truesee's Blog

LINK TO STORY, PHOTOS OF THIEF AND BILLIONAIRE

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-stolen-tax-refund-check,0,3772758.story

Panel allows mosque close to ground zero 

No sign of Muslim-9/11 healing

The Washington Times 

9:41 p.m., Tuesday, August 3, 2010

An Islamic cultural center that the Cordoba Initiative and the American Society for Muslim Advancement hope to build near ground zero has been trumpeted as an effort toward building bridges between Muslims and the families of Sept. 11 victims. 

But that wasn't in evidence Tuesday as a key vote by a New York City panel prompted cries of "shame on you" and charges of "disaster," countered by protestations of "How big is the Muslim-free zone around ground zero?" 

In its 9-0 vote before an emotional crowd Tuesday morning, the Landmarks Preservation Commission denied landmark status to the 150-year-old building currently occupying 45-47 Park St., a few blocks from the former World Trade Center. 

According to the Associated Press, some members of the audience greeted the vote with applause, while others shouted "shame" as panel Chairman Robert B. Tierney called for the vote. 

In rejecting the bid to declare an Italian Renaissance-style structure a historic building, and thus constrain major changes at the site and make the current plan impossible, the Cordoba Initiative can go ahead with plans for a proposed Muslim cultural center and mosque it will call the Cordoba House. 

The project has become fuel for heated accusations from local and national politicians, from religious freedom and Muslim groups, and from anti-jihad activists. 

After the vote, author Pamela Gellar, a popular anti-jihad and pro-Israel blogger, blamed New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a supporter of Cordoba House, for the unanimous vote in the face of so much public controversy. 

"They're all Bloomberg appointees," she said. "Not one voted off the reservation; it's like Mike's toolbox." 

She said Mr. Bloomberg had pushed the mosque because he is focused more on "political correctness than patriotic correctness." 

But Ibrahim Hooper, national spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called the effort to get the building declared a landmark a "smoke screen" for "Muslim bashers" — he specifically named Mrs. Gellar among them — who he says are using the cultural center and mosque to promote an anti-Muslim agenda. 

"How far away would they have to build?" said Mr. Hooper, pointing out that New York City and Manhattan already have several mosques. "How big is the Muslim-free zone around ground zero?" 

Mr. Hooper said his Washington-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy group supports the Cordoba Initiative and that the protesters inadvertently show how "these people would deny American Muslims their constitutional rights." 

He said a different vote Tuesday would have violated property rights and said religious and political conservatives fight for such rights for themselves but too often "cast off that belief when it comes to Islam and Muslims." 

The Cordoba Initiative hailed the vote as a victory for the organization. 

"Our faith community is indebted to them, and to our local community board, for their commitment to the democratic and constitutional ideals we all hold dear and which the community center we hope to create on the site will honor," said Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam who is chairman of the Cordoba Initiative. 

Mr. Rauf called Cordoba House an opportunity for "healing, peace, collaboration, and interdependence" in his statement, but Mrs. Gellar said the effort to build what she called a "victory mosque" has caused enormous pain to families of Sept. 11 victims. 

"It's a grave insult, and the idea of this being outreach and healing and building bridges — frankly, it rings hollow," she said. "It's astounding, but it's not surprising."

One demonstrator during the New York vote held up a sign that said, "Islam builds mosques at the sites of their conquests and victories." Another read, "Don't glorify murders of 3,000. No 9/11 victory mosque." 

"I lost 3,000 American brothers and sisters, including courageous policemen and firemen, and this is a betrayal," Linda Rivera, who held up the latter sign, told an Associated Press reporter through tears. 

Critics noted that shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Mr. Rauf said that "United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened" and cited his refusal to refer to Palestinian group Hamas as a terrorist organization. 

Mr. Bloomberg celebrated the vote with a news conference with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop. 

"The World Trade Center site will forever hold a special place in our city, in our hearts," he told reporters. "But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves, and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans, if we said no to a mosque in Lower Manhattan."

The New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union also praised the vote as "promoting our nation's core values." 

"The free exercise of religion is one of America's most fundamental freedoms," they said in a statement Tuesday. "For hundreds of years, our pluralism and tolerance have sustained and strengthened our nation. … We see the center as a monument to pluralism, symbolic of America's commitment to religious freedom." 

The American Center for Law and Justice, which opposed the mosque project, said after the vote that "we're planning to file an Article 78 petition in state court to challenge the city's actions. We will allege that there's been an abuse of discretion in the Commission's decision."

The proposal had prompted months of contentious debate in New York and across the nation, with the highest-profile criticisms from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Both Republican primary candidates for New York governor — Carl Paladino and Rick Lazio — have said they would try to stop the mosque project, and former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani also has been critical.

Perhaps the most surprising criticism came last week from the usually liberal-leaning Anti-Defamation League. In a statement Friday, the Jewish civil rights group said that while the Muslim group had a legal right to build, the specific site is "counterproductive to the healing process."

   Tuesday, 08.03.10

Maria Elizabeth Chrysson, 29, was taken into custody Monday night. MIAMI-DADE COUNTY JAIL 

 

JUAN ORTEGA

Sun Sentinel

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/03/1759833/beauty-bandit-arrested-at-miami.html#ixzz0vdAjlfF5

President’s numbers drop again

Economic growth is also slowing, which makes it tougher for the White House to argue the economy would be in far worse shape without its policies, including last year’s $787 billion economic stimulus package.

So far that argument has fallen flat with voters, judging from polls, but political strategists say the administration has few options for changing its message.

“It’s a millstone around Democrats’ necks, and there’s not a lot they can do about it,” Cook Political Report author Charlie Cook said of the economy.

The White House awoke Tuesday to dismal numbers from USA Today and Gallup, which found only 41 percent of those surveyed approve of Obama’s job performance.

Such numbers are trouble for House and Senate Democrats, because low presidential approval ratings are generally disastrous for the president’s party in a midterm election. President Clinton hit 37 percent, the low for his presidency, in June 1993, according to Gallup’s poll. A few months later, Democrats lost the House and Senate.

Cook’s most recent projection is that Republicans will pick up between 32 and 42 seats in the House this fall. The GOP needs to win 39 seats and lose none to win back the majority.

Jamal Simmons, a Democratic strategist who worked in the Clinton White House, said Obama needs to offer a more compelling narrative about his agenda that will convince voters there is a strategy in place to improve their lives. Such a strategy will overcome even unemployment numbers, he said.

“Unemployment is important, but more broadly, President Obama has to offer the country a compelling and consistent narrative for his agenda,” Simmons said.

“The Clinton presidency was about ‘the economy, stupid,’ and George W. Bush’s was about the ‘war on terror.’ Until we know the overarching strategy of this White House for our country, it is hard for the public to judge the merits of individual policies.”

The White House has tried to tout good news in the economy.

On Friday, Obama visited GM and Chrysler auto plants in Michigan to highlight a strengthened U.S. auto industry, which the administration said has added 55,000 jobs in the last year. Obama also made the auto industry the centerpiece of his weekly address and criticized GOP critics who had opposed the industry bailout.

In a speech to party donors on Monday, Obama looked to rally his base by arguing that the economy was expanding under his policies after contracting in the final months of the Bush presidency.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs acknowledged Tuesday that Obama’s approval rating is being dented by high unemployment, even as he said the president hopes voters will look at his entire record.

That should include the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, as well as the economy, Gibbs said.

“Whether it’s adding jobs in the auto industry, whether it’s taking 94,000 soldiers out of Iraq, I think that the president only hopes that people look at what he’s done and base their conclusions off that,” Gibbs said.

The White House’s theme that the economy would be worse if Obama had not taken the steps he has is thin gruel, but Democrats’ options are limited, according to Cook.

“They’ve got to say something,” Cook said. “It may not be the most effective argument, but it may be the only argument they have.”

Larry Berman, a professor of political science and expert on the presidency at the University of California-Davis, said Obama’s theme will not get through to people when the unemployment rate nears 10 percent.
“People aren’t buying it, and that’s the disconnect,” Berman said.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/diving_instructor_LuCDC33xLo8e10CiDLGVAL

911 Call Leads to Caller's Arrest in St. Augustine

                George D. McMurrian

Shoplifter runs out of JCPenney but forgets baby, police say

After stealing merchandise from JCPenney's junior department Saturday, two women made it through the store's exit doors without being caught, according to a police report. 

But when JCPenney employees saw the women left a 10-month-old behind, it was over. 

Crystal Whitaker, 23, of Lake Park, was charged with child abuse without great harm, child neglect without causing great harm, contributing to the delinquency of a dependent and theft, police records show.

Whitaker, and an unidentified woman with her, went into a dressing room with clothes to try on and came out with $256 worth of merchandise hidden in a JCPenney bag, police records show. 

An employee tried stopping the women but they ran outside too quickly, the police report states. 

The employee saw the 10-month-old standing on the sidewalk, all of the stolen merchandise on the ground and Whitaker's purse — providing the store with her identification. 

The baby and a 16-year-old seen with Whitaker were taken inside for questioning, the police report said. The 16-year-old told police she was not involved in attempting to steal the items. 

The Florida Department of Children and Families came to the store to pick up the baby, the report said. 

Whitaker was released on her own recognizance while being supervised, records show.

Post staff writer Eliot Kleinberg contributed to this story.

Person with knowledge of situation tells AP Brett Favre informs Vikings he will not return

JON KRAWCZYNSKI

AP Sports Writer

11:41 AM EDT, August 3, 2010

 

 

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — Brett Favre's stint with the Minnesota Vikings appears to be over after a single season.

Favre has informed the Vikings he will not return to Minnesota this fall, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.,

The 40-year-old Favre called coach Brad Childress to say his injured ankle is not responding as well to surgery and rehabilitation as he had hoped, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not made an official announcement.

With Favre, of course, nothing is ever necessarily final after 19 NFL seasons. He told the Vikings last year he wouldn't play, but changed his mind and joined them immediately after they broke training camp. Camp this year ends on Aug. 12.

Favre has waffled on retiring every summer since 2006. It led to an ugly parting with the Packers that got him traded from Green Bay to the Jets in 2008. After a so-so season in New York, he announced his retirement in early 2009 for the second time, then reconsidered and signed with the Vikings.

He had one of his best seasons last year, with career bests in completion percentage (68.4), quarterback rating (107.2) and fewest interceptions (7), while throwing for 33 TDs and 4,202 yards to lead the Vikings to an NFC North title. He hurt his left ankle in the NFC championship game loss to the New Orleans Saints and had arthroscopic surgery in May.

Favre was under contract for $13 million this season, but only if he plays.

Nearly everyone had assumed Favre would return and he did nothing to discourage that. He threw passes for a second straight summer with high school students in Hattiesburg, Miss., joked about playing until he's 50 and said playing another year wouldn't worsen his already-damaged ankle.

Childress shrugged off all the questions and admitted he didn't know whether Favre would really come back. The Vikings didn't pursude a trade for Donovan McNabb and declined to select a quarterback of the future in the draft.

Still, Favre took a beating in the loss to the Saints and said afterward that he would not take long to make a decision on returning for the second year of his contract. As the months ticked by, Favre posted a statement on his website reminding everyone that his ankle problems didn't mean his career was over.

If Favre doesn't play next season — and if he decides to actually retire for good — it will end one of the most storied careers in NFL history. A three-time MVP, he holds every major NFL career passing record.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz-baltimore-tax-sale0802,0,5484557.story

Aug 2, 2010 5:33 pm US/Eastern

New Billboard Causes Controversy

BALTIMORE (WJZ) 

There's a new controversy in Baltimore and you have to look towards the sky to see it.  The city's fire and police unions have put up a billboard with a heated message. 

The message of the billboard is that it's all about pensions.  It's located right across the street from police headquarters.  A lot of police officers say they were stunned to see the billboard--but also pleased.

At the base of the JFX, drivers all over the city are now greeting to a politically charged billboard.

"Oh, that's an interesting statement," said a driver.

The billboard was bought by the city's police and fire unions, outraged over recent pension reform.

"I don't know how to voice the frustration any deeper--they've just had it," said Bob Sledgeski.

Earlier this summer, the mayor and city council raised the retirement age, raised member contributions and cut cost of living raises.

"It's unfair, it's wrong, it's illegal.  And what's happening right now is you have a bunch of thieves at City Hall, period," said Bob Cherry.

The mayor responded to the billboard in a statement, defending pension reform, calling the changes "dignified," "secure" and "affordable."

One thing that's certain is that the billboard has elevated interest in this issue.

"It's a good idea.  Maybe wake people up a little bit, get them to pay attention to what's happening in the city," said one person.

"I think police and firefighters should have a little more respect for Baltimore council," said one.

But the union says it's not disrespect--it's democracy.

"That's what government is all about.  If you don't like the elected officials, you let it be known and you leave it up to the citizens to decide if they're the people you want in office," Sledgeski said.

The police and fire unions have already filed a federal lawsuit to try to overturn the pension reforms.  Additional legal action is now in the works.

City leaders say the pension reform will save taxpayers more than $400 million over the next five years.

LINK TO VIDEO

http://wjz.com/video/?id=73177

Ex-LA mortuary worker guilty of faking funerals

LINK TO ORIGINAL STORY

http://americannonsense.com/?p=24136

http://www.wlwt.com/news/24474897/detail.html

http://www.politico.com/politico44/

Woman charged with attempted first-degree murder after baby is tossed from window

Reisterstown mother, 21, accused of throwing infant into bushes; child is unhurt

Nick Madigan

The Baltimore Sun

8:00 p.m. EDT

August 2, 2010

A 21-year-old woman was charged Monday with attempted first-degree murder after Baltimore County police reported that she threw her newborn baby out of a second-story window.

Rebecca Diane Himes, who later told a doctor that she had not known she was pregnant before she delivered the child, was also charged with child abuse and reckless endangerment in connection with the July 22 incident at her home on Virginia Avenue in Reisterstown. The full-term baby girl, who appeared to have been born only seconds before she was discovered crying in a bush outside the house, was unhurt.

"After reviewing the details of the case, the decision to charge was a no-brainer," Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott D. Shellenberger said by phone Monday afternoon. He said his office had instructed police to charge Himes and that a District Court commissioner had issued a warrant for her arrest.

STRANGE BUT TRUE

July 29, 2010

Updated August 2, 2010

Siberian granny hurls hatchet at prosecutor general

A psychiatric ward RIA Novosti. Vladimir Vyatkin