20070320 News Clips

News Clips

March 20^th, 2007 H/t: GOPCharlie

GOP pledges to block tax rise

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070319-103739-8073r.htm

Senate Republicans say they will attempt to block tax increases during budget debates tomorrow, as tension increases over Maryland's fiscal future.

"We're planning on something to attempt to give people a choice and obviate any necessity for tax increases," said Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley, Frederick Republican.

Democrats, who control the House, Senate and governor's office, agreed that some form of tax increase is needed to close a $1.5 billion budget gap in 2009.

Deficit debate on hold

Sales tax protest previews future budget battles

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/03_19-32/GOV

The budget passed the House of Delegates last week, but some lawmakers are worried about the financial battles - and sweeping tax increases - that could still lie ahead.

"It's not just storm clouds," said Del. Ron George, R-Arnold, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. "It's like seeing a tsunami wave coming."

The revised version of Gov. Martin O'Malley's $30 billion operating budget passed Friday by a vote of 134-5. The House Appropriations Committee made cuts of more than $192 million in the budget, which will go into effect in July.

Senate panel approves state smoking ban

Committee gives OK to bill on a 6-5 vote; measure is expected to pass full Senate

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.smoking20mar20001517,0,6036288.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

A state Senate panel approved yesterday a statewide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, a vote that marks the first time such a measure has won approval from a General Assembly committee.

The Senate panel also decided to exempt tobacco shops and fraternal organizations, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion. Sen. George C. Edwards, a Garrett County Republican, described people gathering after military funerals at the local American Legion where they might share a meal and drinks and perhaps a cigarette or cigar.

"These people put their life on the line for this country," Edwards said, saying it would be wrong to ban smoking in the clubs.

Sen. E.J. Pipkin, an Eastern Shore Republican, said enforcing a ban on smoking in those kinds of clubs amounted to telling smokers to stay home from events. "And we already have a problem with isolation in rural parts of the state," he said. "This is the only game in town for them."

While they pushed for the club exemption, neither Pipkin nor Edwards voted for the final bill.

Smoking ban gets panel nod

http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=161280&format=html

A panel of Maryland senators voted Monday to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, a vote seen as a critical first step for passage of a statewide smoking ban this year.

The 6-5 vote by the Senate Finance Committee means the full Senate will vote in coming days on whether to approve the ban, long advocated by health activists but opposed by some restaurant owners. A House committee is considering a similar smoking ban, with a vote expected in that committee by midweek.

Editorial: Shine a light on government spending

http://www.examiner.com/a-628428~Editorial__Shine_a_light_on_government_spending.html

If members of Congress can agree transparency is the best policy for government, so can Maryland legislators.

Thats why its encouraging news that Del. Warren Miller, a Republican from Howard County, introduced House Bill 1252. The Maryland Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2007, if passed, would require the state to build a searchable Web site of government contracts and spending above $25,000. Think of it as a public service Google.

Panel votes down bill on coastal-area insurance

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.coastal20mar20,0,1256999.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

A Maryland Senate committee voted down a bill yesterday that would have required Allstate Corp. and other insurers to write homeowner policies in coastal areas that some companies have deemed too risky.

Several legislators expressed dismay after Allstate announced last year that it would stop writing new homeowner policies in all or part of 11 counties, noting warnings by scientists that a warmer Atlantic Ocean will lead to more intense hurricanes hitting the Northeast.

Finally, Md. shuts prison

O'Malley, new facility enable state to close Victorian-era building

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.jessup20mar20,0,6272259.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

One visit to the Maryland House of Correction in Jessup in February and new Corrections Secretary Gary D. Maynard knew it shouldn't remain a maximum-security prison. But when a correctional officer was stabbed on March 2, Maynard concluded that the facility built in 1878 needed to be shut down immediately - and Gov. Martin O'Malley quickly agreed.

State prison officials have been complaining about the poor conditions, unsafe design and deteriorating structure of the House of Correction for at least 50 years. But through it all, the Maryland prison, which opened a half-century before Alcatraz, stayed open.

National News

The Wall Street Journal Says Senate Democrats' Proposed Budget Could "Slap The Economy In 2011 With The Largest Tax Increase In U.S. History." "Mr. Conrad, the Senate Budget Chairman, pulled off the neat magic trick of claiming his budget includes 'no tax increase,' even as it anticipates repeal of the Bush tax cuts after 2010. ... Mr. Conrad has no intention of extending the B ush tax cuts, which he voted against and whose repeal would slap the economy in 2011 with the largest tax increase in U.S. history. ... So Mr. Conrad says his budget revenue estimates 'assume that Congress will take steps to counter the effects of the expiration of tax cuts in 2010 in a manner that does not add to the nation's debt burden.' How so? Well, 'this additional revenue can be achieved without raising taxes by closing the tax gap, shutting down illegal tax shelters, addressing tax havens, and simplifying the tax code,' he avers. ... But if this magical $345 billion a year (as of 2001) were easily found, don't you think the army of IRS auditors and tax collectors would have found it by now?" (Editorial, "Conrad's Tax," The Wall Street Journal, 3/20/07)

House Republicans Regaining Their Footing

http://public.cq.com/docs/cqt/news110-000002473295.html

After reeling from a Democratic knock-out punch in November, House Republicans seem to be regrouping, achieving some wins they believe will force the majority to negotiate with them.

Ultimately, they have an eye toward such victories enabling them to win back the House in 2008.

Having surprised even themselves with the unity they displayed against a resolution denouncing the troop surge in Iraq (H Con Res 63), invigorated Republicans say theyll stay nearly in lock step this week against supplemental spending legislation for the war that includes a timetable for withdrawal, among other conditions.

Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., has met twice with Boehner to try to find a way to garner some GOP support for the supplemental, although no agreement was reached.

Global warming panel makeup questioned

http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070320/NEWS01/703200302/1002

House Republican Leader John Boehner would have appointed Rep. Wayne Gilchrest to the bipartisan Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming -- but only if the Maryland Republican would say humans are not causing climate change, Gilchrest said.

"I said, 'John, I can't do that,' " Gilchrest, R-1st-Md., said in an interview. "He said, 'Come on. Do me a favor. I want to help you here.' "

Gilchrest didn't make the committee. Neither did other Republican moderates or science-minded members, whose guidance centrist GOP members usually seek on the issue. Republican moderates, called the Tuesday Group, invited Boehner to this week's meeting to push for different representation.

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, a research scientist from Maryland, and Michigan's Rep. Vern Ehlers, the first research physicist to serve in Congress, also made cases for a seat, but weren't appointed, he said.

Patience for Iraq war waning, say leaders

http://www.examiner.com/a-628513~Patience_for_Iraq_war_waning__say_leaders.html

Four years into the Iraq war, all sides in the bitter debate agree that President Bushs troop surge plan represents the final drop of American patience for the war. If Iraqis fail to control the violence, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said, The American taxpayer has a reasonable expectation that we will bring our people home.

BRAC move seen at risk

Walter Reed controversy might threaten shift of jobs to Bethesda site

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.brac20mar20,0,7545749.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Plans to expand the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda - part of a military realignment plan expected to bring thousands of jobs to Maryland - might be in jeopardy as a result of the controversy over medical care at the Walter Reed Army hospital, according to members of the state's congressional delegation.

The House of Representatives is expected to consider a measure this week that would keep Walter Reed Army Medical Center open. If approved, it could delay or cancel plans to move Walter Reed's existing operations, and nearly 1,900 workers, from the District of Columbia to Maryland.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Montgomery County Democrat whose district includes Bethesda, said he had not determined the best course of action regarding the move.

"I think this requires an overall assessment of what is best for our wounded soldiers at Walter Reed and an assessment of what makes sense in the future," Van Hollen said.

"Obviously, the BRAC commission believed that it was in the interests of the military health care system to consolidate their operations at Bethesda. But there may be a short-term desire to delay the move, given the fact that you have lots of wounded soldiers there now," he said.

President Bush Says Premature Withdrawal From Iraq Would Have "Devastating" Consequences For U.S. Security. "'It can be tempting to look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude our best option is to pack up and go home,' Bush said in an address from the Roosevelt Room of the White House. 'That that may be satisfying in the short run, but I believe that the consequences for American security interests would be devastating.' Bush said his new strategy, which sent more than 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq to secure Baghdad, is still in its early stages and 'success will take months, not days or weeks.' 'Those on the ground are seeing some hopeful signs,' Bush said. 'Four years after this war began, the fight is difficult, but it can be won,' Bush said. 'It will be won if we have the courage and resolve to see it through.'" ("Bush Urges Patience In Iraq War," USA Today, 3/20/07)

White House Denounces Democrats' War Spending Bill For "Excessive And Extraneous Non-Emergency Spending." "House Democratic leaders are offering billions in federal funds for lawmakers' pet projects large and small to secure enough votes this week to pass an Iraq funding bill that would end the war next year. ... But in a formal veto statement last night, the White House denounced what it called 'excessive and extraneous non-emergency spending.' With unusually caustic and combative language, the statement dismissed provisions of the bill as 'unconscionable,' an d said it 'would place freedom and democracy in Iraq at grave risk' and 'embolden our enemies.' ... The bill contains billions for agriculture and drought relief, children's health care and Gulf Coast hurricane recovery." (Jonathan Weisman, "War Bill Includes Tempting Projects," The Washington Post, 3/20/07)

National Security Council Iraq Director Brett McGurk Discusses The New Strategy In Iraq. MCGURK: "We're focused on the new strategy that's in place. And remember, it's very early. The Iraqi people are starting to see some changes, but we're still at the input stage. The President heard from the Prime Minister today in a joint video teleconference about the inputs and the Iraqis stepping up to the plate. We're starting to see security gains in Baghdad. These are all very early indicators, they're not trends yet. But murders and executions are down by about 50 percent. We're getting more tips from Iraqis than we ever have had before. February set an al l-time high. That's a sign of growing confidence among the Iraqi people. This is going to take time. This is entirely new strategy, fundamentally different than what we were doing a year ago. And patience is the word of the day." (CNN International, 3/19/07)

Retired U.S. Army Officer Gordon Cucullu Says "We Need To Give [Gen. Petraeus] The Time And Space Needed To Win This War." "'Sure we see improvements - major improvements,' [Gen. Petraeus] said in our interview, 'but we still have a long way to go.' What tactics are working? 'We got down at the people level and are staying,' he said flatly. 'Once the people know we are going to be around, then all kinds of things start to happen.' Where once tactical units were 'scraping' for intelligence information, they now have 'information overload,' the general said. And the t ribal leaders in Sunni al Anbar Province, the general reports, 'have had enough.' Not only are the al Qaeda fighters causing civil disruption by fomenting sectarian violence and killing civilians, but on a more prosaic but practical side, al Qaeda is bad for business. As Petraeus cautiously concluded, 'We'll be able to evaluate the situation for sure by late summer.' That's his job. Our job? We need to give him the time and space needed to win this war." (Gordon Cucullu, Op-Ed, "The Iraq Surge: Why It's Working," New York Post, 3/20/07)

Al Qaeda Operative In U.S. Custody Admits Planning The 2000 Attack On The USS Cole. "A top operative of Al Qaeda has acknowledged his role in the bombings of two American embassies in Africa in 1998 and in the attack on the destroyer Cole off Yemen in 2000, according to a hearing transcript released yesterday by the Pentagon. The operative, Walid bin Attash, who is also known as Khallad, made his statement, according to the transcript, to a combatant status review tribunal on March 12 at the United States naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.... 'I participated in the buying or purchasing of the explosives. I put together the plan for the operation a year and a half prior to the operation. Buying the boat and recruiting the members that did the operation.' He added that he had been with Osama bin Laden in Kandahar, Afghanistan, at the time of the attack on the Cole." (Adam Liptak, "Qaeda Operative Confesses Role In Cole Bombing," The New York Times, 3/20/07)

20070320 Weekend Commentary On Iraq

What They're Saying: Weekend Commentary On Iraq

March 20, 2007 H/T: GOPCharlie

Defense Secretary Robert Gates

Defense Secretary Robert Gates: "With Respect To The Specific Bill In The House, The Concern I Have Is That If You Have Specific Deadlines And Very Strict Conditions, It Makes It Difficult, If Not Impossible, For Our Commanders To Achieve Their Objectives." "And frankly, as I read it, the House bill is more about withdrawal, regardless of the circumstances on the ground, than it is about trying to produce a positive outcome by incentivizing the Iraqis." (CBS' "Face The Nation," 3/18/07)

Secretary Gates: "So The Issue That We're All Trying To Figure Out Is How Best Do You Get The Iraqis To Reconcile Their Differences, Because After All, This Is Not Going To Be Solved By The Military." "It has to involve political reconciliation in Iraq among Iraqis. We're basically buying them time. That's the whole purpose of this strategy. And they're going to have to step up to the plate, and we can help them by giving them the time to do that and to make their military forces able to carry the burden by themselves." (CBS' "Face The Nation," 3/18/07)

National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley

National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley: "The Problem [With The Democrats' Legislation] Is Arbitrary Timelines." "It's difficult to get reconciliation on a timeline, but the steps are right. And the Iraqis are beginning to perform. They did get their legislature, the legislature approved the Baghdad security plan, approved an extension of the emergency authorities the government needs. There is an oil law that has now been agreed by the major communities and been approved by the cabinet, will go to the Council of Representatives, their parliament. So they're beginning to make these steps. [The Democrats' legislation] sets t hese benchmarks for the Iraqis, but basically, if you read the bill, what it says is whether or not the Iraqis meet he benchmarks, the troops are coming out, and the troops are coming out without regard to progress on the ground against the enemy. And the problem is, that is mandating failure, and that is forfeiting the sacrifice we have made in Iraq." (ABC's "This Week," 3/18/07)

Hadley: "Let's Not Go Through This Charade." "Let's have the Congress present to the president a responsible bill that gives General Petraeus and the men and women in uniform the funding they need and the flexibility they need to get the job done. This is a bill to try to fund the troops. There is domestic spending that has been adding to the bill. Let's do domestic spending in the normal process. Let us get a bill that funds the troops and gives General Petraeus and our men and women in uniform what they need to get the job done." (ABC's "This Week," 3/18/07)

The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal: House Democrats' Bill Is "'Peanuts' for Petraeus." "To understand why the Founders put Presidents in charge of war fighting, look no further than the supplemental war spending bill now moving through the House. Everybody's a four-star in Congress's Army, and every general wants his own command, especially if it includes cash for the troops, er, campaign contributors. Too bad none of this bears any relation to what real General David Petraeus is trying to accomplish in Iraq." (Editorial, "'Peanuts' for Petraeus," The Wall Street Journal, 3/17/07)

"So What's A Leader Of Congress To Do To Get A Majority? You Know The Answer: Let The Vote-Buying Begin!" "Thus has Mr. Bush's request for $100 billion to fund the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus $3 billion to replenish the disaster-relief fund, devolved into a $124.6 billion logrolling extravaganza."

"In Any Case, Democrats Still Aren't Taking Any Real War Responsibility." "Instead of cutting off funds right now, which would at least be a policy, they kick the issue down the road by imposing 'benchmarks.' So unless the Iraqis meet certain conditions set by Congress by July 1 and October 1 of this year, U.S. troops will have to redeploy at once and finish within 180 days. And even if these earmarks sorry, benchmarks are met, all U.S. troops must begin to retreat by March 2008."

"All Of This Is Flatly Unconstitutional, But Far Worse It Is An Insult To The Troops In The Field." "If Iraq's parliament somehow gets bogged down like Congress? on de-Baathification or dividing up oil revenues, American troops have to end their mission. So General Petraeus's war strategy is made hostage to two legislatures, in Baghdad and the Beltway."

"Meanwhile, On The Baghdad Battlefield, General Petraeus Is Moving Ahead And Signs Of Tentative Progress Are Visible." "Shiite death squads are laying low or leaving town, so casualties are down. The new oil law looks like a political breakthrough that would share revenues with all parts of Iraq based on population. Suc cess isn't certain, but the Democratic Congress's only contribution is to make victory more difficult."

Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice

Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice Says The Iraqis Have A "New Government That Is Committed Now To A Better Life For Its People." "The fact is that we've achieved a great deal with the Iraqis, but there is still much more to do. And of course, one as always thinks about the tremendous sacrifice, the men and women who have been lost in this war and the innocent Iraqis who have died. But we also have to remember the 12.5 million people who voted, Iraqis who voted, for a new government and a new life, and I think the new possibilities that are opened up by the Baghdad security plan, which thus far is well on the way. ... Thi s is a new government that is committed now to a better life for its people. I think they're making some progress in these first days of the Baghdad security plan, although I would be the first to say there are still going to be hard days ahead. And we do have a more committed government, better Iraqi security forces and frankly more American help for them in the form of American security forces." (ABC's "Good Morning America," 3/19/07)

General David Petraeus

General David Petraeus "'Encouraged' By Surge In US Troops." "The US commander in Iraq said Sunday that there were 'encouraging signs' that a sharp increase in American troops would help quell violence in Iraq, according to a BBC interview. General David Petraeus told the BBC that sectarian attacks had fallen in recent weeks, w ith two of the five extra US brigades now on the ground in Iraq. Despite the 'encouraging signs,' Petraeus cautioned that he did not want to get 'overly optimistic at all on the basis of several weeks of a reduced sectarian murder rate,' according to the BBC. Petraeus was quoted as saying: 'By early June, we should then have everyone roughly in place -- and that will allow us to establish the density in partnership with Iraqi security forces that you need to really get a good grip on the security situation.'" ("US Iraq Chief 'Encouraged' By Surge In US Troops," Agence France Presse, 3/18/07)

"Petraeus Vowed That He Would Speak Out If The Current Operation In Iraq Did Not Go According To Plan." "'I have an obligation to the young men and women in uniform out here, that if I think it's not going to happen, to tell them that it's not going to happen, and (that) there needs to be a change,' the BBC quoted him as saying." ("US Iraq Chief 'Encouraged' By Surge In US Troops," Agence France Presse, 3/18/07)

20070320 BEWARE THE PANDER BEAR

Hillary Clinton – She’ll Say Anything To Be President

BEWARE THE PANDER BEAR

Citizen Alert: Hillary Clinton Kicks Off Campaign Of Pandering With D.C. Fundraising Gala Near The National Zoo

March 20^th, 2007

_____________________________________________________________

Hillary To Kick Off Campaign:

Tonight, Clinton Will "Have The Official Washington, D.C., Kickoff For Her Campaign At The Marriott Wardman Park Hotel Near The National Zoo." (Josh Kurtz, Lauren W. Whittington and Matthew Murray, "Clinton's Umpteenth Kickoff," Roll Call, 3/7/07)

The Senator From New York Is "One Big Pander Bear":

The Washington Post's Colbert King: "You Had One Big Pander Bear There And That Was Hillary Who Was Pandering." (WJLA's "Inside Washington," 3/11/07)

"In One Of The Most Blatant Examples Of Political Pandering In Modern History, Clinton Claimed She Was A Yankees Fan When She Ran For The Senate." (Richard Roeper, "Academic Team Makes One Proud To Say: We Are Marshall," The Chicago Sun-Times, 2/15/07)

"Eyeing The 2008 Presidential Race," Clinton "Pulled A Chameleon Act" To Pander To More Conservative Voters. "Meanwhile, Clinton took her lefty base for granted and pandered to the right. She pulled a chameleon act. Eyeing the 2008 presidential race, she morphed from blue to a finely calibrated shade of red." (Phil Reisman, Op-Ed, "In Our Blue Haven, Red State Tactics Fizzle," The [Westchester County] Journal News, 6/22/06)

Clinton Pandered To Farmers On Dairy Supports: The New York Times' Gail Collins: "The dairy thing is a little bit more interesting in that that's sort of much more like the in-depth pandering you really do need to do when you are a candidate. ...This is the sort of thing you have to do when you're running for senator from New York, and she's doing it." (CBS' "Face The Nation," 7/11/99)

Newspapers Note Hilary's Compulsive Pandering:

Chattanooga Times Free Press: "In our feel-good age, we want to be told what we want to hear, and Hillary Clinton is the ideal pander candidate." (Editorial, "The Hillary Factor," Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/5/06)

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: "So how does Hillary Clinton celebrate [MLK Day]? She goes from fawning before Letterman to pandering to Al Sharpton." (Editorial, "Looking For Hillary On The Streets Of Manhattan, Ark.," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 1/26/00)

The New York Post: "In her pandering for votes, Mrs. Clinton now claims Yankee allegiance and revels in her alleged Jewish ancestry." (Editorial, "Hillary's Jewish Roots -Rooted In Political Pandering," The New York Post, 8/8/99)

Hillary Is A Pop-Culture Pander Icon:

The View's Elisabeth Hasselbeck: "You want to talk about the environment all the time until we get to Hillary Clinton and her pandering about ethanol production." (ABC's "The View," 2/27/07)

• Click Here To View

Late Night's Conan O'Brien: "Hillary Clinton marched in today's St. Patrick's Day Parade, and spectators accused her of pandering to voters. They might be right because Hillary was wearing a button that said, 'Kiss me, I'm also Jewish, black, Puerto Rican, and a huge Yankee fan.'" ("Campaign Laugh Track," The New York Times, 3/26/00)

20070319 African orphans make special visit by KVolkmann

African orphans make special visit

Mar 19, 2007

by Kelsey Volkmann, The Examiner

Photo credit: (Kristine Buls/Baltimore Examiner) Nicky Berego, 13, of Namibia, Africa, rides Bucky next to volunteer Caroline Babylon at Petticoat’s Advance, a farm in Hampstead in Carroll County. Nicky is part of a group of orphans touring Md.

Bel Air, Md. - They watched Disney on Ice, shopped at a mall and rode escalators for the first time.

Maryland, after all, is far away from the girls’ home in Namibia, Africa the Children of Mount Zion Village, an orphanage established by Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Bel Air and still operating thanks to donations and volunteers from churches throughout the state.

“It’s a lot for them to take in,” said Sarah Dorrance, a seminary student and missionary advocate at Calvary United Methodist Church in Mount Airy, one of the orphanage’s sponsors.

But the girls appeared at ease recently while riding horses at Petticoat’s Advance, a farm in Hampstead in Carroll County.

Mary Shunk, an instructor with the 4-H Therapeutic Riding Program of Carroll County, praised the teenagers for their riding skills.

[…]

Dorrance volunteered at the orphanage last summer and plans to go back in July.

In Africa, “we played with the kids,” she said, “taught, cooked and just gave them some attention.”

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com

Read the entire article here: African orphans make special visit

20070319 Children of Zion Namibia on Soundtrack

Children of Zion Namibia on Soundtrack

March 19^th, 2007

For other posts and information on “Soundtrack” on Children of Zion Namibia Africa, please click here.

Click here for Children of Zion web site information: 20070319 Children of Zion Namibia Africa information

For more information go to: http://www.childrenofzionvillage.org/

UPDATE: For a blog on the Children of Zion initiative, to “Kevin Meadows in Namibia” - http://www.kevinmeadows.us/ - or http://www.kevininnamibia.blogspot.com/

20070319 Children of Zion Namibia Africa information

Children of Zion, Namibia, Africa

Africa Namibia Children of Zion Village

March 20^th, 2007

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in."

-Matthew 24:35

http://www.childrenofzionvillage.org/

Contact Us – info AT childrenofzionvillage DOT org

Telephone: (410) 836-2121

Postal: Children of Zion, Inc., P.O. Box 413, Churchville, MD 21028 USA

Welcome to Children of Zion Village

The Children of Zion Village is a Christian home for orphans in the country of Namibia, in southern Africa. Located on the Zambezi River in the northeast corner of Namibia, our children come from several different tribal and language groups.

They have been placed in our care because they have lost their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to AIDS. The home opened in January, 2003, and is now home to 55 children.

Here the boys and girls receive love, nutrition, shelter, healthcare, academic, vocational and Bible education, and become part of one large Christian family. Our missionaries, volunteers, and Namibian staff work together to raise the children in our "village".

For more information go to: http://www.childrenofzionvillage.org/

For other posts and information on “Soundtrack” on Children of Zion Namibia Africa, please click here.

Click here for Children of Zion web site information: 20070319 Children of Zion Namibia Africa information

For more information go to: http://www.childrenofzionvillage.org/

For a blog on the Children of Zion initiative, to “Kevin Meadows in Namibia” - http://www.kevinmeadows.us/

20070319 CCBOC Agenda

The agenda for the Carroll County Commissioners

for the week of March 19th, 2007

Board of County Commissioners

Julia W. Gouge, President

Dean L. Minnich, Vice President

Michael D. Zimmer, Secretary

Carroll County Government

225 North Center Street

Westminster, Maryland 21157

410-386-2043; 1-888-302-8978

fax 410-386-2485; TT 410-848-9747

Agenda for the Week of March 19, 2007 ~ Revision 1

Please Note: This weekly agenda is subject to change. Please call 410-386-2043 to confirm a meeting you plan to attend. All meetings will be in Room 300A, (Unless otherwise noted) Carroll County Office Building.

• Indicates Outside Activities

Monday – March 19, 2007

9:00 a.m. Capital Project Tour of Carroll County

Commissioners Gouge, Minnich & Zimmer

1:30 p.m. ADMINISTRATIVE ~ Closed

6:00 p.m. Fifteenth Annual Awards Dinner

Carroll County Human Relations Commission

New Windsor Conference Center

Commissioners Minnich & Zimmer

Tuesday – March 20, 2007

9:00 a.m. Planning & Zoning Commission

County Office Building ~ Room 003

Commissioner Gouge

9:00 a.m. Tour of the Carroll County Regional Airport

Westminster, MD

Commissioner Zimmer

2:00 p.m. Conference with Colonel Hutchins of the Maryland State Police

County Office Building ~ Room 300A

Commissioners Gouge, Minnich & Zimmer

5:00 p.m. Baltimore Museum of Art ~ Board of Trustees Meeting

Baltimore, MD

Commissioner Zimmer

Wednesday – March 21, 2007

7:30 a.m. North Carroll High School Career Day

Guest Speaker, Commissioner Minnich

6:00 p.m. Carroll Community College ~ Board of Trustees

Westminster, MD

Commissioner Gouge

Thursday – March 22, 2007

9:30 a.m. Board of County Commissioners Open Community Discussion

Carroll County Office Building ~ Room 300 A

10:00 a.m. Board of County Commissioners Open Session

Department of Management & Budget Recommended Community

Improvement Plan Work Session ~ Mr. Ted Zaleski

1:30 p.m. Board of County Commissioners Open Session

Bid Approval ~ Hot Mix Asphalt Overlay of Five (5) Roads

Department of Public Works ~ Mr. J. Michael Evans

Bureau of Purchasing ~ Mr. Rich Shelton

Pre-Approval of Four (4) Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (BJAG)

1. Group Therapy ~ Local Management Board

2. Intensive Outpatient Drug Treatment ~ Health Department

3. Re-Entry Program for Mentally Ill Inmates ~ Granite House/HSP

(Human Services Program)

4. DWI Treatment Program ~ Detention Center

Invitation to Negotiate the FY2008 Community Partnership Agreement

Department of Citizen Services ~ Mrs. Jolene Sullivan

Bureau of Management & Budget ~ Mr. Ted Zaleski

Chief of Staff Time ~ Mr. Steve Powell

CLOSED ~ Personnel

ADMINISTRATIVE ~ Closed

Friday – March 23, 2007

10:00 a.m. Department of Management & Budget recommended Community

Improvement Plan Work Session ~ Mr. Ted Zaleski

Saturday – March 24, 2007

8:45 a.m. South Carroll Business Association Expo ~ Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Liberty High School

Commissioner Zimmer

Sunday – March 25, 2007

8:05 a.m. “The Commissioners’ Report” – WTTR

Commissioner Minnich

20070319 African orphans make special visit

African orphans make special visit

Mar 19, 2007 3:00 AM
by Kelsey Volkmann , The Examiner

Bel Air, Md. - They watched Disney on Ice, shopped at a mall and rode escalators for the first time.

Maryland, after all, is far away from the girls’ home in Namibia, Africa the Children of Mount Zion Village, an orphanage established by Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Bel Air and still operating thanks to donations and volunteers from churches throughout the state.

“It’s a lot for them to take in,” said Sarah Dorrance, a seminary student and missionary advocate at Calvary United Methodist Church in Mount Airy, one of the orphanage’s sponsors.

Read the rest of the article here.

Disclosure: I volunteer with the 4-H Therapeutic Riding Program of Carroll County and I kinda know the volunteer whose image appears in the photograph…

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20070319 Tulipbirds

Tulipbirds
(c) Kevin Dayhoff
March 19th, 2007

20070317 Who Knew

Who knew?

March 17^th, 2007

I don’t know anything unless Katie Couric and the Baltimore Sun tell me.

I received the e-mail "Do you know? I didn't know! How could we?" below from Uncle R2.

_____

Of Iraq, I no longer have a clue as to what information is correct and what is not correct. I do know that e-mail reports, personal interviews with Iraq War veterans and posts on milblogger web sites are consistently in sharp contrast with the “news” we receive from the mainstream media.

In my Tentacle column, “An Uneasy Truce” on December 20^th, 2006 I wrote:

In particular, the veteran who served in the Kurdish Province had several opportunities to view CNN reports on actions in which he participated and was dismayed by the slant and spin; to the point where he hardly recognized the events as reported.

It will be interesting to see just how our greater society will be affected in future years by the military veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The experience of the politics over the war has caused many of them to lose faith in much of our country's national leaders because they play parlor-politics with the deadly opera of life and death in a combat zone.

And their experience with the news media has caused many veterans to not only distrust, but to disdain the traditional mainstream media.

This stands in contrast with the last overseas armed conflict which fermented social and political upheaval on the home front, the Vietnam War. The government got a black eye, but the media came out smelling like a rose.

Read the rest of The Tentacle column here: “An Uneasy Truce”

_____

Here is the e-mail that I just received…

Do you know? I didn't know! How could we?

Did you know that 47 countries' have reestablished their embassies in Iraq?

Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?

Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq?

Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating?

Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program?

Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational? They have 5 - 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.

Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft (under Iraqi operational control) which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers?

Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a commando Battalion?

Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?

Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq
that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?

Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq?

They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.

Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5

have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?

Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?

Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158%?

Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?

Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?

Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a televised debate recently?

OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW! WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW?

OUR MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US! Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos of flag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at the presidential motorcades.

Tragically, the lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two purposes: It is intended to undermine the world's perception of the United States thus minimizing consequent support, and it is intended to discourage American citizens. !

---- Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense web site. http://www.defenselink.mil/ .......Pass it on! Give it a Wide Dissemination!

If you can read, thank a soldier. If you can read this piece in English, thank an American soldier!

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20070317 Shades of Britney

Shades of Britney

March 17, 2007

I picked up new glasses the other day. I did not choose a Britney Spears eyewear frame. I did not have time to get a tattoo and my head shaved on the way home.

Already go that t-shirt in July 1972 in USMC Reserve boot camp…

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20070317 an unusual addition to the Supplemental Appropriations bill

... an unusual addition to the Supplemental Appropriations bill

March 17, 2007

H/t: The Baltimore Reporter

by Kathy at misterpolitics.com

Lifesite.com highlights an unusual addition to the Supplemental Appropriations bill to fund the war in Iraq. Democrats have included funding for “emergency contraception” for Planned Parenthood.

What does Planned Parenthood and emergency contraception have to do with the war in Iraq?

Just asking.

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20070317 Presidential limo okay after motorcade mishap in snow

Presidential limo okay after motorcade mishap in snow

Fortunately the mishap did not involve the presidential limo – pictured above.

Spring can some anytime now

March 17^th, 2007

True to form for Maryland weather, after a couple of mild days in which I actually saw some folks gallivanting-about in their short sleeves; Friday’s weather sure was a wake up call that winter is not quite over and we live in Maryland.

In Maryland, if you don’t happen to like the weather one day – just wait 24 hours, it is sure to change.

I really did not have to go out in the frozen mess on Friday. I was just a happy to enjoy a snow day and do some much needed and overdue research for some upcoming columns.

Pictured above are some images I captured late Friday evening of the snow monsters that dutifully prowl the Westminster streets during a snow event.

It looks like one of the vehicles in the presidential motorcade heading up to Camp David had a bit of a mishap: “President OK after vehicle in motorcade crashes.”

Fortunately the mishap did not involve the presidential limo – pictured at the top of this story.

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20070316 3 New Jersey Divers Die Off Florida Keys

3 New Jersey Divers Die Off Florida Keys While Exploring Sunken Ship

March 16, 2007

I have friends who do a good bit of diving... Stories such as this always give one pause for thought...

KEY LARGO, Fla. —

Three friends from New Jersey, all experienced divers, died Friday while exploring the wreckage of a sunken ship off the Florida Keys, police said.

The men were taking part in a penetration dive into the wreckage, a type of dive which is "more dangerous than routine diving," Monroe County Sheriff's spokesperson Becky Herrin told FOXNews.com.

"These wrecks can be very confusing inside," Herrin said. "There's a lot of places to go wrong."

Causes of death for the men have not yet been determined.

The four men were friends traveling together to explore the wreckage of the USS Speigel Grove, according to a press release from the Sheriff's Department.

Herrin estimated that a total of eight to ten divers die yearly throughout the Keys, from a variety of different causes.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,259210,00.html

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