Susan Boyle, Britain's "Got Talent" Runner-Up, Checks into Priory Clinic, Which Treats Mental Health Issues

Susan Boyle, a face on the edge.....

Susan Boyle, Britain's "Got Talent" runner-up has reportedly checked into Priory clinic, which specializes in the treatment of mental health, last night. They are saying that she is suffering from exhaustion, but we all know better. This is a woman who was on the edge for the last week or so. She had an "emotional breakdown," at least that's my opinion, gleaned from the information floating out there. You see, they had her thinking that this competition was hers to lose. But I wouldn't count her out, just yet. Her 15 minutes of fame hasn't run out yet. She stands to make £8 million from a recording and book deal, plus whatever else they can throw in the mix. According to the UK Sun, she was reportedly acting strangely in her London hotel and show aides contacted the police shortly thereafter and she was taken by ambulance to the Priory in Southgate, North London.

I do give her a lot of credit for how far she reached in the competition. I didn't think she was that great of a singer, but she was okay in her element. Boyle, from Blackburn in West Lothian, has learning difficulties. It is tough to go from relative obscurity to being a "celebrity" and I guess, coupled with the confidence that she would have won this competition, she just cracked under the stress and emotional toll of losing.

She was beaten by dance act Diversity and her meltdown started last week when she faced a backlash last week after she was ushered from her previous hotel by worried show bosses after a rant in a bar. She was also spoken to by cops after arguing with her sister. She had been booed by sections of the audience after show judge Piers Morgan made her his tip to win. After leaving the spotlight, Susan sank into the arms of producers and buried her head in her hands before starting to cry.

Earlier, she had launched into a furious four-letter outburst when told her glittering stage costume had failed to arrive just 15 minutes before she was due to appear on stage. The singer was made a floor-length silver gown for the event, but a source said: "I was in the dressing room when she came in with some production staff. She looked like she was about to explode and was swearing. "Susan was wearing a red robe, and a girl from production was trying to calm her down by saying, 'Your dress will be here any moment'. "That was what set her off. It was 15 minutes before the show, and she didn't have her dress. I guess that could push anyone over the edge. They ushered her into a room, but we could still hear her swearing like a trooper." Source: UK Sun

Okay, her behavior is definitely diva-ish and she needs to relax before she blows the opportunities awaiting her. Winning doesn't really disqualify her from going on to a big career. Take Jennifer Hudson, for example. She didn't win American Idol, but she ended up with an Oscar award and a great acting career. Chris Daughtry, is another Idol contestant that got knocked out in the top 10 and he has gone on to having a stellar career. She needs the right people around her, who genuinely care about her and her well being. Susan Boyle should be proud of her accomplishments and should look to the future instead of dwelling on the past.

Halle Berry and Jamie Foxx Make Out on Stage at Spike TV's 2009 Guys Choice Awards

I guess Jamie Foxx died and went to heaven last night when he and Halle Berry made out on stage at Spike TV's 2009 "Guys Choice Awards." He presented Berry with the "Decade of Hotness" Award. She was honored for providing us with years of sexy, sultry scenes while remaining classy. When he presented her with the award, he thanked her with a kiss on the lips and then she took it a step further. She thanked him with a crotch grab while he took a handful of her booty. I wonder what her "baby daddy" has to say about their moves. I hope he wasn't in the audience watching this ridiculous side show. If you ask me that was totally tasteless and cheap, but then again, I didn't expect any better from Jamie Foxx. I expected a lot better from Halle Berry, but I guess I was sadly mistaken into thinking she had class.

Trooper Martin Still on the Job After Scuffle with Paramedic Maurice White Jr., Leads to Investigation

It never ceases to amaze me at the lengths to which some members of law enforcement will go to prove their mettle. According to Oklahoma's Tulsa World newspaper, a bizarre fight broke out between a highway patrol officer and a paramedic. The ambulance was carrying a patient heading to the hospital but the siren wasn't on. Apparently, Trooper Martin intended to issue a "failure to yield" citation to the driver, but he was angered because he believed Maurice White Jr., one of the paramedics, gave him a middle finger. Okay, so does that give him the right to scuffle with this man? I am amazed that he has not been suspended or placed on administrative leave, since it is quite obvious that he used force to subdue Maurice White.

Despite being told that the woman in the ambulance needed to get to the hospital, the trooper insisted that one of the paramedics be detained in his car. When he tried to handcuff a paramedic, a fight ensued, which was filmed by the husband of the patient. Eventually the patrolman allowed the ambulance to go to the hospital. An investigation over the incident "has been turned over to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol's Internal Affairs Unit and a county prosecutor," the Tulsa World reports.

All I can say is thank God for modern technology or there would have been no proof of what really happened between the trooper and the paramedic. He needs to be placed on modified duty and not be patrolling the streets.

To read the entire article in Tulsa World, CLICK HERE.

George Tiller, Late-Term Abortion Doctor, Shot to Death as he Walked to Church, Suspect Allegedly Named as Scott Roeder

UPDATE

According to the Wichita Eagle, a suspect in the shooting has been arrested and is in police custody. The police have said that the suspect is 51 years old and the license plate number on a light blue Ford Taurus led to the arrest. The name circulating on the Internet is Scott Roeder, the owner of the Taurus. There is a Scott Roeder who is a member of Operation Rescue. President Obama said that he was "shocked and outraged" by the murder. "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," the president said in a statement issued by the White House.

Of course, a member of the Operation Rescue group has spoken out. Randall Terry, the founder of the group, said that he was more concerned about President Obama's comments than about the violent death of Dr. Tiller. In his comments, Terry does not grieve for Tiller or denounce the murder but seems more concerned about the president's reaction and what it bodes for the pro-life movement.

"George Tiller was a mass-murderer. We grieve for him that he did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God. I am more concerned that the Obama Administration will use Tiller's killing to intimidate pro-lifers into surrendering our most effective rhetoric and actions. Abortion is still murder. And we still must call abortion by its proper name; murder.

Those men and women who slaughter the unborn are murderers according to the Law of God. We must continue to expose them in our communities and peacefully protest them at their offices and homes, and yes, even their churches." Source: Huffington Post

Wow, such vitriol. This is certainly not the way to go about reaching a common ground. This man's murder will not stop the abortion debate one bit.

George Tiller, Mike Hutmacher/The Wichita Eagle

Abortion doctor, George Tiller, 67, has been shot and killed just after 10 a.m. this morning as he walked to services at the Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, where he was a member. No information has been released about whether the suspect is in police custody. You will recall that Tiller became a national lightning rod in the debate over abortion. His clinic, Women's Health Care Services is one of a few in the country where late-term abortions are performed. Protesters blockaded Tiller's clinic during Operation Rescue's "Summer of Mercy" protests during the summer of 1991, and Tiller was shot by Rachelle Shannon at his clinic in 1993. He was wounded in both arms and Ms. Shannon remains in prison for the shooting. I scarcely believe murdering Dr. Tiller will put an end to the abortion debate.

Members of the congregation who were inside the sanctuary at the time of the shooting were being kept inside the church by police, and those arriving were being ushered into the parking lot. Witnesses are being transported downtown for interviews and other members of the congregation are slowly being released from inside the sanctuary.

The clinic was severely vandalized earlier this month. His lawyer said wires to security cameras and outdoor lights were cut and that the vandals also cut through the roof and plugged the buildings' downspouts. Rain poured through the roof and caused thousands of dollars of damage in the clinic. Tiller reportedly asked the FBI to investigate the incident.

Sgt. Bart Brunscheen of the Wichita Police Department said there has been no activity today at Tiller's clinic, although security crews were being brought in to make sure the building was secure. Officials also were going to check the clinic's security cameras to see if there was any activity over night.

Tiller and his clinic have faced continuous threats and lawsuits. A Wichita jury ruled in March that he was not guilty of illegal abortion on 19 criminal charges he faced for allegedly violating a state law requiring an "independent" second physician's concurring opinion before performing later term abortions. Immediately following the ruling in this criminal case, the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts made public a similar complaint against Tiller that was originally filed in December 2008. Tiller's medical license could eventually be suspended or revoked by the board on the basis of the complaint. Source: Wichita Eagle

There's a new twist to this murder. Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly had come out forcefully against Dr. Tiller. According to Salon, has characterized him as "a savage on the loose," saying he's guilty of "Nazi stuff," and "a moral equivalent to NAMBLA and al-Qaida." He has said that Tiller "destroys fetuses for just about any reason right up until the birth date for $5,000." I hope that people will remind Bill O'Reilly of all the incendiary things he said about this man and about others with whom he has philosophical and ideological differences. I am in no way inferring that O'Reilly is the cause of this man's untimely death, but we must end the character assassinations that can foment such animosity.

Killing Dr. Tiller will certainly not put an end to the sometimes heated debate about abortion. It will cause the issue to be brought front and center once more. Though I am personally against abortion, nonetheless, I believe it isn't my right to tell another woman what she can and cannot do with her body, nor should it be the right of the government to intervene in such a personal and painful decision.

Rasaan Shannon, 22, Charged with Stealing Police Officer Densey Cole's Gun as He Laid Critically Injured and Pinned inside his Police SUV

It is unconscionable that someone could seek to capitalize off the injury of anyone, much less an injured police officer. Rasaan Shannon, 22, has been arrested and charged with strong arm robbery, disarming a peace officer and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. He allegedly stole the gun from the police officer, Densey Cole II, who was critically injured and pinned inside his police SUV last Wednesday. Of course, he should have known that he would have been caught, but nonetheless, this dirtbag just couldn't help himself. He just had to steal the gun and later claim he "found" it. His brazen actions are reprehensible and should be severely punished to send the right message that what was done to that officer will not be tolerated one iota. His bond was set at $300,000 Saturday during a bond hearing in front of Cook County Judge Donald Panarese. With any luck, he won't be able to post the 10 percent and will sit in jail until his trial is due to start.

Police said Officer Cole was responding to a burglary in progress when he was injured in a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of West 98th and South Halsted streets about 11:45 a.m. Wednesday. Four other people were also injured in the wreck. While he was pinned in his vehicle after the crash, onlookers rifled through his belongings and Shannon allegedly stole his gun. Edward Blackledge, 85, of the 9700 block of South Emerald Avenue, was cited with failure to reduce speed and failure to yield to a vehicle entering an intersection, police said.

"Whoever would prey on a wounded officer, incapacitated, and take his weapon and then roll him around with a spinal injury to try to steal his wallet, is reprehensible to me,'' police Supt. Jody Weis said. "I mean, what type of individual would do that? It's beyond imagination." Cole has been a Chicago Police officer for 16 years, and his parents were also officers, officials said. Source: Chicago Sun Times

Department officials have also expressed concern that the removal of the gun from Cole's holster had caused him to shift in a way that contributed to his injuries. So, this alleged criminal may have exacerbated the injuries of this police officer. Shameful and reprehensible. Since he is a convicted felon, the judge should sentence him to the maximum allowable under the law.

Hat tip to Lee, a commenter to another blog commentary, for sending me the link to this story!

Stanislav Mishin Writes in Pravda: "American Descent into Marxism Happening with Breathtaking Speed"

I came across an interesting article during my morning perusal of a ton of online newspapers and I was absolutely amazed at the hubris of Stanislav Mishin, a Russian blogger. His article appeared in Pravda and pokes fun at the so-called descent of the United States into Marxism at a rapid pace. He said "the proud American will go down into his slavery with out a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker." I have to wonder how stable the Russian economy is at this time. According to BBC News, Russia's deputy economic Minister Andrei Klepach said the economy contracted sharply in April, shrinking by 10.5 percent from the same month a year ago. The data came as officials were quoted as saying Russia would have a budget deficit equivalent to nine percent of GDP in 2009, from an earlier 7.4 percent prediction. This man better than anyone else should understand the implications of the economic collapse Russia experienced, that played a great role in the break-up of the Soviet Union. Before Mikhail Gorbachev came to power, the Soviet Union's economy had already developed serious problems. They were building arms at a breathtaking speed, but were unable to feed their citizens. So, I advise Mr. Mishin not to be so smug and laugh at the economic issues confronting America, as though Russia was a virtual paradise.

Industrial output in Russian has slowed in the wake of the global economic slowdown and many investors have fled Russia in droves. Additionally, there are fears that poverty levels are rising, with, according to the BBC News, Russian churches reporting a rise in the number of people seeking free meals as a result of the global financial crisis. Even President Dmitry Medvedev gave downbeat comments on the country's economy and called for sharp cutbacks in government spending in a "shift to a regime of tough economising of budget funds." So, I find it rather hypocritical that Mr. Mishin could paint such an ugly picture of what is happening in America today without taking a look at his own country.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy." Pride blind the foolish.

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, loses and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them? Source: Pravda

I will concede one point he has made and that is the educational standard in America has fallen and it is a shame. We are lagging so many other countries that it is mind boggling that we have lost our competitive edge, educationally speaking, so quickly. Call America whatever you will, we are still set the tone for whatever happens globally. If our economy is in shambles, most countries across the globe are also in shambles. I cannot agree that President Barack Obama has made the situation worst. He inherited a country that was confronting serious economic problems that will most likely not be fixed in his first term in office.

To read the entire article by Stanislav Mishin, CLICK HERE. To read about the collapse of the Soviet Union, CLICK HERE.

Omar Edwards, Black NYPD Rookie Officer, Shot and Killed by White Officer, Andrew Dunton, As He Pursued Suspect

UPDATE

A new controversy is brewing, thanks to Rep. Charlie Rangel. He made a snide remark earlier today in which he suggested that even President Obama was at risk on the streets of Harlem after Edwards was slain by a white colleague. He was asked what advice he would offer Obama for the president's Saturday night visit to the city. "Make certain he doesn't run around in East Harlem unidentified," Rangel shot back while leaving a public appearance. Let's see who runs with this. More to come....

I was appalled to learn that an off-duty rookie cop, Omar Edwards, 25, who was chasing a suspected car thief in East Harlem with his gun drawn was shot and killed Thursday night when Officer Andrew Dunton, an officer mistook him for a criminal. The problem wll be magnified because it was a white cop who mistook the black cop for a criminal. Ouch. "Police! Stop! Drop it!" cops from the 25th Precinct shouted at Edwards. According to the NY Daily News, as he started to turn toward him - the gun still in his hand - an officer opened fire. I must point out that it is being reported that Edwards had no visible NYPD identification on him, nor is it clear if he identified himself. I worry about the fallout from this senseless killing and a potential cover-up by the cops involved. This is always the fear of a black cop on any police force -- being mistaken for a criminal because of the color of one's skin. This is a senseless tragedy and I cannot understand why it happened. If the guy was not firing or pointing a gun at the cops, then why did they kill him?

One dejected cop said Edwards "just became a new father. He took some personal time so he could take the baby to North Carolina to meet his folks." Edwards' mother, Natalia Harding, said her son had just married his girlfriend, Danielle Glen, last month at City Hall. They have two kids - 11/2-year-old Xavier and 7-month-old Keanua.

NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Edwards, who had been on the force less than two years and worked out of a Manhattan housing unit, had left work about 10:30 p.m. He was in street clothes as he walked toward his car parked about a block away on Second Ave. between E. 124th and E. 125th St., where he saw Miguel Santiago rummaging through the vehicle. The driver's side window was busted out. Edwards grabbed Santiago, who managed to slip out of his sweater and escape Edwards' grip, Kelly said. Gun drawn, Edwards gave chase.

At the same time, three plainclothes officers in an unmarked car saw Edwards running down the street. The car made a U-turn, and one of the officers, a white cop with more than four years on the job, got out and fired six shots - hitting Edwards twice, once in the left arm and once in the chest, Kelly said. Edwards did not fire his weapon. Cops discovered Edwards was one of them when rescue crews cut open his shirt to treat the bleeding and saw a police academy shirt. They then searched his pockets and found his shield, sources said. Source: NY Daily News

The second issue for me, besides race, deals with the departmental procedures in place involving communications among plainclothes officers — particularly those in different units. There must be a way in which these cops can identify one another instead of resorting to firing their weapons. I hope some positive changes will come out of this tragedy. Mr. Kelly identified the officer who fired the shots only as a four-year veteran of the department, and said he had fired six rounds from his 9-millimeter Glock. Two bullets struck Officer Edwards.

This shooting death speaks volumes to the issue many black men have with law enforcement being trigger-happy. My father was pulled over and threatened by a NYPD officer a few years ago for no other reason but racial profiling. How many other black men have had similar run-ins with law enforcement? They cannot just make an assumption that because this man is black he is automatically a suspect of some type. Shameful and just plain wrong. I cannot imagine that this shooting death will help race relations in New York City, which has been hanging by a thread between blacks and the NYPD. It is my hope that the truth will prevail and there won't be a cover-up. A thorough investigation must be launched and arrests must be made.

Melissa Weber, 27, NYC Teacher Accused of Classroom Sex With 14 Year Old Student

UPDATE

Melissa Weber denied that she had a sexual relationship with the teen. She now says that he groped her and the only thing she is guilty of is not reporting the matter. Wow. I would love to hear her explanation about the text messages. It also seems that she has another problem on her hands -- raising the bail. Her bail is $100,000. Don't you have to pay 10 percent of that? The Daily News has reported that her family may not be able to help her come up with that money.

Judging from the fact that this relationship took place in Jamaica, Queens, I am pretty sure this kid is either black or Hispanic. So, it is okay for this dirtbag to rape a black or Latino kid and blame the kid. I guess she feels that conventional wisdom would seek to blame the black kid than doubt the veracity of her claims, the white teacher. Damsel in distress, you know. Please. If this woman is guilty of the charges against her, then she is a dirtbag who needs to be locked away for a long time. Her lawyer, Donald Vogelman, said that she does not belong in jail. Really, does anyone ever say that they belong in jail? Give me a break. Send her to Rikers' Island.

Here we go again, another teacher caught having sexual relations with a minor student. Queens teacher Melissa Weber and her student were recently caught having sex in a classroom. She has been arrested and charged with rape, sexual abuse and child endangerment after the student's mom tracked her down. Thank God the child's parent was perceptive and didn't stop digging once she realized that something was amiss. It amazes me that so many of these female teachers are just given a slap on the wrist by the corrections system, when there should be zero tolerance. They should be incarcerated for a long time to send the right message that this behavior is criminal and will not be tolerated. I can't imagine what this woman's thought process was -- cheap sexual thrills at the risk of losing it all. Ms. Weber, was it really worth it to have sex with a 14 year-old student? So, you obviously had no qualms in engaging in the behavior, so why are you hanging your head in shame now that you have been caught? You needed a serious beatdown, plus incarceration.

The sexual liaisons took place at I.S./M.S. 8 inside a second-story classroom where police said Weber gave one of her students an up close and personal lesson in sex education. Authorities said the 27-year-old had sex with the teen seven times from mid-April to mid-May, all after school.

Kevin Lawson has Weber as a social studies teacher and said she is strict but cool. When asked if he ever saw Weber spending a lot of time after school with a certain classmate, Lawson said, "Yes, but I don't know if it was the same student or not." Lawson said it was a common sight to see Weber after school working with several students.

Investigators said after the boy's mother was tipped off by school employees, she checked her son's cell phone and found hundreds of calls and texts from Weber, the last text reading "erase your phone." "I had no idea of her private life or anything," school employee Mike Kertley said. "I just know she was a good teacher and, wow, this is a shock to me." And apparently a shock to Weber who Thursday, the day she was charged, wrote on her Facebook page: "Melissa Weber is feeling very sick!!!" Source: WCBSTV

I am sure she will be sicker if she is locked away on Rikers' Island where she will be with hardened criminals. This woman is a disgrace and she should be treated as the scum that she is. I check my son's cellphone and yes, I do read his text messages. Call me nosy, but I am a mother who will not sit by and watch anyone take advantage of my kids. If this mother wasn't checking the cell phone, she would have never known what was going on until it was too late. Melissa Weber, you need to get your butt kicked for sure. Had this been a male teacher, they would throw him in prison and throw away the key. Female sexual predators should be held to the same standards.

Brenda Lee, Georgia Informer Newspaper Writer, Dragged Kicking and Screaming From Near Air Force One at Los Angeles Intl Airport

Now you know this is a lowdown dirty shame that a journalist can compromise her self-respect and dignity by being forcibly removed from a press area near Air Force One shortly before President Barack Obama arrived at Los Angeles International Airport to depart California early Thursday. Secret Service personnel remove Brenda Lee, a writer for Macon's Georgia Informer, from near Air Force One after Lee attempted to give President Obama a letter. Airport security officers carried the woman away by the feet and arms as she protested her removal.

She said she has White House press credentials. Lee reportedly said in an interview that she wanted to hand Obama a letter urging him "to take a stand for traditional marriage." She said she asked a Secret Service agent to give the president her letter, but he refused and referred her to a White House staffer. Lee said she refused to give the staffer the letter.

"I said, 'I'll take my chances if (the president) comes by here,'" said Lee, who identified herself as a Roman Catholic priestess who lives in Anaheim, Calif. "He became annoyed that I wouldn't give him the letter."

Lee, who was wearing what she described as a cassock, said she protested when she was asked to leave. "I said, 'Why are you bothering me?' They escorted me outside the gate," she said. She said security officers allowed her to return when she promised she would not yell or wave, but then other officers arrived and told her to leave. "I said, 'I'm not leaving,'" she said. "They tried to drag me out."

Two officers then picked her up and carried her out. An Associated Press photographer photographed the incident. "I was afraid you could see under my clothes," she said, her voice choking up. Source: NBC Los Angeles

I know that this woman will be fodder for the late night comics tonight and I can't say I blame them. This was a disgrace and she ought to be kicked off the newspaper for her unprofessional behavior.

Sara Jane Moore Attempted to Assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975, She Discusses her Actions in Television Interview

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The last thing anyone would ever suspect 80 year old Sara Jane Moore of trying to assassinate a president of the United States. This affable grandmotherly woman spent 32 years in prison for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford. On September 22, 1975 in San Francisco, she fired a shot at the president that missed his head by several feet. She was wrestled to the ground by a bystander before she was taken into custody by the authorities. Besides the fact that she attempted to commit a horrible crime, it is important to look at her motivation and circle of friends that led her to that moment. She was a 45-year-old divorced mother who hung around disaffected groups feeding her alienation. I remember a cardinal lesson I learnt at an early age from my mother -- people know you by the company you keep. That has stuck with me throughout my entire life.

Looking back on the incident, she says of her earlier self that it seems like a "different person." She sees the genesis of her assassination attempt as stemming from her immersion in radical leftist groups that were pushing her to the edge, and that she was alienated from the world as it was and needed to do something about it. It's unclear why she felt killing President Ford would have done anything about it, but she declares that to this day she believes if she hadn't made the attempt someone else would have:

Oh, I still think that. If I hadn't done it, someone else would have. That was the tenor of the time. There was more talk about it than people realize. Again, I thought that what was happening to us there in San Francisco was the whole world and it wasn't. I had to learn later that everybody didn't feel that way.
Some six of her 32 two years spent behind bars was in solitary confinement. She escaped from prison in 1979 but was promptly recaptured. In hindsight Moore believes that the action was wrong, although "understandably wrong, but that's just my ego talking." Source: Huffington Post

It's amazing how strong peer pressure is and just being in the wrong frame of mind and surrounding yourself with people who feed off that. I must say that personal responsibility plays a big role in one's actions. She knew quite clearly that she was attempting to assassinate the president of the United States and did it anyway. I hope she has come to terms with her actions and she has paid her dues to society. I hope she will live out the sunset years of her life in peace and find the happiness that eluded her 32 years ago that led her down a very dark and lonely road.

Local San Diego Pastor and Wife Threatened by Local County Official To Stop Home Bible Studies

Since when does one have to get government approval to hold a bible study in one's home? Well, it seems that, according to 10News, a local San Diego pastor and his wife have claimed that they were interrogated by a county official, who then threatened them with escalating fines if they continued to hold bible studies in their home. The county employee reportedly notified the couple that the small bible study, with an average of 15 people attending, was in violation of county regulations. So, do you need county approval to have a Tupperware party? Whatever happened to freedom of speech and the freedom to exercise their religion in this county? It seems that Christianity is under siege in America and for all the wrong reasons. I am a part of a small group of women who meet regularly and the county doesn't interfere in what we are doing. Aren't there more important issues that the county needs to confront than worry about someone holding bible studies in the privacy of their own homes?

In a media interview attorney Dean Broyles of The Western Center For Law & Policy said, "The county asked, 'Do you have a regular meeting in your home?' She said, 'Yes.' 'Do you say amen?' 'Yes.' 'Do you pray?' 'Yes.' 'Do you say praise the Lord?' 'Yes.'"

Broyles said a few days later the couple received a written warning that listed "unlawful use of land" and told them to "stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit" -- a process that could cost tens of thousands of dollars.

"For churches and religious assemblies there's big parking concerns, there's environmental impact concerns when you have hundreds or thousands of people gathering. But this is a different situation, and we believe that the application of the religious assembly principles to this bible study is certainly misplaced," said Broyles.

Broyles also said this case has broader implications. "If the county thinks they can shut down groups of 10 or 15 Christians meeting in a home, what about people who meet regularly at home for poker night? What about people who meet for Tupperware parties? What about people who are meeting to watch baseball games on a regular basis and support the Chargers?" said Broyles. Broyles and his clients plant to give the county their demand letter this week. If the county refuses to release the pastor and his wife from obtaining the permit, they will consider a lawsuit in federal court. Source: 10News

It is so important that people take note of what goes on in their communities. Take the time to learn about your elected officials and those that are desirous of holding a particular office. You have to look at their agendas and the things that are important to them, that could very well impact your lives if they are elected. So, it's okay to have a 10 people over for drinks but you can't have people over for bible study. This is crazy and a clear violation of the couple's rights under the Constitution.

Fight Brewing Between the NAACP, NASCAR and Homestead-Miami Motor Speedway Over Confederate Flags

Members of the Miami-Dade branch of the NAACP want the Confederate flag banned from the Homestead-Miami Motor Speedway, and they will meet tomorrow to decide whether to boycott a NASCAR race slated there for November. They will also discuss the flag's presence at city-sponsored events like last year's Veterans Day parade as well. However, officials at NASCAR and the raceway have said that there is little they can do to prevent spectators from displaying or waving the Confederate flag. Herein lies the problem, for me at least -- does the government, NASCAR or the speedway management have a right to tell someone they cannot wave a small Confederate flag or wear a t-shirt with a Confederate picture? I thought we had freedom of expression in this country.

NASCAR has a longstanding policy that prohibits displays of the Confederate flag on its cars, uniforms, licensed merchandise or in advertisements, but should they and the Homestead-Miami Motor Speedway be expected to police the stands during the races? Surely the NAACP cannot be serious in this brewing dust-up about trying to limit freedom of expression.

Homestead-Miami Motor Speedway President Curtis Gray said spectators are not permitted to wave large flags of any sort in the stands because of safety concerns, and to prevent them from obstructing the view. He said Confederate flag items are not sold or officially displayed throughout the 65,000-seat raceway, but there's no official ban on spectators bringing miniature flags to the track, or wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the symbol. "... we don't regulate the lawful behavior of our fans or prohibit free speech and expression of our guests," Gray told FOXNews.com. "We can't tell people what to wear. Where do you start? Where does it end, as far as individual expression?"

Meanwhile, Rosemary Fuller, a member of the NAACP's Miami-Dade branch, said the civil rights group began drafting a letter last week to NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France to seek help in banning the controversial flag from the raceway. Citing a "troubling racial discord" in Homestead, Fuller told the South Florida Times that NAACP members are ready to protest and potentially boycott the season-ending race weekend if NASCAR officials fail to support the effort. NAACP members are also reportedly prepared to contact NASCAR's sponsors if the auto racing league objects. Source: Fox News

While I understand the hatred many African Americans feel towards the Confederacy, we cannot put limits on freedom of speech, without there being specific threats that would call for such drastic actions. There are way more pressing issues confronting Americans today, including residents of Miami-Dade area and Homestead, than to worry about someone waving a Confederate flag at a NASCAR race. Sorry, this is much ado about nothing.

Nathan Deal, Georgia Lawmaker and Republican Gubernatorial Candidate , Wants To End "Birthright Citizenship"

Here's a Southern politician hellbent on changing to intent of the Constitution to suit his views. U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, a Republican candidate for governor of Georgia, has proposed changing the long-standing federal policy that automatically grants citizenship to any baby born on U.S. soil, a move opposed by immigrant rights advocates. The Constitution made provisions for this for reasons such as this. Automatic citizenship is enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which says: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside." That provision, ratified in 1868, was drafted with freed slaves in mind. Deal and his supporters say the 14th Amendment wording was never meant to automatically give citizenship to babies born to illegal immigrants. So, which country do these children belong to? I agree that illegal immigration has become a real problem, but the children should not be made to suffer for what their parents have done. Go after the parents, not the children.

Supporters of Deal's proposal say "birthright citizenship" encourages illegal immigration and makes enforcement of immigration laws more difficult. I scarcely think his proposal would solve the problem of illegal immigration and I am sure that Congress would not vote to change the Constitution on these grounds.

Under Deal's proposal, babies born in the U.S. would automatically have citizenship only if at least one of their parents is a U.S. citizen or national, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., or actively serving in the U.S. military. This country has had a long tradition of welcoming immigrants and bestowing inalienable rights to those born here, regardless of the circumstances of their birth. Automatic citizenship should not be a pathway for the parents to qualify for a green card. That should be discouraged and should be the starting point to curbing illegal immigration. Supporters of this proposal call U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants "anchor babies" because, when they become adults, the children can sponsor their parents for legal permanent residency.

There are other ways to curb illegal immigration. Taking away the birthright of a child born here to illegal parents is certainly not a viable solution. For all those people who reside in Georgia, this is a prime example of how important it is to know the views and positions of those running for elected office. This man wants to become the next governor of the state of Georgia. This very bill he has proposed may make its way in some form, if he prevails and becomes the next governor, to his desk. We certainly don't want someone who doesn't care one iota about what happens to these children to be in a position to effect sweeping changes of any kind.

President Barack Obama Nominates Judge Sonia Sotomayor as First Hispanic Female Supreme Court Justice

President Barack Obama has nominated federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court this morning. She is the first Hispanic woman in history picked to wear the robes of a justice. If confirmed by the Senate, Sotomayor, 54, would succeed retiring Justice David Souter. I dare the Republicans to vote against the first Hispanic woman for the high court when they are pandering for Hispanic votes in general.

Administration officials have said that Sotomayor would bring more judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice confirmed in the past 70 years. The president has said publicly he wanted a justice who combined intellect and empathy — the ability to understand the troubles of everyday Americans. If approved, she would join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second woman on the current court.

Sotomayor is a self-described "Newyorkrican" who grew up in a Bronx housing project after her parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico. She has dealt with diabetes since age 8 and lost her father at age 9, growing up under the care of her mother in humble surroundings. As a girl, inspired by the Perry Mason television show, she knew she wanted to be a judge.

A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, a former prosecutor and private attorney, Sotomayor became a federal judge for the Southern District of New York in 1992. As a judge, she has a bipartisan pedigree. She was first appointed by a Republican, President George H.W. Bush, then named an appeals judge by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

At her Senate confirmation hearing more than a decade ago, she said, "I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it." In one of her most memorable rulings as federal district judge, Sotomayor essentially salvaged baseball in 1995, ruling with players over owners in a labor strike that had led to the cancellation of the World Series. Source: Breitbart

Again, I dare the Republicans to filibuster her nomination. The political risks of doing so are great, especially at a time when Hispanics are the fastest growing group in this country and they are important politically as well. I am pretty sure they do not want to be on the wrong side of history with elections coming up in 2010. I applaud President Obama for nominating Judge Sotomayor. I must also add that history seems to have forgotten that the first Hispanic to sit on the Supreme Court was Benjamin Cardozo, whom President Hoover appointed to the court in 1932. Perhaps we forget Cardozo because of historical amnesia or have just gotten caught up in the euphoria of the moment.

Boxer Mike Tyson's Daughter, Exodus, on Life Support After Being Found Hanging From a Treadmill Cord in Phoenix Home

UPDATE

Exodus Tyson taken off life support. Succumbs a little after noon today. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.




I am no fan of boxer Mike Tyson, but I am a parent and I am saddened by the turn of events in his family. According to media reports, his daughter, Exodus, is in the hospital and on life support. She is in critical condition after her brother reportedly found her hanging this morning from a treadmill cord in their Phoenix home.

While the girl's mother was cleaning in the house, Tyson's daughter was playing separately in a playroom. The mother sent the girl's 7-year-old brother to look for the 4-year-old girl, and found his sister in distress and got his mother, police said. The mother found her daughter on a treadmill with her neck on what was described as a cable attached to the treadmill, police said. She took her daughter off the cable, called 911, and began CPR.

The girl was take to St. Joe's Hospital after she was found around 10:30 a.m local time, MyFOXPhoenix.com reported.

According to media reports, Sgt. Andy Hill said that "somehow she was playing on this treadmill, and there's a cord that hangs under the console — it's kind of a loop." "Either she slipped or put her head in the loop, but it acted like a noose, and she was obviously unable to get herself off of it." Hill said former heavyweight champion Tyson had been in Las Vegas but flew to Phoenix immediately after learning of the accident. This is sad and I hope she will pull through with minimal damage.

Legal Briefs: Teacher Jameeka Chambers Forces Student to Urinate in his Lunchbox in Front of Entire Class, Louisiana House Rejects Equal Pay for Women

Legal Briefs: Jameeka Chambers, Orlando Teacher of the Year

ORLANDO (CN) - The mother of a middle school student says his teacher made her son urinate in his lunchbox in front of the entire class. She claims the teacher refused his request to go to the restroom and told him to use his lunchbox if he couldn't wait.

Shameka Bryant says her son, Q.T., was a student in Jameeka Chambers' class at Meadowbrook Middle School in Orange County. Bryant says her son asked Chambers if he could use the restroom, and she told him to wait until class ended or use a lunchbox in the back of the classroom. The mom says her son was unable to wait and to "avoid soiling himself, he urinated in the lunchbox in the back of the classroom, in the view and presence of his classmates and his teacher."

The negligence suit was filed against Chambers and the Orange County School Board. Bryant claims the defendants caused emotional harm and public humiliation and the school board failed to train its teachers. Bryant is represented in Orange County Court by Martin Jaffe with Morgan & Morgan.

Group Wants Right to Kill Elephants & Polar Bears

WASHINGTON (CN) - Five hunters and a hunting advocacy group say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service illegally denies trophy import permits for elephants legally killed by tourists in Mozambique. A separate complaint challenges the denial of import permits for trophy polar bears "taken" in the Gulf of Boothia, off Baffin Island, Canada.

The hunters and Conservation Force say all their elephant permits were denied on the same day for "duplicate reasons," and other permits are not being processed at all. "The primary claims are that both the treatment and denial of the permits is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion and not in accordance with CITES, the ESA, the APA, Federal Register Act and Due Process," the federal complaint states.

They want the Fish & Wildlife Service and Department of the Interior enjoined from denying or delaying permits by treating them as low priorities, among other things. The polar bear complaint claims to be the first attempt to import polar bear "trophies" from the Gulf of Boothia under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Conservation Forces is based in Metairie, La. The plaintiffs are represented by John Jackson III of Metairie.

Louisiana House Rejects Equal Pay for Women

BATON ROUGE (CN) - The Louisiana House of Representatives on Thursday rejected an Equal Pay for Women Act that would have barred employers from paying women less than men in similar jobs. House Bill 705, by Rep. Barbara Norton, D-Shreveport, was backed by women's rights organizations but faced strong opposition from business lobbyists. It was rejected by 59-33 vote.

The bill would have made it possible for an employee who believes she is paid less than her male counterparts and has complained and given her employer 90 days to remedy the situation to file a discrimination action in Federal Court. Supporters of the bill said that women in Louisiana earn two-thirds to three-fourths what men make.

Critics said that it is already against the law to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion and national origin, and that the federal Equal Employment Act also covers gender discrimination. Among the opponents were the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and the state Chapter of the Federation of Independent business.

French-Language Radio Canada Rapped for Barack Obama Assassination Joke, Suggested He Could be a Thief, Says All Blacks Look Alike

I can only give my readers this insulting and racist series of events from Canada in its entirety as published by Reuters. This is a disgrace.

Radio Canada Rapped for Obama Assassination Joke

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's public broadcaster was wrong to show a skit that joked about the possible assassination of President Barack Obama and suggested he could be a thief, an industry panel ruled on Monday.

The New Year's Eve "Bye Bye" comedy program -- shown by the French-language Radio Canada network -- generated more than 200 complaints. In one segment, two hosts discussed Obama's election in November 2008. Obama, who took office in January, is the first black U.S. president.

"We're not racists. It will be good to have a Negro in the White House. It will be practical. Black on white, it will be easier to shoot him," one of the show's hosts remarked.

The Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council said it found "nothing redeeming in the allegedly comedic notion that an American president should be shot, still less that this would be easier to achieve because of the color of the president's skin. It was a disturbing, wounding, abusive racial comment".

The show also featured an interview with an actor pretending to be Obama. The host said, "The blacks, you all look alike," and then warned viewers to hide their purses.

The council said the comments and sketches breached regulations, adding they went "too far in terms of Canadian broadcast standards."

The producers of the show denied the skits had been racist, saying they had meant to mock the characters making the offensive remarks.

Complaints about Radio Canada are usually handled by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). In this case the CRTC asked the council -- which deals with commercial channels and has more experience in handling such complaints -- for advice.

The CRTC, which is due to conduct its own probe into the show, does not have the power to fine Radio-Canada but can issue a public reprimand.

A spokeswoman for the commission said such reprimands could cause problems for networks when it came time for them to seek renewal of their broadcasting license. Radio-Canada is due to apply for a license renewal in 2011.

Polls regularly show that Canadians like Obama far more than they do their own leaders. Tens of thousands turned up to cheer him when he made a brief visit to Ottawa in February. A spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy said she did not know whether the White House had complained about the show.

Northern Ireland Soccer Mob Beats Catholic Kevin McDaid, 49, to Death Due to His Religion, Sparked by Sports Rivalry Inspiring Sectarian Violence

Kevin McDaid, 49, bludgeoned to death by mob of Protestant youths, Times Online

I was horrified to learn that militant Protestant supporters of a Scottish soccer team, Glasgow Rangers, bludgeoned Kevin McDaid, 49, to death because of his religion. He was a Roman Catholic and this atrocity has shown the world how sports rivalries can inspire sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland and that racism still manages to rear its ugly head repeatedly in Ireland. According to media reports, witnesses said that more than 20 Protestant supporters of the team drove into a Catholic district of Coleraine after the Rangers won the Scottish Premier League Championship yesterday. They were hellbent on starting trouble. These men were reportedly armed with clubs and literally attacked the first person they came in contact with, according to Billy Leonard, a former policeman. McDaid was killed, while his wife Evelyn and a neighbor were both injured. Police arrested six men on suspicion of involvement in the attack.

The Glasgow Rangers enjoy support exclusively from the British Protestant side of the community in Northern Ireland, while archrival Glasgow Celtic draws support only from the Irish Catholics. McDaid had four children and did volunteer youth work in the town. He had reportedly been encouraging local Catholics to cooperate with Northern Ireland's traditionally Protestant police.

According to Times Online, last summer violence erupted over a bonfire marking the anniversary of internment, when mainly Catholic civilians were rounded up in 1971 and held without charge on the suspicion that they were involved with the Provisional IRA. This month the killers of Michael McIlveen, a Catholic schoolboy battered to death in a sectarian attack, were given life sentences. This is really crazy and it is time that people shed more light on such atrocities that continue to fly under the radar of mainstream news, which would rather tell us about the breach of security by a chauffeur at Buckingham Palace, rather than informing the public that sectarian violence still continues in Northern Ireland.

I write about this because it is a disgrace to race relations across the globe. There is so much racism in Ireland, along religious lines, that is beyond normal comprehension. In Northern Ireland, Catholics and Protestants reportedly attend separate school systems and sports plays a big role in the division of the population, rather than promoting unity. In Belfast, may pubs refuse to admit customers if they are wearing soccer jerseys or scarves, especially the rival Glasgow colors, because it will provoke a fight. Are we living in modern times or in the dark ages? This is a travesty, no matter which country it occurred in.

"Top Six Ways to Kill Piper" Video Made by Middle School Girls About Their Classmate Piper Smith

Embedded video from CNN Video

I first heard about a cartoon video surfacing online titled "Top Six Ways to Kill Piper" on MSNBC late last week and I was very appalled to learn this was in fact made by girls ages 11 and 12. Beth Smith, Piper's mother, said that she was horrified to learn of the video, which included depictions of girls shooting her daughter, making Piper commit suicide, poisoning her and pushing her off a cliff. Sick. Really sick. These girls are young thugs in the making. They need to be reined in before they turn teenage bullies. A slap on the wrist for this disturbing video is certainly not what they deserve. They should be suspended form school for several weeks and forced to go to summer school to make up the lessons and assignments they have missed.

Beth Smith told KING5-TV that the cartoon was set to a Hannah Montana song called "True Friend" and was posted on YouTube. Piper attends Elk Plain School of Choice in Spanaway, Wash., as do the girls who made the video. The little girl says it hurt her feelings. Because of privacy rules, the Bethel School District says it can't say how the girls were disciplined. A report was also filed with the sheriff's department. I hope their punishment included suspension. I cannot believe that kids would conceive such a horrific video about another child. What is going on with some of our children?

President Barack Obama Lays Wreath at Tomb of Unknown Soldier, Sends 2nd Wreath to Memorial Honoring African-Americans who Fought in the Civil War

Kudos to President Barack Obama for honoring black soldiers who fought in the Civil War. He observed Memorial Day by placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, just as his predecessors have, but this time there was a twist. He sent a second wreath to a memorial honoring African Americans who fought in the Civil War. The wreath was sent, across the Potomac River, to the historically black neighborhood in Washington where the African American Civil War Memorial commemorates more than 200,000 blacks who fought for the North in the war. These soldiers have long been ignored by history and other presidents.

Of course, this year's rites were not without controversy. A group of university professors petitioned the White House to end a longstanding practice of sending a wreath to a monument to Confederate soldiers on the cemetery grounds. That fell on deaf ears. Why must every historic moment in this country be marred by a small group of people? This controversy didn't start with President Obama, so why should he bear the brunt of the nitpicking by these people? I do understand the gist of their complaint, that the monument in question, the Arlington Confederate Monument, stood for white nationalism and sought to legitimize the secession and the principles of the Confederacy. As an African American, I cannot embrace the Confederacy with open arms because of what it meant to blacks in this country, but I certainly don't expect President Obama to take a hard-line position against anything remotely connected to the issue. This is clearly not the time and place for this, given the pressing issues he is confronting today.

This controversy should not diminish the fact that so many of our men and women in uniform have given of themselves selflessly to fight for their country. We have the finest military personnel in the world and we must pay homage to them for their courage, bravery and dedication to this country.

Richard Bolling, Chicago Police Officer, Charged with Hit-and-Run of Trenton Booker, 13, Bail Set at $2 Million

Trenton Booker, Killed by Richard Bolling in hit-and-run, Chicago Sun Times

Another senseless death of a youth in Chicago. What is equally reprehensible is that 13-year-old Trenton Booker was killed by a Chicago police officer, Richard Bolling, 39, a 17 year-veteran. Bolling has been charged with aggravated driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident where a death or injury occurred and reckless homicide. He was reportedly at yukking it up at a bar not long before the crash occurred. Drinking and driving is a dangerous combination, which can lead to deadly results. Bolling bail was set at $2 million, but what is disturbing to me is that the boy's family were deliberately misled about the time of the brief hearing. It started an hour before its previously scheduled noon time slot. That certainly seems to have been a deliberate move, but I am sure there will be more fallout from that decision.

Bolling worked in a tactical narcotics unit. He was also charged with driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street and transportation of alcohol. He has been stripped of his police powers. Could someone tell me why this man was granted bail? Had that been a civilian, he or she would have been denied bond. Since he has been charged with a crime, why are haven't they released his picture? I can guarantee that this isn't the first time Richard Bolling got behind the wheel of a vehicle intoxicated.

Witnesses saw Bolling at a bar in the vicinity of 55th and Indiana before his car struck Trenton at the intersection of 81st and Ashland around 1:30 a.m. Friday, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's office. He was off-duty at the time.

Patrol officers arrested Bolling a few blocks away when they noticed he was driving the wrong way on a one-way street in the 1900 block of West 82nd Street, authorities said. Inside Bolling's Dodge Charger, which sustained front-end and windshield damage, officers discovered an open bottle of beer, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

The officers saw an open bottle of beer in the car, and they conducted a field sobriety test on Bolling on the scene, she said. Daly did not have the results of the sobriety test available. Chicago police said in a statement that the officer was also cited for going the wrong way down a one-way street and transportation of alcohol. Source: Chicago Sun Times

Drunk driving is such a serious problem, but yet the punishment does not match the crime. This man should have been denied bail because he was a police officer who is there to uphold the law, not break it. He also left the scene of the accident and was driving the wrong way on another street. He could have caused another accident and quite possibly have taken another life. His actions warrant a lengthy prison sentence, which should serve as a strong deterrent to others who get behind the wheel of a vehicle inebriated. The Chicago Police Department must send a strong message to its officers who engage in such behavior that there will be zero tolerance. This is the second officer since the year started who killed innocent people due to drunk driving. You will recall that I blogged about Joseph Frugoli,, who killed two people during his DUI accident and he was a repeat offender. He had been accused of driving under the influence before and had just settled a case when he killed two innocent men. Zero tolerance is paramount.

Explosion Outside A New York City's Upper East Side Neighborhood Starbucks Blows Out Windows, No Suspect Caught

What a way to start Memorial Day. An explosive device blew out the windows of a Starbucks coffee shop in a blast that rocked a New York City's Upper East Side neighborhood. According to media reports, the loud blast was heard at the intersection of Third Avenue and East 92nd Street just before 4 a.m. The explosion took place on 92nd and 3rd avenue. Police are still looking for the person who left the device outside of the Starbucks. Great. Now everyone in New York City will be on pins and needles again. This is the work of some dirtbag with nothing better to do with his or her time. I hope the coffee shop had video surveillance that was working so that the cops may find some clues. The time the explosion occurred fits the same pattern as several other unsolved early morning blasts that occurred outside the British and Mexican Consulates, as well as the Armed Forces recruiting booth in Times Square over the past two years.

In the earlier cases witnesses and surveillance camera footage reportedly showed a suspect escaping on a bicycle. According to ABC News, no such information was immediately available in today's incident, but police were canvassing the neighborhood and collecting and reviewing security camera tapes.

According to media reports, the amount of explosive used today was thought to be the equivalent of two or more such fireworks. I hope they will catch the suspect or suspects in this incident. This comes at a precarious time for New York City, which has been reminded once again that terror is lurking in the background. The recent arrest of four men who plotted to bomb Jewish synagogues is an eerie reminder of the criminal elements roaming the city looking for a way to wreak havoc.

Charles F. Bolden Jr., Nominated by President Barack Obama to Serve as NASA's First African American Administrator

Positive role models are integral in the development of our youth and I am pleased to see President Barack Obama's nomination of Charles F. Bolden Jr. to serve as NASA's next administrator. Bolden, who is an African American, is a former combat pilot, Marine Corps major general and a veteran space shuttle commander. His nomination comes 19 years after he helped launch the Hubble Space Telescope. Thank God Bolden's nomination will mean the end to Mike Griffin's "reign of incompetence" at NASA. He was nominated by President George W. Bush to oversee the shuttle's 2010 retirement and a planned return to the moon.

Many insiders have hailed President Obama's nomination of Bolden as a good move. NASA will be in good hands. He is widely respected within the agency for his exceptionally sound engineering judgment, superb leadership skills and a no-nonsense approach to sticky technical issues. He knows how to navigate his way around Washington D.C. and has a good relationship with Congress. We all know how hard a feat that can prove to be in so many instances.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who flew with Bolden during a 1986 shuttle flight, has been lobbying Obama for several weeks to put Bolden in charge of NASA at a particularly critical juncture in the agency's history. With all the problems the President is facing, it is quite easy for NASA to get lost in the shuffle, but his choice is remarkable. NASA is facing its own issues. It is struggling to complete the International Space Station during the final eight shuttle missions between now and the end of 2010. The agency is also trying to develop a new rocket system for the Bush administration's Constellation program, which is aimed at resuming moon flights in 2020.

The Constellation architecture, which calls for the development of a new heavy lift unmanned Ares 5 booster, a lunar lander, and a smaller Ares 1 rocket to boost Orion crew capsules into orbit, has come under fire from critics who claim alternative rocket systems can be developed faster at lower cost. This program was grossly mismanaged by Mike Griffin and I hope Mr. Bolden can salvage this project without spending excessive amounts of money.

Bolden's shuttle history

Bolden's first space flight came when he and six crewmates, including Nelson, took off aboard the shuttle Columbia on January 12, 1986. It was the last successful shuttle mission before Challenger's fatal January 28 launch. Bolden took off a second time on April 24, 1990, when he served as pilot of the shuttle Discovery to ferry the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit.It is a given in the astronaut office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston that any flight assignment is a good flight assignment. But the Hubble Space Telescope, one of the most expensive civilian satellites ever built, was in a class by itself, and Bolden clearly relished a chance to play a role in the showcase mission.

"Astronomy captivates everybody," he said in an interview at the time. "A kid in the ghetto, a kid on the farm, everybody at one time or another happens to glance up at the nighttime sky and they see these things we call stars and every once in a while a planet."You'd just have to be a non-human being not to go 'what the heck is that?' It has a fascination for everybody."

Bolden flew in space a third time as commander of the shuttle Atlantis for an atmospheric research mission that took off March 24, 1992. His fourth and final space mission was a historic flight as commander of the shuttle Discovery in 1994, a mission that included cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, the first Russian to fly on a space shuttle.The Russian space program is now critical to NASA, providing the transportation to and from low-Earth orbit while the U.S. agency develops its shuttle replacement. Source: CNET

I applaud President Obama for his nomination of Charles Bolden Jr. to head NASA and I know that he will continue to prove his mettle. He is a positive role model, not just to African American children, but to all children who aspire to be astronauts or work for NASA, or become scientists in other fields. Whatever the mind can conceive, it can truly achieve.

Liberty University Suspends Campus Democrats Club, Says Group "Stood Against the Moral Principles" It Holds

Rev. Jerry Falwell may be dead, but his legacy still lives on at Liberty University and the divisiveness emanating from his ideology continues. The school has decided to revoke recognition of the College Democrats' chapter on its campus because the group "stood against the moral principles" held by the school and could no longer be sanctioned, according to the Lynchburg News & Advance. What a load of crap. Is this school in a communist country or is it in a democracy? This is clearly a case of censorship. The school's decision is deeply troubling and very problematic because they did not revoke recognition of the campus Republican group. This is a clear violation of freedom of speech and political organization in America.

Apparently the current president, Jerry Falwell Jr., surfaced and made some comments about the matter. If you ask me, he danced around the issued and seemed to back pedal from the school's initial hard-line position. Personally, I am pro-life, but I don't have the right to tell another person what his or her belief on the matter should be.

“That club still has the right to exist,“ Falwell said, although it cannot use the university’s name in its activities. “They still can meet on campus,“ in certain rooms, he said. “There is absolutely no animosity at all toward any of these kids. They are good, Christian kids who sit with me at ball games. I just hope they find a pro-life family organization to affiliate with so they can be endorsed by Liberty again.“ Source: Lynchburg News & Advance

Again, a clear attempt to stifle free speech. Didn't President Obama say last week, during the commencement address at Duke University last weekend that we must learn to have dialogue and discuss our differences and not take such an unyielding position? I realize that this is a private institution, but people have a right to their own opinion and the right to free speech. This university should not be engaging in censorship of any kind.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Erich "Mancow" Muller, Conservative Chicago Radio Host, Changes His Mind: Waterboarding Is 'Absolutely Torture'

Pssst, Dick Cheney, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, conservative Chicago radio host Erich "Mancow" Muller has more guts than you can ever dream of having. He voluntarily underwent waterboarding this morning to prove his point that it is not torture. But guess what, he resoundingly proved a counterpoint. Lasting only six seconds, he concluded that waterboarding was, in fact, torture. If I recall correctly, he said that it was like drowning. This speaks volumes. Imagine undergoing such a horrific act 182 times and Dick Cheney has the nerve to say that isn't torture. Former President George W. Bush and Cheney should be waterboarded to see how they would fare.

Richard Parsons, Citigroup Chairman, Caught in Love Tangle, Has Baby Daughter With Model MacDella Cooper

Why do so many young women put themselves in the position of being someone's "clean-up woman?" I will never understand why some women knowingly have long-term relationships with married men. The latest sh** to hit the fan comes courtesy of Citigroup board chairman Richard Parsons, 61, who has been married for 30 years and has three grown children: Gregory, Leslie and Rebecca. According to media reports, while he is wrestling to fix the financial mess at Citigroup, he has also been wrestling to find a way to tell his wife, Laura Ann Bush, that not only has he been been cheating on her with MacDella Cooper, 32, but he also practiced unsafe sex, which resulted in the birth of a baby girl, Ella, last August.

The widely admired executive is said to have become close to the former model - who says she has worked for Ralph Lauren and appeared in Glamour magazine - through his support of her MacDella Cooper Foundation, which she founded in 2004 to help orphans and abandoned children in her homeland of Liberia. Besides making donations, Parsons was the keynote speaker at her foundation's gala in October 2007. A press release for the foundation said it was "proud to have earned the devotion of such esteemed individuals as ... Richard Parsons."

Having attended benefits for the foundation, Parsons was regularly seen going into Cooper's midtown apartment building, where she lives and works, a source said. Parsons is due to mark his 31st wedding anniversary with his wife, the former Laura Ann Bush in August. Parsons met Laura, a community activist with a doctorate in child psychology, at the University of Hawaii, and he has frequently credited her with his success.

"I'm certain I would not have followed the career track that I ended up following if it hadn't been for my wife," he told Megan Basham, author of "Beside Every Successful Man." "I can expose her to problems and issues, and she will ask very sound baseline questions that cause me to think about it in a different light. ... I very much need Laura's input." His wife has said that she encouraged him to go to law school because he enjoyed arguing. His career, which has made him one of the most prominent African-American businessmen in the world, has been an incredible journey of success. Source: NY Daily News

Adulterous relationships are nothing new, but the hypocrisy involved is what unnerves me every time this hits the mainstream media. Former senator John Edwards' own relationship came to light recently and he initially lied about it until he was caught. I guess the question to women who are mistresses is don't you love yourself more than this? Why would you want to be a married man's diversion and side thrill? You can't possibly be filled with such self-hatred. Elizabeth Edwards is stricken with terminal cancer and all he could think of was having unprotected sex with Reille Hunter and lying about it when he got caught. Never mind that fact that he could have carried home more than lipstick on his collar to his ill wife.

And to the men, especially those who tell the whole world that they couldn't possibly be so successful had it not been for their wives' encouragement, sacrifice and hard work, but yet they stab them in their backs and continue to turn the knives, all the while still singing their virtues. Never mind the fact that Dick Parsons, John Edwards, Rev. Jesse Jackson, have managed to embarrass their entire families in the process. Ms. Cooper, you are a beautiful young woman, couldn't you find your own man, instead of being the "clean-up woman" for Richard Parsons and now his "baby mama?"

James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen Arrested in Terror Plot against Jewish Synagogues

UPDATE

Maybe this case isn't all it is cracked up to be. Heads will roll if this was a witch hunt on the part of the FBI. Here's an interesting take from Robert Dreyfuss of "The Nation." CLICK HERE

James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen, all of Newburgh, were charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction within the United States and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, the U.S. attorney's office said. The FBI arrested the four men earlier today in what authorities called a plot to detonate a bomb outside a Jewish temple and to shoot military planes with guided missiles. These scumbags are a disgrace to the entire human race. Yes, I know they are presumed innocent until proven guilty, but this is a real shame. Why is it that so many black men who go to prison and convert to Islam always end up so bitter against the government and become accessories to the worst possible type of crime against their fellow Americans?

The men had planned to detonate a car with plastic explosives outside a temple in the Bronx neighborhood of Riverdale and to shoot military planes at the New York Air National Guard base at Stewart Airport in Newburgh with Stinger surface-to-air guided missiles, authorities said.

In their efforts to acquire weapons, the defendants dealt with an informant acting under law enforcement supervision, authorities said. The FBI and other agencies monitored the men and provided an inactive missile and inert explosives to the informant for the defendants, a federal complaint said. The investigation had been under way for about a year.

In June 2008, the informant met Cromitie in Newburgh and Cromitie complained that his parents had lived in Afghanistan and he was upset about the war there and that many Muslim people were being killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan by U.S. military forces, officials said. Cromitie also expressed an interest in doing "something to America," they said in the complaint. Source: Huffington Post

I hope they are all denied bond. I just cannot understand how they could become so brainwashed and fall right in step behind a terrorist establishment. There are many decent, law-abiding and hardworking Muslims living in the United States, but scum like this give a bad name to the religion. These thugs claim to be so religious, but really, would Allah tell you to blow up a building with so many innocent people in His name? I don't think so and I hope these four dirtbags don't see the outside of another prison cell for the rest of their lives.

Video Briefs: Nephew Tommy from Steve Harvey Morning Show's Prank Phone Call

I love listening to Nephew Tommy's prank phone calls. Some are hysterically funny. Some mornings I find myself cracking up, from listening to these prank calls while driving to work. I think other motorists may think I am crazy. Enjoy!

Whoopi Goldberg Calls Fox News Channel's Glenn Beck "A Lying Sack of Dog Mess" over Encounter on Train to White House Correspondents Dinner

I cannot stand Fox News Channel's Glenn Beck and naturally, I was happy to see Whoopi Goldberg tell him like it really is. He went on "The View" yesterday and was lambasted by Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg for lying on the radio about an encounter they all had on the train to the White House Correspondents' Dinner. According to the Huffington Post, Beck was forced, at first, to walk back his "mischaracterization" of the encounter. Goldberg called him a "LYING SACK OF DOG MESS," which was totally hilarious. Then Walters attacked him for claiming to be a reporter and yet not bothering to check his facts.

Beck was being totally disingenuous by reducing the whole encounter to a dispute over who said hello to who first. In reality, the "tall tale" he told was about how: a) Goldberg and Walters reserved seats on Amtrak, with the underlying thrust of his statement being that they were acting like some sort of celebrity divas; 3) implied that Walters was unpleasant in her conversation by feigning a mocking and exaggerated imitation of her voice, and c) implied that it was his great influence and magnetism that caused the View ladies to approach him and seek his attention, when in reality, it was quite the reverse. I agree with Whoopi, Glenn Beck is a LYING SACK OF DOG MESS. What an idiot.

Five Birmingham, Alabama, Police Officers Terminated for Brutal Beating of Anthony Warren, which was Caught on Video-tape

Birmingham police beating video

Police brutality is in the news again. Five police officers from Birmingham, Ala., have been fired for a January 2008 beating of Anthony Warren, an already-unconscious suspect, with fists, feet and a billy club, a battering caught on videotape until a police officer turned off the patrol car camera, city and police officials said today. I can only give you the gruesome details are they are being related by Alabama.com.

Authorities believe the video, taken after a high-speed chase by several area law enforcement agencies ended when the fleeing suspect's van flipped, has been seen by numerous Birmingham officers and up to a half dozen supervisors over the past year. But top city and police officials weren't made aware of the taped beating until they were contacted by the district attorney's office two months ago.

In fact, investigators say, the suspect, Anthony Warren, didn't even know he'd been beaten until the tape surfaced at his trial in March. Warren was ejected from the vehicle and knocked unconscious, and thought all of his injuries were sustained in the wreck.

Police Chief A.C. Roper called the video "shameful." Mayor Larry Langford said it was "disgusting." Roper said the video shamed the police department and the citizens served by the department, saying it was especially troubling because these were seasoned, veteran officers.

Roper hasn't identified the officers. Four of them worked in the department's Vice and Narcotics Unit; the fifth was a North Precinct patrolman. The officers have the right to appeal to the Jefferson County Personnel Board.

"We've terminated over 50 years of combined service due to 10 seconds of injustice," Roper said in an interview with The Birmingham News. "We have five officers who lost their jobs and may face criminal charges, and a suspect who suffered unnecessarily."

Roper said there will be additional disciplinary action against supervisors who failed to report the incident to higher-ups. He has demanded the Internal Affairs Division track down every supervisor who saw the videotape, including those who have since retired. He said the department is reviewing its reporting mechanisms and policies. Roper said the district attorney's office brought in the Alabama Bureau of Investigation to probe possible criminal charges against the officers involved in the incident. The officers were notified of their termination about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. "It's a sad day for the department and our 1,100 employees, but we will work through it," Roper said. Source: Al.com

I know that there are many honorable and decent police officers putting their lives on the line each daily, but there is a certain element in every precinct across this country that needs to be eradicated. All too often the victim is blamed and nothing comes out of the various cases, but thank God for fact that this incident was caught on tape and there was no wiggle room for these five scumbags.

Oscar Mayer Offers Helping Hand During Down Economy

For all you Oscar Mayer lovers out there, the company is joining is offering freebies during these tough economic times. Until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday May 20, you can go to oscarmayer.com to enter for a free coupon. The Kraft Company, which owns Oscar Mayer, is doing the campaign to celebrate a recent nationwide taste test that put Oscar Mayer wieners above those made by Ball Park and Hebrew National.

The company said that it will give away up to $1 million worth of hot dogs.Unlike the KFC coupon campaign debacle that Oprah Winfrey launched a few weeks ago. That campaign overtook the company with requests at restaurants for free meals. The Oscar Mayer campaign will ask for your address and says it will send you a coupon in the mail 4-6 weeks after you submit your information. A disclaimer on Oscar Mayer's website says it will not accept P.O. Box addresses. The campaign limits coupons to one per household.

Go on, get your barbecue groove on and hit the link above.