History for April 21

History for April 21 - On-This-Day.com:

Boston Marathon—118^th running. See www.baa.org

White House Easter Egg Roll. Since 1810.

Birth anniversary of Charlotte Brontë (1816-55).

Birth anniversary of naturalist, explorer and conservationist John Muir (1838-1914).

150th birth anniversary of sociologist and philosopher Max Weber (1864-1920).

Happy Birthday, Queen Elizabeth II!

And Happy Birthday! Patti Lupone, Andi MacDowell, Elaine May

1789 - John Adams was sworn in as the first U.S. Vice President. 


1836 - General Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. This battle decided the independence of Texas. 


1862 - The U.S. Congress established the U.S. Mint in Denver, CO. 





1898 - The Spanish-American War began. 


1918 - German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, "The Red Baron," was shot down and killed during World War I. 


1943 - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt announced that several Doolittle pilots had been executed by the Japanese. 


1967 - Svetlana Alliluyeva (Svetlana Stalina) defected in New York City. She was the daughter of Joseph Stalin. 

1984 - In France, it was announced that doctors had found virus believed to cause AIDS. 

1986 - Geraldo Rivera opened a vault that belonged to Al Capone at the Lexington Hotel in Chicago. Nothing of interest was found inside. 

Popular Teacher Suspended for ‘Research and Development of Imitation Weapons’

Popular Teacher Suspended for ‘Research and Development of Imitation Weapons’:
"The Los Angeles Times reports that Schiller, who teaches at the Cortines School of Visual & Performing Arts, in Los Angeles, California, is in hot water because two of his students turned in science projects designed to shoot little projectiles. One of the projects used compressed air, the other consisted of a tube surrounded by a coil and was powered by a standard AA battery.

Sounds pretty cool, and very ingenious. But an unnamed school employee caught sight of one of these devices and “raised concerns.” Officials with the Los Angeles Unified School District then reportedly accused Schiller of “supervising the building, research and development of imitation weapons.” And now he’s been suspended."

This News Is So Bad For Hillary, We Almost Felt Bad For Her

This News Is So Bad For Hillary, We Almost Felt Bad For Her:

"In Hillary’s case, public approval is at its lowest point since she dropped out of the 2008 presidential race. Since that point, she has served as Secretary of State during the Benghazi scandal. Her reaction to that deadly attack led many to conclude that she places a higher premium on her political self-interest than getting to the bottom of a security breach at the Libyan embassy."

We must confront the challenge of Islamism

We must confront the challenge of Islamism - Telegraph:
"Just as troubling as the suggestion of an Islamist conspiracy in Birmingham schools is the refusal of the local non-Islamic establishment to do anything about it"

At least six Birmingham schools accused of harbouring a Trojan horse plot run by Muslim fundamentalists will be placed under special measures by Ofsted. The action is understandable. The unsubtle attempts to insert Islamist ideas – representing an extremist, politicised form of Islam – into the curriculum of those schools makes for frightening reading. Equally unsettling was the liberal establishment’s failure to correct it.

According to a special report by the Education Funding Agency, radical Muslims have tried to take control of teaching by first taking control of school governorships. Excellent head teachers were either reduced to the status of figureheads or forced out of their jobs. Girls at Park View and Golden Hillock were made to sit at the back of the class. At Park View, loudspeakers were used to “broadcast the call for prayer across the school” and a person known for loathing Jews and admiring al-Qaeda addressed an assembly. At Golden Hillock, some Christian pupils were left to “teach themselves” in RE classes. At Oldknow, Christmas activities were stopped, there were subsidised trips to Mecca and one teacher led an anti-Christian chant in assembly. At Nansen, there were “no lessons in the humanities, arts or music” for an entire year group. Arabic, however, was compulsory learning across the entire school.

As secular staff were marginalised (particularly female ones), power passed into the hands of people such as Tahir Alam – the radical Muslim Council of Britain activist who is accused of masterminding the plot. In 2008, Mr Alam publicly argued “against advocating that desegregation [in schools] should be actively pursued” and stressed the “obligatory nature” of the hijab for Muslim women and girls. The findings of the Ofsted report will presumably mean that he loses his influence over some of the schools identified.

The suggestion of an Islamist conspiracy is bad enough. 
Just as troubling is the refusal of the local non-Islamic establishment to do anything about it. 

What's really sad? This bums out the democrats----‘Slowest start to U. S. tornado season on record through 4/17

Meteorologist Brad Panovich: ‘Slowest start to U. S. tornado season on record through 4/17 based on inflation adjusted tornado trend’ | Climate Depot:

Next Time a Liberal Asks You to Fork Over More Money for Public Education, Show Them This Graphic

Next Time a Liberal Asks You to Fork Over More Money for Public Education, Show Them This Graphic:

Chilling Video: NSA Spying Expands To Your Webcam

Chilling Video: NSA Spying Expands To Your Webcam:

"First we found out the NSA was scooping up all of our phone calls and emails.
Then we found out they were archiving our online video chats.

Now it has been revealed that the NSA is hacking into hotel rooms’ WiFi to access our laptop webcams!

The NSA makes George Orwell’s book 1984 look like child’s play. All thanks to Barack Hussein Obama."

Obama administration to further delay Keystone XL decision

Obama administration to further delay Keystone XL decision: State Dept - Oil | Platts News Article & Story

Obama’s EPA About to Make the ‘Biggest Land Grab in the History of the World’

Obama’s EPA About to Make the ‘Biggest Land Grab in the History of the World’ | The Federalist Papers

In a move lawmakers and farmers are calling “the biggest land grab in the history of the world,” the Environmental Protection Agency is requesting jurisdiction over all public and private streams in the United States that are “intermittent, seasonal and rain-dependent.”

The EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in late March jointly released a proposed rule, Waters of the United States, in an effort to clarify which streams and wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act.

A statement issued by the EPA says “the proposed rule will benefit businesses by increasing efficiency in determining coverage of the Clean Water Act.”

But some lawmakers strongly disagree.

According to congressional budget testimony last week, Waters of the United States would give the EPA authority over streams on private property even when the water beds have been dry, in some cases for hundreds of years.

Michigan: Governor creates Arabic brochure to lure foreigners from Middle East

Michigan: Governor creates Arabic brochure to lure foreigners from Middle East | Creeping Sharia

Rather than give American citizens and small businesses incentives to take risk and create businesses and jobs, Michigan’s Republican governor is giving breaks to lure foreigners.

via Michigan looks to Asia, Middle East in bid to lure foreign investors, job creators | MLive.com. h/t D

Michigan is also looking to tap investors in the Middle East and has already produced an Arabic brochure.

“One of our strongest selling points is we have one of the largest concentrations of Arabs outside of the Middle East,” Borgstrom [Director State of Michigan EB-5 Regional Center] said, referring to Dearborn. “That creates a lot of connections, and there’s a lot of interest there. One of the things we tend to lose sight of is that the United States is still the gold-standard for places to live.”

Snyder, calling himself the most pro-immigration governor in the country and earning national attention in the process, has promoted several strategies for attracting legal immigrants and foreign investors to Michigan.

He recently signed an executive order to create the Michigan Office for New Americans. He asked the Obama administration to earmark 50,000 EB-2 visas for Detroit over the next five years and led the push for the EB-5 Regional Center.

........Streamlined? Ripe for fraud?

Immigrants who win an EB-5 visa or green card are not required to live in the same state as they invest in, but Michigan officials are already promoting the state as a place to invest — and to raise a family.

Democrats ran Detroit into the ground, making themselves rich, now Republicans are selling it to foreigners.

Watch (democrat) Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal narrowly avoid a train during a railway safety press conference

Watch Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal narrowly avoid a train during a railway safety press conference - The Week

Watch Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal narrowly avoid a train during a railway safety press conference

Actions may speak louder than words, but Sen. Richard Blumenthal took that mentality to the extreme on Friday.The Connecticut Democrat was standing behind Milford Mayor Ben Blake on the town's Metro-North station platform as the two held a press conference on railway safety. Complete with easels and charts, Blake was laying out the MTA's safety violations, which total 139 over the last 10 years, worth $552,000 in fines.

"Safety, as you know, is paramount," Blake said — and then this happened.

It would appear that taking personal responsibility for train safety is equally important. 
And that yellow line on the edge of the platform? 
It's there for a reason, senator.

What Percentage of Americans Fear the Federal Government?

What Percentage of Americans Fear the Federal Government?:

"Over the past year, we have witnessed Tea Party and other conservative groups, deemed to be Obama’s political enemies, be harassed, targeted and intimidated by the IRS. Recent emails show that there was collusion in this scandal between Democrats, the IRS and the Department of Justice. Americans experienced Obama’s ‘Campaign of Pain’ during the partial government shutdown in October 2013. More recently, the nation saw an excessive use of force by the Obama Bureau of Land Management against Cliven Bundy in what should have been a bureaucratic matter."

Taxes 2013: Where Did Your Tax Money Go?

Taxes 2013: Where Did Your Tax Money Go?:
"It’s pretty unreal when you see it.
Your 2013 tax dollars—which were due Tues.—went primarily to pay for government benefits."

Because of Him

History for April 20

History for April 20 - On-This-Day.com

Easter Sunday

Birth anniversaries of Lionel Hampton (1908-2002), Harold Lloyd (1893-1971) and Tito Puente, The King of the Mambo (1923-2000).

Happy Birthday! Felix Baumgartner, Jessica Lange, Ryan O’Neal,

1534 - Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, set sail from St. Malo to explore the North American coastline. 


1769 - Ottawa Chief Pontiac was murdered by an Illinois Indian in Cahokia. 











1792 - France declared war on Austria, Prussia, and Sardinia. It was the start of the French Revolutionary wars. 


1832 - Hot Springs National Park was established by an act of the U.S. Congress. It was the first national park in the U.S. 



1902 - Scientists Marie and Pierre Curie isolated the radioactive element radium. 


1934 - The movie "Stand Up And Cheer" opened. It was Shirley Temple's debut. 


1942 - Pierre Laval, the premier of Vichy France, in a radio broadcast, establishes a policy of "true reconciliation with Germany." 






1961 - FM stereo broadcasting was approved by the FCC. 


1971 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of busing to achieve racial desegregation in schools. 







1977 - Woody Allen's film "Annie Hall" premiered. 


1988 - The U.S. Air Forces' Stealth (B-2 bomber) was officially unveiled. 


1999 - 15th anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings at Littleton, CO.


2010 - An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the largest offshore oil spill in US history.

"Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war then let it begin here"

Timeline Photos - Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution:

""Stand your ground. 
Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war then let it begin here" ~ Captain John Parker 
239 years ago this morning On April 19, 1775. 
 The British Commander in Boston Thomas Gage dispatched an expedition of around 700 regulars under Colonel Francis Smith to search the town of Concord for hidden supplies and weapons.
Lexington lay directly on the road that Smith men's took to reach Concord........ "

Obama signs Ted Cruz bill into law, but says he won't enforce it | WashingtonExaminer.com

Obama signs Ted Cruz bill into law, but says he won't enforce it | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"President Obama on Friday signed into law a bill authored by Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz that would bar an Iranian diplomat from entering the United States, but immediately issued a statement saying he won't enforce it.
Obama decided to treat the law as mere advice. "Acts of espionage and terrorism against the United States and our allies are unquestionably problems of the utmost gravity, and I share the Congress's concern that individuals who have engaged in such activity may use the cover of diplomacy to gain access to our Nation," Obama said in his signing statement."

Should airlines be allowed to advertise fares without including taxes and fees?

Should airlines be allowed to advertise fares without including taxes and fees? | L.A. Airspace

Are you familiar with the Transparent Airfares Act of 2014?

The proposed bill in Congress would allow airlines to go back to the practice of advertising their airfares without taxes. So a carrier could advertise a $99 fare online, but then customers would be hit with additional taxes. The actual ticket would cost a good deal more than the advertised price.

I’m no Washington, D.C. insider, so I can’t tell you if the bill, introduced by Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Penn.) has a chance of becoming law. I do know that Airlines 4 America, the trade group for major airlines, including American, Delta, Southwest and United, supports it.

On April 9, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to support the bill.

“We thank Chairman Shuster and Representative DeFazio (D, Ore.) for their leadership in promoting government transparency, protecting customers and holding Washington accountable for the taxes they impose on air travel,” “A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio said a statement after the committee moved the bill.

This would essentially move the industry back to where it was prior to 2012, when the DOT instigated a rule requiring airlines to include all taxes and fees in their advertised fare. The goal then was transparency.

Carney: Obama's Toughest Interview in 2012 Was With Comedian Jon Stewart | CNS News

Carney: Obama's Toughest Interview in 2012 Was With Comedian Jon Stewart | CNS News:
"A month before the 2012 presidential election, President Obama went on Jon Stewart's "Daily Show" to reach the young voters he needed to win a second term. And according to White House press secretary Jay Carney, that was the "probably the toughest interview" Obama had in 2012."

Another leftist ambushed by left wing reality-------The Logical Conclusion Of Zero Tolerance: College Prof Suspended Because Daughter Wore A GoT Tshirt

The Logical Conclusion Of Zero Tolerance: College Prof Suspended Because Daughter Wore A GoT Tshirt | Techdirt:

A popular community college professor was suspended after posting a photo of his daughter wearing an oversized T-shirt bearing a tagline from this season of Game of Thrones—Daenerys Targaryen's "I will take what is mine with fire and blood." Francis Schmidt, who teaches art and animation at Bergen Community College in New Jersey, shared the photo on Google+, where it was seen by several of his work contacts. One of them, a dean, decided the shirt was a veiled threat of some kind.

In case you can't see the image, it's of Schmidt's daughter doing a handstand while wearing aGame of Thrones t-shirt that includes the tagline: "I will take what is mine with fire & blood." In case you think it's reasonable that such a picture being shared on social media could be interpreted as a threat to commit violence at a local community college, stop thinking that because that's a stupid thought. I imagine Schmidt said as much when he was called in to meet with the administration to explain why he'd sent a "threatening email", despite the fact that no email had been sent.

At the meeting, Schmidt explained the shirt in the context of Game of Thrones and showed Miller that the "fire and blood" tagline has 4 million results on Google. The professor asked why his photo had caused such a reaction, and was told that "fire" could be a metaphor for "AK-47s." Schmidt was placed on administrative leave without pay later that week, and told he would have to pass a psychiatric evaluation before he could return.

Now, like me, you should be even more confused. There's no way you could somehow interpret "fire" to mean "AK-47" any more than you could interpret "fire" to mean "Easter ham." They aren't related. And if you're thinking that there's so little sense being made here that there must be something more to this story, there sure as hell is. The head of the school's administration had just been delivered a vote of no confidence by the staff, including Schmidt, who had also filed a grievance recently for being denied a request for a sabbatical. You don't need to read between the lines much to understand that this is probably a trumped-up charge serving to punish a member of the teacher's union. 

Which brings us nicely back to my original point: it isn't just the stupid you have to worry about when it comes to zero-tolerance policies, it's also the corrupt. When we overreact to admittedly tragic occurrences, we almost invariably open up the possibility for abuse through that overreaction.