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___________________________________ EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT... There’s a new “Smoke Screen” update on News & Views EXTRA today, including my "rant" to a reader who STILL thinks they have a right to come into MY restaurant and tell ME whether or not I can allow smoking in MY restaurant. My tolerance and patience for un-thinking people who just don’t “get” this is completely exhausted...but at least I refrained from using any four-letter words. Catch it at: http://www.chuckmuth.com/newsandviews/nv.cfm _____________________________________ SURVEY SAYS! Do you agree with the 9th Circuit Court decision telling the federal government it can’t block voter-approved assisted suicide in the state of Oregon? * Yes * No * Not sure Cast your vote by clicking the “Survey Says!” tab at www.citizenoutreach.com MEMORIAL DAY Most people don't seem to know there are more than 100 national cemeteries around the United States (http://www.cem.va.gov/index.htm). Nearly every one will have public services this Memorial Day weekend. . . . Memorial Day itself has been a holiday in decline from its original purpose, the honoring of the nation's war dead, an idea born in the internal sorrows of the Civil War. . . . More recently, this day at the end of May has become a Monday off and a chance to prepare for summer. . . . Much of the politicking around Iraq is rather nasty just now. And there will be more of it. For a minute this Memorial Day weekend, ponder the simple individual nobility held forever in those 120 national cemeteries.” - Dan Henninger of the Wall Street Journal BREAK OUT THE STRAIGHT-JACKET “It is now clear that Al Gore is insane. I don't mean that his policy ideas are insane, though many of them are. I mean that based on his behavior, conduct, mien and tone over the past two days, there is every reason to believe that Albert Gore Jr., desperately needs help. I think he needs medication, and I think that if he is already on medication, his doctors need to adjust it or change it entirely." - New York Post columnist John Podhoretz THE THANKS WE GET FOR PLAYING NICE “Yesterday, there was news of a truce brokered between the coalition and this murderous thug terrorist al-Sadr in Najaf. . . . Today, insurgents attacked U.S. forces and a U.S. military base outside Najaf. The base was hit with nine mortars, while U.S. forces near Kufa were attacked with rocket-propelled grenades. This is the thanks we get for showing restraint. When are we going to learn our lesson here? “It used to be the policy of the United States that we did not negotiate with terrorists. . . . The United States military should immediately start attacking military targets in Najaf until it receives the unconditional surrender of al-Sadr and his goons. Only then will peace be achieved, through a military victory. Iraq could use some more parking anyway.” - Talk show host Neal Boortz, 5/28/04 PARDON ME “The South Dakota Supreme Court ordered the disclosure of 214 sealed pardons issued by former Governor Bill Janklow (R). State newspapers sued to have the records opened. The records revealed that Janklow secretly pardoned his son-in-law for two drunk driving convictions and an unrelated drug offense. He also pardoned another close friend and former top state official for a DUI conviction. . . . Janklow was elected to Congress in 2002, but resigned after his 2003 conviction for vehicular manslaughter. He was released from jail two weeks ago and placed on probation after serving his 100-day sentence.” - Ron Gunzburger, Politics1, 5/28/04 PUBLIC SCHOOL INSANITY In response to our Brushfire Alert yesterday regarding the little kid who was suspended for 10-days for including a steak knife in a shoe box as part of his show-and-tell project of what one would take on a camping trip, a News & Views reader wrote: “Come on Chuck. If I tell my kid he's grounded and can't talk on the phone for a week and he does it anyway, I have to back up my statement. If you tell a child not to bring a knife to school or he gets a 10-day suspension, and he does it anyway, what choice does the school have?” Now, it seemed insane to me that a sane person could come up with such an insane excuse for such insanity. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! So, on a hunch, I asked this person if he worked for a public school system. What do YOU think? MORE PUBLIC SCHOOL INSANITY “A 13-year-old Denver girl...Courtney Glowczewski has a small right arm and leg because of cerebral palsy, a disability that her teachers say has not kept her from working hard in school and being a good student. . . . But her physical appearance has made her a target of taunting and of physical attack, which she said has never been addressed by the administration at Martin Luther King Middle School. “Last week, she said the bullying got worse when she said she was threatened and assaulted by a seventh grade boy. ‘He pulled out a knife, a silver knife, a pocket knife, and then he said 'What!?' So I was scared and didn't know what to do,’ said Glowczewski. As she walked to her seat she smelled smoke and one of her classmates was patting her hard on the back. ‘I looked and there was a black spot on the back of my shirt. And then I saw some black hair falling from my hair,’ said Glowczewski. Her hair was on fire and the other student said that she was trying to help put it out. “Her mother, Sherrie, was called to school when her daughter reported the incident to the assistant principal. Sherrie Glowczewski was outraged when she was told by the administration at Martin Luther King that her daughter didn't need to come back and not to worry about the tests. ‘I just wanted to go to a school that doesn't make fun of me. I wanted to be treated with respect,’ Glowczewski said, crying. “...7NEWS discovered that while Glowczewski was sent home, her alleged attacker is still in school, even though administrators confirmed he had a knife. The principal has now admitted her staff did not call police, did not interview potential witnesses, and did not conduct a proper investigation.” - TheDenverChannel.com, 5/26/04 LIBERTARIAN PARTY CONVENES IN ATLANTA The Libertarian Party convention is this weekend, and one of the speakers will be our favorite congressman, Rep. Ron Paul, Texas Republican, who is introduced in an LP press release thusly: “Dubbed ‘Dr. No’ for his principled ‘no’ vote against any government program not specifically authorized by the Constitution, Paul is held up as an example of how Libertarians would govern if elected.” Actually, here’s how the sentence SHOULD read: “...Paul is an example of how libertarian-leaning candidates can get elected so they have an OPPORTUNITY to govern.” Again, Ron Paul is a registered Republican. There are NO registered Libertarian Party members serving in Congress. And there never have been. And I don’t think the LP can boast of a single state legislator these days, either. As a political party, they sure make a great lampshade. Pity for the country. We could use more Ron Pauls...from whatever party. TODAY ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD Well, now the shoe’s on the other foot. The National Association of Mental Health (NMHA), the country’s oldest and largest mental health association, announced this week that PFOX (Parents & Friends of Ex-Gays) can’t have a booth at next month’s convention in Washington, DC., saying the PFOX’s principles aren’t in line with the association’s core mission. PFOX believes that homosexuality is wrong and promotes “reparative” or “corrective” therapy designed to get gays to stop being gay. Consistency Check: Last week, the North Carolina Republican Party banned the Log Cabin Republicans - a conservative organization of gay Republicans - from their convention. For those who supported the NC GOP’s decision, do you also support the decision to exclude the anti-gay PFOX group from the NMHA convention? And for those who opposed the NC GOP’s decision, do you also oppose NMHA’s exclusionary decision? Join the Discussion Board on this subject by surfing over to: http://blog.chuckmuth.com/blog/ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Chuck Muth’s News & Views is published by Citizen Outreach, a non-partisan, 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. 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. Published by: Citizen Outreach Chuck Muth Editor/Publisher 611 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, #439 Washington, DC 20003-4303 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, just go to: http://www.chuckmuth.com/newsletter/ To be REMOVED, go to: http://www.chuckmuth.com/remove/default.cfm Or send your request to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To make a secure online contribution to Citizen Outreach, go to the “Donate” page at www.citizenoutreach.com.
