I saw this at Michelle Malkin.  The Daily Kos dismissed the reports as fakery, but ths story is confirmed.

Here is the initial report from OC Blog:

Marines and Soldiers Returning from Iraq not allowed into Oakland terminal

On September 27th 204 Marines and soldiers who were returning from Iraq were not allowed into the passenger terminal at Oakland International Airport.Instead they had to deplane about 400 yards away from the terminal where the extra baggage trailers were located.

This was the last scheduled stop for fuel and food prior to flying to Hawaii where both were based.  The trip started in Kuwait on September 26th with a rigorous search of checked and carry on baggage by US Customs. All baggage was x-rayed with a "backscatter" machine AND each bag was completely emptied and hand searched. After being searched, checked bags were marked and immediately placed in a secure container. Carry on bags were then x rayed again to ensure no contraband items were taken on the plane.  While waiting for the bus to the airport, all personnel were in quarantined in a fenced area and were not allowed to leave.

The first stop for fuel/food and crew change was in Leipzig Germany. Troops exited the aircraft and took a bus to a reception area in the terminal, where there was a convenience store, phones, Internet and restrooms. As we exited the bus we were given a re-boarding pass. Three troops remained on the plane with the rifles and pistols. There was no ammunition on the plane and the bolts of the rifles had been removed. After about 2 hours troops re-boarded the plane and flew to JFK in NY.

At JFK the procedure was similar to Germany, 3 troops stayed on the plane to guard weapons while the rest deplaned. At the gate we were each given a re-boarding pass and spent about 1.5 hours in the terminal, at which time we re-boarded and flew to Oakland.

Since school lunacy is hot today, here is an even more outrageous case of what I consider flat out abuse.

Hat tip this time to Sister Toldjah:

Check out this appalling story, via the Monroe, Louisiana News Star:

A recent incident at the elementary school on the Grambling State University campus that resulted in a noose hanging around a small child’s neck has left university officials scrambling for answers.

Grambling State University President Horace Judson was driving to Dallas on Friday afternoon for the Saturday football game between GSU and Prairie View when his secretary called him, describing certain pictures that had been posted online by the student newspaper, The Gramblinite.

Among the photos immediately ordered taken down by Judson was one of a young girl in a school uniform, a noose around her neck, being hoisted by a woman who may have been a family member.

Lovely, just friggin lovely.  Here is one of the pictures in question via Sweetness and Light:

And there is more:

According to an article in the newspaper written by Justin LaGrande, posted on the student newspaper Web site some time this week, and sent to The News-Star by Ruston Daily Leader publisher Rick Hohlt, “kindergarten and first-grade students at Alma J. Brown Elementary will always remember the day they marched for equality. The children marched in protest of the imprisonment of Mychal Bell, and the seemingly racial bias shown toward blacks in a small Louisiana town.”

LaGrande wrote that while the students “marched,” they actually only circled their playground with their teachers during the event.

“Before marching, the students were taught about racism,” LeGrande wrote. “They also learned about the events surrounding the ‘Jena Six’ and their arrest.”

According to the article, teachers “had a replica noose and explained why it is such a symbol of racism. They also allowed the children to carry chains and shackles

See more at Sweetness and Light above.

Having lived in Everett, I can not act surprised.  My kids attended Everett School District schools and always ran into this kind of foolishness.

Hat tip to Stop the ACLU:

Talk about religious hostility and political correctness gone too far! This song doesn’t even have lyrics! It is an instrumental piece for crying out loud! Why do our schools keep catering to the oversensitive PC crowd while spitting on freedom of speech?

Via The Rutherford Institute who are appealing the case:

A federal district court has dismissed a lawsuit over a school’s decision to forbid a student woodwind ensemble’s performance of the instrumental piece “Ave Maria” at a high school graduation ceremony. Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute had filed suit against the Everett School District, charging that the school’s actions violated student Kathryn Nurre’s right to freedom of speech and to be free from hostility to religion.

In dismissing the case, the U.S. District Court in Seattle ruled that although music is considered a form of speech that can be protected, the school district was within its legal rights to control the content of any speech at the graduation ceremony in order “to keep religion out of graduation as a whole.” Taking issue with the court’s ruling that the school’s actions did not violate Nurre’s First Amendment rights, Institute attorneys plan to appeal the case.

“Despite what the district court said, this case is a perfect example of the extremes to which school officials will go in their efforts to sanitize our nation’s public schools of anything even remotely related to religion,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. “Schools cannot ban performances and restrict students’ right to free expression whenever those forms of expression might have some minimal connection to religion.”

Those who read here often may have noted that in many cases, I do not break news often, and quite often the story has settled down before I post commentary.  I do this intentionally.  There are plenty on both sides who love to scream the accusations with little or no proof or even documentation, I prefer to wait until the details emerge, as they usually do, and try to see the deeper issues.

This is a classic example.  Breaking this down, here is what initially emerged.

In the wake of the high-profile uproar from Republicans over a MoveOn.org ad attacking Gen. David Petraeus, Democrats are seizing on recent comments from popular conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh who said on a recent broadcast on Iraq that some veterans who criticize the war in the media are "phony soldiers."

Democrats are pointing to comments Limbaugh made Wednesday when he and a caller were discussing critics of the Iraq war:

"What's really funny is, they [Iraq war critics] never talk to real soldiers," the caller said. "They like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and talk to the media."

"The phony soldiers," Limbaugh then said.

In a statement issued Thursday, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, called Limbaugh's comments a "personal attack on our men and women in uniform" and "reprehensible."

"It minimizes the sacrifice our troops in Iraq and their families are making and has no place in the public discourse," he added. "Rush Limbaugh owes our military and their families an apology for his hurtful comments that minimize their service to our country."

Had the story ended here, I would personally have been a little upset.  As you know I take insults very seriously when they are conferred towards the Military.  Sure, the Military is not immune from criticism, but insults are not something I casually tolerate.

Being a long hair kinda guy, this is irritating.  Since when do schools have the right to require boys to have short hair?  So they make girls style their's a certain way too?  This is ridiculous.

Teen Faces Punishment For Long Hair

A Leakey High School senior is being told by his school district to cut his hair, but the student claimed religious values ban him from cutting it.

Now, Ben Daly, 18, said he's being punished by the school district.

Daly said he is willing to take it all the way to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, the Daly said he has contacted the American Civil Liberties Union.

I've gone here since kindergarten. I know everybody, basically," Daly said.

In the small town of Leakey, everyone knows about Daly's haircut fiasco.

"My faith is Rastafarian," Daly said.

Rastafarianism is a religion created in the early 1900s.

I think we are missing the point.  Religion is not the issue, the right to have your hair the way you want is.  Long hair is not a friggin crime.

Idiots. 

 Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Stop the ACLU, Perri Nelson's Website, Rosemary's Thoughts, Right Truth, Big Dog's Weblog, Stix Blog, Stuck On Stupid, Adeline and Hazel, third world county, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CommonSenseAmerica, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Church and State, AZAMATTEROFACT, guerrilla radio, 123beta, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam's Blog, Nuke's News & Views, Webloggin, Cao's Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, High Desert Wanderer, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Could this be the real cause of global warming?

Watch it all the way through...

 Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Stop the ACLU, Perri Nelson's Website, Rosemary's Thoughts, Right Truth, Big Dog's Weblog, Stix Blog, Stuck On Stupid, Adeline and Hazel, third world county, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CommonSenseAmerica, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Church and State, AZAMATTEROFACT, guerrilla radio, 123beta, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam's Blog, Nuke's News & Views, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, High Desert Wanderer, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

More news on GW:

Is Global Warming Alarmist James Hansen a Shill for George Soros?

The claims against anthropogenic global warming skeptics are often the same: they're all shills for big oil or other industry wishing to poke holes in the 'consensus theory' of global warming (which isn't a consensus at all). Under the so-called "politicization of science" program, George Soros' (the favorite fundraiser of many democrats) has reportedly given as much as $720,000 to Hansen to help package his alarmist claims and get them pushed by the mainstream media (The Soros Threat to Democracy):

How many people, for instance, know that James Hansen, a man billed as a lonely "NASA whistleblower" standing up to the mighty U.S. government, was really funded by Soros' Open Society Institute , which gave him "legal and media advice"?

That's right, Hansen was packaged for the media by Soros' flagship "philanthropy," by as much as $720,000, most likely under the OSI's "politicization of science" program

They keep claiming there is no financial incentive to lue about GW.  Uh huh.  Sure about that?

NYT’s Environmental Writer Paid $12,500 to Speak About Global Warming

NewsBusters readers are aware that one of my contentions concerning global warming alarmism is that those involved are doing it for the money.

Well, this editorial from the Olympian in Washington state will give you an idea that it's not just folks like Al Gore, Laurie David, and carbon offset marketers that are cashing in on this scam.

Now, media members are getting into the act as well.

Entitled "Climate Change Event Mishandled," the editorial deliciously complained about the Olympia, Washington, City Council paying a speaking fee to Andrew Revkin of the New York Times (emphasis added):

Yes, climate change is an important issue. And, yes, public education on the impacts of global warming to South Sound and what residents can do to minimize their individual impact is important. But what's really galling is the fact that the two speakers, Andrew Revkin, author and environmental writer for The New York Times and Terry Tempest Williams, a naturalist and author, are not even going to take questions from the audience.

Interesting.

Pelosi and Dem Leadership Ignoring Corrupt Democratic Staff

Nancy Pelosi and her party campaigned last year as the anti-corruption party, promising to “drain the swamp” of corruption in Washington. So how have they followed up on that promise? Apparently, they’re still working on it.

The Capitol Hill paper Roll Call is reporting that a high-level staffer to Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo) is using his perch as a paid staffer to rake in money as a paid lobbyist. An arrangement that raises ethical concerns – to put it mildly. From Roll Call:

“Phil Scaglia serves as interoffice coordinator for Cleaver’s offices in Kansas City and Washington, D.C., operating with many of the traditional functions of a chief of staff. He is responsible for hiring and firing staff and making management decisions for both offices. Scaglia also has run Cleaver’s campaigns, according to Danny Rotert, the Congressman’s spokesman.

“Scaglia has a separate lobbying practice in Kansas City, representing local clients and the regional chapter of the American Diabetes Association. He also was a spokesman for a coalition of primarily business interests in the state that supported a ballot initiative to raise taxes to pay for upgrades to the professional baseball and football stadiums in Kansas City in 2006.”(Roll Call, 09/12/07)

No conclusions, just food for thought.

A break in the routine.  One of Clapton's finest. 

How ironic is it the best music sometimes comes from tragedy.

San Francisco continues to amaze me.

First, the attempted ban on the Blue Angels goes down swinging:

Another attack on the Blue Angels rebuffed

...the latest attempt to kick out the Blue Angels has failed:

San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly’s hopes of halting the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels show from performing its aerial acrobatics over the city during Fleet Week crashed today when the board of supervisors failed the resolution.

Supervisors voted down the resolution just before 2:30 p.m. Newly appointed interim Supervisor Carmen Chu, who attended her first meeting today as the representative for District 4, voted against the resolution.

Not wanting to be painted anti military he resorted to some spurious reasons to support his ban. 

Daly camouflaged his anti-military motives by playing the safety card, but the board did not buy it:

Daly submitted the resolution because he said it is “not a necessary risk that the city needs to take.” He believes that having the fighter pilot exhibition over a densely populated area like San Francisco poses an unwarranted risk to life and property.

“It is strictly for entertainment and an accident would cause significant loss of life,” Daly said.

Whatever.  If anyone has a doubt about the mentality in The City they should consider this:

San Francisco is at it again

KGO reports that San Francisco is dissing the military again (hat tip - readers Thom and Tim):

New York said “yes,” but we said “no.” Why were the U.S. Marines denied permission to film a recruiting commercial on the streets of San Francisco? San Francisco is, once again, the center of a controversy over how city leaders treat the U.S. military. This time, it involves an elite group of Marines who wanted to film a recruitment commercial in San Francisco on the anniversary of 9/11.