Friday, October 31, 2008
8 hurt in crash with ambulance on Northwest Side
October 31, 2008 at 1:30
Eight people were hurt in a traffic crash involving three cars and a fire department ambulance near Our Lady of Resurrection Medical Center on the Northwest Side.
The crash happened about 9:10 a.m. at Addison Street and Menard Avenue, according to Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Will Knight. None of the injuries was believed to be life-threatening, police said after assessing initial reports.
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I approved of this ad because I don't approve of the way they're treating our country
What I want to hear from Obama is a simple statement that could sum it all up. In the end of his commercial when he says that he approved of "this message" he should add in, "because I don't approve of the way this country has been run" or "the way the American people have been treated" along those lines. After all, isn't that what an election is all about? No one wants to keep doing the same thing when nothing seems to be working, except McCain that is. So why not just tell it like it is as simple as it is so that when people go to vote, they have that thought in their mind? Do they approve of the way things are? If they do, then vote for McCain. If not, then vote for Obama and show how much they don't approve either. It will set the tone for the next four years and keep it in the minds of the rest of people running this country, this isn't the way you like it. kc
Maine Gunman Held Fifth-Graders Hostage
55-Year-Old Man Arrested By State Troopers; No Students Were Hurt
Comments 141
STOCKTON SPRINGS, Maine, Oct. 31, 2008
(CBS/ AP) A gunman who had been on the lam for a week held 11 fifth-graders hostage at a school Friday but was tackled outside a classroom without any harm to the children, police said.
Randall Hofland, 55, had released all the students and had turned over a gun to one of the former hostages before he was arrested at Stockton Springs Elementary School, authorities said.
He was taken to jail and all of the school's pupils, about 80, were taken by bus to an elementary school in neighboring Searsport, where witnesses were being questioned by police.
"These children are very brave. They did a tremendous job," Gov. John Baldacci said.
The gunman walked into a fifth-grade classroom around the start of the day. The teacher escaped to call the police, leaving the students alone with the gunman, according to reporter Amy Erickson of CBS affiliate WABI in Bangor.
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War, not voting, focus of soldiers in Iraq
It also makes sense that the bulk of contributions from members of the military have gone to Obama and Paul, not McCain. As you read down, you'll see that one of the complaints the troops have is that McCain has been tied to Bush and they see Bush for what he did to Iraq and to the country. This also shows that the statistical data is right and troops are a reflection of the nation as a whole. They are Democrats and Republicans and Independents along with the minor parties just like the rest of us. The biggest difference is, they the ones risking their lives doing what the nation sent them to do without having the benefit of deciding who takes over next. The soldiers who do want to vote are not getting what they need as fast as they need it to do it. I wonder if they know how badly McCain has done on his votes for when they become veterans?
War, not voting, focus of soldiers in Iraq
Antiquated, flawed process impedes voting for some combat troops
MOSUL, Iraq - Car bombs rather than Obama, making it home rather than McCain dominate the talk among many U.S. soldiers in Iraq's deadliest city during the final countdown to America's presidential election.
Dangers, distance from home and the dawn-to-dark effort in an alien environment push U.S. politics into a corner for many soldiers — especially in combat outposts where television and the Internet are not readily available.
"Regardless of who wins the election, we are going to be here 15 months. And our mission is not going to be fundamentally affected, at least in the short term," said Capt. Justin Davis Harper after returning from a patrol into the northern city of Mosul's most violent zone.No public voting data
How soldiers in Iraq or anywhere else vote will not be accurately known since government agencies do not make such data public.
"My guess is that the military will continue to vote Republican but less so in that direction because this time there are conflicting impulses at work," said Richard H. Kohn at the University of North Carolina.
McCain, a former Navy pilot and Vietnam War POW, is attractive to service members and "adept at its language," Kohn said. "But at the same time, I detect a disappointment and even anger at the way Bush has managed, ranging from treatment of the wounded to gross errors in waging the war in Iraq."go here for more
Mentally ill deserve voting rights, advocates say
Mentally ill deserve voting rights, advocates say
Story Highlights
State advocates help those with mental disabilities register, vote
Critics say that allowing outsiders to help could influence votes
All but 11 states have laws limiting voting rights based on competence
Expert says mentally ill have more at stake because they rely on government
RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) -- Clyde Hoy has missed only one election. It was 2002, and the manic depression he had battled for nearly 20 years had taken hold again, landing him in a state psychiatric hospital.
"I wanted to vote, but I felt that I didn't have any right at all," said the 48-year-old. "I asked, and nobody gave me an answer. There wasn't an option."
Advocates are working to change that with a nationwide effort to make sure those with mental disabilities know their rights and exercise them on Election Day.
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/31/mentally.ill.voting.ap/index.html
Non-combat death in Iraq
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Scott J. Metcalf, 36, of Framingham, Mass., died Oct. 29, in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.
The incident is under investigation
Did Louisiana forget what McCain did when New Orleans was suffering?
Posted: 05:51 PM ET
From CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand
Check out CNN's Electoral Map
(CNN) — Some tough news for John McCain in his own backyard, as his home state of Arizona moves from “safe McCain” to “lean McCain” in the latest CNN poll of polls.
And the Republican nominee continues to lose ground in reliably-red areas, as North Dakota moves from “lean McCain” to “toss-up” – meaning three electoral votes that had been counted for McCain are now considered up for grabs.
But there’s some good news for McCain down south: Louisiana has moved from “lean McCain” to “safe McCain.” And the movement on the map is far from done.
While New Orleans was under water, people were dying,,,,,
this is what was more important to both of them.
Political Storm Finds a Columbia Professor
By MARC SANTORA and ELISSA GOOTMAN
Rashid Khalidi, a passionate defender of Palestinian rights, has found himself portrayed as part of a rogues’ gallery of Barack Obama associates.
He was an adviser to the Palestinian delegation during Middle East peace talks from 1991 to 1993. From 1987 until 2003, he was a professor at the University of Chicago, where he became friends with Mr. Obama.
At Mr. Khalidi’s farewell party in 2003, according to the Los Angeles Times article, Mr. Obama fondly recalled their many conversations, saying they provided “consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases.” But Mr. Khalidi told Harper’s Magazine that a report in National Review Online that he had baby-sat for Mr. Obama’s children was nonsense
click link for more but I have a feeling if you're reading this blog, you won't feel any need to. It's a lot more of nothing from McCain and Palin. You could ask McCain why the same man received a boat load of money from the board McCain is the chair of, but I doubt you would get an answer.
University of Washington students tried to save man who set himself on fire
A former University of Washington staff member died Thursday after dousing himself with gasoline and setting himself on fire in Red Square.
By Will Mari and Nick Perry
Seattle Times staff reporters
A former University of Washington staff member died Thursday after dousing himself with gasoline and setting himself on fire in Red Square.
The 61-year-old man, who was not named by officials pending notification of his next of kin, was a recent employee, according to UW assistant police Chief Ralph Robinson.
UW spokesman Norm Arkans said the man separated from the university over the summer, but declined to elaborate on the circumstances.
"We don't know why he did this," said Robinson. "There were no protests or demonstrations going on, so we don't think it was political. He wasn't in a fight as far as we know. We just don't know what drove him."
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Officers shaken after finding a mom killed herself along with three small children
The grandparents weren't the only ones shaken. Dawsey said that first responders were greeted by the "horrific sight" of "young children, snuffed out."
"I know our deputies ... are pretty broken up about the whole scene," said sheriff's spokeswoman Gail Tierney.
October 31, 2008
Mother kills self, three young sons in Citrus County
FLORAL CITY -- Tragedy has struck Citrus County hard yet again: a mother appears to have taken the lives of her three young boys with a gun that she then turned on herself, according to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office.
The oldest boy was almost 4. The youngest was just 15-months-old.
The mother was identified this afternoon as 23-year-old Alicia Chomic of Pasco County. Her children were identified as Thomas Goldsmith Jr., almost 4; Damian Lietz, 2 1/2-years-old; and 15-month-old Anthony Lietz Jr.
The apparent murder-suicide took place at the home of the maternal grandmother, Vickie Maslowski, at 4983 E. Stoer Lane. Sheriff's officials said the 23-year-old mother and children left Pasco County about a week ago to move in with the grandmother and Chomic's stepfather in their Floral City mobile home.
go here for morehttp://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2008/10/mom-three-sons.html