In this speech to the Washington Press Club yesterday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan lays it on the line- if you are one of those (and you can count me at the top of the list) who is against his "reform" agenda of more charter schools, judging teachers based on standardized test scores, turning schools into glorified training grounds for business, and Common Core Standards, you are not focusing on children.
Of course, to Duncan's way of thinking, he is the only one who has the children's best interests at heart and it is the rest of us, on the left and the right, who have some hidden agenda.
Should I mention that Duncan, despite being named by President Obama as his top education officer, has no teaching experience.
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Cynthia Davis: We must prevent public perversion, promiscuity
Former State Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O'Fallon, who has now moved into right wing radio offers some thoughts on traditional marriage in her latest column.
Some of my Libertarian friends ask why marriage should be noticed by government. From all external appearances, we look like one of the most selfish generations in the history of America. People are divorcing, using drugs, drinking and refusing to work for their own personal happiness. Substance abuse is a factor in 70% of all domestic violence cases. As the social indicators continue marking the decline of families, it is becoming more obvious that the more self centered we become, the less we invest in our families, churches, neighborhoods and communities.
Fortunately, there is a right way to correct these issues. We owe it to our future to understand the underlying issues surrounding the recent push for perversion, the importance of marriage and the problems created by promiscuity. We don't just stop with identifying the problems, we are all about answering them with the solution.
Many people shy away from recent decisions to make marital benefits available to those who practice perversion. Even those who hold to the Biblical standard of morality are now demonstrating their confusion over the public purpose of marriage. As we are watching the courts, media and political correctness infuse a level of shame on those who hold to traditional values, there is an unspoken push to not only redefine marriage, but also redefine parenthood.
Moms and dads are not interchangeable. Government has a duty to protect the innocent, especially the relationship between law abiding parents and children. We must be vigilant to protect this bond and stop trends of gender-neutrality whenever we see it happening because, ultimately, it will destroy the definition of marriage and the family. Parenthood is a pre-political natural reality. The greatest gift we can give all children is stability. For their sakes, we owe it to them to fight to protect the bedrock of our society.
Some of my Libertarian friends ask why marriage should be noticed by government. From all external appearances, we look like one of the most selfish generations in the history of America. People are divorcing, using drugs, drinking and refusing to work for their own personal happiness. Substance abuse is a factor in 70% of all domestic violence cases. As the social indicators continue marking the decline of families, it is becoming more obvious that the more self centered we become, the less we invest in our families, churches, neighborhoods and communities.
Fortunately, there is a right way to correct these issues. We owe it to our future to understand the underlying issues surrounding the recent push for perversion, the importance of marriage and the problems created by promiscuity. We don't just stop with identifying the problems, we are all about answering them with the solution.
Many people shy away from recent decisions to make marital benefits available to those who practice perversion. Even those who hold to the Biblical standard of morality are now demonstrating their confusion over the public purpose of marriage. As we are watching the courts, media and political correctness infuse a level of shame on those who hold to traditional values, there is an unspoken push to not only redefine marriage, but also redefine parenthood.
Moms and dads are not interchangeable. Government has a duty to protect the innocent, especially the relationship between law abiding parents and children. We must be vigilant to protect this bond and stop trends of gender-neutrality whenever we see it happening because, ultimately, it will destroy the definition of marriage and the family. Parenthood is a pre-political natural reality. The greatest gift we can give all children is stability. For their sakes, we owe it to them to fight to protect the bedrock of our society.
President Obama's message to DOD, troops following shutdown
In a message to the troops today, President Obama said those in uniform will conduct business as usual and noted that Congress has passed legislation making sure the military will continue to be paid.
National Weather Service remains open despite government shutdown
(From the National Weather Service)
The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Springfield will be open 24/7 through the government shutdown to provide services for protection of life and property.
The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Springfield will be open 24/7 through the government shutdown to provide services for protection of life and property.
Arkansas man sentenced for $257K fraud scheme, banned from Wal-Mart
(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)
Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Smack Over, Ark., man was sentenced in federal court today for a $257,000 fraud scheme that involved switching bar codes on products at Wal-Mart stores then selling the products on eBay.
Carlton D. Newsome, 35, of Smack Over, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to 30 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Newsome to pay $257,195 in restitution to Wal-Mart, and barred him from entering any Wal-Mart stores for three years after he is released from prison, while on supervised release.
On March 13, 2013, Newsome pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Newsome purchased embroidery machines from Wal-Mart stores in a dozen states between Dec. 28, 2004, and July 13, 2008. Newsome switched the bar codes from less expensive embroidery machines; for example, putting a bar code from a $78 machine on a $397 machine so that he could purchase the machine at the lower price. Newsome then sold the machines through eBay for several hundred dollars apiece.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William L. Meiners and Jess Michaelsen. It was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Overland Park, Kan., Police Department.
Oct. 22 murder trial set for Rondias Webb
That restraining order against Rondias Webb, 36, will be presented by the prosecution, thanks to a ruling made Sept. 16 by Judge Dally, who overruled a defense motion to have the order excluded. That full order of protection for Monica Webb against her husband was issued one year ago today.
Police say that Webb shot his wife to death then shot himself, and though he initially was in critical condition, he has recovered.
The problems between the Webbs were detailed in Monica Webb's request for the protection order. He had tried to keep her in their apartment, but she managed to sneak out. He caught up to her and tackled her.
"He was on top of me, telling me to stop yelling or he was gonna put a bullet in me," she wrote in the protection order request. "I continued to yell. He then grabbed a rock and told me to shut up."
A probable cause affidavit says Webb threatened to bash her head in if she screamed. She was able to walk away without being shot or hit with the rock, but Webb followed and kept trying to take her phone away, she wrote. He told her if she called police and he was arrested, she would be sorry.
Kinder forms exploratory committee for 8th District run
The Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian is reporting that Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has formed an exploratory committee to run for the 8th District Congressional seat currently held by Jason Smith:
At the meeting, Kinder said he is re-acquainting himself with federal campaign law, and that the reason for the committee is to forecast support of his potential candidacy.
A meeting at the Cape Girardeau home of former state representative Mary Kasten on Monday including Kinder, Kasten, conservative author David Limbaugh and several others marked the start of an exploratory committee and discussion of a potential campaign, according to a news release from Kinder.
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