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Sometime's the more Ridiculous Ideas are Best!
March 21, 2008
New York State recently proposed that illegal immigrants be granted driver's licenses. Although Governor Spitzer was lambasted by the Republican side of New York State and this became a less than stellar first year for the former attorney general who is now facing the possibility of resignation for his "alleged" involvement in a Federal Investigation into an Upscale Prostitution ring. Nevertheless, the idea in a security sense makes sense. First, think like an immigrant and one who is in a country illegally. Would you really want to announce that fact by taking a drivers test and having issued to you in duplicate information that includes a Picture, your birth date, last know address, etc. When I first heard the announcement last year and followed the bickering as one after another the DMV units of counties said that they would NOT issue a license to someone illegally residing in this country. Now, not to sound cold and callous but initially I thought the same thing. What a stupid thing to do. But it makes another kind of sense. How would you catch someone to deport them? How do you maintain a log of those people living within your county or state who are here unlawfully and absolutely take resources and finances from the community? See it's a double-bind. I do not know that many stupid people and you would have to be sincerely stupid to walk into a county government building and fill out an application for a "permit' to drive and in so announce,
"Hey all you government workers and sheriff dudes, I am an illegal alien, know where I can find a good 4 hour course?"
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Remember Vicki Van Meter?
March 19, 2008
 
Who at the age of 11 flew cross country and the following year at 12, flew from the U.S. to Europe died Saturday. Her body was found in her Meadville home on Sunday of what the Crawford County coroner said was an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was just 26 years old. Family members spoke of her battles with depression and also opposition to conventional medications but they also felt that she'd been dealing with these problems. Although Daniel Van Meter said that, "She was unhappy." He also added that it had been hard for her to open up and we thought she was dealing with it.
Vicki made national headlines back in 1993 with her cross-country flight from Augusta, Maine to San Diego, California over a period of five days. Although still to young to fly solo she was accompanied by her flight instructor and she alone piloted the plane. The very next year she made her trans-Atlantic flight again accompanied by a flight instructor due to F.A.A. regulations (she is too young to pilot an aircraft "alone"). Both instructors said that it was Vicki alone who piloted the plane and also performed all functions of a normal solo flight, fuel planning, communication, navigation.
In 1994 Vicki flew from Augusta to Glasgow, Scotland and was acknowledged with being the youngest girl to make a trans-Atlantic flight. Her exploits brought public attention to her small community and upon Vicki. It was all well received. In the time after her feats she earned a Criminal Justice degree from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania afterward spending two years in Cahul, Moldova with the Peace Corps. Vicki's funeral will be held in her hometown of Meadville.
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For too long I've messed with the wiring in my head. Now it shorts out more oft than not. But at my age I just sit and enjoy the sparks. RJM '07
Many Exceptional Free and Pay for Images Available here Fotosearch.com
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