Tonight’s Top Topic: Should the Boy Scouts receive anti-terrorism training?
The Explorer’s program is an affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America although both boys and girls participate. One California troop’s law enforcement program is training scouts to fight terrorism. According to a New York Times article, the training includes confronting terrorists, illegal immigration and border violence. The kids are being taught to take out active shooters and raiding marijuana fields. They dress in fatiagues and carry fake guns. Scout leaders say this is not to apply outside the Explorer’s program.
 Fred reported the Charlotte Explorer’s have a program with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg and other police departments. Mark Turner of the Mecklenburg County Scouts was shown saying the Explorer program is about career exploration, not training. Their training (didn’t he just say not training?) also includes medical, vetinary, health services or journalism. (A future News Edge co-host might come from the Explorer program.)
Fred mentioned he was a cub scout. He did not lean anything.
Many of the kids (boys and girls) said they were attracted to the program by the guns. Fred asked after discussuion of the girl scouts being inviolved “Do they wear the outfit?” Morgan came back mentioning it was just said (3 minutes) earlier in the report they are wearing fatiagues. Fred said “I was not listening.” (Fred. Its only a 25 minute show. What were you doing?)
 Morgan said the officials stated it does not apply outside the Explorer program but someone from the Border Patrol also stated this is to create more agents. Fred gave his approval of the program.
(Does anyone else but me see this as another sign of making kids grow up too early? Are kids no longer expected to be kids while they are young?)

The Edge played a tape of Carolina Panther Jordan Gross. Morgan said he is an American Idol expert while Fred questioned what makes him an expert.
Jordan said he is an expert because:
1) He has been to a finale, seen it live in person.
2) He has interviewed many Idols and given  some his jersey.
3) He challenged Ace Young to a singingh contest and won.
He went on to say Fred only plays their music on his radio program and doesn’t know anything about it. Jordan will not be on the Edge on Wednesday as originaly scheduled.
Fred mentioned that Kelly Clarkson let herself go.

Did Kelly let herself go?

Fox announced it is terminating the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles series. There will be added a talk show with Wanda Sykes.

Facebook is booting fake accounts. But some of those accounts are not really fake. Alicia Istanbul found her two year old account deleted without warning. But that is her real name. She had 330 friends, some of which she had no other way to contact. Facebook does report that it has a blacklist of names new subscribers can not use such as Batman and Susan Boyle who is the 47 year old singing star from England. Although there are already a number of Susan Boyles on Facebook already and many who that really is their name but can not use. (I have dealt with this my whole life. Could tell you many stories where I was not allowed to use my real name or got into trouble because I wrote Paul Newman as my name.) Alicia Instanbul did finally get her account reinstated after three weeks. (Could you go three weeks without a Facebook, Myspace or Twitter account? How important are they to you?) Alicia’s sister, Lisa Istanbul Krikorian also had her account locked out but opened a new one without using her maiden name. Her mother and cousin both changed the spelling to get around the blacklist of their real name but said no one will find you if your name is spelled wrong. Still the process is not perfect. There are a number of accounts with names like I.P. Freely and Seymour Butts.
 Kelly Pickler had her name stolen on Twitter. Kelly said she thought she was the only person named Kelly Pickler. If the person does not give up the name she said she will steal someone else’s name. (Actually I found two other Kelly Picklers in the US. There are hundreds of Paul Newman’s and no I was not named after the actor.) Fred said there was someone using his name on Twitter. Morgan & Fred discussed that their domain names are registered but Morgan said she knows who it is. (There are a number who have written to me through here looking for Fred & Morgan’s actual web sites. Sorry to tell everyone they do not have any. I did offer to both to help with their websites for free but so far they have not said yes. Feel free to keep asking me and them. One day everyone will have a website.) 

The Edge crew then welcomed Bill Diehl who Creative Loafing had placed on its list of scariest people. Mr. Diehl is a local sometimes controversial attorney in the Charlotte area. They asked him about his case with Gloria Pace King but surprisingly never asked him about his once saying he wanted to be lead singer of Journey……

Sorry this entry is so late. Just backed up with work.