Tag: convention

Here is the Cleveland Coppers’ shopping list for the Republican Convention

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❝ With the Republican National Convention imminent, the Cleveland Police Department is finalizing its security plan for what is expected to be a volatile few days. The city announced last Friday that it was updating its plan following last week’s mass shooting of police officers in Dallas, and though it shared scant detail, the Cleveland PD is set to be outfitted with plenty of heavy gear.

❝ The RNC is designated as a National Special Security Event by the US Department of Homeland Security, which entitled Cleveland to a $50 million federal grant toward its security plan. According to bids the city has posted to its website and reports from local news outlets, so far Cleveland has spent the money on:

2,000 sets of riot gear

2,000 steel batons

325 sets of tactical armor

300 patrol bicycles, with accompanying riot gear

25 rifle scopes

10,000 flexible handcuffs

Other supplies include bulletproof helmets, pepper spray, two-point rifle slings and inmate mattresses.

The Cleveland PD also asked the Chicago Police Department to loan it three bearcats, and Taser International is loaning the department 300 body cameras that can be attached to riot suits. The city also put out a bid for tear gas, according to the Washington Post, and it recently upped its protest insurance coverage from $9.5 million to $50 million.

I don’t think this comes out of Cleveland’s How to Build Tourism Budget. In fact, I wonder how many folks will ever pay another visit to that fair city – after this.

The “New American Home” loses size, gains efficiency

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The “biggest and the bestest” diminishes in size

The “New American Home” is shrinking.

Every year at its convention, the National Association of Home Builders highlights the New American Home, a high-end model designed and built to capture emerging trends in residential building and the shifting lifestyles of Americans.

This year’s showpiece, which measures 4,181 square feet and is one of the smallest in the popular program’s 29-year history, shows that the love affair with McMansions seems to be waning.

Indeed, last year’s featured home sprawled over 6,800 square feet. The nation’s average home size, which peaked just above 2,500 square feet in 2007, is expected to shrink to 2,152 square feet by 2015…

The showpiece, described as a modern take on the classic “boxes” of the 1960s and ’70s, has two bedrooms, and features additional rooms that could house parents or boomerang kids — those moving back home because of the weak economy. It also boasts energy-efficient features such solar panels to run the HVAC system and to heat hot water.

This year’s builder decided to keep the house as a showcase for clients…instead of offering it for sale. And it is great to see sizes starting to come down to match good sense instead of market agitprop.

The “New American Home” has to be larger than life because the intent is to show off the best of everything. Cripes, the last NAHB Show I attended the house on display was up over 8,000 sq.ft.. And that year I worked on a couple houses – including a vacation “cottage” – that were in the 24,000 sq.ft. range!

I’m retired, now – my wife will be, sooner or later – and we live in <1400 sq.ft. with room for dogs as companions and 1 room leftover as a spare.

Tea Party donor sues convention organizer over splitting the take

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A donor to the National Tea Party convention says in a lawsuit the convention organizer reneged on a partnership deal and spread defamatory comments about him.

Bill Hemrick, a wealthy conservative and founder of the Upper Deck baseball trading card company, filed the suit against Tea Party Nation leader Judson Phillips in Williamson County, Tenn…The suit, which seeks $500,000 in damages, comes nearly two months after the National Tea Party convention in Nashville.

Hemrick had loaned the group $50,000 toward the $100,000 speaking fee for former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, Fox said.

Hemrick’s attorney, Phillip Jones, told The (Nashville) Tennessean, his client gave the loan to forge a long-term relationship with Phillips’ Tea Party Nation. “My client takes politics very seriously,” Jones said. “And he thought they were going to be partners. But once he advanced the money, he found out that was not the case…”

Jones says he repaid the loan – with no interest – and the convention only “broke even” so there were no profits to share.

Ayup.

Tea Party PopulistCon loses 2: Bachman and Blackburn

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Republican Reps. Michele Bachmann and Marsha Blackburn now say that they will not speak at a convention of “tea party” activists next week in Nashville, as had been announced.

The two have been strong supporters of the tea-party movement, a loose confederation of conservative activists who opposed the federal bailouts of the financial system and auto giants GM and Chrysler, as well as President Obama’s proposed health-care overhaul.

In separate statements, released by their congressional offices, the lawmakers said that appearing at the convention might conflict with House ethics rules. But they also said they are concerned about how money raised from the event will be spent.

Some activists have balked about the convention’s $550 ticket price and the $100,000 fee being paid to former Alaska governor Sarah Palin to give the keynote address, saying the high prices are contrary to the movement’s grass-roots image and preclude many activists from attending…

Bachmann said critics should not view her withdrawal as a “repudiation” of the tea-party movement. “That couldn’t be further from the truth,” she said.

“Covering her ass” is a better description of Bachman’s PR statement.

Meanwhile, the usual problems with narrow, sectarian and populist politics surface: the holier-than-thou syndrome leads to internecine warfare over who’s the Supreme Leader – and the core of most Republican politics, who gets the money and the power?

‘Dumbest criminal in Pennsylvania” picks police conference

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Jerome Blanchett took a loaded handgun into the Holiday Inn-Harrisburg East on Friday, passing dozens of unmarked police cars in the parking lot and a sign at the hotel’s entrance welcoming 300 officers to the Pennsylvania Narcotic Officers’ Association conference, police said.

Nevertheless, the 19-year-old Harrisburg man went into the men’s room and waited to rob the next person who walked through the door, police said.

Unfortunately for Blanchett, that person was John Comparetto, a retired New York City Police Department lieutenant. “He chose to rob a cop in a place where there were 300 cops,” Comparetto said afterward. “He’s not very bright…”

Blanchett demanded money, and Comparetto handed over $138, police said. Blanchett took Comparetto’s cell phone, told him to drop his pants and threatened to kill him if he tried to follow him, police said.

Seconds after Blanchett left the bathroom, Comparetto pulled a handgun from his ankle holster and went after his attacker, he said. Their guns drawn, he and other officers took Blanchett into custody as he was trying to get into a taxi outside the hotel…

“I knew I could take away the gun, but I hurt my back a few years ago,” Comparetto said. “I’m too old to be fighting people. So I made an assessment that I would cooperate and worry about this afterward.”

“This should make all Pennsylvania news as the dumbest criminal in Pennsylvania.”

This clown qualifies as one of the dumbest crooks in the country.

Iraq Veterans turned away from Republican convention

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A formation of 60 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans marched in uniform to Xcel Energy Center to deliver a briefing on veterans’ issues to Senator McCain on the opening day of the Republican National Convention.

IVAW member Wes Davey led the march and attempted to deliver the briefing to Senator McCain’s staff. Despite numerous mailed, faxed, and in-person invitations to meet, McCain’s office refused to send anyone to receive the briefing. When Davey, a retired Army First Sergeant and former St. Paul police officer, attempted to deliver the briefing, he was escorted off the premises.

Davey is a father of five and grandfather of seven. He served 28 years in the Army, including a tour in Iraq in 2003. His oldest child has served two tours in Iraq. “After being an NCO for all those years, I care deeply about all those still serving in Iraq,” said Davey about his reasons for organizing this march…

Senator McCain has consistently voted against veterans interests. In a recent report, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator McCain a “D” rating to Senator Obama’s “B+.” Disabled American Veterans reports that Senator McCain only voted for legislation that benefited veterans 20% of the time while Senator Obama supported veterans’ needs 80% of the time.

IVAW will continue to press both political parties for its three points of unity: an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq, reparations for the Iraqi people, and full benefits for returning veterans.

As strongly as I have opposed colonial and imperial war – I hold no brief against those who join the military from love of their country. You’ve served us honorably. More so than most of those in Congress – and all of the current occupants of the White House.

Republicans get head start harassing convention protesters

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Police raided a rental hall used by a group organizing protests at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Friday.

The RNC Welcoming Committee, which describes itself as “anarchist/anti-authoritarian,” accused St. Paul police of trying to disrupt their protest planned for Monday, the day the GOP convention is set to begin.

While no one was arrested, the group said police temporarily detained and photographed at least 50 people who were inside the building.

St. Paul Police spokesman Tom Walsh said they were executing a search warrant. “The cause for the search warrant is not public at this time,” Walsh said.

As many as 30 police officers entered with guns drawn, according to witnesses in the building.

No bombs or infernal devices were found. Just people exercising their constitutional rights. Oh!

38 million view Obama’s speech

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Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday as an estimated 38 million viewers watched on television, setting a new record for convention viewership.

Furthermore, the four-night Democratic convention ranks as the most-watched convention of either party, Democratic or Republican, since Nielsen began measuring conventions in 1960.

The 38 million figure from Nielsen includes the audience on ten networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News Channel, MSNBC, BET, TV One, Univision and Telemundo. It does not include PBS or C-SPAN, which also carried the address live. PBS estimated that it averaged 3.5 million viewers between 8 and 11 p.m.

Now, if all those folks will just get off their couches and vote – this nation might once again prove worthy of its heritage.