Category Archives: Civil rights

Attorney General Eric Holder states no, Constitution allow a US citizen on US soil to be killed by a drone?, No imminent and immediate threat of death and bodily harm

Attorney General Eric Holder states no, Constitution allow a US citizen on US soil to be killed by a drone?, No imminent and immediate threat of death and bodily harm

“In the Department’s view, a lethal operation conducted against a U.S. citizen whose conduct poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States would be a legitimate act of national self-defense that would not violate the assassination ban. Similarly, the use of lethal force, consistent with the laws of war, against an individual who is a legitimate military target would be lawful and would not violate the assassination ban.”…Obama DOJ Memo

“I just want you to know that we are working on it (gun control)….We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar.”…Barack Obama

“Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth.”…George Washington 

From Mediaite March 6, 2013.

“Ted Cruz Goads Eric Holder Into Admitting That Killing Americans With Drones On U.S. Soil Is Unconstitutional”

“On Tuesday, the Department of Justice sent shockwaves through the nation when Attorney General Eric Holder informed Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in writing that the White House would be within its legal authority to execute an American citizen via drone on U.S. soil if that person was determined to pose a threat to national security. On Wednesday, testifying before a Senate panel, Holder was prodded repeatedly about this assertion by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Holder eventually admitted that it would not be constitutional to execute an American citizen without due process.

“In your legal judgment, does the Constitution allow a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil to be killed by a drone?” Cruz asked Holder pointedly.

“For sitting in a café and having a cup of coffee?” Holder replied. Cruz clarified that his hypothetical individual subject to a drone strike did not pose an “imminent and immediate threat of death and bodily harm,” but that person is suspected to be a terrorist.

“I would not think that that would be an appropriate use of any kind of lethal force,” Holder replied.”

““You keep saying appropriate – my question isn’t about propriety,” Cruz goaded. “My question is about whether something is constitutional or not.”

When Cruz was about to abandon his line of questioning after a number of equivocations from Holder, the attorney general clarified that he was saying “no” such actions would not be constitutional.”

Watch video:

Ted Cruz Goads Eric Holder Into Admitting That Killing Americans With Drones On U.S. Soil Is Unconstitutional

Rand Paul announcement March 5, 2013, Glenn Beck states big, Paul Illinois GOP dinner, Obama Administration use of attack drones, US citizen surveilance, Paul 2016 presidential bid

Rand Paul announcement March 5, 2013, Glenn Beck states big, Paul Illinois GOP dinner, Obama Administration use of attack drones, US citizen surveilance, Paul 2016 presidential bid
“In the Department’s view, a lethal operation conducted against a U.S. citizen whose conduct poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States would be a legitimate act of national self-defense that would not violate the assassination ban. Similarly, the use of lethal force, consistent with the laws of war, against an individual who is a legitimate military target would be lawful and would not violate the assassination ban.”…Obama DOJ Memo

“I just want you to know that we are working on it (gun control)….We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar.”…Barack Obama

“Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or the SA – ordinary citizens don’t need guns, as their having guns doesn’t serve the State.”…Heinrich Himmler

A few minutes ago Glenn Beck stated that Rand Paul would make a very big announcement on The Blaze today. Many are speculating that it has something to do with Obama’s use of drones to spy on US citizens.

From Illinois Review March 5, 2013.

“If Republicans in Illinois are beaten down and discouraged, they didn’t show it at last night’s Northwest Suburban Republican Lincoln Day Dinner where more than 650 people came out to hear U.S. Senator Rand Paul.

Ryan Higgins, the Republican Committeeman for Schaumburg Township, attributed the success of the dinner to high enthusiasm among party regulars as well as an influx of new members.”

“”We meet three times a week with the Republican caucus,” Paul said. “With the group now down to 45, we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well and sometimes it’s an echo chamber. If you say, ‘I’m for the Second Amendment,’ you get slapped on the back and everybody loves you. But you go down the list, and it’s not always such a consensus. Once you get to the Fourth Amendment, you’re not getting everybody.”

“You may not realize this, but they gave up on the Fourth Amendment when they stopped issuing warrants before examining your bank records,” Paul said. “I don’t know about you, but everything’s on my Visa card. You can tell if I go to a doctor, you can tell if I drink, if I gamble. For goodness sake, shouldn’t you have to issue a warrant before you look at my Visa bill?””
“”I hate terrorists as much as anyone, and they should be killed on the battlefield,” Paul said. “But we can’t let drones fly around threatening U.S. citizens. What you need to understand in this controversy over drones is we’re not talking about someone with a grenade launcher on their shoulder. Some of these people being killed by drones are in their house or in a cafeteria.

“I’ve said a lot of bad things about the government,” Paul said. I don’t want them coming to my house with a drone.” Paul said, emphasizing the Obama Administration’s plan to use drones, even within America boundaries, is vague and without geographic boundaries.

“Can’t we have a little more assurance from the president that he won’t attack American citizens without a trial?”

Privacy issues, drones, prisoner rights are all a part of the discussions that have come up in recent U.S. Senate hearings, he said, from the nomination for Intelligence Chief Brennan to the Benghazi incident and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Paul told the audience Secretary Clinton should have resigned immediately after Libyan Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others were killed in Benghazi.”

“Paul is considering a bid for the White House in 2016, and he met privately with local Republican donors such as Jack Roeser and Bruce Rauner before dinner.”

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2013/03/paul-in-palatine.html

Media Politicians and uninformed citizens bigger threat than guns, NY state legislation would hurt poor struggling families, Orwellian rules on competency to own firearms

Media Politicians and uninformed citizens bigger threat than guns, NY state legislation would hurt poor struggling families, Orwellian rules on competency to own firearms

“Liberals, lacking accountability for their failed policies, and reason for their irrational fear of guns, blame guns and conservatives for gun violence.”…Citizen Wells

“Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or the SA – ordinary citizens don’t need guns, as their having guns doesn’t serve the State.”…Heinrich Himmler

“‘On the contrary,’ he said, ‘you have not controlled it. That is what has brought you here. You are here because you have failed in humility, in self-discipline. You would not make the act of submission which is the price of sanity. You preferred to be a lunatic, a minority of one. Only the disciplined mind can see reality, Winston. You believe that reality is something objective, external, existing in its own right. You also believe that the nature of reality is self-evident. When you delude yourself into thinking that you see something, you assume that everyone else sees the same thing as you. But I tell you, Winston, that reality is not external. Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. Not in the individual mind, which can make mistakes, and in any case soon perishes: only in the mind of the Party, which is collective and immortal. Whatever the Party holds to be the truth, is truth. It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the eyes of the Party. That is the fact that you have got to relearn, Winston. It needs an act of self-destruction, an effort of the will. You must humble yourself before you can become sane.'”…George Orwell, “1984″

From the great commenter at Citizen Wells, writer, patriot and friend, zachjonesishome , February 25, 2013.

“The Media, Politicians and Uninformed Citizens are a Bigger Threat than Guns”

“The hyperbole, the high and mighty discussions, the knee-jerk legislative reactions surrounding the gun debate (assault on the Second Amendment) these past few months have been absolutely crazy, shortsighted, misinformed, misdirected, unconscionable and potentially dangerous. There are moves in the works to require every gun owner in New York state to carry 1 million dollars worth of liability insurance estimated to cost between $1,600 to $2,000 annually, which would mainly prevent the poor and struggling families from having access to guns for self-defense.  InWashington State a legislator was trying to require certain gun owners to allow the sheriff to inspect their homes once a year.  A lot of veterans, hundreds perhaps thousands, are receiving letters that they cannot own or process firearms, deemed incompetent without due process Even though the above attempts have strong arguments against them on Constitutional grounds (2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 14th), that does not make them in any way palatable.

The fact that veterans’ are having their rights taken away without due process raises another concern.  Who will say, and what standards will be used to say, a person is competent enough to own a firearm or not?  What about a person with a chronic back issue who was referred to a counselor because he or she felt a little blue and might benefit from talking with someone about dealing their new limitations?

Would Obama say this or that person is unfit to own a firearm?  (It might depend on his or her political Party registration with Obama.) 

No matter what the media and politicians around the nation are saying and trying to do, the real issue is not the Constitutional right of competent people in the United States to own firearms.  The Second Amendment my friend is a good thing, a necessary thing for everyone’s protection.

In our American tapestry, guns in the hands of competent law abiding citizens are a big net positive. They provide an effective deterrent to many types of crime (random assault, home invasion, burglary, rape, etc.).  Doesn’t it make sense that a violent predator or burglar would be much more likely to target those people (older, smaller, weaker, or disabled) who they have reason to believe are unarmed, or to target homes believed less likely to be protected by people with firearms?  Thus, having a significant portion of our responsible population armed also protects those who are not armed raising uncertainty in the mind of criminals.

Case in point, most of the recent mass killings in the news took place in venues that were expected not be adequately protected. In fact, most occurred in gun free zones, which is like putting up a sign that says ‘Look, Easy Pickings’.  (Just to note, the vast majority of violent crimes do not involve the actions of strangers. They are committed by someone know to the victim – friends, family, acquaintances.) However, the focus of this article is not primarily about guns.

It’s about politicians and media taking advantage of every crisis, real or manufactured, to further their agendas and misinform the vast majority of those who are too busy to pay close attention.  Regarding the gun issue (like they do nearly every other issue), the U.S. media consistently fails to cover the issue fairly and honestly; and most times they fail to present all the relevant facts.  When they report statistics about gun violence, they nearly always fail to even attempt to report on a number that I’m sure would dwarf the number of people killed or injured by disturbed and violent people using firearms for nefarious purposes.  This number is the number of deaths, injuries, robberies, rapes, assaults, or burglaries that did NOT occur; or where damages and injuries were reduced; or criminal activities were forced to end early because the criminal(s) were thwarted, because there was an armed victim, an armed guard, an armed civilian intervener, or common knowledge that many people in this state or neighborhood might be armed, or something as innocuous as an NRA bumper sticker on a car.

They fail to report on nations like Switzerland that requires all men 20 to 42 to own automatic rifles (their lack of gun crime) or asurvey of 9 countries gun laws and gun crime in Foreign Policy magazine that “…did not find any correlation between firearm control and ownership on the one hand and violent crime on the other….”

Sorry to use this well worn cliché, but it is very true.  When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.  Have you read the stories about it now being possible to print guns, gun magazines and gun parts with 3D printers?  These guns could be made in a way with a 3D printer as to be nearly undetectable. Now that’s a scary thought.”

Read more:

The Media, Politicians and Uninformed Citizens are a Bigger Threat than Guns

Gun Companies Boycott Anti Gun States over 700% in 1 Week, Firearms and ammunition to law enforcement agencies, Second Amendment protects citizens

Gun Companies Boycott Anti Gun States over 700% in 1 Week, Firearms and ammunition to law enforcement agencies, Second Amendment protects citizens

“Liberals, lacking accountability for their failed policies, and reason for their irrational fear of guns, blame guns and conservatives for gun violence.”…Citizen Wells

“Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or the SA – ordinary citizens don’t need guns, as their having guns doesn’t serve the State.”…Heinrich Himmler

“The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good”…George Washington

 

From Freedom Outpost February 23, 2013.

“Gun Companies Boycotting Law Enforcement In Anti-Gun States Grow By More Than 700% In 1 Week”

“The list of companies that have decided to stop selling firearms and ammunition to law enforcement agencies, in states that are hostile to the Second Amendment and putting forth gun control legislation, is growing and has grown more than seven times the number that I informed you about one week ago today.

Previously I listed the following companies:

Now the list has expanded to include:

Jeffrey Norton, of Norton Firearms, issued a statement on the company’s website:

Norton Firearms, Inc. is a strong defender of the US Constitution, not only the 2nd amendment. We believe that a government that restricts it Citizens from executing their Constitutional Rights is no longer a government for the people or by the people. It is our policy not to sell our products or services to any organization that tries to diminish the rights given to us by our US Constitution and our Creator. If you are a government agency with a policy of restricting our Constitutional Rights we ask that you take our tax dollars and spend it somewhere else. I am sure there is some profiteering communist foreign company that will be glad to take our dollars for their gain. We will only sell to law abiding, Citizens and those agencies that truly support and will defend The US Constitution.”

Read more:

http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/02/gun-companies-boycotting-law-enforcement-in-anti-gun-states-grow-by-more-than-700-in-1-week/#ixzz2LovHPlU1

Hamilton County Ohio voter fraud, Voting twice, Absentee provisional ballot confusion, Out of state voters, Typical of Ohio and US?, “I’ll fight it for Mr. Obama”

Hamilton County Ohio voter fraud, Voting twice, Absentee provisional ballot confusion, Out of state voters, Typical of Ohio and US?, “I’ll fight it for Mr. Obama”

“An additional 2,735 were cast by people who elections officials believe were not registered in Ohio”…The Columbus Dispatch Nov. 21, 2012

“Eighty-one voters in Hamilton County, Ohio, cast more than one ballot in the Nov. 6 election, officials said, bringing calls for investigation and prosecution.”...UPI Nov. 21, 2012

“It’s not who votes that counts, it’s who counts the votes”…Joseph Stalin

From  the National Review February 8, 2013.

“The Voter Fraud That ‘Never Happens’ Keeps Coming Back”
“Critics of voter ID and other laws cracking down on voter fraud claim they’re unnecessary because fraud is nonexistent. For instance, Brennan Center attorneys Michael Waldman and Justin Levitt claimed last year: “A person casting two votes risks jail time and a fine for minimal gain. Proven voter fraud, statistically, happens about as often as death by lightning strike.”

Well, lightning is suddenly all over Cincinnati, Ohio. The Hamilton County Board of Elections is investigating 19 possible cases of alleged voter fraud that occurred when Ohio was a focal point of the 2012 presidential election. A total of 19 voters and nine witnesses are part of the probe.

Democrat Melowese Richardson has been an official poll worker for the last quarter century and registered thousands of people to vote last year. She candidly admitted to Cincinnati’s Channel 9 this week that she voted twice in the last election.”

“Richardson insists she has done nothing wrong and promises to contest the charges: “I’ll fight it for Mr. Obama and for Mr. Obama’s right to sit as president of the United States.””

Read more:

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/340174/voter-fraud-never-happens-keeps-coming-back-john-fund

From Citizen Wells November 27, 2012.

“Over 300,000 ballots were being processed recently in Ohio. 204,927 provisional ballots and 119,535 absentee ballots.”

“Eighty-one voters in Hamilton County, Ohio, cast more than one ballot in the Nov. 6 election, officials said, bringing calls for investigation and prosecution.

The disclosure came as the Hamilton County Board of Elections agreed to count nearly 15,000 provisional and absentee ballots which could potentially change the outcome of several local ballot measures, The Columbus Dispatch reported Wednesday.

Election board staffers reported 63 voters cast both an early absentee ballot and a provisional ballot on Election Day, and 18 others voted twice on Nov. 6, typically by casting a regular vote in one precinct and a provisional ballot in another.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/ohio-canvass-vote-certification-november-27-2012-provisional-ballots-counted-and-counted-correctly-hamilton-county-voter-fraud-double-votes-ohio-audit-trustworthy/

From Citizen Wells November 21, 2012.

“Franklin County Ohio, containing Columbus, was one of the counties in Ohio that went for Obama by a large margin.

Obama 325,654     60.1%

Romney 207,941  39.1%

If Franklin County is any indication, the elections in Ohio cannot be trusted.

From The Columbus Dispatch November 21, 2012.

“New Albany schools await provisional ballot count”

“New Albany schools officials must continue to wait to find out whether their combined bond issue and tax levy passed.

Yesterday, the Franklin County Board of Elections told workers to begin opening and scanning most of the 29,751 provisional ballots cast in the Nov. 6 election, but they can’t be counted until the board decides what to do with the rest of the ballots.

Work began yesterday on 20,545 ballots that election officials believe were cast correctly. They are awaiting a response from other county boards to determine whether 2,438 more ballots, which were cast by voters registered elsewhere in Ohio, are valid.

An additional 2,735 were cast by people who elections officials believe were not registered in Ohio, and 1,849 were cast by people voting in both the wrong precinct and polling location. Other categories of provisional votes are also under review, election officials said.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/11/21/franklin-county-ohio-reveals-ohio-voting-problems-tens-of-thousands-of-ballots-in-question-provisional-ballots-2735-cast-by-non-ohio-citizens-audit-oh-votes/

Obama gun statements Second Amendment position, Rhino Times, February 7, 2013, Common sense reporting in NC, Dogs locked up mentally ill allowed to roam free

Obama gun statements Second Amendment position, Rhino Times, February 7, 2013, Common sense reporting in NC, Dogs locked up mentally ill allowed to roam free

 
“And it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigraant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment, as a way to explain their frustrations.”… Barack Obama

“If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.”… Barack Obama

“Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or the SA – ordinary citizens don’t need guns, as their having guns doesn’t serve the State.”…Heinrich Himmler

 

Commonsense reporting from John Hammer of the Rhino Times in NC.

With the increased control of the press by Obama, special interests, including foreigners and now Warren Buffett via Berkshire Hathaway, independent publications like the Rhinoceros Times become even more important.

From the Rhino Times February 7, 2013.

“President Barack Hussein Obama has evidently fired a shotgun, but we all know that he doesn’t “shoot skeet all the time.” At least Obama didn’t say that after he shot the skeet he cleaned it and Michelle cooked it for a healthy family dinner.

But he did say, “We do skeet shooting all the time.” Can you imagine if he had said, “We do basketball shooting all the time.” Or “We do golf ball hitting all the time.” People shoot skeet, they don’t “do skeet shooting.”

But the mainstream media just accepts whatever comes out of Obama’s mouth as the gospel.

Obama keeps talking about country people who grew up hunting and says they have a right to be able to continue that tradition, as if the US Constitution said, “Because people like to hunt, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

That is not what the Constitution says. The Second Amendment reads, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

The Second Amendment is not about hunting or target shooting, it is about individuals having the right to bear arms to protect themselves from people who don’t want them to live in a “free State.” It is so that “the people” can protect themselves from the government.

The idea that this right has not been infringed is pretty silly, but the Second Amendment should not be infringed anymore. If Obama and the liberals think that the Second Amendment is outdated, there is a process to change it. When it turned out prohibition didn’t work the president didn’t issue executive orders allowing certain people to drink alcohol at certain times, nor did he issue an executive order making martinis legal but keeping beer illegal. Instead Congress acted responsibly and the 18th Amendment was repealed by the 21st Amendment.

Let Obama start the process to repeal the Second Amendment if he thinks it needs to be done. And we’ll see how that works for him.

, , ,

Insane people are going into places where they can be relatively certain that no one else has guns and shooting people. In the case of Newtown, Adam Lanza went into an elementary school and killed children, which tears at everyone’s heart. But if the problem is that some insane or evil people are shooting others in places where guns are outlawed, is the solution to outlaw more guns? Lanza stole those guns from his mother, whom he killed. Is it possible to stop insane people from killing responsible gun owners and stealing their guns?

The Obama response to the shooting at Newtown is despicable, because it is simply political. The kids were killed with a rifle that looks like, but is not, an assault rifle. So the response from our president, who is supposed to be smart, is to ban rifles that look like assault rifles. Does Obama really believe that if the gun Lanza had stolen from his mother had had a wooden stock instead of a plastic one that he would not have shot anyone? Would it have really saved lives if the gun had not had a flash suppressor? Are we supposed to believe that if he had had to put in a new magazine more often he would have just given up and gone home without killing anyone? He reloaded several times as it was, so slipping in a few more magazines would not appear to have been a problem for him.

He could have killed just as many people with a rifle that looked more like a traditional hunting rifle. Obama is not asking Congress to outlaw guns that operate like the one used in Newtown, but just guns that look like the one used at Newtown. Are the American people going to fall for that level of absurdity?

A better way to keep insane people from killing others is to have a place for insane people to go where they can be kept safe and others can be protected from them. According to the reports on his behavior, Lanza needed to be somewhere he could be treated. But in the US we have decided that it is wrong to provide care and treatment for the severely mentally ill.

If you spend any time length of time with the homeless you know that many of them could benefit from someone taking care of them. They are homeless because they can’t deal with society, and society won’t help them except to give them blankets so they won’t freeze to death while they sleep on our streets.

It is ever so interesting to me that when I was a child dogs roamed free and the mentally ill were locked up for their own good. Today dogs are locked up for their own good and the mentally ill are allowed to roam free. One of the big reasons given for locking up dogs was to protect them. It is a strange society that cares more about the welfare of dogs than people.”

http://greensboro.rhinotimes.com/Articles-Columns-c-2013-02-06-214739.112113-under-the-hammer.html
“What, Sir, is the use of a militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. Whenever governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise an army upon their ruins.”… Elbridge Gerry

Schools need guns and better security, Sandy Hook fathers speak out, Gun laws not needed, Security existing law enforcement civility, Chicago gun laws failed

Schools need guns and better security, Sandy Hook fathers speak out, Gun laws not needed, Security existing law enforcement civility, Chicago gun laws failed

“Weaker people, whether at school, at home or elsewhere are best protected from stronger people, with ill intent, by guns and proper security measures.”…Citizen Wells

“Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or the SA – ordinary citizens don’t need guns, as their having guns doesn’t serve the State.”…Heinrich Himmler

“The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good”…George Washington

Guns are not the problem, they are part of the solution.

The problem is a lack of prioritizing, in many cases by educators as well as society, who have failed in their duties to protect our children. Security has not been a high enough priority in our schools.

From Citizen Wells January 16, 2013.

“Gun control has never worked and never will work. It is the solution of dictators and those lacking reason and accountability.

We secure our businesses with armed guards and security cameras. Rational and responsible members of society protect their families with security systems and weapons. Why have we not protected our schools?

Focusing on gun control is a knee jerk reaction that does not work and does not address the real issues of protecting our children.”

“Elementary and Kindergarten aged children are the most vulnerable and should receive the most protection. Here are some common sense based remedies that will greatly improve the security for these children.

1. Monitor the areas outside the buildings. This would include monitored security cameras and some combination of walk arounds by staff and or security personnel.

2. Security alarms for illegal entry.

3. Buffered entry ways. i.e. double entry ways. The first door should set off the alarm and the second would slow down intrusion.

4. Stronger doorways.

5. Regular drills for emergency preparedness. We had those when I was in grade school.

6. As many armed school personnel as possible. “Good guys with guns to stop the bad guys with guns.” Each armed person should be psychologically evaluated.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/secure-schools-not-empower-criminals-gun-control-does-not-protect-children-sandy-hook-poorly-prepared-ct-strict-gun-laws-failed-keep-criminals-and-insane-away-from-buildings/

Two of the father’s of Sandy Hook children have spoken out . One lost his child. The other knows that he could have as well.

I have the utmost respect for these two fathers. They have spoken the truth.

From The Blaze January 28, 2013.

“THE PROBLEM IS NOT GUN LAWS”

“Mark Mattioli, whose six-year-old son James perished inside of the school, testified that a plethora of new gun laws isn’t the answer and that, instead, personal responsibility, accountability and civility are the best path forward. He made his comments as intense debate surrounding gun control and the causal factors behind the shooting continue to be at the forefront of public discussion.

The grieving father, who ended up receiving a standing ovation, said that he believes in “simple, few gun laws” and that there are already “more than enough on the books.” Mattioli contends that “the problem is not gun laws” and that these regulations simply need to be enforced.

“How do we expect to have any impact on a society and say, ‘We’re going to pass a law. Hey this is inexcusable. We can’t allow any more of this. Let’s pass a law that will change the course of the future’  when we don’t enforce the laws that we have on the books — the most important laws?”

Read more and watch his speech:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/01/28/the-problem-is-not-gun-laws-watch-the-emotional-speech-by-a-sandy-hook-victims-dad-that-got-a-standing-ovation/

From Freedom Outpost February 3, 2012.

“Sandy Hook Student’s Father: You’ll Have To Take My Gun From My Cold Dead Hands!”

“A father of a Sandy Hook Elementary School student testified on January 28, 2013 in a Working Group Public Hearing at the Connecticut State Capitol on gun violence prevention. While Bill Stevens’ fifth grade daughter was not harmed in the incident, she was a part of the children that were in “lock down” during the shooting and following it. However, Mr. Stevens said that his daughter’s friend’s little sister was once of the children that was murdered, “when 911 and ‘lock down’ were not enough to protect her from an evil person, not protect her from an ‘assault rifle’ or some type of an inanimate object, but from an evil person.”

In speaking to those listening, Stevens said that the security at the school was “quite different from the elaborate security you all enjoy here at the Capitol.””

“He also pointed out that gun ownership is a right and should not make gun owners suspect simply because of the numbers or kinds of guns they own or even how much ammunition they have.

“My guns are not dangerous,” Stevens said. “They are at home, locked up, collecting dust and cat hair.”

“But criminals and tyrants,” he continued, “tyrants especially, beware, ‘lock down’ is not an option at the Stevens’ residence and 911 will be dialed after the security of my home has been established!”

Stevens asked, “Why is that same security that my daughter enjoys at home with her dad not available at school in Newtown? That is what you should be considering, not making her dad a criminal.”

“Charleton Heston mad the phrase, ‘From my cold dead hands’ famous,” Stevens thundered. “And I will tell you here today, you will take my ability to protect my Victoria from my cold dead hands!””

Read more and watch his speech:

http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/02/sandy-hook-students-father-youll-have-to-take-my-gun-from-my-cold-dead-hands/

Martin Luther King, Jr birthday, January 21, 2013, King quotes are relevant today yet rarely quoted, Obama et al should embrace, Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek

Martin Luther King, Jr birthday, January 21, 2013, King quotes are relevant today yet rarely quoted, Obama et al should embrace, Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek

“Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest.”… Mahatma Gandhi

Today we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Isn’t it odd, with all of the great quotes from him, that we rarely hear many of them referenced.

 
Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.”

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

“Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.”

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.”

“I am not interested in power for power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.”

“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

“Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.”

“A lie cannot live.”

More quotes at:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html

Bob Schieffer Nazi comment, Schieffer CBS owe Americans and Nazi victims apology, Nazis confiscated guns herded Jews, Edward R Murrow reported truth

Bob Schieffer Nazi comment, Schieffer CBS owe Americans and Nazi victims apology, Nazis confiscated guns herded Jews, Edward R Murrow reported truth

“surely, defeating the Nazis, was a much more formidable task than taking on the gun lobby.”…Bob Schieffer

“While my father was hunted, Schieffer lived comfortably in Texas, where private citizens had guns and children were safe. There is no need to denigrate Schieffer, but he and his ilk need to be educated before invoking the worst evils of mankind.

The NAZIs were nothing like the National Rifle Association. They were the exact opposite. The Nazis were anti-gun. They confiscated guns, starting with those owned by Jews. Like many liberal American Jews today, German Jews were told everything would be fine. The government would protect them.”…Eric Golub

“A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”…Edward R. Murrow

There was a time when I had respect for Bob Schieffer and CBS News. That respect and trust has eroded for years. Recently, any respect I had for Scheiffer completely evaporated.

Recently Bob Schieffer referred to the struggle against gun proponents in the context of defeating the Nazis. At CBS, the home of Edward R. Murrow, who knew first hand the tyranny and terror of the Nazis, who took guns away from the Jews, herded them up and destroyed them. Murrow did his best to inform America and the world of these atrocities.

Bob Schieffer and CBS owe the American public and victims of Nazi atrocities an apology.

From Last Resistance January 18, 2013.

“I desperately tried to find a great quote that would summarize my thoughts on what I’m about to write. I searched all over the web, and could find not a single quote that encapsulated the preposterousness of what Bob Schieffer said on Wednesday. So rather than blather on with platitudes, like I usually do, I’m gonna get right to it.

According to Bob Schieffer, President Obama’s battle against the NRA is comparable to both Lyndon Johnson’s civil rights battles, and the defeat of the Nazis in World War II. Here’s the exact quote for your perusal and general amusement:

“Let’s remember: there was considerable opposition when Lyndon Johnson went to the Congress and…presented some of the most comprehensive civil rights legislation in the history of this country. Most people told him he couldn’t get it done, but he figured out a way to do it. And that’s what Barack Obama is going to have to do…what happened in Newtown was probably the worst day in this country’s history since 9/11. We found Osama bin Laden. We tracked him down. We changed the way that we dealt with that problem. Surely, finding Osama bin Laden; surely, passing civil rights legislation, as Lyndon Johnson was able to do; and before that, surely, defeating the Nazis, was a much more formidable task than taking on the gun lobby.””

“Now onto the second part of Schieffer’s diatribe. In his rant, he equates going up against the NRA with defeating the Nazis. Seems a bit extreme. Bob Schieffer is exaggerating to such an extent, that it goes beyond simple hyperbole; it moves toward irresponsibility.

So, when actually analyzed, the information in Schieffer’s quote is nothing more than simple lies through omission, and grotesque exaggerations. It is really disturbing to me that this man is regarded as a national treasure in the news industry. He distorts the truth, and propagates gross misrepresentations; which is the exact opposite of what a journalist should do.

I would admonish Schieffer; tell him that he’s better than this garbage; but I know he’s not. Schieffer is just one of a million “journalists” who are propping this President up. Don’t believe a word he says, because he is a snake.”

Read more:

http://lastresistance.com/1064/bob-schieffer-obama-taking-on-nra-defeating-the-nazis/

From  Eric Golub and the Washington Times January 17, 2013.

“Liberals like Schieffer cannot stop. Maybe they are pro-Adolf Hitler, given their insistence in injecting him into every conversation about conservative policies from tax cuts to gun control to foreign policy. Hitler, Brown-shirts, Nazis, Goose-Steppers, and similar analogies flow from their lips as casually as others say “nice day” and “lovely weather.”

This is deeply personal for me. My father is a Holocaust survivor. So were his parents. They lived in the woods, constantly on the run. Like animals, they survived through luck and instinct. My father was a baby, spending his first four years hunted like a dog. My grandmother would keep him under her shirt to muffle his cries. Christians (those people the left keeps demonizing) risked their own lives and smuggled my grandfather food and clothing. There was no shelter. After four years on the run, World War II ended. Four years after that, my father and his parents came to America. They were lucky. His grandparents, my great-grandparents were all murdered.”

Read more:

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/tygrrrr-express/2013/jan/17/bob-schieffer-nra-and-nazis-never-again/

Edward R. Murrow

RTNDA Convention October 15, 1958

“Believing that potentially the commercial system of broadcasting as practiced in this country is the best and freest yet devised, I have decided to express my concern about what I believe to be happening to radio and television. These instruments have been good to me beyond my due. There exists in mind no reasonable grounds for personal complaint. I have no feud, either with my employers, any sponsors, or with the professional critics of radio and television. But I am seized with an abiding fear regarding what these two instruments are doing to our society, our culture and our heritage.

Our history will be what we make it. And if there are any historians about fifty or a hundred years from now, and there should be preserved the kinescopes for one week of all three networks, they will there find recorded in black and white, or color, evidence of decadence, escapism and insulation from the realities of the world in which we live. I invite your attention to the television schedules of all networks between the hours of 8 and 11 p.m., Eastern Time. Here you will find only fleeting and spasmodic reference to the fact that this nation is in mortal danger. There are, it is true, occasional informative programs presented in that intellectual ghetto on Sunday afternoons. But during the daily peak viewing periods, television in the main insulates us from the realities of the world in which we live. If this state of affairs continues, we may alter an advertising slogan to read: LOOK NOW, PAY LATER.

For surely we shall pay for using this most powerful instrument of communication to insulate the citizenry from the hard and demanding realities which must be faced if we are to survive. I mean the word survive literally. If there were to be a competition in indifference, or perhaps in insulation from reality, then Nero and his fiddle, Chamberlain and his umbrella, could not find a place on an early afternoon sustaining show. If Hollywood were to run out of Indians, the program schedules would be mangled beyond all recognition. Then some courageous soul with a small budget might be able to do a documentary telling what, in fact, we have done–and are still doing–to the Indians in this country. But that would be unpleasant. And we must at all costs shield the sensitive citizens from anything that is unpleasant.”

“One of the basic troubles with radio and television news is that both instruments have grown up as an incompatible combination of show business, advertising and news. Each of the three is a rather bizarre and demanding profession. And when you get all three under one roof, the dust never settles. The top management of the networks with a few notable exceptions, has been trained in advertising, research, sales or show business. But by the nature of the coporate structure, they also make the final and crucial decisions having to do with news and public affairs. Frequently they have neither the time nor the competence to do this.”

“Sometimes there is a clash between the public interest and the corporate interest. A telephone call or a letter from the proper quarter in Washington is treated rather more seriously than a communication from an irate but not politically potent viewer. It is tempting enough to give away a little air time for frequently irresponsible and unwarranted utterances in an effort to temper the wind of criticism.”

And this brings us to the nub of the question. In one sense it rather revolves around the phrase heard frequently along Madison Avenue: The Corporate Image. I am not precisely sure what this phrase means, but I would imagine that it reflects a desire on the part of the corporations who pay the advertising bills to have the public image, or believe that they are not merely bodies with no souls, panting in pursuit of elusive dollars. They would like us to believe that they can distinguish between the public good and the private or corporate gain. So the question is this: Are the big corporations who pay the freight for radio and television programs wise to use that time exclusively for the sale of goods and services? Is it in their own interest and that of the stockholders so to do? The sponsor of an hour’s television program is not buying merely the six minutes devoted to commercial message. He is determining, within broad limits, the sum total of the impact of the entire hour. If he always, invariably, reaches for the largest possible audience, then this process of insulation, of escape from reality, will continue to be massively financed, and its apologist will continue to make winsome speeches about giving the public what it wants, or “letting the public decide.”

“I refuse to believe that the presidents and chairmen of the boards of these big corporations want their corporate image to consist exclusively of a solemn voice in an echo chamber, or a pretty girl opening the door of a refrigerator, or a horse that talks. They want something better, and on occasion some of them have demonstrated it. But most of the men whose legal and moral responsibility it is to spend the stockholders’ money for advertising are removed from the realities of the mass media by five, six, or a dozen contraceptive layers of vice-presidents, public relations counsel and advertising agencies. Their business is to sell goods, and the competition is pretty tough.

But this nation is now in competition with malignant forces of evil who are using every instrument at their command to empty the minds of their subjects and fill those minds with slogans, determination and faith in the future. If we go on as we are, we are protecting the mind of the American public from any real contact with the menacing world that squeezes in upon us. We are engaged in a great experiment to discover whether a free public opinion can devise and direct methods of managing the affairs of the nation. We may fail. But we are handicapping ourselves needlessly.”

“But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.”

This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.

Stonewall Jackson, who knew something about the use of weapons, is reported to have said, “When war comes, you must draw the sword and throw away the scabbard.” The trouble with television is that it is rusting in the scabbard during a battle for survival.”

http://futurewewant.org/2012/an-inspiring-quote-from-edward-r-murrow/

“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men – not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular”

Edward R. Murrow

CT schools still don’t get security, Connecticut law allows armed personnel, State and educators to blame not guns, North Carolina schools protected?

CT schools still don’t get security, Connecticut law allows armed personnel, State and educators to blame not guns, North Carolina schools protected?

 
“Gun control is the solution of dictators and those lacking reason and accountability.”…Citizen Wells

“Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state.”…CT Constitution

“The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good”…George Washington

Why do the liberals and Obama blame guns for tragedies like Sandy Hook?

Lack of reason and accountability.

Yesterday  Citizen Wells presented what all school systems, especially those most vulnerable, should have been doing to protect students.

1. Monitor the areas outside the buildings. This would include monitored security cameras and some combination of walk arounds by staff and or security personnel.

2. Security alarms for illegal entry.

3. Buffered entry ways. i.e. double entry ways. The first door should set off the alarm and the second would slow down intrusion.

4. Stronger doorways.

5. Regular drills for emergency preparedness. We had those when I was in grade school.

6. As many armed school personnel as possible. “Good guys with guns to stop the bad guys with guns.” Each armed person should be psychologically evaluated.

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/secure-schools-not-empower-criminals-gun-control-does-not-protect-children-sandy-hook-poorly-prepared-ct-strict-gun-laws-failed-keep-criminals-and-insane-away-from-buildings/

Connecticut gun laws among the toughest in the U.S.

However, school personnel could have been armed.

“It is unlawful to possess a firearm on public or private elementary or secondary school property. This prohibition shall not apply to a person with a firearm carrying permit, with permission from school officials, or while traversing school property with an unloaded firearm for the purpose of gaining access to lands open to hunting or for other lawful purposes, provided entry is not prohibited by school officials.”

http://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/state-laws/connecticut.aspx

School security at Sandy Hook, in CT and across the country in the past has been inadequate and still is. Apparently the folks in Connecticut still don’t get it.

From the Examiner January 14, 2013.

“Connecticut school new security policies, after the Sandy Hook massacre”

“Nearly one month after the Connecticut school shooting, several local districts have put new security measures in place, including locked front doors and tighter visitor sign-in policies, and launched reviews of their safety procedures.

Area officials say they have been working closely with local police departments and staff members to come up with the best policies to protect students and teachers in the wake of the Dec. 14 tragedy in which 20 children and six adults were killed.

“We’re taking it seriously, but we’re mindful of the human factor and not increasing the anxiety of our students,’’ said Weston Superintendent Cheryl Maloney.

In Weston, all school doors were previously locked except front doors. Maloney said those doors are now locked but the district has yet to install buzzers or cameras. Members of the office staff, she said, are responsible for answering the door until a new system can be installed.

Natick has also started locking the front doors at its schools, while Newton, Sudbury, and the Ayer-Shirley Regional district have plans in the works. Acton is studying the option. Needham has completed an upgrade of security at the town’s schools that includes a buzzer and surveillance system and locked front doors,

In Weston, Maloney said there has been mixed reaction among parents to the changes. “They preferred the more welcoming front door,’’ she said.

Maloney said the district is considering a swipe-card system for the doors, but it will take time to go through the bidding process to buy the equipment and have it installed. “We will continue with that plan and may accelerate it,’’ she said.

Maloney said the district is also looking at hiring a consultant to review its practices and see whether any additional changes are necessary. She said they have been more vigilant about visitor passes, and having parents wait in the lobby for students.

Natick Superintendent Peter Sanchioni said that before the Newtown shooting, just one of the district’s eight schools had a camera and buzzer system. During the winter break, locks and buzzers were installed at all schools, he said.”

http://www.examiner.com/article/connecticut-school-new-security-policies-after-the-sandy-hook-massacre

“We’re taking it seriously”

I wouldn’t bet on it.

If you have children in CT schools, contact your officials and insist that armed personnel be present at your schools.

Too many liberals, guided by their “feelings”, have been running our school systems. We conservatives must get more involved.

I will be investigating further school security in my home state of NC.