Monday, January 6, 2014
Report: New York homeland security chief used handgun as laser pointer during speech
Via The Vulgar Curmudgeon
Visiting foreign dignitaries were alarmed when New York’s director of homeland security pulled out a handgun and used its laser sighting device as a pointer during a presentation late last year.
The incident happened Oct. 24 but was only reported Monday by the Albany Times Union.
Public officials told the newspaper that Jerome Hauer used the improvised laser pointer during a presentation on the state’s response to Superstorm Sandy at the highly secure state emergency operations center beneath state police headquarters.
He even tracked the laser across a visiting Swedish emergency manager’s forehead before finding the New York map he wanted, the officials said.
"The Only Ones."
Visiting foreign dignitaries were alarmed when New York’s director of homeland security pulled out a handgun and used its laser sighting device as a pointer during a presentation late last year.
The incident happened Oct. 24 but was only reported Monday by the Albany Times Union.
Public officials told the newspaper that Jerome Hauer used the improvised laser pointer during a presentation on the state’s response to Superstorm Sandy at the highly secure state emergency operations center beneath state police headquarters.
He even tracked the laser across a visiting Swedish emergency manager’s forehead before finding the New York map he wanted, the officials said.
More @ Raw Story
MMA fighter kills armed intruder, 'severely' injures another and scares off two more in home invasion gone wrong
Via Knuckledraggin' My Life Away
A mixed martial arts fighter in New Mexico may face charges after authorities say he fended off four home invaders - killing one and severely injuring another - during a an early morning break in on New Year's Day.
According to authorities in Dora Ana County, MMA fighter Joe Torrez fatally beat and stabbed one of the intruders, beat another so badly he needed to be taken from Torrez's home in an ambulance and then convinced the other two to retreat in fear.
Authorities found the body of 25-year-old Sal Garces near Torrez's trailer home in the 600 block of King James Avenue.
Bad move: Sal Garces was found stabbed and beaten to death near Torrez's home
********************************
"May face charges," Yeah, just forget about it fools.
********************************
"May face charges," Yeah, just forget about it fools.
A mixed martial arts fighter in New Mexico may face charges after authorities say he fended off four home invaders - killing one and severely injuring another - during a an early morning break in on New Year's Day.
According to authorities in Dora Ana County, MMA fighter Joe Torrez fatally beat and stabbed one of the intruders, beat another so badly he needed to be taken from Torrez's home in an ambulance and then convinced the other two to retreat in fear.
Authorities found the body of 25-year-old Sal Garces near Torrez's trailer home in the 600 block of King James Avenue.
More @ Daily Mail
Goodies from Ol' Remus
1936. Road building near Memphis, Tennessee.
The victim card -
Of course, no one ever said that climate change meant it wouldn't ever
be cold. I mean, Drudge has been incredibly powerful, I think, in this.
Drudge has a thing about climate hoaxism and he has been leading the
charge. It is sexier and more fun to mock and to say, 'Oh, look at
this!' than to be like, 'We are so screwed, America.' I don't want to
start the show that way. The right wing had a field day, pointing and
laughing at *the global warming believers, who just to be clear, are only
a group of scientists risking their lives for no monetary gain and
little glory in order to help save the planet.
Chris Hayes, MSNBC, at msnbc.com
Chris Hayes, MSNBC, at msnbc.com
*Can't believe anyone could say this with a straight face. BT :)
****************************************
Map, 2013 State Migration Patterns 
. Based on 77,308 Interstate and Cross-Border Household Goods Relocations from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013
atlasvanlines.com (H/t reader TC)
. Based on 77,308 Interstate and Cross-Border Household Goods Relocations from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013atlasvanlines.com (H/t reader TC)
It is a known fact that the FBI
is the biggest source of domestic terrorism in America. Since there
are no legitimate domestic terrorists for these clowns to catch, they
are creating them instead. Perhaps even more insane is that many of
these staged events appear to now be occurring roughly every six weeks.
Let’s take a look at the latter part of 2013 since it has followed this
pattern very closely, says Lee Rogers in this article, The FBI Appears To Be Involved In Staging Or Covering Up Active Shooter And Terror Hoax Events Every Six Weeks, at Blacklisted News.
No paper north of Saudi Arabia lies quite as blatantly as the New York
Times does. Its lying is based on omission rather than invention and by
the use of the kind of selectivity on news reporting that would earn a
Soviet-era Pravda newshound the Stalin Prize. Excluding facts, indeed
stories, which do not fall within the purview of its viewpoint is the
paper's norm rather than the exception, says
Taki Theodoracopulos in this article, All the News Their Bias Allows, at Taki's Magazine.While the rest of the First World moves on, America remains trapped in the defunct economic and political grip of the left. After dedicating enormous resources to taking over the Democratic Party and then the country, the left has turned the United States of America into its Soviet Union, a country out of time, its economy and society wracked by the discredited political and economic theories of the left.
Daniel Greenfield at sultanknish.blogspot.com.au
Today, racism in America is a tool used solely by American "colored persons," against the rest of us, via the mechanism of unearned guilt. But the race-card has been played too often. All the ink has worn off it. The racialist-extortionist groups have sown the wind; presently, they will reap the whirlwind.
Francis Porretto at bastionofliberty.blogspot.com
Today, racism in America is a tool used solely by American "colored persons," against the rest of us, via the mechanism of unearned guilt. But the race-card has been played too often. All the ink has worn off it. The racialist-extortionist groups have sown the wind; presently, they will reap the whirlwind.
Francis Porretto at bastionofliberty.blogspot.com
The South Korean defence ministry has said it believes there's a "high chance" of military action by the North to distract attention from the troubles back home. A senior South Korean government official, who didn't want to be named, put the likelihood at "100% - sometime before April".
Lucy Williamson at bbc.co.uk
Nekkid thugga -
Several victims fought back against a robbery suspect armed with a gun,
leaving the man naked and injured outside an Oklahoma City hair salon.
Kevin at smallestminority.blogspot.com
Kevin at smallestminority.blogspot.com
The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government.
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine
Rental cops hired by homeowners associations can conduct traffic stops that would be unconstitutional if performed by an actual police officer, according to a ruling handed down last week by the North Carolina Court of Appeals. North Carolina allows armed guards to wear police-like uniforms with badges, carry guns and drive cars with flashing red and white light bars. Qualifying for the security guard position requires four hours of classroom instruction and a day on the range.
thenewspaper.com
We believe "our" government is benign. Therefore we fail to notice that
our only power over it consists of a) voting for a pack of vainglorious,
lying sociopaths and b) paying the bills for whatever they want to
foist on us. Now matters have gone beyond that. Generations of
sociopaths (aka "representatives") have created a security monster
that’s not even answerable to them, let alone to you or me.
Claire Wolfe at swatmag.com (H/t survivalblog.com)]
Claire Wolfe at swatmag.com (H/t survivalblog.com)]
Brothers, 17 & 21, Raise Free Range Eggs on Large Scale
Via Cousin John
This should perk up Phyllis. :)
For the past couple years, I’ve made a point of buying a dozen or so eggs from two young farmers who are regulars at the Columbia, Missouri, Farmers’ Market. They look so much alike that I figured they must be brothers, and I used to think they might even be high schoolers, earning a little extra money on their parents’ farm. I was right about their ages — one of them is still in high school. But I was completely wrong about the “little extra money” idea.
It turns out that the young farmers are the owners of Stanton Brothers Eggs, which according to the USDA, makes them one of the largest independent free-range egg producers in the United States.
This year, the brothers raised 12,000 chickens that laid upward of 1 million eggs. On good days, the Stantons’ mother, Judy, delivers 600-dozen eggs to local grocery stores, college dining halls and restaurants.
The family farm near Centralia, Missouri, is where their story takes place.
This should perk up Phyllis. :)
For the past couple years, I’ve made a point of buying a dozen or so eggs from two young farmers who are regulars at the Columbia, Missouri, Farmers’ Market. They look so much alike that I figured they must be brothers, and I used to think they might even be high schoolers, earning a little extra money on their parents’ farm. I was right about their ages — one of them is still in high school. But I was completely wrong about the “little extra money” idea.
It turns out that the young farmers are the owners of Stanton Brothers Eggs, which according to the USDA, makes them one of the largest independent free-range egg producers in the United States.
This year, the brothers raised 12,000 chickens that laid upward of 1 million eggs. On good days, the Stantons’ mother, Judy, delivers 600-dozen eggs to local grocery stores, college dining halls and restaurants.
The family farm near Centralia, Missouri, is where their story takes place.
More @ Grit
BBC Admits To Censoring Immigration Debate—Now That Mass Immigration In Britain Means White Bulgarians
Via Ryan
A political editor at the BBC has confessed to years of bias. He's actually hosting a documentary about it Tuesday night.
But, however many times the BBC may have denied its bias in the past, it was never a secret. You can check out the website BiasedBBC.org, with archives going back ten years, and specifically its coverage of immigration, but it goes back much farther than that.
A political editor at the BBC has confessed to years of bias. He's actually hosting a documentary about it Tuesday night.
But, however many times the BBC may have denied its bias in the past, it was never a secret. You can check out the website BiasedBBC.org, with archives going back ten years, and specifically its coverage of immigration, but it goes back much farther than that.
Nick Robinson: BBC made a 'terrible mistake' over immigration debate The
BBC's political editor admits the corporation didn't have a proper
debate on immigration in the late 1990s and early 2000s
*************************************
Nick
Robinson, the BBC's political editor, has criticised the corporation
for making a "terrible mistake" over its coverage of immigration,
admitting it censored concerns amid fear they could trigger racism.
More @ VDARE
Sen. Ron Johnson Files Suit Over Obamacare Subsidy for Congress
Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson has followed through with his threats to sue the Obama administration over the federal funds lawmakers and their staff get to subsidize their healthcare coverage.
Johnson filed his suit against U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Katherine Archuleta and her department, in federal court on Monday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Joining Johnson in his legal effort will be Paul Clement, an ex-solicitor general who argued about Obamacare's constitutionality before the Supreme Court, and Rick Esenberg of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, reports The Hill.
In October, Johnson told Newsmax of his plan to sue, warning that the real concern, above and beyond the dysfunctional HealthCare.gov website, is the damage Obamacare will do to the country's healthcare system and personal freedoms.
More @ Newsmax
The Congressman Who Went Off the Grid
Via Charlie
When Roscoe Bartlett was in Congress, he latched onto a particularly apocalyptic issue, one almost no one else ever seemed to talk about: America’s dangerously vulnerable power grid. In speech after late-night speech on the House floor, Bartlett hectored the nearly empty chamber: If the United States doesn’t do something to protect the grid, and soon, a terrorist or an act of nature will put an end to life as we know it.
Bartlett loved to conjure doomsday visions: Think post-Sandy New York City without power—but spread over a much larger area for months at a time. He once recounted a conversation he claimed to have had with unnamed Russian officials about how they could take out the United States: They would “detonate a nuclear weapon high above your country,” he recalled them saying, “and shut down your power grid—and your communications—for six months or so.”
Bartlett never gained much traction with his scary talk of electromagnetic pulses and solar storms. More immediate concerns always seemed to preoccupy his colleagues, or perhaps Bartlett’s obsessions just sounded more like quackery than real science, even coming from a former Navy engineer who had worked on the space race. Whatever the reason, Congress’s failure to act is no longer Bartlett’s problem. The octogenarian Republican from western Maryland—more than once labeled “the oddest congressman”—found himself gerrymandered out of office a year ago and promptly decided to take action on the warnings others wouldn’t heed, retreating to a remote property in the mountains of West Virginia where he lives with no phone service, no connection to outside power and no municipal plumbing. Having failed to safeguard the power grid for the rest of the country, Bartlett has taken himself completely off the grid. He has finally done what he pleaded in vain for others to do: “to become,” as he put it in a 2009 documentary, “independent of the system.”
When Roscoe Bartlett was in Congress, he latched onto a particularly apocalyptic issue, one almost no one else ever seemed to talk about: America’s dangerously vulnerable power grid. In speech after late-night speech on the House floor, Bartlett hectored the nearly empty chamber: If the United States doesn’t do something to protect the grid, and soon, a terrorist or an act of nature will put an end to life as we know it.
Bartlett loved to conjure doomsday visions: Think post-Sandy New York City without power—but spread over a much larger area for months at a time. He once recounted a conversation he claimed to have had with unnamed Russian officials about how they could take out the United States: They would “detonate a nuclear weapon high above your country,” he recalled them saying, “and shut down your power grid—and your communications—for six months or so.”
Bartlett never gained much traction with his scary talk of electromagnetic pulses and solar storms. More immediate concerns always seemed to preoccupy his colleagues, or perhaps Bartlett’s obsessions just sounded more like quackery than real science, even coming from a former Navy engineer who had worked on the space race. Whatever the reason, Congress’s failure to act is no longer Bartlett’s problem. The octogenarian Republican from western Maryland—more than once labeled “the oddest congressman”—found himself gerrymandered out of office a year ago and promptly decided to take action on the warnings others wouldn’t heed, retreating to a remote property in the mountains of West Virginia where he lives with no phone service, no connection to outside power and no municipal plumbing. Having failed to safeguard the power grid for the rest of the country, Bartlett has taken himself completely off the grid. He has finally done what he pleaded in vain for others to do: “to become,” as he put it in a 2009 documentary, “independent of the system.”
More @ Politico
Evangelical Marxism–Part one
Via Billy
Back in 1947, (how long ago that seems now) Harold John Ockenga coined the term “neo-evangelicalism.” New evangelicalism was supposed to be, at that point, a distinct movement within what had been Christian fundamentalism. And, although fundamentalism, with its Darbyite/Scofieldite theology had its problems, the emerging “new evangelicals” created a whole new set of problems of their own. Many in new evangelical circles were people who could be described at “socially conservative.” Unfortunately, that seems to have applied more to the folks in the pews than to much of the leadership of the movement.
Over the years, my family and I have attended, here and there, churches that you could probably describe as broadly evangelical, and new evangelical in some cases. I have heard some evangelical speakers and preachers that sounded as though they were giving kudos to the old Communist line about “war, racism, and poverty” just dressed up with a few Bible verses. And, unfortunately, in many cases, since most evangelicals do not seem to have any grasp of history, all that has to be done to deceive them is to repackage the old Communist line in evangelical verbiage and they will buy it.
I recall hearing one black evangelical in the late 1960s do just that, and when questioned about it by one pastor who had the courage to stand up and question his rhetoric, the black evangelical told the pastor that he “didn’t show much love” when he dared to question him as to what he promoted. So, apparently, in some cases, the displaying of what has been called “evangelical love” means that you allow thinly-veiled Marxism to be preached to Christians because it would be “unloving” not to let them hear it.
Back in 1947, (how long ago that seems now) Harold John Ockenga coined the term “neo-evangelicalism.” New evangelicalism was supposed to be, at that point, a distinct movement within what had been Christian fundamentalism. And, although fundamentalism, with its Darbyite/Scofieldite theology had its problems, the emerging “new evangelicals” created a whole new set of problems of their own. Many in new evangelical circles were people who could be described at “socially conservative.” Unfortunately, that seems to have applied more to the folks in the pews than to much of the leadership of the movement.
Over the years, my family and I have attended, here and there, churches that you could probably describe as broadly evangelical, and new evangelical in some cases. I have heard some evangelical speakers and preachers that sounded as though they were giving kudos to the old Communist line about “war, racism, and poverty” just dressed up with a few Bible verses. And, unfortunately, in many cases, since most evangelicals do not seem to have any grasp of history, all that has to be done to deceive them is to repackage the old Communist line in evangelical verbiage and they will buy it.
I recall hearing one black evangelical in the late 1960s do just that, and when questioned about it by one pastor who had the courage to stand up and question his rhetoric, the black evangelical told the pastor that he “didn’t show much love” when he dared to question him as to what he promoted. So, apparently, in some cases, the displaying of what has been called “evangelical love” means that you allow thinly-veiled Marxism to be preached to Christians because it would be “unloving” not to let them hear it.
More @ Revised History
The Fall of France
Via Ryan
Since the arrival of Socialist President François Hollande in 2012,
income tax and social security contributions in France have skyrocketed.
The top tax rate is 75 percent, and a great many pay in excess of 70
percent.
Sky-high taxes and overprotective labor laws are driving out the country's best and brightest.
REUTERS/Remy de la Mauviniere/Pool
It’s a stretch, but what is happening today in France is
being compared to the revocation of 1685. In that year, Louis XIV, the
Sun King who built the Palace of Versailles, revoked the Edict of
Nantes, which had protected French Protestants – the Huguenots. Trying
to unite his kingdom by a common religion, the king closed churches and
persecuted the Huguenots. As a result, nearly 700,000 of them fled
France, seeking asylum in England, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa and
other countries.
The Huguenots, nearly a million strong before 1685, were
thought of as the worker bees of France.
They left without money, but
took with them their many and various skills. They left France with a
noticeable brain drain.
As a result, there has been a frantic bolt for the border
by the very people who create economic growth – business leaders,
innovators, creative thinkers, and top executives. They are all leaving
France to develop their talents elsewhere.
More @ Newsweek
SAFE Act Decision Highlights Embarrassing Mistakes by Gun Controllers in a Hurry
Mr. Duh
Responding to a challenge by various gun rights group, Skretny agreed that three parts of the SAFE Act are unconstitutionally vague. One of them bans semiautomatic rifles with "muzzle breaks," a heretofore undiscovered firearm feature:
More @ Reason
NC: The joint study committee on Common Core met on Dec. 17.
The meeting did not go quite the way we were told it would. Jeb Bush's associates were supposed to come and present an overview of Common Core. However, they backed out almost at the last minute. If they had come, there were only supposed to present the "nuts and bolts" of Common Core, not act as cheerleaders for it.
Instead, Michael Brickman, Policy Director of the Fordham Institute,
spoke in favor of Common Core. He was rather enthusiastic about its
merits. After he finished, there were presentations by Bill Cobey,
Chairman of the State Board of Education, Dr. Rebecca
Garland, Chief Academic Officer of the NC Department of Public
Instruction, and Dr. June Atkinson, State Superintendent of the
Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
These presentations were clearly not just an explanation of what is in Common Core. They were an impassioned defense of it.
After the presentations were over, we on the committee were given an
opportunity to ask questions. When I had my turn, I gave a statement
concerning why I had introduced the bill calling for a study of Common
Core, including the fact that I have been inundated
by people all over the State with their concerns about it. I spoke of
the meeting Dr. Atkinson had with Rep. Michael Speciale and me, the 67
questions posed to her by Lt. Governor Dan Forest, and her response to
him. I pointed out that, even if it was not
her intent, Dr. Atkinson's response to Dan Forest came across to me as
evasive, dismissive, condescending, and disrespectful. I stated that
the Lt. Governor's questions were pertinent and reasonable and capable
of direct answers, which Dr. Atkinson did not
give. I stated that the Lt. Governor and the people of North Carolina
deserve direct and precise answers to those questions, rather than being
put off to wade through a sea of information to try to find answers
that Dr. Atkinson should be able to provide
more concisely. I called on Dr. Atkinson to provide direct answers, in
writing, before the next meeting of the committee, to Lt. Governor
Forest, and all members of the committee.
Dr. Atkinson apparently has no intention of doing so. She defends her
response to Lt. Gov. Forest by saying that if she had given him brief
answers, she would have been accused of not providing enough
information. However, I believe that she could have given
more direct and simple answers and still have provided all the
information she sent to Lt. Gov. Forest as support material for those
answers. So I still see her response as evasive. Whenever someone is
evasive, I naturally wonder, "What do you have to hide?"
Sen. Buck Newton pressed the question of what effect Common Core will
have on home schools and private schools. He was told there would be no
effect, because DPI has no authority over home schools or private
schools. However, the testing that is required,
including SAT's, is being geared to the Common Core curriculum.
Therefore, there will be an indirect effect, which will put nonpublic
education students at a disadvantage if they do not follow the Common
Core Standards. So I put no stock in this answer.
The next meeting of the committee will be sometime "in early February." I
do not have the date yet. The opposing view will be presented at this
next meeting. Civitas, the John Locke Foundation, and others will be
represented. Concerned citizens need to remain
alert and try to turn out for the meeting, as many did on Dec. 17.
Representative Larry G. Pittman
North Carolina General Assembly
House of Representatives
1321 Legislative Building
16 W. Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27601-1096
The Police State in Review, 2013: The year's biggest stories and the trend toward an American police state.
Via avordvet
While some “journalists” would have you believe the biggest stories of 2013 were about twerking celebrities and over-hyped real-life courtroom sagas, much bigger events were happening with far more lasting national significance. The foundation of an American police state is already laid and making its existence known, while most of the country remains blissfully focused on sports, reality shows, establishment pseudo-news, and other distractions.
It would require an encyclopedia to cover all of the injustices, scandals, and brutality that took place in 2013. This list is designed to illustrate certain trends and significant stories from the past year. If Americans don’t fix their apathy and disengagement toward causes that matter, we can expect these trends to continue toward their logical conclusions: an increasingly repressive police state dominating the lives people inside these borders and beyond.
While some “journalists” would have you believe the biggest stories of 2013 were about twerking celebrities and over-hyped real-life courtroom sagas, much bigger events were happening with far more lasting national significance. The foundation of an American police state is already laid and making its existence known, while most of the country remains blissfully focused on sports, reality shows, establishment pseudo-news, and other distractions.
It would require an encyclopedia to cover all of the injustices, scandals, and brutality that took place in 2013. This list is designed to illustrate certain trends and significant stories from the past year. If Americans don’t fix their apathy and disengagement toward causes that matter, we can expect these trends to continue toward their logical conclusions: an increasingly repressive police state dominating the lives people inside these borders and beyond.
More @ Police State USA
Hunley Commemoration at the Olde South Ball
| H.L. Hunley Funeral/Parade |
|
| Hunley Ball Ready To Go |
Olde South Ball Commemorates Historic Anniversary
February 8, 2014 ~ www.oldesouthball.com
Nearly 150 years ago on the night of February 17, 1864, the Confederate "Hunley" became the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship. As the USS Housatonic sank from a torpedo planted in its side by the Hunley, history was made - and the courageous crew of eight disappeared for 131 years.
The Hunley was rediscovered in 1995 and on April 17, 2004, the crew were finally laid to rest in Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery.
In honor of this brave, world-changing venture, the Olde South Ball will have a commemorative display of pictures and information about the Hunley. Join us in honoring the men who gave their lives in changing the face of ocean travel and warfare. You can learn more of the story at www.hunley.org.
We look forward to a wonderful evening of 1860-style enjoyment and entertainment on February 8. We hope to see you there! Register at www.oldesouthball.com/register
Sincerely,
The Olde South Ball Committee
LA Sheriff’s Department misconduct includes rape, drug smuggling, kidnapping - report
Via avordvet
Recent misconduct investigations of deputies of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department included rape, smuggling heroin into jail, stealing money from a narcotics arrest and misuse of a department helicopter, an oversight report details.
The Office of Independent Review’s new report on misconduct investigations pertaining to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) outlined administrative discipline cases resolved through Sept. 30, 2013. The Office of Independent Review (OIR) is a civilian oversight body charged with monitoring LASD’s internal investigations.
Privacy laws do not allow the identities of deputies involved in the summarized misconduct, nor does it include dates of any infractions.
Recently enacted LASD reforms have not made much of a difference on the amount of misconduct, except for excessive use of force in jails, said OIR head Mike Gennaco.
“Unfortunately, the cases are probably the same as far as level of egregiousness,” he said Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
Recent misconduct investigations of deputies of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department included rape, smuggling heroin into jail, stealing money from a narcotics arrest and misuse of a department helicopter, an oversight report details.
The Office of Independent Review’s new report on misconduct investigations pertaining to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) outlined administrative discipline cases resolved through Sept. 30, 2013. The Office of Independent Review (OIR) is a civilian oversight body charged with monitoring LASD’s internal investigations.
Privacy laws do not allow the identities of deputies involved in the summarized misconduct, nor does it include dates of any infractions.
Recently enacted LASD reforms have not made much of a difference on the amount of misconduct, except for excessive use of force in jails, said OIR head Mike Gennaco.
“Unfortunately, the cases are probably the same as far as level of egregiousness,” he said Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
More @ RT
Michael Farris of HSLDA and Patrick Henry College answers questions about The Convention of States
HSLDA | Attorneys - Michael P. Farris, Esq.
Dr. Michael Farris - Patrick Henry College
The following is from an email exchange between Michael Farris and a state representative.
Thanks so much for your kind letter. I am happy to answer your questions.
Your first question:
1. “My greatest concern is that so few public officials seem to know the
importance of the existing U.S. Constitution, and our society is so
disconnected from the history and principles that delivered this nation to
greatness. By opening the Constitution to such an ignorant population do we
risk much more than we stand to gain?”
More @ Convention of States
Funny money: How student loan profits make Obamacare look good
Prison at a minimum.
“The change in student loans was part of Obamacare — and why was it part of Obamacare?”
McCluskey said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Caller. “So that the profit they were supposedly making from the student loans could then be plugged into how much money
would come from Obamacare, so it didn’t look like it cost as much.”
More @ The Daily Caller
NC: Parents call police for help, cops show up and kill their 18-year-old son
Via WiscoDave
Two North Carolina parents are in shock after local police shot and killed their 18-year-old son in their own home, while they watched helplessly.
The family called police because they were worried about their son, Keith Vidal, who is schizophrenic and suffers from depression, according to local news. Vidal, armed with a small screwdriver, was apparently having a psychotic episode. Mark Wilsey, Vidal’s father, called the authorities to help deal with the situation.
An officer from the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and another from the Boiling Spring Lakes police department showed up to the house soon after. Eventually, a third officer from the Southport police department entered the home as well, and ordered the use of tasers to subdue Vidal. According to Wilsey, Vidal was pinned on the ground by two of the officers when a third said, “we don’t have time for this,” and shot Vidal, killing him.
Video & more
The family said they recently lost their daughter in a car accident and this is the second child they will have to bury.
There had better be more to this story.
Two North Carolina parents are in shock after local police shot and killed their 18-year-old son in their own home, while they watched helplessly.
The family called police because they were worried about their son, Keith Vidal, who is schizophrenic and suffers from depression, according to local news. Vidal, armed with a small screwdriver, was apparently having a psychotic episode. Mark Wilsey, Vidal’s father, called the authorities to help deal with the situation.
An officer from the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and another from the Boiling Spring Lakes police department showed up to the house soon after. Eventually, a third officer from the Southport police department entered the home as well, and ordered the use of tasers to subdue Vidal. According to Wilsey, Vidal was pinned on the ground by two of the officers when a third said, “we don’t have time for this,” and shot Vidal, killing him.
More @ The Daily Caller
“We are locked in a struggle with powerful forces in this country who will do anything to destroy the Second Amendment,"........
Via avordvet
........said Richard Venola, a former editor of Guns & Ammo. “The time for ceding some rational points is gone.”
........said Richard Venola, a former editor of Guns & Ammo. “The time for ceding some rational points is gone.”
Dick Metcalf was fired after a nuanced column in Guns & Ammo.
In late October, Mr. Metcalf wrote a column that the magazine titled “Let’s Talk Limits,”
which debated gun laws. “The fact is,” wrote Mr. Metcalf, who has
taught history at Cornell and Yale, “all constitutional rights are
regulated, always have been, and need to be.”
The backlash was swift, and fierce. Readers threatened to cancel their
subscriptions. Death threats poured in by email. His television program
was pulled from the air.
More @ NY Times
“Sherman and Lincoln, War Criminals”
An excellent book.
“World
War II was only one life span removed from the bloody hands of
Sherman’s Southern campaigns, even less than that from the warfare he
levied on the Plains Indians. At the close of World War II in 1945, the
Allies commissioned and erected an international tribunal to bring top
Nazis to justice.
The
Charter of the International Military Tribunal, known as the Nuremburg
Trial Proceedings, has an eerie and familiar reverberation to it. Title
II, Article 6-13 of this charter establish the jurisdiction of the
tribunal. Article 6 enables the tribunal to try and punish individuals’
crimes including:
(b) War Crimes, namely . . . murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave labor or for any other purpose of civilian population of the occupied territory . . . killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity;
(c) Crimes Against Humanity: namely, murder . . . deportation, and other inhuman acts committed against any civilian population . . .
Clearly,
Sherman and Lincoln were guilty on numerous counts of the crimes listed
above. As the political head of state, Lincoln’s guilt of “crimes
against peace” and initiation and waging a war of aggression cannot be
controverted.
As
the war dragged on, the Lincoln administration began to view military
necessity in a different light. The objective of the war was to
reestablish political authority over the Southern States.
Gradually, any
action that would likely hasten this was viewed as militarily
necessary. Therefore, kidnapping, murder, torture, destruction of food
stores and livestock, and massive destruction of the means of food
production [including seizing slaves] came to be an acceptable
consequence of restoring lost federal authority.
As Grant’s aide said, the Southern people, not just Southern armies, had to be “annihilated.”
[It]
is important to expose the savagery of the U.S. Army toward the
civilians of the South because military commanders, political theorists,
and despots worldwide watch and learn from that which was tolerated in
the past in order to apply it to future wars.
The
federal government’s Civil War theory of military necessity and of
total war, originated by Americans to justify the butchering of other
Americans, opened Pandora’s proverbial box. Next time, the whole world
would be involved. In World war II, the justification for the haphazard
destruction of London and massive fire destruction of German and
Japanese population centers were the twin evils military necessity and
total war.”
(Lincoln Uber Alles, John Avery Emison, Pelican Publishing, 2009, pp. 250-253)
Bashar al-Assad’s Report Card
Via Peter
State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland maintains Assad, “certainly should leave power,” and asserts he is “evil,” “beyond brutal,” “inhumane,” and unfit to rule.
And then there’s this profile: Dr. Kathy Seifert of Psychology Today observes, “How did this man develop into a brutal dictator? It is clear that Bashar al-Assad’s upbringing and environment in which he was raised has had a significant impact on his development into the ruthless dictator that he is today.”
Still, it is hard to pin down.
Maybe it’s corruption.
When it comes to grading
Assad, why does he stand head and shoulders above the world’s dictators,
strongmen, and despots? Hard to say.
And then there’s this profile: Dr. Kathy Seifert of Psychology Today observes, “How did this man develop into a brutal dictator? It is clear that Bashar al-Assad’s upbringing and environment in which he was raised has had a significant impact on his development into the ruthless dictator that he is today.”
Still, it is hard to pin down.
Maybe it’s corruption.
More @ Peter B. Gemma