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Saturday, September 08, 2007

Time to Withdraw Federal Funds from S.F.

If the local San Francisco Supervisor has his way, the city will issue I.D. cards for illegal aliens that will be good at all city agencies and organizations that accept city funding. The Supervisor is also encouraging the city's banks and lending institutions to accept the I.D. card to enable illegals to open accounts.

Supervisor Tom Ammiano is drafting legislation that will create the special I.D. card.

Emphasizing that the card would be available to all people living in San Francisco regardless of their immigration status, Ammiano stated, 'There is a large community who contribute, and there are not a lot of safeguards around their (immigration) status, their peace of mind and their ability to participate.'

San Francisco is already a 'sanctuary city,' defying attempts by the federal government to deport illegal aliens. Within sanctuary cities neither the police nor government agencies assist the federal government in deporting those who break the nation's laws by illegal entry.

As we have stated before on The Liberty Sphere, we strongly urge the U.S. Government to withhold all federal funds from any city in America that defies U.S. law by becoming a 'sanctuary city.' My tax dollars should not be used to fund lawless cities such as San Francisco in its flagrant violations of the laws of the land.

The attempt to give official I.D.s to illegal aliens is simply the final straw. New Haven, Connecticut already has such a program. New York City is considering it.

These I.D. cards do nothing but legitimize law-breakers, allowing them to get free healthcare at city facilities, and making it easier to apply for jobs and bank accounts.

U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, had the right idea when he introduced an amendment to a piece of legislation that mandated the withholding of federal funds to sanctuary cities. If municipalities within the United States of America are going to ignore the laws of the country to which they belong, then they should be deprived of the benefits of being a part of that country.

San Francisco has also banned ROTC programs from its high schools because it claims such programs promote 'militarism.'

If this is the case, why don't we help San Francisco rid itself entirely of any vestige of 'militarism' and tell them that from now on, they can provide their own security, and if they are attacked by a foreign entity or a terrorist, they can fend for themselves without the help of those 'militaristic' men and women of the U.S. military who will risk their lives to save their sorry asses.

A word of advice to San Francisco: if you are going to be part of the United States of America, then obey its laws and respect its institutions. If you are not, then simply secede. It won't hurt my feelings in the least.

Friday, September 07, 2007

Second Amendment News Roundup for 9/7/07

Focusing on guns and politics, here is today's Second Amendment News Roundup:

Ready to get mad right off the bat today? Well, when you read the following news story at The McCarville Report, you just might blow your stack if you're like me. McCarville reports on the Court of Appeals overturn of the death penalty for the murderer of an Oklahoma State Trooper. The reason? The victim's wife appealed to the Bible. The Judges on that Court are anti-religious freaks of the liberal-judicial activism school of thought, no doubt:
http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2007/09/nichols-blasts-court-of-criminal.html

JR at A Keyboard and a .45 writes that a power outage fouled up his plans for a trip to the shooting range:
http://akeyboardanda45.blogspot.com/2007/09/things-that-make-electrician-go-oh-chit.html

Alphecca blogs on this interesting news story that he has entitled, 'Bringing a Fake Gun to a Gun Fight':
http://www.alphecca.com/?p=396

Blogonomicon reports that the Commie-infested government of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela is forbidding certain names chosen by new parents for their infants:
http://blogonomicon.blogspot.com/2007/09/so-much-for-leslie.html

Front Sight, Press has a thorough examination of Republican Presidential candidate Duncan Hunter's views on gun rights:
http://www.snubnose.info/wordpress/gun-politics/duncan-hunter-on-gun-control-and-gun-rights/

And Ron Paul on gun rights:
http://www.snubnose.info/wordpress/rkba/ron-paul-on-gun-rights/

And Fred Thompson on gun rights:
http://www.snubnose.info/wordpress/rkba/more-on-fred-thompson-and-gun-control/

On a related note, Nicki at The Liberty Zone has more on Fred Thompson on the issues:
http://libertyzone.blogspot.com/2007/09/fred-on-issues.html

Nicki also has a great piece about the difference between a 'right' and a 'need.' This is highly critical, for rights are not based upon what's needed or unneeded...a right is inherent:
http://libertyzone.blogspot.com/2007/09/can-we-please-limit-idiots-ability-to.html

Gun Law News posts this interesting article entitled, 'Hillary, the Shooter':
http://www.gunlawnews.org/Federal-Politics/hill090407-2.html

The Buckeye Firearms Association says that the GOP finally has a pro-gun presidential candidate among the front-runners:
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3941.html

Michelle Malkin has a timely update on the Democrats' dirty-money candy-man, Norman Hsu, who was captured on an Amtrak train in Colorado after falling ill:
http://michellemalkin.com/2007/09/07/breaking-hsu-captured/

The Ninth Stage does some examination of the phrases within the Second Amendment:
http://ninthstage.com/index.php/2007/09/06/second-amendment/

The Bitch Girls report that over 100 public officials in the state of New Jersey have been convicted on federal corruption charges:
http://www.thebitchgirls.us/?p=7365

Sebastian at Snow Flakes in Hell is urging California residents to contact the Governor's office to encourage him to veto the new bill passed by the state General Assembly that mandates microstamping (a tactic supported by the Brady gang):
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/?p=1493

Sharp as a Marble has a MUST-read today as he responds to someone who wrote that 'the future won't be kind to gun-lovers':
http://blog.robballen.com/archive/2007/09/07/The-future-wont-be-kind-to-the-stupid.aspx

Say Uncle posts a vital summary of the central features of the DC appeal, via John Lott:
http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2007/09/07/dc_appeal/

Red's Trading Post updates us on the antics of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, which poses as a pro-Second Amendment group. They are anything but that:
http://redstradingpost.blogspot.com/2007/09/our-enemies-attempts-to-divide-and.html

David Hardy at Of Arms and the Law says that the plaintiffs' attorneys in the Parker vs. DC gun case have started a new website:
http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2007/09/new_website_for.php

Random Ramblings of a Republitarian posts a thorough examination of the idea that there is, indeed, a correct interpretation of the Second Amendment:
http://republitarians.blogspot.com/2007/09/reasoned-approach.html

So Long, Luciano

He was a giant of a man with a giant voice. Before he burst onto the world stage with his characteristic 'bigger-than-life' persona, it had been decades since an operatic tenor had been able to capture the imagination and interest of classical music aficionados.

Yet we heard him not only at the Met and on classical music recordings, but we also heard him at the Olympics, on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show on NBC, and in Central Park, among many other 'common' venues.

We sat spellbound as he thrilled us with his characteristic high Cs and his ability to draw forth both tears and laughter.

Today that magnificent voice is silenced.

Luciano Pavarotti is dead at the age of 71 from pancreatic cancer, from which he suffered for over a year. His remains lie in state in the cathedral in his hometown in Italy, pending funeral arrangements.

The best way I know how to pay tribute to this masterful vocalist is by telling a true personal story. I had heard Pavarotti sing Puccini's famed 'Nessun Dorma' many times. It is a stunningly beautiful piece of music that has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Yet I had never heard the original Pavarotti recording of the piece, which goes back a couple of decades.

While driving to a meeting late one morning I was listening to the local public broadcasting station, which played classical music for two hours each day just before noon. Without announcing the title and the artist of the next piece, the morning DJ simply launched into Nessun Dorma after a brief pause.

When I heard the orchestral introduction to the piece, immediately I knew that this was Puccini's famed and beloved song. The vocalist was Luciano Pavarotti in his prime. I pulled over to the side of the road to listen.

Pavarotti performed the majestic Nessun Dorma flawlessly and movingly.

Tenor is not an easy part to sing for a male vocalist. It takes skill, breath-control, and stamina. Very few are able to sing the part for decades without a noticeable toll being taken on the quality of sound.

As a world-renown tenor in his late 60s, Pavarotti was certainly not the singer he was when he was 40, although he was still better than most. Yet listening to this commanding tenor with a commanding presence sing Nessun Dorma in the middle of his prime was one of those unforgettable experiences of emotion, pleasure, and appreciation.

It was easy to see why throngs of music lovers all over the world recognized in Pavarotti a rare talent that comes along only once in several generations.

He will be sorely missed. He fully deserves our admiration and thanks for the many wonderful memories. So long, Luciano.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Shocker! Allenna Williams Ward Pleads Guilty

A Laurens County, South Carolina courtroom was the setting today for one of the biggest shockers of the year regarding sex scandals between school teachers and their students.

Much to the shock and amazement of local residents and observers, Allenna Williams Ward, the 24-year-old middle school teacher accused of having sex with five black teenage boys, accepted a plea bargain and plead guilty to five charges of sexual misconduct.

Ward waived her right to a jury trial and broke into sobs as she admitted to the charges and apologized for the pain she had caused the students and their families, and the community.

In exchange for Ward's pleading guilty to five counts of sexual misconduct, the local Circuit Solicitor dropped the rest of the charges against Ward, which could have potentially sent her to prison for the rest of her life.

Surrounded by her parents and her husband in the courtroom, Ward asked for the forgiveness of the community.

Ward's sentence now rests entirely in the hands of the local judge, who will reportedly make his decision within 90 days.

The Ward case provides an intriguing twist in attempts to profile typical perpetrators of sexual misconduct between teachers and students. Ward never fit the profile. In fact, the story told by the teenagers involved in the case is so bizarre that few in or outside the community believed that such a thing could be true.

The teenagers had accused Ward of meeting them at various places around Clinton, South Carolina for their sexual activity, including behind a restaurant, in a motel room, in a city park, in a vehicle, as well as in the Bell Street Middle School, where Ward taught 7th grade Language Arts.

While few believed the stories, in this case the perpetrator herself says they are true. The damage done to the five teenagers should not go unpunished.

Ward would be an interesting case study in forensic psychology as the question is posed, how could a seemingly clean-cut girl from a minister's family, with no prior history indicating her behavior, wind up in this position where she faces potential jail time for engaging in sexual misconduct with five teenagers?

As far as we are concerned, that is the million-dollar question.

Second Amendment News Roundup for 9/6/07

Scroll down for the news:

Images courtesy of A Human Right.

Focusing on guns and politics, here is today's Second Amendment News Roundup:

A Keyboard and a .45 points to an interesting article entitled, 'Guns, Baby, Guns':
http://akeyboardanda45.blogspot.com/2007/09/guns-baby-guns.html

Alphecca posts the news story from the AP about a bear that attacked a house, attempting to rip a window air conditioner from the clutches of the homeowner, while her husband fired on the animal with a shotgun:
http://www.alphecca.com/?p=392

One of the best counterterrorism blogs in the nation, Atlas Shrugs, has the scoop on the foiled terror plot yesterday involving Muslim Jihadists. The terrorists had targeted U.S. civilian aircraft in Germany, as well as U.S. military bases. This was a massive plot that spread throughout Europe:
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2007/09/massive-islamic.html

Here is the original news story on the massive Al Qaeda plot as it appeared in the U.K.:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=480021&in_page_id=1811

Blogonomicon reports that his letter to the editor on the National Exercise Your Rights Day did not get published, but the editor wrote to him inviting him to do a follow-up:
http://blogonomicon.blogspot.com/2007/09/letter-to-editor-response.html

Of Arms and the Law suggests that there may be a culture of corruption within the Bloomberg mayors' gun-grab group:
http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2007/09/third_power_rep.php

Red's Trading Post says it's time to stand up to the bullies in the federal government who harass gun owners and the firearms industry:
http://redstradingpost.blogspot.com/2007/09/time-to-stand-up-to-bullies.html

Say Uncle has an example of why Reasoned Discourse matters:
http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2007/09/06/why_reasoned_discoursetm_matters_and_some_gun_help/

Sebastian at Snow Flakes in Hell pens an excellent quote of the day that you simply MUST read:
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/?p=1485

Nicki at The Liberty Zone posts some riveting commentary on the entry of Fred Thompson into the GOP race:
http://libertyzone.blogspot.com/2007/09/thompson-target-at-gop-debate.html

The War on Guns has a reasoned answer to a suggestion by one of the anti's that we simply trash the Second Amendment:
http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2007/09/reasoned-approach.html

Traction Control did some live blogging on the Republican debate in New Hampshire, and here are his comments:
http://tractioncontrol.well-regulatedmilitia.org/?p=580

John Lott has the link to Fred Thompson's video announcement of his candidacy:
http://johnrlott.tripod.com/2007/09/fred-thompsons-video-announcing-his.html

Bob Parks at Black and Right alerts us to a very important court case opening tomorrow in California involving Bill and Hillary Clinton:
http://blackandright.mensnewsdaily.com/2007/09/03/hillary-on-tape-and-under-oath/

Conservative icon William F. Buckley, Jr. posts his latest article on National Review today, and it is a sobering one...a MUST-read:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=M2VlZjRjYzRlYTllNDA2YzY2ZTFhOWUyNDU4NjA0ZTU=

The Volokh Conspiracy announces that Republican Presidential Candidate Fred Thompson is soliciting questions from bloggers...particularly on legal issues. How's THAT for a first in presidential campaigning! If you wish to ask Thompson a question, go to Volokh for the info on how this will work:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2007_09_02-2007_09_08.shtml#1189051983

Michelle Malkin has the goods on the Clintons with regard to Hillary's dirty campaign cash:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=N2YyYjYyMzk5NDc3OTQyZDgyODY2MzE1NjM3Yjc5OTk=

Thompson Announces, Republicans Debate in N.H.

Former U.S. Senator and television star Fred Thompson, R-Tennessee, has formally announced his bid for the Republican Presidential nomination. Thompson began airing a television ad describing his campaign goals even as the rest of the Republican field of candidates debated in New Hampshire.

Demonstrating the power of the Thompson presence in the campaign, the very first question of the debate, posed by Fox News Washington Chief Britt Hume, centered on Thompson's contention that having armed students at Virginia Tech could have prevented the massacre unleashed by Cho Seung Hui.

The Second Amendment was a recurring theme during the debate, as the candidates made sure that listeners understood that they each support the individual citizen's right to bear arms.

However, the record shows a different story. When compared to the Democratic candidates, each of the Republican candidates come out smelling like a rose. But Giuliani, McCain, and Romney have less-than-stellar records on their support of Second Amendment rights.

The most exciting segment of the debate occurred when Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee sparred on the War in Iraq. Hume allowed the two great leeway in their exchange, given that it was one of the more spontaneous and interesting segments that has occurred in any of the debates in either Party.

Concerning Ron Paul, The Liberty Sphere continues to have great difficulty with the candidate's assertion that the 9/11 attack was due to the American troop presence on the Arabian peninsula--the reason given by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. Mr. Paul makes the mistake of taking the words of Osama bin Laden at face value.

Why should we believe him? Bin Laden is one of the least trustworthy individuals on the planet.

The truth is we were attacked because radical Islamists, i.e., the Jihad, wishes to kill us all in the name of Allah and usher in Sharia Law under the Koran.

And this is why we have maintained all along that Ron Paul will not win the GOP nomination. This shortsighted point of view on what our nation faces in the Jihadists is enough to deny him the support of most Republican voters.

This is, no doubt, a shame, for Mr. Paul is otherwise an attractive candidate with many laudable ideas.

The clear winner in this debate, in our view, continues to be Duncan Hunter, R-California. He has the honor, the integrity, the grasp of the issues, and the ability to articulate his stance on the issues that place him at the head of the pack.

If there was a clear loser in the debate, it would have to be Senator Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, who seemed to lose his train of thought a couple of times. This was not a good night for the Senator, although his lackluster showing did nothing to effect his stance on the issues, which for the most part is strong.

The Liberty Sphere rates the candidates who participate in the debates based upon eight key issues impacting personal liberty--taxes, healthcare, gun rights, immigration policy, abortion, national defense, U.S. foreign policy, and the War on Terror.

Based upon these key issues, we rate the Republican candidates in Wednesday night's debate as follows, with 10 being the highest score:

Duncan Hunter--10
Mike Huckabee--9
Sam Brownback--8
Tom Tancredo--8
Ron Paul--7
Rudy Giuliani--6
Mitt Romney--6
John McCain--5

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Second Amendment News Roundup for 9/5/07

Scroll down for the news:

Images courtesy of A Human Right.

Focusing on guns and politics, here is today's Second Amendment News Roundup:

Ryan Horsley at Red's Trading Post says that the ATF has changed Form 4473, which is required for the purchase of a firearm:
http://redstradingpost.blogspot.com/2007/09/evolution-of-4473-form.html

Ryan also gives us some recent updates, including radio interviews where he has been a guest:
http://redstradingpost.blogspot.com/2007/09/interviews-and-updates.html

A Keyboard and a .45 has the story of two illegal aliens who have been arrested in a string of kidnappings in the Fort Worth area:
http://akeyboardanda45.blogspot.com/2007/09/more-attempted-kidnappings-in-fort.html

Sharp as a Marble presents the 'head-scratching' moment of the day concerning a new poll in Canada about gun control laws:
http://blog.robballen.com/archive/2007/09/05/Head-scratching-moment-of-the-day.aspx

The McCarville Report posts the news on a Democratic State Senator in Oklahoma who has now officially declared his candidacy to run against Republican U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe:
http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2007/09/rice-plans-u-s-senate-race-announcement.html

Alphecca comments on a Christian Science Monitor article about the ongoing feud between the NRA and the Brady gang:
http://www.alphecca.com/?p=388

Of Arms and the Law posts a very interesting study on disarmament during the Nazi period in Germany:
http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2007/09/steve_halbrook_2.php

Say Uncle has quite a discussion going on the subject of the practice of some bloggers of deleting comments made by anti-gunners:
http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2007/09/05/why_reasoned_discoursetm_matters/

Nicki at The Liberty Zone has had some surgery on her hand. But she is now back blogging again, albeit with only one 'paw' as she puts it. In this post, she says that the anti-gunners are fearful that the D.C. case being appealed to the Supreme Court will result in Chicago being next:
http://libertyzone.blogspot.com/2007/09/gun-banners-wring-hankies-at-thought-of.html

David Codrea at The War on Guns posts an interesting open letter to the 'Amendment II Democrats':
http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2007/09/open-letter-to-amendment-ii-democrats.html

Snow Flakes in Hell has a great read on the practice of grading politicians based on certain issues:
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/?p=1475

Traction Control posts this on the upcoming Gun Bloggers' Rendezvous in Reno:
http://tractioncontrol.well-regulatedmilitia.org/?p=578

Michelle Malkin reports that the fugitive who bankrolled Hillary's campaigns failed to show in court for a bail hearing today and is officially MIA:
http://michellemalkin.com/2007/09/05/all-points-bulletin-where-in-the-world-is-norman-hsu-part-ii/

On a related note, John Lott asks the all-important question as to why the mainstream media isn't covering Norman Hsu as the Democrats' Jack Abramoff:
http://johnrlott.tripod.com/2007/09/why-isnt-press-covering-norman-hsu-as.html

The quintessential conservative icon, William F. Buckley, Jr., has this thought-provoking article on jobs, trade, and the Democrats:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=M2FiNjNlMzk4ZDcwMzlhYjc1ZmZhODA3ZGNkZDhiZjQ=

We have often opined that ethanol is a bad idea because it cuts into the food supply and drives up the costs of everything--food in particular. The Volokh Conspiracy notes that ethanol is also bad for the water supply:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2007_09_02-2007_09_08.shtml#1189016137

Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership has more on their campaign to repudiate and humiliate gun-grabbers in the U.S. who have patterned their gun control laws on the Nazi practices of 1930s Germany:
http://www.jpfo.org/alert20070905.htm

Gun Owners of America posts a new alert today stating that as the Senate reconvenes there is little hope of relief for gun owners in the new McCarthy-Leahy bill:
http://www.gunowners.org/a090507.htm

The Bitch Girls think they may have solved the D.C. crime problem, and the answer is in this telling photo:
http://www.thebitchgirls.us/?p=7361

Finally, our favorite intellectual, Walter Williams, professor of economics at George Mason University, has this MUST-read on economics and property rights:
http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/wew/articles/07/economicsandproperty.htm

Thompson Shuns Debate to Reach Masses

Republican Presidential hopeful Fred Thompson has taken some heat from certain GOP activists and voters for his decision to forsake the New Hampshire Republican Debate in order to appear on Jay Leno's Tonight Show on NBC.

But let's face it. Most Americans right now are not at all interested in either the Republican or the Democratic debates.

In fact, recent polls find that a majority of Americans who have watched all or part of some of the debates are growing 'debate weary' already, and we are still over a year away from the election.

By appearing on Leno rather than the N.H. debate, Thompson is set to reach a vast segment of the American populace that is largely turned off by politics and that is clearly undecided about the 2008 Presidential election.

Rather than 'preaching to the choir' by going to New Hampshire to please GOP activists and the small group of viewers who will watch on TV, Thompson instead did the wise thing by going in front of an audience the GOP desperately needs to win if it has any chance of keeping the White House in 2008.

In addition, Thompson will be in friendly territory on Leno. He is a household name and a fixture in the Hollywood culture, and he has many friends in California.

Granted, Thompson may not be the top choice of the majority of the Hollywood set, given their penchant for supporting the most extreme leftist candidates. Yet Hollywood has a way of embracing their own, even if one of their number turns out to be a conservative.

Ronald Reagan was always personally popular in California and even in Hollywood. Yet many in the region opposed his policies.

Like Reagan, Thompson's personality plays well in a setting such as the Burbank, California setting of the Leno show. Of course, he does just as well in blue jeans and a pickup truck traveling the countryside in Tennessee. And it certainly won't hurt that Thompson will be in his element where he feels most comfortable--before a camera, one-on-one.

In New Hampshire he would have had to share the stage and the spotlight with all the other candidates, not that this will not happen eventually anyway.

As a Thompson campaign official stated Tuesday, 'There will be plenty more opportunities to debate with the other candidates and mix it up.' In fact, there will probably be many more opportunities for such things than most Americans care about.

To put it bluntly, the rank-and-file of the Party faithful probably won't begin getting interested in earnest until Jan. 1, 2008 as the primaries get underway. The rest of the country won't start paying attention until September of 2008, with the exception of a brief burst of interest during the Party Conventions in the summer.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Second Amendment News Roundup for 9/4/07

Scroll down for the news:

Images and graphics courtesy of A Human Right.

Focusing on guns and politics, here is today's Second Amendment News Roundup:

The Bitch Girls note that there is simply no pleasing the tree-huggers, and here is an example:
http://www.thebitchgirls.us/?p=7357

The Bitch Girls also comment on the Federalist Society debate on the Parker D.C. case:
http://www.thebitchgirls.us/?p=7354

Of Arms and the Law posts VERY interesting data showing the profile of homicide victims:
http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2007/09/profile_of_homi.php

Random Ramblings of a Republitarian has this gem entitled, 'NRA, Gun Guys, and Lunacy':
http://republitarians.blogspot.com/2007/09/nra-gun-guys-and-lunacy.html

Cap'n Bob and the Damsel post a brief video of their visit to the shooting range over the weekend:
http://capnbob.us/blog/2007/09/04/hot-shots/

Mike McCarville has the New York Daily News editorial on the candidacy of Fred Thompson:
http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2007/09/new-york-daily-news-thompsons-candidacy.html

Triticale blogs on a most disturbing phenomenon that happened right here in America, reminiscent of the infamous Nazi demand to citizens in Europe, 'Show me your papers':
http://triticale.mu.nu/archives/239105.php

Alphecca says that Mayor Fenty of D.C. makes a poor case in defending his decision to appeal the Parker case to the U.S. Supreme Court:
http://www.alphecca.com/?p=384

Alphecca also points out the complete fallacy of the argument of a Canadian writer who claims that Canada's system of checking the mental health stability of gun buyers is superior to that of the U.S.:
http://www.alphecca.com/?p=383

Blogonomicon says that Concealed Carry Magazine has a great interview that makes for good reading:
http://blogonomicon.blogspot.com/2007/09/interview-with-michael-debose-in-uscca.html

Say Uncle points to commentary on the so-called 'gun culture':
http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2007/09/04/another_fisking/

Snow Flakes in Hell has an example of blatant political pandering to religious folk on the part of Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Richardson (and you won't believe what Richardson actually said):
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/?p=1469

The War on Guns has the latest update on the political aspirations of Ryan Horsley, as well as the latest developments in Idaho concerning the Senate seat of Larry Craig:
http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2007/09/ryan-horsley-for-congress.html

John Lott reports that gun crime in the U.K. is soaring. Gee, I thought that wasn't supposed to happen when a society bans guns:
http://johnrlott.tripod.com/2007/09/uk-gun-crime-soaring-labor-government.html

The Volokh Conspiracy reviews a great new book on global warming entitled, 'Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming':
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2007_09_02-2007_09_08.shtml#1188911901

Volokh also has updated information on the D.C. government's petition to the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the Second Amendment and the D.C. gun ban:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2007_09_02-2007_09_08.shtml#1188921871

The Captain's Quarters has the latest on the Hillary Clinton-fundraising scandal that just keeps getting deeper by the day, although you would never know it if you listen to the mainstream media:
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/012463.php

Clinton Cats of Corruption--More Than Just 9 Lives

Had the cats of corruption--Bill and Hillary Clinton--been actual felines, they would have run out of lives years ago. But these are really big cats. They have more than just 9 lives. And they have decades of scandal to prove it.

Can any honest and sincere person think of a time, ever, when the name 'Clinton' was not synonymous with 'corruption'?

And yet not only have they survived it all but they have managed to flourish when under normal circumstances their political careers would have been long since dead and buried.

Despite the attempts of Democrats to paint the Clinton years as the most economically productive in the nation's history--in spite of the fact that the actual figures show that much of the so-called economic growth was based on fluff and doctored numbers, i.e., Healthsouth, Enron, Global Crossing, and many more--the two terms of Bill Clinton are much more synonymous with one scandal after another, a succession of sleaze that would embarrass the Harding Administration in the early 1920s.

Travelgate; the Vince Foster 'suicide;' Janet Reno's order to murder American citizens in Waco because they were members of a religious cult; Reno's use of jackbooted thugs to seize a little boy, whose mother had lost her life bringing him to freedom, in order to ship him back to a Communist dictatorship; China-gate (yet another campaign fundraising scandal involving Chinese Communists); Hillary's attempt to seize private healthcare in lieu of a nationalized system in which it would have been a felony to seek out a private-pay physician--all point to one big problem that spells graft.

And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Notice that we have not yet gotten to Monica and the President's lying under oath. There are far too many more damning scandals in which the Clintons were directly involved, such as the mysterious deaths of individuals who have had the goods on the Clintons dating all the way back to Arkansas.

It is no small occurrence that one of the Clinton's closest pals from Arkansas, Susan McDougal, spent years in prison because she refused to squeal on Bill and Hillary.

What, exactly, about the Clintons was so damning that a friend was willing to give years of her life in jail rather than talk?

Yet these and many other examples of the Clinton Cats of Corruption failed to bury the pair as a viable political force. None of it seemed to matter at all to the public, and the mainstream media, of course, successfully negotiated itself through these treacherous waters so as to promote Clinton without failing to report on the massive failures of his years in office.

Reagan was often called 'the Teflon President' because none of the scandal in his Administration seemed to stick to the President personally. There is good reason for that. None of it involved the President personally.

With the Clintons, however, it was all personal, yet somehow they got away with it and continue to do so today.

The growing scandal involving the illegal campaign scheme of a fugitive from justice who orchestrated millions of dollars going into Hillary's campaign coffers under the names of individuals who could not afford such lavish gifts is yet another example of the exceeding graft of the Clinton Cats.

Apparently Norman Hsu got away with breaking federal law on individual donation limits by spreading the loot around in the names of countless individuals, such as the Paws in California, who make a mere $49,000 per year and yet who are listed as having contributed $45,000 to Hillary's campaigns.

No doubt there is much more here than what meets the eye. A case that is presently tied up in court involves a video which shows Bill and Hillary engaging in violations of federal campaign finance laws.

The question is, how many more scandals, how many more broken laws and ruined lives, how much more corruption and sleaze will the Clintons foist upon the American public before the electorate says, 'ENOUGH!'?

Monday, September 03, 2007

Second Amendment News Roundup for 9/3/07

Focusing on guns and politics, here is today's Second Amendment News Roundup:

So, you think Alberto Gonzalez was bad as an Attorney-General? I would not disagree with that assessment, but when compared to Janet Reno, the man was the best. Ann Coulter reminds us of the sheer terror perpetrated on the electorate by the most aggressive, rogue Attorney-General in U.S. history--the Clintons' favorite girl, Janet Reno (hat tip to Traction Control):
http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/welcome.cgi

Traction Control posts the news on a judge who blocked stricter penalties for hiring illegal aliens (and by the way, the U.S. Code states that the aiding and abetting of illegal aliens is a felony--but apparently not in THIS judge's courtroom):
http://tractioncontrol.well-regulatedmilitia.org/?p=567

The Volokh Conspiracy points out that in a recent story in the New York Times entitled, 'Why Is Cuba So Poor?,' never once did the article mention that Communism, Socialism, or Collectivism are in any way responsible for the nation's plight:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2007_09_02-2007_09_08.shtml#1188724835

John Lott reports that the Northern Iowa University faculty senate voted against allowing campus police to carry guns:
http://johnrlott.tripod.com/2007/09/northern-iowa-university-faculty-senate.html

Xavier Thoughts blogs today about an unusual revolver, but it is a beauty:
http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/09/model-of-1905-4th-change-oddity.html

Xavier also has some neat examples of pre-Depression-era Smith & Wesson military and police revolvers:
http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/09/pre-depression-military-police-revolver.html

The War on Guns has an intriguing article on how the FBI may have scared Caucasians into supporting gun control by using 'the race card':
http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2007/09/color-of-gun-control.html

Bitter over at The Bitch Girls shares her opinion on the resignation of Senator Larry Craig, which she thinks is lamentable. I agree:
http://www.thebitchgirls.us/?p=7353

A Keyboard and a .45 has some great news for one of our favorite Congressmen of all time, Republican Presidential candidate Duncan Hunter of California. Hunter won a big one by walking away with the Texas straw poll. We are gratified to see the Congressman win one:
http://akeyboardanda45.blogspot.com/2007/09/duncan-hunter-runs-away-with-texas.html

Alphecca says that London is playing host to an arms fair, which has the police in a dither, deploying 4000 officers to monitor the thing:
http://www.alphecca.com/?p=382

Snow Flakes in Hell points to an interesting item in the news concerning suicide prevention and the work of law enforcement:
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/?p=1456

Say Uncle posts this item entitled, 'Big Schtick':
http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2007/09/03/big_schtick/

Front Sight, Press points to a MUST-read penned by Triticale entitled, 'Gun Control Victims':
http://www.snubnose.info/wordpress/rkba/gun-control-victims/

Cameron Bailey says that the revelations continue to unfold about the HUGE fundraising scandal that implicates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Barbara Boxer, and about a dozen other top Democrats:
http://www.cameron-bailey.com/2007/09/democratic-fundraising-scandal.html

Blogonomicon posts a great cartoon editorial that you absolutely must see:
http://blogonomicon.blogspot.com/2007/09/indeed.html

Mike McCarville says that it may be way too early to count out former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in his bid for the GOP Presidential nomination. McCarville says that a S.C. insider has evidence that Huckabee is a rising star in the GOP:
http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2007/08/huckabee-gops-new-rising-star.html

Pamela Geller over at Atlas Shrugs never minces words when it comes to the failure of the modern Democratic Party to support American ideals, freedom, and nation of Israel. Read her latest timely expose on some sickening rhetoric by the Democratic leadership:
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2007/09/democrats-party.html

In case you haven't seen it yet, Mr. Completely has this latest update on the Gun Bloggers Rendezvous in Reno, Nevada in October (plan to attend if you can):
http://mrcompletely.blogspot.com/2007/08/gun-blogger-rendezvous-guest-of-honor.html

Washington: The Beautiful Sound of Silence

Whenever the U.S. Congress goes into recess, the most beautiful sounds one will hear during the entire year emanate from the nation's capital--the sound of silence.

One of those times is now. The Congress has been in recess, but will return with a vengeance on Tuesday after Labor Day.

The Founding Fathers never intended for the Congress to be a full-time job for Senators and Representatives. Perhaps the complications and complexities of modern life have necessitated that change, but I have often wondered if we would not be much better off doing it the way the Founders did it.

Congress was historically in session only as long as it took to take care of the nation's business. Elected officials then had to quickly return home to earn a living and care for families.

Today, Congress is in session so much that it sometimes appears they create for themselves work to do, particularly in that massive and cumbersome monster of a pseudo-government they created called 'the federal bureaucracy.'

Federal bureaucrats are ultimately dependent on Congress granting them the funds and the means to meddle more and more in the affairs of the citizens. Without the meddlesome task of regulating the lives, the property, and the businesses of private citizens, these bureaucrats would have nothing to do.

It is without doubt the ultimate insult, the most ill-informed point of view, and the most blatant display of ignorance to judge an elected representative by 'how many bills they introduced.' Rather, the thing I wish to know is how successful was my Congressman or Senator in stopping legislation from being passed.

We have enough laws on the books as it is, most of which are never enforced, such as the nation's specific and thorough anti-illegal alien laws. Why, then, do we need more laws unless those particular laws expand liberty for the citizens rather than restrict and regulate?

A pet peeve of mine concerning the upcoming formal announcement of Fred Thompson as a candidate for President revolves around this very issue. Critics maintain that 'Thompson is not known for introducing legislation when he was a Senator.'

Well, HALLELUJAH! Amen! We should be celebrating that fact rather than bemoaning it!

The fact that Fred Thompson is not known for getting more laws passed in Congress is a key indication that he adheres to the philosophy of Jefferson--'the government that governs best governs least.'

A politician who adheres to the philosophy of the Founding Fathers is not going to be known for the legislation he or she passes. Rather, they will be known for legislative restraint.

Socialists such as Ted 'Senator Blowhard' Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Harry Reid, John Kerry, and company are the ones who have a corner on 'introducing legislation' that subjects the citizens to more restrictions and regulations. In fact, let them wear that badge of 'honor'--horror would be more like it.

And since this is the gang that controls Congress at present, although with only 16% of the public approving of the job they are doing, it is a good thing--a VERY good thing--that they are out of town on recess. If only they could stay out of town a bit longer.

Thus, when the present Congress is not in session, it is time to stop and count our blessings. For every day they miss work we don't have to worry about more and more cumbersome regulations and 'new legislation' designed to delve us ever deeper into the 'nanny state.'

Washington can actually be a very beautiful place--when the halls of Congress are silent.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

CBS's Anti-GOP Machine At It Again

If one had listened to the CBS Evening News totally at face value Saturday evening, one would think that the GOP is the one political party in America that is synonymous with scandal, corruption, hypocrisy, and graft.

Ever since we at The Liberty Sphere have taken it upon ourselves to do a periodic reality check on CBS News, highlighting examples of bias, we have discovered that often one has to be most diligent on the weekends when viewership is lower.

This is particularly true with the evening news broadcasts on Saturday and Sunday, as well as the flagship news magazine '60 Minutes.'

It is during these times that often CBS News will slip in some of its most blatantly slanted news stories.

Such was the case Saturday evening. In reporting the resignation of Idaho Senator Larry Craig, CBS News proceeded to do a hatchet job--the 2nd this week--on the Republican Party. During the segment on Craig, the reporter stated that the GOP has a 'brand problem,' that the Republican Party is a 'weakened brand,' and that going into the 2008 election cycle the Party is at a distinct disadvantage with the voters because of 'all of the scandals and corruption' involving Republicans over the past few years.

The very same hatchet job was done earlier in the week, as we reported here on The Liberty Sphere.

And once again, the reporter went down the list naming each Republican over the past four years who has been involved in scandals of one kind or another, never once mentioning the fact that Democrats have been knee-deep in corruption of their own making.

The fact that Larry Craig was 'caught' in a sex sting operation, which the police and the government have no business delving into to begin with, only serves to emphasize Democratic hypocrisy. The very party that claims that the government should stay out of the private lives of Americans, particularly their private sex lives, is the first to condemn Republicans such as Craig.

But of course, as long as the Democrats can keep the story of Larry Craig and those dirty rotten scoundrel Republicans at the top of the news, they can slip underneath the radar screen when it comes to Hillary Clinton's five-year relationship with a major fundraiser who was wanted in the state of California for committing crimes.

It turns out that this particular fundraiser had contributed mega-bucks not only to Clinton, but to Barack Obama, Barbara Boxer, and at least a half-dozen other Democrats.

Attempting to escape any blame or association with corruption, the Democrats who were involved in this dirty money scandal did what they always do when they are caught with their pants down--they 'give the money back,' or in this case 'give it to charity.'

My, what precious angels.

This is precisely what Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader, did when it came to light he had received illegal campaign funds. He gave the money back, and this supposedly made the illegal activity null and void.

Is this how we as a society treat, say, embezzlers, for example? As long as they 'give the money' back they are automatically absolved of any wrongdoing? I don't think so.

John Conyers, Democratic chair of the House Judiciary Committee, 'promised not to do it again' when it came to light he had broken federal campaign laws.

How do you think you would fare as an ordinary citizen if this were your only defense after being arrested for breaking a federal law? 'Your Honor, I promise I won't do it again if you let me go free and drop the charges.' Yeah, right.

And as for Democrats Dianne Feinstein and William Jefferson, who clearly had their hands soiled with dirty money, little or nothing is being done by the Democratic leadership to address the obvious corruption exhibited by both.

After all, it is the GOP that is the Party of corruption. Any factual information that proves otherwise or doesn't fit the template set by the Democratic Party and the mainstream media must be pushed aside.

The present playbook of the Democrats and their mouthpieces at CBS News and the other networks has George Soros, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, and the Congressional Democratic leadership written all over it.

As soon as the Democrats took control of Congress in November of 2006, this playbook was put together. Inside sources in the Congress reported that the Democratic leadership would immediately launch into a massive media blitz involving countless Congressional investigations into 'GOP corruption.'

The objective would be to so bury the Bush White House and the Republican Party with an endless barrage of charges of corruption that the GOP would go limping into the 2008 general election, leaving the Democrats with a decisive advantage.

Not only has the Democratic leadership followed through with that strategy, but they have successfully enlisted the help of their allies in the mainstream media to bombard the American public with the message, 'Those Republicans are sleazy, but those Democrats are clean.'

My friends, if you believe those Democrats are clean, then you have tweety birds and tooth fairies flying around in your head.