True American

This man embodies the true spirit of America and also reaffirms the popular belief that all substitute teachers are crazy. Gary Weddle of the state of Washington vowed not to shave until Osama bin Laden was captured or proven dead. As everyone knows, Sunday night he got his wish. Weddle initially figured it would only take a month or two before we found the other guy with the long beard...

Weddle was a substitute teacher in Wenatchee when the infamous al-Qaeda terrorist attack occurred on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, killing 3,000 Americans. Weddle was so caught up in the news that he neglected to shave. A week or so later, he vowed not to shave until bin Laden was captured or proven dead. He figured it would just be a month or two.

At the start of each school year, Weddle told his students the beard was a reminder of the attack. He frequently said he didn't understand how anyone could use the name of his God to justify murder.

Weddle said that the thing that changed the most during the last 10 years was his taste in music...

Teacher who vowed not to shave until bin Laden was caught or killed finally shaves

***Related story- Caifornia man singlehandedly pursues Osama bin Laden

My Unbalanced Opinions: Hero

Gary Brooks Faulkner: Would-Be Osama bin Laden Beheader

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Sweet little Ieshia

A 17 year old girl at Riverside High School points a fake gun at a police officer. Instead of talking about what a brat she is, everyone in the following article is talking about how "her rights were violated" and how the school "let her down." Think about this for a moment. Seriously?...

Iesia was allowed to return to school Friday, after a hearing officer found her guilty of struggling with Police Officer Valerie Stover-Kelly, who was trying to take her to the office.

Anthony Pendergrass, the family's attorney, said the school system violated the its own and state suspension procedures by failing to provide due process within a reasonable period of time. He also contends it should have done more to help Iesia.

"What happened is a travesty. To throw her life into an uproar like this is inexcusable and incomprehensible," he said.

It's so sad. I hope her feelings weren't hurt. What basically happened, according to the article was that sweet little Ieshia pointed a fake gun at a police officer who was trying to transport another unruly (notice a trend here?) student to the assistant principal's office...

Stover-Kelly, the student resource officer, and Daniel Ahern, a security guard, entered the hallway with a student they were escorting to the assistant principal's office.

Under cross-examination by Pendergrass, Stover-Kelly said she saw Iesia pointing and following her with the simulated, wooden rifle.

Returning several minutes later from the assistant principal's office and ignoring a JROTC instructor, Stover-Kelly confronted Iesia. Using profanity, she accused the girl of pointing the simulated rifle at her.

Stover-Kelly said her purpose was informational. "I informed her -- it was not a threat, it was information -- that the next time she pointed a gun at a police officer, [be] prepared to get shot," Stover-Kelly said she told the girl.

Iesia, using profanity back, said she did nothing wrong, asked the officer to leave her alone and turned away. Stover-Kelly then put her hands on the girl to take her to the principal's office.

In a matter of moments, Iesia was on the ground, handcuffed and placed under arrest. Ahern said Iesia "pulled and pushed" Stover-Kelly, leading to her arrest.

End of story. The police officer was right to come back and scold her for pointing a fake gun at her, while she was trying to do her job. The undisciplined student became belligerent and confrontational (I see it every day). Now, the whole thing is twisted and it is somehow the authority figure's fault for trying to instill discipline into the girl, who obviously lacked it.

The officer defended using profanity to a student. "There's no language that these kids don't hear every single day. I can use the same language they use at me," Stover-Kelly said. Later, she said cursing at teenagers "comes with the job."

Pendergrass said later that he found those remarks by Stover-Kelly, who is African-American, offensive. "I think it was a comment that said these black kids are to be spoken to in this way and was nothing other than a stereotypical view of these kids," he said.

It's time to get out your harps. The lawyer is blaming the school and the police officer for perpetuating a stereotype.Who is perpetuating the stereotype here? Sweet little Ieshia is a 17 year old single mother, who despite being a parent, is still causing trouble in high school. I don't feel bad for her. I feel bad for the good kid who has to sit next to her in class. Oh wait, if they have any sense, they've already moved to a better district to get away from angels like Ieshia. No disciplinary action should be brought against this cop. Ieshia and her stupid lawyer should be told to learn how to behave in public and forced to read my blog religiously for the next 10 years. Case dismissed...

Who do you blame when your kid is a brat
Pampered and spoiled like a Siamese cat?
Blaming the kids is a lion of shame
You know exactly who's to blame:
The mother and the father!...

City schools criticized for arrest, suspension

www.buffalonews.com

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International update: Pakistan

From the Associated Press: A few dozen people gather in the capital city of Pakistan to protest our special forces bringing the world's biggest terrorist to justice. Someone should remind them those were real people needlessly murdered on their way to work 10 years ago. 3,000 people with families. The one sign says "Obama: Take care of your own problems first." He did take care of our biggest problem: Osama bin Laden and 99% of the world is grateful. The US government gives Pakistan $1 billion dollars a year in aid. Obama should take their advice and spend it next year on our own soil...



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Navy S.E.A.L.S. elite unit

We all know the picture of a deceased Osama bin Laden circulating the web is fake. However, one of my sources in Pakistan (who wishes to remain anonymous) has leaked this photo of the elite team of Navy S.E.A.L.S. who took out Osama bin Laden...

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Kennedy releases statement on the death of Osama bin Laden

State Senator Tim Kennedy has released the following statement on the death of Osama bin Laden: "Hey, are you going to eat those fries?"

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Sitting at home with a major toothache

I've written about many things on here. The Buffalo Public Schools, national stories, wildlife, local crime, etc. I guess the most controversial stories would be those involving local politicians.

I always find it curious when they say in vague words, "Your blog might end up hurting you." It's kind of puzzling to me, because the only time they ever look at things from a perspective other than their own is after I call them out on the blog. I would love to know how this blog will hurt me. As Bob Dylan said in his song Like A Rolling Stone, "when you got nothing, you got nothing to lose." I write these stories with a smile on my face. No anger here.

At a recent social gathering, I had at least 7 parents come up to me and tell me they appreciate my blog. I'm running into people all over Western New York that bring it up. Smart people. I wouldn't expect them to agree with my opinions 100% of the time. Who would? I've been wrong before and I'm sure I'll be wrong again on things in the future.

The politicians like to be able to control information. When I ran for the Common Council in 2001, the people in power knew I didn't have any money to reach new voters. So they spread the word that I wasn't intelligent. Despite the fact that I had a degree and they didn't, they would say things like, "he's not intelligent. All he knows how to do is kick around a soccer ball." What recourse did I have to dispute this? Since I began writing a few years ago, I haven't heard them say stuff like this too often. I don't know, perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I effortlessly expose them and make them look like fools on a daily basis. There is nothing they could ever do to hurt me. People can read what I write and decide whether it is true or not for themselves, or they don't have to read it at all. I think what upsets them is the fact that someone else (not in their pockets) is relaying information they don't want out.

I said all along, as an active citizen, I will be part of the political process whether the established politicians like it or not. They can either work with me or deal with me. It's called Democracy. Through my involvement in the community for the past 20 years, I've met thousands of people. This blog is a way for me to communicate with them and tell them what their leaders are up to. I will continue showing the local political types the same amount of respect that they show me. If they don't like it, they should start their own blog about how unintelligent I am. I wish they would. This site could use the publicity.
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How US forces killed bin Laden

CNN gives us some surprising details about the firefight that lead to bin Laden's death Sunday night...

How U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden

(CNN) -- The mission that killed one of the world's most notorious terrorist leaders was carried out by U.S. forces with the cooperation of Pakistan, U.S. President Barack Obama said Sunday night.

Osama bin Laden -- the longtime leader of al Qaeda -- was killed by U.S. forces in a mansion about 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, north of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad along with other family members, a senior U.S. official told CNN. The senior U.S. official, who has requested anonymity, said the leader of al Quada was reading an obscure American website call My Unbalanced Opinions when he was ambushed by U.S. troops posing as Avon sales ladies. His last words were reportedly, "Come on, infidels. I just got to the crime stats section."

How U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden

www.cnn.com

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John

The Waldorf -Astoria Hotel wins today's sensitivity award for forcing a waiter named Mohammed to wear a name tag that said John. He had worked there since 1984. The hotel's lawyers think that maybe it wasn't such a great idea...

An Arab banquet waiter at the legendary Waldorf-Astoria hotel says he was forced to wear different name tags at work to prevent guests from being frightened by being served by someone named Mohamed.

Mohamed Kotbi said the first time he was asked to do so was on Sept. 13, 2001 — two days after the attacks on the Twin Towers.

Kotbi, who has worked for the hotel since December 1984, said he was given a name tag that said, “John.”

“I put it on. I was in shock,” the Muslim man said. When he later went to complain to hotel management, he said he was told, “We don’t want to scare our guests.”

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/the_game_of_name_mFyV0MF07t2g1nGF8H8R8O#ixzz1LADv8nH3

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Good man

Navy veteran Chuck Catalena picks up other elderly veterans and takes them to their medical appointments. The news should do more stories about people like this...




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Letters to the editor: Frustrated music teacher

Here is a great letter to the editor from the music teacher at Burgard High School. While I agree with 100% of what he says, I think the new principal there needs to give him a "personal day" before he hits some student over the head with a trombone...

Students' performance is tied to attendance

As some have pointed out, one of the biggest challenges to improving achievement in the Buffalo Public Schools is attendance. We simply cannot improve test scores and graduation rates if the students are not at their desks. But the District Parent Coordinating Council proposes to address the district’s poor performance by keeping their kids out of school! Perhaps a better idea would be to find a way to get more of them in school.

Every day, students cut school, or cut classes, or arrive late. Or they sit in an in-school suspension room (often for failure to serve multiple detentions they received for cutting class or being late). Or they are suspended from school for fistfights or other serious offenses. The School Zone blog on The News’ website has databases of attendance and suspension rates at Western New York schools for anyone who wants to see what we are facing.

Buffalo’s teachers, administrators and board members all share the parents’ dissatisfaction and frustration. We all want our kids to succeed and we are all searching for answers. So I ask DPCC members and parents to help us. Demand that your kids be in school, on time. Stop by and check on them, if you can. Demand that they be attentive and respectful. Demand that they show up to every class with pens, pencils and paper, but without cell phones. Make it clear to your children that fighting in school is unacceptable, that getting pregnant is not a career choice, that you expect them to take responsibility for their own education.

Tom Fenton

Music Teacher Burgard High School Buffalo

I could just picture the letter writer at the CPG Grille on a Friday afternoon at 4PM, downing shots: "Make it a double. I hate those fu*k*ing little bastards!"

While I can understand the frustration the parents' council has towards the Buffalo schools, taking the students out of class for a day is not the answer. The teacher here is correct. If Reverend Pridgen spent a few days observing the behavior of many of these students, it would really open up his eyes. As the letter writer implies, discipline and lack of responsibility on the students and many of their parents is the main cause for the schools' poor performance. Talk to any teacher in Buffalo. There are great kids in every class in every school in the city who aren't able to learn because of a few disruptive students.

And it's not disruptive like you see in the movies. I'm a substitute teacher in Buffalo, which is the equivalent to spending two tours of duty in Vietnam.These particular students are belligerent. They would not get away with this type of behavior anywhere else. Why do we allow it in the United States? The good parents, students, and teachers need to take back the schools from these troublemakers. Right now, in our current system, these particular students control the schools. And they know this. It might make a good news story for Reverend Pridgen and the Parents' Council to blame the teachers. However, if the community really wants to change the situation, they need to look in the mirror...

Students’ performance is tied to attendance

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