Sunday, June 02, 2013

Ever stop to ask why they are attempting to protect the privacy of the dead?

It isn't as though Wall Street doesn't get special treatment. There have been many, many bills that have shielded special interests from prosecution and otherwise. It is safe to say there are many finding it FASHIONABLE to craft legislation to nullify prosecutable actions against special interests.

So, what is the big deal here, when families want their privacy to protect the dignity of their loved ones. It is not reasonable to ask the government to protect the memories of the dead in the way the families want them to be remembered?

Something underhanded in the fact there are so many dead people at an elementary school? I mean there was no plan to carry it out by the authorities. The authorities, you know, the folks writing the bill. I mean it isn't as if there was corrupt government involved.

So, the entire protestation of the Press regarding this issue has to focus on why the authorities believe it is necessary to shield the families from their further grief from a Press that understands respect for life and the dignity of the dead.

Or does the Press still practice the ethics of decency? That is the real question here, isn't it? It isn't as though the public doesn't understand what occurred at Sandy Hook. The real question is would this legislation at all be necessary if there were a Press that didn't exploit the memories held by loved ones of a dead child for sensationalism.

I think the real problem in all these clashes between the Press and government is not so much about disclosure, it is about how information is used and who it hurts that should not be hurt.

That form of exploitation is called indecency.

Given the current media climate, the legislators in Connecticut are obligated to protect the victims of the violence from that day. The victims and their families are not elected. They have done nothing to deserve any pain in their lives. There was a time when the Press discerned the difference.

This is a prime example of the Press destroying the trust between the people and the practice of journalism. It is time for the USA Press to realize how much they have destroyed their own practice

I think the Public Trust when it comes to journalism is in retreat. When lies are tolerated and even propagated, cover ups become expected as in the Texas explosion, lives and property are endangered and even national security is disregarded, it is safe to say the Press is way over the lie of decency and being worthy of any trust at all.

Transparency has it's place, but, it isn't in insulting the decency and privacy people long for in their lives. This isn't Paris Hilton or whoever is fashionably the gossip. It would be good if that line were returned to the lives of average Americans. I would think this far less an ethics issue with a Press that actually cared about itself as well as the people they are suppose to seek as partners.

There is no ethics violation in Connecticut, except, if one wants to count those violated by the Press whom doesn't know how to say "No." to itself.

The protect the integrity of the legislation simply add a sundown provision of seventy years to any prohibition of the Freedom of Information Act.

5/28/2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Sonny Albarado, SPJ National President, 501.551.8811, spjsonny@gmail.com
Ellen Kobe, SPJ Communications Coordinator, 317.927.8000 ext. 205, ekobe@spj.org


INDIANAPOLIS — SPJ National President (click here) Sonny Albarado and SPJ Connecticut President Jodie Mozdzer Gil teamed up Thursday to write Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy a letter questioning the state’s secrecy in creating a bill that would exempt any Sandy Hook massacre records from the state's open records law. SPJ stands against the decision to withhold public information about the Newtown, Conn., shootings.

The letter was in response to a May 22 article by The Hartford Courant, which revealed that the governor’s office has been working secretly with legislative leaders and the state's top prosecutor to deny access to documents related to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 children and six women died on Dec. 14. Under the legislation, government officials could withhold death certificates of anyone who died at the school, unless the request is made by a member of the victim's spouse, adult child, parent, adult sibling or legal guardian.

Albarado and Gil wrote, “The Society condemns the creation of this legislation outside the normal, transparent process of public hearings and debate. And we deplore the attempt to use the tragic events of Dec. 14 as an excuse to close off access to records that are otherwise available to the public.”...

The annual rainfall for Oklahoma City as of 2012 was 33.4 inches.

June 1, 2013
by B. White and Chase Thomason

...For May 2013, (click here) the city of Oklahoma City received a new record of 14.52 inches of rain. On average, the month of May sees 4.65 inches of rain, so OKC nearly tripled that this year.

I suggest the US Army Corp be sought to provide an opinion to the causes of the accumulation of water in areas that caused deaths and flash flooding. It would be prudent to find a way to build some culverts. There are some that come pre-fab and ready to install.

The water simply has to flow downhill in a gradual grade to a basin of some kind. A manmade lake or to a lake(s) that already exist.

The lakes should be dredged to make them deeper if necessary, but, only if they proved to flood themselves.

The speed of the rainfall and how fast it had to be dissipated to protect citizen's lives will have to be determined to engineer the proper system, but, it is doable.

That clay does not provide good foundation for road and bridges. The structures have to stand on their own. It just crumbles and washes out. This is with drought conditions, too. All those modifications to living in Oklahoma City and the surrounding towns should prove to be rather interesting public works projects.




This is Oklahoma Red Clay. Imagine that. It is pliable enough to make religious decorations, but, not pliable enough to dig a basement to a house.

That is hand carved. Hand carved. You've got to be joking to realize the people of Oklahoma actually believes basements and storm cellars are unattainable.

Where did all that 'mind speak' propaganda come from?

Using Oklahoma Red Clay (click here) hand-dug and found locally on or near Route 66, these crosses are made using a slab roller and a doiley. Each cross is hand rolled, cut, cleaned, fired, stained, fired again, then waxed. No two will be exactly alike, slight variations in shape and patterns. They make great gifts, and are a fun way for people to contribute to the preservation of Route 66. Size varies but is approximately 4.5”h x 3”w and come with a sturdy hemp cord hanger....

Clay soils often have drainage problems, but, then that is a matter of engineering. These soils can be mixed with top soil to grow plants. Organic matter can be introduced for a productive garden. The red color comes from iron. You know, Iron, Fe. Most of the circles I travel in recognize that as a nutrient. Too much might be an issue, but, that is why local home improvement stores sell top soil.

This is what the country wants.

In this May 28, 2013, (click here) photo, President Barack Obama reacts to his introduction by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in Asbury Park, N.J. 

One major principle of Obama's presidency that his foes love to hate - that government, when it works right, can be best-equipped to aid and protect Americans is finding fresh currency among some Republicans. 

Obama walked side by side Christie, a fiscal conservative who has shown no patience for massive government spending except when it comes to billions in federal aid for his state after Superstorm Sandy. In fact, it was Christie and other Northeast Republicans who blasted members of their own party for insisting that Federal Emergency Management Agency aid be offset by cuts elsewhere in the federal budget. Photo: Mel Evans

Is there something wrong here? Is there something that is written stating these men can't be friends, quite possibly for life. Trauma Bonds are known to last a lifetime. Maybe on Labor Day they'll bring the family, too.

Look at the faces of the folks in the picture. Are they allowed to love their leaders, to truth them and entrust them.

May 28, 2013
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (click here) won a stuffed teddy bear for President Barack Obama while the duo toured the Jersey Shore boardwalk as a break from surveilling the recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy....


And that is another thing. President Obama is not a fiscal conservative? Really? I thought his most recent budget deficit was reduced drastically through the addition of needed revenue to the USA Treasury. He returned the USA tax structure from being exploited to where it is finally functioning for the nation and that is not a fiscal conservative? No? It sure as heck isn't a tax and spend anything, hello!

When Governor Christi came to the federal legislature it wasn't to ask a tax and spend Democratic Senate to make a slush fund for him. He asked to help rebuild his state. That isn't a fiscal conservative? No? He wanted to return his state's economy as quickly as possible so there was no long term financial impact and deficit and that is not a fiscal conservative? Ah, yeah, it is.

I think the definition of fiscal conservative as it is CLAIMED by the GOP is depraved. That depraved social definition is directly the work of a cooperative and Wall Street focused Press.

Does anyone actually know what being a fiscal conservative is? Well, maybe next week.

By now, it should be easy to see the connection.

The Press wants complete freedom to practice its trade, but, look at the result. The dirtier the relationship between the Press and the GOP the more danger to citizen's lives. It is palpable.

This isn't responsible practice, this is selling out. What is it going to take to make the practice of journalism return to ethical content that protects the lives of Americans rather throws them away to benefit cronies.


A police officer offers directions to a driver leaving the heavily damaged supply yard for Castus Drilling Company on State Highway 66 in El Reno, Okla.

June 2, 2013
...In northwestern South Carolina, (click here) authorities checked unconfirmed reports of a tornado, said Jessica Ashley, a shift supervisor for Anderson County's 911 center. The fire department responded to a report of roof damage to a home and callers said trees were blown over. No injuries were reported.

The weather service said thunderstorms and winds in excess of 60 mph in Vermont produced 1-inch-diameter hail and knocked down numerous trees and wires. In northern Maine, radar picked up a line of thunderstorms capable of producing quarter-sized hail and winds stronger than 70 mph. Forecasters warned of tornadoes.

The prediction for stormy weather in the New York City region produced delays at major airports. John F. Kennedy International Airport had delays of about two hours on departing flights, while La Guardia Airport was delayed nearly three hours, and Newark Liberty Airport was delayed more than three hours on arriving flights to New Jersey....

If this is the kind of political affiliations journalists want while calling it benefiting the public. Man, you are killing us.

I thought it was clearly stated, as a follow up to his previous statement about national security.


The entitlement has to stop and I would think after the latest experience with the GOP it would be obvious.

Manipulating the news media is a vital part of the GOP assault against the citizen. If the news media is in sync with the political message all is well with the world.

If there is a prime example of crony politics with media support is the co-conspirator James Rosen. He was deeply associated with GOP lies and corruption. The events surrounding the outing of the CIA was astounding access and involvement by a journalist.

To appreciate how deep Rosen was involved with GOP elections realize he was more involved with rewriting history than recording it.

By Felix Gillette 
...Mr. Rosen (click here) said that he will address the whole of Mr. Mitchell’s life but is most interested in clearing up his subject’s actual role in Watergate. “John Mitchell denied to the day he died that he ordered the Watergate break-in,” said Mr. Rosen. “It’s going to be a controversial book because I will come to a different conclusion on who ordered the break-in, why, what it’s purpose was and who was the real mastermind of the coverup.”
Spoiler alert: It wasn’t Mr. Mitchell. “Oscar Wilde said that our lone duty to history is continually to rewrite it,” said Mr. Rosen.
As it turned out, however, rewriting history took a touch longer than expected. Mr. Rosen said he has been “slaving away” on the book for the past 17 years. His obsession with the subject dates back even longer....
One of the deepest passions of the GOP is to rewrite Nixon's Watergate. The party is convinced there needs to be a real truth no one has ever reported. Seventeen years is a long time for dedication to a subject which is suppose to be a biography only to have it to be a re-write of history.
Mr. Rosen was a researcher for Dan Rather. Investigative journalism came easy to him. He would be recruited by FOX for on air commentary. The die was cast. Rosen was now an advertisement for FOX, if the GOP needed a dedicated person to trust James Rosen would be their man. 
Such journalists write lies as reality until the lies are lone reality enforced by exclusion of all else. The status quo, public order, should never be disturbed, the USA economy thrives on it.
Nothing was more clear. Rosen was a journalist bound by a sacred trust to keep sources out of the action. He could be trusted and then came the man who was President running for a second term.
It is nearly laughable if it weren't so serious. President Obama stated the USA was safe or safer than before and the GOP had to prove him a liar and worse than Richard Nixon to remain in office. Rosen's only fact to bring forward in proof of his theory involved outing a CIA agent and endangering the public at the Olympics. Oddly, enough, it was the Olympics that Romney hung his hat as a man that could turn around any downturn. Amazing. Rosen actually compromised the very event Romney was stumping to the public. What kind of a mess was that?
But, what is really astounding is that Rosen and his 'friends' had to go that far to find a fact that would call President Obama a liar. The danger wasn't even in the USA, it was London. A plane was the closest Rosen and his source could get to making it all happen. Overthrow of a popular President was near.
Oh, but, no he isn't a co-conspirator, he is a tried and true journalist. Tainted with perspective and known to be trusted with other breaches of security compliments of Stephen Jin-Woo Kim there is absolutely no conspiracy at all. 
What do you call a man known to publish any aspect of information no matter the source, no matter the danger to the public, no matter the danger to world order? A newsman? No. You call him what he, a co-conspirator.
This is profound entitlement known as corruption and it has existed far too long. This breach in national security cries for attention and the Obama administration are the best people to handle it. At least this administration believes in Freedom of the Press, even if it stops at national security.

This is an example of GOP hubris. It provides a platform for some of the best tabloid news on Earth.




If the Democrats ever made empty and irresponsible comments such as this by Mr. Issa, they would be smeared from one end of the day to the next.

Mr. Issa has no proof for any of his statements, but, he makes them anyway. The people of his district will think he is the best thing that happened while making up his own facts. Like. What the heck? Then I wonder why the people in Oklahoma are the victim of dangerous storms. This mess these folks call government has got to go. They actively accept danger in their lives as if they don't understand it can and should be better.

If anyone is a paid liar it is you, Mr. Issa. That is a fact. There is not a word of truth stated here. Mr. Issa, at this point, needs to retract his statements and find job creation a priority instead.

The GOP has problems and the people in these states need help out of their ditch. No joke.

It is not a surprise at this point that I find the negligence of government a reason for the deaths affiliated with Global Warming Storms.

The populous within these Congressional Districts are used to a do nothing government where people live by their wits and never really know what it coming tomorrow.

The only reality in life they can count on is being patronized for votes and a life of hard knocks. The people don't receive services. They are on their own and rely on the compassion of others to recover from any adversity. They don't have state sponsored disability to pick up support during times of injury or illness regardless the cause. If the employers don't supply a disability benefit, then they are out of luck. So, besides losing their homes to a tornado, if they sustained injuries they won't have an income either.

I am quite confident when Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey and New York, those afflicted by injury or illness received a state sponsored financial support to continue a cash amount into the family at least once per week.

The exception in Oklahoma is if your employer is the state. The qualifying event has to disable a person for at least 30 days before a dime is paid to them.

Disability benefits (click here) begin no earlier than the date you first receive treatment or advice from a qualified physician. This date must be followed by a continuous absence from work, due to your disability, for 30 consecutive calendar days (the elimination period).

I would fully expect the profession valuing this service would seek new standards of the practice.

For me, it is fairly straight forward. Get underground. This dynamic is not necessary if society conducts itself well and to the benefit of citizens. However, I have heard Oklahoma news commentators state the stormchasers are vital to information to the public. If this level of danger is going to remain in American lives and the Stormchaser profession continues to add to the best outcomes, then the profession has to be defined, licensed and 'pay for hire' to those finding them important to the broadcast.



June 2, 2013
by Gregg Zoroya

The adrenaline-soaked thrill (click here) of stalking a twister is best displayed by the countless videos spawned when storms approach -- jittery images from a hand-held camera with the breathless voice-over of a storm chaser in the background.

But Friday night those voices turned to panic. Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Betsy Randolph says she could hear the audio from storm chasers trapped on Oklahoma highways as a tornado bore down.


"They were screaming, 'We're going to die, we're going to die,' " she recalls. "There was just no place to go. There was no place to hide."


The burgeoning community of storm chasers was shaken over the weekend by news that one of their most esteemed members, veteran storm chaser Tim Samaras, 55, along with his son, Paul Samaras, 24, and chase partner Carl Young, 45, were killed by a tornado in El Reno that packed winds of up to 165 mph. They were among 10 killed in storms Friday in Oklahoma.


The storm chasers' deaths have cast into stark relief the hazards for those who choose to place themselves near lethal tornadoes....

My sympathies to the families, friends and profession. They gave their lives to help others.

These gentlemen lost their lives in the very early stages of the tornado outbreak. It was highly volatile. The best professionals were being alarmed and surprised by that storm. It had everyone confounded and this was a tragedy that was inevitable with such a high energy storm.

Tornado chaser Tim Samaras shows the probes he uses when trying to collect data from a tornado. This photo was taken May 26, 2006, in Ames, Iowa.

...On Friday (click here) during one of those missions, Samaras, along with his 24-year-old son Paul and his friend 45-year-old Carl Young were caught by the large tornado that tore through El Reno, Okla....

Five died, we don't need any more of this.

By Bryan Farha
June 2, 2013

...Far more people (click here) opted for the automobile choice than the meteorologists could have ever expected. Cars were pouring onto I-35 by the thousands, backing up traffic at every on-ramp. I don’t know exactly how slow traffic was, but I know we were either stopped or traveling less than 5 miles per hour a significant part of the way. It was as frustrating as it could get. Making the situation worse was the slowed traffic that already existed due to the monster twister that hit Moore, Oklahoma just eleven days prior. Moore is about 2/3 the way between Oklahoma City and Norman. So it was a double-whammy. It was now questionable if traffic could get far enough south in time....
It's Sunday Night



"Find Out Who Your Friends Are" by Tracy Lawrence (click here for website)

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare

This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn't know
This is where the truth don't lie

You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?' or 'it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who your friends are

Everybody wants to slap your back
wants to shake your hand
when you're up on top of that mountain
But let one of those rocks give way then you slide back down look up 
and see who's around then

This ain't where the road comes to an end
This ain't where the bandwagon stops
This is just one of those times when
A lot of folks jump off


You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?' or 'it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who your friends are

When the water's high
When the weather's not so fair
When the well runs dry
Who's gonna be there?

You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?' or 'it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who your friends are

You find out who your friends are
(yeah, yeah)
You find out who your friends are

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
(Well man, I've been there)
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare
(Man, I've been there)

Man, I've been there
Oooh yeah.

According to the Ms. Blackburn women don't need help securing their pay rate.




Evidently, women believe they don't only need to have their incomes assured to them by the federal government, but, the state government as well. Marsha Blackburn is rhetorical. She has nothing to say. She takes up space in the US House and empty minutes on talk shows.
For a decade, Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, has been trying to pass a bill in Texas that would give women an opportunity to file an equal-pay lawsuit.
On the last night that the Texas Senate could hear House bills, House Bill 950, the Lilly Ledbetter Act, passed narrowly with a 17-14 vote.
“It’s like going into labor and the doctor says, ‘It’s time to make this delivery,’” said Thompson after her bill passed late Wednesday. “Women are always the last persons to get rights that other people have had for ages.”
If Gov. Rick Perry signs the bill, Texas will be one of 43 states to pass the act, which brings states into accordance with a United States Supreme Court decision that determines that the statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit begins at the date that the pay was agreed upon....

The Democrats did themselves proud and now there are 43 states currently as enthusiastic as they were that first day.
The GOP has no ideas. Marsha Blackburn makes the same statements and have been making the same statements since President Obama has been elected. It is the same ole', same ole' because they have no ideas.

The nation reaffirmed their confidence in President Obama in 2012, yet she voted along with all the other House Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act. It's ridiculous. They have no ideas, they simply stand on the same nonsense since time began.

WASHINGTON — The online sales tax issue (click here) has not only divided Tennessee Republicans, but in at least one case, it also has put a lawmaker and her campaign contributors on opposite sides.

Sen. Lamar Alexander and Rep. Marsha Blackburn, both Republicans, offer the best example....

...For her 2014 re-election, Black has already received $6,000 from the PAC of Wal-Mart, which not only supports the bill but is one of the corporations most vocal in doing so.

Those that support the measure and gave to her 2012 race include Kroger ($2,000), Lowe’s ($3,500), The Home Depot ($7,500) and Wal-Mart ($6,000).

Black, who Friday remained undecided, could face other pressures as well. She was part of the tea party freshman class of 2011, and one of the most vocal lobbying groups associated with the tea party, Freedom Works, strongly opposes the Marketplace Fairness Act.

“An online sales tax would amount to nothing more than a bailout of brick-and-mortar stores. America has had enough bailouts,” the group says....

Oops. We need to put back three and add at least one more. It is just the latest form of obstructionism. It is all Bull-(m)oney

The Bears like to make the investment. Bulls like to take the money and run. Plenty of room for political investment to make it happen.

Bought and paid for, to hell with the citizen.
May 30, 2013
By JOE PATRICE
The appellate court (click here) facing the most complex workload in the country is also tiny and overworked. Only the First Circuit has fewer active slots, and with three vacancies, the D.C. Circuit has fewer judges than its sibling courts with 11 active judges.
So it should come as no surprise that some senators are actively trying to shrink the D.C. Circuit.
The crux of their beef is that actually filling the three vacancies on the court would constitute court packing, because no one on the Hill has bothered to pick up an AP U.S. History textbook and figure out what “court packing” means.
But when you strip away the partisan stupidity and actually look at the numbers, there’s a really good argument in favor of “court packing” because this Circuit could use an extra judge or two…

Bear cubs are nurtured by their mothers for at least a year and a half with a strong sense of family before striking out on their own. Momma bear's focus for her young is safety and education while providing a territory with ample food, including during lean times where one can find nuts and berries. The female territory is usually close to home within a 2 miles radius, while the male roams up to a range of 100 miles. Hard to believe these adults started out as an 8 ounce newborn deserving of survival.