Ron Paul: Blood running in the streets

"Give me a M1 Garand [that is loaded] with black tip A.P. and I'll be able to take care of most any problem." (Indeed. Loved them since military school)
-- Clint Smith
===============

BIAS?

Via A Tangled Web

Gunwalker: Hearing Sending Shockwaves towards White House & Eric Holder

Gun Owners of America
VERBATIM POST
======================

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee conducted another hearing this week on Fast and Furious -- the operation spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) which knowingly put thousands of guns into criminals’ hands.

Tuesday’s hearing exposed the anti-gun animus of several people within the Obama Administration, and their answers continued to beg the question: Was Operation Fast and Furious all about drumming up more support for gun control?

Gun Owners of America met with three persons from the House committee prior to the hearing. The meeting was “off the record,” so we can’t report on the details. Only to say, GOA brought up a hard-and-fast link between the White House and “Fast and Furious” -- and encouraged committee members to pursue a line of questioning that would publicly expose this connection.

We were pleased to see that Representatives did just that. Here’s what Tuesday’s hearing revealed for the record:

1. The White House WAS BEING BRIEFED by Fast and Furious manager Bill Newell. In fact, a “smoking gun” email establishing the clandestine link between ATF Agent Newell and the White House begins with Newell saying: “You didn’t get this from me ….”

2. ATF agents DID KNOW that “Fast and Furious” guns were going to Mexico. During much of the hearing, ATF Agent Newell denied this, but intense questioning by Pennsylvania Republican Patrick Meehan revealed Newell’s lie. The fact is, Newell and others DID KNOW that Mexican cartel bosses were expecting to get illegal firearms funneled into Mexico.

3. ATF agents have been deceptive when they claimed that Operation Fast and Furious was going to provide information for Mexican authorities to prosecute drug kingpins south of the border. Cross-examination revealed that Mexican authorities already knew who the drug kingpins are and that ATF did not share any information with Mexico that would help them bring down these cartels.

4. Under oath, ATF agents admitted that Fast and Furious was a TOTAL break with their normal standards and procedures. Normal police work would mean arresting straw buyers and “flipping them” -- in other words, turning them against their superiors and bringing down the higher-ups in the smuggling ring.

But Fast and Furious involved a complete break with this strategy, in that gun smugglers were allowed to “go free” -- even to the point where the guns were smuggled south of the border and permanently “out of sight” of ATF agents (or Mexican authorities, for that matter). Indeed, one straw buyer bought some 720 guns for his bagman.

So the question is: Why would an anti-gun administration knowingly let guns get into the “wrong hands”? They claim the purpose was to help take down drug cartels in Mexico.

But given the fact that ATF was not sharing information with Mexico … and that they were TOTALLY breaking with standard law-enforcement procedures … and that they knew that “Fast and Furious” guns were winding up at crime scenes in Mexico … another more likely explanation is raising its ugly head.

The better explanation is that anti-gun officials in the Administration were trying to bring disrepute upon our Second Amendment freedoms and that this would lead to calls for more gun control.

Remember Rahm Emanuel’s famous line: “Don’t let a crisis go to waste?”

Well, it seems that the Obama Administration was doing whatever it could to create a crisis that would supposedly show that most of the Mexican crime guns were originating in U.S. gun stores.

The Washington Times picked up on this obvious motive earlier this month:

The White House often claimed that 90 percent of the weapons used in Mexican crimes had been traced to the United States, but the number has never been substantiated. By all appearances, Fast and Furious delivered statistics to back up the figure. (“Too fast, Too Furious,” July 13, 2011.)

Apparently, the ATF was not the only organization involved in Fast and Furious. Tuesday’s hearing confirmed that the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement were all involved.

In other words, Fast and Furious was a giant operation being run out of the Justice Department. And that means that all roads are starting to point to Attorney General Eric Holder.

As stated by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Darrell Issa:

How is it that the Number Two, Three, Four at Justice all knew about this Program but the Number One [Attorney General Eric Holder] didn’t? Is it because he said “don’t tell me”? Is it because they knew what they were doing was wrong and they were protecting their boss? Or is it just that Eric Holder was so disconnected ….

Either Holder is lying about the fact he didn’t know early on about Fast and Furious or he is inept. Either way, Eric Holder needs to step down.

We asked you earlier this month to urge your Senators to call for Holder’s forced retirement. It’s now time to communicate this to the House.

ACTION: Ask your Representative to call for Eric Holder’s resignation. And don’t forget to circulate this alert to your pro-gun family and friends.

Click here to send your Representative a prewritten email.

Quartzsite, from the get-go

Owing to my work career as a jewelry designer, I had known about Quartzsite’s famous desert-sprawling mineral show which happens each winter. The American jewelry industry is well aware of Quartzsite’s remarkable mineral and gem show. The show has a good reputation and is attended by large numbers of jewelers from around America. Many swing from the Quartzsite show right into the Tucson show, which is the world’s largest gem, mineral, jewelry and fossil show. Having had businesses in both manufacturing and retail ends of the jewelry industry, I for many years knew people who traded at Quartzsite.

But I did not know about the possibility of some outlaw from Ohio or South Carolina hiding out under an alias while working in the camel stables at Arizona back in the 1850s.

Did I say “camel stables”? In Arizona? Yep. There is a really cute little tidbit of southwest American history waiting for you at this link:

http://www.outwestnewspaper.com/camels.html

Here is a teaser – [quoting] “…in 1855 when Secretary of War Jefferson Davis was told of an innovative plan to import camels to help build and supply a Western wagon route from Texas to California. It was a dry, hot and otherwise hostile region, not unlike the camel’s natural terrain in the Middle East.

“Davis, convinced of the idea, proposed a Camel Military Corps to Congress. “For military purposes, and for reconnaissances, it is believed the dromedary would supply a want now seriously felt in our service,” he explained.

“Congress agreed and appropriated $30,000.

“Major Henry Wayne was sent to the Middle East where he bought 33 of the animals. With much difficulty, they were loaded onto a Navy ship (with part of its deck modified to accommodate the large creatures) and transported to Texas. There Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale took over. Forty-four more camels arrived later.” [end quote]

Camel Monument Quartzsite

But while the camel caravans are now just old history, a new type of caravan musters at Qaurtzsite each winter. An “RV Big Tent” show rolls into tiny Quartzsite well before the mineral show. The camp crowd which shows up each winter in their RVs and Motor-homes and Campers can swell the town’s population from under its customary four thousand citizens to more than a hundred thousand. This annual flock of snowbirds descends upon little Quartzsite and turns the desert into what is sometimes billed as “the world’s largest desert parking lot”.

Quartzsite Big Tent RV Show

So we see that Quartzsite has some interesting color in its desert culture. And now on July 20, 2011, I sit to write about another story in Quartzsite. It had been playing around in my head since mid-June, a month earlier, and today I knew I had to start writing it. I had received a call from a gentleman who lives in Quartzsite, Arizona, who told me quite a desert-styled tale of intrigues and overt corruption.

That call in June was unbelievable, but I would soon become a believer. You probably will too.

That is when this story started for me – when a guy called back in June of 2011. (Let’s call him “Daryl”, which is not his name but will serve to protect his anonymity.)

Daryl was highly concerned, worried. Yet he was composed and coherent. He was obviously accustomed to speaking with people. His voice carried concern without sacrificing his poise as a man of dignity. But there was urgency in his voice, and he could not hide it. He was reaching out for help.

Daryl spoke of ten Quartzsite police officers who had compiled 200 pages of written allegations against various members of local government, including the Chief of Police in Quartzsite and the City Council. He spoke of the Mayor of Quartzsite being arrested by the Chief of Police. The Chief of Police is alleged to be corrupt.

He had previously read coverage of the Oath Keepers ceremony at the Jose Guerena memorial on May 30, Memorial Day 2011, at Tucson, Arizona, and he thought of Oath Keepers in his personal moment of stress. Learn why he would naturally think of Oath Keepers by reading, in case you missed this, here –

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Criminal, Marxist proposed new farm regulations

Via Rich

NEWS CHANNEL 25
VERBATIM POST
======================

WACO - For many in rural Central Texas, it's one of their most enduring memories of childhood: Their first time behind the wheel of the family tractor.

The time-honored initiation into working the family farm could one day be a thing of the past, with discussions underway in Washington to require operators of farm equipment to have a commercial driver's license, or CDL.

Ned Meister's work in agriculture began similarly at the age of ten. Meeting with News Channel 25 Wednesday at the Texas Farm Bureau, Meister explained the critical role of family on the farm.

"The vast majority of our farms are family farms, operators of equipment are usually family members, and if [those changes] were to take place, that would eliminate some of the family participation in the farm operation."

On his farm just outside the town of McGregor, Rodney Schmalriede grew up helping his father. His son has grown up the same way, and with farmers facing tougher times than ever, Schmalriede is glad for the help.

"Right now I've got my young son, he's 11 years old -- can drive that tractor like a pro -- and my dad who will be 80 this year," explains Schmalriede, "And I've got to have their help."

Concerned with the amount of farm equipment making short hops between fields and down public roadways, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is considering whether or not to classify agricultural machines like tractors as "commercial vehicles," requiring a CDL to operate.

The requirements would subject farmers to the same rules governing truck drivers, requiring them to keep logs and limit their hours.

Farmers also fear the prospect of replacing family help with expensive professional drivers, something that could end up costing everyone -- if it doesn't break the bank.

"When you consider salaries and benefits and all the other things that go with hiring people that otherwise would have been doing by your family, well it's just a more expensive proposal," says Meister.

As public hearings on the issue are expected to continue, many like Schmalriede see it as more evidence of a meddling government interfering with the lives of rural America.

"I think they're idiots," says Schmalriede. (So, do I, Sir to be polite about it.) "All we see in the news all the time is some idiot decision that they've made again. I think half the problem that this country's in right now is because of all the regulations they're trying to put on everything."

Many others shake their heads at what they see as a bureaucracy that seems out of touch.

"We have lost our understanding of rural life and agriculture," explains Meister. "I'm not saying that anything's malicious at all, but they just don't understand." (I say there is, period.)

Rand Paul on the debt ceiling

Via PUMABydesign

Bill Would Force Intel Chief to Renounce ‘Secret Patriot Act’

For months, two Senators have screamed bloody murder that the government holds a secret legal interpretation of the Patriot Act so broad that it amounts to a whole different law giving the feds massive domestic surveillance powers. Now, a measure by Sens. Ron Wyden and Mark Udall would force the U.S. intelligence chief, and by extension the entire intelligence community, to admit that they went too far in their Patriot Act interpretations — if they don’t find a way to wiggle out of it.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence meets Thursday to prepare the annual bill authorizing the U.S. intelligence agency’s operations. During that “mark-up” process, Wyden and Udall will ask their colleagues to include a measure compelling the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General to produce a “detailed assessment of the problems posed by the reliance of government agencies” (.pdf) on “interpretations of domestic surveillance authorities that are inconsistent with the understanding of such authorities by the public.” Wyden’s staff provided Danger Room with a copy of the proposed amendment.

Specifically, Attorney General Eric Holder and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper would have to produce “a plan for addressing such problems” with secret legal interpretations regarding the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Patriot Act, the government’s two most important domestic spying laws.

MORE

Glock full auto explosive ammo

Gunwalker: Investors Business Daily, The White House Knew

Via Sipsey Street Irregulars

Investors.com
VERBATIM POST
=====================

Scandal: A former ATF special agent tells Congress a National Security Council staffer was informed about Operation Fast and Furious before guns allowed into Mexico wound up at the murder scene of a U.S. agent.

The latest evidence that both the White House and attorney general knew and approved of Project Gunrunner and its deadly offshoot, Operation Fast and Furious, came this week in the testimony of William Newell, ATF special agent in charge of the Phoenix office, before Rep. Darrell Issa's House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

That the "stench of cover-up," as Fox News analyst Brit Hume described the administration's handling of the matter, may reach even into the Oval Office itself was evidenced by Newell's testimony that he communicated with Kevin O'Reilly, a staffer on President Obama's National Security Council, about Operation Fast and Furious in September 2010.

O'Reilly was national security director for North America tasked with monitoring the activities of Mexican drug cartels. We are asked to believe he inquired about a program that was providing the cartels with guns but kept what he found out to himself.

That date, by the way, is three months before weapons permitted to "walk" into Mexico were found at the scene in Arizona were U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered. Newell said O'Reilly had inquired about the status of Project Gunrunner to brief administration officials before a trip to Mexico.

Newell sent O'Reilly the requested information with the caveat, "You didn't get this from me."

Why was a National Security Council staffer asking about an operation that no one in the upper echelons of the administration was supposed to be aware of? We find it hard to believe it was for O'Reilly's personal amusement. Why would Newell request that he not be acknowledged as the source?

Certainly the whole area of drug cartels, cross-border violence and gun trafficking are matters of national security. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made a cause celebre of blaming the easy access to U.S. weapons for Mexican violence.

Are we to believe neither the White House nor the Department of Justice knew about a program that made that access even easier?

Administration officials have taken the Sgt. Schultz "we knew nothing" approach to any inquiries, only to be tripped up by their own words and actions.

Newell's email to O'Reilly is evidence that at least one person in the White House did.

Additional information on IQ of teachers

Via Matthew

The Audacious Epigone

Validating stereotypes since 2005.

=============================
N = Total sample size

Level	IQ	N
College/University	114.6	110
High school	107.4	150
K-8th grade	107.4	369
Special ed.	105.9	18
Other	107.2	95

Level (whites only)	IQ	N
College/university	116.0	101
High school	109.3	133
K-8th grade	109.0	321
Special ed.	109.4	15
Other	108.7	84

Race	IQ	N
White	110.1	653
Black	95.3	49
Other	96.7	40

NC 's Woman’s Right to Know becomes law after Senate veto override

Good job!
================

Raleigh, N.C. – A bill that will inform and protect women grappling with unplanned pregnancies became law Thursday when the North Carolina Senate overrode Gov. Beverly Perdue’s veto.

House Bill 854, The Woman’s Right to Know Act, requires a 24-hour waiting period for women considering abortions and ensures they receive information from doctors about adoption and other alternatives. Numerous states have similar laws.

According to the General Assembly’s nonpartisan Fiscal Research staff, the law will reduce the number of abortions in North Carolina by about 10 percent.

But the law does not prevent women from getting abortions.

“The governor was wrong to play politics with this legislation by pandering to the abortion on demand crowd,” said Senator Thom Goolsby (R-New Hanover). “The fact is the law will make abortions safer and rarer--two things everyone claims to support.”

“The Woman’s Right to Know Act ensures a fully-educated choice than with the current system, which allows women to be pressured into traumatic, split-second decisions,” Goolsby said. “This is a victory for women, a victory for unborn children, and a victory for the state.”

"FINAL ARMAGEDDON UNLESS WASHINGTON GETS ITS BAR TAB RAISED ANOTHER TRILLION. Or something."

IOWAHAWK
VERBATIM POST
====================

I know the consequences of failing to do so are too horrible to contemplate, but I went ahead and contemplated them anyway. This resulted in a bunch of 140-characters-or-less prophesies for the Twitter hashtag #ConsequencesofDefault, which I have edited and compiled for your edification. If my inner Nostradamus is any guide, the post-apocalyptic future of August 3, 2011 looks grim indeed:

Beltway policy experts begin living by own wits; after 45 minutes there are no survivors.

Roving bands of outlaws stalk our streets, selling incandescent bulbs to vulnerable children.

Unregulated mohair prices at the whim of unscrupulous mohair speculators.

NPR news segments no longer buffered by soothing zither interludes.

Breadlines teeming with jobless Outreach Coordinators, Diversity Liaisons, and Sustainability Facilitators.

Cowboy poetry utterly lacking in metre.

General Motors unfairly forced to build cars that people want, for a profit.

Chaos reigns at Goldman Sachs, who no longer knows who to bribe with political donations.

Mankind's dream of high speed government rail service between Chicago and Iowa City tragically dies.

Sesame Street descends into Mad Maxian anarchy; Oscar the Grouch fashions shivs out the letter J and the number 4

No longer protected by government warning labels, massive wave of amputations from people sticking limbs into lawn mowers

New York devolves into a dystopian hellscape of sugared cola moonshiners, salty snackhouses and tobacco dens.

At-risk Mexican drug lords forced to buy own machine guns.

Chevy Volt rebate checks bounce, stranded owners more than 50 miles from outlet.

WH communications office reduced to sending talking points to Media Matters via smoke signals and log drums.

Potential 5-year old terrorists head to boarding gates ungroped.

Defenseless mortgage holders forced to live in houses they can actually afford.

Without college loan program, America loses an entire generation of Marxist Dance Theorists.

Embarrassing state dinners, as Obamas are forced to downgrade from Wagyu to Kobe beef.

President Obama places tarp over Washington Monument to conceal from Chinese repo men.

With the Dept of Ed shuttered, national school quality plummets to 1960s levels.:):)

Anthony Weiner is forced to pay for own sex addiction therapy.

Displaced teenaged policy wonks organize under Supreme Warlord Ezra Klein.

Nation's freeway exits croweded with desperate bureaucrats waving 'will regulate for food' signs.

State Department diplomacy becomes 38% less diplomatic.

WH holds rummage sale Rose Garden; all HOPE merchandise, styrofoam Greek columns 95% off.

AA-12 Fully Automatic Shotgun

Via Sipsey Street Irregulars

LANGUAGE

Police beat and taser ‘gentle’ mentally-ill homeless man to death

Via California Tree of Liberty

"The only thing we have left of our son is the blood in the gutter, that’s all we have left."

Speaking about his son’s death, Thomas’s dad, Ron Thomas, a former sheriff’s deputy, said: ‘His death was gang-involved, the way I see it. A gang of rogue officers who brutally beat my son to death.’

He said he now feels ashamed for having ever been a law enforcement officer.
=======================================================

Radicals are Running the Government

All this talk about blaming conservatives for the Norwegian madness has made me go retro – back to the glory days of the 1960s. On the cover of the book Revolution for the Hell of It (1968), the author is shown with a rifle in his hand leaping for joy. Abbie Hoffman’s rhetoric about revolution was just a warm-up. In Steal This Book(1971), he gave instructions on how to build stink bombs, smoke bombs, sterno bombs, aerosol bombs, pipe bombs, and Molotov Cocktails. Hoffman’s updated version of the Molotov Cocktail consisted of a glass bottle filled with a mixture of gasoline and Styrofoam, turning the slushy blend into a poor man’s version of napalm. The flaming gasoline-soaked Styrofoam was designed to stick to policemen when it exploded. Helpful drawings on how to make the incendiary devices were included.

In Woodstock Nation, Hoffman updated his revolutionary tactics. This time, Random House published his book. Next to the publisher’s name on the title page, there is an illustration of a man using dynamite to blow up a house. This same illustration appears in Hoffman’s Steal This Book. The theme of both books is how to blow up the system—literally. “Righteous violence” was rationalized by the front-line New Left leadership in the 1960s: “The use of violence was justified, many in the New Left comforted themselves, because theirs was a violence to end all violence, a liberating and righteous violence that would rid the world of a system that deformed and destroyed people. Such glorious ends justified, even ennobled, violent means.

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Global warming scam update: Arctic scientist under investigation

Via The Feral Irishman

• 

A federal wildlife biologist whose observation that polar bears likely drowned in the Arctic helped galvanize the global warming movement seven years ago was placed on administrative leave as officials investigate scientific misconduct allegations.

While it wasn't clear what the exact allegations are, a government watchdog group representing Anchorage-based scientist Charles Monnett said investigators have focused on his 2004 journal article about the bears that garnered worldwide attention.

MORE

Greensboro "Flash Mob" Beating Investigated By Police

Via Rebellion

National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 07-27-11

Injustice Everywhere

• New York NY police accused of excessive force & false arrests against Uruguayan soccer fans celebrating match [3] http://ow.ly/1v2cJA

• St Louis MO police sgt retires instead of facing discipline for telling cop in video beating case not to file report [1] http://ow.ly/1v3R3E

• Chicago IL settles suit for $6.5mil to families of 8 & 11yr-old kids run over by an unmarked police car [0] http://ow.ly/1v3CGf

• 10 Bay Area Rapid Transit CA cops subject of suit alleging they beat & falsely arrested man because of ringtone [3] http://ow.ly/1v3CvK

• Oklahoma State trooper charged w/assault for allegedly kicking a cuffed detainee in the testicles after chase, this after he allegedly looked around and asked other officers if anyone had their cameras on. [0] http://ow.ly/1v3sm3

• Paterson NJ settles suit for $50k to man claiming cops used excessive force in incident that sparked Muslim rallies [2] http://ow.ly/1v2mBo

• Wheeler WI police chief arrested on multiple charges for allegedly using position to have sexual contact w/teen boys [0] http://ow.ly/1v2To6

• Tuscola Co MI deputy arrested on multiple charges after year-long investigation into sexual misconduct w/detainee he was transporting [1] http://ow.ly/1v3rjk

• Tuscaloosa Co AL deputy charged w/civil rights violations for allegedly using taser to punish 3 jail inmates [0] http://ow.ly/1v2TTl

• Springfield MA cop fined & gets 3mo suspension after pleading guilty to assaulting 2 superior officers at HQ [0] http://ow.ly/1v3rUi

• Clark Co NV School Dist police accused of partying w/teens then covering it up after teen’s fatal DUI crash [3] http://ow.ly/1v3BEA

• Detroit MI cop suspended while investigated for allegedly embezzling money, 2nd so far in 2mo [0] http://ow.ly/1v3s2z

• Atlanta GA cop accused of not telling dept about being arrested in SC on intent to kill & firearms charges [1] http://ow.ly/1v3rwt

• Ruidoso NM cop gets suspended sentence & probation for posing as general to get military leave from work [0] http://ow.ly/1v2Tu2

• Houston TX cop arrested on allegations he accepted a $2,000 bribe to protect vehicle transporting cocaine [0] http://ow.ly/1v2SUs

• Soccorro TX ISD cop arrested on drunk driving charges, school keeps him on duty because they say there’s no law that forces them to suspend him [0] http://ow.ly/1v3rEz

• Shallotte NC cop arrested on insurance fraud charges involving false statements about auto accident [0] http://ow.ly/1v2TcH

• Kingsport TN police officer resigns when arrested on a sealed indictment, no further details released [1] http://ow.ly/1v2zG9

• Sweetwater County WY sheriff’s dept subject of unspecified state criminal investigation [2] http://ow.ly/1v3M8n

• Portland OR cop gets community service in plea deal after civil compromise over DA objection in DUI crash case [0] http://ow.ly/1v3Myc

• London ON cop investigated after news crew apparently films her sleeping in cruiser at scene of house fire [0] http://ow.ly/1v3rLE

Gunwalker: Issa to Newell "Are they lying or are you lying?"

Via Sipsey Street Irregulars

Newell is lying through his teeth and should see the inside of prison.

Appropriations Committee calls for independent Gunwalker investigation

The Congressional Research Service recently released another in a series of “Gun Control Legislation” reports by William J. Krouse, Specialist in Domestic Security and Crime Policy. While the entire report is an invaluable guide for understanding the scope and nature of related firearms control issues being considered by Congress, the report references a recommendation of particular interest to those following the “Project Gunwalker” (Operation Fast and Furious) story. From page 30 of the report (page 34 in the pdf file):

As called for originally by Senator Grassley, the House Appropriations Committee included report language in the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill (H.R. 2596; H. Rept. 112-169) that recommends the appointment of “an outside, independent investigator,” who would be charged with conducting “a thorough investigation of the allegations against ATF with respect to Operation Fast and Furious and policies guiding this and similar operations.” In addition, the House committee called on both DOJ and ATF to cooperate fully with related oversight investigations, whether they be conducted by congressional committees, the DOJ OIG, or an independent investigator.

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Isn't the $outhern Poverty Law Center the Real Hate Group?

Via Don

Human Events
VERBATIM POST
========================

For many years now, Focus on the Family (FOTF) has been one of the most respected and influential evangelical ministries in the country, and so it came as quite a shock when, earlier this month, FOTF’s traditional, pro-family views were deemed so extreme that TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie, himself a member of an evangelical church, decided to break ties with them. He stated, “Had I known the full extent of Focus on the Family’s beliefs, I would not have accepted the invitation to speak at their event.”

Prior to his apology, Mycoskie had been blasted for his association with FOTF, and a blogger on the radically leftist Daily Kos website complained “that Mycoskie and his company TOMS supports one of the quintessential hate groups, Focus on the Family, which was named as a Hate Group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.” Focus on the Family a “quintessential hate group”?

If it’s any consolation, FOTF is not alone. When Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced a stadium prayer event to be held on Aug. 6, he came under heavy and immediate fire, not just over an alleged violation of the separation of church and state, but also because he was cooperating with the American Family Association (AFA), another so-called hate group. Yes, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has branded the organization founded by Don Wildmon, best known for his calls for boycotts over morally offensive programming and advertising, as a hate group. (To be technical, the SPLC labeled them an “anti-gay group” but featured them on the same list with the other “hate groups.” Since then, the liberal media, almost without exception, has labeled the AFA an SPLC-designated hate group. And because the SPLC in the past labeled FOTF an “anti-gay group,” they too are considered to be on the SPLC’s hate group list.)

What is the SPLC’s criteria for such extreme charges? It claims that the groups in question (which include the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America) knowingly disseminate false information and demonizing propaganda about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, as documented by them (I use the word “documented” lightly) in their report “10 Anti-Gay Myths Debunked,” published late last year.

And while the report itself is nothing new, what is new is that its findings are now coming to national attention through these recent events. And many people, rather than questioning the SPLC, are instead questioning these venerable family organizations. Perhaps it is time to ask this question: Is it the SPLC that should be designated a hate group? Are they the ones spreading false information and demonizing propaganda about other groups, thereby defaming their good names and placing them in the ranks of the KKK and neo-Nazis?

It should first be recalled that the actual SPLC report was terribly flawed, as I and a number of others pointed out. For example, based on the report, if you state that kids do best when raised by a mom and dad (as opposed to two moms or two dads), you are propagating a known falsehood. Or if you agree with the many therapists and psychologists who argue that a child’s upbringing and early-life experiences (including being sexually abused) play a major role in the development of his or her sexual orientation, you are propagating a known falsehood. The same is true if you claim that hate crime laws could lead to the arresting of pastors who criticize homosexuality (this has already happened in Sweden, England and Canada), or if you argue that it would be detrimental to the military to have gays serving openly. Yes, according to the SPLC, disseminating such views officially constitutes “hate.”

All of which begs the question: Is the SPLC, by its own criteria, the real hate group? It still carries weight in plenty of circles here in America, and so when it categorizes an organization as a hate group, many people of good conscience are influenced by that designation, one which is quite stigmatizing and destructive, as evidenced by the recent events involving FOTF and AFA mentioned above. Yet it is the leaders of the SPLC who are either irresponsibly attacking other fine organizations, or worse still, knowingly defaming them.

Who then deserves the title of “hate group,” Focus on the Family or the Southern Poverty Law Center? Who has been guilty of demonizing others and spreading hurtful, inaccurate information? Whose actions and words have been hateful? The record speaks for itself.

---

Michael Brown is host of the daily, syndicated talk radio show "The Line of Fire."

Escalation in Arizona: Firearms confiscated

Via ojibwa

Residents of the Arizona town that has become a YouTube sensation after police forcibly removed a woman speaking at a recent public meeting are now experiencing firearms confiscation by the government.

The stunning action is taking place in Quartzsite, Ariz., where Town Councilman Joe Winslow has prompted the seizure of guns from local gem dealer and online entrepreneur Michael Roth because Roth allegedly glared at the councilman, blocked his entrance to Town Hall and called him a "turd."

Karen Slaughter, the elected justice of the peace for the region, issued a harassment injunction against Roth on behalf of Winslow, the lawmaker who called for the silencing of pet groomer and publisher Jennifer Jones in the infamous video.

That original video of the June 28 town-hall fiasco posted on YouTube has been viewed more than 120,000 times.

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Slowly & Carefully The H.L. Hunley Is Set Upright

Workers on the port side of the Hunley check their chain falls for the next incremental shift of the Confederate submarine in its journey from a 45-degree list to starboard to being upright.
======================================

“It looks so much more menacing,” was marine archaeologist Benjamin Rennison’s impression of Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley’s new look after it was rotated in June.

Rennison participated in the ship’s rotation, which took place from June 22 to June 27. It took a total of 23 people working from roughly 8 to 5 each day for four days. They had to get it right the first time, because there is only one Hunley.

The Hunley had not been upright since it sank following its successful attack on the USS Housatonic on Feb. 17, 1864. The Hunley was the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat, but it was not seen again until its discovery in 1995 just outside the mouth of Charleston Harbor.

The Hunley has been at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center since its recovery from the sea on Aug. 8, 2000.

The Hunley was discovered at a 45-degree list to starboard in 1995 and was kept at that angle during and after it was recovered, and has been housed the same way in the conservation center.

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H.L. Hunley Funeral/Parade





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Hunley Ball Ready To Go ============================== Hunley Ball 1:30 AM

New SOF dirt bike emerges

Military.com
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In the last year or so it seems that Special Operations Forces are finally parting ways with the conventional military by getting away from cumbersome armored systems and moving back towards gear and equipment that emphasis light weight and maneuverability.

From Christini.com:

All Wheel Drive has been proven to substantially enhance performance of off-road motorcycles even under the most demanding conditions. You can easily conquer the gnarliest hills, ruts, mud, roots, and logs that would cause havoc on a conventional motorcycle. The Christini AWD system also dramatically improves cornering and straight-line stability on all surfaces. The AWD system makes the motorcycle noticeably easier to ride and substantially reduces rider fatigue, allowing you to ride faster for longer periods of time. The AWD system can be turned on and off with a simple flip of the engagement switch. The mechanical Christini AWD system provides distinct advantages without compromising the performance of the motorcycle. Power that would otherwise be lost due to wheel spin is transferred immediately to the front wheel. The system adds just 15 lbs additional weight and has a power loss of less than 1/10th hp.

The Christini AWD system has been extensively race tested and has a proven track record of reliability in World Enduro, GNCC, Endurocross, Red Bull Last Man Standing, and Hare scrambles. The system is easily maintained and does not require any special tools.

Although the tactical employment of these vehicles cannot be revealed at this point due to OPSEC considerations, it is known that this dirt bike has garnered high phrase in several Special Operations units. It isn’t difficult to see why, the Christini system appears robust, rugged, and easy to repair in austere environments, in other words, perfect for unconventional military units.

Kit Up! contributor Jack Murphy is a former Ranger and Special Forces Soldier and is the author of the military thriller Reflexive Fire.

Satan and Grandma - Grascals with lyrics HD - Their first video

Via Billy

Mankiller

Via Blue’s Blog & Thoughts Aloud
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When a woman wears a black leather dress,

a man’s heart beats quicker,

and his throat gets dry,

he goes weak in the knees,

and he begins to think irrationally…

Ever wonder why?

It’s because she smells like a new truck.

Now, add a drop of No. 2 Diesel behind one ear,

and a drop of Hoppe’s #9 behind the other;

and we are talking about an irresistible Mankiller!

ON BECOMING A RESILIENT INDIVIDUAL

Via Global Guerrillas
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Resilient individuals don't just survive, they thrive. They do well during good times and bad. It doesn't matter what life throws at them.

Becoming resilient should be the goal of any sane person in this increasingly crazy world.

Unfortunately, it isn't easy. Resilience isn't found in a location. It isn't contained in a product or package that you can buy.

It's a state of mind. A way of thinking only achieved through hard work. It's something you assemble one step at a time.

Steps like getting trained in a new skill. Mastering a body of knowledge. Attaining a level of physical fitness. Completing an ambitious do-it-yourself project. Bonding with other people that are on their own quest for resilience. Starting a new venture or company.

Making the choice to become resilient is the first step.

If the Military Really Defended Our Freedoms

Via Fight the Power

then, says a reader, "why have they not bombed Washington D.C. into oblivion? Curious that the greatest threat to the freedom of Americans remains unmolested by these freedom fighters."

Ten Years Ago Portugal Legalized All Drugs -- What Happened Next? Drug use plunged dramatically

Via DumpDC

The government in Portugal has no plans to back down. Although the Netherlands is the European country most associated with liberal drug laws, it has already been ten years since Portugal became the first European nation to take the brave step of decriminalizing possession of all drugs within its borders—from marijuana to heroin, and everything in between.

This controversial move went into effect in June of 2001, in response to the country’s spiraling HIV/AIDS statistics. While many critics in the poor and largely conservative country attacked the sea change in drug policy, fearing it would lead to drug tourism while simultaneously worsening the country’s already shockingly high rate of hard drug use, a report published in 2009 by the Cato Institute tells a different story.

Glenn Greenwald, the attorney and author who conducted the research, told Time: “Judging by every metric, drug decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success. It has enabled the Portuguese government to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually every other Western country."

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