Quite a few interesting things I discovered this weekend !!! . Apologies if you have seen any of these before; but even if you did, they are worth repeating:
= = = = = = = Couple good films about the Federal Reserve and the IRS: http://tinyurl.com/n5hha http://tinyurl.com/ngfyp = = = = = = = = Freedom of speech has gone bye-bye in Arapahoe (or is that "ho" - - think gangsta slang here, as in "keep yo' hands off'a my 'ho" ) County, CO (article on CBS4 Denver website): http://tinyurl.com/fgzt2 (CBS4) DENVER - - Arapahoe County is threatening to fire a veteran Public Works employee for promoting the fact that he is an English speaking American. "They claim it's offensive and I've been accused of discrimination and harassment, believe it or not, because of this," said Mike Gray, a heavy equipment operator with the Arapahoe County Road and Bridge Department for 16 years. The problems began last spring. Gray, 50, owns a lawn service business on the side. He was routinely driving to work in his pickup truck towing a trailer that he uses to carry lawn mowing equipment for his business. On the side of his trailer, the married father of two affixed a sign that reads "Lawn Services Done With Pride!! By An English Speaking American." The sign also gives Gray's phone number and the lettering is over a background of an American flag. "There are a lot of people in the lawn service that are non-English speaking," Gray said. "Customers and different people were telling me that they have a hard time trying to communicate with them about the work they want done on their yards. I just want to let people know they at least can communicate with me when I do work on their property." Gray also wore a hat to work that says "U.S. Border Patrol," which he says was a gift from his son. Arapahoe County officials told Gray the sign and hat must go or else. In a Nov. 10, 2005, letter, his supervisor Monty Sedlak wrote the following: "Some of your conduct ... is reprehensible and discriminatory to our non-English speaking and/or Hispanic workforce. You are in violation of ... guidelines which ensure a workplace free from harassment and sensitive to the diversity of employees." "You are required to permanently remove your cap from the workplace. It is offensive and harassing. Your business sign, if on work premises, must be completely covered at all times. This behavior is inappropriate and any further incidents of this nature may result in further disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment." Andrea Rasizer, spokesperson for Arapahoe County, declined to answer questions, saying the matter was a "personnel issue." Gray said he believes his First Amendment rights are at stake, and he said he is "not about to surrender." "I got a new supervisor," said Gray. "He's a politically correct, bleeding heart liberal. I believe in what I'm doing. I got to stand up for what I believe in and I don't think I'm doing a thing wrong. Of course I don't want to lose my job, but I can't back down from something I believe in. Like I say, they're just chipping away at our rights and freedoms." In response to the County's firing threat, Gray stopped wearing his Border Patrol hat to work and partly covers his business sign at work so that the American flag and the words "English speaking American" are the only things still visible. The County says that's not enough, but it's as far as Gray is willing to go. "Why would any American do such a thing as cover up the American flag and something that says you're an American? It's beyond me that anyone could expect me to do that like my employer is." Gray has hired attorney David Lane, who plans to file an injunction to allow the County worker to resume wearing his hat on the job and fully display his sign. "What is of concern to me is whether the government of Arapahoe County is violating his Constitutional rights under the First Amendment," Lane said. "When the government tries to put a gag in people's mouths because they don't like the message that's being delivered, I'd do everything in my power to stop that from happening." = = = = = = = = Fromthe Chicago Tribune: In debt, forever: How can you cope with $55,000 in student loans on $33,000 in income? http://tinyurl.com/mycbq = = = = = = = = A great satirical Jeff Foxworthy "roast" (will not play on Mozilla Firefox): http://tinyurl.com/jm96g = = = = = = = = Two excellent articles about the Bush Family Fortune: http://tinyurl.com/867jl (Part I) http://tinyurl.com/elarx (Part II) = = = = = = = = = Hunting Lessons (fun game!): http://tinyurl.com/foqdq = = = = = = = = Petition: SECURE AMERICA'S BORDERS NOW! http://tinyurl.com/ew8tl = = = = = = = = = = = = Congress Poised to Pass Bill Taking Away Your Right to Know What's in Your Food : Tell your Congressman or Congresswoman to vote "No" on House of Representatives Bill H.R. 4167, the "National Uniformity for Food Act," coming to a vote in Washington, D.C on March 8 http://tinyurl.com/kfevg = = = = = = = = = = = And finally, this article (which should chill you to the cockles of your cockles): Pay too much and you could raise the alarm http://tinyurl.com/pju6w or http://tinyurl.com/rrg82 By BOB KERR The Providence Journal 28-FEB-06 PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Walter Soehnge is a retired Texas schoolteacher who traveled north with his wife, Deana, saw summer change to fall in Rhode Island and decided this was a place to stay for a while. So the Soehnges live in Scituate now and Walter sometimes has breakfast at the Gentleman Farmer in Scituate Village, where he has passed the test and become a regular despite an accent that is definitely not local. And it was there, at his usual table last week, that he told me that he was "madder than a panther with kerosene on his tail." He says things like that. Texas does leave its mark on a man. What got him so upset might seem trivial to some people who have learned to accept small infringements on their freedom as just part of the way things are in this age of terror-fed paranoia. It's that "everything changed after 9/11" thing. But not Walter. "We're a product of the '60s," he said. "We believe government should be way away from us in that regard." He was referring to the recent decision by him and his wife to be responsible, to do the kind of thing that just about anyone would say makes good, solid financial sense. They paid down some debt. The balance on their JCPenney Platinum MasterCard had gotten to an unhealthy level. So they sent in a large payment, a check for $6,522. And an alarm went off. A red flag went up. The Soehnges' behavior was found questionable. And all they did was pay down their debt. They didn't call a suspected terrorist on their cell phone. They didn't try to sneak a machine gun through customs. They just paid a hefty chunk of their credit card balance. And they learned how frighteningly wide the net of suspicion has been cast. After sending in the check, they checked online to see if their account had been duly credited. They learned that the check had arrived, but the amount available for credit on their account hadn't changed. So Deana Soehnge called the credit-card company. Then Walter called. "When you mess with my money, I want to know why," he said. They both learned the same astounding piece of information about the little things that can set the threat sensors to beeping and blinking. They were told, as they moved up the managerial ladder at the call center, that the amount they had sent in was much larger than their normal monthly payment. And if the increase hits a certain percentage higher than that normal payment, Homeland Security has to be notified. And the money doesn't move until the threat alert is lifted. Walter called television stations, the American Civil Liberties Union and me. And he went on the Internet to see what he could learn. He learned about changes in something called the Bank Privacy Act. "The more I'm on, the scarier it gets," he said. "It's scary how easily someone in Homeland Security can get permission to spy." Eventually, his and his wife's money was freed up. The Soehnges were apparently found not to be promoting global terrorism under the guise of paying a credit-card bill. They never did learn how a large credit card payment can pose a security threat. But the experience has been a reminder that a small piece of privacy has been surrendered. Walter Soehnge, who says he holds solid, middle-of-the-road American beliefs, worries about rights being lost. "If it can happen to me, it can happen to others," he said. ( Bob Kerr is a columnist for The Providence Journal. E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) ( Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com ) = = = = = = = = = Thanks for reading !!! ~~Suz~~ * Only 1,051 days remaining until Inaugural Day 1/20/09 * Mark Twain: "The only time the children are safe is when Congress is not in session." *Jesus was a Liberal. Liberalism as defined by Webster's Dictionary: "a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of man, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for tolerance and freedom for the individual from arbitrary authority in all spheres of life. I'm not sure why anyone would feel threatened by Liberalism as defined by the dictionary. They are apparently unaware or simply refuse to acknowledge the long history of liberals who have labored for the betterment of society & the furthering of God's Kingdom. * Jeff Foxworthy: http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12188.htm * "If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." GWBush, 43rdPresident,CNN.com, December 18, 2000 * IMPORTANT!! Click here: http://tinyurl.com/cfsrc --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ [RobsList] A progressive group that is part of http://robwire.com You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RobsList" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Robslist -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
