ATLANTA POLICE LOSES ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CONTRACT

ATLANTA POLICE LOSES ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CONTRACT:

APS WANTS COPS WHO KNOW HOW TO TREAT CHILDREN.

~ School district votes to cut ties with Atlanta police force

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Public Schools' board of education has voted to terminate its contract with the Atlanta Police Department as it takes steps toward creating its own police force.

Media outlets report that the board voted Monday to end the contract and produce a plan to hire its own school resource officers.

Deputy Superintendent David Jernigan says the resource officers will be armed, sworn officers, who will be specifically trained to deal with children.

The district recently received a $7.5 million grant from the National Institute of Justice, some of which will go toward starting the force.

In a statement, the City of Atlanta's office says the move isn't a responsible decision for responding to threats on campuses.

Credits:  11Alive, WRAL, MyFoxAtlanta

Gingrich Slams Obama As "Food Stamp President"; 2012 Racist Mudslinging!

Is Anyone Surprised That Former U.S. House Speaker & 2012 Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich (R) Recently Labeled Pres. Obama The "Food Stamp President"?

I'm NOT Because Such Divisive Political Mudslinging Is Newt's M.O.

Now What If Pres. Obama Chose To Conduct Himself In The Same Childish Way By Calling Attention To Newt's Adulterous, Cheating Behavior?

Thank God Pres. Obama Has Instead Chosen To Stand On The Issues & By Pointing To His Political Victories, One Being His Administration's Killing Of Osama Bin Laden.

Isn't It Amazing How Soon One Forgets?

I Guess Newt Forgot How Many People He Sent Back To The Welfare Rolls Via His Failed, Racist "Welfare Reform"/ "Contract With America" Policies.

Yes! The Same Racist Welfare Reform Programs He Intentionally Underfunded Thus Sending Those Same Welfare Recipients Back To An Underprivileged Life Of Existing On Government-Assisted Programs Versus Becoming Self-Sufficient.

I Also Presume Mr. Gingrich Wasn't Aware That Historically More White People Have Used Food Stamps Than Minorities Could Ever Imagine.

Gingrich Has Consistently Been Paraded As The GOP's "Idea Guru".

Nothing Wrong With Having Comprehensive Ideas Unless Those Ideas Are Targeted At Oppressing Black & Hispanic Citizens.

I Say Its Time To Give Newt Gingrich The Title He So Rightfully Deserves: "GOP Political Guru Of Dirty Politics!"

See You At The Polls Folks!

VOTE OBAMA IN 2012!!!











Gingrich: 2012 election biggest since Lincoln in 1860


Republican Newt Gingrich told a Georgia audience on Friday evening that the 2012 presidential election is the most consequential since the 1860 race that elected Abraham Lincoln to the White House and was soon followed by the Civil War.

Addressing the Georgia Republican Party's convention, Gingrich said the nation is at a crossroads and that the re-election of Democratic President Barack Obama would lead to four more years of "radical left-wing values" that would drive the nation to ruin.

Gingrich also blasted Obama as "the most successful food stamp president in modern American history."

The former House speaker gave his speech at the end of a day of campaigning that took him from a gathering of economic conservatives in Washington to an old-style restaurant in Georgia and then the evening gathering of the party faithful.

Gingrich received a warm welcome at the GOP dinner. He represented Georgia in Congress for two decades and is stressing his ties anew after having lived in northern Virginia for more than a decade.

"I am glad to be home," Gingrich said Friday evening.

On economic issues, the 67-year-old Gingrich said his program would lead to more paychecks.

He outlined a jobs plan that would eliminate the estate and capital gains taxes and lower the corporate tax rate, which he said would infuse the nation's sputtering economy with new investment.

He said the United States needs to reexamine its relationship with Pakistan after revelations that Osama bin Laden had been hiding out there for years as America poured billions of dollars in aid into the country.

"I was trying to figure out what the word ally meant," Gingrich said. "I know what the word sucker meant. How stupid do you think we are?"

Many dissatisfied with GOP field

Some 45 percent of Republicans now say they're dissatisfied with the GOP candidates who have declared or are thought to be serious about running, up from 33 percent two months ago, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. Just 41 percent are satisfied with the likely Republican field, down from 52 percent.

Plenty are holding out for somebody else.

In North Carolina, retiree Robert Osborne is hoping New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will decide to run. In Indiana, farmer Brent Smith wishes Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour hadn't backed away. In Georgia, stock clerk Susan Demarest would love to see somebody more like Ronald Reagan.

Ohio's William Johnson just wants somebody who's not a "cold fish."

"I don't expect them to get up there and start doing karaoke, but we need somebody with a little more spunk," says the Columbus steelworker.

While the Republican roster of candidates is growing almost by the day — Ron Paul declared on Friday, and Mike Huckabee says he'll make an important announcement this weekend — satisfaction with the field appears to be shrinking.

The poll was conducted May 5-9 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1,001 adults nationwide and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. The survey included 378 Republicans, and that subset had a larger, 6.9 percentage point margin of error.

Former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee, who is viewed favorably by 72 percent of Republicans, has the highest rating of the lot.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who was the GOP vice presidential nominee in 2008, is viewed favorably by two-thirds of Republicans, as is Romney, who made a strong bid for the presidential nomination last time. Romney has all but announced this time; Palin is more of a question mark.

Gingrich quite popular

The only other major Republican with a favorability rating above 50 percent in the poll was Gingrich, who didn't enter the presidential race until the week after the poll was conducted. His favorability rating was 61 percent.

Forty-five percent viewed businessman and TV celebrity Donald Trump, another potential candidate, favorably compared to 50 percent who rated him unfavorably.

GOP favorability ratings for lesser-known Republicans asked about in the poll: former Texas Rep. Paul, 49 percent; Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota , 41 percent; former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, 36 percent; former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, 33 percent; Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, 30 percent; former Utah Gov. and Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, 20 percent.

In an interview with The Associated Press earlier Friday Gingrich said he's grown more mature since his days as House speaker, and before that, when he was often described as a bomb-throwing insurgent member of the House Republican minority.

He said it took him two years after taking the reins in Congress to learn that he had to re-calibrate his style and change his message.

And by then, he said, "the damage had been done."

"There are the things you want to say and what you need to say," Gingrich told The AP.

Some have questioned whether Gingrich — known for his combative style and what some consider over-the-top rhetoric — has the temperament and discipline to be president.

Last year, he suggested U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was a racist, said Obama is best understood by his "Kenyan, anti-colonial behavior," and argued that placing a mosque near ground zero in New York City was akin to placing a Nazi sign next to the Holocaust Museum.


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Sources: CNN, CSPAN, Freaking News, MSNBC, NY Times, Southern Studies, TIME, Think Progress, Youtube, Google Maps

Palin's Elite, RNC Type California/ Stanislaus Contract Highlights

Here are the goods found in pages 4 through 9 of the Palin's contract with California State University, sponsored by the Slanislaus Foundation.:

* Round-trip, first class commercial air travel for two between Anchorage, Alaska and event city.

* Presumably for Palin’s guests, “full, unrestricted round-trip coach airfare for two between event city and lower 48 US States."

* If the university chooses to use a private jet, “the Speaker, their traveling party and the plane crew will be the only passengers."

* Ground transportation in both the originating city and the event city “will be by SUV(s) from a professionally licensed and insured car service."
* Security arrangements as deemed necessary by Washington Speakers Bureau and the speaker.

* Accommodations are to include "a one-bedroom suite and two single rooms in a deluxe hotel" as well as a "laptop computer and printer (fully stocked with paper) and high speed internet" and "all meals and incidentals".

* For Q&A, the questions are to be collected from the audience in advance, pre-screened and a designated representative shall ask questions directly of the Speaker.

* The contract also includes other stipulations regarding autographs, photographs, press releases, advertising, recording, lighting, bottled water and “bendable straws.”






Palin's Elite Contract Found In Trash By Calif. Students


Sarah Palin will get first-class airfare for two and three rooms at a luxury hotel when she gives a speech in June for a university foundation.

And organizers better not forget to stock her lectern with two water bottles and bendable straws.

The details of Palin's Contract with the California State University, Stanislaus Foundation were contained in five pages of the document retrieved from a campus trash bin by students who heard administrators might be shredding documents related to the speech.

State Attorney General Jerry Brown said he would investigate whether the foundation violated public disclosure laws. He said the investigation was not about Palin but about the alleged shredding of contract documents.

State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, who has been seeking details of Palin's compensation package for several weeks, provided copies of the paperwork Tuesday.

Among other perks, the former Alaska governor will fly first class from Anchorage to California — if she flies commercial. If not, "the private aircraft MUST BE a Lear 60 or larger ...," the contract specifies.

And a suite, too

Palin also must be provided with a suite and two single rooms in a deluxe hotel near the campus in Turlock in the Central Valley.

Both Sacramento and San Francisco are within a two-hour drive, but the high-profile politician could also opt for Turlock's year-old Comfort Suites, which offers some of the most expensive rooms in town at $139 a night.

The document, dated March 16, does not include compensation details for Palin, who commands speaking fees as high as $100,000. Her appearance at the university's 50th anniversary gala is expected to draw a large crowd, with tickets selling for $500 each.

Jason Recher, a spokesman for Palin, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Palin's fee and accommodations will be covered entirely by private donations, not state funds, said Matt Swanson, president of the nonprofit foundation's board.

Students: We got a Tip

The students who found the document said they acted on a tip that documents were being shredded last Friday, when campus staff members were supposed to be on furlough.

"I was informed that there was suspicious activity taking place at the administration building, which I found very alarming," said 23-year-old Ashli Briggs, a junior at the school.

Briggs contacted senior Alicia Lewis, 26, who went with several other students to investigate. The building was locked and gated, but the students were able to retrieve piles of paperwork, including the contract document, from a nearby trash bin, Lewis said.

The contract pages have Washington Speakers Bureau printed at the top and a contract number. The speakers bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Yee called the incident "a dark day for the CSU."

"This is our little Watergate in the state of California," he said Tuesday at a news conference where he was joined by Briggs and Lewis.

University: Shredding is routine

Russell Giambelluca, the university's vice president of business and finance, said no one at the university was advised to destroy specific foundation documents, and staff members routinely shred and dispose of paperwork that is no longer needed.

Regarding the excerpt of Palin's contract, he said: "I find it interesting that among shredded documents you find one that's completely intact related to the contract."

The CSU Stanislaus Foundation previously denied the AP's request to release details of Palin's contract under the California Public Records Act.

Last week, the university responded to a similar public records request by Yee by saying it did not have any documents related to Palin's appearance and had referred the matter to Swanson.

The next day, Swanson sent letters to both Yee and the AP stating that Palin's contract includes a strict nondisclosure clause. University foundations and other auxiliary organizations were not subject to the same public records requirements as the university itself, he said.

"At this point, we believe it's within our legal right to keep that information to ourselves," Swanson said Tuesday, calling the latest dust-up "a little bit ridiculous."

Overlap with foundation?

Yee disputes the claim, pointing to significant overlap between the university and its foundation arm. For example, he noted, all but one member of the foundation staff and several officers from its board are university employees, and the foundation headquarters is located in the administration building where the students said the document shredding was taking place.

To eliminate any legal loopholes, Yee is sponsoring a bill that would require campus foundations and auxiliary organizations to adhere to public records requirements. The measure passed the Senate in January and awaits an Assembly hearing.

On Tuesday, Briggs and Lewis gave the state attorney general's office material they said came from the trash bins, including two boxes of documents and two trash bags filled with shredded files.

The office is reviewing Yee's request for an investigation into allegations that the university violated the California Public Records Act.

The attorney general's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.






Sarah Palin Tells RNC: "Take Me Off Fundraiser List


Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has asked the Republican National Committee to remove her name from a fundraiser the committee is planning, piggybacking off the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, POLITICO has learned.

Palin’s staff has twice told the RNC to remove her name from an invitation sent to donors, obtained by POLITICO on Wednesday, showing her as an “invited” speaker at the four-day fundraiser in New Orleans, timed to coincide with the SRLC event in Louisiana.

Palin, who will appear at the SRLC, “will not take part in any RNC fundraiser in New Orleans,” an aide said.

The RNC invitation touts Palin along with other SRLC speakers, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Fox News host Sean Hannity, Rep. Mike Pence and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), as “invited speakers” for the event.

Santorum is the only speaker advertised on the invitation who is confirmed to attend the fundraiser.

Palin previously asked to be removed from a Conservative Political Action Conference invitation, which twice listed her as an invited speaker, though she hadn’t agreed to attend the event.

The only Republicans confirmed to be attending the RNC event are Santorum, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, Louisiana Reps. Rodney Alexander and Bill Cassidy and Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

The invitation promises that “other Republican superstars” will attend the fundraiser but does not say who those might be.


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Sources: Fox News, KSBW, MSNBC, Politico, Stanislaus Foundation, Youtube, Google Maps

Conan O'Brien Addresses Late Night Shake Up Rumors...$45 Million Dilemma

Conan's $45 Million Dilemma



With Leno reportedly moving back to 11:35, NBC has humiliated Conan O’Brien. Will he get a $45 million payout for his troubles? Kim Masters reports on the latest latenight ripples.

You could say Conan O’Brien is now The Biggest Loser on NBC. If you call it losing to get millions of dollars no matter what happens next.

Hollywood is still in awe as the drama at NBC continues to play out. What seems to be set is that Leno will go on the air at 11:35 p.m. after the Olympics. What’s not set is the fate of O’Brien, who is said to be enraged at NBC’s clumsy handling of the matter. His option appears to be to remain as the man in the chair on what would still be called The Tonight Show but would begin at 12:05 a.m.

What’s mesmerizing the entertainment industry is that O’Brien has a contract requiring NBC to pay him a staggering penalty, reportedly $45 million, if his circumstances as host of The Tonight Show change. It is unclear what would trigger that penalty and whether pushing the show out of its time slot would do the trick.

“If they put themselves in a position where they have to pay him if they move him, they’re the biggest idiots ever,” says an industry veteran who, despite being well-connected to the key players, doesn’t know the exact details of what would activate that payout clause.

If O’Brien wants to stalk off, his options may be limited. The perception at this point is that he’s been damaged by his less-than-successful run at 11:35. “So many people like Conan at 12:30,” says this source. “But it’s not working at 11:35. There’s something that makes people antsy about Conan at that time.”

ABC is not believed to be pursuing O’Brien. Fox—seen as the more youth-oriented network—is still a question mark, although it seems likely that they would at least want to price out a deal. But a source with firsthand knowledge of Fox’s thinking seems to feel that O’Brien will probably stay at NBC after exacting a huge payment in exchange for his fealty. “However humiliated you might feel you are, however sleazy you might feel NBC is, wouldn’t that go a long way toward making you feel better?” this executive says. “It’s only moving the show by half an hour.”

Meanwhile, another executive says Leno is more than willing to do a 30-minute show. “Everybody’s so surprised,” he says. “But he gets to do his monologue and a guest. He doesn’t like the other stuff he has to do now. He doesn’t like the program.”

A top executive at a rival network puts it this way: “Good deal for Jay. Gets paid for an hour. Works a half-hour.”

Meanwhile, NBC is left with a gaping chasm at 10 p.m. It takes lots of time and money to rebuild a schedule, so, short-term, these might be good times for Dick Wolf, who has his handy Law & Order shows that could fill the gap. (The most obvious candidate to put back into a 10 p.m. slot is SVU, which had to move from its Tuesdays at 10 position to Wednesdays at 9 because of Leno. There’s also the so-called mothership, the original Law & Order, which could move back to its Friday at 10 hour.)

A prominent television writer-producer says he’s happy that NBC will return to scripted programming at 10 p.m. But he says the issues that drove the network to put Leno in that time slot haven’t gone away: Programming is still expensive and the audience is hard to get. “It’s been a disaster at 10 o’clock and it’s not just Leno,” he says. “This is about nothing working at 10 p.m.” He points out that ABC has failed to capitalize on the opportunity that opened when NBC—one of its two broadcast rivals—got out of the game at 10 p.m. And he says CBS hasn’t done much better.

But he reserves most of his scorn for NBC. The network “hasn’t had a real hit since 1994,” he says (though Will & Grace and West Wing certainly did well in their times). “Nothing that has gotten really big numbers in 15 years. Nothing like Fox with American Idol or CBS with the CSI franchise. That’s not because of changing viewership but because they haven’t put a damn thing on that people wanted to watch.”

Just look at Leno’s ratings last night, after a day of gigantic publicity about his show, he says. “It got a 1.4 last night,” this producer marvels. “Nobody gives a shit. Isn’t that crazy? A 1.4, after all that.”


Sources: NBC, The Daily Beast

Will Conan Stay Or Go To Another Network?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

NBC to Conan O'Brien -- The Choice Is Yours


As TMZ first reported, after the Olympics, Jay Leno will get his 11:30 PM time period back. We're told network execs have told Conan they will let him decide if he wants the midnight to 1:00 AM time slot. If he does, Leno's show will only be a half hour. If Conan walks, Leno will get a full hour, informed sources tell TMZ.

Our sources say Conan has not decided what he wants. We do know he's pissed, because he was given no advanced warning this was coming. Conan's people told NBC they are considering the offer. Translation: Mr. O'Brien -- I have Rupert Murdoch on line one, Stephen McPherson on line two, John Landgraf on line three, Jeff Wachtel on line four ...

We're told if Conan gets another offer, even though NBC could block the move, they will let him go and give Leno the full hour.

Stay tuned ...







NBC Plan Would Move Leno Back to Late Nights


Pressed by affiliates and shrinking ratings, NBC has a plan in the works to radically alter its late-night television lineup, restoring Jay Leno to his old spot at 11:35 each weeknight, while pushing the man who replaced him, Conan O’Brien, to a starting time of 12:05 a.m.

NBC executives held extensive discussions with Mr. Leno and Mr. O’Brien on Thursday about the future of the network’s late-night lineup.

And while NBC officially said no final decision on the plan had been made, two senior NBC executives who had talked to the top management about the moves said that under the plan being discussed, Mr. Leno would definitely shift back to 11:35 but in a half-hour format, while Mr. O’Brien would slide back his start time by a half hour and then produce an hourlong show.

“We remain committed to keeping Conan O’Brien on NBC,” the network said in a statement Thursday evening. “He is a valued part of our late-night lineup, as he has been for more than 16 years, and is one of the most respected entertainers on television.”

The third NBC late-night star, Jimmy Fallon, would then begin his show at 1:05 a.m., the executives said. The revised lineup would go into effect after NBC concludes its coverage of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 28. NBC will pre-empt its prime-time and late-night lineup for more than two weeks to cover the Olympics, creating a natural break in which to put the late-night changes into effect.



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Sources: MSNBC, TMZ, NY Times, CNN, The Daily Beast, Youtube, Google Maps