Tag Archives: government

Obesity Alarmist Doesn’t Tweet What She Preaches

Posted on January 7, 2011 | 3 Comments
Thou Tweet with forketh tongue, Linda.

Thou Tweet with forketh tongue, Linda.

The Orlando Sentinel’s in-house anti-obesity crusader, Linda Shrieves, went to bat yesterday for a radical animal ‘rights’ group that is attempting to replace the USDA’s food pyramid with a vegan substitute that eliminates all meat and dairy products.

When the obesity-obsessed Shrieves isn’t taking the journalistic liberty of transforming press releases from the likes of the agenda-driven Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in to public health warnings, she can’t seem to resist Tweeting about the latest deals to be found at fast food restaurants:

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Santa Ban Prompts County to Consider De-Funding Head Start

Posted on January 7, 2011 | 1 Comment
"This may affect my willingness to fund money for them," said Supervisor Bill Russell. "That's just the way I am."

"This may affect my willingness to fund money for them," said Supervisor Bill Russell. "That's just the way I am."

A local Mississippi Head Start program that enforced a ban on Santa Claus from visiting children last month is now at risk of losing funding in the upcoming year. Concerned members of DeSoto County’s Board of Supervisors say the ban conflicts with Head Start’s “set of core values which … respects families, cultures and diversity.”

Prior to Christmas, a memo from Head Start state headquarters in Holly Springs implored employees in the program’s 367 pre-school centers to refrain from displaying Santa Claus and Christmas-themed decorations. Specifically, Head Start’s Virda Lee warned, “Please DO NOT invite Santa to your center.”

A “Winter Wonderland” theme featuring snowmen and snowflakes, however, was suggested by Lee as a suitable alternative during the season otherwise known as ‘Christmas.’

While Christmas was shunned in the name of promoting ‘tolerance’ and ‘diversity’ to Head Start’s young participants, it was revealed by Gov. Haley Barbour’s spokesman this week that the ban on all things Christmas appears to be the handiwork of a naughty elf, aka Virda Lee, because it’s definitely not the “official position” of the statewide program.

DeSoto County’s Board of Supervisors said they want answers from Head Start regarding its official position on Christmas before making critical funding decisions later this month.

“We have an American culture, and every time we turn around it gets chipped away and chipped away, and I’m getting tired of it,” said Supervisor Allen Latimer.

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Pennsylvanians Now Free to Gratuitously Drop ‘F-Bomb’

Posted on January 4, 2011 | 3 Comments
Hey, kids! The ACLU and Commonwealth of Penn. say it's okay to fire away, as long as it's "non-threatening!"

Hey, kids! The ACLU and Commonwealth of Penn. say it's okay to fire away, as long as it's "non-threatening!"

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) secured a victory Tuesday for Pennsylvanians who enjoy dropping the ‘F-bomb’ without fear of reprisal from law enforcement officials.

ACLU lawyer Mary Catherine Roper says Penn. state troopers issued “more than 700 disorderly conduct citations for cursing in a recent one-year span, and local police hundreds more.”

Roper claims citizens’ newfound freedom to use expletives in common “non-threatening” conversation will cut down on needless legal costs endured by violators and the court system.

How do you interpret this ‘victory’ for civil liberties if you’re a parent or teacher? Afterall, this is a victory for protecting freedom of speech as prescribed by the 1st Amendment.

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Bureaucrats Force Fire Trucks to Take the Long Route

Posted on January 4, 2011 | Leave a comment
"Over the river and through the woods, to put out the fire we go!"

"Over the river and through the woods, to put out the fire we go!"

Living south of a well-traveled bridge in one Mass. suburb could now mean the difference between life and death for local residents. State officials recently revised weight restrictions for “heavy trucks” crossing Haverhill’s Basiliere Bridge to include critical ladder trucks.

“It’s not ideal and we want it fixed as quickly as possible, but it’s not a source for panic,” a complicit Mayor James Fiorentini told the Eagle-Tribune. “The state has told us the restriction applies to the firetrucks. We’ve asked them to consider allowing the ladder trucks to use the bridge and they said they will get back to us. If the answer is still no, we’ve asked them to fix the bridge as quickly as possible.”

Ain’t that sweet? Mayor Fiorentini would rather allow the ‘bureaucratic process’ to run its course than do whatever it takes as quickly as possible to protect local residents whose homes and lives are at stake.

Here’s the kicker: Since the weight restrictions were enacted, no city agency has ever monitored the bridge for “heavy trucks” exceeding the posted limit, says the city’s Public Safety Committee chairman. Admittedly, the only truckers following the ill-conceived law are Haverhill firemen who are being forced to take the long route with their ladder trucks!

Someone needs to kick Mayor Fiorentini’s butt into high gear. Here’s his contact information:

Mayor Fiorentini’s on-line Constituent Services (online form)
– or –
Personal email: jimfior02@aol.com

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Posted in Government, Legal

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City Bans Puffing, Petting and Eating Behind the Wheel

Posted on January 4, 2011 | 7 Comments
Do we really need a law telling motorists they can't pet their dogs while driving? Nanny state bureaucrats in Troy, Mich., think so ...

Do we really need a law telling motorists they can't pet their dogs while driving? Nanny state bureaucrats in Troy, Mich., think so ...

One city’s efforts to ensure motorists stay focused on the road ahead seems like a bit of overkill, but we’ll let you be the judge:

Bagel-chomping motorists prone to texting while driving beware: Police in a Detroit suburb have officially begun looking for you.

Troy police began enforcing the city’s new driving while distracted ordinance, which went into effect Saturday.

The ordinance passed last year in the city about 15 miles north of Detroit aims to crack down on distracted drivers whose bad behind-the-wheel behavior includes using a cell phone, eating, grooming and interacting with pets. Motorists face fines from $75 to $200.

The newly enacted law targets motorists for fines if they “temporarily remove both hands from the full grip of the wheel.” While lighting and smoking cigarettes is not specifically cited in the law as a violation, “[v]irtually any activity could be included at the discretion of an officer,” writes the Detroit Examiner’s Richard Weaver.

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Bureaucrats Transforming Schools into “Sweet-Free Zones”

Posted on December 30, 2010 | 2 Comments
"Yes" is not in nanny state food cops' limited vocabulary.

"Yes" is not in nanny state food cops' limited vocabulary.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the St. Paul school district will make all public schools “sweet-free zones” by the end of the school year. Opponents of the plan say “there is little proof such policies work” and that “it’s a school’s role to teach — not force — students to eat healthy.”

The school district’s unproven and experimental anti-obesity crusade is being fueled by ”a series of state and federal grants, the largest of which will end this school year.”

Agree or disagree with St. Paul Public Schools’ crusade to rid all “sweet, sticky, fat-laden [and] salty treats” from kids’ lunchboxes and cafeteria trays?

Contact Superintendent Valeria S. Silva if you think parents, not bureaucrats, should determine what’s best for their own children to consume in school cafeterias:

Email Superintendent Silva: supt.silva@spps.org

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Posted in Food & Drink, Government, Health, Lifestyle, Parents & Children

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Court Confiscates Lawyer’s ‘Contraband’ Candy

Posted on December 30, 2010 | 4 Comments
Gene Gulinson might be a sucker for jawbreakers, but do you think he's a lawbreaker, too?

Gene Gulinson might be a sucker for jawbreakers, but do you think he's a lawbreaker, too?

An Arizona attorney says that after thirty years of trying cases in Phoenix courthouses, no one has ever raised an issue about his sweet tooth. That all changed when guards recently confiscated Gene Gulinson’s jawbreakers and prohibited his bag of pastries, reports UPI:

Gene Gulinson, who practices in Phoenix, said his treatment at the Highland Justice Court in Gilbert damaged his reputation, The Arizona Republic reported. He is seeking $75,000 from the town.

Gulinson, in his notice of claim, said he has brought candy into courthouses dozens of times over the past 30 years without any trouble.

The trouble began when Gulinson went to the courthouse for a pretrial conference with a client who had two traffic tickets. He said guards first told him he could not enter carrying a bag of pastries a client had given him.

After he got rid of the pastries, guards searched his briefcase and found the jawbreakers.

A town spokeswoman said food is not allowed in the court, although Gilbert makes an exception for babies.

Another frivolous lawsuit or do you think Gulinson’s case has teeth? Afterall, parents are allowed to bring food in to the courtroom and their kids probably make bigger messes than attorneys wearing expensive suits they’d prefer not to soil.

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Posted in Food & Drink, Government, Legal, Lifestyle, Parents & Children

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2010′s Most Notorious Nanny State Ninnies

Posted on December 30, 2010 | 1 Comment

Michelle Malkin just released her “Big Nannies of the Year” list and Reason.tv recently held its annual red carpet ‘awards gala.’ Find out who made the cut and let us know if a notorious nanny state nincompoop has been overlooked.

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Blizzard Strips Gun Owners of Concealed Carry Privilege

Posted on December 28, 2010 | 20 Comments
Criminals can still pack heat during a state of emergency because they've never allowed the law to stand in the way of victimizing anyone. What's wrong with this picture?

Criminals can still pack heat during a state of emergency because they've never allowed the law to stand in the way of victimizing anyone. What's wrong with this picture?

The recent blizzard that hammered North Carolina is also taking its toll on the state’s law abiding gun owners. Citizens possessing concealed carry permits who are caught packing heat during the “state of emergency” will be subject to criminal charges, per the state’s firearms law.

On Christmas Day, Lt. Governor Walter Dalton, in consultation with Governor Bev Perdue, called in the National Guard as snow covered every county in the state. Once a state of emergency is declared, concealed carry permits become null and void, and those who aren’t familiar with this bizarre stipulation in the law are subject to arrest and criminal prosecution:

It is also a misdemeanor under North Carolina law for a person to transport or possess, off his or her own premises, a dangerous weapon in an area during a declared state of emergency, or in the vicinity of a riot. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-288.7

Can you find any logic in North Carolina’s firearms law for stripping law abiding gun owners of their concealed carry privileges during inclement weather?

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Overzealous Cop Busts Mom for Allowing Kid to Walk to School Alone

Posted on December 28, 2010 | 6 Comments
Just another shining example of nanny state bureaucrats telling parents how to raise their own children ... and, using the long arm of the law to force them to comply.

Just another shining example of nanny state bureaucrats telling parents how to raise their own children ... and, using the long arm of the law to force them to comply.

A police officer in Utah recently cited the mother of a kindergartner with “misdemeanor child neglect” because she allows him to walk to and from school without adult supervision. Nevermind the fact that bureaucrats’ recent spending cuts eliminated bus service for five-year-old Noah Talbot.

Rosella Talbot, a mother of six, said Noah is typically accompanied on his morning walk to school by one of his older brothers. Noah’s kindergarten class lets out early, but he has been provided by his mother with strict instructions that they practiced together for walking alone and wears a bright orange safety vest to ensure his visibility at intersections.

When a police officer recently witnessed one of the rare instances of Noah walking to school alone, he was put in the back of the squad car and driven back home to his mother.

Talbot said she informed the police officer about the safety routine she taught Noah and how she “rode a bike with her son the mile-long distance from school for more than two weeks, showing him the best route to take and the obstacles to avoid,” but was still issued a citation for “misdemeanor child neglect” because the officer did not agree with her parenting decision.

“I am not a neglectful parent, thank you very much,” she told the Deseret News. “I have just done everything I could possibly do.”

The South Jordan School District, by law, does not provide bus service for students who live less than a mile and a half from their school. A budget shortfall this year forced bureaucrats to eliminate so-called “hazardous routes,” leaving countless youngsters to navigate these dangerous streets on their own or with adult supervision, if available.

“These are some serious charges. … I can’t be a Girl Scout leader,” Talbot said. “I can’t work at a day care … I am just so frustrated.”

Talbot’s attorney is expected to enter a not guilty plea during a hearing on Jan. 5.

Agree or disagree with the police officer citing Rosella Talbot with misdemeanor child neglect because he doesn’t agree with her parenting decision? Contact Police Chief Lindsay Shepherd and let him know how you feel.

Email Chief Shepherd: lshepherd@sjc.utah.gov

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