America Haters Rejoice: Colorado Teacher Keeps His Brainwashing Job

Well here's a surprise!

A Cherry Creek social studies teacher will not be disciplined or lose his job, after a student went public with a tape recording of controversial comments the teacher had made in class.
Superintendent Monte C. Moses said Jay Bennish will be reinstated to his job at Overland High School, and will be teaching on Monday.

At a news conference this afternoon, Moses said Bennish doesn't deserve to be praised, nor does he deserve to be fired. "Jay Bennish has promise as a teacher, but his practice and deportment need growth and refinement," said Moses.

"I will continue to try and improve myself as a teacher," said Bennish. "And I will continue to try and influence students to think critically about our world."

The announcement came after Bennish's attorney, David Lane, promised to sue the school district if Bennish was fired.

At a meeting Thursday, Bennish told Cherry Creek school leaders that he should have used a different dictator when comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler in a geography class.

Bennish also told district officials that he should have balanced each lecture "contemporaneously" on controversial issues rather than over the course of the term, according to Lane.

was placed on paid administrative leave last week while officials probed allegations that he was biased after sophomore Sean Allen went public with a recording he made of a Feb. 1 geography lecture.
Bennish had cited "eerie similarities" between Bush's State of the Union address and "things that Adolf Hitler used to say."

Today in Washington, President Bush was asked about the Bennish controversy.

"I think people should be allowed to criticize me all they want. And they do," he said.

UPDATE: BENNISH TO CONTINUE

ADVOCATING FOR "SOCIAL JUSTICE."

So apparently using your classrom to spew hate against your country in a time of war is no big deal. Just don't try saying a Christian prayer. A Muslim prayer would probably be ok.

• Here's the original post on this story in case you've been in a coma the past week.
• And again, if you haven't heard the shrill voice of Bennish for yourself, the audio of the tape is here.
• Dignan's 75 Year Plan goes point by point through Bennish's screed to document the factual inaccuracy, lies and propaganda that he will now continue to feed unwitting Colorado students at taxpayer expense.

Stop Chopping Down the GOP Trees: Win the 2006 Elections and Win the War!

A little over a week ago I began the title of a post: "Can't see the forest for the trees" in regard to the hysteria over the now defunct Dubai Ports World Deal. Nearly ten days have passed, President Bush's poll numbers are at an all time low, Republicans in Congress are scrambling for the tall grass and Senators like Chuck Schumer (Defeaticrat-New York) are preening like cats in the warm spring sunshine.

Again, trees here, trees there. No forest in sight.

And too often when I look around, I see fellow Republicans flexing their muscle in opposing President Bush on yet another issue as the governing majority that has been on the razor's edge since 2000 suffers the death of a thousand cuts.

I look around. I see trees. Some may fall to the ground, and along with them, the forest.

Folks, it's time to refocus on winning the war on terror. But to win that war, we need to win the battle for Congress in 2006. If we insist on dividing our strength over factional disagreements, we will lose this battle, and Democrats will likely see to it that we lose the wider war.

Talk about a risk that we cannot afford to take!

Should Democrats win control of either legislative body, you can expect them to wave the white flag of surrender in the war faster than you can say "Patriot Act!"

As a student of political science and a practitioner of the arts at the grass roots and in the White House, I study polls. And I've found no better resource than the Real Clear Politics poll averaging page. But while those numbers across the board paint a gloomy picture, there is really only one poll that matters and it won't be taken for another 242 days (November 7, 2006).

The conventional wisdom shows Republicans in some real danger here. But the conventional wisdom was wrong in 2002 and 2004. Had we listened to exit polls on the election night 2004, John Kerry would be president.

The situation is serious, but not hopeless and there are many strengths to our governing majority that have not been completely obliterated by infighting and disagreement.

The economy, always a key issue in every campaign is cranking along on all cylinders. Five million new jobs have been created since August 2003. But who knew? The story got buried, along with every other bit of good news in hysteria over the Dubai ports deal and before that, the hysteria over Vice President Cheney's shooting accident and before that the hysteria over "domestic spying" by the National Security Agency.

Along with the economy, national security is also a key issue. And right now, the punditocracy would tell you that it is the Democrats who have the edge on this issue. Even respected pollsters, like my highly accurate favorite Rasmussen show the President and Republicans overall being painted as less effective than previously in the war on terror.

Never mind that we haven't been struck again by terrorists in any significant way since September 11th. Never mind that all the defeatist Democrats, or Defeaticrats, have yet to see their doom and gloom scenario in Iraq become reality. Never mind that President Bush has been racking up fresh allies across the globe, from new leadership in Canada and Germany to previously more neutral countries like India.

If that message of success is constantly drowned out by the hysteria du jour, the overall effect is disheartening to those who know better, and downright frightening to those who pay less attention.

Leadership at ALL Levels is the Key

You know that old saying: "Too many chiefs, not enough Indians?" That pretty much describes the situation today. First, we have all those chiefs, the GOP members of the House and Senate, many of whom think they know better than the current White House team how to manage the issues and communicate the message.

But at the same time, many of those self-important potentates fail to provide the courage and leadership we expect from a chief. At the first sign of trouble they head for the bunker, or see which way the wind is blowing and head in that direction. The situation will only get worse as the contest for the 2008 presidential election heats up.

Sure, our Commander in Chief bears his share of responsibility. He's out there raising money left and right for the little chiefs when maybe he should spend a tad more time reworking the communications apparatus to win the battle for the airwaves first. But frankly, as easy as it is for many to point the finger and blame President Bush, I'm not about to validate that course further. He's got good people like Karl Rove working on the problem and they've been pretty darn successful these past few elections.

Lastly, it will be up to the Indians to do their part too. Not by acting like smaller versions of the smaller chiefs and demonstrating their dissatisfaction with President Bush or their independence. Neither independent Indians, or chiefs win elections.

Your responsibility: TO WIN!

Daniel Heninger wrote an excellent piece in Opinion Journal about the constant drumbeat of bad news, much of it now being validated by fellow conservatives. The fear is that the mushy middle ground of voters, who don't' pay much attention, and care even less, will get so discouraged by the constant negativity that they just vote for change. The one ace in the hole may be that as tired as voters get of the Bush team, when they look at Pelosi, Reid and Dean, they understand the alternative would be much worse.

It must be the primary responsibility of every conservative who understands what is at stake on November 7, 2006 to WIN the battle for congress! This means your efforts need to be focused less on what is wrong with President Bush and the Republican Party and what is right with President Bush and trumpet our manifold successes.

There are important philosophical arguments within the governing coalition about the course and direction of government and these should continue. I fully support the "Contract With America: Renewed and urge both Indians and chiefs to embrace this return to core conservative values.

And while it is perfectly acceptable to criticize how the governing majority has strayed from core principles, it is NOT acceptable to do so by validating the arguments of our opponents.

Doing so means that you will stand and watch one tree in the forest fall, after the other. And you will never see the forest, for there will be no trees left.

Unity is the key to victory in this battle and the wider war. The personal safety and well being of every American is at stake. We cannot afford to cut too many more trees from the forest.

Also posted at the Wide Awakes.

Not All Teens Are Brain Dead

Not every teenager is a brain dead goof ball with the intellecutal capacity and maturity of the average "Daily Show" viewer.

Anyone who has seen Overland High School student Sean Allen, who brought his "geography" "teacher's" hate filled rant to our attention, in television interviews can be reassured that not every member of that generation is a nit-wit.

And here's more proof. By way of Opinion Journal's Best of the Web Today:

The Kids Are Alright
Bradley Lehman of Hockessin, Del., weighs in with a letter to the editor of Wilmington's News Journal:

Because I am 17 years old, some people might say that I am not mature enough to understand many issues. However, let me just say that I get more laughs reading the opinion page than I ever have from the comics.

Delawareans seem to be fixated on bashing President Bush and proposing new conspiracy theories whenever they seem convenient.

President Bush did not cause Hurricane Katrina or the complications afterwards. New Orleans was built below sea level so they should have seen it coming and made preparations themselves.

If Dick Cheney shoots someone by accident on his own time, it is none of your business and neither he nor the president has any obligation to tell you about it.

Finally, it seems unreasonable to me that Bush was able to graduate from Yale University, be elected governor of Texas, and earn the respect and confidence of enough of his peers in the Republican Party to be nominated as their presidential candidate if he is indeed as dim-witted as you say.

I am willing to wager that the majority of Delawareans who get their information from this sorry excuse for a newspaper have barely enough brainpower to govern their own lives, let alone governing a nation of almost 300 million.

Note to pedants: We know alright isn't a word; but please take up any complaints with the World Health Organization.

Hillary Clinton: 1. Bush Selling Out Security on Ports. Or 2. Bush setting up "Police State?"

Hillary! Make up your waffle-headed mind!

The Senate's most famous Democrat, who came out early and loud in opposition to the UAE ports deal, is now accusing President Bush and the Republicans of setting up a "POLICE STATE" in regard to immigration security!

Hillary: I realize you've had more opinions on national security than you have had different hairdos (and that is saying something).

But if you REALLY cared about national security, as you claim in the defunct ports deal, you would care just as much about border security and immigration.

Dubai Ports Deal Dead: OFFICIALLY!

News at this hour (1:50 PM, Thursday, March 9) is that Dubai Ports World (company site here), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) company involved in the controversial deal to purchase the leases of a handful of loading and offloading terminals at six U.S. seaports announces that they will sell that portion of the deal to another investor.

So, while we still allow a strategic competitor like China to operate port terminals, the UAE, a strategic ally, who has supported us in the war on terror with miltary facilities, intelligence on Al Queda and economic investment will be turned away.

I FULLY realize that this is a contentious issue for conservatives who are wary of foreign ownership of strategic assets like port terminals. But my own conclusion, based on exhaustive research and an appreciation for the strategic dimensions is that the hysteria that led to this outcome is a mistake. And worse, it is being manipulated by Democrats to our detriment!

Forget for a moment, that the UAE is understandly upset with the way they have been treated in the American media and may very well cancel contracts with large U.S. companies, like Boeing (more on that from "The Hill" a US Capitol insider's newspaper) that will have a bottom line for American jobs and the economy.

But consider this: Will we now have LESS intelligence and cooperation from the UAE that would result in attacks on Americans leading to the loss of life?

And what we do not know at this point is what company will replace Dubai Ports World as manager of these few terminals? Additionally, from a security perspective does it really matter? After all, there are thousands of containers loaded overseas, all by companies not owned or operated by American firms. Could those same firms represent a security threat?

That leads us back to where this whole controversy started. It doesn't matter WHO operates the port terminals. It matters more WHAT is being brought into these ports. And it REMAINS the responsibility of the United States Government, NOT a port terminal operator, to assure that these imported containers are safe.

P.S. Now that this deal is dead. What new Democrat manufactured hysteria will rise to take it's place? Stay tuned!

Oil Resources in Gulf of Mexico: Environmentally Safe and Economically Feasible After Hurricanes

Here's an interesting news item:

Newhouse A1: "They've lost billions in production and they are spending billions more to repair damaged platforms and pipelines. Yet energy companies find the Gulf of Mexico so lucrative that they are investing even more to tap further into its potential, hurricanes or not.

Six months after Hurricane Katrina, Gulf oil production is still down 25 percent and natural gas is down 20 percent. More than 100 platforms were destroyed and almost 200 pipelines were damaged by the storm.

But all indications point to the Gulf of Mexico rebounding from the storm's effects by the end of this year and even surpassing previous production levels.

'The recent tropical weather seasons do not weaken our determination, but rather offer an opportunity to improve our designs, our defenses to some of the harshest conditions nature can deliver, and be stronger for the experience,' said Frank Glaviano, Shell Exploration and Production's vice president of production for the Americas. 'Our assets survived the most severe storms in recorded history and left us with topsides damage that is all repairable.'

All that hurricane damage to the oil platforms offshore and no environmental damage as a result?

Ok, well then what is the hub-ub about this?

The U.S. Senate Energy Committee voted on Wednesday to open nearly 3 million acres of federal waters in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to energy exploration development, bringing the politically contentious issue closer to reality.

The proposal to open to development 2.9 million acres in the Outer Continental Shelf 100 miles off Florida passed 16-5, with one senator voting "present."
...
"This is the most important piece of energy legislation we have taken up since passing the energy bill last year," Domenici said in a statement, saying supplies from the area "will have a profound effect on gas supply and price."

The area may hold as much as 7.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, enough to heat nearly 6 million homes for 15 years, Domenici said.

And what do you want to bet that even though these environmentally safe gas wells are ONE HUNDRED MILES OFFSHORE, you'll find some environmental religionist extremists just itching to oppose them?

Iranian negotiator boasts of fooling Europeans

Well we knew this all along. And by now, even the Europeans know they are being played for fools. The question is, will the Europeans now take the tough measures to deal effectively with the Iranian nuke problem, or will they just continue to prove how irrelevant and counterproductive their weak efforts are?

From the Sydney Morning Herald: "THE man who for two years led Iran's nuclear negotiations has laid out in unprecedented detail how the regime took advantage of talks with Britain, France and Germany to forge ahead with its secret atomic program.

In a speech to a closed meeting of leading Islamic clerics and academics, Hassan Rowhani, who headed talks with the so-called EU3 until last year, revealed how Tehran played for time and tried to dupe the West after its secret nuclear program was uncovered by the Iranian opposition in 2002.

He boasted that while talks were taking place in Tehran, Iran was able to complete the installation of equipment for conversion of yellowcake - a key stage in the nuclear fuel process - at its Isfahan plant while convincing European diplomats that nothing was afoot.

'From the outset, the Americans kept telling the Europeans, 'The Iranians are lying and deceiving you and they have not told you everything'. The Europeans used to respond, 'We trust them',' he said."

Read the rest here.

Meanwhile, Iran's President Admadjihad (my name for him) talks about harm and pain while promising peace:

Reuters has a new statement from Iran, issued at the nuclear talks in Vienna. "The United States may have the power to cause harm and pain but it is also susceptible to harm and pain. So if the United States wishes to choose that path, let the ball roll."

Meanwhile in Iran, the state-run news agency issued a release that described President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as calling for peace in the nuclear process. "I would like to inform all nations, in particular those neighboring Iran, that the Iranian people call for peace, security and tranquility based upon justice for the world nations," Ahmadinejad reportedly said.

Sound Familiar?

A week ago I wrote about the upcoming 70th anniversary of the NAZIS remilitarizing the Rhineland: one of the early signs that World War II was coming. After taking that move which violated Germany's treaty obligations, Hitler promised "Secondly, we pledge that now, more than ever, we shall strive for an understanding between European peoples, especially for one with our Western neighbor nations...We have no territorial demands to make in Europe!...Germany will never break the peace."

Is history repeating itself? Will we "give peace a chance" once again until the cost of restoring peace with justice can be measured in MILLIONS OF LIVES?

Iraq War: A Victory for PEACE with JUSTICE!

Since we had another genocide apologist comment here about a war of "lies" I thought it might be a good time to recycle this post from last year:

Looney tune lefties claim that President Bush's invasion of Iraq has resulted in the deaths of 100,000 innocent civilians. Of course, this is just another in a long line of falsehoods, like Bush "lied" about weapons of mass destruction, it's a war for oil, blah, blah, blah.

Lefties are the folks who claim to care so much more than us greedy, wicked Republicans about human rights, innocent suffering and loss of life. Yet their silence on the discovery of mass graves filled with children in Iraq puts the lie to that claim. Saddam Hussein went on a death spree for decades that would make the Asian Tsunami in December of 2004 look like a pool party gone bad. The death toll under his genocidal reign of terror can be equated to one of the worst car bombings we often see reported on the news from Baghdad. Yet, this horror is repeated every single day for years and years.


Hekeema Nagiy cries as she searches for the bodies of her two missing sons at the mass graves in Hilla, Iraq. The leftwing Guardian newspaper from the U.K. has a photographic record of this crime here.
In an effort to induce some rational perspective on the cost and value of the Iraq war of freedom, I first posted on this subject in April, 2005 based on a Logic Times article which goes into substantial depth with excellent documentation. Dan at Logic Times has updated these comparisons with some new numbers, outlined in the chart below:


source: Logic Times
Logic Times process for determining the civilian casualty number is in this thorough exposition: "The Civilian Casualty Fable."

By any honest and objective measure of goodness and right, the Iraq war was justified on so many levels, not least of which is it's central role in the wider war. But as anyone who have ever visited a Nazi Concentration Camp can tell you, there is right and there is wrong in this world. The decision to free Iraq was right!

There are people in this world who believe that the Nazi Holocaust never occured, that it was a "lie." Many of these folks may also believe that the attacks on September 11th were staged by the CIA. Some may even believe that the mass graves uncovered in Iraq are also a "lie." These attitudes are minority views within even the moonbat community to be sure. But the reality challenged psychosis this set of persons demonstrates cannot be avoided. It fits in with the claim by the former Canadian Defense Minister that Bush is planning a war with UFOs on the moon.

Cindy Sheehan Arrested Again... But Not on a Hunger Strike

Gina Cobb brings the news that Muther Sheewitch has been arrested again. This time in New York.

But as you can see from the above photo, her supporters will be comforted in the knowledge that she is NOT, I repeat, NOT on a hunger strike.

Update: Chickenhawk Express has more Cindy arrest photos... if you can STOMACH them!

Gitmo Detainees Want to STAY?

Oh darn! We'll never be able to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Apparently, our "torture" is just fine compared to what the terrorists being held there would face if they were returned to their native countries.

BREITBART.COM - Some Gitmo Prisoners Don't Want to Go Home: Fearing militants or even their own governments, some prisoners at Guantanamo Bay from China, Saudi Arabia and other nations do not want to go home, according to transcripts of hearings at the U.S. prison in Cuba.

Uzbekistan, Yemen, Algeria and Syria are also among the countries to which detainees do not want to return. The inmates have told military tribunals that they or their families could be tortured or killed if they are sent back.

President Bush has said the United States transfers detainees to other countries only when it receives assurances that they will not be tortured. Critics say such assurances are useless. The U.S. has released or transferred 267 prisoners and has announced plans to do the same with at least 123 more in the future.

Inmates have told military tribunals they worry about reprisals from militants who will suspect them of cooperating with U.S. authorities in its war on terror. Others say their own governments may target them for reasons that have nothing to do with why they were taken to Guantanamo Bay in the first place.

A man from Syria who was detained along with his father pleaded with the tribunal for help getting them political asylum _ in any country that will take them.

"You've been saying 'terrorists, terrorists.' If we return, whether we did something or not, there's no such things as human rights. We will be killed immediately," he said. "You know this very well."

By now, everyone with an internet connection and an email address has received a variation of the following which was posted at Mike's America in June 2005:

The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. ,20016

Dear Concerned Citizen:

Thank you for your recent letter roundly criticizing our treatment of the Taliban and Al Qaeda detainees currently being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Our administration takes these matters seriously, and your opinion was heard loud and clear here in Washington. You'll be pleased to learn that, thanks to the concerns of citizens like you, we are creating a new division of the Terrorist Retraining Program, to be called the "Liberals Accept Responsibility for Killers" program, or LARK for short. In accordance with the guidelines of this new program, we have decided to place one terrorist under your personal care.

Your personal detainee has been selected and scheduled for transportation under heavily armed guard to your residence next Monday. Ali Mohammed Ahmed bin Mahmud (you can just call him Ahmed) is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your letter of admonishment. It will likely be necessary for you to hire some assistant caretakers. We will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of care for Ahmed are commensurate with those you so strongly recommended in your letter.

Although Ahmed is extremely violent, and a sociopathic killer , we hope that your sensitivity to what you described as his "attitudinal problem" will help him overcome these character flaws.

Perhaps you are correct in describing these problems as mere cultural differences. He will bite you, given the chance. We understand that you plan to offer counseling and home schooling. Your adopted terrorist is extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or nail clippers. We do not suggest that you ask him to demonstrate these skills at your next yoga group He is also expert at making a wide variety of explosive devices from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, unless (in your opinion) this might offend him.

Ahmed will not wish to interact with your wife or daughters (except sexually) since he views females as a subhuman form of property. This is a particularly sensitive subject for him, and he has been known to show violent tendencies around women who fail to comply with the new dress code that Ahmed will recommend as more appropriate attire. I'm sure they will come to enjoy the anonymity offered by the bhurka - over time. Just remind them that it is all part of "respecting his culture and his religious beliefs" - wasn't that how you put it?

Thanks again for your letter. We truly appreciate it when folks like you, who know so much more than we do, even though they have never been there, keep us informed of the proper way to do our job. You take good care of Ahmed - and remember...we'll be watching. Good luck!

Cordially...Your Buddies,
"W" & Don Rumsfeld

Update: Belgian Prisons worse than Guantanamo :

Readers may recall the A Tangled Web report that French prisons were worse than Abu Ghraib that Mike's America posted last October.

Now, we get the news from the Washington Post that Belgian prisons are worse than the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba:

"I know no Belgian prison where each inmate receives its Muslim kit," Grignard said.Grignard said that while Guantanamo was not "idyllic," he had noticed dramatic improvements each time he visited the facility over the last two years.

But you know what the bottom line here is with socialist terror apologists and Guantanamo Bay? They don't think these killers are criminals. I imagine that a host of Yale and Harvard University recruiters are salivating at the prospect of enrolling these terrorists, if only they can get them released.

Oregon Muslim Students Permitted to Censor Student Newspaper

If you read the post below about Islam winning in Europe by default and you think it couldn't happen here, think again.

Sure, they're not beheading anyone. But why should they? We'll just ban anything they find offensive the minute they complain about it:

KEZI.com: "CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) -- A student's column in the Oregon State University campus newspaper has prompted protests by Muslim students, who say it is offensive to their faith.

The piece headlined 'The Islamic Double Standard' was written by OSU microbiology student Nathanael Blake and published in the Daily Barometer on Feb. 8.

The column accused Muslims of expecting special treatment after a Danish newspaper published cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. Riots over the cartoons amounted to 'savagery,' Blake said. 'Bluntly put, we expect Muslims to behave barbarously,' his column said.

On Thursday, about a dozen students -- including members of Muslim and Arab student groups -- held a vigil on the campus to protest both Blake's piece and the Danish cartoons.

They handed out flyers that stated "While staying loyal to the main values of freedom of expression that founded this country, we also feel the need to reflect on the values of tolerance and acceptance on this campus."

Among the students offended by the column was Nada Mohamed, a 20-year-old junior and the vice president of OSU's Muslim Student Association.

"It was amazing to me that they (the campus newspaper) were allowed to publish this kind of stuff," she told the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

"Tears were flowing out of my eyes as I was reading," she said. "I felt like somebody was ripping my heart out."

At the Daily Barometer, editors said e-mail and phone calls poured in. Senior editors have met with the Muslim Student Association.

"The pain that it caused ... did not subside with time," said DD Bixby, the Barometer's editor-in-chief. "It kind of just festered."

She said editors have been checking copy with Muslim students, and on Tuesday deleted one paragraph from a piece scheduled to be published the next day.

Bixby said her staffers are "all pretty much Oregon-type kids" who knew little about Islam and didn't foresee how people would respond to the column.

Blake said that he expected a reaction, but, "I didn't expect it to be this prolonged or this strong."

Sorry Nada Mohamed. Nobody was ripping your heart out. No one was cutting off your head with a dull knife either. If we cannot have an open and honest discussion of the problem of Islam in the modern world without all this hysteria, there's likely to be real suffering and pain more unbearable than your supposed heart wrenching.

Email Daily Barometer Editors here:

EDITOR IN CHIEF DD Bixby 541-737-3191 • editor@dailybarometer.com
MANAGING EDITOR Dan Traylor 541-737-2231• mailto:news@dailybarometer.com

UPDATE: I received an email from Daily Barometer Editor DD Bixby with the following: "I assure you the Barometer and I have retained full editorial control throughout the whole series of events, which the professional media is very late in noticing. The information printed about our editorial processes was portrayed incorrectly."

She cites a "professional newspaper" which has now clarified the matter. Unfortunately, she does not provide a link to that clarification.

The Corvallis Gazette-Times ran this story on Friday, March 3: "On Tuesday, the Barometer e-mailed a paragraph from another opinion column to Aly Mohamed, Nada’s brother and the president of the Muslim Student Association, said DD Bixby, the paper’s 22-year-old editor-in-chief. Bixby said that Aly Mohamed wrote back, saying, “I urge precaution.”Editors opted to delete the paragraph, saying it was not essential to the column’s point."

Again, I have written Ms. Bixby to request further information. There is also a question regarding the sudden announcement of a new associate editor's position at the paper. Who will fill that?

UPDATE: Grizzly Mama received a similar form response to an email addressed to Daily Barometer's editor Bixby. At this writing, there is no confirmation of the clarication that Editor Bixby described in her form response.

Many Thanks, Moonbattery.