Mood:  spacey

BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS

Philadelphia schools promote 'gay' agenda

District threatens truancy charges against parents who keep kids home

The Philadelphia School District has launched a new advance in the battle to indoctrinate school children into the "gay" agenda with its announcement that October is "Gay and Lesbian History Month."

And a report on Family News in Focus said officials there will make sure parents relinquish their children for that "education."

"If there is a parent who wants to remove their child from school," district spokesman Fernando Gallard told the report, "they would have to deal with the truancy regulations."

His comments came after a number of protests erupted over the school system's formalization of its "gay" agenda recognition.

The district reports that it already has had about 120 complaints about the recognition, even though Gallard explained there are no special activities associated with the formal recognition.

One of those complaints was from a parent who said she would keep her child home for the month, and that prompted Gallard's threat.

School officials say they added the recognition this year "to be more inclusive" and follow a district policy requiring equity for all races and minority groups, according to Cecilia Cummings, a school community relations executive.

However, of the many minorities available for recognition, the only other groups receiving that are the Hispanic Heritage in September, African American in February and Asian Pacific American in May, officials confirmed, all three racial minorities.

"We knew that this would be controversial," Cummings told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "When you deal with diversity, there are some hot-button issues that emerge."

Parent Senita Watson took it a step further than many, traveling to school district headquarters to see about arrangements for her to homeschool her daughter for October.

"How can you celebrate gay and lesbian month? What are you going to teach my daughter," she demanded. She also called on other parents to boycott the district.

Leaders within the "gay" movement have praised the school district's decision to promote, at its own expense, their goals. A "gay" newspaper Philadelphia used the school district's announcement for a promotion, asking a survey question on its website about whether schools should be teaching "gay" perspectives.

They already are, according to Alberta Wilson, of Faith First Education Assistant Corp. She told Family News in Focus that even elementary school phonics cards have been through the "'gay" editing process.

"They're teaching three syllable words, the word 'fam-i-ly,'" she told Focus. "And on those phonics cards they have a mom and a dad, an elderly grandparent and grandfather raising children, and then they have two men and two women," she said.

"They are teaching our young children that this is acceptable and that they should tolerate it. It is an outrage; it's against God, and God is not pleased."

One e-mail about the situation gave rise to a new perspective on the issue.

"Whatever happened to the separation of church and the state, that liberals keep harping about? Everyone knows, or should know that homosexuality is one of the tenets of the church of the devil. So, why is it that the devil's tenets can be espoused in school, but not the word of God?"

"Besides, is there a month for heterosexuality?"

Cummings said school officials have heard such questions over and over, but the district hasn't made plans for any such balancing recognition.

And Peter LaBarbera, president of the conservative Americans for Truth, told Baptist Press in promoting homosexual rights "by definition you have to undermine people's religious rights and religious beliefs.

"If you have a gay history month, you're basically saying, 'This is a wonderful part of American history – homosexual history – let's celebrate it and let's teach the kids that this is like civil rights.' Are they going to teach the role that homosexual behavior had in the onset of HIV and AIDS?"

Related special offers:
Get Ann Coulter's latest and hottest book, "Godless: The Church of Liberalism"
"The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised as Freedom"
"The Gay Agenda: It's Dividing the Family, the Church, and a Nation"
"Back Fired," by William J. Federer, shows how the faith that gave birth to tolerance is no longer tolerated!
"The Little Book of Big Reasons to Homeschool"

Previous stories:
Gov. Arnold 'terminates' man-and-woman' marriage plan
2 more 'sexual indoctrination' bills vetoed
Sexual indoctrination bill vetoed
Hundreds rally to threaten Gov. Arnold with 'veto'
Gov. Arnold urged to cancel sexual indoctrination
California Christians urged to yank kids
Gov. Arnold tosses school moral codes
Dobson: Tell Arnold to halt 'gay' agenda

World Net Daily.com **
Philadelphia schools promote 'gay' agenda

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 4:03 PM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 8 October 2006 7:05 AM EDT

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Mood:  chatty

Full Image: Keisha Castle-Hughes, who rose to fame thanks to her Oscar-nominated role in Whale Rider, is expecting a child with her boyfriend.

Young 'Whale Rider' actress pregnant

NEW YORK -- Keisha Castle-Hughes is growing up fast. The 16-year-old actress, who was nominated for a best-actress Oscar for her role in 2002's Whale Rider, is expecting a baby in the spring, the agency that represents her confirmed Friday.

The father is her boyfriend of three years, Bradley Hull, 19.

Castle-Hughes, who was born in Australia, played the Queen of Naboo in last year's Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith. She will be seen next as Mary in The Nativity Story, set for release Dec. 1.

USA Today ~ Associated Press ** Young 'Whale Rider' actress pregnant

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 3:12 PM EDT

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Mood:  loud

By Clay Waters

Give the New York Times half a point for fronting Edward Wyatt's Friday story, "Now on YouTube: Iraq Videos Of U.S. Troops Under Attack," about controversial clips posted on the popular video-sharing site YouTube.

But evasive wording like this rankles:

"Many of the videos, showing sniper attacks against Americans and roadside bombs exploding under American military vehicles, have been posted not by insurgents or their official supporters but apparently by Internet users in the United States and other countries, who have passed along videos found elsewhere."

What exactly is an "official supporter" of an insurgent, and where does one sign up? The "unofficial" supporters spreading jihadist fantasies online are bad enough.

Wyatt paints the videos, which he admits have previously been available on "jiahdist Web sites," as some kind of public service:

"At a time when the Bush administration has restricted photographs of the coffins of military personnel returning to the United States and the Pentagon keeps close tabs on videotapes of combat operations taken by the news media, the videos give average Americans a level of access to combat scenes rarely available before, if ever.

"Their availability has also produced some backlash. In recent weeks, YouTube has removed dozens of the videos from its archives and suspended the accounts of some users who have posted them, a reaction, it said, to complaints from other users."

Deep inside the story, Wyatt admits that some of the clips are "propaganda":

"Some of the videos are obvious propaganda, with Arabic subtitles and accompanying music, while others simply have scenes without sound or graphics. They appear to be real, though the results of attacks are not always clear."

Another angle the Times misses is something Michelle Malkin has pointed out: Videos featuring criticism of Muslims have also been routinely pulled from the YouTube archives, while many of the clearly jihadist videos remain. NewsBusters Al Brown has more on that angle.

For more New York Times bias, visit TimesWatch.

News Busters ~ Clay Waters **
NY Times Paints Online Iraqi Insurgent Propaganda Videos as Public Service
Clay Waters's blog | login or register to post comments
Categories: Blogs | Iraq | New York Times | War on Terrorism | YouTube

Related: News Busters ~ Al Brown ** Jihad Is Just All Right with Them

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 1:47 AM EDT

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Mood:  cheeky

Economy adds 51,000 jobs in September; unemployment rate dips

WASHINGTON -- Employers added just 51,000 jobs in September, far below expectations, although the unemployment rate slipped to 4.6%, according to a government report Friday.

The jobs report, which showed weakness in construction, manufacturing and retail, could keep the Fed on the sidelines when policymakers meet Oct. 24 and 25 to discuss interest rate policy. At their September meeting, Fed officials left their target for short-term interest rates unchanged for a second time, saying the economy is slowing enough to keep inflation contained.

Friday's closely watched report on non-farm payrolls from the Labor Department also showed the unemployment rate dipped from 4.7% in August. The unemployment rate and the payroll report are derived from two different surveys.

The 51,000-job gain in September was the weakest since October 2005, when only 37,000 jobs were added after the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Economists had forecast non-farm payrolls to grow by 125,000 last month, according to a Reuters poll last week.

But August payrolls were revised up to a gain of 188,000 from an originally reported 128,000, while July was revised to a gain of 123,000 from 121,000.

The report showed average hourly earnings rose a lower-than-expected 0.2%, or 4 cents, last month, after an upwardly revised 0.2% gain in August. Analysts had expected a 0.3% rise in September.

In both September and August, average hourly earnings rose 4.0% from a year earlier, highest since a 4.1% gain in March 2001. The August figure was revised up from a 3.9% year-on-year gain.

In addition, the length of the average workweek was unchanged at a seasonally adjusted 33.8 hours in September. The manufacturing workweek fell 0.2 hour to 41.1 hours.

USA Today ~ Reuters ** Economy adds just 51,000 jobs in September; unemployment rate dips

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 4:46 PM EDT

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N.O. Mayor Ray Nagin Supports Rep. William Jefferson

Mayor Ray Nagin says he's enthusiastically supporting eight-term U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, who is the target of a federal bribery investigation and faces his first real opposition since his first campaign.

"I've told the congressman that since he supported me during the mayor's race, that I would reciprocate," Nagin said Thursday.

Nagin said Jefferson, who faces 12 challengers in the Nov. 7 primary, was one of the few local elected officials to stand by him during his tough re-election campaign last spring.

The congressman denies the bribery allegations and has not been charged, but a former Jefferson aide and a Kentucky businessman have pleaded guilty in an alleged scheme to get kickbacks for helping the businessman get contracts in Africa.

Nagin often talks about his efforts to clean corruption out of City Hall. He said he's not worried about how his endorsement will play nationally.

"Unless he is indicted prior to the election date, I do not believe my reciprocated support will generate a story with any type of legs," Nagin said. "His experience and relationships in Washington - even in its current subdued form - should be helpful for our city and state going forward."

Nagin has often praised Jefferson's help in steering billions of dollars in federal hurricane recovery aid to the flood-ravaged region, and invited Jefferson to speak at his June 1 inaugural.

The mayor said he will help Jefferson any way he can in the weeks ahead.

During the mayor's race, Jefferson agreed to be used in a campaign mailer and recorded a radio spot and an automated phone message on Nagin's behalf.

"We'll do the same thing," Nagin said. "You should see that soon."

The 18-month federal investigation became public with separate raids on Jefferson's homes in New Orleans and Washington during the summer of 2005. In May, the FBI made an unprecedented raid on his Capitol Hill office.

According to government affidavits, Jefferson is allegedly took bribes to help promote a cable television and Internet business in Nigeria and Ghana. An FBI affidavit said he was videotaped accepting a briefcase with $100,000 in $100 bills on July 30, 2005, and all but $10,000 of the cash was found four days later in the freezer of his Washington home.

In June, he was ousted from the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

"I am thrilled to have the mayor's support for my re-election," Jefferson said in a written statement. "We have worked well together and will continue to work as a team for our city's recovery."

Ed Renwick, director of Loyola University's Institute of Politics, said he wasn't surprised by the endorsement.

"The controversy swirling around people doesn't seem to bother Ray Nagin," Renwick said. "He's made so many controversial statements and decisions himself."

He noted that Nagin was the only prominent black Democrat in Louisiana to endorse Republican Bobby Jindal in the 2003 runoff for governor against Democrat Kathleen Blanco.

Renwick said the political risk for the term-limited Nagin, who has no stated plans to run for another office, is negligible.

"He's already engaged in so many strange political machinations," he said. "What's one more?"

News Max.com ~ Associated Press **
N.O. Mayor Ray Nagin Supports Rep. William Jefferson

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 4:18 PM EDT

Updated: Friday, 6 October 2006 4:24 PM EDT

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Mood:  caffeinated

Budget Deficit Drops to $250 Billion

WASHINGTON -- The federal budget estimate for the fiscal year just completed dropped to $250 billion, congressional estimators said Friday, as the economy continues to fuel impressive tax revenues.

The Congressional Budget Office's latest estimate is $10 billion below CBO predictions issued in August and well below a July White House prediction of $296 billion.

The improving deficit picture -- Bush predicted a $423 billion deficit in his February budget -- has been driven by better-than-expected tax receipts, especially from corporate profits, CBO said.

Breitbart.com ~ Associated Press - Andrew Taylor ** Budget Deficit Drops to $250 Billion

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 3:56 PM EDT

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Mood:  chatty

$1,500 Check Haunts Illinois Governor

For months, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, has been fending off accusations he bungled government programs and awarded jobs and contracts to contributors and cronies. But suddenly, one issue has cut through the clutter: a $1,500 gift to one of his daughters.

The check came from a lifelong Blagojevich friend, and it arrived soon after the friend's wife got a state job.

The governor has said he is unsure whether it was a birthday gift for one daughter or a christening gift for another, but he insisted it had no connection to the job. At the same time, he acknowledged asking his chief of staff to help the woman.

With just weeks to go before Election Day, the $1,500 check has gotten voters' attention in a way some of the other allegations - involving audits, contracts and bureaucratic procedure - haven't.

"People think, 'My kid never got $1,500; there must be something wrong here,'" said Cindi Canary, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

Blagojevich, a Democrat running for a second term, got elected four years ago as a reformer promising to clean up state government, but his administration has been mired in controversy for doling out jobs and contracts to the politically connected.

The race is playing out against a backdrop of political corruption, with convictions at Chicago's City Hall, an FBI raid on Cook County's government offices and the recent sentencing of Blagojevich's predecessor, Republican Gov. George Ryan, to more than six years in prison for graft.

Blagojevich's GOP opponent, Judy Baar Topinka, is using the $1,500 check to paint him as corrupt. She is running an ad that shows Blagojevich fumbling to answer questions about the money. And at a recent debate, her supporters held up huge, fake checks and shouted, "Hooray for birthdays!"

While it is not illegal in itself for Blagojevich's family to accept a gift from a friend, it would be if the money was a thank-you for the new job.

The governor's office initially said the check was a gift for his older daughter, Amy, on her seventh birthday in 2003. Blagojevich later told reporters it might have been a gift for his younger daughter, Annie, who was christened about the same time.

Blagojevich said there is nothing odd about his close friend Michael Ascaridis giving such a large gift. At the same time, pleading a faulty memory, he would not say whether Ascaridis has given similar gifts in the past.

Ascaridis has told the Chicago Tribune, which first reported the gift Sept. 10, that the money had no connection to his wife's new state job.

Still, the notion of a $1,500 check for a child seems fishy to some voters.

"You can go buy her something, or a gift card or whatever," said Matthew Sardo, owner of a Chicago comic book shop.

Chicagoan Robert Douglas said he doesn't believe Blagojevich, especially given Illinois' tawdry history of political corruption.

"Every time I look around, another politician is doing something," the 48-year-old customer service representative said. "Look at George Ryan - they finally caught up with him."

Blagojevich has not been charged with any crime, but U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said this summer that he is investigating "very serious allegations of endemic hiring fraud" in the Blagojevich administration.

Also, the state auditor has issued report after report alleging mismanagement by Blagojevich - including spending $1 million on a prescription-drug program that violates federal law and agreeing to import foreign flu vaccine even after being told the vaccine would not be allowed into the country.

The Blagojevich administration has denied any wrongdoing, saying any management problems were minor flaws in ambitious attempts to improve the lives of Illinoisans. Blagojevich's defenders also note that he helped pass some of the most important ethics legislation in Illinois history.

Pollster Del Ali said the check furor might sway voters in a tight race. But this one isn't close, with the polls sometimes showing Blagojevich with a double-digit lead. "I don't think this thing is going to stick at all," Ali said.

R. O'Donnell, who owns a Chicago media public relations company, said the gift doesn't matter to him, and he plans to vote for Blagojevich.

"His record speaks," O'Donnell said.

News Max.com ~ Associated Press ** $1,500 Check Haunts Illinois Governor

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 3:41 PM EDT

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Mood:  d'oh

Gloria Wise Executives Indicted, Air America Radio

BUSTED

Two Former Nonprofit Execs Arrested Over $$$ Diversions

Finally, some accountability in the Bronx.

After over a year of damning revelations regarding the fishy 2004 transfer of $875,000 in taxpayer funds from the former Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club to the liberal Air America Radio Network, the New York City Department of Investigation has announced the first two indictments in this case.

According to news reports tonight, two former club executives, Charles Rosen and Jeffrey Aulenbach, have been busted for allegedly misappropriating $1.2m in public funds, with the lion's share related to the Air America scam.

To see the DOI's very lengthy findings in PDF form, click here and here.

From CBS News:

Charge: Charity Funds Diverted To Air America

Authorities Say Money Meant For Boys And Girls Club Went To Liberal Radio Network 'Air America'

(CBS/AP/DOI) NEW YORK -- Two former executives at a government-funded youth organization whose finances were scrutinized after it diverted money to the liberal radio network Air America were charged Thursday with misappropriating $1.2 million of the non-profit's funds.

Charles Rosen, a former executive director at the Gloria Wise Comm- unity Center, and his former assistant director, Jeffrey Aulenbach, face charges of grand larceny and obstructing governmental administration. Rosen was also charged with forgery.

New York City's Department of Investigation, which investigated the nonprofit for two years, said the men improperly took more than $290,000 from the organization for their personal use, on top of their already unusually large salaries.

The money -- described in the non-profit's books as business expenses -- went to pay for home renovations and furnishings and new cars, among other things, according to a Department of Investigation report released Thursday.

City investigators said the pair also improperly transferred $875,000 to Air America, which was co-founded by one of Gloria Wise's executives.

At the time, the Gloria Wise center ran a school and youth programs in the Bronx, and was affiliated with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, but most of its money came from government grants and contracts.

The public disclosure of the club's "loan" to Air America prompted heavy criticism and charges of hypocrisy from conservativecommentators in 2005.

Air America blamed the transaction on its former chairman, Evan Montvel-Cohen, who was ousted in 2004 amid questions over the validity of his investments in the network.

Funny, that CBS headline makes it appear that these allegations are new, doesn't it? Here's a trip down memory lane for our MSM friends.

And here's a fresh story from the New York Times:

A city investigation has uncovered wide-spread fraud and mis-management by a 21-year-old Bronx charity that received $9 million a year in city contracts to help children and elderly people.

The charity’s top employees misused $290,000 for personal expenses, like home renovations, furniture and the purchase of a Volvo and a BMW, and its longtime executive director created off- the- books bank accounts, under the guise of supporting youth athletic programs, to give himself and others tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses, according to the city’s Department of Investigation.

Charles Rosen, 63, the former executive director, and Jeffrey Aulenbach, 46, the former deputy director for operations, were arrested and charged today with grand larceny and obstruction of governmental administration. Mr. Rosen, a fixture of Co-op City and a former chairman of the company that manages the giant housing cooperative, was also charged with forgery.

Both men, who resigned last year from the charity, the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club, were expected to plead guilty this afternoon, in State Supreme Court in the Bronx, under an agreement with the state attorney general’s office, which is prosecuting the case.

The investigation, which began with an anonymous tip in 2004, gained momentum last year when it was revealed that the charity had improperly lent $875,000 to Air America Radio, a network known for its liberal programming and its most prominent host, Al Franken, the comedian, actor and writer.

The city immediately cut off payments to the charity and its affiliates, which relied on public money for nearly 80 percent of their budgets.

Two officials at Gloria Wise were directly involved in the radio network, according to the investigation, One of them, Sinohe Terrero, resigned as the charity’s fiscal director in 2003 to join Air America, while the other, Evan Montvel-Cohen, a former fund-raiser for the charity, was instrumental in securing the loans to the network.

Why haven't any past or present Air America executives been indicted, you might ask? Remember, this case is now in the hands of the Criminal Division of the New York State Attorney General's office, so further news developments on this front are a certainty. Given the sheer volume of evidence that the DOI has collected, it's quite curious that former Air America exec Evan Cohen wasn't yet among those indicted, for example.

NOTE TO UNHINGED MOONBATS: we have never accused Al Franken of being involved in the loan swindle itself, what we did prove was that Franken knew about it before he claimed on the air and that he pushed for a huge raise while the company was trying to figure out how to handle the mess, before it became public.

FOR THE LATEST on key Massachusetts races, visit Bay State Showdown, our other site.
ELSEWHERE: at the Media Blog, George Soros flips out.
Images: David A Lunde, Pete at IHillary, Darleen Click
Technorati tags: air america radio bronx new york city doi department of investigation gloria wise scandal al franken radio equalizer cbs mainstream media bay state showdown

The Radio Equalizer ~ Brian Maloney ** Busted

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 12:01 AM EDT

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Mood:  irritated

New Mexican Republican Spokesperson Attacked

The spokeswoman for Republican gubernatorial candidate John Dendahl’s campaign in New Mexico was severely beaten in a roadside incident and was hospitalized in critical condition.

Paige McKenzie was driving to her home north of Albuquerque around 9 p.m. Wednesday night when she got a flat tire and pulled into a bank parking lot in Bernalillo to change her tire, according to Dendahl, who faces Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson in the Nov. 7 election.

She was attacked with a tire iron in the parking lot while changing the tire. Her jaw was shattered and her teeth were splintered.

Paramedics who were across the street from the bank heard her scream, and rushed her to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where a breathing tube was placed in her throat to help her breathe.

Paige’s brother Patrick McKenzie told NewsMax that the flat tire had "apparently been slashed.”

And Dendahl said McKenzie told doctors she thought she recognized her assailant, according to the Albuquerque Tribune.

Bernalillo police are investigating the attack, and Gov. Richardson has offered state police resources to help.

County Sheriff Darren White described the attack as "really horrible.  She’s lucky to be alive.”

Paige McKenzie worked for NewsMax beginning in November 2003, writing book reviews and serving in the marketing department, before departing in October 2004.

News Max.com ** New Mexican Republican Spokesperson Attacked
Also at: KRQE News 13 Albuquerque, NM ** Dendahl aide beaten severely

This brutal beating of an innocent cutie is too infuriating for me to comment.

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 5:34 PM EDT

Updated: Thursday, 5 October 2006 6:08 PM EDT

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Mood:  chatty

Full Image: The National Security Agency (NSA) logo is shown on a computer screen inside the Threat Operations Center at the NSA in Fort Meade, Maryland, January 25, 2006. The U.S. government can continue to use its warrantless domestic wiretap program pending the Justice Department's appeal of a federal judge's ruling outlawing the program, a U.S. Appeals Court in Cincinnati ruled on Wednesday.

Court says eavesdropping program can continue

CHICAGO -- The government can continue to use its warrantless domestic wiretap program pending the Justice Department's appeal of a federal judge's ruling outlawing the program, an Appeals Court in Cincinnati ruled on Wednesday.

The ruling overturned District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor's decision last week to deny a lengthy stay in the case, which is expected to end up with the Supreme Court.

In August, Taylor ruled that the National Security Agency's five-year-old surveillance program, implemented as part of the government's war on terrorism, violates the civil rights of Americans.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit in March on behalf of scholars, attorneys, journalists and non-profit groups that regularly communicate with people in the Middle East.

Reuters ** Court says eavesdropping program can continue

Well, it seems that Judge Diggs-Taylor has been overturned, as it should have been. The ACLU's judge-shopping efforts came to naught.

Poor Judge Diggs-Taylor, it looks like her work for her friends at the ACLU may possibly be undone. I wonder if her upcomming lawsuit with yet another organization that she has financial ties to will console her any.

Posted by yaahoo_06iest at 4:29 PM EDT

Updated: Thursday, 5 October 2006 4:34 PM EDT

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