Burns on fire — again

Sacks Sen. President Pro Tempore Verschoor, Majority Whip Sen. Gorman

In recent negotiations with Gov. Jan Brewer, Senate President Bob Burns (R-Dist.9) was reportedly angry enough to raise his voice, issue a few well chosen words and storm out of the meeting. At the time, Brewer cooly responded by calling Burns’ comments “regrettable and terribly unproductive. I choose not to take President Burns’ comments personally, because I recognize he is very angry right now,” she said.

Today, his now-famous temper made a reappearance. For the defiant act of protecting the taxpayers, high ranking legislators have been removed from their leadership positions.

A case in point is Sen. Thayer Verschoor (R-Dist.22). This afternoon, Verschoor was summarily removed from his position as President Pro Tempore and member of the Rules Committee. And Majority Whip Sen. Pamela Gorman (R-Dist.6) was also removed from Rules. Burns would likely have removed her as Majority Whip if it was within his purview to do so.  She was elected to that post by her colleagues.

Freshman Sen. Steve Pierce (R-Dist.1), who has served only 6 months in the senate, is reputed to have been named Verschoor’s replacement.

President Burns is building a not-so-impressive track record of bellowing, walking out of negotiations, and now removing other Republican senators from their posts — as punishment for straying from the fine line they are allowed to walk. In the case of Sen. Verschoor, President Burns has removed one of the most consistent and level-headed conservative leaders in the senate.  And in one rash moment has removed 2 of the 4 Republican members of the Rules Committee — because they dared to oppose a sales tax increase.

It appears to be past time for the members of the Senate to reevaluate their decision to select Bob Burns as President.

In these most trying times, the legislature needs thoughtful leaders who are able to build a consensus to protect the future of the state.

Rick Warren goes off the deep end

Defying some of his fellow conservative Christian critics, one of the nation’s most prominent religious leaders told several thousand American Muslims over the weekend that “the two largest faiths on the planet” must work together to combat stereotypes and solve global problems, according to OneNewsNow.

“Some problems are so big you have to team tackle them,” evangelical mega-church pastor Rick Warren said as he addressed the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). Warren said Muslims and Christians should be partners in working to end what he calls “the five global giants” of war, poverty, corruption, disease, and illiteracy.

Warren urged Muslims and Christians to speak out against stereotyping of any group and to respect each other even while disagreeing.

Disagreeing? The group currently uses its website to propagate violent hatred against Christians and Jews.

The Muslims who detest Christians, deny the Holocaust and have pledged to drive the tiny nation of Israel into the sea, must all have nodded in agreement as Warren blathered.

This Canada Free Press article details ISNA’s ties with Hamas and other terrorist organizations. According to the article, the group’s website is laced with quotations such as: “The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. ‘O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him’” and “I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim.”

As far back as 1996, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell stated, “One of the groups with Hamas ties is the Dallas-based Islamic Association for Palestine in North America, which, in turn, is allied with the Islamic Circle of North America in New York.”

Terrorism analyst Steven Emerson reports that ISNA has close ties to the extremist Muslim Brotherhood, the ideological forebear of all radical Islamic movements — including Hamas and al Qaeda. Documents show that Hamas officials have participated in previous ISNA events. “The ISNA’s hatred of the Jews is so fierce,” writes Emerson, “that it taunted them with a repetition of what Hitler did to them.” In his book American Jihad, Emerson expounds: “The ISNA openly supports militant Islamic fundamentalist organizations, praises terror attacks, issues incendiary attacks on western values and policies, and supports the imposition of Sharia [Islamic law].”

Warren shared the podium with Ingrid Mattson, president of ISNA and professor of Islamic Studies at the Macdonald Center for Islamic Studies. She is a convert from Roman Catholicism to Islam

At present, Ms. Mattson participates in ‘Live Dialogues’ on Islam Online.  The website supports suicide bombings, mandates attacks against American troops, prescribes murder for homosexuals, and discusses poetic beheadings of human beings.

Rick Warren certainly has a knack for picking friends.

Ah, the joys of belonging to a teacher’s union

Approximately 700 New York City public school teachers accused of offenses ranging from insubordination to sexual misconduct are being paid their full salaries of $70,000 or more, to sit around all day playing Scrabble, surfing the Internet or just staring at the wall, if that’s what they want to do. They practice yoga, work on their novels, paint portraits of their colleagues — pretty much anything but school work. They also have summer vacation just like their classroom colleagues and enjoy weekends and holidays through the school year.

Because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them, the teachers have been banished by the school system to its “rubber rooms” — off-campus office space where they wait months, even years, for their disciplinary hearings, ABC News reports.

The city Department of Education estimates the practice costs the taxpayers $65 million a year to pay full salaries to these non-working teachers. The department blames union rules.

“It is extremely difficult to fire a tenured teacher because of the protections afforded to them in their contract,” according to a spokeswoman.

But New York isn’t alone. The Los Angeles and Chicago districts, also bound by unions, employ the same paid banishment.

Napolitano plays politics with national security

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano plans to demolish a program begun by the Bush administration that uses U.S. spy satellites for domestic security and law enforcement.

The program was announced in 2007 and authorized the department of Homeland Security to use overhead and mapping imagery from existing satellites for national security and law enforcement purposes.

Rep. Peter King, (R-NY) said he hoped the department wasn’t canceling the program. “If it is true, it’s a very big mistake,” said King, who is the leading Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee. “This is definitely a step back in the war on terror.”

For years, domestic agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Interior Department have had access to this satellite imagery for scientific research, to assist in response to natural disasters like hurricanes and fires, and to map out vulnerabilities during a major public event like the Super Bowl.

The program was included in the Obama administration’s 2010 budget request, according to Rep. Jane Harman, a California Democrat and House homeland security committee member. Harman has been outspoken about her concerns that the program is unnecessary, far reaching and open-ended.

“I thought this was just an invitation to huge mischief,” Harman said. Of killing the program, she said, “It shows real leadership on the part of Janet Napolitano.”

In a post 9/11 world, with North Korea in a threatening stance and Iran erupting, Jane and Janet are showing neither has a concept of “real leadership.”

Read the AP account here.

Before you buy your next pair of Calvin Klein’s, read this

Risqué business

Calvin Klein’s latest New York billboard features multiple partially clothed models in a highly sexually suggestive, borderline pornographic pose.

The ad depicts a topless young woman lying atop a bare-chested male while kissing a second shirtless male. The three of them are on a sofa, while below them, lying on the floor, is a third male, with his pants and shirt unbuttoned.

This is not the first time Calvin Klein has used sex to sell Calvin Klein jeans, but this one reaches the depths of desperation. Every dollar spent with this company is seen as an encouragement of this raunchy type of ad campaign.

Asked about the message in the ad, a Calvin Klein spokesman said the “intention was to create a very sexy campaign that speaks to our targeted demographic.”

Does THIS speak to you?

Obama ready to announce surrender to illegal labor profiteers by gutting E-Verify

The news out of Congress today is that the Obama administration intends to scrap the 2008 executive order making the reliable E-Verify mandatory for government contractors and subcontractors, replacing it with a weaker version.

NumbersUSA reports that under the new executive order, government contractors and subcontractors will no longer be obliged to verify all employees working on the government contract. Instead, they will only have to verify those employees who are hired specifically for the contract and are hired after the company receives the government contract. This change will allow illegal aliens to easily acquire government-funded jobs

This is especially important to Arizona due to the high percentage of illegal laborers, and soaring unemployment numbers. Allowing illegals to remain and be employed in deference to big business negatively impacts American citizens, many of whom are suffering the loss of their jobs and homes.

Department of Homeland INsecurity Secretary Janet Napolitano needs to hear from you regarding this utter disregard for unemployed Americans. She cut her teeth on this type of deception here in Arizona and is making it an art form in Washington.

Please read Roy Beck’s excellent column regarding this governmental disaster. He writes:  Under an Executive Order issued by Pres. Bush last year, all federal contractors would have to verify their workforce through E-Verify.  Janet Napolitano has delayed the execution of that order several times, claiming she was still studying it. Now, it appears she was studying how to amputate it.

One big result of the new executive order will be to ensure that taxpayer-funded jobs under the Economic Stimulus Act can continue to go to illegal foreign workers.

Toddler on life support after beating by illegal alien

Just another “good person” coming to do the work Americans refuse to do

A two-year-old Chandler girl is on life support after her mother’s live-in boyfriend told police he picked up the baby and threw her down on the concrete floor because she wouldn’t stop crying.

Officers were called to the home when the toddler’s mother, 20-year-old Josefa Talavara, told 911 operators her child was unresponsive. Paramedics transported her to an area hospital where she was later air-lifted to a trauma center. She is currently on life support with multiple skull fractures.

“The child’s injuries include multiple skull fractures, bruising on her body and her face and burn marks on her legs,” said Joe Favazzo of the Chandler Police Department.

Investigators arrested and booked 21-year-old Jeremiahs Aguilar, an illegal alien,  on Felony Child Abuse.  The child’s mother is also under investigation for the abuse of the young girl, KTAR reports.

Phoenix judge sentences Bishop for the crime of ringing church bells

In a precedent setting move, Bishop Rick Painter of Christ the King Cathedral was sentenced for playing the church’s carillon bells. City Court Judge Laura Metcalf sentenced Bishop Painter to a disproportionate sentence of 10 days in jail (suspended) and three years probation.  Painter was found guilty of violating the City of Phoenix noise ordinances.

Metcalf, acquiescing to a few disgruntled neighbor complaints, ruled that the carillon bells can be rung only on Sundays, Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, and Palm Sunday — specifying a length of less than two minutes time and the volume level. The order was extended to cover the church as a body. The court order can be seen here.  (Hat tip to Alliance Defense Fund)

The judge tried to limit the volume to 20 decibels, until it was pointed out that a loud whisper would be about 20 decibels.  Ice cream trucks are allowed to emit up to 70 decibels at a distance of 50 feet under an exemption to the city’s ordinance, but no exemption exists for church bells

Every church in Phoenix can be affected by this judgment, which can easily be extrapolated to other Valley cities and even nationwide. The Alliance Defense Fund has already filed an appeal in Federal Court. Their statement can be read here.

Seeing Red AZ has previously reported on this judicial overreach.

Carrying on third-trimester abortions as a memorial to George Tiller

LeRoy Carhart, 67, has expressed his desire to provide third-trimester abortions as a memorial to his friend and colleague of more than 20 years, George Tiller.  Kansas authorities charged 51-year-old Scott Roeder with first-degree murder in Tiller’s death.

Carhart, who only performs third-term abortions, has regularly traveled from Nebraska to Kansas for a few days each month.  Since Tiller’s death, his family has shuttered his abortion site, so the Nebraska doctor no longer has a facility to perform infanticide.

Carhart is notorious for having twice appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge bans on partial-birth abortions. He is unable to perform the gruesome procedure past the 22nd week of pregnancy in his own clinic, Abortion & Contraception Clinic of Nebraska, due to restrictions in Nebraska law.

He decries the fact that there are fewer than 10 doctors who perform third-trimester abortions in the United States. Although he has worked with younger physicians before, he hasn’t trained any abortionists in third-trimester “techniques” for at least five years, he says.

Another M. D. who performs third-trimester abortions, 70-year-old  Warren Hern of Boulder, Colorado, said he’s also concerned there won’t be enough doctors trained to perform late-term abortions in the future.

So committed is Carhart to his practice of infanticide, he vowed to reopen his friend’s Kansas clinic and continue Tiller’s mission. But on Tuesday, Tiller’s family said there were no plans to reopen. Carhart said he remains hopeful that Tiller’s family will change their minds. If not, he hopes another abortionist will open a clinic in Kansas where he can work part-time.

The Nebraska doctor said he’s determined to continue doing what he does. “You have to live by your principles,” he says.

Shocking video: Is anyone minding the Federal Reserve?

Inept Federal Inspector General Elizabeth Coleman was stunningly unable to answer questions posed to her by Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla) when she appeared before the Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Rep. Grayson: It’s your responsibility to conduct and supervise audits and investigations related to the programs and operations of your agency. Your agency has extended $9 trillion in credit — which by the way, works out to $30,000 to every man, woman and child in this country — if you’re not responsible for investigating that, who is?

Inspector General Coleman: “In terms of who’s responsible for investigating…would you mind repeating the question one more time….”

Seeing Red AZ encourages you to watch this video. The hearing took place last month, but demands our attention. What do Arizona’s Congressional representatives have to say regarding such incompetence at this level?  Although we have differences with Congressman Grayson, he did an exemplary job of grilling the incompetent federal Inspector General, who was unable to tell him what kind of losses the Fed has so far suffered on its $2 trillion portfolio.