Archive for January, 2009

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Return of the Draft

January 31, 2009

It appears that the Department of Defense has come up with a scheme to reinstate the draft. Sure, the directive says that volunteers will be sought first, but guess what? If they can’t fill these positions with volunteers, then..? You got it! You will be assigned! That is a draft by any other words that they choose to use. Involuntary servitude. Is that the kind of change that people voted for? For some reason, I don’t think so.

edit: Good Times Politics beat me to this! H/T!

Read on:

Defense Department Establishes Civilian Expeditionary Workforce

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 – The Defense Department is forming a civilian expeditionary workforce that will be trained and equipped to deploy overseas in support of military missions worldwide, according to department officials.

The intent of the program “is to maximize the use of the civilian workforce to allow military personnel to be fully utilized for operational requirements,” according to a Defense Department statement.

Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England signed Defense Department Directive 1404.10, which outlines and provides guidance about the program, on Jan. 23.

Certain duty positions may be designated by the various Defense Department components to participate in the program. If a position is designated, the employee will be asked to sign an agreement that they will deploy if called upon to do so. If the employee does not wish to deploy, every effort will be made to reassign the employee to a nondeploying position.

The directive emphasizes, however, that volunteers be sought first for any expeditionary requirements, before requiring anyone to serve involuntarily or on short notice. Overseas duty tours shall not exceed two years.

Employees in deployable-designated positions will be trained, equipped and prepared to serve overseas in support of humanitarian, reconstruction and, if absolutely necessary, combat-support missions.

The program also is open to former and retired civilian employees who agree to return to federal service on a time-limited status to serve overseas or to fill in for people deployed overseas.

Program participants are eligible for military medical support while serving in their overseas duty station.

All participants will undergo pre- and post-deployment medical testing, including physical and psychological exams.

Defense civilians reassigned from their normal duty to serve overseas will be granted the right to return to the positions they held prior to their deployment or to a position of similar grade, level and responsibility within the same organization, regardless of the deployment length .

Families of deployed Defense Department civilian employees shall be supported and provided with information on benefits and entitlements and issues likely to be faced by the employee during and upon return from a deployment.

Defense civilian employees who participate in the expeditionary program shall be treated with high regard as an indication of the department’s respect for those who serve expeditionary requirements.

Expeditionary program participants’ service and experience shall be valued, respected and recognized as career-enhancing.

Participants who meet program requirements would be eligible to receive the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism.

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Law, Men's Issues, News, Politics, Uncategorized, Wordpress Political Blogs | 3 Comments »

Turkey Hunting in Colorado 2009

January 31, 2009

If you, like me, are a victim of Turkey Hunting addiction, it’s time to get off your butt, and get your applications for limited licenses turned in. There is a new area available, and you need to get your app in real early. I’ve never hunted there, but I’m thinking that it should be excellent!

Go HERE for more information. Be advised that if you are using Firefox it will not allow you to view the site. For some reason, it thinks that the DOW website will harm your computer.

So, got your shotgun or bow set up and ready? If not, now is the time to make sure that all of your gear is in top shape. That includes your body, if you are out of shape yourself after the holidays then start a program to get your body into hunting form.

Draw permits get you into the better areas but they can be tough to get some years. Do to the hard work of the Division of Wildlife, the National Wild Turkey Federation, and yes, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Wild Turkeys are pretty widespread across Colorado. Over the next month or so I will post about some of the better non draw places to hunt Turkeys that I know of, and, I hope others will also let folks know some of the general areas that have proved to be productive. No, I don’t expect anyone to give up their actual honey holes. But, we as a species, hunters in general, are a declining species over all, and nothing will keep more people afield than a reasonable chance of success.

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Hunting Fishing and the Great Outdoors, News, Uncategorized | 16 Comments »

Profiles of valor: U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Montoya

January 30, 2009

During the Battle for Baghdad in April 2003, United States Marine Corps Sgt. Scott Montoya was serving as a Scout Sniper, Scout Sniper Platoon, 2d Battalion, 23d Marines, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. At one point, enemy fire had Montoya’s sniper team pinned down, and he directed his team to return fire while he ran into an open roadway to rescue an Iraqi civilian trapped in a vehicle. Montoya spotted a wounded Marine on the same roadway and led him to safety, and then another wounded Marine, and then another, who was unconscious, and then a fourth, all while shooting at the enemy with his free hand. Later, when Montoya was asked how many bullets went by him as he rescued four fellow Marines, he answered, “About 300.” He added, “I saw a hurt Marine and all my training came into play. It wasn’t a cognitive thing; I just saw the situation and cared for my Marines.” For his “extraordinary heroism,” Sgt. Montoya was awarded the U.S. military’s second-highest honor, the Navy Cross.

Well done Marine.

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Posted in Education, Men's Issues, Military Science, News, War, Warfare | 8 Comments »

Can’t ban guns? Okay, just ban the ammunition!

January 30, 2009

My usual Friday project for this week was going to be addressing the latest control scheme by those that don’t have anything better to do than infringe upon the rights of others. However, someone beat me to it, and in a much better manner than my poor writing skills allow for.

Read it here

Be sure to also read the comments!

So, what can I add to the discussion? Not a heck of a lot, but I can drop a few ideas!

  • Small business plans are fairly simple to write. This ban could make more people more money than Nigerian Internet scams!
  • Making otherwise law abiding people into criminals will have them going into the underground economy and learning from the professionals that already operate there. Like drug dealers and manufacturers. So, from simple ammunition manufacturing ( like marijuana) one can easily get to the next (transition) step up the criminal ladder. Illegal weapons, such as crew served weapons, RPG’s and so on. (Like cocaine and heroin.)
  • The immense profits will lead to territorial conflicts. An entire new version of gang warfare and violence will lead to a new war. A war on guns/ammo that will make the war on drugs look like a 1960’s love in. Think about the product being sold. Drugs most often kill as a secondary effect, while an RPG kills through primary effect.
  • As the violence rises, so will the profits as more and more people seek the ability to properly and effectively defend themselves and families. The market then starts all over again, and the business plan adjusts to the new cycle as new recruits join the ranks of the criminal world.
  • Government will respond with increased enforcement, and more people will get killed, sometimes based upon incorrect information. Or simply because of the nature of this new class of law breaking.

The path to hell is paved with bricks made from good intentions. Making decent people that simply want to exercise their natural right to defend oneself and family into criminals is in and of itself criminal. Those that seek to pass such laws are the true criminals and should be resisted by any and all that are capable of thinking rationally and logically.

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Law, Men's Issues, News, Politics, Uncategorized, Wordpress Political Blogs | 4 Comments »

An individual right? CNN Poll

January 29, 2009

STOLEN FROM

Does the Second Amendment give individuals the right to bear arms?

If you have seen this and voted, GREAT, if you haven’t, PLEASE vote!! I was a *no-brainer* for me, and should be for any thinking person, but we ALL know that there are many brainless moonbats out there. Here’s a chance to combat those moonbats!

Please vote on this gun issue, 2nd Amendment question on USA Today. It will only take a few seconds of your time.

Then pass the link on to all the pro gun folks you know. Hopefully these results will be published later this month. This upcoming year will become critical for gun owners with the Supreme Court accepting the District of Columbia case against the right for individuals to bear arms.

First – vote on this one.

Second – launch it to other folks and have THEM vote – then we will see if the results get published.

Vote in the USA Today poll – click on the link below.

The Question is:
Does the Second Amendment give individuals the right to bear arms?

USATODAY.com – Quick Question- VOTE HERE

my response;

Here’s my take on it. The term “inalienable rights” is in the Declaration of Independence.

The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, are an expression of the Declaration. At least that is how I was taught.

Before our Founders rebelled, and the United States was formed there was what was called the “Rights of Englishmen.” Those rights had been in place since the Magna Carta had been written, and there, it is stated as a God given right, to possess arms for the common and personal defense. Those were “individual rights.” Granted, the belief was “God given” but the King didn’t see it that way. So it was written down in the common language of the times.

Our entire Bill of Rights is based upon those very same beliefs. Those are individual rights belonging to everyone, and are not granted by any king, government, or authority.

And please, don’t come back with the “limited rights” argument expressed as by shouting fire in a crowded theater is a crime. If the damned thing is in fact on fire it’s your civic duty to warn others of the danger.

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Law, Men's Issues, News, Politics, Uncategorized, Wordpress Political Blogs | 4 Comments »

Ding Dong, Blago is gone!

January 29, 2009

Well, I am simply amazed. I figured that he would have greased enough palms to smooth things over and everything would be business as usual. And no, not just because it is Illinois.

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Law, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 2 Comments »

The perils of eating

January 28, 2009

American connoisseurs are being poisoned at every opportunity. I mean, our peanut butter crackers!

Be glad that you are not in Japan though! Your Chef might feed you poison testicles… What next? Will Rocky Mountain Oysters slide into the food hall of infamy?

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Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Humor, Law, Local Politics Colorado, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 5 Comments »

Nebraska Technology

January 28, 2009

Leave it to Mister Christer of Saint Anthony Communications Center to come up with this jewel!


Nebraska Technology
After having dug to a depth of 10 yards
last year, New York scientists found traces
of copper wire dating back 100 years
and came to the conclusion that their New
York ancestors already had a telephone
network more than 100 years ago. Not to be outdone by the New Yorkers, in the
weeks that followed, California scientists dug
to a depth of 20 yards, and shortly after, headlines
in the LA Times newspaper read:
‘California archaeologists have found
traces of 200 year old copper wire and have
concluded that their ancestors already had an
advanced high-tech communications network
a hundred years earlier than the New Yorkers.’One week later, the Lincoln Journal Star, a local news paper in Lincoln, Nebraska reported the following:’After digging as deep as 30 yards in a corn
field near Milford, NE, Larry the Cable Guy, a self-
taught archaeologist and dyed-in-the-wool Husker
fan, reported that he found absolutely nothing.
Larry has therefore concluded that 300 years
ago,  Nebraska had already gone wireless.’

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Posted in Humor, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Nebraska Technology

Decorated Marine faces charges

January 28, 2009


A Decorated Marine needs your support more than ever. Torrey Thompson is in danger of serving time in jail for a crime that he did not commit.  Thompson is a former police officer of DeKalb County, Georgia and a Marine Corps veteran.  This dedicated man does not deserve to be convicted all for doing his job; enforcing the law and protecting the public.

Torrey Thompson is charged with felony murder, manslaughter and aggravated assault arising out of an incident which occurred on September 12, 2006.  Thompson was called for back-up along with two other officers in an apartment complex in Decatur, Georgia.  The two officers that called for back-up were Officers Knock and Mondesir.  They were investigating a stolen vehicle in the apartment complex, which had been identified in a hit and run incident earlier that day.

When Officer Knock stopped the vehicle, the occupants jumped and fled on foot.  Knock and Mondesir contacted the owner of the vehicle who informed them that the vehicle had been stolen.  The owner identified one of the occupants to be Lorenzo Mathews.  Mathews was already wanted in connection with a shooting earlier in the month.

Knock and Mondesir were given permission to search the second floor of the apartment building where they believed Mathews to be hiding.  Thompson was then called for back-up along with Officer Nunn and Sergeant Berg. Officers Knock and Mathews positioned themselves at the rear of the apartment on the ground floor.  Officer Thompson positioned himself next to Officer Knock at the base of the stairwell.

As the Officers entered the building, Mathews was standing in the kitchen area.  Mathews fled out the back and down the stairs while Officers Thompson and Knock proceeded to yell “STOP, GET TO THE GROUND” and then ordered Mathews to “SHOW YOUR HANDS”.  Matthews refused the orders and ran down the stairs pointing what appeared to be a gun at Officer Thompson.

Mathews then pointed the item at Knock.  Officer Knock then yelled “SHOW YOUR HANDS”, “STOP”, “DROP YOUR WEAPON”, and “GIVE UP”.  Once again, Mathews ignored Knock’s commands and lunged towards him.  Officer Knock fired his 9-millimeter Beretta four times hitting Mathews once in the chest.

Officer Knock did not think that he hit Mathews because he then jumped over the railing of the staircase and ran towards Officer Thompson.  Officer Knock did not fire again because Thompson was in his line of fire.  Knock yelled to Thompson to “shoot him”.  Observing something dark in Matthews hand and believing it to be the butt of a pistol, Officer Thompson shot his 9-millimeter Beretta twice.

Mathews jumped the backyard fence and fled the scene towards a wooded area behind the apartment building.  Officer Thompson chased Mathews and yelled for Mathews to “STOP” as he chased him through a parking lot towards the wooded area.  Mathews turned and Officer Thompson fired his Beretta four times because he feared that Mathews was armed and would take an offensive position against him as he entered the woods.

As Mathews entered the woods he stopped and looked at Officer Thompson.  Officer Thompson proceeded to fire four more times.  Mathews ran through the woods and jumped over a fence into a shopping center.

When the K-9 unit arrived, they found Lorenzo Mathews located dead in the shopping center.  A large knife was found at the shopping center fence where Mathews had climbed over.

Officer Torrey Thompson is now being charged with felony murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, and violation of oath by an officer.  These outrageous charges against Thompson are completely unjust.

Officer Thompson was performing his job the way he was trained to do.  He knew that Lorenzo Mathews was a dangerous felon who had earlier demonstrated a willingness to place others in harms way to avoid arrest.  Thompson took the necessary actions to keep this criminal off the streets of the community he was trying to protect.

Officer Thompson was indicted in July 2008, almost two years after the incident occurred.  It is not fair that this dedicated officer could spend time in jail for protecting the public.

LELDF is assisting to help Officer Torrey Thompson with his expensive legal fees and expert witness testimony, but we need your support.  But, we cannot do it alone.  Thompson needs to know that his fellow Americans support the job he does and that we appreciate his bravery.

LELDF is a non-profit organization founded to support and defend police officers from unfair charges for actions taken in the line of duty.

This Decorated Marine has four letters of commendation and has never been disciplined.  This is not a police officer who deserves to spend any time jail for a crime that he did not commit.

The two Officers, Knock and Thompson, both believed that their lives were in danger.  Mathews was a dangerous suspect who was making aggressive moves towards the officers.  They believe that they were justified in the actions they took.

Why should Torrey Thompson, a dedicated Police Officer and Decorated Marine, have to endure the consequences of these charges because of this criminal?

You can help Officer Thompson obtain justice by showing your support as a fellow American who respects the sacrifices he makes for his community.

LELDF is asking you to make a contribution of $25, $50, $100, or any other amount that you can afford.  Your tax-deductible donation will make a huge impact on Officer Torrey Thompson’s life.

We thank you for your support.

Sincerely,


David H. Martin
Chairman

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Law, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on Decorated Marine faces charges

Dems derail Brophy bill to protect homeowners

January 28, 2009

State Senator Greg Brophy has been stabbed in his own home, so to speak. Despite the logic, and indeed inalienable right to properly and effectively defend themselves Democrats stopped this needed legislation.

A Republican effort that would have reinforced Coloradans’ ability to defend their families against home intruders hit a dead end today in a Senate committee.

Assistant Senate GOP leader Greg Brophy, R-Wray, presented Senate Bill 74 before the Senate Committee on State, Veterans, and Military Affairs, calling it a matter of “statewide concern.”

SB 74 would prohibit local governments from passing any law or regulation that requires a person to store their lawfully-owned firearms in a way that renders them inoperable. The Democrat-controlled committee voted to postpone the bill indefinitely, effectively killing it.

Brophy said the bill addresses and recognizes the landmark United States Supreme Court decision made last summer in the District of Columbia v. Heller case.  The Heller decision held that gun ownership is an individual right and that any government in the U.S. cannot put individuals in the position where they would be inadequately prepared to defend themselves against home invasion.

“We need to pass the ban on safe-storage laws in Colorado,” Brophy said in the committee. “I think the Heller case raised this issue to the national spotlight and brought it forward so that everybody is aware of it.”

Research Director of the Independence Institute Dave Kopel, left, tesifies in favor of Sen. Greg Brophy’s Senate Bill 74.

“This would save the citizens of Colorado the trouble of being forced to go the courts and have the courts say, ‘yes indeed the Supreme Court has already ruled on this,'” Brophy said.

Currently, the cities of Denver and Boulder have so-called “safe-storage” laws that require guns be disassembled or secured with a trigger lock while stored in private homes.

In his testimony in favor of the bill, renowned Second Amendment expert and constitutional lawyer Dave Kopel, who is research director at the Golden-based think tank the Independence Institute, offered evidence showing that cities with safe-storage laws actually have higher rates of home intrusion and violence because criminals are all too aware that homeowners are unable to defend themselves.

“Law-abiding gunowners in Denver and the public in general continue to be in danger due to unreasonable laws that prevent families from teaching gun safety in their own homes and make it way too difficult for crime victims in Denver to be able to protect themselves,” Kopel said after the bill was killed.

While ruling Democrats offered few insights to their opposition to the bill, Fort Collins Democrat Bob Bacon rasied concerns about second-guessing local-government policies on the issue of gun ownership.

Brophy countered that such concerns reflect misplaced priorities.

“They’re giving City Hall the right to preempt your own right to defend yourself and your family,” Brophy said. “And I think that’s just wrong.”

Assistant Senate Republican Leader Greg Brophy, of Wray, sits in disappointment after his bill, which would have given homeowners more power to defend themselves, was killed in a Democrat-controlled committee.

SOURCE

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Law, Local Politics Colorado, Men's Issues, News, Politics, Uncategorized, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on Dems derail Brophy bill to protect homeowners

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