China is improving in leaps and bounds in the area of human rights. Gone are the days of four tanks stomping one guy, they’ve finally progressed to burning protesters to death. Yea!How in the world did the People’s Republic of China get to host the 2008 Olympic Games? In Tibet and now other provinces, people are being rounded up and taken away, there’s a clampdown on the free press, and the fear of a cruel government is looming.    China is blaming the exiled Dalai Lama for the unrest, while the Dalai Lama is calling for dialog. Through all of it, the Dalai Lama still thinks that the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, shouldn’t be boycotted:

“The Olympics should not be called off,” he told a news conerence in Dharamsala, the north Indian town from where he has run a government-in-exile since fleeing Tibet in 1959.”The Chinese people… need to feel proud of it. China deserves to be a host of the Olympic Games.” 

Now, if I were Chinese, I’d be wondering why my horrifying country was being rewarded by the rest of the world by allowing it to host the 2008 Olympic Games. I think I may actually feel more proud in general if I knew that other people somewhere thought I was an actual human being and wanted me to have basic human rights.The International Olympic Committee (IOC), should never have considered The People’s Republic of China as a host country. The Tiananmen Square Massacre was only a scant 19 years ago, and they’ve evolved as far as this:

China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported at least 10 civilians were burned to death on Friday. The Dalai Lama’s exiled Tibetan government in India said Chinese authorities killed at least 30 Tibetans and possibly as many as 100. The figures could not be independently verified. In the Tibetan capital Lhasa on Saturday, police manned checkpoints and armored personnel carriers rattled on mostly empty streets as people stayed indoors under a curfew, witnesses said. The show of force imposed a tense quiet.Several witnesses reported hearing occasional bursts of gunfire. One Westerner who went to a rooftop in Lhasa’s old city said he saw troops with automatic rifles moving through the streets firing, though did not see anyone shot.  

Inspiring.    

It seems like it was only yesterday when China was trying to poison our children with lead infested toys. Ah, memories.I think the world is already doing enough for China by shipping our manufacturing jobs over there so they can turn around and sell us toxic toys and dentures and pet food.        
Last summer, China executed THIS guy to solve their international image problems even though he left office over two years earlier.And, can I just add, their industry is so filthy (that’s part of the reason why their toxic stuff is so cheap), that there are Olympic athletes going through special training and dropping out of events because they suffer from asthma and other respiratory problems and the smog in Beijing can be brutal. 

The Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie, 34, is a favourite for a gold medal this summer but is likely to focus instead on the 10,000 metres because he suffers from asthma.“The pollution in China is a threat to my health and it would be difficult for me to run 42km in my current condition,” he said. “But I am not pulling out of the Olympics altogether.”   

China was just a poor choice all the way around.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7306378.stm

http://www.wgmd.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/scofield.thumbnail.jpg

 A great man and perhaps the world’s best actor.  Have seen his few films and A Man For All Seasons is my top movie of all time but a smaller film called The Train is among his best.  Scofield never lived more than ten miles from his birthplace.  No ego.  It makes me think much of his self is on-screen in his roles.

Among screen actors I would place him with Anthony Hopkins and Kenneth Brannagh.  Slightly above Peter O’Toole.

His rivals on these shores were Jack Lemmon and Spencer Tracy.  Perhaps Rod Steiger, Gene Hackman and Burt Lancaster.  Scofield acted opposite Lancaster in The Train. 

I’ve seen so little stage acting that I can’t make comparisons.  Your thoughts?

There were some questions raised about a statement by Indian River School District Superintendent Susan Bunting regarding Easter decorations. Teachers were reportedly told to remove Easter Decorations such as bunny rabbits, Easter eggs and baskets because they are religious symbols (of course, they are NOT religious symbols). According to School District Spokesman Dave Maull. that is not true. He says, “At no time did she say that the teachers had to take down Easter decorations.” There was a statement issued to us by Superintendent Susan Bunting after these questions were asked. She made no mention of decorations in classrooms that teachers were reportedly told to remove. Here is her statement:

Statement from Superintendent Susan Bunting regarding Easter activities at district elementary schools: “On March 20, 2008, Indian River elementary schools will be hosting celebration parties related to the recent completion of the Delaware Student Testing Program. Parents and students can bring food, beverages and candy to school on this day, and children can enjoy what is contributed.  If you have any questions or need additional information, please call your school principal or Superintendent Susan Bunting.”

School district spokesman Dave Maull further adds that what she did say was, “There would be no school sponsored Easter activities.” He says that the reason is explained on the Indian River School District’s Website www.IRSD.net where they have a link that you click on entitled, “Settlement of School Prayer Lawsuit. If you click on that link on the right side of the page, you will come to several more links, such as: http://irsd.net/pdf/school_prayer/IN.1_Religion_w_Real_World_rev.pdf . There you will find information on the policy concerning religious holidays. It states, 

“No religious belief or non-belief shall be promoted or disparaged, by the district. Instead the District encourages all students and staff members to appreciate and be tolerant of the religious views of others. The district shall foster understanding and mutual respect regarding culture, economic backgrounds, and religious beliefs. In this spirit of tolerance, students and staff shall be excused from participating in practices that will impose a significant burden on the excercise of their religious beliefs.  

The District will explain the origin and the historical and contemporary significance of religious holidays in an unbiased and objective manner without sectarian indoctrination. The District may permit teaching about religious and cultural holidays (Christmas, for example) in the context of teaching about other religious and cultural holidays (such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Ramadan), so as to provide instruction on religious heritage on particular holidays where it is clear the District is not endorsing or encouraging a religious belief.

The District will permit music, art, literature, and drama having religious themes or bases as part of the curriculum for school-sponsored activities and programs if presented in a prudent and objective manner, as a traditional part of the cultural and religious heritage of the particular holiday, and in a manner where it is clear the District is not endorsing or encouraging a religious belief. The District or any school within the district shall use non-restrictive terms to designate school-sponsored activities or programs involving student participation. 

The District will permit the use of religious symbols such as a cross, menorah, star and crescent, Star of David, crèche, symbols of Native American religions, or other symbols that are a part of a religious holiday, (including, but not limited to Christmas,  Easter, Passover, Hanukkah, St. Patrick’s Day, St. Valentines Day, Thanksgiving and Halloween) as a teaching aid or resource provided such symbols are displayed as an example of the cultural and religious heritage of the holiday and are temporary in nature.”

Those are some of the excerpts related to holidays and you’ll find more information as well if you click on the link above.  

There have been several meetings between the Hispanic community and Georgetown Police and other agencies.  A safety campaign and helping the Hispanic community to know that dialing 9-1-1 is to help them - or to help others if they witness a crime.   WGMD’s Kevin Andrade is a fundamental part of this campaign which is being created by the group Primal. 

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Must be the folks at Beebe have all sorts of time to surf the net. If this helps, I often hide behind the beard to fend off the stalkers.

After reading a recent post by blogger Maria Evans on The Talk of Delmarva website regarding the pending Delmarva Power-Bluewater Wind contract, I feel I need to clarify a few things. First, I support the construction of wind power in the First State. According to the University of Delaware, our state has a huge untapped wind power potential, most of which is in our off-shore waters.

House Bill 6, which was enacted two years ago and has produced the proposed Delmarva Power-Bluewater Wind mandate, was never intended to be a referendum on wind power or renewable energy.  Its goal was to help stabilize the rates paid by Delmarva Power’s Standard Offer Service (SOS) customers. 

Admittedly, I misinterpreted HB 6 when it was debated in the House.  In my own defense, questions that I and other legislators posed that would have revealed this error were incorrectly answered.

HB 6 does require Delmarva to enter into a long-term contract with an in-state producer of electricity.  The Bluewater Wind proposal to build a 150-turbine wind farm off the coast of Sussex County is the plan that has emerged from that process.

I have several deep concerns about the path on which we’ve place ourselves.  Ms. Evans correctly noted in her posting that SOS customers constitute the numerical bulk of Delmarva’s customer base.  About 95 percent of Delmarva’s 312,000 total distribution customers fall into the SOS category. 

However, Ms. Evans is apparently unaware that SOS customers buy only 28-percent of the power distributed by the utility.  Thus, HB 6 places 100-percent of the cost of the wind farm project on the backs of Delmarva customers who purchase less than a third of the company’s electricity.  That does not strike me as an equitable arrangement.

I also believe it is an intrusive abuse of state power to force one private company into a long-term contract with another private company. I’m unaware of whether such a state mandate has ever been enacted, but I would argue that it is an improper use of that authority, regardless of its good intentions.

Additionally, Delmarva Power has a pending lawsuit challenging the HB 6 mandate.  Should this process move forward that lawsuit will likely be reactivated, leading to two possible outcomes:  Delmarva wins its case, derailing the wind project; or Delmarva is forced into the contract, but only after years of delay.

I think there is another way to accomplish the establishment of wind power in the First State that would protect consumers; reduce costs; and speed completion.

Instead of forcing the parties together I think we should create an environment in Delaware that makes wind power not only viable, but attractive.  We can do this through regulatory and tax code changes that will encourage private investors to utilize our natural wind resource and sell this power on the open market.

Regardless of who wins the White House in the upcoming election, the handwriting is already on the wall.  Carbon taxes and other changes expected on the federal level will increase the demand for renewable, environmentally-friendly sources of electricity generation.  Bluewater Wind, which has already done a lot of pre-development planning as a result of HB 6, would be well-positioned to take advantage of this new environment and would have a considerable head start on any potential competitors.

Given these facts, I think it is fool-hardy to mandate a project that could potentially lock thousands of Delaware families into paying higher electricity bills for many years to come.  The General Assembly already made one mistake in the way in which it implemented electricity deregulation.  We’re poised to make another by mandating a deal I believe will hurt Delmarva’s residential and small business customers.

It’s time for legislators to stop meddling and instead take steps to encourage the private market to tap our vast wind potential.

Sincerely,

State Rep. Gerald Hocker

In case you missed it, Barack Obama gave his speech about race and religion today. You can read the whole thing HERE. This is a little taste of it:

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely – just as I’m sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wright’s comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems – two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way.

But the truth is, that isn’t all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God’s work here on Earth – by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS. 

Good speech, as usual. Will it be enough?

A title like that for a blog post would get your attention.  It’s funny if from the leftist perspective it’s about George W. Bush.  Witness the lefty reaction to David Letterman and shows of that ilk.  Governor Minner is an abysmal failure as an administrator.  I’m reading the verdict from capitol insiders of all political stripes.  Now we’ve got people screaming about personal attacks.  It’s my guess it’s because it gives the left greater control over the political dialogue and masks the very real anger a majority of the people are experiencing.

One person suggested to me last week that we simply vote the bad guys out of office.  Replacing them with more of the same?  Dover is nothing more than a debating society and centralized location for the disbursement of lobbyist cash, as is every state capitol in the country. 

Let me address some other points from this past week about the Freeman Foundation.  At no point was it criticized.  I spoke of a glaring incomplete in a News Journal story.  It didn’t say if plans for a performing arts center would include public money (for Bucky’s Mom that would mean “taxpayer” funded).  A complete story would answer the question.  The fellows doing the complaining should be informed the show that day was being taped.  Your attempt at “propaganda” is nothing but a lie.  I’m sure it’s just one more chit you’re collecting for a stop in hell. 

Speaking of which, a listener handed me a piece of paper Friday and it informs there will be a day of silence at a local school.  This really isn’t my issue as my focus is primarily tax relief.  The woman’s church, with hundreds of members, is protesting the intrusion into our schools of sexual agendas.  It would appear I don’t hate Delaware but much of Delaware dislikes you.

Many of you are mistaken when you maintain I hate this place.  I very much like my church and its hundreds of congregants, my friends (some of them shopkeepers at the beach), the people I work with and the many callers to the program.  You may notice most callers are quite positive but unlike many of you these people work for a living.  They work with their hands and they produce or transport goods and do most of the tax-paying and buying on Delmarva.  They would also appear to greatly outnumber the beach liberals raving every time I make a post at this site. 

Would you like to argue that these people’s views are irrelevant?  Are you smarter than these men and women?  Did God make you their betters and masters?  Excuse me for the assumption that any of you believe in God. 

As for Nancy’s argument that I don’t like women I can only reply I like them as much as she does but for the most part just one from Maryland.  The one with whom I spend much of my free time. 

Speaking of Maryland, Bucky’s Mom doesn’t object when I speak of events there.  I should note that WGMD has a large following in that state as well as in the southern environs of New Jersey.  You may also notice that Savage, Ingraham and Limbaugh rarely mention Delaware.  Perhaps you need to chastise them?  Much like me they would just swat the flies aside.

See you all at 3:00 o’clock.

A 1:43rd scale depiction of one of the most memorable moments in Formula One history.

I waited 4 years, seriously, 4 years, for this race car to get shipped. It showed up last week. I actually forgot that I ordered it all of those years ago….

But it was worth the wait because it’s Formula One legend Ayrton Senna, after his car pooped out on the last lap of the 1991 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, catching a ride with rival Nigel Mansell back to the pits. Mansell was in the midst of his victory lap. You can check out the video of this great moment in sporting history HERE. (I like the part where Senna pushes away a circuit official who tries to get him off Mansell’s car).

Formula One starts tonight at midnight from Melbourne, Australia. Lewis Hamilton has the pole.

UPDATE: Lewis Hamilton went on to win, only 7 out of 22 cars finished.

Holy smokes! We have smog? No way!
Who’d have thunk it? LINK

Isn’t it about time that we demanded some kind of “sneaker index” on this situation?

Meanwhile in Maryland, the following counties do not meet the new standards:

Maryland: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Washington.

And in New Jersey:

New Jersey: Atlantic, Bergen, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic.