DiBlasio slams door on Charter Schools

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Publisher's note:  Decent education?!  Protecting children from often errant teachers?!  Not if DiBlasio has his way about it.   Only about a month into what will hopefully be a singular and shortened term, the openly communist mayor, Michael DiBlasio has reneged on the NYC's promise of free, shared space to several Charter Schools.  As I see it, this action accomplishes two things; it helps his friends in the United Federation of Teachers and it allows for his administration to advance whatever subversive curriculum he may have in mind.   

Fox News:  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio took off the gloves in his battle with education reformers, rescinding an agreement for the city to share space with several public charter schools.

The move undercuts educators, parents and some 700 students at four schools, including Harlem Success 4, one of the public charter school movement’s top success stories, and two set to open in the fall. While agreements at those schools were rescinded, expansion of a fourth school was also blocked. The schools were to operate rent-free in city-owned facilities under deals backed by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an ardent supporter of charter schools.

But de Blasio, who is an unabashed critic of charter schools and won election with full-throated support of the United Federation of Teachers, said in a statement some of the city’s agreements to share class space will be voided. City officials said some of the deals that were stricken would have had elementary students attending class in high school buildings or forced cuts for public school special needs students.

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AZ Gov. Brewer vetoes religious rights

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Publisher's note:  The fraying of the fabric continues!  Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has caved under pressure from even Republican law makers and vetoed a bill that would have allowed business owners to cite religious beliefs for denying service to individuals when doing so would violate those beliefs.  

What I find most stunning about this is the complete imbalance between how Christians and Jews are put to task as opposed to how other states have bent to the wishes of muslims and others. For example, muslim taxi drivers in MN have been known to refuse to allow anyone on board their cabs if they are carrying anything that might offend the driver, such as alcohol or pork products, and they routinely deny fares with service dogs citing religious reasons.  And don't even think about crossing muslim borders in Canada, as a lesbian woman found out recently.  

It's an upside down world.

Fox News:  Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced Wednesday she has vetoed a controversial bill that would have allowed religious beliefs as a defense for denying service to gays and others.

Brewer, who spent several days considering whether to sign the bill, said it had "the potential to create more problems than it purports to solve.It could divide Arizona in ways we cannot even imagine and no one would ever want."

Democrats and civil rights groups opposed the measure backed by social conservatives, saying it would allow discriminatory actions by businesses and hurt the state's economy by driving away business. Several prominent Republicans also had urged Brewer in recent days to reject the bill in recent days.

Among the first to congratulate Brewer for her decision Wednesday was Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, who had urged her to veto the measure.

"I appreciate the decision made by Governor Brewer to veto this legislation. I hope that we can now move on from this controversy and assure the American people that everyone is welcome to live, work and enjoy our beautiful State of Arizona," McCain said in a statement.

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Taliban suspends talks; Bowe Bergdahl fate still uncertain

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Publisher's note:  The taliban has suspended talks regarding Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and the saga of America's lone POW in Afghanistan continues.  I think our foreign policy regarding such matters could be fixed by changing the word talk to tell; as in "release Bowe now or prepare to meet virgins!"  

There was a time, not so long ago, when the US was feared and respected; now we are the laughing stock of the planet, known to exhibit weakness and appease all aggressors in the name of global political correctness. Even when we do respond with military force, we tie the hands of our troops with self destructive ROE that has resulted in God only knows how many of our people returning in body bags.  

Fox News:  ISLAMABAD –  Afghanistan's Taliban said Sunday they had suspended "mediation" with the United States to exchange captive Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five senior Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, halting -- at least temporarily -- what was considered the best chance yet of securing the 27-year-old soldier's freedom since his capture in 2009.

In a terse Pashto language statement emailed to The Associated Press, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid blamed the "current complex political situation in the country" for the suspension.

A U.S. official with knowledge of the talks said the cause of the suspension was not the result of any issue between the United States and Taliban. He declined to elaborate and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.

Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, was last seen in a video released in December, footage seen as "proof of life" demanded by the U.S. Bergdahl is believed to be held in the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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Oldest known Holocaust survivor dies

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Publisher's note:  The oldest known survivor of one of the darkest hours in the history of mankind has passed away.  Mrs. Alice Herz-Sommer lived through the horrors of the nazi death camps and watched as her mother and husband both perished in the concentration camps.  She never remarried.

Her story, recently made into a documentary, and that of all who perished by the nazis is one that must not be forgotten, lest it be repeated on an even grander scale.

Fox News:  Alice Herz-Sommer, believed to be the oldest-known Holocaust survivor, died Sunday morning in London at the age of 110, a family member said.

Herz-Sommer recently appeared in an Oscar-nominated documentary, Haaretz.com reported.  The film, “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life,” is nominated for best short documentary at the Academy Awards.

Herz-Sommer's devotion to the piano and to her son sustained her through two years in a Nazi prison camp. She died in a hospital Sunday morning after being admitted Friday, daughter-in-law Genevieve Sommer said.

An accomplished pianist, Herz-Sommer, her husband and her son were sent from Prague in 1943 to a concentration camp in the Czech city of Terezin -- Theresienstadt in German -- where inmates were allowed to stage concerts in which she frequently starred.

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GWB doing right by vets

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Publisher's note:  Since his departure from office, President G. W. Bush has mostly stayed out of the spotlight; he has however done a lot of unreported work on behalf of our veterans, and is now initiating a project aimed at assisting veterans in finding work and getting back on their feet.  

Fox News:  George W. Bush, who as president led the United States into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Sunday he’s now helping veterans try to successfully re-enter the workforce and other aspects of civilian life.

“We've got a problem,” Bush told ABC’s “This Week.” “Too many veterans are unemployed.”

He acknowledged that having sent thousands of troops into Iraq weighs heavy and that his new project, a joint effort between the George W. Bush Institute and Syracuse University, is cathartic.

“No question it helps,” Bush said. “I have a duty. You know, obviously, I get slightly emotional talking about our vets. … I'm in there with them.”

The institute and the university are studying the issues affecting veterans who have served since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

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