Pretty good idea, would work in place of a broken glass in the original blender.
Here is an interesting way to look at entitlements
From Adoption by the unwilling
There came a time when assistance became adoption, with all the responsibilities and none of the rights. Unless you signed up for it, and you didn't because they didn't ask you, this is involuntary servitude. Yes, involuntary servitude. You are forced to support them, and support them well. You get nothing in return except gratuitous violence and more demands.
They like to call them low income but there's nothing low about their outgo. On average they spend close to forty thousand dollars a year, cash money, not including food stamps and utility subsidies and free cell phones and all the rest — none of which is counted as income under the federal formula. In other words they're not materially less well off than the working people who support them, other than being burdened with the free time to complain about how oppressed they are.
Perhaps you believe you're alone in resenting all this. You're wrong. Perhaps you believe it's just you and a few others. You're wrong again. Your resentment is the norm. It's obvious why. One part of society should not be forced to adopt another and support it for life, generation after generation, and not only adopt them but be expected to defer in polite silence to their hysterical accusations and genocidal remedies and be expected not to notice the bigoted, ignorant insults from them and their apologists.
http://www.woodpilereport.com/ (This is from the current issue)
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Thursday 11-29-12
Home Defense: How Not to Do It
Hat tip to Joan Peterson for this story on a guy who shot two burglars execution style, and is being charged with murder. It is not often I agree with Joan, but I do agree that the homeowner’s behavior here was criminal and reprehensible. But I do want to explain the law here, especially as it relates to Castle Doctrine, so that we may dispel some common myths. First, from the story:Brady fell down the stairs and was looking up at Smith when the homeowner shot him in the face.
“I want him dead,” Smith explained to the investigator for the additional shot.
Smith put Brady’s body on a tarp and dragged him to an office workshop.
A few minutes later, Smith heard footsteps above him. As in Brady’s case, Kifer too started down the stairs and was shot by Smith by the time he saw her hips, sending her tumbling down the stairs.
Smith attempted to shoot her again, but his rifle jammed, prompting Kifer to laugh.
Upset, Smith, pulled out a revolver he had on him and shot her “more times than I needed to” in the chest, he said.
Smith dragged Kifer next to Brady as she gasped for her life. He pressed the revolver’s barrel under her chin and pulled the trigger in what he described as a “good, clean finishing shot” that was meant to end her suffering.
Smith acknowledged leaving the bodies in his home overnight before calling a neighbor to ask about a lawyer and to request that authorities be notified.
In nearly all 50 states, including Minnesota, the mere use of deadly force in the circumstance of someone feloniously entering your home is, generally speaking, legitimate self-defense. In many states, forced entry into an occupied dwelling is considered prima facie evidence that a deadly threat exists. Minnesota, following traditional common law, allows for deadly force to be used to prevent the commission of a felony, though in MN limited to one’s place of abode, and burglary is a felony in Minnesota. Minnesota law states:
609.065 JUSTIFIABLE TAKING OF LIFE.
The intentional taking of the life of another is not authorized by section 609.06, except when necessary in resisting or preventing an offense which the actor reasonably believes exposes the actor or another to great bodily harm or death, or preventing the commission of a felony in the actor’s place of abode.
Regardless of whether castle doctrine has passed in Minnesota or not, there is already an absolute unqualified right (qualified by a duty to retreat in some circumstances in the home imposed by judicial fiat) to respond to burglars invading an occupied home in Minnesota with deadly force, but only if the purpose of such force is to prevent the continuing felony, or to protect life and limb. Murder is never lawful, and Minnesota, like most states, defines (in this case 2nd degree) murder as when someone ”causes the death of a human being with intent to effect the death of that person or another, but without premeditation,” (emphasis mine). As soon as you say something like this to the police:
“I want him dead,” Smith explained to the investigator for the additional shot.
[...]
Upset, Smith, pulled out a revolver he had on him and shot her “more times than I needed to” in the chest, he said.
Smith dragged Kifer next to Brady as she gasped for her life. He pressed the revolver’s barrel under her chin and pulled the trigger in what he described as a “good, clean finishing shot” that was meant to end her suffering.
That’s the intentional infliction of death, which is murder. The intent in self-defense is never to inflict death, but to stop the attack, or in the case of Minnesota law, to prevent to commission of a felony. Once they are down, they are no longer a threat and no longer committing a felony. To take a “finishing shot,” becomes murder. This is regardless of the Castle Doctrine law.
I say this because our opponents characterization of this law as “shoot first,” and “license to kill,” creates the very real danger, when combined with an ignorant and unquestioning media willing to repeat their rhetoric, that some fool or whack job may actually believe it. This man confessed his crime willingly to the police. Why would he do that if he did not believe he was in the right? Let us not continue to peddle the myths about deadly force laws. Murder is always illegal.
http://www.pagunblog.com/2012/11/26/home-defense-how-not-to-do-it/
Waxing Cheese for StorageFor a while now I have been thinking of preserving whole cheese for long-term storage, even though I have dry cheese powder in my larder. I then found a tried and true method that fascinated me. It's waxing with cheese wax.
You see them at the grocery store. Small round cheeses of different kinds, surrounded by soft red wax. Now, this wax isn't your ordinary paraffin wax you use for sealing the tops of your strawberry preserves or waxing your surfboard. This is much softer, and pliable, with a combination of waxes. Some contend you need multi-crystalline wax mixed with the paraffin to produce a good coating that will not be brittle and crack. Some even say you can mix non-toxic crayons with the paraffin to make your own cheese wax. Cheese wax prevents your cheese from developing mold or bacteria and it keeps the moisture in.
Well, I just purchased 2 lbs from an online homestead supply vendor and here is what I did:
First, you want everything sterile. I used 70% alcohol to clean the knife, gloves and the cutting board, and then rinsed with boiled water. Next, I used an old loaf pan to melt the wax in, this will pretty much dedicate it to this purpose, because it is almost impossible to get all the wax off once you use it...
Bring the temperature to around 200f degrees, using a hot plate if possible. The wax is very flammable and an open flame is not advisable.
I bought two 5 lb blocks of cheese that were sealed in plastic from the manufacturer. I avoided the cheese that is repackaged by the grocers in their deli case, to lessen the contamination factor.
It's very important that you use cheese that has been set out to dry on a rack after opening. This way, the excess moisture has time to evaporate. If not, it could cause the waxed cheese to expand and crack.
Next, I put on my gloves and cut the blocks in half to a 2-1/2 lb size, which are more manageable.
At this point, you want to keep the cheese on the sterile board so that it is not exposed to any stray bacteria.
Another method is to wrap cheese in cheese cloth prior to waxing, for extra strength.
Now, let the waxing begin...
You will dip the cheese in the wax for a couple of seconds, then wait about a minute for it to cool. Set it down to cool some more (about 90 seconds). Then, turn it over and do the other side, again letting it cool between coats...
I used a magic marker to label the cheese wax with the type and date before the last coat is applied... Repeat this process 3 or 4 times, until the entire block is covered, including any holes you see. Some recommend using a natural bristle brush to fill the holes, but I found this to be messy.
As you can see, on that large manly T-shirt, you may get some of the wax on you or your clothing. This does not remove easily...
There you go... Two blocks of mild cheddar and two blocks of mozzarella all ready to be stored in a cool place for up to 25 years without refrigeration...
Just hang them in a net bag so air can circulate around them, keeping like cheeses together. They will continue to age as time passes, so that mild cheddar may become a yummy sharp one.
I just keep the cheese wax in the pan for the next time. Just let it cool, then cover. If you get curious and open one of your creations early, save the wax, re-melt it, and reuse on your next project.
The soft waxed cheese blocks will respond to gravity, so you should periodically turn them.
Before waxing, you can brush on liquid smoke, or cold smoke the cheese for an extra treat.
http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/waxcheesestorebunkerbob.htm
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Wednesday 11-28-12
Not that i agree with the premise, but the government paid for a piece of "art" when it Christ on the cross in urine. So what is the big deal, is the president more important then the Lord Jesus Christ?
eBay Yanks Beck’s ‘Obama in Pee Pee’ Art Project Meant to Raise Money for Charity
The popular online auction site eBay has yanked a piece of artwork done by Glenn Beck citing its belief that the project featured an Obama figurine floating in actual urine (it was not, however). Bids can now be emailed in the subject line to the following email address set up by Beck: obamapeepee@glennbeck.com
On Tuesday evening, Glenn Beck featured an Obama bobble head doll in a jar of yellow liquid, meant as a parody of the controversial “artwork” that defaced a crucifix in a glass of urine. Beck’s piece was meant to highlight the hypocrisy of those who rail against disparaging figures who they hold dear, but do not hold themselves to the same standard when disparaging figures others hold dear.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/ebay-yanks-becks-obama-in-pee-pee-art-project-meant-to-raise-money-for-charity/
Marine Corps bans popular rifle magazines
Polymer rifle magazines, preferred by many combat troops for their durability, have been banned by the Marine Corps, according to a new administrative message published Monday.
Effective immediately, only standard-issue 5.56mm metal magazines are approved, according to the message, signed by Lt. Gen. Richard Mills, the Marine Corps’ deputy commandant for combat development and integration. They have a 30-round capacity with either tan, green or black followers, the internal plate that pushes rounds into a rifle’s chamber.
The message announces a handful of updates stemming from the Corps’ most recent marksmanship symposium, held in October. Marine officials reviewed everything from approved combat equipment to marksmanship training and education.
The polymer magazine ban is likely to upset Marines who tout their superior durability. Traditional metal magazines do not spring back once they are bent, meaning they may not feed rounds properly to the weapon — a grave concern in the heat of a firefight.
Some manufacturers of polymer magazines claim their products still function properly after routine bumps and drops, being rolled over by heavy tactical vehicles and, in some cases, after being penetrated by a bullet.
Marine officials began ad hoc bans on polymer magazines last year, citing concerns over their lack of compatibility with select weapons. The new message from Mills, who doubles as the commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, makes the ban official across the force.
While they work well in standard M16 and M4 rifles, polymer magazines present potential problems when used with the Corps’ new M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, which is being fielded throughout the force as a substitute for the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon in some formations. More than 5,000 M27s have been delivered to the Corps, with many in the hands of deploying Marines. An additional 1,400 are slated for delivery in the months to come.
The M27 has unique tolerances in its magazine well that can prevent polymer magazines from seating correctly, resulting in failures. That poses the risk for malfunction should an automatic rifleman share magazines with his squad members during a firefight. Metal magazines are standardized across the Corps’ 5.56mm rifles.
Companies that produce polymer magazines are releasing new products they say are designed fix compatibility issues. This summer, for instance, Magpul released its third-generation polymer magazine, which it bills as compatible with the M27. It remains to be seen whether this may sway the Corps to reverse its ban.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2012/11/marine-corps-bans-polymer-rifle-magazines-112612/
eBay Yanks Beck’s ‘Obama in Pee Pee’ Art Project Meant to Raise Money for Charity
The popular online auction site eBay has yanked a piece of artwork done by Glenn Beck citing its belief that the project featured an Obama figurine floating in actual urine (it was not, however). Bids can now be emailed in the subject line to the following email address set up by Beck: obamapeepee@glennbeck.com
On Tuesday evening, Glenn Beck featured an Obama bobble head doll in a jar of yellow liquid, meant as a parody of the controversial “artwork” that defaced a crucifix in a glass of urine. Beck’s piece was meant to highlight the hypocrisy of those who rail against disparaging figures who they hold dear, but do not hold themselves to the same standard when disparaging figures others hold dear.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/ebay-yanks-becks-obama-in-pee-pee-art-project-meant-to-raise-money-for-charity/
Marine Corps bans popular rifle magazines
Polymer rifle magazines, preferred by many combat troops for their durability, have been banned by the Marine Corps, according to a new administrative message published Monday.
Effective immediately, only standard-issue 5.56mm metal magazines are approved, according to the message, signed by Lt. Gen. Richard Mills, the Marine Corps’ deputy commandant for combat development and integration. They have a 30-round capacity with either tan, green or black followers, the internal plate that pushes rounds into a rifle’s chamber.
The message announces a handful of updates stemming from the Corps’ most recent marksmanship symposium, held in October. Marine officials reviewed everything from approved combat equipment to marksmanship training and education.
The polymer magazine ban is likely to upset Marines who tout their superior durability. Traditional metal magazines do not spring back once they are bent, meaning they may not feed rounds properly to the weapon — a grave concern in the heat of a firefight.
Some manufacturers of polymer magazines claim their products still function properly after routine bumps and drops, being rolled over by heavy tactical vehicles and, in some cases, after being penetrated by a bullet.
Marine officials began ad hoc bans on polymer magazines last year, citing concerns over their lack of compatibility with select weapons. The new message from Mills, who doubles as the commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, makes the ban official across the force.
While they work well in standard M16 and M4 rifles, polymer magazines present potential problems when used with the Corps’ new M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, which is being fielded throughout the force as a substitute for the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon in some formations. More than 5,000 M27s have been delivered to the Corps, with many in the hands of deploying Marines. An additional 1,400 are slated for delivery in the months to come.
The M27 has unique tolerances in its magazine well that can prevent polymer magazines from seating correctly, resulting in failures. That poses the risk for malfunction should an automatic rifleman share magazines with his squad members during a firefight. Metal magazines are standardized across the Corps’ 5.56mm rifles.
Companies that produce polymer magazines are releasing new products they say are designed fix compatibility issues. This summer, for instance, Magpul released its third-generation polymer magazine, which it bills as compatible with the M27. It remains to be seen whether this may sway the Corps to reverse its ban.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2012/11/marine-corps-bans-polymer-rifle-magazines-112612/
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
11-27-12 Tuesday
Gun-related violent crimes drop as sales soar in Va.
Gun-related violent crime in Virginia has dropped steadily over the past six years as the sale of firearms has soared to a new record, according to an analysis of state crime data with state records of gun sales.The total number of firearms purchased in Virginia increased 73 percent from 2006 to 2011. When state population increases are factored in, gun purchases per 100,000 Virginians rose 63 percent.
But the total number of gun-related violent crimes fell 24 percent over that period, and when adjusted for population, gun-related offenses dropped more than 27 percent, from 79 crimes per 100,000 in 2006 to 57 crimes in 2011.
The numbers appear to contradict a long-running popular narrative that more guns cause more violent crime, said Virginia Commonwealth University professor Thomas R. Baker, who compared Virginia crime data for those years with gun-dealer sales estimates obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
"While there is a wealth of academic literature attempting to demonstrate the relationship between guns and crime, a very simple and intuitive demonstration of the numbers seems to point away from the premise that more guns leads to more crime, at least in Virginia," said Baker, who specializes in research methods and criminology theory and has an interest in gun issues.
The significance of Baker's analysis was questioned by one of the state's ardent gun-control advocates.
"I'm not surprised that it would appear that more guns is going along with less crime, because there's been a downward trend in violent crime anyway," said Andrew Goddard, president of the Virginia Center for Public Safety.
One of Virginia's most outspoken gun-rights supporters, Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, was not surprised for a different reason.
"My opponents are constantly saying, 'If you got more guns on the street, there's going to be more crime.' It all depends on who has the handgun," Van Cleave said. "As long as it's going into the hands of people like you or me, there's not going to be a problem. Criminals are going to continue to get their guns no matter what."
At the request of The Times-Dispatch, Baker examined six years of data compiled by Virginia State Police through the Virginia Firearms Transaction Center that breaks down the number of gun transactions for every federally licensed firearm dealer in Virginia. It includes the number and types of guns they sought to sell based on requested state background checks of the purchasers.
Baker then compared the data with state crime figures for those years.
The data, Baker said, show a low probability that more guns in the hands of Virginians is causing more violent crime.
"So while it's difficult to make a direct causal link (that more guns are resulting in less crime), the numbers certainly present that that's a real possibility," Baker added.
The opposite - that more guns are causing more crime - cannot be derived from the numbers, he said.
"It's mathematically not possible, because the relationship is a negative relationship - they're moving in the opposite direction," Baker said. "So the only thing it could be is that more guns are causing less crime."
"From my personal point of view, I would say the data is pretty overwhelming," said Baker, who is new to VCU and studied under Florida State University professors Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz, whose nationally recognized research on guns and homicides in the District of Columbia was cited in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2008 that overturned the district's handgun ban. "But we're pretty cautious in the social sciences in talking about causality. We only talk in probabilities."
The multiple years of data for gun purchases and gun-related crime help strengthen the premise that more gun sales are not leading to an increase in crime. Using what Baker calls the "lag model," the data show that an increase in gun purchases for one year usually is followed by a decrease in crime the next year.
Baker said a more detailed analysis may find pockets of the state where increased guns sales have been followed by an increase in gun-related violent crime.
"But I'm not interested in that small, nuanced component," he said. "As a scientist, you don't want to focus on individual instance. That's what gets people into making these overgeneralizations about things like some of the tragedies that have been gun-related in the United States."
The estimated number of gun purchases based on requested background checks rose from 243,251 in 2006 to a record-breaking 420,829 sales last year, according to gun-dealer transaction data compiled by state police through background checks. Over that same period, the total number of violent crimes in Virginia dropped from 23,431 offenses in 2006 to 18,196 in 2011.
The total gun purchases cover all types of firearms, including pistols, revolvers, shotguns and rifles. Similarly, total gun-related crime includes offenses committed with all types of guns, including firearms whose type was unknown.
Handgun-related offenses account for the majority of violent crimes committed in Virginia.
Because rifles and shotguns are used far less often to commit violent crimes, Baker said, one could argue that the purchase of those types of weapons is falsely inflating the total gun purchases in relation to total gun crime.
So Baker also examined the relationship between handgun purchases and handgun-related crime. He found a similar trend.
Handgun purchases in Virginia increased 112 percent from 2006 to 2011, but violent crimes committed with handguns fell by nearly 22 percent. When adjusted for population increases, handgun purchases rose a little more than 100 percent, but violent crimes committed with handguns dropped 26 percent, according to Baker's analysis.
Baker said this general pattern remains evil if all crimes reported to police where the gun type was unknown are assumed to be handguns.
"In fact, if all unknown gun types used in violent gun crimes are assumed to have been handguns, then handgun-related violent crime decreased just over 24 percent from 2006 to 2011," he said.
However, Baker noted the pattern does not seem to hold in one crime category: aggravated assaults. Increases in gun purchases might increase the percentage of aggravated assaults involving a gun.
The data show that while the actual number of aggravated assaults decreased from 2006 to 2011, those committed with a gun increased nearly 2 percent. Baker said that's not surprising. Studies have shown similar results for an increase in the number of guns and an increase in the percentage of suicides by a gun.
The percentage of aggravated assaults in which guns are involved may increase, but it has little effect on the actual rate or number of those offenses, Baker said.
"This is why we do not see an increase in aggravated assaults associated with an increase in gun sales, but rather an increase in the percent of aggravated assaults which used a gun," he said.
Baker said some researchers suggest that the use of a gun in an assault increases the lethality of such encounters, and that a similar assault without a gun reduces the probability of a homicide occurring.
But Baker said it bears noting that Virginia's homicide rate, like violent crime generally, has dropped from 5.21 killings per 100,000 Virginians in 2006 to 3.77 per 100,000 in 2011.
Baker, who owns a handgun and had a concealed-carry permit when he lived and worked in Florida, described himself politically as "moderate to conservative." But he says his research is nonpolitical. "I try to think of myself as a scientist," he said.
Van Cleave, the gun-rights advocate, said Baker's analysis confirms what he already suspected.
"Doing what I do, I have my finger on the pulse of gun sales, and I know they've been soaring because I'm at gun shows and I've talked to dealers and all I hear is the stories about how guns are selling at a higher rate now than ever," Van Cleave said. Simultaneously, "we've been hearing in the news about how violent crime has been dropping in the United States for over a decade."
"Never before have you had so many new guns come into the market," Van Cleave said. "That probably helped (Baker's) analysis and dramatized more than anything that all those guns - for whatever reason - didn't make crime go up."
Gun-control lobbyist Goddard, whose son was wounded during the Virginia Tech massacre five years ago, doesn't dispute the numbers but questioned their significance.
"It's quite possible that you can sell a whole lot more guns and crime is still going down," Goddard said. "But is the crime going down because more people are buying guns, or is the crime going down because the crime is going down?"
Goddard said he would not have expected a rise in crime from a rise in legal gun sales, because legal gun buyers are not usually criminals - otherwise they would not pass a background check to get them. "Predicting the actions of criminals by analyzing the behavior of legal gun buyers is not likely to be productive," he said.
What is more significant, Goddard said, is that the large reduction in violent crime has not produced an equivalent reduction in total gun deaths and injuries.
"If you look at the numbers of people who are dying from guns every year, including suicides and accidents, then you're not going to see a difference," he said. "Gun sales are going up, and the annual death rate in Virginia is staying pretty much constant."
Baker said the perception that guns cause crime is pervasive because criminals use an effective tool to carry out their misdeeds.
"It does an effective job for what it's supposed to do," he said. "And because criminals use them, I think it becomes a hot-button issue, it becomes a political issue. And people focus on the wrong component of what the problem is."
"Instead of trying to figure out why are these people committing crimes - and using the most effective tool to commit those crimes - they focus on the tool," he continued. "So the gun is causing the crime."
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/central-virginia/gun-related-violent-crimes-drop-as-gun-sales-soar-in/article_54cca13a-35ee-11e2-83f0-0019bb30f31a.html
EyeSee mannequin spies on shoppers' patterns
WASHINGTON - Some shoppers are being watched by more than security cameras.
A new high-priced mannequin, known as EyeSee, is observing patrons in luxury stores, and is helping retailers better understand their customers.
Inside one of EyeSee's plastic eyes is a camera that feeds data into facial recognition software, similar to programs used by police. The software records the age, gender and race of the customers it watches.
The information relayed from the mannequin helps retailers to see shopping patterns and even tailor specific displays of merchandise to specific types of customers.
In one instance, a store changed its displays after it found that men who shopped on the first two days of a sale spent more than women.
Another store discovered that many customers using a particular entrance were Asian, prompting the retailer to place Chinese speaking staff at that particular entrance.
At least five companies in Europe and the U.S. currently use EyeSee, which costs around $5,000. However, the Italian company that makes the mannequin says many more are in order.
http://wtop.com/628/3131952/EyeSee-mannequin-spies-on-shoppers-patterns-
Monday, November 26, 2012
11-26-12 Monday
WHAT WOULD JESUS SHOOT?
Churches offering concealed-carry weapons training to attract members MARENGO, Ohio — Salvation isn’t automatic — but it might be semiautomatic.In an effort to increase membership, a number of U.S. churches — including the Church of Christ congregation in this rural village 30 miles north of Columbus — are offering an unconventional public service: Concealed weapons training.
“Church has done a good job with coffee klatsches or whatever, but we haven’t really reached out to guys,” said Jeff Copley, a preacher at the church. “And guys in Morrow Country, they shoot and they hunt.”
Hundreds of students have enrolled in the 10-hour course, which meets the state requirements for earning a concealed weapons permit. The training includes two hours on a church member’s private shooting range.
“I grew up going to church, but hadn’t attended in a number of years,” said David Freeman, 52, a local engineering manager who attended a firearm safety class at the church. “Always considered myself a Christian. I came for the gun classes and have been coming back for two years.”
The Marengo church launched its program several years ago and was likely among the first in the country to offer concealed weapons training. But from Texas to North Carolina, a smattering of congregations have recently followed suit, as ministers seek to capitalize on local enthusiasm for gun culture and demand for carry permit classes to expand their flocks.
Central Baptist Church in Lexington, N.C., held its first concealed weapons classes in March, in what the Rev. Ryan Bennett described as just “another avenue to reach people.”
“We want to draw people in to our campus,” Bennett told a local newspaper at the time. “And we’re going to try anything that we can to do that.”
While conceding that he carries a 9mm pistol with him at all times, he said he doesn’t want his congregation to be labeled “gun-toting.”
“We promote responsibility. We don’t endorse violence,” he said. “It’s just another way to draw people in.”
In Texas, where it’s legal to carry guns into any church without a specific no-firearms policy, Heights Baptist in remote San Angelo began offering concealed carry classes in June. The class was a response to security concerns among congregants.
“We’re about 150 miles from the border with Mexico and we’re very unsure about our insecure borders — about what’s coming into our cities,” Pastor James Miller told NRA News. “Personally, I feel more secure that should our worship time be interrupted by a life-threatening intrusion, that we would at least stand some kind of a chance in stopping either a mass killing or terrorizing experience.”
Preacher Jeff, as Marengo Christian’s Copley is called by his flock, likewise emphasizes the spiritual importance of being able to defend oneself.
“Jesus advises his disciples to sell their cloak and buy a sword,” he told The Daily. “He instructed his people to be prepared to defend themselves. It’s really hard to find someone in our congregation that doesn’t shoot somehow.”
In part, the new offerings represent a response to broadly declining religious enthusiasm. Across the country, about 20 percent of Americans identify themselves as unaffiliated with any church, up from 15 percent five years ago, according to a study released this month by the Pew Research Center.
Against that backdrop, the classes “may reflect the desperation of some churches to attract members in a time of decline,” said Bill Leonard, a professor of church history at Wake Forest University.
But gun training remains out of step with mainstream doctrine. For example, the National Council of Churches of Christ, which represents about 100,000 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox and Evangelical churches comprising 45 million members nationwide, endorsed strict gun control in a 2010 position paper.
Conceding the need for an armed police force, the council wrote that “to allow assault weapons in the hands of the general public can scarcely be justified on Christian grounds. The stark reality is that such weapons end up taking more lives than they defend, and the reckless sale or use of these weapons refutes the gospel’s prohibition against violence.”
But advocates of gun ownership rights cast the new classes as a reflection of widespread public support for gun rights.
“The Ohio church’s classes are an example of the general cultural shift in the United States over the last two decades, in which people who support responsible gun ownership have become less timid about speaking up in public,” said David Kopel, a policy analyst at the conservative Cato Institute.
Concealed carry licenses have seen a boom in demand in recent years. In Ohio, for example, county sheriffs issued 49,828 new licenses last year, compared to 22,103 in 2007.
But judging from a sign posted in the yard next door to the Church of Christ property, not everyone in Marengo agrees that houses of worship should be offering gun training.
“Some think the Bible is a hunter’s guide,” the sign says. “They are lost.”
For his part, Copley was unfazed by the criticism.
“Frankly the sign has been an attendance driver,” he said. “We’ve had two families come and place memberships because they said this is the kind of thing we’d like to support.”
http://www.thedaily.com/article/2012/11/11/news-concealed-carry-church/ Texans going wild with 'secession fever,' bumper stickers everywhere
8 hrs ago Move over, "Everything is bigger in Texas." The Lone Star state has a new favorite bumper sticker and it's a simple one-worder: "Secede." Yes, it appears that "secession fever," as some columnists are calling it, has taken over the red-leaning state following the post-election petitions — and sales of the stickers are just one sign. Among others, a perennial GOP candidate named Larry Scott Kilgore has announced he's running for governor and will legally change his name to Larry SECEDE Kilgore — yes, with "secede" in all-caps. His web page also declares, "Secession! All other issues can be dealt with later."
http://now.msn.com/texas-secession-bumper-stickers-abound-after-2012-petitions
Churches offering concealed-carry weapons training to attract members MARENGO, Ohio — Salvation isn’t automatic — but it might be semiautomatic.In an effort to increase membership, a number of U.S. churches — including the Church of Christ congregation in this rural village 30 miles north of Columbus — are offering an unconventional public service: Concealed weapons training.
“Church has done a good job with coffee klatsches or whatever, but we haven’t really reached out to guys,” said Jeff Copley, a preacher at the church. “And guys in Morrow Country, they shoot and they hunt.”
Hundreds of students have enrolled in the 10-hour course, which meets the state requirements for earning a concealed weapons permit. The training includes two hours on a church member’s private shooting range.
“I grew up going to church, but hadn’t attended in a number of years,” said David Freeman, 52, a local engineering manager who attended a firearm safety class at the church. “Always considered myself a Christian. I came for the gun classes and have been coming back for two years.”
The Marengo church launched its program several years ago and was likely among the first in the country to offer concealed weapons training. But from Texas to North Carolina, a smattering of congregations have recently followed suit, as ministers seek to capitalize on local enthusiasm for gun culture and demand for carry permit classes to expand their flocks.
Central Baptist Church in Lexington, N.C., held its first concealed weapons classes in March, in what the Rev. Ryan Bennett described as just “another avenue to reach people.”
“We want to draw people in to our campus,” Bennett told a local newspaper at the time. “And we’re going to try anything that we can to do that.”
While conceding that he carries a 9mm pistol with him at all times, he said he doesn’t want his congregation to be labeled “gun-toting.”
“We promote responsibility. We don’t endorse violence,” he said. “It’s just another way to draw people in.”
In Texas, where it’s legal to carry guns into any church without a specific no-firearms policy, Heights Baptist in remote San Angelo began offering concealed carry classes in June. The class was a response to security concerns among congregants.
“We’re about 150 miles from the border with Mexico and we’re very unsure about our insecure borders — about what’s coming into our cities,” Pastor James Miller told NRA News. “Personally, I feel more secure that should our worship time be interrupted by a life-threatening intrusion, that we would at least stand some kind of a chance in stopping either a mass killing or terrorizing experience.”
Preacher Jeff, as Marengo Christian’s Copley is called by his flock, likewise emphasizes the spiritual importance of being able to defend oneself.
“Jesus advises his disciples to sell their cloak and buy a sword,” he told The Daily. “He instructed his people to be prepared to defend themselves. It’s really hard to find someone in our congregation that doesn’t shoot somehow.”
In part, the new offerings represent a response to broadly declining religious enthusiasm. Across the country, about 20 percent of Americans identify themselves as unaffiliated with any church, up from 15 percent five years ago, according to a study released this month by the Pew Research Center.
Against that backdrop, the classes “may reflect the desperation of some churches to attract members in a time of decline,” said Bill Leonard, a professor of church history at Wake Forest University.
But gun training remains out of step with mainstream doctrine. For example, the National Council of Churches of Christ, which represents about 100,000 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox and Evangelical churches comprising 45 million members nationwide, endorsed strict gun control in a 2010 position paper.
Conceding the need for an armed police force, the council wrote that “to allow assault weapons in the hands of the general public can scarcely be justified on Christian grounds. The stark reality is that such weapons end up taking more lives than they defend, and the reckless sale or use of these weapons refutes the gospel’s prohibition against violence.”
But advocates of gun ownership rights cast the new classes as a reflection of widespread public support for gun rights.
“The Ohio church’s classes are an example of the general cultural shift in the United States over the last two decades, in which people who support responsible gun ownership have become less timid about speaking up in public,” said David Kopel, a policy analyst at the conservative Cato Institute.
Concealed carry licenses have seen a boom in demand in recent years. In Ohio, for example, county sheriffs issued 49,828 new licenses last year, compared to 22,103 in 2007.
But judging from a sign posted in the yard next door to the Church of Christ property, not everyone in Marengo agrees that houses of worship should be offering gun training.
“Some think the Bible is a hunter’s guide,” the sign says. “They are lost.”
For his part, Copley was unfazed by the criticism.
“Frankly the sign has been an attendance driver,” he said. “We’ve had two families come and place memberships because they said this is the kind of thing we’d like to support.”
http://www.thedaily.com/article/2012/11/11/news-concealed-carry-church/ Texans going wild with 'secession fever,' bumper stickers everywhere
8 hrs ago Move over, "Everything is bigger in Texas." The Lone Star state has a new favorite bumper sticker and it's a simple one-worder: "Secede." Yes, it appears that "secession fever," as some columnists are calling it, has taken over the red-leaning state following the post-election petitions — and sales of the stickers are just one sign. Among others, a perennial GOP candidate named Larry Scott Kilgore has announced he's running for governor and will legally change his name to Larry SECEDE Kilgore — yes, with "secede" in all-caps. His web page also declares, "Secession! All other issues can be dealt with later."
http://now.msn.com/texas-secession-bumper-stickers-abound-after-2012-petitions
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Saturday 11-24-12
Got this email from a friend, thought it was worth putting up here. Hope you all enjoyed there holiday.
DIVORCE AGREEMENT
Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives,
socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al: We have
stuck together since the late 1950's for the sake of the kids,
but the whole of this latest election process has made me
realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other
for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly,
this relationship has clearly run its course.
Our two ideological sides of America cannot, and will
not, ever agree on what is right for us all, so let's just end
it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to
irreconcilable differences and go our own way.
Here is a model separation agreement:
--Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by
landmass, each taking a similar portion. That will be the
difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a
friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy!
Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other
assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate
tastes.
--We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them.
--You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU.
--Since you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the
cops, the NRA and the military.
--We'll take the nasty, smelly oil industry and the coal mines,
and you can go with wind, solar and bio-diesel.
--You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell.
You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle
big enough to move all three of them.
--We'll keep capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical
companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street.
--You can have your beloved lifelong welfare dwellers, food
stamps, homeless, homeboys, hippies, druggies and illegal
aliens.
--We'll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO's
and rednecks.
--We'll keep Bill O'Reilly and Bibles and give you NBC and
Hollywood.
--You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain
the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us.
--You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our
allies or our way of life are under assault, we'll help provide
them security.
--We'll keep our Judeo-Christian values.
--You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism, political
correctness and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N.,
but we will no longer be paying the bill.
--We'll keep the SUV's, pickup trucks and oversized luxury
cars. You can take every Volt and Leaf you can find.
--You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any
practicing doctors.
--We'll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not
a right.
--We'll keep "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and
"The National Anthem."
--I'm sure you'll be happy to substitute "Imagine",
"I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", "Kum Ba Ya"
or "We Are the World."
--We'll practice trickle-down economics and you can
continue to give trickle-up poverty your best shot.
--Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history,
our name and our flag.
Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other
like-minded liberal and conservative patriots. If you do not agree,
just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, you might want to think
about which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.
Sincerely,
John J. Wall
Law Student and an American
P.S. Also, please take Ted Turner, Sean Penn, Martin & Charlie Sheen,
Barbara Streisand, & "Hanoi" Jane Fonda with you.
P.P.S. And you won't have to press 1 for English when you call our country.
"If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without
bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and
not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will
have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious
chance of survival.
"There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when
there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to
live as slaves."
-Sir Winston Churchill
(1874-1965)
DIVORCE AGREEMENT
Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives,
socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al: We have
stuck together since the late 1950's for the sake of the kids,
but the whole of this latest election process has made me
realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other
for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly,
this relationship has clearly run its course.
Our two ideological sides of America cannot, and will
not, ever agree on what is right for us all, so let's just end
it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to
irreconcilable differences and go our own way.
Here is a model separation agreement:
--Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by
landmass, each taking a similar portion. That will be the
difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a
friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy!
Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other
assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate
tastes.
--We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them.
--You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU.
--Since you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the
cops, the NRA and the military.
--We'll take the nasty, smelly oil industry and the coal mines,
and you can go with wind, solar and bio-diesel.
--You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell.
You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle
big enough to move all three of them.
--We'll keep capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical
companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street.
--You can have your beloved lifelong welfare dwellers, food
stamps, homeless, homeboys, hippies, druggies and illegal
aliens.
--We'll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO's
and rednecks.
--We'll keep Bill O'Reilly and Bibles and give you NBC and
Hollywood.
--You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain
the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us.
--You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our
allies or our way of life are under assault, we'll help provide
them security.
--We'll keep our Judeo-Christian values.
--You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism, political
correctness and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N.,
but we will no longer be paying the bill.
--We'll keep the SUV's, pickup trucks and oversized luxury
cars. You can take every Volt and Leaf you can find.
--You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any
practicing doctors.
--We'll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not
a right.
--We'll keep "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and
"The National Anthem."
--I'm sure you'll be happy to substitute "Imagine",
"I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", "Kum Ba Ya"
or "We Are the World."
--We'll practice trickle-down economics and you can
continue to give trickle-up poverty your best shot.
--Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history,
our name and our flag.
Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other
like-minded liberal and conservative patriots. If you do not agree,
just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, you might want to think
about which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.
Sincerely,
John J. Wall
Law Student and an American
P.S. Also, please take Ted Turner, Sean Penn, Martin & Charlie Sheen,
Barbara Streisand, & "Hanoi" Jane Fonda with you.
P.P.S. And you won't have to press 1 for English when you call our country.
"If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without
bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and
not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will
have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious
chance of survival.
"There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when
there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to
live as slaves."
-Sir Winston Churchill
(1874-1965)
Friday, November 23, 2012
Friday 11-23-12
The first atyicle shows not all the crazy people are locked away, some are professors.
Thanksgiving Celebrates Our 'Original Sin,' 'Views Virtually Identical To Nazis,' Journalism Prof Preaches
By Dan Gainor
November 22, 2012
Subscribe to Dan Gainor's posts Forget all that turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, today should be a day of fasting and atonement for American “sin.” That’s according to Robert Jensen, a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Jensen, known for his hard-left politics, also calls Thanksgiving a “white-supremacist holiday.”
Jensen’s opinion piece “No Thanks for Thanksgiving,” appeared on the far-left, Soros-connected website Alternet on Thanksgiving eve. In it, he wrote how Native Americans suffered because of the “European invasion of the Americas.” He went on to compare the Founding Fathers to Nazi Germany. “How does a country deal with the fact that some of its most revered historical figures had certain moral values and political views virtually identical to Nazis?” he asked.
According to Jensen, Thanksgiving is “at the heart of U.S. myth-building. “But in the United States, this reluctance to acknowledge our original sin -- the genocide of indigenous people -- is of special importance today,” he explained.
Jensen has a long career in both working journalism and academia, including work as a copy editor at The St. Paul Pioneer Press and the St. Petersburg Times, as well as “volunteer editing and writing for the Texas Triangle, Austin (weekly statewide lesbian/gay paper).”
This wasn’t the first time Jensen has bashed America. He does so on a regular basis. Other Alternet pieces include headlines like “The Painful Collapse of Empire: How the ‘American Dream’ and American Exceptionalism Wreck Havoc on the World” or “What White People Fear.”
Alternet is part of the George-Soros-supported Media Consortium. It is one of 58 left-wing media operations that aim to create a progressive “echo chamber.”
http://cnsnews.com/blog/dan-gainor/thanksgiving-celebrates-our-original-sin-views-virtually-identical-nazis-journalism
Obama To Unleash Racial-Preferences Juggernaut
If your organization has a policy or practice that doesn't benefit minorities equally, watch out: The Obama administration could sue you for racial discrimination under a dubious legal theory that many argue is unconstitutional.
President Obama intends to close "persistent gaps" between whites and minorities in everything from credit scores and homeownership to test scores and graduation rates.
His remedy — short of new affirmative-action legislation — is to sue financial companies, schools and employers based on "disparate impact" complaints — a stealthy way to achieve racial preferences, opposed 2 to 1 by Americans.Under this broad interpretation of civil-rights law, virtually any organization can be held liable for race bias if it maintains a policy that negatively impacts one racial group more than another — even if it has no racist motive and applies the policy evenly across all groups.Equal Outcomes
This means that even race-neutral rules for mortgage underwriting and consumer credit scoring potentially can be deemed racist if prosecutors can produce statistics showing they tend to result in adverse outcomes for blacks or Latinos.
Already, Attorney General Eric Holder has used the club of disparate-impact lawsuits to beat almost $500 million in loan set-asides and other claims out of the nation's largest banks.
In addition to the financial settlements — which include millions in funding for affordable-housing activists — Bank of America, Wells Fargo and SunTrust have all agreed to adopt more minority-friendly lending policies.
Though the administration seeks equal credit outcomes, regardless of risk, across the entire banking industry, it doesn't have to sue every bank to achieve its goal. As a prophylactic against similar prosecution, IBD has learned the American Bankers Association recently advised its 5,000 members to give rejected minority loan applicants a "second look," which it says "can result in suggested changes in underwriting standards."
Also, the administration sent a chill through the financial industry earlier this year when it announced its new credit watchdog agency will join Justice, as well as HUD, in using the disparate-impact doctrine to enforce civil-rights laws.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau chief Richard Cordray warned companies the agency will "protect consumers from unfair lending practices — as well as those that have a disparate impact on communities of color." He added:
"That doctrine is applicable for all of the credit markets we touch, including mortgages, student loans, credit cards and auto loans," as well as small-business loans.
Hiring Criminals
For the first time, the nation's consumer credit reporting agencies, including Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, will come under federal review. CFPB examiners will subject these companies and others to an "effects test" to make sure credit transactions are racially balanced.
Those who reject minority applicants for credit cards or charge them higher loan rates had better be prepared to prove to Cordray's diversity cops they aren't racist. Many have already decided it's safer to give black and Latino applicants preferential treatment, which of course is racism of another kind.
Other targets of the administration's "racial justice" juggernaut include: standardized academic testing, professional licensing examinations, employee background checks, voter ID requirements, student disciplinary codes, prison sentencing guidelines — you name it.
The goal is to equalize outcomes based on race without regard for performance or merit.
According to Roger Clegg, president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, President Obama is committed to "aggressively pushing the 'disparate impact' approach to civil-rights enforcement" through which "the federal government insists that the numbers come out right — even if it means that policemen and firefighters cannot be tested, that companies should hire criminals, that loans must be made to the uncreditworthy, and that — I kid you not — whether pollution is acceptable depends on whether dangerous chemicals are spread in a racially balanced way."
Last month, moreover, the Education Department pressured the Oakland school district to impose "targeted reductions" in the number of black students suspended.
The department charged that Oakland's disciplinary policy has a "disparate impact" on African-American students, who are suspended at higher rates for violent behavior.
The Oakland case is the first of some 20 such investigations of school districts across the U.S. "The Obama administration is pressuring school districts not to suspend violent or disruptive black students if they have already disciplined 'too many' black students," said Competitive Enterprise Institute counsel Hans Bader.
Education is also investigating a "disparate impact" complaint recently filed by the NAACP alleging the entrance exam used by selective New York City high schools illegally discriminates against blacks.
Through disparate impact suits, Holder has forced banks to adopt racial lending quotas and even open branches in minority neighborhoods.
He's authorized five more lending-discrimination suits, while opening another 30 investigations against banks. And he's just getting warmed up.
"The question is not does (affirmative action) end, but when does it begin?" Holder said in February at a Columbia University forum. "When do people of color truly get the benefits to which they are entitled?"
Banks had hoped the Supreme Court would declare his actions unconstitutional.
But a landmark disparate-impact case was scuttled at the last minute this year when the petitioner withdrew it under pressure from Holder's civil-rights chief.
Congress is probing the unusual arm-twisting — which included what appears to be a corrupt quid-pro-quo bargain — that led to the case being dropped.
Most agree that had the Magner v. Gallagher case gone forward, the high court would have struck down the use of disparate impact and effectively shut down the administration's witch hunt against lenders.
On the campaign trail, Obama was mum about his disparate-impact strategy and rarely talks at all about race.
He's no doubt aware of polling in his last presidential bid which found 56% of voters harbored fears he'd favor African-Americans. But his 2006 writings inform us.
To close the "stubborn gap that remains between the living standards of black, Latino and white workers," then-Sen. Obama proposed "completing the unfinished business of the civil rights movement — namely, enforcing nondiscrimination laws in such basic areas as employment, housing and education."
He added: "The government, through its prosecutors and its courts, should step in to make things right."
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-perspective/110812-632759-obama-to-wield-bigger-disparate-impact-club.htm
Additional example is found here
Obama’s ‘Constituency Groups’ Checklist Offers No Options for Whites or Men
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-s-constituency-groups-checklist-offers-no-options-whites-or-men
Guess What They Are Not Cutting In The Fiscal Cliff...
Submitted by Simon Black of Sovereign Man blog,
In his farewell address to Congress yesterday, Ron Paul blasted the dangers of what he called 'Economic Ignorance':
Here's the deal: You may remember the Debt Ceiling debacle of 2011. At the time, the US government was about to breach its debt ceiling, and there was an embarrassing standoff between Congress and President Obama.
As part of their eventual compromise, the debt ceiling increased by $400 billion in August 2011... then again by another $500 billion five weeks later... and finally by another $1.2 TRILLION twenty weeks after that.
In return, President Obama signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011. The law stipulates that, unless another compromise is reached, a series of tax increases and budget cuts will automatically take place on January 1, 2013, including the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and the temporary 2% payroll tax holiday, plus new taxes related to Obamacare.
They call this the 'Fiscal Cliff' because everyone is terrified that all the budget cuts and new taxes will bring the US economy to its knees once again.
I've spent days analyzing the bill... and frankly, it's a joke. You can read the 200+ pages yourself if you like, but here are the important points--
As we've discussed before, US government spending falls into three categories.
1.Discretionary spending is what we normally think of as 'government.' It funds everything from the military to Homeland Security to the national parks.
2.Mandatory spending covers all the major entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.
3.Then there's interest on the debt, which is so large they had to make it a special category.
The latter two categories are spent automatically, just like your mortgage payment that gets sucked out of the bank account before you have a chance to spend it. The only thing Congress has a say over is Discretionary Spending. Hence the name.
But here's the problem-- the US fiscal situation is so untenable that the government fails to collect enough tax revenue to cover mandatory spending and debt interest. In Fiscal Year 2011, for example, the US government spent $176 billion MORE on debt interest and mandatory spending than they generated in tax revenue.
In Fiscal Year 2012, which just ended 6 weeks ago, that shortfall increased to $251 billion. This means that they could cut the ENTIRE discretionary budget and still be in the hole by $251 billion.
This is why the Fiscal Cliff is irrelevant. The automatic cuts that are going to take place don't even begin to address the actual problem; they're cutting $110 billion from the discretionary budget... yet only $16.9 billion from the mandatory budget.
Given that the entire problem is with mandatory spending, slashing the discretionary budget is pointless. It's as if the US economy is a speeding train heading towards a ravine at 200 mph, and the conductors are arguing about whether they should slow down to 150 or 175.
Oh, and there's just one more problem.
The government thinks that they will collect a few hundred billion dollars more in tax revenue when all of these new taxes kick in. Again, wishful thinking.
In the six+ decades since the end of World War II, tax rates in the US have been all over the board. Yet during this time, the US government has only managed to collect roughly 17.7% of GDP in tax revenue.
Conclusion? Increasing taxes won't increase their total tax revenue. Politicians have tried this for decades. It doesn't work. The only way to increase tax revenue is for the economy to grow... and higher tax rates do not pave this path to prosperity.
Ron Paul was spot on. Economic ignorance abounds. And all the Talking Heads in the mainstream media blathering away about the Fiscal Cliff are only reinforcing his premise.
Bottom line-- the Fiscal Cliff doesn't matter. The US passed the point of no return a long time ago.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-11-15/guess-what-they-are-not-cutting-fiscal-cliff
Senate bill rewrite lets feds read your e-mail without warrants
Proposed law scheduled for a vote next week originally increased Americans' e-mail privacy. Then law enforcement complained. Now it increases government access to e-mail and other digital files.
A Senate proposal touted as protecting Americans' e-mail privacy has been quietly rewritten, giving government agencies more surveillance power than they possess under current law, CNET has learned.
Patrick Leahy, the influential Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has dramatically reshaped his legislation in response to law enforcement concerns, according to three individuals who have been negotiating with Leahy's staff over the changes. A vote on his bill, which now authorizes warrantless access to Americans' e-mail, is scheduled for next week.
Revised bill highlights
✭ Grants warrantless access to Americans' electronic correspondence to over 22 federal agencies. Only a subpoena is required, not a search warrant signed by a judge based on probable cause.
✭ Permits state and local law enforcement to warrantlessly access Americans' correspondence stored on systems not offered "to the public," including university networks.
✭ Authorizes any law enforcement agency to access accounts without a warrant -- or subsequent court review -- if they claim "emergency" situations exist.
✭ Says providers "shall notify" law enforcement in advance of any plans to tell their customers that they've been the target of a warrant, order, or subpoena.
✭ Delays notification of customers whose accounts have been accessed from 3 days to "10 business days." This notification can be postponed by up to 360 days.
Leahy's rewritten bill would allow more than 22 agencies -- including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission -- to access Americans' e-mail, Google Docs files, Facebook wall posts, and Twitter direct messages without a search warrant. It also would give the FBI and Homeland Security more authority, in some circumstances, to gain full access to Internet accounts without notifying either the owner or a judge.
CNET obtained a draft of the proposed amendments from one of the people involved in the negotiations with Leahy; it's embedded at the end of this post. The document describes the changes as "Amendments intended to be proposed by Mr. Leahy."
It's an abrupt departure from Leahy's earlier approach, which required police to obtain a search warrant backed by probable cause before they could read the contents of e-mail or other communications. The Vermont Democrat boasted last year that his bill "provides enhanced privacy protections for American consumers by... requiring that the government obtain a search warrant."
Leahy had planned a vote on an earlier version of his bill, designed to update a pair of 1980s-vintage surveillance laws, in late September. But after law enforcement groups including the National District Attorneys' Association and the National Sheriffs' Association organizations objected to the legislation and asked him to "reconsider acting" on it, Leahy pushed back the vote and reworked the bill as a package of amendments to be offered next Thursday. The package (PDF) is a substitute for H.R. 2471, which the House of Representatives already has approved.
One person participating in Capitol Hill meetings on this topic told CNET that Justice Department officials have expressed their displeasure about Leahy's original bill. The department is on record as opposing any such requirement: James Baker, the associate deputy attorney general, has publicly warned that requiring a warrant to obtain stored e-mail could have an "adverse impact" on criminal investigations.
Christopher Calabrese, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said requiring warrantless access to Americans' data "undercuts" the purpose of Leahy's original proposal. "We believe a warrant is the appropriate standard for any contents," he said.
An aide to the Senate Judiciary committee told CNET that because discussions with interested parties are ongoing, it would be premature to comment on the legislation.
Marc Rotenberg, head of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said that in light of the revelations about how former CIA director David Petraeus' e-mail was perused by the FBI, "even the Department of Justice should concede that there's a need for more judicial oversight," not less.
Markham Erickson, a lawyer in Washington, D.C. who has followed the topic closely and said he was speaking for himself and not his corporate clients, expressed concerns about the alphabet soup of federal agencies that would be granted more power
(read the rest at)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57552225-38/senate-bill-rewrite-lets-feds-read-your-e-mail-without-warrants/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title
ConsumerWatch: Stores Requiring ID, Tracking To Prevent Repeated Returns
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) – When you make a return this holiday season you may have to hand over more than just your receipt, as retailers try to prevent repeated returns.
“I was required to provide them a copy of my driver’s license, where they actually took the information and scanned it into their database,” said a shopper who asked to be identified only as Leslie.
Leslie told the sales associate at The Children’s Place that she was uncomfortable handing over her ID just to make an exchange, but she was told that the requirement is corporate policy.
In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, 62 percent of retailers have a similar policy. Among those who demand ID for returns are The Finish Line, Home Depot, Target and more.
So where does your information go? Likely it’s being stored on The Retail Equation, a service which tracks how often you bring stuff back and identifies habitual returners.
The retail exchange has said return fraud and “renting” – buying an item to wear and return – costs the retail industry billions each year.
In an effort to stop that practice, they’re tracking you, and all of your returns at their participating stores, in a database.
Return items too frequently, and you may lose your right to bring back your purchases anywhere.
“They have no right, I my view, of swiping my drivers license,” said Peninsula Congresswoman Jackie Speier. “I will never let someone scan my driver’s license.”
California civil code currently allows retailers to swipe your ID when investigating fraud, abuse or misrepresentation.
But Speier believes a legitimate return with a receipt does not fall under that exception.
State law does require retailers post the ID requirement prominently in their return policy…both Victoria secrets and The Children’s Place do just that. If it’s in their policy, and you want to make a return, you’ll likely have to hand over your ID.
For more information on The Retail Equation, or to request a copy of your profile, visit their website.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/11/20/consumerwatch-stores-requiring-id-tracking-to-prevent-repeated-returner/
Thanksgiving Celebrates Our 'Original Sin,' 'Views Virtually Identical To Nazis,' Journalism Prof Preaches
By Dan Gainor
November 22, 2012
Subscribe to Dan Gainor's posts Forget all that turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, today should be a day of fasting and atonement for American “sin.” That’s according to Robert Jensen, a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Jensen, known for his hard-left politics, also calls Thanksgiving a “white-supremacist holiday.”
Jensen’s opinion piece “No Thanks for Thanksgiving,” appeared on the far-left, Soros-connected website Alternet on Thanksgiving eve. In it, he wrote how Native Americans suffered because of the “European invasion of the Americas.” He went on to compare the Founding Fathers to Nazi Germany. “How does a country deal with the fact that some of its most revered historical figures had certain moral values and political views virtually identical to Nazis?” he asked.
According to Jensen, Thanksgiving is “at the heart of U.S. myth-building. “But in the United States, this reluctance to acknowledge our original sin -- the genocide of indigenous people -- is of special importance today,” he explained.
Jensen has a long career in both working journalism and academia, including work as a copy editor at The St. Paul Pioneer Press and the St. Petersburg Times, as well as “volunteer editing and writing for the Texas Triangle, Austin (weekly statewide lesbian/gay paper).”
This wasn’t the first time Jensen has bashed America. He does so on a regular basis. Other Alternet pieces include headlines like “The Painful Collapse of Empire: How the ‘American Dream’ and American Exceptionalism Wreck Havoc on the World” or “What White People Fear.”
Alternet is part of the George-Soros-supported Media Consortium. It is one of 58 left-wing media operations that aim to create a progressive “echo chamber.”
http://cnsnews.com/blog/dan-gainor/thanksgiving-celebrates-our-original-sin-views-virtually-identical-nazis-journalism
Obama To Unleash Racial-Preferences Juggernaut
President Obama intends to close "persistent gaps" between whites and minorities in everything from credit scores and homeownership to test scores and graduation rates.
His remedy — short of new affirmative-action legislation — is to sue financial companies, schools and employers based on "disparate impact" complaints — a stealthy way to achieve racial preferences, opposed 2 to 1 by Americans.Under this broad interpretation of civil-rights law, virtually any organization can be held liable for race bias if it maintains a policy that negatively impacts one racial group more than another — even if it has no racist motive and applies the policy evenly across all groups.Equal Outcomes
This means that even race-neutral rules for mortgage underwriting and consumer credit scoring potentially can be deemed racist if prosecutors can produce statistics showing they tend to result in adverse outcomes for blacks or Latinos.
Already, Attorney General Eric Holder has used the club of disparate-impact lawsuits to beat almost $500 million in loan set-asides and other claims out of the nation's largest banks.
In addition to the financial settlements — which include millions in funding for affordable-housing activists — Bank of America, Wells Fargo and SunTrust have all agreed to adopt more minority-friendly lending policies.
Though the administration seeks equal credit outcomes, regardless of risk, across the entire banking industry, it doesn't have to sue every bank to achieve its goal. As a prophylactic against similar prosecution, IBD has learned the American Bankers Association recently advised its 5,000 members to give rejected minority loan applicants a "second look," which it says "can result in suggested changes in underwriting standards."
Also, the administration sent a chill through the financial industry earlier this year when it announced its new credit watchdog agency will join Justice, as well as HUD, in using the disparate-impact doctrine to enforce civil-rights laws.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau chief Richard Cordray warned companies the agency will "protect consumers from unfair lending practices — as well as those that have a disparate impact on communities of color." He added:
"That doctrine is applicable for all of the credit markets we touch, including mortgages, student loans, credit cards and auto loans," as well as small-business loans.
Hiring Criminals
For the first time, the nation's consumer credit reporting agencies, including Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, will come under federal review. CFPB examiners will subject these companies and others to an "effects test" to make sure credit transactions are racially balanced.
Those who reject minority applicants for credit cards or charge them higher loan rates had better be prepared to prove to Cordray's diversity cops they aren't racist. Many have already decided it's safer to give black and Latino applicants preferential treatment, which of course is racism of another kind.
Other targets of the administration's "racial justice" juggernaut include: standardized academic testing, professional licensing examinations, employee background checks, voter ID requirements, student disciplinary codes, prison sentencing guidelines — you name it.
The goal is to equalize outcomes based on race without regard for performance or merit.
According to Roger Clegg, president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, President Obama is committed to "aggressively pushing the 'disparate impact' approach to civil-rights enforcement" through which "the federal government insists that the numbers come out right — even if it means that policemen and firefighters cannot be tested, that companies should hire criminals, that loans must be made to the uncreditworthy, and that — I kid you not — whether pollution is acceptable depends on whether dangerous chemicals are spread in a racially balanced way."
Last month, moreover, the Education Department pressured the Oakland school district to impose "targeted reductions" in the number of black students suspended.
The department charged that Oakland's disciplinary policy has a "disparate impact" on African-American students, who are suspended at higher rates for violent behavior.
The Oakland case is the first of some 20 such investigations of school districts across the U.S. "The Obama administration is pressuring school districts not to suspend violent or disruptive black students if they have already disciplined 'too many' black students," said Competitive Enterprise Institute counsel Hans Bader.
Education is also investigating a "disparate impact" complaint recently filed by the NAACP alleging the entrance exam used by selective New York City high schools illegally discriminates against blacks.
Through disparate impact suits, Holder has forced banks to adopt racial lending quotas and even open branches in minority neighborhoods.
He's authorized five more lending-discrimination suits, while opening another 30 investigations against banks. And he's just getting warmed up.
"The question is not does (affirmative action) end, but when does it begin?" Holder said in February at a Columbia University forum. "When do people of color truly get the benefits to which they are entitled?"
Banks had hoped the Supreme Court would declare his actions unconstitutional.
But a landmark disparate-impact case was scuttled at the last minute this year when the petitioner withdrew it under pressure from Holder's civil-rights chief.
Congress is probing the unusual arm-twisting — which included what appears to be a corrupt quid-pro-quo bargain — that led to the case being dropped.
Most agree that had the Magner v. Gallagher case gone forward, the high court would have struck down the use of disparate impact and effectively shut down the administration's witch hunt against lenders.
On the campaign trail, Obama was mum about his disparate-impact strategy and rarely talks at all about race.
He's no doubt aware of polling in his last presidential bid which found 56% of voters harbored fears he'd favor African-Americans. But his 2006 writings inform us.
To close the "stubborn gap that remains between the living standards of black, Latino and white workers," then-Sen. Obama proposed "completing the unfinished business of the civil rights movement — namely, enforcing nondiscrimination laws in such basic areas as employment, housing and education."
He added: "The government, through its prosecutors and its courts, should step in to make things right."
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-perspective/110812-632759-obama-to-wield-bigger-disparate-impact-club.htm
Additional example is found here
Obama’s ‘Constituency Groups’ Checklist Offers No Options for Whites or Men
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-s-constituency-groups-checklist-offers-no-options-whites-or-men
Guess What They Are Not Cutting In The Fiscal Cliff...
Submitted by Simon Black of Sovereign Man blog,
In his farewell address to Congress yesterday, Ron Paul blasted the dangers of what he called 'Economic Ignorance':
"Economic ignorance is commonplace. . . Believers in military Keynesianism and domestic Keynesianism continue to desperately promote their failed policies, as the economy languishes in a deep slumber."He's dead right. Around the world, economic ignorance abounds. And perhaps nowhere is this more obvious today than in the senseless prattling over the US 'Fiscal Cliff'.
Here's the deal: You may remember the Debt Ceiling debacle of 2011. At the time, the US government was about to breach its debt ceiling, and there was an embarrassing standoff between Congress and President Obama.
As part of their eventual compromise, the debt ceiling increased by $400 billion in August 2011... then again by another $500 billion five weeks later... and finally by another $1.2 TRILLION twenty weeks after that.
In return, President Obama signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011. The law stipulates that, unless another compromise is reached, a series of tax increases and budget cuts will automatically take place on January 1, 2013, including the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and the temporary 2% payroll tax holiday, plus new taxes related to Obamacare.
They call this the 'Fiscal Cliff' because everyone is terrified that all the budget cuts and new taxes will bring the US economy to its knees once again.
I've spent days analyzing the bill... and frankly, it's a joke. You can read the 200+ pages yourself if you like, but here are the important points--
As we've discussed before, US government spending falls into three categories.
1.Discretionary spending is what we normally think of as 'government.' It funds everything from the military to Homeland Security to the national parks.
2.Mandatory spending covers all the major entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.
3.Then there's interest on the debt, which is so large they had to make it a special category.
The latter two categories are spent automatically, just like your mortgage payment that gets sucked out of the bank account before you have a chance to spend it. The only thing Congress has a say over is Discretionary Spending. Hence the name.
But here's the problem-- the US fiscal situation is so untenable that the government fails to collect enough tax revenue to cover mandatory spending and debt interest. In Fiscal Year 2011, for example, the US government spent $176 billion MORE on debt interest and mandatory spending than they generated in tax revenue.
In Fiscal Year 2012, which just ended 6 weeks ago, that shortfall increased to $251 billion. This means that they could cut the ENTIRE discretionary budget and still be in the hole by $251 billion.
This is why the Fiscal Cliff is irrelevant. The automatic cuts that are going to take place don't even begin to address the actual problem; they're cutting $110 billion from the discretionary budget... yet only $16.9 billion from the mandatory budget.
Given that the entire problem is with mandatory spending, slashing the discretionary budget is pointless. It's as if the US economy is a speeding train heading towards a ravine at 200 mph, and the conductors are arguing about whether they should slow down to 150 or 175.
Oh, and there's just one more problem.
The government thinks that they will collect a few hundred billion dollars more in tax revenue when all of these new taxes kick in. Again, wishful thinking.
In the six+ decades since the end of World War II, tax rates in the US have been all over the board. Yet during this time, the US government has only managed to collect roughly 17.7% of GDP in tax revenue.
Conclusion? Increasing taxes won't increase their total tax revenue. Politicians have tried this for decades. It doesn't work. The only way to increase tax revenue is for the economy to grow... and higher tax rates do not pave this path to prosperity.
Ron Paul was spot on. Economic ignorance abounds. And all the Talking Heads in the mainstream media blathering away about the Fiscal Cliff are only reinforcing his premise.
Bottom line-- the Fiscal Cliff doesn't matter. The US passed the point of no return a long time ago.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-11-15/guess-what-they-are-not-cutting-fiscal-cliff
Senate bill rewrite lets feds read your e-mail without warrants
Proposed law scheduled for a vote next week originally increased Americans' e-mail privacy. Then law enforcement complained. Now it increases government access to e-mail and other digital files.
A Senate proposal touted as protecting Americans' e-mail privacy has been quietly rewritten, giving government agencies more surveillance power than they possess under current law, CNET has learned.
Patrick Leahy, the influential Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has dramatically reshaped his legislation in response to law enforcement concerns, according to three individuals who have been negotiating with Leahy's staff over the changes. A vote on his bill, which now authorizes warrantless access to Americans' e-mail, is scheduled for next week.
Revised bill highlights
✭ Grants warrantless access to Americans' electronic correspondence to over 22 federal agencies. Only a subpoena is required, not a search warrant signed by a judge based on probable cause.
✭ Permits state and local law enforcement to warrantlessly access Americans' correspondence stored on systems not offered "to the public," including university networks.
✭ Authorizes any law enforcement agency to access accounts without a warrant -- or subsequent court review -- if they claim "emergency" situations exist.
✭ Says providers "shall notify" law enforcement in advance of any plans to tell their customers that they've been the target of a warrant, order, or subpoena.
✭ Delays notification of customers whose accounts have been accessed from 3 days to "10 business days." This notification can be postponed by up to 360 days.
Leahy's rewritten bill would allow more than 22 agencies -- including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission -- to access Americans' e-mail, Google Docs files, Facebook wall posts, and Twitter direct messages without a search warrant. It also would give the FBI and Homeland Security more authority, in some circumstances, to gain full access to Internet accounts without notifying either the owner or a judge.
CNET obtained a draft of the proposed amendments from one of the people involved in the negotiations with Leahy; it's embedded at the end of this post. The document describes the changes as "Amendments intended to be proposed by Mr. Leahy."
It's an abrupt departure from Leahy's earlier approach, which required police to obtain a search warrant backed by probable cause before they could read the contents of e-mail or other communications. The Vermont Democrat boasted last year that his bill "provides enhanced privacy protections for American consumers by... requiring that the government obtain a search warrant."
Leahy had planned a vote on an earlier version of his bill, designed to update a pair of 1980s-vintage surveillance laws, in late September. But after law enforcement groups including the National District Attorneys' Association and the National Sheriffs' Association organizations objected to the legislation and asked him to "reconsider acting" on it, Leahy pushed back the vote and reworked the bill as a package of amendments to be offered next Thursday. The package (PDF) is a substitute for H.R. 2471, which the House of Representatives already has approved.
One person participating in Capitol Hill meetings on this topic told CNET that Justice Department officials have expressed their displeasure about Leahy's original bill. The department is on record as opposing any such requirement: James Baker, the associate deputy attorney general, has publicly warned that requiring a warrant to obtain stored e-mail could have an "adverse impact" on criminal investigations.
Christopher Calabrese, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said requiring warrantless access to Americans' data "undercuts" the purpose of Leahy's original proposal. "We believe a warrant is the appropriate standard for any contents," he said.
An aide to the Senate Judiciary committee told CNET that because discussions with interested parties are ongoing, it would be premature to comment on the legislation.
Marc Rotenberg, head of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said that in light of the revelations about how former CIA director David Petraeus' e-mail was perused by the FBI, "even the Department of Justice should concede that there's a need for more judicial oversight," not less.
Markham Erickson, a lawyer in Washington, D.C. who has followed the topic closely and said he was speaking for himself and not his corporate clients, expressed concerns about the alphabet soup of federal agencies that would be granted more power
(read the rest at)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57552225-38/senate-bill-rewrite-lets-feds-read-your-e-mail-without-warrants/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title
ConsumerWatch: Stores Requiring ID, Tracking To Prevent Repeated Returns
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) – When you make a return this holiday season you may have to hand over more than just your receipt, as retailers try to prevent repeated returns.
“I was required to provide them a copy of my driver’s license, where they actually took the information and scanned it into their database,” said a shopper who asked to be identified only as Leslie.
Leslie told the sales associate at The Children’s Place that she was uncomfortable handing over her ID just to make an exchange, but she was told that the requirement is corporate policy.
In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, 62 percent of retailers have a similar policy. Among those who demand ID for returns are The Finish Line, Home Depot, Target and more.
So where does your information go? Likely it’s being stored on The Retail Equation, a service which tracks how often you bring stuff back and identifies habitual returners.
The retail exchange has said return fraud and “renting” – buying an item to wear and return – costs the retail industry billions each year.
In an effort to stop that practice, they’re tracking you, and all of your returns at their participating stores, in a database.
Return items too frequently, and you may lose your right to bring back your purchases anywhere.
“They have no right, I my view, of swiping my drivers license,” said Peninsula Congresswoman Jackie Speier. “I will never let someone scan my driver’s license.”
California civil code currently allows retailers to swipe your ID when investigating fraud, abuse or misrepresentation.
But Speier believes a legitimate return with a receipt does not fall under that exception.
State law does require retailers post the ID requirement prominently in their return policy…both Victoria secrets and The Children’s Place do just that. If it’s in their policy, and you want to make a return, you’ll likely have to hand over your ID.
For more information on The Retail Equation, or to request a copy of your profile, visit their website.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/11/20/consumerwatch-stores-requiring-id-tracking-to-prevent-repeated-returner/
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Thursday 11-22-12
Psa_100:4, Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Rom_1:21, Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Col_3:15, And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
What is the origin of America’s annual Thanksgiving Day?
Pilgrim William Brewster holds a Bible as the Pilgrims pray for a safe journey as they leave for America from Delft Haven, Holland, on July 22, 1620.The Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620. Their destination? The New World. Although filled with uncertainty and peril, it offered both civil and religious liberty.
For over two months, the 102 passengers braved the harsh elements of a vast storm-tossed sea. Finally, with firm purpose and a reliance on Divine Providence, the cry of “Land!” was heard.
Arriving in Massachusetts in late November, the Pilgrims sought a suitable landing place. On December 11, just before disembarking at Plymouth Rock, they signed the “Mayflower Compact”—America’s first document of civil government and the first to introduce self-government.
After a prayer service, the Pilgrims began building hasty shelters. However, unprepared for the starvation and sickness of a harsh New England winter, nearly half died before spring. Yet, persevering in prayer, and assisted by helpful Indians, they reaped a bountiful harvest the following summer.
The grateful Pilgrims then declared a three-day feast, starting on December 13, 1621, to thank God and to celebrate with their Indian friends. While this was not the first Thanksgiving in America (thanksgiving services were held in Virginia as early as 1607), it was America’s first Thanksgiving Festival.
Pilgrim Edward Winslow described the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving in these words:
“Our harvest being gotten in, our Governor sent four men on fowling [bird hunting] so that we might, after a special manner, rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as… served the company almost a week… Many of the Indians [came] amongst us and… their greatest King, Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted; and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought… And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet BY THE GOODNESS OF GOD WE ARE… FAR FROM WANT.”
In 1789, following a proclamation issued by President George Washington, America celebrated its first Day of Thanksgiving to God under its new constitution. That same year, the Protestant Episcopal Church, of which President Washington was a member, announced that the first Thursday in November would become its regular day for giving thanks, “unless another day be appointed by the civil authorities.” Yet, despite these early national proclamations, official Thanksgiving observances usually occurred only at the State level.
Much of the credit for the adoption of a later ANNUAL national Thanksgiving Day may be attributed to Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book. For thirty years, she promoted the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day, contacting President after President until President Abraham Lincoln responded in 1863 by setting aside the last Thursday of November as a national Day of Thanksgiving. Over the next seventy-five years, Presidents followed Lincoln’s precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day. Then, in 1941, Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday.
Lincoln’s original 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation came—spiritually speaking—at a pivotal point in his life. During the first week of July of that year, the Battle of Gettysburg occurred, resulting in the loss of some 60,000 American lives. Four months later in November, Lincoln delivered his famous “Gettsysburg Address.” It was while Lincoln was walking among the thousands of graves there at Gettysburg that he committed his life to Christ. As he explained to a friend:
When I left Springfield [to assume the Presidency], I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.
As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving each year, we hope they will retain the original gratefulness to God displayed by the Pilgrims and many other founding fathers, and remember that it is to those early and courageous Pilgrims that they owe not only the traditional Thanksgiving holiday but also the concepts of self-government, the “hard-work” ethic, self-reliant communities, and devout religious faith.
http://christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-g007.html
Why??? because they can or maybe because they have too??
More Americans Will Use Food Stamps For Thanksgiving This Year Than Ever Before
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/11/20/more-americans-will-use-food-stamps-for-thanksgiving-this-year-than-ever-before
Demand Grows At Framingham Food Pantry
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/11/19/demand-grows-at-framingham-food-pantry/
Rom_1:21, Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Col_3:15, And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
What is the origin of America’s annual Thanksgiving Day?
Pilgrim William Brewster holds a Bible as the Pilgrims pray for a safe journey as they leave for America from Delft Haven, Holland, on July 22, 1620.The Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620. Their destination? The New World. Although filled with uncertainty and peril, it offered both civil and religious liberty.
For over two months, the 102 passengers braved the harsh elements of a vast storm-tossed sea. Finally, with firm purpose and a reliance on Divine Providence, the cry of “Land!” was heard.
Arriving in Massachusetts in late November, the Pilgrims sought a suitable landing place. On December 11, just before disembarking at Plymouth Rock, they signed the “Mayflower Compact”—America’s first document of civil government and the first to introduce self-government.
After a prayer service, the Pilgrims began building hasty shelters. However, unprepared for the starvation and sickness of a harsh New England winter, nearly half died before spring. Yet, persevering in prayer, and assisted by helpful Indians, they reaped a bountiful harvest the following summer.
The grateful Pilgrims then declared a three-day feast, starting on December 13, 1621, to thank God and to celebrate with their Indian friends. While this was not the first Thanksgiving in America (thanksgiving services were held in Virginia as early as 1607), it was America’s first Thanksgiving Festival.
Pilgrim Edward Winslow described the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving in these words:
“Our harvest being gotten in, our Governor sent four men on fowling [bird hunting] so that we might, after a special manner, rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as… served the company almost a week… Many of the Indians [came] amongst us and… their greatest King, Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted; and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought… And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet BY THE GOODNESS OF GOD WE ARE… FAR FROM WANT.”
In 1789, following a proclamation issued by President George Washington, America celebrated its first Day of Thanksgiving to God under its new constitution. That same year, the Protestant Episcopal Church, of which President Washington was a member, announced that the first Thursday in November would become its regular day for giving thanks, “unless another day be appointed by the civil authorities.” Yet, despite these early national proclamations, official Thanksgiving observances usually occurred only at the State level.
Much of the credit for the adoption of a later ANNUAL national Thanksgiving Day may be attributed to Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book. For thirty years, she promoted the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day, contacting President after President until President Abraham Lincoln responded in 1863 by setting aside the last Thursday of November as a national Day of Thanksgiving. Over the next seventy-five years, Presidents followed Lincoln’s precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day. Then, in 1941, Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday.
Lincoln’s original 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation came—spiritually speaking—at a pivotal point in his life. During the first week of July of that year, the Battle of Gettysburg occurred, resulting in the loss of some 60,000 American lives. Four months later in November, Lincoln delivered his famous “Gettsysburg Address.” It was while Lincoln was walking among the thousands of graves there at Gettysburg that he committed his life to Christ. As he explained to a friend:
When I left Springfield [to assume the Presidency], I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.
As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving each year, we hope they will retain the original gratefulness to God displayed by the Pilgrims and many other founding fathers, and remember that it is to those early and courageous Pilgrims that they owe not only the traditional Thanksgiving holiday but also the concepts of self-government, the “hard-work” ethic, self-reliant communities, and devout religious faith.
http://christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-g007.html
Why??? because they can or maybe because they have too??
More Americans Will Use Food Stamps For Thanksgiving This Year Than Ever Before
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/11/20/more-americans-will-use-food-stamps-for-thanksgiving-this-year-than-ever-before
Demand Grows At Framingham Food Pantry
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/11/19/demand-grows-at-framingham-food-pantry/
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Wednesday 11-21-12
Our military a training ground for oour own 5th columnist.
FBI: 4 Calif. men charged in alleged terror plot
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Four Southern California men have been charged with plotting to kill Americans and destroy U.S. targets overseas by joining al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan, federal officials said Monday.
The defendants, including a man who served in the U.S. Air Force, were arrested for plotting to bomb military bases and government facilities, and for planning to engage in "violent jihad," FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said in a release.
A federal complaint unsealed Monday says 34-year-old Sohiel Omar Kabir of Pomona introduced two of the other men to the radical Islamist doctrine of Anwar al-Awlaki, a deceased al-Qaida leader. Kabir served in the Air Force from 2000 to 2001.
The other two _ 23-year-old Ralph Deleon of Ontario and 21-year-old Miguel Alejandro Santana Vidriales of Upland _ converted to Islam in 2010 and began engaging with Kabir and others online in discussions about jihad, including posting radical content to Facebook and expressing extremist views in comments.
They later recruited 21-year-old Arifeen David Gojali of Riverside.
Authorities allege that in Skype calls from Afghanistan, Kabir told the trio he would arrange their meetings with terrorists. Kabir added the would-be jihadists could sleep in mosques or the homes of fellow jihadists once they arrived in Afghanistan.
The trio made plans to depart in mid-November to carry out plots in Afghanistan, primarily, and Yemen, after they sold off belongings to scrape together enough cash to buy plane tickets and made passport arrangements.
In one online conversation, Santana told an FBI undercover agent that he wanted to commit jihad and expressed interest in a jihadist training camp in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
The complaint also alleges the men went to a shooting range several times, including a Sept. 10 trip in which Deleon told a confidential FBI source that he wanted to be on the front lines overseas and use C-4, an explosive, in an attack. Santana agreed.
"I wanna do C-4s if I could put one of these trucks right here with my, with that. Just drive into, like, the baddest military base," Santana said, according to the complaint.
Santana added he wanted to use a large quantity of the explosive. "If I'm gonna do that, I'm gonna take out a whole base. Might as well make it, like, big, ya know," he said.
According to the complaint, at the shooting range that day both Santana and Deleon told a confidential FBI source they were excited about the rewards from becoming a shaheed, which is Arabic for martyr.
Ten days later, during another trip to the shooting range to fire assault-style rifles, Santana told the source he had been around gangs and had no problem taking a life.
On Sept. 30, Gojali was recruited to the plot after he was asked if he had it in him to kill in jihad. Gojali answered, "Yeah, of course."
"I watch videos on the Internet, and I see what they are doing to our brothers and sisters. ... It makes me cry, and it gets like I'm, like, so angered with them," Gojali said, according to the complaint.
The men wiped their Facebook pages of radical Islamist content and photos of themselves in traditional Muslim attire, and devised a cover story that they were going to Afghanistan to attend Kabir's wedding.
Federal authorities said the trio and the FBI's confidential source bought airplane tickets last week for a Sunday flight from Mexico City to Istanbul, with plans to later continue to Kabul.
After Kabir began talking to him about Islam, Santana said he "accepted Islam without knowing anything about it besides it being the truth" and that he believed the religion would help him "fit in and actually be able to fight for something that's right," according to the complaint.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison.
Kabir is being detained in Afghanistan. The other three appeared for a detention hearing Monday in Riverside, and all but Gojali were remanded to federal custody with no bail. His detention hearing was delayed.
After-hours calls left for the men's attorneys were not immediately returned Monday.
A preliminary hearing is slated for Dec. 3, and an arraignment is set for Dec. 5.
Kabir is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Afghanistan. Santana was born in Mexico, while Deleon was born in the Philippines. Both are lawful, permanent U.S. residents. Gojali is a U.S. citizen.
http://wtop.com/209/3126298/FBI-4-men-charged-in-alleged-terror-plot
New ‘Super Material’ Will Stop A Speeding Bullet
Rice University researchers believe they have developed a super material strong enough to possibly stop a 9-millimter bullet and seal the entryway behind it. During test fires the ballistic windshield material performed well time and again.
If the material is perfected, it could bring about massive ballistic protection advances for soldiers, Good Morning America notes. Rice University scientist Ned Thomas had this to say about the bullet-stopping material in a video posted on the facility’s website:
“This would be a great ballistic windshield material. The polymer has actually arrested the bullet and sealed it. There’s no macroscopic damage. The material hasn’t failed, it hasn’t cracked. You can still see through it. We want to find out why this polyurethane works the way it does. Theoretically, no one understood why this particular kind of material, which has nanoscale features of glassy and rubbery domains, would be so good at dissipating energy.”
Rice University worked in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and its Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies on the project. While in the process of figuring what happens at the nanoscale with very tiny bullets, the team reportedly unearthed a significant amount of information about block copolymers. The copolymers dissipate the strain which occurs with sudden impact.
The primary goal of the project was to find new ways to make materials more “impervious to deformation or failure” in order to produce lighter and stronger body armor. The research scientists were reportedly inspired by their observations during macroscopic ballistic tests. The copolymer polyurethane material repeatedly demonstrated the ability to stop a 9 mm bullet.
http://www.inquisitr.com/400465/new-super-material-will-stop-a-speeding-bullet/#bFBVZZpu1mi35g6x.99
The JuiceBox
On a single charge, the JuiceBox can:
Charge a typical laptop six times
Charge a Smart Phone 50 times
Charge a Cell Phone 80 times
Run an I-Pad® for nearly 100 hours
Run a portable radio for weeks
Run a GPS for 140 hours
Run a desktop fan for 20 hours
Light up a campsite for several nights
Imagine a briefcase sized waterproof box that can silently power your PC, laptop, radio, fans, small television, and more. it will easily charge your phone, Ipad, tablet… any common portable device. When it needs recharging, simply plug it into the wall or use the included solar panel. No gas, no fumes, no noise.
This unit is very popular with campers, hunters, boaters, radio operators and preppers.
Of course, anyone who has learned the painful lessons of natural disasters or long periods of power loss appreciates how valuable self-sustaining power can be...
If you have medical devices that need uninterrupted power this may be a solution, especially if combined with a JuiceBrick. If you have medical needs, please call us or email so we can discuss the specific power requirements of your equipment and how you want to use it.
· Case is enameled steel, welded at all seams, and given 3 coats of enamel paint.
· Hinged lid is sealed with a continuous rubber gasket and is removable.
· Inverter provides 400 watts constant, 800 watts surge.
· Two AGM batteries totaling 288 WH (24 AH). Sealed, spill-proof, and maintenance free.
· Battery life is 300 to 400 cycles - replacements are easy to find, buy, and install.
· Digital meter displays real-time voltage of the batteries.
· Circuit breaker protects sensitive components—no fuses to replace or worry about.
· Two marine-grade 12 volt sockets for all common automotive devices.
· Two Anderson Power Pole connections for high-power, Low-loss 12 volt power.
· Two 120 volt pigtails, three-prong, to power common ‘house power’ devices.
· USB port for powering and charging phones, tablets, games, etc.
· Mil-Spec folding solar panel - 10 Watts, fits inside case and deploys in seconds.
· 3-amp Automatic Battery Charger - charges and maintains the batteries from a wall socket.
· Automatic Solar Controller, 4.5 amp capacity. Can easily handle up to 60 watts of solar panels.
· Tough, mil-spec foam ‘locks’ the system into the can to resist vibration and jarring.
· Dimensions: 12” x 13” x 5.5” Weight: 29 lbs
http://portableuniversalpower.com/juicebox-product.htm
Holiday Travel Tips from the TSA: Cakes and Pies ‘are subject to additional screening’
The TSA is on high alert for any suspicious turkey complements this Thanksgiving holiday, and in alleged efforts to expedite travelers they’ve released a list of prohibited items and holiday travel tips.
Thinking of taking along that famous homemade chicken giblet broth? Think again terrorist.“Not sure about what you can and can’t bring through the checkpoint? Here’s a sample list of liquid, aerosol and gel items that you should put in your checked bag, ship ahead, or leave at home if they are above the permitted 3.4 oz.” (emphasis theirs)
Unless you’re transporting a very minute amount of gravy, the TSA says you’re better off leaving it at home, along with the following items: cranberry sauce, dips and spreads (cheeses, peanut butter, etc.), gift baskets with food4items (salsa, jams and salad dressings), jams, jellies, lotions, maple syrup, oils and vinegars, salad dressing, salsa, sauces, soups, wine, liquor and beer.
In all fairness, they do permit any of the above so long as it fits in a quart-sized zip top bag (one per passenger), the same bag that is supposed to carry other personal hygiene items like toothpaste, cologne and shampoo.
In addition to indirectly telling passengers to can the cranberry sauce, the TSA has also been gracious enough to allow passengers to board snow globes; however, they need to be “tennis ball size” and must fit in the aforementioned zip bag, along with your toothpaste, shaving cream and maple syrup.
And in case you thought the TSA was being a little too paranoid, they show their rational side by permitting pies and cakes, albeit, with the added stipulation that they are subject to additional screening: “You can bring pies and cakes through the security checkpoint, but please be advised that they are subject to additional screening.” One can only wonder what that means.
And you can just plain forget about surprising relatives at the receiving airport with wrapped gifts, because “if a bag alarms our security officers may have to unwrap a gift to take a closer look inside.”
Open up and say, “AHHH!!”
The extent to which Americans will stand idly by and permit such treatment should not be underestimated.
As a poll commissioned by Infowars and conducted by Harris Interactive last week showed, almost one third of Americans would accept a “TSA body cavity search” prior to boarding an aircraft in the name of safety. The question was posed as follows:
“Given the recent reports concerning the threat posed by terrorists who plan to implant bombs within their own bodies, how willing, if at all, would you be to undergo a TSA body cavity search in order to fly?”
According to the poll results, “A total 30% of American adults said they would be ‘willing’ or ‘somewhat willing’ to accept a body cavity search. 57% would be ‘completely’ or ‘somewhat unwilling’ to submit to it and 13% answered ‘don’t know.’”
The poll also disturbingly found that, in trade for an additional perceived layer of safety, a number of Americans would also be willing to wear electric shock bracelets during their flights.
In 2008, the Department of Homeland Security expressed an interest in having travelers wear electric shock bracelets that would both track travelers through the airport as well as allow airport officials and flight crews to incapacitate potential terrorists. How willing, if at all, would you be to wear such a bracelet in order to fly?
Poll results found, “35% of American adults would be ‘completely’ or ‘somewhat willing’ to wear the shock bracelet, compared to 52% who would be ‘completely’ or ‘somewhat unwilling.’ Republicans were more likely to be willing than Democrats, 41% to 34%.”
Why is the TSA at Mitt Romney campaign events and the Olympics?
The TSA has also predictably spread beyond airport terminals to highways, train stations, public buses and prom nights throughout the U.S, and has also been spotted conducting security for recent Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan campaign speaking events, despite the fact that these events had nothing to do with “transportation” whatsoever.
This past summer, the TSA also puzzlingly made its way out of the U.S. entirely, flying overseas to conduct security at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. If you can think of a better way to spend tax dollars, I’d like to hear it.
These laughable guidelines are slaps to the faces of honest, hard-working Americans, many of whom only get to see their families once a year. The continuation of this grandiose (and expensive – $8.1 billion annually) security theater has spiraled out of control and will continue to do so unless people stand up and put their feet down collectively.
As more of our fellow Americans are brainwashed to accept this outright degradation and humiliation as a part of normal everyday life and are incrementally convinced of the TSA’s absolute necessity, our rights and freedoms get traded for routine roundabout accusations, invasive grope-downs and legalized tyranny.
This holiday season is the perfect opportunity to fight for America’s right to travel grope-free. Join the Infowars Opt Out and Film campaign, starting today, by opting out of radiation-firing body scanners and filming the ensuing grope fest.
http://www.infowars.com/holiday-travel-tips-from-the-tsa-cakes-and-pies-are-subject-to-additional-screening/
FBI: 4 Calif. men charged in alleged terror plot
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Four Southern California men have been charged with plotting to kill Americans and destroy U.S. targets overseas by joining al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan, federal officials said Monday.
The defendants, including a man who served in the U.S. Air Force, were arrested for plotting to bomb military bases and government facilities, and for planning to engage in "violent jihad," FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said in a release.
A federal complaint unsealed Monday says 34-year-old Sohiel Omar Kabir of Pomona introduced two of the other men to the radical Islamist doctrine of Anwar al-Awlaki, a deceased al-Qaida leader. Kabir served in the Air Force from 2000 to 2001.
The other two _ 23-year-old Ralph Deleon of Ontario and 21-year-old Miguel Alejandro Santana Vidriales of Upland _ converted to Islam in 2010 and began engaging with Kabir and others online in discussions about jihad, including posting radical content to Facebook and expressing extremist views in comments.
They later recruited 21-year-old Arifeen David Gojali of Riverside.
Authorities allege that in Skype calls from Afghanistan, Kabir told the trio he would arrange their meetings with terrorists. Kabir added the would-be jihadists could sleep in mosques or the homes of fellow jihadists once they arrived in Afghanistan.
The trio made plans to depart in mid-November to carry out plots in Afghanistan, primarily, and Yemen, after they sold off belongings to scrape together enough cash to buy plane tickets and made passport arrangements.
In one online conversation, Santana told an FBI undercover agent that he wanted to commit jihad and expressed interest in a jihadist training camp in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
The complaint also alleges the men went to a shooting range several times, including a Sept. 10 trip in which Deleon told a confidential FBI source that he wanted to be on the front lines overseas and use C-4, an explosive, in an attack. Santana agreed.
"I wanna do C-4s if I could put one of these trucks right here with my, with that. Just drive into, like, the baddest military base," Santana said, according to the complaint.
Santana added he wanted to use a large quantity of the explosive. "If I'm gonna do that, I'm gonna take out a whole base. Might as well make it, like, big, ya know," he said.
According to the complaint, at the shooting range that day both Santana and Deleon told a confidential FBI source they were excited about the rewards from becoming a shaheed, which is Arabic for martyr.
Ten days later, during another trip to the shooting range to fire assault-style rifles, Santana told the source he had been around gangs and had no problem taking a life.
On Sept. 30, Gojali was recruited to the plot after he was asked if he had it in him to kill in jihad. Gojali answered, "Yeah, of course."
"I watch videos on the Internet, and I see what they are doing to our brothers and sisters. ... It makes me cry, and it gets like I'm, like, so angered with them," Gojali said, according to the complaint.
The men wiped their Facebook pages of radical Islamist content and photos of themselves in traditional Muslim attire, and devised a cover story that they were going to Afghanistan to attend Kabir's wedding.
Federal authorities said the trio and the FBI's confidential source bought airplane tickets last week for a Sunday flight from Mexico City to Istanbul, with plans to later continue to Kabul.
After Kabir began talking to him about Islam, Santana said he "accepted Islam without knowing anything about it besides it being the truth" and that he believed the religion would help him "fit in and actually be able to fight for something that's right," according to the complaint.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison.
Kabir is being detained in Afghanistan. The other three appeared for a detention hearing Monday in Riverside, and all but Gojali were remanded to federal custody with no bail. His detention hearing was delayed.
After-hours calls left for the men's attorneys were not immediately returned Monday.
A preliminary hearing is slated for Dec. 3, and an arraignment is set for Dec. 5.
Kabir is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Afghanistan. Santana was born in Mexico, while Deleon was born in the Philippines. Both are lawful, permanent U.S. residents. Gojali is a U.S. citizen.
http://wtop.com/209/3126298/FBI-4-men-charged-in-alleged-terror-plot
New ‘Super Material’ Will Stop A Speeding Bullet
Rice University researchers believe they have developed a super material strong enough to possibly stop a 9-millimter bullet and seal the entryway behind it. During test fires the ballistic windshield material performed well time and again.
If the material is perfected, it could bring about massive ballistic protection advances for soldiers, Good Morning America notes. Rice University scientist Ned Thomas had this to say about the bullet-stopping material in a video posted on the facility’s website:
“This would be a great ballistic windshield material. The polymer has actually arrested the bullet and sealed it. There’s no macroscopic damage. The material hasn’t failed, it hasn’t cracked. You can still see through it. We want to find out why this polyurethane works the way it does. Theoretically, no one understood why this particular kind of material, which has nanoscale features of glassy and rubbery domains, would be so good at dissipating energy.”
Rice University worked in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and its Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies on the project. While in the process of figuring what happens at the nanoscale with very tiny bullets, the team reportedly unearthed a significant amount of information about block copolymers. The copolymers dissipate the strain which occurs with sudden impact.
The primary goal of the project was to find new ways to make materials more “impervious to deformation or failure” in order to produce lighter and stronger body armor. The research scientists were reportedly inspired by their observations during macroscopic ballistic tests. The copolymer polyurethane material repeatedly demonstrated the ability to stop a 9 mm bullet.
http://www.inquisitr.com/400465/new-super-material-will-stop-a-speeding-bullet/#bFBVZZpu1mi35g6x.99
The JuiceBox
A powerful, rugged system that will generate, store, and deliver it’s own electricity - anywhere!
The JuiceBox is built into a U.S. Army ammo can. This makes an incredibly durable case that is completely waterproof when closed.On a single charge, the JuiceBox can:
Charge a typical laptop six times
Charge a Smart Phone 50 times
Charge a Cell Phone 80 times
Run an I-Pad® for nearly 100 hours
Run a portable radio for weeks
Run a GPS for 140 hours
Run a desktop fan for 20 hours
Light up a campsite for several nights
Imagine a briefcase sized waterproof box that can silently power your PC, laptop, radio, fans, small television, and more. it will easily charge your phone, Ipad, tablet… any common portable device. When it needs recharging, simply plug it into the wall or use the included solar panel. No gas, no fumes, no noise.
This unit is very popular with campers, hunters, boaters, radio operators and preppers.
Of course, anyone who has learned the painful lessons of natural disasters or long periods of power loss appreciates how valuable self-sustaining power can be...
If you have medical devices that need uninterrupted power this may be a solution, especially if combined with a JuiceBrick. If you have medical needs, please call us or email so we can discuss the specific power requirements of your equipment and how you want to use it.
· Case is enameled steel, welded at all seams, and given 3 coats of enamel paint.
· Hinged lid is sealed with a continuous rubber gasket and is removable.
· Inverter provides 400 watts constant, 800 watts surge.
· Two AGM batteries totaling 288 WH (24 AH). Sealed, spill-proof, and maintenance free.
· Battery life is 300 to 400 cycles - replacements are easy to find, buy, and install.
· Digital meter displays real-time voltage of the batteries.
· Circuit breaker protects sensitive components—no fuses to replace or worry about.
· Two marine-grade 12 volt sockets for all common automotive devices.
· Two Anderson Power Pole connections for high-power, Low-loss 12 volt power.
· Two 120 volt pigtails, three-prong, to power common ‘house power’ devices.
· USB port for powering and charging phones, tablets, games, etc.
· Mil-Spec folding solar panel - 10 Watts, fits inside case and deploys in seconds.
· 3-amp Automatic Battery Charger - charges and maintains the batteries from a wall socket.
· Automatic Solar Controller, 4.5 amp capacity. Can easily handle up to 60 watts of solar panels.
· Tough, mil-spec foam ‘locks’ the system into the can to resist vibration and jarring.
· Dimensions: 12” x 13” x 5.5” Weight: 29 lbs
http://portableuniversalpower.com/juicebox-product.htm
Holiday Travel Tips from the TSA: Cakes and Pies ‘are subject to additional screening’
The TSA is on high alert for any suspicious turkey complements this Thanksgiving holiday, and in alleged efforts to expedite travelers they’ve released a list of prohibited items and holiday travel tips.
Thinking of taking along that famous homemade chicken giblet broth? Think again terrorist.“Not sure about what you can and can’t bring through the checkpoint? Here’s a sample list of liquid, aerosol and gel items that you should put in your checked bag, ship ahead, or leave at home if they are above the permitted 3.4 oz.” (emphasis theirs)
Unless you’re transporting a very minute amount of gravy, the TSA says you’re better off leaving it at home, along with the following items: cranberry sauce, dips and spreads (cheeses, peanut butter, etc.), gift baskets with food4items (salsa, jams and salad dressings), jams, jellies, lotions, maple syrup, oils and vinegars, salad dressing, salsa, sauces, soups, wine, liquor and beer.
In all fairness, they do permit any of the above so long as it fits in a quart-sized zip top bag (one per passenger), the same bag that is supposed to carry other personal hygiene items like toothpaste, cologne and shampoo.
In addition to indirectly telling passengers to can the cranberry sauce, the TSA has also been gracious enough to allow passengers to board snow globes; however, they need to be “tennis ball size” and must fit in the aforementioned zip bag, along with your toothpaste, shaving cream and maple syrup.
And in case you thought the TSA was being a little too paranoid, they show their rational side by permitting pies and cakes, albeit, with the added stipulation that they are subject to additional screening: “You can bring pies and cakes through the security checkpoint, but please be advised that they are subject to additional screening.” One can only wonder what that means.
And you can just plain forget about surprising relatives at the receiving airport with wrapped gifts, because “if a bag alarms our security officers may have to unwrap a gift to take a closer look inside.”
Open up and say, “AHHH!!”
The extent to which Americans will stand idly by and permit such treatment should not be underestimated.
As a poll commissioned by Infowars and conducted by Harris Interactive last week showed, almost one third of Americans would accept a “TSA body cavity search” prior to boarding an aircraft in the name of safety. The question was posed as follows:
“Given the recent reports concerning the threat posed by terrorists who plan to implant bombs within their own bodies, how willing, if at all, would you be to undergo a TSA body cavity search in order to fly?”
According to the poll results, “A total 30% of American adults said they would be ‘willing’ or ‘somewhat willing’ to accept a body cavity search. 57% would be ‘completely’ or ‘somewhat unwilling’ to submit to it and 13% answered ‘don’t know.’”
The poll also disturbingly found that, in trade for an additional perceived layer of safety, a number of Americans would also be willing to wear electric shock bracelets during their flights.
In 2008, the Department of Homeland Security expressed an interest in having travelers wear electric shock bracelets that would both track travelers through the airport as well as allow airport officials and flight crews to incapacitate potential terrorists. How willing, if at all, would you be to wear such a bracelet in order to fly?
Poll results found, “35% of American adults would be ‘completely’ or ‘somewhat willing’ to wear the shock bracelet, compared to 52% who would be ‘completely’ or ‘somewhat unwilling.’ Republicans were more likely to be willing than Democrats, 41% to 34%.”
Why is the TSA at Mitt Romney campaign events and the Olympics?
The TSA has also predictably spread beyond airport terminals to highways, train stations, public buses and prom nights throughout the U.S, and has also been spotted conducting security for recent Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan campaign speaking events, despite the fact that these events had nothing to do with “transportation” whatsoever.
This past summer, the TSA also puzzlingly made its way out of the U.S. entirely, flying overseas to conduct security at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. If you can think of a better way to spend tax dollars, I’d like to hear it.
These laughable guidelines are slaps to the faces of honest, hard-working Americans, many of whom only get to see their families once a year. The continuation of this grandiose (and expensive – $8.1 billion annually) security theater has spiraled out of control and will continue to do so unless people stand up and put their feet down collectively.
As more of our fellow Americans are brainwashed to accept this outright degradation and humiliation as a part of normal everyday life and are incrementally convinced of the TSA’s absolute necessity, our rights and freedoms get traded for routine roundabout accusations, invasive grope-downs and legalized tyranny.
This holiday season is the perfect opportunity to fight for America’s right to travel grope-free. Join the Infowars Opt Out and Film campaign, starting today, by opting out of radiation-firing body scanners and filming the ensuing grope fest.
http://www.infowars.com/holiday-travel-tips-from-the-tsa-cakes-and-pies-are-subject-to-additional-screening/
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