NO BOTTOM TO THE SINKHOLE

In a sign of rising tensions over Common Core, state Superintendent of Education John White told Louisiana’s top school board Wednesday that he is being unfairly targeted personally for possible wrongdoing by Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration and its allies.

“I am no stranger to politics, and I know that political rhetoric can be heated,” White said in a four-page letter to members of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
....

White sent his letter on the same week that Smith said controversy over Common Core test contracts could spark charges of ethics violations by White and others in the state Department of Education.

Smith cast her concerns in general terms — a posting on Facebook and a telephone interview — and did not offer any documentation.

However, she said unnamed parties are investigating whether employees of the state Department of Education acted improperly.

How low will Governor Jindal sink in his vindictiveness toward his own appointee, Superintendent of Education John White, because of their disagreement over Common Core?

Are there any limits at all to what Kristy Nichols (Commissioner of Administration) will do and say to support her boss and his unbridled ambition? I guess not, or she'd quickly be out of a job, for Jindal brooks no dissent.

Jane Smith, a staunch supporter of the governor, lost her bid for election to a seat in the Louisiana Senate, so Jindal gave her the consolation prize of a seat on BESE (Board of Elementary and Secondary Education) to continue the march to destroy public education in Louisiana. Now, Jane Smith resorts to smearing John White by innuendo on Facebook.

Thanks Governor. You and your honchos are a real class act. 

THREE CHEERS FOR THE REV

Not all local Episcopal Church leaders agree with a recent letter from the diocesan bishop strongly opposing same-sex blessings, but the said they will comply.
....

The fourth area church, All Saints Episcopal Church on Hilton Head Island, staked a more moderate stance, but the Rev. Richard Lindsey, the church's rector, said the congregation will comply with Lawrence's views.

"I stand solidly behind the (national) Episcopal Church," he said. "That's not to say I'm not loyal to my bishop, but I tend to disagree. ... We will honor where he stands because we are part of his diocese and he is our bishop."

The church's website states it is a "welcoming, inclusive" church, and Lindsey said he was not surprised with the General Convention's decision because it is the direction the national church has been headed for more than a decade.

"This is the tip of the iceberg," he said. "The real issue is about how we read scripture, about how we interpret God's Word today. God has given us indications we need to have a broader understanding of creation and a broader understanding of how humans are formed."

The cheers are for the Rev. Richard Lindsey's courage in speaking publicly of his loyalty to the national church and of his disagreement with the position of Bishop Lawrence on same-sex blessings. 

The text of Bishop Lawrence's letter may be found at the link above.

H/T to Kurt Wienser at The Lead.

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2012/07/17/2137637/beaufort-episcopal-church-reactions.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2012/07/17/2137637/beaufort-episcopal-church-reactions.html#storylink=cpy

HOLD ON THERE, ERIC!

Last week, Romney's top campaign adviser said the federal penalty for refusing to get health coverage was exactly that -- a fine, not a tax. This week, Romney said it is a tax because the Supreme Court opinion he opposes declared it a tax.

Confused? So is the Romney campaign, apparently.

The back-and-forth shows the tightrope Romney must walk on the health care reform issue now that he is the certain Republican presidential nominee.

There you have it.  Romney disagrees with his chief adviser, Eric Fehrnstrom, (and himself!) about whether the ACA mandate is a tax or a penalty.  One has to be sympathetic to the poor adviser as he makes his way through the thicket of mind-changes by Mitt.  How's a fellow to keep up?

The Wall Street Journal scolded Mitt, and he quickly stepped away from his adviser's characterization of the mandate as a penalty or a fine.  So then, the anti-tax Romney imposed a tax on the people of Massachusetts when he was governor and signed the health care bill into law?