Jody Hope Strogoff:
"Secretary of State Scott Gessler is clearly no stranger to publicity. Even before being sworn into office in January of 2011, his name was familiar in political circles. The Democrats had Mark Grueskin as their top election law guru, Republicans in the state usually turned to their own cadre of leading experts, with Gessler at or near the top of their list. There were plenty of stories over the years which showcased Gessler’s ties to Republicans and the political organizations they formed to advance their causes.
Gessler’s installation as a figure in the public domain was pretty much complete by the time the candidate ousted a Democratic incumbent in the 2010 election. The rookie elected official had little reason to expect that to change after he assumed office. And it didn’t...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
February 24, 2012
SandBox Comments: Boston Herald "Two Americas indeed"
Michael Graham:
"I am the 50.5 percent.
I am, according to the Heritage Foundation, part of the lucky half of Americans who pay federal income taxes, so that the other half (technically the remaining 49.5 percent) can pay nothing.
Half of us are paying the whole bill. Somehow that doesn’t seem fair. Folks like Elizabeth Warren and President Barack Obama agree. They think we should pay more.
We’re used to that, we 50.5 percenters. Every time a new “stimulus” is announced, every time a new government program to solve all our problems is rolled out, we know that a) the problems aren’t going anywhere; and b) we’ll be stuck paying the check.
And every time there’s talk of a tax “cut” or a “rebate,” we assume it will be set up so that, somehow, the people who actually pay in get left out.
But what can you do, right? If you’re a 50.5 percenter you just get up, go to work, try to take care of your family and hope that someone, somewhere in Washington or on Beacon Hill is getting your back.
They’re not.
Why should they? We’re barely half of the population. Politicians count votes — not pay stubs.
Back in the evil days of Ronald Reagan, a mere 15 percent of the population didn’t pay taxes (or in the case of children, were claimed as a dependent by a taxpayer). Back then, we had lower rates and more payers. More people in the ship of state together, sharing in the rowing. We working taxpayers mattered.
Today, thanks to the “food stamp president,” as Newt Gingrich calls him, the number of non-payers is 300 percent bigger, and a record number of Americans, one in five, now receives some level of federal government assistance...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"I am the 50.5 percent.
I am, according to the Heritage Foundation, part of the lucky half of Americans who pay federal income taxes, so that the other half (technically the remaining 49.5 percent) can pay nothing.
Half of us are paying the whole bill. Somehow that doesn’t seem fair. Folks like Elizabeth Warren and President Barack Obama agree. They think we should pay more.
We’re used to that, we 50.5 percenters. Every time a new “stimulus” is announced, every time a new government program to solve all our problems is rolled out, we know that a) the problems aren’t going anywhere; and b) we’ll be stuck paying the check.
And every time there’s talk of a tax “cut” or a “rebate,” we assume it will be set up so that, somehow, the people who actually pay in get left out.
But what can you do, right? If you’re a 50.5 percenter you just get up, go to work, try to take care of your family and hope that someone, somewhere in Washington or on Beacon Hill is getting your back.
They’re not.
Why should they? We’re barely half of the population. Politicians count votes — not pay stubs.
Back in the evil days of Ronald Reagan, a mere 15 percent of the population didn’t pay taxes (or in the case of children, were claimed as a dependent by a taxpayer). Back then, we had lower rates and more payers. More people in the ship of state together, sharing in the rowing. We working taxpayers mattered.
Today, thanks to the “food stamp president,” as Newt Gingrich calls him, the number of non-payers is 300 percent bigger, and a record number of Americans, one in five, now receives some level of federal government assistance...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBox Comments: Dept of Defense "Face of Defense Marine Pulls Man From Burning Truck
By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Stephen T. Stewart
"MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C., Feb. 24, 2012 – Running late on his way to pick up a new fishing boat after work Feb. 14, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David S. Shouse was driving through the small town of Boiling Spring Lakes, N.C., when he saw a truck engulfed in flames...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C., Feb. 24, 2012 – Running late on his way to pick up a new fishing boat after work Feb. 14, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David S. Shouse was driving through the small town of Boiling Spring Lakes, N.C., when he saw a truck engulfed in flames...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Judge: Officer had cause to question suspect in cocaine distribution case"
Chad Abraham:
"A judge has ruled that an Aspen police officer had reasonable suspicion to stop and question a Snowmass Village man in 2010 about a fight, inquiries that led to his arrest for the brawl and, later, to him being charged with distribution of cocaine.
Justin Gordon, 33, is scheduled to be tried in May on felony counts of cocaine distribution and violating his bond by missing a court date for the drug charge.
Aspen police officer Rick Magnuson, told about an altercation outside Eric’s Bar on Oct. 1, 2010, testified in a Jan. 23 motions hearing that he spotted Gordon two blocks from the bar.
Magnuson said Gordon matched the description he had been given of the suspect in the fight, and the officer began questioning the defendant.
Gordon’s attorney, public defender Tina Fang, had argued that Magnuson did not have reasonable suspicion to stop her client.
“The court disagrees,” wrote Judge Gail Nichols of Pitkin County District Court. “Officer Magnuson knew that he was looking for a short, bald man in a green jacket. There were no other people with green jackets in the area — indeed, there were no other people walking in the area at all.”
Gordon allegedly headed into an alley after spotting Magnuson’s police car, “which could be an expression of consciousness of guilt,” the Feb. 10 ruling says. “All of these facts together provided reasonable suspicion to stop the defendant, question him about whether he was involved in a fight at Eric’s and obtain his identification.”
Gordon was originally arrested for his role in the fight outside the bar. He then was re-arrested the same month after a cabbie told police that cocaine that an officer found strewn in a street near the bar fell out of Gordon’s pocket during the fight.....”
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"A judge has ruled that an Aspen police officer had reasonable suspicion to stop and question a Snowmass Village man in 2010 about a fight, inquiries that led to his arrest for the brawl and, later, to him being charged with distribution of cocaine.
Justin Gordon, 33, is scheduled to be tried in May on felony counts of cocaine distribution and violating his bond by missing a court date for the drug charge.
Aspen police officer Rick Magnuson, told about an altercation outside Eric’s Bar on Oct. 1, 2010, testified in a Jan. 23 motions hearing that he spotted Gordon two blocks from the bar.
Magnuson said Gordon matched the description he had been given of the suspect in the fight, and the officer began questioning the defendant.
Gordon’s attorney, public defender Tina Fang, had argued that Magnuson did not have reasonable suspicion to stop her client.
“The court disagrees,” wrote Judge Gail Nichols of Pitkin County District Court. “Officer Magnuson knew that he was looking for a short, bald man in a green jacket. There were no other people with green jackets in the area — indeed, there were no other people walking in the area at all.”
Gordon allegedly headed into an alley after spotting Magnuson’s police car, “which could be an expression of consciousness of guilt,” the Feb. 10 ruling says. “All of these facts together provided reasonable suspicion to stop the defendant, question him about whether he was involved in a fight at Eric’s and obtain his identification.”
Gordon was originally arrested for his role in the fight outside the bar. He then was re-arrested the same month after a cabbie told police that cocaine that an officer found strewn in a street near the bar fell out of Gordon’s pocket during the fight.....”
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News/Letter to the Editor "The magic of 'hello'"
Cole Langford:
"A friend recently remarked to me that I seemed to know a lot of people. He and I often walked together to grab lunch or head to the gym on our college campus. He observed that in the course of many strolls I often waved to someone or threw a quick hello in the direction of a passerby.
After his remark I quickly answered, “It’s the magic of saying hello.” He considered my theory, but his facial expression told me he didn’t grasp my meaning. The topic quickly faded and we moved on to other casual topics of conversation.
For the rest of the day my words lingered on my conscious. “It’s the magic of saying hello.” My words continued to provoke my reflection. Finally it occurred to me that I had unintentionally discovered a powerful aphorism. “It’s the magic of saying hello.” Wow.
Too many people, especially my generation, are buried in their technology. Everyone is hidden behind large sunglasses, deafened by ear-buds, and distracted by their iPhones. Facebook is a usual culprit. What about the faces on the bus? What about the faces passing on the sidewalk? Have we replaced those real faces with an electronic counterpart? It seems we have. I am not the overbearing social person. In fact, I may be on the upper end of introverted. Yet I know the power of “hello,” and I use it all the time...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"A friend recently remarked to me that I seemed to know a lot of people. He and I often walked together to grab lunch or head to the gym on our college campus. He observed that in the course of many strolls I often waved to someone or threw a quick hello in the direction of a passerby.
After his remark I quickly answered, “It’s the magic of saying hello.” He considered my theory, but his facial expression told me he didn’t grasp my meaning. The topic quickly faded and we moved on to other casual topics of conversation.
For the rest of the day my words lingered on my conscious. “It’s the magic of saying hello.” My words continued to provoke my reflection. Finally it occurred to me that I had unintentionally discovered a powerful aphorism. “It’s the magic of saying hello.” Wow.
Too many people, especially my generation, are buried in their technology. Everyone is hidden behind large sunglasses, deafened by ear-buds, and distracted by their iPhones. Facebook is a usual culprit. What about the faces on the bus? What about the faces passing on the sidewalk? Have we replaced those real faces with an electronic counterpart? It seems we have. I am not the overbearing social person. In fact, I may be on the upper end of introverted. Yet I know the power of “hello,” and I use it all the time...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
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