According to information released Saturday by the Florida Department of Corrections: During "Take Our Children to Work Day" events at three prison facilities, 43 children were hit with stun guns while others were exposed to tear gas."Three prison guards have been fired, two have resigned and 16 more employees - from corrections officers to a warden - will be disciplined due to the incidents that unfolded April 23, said DOC Secretary Walt McNeil," reported The Miami Herald. "An investigation is ongoing.
"None of the children in any of the incidents required medical attention or was notably harmed, McNeil said. He said the children, who ranged in age from 5 to 17, were all children of prison officials." "The jolt sent at least two of them sprawling to the floor, crying out in pain and clutching at agonizing burns on their arms. One child ended up in hospital," reported the Mail Online.
Ah, I'm reminiscing on Greeley, Colorado this weekend.
Well, So here's a fun kind of diary post I saved for our more lax weekends -- the hilarity of exchanging fan photos with Beth Karas. She's someone whose work I highly respect, and she's now someone I count as a friend.
When we were in Greeley, a fan of her's came up to her at one point while we were discussing the Angie Zapata Hate Crime Murder Trial. The fan wanted an autographed photo, so Beth went into the TruTV In Session tra iler and retrieved a photo for the fan, and autographed it. Well, as long as Beth had the photos out, of course I asked for one!
The autograph (made with a silver Sharpie):
To Autumn -You're a highlight of the trial - stay in touch always
Love,
&>
Beth
So kewl. 
Well, I promised that I would send her a reciprocally signed, 8" x 10" "fan photo" of me in my women's Dress Blue Navy Uniform when I got back home to San Diego. Well, I followed through on that promise last week...
[Below the fold is my autographed, "fan photo" that I sent to Beth.]
The autograph (I actually bought a silver Sharpie just for this autograph):
To Beth -The most wonderful thing about the Angie Zapata Trial was meeting you!
Stay friends always,
Autumn
And, of course, I meant what I wrote. Beth means an awful lot to me as a friend. And apparently, she thinks a lot of me -- she put the photo of me up in her office. How kewl is that? 
Pretty fun, that's the first autographed photo of me I've ever sent anyone -- it feels pretty kewl to have Beth Karas as a fan.
Beth doesn't just write about law, by the way. She has a somewhat sad, yet wonderful and thoughtful piece up on CNN, entitled Remembering two precious brothers and all who suffer MPS. It's worth the read.
~~
And by the way, considering how expensive that 8" x 10" photo was for me, y'all shouldn't expect to get an autographed photo of me in the mail any time soon. TruTV In Session is paying for Beth's fan photos, whereas my "fan photo" to Beth was paid for out of my personal pocketbook. It was expensive too, costing me between $15 or $20 that photo to her. 
.
NOTE FROM PAM: The headline says it all: "RNC chief: Gay marriage will burden small business".Michael Steele is still trying to reshape "his"quot; party. His song and dance gets funnier all the time.
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Republicans can reach a broader base by recasting gay marriage as an issue that could dent pocketbooks as small businesses spend more on health care and other benefits, GOP Chairman Michael Steele said Saturday.Steele said that was just an example of how the party can retool its message to appeal to young voters and minorities without sacrificing core conservative principles. Steele said he used the argument weeks ago while chatting on a flight with a college student who described herself as fiscally conservative but socially liberal on issues like gay marriage. -Russ Bynum (HuffPost)
And it gets better below the fold...
"Now all of a sudden I've got someone who wasn't a spouse before, that I had no responsibility for, who is now getting claimed as a spouse that I now have financial responsibility for," Steele told Republicans at the state convention in traditionally conservative Georgia. "So how do I pay for that? Who pays for that? You just cost me money."
ROFLMAO. OK Steele let's stop all recognition of marriages and then companies will never have to be surprised that they have to offer benefits to a new spouse.
You don't get it. Companies usually offers benefits because they value employees and want to keep them. This is evident by looking at how most of the Fortune 500 companies offer some LGBT benefits without it being mandated by the government. And, although your "new" argument might give the bigots another tree to hide behind temporarily, those trees are being cut down faster than the rain forest. And the "young voters" you talk about are helping do it.
The resolution condemns a recent hate crime in Seaside (note: article includes images that may be distressing). Two young men, visiting the Oregon coast on vacation from Washington state, were assaulted simply because of their sexual orientation. Thanks to the leadership of Seaside police, the case was immediately classified as a hate crime.
Although Oregon law prohibits hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, it is imperative to stand together as a community and denounce hate crimes whenever and wherever they occur.
It also calls upon Congress and the President to pass the Matthew Shepard Act, which would ban anti-LGBT hate crimes nationwide. Although Oregon is fortunate to have a strong hate crimes law, many states aren't so lucky. The Matthew Shepard Act would make it clear that hate crimes against anyone, anywhere, at any time, are always unacceptable in the United States.
HJM 22 now heads to the House floor for a full vote by all 60 representatives. It will need lots of grassroots support to pass. Help us condemn hate crimes and pass the Matthew Shepard Act. Write your Representative TODAY!
Want more information? Read the full text of HJM 22 here.
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