text:
The Pine Tree, News for Calaveras County and Beyond Weather
Amador Angels Camp Arnold Bear Valley Copperopolis Murphys San Andreas Valley Springs Moke Hill/West Point Tuolumne
Business Directory
Weather & Roads
Real Estate
Weekly & Grocery Ads
Life & Style
Law Enforcement
Wine News
Health & Fitness
Home & Garden
Food & Dining
Religion & Faith
Frogtown USA
Legal Notices
Free Classifieds
Letters to the Editor
About Us

Coming Soon...
Sunday, Oct 22
All Day Crossing California, Sierra to the Sea, October 8 through November 26 at Petroglyphe
All Day "Voices of Wisdom" Adult Writing Classes
02:00 PM Last of the Red Hot Lovers at Murphys Creek Theatre
Monday, Oct 23
All Day "Voices of Wisdom" Adult Writing Classes
Tuesday, Oct 24
All Day "Voices of Wisdom" Adult Writing Classes
04:30 PM Freedom From Smoking Class Begins in August
Wednesday, Oct 25
All Day Overeaters Anonymous meeting
Until 04:00 PM "Voices of Wisdom" Adult Writing Classes
Thursday, Oct 26
All Day Crossing California, Sierra to the Sea, October 8 through November 26 at Petroglyphe
05:00 PM ‘Mammo-GLAM’ – ‘Girls-Night-Out’ with a Serious Purpose
05:00 PM Caltrans to Host a Public Meeting about Potential Safety and Mobility Project in Groveland
Friday, Oct 27
All Day Crossing California, Sierra to the Sea, October 8 through November 26 at Petroglyphe
10:30 AM Caltrans Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting (1C300)
07:00 PM Music At Bistro Espresso
Saturday, Oct 28
All Day Fantastic Estate Sale
All Day Crossing California, Sierra to the Sea, October 8 through November 26 at Petroglyphe
01:00 PM Tree Trek Tour
01:00 PM Floating Pumpkin Patch & Carnival At Bret Harte Aquatic Center Oct 28th
06:00 PM Make Plans For Phantom of the Opera at Ironstone on October 28th
Sunday, Oct 29
All Day Fantastic Estate Sale
All Day Crossing California, Sierra to the Sea, October 8 through November 26 at Petroglyphe
Wednesday, Nov 1
All Day Overeaters Anonymous meeting
07:30 AM Good Morning Calaveras on November 1st with CHP Lieutenant Commander John Warren
Thursday, Nov 2
All Day Crossing California, Sierra to the Sea, October 8 through November 26 at Petroglyphe
Friday, Nov 3
All Day Crossing California, Sierra to the Sea, October 8 through November 26 at Petroglyphe
07:00 PM Music At Bistro Espresso
Saturday, Nov 4
All Day Crossing California, Sierra to the Sea, October 8 through November 26 at Petroglyphe
05:00 PM State of Jefferson Town Hall Meeting

Search Announcements

Log In

Remember Me

Posted by: Staff_Writer on 05/28/2014 08:02 PM Updated by: Staff_Writer on 05/28/2014 08:04 PM
Expires: 01/01/2019 12:00 AM

President Obama's West Point Address

West Point, NY..... Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thank you. And thank you, General Caslen, for that introduction. To General Trainor, General Clarke, the faculty and staff at West Point -- you have been outstanding stewards of this proud institution and outstanding mentors for the newest officers in the United States Army. I’d like to acknowledge the Army’s leadership -- General McHugh -- Secretary McHugh, General Odierno, as well as Senator Jack Reed, who is here, and a proud graduate of West Point himself.

To the class of 2014, I congratulate you on taking your place on the Long Gray Line. Among you is the first all-female command team -- Erin Mauldin and Austen Boroff. In Calla Glavin, you have a Rhodes Scholar. And Josh Herbeck proves that West Point accuracy extends beyond the three-point line. To the entire class, let me reassure you in these final hours at West Point: As Commander-in-Chief, I hereby absolve all cadets who are on restriction for minor conduct offenses. (Laughter and applause.) Let me just say that nobody ever did that for me when I was in school. (Laughter.)

I know you join me in extending a word of thanks to your families. Joe DeMoss, whose son James is graduating, spoke for a whole lot of parents when he wrote me a letter about the sacrifices you’ve made. “Deep inside,” he wrote, “we want to explode with pride at what they are committing to do in the service of our country.” Like several graduates, James is a combat veteran. And I would ask all of us here today to stand and pay tribute -- not only to the veterans among us, but to the more than 2.5 million Americans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as their families. (Applause.)

This is a particularly useful time for America to reflect on those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom, a few days after Memorial Day. You are the first class to graduate since 9/11 who may not be sent into combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. (Applause.) When I first spoke at West Point in 2009, we still had more than 100,000 troops in Iraq. We were preparing to surge in Afghanistan. Our counterterrorism efforts were focused on al Qaeda’s core leadership -- those who had carried out the 9/11 attacks. And our nation was just beginning a long climb out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Four and a half years later, as you graduate, the landscape has changed. We have removed our troops from Iraq. We are winding down our war in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda’s leadership on the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been decimated, and Osama bin Laden is no more. (Applause.) And through it all, we’ve refocused our investments in what has always been a key source of American strength: a growing economy that can provide opportunity for everybody who’s willing to work hard and take responsibility here at home.

In fact, by most measures, America has rarely been stronger relative to the rest of the world. Those who argue otherwise -- who suggest that America is in decline, or has seen its global leadership slip away -- are either misreading history or engaged in partisan politics. Think about it. Our military has no peer. The odds of a direct threat against us by any nation are low and do not come close to the dangers we faced during the Cold War.
Meanwhile, our economy remains the most dynamic on Earth; our businesses the most innovative. Each year, we grow more energy independent. From Europe to Asia, we are the hub of alliances unrivaled in the history of nations. America continues to attract striving immigrants. The values of our founding inspire leaders in parliaments and new movements in public squares around the globe. And when a typhoon hits the Philippines, or schoolgirls are kidnapped in Nigeria, or masked men occupy a building in Ukraine, it is America that the world looks to for help. (Applause.) So the United States is and remains the one indispensable nation. That has been true for the century passed and it will be true for the century to come.

But the world is changing with accelerating speed. This presents opportunity, but also new dangers. We know all too well, after 9/11, just how technology and globalization has put power once reserved for states in the hands of individuals, raising the capacity of terrorists to do harm. Russia’s aggression toward former Soviet states unnerves capitals in Europe, while China’s economic rise and military reach worries its neighbors. From Brazil to India, rising middle classes compete with us, and governments seek a greater say in global forums. And even as developing nations embrace democracy and market economies, 24-hour news and social media makes it impossible to ignore the continuation of sectarian conflicts and failing states and popular uprisings that might have received only passing notice a generation ago.

It will be your generation’s task to respond to this new world. The question we face, the question each of you will face, is not whether America will lead, but how we will lead -- not just to secure our peace and prosperity, but also extend peace and prosperity around the globe.

Now, this question isn’t new. At least since George Washington served as Commander-in-Chief, there have been those who warned against foreign entanglements that do not touch directly on our security or economic wellbeing. Today, according to self-described realists, conflicts in Syria or Ukraine or the Central African Republic are not ours to solve. And not surprisingly, after costly wars and continuing challenges here at home, that view is shared by many Americans.

A different view from interventionists from the left and right says that we ignore these conflicts at our own peril; that America’s willingness to apply force around the world is the ultimate safeguard against chaos, and America’s failure to act in the face of Syrian brutality or Russian provocations not only violates our conscience, but invites escalating aggression in the future.

And each side can point to history to support its claims. But I believe neither view fully speaks to the demands of this moment. It is absolutely true that in the 21st century American isolationism is not an option. We don’t have a choice to ignore what happens beyond our borders. If nuclear materials are not secure, that poses a danger to American cities. As the Syrian civil war spills across borders, the capacity of battle-hardened extremist groups to come after us only increases. Regional aggression that goes unchecked -- whether in southern Ukraine or the South China Sea, or anywhere else in the world -- will ultimately impact our allies and could draw in our military. We can’t ignore what happens beyond our boundaries.

And beyond these narrow rationales, I believe we have a real stake, an abiding self-interest, in making sure our children and our grandchildren grow up in a world where schoolgirls are not kidnapped and where individuals are not slaughtered because of tribe or faith or political belief. I believe that a world of greater freedom and tolerance is not only a moral imperative, it also helps to keep us safe.

But to say that we have an interest in pursuing peace and freedom beyond our borders is not to say that every problem has a military solution. Since World War II, some of our most costly mistakes came not from our restraint, but from our willingness to rush into military adventures without thinking through the consequences -- without building international support and legitimacy for our action; without leveling with the American people about the sacrifices required. Tough talk often draws headlines, but war rarely conforms to slogans. As General Eisenhower, someone with hard-earned knowledge on this subject, said at this ceremony in 1947: “War is mankind’s most tragic and stupid folly; to seek or advise its deliberate provocation is a black crime against all men.”

Like Eisenhower, this generation of men and women in uniform know all too well the wages of war, and that includes those of you here at West Point. Four of the servicemembers who stood in the audience when I announced the surge of our forces in Afghanistan gave their lives in that effort. A lot more were wounded. I believe America’s security demanded those deployments. But I am haunted by those deaths. I am haunted by those wounds. And I would betray my duty to you and to the country we love if I ever sent you into harm’s way simply because I saw a problem somewhere in the world that needed to be fixed, or because I was worried about critics who think military intervention is the only way for America to avoid looking weak.

Here’s my bottom line: America must always lead on the world stage. If we don’t, no one else will. The military that you have joined is and always will be the backbone of that leadership. But U.S. military action cannot be the only -- or even primary -- component of our leadership in every instance. Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail. And because the costs associated with military action are so high, you should expect every civilian leader -- and especially your Commander-in-Chief -- to be clear about how that awesome power should be used.

So let me spend the rest of my time describing my vision for how the United States of America and our military should lead in the years to come, for you will be part of that leadership.

First, let me repeat a principle I put forward at the outset of my presidency: The United States will use military force, unilaterally if necessary, when our core interests demand it -- when our people are threatened, when our livelihoods are at stake, when the security of our allies is in danger. In these circumstances, we still need to ask tough questions about whether our actions are proportional and effective and just. International opinion matters, but America should never ask permission to protect our people, our homeland, or our way of life. (Applause.)

On the other hand, when issues of global concern do not pose a direct threat to the United States, when such issues are at stake -- when crises arise that stir our conscience or push the world in a more dangerous direction but do not directly threaten us -- then the threshold for military action must be higher. In such circumstances, we should not go it alone. Instead, we must mobilize allies and partners to take collective action. We have to broaden our tools to include diplomacy and development; sanctions and isolation; appeals to international law; and, if just, necessary and effective, multilateral military action. In such circumstances, we have to work with others because collective action in these circumstances is more likely to succeed, more likely to be sustained, less likely to lead to costly mistakes.

This leads to my second point: For the foreseeable future, the most direct threat to America at home and abroad remains terrorism. But a strategy that involves invading every country that harbors terrorist networks is naïve and unsustainable. I believe we must shift our counterterrorism strategy -- drawing on the successes and shortcomings of our experience in Iraq and Afghanistan -- to more effectively partner with countries where terrorist networks seek a foothold.

And the need for a new strategy reflects the fact that today’s principal threat no longer comes from a centralized al Qaeda leadership. Instead, it comes from decentralized al Qaeda affiliates and extremists, many with agendas focused in countries where they operate. And this lessens the possibility of large-scale 9/11-style attacks against the homeland, but it heightens the danger of U.S. personnel overseas being attacked, as we saw in Benghazi. It heightens the danger to less defensible targets, as we saw in a shopping mall in Nairobi.

So we have to develop a strategy that matches this diffuse threat -- one that expands our reach without sending forces that stretch our military too thin, or stir up local resentments. We need partners to fight terrorists alongside us. And empowering partners is a large part of what we have done and what we are currently doing in Afghanistan.

Together with our allies, America struck huge blows against al Qaeda core and pushed back against an insurgency that threatened to overrun the country. But sustaining this progress depends on the ability of Afghans to do the job. And that’s why we trained hundreds of thousands of Afghan soldiers and police. Earlier this spring, those forces, those Afghan forces, secured an election in which Afghans voted for the first democratic transfer of power in their history. And at the end of this year, a new Afghan President will be in office and America’s combat mission will be over. (Applause.)

Now, that was an enormous achievement made because of America’s armed forces. But as we move to a train-and-advise mission in Afghanistan, our reduced presence allows us to more effectively address emerging threats in the Middle East and North Africa. So, earlier this year, I asked my national security team to develop a plan for a network of partnerships from South Asia to the Sahel. Today, as part of this effort, I am calling on Congress to support a new Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund of up to $5 billion, which will allow us to train, build capacity, and facilitate partner countries on the front lines. And these resources will give us flexibility to fulfill different missions, including training security forces in Yemen who have gone on the offensive against al Qaeda; supporting a multinational force to keep the peace in Somalia; working with European allies to train a functioning security force and border patrol in Libya; and facilitating French operations in Mali.

A critical focus of this effort will be the ongoing crisis in Syria. As frustrating as it is, there are no easy answers, no military solution that can eliminate the terrible suffering anytime soon. As President, I made a decision that we should not put American troops into the middle of this increasingly sectarian war, and I believe that is the right decision. But that does not mean we shouldn’t help the Syrian people stand up against a dictator who bombs and starves his own people. And in helping those who fight for the right of all Syrians to choose their own future, we are also pushing back against the growing number of extremists who find safe haven in the chaos.

So with the additional resources I’m announcing today, we will step up our efforts to support Syria’s neighbors -- Jordan and Lebanon; Turkey and Iraq -- as they contend with refugees and confront terrorists working across Syria’s borders. I will work with Congress to ramp up support for those in the Syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and brutal dictators. And we will continue to coordinate with our friends and allies in Europe and the Arab World to push for a political resolution of this crisis, and to make sure that those countries and not just the United States are contributing their fair share to support the Syrian people.

Let me make one final point about our efforts against terrorism. The partnerships I’ve described do not eliminate the need to take direct action when necessary to protect ourselves. When we have actionable intelligence, that’s what we do -- through capture operations like the one that brought a terrorist involved in the plot to bomb our embassies in 1998 to face justice; or drone strikes like those we’ve carried out in Yemen and Somalia. There are times when those actions are necessary, and we cannot hesitate to protect our people.

But as I said last year, in taking direct action we must uphold standards that reflect our values. That means taking strikes only when we face a continuing, imminent threat, and only where there is no certainty -- there is near certainty of no civilian casualties. For our actions should meet a simple test: We must not create more enemies than we take off the battlefield.

I also believe we must be more transparent about both the basis of our counterterrorism actions and the manner in which they are carried out. We have to be able to explain them publicly, whether it is drone strikes or training partners. I will increasingly turn to our military to take the lead and provide information to the public about our efforts. Our intelligence community has done outstanding work, and we have to continue to protect sources and methods. But when we cannot explain our efforts clearly and publicly, we face terrorist propaganda and international suspicion, we erode legitimacy with our partners and our people, and we reduce accountability in our own government.

And this issue of transparency is directly relevant to a third aspect of American leadership, and that is our effort to strengthen and enforce international order.

After World War II, America had the wisdom to shape institutions to keep the peace and support human progress -- from NATO and the United Nations, to the World Bank and IMF. These institutions are not perfect, but they have been a force multiplier. They reduce the need for unilateral American action and increase restraint among other nations.

Now, just as the world has changed, this architecture must change as well. At the height of the Cold War, President Kennedy spoke about the need for a peace based upon, “a gradual evolution in human institutions.” And evolving these international institutions to meet the demands of today must be a critical part of American leadership.

Now, there are a lot of folks, a lot of skeptics, who often downplay the effectiveness of multilateral action. For them, working through international institutions like the U.N. or respecting international law is a sign of weakness. I think they’re wrong. Let me offer just two examples why.

In Ukraine, Russia’s recent actions recall the days when Soviet tanks rolled into Eastern Europe. But this isn’t the Cold War. Our ability to shape world opinion helped isolate Russia right away. Because of American leadership, the world immediately condemned Russian actions; Europe and the G7 joined us to impose sanctions; NATO reinforced our commitment to Eastern European allies; the IMF is helping to stabilize Ukraine’s economy; OSCE monitors brought the eyes of the world to unstable parts of Ukraine. And this mobilization of world opinion and international institutions served as a counterweight to Russian propaganda and Russian troops on the border and armed militias in ski masks.

This weekend, Ukrainians voted by the millions. Yesterday, I spoke to their next President. We don’t know how the situation will play out and there will remain grave challenges ahead, but standing with our allies on behalf of international order working with international institutions, has given a chance for the Ukrainian people to choose their future without us firing a shot.

Similarly, despite frequent warnings from the United States and Israel and others, the Iranian nuclear program steadily advanced for years. But at the beginning of my presidency, we built a coalition that imposed sanctions on the Iranian economy, while extending the hand of diplomacy to the Iranian government. And now we have an opportunity to resolve our differences peacefully.

The odds of success are still long, and we reserve all options to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But for the first time in a decade, we have a very real chance of achieving a breakthrough agreement -- one that is more effective and durable than what we could have achieved through the use of force. And throughout these negotiations, it has been our willingness to work through multilateral channels that kept the world on our side.

The point is this is American leadership. This is American strength. In each case, we built coalitions to respond to a specific challenge. Now we need to do more to strengthen the institutions that can anticipate and prevent problems from spreading. For example, NATO is the strongest alliance the world has ever known. But we’re now working with NATO allies to meet new missions, both within Europe where our Eastern allies must be reassured, but also beyond Europe’s borders where our NATO allies must pull their weight to counterterrorism and respond to failed states and train a network of partners.

Likewise, the U.N. provides a platform to keep the peace in states torn apart by conflict. Now we need to make sure that those nations who provide peacekeepers have the training and equipment to actually keep the peace, so that we can prevent the type of killing we’ve seen in Congo and Sudan. We are going to deepen our investment in countries that support these peacekeeping missions, because having other nations maintain order in their own neighborhoods lessens the need for us to put our own troops in harm’s way. It’s a smart investment. It’s the right way to lead. (Applause.)

Keep in mind, not all international norms relate directly to armed conflict. We have a serious problem with cyber-attacks, which is why we’re working to shape and enforce rules of the road to secure our networks and our citizens. In the Asia Pacific, we’re supporting Southeast Asian nations as they negotiate a code of conduct with China on maritime disputes in the South China Sea. And we’re working to resolve these disputes through international law. That spirit of cooperation needs to energize the global effort to combat climate change -- a creeping national security crisis that will help shape your time in uniform, as we are called on to respond to refugee flows and natural disasters and conflicts over water and food, which is why next year I intend to make sure America is out front in putting together a global framework to preserve our planet.

You see, American influence is always stronger when we lead by example. We can’t exempt ourselves from the rules that apply to everybody else. We can’t call on others to make commitments to combat climate change if a whole lot of our political leaders deny that it’s taking place. We can’t try to resolve problems in the South China Sea when we have refused to make sure that the Law of the Sea Convention is ratified by our United States Senate, despite the fact that our top military leaders say the treaty advances our national security. That’s not leadership; that’s retreat. That’s not strength; that’s weakness. It would be utterly foreign to leaders like Roosevelt and Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy.

I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being. But what makes us exceptional is not our ability to flout international norms and the rule of law; it is our willingness to affirm them through our actions. (Applause.) And that’s why I will continue to push to close Gitmo -- because American values and legal traditions do not permit the indefinite detention of people beyond our borders. (Applause.) That’s why we’re putting in place new restrictions on how America collects and uses intelligence -- because we will have fewer partners and be less effective if a perception takes hold that we’re conducting surveillance against ordinary citizens. (Applause.) America does not simply stand for stability or the absence of conflict, no matter what the cost. We stand for the more lasting peace that can only come through opportunity and freedom for people everywhere.

Which brings me to the fourth and final element of American leadership: Our willingness to act on behalf of human dignity. America’s support for democracy and human rights goes beyond idealism -- it is a matter of national security. Democracies are our closest friends and are far less likely to go to war. Economies based on free and open markets perform better and become markets for our goods. Respect for human rights is an antidote to instability and the grievances that fuel violence and terror.

A new century has brought no end to tyranny. In capitals around the globe -- including, unfortunately, some of America’s partners -- there has been a crackdown on civil society. The cancer of corruption has enriched too many governments and their cronies, and enraged citizens from remote villages to iconic squares. And watching these trends, or the violent upheavals in parts of the Arab World, it’s easy to be cynical.

But remember that because of America’s efforts, because of American diplomacy and foreign assistance as well as the sacrifices of our military, more people live under elected governments today than at any time in human history. Technology is empowering civil society in ways that no iron fist can control. New breakthroughs are lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. And even the upheaval of the Arab World reflects the rejection of an authoritarian order that was anything but stable, and now offers the long-term prospect of more responsive and effective governance.

In countries like Egypt, we acknowledge that our relationship is anchored in security interests -- from peace treaties with Israel, to shared efforts against violent extremism. So we have not cut off cooperation with the new government, but we can and will persistently press for reforms that the Egyptian people have demanded.

And meanwhile, look at a country like Burma, which only a few years ago was an intractable dictatorship and hostile to the United States -- 40 million people. Thanks to the enormous courage of the people in that country, and because we took the diplomatic initiative, American leadership, we have seen political reforms opening a once closed society; a movement by Burmese leadership away from partnership with North Korea in favor of engagement with America and our allies. We’re now supporting reform and badly needed national reconciliation through assistance and investment, through coaxing and, at times, public criticism. And progress there could be reversed, but if Burma succeeds we will have gained a new partner without having fired a shot. American leadership.

In each of these cases, we should not expect change to happen overnight. That’s why we form alliances not just with governments, but also with ordinary people. For unlike other nations, America is not afraid of individual empowerment, we are strengthened by it. We’re strengthened by civil society. We’re strengthened by a free press. We’re strengthened by striving entrepreneurs and small businesses. We’re strengthened by educational exchange and opportunity for all people, and women and girls. That’s who we are. That’s what we represent. (Applause.)

I saw that through a trip to Africa last year, where American assistance has made possible the prospect of an AIDS-free generation, while helping Africans care themselves for their sick. We’re helping farmers get their products to market, to feed populations once endangered by famine. We aim to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa so people are connected to the promise of the global economy. And all this creates new partners and shrinks the space for terrorism and conflict.

Now, tragically, no American security operation can eradicate the threat posed by an extremist group like Boko Haram, the group that kidnapped those girls. And that’s why we have to focus not just on rescuing those girls right away, but also on supporting Nigerian efforts to educate its youth. This should be one of the hard-earned lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan, where our military became the strongest advocate for diplomacy and development. They understood that foreign assistance is not an afterthought, something nice to do apart from our national defense, apart from our national security. It is part of what makes us strong.

Ultimately, global leadership requires us to see the world as it is, with all its danger and uncertainty. We have to be prepared for the worst, prepared for every contingency. But American leadership also requires us to see the world as it should be -- a place where the aspirations of individual human beings really matters; where hopes and not just fears govern; where the truths written into our founding documents can steer the currents of history in a direction of justice. And we cannot do that without you.

Class of 2014, you have taken this time to prepare on the quiet banks of the Hudson. You leave this place to carry forward a legacy that no other military in human history can claim. You do so as part of a team that extends beyond your units or even our Armed Forces, for in the course of your service you will work as a team with diplomats and development experts. You’ll get to know allies and train partners. And you will embody what it means for America to lead the world.

Next week, I will go to Normandy to honor the men who stormed the beaches there. And while it’s hard for many Americans to comprehend the courage and sense of duty that guided those who boarded small ships, it’s familiar to you. At West Point, you define what it means to be a patriot.

Three years ago, Gavin White graduated from this academy. He then served in Afghanistan. Like the soldiers who came before him, Gavin was in a foreign land, helping people he’d never met, putting himself in harm’s way for the sake of his community and his family, of the folks back home. Gavin lost one of his legs in an attack. I met him last year at Walter Reed. He was wounded, but just as determined as the day that he arrived here at West Point -- and he developed a simple goal. Today, his sister Morgan will graduate. And true to his promise, Gavin will be there to stand and exchange salutes with her. (Applause.)

We have been through a long season of war. We have faced trials that were not foreseen, and we’ve seen divisions about how to move forward. But there is something in Gavin’s character, there is something in the American character that will always triumph. Leaving here, you carry with you the respect of your fellow citizens. You will represent a nation with history and hope on our side. Your charge, now, is not only to protect our country, but to do what is right and just. As your Commander-in-Chief, I know you will.

May God bless you. May God bless our men and women in uniform. And may God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

11:08 A.M. EDT

Comments - Make a comment
The comments are owned by the poster. We are not responsible for its content. We value free speech but remember this is a public forum and we hope that people would use common sense and decency. If you see an offensive comment please email us at
No Subject
Posted on: 2014-05-28 20:38:50   By: Anonymous
And begin the ideological, uninformed, uneductated, Obama hating hill-folk comments in 3, 2, 1.....

[Reply ]

    Posted on: 2014-05-29 07:50:19   By: Anonymous
    Mr Empty Chair himself.

    [Reply ]

    Posted on: 2014-05-29 10:21:23   By: Anonymous
    ...says someone so clearly uninterested in anyone who holds a dissenting opinion.

    - Very well educated "hill person" with masters degrees in applied mathematics and computer science.

    [Reply ]

      Posted on: 2014-05-29 19:24:04   By: Anonymous

      [Reply ]

      Posted on: 2014-05-29 19:24:04   By: Anonymous

      [Reply ]

No Subject
Posted on: 2014-05-28 20:38:50   By: Anonymous
And begin the ideological, uninformed, uneductated, Obama hating hill-folk comments in 3, 2, 1.....

[Reply ]

    Posted on: 2014-05-28 21:30:57   By: Anonymous
    Wens he comin to railRoad flat no dat he's Ben to wesT pionnt?

    [Reply ]

      Posted on: 2014-05-29 10:22:08   By: Anonymous
      Well played...

      [Reply ]

Herey herey
Posted on: 2014-05-28 23:27:05   By: Anonymous
Less than 25% of the West Point Graduates gave him a standing ovation. The other 75% just sat.

Non-hate, educated, and non-threatening fact.

[Reply ]

    Re: Herey herey
    Posted on: 2014-05-29 00:00:08   By: Anonymous
    It def. was not one of his better speeches. But at least he can use the English language. The last president only spoke broken Texan.

    [Reply ]

      Re: Herey herey
      Posted on: 2014-05-29 05:25:55   By: Anonymous
      He hasn't earned the right to step on the grounds of West Point !

      [Reply ]

        Re: Herey herey
        Posted on: 2014-05-29 10:41:01   By: Anonymous
        He out ranks all of them, the staff too.

        [Reply ]

          Re: Herey herey
          Posted on: 2014-05-29 12:02:16   By: Anonymous
          By proxy of his post only, not by the earned respect of the men and women he commands.

          [Reply ]

        Re: Herey herey
        Posted on: 2014-05-29 19:22:56   By: Anonymous

        [Reply ]

    Re: Herey herey
    Posted on: 2014-05-29 10:01:33   By: Anonymous
    It is well known that graduates of West Point and the other military academies advance their careers through combat assignments. Obama just told them that there would be less combat in America's future. I'm sure many in the audience knew they would be too young to see service in Afghanistan or Iraq and they are likely to have careers behind a desk. Not happy news for them, but great news for the US as a country. IMO, it is also good news for the graduates, but I accept that that is not their perspective.

    As a speech it was not Obama's best, but the message was right and in keeping with the wishes of the American people. The public is not looking for the US to be putting boots on the ground as the world's policeman. This is a much smarter administration than the previous lunatics who invaded Iraq after a campaign of misinformation.

    I get it that many of you hate Obama, but I don't see what part of his message you can reasonably disagree with. Are you in favor of more wars to bring democracy to countries where the people have little prospect of actually building a democracy? How many trillions of dollars have these adventures cost us? How many new enemies have they created? Most people think nation building is something we should be doing here in the US.

    [Reply ]

      Re: Herey herey
      Posted on: 2014-05-29 10:43:46   By: Anonymous
      Very true. I was in the army during the Cuban Missile Crisis and recall how disappointed the officers were when the Russians backed down, leaving us sitting in Florida waiting to invade but having to return to our bases.

      [Reply ]

No Subject
Posted on: 2014-05-29 06:33:03   By: Anonymous
MANDATORY! Every president should be a combat veteran, the first requirement, secondly, every president should have to use the VA for his health services, and thirdly, he.shouldn't be a communist!

[Reply ]

    Posted on: 2014-05-29 19:28:05   By: Anonymous

    [Reply ]

    Posted on: 2014-05-30 09:34:58   By: Anonymous
    I will agree with military service but combat veteran as a requirement may not always be a possibility and it also takes away from military service that was very important that might have not been on foreign soil. No, I am not a veteran, but am thankful for all who wear the uniform regardless of their peace time or war time service. Yes, those who have seen war will always hold a special place and need our support.

    [Reply ]

No Subject
Posted on: 2014-05-29 10:25:34   By: Anonymous
Anyone that can read body language, or can catch BS as it spews out of someones mouth, noticed his "NON-TRUTHS" during this speech. Pledging money to terrorist while speaking at the top military school in the country. Not cool, translated, he is telling them " I will kill most you soon."
The newest scandal is not getting any press yet, but it will. In 2010 he made disability payments to vets taxable. Nobody told the vets. Now thousands of veterans across the country are having their bank accounts frozen and confiscated due to owing back taxes.
A true civil war is about to breakout. Make sure you are on the right side of history. There will NOT be any pity or sympathy for anyone that chooses the wrong side.

[Reply ]

    Posted on: 2014-05-29 10:46:24   By: Anonymous
    People with information like you have are doomed to always be a follower or measured for a coffin.

    [Reply ]

    Posted on: 2014-05-29 14:12:39   By: Anonymous
    When is the Tea Party going to accept that they are a tiny minority that is now considered an albatross by everyone in the Republican Party? If you are hungry for a True Civil War why not volunteer for the Syrians? Assad tortures and butchers little boys....and Michelle Obama insists that our tax dollars go to serving real food to little boys, not the garbage that has been served for the past 20 years....yep! That seems about equal malfeasance on the Hillbilly Measuring Stick. PS....I don't care what degree you have, your intractable attitude denotes ignorance. My custodian where I work is more genuinely thoughtful than you are. Get over having a black person in a position of power. A woman is coming next. "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!"

    [Reply ]

      Posted on: 2014-05-29 20:41:53   By: Anonymous
      Hillary?? Hahahahaha!!!

      That's funny.

      Why isn't she in jail?

      [Reply ]

What's Related
These might interest you as well
Photo Albums

Local News

RSS News Feeds

phpws Business Directory

Mark Twain Medical Center
Meadowmont Pharmacy
Century 21 Sierra Properties
Bear Valley Real Estate
Bear Valley Cross Country
Cedar Creek Realty
Cave, Mine & Zip Lines
Fox Security
Bistro Espresso
Pinnacle Physical Therapy
Chatom Winery
Middleton's Furniture
Bear Valley Mountain Resort
Paul D. Bertini
Premier Properties
High Country Spa & Stove

Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway
Sierra Logging Museum
Calaveras Mentoriing
Jenny's Kitchen

Copyright © The Pine Tree 2005-2017


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Type: response

text:
Masthead header

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Los Angeles newborn session // Stella Grace

Warning:  super cute newborn.  Not approved for viewing by women with baby fever. Seriously, if this were my version of “laundry”, I wouldn’t mind it so much… Congratulations to Carrie and Ryan (and Joey and Vinny!) on gorgeous little Stella Grace!  Cute little baby peanut.  🙂 xoxo lori

View full post »

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-170-22-195.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-43
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for October 2017
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
Pine Hill Studio

Embroidery Services

We are pleased to partner with Kim Wehunt at The Embroidery Shop!

Whether you need an embroidered label for your quilt, a monogram or personalized shirts for business staff, she can handle your order!

She offers quality work with attention to the details!

The Quilting House


text:
Snooper's-charter plans are just misunderstood, sniffles tearful May

Reborn plan to tap entire UK internet catches cold

Home Secretary Theresa May appeared before peers and MPs in Westminster on Wednesday afternoon to face questions about her proposed communications data bill, which has been almost universally rejected by people outside the security services bubble.

Excellent Hallowe'en vampire makeup, Minister

Her Hallowe'en session was the final one to provide evidence on the supposed merits of the draft legislation that could see British citizens' web activity much more heavily spied upon by spooks and police. The agents of the state would, of course, be acting to protect the public from the threat of terrorism and other criminality.

The cabinet minister's appearance served as something of a bookend to her grilling by the Home Affairs select committee in April this year when May trotted out similar justifications for increasing the powers of security services and other government bodies on surveillance of the internet.

May, suffering from a heavy cold, was quizzed in a packed session. Politicos expressed clear concerns that the Home Secretary was providing far too much wriggle room within a number of clauses that could, in the Home Sec's language, "future proof" the government's powers as technology continues to adapt and develop.

That concept was largely pooh-poohed by the panel, however, who repeatedly asked the minister to provide clear assurances about the Home Office's intentions by effectively recognising the need to re-draft some aspects of the proposals.

As in April this year, May repeated her belief that some aspects of the planned legislative overhaul had been "misinterpreted" by civil liberties campaigners and reports in the press.

May said in relation to content and not communications data:

"We don't want to look at the content of these emails - this is sadly one of the myths that has appeared in public."

The Home Secretary went on to claim that her department had "had a number of discussions with a number of CSPs [communications service providers] about the who, where, when and how".

She further claimed: "There is limited scope for the data we want to have access to. The bill is not intended to take us any further than that."

May said that "flexibility" needed to be built into any such legislation to prevent the Home Office having "to constantly come back because of too tight a definition".

When pushed about the UK potentially becoming the first democracy to collect data via ISPs through Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) probes - colloquially dubbed black boxes - which have only been implemented on a national scale in China, Iran and Kazakhstan to date, the Home Sec was somewhat uncommunicative.

"There's been quite a lot of discussion about the technicalities ... I'm willing to go into more technical detail in writing or for another private session," she retorted.

The committee's chair Lord Blencathra agreed to this plan, but asked May to get her facts together "as urgently as possible".

The Secretary went on to insist that comms data could be separated out from content, though some experts have questioned how such sifting of information on such a large scale might be achieved without revealing some sensitive data to the CSPs who would be required under such a law to retain much more info on their subscribers.

May went on to admit, however, that "at some point in the future if it became the case that you couldn't divide comms data from content [because of the development of technology] then we'd need to look at that".

Sadly, at that point the committee failed to ask what this meant for those well-known websites such as Google, Facebook and Twitter that are now moving to encrypt their pages.

The minister was repeatedly pressed about the talks the Home Office has claimed already to have had with CSPs - many of whom have said there has been little or no consultation to date by May's department on the bill.

She said: "We have had good discussions with a number of CSPs in the run up to this bill being published. Going forward we would expect that to be much more detailed."

When asked about security concerns relating to the retention of data held by private companies to help police and spooks access information about alleged crims, May appeared relieved to note that such data would not be in the hands of public sector - which has an abysmal track record on data protection.

She added: "CSPs are holding significant amounts of data about people's communications as we speak. This is not a new concept."

May further asserted that the concept of corporations ring-fencing such data would "not be changed by the nature of this bill".

After a break in the session, the Home Sec returned to respond only briefly to questions about cost savings of £6bn over the next 10 years, which was described by the committee's chair as "fanciful".

Perhaps unsurprisingly, May struggled to explain how her department had calculated that the proposals would cost £1.8bn from the public purse over the next decade.

She told MPs and peers that the Home Office had not been sitting around "totting up" such figures, and that she would be able to justify the costs in due course.

The chair brought the session to an end by asking May if large parts of the draft bill would have to be rewritten in light of the committee hearings, the evidence gathered and the level of opposition to the current plan.

The Home Sec said she would only comment on that after the cross-parliamentary reports from the sessions had been published. May did concede that elements of the bill - which she claimed had been misinterpreted - would be addressed, however.

She was then dismissed and advised to take a swig of hot water, whiskey and honey to fix that nasty cold. ®

Sponsored: The Joy and Pain of Buying IT - Have Your Say

Biting the hand that feeds IT © 1998–2017


text:
I finished this book in one day. Sure, I had started the first couple of chapters at a different time but the rest was done on a recent dreary day when I could think of nothing else but finding out how Matthew and Diana would survive Europe in 1590. Because of course they survive; there is a third book to read after all!

From poets to vampire rulers, London children to an Emperor and Queen Elizabeth I, Deborah Harkness’ second installment of the All Souls Trilogy was not lacking in characters. With that said, at no point did I feel overwhelmed, even when she abruptly switched back to the 21st Century here and there; the fluidity of her language made it easy and more interesting to follow along. Harkness also wasted no time in diving into the action; I was expecting a slower transition from A Discovery of Witches at first, but realized that was a silly expectation since there was little establishment of characters – and of the world – to be done in this second novel, regardless of Matthew and Diana’s time travelling journey.

If you read the first novel in this trilogy, you will continue to enjoy the story but may be disappointed at how quickly this part passes. Unlike in A Discovery of WitchesShadow of Night had scant surprises and moments of gasping horror. With every chapter I thought I would be faced with a heartbreaking, head-spinning turn of events but that never really happened, with the exception of Louisa and Christopher “Kit” Marlowe’s attempted murder of Diana. The lack of gut-wrenching shock would have been more disappointing if Deborah Harkness hadn’t filled the novel with historical details and plenty of other action – yes, Diana meets more witches and learns about the core of her power (and also encounters an extremely important character, whose identity I won’t spoil in case you come across this discussion before reading the book yourself) which is incredibly satisfying.

At the end of the novel we learn an important figure from the present day has died as a result of a new life, and that Diana is carrying twins – an impossibility in their magical world. She does bring both her and Matthew back to this century, and we are left in anticipation of what is surely a war to come.

Luckily for me, the final piece of this three part puzzle, The Book of Life, was available for me to put on hold at the library, and I currently have it in my possession so I know I will finish it before the official end of my Summer Reading Challenge as I planned (this post explains how long I drag out my literary summer). And, I’m not going to wait any longer. Share your thoughts on this second book in the All Souls Trilogy, or your thoughts on all three books in the comments, and stay tuned for my final thoughts. Happy reading!

2 thoughts on “Summer Reading Challenge 2016: Shadow of Night”

Share Your Thoughts

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Q&A with Tetanus Racing's Chris Champion and Mary Harris

Tetanus Racing's Dodge Neon has seen thousands of miles on-track, several different themes, a few Top 10 finishes, and a hell of a lot of fun in its long second life as an endurance racer in the Gulf Region. (Murilee Martin photo)

If the racing gods ever sought a car to prove that outward appearance means very little with regard to on-track success, Houston's Tetanus Racing could present a strong case to the deities with its ceaselessly beaten first-generation Dodge Neon. Having long ago eclipsed a dozen races with its original engine block, the car's lockjaw-laden patina leaves no doubt that looks mean little when talking about long-lasting endurance racers.

While Tetanus has never won a race outright, they've steadily improved from their status as one of many green teams in the Gulf Region to a class-act who have learned through five 24 Hours of LeMons' seasons how to assemble a race. At the May 2012 North Dallas Hooptie race at Eagles Canyon Raceway in Decatur (TX), Tetanus put both of their entries--the venerable Neon and an as-fickle-as-you-think-it-would-be Porsche 944--into the Top 10 of the 24-hour race while simultaneously helping to propel epic vacationer Mike Kimball to a Class C win in his 1966 Volkswagen Beetle. [Kimball towed the Scrubbing Bubbles-themed Bug from Sacramento to Dallas to Denver for races on consecutive weekends...with a VW Vanagon.]

At the helm of Tetanus Racing are husband-and-wife duo Chris Champion and Mary Harris, the former a dabbler in and fan of motorsports prior to finding LeMons and the latter a medical doctor who fell in love with the spectacle of LeMons while attending the team's first race and also studying for her board certification. Joining them have been a sizable extended family that comprises Tetanus Racing, which may have included (thus far) any or all of the following: Andy Thor-Sout, Shauna Thor-Stout, Dan Knight, Mike Knierien, Chuck Keeton, Joe Smith, Jimmy Richeson, Bryan Fitch, Sam Miller, Anton Lovett, Dave Kirschke, Jim Tomlinson, Steve Osborne, Brian Dawson, Dave Piazza, Juan Gutierrez, Ramon Gutierrez Sr., Ramon Gutierrez Jr, Ali Forman, Bruce Vanderzyde, and Graham Helfrick. The team also occasionally entertain arrive-and-drive participants (such as automotive journalist Jack Baruth) and Champion and Harris make periodic arrive-and-drive vacations of their own.

The Rusty Hub caught up with Champion and Harris--Tetanus Racing's dynamic duo--who had recently returned home after a busy few weeks that included a 24-hour race in Dallas, an arrive-and-drive in Colorado, and an overseas vacation that was, in part, a pilgramage to some quaint little race in France. In the course of the interview, we learned all about marriage and racing, judgment, the 944's pitfalls, and the team's future plans, not to mention a rare glimpse at "Speedycop the Man."

Friday, July 6, 2012

Firing it back up

Well, the power company has restored power and we're back to business at The Rusty Hub World Headquarters™. In the meantime, we've planned a relocation for next month that will place our HQ within walking distance of both the most famous junkyard in the Chicago metropolitan area and the second-busiest airport in the country.

We apologize again for this week's break from our normal schedule caused by the cruel and foul weather and we will return to our normal shenanigans beginning Monday.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Down on power

Good evening, folks. Just a quick note that we'll be publishing an abbreviated schedule this week, as Mother Nature blew through the geographic region that is home to The Rusty Hub World Headquarters™ on Sunday. According to one pilot friend of ours, the local METARs for Sunday included the wonderful phrase "Winds 5 [mph] gusting to 60."

As far as we can tell, the brief and very violent storm was doing its best impression of a crapcan motor calling it quits. In doing so, it uprooted a few dozen trees and flung them a few hundred feet to demonstrate the action of connecting rods flying away from their nests. And, also like a crapcan, the trees sliced up a few major electrical systems on their way out.

At the moment, our HQ is still powerless, though we're told to expect power some time in the next 36 hours. As such, we'll be catching up for the rest of the week, but we do have a pretty great interview on-deck with two of the most veteran crapcan racers in the country. Stay tuned for that and hopefully we'll have our PC duct-taped back together and ready for more of our hack journalism.


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

text:
Complexity sorts synonyms based on their difficulty. Adjust it higher to choose from words that are more complex.
Length ranks your synonyms based on character count.
  • lists
  • blocks
Common words appear frequently in written and spoken language across many genres from radio to academic journals.
Informal words should be reserved for casual, colloquial communication.
verb beautify and dress nicely

Antonyms for gat dressed up

Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source


text:
Complexity sorts synonyms based on their difficulty. Adjust it higher to choose from words that are more complex.
Length ranks your synonyms based on character count.
  • lists
  • blocks
Common words appear frequently in written and spoken language across many genres from radio to academic journals.
Informal words should be reserved for casual, colloquial communication.
verb send through the postal system

Synonyms for sending by mail

verb send through the postal system

Antonyms for sending by mail

Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source


text:
Complexity sorts synonyms based on their difficulty. Adjust it higher to choose from words that are more complex.
Length ranks your synonyms based on character count.
  • lists
  • blocks
Common words appear frequently in written and spoken language across many genres from radio to academic journals.
Informal words should be reserved for casual, colloquial communication.
adj dictatorial

Antonyms for totalistic

Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source


text:
Post Classifieds

Computer Concepts: Illustrated Introductory (Illustrated (Course Technology))

Author Information

June Jamrich Parsons, Dan Oja

Product Details

ISBN: 9781133626169

Publish Date: 03/29/2012

Publisher: Cengage Learning

Number of pages: 296

Computer Concepts Illustrated is designed to help students learn and retain the most relevant and essential information about computers and technology in today's digital world! This edition has been revised to cover the latest important computing trends and skills, but maintains the pedagogical and streamlined design elements that instructors and students know and love about the Illustrated Series. New for this edition, make the most of Computer Concepts Illustrated with the all-in-one CourseMate digital solution complete with a media-rich ebook, interactive quizzes and activities, and the Engagement Tracker for hassle-free, automatic grading!

Related The Scribe Textbooks

Log In

or Create an account

Employers & Housing Providers

Employers can list job opportunities for students

Post a Job

Housing Providers can list available housing

Post Housing

Log In

Forgot your password?

Your new password has been sent to your email!

Logout Successful!

You just missed it! This listing has been filled.

Post your own housing listing on Uloop and have students reach out to you!

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format


text:
Contact Us

Thank you for taking the time to visit with us. Please feel free to contact us with your questions or comments about the Shelby Publishing company.

Call Us
Main Office – 770- 534-8380

Circulation information – 888-498-0771

Newsroom/Editorial – 888-498-0772

Production Department – 877-743-5291

Advertising Questions:
For Sales Questions contact your Sales Representative. Find your regions salesperson on our Sales Staff directory.

For Administration Questions:

For Circulation Questions:

For Artwork/Production Questions:

For Editorial Questions:

Mail Us

517 Green Street, NW
Gainesville, GA  30501

You can also use the form below to contact us.


text:
High Altitude Hijinks

  • Rev. Schuller Lays On The Hands

  • Rev. Robert Schuller wanted some dessert. And he wanted it now! Flight attendant Khaled Elabiad apparently could not provide said snack in a timely manner, which resulted in the confrontation outlined in these documents. Here's the criminal complaint filed against the "Hour of Power" televangelist in Brooklyn federal court. We've also included the penitent preacher's apology and Elabiad's lawsuit, in which the United Airlines employee claims he was severely injured by the shaking Schuller.

  • Back to Article


text:
Sheffield United match verdixt: Oldham Athletic 2 Blades 2

Jason Holt scores for the Blades. Picture: Martyn Harrison
Jason Holt scores for the Blades. Picture: Martyn Harrison
Have your say

Sheffield United manager Nigel Clough prepared for this game by sleeping rough overnight to help raise funds for a local homeless charity.

During the opening period of the Blades’ League One fixture at Park, which saw Dominic Poleon blaze Oldham Athletic into a two-goal lead, it seemed as if his players were in equally benevolent mood before efforts from Jason Holt and Jamie Murphy demonstrated they are not prepared to surrender their grip on play-off qualification without a fight.

The half-time inquest, which - coupled with Stefan Scougall’s introduction - proved the catalyst for United’s recovery, was as brutally honest as the contribution of Steven Davies who defied an excruciating foot injury to help his colleagues take another important step towards a top-six finish.

“It wasn’t pleasant in the dressing room,” midfielder Michael Doyle said. “But you expect that when you concede in the manner that we did.

“We’re all men, we’re all professionals and there’s no point in patting people on the back and telling them they’ve been brilliant when they’ve not been. It doesn’t cause an issue whatsoever because we’re a tight-knit group and we are all striving for the same thing.”

United, as both Doyle and later Clough attested, attributed both of Poleon’s strikes to individual mistakes, with the usually reliable Terry Kennedy and Mark Howard deemed culpable.

However, the sight of Holt and Murphy extending their unbeaten run away from home to eight matches, illustrated why the visitors’ captain believes a return to the Championship might finally beckon at the fourth time of asking.

“At the beginning of the campaign, even when we were up and down a bit, we showed the right character ,and we’re showing it again now,” Doyle, who epitomised United’s never-say-die spirit during a combative shift, continued. “We don’t know when we’re beaten and we just keep on going and going no matter what.

“That’s the attitude we’ve got in the camp and we could even have won it at the end. We’re due a little bit of luck in the play-offs but we’re on the right track.

“The team that comes through them is going to be the team that shows the most character and determination. And we’re showing it right now.”

Nevertheless, United know progress will also depend on their ability to eradicate the type of errors which allowed Oldham, who would have entered this fixture ranked eighth rather than 13th if only results against the division’s leading clubs counted, to seize control.

Poleon opened the scoring after Kennedy’s misjudgement allowed Danny Philliskirk to send him bearing down on Chris Basham before the former United loanee converted from long range.

“Both their goals came from mistakes and that was disappointing because, other than that, I don’t think Mark Howard had a lot to do,” Clough said. “Mark should have got the second, I think he was a little taken by surprise, but we’d expect a goalkeeper of his quality to save it.

“Terry tried to bring the ball down and got caught. He was brilliant at Barnsley but maybe he thinks he’s turned into Bobby Moore overnight, although, in fairness, he was carrying a knock at that stage.”

Kennedy was not the only member of Clough’s squad hampered by a fitness issue during their 57th competitive outing since August.

“Steven has got a foot injury from (Doncaster) the other night,” Clough said. “He’s got a screw in there from a previous injury and, because of a whack that he took, that’s pressing on his boot.

“He had a little jog with his trainers on during the warm-up because he couldn’t get the boot on but then, when we said we needed him, he wedged into it and went out there to make some important headers in the final 15 minutes.

“If we’d been in a better position, certain of being in the play-offs, then he wouldn’t even have been in the 18.”

“Jay (McEveley) woke up with a dislocated shoulder,” Clough added. “He actually did it in the night sleeping. His arm was right round the back of his head and he had to go to hospital to get it put back in. That’s why he was here in a sling. Jamie felt his groin and we’re hoping Steven will be okay.

“The same goes for Matty Done who has been struggling with a groin injury too. We’re going from hard pitches to soft pitches and back again. That might be a factor but, really, it’s probably just eight months of playing.”

Despite their casualty list, United, still eight points clear of Rochdale in seventh, are becoming adept at finding a way, regardless of performance, to take something from a game.

Poleon, one of three Oldham players who featured here to boast spells at Bramall Lane on their footballing CVs, struck after Marc McNulty had seen an attempt saved before beating Howard again as the interval approached.

“I played with Dom, he’s a great kid,” Doyle said. “I was pointing to Bash to show him on to his right foot which he did but he scuffed it in. Joking aside, he took them well. Dom will be delighted but we’ll look at them and think we could have done better.”

Scougall’s entrance equipped fifth-placed United, who average 2.1 points per game from their last six matches, with a greater cutting edge. But it was fellow substitute Paul Coutts who provided the cross which Holt, netting for the fourth time in five appearances, touched home before Murphy followed suit following Scougall’s disputed corner.

Doyle, who had earlier been denied by a fine Joel Coleman save, then saw a powerful shot rebound back off the post.

“It hit the inside and I thought it was going to go in,” he said. “It was difficult out there with the wind and the pitch but it was important we showed a response, and we did.

“You can get greedy when you get back level in situations like that but, during the break, we’d have taken the draw, and it keeps us ticking over, which is good.”

OLDHAM ATHLETIC: Coleman 7, Brown 7, Mills*6, Kelly 7, Jones 7, Poleon 7, Philliskirk**7, Winchester 7, Wilson 6, Lockwood 6, Turner 6. Substitutes: Kean, Mellis, Wilkinson, Wilson, Kusunga, Sadler*(46) 6, R Murphy**(81).

SHEFFIELD UNITED: Howard 6, Brayford 6, Basham 6, Flynn 7, Doyle 8, J Murphy 7, McNulty***6, Reed*5, Freeman 6, Kennedy**5, Holt 6. Substitutes: Alcock, Scougall*(46) 8, Baxter, Done, Coutts**(46) 7, Turner, S Davies***(74).

MANAGERS’ VIEW - Dean Holden: “Dominic is one of those players who excites people and gets them out of their seats. Since I’ve been in charge he’s given everything. He scares full-backs to death because he’s so quick.”

MANAGERS’ VIEW - Nigel Clough: “Given the results elsewhere, that looks like being a very important point. It was good to see the character of the players to come from two goals down but, having said that, we shouldn’t have been two goals down in the first place.”

HERO: Captain Michael Doyle was a formidable presence at the heart of Sheffield United’s midfield, even during a disappointing first half, while the entrance of Stefan Scougall at half-time provided them with a thrust they had previously lacked.

KEY MOMENT: The decision to bring on Stefan Scougall and Paul Coutts at half-time took only 11 minutes to pay dividends with the latter delivering the cross for Jason Holt to score. Scougall caused the hosts all sorts of problems with his driving runs.

VIEWPOINT: Sheffield United proved they are ready to roll up their sleeves and scrap after recovering from a desperately disappointing first half to claim a share of the spoils while the sight of Stefan Scougall impressing as a substitute was encouraging.

REF WATCH: Richard Clark (Northumberland). Louis Reed and Jason Holt were cautioned for Sheffield United while Joe Mills, who was later substituted, was the only Oldham Athletic player to be shown a yellow card by Clark who did not enjoy an afternoon to remember.

Attendance: 5,072.


text:
Bibliomaniac in the family featured image

Bibliomania in the family

My grandfather was a bibliomaniac. This is my mother’s father, Charlie – Charles Bradlaugh Warwick. My grandmother threw him out sometime in 1939, just around the start of the war, and although my mother met him once more during the war and there were family sightings of him to the 50s, by the time I was born we’d lost contact and I never met him. However I heard a lot about him, growing up.

Bibliomaniac Charlie and Debbie Nov. 1920
Charlie and Debbie Nov. 1920

He had a number of habits and qualities, some of which were positive, but overall the stories tended to dwell on the negative ones. His philandering, his ego, his bibliomania.

One story has him coming home to the cottage at Wilmslow on the outskirts of Manchester, where my grandmother and he lived in the late 20s and early 30s, opening his coat and taking out the two or three books he had stolen from bookshops on his way home.

Charlie worked as an accountant for various employers, but as a committed socialist and paid-up member of the Communist Party of Great Britain he may not have kept his jobs very long. He was always agitating for workers’ rights. His political convictions may also have helped him justify his book thefts.

According to Mum (and my grandmother told this story as well) Grandma was always nervous about Charlie’s thefts. She feared he would be caught and arrested.

Bibliomaniac Charlie Warwick in the mid-1920s
Charlie Warwick in the mid-1920s

My grandmother, Debbie, was born Jewish in Odessa. Now Odessa is in Ukraine, but between the wars was a part of the Soviet Union. Debbie’s parents brought her with her elder two brothers to England at the turn-of-the-century, fleeing poverty and the pogroms. Grandma always insisted that she had been taken to see Queen Victoria’s funeral cortege. If true, that would place their immigration sometime around 1900 as the old Queen died in 1901. I suspect, though, that they were illegals as I’ve been unable to find them in the 1901 Census.

As a Russian immigrant, Debbie was always worried about the police showing up on her doorstep. A marriage certificate with a British citizen was a fair security to have. But how would it be if he was a convicted criminal? I believe Grandma went through a second residency legalisation after 1941, after separating from Charlie. At that point Britain and the Soviet Union were on the same side in the war, so it might have been easier.

Bibliomania in the family

I don’t really know whether Charlie ever stole more than two or three books. Perhaps one theft was enough to generate the story, but I suppose it’s more likely that it was a habit. In a way, I hope he was a bibliomaniac and did steal books on regular basis because only stealing two or three would put him on about the same level as me. Oh, don’t worry, I haven’t done it for a long time. But when I was a poverty stricken student reading matter was not nearly as easily available as it is today. Bookshops were more common and far less security conscious than they are today. When books I needed to read were all borrowed out from the library , I stole my share.

I never told Mum or Grandma of course. That would have only provoked a retelling of the Charlie stories and accusations of incipient bibliomania, which I already had a reputation for with all the library books I had overdue.

Free Love

Grandma didn’t throw Charlie out because of his bibliomania but because of his philandering. As a 1920s Communist Charlie believed in “Free Love” and would have been perfectly happy not to lock himself into a “bourgeois relationship” (marriage). However, he got Debbie pregnant and with the help of his parents she shamed him into marrying her. Not the best start perhaps.

It didn’t stop Charlie continuing to act on his convictions though. For fifteen years or so he seems to have taken up annually with one new sweet young thing after another. My grandparents lived in or near Manchester, but when Charlie was having an affair, Debbie used to take my mother and move home to her parents’ in the East End of London. After Charlie’s affair had burned itself out, he would come down to London, plead with her to come back and they would all return to Manchester together.

This went on until Debbie got a job of her own. She became the warden of the Ivinghoe Youth Hostel just north-west of London in about 1937. According to my mother Charlie settled down for a year or so. But then he took a shine to a guest at the hostel with whom he left. Later, he came back as in previous years to plead with Debbie to take him back. But now she had a degree of self-confidence and she refused. He returned to Manchester alone.

Odd, brief encounter

As I mentioned earlier, Mum did meet him once more during the war. She was in the WAAC (Women’s Auxiliary Air Corps) and apparently he tracked her down and wrote to her commanding officer asking if she could be given permission to come and visit him. She was then about 22. So she travelled to Manchester by train and went home to the address she’d been given. Her abiding memory of that visit is the books. Charlie was uninterested in spending money on bookshelves and had constructed walls of books. They alternated – a row standing upright on the floor, a row lying down on top, a row standing upright on top of them. And so on right up to the ceiling. They were also good insulation, he said.

“That was an odd meeting,” Mum says, “I never knew what it was he wanted. I have a sort of feeling there was someone else there, one of his women, and that he was meeting me because she wanted him to.”

Many years later, quite recently in fact, Mum learnt that Charlie remarried. (Bigamously as he never divorced Debbie.) And with his second wife he had a son. Mum’s new interpretation of her strange meeting is that Charlie had got the invisible woman pregnant and was obliged to get married. (History repeating itself.) She thinks the woman had twisted his arm to get him to reconcile himself with his first family. That didn’t happen.

Her half-brother

Having learnt about the existence of her half-brother, Mum tried to get in touch with him. She wrote, and then as he didn’t reply she eventually phoned him. They talked and she learnt a little bit more about him, but he was “not interested” as she says.

I’m not at all surprised. The poor fellow must be in his early 70s and this crazy old woman writes to him out of the blue and then phones him to tell him she’s his sister and that his father – now long dead – was a bigamist and he’s a bastard. It wouldn’t surprise me if Mum also told him about Charlie’s bibliomania. In his position, I doubt very much that I would be interested in pursuing a relationship, but Mum gets a little tearful about it now. She says she would have liked to have had a brother.

Charlie, Debbie, baby Elsa August 1925
Debbie, Charlie and my mother (aged about 2½) in August 1925

Another slice of family history this week, gleaned from my ongoing interviews with my mother (see here). The title of last week’s entry – Bibliophile – set me off thinking about bibliomania and the the only (if putative) bibliomaniac in the family.

This article was written for the #Blogg52 challenge.

I originally published this article on the separate At the Quill website. I revised it for spelling and punctuation, carried out some SEO fine-tuning, and altered the featured image before transferring it here on 30th April 2017.


text:
Wow Did I Screw up

Today I did 30 minutes on the NSA Spying program and while much if not all of the actual info I put out was accurate the site referenced is NOT THE OFFICIAL NSA website.

You can see that here,

Now when I screw up I admit it and do so fast.  I am going to overwrite the show with a disclaimer.  Man this sucks!

The reason I believed this was simple, it is in fact what they are doing.  But I don’t have the smoking gun I thought I did.

Some would say it is easy to believe things you want to believe.  The reality is I don’t want to believe any of these things, it is sadly easy to believe things when they are true even when the source isn’t what you think it is.

I apologize for this error and will do what I can to come out with more official information backing up much of what was said today.  If you can assist me with that and supporting information I would appreciate it.

Again I apologize for the error and hope that the immediate correction and the fact that I am being open and honest about it is well received.

42 Responses to Wow Did I Screw up

  1. louisiana suvivor

    damn jack that scared the shit out of me. i was 15 mins in the episode and everything just stops!? lol. first thought: “damn they got jack!” starting over on the episode. keep up the good, honest, and transparent work brother!

  2. I used to work for the “Never Say Anything.”

    When I worked there during the Reagan years, it was a crime to target an American citizen punishable by time spent in federal prison. Even if an American citizen walked on to a scene where I was running ops and was obviously a spy for the targeted country, I was to pull the plug on the ops and vacate the site.

    Some people are not bothered by a government knowing everything about them and I have this to share.

    When a government agency is collecting the kind of data that they are collecting on you, they can make you do anything. We used to do it to foreign nationals. We would destroy their lives with that data and the only option that we left for them was for them to betray their own country for our benefit. If we could do it to them, we can do it to our own people.

    I’ve heard people say this past week that they aren’t worried because they don’t do anything wrong or break any laws. Really? There are so many laws and regulations that anyone of us could be tripped up without knowing it. We all report every cent of income, right?

  3. IndependentJo

    We still love you brother!

  4. Jack,

    I have been using this web search engine for a while. I am sure this won’t solve every problem, but at least your search won’t be recorded blatantly.

    Start page is located in Netherlands.

  5. Scott Marcum

    How dare you take responsibility for yourself, why can’t you just blame someone else. It’s their fault you know…It must be Bush’s fault , like everything else in this country right? Keep it up Jack we all love ya and continue to support you.

  6. thewarriorhunter

    this honestly is why i love listening to the podcast. you do your best and are man enough to step up and admit when you mess up.

    keep up the great work.

  7. I think I’m going to burn my grocery store club card all the same. Thanks for the correction. You’re a good man.

  8. Happens to everyone. You did what needed to be done on your end and all is well in the TSP again.

  9. The New Mike

    Reminds me of stories that get ran by media and their source is the Onion. There was one recently I think it was in China or in Taiwan where they sourced the Onion. Hilarious.

    I guess its one damn good parody website hahaha. Happens to the best of us.

  10. Bonnieblue2A

    I got sucked into that website too. Jack, if you did this podcast due to an article link I sent several days ago I owe you and my fellow TSPers a thousand apologies.

    • Modern Survival

      You were not the only one, I got that link from about 15 listeners and it is why I just took it at face value. It was MY MISTAKE not yours.

  11. Hey, it’s okay! Thank you for being a man, standing up, and openly admitting your error. Keep up the good work.

  12. Thanks for clearing things up, Jack.

  13. Next thing you know someone will be saying that the administration is using the IRS to target political enemies!

  14. Thanks for the correction! Actually came here to get the link and then saw the note. Don’t feel bad, I just got duped by CNET into loading some spamware in my browser and I’ve been working with computers since before the PC. Even monkeys fall out of trees…..

  15. Jack,

    Last week I had viewed the same site with a similar reaction. Then I read on a libertarian blog I follow that it was indeed a parody.

    10 minutes in the episode I started to cringe, thinking (“oh no, Jack’s in a deep hole now”).

    Because of your integrity for calling out your own goof up, and because I sympathize for what must have been rather embarassing – I have renewed my MSB membership today.

    We’re all in this together, and you’ve lost no credibility as far as I am concerned.

  16. You’re such a screw-up…

  17. bettertohaveit

    Dude, This is the one time I’m glad it was a screw up. That freaked the shit out of me.

  18. I was listening to Jack, and I couldn’t believe the NSA would be so bold, but to go ahead and spill the beans on their own website. That just sounded completely illogical. An organization that works completely in the black; what would they have to gain shining a light on themselves?!?

    So I went to the site, first thought, this is just too rich, and then I just looked at the eagle symbol, and that raised my eyebrow. That eagle looks goofy, not to mention the url was not technically a .gov address but with so many ways to shortcut urls I was going to let that one slide, but that little eagle, no way. Started reading the whole page, and I knew this had to be bogus. Getting to the bottom of the page brought a grin to my face. Somebody spent a lot of time making a good looking fake. But it is too good to be real for the type of agency you are dealing with.

    Not knocking Jack, it just smelled wrong the moment he said he had a page from the NSA giving up all the cookies.

    Out best hope of something like that surfacing would come from a Wikileaks or Anonymous.

  19. LoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooL

  20. It’s not like Jack was far off from the truth. Some contributing articles below, from big news sites. Sorry for not knowing how to shorten links.

    NSA Monitoring Includes Three Major Phone Companies, as Well as Online Activity

    Government Says Secret Court Opinion on Law Underlying PRISM Program Needs to Stay Secret

    Government likely to open criminal probe into NSA leaks

  21. More than the fact that you made an error — and properly and prominently corrected it — is that it was perfectly plausible that this was completely possible. It isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that the government can and would do this. That’s what’s scary.

  22. What, you are human? Shocking! 😉
    I have been thinking; the Patriot Act provides for penalties of $10,000 for violation of civil rights. What would happen if I mailed a bill to the Justice Dept for $10,000 each since I use yahoo, Verizon and Google? I could use $30,000. Would the evildoers prosecute me for mail fraud or would they send me checks?

    What if a million Americans did that? Should we enclose a tea bag?

  23. autofabwelding

    Props on the show and the quick clarification of an oops. We all have have them sometimes. Glad that some of us still can stand up and say I messed up! Again props on the show and on the integrity of the show. Glad you didn’t just delete the show and make us miss one. I have to have something to listen to while I check out the days growth in the garden and rabbitry when i get off work. Time to give it a listen. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BRO.

  24. I too went to the web sites. They are of amazing quality. It boggles my mind on how much work someone did. (Graphic Artist/Web Developer) Very high quality work.

    I guess I’m not the sharpest knife in the rack because I’m pretty sure it would have fooled me as well. Despite that, an excellent ‘cast!

  25. Jack:
    After listening to hundreds of TSP episodes you slipped. I appreciate you manning up and admitting it. The world would be such a better place if everyone simply admitted when they screwed the dog. Time to pick and move on.

    I’ve your back here in Michigan brother. Please keep up the great work.

    • Listened to the show while working in our garden. Variety of cover crop, weeding, mulching with oak leaves, and thinking. Why can’t every night be like that? I found my old email I sent well over a year ago asking for the service discount code. Then tried the new code for June… decided to bite the bullet and go for the one that was more. Wasn’t a big difference but at least it is recurring. I know it may not mean much to some but money has been super tight around here. I’ve been wanting to join for a long while and after seeing your response to a serious fubar I knew I had to fit it in the budget. Honesty is amazing and sadly in short supply now days. Keep it real and you will have listeners for a very long time.

  26. Darren Martin

    The site did not pan out to be a smoking gun, but I would not be at all surprised, if they were gathering all that info on us. If they get called on it, the way it looks like that are going to be now, they are just going to lie lie lie, deny, deny, deny, then if a smoking gun pops up, you will see all the main players from the top down swearing they didn’t know anything about it. Then congressional hearings, bla, bla, bla, the smoke eventually clears, and nothing happens. back to business as usual.

  27. Have you learned nothing from government?

    YOU did not make a mistake. In fact for the next two – three months, you must deny that such a podcast ever took place.

    When approached with indisputable evidence from multiple sources, each with a conflicting political agenda, which prevents you from writing it off as a slanderous political campaign to undermine you, you must then (and only then) admit that “someone” made a mistake.

    That someone is not you. You cannot be expected to read everything that crosses your desk, that is the job of the adjunct to the junior vice-editor’s secretary. That nameless person has since been investigated, was found to have an extremist political agenda you neither endorse or condemn, but fortunately had already been let go for unrelated reasons several days ago.

    This admission will be brief, discussed only in the news ticker on the bottom of the screen on C-SPAN2 coincidentally on the same night as the Superbowl, when viewership is effectively 0. Later it will appear on page 23 of Delaware’s least read newspaper, Tuesday edition.

    Any further discussion of the topic on blogs, web forums and the like will be discredited as a desperate attempt by your conspiracy nut opponents to make themselves feel important. Others in the media will mock them for you.

    During this time, you should retain the services of an image consultant. Someone to help you look more… “leaderly”. The next 20 podcasts will be filled with optimism about the economy, foreign policy, and one show dedicated to sharing your great-grandma Ethel’s famous blueberry pie recipe. That makes you relatable to us simple folk. We have a hard time even spelling Ee-Kon-O-Me, but we do love pie.

    Meanwhile your lackeys can write stories demonizing you for appearing in a YouTube video with your flag-pin worn on the wrong side. Many of those schmucks who would otherwise be discussing this misstep will jump on that bandwagon instead, discrediting themselves in the process.

    Then just ride it out until another pod-caster is found tapping his foot in a bathroom stall. Then the heat is off you, and there’s nothing to worry about.

    Isn’t that easier? And you went with honesty, lol. You’re playing the game all wrong. Don’t run for office dude, you won’t last 5 minutes.

    In all seriousness though, considering every bit of my smart-assed advice is “based on a true story”, can anyone fault you for believing this hoax? Nevermind the fact that it’s mostly true, I could see a scenario where people in government would put up such a page if it served their own perverse agendas.

    * I intended to lighten the mood a bit with this response, but after re-reading it, it’s just not funny, is it?

  28. The tracking of government school children is outlined and explained in this article by Home Schooling Legal Defense Association here:

    Basically it says that some states already track children extensively in order to get money from Race to the Top funding and states might start putting this data together. Of course, if Common Core is passed then the tracking will go straight to the federal government.

    So, the question is. Why does anyone put their children n government schools anymore – or ever?

    Government schooling is socialism. People talk about how bad socialized medicine is but then have no problem with socialized schooling. It is because we get used to the programs over the generations, just like people will get used to socialized medicine and won’t even realize how much better it would have been if it was left in the hands of the parents.

    • Well said, jon. Incrementalism is a killer. Each generation gets raised on a little less freedom — the new normal. We generally have a society of damaged people due to public schooling and the whole Prussian education model the technocrats and bureaucracy based our system on. I say that as a person who attended public school of course.

  29. Here’s Glenn Greenwald’s article on phone calls being recorded from the admission of an FBI agent. Written May 4, 2013:

    Are all telephone calls recorded and accessible to the US government?:
    A former FBI counterterrorism agent claims on CNN that this is the case

  30. US Supreme Court Justice Douglas was eloquent on this subject.
    Scroll down to his dissent here

    “…..Those who already walk submissively will say there is no cause for alarm. But submissiveness is not our heritage……”

  31. Steve from CT

    It must be the Chemtrails clouding your judgement….

  32. BurlingtonRd Farms

    Jack that is amazing. It is so rare for some one to truly admit making a mistake. If you watch the media on TV or radio they begin an apology and then usually worm their way out as they give an apology.

    Someone was definitely in the army and took to heart the values we were taught. I wish I could say it was everyone of us that took those values to heart.

    Jack this is one of the reasons I definitely enjoy your show and person.

  33. Joseph DuPont

    Dear Jack,
    The problem is.. no one is saying anything about the dumbing down of America through Fluoridated water (fact) and the constant injection of mercury contaminated vaccines. Regardless of your source your premise is correct. This is the end game of what freedoms we have left. Keep up the good work. You handled your fop-ah like a man.
    Be well.

  34. Jack if more people were like you we would be better off and if our own government would only screw up 1,000 times the amount you do, well…..we really would be be much better off!

    • You are not part of the government. I’m sorry, but you aren’t and government or the state isn’t actually its own entity that cares or tries to do anything good, but accidentally screws up. The state is only made of other people. The state is an apparatus of force that is used by people who know how to use it for their benefit.
      To me the first step to improving things is admit that it’s not “your” government. It is not owned or controlled by you or your neighbors. It is controlled by a small percentage of people that have learned how to use it against others, to prevent competition, to increase profits for certain companies, to exempt lawmakers from morality, really whatever aims suit their fancy. And in any case government is force, coercion and violence institutionalized. I wouldn’t give it my blessing by claiming it as my own. I think there was plenty of thought and good intention put into its creation, but remember what that road to hell is paved with.

  35. Thank for the absolute honesty Jack!

  36. You are a good man Jack – a real man.


text:
Despite The Objections Of A Vociferous Few, ARS Transition Goes Forward In Montpelier

By: Timothy Kays

Flooding issues and the upcoming transition to Archbold Refuse Service (ARS) were the major points of discussion during the September 12 meeting of the Montpelier Village Council.

Peggy Rupp addresses Council about the requested purchase of lots on Henry Street. Council President Dan Clum said that after the last meeting, Council had agreed that three of the six lots needed to be retained, and said that it would be up to the Rupps if the remaining three lots would be satisfactory. Ms. Rupp replied that they had discussed the matter, and that the three remaining lots would be acceptable. Mr. Clum said that Council would take up the request, and report as to their decision.

Sarah Ferguson and Lana Hill, citizens residing on the 500 block of Jonesville Street, addressed Council about property and basement flooding every time there is a substantial rainfall. After inquiring into the matter, it was discovered that an adjacent concrete parking lot was dumping runoff rainwater onto their properties, and their properties were lower in elevation, allowing for ponding of water on their properties. In turn, the water floods their basements, in one case causing the need for the replacement of a furnace, and in another, promoting the growth of black mold. Councilor Chris Kannel suggested they get some fill dirt from a reliable contractor who can properly place the fill to direct the rainwater away from their homes.

In the issue pertaining to trash pickup, Village Manager Kevin Brooks reported that what had been planned as a smooth transition to ARS from village-operated trash collections, has been anything but smooth. “We’re going to see a lot of progress in the next two weeks,” he said, “…but as Council is aware, we’ve had a lot of problems.

Residents have been argumentative. Residents have threatened to burn containers, throw them in the river and damage them. ARS has been forced to take a different approach because, quite honestly, they have never been faced with the kind of blowback that they are getting. We’ve stood our ground, and this week, I think that the tone has changed significantly. ARS is now registering customers without argument, and without threats. They’ve had a very difficult chase in the past two weeks.”

Brooks went on to say that the trouble seems to be coming from less than ten percent of the residents. “The problem arose when residents threatened to damage their property. ARS became uncomfortable delivering containers to residents that had not paid their bill. That’s where we allowed them a little space, because none of us have ever experienced it before where threats have been made against their personnel if they came onto their property. We had to take a different approach while this nonsense was going on, and quite frankly, there are some individuals who should be embarrassed because they are not giving a positive perception of Montpelier to ARS.

“What people don’t realize,” Brooks said, “is that on January 1, we would have had to substantially raise trash rates to stay above water. We were looking at double, or even triple the cost. Our residents would have had a real problem with a $20 to $30 garbage collection bill By outsourcing this, we are able to keep that cost down.” ARS trash pickup rates are $11.20 per month, and $10.50 for seniors 65 and older. Residents with verifiable disabilities may request special pickup service for an additional fee.

What of those who have a surplus village trash bags? Brooks announced that the village, with stipulations, will buy back unused trash bags. The stipulation states that in order to qualify, residents must have a minimum of 26 consecutive bags, or a minimum of $30, to sell back to the village.

Large bulk items will be picked up at the end of each month, with a village-wide bulk pickup on the docket for October. “On the October bill from the village, there will be no recycling charge,” said Montpelier Director of Finance, Kelly Hephner, referencing the recycling switchover to ARS. “We bill behind. The village will be picking up the recycling bins on the 15th, and that’s because we bill behind, and ARS bills ahead. There will be a two-week gap. We will pick up the bins on September 15, then stop.

ARS will then take over on the week of October 3.”

The September 26 regular session of Council will be canceled as members will be at the AMP Ohio statewide meeting in Columbus.

Timothy Kays can be reached at

Be the first to comment on "Despite The Objections Of A Vociferous Few, ARS Transition Goes Forward In Montpelier"

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


text:
© Sherryvsmith | Dreamstime

LOOK: The Largest Pumpkin Ever Grown in the United States Was Just Crowned

It weighed in at a whopping 2,363 pounds!

October 11, 2017

It’s a new American record! A retired firefighter from Washington state broke the U.S. record for the plumpest pumpkin ever plucked here in the United States.

Just how heavy did Joel Holland’s overgrown gourd weigh in at? Well, his fantastic fruit tipped the scales at a whopping 2,363 pounds on Monday. Holland’s pumpkin took home the top prize at the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California.

Participants travel from all over to show off their large fruit. Yes, they transported their pumpkins on large trailers to Monday’s competition, which is an annual tradition. Cranes are used to put the pumpkins on the scale for the big weigh-in.

In fact, here’s a behind-the-scenes look from the competition:

Holland’s winning pumpkin may be the largest ever weighed in the United States, but is actually the second largest ever grown in the world. That record remains in Germany for a pumpkin that weighed in at 2,624 pounds last October.

We hope Holland's family is a fan of pumpkin pies, roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin salads, pretty much anything pumpkin flavored now that they have a solid 20 to 30 year supply of pumpkin guts! They're probably okay though, considering this Pacific Northwest famer is no stranger to plentiful pumpkins. He's actually won this competition seven times.

What is the prize for a gourd this great? The competition pays a sweet $7 per pound to the winner. So, we did the math, that means Holland's pumpkin is worth a cool $16,541.