Grinding Meathead - Sausage Out, Chorizo In?

(Photo: tastingmenu.com)

In a suprising move rarely seen in California politics, a major political figure, in control of hundreds of millions of dollars, resigns. Rob Reiner tendered his resignation today and suggests to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that he appoint his equally liberal political associate, Hector Ramirez. Gov. Arnold, felt comfortable "cooking" with similar meat. A new "controversy meal" is served.

Excerpts from LA Weekly, Bill Bradley's New West Notes -

FLASH: Rob Reiner Out Of First 5 (With Updates Throughout Day)
March 29th, 2006

Controversial movie director/initiative promoter Rob Reiner has resigned his long expired term as chairman AND member of the California Children and Families Commission (aka First 5). Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed Para Los Ninos chief operating officer Hector Ramirez to replace him. Para Los Ninos is a very well-respected nonprofit family service organization in the Los Angeles area which receives funding from First 5.
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UPDATE: Support for Reiner's Preschool for All initiative, Proposition 82 on California's June ballot, has spun downwards to barely more than 50 percent in new polling, a perilously low level of support for a complex fiscally-oriented ballot measure.

Prop 10 is funded by a 50 cent a pack tax on cigarettes. Prop 82 would be funded by an income tax surcharge on high-income Californians. In both cases, Reiner's stewardship of taxpayer money is at issue.
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UPDATE: Schwarzenegger may have created another controversy for himself with the appointment of Hector Ramirez as First 5 Chairman. Ramirez is a political associate of Reiner's. The Proposition 82 campaign was launched at an event outside Para Los Ninos. Ramirez served on the executive committee of the First 5 LA's Preschool For All Initiative, which was, as I reported earlier, Reiner and First 5's initial attempt to institute a publicly-funded universal preschool program and served as a model for Prop 82.

Ramirez is also a leading member of the National Council of La Raza ("The Race"), an advocacy organization on a variety of issues, including immigration reform, in which it is frequently opposed to Schwarzenegger's policy.

Ramirez, according to his bio, serves as co-chair of the California Region Education Committee for the National Council of La Raza. The Packard Foundation (based on the Hewlett-Packard Co. fortune), which has worked closely with Rob Reiner on the First 5 program in general and Preschool For All in particular, is a major funder of the National Council of La Raza.
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UPDATE: Mark Fabiani called a little while ago. Fabiani has very recently come on board as public relations counsel to Rob Reiner. Fabiani has extensive high-level political and PR experience. He is perhaps best known for serving as special counsel to President Bill Clinton handling the Whitewater controversy.
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With Rob Reiner (Meathead to sausage) being able to replace himself with a staunch political ally, it will be hard for him to continue to allege that he was pressured out due to partisan politics. The issue has always been Reiner's possible illegal use of government funds to pursue/fund personal political objectives.

UPDATE: Friday, March 31 - More excerpts from LA Weekly, Bill Bradley's New West Notes -

Rob Reiner's End Game

By the end of last week, it was evident that movie director/initiative promoter Rob Reiner was in very hot political water. The California State Auditor investigation of his California Children and Families Commission, previously not scheduled, was now imminent, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office continued its review, his Proposition 82 universal preschool initiative was in trouble in the polls, his friend Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was pressured by the controversy and involvement of his associates with the commission, and Reiner, hardly a man bereft of public relations counsel, was attempting to hire several high-powered PR and lobbying pros.
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“The audit is clearly important,” said (California State Auditor Elaine)Howle. Important enough to move ahead of an audit of University of California financial practices. Once begun in mid-April, the audit will take four months.

“I expect to finish in August,” the state auditor said. “I don’t see that as a problem.” Finishing in August will allow time for legislative hearings on the Auditor’s findings.

She described the audit as having a very expansive reach, looking through the commission’s activities from 2004 on.
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Reiner had put his friend Schwarzenegger on the spot, testing their Hollywood friendship by his refusal to finally step away from the commission, where his term had actually expired in 2004. His half-measure of taking a leave of absence had clearly and predictably failed. So over the past weekend, he spoke with the governor and made clear his intention to resign. The former action superstar agreed to replace Reiner with a Reiner associate, Hector Ramirez, chief operating officer of the highly respected Los Angeles family service organization, Para Los Ninos.
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We will all watch as this "controversy meal" continues to simmer. To date, this whole Rob Reiner controversy has given us Meathead ground to sausage -- momentarily changed to schnitzel -- then added chorizo -- a sausage, schnitzel, chorizo stew seems to be what is simmering and it should be plated and ready to serve by the end of summer.

Thank you Bill Bradley and LA Weekly for showing the MSM (re: LA Times) how to cover, report, and inform citizens of the goings on in Sacramento.

A Greater Level Of Disrespect/An American Problem

This level of disrespect for our American values is what MAXINE was trying to point out in previous posts. Again, a large segment of the illegal immigant population believe they have the RIGHT to enjoy our opportunities without being a citizen ...

This from Michelle Malkin -

THE AMERICAN FLAG COMES SECOND

By Michelle Malkin · March 29, 2006 01:15 AM

You will not see this heart-stopping photo on the front page of the NY Times or on the lead story of the major news networks. You should (hat tip: Mika and F/R):

03/28 : Student protest
Whittier area students from Pioneer, California and Whittier high schools walked out of classes to protest the proposed federal immigration bill March 27, 2006. The protestors put up the Mexican flag over the American flag flying upside down at Montebello High. (Leo Jarzomb/Staff photo)
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Like I said: Welcome to reconquista.

I predict this stunt will be the nail in the coffin of any guest-worker/amnesty plan on the table in Washington. The image of the American flag subsumed by another and turned upside down on American soil is already spreading on Internet forums and via e-mail.

The battle for borders and immigration laws that actually mean something, however, hasn't even begun.

NOTE: An upsidedown display of the American Flag is actually a signal for DISTRESS! An unintended message communicated but definitely noted and taken to heart at MAXINE.

The Language Of Equivocation

(Photo: Carlos Chavez / LAT)

My son-in-law shared a story with me about a conversation he had at work. He works in a service based industry along with many co-workers who are concerned with what congress may do to actually clamp down on illegal immigration.

When he was reading the LA Times during a break, he chuckled to himself over the picture he noticed on the front page. The photo featured a group of high school 'protesters' carrying a Mexican flag (above).

The co-worker asked "What's funny?" My son-in-law responded that if these people are trying to create sympathy to their cause of immigration ... "they might be carrying the wrong flag, do you think?"

The co-worker's response was quite revealing to anyone who cares for the freedoms and commerce our system creates ... "Well, we really do not want to become American citizens."

I am just now listening to an interview with Gov. Bill Richardson (D) New Mexico. Gov. Richardson actually believes the opposite of what was expressed to my son-in-law. That these 11 to 12 million illegal immigrants (squatters?) actually would like the opportunity to gain the respect, dignity, and recognition that comes from attaining citizenship.

This opinion from the New York Post -

THE AMERICA THEY 'KNOW'
By Arnold Ahlert

March 29, 2006 -- THE hundreds of thousands of protesters who took to the streets in favor illegal immigration seem to "know" America better than most Americans. Here's some of what they know:

* The rule of law is irrelevant whenever enforcement becomes impractical, burdensome or politically inconvenient. The thousands of marchers, many illegals, had no fear whatsoever of being arrested or detained.

* The English language is "flexible." Thus "illegal alien" becomes "undocumented worker" - as if the two were actually interchangeable.

* We're the world's leading practitioner of moral relativism - free to say that anyone who opposes massive law-breaking or defends the integrity of American culture is "racist" or "xenophobic."

* The will of the American people is of no consequence. Poll after poll shows a substantial majority opposed to amnesty, guest-worker programs, open borders, drivers' licenses for illegals, etc. - but our politicians care more about courting Hispanic votes. Though Congress has passed seven separate amnesties for illegal aliens since 1986, the Senate's getting ready to pass another.

All sad but true. Just read the transcript of the speeches given at these rallies.

While the protesters covet the opportunities that exist here in the U.S. ... they really want to tear down the freedoms and opportunities that have taken over 200 years to create - it's called An American Culture - and it comes with citizenship!

The Eyes (and fingers) Have "IT"

It has to fast, un-invasive, 99%+ accurate, and secure ... but it is an interesting area of Information Technology expansion and application.

This from Business Week Online -

Biometrics: Payments at Your Fingertips
Fingerprints and iris scans will replace keys and credit cards if outfits like Pay By Touch succeed in their biologic mission
Technology - By Alex Halperin

In the future, no one will need pockets. That stuff jingling around in there -- keys, credit cards, checkbooks -- will be replaced by something closer to the body. When you need to open a door or make a purchase, chances are you'll do it with a fingerprint, a voice command, or a computer scan of your eyeball.

That is, if companies like Pay By Touch have anything to say about it. Pay By Touch, a closely held San Francisco outfit, specializes in biometrics, or the technology of identifying people by unique biologic traits -- not just fingerprints, but also irises, palms, and voices. And increasingly, those traits are being used in place of keys, credit cards, and even computer passwords.
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What's in it for the store? Using fingerprint scanners can accelerate purchase times by minimizing the checkout lane "fumble factor." Because a customer's Pay By Touch account can be linked to several payment devices, retailers can also save money by encouraging people to use accounts that incur lower fees, such as a checking account accessed by debit card. A recent report by Bernstein Research noted that systems like Pay By Touch could increase pressure on credit-card companies to reduce their charges to retailers so they don't lose market share.

BARGAIN ALERT. Supermarket owners overall say they're pleased with Pay By Touch results. "We'd like to encourage anybody who has a checking account to enroll in Pay By Touch," says Trisha Belisle, manager of retail technology at Cub Foods, a Midwest supermarket chain owned by Supervalu (SVU). She declined to comment on whether it saves the stores money, however.
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PRIVACY PERIL. Jay Stanley, communications director for the American Civil Liberties Union's Technology & Liberty Project, says that information obtained by a biometrics company could threaten consumer privacy, though he doesn't single out Pay By Touch. "The main problem with the situation we're in right now is that the technology is really ahead of the law," Stanley says.

The ACLU does not object to biometrics technology itself. "We need a law to prevent against the dark side of new tech to make sure they are not used against us" by the government mandating it or companies selling it, Stanley says.
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Where would we be if the ACLU wasn't there protecting us from our silly selves?

Republished at Symblogogy - All Things Automatic Identification & Data Collection!

Tying Environment To Marketing Strategy

Side View of Itasca, Illinois OfficeMax Headquarters

Killing two birds with one stone - No, this is not an avian flu update!

This release from OfficeMax via RetailWire Newsletter -

OfficeMax Launches Nationwide 900+ Store Rollout of Ink Refill Station Program
Challenging Consumers to Be Environmentally Responsible, Save Money By Refilling Computer Printer Ink Cartridges

ITASCA, Ill., March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Determined to persuade millions of Americans to save money and be environmentally responsible by refilling their old computer printer ink cartridges rather than buying new ones, OfficeMax kicked-off one of the most ambitious service launches in the Company's history. The OfficeMax Ink program, which involves installing Ink Filling Station kiosks that will enable consumers at nearly 900 OfficeMax stores by Fall 2006 to refill empty ink cartridges at up to 50 percent savings over buying a new cartridge, is the first step in OfficeMax's new Ink Initiative. The Company-wide Ink Initiative is designed to provide OfficeMax customers with a total ink solution spanning the purchase of new ink cartridges (either branded or OfficeMax's own label), the refilling of empty ones, and the recycling of ink cartridges that have reached the end of their useful life.
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"Throughout the world, consumers throw out 300 million ink cartridges a year -- and because cartridges are made of materials which do not degrade in landfills for 1,000 years, empty ink cartridges are an environmental challenge," says Ryan Vero, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer for OfficeMax.
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Loyalty Card Preference Survey Results

It strikes me those consumers who like to use loyalty cards, should be allowed a choice of use redemption options.

This from Progressive Grocer -

When Using Loyalty Cards, Adults Prefer Discounts at Each Supermarket Visit: Study
MARCH 28, 2006

-- BALTIMORE -- Forty-nine percent of adults prefer a discount on specific products during each store visit, vs. 34 percent who prefer to accumulate points for a larger reward or payoff at stores that offer a frequent buyer or loyalty card program, according to the proprietary "Customer Focus 2006: Grocery" study from targeted advertising, media, and marketing services provider Vertis here. More specifically, 51 percent of men age 50 and over and women age 35 to 49 who have loyalty cards prefer a discount as opposed to amassing points, the study found.

"From the results of our study, we have noticed a shift in reward programs and an increase in usage among younger demographics," said Vertis v.p., market insights Jim Litwin in a statement. "This presents an opportunity for marketers to better understand different demographics and apply this knowledge to effectively target consumers."
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Additional finding were as follows:

-- If a store offered a frequent buyer or loyalty card program, 51 percent of professional/white-collar adults would prefer a discount on specific products during each visit, compared with 46 percent of blue-collar adults surveyed.

-- 42 percent of Hispanic consumers prefer to accumulate points for a larger reward or payoff, vs. 34 percent of total adults.
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You guessed it; the majority of people who can afford the "delayed gratification" approach already know that we are NOT serious about the enforcement of our immigration laws.

White House Chief of Staff Resigns

White House Chief of Staff Andy Card is seen at the Reagan Office Building in Washington, DC November 3, 2004. Card will resign on April 14 and be replaced by budget director Josh Bolten, a senior administration official said on Tuesday. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)

In a news cast cut-in on IMUS In The Morning broadcast - MSNBC, the crowd on IMUS made these comments (paraphrased) observing Andrew Card's demeanor.

"He looked as if he had a couple of hooded gunmen off to the side"

... "He should have been sat down in front of the podium with a hood on with demands of the release of prisoners from around the world."

Or this, "... we see Andy get into a cab and drive off before the final, in cab, interview" (ala The Apprentice)

... "and the rest of the staff is being told, as they leave the room, our approval ratings are down so your task this week is to get them back up, and if they aren't up, we will go to the board room where one of you WILL be fired!"

This from Reuters -

Chief of Staff Card resigns
25 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House chief of staff Andrew Card has resigned and will be replaced by budget director Josh Bolten, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.

Card will depart the White House on April 14.
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"It is something he initiated," the official said.
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Afghan Christian Convert Released Now Missing

We should all pray for his safety. This could get very ugly.

After a whitewash of a dismissal, do we now have a "kick 'em to the curb", prison justice type of release?

Why wasn't he released into the custody of people who wanted to take him in a safe haven country?

This from AP via Yahoo News -

Christian Convert Vanishes After Release
By AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 2 minutes ago

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan man who had faced the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity quickly vanished Tuesday after he was released from prison, apparently out of fear for his life with Muslim clerics still demanding his death.

Italy's Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini said he would ask his government to grant Abdul Rahman asylum. Fini was among the first to speak out on the man's behalf.

Rahman, 41, was released from the high-security Policharki prison on the outskirts of Kabul late Monday, Afghan Justice Minister Mohammed Sarwar Danish told The Associated Press.
"We released him last night because the prosecutors told us to," he said. "His family was there when he was freed, but I don't know where he was taken."
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On Monday, hundreds of clerics, students and others chanting "Death to Christians!" marched through the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif to protest the court decision Sunday to dismiss the case. Several Muslim clerics threatened to incite Afghans to kill Rahman if he is freed, saying that he is clearly guilty of apostasy and deserves to die.

"Abdul Rahman must be killed. Islam demands it," said senior Cleric Faiez Mohammed, from the nearby northern city of Kunduz. "The Christian foreigners occupying
Afghanistan are attacking our religion."

Rahman was arrested last month after police discovered him with a Bible during a custody dispute over his two daughters. He was put on trial last week for converting 16 years ago while he was a medical aid worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan. He faced the death penalty under Afghanistan's Islamic laws.
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Let the man live with his beliefs.

UPDATE, 12:28 PM, PST -

Afghan Convert in Hiding After Release
By AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer 45 minutes ago

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan man who had faced the death penalty for abandoning Islam for Christianity was freed from prison and went into hiding Tuesday in Kabul after Muslim clerics threatened his life. Italy said it may grant him asylum.

Respect, Dignity, Recognition

The protest march in downtown Los Angeles went from Broadway and Olympic to City Hall. (Bob Chamberlin / LAT) Mar. 25, 2006

It is more about pandering, voting block, and degradation to the rule of law. If you listened to the Mayor of LA speak yesterday, you would think that the rule of law and actual citizenship of the nation stand for nothing.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa briefly addressed the rally."We cannot criminalize people who are working, people who are contributing to our economy and contributing to the nation," Villaraigosa said. So Tony, we are criminalizing because we want to have our laws enforced.

Mayor, Mayor, ... who is breaking the law here? It is the "un-documented" workers who are choosing to break the law (lawbreaker, criminal).

Respect, Dignity, Recognition was printed on a protest sign at the immigration rally here in Los Angeles over the weekend. Respect, Dignity, & Recognition are given when one stands up to be recognized by applying for work permits and respect is achieved by participating in the process of LEGAL IMMIGRATION - once legal, one achieves dignity!

Opinion from the New York Post -

IMMIGRATION: A FIRST STEP
By ABBY WISSE SCHACHTER

March 27, 2006 -- STARTING WITH ENFORCEMENT MAKES SENSE. It's showdown day for immigration reform - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's deadline for the Judiciary Committee to approve a bill, or he'll send his own enforcement-only bill direct to the floor.

At issue is whether the next step is that sort of enforcement-first approach, or whether Congress should include other steps toward comprehensive immigration reform. The problem with the second approach is that "steps toward" comprehensive reform don't solve the immediate crisis any better than enforcement alone.
Read More>>

'05 Champ Wins For New Team By .014 Seconds

Photo Credit: danwheldonfans.com

The first race of the 2006 season had a classic IRL finish ... side-by-side at over 200 MPH at less than a tenth of a second seperation. The finish was the 9th closest finish in IRL history.

Dan Wheldon, last year's champion for the Andretti/Green Racing team became the winner of his first race driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. During the last 20 laps, Wheldon and Helio Castroneves of Team Penske traded the lead in side-by-side fashion with Wheldon on the outside. Behind them, racing three wide much of the time were Sam Hornish - Team Penske, Dario Franchiti - Andretti/Green Racing, and Scott Dixon - Target Chip Ganassi Racing ... all with a ringside seat to the outside pass that won the race.

From indycar.com -

Wheldon edges Castroneves for victory
Sunday, March 26, 2006 By indycar.com staff

"Hopefully we put on a good race on a very sad day," said Wheldon, the reigning IndyCar Series champion. "It is a very entertaining series, and certainly one of the most competitive in the world."

Wheldon and Castroneves were wheel to wheel coming out of Turns 3 and 4, and rubbed tires at least twice.

"That's one of the things about the IndyCar Series; everybody respects each other an immense amount," said Wheldon, who led eight laps. "Whenever you run side by side with Helio, he gives you just enough room, and hoepfully I do the same."
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Rahal-Letterman Team Pulls Cars, Driver Death

Driver Paul Dana of St. Louis, Mo. is seen at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. Saturday March 25, 2006. Dana died after a two-car crash Sunday, March 26, 2006, during the warmup for the season-opening IRL IndyCar Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (AP Photo/Luis Alvarez)

It is a sad, sad day. May God bless the family and survivors of Paul Dana.

AP story via Yahoo News -

IRL Driver Paul Dana Dies After Crash
By MIKE HARRIS, AP Motorsports Writer 12 minutes ago

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - Driver Paul Dana died after a two-car crash Sunday during the warmup for the season-opening IRL IndyCar Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The other driver, Ed Carpenter, was awake and alert at a Miami hospital, IRL officials said.
Dana, 30, a former motorsports journalist with a degree from Northwestern, was a rookie who competed in three IRL races for Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing last year with a best finish of 10th in the race at Homestead.

The Toyota Indy 300 race was expected to be run as scheduled. Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Racing for which Dana was to race this season, said the team's other two cars — driven by Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice — will be pulled out of the race.

Dana's wife, Tonya, was in Indianapolis, where the couple lived, and was notified of her husband's death while attending a church service.

"Obviously, this is a very black day for us," Rahal said. "This is a great tragedy."
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Paul Dana would have been 31 on April 15th.

UPDATE: 1:40 PM, PST - Ed Carpenter does not have any broken bones. Currently receiving full body CAT scan tests.