Pretty brilliant commentary by high school junior Elizabeth Kapnick regarding the Highland Park girls’ basketball team controversy…

My school is largely composed of upper-middle-class Caucasians, with a significant Latino population. Thus, when Assistant Superintendent Suzan Hebson refers to “safety” as one of the factors that led to the school board’s decision, she is referring to the large number of students who might be at risk traveling to Arizona for the tournament, according to a new law which says that anyone even suspected of being an illegal immigrant can now be asked to show their papers.

Although the tournament is optional, District 113 (my community’s school system) values the inclusion and protection of ALL students. So if the school board had approved the trip, it would have automatically discouraged some students at my school from trying out for the basketball team. Since the varsity tryouts are not held until fall, a large number of Latino students who feel uncomfortable or at risk under the new law might not try out, knowing the team would be going to Arizona. Furthermore, the long-term implications of allowing such a trip might be interpreted as a political statement in favor of the law, a message that would alienate a larger number of students at the school. 

The idea that a field trip — albeit one out of state — and the cookies the team sold to get there are everybody’s main concern, rather than the very controversial bill that could indirectly impact the lives of some of their classmates, is deeply disturbing. I know the team sold cookies. I know they are disappointed. But there will be other tournaments, and the stakes are simply too high.

Sure, I agree that canceling the trip isn’t an ideal solution, but it is the lesser of two evils. Our women’s basketball team represents District 113, a district that does not support any action that would ever result in the ineligibility of some of its students to participate on a sports team solely based on their ethnicity. While those who oppose the school board’s decision do not necessarily support SB 1070 (the immigration bill recently adopted by the state of Arizona and currently dividing the nation), their selfish complaints provide support for continued exclusion and maintenance of the status quo.

I wish, moving forward, that the basketball team, my city and my country would respect this decision and look past the supposed team rights being violated, to see the larger picture of the human and national rights at risk.

Amazing how this one article completely disregards the tenacious and talented Michigander and blames beauty queen’s “loss” on the answer to her question regarding Arizona’s immigration law.

Congratulations on your win, Rima Fakih.  You deserved it.

I enjoyed this article.

One of the greatest things about this republic—along with the First Amendment, apple pie, and digital cable—is that when it comes to elections, there’ll always be another one.

That’s how we do it in our country.

So, tea partiers, next time you stage a rally or disrupt an otherwise orderly town hall meeting, if you leave your musket and your powdered wig at home, lose the posters with the president made up as Hitler and abandon cries of “get your government hands off my Medicare“—you’ll get some respect. Really.

But lay off “I want my country back.” No one took it away—and it was never just yours in the first place.

Brilliant.

The reviews of this book…

Review #1: OMG.  Facts.  This is totally fact-based.  Facty McFacterstein.

It is amazing how many people have an opinion without facts! But this book actually labels facts, not opinions. Not a lot of emotion in this book, but a detailed explanation of facts.

Review #2: OMG Obama is destroying capitalism.

There is an INCREDIBLE wealth of knowledge in this book that covers all of Obama’s radical and socialist influences and contacts. It tells of his early associations and how many of them have even helped bring about his rise to power and helped in shaping his radical policies that threaten to bore from within our country to destroy capitalism (the basis for our economy) in our nation.

Review #3: Obama is a Marxist, Socialist, Fascist Nazi.

After reading, “The Manchurian President”, you may still wonder how America could have possibly elected BHO, but you won’t wonder why he acts like a marxist through his public policy. The truth is, he’s been around marxism and socialism his entire life, and his policy reflects this stunning truth.

Review #4: Couching hatred of President Obama in such a way so as to evoke sympathy for your fears; irrationally tying brave soldiers to a book review so as to disingenuously wave the American Flag while proclaiming that your President is “a communist etc.”

I beg any and all people who can prove this book wrong to step forward and do it. It is scary and people have said horrible things about this President being a communist etc. Please prove this new book wrong. I fear that it can’t be done. I fear that we have ourselves deeper in than is imagined. I fear all sorts of things for this beautiful country that people seem not to appreciate anymore. GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS! THEY ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD OF OURS. GOD BLESS YOU SOLDIERS. 
Thank you to all our men and women wearing the uniform of the greatest country on earth. It used to be anyway. I beg you again prove this book wrong. We are waiting and praying.

Review #s 5 & 6: Probably written by the same person.  Also, OMG Obama is ruining the country.

This book is the investigative journalism that SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE in 2008. 
This book uncovers the corruption of the current administration, and its ties to America hating groups that have been working on taking our government and economic system DOWN for decades. 
Please read this excellent book. 
It is well researched, well footnoted and contains the TRUTH about this administration, which is America’s enemy within.

It is a must read for any thinking individual! 
This has possibly more pertinent, revealing information 
in one place about our present government, than any book 
available at this time. 
Do yourself, and your country, justice by reading 
exactly what is happening to our country and why. 
Very revealing book that should be read by everyone.

Review #7: I’m going to say I’m going to be fair, but really I already have a bias.

Ladies and gentleman, I apologize for the lengthly book review… full disclosure… I did not obtain the above book through Amazon.com, but as a gift from a military friend. Furthermore, I am not a fan of this current administration. But I fully intend to be fair and open-minded. I know you will as well. 

…I’m sure you can figure out where it goes from there.

Review #8: I’m crafty.  I wrote a poem.

I have for well over a year labelled Obama as a Manchurian Candidate and I am so delighted that a professional has taken up the cause. The book presents essential background info for understanding what is happening to this country in the hands of the Manchurian, Obama. I love how the far left reviewers copy the cirticism correctly directed at the left in slamming this book. Can’t they at least be a bit original. As stated in my poem “The Wizard O’bam” “A wiz a wiz a wiz he’s not; The phoney wizard O’bam.

Review #9: The intellectual heavyweight.

And some may wonder why people call him a Marxist… a socialist… or a Communist?

You’ll not wonder after reading this book!

See also: Ten reasons why Aaron Klein’s The Manchurian President is “ridiculous crap”

It bums me out when people who have not read anything written by the Founders claims to know all about them, or likes “all of ‘em.”

Clearly, some of them did not believe that American law should be based on the Bible.  One may be a deist but not a Christian, Ms. Palin.

Palin issued a statement on her Facebook page, thanking the jury and prosecutors and explaining the case’s importance.

 “Besides the obvious invasion of privacy and security concerns surrounding this issue, many of us are concerned about the integrity of our country’s political elections. America’s elections depend upon fair competition,” the statement said.

 “Violating the law, or simply invading someone’s privacy for political gain, has long been repugnant to Americans’ sense of fair play. As Watergate taught us, we rightfully reject illegally breaking into candidates’ private communications for political intrigue in an attempt to derail an election.”

Nevermind that Ms. Palin has hacked (well, ordered the hacking be done) into a computer, herself, before, and has relied upon hacked emails in claiming that climate change is “snake oil science.”

Thanks for pointing that out, Ms. Moore.

If Sarah Palin uses the term “lame-stream media” one more time, I’m going to start calling Fox “retarded-leaning news.”

Offensive is offensive — whether you’re talking about mental or physical disabilities.

Dear Megan,

It’s obvious you must’ve had your head stuck in a hole in the ground for a while.  I mean, some say that Obama’s doing too much, while at the same time others say he’s not doing anything.  You say he’s not doing anything. Then, as soon as he gets health reform passed and moves on to financial reform, you complain that he’s doing too much.

Why don’t we go over some things he’s done so far…

- Began withdrawing troops from Iraq

- Ended media blackout on war casualties

- Closed offshore tax safe havens

- Promoted insourcing (as opposed to the previous policy of outsourcing) American jobs for tax benefits

- Returned money offered to him, like every president, for White House furnishings and upgrades (examples: did not “re-do” Oval Office or pick his own rug like prior presidents; did not pick out official new china like prior presidents)

- Send two troop brigades to Afghanistan (and if you guys complain about him “withering,” he had time; troop decisions do not go into effect the next day)

- Instituted enforcement of equal pay for women

- Beat some pirates

- Improved conditions at Walter Reed

- Instituted no-torture policy to bring US in line with Geneva convention

- Started nuclear nonproliferation talks; actually going to do what this guy said he would do.

- Expanded health care to cover 4 million more children.

- Provided funds to families of fallen soldiers, so that they could be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB.

- Limited salaries of senior White House aides

- Ended previous stop/loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan for longer than their enlistment date.

- Phased out the F-22 war plane (which was OUTDATED, guys) and other outdated systems, which weren’t even used or needed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

- Fully fund the Violence Against Women Act.

- Allowed Medicare to negotiate for cheaper drug prices.

- Reduce subsidies to private student lenders.

- Expand Pell grants to low-income students.

- Establish credit card bill of rights.

- Require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions.

- Signed UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

- Increase funding for local emergency planning (Hurricane Katrina, anyone?) and expand programs to rebuild New Orleans.

- Initiate training program to combat cyber-crime.

- Released presidential records.

- Removed vegetation that fueled wild fires (including controlled burns).

- Expanded access to places to hunt and fish.

- Expanded AmeriCorps.

- Bolstered the military’s ability to speak different languages.

- Created new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud.

- Promoted community colleges.

- Revised restrictions on stem cell research.

According to PolitiFact, Obama has kept 110 promises, has 255 projects “in the works,” compromised on 34 projects, stalled on 83 projects, and broke 19 promises.  Overall, I’d say he’s doing quite a bit.  But, hey, what do I know?

I’m just sayin’

Sources: http://www.stopjuststop.com/2009/11/91-things-obama-has-done-critique.html  and http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/ and http://www.mindonfire.com/2009/10/09/eight-things-barack-obama-has-done-to-make-the-world-a-more-peaceful-place/

County Supervisor Eldon Orthmann, a Republican, told the Hastings Tribune that he had the smoking photo matted and framed at his own expense. Orthmann said he had hung it next to an official photo of Gov. Dave Heineman as a joke.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/26/obama-cigarette-portrait_n_552465.html