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From: DGiannotti@eth.state.ma.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 6, 2009 Contact: David Giannotti, Communications Division Chief 617-371-9505 Ethics Commission's Enforcement Division Alleges that Town of Harvard School Superintendent and a Former School Committee Chairman Violated the Conflict of Interest Law Allegedly Used Official Positions to Secure Reimbursement of Private School Tuition by Harvard Public Schools The State Ethics Commission's Enforcement Division, in two Orders to Show Cause ("OTSC"), alleged that Harvard Superintendent of Public Schools Thomas Jefferson ("Jefferson") and former Harvard School Committee Chairman Paul Wormser ("Wormser") violated G.L.c. 268A, the conflict of interest law, by using Jefferson's official position as Superintendent,...

NEW ORLEANS – State investigators raided ACORN offices on Friday, taking away computer hard drives and documents as part of a probe into alleged embezzlement and tax fraud when the organization's national headquarters was based in New Orleans."This is an investigation of everything — ACORN, the national organization, the local organization and all of its affiliated entities, specifically as it relates to any potential violations of Louisiana law," Assistant Attorney General David Caldwell said.ACORN staff on the scene declined to comment, but an attorney for the group said in a statement the raid was prompted by allegations that former ACORN...

As a candidate and president, Barack Obama has had one core message for the middle class: I won't raise your taxes. The White House has pledged that only the wealthy — families earning more than $250,000 — would face a boost in income, capital gains, or other taxes. For the 97 percent of Americans below that level, no increases are in store. But as Congress inches closer to forging a massive package of health-care reforms, it's increasingly clear how difficult it will be to keep that pledge. To pay for the near trillion-dollar health-care system overhaul — not to mention...

A major heart thumper, GT now 9-1 (6-1 in ACC) Looks to win ACC, major bowl bid Unashamed Georgia Tech Vanity

TUCSON, Ariz.—BASIS charter school in Tucson, Ariz., may be the most unassuming high school ever to receive positive treatment from the national media. Nothing about its location (downtown next to a Bank of America and across from Target) nor its building (a rather dated former daycare center) indicates that it could compete with the monolith, state-of-the-art high schools that surround it. Yet not only does it compete with local schools that have vastly more money and resources, according to analyses by Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report, it bests them and schools all across the country. In 2008, Newsweek...

Tommy Christopher (to Gibbs): Robert, I have one question and one clarification. First, the new TV series on ABC, "V," a lot of people are talking about how this show draws very strong – Gibbs: I got to tell you - I'm going to start with this: I don't want to give anybody the impression I have time to watch anything other than what most of you all do each night. So I can't even tell you what that is or what it's about. If that makes me fairly un-cool, I tend to watch more "SpongeBob" than "V." Tommy...

A civil war is threatening to erupt within the Democratic Party as liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org looks to punish moderate Democrats opposed to the sweeping health care overhaul proposed by party leaders. MoveOn has reportedly raised more than $3.5 million in contributions to fund primary challenges against "any Democratic senator who blocks an up-or-down vote on health care reform with a public option," according to an e-mail sent to group members on Thursday. The e-mail warned that any Democratic House member who joins Republicans to filibuster the health care reform measure will "face an enormous backlash from the grassroots." The...

OK, here are the list of Texas Democrats who are either supporting this health care bill or thinking about it. Let's ring their phones off the hook! Let's burn up their fax machines! TEXAS DEMOCRATS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO VOTING YES OR LEANING YES ON THIS HEALTHCARE BILL: Henry Cuellar P: 202-225-1640/F: 202-225-1641 - Texas's 28th congressional district. Goes from San Marcos down to Lardeo. TEXAS DEMOCRATS UNDECIDED: Chet Edwards P: (202) 225-6105/F: 202-225-0350 - 17th district. That district spreads from College station to the Southern part of Dallas. Solomon Ortiz P: (202) 225-7742 /F: (202) 226-1134 - Texas's 27th...

Note: This is satire designed to show the ludicrous nature of the media coverage on the Ft. Hood issue. It is not designed to trivialize a terrible event but to make people understand better what happened and how the event is being dangerously distorted.] By Barry Rubin When John Wilkes Booth opened fire on President Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theatre in April 1865, the media was puzzled. “True, the actor was outspoken in his Confederate sympathies and viewed himself as a Southerner,” said someone who knew him, “but that was no reason he might want Lincoln to be dead.” The...

Here is a list of the undecided per The Hill an hour ago.

Britian's postal service has rejected "Benny Hill" for a stamp because his girl-chasing ways are no longer politically correct. Royal Mail, as the post office is called there, had been considering a stamp to honor the famously naughty British comic as part of group of stamps to mark the 40th anniversary of his network, ITV, according to a report yesterday in London's Daily Telegraph. But, according to the minutes of a committee making the decision, the PR arm of the Royal Mail raised an objection saying Hill's antics were "in direct opposition to [the] company's policies on harassment in the...

This woman's state is BANKRUPT!!! Why are we listening to her??? Why is she not shamed every day???!! Someone needs to call he out at a news conference and tell her to "shut her mouth". Her state is dragging us into the abyss!!!!

Good video talks about the government being the landlord on those Freddie/Fannie houses.

U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye announced Saturday that he will vote no on the House health care reform bill. He cited costs to small businesses and cuts to hospitals as primary reasons the bill will not get his support. Though he says the latest version of the bill does achieve many health care reform goals, he believes it will not reduce the cost of health care for families, taxpayers and small businesses. A provision in the bill that Nye believes could lead to nearly $20 million in cuts for the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD) was also grounds for...

November 8, 2009 I'm Doing 'God's Work'. Meet Mr Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs [Pic in URL] Number 85 Broad Street, a dull, rust-coloured office block in lower Manhattan, doesn’t look like a place to stop and stare, and that’s just the way the people who work there like it. The men and women who arrive in the watery dawn sunshine, dressed in Wall Street black, clutching black briefcases and BlackBerrys, are very, very private. They walk quickly from their black Lincoln town cars to the lobby, past, well, nothing, really. There’s no name plate on the building, no sign on...

Scotland - Britain called for consideration of a global tax on financial transactions to insure against another crisis, and urged world finance officials meeting on Saturday in Scotland to agree on bearing the cost of fighting climate change. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told finance ministers from the Group of 20 rich and developing countries it was time to consider a global financial levy, such as a tax on transactions

What interpretation of Islam influ enced Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan? As often before, the trail leads to the official sect of Saudi Arabia -- known as Wahhabism to most of us of who denounce it. Confronting the role of radical Islam here is not Islamophobic, but common sense -- and the first response moderate Muslims themselves will have. Hasan, though born in America, refused to have his picture taken with women -- an attitude distinct to fundamentalist radicalism among Muslims. The Prophet Mohammed cautioned his followers that when they go to live in non-Muslim lands they must accept the laws...

Below is a list of selected Democrats and their positions on the House healthcare reform bill based on media accounts, press releases and spokesmen for the lawmakers.

As word spread that a gunman had opened fire at Fort Hood leaving a trail of carnage, a chilling realization swept across the U.S. Muslim community: He has an Islamic name. From a professor who just testified in Congress, to a White House adviser appearing before a Jewish group and a former Marine driving home from work, Muslims across the country were shocked, angry and afraid that the attack would erode efforts to erase anti-Islamic stereotypes. Many Islamic leaders said the Fort Hood tragedy that left 13 dead and 30 wounded including the alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, could...

We are in fact entering a "Brave New World". The 'Battlefield of Ideas' has moved into Cyberspace, and is embroiled in Ideology and Rhetoric the way Talk Radio and Television were before us. The question is: Can Conservatives hold this ground, too? See the full article at the Liberty Tree Revolution

Live Threads of the Healthcare Debate that could be voted on this weekend. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380972/posts?q=1&;page=251 http://www.c-span.org/Watch/C-SPAN_wm.aspx Different reports are coming in about what some of the Arkansas Representatives will do. John Boozeman is a solid NO vote. Rep Berry has "concerns regarding how the plan is paid for", but Obamacare is often changed to give the apperance of not costing as much. Mike Ross has expressed concern over public option, but that is also not a definite NO. According to David Meeks, Rep Snyder's office had said that he wouldn't for a bill that "funds abortion", however Obamacare supporters had claimed...

FORT HOOD, Texas -- There was the classroom presentation that justified suicide bombings. Comments to colleagues about a climate of persecution faced by Muslims in the military. Conversations with a mosque leader that became incoherent. As a student, some who knew Nidal Malik Hasan said they saw clear signs the young Army psychiatrist - who authorities say went on a shooting spree at Fort Hood that left 13 dead and 29 others wounded - had no place in the military. After arriving at Fort Hood, he was conflicted about what to tell fellow Muslim soldiers about the fighting in Iraq...

TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) The State of Florida is looking for help finding something you'd think would be hard to lose; approximately 18,000 buildings, owned by the taxpayers of Florida, that state officials can't quite put their fingers on. What's more, state officials say they don't have the people to hunt them down, so they want to use tax money to hire an outside company to find each building Florida has misplaced. The plan was made public by Linda South, Secretary of the Florida Department of Management Services. Earlier this year, legislators handed her the job of locating surplus state-owned properties and...

A senior Iranian politician said Saturday the country would not ship low-enriched uranium out of the country, which is a major part of a pending nuclear deal between Iran and international powers, according to semiofficial state media. Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chief of Iran's Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said the proposed deal to send uranium out of the country is "called off," Iran's semiofficial news agency ISNA reported. Boroujerdi, an influential member of the parliament, said he does not see the uranium shipment happening. ""Iran is not to give any of its 1,200 kilograms fuel to the other party...

'Diary of a Kremlin insider reveals the hold Soviets had over Labour politicians'

I need some help from a creative FReeper in combining two images into one. I would like to see the red rainbow in the obams logo morph or bleed into the red lines of the obama deficit chart. I think it would be a good sign if the times. Thanks for the help. FReep on. See images below.

WASHINGTON — When it comes to combating global warming, Sen. Lindsey Graham is right where he loves to be — ahead of the curve, in the mix on a major issue, at the table for high-level, bipartisan talks behind closed doors. Graham, a South Carolina Republican, is working with Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut to craft a climate change bill. They face the dual challenge of overcoming widespread GOP opposition and withstanding relentless attacks by Big Oil and allied energy interests. "Our goal is to create a vision that not only will...

The Party of Bachmann More By Mara Gay on November 06, 2009 12:05pm In the GOP civil war, moderates seemed to gain ground this week as center-leaning Republicans won two governors' races, while the conservative candidate lost in NY-23. But days later, in the far right came out again big. Thousands heeded Rep. Michele Bachmann's call to fill the National Mall and protest Democratic health care reform. Commentators say Thursday's rally--which included signs comparing the health care bill to the Holocaust--is proof that the Republican Party is embracing its right wing in the battle for control of the party....

Spat Over 'Muslim Terrorists' Halts 9/11 Marker Dad of one victim wants those words on it; town says not on public property Ruth Epstein, a first selectman in Kent, Conn., says that to add "Muslim terrorists" to a planned 9/11 memorial would be disparaging towards Muslims. Nov . 7, 2009 HARTFORD, Conn. - A memorial to honor a Sept. 11 victim from a small northwestern Connecticut town has been halted by the unexpected conflict arising from his father's insistence it say his son was murdered by "Muslim terrorists." Town officials in Kent are balking, saying it would be inappropriate to...

Honduras, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya says he has pulled out of a deal struck to end the country's political crisis. Speaking to local radio Friday, Zelaya said the deal with the interim government led by President Roberto Micheletti was off as far as he was concerned, The Wall Street Journal reported. "This deal is dead. The other side has failed to uphold their end," Zelaya reportedly said. Under the terms of the deal, a government of national unity would be created and the Honduran Congress would be allowed to determine if Zelaya could return to...

At this moment, Democratic sources say their internal head counts have them breaking through the 218 mark this afternoon. Whether that will mean that more Democrats will come on board, or that Pelosi is going to cut other members lose, is still unclear. But Dems are confident they have won. By John Bresnahan

Unfortunately the media is not alone in its rush to assumptions that Hasan’s zealot-driven attack was not necessarily a zealot-driven attack. President Obama warned against jumping to conclusions regarding Hasan’s motives for opening fire on American military personnel. Before the number of victims was even known, the FBI almost immediately claimed that Hasan’s actions were not acts of terrorism. Just last month, 19-year-old Hosam Smadi was arrested and universally described as a terrorist for plotting to blow up a Dallas skyscraper. In May, New York police hailed the foiling of a jihad plot by four men to bomb two sites...

WPTV: Last month, when Trevor Keezer started bringing his Bible to work, Keezer says his manager confronted him about the ["One nation under God, indivisible."] button. "That's when I was told it had to come off, or I would be sent home. So they sent me home for six straight days without pay. And then today they terminated me."

A parody PSA about Big Government and its plans to take over health care. A spoof of Will Ferrell's ad for MoveOn.org

'They are so familiar we take them for granted, but a new book reveals the full glory of our Great War memorials'

If you want to know what's wrong with Sacramento, you need look no further than Orange County. That's where Republican Party insiders have cast aside one of the GOP's most principled members in its drive to fill the 72nd Assembly District seat vacated by disgraced Assemblyman Mike Duvall, who resigned after being caught on tape bragging in lurid detail to another assemblyman about his sexual exploits with lobbyists. The first major candidate to announce his intention to replace Duvall was Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby. If the local GOP were serious about the limited-government rhetoric it constantly preaches, Norby would...

Fifteen years ago, my family and I arrived in the United States, having fought for two decades to escape the dictatorship of the Soviet Union. We left behind a tyrannical system, determined to control every aspect of its subjects’ lives. Now, the same forces appear to be at the forefront of our national debate on health care. At the heart of this debate lies a very simple question: will we preserve the freedom of every individual to determine his or her best interests, or will government seize for itself control over the health care of every American? Having experienced and...

Governor-elect Chris Christie made a surpise appearance at the New Jersey Family Policy annual dinner. Gov Christie thanked the audience for all of the work done on behalf of New Jersey families. Christie told the New Jersey Family Policy group about his own family and his kids and spoke about their shared values. Governor-elect Chris Christie said he prepared his family for the possibility of a loss that was not to be. He huddled with his family on election night before going on stage to accept the election results. His family all shared their love and celebration. Governor-elect Christie graciously...

President Barack Obama has RSVPed "nein" to Chancellor Merkel's invitation to Germany to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. National Review Online asked Michael Rubin and a few other experts what this snub reveals about Obama. Rubin: "Symbolism is incredibly important. When Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an "Evil Empire," the reverberations within the East Bloc went far beyond what Reagan's own supporters realized. Likewise, the moral clarity evident in Reagan standing before the Berlin Wall and declaring, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" did as much as tens of millions of dollars poured...

Palestinians Right to Water by Ari Bussel A lecture Downtown Los Angeles by a self-declared “Palestinian from Palestine” was titled: Israel’s control of water as a tool of Apartheid and means of ethnic cleansing.” Following the talk, I was asked for my opinion. I replied: Nothing should surprise me any more. According to the speaker, America’s counterpart, Israel, is thirsting the “Palestinians” out of “their own” land. There is much to learn from Israel about water: from reclamation to desalination methods, from agriculture in arid areas to existence in the desert. Israel has perfected over the last century age-old methods,...

Leaders of the vibrant Muslim community here expressed outrage on Friday at the shooting rampage being laid to one of their members, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who had become a regular attendee of prayers at the local mosque. But some of the men who had befriended Major Hasan at the mosque said the military should examine the policies that might have caused him to snap. “Ultimately it was Brother Nidal’s doing, but the command should be held accountable,” Mr. Benjamin said. “G.I.’s are like any equipment in the Army. When it breaks, those who were in charge of keeping it...

ELIGIBILITY - To be eligible for a grant or contract under paragraph (1) an entity shall be an accredited school of medicine or osteopathic medicine. PREFERENCE - In awarding grants or contracts under this section, the Secretary shall give preference to entities that have a demonstrated record of at least one of the following: (1)Training a high or significantly improved percentage of health professionals who provide primary care. (2)Training individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds(including racial and ethnic minorities unrepresented among primary care professionals) (3) A high rate of placing graduates in practice settings having the principal focus of serving...

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Arizona State University two grants for alternative energy research that are part of a special DOE program to pursue high-risk, high-reward advances with the potential to change the way the nation generates and consumes energy. ASU’s grants, totaling more than $10 million, are among 37 new DOE grants totaling $151 million to support the program. ASU’s grants are for work on a new class of high-performance metal-air batteries and the use of photosynthetic bacteria to produce automotive fuel from a combination of sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. “ASU is the only university...

Reporting from Washington - At least one Democratic political strategist has gotten a blunt warning from the White House to never appear on Fox News Channel, an outlet that presidential aides have depicted as not so much a news-gathering operation as a political opponent bent on damaging the Obama administration. Political consultants are a staple of cable television talk shows, analyzing current events based on their own experiences working on campaigns or in government. One Democratic strategist said that shortly after an appearance on Fox, he got a phone call from a White House official telling him not to be...

HARTFORD — - The woman who landed a temporary job in the office of the registrars of voters after being fined $10,000 by the state for ballot fraud four years ago owes the city $3,500 in back taxes. Prenzina Holloway is the mother of city council Democratic Majority Leader rJo Winch and a longtime member of the city's Democratic Party. In 2005, state officials said Holloway voted on behalf of, and forged the signature of, at least one voter during a 2004 Democratic primary, among other violations of state law. The state fined her $10,000. But because she demonstrated financial...

A British man on the run from police sent a picture of himself to his local newspaper because he didn't like the mug shot they had printed of him. South Wales Police had issued media with the photo of Matthew Maynard, who was wanted over a house break-in. But when it appeared in the South Wales Evening Post, the 23-year-old was horrified, and sent the paper a better snap. It has now appeared on the front page and police say the vain burglar has done them a favour. “Everyone in Swansea will know what he looks like now.”

PINELLAS PARK - As Xuan-Nuong Lam Tran pulled her Mercedes ML 350 into a parking spot at a post office, another customer flung open her own car door, causing minor damage. Tran, a travel agent, might have received a ticket for careless driving that day in July and gone on her way. But she was handcuffed, humiliated and taken to the Pinellas County Jail. Her crime? Ten days earlier, according to court records, she failed to answer a charge she had watered her lawn on the wrong day. At the jail, Tran rolled her fingers in black ink, and her...

*snip* Yes, and a resounding, fervent promise by the newly elected President Obama: "My administration will bring a new transparency in our governance." That sounded so good, didn't it? *snip* Our president informed the Muslim world that "America is no longer a Christian nation," and that because of the number of Muslims in our borders that we might be considered "a Muslim nation." These and other similar comments amazed the over 80 percent of Americans who still identify themselves as Christian. *snip* But the issue that makes his notorious promise of "transparency" seem so hollow – and false – is...

With her head held high, applauding and with a beaming grin, Christina Schmid did not look like a typical war widow as she watched her husband's coffin parade through the streets of Wootton Bassett this week. The brave wife of Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, who died dismantling a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, even managed a thumbs-up as she watched her husband of two years return home. Yesterday she revealed that after the homecoming parade of 30-year-old Sgt Schmid, known as Oz, she cried so much that she did not have an ounce of make-up left. But she said he had...

Obama: 'Now's the Time to Finish the Job' on Health Care Reform Moments after President Obama's comments, the health care legislation cleared its first hurdle when Democrats approved a rule setting the terms of the debate. WASHINGTON -- President Obama urged the House on Saturday to "finish the job" in passing its version of a sweeping health care overhaul after he met privately with Democrats. "This is our moment to live up to the trust that the American people has placed in us, even when it's hard -- especially when it's hard," he said from the Rose Garden of the...