obama

Three more Secret Service agents resign over prostitute scandal

by on April 21, 2012

She claimed the contacted the local police in an attempt to get the money she said she was owed.

Mr Obama was meanwhile briefed on Friday in the Oval Office by the Director of the Secret Service Mark Sullivan, a senior US official said on condition of anonymity.

The US military earlier said it was investigating 11 service members linked to the scandal in Colombia that was a huge diplomatic embarrassment and tarnished the image of the Service.

The Pentagon had initially said five troops were implicated and later said there were 10 suspects.

Six suspects were from the US Army’s 7th Special Forces Group, two from the Marine Corps, two from the Navy and one from the Air Force, said a spokesman for US Southern Command, which oversees forces in Central and South America.

As the investigation was still under way, the spokesman could not say why another suspect had emerged.

An Air Force colonel in charge of the investigation flew to Colombia on Monday to gather facts in the case and was due return to the United States probably over the weekend. he then will interview the suspects.

About 20 prostitutes were allegedly brought to the hotel, according to an account from Senator Susan Collins, who was briefed by the Secret Service.

Lawmakers say the incident raised serious questions about security and the work of the Secret Service, the president’s elite protection squad.

Parenting 101: Cyberbullying Alert

by on March 16, 2012

Child’s play has gone viral, as even five- and six-year-olds are getting on the cyberbullying bandwagon, sending out hurtful messages without so much as a second thought and causing some of our children to view suicide as their only way out of the pain inflicted on them via electronic media.

The highly publicized deaths of Tyler Clementi and Phoebe Prince leave no doubt; no wonder November is National Anti-Bullying Month.

A short time ago in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, more than 100 Souderton Area High School students signed up in September for National Kick a Freshman Day; fortunately that effort was thwarted by officials.

And very recently 17-year-old Jesse Buchsbaum hanged himself in his Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania home, most likely a victim of bullying.

As John Halligan will tell you, the toll is great. because his son Ryan killed himself after being bullied in school and online, he now tours the country advising parents, telling them if we only knew; if he’d only told us.

Even President Obama has addressed the issue, reminding kids, you are not alone. you didn’t do anything wrong. you didn’t do anything to deserve being bullied. and there is a whole world waiting for you, filled with possibilities. there are people out there who love you and care about you just the way you are. and so, if you ever feel like because of bullying, because of what people are saying, that you’re getting down on yourself, you’ve got to make sure to reach out to people you trust. whether it’s your parents, teachers, folks that you know care about you just the way you are. You’ve got to reach out to them; don’t feel like you’re in this by yourself.

For parents, getting in-the-know is crucial. a National Crime Prevention Council survey of 1,500 teens found that:

• 43% said they’d been cyberbullied last year;

• 96% have an email account;

• 43% said their parents usually know what they’re doing online but have no online use rules.

• 27% said their parents don’t know what they’re doing online; and

• only 23% have and follow their parents’ rules.

Sadly, as the NCPC also reports, 81% of the kids say cyberbullies think what they’re doing is funny; others say perpetrators.

• Don’t consider cyberbullying a big deal;

• Fail to consider the consequences;

• are encouraged by their friends;

• Figure they won’t get caught.

And so many kids are involved. Says an isafe.com survey:

• 42% of kids have been bullied online; 25% said it’s happened more than once.

• 35% have been threatened online; for almost 20%, that’s happened more than once.

• 21% have received mean or threatening emails or other messages.

• 58% admit someone said mean or hurtful things to them online; more than 40% said it had happened more than once.

• 53% admitted saying something mean or hurtful to someone online, with 33% doing so more than once.

• 58% of bullied kids admit they’d never confided in a parent or other adult.

Furthermore, a recent Cyberbullying Research Center survey of 4,400 children between the ages of ten and fourteen revealed that 20% had either been a victim or had engaged in cyberbullying. However, these figures likely underestimate the problem, as it’s hard for kids to admit such things.

Meanwhile, online cruelty is not restricted to just Facebook and MySpace. There’s even a site that openly invites mean-spiritedness. Called Burnbook, it touts itself as a social utility that allows you to gossip about the people in your life while staying completely anonymous. one visit tells you all you need to know: its popularity is undeniable; its potential for incivility is endless.

All this means parents must be aware and on the alert for the telltale signs that their child might be a victim:

1. Avoids going online or using a cell phone

2. Is anxious when receiving a text, instant message, or email

3. Is visibly upset after being online or using a cell phone

4. hides or clears the screen when you appear

5. Withdraws from friends

6. Earns lower grades than usual

7. Doesn’t want to go to school

8. Is uncharacteristically sullen, pensive, withdrawn, or angry

9. Is excessively moody, frequently cries, and/or seems depressed

10. Has trouble sleeping and/or experiences a loss of appetite

11. Complains of stomach and/or headaches

12. Refuses to join in family and/or school activities

On the other hand, might your child be the cyberbully and not a victim? Perhaps, if s/he.

1. uses a number of online accounts-even other people’s.

2. Is heard laughing excessively when on the phone or computer.

3. Avoids talking about online activities.

4. Closes out or clicks to another screen should you happen to approach.

5. uses the computer a lot at night.

6. Would be very upset were you to deny computer or cell phone access.

Have no doubt: this is not child’s play, so be on guard and be sure to advise your child:

• never post or share personal information like your full name, address, phone number, credit card, or social security number;

• Don’t share your passwords with anyone but us;

• never agree to meet face-to-face with someone met only online; and

• Trust us and keep us informed about all of your online activities and experiences.

Then add this: if you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t say it online. Delete cyberbullying; don’t write it; don’t forward it.

And then fight back by seeking out more information and assistance from such sites as:

• mousemail.com Says it’s the only service that provides parents peach of mind and complete control over their children’s digital lives, protecting them from cyberbullying, sexting, cyber stalking, and threatening emails and text messages.

• socialshield.com Says, Some people think that Facebook monitors for content. They don’t. Some people think they can see everything their kids do simply by being their Facebook friend. They can’t. SocialShield sees it all and more and then we let you know right away when something goes wrong.

• wiredsafety.org Says it’s the world’s largest Internet safety, help and education resource.

Parenting 101: Cyberbullying Alert

Keystone Rejection Destabilizes Fragile American Economy, Creates Uncertainty for Canadian Manufacturers

by on January 19, 2012

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Jan 18, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –President Obama’s decision to reject construction of the proposedKeystone XL pipeline will cost thousands of North American jobs andjeopardizes the future of shared economic prosperity between theworld’s two largest trading partners, according to CanadianManufacturers & Exporters (CME).

The announcement, made earlier today at the White House, deals amajor blow to manufacturers on both sides of the 49th parallel -particularly at a time when instability is teetering at an all-newhigh.

“Keystone delivered the promise of a safe and dependable NorthAmerican energy supply and the opportunity to create good,high-paying jobs – 118,000 south of the border alone,” says CMEPresident & CEO Jayson Myers. “Our countries need Keystone to competeon the world stage. It is extremely disappointing that politicalposturing has gotten in the way of sound industrial strategy.”

The United States currently imports more than 2.5 million barrels ofpetroleum from Canada each day, accounting for roughly 21 per cent ofits total annual intake. Completion of the Keystone pipeline wouldhave added 830,000 barrels per day to capacity.

“US communities and US workers need Keystone – and, in broadercontext, Canadian oil,” says Myers, “CME will continue to work withour American business allies in Washington to reinforce the vasteconomic and social benefits of this project.”

about CME

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) is Canada’s largest tradeand industry association, and the voice of manufacturing and globalbusiness in Canada.

The association represents more than 10,000 leading companiesnationwide. more than 85 per cent of CME’s members are small andmedium-sized enterprises.

as Canada’s leading business network, CME, through variousinitiatives including the establishment of the Canadian ManufacturingCoalition, touches more than 100,000 companies from coast to coast,engaged in manufacturing, global business and service-relatedindustries.

CME’s membership network accounts for an estimated 82 per cent ofCanadian manufacturing production and 90 per cent of all exports.

Contacts: Derek Lothian Manager, National Communications Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters 613-296-2156 derek.lothian@cme-mec.ca

SOURCE: Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters

mailto:derek.lothian@cme-mec.ca

Keystone Rejection Destabilizes Fragile American Economy, Creates
Uncertainty for Canadian Manufacturers

What Does Mitt Romney Stand For?

by on January 10, 2012

As the GOP candidates gear up for a run against President Obama in 2012, many Republicans and conservatives want to know what does Mitt Romney stand for? is this the guy we want running our country in 2013? Does he have the economic background to get our country back on the right track? Can he lead America back to greatness? is he going to help us keep our energy prices down? we know a lot about Mitt Romney from his failed nomination bid in 2008, but he has a better chance to win the GOP nomination for 2012.

Mitt Romney on Energy Policies
Romney has publicly stated that we are using too much oil, and he is in favor of exploring alternative energy sources like nuclear, ethanol, biodiesel, and coal gasification. He also favors oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He feels that the United States should be more independent and less reliant on foreign energy resources.

Mitt Romney on Immigration Policies
What does Mitt Romney stand for on immigration policies? Romney favors a strong legal immigration policy, and he favors deporting illegal aliens who have not followed the proper procedures for entering the country. He is against amnesty for illegal aliens, but at the same time, he does not feel we can round up all of the illegal aliens who have entered the country. He believes that the federal government should cut off funding to sanctuary cities that encourage illegal immigration.

Mitt Romney on Foreign Policy
Romney states he believes that the US Congress does not need to officially declare war to take military action. He believes that Guantanamo Bay should stay open. He is opposed to using torture as part of US military interrogation strategies, but he does approve of enhanced interrogation techniques. He has not specifically indicated whether he believes that waterboarding is torture, but he has stated he would refer to military experts on the subject.

Mitt Romney on Gun Control
Romney has stated that he supports the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which gives citizens the right to bear arms. Despite his views regarding the second amendment, he is in favor of a ban on assault weapons. He supported the Brady Bill in 1994. In earlier days, Romney did not support the NRA, but in 2008, he stated that he is a member of the NRA. He hunts small game in Utah, but he does believe in some gun restrictions.

Mitt Romney on Healthcare
Romney passed a statewide healthcare mandate for the state of Massachusetts when he was the Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. He signed the bill in 2006 requires all Massachusetts residents to purchase healthcare coverage. this bill could complicate matters in his run for the presidency, as many conservatives want ObamaCare to be repealed if Obama is not re-elected in 2012. Romney has publicly stated that he feels ObamaCare is not right for the United States, but he still supports his own state legislation from Massachusetts.

If you want to know what does Mitt Romney stand for, you don’t need to look any further than his recent statements since 2008. He is consistently moving more to the right as we close in on the 2012 elections.

What Does Mitt Romney Stand For?

Obama under strong pressure to break precedent on recess appointments

by on January 5, 2012

By Alexander Bolton – 01/04/12 05:30 AM ET

President Obama is under strong pressure from liberals to use his recess-appointment power during the congressional break, but doing so would break 20 years of precedent, putting him in a tough position.

Using this recess to appoint Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, as liberals have urged, would also contradict a brief issued by the Clinton Justice Department in 1993, which Obama’s own deputy solicitor general cited last year.

Obama could announce a decision as soon as Wednesday.

a bold move to seat one of his most important nominees would win cheers from the left but pick a nasty fight with Republican leaders at a time senior administration officials insist the president wants to work with Congress.

The Senate has scheduled pro-forma sessions every third day, which means if Obama made a recess appointment before the upper chamber reconvenes on Jan. 23, he would be violating the Clinton Justice Department’s finding that a break has to last three days to count as a recess.

“The Obama administration said a recess is more than three days. There’s no break of more than two days. We’re meeting every third day in pro forma,” said a Senate GOP leadership aide.

Senate Republicans are quick to note that Obama’s then deputy solicitor general, Neal Katyal, during Supreme Court arguments cited the Justice Department’s finding that a recess must be longer than three days.

A Congressional Research Service report released this month found the shortest recess in the last 20 years during which the president made a recess appointment was 10 days.

Liberal advocates argue Obama should not feel himself bound by precedent they view as flimsy.

They say Obama would disappoint members of his base if he did not challenge the recent precedent and fight it out in court.

Roger Hickey, co-director of Campaign for America’s Future, a liberal advocacy group, said Republicans are trying to improperly curb the powers of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the National Labor Relations Board.

“We think Obama should go ahead and take the opportunity to appoint a number of NLRB people and Cordray as well and it would be a disappointment if he did not,” Hickey said.

Obama must weigh the political benefit of using a controversial recess appointment to empower Cordray with the backlash it could bring from the powerful financial services industry, which is wary of further regulation.

“If the president is going to take this more populist confrontational tone, you think he’d want to pick a couple fights like this to prove the point and rally the activist progressives in the party,” said Bruce Cain, a political science professor and executive director of the University of California’s Washington Center.

“I can only assume as we’ve seen so often with Obama that he’s torn. He’s got this other side of him that doesn’t want to scare the business community. He wants them on his side because he wants business community to help with the economic recovery,” Cain added.

Some legal scholars agree that Obama would have a strong constitutional foundation to circumvent Republican obstruction of his nominees.

Republicans argue Obama would shatter recent custom by using a recess appointment to seat Cordray or nominees to the National Labor Relations Board, which has become a focal point of controversy. Senior GOP aides said allied lawyers would challenge it in court but acknowledge they do not know how judges would rule.

In 2004, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the president has power to make recess appointments and did not set a minimum length of recess for such appointments to be valid.

“The Constitution, on its face, does not establish a minimum time that an authorized break in the Senate must last to give legal force to the President’s appointment power under the Recess Appointments Clause. and we do not set the limit today,” the court ruled in Evans v. Stephens.

Victor K. Williams, a clinical assistant professor at Catholic University of America School of Law, said Obama could make a recess appointment in a break as short as two days. the Senate’s next pro-forma session is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 6 at 11:00 am.

Williams said Obama could argue the chamber is not meeting as a deliberative body and effectively is in the midst of a five-week recess.

“If the Senate is not sitting as a deliberative body ready and willing to render advisory consent, it triggers recess-appointment authority,” he said. “The pro-forma sessions are obviously shams and the Senate is taking a five-week recess.”

Some liberal advocates urged Obama to appoint Cordray during the intersession recess consisting of the few minutes that elapsed Tuesday between the end of the first session of the 112th Congress and the start of the second. former President Theodore Roosevelt had seized such an opportunity more than 100 years ago to recess more than 160 nominees.

Obama passed on the opportunity but Cordray’s backers say the president can still act in the next few days.

“There are a number of legal paths the administration can take to make a recess appointment, including making one during a recess of less than three days. Today was certainly not the president’s only chance to make a recess appointment,” said David Arkush, director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch, who has pressed Obama to challenge the recent tradition of recent appointments.

Arkush noted former President Harry S. Truman recess appointed a nominee to the Civil Aeronautics Board during a recess lasting three days — from Dec. 31, 1948 to Jan. 3, 1949.

Arkush said it is “certainly possible” that Obama may not recess appoint Cordray and instead use his blocked nomination as a political weapon against Republicans.

“It’s absolutely a good issue for the president,” said Arkush. “If he wants to make it an issue, he should keep the fight at the forefront and keep the pressure on, which means the majority leader should schedule a series of votes.”

Christopher Hitchens Dead At 62

by on December 16, 2011

He is finally going to learn the truth that he denied here on earth.

jasperjava Reply:December 16th, 2011 at 00:24

What would YOU know about “truth”, yourwrongmyright? You’ve never said anything true on these boards. Not even once.

Just today you accused President Obama of killing Moammar Qaddafi, when there is no evidence that any American was involved.

You’re one of the worst liars I have ever encountered in my entire life.

You can shove your twisted, sick version of the “truth” where the sun don’t shine.

Christopher Hitchens Dead At 62

Super Committee Says It’s Unable to Agree on Debt Reduction Deal

by on November 21, 2011

After months of bipartisan debt-reduction talks, the Super Committee said Monday that it will be unable to agree on terms to save $1.2 trillion over 10 years by tonight’s midnight deadline.

“Despite our inability to bridge the committee’s significant differences, we end this process united in our belief that the nation’s fiscal crisis must be addressed and that we cannot leave it for the next generation to solve,” a statement from co-chairs of the committee read.

Shortly after the committee’s announcement, President Obama said at a press conference that Republicans would not budge in their defense of the tax cuts for wealthy Americans. he said Republicans are main stumbling block to reaching agreement on deficit.

“There are still too many Republicans in Congress who have refused to listen to the voices of reason and compromise that are coming from outside of Washington,” he said.

The panel had until midnight to come up with a plan for reducing the federal debt by $1.2 trillion over 10 years or face automatic cuts, called “sequestration.”

Failure to do so would violate the law that demanded that the Congressional Budget Office come up with a fiscal evaluation of the plan and give Congress two days to review it before the Nov. 23 deadline. The task was supposed to be wrapped up by Dec. 23 with an unamended vote on the package.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a panel member, called the committee’s outcome an “opportunity missed” in a statement.

“Many will portray this failure as the inevitable consequence of two partisan sides refusing to give ground,” Van Hollen said, suggesting blame should lie with Republicans. “Blaming both sides equally will be the simple storyline and the path of least resistance.”

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., another panel member, said Republicans offered their colleagues a revenue compromise that Democrats demanded, but he said in a statement that Democrats refused to agree to any meaningful deficit reduction without “$1 trillion in job-crushing tax increases.”

A last-ditch meeting of lawmakers ended Monday afternoon with no smiles, no comments, but some vivid body language. even a visit to the White House by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., co-chairwoman of the panel of 12 came and went without comment.

For some, the latest news comes as no surprise.

The sequester was designed and voted on by both parties and signed by the president, “specifically to be onerous,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney. “It was designed so that it never came to pass.”

Carney added that despite President Obama’s willingness “to take extraordinary steps and to bring his party along with them … in the end, Republicans walked away from that deal,” he added.

But that’s not how Republican lawmakers see it.

“The Republican House laid out a good plan. The president, except for his irresponsible budget and the Republican Senate, has done nothing to lay out a plan that can be analyzed by the American people,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee.

“The commander-in-chief is absent from battle,” he told Fox News.

Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., said Congress should consider turning the negative into a positive.

“The question now is can we still find a better solution than the across-the-board cuts that have already been agreed to and I think we can,” he said in a statement. “What the Congress cannot do is to ignore the August agreement for cutting the deficit no matter how difficult that might be. that would be fundamentally dishonest.”

Lawmakers are looking for alternatives to a plan that is designed to chop equally from domestic and entitlement programs on one end, and defense on the other.

Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said they are writing legislation to prevent what they say would be devastating cuts to the military. Democrats maintain they won’t let domestic programs be the sole source of savings.

The committee could do its work in halves. For instance, if the panel produces less than $1.2 trillion in savings, automatic cuts are activated to make up the difference. so $800 billion in savings from the Super Committee would trigger $400 billion in automatic cuts.

That would leave $984 billion in automatic spending cuts over 10 years. that works out to around $55 billion annually each from defense and domestic programs though a CBO analysis shows that comes out to 10 percent of the Pentagon budget in 2013 alone, a huge hit.

On the domestic side, the law exempts Social Security, Medicaid and many veterans’ benefits and low-income programs. It also limits Medicare to a 2 percent reduction. that leaves education, agriculture and the environment programs exposed to cuts of around 8 percent in 2013, according to the CBO. For many Democrats, those are cuts worth fighting against, especially if Republicans try protecting defense programs.

For those on the outside, failure is not a terrible outcome.

“Ordinary Americans should breathe a sigh of relief because we dodged a bullet,” Greenlining Institute General Counsel Samuel S. Kang said in a statement. “We could achieve most of the deficit reduction goal by simply shutting down offshore corporate tax havens … We should make America’s richest companies pay their fair share before even thinking about slashing vital programs.”

“Given the alternatives, which were phony spending cuts and higher taxes on producers and job creators, sequestration is by far the better deal,” said Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson. “There should be no discussion of revenue reform until there are actual spending cuts on the table. all we see now are reductions in the growth of spending. What a farce.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Northeast Snowstorm Leaves Millions Without Power

by on October 30, 2011

288000 Lose Power in Earliest Snowstorm in a Century… Obama Goes Trick-or-Treating. Posted by Jim Hoft on Saturday, October 29, 2011, 6:03 PM. an historic early season snow hit the New England area today knocking out power to at

(CNN) — A freak fall snow storm slammed the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Saturday, leaving three people dead, more than 2 million households without power and thousands of air travelers stranded. Saturday, October 29

BOSTON (Reuters) – Heavy snow was falling across parts of Pennsylvania on Saturday where thousands of households were already without power from a rare October snowstorm barreling up the East Coast. Snow was

A foot of heavy wet snow will plaster areas north and west of I-95 into tonight, causing massive power outages, downed trees and travel nightmares.

Free Pollard, spy for Israel, urges Staten Island’s Rep. Grimm

by on October 22, 2011

Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-HammelRep. Michael Grimm briefs prominent members of the Jewish community on his recent visit visit to Israel.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — After a prison sit-down with notorious spy and political cause célèbre Jonathan Pollard, Rep. Michael Grimm is calling for the immediate release of the former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst convicted of spying for Israel, saying Pollard “has paid his price and his debt” to America after serving 26 years in jail.

Grimm told the Advance he wants President Obama to commute Pollard’s life sentence for treason, so Pollard can “go back to Israel.” the Texas-born Pollard, 57, renounced his U.S. citizenship after his 1987 conviction for giving classified documents to Israel, an ally of the U.S. He’s now a citizen of Israel.

Associated PressJonathan Pollard, guilty of passing state secrets to Israel, will be eligible for parole four years hence.

Grimm said he wanted to “look him in the eyes” and ask Pollard: “Did you give any names or ever put a U.S. agent in harm’s way?”

“He said, ‘No,’” recounted Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus.

Grimm, a former U.S. Marine and FBI agent, said he was satisfied Pollard was telling the truth. he said he does not believe Pollard would be a further espionage threat to America.

The congressman said he’s taking up Pollard’s cause, his “unfair sentence,” in the interests of U.S. “integrity and jurisprudence.” he said others convicted of similar offenses have been sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in jail.

Among those who have called for Pollard’s release are former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Shultz. <CM+NT cq -NT>Grimm’s predecessor, Michael McMahon, was among a score of House Democrats who signed a letter last November urging the president to commute Pollard’s sentence.

None, however, visited the spy in prison.

Grimm’s 90-minute visit with Pollard in a North Carolina federal lockup on March 13 was not publicized by Grimm’s office at the time, but a testimonial by Grimm advocating Pollard’s release was posted weeks later on YouTube. It has received fewer than 4,000 views. A large number of those views occurred after the video was linked by Israeli media outlets or websites, according to YouTube statistics.

Grimm said his office alerted certain Jewish publications locally about his visit with Pollard after the fact, but not a larger media audience here, because “I did not think it was major news to Staten Islanders.”

Indeed, during a briefing Grimm gave yesterday about his trip last month to Israel, to some two dozen prominent members of the borough’s Jewish community, he never mentioned meeting Pollard or his belief that Pollard should be set free.

Afterward, several of those present at the Joan and Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center, Sea View, told the Advance they were not aware Grimm had met with Pollard and declined further comment.

Grimm said he and Rabbi Pesach Lerner of the National Council of Young Israel drove to Butner (N.C.) Federal Correctional Complex to visit Pollard. the congressman said he paid his own way.

Young Israel of Staten Island, new Springville, is part of Rabbi Lerner’s organization and an important voting block on Staten Island as Grimm heads into his first re-election bid next year.

But Grimm told the Advance his jailhouse visit to Pollard and his call for Pollard’s release were “absolutely not” meant to curry political favor. Grimm said he has been interested in Pollard’s case since before his election to Congress.

Grimm is one of only two House Republicans advocating for Pollard’s release; the other is Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.). A story in the Jewish Daily forward in April suggested GOP members of Congress are reluctant to support Pollard’s bid for release because they might be viewed “as being soft on crime and as being at odds with the defense establishment.”

Grimm told the Advance he does not think it likely Obama will commute Pollard’s life sentence.

In June, Pollard was denied permission to attend his father’s funeral. Pollard himself is in poor health and underwent surgery last month, according to published reports.

In the YouTube video, Grimm said there are “many reasons why” he wanted to “meet the man I’ve heard so much about,” speaking of Pollard:

“He has been in prison 26 years; 26 years of his life is gone and we won’t get it back. But as a former FBI agent, as someone who has fought for justice most of my life, we have to acknowledge the fact that the penalty does not necessarily meet the crime. most would say it is excessive. There are many close to the investigation who believe he has served his time. I am working with many others in Washington to have justice prevail and have him released from prison. Justice would be to have Jonathan Pollard released from prison. he has served his time. There is no question that what he did was wrong. he has acknowledged that. he has paid his price and his debt to the U.S. we are looking to the president to do the right thing and grant him the opportunity to resume his life and have him return to Israel.”

Although Pollard is serving a life sentence, the Department of Justice website indicates he is eligible for parole on Nov. 21, 2015. Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Chris Burke said the date reflects the “presumed date of release for an inmate who is serving a life sentence with parole eligibility.” But he added that the U.S. Parole Commission “must consider the inmate’s institutional conduct, as well as the likelihood that he will commit any federal, state, or local crime upon release in making their decision.”

Meanwhile, during comments about his trip at the JCC, Grimm called his visit to Israel a “life-changing” experience and said Israelis show “courage” daily, living amid “real and imminent threats.”

“I support Israel because I am a good American,” said Grimm. “It is our sister state. they will always be there for us, and we should be there for them. … When President Obama talked about going back to the 1967 borders, that was a mistake. It emboldened our enemies. … the defense of Israel has to be the starting point. There is no peace if there is no defense.”

Free Pollard, spy for Israel, urges Staten Island’s Rep. Grimm

Paul Williams faces painful past

by on September 14, 2011

LEEK-HUNTING: Fullback Paul Williams spent time in the sinbin but it couldn't stop a rampant Samoa beating Namibia in Rotorua. Samoa are now eyeing their clash with Wales. Wales beware, Samoa have their sights firmly set on the World Cup quarterfinals.

Obama and Jones, a Baptist minister, succeeded officeholders whose tenures were largely defined by go-it-alone combativeness. both sought a path of conciliation and consensus building. as it turns out, both men — one known for his soaring campaign

Steven Kesslers new documentary Paul Williams Still Alive takes a look at the current life of the 70s singer/songwriter icon, and is both heartwarming and hilarious.

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