Soapbox moment: I support police on about as many way as I can think of, but an incident in Austin, TX shakes even me. A 24 year old woman jogger was arrested, cuffed. and taken away in a squad car for... get this, jaywalking and resisting arrest. She jogged across a street against the light. She was wearing ear pods , so did not hear the cop behind her yelling, and when he ran up behind her and grabbed her arm, she reacted like any one else would in similar circumstances, and jerked her arm free which resulted in the additional charge of resisting arrest. Why do I object to police action in this case? Because my parents and grandparents taught me how to cross a street safely whether there was a light or no light present. Look both ways, and if clear, proceed cautiously. I'm about to think those millions-of-dollars walk/don't light systems have numbed peoples judgements, and infringed on people's rights to take their lives into their own hands. I guess Councils just want tickets to defer the cost of installing them.

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Online story: "German police on Thursday raided the homes of nine elderly men suspected of serving as SS guards at the Auschwitz death camp and arrested three of them on allegations of accessory to murder. * Five men made no statements, while the 88-year-old admitted being a guard at Auschwitz but denied committing any crimes" -- "denied any crimes"? How appropriate since the men. women, and children who died at Aushwitz didn't commit any crimes either.

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Online story: "An 18-year-old Ethiopian woman was attacked by seven men and gang-raped in the capital, Khartoum, Sudan, in August 2013, according to Radio Dabanga. She was three months pregnant at the time. * The victim had been looking for a new home when she was lured to an empty property and gang-raped. She was found by a police officer and taken into a local station. However, no complaint was filed because it was a public holiday. * When the woman later tried to file a complaint of rape, she was prohibited due to her involvement in the criminal investigation. The victim and perpetrators were not arrested until a video of the sexual assault was posted on social media in January. * The teen was initially charged with adultery for her role in the incident, but the court later convicted her of "indecent acts," The Guardian reports. She was fined 5,000 Sudanese pounds (about $870) and received a suspended one-month jail sentence due to her pregnancy * Later, f the seven men implicated in the assault, six received convictions ranging from adultery to distributing indecent material and received sentences of lashes; one man was set free due to insufficient evidence." -- Now this is a "war on women! During 2009-2011, Judas 00-Barnum sent Sudan $145 MILLION (2012 & 2013 results are more layered and the numbers aren't as readily accessible at this time), so it looks like it's the Democrats who are funding the real "war on women".

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Online story: "Michael S(_*_)m made two things abundantly clear in his first media appearance since coming out as g(_*_)y: He can handle the spotlight and he is ready to focus on football. * I just wish you guys would see me as Michael S(_*_)m the football player, instead of Michael S(_*_)m the g(_*_)y football player.” -- Hmmm....S(_*_)m could have helped himself here by not publicly announcing he is g(_*_).

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Online headline/story: "Barry Bonds to join Giants as special instructor to team's hitters * Bonds finished with 762 career home runs. He also holds the Major League Baseball record for homers in a season with 73." -- Hmmm.. and those 'records' need to be clearly with an assteroiderisk - (_*_)

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Online headline/story: "Ukraine Parliament Votes To Oust Yanukovich, Sets May Election * Supporters cheered former prime minister Tymoshenko as she left the hospital where she had been held. When she spoke later in Kiev, her reception was mixed. * Her release marks a radical transformation in the former Soviet republic of 46 million people. Removal of the pro-Russian Yanukovich should pull Ukraine away from Moscow's orbit and closer to Europe. * It is also a reversal for Russian President Vladimir Putin's dream of recreating as much as possible of the Soviet Union in a new Eurasian Union." -- Hmmm.. pro-Europe or pro-Russia.. 25 years ago.. there could have been a unified US response, but are we sure, after recent socio-econo-political happening in Europe that we want to support that. The one thing for sure is we know Judas 00-Barnum is hard pressed to show support for the protest group that wants more freedoms and less government control. Of course, one other thing for sure in America is that should freedom lovers protesting Judas 00-Barnum's dismantling of the Constitutional control over legislative procedures, we will have legally owned weapons to back the Constitution.

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Online headline: "Venezuela Braces For More Protests From Supporters, Opponents Of Nicolas Maduro" -- Hmmm.. looks like all of Judas 00-Barnum's buddies are beginning to have unrest of their own as well. We can even see it among his supporters here as well.

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L-E headline/story: "Prison labor sparks debate" -- "some in the community -- and across the nation -- such monetary incentives raise concerns about the motives of a prison system disproportionately populated with black males, a group that has provided cheap labor throughout American history." -- What's to debate?

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From L-E story above: ""Today, due to recent declines, U.S. crime rates have dipped below international norm," Alexander wrote in her book. "Nevertheless, the United States now boasts an incarceration rate that is six to ten times greater than that of other industrialized nations -- a development directly traceable to the drug war." -- Hmmm, I bet with a little research work, it would be found that other countries keep prison population down by actually exercising it's death sentences in a timely manner. This also acts as a deterrent.

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From above L-E story: City Manager Isaiah Hugley says, "Do I think there's uneven justice based on the number of African-Americans in prison? I would say yes," he said. "When we've got blacks making up 13.8 percent of the nation's population, but they make up 31.1 percent of the prison population, a red flag goes up for me. … I don't know what's going on with all of that, but there appears to be a disparity." -- Well, the greatest disparity is the number of crimes committed by blacks.. Increased incarceration just reflects that number.

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Online quote source: "“A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation.” - Moliere " -- Hmmm I guess this would qualify for "the suspicions confirmed" department... Judas 00-Barnum knows he's not a wise man.

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From L-E's "Council Agenda" feature: "Directing the Planning Department to initiate a text change in the Unified Development Ordinance so as to amend distance restriction from 300 feet to distance restriction equal to height of a wireless communication tower between towers and residential structures. (Councilor C.E. "Red" McDaniel)" -- Hmmm.. while the Planning Department is mulling this, how about considering stopping the cable companies from leaving coils of cable wires suspended between telephone poles, and while it is talking about communication things, how about requiring all existing landlines be buried?

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From above story: CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA:

FY2014 GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION - SUPPLEMENTAL PLANNING CONTRACT: Authorization is requested to execute a Supplemental Agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation for $101,692.58 in additional funding for the Columbus-Phenix City Transportation Study (C-PCTS) with a 20 percent local match.

COLUMBUS - PHENIX CITY TRANSPORTATION STUDY - MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING: Authorization is requested to execute an updated Memorandum of Understanding to include Harris County as part of the Columbus-Phenix City Transportation Study and part of the Metropolitan Planning Organization. -- Am I missing something? I don't see any mention of how much Phenix City or Harris County is contributing to these...

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From the City Manager's Agenda: "GREEN ISLAND FIRE ROAD AND DAM REPAIR PROJECT - It is requested that council authorize the execution of a construction contract with Landmark Grading Co. Inc. (Fort Mitchell, Ala.) in the amount of $130,671.59 for the Green Island Fire Road and Dam Repair Project. The work shall consist of grading complete, to include: clearing and grubbing, installing GAB and asphaltic concrete pavement, and dam repairs for an emergency service road in the Green Island subdivision." -- Wait a minute.. what is happening here, and exactly where?

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From the City Manager's Agenda: "BI-DIRECTIONAL AMPLIFICATION (BDA) SYSTEMS FOR CITY SERVICES CENTER AND NATATORIUM -It is requested that council approve the purchase of two Bi-Directional Amplification systems from Motorola Solutions Inc. in the amount of $64,700. One BDA system will be utilized at the City Services Center and the other at the Natatorium." -- Again.. wait a minute! Why weren't these included in the original construction just finished? $64K is not a token amount for an "after thought".

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From the City Manager's Agenda: "DECLARATION OF SURPLUS EQUIPMENT AT THE CIVIC CENTER -It is requested that council declare the following Civic Center equipment as surplus: Polar Deck Flooring, Carpet/ Turf and Dashers, in accordance with Section 7-501 of the Charter of Columbus Consolidated Government, and approve the sale of these items to the highest bidder." -- Wait a minute! If there's resale value, why did we replace such?

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From the City Manager's Agenda: "AMBULANCE COMPUTERS -It is requested that council approve the purchase of 10 GETAC V200 Fully Rugged laptop computers from PortableOne Inc., (Pleasanton, Calif.), in the amount of $43,765.82, via Federal GSA. The equipment will be utilized by the Fire & EMS Department and installed in city ambulances." -- You know.. there are lot cheaper laptop computers available, and there are after market cases to protect them from liquids and rough handling, and such would cost less than half of what Council is being requested to pay.

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L-E headline/story: "California farmers won't get federal water * Without a lot more rain and snow, many California farmers caught in the state's drought can expect to receive no irrigation water this year from a vast system of rivers, canals and reservoirs interlacing the state, federal officials announced Friday. * The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released its first outlook of the year, saying that the agency will continue to monitor rain and snow fall, but the grim levels so far prove that the state is in the throes of one of its driest periods in recorded history. * Farmers who rely on the federally run Central Valley Project received only 20 percent of their normal water allotment last year and were expecting this year's bad news. Some communities and endangered wildlife that rely on the federal water source will also suffer deep cuts." -- And what's the government waiting for.. to see if people can live without water until the government has enough to save people and the smelt fish? This is sort like being tied-up in a baseball game, your pitcher is losing strength, and having the Cy Young winner sitting on the bench, but not putting him in as you're saving him for the next game.. What if there isn't a next game.. Is it comforting to know you'd have that Cy Young winner ready to go even though there's no more games to use him in?

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Low-info voter's L-E "soundoff": "The code name for “government-controlled insurance” is Medicare, and I’ve never heard of anybody who has refused it." -- WRONG! Medicare is a pre-paid-into program ala Social Security.. Democrats have just bastardized both programs with Medicaid and SSI programs that are entitlement programs without participation.

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Another low info voter's L-E "soundoff": " Sandy Hook shooter (_*_)dam L(_*_)nza’s mother, an NRA member, bought him his assault rifle and took him to the range to train, while the NRA bought the legislation to make guns available to anyone." -- And the (_*_) pulled the trigger of an inanimate gun to kill his mother, then took inanimate guns to an unarmed/unprotected school and pulled the trigger enough times to kill 26 people. Sounds like amputating the (_*_)'s fingers would have been preventative medicine.

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L-E story: " The University of Georgia is trying to raise at least $1 billion by 2020. * Officials are trying to ramp up the effort to bring in additional money. The goal is to offset declining state support." -- Hmmm or maybe to meet escalating salaries that aren't covered by ample state support? Wonder if the State Legislators were aware of this?

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From a Dusty Nix onslaught: "You’re at the pharmacy to pick up your diabetes medication. The pharmacist takes a look at you and at your prescription, and refuses to fill it. Why? Is it expired, or maybe you’re out of refills? * No, the prescription is valid and current. But the pharmacist has decided that your Type II diabetes is something you brought on yourself, and because of his deeply held moral and religious objection to the sin of gluttony, he doesn’t have to serve you. * Alabama wanted to allow druggists to refuse the so-called “morning after” pill on the basis of a moral objection to abortion (a tenuous connection, to put it diplomatically )." -- There is a difference... Type II diabetes is a disease and pregnancy (wanted or unwanted - barring rape/incest) is not. Granted, both could be pretty well be avoided if we paid better attention to what we voluntarily put in our bodies, but allowing patients to medicate themselves when there is a life threatening situation is not desirable. I'm not objecting to such on morals issues, those are between people and God to work out.

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L-E's "Thought for Today": “If you wish to avoid seeing a fool you must first break your mirror.” — Francois Rabelais, French satirist (1494-1553)." -- Hmmm, obviously not an adage to be seen in the White House.

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I have to wonder what Karl Douglass speaks to so many seniors about..and why.. It bothers me that then L-E refuses to connect him with his job as a campaign staffer for Congressman Bishop who supports too many entitlement programs that are a detriment to young men and women from escaping the pitfalls of relying on government programs to make it in life.

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L-E commentary of David Rutkowski: "The federal government should play a role in educational policy formation, that is clear; but this role should be commensurate with its financial stake." -- Now here's an argument both side can parse.. The libs will think it to mean the federal government should just throw more money at the problems. The responsibles will think it means that the federal government should stop contriving unfunded/underfunded mandates There's a middle ground that would be better for the students.. let the individual states handle it all!

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L-E story: " As of Friday, American flags purchased by the U.S. military must be completely made in America. * It’s the sort of thing that seems like it would have been formalized already. There’s a rule that governs what the Pentagon can purchase and where these things must originate, a rule that didn’t use to cover American flags * The new policy says that American flags, “including the materials and components thereof,” have to be made in the United States. * Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., who is running for a ninth term in Congress, said on Friday that he pushed for the change because he thought it was just common sense that American flags be made in the United States." -- "common sense" from a Democrat... will wonders never cease? Now if we could get that to apply to City employees being required to reside in our City, and state employees being required to reside in our state, we could put a dent in revenues lost by employees paying property taxes in other locales.

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Kudos for our Kendrick High School girls basketball stars. They are undefeated this season after winning their first round in the state tournament. Now, if we could work on Kendrick getting S.T.A.R. academic students.