kpaul.mallasch's Audio

President George W. Bush Radio Address: 11/03/2007

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 08:20:22 +0000

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Judge Michael Mukasey's nomination to be our next Attorney General. I thank the committee for scheduling this vote. I urge them to approve this fine man's nomination, and send it to the full Senate as quickly as possible.

In a time of war, it is vital for the President to have a full national security team in place -- and the Attorney General is a key member of that team. The Attorney General is America's top law enforcement officer, with critical responsibilities for preventing terrorist attacks and protecting our Nation.

Judge Mukasey is uniquely qualified to fill this vital role. He served nearly two decades on the Federal bench, and some of his most important legal experience is in the area of national security. He presided over the trial of the terrorist known as "the Blind Sheikh" and his co-defendants in the conspiracy to destroy prominent New York City landmarks, including the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. And when the World Trade Center was attacked again on September the 11th, 2001, Judge Mukasey quickly reopened his court, even though it was just blocks from Ground Zero. He and other judges in his district worked day and night to ensure that applications for warrants were processed, investigations could proceed, and the rule of law was upheld.

This is the kind of leader America needs to head the Department of Justice at this important moment in our history. Judge Mukasey is a man of achievement. He is a man of character. And he has been praised by Republicans and Democrats alike for his honesty, intellect, fairness, and independence.

Since I sent his nomination to the Senate, Judge Mukasey has provided nearly six hours of testimony. He patiently answered more than 200 questions during his hearings, and he responded promptly to nearly 500 written questions. Yet some senators are working against his nomination because they want him to take a position on the legality of specific techniques allegedly used to question captured terrorists.

As Judge Mukasey explained in a letter to Judiciary Committee members, he cannot give such a legal opinion for several reasons. First, he does not know whether certain methods of questioning are in fact used, because the program is classified, he's not been given access to that information, and therefore he is in no position to provide an informed opinion. Second, he does not want our professional interrogators in the field to take an uninformed opinion he has given in the course of a confirmation hearing as meaning that any conduct of theirs has put them in legal jeopardy.

Finally, he does not want an uninformed legal opinion to give terrorists a window into which techniques we may use, and which we may not. That could help them train their operatives to resist questioning, and withhold vital information we need to stop attacks and save lives.

Congressional leaders should not make Judge Mukasey's confirmation dependent on his willingness to make a public judgment about a classified program he has not been briefed on. If the Senate Judiciary Committee were to block Judge Mukasey on these grounds, it would set a new standard for confirmation that could not be met by any responsible nominee for Attorney General. And that would guarantee that America would have no confirmed Attorney General during this time of war.

Senate leaders should move Judge Mukasey's nomination out of Committee and bring it to the Senate floor for an up or down vote. In this time of war, America needs the best people leading our efforts to protect the American people. With Judge Mukasey serving as Attorney General, our national security team will be stronger -- and the Senate should confirm this good man as quickly as possible.

Thank you for listening.

END

Weekly Radio Address - 10/27/2007 by George W. Bush

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:17:21 +0000

Oct. 27, 2007 President's Radio Address

IFB News Conference 9/24/2007 by Muncie Free Press

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:22:08 +0000

Audio from this morning’s Indiana Farm Bureau news conference at the Statehouse,

Gaston Town Council 9/13/2007 by Muncie Free Press

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:15:22 +0000

Gaston Town Council by Muncie Free Press

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:25:40 +0000

ISP: Watch for Children and School Busses

kpaul.mallasch — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 20:31:01 +0000

The 2007/2008 school is year is about to begin in East Central Indiana. The start of school brings increased bus traffic and children waiting or walking near roadways. The Indiana State Police would like to remind motorists to watch for children in school zones and waiting to board buses, especially in the early morning hours.

Remember, whenever the school bus stop arm is extended you are required by Indiana law to stop. Disregarding a school bus stop arm is a class B misdemeanor punishable with up to 180 days in jail and a 1,000 dollar fine. Troopers will have zero tolerance for anyone caught disregarding a school bus stop arm or speeding in a school zone.

Parents, most school bus-related accidents involve children who dash in front of a car or school bus to retrieve papers or other dropped articles. You should emphasize the danger zone immediately surrounding the school bus. The area, approximately ten feet around the bus, is the where most children are injured. The driver has limited visibility in this area. Parents should encourage children to carry articles in a back pack or book bag and never chase after dropped items.

Parents should also remind children of these school bus safety tips:

* Wait for the bus in a safe place away from traffic.
* No horseplay at the bus stop.
* Wait until the bus and other traffic comes to a complete stop before approaching the bus.
* ALWAYS CROSS IN FRONT OF THE BUS, THE DRIVER SHOULD ALWAYS BE ABLE TO SEE YOU.
* When on the bus remain seated and talk quietly so the driver will not be distracted.

It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure our children are able to get back and forth to school safely. Citizens are encouraged to report anyone disregarding a school bus stop arm by calling their local law enforcement agency or the Indiana State Police at 1-800-382-0689.

Barry Welsh Interview 8/13/07

kpaul.mallasch — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:36:11 +0000

I had the pleasure of chatting with Barry Welsh in the ElwoodIndiana.org newsroom today. You may recall, Welsh recently announced he's going to be running against Congressman Pence.

After that announcement I started talking to someone in his campaign, who asked if I wanted to do an interview. Sure, I said, and invited him to the Elwood newsroom where we 'commit acts of journalism' daily.

As usually happens in the Elwood newsroom, a few people stopped by. Almost Hank even asked a few pertinent questions about Iraq, Iran, etc.

Welcome to all the visitors. Enjoy your stay and welcome to media done the grassroots way.

And a note to any other politicians or people thinking about running sometime in the future - contact me to set up an interview.

Senate Democratic Leader Richard Young Issues Statement on Property Tax Relief

kpaul.mallasch — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:13:27 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Senate Democratic Leader Richard Young (D-Milltown) issued the following statement today regarding recent calls for a special session.

“We are seeing a lot of movement on the property tax issue at the Statehouse right now.

“I am encouraged that we have an agreement among legislative leaders that this situation warrants use of the state’s surplus.

“Lawmakers have proposed several plans for immediate relief, including our Senate Democrats’ plan to immediately advance three hundred million dollars from the state’s surplus for rebate checks. We simply want to see the state relief that we’ve already approved get to taxpayers as quickly as possible and in the most efficient way.

“The members of the Senate Democratic Caucus stand ready, as we have stated before, to participate in a special session to provide immediate property tax relief to Hoosier homeowners.”

For more information on Senator Young, his legislative agenda or other State Senate business call 1-800-382-9467 or visit www.senatedemocrats.in.gov.

Indiana State Police - Move Over, Slow Down PSA by Muncie Free Press

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:44:15 +0000

Give Emergency Workers Room to Work

The Indiana State Police would like to remind drivers that Indiana law requires motorists to exercise caution when approaching an emergency vehicle that is stopped on the roadside with emergency lights activated.

Motorists are required to change lanes away from the emergency vehicle if they can do so safely. If unable, they must slow down and proceed with caution. Troopers ask motorists to do what they expect of others if they were on the roadside changing a flat tire. Give our emergency workers room to work.

Motorists found in violation of this law can face up to a $10,000 dollar fine. Violations culminating in property damage or injuries can result in the suspension of their driver’s license for a minimum of 90 days up to two years. This is in addition to any other penalties imposed by the courts.

Indiana emergency vehicles include:

Police vehicles
Ambulances
Fire trucks and rescue equipment
Highway incident-response vehicles
Highway work vehicles
Vehicle recovery equipment (tow trucks)

The intent of this law is to protect the emergency and highway personnel who serve the public. Please be alert when you see emergency lights and give them room to do their job.

Governor Mitch Daniels Media Availability 7/25/07

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 01:14:40 +0000

This is just a little test. You can always get this audio from the IN.gov website, but I wanted to make them available here as well. Let me know if you find it convenient, interesting, etc. Also, here at MFP we have the ability to comment and converse about audio like this. Comments, thoughts, suggestions welcome below.

Thanks to the Governor's office for allowing us to republish the audio here.