School day for politically correct sexual propaganda

The Orange County Register:

Gay students, allies staying silent today  (portion of original OCR article)

Hundreds of students across Orange County will remain silent all day at school Friday to protest anti-gay bullying on their campus, part of the 15th annual nationwide Day of Silence.

GROUP PLANS COUNTER-PROTEST

Meanwhile, a Sacramento-based pro-family group is encouraging parents statewide to protest the Day of Silence by keeping their kids home from school Friday.

SaveCalifornia.com said in a statement that the Day of Silence was gratuitous "in-your-face sexual indoctrination" and that school administrators were implicitly condoning behaviors that "disrupt the school day for politically correct sexual propaganda."

"Because school districts are allowing this brainwashing during the entire school day, morally sensitive parents are counter-protesting by removing both their child and the child's ADA (Average Daily Attendance) funding on Friday," SaveCalifornia.com President Randy Thomasson said in a statement.

An official from the county Department of Education said school administrators in Orange County were trained to handle events like the Day of Silence in a sensitive and appropriate manner, and urged parents not to keep their kids home.

"Every day is important in a child's education – what we should not condone is staying home from school," said Daria Waetjen, a director of leadership and learning support for the Orange County Department of Education. "Our schools are well-trained in cultural proficiency issues, and I have confidence they will handle the issues in schools appropriately."

Waetjen said the Day of Silence is relatively low key because it involves complete silence by participants, and no Orange County schools have reported problems in past years.

"It's like any freedom of speech – the expectation is that education will continue and all students will attend all of their classes." Waetjen said.

_____________________________________

 
The Fullerton Sentinel wants to know what cultural proficiency issues are and how it/they relate to a child's sexual orientation?   According to the Center for Culturally Proficient Practice, "Cultural Proficiency is an approach that helps organizations to respond in healthy ways to diversity. Culturally proficient policies and practices enable organizations to become inclusive in the way clients, employees, and the community are served."  Sexual deviance is not a culture.  Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate") are the collective values a person is raised with and normalizing sexual deviance does not constitute a culture, just a dysfunctional group unable to have normal sexual relationships with their natural partners of the opposite sex. 

_____________________________________

 

 

"It's going to have a huge impact," said Dorsey, 17, noting that the Gay-Straight Alliance club at Saddleback High has only about five members. "When you get that many people involved, the entire school is going to know by the end of the day what's going on and why it was happening."

_____________________________________

The Fullerton Sentinel wants to know what educational benefit will be produced by condoning a child's sexual desires?  It is unclear if ANY of the students have non-heterosexual tendencies and even less clear if condoning and supporting sexual deviation is healthy for 13- and 14-year old children.

The Fullerton Sentinel urges parents to contact school board members to end ALL non-academic clubs from public schools. 

Protect Free Speech

This just in from friends in Yorba Linda:

This Tuesday Night, March 29, at 6:30 PM.

Please plan to arrive early as 5:00PM.

Yorba Linda City Hall:  4845 Casa Loma in Yorba Linda

Protect Free Speech at the Yorba Linda  City Council Meeting!

CAIR is Using a Favorite Shariah-Mandated Tactic ― Intimidation

Their Targets: Elected Officials who speak out against terrorist sympathizer.

Come on out with your flags and respectful posters.  By that we mean poster such as:  "NO SHARIAH",  "FREE SPEECH", "NO TERRORISM", etc.

Mayor Nancy Rikel and Councilman John Anderson stood up for America and our 1st Amendment right of free speech.  Both came out to our protest and spoke on that February Sunday.  Now it is time for us to stand for them.  This coming Tuesday, March 29th at 6:30 PM the Yorba Linda City Council will meet.  The City Council Chambers are located at City Hall   4845 Casa Loma in Yorba Linda.  This is located just down from the community center past the park.  Plan to arrive by 5:30 PM if you can.

Several of us will be speaking as we did this week at the Villa Park Council Meeting.  These two courageous elected officials deserve support from all of us.  Come on out  with your flags and respectful posters.  By that I mean such as: "NO SHARIAH",  "FREE SPEECH", "NO TERRORISM", etc. 

If the militant Muslims show up as they did on Tuesday in Villa Park , please refrain from stooping to their level.  An intelligent dialogue is much more productive that the shouting and yelling which took place Tuesday.

Bring your cameras, bring your videocameras.

Let's be there to support Mayor Rikel and Councilman Anderson.

Hope to see you Tuesday!

Today's Reading

Acts 9

Saul’s Conversion

 ¹ Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
 ⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
   “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
 ⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
 ¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
   “Yes, Lord,” he answered.
 ¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
 ¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
 ¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
 ¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem

    Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. ²⁰ At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. ²¹ All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” ²² Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
 ²³ After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, ²⁴ but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. ²⁵ But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
 ²⁶ When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,^[a] but they tried to kill him. ³⁰ When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
 ³¹ Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

Aeneas and Dorcas

 ³² As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. ³⁴ “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. ³⁵ All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
 ³⁶ In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. ³⁷ About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. ³⁸ Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”
 ³⁹ Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
 ⁴⁰ Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. ⁴² This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. ⁴³ Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

Ed Royce

 

District Update | January 31, 2011 Click here if you have trouble viewing this message.

Dear Friends,Actress Kristen Bell will provide the keynote address at my Third Annual Women's Conference. This event will be held in conjunction with Cal State Fullerton's Women and Philanthropy Network at CSUF's Titan Student Union Center on Saturday, April 2, 2011. Kristen Bell, this year’s keynote speaker, is a strong supporter of Invisible Children, a group that is dedicated to creating awareness about the plight of child soldiers in Uganda.  Bell is probably best known for her roles in the romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the TV series Veronica Mars. This year's conference will offer unique advice for job seekers, stress management techniques, nutrition tips, financial advice and safety tips that every woman should know. Click here to RSVP for the Women's Conference.  I look forward to seeing you in April. Sincerely, Representative Ed Royce Top District Issues Royce Reacts to President Obama's State of the Union Address In an exclusive to the FlashReport, Rep. Royce provides his thoughts on some of the specific issues raised by the president during his State of the Union address.  The following is an excerpt from that exclusive: This was the president that authorized the bailouts, signed the $800 billion un-stimulating stimulus package, created the $2 trillion entitlement program known as Obamacare and increased overall spending by 84 percent. Since the president’s last State of the Union speech (when he proposed his first failed spending freeze), our national debt has gone up by $1.7 trillion. Now he’s calling for a freeze rather than cuts? I am afraid he’s a day late and a few trillion dollars short. Click here to read the piece in its entirety.   House Republicans Committed to Cutting Washington Spending Last week, the House passed H.Res. 38, a resolution that puts the House on a glide path to a significant drop in spending for the remainder of fiscal year 2011.  The resolution cuts non-security discretionary spending to pre-‘stimulus,’ pre-bailout levels or lower.  This legislation is expected to trim $60 billion or more from non-security discretionary spending. Click here for more information about this legislation. EVENTS March 14: Royce will host an informational meeting for students to learn more about West Point, Annapolis, Merchant Marine, Air Force and Coast Guard. Click here for more details. April 2: Royce will host his Third Annual Women's Conference.  Actress Kristen Bell will be this year's keynote speaker. Click here for more details. In Case You Missed It At the state dinner for China's President Hu Jintao, a Chinese-born pianist Lang Lang used his time in front of the two presidents to play an anti-American propaganda song, "My Motherland."  Royce blogged on this incident last week.  Click here to read Royce's blog post entitled, "Hu’s Tickling the White House Ivories?!" CONNECT RSS Feeds Facebook Youtube Foreign Intrigue Blog

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Why “Sanctity of Life” Matters

by Jim Litchfield

Last Saturday, January 22, was the 38th anniversary of the Roe v Wade decision which opened wide the door to the killing of our unborn babies. We asked one of our church’s strongest proponents of Right to Life issues to write about what keeps him and his wife Carolyn in the fight.

Abortion.

It is worse than you can imagine.

Abortion. The word itself elicits emotions across the entire spectrum of human feelings. Abortion. Our response to the scope and severity of this issue will undoubtedly be what our generation is judged for in the history books.

Abortion. An act of violence that kills a child. Abortion. Approximately 50,000,000 deaths in the United States since the 1973 Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. 1,210,000 deaths per year in the U.S. (2005 figures). Approximately 3,315 per day. Every day in the U.S. there are more babies killed by abortion than the number of people killed on 9-11. Abortion. It is worse than you can imagine.

With the 38th annual commemoration of the Roe v Wade decision this month, Christians are once again confronted with the question about what we should do, both as individuals and as the church, in response to the killing of innocent children in our society. What should we do? What does Scripture say we should do?

There are numerous Scriptural references to the sanctity of life, to the fact that life begins at conception, and that we should defend the innocent.

For instance, consider the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37). Is an unborn child our current neighbor (as opposed to merely being a future neighbor) in the sense meant by Jesus when He commanded us to “love our neighbor” in the parable?

If the unborn child is our current neighbor, what is our response supposed to be? The priest and the Levite who passed by on the other side of the beating victim may have felt pity for him but the Samaritan took pity on him. The Samaritan took risks and made sacrifices (a good definition of “love”) to save someone he didn’t know and to whom he owed no obvious duty (an extreme definition of “neighbor”). Even more importantly, if the unborn child is our neighbor now, we should be sobered by the fact that the Parable of the Good Samaritan is Christ’s answer to the question “. . . what must I do to be saved?” (Luke 10:25) Jesus said we are to love God and love our neighbor and then explained who our neighbor is and what real love looks like. How can this parable not apply to abortion?

Good works can’t save us but they will be judged as evidence that our faith is a saving faith. Jesus prophesied that He would judge faith by examining works: “Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me . . . Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of

these, you did not do it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:41–45)

It is Scriptures like these that motivate me to respond to the abortion holocaust. Theologian Francis Schaeffer wrote that if Christians won’t stand up against something as evil as killing a baby—then the world has the right to ask whether Christ is real. I want the world to know that Jesus is real. I want the world to know that He is alive. And I want the world to hear the gospel, as it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

Ephesians 5:1 commands us, as believers in Christ to expose the deeds of evil and darkness. The world is watching the Christian Church’s response to the abortion holocaust and deciding what they think about Jesus as they do. If Jesus’ people aren’t doing anything about abortion, a very clear statement is being made about Jesus!

There are many, many ways that Christians can respond to the evil of abortion. First and foremost, educate yourself about abortion. There are numerous websites with all kinds of facts and figures and research (abortionNO.org and abort73.com). Once you have a better understanding of abortion and the enormity of the abortion problem, draw near to God and ask Him the same three questions that Pastor Steve Osborn taught in his sermon in the Sanctuary (January 16) and the Commons (January 23): Where does the Father want me to deploy the finite resources of my life to stop abortion? Who does the Father want me to work with to help stop abortion? And last, specifically what does the Father want me to do to stop abortion? Ask these questions in faith and, as you listen for His answer, pray that the Father answers you just as Jesus prayed the Father would answer

Him (Luke 22), “nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done.”

My fervent prayer is that there won’t need to be a 39th commemoration of Roe v Wade next year . . . but rather the first commemoration of the year that abortion ended in our country. Imagine that.

Proverbs 25

 

 

 

 

Proverbs 25

More Proverbs of Solomon

 ¹ These are more proverbs of Solomon, compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah: 
² It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
   to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
³ As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
   so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.
 ⁴ Remove the dross from the silver,
   and a silversmith can produce a vessel;
⁵ remove wicked officials from the king’s presence,
   and his throne will be established through righteousness.
 ⁶ Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence,
   and do not claim a place among his great men;
⁷ it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”
   than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.
   What you have seen with your eyes
 ⁸ do not bring^[a] hastily to court,
for what will you do in the end
   if your neighbor puts you to shame?
 ⁹ If you take your neighbor to court,
   do not betray another’s confidence,
¹⁰ or the one who hears it may shame you
   and the charge against you will stand.
 ¹¹ Like apples^[b] of gold in settings of silver
   is a ruling rightly given.
¹² Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
   is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear.
 ¹³ Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time
   is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him;
   he refreshes the spirit of his master.
¹⁴ Like clouds and wind without rain
   is one who boasts of gifts never given.
 ¹⁵ Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
   and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
 ¹⁶ If you find honey, eat just enough—
   too much of it, and you will vomit.
¹⁷ Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house—
   too much of you, and they will hate you.
 ¹⁸ Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow
   is one who gives false testimony against a neighbor.
¹⁹ Like a broken tooth or a lame foot
   is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.
²⁰ Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,
   or like vinegar poured on a wound,
   is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
 ²¹ If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
   if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
²² In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
   and the LORD will reward you.
 ²³ Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain
   is a sly tongue—which provokes a horrified look.
 ²⁴ Better to live on a corner of the roof
   than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
 ²⁵ Like cold water to a weary soul
   is good news from a distant land.
²⁶ Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
   are the righteous who give way to the wicked.
 ²⁷ It is not good to eat too much honey,
   nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep.
 ²⁸ Like a city whose walls are broken through
   is a person who lacks self-control.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 25:8 Or nobles / on whom you had set your eyes. / Do not go
2. Proverbs 25:11 Or possibly apricots

Council Candidate Looks for Attention

2010 City Council candidate, Barry Levinson, sent this to Fullerton's Future blog hoping to get some attention. Barry is not quite as conservative as he would like you to think. At two Republican-leaning forums last year, Barry said he believed abortion was OK if the baby was going to be disabled. Barry's lack of respect for human life caused him to loose key endorsements. But here he is looking for attention on something he has a good grasp on, money.

Since the November 2010 elections, I have read two articles
on the Friends for Fullerton’s Future site that require further discussion. The
first one stated that the rescinding of the utility tax increases of 1994 has
saved the taxpayers approximately 150 million dollars since 1994 to the present
time. Hats off to Council member Bruce Whitaker and all the people who helped
make that rescission a reality. The fact that we were able to elect him to the
council indicates that we are making some progress. But this is not a time to
sit back and savor our victory locally as well as nationally.

We cannot
afford any complacency since another even larger albatross is now facing
the fine citizens of Fullerton, namely the unfunded liabilities for public
pensions and retiree medical costs.

The second article deals with the
reporting by CALPERS that the Fullerton police and fire pension obligations are
now facing a 127 million dollar unfunded liability as of June 30, 2009. In other
words, we the taxpayers of Fullerton are currently on the hook for this
astronomical
amount.

If you add the unfunded liability of the
miscelleous (does Barry mean miscellaneous??) employees as well as the
City’s unfunded retiree health care benefits, it skyrockets up to and probably
well over the 200 million dollar mark! Twice the amount saved from the utility
tax rescission.

I suggest that the citizens of Fullerton have to be just
as irate now as when we were facing the massive utility tax increase in 1994.
The one common thread between these two instances is our city council. We must
make it clear that we the people are watching very closely the actions taken by
our council as they prepare to negotiate with all of the city’s unions! We must
speak out loud and clear and demand that the council vote for significant cuts
in these benefits coupled with significant employee contribution increases.

I suggest that all fellow readers of this blog attend the February
1st Council Meeting to speak to the council during its Open Agenda Segment to
insist that major employee cost savings must be implemented across the board
this year. We must demand no less and be ready to take further
action if a
majority of the council defies the people one more time.

Although Barry makes a good point and demonstrates his background with money, he is lacking core conservative values as noted above. As conservatives, we need leadership that understands and respects the value of human life. We need leaders who have profound faith in God and respect of His children no matter their perfection.

The Fullerton Sentinel respects Barry Levinson's activism and sincere concern for the City's finances. However, Fullerton's conservatives are much more than simple-minded fiscal conservative Libertarians; We are children of God who seek His guidance through the leadership of our fellow man.

This Week's Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand, not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.

--- St. Francis of Assisi

OC Register Reporter Trying Hard

Anyone with their ear to the ground in Fullerton has noticed that the OC Register has been making an effort to report on more than fluff.

In recent days, the OCR's Jessica Terrell has made some attempt to bring the not-so-pretty-side of Fullerton to public light.

Her most recent article is really nothing more than the crime blotter. However, it isn't just a simple one page glorification of emergency services as the Fullerton Observer would like to think but rather it is the raw information of calls received and responded to by the Fullerton Police Department.

Did you notice anything missing? How about just the simple fact the FPD responded to far more calls than the 3 listed for December 15, 2010. The missing information is not the fault of the reporter but rather the omission of the Police Department's Public Information Officer, Sgt. Goodrich.

The Fullerton Sentinel strongly urges the Orange County Register to obtain a complete list of reported crimes and their respective dispositions.

Happy New Year

The Fullerton Sentinel wishes you a very happy New Year!

2 Hurt After Man Crashes Into Powerpole On State College

Associated Press: EU Court condemns Irish ban on abortion

The Fullerton Sentinel

The AP is reporting that the European Court of Human Rights (strange name considering their ruling!) ruled Thursday in a judgment that harshly criticized Ireland's constitutional ban on abortion violates the rights of pregnant women to receive proper medical care in life-threatening cases.

The AP report says that: "The judgment from the Strasbourg, France-based court will put Ireland under pressure to draft a law extending limited abortion rights to women whose pregnancies represent a potentially fatal threat to their own health."

Although the headline, similar ones appearing on numerous sites and papers, appears to be a lift on all abortions, is misleading, the fact remains that elective abortions are still illegal throughout the island nation. 

Abortion as a means of birth control or as a means for minimizing the unintended consequences of a woman's actions finds no home in Ireland as it should be in the United States. 

The notion that "it's a woman's body" and therefore we must all allow for mothers to murder their children is painfully flawed.  Abortion should be reserved only for those who are gravely ill, the decision for which should be made by a licensed medical doctor based on survivability of the person and perhaps the patient's preference. 

Selective abortion as a means of birth control should be prosecuted as first degree murder.

OC Register: Rackauckas gets $1.38 million for “Spit and Acquit”

by Kimberly Edds, Staff Writer for the Orange County Register
(re-posted here without permission)

The Orange County Board of Supervisors gave District Attorney Tony Rackauckas another $1.38 million to pay for his DNA collection program Tuesday, despite the fact that many of the samples are useless to state and federal authorities.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department runs its own DNA laboratory, which coordinates with state and federal labs.

It is the third request this year for more money for the program, which asks low-level suspects to cough up DNA samples in exchange for dismissing drug and misdemeanor charges.  Once their DNA is in the “bank,” so to speak, it’s easier to catch them if they commit more serious crimes.

The program has nearly 40,000 DNA samples. Rackaukas promised supervisors the money will help clear up a current backlog of samples waiting to be processed, and could potentially solve unsolved crimes and prevent future ones.

Rackauckas’ effort to build his much-heralded DNA database saves prosecution costs for low-level criminals, he said. Critics have cried foul over letting suspected criminals go free without prosecution, and returning drug users to the streets.

The program, formally known as the “DNA Collection and Crime Deterrence Program,” has matched 18 suspects to DNA samples collected since its inception, including two brothers arrested on suspicion of  murdering a woman whose body was doused in gasoline and set on fire in Irvine in September 2009.
Fingernail scrapings matched a DNA sample taken by the District Attorney’s Office a few months prior in connection with a domestic violence misdemeanor, Rackauckas said. The pair is awaiting trial.

The county paid $425,000 for the program in 2009. A total of 15,285 DNA samples were collected that year. A total of 19,889 samples were collected in 2010.

The board approved increases in March and October for a total of $984,500 to deal with backlog issues, according to a county staff report.

Janet Nguyen, chair of the county Board of Supervisors, and fellow Supervisor Pat Bates, hounded Rackauckas with questions about why the costs continue to grow in leaps in bounds while the number of samples being taken and analyzed is growing in modestly.

An estimated 2,000 DNA samples a month are expected to be collected next year, Rackauckas told the board Tuesday. That increase coupled with the program’s current backlog of 4,000 samples means the program needs more money to get ahead and stay ahead.

The current backlog will be eliminated in about a month, Rackauckas said.

The program saves money for the District Attorney’s Office, Rackauckas said, but it also saves money for the Public Defender and local law enforcement agencies since fewer cases make it to trial.

Most of DNA samples taken by the District Attorney’s Office are worthless to federal and state law enforcement agencies because the samples don’t meet their standards or they are barred from using DNA samples taken from suspects whose cases were dismissed.

Still, Rackauckas argued the program has reduced recidivism.

“People know we have their DNA,” Rackauckas said. “We are more likely to catch them because we have their DNA. It think the citizens are not less safe, but safer.”

__________________________________________________________

Commentary by the Fullerton Sentinel

__________________________________________________________



The Fullerton Sentinel



Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas will certainly go down in county history as one of the worst DA's ever.  He has consistently ignored political corruption at all levels of government, especially within his own office. 

The Fullerton Sentinel looks forward to the 2014 election when OC voters will be able to replace the inept DA. 

Politicians and their religious beliefs

Ally Bordas

By Ally Bordas
For the Daily Titan
Published: October 21, 2010

When you step into a position of power, you have to be prepared to lay your life out on a silver platter for others to observe and pick apart. Whether or not you have Constitutional rights, the First Amendment is a bitch and American citizens are greedily awaiting to hear about the latest political scandal.

Just look at celebrities: protection of privacy? I think not.

“That fact that an atheist couldn’t get elected dog-catcher in the United States of America is no secret,” stated writer Jonathan Malesic, ABC Religion and Ethics article.

If politicians ran around with their religious beliefs stamped across their forehead, they would be no closer to gaining a seat in the Senate as Mike the “Situation” from Jersey Shore is. Look at Christine O’Donnell, she admitted to being a witch at one point in her life and now she is constantly mocked for it. I mean who can take a reformed witch seriously? Save it for Halloween.

“Most voters (70 percent) want the president to be a person of faith. But half of the electorate expresses unease with politicians, presidential contenders and others, who talk too much about their religious beliefs,” according to an article written by the Research Center for the People and the Press.

I think it’s true – it would be awkward to have a hardcore preacher waltzing into the Senate trying to heal you.

Everyone in the United States has the right to express their religion in their own personal or public way. But religion always seems to be a touchy subject with people: Muslims get profiled as terrorists (Islamophobia), born-again Christians speak in tongues, Scientologists are secretly “crazy,” Catholics sit on their pedestals, warlocks and wiccans are just emo people on drugs and Rastafarians are, obviously, lovers of the natural herb. So do politicians really want to have to fight off these religious stereotypes every single time they step into the spotlight? I don’t think so.

But then again, I would want to know if the president, for example, is secretly worshipping the devil at night. Just like I would want to know if the first lady was a Bible hugger. Since I am an American citizen with kick-ass First Amendment rights, I feel like I should have the right to know something about politicians and their religious beliefs. No Christine O’Donnell, I do not want to hear about your first date to a satanical bloodbath or whatever creepy ceremony you so willingly took part in (yes, I am aware of the fact that the media most likely blows all of this out of proportion).

Just like we have our First Amendment rights as boring average citizens, I guess I cannot deny the fact that our politicians have their rights too. The Constitution states “no religious test shall be imposed on any public official,” according to an article written by Debate the Opposing Views. So, technically, we may never know which god or devil any of our politicians may secretly worship (they can just lie to us).

What I want to know from religious politicians is what role will faith play during his or her job as a national politician. What are the boundaries between government and religion? Since religion can dominate a person’s psyche and lifestyle, I think it is only fair we have these questions answered.

Debate the Opposing Views also told readers to take a closer look at past politicians to see how fanatical they are about their religion. “James Watt, President Reagan’s first Secretary of the Interior, told the U.S. Congress that protecting natural resources was unimportant in light of the imminent return of Jesus Christ. In public testimony he said, ‘after the last tree is felled, Christ will come back.” See, obsessed with his religion.
And also what about Bush? Does anyone remember Bush stating that the reason he was president was because God appointed him? I mean he told America that God wanted him and only him. Talk about narcissistic.

All I am saying is that we have to be careful. We do not want our politicians being affected by their religious beliefs to the point that they forget how our country was really formed: by revolution, war and oppression (with a hint of faith). Religion comes second to our Constitution. And most importantly, Debate the Opposing Views reminds us to remember that our politicians “don’t drop their religious beliefs at the White House door.”

OC Register: Recount of Fullerton council race cancelled

By HEATHER McREA

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

(re-posted here without permission)

FULLERTON – Doug Chaffee has called off the recount he requested for the Fullerton City Council four-year term race, the Orange County Registrar of Voters announced Tuesday.

Nearly 2,200 ballots had been counted in the first two days before Chaffee asked to end the recount, according to the announcement. The original results will stand, leaving former police chief Patrick McKinley as the second-place winner. Don Bankhead had held a clear majority all along.

McKinley took the oath of office on Dec. 7 along with Bankhead and Bruce Whitaker, who was elected to a two-year term left open when Shawn Nelson was elected to the county Board of Supervisors earlier this year.

According to the official election results, McKinley received 10,346 votes to Chaffee's 10,256.

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Commentary from the Sentinel

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The Fullerton Sentinel



It is sad and unfortunate that Fullerton voters chose Pat McKinley and Doug Chaffee at nearly the same rate.  However, this was to be expected considering that both are fiscal liberals who are quite content to raise taxes. 

The 2012 election cycle will be starting up in just a few months and conservatives will have an opportunity to replace two liberal council members, F. Richard "Dick" Jones and Sharon Quirk-Silva. 

Jones, a registered Republican, and Quirk-Silva, a registered Democrat, are both fiscal liberals.  However, Quirk-Silva has voted NO on more expenditures than Jones, making her more conservative than the self-avowed conservative Jones.

Take time to know the candidates and then support them by volunteering your time and money.

City of Fullerton To End Furlough Fridays

Press

Release

City of Fullerton Public Information Office
303 W. Commonwealth, Fullerton, CA 92832
Phone: (714) 738-6317

********************

12/9/2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                     PRESS RELEASE #28710

Subject :          City to end Friday furloughs
Contact :         Gretchen Beatty, Director, Fullerton Human Resources Department (714) 738-6360
                        Sylvia Palmer Mudrick, Public Information Coordinator, Fullerton City Manager’s Office (714) 738-6317

*******************

Beginning Friday, Jan. 14, Fullerton city government facilities will return to their schedule of being open on alternate Fridays.

The every Friday closures were implemented in May by the Fullerton City Council in response to contracts with the miscellaneous employee bargaining units that included 5 percent pay cuts retroactive to the beginning of the 2009 payroll year.

The city’s executive managers’ salaries have been cut by 5 percent as of July 2009, and the confidential employees’ have had their salaries cut by 5 percent since November 2009.  The pay cuts will remain in place for all units.

With the end of the Friday closures, City facilities will return to being closed every other Friday as part of the city’s efforts to meet AQMD trip reduction requirements. 

The new operational hours actually go into effect Saturday, Dec. 25;  however, because of the holidays, the first open Friday will be Jan. 14.

           

The Fullerton Main and Hunt Branch libraries will remain on their current hours until the end of the 2010-11 fiscal year. 

           

The Fullerton Main Library's operating hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

           

Hunt Branch hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays and noon-8 p.m. Thursdays only.

           

Further information may be obtained by calling the Fullerton Public Information Office at (714) 738-6317.

###

OC Register: O.C. on ‘Judicial Hellhole’ list

by Mary Ann Milbourn for the Orange County Register
(re-posted here without permission)

Orange County received special mention on the American Tort Reform Association’s ninth annual “Judicial Hellholes” list released today.

The association cited a class action lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court last August that claimed more than a dozen olive oil companies and distributors are selling products labeled extra virgin that aren’t extra virgin enough. The suit, filed by Santa Ana attorney Daniel J. Callahan of Callahan & Blaine, contends the companies committed fraud and misrepresentation by labeling and promoting their olive oil as more-expensive extra virgin, even though it did not meet international and USDA standards.

That case was one of several lawsuits and that helped make California No. 2 on the Judicial Hellhole list. The association called out Los Angeles and Humboldt counties in particular for this high verdict.

“California has a history of wacky consumer class actions that further encourage plaintiffs’ lawyers to seize on minor missteps as a means to lots of cash,” said the report. “And though state voters passed an initiative attempting to rein in this kind of litigation in 2004, it remains big business for certain California plaintiffs’ lawyers.”

As an example, the association noted a lawsuit that challenged Apple’s claim that reading on the iPad is like reading a book because the iPad automatically turns off when it’s in the sunlight and gets overheated. Books, the suit said, don’t turn off.

The Judicial Hellhole list highlights areas that have a reputation for uneven justice.
Philadelphia topped this year’s group for encouraging lawsuits and as well as its penchant for excessive verdicts.

“The judicial leadership is engaged in a campaign to draw in massive personal injury lawsuits from around the country, viewing the increase in lawsuits and out-of-town lawyers as a boost for the court’s revenues and the local restaurants and hotels,” said the report.

Top U.S. judicial hellholes
Rank  Area
1        Philadelphia
2        California, particularly L.A. & Humboldt counties
3        West Virginia
4        South Florida
5        Cook County, Ill.
6        Clark County, Nev.

Victor Schwartz, the association’s general counsel, said the list is designed to draw attention to courts where it is difficult to get a fair trial.

“It’s not just because defendants lose — defendants lose all the time,” Schwartz said. “It’s about equal justice.”

The association noted that several areas that had been on the list before had made changes the improved the administration of justice.

Of particular note was legislation addressing several issues in Florida, changes by a West Virginia judge in handling asbestos litigation and a ruling by the Maryland Court of Appeal upholding the state’s statutory limit on subjective pain and suffering awards in person injury cases.

The American Association for Justice Communications, formerly known as the American Trial Lawyers Association, dismissed the report as simply a front for big business trying to prevent injured persons from having their day in court.

“Despite all the chemical companies and polluters behind this front group, it appears ATRA is going green – recycling the same junk report that has been debunked and ridiculed year after year,” said Ray De Lorenzi, director of the association. “It’s an early holiday token of thanks to its drug, tobacco and insurance industry funders and a ploy for these corporations to continue their negligent behavior and avoid accountability.”
Read the full Judicial Hellholes report HERE.

The Boomerang Generation



The Fullerton Sentinel

 25- to 34-year old "kids" are moving back in with Mom and Dad at a record rate.  

By The Fullerton Sentinel

The Huffington Post reported on a study in the Transitions to Adulthood titled "What's Going on with Young People Today? The Long and Twisting Path to Adulthood".  Just reading the title will make you feel old! 

ScienceDaily wrote a great synopsis: "Despite living in an age of iPads and hybrid cars, young Americans are more like the young adults of the early 1900s than the baby boom generation: They are living at home longer, are financially insecure and are making lower wages."

So much for retiring, selling the house, and downsizing into a condo while you tour the country in your RV.  The bottom line for Mom and Dad, don't get too comfy; the kids are coming back!