Pet shop owner fined £1,000 and told to wear an electronic tag... for selling a GOLDFISH to a boy aged 14

Her offence was to unwittingly sell a goldfish to a 14-year-old boy taking part in a trading standards 'sting'.

At most, pet shop owner Joan Higgins, 66, expected a slap on the wrist for breaking new animal welfare laws which ban the sale of pets to under-16s.

Instead, the great-grandmother was taken to court, fined £1,000, placed under curfew - and ordered to wear an electronic tag for two months.

The punishment is normally handed out to violent thugs and repeat offenders.

The prosecution of Mrs Higgins and her son Mark is estimated to have cost taxpayers £20,000 and has left her with a criminal record.

Mark, 47, was also fined and ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work in the community.

Last night, as an MP criticised the magistrates, Mrs Higgins - who has run the pet shop for 28 years - said the family's eight-month ordeal had left them traumatised.

She added: 'It's ridiculous. I mean, what danger am I that I have to wear an electronic tag? These last few months have been a very stressful time.'

The seven-week curfew imposed by the court means she is unable to babysit her great-grandson at his home or go to bingo sessions with her sister, and will be unable to attend a Rod Stewart concert after tickets were bought for her by her nephew, actor Will Mellor.

Her son said: 'I think it's a farce. What gets me so cross is that they put my Mum on a tag - she's nearly 70, for goodness' sake.

'She's a great-grandma so she won't be able to babysit a newborn baby. You would think they have better things to do with their time and money.'

Mr Higgins claimed the undercover operation was a clear case of entrapment - when a person is encouraged by someone in some official capacity to commit a crime - and said the case should never have gone to court.

He said: 'The council sent the 14-year-old in to us. It is hard to tell how old a lad is these days. He looked much older than 14.'
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David Davies, Tory MP for Monmouth, said: 'You simply couldn't make it up. It is absolutely ludicrous that old ladies should be hounded through the courts and electronically tagged for something like this.

'At a time when courts are being told not to lock up career burglars we have them issuing severe punishments like this on little old ladies.' Mr Davies, who has served as a special constable for three years, said: 'Not only is it traumatic for her but it is a complete waste of time and taxpayers' money. It is ridiculous.

'Instead of getting 14-year-old boys to act in this type of sting they should have them trying to nail people who sell drugs outside our schools.'
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Defending the goldfish case, Iain Veitch, head of public protection at Trafford Council, said: 'The evidence presented for this conviction clearly demonstrates that it is irresponsible to sell animals to those who are not old enough to look after them.

'Let this conviction send out a message that we will not tolerate those who cause unnecessary suffering to animals. The council will always try to support pet and business owners so that they are able to care for their animals properly, but where they continually ignore the advice they are given, we will not hesitate to use our statutory powers.'

The goldfish was later adopted by an animal welfare officer and is in good health.

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Thank God they are keeping beasts like this off of the street. What a menace to society.

The Mail provided a graphic to show some other cases that have been given similar sentences.

Finally, keep in mind the lengths the UK is going to appease Muslims right now.

I have always loved the UK. It is at the top of my list of places I would like to visit. It is sad though to see what is happening to the country. It's even sadder to think we are right behind them on a lot of this.

Redistribution Of Wealth

We are hearing this more and more.

We have had more than one Congressional member threaten to nationalize the oil industry in the US.

We have had Obama virtually nationalize the financial system and General Motors to the extent that they are firing CEO's and determining compensation for their upper management.

Then, of course, we have the take over of the health care system.

Now we are hearing on a regular basis about redistribution of wealth. The latest is the Democratic Party's resident nutcase Howard Dean.



We are on a steep slope to socialism in this country.

The mid term elections in November may be the most important in a generation.

We have one chance to stop our slide into socialism. If we win at least one chamber of Congress we have a check on Obama.

If we do not, we cede the country to the far left. It cannot be simpler than that.

If the Democrats keep control of both chambers of Congress they will, in their twisted little minds, consider that a mandate by the American people to proceed as planned.

We have not seen anything yet. If we do not get out and retake Congress we will look back at the last year as the good old days.

A Tale Of Two Tea Parties

Read this article. It gives a great contrast on the reporting for the Tea Party event in Washington were some protesters allegedly threw racial slurs and a Tea Party event in Searchlight, NV were some protesters threw eggs at Tea Party people.

Rude for Reid

Saturday's Tea Party Express event in the hometown of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was downplayed by much of the media -- perhaps because the only incidents of violent behavior among the large crowd seemed to come from angry supporters of Mr. Reid. Following a week in which charges and countercharges about which side in the health care debate has engaged in more objectionable rhetoric, the media's treatment of the Tea Party event in Searchlight, Nev. was curious.

CNN's Fredricka Whitfield certainly didn't think the crowd was worth much of a mention, estimating that only "hundreds of people, at least dozens of people," turned out for it. By contrast, Politco.com concluded that the event drew "as estimated 20,000 Tea Partiers" to a windswept desert lot.

Andrew Breitbart, the conservative Internet entrepreneur who was one of several speakers at the rally, says the crowd was large enough that it raised the ire of local Reid supporters. He noticed one man holding a sign directing Tea Parties in the wrong direction. When Mr. Breitbart approached to chat with the Reid supporters, he saw several throwing eggs at the Tea Party Express buses. The protesters, he says, quickly surrounded him, including one who declared: "I'm going to have to go to jail today if this guy [Breitbart] doesn't leave."

"It's unsettling to see them use threats and provocation like this," he told me. He was especially peeved at what he witnessed given what he said were the unconfirmed accusations hurled at Tea Party protestors last week in Washington, including that some had used ugly and violent language against members of the Congressional Black Caucus. On stage at the Searchlight event, Mr. Breitbart offered to donate $100,000 to charity if anyone could provide video evidence that racial epithets were used against CBC members. Mr. Breitbart says he suspects the accusations were just a cynical attempt by the left and elements of the media to "marginalize" the Tea Party movement.

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All of a sudden the media is not interested.

What Do You Think About This?

There has been considerable talk about whether Congressional members have to live by the health care insurance they have just shoved on the rest of us.

My Congressman is Vern Ehlers, a Republican who I have always had great respect for and have thought he is a good person who cares about his constituents. I don't think he is one that has ever really stood out or made any real major splash but still, a good man.

I e-mailed him and asked him why the GOP was not trying to force the Democrats into a vote on them receiving the same insurance as the rest of us. He replied claiming they will be required to use this insurance which was a major surprise to me.

Read his response though and let me know what you think.

Dear Mr. Hyde:


Thank you for contacting me about health insurance benefits for Members of Congress and congressional staff.

With regard to health insurance benefits, Members currently have the same benefits as all other federal employees. We are eligible to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and may select from among several health benefit plans. Participation is on a voluntary basis, and we must pay premiums. More information about the FEHBP is available at http://www.opm.gov/INSURE/HEALTH/INDEX.ASP.

The new health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), makes changes to the way health benefits would be provided to Members of Congress and most congressional staff. As you are aware, I voted against this legislation for many reasons, especially that it is far too complex and expensive. I believe that we can develop a better, more workable solution for health care.

In particular, Section 1312 requires that Members of Congress be included in the law's health insurance exchange. However, as the article you forwarded states, it appears that certain staff who work in the offices of congressional leaders and committees may be exempt since they are not technically "employed by the official office of a Member of Congress". I have pasted the relevant provisions below.

(D) MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN THE EXCHANGE.?"

(i) REQUIREMENT.?"Notwithstanding any other provision of law, after the effective date of this subtitle, the only health plans that the Federal Government may make available to Members of Congress and congressional staff with respect to their service as a Member of Congress or congressional staff shall be health plans that are?"

(I) created under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act); or

(II) offered through an Exchange established under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act).

(ii) DEFINITIONS.?"In this section:

(I) MEMBER OF CONGRESS.?"The term ''Member of Congress'' means any member of the House of Representatives or the Senate.

(II) CONGRESSIONAL STAFF.?"The term ''congressional staff'' means all full-time and part time employees employed by the official office of a Member of Congress, whether in Washington,
DC or outside of Washington, DC.

This exemption for certain staff does not apply to my employees in Washington or Grand Rapids, and I should note that this provision would not become effective until 2014, giving Congress plenty of time to change it. Just yesterday, Representative Burgess (R-TX) introduced H.R. 4951, which would amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to include the President, Vice-President, Members of Congress, political appointees, and all congressional staff in the above-mentioned provision.


Thanks again for contacting me. With best wishes, I am

Sincerely,

Vernon J. Ehlers
Member of Congress

I am not a lawyer. Do you think this says that members of Congress must get the same insurance as the rest of the country? If it does, why is Rep Burgess proposing this law?

which would amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to include the President, Vice-President, Members of Congress, political appointees, and all congressional staff in the above-mentioned provision.

Finally, is anyone else surprised that a federal bill has so many question marks in it?

What do you think?

Quote Of The Week

We're not going to sit down and shut up.

Sarah Palin at Saturday's Tea Party protest.

Sarah is starting to look a little more Presidential IMHO.

Your Tax Dollars At - For Someone Else

This chart speaks for itself.

Anyone still wonder why they still have not spent all of the stimulus money yet?

Credit to Big Government

Not Exactly Universal Health Care Coverage

Congress is in the process of destroying reforming our health care. They claim the bill they have put together will be good for us.

Evidently it's not good enough for them or their staff though.

With legislation encompassing almost 3,000 pages, it will take time to find out exactly what the mandates in the newly passed health care law mean for America. After all, it wasn’t until the end of last week that the reconciliation bill was even made public. But here's something we already have uncovered. And it's shocking. -- In addition to all the special favors doled out to various congressional districts, it turns out that the congressional staff who wrote the health care bill put in special favors for themselves, too.

While everyone else in the United States -- from the top corporate executives to the grocery store checkout clerk -- will be forced to buy their insurance through heavily regulated state-run exchanges, the health care bill excludes one group: the leadership and committee staff. Yes, that’s right. The very people who wrote up this bill are refusing to be included themselves. Given the narrow definition of “congressional staff” on page 158 of the health care bill, the Congressional Research Service memo believes that courts will not require “professional committee staff, joint committee staff, some shared staff, as well as potentially those staff employed by leadership offices” to go through the exchanges. President Obama and his family are also exempt from the law.

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We need someone from the GOP to step up and force a vote on a bill requiring that members of Congress and their staff sign up for the health care they passed. Make the Dems go on record voting against it. Then in November, ask the voters how they feel about the health care reform now.

The "New" Hateful Climate In The US

There has been a lot of talk the last few days about threats against Democratic Congressional members that voted for the unconstitutional health care bill. Obviously the FBI and Capitol police need to address these threats and lock up any of the nutjobs they catch making them.

One of the most amusing things about this though is how the media is all of a sudden in a panic over governmental officials being threatened. Where the Hell have they been the last 8 years? Did they just all of a sudden wake up in a cave?

We won't even bother, for now, with the way George Bush was talked about.

The media is bent out of shape because a couple of Congressional offices have had some windows broken, an admittedly horrible act. What they have ignored for years is there has been multiple incidents of local and state Republican offices vandalized.

There are stories of one nut making threatening statements about a Congressional members children. Clearly a serious and horrendous case and the person making the threats needs to be imprisoned. I do need to ask though, have they even heard of Sarah Palin? Look at the way her children were treated during the campaign. What about the famous Sarah Palin hanging in effigy?

Go back and revisit recent Republican National Conventions. Leftists standing outside spitting on Republican attendees, throwing urine on them, disrupting the convention. The media never realized this was happening.

How many of you reading this realize that Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky was getting threatening phone calls after his recent stand on jobless benefits? I didn't know until last night because the media was ignoring it.

We have the Republican leadership come out this week and condemn these actions. I have to ask again, where the Hell have the Democratic leadership been over the last 8 years? We haven't seen any speeches by Harry Reid, or Nancy Pelosi, or Barrack Obama, or anyone else calling for the nuts in their party to stop acting the way they have been.

Finally there is this:

Hateful Climate in U.S. Could Lead to Obama Assassination, Farrakhan Says

CHICAGO -- Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan says a hateful climate is being created in the U.S. which may encourage an assassination attempt against President Barack Obama.

Farrakhan spoke Wednesday on WVON radio, a black-oriented Chicago station.

He pointed specifically to derisive comments, including the "N-word," being allegedly shouted at legislators who supported Obama's health care legislation. He also pointed to rallies where signs depicted Obama as Hitler.

And the 76-year-old leader of the Chicago-based movement, which embraces black nationalism, predicts things will only get worse.

Farrakhan says Obama is in trouble.

Farrakhan has said what he calls the "white right" is conspiring to make Obama a one-term president.

Farrakhan says American needs to support Obama because he is the country's "last chance" to improve.

Source

Well, thank God the left hasn't been acting like this.

Stupak Flies In The Bacon

STUPAK ANNOUNCES $726,409 FOR AIRPORTS IN ALPENA, DELTA AND CHIPPEWA COUNTIES

Remember last week when Bart Stupak (D-MI) was standing by his principles and refusing to vote for the health care reform because it would provide tax money for abortions?

Remember how he kept up his stance, refusing to give in because he is pro-life and he was not going to compromise his principles?

Remember how he all of a sudden started wavering sometime around Friday or Saturday because he was working on a deal?

Remember how he all of a sudden announced that President Obama promised to release an executive order saying that the Hyde amendment was the law of the land and the health care bill could not provide for tax-payer funded abortions?

Remember how he, along with the rest of his pro-life coalition, voted for the health bill saying that he was now satisfied that tax dollars would not be used for abortions?

Remember that they were effectively the ones that put the health care vote over the top?

Finally, remember how a lot of political analysts were puzzled about this change of mind by Stupak because the executive order was essentially not worth much more than the paper it was written on?

Well, puzzle no more. Click on the title above and read the press release from the Congressman's office on the funding he got for airports in his district from Obama on Friday, about the time he decided that his conscious was being satisfied on the abortion issue.

Most importantly, remember.

A Good Start

The Republican Party is already hitting the Democrats over their health care vote.

Republicans target Democrats on US healthcare reform

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - Vulnerable Democratic U.S. lawmakers who backed President Barack Obama's healthcare reform plan are being targeted with freshly cut Republican TV attack ads.

The spots hope to convince voters that the landmark healthcare measure, which narrowly won final congressional approval on Sunday, is a bad idea and that the lawmakers who supported it should be defeated in the November election.

"After all this wheeling and dealing, we still have a cost-raising, tax-increasing bill," an announcer says in one of a number of ads by the House Republican campaign committee set to begin airing this week. "Stop the madness."

Ken Spain, the committee's communications director, indicated that a few dozen Democrats in the House of Representatives, many facing tough re-election campaigns, may eventually be targeted.

He dared the Democratic Party to go ahead with plans to try to defend them and build support for the overhaul.

"The more Democrats talk about the healthcare bill, the worse it gets from them," Spain said.

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There may be some that say that the GOP should wait until later in the year, closer to the election.

I disagree. I think they have the Democrats damaged right now and should hit quickly and repeatedly.

This November's election is one of the most important in a generation, we have to retake at least the House to stop the socialist agenda of the Obama, Pelosi, and Reid.

Stay tuned, maybe someone in the GOP has grown a pair.

What Do You Think About This?

Arrest Made in N.J. Walmart 'All Black People' Case

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. - A 16-year-old boy who police said made an announcement at Walmart ordering all black people in a southern New Jersey store to leave was charged with harassment and bias intimidation, authorities said Saturday.

The boy, whose name is not being released because he is a juvenile, grabbed one of the courtesy phones at Walmart's Washington Township store Sunday evening and calmly announced: "Attention, Walmart customers: All black people, leave the store now," police said.

The teen was arrested Friday and released to the custody of his parents; police did not know whether he had a lawyer.

"This was an extremely disturbing event on many levels," Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton said at a news conference. "Any statements like these that can cause harm or grave concern must be addressed as quickly we possibly can."

Dalton said the case would be handled in juvenile court in neighboring Atlantic County, where the boy lives. He would not say whether the boy has a criminal record, citing the teen's age, and would not disclose the teen's race, saying that did not factor into the investigation.

The 16-year-old has been charged with harassment and bias intimidation.

Source

So, what do you think? Fry the little bastard or is this a revisit of the thought crimes in 1984?

Second question - civil rights groups are harassing Walmart and threatening to protest the store. What is Walmart's responsibility in this? The manager got on the PA immediately and apologized. Do they need to go further and demand all of it's customers undergo sensitivity training?

Quote Of The Week

"I'm telling you, you know, pre-existing [conditions], they're going to be covered. You know we're going to control the insurance companies," the vice president said. "You know people aren't going to lose their health care with their employer like is being advertised."

Joe "The Mouth" Biden

Source

I just don't understand why everyone keeps saying they are trying to bring socialism to the US.

The Health Care Shell Game

Medicare fix would push health care into the red

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congressional budget scorekeepers say a Medicare fix that Democrats included in earlier versions of their health care bill would push it into the red.

The Congressional Budget Office said Friday that rolling back a programmed cut in Medicare fees to doctors would cost $208 billion over 10 years. If added back to the health care overhaul bill, it would wipe out all the deficit reduction, leaving the legislation $59 billion in the red.

The so-called doc fix was part of the original House bill. Because of its high cost, Democrats decided to pursue it separately. Republicans say the cost should not be ignored. Congress has usually waived the cuts to doctors year by year.

Source

This is how they got the bill to be "deficit neutral". What else did they take out to balance the bill that they will then add later?

CNN, MSNBC Find More Bottom

CNN and MSNBC have found new depths to sink to. They are now rating below the Cartoon Network. This is even more interesting because it turns out that the Cartoon Network is also given more credibility by the public.

Cable Network Rankings - Week of 03-8-10

Carter Concerned About Tone In Washington

"The hard partisanship and division that now exists is unprecedented,"

Jimmy Carter

Source

So now that he's not attacking Bush on Iraq, Carter wants us all to get along. I know where Jimmy Carter can go.

That Didn't Take Long

The health care deal is trouble. There is even talk now that they don't have the votes in Congress. What is the latest casualty in this war against the American economy? The Obama insistence that the sweet heart deals be removed from the legislation.

White House backs down on health bill deals

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is backing down from trying to get senators to remove some special deals from the health care bill.

Senior adviser David Axelrod says the White House only objected to deals that affected just one state, such one involving Medicaid and Nebraska that's being cut from the legislation.

Axelrod says that deals that could apply to more than one state are OK.

That means deals pushed by senators from Montana and Connecticut would be fine because they're written in such a way that other states could potentially qualify.

It's a change from a couple days ago when press secretary Robert Gibbs singled out the Montana and Connecticut deals and said President Barack Obama wanted them gone.
Axelrod spoke on ABC's "This Week."

Source

I can't even pretend to be surprised.

Finally, look at the sentence emphasized above and think about it a little bit. Realize that we have no concept right now how much this will cost. This whole bit about it being deficit neutral is an absolute lie. It may be now, although I do not believe it, but once Congressmen and Senators start getting their piece of the pie it will go through the roof.

What Do You Think About This?

White House Challenges Republicans to Use Health Care for 2010 Election

Expressing an increasing confidence that a massive health care overhaul will pass Congress -- despite dire warnings from Republicans about its impact on Democrats in November -- White House officials on Sunday dared the GOP to bring it on during this fall's 2010 midterm election.

"We're happy to have the 2010 elections be about the achievement of health care reform. That's a debate I think we're obviously comfortable having," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said on "Fox News Sunday."

"Make my day," added senior White House adviser David Axelrod.

"If the Republican Party wants to go out and say to that child who now has insurance or say to that small business that will get tax credits this year ... you know what, we're actually going to take that away from you and we don't think that's such a good idea, I say let's have that fight," Axelrod told ABC'S "This Week." "I'm ready to have that and every member of Congress ought to be willing to have that debate as well."

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What do you think? Winner or loser? It seems to be conventional wisdom it's a loser for Dems but is there something to the possibility the GOP will pay for denying orphans and widows the ability to get insurance?

Quote Of The Week

I thought I would post another video quote, especially because this one was great

Incredibly, this likely made sense to her.

I Find This Amusing

I may be a sick person but I find quite a symmetry here:

Porn career? It won’t worry my colleagues, says Anna Arrowsmith

I have interviewed countless politicians over the years, of many a persuasion. Never before has one seen fit, while outlining her electoral credentials, to dwell on the pornographic films she has made in her lounge.

Anna Arrowsmith, also known as Anna Span, is the new Liberal Democrat candidate for Gravesham in Kent. She is also the auteur of hundreds of “female-friendly” porn films. Her neighbours in Tunbridge Wells may or may not be disgusted to learn that some of these, including Be My Toyboy, were shot in the front room.

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First, anyone shocked she's a Liberal Democrat? Why wouldn't a party with no moral compass run a porn queen on it's ticket.

Second, she would be doing the same thing she did in her films, just on a different stage.

We've Been Had

Senate Health Bill Would Up Costs for Millions in Middle Class, Analysis Finds

A nonpartisan study is casting new doubt on President Obama's campaign pledge not to raise taxes on the middle class.

The Senate health care bill crucial to saving President Obama's signature domestic initiative will hit the wallets of a quarter of all Americans making less than $200,000 per year, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Joint Tax Committee that assessed the way the bill would hit taxpayers directly through new taxes and fees and indirectly through taxes levied on health care providers and passed on to consumers.

The committee also determined that the bill would subsidized insurance premiums for 7 percent of taxpayers -- about 13 million people -- while some 73 million people would face higher costs from the new fees and taxes.

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I, for one, am shocked. Obama promised us he would not raise taxes on the middle class. It's getting to the point in which I am having trouble believing what he says. I'm so disillusioned. Sigh.

Why Isn't This Illegal?

Critics Blast Transborder Immigrant Tool as 'Irresponsible' Use of Technology

A cell phone application that will help illegal immigrants find water and key landmarks as they cross into the United States is an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds and an irresponsible use of technology, critics say.

The Transborder Immigrant Tool (TBT), the brainchild of three faculty members at the University of California-San Diego and a colleague at the University of Michigan, is a software application that can be installed into a GPS-enabled cell phone. In addition to helping immigrants locate water and landmarks, it also could alert them to Border Patrol checkpoints. And to make the trek a little less arduous, it also plays recorded poetry.

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Why isn't this aiding and abetting? With public funds!

Are We Seeing A Change In How News Is Delivered?

For decades Democrats have had a secret weapon in their bid to keep control of the government, the media. Until about the last 5 - 7 years the left almost entirely dominated the media; network, cable, and print. The only real conservative inroad up until the last few years has been talk radio, which is why Obama attempted to shut it down with the "fairness doctrine" when he entered office.

The media was not only biased, they were actively carrying water for Democrats, up to and including Dan Rather going as far as using known forgeries of Bush records to try to give John Kerry the 2004 elections.

We have had Chris Matthews' leg getting tingly, Keith Olbermann's brain going numb, Ed Schultz encouraging us to vote more than once to defeat Scott Brown, and the mixed nuts at Air America, Stuart Smalley, Janine Garofalo, and Randi Rhodes babbling about... something.

When cable news programs have someone like Arlen Specter or Olympia Snowe on as their "Republican" members of their panel, they are beyond far left.

This has all been changed by the internet. We now have Fox News, the Drudge Report, the Wall Street Journal, blogs, and social networking sites like Twitter. These entities are doing an end run around the fringe media and getting the truth out.

In the past the fringe media outlets would ignore transgressions by Dems or at least play them down and quietly move on. Now though, word is getting out on Drudge and Fox and then spreading like wildfire across the country on Twitter. Drudge (or Red State, or Townhall, or etc) runs a story, someone picks it up and tweats it, a lot of someone else's retweat it, each of those get retweated by a bunch more people and it turns into a wave across the country.

Today we are seeing the left get a taste of it's own medicine.

What used to be routine among the fringe media is that an accusation against a conservative would be made (true or not), it would be picked up by the rest of the industry and repeated until it became true. Then the kiss of death. The person in which the accusation is made against is asked if it is true, they of course deny it which naturally makes them look guilty. It's a trap without a way out.

We have Congressman Eric Massa (D-NY), a sleazy individual in his own right, making accusations about the Democratic leadership. He supposedly has been forced to resign because he was misusing the male congressional staff, which seems to have become quite a favorite pastime. His story though is that he was forced out because he was going to vote against the health care bill. His resignation makes it's passage a little easier although certainly not assured.

His is quite a steamy tale. From the House leadership ignoring his transgression until he became a liability, to the leadership ignoring far worse by other members, to a bizarre story of Rahm Emanuel playing a game of nude tag in the locker room.

Some of it may very well be true, my suspicion is that it is. Further, I think he made a good case for being forced out over his health care vote.

What is interesting though is how it is being covered.

In the past this story would not get much traction and would die a quiet death. The Dems could then get about the business of destroying the economy by passing their health care "reform".

This is not the past though. Fox, Drudge, etc picked it up, people tweated, and now the left are the ones answering questions and trying to clean up the mess:

Gibbs brushes off resigned congressman's complaint

Massa Drama: Democratic Congressman Muddles Rahm's Message

I don't know about you but to me these denials make them seem like they have something to hide.

Interesting Poll

As we have all seen, many European countries such as the United Kingdom seem to be in a mad rush to become Islamic states. The Financial Times did an interesting poll though that shows that the people of these countries may not be on the same page as their governments.

Five European states back burka ban

More than half of voters in four other major European states back a push by France’s Nicolas Sarkozy to ban women from wearing the burka, according to an opinion poll for the Financial Times.

As Mr Sarkozy presses ahead with plans to ban the wearing of the burka in public places, the FT’s latest Harris poll shows the move is not just strongly supported in France, but wins enthusiastic backing in the UK, Italy, Spain and Germany.

The poll shows some 70 per cent of respondents in France said they supported plans to forbid the wearing of the garment which covers the female body from head to toe. There was similar sentiment in Spain and Italy, where 65 per cent and 63 per cent respectively favoured a ban

The strength of feeling in the UK and Germany may seem particularly surprising. Britain has a strong liberal tradition that respects an individual’s right to full expression of religious views. But here, some 57 per cent of people still favoured a ban. In Germany, which is also reluctant to clamp down in minority rights, some 50 per cent favoured a ban.

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In Europe, while opposition to the burka was strong, few respondents said they were prepared to support the ban as part of a wider drive towards secularism in their country.

Asked if they would support the burka ban if it were accompanied by a clampdown on wearing all religious icons such as the Christian crucifix and the Jewish cappel, only 22 per cent of French people said they supported such a move. In Britain, just 9 per cent of people said they would back such a move.

Notice especially that this sentiment is not an anti-religious stance but instead a push back against a symbol of Islam.

Source

Finally, some of my readers have spent time in Europe, maybe they can ask a question for me. I notice the article calls the countries "states". This is not the first time I have heard this term used and do not seem to remember that the countries of Europe were always called states instead of countries. Is this a correct term to use or is this a move towards consolidation under the European Union? Just curious.

What Do You Think About This?

More Bush Lawyers Join Attacks on Liz Cheney Ad

In recent days the Justice Department has been getting angry phone calls about the "Qaeda" lawyers supposedly hired by Attorney General Eric Holder. The reason? An unusually ferocious Web ad by Liz Cheney's advocacy group, Keep America Safe, targeting Justice lawyers who previously did pro bono work for Guantánamo detainees. The ad—in one frame, a headline refers to the DOJ as the "Department of Jihad"—has been denounced as McCarthyism by liberal critics. It's also being condemned by a growing number of former George W. Bush administration lawyers. Ted Olson, who served as Bush's solicitor general, says he has the "greatest respect" for lawyers who represented Gitmo clients; they were acting "consistent with the finest traditions of the legal profession," he says. He calls the attacks on one of the targets, Deputy Solicitor General Neal Katyal, "outrageous." Four years ago, Katyal represented Salim Ahmed Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's former driver, in a landmark Supreme Court case that overturned the military tribunals that Bush created. (Katyal did a "marvelous job" on the case, says Olson.)

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What do you think about this? Is the job of a lawyer different in that they are employed to represent a client and it is irrelevant who it is? Is there a line they should not cross? If there is a line and they do cross it, should they be able to come back across the line and we ignore what they did? Can someone really represent a terrorist and still be trusted to look out for our safety against like minded terrorists?

Quote Of The Week

“The meeting with President Obama today was productive and necessary, and I was glad to hear him speak frankly about where we stand on health care legislation. He said the public option – a well-known and long-standing progressive priority – lacks enough Senate support to be included in the final package. However, he personally committed to pursue a public option after passage of the current bill.

Raul Grivalja

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Gasp, we are being promised that the public option is not on the table anymore.

The bottom line is that we are being lied to on an epic scale. Obama is making public statements and then meeting with Democratic leaders to plot a way around the promises he makes.

If you know of anyone that does not fully understand the need to retake Congress this year, slap them.

We're so proud of Detroit

As if Detroit doesn't have enough problems these days, the president of the city's school board offered the shocking admission that he can't pen a coherent sentence.

Otis Mathis, who oversees the academic future of 90,000 public school students, told the Detroit News that he's a "horrible writer" after reports surfaced that he sent a Feb. 29 e-mail to the financial manager of Detroit Public Schools that was rife with spelling, punctuation and usage errors.

"If you saw Sunday's Free Press that shown Robert Bobb the emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools, move Mark Twain to Boynton which have three times the number seats then students and was one of the reason's he gave for closing school to many empty seats," the e-mail read, according to the paper.

Mathis, 56, of Detroit, has had difficulties with language as early as fourth grade, when he was placed in special education classes. His college degree was also held up for more than a decade due to repeatedly failing English proficiency exams required for graduation from Wayne State University, the paper reported.

Some parents are now questioning whether Mathis is fit for his role.

"It's kind of scary to even talk about," Patrick Martin, 49, a Detroit contractor whose 12-year-old son is a student at Noble Middle School, told the paper. "If this is the leader, what does it say about the followers? It explains a lot about why there's so much confusion and infighting with the board and Robert Bobb."

Mathis has also worked as a substitute teacher in Detroit schools, which are ranked among the lowest-achieving metropolitan public school districts in the country. But he told the paper his story is about someone who has managed his limitations.

"Instead of telling them that they can't write and won't be anything, I show that cannot stop you," Mathis told the paper. "If Detroit Public Schools can allow kids to dream, with whatever weakness they have, that's something. ... It's not about what you don't have. It's what you can do

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This school district graduates 25% of it's students. Any questions?

Where Is The Talk About Far-Left Extremists?

Pentagon Shooter Railed Against U.S. on Internet

Resentment of the U.S. government and suspicions over the 9/11 attacks have surfaced in writings by the Californian identified as the gunman who shot two Pentagon police officers before he was mortally wounded in a hail of return fire.
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In an Internet posting, a user by the name JPatrickBedell wrote that he was "determined to see that justice is served" in the death of Marine Col. James Sabow, who was found dead in the backyard of his California home in 1991. The death was ruled a suicide but the case has long been the source of theories of a cover up.

The user named JPatrickBedell wrote the Sabow case was "a step toward establishing the truth of events such as the September 11 demolitions."

That same posting railed against the government's enforcement of marijuana laws and included links to the author's 2006 court case in Orange County, Calif., for cultivating marijuana and resisting a police officer. Court records available online show the date of birth on the case mentioned by the user JPatrickBedell matches that of the John Patrick Bedell suspected in the shooting.

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Sounds pretty far-left to me. So, why isn't this being reported as such?

If he had been a right-wing nut job it would have been a very relevant issue.

The media cannot use the short time frame either because we have seen in the past that it does not take long to call a shooter a right-winger, even if it turns out it's not true. The only thing that takes a long time (read forever) is for them to correct the mistake when they erroneously label someone as such.

For Sale: One Judgeship, Slightly Used

Obama Now Selling Judgeships for Health Care Votes?

Tonight, Barack Obama will host ten House Democrats who voted against the health care bill in November at the White House; he's obviously trying to persuade them to switch their votes to yes. One of the ten is Jim Matheson of Utah. The White House just sent out a press release announcing that today President Obama nominated Matheson's brother Scott M. Matheson, Jr. to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

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I have no doubt this is merely a coincidence.

How Bad Is Obama Trying To Hold Onto Congress

Mitt Romney made an interesting suggestion on Sean Hannity's show. He wondered if losing Congress this year would be all that bad for Obama.

His suggestion is that the country is going to be a real mess over the next couple of years and he can attempt to cast the blame on a Republican Congress when he runs for re-election in 2012.

It is an interesting thought. I believe Obama really is narcissistic enough to be willing to sacrifice the jobs of Congressional Democrats if it saves himself. There are times it appear he is willing to sacrifice the country to pass issues he think will give him a legacy, how is it a leap to think he would not throw Congressional Dems under the bus?

What do you think? Is there a self-serving interest between Obama's request that Dems vote for health care even if it costs them their jobs?

The Need For Larger And Larger Numbers

Mega, Giga, Tera, and Now the Hella

A campaign to name the number 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 "hella" is gaining support on an online petition, it emerged Tuesday.

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"With President Obama in office we are finding the old numbers to be inadequate to label the deficits" said Dr Harry Nomber. Dr Nomber went on to warn that if Obama were re-elected they may even have to revisit this number in 4 - 5 years.

Joe Biden, The Lord And Master Off All In The US Senate

Obscure Senate Post Becomes Center of Attention in Health Care Debate

The Senate parliamentarian holds an obscure position in Congress: chief arbiter of the chamber's Byzantine rules. But the man who holds the post could help make or break any health care bill enacted via a budget maneuver called reconciliation.

The legislative two-step, which both parties have used, is designed for funding matters. When it comes to its use, the parliamentarian's job is to decide which provisions directly impact the budget, and which do not and should be stricken from usage.

How the parliamentarian -- Allan Frumin -- will act has become something of a parlor game in Washington, with one reporter suggesting political hacks may try to divine his potential rulings based on clues like his facial hair or his hometown.

Longtime associates say Frumin, who has been in the parliamentarian's office since 1977 and has been chief parliamentarian since 2001, would rule conscientiously.

"He doesn't do it from the point of view of policy. He's made Democratic senators very angry in the past; he's made Republican senators very angry in the past. And he is not a party hack," said Ilona Nickels, author of "Why Congress Matters."

Under the "Byrd rule," named after West Virginia Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd, if the parliamentarian identifies items in a health care reconciliation bill not directly related to the budget -- abortion provisions, for instance -- a lawmaker can motion for those items to be removed, and the parliamentarian's ruling will be sought.

"We know that we have some other senators, for example, from the Budget Committee, that might be very sensitive about establishing precedent that they have to live with in the future, that go against the process that they depend on as a budget tool," Nickels said.

If Frumin's ruling is disputed, the question may proceed to the chamber's highest authority -- the president of the Senate, who happens to be Vice President Biden.

"The vice president has the independent ability as a presiding officer to frame questions for the Senate to decide when it comes to reconciliation as he does on many other matters. He's obviously informed by precedent and past practice but he can put a question to the Senate however he chooses to frame it," said former GOP Senate aide Eric Ueland.

"The parliamentarian only can advise, it is the vice president who rules," former Parliamentarian Robert Dove told MSNBC on Monday. "But I will say that not since Hubert Humphrey have I seen a vice president try to play that kind of role in the Senate."

If Biden overrules Frumin, a senator can appeal, but a Biden supporter could move to quash or "table" the appeal, a matter that would then be decided by a simple majority vote.

"This could potentially disadvantage individuals who are attempting to use the Byrd rule to strike out or modify provisions of a reconciliation proposal when it is before the Senate," Ueland said.

Yet even some champions of the health care overhaul may wince at seeing Frumin's rulings cast aside.

"We don't know that all Democrats are going to be lockstep behind whatever the vice president decides to do with the parliamentarian's ruling," Nickels said.

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I'm not going to ask you what you think about the idea because it's dumb as hell. The question is, will he do it? If he does, will the Democratic Senators fall in line and vote for the bill? What about the ones in tough election fights this year (almost every one up for re-election)?

What Do You Think About This?

I was replying to my friend MK from Down Under On the Right Side last night on this post of mine about a teacher being shot in Tacoma, Washington. His remark got me thinking.

The blog was about a teacher that was shot to death and it had one of my pet peeves in it, the author for the AP mentioned that the man was in the military. My take is this fact is irrelevant and so why would they mention it. My point was it was anti-military. MK mentioned guns also, in that it was also anti-gun.

So, this is what I am wondering. Why don't we usually hear of an incident when someone is beaten to death, or stabbed, etc? Why does it seem that most of the murders reported, and there are a lot of them, are the result of a firearm? Is it a deliberate anti-gun stance? Is it because the use of a gun is more sensational? What are your thoughts?