On Sam Taylor's Political Blog:
"AWOL Army soldier, Cliff Cornell, deported from Canada, booked into Whatcom County jail and awaiting release."
Cliff Cornell fled the U.S. Army four years ago for British Columbia, Canada when his artillery unit was ordered to serve in the Iraq war.
On Wednesday, Cornell was deported from Canada, arrested in the United States and booked into the Whatcom County jail.
Locals are holding vigil outside of the jail right now until 1 p.m."
Some city residents are calling to have Bellingham designated a "Sanctuary City" where law enforcement officers will be discouraged from picking up AWOL soldiers.
Which raises an interesting question: can cities, counties or states "opt out" from cooperating with state or federal arrest warrants, or other state or federal laws?
If so, does that mean that individual citizens or states can hypothetically "opt out' of obeying laws that they find inconvenient or morally repulsive? For example, that ugly speeding ticket you got last year? Or, that huge IRS bill that's due on April 15th? Is this a legitimate or legal form of political protest?
Granted, Governor Gary Locke and the Washington State Legislature ignored a ballot Initiative that re-structured education spending to create smaller classes, so I guess the unthinkable does happen!
And, a number of cities across the nation have created "Sanctuary cities" to protect illegal immigrants and AWOL soldiers.
In fact, A blog called ThreeSources.com based in Colorado proposed to run a ballot initiative to declare the state of Colorado a "Sanctuary state" from federal taxes. Here's the excerpt -
"Colorado, like many states, has a referendum process for creating laws that the people want even when our "representative" government doesn't. On this, the 92nd anniversary of National Democrat Day, I'm officially announcing my plan for the establishment of Colorado as a "Sanctuary State."
A ballot initiative will be drafted, with all the legal provisions and protections that can possibly be envisioned to protect the measure from court challenge, resolving that "Until the United States government reforms the income tax system to a flat rate consumption tax and ceases redistribution of individual wealth through its myriad agencies and department, any and all residents of the great state of Colorado shall be exempt from compliance with any and all federal income, medical, retirement or other such taxes are are now or may be levied in the future."
OK, so it needs a little work, but you get the idea. This is the seed. If Austin and Los Angeles and cities like them can be sanctuaries for 20 million illegal immigrants, Colorado can be a sanctuary for 5.5 million people to own their own property without threat of appropriation. If the cowards in San Francisco can officially disobey a non-existent federal law, we can show them how to disobey laws already on the books.
Tax revolt? You bet. Let's get something done. NED knows if we leave it up to "representative" government the only interests that will be represented are, the government's."
http://www.threesources.com/archives/002666.html
Apparently, the practice of anarchy is cool...
Showing posts with label National News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National News. Show all posts
Friday, February 6, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Alaska on alert as volcano expected to erupt
Alaskan volcano Mount Redoubt, near Anchorage is expected to erupt any day now, according to scientists, and cameras are ready to capture it when it happens!
Alaska on alert as volcano expected to erupt
Alaska on alert as volcano expected to erupt
Friday, January 30, 2009
California Budget Update
Update: Sacramento CA. "A Sacramento Superior Court Judge ordered state Controller John Chiang to implement a Schwarzenegger administration plan to furlough state workers two days a month, resulting in a 10 percent pay cut.
Judge Patrick Marlette issued the ruling this morning, rejecting arguments by several state workers' unions that the governor's plan to save $1.3 billion with unpaid time off was illegal and unconstitutional.
Marlette issued a tentative ruling early Thursday and made it final after hearing additional oral arguments from lawyers for state workers in the case this morning.
Marlette's ruling said the state's current budget crisis and lack of funds represented an emergency and the governor's order was "reasonable and necessary under the circumstances." (Sacramento Bee link below).
From the Senate:
Senate Budget Committee Vice Chair, Republican Senator Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga, today issued the following statement after the California Employment Development Department announced the state’s unemployment rate reached 9.3 percent in December:
“No one would disagree that California’s economy is struggling and this state is clearly in a recession. As California searches for effective ways to close a projected $42 billion deficit over the next 18 months, several proposals have been put on the table. One proposal is to cut the number of paid holidays, or 1 holiday plus a personal day, given to state employees. Cutting 2 holidays would reduce the number from 13 to 11.
“Keep in mind most employees in the private workforce get six paid federal holidays.
“The proposal would combine Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays into one paid holiday in February and eliminate Columbus Day. That proposal would save the state an estimated $75 million a year.
“I was told that type of cut was draconian."
The entire post can be read here: http://cssrc.us/news.aspx?id=5371
Senate and Assembly Democrats
Members of the Senate and Assembly continue working on a solution to California's budget crisis, meeting daily with the Governor.
Cash Crisis
Without action, California will be $346 million in the red at the end of February, and $5.2 billion in the red in April, according to California Controller John Chiang.
Controller Chiang has announced that cash shortages expected in February will force him to delay some critical payments to preserve cash flow and protect payments the State must make.
more
Californian's Priorities
The latest survey released by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) on January 28 found that Californians support a mix of new taxes and spending cuts to solve California's budget crisis. more
From the Media:
Final ruling: Schwarzenegger can order two furlough days a month 1/29/2009 - Sacramento Bee, By Andrew McIntosh and Jon Ortiz amcintosh@sacbee.com
Spending limits would put government on a conservative course 1/26/2008 - Contra Costa Times, by Steve Harmon
Governor wants to streamline bureaucracy 1/26/2008 - San Francisco Chronicle, by Wyatt Buchanan
Budget Illusion 1/24/2009 - Riverside Press-Enterprise, Editorial
Infrastructure: It's Job 1 to Americans 1/23/2008 - Los Angeles Times, by Frank Luntz
Suspend ballot-box budgeting measures 1/14/2009 - Sacramento Bee, by Daniel Weintraub
State websites:
California Senate Republican Caucus: http://cssrc.us/news.aspx?id=5371
California Senate and Assembly Democratic Caucus: http://democrats.sen.ca.gov/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC={2754CE93-A286-4BF3-BF44-53862B9EBE4C}
Judge Patrick Marlette issued the ruling this morning, rejecting arguments by several state workers' unions that the governor's plan to save $1.3 billion with unpaid time off was illegal and unconstitutional.
Marlette issued a tentative ruling early Thursday and made it final after hearing additional oral arguments from lawyers for state workers in the case this morning.
Marlette's ruling said the state's current budget crisis and lack of funds represented an emergency and the governor's order was "reasonable and necessary under the circumstances." (Sacramento Bee link below).
From the Senate:
Senate Budget Committee Vice Chair, Republican Senator Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga, today issued the following statement after the California Employment Development Department announced the state’s unemployment rate reached 9.3 percent in December:
“No one would disagree that California’s economy is struggling and this state is clearly in a recession. As California searches for effective ways to close a projected $42 billion deficit over the next 18 months, several proposals have been put on the table. One proposal is to cut the number of paid holidays, or 1 holiday plus a personal day, given to state employees. Cutting 2 holidays would reduce the number from 13 to 11.
“Keep in mind most employees in the private workforce get six paid federal holidays.
“The proposal would combine Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays into one paid holiday in February and eliminate Columbus Day. That proposal would save the state an estimated $75 million a year.
“I was told that type of cut was draconian."
The entire post can be read here: http://cssrc.us/news.aspx?id=5371
Senate and Assembly Democrats
Members of the Senate and Assembly continue working on a solution to California's budget crisis, meeting daily with the Governor.
Cash Crisis
Without action, California will be $346 million in the red at the end of February, and $5.2 billion in the red in April, according to California Controller John Chiang.
Controller Chiang has announced that cash shortages expected in February will force him to delay some critical payments to preserve cash flow and protect payments the State must make.
more
Californian's Priorities
The latest survey released by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) on January 28 found that Californians support a mix of new taxes and spending cuts to solve California's budget crisis. more
From the Media:
Final ruling: Schwarzenegger can order two furlough days a month 1/29/2009 - Sacramento Bee, By Andrew McIntosh and Jon Ortiz amcintosh@sacbee.com
Spending limits would put government on a conservative course 1/26/2008 - Contra Costa Times, by Steve Harmon
Governor wants to streamline bureaucracy 1/26/2008 - San Francisco Chronicle, by Wyatt Buchanan
Budget Illusion 1/24/2009 - Riverside Press-Enterprise, Editorial
Infrastructure: It's Job 1 to Americans 1/23/2008 - Los Angeles Times, by Frank Luntz
Suspend ballot-box budgeting measures 1/14/2009 - Sacramento Bee, by Daniel Weintraub
State websites:
California Senate Republican Caucus: http://cssrc.us/news.aspx?id=5371
California Senate and Assembly Democratic Caucus: http://democrats.sen.ca.gov/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC={2754CE93-A286-4BF3-BF44-53862B9EBE4C}
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The murder of Marvin E Schur
A former resident of Bay City wrote, “I am so happy I no longer live there. At my age, I would fear for my life… Remember, folks, you may be old some day—if your city fathers don’t kill you first.”
The American Dream. You work hard your whole life - scrimping, saving, doing your very best to prepare for the years that you will no longer be able to work.
Marvin was a veteran, a former U.S. Army Medic who received a purple heart for rescuing wounded soldiers from the battlefield - on his return from war, he was gainfully employed as a skilled trades person for the rest of his adult life.
Most Americans would assume that this man has an adequate retirement income that would allow him to pay essential bills. He did not.
If Congress does not tackle the retirement crisis in this nation, this is the kind of treatment many retirees will recieve. The only way to avoid freezing to death will be volunteering to be placed in a long term care center.
Background: Heating bills in Bay City are averaging $500 a month. Bay City estimates that 60 to 70 homes currently have electricity limiters installed on them. Bay City, a Automotive industry dependent city, has been hit hard by the recession.
Excerpt from the Bay City News:
"On January 17, the frozen body of 93-year-old Marvin E. Schur was found by neighbors at his home in Bay City, Michigan, several days after the municipal power company had restricted his access to electricity due to outstanding bills. The death has provoked outrage among residents in this working class city of 36,000, located where the Saginaw River flows into Lake Huron, about 100 miles north of Detroit.
On January 13, the city ordered the installation of a device known as a “limiter” that restricts the amount of electricity a household can use. Between the time the limiter was placed and January 17, a bitter Arctic cold front settled over Michigan, with overnight temperatures in the Bay City area reaching minus 10 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit). It is not clear when Schur died, but an obituary from the local newspaper placed the death on January 15.
Robert Belleman, Bay City’s city manager, said that Schur had accrued over $1,000 in unpaid electricity bills over the preceding months. No effort was made to visit Schur prior to the suspension.
Neighbors became alarmed when they noticed that Schur’s windows had become covered with ice. When neighbors found Schur’s body, temperatures in his house were below freezing, and water in his sink was frozen. The oven door was propped open, which suggests that Schur made a futile attempt to heat his home using the appliance.
Kanu Virani, a medical examiner who performed the autopsy, said that Schur died of hypothermia, which she described as a “slow, painful death.” “He was wearing a double layer of clothes, trying to stay warm,” Virani said."
Excerpt taken from an article written by Tom Gilchrist, The Bay City Times, Wednesday January 28, 2009.
Think I'm being overly dramatic? (I wish). By the way, heat in Iceland is provided for free by the government. Oh, right, that's socialism. I'm sure it's better to freeze to death.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/JubaksJournal/RetirementCrisisFromBadToWorse.aspx
This is hardly a new topic. Here are articles from 2002 and 2004
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/retirement/bw/2002-07-19-usat-cover.htm
http://www.forbes.com/2004/06/18/cx_da_0618topnews.html
Here's a link to the story about Marvin posted on Mario Kenny's blog in Florida: http://mariokenny.wordpress.com/2009/01/29/murdering-marvin-schur%e2%80%a693-year-old-retired-machinist-slowly-freezes-to-death-in-his-own-home-in-bay-city-michigan-because-the-power-company-cut-off-his-electricity-in-the-dead-of-winter-p/
The American Dream. You work hard your whole life - scrimping, saving, doing your very best to prepare for the years that you will no longer be able to work.
Marvin was a veteran, a former U.S. Army Medic who received a purple heart for rescuing wounded soldiers from the battlefield - on his return from war, he was gainfully employed as a skilled trades person for the rest of his adult life.
Most Americans would assume that this man has an adequate retirement income that would allow him to pay essential bills. He did not.
If Congress does not tackle the retirement crisis in this nation, this is the kind of treatment many retirees will recieve. The only way to avoid freezing to death will be volunteering to be placed in a long term care center.
Background: Heating bills in Bay City are averaging $500 a month. Bay City estimates that 60 to 70 homes currently have electricity limiters installed on them. Bay City, a Automotive industry dependent city, has been hit hard by the recession.
Excerpt from the Bay City News:
"On January 17, the frozen body of 93-year-old Marvin E. Schur was found by neighbors at his home in Bay City, Michigan, several days after the municipal power company had restricted his access to electricity due to outstanding bills. The death has provoked outrage among residents in this working class city of 36,000, located where the Saginaw River flows into Lake Huron, about 100 miles north of Detroit.
On January 13, the city ordered the installation of a device known as a “limiter” that restricts the amount of electricity a household can use. Between the time the limiter was placed and January 17, a bitter Arctic cold front settled over Michigan, with overnight temperatures in the Bay City area reaching minus 10 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit). It is not clear when Schur died, but an obituary from the local newspaper placed the death on January 15.
Robert Belleman, Bay City’s city manager, said that Schur had accrued over $1,000 in unpaid electricity bills over the preceding months. No effort was made to visit Schur prior to the suspension.
Neighbors became alarmed when they noticed that Schur’s windows had become covered with ice. When neighbors found Schur’s body, temperatures in his house were below freezing, and water in his sink was frozen. The oven door was propped open, which suggests that Schur made a futile attempt to heat his home using the appliance.
Kanu Virani, a medical examiner who performed the autopsy, said that Schur died of hypothermia, which she described as a “slow, painful death.” “He was wearing a double layer of clothes, trying to stay warm,” Virani said."
Excerpt taken from an article written by Tom Gilchrist, The Bay City Times, Wednesday January 28, 2009.
Think I'm being overly dramatic? (I wish). By the way, heat in Iceland is provided for free by the government. Oh, right, that's socialism. I'm sure it's better to freeze to death.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/JubaksJournal/RetirementCrisisFromBadToWorse.aspx
This is hardly a new topic. Here are articles from 2002 and 2004
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/retirement/bw/2002-07-19-usat-cover.htm
http://www.forbes.com/2004/06/18/cx_da_0618topnews.html
Here's a link to the story about Marvin posted on Mario Kenny's blog in Florida: http://mariokenny.wordpress.com/2009/01/29/murdering-marvin-schur%e2%80%a693-year-old-retired-machinist-slowly-freezes-to-death-in-his-own-home-in-bay-city-michigan-because-the-power-company-cut-off-his-electricity-in-the-dead-of-winter-p/
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
State of California Budget Crisis Update
California budget crisis: governor calls lawmakers back for meeting ...
The governor vetoed an $18 billion Democratic plan that included new taxes and state program cuts. The governor says the plan did not have enough spending cuts or ways to stimulate the economy. State Democrats are not happy with the veto, but San ...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28548304/
Strapped states plunge into budget crisis - Life- msnbc.com
The governor vetoed an $18 billion Democratic plan that included new taxes and state program cuts. The governor says the plan did not have enough spending cuts or ways to stimulate the economy. State Democrats are not happy with the veto, but San ...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28548304/
Strapped states plunge into budget crisis - Life- msnbc.com
Friday, August 8, 2008
Detroit Mayor's legal woes are growing
Kwame Kilpatrick, Mayor of Detroit, the 11th largest city in the U.S. was jailed for violating a court order that requires him to notify the court before he travels out of the state or country.
Kilpatrick and his former aide, Christine Beatty, are charged with perjury, misconduct and obstruction of justice in a civil case that resulted in a $8.4 million dollar settlement. Mayor Kilpatrick and his former aide are accused of lying about their relationship after investigators discovered sexually charged text messages between Kilpatrick and Beatty. An arraignment is scheduled for August 14th and a court hearing is scheduled for September 3rd.
Kilpatrick traveled to Windsor, Canada on city business on July 23, 2008, but failed to notify the court of his travel plans. Judge Thomas Jackson stated that while he does not understand the scope of the Mayor's responsibilities, he can not allow the court to appear ineffectual. Rules are made to be followed. Kilpatrick was released by Judge Jackson after being required to pay a $50,000 cash dollar bond. The court ordered him to wear an electronic monitor and stated that he is no longer allowed to travel.
Shortly after his release from jail, Kilpatrick was charged by Mike Cox, the Attorney General, with two felony assault charges for shoving a process server into Brian White. White is a sheriff's detective who was present to serve a subpoena to Bobby Williams, a witness and friend of Mayor Kilpatrick. The sheriff employee's hip appears to have been fractured in the confrontation.
Kilpatrick has refused to resign or enter a plea bargain despite numerous requests by voters and city officials to do so. He denies all charges of wrong doing, including the alleged assault against the sheriff detective.
City Council Members submitted a petition to the Governor of the state of Michigan asking to have Kilpatrick removed from office.
Kilpatrick and his former aide, Christine Beatty, are charged with perjury, misconduct and obstruction of justice in a civil case that resulted in a $8.4 million dollar settlement. Mayor Kilpatrick and his former aide are accused of lying about their relationship after investigators discovered sexually charged text messages between Kilpatrick and Beatty. An arraignment is scheduled for August 14th and a court hearing is scheduled for September 3rd.
Kilpatrick traveled to Windsor, Canada on city business on July 23, 2008, but failed to notify the court of his travel plans. Judge Thomas Jackson stated that while he does not understand the scope of the Mayor's responsibilities, he can not allow the court to appear ineffectual. Rules are made to be followed. Kilpatrick was released by Judge Jackson after being required to pay a $50,000 cash dollar bond. The court ordered him to wear an electronic monitor and stated that he is no longer allowed to travel.
Shortly after his release from jail, Kilpatrick was charged by Mike Cox, the Attorney General, with two felony assault charges for shoving a process server into Brian White. White is a sheriff's detective who was present to serve a subpoena to Bobby Williams, a witness and friend of Mayor Kilpatrick. The sheriff employee's hip appears to have been fractured in the confrontation.
Kilpatrick has refused to resign or enter a plea bargain despite numerous requests by voters and city officials to do so. He denies all charges of wrong doing, including the alleged assault against the sheriff detective.
City Council Members submitted a petition to the Governor of the state of Michigan asking to have Kilpatrick removed from office.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Karl Rove Flees Country
From the Huffington Post: Karl Rove Flees the Country, Skips Compelled Testimony Before Congress.
Karl Rove failed to appear under subpoena for his scheduled July 9 testimony before the House Judiciary Committee to discuss the Bush administration's role in the firing of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 and the prosecution of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman.
Read the entire post here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr-and-brendan-demelle/unearthed-news-of-the-wee_b_113732.html
Karl Rove failed to appear under subpoena for his scheduled July 9 testimony before the House Judiciary Committee to discuss the Bush administration's role in the firing of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 and the prosecution of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman.
Read the entire post here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr-and-brendan-demelle/unearthed-news-of-the-wee_b_113732.html
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Alaska Senator charged with Bribery and Conspiracy
78 year old state Sen. John Cowdery, (Alaska) was indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges on Thursday by a Grand Jury in an on-going federal investigation of corruption that has already led to convictions against three other former state legislators.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI.
Two former legislators, Pete Kott and Vic Kohring, are currently serving federal prison sentences following their convictions on corruption charges. A third former legislator, Tom Anderson, was convicted of bribery in another case, and former legislator Bruce Weyhrauch still awaits trial.
Bill Allen and Rick Smith, two former VECO executives, were convicted of bribing Alaska lawmakers but are now assisting the government in the on-going investigation. Federal Prosecutors have asked that sentencing be delayed for Allen and Smith. Both men supported the 2006 Petroleum Production Tax.
Click the link below for additional information regarding the investigation: http://www.alaskademocrats.org/index.php?page=news&full=371
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI.
Two former legislators, Pete Kott and Vic Kohring, are currently serving federal prison sentences following their convictions on corruption charges. A third former legislator, Tom Anderson, was convicted of bribery in another case, and former legislator Bruce Weyhrauch still awaits trial.
Bill Allen and Rick Smith, two former VECO executives, were convicted of bribing Alaska lawmakers but are now assisting the government in the on-going investigation. Federal Prosecutors have asked that sentencing be delayed for Allen and Smith. Both men supported the 2006 Petroleum Production Tax.
Click the link below for additional information regarding the investigation: http://www.alaskademocrats.org/index.php?page=news&full=371
Karl Rove Defies Congress by ignoring Suboena
Thursday - Karl Rove defies a subpoena issued by Congress to testify regarding allegations of applying political pressure at the Justice Department, including whether he tried to influence the prosecution of a former Democratic governor of Alabama.
Rep. Linda Sanchez, chairman of the House subcommittee that called Rove, ruled with backing from fellow Democrats on the panel that Rove's claim of immunity was invalid. They set
It appears that an increasing number of elected officials and their political appointees believe that they are not required to obey the laws of this great nation. Karl Rove is claiming that he need not appear before the committee because of "Executive Privilege."
Rep. Linda Sanchez, chairman of the House subcommittee that called Rove, ruled with backing from fellow Democrats on the panel that Rove's claim of immunity was invalid. They set
It appears that an increasing number of elected officials and their political appointees believe that they are not required to obey the laws of this great nation. Karl Rove is claiming that he need not appear before the committee because of "Executive Privilege."
Rove may be well on his way to a Contempt of Congress Charge.
Check it out for yourself.
Videos: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp=25623039�
MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25622771
5 Million e-mail deleted? http://www.democrats.com/subpoena-karl-rove
The Hill:
Leahy issues subpoena for Rove
By Klaus Marre http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/leahy-issues-subpoena-for-rove-2007-07-26.html
Associated Press: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hZDPDG3HNjIv0GWUaM1t0BED3UoAD91R2BMG0
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
News from around the Nation: Texas Man Cleared for Shooting Burglers
HOUSTON - "Ever since he fatally shot two men he suspected of burglarizing his next-door neighbor's home, 62-year-old Joe Horn has been both praised and vilified for his actions." By JUAN A. LOZANO (Associated Press Writer)
In Texas, citizens are allowed to use deadly force to defend themselves; or, in some cases their neighbor's property, if they fear they are in mortal danger.
http://kai03.qwest.com/WindowsLive/Media/News/NewsDetail.aspx?cat=National&id=D91KVCD00@news.ap.org&client=gadget&qid=ECAEE3C6E91DA851963F1E11FFFFFFFF
In Texas, citizens are allowed to use deadly force to defend themselves; or, in some cases their neighbor's property, if they fear they are in mortal danger.
http://kai03.qwest.com/WindowsLive/Media/News/NewsDetail.aspx?cat=National&id=D91KVCD00@news.ap.org&client=gadget&qid=ECAEE3C6E91DA851963F1E11FFFFFFFF
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