News Clips
1) Former NASA specialist claims he was fired over intelligent design... Government/Anti Christianity
2) China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Is Already Doing A Whole Lot More Than Anyone Expected... China/Military Expansion
3) A Children’s Book Explaining Baby-Making? Here It Is... Liberals/Public School/Homosexual Agenda
4) Aerial ‘Shadowhawk’ Police Drones Can Now Deploy Tasers & Tear Gas... Police State/Technology
5) Fed To Take Propaganda To The Schoolroom: Will Teach Grade 8-12 Students About Constitutionality Of... The Fed... Socialism/Propaganda/Public School
6) One in Five Drop Online Friends Over Political Posts... Political Bigotry/Culture/Personal Experience
7) See color at night... Technology/Night Vision/Interest
8) CBO: Obamacare to cost $1.76 trillion over 10 yrs... Obama and Democrat Lies/Federal Debt/Socialized Health Care
9) FL Dems Fly American Flag With Obama’s Face on It - Vets Outraged... Obama Supporters Ego/Obama Worship
1) Former NASA specialist claims he was fired over intelligent design... Government/Anti Christianity
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/03/11/former-nasa-specialist-claims-was-fired-over-intelligent-design/
March 11, 2012
LOS ANGELES - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has landed robotic explorers on the surface of Mars, sent probes to outer planets and operates a worldwide network of antennas that communicates with interplanetary spacecraft.
Its latest mission is defending itself in a workplace lawsuit filed by a former computer specialist who claims he was demoted -- and then let go -- for promoting his views on intelligent design, the belief that a higher power must have had a hand in creation because life is too complex to have developed through evolution alone.
David Coppedge, who worked as a "team lead" on the Cassini mission exploring Saturn and its many moons, alleges that he was discriminated against because he engaged his co-workers in conversations about intelligent design and handed out DVDs on the idea while at work. Coppedge lost his "team lead" title in 2009 and was let go last year after 15 years on the mission.
Opening statements are expected to begin Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court after two years of legal wrangling in a case that has generated interest among supporters of intelligent design. The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian civil rights group, and the Discovery Institute, a proponent of intelligent design, are both supporting Coppedge's case.
"It's part of a pattern. There is basically a war on anyone who dissents from Darwin and we've seen that for several years," said John West, associate director of Center for Science and Culture at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute. "This is free speech, freedom of conscience 101."
"There is basically a war on anyone who dissents from Darwin and we've seen that for several years."
- John West, associate director of Center for Science and Culture, Discovery Institute
The National Center for Science Education, which rejects intelligent design as thinly veiled creationism, is also watching the case and has posted all the legal filings on its website.
"It would be unfortunate if the court took what seems to be a fairly straightforward employment law case and allowed it to become this tangled mess of trying to adjudicate scientific matters," said Josh Rosenau, NCSE's programs and policy director. "It looks like a pretty straightforward case. The mission that he was working on was winding down and he was laid off."
Coppedge's attorney, William Becker, says his client was singled out by his bosses because they perceived his belief in intelligent design to be religious. Coppedge had a reputation around JPL as an evangelical Christian and other interactions with co-workers led some to label him as a Christian conservative, Becker said.
In the lawsuit, Coppedge says he believes other things also led to his demotion, including his support for a state ballot measure that sought to define marriage as limited to heterosexual couples and his request to rename the annual holiday party a "Christmas party."
"David had this reputation for being a Christian, for being a practicing one. He did not go around evangelizing or proselytizing. But if he found out that someone was a Christian he would say, `Oh that's interesting, what denomination are you?"' Becker said.
"He's not apologizing for who he is. He's an evangelical Christian."
In an emailed statement, JPL dismissed Coppedge's claims. In court papers, lawyers for the California Institute of Technology, which manages JPL for NASA, said Coppedge received a written warning because his co-workers complained of harassment. They also said Coppedge lost his "team lead" status because of ongoing conflicts with others.
Caltech lawyers contend Coppedge was one of two Cassini technicians and among 246 JPL employees let go last year due to planned budget cuts.
While the case has attracted interest because of the controversial nature of intelligent design, it is at its heart a straightforward discrimination case, said Eugene Volokh, a professor of First Amendment law at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.
"The question is whether the plaintiff was fired simply because he was wasting people's time and bothering them in ways that would have led him to being fired regardless of whether it was about religion or whether he was treated worse based on the religiosity of his beliefs," said Volokh. "If he can show that, then he's got a good case."
Coppedge, who began working for JPL as a contractor in 1996 and was hired in 2003, is active in the intelligent design sphere and runs a website that interprets scientific discoveries through the lens of intelligent design. His father authored an anti-evolution book and founded a Christian outreach group.
He is also a board member for Illustra Media, a company that produces video documentaries examining the scientific evidence for intelligent design. The company produces the videos that Coppedge was handing out to co-workers, said Becker, his attorney.
His main duties at JPL were to maintain computer networks and troubleshoot technical problems for the mission. In 2000, he was named "team lead," serving as a liaison between technicians and managers for nearly a decade before being demoted in 2009.
He sued in April 2010 alleging religious discrimination, retaliation and harassment and amended his suit to include wrongful termination after losing his job last year.
Coppedge is seeking attorney's fees and costs, damages for wrongful termination and a statement from the judge that his rights were violated, said Becker.
2) China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Is Already Doing A Whole Lot More Than Anyone Expected... China/Military Expansion
http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-j-20-mighty-dragon-fighter-jet-2012-3#
Mar. 9, 2012
New pictures of the China's J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter have surfaced and are making their way across military blogs.
This newest round of photos show the J-20 in the skies somewhere over mainland China.
The prototype is said to be using the Saturn AL-31 turbofan engine developed by the Russians for their Su-27 air superiority fighter.
Reuben Johnson at The Washington Times reports the Chinese may be as much as 10 years away from producing an original stealth engine to slip into the J-20.
In the meantime, they'll have to take comfort in the fact that while the F-22 Raptor may be more agile and made entirely in the U.S., the Dragon carries more fuel and weapons than Lockheed's fighter.
The J-20's development is also moving along much faster than anyone had expected. Back in 2009, Gen. He Weirong, deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force said in a TV interview that the J-20 wouldn't be operational until 2017-2019. That estimate will likely be revised if work continues at the current pace.
Bill Sweetman at AviationWeek points out that for all its headway, no one is yet sure what the J-20 is for. He speculates that given the aircraft's size and weapons bays, it may be used to "threaten intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets and tankers, by using stealth and speed to defeat their escorts."
3) A Children’s Book Explaining Baby-Making? Here It Is... Liberals/Public School/Homosexual Agenda
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/a-childrens-book-explaining-baby-making-here-it-is/
March 12, 2012
It’s inevitable that parents will someday be asked “Where do babies come from?” and/or “Where did I come from?” by their children. And now, there‘s a children’s book to help answer the question. But the book isn’t that simple - and not everyone is applauding it. Why? Because, as the the book’s author Cory Silverberg describes, not everyone has a “nice story” of “mommy + daddy + intercourse = you!”
With that in mind, Silverberg is creating a new book - “What Makes a Baby?” - for parents to “[acknowledge] the help we get to bring children into our lives.” The book will include information about the help parents can get to make a baby: “a doctor, fertility clinic, adoption or foster agency; it might be a turkey baster and a friend; it might be a sperm donor or a surrogate.”
Watch Silverberg explain the onus for creating this book:
Silverberg states that the 32-page, hard cover book will be geared toward children of pre-school age up to 8 years old. Here’s more information about the book, which will be illustrated by Canadian artist Fiona Smyth:
[...] What Makes a Baby is written and illustrated to include all kinds of kids, all kinds of adults, and all kinds of families - regardless of how many people were involved, what the orientation, gender identity, or other make up of the family is, or how it came to be that way. It’s a social justice approach to sex education. Like all picture books, it’s meant to be read to a child and gives the adult reader the opportunity to fill in as much detail as they would like.
[...]
All children deserve stories that teach them not only about how they are unique, but also about what connects them to all other humans. What Makes a Baby tells that story without leaving some people out because of their gender, orientation, or family make up.
Silverberg‘s main goal is to make sure some families aren’t “left out” because traditional baby books don’t include non-traditional methods or parenting types, but there is criticism for the message the book could spread. Life Site News has more on those questioning this book’s potential influence:
“This poor man’s project is an amalgamation of the moral degeneration of the West,” said author, painter and cultural critic Michael O’Brien to LifeSiteNews. “It is really about having what we want without consequences-and feeling good about ourselves in the process.
“Based in a profound ignorance about human nature, and about what makes for a healthy family, it is the next stage in the self-destruction of the traditional family and healthy society that was once the foundation of Western civilization.”
[...]
Dr. Christine Schintgen, children’s author and assistant professor of literature at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy in Barry’s Bay, Ontario told LifeSiteNews that she believes Silverberg’s project is “clearly an attempt at social engineering that is symptomatic of the Brave New World we now live in.”
“Instead of acknowledging the fundamental truth that sexual intercourse between a husband and wife is both the normal and the desired way to bring children into the world, this book will attempt to normalize morally problematic, and sometimes bizarre, forms of reproduction,” she said.
“Do we really want our children to grow up thinking that being the product of ‘a turkey baster and a friend’ is no different from being the fruit of a loving act of procreation between spouses?”
Financing for this book came through a non-traditional but increasingly popular means of funding. A site called Kickstarter, which has been used to fund endeavors such as “99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film” and “FrackNation” - both of which the Blaze has reported on - funds projects through donations by setting a dollar amount goal and a deadline. If that amount is reached through donations, the project moves forward. If the goal is not met within the proposed timeframe, all the donations are returned.
“What Makes a Baby?” has reached more than 550 percent of its goal, according to a Kickstarter blog post. With that, the book will most definitely make it into production. The initial financial goal was to raise $9,500. At the time of this posting the site has helped raise more than $57,900.
With its financial goal met, the author has issued a new benchmark of pre-selling 2,000 books by March 16. At this point, the cost of the book will drop. The money no longer being spent on book production, according to the author’s post on the Kickstarter website, will go toward “increasing access to the book particularly for those who usually don’t have access to high quality, inclusive sex education.”
4) Aerial ‘Shadowhawk’ Police Drones Can Now Deploy Tasers & Tear Gas... Police State/Technology
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/want-to-see-the-aerial-drone-police-could-soon-deploy-in-your-town/
March 12, 2012
“Drones are coming to America to a police department near you.”
That’s the initial assessment of Catherine Crump, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, who narrates part of a short video clip that explores the Shadowhawk drone and its implications for domestic law enforcement here in the U.S.
The technology is useful, but poses significant privacy risks.”Drones have very powerful cameras attached to them,” Crump says, “they can see a lot more than the naked eye.” In fact, they can even see through walls with FLIR thermal imaging technology.
Crump believes one of the most alarming prospects is that police drones won’t just have cameras on them, but will also be armed with non-lethal weapons. As can be seen in these photos from Vanguard Defense Industries, the Shadowhawk platform is sturdy enough to be fitted with a variety of “less lethal” munitions.
Below is the video with some explanation of the drone’s implications for the U.S. Homeland, courtesy of The Daily:
Randy McDaniel, Chief Deputy of the Montgomery County, Texas Sheriff’s Office, also weighs in on the Shadowhawk drones in the clip. “We were able to purchase a UAV to use here at the Sheriff’s Office,” McDaniel says.
Instead of the ACLU’s sweeping privacy and civil liberties concerns, McDaniel focuses in on the benefits of drones for law enforcement. Shadowhawk drones armed with an array of non-lethal force options-including impact rounds, chemical munition rounds, and tasers- could save lives in McDaniel’s opinion.
Deputy McDaniel points out that these are technologies “law enforcement utilizes day in and day out” already.
“If it is developed to the extent that we are guaranteed the accuracy, it is certainly something that we could look at, if I can give our swat teams a tool to save their lives, that’s what we are going to do,” McDaniel said.
The ACLU’s Crump, on the other hand, believes that an officer on the ground will always have a better sense of the situation, and seems to caution against any police department going beyond surveillance drones to an armed aerial platform.
Here is a longer video clip of the Shadowhawk police drone in action, courtesy of Vanguard Industries:
But while a debate rages over police departments using drones, it should be noted that the private use of drones is on the rise. As The Blaze’s Liz Klimas noted last month, “drones have been used by the media to capture aerial footage of Russian protests and riots in Poland“ and a ”civilian drone operated in Texas recently spotted a meat packing plant violating laws by dumping animal products into a local stream.”
5) Fed To Take Propaganda To The Schoolroom: Will Teach Grade 8-12 Students About Constitutionality Of... The Fed... Socialism/Propaganda/Public School
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/fed-take-propaganda-schoolroom-will-teach-k-8-12-students-about-constitutionality-fed
03/12/2012
Back in September we noted a peculiar RFP by the Fed which sought to become a secret 'big brother' to the social media world, and to "monitor billions of conversations and generate text analytics based on predefined criteria." The Fed's desired product should be able to "determine the sentiment of a speaker or writer with respect to some topic or document"... "The solution must be able to gather data from the primary social media platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Forums and YouTube. It should also be able to aggregate data from various media outlets such as: CNN, WSJ, Factiva etc." Most importantly, the "Listening Platform" should be able to "Handle crisis situations, Continuously monitor conversations, and Identify and reach out to key bloggers and influencers." While it is unclear just how successful the Fed has been in eavesdropping on various critical blogs, and divining "sentiment", it now appears that the propaganda masters at the Office of Central Planning have decided to go for young American minds while they are still pliable. It appears that as part of its reenactment of Goebbels "economic education" curriculum, the Fed will now directly appeal to K 8-12 student, in which it will elucidate on the premise of "Constitutionality of a Central Bank." You know - just in case said young (and soon to be very unemployed) minds get ideas that heaven forbid, the master bank running the US is not exactly constitutional - you know, that whole thing between Andrew Jackson and the Second Bank of the United States...
And in case one is wondering what dogmatic propaganda their childredn will be filled with, here is tje course outline.
Lesson Description
The Constitution of the United States outlines the basic principles of the U.S. government. This lesson focuses on the express and implied powers of Congress and the power of the Supreme Court to decide whether a law is unconstitutional. In this lesson, students learn about McCulloch v. Maryland, a case decided in 1819 over (1) whether the state of Maryland had the right to tax the Second Bank of the United States and (2) whether Congress had violated the Constitution in establishing the Bank. Students also review the expressed powers of Congress identified in the Constitution and analyze how Congress implements the necessary and proper (elastic) clause to enact its expressed powers. Finally, students use their knowledge of McCulloch v. Maryland and the necessary and proper clause to consider the constitutionality of the Federal Reserve System.
Concepts
Expressed powers
Federal Reserve Act
Fiat money
Implied powers
Necessary and proper (elastic) clause
Precedent
Value of money [ZH: lol]
Objectives
Students will:
define expressed powers, implied powers, precedent, fiat money, the Federal Reserve Act, the necessary and proper (elastic) clause, and the value of money;
cite examples of the expressed powers granted to Congress in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution;
explain the meaning of the necessary and proper (elastic) clause;
explain the significance of the McCulloch vs. Maryland Supreme Court case; and
give examples of the implied powers necessary to implement various expressed powers.
Yet the oddest thing about the lesson plan is visual #4. It speaks for itself:
Well thanks for the warning...
Full lesson:
6) One in Five Drop Online Friends Over Political Posts... Political Bigotry/Culture/Personal Experience
http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2012/03/12/pew_facebook_friend_study_one_in_five_drop_online_friends_over_political_posts.html
March 12, 2012
New Pew study shows that people who post about politics tend to be very liberal or very conservative, limiting their appeal.
Spouting off about political issues on Facebook and other social sites may be bad for your friend count, according to a new study released Monday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Eighteen percent of the 2,253 adults surveyed by Pew said they had blocked, unfriended, or hidden a friend on a social network over a political post. It isn’t hard to see why: The Pew survey found that because people who post about politics tend to be very liberal or very conservative, the offending posts are more likely to be out of line with other people’s views. Indeed, only one in four users surveyed by Pew said they "usually" or "always" agree with their friends’ political posts; 73 percent said they only sometimes or never do.
Though most people-roughly two in three-take no action over political posts they disagree with, some 28 percent said they counter with a comment or competing post, another behavior the Pew survey said leads to friends going their own way.
Despite everyone’s apparent distaste for other people’s political views, the survey found most users continue to post their own: 75 percent of adults who use social sites said their friends post political content, and 37 percent said they post at least some of their own.
7) See color at night... Technology/Night Vision/Interest
http://marinesmagazine.dodlive.mil/2012/03/12/color-nvgs/
March 12th, 2012
Marines in the future may be seeing things at night in a whole new way with ColorPath Color Capable Night Vision Devices. These devices allow for the identification of colors even in lowlight situations, allowing for better intelligence and security missions.
When it comes to night vision devices, seeing different shades of monochromatic green has been the standard viewpoint for Marines. But the ColorPath Color Capable Night Vision Device could have Marines seeing colors, allowing them to identify the bad guy’s red truck, or differentiate between uniforms, objects, friends or foes. Developed by Tenebraex, the ColorPath uses one standard, green image intensifier tube to create a true, full-color image. Even at low starlight levels, it provides image color with no delay and is unaffected by temperature. It is also lightweight and energy efficient. By using mechanical filters, the ColorPath system processes real-time images faster than other computer-based filters. The resulting color provides better night depth-perception and terrain assessment, making gathering intelligence at night similar to day.
The new capabilities of the ColorPath Color Capable Night Vision Device would allow Marines to differentiate between uniforms, objects, friends or foes. The ability to identify colors at night would allow Marines to gather intelligence and security in a safer and more effective way.
Specifications:
Helmet mounted
Field of view - 40°
Weight - 18 ounces with 2 AA batteries
Power -Approx. 10 hours operation
Waterproof - 32 feet
8) CBO: Obamacare to cost $1.76 trillion over 10 yrs... Obama and Democrat Lies/Federal Debt/Socialized Health Care
http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/cbo-obamacare-cost-176-trillion-over-10-yrs/425831
March 13, 2012
President Obama's national health care law will cost $1.76 trillion over a decade, according to a new projection released today by the Congressional Budget Office, rather than the $940 billion forecast when it was signed into law.
Democrats employed many accounting tricks when they were pushing through the national health care legislation, the most egregious of which was to delay full implementation of the law until 2014, so it would appear cheaper under the CBO's standard ten-year budget window and, at least on paper, meet Obama's pledge that the legislation would cost "around $900 billion over 10 years." When the final CBO score came out before passage, critics noted that the true 10 year cost would be far higher than advertised once projections accounted for full implementation.
Today, the CBO released new projections from 2013 extending through 2022, and the results are as critics expected: the ten-year cost of the law's core provisions to expand health insurance coverage has now ballooned to $1.76 trillion. That's because we now have estimates for Obamacare's first nine years of full implementation, rather than the mere six when it was signed into law. Only next year will we get a true ten-year cost estimate, if the law isn't overturned by the Supreme Court or repealed by then. Given that in 2022, the last year available, the gross cost of the coverage expansions are $265 billion, we're likely looking at about $2 trillion over the first decade, or more than double what Obama advertised.
UPDATE: I've done another post with additional details from the CBO report.
9) FL Dems Fly American Flag With Obama’s Face on It - Vets Outraged... Obama Supporters Ego/Obama Worship
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/american-flag-with-obamas-face-enrages-veterans-in-florida/
March 14, 2012
A flag featuring an image of President Barack Obama's face was removed from a local Florida Democratic Party headquarters after local veterans said it was a "desecration." (Image source: Orlando Sentinel)
An American flag featuring an image of President Barack Obama’s face was removed from outside a local Florida Democratic Party headquarters Tuesday after several veterans called it “despicable” and a “desecration,” the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Veterans gathered Tuesday afternoon to protest in front of the Lake County Democratic Party headquarters, where the flag - featuring Obama’s face in the blue section where the stars normally go - was flying beneath a traditional American flag. The confrontation ended after party chairwoman Nancy Hurlbert took the flag down, according to the Sentinel.
The protest started after Don Van Beck, a Korean war veteran and executive director of the Veterans Memorial at Fountain Park in Leesburg, Fla., snapped several pictures of the flag and distributed them to others. He told WFTV-TV seeing it made his blood boil.
“I can‘t describe how upset was because you just don’t do that to the American flag,” he told the station.
The group demanded Hurlbert remove the flag, saying it was a violation of the federal flag code that prohibits any “marks, insignia, letters, words, figures, designs, picture or drawings of any nature,” the Leesburg Daily Commercial reported. According to the Sentinel, Hurlbert said she would look into the issue but didn’t take the flag down right away. A short while later, she conceded and removed it.
“We‘re proud of our president and we didn’t realize it was in violation,” Hurlbert said. “I am the chair and I take responsibility for this.”
Hurlbert told the newspaper it was the first time anyone had complained about the flag, which she said was given as a gift and had flown for several months without any issue.
“It’s a cult of personality to show his face, like Stalin or Mao,” retired Marine John Masterjohn told the Sentinel. “It’s despicable. They don’t realize how sick they are.”
“If you’ve been a veteran and fought - and some died for this flag - you don’t want to see it desecrated. That’s how simple it is,” Van Beck told WFTV.
Hurlbert told Fox News she plans to contact an attorney about the situation, and was non-committal about whether she’ll fly it again.
Still, because it went unnoticed for so long, she said she has a feeling it’s “not about the flag.”
“It leads me to believe that it’s not about the flag,” she told Fox News. “Certain elements cannot accept Barack Obama as president.”
2) China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Is Already Doing A Whole Lot More Than Anyone Expected... China/Military Expansion
3) A Children’s Book Explaining Baby-Making? Here It Is... Liberals/Public School/Homosexual Agenda
4) Aerial ‘Shadowhawk’ Police Drones Can Now Deploy Tasers & Tear Gas... Police State/Technology
5) Fed To Take Propaganda To The Schoolroom: Will Teach Grade 8-12 Students About Constitutionality Of... The Fed... Socialism/Propaganda/Public School
6) One in Five Drop Online Friends Over Political Posts... Political Bigotry/Culture/Personal Experience
7) See color at night... Technology/Night Vision/Interest
8) CBO: Obamacare to cost $1.76 trillion over 10 yrs... Obama and Democrat Lies/Federal Debt/Socialized Health Care
9) FL Dems Fly American Flag With Obama’s Face on It - Vets Outraged... Obama Supporters Ego/Obama Worship
1) Former NASA specialist claims he was fired over intelligent design... Government/Anti Christianity
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/03/11/former-nasa-specialist-claims-was-fired-over-intelligent-design/
March 11, 2012
LOS ANGELES - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has landed robotic explorers on the surface of Mars, sent probes to outer planets and operates a worldwide network of antennas that communicates with interplanetary spacecraft.
Its latest mission is defending itself in a workplace lawsuit filed by a former computer specialist who claims he was demoted -- and then let go -- for promoting his views on intelligent design, the belief that a higher power must have had a hand in creation because life is too complex to have developed through evolution alone.
David Coppedge, who worked as a "team lead" on the Cassini mission exploring Saturn and its many moons, alleges that he was discriminated against because he engaged his co-workers in conversations about intelligent design and handed out DVDs on the idea while at work. Coppedge lost his "team lead" title in 2009 and was let go last year after 15 years on the mission.
Opening statements are expected to begin Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court after two years of legal wrangling in a case that has generated interest among supporters of intelligent design. The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian civil rights group, and the Discovery Institute, a proponent of intelligent design, are both supporting Coppedge's case.
"It's part of a pattern. There is basically a war on anyone who dissents from Darwin and we've seen that for several years," said John West, associate director of Center for Science and Culture at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute. "This is free speech, freedom of conscience 101."
"There is basically a war on anyone who dissents from Darwin and we've seen that for several years."
- John West, associate director of Center for Science and Culture, Discovery Institute
The National Center for Science Education, which rejects intelligent design as thinly veiled creationism, is also watching the case and has posted all the legal filings on its website.
"It would be unfortunate if the court took what seems to be a fairly straightforward employment law case and allowed it to become this tangled mess of trying to adjudicate scientific matters," said Josh Rosenau, NCSE's programs and policy director. "It looks like a pretty straightforward case. The mission that he was working on was winding down and he was laid off."
Coppedge's attorney, William Becker, says his client was singled out by his bosses because they perceived his belief in intelligent design to be religious. Coppedge had a reputation around JPL as an evangelical Christian and other interactions with co-workers led some to label him as a Christian conservative, Becker said.
In the lawsuit, Coppedge says he believes other things also led to his demotion, including his support for a state ballot measure that sought to define marriage as limited to heterosexual couples and his request to rename the annual holiday party a "Christmas party."
"David had this reputation for being a Christian, for being a practicing one. He did not go around evangelizing or proselytizing. But if he found out that someone was a Christian he would say, `Oh that's interesting, what denomination are you?"' Becker said.
"He's not apologizing for who he is. He's an evangelical Christian."
In an emailed statement, JPL dismissed Coppedge's claims. In court papers, lawyers for the California Institute of Technology, which manages JPL for NASA, said Coppedge received a written warning because his co-workers complained of harassment. They also said Coppedge lost his "team lead" status because of ongoing conflicts with others.
Caltech lawyers contend Coppedge was one of two Cassini technicians and among 246 JPL employees let go last year due to planned budget cuts.
While the case has attracted interest because of the controversial nature of intelligent design, it is at its heart a straightforward discrimination case, said Eugene Volokh, a professor of First Amendment law at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.
"The question is whether the plaintiff was fired simply because he was wasting people's time and bothering them in ways that would have led him to being fired regardless of whether it was about religion or whether he was treated worse based on the religiosity of his beliefs," said Volokh. "If he can show that, then he's got a good case."
Coppedge, who began working for JPL as a contractor in 1996 and was hired in 2003, is active in the intelligent design sphere and runs a website that interprets scientific discoveries through the lens of intelligent design. His father authored an anti-evolution book and founded a Christian outreach group.
He is also a board member for Illustra Media, a company that produces video documentaries examining the scientific evidence for intelligent design. The company produces the videos that Coppedge was handing out to co-workers, said Becker, his attorney.
His main duties at JPL were to maintain computer networks and troubleshoot technical problems for the mission. In 2000, he was named "team lead," serving as a liaison between technicians and managers for nearly a decade before being demoted in 2009.
He sued in April 2010 alleging religious discrimination, retaliation and harassment and amended his suit to include wrongful termination after losing his job last year.
Coppedge is seeking attorney's fees and costs, damages for wrongful termination and a statement from the judge that his rights were violated, said Becker.
2) China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Is Already Doing A Whole Lot More Than Anyone Expected... China/Military Expansion
http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-j-20-mighty-dragon-fighter-jet-2012-3#
Mar. 9, 2012
New pictures of the China's J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter have surfaced and are making their way across military blogs.
This newest round of photos show the J-20 in the skies somewhere over mainland China.
The prototype is said to be using the Saturn AL-31 turbofan engine developed by the Russians for their Su-27 air superiority fighter.
Reuben Johnson at The Washington Times reports the Chinese may be as much as 10 years away from producing an original stealth engine to slip into the J-20.
In the meantime, they'll have to take comfort in the fact that while the F-22 Raptor may be more agile and made entirely in the U.S., the Dragon carries more fuel and weapons than Lockheed's fighter.
The J-20's development is also moving along much faster than anyone had expected. Back in 2009, Gen. He Weirong, deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force said in a TV interview that the J-20 wouldn't be operational until 2017-2019. That estimate will likely be revised if work continues at the current pace.
Bill Sweetman at AviationWeek points out that for all its headway, no one is yet sure what the J-20 is for. He speculates that given the aircraft's size and weapons bays, it may be used to "threaten intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets and tankers, by using stealth and speed to defeat their escorts."
3) A Children’s Book Explaining Baby-Making? Here It Is... Liberals/Public School/Homosexual Agenda
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/a-childrens-book-explaining-baby-making-here-it-is/
March 12, 2012
It’s inevitable that parents will someday be asked “Where do babies come from?” and/or “Where did I come from?” by their children. And now, there‘s a children’s book to help answer the question. But the book isn’t that simple - and not everyone is applauding it. Why? Because, as the the book’s author Cory Silverberg describes, not everyone has a “nice story” of “mommy + daddy + intercourse = you!”
With that in mind, Silverberg is creating a new book - “What Makes a Baby?” - for parents to “[acknowledge] the help we get to bring children into our lives.” The book will include information about the help parents can get to make a baby: “a doctor, fertility clinic, adoption or foster agency; it might be a turkey baster and a friend; it might be a sperm donor or a surrogate.”
Watch Silverberg explain the onus for creating this book:
Silverberg states that the 32-page, hard cover book will be geared toward children of pre-school age up to 8 years old. Here’s more information about the book, which will be illustrated by Canadian artist Fiona Smyth:
[...] What Makes a Baby is written and illustrated to include all kinds of kids, all kinds of adults, and all kinds of families - regardless of how many people were involved, what the orientation, gender identity, or other make up of the family is, or how it came to be that way. It’s a social justice approach to sex education. Like all picture books, it’s meant to be read to a child and gives the adult reader the opportunity to fill in as much detail as they would like.
[...]
All children deserve stories that teach them not only about how they are unique, but also about what connects them to all other humans. What Makes a Baby tells that story without leaving some people out because of their gender, orientation, or family make up.
Silverberg‘s main goal is to make sure some families aren’t “left out” because traditional baby books don’t include non-traditional methods or parenting types, but there is criticism for the message the book could spread. Life Site News has more on those questioning this book’s potential influence:
“This poor man’s project is an amalgamation of the moral degeneration of the West,” said author, painter and cultural critic Michael O’Brien to LifeSiteNews. “It is really about having what we want without consequences-and feeling good about ourselves in the process.
“Based in a profound ignorance about human nature, and about what makes for a healthy family, it is the next stage in the self-destruction of the traditional family and healthy society that was once the foundation of Western civilization.”
[...]
Dr. Christine Schintgen, children’s author and assistant professor of literature at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy in Barry’s Bay, Ontario told LifeSiteNews that she believes Silverberg’s project is “clearly an attempt at social engineering that is symptomatic of the Brave New World we now live in.”
“Instead of acknowledging the fundamental truth that sexual intercourse between a husband and wife is both the normal and the desired way to bring children into the world, this book will attempt to normalize morally problematic, and sometimes bizarre, forms of reproduction,” she said.
“Do we really want our children to grow up thinking that being the product of ‘a turkey baster and a friend’ is no different from being the fruit of a loving act of procreation between spouses?”
Financing for this book came through a non-traditional but increasingly popular means of funding. A site called Kickstarter, which has been used to fund endeavors such as “99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film” and “FrackNation” - both of which the Blaze has reported on - funds projects through donations by setting a dollar amount goal and a deadline. If that amount is reached through donations, the project moves forward. If the goal is not met within the proposed timeframe, all the donations are returned.
“What Makes a Baby?” has reached more than 550 percent of its goal, according to a Kickstarter blog post. With that, the book will most definitely make it into production. The initial financial goal was to raise $9,500. At the time of this posting the site has helped raise more than $57,900.
With its financial goal met, the author has issued a new benchmark of pre-selling 2,000 books by March 16. At this point, the cost of the book will drop. The money no longer being spent on book production, according to the author’s post on the Kickstarter website, will go toward “increasing access to the book particularly for those who usually don’t have access to high quality, inclusive sex education.”
4) Aerial ‘Shadowhawk’ Police Drones Can Now Deploy Tasers & Tear Gas... Police State/Technology
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/want-to-see-the-aerial-drone-police-could-soon-deploy-in-your-town/
March 12, 2012
“Drones are coming to America to a police department near you.”
That’s the initial assessment of Catherine Crump, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, who narrates part of a short video clip that explores the Shadowhawk drone and its implications for domestic law enforcement here in the U.S.
The technology is useful, but poses significant privacy risks.”Drones have very powerful cameras attached to them,” Crump says, “they can see a lot more than the naked eye.” In fact, they can even see through walls with FLIR thermal imaging technology.
Crump believes one of the most alarming prospects is that police drones won’t just have cameras on them, but will also be armed with non-lethal weapons. As can be seen in these photos from Vanguard Defense Industries, the Shadowhawk platform is sturdy enough to be fitted with a variety of “less lethal” munitions.
Below is the video with some explanation of the drone’s implications for the U.S. Homeland, courtesy of The Daily:
Click to viewRandy McDaniel, Chief Deputy of the Montgomery County, Texas Sheriff’s Office, also weighs in on the Shadowhawk drones in the clip. “We were able to purchase a UAV to use here at the Sheriff’s Office,” McDaniel says.
Instead of the ACLU’s sweeping privacy and civil liberties concerns, McDaniel focuses in on the benefits of drones for law enforcement. Shadowhawk drones armed with an array of non-lethal force options-including impact rounds, chemical munition rounds, and tasers- could save lives in McDaniel’s opinion.
Deputy McDaniel points out that these are technologies “law enforcement utilizes day in and day out” already.
“If it is developed to the extent that we are guaranteed the accuracy, it is certainly something that we could look at, if I can give our swat teams a tool to save their lives, that’s what we are going to do,” McDaniel said.
The ACLU’s Crump, on the other hand, believes that an officer on the ground will always have a better sense of the situation, and seems to caution against any police department going beyond surveillance drones to an armed aerial platform.
Here is a longer video clip of the Shadowhawk police drone in action, courtesy of Vanguard Industries:
But while a debate rages over police departments using drones, it should be noted that the private use of drones is on the rise. As The Blaze’s Liz Klimas noted last month, “drones have been used by the media to capture aerial footage of Russian protests and riots in Poland“ and a ”civilian drone operated in Texas recently spotted a meat packing plant violating laws by dumping animal products into a local stream.”
5) Fed To Take Propaganda To The Schoolroom: Will Teach Grade 8-12 Students About Constitutionality Of... The Fed... Socialism/Propaganda/Public School
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/fed-take-propaganda-schoolroom-will-teach-k-8-12-students-about-constitutionality-fed
03/12/2012
Back in September we noted a peculiar RFP by the Fed which sought to become a secret 'big brother' to the social media world, and to "monitor billions of conversations and generate text analytics based on predefined criteria." The Fed's desired product should be able to "determine the sentiment of a speaker or writer with respect to some topic or document"... "The solution must be able to gather data from the primary social media platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Forums and YouTube. It should also be able to aggregate data from various media outlets such as: CNN, WSJ, Factiva etc." Most importantly, the "Listening Platform" should be able to "Handle crisis situations, Continuously monitor conversations, and Identify and reach out to key bloggers and influencers." While it is unclear just how successful the Fed has been in eavesdropping on various critical blogs, and divining "sentiment", it now appears that the propaganda masters at the Office of Central Planning have decided to go for young American minds while they are still pliable. It appears that as part of its reenactment of Goebbels "economic education" curriculum, the Fed will now directly appeal to K 8-12 student, in which it will elucidate on the premise of "Constitutionality of a Central Bank." You know - just in case said young (and soon to be very unemployed) minds get ideas that heaven forbid, the master bank running the US is not exactly constitutional - you know, that whole thing between Andrew Jackson and the Second Bank of the United States...
And in case one is wondering what dogmatic propaganda their childredn will be filled with, here is tje course outline.
Lesson Description
The Constitution of the United States outlines the basic principles of the U.S. government. This lesson focuses on the express and implied powers of Congress and the power of the Supreme Court to decide whether a law is unconstitutional. In this lesson, students learn about McCulloch v. Maryland, a case decided in 1819 over (1) whether the state of Maryland had the right to tax the Second Bank of the United States and (2) whether Congress had violated the Constitution in establishing the Bank. Students also review the expressed powers of Congress identified in the Constitution and analyze how Congress implements the necessary and proper (elastic) clause to enact its expressed powers. Finally, students use their knowledge of McCulloch v. Maryland and the necessary and proper clause to consider the constitutionality of the Federal Reserve System.
Concepts
Expressed powers
Federal Reserve Act
Fiat money
Implied powers
Necessary and proper (elastic) clause
Precedent
Value of money [ZH: lol]
Objectives
Students will:
define expressed powers, implied powers, precedent, fiat money, the Federal Reserve Act, the necessary and proper (elastic) clause, and the value of money;
cite examples of the expressed powers granted to Congress in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution;
explain the meaning of the necessary and proper (elastic) clause;
explain the significance of the McCulloch vs. Maryland Supreme Court case; and
give examples of the implied powers necessary to implement various expressed powers.
Yet the oddest thing about the lesson plan is visual #4. It speaks for itself:
Well thanks for the warning...
Full lesson:
6) One in Five Drop Online Friends Over Political Posts... Political Bigotry/Culture/Personal Experience
http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2012/03/12/pew_facebook_friend_study_one_in_five_drop_online_friends_over_political_posts.html
March 12, 2012
New Pew study shows that people who post about politics tend to be very liberal or very conservative, limiting their appeal.
Spouting off about political issues on Facebook and other social sites may be bad for your friend count, according to a new study released Monday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Eighteen percent of the 2,253 adults surveyed by Pew said they had blocked, unfriended, or hidden a friend on a social network over a political post. It isn’t hard to see why: The Pew survey found that because people who post about politics tend to be very liberal or very conservative, the offending posts are more likely to be out of line with other people’s views. Indeed, only one in four users surveyed by Pew said they "usually" or "always" agree with their friends’ political posts; 73 percent said they only sometimes or never do.
Though most people-roughly two in three-take no action over political posts they disagree with, some 28 percent said they counter with a comment or competing post, another behavior the Pew survey said leads to friends going their own way.
Despite everyone’s apparent distaste for other people’s political views, the survey found most users continue to post their own: 75 percent of adults who use social sites said their friends post political content, and 37 percent said they post at least some of their own.
7) See color at night... Technology/Night Vision/Interest
http://marinesmagazine.dodlive.mil/2012/03/12/color-nvgs/
March 12th, 2012
Marines in the future may be seeing things at night in a whole new way with ColorPath Color Capable Night Vision Devices. These devices allow for the identification of colors even in lowlight situations, allowing for better intelligence and security missions.
When it comes to night vision devices, seeing different shades of monochromatic green has been the standard viewpoint for Marines. But the ColorPath Color Capable Night Vision Device could have Marines seeing colors, allowing them to identify the bad guy’s red truck, or differentiate between uniforms, objects, friends or foes. Developed by Tenebraex, the ColorPath uses one standard, green image intensifier tube to create a true, full-color image. Even at low starlight levels, it provides image color with no delay and is unaffected by temperature. It is also lightweight and energy efficient. By using mechanical filters, the ColorPath system processes real-time images faster than other computer-based filters. The resulting color provides better night depth-perception and terrain assessment, making gathering intelligence at night similar to day.
The new capabilities of the ColorPath Color Capable Night Vision Device would allow Marines to differentiate between uniforms, objects, friends or foes. The ability to identify colors at night would allow Marines to gather intelligence and security in a safer and more effective way.
Specifications:
Helmet mounted
Field of view - 40°
Weight - 18 ounces with 2 AA batteries
Power -Approx. 10 hours operation
Waterproof - 32 feet
8) CBO: Obamacare to cost $1.76 trillion over 10 yrs... Obama and Democrat Lies/Federal Debt/Socialized Health Care
http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/cbo-obamacare-cost-176-trillion-over-10-yrs/425831
March 13, 2012
President Obama's national health care law will cost $1.76 trillion over a decade, according to a new projection released today by the Congressional Budget Office, rather than the $940 billion forecast when it was signed into law.
Democrats employed many accounting tricks when they were pushing through the national health care legislation, the most egregious of which was to delay full implementation of the law until 2014, so it would appear cheaper under the CBO's standard ten-year budget window and, at least on paper, meet Obama's pledge that the legislation would cost "around $900 billion over 10 years." When the final CBO score came out before passage, critics noted that the true 10 year cost would be far higher than advertised once projections accounted for full implementation.
Today, the CBO released new projections from 2013 extending through 2022, and the results are as critics expected: the ten-year cost of the law's core provisions to expand health insurance coverage has now ballooned to $1.76 trillion. That's because we now have estimates for Obamacare's first nine years of full implementation, rather than the mere six when it was signed into law. Only next year will we get a true ten-year cost estimate, if the law isn't overturned by the Supreme Court or repealed by then. Given that in 2022, the last year available, the gross cost of the coverage expansions are $265 billion, we're likely looking at about $2 trillion over the first decade, or more than double what Obama advertised.
UPDATE: I've done another post with additional details from the CBO report.
9) FL Dems Fly American Flag With Obama’s Face on It - Vets Outraged... Obama Supporters Ego/Obama Worship
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/american-flag-with-obamas-face-enrages-veterans-in-florida/
March 14, 2012
A flag featuring an image of President Barack Obama's face was removed from a local Florida Democratic Party headquarters after local veterans said it was a "desecration." (Image source: Orlando Sentinel)
An American flag featuring an image of President Barack Obama’s face was removed from outside a local Florida Democratic Party headquarters Tuesday after several veterans called it “despicable” and a “desecration,” the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Veterans gathered Tuesday afternoon to protest in front of the Lake County Democratic Party headquarters, where the flag - featuring Obama’s face in the blue section where the stars normally go - was flying beneath a traditional American flag. The confrontation ended after party chairwoman Nancy Hurlbert took the flag down, according to the Sentinel.
The protest started after Don Van Beck, a Korean war veteran and executive director of the Veterans Memorial at Fountain Park in Leesburg, Fla., snapped several pictures of the flag and distributed them to others. He told WFTV-TV seeing it made his blood boil.
“I can‘t describe how upset was because you just don’t do that to the American flag,” he told the station.
The group demanded Hurlbert remove the flag, saying it was a violation of the federal flag code that prohibits any “marks, insignia, letters, words, figures, designs, picture or drawings of any nature,” the Leesburg Daily Commercial reported. According to the Sentinel, Hurlbert said she would look into the issue but didn’t take the flag down right away. A short while later, she conceded and removed it.
“We‘re proud of our president and we didn’t realize it was in violation,” Hurlbert said. “I am the chair and I take responsibility for this.”
Hurlbert told the newspaper it was the first time anyone had complained about the flag, which she said was given as a gift and had flown for several months without any issue.
“It’s a cult of personality to show his face, like Stalin or Mao,” retired Marine John Masterjohn told the Sentinel. “It’s despicable. They don’t realize how sick they are.”
“If you’ve been a veteran and fought - and some died for this flag - you don’t want to see it desecrated. That’s how simple it is,” Van Beck told WFTV.
Hurlbert told Fox News she plans to contact an attorney about the situation, and was non-committal about whether she’ll fly it again.
Still, because it went unnoticed for so long, she said she has a feeling it’s “not about the flag.”
“It leads me to believe that it’s not about the flag,” she told Fox News. “Certain elements cannot accept Barack Obama as president.”