At the invitation of Conexion Colombia Caroline travelled to Bogota, Colombia from the 16-19 November 2009 to present the GuideStar model to a group of over 200 NGO representatives. The meeting, titled ‘Fundraising and Innovation for NGOs’ explored a range of initiatives that promote the work of NGOs and connect them to donors and other stakeholders at national and international levels. A summary of the meeting (in Spanish) can be read here:

During her visit, Caroline also met with several leading organisations supporting social development and Colombian civil society:

Conexion Colombia channels resources from all around the world to a portfolio of Colombian NGOs and foundations and links diaspora Colombians to their country through a range of information services.

Compartamos con Colombia, is an NGO that promotes the Colombian nonprofit sector through strategic support and capacity building, the promotion of philanthropy and social investment, and by raising awareness of the importance of social responsibility with young entrpreneurs.

The Presidential Agency for Social Action and International Cooperation, Accion Social, coordinates, promotes and carries out international cooperation policies, plans and projects which contribute to the social and economic development of Colombia, and to reducing the poverty of Colombians who have been affected by violence, illicit crops and who live in conditions of vulnerability.

And last but not least, ONG por la Transparencia (NGOs for Transparency) seeks to increase NGO visibility and make publicly available information that seeks to strengthen the credibility of the sector and increase public support for the work of these important organisations.

There was significant interest in how GuideStar might help illuminate the work of Colombian NGOs and promote a culture of transparency and information that will help connect Colombians both at home and abroad with national NGOs and the communities in which they work. We look forward to continuing these initial conversations.

Now the rich Federal Conservative Tory MP Gerald  Keddy, who represents the riding of South Shore-St.Margaret’s, had been asked by a reporter whether he was employing migrant workers on the Christmas tree farm he runs with his family . Keddy said he didn’t, but that he wouldn’t criticize others for doing so because local people won’t do the work.  “Nova Scotians won’t do it — all those no-good bastards sitting on the sidewalk in Halifax that can’t get work,” The Federal Conservative Tory MP Gerald Keddy has apologized for saying unemployed Haligonians are “no-good bastards” because they won’t work on Christmas tree farms.  “These comments were insensitive”. `I would like to offer a sincere apology for remarks I made regarding the unemployed in Halifax,” “In no way did I mean to offend those who have lost their job due to the global recession, nor did I mean to suggest that anyone who is unemployed is not actively looking for employment.”

 But what did he now mean?

We are all sorry he got elected in the first place too//

Special unit will investigate possible police misconduct The Cape Breton Post SYDNEY — Nova Scotia Justice Minister Ross Landry says the province will set up an independent unit to investigate serious incidents of possible police misconduct. Landry said up to seven investigators will be employed by the unit, which will bring greater accountability and transparency to investigations involving police. Nova Scotia is consulting police agencies, interested groups and the other Atlantic provinces to develop a model for the unit, the Nova Scotia Department of Justice said Tuesday. Bob Purcell, a department official, said the unit which could be in place by spring 2010 will investigate incidents in which a person has been killed or injured by police. The investigative unit may also be responsible for probing similar incidents involving sheriffs or corrections officers in custody situations, although that has not yet been decided, said Purcell, executive director of the Department of Justice’s public safety and security division. The justice minister’s announcement received a guarded welcome Tuesday from a spokesman for the Wagmatcook First Nation band council, which has been demanding the long-awaited release of a report into the RCMP shooting death of a resident almost a year ago. Brian Arbuthnot, band director of operations, said he has not seen any details about how the investigative unit will operate but said it sounds like a positive step. John Simon died in a Baddeck hospital about three hours after being shot by an RCMP officer at a home on the reserve on Dec. 2. Last month, officials from the band council held a press conference in Halifax to air their concerns about delays in the release of a Halifax Regional Police investigative report on the death. Arbuthnot said an independent unit could possibly complete investigations and issue reports more quickly, but he noted on the other hand, there are many factors to consider in any shooting death.  The public prosecutor’s office also plays a role, he noted. “I don’t want to sound too pessimistic about it. I think it makes sense to do it but I guess they say the proof is in the pudding and let’s see where it goes from here.” Chief Myles Burke of the Cape Breton Regional Police Service said right now, police departments in Nova Scotia dealing with a serious incident involving one of their own typically call on other departments to do an investigation. “While I will say it worked, some of the challenges it has for the chiefs are you still have that question for the public dealing with accountability and independence,” said Burke, who has conducted such investigations. “And there is a very significant cost to the municipal units in relation to these investigations. They are very expensive and they are time-consuming.” The Nova Scotia Chiefs of Police Association supports the path the province is taking and Burke said personally supports it. Burke said the issue of whether investigations would proceed more quickly is questionable considering that investigators must sometimes wait for lab reports   http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=305804&sc=145

and does that inlude the bad RCMP?

AND WHAT NEXT CAN WE EXPECT?

II Timothy 2:11-13 could almost be labeled as a disclaimer for Christian faith.  If we stick with Christ we will die and yet live, and will reign with Him.  If we disown Him, He will disown us.  If we lose faith, we’re on our own.  What?  No, that’s not how it reads.  He will remain faithful because He cannot go against His own nature.  He is faithful and will always remain as such.  We, on the other hand, are fickle, following our own fancy.  We give up when we think there’s too much opposition, even when we know it is right to continue.

Jesus, along with His disciples faced some pretty strong opposition in His day.  He had it coming from political fronts, from religious fronts, and yes even from His friendship fronts.  He was nearing the end of His stay here on Earth and was preparing His friends for His departure.  He knew what was right and had purpose enough to complete the task.  It’s at this point where Peter pulls Him aside and implies that Jesus is mistaken ion this line of thought and he’d better straighten up.  Jesus was not deterred, even by a well meaning friend.  He kept at the task God had placed in his heart and mind to do.  He remained faithful to the call.

We too, have a choice to remain faithful in those tough times.  Even when our friends or family are telling us we’re headed the wrong way, God is faithful and longs for our faithfulness.  You might even be thinking about “Honor your father and mother…” and other scripture that tells us to listen to the counsel of the wise.  This is where your relationship with the King is of utmost importance.  You need to be so close to His confidence that you will be able to recognize the truth from the messages that would steer you away from keeping the faith.  If you ask, seek, and knock, He will always answer, show you the way, and open the right door.

Representative David Obey and Senator Carl Levin, both Democrats, want a new tax to pay for additional troops in Afghanistan. We already have another asshole Democrat, Barack Obama, who is supposed to be Commander in Chief, who is politicizing the war.

Sorry about the asshole reference, but since it is the truth, that is what I promised.

General Stanley McChrystal, handpicked by Obama, requested 40,000 more troops 3 months ago.

From Fox News, November 24, 2009.

“Lawmakers Propose ‘War Surtax’ to Pay for Troop Increase in Afghanistan”

“Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., are proposing new taxes to pay for more U.S. troops in Afghanistan.”

“Two top Democrats say they want to impose a new tax on the wealthy to finance any increase in U.S. troops for the Afghanistan war. 

Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the purse string-controlling House Appropriations Committee, is calling the idea a “war surtax.” He said that just as the federal government is expected to pay for its proposed intervention in the health care sector with new taxes, any escalated involvement in Afghanistan should come with a payment plan. 

“If we have to pay for the health care bill, we should pay for the war as well … by having a war surtax,” Obey told ABC News in an interview that aired Monday. “The problem in this country with this issue is that the only people that has to sacrifice are military families and they’ve had to go to the well again and again and again and again, and everybody else is blithely unaffected by the war.” 

Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is making a similar demand. 

President Obama plans to hold his ninth meeting Monday evening with his national security team to discuss options for overhauling the strategy in Afghanistan. The president has been considering requests for tens of thousands more U.S. troops from his top commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, for nearly three months. He is not expected to announce his new strategy before Thanksgiving. 

But any request would likely come with a hefty price tag. One option presented by McChrystal would bring 40,000 more troops into Afghanistan — a proposal estimated to cost about $40 billion, according to the Office of Management and Budget. 

Obey said if an increase like that is approved without any payment mechanism, then other domestic initiatives would be wiped out. ”

Read more:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/23/lawmakers-propose-war-surtax-pay-troop-increase-afghanistan/

So, let me get this straight. The Democrats, led by Obama, Pelosi and Reid, are trying to ram an unpopular, costly health care bill down our throats. They are trying to implement a Cap and Trade bill based on documented liberal lies. Obama has delayed a decision on sending troops to Afghanistan for three months. And now these low life, socialists want to further politicize the war.

The troop buildup may take place in this country.

Militia.

Cumberland County DSS denies requests for information regarding Shaniya Davis

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-29636-Surry-County-CPS-Examiner~y2009m11d24-Cumberland-County-DSS-denies-requests-for-information-regarding-Shaniya-Davis

The Cumberland County Department of Social Services is declining to release any information of their involvement with Shaniya Davis and her family.

A press release was issued November 20th by Cumberland County DSS that stated the following:

For more on this story please visit the link above.

Bureau alerted twice to possible unsafe sleeping, report says

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/70590397.html

Left: Ceianna Buchanan was 6 days old when she died March 8. Her mother, a Milwaukee child-care worker, was charged Tuesday in her death. Center: Brianna Buchanan-Prescott died while sleeping with her mother last year. Right: Cierra Buchanan died while co-sleeping with her grandmother in 1993.

By Crocker Stephenson of the Journal Sentinel

The Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare was twice alerted to accusations of unsafe sleeping practices at the home of Rose Prescott before her 6-day-old daughter, Ceianna Buchanan, suffocated on Prescott’s living room couch, according to a report released Thursday.

Prescott, 30, was charged this month with second-degree reckless homicide. Police say Prescott was so drunk in the early hours of March 8 that she had no memory of coming home or of putting Ceianna to bed.

Ceianna’s lifeless body was found on Prescott’s living room couch later that morning. The medical examiner ruled that Ceianna’s death was the result of “asphyxiation due to overlay while co-sleeping with an adult.”

According to a report from the Department of Children and Families, which runs the Milwaukee County child welfare bureau, Prescott sought medical attention for her 1-month-old infant who had rolled out of bed on July 26, 1999.

“The mother and infant had been co-sleeping in an adult sized bed,” the report says. “The infant did not have any medical injuries. There was no BMCW intervention.”

Less than a year before Ceianna’s death – on April 17, 2008 – the bureau was notified of the death of Prescott’s 2-month-old daughter, Brianna Buchanan-Prescott. Brianna is Ceianna’s sister.

“The autopsy report lists sudden unexpected death in infancy due to co-sleeping,” the DCF report says. “The medical examiner did not note any trauma or maltreatment to the infant.”

A bureau investigator ruled Brianna’s death “to be unsubstantiated for neglect.”

Prescott told a police detective investigating Brianna’s death that she had one drink of brandy mixed with cola before joining Brianna and another child on a couple of twin mattresses pushed together on the floor of her bedroom, according to investigative reports.

After Ceianna’s death 11 months later, Prescott told an investigator “that she has a drinking problem and she needs help,” according to a criminal complaint.

The second-leading cause of infant death in Milwaukee is SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, which often is related to unsafe sleep, according to the Milwaukee Health Department. The department, on its Web site, “strongly advises parents NOT to share a bed with their infant.”

The Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin, on its Web site, www.bhcw.org, calls co-sleeping “a reality for many” and offers advice on making co-sleeping safer.

Arlene Happach, director of the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare, said: “The death of baby Ceianna is a tragedy and has caused our community to ask questions about safe sleep.

“The Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare has advised parents about safe sleep practices and provided Pack ‘n Play portable cribs if a family needed a safe place for an infant to sleep.

“We continue to work with our partners such as Milwaukee Department of Health and the Black Health Coalition to inform and educate our community about safe-sleep practices.”

THIS IS NOT THE SECOND CHILD OF THIS MOTHER BUT THE THIRD CHILD OF HERS TO DIE FROM “CO-SLEEPING”!

Death of 6-day-old baby was third co-sleeping fatality in her family

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/69024297.html

By Crocker Stephenson of the Journal Sentinel

A Milwaukee child-care worker who police say was too drunk to remember putting her infant daughter to sleep on a couch was charged Tuesday with killing the 6-day-old baby.

Rose Prescott, 30, told police it was possible she fell asleep on the couch with her daughter, Ceianna Buchanan, according to a criminal complaint charging Prescott with second-degree reckless homicide.

Ceianna’s alleged homicide on March 8 was the third co-sleeping death in her immediate family.

Prescott’s 2-month-old daughter, Brianna Buchanan-Prescott, died while sleeping with Prescott on April 17, 2008.

Ceianna and Brianna’s 5-month-old half-sister, Cierra Buchanan, died while co-sleeping with Cierra’s grandmother in 1993.

Shortly after Ceianna’s death, the Journal Sentinel reported that the state-run Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare was aware of Brianna’s death under similar circumstances less than a year before.

When the newspaper asked what services the bureau provided to Ceianna’s family, child welfare officials said state confidentiality laws prevented them from commenting because no one had been charged with a crime.

A spokeswoman from the Department of Children and Families said Tuesday that, now that abuse had been confirmed, the agency was preparing a public report.

According to the complaint filed in Ceianna’s death, Prescott told police that on March 7 she drank a half-liter of Bacardi Rum Hurricane between 3:15 and 10 p.m. She told police she took Ceianna to a baby sitter, then went to a family cookout, where she continued to drink.

Prescott told police she remembers picking Ceianna up from the baby sitter.

“Ms. Prescott could not recall what transpired beyond that point in time,” the complaint says.

“Specifically, Ms. Prescott could not remember arriving home, parking the car, or coming up the stairs of her residence,” the complaint says.

Prescott gave investigators conflicting reports of what happened next.

She told an investigator she put Ceianna face up on one side of the couch, put a toddler on the other end of the couch and then slept on the floor.

Investigators noted there were no pillows or blankets on the floor.

Prescott told another investigator that she was drunk, and that it was possible she fell asleep on the couch with Ceianna.

The complaint says Prescott found Ceianna facing the back cushion of the couch and not breathing. Prescott’s car keys were found beneath the child’s body.

According to the autopsy report, Ceianna died of “asphyxia due to suffocation due to overlaying by adult during co-sleeping on couch.”

Her sister, Brianna, died of “sudden unexpected death in infancy with co-sleeping listed as a significant condition,” the complaint says. Prescott also had been drinking the night Brianna died, the complaint says.

“At this time, the Department of Children and Families has no information that this tragic death was the result of child abuse or neglect,” the DCF had said in statement issued shortly after Ceianna’s death. “Therefore, by law, we cannot address any previous history that family may or may not have had with any child protective service agency.”

Their half-sibling, Cierra, died while sleeping in a bed with their grandmother and a 7-year-old relative.

The Journal Sentinel also reported in March that Prescott appears to have provided Milwaukee County with bogus employment information to qualify six of her children for taxpayer-financed child care at a cost to taxpayers of more than $1,300 a week.

After the death of Ceianna in March, Prescott was employed at various day care centers. She was laid off in September from Ne-Ne’s Child Care Center on N. Palmer St., according to documents obtained Tuesday by the Journal Sentinel.

The director of the center, Arnitra Swain, said in a letter to county regulators that state regulators insisted Prescott be laid off pending a criminal background check.

Prescott was scheduled to make her initial court appearance Wednesday.

Raquel Rutledge of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report

SB police officer accused of violating rights

http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_13840505

Stacia Glenn, Staff Writer

Posted: 11/21/2009 07:24:50 AM PST

SAN BERNARDINO – Wylena Andrews landed in jail, she says, because police wanted her brother for burglarizing a sergeant’s house.

When they couldn’t find him, they took Andrews as a bargaining chip and threatened to haul her siblings off to Child Protective Services unless her brother turned himself in.

“I kept saying I hadn’t done anything, but they put me in the cell and that’s where I stayed,” Andrews, 30, recalled of the day San Bernardino police charged into her family’s Fontana home in 2006. “I fell asleep crying. I was just devastated. They basically played me and acted like it was all a big joke.”

Andrews claims that in holding her against her will without probable cause, police violated her civil rights. She blames San Bernardino police Sgt. Brad Lawrence, whose tumultuous career has landed him in the middle of several internal and criminal investigations over the years.

Criminologist William Schneid, who was hired by San Bernardino Police Chief Keith Kilmer to investigate allegations of misconduct in the department, confirmed Andrews’ case was part of his probe but declined to comment on his findings.

Sources close to the investigation say a portion of the findings have been turned over to the District Attorney’s Office for consideration of criminal charges.

In an e-mail, Kilmer also declined to discuss specifics of the investigation.

“First, it may impact the process by our department or any other agencythat may be involved or become involved,” Kilmer wrote. “Secondly, internal personnel information cannot be discussed outside of a court ordered process.”

Lawrence was placed on paid administrative leave Nov. 4.

Almost immediately after taking over the department in June, Kilmer hired Schneid to review an Internal Affairs probe into past allegations that Lawrence and his former narcotics team illegally detained people without probable cause, a practice commonly known as keeping someone “on ice.”

That investigation uncovered claims that money went missing from a department fund used to pay informants and buy drugs for undercover operations. Lawrence, who at that time supervised a narcotics team, is being investigated by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for misappropriation of funds, sources say.

Reached by phone, Lawrence said he was not told why he was put on leave and said he doesn’t remember Andrews.

He declined to comment further.

He also declined to have his attorney speak on his behalf.

Lawrence has worked as a patrol sergeant since March, when he returned to duty after a seven-month leave that ended when former Chief Michael Billdt declared past “on ice” allegations to be unfounded.

It is unclear whether Andrews’ ordeal was included in investigations handled by Billdt’s administration.

Andrews’ mother, Minerva Santana, filed a complaint after San Bernardino police took Andrews from her home Jan. 18, 2006. The family says investigators never followed up on the complaint or interviewed them until recently, when Schneid took their statements.

“This was swept under the table,” Andrews said. “Cops act like they can uproot people and do what they want. That’s wrong. They’re supposed to be protecting us, not incriminating us.”

Andrews has served time for burglary, forgery, theft and possession of narcotics.

But her past, Andrews says, does not give law enforcement the right to violate her civil rights and essentially hold her hostage because of a case involving her brother, Wiley Andrews.

Police wanted to question Wiley Andrews, 29, about the burglary of a sergeant’s San Bernardino home on Jan. 17, 2006. His fingerprint was reportedly found on a doorknob inside the sergeant’s house.

Wiley Andrews was on probation after being convicted of receiving stolen property, which enabled police to quickly identify him in their system.

Police couldn’t find an address for Wiley Andrews so they decided to go speak to Santana, who at the time was letting both Wylena and Wiley live in her Fontana condominium.

A boy, 14, and girl, 11, were the only ones home when Lawrence and his narcotics team arrived. The family claims they forced their way into the house and kept their hands on their guns while yelling for Wiley Andrews to come out.

An officer then called Santana and allegedly told her that she needed to come home immediately or they would call Child Protective Services. Since Santana could not leave work on such short notice, she asked Wylena Andrews to meet with the officers.

Wylena Andrews did not know where her brother was, but Lawrence eventually tracked him down on his cell phone.

“They said, `We’ve got your mom, we’ve got your sister and we’re taking them to jail,” Wiley Andrews said in an interview. “It was basically a deal with me that they’d let my family go if I turned myself in.”

Wiley Andrews told police he was in Las Vegas and would turn himself in the next morning.

Lawrence allegedly ordered Wylena Andrews to be taken to the city’s jail for a parole violation. Her parole agent would later tell authorities that she had not violated her parole and police never contacted him about Wylena Andrews, sources say.

Wylena Andrews spent nearly 24 hours in the Police Department’s jail cell. She was taken out only once to be grilled about her brother’s whereabouts.

When Wiley Andrews arrived at the station the following evening, his sister was immediately released.

Wylena Andrews was never charged with a parole violation. Her brother pleaded guilty to the burglary, though he says he did so only for his family’s safety.

Internal Affairs detectives interviewed the family last week and showed them several photographs, asking them to identify any officers they remembered.

Wylena Andrews says she remembers Lawrence’s face “like it was yesterday” but did not see him in the line-up of photographs.

She has not retained an attorney and said she only wants justice “so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

History of controversy:

Brad Lawrence joined the San Bernardino Police Department in 1984.

- In 1989, a school officer reported that Lawrence had threatened to tie an uncooperative suspect to the trunk of his car during a field interrogation. Lawrence was charged by the District Attorney’s Office and fired but was rehired after the trial ended with a hung jury.

- On July 2, 2008, Sgt. Mike Desrochers accused Lawrence of illegally detaining two men driving in a car.

- In August 2008, another officer lodged a complaint against Lawrence for allegedly overstepping the boundaries of a search warrant while raiding a San Bernardino motel.

- On Sept. 19, 2008, a booking log shows that a man named Greg Parker was “on ice” in the police jail. Parker’s attorney claims Lawrence kidnapped his client and later searched his home without a search warrant.

Sick Child in CPS Custody Dies

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/investigates/091123-foster-care-child-death

Updated: Monday, 23 Nov 2009, 5:45 PM CST

Published : Monday, 23 Nov 2009, 5:45 PM CST

RANDY WALLACE

Investigative Reporter

HOUSTON – All the little dresses and sweaters Chanel Hall bought for her only daughter will never be worn. All the toys will never be opened. Even a huge closet can’t hold all the “what if’s” that haunt the grieving mother.

“Of what things could have been and would have been for Jasmine,” Hall said.

Hall didn’t get much time with Jasmine. Soon after her medically fragile child was born, Children’s Protective Services took custody of her.

In an ironic twist of fate CPS takes Jamine away from her mother due to medical neglect, then Jasmine dies because her state appointed care giver is allegedly neglectful in her duties.

“It’s appalling, it’s more than ironic it’s shocking,” said Amira Jackmon, Hall’s niece and attorney.

“This wasn’t a mother who abused her child, neglected her child, this is a mother who had a disagreement with the hospital,” Jackmon said.

Jasmine was born premature which caused several medical problems.

“She had water on the brain and blood on the brain at one point,” Hall said.

The hospital contacted CPS because Hall wouldn’t consent to a tracheostomy for Jasmine.

“I never said no to the surgery,” Hall said. “I just asked for a second opinion and that was all.”

But Hall’s refusal to consent to the surgery quick enough to please the hospital prompted CPS to take custody of Jasmine. According to a lawsuit filed by Hall, CPS told the court Jasmine needed the surgery immediately.

“Or else there was a huge risk to Jasmine,” Jackmon said. “Then why did they wait two or three weeks to perform it?”

With a tracheal tube attached to her throat, CPS said Jasmine needed 24 hour medical care so she was placed in a foster home operated by a company called Lutheran Social Services of the South.

On July 16th Jasmine died and according to CPS documents her death could have been avoided. That document states the caregiver admitted she was documenting paperwork while the child was playing therefore she was unaware if the child pulled the tracheal tube out of her neck and she was unaware when the tracheal tube actually came out.

“Jasmine was suppose to be under 24 hour supervision, if she was doing paperwork she should have been in the same room as Jasmine,” Hall said.

CPS declined an on-camera interview or comment citing the lawsuit Hall has filed against them as well as Lutheran Social Services, which closed the foster home it operated here in Houston shortly after Jasmine’s death.

A spokesperson for Lutheran Social Services also declined comment.

“She was my last baby and my only daughter,” Hall said.

All she has now Hall said is a closet full of dresses with no little girl to wear them.

HAVE YOU SIGNED THE PETITION YET?

JohnsonStreetBridge.org has a digital clock up at the website now, showing days, hours, minutes and seconds until January 4th, 2010, liveline for petition forms to be submitted to Victoria City Hall for the ‘Johnson Street Bridge Replacement Project’’s so-called Alternative Approval Process or AAP.

As the seconds count down to January 4, the JSB website is trying to count the petitions as they are signed.

They ask for people who have signed the petition in favour of a referendum on the Johnson Street Bridge to send them the signed petitions, or at least, a confirmation of having signed it.

It seems to me that the City of Victoria should be sending these petition forms out to all eligible voters in Victoria in the mail.

For a link to the JohnsonStreetBridge.org website, please refer to the Comments section below.

- Gregory Paul Michael Hartnell, President

Concerned Citizens’ Coalition

CCC

Many people go through life wishing for but never finding the type of friend that Solomon describes in Prov 18:24 – “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” In God’s amazing grace I have two friends who qualify. The first is my best friend, and her name is Elaine. We have been married for over 23 years now, and I wish that every man could be as blessed as I am to have such a close companion in life and ministry. There is no question in my mind, that after June 7, 1986, every husband-to-be had to settle for the second best woman in the world since the best became Mrs. Jon Pratt that day.

But God has been particularly kind to me in granting me another friendship, one that I’ve had for 41 years (which is pretty long considering that I am 45). Greg Deckert and I have gone through elementary school, junior and senior high school, and college together. We roomed together his first year of law school and my first year of seminary. We have been in each other’s weddings (in fact he married a girl I once dated). Our friendship has continued after marriage as we have frequently had lunch together, traveled to see each other (even when living several states apart), and have expanded our relationship to include our wives and families.

Having a lifelong friendship allows for so many unique privileges. We enjoy the privilege of reminiscing about playing sports––baseball, football, soccer, golf, and our favorite, basketball. There are the humorous memories like the time we were sitting in the elementary school library, reading books in our favorite spot. Greg noticed an overweight teacher down the way and whispered to me, “Boy is she fat.” She wheeled around and said, “She may be fat but she has pretty good ears too.” Or there was the time when we were walking along a stream, having been skunked during a morning of trout fishing. Greg was on the shore and I was walking along in the shallow water of the stream when all of the sudden I found a hole and was instantly up to my neck in the water, my bait went flying and my arms flailed away as I tried to find solid ground. Meanwhile, Greg lay on the shore laughing hysterically, incapable of lending me a hand out of the chilly water. And I could repeat so many more stories from all of the church services, graduations, funerals, ball games, weddings, anniversaries, and other special events that we have attended together. The memories are far too numerous to even begin to enumerate.

A good friendship also provides opportunity for accountability, and we both have benefited greatly from the give-and-take that the transparency of our relationship affords us. We constantly talk to each other about our marriages, our parenting, our church ministries, our entertainment choices, and other issues. And we know each other so well that we can tell if things aren’t where they ought to be. We quit hiding things from each other long ago.

Our friendship affords us the ability to give and receive counsel, and we value highly the words of wisdom that each can share. When Greg was looking to alter his legal career by leaving his large lawfirm and going out on his own, we had many long conversations. When I was considering a change from the classroom to the pastorate and then from the pastorate back into the classroom again, I relied heavily on his words of advice. When you know each other as well as we do and when you know that we share the same philosophy of life borne out of an earnest love for God, and when you know that each of us is pursuing God’s glory with his whole heart, you can be assured that wise counsel is readily available.

I hesitate to share my account about friendship because I would hate to prompt envy in anyone’s heart, for I know that my two valued friendships are unique and rare. I thank God for them. But I encourage the readers of this blog to pursue the kind of friendships that I have described here. First, make sure that your spouse (if you have one) is your best friend and do all that you can to enhance and develop that lifelong relationship for God’s glory. Second, find a friend of your same gender who can provide accountability, counsel, and shared memories as Greg and I have. This kind of friendship can help to weather the storms of life, to rejoice in its blessings, and to remember the faithfulness of God all the way through.

[Matthew 9:35-36] “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered. like sheep having no shepherd.”

If we look closely at the needs of the people in front of Jesus they are a microcosm of the needs of ourselves, our friends, our neighbors, the people who live just down the street, and people from all around the world. People who are weary, loaded down with problems, sick, diseased, demon possessed, and harrassed by the enemy of man. Jesus said, “We are like sheep without a shepherd.” And in [John 10:12] Jesus tells us who is doing the harrassing. “The wolf (Satan) catches the sheep and scatters them.” What a terrible condition for God’s Crown Jewels to find themselves in.

Jesus is telling us, man whom He referred to as sheep because they are slow to understand and easily frightened, has an enemy lurking just out of our line of sight who causes the sheep to scatter in fear. Frightened sheep running wildly through the briars and the brambles are easy targets for the easy loping, intelligent wolf, who possesses a keen sense of smell. Jesus is the Shepherd of the sheep, but those dim witted sheep who stray away from His flock become easy targets for the packs of predators lurking in the brush. A sheep separated from the main flock becomes easy prey for the wolf pack. Now what do you suppose happens to stray sheep that are caught by the wolf? That’s right; the wolf does everything within his power to kill the sheep. Should the sheep somehow escape the sharp teeth of the wolf, they will be cut, wounded, and possibly have mangled parts that will never heal or function properly again. This is the condition of the people standing in front of Jesus on the day He made the above comment. Do you see the relevance of this picture? This is the condition of all those people you know that are sick, depressed, harrassed and plagued with problems. They have been separated from the main flock of sheep and scattered. They are weary, tired, injured, hurting, and dying by the thousands every day. People say they are in the condition they are because they are not interested in the things of God. That is what the enemy wants you to think. These people are scared, hurting and need help. But they have been largely ignored and abused by the church. They no longer have faith in the church to help them. So they continue to wonder the deserted places of life looking for someone to help them who will not turn them away because they are damaged goods. 

Jesus said in [Matthew 9:37-38] “Then He (Jesus) said to His disciples, the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

The lost, wounded, and hurting people of this world is the mission field of the church. Jesus said the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. This was His way of telling His church body that their assignment in this life is to seek out those who have been taken captive by the wolf and take care of their needs; whatever they might be. The above scriptures said, Jesus moved with compassion on the people before Him, and that is the same method we are to use to meet the needs of those who live around us and down the street. What an awesome responsibility the church has been given to oversee.

The wolf (Satan) is a seasoned hunter. He is the alpha wolf of the pack. He is intelligent, and since he can’t outright kill man, he uses his wisdom to get man to help him destroy the lives of other men through war, greed, famine, and so forth. When he is done with the perpretrator, he will discard them as well. He has alternative sites set up for people to visit who don’t receive the help they need from the body of Christ. For those sheep that are not in war zones, or areas of famine, he has set up alternative sites, such as bars, nightclubs, porn houses, drug houses, and so forth. He provides his victims with what the victim believes is a temporary help in relieving their hurts and weariness, but in reality is something that will further damage them and rob them of the blessings God desires to bestow upon them, and in the end, the side effects of their activities take their life. The hope of mankind, lies in the hands of the church body of which Jesus assigned the awesome task of being shepherds over His flock. Does the church really understand its mission in life? I don’t think so at this time. DThrash

It was hot, humid and sweaty and the airline had lost my luggage.  After filling out a few bureaucratic forms with a smiling Zambian face, I joined the bus of strangers – new recruits to Idasa’s Community of Practice for African communications practitioners who write about HIV/AIDS.  We were to spend two days together, at the start of a 4 year relationship.  The bus journey to the hotel was peppered with polite, get-to-know-you conversations…

Two days later, many hours of sharing stories and exploring how to build citizen action through media and communication work, we were no longer strangers.  The group sessions promoted discussion and deliberation about the role of citizens, and the role of journalists – and how these two overlapped for people in the room.  Questions shot around the room about how to wear two different hats, how to manage conflicts of interest, how to avoid being used for personal agendas, and make sure your journalistic skills are not exploited.

The discussions were thought provoking and relationships formed in a way that will encourage deeper engagement over the next four years.  The workshop included a session on how we should keep talking to each other, especially in between meetings, and for the duration of the 4 years.  Following their suggestions, a social networking hub was set up for participants to keep talking – and a googlemap was also used to plot participants work and partnerships across the continent.  See some of the interviews on video here.

- Samantha Fleming was an Idasa participant at the launch of Idasa’s Community of Practice -

GLENN BECK: I got a letter from a woman in Arizona.  She writes an open letter to our nation’s leadership:

“I am a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me.   Instead, we are burdened with Congressional Dukes and Duchesses who think they know better than the citizens they are supposed to represent.

There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you’re willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now.

You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would feel so horribly disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut-job am I? Well, these briefly are the views and issues for which I seek representation:

One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I’m not a racist. This is not to be confused with legal immigration.

Two, the STIMULUS bill. I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you No, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

Three, Czars. I want the circumvention of our constitutional checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution, and honor it.

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There are many conflicting opinions and it is too soon for this radical legislation. Quit throwing our nation into politically-correct quicksand.

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision that will burden me, my children, and grandchildren. Don’t you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night without even reading it. Slow down!  Fix only what is broken — we have the best health care system in the world — and test any new program in one or two states first.

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. More is not better! Shrink it down. Mind your own business.  You have enough to take care of with your real [Constitutional] obligations. Why don’t you start there.

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes — how did they pull that one off? Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census with our taxpayer money. I don’t trust them with any of our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello! Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs — and that is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person! Why do you want me to hate my employers? And what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Every company must sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we’ll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. (Have you ever ripped off a Band-Aid?) We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let’s have it. Let’s say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please stop trying to manipulate and appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.
Take a breath. Listen to the people. Slow down and get some input from nonpoliticians and experts on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed-reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I’m busy.  I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not.

It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is needless urgency and recklessness in all of your recent spending of our tax dollars.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on bringing our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzwords like unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don’t want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we’re morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long, because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented… You think we’re so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work, pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone… and we are now looking at you.

You have awakened us, the patriotic freedom spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office.

We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn’t ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us who will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don’t care. Political parties are meaningless to us Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution, and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them… Because we will get you fired and they will not save you.

If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be, one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.”

TWO COUNCILLORS DID NOT EVEN VOTE ON ‘FORTIN’S FOLLY’

I would have thought a $63-million project for a new Blue Bridge — the biggest city project ever — would be an important issue for our highly paid Victoria councillors.

Apparently not for Councillors Lynn Hunter and Chris Coleman, who could not be bothered to show up to represent Victorians on Fortin’s Folly.

By a simple majority, the borrowing bylaw passed and in keeping with simple, council members apparently think they can bamboozle the citizens with that farce about only costing pennies.

This bunch, who gave themselves obscene pay raises once they took office and then proceeded to hire a half dozen flunkies to do their job, are now going to tax people out of their homes for a project which has not been proven.

Ladies and gentlemen, first the counter petition and, two years hence, the ballot box to oust the lot.

Patrick Murphy

Victoria

CCC BLOG reprint:

Victoria Times Colonist: timescolonist.com

Two councillors did not even vote

Page A15, Saturday November 21, 2009

CCC 

FORMER VICTORIA LIBERAL MAYORAL CANDIDATE SAYS

 ’TO BLINDLY RUSH AHEAD WITH

THE LARGEST EXPENDITURE  IN THE CITY’S HISTORY

…WITHOUT A REFERENDUM NOW IS IRRESPONSIBLE.’

Thanks to Victoria councillors Pam Madoff and Geoff Young for attempting to slow down council’s present course with regard to the process followed over the Johnson Street Bridge Project.

Taking a stand and admitting that decision-making got started on the wrong foot in April is an important admission.

To blindly rush ahead with the largest expenditure in the city’s history without a referendum now is irresponsible.

We jumped a step by asking citizens to vote on a new design, without first asking them if restoration was an option they would want input on.

Elected representatives can make decisions for us — that is what they are elected to do.

However, in this case they did not gather significant information about restoration versus replacement.

The current process has not been a healthy approach to reaching an equitable decision for our city’s citizens.

Rob Reid

Victoria

CCC BLOG reprint:

Victoria Times Colonist: timescolonist.com

Bridge restoration needs fair study

November 21, 2009, page A15

CCC

Editor’s Note:

Mr. Rob Reid is not now,

nor has he ever been,

a member of the Concerned Citizens’ Coalition.

- Gregory Paul Michael Hartnell, Editor

CCC BLOG

CCC

The revelation that a ministerial staffer pressured public servants into recommending a particular course of action (in the current case before Queensland’s Crime and Misconduct Commission a sports grant), without the knowledge of the minister, sound eerily familiar.

For some time, others and I (e.g., Kimber, 2000, 2004, 2006; Kimber & Maddox, 2003; Ehrich, Cranston & Kimber, 2004) have argued that the realities of an expanding system of ministerial staff mean that the question of their accountability must be addressed. Public servants have been reporting the potential of ministerial staff trying to direct them.

Why is this bad if the role of a ministerial staffer is to provide their minister with political advice? It is bad because the role of public servant is to provide their minister with expert advice in a frank and fearless manner (yes, I know this phrase is cliché but it is true). Thus they must at times provide the minister with advice that the minister might not want to hear. They are afforded tenure and anonymity to ensure that they can provide advice without fear or favour (yes, I know another cliché). It is bad because the power balance must favour the minister because the minister is the elected representative.

Public servants are now covered by a range of ethical requirements including codes of conduct, post-separation employment conditions, and whistleblower protection. In many cases ministerial staff are not covered by similar provisions.

While the Merri Rose affair indicates that ministerial staff should be afforded some protections (e.g., Tiernan), these protections should not condone their usurping both the role of the public servant and the role of the minister. It is when ministerial staff pressure public servants and act without the knowledge of their minister that governments must act to reduce the power of ministerial staff. They must increase the accountability of ministerial staff. They must increase the power of public servants so that they can interact with ministerial staff on a level playing field.

In previous research I have offered the following as means of enhancing the accountability systems covering ministerial staff.

- Code of conduct similar to that for public servants, but contains recognition of the distinct political role of ministerial staff.

- Ensure that the behaviour of ministerial staff as well as ministers and parliamentary secretaries is fully covered by the Integrity Commission.

- Ensure that ministerial staff can be called before parliamentary inquiries

- Develop positive relationships between staff and the department – the minister and the head of department

- Ministers, senior ministerial staff, and department heads model ethical behaviour

- Department heads ensure that ministerial staff understand the role of public servants

- Department heads ensure that public servants understand the role of ministerial staff

- Ensure that ministerial staff as well as public sector employees are covered by whistleblower protection legislation.

To these I would add that post-separation provisions could be enacted and a limit on the numbers and roles of ministerial staff be considered. We need to accept that twenty-first century ministers will obtain political advice from staff, but we cannot accept that this role extends to directing public servants and acting without the knowledge of ministers, as these actions are far from consistent with the principles of responsible parliamentary government.

November 23, 2009

Dear President Obama,

Happy Thanksgiving! This time of the year always makes me reflect on what I’m grateful for and how I can do more for those in need. This year more than ever, I’m so grateful for my family and friends who have encouraged and supported us through a difficult year. I’m certain that you are grateful for your family as well, as everyone can see how much you love your girls. In fact, I was so pleased to hear you say; “When it comes to my children, I’m very conservative!” Which leads me to the reason of this letter. I’d like to talk with you about all the children of America and how we can work together to protect their future.

During your campaign, you voiced that Congress needed to hold itself to higher standards and needed to work together for the future of the generations to come. I know you don’t control Congress, but President Obama, you have a great deal of power and influence.

This congress established Sarbanes-Oxley that created new and enhanced standards for publicly traded companies for fiscal responsibility, yet many in congress do not hold themselves to the same standards. Here are some examples-

• $787 BILLION stimulus package did not include proper oversight to analyze, monitor and report the spending and results of such spending. In fact, multiple errors have been reported in the data provided to the public and the public has been asked to ignore such errors and focus on the big picture. President Obama, I know your administration and Congress had to react quickly to a crashing economy, but it was not acceptable for Congress to spend the hard earned dollars of the American People without applying the same standards we force onto public companies. Executives at public companies have gone to prison for false financial reporting.
• Cash for Clunkers program was poorly implemented by Congress and did not focus on American made vehicles, even though this program was created during the time that Congress was “bailing out” American Auto Manufacturers. The American People paid for individuals to trade in cars to purchase foreign vehicles that do not help the United States economy.
• During the American Auto Makers hearing, our Congressional leaders mocked the CEO’s who flew into DC on their private planes. A few months later, those same leaders, including your beloved Nancy Pelosi, asked the American people to pay for new private jets for congressional use. How is this different from what they asked the CEO’s to do?
• $90 Billion annual fraud in our current national health care programs and the current Health Care bill being debated in the Senate does not include measures to reduce the loss of American tax dollars. Why didn’t Congress carve money out of the stimulus package to create a Health Information Service Platform for each State, creating efficiency and tremendous savings? This would have created sustainable IT and health services jobs in each State and would have been a step toward true health care reform.

President Obama, as important as fiscal responsibility, you have called for Unity in this Country. You have asked that all Congressional leaders and the media to not bring race into political debates. I applaud you for doing so. Yet, my incumbent has used race to create racial tension and anger. Rep. Johnson said, “I guess we’ll probably have folks putting on white hoods and white uniforms again and riding through the countryside, intimidating people,” in reference to the Ku Klux Klan. This same week, my son was corned on the bus by several boys and called a “Cracker”. We as leaders should not use today’s problems to try to throw us back to the embarrassments of the 1950’s and 1960’s. History should be used for knowledge and wisdom to create momentum and positive change, not to enact fear and anger.

President Obama, Congress is spending our children’s and their children’s future. They are creating divide within our Country. I understand that your daughters will not have to worry about this, because you’ve had the opportunity to be fiscally responsible and not feel the deep impact of this economy. But here is my fear; the children of the majority of the American people will not have the opportunity that we had, because of the Congressional spending.

President Obama, it’s time to put party politics aside and hold all in Congress accountable. We must work together to bring opportunity to all American people, opportunity that elevates and provides more for the next generation and prosperity to all, regardless of the color of your skin, religion and political views.

I look forward to working with you in 2010. I pray that you not ignore this letter, as I am running for Congress in 2010. I want to work with you and with all those in Congress who want what is best for the people, not just a political party.

So, I’m using this letter as a way to reach across the aisle, before I’m elected and at the beginning of my campaign, even though I’m running on the Republican ticket. Please respond, as I’d hate to have our first meeting start off with the subject of you not answering my letter.

Sincerely,
Liz Carter
Candidate for House of Representatives
Georgia, Congressional District 4