All the Other Stuff, Michigan

No Need for Public Concern

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Christchurch, New Zealand - March 20 2011: Fitzgerald Avenue Bridge Destruction.Right?

Saturday, a taxpayer funded exercise in preparedness was going on.  From the always-up-to-something folks in state government:

LANSING. In an effort to practice and test its emergency mobilization capabilities, the Michigan State Police (MSP) is participating in a simulated exercise tomorrow; Saturday, April 5, 2014.

 

The simulated preparedness exercise will test the department’s response to an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) request for police officers to assist the State of Indiana with recovery operations in the aftermath of a simulated earthquake. The scenario will require the mobilization of 60 MSP personnel from across the state to the Lansing area. ..

…

 

Please note: This is not a media event but rather an advisory to the media to help prevent any public concern during the activities of this simulated exercise.

Nothing to see here.

Move along now folks.

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Michigan, Opinion, Philosophy

Article V Debate In Traverse City

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912TBIn recent months, there has been an interesting divide in conservative politics on the efficacy of holding an Article V constitutional convention.

Points have been made vigorously on both sides of the issue. Some argue that an article V could get out of hand, while others see it as a way to harden  constitutional principles firmly with specific goals.  The fact is, that average Joe hasn’t a clue of what it entails, what the risks are, or what might be unexpected outcomes.

Here is an opportunity to hear both perspectives presented in a debate format among good friends; each, who are solidly on either side of the question.

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Michigan, Opinion

Stephen Henderson, why do you have a Free Press reporter playing fast and loose with the facts?

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This is an update to a post that I wrote yesterday.

Let me start off by saying that sometimes I get feedback on what I write. Usually e-mail. Sometimes face-to-face. Last night/this morning it was different…someone actually called me. I didn’t recognize the number at first, but later found found out afterwards it was through a mutual friend.

I got some complements on what I wrote, but they wanted to know why I stopped where I did.

Truth be told, I was on the Eastside for most of that day. I didn’t have enough time for a more thorough follow-up because of my own schedule.

I spoke to them about what was missing and asked them to forward me some links for verification.

It’s amazing what gets “omitted” in a product put out by “professional” journalists. In this case, The Detroit Free Press’ own Niraj Warikoo.

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All the Other Stuff, Detroit, Michigan

It’s called fellowship. Something someone practicing a “religion of peace” should easily understand. Fortunately it appears there are some who do.

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It never gets tiring going after the PC crowd on the radio, online or in the rare instance face-to-face.

But what really sets me off is when they try to bastardize the meaning of the documents that they cite in an pathetic attempt to win an argument.

Dateline: Dearborn, Michigan

On Friday, a parent in Dearborn Public Schools blew a gasket when his children brought home a flyer from the local elementary promoting “Eggstravaganza!” at the Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church in Dearborn.

A copy of the “offending” flyer can be seen here.

Basically, the flyer for the April 12th event (not actually held on Easter), invited people to participate in egg hunt, relay race and egg toss (not actually tenets of the religious holiday of Easter). They were asked to RSVP if they wanted to attend along with an image of a Easter Eggs and a bunny (not actual symbols of the religious holiday of Easter).

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Democrats, Detroit, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

When is a hate crime not really a hate crime.

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Detroit, Michigan – During an unprecedented show of civic unity, community activist groups and civil rights organizations in conjunction with the Detroit Police Department made their strong presence known this weekend during a recent sweep apprehending all of the individuals involved in the brutal assault and robbery of a suburban motorist last week.

Taking part in this weekend’s events was civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson along with his Rainbow-PUSH Coalition. “We are here to fight for the dignity and integrity of all Americans. No one should have to suffer for doing the right thing,” said Jackson after visiting the victim’s family at St. John’s Hospital.

Also taking part was the Rev. Al Sharption. Host of nationally syndicated “Keepin’it Real” and “Politics Nation” along with his National Action Network.  While watching the last of the assailants being taking away in a squad car, Sharpton said, “I cannot imagine how an upstanding, hardworking father of three, is beaten to within an inch of his life by thugs and hooligans simply for stopping and doing what any decent human being would do.”

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Michigan Politics

No, It’s NOT Under The Bridge

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Clearly, there are interests who will misrepresent data to freak out lawmakers into knee-jerk reactionary positions..

So when we find out the flawed data provided by Jackson Hewitt that was probably the basis for a couple of fence sitters to get lazy and stupid, we don’t have to pretend it doesn’t matter.  Some great big We-Told-You-So’s are due. Perhaps next time low information legislators will look a little deeper into what it is they are exposing the state to.  Mackinac Center Legislative Analyst Jack McHugh says:

“It maMCC_Masthead_2xy be water over the dam, but one report on the potential impact to employers if Michigan did not adopt the Obamacare Medicaid expansion has been exposed as being essentially bunk due to flagrant misuse or misrepresentation of the data it cited.

This is worth noting because the claims from Jackson Hewitt were widely cited by Republican lawmakers here who supported the expansion, and probably tilted others into that camp. Its conclusion was that “employers may pay substantially higher federal tax penalties under the ACA (Affordable Care Act) in states that do not expand Medicaid.” Jackson Hewitt estimated Michigan employers would pay between $42 million and $63 million in penalties without the expansion.

But a further study revealed that to be untrue.

The study notes incomplete demographics and assumptions of static employer behavior in the examples legislators used in justifying their yes votes. No, this is not water under the bridge, but rather a “teachable moment” that will be willfully ignored by those who took the blue pill with regard to Obamacare.

Read the rest.

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Conservative News, Elections, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans

Oh Bouchard, you haz Some ‘Splaining to do

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Interesting series on local government invasion of privacy events in the Detnews.com

Now, though, some privacy advocates question why one of the safest counties in Michigan needs the super-secretive Hailstorm device that is believed to be able to collect large amounts of cellphone data, including the locations of users, by masquerading as a cell tower.

“I don’t like not knowing what it’s capable of,” said county Commissioner Jim Runestad, R-White Lake Township, who has met in recent weeks with sheriff’s officials about his concerns.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office is one of about two dozen forces nationwide — and the only one in Michigan — with the $170,000 machine. So little is known about Hailstorm that even national experts will only speculate about its capabilities. The technology from Florida-based defense contractor Harris Corp. is believed to be an upgrade of Stingray, a suitcase-sized contraption that is installed in cars and used to trick nearby phones into connecting with it and providing data to police.
….

Undersheriff Michael McCabe said, “Hailstorm helps us capture fugitives from the law, people wanted for murder and rape” and can be used only with a search warrant. He said the federal Homeland Security Act bars him from discussing Hailstorm, but he elaborated at length about what it doesn’t do.

“It’s not a tool to spy on people, unequivocally,” McCabe said. “It does not record cellphone conversations … Hailstorm does not capture personal information on anyone or store unintended target data. It does not take photos of anyone. It doesn’t take videos or fly in the sky. It’s a tool used for criminal investigations and it’s legal and lawful.”

McCabe recently gave similar assurances to county commissioners. He was prompted in part by persistent, anonymous emails that have been sent to county officials and others about the system, but also questions from Runestad.

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Sure… like why would anyone question the on record judgement calls from the Oakland County Sheriff?

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

The Reagan Rule Breaker

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Here’s the deal people…I take a lot of grief from the establishment type Repubs for many things, and some from conservatives for not getting ‘on board’ with candidates that PRESENT themselves as conservatives…Reagan said that we “Shall NOT speak ill of another Republican”… Which Republican party was he referring to???…The one on paper, or the reality???

Conservatives need to realize that we need each other to win anything!!!…I have spent years trig to referee between Tea Party folks, GOP and blue collar Dem conservatives, and the C4L types…Being inflexible and unswerving to your own principles is admirable, but gets in the way when all the above can agree on 90% of any given issue or candidate…

What we all need to realize is that we are in dire need of conservative leadership, regardless of how one defines ‘conservative’…Let’s face it…even the liberals know a conservative when they see one!!!…So here is my Reagan rule breaker…

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Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Arcand Materializes As A Serious Contender In The 1st Congressional District

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arcandAlan Arcand (R-Iron River) announced today that his campaign has surpassed the 1,000 signature minimum to qualify for the August Republican primary race against incumbent Dan Benishek. Arcand achieved the benchmark during a weekend visit to the Traverse City area, collected some 300 signatures in 3 days.

A veteran of the Air Force, he will be gathering approximately 200 more signatures to ensure a cushion against any challenge, and will file in Lansing once this goal has been met. “Our visit to the Bay region was both fruitful and invigorating.” he said, “The reception and help we received was encouraging, and we look forward to our next visit in May.”

Arcand is challenging two term incumbent Republican Dr. Dan Benishek in Michigan’s largest Congressional district. His website is: arcandforcongress.com, and information on Arcand can also be found on Facebook HERE.

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