Rand Paul: No, I didn’t flip-flop on domestic drone use

 

Whatever, you blew it man.

Following reports that Sen. Rand Paul had changed his position on drone use, the Kentucky Republican responded with a statement Tuesday night insisting he hasn’t flip-flopped on the issue.
Earlier on Tuesday, Paul, who launched a dramatic speaking filibuster in March to oppose the potential use of domestic drones on American citizens, appeared on the Fox Business Network with Neil Cavuto and appeared to suggest that drones can reasonably be used in some domestic situations. 

“I’ve never argued against any technology being used when you have an imminent threat, an active crime going on,” Paul told Cavuto, responding to a question about the Boston Marathon manhunt. “If someone comes out of a liquor store with a weapon and 50 dollars in cash, I don’t care if a drone kills him or a policeman kills him. But it’s different if they want to fly over your hot tub or your yard just because they want to do surveillance on everyone, and they want to watch your activities.” 

(WEAK, weak, weak.) 

 Paul attempted to clarify his remarks later in the day.

“My comments last night left the mistaken impression that my position on drones had changed,” Paul said in the Tuesday night statement. “Let me be clear: it has not. Armed drones should not be used in normal crime situations. They only may only be considered in extraordinary, lethal situations where there is an ongoing, imminent threat. I described that scenario previously during my Senate filibuster.”

(Attempted, but no banana.)

“Additionally, surveillance drones should only be used with warrants and specific targets,” he added. “Fighting terrorism and capturing terrorists must be done while preserving our constitutional protections. This was demonstrated last week in Boston. As we all seek to prevent future tragedies, we must continue to bear this in mind.”

(Good Lord, man talk about inserting you foot in your mouth twice.  Your father is ashamed, as am I.)

More @ The Daily Caller

Fragments of Iceland

Via Daily Timewaster

Beautiful in full screen.

Court Packed with Romeike Supporters

 

HSLDA

VERBATIM

At 2:00 p.m. today, the Romeike family appeared before a three-judge panel in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati seeking asylum under United States law. The courtroom overflowed with homeschooling families who turned out in support of the family, forcing many people to stand in the back. The entire hearing took about 38 minutes, 8 minutes longer than allotted.

“The ultimate issues,” argued HSLDA Chairman and lead counsel Mike Farris, “are about whether our government believes that the freedom to homeschool is something that can be coercively changed and whether Germany’s values should dictate our values.”

Although their entire future is swirling around them, the Romeike family seemed calm, Farris observed. He attributed their peace to a deep trust in God.

He summarized the day by saying, “Tough questions were asked on both sides, and it’s hard to predict the outcome. But I also remember arguing a case before a California court in 2008 and being convinced that we had lost. We ended up winning unanimously. So I know God can intervene.”

Stay tuned for more details on this case.

"Another Zoomie Find"

Via WRSA

 

Damn , he's a good finder for a Yankee.........

 

=========

Caution:  Foul language, but for a Yankee,  has promise. 

 

Zoomie

=========

 

Student arrested for wearing NRA tshirt to school returns to school wearing the same shirt!

Via Ninety Miles From Tyranny

Reward

Via Ninety Miles From Tyranny

NC: Make Sure to Hold Senator Kay Hagan Accountable

 

Last Wednesday was generally a good day for the Second Amendment.

Sadly, your Senator Kay Hagan was more interested in doing the bidding of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg than of representing the people who elected her.  Her vote for the Toomey-Manchin-Schumer national gun registry amendment was particularly disappointing.

 

She may try to claim that this amendment was a mild imposition on gun owners which only applied to gun show and internet sales.  She may also claim that she voted for protections against gun owner registration.

 

But in fact, by voting for the Toomey-Manchin-Schumer text, Senator Hagan voted to:

 

• Impose, for the first time ever, a ban on many, many private sales of firearms - requiring buyers to first get permission from the government;
• Sweep virtually ALL private gun sales into the background check system, as all gun sales advertised on a bulletin or the Internet would be covered;
• Expand the framework for a massive, national gun registry by adding millions of private gun sales into the NICS system; and,
• Weaken privacy protections, making it more likely that health records information could deny guns to millions of Americans - in a manner similar to the more than 150,000 military veterans who have already been denied for ailments such as PTSD.

 

ACTION:  Contact Senator Kay Hagan and let her know how disgusted you are about her vote for gun control.

 

You can email her by using her webform at:  http://www.hagan.senate.gov/contact

 

Make sure you select the “Topic” as “Second Amendment.”

----- Pre-written letter -----

Dear Senator Hagan:

I am disgusted about your votes for gun control on April 17.

Senators Toomey, Manchin and Schumer may have told you that their amendment was a mild imposition on gun owners which only applied to gun show and internet sales.  But in fact, by voting for the Toomey-Manchin-Schumer text, you voted to:

 

* Impose, for the first time ever, a ban on many, many private sales of firearms - requiring buyers to first get permission from the government;

 

* Sweep virtually ALL private gun sales into the background check system, as all gun sales advertised on a bulletin or the Internet would be covered;

 

* Expand the framework for a massive, national gun registry by adding millions of private gun sales into the NICS system; and,

 

* Weaken privacy protections, making it more likely that health records information could deny guns to millions of Americans - in a manner similar to the more than 150,000 military veterans who have already been denied for ailments such as PTSD.

You seemed more interested in doing the will of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg than of representing the people who elected you.

Perhaps Bloomberg can give you a job when your seat is given to a Second Amendment supporter next year.

 

Sincerely,

$20K upped to $40K Reward for NB Forrest's Bust

 

Hi Brock,

The total reward is now at $40,000. We have had another private donor contribute an additional $20,000. 

Thanks!

Pat

=======================================================

In Defense of Gen. Forrest

Old article below stating the same old lie that  "........served as a Grand Wizard in the Klu Klux Klan."

 More than two weeks after it was first reported missing, the bust from the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue in Live Oak Cemetery is still missing. But now, supporters of the monument are putting plenty of money behind their efforts to both find the bust and those responsible for its theft.

Tuesday, The Friends of Forrest, the group that originally funded the monument’s creation in 2000, announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the “arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this crime.”

“Understanding that the history and heritage of the many people groups who make up the state of Alabama are intertwined to form the common bonds of the people of Alabama, it is the belief of the Friends of Forrest that all history must be preserved and protected for future generations,” the organization said in a press release Tuesday.

“The Friends of Forrest strongly condemn this attack and call for all persons to stand against any attack on our common history, its monuments or memorials.

                                                                      More @ Selma Times

2 men charged in grave robbery of the remains of an infant casket and the corpses of five Confederate and Revolutionary War soldiers

Via Carl

I can't think of a severe enough punishment for these despicable individuals.

 

 The iron casket of a 14-month-old was removed at Old Church Cemetery in Burke County. 

Jerry Atkinson, 39, and Ralph Hillis Jr. could face up to five years in prison if convicted of the seldom-used felony charge of malicious removal of the dead from a grave. The charges were filed by the Burke County Sheriff’s Office.

Hillis, who goes by the nickname “Bubba,” was in custody in Richmond County on Monday night, but Atkinson remained at large, said Burke County Sheriff Greg Coursey.

Burke County deputies searched Atkinson’s Morris Village home Monday off Georgia Highway 24, where a methamphetamine lab was discovered, Coursey said. More charges are expected in the case.
The desecration of five graves at Old Church Cemetery was discovered April 13 when Roy Bell, the commander of American Legion Post 120, the memorial’s caretaker, went to the burial grounds to mow the grass.

Bell said he found parts of an old uniform on the ground and at least five graves looted.

More @ The Augusta Chronicle

Blood on the White House

Nathan Bedford Forrest & The Jubilee of Pole Bearers

Re-post NamSouth 2007

 

Memphis Daily Avalanche, July 6, 1875,

July 4, 1875 - Memphis, Tennessee -

General Forrest was invited to speak by a political and social organization in the post-war era comprised of Black Southerners. Miss Lou Lewis was introduced to General Forrest then presented him with a bouquet of flowers and said: "Mr. Forrest - allow me to present you this bouquet as a token, of reconciliation, an offering of peace and good will."

General Forrest received the flowers with a bow, and replied:

"Miss Lewis, ladies and gentlemen - I accept these flowers as a token of reconciliation between the white and colored races of the South. I accept them more particularly, since they come from a colored lady, for if there is any one on God's great earth who loves the ladies, it is myself.

This is a proud day for me. Having occupied the position I have for thirteen years, and being misunderstood by the colored race, I take this occasion to say that I am your friend. I am here as the representative of the Southern people - one that has been more maligned than any other.

I assure you that every man who was in the Confederate army is your friend. We were born on the same soil, breathe the same air, live in the same land, and why should we not be brothers and sisters?

When the war broke out I believed it to be my duty to fight for my country, and I did so. I came here with the jeers and sneers of a few white people, who did not think it right. I think it is right, and will do all I can to bring about harmony, peace and unity. I want to elevate every man, and to see you take your places in your shops, stores and offices.

I don't propose to say anything about politics, but I want you to do as I do - go to the polls and select the best men to vote for. I feel that you are free men, I am a free man, and we can do as we please. I came here as a friend and whenever I can serve any of you I will do so.

We have one Union, one flag, one country; therefore, let us stand together. Although we differ in color, we should not differ in sentiment.

Many things have been said in regard to myself, and many reports circulated, which may perhaps be believed by some of you, but there are many around me who can contradict them. I have been many times in the heat of battle - oftener, perhaps, than any within the sound of my voice. Men have come to me to ask for quarter, both black and white, and I have shielded them.

Do your duty as citizens, and if any are oppressed, I will be your friend. I thank you for the flowers, and assure you that I am with you in heart and hand "' 

                                       ===========================================

                                                        Another among many on the Internet
  

                                                  Nathan Bedford Forrest And Racial Reconciliation

 "After the speech Forrest thanked Miss Lewis for the bouquet and kissed her on the cheek. This type of familiarity between the races in public was almost unheard of at the time."

Nathan Bedford Forrest & The Jubilee of Pole Bearers

Top Democrat Baucus, Head of Finance Panel, to Retire

 

Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, the powerful Senate Finance chairman who steered President Barack Obama's health care overhaul into law but broke with his party on gun control, has decided to retire, Democratic officials said Tuesday.

Baucus, 71, of Montana, has been a fixture in the Senate since 1979 and has been the top Democrat on the Finance panel since 2001. He faced a tough re-election bid next year, with opposition to the health care law in his state taking a toll on his approval ratings.

A Democrat with an independent streak, Baucus supported the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and Obama's signature 2010 health care law. He broke with his party this year to oppose both the Senate Democratic budget blueprint and a hotly fought effort to beef up background checks for gun purchases.

The officials spoke about his retirement decision on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly disclose the senator's intentions.

Baucus, who helped write Obama's health care law, stunned administration officials last week when he told the president's health care chief that he thought the law was headed for a "train wreck" because of bumbling implementation.

"I just see a huge train wreck coming down," Baucus told Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Baucus was the first top Democrat to publicly voice fears about the rollout of the new health care law, designed to bring coverage to some 30 million uninsured people through a mix of government programs and tax credits for private insurance. Polls show that Americans remain confused by the complex law, and even many uninsured people are skeptical they will be helped by benefits that start next year.

Republican campaign officials immediately seized upon Baucus' comments.
 
Baucus' retirement opens up an opportunity for Republicans to claim a Senate seat in a state where GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney easily defeated Obama by 12 percentage points last year. But Democrats have proved resilient in Montana, with Sen. Jon Tester winning re-election last year. The election of Steve Bullock last year is the third term in a row in which Democrats have held the governorship.

More @ Newsmax

GOP Benghazi report blames Clinton

Via avordvet

 

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Tuesday unveiled a report on last's year attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that blames then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for lapses in security.

The 46-page report by the five committees of jurisdiction concludes that reductions in security levels prior to the attack that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were approved at the highest levels of the State Department, including by Clinton herself.

The report also concludes that talking points from the intelligence community were altered to protect the State Department from criticism of inadequate security levels.

More @ The Hill

Here Come the First of the Executive Actions on Guns

 

Just as I warned SurvivalBlog readers, it appears that the BHO Administration is taking executive action on firearms importation. Take a few minutes to read this: After Senate setback, Obama quietly moving forward with gun regulation. Here is the key portion of the article:

"The Importation of Defense Articles and Defense Services -- U.S. Munitions Import List references executive orders, amends ATF regulations and clarifies Attorney General authority “to designate defense articles and defense services as part of the statutory USML for purposes of permanent import controls,” among other clauses specified in heavy legalese requiring commensurate analysis to identify just what the administration’s intentions are. Among the speculations of what this could enable are concerns that importing and International Traffic in Arms Regulations [ITAR] may go forward to reflect key elements within the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty." [Emphasis added.]

Depending on how it is implemented, the implications of this change could be huge. With the stroke a of a pen and without the consent of Congress, ATF bureaucrats could make ANY gun part or accessory (including magazines) or ammunition that were originally manufactured or perhaps even those designed for military use no longer legal for importation for civilian use. That might mean no more milsurp parts sets. No more milsurp magazines. No more milsurp ammo. No more milsurp optics. Perhaps not even spare firing pins. This could be ugly.

I strongly recommend that you stock up on magazines, ammunition and spare parts for any of your imported military pattern guns, as soon as possible! Once an import ban is implemented, prices will skyrocket. Importation of Chinese military guns and ammunition was banned during the Clinton Administration, but importers quickly worked around that, by tapping other sources. But imagine if all of the channels for military surplus are cut off. That mean no more spam cans of any of the Russian calibers, no more battle packs of .223 or .308, and no more affordable AK, HK, FAL, Galil, or SIG magazines.

More @ Survival

Woe to Me to Live Among Such People

 

Those in New England who brought on war assumed that the American South, like the rest of the country, was their property, and had no right to depart.  Risking few of their own lives, they put at risk the lives of many others – essentially raising a bounty-enriched army of foreign and domestic mercenaries, impressed black slaves and well-paid substitutes to fight their war.

Bernhard Thuersam, Chairman

North Carolina War Between the States Sesquicentennial Commission

www.ncwbts150.com

"The Official Website of the North Carolina WBTS Sesquicentennial"

Woe to Me to Live Among Such People:

“A Northern woman who was a native of Rhode Island, but who had lived all her married life in the South, returned after her widowhood to Providence to be among her people. The following letter was written by her to my mother [Mrs. Louis T. Wigfall]:

May 13, 1861.

“….We are always delighted to hear from you – and indeed your letters and Louis’s are the only comfort we have in this Yankee land surrounded by people who have no sympathy with us, and who only open their mouths to revile the South and utter blood-thirsty threats. This morning an amiable lady wished she had Jeff Davis in front of a big cannon. We now have sufficient proof of how much stronger hate is than love of country. 

Where was the patriotism of Massachusetts when the country was at war with the English in 1812?  I lived then at the South, and was ashamed of my countrymen who refused to assist in the war. Massachusetts, which was the leading State of New England, refused to let her militia leave the State and when the US troops were withdrawn, to fight in other places, applied to the Federal Government to know whether the expenses of their own militia, who were summoned to defend their own State, would be reimbursed by the Government.

When our capitol at Washington was burned with the President’s House and Treasury buildings, and other public buildings, why did they not go to meet the British?  On the contrary, they rejoiced at the English victories, and put every obstacle in the way of the government. 

Now they are subscribing millions, and urging every man to go and fight their own countrymen. It is not patriotism; it is hatred to the South and woe is me, that I must live here among such people.  God grant you success, It is a righteous war and all the bloodshed will be on the souls of those who brought it on.

I think, however, that you at the South are wrong to undervalue the courage and resources of the Northern States. They are less disposed to fight, but they are not cowardly where their interests are concerned; and will fight for their money. Where their property is at stake they will not hesitate to risk their lives, and at present there is no lack of money.

(A Southern Girl in ’61, The War-Time Memories of a Confederate Senator’s Daughter, Mrs. D. Giraud Wright, Doubleday, Page & Company, 1905, pp. 51-53)

School Girls Forced to Ask Classmates for ‘Lesbian Kiss’ During Anti-Bullying Presentation

Via Carl

 

 Stand Firm In Faith

VERBATIM

A recent anti-bullying presentation at a middle school in New York that focused on homosexuality and gender identity has angered parents after their daughters have come home to tell them they were forced to ask another girl for a kiss.

According to reports, the session occurred last week at Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hook, New York, near Poughkeepsie. A group of students from Bard College led two workshops for the youth, separated by gender.

During the workshop for girls, the 13 and 14-year-olds were told to ask one another for a kiss. They were also taught words such as “pansexual” and “genderqueer.”
Parent Mandy Coon told reporters that her daughter was very uncomfortable with the exercise.

Chicago Store Owner Uses Baseball Bat To Fight Off Gunman

Via mpopenker

 

A Chicago store owner survived an armed robbery by using a baseball bat to fight off the gunman. It was all caught on camera. The attempted armed robbery took place Tuesday at a shop in the 2200-block of North Western in the Logan Square neighborhood.

The surveillance cameras capture the story: Store owner Luis Quizhpe comes face-to-face with a gunman who is firing one shot after another as Quizhpe fights back with a baseball bat.

"My father pulled a bat and started swinging at them," said Juan Quizhpe, Luis's son. "One of the robbers actually shot his partner, and that's when they tried to flee."

Luis Quizhpe is glad to be alive.

"Thank you to Jesus," he said, "Another chance."

Chicago police confirm two would-be robbers entered the store on North Western Avenue Tuesday around 5:30 p.m.

Quizhpe and another relative were inside the store and even handed one of the robbers a tissue before the violence.

"One of the guys said, 'Give me the money or you are dead'," said relative Luis Aucaquizhpi.

During the violent struggle, several shots were fired, but Quizhpe and Aucaquizhpi fought back.

"I almost got killed," said Aucaquizhpi.

Quizhpe was shot in the thigh and was released from the hospital Wednesday.

The robber jumped the counter, realizing he had to buzz the door to get out.

"My father is a brave and courageous man, and I thank God for a father like that," said Juan Quizhpe.

Business owners say Quizhpe and his family are religious and well-known in the Ecuadorian community.

"They believe in their religion," said John Gutierrez. "Their belief is if it's my time to go, it's my time to go."

In this case, the robbers ended up leaving, fleeing the store.

"I just hope they come forward," said Juan Quizhpe, "or someone notices who they are and brings them to justice."

GunsAmerica Supports Interstate Tax Bill – 20 Points to Protect 2nd Amendment Freedom

 

Hold your rotten tomatoes for a minute ok. There are important reasons why we need to level the playing field when it comes to internet sales, and gun sales in particular. I will primarily address guns. But beware that this isn’t a “soundbyte” explanation. Our attention spans have grown so thin that anything longer than a Facebook status tends to fall on deaf ears, and lazy readers. If you care about the future of 2nd Amendment freedom, you should support a nationwide internet sales tax. It will force merchants to do some work collecting taxes for states in which they do not reside, but remember, these are internet merchants who have very little if any other overhead. We have organized 20 points, but they are not to be taken individually. However you can jump to the end if you have to check your Facebook.

1. Guns are mostly commoditized. Except for rare instances like we what we just experienced after Sandy Hook, everyone knows what guns go for, and rarely if ever does the actual retail price of a new firearm waver by more than 5%.
2. Guns are a unique product, in that not only can they only be sold by licensed dealers who need a physical location for their business, there is no instance where a gun can be shipped for transfer to anyone but an actual dealer. Guns can never be shipped to the door of an unlicensed person.
3. With guns, for over a decade now, consumers have treated the interstate sales tax exemption as a “replacement” for having to pay a transfer fee to their local dealer. They are oftentimes close in cost.
4. This has led to “online gun retailers” who are able to charge a very low margin for their guns, because they do not have to finance the overhead of inventory, like you find in a stocked brick and mortar store.

More @ Guns America

Medal of Honor Roll Call: Nicky D. Bacon

Human Events

VERBATIM

 

Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 4th Battalion, 21st Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division.  
Place and date: West of Tam Ky, Republic of Vietnam, 26 August 1968.  
Entered service at: Phoenix, Ariz.  
Born: 25 November 1945, Caraway, Ark.

Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.

S/Sgt. Bacon distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader with the 1st Platoon, Company B, during an operation west of Tam Ky. When Company B came under fire from an enemy bunker line to the front, S/Sgt. Bacon quickly organized his men and led them forward in an assault. He advanced on a hostile bunker and destroyed it with grenades. As he did so, several fellow soldiers including the 1st Platoon leader, were struck by machinegun fire and fell wounded in an exposed position forward of the rest of the platoon. S/Sgt. Bacon immediately assumed command of the platoon and assaulted the hostile gun position, finally killing the enemy gun crew in a single-handed effort. When the 3d Platoon moved to S/Sgt. Bacon’s location, its leader was also wounded. Without hesitation S/Sgt. Bacon took charge of the additional platoon and continued the fight. In the ensuing action he personally killed 4 more enemy soldiers and silenced an antitank weapon.

Under his leadership and example, the members of both platoons accepted his authority without question. Continuing to ignore the intense hostile fire, he climbed up on the exposed deck of a tank and directed fire into the enemy position while several wounded men were evacuated. As a result of S/Sgt. Bacon’s extraordinary efforts, his company was able to move forward, eliminate the enemy positions, and rescue the men trapped to the front. S/Sgt. Bacon’s bravery at the risk of his life was in the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

Feds sued for snatching veterans' gun rights

 

The first in what is expected to be a series of lawsuits has been filed by the United States Justice Foundation against the Veterans Administration for snatching veterans’ gun rights without “due process” or any “factual or legal basis.”

WND has published multiple reports about how returning veterans were being deprived of their Second Amendment rights without a court-based adjudication competency process, based on arbitrary VA agency decisions.

The problem arises when the agency wants to appoint a fiduciary – someone to advise a disabled veteran or one receiving certain government benefits – to help with the management of those benefits.

The government then routinely notifies the FBI’s NICS system, a federally maintained list of those whose competency has been challenged, and that means they no longer can purchase a gun – or even keep the one they may have.

Michael Connelly, executive director of the USJF, told WND the initial lawsuit is to compel the VA to respond to two requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

More @ WND

Congressmen demand classified info on Saudi 'witness'

 

The Saudi man initially identified by law enforcement as a “person of interest” in the Boston Marathon bombing remains a concern of four members of the House Committee on Homeland Security who have asked DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano for classified briefings on his case along with an overview of relevant records.

A spokesman for Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., told WND the committee has not received a response from Napolitano to a letter issued Friday that he signed along with Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the committee chairman; Peter King, R-N.Y.; and Candice Miller, R-Mich.

Spokesman Allen Klump noted that on the day of the twin bombings in Boston that killed three people and injured more than 200, law enforcement officials said that Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi, who was hospitalized with injuries resulting from the blast, was a person of interest.

Within 48 hours, however, after raiding the Saudi citizen’s apartment and hauling out computers and email records, Alharbi was being described by authorities only as a “witness."

More @ WND

Boston's Door-to-Door Searches Weren't Illegal, Even Though They Looked Bad

Via avordvet

 

 As I mentioned at the source: Now that I know it was supposedly legal, I feel so much better........

There were two components to last week's shelter-in-place request in Watertown, Massachusetts. The first was a request that people not to leave home. The second was a door-to-door search by heavily armed law enforcement officials. Those are two very different things, with different implications. But neither was illegal.

No one in Watertown had to stay at home. The shelter-in-place was optional, largely an effort to ensure public safety in the classic sense of such requests. Time explains the difference:

“The lockdown is really voluntary, to be honest with you,” says Scott Silliman, emeritus director of the Center on Law, Ethics and National Security at Duke Law School. “The governor said he wants to use sheltering in place. Sheltering in place is a practice normally used if you’re dealing with a pandemic, where you’re telling people, ‘You may have been exposed and we want you to stay exactly where you are so we can isolate everything and we’ll come to you.’”

The “shelter in place” request is legally different from a state of emergency, which Patrick declared earlier this year as winter storm Nemo descended on the Bay State.

The ACLU agreed. In a phone interview Monday, Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, told The Atlantic Wire that her organization was in contact with attorneys for the city, state, and the Department of Homeland Security on Friday. While the organization was concerned about how open-ended the request seemed to be, it was assured that the order was voluntary and that no one would be arrested if he or she left home in the midst of it. It would have been hard for the police to crack down anyway, given that various Dunkin Donuts locations were allowed to remain open.
But the image of a family sitting around a table, nervously riding out the order by playing board games, is very different than the one presented by the searches.

Under the Fourth Amendment, homeowners have the right to refuse a request for a search if the police don't have a warrant. But that rule has an exception. If there are exigent circumstances, like the threat of imminent danger, a warrant isn't necessarily needed, but the police must still have probable cause.

It seems unlikely that many residents of Watertown felt like exploring that particular legal nuance by refusing the police entry. Nor is it not clear if any did; a spokesman for the Watertown police department didn't answer a question to that effect. It is clear that doing so would have required a great deal of courage. The conservative blog Poor Richard's News transcribes a YouTube video that has since been removed.

The gentleman here (if you can call him that) notes that both times his house was searched the law enforcement officers “asked” permission to do so, but he didn’t feel like he had much of a choice as the police team had guns pointed at his face. On the one hand, he expresses relief that the terrorist was caught and that he’s still alive, but he seems to struggle with questions about whether the police action was appropriate.

The ACLU would like to hear from the person in that video.

More @ The Atlantic Wire

Army Removes Bible Reference from Scopes

Via Cousin John

The U.S. Army is directing troops to remove a Bible inscription that a vendor etched into the serial numbers of weapon scopes, Fox News has learned.

Soldiers at Fort Wainwright in Alaska told Fox News they received a directive to turn in their scopes so the Bible references could be removed.

The scopes were made by Trijicon and referenced New Testament passages in John 8:12 and Second Corinthians 4:6. The verses appeared at the end of the scope serial numbers – “JN8:12” and “2COR4:6.”

“The biblical verse (JN8:12) must be removed utilizing a Dremel type tool and then painted black,” read instructions on how to remedy the matter.

After the letters and numbers were scrapped off, soldiers were directed to use apply black paint to ensure the verses were totally covered.

“The vendor etched those inscriptions on scopes without the Army’s approval,” Army spokesman Matthew Bourke told Fox in a written statement. “Consequently, the modified scopes did not meet the requirement under which the contract was executed.”

Bourke said the vendor agreed to remove all Bible references on future deliveries.

“Some of these scopes had already been fielded,” Bourke explained. “Corrective measures were taken to remove inscriptions during the RESET/PRESET process in order to avoid a disruption in combat operations.”

A similar issue came to light during a 2010 investigation by ABC News. At the time the Army and Marine Corps said they were unaware of the biblical markings.

More @ Fox

Hagan Raising Money In Fla. For Relection In NC

Via NC Links

 

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, D-NC, came back to the town she grew up in, Lakeland, a little over a week ago and left with a weighty addition to her re-election campaign chest.

Hagan, the daughter of Joe P. and the late Jeanette Chiles Ruthven, makes occasional trips back to see her family, but this time it had a special payoff.

Brother Greg Ruthven said Lakeland contributors helped raise $115,000 for her re-election campaign in North Carolina during a local fundraiser event hosted by the Ruthven family.

More @ The Ledger

Americans 'snapping' by the millions

Via Ryan

Terrorism. Chaos. Fear of the future. In the age of Obama, America is undergoing a “fundamental transformation” – that much everyone knows.

But what few seem to realize about this transformation is that the sheer stress of living in today’s America is driving tens of millions to the point of illness, depression and self-destruction. Consider the following trends:

• Suicide has surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of injury death for Americans. Even more disturbing, in the world’s greatest military, more U.S. soldiers died last year by suicide than in combat;

• Fully one-third of the nation’s employees suffer chronic debilitating stress, and more than half of all “millennials” (18 to 33 year olds) experience a level of stress that keeps them awake at night, including large numbers diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorder.

• Shocking new research from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that one in five of all high-school-aged children in the United States has been diagnosed with ADHD, and likewise a large new study of New York City residents shows, sadly, that one in five preteens – children aged six to 12 – have been medically diagnosed with either ADHD, anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder;

• New research concludes that stress renders people susceptible to serious illness, and a growing number of studies now confirm that chronic stress plays a major role in the progression of cancer, the nation’s second-biggest killer. The biggest killer of all, heart disease, which causes one in four deaths in the U.S., is also known to have a huge stress component;

• Incredibly, 11 percent of all Americans aged 12 and older are currently taking SSRI antidepressants – those highly controversial, mood-altering psychiatric drugs with the FDA’s “suicidality” warning label and alarming correlation with school shooters. Women are especially prone to depression, with a stunning 23 percent of all American women in their 40s and 50s – almost one in four – now taking antidepressants, according to a major study by the CDC;

• Add to that the tens of millions of users of all other types of psychiatric drugs, including (just to pick one) the 6.4 million American children between 4 and 17 diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed Ritalin or similar psycho-stimulants. Throw in the 28 percent of American adults with a drinking problem, that’s more than 60 million, plus the 22 million using illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and inhalants, and pretty soon a picture emerges of a nation of drug-takers, with hundreds of millions dependent on one toxic substance or another – legal or illegal – to “help” them deal with the stresses and problems of life.

More @ WND

NCFIRE Action Alert: Stop Licenses for Illegals in NC

 

Attention Immigration Activists:

Help us fix North Carolina House bill 786 (Reclaim NC Act). Section 9 of this bill is a huge magnet to illegal aliens all over the country. It allows NC to issue drivers permits/ licenses to illegal aliens. We can't allow illegal aliens to get a driver's license in NC.
 

We need to focus on five committee members.....see their contact info below.  

Call and/or email them and say the following:

North Carolina House Bill 786 should be a state immigration enforcement bill only, but provisions are included in the bill to give almost all illegal immigrants in North Carolina a legal driving permit (aka a driver’s license).  Section 9 is a giant magnet to illegal aliens all over the country and our state will be over run with illegal aliens because of it.

Our roads will not be safer and this bill makes it easier for illegal immigrants to get to the jobs that belong to North Carolinians (85% of illegals do not work in agricultural-related jobs).

Rep Warren’s bill, H786, also guts our state E-Verify law. Seasonal workers are exempt from e-verify. This bill redefines a seasonal worker. Currently a seasonal worker is defined as 90 days or less. Section 8 changes that definition to less than one year. Theoretically, anyone can be a seasonal worker simply by missing just one day of work, there-by exempting them from the e-verify check.

We have over 9% unemployment and illegal immigration is costing North Carolina taxpayers over $1.1 billion net. Remove the license language (Section 9) and fix the E-verify clause (Section 8)

Email: john.faircloth@ncleg.net        Office: 919-733-5877
Email: pat.hurley@ncleg.net            Office: 919-733-5865
Email: leo.daughtry@ncleg.net          Office: 919-733-5605
Email: jonathan.jordan@ncleg.net       Office: 919-733-7727
Email: jason.saine@ncleg.net           Office: 919-733-5782

This is urgent and with your help, we can stop this disaster before it starts.

Thank you,

James Johnson
President-NCFIRE
North Carolinians For Immigration Reform and Enforcement
www.NCFIRE.info
NCFIRE Hotline: 1-888-885-0879

A System Adrift

The one thing more humiliating than being caught by the authorities in an attempt to fight back against a corrupt and illegal system of government is to be caught not making the attempt.

There is no doubt in my mind that every single law restricting ownership of firearms is an illegal law. I can argue that case by case if needed, with a few moments to check my notes. A great resource, however, can be found here. It is an exhaustive look at the Second Amendment as related to U.S. v Miller. Most notable are the arguments made in favor of the United States. The logic and references made there are convoluted and entirely void of references to the founders who made their sentiments known time and time again on where the right rested. It rests with the individual.

Oddly, an argument made during the whole process of Miller making its way up to the Supreme Court was the argument no liberal would want to be made in defense of their attacks on the Second Amendment. The government argued that the only legitimate use of weapons in the hands of the people is to throw off oppression and tyranny of authorities. Referenced as substantiating the government's point was Aymette v. State, supra, it was said (p. 158):

More @ TL In Exile

Tyrannical Governments and Tall Trees

Via The Lonely Libertarian