Rockwood School District Publishes Student Health Records Online

It seems that the Rockwood School District in St Louis Missouri just can’t take a break. continues to make poor, unconstitutional decisions.

First, in an effort to receive vouchers from the state, schools implemented a “Run for Recess” requiring students run laps around the track before participating in what was left of their 15 minute recess. Next, it was discovered that the district  fingerprints all students without parental consent. Then came the state audit which unveiled what we already knew: the district was funneling millions of dollars to school board president Steve Smith (who later resigned, but not before throwing Superintendent Bruce Borchers under the bus. Borchers will not return to RSD).

The fingerprinting scandal broke when a mother noticed that someone else was eating off of her child’s account. Upon inquiry, she was told that “someone else’s fingerprint must be similar to your son’s”. Huh? Fingerprint. The district refused to comment on the issue, but later published an *opt-out* document for parents to restrict the child from being fingerprinted…but there is no indication anywhere on their website which informs parents of the standard practice. In other words, if the parent is not aware of the fingerprinting of their child, they would have no way of knowing to click on the opt-out link. This also gives the district the opportunity to implement this measure, though unconstitutional, and without parental consent of a minor, by default.

Now it has been discovered that the Rockwood School District has taken upon itself to actually publish student health records online. These records can be found on the district’s “Infinite Campus” site which is a database for all things and anything the district wants on record. Personal information. Information that goes directly into the Longitudinal Database as part of Common Core Standards. You can find all you need and more on the Longitudinal Database, as well as Common Core at Missouri Education Watchdog.

This database, though on a secure webpage, still jeopardizes student privacy rights. Personal information of a minor can not be shared or published without parental consent. RSD was approached on this issue, to which they (per their M.O.) remained silent and refused any comment regarding these publications. This database, of course, may be subject to sale, where another entity would have full access to this information. Worse, this database may also be seized by the federal government as part of  Common Core integration.  It seems that as long as the parents don’t know what is going on, RSD will continue to institute whatever practices they desire, despite the law.

Missouri Vote on Second Amendment Preservation Act

February 25, 2013

In a culture caught up in firearm fear, fueled by the mainstream media, state officials are positioned to vote on legislation to preserve the very life of the Second Amendment in Missouri.  

HB 436, sponsored by Rep. Doug Funderburk, (R)- St. Charles County, is the strongest protection of the right to keep and bear arms in the entire nation

The hearing for HB 436, originally slated for a vote Tuesday, February 26, is now expected in public hearing, March 5th at 12:00 in Hearing Room 4, but the official hearing schedule will not be published until later this week. This provides a greater opportunity for Missouri residents to voice their support of their Second Amendment rights by filling out a witness form.

From perhaps the most patriotic lobbyist in Missouri, Ron Calzone at Missouri First:

Details about HB 436 & and it’s companion Senate bill  SB 325Since the 10th Amendment makes it clear that all powers not granted to the federal government are reserved to the states and the People, the regulation of the ownership of arms is a state, not a federal matter.That applies to ALL such regulation.

We must demand from our legislators no less than the strongest, most principled stand they can take to defend our right to keep and bear arms!

Rep. Doug Funderburk and Sen. Brian Nieves’ “Second Amendment Preservation Act” is the strongest and most principled protection of the right to keep and bear arms in the nation!.

Notice that it utilizes the words of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to explain Missouri’s authority to nullify unconstitutional federal edicts within her borders. Including this language is essential to the success of the bill. It also specifically lists the types of things we will not put up with, and that’s what gives state officials the “cover” they need to enforce the bill.

Tenth Amendment Center article about HB 436.

What you can do:

1. Right NOW, either plan to attend the hearing for HB 436 (time to be announced), or fill out the online witness form..
2. Pass on this email or another with the generic witness form link to as many liberty loving people as you can.
3. If you have any personal contact with your rep or senator ask them to commit to supporting these bills.

Ron has upped the ante offering to hand deliver your witness form and also make your testimony available online for the committee to read. You can email your witness form and additional testimony directly to Ron at ron@mofirst.org

Gas Explosion Rocks JJ’s on the Kansas City Plaza

A four-alarm fire is burning at JJ’s restaurant near 48th and Belleview in Kansas City, MO. Preliminary reports indicate it was a gas explosion, the fire department said. Follow @41ActionNews for updated on the scene coverage.

Hobby Lobby Appreciation Day 1.5.2013

The largest Arts and Craft store in America, Hobby Lobby, has become the latest target of the socialist political agenda, and the witch-hunt of Christian corporations, organizations, and small business owners, perpetrated by the Mainstream Media.

Today supporters of the corporation and it’s owners religious freedoms flocked to the Hobby Lobby in Kirkwood, Missouri.

Hobby Lobby, a Christian-founded, Christian-based corporation, has decided to follow their faith in God, and the Lord’s Word, and refuse to offer potentially life-ending drugs as part of their employee insurance benefits package. In response to this decision, the Federal Government has launched an offensive against Hobby Lobby purely due to their religious beliefs.
David Greene, founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby has even informed that they will be fined a whopping $1.3million per day for refusing to comply with legislation that is in direct opposition to their religious beliefs. The federal government has exempted thousands of other corporations from this requirement due to financial concerns and financial burden. The government refuses, however, to exempt Hobby Lobby because of the unreported power-struggle of government’s quest to relinquish power over faith.
Below, find the letter released by Hobby Lobby CEO Green:

When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture frames. Our first retail store wasn’t much bigger than most people’s living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and worked according to God‘s word. From there, Hobby Lobby has become one of the nation’s largest arts and crafts retailers, with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as a family.

We’re Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I’ve always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God’s laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that’s what we’ve tried to do. We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week’s biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest. We believe that it is by God’s grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our employees. We’ve not only added jobs in a weak economy, we’ve raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at 80% above minimum wage.

But now, our government threatens to change all of that. A new government health care mandate says that our family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance. Being Christians, we don’t pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don’t cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one. If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in government fines.

Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy. Our government threatens to fine a company that’s raised wages four years running. Our government threatens to fine a family for running its business according to its beliefs. It’s not right. I know people will say we ought to follow the rules; that it’s the same for everybody. But that’s not true. The government has exempted thousands of companies from this mandate, for reasons of convenience or cost. But it won’t exempt them for reasons of religious belief.

So, Hobby Lobby – and my family – are forced to make a choice. With great reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate before it hurts our business. We don’t like to go running into court, but we no longer have a choice. We believe people are more important than the bottom line and that honoring God is more important than turning a profit.

My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing our company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but the government is going to make that much more difficult. The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and following the law. I say that’s a choice no American – and no American business – should have to make.

The government cannot force you to follow laws that go against your fundamental religious belief. They have exempted thousands of companies but will not except Christian organizations including the Catholic church.

Since you will not see this covered in any of the liberal media, pass this on to all your contacts.

Sincerely, David Green, CEO and Founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

Please share this letter on your blogs, and with all Christians,contacts, family, friends and fellow patriots!

Rep Roorda and His Respect for Citizens on the House Floor

I just received this in my inbox:

I was standing about 10 feet above Roorda in the House Gallery when he made one of his ‘Tea Bagger’ remarks, loudly, to the Rep standing next to him, something like “That’s pissing off the tea baggers!”. On the floor of the House, about the people he supposedly was there to represent, that were there to watch and support their lawmakers engaging in the political process.

Classy guy.

Classy indeed! Not to be crude Mr Roorda, but you could only wished to get tea bagged by one of us.

Poor guy.

What say you, Rep Roorda? Deny your words? I’m sure we can have the transcripts pulled…

In the meantime, learn more about Jeff Roorda at his website titled: Integrity, Leadership, Professionalism, Experience

MO Lawmaker Wants Mandated Close of Business for Thanksgiving

Heh. I’m really not sure what more to say to this. Missouri House member Jeff Roorda, of Barnhart, wants to BAN businesses from opening early for Black Friday shopping events under what he has dubbed it the “Thanksgiving Family Protection Act.”

Shut the Front Door! What? More government mandation of the private sector? Further attacks on the economy while well-within the downturn of a continuing economic depression?
Whoa! Not to mention the fact that apparently people can not think for themselves.
First of all, a corporation that would REQUIRE any employee to *show up or walk* on Thanksgiving for Christmas shoppers obviously has no understanding of what Christmas is about…aside from their bottom line…and deserves to have employees en masse abandon.
Secondly, maybe there are some folks who would actually prefer to work on Thanksgiving. Consider the gentleman who has watched the rest of his family die off, and faces their first holiday alone? What about the addict who could be pushed over the edge by too much “family time” and pre-plans an honest out?
But what about business owners? You know, job creators? How about we mandate them just a little more to search…not only to infringe upon their rights just another step at a time, but to step on their toes as loudly as possibleo in yet another act if intimidation.

Finally, “Thanksgiving Family Protection Act”??? I’m sorry, pardon me as I wipe the spewed tea off my monitor! Perhaps it is further legislation such as this, that the people and business owners of Missouri need protection from!
Those of us who do not buy into this ridiculous blather understand the meaning of “thanksgiving”, the meaning of “family” and the meaning of “protection” without your pathetic attempt at abusive legislation which flies in the face if every protective Constitutional freedom we have.
Of course, I am being just a bit harsh…after all, what would be left of last-minute Thanksgiving corner runs for the forgotten bread if you didn’t exempt those less worthy of a rightful Thanksgiving celebration with their family… which is solely dependent upon the zoning laws if their place of business.
I mean, come on people! Who is not with Rep Roorda on this?
*GASP*!!!!
Shocker!

Click here for more filth on this filth.

URGENT: MO State Senate to Discuss Vote on Obamacare: ACTION NEEDED!

H/T Ron Calzone, Paul Hamby, Peter Kinder:

1. The Obamacare exchange is NOT simply an online resource for shopping insurance. It sets up new restrictions and penalties that will reduce your options. Some smaller insurance companies have already gone out of business — Obamacare will leave only a few huge insurace companies with monopolistic protections.

2. An exchange set up by the state does not give us control. HB609, the 2011 bill to set up a Missouri exchange included at least 40 references to federal laws or bureaucracies that dictate virtually every meaningful aspect of the exchange. Click for a marked up copy of HB609.

And here’s the Missouri First analysis of that bill.

Here are a couple of very good articles by the Cato Institute’s Michael F. Cannon pointing out the need to fight the exchange:

http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/obamacare-road-repeal-starts-states

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/333040/obamacare-still-vulnerable-michael-f-cannon

Action Item:

Call or email each Republican senator. Time is very short as they will be discussin this Friday and Saturday. Tell them the people of Missouri don’t want them to set up an Obamacare exchange any more than they want the governor to. The sentiment behind the Prop E vote applies to them, too!

(Here are the senators for whom we have public contact information. Some of the new senators don’t have published information yet.)

Dan Brown Rolla Dan.Brown@senate.mo.gov 573-751-5713
R Mike Cunningham
R Tom Dempsey St Charles tom.dempsey@senate.mo.gov 573-751-1141
R Bob Dixon Springfield bob.dixon@senate. mo.gov 573-751-2583 R
Edgar Emery Lamar R
Michael Kehoe Jefferson city 573-751-2076 R
Will Kraus Lees summit Will.Kraus@mail.senate.mo.gov 573-751-1464 R
Brad Lager Savannah brad.lager@senate.mo. gov 573-751-1415 R
John Lamping St Louis 573-751-2514 R
Douglas Libla Poplar Bluff
Brian Munzlinger Williamstown 573-751-7885 R
Brian Nieves Washington Brian.Nieves@ senate.mo.gov 573-751-3678 R
Michael Parson Bolivar mparson@senate.mo.gov 573-751-8793 R
David Pearce Warrensburg david.pearce@ senate.mo.gov 573-751-2272 R
Ron Richard Joplin 573-751-2173 R Gary Romine Farmington R
Scott Rupp Wentzville 573-751-1282 R
David Sater David.Sater@house.mo.gov R
Robert Schaaf St Joseph rob.schaaf@senate.mo.gov R
Kurt Schaefer Columbia kurt.schaefer@mail. senate.mo.gov 573-751-3931 R
Eric Schmitt St Louis eschmitt@senate.mo.gov R
Ryan Silvey Kansas city Ryan.Silvey@house.mo.gov R
Wayne Wallingford Wayne.Wallingford@ house.mo.gov R
Jay Wasson Nixa jay.wasson@senate.mo.gov 573-751-1503 R

Air Claire and the Damn Plane…Again.

Looks like Air Claire is making one last hurrah in Missourah…
Remember when the Senator *forgot* to pay her taxes on that “damn plane” of hers, only ponying up after she got caught? Well, McCaskill decided that her carbon footprint just wasn’t big enough.
According to Politico, McCaskill hopped a charter this morning to jet-set throughout Missouri. This is her last ditch effort for the votes of the constituents she has repeatedly hosed over the last six years…and she isn’t being very eco-friendly about it either.
In a map that defies human logic, the Senator, elected in 2006, has been cross-crossing throughout the state on this final day of campaigning. In a bizarre back-and-forth pattern, the plan is to cover the entire state (shh, with polutants). Of course, this bears no reflection of hypocrisy over the countless *green* measures she has voted for throughout her term as Senator. Nevermind the fact that she advocates against global warming…her point is really just to redefine the term “fly-over state”.

The Undecided Voter…

…you no longer exisist. This is not a popularity contest! If nothing else, you are uncommitted. My question to you is “Why”?
Trust me, I’ve been there when my heart and my mind were at odds…millions of times. That’s what makes us human. It does.
However less than 24 hours from America flocking en masse to the polls, do you really not know who you are going to vote for? Probably not…you just don’t want to say it…and that is okay, our votes are between us and the ballot boxes. Period.
I’m not saying either candidate is perfect.
I am saying, they are SO different, “undecided” doesn’t cut it anymore.

Let’s first get down to the nitty-gritty: Benghazi (or Libya as many refer to the situation)… The Presidential phone–the phone to the Commander-and-Chief of the United States Military rang, and rang, and rang. Those who answered directly to CICOUSM had ZERO response. The phone went unanswered. Americans died, as a result. The first question you have to ask “Is THIS the way the President of the United States, Commander-In-Chief of the US Military should conduct himself?”

For the Christians out there, even the liberal ones, you know where God stands on issues. So, really, it’s off your shoulders to vote according to the Lord’s Word and you can keep the fact that you honor God above all other leadership to yourself, if say, you are about to have angry union thugs turn your card over. It’s none of their business.
If this is your first inquiry here, please disregard all that I mentioned about the book of Jeremiah…because it takes weeks to understand in regards to this election, and we are out of time…noteworthy, chronologically, it’s hard to follow. What Jeremiah does point to is cultural, spiritual and economic collapse.
If you are not a Christian, that’s cool, we love you too. And to you,  everything that Christians may say sounds totally stupid. I get that too. But how more stupid is it without any type of faith to resort to genocide?
How more freeing a notion than to put the weight of the world on someone else’s shoulders…to feed the poor, to birth the unwanted, to heal the sick? You are hereby released of such responsibility.
We only ask, in return, you support the lives out there today…day in, day out, simply trying to live…whether they be military, elderly, a patient in ICU with massive damages, babies sucking their thumb with a heart-beat in utero, children innocently sitting in a movie theatre with friends…

You don’t NEED to play God. Just don’t let others as well!

If beyond this, you are undecided, I pray for you. That you would find courage to make the correct decision. Think of the lives lost. The irresponsibility in measures by the Obama Administration that, God forbid, if a yourself or a loved-one were unfortunately placed in position would result indeath, that it be the decision of the loved ones, not a distant governmental entity. That is at stake…more now than ever.
Before you vote: Where we be in 2016?

Pro-Military, Pro-Vet Akin Introduces Veteran ID Card

The strong Pro-Military, Pro-Veteran Congressman introduced and sponsored the Veteran ID Card legislation, which obtained gross bipartisan suport:

Washington, DC – Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO), Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, today announced the introduction of H.R. 2985, the Veteran’s ID Card Act. Currently only veterans who are entitled to receive retirement or medical benefits are issued an ID card from the Veterans Administration. This means that many veterans who have served honorably have no easy way to prove their status as a veteran. This bill corrects this deficiency. Congressman Akin released the following statement:

“Millions of Americans have served honorably in our nation’s armed forces, including over two million who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan since 9/11. Many of these heroes have returned to normal life, but unless they are receiving medical or retirement benefits from their military service, they have no easy way to prove that they are veterans. Their only option currently is to carry a paper copy of their DD form 214, a form that includes their social security number.

“I believe that a standardized identification card will benefit many veterans. I know that numerous businesses today are eager to hire returning veterans, or recognize their special service, and would like to be able to confirm that an individual is in fact a veteran. This bill will address this deficiency in a common-sense and budget-neutral way.

“I am honored to have my Democratic colleague on the Armed Services Committee, Silvestre Reyes of Texas, as my cosponsor of this legislation. This is a bipartisan bill that is good for veterans and I hope we can work to get it passed soon.”

For more information see the summary of the legislation (PDF), and the text of the bill (PDF).

UPDATE: Current cosponsors of H.R. 2985, the Veteran’s ID Card Act, can be found here. The bill has also been endorsed by the following veterans groups: American Veterans (AMVETS), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and the Fleet Reserve Association (FRA).

The Navy Times recently ran a story on the Veteran’s ID Card Act

George Washington “Citizens by birth or choice of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.” (Farewell Address, September 19, 1796)

Via Congressman Todd Akin.