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At first glance, Moshe Holtzberg looks like any happy boy on the brink of his third birthday. Messy lunches and tons of playtime is how the lovable tot spends his time with his grandparents and nanny living in Afula, Israel. But Moshe is far from normal. He is a living miracle. Last year, a group of gunmen stormed into Moshe's old house in Mumbai, India, killing his parents and four others at the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish center. His nanny, Sandra Samuel, managed to grab him half way into the 36-hour siege, running from the chaos and saving his life. "He remembers...

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Fourteen people have been charged with illegally purchasing 77 million contraband cigarettes from undercover agents in Virginia and smuggling the cigarettes to New York. Two are also accused of paying an agent posing as a hit man to kill a husband and wife whom they believed had stolen from them. The indictments handed up Thursday in federal court in Alexandria are the culmination of a yearlong investigation. Authorities say the smuggling ring paid $8 million plus guns and drugs to the undercover agents for the cigarettes. Cigarette smuggling has increased in recent years as high taxes...

I'm all for Liberty but I'd sacrifice some rights for a tough love leader and a law against Big Gulps. ......And people love a good dictator — or at least get over their hatred of one pretty quickly — provided that the dictator doesn't put up too many pictures of himself. We instinctively object to new forms of paternalism, but we also quickly accept them: ......President Obama should probably get a little bit dictatorial up in here. He's the only person in the U.S. unaware that we elected him dictator, giving him both houses of Congress and the major television...

OKLAHOMA CITY — As more and more cities and states pass laws banning the use of cell phones – including texting – while driving, this “nanny statism” has finally struck lawmakers in Oklahoma. And that’s unfortunate. Oklahomans tend to pride themselves on the fact that more government intervention is not a good idea. Good old-fashioned common sense is usually acceptable and reasonable laws are followed. Banning cell phones and texting while driving is unreasonable, in the eyes of the Oklahoma Watchdog. Rep. Sue Tibbs, a Tulsa Republican who serves on the House Public Safety Committee, is planning to introduce a...

Americans need more exercise, not another tax. Obesity is a complex issue, and addressing it is important for all Americans. We at the Coca-Cola company are committed to working with government and health organizations to implement effective solutions to address this problem. But a number of public-health advocates have already come up with what they think is the solution: heavy taxes on some routine foods and beverages that they have decided are high in calories. The taxes, the advocates acknowledge, are intended to limit consumption of targeted foods and help you to accept the diet that they have determined is...

[snip] Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said the agency was following standard procedure in its response. "But we feel this (law) really gets in the way of common sense," Boyd said. "We want to protect kids, but the law needs to be reasonable," she said. "When the governor learned of this, she acted quickly and called the director personally to ask him to intervene." State Rep. Brian Calley, R-Portland, said he was working to draft legislation that would exempt situations like Snyder's from coverage under Michigan's current day care regulations. The bill will make it clear that people who aren't in...

Clair McCaskill thinks she's a neurologist. These people hold elected office and actually think they are entitled to tell folks what they need better than the scientists that treat them! http://www.foxnews.com/search-results/m/26494935/suffering-scooters.htm#q=McCaskill+Scooters So if you are a person with MS, Parkinsons, ALS and Huntingdon's disease, lets land our sorry butts in Clair's office and tell her what we think of her medical knowledge.

WASHINGTON – The government is trying to make it easier for Americans to save for retirement, President Barack Obama said Saturday, as he noted the toll the recession has taken on extra income and savings accounts. One initiative will allow people to have their federal tax refunds sent as savings bonds. Others are meant to require workers to take action to stay out of an employer-run savings program rather than having to take action to join it. "We know that automatic enrollment has made a big difference in participation rates by making it simpler for workers to save," Obama said...

Well...finally a website where we kindergartners can go to find out how to be healthy. Thank you President Obama!

If you're planning a garage sale or organizing a church bazaar, you'd best beware: You could be breaking a new federal law. As part of a campaign called Resale Roundup, the federal government is cracking down on the secondhand sales of dangerous and defective products. The initiative, which targets toys and other products for children, enforces a new provision that makes it a crime to resell anything that's been recalled by its manufacturer. "Those who resell recalled children's products are not only breaking the law, they are putting children's lives at risk," said Inez Tenenbaum, the recently confirmed chairwoman of...

Scandinavians are known for their emphasis on safety. They invented the seat belt, the safety match, the paper clip, and the Nobel Peace Prize. Actually, though all of those are Scandinavian inventions, none are Danish. Danes are not going to be any less than their neighbors when it comes to safety, however. According to Copenhagenize.com, the council for increased traffic safety in Denmark and Trygfonden, a Danish insurance company, has started a new campaign under the catchy slogan “A walking helmet is a good helmet” (it’s catchy in Danish: En gå hjelm er en go-hjelm).

A new state law will allow police to arrest people who don’t leave town under mandatory evacuation orders. As it stands, officials cannot compel people to evacuate, only warn that those who stay behind won’t have any emergency services at their disposal. The new law gives county judges and mayors the power to authorize use of “reasonable force” to remove people from the area.

The worst effect of liberalism is the regression of citizens from self-sufficient adults into dependent children who rely on a parentified government to take care of them and make important decisions for them. What makes us think that the nanny state, to which we surrender our autonomy, will protect our best interests − or even protect our lives? What makes us think that the apparently benign nanny will not turn out to be the wicked witch? Before it is too late, let us fire the nanny and GROW UP.

After lighting up are you experiencing more headaches, stomach cramps or a coppery taste in your mouth? Does your new FSC (fire-safe cigarette) taste bad, cause dry mouth and are you coughing more? New York State was one of the first states to require that cigarettes be made with the new fire-safe paper. This paper is constructed by gluing two or three thin bands of less-porous paper together with an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer emulsion based adhesive (carpet glue). These papers have bands (see image) that act as speed bumps so if the cigarette is left unattended it will self-extinguish....

The Government has been accused of fixing the outcome of public consultations on health policy after it emerged that reviews were flooded with block votes from groups funded entirely by the taxpayer. Earlier this month the Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, announced that the display of cigarettes and tobacco in shops would be banned in England and Wales from 2011. He added that people wanting to buy cigarettes from vending machines would in future have to show proof of age to obtain a token to activate the machine, and machines could be banned altogether in the future. Mr Johnson boasted that...

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont State Police say a nanny charged with molesting a 10-year-old boy may have other victims elsewhere. Vermont State Police Detective Ben Katz says the case is complex because 23-year-old Donald Shepherd traveled around the country and went by several aliases. He says Shepherd sought work as a nanny and at camps in 13 other states. Shepherd looked for his nanny jobs online. Vermont investigators are working with other law enforcement agencies and have been contacted by several nanny-networking sites. Katz says Shepherd may have sought work in California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey,...

Democrats are considering a 10 cents tax on the price of a can of soft drink to help pay for President Barack Obama's health reforms. Congressmen are also discussing higher alcohol taxes and a national sales tax of up to 1.5 per cent or more. Lobbyists from the soft drinks and liquor industries are likely to oppose the measures vigorously. The list of options are among those being drawn up by the House Ways and Means Committee. They are intended to raise about $600 billion over 10 years to partially pay for President Barack Obama's intended overhaul of the US...

A few simple changes in the design and location of staircases could help fight obesity by making the buildings more "physical activity friendly", Study leader Dr. Ishak A. Mansi, of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, has revealed that the research team focussed on how changes in staircase designs could help fight obesity. "Changing stair design to encourage their use requires a set of interventions on both architectural and legislative levels to create physical environments that support active living," wrote the authors of the study.

“Our political problem now is “Can we, as a nation, continue together permanently—forever—half slave, and half free?” Abraham Lincoln, 1855 When Lincoln first asked this question, America was slowly coming to grips with the knowledge that as a nation it could not continue to exist, half-slave and half free. This was not only because slavery was immoral or unconstitutional… but on a purely practical level, slave states and free states had significantly different and incompatible interests.

NANNY STATE: GOVERNMENT WEBSITE TO WARN OF SADNESS/CRYING OVER ECONOMY Drudge developing story.

FR Rules: link only http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20090327/UPDATES01/90327002

Per Jay Severin on WTKK: He is certain that before the end of 2009, Obama will pass a law which makes a federal government assessment a requirement before a home-owner can sell his property. The assessment will be to ensure that the house is sold at a "fair" price. The home-owner will have no say in the matter. Severin can be a rabble-rouser at times, but his experience and success in politics makes this announcement chilling. In a month, Obama-Pelosi-Reid have ended American capitalism. Today's demand by Obama that we responsible people pay the mortgages of deadbeats and illegal aliens...

Helicopters, masked police, snipers on the roof, all the works. The reason? Somebody got scared of guns. Nope, not real guns; those are banned in England. Toy guns carried by the partygoers as props for the Wild West themed party. Read on

A look at the federal government's expansion of SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) and how you can do your part to help the children.

THUGS BEAT HUBBY TO GET NANNY'S 'MOGUL LOOT' .....politically connected parking magnate David Avital's nanny grabbed more than $150,000 of thousands he parked in a closet.......she bragged to greedy relatives - who allegedly abducted her husband, and tried to get him to say where the loot was hidden. Avital is known for parking garages, and his investment company, MTP, stands for "more than parking." Avital's Web site shows him hobnobbing with Clinton, Gore.....Avital gave $26,000 campaign contributions last year, including $15,000 to the Obama Victory Fund, and $2,300 to then-prez candidate Joe Biden. .........

Today on NBC’s Chris Matthews’ show, Bob Woodward was one of the guests on the panel, and during the standard Q&A between Chris and the panelists, a couple of curious things came out of Woodward’s mouth. The first thing that caught my attention was when Chris played a segment of the inauguration where Obama said we “must begin again the work of remaking America.” Woodward began his comments by reminding us of the “if you will unclench the fist, we will extend the hand.” He says it’s obvious the big difference between Obama and Bush & Cheney is that Obama...

Chinese baby slashed by angry nanny (Agencies) Updated: 2009-01-15 14:27 SHANGHAI - A 20-month-old Shanghai girl was recovering Thursday after her family's maid, angry at her employers, put her on a chopping block and slashed her face with a kitchen knife, police said. Police in the southern Shanghai district of Nanhui confirmed the attack, reported in local newspaper Shanghai Daily. They refused further comment. The baby's mother was also injured while trying to wrestle the knife away from the maid after she heard her daughter screaming late Tuesday night, the report said. Li Yuanmeng, a 20-month-old Shanghai girl, receives treatment...

The Federal Communications Commission awarded 12 grassroots groups $8.4 million to help TV viewers prepare for the digital transition on Feb. 17. FCC had sought proposals from local, regional and national organizations to inform the public in all parts of the U.S. about the conversion, particularly in the 82 markets with the highest over-the-air TV populations. Last September, Congress appropriated $20 million to the FCC to help fund its digital television outreach efforts, such as instructing the public how to set up converter boxes and antennas. AARP scored $2.7 million to answer senior citizens’ questions related to the conversion via...

Web sites could get cinema-style ratings: U.K. minister Sat Dec 27, 2008 5:11am EST LONDON (Reuters) - The kind of ratings used for films could be applied to Web sites in a bid to better police the Internet and protect children from harmful and offensive material, Britain's minister for culture has said. Andy Burnham told The Daily Telegraph newspaper, published on Saturday, that the government was planning to negotiate with the administration of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama to draw up new international rules for English language Web sites. "The more we seek international solutions to this stuff -- the UK...

A jury sentenced a Lakeview man to 10 years in prison for growing nearly 7,500 marijuana plants. Andrew Stever, 40, was sentenced on Monday after a three-day trial in the Federal District Court in Medford.Ten years is the mandatory minimum sentence for anyone convicted of growing 1,000 or more pot plants. In July 2007, officers from several local, state and federal agencies found 7,459 plants growing on Stever's Lakeview property, which bordered Forest Service land. Two men fled the scene, leaving behind personal property and three firearms, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Portland. Physical evidence and testimony linked...

You drink diet soda, so you must be healthier. Right? That's what New York Gov. David Paterson is talking about with his proposal for an "obesity tax" — a 15 percent slap on non-diet sugary soft drinks. Think $1 for a Diet Coke, $1.15 for a Coke. There's just one problem: Studies have found links between drinking diet sodas and obesity and diabetes. A 2005 study at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, and separate studies released in 2007 at the University of Alberta in Canada and the University of Massachusetts found that diet soda drinkers were...

Reporting from Sacramento -- California has often been tagged as the "nanny state" for passing laws that some people say interfere with citizens' lives. But now it has earned the label for a whole different reason, thanks to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Republican governor announced this week that he had appointed a nanny -- his own children's nanny, in fact -- as a part-time state regulator on the Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind. Lindsay Ann Schnaidt, 32, a Democrat from Hermosa Beach who has worked for the Schwarzenegger family for seven years, will be paid $100 a day...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed his children's nanny to a board that oversees the guide dog industry. Thirty-two-year-old Lindsay Schnaidt will be a part-time state regulator on the Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind. She will be paid $100 each time the board meets. That's usually about eight times a year. Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear says Schnaidt expressed interest in serving California. She is a former teacher and has worked for the family for seven years. McLear says she fills a seat that must go to a representative of the public rather than someone with expertise...

Animal Rights Activists Get Official Roles In City and County Dog Law Enforcement Undercover Surveillance, Vigilantes, Uniforms and Badges by JOHN YATES American Sporting Dog Alliance http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org asda@csonline.net PALM BEACH, FL – Animal rights activists in many parts of the country are proving the adage that paranoia doesn’t necessarily mean dog owners are crazy. Cities and counties that have enacted repressive ordinances targeting dog owners are increasingly using volunteers as a major tool to enforce the law. Not surprisingly, only animal rights activists are likely to be accepted as volunteers. Many of these activists are opposed to the private ownership...

The youngsters are among almost 5,000 residents who in some cases are being offered £500 rewards if they provide evidence of minor infractions. One in six councils contacted by the Telegraph said they had signed up teams of "environment volunteers" who are being encouraged to photograph or video neighbours guilty of dog fouling, littering or "bin crimes". The "covert human intelligence sources", as some local authorities describe them, are also being asked to pass on the names of neighbours they believe to be responsible, or take down their number-plates. Ealing Council in West London said: "There are hundreds of Junior...

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., June 24 (UPI) -- Higher interstate speed limits on an Indiana highway haven't resulted in additional deaths or serious injuries, a study has determined. Purdue University researchers found that an increase from 65 to 70 mph on Interstate 65 was still safe, a result that adds to mix of research results nationwide since passage of the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, which gave states freedom to set interstate speed limits. Study authors acknowledged the ongoing debate in a Purdue University news release. "These findings are important because the influence of speed limits on roadway safety...

NJ has thousands of far more pressing problems,but... a NJ Assemblyman wants to ban the sale of high-caffeine beverages to "underage" consumers. It never stops !!!

Proposed Law Would Ban Outdoor Smoking POSTED: 10:56 am EDT April 7, 2008 UPDATED: 11:37 am EDT April 7, 2008 NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio -- Some people in North Royalton are fuming over a proposed ban on outdoor smoking. The proposed law would make it illegal to smoke in parks, fields, parking lots and outdoor seating areas. Council members said the outdoor ban is in response to complaints about people smoking around children during youth sports games. The city's safety committee will hold a hearing on the issue on April 15.

CHICAGO - As Illinois secretary of state, Jesse White's usual domain consists of licensing drivers, registering corporations and publishing the state's blue book manual. But he recently turned his attention to people walking across the street in addition to those in automobiles. According to an article on WBBM Radio's Web site, White wants the state to pass a law prohibiting people from walking across the street while using a cell phone. A bill along those lines has already been introduced in the Illinois House.

At a time when the state is trying to eliminate trans fats and junk food from school cafeterias, public schools spend thousands of dollars at fast-food restaurants, pizza joints and doughnut shops. The state’s new nutrition policy eliminates sodas, trans fats and candy from schools in the next few years, but it includes a loophole that allows schools to feed students whatever is convenient anytime outside of “regular school hours” — on field trips, during extracurricular activities or athletic events. GCDN Buses line up outside of Whataburger. Away from regulated cafeterias, school officials often turn to the most convenient or...

DES MOINES, Iowa - The cartoonish plastic frog with bulging eyes could be a children's toy — but for the torch-like flame that bursts from the novelty lighter's head. "They look like something you would get in a McDonald's Happy Meal," said John Dean, president of the National Association of State Fire Marshals, who often shows off the device. "They're cute, they're little" — but they can be deadly. Dean's group is backing an effort to ban novelty lighters across the country, and a handful of states are considering it. In California, Washington and Arkansas, local ordinances have been passed...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois' statewide smoking ban is barely a month old and opponents already are trying to relight the debate. With the General Assembly scheduled to return to Springfield this week, various Illinois interests — casinos, bars, veterans' organizations — are preparing to push state lawmakers to carve out exceptions for various types of facilities from the sweeping ban that went into effect this year in all indoor public places. "I'm a dedicated nonsmoker, but the hair on the back of my neck stands up" at some of the freedom-of-choice issues created by the ban, said state Rep. Bill...

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- Officials of Harrah's Metropolis riverboat casino claim Illinois' new smoking ban has resulted in the layoff of about 30 jobs at the casino. Casino officials claim guests are spending less on entertainment and making fewer trips because of the ban and the casino suffered a drop in visitation compared to the previous six-month average.

The Montgomery County Council yesterday proposed legislation that would require domestic workers and their employers to sign contracts to ensure that the workers receive fair wages, overtime and other protections against abuse. Council members Marc Elrich and George Leventhal, both at-large Democrats, proposed the legislation, which they called the first of its kind in the nation. It would allow workers who spend at least 20 hours a week as housekeepers, nannies or adult-care attendants to negotiate their work conditions and pay. The lawmakers said a written contract would offer protection for workers, most of them immigrant women, who are vulnerable...

I'll admit it: I've been critical of Mike Huckabee. Since learning of his record as Governor and of his statements since, I've harbored the opinion that he is more or less McCain Lite - every Democrat's favorite Republican. I've listened to him talk about banning smoking, about federally subsidized art programs, and about the need for federal action to fight "global warming," and what I've thought I heard was the consumate nanny-stater. When he accused our president of having an "arrogant bunker mentality," and said we should close down Guantamnamo, I heard words that might well have been spoken by...

The frustration of proving one's age to buy things like alcohol and tobacco does not end when you reach the appropriate legal age. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have a youthful appearance are forever burdened with having to carry a state-issued ID card to every place where we might want to buy alcohol or tobacco. Over the past few years, we've been gradually subjected to another, more intrusive ID-related hassle -- that of electronic drivers license scanning. It's one thing when a government representative scans your driver's license; it's another thing entirely when a restaurant does it,...

Neil Cavuto's Common Sense This isn't about banning cupcakes in school. This is about banning personal responsibility in America. Don't you see what's going on here? You can't take care of yourself. Let the food police take care of yourself for you. You can't control your kids' weight. Let the government control their weight for you. You can't read the paperwork on a subprime mortgage you suddenly can't pay, let the government pay it for you. You can't find a level playing field with the rich? Let the government tax them more and level it for you. See a trend...