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Michael T. Barrett
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Oct
13
Have you heard about the new “certification” that will appear on Campbell’s Soup products in Canada?
As part of Campbell Canada’s commitment to diversity and extraordinary, authentic nourishment for all, our selection of Halal-certified products are here to help you meet your Islamic dietary requirements.
I don’t get it. They don’t certify their products for any other religion or dietary requirements do they?
After an extensive search on the Campbell’s Soup website, I couldn’t find anything listed as “Kosher”. What about diabetics? Shouldn’t they make “diabetic-certified” products as well?
Their own legend lists “Health Check”, for healthy foods I suppose. “Wholegrain” to list items with whole grains included (duh). “Full Serving of Vegetables”, yum! “Gluten-Free”, for those who have issues with gluten. “Less Sodium”, because too much sodium is deadly. And last (but apparently not least) “Halal-certified”, for the Muslim friends of Campbell’s Soup.
Ridiculous. Read more about Campbell’s Soup and the ISNA. You may just be surprised too.
So, why is Campbell’s Soup specifically catering to the “dietary requirements” of Muslims?
Oct
12
Where’s The Money From Your Wallet?
Category: Faith, Life, Opinions, Society | Comments Off | 327 words | Print
When you donate money to a non-profit organization, do you expect them to contribute some or all of your donation to another organization?
For instance, if you donated money to help find a cure for cancer, how would you feel if your money was sent to an organization that funded abortions? Well, if you have ever donated a penny to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, you have indirectly helped fund abortions.
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has long denied that abortion plays any role in elevating the risk for women of contracting the deadly disease.
That’s despite a wealth of research over decades showing an average increased risk of about 40 percent for women having abortions compared to those who carry their pregnancy to term.
But the contributions Komen affiliates make to Planned Parenthood, which does more than 25 percent of all abortions in the United States and aggressively promotes abortion abroad, provide another sources of frustration for pro-life people who otherwise would support the group.
In a new interview with the Daily Caller, Komen spokesman John Hammarley provided the latest figures showing the link between the two groups.
He confirmed 20 of Komen’s 122 affiliates have made donations to Planned Parenthood and, last year, those contributions totaled $7.5 million — much higher than the $731,000 Komen’s figures on its web site showed earlier this year.
Ironically, as the donations from Susan G. Komen to Planned Parenthood increased significantly, breast cancer services provided by Planned Parenthood decreased by 4% while abortion procedures increased 6%.
I don’t know about you, but when I donate money to find a cure for breast cancer, I expect my donation to be used to help find a cure for breast cancer, not to fund the murder of innocent babies.
The next time you open your wallet to help those in need, make sure the organization you are supporting doesn’t funnel your money out the back door to another group you may not support.
Sep
6
Did you see this bit of news this week?
The Obama administration on Tuesday will launch its most ambitious effort at reducing mortgage balances for homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth.
Officials say between 500,000 and 1.5 million so-called underwater loans could be modified through the program, the first initiative to target homeowners who are current on their mortgage payments but are at risk of default because they have no equity in their homes. Some experts are warning, however, that the same knots that tied up prior initiatives could do so again.
Yes, you read that correctly. More and more Americans who did not require (nor ask for) help from the federal government to lower their house payments are getting kicked to the curb, President Obama proposes yet another measure to help keep people who cannot afford their homes, in them.
So let’s see if I understand this correctly.
A family (like mine) who works hard, pays all their bills, applies for a refinance without government assistance, and does everything “right”, is served notice that the bank is calling the note and foreclosing on their home.
Yet, a broker helped some moron buy a house he couldn’t afford so the government takes steps (earlier this year) to “modify” that loan into a lower interest rate, and now, since the value of all homes are still falling, they are going to work with him to write off the amount he is underwater?
Now I know what I did wrong. I never begged the government to pay all my bills and to take care of me. That’s why we’re losing our house. It’s all so clear now.
Sep
5
Aug
26
Justice Department Approves Georgia Voter I.D. Law
Category: Opinions, Society | Comments Off | 419 words | Print
Back in 2007, I wrote several posts about Georgia’s new Voter I.D. Law on my other blog, Slobokan’s Site O’ Schtuff.
Today, I am happy to say that the U.S. Department of Justice has approved the voter I.D. system.
The Justice Department has given Georgia approval to again verify voters’ identity and citizenship, Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced Monday.
Federal officials have pre-cleared a modified new program designed to confirm that prospective voters are U.S. citizens. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division had repeatedly rejected similar versions of the Georgia program.
It has been mired in legal challenges since 2008…
It’s about time. There is nothing wrong with requiring a voter to show proof of their identity and their citizenship, unless you’re a Democrat.
State Rep. Roger Bruce (D-Atlanta) said, “We should be doing things to encourage them to vote instead of making them jump through hoops”. What hoops? Carrying the same identification they are required to carry if they walk down the street, drive a car, or open an account at a bank? Hello? What hoops are Rep. Bruce referring to?
Oh wait. I remember. The only person jumping through hoops will be Roy Barnes, former Governor (and current candidate for Governor) who was spearheading an effort to overturn the law…
Former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes had sought the action in a state court, arguing Thursday before Judge Melvin K. Westmoreland that requiring voters to show government-issued photo ID violated the state Constitution.
That’s right. Good ol’ boy Roy, who is the Democratic nominee for Governor was really looking forward to all of those votes from people who thought carrying a photo i.d. would take too much effort or would require them to act like every other member of society.
I think we should light those hoops on fire and watch King Roy sweat a little bit.
If you want to read all my previous posts about the Georgia Voter I.D. Law, here are the links to those posts.
Georgia Voter I.D. Law Upheld
Georgia Voter I.D. Law Not Unconstitutional
State Supreme Court Hears Voter ID Case
The Georgia Voter Yo-Yo Act
Georgia Supreme Court Rejects States Appeal
Georgia Voter ID Law On Hold… Again…
Georgia Voter I.D. Cards Aren’t Quite Ready
Justice Dept. Approves Georgia Voter I.D. Law
Governor Signs Georgia Voter I.D. Law… Again.
Georgia State Senate Debates Voter ID Law. Again.
U.S. Court Denies Appeal On Voter I.D.
Boortz On Yesterday’s Voter I.D. Decision
Georgia Voter I.D. Law On Hold
Got I.D.? No Problem
Nothing More Than A Poll Tax?
The NY Times Is Full Of It
The Georgia Voter ID Bus
Aug
25
Financial Statements…
Category: Opinions, Our Nation | Comments Off | 212 words | Print
I am going to be busy for the next few days as we try to nail down our living arrangements before Friday. We’ve set a sort of “personal goal” to have something permanent lined up as soon as possible.
While I work on our finances and make sure we have enough money to pay for our next home, take a moment to see how much your government is spending…
Just for grins, use the above chart to dissect Christopher Hayes’ statement that our current and future deficits are caused by “three things: the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bush tax cuts and the recession.”
Two of those three things — the wars and tax cuts — were in effect from 2003 through 2007. Do you see alarming deficits or trends from 2003 through 2007 in the above chart? No. In fact, the trend through 2007 is shrinking deficits. What you see is a significant upward tick in 2008, and then an explosion in 2009. Now, what might have happened between 2007 and 2008, and then 2009?
If I worked my budget the way the Democrats have been working with our economy, I would be moving into Bill Gates’ house and you’d all be paying for it!!! Aren’t you glad I’m not a Democrat?!?
Aug
24
Isn’t this where he stands on most controversial issues?
After a busy day, I’m taking the night off to relax and prepare for tomorrow. I’ve got a lot to do tomorrow, so I better get a good night’s sleep.
Aug
16
Finally. Something That Makes Sense!
Category: Opinions, Our Nation | 1 Comment | 216 words | Print
Did you see the news?
The Los Angeles Times published an analysis of teacher effectiveness in the Los Angeles School District.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Monday that parents have a right to know if their children’s teachers are effective, endorsing the public release of information about how well individual teachers fare at raising their students’ test scores.
“What’s there to hide?” Duncan said in an interview one day after The Times published an analysis of teacher effectiveness in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest school system. “In education, we’ve been scared to talk about success.”
Parents support the idea. People everywhere support the idea. The teacher’s union doesn’t.
The Los Angeles teachers union urged a boycott of the paper to protest the public disclosure of the data, and other labor leaders also objected.
“Publishing the database … is irresponsible and disrespectful to the hard-working teachers of Los Angeles,” David Sanchez, president of the California Teachers Assn., said in a statement.
Oh no! How could they let this happen? How could someone release information about the performance of public school teachers to the … public? Holding public educators accountable to the public. Imagine the thought.
Finally, something that makes sense!
Kudos to the Los Angeles Times on this one.
Aug
10
The Lesser Of Two Evils
Category: Opinions, Politics | Comments Off | 221 words | Print
Today was the primary “runoff” election, where Nathan Deal and Karen Handel faced off for Governor.
To tell you the truth I am not impressed with Deal or Handel. Neither of them seem to support smaller government, at least they have never done anything to indicate they do. Neither one of them seem to have taken a stance to protect our liberties, which isn’t really difficult to do if you want to do it.
That’s why I could care less who won the runoff today, and why I am voting for John Monds for Governor in November.
Libertarian candidates (especially in Georgia) might not have a realistic chance of winning, but at least I won’t have to vote for the lesser of two evils. I’ll be able to vote my conscience in the upcoming election.
The best news from tonight’s results is the fact that Maria Sheffield got kicked to the curb in the race for Insurance Commissioner. The voters of Georgia did an awesome thing by getting rid of Maria Sheffield and John Oxendine during this election cycle.
Yes, I am still angry about the whole e-mail list debacle. You can’t blame me for thinking it’s a good thing that the two people responsible for stealing my e-mail information were sent packing!
Jul
26
Shirley Sherrod Is Married To Racism
Category: Opinions, Society | Comments Off | 126 words | Print
If you pay attention to the news, you’ve heard of Shirley Sherrod by now. There has been a lot of commotion about her and the clip of the speech she gave. Of course, once the entire video was released it didn’t make her look as bad as the clip did (although there is no excuse for the audience’s reaction to her speech).
Well, some people may not think Shirley Sherrod is a racist, but the same cannot be said for her husband, Charles.
What a shame. I actually believed Shirley Sherrod had redeemed herself and didn’t tolerate racism, yet she’s married to it. Believe what you want, but I don’t think Charles Sherrod has any redeeming qualities in this video.