PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - The death of a Rutgers University
freshman stirred outrage and remorse on campus from classmates who
wished they could have stopped the teen from jumping off a bridge
last week after a recording of him having a sexual encounter with a
man was broadcast online.
"Had he been in bed with a woman, this would not have
happened," said Lauren Felton, 21, of Warren. "He wouldn't have
been outed via an online broadcast and his privacy would have been
respected and he might still have his life."
Gay rights groups say Tyler Clementi's suicide makes him a
national example of a problem they are increasingly working to
combat: young people who kill themselves after being tormented over
their sexuality.
A lawyer for Clementi's family confirmed Wednesday that he had
jumped off the George Washington Bridge last week. Police recovered
a man's body Wednesday afternoon in the Hudson River just north of
the bridge, and authorities were trying to determine if it was
Clementi's.
The lawyer has not responded to requests for comment on whether
Clementi was open about his sexual orientation.
Clementi's roommate, Dhraun Ravi, and fellow Rutgers freshman
Molly Wei, both 18, have been charged with invading Clementi's
privacy. Middlesex County prosecutors say the pair used a webcam to
surreptitiously transmit a live image of Clementi having sex on
Sept. 19 and that Ravi tried to webcast a second encounter on Sept.
21, the day before Clementi's suicide.
A lawyer for Ravi, of Plainsboro, did not immediately return a
message seeking comment. It was unclear whether Wei, of Princeton,
had retained a lawyer.
Collecting or viewing sexual images without consent is a
fourth-degree crime. Transmitting them is a third-degree crime with
a maximum prison term of five years.
ABC News and The Star-Ledger of Newark reported that Clementi
left on his Facebook page on Sept. 22 a note that read: "Jumping
off the gw bridge sorry." On Wednesday, his Facebook page was
accessible only to friends.
Even if the young violinist from Ridgewood was not well known at
his new school, his death stirred outrage.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Arguing doggedly against returning
Republicans to power, President Barack Obama told Iowa voters
Wednesday that the GOP has been dishonest about what needs to be
done to revive the economy and restore middle-class dreams.
"We can't pretend that there are shortcuts," the president
said, addressing about 70 voters in a grassy backyard.
"When you look at the choice we face in this election coming
up," Obama said, "the other side, what it's really offering is
the same policies that from 2001 to 2009 put off hard problems and
didn't really speak honestly to the American people about how we're
gonna get this country on track over the long term."
Five weeks ahead of midterm elections that will determine
whether Democrats retain control of Congress, Obama confronted
stark voter angst. The first question he got was from a woman who
said of her son, a recent college graduate, and his friends: "They
are losing their hope which is a message you inspired them with."
Obama responded by citing a list of areas of optimism, ones she
could tell her son about it. He said his government is providing
more students loans, trying to encourage private job growth, and
making tough decisions now that will help the county reclaim its
rightful stand as the top leader in innovation and
entrepreneurship.
Over the long term, the president assured, "their future will
be fine."

Democrats went on the offensive this weekend, pulling out all the stops --
and getting personal on their opponents -- to keep control of Congress this November.

Democrat Barney Frank has been in congress for 30 years -- and for the last
2 decades he's won reelection with huge margins, sometimes running unopposed
.... but in this angry and tempestuous political environment frank is taking no
chances and over the weekend be unleashed the Big Dog to join him on the stump.

Bill Clinton says "people have a right to be angry, but they need to make a choice."

President Obama is also playing defense...traveling to four states he won
two years ago where Democrats are struggling today... in the badger state endangered Senator Russ Feingold won't appear with President obama, preferring the company of the first lady instead.
A recent pew poll shows Independent voters favoring the Republican candidate over the Democrat by Thirteen points. Republicans taste victory.

With the general election looming, races tightening, and the stars of many Tea Party candidates rising, everyone’s wondering what will happen in November. Will a wave of anti-incumbent rage wipe the slate of Congress clean? Will Democrats lose control of one or both chambers? Will Tea Partiers swarm Capitol Hill? Or will nothing much change? Tell us what you think.

The Senate will consider Tuesday whether hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children should be placed on a path to citizenship.

The controversial measure is being pushed by Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), who bypassed usual Senate procedures by including it in a defense reauthorization bill.

Opponents consider the Dream Act a form of amnesty and have accused Reid and other Democrats of using it to appeal to Hispanic voters, an important constituency, as the midterm elections approach. Supporters, who include retired Gen. Colin L. Powell and other military officials, have argued that the measure is long overdue, humane and practical.

The Dream Act would open the door to citizenship for undocumented immigrants younger than 36 who arrived in the United States as children, have lived here for five years or more, and are contributing to the country by attending college or serving in the military.

Although about 2.1 million of the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country could be eligible for legalization under such criteria, the Migration Policy Institute has estimated that only about 825,000 people would be able to take advantage of the provision.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/20/AR2010092006297.html

Sarah Palin, Carl Paladino in New York, Christine O'Donnell in Delaware, Joe Miller in Alaska, Jan Brewer in Arizona, Sharron Angle in Nevada, Nikki Haley in South Carolina.
The Republican Party has seen a surge of -- ultra conservative Tea Party candidates start to take control of GOP message. Each of the Tea Partiers have views, much more conservative than the current GOP leadership. Is there room for any moderates?

ABC News: Authorities arrested a central Florida father Thursday after he boarded a school bus and reportedly threatened students who were allegedly bullying his daughter.

James Jones' raw and obscene rage was on caught on the school bus' security camera. He was charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing a school function in Lake Mary, Fla.

The video is blurred but Jones' anger is clear. "Everybody sit down. Everybody sit down," Jones said on the surveillance tape. He then orders his 11-year-old daughter to point out her alleged tormenters. "Show me which one. Show me which

Jones confronts the middle school students he says have been bullying his daughter who has cerebral palsy by taunting, hitting and even throwing condoms at her.

"I'm gonna (expletive) you up.…this is my daughter, and I will kill the (expletive) who fought her," Jones said.

Jones reportedly threatened not only the students but the bus driver as well.

"If anything happens to my daughter I'm going to (expletive) you up and everybody on this (expletive)," he said.

Before leaving, he dares them to call the police. "You call the police, call them. My brother's the damn deputy sheriff."

Watch the video here:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/dad-loses-cool-threatens-students-bus/story?id=11660119

The NJTransit fired assistant train coordinator Derek Fenton Monday, just two days after he ripped pages from the Quran and torched them with a lighter on the ninth anniversary of 9/11.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday backed the controversial firing.

For more:

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/16/2010-09-16_christie_njtransit_right_to_can_koranburn_creep.html#ixzz0zi6GsYMf

Watch it on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKSHhDUZtm0

WASHINGTON (AP) - The primary season is ending as it began, the
Republican establishment on one side in state after state, and tea
party activists on another.
The competition is particularly strong in Delaware and New
Hampshire, where GOP senatorial nominations are the prize, and New
York, where Republicans pick a challenger for an uphill fall
campaign for governor.
Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Maryland also hold
primaries Tuesday, along with the District of Columbia.
Among incumbents, veteran Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel of New
York and Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty face particularly stiff
challenges - one because of ethics charges in Congress, the other
after conceding to voters he has behaved arrogantly over the past
four years.
In Delaware, veteran Rep. Mike Castle, a moderate, vies with
Christine O'Donnell for the nomination for a Senate seat. O'Donnell
has the support of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as well as tea
party activists. New Castle County Executive Chris Coons has no
opposition for the Democratic nomination.
In New Hampshire, Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes is unopposed for
the Senate nomination, and Republicans are settling a
multi-candidate race. Former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte
campaigned with the support of the party establishment and Palin,
while Ovide Lamontagne claimed backing from tea party activists.
Bill Binnie and Jim Bender campaigned on the strength of their
records as businessmen.
In Maryland, former Republican Gov. Bob Ehrlich faces a primary
challenge from Brian Murphy, 33, a business investor who was
virtually unknown before winning Palin's endorsement last month.
Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley, who ousted Ehrlich from office
in 2006, faces minor opposition for the nomination to compete for a
new term.
Wisconsin Republicans are choosing among three candidates to
pick a challenger for Sen. Russ Feingold, and businessman Ron
Johnson is widely viewed as the prohibitive favorite.
In Rhode Island, Providence Mayor David Cicilline, who is openly
gay, campaigned in a three-way race for the Democratic nomination
to run for the seat being vacated by Rep. Patrick Kennedy.
Republicans are having a contested primary to select their own
candidate.
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is unchallenged for the
Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Republicans are choosing
between former Rep. Rick Lazio, backed by party officials, and Carl
Paladino, a wealthy developer who campaigned with support from tea
party activists.

NEW YORK (AP) - Nine years of denouncing terrorism, of praying
side-by-side with Jews and Christians, of insisting "I'm American,
too." None of it could stop a season of hate against Muslims that
made for an especially fraught Sept. 11. Now, Muslims are asking
why their efforts to be accepted in the United States have been so
easily thwarted.
"We have nothing to apologize for, we have nothing to fear, we
have nothing to be ashamed of, we have nothing that we're guilty of
- but we need to be out there and we need to express this," said
Imam Mohammed Ibn Faqih in a sermon at the Islamic Institute of
Orange County in Anaheim, Calif., the day before the 9/11
anniversary.
There is no simple way for American Muslims to move forward.
Images of violence overseas in the name of Islam have come to
define the faith for many non-Muslims at home. The U.S. remains at
war in Afghanistan, and although America has formally declared an
end to its combat operations in Iraq, U.S. troops there continue to
fight alongside Iraqi forces.
Within the U.S., domestic terror has become a greater threat,
while ignorance about what Islam teaches is widespread. More than
half of respondents in a recent poll by the Pew Forum for Religion
& Public Life said they knew little or nothing about the Muslim
faith.
Some U.S. Muslims say their national organizations share the
blame, for answering intricate questions about Islam with
platitudes, and failing to fully examine the potential for
extremism within their communities. Muslim leaders often respond
when terrorists strike by saying Islam is a "religion of peace"
that has no role in the violence instead of confronting the
legitimate concerns of other Americans, these Muslim critics say.
"There's a quaintness and naivete or outright whitewashing of
some very complex issues," said Saeed Khan, who teaches at Wayne
State University in Detroit. "This has caused a lot of frustration
for a lot of Muslim Americans, myself included."
The summer frenzy about Islam in America has revolved around
Park51, a community center and mosque planned two blocks from New
York's ground zero. Opponents and supporters of the center
converged on the area for protests and counter-protests Saturday
after the morning memorial ceremony at the World Trade Center site.
In recent months, mosques in Tennessee, California, New York and
elsewhere have been shot at and vandalized. Threatening messages
were left at one mosque. A Florida pastor caused a global uproar
with his ultimately unfulfilled threat to make a bonfire of Qurans
on Sept. 11.
Many Jewish, Roman Catholic, mainline Protestant, evangelical,
atheist and other groups have responded with an outpouring of
support for Muslims, but suspicion remains high among many
Americans.
Islamic centers have become a focus of non-Muslim fears. Federal
authorities have placed informants in mosques, saying doing so is a
critical counterterrorism tool. Muslim groups have separately
created national campaigns encouraging congregations to monitor for
any sign of radicalization, but they have also complained bitterly
about the use of informants, worried the innocent will be caught up
in the net police have set for criminals.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is voicing unwavering
opposition to extending Bush-era tax breaks for the nation's
wealthiest families even for a year or two, drawing a sharp
contrast with Republicans eight weeks before the November
elections.
The president was to outline his stand Wednesday in a speech in
Cleveland, where he also will propose a package of infrastructure
investments and business tax incentives that the White House says
will put the economy on a path toward long-term growth while
allowing for some immediate job creation.
The Bush tax cuts, the most sweeping in a generation, are due to
expire in January, setting up a big fight in Congress over what to
do about them. Republicans and some Democrats want them to remain
in place for a year or two or to make them permanent. Obama wants
to make the tax cuts permanent for middle- and low-income families
while allowing them to expire for individuals making more than
$200,000 and married couples making more than $250,000.
The White House sees the issue as an opportunity to appeal to
middle-class voters and independents who were crucial to Obama's
election. In his speech, Obama will argue that the tax cuts for the
wealthy would add $700 billion to the deficit, a sum the country
can't afford as the economy struggles to recover.
House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, offered his own
proposals Wednesday, saying in a nationally broadcast interview
that Congress should freeze all tax rates for two years and should
cut federal spending to the levels of 2008, before the deep
recession took hold.
"People are asking, 'Where are the jobs?"' Boehner said,
calling the White House "out of touch" with the American public.
Obama is asking Congress to consider three proposals:
- A $50 billion infrastructure investment to rebuild and repair
the nation's roads, railways and runways.
- A permanent extension of research and development tax credits
for businesses.
- Tax breaks to let businesses quickly write off 100 percent of
their spending on new plants and equipment through 2011.

GAINESILLE, Fla. (AP) - A Florida pastor says the concerns of
the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan are legitimate. But he's
defending his church's plan to burn copies of the Quran on the
anniversary of 9/11 -- saying there needs to be a "clear message"
to radical Islam. Earlier today, Gen. David Petraeus warned that
the action could incite violence against Americans around the
world.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Even if he can get it through Congress
quickly, the new investment that President Barack Obama wants to
make in the nation's transportation systems wouldn't create jobs
right away. Senior administration officials say the first of the
projects would lead to new jobs over the course of 2011. Obama
wants to spend $50 billion up front, and more in the coming years,
on the nation's roads, railways and runways.