Richmond Gang Rape 911 Caller Speaks: Margarita Vargas Heard About Attack, Reported It

This young lady deserves a medal or financial reward (crimestoppers-type). At the very least law enforcement should provide protection for her to prevent retaliation.

in reference to:

"A 15-year-old girl who was raped, robbed and beaten by multiple attackers outside of her high school homecoming dance was found by police after 18-year-old Margarita Vargas, undaunted by pressure to keep quiet, called 911. Vargas called police after her brother-in-law told her about an attack at Richmond High School in Richmond, Calif. CBS: "I was watching a movie, and my brother-in-law came in and he told me 'I don't know what to do, because there is a girl back there and she has been raped. I'm scared,'" 18-year-old Margarita Vargas said. "I'm like 'We should call the cops because that's the right thing to do.' I didn't think about it twice." Relaying what she knew, Vargas called police without even witnessing the crime. She arrived after police and saw the victim being taken away. Vargas told CNN that she was proud of herself. Referring to a culture of silence, Vargas told CNN that there's a common saying around Richmond "snitches get stitches.""
- Richmond Gang Rape 911 Caller Speaks: Margarita Vargas Heard About Attack, Reported It (view on Google Sidewiki)

New Video on Madeleine McCann Case

This video on the Madeleine McCann was released recently. It is my view that the parents are responsible for the child's death. The result of an accidental overdosing of Madeleine to keep her asleep while the couple dined out. Watch this earlier video (here) and see the obvious guilty giveaway when the father grabs his ear after being asked a question.

Examiner:
"Madeleine McCann has been missing since May of 2007 but her parents are still fighting for answers. The McCann family is preparing a new round of interviews aimed at renewing interest in the search of their daughter Madeleine.

The McCann's said they were encouraged by the Jaycee Dugard story. Dugard was recently found after being kidnapped from California 18 years ago.

Madeleine McCann was taken from her hotel room in Portugal as her parents, Kate and Gerry had dinner in the resorts restaurant. The McCann's were once considered suspects in the case but no evidence linked them to their daughters disappearance. The case is now considered a kidnapping.

Kate McCann is hopeful that a new round of tv exposure will remind people of Madeleine and some one will come forward with new information. Kate McCann has one simple message to anyone who might have information on the disappearance of her daughter. "If you stay quiet you are as guilty as those who took her."'

Transcript: 'This Week' (11-8-09): General George Casey

"'This Week' Transcript with Chief of Staff of the Army General George Casey, RNC Chairman Michael Steele and DNC Chairman Tim Kaine." Excerpt below:

STEPHANOPOULOS: And let me begin by offering our condolences to you and all of the families at Fort Hood. I know you just returned...

CASEY: Thank you very much.

STEPHANOPOULOS: ... from there. And you were able to spend some time with the wounded. What were you able to learn about what they saw and what they did when the shooting broke out?

CASEY: I'll tell you that my trip there on Friday with secretary of the army, John McHugh, was at once gut-wrenching and uplifting. And in talking to the wounded soldiers and in talking to the medical providers and soldiers who are at the site, I came away with what a horrific experience it was for them.

But also I was uplifted by the -- by what they did for each other. And when you talk to the wounded soldiers, the one thing that they all stress was how -- was their reaction, and their reaction in support of each other.

STEPHANOPOULOS: It was immediate.

CASEY: It was immediate. And just stories like medics who were next -- in another building next door at a graduation, their graduation, running from the building toward the crime scene in their caps and gowns, ripping them off as they went so they could get there to support their fellow soldiers.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's also get to the latest on the investigation. It's my understanding that Army investigators have concluded that Major Hasan was the only gunman?

CASEY: That is where they are now. But I don't -- I mean, I don't -- I think as the investigation continues, other things could evolve. But I think that is where they are today.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So you believe it was the only gunman right -- at least for right now, not conclusive, are you confident that he acted alone, that there were no other co-conspirators?

CASEY: George, I can't comment on the ongoing investigation. And those facts will come out over time here. We need to let the investigation take its course. And as I said, that will evolve over the coming days and weeks here.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But do you have any better understanding of why the first reports suggested there were two or three attackers?

CASEY: My understanding from being down there and talking to the investigators and General Cone was there were two or three soldiers that were seen running from the area, and people assumed that they were running from the police. And they just checked them out and have since decided that they weren't part of this.

Transcript: 'Face The Nation' (11-8-09)

Senators Lindsey Graham and Jack Reed appeared on Face The Nation. Read the complete transcript. Excerpt below:

REED: I believe we’re going to pass health care reform. I believe we must do this because it’s essential to not just the quality of life, here, but our economic success in the future.

Senator Reid, Harry Reid , has introduced a public option. There’s strong support there. But we are far from the end of the debate in the Senate. It will take time. It will be careful, thorough and deliberate. I hope that a public option is part of the final bill.

SCHIEFFER: But, candidly, right now, you don’t have the votes in the Senate for that. Am I not correct in saying that?

REED: I think there’s a discussion about, as Senator Snowe suggested, a trigger to the public option. Senator Reid has suggested an opt-out by the states. There is a debate, or an active debate, about how the public option might come about.

But, overwhelming, 60 percent of the American public want a public option. And I think we should be listening to them as much as listening to ourselves.

SCHIEFFER: Well, let’s get the take from Senator Graham. Senator Graham, your friend the independent Democrat Joe Lieberman, on this broadcast last Sunday, said no health care reform legislation is better than health care reform with the public option.

Where do you think this is going in the Senate?

GRAHAM: Well, let’s start with the House bill. The House bill is dead on arrival in the Senate. Just look at how it passed. It passed 220-215. It passed by two votes. You had 40 -- 39 Democrats vote against the bill. They come from red states, moderate Democrats from swing districts.

They bailed out on this bill. It was a bill written by liberals for liberals. And people like Joe Lieberman are not going to get anywhere near the House bill. It cuts Medicare about $500 billion. It’s over $1 trillion in new spending. It does have the public option. So the House bill is a non-starter in the Senate.

SCHIEFFER: Senator Lieberman also said, on that, that, if it came to filibustering to keep that bill from passing in the Senate, he’d join in that. Would you also be planning to do that if it looks like the public option thing’s going to pass? GRAHAM: And let me tell you why Joe feels that way and I do. I think the public option will destroy private health care. Nobody in this country in the insurance business can compete with a government- sponsored plan, where the government writes the benefits and politicians will never raise the premiums. It will be a death blow to private choice.

And all of these bills depend on reducing Medicare $400 to $500 billion over 10 years. Seniors are not going to like that. That’s unnecessary. So I just think the construct out of the House and what exists in the Senate is not going to pass. And I hope and pray it doesn’t because it would be a disaster for the economy and health care.

Transcript: 'FOX News Sunday' (11-8-09)

Senator Joe Lieberman appeared on FOX News Sunday. Read the complete Transcript. Excerpt below:

WALLACE: Congressman Van Hollen, what’s the message from the vote last night? The House, for the first time in history, passing a major overhaul of health care reform, but with only one Republican voting for it and 39 Democrats voting against it?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, the message was clear. It’s time to begin to fix what has been a broken health care system for millions of Americans. Between the year 2000 and 2008, we saw premiums double for Americans during that period of time.

Insurance company profits were over 400 percent. So we’ve had a great system for insurance companies. They get to say no to you based on your pre-existing condition. They get to dig into the fine print of your insurance policy when you need it the most and say you’re not covered. They’ve enjoyed an antitrust exemption that we eliminated.

So this is a message to the American people. It’s time to bring down your costs, which will allow more people to afford health insurance.

WALLACE: Congressman Pence, what’s the message from last night? And what about those Democrats from conservative districts who ended up voting for the bill? Are you going to make them pay in the next election?

PENCE: Well, Chris, I think the message from last night is that the Democrats didn’t get the message in August or last Tuesday.

I think from this past summer we saw the American people express overwhelming opposition to a government takeover of health care. They attended town hall meetings, rallies across the country, and then this last Tuesday.

I mean, the historic reversals that Democrats saw in just 12 months in New Jersey and Virginia, again, was an effort by the American people to send a message to this party that they’re tired of the borrowing, the spending, the bailouts, the takeovers.

But last night on a narrow partisan vote the Democrats put their liberal, big government agenda ahead of the American people.

WALLACE: So are you going to go after those conservative Democrats, moderate Democrats, in Republican-leaning districts who voted for this bill?

PENCE: Well, look. I don’t -- I don’t know if it’s about -- I think the American people are deeply frustrated with a liberal establishment in Washington, D.C. that is ignoring their will.

Nancy Pelosi last night said that they were answering the call of history. Well, I -- I’ve got to tell you, if Democrats keep ignoring the American people, their party’s going to be history in about a year.

WALLACE: Congressman Van Hollen, I’d like you, first of all, to respond to that, but also -- yes, you did pass a bill, but the Senate is considering a very different bill, with a very different public option, and very different taxes -- a number of measures.

So how much have you really moved the process forward?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, first, just in response, the message from the last election was loud and clear. The American people were tired of us pushing big issues under the rug, not dealing with the major challenges...

WALLACE: You’re talking about 2008 or 2009?

VAN HOLLEN: I’m talking about 2008 election, the 2008 elections, when President Obama and the larger majority went into Congress. You know, with all due respect to Mike and his party, when President Bush -- and they had a lock on the Congress.

They did nothing about these issues, these rising costs, the fact that insurance companies could essentially abuse consumers. They did nothing about it.

And people back in 2008 said it’s time to step up on some of these issues. And that’s what we did last night.

And I would point out that in terms of the elections last Tuesday, there were only two races in the country where what we’re doing in Congress at the federal level was at the center of debate, and those were the two congressional races. Both members of Congress won. Both of them voted yes last night on health care reform, so...

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