Washington, U.S.A. — William Kellibrew IV, deputy director and national victims advocate, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, made the following statement in response to Governor Nikki Haley’s remarks about rape and domestic assault prevention programs:

“The recent remarks by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley calling rape and domestic assault prevention programs a ‘distraction’ for the Department of Health and Environmental Control in order to justify nearly a half million dollars in budget cuts are appalling and insensitive to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

With that type of attitude toward victims it’s no wonder that, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the state she leads ranks seventh in the country for the number of women killed by men, and has had a rate of sexual violence higher than the national average since 1982.

“Governor Haley may think that the only thing victims of violent crimes need is  ‘sympathy and encouragement;’ however, as a person who as a child witnessed the brutal murder of my family in our living room, I assure you that victims of domestic violence and sexual assault need extensive medical and mental health care services.

The lack of services adds tremendously to the public health crisis and becomes more costly in the long run. I did not receive desperately-needed therapy or support for three years after my mother and sister brother were murdered so I understand that cutting funding for victims is dangerous and a direct slap in the face to those who need these services the most. Reducing funding sounds contrary to the agency’s mission of protecting South Carolina’s public health.

“I urge Governor Haley to venture out into the community and speak with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and I’m sure she will recognize that we need support in every way possible. Perhaps Governor Haley should consider that an increase in funds for prevention programs could reduce the number of women killed in her state, reduce South Carolina’s high rate of sexual violence, and lower costs over time.”

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The Department of Justice sent a letter rejecting Texas’ voter identification law saying Hispanic voters in the state are as much as 120% more likely than non-Hispanic voters to lack a driver’s license or personal state-issued photo ID.

“The announcement by the Department of Justice in opposition to Texas’ voter ID law is a prime example of a government agency putting partisan politics above reality and the law. The decision is not based on accurate data or the merits of the argument; instead, it appears that some Democrats and far left groups believe the more lawful an election the less likely they are to emerge victorious,” said David Norcross, Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) Chair.

“Neighboring New Mexico, the state with the highest percentage of Hispanic voters, requires voter ID for city elections in Albuquerque without any problems. Just as some liberals defended corrupt election groups like ACORN, now others are attacking processes that will make it harder to cheat on Election Day.”

Rich Parsons, the communications director for the Texas Secretary of State, called the data which the Department of Justice requested “unreliable.” Parsons explained, “Texans are not required to identify themselves by race or ethnicity when they register to vote, so the data they ask for doesn’t exist.”

The Department of Justice kept asking Texas for data even if it was not accurate, so it could claim to justify blocking the voter ID law. On September 23, 2011, the Department of Justice requested data from Texas about how many Hispanic voters do not have photo identification.

After Texas responded that the data was not collected, on October 5, 2011, the Department of Justice still requested data, asking for the number of voters with Hispanic surnames — an inaccurate way to count voters of a certain racial background.

This marks the second time the Department of Justice has objected to a Voter ID law using dubious statistics and math. When they did so the first time in South Carolina, the Department of Motor Vehicles found that the numbers the Department of Justice relied upon were wrong, and actually were 86% lower than initially reported.

Every single court that has so far evaluated voter ID laws has found them constitutional. When the Supreme Court evaluated Indiana’s voter ID law, the Court upheld the law in an opinion written by liberal Justice John Paul Stevens. When Georgia’s voter ID law was challenged, an appellate court approved the voter ID law.

The Texas voter ID law received support from State Representative Joe Pickett, a Democrat from El Paso. He said, “If I really, truly thought that this would disenfranchise somebody, I would’ve voted against it. In these days and times, it’s just not the case… Having a basic identification is a function of everyday life.” Other states, including Democratic Party-controlled Rhode Island, joined Texas in passing a voter ID law this year.

After receiving requests in September from liberal organizations like the ACLU asking for the voter laws to be blocked, the Department of Justice obeyed and did the far left’s bidding.

Image Courtesy of   Frontpage / Shutterstock.com

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The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), the largest environmental advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the Southeast, has announced its fourth annual list of the top 10 places in the South that face immediate, potentially irreparable threats in 2012.

Many of the areas on SELC’s Top 10 list are endangered by pressure to undercut environmental protections and to lower the hurdles for potentially destructive projects, whether it’s fracking in the North Carolina Piedmont, uranium mining in Virginia, or deepwater drilling in the Gulf.

“The South’s special places and natural riches are threatened by a wave of calculated attacks on the bedrock laws that protect our environment and health,” said Marie Hawthorne, SELC’s Director of Development. “Under the guise of promoting economic growth, anti-environmental forces are working in Congress, in state legislatures, and in government agencies to gut our most essential safeguards.

“The truth is, environmental protection had nothing to do with the financial crisis or today’s weak economy,” Hawthorne added. “Doing away with effective laws and enforcement will accomplish nothing except sacrifice the natural treasures like those on our Top 10 list and other resources that make the South such a great place live, work, and raise our families. We owe it to ourselves — and to future generations — to make sure this doesn’t happen.”

Top 10 Endangered Places in the Southeast for 2012

The following endangered areas were chosen from among hundreds of special places that the SELC is defending through its law and policy work in the six states of Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

Alabama’s coast: Following the tragic BP spill, the government has returned to business as usual and is authorizing risky deepwater drilling projects under the same assumptions that failed in the Deepwater Horizon disaster. This approach is irresponsible, illegal, and poses an ongoing threat to Alabama’s beaches, marshes, wildlife, and coastal communities.

Dawson Forest, Georgia : A costly, unnecessary proposed reservoir would siphon 100 million gallons per day from the Etowah River to fuel metro Atlanta’s unchecked sprawl, threatening prime habitat for endangered aquatic life, water supplies of downstream communities, and a popular recreation area.

Catawba-Wateree Basin, North Carolina & South Carolina: The health of the Catawba-Wateree River, which provides drinking water for hundreds of thousands of residents of central North Carolina and South Carolina, faces an array of threats, including pollution from toxin-laden coal ash ponds, hydroelectric dams that will continue to disrupt stream flows and fish migration, water withdrawals that rob water from downstream farms and communities, and unnecessary reservoir projects that promote inefficient development and water use.

North Carolina Piedmont: The gas drilling industry and its allies in the North Carolina General Assembly are pushing hard to pass legislation that would expedite hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a. ‘fracking’) to extract natural gas, despite mounting evidence that the drilling technique, in the absence of appropriate regulatory controls, can lead to the contamination of groundwater and surface water. Potential fracking sites in North Carolina’s Piedmont are underneath or upstream from water supplies for 2.4 million people.

Savannah River, South Carolina & Georgia : The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to deepen 38 miles of the Savannah River shipping channel would increase saltwater intrusion in the river and jeopardize freshwater marshlands in the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, drinking water supplies for Savannah and other communities, and habitat for endangered aquatic species.

Chilhowie Mountain, Tennessee: The outdated plan for completing Corridor K between Chattanooga and Asheville includes a proposal to cut a new four-lane highway through the Cherokee National Forest near the Ocoee Gorge, even though improvements to the existing two-lane highway on its current footprint would be less damaging, less costly, and no less effective.

Chesapeake Bay, Virginia: For decades the Bay has suffered from pollution from all sides — air, land, and water. Unfortunately, industry interests and their political allies are doing all they can to impede a comprehensive rescue plan.

Mountains of Tennessee & Virginia: Mountaintop removal and other destructive coal mining practices have already destroyed at least 500 mountains and damaged 1,700 miles of streams in Virginia, Tennessee and other central Southern Appalachian states, and pressure continues to mount.

Charlottesville, Virginia & Surrounding Countryside: Local and state decision-makers are attempting to revive a wasteful, destructive, and ineffective proposed bypass that would leave a permanent scar on one of the South’s most special communities.

Southside Virginia: An intense push to mine uranium in southern Virginia risks polluting drinking water supplies with radioactive and toxic-laden wastewater. Lifting the state’s ban on uranium mining could open up Virginia’s Piedmont countryside to more large-scale mining projects.

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The U.S. Conference of Mayors and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company announced the recipients of the 2012 ‘GRO1000’ Gardens and Green Spaces Grant Awards Program. The grants, which focus on improving our nation’s cities through the development of community gardens and green spaces, were announced at The U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 80th Winter Meeting in Washington, DC.

This year’s winning cities are:

• Baltimore – Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
• Columbia, SC – Mayor Steven Benjamin
• Cleveland – Mayor Frank Jackson
• Corpus Christi, Texas – Mayor Joe Adame
• San Francisco – Mayor Edwin Lee

“Over the last several years, The Conference has pushed for cities to develop community gardens to enhance the health and quality of life in our neighborhoods,” said Conference President Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “This new Grant Awards Program shines an important spotlight on mayoral efforts to support innovative gardens and green spaces.”

Through a new partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and ScottsMiracle-Gro, more cities across the nation will be able to enjoy the benefits of gardens and green spaces. The partnership awards grants to cities for the creation of innovative public gardens and green spaces and recognizes mayoral stewardship in the development of urban greenscapes.

“The importance that a garden can have in a community is irrefutable,” said ScottsMiracle-Gro CEO Jim Hagedorn. “We were inspired by the innovative ways that mayors across America are using gardens and green spaces to improve their cities. From fostering urban revitalization to developing edible gardens for its citizens, the winners of these grants truly demonstrate the power that gardens can have in a community.

“We are proud to provide support for these efforts and look forward to helping each of these cities bring their projects to life.”

The winning cities were selected by a panel of former mayors and national garden experts from a pool of more than 80 applicants. Grants, in the amount of $25,000 from ScottsMiracle-Gro, were awarded to five cities.

“Mayors understand that gardens and green spaces are important to the quality of life for their residents, and the Conference of Mayors, in partnership with ScottsMiracle-Gro, is pleased to be able to provide grants to help them expand green spaces in their cities,” said Tom Cochran, USCM CEO and Executive Director.

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Nearly one in four American children attend rural schools and enrollment is growing at a faster rate in rural school districts than in all other places combined, according to ‘Why Rural Matters 2011-12’, a biennial report by the Rural School and Community Trust.   In addition, rural schools show increasing rates of poverty, diversity, and students with special needs.

These widespread trends are most evident in the South, Southwest, and parts of Appalachia. ”As the evidence mounts that rural education is becoming a bigger and even more complex part of our national educational landscape, it is becoming impossible to ignore in the quest to improve achievement and narrow achievement gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged groups.

The day of closing our eyes and hoping rural education will just go away are ending,” said Jerry Johnson, a co-author of ‘Why Rural Matters 2011-12’. More than 9.6 million students are enrolled in rural school districts in the United States, which is over 20 percent of all public school students in the United States.

An additional 1.8 million students are enrolled in rural schools in districts not classified as rural by the federal government.  Together, these 11.4 million students who attend rural schools comprise more than 23 percent of all public school students, according to the Rural School and Community Trust, a respected national nonprofit organization.

Of those students attending schools in a rural district, two in five live in poverty, a rate that has increased by nearly a third in nine years.  One student in four in rural areas is a child of color, and one in eight has changed residence in the past 12 months.

Between the 1999-2000 and 2008-2009 school years, rural districts’ enrollment increased by well over 1.7 million students, showing a growth rate of more than 22 percent.  In comparison, non-rural enrollment increased by only 673,000, or by a 1.7 percent increase, for the same time period.  As a result, the rural districts’ share of national public school enrollment increased from 17.4 percent to 20 percent over the decade, according to federal data in the report.

These enrollment gains were particularly strong in the most rural states in the South and Southwest.  Ten states are among the top 13 in both the number and the percentage of rural enrollment growth — Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

The top five states with rural enrollment increases — Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arizona — had a total gain of over 1.1 million, more than half the gain for all states that gained rural enrollment.

“Rural minority students are concentrated in certain states, and that concentration is increasing,” said Jerry Johnson. Over 69 percent of all rural minority students now attend school in states where they represent more than one third of the rural student enrollment.  That is up from 58 percent as reported in ‘Why Rural Matters 2009’.

The report uses 25 statistical indicators grouped into five “gauges” to take the measure of rural education in each of the 50 states.  The five gauges are then combined to produce a “rural education priority” gauge.  The higher the ranking, the more important and challenging rural education is in a state’s overall education system and the more urgent it is for policy makers to pay attention to it.

The 13 highest priority states are all in the South, Southwest, and Appalachia, except Alaska, and all, but three, of the 12 next highest priority states are adjacent to them with the exception of Idaho, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

The report notes that rural education ranks high in importance in many Northern states, including Iowa, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, and Vermont.  However, these states tend to rank low on other measures such as student poverty, diversity, or poor student performance and low graduation rates.

“These states symbolize rural education to many people. They are the basis for a myth that all of rural America is uncomplicated, stable, and reasonably well-off. That myth is part of what keeps rural education on the margins of the national debate about education policy,” said Marty Strange, the policy director for the Rural School and Community Trust and co-author of the report.

“But these classic Yankee and Prairie-Plains states are simply an important part of a much more varied, complex, and challenging rural America that education policy makers must better understand,” said Strange. The report found that states most responsive to rural schools have above average fiscal capacity.

For example, the report points out that of the 13 states with the lowest expenditures for rural teachers, all but Nebraska and South Dakota are below the national average in state fiscal capacity.  On the other hand, states with the highest rural teacher salaries are primarily in the Northeast, the West, and the Mid-Atlantic. All these states are above the national average in state fiscal capacity per capital.

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Dr. Feiz & Associates supports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to investigate and take action against misleading advertising for the LAP BAND , an FDA-approved medical implant used for weight loss. The FDA issued warning letters to several southern California entities that have allegedly misled the public regarding the possible risks of the LAP BAND procedure.

The LAP BAND is an adjustable gastric restrictive device that has been proven to be an effective tool in aiding weight loss. However, the LAP BAND should be viewed as one of many components that comprise a broader, comprehensive treatment plan , like the one offered by Dr. Feiz & Associates. A safe and successful treatment plan for morbid obesity requires meticulous patient selection (as not all surgical procedures are suitable for all patients), as well as life-long follow-up of the patients health and success.

Surgeons have an obligation to consult with patients and inform them about possible side-effects and contraindications associated with LAP BAND surgery. Moreover, it is the duty of the program to inform patients not just about the risks and benefits of the LAP BAND, but also about all possible treatments.

These include non-surgical and behavioral treatments, as well as surgical treatments such as the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic gastric bypass , in addition to the LAP BAND. This is in keeping with the fundamental guiding philosophy of Dr. Feiz & Associates. Without a thorough education about all the various options, a patient cannot possibly make an informed decision on the safest and healthiest course of action.

The FDA’s commendable decision to take action underscores the need for patients to seek LAP BAND surgery and other treatment options only with well trained and qualified surgeons who are Fellowship trained in the field of Bariatric Surgery and accredited by the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). The simple truth is this: LAP BAND surgery can be a safe procedure, but only when performed by qualified and responsible medical professionals.

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American and Canadian union members who work for forest industry giant Resolute Forest Products (formerly AbitibiBowater) have joined forces to “speak with one voice” to the company.

About 100 union delegates from 10 Canadian Resolute mills in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia and 4 U.S. mills in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama met recently in Montreal. They adopted a solidarity pledge to coordinate activities and work together, leading to the 2014 pattern and master agreement negotiations with the company in both countries.

“Resolute is on notice that American and Canadian workers will not compete against each other,” said United Steelworkers International Vice President Jon Geenen. “We have decided instead to make sure that we are informed and coordinated across the border and Local to Local about how this company is treating workers and communities.”

“We believe that it was the sacrifices of our members in both countries that made it possible for AbitibiBowater to restructure and become Resolute. We have every right now to insist on consultation and discussion of alternatives before more corporate decisions are taken that affect our members and their communities,” said Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) National President Dave Coles.

At the two-day joint meeting in Montreal, Local delegates reported to each other on cost reduction and job cut demands by the company at every location, often on the basis of comparisons to other mills in each country.

A statement adopted December 18 called for an end to “job blackmail.” “USW and CEP members at Resolute Forest Products today demand respect and fairness,” said the joint statement. “We reject absolutely any form of contrived intimidation between workers and mills. We insist that the company respect our bargaining caucuses, our pattern agreements and end any form of job blackmail between the Local unions.”

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Not long after Rep. Joe Walsh stated he would not attend the “idiotic” president’s speech, Senator Jim DeMint echoed a similar sentiment. The Tea Party leader from South Carolina dismissed the speech before four days before the President is scheduled to give it.

“I’m, frankly, very tired of speeches. I don’t want to be disrespectful to the president, but what I want to see is something in writing,” the Republican told ABC’s “This Week.” “If he’ll send a written proposal, I’ll give it every chance. But I’m not interested in his speech right now.”

Although Obama’s speech on job creation in front of a joint session of Congress is highly anticipated, the Republicans are already biting back and complaining without knowing what is in the proposal. If you had any doubt that the Republicans have not been playing politics the entire time Obama has been in office, put those doubts away now.

How can you already be against something when you don’t know what the something is? Maybe Obama wants to eliminate corporate taxes completely? How would the Republicans suddenly be against that?

DeMint has voiced his opposition to tax cuts and business tax credits, a remarkable turnaround for a political party that has for decades pushed for exactly that. “The things that have been leaking out of the White House, none of them are like what I’ve been hearing from businesses all over the country,” DeMint said.

“You know, extending unemployment [insurance], cutting payroll taxes, offering tax credits when you hire someone, I haven’t heard one business say things like this.” Rather, DeMint argued, business want the government to oppose unions and eliminate regulations, which he said would create “certainty.”

“What they want is some certainty. They want the regulators off their back. They want the National Labor Relations Board to stop pushing the union agenda and try to help companies that create jobs. So I don’t think the president is going to come out with things that are really going to create jobs,” DeMint said.

A nationwide survey of small business owners by McClatchy, however, found that most small business owners want no such thing.
Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com

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Texas governor Rick Perry, a newcomer to the presidential race, spent Sunday courting Republican leaders in South Carolina. Perry assured the leaders that he would be a frequent presence in their state.

“You are going to see me, see me, see me,” he said at the gathering. He assured the attendees that they would all soon be on a “first-name basis” with him. The closed door reception took place at the RedState Gathering, a conference being held at the Francis Marion Hotel in downtown Charleston and attended by more than 400 conservative activists.

South Carolina GOP Chairman Chad Connelly advised Perry to visit the state often. “Because we’re a carve-out state, we’re small, we’re easy to get around and we’re an inexpensive media market to campaign in, they can really get to know people,” he said.

“They can go to the small diner for breakfast in one corner of the state, they can be in the midlands, they can be in the low country, they can be all over the place. So that’s my advice: Come and meet the [voters], get to know them and answer their questions.”

Florence County GOP Chairman Bill Pickle said while it was still “too early” for him to endorse a candidate, he was impressed that Perry chose to come to South Carolina to make his announcement on the same day as the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa.

“It was an outstanding move,” he said, adding that it could significantly help him win votes in this first-in-the-South primary.

Later in the day, Perry traveled to Iowa to attend an event at the National Cattle Congress in Iowa. Even though GOP rival Michele Bachmann was also at the event, the two did not directly face off. However, the event did allow potential voters to compare the two candidates. Their campaign styles were quite different.

Perry arrived early, hanging out with supporters and appearing relaxed and casual. Bachmann, on the other hand, arrived late just minutes before her scheduled speech. She stuck to her talking points but did hang out after her speech to sign autographs and answer questions.

Perry is expected to travel to New Hampshire before returning to South Carolina next week for another event.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/

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