The Left’s expected, contemptible, and blatant hypocrisy over ALEC and stand-your-ground laws. Posted by Moe Lane (Diary) Wednesday, April 18th at 2:00PM EDT 6 Comments I’m not really all that into blogging about the Zimmerman/Martin shooting.  From what I can tell, what happened was that there was an confrontation that might have very well been avoidable; it ended with a genuinely tragic ending; and that there were actually pretty much no wider partisan implications at all, despite the attempts of the Online Left to fit a Latino Democrat onto the Procrustean bed of WASP Tea Partier.  All of which is contemptible of the Online Left, by the way.  Expected, but contemptible. Still, the news that the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has decided to stop working on criminal bill advocacy because of liberal push back on ALEC’s work on stand-your-ground laws is of interest.  Said laws, for those unaware of them, essentially confirm the right of a citizen to defend themselves if attacked; and (as Clayton Cramer and Glenn Reynolds note) such laws are very important from a feminist perspective.  Particularly when we’re talking about, say, battered women.  Amazing how quickly people on the Left stop caring about that sort of thing when it gets into the way of going after perceived Righty groups, right? Again: expected, and contemptible. READ MORE → Category: alec, colorofchange, common cause, Florida, jennifer granholm, Michigan, stand your ground

Letter to Florida Governor Rick Scott - Stand Your Ground Law Posted by Steve Wilson on April 28, 2012 at 7:29pm Send Message   View Blog The Trayvon Martin case has stirred up many emotions in Florida as well as all over the country.  Whether it is justified or not depends on what you wish to believe.  In addition, the case has called for the elimination of what is known as the "Stand Your Ground" law.  This law states in part:      Use of force in defense of person.—A person is justified in using force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the other’s imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if: (1) He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony.   Basically, you are not obligated to attempt to run for your life if you are attacked.  You can, "stand your ground," and do what you need to defend yourself - with in reason, of course.   Many liberals in Florida are now screaming for this law to be taken off the books, claiming that had this law not existed, Martin would likely still be alive today.  As with everything, in the warped world created when seen through liberal eyes, they do not feel a law abiding person should have the legal right to defend themselves if they are attacked, believing (For reasons only a liberal could articulate) that making it against the law to defend yourself will somehow make the world safer for everyone.    Most of us understand how far from reality this is.  It is for this reason that I wrote to Florida Governor Rick Scott (Message follows), who recently established a task force to review the law.  The outcome has not been determined  My message to Governor Scott expressed my feelings on the law, not only as a citizen of Florida, but also as a police officer.    I encourage anyone who lives in Florida to contact the Governors office regarding this law as well.  In the midst of a terrible event, reason must prevail, not a knee jerk reaction to appease those who demand more control over the actions of law abiding citizens.   Dear Governor Scott:   I am emailing you to express my feelings regarding the "Stand Your Ground" law here in Florida.  I have had the opportunity to serve the residents of )Florida) for the past 15 years as a (Police Officer).  That said, I have personal and professional interest and experience with this law, as well as how things were prior to the law going into effect.  My hope in sending this email is to provide an honest, first-hand account of my experience with this law, which has obviously been brought to the forefront due to the Trayvon Martin incident.   Prior to the "Stand Your Ground" law going into effect, citizens were required to make every effort to retreat when attacked.  Basically, it was against the law to defend yourself, unless you could prove that you absolutely could not retreat.  As a police officer, I encountered many victims over the years that had been attacked, and tried to retreat as the attack continued.  In my career, I have seen victims killed, or with severe lacerations on the backs of their heads, backs, arms, etc., not to mention other injuries incurred while they were attempting to flee their attacker.  After the fact, many stated they did not fight back because they were afraid they would "Be arrested," if they fought back.   I once read an article written by LTC (Ret U.S. Army) Dave Grossman titled, “On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs.”  In the article he talks about three types of people, those who are like sheep – kind, law abiding, productive members of society who would never hurt anyone.  Then there are the wolves, those who are predators, who hunt and attack those who they feel are weaker than they are.  Finally, the sheepdogs, who are those, such as law enforcement who stand guard over the sheep and fight the wolves to protect the flock.   There is much truth to the article when discussing the human mindset regarding violence and crime.  Many are incapable of “sticking up for themselves.”  They are sheep who need protection, and people like me will willingly stand in and do all we can to keep them safe.  Wolves in the wild rarely attack prey that is bigger or stronger than they are, unless they are in a pack.  Criminals are like wolves in the wild.  In most cases, they attack those they feel they can easily control, or easily beat.  Unless they are under the influence of mind altering agents (Illegal drugs or too much alcohol) or psychopaths/sociopaths, they go for those whom they perceive as the weakest.   Based on my own experience on the streets of Orlando, the “Stand Your Ground” law gives people the opportunity to stand up to the “Wolves” of our society.  As a police officer, I hate saying this, but the simple fact is that in most cases, law enforcement cannot protect, but arrives after the fact to piece together the evidence and events which took place to create a victim.  The reasons for this are many, from everything to the moral breakdown we are witnessing in society to a lack of law enforcement and little to no legal consequences for all but the most grievous offenders.  Plus, it goes without saying that criminals do not warn law enforcement of their plans.  IF we stop a crime in progress, it is almost always a case of just being in the right place at the right time.   What are people left with?  The truth is that the “Stand Your Ground” law allows more people to defend themselves.  It makes criminals think twice before attacking someone because they have to decide, “IF this guy stands up to me, can I handle him?”  That question alone prevents some criminals from commencing an attack.  I wish I had, over the years, kept track of all the times I had been told this by those I have arrested or spoken with, statements directly attributed to the “Stand Your Ground” law.   This law empowers people to do what law enforcement cannot do in most cases – protect themselves and fight for themselves.  If law enforcement officers are the sheepdogs for society, the “Stand Your Ground” law allows everyone who is capable to be a sheepdog for the individual or their families.  By eliminating this law, more in our society will become sheep, if for no other reason than they do not want to face the chance of being arrested for standing up for themselves if they are attacked.  How ironic that many law abiding citizens would allow themselves to be injured (in some cases killed) out of fear of being arrested and put through a criminal justice procedure that criminals have learned NOT to fear.   No, this law, like all others, is not perfect.  There will always be those cases which place it in a bad light.  But those cases, like Trayvon Martin’s, are far outnumbered by all the times this law has allowed good people to stand up for themselves and not allow themselves to be a victim.  Add to that all the times this law has made a criminal stop in his tracks and turn the other way because he does not want to take that chance with someone who can give them a run for their money – a statistic that can’t and never will be able to be accurately measured.   A final question; Had George Zimmerman not fought back and therefore been severely beaten, suffering life altering injuries or death, had he NOT stood his ground, would anyone care?  Would anyone be saying, “We need a law that allows people to fight back against those who would commit a crime of this nature?”  I think you know the answer to that.  Sadly, the proof is all those who never stood their ground and therefore died at the hands of merciless criminals before the “Stand Your Ground” law was enacted.   Please, Mr. Governor, do not let one incident, one media frenzy whipped up by so many who have no idea what the truth of that case really is, or just do not care what that truth is, take something away from the rest of us (themselves included), that gives each of us the right to be a sheepdog if the actions of others place us in that role.   In closing, I want to thank you for your time regarding this letter.  Thank you for doing all you have done for the State of Florida.  I know you have this state’s best, long term interests at heart.  God Bless you.

RED DAWN... Brought to US by Barry's Commie Administration

DOD Confirms Russian Airborne Assault Troops To Perform joint "Terror War Exercises" In Colorado, Next Month!    Front Porch Politics: Russian “Airborne Assault Forces” will be arriving in Colorado this May for joint terror-war exercises with U.S. soldiers, according to U.S. officials and Russian military personnel cited in media reports. The Kremlin’s Defense Ministry and the U.S. Department of Defense both said it would be the first time in history that American and Russian airborne special operations troops would be training together on U.S. soil. Analysts and commentators across the alternative media expressed alarm about the controversial announcement, likening it to a scene out of the movie Red Dawn or the predictions made by the late radio host Bill Cooper. It was not immediately clear exactly why the Obama administration decided to allow the scheme. “The Russian soldiers are here as invited guests of the U.S. government; this is part of a formal bilateral exchange program between the U.S. and Russia that seeks to develop transparency and promote defense reform,” Cmdr. Wendy L. Snyder, U.S. Defense Press Officer for policy, told The New American in an e-mail. “This is the first time that American and Russian special operations troops have participated in a bilateral exercise.”

Remove 2nd Amendment Rights!   Dems Crafting Bill to Use IRS Code to Remove 2nd Amendment Rights Written on April 27, 2012 by V2A, Filed under 2nd Amendment, Constitution, Government, Law With the help of Representatives like Barbara Boxer of California, a bill rapidly working through Capitol Hill (passed through the Senate and is currently up for review in the House) will give the IRS power to: -Accuse Americans of delinquency of tax payment without due process -Revoke their passports and travel rights -Place the accused in a centralize database -Authorize the removal of their right to own a firearm No formal charges are required. Simply the accusation from the IRS is sufficed to strip American citizens of their Constitutional rights. “There is no requirement that the tax payer be guilty of or even charged with tax evasion, fraud, or any criminal offense — only that the citizen is alleged to owe the IRS back taxes of $50,000 or more,”reports the Daily Economist.

THIS IS THE BEST EMAIL OF THE DAY!!!   As I came out of the supermarket that sunny day, pushing my cart of groceries towards my car, I saw an old man with the hood of his car up and a lady sitting inside the car, with the door open.   The old man was looking at the engine. I put my groceries away in my car, and continued to watch the old gentleman from about twenty five feet away.   I saw a young man in his early twenties with a grocery bag in his arm walking towards the old man. The old gentleman saw him coming too, and took a few steps towards him.   I saw the old gentleman point to his open hood and say something. The young man put his grocery bag into what looked like a brand new Cadillac Escalade. He then turned back to the old man. I heard him yell at the old gentleman saying:   'You shouldn't even be allowed to drive a car at your age.' And then with a wave of his hand, he got in his car and peeled rubber out of the parking lot.   I saw the old gentleman pull out his handkerchief, and mop his brow as he went back to his car and again looked at the engine.   He then went to his wife and spoke with her; he appeared to tell her it would be okay. I had seen enough, and I approached the old man. He saw me coming and stood straight, and as I got near him I said, 'Looks like you're having a  problem.'   He smiled sheepishly, and quietly nodded his head. I looked under the hood myself, and knew that whatever the problem was, it was beyond me. Looking around, I saw a gas station up the road, and I told the old man that I would be right back. I drove to the station and went I inside. I saw three attendants working on cars. I approached one of them, and related the problem the old man had with his car. I offered to pay them if they could follow me back down and help him.   The old man had pushed the heavy car under the shade of a tree and appeared to be comforting his wife. When he saw us he straightened up and thanked me for my help. As the mechanics diagnosed the problem (overheated engine), I spoke with the old gentleman.   When I shook hands with  him earlier, he had noticed my Marine Corps ring and had commented about it, telling me that he had been a Marine too. I nodded and asked the usual question, 'What outfit did you serve with?'   He said that he served with the first Marine Division at Guadalcanal Pelieliu, and Okinawa.   He had hit three of the worst ones, and retired from the Corps after the war was over. As we talked we heard the car engine come on and saw the mechanics lower the hood. They came over to us as the old man reached for his wallet, but was stopped by me. I told him I would just put the bill on my AAA card.   He still reached for the wallet and handed me a card that I assumed had his name and address on it, and I stuck it in my pocket. We all shook hands all around again, and I said  my goodbye's to his wife.   I then told the two mechanics that I would follow them back up to the station. Once at the station, I told them that they had interrupted their own jobs to come along with me and help the old man. I said I wanted to pay for the help, but they refused to charge me.   One of them pulled out a card from his pocket, looking exactly like the card the old man had given to me. Both of the men told me then that they were Marine Corps Reserves. Once again we shook hands all around and as I was leaving, one of them told me I should look at the card the old man had given to me. I said I would and drove off.   For some reason I had gone about two blocks, when I pulled over and took the card out of my pocket and looked at it for a long, long time.  The name of the old gentleman was on the card in golden leaf and under his name was written:   'Congressional Medal of Honor Society.' I sat there motionless, looking at the card and reading it over and over. I looked up from the card and smiled to no one but myself and marveled that on this day, four Marines had all come together because one of us needed help. He was an old man all right, but it felt good to have stood next to greatness and courage, and an honor to have been in his presence.   Remember, as we approach another Memorial Day,   OLD men like him gave you, and all of us,   FREEDOM   for America. Thanks to those who served and still serve, and to all of those who supported them, and who continue to support them.   America is   not   at war.   The U.S. Military is at war.   America is at the Mall.   If you don't stand behind our troops, PLEASE feel free to stand in front of them!   Remember, Freedom   isn't   Free. Thousands have paid the price, so that you can enjoy what you have today. LET'S DO THIS: JUST 19 WORDS: GOD OUR FATHER, WALK THROUGH MY HOUSE AND TAKE AWAY ALL MY WORRIES; AND PLEASE WATCH OVER AND HEAL MY FAMILY; AND PLEASE PROTECT OUR FREEDOMS, AND WATCH OVER OUR TROOPS, WHO ARE DEFENDING THOSE FREEDOMS. AMEN   This prayer is so powerful. Pass this prayer to 12 people, including me.  

Two Skinny Lawyers .... Judging A Person Does Not Define Who They Are, It Defines Who You Are. TWO SKINNY LAWYERS For all of you who have made disparaging remarks about President Obama, please read the following... I'm sure most of us have read the so-called comparison of Lincoln and Kennedy, but did you ever consider the relationship between Obama and Lincoln? You might be surprised... Parallels of Abraham Lincoln and Barack Hussein Obama: 1. Lincoln placed his hand on the Bible for his inauguration. Obama used the same Bible. 2. Lincoln came from Illinois . Obama comes from  Illinois . 3. Lincoln served in the Illinois Legislature. Obama served in the Illinois Legislature. 4. Lincoln had very little experience before becoming President. Obama had very little experience before becoming President. 5. Lincoln rode the train from Philadelphia to Washington for his inauguration.  Obama rode the train from Philadelphia to Washington for his inauguration. 6. Lincoln was a skinny lawyer.  Obama is a skinny  lawyer. 7. Lincoln was a Republican.  Obama is a skinny lawyer. 8. Lincoln was in the United States military. Obama is a skinny lawyer. 9. Lincoln believed in everyone carrying their own weight.  Obama is a skinny lawyer. 10. Lincoln did not waste taxpayers' money on personal enjoyments.  Obama is a skinny   lawyer. 11. Lincoln was highly respected.  Obama is a skinny lawyer. 12. Lincoln was born in the United States .  Obama is a skinny lawyer. 13. Lincoln was honest, so honest he was called Honest Abe.  Obama is a skinny lawyer 14. Lincoln saved the United States .  Obama is a skinny lawyer .. Amazing, isn't it?  

The United States Has Plenty Of Oil: 10 Facts About America’s Energy Resources That Will Blow Your Mind Posted: 25 Apr 2012 03:22 PM PDT The United States is not running out of oil.  In fact, nobody on the entire globe has more energy resources than the United States does.  The truth is that we are absolutely swimming in oil and natural gas and we have so much coal that we have no idea what to do with it all.  At current consumption rates, America has enough energy resources to completely satisfy all of its needs well into the 22nd century.  If we would just access those resources, we would not have to import a single drop of foreign oil.  But most Americans don't realize that we have plenty of oil.  In fact, our education system has brainwashed most Americans into believing that our energy resources are rapidly being depleted and that we will soon enter a great energy crisis.  We are all constantly told that we must transition to "green energy" before it is too late.  But the reality is that America is an energy rich nation and new discoveries of oil and natural gas deposits are being made all the time.  Shouldn't someone tell the American people the truth about these things? Sadly, Barack Obama keeps running around the country declaring that there is no way that the United States can supply itself with enough oil.  During one speech a while back, Obama made the following statement.... "With only 2% of the world’s oil reserves, we can’t just drill our way to lower gas prices" The funny thing is that what Obama said sounds very similar to something that Jimmy Carter said back in 1977.... "Unless profound changes are made to lower oil consumption, we now believe that early in the 1980s the world will be demanding more oil than it can produce". How did that prediction work out for Jimmy Carter? Not too well. The truth is that Obama is misleading the American people just like Jimmy Carter did.  A recent Investor's Business Daily article explained how Obama is twisting the truth.... But the figure Obama uses — proved oil reserves — vastly undercounts how much oil the U.S. actually contains. In fact, far from being oil-poor, the country is awash in vast quantities — enough to meet all the country’s oil needs for hundreds of years. At current consumption rates, the United States has enough oil to last into the 23rd century without ever importing a single drop of oil from another country. But only a very small fraction of the American people know this. So when are we going to start hearing the truth? The following are 10 facts about America's energy resources that will blow your mind.... #1 Back in 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey told the American people that the Bakken Shale formation in western North Dakota and eastern Montana only held 151 million barrels of oil.  Today, government officials are admitting that it holds 4.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil, and some analysts believe that the actual number could be closer to 20 billion barrels of oil. #2 It is estimated that there are up to 19 billion barrels of recoverable oil deposits in the tar sands of Utah. #3 It is estimated that there are at least 86 billion barrels of recoverable oil deposits in the Outer Continental Shelf. #4 It is believed that there are 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil deposits in the Green River formation in Wyoming. #5 Overall, the United States is sitting on approximately 1.442 trillion barrels of recoverable oil deposits. #6 According to the Institute of Energy Research, the United States has a 120 year supply of natural gas. #7 According to the Institute of Energy Research, the United States has a 200 year supply of oil. #8 According to the Institute of Energy Research, the United States has a 464 year supply of coal. #9 According to Pastor Lindsey Williams, absolutely gigantic oil fields have been discovered up in Alaska that the American public is not being told about. #10 Goldman Sachs is predicting that the United States will be the number one oil producing country in the world by the year 2017. But you never hear any of these statistics from Barack Obama, do you? And some of our oil fields that were thought to be "depleted" are actually filling back up with oil.  Many scientists are extremely puzzled by this.  The following quote is from a 1999 Wall Street Journal article.... Production at the oil field, deep in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, was supposed to have declined years ago. And for a while, it behaved like any normal field: Following its 1973 discovery, Eugene Island 330's output peaked at about 15,000 barrels a day. By 1989, production had slowed to about 4,000 barrels a day. Then suddenly—some say almost inexplicably—Eugene Island's fortunes reversed. The field, operated by PennzEnergy Co., is now producing 13,000 barrels a day, and probable reserves have rocketed to more than 400 million barrels from 60 million. Stranger still, scientists studying the field say the crude coming out of the pipe is of a geological age quite different from the oil that gushed 10 years ago. The truth is that there is still much about the formation of oil that is a great mystery to our scientists.  For much more on this, you can listen to a recent interview with Dr. Jerome Corsi on Coast to Coast right here. Unfortunately, much of the information that you have read above is being repressed because it would be very damaging to the "green agenda" that the global elite are trying to impose on all of us. As I wrote about yesterday, a "green economy" is absolutely central to the "sustainable development" agenda that the United Nations is promoting. The elitists at the UN believe that carbon dioxide is evil and that it is going to cause catastrophic climate change. But the truth is that we have always had "climate change" and even if you eliminated all forms of human activity it would only reduce carbon dioxide levels on our planet by a marginal amount. And carbon dioxide is not a pollutant.  Every plant on earth uses carbon dioxide.  In the past, our planet actually had much higher levels of carbon dioxide.  When there are high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, plant life thrives and more food can be grown. So if you want the earth to be more "green", then you should actually want levels of carbon dioxide to be even higher. Unfortunately, this kind of logic evades the "true believers". Folks like Al Gore run around the planet declaring that global warming is going to bring an end to life as we know it if something is not done immediately. Well, you know what? The climate on earth is going to change and nothing can stop it.  It has always changed and it always will change. The primary cause of climate change is the gigantic ball of fire that our planet is revolving around.  You could fit 1.3 million earths inside the sun.  When there is a lot of solar activity the earth tends to get warmer, and when there is not a lot of solar activity the earth tends to get cooler. The sun has been behaving very strangely in recent years.  If this continues (or gets even worse) we are going to see some very bizarre weather patterns in the years ahead. And there is not a thing we can do about it other than pray. But Obama is going to continue to repress energy production in the United States and try to push us toward his vision of a "green society". Unfortunately, much of what he is trying to do is extremely damaging to our economy.  This was beautifully demonstrated in a recent YouTube video entitled "If I Wanted America To Fail".... So does this mean that alternative energy is bad? Of course not. At the same time that we work to exploit the vast deposits of oil, natural gas and coal under our feet, we should also seek to develop cutting edge alternative energy technologies. For example, most Americans have never even heard of thorium, but many scientists believe that it could provide nearly endless amounts of very safe, very cheap and very clean energy for future generations. America is not going to run out of energy.  America has more energy resources that anyone else in the world and our nation is also one of the leaders in developing cutting edge alternative energy technologies. This country has a lot of problems, but a lack of energy is not going to be one of them unless our politicians get in the way. So what do you think about all of this?  Please feel free to post a comment with your thoughts below.... THE AMERICAN DREAM