Susan G. Komen for the Cure backlash intensifies as controversy grows

Susan Komen would not give in to bullies or fear. Too bad the foundation bearing her name did.
Writer Judy Blume • Discussing the decision by Susan G. Komen for the Cure to cut off its funding to Planned Parenthood, because the organization was under investigation by a governmental organization — a decision met with much frustration and derision from Komen critics, who saw it as a transparent push to move away from a group associated with abortions, though associated with many other things. This has not been a banner day for the Komen foundation, which has raised $1.9 billion for breast cancer research and programs, but may have hurt its long-term reputation with the move — founder Nancy Brinker (whose sister was Susan G. Komen) was grilled by Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC today over the change. With word flying that the group changed its rules to specifically target Planned Parenthood (the “governmental organization” is Rep. Cliff Stearns, a noted anti-abortion activist) and an alleged shift to the right among its staff, activists feel that, with this move, the organization is politicizing a cause that otherwise has wide support. Thoughts? source

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Outside, you don’t meet guys like this every day. This place is amazing.
Rapper Ja Rule • Discussing his time in prison, where he’s in the middle of a two-year prison sentence for gun possession and tax evasion. The “guys like this” he’s referring to are disgraced Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski and Alan Hevesi, a New York state politician who went to jail over a “pay to play” scheme involving the New York state pension system. Ja Rule, who will be releasing an album later this month despite his prison sentence, has been working on taking college-level courses behind bars after getting encouragement from Hevesi and Kozlowski to pursue higher education. “It’s funny,” the rapper said. “We’re from totally different walks of life. But when you’re here, you’re here.” source

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10,000 people on the U.S. government’s no-fly list roughly a year ago
21,000 people on the no-fly list one year later; only 500 are Americans source

» So, what happened? After the Christmas 2009 “Underwear Bomber” incident, the TSA worked on improving the list, expanding it far beyond the initial set of names. Of note: The federal government is adding names beyond al-Qaeda, believing that the terror threat expands beyond the group behind the 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. “Both U.S. intelligence and law enforcement communities and foreign services continue to identify people who want to cause us harm, particularly in the U.S. and particularly as it relates to aviation,” said TSA head John Pistole, who has had to deal with some backlash against higher security standards in the past year.

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story A wealthy Florida polo club owner, involved in a car crash that killed a 23-year-old man a year ago, is facing both criminal charges and a wrongful death suit in the case. He could face up to 30 years in prison for vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of the crime; he ran a stop sign and was driving under the influence at the time.
twist In a legal maneuver which probably has no prior precedent, back in October, 48-year-old John Goodman legally made his longtime 42-year-old girlfriend … his adopted daughter. Officials believe this is an attempt to shield his wealth from a civil suit. Also, the math doesn’t work out on that father-daughter relationship. source

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02 Feb 2012 20:07