Dayhoff Westminster Soundtrack

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

20070911 News Clips

News Clips

Sept. 11, 2007

STATE NEWS

Region waits for city race results and area impact

http://www.examiner.com/a-927933~Region_waits_for_city_race_results_and_area_impact.html

Baltimore City residents aren't the only ones with interests in today's mayoral primary.

Officials in the five counties surrounding the city are eyeing the elections to see if they bring change to crime, education and transportation problems in Baltimore City that are affecting the entire region.

Anne Arundel County Council Chairman Ronald Dillon Jr. said Baltimore City's crime directly affects his county and district, which borders the city.

"I doesn't appear to be getting better," he said. "The city and the county deal with each, and at least we have a pr etty good relationship on that end."

City gains few new voters

http://www.examiner.com/Baltimore-Local_Politics.html

On the eve of Baltimore's mayoral primary, election officials said new voter registrations have been historically low this year, indicating possible tepid voter interest for today's election. Jones, who took his job after the city's troubled 2006 primary was plagued by a shortage of Republican election judges as well as polls opening late, said he was confident today's election would run smoothly.

"This has been one of the slowest years for new voter registrations I've seen," said Election Director Armstead B. Crawley Jones Sr., a 16-year veteran of the city's Board of Elections. "Our voting population has dropped. But I don't know if that accounts for all of it."

Should county execs be able to appoint superintendents? Depends on whom you ask

http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/09_10-25/TOP

Gov. Martin O'Malley's suggestion that he and county executives be allowed to appoint their school superintendents has drawn a mixed reaction, including this from Sen. Paul Pinsky: Be careful what you wish for.

But Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold agreed with the governor. If school superintendents answered to executives, school board budget requests might be more manageable, he said.

"Right now, they present wish-list budgets which are not reflective of the real-world fiscal realities," he said. "The county does not print money. We cannot come up with additional money."

If elected officials chose the superintendent, he said, "Voters can pin accountability directly on the shoulders of the county executive and council members, who have the responsibility for funding these programs. . . . they know where to pinpoint responsibility in the system."

Proposed Tax Increases Anger Conservatives

http://bizmonthly.com/9_2007/7.shtml

Conservatives are calling proposed tax increases and the state's $1.5 billion structural budget shortfall a lesson in asinine economics. Anne Arundel County Delegate Don Dwyer (R-District 31) said he does not support any tax increases. Period.

"There's no doubt in my mind," he said. "We do not have a revenue problem in this state. We clearly have a spending problem. Any common-sense, logical-thinking individual knows you can't spend money you don't have and stay afloat. Not only do business leaders know this, but so does the average citizen."

Delegate Steve Schuh, a freshman Republican from Anne Arundel County who has emerged as one of his party's authorities on budget matters, has two words for tax increases: undesirable and unnecessary.

"We're already an overtaxed state," he said, noting that he and others are proposing slower rates of growth in spending, along with legalizing slot machines.

Warren Miller, a Republican delegate from Howard County, said the state needs to stop spending money like it has a credit card. We passed the budget without the money to pay for the spending. I voted against the budget in protest," he said.

"We, as elected officials, could have done a better job of finding ways to save money. I am under the school of thought that I know a budget increases annually, but we had an extreme increase of spending this year."

Army urged to share cost of local BRAC upgrades

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.brac11sep11,0,4313882.story?coll=bal_tab01_layout

State and local officials are pressing the Army to do more to help with road and transit upgrades around Maryland's expanding bases because millions of dollars in tax revenues could be lost from huge private office developments being built on the military installations.

"It's problematic for us, quite frankly," state Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari said yesterday, when asked about the impact of a 15-building, $700 million office complex the Army is negotiating to build at Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County.

Harford County also stands to miss out on millions of dollars in revenue from that project because federal lands are exempt from property taxes, acknowledged James C. Richardson, the county's economic development director.

But while Harford officials have raised the issue with the Army, Richardson said they aren't pressing the case openly now, but rather waiting to see how the project proceeds. He pointed out that the proving ground is in need of a great deal of infrastructure, "and we're hoping the [deal] helps provide that."

Ulman a hit on foray into GOP's western county turf

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-ho.politics09sep09,0,5904375.story

Glenwood in western Howard County is generally seen as a Republican stronghold, where voters elected last year the county's only GOP state senator, two Republican delegates and the party's only County Council member.

But County Executive Ken Ulman, a liberal Democrat from Columbia, got a friendly reception from the nonpartisan Glenwood Lions Club on Thursday night.

Candidate's website pokes fun at Bartlett

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=64897

A Middletown resident hopes he can use creativity and the Internet to oust Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett from his seat next year. Tom Croft, a web design teacher at the Frederick County Public Schools Career and Technology Center, is challenging Bartlett in the 2008 primary.

Croft, 56, believes Bartlett is too old to remain the district's representative. Bartlett had no comment on the website or his age.

Security funds go to a variety of items

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2007/09 /11/news/local_news/newsstory3.txt

In the six years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Carroll County has received nearly $2.6 million for emergency responders - money that's gone toward everything from meters that can detect the presence and amounts of dangerous gases, to laptop computers that allow sheriff's deputies to tell if a motorist they've pulled over is wanted by police.

After the attacks, much attention was given to make sure local emergency personnel were prepared to respond to a variety of scenarios. As emergency preparedness became a central concern, money began filtering down from the federal government to state and local governments.

Baltimore County gains clout on state budget board

http://www.examiner.com/a-927932~Baltimore_County_gains_clout_on_state_budget_board.html

Balti more County is picking up new clout at the State House on an expanded Senate Budget and Taxation Committee as Sen. Ed Kasemeyer becomes the vice chairman and Sen. Bobby Zirkin gets one of two new seats on the committee. The appointments by Senate President Thomas Mike Miller help resolve long-standing complaints from Sen. Delores Kelley and other Baltimore County officials that the county didn't have sufficient representation on the committee.

O'Malley moves called 'vendetta'
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/METRO/109110065/1004

Gov. Martin O'Malley is continuing his public attempts to fire high-ranking Maryland officials, including those he has deemed disloyal to the administration. Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, now has enough votes on the Maryland Stadium Authority board to oust longtime Executive Director Alison L. Asti, former board Chairman Robert L. McKinney said yesterday.

Board members are appointed to staggered terms to insulate the authority from direct control by the governor, in the same way that members are appointed to the state school board.

Meanwhile, Mr. O'Malley has feuded with Mrs. Grasmick since she tried to take over 11 failing Baltimore schools when he was the mayor there."He certainly has picked two of the higher-profile women in state government," Mr. McKinney said. "And he's going after them in a not-too-subtle way."

EDITORIALS/OP-EDS

Today, take time to reflect
Remember unity of 9/11, not discontent about war
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/OPINION01/709110344

Today is the annual occasion on which most of us will pause to recall the events of Sept. 11, 2001, a horrible day that seems both like last week and an eternity ago. Sept. 11, 2001, is our modern Day of Infamy. To try and block its pain from our collective thoughts does a dishonor to those who showed such heroism.

While the sacrifice of that day can be equated with the sacrifice of those fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world, an event that stands as an attack on civilians has a significance all its own. Such a significance warrants recognition. Today it would be best to sincerely reflect on those few hours in which the world changed forever. For that day, at least, we were united as a nation in grief, anger and shock. Those emotions need not be supplanted by cynicism and arrogance.

Remember Sept. 11 as it should be.

Making the case against voting

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-md.marbella11sep11,0,534599.column?coll=bal_tab01_layout

The mayor's race, you think, is no contest. They're predicting rain after all; you don't want to get wet. Maybe you have to work, get your haircut or, I don't know, watch your new DVD, Grey's Anatomy, The Third Season. So don't vote.
Your vote doesn't matter anyway, says Mark J. Perry, an economist, blogger and every civics teacher's worst nightmare.

Perry is among a group of academics who delight in turning one of America's most sacred beliefs - that every vote counts - on its head. They say that studies show that higher turnout tends not to change the outcome except in the tightest of races.

Perry comes by this way of thinking from the time he spent at George Mason University, where he received his doctorate in economics and which turns out to be a hotbed for the theory of rational ignorance.

Do we need another federal election overhaul?

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/09_10-03/OPN

Take heart, America. Congress is going to fix the way states conduct elections - again. To make up for the way it fixed the problem last time. In 2002, appalled by the way the 2000 presidential election turned into the night of the hanging chads, Congress passed a nearly $4 billion reform package to get states to modernize voting technology. So state after state - Maryland included - went to electronic or computerized systems that lack any paper trail for recounts.
But judging by turnout, a far bigger problem is the number of citizens who just don't care who gets elected, let alone how.

D.C. vote threshold

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/COMMENTARY/109110022

More than a century ago, the Party of Abraham Lincoln stood with those whose hands and feet were shackled by the injustice of slavery and denied the rights to be a full citizen of this great nation. Today, we have the opportunity to stand, once again, with those who seek to be freed of the shackles that denied them a basic right of citizenship - the right to full representation in our government. Washingtonians deserve voting representation in the United States Congress.Now we need leaders in Congress to stand with the citizens of the District of Columbia and to no longer put political expediency or legislative neglect ahead of doing what is right.

The Framers didn't intend to create a city where American citizens were completely unrepresented. But this is the situation we have. As Republicans, we are proud that Virginia Rep. Tom Davis conceptualized a bipartisan approach and that so many of our colleagues, like Mr. Hatch and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and onetime New York Rep. Jack Kemp have joined Mr. Davis as supporters.

Right now, the Senate has within its power a chance to end taxation without representation in our nation's capital.

Michael Steele is the former Republican lieutenant governor of Maryland and J.C. Watts is a former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma.

NATIONAL NEWS

Cardin: Correct colorectal screening information

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/was hington/medicare_monitor/entries/2007/09/10/cardin_correct_colorectal_scre.html

Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., says Medicare's Web site has incorrect information related to colorectal screening, and he wants it corrected. "We know that early detection of colorectal cancer saves lives," Cardin said in a statement. "Our seniors need to know that this financial barrier has been erased.

Dental reform pushing on Bill would improve care for children of working poor

http://www.montereyherald.com/lifeandtimes/ci_6859612

Six months ago, the death of a local boy from untreated dental decay shed a grim spotlight on gaps in federal and state medical assistance programs charged with providing care to 30 million poor children.

"In letters and speeches, we all mention Deamonte Driver," said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. "We want to ke ep the memory of this boy alive. We want to make sure that life comes out of his death."

Maryland's eight-member Democratic congressional delegation says it plans to fight to get a guaranteed dental benefit included in the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or S-CHIP, a decade-old federal-state program set to expire Sept. 30.

Another bill awaiting approval, sponsored by Rep. Albert Wynn, D-Md., would provide tax credits for dentists serving the poor and $3 million annually for four years for outreach projects in areas with few dentists. The committee also recommends spending $40 million - about half state and half federal funds - annually to significantly raise reimbursement rates paid to dentists participating in Medicaid as a way of encouraging more dentists to treat poor children.

Maryland's Medicaid reimbursement rate for such restorative procedures as fillings for cavities ranked lowest in t he nation in 2004, a deterrent to many dentists to participate in the program. Fewer than 16 percent of Maryland's Medicaid children received such services in 2005, the most recent year for which figures were available.

####

20070911 Vandals feared at Vietnam Memorial by Natasha Altamirano

Vandals feared at memorial

September 11, 2007 http://washingtontimes.com/

By Natasha Altamirano - The U.S. Park Police are investigating suspected vandalism at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Mall.

Volunteers and National Park Service rangers on Saturday discovered a "light, oily" substance on the memorial's wall panels and the paving stones in front of it, Bill Line, a Park Service spokesman, said yesterday.

The substance, which has not been identified, was spread over an area of about 50 to 60 feet, mostly on the paving stones, Mr. Line said.

Maintenance and preservation staff were working to remove the substance with no permanent damage to the memorial.

Mr. Line could not predict when the cleaning would be completed.

[…]

Read the entire article here: Vandals feared at memorial

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

20070911 Discovery: Viking Burial Mound Yields Bodies

Viking Burial Mound Yields Bodies

Intriguing. Brings to mind my fascination with the “Iceman,” see: “20070606 Scientists say 'Iceman' died from arrow.”

Associated Press: Sept. 11, 2007 — Archaeologists opened a Viking burial mound on Monday, seeking to learn more about two women — possibly a queen and a princess — laid to rest there 1,173 years ago.

In 1904, the mound in southeastern Norway's Vestfold County surrendered one of the country's greatest archaeological treasures, the Oseberg Viking longboat, which is now on display at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo.

The 65-foot vessel was buried in 834 in the enormous mound as the grave ship for a rich and powerful Viking woman, according to the museum.

The remains of the two women, one believed to have been in her 60s and the other in her 30s, were first exhumed during the ship excavation. They were reburied in the mound in 1948 — in a modern aluminum casket placed inside a five-ton stone sarcophagus — in hopes that future scientific methods might reveal their secrets.

When experts opened the sarcophagus Monday...

[…]

Read the entire article here: Viking Burial Mound Yields Bodies

####

20070911 David K Kyle and Brian Griffiths

David K. Kyle and Brian Griffiths

September 11^th, 2007

Pictured above is David with his old girlfriend, Madonna, in his pink Yugo era.

And featured below is a video of Brian and David from an earlier time. What folks may not be aware is that Brian and David are the original “Pet Shop Boys.”

As you can read here, the split has been less than kind. Brian has drowned himself in blogging. Madonna left David and now he just mopes about listening to Johnny Cash.

They had lost track of each other only to re-discover each other on BNN.

PS: Brian, you may have to turn up the volume…

Go West Young men – Go West

####

20070911 CyberAlert

CyberAlert

Tuesday September 11, 2007

1. As More Think 'Surge' Working, CBS's Interest in Its Poll Falls

On the day of the long-anticipated report from General David Petraeus on the "surge," the CBS Evening News ignored how its latest poll discovered the third straight month of an increase in the percent of Americans who believe the surge has "made things better" in Iraq.

As the percentage has gone up, CBS's interest in the result has gone down.

In July, anchor Katie Couric led with how only 19 percent thought the surge was "making things better" and a month later, in August, when that number jumped to 29 percent, CBS and Couric gave it just 12 seconds 20 minutes into the newscast.

While Monday's CBS Evening News skipped how the share crediting the surge for "making things better" rose to 35 percent in the survey conducted through Saturday, the newscast found time to highlight three other findings that stressed public opposition to the war and distrust of President Bush.

Jim Axelrod relayed how "in the latest CBS News/New York Times poll, just four percent think Iraq will become a stable democracy in the next year or two. More than half [53%] say it'll never happen. And just five percent think the Bush administration best able to make the right calls on the war."

2. ABC's Wright: 100 Percent of Anbar Iraqis Oppose Troop Surge

On Monday's Good Morning America, correspondent David Wright highlighted an ABC poll which claimed a "stunning" 100 percent of Iraqis in Anbar Province view the troop surge negatively.

Wright offered this rather amazing statistic during a dour preview of the Iraq progress report that General Petraeus gave Congress later in the day. While discussing the ABC survey of Iraqi households, Wright didn't question the fact that not one person could be found who viewed the troop surge positively.

After comparing Petraeus's testimony to that of General William Westmoreland at the height of the Vietnam War, Wright went on to discuss how the poll indicates that Iraqis believe the prospects for the future are "grim at best."

He then closed the report by stating the obvious: Unlike ABC, General Petraeus will actually mention signs of progress, in addition to discussing the struggles. "And no doubt we're going to be hearing a starkly different assessment today from this chair by General Petraeus," he concluded.

3. NY Times Worries Over Giuliani's 'Political Exploitation' of 9/11

The New York Times seems determined to limit any political gains Republican Rudy Giuliani gets for 9-11: Marc Santora's Monday "Political Memo" titled, "In Campaign Year, Invoking 9/11 Raises New Debates," suggested Giuliani is misleading voters by breaking some kind of promise not to talk about his leadership as mayor of New York City after the September 11 terrorist attacks:

"[T]here have been renewed questions about the fuzzy line between somber remembrance and political exploitation...." But did the Times show similar concern when John Kerry exploited his Vietnam service during 2004?

4. Roker Praises Liberal Actress Susan Sarandon as 'Good Role Model'

NBC's Today show co-host and weatherman Al Roker invited on Susan Sarandon to promote her latest movie, Mr. Woodcock, but couldn't get through the full interview Monday without praising her liberal activism, as he called her a "good role model," and celebrated her "great job" of combining acting and protesting.

For her part, Sarandon actually took a dig at NBC News on its own airwaves as she wistfully recalled the good old days when "news programs" showed "what was going on, not like now."

The 2,485^th CyberAlert. Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996

6:25am EDT, Tuesday September 11, 2007 (Vol. Twelve; No. 158)

A usually-daily report, edited by Brent H. Baker, CyberAlert is distributed by the Media Research Center, the leader since 1987 in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.

Check Out the MRC's Blog

The MRC's blog site, NewsBusters, "Exposing and Combating Liberal Media Bias," provides examples of bias 24/7. With your participation NewsBusters will continue to be THE blog site for tracking and correcting liberal media bias. Come post your comments and get fresh proof of media misdeeds at: http://www.newsbusters.org

MRC Home | CyberAlerts | Media Reality Check | Notable Quotables | Bozell Columns

20070910 TownHall Top Ten

Townhall Top Ten - Sept. 2-8

By Jonathan Garthwaite

Monday, September 10, 2007

Here's what Townhall.com readers were talking about during the week that was -- Sept. 2-Sept 8, 2007

#10. Why Do People Do Evil?

by Dennis Prager

Decent people have sought to identify the roots of evil since the first indecent person inflicted cruelty on an innocent person. And people have come up with one or more of nine explanations, most of which are indeed valid.

#9. The Return of Toilet Man

by John Stossel

"Don't bother debating with John Stossel and the libertarians. They are worst than Republicans." That's a comment from climateprogress.org, Joe Romm's blog about global warming.

#8. Cruising While Republican

by Ann Coulter

If you've just returned from your Labor Day vacation and are scanning the headlines from last week's newspapers -- don't panic! America is not threatened by a category 5 hurricane named "Larry Craig."

#7. Of Mice and Mormons, Part VI

by Mike Adams

On September 3, 2004, the faculty held an orientation meeting with the incoming class of students. At this meeting, they outlined the memo from August 23, 2004, which explained that the program had adopted the positions of the APA on “same-sex marriage” and same sex parenting.

#6. Of Mice and Mormons, Part VII: The Conclusion

by Mike Adams

On October 25, 2004, the American Association of Marriage and FamilyTherapists (AAMFT) held a site visit for the purpose of reaccrediting the Purdue University Calumet (PUC) Master’s in Family Therapy Program. The AAMFT officials held a group meeting to discuss student concerns, but Mr. Ford remained silent at this meeting. He was afraid of inviting more retaliation if he spoke.

#5. Hillary's Hypocrisy

by Dick Morris

The winner of the Hypocrite of the Year award goes to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). Even though the year is far from over and is likely to have its fair share of hypocrisy, Mrs. Clinton’s comment on the need to compromise to achieve political and social progress has to outclass any other current or future entrant.

#4. The Latest Problems with the “Man Evolved From Apes” Thesis

by Frank Pastore

Cavemen are popular once again. No, I’m not talking about those successful Geico commercials that won their own series on ABC starting October 2.

#3. 9 Members of Congress Who Should Resign Right After Larry Craig

by John Hawkins

There has been a lot of talk about Larry Craig's on again/off again decision to resign from Congress. Like most Republicans, I'm of the opinion that Craig should resign, but wouldn't it be great if he could take a few people with him?

#2. Random Thoughts

by Thomas Sowell

I can't get as fiercely involved as some other people do in controversies about the origins of human life on earth. I wasn't there.

#1. No "Health Care"?

by Thomas Sowell

During the first 30 years of my life, I had no health insurance. Neither did a lot of other people, back in those days.

Jonathan Garthwaite is the editor-in-chief of Townhall.com.

Be the first to read Jonathan Garthwaite's column. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com delivered each morning to your inbox.

20070910 Petraeus Doesnt Cook the Books Just the facts by Michael O’Hanlon

NRO (Michael O’Hanlon – Brookings): Petraeus Doesn’t Cook the Books Just the facts.

September 10, 2007 6:00 AM

Petraeus Doesn’t Cook the Books

Just the facts.

By Michael O'Hanlon

For those reading this after watching General David Petraeus’s Monday testimony, I strongly suspect that my main argument will have become apparent to many: General Petraeus is a straight shooter who does not and will not cook the books.

From what we know of his thinking already, Petraeus will talk of significant military momentum for combined U.S./Iraqi forces. But this momentum will be placed in the context of a still very lethal and dangerous battlefield. Petraeus, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, will also highlight the absence of Iraqi political progress, progress without which our long-term aspirations for that country will almost surely fail. He will have enough evidence to back up this claim of military momentum, on the plus side, combined with ongoing extreme danger on the streets and political paralysis in the halls of parliament on the other side, that his argument will sound right to most who hear it. And while he will surely favor continuing the effort, he will not present the evidence about Iraq in a way that attempts to invalidate the judgment of those who would disagree. War opponents will be able to accept most of the specific evidence he presents yet retain their positions that a rapid and large-scale American withdrawal from Iraq is warranted. That is because, in the end, our decisions about Iraq must be based more on a judgment call about politics and human psychology than on hard science or data.

On the violence, in keeping with a Saturday New York Times article by Michael Gordon that reflects current DoD data on the country, Petraeus will argue that the overall situation has improved substantially this year. He will be right to do so, based on virtually any primary-source data I have seen (in my capacity as co-author of Brookings’s “Iraq Index”).

Be sure to read the entire piece here: Petraeus Doesn’t Cook the Books Just the facts.

20070910 Observing The Petraeus Crocker Report Hearings

Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker Report to Congress

September 10, 2007

I’ve been watching the Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker Report to Congress and as I keyboard at around 4 PM, it would appear that things have settled down after an enormously unfortunate series of unpleasant disruptions and technical glitches.

At times it would appear that the House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) had lost a degree of control over the hearings.

It looks like the circus came to town…

Code Pink removed from Petraeus hearing

Patraeus (sic) hearing glitch - Showing the Iraq War in action

This video was placed on YouTube by someone who is at odds with General Petraeus… but nevertheless, visualizes some of the trying moments… And, it does get quite interesting “around 5 minutes into the clip.”

General Patraeus (sic) had some technical problems getting his message out of demanding that war continue in Iraq.

Interesting commentary happens at around 5 minutes into the clip. […]

And a blast from the past, this video from January 23, 2007 gives some background to the number of months that have transpired since January 2007.

This clip features Senator Hillary Clinton lecturing General Petraeus… Yes, it is cringe worthy and at times difficult to watch, but nevertheless gives one insight into the arrogance and condescension of a Democratic leader who is well documented as detesting the Unites States military. (read “Unlimited Access” by Gary Aldrich, from 1996.)

Sen. Clinton Questions Gen. David Petraeus at Senate Hearing

And finally, a much longer video of the testimony of General Petraeus:

IRAQ COMMANDER PETRAEUS: Report to Congress

Current U.S. commander in Iraq gives his opening statement and summary report to the U.S House of Representatives during a joint committee session today. September 10, 2007.

_____

Iraq War Sept. 2007 Petraeus Report:

http://pol.moveon.org/petraeus.html

NRO (Michael O’Hanlon – Brookings): Petraeus Doesn’t Cook the Books Just the facts.

Video of the Code Pinkos’ removal

“The Hill”: Cindy Sheehan arrested at Petraeus hearing

MAIN REPORT PAGE

Petraeus Reports to Congress on Iraq

Will War Report Change Kansas City Opinions?

Iraqis Respond to Report, War Developments

Sep. 8, 2007

Lawmakers Weigh Iraq Data, Upcoming Report

Sep. 8, 2007

Petraeus' Letter to Troops About Surge Mixed

####

20030000 vizcacha Atacama Desert Chile

Atacama Desert, Chile, 2003

Photograph by Joel Sartore

National Geographic

September 10, 2007

A vizcacha, close relative of the chinchilla, rests on an outcropping in Chile's Atacama Desert. These sleepy-eyed herbivores are among few species who thrive in the higher, drier regions of the Atacama. They make their living off the sparse vegetation and grasses that manage to grow in this forbidding desert.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Driest Place on Earth," August 2003, National Geographic magazine)

http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/cgi-bin/pod/enlarge.cgi?day=10&month=09&year=07

####

Monday, September 10, 2007

20070911 FLAG LOWERING

FLAG LOWERING

September 10, 2007

Office of the Secretary of State

Division of State Documents

HelpDesk/Webmaster/COMAR & MD Register Online

410-260-3872

This is to advise you that the United States Flag and Maryland State Flag are to be flown at half staff on Tuesday, September 11, 2007, from sunrise to sunset.

President George W. Bush has proclaimed September 11, 2007 as Patriot Day and has called upon the states to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities, as well as flying the flag at half staff.

In honor and memory of the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and to mark the sixth anniversary of the tragic day, Governor Martin O’Malley has ordered the United States Flag and Maryland State Flag to half-staff on the above date.

20070910 Civil War exhibit receives praise by Tom LeGore

Taneytown Civil War exhibit receives praise by Tom LeGore

September 10^th, 2007

My colleague Tom LeGore has a letter to the editor in the Carroll County Times this worth reprinting. Taneytown has done a great job with their history museum and it is nice to see their efforts get attention.

Editor:

Taneytown's Civil War Legacy exhibit, displayed in the second-floor gallery of the Taneytown Museum is a must-see for any Carroll countian with an interest in local Civil War memorabilia, genealogy or a great display of weapons, flags and other items from private homes and collections never before available for public viewing. The museum and volunteers have done an excellent job of providing detailed labels interpreting each item.

Young men from the Taneytown area who enlisted in the Union Army in 1862 are featured in the displays. One in particular is Sgt. John Ezra Buffington, 6th Maryland Volunteer Infantry, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for being the first Union enlisted man to mount the parapet of the Confederate entrenchment at Petersburg, Va., on April 2, 1865.

His heroic actions will be the subject of a granite and bronze monument designed by the renowned sculptor Gary Casteel. The monument is scheduled to be dedicated April 2, 2008, according to a press release by the 6th Maryland Regiment of Infantry Descendants Association.

The full Civil War exhibit at Taneytown is schedule to close Oct. 27, however, portions of the exhibit will be displayed elsewhere in the museum after that.

I have been a student of Carroll County's Civil War history for more than four decades, and I rate this special exhibit outstanding!

Tom LeGore

Finksburg

20070910 General Petraeus refutes Washington Post assertions

General Petraeus refutes Washington Post assertions

September 10, 2007

4:25 PM General Petraeus, prompted by questions by Maryland District 6 Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, has said that this -

The Washington Post reported that assassinations only count if you're shot in the back of the head -- not the front. “Experts Doubt Drop in Violence in Iraq,” by Karen DeYoung. 9/6/07 l

- is not true

####

20070910 Cindy Sheehan arrested at Petraeus hearing

Cindy Sheehan arrested at Petraeus hearing

Iraq War Sept. 2007 Petraeus Report:

Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin – “The Showdown in the House.”

“The Hill”: Cindy Sheehan arrested at Petraeus hearing

By Klaus Marre

September 10, 2007

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Monday in or near the hearing room where Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker are testifying on the situation in Iraq, according to the U.S. Capitol Police.

Four anti-war protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct. …

[…]

Cindy Sheehan arrested at Petraeus hearing

Also On The Hill

Dems heap praise on Petraeus, Crocker

Hagel bows out of politics

Richardson criticizes ‘English only” Univision debate

White House says bin Laden has little power

####

20070910 The General Petraeus New York Times Ad

The General Petraeus New York Times Ad

Iraq War Sept. 2007 Petraeus Report

September 10, 2007

http://pol.moveon.org/petraeus.html

Are the Democrats making a key and critical strategic mistake by appeasing to the positions of MoveOn.org?

General Petraeus or General Betray Us? Cooking the books for the White House

View the ad (PDF):

http://pol.moveon.org/content/pac/pdfs/PetraeusNYTad.pdf

Maryland District 6 Congressman Roscoe Bartlett’s office wrote:

This MoveOn.org ad in today’s New York Times claims General Petraeus is not giving an objective, independent view of the situation on the ground. The ad asserts 'General Petraeus or General Betray us? Cooking the books for the White House.’”

Meanwhile, in contrast, Michael O’Hanlon of the center-left-leaning Brookings Institution who has been very critical of the Bush Administration’s policies in Iraq and reported in August about the military successes of the surge asserts that General Petraeus is a straight-shooter who doesn’t cook the books.

_____

NRO (Michael O’Hanlon – Brookings): Petraeus Doesn’t Cook the Books Just the facts.

September 10, 2007 6:00 AM

Petraeus Doesn’t Cook the Books

Just the facts.

By Michael O'Hanlon

Read the rest here: Petraeus Doesn’t Cook the Books Just the facts.

20070905 Special to the Westminster Eagle - Edward Hopper: A stranger in a world he never made

Edward Hopper: A stranger in a world he never made

09/05/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

Special to The Eagle

There is a certain unexplainable enigma that draws folks back again and again to ponder the mysteries of Edward Hopper's "American Scene" paintings.

Perhaps it is Hopper's peculiar way of depicting the stark existence of the human condition in such a simple "language" which begs for questions ... yet offers no answers.

Both questions and answers are welcome when the first major Hopper exhibit in Washington, D.C. in 25 years opens this month. The Carroll County Arts is hosting a trip to the exhibit at the National Gallery on Sept. 25 (see box).

The theme of a sophisticated confrontation with psychological tension and isolation is evident in Hopper's most famous work, the 1942 "Nighthawks."

That painting, according to Hopper himself, is of "a restaurant on New York's Greenwich Avenue, where two streets meet." Perhaps prophetically, progress did away with the diner long ago.

"Nighthawks" is a painted storyboard for a film noir movie on the late night lonely lives of four mysterious characters. It is left to each viewer to provide the plot and dialogue.

The painting shows no visible entrance or exit. The characters appear trapped and highlighted in the glare of the artificial light.

Hopper died in 1967. According to the diaries of his wife, Josephine Hopper, he always explained that the "Nighthawks" painting depicted "three characters." He also admitted that he painting was "unconsciously ... painting the loneliness of a large city."

But perhaps the best explanation of the painting came from A. E. Housman, who once wrote about being "a stranger and afraid. In a world I never made."

On a recent trip to Boston, I leaped at the opportunity to see the genius of Mr. Hopper, considered by many art historians to be one of the most influential -- if not one of the most popular -- artists of the 20th century.

The exhibit at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, included much of his often overlooked earlier works, such as "New York Corner," one of his earliest oil paintings from 1913; "Two Trawlers," a watercolor from 1923-24; "Gloucester Mansion," 1924; "Box Factory, Gloucester," 1928; and "House of the Fog Horn I" from 1927.

In pieces such as 1929's "Chop Suey" -- a favorite for many Hopper aficionados; as well as "Rooms for Tourists," 1945; "Cape Cod Evening," 1939; and "Office at Night," 1940, one may gain some insight into Mr. Hopper's emphasis on the importance of the small details of life.

After being exhibited in Boston through Aug. 19, the Hopper exhibit now moves to The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it will be displayed Sept. 16, 2007 to Jan. 21, 2008.

In addition to the Carroll County Arts Council bus trip on Sept. 25, Hopper's work is the subject of a documentary that accompanies the exhibition's opening. In the Baltimore area, the film will be shown on MPT Channel 67, Sunday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org.

20070905 Special to the Westminster Eagle Edward Hopper: A stranger in a world he never made