To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.chuckmuth.com/remove X-ListMember: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
******************************************* SARS-dy-Har-Har Trust me, I was rarin' to go after those politically correct yahoos at my nephew's school who yanked the boy's chain over that harmless school-yard jest about SARS to a coughing/hacking Asian-American 7th-grade classmate. Alas, Zachary has one more year at Belair Middle School (Maryland) and my sister, Donna, is worried about rocking the boat. My dad, founder of the non-existent Cynics for a Better America, suggested that what Donna should have done after the principal demanded to see one of Zach's parents was respond, "Certainly, what time do you want me and the reporter to come on down?" Anyway, it appears the incident has blown over (for now) and at least Zach didn't have to "apologize" or go to some stupid "sensitivity training." Still, the school pooh-bahs got away with it, which means they have no reason not to pick on some other politically incorrect kid in the future. Bummer. If anyone would like to send some words of support and encouragement to young Zach, please feel free to send 'em to his mom at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ****************************************** Keep the Fires Burning "It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." - Founding Father Samuel Adams ******************************************* Syria's "Baghdad Bob" "Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview that he doubts the existence of al Qaeda, the terror group blamed for the September 11 attacks and the recent strikes in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. . . . Such speculation is popular among some in the Arab world who say Washington has manufactured or exaggerated the threat posed by al Qaeda to paint Muslims as dangerous." - "World Scene," Washington Times, 5/27/03 ******************************************* Actions Have Consequences Greg Pierce reports in his "Inside Politics" column that the White House sent a not-too-subtle message to Sen. Olympia Snowe, Maine Republican, who voted against President Bush's tax cut proposal. At a recent state dinner, Snowe's fellow Maine colleague, Sen. Susan Collins - who, after expressing initial hesitancy over the tax cut, ended up on board - was seated right next to the president at dinner. Snowe, on the other hand, didn't even get an invitation. ****************************************** The Man from West Byrd-ginia "Citizens Against Government Waste has chronicled the cost of pork-barrel projects brought home by (West Virginia Democrat Sen. Robert) Byrd in the 2003 budget at $298 million. Mr. Byrd may have diverted more federal money to West Virginia than Saddam Hussein skimmed from the United Nations' oil-for-food program. In fact, about the only thing not named for Mr. Byrd in West Virginia is the state itself. He also managed to pick taxpayer pockets for $150,000 just so he could build another office closer to the Senate floor as a personal convenience." - Columnist Cal Thomas ****************************************** Break Out the Violins "An irate Rev. Jesse Jackson says he is being attacked today much the same way Martin Luther King was attacked in his day. Playing the race card in defending his large - but questionable - business empire, Mr. Jackson says there's nothing illegal with him receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars each year from major organizations." - John McCaslin's "Inside the Beltway," 5/27/03 ****************************************** Affordable Campaign Websites! Now you can get professional-looking campaign web sites for as little as $10 a month. That's right...just ten smackeroos a month. Here's what's included in this fantastic new program from Campaign Secrets, Inc. (available ONLY to Republican candidates): * Free Hosting * Unique Domain Name * Personal Email Accounts * Credit Card Processing * Unlimited Edits * Event Calendar * Volunteer Sign-up Page * Built-in Bulk Emailer Campaign Site Builder can be used for political organizations and non-profits, as well. For more information, just go to: http://www.campaignsecrets.com/websites.asp ****************************************** New Proposal to Tax the 'Net "Senator Mark Dayton, a Minnesota Democrat, recommended to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that lawmakers approve a small charge per piece of e-mail sent. 'I think it's worth looking at some very, very small charge for every e-mail sent, so small that it would not be onerous for an individual or business that has regular (e-mail) use, but it would be a deterrent for those who are sending millions and even billions of these e-mails,' Dayton said." - InfoWorld.com, 5/21/03 ****************************************** Dumbing Down Down in Florida "In case you haven't heard, some Florida public school students are mighty angry. . . . This year, Florida students are required to pass the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in order to receive their diploma. The problem, however, is that some 13,000 high school seniors failed to pass the FCAT this year and are now in jeopardy of not being allowed to graduate this spring. "...(S)tudents only need the relative equivalent of a 40 percent to pass the FACT, and they are allowed to take it up to six times. . . . An exit exam that requires students to demonstrate knowledge of only 40 percent of material is bunk to begin with. This so-called standard is consistent with the continual dumbing down of curriculum that our nation's schools have been subject to for the past three decades; if students refuse to rise to the level required to achieve, we'll lower the bar to make it look as if they have." - Columnist Trevor Bothwell, TheRightReport.com ****************************************** Expensive Mediocrity "Head Start is one of the most revered programs in government - but not altogether deservedly so. At a cost of more than $5,000 per child, Head Start delivers scant measurable, lasting improvement in the academic perform ance of its beneficiaries." - David Frum, National Review Online ****************************************** The Home School Advantage "Most non-American observers worry that (home schooled) children will be too sheltered or isolated. In fact, survey after survey shows home schooled students to be - on average - more involved in group activities than their counterparts in state schools. And the educational results are impressive. In grades one through four, according to a University of Maryland study, median test scores for homeschooled children are a full grade above those of public and private school students." - Allan Carlson in a February presentation to the Swedish Parliament, "Culture, et cetera," Washington Times, 5/27/03 ****************************************** Burning Whitey "Baltimore's WBAL-TV reports 25-year-old Mark Fox is in jail for allegedly setting a fire at a Frederick County, Md., church. Fox 'told investigators he targeted the Victory Christian Center Assembly of God because it had a predominantly white congregation,' WBAL reports. But don't worry, this isn't a hate crime. Fox said he picked a white church because 'he didn't want people to think he was mad at black people.'" - James Taranto, Best of the Web, 5/21/03 ******************************************* Reefer Madness "Voters in seven states - Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Nevada and Maine - have passed referendums allowing the use of marijuana to help ill patients cope with the debilitating effects of cancer treatment, as well as to ease the pain of several other maladies, including multiple sclerosis and AIDS. . . . Marijuana, according to federal law, is as dangerous and destructive as heroin." - Washington Times, 5/27/03 ****************************************** New Sheriff in Hard-Left Town In his first year as Maryland's top banana, Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R) has vetoed a bill that would have allowed in-state tuition preferences for illegal aliens. He also 86-ed a bill allowing Big Brotherish cameras to catch speeders, a decision the Washington Times described as going "against the grain of his libertarian views on government intrusion into the lives of citizens." Ehrlich also stood up to the White House and became "the first Republican governor to sign a medical marijuana bill." Not a bad start for the first GOP big cheese in this state since Spiro Agnew. ************************************ 4.75 cents-per-minute Long Distance * All state-to-state calls in the continental U.S. * Residential or commercial * 6-second billing increments * 24 hours/day * 7 days/week * No access codes * No minimums * No activation fees * Calling Card Rate is 10 cents per minute * No monthly service charge unless your bill is less than $20.00 a month (then a $1.99 service charge will apply) * No need to change your local phone company * No hassles * Easy sign-up. * And a small portion of each bill goes to help continue publishing our FREE Chuck Muth's News & Views e-newsletter. Just go to: <http://www.GOPLongDistance.com> today. *********************************** How to Subscribe If you know someone who might like to receive News & Views, you can sign 'em up at: http://www.chuckmuth.com. Also, occasionally, the automatic listserve we use will "bump" subscribers off the list if your mailbox is full or experiences some other technical glitch. If you suddenly stop receiving News & Views, the first thing you should do is try to re-subscribe using the link above. Published by Citizen Outreach Chuck Muth Editor/Publisher 611 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, #439 Washington, DC 20003-4303 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Citizen Outreach is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public policy organization and does not endorse candidates or lobby for specific legislation. The opinions and views expressed in Chuck Muth's News & Views reflect those of the writers, editors and columnists therein and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Citizen Outreach, its officers, directors or employees. To be REMOVED, go to: http://www.chuckmuth.com/remove/default.cfm and complete the removal request instructions you'll find there. Or send your request to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # #
