Teachers Union Protected Sexual Predator Teacher
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

Teachers Union Protected Sexual Predator Teacher

We have seen an epidemic of teachers having sex with students recently. Seattle has the distinction as being the birthplace of the teacher/student sex scandal courtesy of Mary Kay LeTourneau. We had a new case in Seattle yesterday that brings a few new twists to light. In this new case a Tacoma school teacher was arrested for having sex with a 14 year old girl.

A middle-school teacher previously reprimanded by the Tacoma School District for sexual misconduct is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old student.

In Pierce County Superior Court on Tuesday, Nelson B. Hanton, 46, pleaded not guilty to three counts of third-degree child rape, and a count each of first-degree child molestation, second-degree burglary and tampering with evidence. He is in jail.

He was arrested Friday and posted $20,000 bail later that day. Judge Lisa Worswick on Tuesday doubled that amount to $40,000 and ordered him not to have contact with juveniles, including his two minor children, if he posts bail again.

So here's the deal. This guy was known to have inappropriate contact with young girls but was continuing to teach and groom his victims. Maybe he could have been stopped sooner but guess what, he was being protected by the teachers union.

When The Seattle Times asked the Bellevue School District for information about teachers and coaches accused of sexual misconduct, school officials and the state’s most powerful union teamed up behind the scenes to try to hide the files.

The Bellevue teachers union organized a district wide personnel-file review so teachers could go through their files and remove materials. The district says no sexual-misconduct records were removed, but the past president of the union said records The Times asked for were removed in one case.

We should have known he was a great guy however because local Seattle Ultra Liberal talk show host, and former Democratic candidate for the US House, Dave Ross, had once named him a Hometown Hero.

Newsradio 710 KIRO and Cascade Bank are pleased to announce Nelson Hanton of Tacoma as July's "Dave Ross Hometown Hero."

Nominated by Ida Gurule, Nelson is a teacher at Stewart Middle School in Tacoma. In addition to devoting his time to bettering the lives of the 11-14 year olds that he educates in the classroom, Nelson is responsible for the development and success of Stewart's chess team as well as the chess programs in all 10 Tacoma Middle Schools this past year. Nelson's track record of success includes participation in the Junior High National Chess Tournament over the past several years, including the tournament this past May in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Nelson's involvement in his students' lives is not limited to chess strategy, he continues his guidance and support of his students beyond the walls of Stewart Middle school, warranting him as 710 July's Dave Ross Hometown Hero.

I guess hero standards are lower when you're a Democrat.

This is another sad case of a trusted teacher taking advantage of students. In this case however he may have been stopped sooner had it not been for the local teachers union protecting him. Teachers unions are all about education, right?

Origional story...
The Seattle Times ** Tacoma child-rape suspect jailed again

Oceans Solve Global Warming ? Again
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Yahoo Chat Stuff

Oceans will Solve Global Warming

Washington - A California University study suggests that oceans will solve global warming in the long term, Science magazine published in its latest issue.

Experts say the carbon dioxide (CO2) that comes from fossil fuels will be absorbed by oceans and that will eradicate the problem of global warming.

However, the problem with that long process is that it will take a thousand centuries to be completed, as happened with the last warming this planet went through 55 million years ago.

The scientific hypothesis is based on the analysis of marine sediments deposited during the global warming called Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM).

The sediments reveal an abrupt change in the chemical composition of the sea, which started to develop at the beginning of the PETM, a period followed by a long and slow recovery.

US university Earth Science teacher James Zachos explained that when investigating the ocean's sedimentary layers, he was able to observe the effects of a quick acidification during the PETM.

According to the teacher, the CO2 dissolved in the water creates that acidification to expand to the ocean's bottom.

The latest research confirms that nearly half the CO2 produced by man (some 1.2 billion carbon tons) went to the oceans in the last two centuries.

Latin America News Agency - Prensa Latina ** Oceans will Solve Global Warming

Defections to GOP rile Dems
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

California Dems are annoyed at a string of defections from their party to the GOP. Maybe they should spend less time griping and more time figuring out why politicians increasingly see the Republican Party as the smarter bet.

'Piece of paper' or career strategy?

By Cindy Uken

Trisha Sanders, former Palm Springs city clerk, changed her party registration from Democrat to Republican in February; two months later she declared her candidacy for Palm Springs City Council. Granted the City Council is a nonpartisan post. But it's interesting to watch not only who is changing parties, but when they're doing it. Sanders, a Tennessee-bred Democrat, registered with the party of the people when she turned 18. She declined to say why she switched parties, calling it a "personal decision."

"I'm there to represent the people, not a party," she said.

Incumbent Palm Springs City Councilman Chris Mills also changed his party affiliation when he first ran for City Council in 2001. Mills, a registered Democrat since at least 1975, registered with the Republican Party on Sept. 6, 2001, about a month after announcing his candidacy for the City Council. Mills is seeking re-election to the City Council this fall.

Mills is out of town this week and could not be reached for comment.

As you might recall newly elected Cathedral City City Councilman Chuck Vasquez also switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican - three days after being elected and after accepting money from Democrats for his campaign. Vasquez said it wasn't a "big deal." He said, "It's a box on a piece of paper."

Democratic leaders see it as much more than that. They have some questions, especially in light of the conservative right-wing agenda being pushed in Sacramento.

During the current session, Republican lawmakers have introduced a number of anti-gay and anti-lesbian pieces of legislation, including:

AB 349 Education Prohibition: Dennis Mountjoy; Prohibition on educators discussing HIV/AIDS or lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender issues in schools;

AB 628 Foster Care Discrimination: Tony Strickland; Allowing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender foster-care children;

ACA3 Constitutional Amendment: Ray Haynes; Repealing all domestic partnership rights and prohibiting gay and lesbian couples from civil marriage;

SCA 1 Constitutional Amendment: Bill Morrow; Repealing domestic partnership rights and prohibiting gay and lesbian couples from civil marriage;

SB 235 Criminalization of HIV Transmission: Jeff Denham; Making it a crime to unintentionally transmit HIV;

SB 1030 Public Accommodation: Dennis Hollingsworth; Allowing businesses and places open to the public to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

Rumblings over Garcia seat

Coachella Valley Democrats are already strategizing on ways to unseat two-term incumbent Republican Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia in 2006.

Don't be surprised if there is a Democratic primary between Mike Duran, president of the Desert Sands Teachers Association president, and Amalia Deaztlan of Bermuda Dunes.

Duran is a former counselor at John Glenn Middle School of International Studies and Indio High School; Deaztlan, an activist, was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004 and in 2000.

Feingold: Not this time

The race for Palm Springs City Council will be at least one candidate short come November.

Bill Feingold, who ran unsuccessfully in 2003, has continued to stay involved in the community, fueling speculation that he might make a bid for one of the seats now held by Chris Mills and Ginny Foat. He is leaving the door wide open for a potential candidacy in the future.

" I just completed three wonderful years as chairman of the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission and I have some great irons in the fire that will come to fruition after the summer," Feingold said. "So, I will be more active than ever - just not running for office this time. My voice will be heard loud and clear."

Can't wait to see what that means; knowing Bill, he has something up his sleeve.

Palm Springs, CA - The Desert Sun ~ Cindy Uken ** 'Piece of paper' or career strategy?

Dems want interest payments from taxpayers
Mood:  silly
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

Dems had to put up the money for the Washington recount. They are entitles to it back, plus 3% interest. However, that is not enough for the Dems who are demanding 12% interest, paid for by the taxpayers they represent.

Democrats dishonor their party

Fresh off a resounding victory in the gubernatorial election challenge, Democrats have shot themselves in the foot -- twice.

At a time when they should be riding a triumphant wave, Democrats are earning public ridicule and disdain.

It started just hours after a Chelan County Superior Court judge threw out the Republicans' election challenge.

Democrats got greedy, seeking more money than they deserve from state taxpayers.

Pay for recount

Previously, when the Democrats asked for a statewide hand recount in the race between Democrat Christine Gregoire and Republican Dino Rossi, the Democrats had to pony up $730,000 before a single ballot could be counted.

With a little help from the failed presidential campaign of John Kerry, Democrats wrote a check to the secretary of state, and the counting commenced. That tally, coupled with a pair of Supreme Court decisions, gave Gregoire a 129-vote win.

Because the hand recount reversed the election results -- Rossi had been ahead after two machine recounts -- the law allowed Democrats to recoup their $730,000 from the state.

They asked for the money from Secretary of State Sam Reed, who refused to write the check until the election challenge was decided once and for all.

2 percent interest

With the Superior Court decision and Rossi's concession, Reed prepared to write the refund check including 2 percent interest -- the amount of interest earned after the Democrats' check was deposited in a state account.

No, said Paul Berendt, chair of the Democratic Party. He wanted 12 percent interest -- more than $30,000 more than what Reed said the Democrats deserved.

The party looked just plain greedy, wanting taxpayers to dig deeper into their pockets for no good reason.

Reed stood his ground, and early this week, Berendt backed off, but not before giving the party a black eye.

Pinching pennies

It's easy to understand why the Democrats are pinching pennies.

Last week, the state Public Disclosure Commission slapped the Democrats with fines totaling $187,500 for campaign finance violations during the 2004 election.

The Democrats, who raised $9 million and spent $8.6 million during the 2004 election cycle, have agreed to pay $85,000 for failure to disclose in a timely way the source of almost $400,000 in contributions. The names of those contributors were not disclosed until Jan. 24, 2005 -- 104 days late.

The party also failed to disclose $704,815 in debts and obligations during the 2004 election.

Berendt agreed to pay the $85,000 plus $2,500 to cover the costs of the PDC investigation. On top of those two assessments, Democrats were forced to pay a $100,000 fine that had been suspended after the party's last campaign violations in 2002.

Repeated violations

Apparently, Berendt and his party officers didn't learn their lesson in 2002 when they failed to accurately report $5.9 million in contributions.

But then, PDC fines are nothing new to Berendt.

He was personally fined $1,000 by the PDC in 1992 when he engaged in illegal campaign practices while employed by the Legislature.

Public Disclosure Commission chairman Mike Connelly is right when he says: "Political parties need to be leaders in state politics. And the Washington state Democrats are not setting a good example."

As noted above, this is the party's second major violation in two years. When are party officials going to hold Berendt and his staff accountable for their transgressions?

And when are the Democrats going to file accurate and timely campaign reports as required by law?

The latest $187,500 fine dishonors the party, candidates and donors. Party contributors should be irate that $187,500 of their hard-earned money is going toward a PDC fine instead of helping to get Democrats elected.

At a time when Democrats should be celebrating a significant victory, party leaders have brought disgrace to the organization.

WA ~ The Olympian ** Democrats dishonor their party

Two PETA Employees Arrested on Animal Cruelty Charges
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: Funny Stuff

Two PETA employees picked up live cats and dogs at animal shelters and were caught dumping them in a shopping center dumpster.

Two PETA Employees Arrested on Animal Cruelty Charges in N.C.

Two Hampton Roads employees of Norfolk-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have been charged in Ahoskie, N.C., with animal cruelty after dumping dead dogs and cats in a shopping center garbage bin, police said Thursday.

Investigators staked out the bin after discovering that dead animals had been dumped there every Wednesday for the past four weeks, Ahoskie police said in a prepared statement.

Police found 18 dead animals in the trash bin and 13 more in a van registered to PETA. The animals were from animal shelters in Northampton and Bertie counties in North Carolina, police said. The two were picking up animals to be brought back to PETA headquarters for euthanization, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said Thursday.

Neither police nor PETA offered any theory on why the animals might have been dumped.

Local officials and veterinarians said they were told that PETA would find homes for the animals, not euthanize them. PETA has scheduled a news conference for Friday afternoon to discuss the charges.

Police charged Andrew Benjamin Cook, 24, of Virginia Beach, and Adria Joy Hinkle, 27, of Norfolk,each with 31 felony counts of animal cruelty and eight misdemeanor counts of illegal disposal of dead animals. They were released on bond and an initial court date was set for Friday in Winton.

Hinkle has been suspended, but Cook continues to work PETA, Newkirk said. Hinkle has worked for more than two years as one of its community animal project employees in North Carolina, PETA spokeswoman Colleen O'Brien said. Cook, who joined a couple of months ago, was being trained.

Newkirk said she doubted Hinkle had ever been cruel to an animal and said if the animals were placed in the bin, "We will be appalled."

PETA euthanizes animals by lethal injection, which it considers more humane than gassing groups of animals, as poor counties are forced to do, O'Brien said.

"PETA has provided euthanasia services to various counties in (North Carolina) to prevent animals from being shot behind a shed or gassed in windowless metal boxes, both practices that were carried out until PETA volunteered to provide a painless death, free of charge," Newkirk said.

But veterinarian Patrick Proctor said that authorities found a female cat and her two "very adoptable" kittens among the dead animals. He said they were taken from Ahoskie Animal Hospital.

"These were just kittens we were trying to find homes for," he said. "PETA said they would do that, but these cats never made it out of the county."

PETA had taken 50 animals from Proctor's practice over the past two years, he said.

PETA also has taken animals from veterinarian James Brown in Northampton County.

"When they started taking them, they said they would try to find homes for them," Brown said, adding that no one checked on the animals afterward.

Barry Anderson, Bertie County's animal control officer, identified nearly all of the dumped dogs as ones that Cook and Hinkle picked up just a few hours earlier Wednesday, said Detective Sgt. Ed Pittman of the Bertie County Sheriff's Office.

Anderson also said that the PETA representatives "told him they were picking up the dogs to take them back to Norfolk where they would find them good homes," Pittman said.

WAVY - NBC TV ~ Associated Press ** Two PETA Employees Arrested on Animal Cruelty Charges in N.C.

Europe in Decline
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Yahoo Chat Stuff

Europe suffers from a myriad of problems from low birth rates and aging populations to ham-fisted regulators and layers of anti-business bureaucrats. The question is, should we care? Here is a good article on that subject...

The End of Europe

Europe as we know it is slowly going out of business. Since French and Dutch voters rejected the proposed constitution of the European Union, we've heard countless theories as to why: the unreality of trying to forge 25 E.U. countries into a United States of Europe; fear of ceding excessive power to Brussels, the E.U. capital; and an irrational backlash against globalization. Whatever their truth, these theories miss a larger reality: Unless Europe reverses two trends -- low birthrates and meager economic growth -- it faces a bleak future of rising domestic discontent and falling global power. Actually, that future has already arrived.

Ever since 1498, after Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope and opened trade to the Far East, Europe has shaped global history, for good and ill. It settled North and South America, invented modern science, led the Industrial Revolution, oversaw the slave trade, created huge colonial empires, and unleashed the world's two most destructive wars. This pivotal Europe is now vanishing -- and not merely because it's overshadowed by Asia and the United States.

It's hard to be a great power if your population is shriveling. Europe's birthrates have dropped well below the replacement rate of 2.1 children for each woman of childbearing age. For Western Europe as a whole, the rate is 1.5. It's 1.4 in Germany and 1.3 in Italy. In a century -- if these rates continue -- there won't be many Germans in Germany or Italians in Italy. Even assuming some increase in birthrates and continued immigration, Western Europe's population grows dramatically grayer, projects the U.S. Census Bureau. Now about one-sixth of the population is 65 and older. By 2030 that would be one-fourth, and by 2050 almost one-third.

No one knows how well modern economies will perform with so many elderly people, heavily dependent on government benefits (read: higher taxes). But Europe's economy is already faltering. In the 1970s annual growth for the 12 countries now using the euro averaged almost 3 percent; from 2001 to 2004 the annual average was 1.2 percent. In 1974 those countries had unemployment of 2.4 percent; in 2004 the rate was 8.9 percent.

Wherever they look, Western Europeans feel their way of life threatened. One solution to low birthrates is higher immigration. But many Europeans don't like the immigrants they have -- often Muslim from North Africa -- and don't want more. One way to revive economic growth would be to reduce social benefits, taxes and regulations. But that would imperil Europe's "social model," which supposedly blends capitalism's efficiency and socialism's compassion.

Consider some contrasts with the United States, as reported by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. With high unemployment benefits, almost half of Western Europe's jobless have been out of work a year or more; the U.S. figure is about 12 percent. Or take early retirement. In 2003 about 60 percent of Americans ages 55 to 64 had jobs. The comparable figures for France, Italy and Germany were 37 percent, 30 percent and 39 percent. The truth is that Europeans like early retirement, high jobless benefits and long vacations.

The trouble is that so much benevolence requires a strong economy, while the sources of all this benevolence -- high taxes, stiff regulations -- weaken the economy. With aging populations, the contradictions will only thicken. Indeed, some scholarly research suggests that high old-age benefits partly explain low birthrates. With the state paying for old age, who needs children as caregivers? High taxes may also deter young couples from assuming the added costs of children.

You can raise two objections to this sort of analysis. First, other countries are also aging and face problems similar to Europe's. True. But the aging is more pronounced in Europe and a few other nations (Japan, for instance), precisely because birthrates are so low. The U.S. birthrate, for example, is 2.1; even removing births to Hispanic Americans, it's about 1.9, reports Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute. Second, Europeans could do something about their predicament. Also, true -- they could, but they're not.

A few countries (Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands) have acted, and there are differences between Eastern and Western Europe. But in general Europe is immobilized by its problems. This is the classic dilemma of democracy: Too many people benefit from the status quo to change it; but the status quo isn't sustainable. Even modest efforts in France and Germany to curb social benefits have triggered backlashes. Many Europeans -- maybe most -- live in a state of delusion. Believing things should continue as before, they see almost any change as menacing. In reality, the new E.U. constitution wasn't radical; neither adoption nor rejection would much alter everyday life. But it symbolized change and thereby became a lightning rod for many sources of discontent (over immigration in Holland, poor economic growth in France).

All this is bad for Europe -- and the United States. A weak European economy is one reason that the world economy is shaky and so dependent on American growth. Preoccupied with divisions at home, Europe is history's has-been. It isn't a strong American ally, not simply because it disagrees with some U.S. policies but also because it doesn't want to make the commitments required of a strong ally. Unwilling to address their genuine problems, Europeans become more reflexively critical of America. This gives the impression that they're active on the world stage, even as they're quietly acquiescing in their own decline.

Washington Post ~ Robert J. Samuelson ** The End of Europe

Buried Poll Shows Support for War
Mood:  sharp
Topic: Yahoo Chat Stuff

Americans Split On Military Effort In Iraq, But Most Acknowledge Positive Outcomes

Americans may not see eye-to-eye with President Bush on all issues, but a majority believe that the U.S. military action in Iraq will lead to a more democratic — and by extension freer — Middle East, according to the latest IBD/TIPP Poll.

Conducted June 6-10 among 913 adults, the poll found nearly two of every three (60%) think America's foray into Iraq has helped sow the seeds of democracy in the Middle East. Among Republicans, that number jumps up to 87%. Even large numbers of Democrats (44%) and independents (53%) agree with that sentiment.

"Most Americans see a democratic Middle East as one positive outcome of the Iraq War," said Raghavan Mayur, president of TIPP, a unit of TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, IBD's polling partner.

What's more, a large majority (70%) also believe it's important for the U.S. and coalition countries to maintain a military presence in Iraq.

IBD/TIPP asked Americans about some of the roles that the U.S. should take on in Iraq. The results show the generosity of the average citizen. Eighty-four percent believe that it's important for the U.S. and coalition countries to continue to train Iraqi security and police forces, 79% think it's important to provide Iraq with economic aid and 74% think it's important to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure.

Beyond Iraq, experts believe that the U.S. expedition to root out terrorists in Afghanistan and neutralize Saddam Hussein's offensive biological and chemical weapons capabilities have been a wake-up call for other rogue nations.

Softer Stance

"Since the Iraq War, nations like Libya, Syria and others in the Middle East have taken a softer stance towards America and the fulfillment of international obligations," said Mayur.

Last week, he noted, a Jordanian military court ordered Jordanian-born terrorist Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, along with conspirator Mohammed Qteishat, to surrender within 10 days. They're facing charges of plotting deadly terrorist attacks in Jordan that killed one person.

"Moreover, even though high-profile targets like bin Laden and al Zarqawi are still on the loose, the global terror complex has sustained serious damage," Mayur says.

Most Americans agree. According to the poll, 57% agree that the Iraq War has "dealt a significant blow to terrorist networks worldwide." More than twice as many Republicans see things this way than Democrats (87% vs. 39%).

And while countries like Iran and North Korea have not come around to the U.S. perspective, the deployment of American military forces, as well as a resolute diplomatic stance, are helping to keep negotiations alive.

The IBD/TIPP Poll uncovered a similar sentiment among Americans, with just 46% agreeing with the statement that the Iraq War has "helped rein in regimes like Iran and North Korea."

But the Iraq War will likely have a far-reaching impact on U.S. prestige abroad. Far from tarnishing the nation's image, a large share of Americans believe that it has enhanced the U.S.' strategic position in the Asia-Pacific region (47%), while 44% do not agree.

According to Mayur, "countries like Japan, the Philippines, Pakistan and South Korea have all formed closer partnerships with the United States to clamp down on terrorism and have provided support of one form or another to America's forces in Iraq."

Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. strategy has been to ensure stability both regionally and globally.

"Tactically, this has meant many things, including anti-proliferation efforts vis-a-vis WMDs and the neutralization of terrorist network, who even in the pre-9-11 world made it a habit of attacking America's forward-deployed military forces. Bush has pursued both of these areas with determination and unmatched vigor," said Mayur.

Glass Half-Empty?

Although much good has come out of the Iraq War, the media have repeatedly viewed it as a half-empty glass. Perhaps that's why, when we asked if "U.S. efforts in Iraq are helping to make the world a safer place or not?" 46% said yes and 49% said no.

Nearly half (49%) are satisfied with the Bush administration's Iraq policies and 42% are not satisfied.

However, Americans do think the war is causing higher prices at the gas pumps. In fact, just 32% would say that the Iraq War has helped stabilize the world's oil supplies.

In retrospect, the nation is evenly split in terms of its support or opposition for the U.S. military action in Iraq that took place in April of 2003 (48% support, 49% oppose). Support is strongest among Republicans (84%) and weakest among Democrats (21%).

Investor's Business Daily ** Americans Split On Military Effort In Iraq, But Most Acknowledge Positive Outcomes

Dems troubled by ''defective'' minorities
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

The author says that Dems only see two types of minorities, deferential and defective. This plays to the central racial hypocrisy that threatens the Democratic Party. Liberals only support racial diversity for liberal minorities, while they shun minorities who do not tow the line.

Not their kind of minorities

San Diego - In the minds of many liberal Democrats, Latinos and African Americans must seem to come in only two varieties: deferential or defective.

And according to one angry caller -- who was, from the sound of it, perfectly at home in a blue state -- I fall into the second category. "I think you're deluded," he said, "and maybe insane."

I'm just guessing but something tells me the caller would probably say the same thing about Janice Rogers Brown, who two years ago was nominated by President Bush to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Last week, Brown was finally confirmed, but not before Senate Democrats and their accomplices in left-leaning advocacy groups such as People for the American Way did their best to try to paint this black conservative and California Supreme Court chief justice as an "extremist" whose views are outside the mainstream.

Translation: Brown doesn't defer to liberals. So she must be defective.

By the way, here's something I've noticed: When conservatives criticize a person of color, they often insult you but liberals usually are condescending. Liberals don't say they're upset as much as "disappointed" in you.

And so it was that the caller was disappointed in me. What fired him up was a column I'd written about Alberto Gonzales, the nation's first Latino attorney general. In it, I argued that liberal Democrats weren't really interested in promoting diversity unless they get the credit for it, and that this explained their lukewarm reaction to Gonzales -- an American success story whose nomination by President Bush they can't claim credit for.

It's not that the Democrats are suddenly anti-minority. I just think they're skittish and insecure when it comes to their own minority outreach efforts, such as they are. And so each time Bush or another prominent Republican tries to make minorities feel at home in the GOP, Democrats worry that the hold that they have on these groups may weaken and they won't be able to do much about it.

Just as they can't do much to stop Bush from appointing Latinos and African Americans to top positions in the Cabinet and in the federal courts, something that further frightens and frustrates liberal Democrats. And when Democrats oppose these nominees, it's usually not because of who these nominees are or even because of what they believe. Rather, it's because of what they represent and what it means in the grand scheme. Just look at the line that was being advanced by Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat.

"Her life story is amazing. It is remarkable," Boxer said of the California jurist as the Senate was debating Brown's nomination. "What I don't like is what she is doing to other people's lives. Her story is amazing, but for whatever reason, she is hurting the people of this country, particularly, right now, in my state."

So this is the Democrats' dilemma. How are they supposed to market themselves to minorities as the one-and-only party of opportunity when Bush is putting nonwhite faces in high places? Better to try to paint the Republican Party as a restricted club, as Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean did recently when he described the GOP as "pretty much a white Christian party." And minority Republicans as aberrations.

I bet all this would come as news to Janice Rogers Brown, who attends church regularly.

Just as I bet it would come as news to Miguel Estrada, the Latino gentleman who, at one point, seemed headed for the D.C. appeals court for which Brown is now confirmed -- until his nomination was unfairly derailed by rank racial politics.

Estrada is a top-shelf Washington lawyer who had, after coming to the United States from Honduras and graduating with honors from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, worked as an assistant U.S. attorney and an assistant solicitor general. Yet none of that prepared Estrada for the meat- grinder of the judicial-confirmation process. Before long, the Honduran immigrant was -- in an experience that must have seemed surreal to him at the time -- fending off accusations from white Democrats that he "wasn't Hispanic enough." That was Estrada's defect. It was also complete nonsense.

I don't see why liberals won't say what they really mean. It's obvious that what concerns them is not that these nominees aren't real minorities, but rather that they aren't their kind of minority. You know -- the kind that asks for permission before they speak and makes sure that what they say falls in line with the views of their liberal benefactors.

San Francisco Chronicle ~ Ruben Navarrette Jr., San Diego Union-Tribune ** Not their kind of minorities

Study: Middle class abandons Dems
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

While the Dems won middle-class minorities, a new study says that White, middle-class voters voted for Bush by a 22-point margin and for GOP congressional representatives by a 19-point margin. Overall, this meant that the GOP won the middle-class and efforts to improve minority support for Republicans could spell long-term failure for the Dems.

Democrats Must Reconnect With Middle Class

For my entire political life -- which spans 26 years as a congressman and at least an additional 10 years before that as a campaign organizer -- I have always believed that my party, the Democratic Party, represented the middle class.

Unfortunately, the public doesn’t see it that way today.

A recent study prepared by a new Democratic think tank, Third Way, demonstrated this reality in chilling fashion. The study was titled "Unrequited Love: Middle Class Voters Reject Democrats at the Ballot Box," and is worthy of very serious review by everyone in the country who considers himself or herself a Democrat.

The study is an analysis of exit poll data from the Roper Center at the University of Connecticut of 13,718 voters in the 2004 presidential and congressional elections. Middle class was defined as a family income between $30,000 and $75,000. Middle class voters, as defined in this study, accounted for 45 percent of total votes cast.

President Bush and House Republicans both carried middle class voters (a composite of white, black and Hispanics). The truly remarkable aspect of this study is that while John Kerry and House Democrats carried both black and Hispanic middle class voters, Democrats were absolutely swamped among the white middle class, thus tipping the aggregate middle class figures into the Republican column.

Let’s be very specific. Bush defeated Kerry by 22 points among middle class whites, and House Republicans running for Congress won middle class whites by 19 points. Democrats have always assumed that white middle class voters (many, but not all of whom, are union members) were an important constituency for the party.

To quote the study, "While Democrats may consider themselves the party of middle class, working America — middle class, working America thinks otherwise. White middle class voters, in particular, vote in such low numbers for national Democrats that it may be more accurate to believe that they feel that Democrats are hostile to, not champions of, their interests."

This brings us to the obvious question: What must Democrats do to improve their standing among white middle class voters in order to start winning national elections again, both for the presidency and for Congress?

Contrary to conventional wisdom, the answer does not start with economic issues. It starts with national security. Many middle class voters supported Republicans in 2004 because they were not convinced that Democrats would keep them safe -- either at home or abroad.

There is great irony here because it was Democrats who first proposed a new Department of Homeland Security and it was Democrats who supported the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, while congressional Republicans tried to block their implementation. On this count, Democrats must do a better job of telling their story.

Democrats should also continue to stand up for our veterans while Republicans try to cut veterans' benefits. They should not be bashful about pointing out how poor planning on the part of the Bush administration has led to a high level of casualties in Iraq, and how this is significantly harming the readiness of our Army by making it more difficult for the military to recruit new soldiers and retain soldiers on active duty.

On the domestic front, Democrats should aggressively devise a strategy to increase the number of Americans who have health insurance, even if it does costs some money. We should be willing to tell our friends in the auto industry that they should make more fuel-efficient cars. More fuel-efficient cars will help save energy (making us less dependent on foreign oil) and will force the American auto industry to modernize in a way that it can better compete with foreign car makers and ultimately save American jobs.

Democrats should remind the middle class that we are the party who created Social Security and are the party who will make sure that it is available when they retire. And finally, Democrats should be willing to support middle class tax cuts that help people supplement their Social Security, not through private accounts that take funds away from the Social Security system but with increased IRAs and 401(k) plans.

The analysis done by Third Way should be a wake-up call for Democrats. If it isn't, Democrats may stay in the wilderness for some time.

Fox News ~ Martin Frost ** Democrats Must Reconnect With Middle Class

Kansas Board Members Hurl Personal Attacks in Evolution Debate
Mood:  silly
Topic: Lib Loser Stories

Kansas Board Members Hurl Personal Attacks in Evolution Debate

TOPEKA, Kan. - A discussion about how evolution should be taught in public schools degenerated Wednesday into personal attacks among State Board of Education members.

The board is reviewing proposed standards drafted by three conservative members designed to expose students to more criticism of evolution in the classroom. During the discussion, four board members who want the standards to maintain their existing evolution-friendly tone assailed the proposal.

Bill Wagnon, of Topeka, told the three conservative board members they were the "dupes" of intelligent design advocates, who presented what Wagnon said was bad science during public hearings in May.

"It is all based on absolute and total fraud," Wagnon said of the proposal.

But one of the three board members, Connie Morris, of St. Francis, lectured the board's four moderates for not attending the public hearings in May, during which witnesses criticized evolutionary theory that natural chemical processes may have created the first building blocks of life, that all life has descended from a common origin and that man and apes share a common ancestor.

"Had you attended, you would have been informed," Morris said. "You would be sitting here as informed individuals and not arrogantly calling us dupes."

Conservatives have a 6-4 majority, so much of what the three members proposed -- if not all of it -- is likely to survive.

The board didn't make a decision Wednesday about the standards, but it told a committee of educators to review the proposal. Board Chairman Steve Abrams, of Arkansas City, another one of the three members who drafted the proposal, said he also intended to have a second, external review it in July. That suggests the board won't vote until at least August.

Besides Abrams and Morris, helping draft the latest proposal was board member Kathy Martin, of Clay Center.

The ongoing debate over how evolution should be taught has brought international attention to Kansas. The four days of hearings in May attracted journalists from Canada, France, Great Britain and Japan.

The standards determine how fourth-, seventh- and 10th graders are tested on science. They currently describe evolution as a key concept for students to learn before graduating from high school, treating it as the best explanation for how life developed and changed over time.

The proposed standards don't specifically mention intelligent design, except to say the standards don't take a position. But advocates of intelligent design, which says some features of the natural world are so complex and well-ordered that they are best explained by an intelligent cause, organized the case against evolution during the hearings.

Many scientists view intelligent design as a form of creationism, and national and state science groups boycotted the public hearings, saying they were rigged against evolution. As a result, no scientist testified in favor of evolution.

State law requires the board to update its academic standards regularly, setting up this year's debate over evolution.

In 1999, the Kansas board deleted most references to evolution from the science standards, bringing international condemnation and ridicule to Kansas. Elections the next year resulted in a less conservative board, which led to the current, evolution-friendly standards. Conservative Republicans recaptured the board's majority in 2004 elections.

Battles over evolution also have occurred in recent years in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Circulated Monday was a newsletter from Morris, in which she derided evolution as an "age-old fairy tale," sometimes defended with "anti-God contempt and arrogance." She wrote that evolution is "a theory in crisis" and headlined one section of her newsletter "The Evolutionists are in Panic Mode!"

KCTV 5 Kansas City ~ Associated Press - John Hanna ** Kansas Board Members Hurl Personal Attacks in Evolution Debate