Editor Ryan Smith ryan.smith@patch.com
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Patch readers have weighed in on a variety of issues during the past week.
Patch readers have participated in lively discussions on a number of topics this past week. Care to join the discussion or just read what others have to say? Click on the links below:
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The recent fatal attack on a toddler by her family's seven pit bulls has renewed discussion about the controversial dogs.
The fatal attack of a Bryan County toddler by her family's seven pit bulls Wednesday has renewed debate in the area about the dogs. Many feel that pit bulls as a breed are too dangerous to be kept as family pets. At first glance, the statistics would seem to back them up; according to DogsBite.org, pit bulls accounted for 71 percent of fatal dog attacks in the U.S. in 2011, while making up only 5 percent of the total dog population. The website also reported that pit bulls accounted for 88 percent of fatalities in which dogs attacked their owners. Others, however, say many pit bull attacks are the inevitable result of mistreating the animals. The website DefendPitBulls.com points out that many pit bulls are specifically bred for illegal …
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Can 8,000-church network survive drumbeat of criticism by defectors, authors and lawsuits?
If the Church of Scientology were a stock, Wall Street would be yelling, “Sell, sell!” The religion founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard has been hit by more bad news—and defections—than even Enron in its declining days. Not even Tom Cruise, its most high-profile disciple, appears able to save the embattled organization. The great-grandson of Hubbard last week called the church one of the most “devious, systematic brainwashing systems that’s ever been invented,” reported Huffington Post. Lawrence Wright’s critical expose Going Clear has been the subject of network news shows and the New York Times Book Review. Jenna Miscavige Hill, a niece of Scientology leader David Miscavige, plans a book herself—called Beyond Belief: My …
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8:38 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The cult of $cientology is doomed. Expect it! more ›
Lanny Breuer, grilled in Frontline documentary, was under fire for not targeting execs in 2008 crisis.
U.S. Rep Darrell Issa, a California Republican, has hailed news of the impending resignation of Lanny Breuer, head of the Justice Department’s criminal justice division. Issa was quoted in The Washington Post as saying the move is “long overdue” and “paves the way for needed new leadership.” Breuer’s part in the “Fast and Furious” gun scandal was a reason. But media outlets noted that a day before his stepping down was announced, Breuer was featured in a Frontline documentary on PBS called The Untouchables—about how no senior Wall Street executive has faced criminal charges in the 2008 economic meltdown. Breuer came under fire for exchanges like this (as reported on The News Talkers): MARTIN SMITH: You gave a speech before the New York Bar…
Amid glow of his second inaugural, president faces stiff resistance from Republicans in Congress.
In his second inaugural address, President Obama on Monday declared that dealing with climate change would be a major thrust of his second term—joining other issues such as gun control, immigration and defending Social Security and Medicare. Given GOP control of the House and Democratic sway in the Senate, does President Obama stand a chance in achieving his hopes? Will his ambitious agenda gain traction via public support or shrivel amid the stark political stalemate? The president, who visited Fort Stewart last year, is looking for another victory like health-care reform. Will he have one? Subscribe to the Fort Stewart Patch newsletter and get news, Patch deals and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your inbox. Follow Fort …
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Martin Sheen and Ed Asner are among liberal actors saying film wrongly credited waterboarding.
Hollywood celebs including Martin Sheen and Ed Asner are urging fellow Oscar voters to avoid backing Zero Dark Thirty for best picture (and four other awards). The actors condemn the movie for depicting torture as being key to the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Members of Seal Team 6 carried out the Pakistan raid that led to bin Laden’s death—and the movie directed by Kathryn Bigelow. But filmmakers have been accused of inserting a waterboarding element that didn’t happen in real life. Hollywood’s liberal reputation has played out in past Oscar votes. Movies friendly to Democratic themes, especially documentaries, tend to have an edge, critics say. Is Zero Dark Thirty an example in reverse? Subscribe to the Fort Stewart Patch newsletter and …
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On Sunday talk shows, Republican leaders hinted they'd push for big spending cuts—or else.
In late March, the U.S. government won’t be able to pay its bills—and debts—unless Congress authorizes an increase in the federal debt ceiling. But Republicans say they won’t vote for that if spending isn’t deeply cut. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told CNN on Sunday: “I believe we need to raise the debt ceiling, but if we don’t raise it without a plan to get out of debt, all of us should be fired.” According to news reports, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell hinted Republicans were prepared to see the nation default on its spending obligations. “It’s a shame we have to use whatever leverage we have in Congress to get the president to deal with the biggest problem confronting our future, and that’s our excessive spending,” he…
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New York Times blogger argues that current prohibitions on digital devices make no sense.
People who fly know the drill: Shut down your electronic gear for takeoff and landing or risk the wrath of the flight crew. But a New York Times blog by Nick Bilton argues that digital devices pose no harm and have never been shown dangerous to airliner operations. “Dealing with the F.A.A. on this topic is like arguing with a stubborn teenager,” Bilton wrote. “The agency has no proof that electronic devices can harm a plane’s avionics, but it still perpetuates such claims, spreading irrational fear among millions of fliers.” Bilton noted an annual report by annual report by NASA “that compiles cases involving electronic devices on planes. None of those episodes have produced scientific evidence that a device can harm a plane’s operation. …
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With days left before tax hikes on everybody and budget cuts including defense, Congress dithers.
Nothing else has worked, so the latest cure for Congress inaction on the fiscal cliff has come to this: messages scribbled on coffee cups. According to news reports, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is urging staff at his 120 Washington-area shops to write “come together” on cups today [Thursday] and Friday. Payroll taxes will rise if Congress doesn’t act before Jan. 1, and steep budget cuts would kick in at the same time. But the cumulative effect of the double whammy might not be felt immediately by many citizens. Beyond the taxes and cuts, a stock market crash is feared if no solution is found. And CEO Schultz told CNN that failure to reach a deal has created uncertainty and risks hurting the U.S. and world economy. “This single issue has …
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Eccentric names may seem like a good idea at the time, but parents could sing a different tune as they watch their progeny go through an entire life sounding like a tech product.
My youngest child is called back to see the doctor, but I don’t realize it at first because her name is mis-pronounced. I cringe. In Kyra, the ‘y’ is long (think Kyra Sedgewick) not short (would rhyme with Tyra as in Banks—who knew that was even a name?) We go to a neighbor’s tea and both my daughter’s and my name is mis-spelled on the table place-cards. Why did we spell hers that way, I think. Why didn’t I learn from my own name?! What I’m experiencing is known as name regret and it’s not fun. For me, it’s merely an occasional spelling issue, but some parents torture themselves for months or longer after having a child, wondering if they should’ve named them something different, or should change the name now. I had a friend with a child …
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RoastPuppy
2:02 pm on Saturday, March 30, 2013
Pete Sparks was called the “dean of Florida pit bull breeders” and he measured a puppy’s value by its fighting spirit and the power in its jaws. In Sparks’ own words, “If he [the pit bull] can’t punish the other dog, and he doesn’t have the biting power, then he’s not going to be what you call a top dog.” Florida Humane Society officials blamed Sparks, along with other pit bull breeders in … more ›