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Three firefighters died at the scene, and two were hospitalized in critical condition. One of those two died several hours later. The other had burns over 95 percent of his body, Boss said.
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Another official believed the blaze was set just as the winds picked up in order to maximize destruction. Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle dispatched homicide detectives to the scene to work with FBI agents during the investigation.
Authorities planned to offer a $100,000 reward in the case.
"Turn that scum in, please," Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley said.
Fox News
"It's a very sad day for California," Mr Schwarzenegger said in the state capital Sacramento on Thursday.
Mr Schwarzenegger ordered flags put at half mast for the dead firefighters as he instituted the state of emergency for the area of the fire, which allows the state to commit greater resources to combating the blaze.
Source
I’m shocked and with a lot of other people, in a state of disbelief,” said regional forester Rick Cables of the U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. “I’m saddened to say that one of our employees has admitted to starting the ... fire.”
While Cables expressed sadness that one of his coworkers had deliberately set the fire, it should not have come as a surprise. Barton’s actions fit a disturbing pattern in recent years of government workers deliberately setting fires on lands removed from private ownership and “entrusted” to the government.
Federal firefighter starts Arizona blaze
Another such fire, in fact, was set in Arizona and began raging out of control the very day the media reported the discrepancies in Barton’s claim that she had inadvertently ignited the Colorado fire with her husband’s letter.
On June 30, a contract firefighter for the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs was charged with deliberately starting a fire outside the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. That blaze erupted into the largest wildfire in Arizona history.
Leonard Gregg admitted starting the fire, as well as another one that was quickly extinguished, in order to gain work. Gregg worked as a contract firefighter for the federal government, and he was paid according to how often he was called to fight fires.
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Adam,
My name is Ryan Rinaldo, i am the one in this photo. I just wanted to say thank you for taking this great picture, and also that you were correct in saying that the picture says it all. Myself and Tommy, the other guy on the truck with me, were driving looking for hotspots when we saw this home beginning to catch on fire, along with moving into the next two homes directly next to it. As i was making radio contact for additional engines to come to our location, Tommy and I stretched out our hoses and rushed to stop the spread of the fire to the next two homes until additional firefighters arrived, and even though all the firefighters on that location were able to save two homes, it is still hard to see one get lost! I give my hearts best wishes and prayers to the family of that home.
Best wishes,
Ryan Rinaldo
Rinaldo Water Tenders
Navy
• 10 firetrucks and 40 firefighters
• Brush truck (designed to fight wildfires)
• Two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters
• Two MH-60S Knighthawk helicopters equipped with 420-gal. troughs
• 40 additional helicopters on standby
• An Aegis cruiser, a guided-missile cruiser and two fast frigates to assist with evacuation
1965-1974
Member, Texas Senate
1972
Grand Master, Masons of Texas
1975-1985
Member, U. S. House of Representatives, Texas 13th Congressional District
1985-1987
First Assistant Attorney General of Texas
1988-1995
Justice, Supreme Court of Texas
1992
LL.M., University of Virginia
1999-2005
Commissioner, National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. Appointed by President William J. Clinton
2001-2006
Chairman of the Board, Scottish Rite Hospital of Texas in Dallas
Chairman of the Board, Scottish Rite Education Association of Texas
Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Scottish Rite of Free Masonry of Texas
Source
The Scottish Rite Messenger is
the official publication of the Valley
of Austin, Orient of Texas,
Ancient & Accepted Scottish
Rite of Freemasonry which
yields allegiance to the Supreme
Council of the 33rd Degree for
the Southern Jurisdiction of
the United States of America
(Mother Council of the World),
whose See is in Charleston, in the
State of South Carolina,now sitting
in Washington, D.C.
Judge Hightower
consults in Ukraine
election process
KIEV, UKRAINE REPUBLIC —
Judge Jack E. Hightower served on
a blue-ribbon committee of former
members of Congress invited to
consult in planning the Ukraine
Republic’s upcoming national
elections.
Upon his return to Austin after the
week-long trip, our SGIG
commented that the Ukranians
have a good grasp on the democratic
process.
The committee will present a
detailed report to government
officials prior to the election in
October.
Dr. Radtke is the Founder & CEO of The Institute of Ministry Management & Leadership. He has 30 years of senior corporate and ministry leadership and management experience — a lifetime of proven excellence with an exceptional record of results.
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His educational background includes a Bachelor's degree from Syracuse University, United States Navy Commissioned Officer's School, United States Navy Leadership and Intelligence Schools, American Management Association and Business Management Training and Dr. of Ministry.
He has developed a burden and in-depth understanding of the challenges facing vital leaders — having worked directly for Admiral John S. McCain, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; James E. Preston, Chairman Avon Products, Inc.; Les Wexner, Chairman The Limited, Inc.; multi-billion dollar, Fortune 500 companies; and as Executive Administrator for Pastor Rod Parsley, World Harvest Church and Breakthrough Television.
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In great demand as retained counsel to a wide range of ministries and mega churches, Dr. Radtke conducts national and international leadership, management, methods, and performance workshops — working with men and women of God who hold a powerful purpose and vision, strategically placed for these end times, equipping them to be all they can be.
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On March 25, 2005, U.S. President George W. Bush, former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, and former Mexican President Vicente Fox authorized the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), now under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Most Americans have little to no knowledge of this seemingly innocuous sounding unofficial treaty and therefore believe there is little reason to be alarmed.
...
Legally, a treaty would require a two-thirds majority of the U.S. Senate to concur for its ratification as determined by the U.S. Constitution. Cleverly, however, since the SPP is not a treaty, the President was able to avoid such a required procedure by using the power of the Executive Branch. And in August 2006, President Bush additionally crafted a Signing Statement to passed legislation declaring it Constitutional for his administration to withhold information from or deny authority required from the U.S. Congress on the SPP and its negotiations.
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