Amazon Banning Books; Muppets Now 'Offensive'?

The following from catholic vote.org:

AMAZON BANS BOOK  Amazon has removed Ryan T. Anderson's book "When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Movement." The online retailer, which accounts for 83% of books sold in the United States, gave no notification to the public or even to Anderson as to why it removed the book from its store.  READ

MUPPETS ARE 'OFFENSIVE'?  Disney+ streaming service has decided that “The Muppet Show” can only be seen with an adult present because the program “includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures.”  READ

SCHOOL BOARD RESIGNS  The trustees of a school board in northern California resigned en masse after mocking parents who wanted schools reopened. The board members had exchanged profanity-laced complaints about parents on a video chat not realizing that parents were already listening to them. One parent told the local ABC affiliate: "I thought the board members were also advocates for my child and had her best interests at heart. After [Wednesday’s] incident, it really has me thinking that they don’t.”  READ

What Passes For 'Fairness' On Big Media . . .

 

Special Needs Child? Important Info For You!

The  Philadelphia area Archdiocesan Schools of Special Education (ASSE) will host a virtual parent information night. 

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

This session will provide families with an opportunity to meet the principals of the three schools virtually and to learn how ASSEs meet the needs of students with sensory impairments, physical disabilities, and cognitive impairments as well as those on the autism spectrum in the tradition of Catholic education and values.

Ms. Katie Bier, principal of Our Lady of Confidence School in Willow Grove (Montgomery County); Sister Lisa Lettiere, I.H.M., principal of  Saint Lucy School for Children with Visual Impairments in Juniata Park (Philadelphia County); Ms. Lauren Bell, M.S., principal of Saint Katherine School Main Campus in Wynnewood (Montgomery County); and Saint Katherine School High School Program in Radnor (Delaware County) will participate in the virtual gathering. 

To register for the Virtual Parent Information Night, please click  here.

Background Information on the three Archdiocesan Schools of Special Education: 

Our Lady of Confidence School opened its doors in 1954. The school’s mission is to facilitate the complete development of students with intellectual disabilities to their fullest potential, spiritually, intellectually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. For more information about Our Lady of Confidence, please visit ourladyofconfidence.org/  

Saint Lucy School for Children with Visual Impairments was founded in 1955. Saint Lucy’s educates students who need vision support in order to access academic curriculum.  It is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and School Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools.  For more information about Saint Lucy’s, please visit  stl.ocephila.org/ 

Saint Katherine School opened in 1953. Saint Katherine’s offers a life skills program for students diagnosed with an Intellectual Disability, Autism, or Multiple Disability with ages ranging from 4 ½ to 21 years old. For more information about Saint Katherine School, please visit  stkatherinedayschool.org/ .

Note: For information about Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, please visit  aopcatholicschools.org/ . For information about Faith in the Future Foundation, please visit  www.faithinthefuture.com/ .

Get The Facts: Fight Antisemitism Now!

 

Challenging A Despicable Act Of Disrespect!

 

In Case You Missed It: Dan And Christine

 

Our Facebook broadcast last night. Enjoy!

GOP To Murphy: Release Billions To Help Citizens

New Jersey Senate and Assembly Republicans called on Governor Phil Murphy to convene a special session of the Legislature to adopt relief for New Jerseyans.

Senate and Assembly Republicans called on Gov. Phil Murphy to convene special session of the Legislature to adopt relief for New Jerseyans. (SenateNJ.com)

In a letter (click here for PDF) to the governor yesterday, the legislators noted that millions of people are suffering from the economic impact of broad shutdowns and restrictions, while a looming tax increase on employers scheduled to go into effect July 1 threatens small businesses, nonprofits, and their employees.

The full text of the letter is below.

Dear Governor Murphy:

We urge you to immediately convene a special session of both houses of the Legislature to adopt urgently needed relief for New Jerseyans. Millions of people are suffering from the economic impact of broad shutdowns and restrictions, while a looming tax increase on employers scheduled to go into effect July 1 threatens small businesses, nonprofits, and their employees.

It’s clear the revenue estimates used to adopt the budget were far too low, as we suggested last fall, with the budget surplus likely $1 billion higher than you predicted. An impending windfall of federal assistance means billions of dollars more will soon be available to help New Jersey. Without action now to put those funds to productive use, support for people who are suffering will continue to be unacceptably slow and inadequate.

We are concerned that your budget address next week and the 2022 budget, which will be separately discussed and enacted four months from now, will be used as a crutch to avoid taking the urgent action that immediate conditions require. Waiting until the next budget is enacted will be too late to prevent more business and nonprofit closures, and to stop an avoidable and destructive employer tax increase.

As many revenue forecasters advised when the 2020 budget was amended and the current budget enacted, revenue collections will undeniably far exceed budget estimates for the traditional fiscal year. The sales tax alone will easily exceed budget estimates by more than $500 million. Income and corporate taxes, which track the national economic recovery and record market gains, will also far exceed projections. Smaller taxes, such as the realty transfer fee on home sales, are also coming in at record levels.

On top of those booming tax collections, the Federal Funds Information for States has projected that pending federal legislation will soon provide an additional $6 billion to support the state budget.

With billions in extra funds soon at our disposal, we have an obligation to help the large segments of our society and sectors of our economy that need help now. Many service sector employees are falling behind on rent, while landlords are struggling without income to maintain safe properties and pay their own bills. As you delay, more of the businesses and nonprofits that serve our communities are folding up tent every day. Despite the increasing importance of the internet to economic activity, education, and job-readiness, rural areas and poorer segments of our population remain disconnected and are being left behind.

The challenges above are just a few that would be addressed by pending bipartisan legislation bottled up in one house or the other or stalled due to some level of opposition from your administration.

Despite record revenues already being collected from taxpayers, massive tax increases are scheduled to take place on all employers, including small businesses and nonprofits, on July 1. Bipartisan legislation was enacted recently to slow the pace of tax increases needed to rebuild the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, but we must do more to further limit the harm.

The availability of strong revenues presents the opportunity to prevent tax increases on employers and jobs in July, provided you support using some of the state’s unrecognized revenues to replenish the fund. When you borrowed more than $4 billion for the state budget last fall, you promised to use additional federal assistance to pay down that debt. We are proposing a similar approach to prevent the recovery-killing, job-destroying tax increase from taking place. In addition to stabilizing the fund and preventing this tax increase, consideration should be given to repealing some of the recent and avoidable regressive payroll tax increases and corporate tax increases that are causing additional hardships and slowing the recovery.

While $2.4 billion of CARES Act block grant funding was received in April 2021 from the federal government, hundreds of millions of dollars remains unspent in state accounts. At the same time, relief programs for renters, small businesses, nonprofits, and others desperate for help have been woefully underfunded. Instead of recognizing additional tax revenues months ago that could have helped, those funds were kept on the sideline.

We feel strongly that we cannot allow the continued harm that comes with continuing indecision and delay. More tenants will fall into debt, more communities will fall into disrepair, and more businesses and nonprofits will fail. People without access to the internet in rural and urban areas will fall farther behind, and job-crushing tax increases on every employer will further hurt those who are already hurting the most.

We urge you to act today. Do not wait for the budget speech next week or another four months until the 2022 budget is enacted to provide relief. Do not allow bills that can provide lifelines to languish through continued opposition or neglect. Support the passage of bipartisan legislation that will help people, small businesses, and nonprofits. Work with us to prevent avoidable and destructive tax increases that will make a bad situation worse.

Call a special session of Legislature immediately.

Sincerely,

If This Is True, Well . . . It's Horrific!

BOMBSHELL: Biden administration blocked Texas from increasing power as Texas begged for help a week before catastrophic polar vortex.

Texas asked to temporarily lift regulations on energy output to avoid disaster. Biden's DOE refused to help due to "green energy standards". pic.twitter.com/Zt52hT8dzL

— djcalligraphy 🇺🇲 (@DJcalligraphy) February 21, 2021

Oh, That RACY Pamela Anderson Tape . . .

Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson wed bodyguard Dan Hayhurst on Christmas Eve after meeting him at the start of lockdown last year. Thew newlyweds joined Stacey, Kaye, Nadia and Brenda from their bed, to speak about their whirlwind romance, their intimate wedding day and their hopes for the future. From series 25, broadcast on 19/02/21 Like, follow and subscribe to Loose Women! Watch Loose Women on the ITV Hub: https://bit.ly/2Weq2CW​ Subscribe now for more! http://bit.ly/1VGTPwA​ Website: http://bit.ly/1EDGFp5​ YouTube: http://bit.ly/1C7hxMy​ Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1KXmWdc​ Twitter: http://bit.ly/1Bxfxts​ Catch Loose Women every weekday from 12.30pm on ITV, STV and the ITV Hub.

Cardinale: Fearless Advocate, Tireless Servant, Hugely Accomplished

One of New Jersey’s longest serving legislators, Senator Gerald Cardinale, DDS, passed away on Saturday, February 20th after a brief illness. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Cardinale went on to become a respected public servant, successful dentist, and accomplished businessman.   

Cardinale attended Brooklyn Prep, graduated with a BS in Chemistry from St. John’s University College, and completed his education at the New York University College of Dentistry. Since 1959, Dr. Cardinale practiced dentistry with office in Fort Lee.  As a small businessman in the real estate industry, Cardinale built the first multi-floor office building in Fort Lee as well as Cardinale Square, which is now Fort Lee Plaza.  

 

Senator Cardinale’s true calling in life though was service to community, and he dedicated his life to civic and social causes.

 

An active resident of Demarest, New Jersey, he was elected to and served on the Board of Education from 1967 to 1973, including as president in 1969 and 1970. From 1975 to 1978, he served as Mayor of Demarest where he established a senior citizen center in the historic Demarest railroad station, which he was instrumental in preserving.

 

A former trustee of the Regional Mental Health Center in Dumont, Senator Cardinale helped establish a program for the frail elderly, which continues to flourish today. As a philanthropist, he contributed to and helped raise funds for the Boy Scouts, the Heart Fund, Bergen County Women Against Rape, Shelter Our Sisters, Save Our Sisters, and the John Harms Center for the Arts. He was active in the ARC of Bergen & Passaic Counties, and was the cofounder of the Bergen County Task Force on Sexual Abuse of Children.

 

Senator Cardinale served in the State Assembly from 1980 to 1982. During his first year, the casino industry and Byrne administration were rocked by the federal government’s ABSCAM investigation. As a freshman assemblyman, Cardinale led the fight for casino reform legislation; he was the prime sponsor of twelve casino reform bills, which were voted into law, keeping the casinos in Atlantic City free of political manipulation and mob influence.

 

Senator Cardinale was elected to the State Senate in 1981 and was re-elected nine times. He was a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee. He was also a member of the State House Commission and the Legislative Oversight Committee. During his lengthy tenure, he served on the Senate Bioethics Committee and the Port Authority In-Lieu-of-Tax-Payment Study Commission. He was a delegate to four Republican National Conventions and was a candidate for governor in 1989.

 

Senator Cardinale’s advocacy for women, children, and the family was the hallmark of his long and distinguished legislative career. 

 

He cosponsored Joan’s Law in the late 1990s and subsequently conceived and co-prime sponsored Megan’s Law, establishing the model for other state and national laws. In 2001, Senator Cardinale’s bill requiring parental consent prior to children being subjected to intrusive surveys in public schools became law. In 2002, the senator won his long battle for parental rights regarding sex education with the passage of his Stress Abstinence in Sex Education Bill. More recently, Cardinale’s bill establishing involuntary commitment to outpatient treatment for persons in need of such treatment was passed into law, benefiting the thousands of individuals and families struggling with psychiatric issues.

 

Senator Cardinale was recognized for his leadership in sponsoring major tort reform overhauls that included limitations on product liability and punitive damages. His Affidavit of Merit requirement in malpractice suits was one of the first in the nation.

 

Senator Cardinale sponsored a series of bills which became law enabling small business and affinity groups to obtain health insurance coverage at favorable rates. HMOs must now allow consumers to have their prescriptions filled at the pharmacy of their choice as a result of his legislation. In addition, Senator Cardinale’s tax fairness law for Mutual Money Market Funds allowed back office operations of major stock brokers and money managers to relocate in New Jersey without punitive tax regulations. The state now has thousands of jobs that, without this legislation, would not be here.

 

Senator Cardinale received more than 70 Legislator of the Year or similar awards from state and national groups in recognition of his exemplary service to the people of New Jersey.

 

Despite his many professional accolades and accomplishments, Dr. Cardinale was most proud of his family. He and his wife Carole (nee Petrullo) married in 1959 and together raised five children: including Marisa and her partner Linda; Christine; Kara; Gary and his wife Kirsty; and, Nicole. They also have 4 grandchildren, Sebastian, Allegra, Tamara, and Chloe.