Theo's Java Club Cafe, 213 - 17th Street, Rock Island, will be celebrating 20 years in the specialty coffee/cafe business November 15th - November 23rd.

Kicking off the festivities will be "Elvis Presley Tribute Artist" Steve Brandes, live, on stage, on Friday, November 15th from 7-10pm.  More info on Steve can be found at www.stevebrandes.com.

Al through the following week, November 18th - 23rd, Theo's will be offering lunch and drink discounts and door prizes.

Also, more live music is coming back to Theo's beginning with open stage on Thursday nights, from 7:30-10pm with local and regional musical acts on Fridays and Saturdays.

Theo and his friendly staff invite all friends, past and present and future, to stop by for a heartfelt "Thank You" for 20 years!

WashingtonU.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), co-chairs of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, today introduced the Saving Kids From Dangerous Drugs Act of 2013 [link] to increase federal criminal penalties for drug dealers who entice children with candy-flavored methamphetamine, cocaine or other dangerous drugs.

According to law enforcement officers and drug treatment officials, methamphetamine and other illegal drugs are being colored, packaged and flavored in ways designed to attract children and other minors. Some have child-friendly names like Pot Tarts and Reese's Crumbled Hash Brownies.

"For years, drug dealers have used new gimmicks to target children by flavoring and marketing illegal drugs to taste and look like candy and soda," Senator Feinstein said. "These dealers intentionally mislead young customers into believing these drugs are less dangerous and less addictive than other illegal drugs.

"This bill responds to this serious and dangerous problem by increasing criminal penalties on drug dealers who alter controlled substances in a deliberate attempt to lure our youth into addiction and dependency."

"Anything that makes a dangerous drug seem less dangerous to kids is a serious problem," said Senator Grassley.  "The law should make clear that marketing drugs to kids will have steep consequences."

Many recent incidents have involved methamphetamine, which can cause users to experience hallucinations and delusions. In March of last year, police in Chicago warned parents about a strawberry-flavored version of methamphetamine called "strawberry quick" or "strawberry meth." Because of the drug's similarity to candy, police urged parents to tell their children not to take candy from anyone, even a classmate.

The size and sophistication of operations involving flavored or candied drugs is alarming. For example, in March of 2008, Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized cocaine near Modesto, Calif., valued at $272,400; a significant quantity had been flavored with cinnamon, coconut, lemon and strawberry.

Under current federal law, there are no enhanced penalties for altering controlled substances to make drugs more appealing to youth. The Saving Kids From Dangerous Drugs Act:

·         Provides an enhanced penalty when any adult knowingly or intentionally manufactures or creates a controlled substance listed in Schedule I or Schedule II that is:

o   Combined with a beverage or candy product;

o   Marketed or packaged to appear similar to a beverage or candy product; or

o   Modified by flavoring or coloring.

·         Subjects anyone who alters a controlled substance in these ways to the following penalty, in addition to the penalty for the underlying offense:

o   Up to 10 years for the first offense

o   Up to 20 years for a second or subsequent offense

The bill has been endorsed by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the Major County Sheriffs Association, the National District Attorneys Association and the National HIDTA Directors Association.

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Promotes new Iowa incentive program to assist in the formation

(MARION) - Governor Terry E. Branstad toured Timberline Manufacturing in Marion, Iowa, today to highlight the advantages of employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and Iowa's incentive programs that make it easier for businesses in transition to further explore this business structure.

"ESOPs can help keep companies - and the jobs they provide - in local communities," said Branstad. "ESOPs are more than just an employee benefit plan, they are a transition plan for business owners and a growth strategy for communities."

Over the past two legislative sessions, the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) proposed programming to encourage companies and owners to explore the creation of ESOPs. Legislation was passed and enacted to provide a 50 percent capital gains tax deduction for businesses owners who sell their companies to their employees through a qualified ESOP. Further, a new program to provide financial assistance for ESOP formation is available to Iowa businesses as well.

A public-private partnership with ESOP professionals from around the state has been formed to help educate and inform Iowa businesses about the advantages of forming ESOPs and the incentives that are available to help.

The partners working with IEDA in this effort include the Principal Financial Group, Banker's Trust, Nyemaster Goode Law Firm and Prairie Capital Advisors.

Educational sessions will be held across the state and will take place in November and December at the following dates and locations:

Nov. 21 - Council Bluffs and Sioux City

Dec. 4 - Des Moines

Dec. 5 - Bettendorf and Dubuque

Dec. 11 - Cedar Rapids and Waterloo

Dec. 12 - Mason City and Ft. Dodge

Businesses interested in attending a session can contact Jerry Ripperger at the Principal Financial Group at 515-248-2240 or via email at ripperger.jerry@principal.com.

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New Service to Link Renters with Available Units

 

Des Moines - A unique new rental housing locator service, IowaHousingSearch.org is now available for Iowa landlords to list units at no cost. The web site is supported by a toll-free call center and is designed to give renters, landlords, housing professionals and social service providers access to detailed information about real-time rental housing vacancies. The service will launch for public use in January.

IowaHousingSearch.org offers all Iowa landlords, including those with critically needed affordable, accessible and special-needs housing, a free way to advertise properties while helping renters easily find units to fit specific needs. IowaHousingSearch.org will also be a vital tool during times of emergency, providing up-to-date housing information for displaced disaster victims and assistance organizations.

"Iowa has approximately 330,000 rental units," said Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Dave Jamison. "The IowaHousingSearch.org site will provide a critical link between thousands of rental units and Iowans looking for them. I encourage all rental property providers to list their rental units on IowaHousingSearch.org as soon as possible."

IowaHousingSearch.org offers landlords 24-hour access to managing, adding and updating property listings. Detailed listings let landlords highlight amenities and special features, and landlords can use the property search feature to make neighborhood and pricing comparisons. Listings can include pictures, maps and extensive information about accessibility features and nearby amenities such as parks, schools and hospitals.

 

To begin listing on IowaHousingSearch.org, Iowa property providers can register online at IowaHousingSearch.org or by phone at 1.877.428.8844.

For more information, visit IowaHousingSearch.org or call 1.877.428.8844 (Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Central Time) to speak with a representative. The service is funded by the Iowa Finance Authority.

 

The Iowa Legislature created The Iowa Finance Authority, the state's housing finance agency, in 1975 to undertake programs to assist in the attainment of housing for low and moderate-income Iowans.

 

 

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Vernissage for Todd Leisek:

November 15th. 2014

Art Installation :
" We Are Ghosts"

Mixed media.
This art installation is a room-sized glass exhibit.

At The Phoenix.
1530 Fifth. Avenue.
Moline.
Friday. November 15th. 2013
6-9 p.m.

Free and open to all.

Artist's description: About the Installation:

" This large installation is a communication and an interaction between what my family's identity, ethnicity and past has faced through the years.  Behind closed doors an individual hides their own identity and reality.  By breaking down these "doors" and "walls," our identities can be slightly revealed and displaced by reflections of light upon the exhibition wall.  In this installation, I concentrate on drawing upon the simple concepts of the breakdown of these doorways and walls through looking through broken glass, doors and walls taken from dismantled homes.  This piece is the past as well as the present as it confronts some of the conflicts of tribal identity in the United States.  Four doorways will be presented in the act of breaking apart with only the shards of clear glass to bind them together and the holding together of the walls will display the reflection of a past identity of a mixed tribal past. The installation is a chance to speak without words through the materials and the photographs hidden in the cracks of the walls.  I am mixed of Potawatomi, Sac/Fox and Cherokee.  Since I am of mixed tribal generation, where do I fit in with the world or how does my family (ancestors) fit in?  We roam as "ghosts" blending in from one subculture to the next recreating ourselves over and over without stepping through to connect with our tribal roots or ancestral traditions.  There are thousands of us still roaming the United States displaced."

Artist Statement

My artwork (installations) is based from sensory experiences (sounds, sights, smells and dreams) from the memories of my childhood experiences and the stories of family members long past.  Throughout my experience as an artist; I have concentrated on these sparks of memory which are drawn from nature (landscape), dreams of my past, and the faded memories.  In creating these abstract sculptural pieces, I'm attempting to bring back these recollections into a form of narrative or conceptual scene into the public space.  By changing the landscape (public space), I draw the viewers into my art installations to bring their own sensory experiences into the artwork.   These sensory experiences are connected to the material I use in my artwork (Ceramics, Wood, and stain).  I hope that these pieces display the uncomfortable feeling of distance of Native American authenticity and the reconnection of my families lost mixed of Otoe and Osage/Pottawattamiepast.  It is important that my artwork does not relate directly to a "Native American" background, yet an element of these memories, love and loss which was influenced by my ancestors past.

To present a loose form of this narrative in my art installations is an important element to address in the conditions of the Post-Native American identity.  The traditions of the storyteller in my family today are dependent upon me to retell them in a modern relation of the struggles we face for a place (or voice) in this world.  We all have memories and past experiences which we cannot completely explain, yet subconsciously influence our lives.

About The Artist:  Todd Liesek.

I was born in Ogden, UT as Todd Woodmansee, yet grew up with a very collect a diverse step family in Lodi, CA.  My first studies in Fine Arts started in San Francisco where I spent the first 4 years at San Francisco State University for my BA, which was dual emphasize in Art History and Fine Arts.  I stayed for additional 3 years teaching for private art/music schools within the Bay Area, traveling around performing and producing artwork in California.  In 2003, I received an invitation to study at University of Wisconsin-Superior for a MA in Studio Art in sculpture and ceramics.  In addition, I had an opportunity to perform with the University Orchestra and Brazilian Guitar Ensemble to perform in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.  After my graduation from UWS in 2006 with a MA, I moved from the cold frigid North to the Quad Cities, IL.  For the past few years, I received an invitation for the MFA program at Vermont College Fine Arts in Contemporary theories and Art Installation which I recently graduated in 2013.

I have worked for private and public art/music schools and Higher Education at both the Community and State University levels for about 9 years and 3 years as an online instructor. I have taught art history/appreciation from 1300 to 21st Contemporary Art, Art Theory, Sculpture/Ceramics, music orchestration, and guitar performance.

Tickets Go On Sale November 22

DES MOINES, IA (11/12/2013)(readMedia)-- Hairball returns with their head-banging 80s rock on Friday, January 31, at the Jacobson Exhibition Center on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show will go on sale at Noon on Friday, November 22. Admission is $18 in advance or $25 after 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 30.

Tickets will be available through www.iowastatefairgrounds.org for print at home tickets and will call orders. Walk up orders will be available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Administration Building located on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. All tickets are general admission. The day of the show, the Jacobson Exhibition Center ticket window will open at 5 p.m. for purchases and pick-up of all will call ticket orders. A $2 convenience charge will apply to all tickets. Concert parking is free.

Hairball is the world's ultimate "80s arena rock" impersonation act, recreating the good-time party atmosphere of the decade with unmatched authenticity. Rock Star Bob and Kris Voxx bring the musical and performance styles of Guns n' Roses, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Ozzy, AC/DC, Journey, Poison and more to the stage in dead-on visual and vocal performances.

By alternating stage time, these performers rapidly change elaborate costumes, seamlessly transitioning from Paul Stanley of KISS to Joe Elliot of Def Leppard without a break in the action. Their ability to cop the persona of the era's legendary front men and musicianship make Hairball an international favorite.

The Fairgrounds are located at East 30th and East University Avenue, just 10 minutes east of downtown Des Moines. For more information, call 800/545-FAIR or visit iowastatefairgrounds.org.

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The Salvation Army of the Quad Cities Announces their 2013 Red Kettle Campaign Kick-Off Event and YOU ARE INVITED:

2013 Red Kettle Campaign Kick-Off

Friday, November 15, 2013, 6:30pm

NorthPark Mall: JCPenney/Orange Julius Corner near Armed Services Recruitment Office Entrance

o Red Kettle Campaign Goal will be revealed by Mayors Dennis Pauley and Scott Raes.

o Bee Sharp, the St. Ambrose Male Vocalists, will perform a cappella Christmas music.

o Salvation Army Advisory Board Vice Chair John McBride and Quad Cities Coordinator Major Gary Felton to host.

This campaign is a community-wide effort and The Salvation Army's most important fund raiser of the year. 60% of the annual budget is raised during these six weeks.

To volunteer: please sign up at www.ringbells.org

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Prepared Floor Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee

On the Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of

Cornelia Pillard, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

 

Mr. President,

 

I'm speaking in opposition to the motion to invoke cloture on the nominee for the D.C. Circuit, Cornelia Pillard.  Although her record makes clear her views are well outside the mainstream on a host of issues, I'm not going to focus on those concerns today.

 

I'm going to focus instead on the standard the Democrats established in 2006.  Based on that standard, the court's caseload makes clear that the workload simply doesn't justify adding judges, particularly when those additional judges cost approximately $1 million per year, per judge.

 

I have walked through the statistics several times now.

 

The bottom line is this: the data overwhelmingly supports the conclusion that the D.C. Circuit is underworked.  Everyone knows this is true.  That circuit does not need any more judges.

 

Take for instance, the appeals filed and appeals terminated.

 

In both categories, the D.C. Circuit ranks last.  And in both categories the D.C. Circuit is less than half the national average.

 

To provide some perspective on this, compare the D.C. Circuit to the 11th.  After another judge took senior status last week, both courts now have eight active judges.

 

If we don't confirm any more judges to either court, and the numbers remain the same as last year, the 11th Circuit will have 875 appeals filed per active judge.  Compare that to the 149 appeals filed per active judge in D.C., which also has eight active judges.  Again, that's 875 for the 11th Circuit, compared to 149 for D.C. Circuit.

 

Now, some might argue we shouldn't look only at "active judges" because those averages will change if and when we confirm more judges to the 11th Circuit.

 

Suppose we fill each judgeship on the 11th Circuit and each judge on the D.C. Circuit as the Democrats want to do.  If we fill them all, there would be 583 Appeals filed per judge for the 11th Circuit, and only 108 for D.C.

 

The 11th Circuit has over five times the caseload.

 

This is why everyone who has looked at this objectively understands the caseload for the D.C. Circuit is stunningly low.

 

This is why the current judges on the court have written to me and said things like: "If any more judges were added now, there wouldn't be enough work to go around."

 

Now, some of my friends on the other side recognize that the D.C. Circuit's caseload is low, but they claim that the caseload numbers don't take into account the "complexity" of the court's docket.

 

They argue the D.C. Circuit hears more "administrative appeals" than other circuits.  And they claim these administrative appeals are more complex.

This argument is nonsense.  Here is why.

 

I've heard my colleagues argue repeatedly that the D.C. Circuit's docket is complex because "43%" of its docket is made up of "administrative appeals."

But of course, that is a high percentage, of a very small number.

 

When you look at the actual number of these so-called "complex" cases per judge, the Second Circuit has almost twice as many as the D.C. Circuit.

 

In 2012, there were 512 "administrative appeals" filed in D.C.

 

In the Second Circuit, there were 1,493.

 

Stated differently, in D.C., there were only 64 administrative appeals per active judge.

 

The Second Circuit has nearly twice as many with 115.

 

Again, that's 64 administrative appeals per active judge in DC.

As opposed to the Second Circuit which has almost twice as many, with 115.

 

So, this entire argument about "complexity" is nonsense, and the other side knows it.

 

Now, let me raise another question regarding caseload.

 

If these cases were really that hard -

 

If these cases were really so "complex" -

Then why in the world would the D.C. Circuit take the entire summer off?

 

And I'm not talking about just a couple weeks in August.  They don't hear any cases for the entire summer.

 

The D.C. Circuit has so few cases on their docket, that they don't hear any cases from the middle of May until the second week of September.

This past term, the last case they heard before taking the summer off was on May 16th.  The court didn't hear another case until September 9th, almost four months later.

The bottom line is this: everyone knows this court doesn't have enough cases as it is.  Let alone if we were to add more judges.

 

This is why when you ask the current judges for their candid assessment, they write:

"if any more judges were confirmed now, there wouldn't be enough work to go around."

 

Now, while I'm discussing this caseload issue, I want to remind my colleagues of a little bit history.

 

In 2006, the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee blocked Peter Keisler's nomination to the D.C. Circuit.

 

They blocked Mr. Keisler's nomination based on the court's caseload.  Since that time, by the standard the other side established, the court's caseload has declined sharply.

 

We didn't set this standard.  The Democrats did.

 

I recognize that the other side wants to rewrite history.  They try to compare John Robert's second nomination to the circuit, which passed fairly easily, with the current nomination.  What they conveniently forget, in a misleading way, is that they blocked Keisler's nomination after the Roberts' nomination.

 

I recognize the other side hopes we forget that they established these rules and precedents.

I recognize the other side finds those rules inconvenient today.

 

But these are not reasons to ignore the rules and standards they established.

 

There is simply no legitimate reason that the other side should not embrace today the very standard they established in 2006.

 

So, under the standard established by the Democrats in 2006, these nominations aren't needed.

 

According to the current judges themselves, these judges aren't needed.

 

And according to the Chief Judge of the D.C. Circuit - a Clinton appointee - the senior judges are contributing the equivalent of an additional 3.25 judges.  As a result, the court already has the equivalent of 11.25 judges - more than the authorized number.

 

So it seems pretty clear that the other side has run out of legitimate arguments in support of these nominations.  Perhaps that is why they are resorting to such cheap tactics.

 

Over the last couple of days, I've heard my colleagues on the other side actually come to the floor and argue that Republicans are opposing this nominee because of her gender.

 

That argument is offensive, but predictable.  We've seen this before.  When the other side runs out of legitimate arguments, their last line of defense is to accuse Republicans of opposing nominees based on gender or race.  It's an old and well-worn card.  And they play it every time.  The fact of the matter is that I've voted for 75 women nominated to the bench by President Obama, as well as a host other nominees of diverse backgrounds.

 

Those are the facts. But the other side isn't concerned with facts.  They are more interested in demagoguery and coarse rhetoric.

 

It's unfortunate.  Those types of personal attacks on members of the Senate are beneath this institution.

 

Now, given that there is no legitimate reason to fill these seats, why is the other side pushing these nominations so aggressively?  Why waste $3 million a year in taxpayer dollars?

 

Unfortunately, we don't have to guess.  We know the reason.

 

We've all heard the President pledge repeatedly, "If Congress won't act, I will."

 

What he means, of course, is that he will rule by Executive Fiat.

 

He won't go to Congress.

 

He won't negotiate.

 

He'll go around Congress.

 

He doesn't need legislators to enact legislation.

 

He'll just issue an Executive Order or issue new Agency rules.

 

Why bother with those pesky Senators and members of the House, when you can make law with the stroke of a pen?

 

In effect, the President is saying:

'If the Senate won't confirm who I want, when I want them, then I'll recess appoint them when the Senate isn't even in session';

 

'If Congress won't pass Cap and Trade fee increases, then I'll go around them and do the same thing through administrative action at the Environmental Protection Agency';

 

'If Congress won't pass gun control legislation, then I'll issue a series of Executive Orders';

 

That is what the President means when he says, "if Congress won't act, I will."

 

But remember, we have a system of checks and balances.

 

Under our system, when the President issues Orders by Executive Fiat, it's the courts that provide a check on his power.

 

It's the courts that decide whether the President is acting unconstitutionally.

 

So, the only way the President's plan works is if he stacks the deck in his favor.

 

The only way the President can successfully bypass Congress is if he stacks the court with ideological allies who will rubberstamp his Executive Orders.

 

There is no big secret here.  The other side hasn't been shy about this strategy.

 

Here is how the Washington Post described the strategy:

 

"Giving liberals a greater say on the D.C. Circuit is important for Obama as he looks for ways to circumvent the Republican-led House and a polarized Senate on a number of policy fronts through executive order and other administrative procedures."

 

Here is how another high profile administration ally put it:

 

"There are few things more vital on the president's second-term agenda.  With legislative priorities gridlocked in Congress, the president's best hope for advancing his agenda is through executive action, and that runs through the D.C. Circuit."

 

So the President is willing to waste $3 million in taxpayer dollars a year, every year, in order to bypass congress and make sure his Executive Orders don't lose in court.

 

Every member of this body should find that troubling.

 

Finally, I want to mention a couple points on the so-called "gang of 14" agreement.

 

First, by the very terms of that agreement, it applied only to those fourteen Senators for that specific Congress, the 109th.

 

Second, even though that agreement - by its own terms - expired at the end of the 109th Congress, just last week one of the members who was actually in the Senate back in 2005, determined that these nominations, in his judgment, constituted "extraordinary circumstances."

 

And third, in 2006, after the so-called "gang of 14" agreement, Senate Democrats created the Keisler Standard.

 

They blocked Peter Keisler based on caseload, after the so-called "gang of 14" agreement.  Peter Keisler waited in committee for over 900 days for a vote that never came.

 

These are the rules the other side established.  And now, when they are on the receiving end of those same rules, they want them changed.

 

Mr. President, we don't intend to play by two sets of rules around here.

 

And that brings me the constant threat from the Majority about changing the rules on the filibuster.

 

I've been in the Minority for a number of years.  I've also had the privilege of serving in the Majority for a number of years.

 

Many of those on other side who are clamoring for a rules change - and almost falling over themselves for it - have never served a single day in the Minority.

 

All I can say is this: be careful what you wish for.

 

I've come to the conclusion that that if the rules are changed, at least we Republicans will get to use them when we're back in the Majority.

 

Republicans had the chance seven or eight years ago to change the rules and we didn't.  And, I'd imagine we wouldn't be the first to change them in the future.

 

Remember, it was the Democrats who first used the filibuster to defeat circuit judges.  It was the Democrats who first used caseloads to defeat circuit judges.

 

So, if the Democrats are bent on changing the rules.  Go ahead.

 

There are a lot more Scalias and Thomases out there we'd love to put on the bench.

 

The nominees we'd nominate and confirm with 51 votes will interpret the Constitution as it was written.  They are not the type who would invent constitutional rights out of thin air.

 

I urge my colleagues to oppose cloture on the Pillard nomination.

 

I yield the floor.

 

-30-
3 Truths About Our Country that Support Freedom, Civil
Peace & Prosperity

In a recent CNN poll, 75 percent of respondents said U.S. House Republicans don't deserve re-election. That could bode poorly for either party next year, when all 435 House seats are up for grabs.

That's because it's likely only a small group of Americans will decide our country's future, says historian and researcher Merrilyn Richardson. Traditionally, only 40 percent of eligible voters turn out for mid-term elections on average, compared with 60 percent for presidential elections.

In the Senate, 33 seats could change, which could tip the balance of power for the subsequent six years.

"Voting is just one of the many privileges too many citizens of the United States take for granted,'' says Richardson, a former editor of Air Force Bases newspapers and author of "You ARE God: The Challenge to Achieve Christ Consciousness in the Modern Era," (www.merrilynrichardson.com). "Many do not believe the rights they have enjoyed their entire lives can be taken away from them, but they are wrong."

It takes actively involved citizens to protect our fragile democracy, Richardson says. The American origin story and its legacy are not only unique to our globe, they're nothing short of miracles and we need to advocate for what we enjoy.

She reviews three inspiring founding U.S. principles.

• The American Revolution has outlasted competing ideologies. Since 1776, many other revolutions have come and gone. That includes the Russian Revolution, which has all but disappeared and left a country with an identity crisis. The Chinese Revolution, which has morphed into something unrecognizable from its original ideology, and the Cuban Revolution, which has proven to be an unsustainable economic burden for its people. Rather than attempt to force an entire country to conform to an unrealistic ideology, the U.S. founding fathers proposed a Bill of Rights that continues to shape the history of the world.

• Individuality, free speech, the right to bear arms and religion are all protected. Enlightened, Western nations have to pay taxes to support religious institutions of which many citizens are not participants; in England it's the Church of England, in Germany it's the Catholic Church. The United States does not make anyone support any church - we can worship and financially support what we choose. This emphasis on individual rights often provides more momentum to our social movements, such as the Tea Party or Occupy Wall Street, because people can choose what they support.

• As our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms protect us, it's our duty as stewards of the Constitution to protect freedom. When people say nasty things, it's tempting for some groups to call for the censorship of one's speech. When someone does something barbaric with a gun, even more people call for severe limitations on one's right to bear arms. If living in a free society were easy, more countries would be doing it. There are many countries throughout the world that are experimenting with a free society, including some in the Middle East and North Africa. Egypt, for example, is finding out just how difficult freedom is to maintain. While terrorist groups may seek to fell the system of governing we were fortunate enough to inherit, we also need to make sure domestic efforts to chip away our liberties are not successful.

About Merrilyn Richardson

Merrilyn Richardson received a degree in journalism from Texas Tech University and was editor of Air Force Bases newspapers. At 89, she has spent decades searching for truth and found that studying spiritual subjects provides a basis for understanding our human condition. Her latest book, "You ARE God: The Challenge to Achieve Christ Consciousness in the Modern Era," is a concise glimpse of American history and other events that have affected individuals worldwide. She is a founding member of the Center for Spiritual Living in Midland, Texas. Her two previous books were "Initiation of the Master" and "The Master's Quest, an End to Terrorism."

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2013 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that recipients in 45 states, the Western Pacific and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will receive grants to make housing repairs and improve housing conditions for limited income rural residents. Acting Under Secretary for Rural Development Doug O'Brien announced the selections on Secretary Vilsack's behalf.

"Providing safe, reliable housing to rural residents is key to maintaining stable communities and creating jobs," O'Brien said. "USDA has developed strategic partnerships with Tribes, community organizations and non-profit groups to improve the living conditions for thousands of rural residents."

Funding is being provided through USDA Rural Development's Housing Preservation Grant program. Funds are provided to intermediaries such as local governments, public agencies, federally-recognized Indian Tribes, and non-profit, faith-based and community organizations. These organizations then distribute the grants to homeowners and owners of multi-family rental properties or cooperative dwellings who rent to low- and very-low-income residents. Funds are not directly provided to eligible homeowners by USDA.

Grants may be used to make general repairs, such as installing or improving plumbing, or providing or enhancing access to people with disabilities. Funds may also be used to make homes more energy efficient.

Today's announcement includes a $38,860 grant to Bishop Sheen Ecumenical Housing Foundation, Inc., in Rochester, N.Y., to assist 12 very-low income households. The grant will be used to repair foundations, roofs and electrical wiring, and make energy efficiency and accessibility improvements. Coupled with funding from Rural Development, the foundation's effort will make a significant impact in rural New York. ACTION Inc. in Athens, Ga., has been selected to receive a $30,000 Housing Preservation Grant to help very-low income and low-income elderly households make repairs.

In 2009, Neighborhood Housing Services of the Black Hills, Inc., in Western South Dakota, received a $50,000 Housing Preservation Grant to help 14 families with electrical repairs, roofing and plumbing. These 14 families now have safe, secure housing.

O'Brien said that today's announcement is another reason why Congress must get a comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill passed as soon as possible. Farm Bill programs are important to the economic vitality of rural America, and a comprehensive new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill would further expand the rural economy, he added.

View the list of recipients for Housing Preservation Grants. Each award is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the grant agreement.

President Obama's plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President's leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way - strengthening America's economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA's investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users)

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