AWWW SNAP

National News here... Damn People

Chained teen shows up at Calif. gym, 2 arrested

By SUDHIN THANAWALA – 1 hour ago

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A husband and wife have been charged with torture and other counts after a bruised, terrified 17-year-old showed up at a gym with a chain locked to his ankle, claiming he had just fled his captors, authorities said Tuesday.

Kelly Lau Schumacher, 30, and Michael Schumacher, 34, were arrested late Monday, said Matt Robinson, a spokesman for police in Tracy.

They had been taken into custody for questioning earlier in the day at their home in Tracy, where the emaciated boy was allegedly held against his will. A search of the home turned up evidence implicating the couple, Robinson said. Tracy is about 60 miles east of San Francisco.

They were charged with torture, kidnapping and child abuse, and were set to appear in court Thursday, officials said. Bail was set at $1.2 million for Michael Schumacher but his wife's bail had not been set, authorities said.

Police said they were searching for a third suspect but wouldn't give details.

The boy turned up half-naked Monday at the In-Shape Sports Club, near the couple's home. It's not clear how he ended up in Tracy; authorities said he ran away last year from a foster home in Sacramento, about 70 miles to the north.

Robinson said the boy was confused when approached by detectives Monday, unsure where he had come from and how long had been held against his will. He was taken to a hospital.

"The wounds he had and his physical condition as well as having a chain around his leg corroborated his basic statement that he was being held against his will," Robinson said.

Chuck Ellis, a manager of the In-Shape Sports Club, said the boy came into the fitness center Monday afternoon wearing only boxer briefs, covered with what appeared to be soot. Ellis says the teen was scared someone was going to come after him and asked to be hidden.

"He said `Don't let them get me, don't let them get me,'" Ellis said. "He was totally terrified."

Ellis said the teenager told him he was picked up after running away from the foster home to look for his family and that he had been held for almost a year. Ellis said he looked like he was only 10 to 12 years old.

Robinson said detectives plan to interview the boy more Tuesday when he is a "little healthier."

Ludacris, Jeezy and T.I Campaign for Martin

Both candidates in tomorrow’s Senate runoff election brought out the big dogs today. GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss was joined by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin who attended 4 rallies culminating at the Gwinnett Center late today.

Meanwhile rappers T.I., Young Jeezy and Ludacris braved 30+ degree temps to campaign for Democrat Jim Martin at the state Capitol in downtown Atlanta.

All three rappers took the podium to urge their fans to vote for Martin who is in a tight race with Chambliss.

At stake is complete control of Congress for the Democrats if Martin comes from behind to win.

That is hardly likely since polls show Chambliss ahead with a comfortable margin. But it’s great to see the young brothers on quite a different stage than what they are used to.

The fact that Jeezy, Luda and T.I. joined together to lend their support to a political cause that they think is important to our community shows just how far they’ve come as men, fathers and responsible citizens!!

Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss enlisted Sarah Palin to rally conservatives while Democratic challenger Jim Martin pushed to activate black voters, as they grappled for advantage in a Tuesday runoff that will shape Democrats' hold on power in Washington.

"We feel great about our campaign," Martin said in a telephone interview. "People want someone to go to Washington who is an independent voice but who will also work with our president."

The Martin camp is working to get black voters back to the polls. Black turnout in Georgia topped 30 percent in the general election with Obama on the ticket.

Martin planned to cap election eve campaigning with a Capitol rally with Atlanta rapper Ludacris.

XXX

Some of the actions of people I know really make me question people. A lot of people I know are scumbags. I Hope I will find more people into the things I am into. I hate Drugs and Alcohol. I hate how it takes away peoples live... It Sucks to live in a town like this but Im sure its like that everywhere. This Needs to change. Hopefully something will open up soon that we can have shows in. Music is the only thing keeping me sane haha

WEEKLY ADDRESS 3

I want to

Serve Thanksgiving Dinner to the Homeless tomorrow. I Feel its time for me to give back.

OBAMA ADDRESS 2

UPDATE on Prop H8!

The California Supreme Court will hear Proposition 8 challenge, but denies request to postpone its implementation. Photo by Justin Gonzaga.

Prop. 8 suits win supreme court review

The California Supreme Court agreed yesterday to hear lawsuits challenging Proposition 8 but denied a request to postpone its implementation until the lawsuits are resolved.

Several lawsuits have been filed seeking to invalidate the proposition — which amended the state constitution to prohibit same-sex marriages — on the grounds that it makes such significant changes that it is a constitutional revision, which would need legislative approval.

On Tuesday, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to join an anti-Proposition 8 lawsuit initiated by San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera. Oakland's City Council did the same yesterday, and the city of Berkeley is likely to join in the coming weeks.

"The question before the court is, should the democratic process be allowed to enact this discrimination by a simple show of hands, or is a more deliberative legislative process required?" said Goodwin Liu, a UC Berkeley professor of law.

He said that the lawsuit faces tough legal precedents when it comes to overturning ballot measures but that the great public interest and the civil rights aspect of the issue may make these lawsuits unique.

"It does come as a relief that things can move forward, and there's still hope that it can be overturned before 2010," said Carlo de la Cruz, the ASUC's academic affairs vice president.

A release from the Campaign for Children and Families stated that the state Supreme Court would risk a voter revolt if it ruled against the proposition, which received 52.5 percent of the vote. They also argued that the proposition only affects a single part of the constitution and could not possibly be considered a revision.

In contrast with the state as a whole, the proposition garnered support from only 38 percent of voters in Alameda County. The board of supervisors voted to support the lawsuit in a closed session and made the announcement at their public meeting later that day.

"It's a civil rights issue," said supervisor Gail Steele. "What is that when people are taking rights away from others?"

In Berkeley, Councilmembers Kriss Worthington and Darryl Moore, who are gay, have brought the issue to the city attorney's office to determine whether a vote is required to support the lawsuit. The city has already adopted a policy of supporting marriage equality, so a vote may not be necessary, but if it is, many expect that the vote will be unanimous.

"It would be reflective of the vast majority of our constituents that we oppose the elimination of civil rights in our constitution," said Councilmember Max Anderson.

Phillip Alvarado, the campus campaign manager for the Get Up, Vote Down 4 & 8 campaign, said that if civil rights issues such as segregation and suffrage had to be passed through a vote, they would never have happened.

"Bigoted and homophobic people cannot rule what happens in someone else's life," he said. "The justices will, in the end, uphold equality and fairness."

James Parker reports for The Daily Californian, a student publication at UC Berkeley. The Daily Californian is partnering with Campus Politico for the 2008 elections.

You Know When...

This Video Reminds Me of When Someone falls or says or does something stupid in public or on TV and u Feel Embarrassed for them. George Bush looks sad in this Video. Like He wasn't wanted there. I Hope our new President makes America more world friendly. I hope he brings REAL CHANGE and brings the United States out of the whole the Bush Years has got us in.

xCHAMPIONx

12 Reasons why Gays shouldnt Marry!!!!

1. Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and birth control are not natural.
2. Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Infertile couples and old people cannot get legally married because the world needs more children.
3. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children because straight parents only raise straight children.
4. Straight marriage will be less meaningful, since Britney Spears's 55-hour just-for-fun marriage was meaningful.
5. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and it hasn't changed at all: women are property, Blacks can't marry Whites, and divorce is illegal.
6. Gay marriage should be decided by the people, not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of minorities.
7. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are always imposed on the entire country. That's why we only have one religion in America.
8. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people makes you tall.
9. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage license.
10. Children can never succeed without both male and female role models at home. That's why single parents are forbidden to raise children.
11. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven't adapted to cars or longer lifespans.
12. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a "separate but equal" institution is always constitutional. Separate schools for African-Americans worked just as well as separate marriages will for gays & lesbians.

TAKEN FROM
http://grove.ufl.edu/~ggsa/gaymarriage.html

Weekly Address from the President-Elect

One Of Many I hope... Technology is definitely on the side of the Democrats.

PALIN...GO HOME!

I HOPE SHE RUNS THE GOP. I MEAN... I HOPE SHE RUNS THE GOP INTO THE GROUND. ROMNEY 2012? PALIN 2012? PAWLENTY 2012? JINDAL 2012?... WE'LL SEE... ACTUALLY LETS HOPE WE DONT. OBAMA ISNT EVEN THE PRESIDENT YET. PALIN NEEDS TO GO HOME. SHE IS GONNA OVERSATURATE HERSELF AND WHATS WORSE IS SHE KEEPS TALKING ABOUT JTP. NOONE GAVE A DAMN ABOUT WHAT HE SAID! HE WAS CRAZY AND A LIAR! JUST GIVE IT UP... NOONE IS SAYING U CAN'T RUN FOR PRESIDENT BUT WHY SET UR SELF UP FOR IT WHEN THE NEW PRESIDENT ISNT EVEN IN THE OFFICE YET.

Today I was in The Tracy Press' OUR TOWN

http://ourtown.tracypress.com/content/view/4714/131/


Manuel Zapata runs a concert promotion business and sees himself growing more and more involved with politics, so much so that he canvassed for Rep. Jerry McNerney and mayoral candidate Celeste Garamendi in the 2008 election run-up.

His politics is a mix of leftist and libertarian ideals, and his musical tastes lie in metal, punk and rap.

He’s set the bar high for the upcoming years.

He wants to bring a venue to Tracy for metal and punk acts to play at and wants to run for City Council in 2012 or 2014.

“Tracy has a really bad drug problem,” Zapata said. “It’s not gonna necessarily stop if we get a venue here, but it would help if (people) had a safe, positive place to have fun where they could listen to local bands.”

“Lots of parents commute to work here in Tracy, leaving their kids to do whatever. Kids get bored, and boredom leads to drugs,” he said. “A lot of kids just want to be a part of something. Hopefully, through shows and straight-edge music, they can be without drugs and alcohol.”

Zapata eventually wants to be an in-house booker for a venue and an activist for youth. He sees a lot of potential in the bands he promotes, but stresses that they need more local venues — especially in Tracy — if they are to get their music more widely heard.

Zapata and a friend have been looking at warehouse locations to set up some sort of stage and sound system in town for kids to play at, but there have been road blocks.

“Setting up a business in Tracy is hard, especially for someone my age.” he said. “We need a place to call our own here.”

His call for a local venue is as strong as his political message, as evidenced by his blog at change209.blogspot.com.

Zapata set up a rally for President-elect Barack Obama near Tracy High School last week to show his support, but Zapata was disappointed that Proposition 8 passed.

“Just think, on a night where we elected our first African-American president, we also proved that such a progressive-in-thought state like California is really a discriminatory state in practice,” Zapata wrote in his blog the day after the election. “How the hell would that pass?”

Many questions lie ahead for the young man, but from the looks of it, he seems to be tackling them in his own positive way.

• In the spotlight is a weekly feature in Our Town. This week’s interviewer was reporter Our Town editor Aaron Rognstad. To reach him call 830-4221 or e-mail him at aaronr@tracypress.com.

Most Powerful Comment...

I almost teared up