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The NRA Claims God is Also A Death Merchant

4 May

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Yes, this is a real picture. This is not a toy gun. A child is apparently responsible enough to hold the fate of a human life in his or her hands at the tender age of five. Americans have long ago decided one must wait until a person is eighteen to enlist in the army, but with the careful nurturing of a good Republican upbringing which includes a healthy dose of Jesus Christ, a child should be able to arm and defend themselves against a tyrannical government or maybe just someone who is annoying them, right?

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Children shooting children is becoming a regular news story. Unfortunately, we’ve not heard the first or last of this type of tragedy, not by a long shot. Recently, using a rifle specifically designed for children, a 2 year old girl was fatally shot by her 5 year old brother using one of these Crickett Rifles

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The culture, as I’ve previously noted is closely tied to conservative politics and an obsession with some form of Christianity, although some might debate whether that distinction includes the very pro-gun LDS faith. The Christian spokesmodel for the GOP homeschool, creationism, guns and god campaign, Rick Santorum, said, “… in America, rights come from God because you are a creation of that loving God and you have dignity because of that.” He also told the 70,000 attendees of the NRA deathfest that members are “warriors” and the Second Amendment comes “from God.”

The ex-failed GOP presidential candidate and dead fetus in a jar proponent sympathizes with all the Americans that dreadful Democrat in the White House offended during the 2008 campaign. Then candidate Obama couldn’t have been more spot on when he said, “And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

Homo-Sapiens imposter and fundamentalist nutjob Texas GOP Senator, Ted Cruz, claims the defeat of requiring background checks for the acquisition of firearms is a victory for freedom-loving Americans everywhere. The only winners are the gun manufacturers, lobbyists and the religious lunatics who claim god loves guns and can’t wait to revolt against the government. The civilized world looks on in horror as the NRA wins another battle desecrating the sanctity of life for children and Americans.

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Is a Mormon Theocracy Replacing Law Enforcement in Boulder City, Nevada?

28 Apr

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Mormons believe that they are the “noble and great ones,” the spirits that god would “make his rulers” on earth. Just like with Abraham, the pronouncement that “thou was chosen before thou wast born” also applies to the pre-mortal status and eventual earthly destiny of each Mormon. This is precisely why they call themselves latter-day saints: they consider themselves an elect breed apart and above all others, holier-than-thou in every sense of the word. These are the End of Days, after all, and God’s chosen people must be in control.

This is a story of how this arrogant theology has perverted and corrupted government, more specifically Law Enforcement, in a city dominated by LDS theological doctrine. One brave man, now Former Police Chief Thomas Finn, has spoken out against this unacceptably insidious behavior and he unquestionably will be vindicated when his story is better understood. News 8 Reporter George Knapp bravely brought this matter to the public forum which inadvertently demonstrated another case of defamation by Mormons when they are hell bent on discrediting someone who is not “one of them.” Mr. Knapp intended only to bring Chief Finn’s plight to the public. Let me make this perfectly clear, Knapp’s objective was not to disparage Mormons in general. However, any time one exposes despotism in any form, it can be a risky endeavor.

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Police Chief Thomas Finn

Police Chief Thomas Finn has an impressive list of educational credentials

A Few Noteworthy Accomplishments:

•F.B.I. National Academy, 185th Session, Quantico, Virginia 1996
•Master’s Degree, Public Administration, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 1993 •Certified Public Manager, Rutgers University New Jersey Department of Personnel 1991 •Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice (Cum Laude), Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 1983

Not only is he extremely knowledgeable on all matters pertaining to law enforcement and criminal justice, he’s a passionate teacher who loves the history and application of law enforcement since our Colonial Days. Mr. Finn had quite a following and was a very beloved Professor at Rutgers University. His lectures were always filled with eager students who found themselves passionate about the subject Mr. Finn taught with such enthusiasm and competence. His history of service from a patrolman in 1980 all the way through his ascension to the Chief of Police in two parts of the country, were always conducted with exemplary service and performance.

Officer Finn was a distinguished chief of police who is another unfortunate casualty of this despotic cult which craves domination of the public domain. I’ve had the privilege of speaking with former Police Chief Thomas Finn about a subject with which I’ve become all too familiar: Mormon Nepotism. Prior to his dismissal on April 15th, this man has never once been fired from any job he’s ever held. Mormon City Attorney, Dave Olsen claimed Mr. Finn was a paranoid, frightened angry man inside. Funny how that sounds terribly familiar. Park Romney said, “… I am personally aware, on the basis of such experience, of the actual differences between what Mormons profess in public and practice in private when they think their agenda is being threatened.” Naturally they will praise the Chief to his face, but look out folks, Sunday LDS services actually discussed their contrived issue of having a non-chosen son of Abraham in charge of the Police Department.

In the past I’ve looked to those with experience to guide me about the workings of the LDS Church. Park Romney, Professor Mark Larsen and Kay Burningham, ESQ. have, with painstaking personal trials and irrefutable logic, elucidated the details of a grotesque fraud of cosmic proportions masquerading under a charitable façade of public spirited nobility. All of my expert reference providers were part of the cult of Mormonism at one time and have since come to the exact same conclusion: it is, without question, an insidious fraud. The aforementioned authors have systematically dismantled all fallacious tenets of the cult and effectively demonstrate how these rules of conduct (or “Doctrines and Covenants”) apply to how LDS adherents run every aspect of their personal and public lives. For example, Among other things, Joseph Smith is reported to have taught, “That man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way, while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly, that that man is in the high road to apostasy.” Broken down more simply, anyone not complying with the Mormon Cult is labeled by the LDS faithful as being influenced by Satan.

We all know full well Councilman Cam Walker, City Attorney Dave Olsen, Mayor Tobler and Mongols Motorcycle Gang attorney, Stephen Stubbs (all Mormons) could never have Chief Finn (a Roman Catholic) removed on the basis of “Satan’s influence” as that would never hold up in court. In collusion, they attempted to label a man who lives and breathes ethical law enforcement, who conducts his personal and professional life “by the book,” as mentally unfit for the job.

To get a better handle on who exactly is Chief Finn, i asked him a few questions pertaining to current issues in the news. When I posed the question to Mr. Finn, ‘do you think the excessive police presence while trying to locate the second Tsarnaev brother was overkill,’ he put things in a perspective that I hadn’t considered. Paraphrasing, he said, if the police had flubbed the case one bit and one more casualty occurred due to lack of thoroughness on their part, they’d never be forgiven. He also believes automatic weapons have no place in the hands of civilians, contrary to what many of his colleagues believe. He’s a no-nonsense man who speaks his mind and believes in integrity in all he does. Literally, this cadre of cohorts have taken the LDS tenet of Lying For The Lord and justified the iniquitous firing of one of the most qualified and best Police Chiefs in Clark County. When Mr. Finn filed a claim with the EEOC in Boulder City, citing Mormonism as the paramount reason for his dismissal, he was most assuredly justified.

According to the log filed with the former city manager, Vicki Mayes, Mr. Stubbs, the Mongols lawyer, was on a quest to find an officer to speak out negatively against Chief Finn. He was unable to find anyone because there were no officers who had any problem with the chief. He even asked if “he could find an officer in Reno to testify against Finn,” would that suffice? For some unjustified reason, after being on a brief medical leave, the day Mr. Finn returned to his job, he was fired. Here’s the story in a nutshell in the words of Mr. Finn:

A two-month investigation by the Attorney General’s Office, followed by a review of the investigation report and interviews of the investigators by District Attorney Steve Wolfson cleared me,and D.A. Wolfson stated exactly what I was saying all along. What is particularly troubling is that the city NEVER asked me why I issued the “email deletion” (regarding the gathering of Mongol Gang Members in 2012) order to my officers. They took Stubbs’ rantings as gospel and moved ahead with the investigation into my “felonies.” Stubbs asked for the investigation in November, it was started by the A.G. in January, I was interviewed in February and cleared in April. Then, EIGHT days (April 15th) before I was cleared of all wrongdoing, they FIRED me!!!
I was appointed to a state commission by two NV governors, served on a national highway safety committee for the International Association of Chiefs of Police for eleven years, was appointed by a NJ governor to serve as a commissioner on a labor-management relations commission, represented the Nevada Sheriffs’ and Chiefs’ Association for two years, and then Boulder City decided to terminate me after seven years of service without giving me a reason.
In the words of one of my favorite humorists, ..if they’ve got nothing concrete on him that would convince the DA of wrongdoing… they are not only holier-than-thou arrogant, but also…. STUPID as hell. To fire someone, especially a chief of police, with no probable cause is as pig-ignorant as Romney telling his donors about the 47% “scum.”
Unfortunately, Mr. Finn and his wife have other plans, and they no longer include Southern Nevada. It is highly unfortunate for all of us he had to go through these trials unnecessarily. Perhaps with greater understanding of Mormon Nepotism, we can avoid situations such as this Boulder City fiasco in the future. No one should ever be persecuted in this country for their religious beliefs and when a group of a particular religious or ethnic majority control all aspects of government in our diverse nation, it will inevitably lead to a compromising of our democratic values and justice.

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Dangerous Fundamentalism: The Taliban and the American Tealiban

22 Apr

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Irony can be defined by the incongruity which occurs when actions of a group mirror the behavior of a people whom they fear and despise most. Following the 9-11 tragedy, our united front was focused mainly on eliminating the terror breeding grounds established by Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. The Taliban imposed a form of government that was unacceptable and offensive to most Americans. Absence of democratic process, equality, Islamic law and the utter subjugation of women in their culture were the antithesis of what we deemed a free society. Their total domination of media, organized rebellion against a government they considered tyrannical and Islamic ideological purity seemed so unpalatable to the Christian crusaders of the mighty USA and the George W. Bush military machine.

Yet, as the Republican Party slides down the slippery slope towards Old Testament principles, the Conservative movement mirrors the Taliban more than they realize. The Teaparty can often be referred to as the Tealiban

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The dangerous policies and religious doctrinal mandates are far more similar than either group would willfully acknowledge. In the areas of vaccination and vital medical care, religious denial of science and the subjugation of women and the proclivity towards a culture obsessed with guns, American Fundamentalists and Taliban Extremists are hardly discernible.

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The Koran and the Old Testament treat women as sinful creatures by nature. The image of Eve as temptress in the Bible has resulted in an extremely negative impact on women throughout the Judaeo-Christian tradition. All women were believed to have inherited from their mother, the Biblical Eve, both her guilt and her guile. The Koran has many quotes such as this Al-Tirmidhi 3272 – “When Allah’s Messenger was asked which woman was best he replied, ‘The one who pleases (her husband) when he looks at her, obeys him when he gives a command, and does not go against his wishes regarding her person or property by doing anything of which he disapproves’.”

In the eyes of the Draconian religious zealots, women are simply vehicles for reproduction, and should only provide enjoyment and servitude for men. The unbelievably chauvinistic and restrictive fundamentalist laws of both the Taliban and the disregard for equal protection for American women by Judicial Magistrates are becoming hard to decipher.

The American Fundamentalists are very much against science and medical progress much like the Islamic government of Afghanistan. Recently, a Pennsylvanian couple who believe in the power of prayer over medical care lost their second child by eschewing medical attention. States like Washington and Oregon are seeing a resurgence in Pertussis due to a fundamentalist-driven hysteria against vaccines. The fallacy of autism being caused by vaccines plus the unwillingness to interfere with god’s plan are beyond dangerous and should never be acceptable in modern America.

Because women are simply unclean and sinful beings, they have far less protection than men in Taliban society. Laws regarding the healthcare and well-being of Afghan women are so restrictive, they suffer much higher mortality rates due to pregnancy and childbirth. In Afghanistan, perhaps the only thing more dangerous than being a woman is being a pregnant woman in need of medical care. A 2002 survey counted 1,600 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The cause of death was most often hemorrhaging or obstructed delivery, both preventable if skilled health care is available.

To make matters worse, foreign aid administrators, who provide vital vaccinations are treated with suspicion and unwarranted violence by the Taliban. Ten foreign medical workers were murdered because they were believed to be spies, while simply trying to administer polio vaccines to the very poor. Americans simply choosing to ignore the proven scientific benefits of vaccines and willfully putting their children and others at risk is certainly a step in the wrong direction as well. If vaccines and science are viewed as suspicious and interfering with “god’s will,” society is well on its way to massive medieval medical malpractice.

The American leaders of megachurches and fundamentalist sects often rally against their perceived threat of a tyrannical government by encouraging more gun ownership within their congregations. “Blessed are the Peacemakers? Absolutely. Make mine a .45 Colt with a 5 1/2 inch barrel.” This comment and many like it have been commonly overheard in sermons all over the Bible Belt where guns and god go hand and hand. The Taliban often sacrifices children by using their religion to justify violence.

I’ll just say it in plain English. Most of all the world’s plight of inequality, violence and atrocities committed against humanity are attributed to RELIGION. The societies who enjoy the highest standards of living and happiness are the LEAST RELIGIOUS. As a country founded upon the principles of separation of church and state, one of the most important steps to averting misery in this country is to stop kowtowing to the demands of fundamentalist insanity and stop the madness of Biblical thought that so greatly resembles those who we are fighting against halfway across the world.

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Good Luck With Your Rebranding, Republicans

19 Mar

If you checked out some of the highlights (or lowlights as I see them) from CPAC 2013, you might catch a hint of a half-hearted admission that something has got to change in the Grand Old Party. A political party that sounds reminiscent of the antebellum plantation mentality (that still permeates much of rural America) has deduced, from election post-mortem analyses, the future looks anything but promising.  This was discussed, but honestly, there are no plans to modify thinking on a scale necessary to rebrand the party to fit the needs of the majority of voters.

The most telling evidence the GOP is not ready for prime time can be found when interviewing a few CPAC attendees about what they thought of Senator Rob Portman (R-Oh) coming out in favor of gay marriage. Because he learned two years ago his son is gay he felt understandably sympathetic to the rights of homosexuals marrying and this simply did not sit well with conservatives. Please pay close attention to the comment of the woman at the 02:15 mark of the video.

The Frederick Douglass Republicans are those who have hijacked the black leader’s name because he was a successful businessman who must have espoused all the Republican and Libertarian values of our great Capitalist society.  This largely unknown group thinks President Obama is nothing like this man because he is so anti-business, the Koch Brothers have only increased their wealth by 43% since 2010, so that Socialist in the White House is very anti-business.  Hypocrisy abounds as the group  does not emulate Mr. Douglass in most regards.  At one of the CPAC forums, an audience member asked a rather shocking question with regards to the treatment of slaves.

Stunningly, many Conservatives believe not only should homosexuals stay in the closet like they did in the 1950′s, but slaves should have been grateful for food and shelter which they received from their captors.  Unfortunately, this type of fringe thinking is no longer on the outskirts of the party.   It’s obvious the Teaparty and Fundamentalist wing of the GOP is calling the shots.  However, in a society that is evolving towards acceptance and tolerance of all and departing from Biblical Draconian law, the GOP has little hope for evolution (ironically, many deny the concept altogether).

Misogynist Libertarian Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)

Misogynist Libertarian Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)

Much ado has been made by both liberals and conservatives over Rand Paul and his espousal of the idealistic Libertarian values of freedom and liberty.   After his pointless and costly 13 hour filibuster, he was the winner of the CPAC 2013 straw poll for 2016 GOP presidential nominee.  The Kentucky Senator believes corporations should be free to dump as much toxic waste into our rivers as they wish, no taxes should be paid to help our fellow citizens in need (especially to receive healthcare) and education should not be paid for by the state.  In a nutshell, he wants the government to stay out of our affairs.

He has sponsored the Fetal Personhood Amendment to give a cluster of embryonic cells the same rights as a human being.  However, before we commend him on his “pro-life” stance, he also feels a person of color could or should be excluded from any private establishment, like a restaurant, simply because the owner should have the freedom to discriminate if he so chooses.  The free market should eliminate the need for all government regulations and if active discrimination is rampant in this country once again, so be it.  This is not a man who believes in the pursuit of happiness.  He believes in the pursuit of happiness for a select few.

Isn’t the goal of the GOP, convening with their best and brightest as they did this past weekend, to increase their membership and numbers?  Has anyone in this party considered that restricting or outlawing birth control while simultaneously cutting funding for poor and unwanted children will most likely  increase the number of Democratic voters?  Minorities are generally immigrants and one of the stars of the GOP, Donald Trump, even said (out loud) that naturalizing 11,000,000 immigrants will only add that many more “Democrat” voters.  I’m having a hard time following their logic, as logic seems to evade this party entirely.

As long as women are not in control of when they give birth, discrimination and overt racism are acceptable and religious dogma supersedes equality for humanity, the Republicans are content.  The rest of the country, however, is not of this mindset and any rebranding should include a tabula rasa for the entire GOP.  This antiquated way of thinking must change, and it looks like the odds are pretty slim the hard-liners of the party will have such an epiphany.

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Preventing Shooting Massacres Down Under: A Lesson For America

29 Dec
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Port Arthur, Tasmania

This article is written by Derek Wood, my friend, who is a resident of Sydney Australia. His plea to our country is based on the following: In 1996, Australia experienced a horrible mass casualty shooting at Port Arthur, Tasmania. Afterwards, Prime Minister John Howard’s government moved quickly to tighten Australia’s gun laws and instituted a mandatory federal buy-back program designed to remove banned guns from private ownership. In the years prior to Port Arthur, Australia experienced several mass casualty shootings. There have been none since.
 (An awful coincidence, the killer, currently serving 35 life sentences, is from a suburb of a Hobart called New Town, Tasmania)

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon in Sydney way back on 28th April 1996. I was making my way to the local gym as, in those days, I was a regular gym junkie. Just before I left my home, I heard on the radio that a gunman had been on a killing spree in Tasmania. At that stage only a small number of people had lost their lives. When I got to the gym, the number of deaths had risen to 23. I mentioned this to my gym instructor. His response was that it was the gunman’s form “of self-expression”. The instructor was reading the Celestine Prophecy at the time, which probably explained his comments. I personally preferred the term “madman”.

The gunman was named Martin Bryant and the final death toll was 35. The whole of Australia was in shock. How could anyone kill 35 innocent people? There was an outpouring of disbelief and anger. How could we stop this from happening again?

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A grief-stricken community unites and takes action

Before, I go any further, I need to give some background information. Australia is very similar to the United States. Both are large countries, both were built from migrants, both have large agricultural areas and culturally we are very similar. Naturally, we speak the same language – well sort of! Guns in Australia are typically kept in the large rural areas. Farmers need to be on alert for scavengers of the animal kind, especially foxes. Although in parts of the country snakes and crocodiles can also be a problem.
John Howard had to act, and act fast. He introduced strict gun laws into Parliament. This had bi-partisan support of the opposition Labor Party led by Kim Beasley. The new gun controls had to also be made law via the State and Territory Parliaments. Initially Queensland and Tasmania were against tightened gun control. A number of citizens were outraged at the new laws. This outrage was fueled by the support of the Christian Coalition and the US National Rifle Association! Finally, the new gun controls were made law Australia wide after a lot of intense debate. In addition, the Federal Government implemented a 12 month amnesty/buyback scheme to allow people to hand in any illegal firearm without running the risk of prosecution. Amazingly, 643,000 firearms were handed in at a cost of $350M.

Since that fateful day in 1996, Australia has not had any gun related massacres.Since the laws were established, it is now extremely hard to buy a rifle or indeed any gun. A number of valid reasons and references need to be supplied before a gun can be sold. Naturally, if there is a genuine reason to have a gun, and the person appears mentally stable, then they will be able to purchase one, subject to State and Territory requirements. It is safe to say that John Howard’s tough stance has paid dividends. Since that fateful day in 1996, Australia has not had any gun related massacres.

I mention the above purely to give any reader from the United States an idea of how gun control can be implemented. Naturally, all Australians were shocked at the Sandy Hook school massacre in Newtown. I have two daughters aged 9 and 10 and I certainly felt shock and sadness, especially as it happened so close to Christmas, the time of family gatherings. I feel for the parents who lost their children and the families of all those that were killed in the shooting.

To outsiders, the United States has way too many shootings. For pro-gun lobbyists to claim the second amendment as a right to bear arms in today’s modern society, is a bad joke at best! The question, a very simple one, how many more people have to lose their lives before action is taken? Yes the GOP and NRA are bed partners, and yes there are lunatics high up in both organisations. But do ordinary citizens really require a semi-automatic weapon to protect their property? The answer has to be a resounding ‘No’. (the mental faculty of anyone who wants a military-style assault rifle should be considered dubious, at best)

The US has to tighten up its gun laws immediately. It is the only way to go, and also to restore faith with the public. Not only does Barack Obama need to act decisively, it also requires the GOP and others to support any proposed law changes. The good old days of “gun toting” are over. Let’s logically move on and ensure that our children and innocent bystanders are not used as “shooting practice” by a madman.

Finally, do not underestimate the rest of the world’s opinion towards the US and its lax gun laws. I can virtually guarantee you that the feeling of most people is that the US gun laws are a complete joke. It is now up to the United States to ensure that the joke comes to an end.

Sadly, requiring the GOP to acquiesce to reasonable gun legislation is a pipe dream. Nothing like these irrational Teaparty antics occur anywhere else in the civilized world. I hope this changes in 2014. Get everyone you know to vote them out in the midterms! (VegasJessie)

Follow Derek on Twitter @Main_Man

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Please No Loaded Guns At Gun Shows, Only In Our Schools

27 Dec

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The last weekend of 2012 my very own city, Las Vegas, will be the next stop on the national tour of death merchants, the Crossroads Gunshow. As a concerned citizen, I surmised I should know more about an event where one can purchase high capacity clips and other killing accoutrements. I suppose what I learned should really not surprise anyone.

I pulled this ironic tidbit from the Crossroads Gunshow Website frequently asked questions section: Q: Can I carry a loaded gun in the gun show? I have a Concealed Carry Permit.
A: We respectfully request that you do not bring any loaded firearm into the gun show. Safety is our Number One Priority, and a safe environment in the show can only be maintained if there are no loaded guns in the show. There is no need for any commentary on this statement. It is the very definition of Q.E.D.

In previous articles, I’ve discussed how the folks in Utah, namely those of the Latter Day Saints persuasion, are obsessed with arming themselves for the imminent apocalypse. I was not surprised to see “America’s largest producer of gun shows, Crossroads,” has its headquarters located in Kaysville, Utah. The family in charge: the Templetons, are shameless gun show promoters. They were the very folks who, just one week after the Gaby Giffords mass shooting at a Tucson supermarket, hosted a gun show just blocks away from the tragedy.

The Templeton family is not exactly what one might consider a paragon of virtue. In 2002, Crossroads Gunshow VP Jeffrey Templeton called the police after hearing a suspicious noise outside his house. The police found more than just a suspected prowler, as this report states. The indictment lists 57 firearms confiscated at the home by agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Kaysville police on Dec. 11. The discovery was made after someone at the Templetons’ home in Kaysville called police to report something suspicious, possibly a burglar or prowler. But when Kaysville police arrived, they spotted a slew of weapons with illegal drugs nearby, said Kaysville Police Chief Dave Helquist. He said the drugs appeared to be methamphetamine and are being tested. I suppose they are just the type of criminals 2nd Amendment enthusiasts want to arm themselves against.

The 2nd Amendment has been perverted by the Right. They redefine a well-regulated militia as every gun-crazed, paranoid lunatic should have all the weaponry and ammo of a Colombian drug cartel. So, the Second Amendment read: “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.” Contrary to some current right-wing fantasies about the Framers wanting to encourage popular uprisings over grievances, the language of the amendment is clearly aimed at maintaining order within the country. The Founding Fathers wanted to maintain a civilized society where armed insurrections like Shay’s Rebellion could be easily quashed, not the other way around.

Folks blame President Obama for not being “tougher on guns”. President Bush let the assault weapons ban of 1994 expire in 2004, as it was common knowledge the NRA ran the show in the Bush 43 White House. In fact, The National Rifle Association’s second-ranking officer boasted at a closed meeting of NRA members in May of 2000 that if Republican nominee George W. Bush wins in November, “we’ll have . . . a president where we work out of their office.”

President Obama tried in March, 2009 to reinstate the ban, but with sixty-five House Democrats opposing the ban, he and Attorney General Eric Holder could not get this through Congress. Too many are beholden to Wayne Lapierre and his terrorist organization, the National Rifle Association.

LaPierre is a seemingly unstable leader who claims criminals hear voices and demons to encourage their heinous acts. On Meet the Press last week he proclaimed:

“The truth is that our society is populated by an unknown number of genuine monsters — people so deranged, so evil, so possessed by voices and driven by demons that no sane person can possibly ever comprehend them”

When one truly believes in demonic possession, it’s not wise for this person to hold so much influence over so many insane people, like those who read his NRA publication.

In order to gin up fear and gun sales, he regularly and erroneously claims the Obama Administration is coming for your guns. Here is a recent excerpt from NRA Publications Inc.
Over the past three years, the Obama administration and its anti-gun allies have been engaged in a silent but sophisticated long-term conspiracy to:
1. Neutralize gun owners and NRA voters as a political force in national elections, and thereby:
2. Win re-election to a second term in the White House, where they then will be immune to the will of voters and free to continue consolidating and misusing their ever-increasing power to:
3. Prosecute a full-scale, sustained, all-out campaign to excise the Second Amendment from our Bill of Rights through legislation, litigation, regulation, executive orders, judicial fiat, international treaties—in short, all the levers of power of all three branches of government.
And the key to their success lies in keeping gun owners like you in the dark.

There are roughly 5,000 annual gun shows nationwide and 40% of gun-owners purchase their firearms either at a gun show or through classified ads and private exchanges, with little or no regulation. Perhaps just eliminating gun shows is a fine way to start cutting down on violence via assault weapons. It will certainly not eliminate all mass shootings, but taking the profitability out of human carnage might just be a great way to start.

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Massachusetts Would Be Wise To Avoid Romney and His GOP

28 Sep

Perhaps Massachusetts’ flirtation period with the GOP is in its twilight. Current Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D) said, “I can tell you,…he was a great salesman who was more interested in having the job than doing it,” describing Mitt Romney’s tenure as Governor of the New England Commonwealth. This seems to be the same attitude he possesses about the job at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He wants the power, but really has no intention of using it to benefit the majority of his “subjects.”

This was a man who never concerns himself with minutia like the passage of bills to fund the prevention of hate crimes, he’d rather keep his state on a par in job creation with then Katrina-ravaged Louisiana . While governor, the state’s total job growth was just 0.9 percent, well behind other high-wage, high-skill economies in New York (2.7), California (4.7), and North Carolina (7.6). The national average, meanwhile, was better than 5 percent. Dismal as these numbers are, what’s more telling is Romney’s current poll numbers in his “home” state. President Obama leads Romney 60 percent to 38 percent in the Bay State, a veritable beat down of epic proportions, a pummeling he richly deserves. This similar performance by his TeaParty darling supporter, Senator Scott Brown shows just how little these men care for the state they so poorly represent.

Senator Scott Brown and Willard Romney

Former Cosmopolitan Magazine centerfold and Wall Street favorite, Scott Brown, has shown little concern for the majority of the citizens of Massachusetts. Although he is trying to distance himself from Romney’s 47% remark at a private fundraiser, he has shown he holds a similar world view. He’s a pro-big oil, anti-women, anti-welfare, teabagging Conservative who seems to be losing his allure. He recently proclaimed Justice and Fascist Antonin Scalia as his favorite member of the Supreme Court.

Massachusetts has an abysmal record of electing women in US Senate races, as there has never been a female Senator from the state. Remarkably, his opponent, Elizabeth Warren, has a lead in most polls. If Massachusetts has more sense than the folks in Missouri poised to elect legitimate rape advocate, Todd Akin (R), we should, by all accounts, see the first female Senator from the state. Even with the ugliness of the racial attack on her Cherokee heritage, she still has a fight on her hands that the rest of the country is watching closely.

It seems Massachusetts has gambled with Republicans in the state whose politics has been primarily formed by a Kennedy legacy of service. JFK, RFK and Ted Kennedy, among other greats from the state, have served their populace with dignity and consideration. These nouveau right wing figure heads who have shown nothing more than a politicians look with zero substance are perhaps just a blemish on the Democratic history of Massachusetts. The state was and still is a great voice in a democracy that has no use for shallow, morally bankrupt men like Willard Romney and Scott Brown.

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Mitt Romney is Outraged SCOTUS Upholds Romneycare-Inspired Plan

29 Jun
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Celebrating the 5-4 decision

Chief Justice John Roberts yesterday issued a judgement that many view as a victory for the American people. The Affordable Care Act was upheld by a 5-4 decision, thereby solidifying President Obama’s lasting impact on the health and well-being of his nation. It’s a step towards achieving a nationalized healthcare plan, like every other civilized nation already has.

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Here are a few benefits of the ACA or as conservatives scathingly call it, Obamacare, already in place or about to take effect:

  • Expands insurance coverage to over 30 million additional people, including 2.5 million young people already added to their parents’ plans,
  • Hundreds of millions more will receive significantly more generous benefits and subsidized premiums if needed,
  • Millions of Americans with a pre-existing condition — from asthma to cancer — can NOT be denied coverage by an insurance company right when they need it most.
  • Medicare donut hole gap: Medicare recipients who fall into the coverage gap get big discounts: 50 percent on brand name prescriptions, and up to 14 percent on generic drugs. And by 2020, this gap in coverage will be closed—for good For those with private insurance:
  • Can no longer waste your premium on CEO costs and salaries
  • Must use 80 percent of your premium for health care services and improving care
  • Has to justify hikes to your premium to an independent panel keeping your rates down

Contrary to those on the right, it does not increase the deficit or destroy Medicare. Conservatives seem to have a problem with those of us who believe families should not go bankrupt just because a loved one falls ill.

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Right Wing Outrage and Insanity

As expected, here comes the right wing outrage. They are furious and stunned by the Supreme Court’s actions. “What they did not do is say that the law is a good law or good policy,” said Willard Romney just after the decision was announced. When has the Supreme Court ever said that in a decision? I guess a Romney Court will start commenting on “good” and “bad” laws? He has absolutely no plan to replace the Affordable Care Act and actually plans to permit insurance companies to once again have the right to deny coverage over pre-existing conditions. Compassionate as always, Willard.

He spoke in Washington DC at a rally or whatever you call his stiffly arranged all-white gatherings. “This is the time of choice for the American people,” Willard said on Thursday. “If you don’t want the course that President Obama has put us on, if you want instead a course that the Founders envisioned, then join me in this effort. Help us. Help us defeat Obamacare.”…..and replace it with what? A plan to once again kick the uninsured out of the system rendering them vulnerable to the high cost of emergency room care? As a selfish conservative, he doesn’t realize we ALL foot the bill. Health and well being of all citizens is an important concern for ALL Americans.

Willard, as Massachusetts Governor, enacted an incredibly similar plan as the dreaded Obamacare. He was able to pass Romneycare and it is quite popular today with Massachusetts, where 99% of all citizens are insured and have a mandate if you will. Willard’s faux “outrage” represents just another colossal Romney flip-flop. He’s just kowtowing to his TeaParty masters. Is anyone surprised?

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