During the miserable trench warfare of WWI, a night of humanity offered some hope of peace. Arthur Conan Doyle called it “one human episode amid all the atrocities.” If Christmas means anything, it surely means this:
Christmas Day, 1914
My dear sister Janet,
It is 2:00 in the morning and most of our men are asleep in their dugouts—yet I could not sleep myself before writing to you of the wonderful events of Christmas Eve. In truth, what happened seems almost like a fairy tale, and if I hadn’t been through it myself, I would scarce believe it. Just imagine: While you and the family sang carols before the fire there in London, I did the same with enemy soldiers here on the battlefields of France!
Don’t you love it when you find out that your tax dollars are actually being put to good use? I felt great when I heard that the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission (WMSRDC)—a federal- and state-designated agency that is responsible for managing and administrating the homeland security program in Montcalm County and 12 other counties—recently purchased 13 snow cone machines at a cost of $11,700 and transferred them to the counties. There is nothing like an Arctic Blast Sno-Cone machine to stop a terrorist in Michigan dead in his tracks—or to foil a terrorist plot in that state, doncha know?
Still, some officials in Michigan are being asked to explain the purchase of the machines, which were funded by a grant from the Michigan Homeland Security Program. Only one county requested a machine—but all 13 counties received them. It’s good to know that DHS was thinking of the safety of all the counties and not just the one that had the wisdom to request an ice-shaving machine.
Well, members of the Montcalm County Board of Commissioners wondered why the county needed a snow cone machine. They wanted to know the justification for its purchase. According to an article in The Daily News, “The Michigan Homeland Security Grant Program’s Allowable Cost Justification document, dated May 9, 2011, says the snow cone machines can make ice to prevent heat-related illnesses during emergencies, treat injuries and provide snow cones as an outreach at promotional events.”
Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty(rafflaw)-Guest Blogger
The term is one that is familiar to all of us. The First Amendment gives all citizens the right of Freedom of Speech and the right to assemble. Simple enough, right? Evidently it is not so simple in the State of California. Recently, members of Occupy Los Angeles were arrested while making full use of their First Amendment rights and after posting a $5,000 bond to get out of jail, were offered a deal to avoid a trial. The Free Speech defendants were told that if they took a class offered by a private company for the mere cost of $355.00, they would not have to go to court for a trial.
At first glance that offer sounds reasonable. Just what is the “class” all about? “For $355, protesters can pay a private company for lessons in free speech. American Justice Associates offers the educational program taught by an attorney – Neil G. Anderson – a former police officer and Supervising Deputy District Attorney for Sacramento County, and his partner attorney Deborah Bryce McKinley of Atlanta, GA.” Crooks and LiarsContinue reading “The Irony of Free Speech in California”→
It’s Christmastime again and since my childhood, long ago, the Frank Capra film “It’s A Wonderful Life” has been shown time and again in this season, providing a message of redemption, hope and joy that we associate with this time of year. You all know the plot about selfless George Bailey (James Stewart) a man who has sacrificed his dreams for others and because of his selflessness winds up running the Bailey Building and Loan Association, of Bedford Falls, NY. Because of George this institution has provided home loans for the poor of this rural community and serves as its bank. With the Company on the verge of bankruptcy, through duplicity, George is on the verge of suicide distraught over the losses to those he loves and worried by needs of the average people of his town. You all know this plot and if you don’t its summary is here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Wonderful_Life#Plot . I must warn you, perhaps it’s the time of year but I choked up reading the plot, yet again, as I do every time I see this beloved movie.
This introduction has not been made because I’m about to write about banks, or the depredations of the banking industry. Others here and our host have already written extensively on the predatory nature of the banking industry and the harm it has caused to our country. My point of this opening is that we have all grown up with certain mythologies about businesses that provide financial services to the public. This film has had a place in defining that American mythology, in this instance about a bank of sorts, whose leader believes in aiding the community first and profits second. Myths shape our thinking and from my youth I still remember the ad slogan “You have a friend at Chase Manhattan”.
We’ve discovered that banks are anything but our friends. Their bottom line has surpassed service to the point that each customer is looked at as a “cash cow”, to be plundered incessantly with usurious interest and fees for what should be free services. But what about “You’re in Good Hands with Allstate”, “Nationwide Is On Your Side”, or “Like A Good Neighbor State Farm is There”? Surely the Insurance industry supplies the safety net we want for our homes and cars. Do they? Last week I was sent an article by the Independent Claims Adjuster handling my interminable case for mold damage to my home. He’s helping greatly so this isn’t about me, but the article he sent certainly puts into context all the delays in the process and how property insurance companies are maximizing their profits at the expense of their customers. Continue reading “The Real Insurance Frauds”→
Gingrich At Republican Breakfast With Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. Is that a little egg I see on you face, Newt?
A Wednesday breakfast attended by the cream of Virginia’s Republican Party apparently won’t substitute for the required 10,000 signatures needed to qualify for this year’s Virginia Presidential Primary. Gingrich had assured the assembled dignitaries, including Virginia governor Bob McDonnell, that he had 12 to 14 thousand signatures granting him a ticket along with Mitt Romney and Ron Paul to the sweepstakes. Apparently, he doesn’t.
The lapse is a bit curious since Gingrich and his wife Callista are long-time McLean, Virginia residents, and are active in all things Northern Virginia including both politics and the community band. Callista plays the French Horn. No word on Newt’s musical talent. (I think he plays the gong.)
Virginia election officials rejected the petition since the required 10,000 signatures were lacking. The move is particularly embarrassing since Gingrich had been privately assuring Virginia Republican Party donors that his organizational troubles stemming from a very public exodus of staff in June were over and it was full steam ahead.
Rick Perry’s petition met the same fate as Newt’s with the numbers lacking. For his part, McDonnell has been mum on his endorsement. Often mentioned as a Republican Vice-Presidential candidate (which he has done nothing to quash), the Governor has been courted, but is yet to pick a horse in the field. With this latest political turn, it’s a better than even bet he won’t be selecting a favorite son candidate.
The news is particularly devastating for Newt who’s been touting his broad appeal among conservative voters beyond Iowa. It seems even paid staffers weren’t enough to canvass the Old Dominion in search of 10,000 signatories, and in Virginia that’s strange.
Once regarded as a reliably red state, Virginia has been trending purple as it propelled Obama’s election to the presidency in 2008 and has elected two moderate Democratic US senators. This latest snafu could be an organizational lapse, or it might be that the winds of changing are blowing in this bellweather state, or it may simply be that the folks who know Newt best aren’t buying.
When I was telling a female worker from another company that my company gave away poinsettia plants every year as Christmas gifts to a few, randomly selected employees, she told me that poinsettias were poisonous. I had not heard that before and asked some other employees and they said they had heard the same thing.
Yesterday, we discussed the latest example of a man arrested after posting an incriminating picture on Facebook. He is now joined on this list of alleged Facebook felons by Willie Davis Hines Jr., 23, of San Bernardino County. He was arrested after publishing an account of his beating his pregnant girlfriend, who later died.
Scientists in England have declared the tune below to be the most relaxing tune in the history of human civilization. Aside from the expected lawsuit from Kenny G, the claim is based on a study of 40 women (no men) that selected the tune over pieces by Enya, Mozart and Coldplay. The claim is that “Weightless” can produce a trance-like calm. Much like Gingrich at a Tea Party Convention. Continue reading “The Most Relaxing Tune Ever Or Really Bad Elevator Music?”→
We have previously seen the trend of people who post on sites like Facebook and then find the postings used as evidence against them. The latest is Andre Curry, 21, who was charged Tuesday with aggravated domestic battery after he posted a photo of his 1-year-old daughter bound in duct tape on Facebook.
During the miserable trench warfare of WWI, a night of humanity offered some hope of peace. Arthur Conan Doyle called it “one human episode amid all the atrocities.” If Christmas means anything, it surely means this:
