TSA’s New Pat-down Rules

Most of us have heard the recent reports about the new TSA (Transportation Security Admin.)pat-down rules at airports.  Listening to the TV interviews, it seems like most people are pretty tolerant of the new procedures while others feel they violate their human rights.  TSA administrators claim they are not doing this because they want to, but because of  the increased threat of terrorism.  Full body scans have been implemented at International Airports throughout the country.   Most passengers are willing to endure the pat-down  in exchange for increased safety.   Even though TSA officers are well-trained, generally well-qualified and earn far more than the minimum wage, security analysts claim more training is necessary.    Many passengers request private screening or with someone they trust.   People with serious health issues are perhaps most affected.  They feel violated when scans reveal personal devices.   TSA’s are taught two basic duties:  Discover and stop emerging transportation security threats, using state of the art technology and educate and provide friendly customer service to travelers in accord with TSA  regulations.

Politics

Tea Party crasher, Christine O’Donnell trumped over two time Republican Mike Castle in a

stunning victory for the Senate on Tuesday.  Did she take a page out of Sarah Palin’s playbook?

Julian Assange speaks from prison

Julian Assange speaks out from behind his prison cell in London to defend himself and attack the financial companies that suspended payments to his WikiLeak website.   Assange told his mother that he is committed to publishing some 250,000 pages of secret U.S. diplomatic cables despite condemnation from Washington and elsewhere.  According to his mother, Assange remains undaunted in his  quest to stand firm on his convictions.  When asked “was it worth it,” he replied in a written statement, “If anything this process has increased my determination that they are true and correct.  Assange is still trying to secure bail in London in an effort to fight extradition to Sweden in a sex crime investigation where he is accused of rape, and sexual molestation.   Some of the disclosures of WikiLeak have offended U.S. allies and angered its rivals.  Officials in Washington claim some other countries have already curtailed their dealings with the U.S. government as a result.  Assange claims that major companies like Visa, Mastercard and Paypal are among those companies involved in U.S. foreign policy and he is calling on the world to protect his work and people from these illegal and immoral attacks.  According to reports from U.S. prosecutors,  Assange  could be indicted for espeonage after WikiLeak’s publication of cables.

Julian Assange’s WikiLeak

Charming, cagey, brilliant mind.  These are some of the adjectives that describe Julian Assange.   This is the  39 year old Australian creator of  WikiLeak Media was recently arrested in London for sex crimes in Sweden.  According to one media,  Assange  is now the most dangerous man in America.    He is also wanted by officials around the world for his website, WikiLeak publications of documents containing confidential information.   WikiLeak is  a non-profit media organization dedicated to bringing important news and information to the public.  They claim to provide innovative, secure and anonymous ways for independent sources around the world to leak information to their journalist  who publish material of ethical, political and historic significance while keeping the identification of their sources anonymous.    Some say he has built a public firewall around himself.  Assange claims that if anything happens to him, others will release key leaks.

North Korea’s Nuclear Arms Threat

When President Obama took office in 08, one of the his primary goals was to rid the world of the threat of nuclear arms.  Now, with the recent turn of events in North Korea, many doubt whether he can turn his vision into reality.  On Saturday, North Korea threatened a powerful nuclear response to joint military exercises by the US and South Korea, which are due to start Sunday.  North Korea’s fully functioning uranium enrichment plant has caused much anguish from Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.  According to a North Korean paper  on 11/17,  they have successfully carried out a nuclear fusion reaction.  The paper said North Korea had developed the technology independently of other scientists.  US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has estimated that North Korea has up to six nuclear weapons.  Another way of making nuclear bombs is enriching uranium.  Last September North Korea announced it had reached the final state of that process.  US  defense officials claim the plant would enable the communist state to build more nuclear weapons.  Neighboring South Korea expressed grave concerns and Japan has denounced the news as “absolutely unacceptable.”   However, after Washington’s  special envoy Stephen Bosworth sat down with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan, he  reported that the move was provocative but not a crisis.  Increasing pressure has been put on North Korea to dismantle its nuclear programme, but six- nation talks with the US, Russia, China, South Korea and Japan have been on hold since 2008.  China is North Korea’s main source of food, fuel and finance.  Much of this has resulted from UN sanctions.  China has warned against holding the exercise and the US increased sanctions against North Korea.

Court’s Decision – Don’t Ask,Don’t Tell

The U.S. Supreme Court decided Friday, 11/12 to allow the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military to remain in place while a federal appeals court considers the issue.  The made no comment on denying a request from the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group, to step into the federal court review of don’t ask, don’t tell.”  Last month, a federal judge in California ruled that the policy violates the civil rights of gay Americans.  An injunction was issued to bar the Pentagon from applying it.  The policy which prohibits gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, was lifted for eights days in October after U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips ruled that it violates the U.S. Constitution.  The Obama Administration asked the appeals court to reinstate the ban until the court could hear arguments on the broader constitutional issues next year.  Newly appointed Justice,  Elena Kagan did not take part in the court’s decision of the issue.

Mexico’s Generation Lost to Drugs

According to recent studies from the Mexican National University system, millions of Mexican teens are being swept into the drug cartel wars in roles as victims or perpetrators.   Because of the high rate of teen unemployment in Mexico, many of them are  turning to organized crime as a means of making money.  Teens are being recruited out of the Mexican slums and are paid as little as 100 to smuggle drugs or even to kill someone.   Many are calling on Mexican president Felipe Calderon,  to create opportunities for these teens and take them off the street.    In Ciudad Juarez alone (considered to be one of Mexico’s most violent cities) there is an estimated 45 percent of residents between the ages of 13 and 24 who are either on drugs or involved in crime related drug activities.  Ciudad Juarez is said to be the home of  most murderous city on the face of the planet.  Many of the people in Juarez are uneducated and unemployed.    Slum areas extend up in the hills and valleys.  It is reported that criminal cartels are the only source of work and that mafia will now pay  a young person $1,000 per trip if he or she will smuggle drugs across the border.  Drug gangs pay youth as little as $100 to take someone out.    President Felipe Calderon says he is working hard to bring better opportunities to young people.  Inspite of the devastating drug situation, there has risen out the the ashes a hero.  A 20 yr. old working mother and criminology student named Marisol Valles has decided to become a role model for her commmunity.   Last month she was sworn in as police chief in the community of Praxedis Guadalupe Guerrero, which is upstate from Juarez.   She has become known as “the bravest woman in Mexico. She took the job because no one else had the courage to take it.  The last police was kidnapped and decapitated.  Her desire is to build a place where young people can fulfill their hopes and dreams.

Related Articles

• Mexico’s Lost Youth: Generation Narco (time.com)
• Calderon tries to cut crime in Mexican drug war city (reuters.com)
• Mexico hunting 12-year-old drug hitman (msnbc.msn.com)
• Risks grow for those whose lives straddle border (msnbc.msn.com)
• Two more women join Mexico’s police chiefs (msnbc.msn.com)

GOF Chairman in Dover to rally troops

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele met with Kent County Republican supporters in Dover to lend his support of  Christine O’Donnell to U.S. Senate.    A cheering crowd was on hand to greet him.  Ms O’Donnell along with former state Senator John Still and Kent County Republican chairman Hans Reigle, cheered a they welcomed Mr. Steele took the platform.   Mr. Steele  told the crowd that this election is about a different king of leadership.   He spoke of traveling the land and hearing people say how frustrated they were with the present government.  Steele arrived in a gleaming red bus emblazoned with the seal of the Republican National Committee and the words, “Need a job?  Fire Pelosi!   Crowds of people carried signs that said, “We’ve had enough!” and “Fire Pelosi!” Many Republican supporters feel House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California has come to personify the excuses of the Democratic Party, along with Mr. Harry Reid of Nevada and President Barack Obama.   Mr. Steele urged the crowd to work as never before to make change happen.   As he spoke fondly of  past senator, Bill Roth, he said to the crowd, “There’s a lot of mess out there, a lot of talking.  A lot of smack about this race, you’ve got to shut them down.”   Ms. O’Donnell said this is no time for excuses about the economy, but a time for action.   She noted that the country has fallen on hard times before and pulled through by cutting taxes and cutting spending.  She stated, “These are economic principles that government can enact.  They are not partisan principles.  They are American principles.”  Even though Ms. O’Donnell is narrowing the gap, current  polls still show her opponent, Democrat Christ Coons in the lead.

Chris Coons forum at Wesley College

U.S. Senate candidate Chris Coons was confronted with some tough questions at Monday night’s meeting held at Wesley College. The democratic nominee met with students and the public in an event organized by the college’s Student Government Association (SGA).  One of the first questions asked of Mr. Coons by SGA Vice President, Bryan Zara, was how his own experiences as New Castle County executive will impact decisions he makes if elected to the U.S. Senate.   Mr. Coons replied that when he came into office as the executive, the government had serious problems dealing with criminal corruption.  He stated, “The entire county ethics commission resigned twice as a group to get the public’s attention.”   Mr. Coons added that in order to combat the problems, he worked to amend the ethics code and changed how the budget process was conducted.   Chris worked as an in-house counselor for W. L. Gore & Associates for 8 yrs. and has worked with several non-profit organizations including Council for the Homeless, the “I have a Dream Foundation” and the African-American Council of Churches.  A graduate of Yale Law School, Chris holds a bachelor’s in chemistry and political science from Amherst College and a master’s degree in ethics from Yale Divinity School. Coons, a long time resident of New Castle, grew up in the Pike’s Creek and Hockessin areas.    During the Wesley event, Mr. Coons was also asked about his opinion on the war in Afghanistan and President Barack Obama’s plans for the withdrawal of troops.  His reply was that we should leave enough assets, intelligence assets and real military assets to knock down any re-emerging Al-Qaeda threats that could directly attack the United States.  He feels that troops have already given enough sacrifices and should not be forced to continue.  As  a brother and son of a veteran, Coons feels that the best way to respect men and women in arms is to  give them a clear mission, support and resources to execute, and then bring them home instead of engaging them  in an  endless mission.  When asked what has been the least notable thing of this campaign, he responded, “being away from his family, especially the kids.”  He now lives in Wilmington,Delaware with his wife Anne and three kids, Michael, Jack and Maggie.

O’Donnell and Coons Face-Off for Delaware Senate

Tea Party supporter/ Republican Senate Candidate Christine O’Donnell and Democratic Candidate Chris Coons faced off at the University of Delaware in a battle for the Senate seat in Congress.  During the 90 minute debate the two were pitted against each other in Mitchell Hall at the University of Delaware.  The debate was aired by CNN and moderated by CNN’s Wolf  Blitzer and Nancy Karibjanian of Delaware First Media.  UD students also took part in the debate through video taped questions.  During the debate Ms. O’Donnell challenged Coons’ patriotism openly referring to him as a Marxist who would rubber stamp overspending policies of the Obama Administration.  Coons, in turn, called O’Donnell a person devoid of concrete ideas, only experienced in delivering slogans and not solutions.   Ms. O’Donnell, who has not been able to close the gap in polls, came out with guns smoking.  She accused Coons of cutting off low-income seniors and disabled people from a property tax exemption.  She accused Coons of being a rubber-stamp for Obama and Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid.  Christine could not aggressively defend herself about her personal financial problems and stumbled when asked about her favorite Supreme Court ruling.  O’Donnell could not think of any and said she would put it oh her website later.  Coons declared that O’Donnell had experience at running for office, but not really running anything.   Coons also implied that O’Donnell was good at  catchy slogans that make good sound bites  but no good at focusing on Delaware issues.  O’Donnell implied that Chris Coons was part of the old guard of politicians, calling him a career politician.  Current polls show Coons leading O’Donnell by 16 points in the race.

Flowers responds to airing of dirty laundry

Democratic candidate for state treasurer, Chipman Flowers, declares that a political column published Oct. 12 alleging him of  domestic violence was overstated with salacious details.  Flowers  claims that the details regarding the two past cases he was implicated in was really a political “hit job” orchestrated by his Republican opponent, Dover Sen. Colin Bonini.   Dover Post columnist, Celia Cohen published the article detailing allegations of domestic violence made against the Ivy-League educated lawyer concerning his former lovers.  One  was thrown out of court for lack of evidence, the other case resulted in an acquittal  by a jury.  Flowers claims that though the article correctly stated that he was cleared of all charges, it did not accurately portray his version of the events.    Flowers further added that both cases were purely the result of his taste in partners.