Thursday, January 24, California Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013. Before 10 assault weapons, the Senator delineated some 150 firearms to be prohibited from sale, transfer, import and manufacture for their, ‘dangerous, military-style’ nature. The ban does provide exemptions for thousands of hunting and sporting rifles as well as guns operated manually by bolt, pump, lever and slide-action.

It also provides exemption for weapons used by government officials, law enforcement and retired law enforcement.

Senator Feinstein defended her assault on automatic and semi-automatic weapons by invoking the December 14 Elementary School massacre at Sandy Hook. “The future of the nation is at stake,” stated the Senator, magnifying the bill as a package to stop mass-murders by stemming the deadly tide of their weapons of choice.

The same day of Senator Feinstein’s presentation, the conservative Breitbart News reported at least two stories where the assault rifle AR-15 Bushmaster deterred home invasions by its supremacy over concealed arms used by would-be robbers.

The AR-15 was the weapon used by Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook to senselessly massacre small school children.

To Senator Feinstein’s credit, her bill does not seem to discriminate between concealed weapons and rifles, targeting at least 30 automatic pistols. Indeed, Senator Feinstein’s 2013 Assault Weapons Ban prohibits magazines carrying more than 10 bullets, hoping to belittle the god-complex of dangerous sociopaths that enjoy dealing death at random.

However, what will an assault weapons ban really accomplish? Besides further stigmatizing guns and those that use them, it reframes usage as a criminal activity rather than an American right.

Chicago, for example, boasts some of the strictest gun laws and saw record gun-related homicides this year upwards of 500.

Famously, Major Rudy Giuliani combated the New York crime wave by placing more guns on the street by prioritizing policing and the NYPD. He went on to be voted the second most popular Major in the history of New York.

Senator Feinstein’s home state of California faces precinct closures and record gun sales as citizens seek to comfort their nerves by replacing an active police force with a paranoid home defense. Interestingly enough, cash strapped California continues to pay top dollar to psychiatrists, hoping that preventative medicine might cope with the scourge of criminalism.

But tax funded million dollar salaries to penitentiary psychiatrists and preventative gun bans cannot hope to replace the heart and soul of a humble and dedicated armed police force facing a large armed citizenry sending gun sales nation-wide to record heights.

Gun sales rose in 48 out of 50 states in 2012, and the December statistics for background checks rose in every single state of the Union. Last December, sales numbers tell the story of a scared constituency; the top 5 states recorded 60% growth in the wake of Sandy Hook.

As the country mourned, Massachusetts alone saw a 36% rise in gun permits. Shop keepers noted that women increasingly purchase guns, accounting for a third of customers now where once they were seldom seen.

The FBI also noted the rising popularity of guns post Sandy Hook by reporting 39% rise in background checks to set a new monthly record.

Directly following the Sandy Hood tragedy, the Pew Research Center for People and Press conducted a poll where still only half the polled believed the gun control superseded the American right to bear arms.

Pew did note the 65% of respondents believed that assault weapon ownership made the nation more dangerous – not safer. The typical concealed pistol, however, now, by and large, classifies as assault due to its automatic capabilities.

So while the liberal media played shock journalism and pointed fingers at conservatives during the Presidential decree to join the residents and victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in grief, the nation continued to arm itself.

David Gregory, in a December 23 broadcast of ‘Meet the Press,’ illegally brandished an automatic magazine banned from the District of Columbia to shock his viewership into appeasing liberals who wish to criminalize guns and their culture.

Ironically, as police investigated his brazen behavior, the President of the United States paid a surprise visit to boost ratings of the flagging show and talk about his take of the Fiscal Cliff talks.

Perhaps there is a cognitive dissonance in the media.

President Obama himself, in a pre-taped discussion with Barbara Walters on ‘Nightline’, December 26, joked that he ran for President so that his daughters could hang out with ‘men with guns.’ Both the President and Chicago Major Rahm Emanuel send their children to schools with an armed guard.

And yet the liberal media cries foul when the NRA concluded its Sandy Hook silence to propose a Federal mandate to arm all schools such that the misbegotten can not so hideously waltz into institutions of learning and commit murder.

So Thurday, January 3, the Sandy Hook Elementary School reopened under armed guard. A concerned police presence identified grown-ups and insured the students that they went to the most secure school in America.

Marlboro, New Jersey followed similar protocols, posting an armed and uniformed officer at each of the eight elementary schools and middle schools.

Since 2007, the Harrods, Texas school board has allowed for teachers to carry concealed weapons to ensure a minimal level of protection in the face of a stringent budget that does not provide for an armed guard.

Spokespeople for Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnestota, South Dakota and Oregon have all stated that they will consider similar methods.

Indeed, the Fontana, California school district just bought 14 AR-15s to police itself.

President Clinton, in 2000, on the one year anniversary of the ignominious Columbine School shooting, announced $120 million in federal grants to promote his ‘COPS in Schools,’ program.

Certainly it is too soon for the rabid liberal media to admit that good-guys with guns stop bad-guys with guns.

Perhaps we will have to witness the Democratic machine stall in a contested political atmosphere before the sober minded remind the nation of the now bi-partisan wish to dedicate as much fire-power in the protection of our school children as we do to foreign wars.

Image Courtesy :  paljoakim

The article Sandy Hook Tragedy Hasn’t Stopped America From Arming Itself appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

On July 2, President of Chick-fil-A Dan Cathy told a reporter that he is opposed to gay marriage. When the story was picked up by Baptist Press on July 16, the American people responded loudly on both sides.

Cathy’s statement was this: “We are very much supportive of the family – the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that. We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.”

After the statement was picked up by the press many conservatives and liberals rushed to make sure their opinion on the matter was known.

Mike Huckabee, conservative pundit and former Republican presidential hopeful, called for a Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day on August 1, a day on which the chain reported record sales. One picture taken of the long lines stated, “Hey liberals, the turnout for Chick-fil-A appreciation day is a preview of the polling stations in November.”

The liberal backlash was very strong. Ed Helms, star of “The Office,” tweeted, “Chick-fil-A doesn’t like gay people? So lame. Hate to think what they do to the gay chickens! Lost a loyal fan.” Several mayors, including Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, made it quite apparent that they were opposed to having Chick-fil-A in their cities after the statements.

Menino stated, “Chick-fil-A doesn’t belong in Boston. You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population. We’re an open city, we’re a city that’s at the forefront of inclusion.” Emanuel agreed and added, “Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago values. They’re not respectful of our residents, our neighbors, and our family members.”

One Philadelphia City Councilman, James Kenney, sent a letter to Cathy stating, “take a hike and take your intolerance with you.” A same-sex “kiss in” has also been scheduled for Friday, August 3.

I find this statement ironic, seeing as the ones being intolerant in all of this mess are actually the liberals. To clarify, I am a hard-core liberal – bordering on socialist – and an atheist. I completely support gay rights and gay marriage, but I do not agree with the liberals’ treatment of Dan Cathy.

Shortly after the controversy was announced Chick-fil-A issued a statement saying that the tradition and philosophy of Chick-fil-A has always been to “treat every person with honor, dignity, and respect – regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 restaurants run by independent owner/operators. Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”

Since this statements’ release I have yet to hear anyone come forward claiming that they were discriminated against at Chick-fil-A because of his or her sexual orientation. The statements made by Dan Cathy are completely his own opinion and he is allowed to have them and express them as long as he is not hurting anyone or denying anyone service.

In fact, the whole idea of having a “kiss in” is ridiculous, in my opinion, and somewhat insulting to the sit-ins that happened during the Civil Rights Movement on which they are modeled. They are not equivalent whatsoever. No person – to my knowledge – has ever been denied service at Chick-fil-A because they are of the LGBTQA persuasion.

I also think that it is wrong for government officials, who are supposed to uphold the law –including the first amendment – such as these mayors to deny Chick-fil-A access to their cities. Although they have a right to state their opposition to Cathy’s opinion, I do not believe that they are in the right about preventing the company from being in their cities. Their citizens can choose for themselves whether or not they want to support Chick-fil-A by eating there, exercising their own rights.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that both sides have overreacted. Just because Dan Cathy announces that he supports ‘traditional marriage’ does not mean that every conservative needs to rush off to his or her nearest Chick-fil-A to buy a chicken sandwich and a milkshake. Dan Cathy is no politician, he cannot make laws or issue decrees that will hinder or help gay rights. He is one man who expressed his opinion to the world and happens to be the head of one of America’s greatest and well-known food chains.

Ultimately, all of this controversy is absurd; when did food become so political? Why do I have to base my diet on my political beliefs when they should be completely unrelated? What people eat should be based exclusively on their needs, their preferences, and their health – not what is most in line with their political beliefs. If that were the case every liberal would have to eat Oreos and every conservative would have to eat Chick-fil-A.

I believe Voltaire expressed my sentiment best when he claimed, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” As long as what someone is saying doesn’t hurt another human being then let them express themselves and hopefully others will reciprocate.

Image Courtesy of   Elinag / Shutterstock.com

The article Absurd Chick-fil-A Gay Rights Battle Rages On appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

“A promise of false hope to the people of Roseland” is how the ISRA is characterizing Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s carefully-staged announcement of his latest gun control scheme.  During a Thursday press conference in Chicago’s war torn Roseland neighborhood, Emanuel announced his support for a state-wide handgun tax and registration package.

This latest attack on law-abiding firearm owners features a $65 per handgun tax along with a host of oppressive regulations designed to discourage private firearm ownership.  In his address, Emanuel tried to dupe Roseland residents into believing that taxing and regulating law-abiding firearm owners was the key to solving the growing problem of criminal violence in their neighborhood.

The ISRA believes that Emanuel’s scheme is unnecessary, divisive, and unenforceable.  Currently, there are dozens of federal and state laws that prohibit criminals from owning and transferring firearms.  As with other gun control proposals, Emanuel’s scheme pits the interests of law-abiding citizens against one another while ignoring criminal enterprises and the terror they spawn.

And, of course, nowhere in this proposal is there any suggestion as to how the government would extract the $65 fee from gang bangers and street thugs.  All in all, Emanuel’s proposal is a bad idea that comes at a bad time for the law-abiding citizens of Illinois.  If this measure reaches the General Assembly, the ISRA will vigorously oppose it and defeat it.

“Rahm Emanuel offered nothing to the people of Roseland,” commented ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson.  “If he really cared about protecting the good citizens of Chicago, he’d be announcing his support for concealed carry and not telling citizens about plans for disempowering them further.  Just like his predecessor, Rahm Emanuel is long on media fluff and short on real solutions to real problems faced by real people every day.”

“I did find it interesting that Emanuel was flanked by Garry McCarthy and Mike Pfleger during his rail against law-abiding gun owners,” continued Pearson.  “McCarthy, of course, is Emanuel’s police superintendent and the guy responsible for suppressing reports of last summer’s flash mob attacks on the Mag Mile.

And, we all know Pfleger as the renegade priest who called for the murder of gun shop owners and legislators who vote against gun control bills.  Thus, Emanuel’s credibility on the issue of violent crime is no better than that of the joker that preceded him.”

The ISRA is the state’s leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership.  For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/iowademocrats/

The article Mayor of Chicago’s Gun Control Proposal Was a Cynical Publicity Stunt appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.