Thursday, February 14, 2008

Shooting At Northern Illinois University - Gunman Dead

This is terrible and it seems like each day, I've heard about someone opening fire with a gun at a school. I don't know what the heck is going on, but it must be adressed now.

Multiple Victims In N. Illinois Univ. Shooting
Suspect Shot And Killed Himself

LIVE CBS 2 Special Report: NIU Shooting
DE KALB, Ill (CBS) ― Several people have been shot on the Northern Illinois University campus. The suspect killed himself and officials say the danger has passed.

Officials confirmed that several people were shot at Cole Hall, a large lecture hall on campus, shortly after 3 p.m. and the campus was immediately placed on lockdown.

Kishwaukee Hospital reported that up to 15 people were being brought to the hospital and that three to four of those victims had suffered head wounds.

Student journalists at the school's Northern Television Center reported that there were 18 victims, two of them fatalities, including the gunman.

Lt. Gary Spangler of the DeKalb Police Department told the school newspaper, the Northern Star, that "The gunman is deceased," adding that the "majority of the incident happened in Cole Hall."

Officials said the immediate danger has passed.

More here....

Northern Illinois University: Gunman on campus

FROM SUN-TIMES STAFF

A gunman opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb this afternoon, injuring several people. A suspect is reportedly dead following the shootings at Cole Hall, according to DeKalb Police.

DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said it's possible the gunman committed suicide.

NIU officials wouldn't give details on the extent of the shootings, but said students and staff are on lock down. Classes have been canceled.

"There has been a shooting on campus,'' NIU spokesman Joe King said. "Several people have been taken away by ambulance. The Dekalb campus is shut down.''

An alert on the university's Web site states that there is a possible gunman on campus. "Get to a safe area and take precautions until given all the clear," the report states. "Avoid the King Commons and all buildings in that vicinity."

At 3:20 p.m., the university posted the following alert on its Web site: "There has been a report of a possible gunman on campus. Get to a safe area and take precautions until given the all clear. Avoid the King Commons and all buildings in that vicinity."

The (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle said there were injuries, citing information heard over a police scanner shortly after 3 p.m. The scanner alerted police about a white, male shooter with a shotgun and pistol.

According to the NIU Web site: "It's has been confirmed that there has been a shooting on campus and several people have been taken away by ambulance. All classses are cancelled on the DeKalb campus. People are urged not to come to campus."

John McCain Lying About "Earmarks" - He's Got Several Of Them

Today on Fox News -- I was watching while writing about Kofi Bonner -- John McCain attacked Senator Barack Obama for taking earmarks, even though Obama has reported his earmarks.

But in the process, McCain claimed that he has never asked for one and has stated "And I’m proud to tell you, Chris, in 24 years as a member of Congress, I have never asked for nor received a single earmark or pork barrel project for my state and I guarantee you I’ll veto those bills. I’ll ask for the line item veto and I’ll veto them and I’ll make the authors of them famous."

Well, McCain should start by making himself famous.

According to Think Progress.org , McCain asked for and got them twice. Think Progress writes that...

"McCain’s claim is false. In 2006, the senator teamed up with fellow Arizona senator Jon Kyl (R) to funnel $10 million toward the University of Arizona for an academic center named after the late Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist. Even Arizona lawmaker, Rep. Jeff Flake (R), said he was planning to “lean against the measure.” The National Taxpayers Union, another traditional McCain ally, questioned why the senator was making federal taxpayers foot the bill for the center.

In 2003, McCain also slipped $14.3 million into a defense appropriations bill to
create a buffer zone around Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. As Roll Call reported in 2003, this project violated McCain’s own anti-pork rhetoric:

The only problem is the project to acquire more land near the base was not requested by President Bush or fully authorized by the Senate Armed Services Committee - two of McCain’s criteria for identifying so-called ‘pork.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), a notorious porker, was overjoyed that McCain had joined his side. “One man’s pork is another man’s alternate white meat,” said Stevens. “If he asked for it, we put it in.”"


Even a "correction" added by Roll Call to its 2003 report doesn't place McCain in the clear. He asked for money to be directed toward a project in his state, and he got it. That's an earmark.

Also, the Washington Post reports that in 1992 McCain asked for and got $5 million to be directed to a wastewater project in Arizona. The original request was rejected, causing McCain to go into action, approaching the EPA, and eventually President Bush I.

McCain should remember that people in glass houses should not throw stones.

Chad Johnson to Remain A Cincinnati Bengals Receiver - ESPN

Assuring that Chad Johnson will line up and roam free to catch passes at the enemy Cleveland Browns stadium built by Kofi Bonner , Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis has said that he has a great relationship with Johnson and he will stay in Cincinnati. Here's the rest from ESPN..

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is standing firm: Chad Johnson is staying in Cincinnati.

Lewis said Wednesday that the team will not trade the disgruntled wide receiver and has never discussed it, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer and the team's Web site.

"They can stop the presses, quit killing trees and move on to other things," Lewis said, defending Johnson despite the wide receiver's critical comments about the team. "There is, at no point, anyone in the Bengals organization who has ever uttered anything about trading Chad Johnson. Nor will he be traded."

On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that acquiring Johnson is the Washington Redskins' top offseason priority, as team owner Daniel Snyder wants an elite receiver.

The Post reported that according to two league sources, Johnson wants to land a big payday in Washington, and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has been quietly working behind the scenes to broker a deal.

But Lewis said that's simply not going to happen.

"There is no such thing as behind-the-door dealings in the NFL. That does not occur because the team in question [the Bengals] is not willing to trade their player, nor have they thought about trading their player or discussed trading their player, nor will they discuss trading their player. So I think that's pretty clear. Things can move on," he said.

In television and radio interviews over the past month, Johnson has criticized the Bengals and hinted that he would welcome a change of scenery.

Lewis said Wednesday that he has not spoken to Johnson since the team's final regular season game.

"People [in the building] talk to him," Lewis said, according to reports. "It's unfortunate for Chad that he is being cast in this light because it's not fair. So once again I will go on record in defense of him."

"We've had a great relationship," Lewis said of the Bengals and Johnson. "All I want to see is Chad continue to be a very, very productive NFL player and help us win a lot of football games. And that's not going to change."

The latest figures from the NFL Players Association show Johnson was the fourth-highest paid wide receiver in the NFL last season with total compensation of $7,165,379 million, according to the reports. Were the Bengals to trade or release him before June 1, they would take a salary cap hit of $8.03 million.

Indiana Jones Is Back, May 22nd | Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

In a trailer that would get the attention of Kofi Bonner , Steven Speilberg and George Lucas have released the trailer for Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. The trailer touches on the past and gives a look at the future, at a movie that is sure to delight fans of the series -- like myself -- as well as people who have not seen an Indiana Jones movie at all.

Here's the trailer:

Clinton Is Democratic Nixon - Dick Morris On O'Reilly Factor

Boy, I've heard some really deep terms used to describe the Clintons and particularly Senator Clinton, but this one takes it. On Wednesday's "O'Reilly Factor" Dick Morris called Hillary Clinton the Democratic Nixon.

When I think of Nixon, I think of the term "Tricky Dick" so with Clinton I guess the word would be, well, I don't know...Really, I don't. But that's not the point, the main warning is that Clinton has the same trust issues that President Nixon had, and that's why he was called "Tricky Dick.