RSSCanada; Trust Me this is Not a Good Idea
Wow, Prince Edward Island is a beautiful spot to vacation and the people are among the most friendly in all of Canada; however, they may want to rethink their decision on their suicide hotline.
Starting in June, they will shut its 24-hour suicide hotline and replace it with one that operates only during business hours. That’s right, a 9 to 5 Suicide hot line.
“How many times, when you get upset or worried or concerned about things, is it in the middle of the day? It’s usually at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning when you wake up,” said Joan Wright, executive director of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention based in Edmonton, Alberta.
The hotline received about 1,400 calls a year and about 50 were from people contemplating suicide, health groups said.
I guess the people of PEI are going to have to plan their suicide crisis accordingly. If this were not such a serious subject it would be amusing. Actually it is a bit amusing in a Scrapple kind-a-way. What will be the next cost saving idea, no police patrol between the hours of 1am to 7am or no fireman calls on the weekends?
Take a look at this reason why the 24 hr suicide hotline was scaled back.
“One of the things I was hearing is the government felt there weren’t enough suicide-related calls,” Wright said.
Of course the question does come to mind, why doesn’t the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention man the phones and provide this service?
This is also a news alert to all the Democrats that were suffering from PEST, Post Election Stress Trauma or having symptoms of PEST. You may want to avoid PEI.
Dreams from Rain Drenched New England
It has rained for 10 straight days and is supposed to pretty much not get any better for the Memorial Day Weekend. I can only live vicariously through this story at the moment and listen to the pinging of rain hit the roof.
A couple more days and ark building will commence at noon.
When Is a Filibuster Not a Filibuster?
When the Democrats whine after a cloture vote against John Bolton and some how with a straight face say it is not.
Well the Cloture vote has failed, 56-42
The Senate voted 56-42 to block a final vote on Bolton. Democratic Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska voted for the end to debate, but other Democrats argued they want more information on the nominee’s requests for certain intelligence intercepts. Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas also voted for cloture.
Question: You know when someone is filibustering a nominee?
Answer: When they tell you right after they have done so that they are not filibustering.
Thus, after the cloture vote, I think that Reid and Biden dost protest too much.
Still, the two insisted the vote was not a filibuster.
“We want to make clear that this is not a filibuster. It is a vote to protect the Senate’s constitutional power to advise and consent to nominations,” they wrote.
After the vote, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said the vote against ending debate did not reflect on the nominee per se.
“We’re not here to filibuster Bolton, we’re here to get information on Bolton,” Reid said.
Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist called it like he saw it after the vote.
“It does disappoint me,” Frist said after the vote. “It looks like we have, once again, another filibuster.”
Michelle Malkin has some more comments from the aftermath of the cloture vote from Bill Frist in comparing a duck to a filibuster.
658pm Frist: It certainly sounds like a filibuster. It quacks like a filibuster.
It does disappoint me…We are going to come back to this issue…but I think what America has just seen is an engagement of another period of obstruction by the other side…once again, another filibuster…
The Political Teen has the video.
More from ABC:
Frist said the Bolton matter soured the air of cooperation.
“John Bolton, the very first issue we turned to, we got what looks to me like a filibuster,” Frist said. “It certainly sounds like a filibuster … it quacks like a filibuster.”
Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., said Democrats do not want to postpone an up-or-down vote indefinitely.
“We are willing to vote 10 minutes after we get back in session, if in fact they provide the information,” Biden said.
MSNBC chimes in with the Glee of the Democratic victory of obstruction. I would really remind Democrats not to get so smug and overplay your hand. Less than 72 hours after Democrats and the idiot 14 claims the Republic was saved, the Democrats have filibustered. Do you really think there is an appearance of doing the work of the American people?
Bolton’s confirmation vote will now be delayed for at least a week, until the Senate returns from its Memorial Day recess.
In a last-ditch effort, two Democratic senators, Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, had worked Thursday to round up the 41 votes needed to stop Bolton’s nomination.
Blogs For Bush live blogged the vote.
UPDATE I: Lets see what the Left is saying.Daily Kos
Looking that way. Democrats say this isn’t a traditional filibuster — Bolton isn’t being killed. His nomination is merely being delayed until the administration delivers information Dems consider crucial to making a final determination.
Good move.
If its so crucial why did Biden say that the minute they get the information they would allow and up and down vote? Good move? Maybe over playing a hand that people are growing weary of gridlock. Biden: “We are willing to vote 10 minutes after we get back in session, if in fact they provide the information,” By the looks of the comments the Left may just be overplaying the Ace/10 suited.
Vote delayed. Given the fact that the administration/state department isn’t giving the Republican Committee Chair the information he requested, it’s the only right thing to do.
That’s a little thin for the same reasons as above.
Crooks & Liars, Democrats win crucial Bolton vote
The administration stonewalls on supplying documents. I heard Joe Lieberman say on Ed Schultz that he stood with the members until they received the proper information.
UPDATE II:
To answer a question posed by a commenter lets go to a post that hits the question dead on. Quando reiterates the uselessness of the documents requested and the high level of security that they contain
Question: But why doesn’t the White House simply comply to a very reasonable request? What are they hiding?
Answer: The papers in question, however, are highly classified documents that detail intelligence sources and methods. Redacted versions of the documents were considered unacceptable by the Democrats.
The State Department, referring to the Senate’s famed inability to keep such material secret, has categorically refused to turn those unredacted documents over to the Senate. Moreover, they state that the Department will never allow the Senate to see unredacted originals. In my opinion, State is quite right to make that determination.
Thus the Democrats are doing what they do best, circular logic. They are requesting a document stating that it is paramount to passing cloture yet they know they will never be given the document in a form that they are asking for. Sounds like doing the work of the American people to me. The Democrats talk about the Presidents approval rating; have they taken a good look at their’s lately?
FBI Sting, Operation Tennessee Waltz, in the Volunteer State
From out of Tennessee comes an FBI sting that could have major national political implications down the line. The FBI conducted a two-year undercover operation dubbed Operation “Tennessee Waltz,” that lead to the indictment of four Tennessee lawmakers, a former lawmaker and two other indictments Thursday.
Those charged included the senator, John Ford; fellow Sens. Kathryn Bowers and Ward Crutchfield; state Rep. Chris Newton; and former state Sen. Roscoe Dixon. Newton is a Republican and the others are Democrats.
Federal authorities said during a news conference Thursday that the charges were extortion and accepting bribes following a two-year undercover operation dubbed “Tennessee Waltz.” The grand jury returned the indictments in Memphis.
Ford has been under investigation for his consulting deals with companies doing business with the state.
WBIR.com reports the following were charged:
The lawmakers are Sen. Ward Crutchfield, D-Chattanooga, Sen. John Ford, D-Memphis, Sen. Kathryn Bowers, D-Memphis, and Rep. Chris Newton, R-Cleveland. The former legislator is Democrat Roscoe Dixon on Memphis, who stepped down in January.
Bill Hobbs has a great round of posts and minute by minute updates to the sting in The Volunteer State.
Nashville is Talking has caught some great lines popping off the page of John Ford’s indictment
[Ford said] if he caught someone trying to set him up he would shoot that person, kill them, so that there would be no witnesses.
[Ford] asked if [and undercover agent] and his “partner” were okay, because while he did not mind shooting the partner, he did not want to shoot [the undercover agent].
The Tennessean reports:
In addition to Crutchfield and Bowers, the lawmakers arrested today are Sen. John Ford, D-Memphis and Rep. Chris Newton, R-Cleveland. The former lawmaker is Sen. Roscoe Dixon, a Memphis Democrat who stepped down in January.
Ford is accused of taking $55,000. The others are accused of taking lesser amounts.
“Government is not for sale,” said U.S. Attorney Terrell Harris.
The busts were the dramatic culmination of a legislative session dominated by discussion of ethics.
Michelle Malkin and Wizbang have some very good updates on events.
Great job by other local TN Blogs
GOP in the City
Right Justified
Nashville City Paper
Pith in the Wind
Rexblog
And always … Thursday Night Fever
Pink Kitty
Update I: Video of Press Conference via WBIR-TV
Update II: Timing is Everything
Democratic Representative, TN, Harold Ford Jr. filed the federal paperwork Wednesday to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist.
“I’m excited. I’m ready to go,” Ford said in telephone interview from Washington. He said his top issues will be energy reform, national security and education.
What a difference a day makes. After this little diddy by John Ford, a name change may need to be involved here.
UPDATE III:Photo’s of the TN perps.
Murder Charges Dropped Against US Marine Pantano
The long ordeal for Lt. Pantano, who was accused of murdering two Iraqi insurgents outside a suspected terrorist hideout in Mahmudiyah, Iraq is over.
From AP via Fox News
A former Wall Street trader who rejoined the Marines after the Sept. 11 attacks will not be tried on murder charges for killing two suspected Iraqi insurgents, a Marine general decided Thursday.
The decision by Maj. Gen. Richard Huck, commander of the 2nd Marine Division based at Camp Lejeune, ends the prosecution of 2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano, whom prosecutors accused of killing the men without justification.
An Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury session, was held in April. In a report dated May 12, the hearing officer, Lt. Col. Mark Winn, had recommended that the murder charges be dropped.
The reaction from Pantano’s family was joy:
“That’s exciting, isn’t it,” said Pantano’s mother, Merry Pantano of New York, who said she hadn’t yet spoken to her son about the decision. “Needless to say, we are quite ecstatic.”
More than a half-dozen Marines who served with Pantano in Iraq praised him in testimony, saying he was an able leader who remained cool in combat and was amiable with Iraqis.
“I think (the decision) demonstrates that Ilario acted honorably in combat and the suggestion that he didn’t that tarnished his reputation was unjustified,” Gittins said. “I’m pleased for Ilario and his family because the nightmare is over.”
Michelle Malkin has more great information on this story including other news service links, Lt. Pantano’s family’s website, Defend the Defenders and milblogger reporting on the case.
Agreed Michelle, Thank God common sense was used and justice was served for Lt. Pantano.
Update: Euphoric Reality has an exclusive interview with Lt. Pantano’s lawyer, Charles Gittins, must read.
