newsandviews_list
Sat, 27 Sep 2003 19:51:51 -0700
To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.chuckmuth.com/remove X-ListMember: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] *************************************** Should McClintock Set His Supporters Free? At political conventions, candidates who recognize they have no chance of winning often stay in a race but "release" their delegates to vote for another candidate. In order for California GOP candidate Tom McClintock to keep his word and not drop out of the gubernatorial contest and yet not be seen as a "spoiler" who will be responsible for electing Democrat Cruz Bustamante, is it time for him to announce publicly that he is "releasing" his supporters to vote for fellow Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger in the October 7 recall election? Cast your online vote by going to the "Survey Says" page at www.CitizenOutreach.com ************************************** Disorder in the Courts A judge who ruled this week that the do-not-call registry established by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wasn't kosher ended up being flooded with unwanted telephone calls by citizens unhappy with his decision. Go figure. It does seem these days that outrageous judicial decisions are the norm, not the exception, doesn't it? Well, here's another...and I hope you'll all light up the phones with equal fervor and indignation. On September 19, 2002, 51-year-old Straughan Lee Griffin was unloading groceries outside his home on a quiet cul-de-sac in Annapolis, Maryland. He was shot in the head and killed by one of two dirtbags who ran over the dying man after stealing his Jeep Cherokee. A month later, 19-year-old scuzzball Terrence Tolbert was brought in for questioning in the murder. He was read his Miranda rights. He was then questioned by authorities. He then incriminated himself in "a robbery gone bad" and fingered his accomplice, Leeander Jerome Blake, as the trigger man. Blake was subsequently picked up and fingered Tolbert. Enter Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Ronald A. Silkworth. Last Tuesday, Judge Silkworth threw out Tolbert's confession. According to what passes for reasoning in Judge Silkworth's mind, even though Tolbert was read his Miranda rights before being questioned, once he implicated himself in the crime he should have been read his Miranda rights A SECOND TIME! Not surprisingly, this hug-a-thug judge was appointed by Maryland's former Gov. Parris Glendenning, a liberal's liberal...reminding us YET AGAIN exactly how important it is for Republicans in the Senate to use ALL MEANS lawfully available to break the current Democrat filibuster of President Bush's judicial nominees. Who sits on the bench makes a HUGE difference. But back to Judge Silkworth. BRUSHFIRE ALERT: I reached Judge Silkworth at his home on Saturday, identified myself and requested an email address where readers of News & Views could send comments and reactions to his decision. Judge Silkworth told me his decisions weren't subject to public opinion and refused to provide an email address or an appropriate phone number for people to call. Well, he can't say I didn't give him a chance. If you wish to express your unwanted "public opinion" to Judge Silkworth (and I hope you do!), here's where and how to do it: MAIL: Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County 7 Church Circle Annapolis, MD 21404-2395 FAX: (410) 222-1176 OFFICE PHONE: (410) 222-1451 HOME PHONE: (410) 544-1007 And for the record, I'm not giving out some state secrets with the information above. All of the contact information was public record uncovered by some simple www.google.com searches...including the judge's home phone number. In conclusion, let me remind you that Judge Silkworth has already told me he doesn't care about public opinion and won't comment on the case, so don't be surprised if he refuses to hear, let alone address, your concerns. But that shouldn't stop you from attempting to convey them anyway. And please, be firm but respectful and avoid vulgarities. We're not liberals, you know. And no calls in the middle of the night. We're much better than that sort of thing. But other than that, let's give him an earful. Chuck Muth President Citizen Outreach *************************************** Who's Afraid of Hillary C? Exactly who are the wishy-washy senatorial jellyfish who are afraid of using the "nuclear option" in order to break the Democrats' filibusters of President Bush's judicial nominees? Help us smoke 'em out. Get all the details - including phone and email addresses - from the "Brushfire Alert" page at www.citizenoutreach.com ************************************** Hijacked vs. Abandoned "Regarding Howard Dean's comments: It's not that the right wing has hijacked the flag and patriotism, it's that the left wing abandoned them long ago." - John Nienstedt, Sr., President, Competitive Edge ************************************** Good Lord A state park in Seattle decided to sell commemorative bricks to local residents in an effort to raise money to maintain a playground there. For $100 per brick, folks could inscribe their name and a brief message on the brick and have it placed in the playground area. Dan and Olga Buchanan bought a brick and inscribed the message: "Thank you Jesus." That's when the spit hit the spam. The coordinator for the playground fundraiser told the Buchanans where to stick their brick, explaining in a letter that "our intent and unwritten policy for all of the 511 bricks sold was to engrave only nonreligious requests in order to uphold the separation of church and state as dictated by our state constitution." What a crock. The state didn't inscribe the message on the brick; individuals exercising both their free speech and their freedom of religion rights did. Fortunately, the American Center of Law and Justice has sued the state on those grounds. Oh, yeah. The name of the state park? Saint Edward. Go figure. *************************************** So Much for Military Intelligence It's now being reported that last November the military began investigating an Air Force translator accused of passing secrets from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - where the U.S. is holding the worst of the worst al Qaeda prisoners - to Syria, otherwise known as Terrorist Central. It's interesting to note that at the same time Syrian-born Arab translator Al-Halabi came under suspicion and investigation, nine American translators were discharged from the Army for being. Gay. "Nine Army linguists, including six trained to speak Arabic, have been dismissed from the military because they are gay," reported the Associated Press on November 14, 2002. "The soldiers' dismissals come at a time when the military is facing a critical shortage of translators and interpreters for the war on terrorism." So American-born Arab translators were drummed out of the military just because they were gay while a Syrian-born Arab translator was sent to Guantanamo Bay where the most dangerous threats to American security were being held...even while he was under suspicion for espionage? Boggles the mind, doesn't it? ************************************** Talk Is Cheap "(The Israelis) talk. They talk about what they're going to do to Yasser Arafat. They're going to expel him. They're going to kill him. They're going to do this and do that to him. But in the end they just talk. The only effect of all their talk is to restore Yasser Arafat's popularity as the leader of the Palestinian people. "...There is an old saying out West: Don't reach for your gun unless you intend to draw, don't draw unless you mean to shoot, and don't shoot except to kill. All the Israelis have done about Yasser Arafat is talk, which leaves them looking both arrogant and weak. That is, like blowhards. They could learn a thing or two from Western ways, and we do mean Western." - Columnist Paul Greenberg ************************************** Good Advice "(M)any parents are not nearly pro-active enough in protecting their kids from inappropriate sexual displays. No child should have a TV or computer in his or her bedroom. All communications equipment should be in the common areas of the house so parents can know what their kids are seeing." - Columnist Bill O'Reilly ************************************** ABC and the FMA "A majority of Americans oppose allowing homosexual couples to marry legally, but most also say it's not worth amending the U.S. Constitution to ban such unions, an ABCNEWS poll has found. . . . As a net total of the population, this poll finds 20 percent of Americans favor a constitutional ban on gay marriages; 33 percent oppose such marriages but wouldn't amend the Constitution; and 37 percent would make them legal." - ABCNews.com, 9/22/03 *************************************** 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.NewsandViewsLongDistance.com *************************************** How to Subscribe If you'd like to receive our FREE News & Views e-newsletter, you can sign up at: http://www.chuckmuth.com/newsletter/ 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] # # #