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Admissions Spring Open House for High School Juniors--Sat. April 14
The Office of Admissions at Penn State Greater Allegheny will host high school juniors and their families for a Spring Open House from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 in the Ostermayer Room of the Student Community Center. The agenda includes an Admissions presentation, an exploration of Penn State's 160-plus majors, academic breakout sessions, campus and residence hall tours, and a free lunch. Participants will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from financial aid, athletics, health services and housing. Students may register for the event by calling 412-675-9010 or visiting http://www.psu.edu/admissions/visits/visitorsguide/mckeesport.htm online. Walk-ins are welcome, too!


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You may be wondering why the sesame seed is on your bun at fastfood restaurants. As it turns out, that annoying seed you get stuck in your teeth may have proven health benefits. Among the advantages to eating out include your sesame seed sandwiches. Although sesame seeds may be purchased in the spice aisle, most shoppers have never considered the other less common uses. Seeds in general pack fatty acid, and sesame seeds can also be allergenic, like your peanut.
The sesame seed has a combination of oleic acid, antioxidants, and a rich content of vitamins and minerals, help lower bad cholestorol, increase good cholesterol, starve off free radicals and provide niacin, folic acid, thiamin (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and riboflavin, as well as, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and copper.
The sesame seed may be used in hummus, margarine, and gamashio, and is more often known for its placement on buns. So, although you may be consuming a massive amount of calories and fat already, you won't be skimping on precious vitamins in your fastfood sandwich eating. Fearing the use of chemicals and other food additives in food production, you may now be closer to a cure for your angst, the sesame seed.
You may need a toothpick to get rid of this awful annoyance, but all in all it packs a lot of value in your choice of eating out.

subset: commoncrawl


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How can the earrings are so exquisite and gorgeous, when in the colorful spring, you walk in the street, wearing a pair of such pretty earrings and a piece of graceful dress, you must attract numerous eyesights, I will dress up like that, and also match my Tom ford sunglasses that just bought on http://www.tomfordsunglassess.com. very stylish and cool.
This is very beautiful. And the color is looking very nice. I also plan to buy the earring. Factoring Company.


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Design Quality. I have had a really good experience with this template. It is very well developed, code quality is excellent. It also displays consistently on IE9, which is challenging for most templates. Overall this is a superb theme, and i highly recommend. Thanks Creabox Themes for a fantastic template! I am really happy.markspurs
Design Quality. Love their design!ogramos
Design Qualitykperezmon
Documentation QualityMan2Panyin
Design Quality. Great comments, well written code!vectorsrock
Feature Availabilitynemesis10210
- Minimal and creative design
- Built with Bootstrap 3
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- Countdown with exact time
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- Twitter feed
- Easy to change
- Working ajax contact and subscription form
- Mailchimp subscription form (Video version)
- Well documented
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Please note:
Demo images are NOT included in the download package
Google fonts used, Lato and Bevan
Version 1.6.2: 8 February 2015 ~ Fixed a problem in the url to load the file phpmailer for the contact form Version 1.6.1: 16 December 2014 ~ Fixed an error with the map background in the video versions Version 1.6: 2 December 2014 ~ Vimeo background video ~ Cookies message added ~ Improved the image replacement in the video versions Version 1.5.2: 4 November 2014 ~ Fixed an error with the menu css styles. Version 1.5.1: 10 October 2014 ~ Fixed an error in the video version Version 1.5: 22 August 2014 ~ Mailchimp function improved Version 1.4: 22 June 2014 ~ Mailchimp integration improved ~ Documentation improved ~ Text placeholder modified ~ Youtube video issue fixed in Safari ~ Mono social icons added Version 1.3: 25 February 2014 ~ New menu style added Version 1.2: 11 February 2014 ~ Now it is possible add the time exact in the countdown ~ When the countdown is ended a editable message appears ~ In the countdown, the words changed to singular when the value is '1' Version 1.1: 21 January 2014 ~ Initial release


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Skydiving.com now has a network skydiving location serving Port Carbon and Schuylkill County in Pennsylvania. Call Skydiving.com at 1-800-617-7948 for details, free information and specials on skydiving in Port Carbon, PA today!
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Paul M Ater
Main Address:
The Club at Chatham Hills
20298 Tomlinson Rd
Westfield, IN 46074-9282
(317) 439-8803
20298 Tomlinson Rd
Westfield, IN 46074-9282
(317) 439-8803
Paul Ater is a PGA Professional in Westfield, IN. The PGA of America comprises 27,000 men and women professionals with one singular goal in mind - to make the game of golf more enjoyable for you.
Services Offered:
- Instruction
Professional has not entered award information.
Home » Golf Courses » Indiana » Noblesville » Paul M Ater
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[This strip isn't about intellectual property, but it does make an amusing observation and co-blogger JFC did recently analogize Objectivists on IP with Marxists. — GAP]
How many new suffixes can Libertarians add to the word "Marx"?
This is a syndicated post, which originally appeared at Mimi and Eunice. View original post.


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As recently as the 1970's, women's history was virtually an unknown topic in general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a "Women's History Week" celebration for 1978. In February, 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8, 1980 as "National Women's History Week." As word spread rapidly across the nation, state departments of education encouraged celebrations of National Women's History Week. Within a few years, thousands of schools and communities were celebrating National Women's History Week, supported and encouraged by resolutions from governors, city councils, school boards and the U.S. Congress. By 1986, 14 states had already declared March as Women's History Month. This momentum and state-by-state action was used as the rational to lobby Congress to declare the entire month of March 1987 as National Women's History Month. In 1987, Congress declared March as National Women's History Month in perpetuity. A special Presidential Proclamation is issued every year which honors the extraordinary achievements of American women. Learn about healthy habits on March 6 at the Women's Health and Informational Fair at Main Library Women's History Month Events at Broward County Libraries
On Exhibit: Hallandale Beach Library; She - An Art Display, Miramar Branch Library & Education Center; The First Ladies Madame Alexander Doll Collection, Main Library; National League of Pen Women Art Show, North Regional/Broward College Library; 12 Voices Speaking for Art - A Women's Art Collective, Northwest Regional Library; Famous Women, Riverland; My Life in Paintings by Betty Pinkney, South Regional/Broward College Library; Art by Mirianne Jean-Jacques and Photography by Laura Volk, M. Ed., Southwest Regional Library; Herstory, Tyrone Bryant Library; 50 Years Prospective of An American Woman, West Regional Library
Flappers: Six Women of a Dangerous Generation by Laurieann Gibson
Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies by Cokie Roberts
I Could Do That! Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote (DVD/Children
Ages 3-9)
Petticoats and Pinstripes: Portraits of Women in Wall Street's History
by Sheri J. Caplan
The Girl from the Tar Paper School: Barbara Rose Johns and the Advent of the
Civil Rights Movement by Teri Kanefield
W.A.R.! Women Art Revolution (DVD)
Women in American Politics: History and Milestones by Doris
Women in Space: 23 Stories of First Flights, Scientific Missions, and
Gravity-breaking Adventures by Karen Bush Gibson
Women of the Constitution: Wives of the Signers by Janice E.


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I made this from a vintage pattern a friend gave me recently—McCall's 7471. I didn't think much of it when I set out to make it, but I ended up being really happy with how it turned out. It is made from all recycled/thrifted material. The black material is silk linen. There wasn't quite enough for the sleeves too, so I cut up a linen shirt (which I had previously taken apart to make a pattern from). The buttons are salvaged from another thrifted shirt. I didn't notice until I had started sewing that it was a maternity pattern, but I kind of like the tent shape of it! :)


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Rihanna Gets Buck Naked for New Fragrance Ad
*Rihanna has taken off her top yet again, this time to promote her new perfume, Nude. This is Rihanna's third fragrance, following the debuts of her successful Reb'l Fleur and Rebelle perfumes last year. [SUBSCRIBE TO EURWEB's RSS FEED] For "Nude," the singer decided that a liberal interpretation of the name was best to promote … Continue reading Rihanna Gets Buck Naked for New Fragrance Ad


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Family and Friends are welcome to visit you and your baby during the following times.
All of your visitors should be mindful that a newborn's immune system is not fully developed, so we ask family and friends with colds or other illnesses to refrain from visiting until they have recovered. All visitors should wash their hands before holding the baby.


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-- Conservatives search for a Presidential candidate to back - Patrick Healy
But Illinois Republicans may try to push the state's primary date up earlier to sometime in late January, said state GOP chairman Andy McKenna.
In a news release, Blagojevich said the legislature should "immediately" approve legislation introduced by Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to reschedule the 2008 state primaries from March 18 to Feb. 5.
The move, Blagojevich said, would "give Illinois voters an opportunity to send an early message in support of Senator Obama and send him to victory."
Madigan proposed a Feb. 5 primary last month, saying if Obama won Illinois - as Madigan said he expects will happen - early in the primary race, it would help Obama win media attention, campaign donations and delegates from other states.
A vote on Madigan's legislation, HB426, will likely "come sooner than later," said David Dring, spokesman for Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego.
Dring said House Republicans are still studying the legislation. While an early primary would attract more presidential candidates from both parties to Illinois, there's concern that candidates would start campaigning earlier.
"We're not so sure the public is in a mood to further lengthening the campaign season," Dring said.
Madigan spokesperson Steve Brown said he "hadn't heard any significant (lawmakers) object to the bill" and said he hoped the legislation would be approved quickly.
Only four states, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, currently have primaries scheduled before Feb. 5. Ten other states are already holding their primaries on Feb. 5 - the earliest date a state can hold a primary under national Democratic and Republican Party rules.
But McKenna said Saturday that the state GOP is speaking with Republican state lawmakers about breaking those rules by pushing the primary up to late January - possibly Jan. 29, he said.
The Feb. 5 date has become too crowded, McKenna said, especially since states such as California, Florida and New Jersey are also considering moving their primaries to that date.
A late January date "puts us a step ahead of the presumed dates for California, Florida and some of those states," McKenna said. "It would give us better identity, I think, and Illinois would play a stronger role" in choosing the next president.
Dring said he didn't know if Cross had been approached about a late January primary.
"But we're open to (Feb.) 5th and we'll be open to looking at the 29th as well," Dring added.
However, if Illinois scheduled its primary before Feb. 5, both the Democratic and Republican National Committees could choose to punish states by taking away delegates to the National Convention, as indicated on National Committee Web sites. In addition, the Democratic Party could also punish candidates who campaign in non-compliant states.
"We want to help give Illinois a voice, a seat at the table in the nominating process," Brown said. "I don't think we want to do anything that would do anything that would diminish Illlinois' voice in the nominating process."
Brown added: "Andy McKenna was one of the guys who got (Illinois Republicans) Alan Keyes," the 2004 U.S. Senate candidate who was soundly beaten by Obama. "You always got to take what they say with a little grain of salt."
Obama delivered the speech in front of the Old State Capitol, a popular stop for politicians who are attracted to the site's ties to Abraham Lincoln.
McKenna questioned Obama's attempts to link himself to Lincoln.
"It takes humility to be an effective leader," McKenna said. "None of us have read in history that President Lincoln compared himself to President Washington or President Jefferson - he was too humble for that," McKenna said.
But while Lincoln led with specific - and often unpopular - ideas, said state GOP chairman Andy McKenna, Obama only laid out vague promises and goals for his generation in his speech.
"Abraham Lincoln was never a rock star," McKenna said. "(Lincoln) had ideas that he led with that were controversial, that engaged opposition ... will (Obama) be prepared to embrace ideas that might be innovative and risky, even if it trades off some of his popularity? That didn't happen today."
The goals mentioned in the speech - including creating a universal health-care plan, ending the Iraq war, improving education, ending poverty and improving ethics - had no specifics on how to protect the U.S. from terrorists, McKenna said.
"I think that one could say that the most significant new problem of this generation is terrorism, and yet I didn't hear anything new or significant from Senator Obama and how we might take that issue on and wrestle it down as a generation," he said.
However, U.S. Rep John Shimkus, R-Ill., said a candidate doesn't have to give specifics in their announcement speech.
Shimkus said Obama "did a great job" on Saturday.
"He's very articulate, intelligent, good-looking," Shimkus said. "That's the Obama mystique."
Shimkus said Obama, with his grassroots support, is the new Howard Dean.
"You look at the rollout of his campaign, (Obama) is really bucking the party powers," Shimkus said. "Dean tapped into this group of disaffected party activists looking for a new way, and if the Obama excitement move in that direction, barring any major gaffe - which I wouldn't see from Senator Obama - this (Democratic primary) could be down to the wire."
U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood of Peoria was also among Republicans who gave Obama his due Saturday. LaHood said he backs U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for president but noted that an Obama candidacy, if it is solidified in 2008, would be good for Illinois.
"I'm proud of the fact he's from Illinois. I call him a friend," LaHood said of Obama. "I think the conflict that I would have, and what I've told Republicans is, if he's at the top of the ticket it's going to make it very difficult for Republicans in Illinois. Everybody's going to have to work hard."
LaHood said he called Obama earlier in the week to wish him well.
"I wanted to let him know that I admire him," he said.
State Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, who served with Obama in the legislature for seven years, said he liked Obama "a lot," but said that in order for Obama "to sell himself to the American public, he's going to have to broaden his views."
Libri said Obama "lit up the crowd" during his speech. But Libri added the one part of the speech he did like, when Obama stated the need to "make hard choices," got no applause at all.
"You could tell it was a Democratic crowd," Libri said.
DIERSEN HEADLINE: Steinberg blasts McKenna for blasting Obama
In politics, people will utter nonsense to strike at a foe, and attempting to correct every distortion is an overwhelming, pointless task. That said, one particular brand of ignorance is so maddening it must be combated: The notion that the past is a foreign place, populated by nobler, more lofty individuals.
That is the misunderstanding at work when Illinois Republican chairman Andy McKenna Jr. opened his yap Saturday to smear some dirt on Barack Obama as he announced the official kickoff of his presidential campaign in Springfield. Obama repeatedly invoked Lincoln in his speech, and that was too much for McKenna, who lashed out.
"Lincoln never compared himself to President Washington or Jefferson," McKenna claimed. His implication, of course, is that Obama is guilty of unseemly modern pride and overreaching.
But what McKenna actually demonstrated is his marginal understanding of history. Of course Lincoln compared himself to Washington and to Jefferson -- sometimes both at once, as he did at a campaign speech in Cincinnati in 1859.
"We mean to treat you, as near as we possibly can, as Washington, Jefferson, and Madison treated you," he said, speaking for the new Republican party.
If that comparison seems oblique, Lincoln was not above saying rather directly that old George had it easy, compared to the troubles that he, Abe Lincoln, was facing.
In bidding farewell to Springfield on Feb. 11, 1861, he said. "I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington."
And those were the references I found in 15 minutes of searching. I'm sure another hour would dig up many more, but you get the point. Rather than being more humble than we are, our revered forefathers were oftentimes more boastful, more earthy. In the same speech where he claimed his intentions mirrored those of Washington and Jefferson, Lincoln later said, "We mean to marry your girls when we have a chance -- the white ones, I mean; and I have the honor to inform you that I once did have a chance in that way."
A sentiment doubly daring, considering that Lincoln was speaking to a crowd in Ohio, but his wife was born in Kentucky. Let's see Obama tuck that Lincolnism into his stump speech one of these days.
DIERSEN HEADLINE: Paul Green blogs to energize Illinois Democrats, to energize Illinois RINOs, to energize Illinois Combine members, to energize those who want to be Illinois Combine members, and to demoralize Illinois Republicans, again
(DIERSEN QUESTIONS: The more planks in the Illinois Republican Party platform that a candidate supports, the more motivated that I am to help elect that candidate. Who are the "ideological bloggers" that Green badmouths? Am I one of them? FROM THE EDITORIAL: Internal party dissent Top Illinois Democrats are feuding, but compared to their Republican counterparts, these Democrats are a combination of the Waltons and the Brady Bunch. If the Illinois Republican Party were a family, it would be classified as dysfunctional. Social conservatives have made being antiabortion and anti-gay rights a litmus test for their support. So-called moderate conservatives believe these social issues should not define their party, and under the leadership of former GOP governors Jim Thompson, Jim Edgar and George Ryan they have dominated intraparty battles. Now that the governorship has been lost, as well as every other state office, Illinois Republicans are at war with themselves. Since they cannot defeat Democrats, they fight each other over such things as who should be the party's national committeeman and which philosophical view should prevail in party platforms. A tale of two parties Since the Democrats hold every office they have many actual leaders as well as potential leaders carving out political turf and futures for themselves. The Republicans, splintered and having little power, are like a political ship without a captain or captains -- vulnerable to ideological bloggers, one-issue special interest groups and anybody else with a gripe.)
The recently completed November election in which Illinois Democrats enjoyed landslide wins in every statewide race and also expanded their majorities in both chambers of Illinois General Assembly illustrates the major shift in our state's politics.
Chicago for decades has been bedrock Democratic, and though its turnout numbers have diminished it still produces massive margins for Democrats -- e.g., Gov. Blagojevich won more than 77 percent of the 2006 Chicago vote. Suburban Cook County -- until recently a partial Republican counter to Democratic Chicago -- has become almost reliably Democratic. Blagojevich carried the region by 100,000 votes. Racial change in the south suburbs has spurred this political shift, but Republican vote decline goes deeper. Perhaps most discouraging for Illinois Republicans is that the shift in suburban political loyalties has taken place as suburban voter turnout finally has passed Chicago.
The five collar counties (DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will) are the only region whose vote power is on the increase. In 2006 these five counties accounted for a little less than one-fourth of the Illinois total vote. A few decades ago this news would have been bliss for Illinois Republicans, but today it merely receives shrugs. The collars in statewide races (and some legislative and congressional contests as well) are no longer overwhelmingly Republican -- in fact, Blagojevich carried two of the collars, Lake and Will, in November. The other three are becoming politically competitive in statewide battles, which leaves the Illinois GOP with no huge bedrock vote base to offset Democratic Chicago and suburban Cook.
The GOP has maintained its strength in central Illinois, but Democratic vote muscle in the southern part of the state combined with Democratic Cook County now overwhelms Republican statewide candidates. In short, there aren't enough GOP central Illinois voters to overcome the "Democratic statewide squeeze."
Top Illinois Democrats are feuding, but compared to their Republican counterparts, these Democrats are a combination of the Waltons and the Brady Bunch. If the Illinois Republican Party were a family, it would be classified as dysfunctional. Social conservatives have made being antiabortion and anti-gay rights a litmus test for their support. So-called moderate conservatives believe these social issues should not define their party, and under the leadership of former GOP governors Jim Thompson, Jim Edgar and George Ryan they have dominated intraparty battles.
Now that the governorship has been lost, as well as every other state office, Illinois Republicans are at war with themselves. Since they cannot defeat Democrats, they fight each other over such things as who should be the party's national committeeman and which philosophical view should prevail in party platforms.
Since the Democrats hold every office they have many actual leaders as well as potential leaders carving out political turf and futures for themselves. The Republicans, splintered and having little power, are like a political ship without a captain or captains -- vulnerable to ideological bloggers, one-issue special interest groups and anybody else with a gripe.
Last but not least is the Barack Obama factor. Race is to Illinois Democrats what philosophy is to the Illinois GOP -- a potential political minefield/party divider. However, most Illinois Democrats have rallied to the Illinois junior senator's presidential bid while exalting the glory and wonders of multiracial politics.
To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, "a divided party cannot win." Thus Illinois' political future is dark blue -- as Democrats, despite their personal differences, remain an actual political party sailing toward future victories while their Republican counterparts search frantically for a lifeboat to stay afloat.
(FROM THE EDITORIAL: Rank-and-file Republicans of Illinois, put down your salad forks and take up the pitchforks! We are entering the traditional Lincoln Day dinner season where Republican county organizations in each of Illinois' 102 counties are preparing to serve the same gruel to their loyal subjects and usual suspects amidst Pavlovian remembrances of the halcyon days when Lincoln and Reagan called the shots and infused the party with meaning and purpose. Those two words-"meaning" and "purpose"-have no home in the present Illinois Republican Party. As we enter this season of feudal-like ritualism, mead and mutton chops included, I suggest it's time Illinois Republicans rise up and go medieval on their party's leadership. For three decades, the Illinois Republican Party has been lorded over by a small group of self-styled aristocrats concerned only with their personal enrichment and power aggrandizement. Thankfully, most of the Marquises de Greed have now crumbled under the weight of their own excesses and the federal scrutiny those excesses attracted. Federal corruption convictions, corporate scandals, defections to the Democrats, and general incompetence have removed the reverence that loyal GOPers had previously reserved for the ruling junta of Jim Thompson, Jim Edgar and George Ryan.)
Rank-and-file Republicans of Illinois, put down your salad forks and take up the pitchforks! We are entering the traditional Lincoln Day dinner season where Republican county organizations in each of Illinois' 102 counties are preparing to serve the same gruel to their loyal subjects and usual suspects amidst Pavlovian remembrances of the halcyon days when Lincoln and Reagan called the shots and infused the party with meaning and purpose. Those two words-"meaning" and "purpose"-have no home in the present Illinois Republican Party. As we enter this season of feudal-like ritualism, mead and mutton chops included, I suggest it's time Illinois Republicans rise up and go medieval on their party's leadership. For three decades, the Illinois Republican Party has been lorded over by a small group of self-styled aristocrats concerned only with their personal enrichment and power aggrandizement. Thankfully, most of the Marquises de Greed have now crumbled under the weight of their own excesses and the federal scrutiny those excesses attracted. Federal corruption convictions, corporate scandals, defections to the Democrats, and general incompetence have removed the reverence that loyal GOPers had previously reserved for the ruling junta of Jim Thompson, Jim Edgar and George Ryan. But, with that oligarchy now deposed, chaos has ensued. While GOPers were wrestling with their new-found freedom mostly spending their time clubbing one another over the head, Democratic warlocks in the city took control of the kingdom, installing their progeny in the process. Thus, a description of how we got here and what we have got. Now, what to do about it? Not unlike the Iowa caucuses, the GOP's county and township Lincoln Day dinners bring the stewards of the party together-the precinct captains, the donors, the envelope stuffers and phone bankers, the grasstops and the grassroots-to take stock and to talk shop. This year, it's time for the knights around the round tables at banquet rooms and VFW halls across the state to require more of those who send them into battle each election cycle than predictable hand-wringing about the Democrats and stale platitudes about the allegedly bright future of the IL GOP. It's time for Republicans to demand candidates who speak with moral clarity as to the GOP's belief system on the critical issues of the day and who commit to exorcising the demons in the party, regardless of ideology, position or wealth. The IL GOP has been saddled with false prophets, myopic millionaires, spineless solipsists, and court jesters masquerading as philosopher-kings-and that's just in the last eight years. For those that put themselves forward as the future but show now willingness to break from the past, to the guillotine they must be sent. Lop their heads off and put them on a stick in the public square as a warning to those who would offer more of the same. It's time to scour the countryside recruiting a new generation of leaders for a new Illinois Republican Party. The current crop had their chance and they sold their supporters into subjugation. The Illinois GOP has had a bad run but, then, so did Lincoln-he ran country store that went broke; ran for House, lost twice; ran for Senate, lost twice; and was despised by the media for the principled stands on which he staked his life and his party. But in the end, well, you know… If party regulars can summon similar courage and resolve, perhaps history will repeat itself and we will remember 2007 as the year when a Lincoln Day Revolt saved the Grand Old Party from electoral oblivion in the Land of Lincoln.
Even Karl Rove washes his hands of Kjellander
Unfounded Loyalty (part II) - Eric Wallace, PhD
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. Tragically, that statement is about the extent of the history many people remember about Lincoln and his political party. If you watched Senator Obama's announcement to run for president before Lincoln's statue, you'd think America's sixteenth President was a Democrat.
He wasn't.
Lincoln was Republican and freeing African slaves was one of the Republican Party's major planks. To put his run for president in correct historical perspective, he should have mentioned those heroic black senators who have paved the way for him:
Hiram Rhoades Revels was elected as a Republican and as the first African American member of the United States Senate in 1870. Ironically, Revels was elected to fill the position vacated by Jefferson Davis almost 10 years earlier. Revels took his seat in the Senate on February 25, 1870 and served through March 4, 1871, the remainder of Davis' vacated term. He represented the state of Mississippi.
Blanche Kelso Bruce, elected as a Republican, served in the U.S. Senate from March 4, 1875, to March 3, 1881. He was the first African American to serve a full term. He also represented Mississippi.
Edward William Brooke III was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1966. He was re-elected in 1972 and served from January 3, 1967, to January 3, 1979. He was the first African American elected to the Senate by popular vote. He represented Massachusetts.
Both Illinois U.S. Senators Carol Moseley-Braun and Barack Obama owe a debt of gratitude to those black Republicans who broke the color line in the U.S. Senate, against the objections of the Democratic Party.
The great legacy of civil rights in the Republican Party outshines the Democrat Party. The Republican Party is the party of freedom, opportunity and prosperity. The Democrats have the legacy of slavery, lynching, and the Klu Klux Klan. Intimidation at the polling booth was part of the Democrats' handy work to keep Blacks from voting Republican. Democrats -- Democrats -- instituted Jim Crow laws.
Democrats perpetuated the horrors of slavery after the emancipation of slaves to the point that it has been litigated that the Democrats, not the Federal government, should pay reparations to African Americans. (Download Brief_To_U.S._Supreme_Court.pdf )
Senator Obama, if you want to identify with Lincoln and the great legacy of freedom in our history -- especially Black history -- you are running in the wrong party. Your loyalty and the loyalty of many Blacks to the Democrats are unfounded in history, logic or intuition.
Maybe a refresher course in American History is in order, after all, February is Black History Month.
Is Illinois about to see the mother of all tax hikes? - Rich Millerhttp://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/miller/252965,121MLR1.article
The governor has said he wants billions more a year for a universal healthcare plan. Last week, a coalition of business and labor groups called on the state to put $5 billion a year into transportation for five years. The Regional Transportation Authority estimates it needs $57 billion over 30 years to maintain, enhance and expand transit services.
Also last week, state Sen. James Meeks and the teachers unions unveiled a modified version of the infamous Senate Bill 750, which not only will provide new education dollars and roll back property taxes but also will pump $3 billion into the state's underfunded pension systems.
Also, businesses big and small are apoplectic over the rumors that Gov. Blagojevich will propose a multibillion dollar "gross receipts tax."
The tax would zap pretty much every transaction performed by businesses and provide billions of dollars (the business groups say maybe as much as $9 billion) a year for state coffers. At least one new coalition has been formed to fight it and more likely are on the way.
Are we headed for the mother of all tax hikes?
Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.
House Speaker Michael Madigan still is not communicating directly with Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Senate President Emil Jones and Blagojevich (and their staffs) are meeting regularly and appear to be preparing to shove the governor's and Jones' agenda down Madigan's throat, which won't go over well.
The governor's absolute top priority, as noted above, is an expensive healthcare package, while Sen. Jones' top spending item is education funding. Nobody knows yet where Madigan's priorities are, but he is very interested in pension funding.
As I've told you before, Madigan and Blagojevich aren't getting along at all. Jones and Madigan also are having lots of problems with their relationship. The battle developing between the three Democrats appears almost Roman -- a fight to the end, rather than just your usual political spat. I say "almost" because Roman politicians often used real knives and swords and drew real blood. I doubt we'll ever get to that point here.
Madigan's initial reaction to the "gross receipts" tax rumor was not positive, insiders say, which could set up a major showdown -- that is, if the business groups are correct and the governor goes through with the idea. Right now, we have no idea either way. Many of Madigan's most politically endangered incumbents were endorsed by big business groups last fall, and Madigan has positioned himself as their defender since then. For instance, he held up the minimum wage increase until some of their objections were addressed, and he gutted and then essentially killed off the 7 percent Cook County assessment cap, which business wanted dead.
And then there's the House Republicans. House GOP Leader Tom Cross will have to put votes on any proposal that includes long-term borrowing, like transportation projects, because those bills require a three-fifths vote. The Senate Republicans have been aced out of the process because Democratic Senate President Jones has more than a three-fifths majority in his chamber.
The bipartisan, multi-regional pressure to pass a capital bill this year is so intense, as amply illustrated by the diverse business-labor coalition behind it, that Cross may be able to withhold his caucus' votes and force a more "reasonable" revenue enhancement and benefits package for the governor's healthcare plan and Jones' education ideas.
Cross already has said that he opposes a tax hike but said he is open to gaming expansion. Almost no matter what they do, there's pretty much no way that gaming money can fund all of the governor's and Jones' priorities, but it's a pretty good start.
And, finally, there are asset sales. The governor says he can get $10 billion if he puts the lottery on the auction block. There are those who say that he could be open to a tollway sale as well (Sen. Meeks, who negotiated the lottery sale for education funding, often has hinted as much), even though the governor repeatedly said during the campaign that he wasn't for that particular idea. In the end, gaming and asset sales may be a way to avoid a drastic tax increase and may look a whole lot more inviting come May than they do now.
What this all adds up to is potentially the most interesting legislative session since Jim Thompson was in charge. Or, if the Democrats can't get their acts together, the mother of all duds.
Alan Bolds
Q. What is your vision for downtown Wheaton in the coming years?
Bolds. The city needs to be a partner at maintaining and improving the presence of a grocery store and a drug store downtown. Everybody can tell you about the time that they stopped in the downtown grocery store. People want to hear the city say it's important to the city as well.
Q. What about a big box retail store to anchor the downtown?
Bolds. It would certainly be welcome under the right conditions. What large or small retailer wouldn't want to be close to Roosevelt Road and 55,000 cars a day? Is there room for a national retail chain in downtown Wheaton? There's certainly an opportunity. But the market will decide to go to another town unless you realize the city needs to send a positive message to businesses that you are welcome.
Prior to my being on the council, we had an opportunity to attract a Home Depot. We're still paying the price for that. It located literally across the street from Wheaton's boundaries. When somebody says they want to be mayor and their track record shows votes like that you have to ask what is their message for economic growth.
Q. How should the city use tax increment finance districts in the future?
Bolds. The key to the proper use of TIF is when the city assumes ownership of the process from the beginning. We need to have a TIF application process where the city says to the marketplace, we have an opportunity in Wheaton. Here's the guidelines. Now, who's interested.
With the Wheaton Property Partners project, the TIF assistance was not known until the city council approved their plan.
There are times where TIF is an appropriate economic tool.
Mike Gresk
Gresk. I have not only a vision of the future, but also an understanding of where we've been. In 1984-85, things were just horrid in downtown Wheaton. Without TIF 1 and TIF 2, downtown Wheaton would not be the commerce center and not have the activity it has now.
The one item you need downtown is people with a vested interest in the community. The city has stuck to that theory. I would be slow to create another TIF. I think Wheaton right now is at a point where it's attractive enough that builders should look at it and say, 'I want to build there.' I do not think that TIFs should be the first choice of development.
Q. What should be done about having a larger grocery store downtown?
Gresk. A replacement for that store is going to come from the city calling around. What's really going to drive that store is when grocery store companies realize they can make a lot of money by having a grocery store there.
Q. Another candidate claims you have a track record of turning business away from downtown because you voted against bringing a Home Depot to the city, which later opened just outside the city's boundaries. How do you respond?
Gresk. To imply that I'm not pro-business, that I'm not pro-development is ludicrous. A vote on the Home Depot was never taken. If there had been a vote, there was more than enough of a majority, Mike Gresk included, to bring that Home Depot to our community. (The Wheaton City Council delayed a vote on the project to allow the DuPage County Forest Preserve District time to explore its own interest in the land. Gresk said in the Daily Herald he wanted the Home Depot in Wheaton.)
Q. As a banker, do you agree with the city council's decision to restrict the construction of more banks downtown?
Gresk. A bank is all well and good. They'll come in and pay real estate taxes, but they're not selling anything. When Washington Mutual came in by the train station, the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce said that's prime retail space, what are you doing putting a service organization in there. Banks are getting picked on, but maybe rightfully so.
Tom Mouhelis
Mouhelis. One of the key aspects is we need more of an influx of retail operations. Instead of a destination store, I'd like to see more specialty stores like they do in Geneva. We have enough condos now. We also need to ensure Jewel maintains a presence downtown, but also renovates. That store does not have to be a Jewel.
Q. A number of restaurants and businesses will open soon. Many of those are in spaces where businesses have left. Should the city do more to help downtown businesses?
Mouhelis: Some of the people that have come in there have come in as a hobby. Some people have some great concepts, but putting them into reality proved difficult. The city could do more. The next mayor has to have a vision for the future. You look at (Naperville) Mayor (George) Pradel, he's the cheerleader for the city, and that's what you need. We need more diversity in the variety of businesses.
Q. What about using TIF districts to lure development into the city?
Mouhelis. People say there's no blighted areas in Wheaton, and that's not the case. Just drive down Roosevelt Road. That's my district. We can't just take a bulldozer and level everything and make it a huge strip mall. Does it make sense to use a TIF? It really comes down to the projects themselves. Do I envision another TIF downtown? No. As mayor, I will do everything I can to preclude another TIF from being established.
Phil Suess
Suess. You talk to people in the community and they want a reason to go downtown. They very much would be interested in destination retail. Something like a Bed, Bath & Beyond, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn. They want to spend a day and go store to store.
Q. So why isn't there a big box store in downtown Wheaton?
Suess. We don't have large enough space. We've had opportunities to develop space that could accommodate bigger retail, and we didn't do it. The Wescott property, the Chicago Title property, the Courthouse Square property, those are lost opportunities. That's where we should use the TIFs. A TIF is much more attractive to the extent that it goes to a project that generates sales tax. Then you can point to something that you're using to offset the deferral of the real estate tax.
Q. Developers come to the council seeking TIF assistance right off the bat now. If the council hesitates, they say they won't do the project. Has the council been backed into a corner?
Suess. I think it is a problem. Our focus shouldn't be whether or not we do the project. Our focus should be: Is this project a good use of the community's resources and money. Quite honestly, we need to say no to some of these projects. There's always another project. The land is still there. The people that own the property are still looking to get a return on the property. They'll come back, or they'll sell it to someone else.
Q. The theory the city has about development is: If you get people living downtown, it'll drive business development. Has downtown reached that critical mass of residents?
Suess. I have never bought into that theory. If that theory were true, because of the Wheaton Towers development, downtown would be thriving. No one's pointing to any increased sales tax dollars, or that it's created greater traffic in the business area. If it were true, you would think that by now our friends at Jewel would be renovating their store.
Q. How should the city use its TIF districts going forward?
Suess. The way the TIFs ought to work, to the extent there's an appreciation on the project, I feel that appreciation ought to be split between the city and the developer. It's a pay-as-you-go approach. If you create a TIF district, it increases the taxes for everybody else. TIFs are described that at the end of the 23 years there's basically a pot of gold. The reality is you never make up what you give up over those 23 years. If you're going to defer real estate tax revenue, you need to get something in return. Either the generation of significant sales tax dollars you wouldn't already have, or funds to be able to address a public need, such as parking.
Ensuring a funeral of dignity, respect - Editorial
(DIERSEN: I oppose promoting homosexual activity and I oppose protests at military funerals.)
We have commented before on the hate that a Kansas-based so-called church tries to inflict on the family and friends of every soldier killed in Iraq. And we do again today as the family and friends of U.S. Army Capt. Kevin Landeck gather for his funeral in Wheaton.
Landeck is a hero, killed at age 26 when an improvised explosive device detonated under his Humvee near Baghdad. He was remembered last week as having a soft spot for children — which led to him corresponding with classes in Wheaton and Hoffman Estates — and his natural leadership qualities.
And what would cause anyone to picket his funeral? This church's hatred of gays and their belief that American soldiers are being killed by God "in righteous judgment against an evil nation."
That's right. They are blaming the deaths of soldiers on what they perceive as a tolerance of gay people in America and that God is damning the entire nation to hell.
Thankfully, there are many more sane people in the world than those who claim to follow this church or its leader, Fred Phelps. And today we recognize them for protecting the Landeck family and all other families of soldiers who do not need to see pickets holding hate-filled signs and mocking the service done by their son or daughter for their country.
"We're not going to allow any interference with the funeral or family in mourning out of respect for the sacrifice that young man made," Wheaton Deputy Police Chief Tom Meloni told Daily Herald staff writer Tara Malone. "We respect that this veteran gave his life in service to our nation."
Illinois is one of at least a dozen sates, Malone writes, to ban disruptive gatherings near funeral services 30 minutes before, during and 30 minutes after a memorial. It was approved, correctly, in direct response to Westboro's organized picket of a downstate soldier.
Another group to be acknowledged is Patriot Guide Riders. In August, this group shielded the family of Army Sgt. Bradley Beste, a graduate of Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, who was killed in Iraq.
Today the riders plan to turn out en masse for Landeck. "We have riders from three states coming and we have 3,100 riders in Illinois alone," said Chris Brocksmith, captain of the Illinois branch of motorcycle riders. The Patriot Guide Riders banded together also in direct response to the Westboro pickets nationwide.
No matter your political view on the war or your political or religious view on gay rights, we believe there is no call, indeed no justification, for the kind of protesting advocated by the Westboro church group. We applaud the state for taking action to minimize the hurt this small group can cause. And we hope members of this church search their heart for a better way to deal with their uninformed and hate-filled views.
Illegal immigrants — and there up to 29,000 of them in DuPage County, according to a conservative estimate by the DuPage Federation on Human Services Reform — are good for the greedy. Companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers get employees who won't unionize, let alone complain about low wages. They are cheap, compliant labor.
Both sides are breaking the law to make money. The illegal immigrants, to make enough to stay at a level of comfort just above surviving. A hard life. The business owners, to get more than they would get if they obeyed the law. Lowlifes.
And both are driving up the cost of living for everyone else. Those here illegally go to schools, driving up the property tax bill. Just last month, a summit was held between government officials and health care providers in DuPage County to find ways to address the health-care needs of the low-income uninsured. Include illegal immigrants among them. They don't have medical insurance — the suits in the sweatshops wouldn't think of paying for their health care — so they wind up in emergency rooms when they are really sick, exactly when the health care bill gets really high — for taxpayers.
What should we do? I am glad DuPage County is not following a trend in some other communities. They want local law enforcement agencies to crack down on illegal immigrants. Now that's fine in cases of tracking down illegal immigrants who are dangerous criminals or reckless unlicensed drivers. But otherwise this is a laughably futile cause. Where are we going to put illegal immigrants between the time they are arrested (if local cops even have time to do this) and their deportation hearings? In already overcrowded county jails? Once they are deported, more will just pour over the porous border to take their place anyway.
Oh, wait, we are going to build this wall, and there is $1 billion in President Bush's budget to do so. Give me a break. The last time I remember a government doing something this ambitious was around 1400, with the Ming Dynasty's Great Wall of China. And that didn't work so well in keeping enemies out.
Now, if you want to use local law enforcement to partner with federal immigration authorities in cracking down on local employers exploiting illegal immigrants, I am all for that. They ought to have their greedy glutei maximi hauled into the police station, with the TV cameras rolling.
As it is, there is no risk to hiring illegal immigrants when there used to be. A June 2006 report by the United States Government Accountability Office concluded that since "fiscal year 1999" federal immigration authorities "have dedicated a relatively small portion of overall agent resources to the worksite enforcement program" and this has contributed to a "decline … in worksite arrests."
We've been here before in our history. For years, government looked the other way when companies exploited another kind of worker. At one time, children — some as young as 7 — made up a third of the work force in our industries. They were viewed as manageable, not prone to strike. Sound familiar?
Reformists, labor unions, child welfare organizations, members of Congress, U.S. presidents, and the general public demanded an end to child labor and made it against the law. Employers got the message. They stopped hiring children.
And just maybe if today's employers of illegal immigrants got sent a similar message in a similar way — that they won't get away it, and stand to be wiped out financially and thoroughly humiliated by newspaper and television reports detailing their greed — they will be very careful about who they hire.
When that happens, illegal immigrants will know it isn't worth coming here because employers won't risk hiring them. Then real progress will be made in stemming the flow of illegal immigration. It can happen. It doesn't take much to frighten weak people into obeying the law. And the greedy are weak.
DIERSEN HEADLINE: Christopher Burke of Fox Lake responds to Dr. Dam
Like it or not, hotel doesn't belong here - Christopher Burke, Fox Lake
I am writing in response to Dr. William Dam's letter published Feb. 5 ("Mulling his options after 'public' attack").
Having never met Dr. Dam, I have no reason to question his character. For that matter, no one who has spoken with me concerning his proposed hotel development on Lippincott Road in Fox Lake has ever called his character into question.
The only thing we question is the wisdom of a hotel development at that location, and the effect it would have on our homes and property values.
Though the Roxana property is prime lakefront real estate, its location at the end of a long, quiet residential street makes me wonder how successful a hotel could possibly be at that location. One of my fears is that, if this hotel is built and isn't profitable, that we would be stuck with a giant parking lot and a large un-maintained building on our block — which would certainly bring our property values down.
The "zoning glitch" that Dr. Dam describes doesn't seem to be a "glitch" at all, since it would limit the size of anything built on the Roxana property to be more in line with the character of the neighborhood. From my perspective, it makes sense.
Additionally, a hotel development of the size the Dr. Dam is considering would severely tax the sewer, water, and roads in our neighborhood that have been clearly built with residential use in mind.
Dr. Dam seems to be concerned that newer residents are among the people questioning his development. I don't understand how the length of time someone has been a Fox Lake resident applies to this debate. My wife and I have lived on Lippincott Road for a little over two years. While this is far less time than Dr. Dam, it certainly doesn't make our concern about the quality of life in our neighborhood and the value of our home any less valid than his concern for his property.
I am happy to see that Dr. Dam is weighing many options concerning the property. Hopefully, a man of his character and drive to see Fox Lake left better than it would have been otherwise will see that the best thing for the residents of Fox Lake, particularly those in his old neighborhood, would be to sell the Roxana property and invest in a hotel development somewhere else in town.
My wife and I wish Dr. Dam the best of luck with a hotel venture in a more appropriate location, and I'm sure our neighbors would as well.
There are those immediately obvious differences. Obama is new and relatively unknown; Clinton has been in national life since 1991 and is battle-scarred. Obama is running something of an insurgent's campaign, while Clinton has the dominant Democratic political machine working for her. Obama would be the first black president, Clinton the first woman. Obama is a tabula rasa, Clinton one of the more loved and hated figures in politics today.
But perhaps the most marked contrast can be seen in how the two are presenting themselves to voters. Obama is running almost a general election campaign, seeming more centrist than his views and record would suggest, incessantly talking about healing and uniting the nation. Clinton is clearly running to the left, harshing on a war she voted for to appeal to antiwar liberals, offering herself as a strong Democrat who knows how to deal with Republican attacks.
Put another way, Obama seems trying to win an electoral victory of all 50 states, while Clinton would be happy holding onto the states Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., won in 2004 while picking up just one extra to get her into the White House.
Obama's message this weekend, as he kicked off his campaign in Springfield, Ill., has been an immodest, audaciously Lincoln-esque appeal to unite these United States.
"That is our unyielding faith," he said to freezing crowds outside the Old Historic State Capital, "that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it."
He then flew to the key early-caucus state Iowa to introduce himself to voters.
"One of my strengths, I think, as a leader is that there are a lot of different pieces of America in me," Obama told a town hall meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, discussing his multi-racial roots.. "When I was a teenager, that caused me some problems because you feel like you're being torn in all different directions -- white, black. I was living in Hawaii so there was a strong Asian influence there. Sometimes you didn't know where you would fit in."
"But as I got older," Obama continued, "I realized that it was an enormous benefit. because I learned that people are people. … When you get down to it, most people have similar hopes and dreams for their kids. They have common values that we share as Americans."
Obama does not really deliver tough partisan rhetoric to Democratic crowds. He says his goal is to unite the country.
Toward the end of his town hall meeting in Cedar Rapids, Obama distanced himself from what has become Clinton's hallmark phrase -- that she is "in it, and in it to win it."
"I'm in it," he said, to which members of the audience shouted out that he was "in it to win it."
But Obama sternly corrected them, saying he was indeed trying to win the presidency, but that his goal is larger than that -- "to transform the nation," he said.
Miles away, at Clinton's first sojourn into first-primary state New Hampshire, the red meat was being served up almost as if Clinton were a butcher.
Asked about the Bush administration's determination to invade Iraq, Clinton implied there was something pathological about the president's policy.
"I'm not a psychiatrist," Clinton said. "I don't know all of the reasons behind their concern, some might even say their obsession, other than you've gotta remember that Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld and President Bush's father had been tangling with Saddam Hussein in Iraq before."
But Clinton faced some tough questions, given her shifting position on the war and the contrast her previous years of studied centrism pose to her current rhetoric.
"I want to know if right here, right now, once and for all, without nuance, you can say that war authorization vote was a mistake," said Democratic voter Roger Tillton. "Until we hear you say that, we are not going to hear all of those other great things you are saying."
"I have taken responsibility for my vote," Clinton responded. "The mistakes were made by this president who misled the Congress."
The crowd applauded enthusiastically.
Both appeals can be risky.
Clinton's approach is the more traditional one taken by candidates trying to appeal to partisan voters who will decide who will represent their party in the presidential contest. But it also risks alienating moderate and independent voters who already, polling suggests, are wary of her and see her as polarizing.
Obama, on the other hand, is attempting a message that has been tried before. Former Sens. Bill Bradley, D-N.J., in 2000, Paul Tsongas, D-Mass., in 1992, and Gary Hart, D-Colo., in 1984 and 1988, all attempted third-way, above-the-fray campaigns. Not one of them won their party's presidential nomination.
Conservatives search for a Presidential candidate to back - Patrick Healy
But who? And what kind of hero?
Is it the hero of 9/11, Rudolph W. Giuliani, whose support of abortion rights is anything but heroic to social conservatives? Is it the hero against gay marriage in Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, who nevertheless once championed gay rights? Or is it a hero of wartime, John McCain, who has also betrayed them on issues like federal judicial appointments?
Eleven months before the first presidential caucuses, social conservatives are in no mood to compromise; many don't want to settle for Senator McCain, nor can they abide Mr. Giuliani. They want a true believer, reliably opposed to abortion rights, gay rights and gun control, tough on immigration and a supporter of conservative judicial appointments.
But are any second-tier contenders strong enough to carry the mantle of their idol, Ronald Reagan — and also, strong enough to win?
Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas strongly opposes abortion rights and gay marriage; former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas is a Southern Baptist minister who talks about religion and civic life; and Representative Duncan Hunter appears to have solid conservative credentials. Yet all three are largely unknown beyond their states and Capitol Hill. The same goes for Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado, who appears to be a one-issue candidate, focused on fighting illegal immigration.
Gone is the sense that social conservatives are a unified bloc. The movement that rose with the candidacy of Ronald Reagan in the 1970s is now fractured over both its messengers and its message. The issues that social conservatives care about most are often overshadowed by Iraq and terrorism, energy and taxes. And if their vote splinters in 2008, their political potency could be sapped.
If these voters split into factions for different Republican candidates, either Mr. Giuliani or Mr. McCain could slip through the middle (while wriggling around the so-called values issues), uniting enough fiscal conservatives and national security conservatives — and moderate and liberal Republicans — to win the party's nomination next year. And Mr. Giuliani, for one, is starting to shade his support for abortion rights in hopes of assuaging opponents.
"A fractured movement is Rudy Giuliani's dream," said Paul M. Weyrich, chairman of the Free Congress Foundation, a conservative research group. "What I hear constantly is, 'We've got to beat Hillary; we can't allow her to be president.'
"What I'm hearing is, 'We hate him, we don't agree with his positions, we feel that his personal life is a travesty — but on the other hand, he probably could beat Hillary.' I hear this over and over again. I keep telling people, don't fall for that."
Yet Mr. Weyrich, a savvy political strategist, knows that if social conservatives are torn on Election Day, many may stay home, and the consequence might be another Clinton presidency. So a moment of political reckoning for social conservatives seems inevitable. Will they give ground on their issues in order to elect a Republican?
"I don't see social conservatives making compromises to win in 2008," said the Rev. Donald Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association, a conservative Christian broadcaster and advocacy group. "Social conservatives don't blindly follow the Pied Piper anymore. We've been disappointed and taken for granted by Republicans at times. I don't think there's any appetite for compromising core values."
Nor should there be, according to Governor Huckabee. In recent interviews, he has artfully tied his religious devotion to broader social concerns. For instance, on NPR last week, he said that reclaiming a nation for Christ was not a matter of proselytizing.
"It means that we would reflect what he reflected, and that is compassion and love," Mr. Huckabee said.
Yet he was also critical of some opponents of abortion rights, suggesting that they focus too much on embryos. "I want to be concerned about making sure every child has music and art education," he said. "There are a lot of things that, to me, are a part of my being pro-life."
Senator Brownback, meanwhile, has told some allies that he will not allow Iraq or economic issues to distract him from talking about social issues. Indeed, in a speech last month, he listed reviving faith among Americans and opposing same-sex marriage as examples of his priorities.
Mr. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, has tried to explain his conversion on abortion rights, from support to opposition, with a made-for-television story: As he listened to a Harvard researcher discussing stem-cell science, and the destruction of embryos, he saw the antiabortion cause in a new light.
At some recent conferences for social conservatives, Mr. Romney has used a line that some conservatives find credible: "On abortion I was not always a Ronald Reagan conservative. Neither was Ronald Reagan."
This sort of language also resonates with other conservative wings of the party, like some members of the antitax faction who do not want to get bogged down over whether Mr. Romney is now sufficiently sincere in his opposition to abortion.
"Romney has a one-way, one-time migration on abortion to explain," said Grover Norquist, the head of Americans for Tax Reform. "Senator McCain, meanwhile, was a Reaganite on taxes and then drifted for six years and now wants to come back. Same on guns. Same on judges. He was a two-way migration on several issues, and a lot of conservatives will have a hard time with that."
Yet on a fundamental matter like the life of a fetus, some social conservatives say, the turnabout by Mr. Romney is worthy of skepticism.
"I know people can change, but sometimes when people want to be president, they speak of a change that has not occurred," Mr. Wildmon said. "I like to go with a person whose words match their actions."
Mr. McCain's campaign is counting on a sharp split among social conservatives in the 2008 primary. Mr. Brownback and Mr. Huckabee, his strategists believe, lack the money and organizational strength to mount serious bids that would galvanize social conservatives. Meanwhile, Mr. McCain and Mr. Giuliani are portraying themselves as conservatives on taxes and national security.
"If someone can make a credible case to the social conservatives and have a position on Iraq that appeals to the broad majority of Republicans, you may see an election where the social issues, the moral values issues, are not as central as they were in the past," said Matthew Dallek, the author of "The Right Moment: Ronald Reagan's First Victory and the Decisive Turning Point in American Politics."
Mr. Dallek notes that Mr. Reagan, as governor of California in the 1960s, took steps to support abortion rights and raise taxes. Yet he became a unifying figure for social conservatives because of his staunch anti-Communist credentials, and because he came to embrace their positions opposing abortion rights as well as tax cuts.
"Social conservatives may come to see one of the leading candidates as solid enough on their values issues, while keeping the national focus on the major issue of the day — defeating Communism for Reagan, and fixing Iraq and winning the war on terror for a McCain or a Romney," Mr. Dallek said.
Yet this outcome seems an unlikely prospect to some political analysts.
In a survey of voters in the 2006 elections, the Pew Forum found that so-called values issues like opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion rights mattered the most to white evangelical Protestant voters. Forty-five percent of them ranked values issues highest; 17 percent chose the war in Iraq; and 12 percent cited illegal immigration.
"White evangelical Protestants are not only still a real component of the Republican Party, but they are also concentrated in key primary states like South Carolina, Florida and Virginia," said John Green, a senior fellow in religion and American politics at the Pew Forum. "They are not going away, and it's too soon to say how fractured they will be."
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Monday denied having a political motive when he said terrorists in Iraq would be praying for Democratic hopeful Barak Obama to become U.S. president.
Mr. Howard, a steadfast supporter of U.S. President George W. Bush in the Iraq war, insisted his criticism of Mr. Obama's plan to withdraw U.S. combat troops in Iraq by March 31 next year was in Australia's national interest because Mr. Obama's plan would represent a defeat for Australia's most important military ally.
Mr. Howard's foray into U.S. politics dominated Monday's session of Parliament and news bulletins in Australia, and triggered a sharp response from Mr. Obama and senators on both sides of U.S. politics, including one who called the comments "bizarre."
The issue overshadowed the results of a new opinion poll published Monday showing Mr. Howard, who will attempt to lead his conservative coalition to a fifth term at elections expected later this year, is lagging badly behind opposition Labour Leader Kevin Rudd.
In a nationally televised interview on Sunday, Mr. Howard said Mr. Obama's plan meant al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq should "be praying as many times as possible for a victory, not only for Obama but also for the Democrats" at presidential elections due late next year.
Mr. Rudd said Mr. Howard's comments amounted to calling the Democrats "the terrorists' party of choice" and could harm Australia's future with a possible Democratic U.S. administration.
"I'm doing nothing of the kind. I don't retract anything I said," Mr. Howard told Parliament in Canberra, the national capital.
He said the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq early next year would be seen as a U.S. defeat that would "encourage and give succour" to terrorists in the Middle East and Asia and be "catastrophic for the West."
"I hold the strongest possible view that it is contrary to the security interests of this country for America to be defeated in Iraq," Mr. Howard said.
"Let me make it perfectly clear, if I hear a policy being advocated that is contrary to Australia's security interests, I will criticize it."
Mr. Obama, in Iowa a day after formally announcing his candidacy, responded to Mr. Howard's initial comments by saying he was flattered that one of Mr. Bush's close allies had chosen to single him out for attack.
He then challenged Mr. Howard on his commitment to the Iraq conflict, noting the United States has nearly 140,000 troops in Iraq compared to Australia's about 1,400 forces in the region.
"So if he is ginned up to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq," Obama said. "Otherwise it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric."
U.S. senators from both major parties criticized Mr. Howard.
"The most charitable thing you can say about Mr. Howard's comment is it is bizarre," Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said on CNN's Late Edition. "We'll make our own judgments in this country with respect to elections."
Texas Republican Jon Cornyn said Mr. Howard should have kept quiet.
"I would prefer that Mr. Howard stay out of our domestic politics, and we'll stay out of his domestic politics," he said.
In the latest ACNielsen poll published Monday in Fairfax newspapers, 48 per cent of respondents named Mr. Rudd as their preferred prime minister, compared to 43 per cent for Mr. Howard. Five per cent were undecided.
Mr. Howard said in a radio interview that Australia's troop commitment "very significant and appropriate" given the country's relatively small population of about 20 million.
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Tony Orlando is a living legend in music, but what you might not know is that he's part of some pretty legendary charitable efforts, too. With Mother's Day just around the corner, BFTV spoke with Tony on Wednesday to discuss his work with the organization that founded the holiday, the Fraternal Order of Eagles - and the great new project they've been working on to help those with diabetes.
"Mother's Day was created by an organization that I have been part of for the last 12 years, called the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Believe it or not, they founded Mother's Day," explained Tony.
Indeed, it was the Eagles who made the first public plea for such a holiday way back in 1904, and campaigned for it until then President Woodrow Wilson made it an actual holiday in 1914. Now we're celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the Mother's Day this Sunday.
The logic for recognizing such a day is pretty simple, after all. As Tony points out, "The first person to give a helping hand - and that's the Eagles' motto, people helping people - is your mother."
The Eagles' helping hands have touched a lot of people since the organization was founded in 1898. They raise millions of dollars annually for many different causes, and a hundred percent of the money that they raise goes directly to those causes. Some 800,000 people nationwide are members, including seven past Presidents. And they've accomplished some other great things you probably don't know about, either. "Danny Thomas, they give him the first dollars to start St. Jude's [Children's Research Hospital]," Tony told us.
The Eagles' latest project has been the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center at the University of Iowa. "They raised 25 million dollars to put a diabetic center at the University of Iowa," Tony explained. "And on August 23, that facility will be opened...They are going to do some of the greatest scientific work in treating diabetes. And the Eagles are responsible for bringing up that first 25 million and I was part of that, of raising that money. This diabetic center is important to me, because diabetes is making this explosive return, especially among children."
To learn more about the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center at the University of Iowa, you can visit the center's website (medicine.uiowa.edu/diabetes).
Yet Tony's not stopping there. The entertainer who's given us countless memories over decades is still working tirelessly in 2014, both in his charitable efforts and his career. "There's a lot going on right now," he told us. "I'm going to Israel in June to both perform and visit Israel. Then I come back and I go on the road. Then I go to Asia on an Asia trip.
"When I come back home, I open at the South Point in Las Vegas. I go from there from the Borgata in Atlantic City. Then I do my Christmas show at the Sands in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and I'm excited about that. We finish up at the Borgata doing their New Year's Eve show." To check out Tony's packed tour schedule and see if he's performing near you, you can visit his website, which we've listed at the end of this article.
There's no doubt that Tony has reached a certain status in his career; he's been mentioned on Sports Night, in The Simpsons (which then led to a song called "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House"), and was his own category on Jeopardy! What's it like for him to be part of the pop-culture conversation? "I get a kick out of that. I love stuff like that," he laughed, telling us, "It's been an unbelievable journey for me, to be honest with you. It's been more than you can imagine.
"I've tasted the foods of about 40 different countries, I've had my own TV show, I've had the chance to work on Broadway twice, I recently made a movie with Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg. I've done everything possible that you can think of. Anything that comes off of those years like that is all part of it, and I look back on it and say what a great journey and I'm continuing that journey."
What is and has been most important to him, though, is not his tremendous personal success but the impact that he's able to leave on the lives of others through working with organizations like the Fraternal Order of Eagles. And they're not the only cause that he's supported over his career. "I was Vice President for MDA [Muscular Dystrophy Association] and I co-hosted the Jerry Lewis telethon for 33 years," he said. "I was also Chairman for the National Association of Retarded Citizens...[It's been] over 40 years that I've been working with military and raising money for our veterans.
"And the reason I do that is because my sister with cerebral palsy, she died when she was 21, and as a kid growing up I understood what it was like to live with someone with health issues," he explained, telling us his own experiences made him decide that if he should ever become famous, "The most important part of that career should be giving back to charities that are important to me and important to be people. And to be honest with me, it's been more important than the awards I've received and the gold records and platinum records that I have. You can take 'em all."
Ladies and gentlemen, Tony Orlando - not only a legendary entertainer, but also a gentleman who deserves to be admired off the stage just as much as he is on it.
For more on Tony Orlando, be sure to visit his website (tonyorlando.com) and follow him on Twitter (@TonyOrlando). For more on the Fraternal Order of Eagles, you can visit their website (foe.com).
(c)2014 Brittany Frederick. Appears at Examiner with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted. Visit my official website and follow me on Twitter at @tvbrittanyf.


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August 2014 Tabletalk
Tabletalk by Various
The August 2014 issue of Tabletalk features articles explaining that the ordinary Christian life, the life to which all believers are called by the Lord Jesus, is, by its very nature, the radical Christian life. Faithful obedience to God in … Learn MoreMagazine $3.00 Add to Cart
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I have stayed at a host of B&B's and while some dress up continental items and call it "breakfast", The Chestnut Cottage's fare celebrated true southern cooking. Guests can choose from homemade French toast, pancakes, cheesy eggs, stone ground grits, fresh fruit, or whatever your palette desires. As the chef stated "I can make just about anything." I believe she meant it since the food was absolutely delicious. Occupants can enjoy these menu items in the dining room with the other guests, or stay in their pj's for alone dining in one of five personal dwelling quarters for a truly relaxing experience.
Chestnut Cottage with its great colonial décor throughout the home was the home of Mary Boykin Chestnut, author of A Diary from Dixie. The Cottage exhibits artifacts from the Civil War era and celebrates the home's residents and guests via rooms named after them including the Mary Boykin Chestnut room, the General James Chestnut room, and the President Jefferson Davis.
Chestnut Cottage is only 1 1/2 hours from Charlotte and is located in the downtown area of Columbia. For more information and reservations for this bed and breakfast contact the innkeepers at Chestnut Cottage located at 1718 Hampton Street, Columbia, SC or call 803-256-1718.


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James Mullaney is an astronomy writer and speaker who has published nearly 1,000 articles and nine books on stargazing. Formerly Curator of the Buhl Planetarium & Institute of Popular Science, Director of the DuPont Planetarium, and staff astronomer at the Allegheny Observatory, Jim served as an editor for Sky & Telescope magazine and was a contributor to Carl Sagan's acclaimed Cosmos PBS television series. In recognition of his lifetime of work, he has been elected a Fellow of the prestigious Royal Astronomical Society of London.


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Presentence Assessments Required for Felons in the Mountain State
Written by Your 5News Team
Last updated on January 22, 2013 @ 7:16PM
Created on January 22, 2013 @ 6:07PM
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - All convicted felons in West Virginia courts will be required to undergo presentencing tests under a new state Supreme Court policy.
Court administrator Steve Canterbury said Tuesday the policy will become effective on Aug. 1. The policy was approved at the court's administrative conference this month.
Canterbury says the assessments will give circuit judges more information about the likelihood of a felon committing another crime and what needs must be met to prevent that.
Canterbury calls the tests "another took at the judge's disposal to help enhance public safety."
He says every felon will undergo the assessment whether or not there is a pre-sentencing investigation. The tests will be included in those investigation reports.
Training probation officers to administer the tests will cost the court system about $25,000.
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Player of the Day: Bobby Kerr
by Stuart Vose
The 'Little General' takes the spotlight.
Fiery Scot Bobby Kerr is up there with the greatest players to have had the honour of skippering the club.
Of course, Kerr is most widely known for leading Sunderland to FA Cup glory in 1973, but he contributed so much more during a spell which spanned more than half the Sixties and almost all of the Seventies – sixteen years in total.
Kerr was nicknamed the 'Little General' and there was certainly something of a midfield schemer about him, coupled with a wholehearted attitude and a steely will to win.
His style of play belied a 5'5" frame which left many bigger opponents floundering, none more so than the all-conquering Leeds United side he faced at Wembley.
Bobby was no stranger to hardship, having twice battled back from severe leg breaks as a young player at Roker Park.
Rather than being hampered, he prospered and became an integral member of the side. In five straight seasons from 1971 and 1976, he never made less than 40 appearances.
Along with his colleagues, Kerr was immortalized in Sunderland history when he lifted the FA Cup at Wembley in 1973 – the midfielder featured in all nine ties of a gruelling cup run.
The Scot followed up with a Division Two title in 1976 before departing for Blackpool in March 1979, aged 32 and with 427 appearances in the books.
He later had a short spell at Hartlepool United before entering the licensed trade and is still a regular at the Stadium of Light to this day.