Mood:  d'oh

Supreme Court rules unions can't spend dues for political purposes without consent

Supreme Court Rules on Union Dues, Deals Setback to Labor Unions

There was a big Supreme Court ruling yesterday, folks, and it was unanimous, by the way. Not good for Big Labor. "In a unanimous ruling on Thursday, the US Supreme Court said labor unions may not spend union dues for political purposes without first getting consent from the people who paid those dues. The ruling stems from a case in Washington State, where even teachers who were not active members of the Washington Education Association were required to pay dues to cover the costs of collective bargaining. Some of the money was spent on political causes that some teachers did not support.

The Washington Education Association said the case involved only a small number of union workers who decided not to be active members. But a conservative legal group hailed Thursday's court ruling. 'The WEA decision is a great moment for America's workers,' said Pacific Legal Foundation Attorney Timothy Sandefur. 'It's sad enough that American workers -- most of whom are not union supporters -- are often forced to hand over their earnings to unions against their will, but the Washington Education Association went even further and used the money to support political causes that the workers did not believe in,' he said." Unanimous!  Even Ruth "Buzzi" Ginsburg voted for this! Unbelievable!

Cybercast News Service ~ Susan Jones ** Supreme Court Deals Setback to Labor Unions

Posted by yaahoo_ at 2:20 AM EDT

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Mood:  silly

Libtards pulled DNC blog post,

Eliminated comments section,

Because of pro-Fred Thompson Dems

[Excerpt]

Libtards and censorship

Free speech not alive and well within the Democrat Party. The Democrat National Committee had to close the comment section on their blog. They had a post regarding Fred Thompson. "In an attempt to bash Thompson, the DNC posted The Fred Thompson 'Dummies Guide to Diplomacy.'" Some of the comments came in, and the Democrats are a little afraid of Thompson. They're worried he's reawakening the old Reagan Democrats, and there were some Democrats posting that they liked Thompson, and they disagreed with the post.

So they pulled the post and they eliminated any comments because they didn't want any pro-Thompson comments on their website. They put a piece out trying to make fun of him and ridicule him, and some Democrats post, "Hey, we like this guy. This guy is intriguing." Reagan Democrats is what they're afraid of. So, naturally, being the Castro-Putin-Chavez kindred spirits they are, they shut down the debate on the DNC website, something just like what the Broward County commission tried to do with emergency hurricane news, right-wing hurricane reports. 

From the story: Broward Country Backs Down, WIOD will carry hurricane info and El Rushbo.
Rush Limbaugh.com ** Broward Country Backs Down

Posted by yaahoo_ at 7:59 PM EDT

Updated: Thursday, 14 June 2007 8:18 PM EDT

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Mood:  chatty

Pelosi wants to allow lawmakers' adult children to tag along on taxpayer-funded travel, for free!

DoD braces for a fight with Pelosi

Pentagon officials are bracing for a fight with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over her desire to allow lawmakers’ adult children to tag along on taxpayer-funded travel for free.

Pelosi wants them to be able to fill the role of lawmakers’ spouses when the latter are unable to make a trip because of health issues or work commitments.

“It has been longstanding policy that, in the absence of a congressional spouse, the adult child of a member of Congress may accompany the member on official U.S. government travel abroad for protocol reasons and without reimbursing the U.S. Treasury,” Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami said. “Speaker Pelosi believes that a modern policy must reflect the professional responsibilities or health realities that might prevent a spouse from participating, and instead permit an adult child to fulfill the protocol needs of the official trip.”

Pentagon officials say the policy is that the Treasury must be reimbursed at commercial rates for children who accompany members on such trips, often called codels.

Pelosi’s office inquired about such travel on June 1, according to a Department of Defense memo obtained by The Hill. In a June 8 memo, the head of legislative affairs for the Pentagon, Robert L. Wilkie, told Defense Secretary Robert Gates that he sees Pelosi’s question as a first step toward challenging the policy.

“We were told that the Speaker would expect that members’ children (of married and unmarried [members of Congress]) would not have to reimburse the Treasury,” Wilkie wrote. “We expect future challenges from the House leadership on this policy.”

Pentagon aides did not respond to requests for comment.

But taxpayer watchdog groups and ethics advocates said they were surprised Pelosi would seek more perks for members.

“One of the things she was praised for when she came in was her sweeping reforms on gifts and travel,” said Craig Holman of Public Citizen. “It is very disheartening if she is, in fact, backsliding on this.”

Public Citizen filed a complaint with the IRS last year, saying that family members who receive free travel by accompanying lawmakers should pay taxes on the travel’s value. The complaint focused on privately sponsored travel, but Holman said it should apply to taxpayer-funded travel as well.

“I don’t see any difference,” Holman said.

In its first week with a Democratic majority this year, the House passed what Pelosi called “the toughest congressional ethics reform in history.” It forbade gifts and travel from lobbyists and banned travel on corporate jets. It did not address publicly funded travel such as codels.

Lawmakers’ children currently can travel gratis if they get a waiver, termed an “invitation,” from the secretary of defense, according to Dan Stanley, a former assistant secretary for legislative affairs at the Pentagon. He said it was rare for a lawmaker to travel with his or her children.

“Children have always flown as an exception to policy,” Stanley said. “I’m unaware of any substantial policy that would allow children to take the representational role of a spouse.”

The president’s family, such as President Bush’s twin daughters, can travel without reimbursement. They cannot fly commercially for security reasons.

But most executive-branch officials either do not bring family members on military aircraft or reimburse, Stanley said. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld would fly with his wife back to Taos, N.M., he said, but was scrupulous about reimbursing.

The Hill ~ Mike Soraghan ** DoD braces for a fight with Pelosi

Posted by yaahoo_ at 7:26 PM EDT

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Mood:  spacey

Mom (Honduras national) accused

of prostituting her 2 daughters

Police say she passed out cards that offered the teen girls for sex

A 16-year-old girl endured being sold into prostitution by her mother but finally went to Houston police after seeing her younger sister also forced to perform sex acts, investigators said Wednesday.

The teenager had complied with her mother -- who even distributed business cards offering her daughters for sex -- but feared that her 14-year-old sister would be hurt, officers said.

Nelsi Yolanda Latuda and her boyfriend, Pedro Espinoza-Escama, both of the 5500 block of Antoine, are charged with two counts each of compelling prostitution of a minor. They were ordered held in lieu of bail totaling $20,000 each.

Latuda, 35, is the girls' mother, but they are not related to Espinoza-Escama, who is 21, Harris County Assistant District Attorney Justin Wood said.

Houston police declined to comment about the investigation or identify the suspects but confirmed that a couple were arrested Sunday on unrelated charges and later questioned about the allegations regarding Latuda's daughters.

"They were interrogated, and they confessed to forcing the juveniles into prostitution," spokesman Victor Senties said.

Wood said the prostitution scheme went on for months and that Latuda and her boyfriend printed and passed out business cards near their northwest Houston home, offering the girls for sex.

The pair arranged meetings and delivered the girls, Wood said.

"I have never dealt with a case where biological children were being prostituted out by their own mother," he said.

Police said Latuda and her daughters are from Honduras and have lived in Houston for about two years. The girls are staying with relatives, Wood said.

Officials with Harris County Children's Protective Services would not confirm whether they are investigating the case.

On Wednesday evening, no one answered the door at the apartment complex where the family lives. Neighbors said they often saw the girls playing outside the apartment but didn't know them or their mother.

Children of the Night, a California-based advocacy group for abused teenagers, estimates that 300,000 juveniles are working as prostitutes in the United States. The ages typically range from 11 to 17, the group reports.

Espinoza-Escama is scheduled to appear in court today. Latuda is due for a court hearing Friday.

Latuda pleaded guilty in 2006 to possession of less than 1 gram of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 10 days in jail.

dale.lezon@chron.com , mike.glenn@chron.com
Houston Chronicle ~ Dale Lezon, Mike Glenn **
Mom accused of prostituting her 2 daughters

No mention in the story as to whether or not this so-called, scumbag "mother" is an illegal immigrant, so goes the lamestream media.

No matter, they need to lock their asses up for this. There's no excuse for what they did.

Posted by yaahoo_ at 4:43 PM EDT

Updated: Thursday, 14 June 2007 4:57 PM EDT

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Mood:  smelly

Teachers insult kid with rude awards...

Boy's Family Upset At Unflattering Awards

Parents Demand Apology From Teachers, Reprimand

INDIANAPOLIS -- Sixth-grader Matt Porter didn't enjoy getting "Most Likely Not To Have Children" and "Sir Clowns-a-Lot" awards from two teachers at his school.

His parents aren't pleased, either.

Matt said he received the awards in front of classmates during a ceremony at the Decatur Intermediate Learning Center at the end of the recently finished school year. His mother and his stepfather have asked the Decatur Township school system to reprimand the teachers, and they want an apology.

"Words cut deeper than any knife could. They hurt," said his stepfather, Joseph Sims. "When you hurt a child like that, you not only hurt him mentally, but it does hurt physically because you withdraw within yourself. That is what Matthew has done."

The certificates were signed by the teachers who distributed them. Matt recalled what the ceremony was like.

"I was standing in the middle of (the two teachers), and they (were) reading them off," he said. "Everyone was laughing."

Matt felt humiliated.

"They (were) putting us down and everything," he said. "That is not what their job is for, to put kids down. They are supposed to teach us."

Amy Sims, Matt's mother, said she met with a school official over the matter but was not satisfied with the response.

"She just told me that the teachers would call and apologize to him, and we've not heard anything at all," Amy Sims said.

Gary Pellico, spokesman for the school system, declined to say whether the teachers have been disciplined. He said system officials regret the incident.

"We don't feel like it was an appropriate awards ceremony at all," Pellico said. "It wasn't part of the school's award ceremony, and it will not happen again."

Amy Sims said her son needs counseling because of the awards. The school has offered it, but an agreement on who will provide it has not been reached, Thomas reported.

Survey: Punish Teachers?
NBC 10.com ~ Philadelphia ** Boy's Family Upset At Unflattering Awards

Posted by yaahoo_ at 4:07 PM EDT

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Mood:  celebratory

Al-Qaeda military emir of Mosul killed in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Coalition Forces killed a senior terrorist leader during an operation Tuesday morning targeting the al-Qaeda in Iraq network in Mosul.

Kamal Jalil Bakr ‘Uthman, also known as Sa’id Hamza, was known to be the al-Qaeda in IraqMosul. Intelligence reports indicate he planned, coordinated and facilitated suicide bombings in the Mosul area.  Additionally, he facilitated the movement of more than 100 foreign fighters through safe houses in the area, and orchestrated attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces.

Coalition Forces targeted ‘Uthman Tuesday as part of their operations to disrupt the al-Qaeda in Iraq Mosul.  As they entered his residence, ‘Uthman rushed into another room and reached under a mattress.  Coalition Forces, reacting appropriately to the hostile threat, engaged ‘Uthman, killing him.  The ground force later found a suicide vest under the mattress.

Coalition Forces had detained ‘Uthman during an operation in August 2006.  He was released from the Iraqi judicial system in April 2007, and intelligence reports indicate he was planning a six-vehicle suicide bomb attack to avenge his detention.

“We have taken another very dangerous terrorist off the streets of Iraq, and we will continue to deplete the senior leadership of al-Qaeda in Iraq,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson.

Multi-National Force - Baghdad, Iraq ~ Combined Press Information Center **
Al-Qaeda military emir of Mosul killed

Posted by yaahoo_ at 3:35 AM EDT

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Mood:  don't ask

Field Trip to Planned Parenthood... 

Manchester School Board orders Planned Parenthood trip investigated

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The city school board has ordered an investigation into how an after-school program run by the YMCA with the school district ended up taking some middle school students to visit Planned Parenthood.

The vote was taken early Tuesday morning after a marathon board meeting. The board asked the district to investigate how the decision was made, recommend any necessary policy changes and determine whether anyone should be disciplined.

Meanwhile, New Hampshire Right to Life has asked for equal time with the students.

"We request that the same children be allowed to sit with an educator from New Hampshire Right to Life," Darlene Pawlik, the group's president, said at the school board meeting Monday night.

The YMCA's STAY program is for students considered at risk of dropping out of school, abusing drugs or getting into trouble with the law.

A week ago, STAY workers included Planned Parenthood on a tour of several social service agencies in the city, to show the students where they could go for support, recreation and help over the summer. Several anti-abortion protesters outside the clinic spoke to the students as well.

The Planned Parenthood educator who met with the students, Anne Johnson, said she never mentioned abortion. But Pawlik said that's no reason for denying her group equal time.

"Everybody knows Planned Parenthood performs abortions," she said. "There were protesters outside with signs saying, 'Babies killed here.' There's no mistaking that (the students) have already been exposed to the issue."

Schools Superintendent Michael Ludwell said he would need to see a formal, written request from New Hampshire Right to Life before deciding whether a representative should meet with the students, but he questioned whether the seventh and eighth graders should be required to deal with such a sensitive political issue again.

Ludwell said he hoped to finish an internal investigation by the end of the week and meet with the YMCA president to draw up new program guidelines. But overall, he defended the STAY program.

"We have had a very long and, prior to this incident, a very positive relationship," he said. "Over the years, the students have benefited greatly from the programs the Y has provided."

Foster's Daily Democrat Online ~ Dover, NH - Associated Press **
Manchester School Board orders Planned Parenthood trip investigated

Posted by yaahoo_ at 4:15 PM EDT

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Mood:  chatty

Demented-crat congress are not only gonna KEEP earmarks,
they're making them SECRET !

Boehner:
Republicans to Declare War on Democrats Over Earmarks

WASHINGTON -- Minority Leader John Boehner threatened Democratic leaders Tuesday, vowing to slow down legislative activities in the House until Democrats agree to open up earmarking policy so that lawmakers disclose their pet projects earlier in the bill-making process.

"Republicans today are going to declare war on our Democratic majority over these secret slush funds," Boehner told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Republicans are hoping to hold Democrats to an earlier promise to make earmark requests more transparent by revealing where earmarks are designated and which lawmaker is requesting them before spending bills reach the House floor. Democrats want to release that information during the conference committee process, well after the House votes for appropriations.

Boehner, R-Ohio, said he is upset over the change of heart, and Democrats need to "realize the errors of their ways."

Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said Monday he would kill all pet projects if Republican leaders "demagogue" the issue. Obey said lawmakers had submitted more than 32,000 earmark requests this year.

Democrats rewrote House rules adopted in the last Congress to require that earmark requests and their sponsors be publicized during a bill's drafting and debate. Obey said earlier this month those requests would not be available until after the House voted on the bills to send to a House-Senate conference committee.

"If they think they can demagogue the earmarks process all the year long and expect Democrats to carry the burden of passing earmarks, they're wrong. ... There will be no earmarks for anybody," Obey said.

According to Citizens Against Government Waste, the fiscal year 2007 defense and homeland security appropriations bills contained 2,658 projects at a cost of $13.2 billion. The watchdog group notes that only two of the 11 spending bills were passed by Congress last year. The rest were completed in an omnibus measure, which was stripped of all earmarks as a result of infighting in 2006 that left the legislation for the 110th Congress to wrap.

FOX News' Molly Hooper and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fox News.com ** Boehner: Republicans to Declare War on Democrats Over Earmarks
Related: Fox News.com ~ Associated Press - Charles Babington ** House Democrat Warns GOP on Earmarks
Fox News.com ~ Associated Press ** House Republicans Dissatisfied With Chairman's Offer on Disclosing Earmarks

Posted by yaahoo_ at 3:34 PM EDT

Updated: Wednesday, 13 June 2007 3:42 PM EDT

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Mood:  don't ask

Police find boy tied in car while mother dines

6-year-old had rope tied to ankle inside sweltering vehicle, officials say

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- When some restaurant workers in Ringgold, Ga., saw a man take a young boy outside, and return without him to finish eating, they got suspicious.

Police responded, and found the crying six-year-old boy tied up in a sweltering car outside the restaurant. Police think he was tied up for about 30 minutes, while his mother and her companion finished eating inside the restaurant near Chattanooga, Tennessee.

A police sergeant says the boy ”had a rope tied to one of his ankles.” He says he was ”just sweating, just soaking.”

The outdoor temperature on Saturday was in the 80s.

The boy’s mother and her male companion were charged with cruelty to children and with concealing a weapon. Police found a handgun in the car.

The mother is still in custody. The man has been released on bond.

Police say the couple told them the boy had misbehaved, although witnesses disagree. Either way, police say, it doesn’t matter.

The boy is now in state protective custody.

MSNBC.com ~ Associated Press ** Police find boy tied in car while mother dines

If this so called "mother" would do this in public, one can only imagine what goes on at home behind closed doors. I believe that the professors Smith and Wesson have a quick and appropriate answer for this.

Posted by yaahoo_ at 2:40 PM EDT

Updated: Wednesday, 13 June 2007 2:46 PM EDT

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Mood:  spacey

To libtards, the weather must now be a partisan issue...

Broward County libtards may cancel hurricane-info deal with radio station, because it airs Rush Limbaugh!

Broward may cancel deal with radio station because it airs Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh has long been a thorn in the side of liberals, but now, because of him, some Democratic politicians don't even want to join with a local radio station to broadcast hurricane information.

Radio station WIOD, AM 610, has been the official channel for emergency information from Broward County government for the past year. The County Commission, all Democrats, balked at renewing the deal Tuesday, unable to stomach the station also being home to Limbaugh's talk show.

Commissioner Stacy Ritter said she did not want to support a station that's out of step with area politics. Ritter, a Democratic stalwart in the state Legislature before being elected to county office, cited talk shows hosted by Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and WIOD's partnership with Fox News.

"They have every right to speak, but we don't have to do business with them," she said.

Limbaugh has long been a fixture on WIOD, but no county official raised an issue about him or the other shows when the deal was approved for the first time a year ago.

The deal with WIOD would ensure that news conferences are broadcast start to finish live from the county Emergency Operations Center in Plantation. Emergency managers became concerned during hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 that radio and television stations preempted their announcements in favor of news out of Miami.

Limbaugh, who lives in Palm Beach, could not be reached for comment. Ken Charles, WIOD's director of AM programming, said the station's talk show lineup has no relationship with its news coverage and that the county should focus on the benefits of teaming with the station.

"It's a shame that people would let politics get in the way of saving lives in a hurricane," Charles said.

The contract with WIOD was on the verge of being rejected when commissioners instead delayed a decision until next week. They told their communications staff they want more information on why WIOD was recommended and what their options are.

Ritter's concerns were echoed by Commissioners Ken Keechl, a former president of the Dolphins gay Democratic club, and Suzanne Gunzburger, who served on the vote-tallying board that recounted the 2000 presidential election.

But Commissioner John Rodstrom, a one-time young Republican leader who later became a Democrat, said the county should not politicize emergency management.

"If we are going to start censoring what people write in the paper or speak on the radio or television, that's a slippery slope," Rodstrom said. "This is necessary. It's something we need to do for emergency response."

A county task force that looked into the response to Hurricane Wilma listed finding a radio partner among its recommendations last year.

Judy Sarver, the county's public communications director, said WFTL and WLRN also offered to take on the role, but that she and other emergency planners preferred WIOD because of its signal strength, numerous FM sister stations and willingness to give Broward top play.

Scott Wyman can be reached at swyman@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4511. Comments
South Florida Sun-Sentinel ~ Scott Wyman **
Broward may cancel deal with radio station because it airs Rush Limbaugh

First, Demented-crats running for president refuse to debate on Fox News, now this.

This is proof positive libtards care more about politics and power than the safety of American citizens. Dims are willing to lose a war to grab power, what's a little hurricane to them?

And the bonus for them is, they can blame any failure to alert as many people as possible on evil conservatives and the vast right-wing conspiracy. "Because of Rush's sound, people drowned!"

UPDATE: Battered by criticism, Broward may keep deal with Rush Limbaugh radio station

Posted by yaahoo_ at 1:26 PM EDT

Updated: Thursday, 14 June 2007 4:51 PM EDT

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