Right Truth

"THE CORRUPTION IN ALBANY MUST END" An interview with GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio

BY: FERN SIDMAN

For New Yorkers who are angered and frustrated by the corruption that has plagued politics in Albany for many years now, the upcoming gubernatorial mid-term election races offer viable alternatives in terms of candidates. Having represented New York's 2nd congressional district for four terms from 1993-2001, Republican Rick Lazio is challenging Democrat Andrew Cuomo for the state's highest office. With a platform predicated on bold reforms and a concrete plan to battle corruption, I sat down with Mr. Lazio to discuss some issues effecting New Yorkers. 

 

FS: Concerning healthcare reform, as you know, the Medicaid system in New York spends 73% more per recipient than the country as a whole and 25% more than California, which covers twice as many people. What would you do to make Medicaid a more efficient system?  

 

RL: I'm totally in favor of reforming and revamping our Medicaid program. We must move Medicaid to a managed care system in order to streamline costs. The taxpayers in this state are already been strangled by exorbitant taxes and with the rising cost of healthcare for employers, we must move with alacrity to remedy this problem. Those on the Medicaid rolls should be encouraged to seek appropriate healthcare and that means each recipient should have a primary care doctor who can oversee their follow up care if they need to see a specialist. What has proven to be extremely costly to our system are those Medicaid recipients who visit their local hospital emergency rooms when they have a health crisis, rather than seeing their own doctor. Incentives should be provided such as beneficiaries having stored value cards in order to get the right level of care. Provider reimbursement should be harmonized and doctors and hospitals should be extended the same reimbursements and the co-pays should be managed accordingly. I am also in favor of enforcing an anti-fraud program to the Medicaid system because each year there is over $5 billion in Medicaid fraud. We want to promote the very best healthcare system for all New Yorkers and in order to do that we must investigate medical supply companies and other who are bilking the system and hence increasing taxes in our state. 

 

FS: How would you address the burgeoning unemployment rates in New York State and what would you do to help stimulate the economy?

 

RL:  There is no doubt that we must focus our efforts on putting people back to work immediately. There has been way too much emphasis on stimulus money to create jobs and that's just not happening. New York ranks 49th out of 50 states that are business friendly and that's just deplorable. The fact that our state is laden with high taxes drives individuals and their businesses out of the state. We must encourage the creation start up businesses to stimulate the private economy in New York. We must take a good hard look at the tax environment that we find ourselves in and we must put an end to the political chaos in Albany, where the state legislature can't get a budget done. Our government is unpredictable and Bush era tax credits have been revoked for businesses. Subsidiaries that provide energy costs have also lapsed. The more people that are employed translates into fewer dollars being taken out of businesses for taxes. The core part of our strategy is to restart the growth engine, get the costs to businesses down by reducing business taxes, rewarding startup companies and creating a new capital gains structure. Another source of major capitol and economic development are our colleges and universities. New York is a state of great people, with great skills and ingenuity and I am sure we can do exciting things in this wonderful empire state.   

 

FS: You've come out against the construction of the proposed mosque at Ground Zero. Could you tell us why you are against it and what do you think of offers to have the mosque built on state property?

 

RL: I stand in staunch opposition to the construction of the proposed mosque close to Ground Zero. What we need here is complete transparency as this issue is not about religion. I would immediately demand a full accounting for where the funding is coming from for the construction of this $100 million dollar building. Clearly, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf who is behind this project is ducking the question of why he refuses to label Hamas a terrorist organization, when the US government lists Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization. We also know that Hamas is behind the incessant rocket attacks on Israel's southern border. Imam Rauf has said that America was an accomplice to the 9/11 attacks on our country and that "Osama Bin Laden was made in the USA". When Imam Rauf was asked whether he would take money from Iranian sources to build this mosque, he refused to answer and if he can't respond to that kind of question, one could believe that he and others involved in this project may have sympathies with radical Islamist organizations.The Imam has also been associated with the Turkish terrorist organization who was behind the flotilla that sought to smuggle arms to terrorists in Gaza  Just a few short years ago, Sharif El-Gamal and his brother Sammy El-Gamal of Soho Properties who are the developers of the Ground Zero Mosque were waiting tables in New York City. Where did all their money come from?

 

Andrew Cuomo is the attorney general of New York and as such, he could eliminate the controversy that swirls around this mosque by launching an investigation into the group's monetary sources. People really need to get their voices on this issue because if Iran is even partially funding this mosque then we can expect that those preaching in it will be promoting terrorism against the United States and Israel.  Iran has already threatened to wipe our ally Israel off the map while the whole world sleeps. America must never allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and we must do everything in our power to protect Israel. I believe in solidifying relationships with our good friends such as Israel and working to ensure her safety and dealing forcefully with our avowed enemies such as Iran.

   

Obama's Speech

My first thought watching President Barack Hussein Obama give his refurbished Oval Office speech on Iraq tonight was that he looked like a deer in the headlights.  I saw absolutely no emotion, he could have been reading a shopping list --  bread, check;  milk, check;  butter, check.  Charles Krauthammer called the speech flat and odd.  That pretty much sums it up.  Col. Ralph Peters described him as 'not engaged'.  

Obama did what the critics hoped he would do, credit former President George W. Bush for the surge, for his patriotism and love of country.

…As we do, I am mindful that the Iraq War has been a contentious issue at home. Here, too, it is time to turn the page. This afternoon, I spoke to former President George W. Bush. It’s well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one could doubt President Bush’s support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I have said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hope for Iraq’s future.

Full transcript here…

He honored the service of U.S. troops and civilian workers in Iraq.  

"At every turn, America's men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve," Obama said. "As commander in chief, I am incredibly proud of their service. Like all Americans, I am awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifices of their families."

More than 1 million American troops have served in Iraq in the course of the nearly seven-year war; more than 4,400 have died and nearly 32,000 were wounded. (NPR)

For Obama Iraq has always been a distraction from his main interest, completely transforming America, and now he is putting it behind him and 'turning the page':  "Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended.  Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country".  Well, not exactly.

I'm not sure why we even needed this Oval Office speech --  other than President Bush announced the start of the war in an Oval Office speech -- since on Tuesday morning Obama visited an Army base in Texas to greet troops who will deploy to Iraq as part of the new support mission, "Operation New Dawn''  and could have made the same speech there.

Obama, never one to admit he has made an error, confirmed his intent to leave Afghanistan in July 2011.  He tried to address the economy, jobs, and make a few political points there, but again he fell flat.

In this image from video, President Barack Obama speaks from the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010, about the end of the U.S. combat role in Iraq.

UPDATE:

From my blog friend Yid With Lid (read all his commentary on the speech here "Full Text of Obama's Speech Ending the War On Iraq (Annotated With Corrections and Snarky Comments")

"This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office. Last February, I announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of Iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen Iraq's Security Forces and support its government and people. That is what we have done. We have removed nearly 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq. We have closed or transferred hundreds of bases to the Iraqis. And we have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of Iraq.

Excuse me Mr. President, but YOU LIE.  The timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops in Iraq was decided during the Bush administration with the signing of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) by U.S. and Iraq officials on Nov. 16, 2008. The Iraqi parliament signed SOFA on Nov. 27, 2008.

The agreement, set a timetable calling for most U.S. troops to leave Iraqi towns and cities by June 30, 2009, with about 50,000 troops left in place until the final withdrawal of all U.S. military forces by Dec. 31, 2011.

Right Truth Report

Don't hire them?

Don't allow them in the military?

Kill them, don't arrest them?

Don't waste your time trying to make peace with them?

Don't vote for them?

Look For Another Lawsuit or Two

Similar to the 'flying imams' look for another lawsuit from the nine men of Pakistani descent who were removed from a United Airlines flight to Tampa, Florida.  The nine men were seated throughout the airplane, they knew each other, and at least one made a comment that apparently was "inappropriate" and made a flight attendant feel uncomfortable.

United Airlines spokesperson Megan McCarthy says at that point, the gate agent had a conversation with the men and they were asked to depart.  (WTSPnews)

Not exactly:

...  police came on with their hands on their guns. Then, according to [passenger John] Luke, the police started escorting the men off the plane.  [snip]

Luke says after seeing federal agents get on the airplane with guns and take the men off, he and several other passengers decided not to take any chances.

Fifteen passengers decided to take a different flight even though the nine men had been removed.  Better safe than sorry.  Turns out, United Airlines says it eventually became comfortable the men did not pose a threat and they were rebooked on another United flight. 

You can bet these nine men will be filing a lawsuit against the airline.  No charges were filed.

This comes one day after two United States residents of Yemeni descent were detained in Amsterdam on suspicion of a terrorist 'dry run' when it was discovered their luggage contained plastic bottles, cellphones, and boxcutters. The men remain in custody “on suspicion of a conspiracy to a terrorist criminal act.”  

The two men, identified by Dutch authorities as Ahmad Mohamed Nasser al-Soofi, 48, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Hezem al-Murisi, 37, of Memphis, missed their flight on Sunday at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after the gate was changed, the officials said. Some of their baggage had already been loaded on the flight they missed, including some unusual taped-together items that had attracted attention from airport screeners earlier. 

A search of Mr. Soofi by airport security screeners in Birmingham, Ala., as he waited to board a flight to Chicago on Sunday found that he was carrying $7,000 in cash and that his luggage contained a cellphone taped to a bottle of Pepto-Bismol, three cellphones taped together and several watches taped together, officials said.

“The items were not deemed to be dangerous in and of themselves,” said Amy Kudwa, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, and Mr. Soofi was permitted to fly on to Chicago.  (NYT)

Mr. Soofi's cousin said he was, wait for it, ... a "nice guy" and that wrapping those items together was just "their culture".   Soofi had a Detroit Michigan address, but had been living in Alabama working in a convenient(?) store. 

Soofi was supposedly headed to Dubai, but his route from Birmingham, Alabama through connections in Chicago and Washington Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia, was questioned by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration as he went through security in Birmingham on Sunday.  Sounds fishy to me.   (photo:  These August 30, 2010 handout images provided by ABC World News, shows Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi( L), of Detroit, MI, and Hezam al Murisi.  Photograph by: Handout, ABC World News via AFP)

But when al Soofi got to Chicago, he changed his travel plans to take a direct flight to Amsterdam, while his luggage went on to Virginia  [snip]

Al Murisi also changed his travel plans in Chicago to take a direct flight to Amsterdam, raising suspicion among U.S. officials. Federal Air marshals were on the flight from Chicago to Amsterdam, a law enforcement official said.

The men were arrested Monday morning at Schiphol Airport after getting off a United Airlines flight from Chicago. No charges have been filed against the men in the U.S., a law enforcement official said.  (AP)

Theo D'Anjou of the Dutch national prosecutor's office said that the Dutch investigation was under way "to see whether we can charge them, and if we can charge them, with what."  However, the AP says it is doubtful that the men will be charged with anything.  Reports say the men did not know each other prior to their arrest.  Well, by all means just take their word for it.  I'll wait for the FBI to complete their investigation.

Again this seems pretty fishy on the part of both al-Murisi and  al-Soofi (al-Sufi?), but if no charges are issued, again look for lawsuits to be filed.

Pretty Little Things, by Jilliane Hoffman

Estimates put the number of throwaway children around the country to be as high as two million.  Then there were the runaways who were reported missing to law enforcement, but not to the Clearinghouse.  It took an affirmative act by a cop to not only enter the kid in NCIC as a missing juvi, but then pick up theh phone and call MEPIC (Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse). For a lot of cops in a lot of jurisdictions, that was just too much effort for a kid whom (a) nobody gave a damn about anyway, and who (b) was just gonna run off again if and when she did get her ass home.  At the end of the day, a cop on the beat couldn't fix all the reasons why a kid took off.  Sometimes, the view simply was, the kid was better off on his or her own anyway.  That means the list on the MEPIC Web site was flawed.

The novel, Pretty Little Things by Jillian Hoffman, is a chilling tale that shows just how  easy it is for a predator to not only contact and befriend your children, but to meet and abduct them.  In years past parents worried someone would grab their child at a playground or in a crowded shopping area, but today the predators can reach into the child's bedroom via the computer.

With instant messaging, chat rooms, bulletin boards, computers with built-in cameras, and predators who can come across as a teenage boy and play on the emotional needs of a young girl, make it so easy for the bad guys. 

Pretty Little Things is a real page-turner, and I highly recommend it.  The reader feels the emotions of the families, the law enforcement people, and especially what the abducted girls are feeling.  Scary stuff, especially since we know that this goes on every day in the real world, not just on the pages of a book.

Special Agent Bobby Dees knows what grief feels like. He understands the pain of losing a child. And he'll do whatever he can to prevent it from happening again. The phone call that comes on a Sunday morning will take him away from his insular world of grief and sleepless nights - and into a far darker place. A young girl, Elaine Emerson, has gone missing and only Dees has a chance of finding her.It seems that Elaine was last seen waiting to meet her boyfriend - a mysterious figure she met secretly on the internet, who goes by the name of "El Capitan", and whose reality is as cruel and chilling as the worst thing Dees can imagine-  (Good Reads)

Abduction, torture, murder, psychological torment for families, girls, and Special Agent Bobby Dees... It could be you, your child, your neighbor's child.   Your child is gone.  You blame yourself, your spouse.  Your world is turned upside down not knowing where she is.  Did she run away?  Was she abducted?  Is she alive?  Will you ever know the truth?  If she is found will she ever have a normal life?

Purchase Pretty Little Things here. 

(check out a new blog in the blogroll, Top World News)

How much is Washington costing you?

Launching Tuesday, August 31st:

MyGovCost.org's Government Cost Calculator!

The Congressional Budget Office can tell you that, due to unprecedented federal spending, the current U.S. debt has ballooned to $13.1 trillion. They expect our ever-increasing national debt to skyrocket past $17 trillion by 2019. But one thing they can’t predict is just how much current and future debt personally weighs on you and me.

Amid chaotic war strategies gone wrong, excessive bailouts with minimal results, and a Social Security program squeezing the livelihood out of our youth, do you know how many dollars’ worth of liability belong to you? How much are you willing to incur before you decide that enough is enough —that it is time to take stock and make a stand?

In response to this pressing question, The Independent Institute is launching MyGovCost.org, which features a personal Government Cost Calculator that will crunch the painful numbers to render an exact account of your individual burden within these federal spending-sprees by month, year, and over the course of your lifetime.

After answering a few basic questions, the Calculator will generate a personalized forecast of responsibility you stand to accumulate as you face a profligate White House and Congress that view your assets as a bottomless pit.

To help you measure the true value of your tax dollars, the Calculator will also estimate how much you could earn by privately investing your earnings in the stock market. For example, a recent college graduate earning $35,000 a year will pay on average $13,764 in annual taxes, amounting to a lifetime tax burden of $789,092. If those dollars had been otherwise invested instead of being sent to Uncle Sam, that same college graduate could have earned an additional $4,548,002.

Join us in holding government’s feet to the fire and demanding accountability for the reckless spending! 

Visit The Independent Institute and tomorrow check out what government is costing you at MyGovCost.org or join on FaceBook and Twitter:

  .

Right Truth Report

In my takeoff of the Drudge Report, below are items of interest to the United States and the world.:

Special Report:

SPIEGEL Interview with Iraq's Ayad Allawi - 'Every Corner in the Region Is Frightened'

SPIEGEL: You travel from one Arab capital to the other, you know all the Arab leaders and you also know that they are arming themselves. Allawi: Everybody is frightened. Every corner of the region is frightened. Even America is frightened, even Iran is frightened. We are heading towards a situation which almost compares to the Cuban crisis in 1962. There is an umbrella of fear spreading above us. Everybody should do his utmost to prevent tensions. I am calling for an international conference on the issue of proliferation. SPIEGEL: Can Iraq live with a nuclear Iran? Allawi: I don't think so..

Obama's policy on Iran's nuclear project will work fine. Until the nukes go off  .

US not looking for military solution to Iran N-issue: Mullen  .

Iran's Primary Target is Israel's Dimona Reactor –Gov't Source .

Kuwait unveils plan to tackle possible radiation accidents  .

Unconfirmed: Was Iranian Weekend Earthquake a Nuclear Test?  .

Iran to develop first fusion research reactor by 2020  .

Iran's Cyber Army Hacks 1,000 US, British, French Gov't Websites  .

Iran bank assets withdrawn from Europe: central bank chief  .

US Taxpayers Foot the Bill for Pro-Palestinian Ad Campaign in Israel .

Pro-Vatican politicians irked by Gadhafi in Rome.

John Bolton for President?  Nope, but what about this roundup:

President Sarah Palin
VP Chris Christie
Sec of State John Bolton
Attourney General Fred Thompson
Sec of Defense Petraeus
Sec of Interior Jan Brewer
Sec of Commerce Mitt Romney
Sec of Homeland Security Rudy Guilani

White House Dog Catcher Mike Huckabee 

Obama's shrinking numbers:

...   Obama approval ratings have improved exactly nowhere and with no one.

 

GOP Takes Unprecedented 10-Point Lead on Generic Ballot

Republicans lead by 51% to 41% among registered voters in Gallup weekly tracking of 2010 congressional voting preferences. The 10-percentage-point lead is the GOP's largest so far this year and is its largest in Gallup's history of tracking the midterm generic ballot for Congress. 

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Fire at proposed Tennessee mosque site

Four pieces of heavy construction equipment, according to original reports,  on the site of a proposed mosque and community center in Murfreesboro Tennessee, about 35 miles southeast of Nashville, were doused with an accelerant and set on fire early Saturday morning, August 28, 2010.  Actually only one piece of equipment had the engine set on fire.

Arson is expected [by the mosque representative] but the investigation is not yet complete.  If this was an act of arson then those responsible need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 

The only thing the criminals accomplished here is to destroy the personal property of the construction company and make those who are peacefully protesting the building of the mosque look bad.

Everyone is assuming this crime was committed by people who are against the mosque.  In reality we don't know who is guilty yet, it could have been some drunk kids for all we know at this time or it could have been someone connected to the mosque looking for national news and sympathy.  It's easy to assume what happened, who did it, and what their motives were.  It's always best to wait for the investigation to be completed.  Shame on those who are guilty of this crime, whoever they are. 

It's not like the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro is something new, it has existed in the Murfreesboro area for over a decade and currently meets about a mile from the site of the future mosque.

The female spokesman and public face for the mosque, who was interviewed on The Daily Show on the Comedy Channel last week, is not letting this event go without milking it for all it's worth in the media. 

Yes, the poor Muslim children, "Now someone had so much hatred to rip the joy out of their hearts" says Camie Ayash.   Not everything Camie -- a very young, white, probably local convert to Islam -- said is true.  But Camie isn't leaving any legal, political or media stone unturned:

"I think they lifted the hood and poured gas into the hood and set it on fire," Ayash said. "The other equipment had gasoline poured on it but was not set on fire."

Authorities working the scene did not specify whether gasoline or some other accelerant was used to start the fire that gutted the engine area of an earth hauler.

Islamic Center officials contacted the FBI and Department of Homeland Security on Saturday, according to Ayash, and sheriff's investigators "told us they will be investigating this as a hate crime."

Ayash later said sheriff's officials "asked her to correct her statement," adding they plan to explore several different motives while investigating the apparent arson. (more)

Those opposed to the mosque speak out:

Rutherford County resident Kevin Fisher has led protests against the mosque he says because of zoning issues, parking, traffic and a lack of transparency in the county's planning approval process. He issued a statement Saturday to the Daily News Journal of Murfreesboro.

"We in this community believe strongly in the rule of law, and choose to settle our disagreements through peaceful deliberations and discussion, not vigilantism. ... We who stand in opposition to this mosque have made our concerns known through proper legal channels and have conducted ourselves with dignity, respect and out of a spirit of love for our community, and we will continue to do so."  (more)

Former Muslims United (FMU) launched a digital billboard campaign in July against the expansion of the Islamic Center (ICM) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 

 Nonie Darwish, noted author, human rights activist and  executive director of FMU, said, ”This is just the beginning of a national campaign to educate the public about threats to the civil and human rights of former Muslims who leave Islam and the dangers from adoption of Islamic Sharia law to all American citizens”.

The green background of the ad represents the Saudi national flag with the Muslim profession of Faith “the Shahada” inscribed on it: “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”  It is a message of Islamic supremacism and an imperative to convert or subjugate unbelievers.  The circle of children and their care provider represents the target of this threat from Sharia here in the US. 

FMU had earlier issued a news release citing the non-response of the ICM Imam and board requesting that they sign a Freedom Pledge. “Islamic Center of Murfreesboro (ICM) Mosque leaders do not honor freedom to choose one’s beliefs as guaranteed under our First Amendment. That is the only conclusion we can draw from the overwhelming ‘silence’ and non-response to letters containing aFreedom Pledge sent to ICM Mosque leaders by our organization,” said Darwish.  (more)

You can be sure there will be more on this in the news.  It's not about religion any more, it is about a clash of civilizations.  No one mentioned "the most beautiful sound on earth" as Barack Hussein Obama referred to the Muslim evening call to prayer, that the local residents will be confronted with.  And by the way, there is a Baptist church right next door to the mosque site.

On another note, I could not leave this without sharing the following image, hat tip AOW:

...have you seen the other graphic in the August 30, 2010 print-edition of Time Magazine?

What does this graphic say to you?

Note how the depiction of the Twin Towers.

This graphic appeared on the final page of the August 30, 2010 print-edition of Time Magazine, attached to the article "Sacred Spaces" by Nancy Gibbs.

Read about Nancy Gibbs HERE, HERE (NewsBusters and HERE (Wikipedia).

So, here we are, nearly nine years after 9/11. We're witnessing the remaking of 9/11 in the image of Islam and the desecration of each one murdered in the Twin Towers by Islamic supremacists.

* * * *

Related reading:

The Silver Lining in the Ground Zero Mosque Debate, By Doug Powers on Politics

**Written by Doug Powers

Well, this might be one way to get somebody on the left to care about an overbearing tax system.

From the New York Post:

The mosque developers are tax deadbeats.

Sharif El-Gamal, the leading organizer behind the mosque and community center near Ground Zero, owes $224,270.77 in back property tax on the site, city records show.

El-Gamal’s company, 45 Park Place Partners, failed to pay its half-yearly bills in January and July, according to the city Finance Department.

The delinquency is a possible violation of El-Gamal’s lease with Con Edison, which owns half of the proposed building site on Park Place. El-Gamal owns the other half but must pay taxes on the entire parcel.

From Paul A. Ibbetson and his upcoming interview with Jerome Corsi, on Obama's birth certificate:

... in the attempt to debunk the Obama birth-certificate controversy, the State Department author confirmed Obama was a dual citizen of the U.K. and the U.S. from 1961 to 1963 and a dual citizen of Kenya and the U.S. from 1963 to 1982, because his father was a Kenyan citizen when Obama was born in 1961.

Extremist Ground Zero Mosque Imam Rauf is a Rat and Roach Slumlord, By Pamela Geller on Mosque at Ground Zero: Takbir! 

Pig Effigy Story, By Mike Pechar

From Tajikistan News:An effigy of a pig has been left in the mailbox of a California Muslim organization as a protest against the proposed Islamic centre in New York City. The Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations..

Rev. Wright Blasts Obama-Muslim Rumors

Coalition To Stop Infidelphobia in America, By Pamela Geller

I'll Condemn the Crime, But Wait To Assign Blame, Rhymes With Right

Rauf Says Islam = Life, Liberty, Happiness

On the DoD jihad coverup, more is needed than editorials, By Lawrence Auster

Dr. Pearl's Contemplation, By Dymphna

The father of Daniel Pearl wrote the opinion piece in this post. He is a professor of Computer Science at UCLA, and a philosopher of science who has worked extensively on Artificial Intelligence.

His contemplation of the “undercurrents” in the situation of the Ground Zero Mosque are particularly relevant, given the nature of his son’s death at the hands of islamic murderers who have yet to stand trial for their many barbaric crimes.

7 troops killed in Afghanistan

Emergency 911

It's Friday evening in any town, any county, U.S.A.   We're in the car driving home after having dinner 30 miles away.  The emergency radio in the car goes off, a 911 emergency call for an ambulance.  A woman has been attacked, beaten around the head and is apparently unconscious.  Within seconds the ambulance and crew of Emergency Medical Technicians/Medics is screaming down the highway with lights flashing and siren screaming --destination somewhere outside the city limits, into the county, down tiny back roads. 

A few minutes later the radio crackles again.  At the local ball field a little boy is choking, another ambulance is dispatched immediately.  These two ambulances are all the entire county has and now both are dispatched on emergencies.  What happens if another call comes in while these two ambulances are busy? 

A little earlier in the evening one of these ambulances was sent to a local marina where they are told a woman with back pain is laying on one of the piers.  The medical experts don't know any more than she has a history of back pain.

Also earlier that evening the Air Evac team, medical helicopters manned with the latest in emergency medical equipment and staff, is at first on stand by and is then dispatched to what is described by phone calls to emergency as a multiple car accident on the interstate. 

When the police, sheriffs deputies, highway patrol arrive, it is determined that the Air Evac team is not required after all, so the helicopter is ordered to return to base.

What do all these instances have in common?  In two cases the emergency workers were refused at the last minute.  The woman who was attacked and beaten regained consciousness and refused treatment.  The woman with back pain decided, as the ambulance pulled into the marina, that she would go to the emergency room by car.  I'm not sure what happened with the boy who was supposedly choking. 

In each case trained experts, expensive equipment, wear on the vehicles, and fuel were expended with no reimbursement.  No bills were went out to those who called 911 and requested ambulances.  Personally I think once an emergency vehicle is dispatched, somebody should have to pay something, a small flat fee to cover at least the fuel, but that's just me.

 The bigger question is, what happens when unnecessary calls are placed and ambulances are dispatched and other emergencies arise at the same time? 

What if a person is having a heart attack, a stroke, someone falls and has multiple broken bones, or a serious car wreck with injuries?  No ambulance is available because they are dispatched on frivolous calls.

I keep saying two ambulances, because as stated earlier, that is all the county has at the moment, two ambulances in working condition.  More ambulances are obviously needed, but the local hospital, who must foot the bill, cannot afford to purchase a new ambulance.  Yes the hospital has always paid for the ambulances, medical staff, building housing the equipment. 

The hospital gets no city, county or federal funds, to my knowledge, to keep it operating in the black.  The recently new administrator, who has done yeoman's work getting the hospital back in the black,  has made every effort to get help.  The local politicians won't even listen to her or give her an audience.

Recent local elections were less than satisfactory in many categories, but there is still hope that at least one newly elected politician will at least give the administrator time to present a proposal to the council.

What's the point in this article?  Calling 911 is serious business.  It is for emergencies, not for hangnails, not for a taxi ride to the hospital, not for illnesses that has lasted for days and you should have seen your family doctor in his office.  A back ache, a head ache, nausea and vomiting, a cough for three days, or granny doesn't feel good are not emergencies. 

Emergency means just that -- emergency.

An accidental Injury or a condition that occurs suddenly and unexpectedly and is life threatening or could result in permanent damage if not treated immediately -- that is an emergency.

Keep in mind when you call for emergency medical assistance in the form of an ambulance, that you are tying up that medical team and equipment so that they cannot answer calls from others in need.  Is your emergency really a life-threatening emergency?  If not, drive the car or get someone else to drive you to your family doctor or if he/she is not available go to the emergency room.  Time, money, and life are on the line.  And remember, somebody has to pay for that equipment, medical expertise. 

In your city or county, do you know how your emergency 911 teams are funded?  Maybe it's time you found out.  Perhaps there is something you can do to help your neighborhood residents be aware of what a real emergency is and the responsibility they have to call that number only when really necessary.

Gulf residents prefer leadership of George W. Bush in a crisis

The subject of the speech, at Xavier University  in front of a pre-screened audience,seems to be about Barack Hussein Obama, rather than Katrina or the Gulf.  Here's an excerpt from the speech:  "I, me, we, my administration, my people, I, me, I, me, I, me ....." 

No matter how much he tries to elevate himself to the people of the Gulf, they prefer the leadership of George W. Bush:

Public Policy Polling finds that today the most-impacted residents feel that the Republican President No. 43 displayed more leadership in his crisis than the Democratic President No. 44 has in his.

Despite all the controversy and subsequent political charges and recriminations, a clear majority (54%) now say they feel Bush handled the deadly hurricane's aftermath better than Obama did the oil spill (33%). More than 1,600 people died in one of the worst storms and subsequent flooding in U.S. history.  (LA Times)

Obama will give another speech Tuesday on Iraq, no doubt he will declare the war over and claim success for himself, his administration, with more "I, me, my, mine" in the speech.

Obama would do well to take a look at the hundreds of thousands of people who attended Glenn Beck's gathering yesterday, drawing crowds that Obama only wishes he could draw these days.  These are true patriots, not insurgents and the administration likes to call them, and they will be voting in November.

Look out Obama, another storm is on the way and it's headed toward the Democrats.  I predict severe devastation, massive flooding by Conservative Republicans, washing away many of your party and some RINOs too.  No shelter can protect you.