DOS PALOS -- Students at Dos Palos High School protested Thursday -- by wearing patriotic regalia to school -- after a sophomore student was forced to remove a T-shirt depicting the American flag.
Officials at the Merced County school confirmed Thursday that Jake Shelly was forced to take off a red, white and blue tie-dyed American flag T-shirt on Tuesday. The shirt said nothing offensive, just: "United States of America, Washington, D.C."
The school's assistant principal issued Shelly a bright yellow T-shirt that read "DCV: Dress Code Violator" to wear for the rest of the day. He was given his shirt back after classes ended.
The administration has since apologized for the incident.
"It was really embarrassing and humiliating to have to wear that all day -- and just for supporting your country," his sister Kaycee Shelly said.
Kaycee Shelly told members of the media at lunchtime that her brother was overwhelmed and did not want to do any more interviews.
Earlier in the day, he was speaking with a local news station when an unidentified teacher walked up to him, ripped off the microphone clipped to his shirt and told him he was not allowed to talk to the media.
The assistant principal said Shelly's T-shirt violated a clause of the school dress code that does not allow "shirts/blouses that promote specific races, cultures, or ethnicities."
Jake Shelly was wearing the tie-dyed T-shirt as part of a school sponsored hippie dress-up day during homecoming week.
Students on campus started a campaign to wear as much red, white or blue clothing and carry as many flags as possible Thursday in protest of Tuesday's decision, despite the apology. Jake Shelly wore the same shirt he wore Tuesday and was not disciplined.
"I am glad so many people are supporting this and wearing red, white and blue," his sister said. She believes the swift change in rules was because of the overwhelming student action.
A.J. Galindo is one student who wore a patriotic shirt to school.
Galindo's shirt honored Marine Cpl. Joshua Pickard, a family member who died in Iraq in 2006. Pickard's two brothers remain active in the Marines.
"I think it is horrible that you can't wear an American flag to school without something like this happening," he said, referring to the flurry of activities during the school's lunch hour. "We have people fighting for our country and dying every day, but we can't wear an American flag at a public school?"
A.J. said he was proud of the patriotism displayed by his classmates.
School officials said they will now interpret that clause of the dress code -- which was written at the beginning of this school year -- differently.
Defiance when asked to remove an article of clothing is an automatic 3- to 5-day suspension, according to the dress code.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Australia proposing to filter Internet access
Original Article
Australians will be unable to opt-out of the government's pending Internet content filtering scheme, and will instead be placed on a watered-down blacklist, experts say.
Under the government's $125.8 million Plan for Cyber-Safety, users can switch between two blacklists which block content inappropriate for children, and a separate list which blocks illegal material.
Pundits say consumers have been lulled into believing the opt-out proviso would remove content filtering altogether.
The government will iron-out policy and implementation of the Internet content filtering software following an upcoming trial of the technology, according to the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
A spokesman for Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said the filters will be mandatory for all Australians.
“Labor’s plan for cyber-safety will require ISPs to offer a clean feed Internet service to all homes, schools and public Internet points accessible by children,” Marshall said.
“The upcoming field pilot of ISP filtering technology will look at various aspects of filtering, including effectiveness, ease of circumvention, the impact on internet access speeds and cost.”
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) contacted by Computerworld say blanket content filtering will cripple Internet speeds because the technology is not up to scratch.
Online libertarians claim the blacklists could be expanded to censor material such as euthanasia, drugs and protest.
Internode network engineer Mark Newton said many users falsely believe the opt-out proviso will remove content filtering.
“Users can opt-out of the 'additional material' blacklist (referred to in a department press release, which is a list of things unsuitable for children, but there is no opt-out for 'illegal content'”, Newton said.
“That is the way the testing was formulated, the way the upcoming live trials will run, and the way the policy is framed; to believe otherwise is to believe that a government department would go to the lengths of declaring that some kind of Internet content is illegal, then allow an opt-out.
“Illegal is illegal and if there is infrastructure in place to block it, then it will be required to be blocked — end of story.”
Newton said advisers to Minister Conroy have told ISPs that Internet content filtering will be mandatory for all users.
The government reported it does not expected to prescribe which filtering technologies ISPs can use, and will only set blacklists of filtered content, supplied by the Australia Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
EFA chair Dale Clapperton said in a previous article that Internet content filtering could lead to censorship of drugs, political dissident and other legal freedoms.
“Once the public has allowed the system to be established, it is much easier to block other material,” Clapperton said.
According to preliminary trials, the best Internet content filters would incorrectly block about 10,000 Web pages from one million.
Australians will be unable to opt-out of the government's pending Internet content filtering scheme, and will instead be placed on a watered-down blacklist, experts say.
Under the government's $125.8 million Plan for Cyber-Safety, users can switch between two blacklists which block content inappropriate for children, and a separate list which blocks illegal material.
Pundits say consumers have been lulled into believing the opt-out proviso would remove content filtering altogether.
The government will iron-out policy and implementation of the Internet content filtering software following an upcoming trial of the technology, according to the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
A spokesman for Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said the filters will be mandatory for all Australians.
“Labor’s plan for cyber-safety will require ISPs to offer a clean feed Internet service to all homes, schools and public Internet points accessible by children,” Marshall said.
“The upcoming field pilot of ISP filtering technology will look at various aspects of filtering, including effectiveness, ease of circumvention, the impact on internet access speeds and cost.”
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) contacted by Computerworld say blanket content filtering will cripple Internet speeds because the technology is not up to scratch.
Online libertarians claim the blacklists could be expanded to censor material such as euthanasia, drugs and protest.
Internode network engineer Mark Newton said many users falsely believe the opt-out proviso will remove content filtering.
“Users can opt-out of the 'additional material' blacklist (referred to in a department press release, which is a list of things unsuitable for children, but there is no opt-out for 'illegal content'”, Newton said.
“That is the way the testing was formulated, the way the upcoming live trials will run, and the way the policy is framed; to believe otherwise is to believe that a government department would go to the lengths of declaring that some kind of Internet content is illegal, then allow an opt-out.
“Illegal is illegal and if there is infrastructure in place to block it, then it will be required to be blocked — end of story.”
Newton said advisers to Minister Conroy have told ISPs that Internet content filtering will be mandatory for all users.
The government reported it does not expected to prescribe which filtering technologies ISPs can use, and will only set blacklists of filtered content, supplied by the Australia Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
EFA chair Dale Clapperton said in a previous article that Internet content filtering could lead to censorship of drugs, political dissident and other legal freedoms.
“Once the public has allowed the system to be established, it is much easier to block other material,” Clapperton said.
According to preliminary trials, the best Internet content filters would incorrectly block about 10,000 Web pages from one million.
Top 10 Worst Politicians...
Sure, just about every member of the House (except Ron Paul) and the entire Senate could make this list, but it's easier to pick on just a few of them.
Click Here for the list
Click Here for the list
Friday, October 17, 2008
Banks not pumping cash back to consumers
Yahoo.com
Banks Admit Bailout Won't Work
So much for that story. A few days ago, when Hank Paulson called the heads of the nine families to Washington and shoved cash down their throats, he announced that the banks would use this new taxpayer cash to lend. They won't, of course. They'll hoard it like a starving family who has just been given a grocery cart full of food.
And after a few days of silence, even the banks are finally admitting that. So it's back to the drawing board for Paulson & Co.
Next steps? Find a way to force the banks to write their assets down to nuclear winter levels, so 1) private investors don't have to worry about getting sandbagged and therefore invest more in the banks, and 2) the banks know they won't be forced to take more multi-billion dollar losses. Only then will the banks begin to lend again. And at that point, the only challenge will be finding people and companies to lend to, in an economy headed straight into the tank.)
NYT: , John Thain, the chief executive of Merrill Lynch, said on Thursday that banks were unlikely to act swiftly. Executives at other banks privately expressed a similar view.
“We will have the opportunity to redeploy that,” Mr. Thain said of the new capital on a telephone call with analysts. “But at least for the next quarter, it’s just going to be a cushion."...
“I don’t think that the market wants to see that capital being put to work to leverage the business up again,” said Roger Freeman, an analyst at Barclays Capital, which acquired parts of the now-bankrupt Lehman Brothers last month. “My expectation is it’s quarters off, not months off, before you see that capital being put to work.”...
Jamie Dimon, the chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan, said his bank was in a stronger position to use the money than some of its competitors.
“It’s clear that the government would like us to use the capital,” Mr. Dimon said on a conference call with analysts on Wednesday. “If you are a bank that is filling a hole, you obviously can’t do that.”
Who is "a bank that is filling a hole"? Seven of the nine that just got taxpayer money.
Banks Admit Bailout Won't Work
So much for that story. A few days ago, when Hank Paulson called the heads of the nine families to Washington and shoved cash down their throats, he announced that the banks would use this new taxpayer cash to lend. They won't, of course. They'll hoard it like a starving family who has just been given a grocery cart full of food.
And after a few days of silence, even the banks are finally admitting that. So it's back to the drawing board for Paulson & Co.
Next steps? Find a way to force the banks to write their assets down to nuclear winter levels, so 1) private investors don't have to worry about getting sandbagged and therefore invest more in the banks, and 2) the banks know they won't be forced to take more multi-billion dollar losses. Only then will the banks begin to lend again. And at that point, the only challenge will be finding people and companies to lend to, in an economy headed straight into the tank.)
NYT: , John Thain, the chief executive of Merrill Lynch, said on Thursday that banks were unlikely to act swiftly. Executives at other banks privately expressed a similar view.
“We will have the opportunity to redeploy that,” Mr. Thain said of the new capital on a telephone call with analysts. “But at least for the next quarter, it’s just going to be a cushion."...
“I don’t think that the market wants to see that capital being put to work to leverage the business up again,” said Roger Freeman, an analyst at Barclays Capital, which acquired parts of the now-bankrupt Lehman Brothers last month. “My expectation is it’s quarters off, not months off, before you see that capital being put to work.”...
Jamie Dimon, the chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan, said his bank was in a stronger position to use the money than some of its competitors.
“It’s clear that the government would like us to use the capital,” Mr. Dimon said on a conference call with analysts on Wednesday. “If you are a bank that is filling a hole, you obviously can’t do that.”
Who is "a bank that is filling a hole"? Seven of the nine that just got taxpayer money.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Hidden Truth of the Bailout
October 1, 2008
Bailout Bill Doesn't Need to Waive Federal Acquisition Law
Bailout Bill Could Create Billions in Abuses by Waving Federal Contracting Laws
Petaluma, Calif. - The following is a statement by American Small Business League President Lloyd Chapman:
In its present form, the bailout bill will give Bush Administration officials broad power to waive any provision of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) they choose for an indefinite period of time.
Section 107 of the bill could be a recipe for disaster at a time when the national economy has plummeted as the direct result of a blatant lack of proper government oversight. It would be foolhardy and irresponsible for Congress to grant the very individuals that are directly responsible for one of the worst economic disasters in United States history even more power to ignore federal procurement law for as long as they deem necessary.
The multitude of problems that could arise by allowing government officials to ignore even the most foundational principals of the FAR could be catastrophic. Staggering abuses in federal contracting are a common occurrence. Many of the nation's largest defense contractors are regularly found to be defrauding the federal government out of hundreds of millions and even billions in taxpayer dollars.
Waving provisions of the FAR could result in billions of dollars in fraud and abuse at multiple levels of government. Government officials cannot be trusted with the power to waive any federal procurement law they deem unnecessary.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sacks before he came to Washington and he will no doubt be back on Wall Street in an equally if not more powerful position in 90 days. Of all the Bush Administration officials that deserve their fair share of responsibility for our nation's financial disaster, Treasury Secretary Paulson's name should be close to the top of the list.
Treasury Secretary Paulson should not be trusted to waive provisions of the FAR, which could be beneficial to his past and future employers on Wall Street and detrimental to the primary goal of the bailout bill, which is to bolster the national economy. More fraud, abuse and loopholes for Wall Street and government officials will not make our nation's financial institutions more sound, create more jobs or help middle class Americans pay their bills.
-###-
Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575
Bailout Bill Doesn't Need to Waive Federal Acquisition Law
Bailout Bill Could Create Billions in Abuses by Waving Federal Contracting Laws
Petaluma, Calif. - The following is a statement by American Small Business League President Lloyd Chapman:
In its present form, the bailout bill will give Bush Administration officials broad power to waive any provision of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) they choose for an indefinite period of time.
Section 107 of the bill could be a recipe for disaster at a time when the national economy has plummeted as the direct result of a blatant lack of proper government oversight. It would be foolhardy and irresponsible for Congress to grant the very individuals that are directly responsible for one of the worst economic disasters in United States history even more power to ignore federal procurement law for as long as they deem necessary.
The multitude of problems that could arise by allowing government officials to ignore even the most foundational principals of the FAR could be catastrophic. Staggering abuses in federal contracting are a common occurrence. Many of the nation's largest defense contractors are regularly found to be defrauding the federal government out of hundreds of millions and even billions in taxpayer dollars.
Waving provisions of the FAR could result in billions of dollars in fraud and abuse at multiple levels of government. Government officials cannot be trusted with the power to waive any federal procurement law they deem unnecessary.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sacks before he came to Washington and he will no doubt be back on Wall Street in an equally if not more powerful position in 90 days. Of all the Bush Administration officials that deserve their fair share of responsibility for our nation's financial disaster, Treasury Secretary Paulson's name should be close to the top of the list.
Treasury Secretary Paulson should not be trusted to waive provisions of the FAR, which could be beneficial to his past and future employers on Wall Street and detrimental to the primary goal of the bailout bill, which is to bolster the national economy. More fraud, abuse and loopholes for Wall Street and government officials will not make our nation's financial institutions more sound, create more jobs or help middle class Americans pay their bills.
-###-
Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
My message to Rep. Dennis Moore
I wrote Mr. Moore to help pull HR 2755 out of the finance committee and to the floor for debate. Here is the text of that message
-------------------------------------------------
Mr. Moore,
I have read the text of the bill (HR 2755) written to abolish the Federal Reserve, and I am in full support of the pending bill. It is absolutely absurd that we should answer to the bankers that will do nothing but enslave us for the power and greed that they desire. We as human beings do not deserve this. We as Americans should be sick to our stomachs knowing that we will work till our death and leave our children and grandchildren saddled with a bankrupt country. Andrew Jackson succeeded with the removal of the Central Bank system during his presidency and allowed us to be debt free for a time. Since the Federal Reserve's inception, our debt has skyrocketed to 10 trillion dollars. TEN TRILLION dollars? How are the American people supposed to sleep at night knowing that our lives will be controlled by a small group of madmen with $ signs in their eyes? This bill has been sitting for nearly 16 months without movement. Mr. Paul, your fellow House member, has drafted an essential bill that no single person wants to debate. I implore you to work with Mr. Paul to move this bill to a debate and pass this bill.
----------------------------------------------------
I urge you to write as well
-------------------------------------------------
Mr. Moore,
I have read the text of the bill (HR 2755) written to abolish the Federal Reserve, and I am in full support of the pending bill. It is absolutely absurd that we should answer to the bankers that will do nothing but enslave us for the power and greed that they desire. We as human beings do not deserve this. We as Americans should be sick to our stomachs knowing that we will work till our death and leave our children and grandchildren saddled with a bankrupt country. Andrew Jackson succeeded with the removal of the Central Bank system during his presidency and allowed us to be debt free for a time. Since the Federal Reserve's inception, our debt has skyrocketed to 10 trillion dollars. TEN TRILLION dollars? How are the American people supposed to sleep at night knowing that our lives will be controlled by a small group of madmen with $ signs in their eyes? This bill has been sitting for nearly 16 months without movement. Mr. Paul, your fellow House member, has drafted an essential bill that no single person wants to debate. I implore you to work with Mr. Paul to move this bill to a debate and pass this bill.
----------------------------------------------------
I urge you to write as well
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