Section 31
1 hour ago
Dear Senator Brown,
I lived most of my life in Cleveland, OH, and while I missed last November's election living in North Carolina, I was pulling for you. Now living in Cincinnati, I am glad you were able to prevail; you would've had another vote from me.
I only mention this because I voted, as many Americans did, primarily out of frustration at the complacency of a Republican-ruled Congress holding strong to the pole of President Bush's war flag; It is a flag that illegally drove us into Iraq and will - with recent administration media marching orders - drive us into a conflict with Iran.
We were tired of it. The Democratic Party took power. Now we're getting tired of the Democratic Party. You were supposed to bring the troops home, but it's politics as usual in Washington: back-scratching and sweetheart deals and the frontrunners of our party for the next presidential race parroting "we just don't have the votes."
I call shenanigans, because it's much nicer than using 'bullshit' in a letter to my State Senator.
As you are well aware, today and tomorrow brings Gen. David Petraeus to the Senate to deliver an admittedly White House-tweaked report on our 'progress' in Iraq. Almost 4,000 dead Americans is our 'progress;' our brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters, who would rather be at home, fighting against other people's brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters who would rather be in heaven. How do we win that fight?
Chances are you will hear that it's working a little and, hey guys, why don't you just lay off and we can do this again in March and Grumble, grumble, watermelon, watermelon, hrumph, hrumph, "we don't have the votes"...okay.
We win the fight not by fighting but by diplomatic, "be the bigger person" policies. I beg of you: Shut Petraeus down. Then tell the other democrats in the Senate to grow a set and provide only the money it will take to bring our troops home; that is what you were all elected to do. Finally, fix the Congressional emasculation that occurred before you were elected and do everything in your power to prevent an invasion/strike on Iran.
The only way we will win in 2008 is by proving we are different from the 2001-2009 BuCheney War Machine Tour. And right now, Ron Paul is looking better than Clinton or Obama.
Senator Sherrod Brown, end this war.
UNION TWP. - The day Cecilia Slaby died wasn't the first time her mother left the 2-year-old alone in a car, according to police reports made public Wednesday.A couple of things to note here: The law in Ohio states that you can't have negligence without endangerment, and endangerment requires intent to harm. Apathy, forgetfulness, stupidity, even if repetitive, even if in abundance enough to make you want to scream at the world and punch the wall, is not enough to send someone to jail in Ohio. Ohio Revised Code even defines Involuntary Manslaughter - something I would've thought would fit the "I didn't mean to kill my baby" defense - is only applicable in the case of committing or attempting to commit a felony or misdemeanor. And as we saw in the last article, because of lack of intent, neither of those works either; they cancel each other out.
Brenda Nesselroad-Slaby was warned by a former administrator at the preschool attended by Cecilia's 5-year-old sister, Allison, not to leave her toddler in the car by herself.
A parent had complained about seeing Cecilia left in a car last winter.
A teacher at the Compass School in Loveland told police that twice in the two days before Cecilia's death she heard Nesselroad-Slaby describe leaving the child unattended in a car.
Teacher Tara Phillips told police that on Aug. 21 Nesselroad-Slaby arrived at 5:10 p.m. to pick up Allison.
"She told Allison to hurry up because the baby was in the car," Phillips wrote. The same thing happened the next day, Phillips said.
"We were acting out a story when Ms. Slaby came to pick up Allison about 3:05," Phillips wrote. "Allison asked Mom if she would stay to watch her part. Mom stayed, and they both left at 3:15. Mom didn't go to check on the baby."
Debbie Wolf, a former Compass School administrator, told police that after the parent expressed concern last winter about a baby left in a car, she told Nesselroad-Slaby "that her child should not be left in the car alone. Mrs. Slaby apologized."
Wolf told police the incident prompted the school to warn parents in its newsletter that "no child should be left in a car unattended."