Ailing 9/11 responders slammed President Obama on Tuesday for sounding off on the Ground Zero mosque while keeping silent on a $7.2 billion health care bill.
"Why have you failed us? We thought you would be our champion" in pushing the legislation, John Feal wrote to Obama.
One of the thousands who worked at The Pile after the World Trade Center attacks, Feal heads the Fealgood Foundation supporting the responders.
The plight of the Ground Zero heroes, still suffering and dying from illnesses brought on by the toxic cloud over the twin towers' ruins, has taken a backseat to the political posturing over the mosque, Feal said.
The mosque's location "is not an issue for us," he told Obama.
"It is disturbing that you have the time and energy to speak in favor of the mosque, but not on the health crisis caused by the attacks," said Feal, who lost part of a foot when a steel beam fell on him during cleanup work.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens), who has worked closely with the responders on the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, seconded their complaints about Obama.
"While I welcome President Obama's comments on religious freedom, I can understand why John Feal and his fellow 9/11 responders would want to hear that the President supports their cause, too," Maloney said.
The White House did not immediately comment.
The Zadroga bill failed to muster a necessary two-thirds vote last month. GOP opponents called it a money grab by New York and said it would raise taxes.
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) denounced the bill as a "slush fund paid by taxpayers that is open to abuse, fraud and waste."
New York's House delegation has been pressing to bring the bill back for a simple majority vote next month.
In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has promised to seek a floor vote. As Reid broke with Obama on Monday and called for the mosque to be built "someplace else," his spokesman added, "If the Republicans are being sincere, they would help us pass this long-overdue bill."
Mayor Bloomberg took a swipe yesterday at Republicans who opposed the bill yet say the proposed mosque is insensitive to 9/11 families.
"I would never use the word 'hypocritic' [sic] - never," Bloomberg said with a smile in Philadelphia during a mid-Atlantic swing to endorse candidates.
"It is somewhat inconsistent, I suppose," he said later in Washington.
That got no argument from Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.), who opposes the mosque location but backs the Zadroga bill.
"It is offensive to have a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero, but it's also offensive to let firefighters die with pulverized glass in their lungs," King said. "It should be looked upon as a related issue."
The GOP made clear yesterday it will keep hammering on the mosque issue in a drive to take back Congress.
"It's important to voters right now," said Tory Mazzola, spokesman for the National Congressional Republican Committee. "President Obama's decision shows just how out of touch he is."
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/08/18/2010-08-18_focus_on_zadroga_bill_bam_mosque_site_not_an_issue_911_heroes_fume.html#ixzz0wxe5Dthq
Why can not our government just do their job and protect the borders?
U.S. may sue Arizona's Sheriff Arpaio for not cooperating in investigation
A federal investigation of a controversial Arizona sheriff known for tough immigration enforcement has intensified in recent days, escalating the conflict between the Obama administration and officials in the border state.
Justice Department officials in Washington have issued a rare threat to sue Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio if he does not cooperate with their investigation of whether he discriminates against Hispanics. The civil rights inquiry is one of two that target the man who calls himself "America's toughest sheriff." A federal grand jury in Phoenix is examining whether Arpaio has used his power to investigate and intimidate political opponents and whether his office misappropriated government money, sources said.
The standoff comes just weeks after the Justice Department sued Arizona and Gov. Jan Brewer (R) because of the state's new immigration law, heightening tensions over the issue ahead of November's midterm elections. The renewed debate has focused attention on Arpaio, a former D.C. police officer who runs a 3,800-employee department, and a state at the epicenter of the controversy over the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.
Once seen as a quirky figure who has inmates dress in pink underwear and forces them to work on chain gangs, Arpaio has in recent years become a kind of folk hero to those who favor
his heavily publicized "crime sweeps," conducted mostly in Hispanic neighborhoods. But civil rights groups accuse the 78-year-old lawman of racial profiling. And some Maricopa County officials say Arpaio has begun meritless corruption investigations of officials who have criticized his policies or opposed his requests.
Those allegations are at the core of the Justice Department investigations, according to documents, lawyers familiar with the inquiries, and people who have been questioned by FBI agents and the grand jury.
The investigations reflect the tangled politics surrounding the immigration debate. The criminal probe is led by Dennis K. Burke, the U.S. attorney in Phoenix who was a top aide to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
Two of Arpaio's attorneys, Robert N. Driscoll and Asheesh Agarwal, were officials in the Justice Department's civil rights division in the George W. Bush administration. They denied that the sheriff, a Republican who has been reelected four times since 1992, has been uncooperative or has engaged in racial profiling, misusing money or targeting political enemies.
"The sheriff's office is cooperating fully with the grand jury investigation and has complete confidence that the inquiry will clear it of any wrongdoing," Agarwal said. "The office has always fulfilled its responsibilities truthfully, honorably, and in full compliance with state and federal law."
Arpaio's attorneys contend that the investigations are politically motivated, citing a news conference in March at which Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. was quoted as saying he expects the inquiries to "produce results."
"While we have no quarrel with the assistant U.S. attorneys handling the investigation, the attorney general's comments appear to violate federal regulations, departmental policy and state ethical rules designed to ensure the fairness of criminal investigations," Agarwal said.
Brewer and her supporters have also asserted that the Justice Department was politically motivated in its lawsuit over the state law, which authorizes, among other things, police officers to ask about the status of people suspected of being in the country illegally. A federal judge last month stopped the most controversial sections of the legislation from taking effect.
Justice Department officials denied any political considerations, saying the investigations and the lawsuit are based on the facts and the law. They declined to comment on details of the Arpaio inquiries.
The civil rights division's investigation began in March 2009 and focuses on whether Arpaio's department engaged in "discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures," along with allegations that his jail discriminated against Hispanic inmates, according to letters the division sent to Arpaio. A complaint to the Justice Department said that even bilingual jail guards are required to speak to inmates only in English and that the rule could endanger prisoners' medical care. The jail was also accused of forcing Hispanic visitors to fill out a "citizenship check" form, the letters said.
(Read the rest at)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/17/AR2010081703637_pf.html
How about this novel idea, don't do anything wrong or live with the consequences?
Young will have to change names to escape 'cyber past'
Eric Schmidt suggested that young people should be entitled to change their identity to escape their misspent youth, which is now recorded in excruciating detail on social networking sites such as Facebook.
"I don't believe society understands what happens when everything is available, knowable and recorded by everyone all the time," Mr Schmidt told the Wall Street Journal
(Read the rest at)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7951269/Young-will-have-to-change-names-to-escape-cyber-past-warns-Googles-Eric-Schmidt.html
A useful truck accessory, it might show up in one of Jerry's stories.
Chrysler's Gun-Toting Pickup Truck
Chrysler's Ram truck division is taking direct aim at hunters with a unique feature on its new line of Outdoorsman pickup trucks - a gun closet.
Called the The Mopar RamBox Holster, its a rack that can hold two rifles or shotguns inside one of the lockable, watertight compartments located on either side of the pickup bed.
A $205 option - on top of the $1895 price of the RamBox feature itself - the rack can be rotated to hold six fishing poles for those who prefer quieter trips into the great outdoors.
The Outdoorsman starts at $28,350 and includes standard features like scratch-resistant bumpers, puncture-resistant tires, and a towing package. Buyers can order the trimline on most Ram models, including heavy duty and long wheelbase versions.
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2010/08/13/chryslers-gun-toting-pickup-truck/#
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