Lead Singer Of Boston Passes Away

Brad Delp Passed Away In His New Hampshire Home

By Jerry Garner

Rock fans from around the world find themselves in a state of mourning as news circulates that Brad Delp, lead singer of the band Boston, passed away Friday afternoon. A single black page that simply reads “We’ve just lost the nicest guy in rock and roll” has replaced the band’s official web site

For decades, the band Boston has inspired and captivated fans of rock and roll music, capturing an audience that spans multiple generations. Tom Scholz, an MIT graduate who had a passion for developing experimental recording equipment, formed the group in the 1970s.

The group started out as a simple experiment conducted in Scholz’s basement. He recorded guitarist Barry Goudreau and drummer Jim Masdea to test new recording equipment he had invented.

The result was a demo tape that was rejected by studio executives. Scholz tried once more, featuring his own guitar playing skills, as well as adding vocal tracks by Brad Delp. The second attempt was a success, capturing the attention of executives at Epic Records, although Mansea was replaced on drums at the request of the label.

The record label also placed conditions on the contract that all of the tracks should be re-recorded in a professional studio. The group complied with the song “Let Me Take You Home Tonight”, which was recorded in the California studio. However, the group tricked the record company with all other songs on the first album, which were re-recorded in Scholz’s basement using his home-engineered recording equipment.

The band’s initial album, self-titled “Boston”, enjoyed immense success. The unique sound engineered by the band created a revived interest in rock and roll music, at a time when disco music was rapidly taking control of the music industry. The distinctive style of the band propelled the band’s first album to becoming the largest selling debut album in the history of recorded music, boasting more than 17 million copies.

The group continued to enjoy successes spanning several albums. Although the largest part of their success was in the first decade of their music recordings, they survived on beyond this. The group played together most recently in November 2006, when they packed the Boston Symphony Hall. The band also enjoys a seasonal tour across the United States each Summer.

All of that has now been dwarfed by the tragic and untimely loss of singer Brad Delp, who passed away at the age of 55 Friday afternoon. Local police responded to a call for help at 1:20pm and discovered Delp alone in his home shortly after. Police Lt. William Baldwin said that there is no indication of foul play.

Delp sang lead vocals on the Boston hits “More Than A Feeling” and “Longtime”, and again in 2002 when he performed for the band’s latest album, “Corporate America”.

After seeing the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show, Delp purchased his first guitar in 1970. In addition to his performances with the band Boston, he also sang vocals for the band Return To Zero (RTZ), which was founded by former Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau.

Delp is survived by two children, which he fathered with former wife Micki Delp. He had announced plans to marry his present girlfriend, Pamela Sullivan, later this Summer. The two were to be wed during a two day break of the Boston 2007 Summer Tour.

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Report Says FBI Misused Patriot Act

Records were falsified to hide the problem

By Jerry Garner

The US Patriot Act, signed into law in October 2001, was meant to provide critical tools to both intercept and obstruct acts of domestic terrorism in the United States. New reports by the US Department of Justice show that the FBI not only overstepped their authority in this regard, but even went so far as to falsify records to hide their snooping against private citizens.

The Patriot Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. This followed a landslide vote in the House of Representatives of 357 to 66, and a near unanimous vote of 98 to 1 in the US Senate. The law was passed in reference to the September 11 terror attacks on the United States, and was meant to give authorities broad-sweeping powers to identify and combat future acts of terror.

Unfortunately, it seems that the old saying of absolute power corrupting absolutely has proven true in this instance, at least according to the US Department of Justice audit released on Friday. The 126-page audit, conducted by Justice Department Inspector General Glen Fine, not only revealed an overuse of these new powers, but also proved that the FBI had under-reported their activities to Congress.

The audit charges that FBI agents sometimes demanded sensitive information without proper authorization, as well as improperly obtaining telephone records in non-emergency circumstances. Agent error and bad record keeping practices are blamed for the majority of these mistakes, and the audit claims to have found no indication of criminal activity. Opponents to the act may disagree.

"We believe the improper or illegal uses we found involve serious misuses of national security letter authorities," the audit concludes.

At the heart of the controversy are FBI “Security Letters”, which are one of the powers outlined in the Patriot Act. These letters, otherwise referred to as “Administrative Subpoenas”, are suppose to only be used in case of suspected terrorism or espionage. The subpoenas grant the FBI the authority to procure sensitive data from telephone companies, banks, credit bureaus, internet service providers and other businesses, without a warrant or without a judge even knowing that the act is carried out.

The audit reveals that the number of security letters issued by the FBI skyrocketed after the passage of the Patriot Act. An estimated 8,500 letters were issued by the Bureau in 2000. By 2003 the number had climbed to over 39,000 letters, and to more than 56,000 the following year.

The problem, and perhaps even criminal endeavor, is that the FBI vastly underestimated the number of letters issued in their reports to the US Congress. Official reports by the FBI told Congress that only 9,254 letters were issued in the years 2003 and 2004 combined. The reports deliberately underestimated the number of records seized by more than 85,000 instances, leaving many to question exactly why the authorities were not truthful with their reporting, as well as who should be held accountable for the deception.

FBI Director Robert Mueller stated that Fine’s audit was a fair and objective review, and continued on to describe the deficiencies outlined in the report as being unacceptable.

"We strive to exercise our authorities consistent with the privacy protections and civil liberties that we are sworn to uphold," Mueller said. "Anything less will not be tolerated. While we've already taken some steps to address these shortcomings, I am ordering additional corrective measures to be taken immediately."

The audit also cited instances of the FBI using “Exigent Letters” in an inappropriate manner. Exigent letters are signed by FBI officials who are not authorized to sign a Security Letter. In at least 700 instances, these exigent letters were used to obtain telephone information and email records. The letters were sent out with the false statement that the FBI had requested subpoenas for the requested information, when in fact, they had not.

Several US Senators have already expressed outrage over the findings of the audit, which is required to be carried out annually, and have vowed the strengthen oversight of the FBI in reference to these matters. A spokesperson for the office of US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales commended the office of the Inspector General for uncovering the very serious problems surrounding the FBI’s use of National Security Letters.

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Rare Coins Put Into Circulation

One-Dollar Coins Lack ‘In God We Trust’

By Jerry Garner

The United States Mint has announced that an unknown number of defective coins have been released into general circulation. The faulty coins have already appeared on the internet auction site ebay.com, selling for as much as $600 per coin.

An error made during the minting process caused a number of coins to be manufactured without the words “In God We Trust” to not be stamped onto the new George Washington One-Dollar coins. The new George Washington dollars, which are slightly larger and thicker than a Quarter, are the first in a series of Presidential coins.

The coins that were manufactured correctly bear the likeness of George Washington, along with the inscriptions “In God We Trust” and “E Pluribus Unum”. The year and mint mark are also inscribed along the edge of the coin. The defective coins fail to carry the “In God We Trust” slogan that appears on all US currency.

Having gone into circulation on February 15th, many of the 300 million coins manufactured have already found their way into the hands of coin collectors, who are attracted to the golden color of the new coin. While no official tally has been released, it appears that the coins were evenly minted in Philadelphia and Denver. Although each location produced roughly the same number of one dollar coins, the defective coins found so far have all been made at the Philadelphia mint.

While officials from the US Mint have stated that it is not known how many faulty coins were released into the market, other industry experts have released ballpark figures on the subject. Ron Guth, President of one of the world’s largest coin authentication companies, Professional Coin Grading Service, estimates that as many as 50,000 defective coins have been released.

"The first one sold for $600 before everyone knew how common they actually were," Guth said. "They're going for around $40 to $60 on eBay now, and they'll probably settle in the $50 range."

Of course, that value could increase as time goes by, as have other mistakes made by the US Mint in the past. One example pointed out by many collectors is the 1965 Roosevelt Dime. The US Mint officially stopped producing silver coins in 1964, but a number of dimes produced the following year were mistakenly minted of 90% silver. These 10-cent pieces are commonly sold for more than $20,000 today.

The “Double Die” is a more common minting error, and happens quite frequently as high speed machinery stamps a coin twice. Although this occurs more often than one would assume, the most famous double die is the 1972 Lincoln Penny. This 1-cent piece is commonly sold for as much as $600, depending on the quality of the coin.

While the value of the George Washington dollar is still uncertain, it is certain that it is worth more than the one dollar face value. Many Americans could have already won the coin lottery without even realizing it. Anyone in possession of the new dollars should analyze their pocket change carefully, because this mistake is not likely to be repeated any time soon.

According to a written statement issued by the Mint, production of the new Presidential coins required a “new, complex, high-volume manufacturing system”. There was apparently not just a failure in the new machinery, but also in the Mint’s quality control staff, who somehow allowed the coins to slip by undetected.

"We take this matter seriously. We also consider quality control a high priority. The agency is looking into the matter to determine a possible cause in the manufacturing process," the statement said.

Becky Bailey, a spokeswoman for the US Mint, said that production of the series will continue as scheduled. The next coin in the series, issued in honor of President John Adams, is scheduled to begin in May.

"We are adjusting the manufacturing process to try to eliminate the problems," Bailey said.

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12 Year-Old Dies from Lack of Dental Insurance

By Jerry Garner

The nation was shocked this week when it was announced that a 12 year-old boy had passed away in Prince George’s County, Maryland, as a result of not having adequate dental care. The tragedy has prompted House Democrats to address the lack of affordable health insurance, and to push forward plans that will provide dental care to the poor at an unprecedented rate.

Deamonte Driver was like many urban youths in the DC Metropolitan area. Struggling against many economic factors, the young boy did not have sufficient insurance coverage to provide quality health care, and the Medicaid coverage provided by the State of Maryland fell far short of providing even a basic level of coverage.

Deamonte’s mother, Alyce Driver, had no idea that her son suffered from an abscessed tooth. She took the youth to a hospital in January after he had complained of repeated chronic headaches. By that time, the infection associated with sceptisemia had traveled from the boy’s tooth to his brain. The result of the infection was a brain tumor that required two surgeries at the local Children’s Hospital, followed by extensive rehabilitation at another facility. Sadly, this was not enough to save young Deamonte’s life.

Driver’s other son, 10 year-old DaShawn Driver, had noticeable tooth problems, as he had a swollen cheek on one side of his face, and openly complained about tooth pain. Unfortunately, the only insurance coverage the family had was Medicaid supplimental insurance from the State of Maryland. Driver said it took her weeks to locate a dentist who would even accept the Medicaid card.

Of the 5,500 licensed dentists in Maryland, less than 20 percent will accept Medicaid. There are various reasons for why dental offices report that they will not accept the coverage. The top of the list is financial, with most dentists stating that reimbursements from the government are just too low to make it worthwhile. Those who are not concerned with the money point out extensive bureaucratic hurdles, mountains of paperwork, and even plain frustrations that are associated with accepting indigent families.

When driver finally located an oral surgeon in November, DaShawn was diagnosed with having as many as six abscessed teeth. An appointment was schedule to begin extracting the infected teeth. The appointment was set for January, but by then the family’s Medicaid coverage had lapsed, apparently because forms were inadvertently mailed to the wrong address.

Since that time, the coverage has been reinstated and young DaShawn has had two of the six teeth removed. However, the coverage comes too late to save the life of his older brother, Deamonte. We can only hope that the tragic loss of Deamonte’s life can save other children who are at risk of suffering a similar fate.

"It is outrageous today that in America, a young boy can die because his family can't find a dentist to remove an infected tooth," said U.S. Senator. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), “Anytime we lose a child, it is a tragedy. But Deamonte Driver's death is particularly devastating because it was easily preventable."

Cardin, together with Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), brought attention to Deamonte’s case on the Senate floor as they introduced a bill aimed at providing more extensive dental coverage for children who lack insurance and rely on State aid, which has a history of failing those who need it most.

Officially titled the Children’s Dental Health Improvement Act of 2007, the bill will authorize Congress to spend an additional $40 Million to help community health centers and state health departments hire dental professionals to provide care for those in need. The bill also provides grants and incentives for states to improve their Medicaid reimbursement rates, which is listed as the number one cause for dentists failing to accept the coverage.

"It is not enough simply to mourn Deamonte's death. We must learn from this failure of our health-care system and take action to make sure it never happens again. Congress must act to make sure every child in America has access to quality dental care." Cardin said in his speech to the US Senate.

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Death Toll Rises From Tornadoes In Southern States

By Jerry Garner

Initial estimates for the death toll from Thursday’s outbreak of deadly tornadoes were sketchy. Initial reports claimed that 17 had died as a result of the storms. That figure was later dropped to 11 across the states of Alabama, Georgia and Missouri. There are presently 20 confirmed fatalities, with more expected to be discovered as rescue workers sift through the rubble of damaged buildings.

Worst hit by the series of storms was the state of Alabama, where Governor Bob Riley declared a state of emergency and dispatched as many as 100 National Guard troops. The National Guard troops were sent to assist rescue workers in the town of Enterprise, which was the worst hit area of the state.

National Guard helicopters were seen touching down on the football field of Enterprise High School, which suffered a direct hit from the twister. As many as 4 students and 1 teacher have been confirmed to have died at the high school, where the roof collapsed as a result of the strong winds associated with the storm.

Most schools in the state had been closed by 12:30 that day, but Enterprise failed to take action fast enough. At 11:00 AM school officials ordered students to take cover in the hallways of the building as a measure for their own safety. By 1:00 PM officials wanted to send students home, but by that time the weather had grown too dangerous to allow anyone outside the building. A short time later the twister hit.

“All schools in Alabama dismissed at 12:30,” said survivor Joe Sinclair, in an interview with reporters from Alabama television station WKRN. “I don't know why they kept those kids in school.”

Although schools are typically safe places during such storms, they are not designed for the direct impact suffered as part of Thursday’s storms. The most violent tornadoes can generate wind speeds of up to 250 mph (400 kph). Although the damage page can be more than a mile wide and as much as 50 miles long, a direct impact with a populous building, such as the impact with Enterprise High School, are actually rare.

Elsewhere in the country, storm cells in Georgia are reported to have killed at least three people and caused an unknown number of injuries. In Missouri, a 7 year-old girl died when the mobile home she was in fell victim to a tornado. Rescue workers in all states said that the death toll is expected to continue rising as officials sift through debris and wreckage left behind in the aftermath of these storms.

According to a White House spokesperson, President George Bush telephoned the Governors of Alabama and Missouri, the hardest hit areas of the outbreak, to extend his condolences and to offer aid.

The outbreak of deadly storms came just one month after a similar series of storms killed 20 people in Central Florida. Each year, and average of 1,000 tornadoes are reported in the United States, which cause around 80 deaths and around 1,500 reported injuries.

According to the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the deadliest outbreak on record occurred on March 18, 1925. That twister killed 695 people and caused more than 2,000 injuries across Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

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