Syphilis rate up for 7th year in row
By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. syphilis rate rose for the seventh straight year in 2007, driven by a continued surge in cases among homosexual and bisexual men, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.

Since 2000, when the national syphilis rate sank to a low of 2.1 per 100,000 people after a decade of progress in the 1990s, the rate has soared by 76 percent, the CDC reported.

Homosexual and bisexual men accounted for 64 percent of syphilis cases in 2007, up from about 5 percent in 1999.

CDC officials expressed concern not only because the recent increases in this bacterial sexually transmitted disease follows years of declines, but also because syphilis can elevate a person's risk of being infected with the AIDS virus and the odds of giving it to someone else.

They also called rises among women and blacks troubling.

The overall national rate of syphilis rose by 12 percent in 2007 from 2006, reaching 3.7 cases per 100,000 people, based on preliminary CDC data released at a meeting in Chicago.

The rate for men was 6.4 per 100,000, a 14 percent rise from 2006.

The number of syphilis cases nationwide jumped to 11,181 in 2007 from 9,756 in 2006, with men accounting for six times as many cases as women. Rates for men and women had been roughly equivalent a decade ago.

Syphilis hit the black community very hard, with rates six times higher for men and 13 times higher for women than among whites, the CDC said. The rate for black men, 21.5 cases per 100,000, has risen 99 percent since 2003.

Syphilis rates have been surging in homosexual and bisexual men in the past decade, particularly among those who are highly sexually active with multiple sex partners.

RISKY BEHAVIOR

"Having multiple sex partners and other high-risk behaviors like not using condoms do put you at higher risk for HIV and syphilis," CDC epidemiologist Dr. Hillard Weinstock said in a telephone interview.

"Syphilis can increase the likelihood of HIV transmission two to fivefold. And CDC recommends that sexually active men who have sex with men get tested for syphilis, HIV and other STDs at least annually," Weinstock added.

"It is imperative that we make STD screening and treatment a central part of the medical care for gay and bisexual men," while also finding ways to avoid these infections including HIV in the first place, said Dr. Kevin Fenton, who heads the CDC's STD, AIDS, tuberculosis and viral hepatitis prevention effort.

Weinstock said despite the increases of this decade, syphilis rates remain lower than in the past.

After reaching 50,000 cases and a rate of 20.3 cases per 100,000 people in 1990 -- the highest rate since 1949 -- public health efforts helped drive down the rate to 2.1 per 100,000 people in 2000.

"We are concerned that the increases that we're seeing now could continue," Weinstock said.

Syphilis is passed person-to-person through direct contact with a syphilis sore. Transmission of the organism occurs during vaginal, anal or oral sex. Pregnant women with syphilis can pass it to their babies.

Note the part in bold above. This must be the way to protest the Bush administration's policy of abstinence. Go against what you know, and deliberately seek out an STD. Keeping in mind that 54-70% of gays have a college degree. As has always been known, this is a behavioral issue, not an economic or educational one in the US. The question is: When are we going to acknowledge it as such?

Are Iraqi Insurgents Emboldened by Antiwar Reporting?
Economists say their study, with caveats, finds some linkages
By Alex Kingsbury
Posted March 12, 2008


Are insurgents in Iraq emboldened by voices in the news media expressing dissent or calling for troop withdrawals from Iraq? The short answer, according to a pair of Harvard economists, is yes.

In a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the authors are quick to point out numerous caveats to their findings, based on data from mid-2003 through late 2007.

Yet, their results show that insurgent groups are not devoid of reason and unresponsive to outside pressures and stimuli. "It shows that the various insurgent groups do respond to incentives and shows that a successful counter insurgency strategy should take that reality into account," says one of the paper's coauthors, Jonathan Monten, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

The paper "Is There an 'Emboldenment' Effect in Iraq? Evidence From the Insurgency in Iraq" concludes the following:

In the short term, there is a small but measurable cost to open public debate in the form of higher attacks against Iraqi and American targets.
In periods immediately after a spike in "antiresolve" statements in the American media, the level of insurgent attacks increases between 7 and 10 percent.
Insurgent organizations are strategic actors, meaning that whatever their motivations, religious or ideological, they will respond to incentives and disincentives.
But before partisans go wild on both sides of the aisle, here are just three of the important caveats to this study:

The city of Baghdad, for a variety of reasons, was excluded from the report. The authors contend that looking at the outside provinces, where 65 percent of insurgent attacks take place, is a better way to understand the effect they have discovered. Other population centers like Mosul, Basra, Kirkuk, and Najaf were included in the study.
The study does not take into account overall cost and benefit of public debate. Past research has shown that public debate has a positive effect on military strategy, for example, and, in the case of Iraq, might be a factor in forcing the Iraqi government to more quickly accept responsibility for internal security.
It was not possible, from the data available, to determine whether insurgent groups increased the overall number of attacks against American and Iraqi targets in the wake of public dissent and debate or simply changed the timing of those attacks. This means that insurgents may not be increasing the number of attacks after all but simply changing the days on which they attack in response to media reports.

Well maybe now that some eggheads from Harvard has acknowledged it what we have known for decades, then maybe the commie press in the US will take note. But then again, the liberal press in the US really doesn't care, now do they? Ummmmm No.

Free College Tuition for Juvenile Offenders?

State lawmakers are considering a bill that would grant free college tuition for some juvenile offenders. Supporters say it's a way to encourage troubled youth to get their lives back on track. John Dixon, Deputy Secretary for the MD Department of Juvenile Services says, "The kids the department serves face a lot of obstacles and challenges when they return to the community. This bill will allow kids who are interested in attending public institution to go there tuition free."

Delegate Norm Conway is sponsoring the bill. As an educator for 39 years, he says it's important to help troubled teens make a positive transition. "They're out of their own families in many instances. You're hoping for the best possible transition and incentives that say hey if you're willing to do your part there are some opportunities out there for you."

Under the proposal, committed juveniles under the age of 21 would be eligible for free tuition at any public institution in the state. If the measure is approved, about 450 kids who are in group homes, youth centers, and residential treatment homes would be eligible for the program each year.

Critics argue taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for the mistakes of juvenile offenders. But supporters say it could cost taxpayers more in the long run if something isn't done now. Dixon says, "Without having opportunities for these kids such as this, we'll be paying for a career in the adult criminal justice system. And this is very small in comparison to give these kids an opportunity to learn some skills and become a productive member of the job market."

Instead of executing Tookie Willaims, maybe we should have just given him a million dollars to be nice. Morons!

Marines in Berkeley






Here is my answer to Code Pink:

'Magic is over' for the U.S., says foreign minister of France

PARIS: Bernard Kouchner, the foreign minister of France and a longtime humanitarian, diplomatic and political activist on the international scene, says that whoever succeeds President George W. Bush may restore something of the United States' battered image and standing overseas, but that "the magic is over."

In a wide-ranging conversation with Roger Cohen of the International Herald Tribune at the launch of a Forum for New Diplomacy in Paris, Kouchner on Tuesday also held out the hope of talking with Hamas, the Palestinian faction that rules the Gaza Strip but has been ostracized by the West and by its Palestinian rival, Fatah, because it opposes peace talks with Israel and denies that Israel has a right to exist.

Asked whether the United States could repair the damage it has suffered to its reputation during the Bush presidency and especially since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Kouchner replied, "It will never be as it was before."

"I think the magic is over," he continued, in what amounted to a sober assessment from one of the strongest supporters in France of the United States.

U.S. military supremacy endures, Kouchner noted, and the new president "will decide what to do - there are many means to re-establish the image." But even that, he predicted, "will take time."

Kouchner began the 90-minute event with a speech that emphasized that "there is not just a new diplomacy; there is a new world."

To those intimidated by or fearful of what seem to be the rising challenges of globalization, climate change, spreading disease or new technology, Kouchner had a simple message: "The great difficulty is to accept this new world."

"There are not more problems - please, have a little memory - than 35 years ago," he said, recalling how, in 1971, he co-founded Médecins Sans Frontières in response to the horrors of the conflict in Nigeria over Biafra.

The challenges may be daunting, he said, noting for instance that the world had decided to act to curb the AIDS epidemic, but asking, "Can we take charge of all the other diseases? I'm not sure."

Some of the most persistent diplomatic challenges emanate from the Middle East, and Kouchner was asked about approaches to Iran, whose president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has called for the destruction of Israel, or to Hamas, which has the same stated goal.

Kouchner and other European diplomats have tried to talk Iran out of its controversial nuclear program, but officially rejected all contacts with Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union. Asked whether there is a way to engage Hamas, which is supported by a significant minority of Palestinians, Kouchner appeared to hold out hope of contact, saying: "I'm looking for a diplomatic way to say yes."
He then carefully couched this statement by noting that, in general, "we have to talk with our enemies," and that Fatah, which controls the West Bank, "always said they were in favor" of unity talks with Hamas. But after Hamas routed Fatah forces from Gaza in June, the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, has refused to deal with Hamas, which he accused of committing a coup. Kouchner, of the Socialist left in France, stirred controversy when he accepted the offer from President Nicolas Sarkozy, leader of the Gaullist center-right, to join his government last May.

"Kouchner, of the Socialist left in France"
Nuff said.

Where are these headlines??

DEMOCRAT Governor abusing authority
DEMOCRAT Governor investigated
DEMOCRAT Governor abuses women
DEMOCRAT Governor cheats the people of New York
DEMOCRAT Governor lies...etc, etc.

If you don't yet get where I am going with this...take a look at the MSM and their reporting on DEMOCRAT Governor Spitzer and their LACK of mention that he's a DEMOCRAT!

Spitzer's Resignation Expected Wednesday

Spitzer Got Tripped up Laws He Enforced

Money Transers spur Spitzer Probe

Spitzer a Repeat Customer Investigators Say

And on and on...but we are supposed to believe that there is NO MEDIA BIAS in the MSM? HA! Do you remember the reporting when Senator Craig was arrested for the silliest charge ever? EVERY MSM outlet was sure to cite "Larry Craig, Idaho REPUBLICAN...

And of course on CNN, they decided to not focus on the fact that the NY Governor and former NY Attorney General, DEMOCRAT Spitzer has been breaking laws for at least the past 10 years and decided instead to focus on "scandals" within the GOP.

And where are the women's organizations speaking out in outrage at such behaviour? You know...groups like NOW why are they not reporting on the appalling treatment of women? The use of women as nothing more than sexual objects...or how about simply sexual harrassment? Course they will not speak out...just as they did not when their hero Bill Clinton sexually harrassed and in some cases raped, via asserting his "authority" over them.

How anyone can say they objectively view the MSM and organizations such as NOW and DO NOT see the hypocrisy and bias of them is frankly, a blantant lie!

Clinton-backer Ferraro: Obama Where He Is Because He's Black
March 11, 2008
ABC News

Excerpt:
Clinton campaign finance committee member, former vice presidential candidate, and former Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, D-NY, told the Daily Breeze of Torrance, Ca., that, "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

Of Clinton, Ferraro said that the press "has been uniquely hard on her. It's been a very sexist media. Some just don't like her. The others have gotten caught up in the Obama campaign."


She is correct. White guilt will elect the nations first half white, Communist President. Idiots.

Christian Prosecuted: Refused to Photograph Homosexual ‘Commitment Ceremony’

As a Christian, Elaine Huguenin is against efforts to legitimize same-sex “marriage.”

So, when the Albuquerque photographer was asked via e-mail in September 2006 to photograph a “commitment ceremony” for two women, Huguenin declined. That was the end of the matter, she thought.

But Huguenin didn’t take into account New Mexico’s anti-discrimination laws. Instead of hiring another photographer, one of the lesbians, Vanessa Willock, filed a civil complaint against Huguenin’s company, Elane Photography.

Now, in one of the first cases of its kind in the state, a three-member tribunal of New Mexico’s Human Rights Commission is considering the complaint brought forward by New Mexico’s Human Rights Bureau, operated by the Labor Relations Division of the state’s Department of Workforce Solutions.

The tribunal will decide whether Huguenin should pay actual and punitive damages to Willock because of her decision not to take pictures of the homosexual ceremony.

Sorry, this is a human right issue?!?!?! This is bullshit!

Minn. lawmaker wants scent-free schools
"A Minnesota lawmaker proposed a bill Monday urging a fragrance-free educational campaign to discourage students from dousing themselves in scents that aggravate classmates"

"Rep. Karen Clark, a Democrat, first proposed banning fragrances in Minneapolis schools, one of the state's largest school districts."

First of all. What is this nation coming to, when boys, use body spray? And second, it seems lately that whenever I see the word Ban or Banning, there is usually a capital "D" (Democrat) after the name of the person wanting to the banning! Ban fragrance, ban smoking, ban red meat, ban guns, ban free speech, etc.

Pro-Homosexual Booklet to Be Distributed to All 16,000 US School Districts

Book specifically instructs teacher to "avoid" discussing the idea that homosexual inclinations can be changed



US, February 21, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - At the same time that news has come out that the Toronto Catholic School board has refused to participate in pro-homosexual activities, homosexual activists are making significant inroads in US schools, as a booklet titled, "Just the Facts about Sexual Orientation and Youth," is set to be distributed to all 16,000 school districts in the country.

The 24-page booklet by the National Education Association and American Psychological Association, tells students that homosexuality is a "normal expression of human sexuality".

"What's so scary and dogmatic about this report is that it communicates that religious-based viewpoints are harmful, and even dangerous," said Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family Action.

The booklet particularly targets the idea that homosexuality is a condition that can be changed. It instructs educators, "Schools should be careful to avoid discussions of transformational ministry in their curriculum."

Brian Raum, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, said that the talk of "inclusivity" in schools by homosexual groups is a veiled threat.

"What they're trying to do is create a fear factor here," he said. "There's nothing in the Constitution that would prohibit a teacher from presenting to a student all of the programs that are available, without endorsing or promoting any particular one."

The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, (NARTH) says that although "the aim of gay-affirmative counselling programs is humanitarian", the problem is that they do "much more" than discouraging scapegoating.

"In reality, they promote a particular worldview," present students with a set of "truth-claims that students are expected to adopt," and insist on conformity to these.

"These programs promote the value systems of a particular social group and denigrate the views of another, while at the same time, distorting science."

Don't believe me? Here is the proof.

The Inequality Myth

First, we can easily dismiss the notion that the poor are getting poorer. All the Census Bureau tells us is that the share of the pie consumed by the poor has been shrinking (to 3.4% in 2006 from 4.1% in 1970). But the "pie" has grown enormously. This year's real GDP of $14 trillion is three times that of 1970. So the absolute size of the slice received by the bottom 20% has increased to $476 billion from $181 billion. Allowing for population growth shows that the average income of people at the bottom of the income distribution has risen 36%.

They're not rich, but they're certainly not poorer. In reality, economic growth has raised incomes across the board.

The Census data originate from an annual survey of households. The data don't track individual households from year to year, but instead just take a snapshot of the households in existence in March of each year. From these annual snapshots, we try to infer what's happening to the typical household over time.

The "typical" household, however, keeps changing. Since 1970 there has been a dramatic rise in divorced, never-married and single-person households. Back in 1970, the married Ozzie and Harriet family was the norm: 71% of all U.S. households were two-parent families. Now the ratio is only 51%. In the process of this social revolution, the average household size has shrunk to 2.57 persons from 3.14 -- a drop of 18%. The meaning? Even a "stagnant" average household income implies a higher standard of living for the average household member.

That broad swath of economic advancement shows up in personal consumption. According to the Labor Department, personal consumption spending has risen by $2.5 trillion since 2000. More Americans own homes and new cars today than ever before, despite slowdowns in both industries. Laptop computers, iPhones and flat-panel TVs are fast becoming necessities rather than luxury items.

Really. I know people who spend twice as much on beer and drugs on a weekend, than they spend on gasoline. We have more toy's than ever before. How many T.V.'s do we all have? How many baseball hat's at $25.00 a pop do we have at home? I actually know people who lump their fun money in with their compulsory expeditures, and then actually cried about how they have no money left at the end of the month!!

Obama for Che Guevara?

By Humberto Fontova
FrontPageMagazine.com | Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Those Che Guevara posters recently spotted in Obama's Houston campaign offices were not hung by a young volunteer who dug the cool looking dude's awesome guitar licks for the Smashing Pumpkins, nor by an older one who thought she remembered the groovy guy with the beret "hangin" with Wavy Gravy at Woodstock.

The campaign volunteer who hung the Che poster is named Maria Isabel (second photo above) and according to the Lone Star Times, she hung similar banners from her balcony at home. Apparently she's no "low-level" volunteer either. She serves as a campaign 'precinct captain" and the co-chair of the Houston Obama Leadership Team.




Most interestingly, she is a middle-aged woman who was born in Cuba and lived there as a child during a period when Che Guevara was Cuba's chief executioner and second in command. At the time Cuba had the highest political incarceration and execution rate on earth, far surpassing that of their Soviet mentors and suitors. Pictures have surfaced (see Babalu blog.com) of Maria Isabel at several Obama campaign functions; arm in arm with Barack, in a bear hug with Michelle Obama, and apparently, very heavily involved in the Obama campaign.

Naturally, regarding the Che banner incident, the Obama campaign had nothing to fear from the mainstream media, even though conservative sites and talk radio spread the story.

Finally, there emerged a formal disavowal, of sorts. "We were disappointed to see this picture," read the terse campaign statement, "because it is both offensive to many Cuban-Americans -- and Americans of all backgrounds -- and because it does not reflect Senator Obama's views." Not a hint that the campaign honchos or candidates themselves found Guevara "offensive."

Michelle Obama's recent speech at UCLA might provide a clue on the lame tone of the Obama campaign's response. In fact, her rhetoric rings with an express socialism that calls for a more perfect individual and champions Obama as a social redeemer:


We live in isolation, and because of that isolation, we fear one another... [Barack Obama] is going to demand that you shed your cynicism, that you put down your division, that you come out of your isolation.

... Barack Obama will require you to work....that you move out of your comfort zones, that you push yourselves to be better, and that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual - uninvolved, uninformed.

... We have to fix our souls - our souls are broken in this nation..We can change the world!!..We can!..We can!..We can!"


In "Socialism and Man in Cuba," which is widely regarded as his Magnum Opus, Che Guevara emphasized strikingly similar notes, calling for a complete individual who throws off his lack of knowledge to reach "total consciousness as a social being:"


The most important revolutionary aspiration is to see human beings liberated from their alienation. Lack of education makes (some) take the solitary road toward satisfying their own personal ambitions...

The mass will carry out with matchless enthusiasm and discipline the tasks set by the government, whether in the field of the economy, culture, defense, sports, etc..With ideological education the individual will reach total consciousness as a social being.

We must create a new consciousness, a New Man. We recognize the individual's quality of incompleteness, of being an unfinished product. The vestiges of the past are brought into the present in one's consciousness, and a continual labor is necessary to eradicate them.....Society as a whole must be converted into a gigantic school.


By many media accounts, the Obama campaign plans inroads into the traditionally and overwhelmingly Republican voting habits of Cuban-Americans. Apparently these Cuban-Americans must -- in the words of Michelle Obama -- "move out" of their Republican "comfort zones."

It seems, however, that Obama wants Cuban-Americans to move very far out of their comfort zones, indeed. Besides proposing to meet Raul Castro without pre-conditions as President, Obama also proposes to lift the limited U.S. travel restrictions to Cuba. "Lifting the travel ban to Cuba would be a gift to the Castros," explained Cuban defector Alcibiades Hidalgo, who until 2002 served as Raul Castro's Chief of Staff.

Ernesto Guevara,commonly known as Che Guevara, was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary, global political figure, author, military theorist, and leader of Cuban and internationalist guerrillas. Later while in Mexico in 1956, Guevara joined Fidel Castro's revolutionary 26th of July Movement that fought a guerrilla war.

Anti-war judge rejects foster teen's bid to join military

Daily News
By Dana Bartholomew, Staff Writer

Excerpt:

SIMI VALLEY - Shawn Sage long dreamed of joining the military, and watching "Full Metal Jacket" last year really sold him on becoming a Marine.

But last fall, a Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner dashed the foster teen's hopes of early enlistment for Marine sniper duty, plus a potential $10,000 signing bonus.

In denying the Royal High School student delayed entry into the Marine Corps, Children's Court Commissioner Marilyn Mackel reportedly told Sage and a recruiter that she didn't approve of the Iraq war, didn't trust recruiters and didn't support the military.

"The judge said she didn't support the Iraq war for any reason why we're over there," said Marine recruiter Sgt. Guillermo Medrano of the Simi Valley USMC recruiting office.

"She just said all recruiters were the same - that they `all tap dance and tell me what I want to hear.' She said she didn't want him to fight in it."

Sage, 17, said he begged for Mackel's permission.

"Foster children shouldn't be denied (an) ability to enlist in the service just because they're foster kids," he said. "Foster kids shouldn't have to go to court to gain approval to serve one's country."

Mackel, a juvenile dependency commissioner at the Children's Court in Monterey Park, declined through a clerk to speak about any court case or comments she may have made in court.

Transcripts of juvenile court hearings require a special release from a judge. Court
officials said a transcript of the Sage hearing, if released, would not be available for a week or more.
After Sage submitted a winning entry to the lawmaker's Write a Bill Challenge, Assemblyman Cameron Smyth introduced legislation last month that would allow foster teens to enlist in the service without express permission from a judge.

Instead, AB2238 would allow foster children 17 or older to sign up with the consent of a foster parent or social worker.

"Here is one impressive young man who somehow made it through the challenge of the foster system, had a clear sense of a career path and was denied that opportunity by a judge basically because of her personal bias," said Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, who will honor Sage today at a Royal High assembly.

"I find that to be a horrific abuse of her power."

It was Oct. 12 when Medrano, in crisp dress blues, appeared with Sage before the commissioner to petition for his early enlistment.

The USMC Delayed Entry Program, like those in other services, allows high school seniors to enlist in the service up to a year before starting boot camp.

Recruiters encourage students to hone their study skills, learn to eat right and become fit enough to don a uniform.

By "DEPing in," students can enlist at 17, get their high school diploma, then lock in a military job such as Force Recon - or scout snipers. They also qualify for a signing bonus.

"We just gave out the last one for recon today to another kid for $10,000," USMC Master Sgt. Edgar Carpenter of the Marine Recruiting Office in Simi Valley said Wednesday.

"The Delayed Entry Program supports everything a parent would try to do: We make them stay out of trouble; get them in physical condition; and get them indoctrinated into the Marine Corps culture."

Only Mackel - and it appears a court bailiff as well - objected to the program, despite pleas from Sage and Medrano.

She won't let this guy join the military, because SHE is against the war in Iraq?!? Typical nanny state Lib!

Horton Hears an Abortion Protest


Too short to excerpt:

All hell broke loose at the Hollywood premiere of "Horton Hears a Who!" today when a group of pro-lifers infiltrated the screening, then chanted anti-abortion slogans after the flick.

The theme of the movie is based on the motto: "After all, a person is a person, no matter how small." So the pro-lifers thought it was a good idea to use this theme to their advantage -- even though their complicated message was falling mostly on the ears of children.

The stars in attendance included Victoria Beckham and her three kids, Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, Steve Carell and all 12 contestants from "American Idol."

After the chanting ended, the group put red tape over their mouths that said "Life" on them, and paraded around the event.

Shouts of protest were returned by some in attendance, including, "This is a kid's premiere," "How dare you," and "Do you really care that much about this?"



WAY TO GO!!! GET OUT AND GET LOUUUUDDDD!!!

S.F. State GOP group wins free-speech case

Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle
Excerpt:

(03-07) 14:46 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- To the relief of a campus Republican group, the 417,000 students at California State University's 23 institutions no longer face the possibility of discipline for failing to be civil to one another.

The change was part of a settlement approved by a federal magistrate in Oakland this week in a lawsuit by the San Francisco State College Republicans, whose members were subjected to a disciplinary hearing after some of them stomped on two flags bearing the name of Allah during an anti-terrorism rally in October 2006.

The flags represented the militant organizations Hamas and Hezbollah and had "Allah" written on them in Arabic. A student later complained that the College Republicans had engaged in "actions of incivility" and had tried to incite violence and create a hostile environment.

A panel of students, faculty and staff held a hearing in March 2007 and found no violations of university policy. But the College Republicans and two of their leaders filed suit four months later, challenging the speech and conduct codes that led to the disciplinary proceedings.

One line in the policy manual that applies to all 23 campuses says students are expected to be civil to one another. University officials said the manual didn't set disciplinary standards or authorize punishment for incivility, but U.S. Magistrate Wayne Brazil said the Republican group at San Francisco State had been investigated for precisely that reason.

"The First Amendment permits disrespectful and totally emotional discourse," Brazil said at a hearing in November, when he announced an injunction prohibiting the university from enforcing the civility standard in any disciplinary proceeding.

This week's settlement includes a systemwide ban on punishment for incivility, along with revisions in the standards for student conduct at San Francisco State.

One change narrows the definition of sexual harassment to apply only to "severe, pervasive and objectively offensive" actions that cause harm. The previous definition covered "unwelcome conduct which emphasizes another person's sexuality."

Also eliminated was a provision authorizing discipline for any behavior that is "inconsistent with S.F. State goals, principles and policies."

In addition, the university agreed to pay $100 each to the College Republicans and two of its leaders, and $41,500 in fees to their lawyers.

The settlement is one of a series of victories won by conservative legal groups against college speech codes.

Another story in which the MSM is MIA

Ordinarily, the MSM would be all over a story about a woman doing or accomplishing anything, pushing their feminist agenda on all of us. But...funny how, they seem to not be interested in sharing this story.

Could it be that it is a wonderful story of a young woman who did remarkable things under adverse conditions while serving her country? Or is it that she managed to saved the lives the five wounded and the MSM only likes to report on death? Could it be that at the very young age of 19, she managed to not only due her duty, but so exceptionally well and we all know the kinds of stories the MSM likes to report...

Stories of young women, those classifed by the MSM as "role models", running around pantyless from Hollywood club to club in drunken stoopers or "starlettes" entering rehab for the 3rd time to "better" themselves so they won't get caught drinking and driving or lovely tatoo clad "musicians" shooting up heroin, snorting coke and smoking pot out of boredom. Then they present them as stories of "successful feminists" in today's "cruel man's world, struggling with dealing with the pressure of celebrity, money and fame"...sigh...

They actually believe the constant immoral actions and behaviour, such as those exhibited by the likes of Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan and Amy Winehouse, are not only worth a story, but worth weeks and weeks of coverage and that because of their "success" they should be hailed as something special in society...its disgraceful and these "celebrities" are nothing more than spoiled children, who sadly, can't decipher was it morally right or wrong.

This young woman should be hailed as a hero and as a role model, not simply because she's a "woman"...but because she's a brave human being, who demonstrated great courage as she was willing to lay down her life for those she was serving. She obviously understands what is morally right and what is not. The fact that she volunteered to serve during a time of war is only her first example of heroism and bravery. I know I shall share her story with as many young people as I can. Her story would be well worth the weeks of coverage we see wasted on the "partiers of Hollywood!"

Congratulations to Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown and her family...she has the gratitude and admiration of this blog!

More Mass Graves in Iraq...where's the MSM reporting??

"Human rights groups believe there are hundreds of mass graves in Iraq of people killed during the regime of deposed president Saddam Hussein."

Typically, the MSM is MIA in their reporting on this story coming out of Iraq. If it was a story that started "American soldiers kill innocent"...you could sure bet they would be reporting it. Or if they could say "Fighting in Iraq intensifies, surge not working"....they would again be jonny on the spot reporting immediately. Likewise, if the story was about the death of any US military man or woman, it would certainly be a lead story.

However, because this story reflects the hideous and cruel conditions that the Iraqi people were forced to live with; torture and vicious murder by their ruthless tyrannt leader, Saddam...the MSM conveniently "misses" reporting this one.

The blatant bias in the MSM today should be spotlighted as often as possible, if we ever hope to return to an age of honest and factual reporting. For far too long, we the people, have allowed the media to dictate what "matters" and what does not.

The Dobson Declaration

Dr. James Dobson spoke out this morning on the Laura Ingraham show against John McCain and why he will not, and could not even possibly consider, voting for John McCain.

"I am deeply disappointed the Republican Party seems poised to select a nominee who did not support a Constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage, voted for embryonic stem-cell research to kill nascent human beings, opposed tax cuts that ended the marriage penalty, has little regard for freedom of speech, organized the Gang of 14 to preserve filibusters in judicial hearings, and has a legendary temper and often uses foul and obscene language."

Dr. Dobson went on to say that if McCain wins the nomination, this will be the first presidential campaign in his life that he does not participate.

Dr. Dobson's views represent the feeling of most, if not all, true Conservatives in the nation. We are fed up and are no longer willing to "compromise" our values and beliefs. But are we "angry" enough?

I don't think so...sadly, it looks as if we have not yet been pushed far enough to make us want to stand up and be heard. Instead we play the "turn the other cheek game" and we continue to accept "giving in" on the issues because we believe we have no choice. When in fact, if we actually stood by our principals, we would likely find that MORE American's agree with our ideals than not.

What we need is ONE strong candidate who can articulately express our ideals, one who can actually LEAD and not be afraid! Bobby Jindal proves that this is what we are longing for...he not only stuck by his principals he WON easily in Louisiana by doing so!

Unfortunately for us...Ann Coulter seems to me to be the only Conservative with the courage to SPEAK OUT and LOUDLY!!! Maybe we should consider making her our new "leader!"

And the Conservative Call to Vote for Romney continues...

Rush Limbaugh

National Review

More and more Conservatives are slowly coming out in support of Romney...

As they should.

The Patriot Post

Mark Levin

Hugh Hewitt

Rick Santorum

Sean Hannity

The Conservative Voice

Some however are just on a fierce attack of McCain and his record...again, as they should!

Ann Coulter

David Limbaugh

Robert Novak

Michael Reagan

Thomas Sowell

We can't allow McCain to "take over" the GOP...if we do, it will only prove that we no longer care about principal; are interested ONLY in the "win"...(and McCain nomination will only esure loss)