John Edwards Finally Endorses Obama

Big surprise!!!! Not.

Sounding a theme of a nation divided into parts by walls, Mr. Edwards said, “The reason I am here tonight is that Democratic voters in America have made their choice and so have I.”

Mr. Edwards then went on to say, “There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to tear down that wall and make one America, Barack Obama.”

Mr. Obama, who had introduced Mr. Edwards as “one of the great leaders we have in the Democratic Party, ” responded by saying he was grateful to him for coming to Michigan and giving his endorsement.

Mr. Obama also noted how Mr. Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, had emphasized health care as an issue that is of primary concern, then said it would be a major issue in his administration.

The endorsement comes at a time when the appeal of Mr. Obama appears to be lagging among white, blue-collar voters, a group to which Mr. Edwards openly appealed.

It isn't like Edwards showed any specific interest in Hillary Clinton, as some of his comments during the last debates that he was part of before he dropped out in January, where he sided clearly with Barack Obama, made obvious.

I truly doubt Edward's endorsement is going to have any real impact.

Minds are made up, Obama will win the Democratic nomination and if he loses to John McCain because he cannot win over blue collar America and because a large segment of Hillary supporters refuse to consider voting for him (almost half) and claim they will sit it out in November or worse, vote Republican, Hillary will smirk and tell the superdelegates "I told you so".

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Enterovirus 71 Hits Beijing

Health

The first reports of the Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infecting children in China's Capital of Beijing were confirmed today. 24,934 children in China have become sickened with this enterovirus and 42 children have died.

EV71 is also known as hand-foot-mouth disease and has no relation to the foot-and-mouth disease found in animals.

According to China's state media, the first two casualties in Beijing have been confirmed to be from the Enterovirus 71, to which according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there is no treatment for severe EV-71 infections nor does a vaccine exist.

There have been reported 3,606 hand-food-mouth infections in Beijing as of Monday with 32 patients still in hospital under treatment. Eight of them are in serious condition.

In mild cases the enterovirus causes symptoms similar to those of the common cold as well as diarrhea, and sores on the hands, feet and mouth. In severe cases fluids build on the brain, resulting in polio-like paralysis and death.

Adults with a well developed immune system are much better prepared to handle the Enterovirus 71 without fatal consequences, but children are particularly vulnerable to this.

The Chinese Ministry of Health has issued an order requiring all cases of the hand-foot-mouth disease to be reported. The number of cases is expected to rise over the warm summer months.

The outbreak started just weeks ago and the rapidly growing number of infections has risen to 24,934 to date with 42 children having died, which is a good indicator of how contagious this Enterovirus is.

This spreads with saliva, feces, fluid secreted from blisters or mucus from the nose and throat.

The CDC lists preventative measures that can be taken against this disease, such as good hygienic practices that include frequent hand washing, especially after diaper changes, cleaning of contaminated surfaces and soiled items first with soap and water, and then disinfecting them by diluted solution of chlorine-containing bleach, as well as avoiding close contact (kissing, hugging, sharing utensils, etc.) with children with Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease may also help to reduce of the risk of infection to caregivers.

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Controversy Created By Tavern Selling Obama 'Curious George' Tee-Shirts

I mentioned this yesterday but only as a side note but it seems that the owner of Mulligans in Marietta Georgia is causing quite the stir with his Curious George, Obama '08 t-shirts.

The owner of Mulligan's Bar and Grill in Georgia has caused quite a stir, leading to protesters outside of his establishment because he has been selling T-shirts that depicts cartoon chimp Curious George peeling a banana, with "Obama in '08" underneath

The owner of the Georgia Tavern insists that the shirts weren't meant to offend and has described them as "cute", but protester disagree and saying that it is a racist slam against Barack Obama.

Several people as well as community groups held protests outside of Mulligan's Bar and Grill on Tuesday. Those groups included, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Nation Of Islam, and the Cobb Immigrant Alliance.

Norman, who has been described as "ultra conservative" answers his critics with even more controversial statements, such as, "We're not living in the (19)40's. Look at him . . . the hairline, the ears — he looks just like Curious George."

Approximately a dozen protesters stood outside his tavern on Tuesday, one of which was Marietta native Pam Lindley, who joined the protest after reading about the controversy online and she says, "I don't want people to think this is what Marietta is all about. This is what some people think the South is still like. Marietta's come a long way but I guess it's still got a little ways to go."

Defenders of Norman assert Mulligan's is a refuge and Gene McKinley who is one of Mulligan's patrons says, "This place is a diamond in the rough. People here are genuine and honest. It's the one place I can go without having to worry if I'm offending someone."

Despite the protests, since this has now gotten national attention and media coverage, Norman says he has been fielding calls since the story broke with one man in New Jersey asking him to send him 100 T-shirts.

He said he noted physical similarities between the Democratic frontrunner and the cartoon monkey while watching a Curious George movie with his grandchildren.

He is now planning to use this as his marketing tool.

[Update] This has been picked up by CBS, United Press International, Boston Herald and a number of other media outlets.

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North Carolina Colleges Close Doors On Illegal Aliens

The North Carolina Community College System has just announced that they will no longer admit illegal immigrants into their schools. The decision will not affect the 112 illegal immigrants who have already enrolled.

One week ago the community college system was sent a letter from the North Carolina Office of the Attorney General that recommended that they reverse its policy of allowing illegal and undocumented immigrants to be admitted into degree programs.

According to the North Carolina Community College System statement in regards to this issue, in December of 2007 they sent a letter to the Attorney General to seek clarification about a System Numbered Memo, dated November 7, 2007, that had been sent to all 58 community colleges mandating they admit illegal aliens at the out-of-state tuition rate.

That rate is calculated to equal 140% of what it costs the state to provide a full-time education to one student. The November directive was the result of the NCCCS interpretation of an earlier Attorney General advisory letter that said community colleges could not impose nonacademic criteria for admission, which supported the “open door” policy of the NCCCS.

In the May 6 letter, the Office of the Attorney General advised the NCCCS to return to the directive in System Numbered Memo 01-271, dated December 21, 2001, that prohibits undocumented students from taking curriculum degree classes.

The The North Carolina Community College System also met with officials from the Attorney General's Office to discuss the issue.

"We have accepted the Attorney General's offer to seek federal clarification of this issue, and they are pursing that information," Scott Ralls, president of the community college system, said in a news release. "Until we receive further clarification, we will no longer admit individuals classified as illegal or undocumented immigrants into curriculum degree programs."

The community college system opened the door to illegal immigrants in November when its general counsel, David Sullivan, issued an edict that the system's 58 schools allow illegal aliens to enroll at the out-of-state tuition rate. Sullivan has since moved to the general counsel's job at Fayetteville Technical Community College.

The information they refer to that is being pursued is the assertion from Governor Mike Easley (D) and ICE officials who have stated that the system in allowing illegal aliens into their degree programs did not break any federal laws.

Americans for Legal Immigration (ALIPAC) is commending the state Attorney General, Roy Cooper, and the NC Community College System for barring illegal aliens from colleges after a lengthy public debate.

According to William Gheen from ALIPAC, "This ruling by the NC Attorney General could have a far reaching national impact. Many states are allowing illegal aliens to attend their colleges at full price and a few are even forcing taxpayers to foot the bill with in-state tuition. Other states are going to notice NC's precedent and move to follow our lead."

Gheen continues, "We must turn off all incentives for illegal aliens and access to American colleges is clearly an incentive for illegal alien families to come here. There are plenty of colleges back in their home countries they can attend. American workers and American students need every seat in college today in America. Many of our states are facing huge budget deficits and need to keep the focus on American and legal immigrant students."

ALIPAC is credited for playing a key role in defeating in-state tuition for illegal aliens in NC in 2005.

In the memo that the President of the North Carolina Community College System, R. Scott Ralls, sent out to Community College Presidents, Community College VP/Deans of Instruction, Community College VP/Deans of Student Development, Community College VP/Deans of Continuing Education, Community College Admissions Officers and Community College Registrars, it says that local community colleges should follow the guidance provided in the December 21, 2001 Memorandum CC01-271.

They then provide the relevant quotes from the 2001 Memeorandum:

Federal Law, 8 USC Section 1621 makes most undocumented or illegal aliens ineligible for most state or local public benefits. Post secondary education is one of those benefits that undocumented or illegal aliens are not eligible to receive. Federal Law, 8 USC Section 1641 makes an exception for some illegal aliens who have been subjected to extreme cruelty or battered and who meet other conditions set forth in this section.

The memo goes on to give 3 specific exceptions to the rule.

In the North Carolina Community Colleges System statement, Ralls also says, "We asked the Attorney General’s Office for clarification of our present policy and will abide by their advice."

The North Carolina Office of the Attorney General has requested guidance from the Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security about the legalities of admitting illegal aliens into college degree programs, but until further clarification is obtained, 58 North Carolina colleges will no longer be admitting any illegal aliens or people without proper documentation that proves that they are in this country legally.

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West Virginia Primary Coverage

[Final update] Final West Virginia returns showed Clinton won with 67 percent of the vote, compared with Obama’s 26 percent. John Edwards, who dropped out of the race in January, remained on the ballot and still drew 7 percent.

[Updates below]

Although we reported yesterday that Hillary Clinton is expected to cream Obama in West Virginia today and in Kentucky next week, Obama is the favorite for Oregon which is next week as well.

At the bottom of this post, I will update with the final results of exactly how badly Clinton beats Obama in West Virginia, when the results start coming in, but no matter how bad the beat in WV or Kentucky, it will not catch Clinton up to Obama in delegates, so her only hope is that a large enough win in both Kentucky and West Virginia will cast doubts about Obama's electability in the minds of the superdelegates.

Doubtful, but very large wins, or landslides, in WV and KY will definitely give Hillary the incentive to continue to fight for the Democratic nomination.

The coverage today shows high turnouts expected at the polls in WV.

The news came in yesterday that Democratic supporters, by a majority of 64 percent, think Hillary Clinton should stay in the race, that includes 42 percent of Obama supporters.

Despite Obama's advantage in delegates and popular vote, 64 percent of Democrats in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll say Clinton should remain in the race. Even among Obama's supporters, 42 percent say so.

That is followed up today by a USA Today report that shows, to a lesser extent, the same thing. Democrats want the contest to continue.

CNN reports that when polling places opened today they were seeing she held a 40 percent lead over Obama in West Virginia already, which as per their headline, could raise doubts about Obama's overall electability in a general election against John McCain.

According to Bill Schneider, a CNN senior political analyst, "A big Clinton win will send a powerful message that there are a lot of Democrats not yet ready to get on board with Obama."

Personally I am not sure how accurate his assessment is, but the superdelegates do have to take into account how Obama performs and whether they need certain states in November to be able to place a Democrat in the White House and they must ask themselves if he can win those states.

As the long odds to winning the nomination get longer, one thing Clinton continues to do is tout her electability, saying she's the stronger Democratic candidate to go up against McCain, a Republican from Arizona, in November.

Moving right along, the Washington Post is reporting some racial incidents occurring against Obama campaigners, the attitudes being some of what I touched on yesterday.

For all the hope and excitement Obama's candidacy is generating, some of his field workers, phone-bank volunteers and campaign surrogates are encountering a raw racism and hostility that have gone largely unnoticed -- and unreported -- this election season. Doors have been slammed in their faces. They've been called racially derogatory names (including the white volunteers). And they've endured malicious rants and ugly stereotyping from people who can't fathom that the senator from Illinois could become the first African American president.

The contrast between the large, adoring crowds Obama draws at public events and the gritty street-level work to win votes is stark. The candidate is largely insulated from the mean-spiritedness that some of his foot soldiers deal with away from the media spotlight.

The article shows some specific incidents, so go read it.

Bottom line, the ugly reality is racism is going to be a large part of how certain segments of society votes and this needs to be taken into account by Democratic leaders.

In this day and age, this shouldn't be a problem but the stark reality is, as wrong as it is on so many levels....it IS a problem.

Proving the point spectacularly, you have people like Marietta tavern owner Mike Norman who is selling T-shirts , which features a cartoon chimp Curious George peeling a banana, with "Obama in '08" underneath.



Not helpful at all.


Major hat tip to Townhall, is Paul Begala who is a Clinton supporter saying, "We cannot win with egg heads and African-Americans. OK, that is the Dukakis Coalition, which carried ten states and gave us four years of the first George Bush."

Carol Platt sums it up nicely here:

These incidents are deplorable, awful and totally wrong. Anyone who is refusing to vote for Barack Obama just because he's black is a racist, and should be ashamed. (And how shocking to learn that this is going on in a Democratic primary . . . haven't we always been instructed that the Democrat Party is the party of the enlightened?!).

Back in the realm of reality, it's the sad truth that there will probably be some people who won't vote for Barack just because of his skin color. But there will be many, many more who oppose him because of his leftist policies and his radical associations. It's important to distinguish between the two. And that's not just because it's wrong both to slander all GOP voters by calling them racists and to equate all opposition to Barack with racism per se. It's also important for the sake of the candidate and the campaign itself that the distinction between policy opponents and invidious-motive opponents be grasped

Taylor Marsh touches on that point as well. sure, there will be people that will vote based on the color of Obama's skin, but far more will vote on issues and if they do vote for someone else because they prefer someone elses stand on issues, that doesn't make them racist as well.

It's what Democrats have been missing for decades, right up until Hillary Clinton tapped into it. The first candidate to be able to convince lunch bucket Democrats, which come in all colors and shades (Hispanics, Asians, African Americans, Irish-Scots), that voting your economic interest will actually begin to solve your problems on the way to ending them. But to the elitist numbskulls in the Obama wing of the Democratic party, which includes the knee jerk analysis on most cable networks, if you vote for Clinton you're a racist. Convenient, but clueless.

I have seen this myself in my own comment sections. Anyone that points to Obama's stances that aren't great, or his "misstatements" or outright lies, or his questionable associations with racists himself, is all of a sudden labeled a racist.

That is THEIR form of racism, to scream racist to anyone that has legitimate questions about Obama's character.

They are not helping Obama by doing so either. In November, those are the people that will lose him support but they are too busy screaming RACIST at the top of their lungs to understand what they are doing.

People will vote the way they are going to vote for whatever personal reasons they have, but to lump anyone that doesn't vote for Obama into the "racist" category is simply the most idiotic form of racism I have seen to date.

Remember to check back because as results come in about the WV primary, I will be reporting them.

[Update]

Polls are closed and Hillary Clinton has been projected to win and the by a decisive measure, exact numbers will be listed when they are in.

News is saying she won almost every demographic group in West Virginia.

Exit polls are out already and you can see the issues people were asked about as they left the polls.

CNN exit polls show severe divisions among Democratic voters. Half of the Democratic voters said they would vote for john McCain if Obama is the candidate.

Almost as many of Hillary Clinton's West Virginia supporters would vote for John McCain as would for Barack Obama, exit polls show.

If Obama were the Democratic nominee, 36 percent of Clinton supporters would vote for him in the fall, the polls found.

But 35 percent said they'd cast their vote for McCain instead.

[Upadte #2] While waiting for the final tally to see how badly Clinton beat Obama in WV, Obama has already released his "spin" as some are calling it.

There is no question that Senator Clinton is going to win by huge margins in the upcoming primaries in West Virginia today and Kentucky next weeks. She has poured resources into both states and she, former President Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton have all campaigned extraordinarily hard there.

Read the whole thing but I focus on that particular sentence and refer to the word spin because of this:

"Given the attempts by our opponent and some in the media to declare this race over, any significant increase in voter turnout, coupled with a decisive Clinton victory, would send a strong message that Democrats remain excited and energized by Hillary's candidacy," the memo says.

More: "In the face of grim poll numbers, the Obama campaign has attempted to dismiss today's outcome despite the fact that Sen. Obama has outspent us on advertising, has more staff in the state, and more than double the number of offices. He has also benefited from the support of the most high-profile endorsers in West Virginia-Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Congressman Nick Rahall. By every measure, the Obama campaign has waged an aggressive campaign in the Mountain State."

More money spent, more resources used and news reports are saying Clinton blew him out. She didn't just win and certainly this one win, no matter how huge, will not help her very much in catching up with delegate counts, but the fact that he fought so hard and got nowhere is not a good sign about how these states will vote if he is chosen as the Democratic nominee.

On a side note.... Obama is alienating Democratic Independent groups, seemingly on purpose.

More when the final numbers are in.


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FBI Called To Create A Profile to Help Arizona Authorities Capture A Serial Predator

The Mesa police are working with FBI profilers to help them capture a serial predator who has been linked to three separate attacks which have resulted in the deaths of at least two women already.

According to a release issued by the Mesa, Arizona police department, public assistance is going to be crucial in capturing a suspect that has been linked, via DNA evidence, to a 2007 kidnapping and sexual assault as well as two unsolved homicides in Mesa.

The most recent attack on August 16, 2007 provided the DNA evidence needed to link the perpetrator to two unsolved homicides, Alisa Marie Beck was killed in November of 2004 and Karen Jane Campbell killed in October of 2007.

The most recent victim was able to escape after she had been kidnapped while walking home, taken to an undisclosed location and sexually assaulted. She was able to run, dressing while fleeing and hailed a cab to take her home where she called authorities.

As a part of that investigation, a sexual assault exam was done, which has now revealed the DNA evidence.

That DNA evidence is what linked the perpetrator to the murders of Beck and Campbell.

Although she could not identify any specific details of her attacker, she said he was 25 to 35 years old, 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 11 inches tall and had short dark hair.

According to Mesa police Detective Steve Berry, "We're very concerned. We've got a violent predator out there who abducts these women, and two of them have resulted in homicides and the other two are serious sexual assaults."

The trail began in Mesa with two slayings. The naked body of Karen Jane Campbell, 44, was found on a roadway in October 2007. The partially clothed body of Alisa Marie Beck, 21, was found in an alley in 2004 about five miles from where Campbell's body was left. Both had been strangled.

Police connected the killings in December using DNA evidence. At the time, they said both women had a history of drug abuse and prostitution, and that neither had a home.

A channel 12 news report says that Beck was strangled and Campbell was listed as "homicidal violence", but police have kept details of her killing private to protect the integrity of their investigation.

Although there is no DNA evidence to connect a fourth crime to the perpetrator, police have not ruled out a connection with another killing of Elise Lea Dewakuku, who was found Nov. 1, 2007, in an irrigation canal near 24th Street and McKellips Road in Mesa.

According to Police Chief George Gascón, they are not referring to this suspect as a serial killer despite the connection in the three separate cases and he says, "We have DNA linkage on three incidents, two murders and one assault. At this point we don't want to create more fear than this is going to create. There's no question there's linkage."

He also says there is the possibility that other crimes might be attributed to the same killer.

Police say they have very limited information at this point and are relying on the public's assistance to help them capture the person responsible.

Anyone who may have been in the area of Main and Horne on August 16, 2007 between the hours of noon and 2:00 p.m. and observed a woman struggling or being assaulted is encouraged to contact the Mesa Police Department. We are also seeking to contact the cab driver who picked up the victim and drove her home, or anyone who may have seen an unclothed woman running. We do not have a specific area of town where she fled from her attacker. We do believe that this occurred in Mesa.

Assistance by the public will be crucial in helping the police department in solving these homicides and sexual assault. Anyone with information is asked to call 480-644-5763.

They have also set up a "Silent Witness Hotline" which can be called at 480-WITNESS / 480-948-6377.

You can see the Mesa police press conference about this at East Valley Tribune.

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Man Commits Suicide At Mel Gibson's Home

A construction worker committed suicide at one of Mel Gibson's homes in mid March. The body was found by the job site foreman and there was no one currently living in the home at the time although there was heavy construction going on.

According to TMZ, the man's name was Michael John Van Dyke, he was 48 years old and was a longtime friend of the contractor hired to do work on Gibson's property.

We've learned Michael went through a messy, protracted divorce a few years ago. People who worked with him on the "Star Trek: Nemesis" set say he was in desperate financial shape. His ex-wife is a hair stylist for movies.

It happened at Gibson's Agoura Hills home and according to law enforcement officials the body had been found hanging and due to the level of full-body rigor mortis, they believe he had died the night before his body was discovered, which was March 19, 2008.

Showbiz Spy reports that Detective Eddie Brown of the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, made a statement saying, "There were three additional co-workers there, one of them notified the police. Nobody lives on the property, it’s only wood framework.”

They say no suicide note was found at the scene.

In an additional TMZ report they say they spoke with a representative for Mel Gibson who said Gibson feels "terrible" that someone committed suicide on one of his properties.

Mel Gibson is an Australian-American actor with a long list of movie accomplishments, well known for his starring roles in the Lethal Weapons series as well as his more recent controversial film "The Passion of Christ".

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