GLENN COUNTY, CA: In a case that received national attention, the Glenn County, Calif., Board of Education on January 22 overturned the expulsion of 17-year-old duck hunter Gary Tudesko, who was expelled from his central California high school after police dogs sniffed out unloaded shotguns in his truck.

The truck was legally parked off-campus, on a public street, and the guns were in the truck because Tudesko had gone hunting that morning before school.  All those factors just show the school’s lack of common sense in enforcing its “zero tolerance” policy; according to guidelines from the California Department of Education, administrators don’t have to recommend expulsion unless a violation is committed at school or at a school activity.  Even that agency’s website notes widespread criticism of “zero tolerance” policies.

On the legal side, the school made many errors, such as confusing its authority to expel students under California’s Education Code with the district attorney’s authority to enforce the state’s “Gun Free School Zones” law.  Both the district attorney and the local police have said Tudesko would face no criminal charges.

Leading California civil rights lawyer Chuck Michel—a longtime advocate for Golden State gun owners—represented Tudesko.  For more information on the Tudesko case, read the article on ESPN or visit Michel’s website at www.calgunlaws.com.

BABE HUGGETT: On the Culture Wars front, the British supermarket chain, Tescos, struck a blow for sartorial dignity in its St. Mellons in Cardiff, Wales branch by posting a “Customer Dress Code Policy” banning shoppers coming in clad in pajamas, barefoot and/or both.

Signs saying, “To avoid causing offence or embarrassment to others we ask that our customers are appropriately dressed when visiting our store (footwear must be worn at all times and no nightwear is permitted).” have been placed at the entrance to the store in what Americans will recognize as a variation on our “No Shoes, no shirt, no service.” domestic stores policy although here in open-carry Arizona, “No weapons allowed” signs give a regional variation that must make the Nervous Nellie crowd feel better.

Back at the St. Mellons Tescos, outraged customer, Elaine Carmody, was actually turned away when she tried to buy cigarettes because of her sloppy and routine PJ bottoms and slippers wear. Read more…

JAMES SIMPSON: Newly minted Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell will be presenting the “Republican Response” to President Obama’s State of the Union address this coming Wednesday evening. Given McDonnell’s victory in Virginia, Chris Christie’s upset win in New Jersey, and especially Brown’s stunning triumph in Massachusetts, it is absolutely critical that McDonnell capture the optimism, energy and momentum these victories have generated by sending exactly the right message.

I hope Governor McDonnell hears me on this.

The reason Republicans are having such stunning success is because Republicans are currently the only viable alternative to the willfully destructive policies of the radical leftist Democrats currently in charge, and those policies are deliberately destructive. As an economist and researcher of radical movements for 25 years, I can speak with authority on this subject. I know this by the enormous mass of evidence available. My writings are but the tip of the iceberg.

Many U.S. citizens however, now recognize the same thing intuitively and have been responding with justifiable alarm. Therein lies the reason for the Tea Party movement’s explosive growth. Therein lies the reason people are taking precious time away from work and families, attending evening-long meetings, showing up at rallies and pouring energy into upstart campaigns. Therein lies the reason middle-aged people who never carried a sign in their lives, are showing up – I’ve seen ‘em even in wheelchairs and on oxygen – to express their outrage. Read more…

WHITE HOUSE: Gibbs reiterated today that sufficient information was obtained from the fizzled panty bomber Abdumutallab in the 50 minutes he was interrogated before he was read his Miranda rights. This gratuitous assertion withers under the most cursory of examinations.

One of the key components of any successful interrogation is allowing enough time. 50 minutes is not even enough to get started:

Investigators must remember that successful interrogations require a certain amount of time to complete. Some confessions or admissions come quickly, but most do not. Those involving a polygraph examination usually occur between the second and third hours of the interrogations session. Generally, the chances of obtaining a confession increase 25 percent for every hour (up to 4 hours) of interrogation.¹² Investigators spend up to the first hour of the session learning about the subjects, building rapport, obtaining background information, and discussing the crimes. Verbal and nonverbal responses form the basis of the investigators’ evaluations concerning the subjects’ degree of truthfulness and degree of criminal involvement. It takes time for investigators to observe these responses and relate them to the critical issues of the cases. Stopping after 30 minutes or an hour of interrogation dooms investigators to a 75 percent interrogation failure rate.¹³ The Art and Science of Criminal Investigation

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Are You Smarter Than a 6th Grader?

FALLS CHURCH, VA: We finally have definitive proof that President Obama has been watching the Fox network. Evidently Fox’s hit show, “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” has intimidated the White House.

Last week Obama appeared afraid to speak to sixth graders at Graham Road Elementary School in Falls Church last Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010. He had apparently seen contestants on Jeff Foxworthy’s TV show get shredded by 5th graders. (NIP wonders if Foxworthy changed his legal name from NBCworthy to get the gig.)

Obama reportedly had a bad case of stage fright: “I’ve seen what happens when you go up against 5th graders, and these are 6th graders.”  Finally he was agreed to go on, but only if he could bring his trusty teleprompters. For a complete gallery of Obama’s frightening experience visit DayLife.

Himalayan Glacier Safe

HIMALAYAS: One more “climate scientist” has come forward and admitted faking a study in order to provide the IPCC with scare tactics used to alarm the general public. Who hasn’t heard of the Himalayas? What a great high profile target, one valuable for its shock value. Turns out it was all a sham.

First the scare tactics, from the IPCC’s 2007 report:

Glaciers in the Himalaya are receding faster than in any other part of the world (see Table 10.9) and, if the present rate continues, the likelihood of them disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high if the Earth keeps warming at the current rate. Its total area will likely shrink from the present 500,000 to 100,000 km² by the year 2035 (WWF, 2005). Read more…

BABE HUGGETT: Thanks to all for the many letters and suggestions I have received from you NIP readers. Recently on the anniversary of President Obama’s first year in office I received the following report card from one of Obama’s high school teachers, a Mrs. M. She recently saw President Obama grading himself on national television. He was asked for his report card on his first year in office. She thought that NIP readers would be interested in seeing one of his high school report cards. We agreed and are passing it on to you.
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