Saturday, January 27, 2007

Local Democrats Throw Down

See how long it takes us to get involved in this somehow, if we aren't already!

Motion filed to disqualify Beane in suit
By JEFFREY SAULTON, Staff Writer

Rusen states the diner said she overheard a phone conversation during which "an unfounded and untrue representation was made" that Rusen, referred to as the former prosecuting attorney "was intoxicated and advising law enforcement to be on the alert for her departure from the restaurant.

"Rusen said Beane made the remarks in a "loud and public manner" and it was overheard by at least two diners and a restaurant employee. Rusen said the witnesses would be available to testify should a hearing be requested by the Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court for the purpose of verification.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Time for a new Contract


Gingrich Speech in New Hampshire





Apparently it is causing a firestorm




NEWT GINGRICH: The third thing I want to talk about very briefly is the genuine danger of terrorism, in particular terrorists using weapons of mass destruction and weapons of mass murder, nuclear and biological weapons. And I want to suggest to you that right now we should be impaneling people to look seriously at a level of supervision that we would never dream of if it weren't for the scale of threat.

Let me give you two examples. When the British this summer arrested people who were planning to blow up ten airliners in one day, they arrested a couple who were going to use their six month old baby in order to hide the bomb as baby milk.

Now, if I come to you tonight and say that there are people on the planet who hate you, and they are 15-25 year old males who are willing to die as long as they get to kill you, I've simply described the warrior culture which has been true historically for 6 or 7 thousand years.

But, if I come to you and say that there is a couple that hates you so much that they will kill their six month old baby in order to kill you,I am describing a level of ferocity, and a level of savagery beyond anything we have tried to deal with.

And, what is truly frightening about the British experience is they are arresting British citizens, born in Britain, speaking English, who went to British schools, live in British housing, and have good jobs.

This is a serious long term war, and it will inevitably lead us to want to know what is said in every suspect place in the country, that will lead us to learn how to close down every website that is dangerous, and it will lead us to a very severe approach to people who advocate the killing of Americans and advocate the use of nuclear or biological weapons.

And, my prediction to you is that either before we lose a city, or if we are truly stupid, after we lose a city, we will adopt rules of engagement that use every technology we can find to break up their capacity to use the internet, to break up their capacity to use free speech, and to go after people who want to kill us to stop them from recruiting people before they get to reach out and convince young people to destroy their lives while destroying us.

This is a serious problem that will lead to a serious debate about the first amendment, but I think that the national security threat of losing an American city to a nuclear weapon, or losing several million Americans to a biological attack is so real that we need to proactively, now, develop the appropriate rules of engagement.

And, I further think that we should propose a Geneva convention for fighting terrorism which makes very clear that those who would fight outside the rules of law, those who would use weapons of mass destruction, and those who would target civilians are in fact subject to a totally different set of rules that allow us to protect civilization by defeating barbarism before it gains so much strength that it is truly horrendous.

This is a sober topic, but I think it is a topic we need a national dialogue about, and we need to get ahead of the curve rather than wait until actually we literary lose a city which could literally happen within the next decade if we are unfortunate. So

(APPLAUSE)

This is a very sober description of the Islamic terrorist threat we are faced with. We are NOW at war with a culture that wants, not to take over our land, but to KILL us.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Wood BOE approves several key issues Tuesday

Wood BOE approves several key issues Tuesday


By MICHAEL ERB, Staff Writer

PARKERSBURG — Several items were approved Tuesday evening during a meeting of the Wood County Board of Education.

The board met at the Caperton Center for Applied Technology and voted on several policies, recommendations and resolutions.

Among the votes was a 3-1 split concerning the school district’s political activity policy, which regulates what activities are prohibited on school campuses and through the district’s inter-office mail system.

Board member Tim Yeater was the dissenting vote, with board member Rick Olcott absent.

Yeater had argued at previous meetings the policy should contain a one-year ban from using the inter-office mail system for any group found in violation of the policy. The policy as approved left any such consequences at the discretion of the superintendent. Yeater did not say why he voted against the policy at Tuesday evening’s meeting.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Wood BOE to vote on political activity policy

Wood BOE to vote on political activity policy

By MICHAEL ERB


PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Board of Education is expected to vote on a policy Tuesday governing politics in public schools.

The board has been considering revisions to its Policy 1311-Political Activity, which covers when such activities are appropriate on school campuses.

A proposed revision to the policy that would suspend persons and groups found violating the policy from using the school system’s inter-office mail system for a year was thrown out last meeting. Instead, Superintendent Bill Niday said Friday he intends to present a policy that is unchanged from years past.

‘‘It is basically the same policy we’ve had,’’ he said. ‘‘It essentially says we’re non-partisan, and that our schools have to remain non-partisan.’’

Niday said the policy was tested in 2004 by a national primary election that was particularly active in the Mid-Ohio Valley

That year, President George W. Bush twice visited schools in Wood County, first by a presidential visit to Parkersburg South High School in May and then with a campaign visit to Parkersburg High School in September.

Under the policy, the first visit was not considered to be a political event, so the White House was not charged to use the school and the Parkersburg South band was allowed to play at the event.

During Bush’s second visit, the national Republican Party rented Stadium Field and a community band, which included some students but was not sanctioned by the school or school system, played at the event.

‘‘There is a distinction’’ between the events, Niday said.

Niday also said the current policy would not prohibit high schools from holding mock elections and from students campaigning as part of those elections. In 2004 questions about the policy arose after students at PHS actively campaigned and put up posters for presidential candidates prior to the primary election as part of a school-wide mock election.

The policy will be the one that has been in effect

Those activities ‘‘would still be allowed, and there certainly is a place for them in the schools,’’ Niday said. ‘‘Part of our role is preparing people to be good citizens, and part of that is getting the students actively involved in the political process.’’