TED RALL... SCUMBAG

Cartoon Panelists Say Their Hate Mail Has Some Recurring Themes
(Click Here for Entire Faggot Article)

As a panel of editorial cartoonists discussed the hate mail they receive, several expected and not-so-expected themes emerged: war and 9/11 are sensitive subjects, firefighters can overreact, and angry readers often describe cartoonists with a certain homophobic slur that begins with "f."

One of Babin's panels played on the famous 9/11 photo of the American flag being raised by three firefighters at Ground Zero; this time, the men were hoisting a flag with the Playboy bunny logo.

President elect of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC), Ted Rall, had a much more frightening experience with firefighters. As many readers know, the Universal Press Syndicate creator did some hard-hitting cartoons after 9/11 -- including the "Terror Widows" one about how some women seemed to be capitalizing on their husbands' 9/11 deaths.

Firefighters not pleased with Rall's work came to the cartoonist's New York City apartment building one day. "There were 40 guys in front of the building with axes telling the superintendent that they were going to kick my ass."

Another time, a police sergeant phoned Rall (who could see the precinct number on his caller ID), introduced himself by name, and politely threatened to slit the throats of Rall and his wife. The cartoonist contacted three TV stations and other media outlets, but none of them would touch the story.

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THOUSAND POINTS OF RIGHT

“His (Ted Rall) cartoons now appear in more than 140 publications, including the Philadelphia Daily News, Aspen Times, Hartford Advocate, Newark Star-Ledger, Los Angeles Times, Wilmington News-Journal, San Diego Reader, Village Voice, Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News, Las Vegas Review Journal, Washington City Paper, Tucson Weekly, Sacramento News & Review, San Jose Mercury-News, Lexington Herald-Leader and New York Times.”

“In addition to being a cartoonist and a columnist, Ted also does full-color illustration assignments on a freelance basis for various clients, including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Personal Magazine and The New York Times.” (Taken from http://www.rall.com/about.htm) (Contact Ted Rall at: chet@rall.com )

Michael R. Bloomberg’s, New York-based company (which includes Bloomberg Personal Finance Magazine), employs more than 10,000 people in over 126 offices around the world.

"Rall raised hackles with his May 4, 2004 Op/Ed "An Army of Scum: Or, We're Looking For a Few Good Homosexual Rapists," in which he wrote about the Abu Ghraib scandal.

Three characters in another strip described Pat Tillman as an "idiot" a "sap" and a "hero" for abandoning his NFL career to enlist in the armed forces. Tillman is depicted saying "Sign me up, as long as I get to kill Arabs."

In a June 8, 2004, blog entry published shortly after the death of Ronald Reagan, Rall said the former President is "turning crispy brown right about now," implying that he is burning in Hell because of his policies."

Free speech ?? There is nothing comedic about Rall’s cartoons. We should never forget this scumbag, just as we should never forget 9/11 or seeing Danny Pearle’s head being cut off.

Why have we put these images aside ? Because they turn our stomachs. They should turn Schaitberger’s and Sweeney’s stomachs also.

They should be rallying 285,000 IAFF firefighters and 10.5 million AFL-CIO union members, nationwide, in boycotting those who dare publish these “over the top” cartoons.

Their creations go far beyond Freedom of Speech; they cross the boundaries of decency and respect .

The AFL-CIO and IAFF should lend their energies to fighting those who mock our patriots, who defile firefighters, 9/11 widows, our military, the Pat Tillman’s, the Danny Pearles and Nick Bergs. Instead these “Quisling Union Leaders(?)” choose to spend their time and money supporting some 2 term state senator (with little to no experience or accomplishments on the national scene) just because he’s a Democrat. Please !

jg Thousand Points of Right

THOUSAND POINTS OF RIGHT - AFL-CIO

On Thu, 6/26/08, JG wrote:

From: Thousand Points of Right
Subject: May God Have Mercy on Your Soul !!!
To: peoplepower@aflcio.org, jsweeney@aflcio.org
Cc: "Harold Schaitberger" , "Peter Gorman" , "Kevin Gallagher"
Date: Thursday, June 26, 2008, 5:10 PM

Dear Mr. Sweeney,

You have Sold-Out your nation to typical Demoncrat Politics.

I believe George Meany would have placed this nation before union politics.

Your following statement about Barak Obama...

"As the son of a single mother, as a Chicago community organizer and Illinois state senator, Obama saw firsthand and addressed the struggles of working families. And in his years in the U.S. Senate, he has earned a 98 percent record of voting on behalf of working families.

On the greatest priorities of America’s union movement and the millions of working people we represent, Obama’s record and proposals ensure he is the right choice."... is abhorring.

Your insinuation that the Republican Party and its' leadership has ... "been sold to the highest corporate bidders—Big Oil, Big Pharma, the insurance industry, the giant mortgage lenders and the speculators."... is rediculous !

Please remind yourself that there has been a DEMONCRAT CONGRESS for the past two years and that gas prices were a little over $2.00 per/gal until they took the reins !

Please remember that if this inexperienced but preacheresque orator, who spews whatever you would like to hear is elected, YOU will be responsible for the downfall of this nation because Obama and the Demoncrat Senate will be responsible for 3 appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court. YOU will have effectively crushed this country's future and therefore the future of my children and my children's children !

YOU have SOLD-OUT this wonderful Nation for the politics of ignorance. You have placed YOUR union and it's members down an irretreivable path. You have Sold your Soul to the Devil/Highest Bidder !

Hopefully, your membership will vote their conscience... Country, Family and Union...In that order ! Without a Proud Nation, where Strength and Freedom exist together..there is NO UNION !

Sincerely,

John R. Gilleeny

CITY PENSION FUNDS LOSE BILLIONS

City Pension Funds Lose Billions
(Click Here for Entire Truth)

New York City officials are bracing for increased pressure on the budget as the city's pension funds are reeling from the credit crisis and posting billions of dollars in losses.

In the nine months leading up to March 31, the city's five pension funds lost a total of nearly $5 billion, or 4.4%, according to data from the city comptroller's office.

If those losses are not recovered by the end of the fiscal year, which ends Monday, the city will have to pay out several billion dollars through 2015, with the first payment of $190 million set for 2010.

The Teachers' Retirement System of the City of New York, which has lost 5.06% of its value in the nine months ending March 31, has been the worst performer so far this year. The New York City Employees' Retirement System, which lost 3.98% in the same period, performed the best. Other pension funds include the New York City Police Pension Fund, the New York City Fire Department Pension Fund, and the Board of Education Retirement System of the City of New York.

The city's annual contribution to the pension system will have nearly doubled between fiscal years 2005 and 2009, when it will owe about $6.1 billion.

"A large chunk of all the revenue generated by the economic growth of the last few years has been consumed by the increase in pension costs," Mr. McMahon said. "The way the legislature approached pension sweeteners is just to pass the union's wish list."

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THOUSAND POINTS OF RIGHT

Since even before the 2000 COLA, our unions have refused to support any type of COLA for "Former Active Firefighters". This legislative year the UFOA decided, 8 years too late, (when they knew a COLA increase was "Pie in the Sky") to support a COLA increase. The UFA has completely neglected its' retirees needs... as a matter of fact they have completely ignored their existence. Stevie Wonder, Slippery Slevin and crew will soon take bows because the RSBF will be $12M in the black. "Former Active Firefighters" should take ALL the credit, because it was Retirees who sacrificed by paying Deductibles, increases in RX co-pay costs, using VA Rx benefits, using a spouse's BETTER coverage, chosing between which Rx's they could afford, embarrassing themselves by having to ask for sample Rx's, etc. etc...while contributions to the RSBF were disgracefully minimal. The UFA will then tell you that the Active SBF didn't accept any increase this past contract, however, they won't tell you why ! The answer is simply that the Active SBF fund, which "Former Active Firefighters greatly built-up, was extremely solvent. Moreover, because "Former Active Firefighters" asked that the Active SBF share the cost of widows/widowers first year of health coverage, the UFA would have had a hard time denying Retirees' plea if they accepted additional contributions to the Active SBF. Additionally, (2) $80 contributions to the RSBF over 51 months is a slap in the face ! If "Former Active Firefighters" do not keep a close watch on these Pismires, we will soon discover that our RSBF has become "non-creditable" and we will find ourselves in the "Medicare Part D" debacle ! Period ! It's time to stand-up and demand an increase in RSBF funding, a reduction in our Rx deductibles & co-pays and an increase in our dental benefits. Period !

jg - Thousand Points of Right

ZEALOUS FOR SKELOS

MILLION-DOLLAR INTERESTS ARE ZEALOUS FOR SKELOS

(Click Here for Entire Article)

Dean Skelos, now the state's most powerful GOP politition, enjoys the same generous support that the coalition of labor unions, health-care interests and business groups have long protected the Republicans' dwindling Senate majority.

Friends for the Election of Dean Skelos raked in $4.9 million since 2000. Of that amount, just under half - $2.4 million - comes from the political action committees of labor unions, business groups and other special interests.

EXPLOITING 9/11

LAWYERS, UNIONS, 'SCIENTISTS'
(Click Here for Entire Article)

IT'S right to take pride in treat ing our heroes well. We should certainly compensate first responders who were actually injured as a result of exposure to the air on 9/11 and the following few days.

But we shouldn't be suckers for every claim. And a quickly growing group of workers -many of them not even sick - are trying to collect "9/11 money." These people aren't heroes.

To be fair, many aren't villains, either: They sincerely believe they're entitled to benefits - because lawyers, unions or politicians have talked them into it.

These advocates want to discard the entire scientific discipline of epidemiology (the study of the causes of human disease) to promote their own narrow interests - at huge cost to the rest of us.

You can't be exposed to dust over the phone, but if you took a call about the attacks and later suffered posttraumatic stress, your early retirement is covered by the taxpayers. Even if you didn't take a call on 9/11.

Allowing special interests to grab money on the basis of junk science does nothing to protect heroes. All New Yorkers should be incensed at this exploitation of 9/11.

CITY QUESTIONS 9/11 ILLNESS CLAIMS

City Questions 9/11 Workers’ Claims of Illness
(Click Here for Entire Article)

The first detailed review of the medical records of nearly 10,000 ground zero workers who are suing New York City and its contractors suggests that many are not as sick as their lawyers have claimed, attorneys for the city say.

The city’s review, based on medical records submitted in federal court by the workers and their lawyers, found that as many as 30 percent of the workers reported nothing more than common symptoms like runny nose or cough. In fact, more than 300 workers admitted in court documents that they were not ill at all.

The city, which faces a huge financial liability in the lawsuit, has ample reason to play down the claims of firefighters, police officers, construction workers and others who say they became ill because they were not given proper breathing equipment during the nine-month rescue and recovery operation at ground zero.

IMPROVE CONDITIONS FOR NON-UNION WORKERS

Labor Needs to Improve Conditions for Nonunion Workers, Official Warns
(Click Here)

Ed Ott, the executive director of the New York City Central Labor Council, an umbrella group for the city’s labor unions, has an unexpected and unnerving warning for New York’s more than one million union members.

He warns that their wages and living standards will be threatened unless the city’s unions do far more to lift the incomes and living standards of the city’s non-union working poor, including restaurant workers, supermarket cashiers and taxi drivers.

“Going forward, if we don’t raise the standards for the lowest-paid workers in the city, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of them, our own levels that we achieved — of wages, pensions and time off — they’re not sustainable,” said Mr. Ott, whose group is a federation of 400 union locals. “For a working class that is going to be making minimum wage or slightly above, what’s going to happen is that as taxpayers, that will create a social base for an attack on our own standards.”

He said that many low-income workers who receive no paid vacation or sick days were bound to ask why many municipal workers are entitled to 40 days off per year — combining vacation days, personal days and sick days — in their first year on the job.

In his view, unions need to embrace immigrant workers and work closely with their advocacy groups. He cited the United Federation of Teachers, which has unionized 28,000 home-based child care providers.

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Thousand Points of Right

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg extended “Executive Order 124” (Sanctuary Law), which was originally ordered by Mayor Koch and all subsequent Mayors, to be part of his administrative policy.

Bloomberg has defiantly promised, on many occasions, that New York City would continue to shield illegal aliens from the federal government. He stated, “Let’s get control of the borders and give those that are here a card where they don't have to worry. And if they want to become citizens, that's great."

Since politicians are elected to represent those who have votes, and not illegal immigrants, their duty should be to enforce tight immigration controls. These controls tend to raise wages at the low-skill end of the job market.

There are a half million illegal aliens in NY City. Are these the workers that Ed Ott, Executive Director of the NY Central Labor Council, is so concerned about ? Or are these workers, whether legal or illegal, a threat to him because they will unionize and become a separate force in negotiations with their employers ?
jg-Thousand Points Of Right

GOV NIXED SECRET TAX-CAP OFFER

GOV NIXED GOP'S SECRET TAX-CAP OFFER

(Click Here for Entire Article)

GOV. Paterson has turned down a secret offer to have Senate Republicans pass his controversial cap on runaway school-property taxes.

The deal involved a pledge by Majority Leader Joseph Bruno to quickly pass the landmark measure at today's final regular Senate session - a move designed to give the United Federation of Teachers and New York State United Teachers, the two fiercest opponents of the plan, virtually no time to mobilize against it.

Bruno, under pressure from nervous Republican senators worried about a grassroots property-tax revolt, signaled the deal was in the works last Thursday when he publicly reversed himself and said he was ready to pass Paterson's tax-cap plan.

But what Bruno didn't disclose was his secret demand that the tax cap - which was backed by 74 percent of New Yorkers in a recent poll - contain a "sunset" provision requiring it to expire in less than two years, a move designed as a concession to the two unions, which have long been a crucial part of the Senate GOP's political base.

"Bruno was trying to have it both ways, making it look like he was for a cap but at the same time making a secret demand which could kill it.

BENEFITS TO MORE 9/11 RESPONDERS

NY Gives Benefits to More 9/11 First Responders
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Gov. David Paterson and state legislators are announcing an agreement to cover additional public workers who were involved in the rescue, recovery and clean-up efforts at the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11 attacks, embracing the unanimous findings of the bipartisan September 11th Worker Protection Task Force. Here’s a report of the findings.

Under the agreed-upon legislation, submitted to the Legislature by the Governor, the “presumptive accidental disability retirement benefit” now available to some 9/11 first responders will be extended to additional first responders.

Additional first responders covered under this law include:

*state and county corrections officers and deputy sheriffs
*the non-uniformed first responders who were not required to undergo a pre-employment physical examination
*911 dispatchers
*first responders who worked for any period of time within the first 48 hours after the first plane hit the World Trade Center
*emergency vehicle radio repair mechanics
*vested members of a public pension system who terminated their employment prior to filing a claim; and
*workers who became disabled more than two years after 9/11 but before an extension was granted in the Workers’ Compensation Law which would have covered them.

IAFF - SOLID OBAMA ENDORSEMENT

AFL-CIO to Endorse Obama Within Weeks

A strong AFL-CIO endorsement could help Obama with blue-collar workers and union members in industrial states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. The AFL-CIO expects to spend about $200 million on the presidential and congressional elections, much of it on Democrats.

Rifts between AFL-CIO unions that had endorsed other candidates during the Democratic primary seemed to be forgotten after the meeting.

Harold A. Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, predicted "a solid and unanimous endorsement" for Obama. The firefighters union originally supported Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd before he ended his presidential bid in January.

A SMEAR IMPLODES

IRAQ 'MASSACRE' UNRAVELS

(Click Here for Entire Article)

"Benedict Arnold" Murtha

YET another US Marine, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, had charges dropped Tuesday in the so-called Haditha massacre - bringing the total number of Marines who've been cleared or won case dismissals in the Iraq war incident to seven.

In Chessani's case, the military judge found that Gen. James Mattis had succumbed to impermissible outside meddling in bringing charges.

Bottom line: Zero for seven for military prosecutors, with one trial left to go.

But you won't see that headline in the same Armageddon-sized font The New York Times used repeatedly when the story first broke.

The Times, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa) and the rest of the anti-war drum-pounders who fueled the smear campaign against the troops two years ago should hang their hands in shame.

The Times spilled a flood of front-page ink on the case and Timesman Paul von Zielbauer filed over 30 stories on the case, which the paper called the war's "defining atrocity."

And, of course, there's the permanent stain left by Murtha's slanderous propaganda: "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

Relatives of the Haditha Marines have called for Congress to censure Murtha, who cuts and runs to the nearest elevator when questioned about the Haditha dismissals.

GIULIANI SLAMS OBAMA OVER TERROR

Giuliani Slams Obama Over Terror
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John McCain’s presidential campaign is making former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani point man in attacking Barack Obama’s approach to combating terrorism.

Giuliani said Obama’s praise for a recent Supreme Court decision to grant terrorist detainees rights to habeas corpus hearings was “startling” in a conference call on behalf of the McCain campaign Wednesday morning.

It shows that Obama is “more concerned about the rights of terrorists than the American people have to safety and security,” Giuliani said. Under the new decision, “It is fair to say that Osama Bin Laden [if caught and taken to Guantanamo Bay]…would be given new rights that no one else has been given before,” Giuliani said.

The former Mayor also noted criticisms he was making of Obama’s philosophy toward terrorism were also made by Obama’s former primary opponent Hillary Clinton.

WEST SIDE STORY

West Side Story

(Click Here for Entire Article)

Why does it take a tragedy to teach people like me what firefighters are made of ?

These days the firefighters I keep remembering are from the years I lived and worked in New York City. Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9. Brick firehouse, not large, on the corner of Eighth Avenue and 48th Street. It was said to be the busiest firehouse in the city and perhaps the most visible. Next to Manhattan’s Theater District (the “Great White Way”), the station whose motto is “Never Missed A Performance” is also renowned as the “Pride of Midtown.”

Whenever I walked up that stretch of Eighth Avenue, I always made a point of passing by the fire station on 48th Street to wave and grin and maybe toss a laugh line at the guy sitting on the chair in front of the fire trucks. No big deal, just my way of saying hello and acknowledging their service. And the guy would nod, smile, wave back. Thus, I had performed my civic duty for the day.

But to be honest, I never worried about the people inside Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9. In fact, they appeared to an outside observer as having a pretty good life. Yes, I was aware that conditions could be tough, and firefighters have to be tough. OK, that’s part of the job. It ain’t easy. All the same, it looked easy. Whichever guy sitting back on that chair with a grin on his face never looked worried to me. Cool, calm, relaxed, not a care in the world.

On 9/11, the entire shift of 15 firefighters from Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9 was buried in the collapse of the World Trade Center, more than were lost from any other firehouse in the New York City Fire Department on that fateful day.

To those of you who may put your own lives at risk in order to save the lives of others, may I say thank you once more. I regret that it took 9/11, however, to teach me what “New York’s Bravest” really meant.

AL SHARPTON AND BOYCOTT BUCKS

BIZ GIANTS PAY OR FACE RACE RALLIES
(Click Here for Entire Article)

Anheuser-Busch gave him six figures, Colgate-Palmolive shelled out $50,000 and Macy's and Pfizer have contributed thousands to the Rev. Al Sharpton's charity.

Almost 50 companies - including PepsiCo, General Motors, Wal-Mart, FedEx, Continental Airlines, Johnson & Johnson and Chase - and some labor unions sponsored Sharpton's National Action Network annual conference in April.

Terrified of negative publicity, fearful of a consumer boycott or eager to make nice with the civil-rights activist, CEOs write checks, critics say, to NAN and Sharpton - who brandishes the buying power of African-American consumers. In some cases, they hire him as a consultant.

A VICTORY FOR AL QAEDA

Boumediene v. Bush a Strategic Victory for al Qaeda

(Click Here for Entire Article)

Debra Burlingame:

Today's Supreme Court decision, Boumediene v. Bush, is a huge victory for terrorists and a step backward in the war against radical Islamists. If 9/11 taught us anything, it is that the criminal justice system is not capable of preventing catastrophic terrorists attacks - nor is it designed to be. Never in the history of American jurisprudence have we given full Constitutional rights to terrorists captured anywhere in the world who commit atrocities on civilians.

The lawyers who are championing the rights of terrorists should tell the public what this decision really means. It means that terrorists will be entitled to Miranda rights, to legal representation and the right to remain silent. And they will. When Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11, was handed over to the U.S. after his capture in Karachi in 2003, he taunted his interrogators with this, "I'll talk to you guys in New York when I see my lawyer." But they won't tell the public, they will continue to talk about preserving the rights of people who would behead journalists, blow up children and fly commercial airliners into buildings, as if those acts are an abstraction. What this decision ultimately means is that the vital intelligence we need to prevent future attacks - the kind of intelligence we didn't have on September 10, 2001 - will dry up. We will be left reacting to these attacks after the fact - just as we did in the ten years prior to the murder of 3,000 of our fellow human beings.

PLACE THE NAMES OF HEROES

The 9/11 Memorial foundation is now asking for donations ("a Nice gift for Father's Day") to place cobblestones in the 9/11 Memorial, in memory of loved ones who died on 9/11.

The names of the 9/11 heroes will NOT be on the cobblestones or marble stones. You will have to go to a kiosk to find out which brick you have purchased in their memory.

The excuse of the 9/11 Memorial foundation is that their names will be listed by the pools of reflection. If you have donated with the expectation of your loved ones' name on the stones, you are sadly mistaken.

Out of respect for the heroes who died on 9/11/01, the 9/11 Memorial Foundation should place the names of 9/11 heroes on the cobblestones, whose families and friends have donated.

You are out of touch with reality and the wishes of almost ALL the families and friends of 9/11 heroes. If you listened to the families, I think your fundraising would improve dramatically.

Deputy Chief Jim Riches FDNY 917-692-1199
Father of Firefighter Jimmy Riches, Engine-4 (9/11/01)

BUSH LOSES GITMO FIGHT (5-4)

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Gitmo Detainees
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"The justices, voting 5-4, said a 2006 law unconstitutionally stripped Guantanamo prisoners of the right to file so-called habeas corpus petitions," Bloomberg News reports. "The majority rejected arguments that a system of limited judicial review set up by Congress was adequate to protect inmate rights."

The Associated Press notes in its bulletin that this is the third time that the high court has ruled in favor of the 270 terrorism suspects who are being held without charge at the U.S. military facility.

Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy says: "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times."

In dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts criticizes his colleagues for overruling "the most generous set of procedural protections ever afforded aliens detained by this country as enemy combatants."

KUCINICH: IMPEACH BUSH

Dennis Kucinich Introduces Resolution To Impeach Bush

WASHINGTON - Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic presidential contender, said Monday he wants the House to consider a resolution to impeach President Bush.

Kucinich, D-Ohio, read his proposed impeachment language in a floor speech. He contended Bush deceived the nation and violated his oath of office in leading the country into the Iraq war.

Kucinich introduced a resolution last year to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney. That resolution was killed, but only after Republicans initially voted in favor of taking up the measure to force a debate.

ARRESTS FOR FIRE CODE VIOLATIONS

A Multitude of Arrests for Fire Code Violations
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To date, 221 people — including 104 within the past week — have been arrested on warrants charging them with failing to appear in court to answer outstanding criminal summonses for fire code violations, according to a joint statement by Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and the commissioner of the Department of Investigation, Rose Gill Hearn.

Of the 104 people arrested in the last week, 35 have been fined a total of $13,500 for fire code violations in a strategy embarked upon last July by fire marshals and city investigators. Since then, the city has ordered $50,500 in fines, officials said.

The fines range from $100 to $2,000 each, officials said.

Among the violations cited are failing to maintain a standpipe or sprinkler system, blocking exits, illegally storing propane and having no fire extinguishers. Such provisions are considered the core of fire safety in high-rise buildings in an urban environment.

EUROPEAN FUEL PROTESTS

European Fuel Protests Widen Along Spanish-French Border

(Click Here for Entire Article)

Gasoline at $4 a gallon? If that was America's nightmare over the weekend as fuel prices reached a record national average pity poor Europe, where the price of oil and taxes levied at the pump combine to push prices to about double the U.S. level.

Spanish truckers say the price of diesel fuel - which varies among European countries - was now 1.30 euros per liter, roughly $7.73 per U.S. gallon, compared to 0.95 euros per liter a year ago. At that price, they argue, it costs them far more to buy fuel than they earn from trucking contracts.

The sustained surge in oil prices has left many Europeans bewildered by the relentless increase in the cost of gasoline and diesel bills. Depending on where and how fuel is bought, the price of diesel - widely used in private cars as well as by truckers, fishermen and farmers - can reach the equivalent of almost $9 per gallon.

U.S. TAKES A HIKE !

U.S. Takes a Hike
(NY Daily News Editorial)
Word comes that the U.S. is finally walking out of the United Nations' bad joke of a Human Rights Council.

This is the Human Rights Council that was created to replace the discredited Human Rights Commission, and that has proved to be just as vile. Hijacked by nutso Islamic and African governments, the Council has been unconcerned with human rights in, say, Sudan, or, say, Burma, but regularly denounces Israel and America as the world's worst butchers. Recognizing the body for what it is, the U.S. never sought an elected seat, and our diplomats have tried to be patient and, well, diplomatic.

But enough. Washington has informed the European Union that it will "disengage totally" from participation. Good.

And we do hope this signals an intention to have nothing whatever to do with that Durban II conference down the road - the "anti-racism" pow-wow headed by Libya, Cuba and Iran that is shaping up to be so spectacular a hatefest that we would shame ourselves by getting anywhere near it.

MILITARY PERSONNEL HARASSED

Military Personnel Harassed on Subway
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A pro-family activist and former presidential candidate says it is outrageous that military personnel in uniform, who use public transportation while traveling to the Pentagon, are being publically harassed by anti-war leftists.

Gary Bauer, Chairman of American Values, says in one case a woman in uniform was followed as she exited a Washington, D.C., subway train and a left wing thug continued to berate her as she exited the metro station.

"Freedom of speech, like all our liberties, has limitations on it. When somebody is in a public place, they have a right not to be harassed," Bauer explains.

In fact, Bauer notes, harassment itself is against the law. "And in this case I would call it traitorous.

Bauer believes these protestors are being constantly urged by left wing blogs and websites to harass the military. And he says left wing politicians who compare U.S. troops to Nazis bear responsibility, too – as do those in the media who constantly present the troops in a negative way.

ALBANY IS FOR SALE

Green Light for Corruption
(NY Daily News Editorial)
The sleaze that is the New York State Legislature continues to reveal itself in new and astonishing ways.

The latest specimen is Democratic Assemblyman David Gantt of Rochester, Transportation Committee chairman. He pulled a maneuver so lousy, his Albany cohorts are running away from him as fast as they can.

This is the Mr. Gantt who has for the last seven years singlehandedly blocked plans by numerous cities, including New York, to use cameras to enforce traffic rules.

Speed cameras? Gantt said no.
Additional red-light cameras? Gantt said no.
Cameras to snag drivers who hog bus-only lanes? Gantt said no.

He explained his opposition as a matter of high principle. He said cameras would violate privacy.

But all of a sudden, Gantt has begun to love Big Brother. He introduced a bill that endorsed red-light cameras, writing that his measure was "aimed at helping reduce a major safety problem at urban and rural intersections."

But Gantt wasn't interested in letting cities like New York and Buffalo buy the red-light cameras of their choice. His bill mandates cameras that use a technology marketed by just a single upstate company.

And that firm happens to employ Gantt's former Transportation Committee counsel Robert Gaddy as an $80,000 lobbyist. The fix was in. Caught in flagrante, Gantt admitted to Newsday that he had introduced the bill as a "favor" to Gaddy, adding:

"He's like a son to me. I don't know the company, never talked to them."

That should be no surprise. This same Legislature made a routine business of passing fraudulent pension bills for politically powerful unions.

There is no other conclusion but that Albany is for sale.

UNION, SAN JOSE & POLICE PAY

ARGUMENTS HEAT UP AS CONTRACT TALKS GO ON
(Click Here for Entire Article)
"We're not asking for the world - we're not even asking for much," said POA President Bobby Lopez. "If you look at our comparables, it shows we're second-to-last in the county. We're losing cops to other organizations."

While Reed has declared public safety to be San Jose's top priority, the POA says city funding levels indicate otherwise. A POA comparison of maximum officer salaries indicates San Jose's current rate of $91,000 is well below that of most other cities in the county and of other major Bay Area departments.

By July 1, an officer's maximum salary will be $113,000 in Santa Clara, $104,000 in Milpitas, $98,000 in Oakland and $96,000 in San Francisco.

Lopez said that might explain why the San Jose Police Department was only able to find 45 qualified candidates for 53 openings in its last recruitment academy. And he said 14 of those candidates later dropped out.

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION

Trials Planned for Anniversary of 9/11
(Click Here for Full Article)

By James Gordon Meek - DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL STATION, Cuba - The Bush administration is trying to put on trial, convict and execute five Al Qaeda operatives for the 9/11 attacks.

The system the administration has chosen - military commissions - has failed to clear legal roadblocks in the nearly seven years since President Bush first proposed them.

No trial date has been set, though prosecutors in the 9/11 case want to begin trials on the seventh anniversary of the attacks, which also would coincide with the fall election campaign.

The Pentagon hopes that the military trials styled on the Nuremberg Nazi war crimes tribunals - though far less fair, critics charge - will be jump-started by Thursday's arraignment.

Many legal experts still doubt the system will ever get past the legal challenges, including a pending Supreme Court ruling on detainees' access to civilian courts.

HELP FOR NON NYC 1ST RESPONDERS

Ex-Health Boss Now Cashing in on 9/11
(Click Here for Full Article)

BY STEPHANIE GASKELL - DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, June 5th 2008, 4:00 AM

Tommy Thompson heads Logistics Health, a Wisconsin-based company that has won an $11 million contract from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track about 5,000 workers who worked at the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, and live outside the New York area. He was health and human services secretary from 2001 to 2005.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan). I am glad these heroes are finally getting the help they deserve."

Logistics Health will provide yearly examinations to first responders outside of New York City, which has its own monitoring program, and help diagnose and treat any conditions that developed after workers were exposed to toxins at Ground Zero.

Thompson's company also provides medical services to the Army.

FACES OF EVIL

RADICAL MUSLIM MISCREANTS, WHO ALLEGEDLY MASTERMINDED ATTACKS ON OUR NATION, ON 9-11-01, WILL FACE A MILITARY TRIBUNAL AT GITMO.

IF YOU VOTE FOR BARAK HUSSEIN OBAMA, AND HE WINS, HE WILL NOMINATE 3 JUSTICES TO THE U.S. SUPREME COURT. HE WILL ALSO APPOINT HUNDREDS OF JURISTS TO THE FEDERAL BENCH. THIS MILITARY TRIBUNAL WOULD NOT BE TAKING PLACE AT GITMO. IT WOULD LINGER IN THE COURTS OF THE UNITED STATES FOR YEARS, WITH TOP ACLU AND LEFT WING, PABULUM PUKING, LIBERAL LAWYERS SEEKING FREEDOM FOR THESE RADICAL MUSLIM SCUM AND FINALLY END UP IN THE U.S. SUPREME COURT, WHERE A LOPSIDED LIBERAL COURT WOULD HEAR THE CASE. WHY WOULD ANY AMERICAN, IN GOOD CONSCIENCE, VOTE FOR BARAK HUSSEIN OBAMA AND FOIST THIS HORROR ON THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN ??? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG ??

IF NO ONE ELSE WILL SAY IT... THANK YOU PRESIDENT BUSH FOR PLACING ALL AMERICANS SAFETY BEFORE YOUR POLITICAL INTERESTS. HISTORY WILL PROVE THAT YOU WERE RIGHT AND LOVED YOUR COUNTRY.
jg Thousand Points of Right

HOPE TRIALS BRING JUSTICE

Those Scarred by 9/11 Hope Trials Bring Justice
(Click Here for Entire Article)
WASHINGTON -- Sally Regenhard still sobs at the thought of the price her son Christian, a New York firefighter, paid trying to save those inside the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

On Thursday, a new chapter opens for Regenhard and other family members of 9/11 victims who have been seeking justice for their love ones: Alleged al Qaeda kingpin Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four others will formally be arraigned as co-conspirators at a military commission in distant Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

Deputy Fire Chief Jim Riches, who led search and rescue operations at Ground Zero, personally carried his 29-year-old firefighter son's remains from the rubble.

Now he wants America to see the trial and the evidence and know what was done.

''Taunting America will be their final act,'' Riches said. ``Let's see how strong they are when they put that rope around their necks. I would pull the trigger. Or push the button. Or inject them and look right in their eyes.

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The Finalized 9/11 Charge Sheet - Dated May 9, 2008
(Click Here)

RESPONSE BY DEBRA BURLINGAME

Response to New York Daily News by Debra Burlingame, in part:
(Click Here for Entire Response)
The New York Daily News falsely and dishonestly reported yesterday ("9/11 Kin Barred from Gitmo Trial," by James Gordon Meek) that 9/11 family members have been barred from observing the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four of his co-conspirators. In fact, the Daily News and its reporter know that the trial, which has yet to be scheduled and which may not commence for several months, will be broadcast on closed circuit tv and all 9/11 family members will be able to monitor the gavel-to-gavel proceedings from remote locations here in the United States.

Further, it falsely reports that the DOD singled out one family member to "secretly" attend Thursday's arraignment of these five 9/11 defendants, heavily insinuating that the purpose was to propagandize on behalf of the Bush administration, "alongside conservatives from the American Legion and Judicial Watch." I am the family member the article names, calling me a "GOP loyalist whose brother Charles died in the attacks." Essentially, the article accuses me of using my brother's brutal murder as an opportunity to engage in a "covert" operation whose end is crass partisan politics.

FDNY MEDAL DAY

MEDAL DAY - 2008
(Click Here for Full Article)

It was hero appreciation day on June 4 as the FDNY celebrated Medal Day, awarding 44 medals to FDNY members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, saving lives under extreme conditions.

As the sun peaked through the clouds, 15 fire officers, one EMS officer, one fire marshal, 21 firefighters, five paramedics, five emergency medical technicians (EMTs), one EMS fellow and two fire companies received medals during the annual ceremony on the steps of City Hall.

PENSION COSTS OFF BY $500M

Pension Costs Off by $500 Million, City Finds
(Click Here for Entire Article)
In the hundreds of bills for which he has provided estimates to lawmakers since 2000, the actuary, Jonathan Schwartz, said legislation adjusting the pensions of public employees would have no cost, or limited cost, to the city.

But just 11 of the more than 50 bills vetted by Mr. Schwartz that have become law since 2000 will result in the $500 million in eventual costs, or more than $60 million annually, according to projections provided by Robert C. North Jr., the independent actuary of the city pension system, and by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s office.

The Legislature relied almost exclusively on Mr. Schwartz — a consultant to District Council 37, the umbrella group of municipal unions as well as to unions representing firefighters, teachers, detectives and correction officers — to determine the cost of pension bills involving New York City employees.

The episode has heightened the Legislature’s reputation for being cozy with labor and for lavishing benefits on public employee unions.

The most costly legislation analyzed by Mr. Schwartz was a bill passed in 2005 that entitled city employees who worked on the ground zero cleanup to disability pensions worth 75 percent of their salaries if they were later found to have diseases including cancer, respiratory illness and a variety of skin ailments.

City officials were concerned that the measure was written so broadly that workers could qualify even if their illnesses were unrelated to the ground zero effort.

Mr. Schwartz claimed the bill would cost the city no more than $5 million annually. In a detailed analysis, Mr. North’s office projected that the bill would lead to a net increase in future pension benefits of $495 million, costing the city $53 million a year.

Another law, passed in 2001, removed a ceiling on pension credits afforded to city police and firefighters. Mr. Schwartz said the legislation would cost the city $5 million annually to finance; city officials put the annual cost at $12 million.

BORDER FENCE

Build the Border Fence as Promised!
(Click Here)

THOUSAND POINTS OF RIGHT - "HUDNAH"

Did you ever wonder how certain information first becomes available for public consumption ? Some six months ago I was watching TV and flipping the channels. I came to the religious stations and just happened to pause at a time a preacher was talking about Muslims, Islam and in particular Mohammad. I was struck by his words because I actually did not know much about Islam or Mohammad.

I have waited till now to see this information hit the "News Channels", especially Fox News, as I thought they would somehow stumble upon this info, while their reporters researched and commented on the Iraq War, Al Queda, Muslims and the Islamic religion. Well, I've waited long enough, so now I give you... HUDNAH (Hudna) !

My hope is that you (The Thousand Points of Right) will take a few moments and "Google" (research) the meaning of "HUDNAH", its connection to Mohammad, and Muslim's passion to eliminate those (infidels) who do not embrace the teachings of Islam and especially of Mohammad. You may be lucky enough to find some outdated newspaper articles which only reach a limited audience.

While you take-on this mission, please recall Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton sitting with leaders of Egypt, Palestine, Humas, Hezbollah, (Nobel Peace Prize recipients like Yasser Arafat) and Israeli leaders. Recall the photos of the "Hand Shakes" and "Signing of Peace Accords", as our leaders were hoodwinked into "Truces" which would supposedly lead to "PEACE" in the Middle East.

These so called Treaties are nothing more than "Stalling Tactics" devised and "Embraced" by the Religion of Islam, Muslims and All who follow the teachings of Mohammad. PERIOD !

After you have researched this and realize what you have learned to be FACT, please understand that you too have an obligation to let EVERYONE know what WE now know, because we currently have a candidate for the Presidency of these United States who desires to talk to these same "Con Artists"... "Without any Preconditions". BARAK HUSSEIN OBAMA !

The Media has an obligation to convey the meaning of "HUDNAH" to our nation, and to the world, and how it is being perpetrated on us by the followers of Mohammad. We have an obligation to contact the Media, especially the "TV and Radio" stations, and convince them that "HUDNAH" is not just a word... It is a Philosophy... It is a Military Tactic... It is the ENEMY of Freedom and Freedom of Religion. PERIOD ! jg

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FYI -Jihad, Hudnah, and Sulh
(Click Here)

COPS' DEAL MAKES CITY SHUDDER

Cops' Deal Makes City Shudder

By Kathleen Lucadamo - DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The recent police contract will rip a $1.1 billion hole in the city's 2010 budget if other uniformed services try to match the raises cops captured, the mayor's budget director warned Friday.

A state arbitrator recently awarded police a roughly 7% pay raise for the 2004-2006 contract period, about 1% more than other unions collected.

"The problem with it is it is very retroactive," testified Mark Page, the director of the Office of Management and Budgets, during a City Council hearing.

The police deal alone, counting higher-than-expected costs for 2005 through 2010, hits $713 million, he said.

If the fire, sanitation and correction unions win better deals, that deficit stretches to $1.1 billion, Page said.

Because the proposed fiscal 2009 budget is already balanced, that bill could be bumped to 2010 in hopes the city's revenues will be rosier, Page said.

The Uniformed Firefighters Association already has moved to reopen its contract, and others are mulling doing the same. The police exchanged givebacks, including 10 vacation days for rookies, which other unions may not be willing to sacrifice.

OBAMA HAS A LOT TO LEARN

Barack Obama Has a Lot to Learn
(Click Here for Entire Article)

By Michael Goodwin - NY Daily News

Nothing describes Barack Obama better than the cliche about a man facing good news/bad news. The good news for Obama is that he is getting a first-rate education on what it means to be commander in chief. The bad news - his teacher is John McCain.

Even before he clinches the nomination, a flurry of McCain attacks over Iran, Iraq, Cuba and military leadership has exposed Obama's soft underbelly on national security. The effective barrage is a testament to how the primary battles never tested the rookie Democrat on whether he is ready to be commander in chief.

The problem for Obama, beyond his lack of experience, is that his instincts are those of the Perfect Liberal by way of Harvard Law School. Like Bill Clinton's clumsy attempts to salute when he first won the Oval Office, Obama exhibits discomfort about things military. He is a peacenik by gut and, as critics note, drew the wrong lessons about Cold War talks JFK and Ronald Reagan had with the Soviets.

Even as Obama scales back on his promise of unconditional meetings with Iranian madman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Raul Castro, McCain has added two wrinkles. He scolded Obama for not meeting with our top Iraq commander, Gen. David Petraeus.

There's more. When New York Times columnist David Brooks questioned Obama about Hezbollah's miniwar with our ally, the government of Lebanon, Obama said we must make sure "the disaffected have an effective outlet for their grievances, which assures them they are getting social services." He also said Hezbollah and Hamas must realize violence "weakens their legitimate claims."