Archive for the ‘Editorial, Opinion’ Category

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Justice Ken Salazar?

May 24, 2009

As I have posted elsewhere, Ken Salazar is a nice guy. He appears to work very hard at pleasing as many people and causes as he possibly can. That, however, is not leadership. Leadership is about making hard choices based upon personal beliefs and solid ethics. It’s decidedly not about pleasing groups or popularity. That is “leading” by way of polls and political correctness. Soon, the impostor in chief will submit a nominee for the Supreme Court. The obama has a lot of political debts left to be paid off. Not the least of which is the Latino contingent. So will obama toss the Latinos a bone or continue to hold them out in front of a bus where they will be easy to toss under as a matter of political expediency? The obama also has some real serious debt politically in Colorado. Two birds with one stone perhaps? As much as I disagree with obama I’m not about to call him stupid when it comes to obfuscation and related “skills.”

I’m thinking that the heavy hitters in Colorado may have hit a home run on this one. After all, being a Justice on the Supreme Court isn’t at all about intestinal fortitude, and hasn’t been for quite some time, if indeed it ever was. It is about turning any argument away from the true issue at hand. Witness the recent decisions in the Heller case, and another having to do with domestic violence that was really about ex post facto law. The Supreme Court was at best disingenuous, and in the worst sense kowtowing to political correctness.

Based upon the preceeding realizations of truth I whole heartedly support Ken Salazar for a position on the Supreme Court of the United States of America. He would fit right in.

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Posted in Domestic Violence, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Law, Local Politics Colorado, mysandry, Non Compos Mentis, Politics, Uncategorized, Wordpress Political Blogs | 2 Comments »

Profiles in Valor: 10th Special Forces (ABN)

May 24, 2009

Based out of Colorado Springs the Tenth Special Forces Group displays Valor and courage. It is said that Navy Seals leave craters but that when it comes the the Special Forces, you never knew they were there. Well, that is not always the case. Read on …

On 10 September 2007, a team of three Army Green Berets led by Capt. Matthew A. Chaney, along with nine Iraqi police, began an assault from two helicopters near Samarra, Iraq. The team was targeting Abu Obaeideah, a leader of the Islamic State of Iraq in the area. The field designated for landing was covered with water, so the helicopters had to land closer to the insurgents’ safe house, where they came under heavy enemy fire.

Practically blinded by dust from the second helicopter, the Iraqis were all but taken out of the fight from the start, so Chaney, Sgt. 1st Class Michael D. Lindsay and Staff Sgt. Jarion Halbisengibbs led a charge against the building where the hostile fire was originating. Halbisengibbs threw in a fragmentation grenade, killing two, and the soldiers rushed in. Lindsay was hit in the throat by an AK-47 round, and Chaney took a hit to the pelvis. Then both were thrown from the doorway by a grenade blast. Lindsay, who couldn’t raise his rifle, fired at the enemy with his pistol. Chaney couldn’t feel his legs, but he kept firing, killing a jihadi. Halbisengibbs “continued to clear the structure in complete darkness as his night vision goggles and personal radio were all destroyed by enemy gunfire at point blank range,” the official narrative read. He was shot in the thumb and knocked down by a grenade blast but continued fighting, killing another terrorist. As he moved back to the courtyard to protect his wounded comrades, Halbisengibbs was shot through the abdomen but managed to kill another jihadi on his way to the ground. He then directed the Iraqi police to finish the fight. Obaeideah was killed, along with 12 other insurgents, six by Halbisengibbs.

All three Green Berets have recovered from their injuries. Chaney and Lindsay were each awarded the Silver Star; Halbisengibbs received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army’s second highest combat medal.

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Local Politics Colorado, Men's Issues, Military Science, News, War, Warfare | Comments Off on Profiles in Valor: 10th Special Forces (ABN)

More on taxation…

May 24, 2009

So the Tea Party’s were just a bunch of fringe lunatics? At least that seems to be what the politicians and MSM thought. It’s too bad that they couldn’t come up with a better descriptive than having to borrow a term from the porn industry to call the supporters of the latest tax rebellion. This week, arguably the most liberal state in America told the big government types to go away with their ever expanding and oppressive form of government. The election results told the tale; the people are “Taxed Enough Already!” And that friends, is not “tea bagging.”

The Golden State is seeing red — lots of it. After voters Tuesday nixed state legislators’ hopes of supplementing federal stimulus money with another taxpayer-funded “bailout,” California’s budget deficit ballooned from $15 billion to $21 billion. Voters rejected five of six ballot measures that would have, among other things, extended tax increases, let the state borrow against future revenue, and redirected education and mental-health money into the state’s general fund. The vote against each of the five defeated measures exceeded 60 percent. The only initiative that passed bans pay raises for elected officials in a year with a budget deficit — it passed with 74 percent of the vote.

The problem isn’t lack of revenue — far from it. As columnist George Will notes, if “state spending increases [since 1990] had been held to the inflation rate plus population growth, the state would have a $15 billion surplus.” Instead, in the past six years, inflation-adjusted per capita government spending has skyrocketed almost 20 percent — under the “Republican” governor who replaced a Democrat in a recall election with his promise to pull California back from financial ruin.

Failing to mention the causes of California’s financial disaster, The New York Times headlined its story with “Calif. Voters Reject Measures to Keep State Solvent,” and ABC was no better, bemoaning the state’s “unwillingness to raise taxes.” Perhaps the most troubling quote, however, comes from columnist Jack Kelly, disturbing not for its distortion but for its truth: “Pay attention to what happens in California. It’s a harbinger of things to come everywhere.”

Then we have this to show as further repudiation of socialism’s promise…

Speaking of higher taxes, Americans are saying good-bye to higher taxes — literally. According to a study recently conducted for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), from 1998 to 2007, more than 1,100 people per day — many of them high-income earners — moved from the nine highest-income-tax states primarily to the nine no-income-tax states. For example, after New Jersey implemented its “half-millionaire” tax hike in 2005, the state lost 4,000 half-millionaires. And as billionaire Tom Golisano recently wrote in The New York Post, his move from the Empire State to the Sunshine State will save him more than $5 million annually in state taxes.

High taxes are not only the antagonist to population retention but are also the toxin that kills economic growth. When the University of Colorado’s Barry W. Poulson examined reasons for states’ prosperity or lack thereof from 1964 to 2004, he found “a significant negative impact of higher marginal tax rates on state economic growth.” The ALEC study confirmed this, finding that from 1998 to 2007, states with no income tax created 89 percent more jobs and boasted 32 percent faster personal income growth than high-tax states.

Still, liberals cry for tax hikes on the rich to alleviate state budget deficits. It turns out that by talking with their feet, the “rich” are saying, “No thanks.”

SOURCE

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Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Law, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 1 Comment »

The three “non’s” of PBS

May 24, 2009

In a swiftly changing political climate that seems to be affecting nearly every aspect of American life, switching from the news channel to, say, a documentary on Antarctica or a sermon by your local televised church on PBS is a good way to drown out the incessant babble. Or at least, it was.

The word is that PBS is living up to its company motto to “Be More” by threatening to yank its association with stations that broadcast “sectarian” content. Sounds like “Be Less” to us. Back in 1985, PBS enacted a policy of “Three Nons,” meaning PBS affiliate stations could only air material that met the following criteria: noncommercial, nonpartisan and nonsectarian. Noting the irony, Newsbusters reports, “PBS routinely fails at nonpartisanship, and its programs have long been a commercial bonanza for savvy ‘nonprofiteers.’ The ‘sectarian’ use of PBS, by comparison, is quite rare and localized.”

So what’s the focus of this action? Apparently if PBS enforces the “Three Nons,” a station that airs religious material, such as WLAE in New Orleans, which has broadcast its Catholic Mass for 25 years without any viewer complaints, would lose its affiliation.

The Washington Post reports that the number of affiliate stations carrying religious programming is small — PBS isn’t even sure of the number. But “religious services of faith-based groups” will be barred, said Jennifer Lawson, chairwoman of the PBS committee that is scheduled to vote next month on enforcing the “Three Nons.” But lest readers be confused, “The intent is for [PBS stations] to show editorial independence,” Lawson added. So censoring religious programming is meant to be a show of “editorial independence?” Thanks for clearing that up.

SOURCE

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Law, News, Non Compos Mentis, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 2 Comments »

Joe Biden, the gift that keeps on giving!

May 24, 2009

The next time that a Vice President needs a hidy hole the terrorist will know exactly where to find him…

Joe Biden is at it again. Known for his loose lips, Biden is constantly in the position of issuing clarifying statements regarding some off-the-wall comment. The VP has outdone himself this time, though. At the recent Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, Biden informed his companions of the secret bunker where the vice president remains if he needs a secure location — it’s under the old U.S. Naval Observatory, which is now home to the vice president. A spokesperson did clarify later that Biden meant the “upstairs workspace.” Sure. We can only imagine that Biden was thinking, “I’ll show Cheney. I’ll tell everyone where he was hiding, that slime ball.” The only problem is the next time the vice president — which would be Joe Biden — needs a secure location, everyone knows the first place to look. For his slack jaw, Biden was sent on a super secret mission to the Balkans, where he claimed that he came under sniper fire in 1993. The gift that keeps on giving…

SOURCE

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Bag ’em and Tag ’em, Cap ’em and tax ’em

May 24, 2009

This is trophy hunting at it’s best! (sarcasm)

Democrats Hot for Global Warming Legislation

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) won a victory on his 1,000-page cap and trade (read: cap and tax) bill Thursday when it passed his committee on a party line 33-25 vote. The bill ostensibly tackles global warming by creating a system in which industrial producers of greenhouse gas emissions would be required to meet a government-imposed cap on their emissions, but would allow them to purchase credits that cover emissions exceeding the cap.

Initially, Obama wanted the credits to be auctioned off, with the estimated $629 billion in proceeds to go to other government-subsidized programs, of which he has no shortage. Congress thought otherwise, though, and instead will allow the EPA to dole out 85 percent of the credits for free to various energy producers and states. The remaining 15 percent would be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to low- and middle-income families hardest hit by the inevitable rise in electricity costs that will come after the program is in place.

This brings us to why Waxman is in such a hurry to get this bill through the House. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 80 percent of Americans can expect a rise in their energy bills and a reduction in real income because of the cap and trade bill. What amounts to a national energy tax also will cost jobs, as the bill itself admits. Part 2, section 426, states: “An eligible worker, specifically workers who lose their jobs as a result of this measure, may receive a climate change adjustment allowance under this subsection for a period of not longer than 156 weeks.” That’s three years for those educated in public schools.

Unfortunately, consumers know very little about the cap and trade legislation (and as seen in this video, neither does Waxman. According to a recent Rasmussen poll, only 24 percent of voters know what cap and trade is; 29 percent thought it was related to Wall Street and 17 percent thought it was related to health care reform. Fully 30 percent didn’t have a clue what the term even meant. And that fits perfectly into the Democrats’ plan.

SOURCE

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Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Law, News, Non Compos Mentis, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on Bag ’em and Tag ’em, Cap ’em and tax ’em

Be “Bear Aware”

May 24, 2009

While this will apply mostly to Colorado the information is both timely and appropriate all across America, if not the world. Keeping yourself, family, and loved ones safe starts with you, it is your responsibility, not the governments. They all act “after the fact,” and you “the people” voted in measures that have resulted in little or no fear of humans by dangerous wildlife species.

BE ‘BEAR AWARE’ WHEN CAMPING


WESTCLIFFE, Colo. – Memorial Day Weekend marks the traditional start to the camping season, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife reminds campers to be “bear aware” when enjoying the outdoors.  Campers should keep their campsites clean to avoid attracting bears, or other wildlife.

Bears go into campgrounds because food is often available around tents, camp trailers, and dumpsters.  The potential for conflicts increases when food brings bears and humans come into close contact.

“Bears are built to eat and their sense of smell is incredible,” explained Justin Krall, a district wildlife manager in the Westcliffe area. “They can smell food from miles away and they’ll travel to find it.”

In a natural setting, bears would just as soon avoid people, but bears that learn to associate humans with food begin to lose their natural fear of people.  “Food Conditioned” bears are the most dangerous kind.  They usually end up being euthanized.

“It is unfortunate, but bears get into trouble because humans leave food around,” Krall said.

“Bears are not naturally aggressive toward humans, they are actually very shy creatures,” Krall said. “However, bears are on a mission to find food. Campers need to take precautions to avoid problems for you and your family, but also for the campers who use the site after you.  Do not leave food or garbage behind.  Always pack out your trash.”

Here are a few tips for campers in bear country:
*   Keep a clean site and clean up thoroughly after every meal;
*   After grilling, allow the fire to continue until food scraps and grease are burned completely off the grill.
*   Do not eat in your tent or keep food in your tent;
*   Do not leave pet food outside for a long period of time.  Any uneaten pet food should also be stored in a secure container.
*   Store unused food and garbage in secure containers out of the reach of bears and away from your sleeping area;
*   If you see a bear in a campground, report it to the local DOW office as soon as possible.
*   If you come in close contact with a bear, talk to it firmly and make yourself look as large as possible. Back away slowly, but do not run.
*   Teach children and others who might be unfamiliar with bears about bear safety.

For additional information on how the public can do their part to keep Colorado’s bears wild please visit the Division of Wildlife’s Living With Wildlife web page at http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/LivingWithWildlife/ and click on the “Living with Bears in Colorado” link.

For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Hunting Fishing and the Great Outdoors, Law, Local Politics Colorado, Men's Issues, News, Non Compos Mentis, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on Be “Bear Aware”

Politicians hang fire on guns

May 22, 2009

Across the country, ammunition prices are soaring and many guns are in short supply as weapons fly off the shelves at stores. This is a telling economic indicator about consumer confidence as many Americans stock up for fear that the end is nigh. It’s also a logical reaction to gun-owner fears that Democrats will implement far-reaching new gun controls. There is cause for concern. Leaders in the Obama administration and Congress have stated that they plan to limit what guns Americans can buy and that guns should be registered.

SOURCE

There is one thing that can be said of President Obama with certainty — his election has had a phenomenal effect on gun sales.

Across the country, ammunition prices are soaring and many guns are in short supply as weapons fly off the shelves at stores. This is a telling economic indicator about consumer confidence as many Americans stock up for fear that the end is nigh. It’s also a logical reaction to gun-owner fears that Democrats will implement far-reaching new gun controls. There is cause for concern. Leaders in the Obama administration and Congress have stated that they plan to limit what guns Americans can buy and that guns should be registered.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Feb. 25 that, “As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the sale of assault weapons.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi poured fuel on the fire five weeks later by admitting that Democrats want to register guns. “It’s a Democratic president, a Democratic House,” she said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “We don’t want to take their guns away. We want them registered.”

The gun controllers are at odds with public opinion. Despite Americans constantly being bombarded with attacks on guns by an anti-gun media, Frank Newport, editor-in-chief of the Gallup Poll, notes that “Attitudes toward gun control have become more conservative, people not wanting gun control.” A Gallup poll released April 8 shows that only 29 percent of Americans support banning handguns. According to Gallup, “the latest reading is the smallest percentage favoring a handgun ban since Gallup first polled on this nearly 50 years ago.”

Popular support for the Second Amendment isn’t lost on all congressional Democrats. On May 12, 27 Senate Democrats voted with 39 Republicans to end a ban on law-abiding citizens carrying legal firearms in national parks. The amendment was attached to unrelated legislation to regulate credit cards. The same tactic was used Feb. 26 when an amendment striking down most of the District’s gun-control laws was attached to a Senate bill giving the District a vote in Congress. Twenty-two Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, voted for this amendment, which passed 62-36.

It’s too early to celebrate Democratic respect for gun rights. Some Senate Democrats who voted for the national park amendment complained that they were painted into a corner on the issue. Sen. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, the party’s chief vote counter, told National Public Radio last week that they were concerned about “how many more times they’d have to face such votes.” Democrats are torn between their constituents’ support for gun rights and an Obama administration committed to gun control.

SOURCE

And the obama continues to be “The Gun Salesman of the year!”

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Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Law, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 1 Comment »

Cheney fires back

May 21, 2009

Dick Cheney fired back again at the impostor in chief today. This never ending chorus of “torture” has become so old it is pathetic to say the least. Mind tricks are not torture. Protecting the nation is a good thing in my opinion. But, then again I am tossed into that terrorist grouping that the DHS published.

Who wants to bet that if there had been another devastating attack here in the United States the same people that are whining about waterboarding would be wringing their hands, and blaming the Bush administration for not having protected the nation..?

Bush and company made more than enough mistakes. The border is still porous while Mexican drug gang activity is on a rather steady increase here in the U.S. Americans still are not, in general, allowed to properly prepare and be appropriately armed to fend off the invasion.

The present administration wants to disarm Americans even more as well as bring terrorist to the mainland. I have a question for gun hating N.Y.C? After what happened earlier today do you still think the rest of the nation should be as powerless as you are?

I don’t care if it is Drug Gangs, or jihad’s, they need to be stopped in their tracks, period.

MORE

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Immigration, Law, Military Science, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 2 Comments »

The smell of napalm in the morning..?

May 21, 2009

No, not quite, but still a victory for freedom and liberty despite some whining from those that we expect that sort of behavior from…

Victory at Last
— National Park Service Gun Ban Repealed!

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org

“Gun Owners of America was the most consistent and loudest voice on
Capitol Hill in support of the effort to repeal the National Park
Service gun ban.” — Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Good news!

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill today that included an
amendment to repeal the gun ban on National Park Service (NPS) land and
wildlife refuges.

The amendment, sponsored by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and attached to a
credit card industry reform bill, passed the House overwhelmingly by a
vote of 279-147.

For decades, law-abiding citizens have been prohibited from exercising
their Second Amendment rights on NPS land and wildlife refuges, even if
the state in which the land is located allows carrying firearms.

With some limited exceptions for hunting, the only way to legally
possess a firearm anywhere in a national park is by having it unloaded
and inaccessible, such as locked up in an automobile trunk. A Bush
administration regulation partially reversed the ban, but that action
was singlehandedly negated recently by an activist judge in Washington,
D.C. The Department of Interior decided not to appeal that ruling.

Senator Coburn believes, like you do, that Americans should not be
forced to sacrifice their Second Amendment rights when entering NPS land
and wildlife refuges.

GOA worked with Coburn on an amendment that simply allows for state and
local laws — instead of unelected bureaucrats and anti gun activist
judges — to govern firearm possession on these lands.

The anti-gun leadership in both the House and Senate went berserk and
fought to keep the Coburn amendment from being attached to the
underlying bill. Sparks were flying on the floor of the House of
Representatives today.

Anti-gun Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) whined that a “very
good” credit
card bill had been “hijacked” by the Coburn amendment. To
this, Rep.
Rob Bishop (R-UT) pointed out that gun control is the policy of tyrants,
as evidenced by the British attempt to confiscate firearms at Lexington
and Concord in 1775.

Congressional leaders and entrenched bureaucrats have fought GOA over
the NPS gun ban for the past eight years.

But your activism has finally broken through. The late Senator Everett
Dirksen said, “When I feel the heat, I see the light!” Well,
you have
applied a lot of heat. Members of Congress know that they oppose your
Second Amendment rights at their own peril.

As it stands today, both houses of Congress have now passed the Coburn
amendment — and President Obama is expected to sign the provision into
law (only because it is part of a larger credit card bill that he really
wants).

So, congratulate yourself for winning this long, hard battle. GOA was
the leading, and often only, national gun group involved in this fight.
You involvement was absolutely vital to achieving this win.

Of course, many more battles lie ahead. President Obama continues to
push for the Senate to ratify massive international gun control
treaties. There is a battle over a Supreme Court nominee coming up.
Anti-gun zealots in Congress are aggressively pushing to renew the
Clinton gun ban and close down gun shows.

And as the health care debate picks up steam in the coming weeks and
months, GOA is battling efforts to create a computerized national
healthcare database. Such a database can be used to deny people their
Second Amendment rights in the same way that so many veterans have lost
their gun rights based only on the diagnoses of a doctor for things like
combat-related stress.

GOA will be calling for action on these and other Second Amendment
issues as they move through Congress.

In the meantime, have a safe Memorial Day as we remember those who gave
the ultimate sacrifice so that America would remain “Land of the
Free.”

****************************

What’s Your Current GOA Status?

Obviously, we now face years of invigorated attacks on our gun rights.
Shutting down gun shows, prohibitions on specific calibers, another
semi-auto ban, and the anti-gun extremists’ Holy Grail of mandatory
federal licensing and registration of all gun owners — these are just
some of the horrors that we already know we’ll have to defeat head-on.
Meanwhile, we’ll take every opportunity to go on offense and advance the
Second Amendment.

It can’t be done without every single voice being counted. That’s why we
are asking you to consider making the commitment of becoming a Gun
Owners of America Life Member. By doing so, you put the politicians on
notice that neither you nor GOA is going away — that no matter who’s in
the White House, there is always going to be a solid wall of resistance.

Now is a perfect time to become a Life Member. And if you aren’t a GOA
member at all, isn’t it time you became one?

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Hunting Fishing and the Great Outdoors, Law, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on The smell of napalm in the morning..?

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