truesee's Blog

Rush Limbaugh Falls For Wikipedia Hoax About Judge Roger Vinson

First Posted: 09-16-10 01:40 PM   |   Updated: 09-16-10 02:01 PM

 

The paper reports that, on his Tuesday show, Limbaugh spent some time discussing Roger Vinson, a District Court judge for the Northern District of Florida. Vinson had recently announced that he was likely to allow a full hearing for a challenge to the federal health care bill. Limbaugh told his listeners that the judge was a longtime hunter and amateur taxidermist, and that he had once killed three brown bears and mounted their heads above the entrance to his courtroom--in order, Limbaugh said, to "instill the fear of God into the accused."

"This would not be good news" for supporters of the health care law, he added.

Unfortunately, none of that information is true.

It came from a Wikipedia user called Pensacolian--Vinson's court sits in Pensacola, Florida--who, on Sep. 13, updated Vinson's page to include these sentences:

"Vinson is an avid hunter and amateur taxidermist. After a 2002 hunting trip during which he killed three brown bears, Vinson had their heads mounted over the door through which defendants must pass to enter the courtroom. The heads were later removed following complaints by local defendants' rights groups."

The information was removed on Tuesday afternoon. Pensacolian named as the source for this information a news article which the Times found did not exist. The paper also spoke to Vinson, who corrected the record:

"But, in fact, Judge Vinson has never shot anything other than a water moccasin (last Saturday, at his weekend cabin), is not a taxidermist and, as president of the American Camellia Society, is far more familiar with Camellia reticulata than with Ursus arctos...'I've never killed a bear,' he said Wednesday, 'and I'm not Davy Crockett.'"

Palin in Iowa to test 2012 presidential waters?

Steve Holland

Fri Sep 17, 10:15 pm ET

DES MOINES (Reuters) – Sarah Palin fed speculation that she might run for president in 2012 on Friday with a high-profile visit to Iowa and a call for unity between battling factions of Republicans ahead of November 2 congressional elections.

"The time for unity is now," said Palin.

Palin spoke at the Iowa Republican Party's Ronald Reagan Dinner, her influence among "Tea Party" activists strong after conservative candidates she backed won in Delaware and New Hampshire Senate primary races on Tuesday.

The former Alaska governor, who was Republican Senator John McCain's vice presidential running mate in the 2008 campaign, was coy about whether she will join what could be a long list of challengers to Democratic President Barack Obama.

She told the crowd of about 1,500 that her husband, Todd, had suggested she not go for an exercise run outdoors in Des Moines because the headlines would be, "Palin in Iowa decides to run."

And she said she liked a comment from Iowa's Republican candidate for governor, Terry Branstad, that, "We need to stay focused on this election and not the next one."

Iowa and New Hampshire cast the first votes in presidential nominating campaigns and potential candidates routinely stop in each state in hopes of propelling themselves into the national spotlight.

The Republican lineup for 2012 will start forming late this year and in early 2011. As many as a dozen aspirants are possible and many of them have already rolled through Iowa.

But none have received the attention Palin has, with a large contingent of national political reporters and a phalanx of television cameras on hand for her appearance.

Palin used a sometimes rambling 30-minute speech to throw darts at many targets, including Obama, top congressional Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, pundits from the Republican establishment, and the "lamestream" news media.

She spent considerable time castigating "gutless" reporters who she said have reported untruths about her.

Palin said establishment Republicans who say some Tea Party-type candidates will not be able to win against Democratic opponents in the November 2 congressional elections need to get over it and help rally behind them.

"You lose some, you win some," she said.

Republicans expect big gains against Democratic majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate but some believe Tea Party-backed Christine O'Donnell's victory over a moderate Republican in Delaware probably cost the party a chance to take command of the Senate.

"Those internal power struggles need to be set aside," Palin said. "The need is great because the cause is so great."

Palin urged Republican leaders to spread out across the country to help rally voters, including Karl Rove, who has been harshly critical of O'Donnell. Rove was the architect of George W. Bush's two presidential victories.

"Karl," she said. "Karl, go to hear. You can come to Iowa, and Karl Rove and the leaders will see the light that these are normal, hard-working Americans.'

Palin's visit to Iowa was seen by many in the crowd of 1,500 as a first step toward a possible run.

"She's looking at something for the future," said Henry Reyhons, a Republican representative in the Iowa state legislature.

"I think she will," said DiAnn Rose of Mapleton, Iowa. "I hope she does."

Palin, admired by many conservatives, is not viewed favorably by a large segment of the American electorate, and the White House was quick to try to portray her as the best the Republican Party can muster.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called Palin "a formidable force in the Republican Party and may well be, in all honesty, the most formidable force in the Republican Party right now."

Does the White House interpret her trip as a first step in a run for the presidency?

"It is normally around this time of year that you go to dip your toe in the water (in Iowa). My guess is that she is going to dip that toe," said Gibbs.

If Palin runs, said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato, "it would be the best news Democrats could possibly have."

While popular among conservatives, Palin still has a long way to go with other Americans. A CBS News poll on Thursday said 46 percent of American voters viewed Palin unfavorably, compared with 21 percent who have a favorable opinion of her and 33 percent who are undecided.

Palin promotes a traditional Republican low-tax, pro-business economic policy and aggressive foreign policy.

(Additional reporting by Ross Colvin; Editing by Christopher Wilson and Eric Walsh)

http://www.kmbc.com/video/25055886/detail.html

How about some creepy-crawlies for dinner, Mexican-style? Adventurous diners can spring for a four-course meal of bugs at Brooklyn Kitchen.

Egan-Chin/NewsRene Cervantes with crickets. He'll be eating other insects as well at Brooklyn Kitchen.

Most restaurants try to keep bugs out of the kitchen. One Brooklyn foodie hot spot is putting them on the menu.

The Brooklyn Kitchen is hosting a four-course dinner of creepy-crawlies on Saturday for adventurous eaters with iron stomachs.

Diners at the Williamsburg cook shop are shelling out $85 to feast on caterpillars, mealworms and moth larvae, all done up Mexican-style.

Luckily, it comes with mescal, a Mexican liquor, to wash it all down.

"It's a little bit of a challenge to see if I can actually go through with eating it," said Alan Smith, 27, a freelance radio producer from Prospect Heights.

Smith said he had read about bugs as an environmentally friendly alternative to meat and was curious to try them - as long as they're not still squirming. "If it doesn't taste good, the whole experiment is shot for me," he said.

Fans of edible insects insist they can be a treat.

"They're very tasty, so I want to see what everything else they're going to serve is like," said Rene Cervantes, 33, who signed up for the dinner because he loves the flavor of grasshoppers, which are often served in his home country of Mexico. "You have to give things a try, or you won't know."

About half the event's 40 slots are filled, said Brooklyn Kitchen owner Taylor Erkkinen. "People are kind of interested, but also skeeved out," she said.

Erkkinen isn't so sure she's up for it herself, but, "the mescal hopefully will help ease my introduction."

Los Angeles-based artist Philip Ross cooked up the menu, which will include sautéed mealworms and yucca in a garlic and chipotle sauce.

The tasting is a joint venture with the nearby EyeLevel BQE Gallery, where Monica Martinez, an artist and Ross' girlfriend, is exhibiting habitats she created for mealworms.

Fancy flavorings and booze may not be enough to tempt some New Yorkers to dine on insects.

"I can't even eat around bugs, let alone eat bugs," said Pedro Nieves, 22, a medical assistant trainee who flinched even at the mention of it. "I'm really grossed out by them."

Insect cuisine isn't quite as foreign in many cultures as it is here, and bug eating is common in places like Latin America and Asia, where people snack on locusts and even scorpions.

Sunset Park resident Denisse Sosa, 20, overcame her squeamishness about eating bugs after trying grasshoppers while visiting family in Mexico - but she's not eager to repeat the experience.

"The legs get stuck in your throat," Sosa said. "I don't like that."

The event's price tag was what stuck in the craw of Brooklynite Carlos Echeverri, 35, who said he'd be willing to eat nearly anything but a <snip>roach.

"Eat bugs for $85? Probably you could just go to the park and throw them on the grill."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/14/2010-09-14_meals_sure_to_give_you_the_jitterbugs.html#ixzz0zsT2Caxc

McNew/GettyLindsay Lohan failed a court-mandated drug test last week, a source told the Daily News

Lohan gives a smirk in her booking photo at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, Calif.

LOS ANGELES - Jail and rehab couldn't scare Lindsay Lohan straight - she's flunked a drug test, a source told the Daily News Friday.

The positive result on a court-mandated test last week could send the "Mean Girls" starlet back to the slammer.

TMZ.com reported the test was for cocaine.

Prosecutors declined comment, and Lohan's lawyer could not be reached.

Lohan, 24, denied it at first. "They're all nuts," she told Us magazine. "I'm fine."

But the troubled starlet later copped to the failed drug test Friday night through several Tweets saying she's "prepared to appear before Judge Fox next week as a result."

"Substance abuse is a disease, which unfortunately doesn't go away over night. I am working hard to overcome it and am taking positive steps forward every day. I am testing every single day and doing what I must do to prevent any mishaps in the future," Lohan said in another tweet to her 1.18 million followers.

LiLo is on probation until next August for back-to-back 2007 DUI cases.

She was sentenced to 90 days in jail this summer for missing booze counseling classes, but served only 14 due to overcrowding.

The court ordered a 90-day inpatient rehab stint, but doctors said she could leave after 23 days.

The judge put her on a strict post-jail program that includes counseling and random testing until Nov. 1.

"It appears she is very serious about her sobriety," Judge Elden Fox said at the time.

"She is very serious," Lohan's lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley agreed. "She has learned her lesson and wants to move on in a positive way."

The judge also issued a stern warning: "Any positive or missed random tests are to be reported to the court in 72 hours and result in a violation of probation with 30 days in county jail."

Because she was convicted of three counts, that could mean up to 90 days in lockup if she's found to have violated probation.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/09/17/2010-09-17_lindsay_lohan_fails_courtmandated_drug_test_could_be_sentenced_to_30_more_days_i.html#ixzz0zsNtAg5f

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//100917/480/urn_publicid_ap_org082f10d5454843659f6a144e755012d0/

Dave AlloccaNadya Suleman is planning to go on welfare after various reality show deals fell through.

Having eight kids has taken its financial toll on Nadya Suleman.

Suleman, better known as "Octomom," is going on welfare after a deal she had hoped would turn into a reality series didn't work out, RadarOnline.com reported.

"Nadya has nannies and huge expenses raising 14 children," a source close to Suleman told the gossip site. "She needs a lot of money just to keep up with the basics. And now the income has dried up and she didn't make enough in the past year and a half to live off of it."

Suleman, who became a tabloid sensation in 2009 when she gave birth to eight children, was reportedly unable to convince networks to produce a reality show based on her life, a la "Jon & Kate Plus Eight."

"She's still hoping to pull off a deal that will pay her a fortune but at this point it just doesn't seem possible," the source said. "She was hoping for merchandizing deals, but those never came through."

According to Radar, Suleman's debts nearly had her evicted from her house after she fell behind on mortgage payments. Her father reportedly purchased the house she was paying mortgage on, however he can no longer support her.

"Nadya's parents have done a lot to help her despite their difficult relationship. They aren't rich and they're struggling too," the source said of Suleman's parents, adding that public assistance is the only possible solution at this point. "There's just no choice [but to go on welfare]. She's running out of money and those kids need to eat."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/09/17/2010-09-17_octomom_nadya_suleman_plans_to_file_for_welfare.html#ixzz0zp16PpeE

Mone/APSarah Palin has campaigned for dozens of Republicans in the 2010 primary season.

Sarah Palin may have a magic touch with candidates she endorses, but nearly half of American voters aren't impressed by the former Republican vice presidential candidate.

The Tea Party isn't a hit with voters, either, a new poll finds.

Just 21% of those asked have a favorable view of Palin, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll, which also found that 19% support the Tea Party.

Despite drawing large, raucous crowds wherever she speaks, the number of voters who view Palin unfavorably rose six points since August to 46%.

Meanwhile, 33% say they are undecided on Palin or don't know enough about her positions.

Still, Palin's endorsements seem to matter.

So far this primary season, Palin has backed 43 candidates and 25 of them have won, 11 have lost, with the rest not having had a primary race.

Most recently, she helped lift Republicans Christine O'Donnell and Kelly Ayotte to Senate primary wins in Delaware and New Hampshire,  respectively.

However, two in three voters say Palin is just looking for attention with her endorsements, according to the poll.

The former Alaska governor has not said whether she will run for president in 2012. However, a poll from last month shows 59% of the country thinks she would be an ineffective commander-in-chief.

As for the Tea Party, 63% do not support it, though voters who are familiar with the party are more divided.

The poll finds 29% have an unfavorable view, opposed to 23% who see the party in a favorable light.

Still, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), a champion of the Tea Party, thinks the budding political movement can be a force in Washington.

"The Tea Party represents a broad cross-section of the American people," DeMint told NBC's "Today."

"You can't change Washington unless you change people who are here," DeMint said. "People are ready to throw out the bums."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/09/16/2010-09-16_sarah_palin_tea_party_are_not_viewed_favorably_by_most_americans_latest_poll_fin.html#ixzz0zmdNK6Wq

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/16/national/main6873991.shtml?tag=stack

Democrats suffer an enthusiasm gap

That is not necessarily a predictor of victory in November — there’s a seven-week campaign to be run — but it puts the dominant Democratic Party in the unusual position of not only battling for critical independent votes but firing up its torpid base.

Because the primary was the first in memory without a contest at the top of the ballot in either party, overall turnout was the lowest by far for the past six gubernatorial cycles and slightly higher than the modern low in 1986.

But Republican turnout was exceptionally high in the 10th Congressional District, where there is an open seat; in many suburban and exurban areas of the Merrimack and Blackstone valleys; and in Worcester County.

The turnout in traditionally Democratic cities and many liberal areas, by contrast, was low to abysmal. In Boston and Cambridge, the number of voters casting Democratic ballots was less than half what it has been on average for the past seven gubernatorial primaries, a Globe analysis shows.

In a potentially troubling signal for Democratic Governor Deval Patrick, who built a diverse coalition of supporters in his 2006 victory, the turnout was especially light in Boston’s predominantly minority neighborhoods, despite two crowded Democratic primaries for open state House seats.

Democrats have a more than 3-to-1 registration average statewide, but in Tuesday’s primary, in which independents could cast ballots for either party, Democrats outpolled Republicans by only about 2 to 1. That’s the narrowest spread in the past 24 years. Even in cycles when Republicans won the governorship, GOP voters comprised more than 30 percent of the electorate only once in a primary — 1994, the year of William F. Weld’s historic re-election landslide.

In the 10th District, which stretches from Quincy to Cape Cod and the Islands, competitive primaries in both parties this year produced some of the highest turnouts in the state, with reported Democratic turnout exceeding the GOP by only 5 percentage points. That edge will increase slightly when Democratic results in five of the 199 precincts, still untabulated late yesterday, are added to the total.

That’s a significant improvement for Republicans, however. The last time the seat was open, in 1996, Democratic turnout exceeded Republican by nearly 40 percentage points, with multi-candidate primaries in both parties.

Jennifer Nassour, chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, said her party’s higher turnout “speaks volumes to the anger and frustration people are feeling now. ... People are fed up, they want everyone out, and the party in power are the Democrats.’’

Her Democratic counterpart, John Walsh, acknowledged that “in a couple of places, there was a pickup of this Tea Party enthusiasm.’’ But he said Massachusetts is different from other states.

“We’re not Sarah Palin, burn-the-house-down, Delaware or Alaska,’’ he said. “No doubt this is going to be an important and challenging election for incumbents everywhere, and it will depend on how well we do our work and talk to people and execute in campaign mode.’’

The state Democratic Party, he noted, started September with a $1 million advantage over the state Republican Party in cash on hand for the final weeks of the race.

But Democrats will have to spend wisely to counteract the increased Republican energy in many parts of the state.

In Haverhill, a Merrimack Valley city that is nominally Democratic but sometimes votes Republican in November elections, Democratic turnout has generally exceeded that of Republicans by a wide margin in primaries in the last six gubernatorial cycles. On Tuesday, it flipped, with voters casting more Republican ballots than Democratic ones, according to unofficial results.

Similarly, in Barnstable, the most populous town on Cape Cod, a swing area, Democrats averaged 57 percent of primary turnout in six previous gubernatorial cycles. On Tuesday, the percentage fell to 44 percent, unofficial tallies showed.

http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-panty-robber-oxford,0,2434173.story

WARNING EXTREMELY DISTURBING!!!

LINK TO STORY AND VIDEO

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2010/09/home_health_aide_charged_with.html

Home health aide Carmen Pereira, 52.

    Those born on September 16^th display an indomitable spirit that does not recognize defeat or boundaries.  Their desire to go beyond, to surpass what has already been done in any given area is great.    Yet they are patient enough to master the technical details of their craft, not being egotists or wild eyed fame hunters.  September 16^th emotional energy is very strong, and it is from the heart that those born on this day express themselves.  They must beware, however, or overstepping certain boundaries which even they must stop and pause with respect.

    September 16^th people are not afraid to put it on the line.  Their bravery and steadfastness under fire are outstanding qualities.  But because they rarely back down from confrontation they may often be at odds with the authorities or powers that be.   

    It can me a mistake to cramp a September 16^th person’s style.  Their spirit is so dynamic that it will not be suppressed.  They are filled with a zest for life.  Those born on this day usually have to learn how to be good team players, however, since cooperation is not their strong suit.  Over time, experience usually teaches them much in this regard, and they thus develop real leadership qualities.  After maturing, they become excellent teachers, as they are confident of their knowledge and convey it in their students and will be more sensitive to their feelings. 

    Those born on the 16^th of the month are ruled by the number 7 (1+6=7).  Those ruled by the number 7 sometimes fail to carry through their ideas and can lose touch with reality easily.  Those ruled by the number 7 can throw caution to the winds financially and leave their families financially embarrassed a good accountant or bookkeeper is thus invaluable to those born on this day.

Advice:    Learn to guide your prodigious energies in the right direction.  Keep goals in sight.  Try to explain to those who do not understand.  Don’t get too far out or court disaster too often, remain in touch with the more ordinary aspects of life.

Strengths:     Big hearted, courageous and honest.

Weaknesses:  Sensationalist, rebellious and destructive

Born on This Day:  Henry V, B.B. King, Lauren Bacall and Charles Byrd

This Day in History:    Sep 16, 1932 Gandhi begins fast in protest of caste separation

On this day in 1932, in his cell at Yerovda Jail near Bombay, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi begins a hunger strike in protest of the British government's decision to separate India's electoral system by caste. Famous Inventions  1857 The words & music to the famous Christmas song "Jingle Bells" was registered by Oliver Ditson and Company under the title One Horse Open Sleigh.

This is for entertainment only!

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/09/14/2224629/ihop-the-pancake-maker-sues-ihop.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/15/antonio-federici-ice-crea_n_718508.html