Saturday, October 23, 2010

Friday, October 1, 2010

lara logan in Afghanistan

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6902810n&tag=related;photovideo

Lara Logan Under Fire

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-20017555-10391709.html

Lara Logan Under Fire

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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Friday, July 9, 2010

Note this list of those opposed to SB 1070 as you prepare for business and voting

Note this list of those opposed to SB1070 as you prepare for business and voting this fall.

article comment by: think about this

The plaintiffs listed in the proceeding (taken from ii of the complaint) are: Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America
Arizona Contractors Association
Arizona Chamber of Commerce
Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform
Arizona Farm Bureau Federation
Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Arizona Landscape Contractors Association
Arizona Restaurant and Hospitality Association
Arizona Roofing Contractors Association
Associated Minority Contractors of America
Chicanos Por La Causa Somos America
Valle Del Sol, Inc.
National Roofing Contractors Association
and Wake Up Arizona! Inc

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

More straight talk from Chris Christie – The day of reckoning is here



Posted by therightscoop in Politics on Jun 15th, 2010 | 0 Comments
Dude, this guy needs no explanation because he does it so well himself. I’ll be honest, I can’t get enough of Christie. I need this guy to be president right freaking now!!!! It’s painful to hear such great words coming from such a great man, and then to think about the dictator we have in office now. UGH!

Enjoy the Great Communicator 2.0:

http://www.therightscoop.com/

Monday, June 14, 2010

Allen West on the Mangru Report



On a slow news day, you can’t go wrong with more Allen West. Nothing major here, but I’d say this guy is ready to run for President. Can’t wait for the day he decides to do that:
http://www.therightscoop.com/allen-west-on-the-mangru-report

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Obama on the spill: “I can’t suck it up with a straw”




http://hotair.com/archives/2010/06/11/obama-on-the-spill-i-cant-suck-it-up-with-a-straw/

Via WaPo, a week that began with a stupid soundbite ends with an even stupider one. Skip ahead to 3:00 for presidential oratorical glory. This really is the new meme among his supporters, believe it or not, per the fact that the video below comes from the White House itself: Not only shouldn’t our global messiah be expected to plug the damn hole — he’s not Superman, people! — but evidently he shouldn’t be expected to find out if there’s any containment boom sitting in a warehouse somewhere waiting to be used either. What he’s supposed to do, apparently, is go around reminding people why he’s really not to blame. I’ll say this for him: He’s awfully good at that, at least.

The latest upgraded estimate: As much as 2.1 million gallons of oil could be leaking each day for a possible grand total thus far of 100 million gallons in the gulf. Exxon Valdez was 11 million gallons; the worst spill in history, the Ixtoc rig in Mexico, was 140 million (over 10 months). Three more weeks and we’re there.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Morning Bell: How the White House is Making Oil Recovery Harder

http://blog.heritage.org/2010/06/10/morning-bell-how-the-white-house-is-making-oil-recovery-harder/

Posted June 10th, 2010

Five weeks ago Escambia County officials requested permission from the Mobile Unified Command Center to use a sand skimmer, a device pulled behind a tractor that removes oil and tar from the top three feet of sand, to help clean up Pensacola’s beaches. County officials still haven’t heard anything back. Santa Rosa Island Authority Buck Lee told The Daily Caller why: “Escambia County sends a request to the Mobile, Ala., Unified Command Center. Then, it’s reviewed by BP, the federal government, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard. If they don’t like it, they don’t tell us anything.”

Keeping local governments in the dark is just one reason why the frustration of residents in the Gulf is so palpable. State and local governments know their geography, people, economic impacts and needs far better than the federal government does. Contrary to popular belief, the federal government has actually been playing a bigger and bigger role in running natural disaster responses. And as Heritage fellow Matt Mayer has documented, the results have gotten worse, not better.

And when the federal government isn’t sapping the initiative and expertise of local governments, it has been preventing foreign governments from helping. Just three days after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the Dutch government offered to provide ships outfitted with oil-skimming booms and proposed a plan for building sand barriers to protect sensitive marshlands. LA Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) supported the idea, but the Obama administration refused the help. All told, thirteen countries have offered to help us clean up the Gulf, and the Obama administration has turned them all down.
According to one Dutch newspaper, European firms could complete the oil spill clean up by themselves in just four months, and three months if they work with the United States, which is much faster than the estimated nine months it would take the Obama administration to go it alone. The major stumbling block is a protectionist piece of legislation called the Jones Act which requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens. But in an emergency this law can be temporarily waived as DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff did after Katrina. Each day our European allies are prevented from helping us speed up the clean up is another day that Gulf fishing and tourism jobs die.

And then there are the energy jobs that the Obama administration is killing with its over-expansive ban on offshore energy development. Experts–who were consulted by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar before he issued his May 27 report recommending a six-month moratorium on all ongoing drilling in waters deeper than 500 feet–now tell The New Orleans Times-Picayune that they only supported a six-month ban on new drilling in waters deeper than 1,000 feet. A letter from the experts protesting the use of their names to support a ban they actually oppose reads: “A blanket moratorium is not the answer. It will not measurably reduce risk further and it will have a lasting impact on the nation’s economy which may be greater than that of the oil spill. We do not believe punishing the innocent is the right thing to do.”

And just how many innocent jobs is Obama’s oil ban killing? An earlier Times-Picayune report estimated the moratorium could cost Louisiana $2.97 billion in revenue and 7,590 jobs directly related to the oil industry. President Obama still has the power to save many of the jobs. He could reverse his decision and lift the ban. But political considerations make that impossible. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the President was the largest single recipient of campaign contributions from BP and its employees over the past twenty years. Therefore, the President has to put distance between himself and BP, which may be why President Obama has not spoken with BP CEO Tony Hayward one single time since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in April. The problem is, vilifying BP’s corporate leadership does nothing to stop the spill or quicken the cleanup.

After the Obama administration refused help from the Netherlands, Geert Visser, the consul general for the Netherlands in Houston, told Loren Steffy: “Let’s forget about politics; let’s get it done.” It’s sound advice, Mr. President. Let’s free local governments to clean up their shores, waive protectionist laws that keep out foreign help, and let the oil workers who can safely do so get back to work. Let’s get it done.

Quick Hits:

•The Democratic Party will launch a national cable television ad campaign today daring Republicans to repeal health care.
•A new report by the Troubled Asset Relief Program’s Congressional Oversight Panel blasts the Federal Reserve and the Treasury for creating the too-big-to-fail problem by bailing out AIG.
•Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testified yesterday that Congress must prepare to address an “unsustainable” level of debt in the federal budget.
•As part of their stepped up campaign of assassinations, the Taliban executed a seven-year-old boy in southern Afghanistan after accusing him of spying for the government.
•President Obama urged the Israeli government to loosen its blockade of Gaza and promised a $400 million aid package for the West Bank and Gaza.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

As World Cup Opens, South Africa's Poor Complain of Neglect

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703957604575272622631938324.html?mod=djemITP_h


Krisanne Johnson for The Wall Street Journal
Mr. Zuma spoke to members of the press after giving a speech at Siyathemba Stadium in Balfour, South Africa, on the improvements he plans for the area
======================================================================



Isn't this the way it always goes--If not certain, research the Fall of the Roman Empire.

You are a politician. The money you have is contributed to you, like "Protection" money, and it is called "Campaign Donations".
You want a lot of people to vote for yyou, so you promise them material things--Housing, Transportation, cash (Supposedly for necessary things like food.
Where you going to get the funds to do all that?
Every time--Let's tax the rich."

When the rich see what is coming, they shut down and/or leave.

Most poloiticians and dictators then find a bad guy to point a finger at, like Jews or Rich People


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

AFRICA NEWSJUNE 8, 2010
Soweto Turns Anger on ANC
As World Cup Opens, South Africa's Poor Complain of Neglect
By PETER WONACOTT

SOWETO, South Africa—In 1994, the township of Soweto helped midwife a new nation, toppling a white racist regime after years of protests and electing Nelson Mandela as South Africa's first black president.

Today, Soweto is home to upscale shopping malls, tidy row houses and a state-of-the-art sports stadium that will host Friday's opening of the World Cup. As barriers to government and jobs have fallen and foreign investment has picked up, a black middle class has emerged, a cornerstone of the new South Africa that will be showcased during the month-long soccer tournament.

But prosperity has spread only so far. And 16 years after the end of white minority rule, many here now complain of oppression of a different sort: government neglect.

This time, the sing-song marches, angry slogans and burning tires are most often directed at the African National Congress, the ruling party of Mr. Mandela and South Africa's current president, Jacob Zuma.

Undulating over Soweto's hills in southern Johannesburg are oceans of corrugated metal shacks. In these settlements, roads are dirt, toilets are outdoors and electricity is pilfered from traffic lights. Incensed citizen groups have protested the lack of public services, turning Soweto and other townships into hotbeds of unrest once again.

"At least under apartheid, there was employment—people knew where to go for jobs," says Maureen Mnisi, a spokeswoman for the Landless People's Movement in Soweto, a group that is fighting for housing and land for the poor. "Officials were accountable."

The protests highlight a widening rift between the ANC and the black poor it professes to represent. They are part of a broader picture of disarray cascading down from the top of South Africa's ruling party, as it grapples with infighting and the personal troubles of its polygamous president.

"I'm not concerned that the country is in crisis," says Steven Friedman, director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at University of Johannesburg. "I have no doubt that the ANC is in crisis."

As the World Cup approaches, the nation shows little sign of splitting apart along racial lines. South African flags flying from cars and the diverse following for the national soccer team are public displays of widespread patriotism. For many, the fan frenzy is a reminder of how South Africa's 1995 rugby world championship—made famous by the Clint Eastwood movie "Invictus"—broke down barriers between blacks and whites.

"It is clear that millions of our people have waited for years and look upon this tournament with hope, pride and a sense of belonging," President Zuma told a press conference Sunday. "Sport has always played an important role in our historical mission to build a united, non-racial and prosperous South Africa."

But also ahead of the World Cup, South Africa has become an increasingly fractious place. Although race remains a source of tension, economic concerns have stoked many of the protests.

Last month, the nation endured a debilitating three-week transport strike before the state-owned ports and rail operator settled on a hefty wage increase for workers. Cosatu, an umbrella group of trade unions and a powerful ANC ally, has warned of possible labor strikes during the World Cup, if authorities do not reverse double-digit electricity price increases. Last week, several thousand hospital workers walked off their jobs over pay issues.

Meanwhile, a hodgepodge of social activist groups have threatened marches during the World Cup. The South African Institute of Race Relations, a think tank in Johannesburg, estimates that 25 "major centers of protest" have surfaced this year, nearly all in black townships. The World Cup has galvanized protesters, largely because of the leverage they have over a state anxious to host a trouble-free event, according to Frans Cronje, deputy chief executive of the institute.

"It's a useful moment to protest because the stakes are so much higher for the government," he says.

President Zuma didn't respond to interview requests.

The stakes are also high for the party behind the government. The ruling ANC continues to hold the vast majority of seats in parliament, but it's come under pressure from a vocal opposition and a freewheeling local media. Like liberation parties in other countries, such as the Indian National Congress of India, the ANC has struggled to show it can deliver political freedoms as well as a better standard of living for the poor.

Nearly a century old, the ANC was founded to unite Africans in the quest for human rights. In the 1950s, the organization gained a mass following with campaigns that defied South Africa's laws of racial segregation, a system known as apartheid. In the 1960s, the ANC took up arms against the government. Many ANC leaders, including Mr. Mandela, ended up in jail.

It wasn't until 1990 that the government of South Africa—under pressure from township protests and economic sanctions from foreign countries—lifted a ban on the party. Mr. Mandela and others were released from prison and, in elections four years later, catapulted into power. Since then, the ANC has focused on racial reconciliation with whites and extending new opportunities for blacks through affirmative action policies.

The affable Mr. Zuma, the son of a domestic worker, became president last year by winning the top post at the ANC. Neither charges of corruption, linked to a government arms deal, nor a rape trial derailed his path to power. (The corruption charges were dropped and Mr. Zuma was acquitted of rape).

But personal troubles have become a part of his presidency. Earlier this year, the president admitted to fathering a 20th child with a woman who wasn't one of his three wives or one fiancée. The affair sparked an outcry, even in a country where polygamy is legal. Mr. Zuma apologized to his supporters and paid damages to the family of the woman, whose father, Irvin Khoza, is the chairman of South Africa's World Cup Organizing Committee.

Mr. Zuma's troubles aren't only personal.

ANC leaders have feuded with Cosatu, a government ally, over allegations the leader of the trade union group made about government corruption. Meanwhile, the head of the powerful ANC Youth League, Julius Malema, was threatened with suspension and ordered to attend anger management classes for lashing out at Mr. Zuma, among other offenses. Some officials and analysts see the political battles as the opening salvos within the ANC to succeed Mr. Zuma, after his term as party head expires in 2012.

Beyond the infighting, Mr. Zuma confronts major economic challenges. Despite South Africa surfacing from recession this year, and a binge of World Cup infrastructure spending, the overall job picture hasn't improved. Unemployment hovers at around 25%.

While Mr. Zuma assumed the presidency with a reputation as an economic populist, he has steered clear of steps that would frighten foreign investors. For example, the president and his ministers have reassured global miners that nationalization isn't official policy, even as he has tried to appease the party left by allowing debate on the subject.

Still, foreign investors worry about political stability, violent crime and the huge uneducated black underclass giving rise to both. Business executives wonder how long Mr. Zuma will be in the job after appearing to lose political capital with his personal peccadillos and failure to staunch party infighting sooner.

Some experts argue that the protests in townships are indeed a wakeup call for a government that has ignored its black underclass at its own peril. "We were never a rainbow nation, never a miracle," says Sipho Seepe, a director at the South African Institute of Race Relations. "We created a myth of success without the hard work."

The makeshift settlements of Soweto show how much hard work is left to do.

On a recent Friday in Elias Motsoaledi Village, protesters sang and danced to anti-apartheid songs, but these days the goal of their struggle is reliable electricity and decent housing.

The mud-puddle pocked village is about five miles from South Africa's flagship stadium, the more-than $400 million Soccer City, which will host the opening World Cup match between South Africa and Mexico. Motsoaledi residents say they are angry that funds have passed over them for the soccer stadium. One cardboard sign says: "We vote 4 basic services not for the World Cup."

The protests are led by Lucky Ngobeni, chairman of the Concerned Residents of Elias Motsoaledi Village. Mr. Ngobeni voted for Mr. Mandela. But now, he's protesting a successor who he accuses of ignoring people like him.

"Zuma pretends he doesn't know what's happening here. He knows," says the 33-year old part-time security guard.

Mr. Ngobeni, who prefers to be called Comrade Lucky, has been plunked by rubber bullets and arrested several times, but continues to court confrontation. He says that burning tires and smashing windows attracts crowds and police, which in turn draw media attention and politicians who normally would avoid him.

"We can wait six months for a meeting" with a top city official, says Mr. Ngobeni, striding along the open sewage canals of Motsoaledi. "Burn a police car and he'll be here in an hour."

In an email, the Gauteng Provincial Government Department of Local Government and Housing says that feasibility studies for housing and sewage projects in the settlement have been approved and are awaiting contractors. The department didn't respond to questions about protests.

The militant edge to the protests is matched by the fiery rhetoric among Soweto residents. At a recent meeting of the Concerned Residents of Soweto, an umbrella organization of different groups of the township, the talk was of how the ANC has forgotten those who supported them in the apartheid years and brought them into power.

Some issue angry threats. "We are going to struggle against Zuma and his coterie until he runs out of this country," declared Thandi Bamalekane, to the applause of the others.

But the mood is somber when discussion turns to how electricity prices are rising out of reach for ordinary residents and possible plans to charge people for drinking water. A change of government hasn't lifted living standards for those living in the settlements, according to Ben Tau, one of the members of the Concerned Residents of Soweto.

"We were victims of apartheid. We are victims of democracy now," he says. "It's only the name that's changed."

President Zuma announced recently that he's reconfiguring the government to speed up delivery of services to the poor. He has also paid visits to troubled townships to inspect recent work and defuse tensions among residents.

One of them is Siyathemba Township, a mining area in the country's east. After recent public service protests, Mr. Zuma promised to report back on government progress resolving the problems. On a Saturday afternoon last month, the president returned to speak to an audience under a green banner, "Changing the Way Government Works."

Mr. Zuma received an earful from locals. Signs in the crowd criticized a decision to place the township under the administration of another province that's viewed as poorly administered. Clinics, schools and police were considered too few and far between. Some jeered his ministers who spoke before him.

"Put down your placards," the president urged the crowd when he reached podium. "I have seen them."

Mr. Zuma reminded the crowd that he grew up poor and understood their grievances. He promised the government was working on plans to improve public services. He concluded by singing a popular anti-apartheid song, "Bring Me My Machine Gun." The crowd cheered and danced along with him.

After walking off the stage, the South African president told a small group of reporters that people needed to be more patient. "We must not be agitated," he said. "We must leave the matters to us, the government."

Write to Peter Wonacott at peter.wonacott@wsj.com

Sunday, June 6, 2010

I AM ISRAEL

Tea Party Member Stuns Crowd! ~A Must See Video



A Marine stood up and told Cain that people forget the other verses to the Star Spangle Banner...He then sang it in a beautiful, powerful and moving voice..people in the crowd realized what is happening and stood up with hands on their hearts.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause. it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

http://www.theodoresworld.net/archives/2010/06/tea_party_member_stuns_crowd_a.html

SARAH Palin accuses Helen Thomas of "unconscionable indecency"

http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2010/06/palin-accuses-helen-thomas-of-unconscionable-indecency.html

By guest blogger Sissy Willis

“Many in the European community feel as I do, but they are afraid to speak out publicly,” says Czech Senate President Dr. PÅ™emysl Sobotka in solidarity with Israel, pariah of the politically-correct "international community" in the wake of the Turkish flotilla travesty. Aruta Sheva Israel National News reports [h/t JENin140 on Twitter]:
Is the world waking up? Following U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and others [President Obama stands tepidly behind Israel, presumably to secure leverage for his "peace" agenda, but "perpetuating Israel's enemies' version of events, according to Liz Cheney.] … Dr. Sobotka told Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin on Wednesday, “As a doctor, I certainly regret any loss of life, but there is no doubt that this was a planned provocation designed to drag Israel into a trap.”
Sobotka met with Rivlin in the Knesset, and told him, “I support the position that views Hamas as a terrorist organization … It is too bad that European countries present an unbalanced position on this matter. Unfortunately, the positions of the international community are not always to my taste, particularly in Europe.”
Rivlin took the opportunity to explain once again that “despite the international criticism, the naval blockade on Gaza is in accordance with international law. Israel left Gaza, but it became a terrorist entity supported by Iran. This week, instead of peace activists we found terror activists who endangered our soldiers and left them with no choice. At least 100 out of the 120 Knesset Members support the IDF action.”


Could it be that the Big Lie about Palestinians as victims is about to be "washed away by [a] preference cascade," where people wake up from a politically correct, fear-society nightmare to realize the political narrative being peddled by the powers that be is a con? Glenn Reynolds described the phenomenon awhile back:
Three years ago, I looked at the phenomenon of "preference cascades" — in which people who have been obliged to conceal their true beliefs by social pressure or sheer force suddenly discover that a lot of other people feel the same way — and wrote:
"This illustrates, in a mild way, the reason why totalitarian regimes collapse so suddenly … Such regimes have little legitimacy, but they spend a lot of effort making sure that citizens don't realize the extent to which their fellow-citizens dislike the regime. If the secret police and the censors are doing their job, 99% of the populace can hate the regime and be ready to revolt against it — but no revolt will occur because no one realizes that everyone else feels the same way … Even if one loathes the regime, few people have the force of will to stage one-man revolutions, and when preferences are sufficiently falsified, each dissident may feel that he or she is the only one, or at least part of a minority too small to make any difference."
Something similar is gathering steam in the anthropogenic-global-warming "debate," much to the horror, no doubt, of Obama Disinformation Czar Cass Sunstein, who apparently favors mandatory government propaganda on political websites. Could such an awakening be about to occur in the flotilla "debate" as the facts and YouTube videos emerge, or has the narrative been set? Don't ask Helen Thomas, whose advice for Israelis to "get the hell out of Palestines" and go back "home" to Poland or Germany went viral today, "immortalized on the web," prompting a cascade of outraged blogposts and tweets. Sarah Palin said it most succinctly on Twitter:
Helen, Helen, Helen … unimaginable misunderstanding of Jewish history … & unconscionable indecency. Press corps colleagues calling you on this?
And now the twitterers are having a field day with the hashtag #HelenThomasMovies. A few of our favorites:

Fatah Attraction ~ Michael_Haz

The Taming of the Jew ~ Jozette1972

When Helen Met Adolph ~ SissyWillis

Killing Private Ryan ~ Michael_Haz

Gone With the Windbag ~ sistertoljah

My Dinner with Adolph ~ DanRiehl

Update: Michelle Malkin's "Buzzworthy" links. Be sure to treat yourself to her take:
Helen Thomas Should Go Back to Mordor or the Star Wars Cantina and Get Out of Reporting

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Sunday, May 30, 2010

ROLLING THUNDER 2010

Glenn Beck: Black Founding Fathers

http://www.the912project.us/forum/topic/show?id=2881797%3ATopic%3A851245&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_topic

FoxNewsChannel — May 28, 2010 — Did your school completely omit some of the greatest stories in American history? Glenn Beck certainly thinks so; as do I. Glenn Beck, the 21st Century's most popular historian, not only has a Doctorate from Liberty University:



but he has also done more to help educate Black Americans about the truth of American History, and how it isn't as racist and ignoble as the so-called 'historians' peppering academia in America, in colleges and universities nationwide, have been claiming since the early 20th century, that it is. So here's Glenn Beck on his Founder's Fridays series on his Glenn Beck TV show on Fox News Channel, discussing Black Founding Fathers, and how they've been erased from our history by 'progressives' who care more about enslaving the minds of black Americans than allowing them to know the truth of their heritage:
(15 Min Video-BUT WORTH IT!)

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Louisiana Rep. Scalise Screams at Obama: “We’re Tired of the Excuses” (Video)

VIA FOX NATION:


Posted by Jim Hoft on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 6:44 PM

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/05/louisiana-rep-scalise-screams-at-obama-were-tired-of-the-excuses-video/
We need a quarterback on the field like the law says he’s supposed to be. He’s not supposed to be the commentator in the booth.”

As crude oil continued to ooze through the marshes in Louisiana, Barack Obama flew to California to hold 3 fundraisers with liberal Senator Barbara “Ma’am” Boxer yesterday. Tomorrow he goes on his second vacation since the oil rig blew up in May.

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/05/louisiana-rep-scalise-screams-at-obama-were-tired-of-the-excuses-video/

Sunday, May 16, 2010

The Star Spangled Banner, like you've never heard it


The Star Spangled Banner, like you've never heard it

Smittys Place | MySpace Video

RAY STEVENS--Come to the USA

Gov. Brewer: Obama 'Comic-in-Chief'?



http://www.necn.com/pages/landing_business?Gov-Brewer-Obama-Comic-in-Chief=1&blockID=235463&feedID=

(NECN: Phoenix, Ariz.) - In launching a Web site aimed at educating the United States on Arizona's controversial illegal immigration law, Governor Jan Brewer (R-Ariz.) took umbrage with the president's joke at the recent White House Correspondents' Dinner.

The event is an opportunity for its speakers to make light of politics, and President Barack Obama did so with Arizona's immigration law:


"We all know what happens in Arizona when you don't have ID -- adios, amigos."


It was this joke which became the target of Gov. Brewer's address regarding new steps the state government is taking to promote the law on a national level.

"It's fair to ask whether he intends to be the Commander-in-Chief or the Comic-in-Chief," Gov. Brewer said. "Since the president's joke was so inappropriate, I suppose, if I wanted to join in the comedian game, I could suggest that he should not give up his day job."

"Unfortunately, though, he isn't doing very well at that one, either," she added as her punchline. In the context of the Correspondents' Dinner, Mr. Obama's joke may not be seen by some as "so inappropriate." Gov. Brewer does not see the issue of border security as a joking matter, regardless of context.

With the signing of its immigration bill into law, Arizona has taken matters into its own hands after what is seen by Gov. Brewer as a failure by the federal government to secure the state's border with Mexico. Drug trafficking, violence and illegal immigration crossing into the United States from Mexico is a major concern for the state.

"While the president is making wisecracks and playing racial politics, some groups have suggested that Arizona be punished for enforcing laws that our federal government has failed to enforce -- that is misguided at best," Gov. Brewer said.

She suggested those that wish to boycott Arizona businesses -- Boston, Los Angeles, etc. -- visit the state to witness firsthand the conditions that produced the law.

"Our purpose today is to help the rest of the nation understand the crisis which confronts our state," Gov. Brewer. "Our nation's government is broken, our border is being erased and the president apparently considers it a wonderful opportunity to divide people along racial lines for his personal political convenience."


"Secure the Border"

The governor announced the formation of a committee that will make recommendations designed to increase border security, based on border control statistics. A Web site aimed at "educating" the nation on the state immigration law is also being launched. SecureTheBorder.org's banner features photos of Brewer and Sarah Palin side-by-side.

The site lists under its "Support Arizona" section the organizations considering boycotting Arizona because of the law. Among the contacts listed is Boston Mayor Tom Menino.


SB1070 amended

Arizona's immigration law requires law enforcement officials to question during a "lawful stop, detention or arrest" people suspected of being in the country illegally. The bill, as it was originally signed into law, required officials to make a "reasonable attempt" during "lawful contact" at questioning people suspected of being in the country illegally. That phrasing led to fears of possible racial profiling by officers.

Gov. Brewer on April 30th signed into law HB 2162, which replaced "lawful contact" with "lawful stop, detention or arrest." In a statement, she wrote that the changes to SB1070:

"Specifically answer legal questions raised by some who expressed fears that the original law would somehow allow or lead to racial profiling. These new amendments make it crystal clear and undeniable that racial profiling is illegal, and will not be tolerated in Arizona."

Video courtesy of KXNV.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

SARAH PALIN : We are all Arizonans now


Watch CBS News Videos Online

http://texas4palin.blogspot.com/2010/05/sarah-palin-were-all-arizonans-now.html


Sarah Palin appeared with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer at a brief news conference in Phoenix Saturday and called on Americans to declare "we're all Arizonans now" and to urge President Obama to secure the nation's borders:

Gov. Palin said there is "a great deal of misinformation" about Arizona's law and said urged Americans to "come visit Arizona" to show support for the state and its governor on illegal immigration.

The event also launched a Web site, Secure The Border, which Governor Brewer said was an effort to educate America about border security.

Gov. Palin is in Phoenix for a scheduled speech to the Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Heritage Banquet.

- JP

U.S. Soldier Who Lost All Four Limbs in Iraq Sets Example for Us All – Video


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Via HotAirPundit

What a story. Brendan Marrocco is a U.S. Soldier who lost all four limbs to a roadside bomb in Iraq on Easter Sunday 2009. His character and courage is absolutely inspiring. What an example he is to us all.

CBS News

Sooner or later it had to happen – a soldier losing all four limbs and yet surviving. It happened to Brendan Marrocco on Easter Sunday of 2009 in Iraq, when his vehicle tripped a roadside bomb.

“It just took both arms, my left leg off completely and my right leg was still attached a little bit,” Marrocco said, “and killed my gunner – my best friend.”

Then there’s that nasty scar on his neck.

“Yeah, I severed my carotid artery,” Marrocco said. “That alone should have killed me.”

Carotid artery severed, both arms and left leg completely off – why didn’t he bleed to death? The answer is a gruesome irony: the heat of the blast instantly cauterized the same wounds it had caused.

“I was barely bleeding from them,” Marrocco said. The same weapon that took half his body saved his life. Just barely.

“I wasn’t expected to live,” Marrocco recalled. “I died three times and came back.” No pulse. “Flat-out dead.” . . . READ MORE

HotAirPundit has more, including photos. One of the best stories I have seen produced by the media in a very long time.

Posted by Brian on Saturday, May 15, 2010, at 2:33 PM | 13 Comments »

Friday, May 14, 2010

Governor Palin's Keynote Address at the NRA Convention

Sunday, May 9, 2010

The Way Troops should be welcomed home



http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/05/edinburgh-welcomes-home-its-soldiers-from-afghanistan-video/

Crowds flocked to see the troops return from war in Edinburgh.
It was wonderful parade complete with bagpipes.
It was an emotional scene… Welcome home!

The battlegroup lost 30 soldiers in Afghanistan.
The BBC reported:

Hundreds of soldiers from the 3 Rifles and 1 Scots have marched in Edinburgh after returning from Afghanistan.

They were taking part in a homecoming parade on the Royal Mile to thank the public for their support, before being presented with their service medals.

The Edinburgh-based troops were deployed to Helmand in October 2009.

During the six-month tour the 1,400-strong battlegroup lost 30 members, the biggest loss of life in a battlegroup for 60 years.

Stupidist Caller Ever- Welfare Money From Obama Stash, Illegal Aliens

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Miggs, the Times Square Hero Horse, Gets Thanks and a Carrot

http://dnainfo.com/20100505/manhattan/miggs-times-square-hero-horse-gets-thanks-carrot



Christine Quinn gave Miggs a well-deserved scratch on the nose.

Read more: http://dnainfo.com/20100505/manhattan/miggs-times-square-hero-horse-gets-thanks-carrot/slideshow/popup/16574#ixzz0nAvYuNs2


Wayne Rhatigan and Miggs.


By Nicole Breskin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CHELSEA — After city officials congratulated police and fire officials for preventing a car bomb explosion in Times Square, there was only one first responder left to thank — Miggs, the "bomb-proof horse."
Miggs, the trusty steed of mounted officer Wayne Rhatigan, who began the evacuation of the tourist haven after a T-shirt vendor alerted him to the smoking Nissan Pathfinder packed with explosives, was honored with carrots, apples and a variety of cupcakes for his role in the effort.
“Usually horses are afraid and run when there’s smoke,” Rhatigan told DNAinfo. “But Miggs did what he was supposed to do.
“He’s proven to be a bomb-proof horse,” he said, as stocky 15-year-old Miggs lapped up two carrots leaving a trail of orange foam around his mouth.
“His regular food is grains and carrots,” said Rhatigan. “But he loves cupcakes and pizza.”
Rhatigan joked he might have to put Miggs on a diet after his feast, but he said the treats were well-deserved.
For his part, Rhatigan, 46, got a plaque and a city proclamation from City Counsel Speaker Christine Quinn and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio at Pier 76 in Chelsea on Wednesday. His partner, Pam Duffy, also was honored.
“The horses are so well trained,” Quinn said, after she gave Miggs a good scratch on his nose. “They not only stood there next to a car on fire, [officers] were able to ride them and deal with the situation and keep the horses calm and that’s a real credit to the team here.”
NYPD’s Bomb Squad and their bomb-sniffing dogs were also honored in Greenwich Village on Wednesday, with the dogs treated to cookie biscuits.
Miggs was named after a fallen Staten Island police officer.
Rhatigan, a 19-year veteran of the police force, has rode Miggs for the entire five years he's been in the mounted unit.
“He is nice and mellow,” said Rhatigan, beaming with Miggs standing by his side. “He’s the only one I want to work with."
Links
Wayne Rhatigan, Mounted Cop Who Evacuated Times Square, Dines with Mayor at Blue Fin


Read more: http://dnainfo.com/20100505/manhattan/miggs-times-square-hero-horse-gets-thanks-carrot#ixzz0nAuJOdu1

Sunday, May 2, 2010

SARAH in CLARKSTON, Michigan

From the Arizona Trenches

by 'Anglo' writer-friend Frank Maguire



From the Arizona Trenches May 2, 2010

It’s my routine to leave the house early in the a.m., often around 5:00, and head for the foothills here in the desert around Arizona City . It is quiet and beautiful, and I watch the sun rise over the mountains to the east. I read, think, and write.

Because the area is part of what the Border Patrol calls the “pipeline,” where human-cargo “coyotes” and drug-smugglers head north from the border, about 80 miles to the south, it can be a dangerous location. I have observed incidences of activity over the past three years.

My writing place is 12 miles south of Casa Grande, adjacent to the huge Tohono O’odham (formerly called “Papago”) Nation reservation, close to the junction of U.S. Routes 8 and 10. The thousands of square miles of desert and the surrounding mountains make it very difficult for the Border Patrol. There is a large BP office in Casa Grande, and another, smaller, just north of rt. 10, in Eloy, less than a mile from where routes 8 and 10 connect.

Every morning I chat with BP Agents who gas-up at the large Love’s Truck Stop on Sunland Gin Rd. , in Eloy. I have gotten to know a number of them, and I’ve written some articles on the dangerous conditions here in the “pipeline.” Per the advice of my Agent acquaintances, I am always armed. I carry a Colt Commander MK-80, Series IV .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, with Hydro-Shok ammunition in the magazines. Sometimes, if there have been recent goings-on, I include a Marlin .44, lever-action carbine, or a Mossberg .12 gauge riot shot gun. I don’t go looking for trouble, but I would prefer to survive it if it presents itself.

Yesterday morning, Saturday May 2nd, I was out at my regular hour. At about 7:00, on the dirt road just east of the mountains, about 500 yards from where I sat, two Pinal County Sheriff’s vehicles accompanied by two Deputy Sheriffs on ATV’s and an unmarked SUV drove up to some trails that run westward into the mountains. I watched until I could no longer see them, and then I drove into the desert where I would be able to regain sight of them.

The patrol cars had stopped at one trail-head, and the ATV’s were climbing the trail. We were quite close and I chose to leave since I didn’t want to be a distraction to them.

Later in the day, I saw the news that Border Patrol Agents, Casa Grande and Eloy Police, and Pinal County Sheriff had raided a number of local houses that were being used by human-cargo and drug smugglers and had arrested a large number of illegals. Also, one Pinal Sheriff’s Deputy had been shot by an Ak-47 wielding drug-runner. A few of the smugglers had managed to get away, and the police agencies were searching for them. The location they described is exactly where I was situated that morning.

You are watching the war against Arizona being waged by despicable lying politicians and complicit business persons who have their own reasons for not obeying the federal and state laws in re. illegal entrance into the United States . As you watch, remember this: you are being lied to, and you and your families are being placed in serious jeopardy by the very people who are saturating the news networks with accusations that Arizona is a haven for hateful bigots. The reality is, contrary to the deceitful hypocrites who are far from the border wars that we in Arizona deal with every day, Arizonans are persons who take the U.S. Constitution seriously, and who do not rationalize or sentimentalize the laws of our nation away.

Consider, fellow citizens, that we in Arizona are acting as your first line of defense. If you join in the efforts against Arizona , you are guaranteeing that the war against illegal entry across America ’s sovereign borders will get even worse. And even you in the silly sanctuary cities established by fools and liars will be forced to contend with a virtual alien army as your “neighbors.”

In closing: the area in which I live with my Hispanic wife, Helen Isabel Estevez Maguire, is at least fifty-percent Hispanic in population. I choose to live here. Other than the continuous invasion by illegals, who are hidden in stash houses in Arizona City , Eloy, and Casa Grande, the citizens here get along very well. Contrary to the accusations of ethnic hatred, there is a neighborly atmosphere. As we, here, watch the hypocrites attacking Arizonans while they live in their protected, lily-white communities, we just shake our heads in disgust. Our advice? If such as these want to see what hypocrisy and hatred look like, all they need to do is to check out their faces in a mirror.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

MSNBC Frets Over Arizona Becoming 'the Most Conservative State' in the U.S.

[UPDATE BELOW: Tamron Hall responds on Twitter.] MSNBC's Tamron Hall on Wednesday worried that Arizona may be turning into the "most conservative state in the nation." A graphic on the liberal cable network chided, "Arizona Too Conservative?" [Audio available here.]

Hall talked to Zachary Roth from the Talking Points Memo web page. His site first sounded the alarm over the threat from this right wing state with an article entitled, "Crazy Arizona: How A State Went From Swinging In '08 To Out On A Limb In 2010."

After discussing several conservative initiatives that the state House has passed, Hall linked the tough new immigration law and other proposals to bigotry: "Here you have a state that could be one of the first with a dominant population of Latino and Hispanics. Is that, perhaps, why we're seeing this conservative push so appealing with people there?"

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2010/04/28/msnbcs-tamron-hall-frets-over-arizona-becoming-most-conservative-sta#ixzz0mRFGcYz8

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Phoenix Mayor Gordon

Last Friday, Governor Jan Brewer took decisive action combating illegal immigration in our state and signed Senate Bill 1070. I applaud her for her courage.

Unfortunately, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon is asking the City of Phoenix to file a legal challenge to fight this new law. Instead of filing frivolous lawsuits against our state and finding ways to avoid the law, we should be developing an implementation plan that ensures we comply with the law. Government creates the law and we should expect government to abide by the law.

SB 1070 will soon become law and we need to uphold the rule of law in Arizona. We should not be filing frivolous lawsuits that will waste taxpayer’s dollars, as Mayor Phil Gordon wants to do.

That is why I am emailing you today. I need your help.

On Tuesday, Mayor Phil Gordon is trying to push the Phoenix City Council to spend taxpayer dollars to bring a lawsuit to block SB 1070.

Its absurd for him to be spending your tax dollars on his own political agenda and that of President Obama, Al Sharpton and the east coast press.

Please contact the Mayor and other members of the Phoenix City Council and tell them you do not want them to use taxpayer money to fight SB 1070. Or, please come to tomorrow’s city council hearing and voice your opinion. The meeting starts at 2:00 and is held at the Phoenix City Council Chamber – 200 West Jefferson Street in Phoenix.

Thank you and I would be grateful to hear your thoughts on this important issue via email at council.district.6@phoenix.gov.

To contact Mayor Phil Gordon, please use the information below:

Mayor Phil Gordon
602-262-7111
mayor.gordon@phoenix.gov

To contact other City Council Members, please use the information below:

Claude Mattox: council.district.5@phoenix.gov or (602) 262-7446

Michael Nowakowski: council.district.7@phoenix.gov or (602) 262-7492

Tom Simplot: council.district.4@phoenix.gov or (602) 262-744

Thelda Williams: council.district.1@phoenix.gov or (602) 262-7444

Peggy Neely: council.district.2@phoenix.gov or (602) 262-7445

Bill Gates: council.district.3@phoenix.gov or (602) 262-7441

Michael Johnson: council.district.8@phoenix.gov or (602) 262-7447

Saturday, April 24, 2010

RIGHTNETWORK





Kelsey Grammer is starting a NEW network--Out this summer. He's is also following 6 candidates, and it's called RUNNING--Trailer Above.

His web site is RIGHTNETWORK.com

Arizona's immigration law too tough? Not if you live there.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/04/arizonas_immigration_law_too_t.html

Rick Moran
You can dress your opposition to the new Arizona immigration law up any way you want to, but if you're so all fired concerned about it, I suggest you move to the border towns that are under virtual siege by drug gangs and do your protesting there. The number of kidnappings and murders related to illegal crossings of the border have skyrocketed and the feds seem powerless to stop it.

It is a tough law for tough times, and under ordinary circumstances, would be seen as "draconian." But given the fact that it is impossible to delineate where the US border ends and where Mexico's begins in many places in that state, the right of sovereignty should rule.

Even the New York Times admits that the law basically calls for enforcement of existing statutes:

While police demands of documents are common on subways, highways and in public places in some countries, including France, Arizona is the first state to demand that immigrants meet federal requirements to carry identity documents legitimizing their presence on American soil.

Ms. Brewer acknowledged critics' concerns, saying she would work to ensure that the police have proper training to carry out the law. But she sided with arguments by the law's sponsors that it provides an indispensable tool for the police in a border state that is a leading magnet of illegal immigration. She said racial profiling would not be tolerated, adding, "We have to trust our law enforcement."

Ms. Brewer and other elected leaders have come under intense political pressure here, made worse by the killing of a rancher in southern Arizona by a suspected smuggler a couple of weeks before the State Legislature voted on the bill. His death was invoked Thursday by Ms. Brewer herself, as she announced a plan urging the federal government to post National Guard troops at the border.

[...]
It requires police officers, "when practicable," to detain people they reasonably suspect are in the country without authorization and to verify their status with federal officials, unless doing so would hinder an investigation or emergency medical treatment.

It also makes it a state crime - a misdemeanor - to not carry immigration papers. In addition, it allows people to sue local government or agencies if they believe federal or state immigration law is not being enforced.

President Obama is going to use this common sense law to push his version of immigration reform that won't do anything to stop the flood of illegals from crossing the border and will probably act as a catalyst for increased illegal immigration.

But it is interesting to note that a state law that only asks that existing law be enforced and followed is so violently opposed by the open borders crowd. Once again we have the spectacle of people demanding that the law of the land not be enforced, that we shouldn't be serious about illegal immigration.

Arizonians took care of that notion.

GOP Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Signs Tough Immigration Bill into Law - Video 4/23/10

Palin on Ariz. Immigration Law Controversy

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,591446,00.html



VAN SUSTEREN: Indeed, and I hope everybody gets the message out there that it is a crime and they will -- people will get prosecuted for it.

All right, now to the other question. (INAUDIBLE) big picture of Governor Jan Brewer down in Arizona has been -- she's got a big immigration issue on her hands, illegal immigration issue. And -- and I'm wondering -- it's, like, how tough is it as a governor to try to get the federal government to help you out of a jam? Now, they finally have passed a bill. They've now got the attention of the federal government. But it has taken this far to have the federal government say, Look, we're going to -- we're going to try to do something about illegal immigration. But what's the difficulty for a governor?

PALIN: Well, in this day and age, when it doesn't seem there are a lot of federalists in the federal government understanding 10th Amendment rights and a state's rights, it is quite difficult to have that good communication and working relationship between the feds and the state government in order to best serve the people whom you are to be serving. So more power to Jan Brewer for deciding that she was taking on an issue. And it is a states' rights issue, and she was going to decide with her lawmakers what they could do to tackle this huge issue of some immigration problems.

As a governor, you know, I faced the same thing, when I was governor as Alaska and had to sue the federal government over abuse of the Endangered Species Act -- that was under President Bush -- and then having to butt heads with President Obama over the stimulus funds, when I vetoed some of the stimulus funds that came to our state, and then my veto of those funds was overridden by the legislature.

But there is -- there is always that good, healthy kind of conflict between the state and the federal government, but a state governor has got to make sure that they are remembering who they are serving. It's the people who hired them, their state's voters, and they do what's best for the people who did hire them. Sometimes that is in conflict with the federal government.

But Jan Brewer, I think, in doing the right thing for her constituents and standing up for her state, and now it's a matter of working with the feds to kind of mesh what the mission is that they are on to make sure that this immigration reform that she wants to work on, that due respect is given to the state in this case.

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, it's a very important issue, and I think now the state of Arizona finally has the attention of the federal government. And so we'll see what happens as they -- as the days and weeks go on. Thank you, Governor.

PALIN: Thank you

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

The NEW Rebel Flag

Friday, April 23, 2010

SHE DID IT--WE DID IT--NOW WE ARE ALL (fill in the Blank)



Sitting here at home, Arizona Gov Jan Brewer just made a speech after signing the Immigration Bill.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/04/gov-brewer-announces-decision-on-immigration-bill/1
Oh, yeah, that is the SAME Bill that Obozo (Who won't do JACK about the problem) just criticized
Obama Blasts Pending Arizona Immigration Law: "Irresponsibility"
http://whitehouse.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/04/23/obama-blasts-pending-arizona-immigration-law-irresponsibility/

Cardinal Mahony criticizes Arizona immigration bill
Head of L.A.’s Catholic archdiocese likens the bill to techniques used by Nazis and Communists.(WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK IS IN THE WHITE HOUSE?)
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/20/local/la-me-0420-mahony-immigration-20100420
This bastard is the reason I left the Catholic Church. I refuse to give a penny because it will go in some Illegals pocket

BUT, since we (Arizonans) are racist, bigoted Homophobes, WE MUST BE DOING WHAT AMERICANS WANT

Sunday, April 18, 2010

“They Called Me Everything But My Name”

Florida Congressional Candidate Lt. Col. Allen West on Defending America



http://floridapundit.com/2010/04/florida-congressional-candidate-lt-col-allen-west-on-defending-america/

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Arizona Enacts "Constitutional Carry" For Firearms





"Freedom To Carry" may replace so-called "Right To Carry" nationally


by Alan Korwin, Publisher
Bloomfield Press
http://www.bloomfieldpress.com


PHOENIX -- With governor Jan Brewer's signature on the new "Constitutional Carry" firearm law today, Arizona becomes a beacon state for the nation on the gun-rights issue.
Arizonans, who have been free to carry firearms openly since statehood in 1912, will now be free to carry discreetly as well, without permits or red tape. Low-crime Vermont has had this freedom intact since Colonial days. The permit system remains in place but will no longer be required for discreet carry.
Alaska enacted a Constitutional Carry law in 2003, and Texas passed a limited version for traveling in 2007. Montana has enjoyed this freedom since 1991 on 99.4% of its land (outside city limits). These states experienced no increase in crime or accidents from the expanded freedom to discreetly bear arms in public. However, numerous dire warnings of "blood in the streets" preceded those new laws, but proved false. A list of circulating myths about the law, also known as "Freedom To Carry," appears at the end of this article.
Arizona's extremely strict laws on criminal misuse of firearms are unaffected by the new public freedoms, although a penalty for criminals got tougher. New language now makes concealed carry in the commission of a serious crime a felony. This led to support of the bill from police around the state. Formerly, that offense was a misdemeanor.
The intrusive government "permit" system in Arizona, introduced in 1994 with paperwork, approvals, fingerprinting, criminal-database listings, required classes, two mandatory tests, taxation and expiration dates to exercise "rights" is still available, but is now optional. Enormous police resources that could be going directly toward reducing crime have instead been diverted by the program into registering, regulating and tracking the innocent. About 3% of the public have signed up for the plastic-coated permission slips, though an estimated 50% of the state's population keeps and bears arms. Official sources acknowledge they get millions of dollars per year from the permit taxes called "fees."
"This new law brings rights restoration for the public, and an increase in freedom for law-abiding people," said Dave Kopp, a lobbyist for the Arizona Citizens Defense League that requested and promoted the new law. "The people have the same right to bear arms discreetly that they have to bear arms openly, we are simply correcting statute to reflect that. If your jacket accidentally covers your sidearm, that no longer exposes you to criminal penalties." A woman will be able to put a handgun in her handbag, go about her business, and not be subject to arrest.
The key changes in the law were made by repealing the infringing language in A.R.S. §13-3102, not by enacting new rules. A number of other changes were made in SB 1108, the bill that carried the Constitutional Carry law, and these will be described in plain English and posted by gunlaws.com next week. The new law will become effective 90 days after the legislature closes, or approximately in July.
"Opportunities for firearms training and gun safety can increase tremendously with this new law", said Alan Korwin, author of The Arizona Gun Owner's Guide, the book that describes the state's gun laws in plain English. "Instead of focusing on a tiny percentage of the market willing to submit to the permit system, smart trainers can now offer Freedom To Carry classes to the general public. We're anticipating Family Days At The Range and Constitutional Carry classes to spring up statewide," he said. Removal of the $60 tax for the permit represents a significant discount, he notes.
"We sold The Arizona Gun Owner's Guide by the truckload for five years before there was any CCW law, and expect to do the same now, though permit holders did become and will remain a segment of our business," Korwin said. The Guide is now in its 24th edition, and a free update will be released shortly. The book's publisher, Scottsdale-based Bloomfield Press, is the largest publisher and distributor of gun-law books in the country. http://www.gunlaws.com
The permission-slip system is unaffected and offers some advantages to citizens. Other states recognize the Arizona permit under "reciprocity," which allows permit holders to carry firearms when in those states (currently 23 according to the Dept. of Public Safety).
In addition, since permitees are constantly monitored through the criminal databases DPS registers them in, they can shop at retail for firearms without undergoing separate FBI background checks each time they make a purchase. Also, some people just get a sense of security by having a plastic government "authorization" card in their wallets, and they enjoy showing it to friends.
Another CCW-permit benefit is the ability to carry in restaurants that serve alcohol, as long as the restaurant itself doesn't ban possession and the person doesn't drink while there. Whether those various denials of rights will be eliminated in future legislation, making the general public equal to permission-slip holders, was unknown at press time.
Previously only people with government-permission cards in their possession could bear arms in certain parks. That ban was eliminated by a separate bill this year, which now makes permit holders and the general public equal.
According to MSNBC, some six million Americans have permits and carry discreetly. The fears of shootouts at stop lights, bullets for slow waiters and Wild West-style belligerence have been repeatedly proven false and dispelled as hoplophobic fantasies. Statistics have shown that crime uniformly drops when states reduce infringements on the right of law-abiding people to keep and bear arms. "Society is safer when criminals don't know who's armed," according to the California-based civil rights group, crpa.org.
Sales of small easily carried sidearms and accessories are expected to increase with passage of the new law.

--

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY

Q: Why is the CCW permit being eliminated?
A: The CCW permit is not being eliminated -- that appears to have been misinformation designed to scuttle the bill. The permit system remains completely unaffected by Freedom To Carry. The permit, its advantages, the training, reciprocity schemes, the classes, fees and taxes are unchanged. That all remains voluntary as it always has been. Anyone who meets that law's requirements can apply. Shame on the "news" media that has repeatedly said otherwise.

Q: What's the difference between Constitutional Carry and Freedom To Carry?
A: There's no difference, they're just two names for the same thing. Constitutional Carry, the more formal term, comes from following the Arizona Constitution's provision that "The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the state shall not be impaired...". Freedom To Carry (no government interference with the right to arms) refers to the next step after so-called Right To Carry (massive government interference with the right to arms).

Q: If people can just carry guns, won't crime and gun problems skyrocket?
A: Half of Arizonans keep and bear arms now, without any of the CCW red tape and government supervision, and without any "skyrocketing" problems. Removing the requirement to only carry openly doesn't change who people are or how they act, it just restores their rights. Restoration of rights and becoming mentally unhinged are not related -- but the same arguments have been made everywhere CCW programs passed.
It's commonly recognized that some folks, especially people who lean left politically, do seem to equate discreetly bearing arms and becoming unglued. Decades of experience however provide no evidence of any such behavior. Those concerns have been repeatedly proven false and often turn out to be irrational fear mongering. Government permission slips for the exercise of rights have not turned people into homicidal maniacs. Restoring the right to discreetly bear arms will not change people into something they are not, and brings the state into proper compliance with its Constitution.

Q: Can anyone carry a gun?
A: Anyone who could legally carry a gun previously can legally carry under this law, no more, no less. "Prohibited possessors" -- criminals, illegal aliens and others forbidden to carry arms remain banned as always. The main change is that now a woman can put a handgun in her handbag without being subject to arrest for carrying discreetly without a government permission slip (and a man has equal right to carry a gun in any discreet manner -- under a sport coat or shirt, in a pocket or pants holster, fanny pack, attaché case, etc.)

Q: Training is a good thing, why was it eliminated?
A: Training is indeed a good thing and it is not eliminated. Anyone can and should take as much training as they want, which is voluntary. What has changed is that you are no longer forced to take government-mandated classes, registration and taxes before you can exercise your right to carry discreetly. This is the same formula working in Arizona since statehood for open carry (which includes concealed carry in your home, business, land, vehicle (with some minor conditions), and in a visible scabbard or case designed for carrying weapons, or in luggage. Now that the half of the public that bears arms can do so discreetly, many experts expect statewide gun training to flourish.

Q: Won't people shoot each other if they're not required to take the training?
A: Twelve states currently issue CCW permits without a training requirement and they're doing just fine. Half of Arizonans exercise their right to arms without government-demanded training and they're doing just fine. The idea that you're only safe if government requires training is statist, foolish and incorrect. That said, responsible people should get education and training for firearms—and swimming, machine tools, medical care, raising children, being married, owning a home, preparing food, writing articles, etc., without government mandates.
If government could require training for everything that has risk, your freedom would be evaporated and your government would be out of line. Government has no legitimate delegated authority in this country to be your nanny like that, or to require anything beyond the specific, limited delegated powers given to it in the Constitution and subsequent valid legislation. The fact that government has in many cases abandoned those constraints is part of why the Tea Party movement has gained such ground and, in some cases, driven the public out into the streets with pitchforks (figuratively).
Currently, 11 states issue carry permits without training and they're fine (AL, DE, GA, ID, IN, MD, MS, NH, PA, SD, WA). Because Arizona recognizes all other permits, many of our snowbirds have been carrying under those permits, without problems.

Q: Why are children of any age going to be allowed to carry guns to school?
A: That is total nonsense. No such thing occurs. The bill has no effect on children. That appears to be part of a misinformation campaign designed to scuttle the bill. There is no change as to who has the right to keep and bear arms. School grounds are unaffected by the law. That question is typical of similar lies and disinformation used to defeat and mislead the public about many good bills that seek to restore our civil rights. It's almost as bad as the lies told about blacks during the civil rights era of the 1960s. Almost.

Q: Will other states imitate Arizona and enact Constitutional Carry?
A: Many people hope so, and it has the backing of the gun-rights groups.

--30--

AFTERWORD: INSIDER INFORMATION:
There is one reason and one reason only why this got done --
The Arizona Citizens Defense League.
That small handful of guys running this group, the two full-time volunteer lobbyists Dave Kopp and John Wentling, and the thousands of members who supported the effort with their tiny membership dues are exactly and precisely why our rights have expanded.
It was a deliberate, conscientious, focused and tireless effort from what must be a candidate for the best pro-rights organization in the nation. Get your friends to join, send a donation or buy a t-shirt or hat, attend the meetings, and in your little way, make a difference and preserve our rights. http://www.azcdl.org

One other tidbit -- the NRA was rightfully nervous about this whole Freedom To Carry, permitless, no training, no red tape expansion of our rights. They dragged their feet at first, that's putting it mildly, and I can't say I blame them. An awful lot was on the line.
They wanted to be prudent. Limit exposure and risk. They have all their trainers to think about and that revenue stream. The chance of falling flat on your face in total embarrassment is a serious concern. The ease with which the antis might cast us as dangerous gun-toting (their media's favorite slur) nuts is a real issue.
I personally debated hard with some of the top brass, and to their credit, they finally agreed not to fight the effort in Arizona, and eventually saw the light and got on board. Some gun owners like to pick on the NRA, but the NRA is going to be at the forefront of this battle. The Constitutional Carry issue does make sense, for them and for us. It will be a winner in some states, maybe yours, and does advance everything for which NRA members stand.
Yes, some of those members, steeped in darkness, or hooked on the government-permit feed trough, believe that red-tapeless carry is a bad idea. They crave government supervision. They want that permission slip in their wallet. They'll learn, and come around. And continue to get fine training from NRA certified and other trainers because it's the right thing to do, not because the government commands it. Appleseed is doing a phenomenal job in the training arena too, check them out while you're at it. http://www.appleseedinfo.org
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P.S. ORAL ARGUMENT ANALYZED

I have finally completed the long-awaited analysis of the oral arguments in the McDonald v. Chicago gun-ban case. Both attorneys took a whupping, but I think our rights came out on top. Justices showed their true colors (like Breyer comparing free speech to death by gun). It's fascinating if you're into this sort of thing, and way easier than plodding through the transcripts. Sorry it took so long.
http://www.gunlaws.com/McDonald_v_Chicago_Orals.htm

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NOTE: On my website at last -- The Woman's Page
http://www.gunlaws.com/books15Women.htm