Penn St. riot ends aspiring Army officer's dream

In this Oct. 26, 2009, photo provided by Justin Strine, Strine, left, poses with his father, Chief Warrant Officer James Strine and his sister Senior Airman Jacelyne Janoka outside Strine?s home in Hummelstown, PA. The Penn State student?s hopes for a military career as an Army officer ended after he was kicked out from ROTC for participating in a riot at the college after Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno?s firing in November 2011. (AP Photo/Strine Family Photo, Donna Strine)

In this Oct. 26, 2009, photo provided by Justin Strine, Strine, left, poses with his father, Chief Warrant Officer James Strine and his sister Senior Airman Jacelyne Janoka outside Strine?s home in Hummelstown, PA. The Penn State student?s hopes for a military career as an Army officer ended after he was kicked out from ROTC for participating in a riot at the college after Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno?s firing in November 2011. (AP Photo/Strine Family Photo, Donna Strine)

FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2011 file photo, police hold back students after they reacted off campus in State College, Pa., to Penn State board of trustees firing of football coach Joe Paterno. The consequences of their bad judgment have been steep for the Penn State students who took to the streets and rioted in the chaotic aftermath Paterno?s firing. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2011 file photo, Penn State students flip a television news van during a riot off campus in State College, Pa., after the Penn State board of trustees fired football coach Joe Paterno. The consequences of their bad judgment have been steep for the Penn State students who took to the streets and rioted in the chaotic aftermath Paterno?s firing. (AP Photo/Post-Gazette, Michael Henninger, File) MAGS OUT; NO SALES; MONESSEN OUT; KITTANNING OUT; CONNELLSVILLE OUT; GREENSBURG OUT; TARENTUM OUT; NORTH HILLS NEWS RECORD OUT; BUTLER OUT

In this June 9, 2012, photo provided by Justin Strine, Strine, left, poses with his younger brother Jamie Strine, center, and older brother, Jim Strine, at Jamie?s high school graduation in Hershey, PA. Justin Strine's hopes for a military career as an Army officer ended after he was kicked out from ROTC for participating in a riot at Penn Statee after Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno?s firing in November 2011. (AP Photo/Strine Family Photo, James Strine) NO SALES

Stints in jail. Hefty fines and restitution. Clouded futures. The consequences of their bad behavior have been steep for the Penn State students who took to the streets and rioted in the chaotic aftermath of Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno's firing last November.

Perhaps none have learned a harder lesson than Justin Strine, a young man from central Pennsylvania whose planned career as an Army officer is over before it began ? the casualty of his own split-second decision to put his hands on a news van, and a judicial system that considered him as guilty as classmates who did far worse that dark night in State College.

As the fall semester gets under way Monday, Strine has returned to campus, along with 15 other students found to have taken part in a nationally televised riot that caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage and embarrassed Penn State.

As he resumes his studies, nothing's the same for the 21-year-old from Hummelstown. He spent part of his summer in jail. Far worse: He's been kicked out of ROTC, his dream of carrying on his family's proud military tradition now out of reach.

"I'm losing everything I worked my entire life for," Strine said.

Strine's father, a career soldier, questions whether that's a just result.

"I had to stand by and watch my son plead guilty to something he didn't do," said Jim Strine.

Penn State sanctioned 32 students for their involvement in the riot, suspending 10 of them from one to three semesters and giving probation to the rest, university spokeswoman Lisa Powers said. Dozens of students were criminally charged, as well, and the guilty pleas have piled up over the last several months.

An estimated 4,000 to 5,000 people poured into downtown State College on Nov. 9 after the Penn State board of trustees abruptly and unexpectedly fired Paterno ? the beloved football coach who led Penn State for nearly 46 seasons ? and removed President Graham Spanier over the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.

What began as a peaceful protest of Paterno's unceremonious dismissal quickly turned ugly as a "riotous mob," as State College police would later call it, threw bottles and rocks, damaged cars, and tore down light posts and street signs.

Strine was in his off-campus apartment when he learned of Paterno's firing. He and a few friends decided to head downtown.

It was a rare misstep in what had been a slow, steady climb toward the officer ranks.

Strine's father is a helicopter pilot and instructor whose 28-year career has taken him to Iraq and Afghanistan. His grandfather is a retired Air Force flight surgeon. His brother and sister, aunt and uncle, cousins ? all serve or have served. So it wasn't a surprise when Strine began plotting his own military career as an adolescent, reading the autobiographies of famed Army officers like Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell.

At Penn State, Strine threw himself into ROTC as well as his studies, making the dean's list and spending the summer at Fort Benning, Ga., learning to jump out of airplanes. His goal: to be a pilot like his father.

"He was a good cadet," Jim Strine said.

A good cadet who made a bad decision the night of Nov. 9.

Strine had driven himself and a couple friends to the State College commercial district, where they joined thousands of other protesters. At one point Strine and his friend, Christina Assainte, found themselves in a large crowd moving toward a WTAJ-TV news van, where vandals were pelting it with rocks.

To the rippling chants of "Flip it! Flip it!" two young man approached the side of the van, motioning others to join them, a video recording shows. That set off a frenzied rush toward the van, and within seconds a large group started to push.

A second wave of spectators then pressed toward the front of the van, perhaps to get a better view. Strine and Assainte were in the front of that group.

With the vehicle already on two wheels and going over, Strine placed his palms on the hood. Four seconds later, the van was on its side. But that's all it took for police and prosecutors to charge him with felony counts of riot and criminal mischief ? the same charges filed against students who did the actual pushing.

"I always felt I was on a good path, and all the sudden I'm being made into a criminal. It was shocking to me they wouldn't even hear me out and let me explain that yes, I was there and shouldn't have been, but I wasn't this person they are making me out to be," Strine said. "No one ever looked at me as an individual. They looked at me as 5,000 Penn State rioters."

Terrified of being branded a felon, Strine agreed to plead guilty to reduced misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and criminal mischief. He served 30 days in jail ? getting out Aug. 4 ? and will either be on parole or probation until 2015.

The consequences didn't end there. Penn State suspended Strine for a semester, and he was booted from ROTC and will have to repay every dime of his scholarship money, a total of $34,000. He also owes $8,500 in court costs, fines and restitution.

Strine said he knows he never should have left his apartment that night, never should have been in the vicinity of the van, never should have laid a finger on its hood.

"The van was already going over. It was so crazy, it was mayhem, and in that moment you stop thinking," Strine said. "I know I wasn't completely blameless. I was there, I touched the van and that was wrong. That's why I was happy to do community service for Penn State. But the criminal justice system went overboard."

His father said he's not seeking to minimize or excuse Justin's involvement, but contended the district attorney's office was far too aggressive ? and his son's punishment far too severe.

"He owns something in this," Jim Strine said. "He just doesn't own what he's got."

Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller did not return multiple calls and emails seeking information about her office's handling of Strine's case or the other riot cases. Messages left with State College police Chief Tom King and Capt. Jim Grassmyer, scholarship and enrollment officer of Penn State's Army ROTC program, were not returned.

Powers, the Penn State spokeswoman, said any student who goes through the university disciplinary process can contest the charges or sanctions.

"Justin accepted responsibility and the sanctions in the disciplinary conference, and did not contest them through either avenue that was afforded to him," she said, adding that Penn State carefully assessed each student's culpability, the impact of the crime on the community, and other factors before imposing punishment.

Strine said he didn't contest the charges because he wouldn't have been permitted an attorney, and his testimony before the school could have been used against him in the criminal courts. He didn't challenge the sanctions because Penn State warned him that if he did, he could wind up being penalized more severely. And he said he was never told that a suspension would cost him his spot in ROTC.

Assainte, who was with Strine during the riot, said he had no criminal intent that night. She said he got a raw deal.

"I remember him saying, 'All I wanted to do was serve my country, and now I can't because of one little mistake that was caught on tape.' One lapse of judgment and he gets all this thrown at him? I felt so awful," she said. "I just think what happened was really, really unfair."

___

Online:

Video of van being flipped: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N44edzxk60c

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-08-27-Penn%20State-Abuse-Riot/id-a42b203ddf9846f4ad1737b54cb3b6a1

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Demystifying The Process Of Accepting Credit Cards As An Attorney

Accepting credit cards can be a very intimidating option to consider as a sole practitioner or small-firm attorney ? if you deal with collecting retainers from your clients?

The word ?merchant service? has developed an almost ominous connotation among solo professionals ? and for good reason. Most people associate the phrase with ludicrous fees, minimum transaction volumes, equipment rentals and restrictive contracts. And all too often, that notion is entirely justified.

In fact, several professionals simply choose to forget about accepting credit cards altogether ? because it?s just ?one less hassle? to deal with. Unfortunately, this can actually cost them quite a bit of business, whether they realize it or not. It?s been continually proven that providing your customers the option of paying with credit will increase sales (in this case, client volume) in practically every industry.

Furthermore, the main advantage for an attorney to accept credit cards wouldn?t so much be an increase in client volume as it would eliminate waiting for checks in the mail ? not to mention having someone make a bank run to get them deposited. And credit card payments don?t ?bounce? either!

The truth is that while there actually are some very affordable (and flexible) services available to solo professionals, they?re also very few and far between. And in most cases, they?re not easy to recognize.

So let?s explore some of the terms and terminology of the merchant industry so as to ?de-mystify? the process of choosing a merchant company that will effectively suit your practice?

?Statement Fees: Most merchant account providers will charge you to simply receive your billing statement. This normally costs $10.00 per month. This is, for the most part, a ?pointless? fee for the purpose of generating additional revenue for the merchant company as it much more than covers the cost of distributing a statement ? although, not all companies have a statement fee.

?Monthly Minimums: Several programs include a ?minimum?, which is not a minimum amount of sales volume, but rather it?s a minimum charge in regards to transaction fees. Normally, this is $25.00 per month. This does not mean that a $25.00 sale will waive the minimum.

?Transaction Fees: This is a flat-fee per transaction through your merchant account. This will typically be around $0.25 per transaction ? although different credit cards will themselves charge a transaction fee as well, such as American Express and Discover.

?The Annual Fee: The majority of merchant services will employ an annual fee, ranging from $45.00 to $95.00. Again, this is simply a premium for using the service.

?Program Fees: Also called the ?monthly fee?, this is simply a monthly premium ranging from $5.00 to $25.00 per month to accept credit cards via the merchant service in question.

?Discount Rates: Also known as the ?flat rate?, this is a percentage of every sale that is automatically commissioned to the merchant service, and split between them and their processor (if they?re a third party). This will range from 1.95% to 5.95%, depending on the nature of the service.

?The Cancellation Fee: The majority of merchant services do utilize a ?minimum term of duration? within their account contract. To cancel the contract before it?s term has expired will cost anywhere from $95.00 to $250.00, sometimes more.

?Equipment Lease or Purchase: In general, you?re required to either lease or buy the (expensive) equipment needed to process credit card ?swipes?. Leasing equipment can range from $29.00 to $79.00 per month, with an average term of 36 ? 48 months. These leases cannot be cancelled. In addition, you will be paying the relevant state tax on those payments ? and to top it off, most companies will charge an extra $3.00 per month or so for a ?Loss and Destruction? waiver. At the end of the lease, you must either return the equipment in good condition, or you must purchase the equipment for at its current market value. The purchase price will be something like 15% of the aggregate lease payments (for a 36-month term).

As you can clearly see, all of this can add up to a substantial amount of money ? and if you do default on the equipment lease, it will show up on your credit report.

Accepting credit cards doesn?t seem too exciting at this point, does it?

However, as I had mentioned previously, there are some affordable options within the merchant industry that actually cater directly to solo professionals and part-time business owners.

For example, did you know that you can accept credit cards ? without any equipment at all ? by simply using your cell phone (or blackberry)?

Not only is this type of system totally mobile, most of these services are uniquely affordable. One in particular, ?Accept by Phone?, costs only $5.00 a month with a discount rate of 3.95% on each sale. Such services are able to bypass all the other fees because of the way that transactions are processed ? and the automated call-in system literally allows the vendor to authorize and process the payment in real time within a matter of seconds.

Additionally, this service does not have a minimum term ? or a cancellation fee.

Glenn Garnes, attorney and webmaster of Lawyer Lounge, recently reviewed the mentioned service:

?I can?t tell you how many times I?ve been on the road, at the courthouse, or out of the office when someone wanted to make a payment, and I delayed my ability to accept it by having to ask them to send a check. I also can?t tell you how many times that check was late or never came in the first place.

?If you bill for your fees, or if you have a collections practice, this [type of system is the perfect way to increase your cash flow conveniently, and cost effectively, not to mention how it improves your profile in the eyes of your client.?

Now, even if you would be processing most of your payments at the office ? and if you needed equipment ? there are also a variety of cost-effective services that suit that need as well. Just make sure that you take a very close look at the terms and conditions of the service in question.

Remember that the most crucial element of any merchant service is the term (duration) of the contract. They may be offering free applications, low fees and so on, but make sure that it?s not because they plan on locking you into a two-year contract.

Unfortunately, this is how most merchant companies make their money.

However, you?re no longer at the mercy of the merchant industry, because you?ve just taken a ?behind the scenes? look at how the whole system really works. You can now investigate accepting credit cards from your clients with confidence, knowing that it truly is possible to make life easier ? not harder ? by allowing your clients to pay with credit.

Especially those that are ?cash-strapped?.

It?s simply a matter of finding a service that caters directly to your needs as an attorney.

Chris Rempel is the marketing director of Accept by Phone ? the only merchant account that is built specifically for professionals like attorneys.

Find out how you can accept credit cards from anywhere for only $5.00 a month at http://www.accept-by-phone.com/attorneys.html

Source: http://the-court-of-public-opinion.com/demystifying-the-process-of-accepting-credit-cards-as-an-attorney-3170/

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Romney faces balancing act with convention, storm

Worker Patrick Gayle of Kissimmee, Fla. wipes the mirror-sided camera stands on the floor of the Republican National Convention in the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Worker Patrick Gayle of Kissimmee, Fla. wipes the mirror-sided camera stands on the floor of the Republican National Convention in the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Map locates Tropical Storm Isaac and its projected path for the next five days

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? The political risk was slight for Mitt Romney in scrapping the first day of his Florida convention in the face of Tropical Storm Isaac: TV networks weren't planning to broadcast it live anyway.

As the storm veered toward New Orleans, however, the decision about what to do next was fraught with peril. Romney is trying to balance celebrating his presidential nomination with being mindful of the ghost of Hurricane Katrina and the stain George W. Bush's handling of it left on the GOP.

"You don't want to be having hoopla and dancing when you have the nation focused on tragedy and suffering," said Al Hoffman, a Republican from West Palm Beach and former finance chairman of the Republican National Committee.

The next few days will test Romney's ability to both present himself to the American people as a plausible alternative to President Barack Obama and to lead a party still smarting from the image hit it took in the aftermath of the 2005 Gulf Coast devastation.

Since then, Republicans have been so sensitive to the political danger around hurricanes ? and the appearance of partying at a time of trouble ? that they delayed the start of their national convention by a day in 2008 when Hurricane Gustav bore down on the Gulf, a full 1,200 miles away from where delegates were gathering in St. Paul, Minn.

Four years later, a storm again has delayed the start of the convention ? and again is barreling toward New Orleans, the city that Katrina so badly damaged.

Memories of Katrina hung heavy over Tampa as Republican delegates traveled here to anoint the party's new standard-bearer. All over Florida ? a critical battleground state ? people were preparing for the worst. Homes and shops were boarded up in Key West. About 800 miles northwest in the Florida panhandle, the Wal-Mart in Destin, Fla., had sold out of bottled water.

By Sunday afternoon, Tampa was cloud-covered and windy outside the hall where Romney is to accept the nomination Thursday night. Inside, tense Romney advisers huddled to figure out how to proceed.

"It's a mess all around and it's fraught with risk," said Sally Bradshaw, a Florida Republican and longtime senior aide to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. "It's not good for anybody ? particularly the people impacted by the storm."

Weather was recognized as potential trouble when Republicans chose to hold their convention in Florida during hurricane season, a decision made well before Romney locked up the nomination.

Beyond the safety and image concerns, Isaac presents another wrinkle for Romney: It allows Obama to show leadership and flex the levers of his administration to help people bracing for a storm.

As forecasts grew grim, Obama dispatched the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist, and the White House said the president was closely monitoring the storm.

"The president also told the governor to let him know if there are any unmet needs or additional resources the administration could provide, including in support of efforts to ensure the safety of those visiting the state for the Republican National Convention," the White House said Sunday.

The president had no immediate plans to visit. But he might ? as most presidents do ? if the damage is severe. And if he does, Romney would have to weigh whether to proceed with his convention or scrap more parts of it ? and cede the limelight to the man who holds the office he wants.

Mindful of the danger of appearing to put politics before safety, Vice President Joe Biden, the Obama campaign's surrogate-in-chief, canceled a campaign swing through Florida on Monday and Tuesday.

Back in Tampa, Romney's convention planners were busy working to cram four carefully scripted days of speechmaking and celebration into just three. The announcement delaying the start of the convention came late Saturday, with Romney mindful of the good politics of putting safety before, well, politics.

"The safety of those in Isaac's path is of the utmost importance," Romney said in a tweet late Saturday.

Insisting on a four-day affair could have put delegates' safety at risk, while tying up law enforcement and emergency officials who otherwise would be dispatched to deal with storm fallout. That would have left a black mark on the convention, with potentially lasting political consequences in a critical battleground state and perhaps elsewhere.

Romney's decision drew praise.

"Governor Romney and his team have handled the situation correctly," former Gov. Bush, a Republican, told The Associated Press. He added: "There is no reason to cancel the event."

Michigan delegate Saul Anuzis agreed, saying: "It's such a huge logistical event, you can't call it off."

The question Romney and his team are weighing: how to proceed with the party while being sensitive to the uncertainty of Isaac and its potential to wreak havoc on the Gulf Coast, which has become a symbol of dysfunctional government under a Republican administration.

Among the considerations: whether to tone down plans to sharply criticize Obama and focus more heavily on Romney's other goal, promoting his own vision. Speakers scheduled for Monday had planned to start making the case against Obama.

"Even though the days will be abbreviated, I absolutely believe we'll be able to get our message out," senior Romney adviser Russ Schriefer, in charge of the convention's planning, said.

Added Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus: "We're moving forward, but we are going to be nimble."

Republican strategists suggested Romney celebrate without going overboard.

"You can tone down the happy-days-are-here-again a bit," said Rich Galen, a veteran Republican consultant in Washington. "Maybe you don't have the biggest balloon drop in history."

___

Associated Press writer Steve Peoples contributed from Wolfeboro, N.H.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-08-26-Romney-Hurricane%20Politics/id-c7c71f57796c4737922e38b7ee6dcfcd

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French police union demands tougher legal action after shootings

LA ROCHELLE, France (Reuters) - A leading French police union called on Saturday for tougher legal measures after three officers were shot and injured in clashes in the Paris suburb of Grigny overnight.

"Criminal determination and the extreme violence of organized gangs in the face of the national police can no longer be trivialized," Nicolas Comte, secretary general of the Unite SGP Police-Force Ouvriere union, said in a statement.

Anyone firing on police should be automatically charged with attempted murder, Comte said.

Riots in Amiens last week put security at the top of the agenda for President Francois Hollande, who needs to take a tough stance on crime without alienating left-wing supporters or reviving memories of his hardline predecessor.

"After Amiens, Grigny, police officers are not going to be able to continue to serve as targets," the union's Comte said.

Friday's violence in Grigny also prompted an attack on the government's law and order policy by the far-right National Front party, which said in a statement that the incident discredited the Socialists.

French Interior Minister Manuel Valls sought to defend the new Socialist government's law and order policies.

"The left must re-establish the Republic's order in those suburbs where there is the law of the jungle," he told Socialist party members at a conference in La Rochelle.

Valls reiterated a pledge this month to roll back cuts under the previous government by adding 500 officers a year from 2013 after the unrest in Amiens which left 17 police injured.

The Alliance police union said Nicolas Sarkozy's government cut about 5,000 police jobs from 2008 to 2012 as it struggled to rein in the deficit during the financial crisis.

(Reporting by Gerard Bon and James Regan; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/french-police-union-demands-tougher-legal-action-shootings-205921110.html

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42% off Danskin Yoga Fitness Kit + shipping included from Icon ...

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How Much Does it Cost?

Recently I was asked how much it costs to homeschool.? How long is a piece of string?? This is quite a difficult question to answer.? Probably the best way is for me to explain what we spend our money on.

Firstly, I should share some background information with you:
~ We are registered to homeschool with the Qld Government, so do not use a distant education provider.
~ I do not keep an exact record of how much I have spent on what.? Maybe I should?
~ During our first year of home educating I went slightly ?crazy? buying all sorts of curriculum?barely use any of it now.? I believe this was a stage I needed to go through to get where I am now.
~ Due to my kids interests, many of the gifts that I buy them can be classed as ?educational?. {Science kits, craft supplies, board games, logic puzzles, construction toys, books etc.}? I don?t really see these as an educational expense as they were given as gifts.
~ We live within our means.? There are many resources, activities and experiences that I?d love to share with the kids, but I also need to watch my spending.? I make the most of free events, the library, second-hand shops, sales, parks, day-to-day life etc.
~ I am home educating 3 children.? When I purchase resources I always keep in mind that they will be used by most, if not all, the kids at some stage.? Sometimes I divide the cost by 3 to get a better idea of home much I?m spending on each child.

Our Expenses

Outsourced Activities:
~ Weekly dance, swimming and piano lessons.
~ Art workshops.
~ Cricket in summer.
Prior to home educating the kids were already attending dance, cricket and swimming lessons.? The piano lessons and art workshops were included this year as per the kids request.? We have cut down in other areas to accomodate them.

Purchased Resources:
~ Stationery {paper, coloured pens & pencils, manilla folders etc. from Big W during back-to-school sale}
~ Art & craft supplies {craft bits & pieces, paints, brushes, joining materials etc. from Big W or cheap shop}
~ Science kits {Ein-O purchased from Toy Outlet}
~ Books {mostly ?how to?s? from the Book Depository or Second-hand book shops}
~ Construction toys & manipulatives {Fishpond or Toy Outlet}
~ Board & card games, puzzles {Big W, Fishpond or Toy Outlet}
~ Audios {history & classic stories from Book Depository or Peacehill Press}
~ PC games {online or Harvey Norman}
~ Magazine subscriptions & purchase a newspaper weekly {we like to provide the kids with a selection of reading materials}
~ Internet connection
~ Printer toner {Office Toner}
At the moment I am not purchasing any curriculum.? We have plenty of texts to refer to, however I find the internet or library a more useful resource.? Also I always try to make resources from what I have on hand.

Out & About:
~ Museums, zoos, theatre productions, various workshops, galleries, library activities, festivals, markets, theme parks, fishing & camping trips etc.
We aim to incorporate many learning experiences {free & paid} into the kid?s days.

Hidden Expenses:
~ Obviously I do not work.? So in most home educating families a second income is forfeited.
~ Higher electricity and water bills.? If you are taking your child out of school, then you will probably notice an increase in these bills as they are spending more time at home.
~ Possible increase in car expenses.? We do a fair bit of travelling for the kids to attend certain events.

Every family income, wants and needs are different.? It?s hard to put a dollar value on it.? I know one mum who budgets $250 per child per year and another $2000 per child per year.? At a ?guestimate?, we?d probably spend the equivilant of paying for the kids to attend the local church school.? However that includes all the kids ?Outsourced Activities? and ?Out & About? experiences.

The time we spend together as a family is priceless!

Source: http://learning-alongside.com/how-much-does-it-cost

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The RNC Leaked a Draft of the Republican Party Platform

The Republican National Committee had a bad start to their Friday night when, just around supper time, Politico's James Hohmann and Tony Romm discovered a draft of the party platform on the RNC's website.?

RELATED: RNC Platform Might Subtly Say Gays Are OK

The draft was pulled shortly after Politico found it, but they were able to save it as a PDF. The RNC wouldn't confirm if what was posted is the final draft of the party platform.?RNC spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski would only tell Politico the final platform "will be made public after the full RNC convention votes on Monday." Rumors about the platform have circled for weeks, but this is the first time we've seen a draft. 112 people met on Monday and Tuesday to review the platform.?

RELATED: Why Romney's Already Responding to Obama's Jobs Ads

The sixteen page document covers everything from leaks to defense spending to human trafficking. If you're one of the people hoping the GOP would say gays are okay, well, prepare to be disappointed. Buried in the in the 'Supporting Our Troops, Standing By Our Heroes' section is the line that will ruin your day. "We will enforce and defend the Defense of Marriage Art (DOMA) in the Armed Forces as well as in the civilian world," it reads.?

RELATED: The Hunt for Mitt Romney's Tax Returns Continues

Check out the whole thing here.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rnc-leaked-draft-republican-party-platform-140336342.html

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