Article: Homeschoolers get knock on door by police
fbyrem
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=29685
Homeschoolers get knock
on door from police
Public superintendent sends out squad cars to ensure compliance
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Posted: November 18, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Art Moore
© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
A public school superintendent has sent police in squad cars to the
houses of homeschooling families to deliver his demand that they
appear for a "pre-trial hearing" to prove they are in compliance
with the law.
Bruce Dennison, regional superintendent of schools in Bureau, Stark,
and Henry counties in Northeastern Illinois, has contacted more than
22 families, insisting that they need his approval to conduct
education at home.
Dennison is exceeding his authority, according to Chris Klicka of
the Home School Legal Defense Association, or HSLDA, who argues that
homeschooling is legal in Illinois and families do not need school
district approval to teach their own children.
"He's muscling the homeschoolers pretty heavily," Klicka told
WorldNetDaily. "One truant officer told a family that he 'could take
away the kids if he wanted to.'"
Also, a district attorney in the area has threatened to prosecute
families that do not submit to requests to have their program
approved, said Klicka.
But state law is straightforward and simple, Klicka insists. A 1950
Illinois Supreme Court decision, People v. Levisen, established that
homeschooling falls under the requirements of a private school.
Private schools are required only to teach the same branches of
instruction as public schools and to do it in the English language.
HSLDA characterizes the situation in Illinois as one of many around
the nation in which school districts and government officials are
seeking to wield greater control over home-based education. The U.S.
now has as many as 2 million homeschoolers, according to some
estimates.
The state of California is warning parents that they cannot educate
their children at home without acquiring a professional teaching
credential. Officials maintain this stance despite a statute that
allows any parent to homeschool under a private school exemption.
Homeschool defenders note that districts are motivated to keep as
many children in public school as possible because funds are
allotted per student.
Not much structure
Dennison told WorldNetDaily that it is the policy of his office to
not to comment on specific cases, but emphasized that in Illinois
there is no statute on homeschooling.
"So we are relying upon court cases as well as the compulsory
attendance law," he said. "I think that is extremely important in
the homeschooling process, because that does not give much
structure."
Dennison said that "in some instances in which folks have chosen not
to share information about their schooling with our office, we have
asked that they attend a meeting prior to court action being taken,
that may be referenced as a pre-trial hearing."
"It's another opportunity to have a conversation about what in fact
parents are doing about the homeschooling of their child," he said.
Klicka maintains, however, that other superintendents in Illinois
accept the procedure for homeschooling in the state that his group
advises, which is to prepare a "statement of assurance."
If a family is contacted, according to Klicka, they say, "We've
established a private school in our home pursuant to the Levison
case. We're teaching the same branches of instruction as public
schools."
Home visit
But Christine Fortune told WND that two squad cars showed up at her
house in Geneseo, Ill., in Henry County, in late October to deliver
a letter demanding that she appear at a "pre-trial" hearing.
One police cruiser pulled into her driveway, another parked on the
street. One policeman then accompanied a truant officer and case
worker to her door, while the other police officer waited in his
car.
"I was very angry," said Fortune, who homeschools her 14-year-old
daughter Stephanie. "[My children] were really perplexed why the
police were coming for me. It was way overkill for something that
was not even a certified, subpoena kind of letter. It was just
something they could have popped in the mail."
Fortune, who served as a substitute public school teacher in the
country for about 10 years, said she had homeschooled prior to this
school year without any interference.
Klicka said that if a superintendent had evidence that a family is
lying or is fraudulent, he should refer it to the prosecutor,
but "this superintendent is thinking, 'I've got to approve the
curriculum, I've got to check up on the parents.'"
Homeschoolers are under no legal obligation to attend "pre-trial
hearings," which have no standards or guarantees, Klicka maintains.
"They're not really 'pre-trial' because there are no charges filed,"
he said. "It's just part of the intimidation tactics."
When questioned, the district attorney had no idea what standards
would be used to judge a homeschooler's curriculum, Klicka said.
On Oct. 18, just four or five days prior to the police-escorted
visit to Fortune's house, the homeschool mother allowed a case
worker from the school district to come into her home. HSLDA
contends that mandatory home visits are violations of a family's
right to privacy and the right to be free from unreasonable searches
and seizures, as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution's Fourth
Amendment.
"On the phone, [the case worker] said she wanted to review the
curriculum and see if I needed any help is how she was phrasing
it," Fortune said.
The case worker was escorted to a room to see the computer-based
curriculum Fortune's daughter uses.
"The beauty of that program is it's perfect for any questions she
would have," Fortune said. "It has a record of grades and the things
that have been done and lesson plans. I could have just produced
that for her very easily, but she never asked."
Instead, said Fortune, the case worker "was fixated on attendance
records."
That struck Fortune as being rather odd: "I said, 'I don't do that
we don't punch a time clock. I just write down what we do.'"
"I kept telling her," said Fortune, "'[My children] live here; they
haven't been absent once from the home.'"
Dennison would not comment on Fortune's case, citing policy, but
said police have been asked to accompany truant officers and case
workers in a "very low profile, in a very courteous manner."
Dennison bases his approach on a memo issued by the Illinois State
Board of Education's legal department, which cites the 1974 federal
court ruling Scoma vs. Chicago Board of Education. The memo
says "the court emphasized that the burden of proof rests with the
parents to establish that the plan of home instruction which they
are providing to their children meets the state requirements."
The position paper says that "if the regional superintendent is
dissatisfied with the parents' ability and/or willingness to
establish that home instruction in a specific instance satisfies the
requirements of state law, the regional superintendent may request
that regional or school district truant officer to investigate to
see that the child is in compliance with the compulsory attendance
law."
In a brief on Illinois state law, the HSLDA notes that Scoma v.
Chicago Board of Education "found the Levisen decision to
be 'reasonable and constitutional.'"
In the Levisen case, HSLDA says, "the Illinois Supreme Court
emphasized the right of parents to control their children's
education."
Levisen held that: "Compulsory education laws are enacted to enforce
the natural obligations of parents to provide an education for their
young, an obligation which corresponds to the parents' right of
control over the child. (Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390, 400.) The
object is that all shall be educated not that they shall be educated
in any particular manner or place."
Since the police visit, Fortune has been referring all communication
to HSLDA, which is helping three other families who are in a similar
situation. Membership with the Virginia-based group allows
homeschool families to take advantage of their legal resources.
Klicka said he is advising his member families not to go to the
hearings or allow home visits but to "stand on a simple letter
declaring they are legally homeschooling as a private school."
Homeschoolers get knock
on door from police
Public superintendent sends out squad cars to ensure compliance
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Posted: November 18, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Art Moore
© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
A public school superintendent has sent police in squad cars to the
houses of homeschooling families to deliver his demand that they
appear for a "pre-trial hearing" to prove they are in compliance
with the law.
Bruce Dennison, regional superintendent of schools in Bureau, Stark,
and Henry counties in Northeastern Illinois, has contacted more than
22 families, insisting that they need his approval to conduct
education at home.
Dennison is exceeding his authority, according to Chris Klicka of
the Home School Legal Defense Association, or HSLDA, who argues that
homeschooling is legal in Illinois and families do not need school
district approval to teach their own children.
"He's muscling the homeschoolers pretty heavily," Klicka told
WorldNetDaily. "One truant officer told a family that he 'could take
away the kids if he wanted to.'"
Also, a district attorney in the area has threatened to prosecute
families that do not submit to requests to have their program
approved, said Klicka.
But state law is straightforward and simple, Klicka insists. A 1950
Illinois Supreme Court decision, People v. Levisen, established that
homeschooling falls under the requirements of a private school.
Private schools are required only to teach the same branches of
instruction as public schools and to do it in the English language.
HSLDA characterizes the situation in Illinois as one of many around
the nation in which school districts and government officials are
seeking to wield greater control over home-based education. The U.S.
now has as many as 2 million homeschoolers, according to some
estimates.
The state of California is warning parents that they cannot educate
their children at home without acquiring a professional teaching
credential. Officials maintain this stance despite a statute that
allows any parent to homeschool under a private school exemption.
Homeschool defenders note that districts are motivated to keep as
many children in public school as possible because funds are
allotted per student.
Not much structure
Dennison told WorldNetDaily that it is the policy of his office to
not to comment on specific cases, but emphasized that in Illinois
there is no statute on homeschooling.
"So we are relying upon court cases as well as the compulsory
attendance law," he said. "I think that is extremely important in
the homeschooling process, because that does not give much
structure."
Dennison said that "in some instances in which folks have chosen not
to share information about their schooling with our office, we have
asked that they attend a meeting prior to court action being taken,
that may be referenced as a pre-trial hearing."
"It's another opportunity to have a conversation about what in fact
parents are doing about the homeschooling of their child," he said.
Klicka maintains, however, that other superintendents in Illinois
accept the procedure for homeschooling in the state that his group
advises, which is to prepare a "statement of assurance."
If a family is contacted, according to Klicka, they say, "We've
established a private school in our home pursuant to the Levison
case. We're teaching the same branches of instruction as public
schools."
Home visit
But Christine Fortune told WND that two squad cars showed up at her
house in Geneseo, Ill., in Henry County, in late October to deliver
a letter demanding that she appear at a "pre-trial" hearing.
One police cruiser pulled into her driveway, another parked on the
street. One policeman then accompanied a truant officer and case
worker to her door, while the other police officer waited in his
car.
"I was very angry," said Fortune, who homeschools her 14-year-old
daughter Stephanie. "[My children] were really perplexed why the
police were coming for me. It was way overkill for something that
was not even a certified, subpoena kind of letter. It was just
something they could have popped in the mail."
Fortune, who served as a substitute public school teacher in the
country for about 10 years, said she had homeschooled prior to this
school year without any interference.
Klicka said that if a superintendent had evidence that a family is
lying or is fraudulent, he should refer it to the prosecutor,
but "this superintendent is thinking, 'I've got to approve the
curriculum, I've got to check up on the parents.'"
Homeschoolers are under no legal obligation to attend "pre-trial
hearings," which have no standards or guarantees, Klicka maintains.
"They're not really 'pre-trial' because there are no charges filed,"
he said. "It's just part of the intimidation tactics."
When questioned, the district attorney had no idea what standards
would be used to judge a homeschooler's curriculum, Klicka said.
On Oct. 18, just four or five days prior to the police-escorted
visit to Fortune's house, the homeschool mother allowed a case
worker from the school district to come into her home. HSLDA
contends that mandatory home visits are violations of a family's
right to privacy and the right to be free from unreasonable searches
and seizures, as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution's Fourth
Amendment.
"On the phone, [the case worker] said she wanted to review the
curriculum and see if I needed any help is how she was phrasing
it," Fortune said.
The case worker was escorted to a room to see the computer-based
curriculum Fortune's daughter uses.
"The beauty of that program is it's perfect for any questions she
would have," Fortune said. "It has a record of grades and the things
that have been done and lesson plans. I could have just produced
that for her very easily, but she never asked."
Instead, said Fortune, the case worker "was fixated on attendance
records."
That struck Fortune as being rather odd: "I said, 'I don't do that
we don't punch a time clock. I just write down what we do.'"
"I kept telling her," said Fortune, "'[My children] live here; they
haven't been absent once from the home.'"
Dennison would not comment on Fortune's case, citing policy, but
said police have been asked to accompany truant officers and case
workers in a "very low profile, in a very courteous manner."
Dennison bases his approach on a memo issued by the Illinois State
Board of Education's legal department, which cites the 1974 federal
court ruling Scoma vs. Chicago Board of Education. The memo
says "the court emphasized that the burden of proof rests with the
parents to establish that the plan of home instruction which they
are providing to their children meets the state requirements."
The position paper says that "if the regional superintendent is
dissatisfied with the parents' ability and/or willingness to
establish that home instruction in a specific instance satisfies the
requirements of state law, the regional superintendent may request
that regional or school district truant officer to investigate to
see that the child is in compliance with the compulsory attendance
law."
In a brief on Illinois state law, the HSLDA notes that Scoma v.
Chicago Board of Education "found the Levisen decision to
be 'reasonable and constitutional.'"
In the Levisen case, HSLDA says, "the Illinois Supreme Court
emphasized the right of parents to control their children's
education."
Levisen held that: "Compulsory education laws are enacted to enforce
the natural obligations of parents to provide an education for their
young, an obligation which corresponds to the parents' right of
control over the child. (Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390, 400.) The
object is that all shall be educated not that they shall be educated
in any particular manner or place."
Since the police visit, Fortune has been referring all communication
to HSLDA, which is helping three other families who are in a similar
situation. Membership with the Virginia-based group allows
homeschool families to take advantage of their legal resources.
Klicka said he is advising his member families not to go to the
hearings or allow home visits but to "stand on a simple letter
declaring they are legally homeschooling as a private school."
[email protected]
This whole thing sucks.
Illinois has always been homeschooling paradise and this guy is messing
things up. He must be really bored - his counties are pretty sparsely
populated. And although we have a very active political committee here, HSLDA
is very involved and that is making many of us worried. I'm holding my breath
and hoping the whole thing goes away soon.
Paula
Illinois has always been homeschooling paradise and this guy is messing
things up. He must be really bored - his counties are pretty sparsely
populated. And although we have a very active political committee here, HSLDA
is very involved and that is making many of us worried. I'm holding my breath
and hoping the whole thing goes away soon.
Paula
[email protected]
You know, World Net Daily has a huge agenda, and it lines right up, quite
often, with the scare tactics used by H$LDA.
And didn't I just read this link somewhere else?
Tuck
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
often, with the scare tactics used by H$LDA.
And didn't I just read this link somewhere else?
Tuck
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Peggy
Paula wrote:
and had something to do with stirring it up to begin with? I wouldn't put it
past them. They have everything to gain from this kind of media spin. Why not
manipulate a clueless superintendent?
Sorry for my cynicism but when people are touting William Bennet as altruistic
for making millions by turning independent homeschooling into Government
Distance Learning (while vilifying the very system he used to run), my
skepticism goes way up.
Peggy
>This whole thing sucks.And, just maybe, HSLDA has something to do with the media attention on this
>
>Illinois has always been homeschooling paradise and this guy is messing
>
>things up. He must be really bored - his counties are pretty sparsely
>populated. And although we have a very active political committee here,
>HSLDA
>is very involved and that is making many of us worried. I'm holding my
>breath
>and hoping the whole thing goes away soon.
>
>Paula
and had something to do with stirring it up to begin with? I wouldn't put it
past them. They have everything to gain from this kind of media spin. Why not
manipulate a clueless superintendent?
Sorry for my cynicism but when people are touting William Bennet as altruistic
for making millions by turning independent homeschooling into Government
Distance Learning (while vilifying the very system he used to run), my
skepticism goes way up.
Peggy
[email protected]
In a message dated 11/19/02 11:46:17 AM Central Standard Time,
Tuckervill@... writes:
news?
About HSLDA, I have been seeing their work around me more and more lately.
Homeschooling here in Kansas is fairly straightforward. Anyone with half a
brain can figure it out. But twice in the past week I have heard some
disturbing things. One lady called me, (don't know how she got my number, but
anyway...) asking about homeschooling in Kansas. I gave her some resources
and she asked about the laws. She said someone had told her to join HSLDA
that it was the only way to homeschool legally. I just couldn't convince her
that that wasn't true.
Then, at Karate the other day, the instructors wife and I were talking. And
she was asking about our homeschooling. This has become a popular topic
whenever she and I are sitting with each other. She had been given this 80
page booklet by a woman she had contacted about homeschooling. She told me it
was all about how to follow the law of homeschooling in Kansas. I must have
looked shocked because she asked if I had a copy. (I don't, but want to see
it!) I told her that the law in Kansas isn't so hard to warrant an 80 page
booklet. Then she said that some of it covered how to homeschool legally, how
to keep records for the state and other things to keep on the right side of
the law. I tried to explain how very untrue this is, but she has already got
this idea in her head from this other woman and this book thing. And I am
sure she is sitting there wondering how I can be homeschooling all this time
and NOT have heard about this, and NOT have been following the rules like she
is sure I should be.
Now I can't quote the statutes verbatim, but I do know what they say and
can't believe there is a booklet(s) floating around making homeschooling more
difficult than it is or should be. I also wonder about the whys. Why would
this type of thing be put out? Since it is, is this why there aren't as many
unschoolers in the area? Unschooling already looks so different to most
people around here. I certainly didn't receive the welcome wagon when we
first started and I had it in my head that I should join the local hsing
group. I wonder how to combat this ignorance? I know it looks so good and
legal and answers all the questions about keeping hsing all wrapped up in a
nice package that looks good to the officials. But it doesn't have to be that
way. Not here anyway. I can stand my lone ground claiming *thats not right*
all I want, but others with better looking pamphlets than me have been there
first.
The thing I am most afraid of is, if this is the accepted thing to do in the
homeschooling circle, then how far away are we from someone saying *Hey, this
should be written into the law!*?
~Nancy
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Tuckervill@... writes:
> You know, World Net Daily has a huge agenda, and it lines right up, quiteI have never heard of the World Net Daily before this. Is it a homeschooling
> often, with the scare tactics used by H$LDA.
>
> And didn't I just read this link somewhere else?
>
> Tuck
news?
About HSLDA, I have been seeing their work around me more and more lately.
Homeschooling here in Kansas is fairly straightforward. Anyone with half a
brain can figure it out. But twice in the past week I have heard some
disturbing things. One lady called me, (don't know how she got my number, but
anyway...) asking about homeschooling in Kansas. I gave her some resources
and she asked about the laws. She said someone had told her to join HSLDA
that it was the only way to homeschool legally. I just couldn't convince her
that that wasn't true.
Then, at Karate the other day, the instructors wife and I were talking. And
she was asking about our homeschooling. This has become a popular topic
whenever she and I are sitting with each other. She had been given this 80
page booklet by a woman she had contacted about homeschooling. She told me it
was all about how to follow the law of homeschooling in Kansas. I must have
looked shocked because she asked if I had a copy. (I don't, but want to see
it!) I told her that the law in Kansas isn't so hard to warrant an 80 page
booklet. Then she said that some of it covered how to homeschool legally, how
to keep records for the state and other things to keep on the right side of
the law. I tried to explain how very untrue this is, but she has already got
this idea in her head from this other woman and this book thing. And I am
sure she is sitting there wondering how I can be homeschooling all this time
and NOT have heard about this, and NOT have been following the rules like she
is sure I should be.
Now I can't quote the statutes verbatim, but I do know what they say and
can't believe there is a booklet(s) floating around making homeschooling more
difficult than it is or should be. I also wonder about the whys. Why would
this type of thing be put out? Since it is, is this why there aren't as many
unschoolers in the area? Unschooling already looks so different to most
people around here. I certainly didn't receive the welcome wagon when we
first started and I had it in my head that I should join the local hsing
group. I wonder how to combat this ignorance? I know it looks so good and
legal and answers all the questions about keeping hsing all wrapped up in a
nice package that looks good to the officials. But it doesn't have to be that
way. Not here anyway. I can stand my lone ground claiming *thats not right*
all I want, but others with better looking pamphlets than me have been there
first.
The thing I am most afraid of is, if this is the accepted thing to do in the
homeschooling circle, then how far away are we from someone saying *Hey, this
should be written into the law!*?
~Nancy
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Tia Leschke
> Now I can't quote the statutes verbatim, but I do know what they say andmore
> can't believe there is a booklet(s) floating around making homeschooling
> difficult than it is or should be. I also wonder about the whys. Why wouldmany
> this type of thing be put out? Since it is, is this why there aren't as
> unschoolers in the area? Unschooling already looks so different to mostCan you find the exact laws regarding hs in Kansas and print them out to
> people around here. I certainly didn't receive the welcome wagon when we
> first started and I had it in my head that I should join the local hsing
> group. I wonder how to combat this ignorance?
show people? That's what I do here in BC.
Tia
Fetteroll
on 11/19/02 2:58 PM, Dnowens@... at Dnowens@... wrote:
is "currently the most popular website in the world!"???
If you go to About World Net Daily
http://WorldNetDaily.com/resources/about_WND.asp
you find:
But if you Google Joseph Farah and the Western Journalism Center, you'll
find the Western Journalism Center was founded by Joseph Farah and James H.
Smith, the former publisher of the Sacramento Union.
and under the WJC FAQs it says:
publisher of the ultra-conservative Sacramento Union-once owned by Scaife.
The Carthage Foundation, controlled by Scaife, is one of the largest funders
of the WSJ.
And Scaife, from some reports in the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/scaife
050299.htm
got directors and big bucks tied to a *huge* conservative agenda.
If you go to Conservative Web Watch
http://conwebwatch.tripod.com/stories/primer.html
There are 3 people profiled: L. Brent Bozell, Joseph Farah, and Christopher
Ruddy.
It's funny how the WorldNetDaily says it:
of the most watched TV shows now keep track of the most visited websites to
advise advertisers where to spend their ad dollars) they some how seem to
have missed how busy WorldNetDaily is:
Parent Unique Audience Reach % Time per Person
1. Microsoft 41,524,313 50.72 0: 25: 12
2. AOL Time Warner 38,241,288 46.71 0: 16: 18
3. Yahoo! 35,724,321 43.64 0: 37: 01
4. Google 12,736,004 15.56 0: 08: 05
5. eBay 10,768,651 13.15 0: 49: 01
6. Terra Lycos 9,357,696 11.43 0: 09: 31
7. Amazon 8,692,944 10.62 0: 10: 11
8. About-Primedia 7,958,194 9.72 0: 08: 41
9. United States Government 7,593,804 9.28 0: 09: 11
10. AT&T 6,413,435 7.83 0: 12: 59
11. Viacom International 6,368,127 7.78 0: 17: 56
12. Walt Disney Internet Group 5,713,947 6.98 0: 10: 16
13. USA Interactive 5,181,707 6.33 0: 13: 43
14. eUniverse 4,763,166 5.82 0: 06: 51
15. Excite Network 4,520,254 5.52 0: 32: 31
16. Classmates 4,392,133 5.36 0: 06: 41
17. CNET Networks 4,133,012 5.05 0: 07: 46
18. Sharman Networks 3,943,996 4.82 0: 08: 52
19. Landmark Communications 3,666,971 4.48 0: 05: 18
20. EarthLink 3,538,568 4.32 0: 10: 37
21. Electronic Arts 3,532,643 4.31 1: 13: 17
22. InfoSpace Network 3,427,251 4.19 0: 07: 43
23. NFL Internet Network 3,165,693 3.87 0: 14: 03
24. United Online 3,104,625 3.79 0: 07: 10
25. Ask Jeeves 2,944,900 3.60 0: 06: 24
And that's just what I uncovered within half an hour of casual searching.
Joyce
> I have never heard of the World Net Daily before this. Is it a homeschoolingWhat, you've never heard of the site that the Western Journalism Center says
> news?
is "currently the most popular website in the world!"???
If you go to About World Net Daily
http://WorldNetDaily.com/resources/about_WND.asp
you find:
> WorldNetDaily.com is a fiercely independent newssite committed to hard-hittingand
> investigative reporting of government waste, fraud and abuse.
>
> Founded by Joseph and Elizabeth Farah in May 1997 as an Internet project of
> the non-profit Western Journalism Center, WorldNetDaily.com, Inc. began
> operating as a for-profit corporation Oct. 1, 1999. Now a leading Internet
> news site in both traffic and influence, WorldNetDaily.com has broken some of
> the biggest, most significant and most notable investigative and enterprising
> stories in recent years:
> WorldNetDaily.com's editorial policy reflects the old-fashioned notion thatWhich makes it sound pretty good.
> the principal role of the free press in a free society is to serve as a
> watchdog on government -- to expose corruption, fraud, waste and abuse
> wherever and whenever it is found.
But if you Google Joseph Farah and the Western Journalism Center, you'll
find the Western Journalism Center was founded by Joseph Farah and James H.
Smith, the former publisher of the Sacramento Union.
and under the WJC FAQs it says:
> 2.) Is the WJC conservative, liberal or what?And yet, if you go to:
>
> We subscribe to neither, nor are we the captive of any political party. We
> pursue the traditional newspaper objective: We are a "watchdog" on
> government.
> http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/clinton/Clintonculwar8-06.htmThe Western Journalism Center, (WSJ) is a project of Joseph Farah, former
publisher of the ultra-conservative Sacramento Union-once owned by Scaife.
The Carthage Foundation, controlled by Scaife, is one of the largest funders
of the WSJ.
And Scaife, from some reports in the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/scaife
050299.htm
> Funding Father of RightYeah. WorldNetDaily may not be "captive of any political party" but they've
> Part One: May 2, 1999
> Richard Mellon Scaife, the Pittsburgh billionaire who has financed numerous
> anti-Clinton activities, helped fund the creation of the modern conservative
> movement in America. By compiling a computerized record of nearly all his
> contributions over four decades, The Washington Post found that Scaife and his
> family's charitable entities played a central role in the rise of the right,
> giving at least $340 million to conservative causes and institutions.
got directors and big bucks tied to a *huge* conservative agenda.
If you go to Conservative Web Watch
http://conwebwatch.tripod.com/stories/primer.html
There are 3 people profiled: L. Brent Bozell, Joseph Farah, and Christopher
Ruddy.
It's funny how the WorldNetDaily says it:
> currently attracts nearly 2 million unique visitors a month andBut if you go to Nielsen/Netratings (the TV program rankers who kept track
> more than 40 million pageviews, according to its own internal monitoring
> software.
of the most watched TV shows now keep track of the most visited websites to
advise advertisers where to spend their ad dollars) they some how seem to
have missed how busy WorldNetDaily is:
Parent Unique Audience Reach % Time per Person
1. Microsoft 41,524,313 50.72 0: 25: 12
2. AOL Time Warner 38,241,288 46.71 0: 16: 18
3. Yahoo! 35,724,321 43.64 0: 37: 01
4. Google 12,736,004 15.56 0: 08: 05
5. eBay 10,768,651 13.15 0: 49: 01
6. Terra Lycos 9,357,696 11.43 0: 09: 31
7. Amazon 8,692,944 10.62 0: 10: 11
8. About-Primedia 7,958,194 9.72 0: 08: 41
9. United States Government 7,593,804 9.28 0: 09: 11
10. AT&T 6,413,435 7.83 0: 12: 59
11. Viacom International 6,368,127 7.78 0: 17: 56
12. Walt Disney Internet Group 5,713,947 6.98 0: 10: 16
13. USA Interactive 5,181,707 6.33 0: 13: 43
14. eUniverse 4,763,166 5.82 0: 06: 51
15. Excite Network 4,520,254 5.52 0: 32: 31
16. Classmates 4,392,133 5.36 0: 06: 41
17. CNET Networks 4,133,012 5.05 0: 07: 46
18. Sharman Networks 3,943,996 4.82 0: 08: 52
19. Landmark Communications 3,666,971 4.48 0: 05: 18
20. EarthLink 3,538,568 4.32 0: 10: 37
21. Electronic Arts 3,532,643 4.31 1: 13: 17
22. InfoSpace Network 3,427,251 4.19 0: 07: 43
23. NFL Internet Network 3,165,693 3.87 0: 14: 03
24. United Online 3,104,625 3.79 0: 07: 10
25. Ask Jeeves 2,944,900 3.60 0: 06: 24
And that's just what I uncovered within half an hour of casual searching.
Joyce