Posted on 05/08/2008 3:14:03 AM PDT by 8mmMauser
LAUREN RICHARDSON - YOU CAN HELP! It has been a source of ongoing sadness to read of the difficulties Lauren Richardson’s father has had over the course of the past several months. For those of you who are not familiar with her case, Lauren overdosed on heroin on August 28, 2006. She suffered oxygen deprivation and, as a result of the overdose, is now in a coma and unable to speak out for herself. At the time of the overdose, Lauren was expecting a baby. Her parents honored what they knew would have been her wish and did all they could to keep her healthy and comfortable until the child was born. Today, though Lauren may not be aware of it, she is the mother of Ember Grace, who was born in February 2007. Since the birth of her daughter, Lauren remains unable to speak of her concerns, but she has a loving father who is doing all he can to protect her from suffering the same fate as Terri Schiavo. However, Lauren’s mother, who has been named her legal guardian, is sadly not of the same opinion and is working with attorneys to pressure the courts to permit Lauren’s starvation. Lauren’s father has kept hope alive, even at times when there appeared to be no hope in human terms. Lauren’s father is a man of hope in Christ and is dedicated to spending every breath he has on defending Lauren, regardless of what it might cost him in physical exhaustion and worldly goods. The most recent update for those concerned about Lauren tells us the following: We struggle at times as we seek to share with the public the details of what is happening with Lauren because of the disagreement we have with Lauren’s mother. We cannot understand her reasoning in refusing a path of hope, healing and restoration for Lauren and insisting on causing her death by withholding food and water from her. The issue in Lauren’s case is the eternal truth that all people, no matter what their medical condition, bear the image of God and deserve basic care and an opportunity to be restored to health. Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo’s brother, has written about Lauren in an editorial earlier this year, "False Compassion," and is working closely with Lauren’s father in order to provide expertise that he is uniquely qualified to share during a trying time like this. There are many links on the Life for Lauren web site that will assist you in tracking this case and learning who is supporting Lauren’s ongoing care and who is opposing it. More importantly, there is something you can do to express your concerns. ACTION NEEDED NOW The governor of Delaware, Ruth Ann Minner, is being asked by pro-life Americans across this nation to intervene in this case in order to save Lauren from what many fear is an imminent court order dictating that Lauren be starved and dehydrated to death. I am asking you to be one of those who communicates your passionate belief that Lauren’s life is sacred and deserves to be protected from those who would order her death. The governor’s e-mail address is governor.minner@state.de.us. Further, it would mean a great deal to Lauren’s father, Randy, if you sent him a copy of your e-mail to Governor Ruth Ann Minner. Randy’s e-mail address is Lifeforlauren@aol.com. During a recent visit to Anchorage, Alaska where Bobby Schindler was invited to speak, he told a reporter from The Catholic Anchor, "Once we accept that killing is an acceptable answer to human suffering, we lose any type of parameters. Euthanasia is a form of abandonment. It is not compassion." Truer words were never spoken. As I frequently tell people who argue that we pro-lifers are being heartless and cruel for fighting to defend the rights of a "hopeless case," "God is the author of every human being’s life, and He has never given permission to a single one of us to arbitrarily rob another human being of life for any reason including disability or illness." As Flannery O’Connor once wrote on the subject of false compassion, "In the absence of faith, we govern by tenderness. And tenderness leads to the gas chamber." Lauren Richardson is not terminal – she is severely disabled. Lauren Richardson should not be murdered. Judie Brown is president of American Life League and a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
By Judie Brown
Upthread we link to the topic as posted by wagglebee. The Baroness assaults our senses again in the article by Ken Connor, a fighter for Terri.
As we realize, the death forces keep this at the core of their bag of tricks and the Baroness is a vociferous proponent. It should scare the bejeepers out of us that she comes out of the dank closet, as we realize all the shady closet doors around us right here. Thanks, Leslie...
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A waste. A burden. That is how influential medical ethics expert Baroness Warnock views people suffering from dementia. Lady Warnock, a prominent adviser to the British government, told the Church of Scotland's Life and Work magazine that people suffering from dementia should be allowed to kill themselves rather than continue to burden their families and Britain's National Health Service. Sadly, Warnock's comments are all too consistent with our modern utilitarian view of life.
Lady Warnock argues that people suffering from dementia are "wasting" their families' lives and the nation's resources. She believes that merely having dementia makes one's life not worth living. She maintains that people should be allowed to give advance notice to a third party that they wish to be killed when they reach a set point of mental deterioration. And she wants to expand this "advance directive" to include just about any situation where a person believes their life is no longer worth living. Her ultimate goal is to license people to "put others down." "Put them down"like a sick dog. At least she's frank....
Do the Demented Have a Duty to Die?
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All might notice how the topic of Haleigh Poutre has heated up in recent days. We have watched as she was nearly dead, nearly killed in recent years and now is largely recovered and facing the accused. We recall her attacker beat her badly but did not kill her. It was DSS, the bureaucrats, who wanted Haleigh dead and tried to snuff her. Anyway, another account to update...
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SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Prosecutors in Massachusetts say a brain-damaged girl once nearly taken off life support while in a coma should be allowed to testify against her stepfather. The Boston Globe reported Sunday that prosecutors in Springfield have asked a judge to allow testimony from 14-year-old Haleigh Poutre, who nearly died after three years ago. The Oct. 29 trial of Poutre's stepfather, Jason Strickland, who was charged with physically assaulting Poutre after she was checked into a hospital in 2005 with severe head injuries that led to brain damage. The girls' adoptive mother also was charged but died in an murder-suicide pact with her grandmother. Before charging the couple, state officials had thought the child suffered from a disorder that caused her to harm herself. Strickland had fought to prevent his stepdaughter from being removed from life-support equipment. Hamden County Superior Court Judge Judd Carhart will be asked to make a determination of the teen's cognitive abilities and whether she is fit to testify. Marylou Sudders of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children told the Globe she was hopeful Carhart would take all precautions if he approves Poutre's court appearance. "I just hope that if she is deemed competent to testify, the judge provides her with support to mitigate any psychological impact," the society president said.
Once-comatose girl may testify in case
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Thread by Winged Hussar with thanks to narses for the ping.
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During his eight years in state office, Obama cast more than 4,000 votes. Of those, according to transcripts of the proceedings in Springfield, he hit the wrong button at least six times. ...Obama was the lone dissenter on Feb. 24, 2000, against 57 yeas for a ban on human cloning. "I pressed the wrong button by accident," he said.
"I Pressed the Wrong Button:" Obama Explains Vote to Allow Human Cloning
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Once again, Buffy Spencer of The Republican keeps us up to date on Haleigh.
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SPRINGFIELD - The defense in the Haleigh Poutre child abuse case may now claim that a babysitter could have been responsible for the injuries which left the girl comatose with a severe brain injury three years ago.
The latest filings in the case of Haleigh's stepfather, Jason D. Strickland, of Westfield, state that defense lawyer Alan J. Black plans to call as a witness a Connecticut woman whose two children were allegedly abused by the same babysitter. The babysitter has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
Further details of the allegation were not provided in the documents filed by Black in Hampden Superior Court where Strickland, 32, is due to face trial in late October.
A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday to determine if the media will be banned from any court hearings in which Haleigh, now 14 and continuing treatment in a Boston rehabilitation hospital, will be called to testify. The prosecution has indicated they plan to call Haleigh as a witness in the case against Strickland on charges of abuse of the girl in 2005.
Strickland and his wife, Holli A. Strickland, Haleigh's adoptive mother, were accused in September 2005 of abusing Haleigh Poutre after the then 11-year-old Westfield girl was hospitalized. He has pleaded innocent to the charges. Within days of her arrest, Holli Strickland was dead, the victim, West Springfield police said, of gunshot wounds in a murder-suicide with her grandmother.
The case led to a major overhaul of the agency's oversight of child abuse and neglect proceedings.
Black, in the document filed Monday, stated he wants to call to the witness stand Stephanie L. Trent, a Connecticut woman whose two children were allegedly abused by babysitter Alicia Weiss.
Weiss was babysitting Haleigh the day the girl was taken to the hospital Sept. 11, 2005, according to her testimony during a Dec. 2, 2005, hearing in Westfield District Court. During the hearing, which determined that there was enough evidence to send the case to the grand jury for possible indictment of Jason Strickland, Weiss said she had seen the parents abuse the girl.
Weiss testified that on Sept. 11, 2005, Haleigh was apparently sleeping when she arrived and was unresponsive two hours later when her mother tried to wake her.
Black said in his filing, "It may be the defendant's contention that Alicia Weiss could have been the person who physically abused Haleigh Poutre and caused the injuries."
Weiss could not be reached for comment.
When Haleigh was hospitalized she was emaciated, with new and old cuts and bruises, broken teeth, a swollen left eye, swollen knees, and scars among other injuries, according to Rebecca Blanchard, a nurse at Baystate Medical Center where Haleigh was taken after her initial trip to Noble Hospital in Westfield. Blanchard testified to the extent of the injuries during the December 2005 hearing in Westfield District Court.
Weiss testified during that hearing that she lived next door to the Strickland home in Westfield, was a longtime babysitter for the family, and had seen Holli and Jason Strickland hit Haleigh on different occasions.
Weiss testified that she saw Holli Strickland kick Haleigh down the stairs three times in a row as a form of discipline and beat the girl's legs with a baseball bat for allegedly stockpiling food. Weiss testified she saw Jason Strickland hit Haleigh with an open hand on two occasions and once with a plastic wand-like device that may have been part of a toy.
Holli and Jason Strickland were charged as joint venture defendants in harming Haleigh. Under that theory, Jason Strickland could be guilty if a jury finds he failed to stop acts by Holli Strickland.
The competency hearing will immediately follow a hearing Wednesday on the request of the state Department of Children and Families to bar the media from any court appearances by Haleigh. The Republican has filed a motion opposing the state's request.
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Once again, Buffy Spencer of The Republican keeps us up to date on Haleigh.
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SPRINGFIELD - The defense in the Haleigh Poutre child abuse case may now claim that a babysitter could have been responsible for the injuries which left the girl comatose with a severe brain injury three years ago.
The latest filings in the case of Haleigh's stepfather, Jason D. Strickland, of Westfield, state that defense lawyer Alan J. Black plans to call as a witness a Connecticut woman whose two children were allegedly abused by the same babysitter. The babysitter has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
Further details of the allegation were not provided in the documents filed by Black in Hampden Superior Court where Strickland, 32, is due to face trial in late October.
A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday to determine if the media will be banned from any court hearings in which Haleigh, now 14 and continuing treatment in a Boston rehabilitation hospital, will be called to testify. The prosecution has indicated they plan to call Haleigh as a witness in the case against Strickland on charges of abuse of the girl in 2005.
Strickland and his wife, Holli A. Strickland, Haleigh's adoptive mother, were accused in September 2005 of abusing Haleigh Poutre after the then 11-year-old Westfield girl was hospitalized. He has pleaded innocent to the charges. Within days of her arrest, Holli Strickland was dead, the victim, West Springfield police said, of gunshot wounds in a murder-suicide with her grandmother.
The case led to a major overhaul of the agency's oversight of child abuse and neglect proceedings.
Black, in the document filed Monday, stated he wants to call to the witness stand Stephanie L. Trent, a Connecticut woman whose two children were allegedly abused by babysitter Alicia Weiss.
Weiss was babysitting Haleigh the day the girl was taken to the hospital Sept. 11, 2005, according to her testimony during a Dec. 2, 2005, hearing in Westfield District Court. During the hearing, which determined that there was enough evidence to send the case to the grand jury for possible indictment of Jason Strickland, Weiss said she had seen the parents abuse the girl.
Weiss testified that on Sept. 11, 2005, Haleigh was apparently sleeping when she arrived and was unresponsive two hours later when her mother tried to wake her.
Black said in his filing, "It may be the defendant's contention that Alicia Weiss could have been the person who physically abused Haleigh Poutre and caused the injuries."
Weiss could not be reached for comment.
When Haleigh was hospitalized she was emaciated, with new and old cuts and bruises, broken teeth, a swollen left eye, swollen knees, and scars among other injuries, according to Rebecca Blanchard, a nurse at Baystate Medical Center where Haleigh was taken after her initial trip to Noble Hospital in Westfield. Blanchard testified to the extent of the injuries during the December 2005 hearing in Westfield District Court.
Weiss testified during that hearing that she lived next door to the Strickland home in Westfield, was a longtime babysitter for the family, and had seen Holli and Jason Strickland hit Haleigh on different occasions.
Weiss testified that she saw Holli Strickland kick Haleigh down the stairs three times in a row as a form of discipline and beat the girl's legs with a baseball bat for allegedly stockpiling food. Weiss testified she saw Jason Strickland hit Haleigh with an open hand on two occasions and once with a plastic wand-like device that may have been part of a toy.
Holli and Jason Strickland were charged as joint venture defendants in harming Haleigh. Under that theory, Jason Strickland could be guilty if a jury finds he failed to stop acts by Holli Strickland.
The competency hearing will immediately follow a hearing Wednesday on the request of the state Department of Children and Families to bar the media from any court appearances by Haleigh. The Republican has filed a motion opposing the state's request.
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This letter is in response to the letter that questioned if Sarah Palin can fulfill her vice president duties, if elected and properly care for her Down syndrome son and her pregnant daughter.
First, her daughter is engaged to be married. Secondly, Sarah Palin is the governor of Alaska and will continue to be governor if not elected. Thirdly and most importantly, Sarah has a fine husband by her side and her parents. Her husband is an experienced father who helped raise four children before Trig was born.
I am the mother of a very medically involved special needs child. I am also the wage earner for my family.
My tender, compassionate husband who is very smart is an able and qualified caregiver to our child. He also does the shopping, cleaning and cooking for our household. Who says a man cannot be a great full-time parent?
Palin has an important job to do just like any man, but her husband and family can help her with this precious son.
Palin will be a friend to us with special needs children more than Barack Obama who consistency shows his disregard for life by voting pro-abortion and against the babies born alive act.
He also stated that the vote he regrets the most was to save the life of handicapped Terri Schiavo. This man has not proven that he values the life of my ventilator dependent handicapped daughter.
Our special needs children need help with medical expenses and therapy. We get this now and can raise our children. I truly fear an Obama-Biden administration where life is not sacred.
My vote in November will be for McCain-Palin for I am sure they will respect the dignity of every life especially my daughter's.
Carol Heisler
Wheeling
Palin's has ability to meet special needs
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An essay posted Aug. 8 on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Web site (www.usccb.org) chronicled the plights of Randy Stroup and Barbara Wagner, who reside in Oregon -- the only state to permit physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill. State-sponsored health-insurance plans denied the treatment requests of both cancer patients -- but readily offered to assist them in committing suicide at no cost.
"Imagine if your state of residence put a price tag on your life. Though it sounds like something out of "The Twilight Zone," that's exactly what happened to Randy Stroup and Barbara Wagner," noted the essay's author, Mary J. McClusky, special-projects coordinator at the USCCB's Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities.
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Court appointments: Crist pandering to Radical Right
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Why are the retro-feminists in the left-wing media, the National Organization of Women, and the abortion lobby, among other hysterics, militating so violently against Sarah Palin? It's because they value abortion-on-demand over every other subject on earth.
This "value" started in the late 1950s - before abortion became de rigueur - when the Food and Drug Administration approved the birth-control pill developed by Dr. John Rock and two collaborators. For the first time in human history, women had a measure of control over their fertility, which gave them a greater chance to pursue economic independence and escape bad marriages.....
Some Feminists Love Abortion on Demand But Hate Governor Sarah Palin
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Thread by wagglebee.
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FRONT ROYAL, Virginia, September 29 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, STL, president of Human Life International, (HLI) today launched an international campaign to promote praying the St. Michael prayer after every Mass. The grassroots campaign is designed to encourage the laity to pray for St. Michael's intercession for the conversion of abortionists. It is also a call to priests and bishops to include the St. Michael prayer after the final blessing at all Masses.
"The fight against the culture of death is primarily a spiritual battle," Euteneuer said, "and Human Life International knows that with the aid of St. Michael, abortionists around the world will convert from their cooperation with evil."...
HLI Launches Campaign for Conversion of Abortionists
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Thread by wagglebee.
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Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The head of a pro-life philanthropic firm is calling for a federal government probe of Planned Parenthood. The call for an investigation comes after Planned Parenthood affiliates in California were accused of overcharging the state by millions for birth control.
The accusation came in March, when P. Victor Gonzalez, a former Planned Parenthood official, filed a lawsuit against its affiliates in California saying they overcharged the state hundreds of millions of dollars on birth control.......................
Planned Parenthood Accused of Overcharging Govt by Millions, Probe Sought
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Thread by wagglebee.
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Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new scandal has erupted for the campaign of presidential candidate Barack Obama and it involves the issue of abortion. New reports indicate Obama's campaign asked an anti-domestic violence group to find a rape victim to attack John McCain and Sarah Palin on abortion or the so-called rape kit hubbub.
The controversy may cause some women voters to charge that Obama's campaign unfairly sought to exploit a rape victim for political gain.The news web site Politico brings the scandal to light today and says it obtained an email about how the Obama camp contacted domestic violence groups to find a rape victim to use in its commercial.............
Barack Obama's Campaign Sought to Exploit Rape Victim to Attack on Abortion
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OTTAWA, September 29, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In his strongest statements in support of unlimited abortion on demand in Canada, Prime Minister Harper today told reporters that his government would not only not open the abortion issue itself, but would prevent anyone else from raising it....
Prime Minister Harper: Not Now, Not Ever Will Conservative Government Protect Unborn Children
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Death Wish [The Impending Suicide of a once great nation - Father Corapi]
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Like I said, Florida is in bad shape since Crist took office. Further, I NEVER got an email from McCain’s local peeps. I guess they are somewhat entrenched with Bushbots and how dare I mention Terri Schiavo and that either Bush could have pardoned her. That’s one less yard sign and bumper sticker for McCain. The Pinellas “machine” is always going to hold a grudge against dear Terri who paid the ultimate price for politics.
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SPRINGFIELD - The prosecution has dropped plans to call Haleigh Poutre as a witness in the child abuse case against her stepfather.
Assistant Hampden County District Attorney Laurel H. Brandt filed a motion in the case of Jason D. Strickland Tuesday in which she said her office "has concluded that it would not be in the best interests of the child to testify in a public forum and has decided to forego the information she would have supplied rather than further traumatize the child."
The filing came on the eve of a hearing today to see if the 14-year-old girl, who suffered a serious brain injury in September 2005, is competent to testify. A hearing was also set for a judge to act on a request from the state Department of Children & Families to bar the media from hearings at which Haleigh might be called to testify.
~Snip~
Also Tuesday, The Boston Globe joined The Republican in opposing the effort to bar the media from the proceedings and filed a brief in support of the newspaper's move.
Joseph P. Pessolano, on behalf of the Republican, wrote, "Just as the press was instrumental in supporting and fostering the reform of (the state Department of Children and Families), so the press' critical role continues as it covers the legal proceedings in this most newsworthy and important case."
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Thread by wagglebee.
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Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Barack Obama is coming under fire for a nasty, negative set of radio ads attacking presidential candidate John McCain. The radio ad barrage, which focuses on abortion and stem cell research, is so negative and so inaccurate that even some of Obama's own supporters are questioning it.
LifeNews.com has extensively profiled the radio ads Obama's campaign has aired over the last month in battleground states.
The ads begin as early as the Republican nomination in St. Paul at the beginning of August.
The first Obama ad went after McCain on abortion with claims that women’s lives and health will be at risk should Roe be overturned. The ad didn't mention that Obama supports unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy for any reason.In addition, a misleading stem cell research ad bashed McCain and falsely accused him of voting against it -- and it went so far that even mainstream media outlets called the Obama campaign on the carpet.................
Barack Obama Under Fire for Very Negative Radio Ads on McCain on Abortion
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Thread by wagglebee.
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Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Barack Obama claims he is the best candidate when it comes to improving health care for Americans and he touted better health care during the first presidential debate. However, his record is blemished with a vote against extending a health care program to cover pregnant women and their unborn children
. The State Children's Health Insurance (SCHIP) is a federal program that provides funds to states to provide health care services to children of low-income families...........
Barack Obama Voted Against Extending Health Care to Pregnant Women, Unborn
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Thread by wagglebee.
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The event was overshadowed by debate over the proposed bail-out of America's financial sector, and so drew little press attention. But those who hold pro-life sentiments should take note of the "Susan B. Anthony Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2008," for it arguably opens a new front in the abortion wars.
Like the ban on partial birth abortion, it will stimulate public debate on grounds favorable to the pro-life cause.
Moreover, it introduces into the pro-life arena existing U.S. jurisprudence on the elimination of discrimination on the basis of sex or race. Who would gainsay that the worst form of discrimination, bar none, is to deny unborn women or Blacks the right to life precisely on account of their innate characteristics of race or gender?......
Congressional Bill Targeting Sex-Selection Abortions in US is Much Needed
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Thread by Blogger.
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Just as we did with President Bush prior to his debates in the most recent Presidential elections, we are calling all interested Freepers to sign up for a time to pray for Sarah Palin during her debate with Joe Biden. Another chain will be set up later to pray for McCain's next debate with Obama....
Thanks, FV.
PRAY FOR MCCAIN-PALIN 24 HOUR PRAYER DRIVE (SIGN UP-PRE THURSDAY DEBATE)
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