MINING LEGISLATION UPDATE - TOM TIFFANY

From: Sen.Tiffany [mailto:Sen.Tiffany@legis.wisconsin.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 9:15 AM
To: northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com
Feel free to publish it in your newsletter. 

TT

Subject: RE: Mining Legislation Update

Hi—thank you for sharing the letter from Senator Jauch.  Monday March 11th was a very good day for the people of the state of Wisconsin.  With Governor Walker’s signature, we took the next step in putting the miner on the flag of the state of Wisconsin back to work.  For over 40 years, except a brief interlude in the 90’s, mining has not been allowed to help pull the load  in the Badger State.

Act 1 is truly a 21st Century Mining Bill.  Concerns about mining from decades ago are well-founded.  However, our know-how and technology is exponentially better than 50 years ago.  My favorite example is where my excursion boat operates on the Wisconsin River.  The Rhinelander paper mill used to befoul the river 50 years ago with sludge and other toxic pollutants.   Now we showcase loons and eagles and nature’s majesty on that very same stretch of the river.

I believe mining is in a very similar place as the paper industry was 50 years ago.  With advancements in knowledge and technology, heavy industry CAN coexist in a modern economy.

Having said the above, I am not going to dispel every misrepresentation in Senator Jauch’s letter.  I am simply going to point you to a few portions of the bill.  You and your friends decide what you choose to believe.

On page 31 of the Legislative Council memo from January 14th under Groundwater Quality the memo states, “The bill does not modify numerical groundwater quality standards and surface water quality standards”.  In the Legislative Reference Bureau overview they say, “This bill incorporates all of the functional values and criteria that are contained in the DNR rules for water quality standards for wetlands”.  Both Legislative Council and the Legislative Reference Bureau are non-partisan agencies representing the legislature.  They CANNOT take a side in writing and reviewing legislation.

I challenge any of your friends to review Chapter 140 of the natural resources rules that cover groundwater emissions and tell me they do not apply in Act 1.  We put the numerical standards in current law, whether air, surface water and groundwater in Act 1.

The problem in current law can be summed up in a sentence from Page 3 of the previously mentioned Legislative Council memo, “Current law does not provide a deadline by which an application will be considered complete”.  In other words, there is no certainty that an application will ever be deemed complete.  How do we expect any company to consider doing business in Wisconsin if there is no deadline to receive an answer?  That is why we put in a ~3 year process for a permit to be reviewed.

Now to a few of the bombastic claims the good Senator from the 25th leveled at me and others:

 Act 1 will allow adverse environmental impacts.  Yes, I did say that but so does current law.  How can you have a mine without having environmental impacts?   The key is to limit the impacts--which is required under the bill.  Furthermore, if the standard is going to be no environmental impacts, are we going to stop building roads?  Does Senator Jauch propose shuttering the paper industry?  Should the Monona Terrace have ever been built when the good people of Madision decided to fill in 1.5 acres of Lake Monona to build it? 

Gogebic Taconite is an out-of-state West Virginia coal company that has environmental problems at its coal operations in Illinois.  Since there are no mines in Wisconsin, is it surprising that an out-of-state company is seeking  to re-start mining in Wisconsin?  In Minnesota, two of the four companies operating on the Iron Range are foreign interests.  Do opponents of mining prefer we seek out foreign companies for Wisconsin mining? 

Gogebic Taconite’s owners took over an Illinois coal operation that had been shuttered for a few years at the REQUEST of the state of Illinois.  The mine had environmental problems from a PREVIOUS owner.  The company agreed to work with Illinois EPA to resolve the environmental problems that existed PRIOR to GTac’s owners acquiring the mine.  In fact they have sunk dozens of wells to identify the extent of the groundwater contamination and have worked diligently with Illinois EPA to resolve the problem.  Senator Jauch’s nasty allegation tells very little of the real story.  Is it any wonder Wisconsin has had a bad reputation for job creators with such misinformation being disseminated by elected representatives?

I wrote the Iron Ore Mining Bill.  Did I seek information from people involved in the mining industry, yes, but I also met with many groups throughout the process the last two years including environmental groups, regulatory agencies including in Michigan and Minnesota, Indian tribes and many others.  In talking to long time Madison observers, this was one of the most thoroughly debated issues in recent memory.

I understand some are simply opposed to mining.  But, I challenge those opponents to show where Wisconsin’s current numeric environmental standards are changed.  I will be happy to discuss the examples they find.

Finally, I believe in a prosperous society like ours, we have an ethical obligation to produce some of which we consume.  Are we going to continue to out-source our manufacturing to foreign countries that have less stringent environmental regulations than us?  If so, maybe it is time we put giant wind turbines on the West Coast to blow southeast Asia’s emissions back to them.  As a kid, I was encouraged to think globally and act locally.  Act 1 is a perfect example of the people of Wisconsin acting locally to do what is best for our planet.

You are welcome to forward this message to others.  I welcome calls anytime to discuss this issue.

Senator Tom Tiffany

Northwoods Patriots - Standing up for Faith, Family, Country - northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com

DISABILITY AND FRAUD - PROBABLY

Unwilling to work; 25% in Hale County AL collect disability, 14 million nationwide; a simple solution

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/mikeshedlock/2013/03/28/unwilling-to-work-25-in-hale-county-al-collect-disability-14-million-nationwide-a-simple-solution-n1550934/page/full/

Townhall - Mike Shedlock - 3/31/2013

The Disability Deal

Getting disability seems easy enough in some states, and especially easy in Hale County Alabama. But is disability better than minimum wage? The answer is yes. NPR author Chana Joffe-Walt explains:

People who leave the workforce and go on disability qualify for Medicare, the government health care program that also covers the elderly. They also get disability payments from the government of about $13,000 a year. This isn't great. But if your alternative is a minimum wage job that will pay you at most $15,000 a year, and probably does not include health insurance, disability may be a better option.

Going on disability means you will not work, you will not get a raise, you will not get whatever meaning people get from work. Going on disability means, assuming you rely only on those disability payments, you will be poor for the rest of your life. That's the deal. And it's a deal 14 million Americans have signed up for.

Disability has become a de facto welfare program for people without a lot of education or job skills.

One easy way to eliminate some of the fraud would be to put someone in charge of making a case for the other side. No, we do not need new Federal programs. All we need do is "Un-end Welfare as We Know It".

If states had any incentive to stop disability fraud, we would not have so much of it. Make states responsible for a large portion of disability claims just as they are for welfare, and the number of people collecting disability will collapse.

Northwoods Patriots - Standing up for Faith, Family, Country - northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com

CONSTITUENTS HURT BY DEMOCRATS

5 GROUPS OF OBAMA VOTERS THAT ARE BEING CRUSHED BY DEMOCRATS

http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2013/03/30/5-groups-of-obama-voters-that-are-being-crushed-by-democrats-n1553230/page/full/

Townhall – John Hawkins – 3/30/2013

WHERE IS TRANSPARENCY THAT RESULTS IN FREEDOM AND LIBERTY?

Hollywood, the mainstream media and the public school system are all almost entirely controlled by people and groups friendly to the Democrat Party. Yet and still, even with that almost overwhelming advantage, Democrats can't do any better than a rough parity with the Republicans. If the tables were turned and the GOP controlled what you see on TV, in the news and what your kids are taught at school the same way the Democrats do, the Republican Party would win every presidential election and would permanently maintain unassailable majorities in Congress.

So, why aren't the Democrats running away with every election? Because selling Democrat policies is like Coca-Cola's marketing team trying to sell the public on rat spit in a bottle. Since they can't sell their product, they spend all their time convincing the public that the little Republican girls down the street selling lemonade probably spit in it when their mothers aren't looking. Sadly, this tactic works pretty well and a lot of Democrats end up voting for people who are ruining their lives.

1) BLACK AMERICANS: Over the last few decades, no group has been more fiercely loyal to the Democrats than black Americans. Typically, the Democrats capture 90% of the black vote nationwide. However, it's worth asking what black Americans actually get out of that deal. Sure, if you're Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton or Touré, it's a pretty good gig, but how does the average black American benefit from voting for the Democrats? Affirmative Action? That program helps very few people and it also leads to many black Americans getting into a college that they wouldn't normally qualify for with their academic record. Some people might call that a plus, but as a practical matter, it causes an inordinate number of the brightest, most promising young black Americans to flunk out of college when they could have graduated had they gone to less challenging schools.

In return for that dubious bit of "help," the Democrats fight voucher programs that could get black students out of failing schools, laugh at black Americans who are Christian, pro-life and believe in God's definition of marriage and they do nothing of consequence to tackle the crime and drug problems that makes life so unbearable for many black Americans. The worst places in our country for black Americans to live are inevitably run by Democrats who've long since given up on improving the lives of their constituents.

Economically, black Americans are still suffering under the Democrats as well. The numbers are so bad that they're almost hard to believe. "In 2009, the average net worth for white households was $113,149 and $5,700 for black households” while the unemployment rate for black Americans is double the rate for whites. Black Americans deserve a lot better than that from the people who serve them in government.

2) SINGLE WOMEN: Did you know that Mitt Romney actually won married women 53-47 over Obama? However, Obama won single women in a landslide and that's not unusual. Single women tend to go heavily for the Democrats. The sad thing about that is Democrats pull it off by baiting a trap. They promise free birth control and abortion. They offer up welfare, food stamps and other programs that are designed to shoulder the financial load that a husband would in normal circumstances. Then they proceed to denigrate, demean and slime any conservative woman who opposes those things in the most vicious, nasty and grotesque manner possible.

Why?

Because a single woman struggling to survive is likely to take any help she can get from the Democrats and will return the favor by voting for them. On the other hand, a woman who's successful, financially secure and married is much more likely to vote Republican. This is true across every race, religion and demographic group. This is why, for example, Democrats have engineered a system where in many cases, "the single mom is better off earning gross income of $29,000 with $57,327 in net income and benefits than to earn gross income of $69,000 with net income and benefits of $57,045.” They don't WANT single women to be independent and financially secure because that would make them more likely to vote Republican.

No woman grows up wanting to stay permanently poor, single and dependent on the government for her survival, but for the Democrats to succeed, they need as many women as possible stuck in exactly that position.

3) UNIONS: Even though the union membership is a little more split, the union bosses have thrown their lot in with the Democrat Party. This has paid some dividends for them because undeniably, the Democrats are bending over backwards to appease the unions. However, there is a heavy price to be paid for being totally tied to one political party.

For one thing, union membership is death spiraling into oblivion. At one point, 34% of Americans were in a union, but now that number is down to "11.9 percent, the lowest rate in more than 70 years."

Furthermore, because of the staggering cost of some of the pension deals that unions have previously negotiated for their members, there are cities and states facing a choice between honoring their previous agreements with unions or going bankrupt. What that means is that like it or not, union members are about to start taking haircuts all across the country.

Since unions have allied themselves entirely with the Democrats, Republicans have every incentive to hurt the unions when they can, thwart any rule changes that would allow unions to grow and to try to cut as deeply as possible from the unions in any sort of bankruptcy deals. Sure, siding with the Democrats might maximize any gains that unions have already made, but it also almost guarantees their coming descent into oblivion.

4) YOUNG AMERICANS: One of the best things about being young is that feeling of invulnerability that comes with it. You hear about all the terrible things that happen to other people, but you'll be the one that gets by with it, right?

Unfortunately, it's not working out like that for a lot of young Americans who made the mistake of trusting Barack Obama. It's bad enough that they have a jobless rate under Obama that's nearly double the national average, but he's running up the national credit card with an unsustainable level of debt that younger Americans are going to be asked to pay off.

If you're under 25, by the time you hit your prime earning years, you're likely to face bleak long term economic prospects because of our massive debt load along with the crushing taxes that will be required to pay for it. Worse yet, the entitlement programs so many Americans rely on are now in terrible danger because of the reckless spending the Democrats are insisting on. As Ann Coulter has frequently noted,

“I don’t know why Republicans keep saying we have to cut spending to save these entitlements for our grandchildren. We have to cut spending to save these entitlement programs for 45 year-olds. On our current spending rate, 45 year-olds will not receive any Medicare.”

Does that sound appealing? Struggling under a high tax burden to pay off debts that you didn't run up with much less of a safety net than the last few generations of Americans? That's what young Americans are heading towards and the saddest thing is, they're voting for it. It's not even a case where young Americans are going to be partying and then paying the price later. It's even worse because the Democrats are partying with their money and plan to stick them with the bill.

5) HISPANIC AMERICANS Although there are a few exceptions, Hispanic Americans have voted for the Democrats by a roughly 3-to-1 margin over the past few decades. What have Hispanic Americans gotten in return for that? Democrats block school choice initiatives that would allow Hispanic Americans to send their kids to better schools. They also create massive amounts of red tape that make it much harder for Hispanic small business owners to become successful. In fact, if you're a Hispanic American who wants a piece of the American Dream, you'd be hard pressed to come up with anything that the Democrats do for you other than their one supposed "trump card" -- they're in favor of illegal immigration.

The great irony of illegal immigration is that Hispanic Americans are economically hurt by illegal immigration much more than the average American because they're more likely to be going head-to-head in the same professions with people who often don't pay taxes, don't pay for health care and don't pay for car insurance. There are undoubtedly millions of Hispanic Americans who've followed every rule and done everything right who don't have jobs today because of illegal aliens. There are also millions of other Hispanic Americans who are taking home $3 or $4 less per hour than they otherwise would without illegal aliens driving down the cost of labor.

Furthermore, for all the complaints about illegal immigration, the dirty little secret is that some sort of compromise that allows illegal aliens to stay in the country as guest workers, but not citizens, would probably be very passable in Congress. The real reason that isn't happening is because it would allow Hispanic Americans to see how badly they're being hurt by people who aren't in the country legally. When you want to work, but can't feed your family because you don't have a job and you see a "guest worker" from a foreign country holding a position you desperately need, your attitude starts to change in a hurry. The Democrats understand that and secretly like the idea that illegal aliens make it harder on Hispanic Americans. After all, the more successful you become, the less you want the Democrats to do anything other than get out of your way.

Northwoods Patriots - Standing up for Faith, Family, Country - northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com

SOROS “ADVISES” OBAMA AND EARNS GREEN PROFITS

Obama creates more wealth for Green Crony Soros

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/maritanoon/2013/03/31/obama-creates-more-wealth-for-green-crony-soros-n1553738/page/full/

Townhall – Marita Noon – 3/31/2013

Though air pollution is a worthy consideration, it is low on the public’s list of priorities, while gas prices are of utmost importance. If the public doesn’t see air pollution as a problem, and the President’s popularity has peaked, why would he put out policy that would hit the middle class the hardest? Because, despite his campaign rhetoric, he’s not “a warrior for the middle class.”

One year ago, Christine Lakatos launched her blog— “The Green Corruption Files”—through which she set out to prove that “green corruption is the largest, most expensive and deceptive case of crony capitalism in American history. To date, I’ve written fifteen columns based on her research—this is the sixteenth.

A week ago, she posted her expose on George Soros and his profiting from his, apparent, insider information on green-energy investments. Within her post, Lakatos says: “be prepared for regulations and legislation that will, in some form or another, resemble cap-and-trade and demand additional funds to bank roll Obama’s efforts to save our planet.”

New EPA standards on gasoline were released. The standards will raise the cost of fuel—which has been the underlying goal of the Obama energy agenda: make what works more expensive so people will accept the high cost of “green energy” in the name of saving the planet. (Outgoing Energy Secretary Chu's 2008 statement: “Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.”)

But, as the Soros story shows, it’s not about the planet, it’s about the profit. Soros’ investment portfolio shows he invests where he can make money—both traditional and green energy (though, as you’ll see, through Obama’s green energy emphasis, he has more control over green energy investments).

In a 1998, 60 Minutes interview, Soros said: “I am basically there to make money. I cannot and do not look at the social consequences of what I do.”

Soros was instrumental at the least, integral at the most, in writing Obama’s 2009 Stimulus Bill that put nearly $100 billion into various green energy companies and projects. Additionally, there is a little-publicized connection between Soros, green energy advocacy, and the White House.

Since buying access, Soros has been a frequent White House visitorand met with Obama’s, then, top economist Larry Summers—exerting his influence.

The Soros-funded Apollo Alliance brags about its role in writing the 2009 Stimulus Bill. In an interview, the best-selling author of Throw Them All Out, Peter Schweizer, states: “Billionaire George Soros gave advice and direction on how President Obama should allocate so-called ‘stimulus’ money in a series of regular private meetings and consultations with White House senior advisers even as Soros was making investments in areas affected by the stimulus program.”

So, what return has Soros gotten on his stimulus-inspired stock buying spree plus investments in companies like First Solar and Solar City? Lakatos’ thorough research discovered that Soros’ green tab exceeds $11 billion of stimulus money (dwarfing Citibank’s) –– and we, the taxpayers, footed the bill. Keep in mind, this tally doesn’t factor in any profit Soros has made off these investments—or will continue to make as a result of Obama’s climate change agenda being pushed by EPA regulation.

As save-the-planet regulations and legislation come out of the Obama administration, which raise costs for the middle class and hurt America's struggling economy, remember the Soros story.

It illustrates that Obama is not the "warrior for the middle class" he campaigned as, but he's most concerned about creating wealth for his "green cronies"—of which Soros is just one. This new EPA low-sulfur gasoline proposal is just the latest in a series of green regulations.

We don’t know for whom it creates wealth, but we know it isn’t the middle class.

Northwoods Patriots - Standing up for Faith, Family, Country - northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com

WILL OBAMA’S GUN RETSRICTIVE PROPOSALS STOP BLACK-ON-BLACK CRIME?

NO!

Obama’s Bloody Shirt

http://townhall.com/columnists/pauljacob/2013/03/31/obamas-bloody-shirt-n1553659/page/full/

Townhall – Paul Jacob – 3/31/2013

Reasonable people take into account facts that lie outside the horror of one event’s official narrative. Facts like:

Murder rates by guns have declined since their high point in the very early 1990s. Dramatically.

Mass shootings are not actually increasing in frequency.

If you take away black-on-black crime, U.S. murder rates are amongst the lowest in the world, making the focus on America’s gun tradition a little off point — it’s the cultural and economic degradation of African-America sub-cultures that constitutes the real problem.

Much of the focus of the latest round of gun regulation has been on inconsistently defined “assault weapons,” which have little to do with most gun violence.

Still, the president implores, “We need everybody to remember how we felt a hundred days ago and make sure that what we said at that time wasn’t just a bunch of platitudes — that we meant it.”

In other words, let’s allow emotion to overrule our rational faculties and pass whatever gun control laws are proposed in the wake of the horrible Newtown, Connecticut, school massacre (even when the policy being advanced would admittedly make no difference in preventing a future Newtown).

Why?

Northwoods Patriots - Standing up for Faith, Family, Country - northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com

VOTERS – GET YOUR STATE-ISSUED VOTER ID BEFORE YOU VOTE

Voter ID laws do not equal minority voter suppression

http://lastresistance.com/1752/voter-id-laws-do-not-equal-minority-voter-suppression/

Last Resistance – Frank Camp – 3/28/2013

According to Liberal activists, voter identification laws amount to voter suppression. They believe—rather, claim to believe—that requiring photo identification in order to vote is intentionally discriminatory towards minority communities—because apparently, minorities don’t know where the DMV is.

In order to counteract that absurd notion, the Virginia legislation includes a provision that if you are a registered voter who lacks a valid ID, the state will provide you with one.

All of the weapons that the Democrats have in this fight: minority suppression, elder suppression, and poor folks unable to obtain IDs, have been dismantled with this new legislation. These Democratic “weapons” were weak as water to begin with, but now they have even less ground, if any, on which to stand.

Northwoods Patriots - Standing up for Faith, Family, Country - northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com

ACTUARIAL STUDY: HEALTH CARE COSTS RISE

Study estimates ObamaCare could raise individual claim costs 32 percent

http://www.washingtonguardian.com/study-health-overhaul-raise-claims-cost-32-pct-1

Washington Guardian – John Solomon – 3/28/2013

In a report that could prove a big political headache for the administration, the Society of Actuaries estimated Tuesday that insurers will have to pay out an average of 32 percent more for claims on individual health policies under the Affordable Care Act, a cost likely to be passed on to consumers.

While some areas will see declines in medical claims costs, the report predicts the majority of states will see double-digit increases in their individual health insurance markets, where people purchase coverage directly from insurers rather than get coverage from employers.

By 2017, the estimated increase would be 62 percent for California, about 80 percent in Ohio and WISCONSIN, more than 20 percent for Florida and 67 percent for Maryland. Much of the reason for the higher claims costs is that sicker people are expected to join the pool, the report said.

The report did not make similar estimates for employer plans, the mainstay for workers and their families. That's because the primary impact of Obama's law is on people who don't have coverage through their jobs.

Northwoods Patriots - Standing up for Faith, Family, Country - northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com

COMMON CORE - GLENN BECK CONTINUES TO EXPOSE

Indoctrination and data mining in Common Core:  here's why America's schools may be in more trouble than you think
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/27/indoctrination-and-data-mining-in-common-core-heres-why-americas-schools-may-be-in-more-trouble-than-you-think/ 
The Blaze - Tiffany Gabbay - 3/27/2013

This should scare the h-x-x-x out of every parent in America!

Every parent should:

Call your state legislators
Call your federal legislators
Call your local school principal
Call your local PTA

Refuse to have anything to do with Common Core "educational standards"

TheBlaze has been at the forefront in uncovering the disturbing details of the nationalized curriculum standard known as Common Core. One of the most troubling aspects of this federal program is that government bureaucrats are currently mining sensitive and highly personal information on children through Common Core’s tracking system.

The data will then reportedly be sold by the government to outside sources for profit.

According to the conservative think tank American Principles Project, Common Core’s technological project is “merely one part of a much broader plan by the federal government to track individuals from birth through their participation in the workforce.” As columnist and author Michelle Malkin has pointed out, the 2009 stimulus package included a “State Fiscal Stabilization Fund” to provide states incentives to construct “longitudinal data systems (LDS) to collect data on public-school students.”

In other words, an aggregation system to mine personal data on children including information about their health, family income, religious affiliation and homework.

Even more off-putting is the revelation that a 44-page Department of Eduction Report released in February indicates that the Common Core data-mining system could one day implement monitoring techniques like “Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging” (scanning one’s brain function), as well as “using cameras to judge facial expressions, an electronic seat that judges [a child's] posture, a pressure-sensitive computer mouse and a biometric wrap on kids’ wrists.”

Northwoods Patriots - Standing up for Faith, Family, Country - northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com

OVERVIEW OF WISCONSIN ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue – Overview of Wisconsin Economic Indicators

http://www.revenue.wi.gov/media/videos/index.html?videoid=gqXJ4jN9hfY

Committee on Jobs, Economy and Mining – 3/26/2013

John Koskinen - Overview of Wisconsin Economic Indicators

Chief Economist, Wisconsin Department of Revenue.
Speaking to the Committee on Jobs, Economy and Mining - March 26, 2013

9-minute video – Wisconsin economy is moving in a positive direction, despite claims of the BLS

Northwoods Patriots - Standing up for Faith, Family, Country - northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com

TOWNHALL - SENATOR RON JOHNSON

WISCONSIN SENATOR RON JOHNSON

WILL CONDUCT A TOWN HALL

MONDAY APRIL 1, 2013

6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Eagle River Inn

5260 Hwy. 70 W

Eagle River, WI

PLEASE INVITE:

Your family and friends

County Board Members

All local officials

PLEASE BRING:

Your questions

Your concerns

Your suggestions

LESSON ON “DIVERSITY” – STOMP ON JESUS

Florida Atlanta University takes action to punish student

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/university-files-charges-against-student-who-refused-to-stomp-on-jesus.html

Fox News Radio – Todd Starnes

Fox News obtained a synopsis of the lesson taught by Deandre Poole, who also happens to be vice chair of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party.

“Have the students write the name JESUS in big letters on a piece of paper,” the lesson reads. “Ask the students to stand up and put the paper on the floor in front of them with the name facing up. Ask the students to think about it for a moment. After a brief period of silence instruct them to step on the paper. Most will hesitate. Ask why they can’t step on the paper. Discuss the importance of symbols in culture.”

The university issued an apology late Friday after a national uproar and said the exercise “will not be used again.”

Rotela told Fox News he was baffled by the university’s latest statement.

“The university has a huge problem with integrity,” he said. “They are tripping over their own words.”

The “Notice of Charges” accused the student of using threatening language. The school did not return calls seeking clarification. Rotela’s attorney said he believes the perceived threat came when Rotela told the teacher “don’t do that again” – in reference to stomping on the paper. The student also told the instructor, “You’ll be hearing from me.”

Sasser said Rotela’s case has generated national outrage and a number of high-profile attorneys have offered to volunteer their services.

“The textbook reveals the agenda,” he said. “So-called intellectual enlightenment is stomping on everything that has held western civilization together for the past 2,000 years.”

Paul Kengor, the executive director of the Center for Vision and Values at Grove City College, told Fox News he’s not surprised by the classroom lesson.

“These are the new secular disciples of ‘diversity’ and ‘tolerance’ – empty buzzwords that make liberals and progressives feel good while they often refuse to tolerate and sometimes even assault traditional Christian and conservative beliefs,” Kengor said.

Kengor said classes like the one at Florida Atlantic University demonstrate the contempt many public institutions hold for people of faith.

“It also reflects the rising confidence and aggression of the new secularists and atheists, especially at our sick and surreal modern universities,” he said.

The university did not explain why students were only instructed to write the name of Jesus – and not the name of Mohammed or another religious figure.

Florida Atlantic U. punishes student who exposed “stomp on Jesus” assignment

http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/tag/rozalia-williams/

Fellowship of the Minds – Dr. Eowyn – 3/26/2013

Florida Atlantic U. punishes student who exposed “stomp on Jesus” assignment

Just two days ago, I did a follow-up on Trail Dust’s post about an instructor at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Deandre J. Poole, who did a class assignment that required his students to write the name “Jesus” on a sheet of paper and then stomp on the paper.

Deandre J. Poole, Instructor, FAU, Email: dpoole3@fau.edu
PhD from Howard University
Areas of Specialization: Intercultural Communication, Leadership and Communication, Political Communication

Poole just happens also to be a local Democrat Party official — vice chair of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party. The same Democratic Party the majority of whose delegates to last summer’s Democratic National Convention, in three successive voice votes, said no to including the word “God” in the party platform.

The anti-Christian outrage came to light only as a result of information provided by student Ryan Rotela, who had refused to participate in the class assignment and was punished by being suspended from the class.

From Doug Giles of Clash Daily, March 25, 2013:

According to a letter written by Associate Dean Rozalia Williams, Rotela is facing a litany of charges – including an alleged violation of the student code of conduct, acts of verbal, written or physical abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment, coercion or other conduct which threaten the health, safety or welfare of any person.”

“In the interim, you may not attend class or contact any of the students involved in this matter – verbally or electronically – or by any other means,” Williams wrote to Rotela. “Please be advised that a Student Affairs hold may be placed on your records until final disposition of the complaint.”

Hiram Sasser, director of litigation at the Liberty Institute, told Fox News the university’s behavior is “outlandish” and called their press release “inaccurate.”

“We believe the university punished him in retaliation for him exposing the class assignment to the public,” Sasser said. “Sadly, it is a testimony to the indoctrination that some of the public schools and universities are engaging in – to demonize anything that was valuable in the culture.”

Here’s contact info for Florida Atlantic University (FAU):

Mary Jane Saunders, Ph.D.
President of FAU
Office of the President
Florida Atlantic University
Administration Bldg., Room 339
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431
tel: 561.297.3450
fax: 561.297.2777
Email: president@fau.edu

Northwoods Patriots - Standing up for Faith, Family, Country - northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com

WHY WON'T OBAMA VERIFY HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE?

Obama threatens media with federal investigation if they pursue birth certificate!

http://www.pakalertpress.com/2012/03/13/obama-threatens-media-with-federal-investigation-if-they-persue-birth-certificate/

Pakalert Press – Truther - 3/13/2013

“Ronald Reagan was fond of saying, ‘Trust, but verify,’” she wrote. “President Obama told us he released his official long-form birth certificate on April 27, 2011. Can we trust him, and should we verify?

. . . the focal point for a true reporter would be the issue at hand – the validity of Obama’s documents.

“Was the document posted by the White House a scan of an original certified document? Based on the analysis of the posse’s experts, it was not. In fact, the posse has traced the image to a specific computer where it resided a mere 20 minutes before it was uploaded, and has identified a ‘person of interest.’”

She suggest three possible answers:

• Purely innocent anomalies to “touch up” an image and 

• Someone purposely tinkering to create the appearance of suspicion. 

• “Third, if the certificate is indeed an intentional forgery, we have witnessed the greatest fraud of the century,” she said. 

“In my local paper, there was not even a single line devoted to the posse’s stunning assertions. What happened to ‘Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The posted birth certificate of a sitting president a possible forgery!’”

Nick Martin at TPM editorialized that the book sale “gives Zullo a financial motive to continue stoking the flames of a conspiracy theory that has been debunked numerous times by an array of independent investigations.”

But the details of the investigations were absent in his piece.

He explained that the book is intended to bypass the filter the establishment media tries to impose on news. WND provided a live-stream Internet broadcast of the Arpaio press conference last Thursday for the same reason.

Martin wrote that the sheriff also failed to mention that much of the evidence concerned questions about the digital scan “that was already investigated and proven to be false” by another investigative agency, National Review Online.

There were signs, however, that the national media’s silence was creating concerns.

Wrote Jeff Crouere at the St. Tammany Slidell Sentry: “Despite a mountain of evidence and new allegations of fraud, the national news media refuses to cover the Obama birth certificate scandal.”

OBAMA FAMILY - MORE VACATIONS THAN AMERICANS

More than a vacation a month for Obamas in 2013

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/more-vacation-month-obamas-2013_711998.html

Weekly Standard – Daniel Halper – 3/26/2013

• And now it's being reported that the first daughters are on a spring break vacation in the Bahamas. 

• The Obamas began the new year in Hawaii. . . . after spending NINE days vacationing with family and friends in his native state. 

• "Obama played FIVE rounds of golf with SEVEN different partners 

• spending roughly THIRTY hours on TWO different courses on Oahu.  

• The president made FIVE early morning trips to the gym at the nearby Marine Base at Kaneohe Bay.  

• The First Family spent TWO afternoons enjoying the beach on the base and went for ONE hike to a local waterfall.  

• The president spent ONE father-daughter afternoon with Malia and Sasha, bowling and going out for shave ice, an annual tradition."  

• Then the first lady and their daughters vacationed in Aspen over President's Day weekend. 

• "First Lady Michelle Obama arrived in Aspen on Friday afternoon and is here with her daughters for a ski vacation" 

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WHO TEACHES THAT AMERICA WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR 9-11

9-11 Quiz stirs controversy in Flour Bluff ISD

http://www.kristv.com/news/9-11-quiz-stirs-controversy-in-flour-bluff-isd/#!prettyPhoto/0/

Kristv.com – Janine Reyes – 3/22/2013

Who was responsible for 9-11?

Corpus Christi, TX school uses a video that teaches that America is responsible for the death of 3,000 Americans.

“I’m not going to justify radical terrorists by saying we did anything to deserve that, over 3,000 people died,” Sands said. She contacted her son’s principal and teacher, both met with her and contacted the video’s distributor, Safari Montage.

Several parents plan to meet next week and Sands says school board members Shirley Thornton and Wade Chapman have requested the concerns be brought up in the next school board meeting. The agenda for the March 28th meeting is not yet posted to confirm the item.

Sands says parents need to get involved.

"When I teach my children that you have to work hard and you have to earn a living and they go to school and learn something different I absolutely take issue with that," Sands said.

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MARRIAGE ON TRIAL AT U.S. SUPREME COURT

PRAYER REQUEST: MARRIAGE ON TRIAL AT U.S. SUPREME COURT 3/26/2013

The Illinois Family Institute wrote the following pray for Marriage:

This week the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments on two critical cases on the institution of marriage: the California Proposition 8 case and the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). 

Please pray: 

• For the Supreme Court Justices.

Pray that God would give them clear understanding of the purpose of natural marriage and the consequences of destroying it. Pray that He would work in their hearts. “In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.” Proverbs 21:1

• For those arguing in support of natural marriage.

Pray for God’s wisdom for them. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” James 1:5

Pray that they would speak with BOLDNESS.   ^“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” Acts 4:29 “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” 2 Timothy 1:7

Pray that God would give them favor in the Justices eyes. “Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion…” Daniel 1:9

Pray for God’s peace to be on them. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

• That same-sex “marriage” would be defeated. “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” Hebrews 13:4

Background

The federal Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996.  The U.S. House of Representatives approved DOMA by a vote of 342 to 67, while the U.S. Senate approved it by a vote of 85 to 14.  DOMA is the federal law that defines one-man, one-woman marriage for federal purposes.

California’s Proposition 8 was passed in 2008 by 52 percent of the voters.  This state constitutional amendment defines marriage as one man and one woman.

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ONE BLACK MAN LAYS IT OUT TO OTHER BLACKS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0sk4yGaEk8

Nine Minutes - You Tube

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WHO DREAMS UP STUPID STUFF LIKE THIS?

Here’s the IRS “Star Trek” video you paid for, America

http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/23/heres-the-irs-star-trek-video-you-paid-for-america/

Daily Caller – DC Trawler - 3/23/2013

IRS pays for six-minute Star Trek video – anarchy – Tax Gap Loop

Costumes

Music

Space ship set

Vulcan ears

Diversity

Space travel

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HELP WANTED: FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MAKES POOR DECISIONS

What sequester?  Federal jobs website lists thousands of openings

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/03/23/USA-Jobs-postings-thousands

Breitbart – Ben Shapiro – 3/23/2013

For all the talk about the dramatic spending cuts to hit the federal government under the bipartisan sequestration, the federal government isn’t exactly tightening its belt. According to USAJobs.gov, the job posting site for the feds, approximately 2,200 jobs listings became available during one week in March. As Eileen Ambrose reports, “Add in new postings open only to current or former federal workers, including those laid off, and the number of new openings jumps to more than 4,600.”

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) has issued a list of jobs included at USAJobs.gov that he says demonstrate the feds’ continued wastefulness.

Meanwhile, President Obama and the media continue to proclaim that air traffic controllers will be cut, the postal service will have to cut days, and border security will be furloughed. Much of the pressure from the sequester springs from the fact that federal employees are increasingly unionized, meaning that the government has little flexibility in terms of pay and benefits. President Obama has inflated the size of the federal workforce overall, even as state workforces have declined. 

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GOVERNMENT GONE WILD

Government Gone Wild – 4-minutes – YouTube – 

Government employment up

Private sector employment flat

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=xOAgT8L_BqQ&feature=player_embedded

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UN ARMS TRADE TREATY - VOTED DOWN

Senate Votes 53-46 to stop US from joining UN Arms Trade Treaty

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/290001-senate-votes-to-stop-us-from-joining-un-arms-treaty

The Hill – Ramsey Cox – 3/23/2013

In the last batch of amendment votes to the budget, the Senate voted on several foreign policy proposals.

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced an amendment that would prevent the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty in order to uphold the Second Amendment. His amendment passed on a 53-46 vote.

Republicans have been critical of President Obama’s decision to consider the treaty, although Obama has said he would not vote for anything that would violate the Second Amendment. 

Hundreds of amendments were offered. 

Hundreds of amendments were offered.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said he thought it was irresponsible to be considering major foreign policy decisions at 3 a.m. on Saturday morning.  – FINALLY – DEMOCRAT MADE SENSE!

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FAA DECIDES COMMUNITY PLANNERS MORE IMPORTANT THAN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS

As Air Traffic Control Towers Close, FAA Hiring ‘Community Planners’

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/air-traffic-control-towers-close-faa-hiring-community-planners

 CNSews.com – Fred Lucas – 3/21/2013

According to the FAA, this is not a question of spending priorities between control towers and community planners. That’s because the two are financed through separate funds within the FAA. Air traffic funding – which funds the towers – is a separate fund from the airport improvement program that funds community planners. Moreover, the airport improvement program is exempt from the sequester, according to the FAA.

The FAA declined to answer specific questions on the matter from CNSNews.com until it responds to questions from Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on March 6 asking about several spending priorities in the sequestration, including FAA jobs.

Leaving these six job openings unfilled would hardly put a dent in the $600 million in savings the FAA needs to find, but they do amount to the full-time yearly salaries for four air traffic controllers,” Coburn wrote. “These numbers may not be huge, but they illustrated an important point: FAA is not doing enough to seek out ways to save money without affecting their mission.

“While we value the work of everyone at the FAA, not every employee has duties critical to the immediate mission of the agency,” Coburn continued. “As such, we should give higher priority to those performing essential tasks over others who are not. Air traffic controllers, safety inspectors and technicians should certainly receive the highest priority.”

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CAN FIVE STATES CHANGE ELECTORAL COLLEGE RESULTS?

IS IT TIME FOR THE STATES TO TAKE A SERIOUS LOOK AT THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE?

http://www.northsuburbanrepublicanforum.org/2013/01/electoral-college-change-that-something-to-ponder/

January 27th, 2013 |    Author: NSRF Administrator

The path to reaching 270 electoral votes is very simple for Democrats.  Republicans can fix this by switching to “Winner take all by Congressional district.”    This would in no way dismantle the Electoral College. This is not a call for direct democracy. It’s totally Constitutional and is Federalism at its best. It ends voter fraud, preserves the Electoral College, and empowers the states.  Maine and Nebraska already do this.

State Legislatures have been given the power by Article Two, Section One of the Constitution to award their electors in the manner in which they see fit. James Madison said states should award their Electors in a way that derive the most benefit for their states.

Romney won the election everywhere but in the major cities. The fact is, the divide between urban and rural America has never been larger than it is right now. People in rural America have different priorities, hopes, and criteria for what they are looking for in a candidate. But urban America is picking the president for them.   

Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin all have Republican Governors and control of the Legislature right now.  

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