Bye Bye Civil Rights.....in North Carolina and????

In Oxford, NC 16-year old Ashton Lundby is being held under the Patriot Act - accused of terrorism. Yet other than WRAL, no media, and certainly no national media will touch this story. Why? You read it and tell me.

DUH - breaking news from ABC news...

Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com:

Schools No Longer Need to Close Because of Swine Flu, Says CDC [1:55 p.m. ET]



DUH. Didn't I tell you all that this was bogus? Swine flu pandemic? Huh. The drug companies WISH!!!!

Okay....you can get on with your lives now. The government has successfully probed the American public to find out what our reaction to a "PANDEMIC" would be and is now prepared for when they decide to use their chemtrail technology.

But wait - there's more. This from the Health Sciences Institute:

Don’t Panic: 7 FACTS About ‘Swine Flu’

With all the sensationalized news about the so-called swine flu flying around, I figured we’d better set all the facts straight.

1. So far, only 82 cases of so-called swine flu have been definitively identified worldwide, mostly in Mexico (26 confirmed, 7 deaths) and the U.S.(with 40 confirmed, no deaths). (Though about 1600 suspected cases, including 159 deaths, are reported in Mexico.) That does not add up to a pandemic swine flu outbreak.
2. This virus has nothing to do with swine. In fact, it hasn’t been seen in a single animal. And you can’t possibly get it from eating pork.
3. No existing vaccines can prevent this new flu strain. So no matter what you hear - even if it comes from your doctor - don’t get a regular flu shot. They rarely work against seasonal flu…and certainly can’t offer protection from a never-before- seen strain.
4. Speaking of this strain, it doesn’t seem to have come on naturally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this particular strain has never before been seen in pigs or people. And according to Reuters, the strain is a ‘genetic mix’ of swine, avian and human flu. Was it created in a lab? We don’t know yet.
5. The drug companies are getting excited…and that’s never a good thing. According to the Associated Press at least one financial analyst estimates up to $388 million worth of Tamiflu sales in the near future - and that’s without a pandemic outbreak.
6. Let’s not forget that Tamiflu comes with its own problems, including side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, fatigue, cough…the very symptoms you’re trying to avoid. And let’s not forget that Japan banned this drug for children back in 2007, after links to suicidal behavior.
7. Vaccines for this flu strain probably won’t have to jump through all those annoying hurdles like clinical trials for safety and effectiveness. That won’t, however, stop the government from mandating the vaccine for all of us - a very likely scenario. And if the vaccines are actually harmful…killing people, for example…the vaccine makers will be immune from lawsuits.

Your best defense - your only real defense in any flu season - is a bulletproof immune system. You can learn about the best ways to strengthen yourself in the HSI archives.

Fired on Main Street - plight of the carriers

Considering making extra money as a newspaper carrier at the Register & Bee? Better ask someone who's done it...or talk to Pat - a carrier there for five years.

Pat says she never missed a day, took a vacation or called in sick. As a reporter I know she called in dozens of story tips - many which made the front page of the paper. She did it because she loved her job and loved being part of the community. You may remember a story about a swarm of bees in a yard in Danville that a local bee-keeper was called to remove. That was a Pat tip. When a local church was flooded, a dog needed rescuing, or whatever it was, Pat was often the person who gave us our first heads up.

Shootings, an arrest of a naked man outside a hotel, a business closing....Pat was our woman on the street. She brought good news as well as bad and loved her job. She had the worst route in town - through bad neighborhoods where she was confronted a time or two with guns, gangs and threats. Many of her papers were stolen after she delivered them - and she had to pay for each one!!! Because if someone calls The Danville Register & Bee and says they didn't get their paper - the CARRIER has to pay for that paper!! If your neighbor steals it, or it's under a bush - or whatever happens....the carrier must eat the cost. And Pat paid for a lot of papers she delivered.

Well, Pat was fired recently. But no one told her. She showed up for work only to find someone else had taken her papers and her route. No one would tell her what was going on. Then later that morning she was on Main St. and her manager saw her driving and told her NOT to come back to work, that she was fired for "being a bad carrier." FIRED ON MAIN STREET?? WHAT kind of jackasses are running the newspaper that they fire their carriers or any contractor when they run into them outside of the business??? Just how far up their butts are their heads over at Media General??? Not only that, she was told not to set foot on the property or risk being arrested. Other carriers have come into the Register & Bee offices - one paper carrier who was arrested because he shoved an employee WHO WOULDN"T GIVE HIM HIS PAYCHECK! Media General forgot to tell him that they CHARGED him for every rubber band and plastic bag used on the papers!!

Three days later she got a letter telling her she was fired. In the meantime, she said, she never got the $1,000 she says the newspaper allegedly owes her. She's preparing her paperwork and looking for a lawyer to file against the paper. If you are a current or former newspaper carrier - you know who she is. Contact her with YOUR story about YOUR TREATMENT at the paper. It would help her, you and future carriers protect themselves.

Reasons not to carry papers for the Register & Bee

You're a contractor - not an employee. You are responsible for your own taxes, insurance and supplies. You don't get mileage. You will drive hundreds or even thousands of miles a month and will need to factor in your cost of insurance, repairs, tires, gas and risk - remember - two carriers have been killed and others who deliver in so-called "rough" neighborhoods have been threatened.

You will have to sit around and wait on your papers - often in the cold and dark and in a high crime neighborhood

You will not have access to a bathroom while waiting. But hey - the world can be your urinal....or at least the R&B parking lot carriers say....

If a neighbor or stranger STEALS the paper from someone you've just delivered it to - YOU will be required to pay for the paper. If the resident just doesn't like you and calls and complains and SAYS they didn't get their paper, you will still have to pay for the paper.

You can be fired at any time for any reason, without even knowing what is going on...and maybe even get fired on Main St., like Pat.

The Register & Bee cannot give their side of the story - they'll cite "Employee confidentiality. But the fact is, they treat their employees poorly and no one is safe. Ask anyone who was recently laid off if THEY had any warning their head was on the chopping block.

Our sympathy is with Pat - who was and is still very supportive of the news - who has given tips to Susan Elzy, Denice Thibodeau, myself, and Arnold. She has saved a life, stopped flood damage to buildings by sounding the alarm during early morning hours when no one else was awake and she was delivering papers. If anything - the city or someone ought to be giving her an award for her tips - not firing her in passing on Main St. Geesh Steve.....don't you TRAIN the managers you hire? Leadership in action...Steve Kaylor and Media General....pissing off and screwing over as many people possible as quickly as possible.

You're invited....to a tea party

The Register & Bee won't be there (or will they?) But on April 15, 2009, Americans around the country will be attending "Tax tea parties." After all - they supported Obama. Watch THIS if you need to know more about Obama.



Is there a tea-party near you? You're invited if you are. If you're in Richmond you can find out more about Richmond's tea party here. Check it out:

http://www.taxpayerteaparty.com/

Blood bath is over for now

Rumor has it that Robert Benson is the new editor of The Danville Register and Bee. That's possibly the BEST thing that could have happened to the newspaper. Robert has toiled hard behind the scenes, kept his mouth shut when he was supposed to and opened when it was expedient. An award winning writer he knows Danville, has solid values and COULD quite possibly turn the newspaper around if Lynchburg doesn't hamstring him. Look for good things from Robert once things settle down. He's waited a long time for this. Congratulations Robert!!


Arnold Hendrix has obviously opted not to give up control and be demoted if Robert has moved up. And we hear that the last of the folks who laughed at the "girls gone wild" video reporter Mac McLean joked about making - are ALL gone. Someone at Media General pulled their head out of their nether regions long enough to recognize a great chance to get rid of some liabilities and did. However....there is ONE more wart on the hog - the employee who has been sending me the snotty, whiny emails remains. Media General? Are you sure you want to make that promotion? Or do I need to go after that too?

Bye bye Darren Sweeney. Now you REALLY CAN take that looooong vacation. Lesson? Never dip your pen in the company ink. It WILL come back to bite you.

Register and Bee - alive or dead?

Today is the day employees at The Register & Bee get their boxes shoved in their hands and their computers shut down and are told, "You have 15 minutes to vacate the building," - or they're escorted out by police....no exaggeration - it has happened before...to long time employees no less.

For those who remain...good luck. We'll see you, box in hand, in a few months.