Friday, June 19, 2009
LA Times Editorial: Alameda Unified School District Turns Curriculum "Into A Primer On Sexual Identity For Kindergartners Through Fifth-Graders"
The Los Angeles Times, in an editorial entitled "The ABC's of LGBT," has taken aim at the Alameda Unified School District for turning "what should be a basic Golden Rule lesson into a primer on sexual identity for kindergartners through fifth-graders."
The Alameda Sun reports that "students from kindergarten through the fifth grade will learn about bullying that focuses on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in six 45-minute lessons over the course of their elementary school years." An opt-out provision is not even included. Such a provision would allow parents to pull their children out of classes they find objectionable, as is currently the case in California when it comes sex education classes.
The Los Angeles Times wrote that an anti-bullying curriculum is critical as "childhood cruelty can make school a matter of daily dread for its victims, and gay and lesbian students, along with the children of same-sex couples, have been particularly singled out." However, "lessons become more fraught when hotly disputed values are involved, such as sexuality." The L.A. Times writes that the school board has gone "too far in adopting a curriculum that introduces topics involving sexuality at an age when most children are ill-equipped to consider them. The new curriculum familiarizes second-graders with the concept of same-sex couples and teaches fourth-graders the words 'gay' and 'lesbian.' A year later, it calls on the teacher to write the acronym LGBT on the board and ask students the meaning of each letter (it stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, the four main forms of alternative sexual identity)."
If you do not believe that the Los Angeles Times would write such an editorial, visit http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-alameda19-2009jun19,0,4762424.story.
District Superintendent Kirsten Vital has acknowledged that her office has received complaints from the African American and Muslim communities that their children are being harassed. Yet for some reason they are not included in this curriculum.
"If one of us went to our child's school principal because one of our girls was being bullied because of her head scarf, do you think that the Alameda Unified School District would hire a consultant to advocate for our beliefs to be imposed on every child and every elementary school in Alameda?" said parent Aisha Balde.
"The proposed curriculum does not address race," Pastor Dion Evans of the Chosen Vessels Christian Church in Alameda said. School Board member Trish Spencer, who voted against the measure, agrees with Evans. She said that she believes the new curriculum will only increase harassment against other groups of children.
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Iran's Supreme Leader Says Election Was Not Rigged And Warns Protesters To Get Off The Street
The AP reports that "Iran’s supreme leader said Friday that the country’s disputed presidential vote had not been rigged, sternly warning protesters of a crackdown if they continue massive demonstrations demanding a new election.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sided with hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and offered no concessions to the opposition. He effectively closed any chance for a new vote by calling the June 12 election an 'absolute victory.' The speech created a stark choice for candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi and his supporters: Drop their demands for a new vote or take to the streets again in blatant defiance of the man endowed with virtually limitless powers under Iran’s constitution. … 'If the difference was 100,000 or 500,000 or 1 million, well, one may say fraud could have happened. But how can one rig 11 million votes?' Khamenei asked during Friday prayers at Tehran University."
The Los Angeles Times reports that "Khamenei ruled out massive fraud in elections last week and warned hundreds of thousands taking part in a series of peaceful protests against the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to get off the streets."
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Another Obama Appointee Capricia Marshall Has Tax Problems
The New York Times reports that "President Obama’s choice as chief of protocol for the State Department, a position that carries the status of an ambassadorship, did not file tax returns for 2005 and 2006, errors she corrected last November. The nominee, Capricia Penavic Marshall, has placed blame for the problem on the Postal Service and on miscommunication between her husband and their accountant."
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Senator Robert Menendez Defends Israel And Explains Its History
An eloquent and thoughtful defense of Israel from the Dem New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez:
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FBI Finds Child Porn On Virulent Anti-Semite And Holocaust Museum Murderer James Von Brunn's Computer
Fox News reports that "child pornography was found on a computer belonging to the white supremacist charged with shooting and killing a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the FBI said in court documents. Agents found the material on a desktop computer seized from the apartment in nearby Maryland where 88-year-old James von Brunn lived with his son and son's fiancee, FBI Special Agent Ronald Farnsworth said in an affidavit filed Wednesday to support a search warrant. Investigators searched the home last Thursday, taking more than 30 items, including ammunition, computers, thumb drives, CDs, memory cards, cell phones and videos. Authorities will analyze who had access to the computer to determine whether the pornography was von Brunn's, or if it could have belonged to someone else, prosecutors said. No decisions on charges have been made."
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Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Message To Mousavi: Support The Regime Or Be Cast Out
Fox News reports that "Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, has told Mir Hossein Mousavi to stand beside him as he uses Friday prayers at Tehran University to call for national unity. An army of Basiji — Islamic volunteer militiamen — is also expected to be bussed in to support the Supreme Leader. The demand was made at a meeting this week with representatives of all three candidates who claim that the poll was rigged, and it puts Mousavi on the spot. He has become the figurehead of a popular movement that is mounting huge demonstrations daily against the 'theft' of last Friday’s election by President Ahmadinejad, the ayatollah’s protégé."
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Thursday, June 18, 2009
Iranian Envoy To UN Says Iran Has "Inalienable Right" To "Nuclear Weapon"
The AFP reports that "Iran's envoy to the UN atomic watchdog caused a buzz among journalists on Wednesday when he apparently misspoke and said his country had the right to a nuclear weapon. After saying as usual that Iran was only pursuing nuclear energy for civilian purposes, Ali Asghar Soltanieh strayed alarmingly from the Islamic republic's usual line. 'The whole Iranian nation are united... on (the) inalienable right of (having a) nuclear weapon,' the envoy to the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency said."
This is not the first time Iran has made a "mistake" that revealed true intentions. In November, 2007, the Telegraph reported that Iran "handed United Nations inspectors a set of blueprints showing how to mould uranium metal into the shape of nuclear warheads... The agency had been seeking possession of the blueprints since 2005, when its inspectors stumbled upon them among a batch of other documents during its examination of suspect nuclear activities. While the inspectors had been allowed to examine them in the country, Teheran had up to now refused to let the IAEA have a copy for closer perusal." The Telegraph reported that the Iranian excuse for these documents was that the documents were "given the papers without asking for them during its black market purchases of nuclear equipment decades ago."
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Hillary Clinton Soft On Iranian Regime, Yet Tough On Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman Over Settlements
To watch the press conference with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, visit
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1705667530?bctid=26650283001.
Around four minutes and twenty seconds into the video tension can be seen between the two diplomats over settlements. Lieberman says that they will not "accept this vision about absolutely completely freezing of settlements" and that Israel must keep the "natural growth." Hillary Clinton takes issue with that. Yet on Iran the White House is making sure to measure every word so that it does not appear as if they are "meddling" in Iranian affairs. Clinton talks about how she looks forward toward "engagement" with Iran.
This is the new foriegn policy of this administration: saving your toughest words for one of your closest allies, and speaking softly with your greatest enemies.
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Senator Barbara Boxer Tells A General Not To Call Her "Ma'am" But To Call Her "Senator"
Goxer is both petulant and insecure:
I wonder how many of the male senators during that hearing told the general to stop calling them "sir"?
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Former Talk Show Host Larry Elder On Health Care Statistic: "'45 Million Americans' – Who Are Those Guys?"
To read this interesting article by Larry Elder visit http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=101454.
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Obama Signs Order Giving Homosexual Partners Of Federal Workers Some Benefits
The Washington Post reports that "President Obama signed a memorandum today extending some federal benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers. The measure does not cover health care and retirement benefits... Obama signed the measure that, among other things, grants employees' same-sex partners access to a government insurance program that pays for long-term conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease. They also would be allowed to take sick leave to care for a sick partner or non-biological child."
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Fired Inspector General Says Obama's Reasons For Firing Him Are "Insufficient," "Baseless" And "Absolutely Wild"
Link: 
Fox News reports that "the government watchdog President Obama canned for allegedly being 'confused' and 'disoriented' fired back sharply Wednesday, saying the White House explanation for removing him was 'insufficient,' 'baseless' and 'absolutely wild.'" Gerald Walpin was the inspector general for the Corporation for National and Community Service until last week.
"I am now the target of the most powerful man in this country, with an army of aides whose major responsibility today seems to be to attack me and get rid of me," Walpin said.
Fox News reports that in a letter, White House Special Counsel Norman Eisen wrote that Walpin was "confused" and "disoriented" at a May board meeting, was "unduly disruptive," and exhibited a "lack of candor" in providing information to decision makers. "That's a total lie," Walpin said of the latter charge.
"It appears to suggest that I was removed because I was disabled -- based on one occasion out of hundreds," Walpin said, and that the Obama administration is grasping at "non-existent straws."
"I would never say President Obama doesn't have the capacity to continue to serve because of his (statement) that there are 56 states," Walpin said, adding that the same holds for Vice President Biden and his "many express confusions that have been highlighted by the media."
Fox News reports that Walpin concludes "that his firing stems from bad blood between him and the board, as well as with Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson -- an Obama supporter whom he had investigated for alleged misuse of federal funds. He said his performance at the May meeting drew criticism because he issued two reports critical of the board. In one, he criticized the settlement reached in the Johnson case; in the other, he criticized the use of millions of dollars for a program at the City University of New York. 'The board at that meeting was clearly angry at my temerity,' he said."
Watch Walpin on Glenn Beck here:
Luskin: "Does Challenging Darwin Create Constitutional Jeopardy? A Comprehensive Survey Of Case Law Regarding The Teaching Of Biological Origins"
The article appears in the legal journal Hamline University Law Review, Vol. 32(1):1-64 (Winter, 2009), published by Hamline University School of Law. The article essentially points out that "few have bothered to engage in a careful review of the case law to determine if evolution actually is beyond scrutiny in public schools. This article attempts to exhaustively survey the case law relevant to the teaching of biological origins, dividing the cases into three major categories: (1) Cases upholding the right to teach about evolution; (2) Cases rejecting the teaching of alternatives to evolution; and (3) Cases rejecting disclaimers regarding the teaching of evolution. The range of constitutionally permissible policies for teaching evolution can also be understood by studying policies that have not engendered lawsuits. Twenty-one cases are reviewed, as well as various policies that have not faced legal challenges, revealing that while courts have firmly upheld the rights of educators to teach evolution and have rejected attempts to teach creationism, none of these cases stands for the proposition that a curriculum that teaches scientific critiques of evolution would necessarily place a school board in constitutional jeopardy."
To read the article visit http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/filesDB-download.php?command=download&id=5151.
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IAEA's Mohamed ElBaradei: "My Gut Feeling Is That Iran Definitely Would Like To Have The Technology...That Would Enable It To Have Nuclear Weapons"
Reuters Reports:
"Iran wants the ability to build nuclear weapons to gain the reputation of a major power in the Middle East, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said in a BBC interview broadcast on Wednesday. Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said Iran sees nuclear weapons as an 'insurance policy' against perceived threats from neighbouring countries or the United States. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election has cast doubt on Western powers’ hopes of a new dialogue with Iran over its nuclear programme, which Iran says is for producing electricity only, not atomic bombs."
“My gut feeling is that Iran definitely would like to have the technology ... that would enable it to have nuclear weapons if they decided to do so,” ElBaradei told the BBC. “It wants to send a message to its neighbours, it wants to send a message to the rest of the world: yes, don’t mess with us, we can have nuclear weapons if we want it.”
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Benjamin Netanyahu Is "Hardline" While Mahmoud Abbas Is "Moderate"?
Visit http://honestreporting.com/a/moderateorhardline.asp to view a presentation exposing media bias when it comes to reporting on Israel.
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Iranian Protests Continue Depsite Crackdown
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Dr. Walid Phares on the Iranian Elections and the aftermath:
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Beyond Intelligent Design - The Scientific Case For A Creator
Gerald Schroeder received his Ph.D. from MIT in nuclear physics and earth and planetary sciences:
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Barack Obama: Ahmadenijad And Mousavi Are Not All That Different
"It's important to understand that although there is amazing ferment taking place in Iran, the difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi in terms of their actual policies may not be as great as has been advertised," Obama told CNBC news.
"Either way we were going to be dealing with an Iranian regime that has historically been hostile to the United States, that has caused some problems in the neighborhood and has been pursuing nuclear weapons," he said.
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Sen. Coburn Questions 100 Stimulus Projects
The Associated Press reports on "repairs for rural bridges, an under-highway safe crossing for turtles and efforts to protect the sage grouse population" that "are among 100 projects a Republican senator pointed to Monday as questionable federal stimulus spending. The list by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., includes projects others would identify as ideal for creating jobs and benefiting generations of Americans: skateboard parks, streetscapes, upgrades of park facilities, bike trails and parking garages." To read the full article visit
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090616/D98RI8302.html.
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Obama Kills A Fly
Believe it or not, TMZ reports that "PETA is finally going after President Barack Obama for delivering capital punishment to a housefly on the White House grounds yesterday -- a death that was caught on tape. When asked for comment, here's the statement PETA released: 'He isn't the Buddha, he's a human being and human beings have a long way to go before they think before they act.'"
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Obama Expresses "Deep Concerns" On Iran
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Senator Joe Lieberman: America Must Stand "Loudly And Clearly" Against "Islamist Extremist Regime" Of Iran
Unfortunately, President Barack Obama did not take the same tone as Joe Lieberman:
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UN Workers Stealing Food From The Starving
The London Times reports that "one of the UN’s largest international relief efforts is under investigation after it emerged that thousands of sacks of food aid were being diverted from starving refugees and openly sold for profit. The head of the UN’s $955 million (£580 million) aid operation in Somalia has launched an inquiry after being shown footage showing tonnes of food bearing the World Food Programme (WFP) logo widely on sale in Mogadishu, the capital. Stacks of bags of maize and wheat and tins of cooking oil — marked 'not for re-sale' and bearing the UN stamp — are on sale from ten warehouses and 15 shops in the city’s main market. About 45,000 tonnes of WFP food are shipped to Somalia from Kenya every month. Mogadishu traders told Channel 4 News that they bought their supplies straight from UN staff. 'We buy [food] aid from WFP staff directly or from people they employ,' one market trader said. 'They take us to the warehouses used by the WFP and let us load our lorries. The goods are freely available and you can buy as much as you like, but we usually buy no more than 500 to 1,000 sacks at a time. Just a tonne or half a tonne a day can be shifted more discreetly.'"
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Monday, June 15, 2009
Iran Banning Facebook And News Crews From Using Video Cameras
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
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Iran's Supreme Leader Orders Investigation Into Election Results
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak: "Netanyahu's Demand That Palestinians Recognize Israel As The Jewish State Is Ruining The Chance For Peace"
The Jerusalem Post reports that "Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak blasted Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's speech on Sunday saying 'Netanyahu's demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish state is ruining the chance for peace.' Egyptian news agencies reported on Monday. Mubarak further added that 'not Egypt, nor any other Arab country would support Netanyahu's approach.'"
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Sunday, June 14, 2009
Joe Lieberman Opposes A Public Option Plan For Consumers In A Healthcare Reform Plan
“I don’t favor a public option,” Lieberman told Bloomberg News in an interview broadcast this weekend. "And I don’t favor a public option because I think there’s plenty of competition in the private insurance market.”
“We have a unique opportunity, a real opportunity to do this year what we’ve been trying to do for years, which is to reform American healthcare,” Lieberman said. “I think the one thing that will stop that is pressure on the so-called public option.”
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Benjamin Netanyahu: "We Will Be Willing In A Real Peace Agreement To Reach A Solution Of A Demilitarized Palestinian State"
The AP reports that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Sunday called for creation of a limited Palestinian state for the first time, saying it would have to be disarmed.
"In any peace agreement, the territory under Palestinian control must be disarmed, with solid security guarantees for Israel," he said.
"If we get this guarantee for demilitarization and necessary security arrangements for Israel, and if the Palestinians recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people, we will be willing in a real peace agreement to reach a solution of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state," he said.
"I call on you, our Palestinian neighbors, and to the leadership of the Palestinian Authority: Let us begin peace negotiations immediately, without preconditions," he said. "Israel is committed to international agreements and expects all the other parties to fulfill their obligations as well."
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Casey Luskin:"What 'Ida' Give For A Missing Link"
Casey Luskina has a B.S. and M.S. in Earth Sciences from the University of California at San Diego. He writes that "not only does the media plunge headfirst into a crusade for Darwin, but suspiciously, it is only after unveiling the breakthrough that evolutionary biologists admit how precious little evidence they previously held for the evolutionary transition in question." To read the rest of the article visit http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/OpEd-Contributor/What-Ida-give-for-a-missing-link-47196807.html.
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