I'm a lurker since the days of Dean.  I still have the Dean for America stickers on my vehicles.

In short, my daughter was expelled from school for posting comments on her Facebook page that were critical of her high school's policy on T shirts for football games.  My wife and I want to know on what legal basis a school can reprimand the postings of a teenager on Facebook.

We have a meeting today with the principal.  We have left a message with the ACLU.  I post more information after the fold.

ACTION needed:  If your Senator is listed below, please call or email your Senator TODAY regarding a proposed amendment by Senator Kay Hutchinson (R-TX) that would instruct the National Science Foundation to direct its resources primarily to the physical sciences.

My Senators from Arkansas have both stated that they will vote  NO on the Alito nomination.  Sen. Lincoln has not stated (to my knowledge) whether she'll support a continued discussionon the subject of Alito's appointment.  Sen. Pryor is a member of the "gang of 14" and inhis press releaase said he would honor his promise to the group.  I don't feel he should be bound NOT to block Alito, because he is an activist judge (as Sen. Pryor even points out).  

Do you have any suggestions for other arguments to use to persuade Sen. Pryor to do the right thing?

One of my childhood favorites was "To Kill a Mockingbird".  I remember reading it wondering how could such an injustice take place.  I was shocked and saddened by the events, but my innocence led me to believe that those days were left long behind. As I grew older, I quickly learned how little has changed (and I would argued our society has reversed back to these values).  Katrina has the potential to raise an awareness of the ugliness of our society and hopefully enable a return to the issues that matter most.  The story below the fold just shows how far we have to go.

(BTW - I couldn't find my notes on how to block text.  Ah, the price of a lurking.)

. A LEVEE BREACH OCCURRED ALONG THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL AT TENNESSE STREET. 3 TO 8 FEET OF WATER IS EXPECTED DUE TO THE BREACH...LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO ARABI AND 9TH WARD OF NEW ORLEANS.

[9th ward is where many people died in hurricane Betsy in 1965]

St. Bernard Parish spokesman Larry Ingargiola says the parish's two shelters at Chalmette High and St. Bernard High are suffering major damage. He said Chalmette High shelter is losing its roof, and St. Bernard High has plenty of broken windows and glass. He estimates 300-plus refugees at the two sites.

Entergy says 317,000 customers were without power as of 6 a.m. Cleco reported 40,000 without power in St. Tammany Parish.

Air conditioning out at Louisiana Superdome due to power outages.

St. Bernard Parish officials say most of the parish has no power.

http://www.wwltv.com/

I sent my first letter to the editor last week concerning the infusion of the religious right in the traditions of the Senate (filibuster). I did not have high expectations based on the content usually printed in the Arkansas Democratic Gazette, but writing the letter gave me a healthy release form the tensions of living through these "Bush years".  

Well, I just received a phone call stating I will have my letter published and they plan to expedite the letter due to the timing of the filibuster issue.  YEAH! (below the fold)

I'm going to celebrate by writing another one!

BTW, I also found out this week that my first independent research manuscript out of my lab is going to be published.  YEAH!

Phew.  I did it.  (insert rant) The assault on the infrastructure of basic research and higher education by the Bush administration and his psynchophatic legislature deprives me of much of my time I owe to this participatory democracy.  (another topic, another day)  Nevertheless, I made time as I hope other Americans do.  I wrote a letter to the editor of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette about the "nuclear option."  When I began writing, about 500 words spilled out.  I sent that to my Democratic Senators - Lincoln and Pryor.  I then spent an enormous amount of time distilling it to the 250 word minimum.  I am posting it to spur others to write, to participate.

"Our lives begin to end on the day that we become silent about things that
matter most." - Dr. Martin Luther King.

This is a tragedy:
linked text

N.M. Man Arrested in Dragging Assault

GALLUP, N.M. - A 24-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the dragging of a Hispanic man behind a vehicle, which left the victim with burn-like abrasions over half his body.
(snip)
The victim, 32-year-old Fausto Arellano, remained hospitalized in critical condition. He had been bound by the ankles and pulled by a rope for some 4,000 feet on Easter morning, according to police.
But what I find equally gauling is this snippet included after the break.
...

But what I found equalling gauling is included after the break.

I heard on NPR Morning Edition a commentary by Russell Roberts on the FDA.
FDA
In a nut shell, I heard the failures of the FDA (managed by appointees of this administration) framed in the context of an inefficient government al institution (what isn't under a Republican?).  There was no discussion of HOW the FDA has failed, for example, the inability of the FDA to monitor the LACK OF DISCLOSURE of negative research on drugs available on the market.  Russell Roberts argued for MORE FREEDOM to choose the drugs you want.  Notice the key words.  Thanks to Lakoff, I fired off a response to REFRAME after the break.
That felt good.

Here's a morning quiz for you.  Which of the statements are true, misleading, or outright lies?

1. Abortion can lead to sterility and suicide.
   
2. Half the gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus.
   
3. Touching a person's genitals "can result in pregnancy," a congressional staff analysis has found.

This is the information being taught to children in abstinence programs.  This is how MSNBC phrased an article on the topic:
"Some abstinence programs misleading: Report documents misstatements in curricula"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6633542/

Misleading?  Misstatements?

There's nothing "mis" about these statements. There's is no "fair and balance", no sugar needed.   Either these "educators" as professed liars or complete ignorant boobs who should not be teaching children anything.  

As an educator, I find this propagation of ignorance reprehensible.  

Stuff like this makes me think the whole brouhaha on Creationism/Intelligent Design and Evolution is a moot point, because there's no teory to explain how we rose from apes, only to return in the 21st century.

What do the vote totals reflect?  Are these totals for today's votes or do they incorporate the early votes for states that offered that option?  What about absentee ballots - are they counted?  Do these "calls" reflect estimates for absentees and early votes?

For example, Miami-Dade county has 94% reporting with a total of about 650,000 votes (http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/FL/P/00/county.001.html#12086), but does that include early votes?  Absentee votes?
That sees too small a number.

Could the early votes cause a swing (if they were not included)?

Unf*ckbelievable.  This falls in the category of making me go apoplectic.

"Army Pathologist Apologizes in Abuse Case"

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&e=28&u=/ap/20041015/ap_on_re_us/us_i raq_prisoner_death

I respect people with views that differ from mine (more so if they can support it a coherent argument), but as the old adage goes, "your rights ends where my nose begins."  I live in Little Rock, AR in a neigborhood with more BC04 signs than KE04 signs, but KE04 signs are being stolen.  I've seen one house place their sign inside their front window.  My apolitical wife is incensed and has asked me to pick up replacements for our neighbors (which I haven't met yet, but this will be the impetus for that).  I admit that I am a member of the population that believes this election is a critical juxture for our democracy, but I will not be intimidated or silenced whether I am in the majority or minority - nor should anyone for that matter.

My questions is this:

What kind of strategies can someone use to prevent lawn sign abuse or more appropriately, the desecration of private property?

BTW, AR can go KE04.  There population on a whole supports progressive policies and thus tends to still vote Democratic.  Like many other Americans, they are susceptible to "sky is falling" scare tactics of this administration.  We can win this!  Of note, the low income neighborhoods where my wife and I work are dotted with KE04 signs - no BC04.  Class warfare is a myth, right?

With all the negativity about Iraq being reported, perhaps the media should be "fair and balanced" and emphasize all the progress we've made in Iraq.  For example, what about all the jobs we've created ...

oops ...

"US.Misstates Own Job Creation Figures in Iraq"
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has overstated U.S.-funded job figures in Iraq due to what the government said was an accounting error, but critics say may be a bid to paint a rosier picture on the ground.
...
Asked to explain the error, USAID spokesman Jose Fuentes said he was looking into it. [Sure.]
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1001-24.htm

Revised title could be "Iraqi jobs decrease slightly" - 17% is less than the original 48% decline.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D) is trying to balance the Rush show on public-supported military radio with a liberal voice.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/06/28/pentagon.radio.ap/index.html

So that's 5 hrs a week air time for Rush - againg supported by public monies.

Here's the kicker ...

Total time for Hightower is 6 X 1.5 min + 2 X 1.5 = 12 min a WEEK - let alone the time is broken up into forgettable 90 sec spots.

Those are YOUR nickels subsidizing the hypocritical hate speech of Rush getting funneled into the ears of OUR troops.  It is no wonder the military grunts (as opposed to military industry) has such an affinity for the GOP - a party that consistently sells them out in terms of benefits, pay, and appropriate employment except when it comes to photo-ops.

We read earlier about the "arguing" (or contradiction?) between Powell and Cheney on the supposed link between Al Quieda and Saddam.  

The growing brouhaha brought Bush on the scene to set the record straight (and contradict earlier backpeddling).  As stated by CNN, "Bush stands by al Qaeda, Saddam link" at http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/06/15/bush.alqaeda/index.html.

Whoops!  Here's the header on CNN:

"BREAKING NEWS: Commission reports "no credible evidence" that al Qaeda and Iraq cooperated in 9/11 attacks on United States. Details soon."

At long last, has the media no sense of decency?  Stand up and call out this liar!  We deserve a follow up.  Americans lives are at stake!

I am writing an email out to friends and family who are Catholics (broad spectrum of party affiliations) about the recent Bush visit to the Pope.  the irony ... I also wanted to point out Bush's reference to the Pope as sir rather than his Holiness.  Social faux pas?  I want to remind people of Bush mannerisms to other people.

I want to include a reference to a meeting between Bush and a reporter. Someone wrote a diary on it and I don't recall the who and when, because Bush was acting his usual self.  The report was asking him a question and Bush kept repeating something like "are you talking to me?" until the report realized he wasn't refering to Bush as Mr. President.

Anybody know a link to this incident?

Imagine if the Pope would have pulled a stunt like that on Bush ...

This is interesting ...

"Networks won't air Bush's primetime speech"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5050891/

My initial reaction was that the networks were snubbing Bush, but then I started to read the article and came across this interesting statement:

In contrast to:

What?  

Polls indicate that Joe Public believes the war in Iraq is important and that there needs to be a clear strategy, even though this plan is being announced over a year after we invaded?

Why not preempt TV to address the nation at this critical junction in American policy?

Does the adminstration believe its not worth a fight to gain a more extensive audience?  Do they think they wouldn't win the fight?

Or does the effort to limit screening to MSNBC and Fox News provide cover for the President?  Less people will view the bruised and battered President as he tardily outlines a plan for Iraq.  People are more likely to read and hear about what he said than hear the words from his lips.  (That's if you can focus on what he's saying while you look for evidence of his falling from a bicycle.)

Is this an attempt to filter his often poor delivery and test the talking points of his words?