Chad’s Morning Brief: Park Service Approves Amnesty Rally, Wussification of America Continues, and Other Top Stories
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of October 8, 2013. Give me your feedback below and tune in to The Chad Hasty Show for these and many more topics from 8:30 to 11am. Remember, you can listen online at KFYO.com or on your iPhone/Android with the radioPup App.
Immigration March
National monuments are closed. Vets have been threatened with arrest. But when it when it comes to immigration, the Park Service is all about opening up space to let people march according to the Washington Examiner.
A planned immigration reform rally will take place on the National Mall on Tuesday even though the site is closed due to the government shutdown.
Organizers for the "Camino Americano: March for Immigration Reform" were spotted Monday setting up a stage and equipment on the National Mall for the rally which will take place on Tuesday.
A few scattered barriers around the park have signs informing visitors that the area is closed as a result of the government shutdown.
Susana Flores, a spokesperson for the rally, confirmed for the Washington Examiner that the Park Service will allow the event to take place under the group's rights granted by the First Amendment.
About 30 members of Congress are expected to attend the rally, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.
The event is hosted by several immigration activist groups, together with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the AFL-CIO.
Wussification of America Continues
Schools across the country have already banned dodgeball, tag, tug-o-war, and other games over injury, both emotional and physical, concerns. Schools also now flip out over games involving fake invisible guns like cops and robbers. Now there is this. According to CBS, a Long Island school has banned balls over injury concerns.
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Worries about injuries at a Long Island school have led to a surprising ban.
As CBS 2’s Jennifer McLogan reported Monday, officials at Weber Middle School in Port Washington are worried that studentsare getting hurt during recess. Thus, they have instituted a ban on footballs, baseballs, lacrosse balls, or anything that might hurt someone on school grounds.
Tossing a football during recess has long seemed to be a rite of passage for kids in the school community.
“I think we need the soccer balls, the footballs and everything, so we can have some fun,” one studentsaid.
But the students will have no such option anymore. They were just informed that during recess, football is out and Nerf ball is in. Hard soccer balls have been banned, along with baseballs and lacrosse balls, rough games of tag, or cartwheels unless supervised by a coach.
Students were not thrilled about the news.
“Cartwheels and tag — I think it’s ridiculous they are banning that,” one said.
“You go for recess — that’s your free time to go let loose and recharge,” another said.
“That’s all we want to do,” a third student said. “We’re in school all day sitting behind the desk learning.”
But Port Washington schools Supt. Kathleen Maloney said the change in policy is warranted due to a rash of playground injuries.
“Some of these injuries can unintentionally become very serious, so we want to make sure our children have fun, but are also protected,” Maloney said.
Without helmets and pads, children are much more susceptible to getting hurt, experts said.
Long Island Jewish Medical Center emergency room director Dr. Salvatore Pardo said he has been seeing “head injuries, bumps, scrapes; worried about concussions.”
But some parents said it is really about liability and lawsuits.
“Children’s safety is paramount, but at the same time, you have to let them live life,” said Port Washington parent Ellen Cohen.
Several districts from outside Long Island are already contacting Nassau County educators. Soon, additional schools may be jumping on the banning balls bandwagon.
The Port Washington district said the softer foam balls put students in the best situation to cut down the chance of getting injured.
Other Top Stories:
These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.
More From News/Talk 95.1 & 790 KFYO
