Christian couple fined $13,000 for refusing to host same-sex ‘wedding’ at their farm

The New York State Division of Human Rights (DHR) has ruled that the Roman Catholic owners of an Albany-area farm violated the civil rights of a lesbian couple when they declined to host the couple’s same-sex “marriage” ceremony in 2012.

Robert and Cynthia Gifford, who own and operate Liberty Ridge Farm in Schaghticoke, were ordered by DHR Judge Migdalia Pares and Commissioner Helen Diane Foster to pay $10,000 in fines to the state and an additional $3,000 in damages to the lesbian couple, Jennie McCarthy and Melissa Erwin for “mental pain and suffering.”

Again $10,000 was paid to the state and $3,000 paid to the gay couple!  This is nothing more than big government raping it’s citizens and violating their 1^st amendment rights to freedom of religion! Additionally, the Giffords must provide sensitivity training to their staff, and prominently display a poster highlighting state anti-discrimination laws.  Basically they must allow the state to brain wash them away from their religious views.

Cynthia and Robert Gifford decided not to host ceremonies anymore, other than those already scheduled, Alliance Defending Freedom attorney James Trainor told The Blaze. ”Since the order essentially compelled them to do all ceremonies or none at all, they have chosen the latter in order to stay true to their religious convictions, even though it will likely hurt their business in the short run,” he said.

New Jersey couple Jennifer McCarthy and Melisa Erwin took the Giffords to court when they refused to host their 2012 wedding at Liberty Ridge Farm, where the Giffords host about a dozen weddings a year.

The Giffords were willing to host the reception, but not the actual ceremony.

A court ruled in favor of McCarthy and Erwin, and fined the Giffords $13,000 for refusing to host the ceremony.

Are you an Ice Bucket Challenge Sucker?

Close to $100 million has been raised towards the ALS foundation.  Where is all that money going?

According to the ALS Foundation, not towards ALS.

Over 73% of all donations raised are going to fundraising, overhead, executive salaries, and external donations. Less than 27% is actually used for the purpose we donated for.

According to the ECFA, a charitable watchdog, 27% of donations actually making it to the cause they are donated to is unacceptable. In fact, the ECFA won't deem a non-profit as a reliable charity unless at least 80% of donations make it to their intended projects.

Here's the breakdown of the ALS Foundation's Financials from their own pie chart:

Breaking: Terror Attack Imminent On US Southern Border: Islamic Terrorist Found In Mexico City

Judicial Watch has just put out this statement:

Islamic terrorist groups are operating in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez and planning to attack the United States with car bombs or other vehicle born improvised explosive devices (VBIED). High-level federal law enforcement, intelligence and other sources have confirmed to Judicial Watch that a warning bulletin for an imminent terrorist attack on the border has been issued.  Agents across a number of Homeland Security, Justice and Defense agencies have all been placed on alert and instructed to aggressively work all possible leads and sources concerning this imminent terrorist threat.

Specifically, Judicial Watch sources reveal that the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) is confirmed to now be operating in Juarez, a famously crime-infested narcotics hotbed situated across from El Paso, Texas. Violent crimes are so rampant in Juarez that the U.S. State Department has issued a number of travel warnings for anyone planning to go there. The last one was issued just a few days ago.

Intelligence officials have picked up radio talk and chatter indicating that the terrorist groups are going to “carry out an attack on the border,” according to one JW source.  “It’s coming very soon,” according to this high-level source, who clearly identified the groups planning the plots as “ISIS and Al Qaeda.” An attack is so imminent that the commanding general at Ft. Bliss, the U.S. Army post in El Paso, is being briefed, another source confirms. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not respond to multiple inquiries from Judicial Watch, both telephonic and in writing, about this information.

The disturbing inside intelligence comes on the heels of news reports revealing that U.S. intelligence has picked up increased chatter among Islamist terror networks approaching the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. While these terrorists reportedly plan their attack just outside the U.S., President Obama admits that “we don’t have a strategy yet” to combat ISIS. “I don’t want to put the cart before the horse,” the commander-in-chief said this week during a White House press briefing. “I think what I’ve seen in some of the news reports suggest that folks are getting a little further ahead of what we’re at than what we currently are.”

The administration has also covered up, or at the very least downplayed, a serious epidemic of crime along the Mexican border even as heavily armed drug cartels have taken over portions of the region. Judicial Watch has reported that the U.S. Border Patrol actually ordered officers to avoid the most crime-infested stretches because they’re “too dangerous” and patrolling them could result in an “international incident” of cross border shooting. In the meantime, who could forget the famous words of Obama’s first Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano; the southern border is “as secure as it has ever been.”

These new revelations are bound to impact the current debate about the border crisis and immigration policy.

Report: 24 Members of Congress Do Not Believe in God

An atheist organization reveals there are two dozen members of Congress who do not believe in God.

St Regis Catholic Church
Bloomfield Hills, MI

Maggie Ardiente of the American Humanist Association made the revelation to Religion News Service.

“We already know of 24 members of Congress who have told us privately that they don’t believe in God, but they won’t come out, of course, and if we tried to out them they would deny it,” she told Religion News Service.

The last open atheist in Congress was Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., in 2012. Religion News Service reports Stark admitted that he was an atheist 35 years after being elected. Barney Frank announced he was an atheist after he retired from Congress. Atheist James Woods from Arizona is running for Congress and Rep. Kyrsten Sinema does not identify with a religion.

A Pew Research Center poll from May found that 53 percent of Americans would less likely support a candidate that didn’t believe in God. Forty-one percent of those polled said it wouldn’t matter if the candidate believed in God or not.

There are currently no open atheists in Congress

Girl Suspended From High School For Saying "Bless You" After A Classmates Sneeze

In Dyer County, located in west Tennessee, Kendra Turner says she was suspended for responding to a classmate's sneeze.

The student posted on Facebook yesterday that her teacher told her, quoting, “Now we will not have Godly speaking in my class".

But school leaders say she was given in-school suspension for violating the teacher's "no talking policy" and causing a disruption in the classroom.

"My friend sitting next to me sneezed and I said 'bless you.' My teacher, she stood up and she asked ‘Who said that?' I told her I did and she asked why and I said I was being courteous. She said, ‘Who told you it was courtesy?' I told her that my pastor and my parents taught me it was courtesy to say it and she said ‘This is not your pastor's classroom.' I get to the office and one of the administrators said that if I didn't want to follow my teacher's rules then maybe I should get my pastor to teach me,” said Kendra.

American Idol Season 2 Finalist Josh Gracin Suicidal?

'American Idol' Season 2 finalist Josh Gracin had neighbors and police racing to his door ... after posting what looked like a suicide note in the wake of marital problems. 

We're told cops responded to the former Marine's home in Spring Hill, TN -- where he lives with his wife and 4 kids -- for a welfare check after a family member saw an ominous Facebook post:    

  "I've loved her for 17 years ... I made mistakes ... I admitted them, told her the truth and she turned her back on me when I needed her help the most." He continued, "Please remember me as someone who gave his all in his music ... Pray for my family as they carry on in this world without me.  Goodbye." 

Cops rushed to his house -- his wife was there but he wasn't.  Law enforcement sources tell us police got in touch with him by phone, put him on with his wife, and he told her he was coming home.

Cops are stayed at the home until Josh arrived.

Josh Gracin is scheduled to perform in Novi, Michigan on August 22nd.  It is not known, if he current troubles will allow him to keep this schedule.

Ferguson, Missouri Riots Continue To Grow Over Shooting Of Unarmed 18 Year Old

Police used tear gas and smoke bombs to repel crowds who threw Molotov cocktails during another violent night on the

streets of a St. Louis suburb in the wake of the shooting of the unarmed 18-year old Michael Brown.

Hours earlier, the police chief had said race relations were the top priority in the town, where a white police officer fatally shot the black teen. Authorities have vowed to reach across the racial, economic and generational divide in a community in search of answers.

In the streets of Ferguson, though, the polite dialogue heard at community forums and news conferences is nowhere to be found.

Instead, officers from multiple departments in riot gear and in military equipment have clashed nightly with protesters, who chant, "Hands up, don't shoot." Wednesday saw more tense confrontations and further volleys of tear gas from police — this time paired with smoke bombs in response to flaming projectiles and other objects lobbed from the crowd. Protesters faced heavily armed police who at times trained weapons on them from armored trucks.

Two reporters said they were detained by police for not clearing out quickly enough from a McDonald's where they were working, near the protests but away from the more volatile areas.  Wesley Lowery, a Washington Post political reporter, and Ryan Reilly, a Huffington Post justice reporter, were arrested in a McDonald's shortly before 8 p.m. EDT. Police entered the restaurant and told patrons to leave, the reporters wrote on Twitter after their release. The police then asked Lowery and Reilly for their identification and, according to the reporters, arrested them because they weren't packing their bags fast enough.

Lowery also said the police officers "assaulted" him. "Officers slammed me into a fountain soda machine because I was confused about which door they were asking me to walk out of," he wrote on Twitter. Lowery also said that he and Reilly were released without paperwork or charges, and that the officers refused to provide the reporters with their names.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that about 10 people had been arrested, including St. Louis Alderman Antonio French, who has been chronicling the protests on social media. Police had said earlier they would not have arrest information until early Thursday.

The White House said President Barack Obama — who is on vacation on the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard — was briefed late Wednesday on the situation in Ferguson by Attorney General Eric Holder and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. Obama has another briefing scheduled for Thursday morning.

Residents in Ferguson have complained about what they called a heavy-handed police presence that began with the use of dogs for crowd control soon after Brown's shooting — a tactic that for some invoked the specter of civil rights protests a half-century ago. The county police force took over leading both the investigation of Brown's shooting and the subsequent attempts to keep the peace at the smaller city's request.

County Police Chief Jon Belmar, though, said his officers have responded with "an incredible amount of restraint," as they've been the targets of rocks, bottles and gunshots, with two dozen patrol vehicles being destroyed.

Police had also asked earlier that people assemble in "an organized and respectful" manner and disperse before evening.

The city and county are also under criticism for refusing to release the name of the officer involved in Brown's shooting, citing threats against that officer and others.

Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson called improving race relations "the top priority right now" but also said he won't be pressured into publicly identifying the officer — despite, he said, mounting demands from clergy, computer hackers and protesters.

"We have the right to know, and the family has the right to know who murdered their son," said Sahari Gutierrez, a 27-year-old Ferguson legal assistant.

Jackson said he welcomes Justice Department training on racial relations in the suburb, where two-thirds of the 21,000 residents are black while all but three of the police force's 53 officers are white.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon cited the "worsening situation" in Ferguson in saying he would be in the area Thursday. He asked community members to be patient and calm while the investigation proceeds and urged law enforcement agencies to "keep the peace and respect the rights of residents and the press."

Jackson said the investigation remains weeks away from completion.

Police have said Brown was shot after an officer encountered him and another man on the street. They say one of the men pushed the officer into his squad car, then physically assaulted him in the vehicle and struggled with the officer over the officer's weapon. At least one shot was fired inside the car.

The struggle then spilled onto the street, where Brown was shot multiple times. In their initial news conference about the shooting, police didn't specify whether Brown was the person who scuffled with the officer in the car and have refused to clarify their account.

Jackson said Wednesday that the officer involved sustained swelling facial injuries.

Dorian Johnson, who says he was with Brown when the shooting happened, has told a much different story. He has told media outlets that the officer ordered them out of the street, then tried to open his door so close to the men that it "ricocheted" back, apparently upsetting the officer.

Johnson says the officer grabbed his friend's neck, then tried to pull him into the car before brandishing his weapon and firing. He says Brown started to run and the officer pursued him, firing multiple times. Johnson and another witness both say Brown was on the street with his hands raised when the officer fired at him repeatedly.

Among the protesters critical of the police response has been state Sen. Maria Chapelle-Nadal, a Democrat from nearby University City

"I just want to know if I'm going to be gassed again, like I was on Monday night?" she asked Jackson at a press conference. "And I was peaceful. And I'm your state senator."

"I hope not," he replied.

South Carolina Mom Arrested For Using "F" Word

A North Augusta mother is facing charges after a witness says she used profanity toward her children.

Daniell Wolf

A loaf of bread and a few choice words on Sunday evening now have Danielle Wolf in hot water.

Wolf, age 22, moved to South Carolina with her family 3 weeks ago but a night at a grocery store has her wanting to move back her former home in Ohio.

"He was like, 'You're under arrest'...right in front of kids, in front of my husband, in front of customers." said Wolf, of the North Augusta Department of Public Safety who arrested her.

Wolf recalls the night she was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct at the Kroger store located on Knox Avenue, in North Augusta.

She says a woman shopping in the store followed Wolf and her family. "She's like, 'you said the f-word', and I'm like, 'when did I say this to my kids?" Wolf said.

According to the incident report, Wolf was shopping at Kroger with her kids around 10:15 pm Sunday, going down the bread aisle, when they kept squeezing the bread -- and that's when she said the word that got her arrested.

"It's seems a little extreme," said Amy Sawicz, who shops at the store.

Fellow shopper Terry Hunt said, "parents, we don't guide our children in the proper way."

Wolf says that's not what happened. "She's like, 'you told that they were smashing the bread', and I said 'no' I said that to my husband, that he was smashing the bread by throwing the frozen pizzas on top of it," said Wolf.

According to North Augusta law, disorderly conduct generally means, to "utter, while in a state of anger, in the presence of another, any bawdy, lewd or obscene words or epithets."

Wolf says the woman later said she didn't want her arrested, but it was too late.

"I didn't harm nobody. I didn't hurt nobody. The lady said she was having a bad day. So, because you're having a bad day you're going to ruin somebody's life," said Wolf.

 The woman who says she witnessed the incident said she saw Wolf use the f-word repeatedly and Wolf started cursing at her after she approached Wolf. The woman says she wasn't having a bad day and that hearing Wolf use those words brought her back to her abusive childhood.

Wolf is due in court on September 12th.

Clippers Ripped From Donald Sterlings Hands

Steve Ballmer is officially the new owner of the Los Angeles Clippers as the team is ripped from the

ownership hands of Donald Sterling.  Even if Donald Sterling is a racist jerk, it is a sad day when government can step in and steal your business. 

The team says the sale closed Tuesday after a California court confirmed the authority of Shelly Sterling, on behalf of the Sterling Family Trust, to sell the franchise. Her husband, Donald Sterling, had unsuccessfully fought the sale of the team he owned since 1981 in court.

It is also a sad day when the court allows illegal wire tapping into th case.

The NBA Board of Governors had previously approved the sale.

Copper Thieves To Blame For Flooded Roads?

The state says the theft of copper from pumping stations used to clear water from Detroit-area freeways may have been a contributing factor in this week's major highway flooding.

Michigan Department of Transportation spokeswoman Diane Cross said the copper piping had been stolen from several pumping stations — but MDOT didn’t know about the thefts until going in to pump the water after Monday’s torrential storms.

Cross said it could be several days before all freeways are reopened.

“It really is an extremely rare situation, but we’re working the best we can to get the roads open,” she said.

Reports say possible factors include pump houses not working properly because of metal thieves taking copper used in the pumping systems. Copper theft for sale as scrap is a longstanding area problem, with it being blamed in many streetlight outages.

Could the copper theft also be for plausible deniable liability for the flooded roads?

NASCAR Driver Tony Stewart Hits And Kills Driver On Track (Raw Video)

Kevin Ward Jr.
Taken Before The Race

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart hit and killed a fellow driver 20-year old Kevin Ward during a dirt-track race this weekend in New York. The death occurred late Saturday night at the Lucas Oil Empire Super
Sprint at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park.

One of the sprint cars lost control and hit the wall during lap 14 of a 25-lap race, According to Police: The driver of the crashed car exited his vehicle and walked on the track, where he was hit by Tony Stewart's car. The victim was taken to a hospital and later died. "Stewart has fully cooperated with investigation," Police said. "He acknowledges the collision with the driver." An investigation is under way.

Health Care Costs Out of Control! Hospital Charges $9,000 To Put A Band-Aid On A Cut Finger

A New Jersey teacher said he was charged nearly $9,000 after he showed a cut middle finger to a hospital emergency room aide.

Baer Hanusz-Rajkowski said he went to the Bayonne Medical Center last August after he cut his finger with a hammer and thought he needed stitches. He didn't. Instead he was sent home after he got a tetanus shot from a nurse practitioner who also sterilized the cut, applied some antibacterial ointment to it, and put a bandage on it.

Then he got the bill: $8,200 for the emergency room visit, $180 for the shot, $242 for the bandage and $8 for the ointment, plus hundreds of dollars for the nurse practitioner.

"I got a Band-Aid and a tetanus shot. How could it be $9,000? This is crazy," Hanusz-Rajkowski told NBC 4 New York Wednesday.

The hospital's CEO Mark Spektor told the station Hanusz-Rajkowski's visit cost so much because his insurance carrier United Healthcare refuses to offer fair reimbursement rates.

But United Healthcare responded by saying the hospital was just trying to gouge its members.

Linda Schwimmer of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute said the right price for getting a finger bandaged should be $400 to $1,000.

She told NBC that New Jersey needs a public database showing the average price for medical procedures.

Candidate For MSU Regent Added Name And Support In Brief For Gay Marriage

Rick Johnson - Former Republican member of the Michigan House of Representatives, and one of the candidates

Rich Johnson Campaigning for MSU Regent
At the Birmingham Bloomfield Club on 8/7/14

for MSU Regent was one of the former Republican Legislators that added their support and name to the "BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE REPUBLICANS IN SUPPORT OF APPELLEES AND AFFIRMANCE" also know as the brief in support of same sex marriage in Michigan. This brief was filed on 6/16/14 with the United States Court of Appeals in the Sixth Circuit Court.

California Republican Says Justin Amash Should Be Shot

Glenn Ratcliff is a Republican running for Assembly in California. He says Michigan Congressman Justin Amash should be shot.

Threatening other officials is a Class C or D felony, usually carrying maximum penalties of 5 or 10 years under 18 U.S.C. § 875, 18 U.S.C. § 876 and other statutes, that is investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. When national boundaries are transcended by such a threat, it is considered a terrorist threat.  When a threat is made against a judge, it can be considered obstruction of justice. Threatening federal officials' family members is also a federal crime; in enacting the law, the Committee on the Judiciary stated that "Clearly it is a proper Federal function to respond to terrorists and other criminals who seek to influence the making of Federal policies and interfere with the administration of justice by attacking close relatives of those entrusted with these tasks."

There are three elements of the offense of making an illegal threat: (i) there must be a transmission in interstate commerce; (ii) there must be a communication containing the threat; (iii) and the threat must be a threat to injure the person of another.

Michigan Governor Snyder Appointments House Speaker Jase Bolger's Dad To Western Michigan Board of Trustees

Gov. Rick Snyder has appointed House Speaker Jase Bolger's father to serve on the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees.

James Bolger is a retired Michigan State Police official who lives in Whitehall. The Kalamazoo Gazette says he'll fill the seat vacated when Trustee Michelle Crumm resigned.

Bolger will complete Crumm's eight-year term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2020.

Bolger earned a master's degree in public administration from Western Michigan.

Michgan Primary Shows Tea Party Is Alive And Well

Although the Tea Party suffered some losses with the election losses of Tom McMillin, Alan Arcand and Peter Konetchy for Congress,  Matthew Maddock for State Senate, Wendy Lynn Day, Angela Rigas, and Deb O'Hagan for State Representative, there were many victories.

Tea Party and Christen victories included; Justin Amash, 3rd District Representative in Congress who battled a tough primay, 7th District State Senator Patrick Colbeck, Lana Theis, 42nd District State Representative, Jim Runestad, 44th District State Representative, Cindy Gamrat, 80th District State Representative, Todd Courser, 82nd District State Representative, Gary Glenn 98th District State Representative, Triston Cole, 105th District State Representative, Lee Chatfield 107th District State Representative.

These victories were hard fought as the Establishment  branch of the party did everything they could to prevent the Tea Party and Christian Conservatives from winning .

In the 3rd Congressional District Brian Ellis, a business man was chosen by the Establishment Republicans to challenge Sophmore and Tea Party Favorite Justin Amash.  Brian Ellis was endorsed by Retiring Congressman Mike Rogers. Rogers had been at odds with Justin Amash over Amash's stance against the NSA spy agency, the NDAA where American's deemed terrorists can be held indefinitely and lose their constitutional rights.  Justin bucked many in his party and voted against the Continuing Resolutions that kept funding Obamacare.   Former Congressman and 2012 Senate Candidate Pete Hoekstra also supported Ellis.  The nastiness in the campaign was so bad that yesterday at his victory party Justin told Brian Ellis and Pete Hoekstra how he really felt.  

"Brian Ellis, you owe my family and this community an apology," Amash said. "You had the audacity to try to call me today after running a campaign that was called 'the nastiest in the country.' "I ran for office to stop people like you."

"I want to say to lobbyist Pete Hoekstra, you're a disgrace," said Amash, noting the former U.S. representative who appeared in a TV ad for Ellis. "I'm glad we can hand you one more loss before you fade into total obscurity and irrelevance."

In the 107th District the Establishment was so desperate to keep power and their Representative Frank Foster that they courted the Democrat party and asked for their help to take a stand against the Tea Party.

Chatfield's challenge came as a result of Foster's overall liberal voting record (Obamacare-Medicaid expansion, Common Core) but primarily his advocacy for the homosexual activists' top agenda item.

Gary Glenn who is a strong voice for marriage between a man and a woman also won his seat easily. In the race in the 98th Gary Glenn's religious beliefs were attacked for his Christian beliefs on gay marriage. Former Michigan Gubernatorial  Dick Devos' family donated heavily to Glenn's opponent and Devos' right hand man, Greg McKnielly, Dick Devos' right hand man and who quickly got married to his gay partner when the window for gay marriage was briefly opened earlier this year, also worked hard against Glenn.

In the 44th House District there was no love lost between conservative favorite Jim Runestad, who has a conservative record to stand on, versus Liz Fessler Smith, a relative new comer that came from a rocky political family , rose quickly through the ranks and was supported by many Establishment Republicans. 

Liz Fessler Smith stated to tea party members  and Christian Conservatives that she was conservative while at the same time she had committed to amending the Elliott-Larsen Act to include special protections for sexual orientation.  Many false accusations were thrown at Jim, including calling him a racist, which many know to be farthest from the truth.  The police were also called on the Fessler Smith campaign at a precinct in White Lake for what some perceived as voter intimidation.  However one Facebook user advised that Ms. Fessler-Smith decided to post on her facebook wall that the police were called on her opponent.

In Michigan the campaign finance reports where due on July 25th,2014, but as of this writing no complete campaign filing has been given to the Michigan Election Commission.  As previously reported Ms. Fessler Smith stated that her campaign finance information was stolen out of her mother's car the day it was due. 

Former candidates for Michigan Republican Chair and Vice Chair, Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat also won their respect races and one can only wonder what will happen in the State House once they team up again should they when in November.

Overall with all the drama, the Establishment Republicans who have had their hands in pockets of those that support Common Core, Medicaid Expansion, and the gay marriage agenda to a hit with the election of Christian Tea Party Candidates yesterday.  

Congressman and Former Governor Say Candidate "Works So Hard She Could Beat The 12 Apostles"

Former Michigan Governor, Jennifer Granholm (D) with current sitting Congressman John Dingell, for Michigan's 12th District posted the photo above with the description below:

Selfie w/ Congressman John Dingell at Debbie Dingell primary victory party. John Dingell on Debbie's prospects: "She works so hard could beat the 12 apostles."

John Dingell has had his congressional seat since 1955 after taking it over from his father in 1933.  Now his wife Debbie Dingell is poised to take that seat again unless Republican first time candidate Terry Bowman can create a huge upset.

What Dingell and Granholm don't realize is that it isn't about working hard, it is that Michigan voters are lazy and stupid.  Most only vote on name recognition and not a candidates background.

Also what Dingell and Granholm don't realize is that one of the apostles was Judas who turned his back on Jesus.  Hopefully quite a few turn their backs on Debbie Dingell and vote for Terry Bowman in November.  

After A Series Of Miscues Candidate Now Says Her Campaign Records Stolen

Liz Fessler Smith is a first time candidate running for State Representative in Michigan's 44th District, against 

Dennis Garlick, Russ Tierney and current Oakland County County Commissioner Jim Runestad. 

Although this is her first run at a public political office, she does come from an interesting political family and miscues do run in her family. 

Her father Richard Kessler served as Senator from 1983 to 1990 but had a miscue in 1987 when he made the papers in November of that year, after being arrested.  Not to be out done her mother, Marilyn Fessler also had some miscues, one such when she made the news after she had a bench arrest warrant issued for contempt of court in 1988, and a police raid was conducted at the family's home in search of Marilyn Fessler. 


Ms.Liz Fessler Smith has had a series of miscues during her campaign from sending out a campaign fundraising
flyer listing former 11th district chair , Abe Munfakh as 11th district chair when the current chairman is Michael Mitchell. Many on the 11th District Board that chose to remain neutral in this state rep race thought this was an underhanded attempt by Ms. Fessler Smith to make it look as if her former board was behind her.  Ms. Fessler Smith previously served on the 2013-2015 11th District Congressional Board, until she was forced to resign due to the 11th District  Board by-laws requiring a board member to resign if they decide to run in a contested Republican Primary.   

The next miscue Ms. Fessler Smith made was when she sent out an e-mail with a photograph of former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, while he was in town supporting another candidate.  Ms. Fessler Smith stated in the e-mail that Mitt Romney was behind her campaign and suggested that she post that picture of the two of them in her campaign materials.  According to numerous Facebook posts from long term Republicans, they asked State Committee Woman and Mitt Romney's niece Ronna Romney McDaniel if her uncle would say something like that.  Even though Ms. McDaniel endorsed former fellow 11th District Board Member Liz Fessler Smith, the facebook posts said she said, "No, He wouldn't have." 

Did Mitt Romney Really Endorse Liz Fessler Smith?

Now we come to the biggest miscue of them all campaign finance reports.  Every candidate must file them, however Ms. Fessler Smith has reported that they were stolen from her mother's vehicle on or around July 25th.  

Ms. Fessler Smith said her paper records were swiped on the same day pre-primary campaign finance report was due to be filed with state election regulators. She notified the Bureau of Elections via email on the evening of July 25 that “our campaign finance information has been stolen along with some other campaign information/records and signs,” records show.

Ms. Fessler Smith suggested one of her opponents may have played a role in the theft, though she offered no evidence.

Ms. Fessler Smith's husband is the campaign treasurer and by reported accounts, preparing to put the campaign information into the State's online system when the supposed theft occurred.  

White Lake Township police have few leads in the week-old case, said assigned detective Lt. Larry Sheldon on Friday.

There was no evidence of forced entry and approximately 100 campaign signs were reported stolen, which is common during election years, Sheldon said.

The chairman of the Oakland County Republican Party said Fessler Smith’s story “doesn't add up.”

“It’s the most ludicrous statement I’ve heard in any campaign in 30 years that somebody stole my papers,” Oakland GOP Chairman Jim Thienel.

Given that campaigns spending more than $5,000 have to store fundraising data electronically, Fessler Smith would have been up against the deadline to prepare her report, Thienel said.

According to numerous Facebook posts, the Secretary of State is not sitting idly by either.  Reports state they have fined the campaign $500 and are now in the process of contacting the Attorney General's office as no campaign reports have been filed.    One simply cannot just walk away and not file the appropriate campaign paperwork.  The State keeps specific reports to prevent commingling of campaign funds into other accounts such as business or personal. 

Some have posted on Facebook and are suggesting that this is a ploy as perhaps Ms. Fessler Smith received donations from a major Republican insider or politician who is now embarrassed to have made a contribution to this campaign. 

Does Ms. Fessler Smith think she is better than the rest of the candidates? Those that play by the rules and have been active in the party with proven track records and experience.  One has to wonder. 

Setting the Record Straight on Common Core - Part 2

In Part Two of this series, Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios talks about the mediocre quality of Common Core national education standards, drawing on Pioneer's extensive research to show that in ELA and math, the national standards will weaken the level of instruction in several states. He also discusses the negative impact that Common Core will have on school choice.

Setting the Record Straight on Common Core - Part 1

In Part One of this series, Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios talks about the basis for education reform in Massachusetts, and how that state-driven success model differs from Common Core national education standards. He corrects some of the myths about Common Core, drawing on Pioneer Institute's extensive research to show that the national standards were not state-led, violate three federal laws, and will far exceed cost estimates for implementation.

 For more, visit:http://pioneerinstitute.org/common-core/

Hamas Using Children As Human Shields (Pictures)

If this does not make you sick then nothing will...

This is how Hamas protected their missile launch sites and command centers.

Total Violation Of Constitution. Entire Town Questioned By FBI / Police. Pen Marked Like Cattle By FBI / Police

In what can only be described as a disgustingly total disregard for one's constitutional rights, the FBI in conjunction with the Michigan State Police and Armada Police would not let anyone leave or enter the village of Armada, Michigan without harassing questions by the FBI and Police.

The search was in response for the murder of April Milsap who was murdered on a rural trail walking her dog in Armada.  April was murdered on July 24, 2014.  The search took place 7 days later on 7/31/14.  

Not one suspect out of the multiple hundreds that were questioned and marked like cattle by a red pen after they spoke with the police or FBI