Challenging Net Neutrality: FCC on Path to Most Dangerous Expansion of Federal Power Since Civil War

Video Hat Tip: Political Pistachio, from whom I've swiped the video. Also, be sure to check out his radio show on Blog Talk Radio.


More from Ryan Radia:

Reclassifying the transmission component of broadband Internet access as a Title II telecommunications service would undermine the Commission’s statutory mission and harm consumers in several ways. First, it would discourage private investment in both broadband Internet networks and in networks yet to be imagined. Second, it would thwart the natural evolution of the dynamic telecommunications marketplace. Third, it would pave the way for a future Commission to regulate virtually every aspect of the Internet and digital communications in destructive and unforeseen ways.


It is no coincidence that America's most vibrant communications platform, the Internet, has evolved largely free from regulatory intervention. As this proceeding illustrates, the greatest threat to the evolution of communications wealth in the United States comes not from broadband providers or content companies, but from the Commission itself.

Download the full PDF of the statement.


More here:

To be sure, the virtues that neutrality proponents espouse– open access, transparency, democracy, and the like — are all legitimate, even important values. Arguably, the open nature of the Internet has been instrumental in fostering many of the innovations that consumers enjoy today. But it is wrong to assume, as neutrality proponents do, that today’s “capital-I” Internet is the end all, be all network, and that the future of global communications ought not include some proprietary elements.


Technological innovation is an unpredictable beast. Networks for transmitting data that have yet to emerge — so-called “splinternets” — may well reshape the nature of global communications in years ahead. One need only look to the FCC’s widely criticized telephone and cable regulations to witness how rigid federal mandates can thwart high-tech evolution and steer the market in unnatural directions.


Fortunately, not all hope is lost for consumers. A group of Republican Senators, led by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), have announced that they will lead a charge in Congress to thwart the FCC’s push for neutrality. And if the FCC bites off more than it can chew and enacts overly broad rules, network providers may well challenge the agency in court. Only two weeks ago, the FCC was sharply repudiated by a federal circuit court for ignoring the facts in its regulation of the cable industry.


If net neutrality ultimately goes through, the threat to infrastructure wealth creation is serious. When regulators gain new powers, they rarely cede them in response to marketplace changes without a fight. Under a neutrality regime, the telecom industry would likely retreat, take fewer risks, and divert investment toward more fruitful pursuits. It’s no coincidence that the Internet, a sanctuary of governmental restraint, has spawned such unparalleled innovation. In the relentlessly fast-moving digital age, regulatory intervention is a recipe for entrenching the status-quo.

Read the complete article at The Technology Liberation Front


For more information, click on the links below:


FCC on Path to Most Dangerous Expansion of Federal Power Since Civil War (PDF Download)

Net Neutrality, Banned Business Models & Price Controls

Commentary

I think this goes hand-in-hand with the desire of the Obama crowd to seek a kill switch for the danger that the vast Free Market of the Internet represents to the Progressive designs to re-shape America in their own image.

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Freedom Isn't Free

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Independence Day as Celebrated in the Macon County Veterans Memorial Recreation Park

Here are a couple of videos to give a glimpse of how my fellow Maconians and their guests celebrated our Independence from Great Britain. I think that I live in the greatest place anywhere, and here's part of the reason why...





A day in the park





Excerpts from the Fireworks Display




Previously:


The 2010 Independence Day Parade in Franklin, NC

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Do Republicans in Buncombe County Understand the US Constitution??? Or Do They WANT A Religious Test for Officeholders?

**2.14pm** I've had several emails from Republicans in Buncombe County objecting to my use of the term Republican in my headline, several of whom I respect. I'm letting the descriptor stand because I feel it fits, and I know of no significant numbers of Republicans who have come out in support of Cecil Bothwell's religious freedom. If I am mistaken in this, please correct me.





I hope that certain people in Buncombe County will realize the folly of allowing themselves to be stirred up by listening to a moron on the radio regarding Cecil Bothwell. That guy has done nothing but cause trouble for Republicans, and as soon as they realize that, the better.

One of his latest efforts has succeeded in making the target briefly on the national radar (see AshVegas) while simultaneously exposing our side as hypocritical idiots who don't understand the US Constitution. (As many Republicans are want to do these days since it is the style of the times). I'll wager less than one in a hundred "Republicans" have read the US Constitution and the documents that supported it, The Federalist...also known as The Federalist Papers. Or, for that matter, the Anti-Federalist Papers written by people who opposed the Constitution, and were in favor of religious tests of office.

Here is the 3d clause of Article VI:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

That is very simple language, and should be easy to understand. The US Constitution trumps the state constitutions in this case.

Further, requiring a religious test for office violates the 1st and 14th Amendment rights of the person in question, as Torcaso v. Watkins has decided in a very similar case.

The Supreme Court ruled on this case, so it is the law of the land unless you are willing to take this all the way to the Supreme Court and get it over turned. That will not happen.

I dislike Cecil Bothwell being in the Asheville City Council. However, the voters have spoken.

If you want anyone to blame, you have no need to look past what John Jay, an author of The Federalist Papers, the first Chief Justice of the United States and the second president of the American Bible Society, said when he declared, "Providence has given our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." If you wanted a religious test, the time to apply it would have been during the election campaign...not afterward.

So blame the conservative candidates running, blame the 80% of Republicans who did not go to the polls that day, blame the party leadership in that county for not having an organized GOTV plan for Election Day that could have been adapted by the candidates running for City Council.

Maybe next time there is an election campaign going on, these people will be involved in walking the precincts, seeking voters and donations to help get someone who shares their values elected to office. If they are not doing that, then they are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

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Americans are Free Men and Women. We Bow to No One.

Source: Miss Manners

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The Law by Frédéric Bastiat A Tool to Combat Today's Socialists

Photo Credit: Bobby Coggins

Frédéric Bastiat was born on this day on the year 1801.His writings can be said to form one of the foundation stones of conservative thought, and his work, The Law is one of his best known and was written shortly after the failed socialist revolution in France of 1848. Even then, he identified the Untied States at the hope of mankind. I cannot help but wonder at how disappointed he would be at how we have corrupted things on our way deep into Socialism.

Source: Conservative Thunder

Commentary

I have become convinced that one of the tools conservatives must use in order to reverse our course into Socialism is education. Most people who call themselves conservative are woefully uneducated on the philosophy of conservatism. This is mostly due to the public school systems' penchant for teaching socialist ideas over that of conservatives ideas.

We must encourage conservatives to read works by conservative thinkers, especially those who wrote with clarity...among them, I identify Frédéric Bastiat as one of the first tier authors we should study.

To begin your study of Bastiat I suggest Bastiat.org. His ideas are as devastating to Socialists today as they were in 1850. Arm yourself with this man's words to counter the socialists of today!

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A Video Comparison of the Differences Between Reagan and Obama

A vast gulf separates Reagan and Obama. Courage and Cowardice. Right and Wrong.

At least Carter (in his bumbling way) tried to punish Russia for invading Afghanistan by not going to the Olympics. This guy, Obama, is inviting the Iranians over for hot dogs to join us in celebrating our freedom while Iranian students lie bleeding or dead while fighting for their freedom.

This guy, Obama, makes Carter look like Churchill in comparison.

Hat Tip: Gateway Pundit, who has more.

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Video of Flag Day Event in Asheville, NC

Click on Image for larger video

Intrepid videographer Kathy Rhodarmer uploaded a video she took at Sunday's event in Asheville, NC:

FLAG DAY CELEBRATION By K. R.
View in HD  Download 480p Version  Visit K. R.'s ExposureRoom Videos Page

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An Open Letter to the David Letterman Haters

This is addressed to all those who called for the firing of David Letterman:

The "conservatives" (and I use that term very loosely) who are calling for the firing of David Letterman for his hateful joke about Sara Palin's daughter are bastards. Bastards in the sense that you are the illegitimate children of the American concept of free speech.

Your response to David Letterman is worse than what he did.

Your response smells like fascism to me. It smells like the gases escaping the crematoria of Nazi Germany. It smells like a speech code on a college campus. It smells like forcing a woman to wear a burqa.

It smells like the iron fist of tyranny wearing the clothes of righteous indignation.

David Letterman has a right to say what he said.

I do not agree with what he said. I do, however, assert that he has a right to say it, and I will defend that right with everything that I am, with every tool at my disposal.

Shame on you.

We have something called free speech in America.

You people need to think before you oppress other people. Repent of your evil and think a little about what you are advocating. You are acting just exactly like the progressive statists.

Thank You for your time.

--Thunder Pig

PS...

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

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Bread and Circuses: Get Your Obama Bailout Money Now!!!

The people have discovered that they can vote themselves a largess from the public treasury. In my opinion, we have crossed the tipping point, and cannot go back. The cycle continues onward to the next stage in our fall from a Free Society. 

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.

Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage.

Quotation Source: The Truth About Tyler

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Big Brother Says No Smoking in North Carolina

Rep. Hugh Holliman pitches his bill to ban smoking in public workplaces.
Hat Tip: Mark Binker's You Tube Channel

The Bill is called HR 2--"Prohibit Smoking in Public & Work Places."

And would bring down the full force of the government upon you if you had a place of business and allowed smoking on your premises. One more freedom the Government wishes to take from you. 

If I don't want to be around people who are smoking...I don't go to places where they are smoking. That should be the end of the story, and would be, if people had any common sense. It appears that the people of North Carolina are going to be getting the laws they deserve.

The full text of the Abomination as it exists right now is below:

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2009

H                                                                                                                                                    1

HOUSE BILL 2

 

 

 

 

Short Title:     Prohibit Smoking in Public & Work Places.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Representatives Holliman, Weiss, Glazier, Barnhart (Primary Sponsors);  Adams, M. Alexander, Bordsen, Burris‑Floyd, Carney, Cotham, Dickson, England, Fisher, Goforth, Goodwin, Hall, Harrell, Harrison, Insko, Luebke, Mackey, Martin, Neumann, Pierce, Ross, Tarleton, Underhill, Wray, and Yongue.
Referred to:	Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House.

January 29, 2009

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT TO PROHIBIT SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES AND PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1. Effective January 2, 2010, Article 23 of Chapter 130A of the General Statutes reads as rewritten:

"Article 23.

"Smoking Prohibited in Public Places.Places and Places of Employment.

Part 1. Smoking in State Government Buildings."Part 1A. Findings and Intent.

"§ 130A‑491.  Legislative findings and intent.

(a)        Findings. – The General Assembly finds that secondhand smoke has been proven to cause cancer, heart disease, and asthma attacks in both smokers and nonsmokers. In 2006, a report issued by the United States Surgeon General stated that the scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk‑free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

(b)        Intent. – It is the intent of the General Assembly to protect the health of individuals in public places and places of employment and riding in State government vehicles working in or visiting State government buildings from the risks related to secondhand smoke. It is further the intent of the General Assembly toprotect the health of individuals driving or riding in State‑controlled passenger‑carrying vehicles assigned permanently or temporarily to State employees or State agencies or institutions for official State business.allow local governments to adopt local laws governing smoking within their jurisdictions that are more restrictive than the State law.

"§ 130A‑492.  Definitions.

The following definitions apply in this Article:

(1)        "Employee". – A person who is employed by an employer, or who contracts with an employer or third person to perform services for an employer, or who otherwise performs services for an employer with or without compensation.

(2)        "Employer". – An individual person, business, association, political subdivision, or other public or private entity, including a nonprofit entity, that employs or contracts for or accepts the provision of services from one or more employees.

(3)        "Enclosed area". – An area with a roof or other overhead covering of any kind and walls or side coverings of any kind, regardless of the presence of openings for ingress and egress, on all sides or on all sides but one.

(4)        "Grounds". – An unenclosed area owned, leased, or occupied by State or local government.

(5)        "Local government". – A local political subdivision of this State, an airport authority, or an authority or body created by an ordinance, joint resolution, or rules of any such entity.

(6)        "Local government building". – A building owned, leased as lessor, or the area leased as lessee and occupied by a local government.

(7)        "Lodging establishment". – An establishment that provides lodging for pay to the public.

(8)        "Local vehicle". – A passenger‑carrying vehicle owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by local government and assigned permanently or temporarily by local government to local government employees, agencies, institutions, or facilities for official local government business.

(8a)      "Public place". – An enclosed area to which the public is invited or in which the public is permitted.

(8b)      "Place of employment". – An enclosed area under the control of a public or private employer that employees use during the course of employment or for any other purpose.

(8c)      "Tobacco shop". – A business establishment the main purpose of which is the sale of tobacco, tobacco products, and accessories for such products that receives no less than seventy‑five percent (75%) of its total annual revenues from the sale of tobacco, tobacco products, and accessories for such products, and does not serve food or alcohol on its premises.

(9)        "Smoking". – The use or possession of a lighted cigarette, lighted cigar, lighted pipe, or any other lighted tobacco product.

(10)      "State government". – The political unit for the State of North Carolina, including all agencies of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government.

(11)      "State government building". – A building owned, leased as lessor, or the area leased as lessee and occupied by State government.

(12)      "State vehicle". – A passenger‑carrying vehicle owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by the State and assigned permanently or temporarily to a State employee or State agency or institution for official State business.

"Part 1B. Smoking Prohibited in State Government Buildings and Vehicles.

"§ 130A‑493.  Smoking prohibited in State government buildings and State vehicles prohibited.vehicles.

(a)        Notwithstanding Article 64 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes pertaining to State‑controlled buildings, smoking is prohibited inside State government buildings except as provided in subsection (b) of this section. As to smoking rooms in residence halls that were permitted by G.S. 143‑597(a)(6), this Article becomes effective beginning with the 2008‑2009 academic year.

(b)        Smoking is permitted inside State government buildings that are used for medical or scientific research to the extent that smoking is an integral part of the research. Smoking permitted under this subsection shall be confined to the area where the research is being conducted.

(c)        The individual in charge of the State government building or the individual's designee shall post signs in conspicuous areas of the building. The signs shall state that "smoking is prohibited" and may include the international "No Smoking" symbol, which consists of a pictorial representation of a burning cigarette enclosed in a red circle with a red bar across it. In addition, in any State psychiatric hospital, the person who owns, manages, operates, or otherwise controls the hospital shall:the individual in charge of the building or the individual's designee shall:

(1)        Direct any a person who is smoking inside the facility to extinguish the lighted smoking product.

(2)        Provide In a State psychiatric hospital, provide written notice to individuals upon admittance that smoking is prohibited inside the facility and obtain the signature of the individual or the individual's representative acknowledging receipt of the notice.

(c1)      Smoking is prohibited inside State vehicles. The individual or the individual's designee in charge of assigning the vehicle shall place one or more signs in conspicuous areas of the vehicle. The signs shall state that "smoking is prohibited" and may include the international "No Smoking" symbol, which consists of a pictorial representation of a burning cigarette enclosed in a red circle with a red bar across it. If the vehicle is used for undercover law enforcement operations, a sign is not required to be placed in the vehicle as provided in this subsection.

(d)        Notwithstanding G.S. 130A‑25, a violation of Article 23 of this Chapter shall not be punishable as a misdemeanor.

"§ 130A‑494.  Other prohibitions.

Nothing in this Article repeals any other law prohibiting smoking, nor does it limit any law allowing regulation or prohibition of smoking on walkways or on the grounds of buildings.

"§ 130A‑495.  Rules.

The Commission shall adopt rules to implement this Part.

"Part 1C. Smoking Prohibited in Public Places and Places of Employment.

"§ 130A‑496. Smoking prohibited in public places and places of employment.

(a)        Notwithstanding Article 64 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes, smoking is prohibited in public places and places of employment, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section.

(b)        Smoking may be permitted in the following places:

(1)        A private residence, except when being used commercially to provide child care or adult care services.

(2)        A tobacco shop if smoke from the business does not migrate into an enclosed area where smoking is prohibited pursuant to this Article. A tobacco shop that begins operation after July 1, 2009, may only allow smoking if it is located in a freestanding structure occupied solely by the tobacco shop and smoke from the shop does not migrate into an enclosed area where smoking is prohibited pursuant to this Article.

(3)        A tobacco manufacturing or processing facility.

(4)        A designated smoking guest room in a lodging establishment. No greater than twenty percent (20%) of a lodging establishment's guest rooms may be designated smoking guest rooms.

"§ 130A‑497. Implementation and enforcement.

(a)        A person who owns, manages, operates, or otherwise controls a public place or place of employment in which smoking is prohibited shall:

(1)        Conspicuously post signs clearly stating that smoking is prohibited. The signs may include the international "No Smoking" symbol, which consists of a pictorial representation of a burning cigarette enclosed in a red circle with a red bar across it.

(2)        Remove all indoor ashtrays and other smoking receptacles.

(3)        Direct a person who is smoking to extinguish the lighted tobacco product.

(b)        A person who continues to smoke in a nonsmoking area described in this Part following oral or written notice by the person in charge of the area or the person's designee that smoking is prohibited shall be guilty of an infraction and punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars ($50.00).

(c)        The Commission shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this Article.

(d)        The provisions of this Article and the rules adopted by the Commission to implement the provisions of this Article shall be enforced by a local health department.

(e)        Conviction of an infraction under this section has no consequence other than payment of a penalty. A person found responsible for a violation of this section may not be assessed court costs.

(f)         Notwithstanding G.S. 130A‑25, a violation of this Part shall not be punishable as a misdemeanor.

"Part 2. Local Government Regulation of Smoking.

"§ 130A‑498. Local governments may restrict smoking in public places.

(a)        Notwithstanding any other provision of Article 64 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes to the contrary, a local government may adopt an ordinance, law, or rule restricting smoking in accordance with subsection (b) of this section.and enforce ordinances, board of health rules, and other laws or policies restricting or prohibiting smoking that are more restrictive than State law and that apply in buildings, on  grounds, in publicly owned, leased, or operated vehicles, or in public places.

(b1)      A county ordinance adopted under this section is subject to the provisions of G.S. 153A‑122.

(b)        Any local ordinance, law, or rule authorized under this section may restrict smoking only in:

(1)        Buildings owned, leased as lessor, or the area leased as lessee and occupied by local government;

(2)        Building and grounds wherein local health departments and departments of social services are housed;

(3)        Repealed by Session Laws 2007‑193, s. 3.1, effective August 1, 2008.

(4)        Any place on a public transportation vehicle owned or leased by local government and used by the public; and

(5)        Any place in a local vehicle.

(c)        As used in this Part, "local government" means any local political subdivision of this State, any airport authority, or any authority or body created by any ordinance, joint resolution, or rules of any such entity. As used in this Part, "local government" does not include community colleges as defined in G.S. 115D‑2(2).

(d)        As used in this Part, "grounds" means the area located within 50 linear feet of a building wherein a local health department or a local department of social services is housed.

(e)        A county ordinance adopted under this section is subject to the provisions of G.S. 153A‑122."

"§§ 130A‑499 through 130A‑500: Reserved for future codification."

SECTION 2.  Effective January 2, 2010, G.S. 130A‑22 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:

"(h1)     A local health director may take the following actions and may impose the following administrative penalty on a person who owns, manages, operates, or otherwise controls a public place or place of employment and fails to comply with the provisions of Article 23 of this Chapter or with rules adopted thereunder:

(1)        First violation. – Provide the person in violation with written notice of the person's first violation and notification of action to be taken in the event of subsequent violations.

(2)        Second violation. – Provide the person in violation with written notice of the person's second violation and notification of administrative penaltie s to be imposed for subsequent violations.

(3)        Subsequent violations. – Impose on the person in violation an administrative penalty of not more than two hundred dollars ($200.00) for the third and subsequent violations.

Each day on which a violation of this Article or rules adopted pursuant to this Article occurs shall be considered a separate and distinct violation. Notwithstanding G.S. 130A‑25, a violation of Article 23 of this Chapter shall not be punishable as a criminal violation."

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.

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The Mumbai Terror Strikes Could Happen Here

I have been concerned since September 11, 2001 that terrorists would engage in a distributive-type attack where a dozen or so could bring a city to a stand still or a couple hundred could bring the nation to a brief stop.

All it would take for a small-scale attack is 5 or 6 gunmen to attack a Friday night football game, Saturday afternoon soccer match or other public gathering in small town America. They could kill dozens, if not hundreds, in such an attack.

Hotels, Motels, Theaters, Restaurants, Schools, Public Transit Hubs and Concert Halls could be attacked the same way...some of this did occur in the Mumbai Strikes.

Now, imagine this on a larger scale in several cities, perhaps even in larger ones with over 30,000 population. In these larger cities, there is so much foot traffic that a coordinated attack could herd people into ever smaller areas, making for a killing zone that would yield thousands dead.  

I am thankful that such an attack has not been made on American soil. My hope is that  we never see such carnage on our streets. My feeling is that the genie is now out of the bottle on such attacks. 

By the way, you do have a concealed carry permit, don't you?

I have been in the habit of carrying at least one .45 ACP with three magazines on my person in the past couple of years...if more of us did that sort of thing, and happened to be in a place chosen by terrorists to attack...it would provide for an inoculation against a similar attempt, wouldn't it?

Perhaps the perception that we are an armed society has kept us safe...so far.

Happy Thanksgiving, and keep the people of Mumbai in your prayers, and the faces of terrorists on your targets when you visit your local gun range.

And remember that places that try to prevent the exercise of the Second Amendment on their premises will be the most likely places hit by terrorists...I know if I were one...they would be very high on my list.

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Veterans Day Tribute Video

Thank God such men and women were given to us!

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Veterans Day 2008

What can we ever say except, "Thank You" to those men and women who served to preserve our freedoms?

What can we ever say except, "Thank You" to those men and women who liberated millions of people in other countries?

It is the Soldier,
not the reporter, who has given us freedom of press.

It is the Soldier,
not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier,
not the campus organizer, who gives us freedom to demonstrate.

It is the Soldier
who salutes the flag,
who serves beneath the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
who allows the protester to burn the flag.

By Father Dennis Edward O’Brien

A list of Veterans Day events for western North Carolina can be found at the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Thank a Veteran today.

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Obama's Fascist Thugs Versus Joe The Plumber

Last weekend, Senator Obama showed up in Joe’s driveway to ask for his vote, and Joe asked Senator Obama a tough question. I’m glad he did; I think Senator Obama could use a few more tough questions.

The response from Senator Obama and his campaign yesterday was to attack Joe. People are digging through his personal life and he has TV crews camped out in front of his house. He didn’t ask for Senator Obama to come to his house. He wasn’t recruited or prompted by our campaign. He just asked a question. And Americans ought to be able to ask Senator Obama tough questions without being smeared and targeted with political attacks.

Neptunus Lex quotes the old Japanese saying: “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” Today’s “progressives” want very much to hammer down nails in America.

Here’s what I think is going on: Over the last 20 years, too many of America’s universities have become places in which conformity is at a premium and genuinely independent thought is discouraged–”islands of repression in a sea of freedom,” as someone put it. It was inevitable that the spirit of repression inculcated in the universities would begin to poison the larger society, and that is now happening.

Here’s an item which I think is related: It’s been reported that at a (rare, small) McCain rally in NYC, somebody grabbed a McCain sign and beat up the woman carrying it. Beat her up physically, not metaphorically. [court record]

Source: Chicago Boyz (David Foster has a way of getting to the crux of a problem)

Hat Tip: Zen Pundit (who has a marvelous recommended reading list)

Commentary

Sure, the use of fascist is incendiary. It is meant to be so. Step back and imagine that Obama is a nascent Hitler with no teeth of his own. Someone dares challenge him or his precepts, and even the Legacy Media join in the hunt to discredit the poor guy, or to beat a woman for carrying a McCain sign.

This also has the effect of "chilling" future challenges to the anointed leader of the progressive movement. No private citizen wants their life gone over with a fine tooth comb. When and if the Left gets in power, they won't need the NSA to find out things about your life...they'll just use the Legacy Media to spy on you, and deliver up a dossier on your activities so your life can be ruined for daring to be noticed.

This exposes a very dangerous side to the personage of Obama, and those around him...they will seek to destroy you if they perceive you as a threat. Note that they go after the person opposing them immediately...not the message...their first impulse is to destroy the person and to dig through their life until the find "dirt" that they hope will discredit whatever that person has said that they disagree with...or to simply take their sign and beat them about the head and neck with it.

Remember that when you cast your ballot.

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Gun Scare Locks Down School in Henderson County

At about 8:55 a.m. today, a bus driver leaving the
campus saw the female holding what looked like rifle and sling. He returned back to the school and alerted school authorities. School Resource Officer Deputy Terry Tweed called for assistance and the school was placed on emergency lockdown.

When Henderson County Sheriff deputies arrived on scene, they determined the area where the person was sighted was private property and the school was never in any danger.

Source: Asheville Citizen-Times

Commentary

What in the world is wrong with people? And what is wrong with someone practicing their Constitutional Rights?

When was in school, we carried rifles and shotguns on the school bus during hunting season. When we got to school, we would leave them in the Principal's office. After school, we would cut through the woods on our way home, bagging some squirrels and rabbits as walked home. It was not unusual for a deputy or highway patrolman to stop and shoot the bull with us when we were on the side of the road.

We never shot anyone, or even thought about using our weapons in anger. We did, however, speak in hushed tones about the best ways to take out Russians with them if we were ever invaded. This was in the 70's and very early 80's.

What has happened to us? Someone sees a weapon near a school and they freak out, locking the school down and calling law enforcement? This is teaching our children that weapons are to be feared, and that it is not right for someone to have them.

Due to the policy of "zero tolerance" it would be unwise for anyone to even suggest that they carried weapons on school grounds, or knew of people who did...so I won't go there.

I want my country back from the people who stole it.

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The 1991 Russian Coup Attempt and Its Modern Successor

Given the recent events involving the Russian invasion of the Republic of Georgia, and the occasion of the 27^th Anniversary of the 1991 coup attempt tomorrow, I thought to share a couple of videos about some of the events surrounding the ten days that shook the world.


This video is a good summary of the overall trajectory of the coup.



This is footage from the documentary "Krustcels", directed by Juris Podnieks of Latvia. Soviet troops can be seen attacking unarmed civilians on the order of Gorbachev.

Here is video of Russian troops looting and burning civilian property:


So, here we are, 27 years later, and the Russian Bear is still hungry for the blood of civilians. We should never forget that Vlad the Villainous was, and is, hug...which probably explains in large part why the lefty newsmag, Time, chose him as the 2007 Man of the Year. The left has never met a dictator they didn't fall in love with.

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Happy Patroit's Day!!!

This is from Theodore's World:

The incident that precipitated the Alarm was a British raid on the colonial powder stored at the Powder House on the Somerville/Medford line. It was one of several "alarms," including ones in Marblehead and Portsmouth, NH, that let the Provincials know the British were clamping down on them, militarily, before Lexington and Concord.

People armed were vital to this nation gaining freedom. Now, it's vital to KEEPING it. One of the reasons the colonists were so pissed, was the British had come to confiscate their guns. Both the American and Texan revolutions began because of an attempt at "gun control".

Source: Theodore's World

Related: Patriot's Day in Concord

Here is a re-enactment video of the events of that fateful day that saw the shot that was heard around the world, and reverberates down to our very day! May we never forget, and may there always be armed citizens ready to fight against tyranny in government.

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, “If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,—One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm.”


Read the real story behind the poem at Right Wing Nuthouse

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