monday, February 27, 2012 at 08:15am 64 Comments
Rick Santorum, referring to a speech by then Senator John F. Kennedy to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association in 1960, said the speech made him want to vomit because Kennedy used the term "absolute" separation of church and state.
The transcript is here. (h/t conservativegram in the Tip Line) Read the whole sentence and paragraph and speech, not just the clause referred to by Santorum
The speech was not, as Santorum protrayed, anti-religious, but a powerful statement in favor of religious freedom, as this excerpt indicates (emphasis mine):
I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute–where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote–where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference–and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the President who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.
I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish–where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source–where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials–and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all.
For while this year it may be a Catholic against whom the finger of suspicion is pointed, in other years it has been, and may someday be again, a Jew–or a Quaker–or a Unitarian–or a Baptist.
It is a fair criticism that separation of church and state, a judge-made doctrine, has been overdone in a secularist attempt to drive religion from the public square. In some cases that secular drive reaches levels of anti-religious absurdity.
But that is not what Kennedy was doing in defending against claims he would take orders from the Pope.
Kennedy's speech in favor of religious freedom was not vomitous, at all. It reminded me more of Washington's letter to the Tuoro Synagogue of Newport Rhode Island, which I have quoted more than once here.
Santorum's hyperbolic rhetoric is one of the reasons "I'd have to think about it" if there is no third surge for Newt and the choice came down to Romney or Santorum.
64 64 Comments
Canusee | February 27, 2012 at 8:21 am
URGENT: NEWSFLASH: FROM THE OFFICIAL AFGHAN GOVERNMENT WEBSITE:
NATO LEADERS HAVE AGREED TO ALLOW KORAN BURNERS TO GO ON TRIAL
http://www.gmic.gov.af/english/index.php/features…
h/t http://polination.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/the-mo…
Milwaukee in reply to Canusee. | February 27, 2012 at 8:52 am
Your link didn't seem to work.
However, http://www.gmic.gov.af/english/index.php/features/255–joint-statement-by-the-delegations-assigned-to-probe-bagram-incident
might be what you were looking for.
Clearly, "the commanders need to be hung, and the White House burned." Isn't that what Iran wants? If American commanders ordered this, because insurgents were using the Korans to communicate with each other, by writing messages to each other in them, that needs to come out. If American commanders allow their troops to be subject to trial for following orders to dispose of those Korans, the American commanders need to be dealt with for dereliction of duty. How dare they surrender American troops to such a trial. (The American military gave up hanging for dereliction of duty some time ago.)
We need to leave Afghanistan. But not before leaving a large bomb, with a note. "We know where you live. Bother American citizens or American property again, and we will flatten all your buildings. This bomb has brothers."
Uncle Samuel in reply to Milwaukee. | February 27, 2012 at 12:48 pm
HOW ACTUAL MUSLIMS TREAT THEIR so-called SACRED BOOK – In Pakistan, "Thousands of Korans dumped in sewer" http://www.maggiesnotebook.com/2012/02/pakistan-koransthousands-dumped-in-poop-sewer-man-tries-to-clean-and-preserve/
This whole incident stinks just like the ALLEGED killing of Pakistani troops by NATO forces. No photos of bodies were shown and no forensic proof was ever given. We were only shown photos of coffins draped with flags that might have been full of sand bags. Who knows.
All the mobs in the streets, etc. are just propaganda. All they want to do is kill good people…who are trying to help them out of their hellish way of living, thinking and treating each other and other nations.
They burn churches, orphanages, bomb hospitals, rape nuns, kill and rape babies, enslave and abuse little children. All this has been documented. Even their Madrasas are places of abuse and torture.
These are the acts of cowards and devils.
Islam's book is corrupt and its practices deserve NO RESPECT. NONE.
janitor in reply to Canusee. | February 27, 2012 at 10:49 am
This is an abomination.
windbag | February 27, 2012 at 8:21 am
One of the divisions in this GOP race is between those who simply want to get elected to something (Rick and Mitt) and those who have a vision for our country and need to be President to accomplish that (Ron and Newt). Rick's rhetoric on this gives weight to that theory.
NC Mountain Girl | February 27, 2012 at 8:26 am
The choices look uglier with each passing day. Santorum can't seem to strike the right notes on the huge issue of religious freedom while Romney once again reminded voters that he hails from out of touch Belmont. Here's the story from Romney's visit to the Daytona 500.
"Asked by the AP reporter if he follows NASCAR, Romney responded, "Not as closely as some of the most ardent fans. But I have some great friends who are NASCAR team owners."
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57385498-503544/romney-not-a-nascar-fan-but-friends-are-owners/
conservativegram | February 27, 2012 at 8:31 am
Thank you, Professor. Love this post.
This is a speech that Newt gave in GA this weekend. (He starts speaking about 18 minutes in) He talks of the separation of church and state. It's just such an aspiring speech. The last 10-15 minutes are amazing. Though I already knew of a few of the stories about Jefferson, Washington and Lincoln, I so enjoyed hearing Newt explain them in such an eloquent way. I love his knowledge of history. I would encourage everyone to watch this and share it. http://electad.com/videos/newt-gingrich-at-first-redeemer-church-in-cumming-georgia-february-26-2012/
DINORightMarie in reply to conservativegram. | February 27, 2012 at 9:52 am
Love this! Thank you for sharing. I "shared" on my Facebook page. Hope may will listen and learn. Newt is right on message! (and I love the music, too)
Hope Change in reply to conservativegram. | February 27, 2012 at 2:10 pm
Thank you, covervativegram! Will share.
Conservativegram —
thank you for posting this link. What a great speech. Newt will make a great president. Truly, as lndlyb4 said, Newt is a man for our time.
Thank you for making it easy to find that speech!
BTW, I found that there is also a page there to a bunch of Newt's speeches:
NEWT GINGRICH SPEECHES ON ELECT AD
http://electad.com/topics/newt-gingrich-speeches/
newrouter | February 27, 2012 at 8:34 am
"and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote–where no church or church school is granted any public funds"
jfk is full of feces. churches are stripped of their 1st amendment rights and school vouchers are taken away. herr prof jfk is largely a myth of the proggs.
Ragspierre in reply to newrouter. | February 27, 2012 at 8:59 am
new, I was confused by your post.
Scorpio51 | February 27, 2012 at 8:43 am
I'm wondering when Rick's supporters will finally see through all of this. It's like he has some sort of spell over them.
Hoping for a third surge with Newt.
Milwaukee | February 27, 2012 at 8:56 am
Without having watched the Kennedy speech, by impression was that in this speech Kennedy implied that he wouldn't let his faith interfere with his decision making. Or, that's what I've been told. If that is true, then why bother stating one is Catholic, or any thing else? (Later today, after breakfast and work, I'll watch it.)
Principles are what matter. No one is smart enough to know how to solve every problem. Solutions to future problems will come from the problem solvers principles. If a person denies their faith as part of their problem solving skills, aren't they like the salt that has lost it's flavor?
Ragspierre in reply to Milwaukee. | February 27, 2012 at 9:04 am
You have to frame what people say in context, Mil, and TIME was a big part of the context of that speech. I was a precocious lad at the time, and there was REAL, LIVE anti-Catholic bigotry aplenty.
Kennedy had to give that speech…or one like it…to speak to the nonsense that he was a "Papist".
Retrospectively, we might wish that Kennedy had been MORE informed by his religion.
Windy City Commentary in reply to Ragspierre. | February 27, 2012 at 9:43 am
Perhaps you haven't noticed that anti-Catholic bigotry continues today. At least back in JFK's time, the govt. wasn't trying to force the Church to do things that are against their teachings. JFK gave this speech to help him get elected. It was a political speech. The unfortunate thing is that so many non-Catholic Republicans try to speak for Catholics. So, Prof. Jacobsen; you know more about Catholicism than Santorum? I doubt that.
jimzinsocal in reply to Milwaukee. | February 27, 2012 at 9:21 am
Prior to Kennedy's election..a big deal was made of his Catholic background. (for Milwaukee). All sorts of stories during the campaign suggested he would get "marching orders" from the Pope and that sort of nonesense.
What Kennedy did with this speech was try and answer..in no uncertain terms…his position. I think he had it about right.
As far as Im concerned…where church "policy" and government "policy" intersect and agree? Thats fine and dandy. The point is to avoid one driving the other….and its not even a casual cause and effect situation.
For some folks..and I understand the motivation…there is an insistance on finding Christian thinking/doctrine behind government policy….as a root consideration or prerequisite if you will. Guys like Santorum are almost fixed in that thinking and nearly fall apart with the word "secular". In my opinion.
Will | February 27, 2012 at 9:16 am
Conservatives should avoid reiterating the (extra-constitutional) phrase "separation of church and state".
Instead, emphasis should be placed on the terms "free exercise" and, say, "non-establishment" of religion. This would keep focus on what the constitution itself actually says.
The problem with the "separation of church and state" isn't just that it doesn't itself appear in the constitution. It also has become WAY too metonymic. So instead of simply meaning a church body cannot impose law and the state cannot interfere with church governance, it's come to mean in the popular imagination the separation of all things religious from all things public.
This blog would be a good place to start setting this erroneous thinking right.
n.n in reply to Will. | February 27, 2012 at 1:20 pm
The language is actually more restrictive than that.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion
The First Amendment specifically binds and limits the authority of Congress. The founders were overwhelmingly fond of state rights and implicitly competing interests. In fact, the recognition of this principal characteristic formed the foundation of this nation, where the recognition and preservation of individual dignity was preeminent. It was also an implicit acknowledgement of the moderating power these interests exhibit. It's worth noting just how optimally organic the structure they defined really is. Assuming, of course, that there does not arise individuals or cooperatives capable of establishing monopolies or exhibiting monopolistic influence, especially authoritarian interests (i.e. government).
Hope Change in reply to n.n. | February 27, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Hi n.n. — Thank you for pointing out the exact language of the Constitution.
'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion'"
That's pretty clear. That's pretty explicit.
I am so eager to elect people in a majority to the White House, House and Senate, who care what our Constitution says and will do their best to follow the Constitution.
We are so fortunate to live in this country! To have this amazing set of rules for our game of freedom.
Newt says in his speeches that the Founders intentionally created a system of government in which it was really, really hard to get anything done.
Newt says they did that on purpose so that we would have fewer laws and more freedom.
Thanks, n.n., for bringing in the actual, plain language.
Henry Hawkins in reply to Hope Change. | February 27, 2012 at 2:54 pm
The fuller phrase is:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.."
It is the second part that Obama violates with his contraception dictat.
syn | February 27, 2012 at 9:19 am
"–where no Catholic prelate would tell the President"
Kennedy seeems to overlook his own religious denomination's work in imposing "social justice"aka the worship of State-God. Example, Catholic bishops were out in full force telling President Obama about the great do-gooderness of Universal Health Care is a God-given right and they are one main reason we have Obamacare. Catholism is dominated by progressive Left Social Justice philosophy;in these times the Catholic Church isn't abiding by the Holy Scripture but by Holy Politics.
My argument is that the problem isn't separation of Church and State rather it is a separation of greater rights to some over lesser rights to other; this seperation is according to what the State considers the valid faith (ie., believing State is God) and which faith is considered invalid (ie., believing God over the State)
Further; just because a Pastor of a faith believes God over the State this does not mean the State has the right to deny 1st Amendment rights to the Pastor.
The Constitution states we have rights to religion, not from religion.
(PS: Note that-according to its faith-Islam IS the State)
Ragspierre in reply to syn. | February 27, 2012 at 9:52 am
Actually, it states both, and for very sound historical reasons.
Several of the colonies were, as you'll recall, religious enclaves at some point. Sometimes, the populace of those colonies could get violent in protecting their dogma.
The 1st as originally rendered was to protect the states from a Federal religious preference, among other things. It had no such effect on the states, which continued to have officially approved religions in some cases.
Say_What | February 27, 2012 at 9:38 am
Kennedy's speech was purely for political gain because it was feared by his campaign that his religion might cost him votes. So his campaign brought it up as an issue in order to diffuse it. It has long been rumored in political circles that his campaign spread anti-Catholic literature among Catholics to fire up their vote, that almost reminds me of O and the race baiting. In politics, where there is smoke, there is usually fire, especially when you consider the Democrat graveyard vote in the 1960 election.
But, just because I am no fan of the Kennedys, doesn't mean I can't agree that Santorum picks all the wrong words and gets in all the wrong fights.
Irritable Pundit | February 27, 2012 at 9:39 am
As usual Professor, you put my rambling posts on the same subject to shame.
http://sparks.brushfireoffreedom.org/post/2012/02/27/President-Church-Lady.aspx
I honestly think the Church and State questions brought up by Santorum are going to hurt him more than people think.
Windy City Commentary | February 27, 2012 at 9:44 am
BTW, the minute this blog come out pro-Romney, I'm done here.
Hope Change in reply to Windy City Commentary. | February 27, 2012 at 2:26 pm
what? on so many levels.
Windy City Commentary in reply to Hope Change. | February 27, 2012 at 4:55 pm
I just find it surprising that after all the criticism that Mitt has warranted and received on this site; Prof. Jacobsen is considering supporting Mitt Romney over Santorum if Newt bows out. Prof. has even been defending Mitt Romney from Santorum lately, most notably that Santorum said Mitt is an Occupy Wall St. adherent. I'd say Mitt is exactly that. He talks about lowering taxes but adheres to OWS, by throwing them a bone, saying that he'll do away with the tax deductions that the 1% can make. Anyone who says "1%" in this way is an OWS Adherent.
It seems to me that many reasons people cite against Santorum are somewhat petty, and I for one will never overlook the significant big govt. interventions of Mitt in Massachusetts.
Say_What in reply to Windy City Commentary. | February 27, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Windy, I believe Rick is going to win Michigan, and I'm not kidding about it. So cheer up:)
tazz | February 27, 2012 at 10:06 am
There is no reason for Santorum to be pointlessly antagonizing everyone. None.
There are plenty of very religious candidates who speak of their values without using it as a tool of attack. Gov. Perry and Reagan are two that comes to mind.
I repeat myself – but what are we talking about when Santorum opens his mouth – not the country, but just Santorum…. We need a president who will focus on the country, not himself.
Ragspierre in reply to tazz. | February 27, 2012 at 10:17 am
"There is no reason for Santorum to be pointlessly antagonizing everyone."
There sort of is, you know. It is who he is. He can't help it…
tazz in reply to Ragspierre. | February 27, 2012 at 10:27 am
And that's why he should not be President of the United States. Agitating about the problem instead of communicating what is the solution is not leadership, nor is it presidential.
Say_What in reply to tazz. | February 27, 2012 at 12:23 pm
I noticed that Rick has a "me, myself & I" problem.
ncmont | February 27, 2012 at 10:08 am
I thought Santorum's immediate disqualifition came during the last debate when he said, "Everything's not going to be okay!" I watched him on the Sunday shows yesterday, really whiny and defensive. I don't know where people get off dissing Newt for this behavior Saint Santorum is much worse.
Also, I don't understand why people keep saying, "all of our candidates are awful." When have we ever had candidates people were ecstatic about? None of the Young Conservative All-Stars (Rubio, et al) were prepared to run this year. IMHO, Newt is by far the best candidate I have seen in my short lifetime . The American people will see how prepared and serious he is and he will win. I still don't think Obama has much of a chance this year, either. (He will try massive voter fraud – that is a forgone conclusion.)
Hope Change in reply to ncmont. | February 27, 2012 at 2:32 pm
ncmont — I so agree with you.
I am so tired of watching Washington,D.C. take one after the other steps toward doom.
Newt is the closest thing to Reagan that we have seen since Reagan.
Newt is positive and offers real solutions to our most urgent problems.
The thrill of imagining our country EXPORTING energy. Lots of jobs. Lots of exciting future and development of new technologies.
The vision of what could be changes everything.
Like finding a new best friend. Everything gets better.
gs | February 27, 2012 at 10:47 am
1. Santorum's hyperbolic rhetoric is one of the reasons "I'd have to think about it" if there is no third surge for Newt and the choice came down to Romney or Santorum.
When the candidate of the Boston Democrat machine advocated a more constrained government than Republican Santorum does, I don't have to think about it at all.
2. Religions meddle, have meddled, and will meddle in politics. Presumably everybody in the room knew that during JFK's speech. As the expression of a guideline or boundary, the speech was nevertheless important.
SmokeVanThorn in reply to gs. | February 27, 2012 at 3:01 pm
Which GOP candidate advocates a "more constrained government" than Kennedy did 52 years ago?
Romney?
SmokeVanThorn in reply to gs. | February 27, 2012 at 11:57 pm
Henry Hawkins | February 27, 2012 at 11:17 am
In a cycle where the undeniable primary issues are the economy, jobs, the economy, federalism, the budget, the economy, and the economy, Santorum has fallen prey to the media's ploy to paint him as all social conservatism, all the time. I understand his points, but he is quite awkward in presenting or explaining them, which only serves the media agenda and which makes many of the independent voters a little nervous, fearful of the false 'is he some religous nut?' theme.
Gingrich's presence in the GOP primary race has created a review of his years in the House, particularly as Speaker, but this revisited history also reminds many of the Religious Right of that era, a group which took a lot of flack from the left and from the media. The media and leftist charges against Santorum are very similar and are having a similar effect – scaring the crap out of too many voters.
Santorum needs to move away from discussions of religion, not because he is necessarily wrong – there are many who agree with him – but because he hasn't proved particularly skilled at speaking on it to anyone except the choir, plus people are worried far more about the economy and jobs. The GOP nomination and the general election will be won by the candidate who wins the trust of the GOP base, and has the clearest viable plan to (1) beat Obama, and (2) resolve the real issues: the economy, jobs, the economy, federalism, budget, the economy, and the economy.
Any time spent on other issues, particularly social issues (whether a candidate is correct on them or not), is time away from the issues that will win the GOP nomination and will defeat Barack Obama. The Obama/MSM team has correctly surmised that the way to defocus people off the horrific economy is to get GOP candidates to talk about something else, obviously, and to accomplish this they've conjured up the non-issue of contraception 'rights', picked precisely because it intersects with GOP candidate religious beliefs and will at least forestall attention on economics and at best (from the pro-Obama perspective) will cause some unforced and potentially fatal errors.
Into this trap, Rick Santorum has leaped headlong without looking, and though it is reversible, time runs short. Santorum has not displayed a good grasp of the political skills and intelligence that the general will require.
Should Santorum falter over the next couple weeks (through Super Tuesday), sink in the polls, and suffer funding reductions, the GOP base will have sampled each and every candidate available. Clearly they do not want Romney, or this nomination race would be over already. Ron Paul is an issue candidate and is not running for the presidency, but only to forward the libertarian cause. Gingrich has risen and fallen twice already, but remains a viable candidate. It is like the GOP base is a huge shark taking each candidate into its maw for a taste, then spitting him or her out to go taste the next. If Santorum falls away, they will have tasted everyone at least once and will go back to finally eat the one who tasted best. This will be Newt Gingrich.
Newt Gingrich 54%, Obama 46%. Bank on it.
Say_What in reply to Henry Hawkins. | February 27, 2012 at 12:30 pm
I was enjoying reading this until you got to the tasting of candidates and eating Newt part; although I will admit it appears the RINOs are trying to cannibalize us Conservative Republicans:)
Henry Hawkins in reply to Say_What. | February 27, 2012 at 2:21 pm
You would have enjoyed my first choice of analogy even less. It made me throw up a little.
Hope Change in reply to Say_What. | February 27, 2012 at 2:43 pm
Yeah, Say_What, me, too. But your conclusion, Henry Hawkins, 100% yes.
Plus decisive Constitutional-believing majorities in the House and Senate.
To enact the 90% agenda. American Energy. Jobs. Education under the control of teachers and parents. Lower taxes. reasonable regulations. bring manufacturing home to the USA. drill here, drill now, use clean technology to drill, pay off the national debt with oil royalties. Let every American who chooses to have a personal Social Security account that they own.
The increase of creativity and activity in our economy is going to be thrilling.
the stabilization of our freedoms is going to be reassuring.
Our energy supply will be under our own control and we will feel more relaxed about that.
Henry Hawkins said: "Newt Gingrich 54%, Obama 46%. Bank on it."
I think yes. Maybe even better.
janitor | February 27, 2012 at 11:52 am
I'm reading this again, and on second look, it is very confused:
Separation of church and state means that the government does not endorse or support, with funds or laws or other action, any religious or anti-religious point of view.
On the other hand, freedom of religion (and speech) means that ministers — who are not government officials — do not give up their rights to speak out, nor do voters give up their rights to decide — including, if they like, on religious grounds — who they wish to vote for. Those who are put into office remain entitled to (and are going to — it's naive to think otherwise) make their decisions and take their positions informed not only by their constituents' wishes but also by their own values and beliefs.
There is a difference between "separation of church and state" and "religion-blind". Diversity politics that lump meaningless distinctions such as "race" with religion make the mistake of pretending that religion, just like someone's education and cultural background, does not affect that person's thinking and values, and somehow can be compartmentalized out of their brain when they are making executive decisions. This is foolish.
donb | February 27, 2012 at 12:28 pm
Just a historical note, JFK was not a "Jr." — his dad was Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr. JFK's older brother was Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr., and he was killed in action of England during WWII.
donb in reply to donb. | February 27, 2012 at 12:58 pm
make that "…killed in action of over England…"
raven in reply to donb. | February 27, 2012 at 4:20 pm
Another note: If a son is named identically after his father he becomes a "Jr." But that does not make the father a "Sr."
Uncle Samuel | February 27, 2012 at 1:22 pm
Even though Santorum is an attorney and knows the importance of words, he still misses in expressing what he means. He is usually right according to Scripture and science when he talks about social issues. But he is most effective when he gives the statistics and quotes research instead of making blanket statements like the one the professor quoted.
That's the biggest problem with his speeches and debates. He will say things the right way one minute and then say something right, but say it the wrong way so that it sounds judgmental and irrational the next minute.
I believe what he is trying to say about the separation of religion and US government policy, is what he has said in the debates a couple of times (paraphrase): "The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights were based on Judeo-Christian Scripture, Law/Commandments. This is what makes them unique, good, and what makes our nation stable, free, strong, just. When our laws depart from God's law, they become harmful to individuals and society and endanger our security, prosperity, stability."
We cannot break God's law without breaking and harming ourselves, individually and collectively. The US (and Western nations) now have laws that enable us to break all of the commandments and some that would force us to do so.
Santorum has said he would not pass a law forbidding contraception but is in favor of repealing Roe vs Wade and a marriage protection amendment.
This is similar if not identical to what Newt would want to do.
Unlike Ron Paul, Santorum and Newt not for legalizing drugs and human trafficking. (Is Ron Paul also for legalizing porn and child porn?)
Internet gambling is a plague similar to porn. I wish Newt's biggest donor Adelson's was not a casino magnate…despite his physician wife Miriam's interest in teen opiate addiction, gambling also has an addictive effect. And where casinos are, other vices and criminal activities are present also. Gambling is not good, clean, wholesome, harmless fun. http://www.albertmohler.com/2012/02/21/casino-culture-and-the-collapse-of-character/
Addictive substances and activities that the state permits to be legal and sold – alcohol, tobacco, legal drugs (oxycontin) gambling, etc. (anything that causes people to become unable to work and causes an extra burden burden on the state due to law enforcement to cost of disability) should be heavily taxed, at both the dealer and the consumer end.
Science (honest science, not Al Gore-ish biased science), statistics and medicine/mental health clinical findings should determine government policy – not pressure from from political/social agenda and lobby groups.
Uncle Samuel in reply to Uncle Samuel. | February 27, 2012 at 1:58 pm
Remember the exaggerated liberal indignation over Santorum's statement about women in combat?
Turns out he was right, really. Studies show what he said is true.
Israel did a study because they once had women in combat and combat training and found that women suffered more hip and other fractures than men…PLUS longterm feminine injuries and dysfunctions…loss of fertility, uterine prolapse, etc. Elevated incidence of fractures in younger women are much more significant finding than in the elderly. Moreover, Israel has not used women soldiers on the front lines since the 1950s.
If Santorum had his assistants hand out back-up citations of studies and statistics after every debate or speech, he would be less likely to be rail-roaded by the gotcha press.
Santorum is right, really, about contraception. Neither the pill or condoms are reliable at preventing pregnancy or disease. Contraception is not a panacea or all pros without harmful cons – negative effects on women and on society:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/02/the_false_promise_of_contraception.html
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/279166/contraceptive-increases-hiv-risk-african-study-patrick-brennan
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/290608/contraceptives-vs-health-ashley-e-mcguire
Santorum is right about promiscuity, most especially the SS kind, is correlated with dramatically increased incidence of all sorts of emotional illness: depression, domestic violence, addiction and suicide. There is also the increased incidence of STDs and violence with promiscuity. The highest being M/M with more than 40 times the incidence of AIDS and the highest risk of STDs and the lowest being a faithful, respectful, loving heterose* ual marriage. Contraception does not reliably prevent disease, unwanted pregnancy or the emotional and physical consequences.
Here is Miriam Grossman, M.D., psychiatrist, on the devastating consequences of the hook-up culture on young bodies and minds. http://www.miriamgrossmanmd.com/; http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/200234-1
Here is a Psychologist, Professor and researcher with the latest in science research: http://www.firstthings.com/article/2012/01/same-sex-science; Original article – http://www.wheaton.edu/CACE/Hot-Topics
Santorum needs to stick to statistics, science and quoting other people's research and expert opinions as he did when making his point about POVERTY. He named three things that statistically proven to prevent poverty: 1. Learn to work, get a job when you are a teenager. 2. Finish high school 2. Get married before having sex and children.
He needs to let the evidence and experts make his points for him.
Hey guys, sorry I offended…I still support Newt … but in my study of research and theology, I do know Santorum is not wrong in what he says about social and spiritual issues, just the way he says it. He needs to support his statements.
Liberalism and promiscuity have distorted our humanity and damaged our health at many levels, emotional, physical and relational as well as societal.
Henry Hawkins in reply to Uncle Samuel. | February 27, 2012 at 2:38 pm
Homo sapiens is prone to ultimately self-defeating behavior. As bad as are gambling, drugs, and porn, we experience even more grief from dishonesty, selfishness, and laziness. We should tax these heavily, use the federal government to control them and hopefully eliminate them.
Or, alternately, we could accept that gambling, drugs, and porn, among other social vices, are the symptoms of character flaws and poor choices, and that just as treating the symptoms and ignoring the disease doesn't bring cures in medicine, neither do they in social governance.
Legalization is often touted as the answer to criminal behaviors. So is criminalization. Ultimately, to overcome negative behaviors requires the individual engaging in them to assume responsibility for his or her self and to make the necessary changes. Whether this does or does not happen usually has nothing to do with the problem's legality or the tax rate on it.
Google 'prohibition', then 'unintended consequences', then 'personal responsibility', then 'Nanny State'.
Uncle Samuel in reply to Henry Hawkins. | February 27, 2012 at 7:10 pm
Ok, I know about prohibition… but I don't want to go the way of Ron Paul and legalize drugs and human trafficking and have a drug shop and ho house on every street corner. We've got the Islamist drug cartels invading the US, beheaded bodies being found on US soil. We need to fight the war on drugs for real.
Drugged up kids never get straight. Highways and sidewalks are dangerous when such is legal.
When my mother was a girl, women and children were not allowed to go into town (a very small town) after lunch on Saturdays because of the drinking, shooting, etc. especially around harvest time when the money was plentiful.
Imagine how much worse it would be with the Zetas and the Ndranghetas running loose in your city, fighting for turf.
Ragspierre | February 27, 2012 at 1:49 pm
Sante is a nanny-statist.
As, it appears, are you.
Uncle Samuel in reply to Ragspierre. | February 27, 2012 at 7:16 pm
I'm more 'nanny' than Ron Paul…and not ashamed of it.
We need strong Fathers and Mothers running our country…like Washington and other greats…who would stand up for and be guardians of what is right, true and good, not cowering from agenda groups, not greedy for power and money, but who care for the common good and future generations.
For example, the good council of a town in Mississippi voted unanimously not to permit a nude dancing bar to establish itself in their town.
If that's nanny-ism, great – I'm all for it. Same with Pride parades. Yuck.
Pull My Lever Again, Mittens | Daily Pundit | February 27, 2012 at 2:30 pm
[…] » Not vomitous – Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion Santorum's hyperbolic rhetoric is one of the reasons "I'd have to think about it" if there is no third surge for Newt and the choice came down to Romney or Santorum. […]
igcblogger | February 27, 2012 at 2:45 pm
If you noticed, in the debates, Santorum had an annoying habit of starting many of his answers by saying "I'm the only on on this stage who…" [fill in the blank…"knows anything about China" or "Iran" or "manufacturing" or "marriage" or "winning in a Democrat state", etc. etc.] It would have made a wonderful drinking game. Now he has another accomplishment: "I'm the only one on this stage who fell into the media's trap of painting me as a religious extremist." Footnote: He's also the only one of the stage that lost a reelection bid by nearly 20 points.
http://ingeneralcounsel.blogspot.com/
Hope Change | February 27, 2012 at 2:49 pm
Right wing social engineering really is as bad as left-wing social engineering. Really.
To me, Santorum is EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of someone who can unite the American People to restore our economy and our nation's Constitutional basis.
Ragspierre in reply to Hope Change. | February 27, 2012 at 3:24 pm
The nanny-statist is ANTI-Conservative, IMNHO.
Going back to first principles…liberty, self-determination, responsibility…those are Conservative.
And when Santorum is not making horrendously divisive statements, and is offering solutions, Santorum's "solutions" are just watered-down copycat talking-points of Newt's solutions.
Newt thought of the solutions and actually understands how to DO the solutions.
Mason Dixon | February 27, 2012 at 4:29 pm
Anyone who would vote for Santorum should have his head examined.
JEBurke | February 27, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Santorum's ludicrously misleading interpretation of JFK's speech — which was, indeed, an eloquent restatement of first amendment principles — makes him look the fool. And his obnoxious "throw up" way of expressing himself makes him look positively creepy.
But it is also important to keep in mind the context of Kennedy's speech, the reason he gave it. Hard as it is today to imagine, huge numbers of Protestant Americans in 1960 really believed that Catholics were not to be trusted with high office and that a Catholic President would follow the Pope's advice in making decisions. Specifically, some assumed that a government run by Catholics would channel public money to Catholic parochial schools. The last and only other time that a Catholic had been a major party nominee, Governor Al Smith in 1928, the reaction to Smith's campaign among Protestant Democrats had been luke warm to outright hostile, and Smith went down in flames.
At stake especially was whether Kennedy would be able to carry the overwhelmingly Protestant South, when the "solid South" was still critical to any chance of Democratic victory. Kennedy's
southern rival, Lyndon Johnson, slyly ran a campaign that took advantage of this. And another rival,
Hubert Humphrey, hoped he could put together a winning coalition from such heavily Protestant
northern and western states as Minnesota and West Virginia. The West Virginia primary contest
between Humphrey and Kennedy was widely seen as the decisive race that would demonstrate whether Kennedy could avoid Smith's fate. He did beat Humphrey there, and his Texas speech was an important factor.
Say what you will about JFK otherwise but his 1960 razor-thin victory over Nixon was an amazing feat, considering the still extensive ignorance about the American Catholic Church and deep suspicion against it, not among the unchurched but across a large swath of the church-going Protestant majority.
Henry Hawkins in reply to JEBurke. | February 27, 2012 at 10:49 pm
That was my sense of the history too, that JFK was facing a great deal of fear and confusion over how much influence the Catholic Church would have over a Kennedy presidency, and that his speech might have gone a bit overboard in cementing the idea of none, None, NONE!
gibbie | February 27, 2012 at 8:14 pm
It pains me deeply to disagree so strongly with the honorable Professor, but …
" I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute–where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote–where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference–and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the President who might appoint him or the people who might elect him."
Most of this (but not all) is wretched nonsense. As others have pointed out, "separation of church and state" is not a concept present in the Constitution. Instead, as Henry Hawkins and others point out, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.." What does this have to do with a clergyman telling presidents or parishioners what they should or should not do? Does Kennedy think he and others are such mindless robots, incapable of deciding what instruction to accept and what to ignore, that the clergy should just shut up?
The phrase "no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference" is especially pernicious. As someone closer to the time when the Government Public School System was instituted in order to use the tax money of recent Irish Catholic immigrants to forcibly socialize their children along the lines of the dominant Protestant and Unitarian culture, Kennedy should know better. This is the main reason we have a large Catholic school system! (See "Disestablishment a Second Time" Skillen, ed. for a good description of the history of the Common School.) A profile in courage, this is not.
" I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish–where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source–where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials–and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all."
This is a red herring. One of the things government does is to impose its will upon the general populace. This is called "governing". The "will" of the government consists of values whose origins are in our religions. If we eliminated all laws which derive from religion, we would be eliminating the laws against theft and murder. People have forgotten where our laws came from because the Judeo Christian tradition is the air we breathe and the water we swim in, so we don't notice it. Until we travel to Afghanistan.
One of the most perverse aspects of the reign of progressivism is the privileging of non-theistic over theistic world views. We would be better off if we used a _functional_ definition of religion, meaning the world views which we use to answer the Big Questions: Who are we? Why are we here? How should we live? The answers provided to these questions by secularists are no more rational or free of unprovable assumptions than those provided by Christianity or Judaism.
I believe that education and religion (in the functional sense) are utterly inseparable. World view determines what gets included in the curriculum and what is taught about it. Therefore, one can see our Government Public School System as pervaded by religion, and thus an exercise in oppression of excluded religions by the State.
" For while this year it may be a Catholic against whom the finger of suspicion is pointed, in other years it has been, and may someday be again, a Jew–or a Quaker–or a Unitarian–or a Baptist."
Looks like it's an evangelical Christian this year. At least he has a spine.
Santorum may be choosing his words and his battles poorly, but I haven't heard him say anything I disagree with yet.
Fuzzy | February 27, 2012 at 9:53 pm
Agreed on all counts, and I'm not sure why Santorum is pushing this one without historical (and JFK's personal) context. One thing, though, Kennedy did hammer the "separation of church and state" as a means not to protect the establishment clause or free exercise but to suggest the exact way it's been used to push all concept of God from the public sphere (i.e. music teachers being fired for using a song with the word "God" in it in class, coaches being suspended for praying, and the myriad other instances of shameful (and unConstitutional) attacks on religious freedom). I just am not so sure that he wasn't, himself, being hyperbolic in an attempt to allay Americans' concerns that the Vatican would be running would be running America.
That said, I really can't disagree with Santorum in terms of being guided by his religious beliefs. Most people are.


text:
> Injury terminates Groth's season
Injury terminates Groth's season
Sam Groth has prematurely ended a career-best 2015 season in order to have surgery on a nerve in his foot.
Melbourne VIC, Australia, 15 October 2015 | tennis.com.au
Sam Groth has made the decision to have surgery on his right foot, ending a career-best season.
The big-serving Aussie has been dealing with a nerve issue in his foot for several months.
"I've had it since before Wimbledon and I've just been managing it," he revealed to the Herald Sun.
"It was a nerve issue. It wasn't getting any better so I had to go in and get it burnt out."
The decision means Groth will sit out the remainder of the ATP season, which still has a month left to play out.
His last match – at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo – ended in a second-set retirement against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.
Groth peaked at a career-high ranking of No.53 in August after an impressive season during which he reached the third round at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and three ATP quarterfinals.
He also won his first live Davis Cup rubber for Australia, defeating Mikhail Kukushkin as part of Australia's thrilling 3-2 quarterfinal victory over Kazakhstan in Darwin in July.
The Australian is expected to return to competition in January 2016.
> Read the full Herald Sun article
Related Aussie profile
Proserpine Tennis rebuilds with ANZ Community Grant
Darwin International Tennis Centre opening a hit with fans
Transitioning from life on the professional circuit


This post has no point... ~ Smithankyou - Lifestyle and Travel Photo Blog.
Yesterday was like any other day. I got up, do some push ups. No, I did not cause I was still aching from Monday's Gym. I started going gym since last Feb and it has almost been a year. Really enjoyed it because I feel stronger although I did grow bigger and put on weight instead of losing. I got hungry like really hungry all the time and I just eat. So during Lunch time I ate this KFC Curry rice bucket which was supposed to be good. I was pretty awesome the 1st time I had it at another branch but yesterday's rice bucket was bad. Really bad. Like sticky rice, lack of sauce etc. So being a cyber bully I tweeted them and I actually got an almost instant reply which was pretty awesome. After that we went for meeting at loof and it was my 1st time there. They have this happy hour which was pretty interesting because it is known as "beat the clock" so the price get more expensive as the time go instead of a flat 3 hours happy hour rate.
I also just gotten a new vacum robot but I've yet to play with it. I hope I can have time to play with it soon! yay!
See, so we always talked about how much we miss the olden days blogging where it is non commercial, where it is personal and you just read day to day things to know your friends or another blogger/stranger better. How did you like the above paragraph better over anything else that is commercial?
Whichever the case, i think blogging is something you should enjoy, you do not need to care much about what the trend is, what the fashion is or what other people perceive you as or their expectation. Just like what you do and just enjoy doing it. If it doesn't make you happy, don't do it.
In case you really don't like my pointless post.
1) I learn that the KFC standard may not be consistent.
2) You got a new robot vacuum - which I have been thinking about getting for ages (too expensive) ... "mad jealous of your near future clean floor"


text:
Human Ecology: People, Foods, Travel, Culture, and Social Justice
People, Foods, Travel, Culture, and Social Justice
djhbolton	People in Community	 July 15, 2018 2 Minutes
The concept of community cohesion continues to be a topic of importance to me. What is community cohesion? Communities that demonstrate shared visions for its people, common goals for the future, equal voice for all, common respect for difference, and promote a sense of belonging for its citizens, tend to be cohesive. People in a cohesive community "stick together"!
As I was reading about different notions around community cohesion, I found a "Guidance to Promote Community Cohesion" written as part of a mandate on race relations for the schools in Great Britain. Its focus was on "community cohesion". I will offer these quotes from the guide:
By community cohesion, we mean working towards a society in which there is a
common vision and sense of belonging by all communities; a society in which the diversity of people's backgrounds and circumstances is appreciated and valued; a society in which similar life opportunities are available to all; and a society in which strong and positive relationships exist and continue to be developed in the workplace, in schools and in the wider community
Most impressive to me is the explanation of why the British Department on Children, Schools, and Families wrote such a guide. These were actually words recited on the floors of Parliament in 2006!
Schools have a duty to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination and to promote equality of opportunity and good relations between people of different groups.
Every school – whatever its intake and wherever it is located – is responsible for educating children and young people who will live and work in a country which is diverse in terms of cultures, religions or beliefs, ethnicities and social backgrounds.
Yes. This was 12 years ago. I have not found further information to say if this "duty" continues to be recognized or enforced in British schools. It's just that I like the idea of human diversity being valued for what it brings to communities. Yes. The mainstream may be challenged to adjust, accommodate, and step outside its ethnocentrism, but an appreciation for plurality is key to community cohesion as the U. S. moves toward a pluralistic society by 2040, as suggested by the World Bank.
A sociologist friend of mine put it into perspective for me. He said, "Boomers reached young adulthood in the 60s when White, middle class people were the majority, and immigration was at its lowest in the U. S. Homogeneity was common for most communities. Boomers, being born in the 40s, or so, were too far away from the time when the U. S. was young and most were foreign born. Remember, this country was "settled" by immigrants who displaced Native populations onto reservations in order to give the land to more settlers coming from Europe to grow a nation.
My point, and I do have one, is that when we find common ground with one another, we are more likely to live in a cohesive community. How can we move toward cohesion?
The "guide" that I've discussed does have some suggestion on understanding the concept of community cohesion:
"Cohesion is therefore about how to:
avoid the corrosive effects of intolerance and harassment:
build a mutual civility among different groups, and
ensure respect for diversity alongside a commitment to common and shared bonds"
Again, I should tell you I live in a region of Kansas marked by Minority-majority schools and communities. I love living, working, and playing in a region were I can experience coffees from Africa, foods from Asia, art from Latin America, and I can learn about other cultures. I have found that some communities, in my region, have focused on integration of the different ethnicities and cultures. Some have not. Maybe, one day…
#Cultures #Cohesion
Published by djhbolton
I am a human ecologist. My passion is studying underrepresented populations so that I can assist in their integration into the communities in which they live. I studied Human Ecology because it is a wonderful blend of the disciplines of geography, anthropology and sociology. No matter the context in which I find myself, I am an observer of humans in their environments and how the influences in those settings build and nurture sense-of-self, sense-of-place, and sense-of-direction in educational, familial, and community settings. My work focuses on the cross-cultural and intercultural traditions of multi-lingual populations acculturating into their receiving communities and being successful in educational arenas of higher education. This work includes gathering, analyzing, and writing about health, well-being, and environmental/social connectedness in their communities. My research focuses on Minority-majority, rural, Midwest communities. My role as director of intercultural learning and academic success at Kansas State University allows me to discover more about myself as I work with others in their paths to self-discovery in their own interactions with students and families who come from different parts of the country and the world all converging in educational spaces. Recently, I lived, worked and played in Southwest Kansas, a region marked by Minority-majority populations centers (56% – 68%). Some of my research results are used to address poverty, low educational attainment, poor health outcomes, and cultural norms in multi-cultural settings. I work to assure a representative sample for my research, so I engage in multi-lingual research (English, Spanish, Burmese, French, Tigrinya, and Somali). Building trust and relationships is the key to my success as a multilingual researcher. Presently, my research takes me in the micro-communities of populations represented by nine African countries (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Somalia, and Cameroon), seven Latin American countries, and six Asian countries. Yes, it is rural Southwest Kansas, and many of the densely-settled and frontier rural communities act as receiving centers for refugees and other displaced populations, because of the availability of jobs. I am the recent recipient of National Geographic Society's Research and Exploration grant to introduce Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to females of color. This inter-generational, intercultural class hosted middle school, high school, and adult females who learned the basics of GIS with a variety of applications from remote sensing to city planning to Google Earth, and to Pokémon GO! By the time the young ladies finished the class, they were able to build cities, map their communities, log trips from their countries of origin to the Midwest. I am in the mid-year of the grant funding, and my target for completion was July 2018. I have new funding to extend this work to new cohorts.	View all posts by djhbolton
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Mr. James Andrew Bennett, age 70, of Pineville, Louisiana entered eternal rest on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at his residence in Pineville, surrounded by his loving family.
Memorial services for Mr. Bennett will be at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 16, 2019 at Mt. Tabor Baptist Church in Bernice, Louisiana. Mr. Bennett was a loving father, grandfather, brother and friend. He was a long time Offshore Boat Captain who loved life and family to the fullest.
Mr. Bennett is preceded in death by his wife Jeanie Bennett, a daughter, Sonja Bennett, his parents, James and Mary Bennett and two sisters, Patti Pelas and Nadine Deville.
Mr. Bennett is survived by a daughter, Patricia Hayden; two sons, Stephen Bennett (Ronda) and Thomas Bennett (Amanda); five brothers, Johnny Bennett (Karen), David Bennett (Renetta), James Bennett, Jr. (Vicky), Wayne Bennett and Jackie Bennett (Selina); two sisters Linda Olson and Windy Bennett (Paul); Nine grandchildren, Stephen, Tyler, Jerry, Brooklynn, Josalynn, Isabella, Kaden, Emory and Brianna; three Great-grandchildren, Stephen III, Sora, Samuel and numerous Nieces, nephews and friends.
Following the memorial service, the Mt. Tabor Baptist Church family has invited the family for a lunch at the church.
David and Renetta Bennett sent flowers to the family of James Andrew Bennett.
Sent with love and remembrance, Hamburger will be missed ..
David and Renetta Bennett purchased flowers for the family of James Bennett.


What does C&C mean because i keep on hearing it on the site.
It stands for "Comments and Criticism" so that people can tell you how to get better.
Heh, like they care enough about the animation section to do that.


During three September days Länstrafiken Kronoberg, responsible for all public transportation within Kronoberg County, performed a survey on board their busses by using tablets. The questions targeted customer satisfaction – how they perceive quality and service on the busses – and the response has been very positive.
"Our survey is a quality incitement for the entrepreneurs who drive for us and will be ongoing throughout the entire contractual period", says Per-Åke Andersson, traffic engineer at Länstrafiken Kronoberg and responsible for the survey.
The survey will be made each quarter and the evaluation on a yearly basis. Whether or not the different bus companies have fulfilled the set quality and service demands will be determined by the customer replies. Companies who manages it will be rewarded.
Would you like to know how Survey&Report can help you with your surveys? Read more about the program here.


text:
Q: Объединение QImage без использования QGraphicScene Есть ли варианты объединения нескольких изображений без использования qgraphicscene? Если да, то какие? И что использовать предпочтительнее, если конечная цель получение объединенного изображения и сохранение его в файл?

A: Используйте QPixmap и QPainter::drawImage, для рисования на объекте QPixmap. Это возможно благодаря тому, что QPixmap наследует QPaintDevice, который как раз используется для рисования в QPainter.
Как только QPixmap будет отрисован, сохранение его в файл не составит труда.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
BMW DriveNow Car Sharing Launches in the U.S
By Dan Collins on 21 August 2012
Starting August 20, drivers in San Francisco have a new way to get around, namely by borrowing a car from BMW and the BMW DriveNow program.
A BMW ActiveE on the road in the Bay Area
BMW DriveNow is an electric vehicle car-sharing program that was developed by BMW's urban mobility sub-brand BMWi. The program has an inaugural fleet of 70 BMW ActiveEs across eight locations in the Bay Area. Drivers who enroll in DriveNow can find and reserve these vehicles using a smartphone app and pay one simple rate for their use.
The Leipzig, Germany-produced ActiveE is powered by a 168 horsepower electric motor that develops 184 pound-feet of torque. Although slightly heavier than the gasoline-powered 1 series models, the ActiveE has been engineered to retain 50-50 weight distribution and promises the same engaged driving experience as its counterparts. DriveNow will be the first time the general public will have the opportunity to rent and drive these vehicles, as the 675 other ActiveE's in the U.S. are being leased as part of a pilot program driven by the BMWi sub-brand, which focuses principally on the next generation of urban mobility. The ActiveE's powertrain is the same that will be used inthe BMW i3 that will be available in the U.S. in 2013.
DriveNow is poised to reduce traffic volume in San Francisco, which swells during working hours and is exacerbated by the city's lack of parking. The initial DriveNow ActiveE's will be stationed at one of eight locations throughout the city, many of which serve as transportation hubs such as BART or Muni stations and in Palo Alto. DriveNow has partnered with California-based Coloumb Technologies to allow DriveNow users to charge their vehicles for free using the firm's ChargePoint network.
BMW Group launched the DriveNow premium car-sharing program in Munich, Germany in mid-2011 and has since expanded to Düsseldorf and Berlin. The U.S.-based DriveNow differs slightly from the German program, which is a joint venture between BMW and rental car company SIXT, who offer primarily MINI Coopers and Clubmans as well as BMW 1 series hatchbacks and X1s in the German cities. The American fleet, operated solely by BMW, consists of the BMW ActiveEs.
DriveNow drivers pay a one-time $39 start-up fee to enroll in the program, and then rent the cars based on the amount of time they use them. Rates start at $12 for the first 30 minutes of usage and are capped at $90 per day.
BMW also announced ParkNow, a network of intelligent parking facilities in the Bay Area. Similar to finding a DriveNow vehicle, users can find available parking spots using a smartphone, including ones with facilities to charge their electric vehicles.
BMW Debuts ReachNow Ride-Sharing Service, Now Available in Seattle
BMW DriveNow Car Sharing Service Opens at Munich Airport
BMW Launches ReachNow Car Sharing in Portland
BMW to Offer ReachNow Car-Sharing Service in Brooklyn
BMW Expands DriveNow Program in San Francisco
LaGuardia Airport Adds Cell Phone Lot, Closes Portion of Central Terminal Drive as Construction Progresses
United Airlines' First 787 Dreamliner Completes First Production Flight
Boeing pilots completed the inagural production flight of United Airlines' first 787 Dreamliner in the airspace over the Seattle, Washington...


text:
<?php

namespace Base\PicsBundle\Controller;

use Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Controller\Controller;
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response;
use Sensio\Bundle\FrameworkExtraBundle\Configuration\Cache;

use Base\PicsBundle\Form\PictureForm;

class DefaultController extends Controller
{

    public function indexAction()
    {
        $album_list = array();
        $album_list_json = array();

        try
        {
            $user_id = $this->container->getParameter('flickr_api.user_id');
            $api_key = $this->container->getParameter('flickr_api.api_key');

            $uri = 'https://api.flickr.com/services/rest/?method=flickr.photosets.getList&api_key=' . $api_key . '&user_id=' . $user_id . '&format=rest';
            $album_list = simplexml_load_file( $uri, "SimpleXMLElement", LIBXML_NOCDATA );

            $json = json_encode( $album_list->photosets );
            $album_list = json_decode($json, true);

            foreach($album_list["photoset"] as $album ){
                $album_list_json[] = array( 'attributes' => $album["@attributes"],
                                            'title' => $album["title"],
                                            'slug' => $this->slugify( $album["title"] ),
                                            'description' => $album["description"] );
            }

        }catch(Exception $e){

        }

        /* Breadcrumbs */
        $breadcrumbs = $this->get( 'white_october_breadcrumbs' );
        $breadcrumbs->addItem( 'Accueil', $this->get("router")->generate( '_homepage' ));
        $breadcrumbs->addItem( 'Galerie photos' );

        return $this->render('BasePicsBundle:Default:index.html.twig', array( 'album_list' => $album_list_json ));
    }

    public function showAction($id_album, $slug)
    {
        // Cache
        $response = new Response();
        $response->setMaxAge(24*60*60);
        $response->setSharedMaxAge(24*60*60);
        $response->setPublic();

        if ($response->isNotModified($this->getRequest())) {
            return $response; // this will return the 304 if the cache is OK
        }

        $photos_list = array();
        $photos_list_json = array();

        try
        {
            $user_id = $this->container->getParameter('flickr_api.user_id');
            $api_key = $this->container->getParameter('flickr_api.api_key');

            $uri = 'https://api.flickr.com/services/rest/?method=flickr.photosets.getPhotos&photoset_id=' . $id_album . '&api_key=' . $api_key . '&user_id=' . $user_id . '&format=rest';
            $photos_list = simplexml_load_file( $uri, "SimpleXMLElement", LIBXML_NOCDATA );

            $json = json_encode( $photos_list->photoset );
            $photos_list = json_decode($json, true);

            foreach($photos_list["photo"] as $photo ){
                $photos_list_json[] =  $photo["@attributes"];
            }

        }catch(Exception $e){

        }

        try
        {
            $uri = 'https://api.flickr.com/services/rest/?method=flickr.photosets.getInfo&photoset_id=' . $id_album . '&api_key=' . $api_key . '&user_id=' . $user_id . '&format=rest';
            $album_info = simplexml_load_file( $uri, "SimpleXMLElement", LIBXML_NOCDATA );

        }catch(Exception $e){

        }

        /* Breadcrumbs */
        $breadcrumbs = $this->get( 'white_october_breadcrumbs' );
        $breadcrumbs->addItem( 'Accueil', $this->get("router")->generate( '_homepage' ));
        $breadcrumbs->addItem( 'Galerie photos', $this->get("router")->generate( '_basePicsIndex' ));
        $breadcrumbs->addItem( $album_info->photoset->title );

        return $this->render('BasePicsBundle:Default:show.html.twig', array( 'album_info' => $album_info->photoset, 'photos_list' => $photos_list_json ), $response);
    }

    /**
     * @Cache(expires="tomorrow")
     */
    public function homeAction()
    {
        // Cache
        $response = new Response();
        $response->setMaxAge(24*60*60);
        $response->setSharedMaxAge(24*60*60);
        $response->setPublic();

        if ($response->isNotModified($this->getRequest())) {
            return $response; // this will return the 304 if the cache is OK
        }

        $photos_list = array();
        $photos_list_json = array();

        try
        {
            $user_id = $this->container->getParameter('flickr_api.user_id');
            $api_key = $this->container->getParameter('flickr_api.api_key');

            $uri = 'https://api.flickr.com/services/rest/?method=flickr.photos.search&api_key=' . $api_key . '&user_id=' . $user_id . '&format=rest&per_page=50&page=1';

            $photos_list = simplexml_load_file( $uri, "SimpleXMLElement", LIBXML_NOCDATA );

            $json = json_encode( $photos_list->photos );
            $photos_list = json_decode($json, true);

            foreach($photos_list["photo"] as $photo ){
                $photos_list_json[] =  $photo["@attributes"];
            }

        }catch(Exception $e){

        }

        shuffle( $photos_list_json );
        $photos_list_json = array_slice( $photos_list_json, 0, 8 );

        return $this->render('BasePicsBundle:Default:home.html.twig', array( 'photos_list' => $photos_list_json ), $response);
    }

    public function postPhotoAction()
    {
        $user = $this->container->get('security.context')->getToken()->getUser();
        if (!is_object($user) || !$user instanceof \Application\Sonata\UserBundle\Entity\User ) {
            return $this->redirect( $this->generateUrl('fos_user_security_login') );
        }

        // Cache
        $response = new Response();

        $form = $this->createForm( new PictureForm() );

        $request = $this->getRequest();

        if ($request->isMethod('POST')) {
            $form->submit($request->request->get($form->getName()));

            if ($form->isValid()) {
                $media = new \Application\Sonata\MediaBundle\Entity\Media;
                $media->setProviderName('sonata.media.provider.image');
                $media->setContext('photo_gallery');

                $data = $form->getData();

                $file =$this->get('request')->files->get('base_pics_picture[media_id][binaryContent]');

                $media->setBinaryContent( $file );
                $media->setName( $user->getUsername() );
                $media->setProviderStatus( "" );
                $media->setProviderReference( "" );
                $media->setEnabled( TRUE );

                $mediaManager = $this->container->get('sonata.media.manager.media');
                $mediaManager->save($media);

                $message = \Swift_Message::newInstance()
                    ->setSubject("Publication d'une photo")
                    ->setFrom( $this->container->getParameter('base_contact.emails.contact_email_from') )
                    ->setTo( $this->container->getParameter('base_contact.emails.contact_email_to') )
                    ->setBody( $this->renderView('BasePicsBundle:Email:postPhotoEmail.txt.twig', array()) );

                $this->get('mailer')->send($message);

                $request->getSession()->getFlashBag()->add('flash-notice', 'Votre photo a bien été soumise. Après vérification, votre photo sera publiée sur le site.');

                return $this->redirect( $this->generateUrl('_basePicsPostPhoto') );
            }
        }

        /* Breadcrumbs */
        $breadcrumbs = $this->get( 'white_october_breadcrumbs' );
        $breadcrumbs->addItem( 'Accueil', $this->get("router")->generate( '_homepage' ));
        $breadcrumbs->addItem( 'Galerie photos', $this->get("router")->generate( '_basePicsIndex' ));
        $breadcrumbs->addItem( 'Publier une photo' );

        return $this->render('BasePicsBundle:Default:postPhoto.html.twig', array( 'form' => $form->createView() ), $response);
    }

    private function slugify($text) {
        $text = preg_replace('~[^\\pL\d]+~u', '-', $text);
        $text = trim($text, '-');
        $text = iconv('utf-8', 'us-ascii//TRANSLIT', $text);
        $text = strtolower($text);
        $text = preg_replace('~[^-\w]+~', '', $text);

        if (empty($text)) {
            return 'n-a';
        }
        return $text;
    }
}

?>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
(312) 427-5128 info@taxpayersunited.org
Taxpayers United Of America
Tax Accountability
Taxpayer Protection Pledge
Donations / Membership
Home → Illinois
Rockford Pensioners Collect Millions Amid Unemployment Crisis
By Matthew Schultz on June 26, 2020 / Illinois, jim tobin, Latest
TUA in the News!
Story covered by CBS Channel 23 News Rockford.
Rockford- "Rockford area property taxes have been some of the highest in the country in recent years. Property taxes pay for the local government pensions and state law requires those pensions to be paid before any other commitments. No matter how many private sector workers lose their jobs, government retirees continue to collect their gold-plated pensions," said Jim Tobin, economist and president of Taxpayers United of America (TUA).
"While the local pensions of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) are paid by property taxes, the remaining five state pension funds are subsidized with the Illinois state income-tax."
"In order to fund pensions of the 148,654 pensioners who will collect more than a million dollars in pension payments, Democrat Gov. Jay Robert 'J. B.'Pritzkeris seeking to hoodwink voters into passing constitutional amendment that that ushers in massive state income-tax increases."
"Pritzker's incometheft amendment will be on the November 3, 2020 ballot. If passed, this taxpayer theftwill hit the middle-class the hardest. Between the mass exodus of Illinois residents to more tax-friendly states and the huge loss of jobs and income from Pritzker's Soviet style lockdown, Illinois' middle-class will virtually disappear."
"As many of us have been struggling without a paycheck, or watching businesses disintegrate, here's what a few of the political elite in Winnebago County collected without a concern of what is to come:
Alan S. Brown retired from Rockford SD205 at the age of 55. His current annual pension is $188,828, an increase of about $5,000 over last year. With his 3% compounded COLA, he will realize about $5,353,244 over a normal lifetime. His personal investment in that stunning payout is only about 3%.
Paul A. Logli retired from Winnebago County government with a current annual pension of $172,197. His raise this year was about $3,700 and he will collect about $4,966,168 in estimated lifetime pension payments. Paul is also eligible for a social security pension.
Karl Jacobs, Rock Valley College retiree, collects $184,970 a year from the State University Retirement System (SURS). His estimated lifetime payout is $2,968,762. He only had to invest $159,281 of his own money in that payout."
"Illinois government employees only work 20.1 years on average in order to collect these unrealistic pensions. And for every dollar they deposit in their own pension fund, taxpayers are forced to fork over $4.74. Add to that a 3% COLA, compounded for all but IMRF, and it doesn't take a genius to understand why Illinois' government pensions are insolvent."
"Rather than put an income theft amendment on the November 3rd ballot, Pritzker should have pushed for a pension reform amendment because these outrageous pensions are protected by the state constitution.
View Top Rockford IMRF Pensions
View Top Rockford SURS Pensions
View Top Rockford TRS Pensions
PRITZKER SOVIET-STYLE LOCKDOWN PUT ILLINOISANS AT GREAT MEDICAL RISK
By Matthew Schultz on June 22, 2020 / Illinois, Latest
Yesterday, Illinois Governor Jay Robert "J. B." Pritzker announced from the economic rubble of his once prosperous state, that he would move forward with "phase 4" of his soviet style lockdown.
"Not only is Pritzker delaying the economic recovery of the state, but his actions have put Illinoisans at risk and may be causing many deaths of his constituents," said James L. Tobin, economist and president of Taxpayers United of Illinois (TUA).
According to Scott W. Atlas M.D., a physician and senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, lockdown policies have created the greatest global economic disruption in history, with trillions of dollars of lost economic output. "The cure is bigger than the disease at this point," said Atlas. "150,000 new patients with cancer are diagnosed every single month in the United States. Most of them are not getting diagnosed."
Stanford epidemiologist John P.A. Ioannidis states, "We lack reliable evidence on how many people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 or who continue to become infected. Better information is needed to guide decisions and actions of monumental significance and to monitor their impact."
"Three months after the outbreak emerged, most countries, including the U.S., lack the ability to test a large number of people and no countries have reliable data on the prevalence of the virus in a representative random sample of the general population," wrote Ioannidis.
"In the absence of data, prepare-for-the-worst reasoning leads to extreme measures of social distancing and lockdowns. Unfortunately, we do not know if these measures work. School closures, for example, may reduce transmission rates. But they may also backfire if children socialize anyhow, if school closure leads children to spend more time with susceptible elderly family members, if children at home disrupt their parents' ability to work, and more. School closures may also diminish the chances of developing herd immunity in an age group that is spared serious disease."
Ioannidis warns, "One of the bottom lines is that we don't know how long social distancing measures and lockdowns can be maintained without major consequences to the economy, society, and mental health. Unpredictable evolutions may ensue, including financial crisis, unrest, civil strife, war, and a meltdown of the social fabric. At a minimum, we need unbiased prevalence and incidence data for the evolving infectious load to guide decision-making."
John P.A. Ioannidis is professor of medicine and professor of epidemiology and population health, as well as professor by courtesy of biomedical data science at Stanford University School of Medicine, professor by courtesy of statistics at Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences, and co-director of the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS) at Stanford University.
STOP LOCKDOWNS, ISOLATION AND ECONOMIC CARNAGE!
By Matthew Schultz on April 27, 2020 / Illinois, Latest
The current coronavirus lockdowns, forced isolation and resulting catastrophic damage to the U.S. and world economies are based on faulty data and assumptions, according to a growing number of noted researchers.
"We need some straight talk, straight thinking and political courage to prevent another Great Depression," said James L. Tobin, economist and president of Taxpayers United of America (TUA).
Joseph C. Sternberg, writing in the April 24, 2020 edition of the Wall Street Journal, explained that the "experts" were probably correct when they initially stated that the goal "was not to vanquish the virus but merely to try to control its spread so as not to overwhelm health-care systems." In other words, they realized that "we can't stop the virus, we can only slow it." Now this view is attacked. "This is the biggest fact about the pandemic that remains politically impossible to say," said Sternberg.
Scott W. Atlas, MD, the David and Joan Traitel Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, writing in the April 22, 2020 edition of The Hill, points out that the overwhelming majority of people do not have any significant risk of dying from COVID-19. The recent Stanford University antibody study now estimates that the fatality rate of infected is likely 0.1 to 0.2 percent, a risk far lower than previous World Health Organization estimates that were 20 to 30 times higher and that motivated isolation policies.
Furthermore, Dr. Atlas reveals that vital population immunity is prevented by total isolation policies, prolonging the problem. The coronavirus is so mild that half of infected people are asymptomatic. The pandemic has been falsely portrayed as a problem requiring mass isolation. In fact, infected people without severe illness are the immediately-available vehicle for establishing widespread immunity.
Additionally, people are dying because other medical care is not getting done due to hypothetical projections.
"Critical health care for millions of Americans is being ignored and people are dying to accommodate 'potential' COVID-19 patients and for fear of spreading the disease," says Dr. Atlas. "Most states and many hospitals abruptly stopped 'nonessential' procedures and surgery. That prevented diagnoses of life-threatening diseases, like cancer screening, biopsies of tumors now undiscovered and potentially deadly brain aneurysms."
"It is a scandal, and really tragic, that this pandemic has become a political football that has put our entire economy at risk," said Tobin. "Bureaucrat fear mongers such as Doctors Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx are doing our country a great disservice by perpetuating fear and dread. And some politicians want to keep our economy shut down until there is no more coronavirus. By that time, the U.S. will have gone back to the stone age."
"Stop forced isolation and keep it voluntary only for vulnerable persons such as the elderly and pregnant women. Let our stores and restaurants open again. Now is the time to stop this drift toward fascism."
Source: https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/494034-the-data-are-in-stop-the-panic-and-end-the-total-isolation
Taxpayers United Of America: (TUA). is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(4) taxpayer advocacy group. Founded June 27, 1976 in Chicago, Illinois by activist and economist Jim Tobin, TUA works on behalf of taxpayers to reduce local, state, and federal taxes. In the past forty years, TUA has saved taxpayers more than $200 billion n taxes and has become one of the largest taxpayer organizations in America. Check All posts. s.
Chicago, IL 60606 205 W. Randolph Street, Suite 1305
Website: https://taxpayersunitedofamerica.org
Email: info@taxpayersunited.org
Taxpayers United Of America © 2018 All Rights Reserved


This bespoke emerald engagement ring is engraved with flowers, leaves and decorative scrolls. Our client wanted an emerald for their ring and choose to have the gemstone set in one of our Edwardian style rings. A beautiful emerald was selected and the ring was made in high quality platinum 950.
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This is a price guide. Please contact us to select a gemstone.
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