BRAZILIAN BEEF JBS DEAL WITH NATIONAL BEEF DROPPED

Title click to read article in the DENVER POST.

"In October, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit blocking the deal, saying it could push up costs for consumers and drive down prices paid to ranchers and feedlots.

Attorneys general for at least 13 states joined the suit, many of them from the central part of the U.S. and the west with meatpacking ties."

DESIGNER GOWNS COME HOME TO USA FROM ONCE MADE IN CHINA

Title click to read article in FORBES.

OVERHAUL OF USDA'S BIOTECHNOLOGY REGS STALLED

Title click to read article by UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS.

(ORF has posted information and links to MONSANTO and genetically engineered crops, bullying of farmers by MONSANTO and a possible connection to the decline of the honey bee linked to genetically engineered crops.  Now the USDA is re-opening public comment on pharma crops; crops that contain pharmaceuticals intended for human consumption.  So what happens when the can of beans you thought contained cold medicine actually contains Viagra? )

Update on AZ Rancher Sued by 16 Illegal Aliens

Here's the update to the story about the AZ rancher who was sued by 16 illegals when he detained them for trespassing until the border patrol arrived.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...xicans-rights/

Jury: Rancher did not violate Mexicans' rights
A federal jury on Tuesday afternoon ruled that an Arizona rancher did not violate the civil rights of 16 Mexican nationals he detained at gunpoint after they had snuck illegally into the United States in 2004, but the jury awarded $78,000 in actual and punitive damages to six of the illegal immigrants on claims of assault and infliction of emotional distress.

After a nine-day trial, the eight-person jury -- four men and four women -- returned the verdict in U.S. District Court in Tucson, Ariz., after a day and a half of deliberation, also tossing charges of false imprisonment, battery and conspiracy against Douglas, Ariz., rancher Roger Barnett. Most of the award, about $60,000, was for punitive damages.

Mr. Barnett's attorney, David T. Hardy of Tucson , described the decision as an "80 percent victory," adding that he wished he and his client "would have gotten the other 20 percent." But he said he would appeal the decision, citing what he called "solid grounds." He also said U.S. District Judge John M. Roll had been "scrupulously fair" during the landmark trial.

Mr. Barnett owns the Cross Rail Ranch near Douglas , Ariz. , where he maintains cattle on 22,000 acres of private and leased land. A $32 million lawsuit, brought by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), sought damages for civil rights violations and the infliction of emotional distress. It also accuses Mr. Barnett of assault, battery and false imprisonment.

Also named were Mr. Barnett's wife, Barbara, and his brother, Donald, although the jury dismissed the allegations against both the wife and the brother.

The trial was based on a March 7, 2004 , incident in which Mr. Barnett approached a group of illegal immigrants while carrying a gun and accompanied by his dog.

Thanks to Radar for sending this our way.

First Amendment Rights Exercised for Obama Appearance in Phoenix. You Won't See This on TV

It Didn't Take Long. Another Tax Cheat

Had Enough Yet? States Have Passed Laws to Prohibit Federal Encroachment

This map shows a growing number of states that have passed and propose
resolutions to assert the Tenth Amendment and the Bill of Rights of the
Constitution.

States with bills or resolutions:
Washington
New
Hampshire
Arizona
Montana
Michigan
Missouri
Oklahoma
California
Georgia

Our neighbor to the West has taken action. Our neighbors to the East and North are in the planning stages. Our neighbor to the South, you know that sad story all too well.

Conservatives are portrayed as "nay sayers" and only able to say NO. Don't buy into that propaganda. Here is a positive, useful and very productive avenue to change.

Dr. Jerome Corsi has links. They can be found at: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/?pageId=89082

Click title to link to map, list of states, etc. at Infowars.

Amnesty, the Next Stench from DC?

Click the title for a preview of the smell of the death of the United States wafting from D.C. Time to start calling and writing again. We did it once but this will be an uphill battle. Thanks Luther.

Be sure to read the next post on Phoenix's status as second most kidnaps in the world.

Mexican drug cartels make Phoenix #2 in world for kidnappings

“We’re in the eye of the storm,” Phoenix Police Chief Andy Anderson told ABC News of the violent crimes and ruthless tactics spurred by Mexico’s drug cartels that have expanded business across the border. “If it doesn’t stop here, if we’re not able to fix it here and get it turned around, it will go across the nation,” he said.

Click title for full story which includes sources and videos.

Hope and Change in Action

Photo courtesy of FT.com: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9ebea1b8-f794-11dd-81f7-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

A Must Read If You Like Organic or Locally Produced Food

Click title.

Fourth Branch of Gov't, Bureaucracy, Has Control of Earmark-Free Stimulus Bill

Okay, I admit it. I really wasn't sure what an earmark was especially when I heard our president say last night at his first press conference that the stimulus bill contained no earmarks. I looked up earmarks in the dictionary. That confused me even more. Then I got curious and did my "googling". The following was right near the top of the list. So, now I understand and I hate to be lied to.

Earmark-Free Stimulus Bill Lacks Spending Direction
by Andrea Seabrook
Listen Now add to playlist
Morning Edition, February 6, 2009 · When congressional leaders began to assemble the mammoth economic stimulus bill, top Democrats and the Obama administration decided that there would be no earmarks: no "special projects," no pork-barrel spending. In so doing, they gave up some control over how the money is spent, leaving the decision to public servants around the country.

Click title to access complete article and podcast of NPR program 2/6/09.

Two Bills in Legislature Regarding Spaceport America

Click on title to read Heath Haussamen's story of 2/10/09. The house bill (HB 200) is about an exemption from Inspection of Public Records Act. The senate bill (SB 37) would provide protection for companies doing business at Spaceport America from civil lawsuits. Haussamen provides link to the Albuquerque Journal story

Mr. Landeene said at the Alamogordo meeting of the authority that the legislature needed to address the name change from Southwest Regional Spaceport and request more money. We will keep an eye out for those bills as well.

"Stimulus" Tells Grandpa and Grandma Get Out of the Way and Die

(Tax cheat) "Daschle says health-care reform “will not be pain free.” Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them."

Outrageous provisions for National Health Care in "stimulus". Title click.

Another One for Confirmation. Tax Cheat or Even Worse? Not to Worry, He Likes to Fish

"Holdren’s predictions about global warming, illustrated in riveting charts and graphs, helped ex-Vice President Gore win an Oscar for his 2006 documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.” Holdren also helped persuade Ford Motor Co. and ConocoPhillips Co. executives to accept that climate change caused by gas emissions threatened to raise sea levels and harm crops. His slides pop up frequently in other people’s speeches.

At age 64, Holdren now is taking on his toughest assignment: getting the American public and Congress to curb fossil fuel use. Barack Obama has named Holdren as assistant to the president for science and technology as well as director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, a post for which he will face a Senate confirmation hearing on Feb 12.

The White House “is the place where he ought to be right now, trying to save the world,” said Paul Ehrlich, author of “The Population Bomb” (Ballantine, 1968), a manifesto that predicted disaster from depletion of the Earth’s resources. Holdren is “absolutely brilliant,” Ehrlich said.

...Holdren’s areas of expertise are climate change, alternative energy and arms control. At the next United Nations Climate Change Conference, scheduled for December in Copenhagen, the U.S. will be urged to adopt carbon-dioxide limits that 183 countries accept already, said Paul Epstein, an environmental researcher at Harvard....

Full exclusive at Bloomberg.com. Click Title.

The Nuts and Bolts Of Stimulation

A condensation of 50 De-Stimulating Facts

Chapter and verse on a bad bill.

By Stephen Spruiell & Kevin Williamson

Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters

Here are 50 of the most outrageous items in the stimulus package:

VARIOUS LEFT-WINGERY

Summary:

$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts

$380 million in the Senate bill for the Women, Infants and Children program

$300 million for grants to combat violence against women

$2 billion for federal child-care block grants

$6 billion for university building projects

$15 billion for boosting Pell Grant college scholarships

$4 billion for job-training programs, including $1.2 billion for “youths” up to the age of 24

$1 billion for community-development block grants

$4.2 billion for “neighborhood stabilization activities”

$650 million for digital-TV coupons;

$90 million to educate “vulnerable populations”

POORLY DESIGNED TAX RELIEF

Summary:

$15 billion for business-loss carry-backs

$145 billion for “Making Work Pay” tax credits

$83 billion for the earned income credit

STIMULUS FOR THE GOVERNMENT

Summary:

$150 million for the Smithsonian

$34 million to renovate the Department of Commerce headquarters

$500 million for improvement projects for National Institutes of Health facilities

$44 million for repairs to Department of Agriculture headquarters

$350 million for Agriculture Department computers

$88 million to help move the Public Health Service into a new building

$448 million for constructing a new Homeland Security Department headquarters

$600 million to convert the federal auto fleet to hybrids

$450 million for NASA (carve-out for “climate-research missions”)

$600 million for NOAA (carve-out for “climate modeling”)

$1 billion for the Census Bureau

INCOME TRANSFERS

Summary:

$89 billion for Medicaid

$30 billion for COBRA insurance extension

$36 billion for expanded unemployment benefits

$20 billion for food stamps

PURE PORK

Summary:

$2 billion for renewable-energy research ($400 million for global-warming research)

$2 billion for a “clean coal” power plant in Illinois

$6.2 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program

$3.5 billion for energy-efficiency and conservation block grants

$3.4 billion for the State Energy Program

$200 million for state and local electric-transport projects

$300 million for energy-efficient-appliance rebate programs

$400 million for hybrid cars for state and local governments

$1 billion for the manufacturing of advanced batteries

$1.5 billion for green-technology loan guarantees

$8 billion for innovative-technology loan-guarantee program

$2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects

$4.5 billion for electricity grid

REWARDING STATE IRRESPONSIBILITY

One of the ugliest aspects of the stimulus package is a bailout for spendthrift state legislatures. Remember the old fable about the ant and the grasshopper?

Summary:

$79 billion for State Fiscal Stabilization Fund

Click Nuts and Bolts to read complete article. Thanks to Marcia for sending this along.

WASHINGTON STATE HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL

Kathleen from Montana sent this to ORF. Thanks Kathleen.

WASHINGTON STATE HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL

H-1028.1
HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4009

State of Washington 61st Legislature 2009 Regular Session

By Representatives Shea, Klippert, Condotta, Kretz, Anderson, McCune, and Kristiansen

Read first time 01/30/09. Referred to Committee on State Government &Tribal Affairs.

1 TO THE HONORABLE BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND

2 TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF

3 REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

4 UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE

5 SENATE AND SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF EACH STATE'S

6 LEGISLATURE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:

7 We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of

8 the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully

9 represent and petition as follows:

10 WHEREAS, The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United

11 States specifically provides that, "The powers not delegated to the

12 United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States,

13 are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."; and

14 WHEREAS, The Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal

15 power as being those powers specifically granted to it by the

16 Constitution of the United States and no more; and

17 WHEREAS, Federalism is the constitutional division of powers

18 between the national and state governments and is widely regarded as

19 one of America's most valuable contributions to political science; andp. 1 HJM 4009

1 WHEREAS, James Madison, "the father of the Constitution," said,

2 "The powers delegated to the federal government are few and defined.

3 Those which are to remain in the state governments are numerous and
4 indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external

5 objects, [such] as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce. The

6 powers reserved to the several states will extend to all the objects

7 which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties,

8 and properties of the people."; and

9 WHEREAS, Thomas Jefferson emphasized that the states are not

10 "subordinate" to the national government, but rather the two are

11 "coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole. The one is

12 the domestic, the other the foreign branch of the same government.";

13 and

14 WHEREAS, Alexander Hamilton expressed his hope that "the people

15 will always take care to preserve the constitutional equilibrium

16 between the general and the state governments." He believed that "this

17 balance between the national and state governments forms a double

18 security to the people. If one [government] encroaches on their

19 rights, they will find a powerful protection in the other. Indeed,

20 they will both be prevented from overpassing their constitutional

21 limits by [the] certain rivalship which will ever subsist between

22 them."; and

23 WHEREAS, The scope of power defined by the Tenth Amendment means

24 that the federal government was created by the states specifically to

25 be limited in its powers relative to those of the various states; and

26 WHEREAS, Today, in 2009, the states are demonstrably treated as

27 agents of the federal government; and

28 WHEREAS, Many federal mandates are directly in violation of the

29 Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; and

30 WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court has ruled in New York v.

31 United States, 112 S. Ct. 2408 (1992), that Congress may not simply

32 commandeer the legislative and regulatory processes of the states; and

33 WHEREAS, A number of proposals from previous administrations and

34 some now being considered by the present administration and from

35 Congress may further violate the Constitution of the United States;

36 NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully resolve:

37 (1) That the State of Washington hereby claims sovereignty underHJM 4009 p. 2

1 the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all

2 powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government

3 by the Constitution of the United States; and

4 (2) That this serve as a Notice and Demand to the federal

5 government to maintain the balance of powers where the Constitution of

6 the United States established it and to cease and desist, effective

7 immediately, any and all mandates that are beyond the scope of its

8 constitutionally delegated powers.

9 BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately

10 transmitted to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United

11 States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the

12 House of Representatives, the President of the Senate and the Speaker

13 of the House of Representatives of each state's legislature of the

14 United States of America, and each member of Congress from the State of

15 Washington.

END

STATE OF WASHINGTON hOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4009/ http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2009-10/Pdf/Bills/House%20Joint%20Memorials/4009-State%20sovereignty.pdf

OBAMA THREATENS LOS ALAMOS: DEPT OF ENERGY TRANSFER TO DEPT. OF DEFENSE; BINGHAM WILL FIGHT AGAINST

Title click. From Global Security Newswire.

"New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman (D), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, criticized the potential move. The laboratories, two of which are in New Mexico, are not restricted to defense research and would be impaired by the shift, he argued.
"This is a very shortsighted approach, and I will fight it tooth and nail if they intend to proceed with it," he said in a statement."

DAVID HARSANYI: LENNON OR LENIN, IT STINKS

Title click. From today's Denver Post. Great opinion piece by David Harsanyi.

"Now, admittedly, Cramer can be a tad bit hyperbolic. And though we didn't hear Vladimir Ilyich, we are hearing the creeping sound of centralized Western European top-down economics — a system, where even with all the glorious over-regulations, there is a deep recession. "

"What could be more irresponsible than doubling the generational debt for your partisan pet projects in a time of crisis? "

HR 45: BLAIR HOLT GUN LICENSING ACT:

ORF ALERT!

Contact your elected officials and tell them to vote NO on HR 45!

Take some time to read this bill. ORF has a post, below (scroll down), on this gun rights abolition bill.

Link to NRA Legislative Action on HR 45.
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=4329

IN THE ERA OF OBAMA: SEMANTICS AND OPEN BORDERS

Mexican tycoon, Carlos Slim, put $250M of his own money into the New York Times. Click on the link to read the story below.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/19/new-york-times-markets-equity-cx_mp_0119markets13.html

Consequently the NY Times published an exercise in semantics in an op-ed labeling an Asian/Jewish man opposing open borders, Marcos Epstein, as a 'nativist' and a 'white supremacist'.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/opinion/01sun1.html

Coincidence?

Thanks to the Peter Boyles Show/KHOW.AM talk show for this little gem.

Another "Stellar" Nominee? Is This Pathetic. Get On The Phone. You Know The Drill.

AP Photo
The Senate confirmation hearing for Leon Panetta,
nominated to be director of the CIA, is scheduled for Thursday.

By GLENN R. SIMPSON
WASHINGTON -- The White House's nominee for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, has earned more than $700,000 in speaking and consulting fees since the beginning of 2008, with some of the payments coming from troubled financial firms and from a firm that invests in contractors for federal national security agencies, according to financial disclosures released Wednesday.

Complete Wall Street Journal by clicking title.

VICTIMS OF ILLEGAL SUE SANCTUARY CITY

Title click. Heard on the Peter Boyles KHOW.AM 02/04/09.

""However, despite these numerous arrests and the readily ascertainable illegal-immigrant status of Mr. Hernandez, at no time were proper procedures relating to the reporting, detention and handling of illegal immigrants followed by the law-enforcement agencies of the city of Denver," the claim states."

FROM LIBERTY MATTERS NEWS SERVICE: JOHN RAPANOS 'FINAL CHAPTER'

Click on the docs.google link to read the entire article.

"The story of John Rapanos’ fight against the federal government has come to a close. After 14 years of court battles and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent defending himself from the federal government, Mr. Rapanos agreed to end the persecution by paying the government nearly $1 million in fines and mitigation fees. The Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency accused Rapanos of polluting “waters of the U.S.” by spreading sand on his property twenty miles from the nearest navigable waterway. When Rapanos told them to “take a hike” they retaliated at his lack of respect for their omnipotence and sued him, criminally and civilly. One judge remarked during one of the many trials that his “crime” appeared to be “moving sand from one end of his property to another.”

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=ddwqvm8g_174fwg3chdt&hl=en

Thanks to Raven Webb from the Wahkiakum County Resistence Forum for providing ORF with this information.

New Hampshire talks Civil War against feds!

Febuary 2 2009

The New Hampshire state legislature took an unbelievably bold step today by introducing a resolution to declare certain actions by the federal government to completely totally void and warning that certain future acts will be viewed as a "breach of peace" with the states themselves that risks "nullifying the Constitution."

This act by New Hampshire is a clear warning to the federal government that they could face being stripped of their power by the States (presumably through civil war!

The remarkable document outlines with perfect clarity, some basics long forgotten. For instance, it reminds Congress "That the Constitution of the United States, having delegated to Congress a power to punish treason, counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, piracies, and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences against the law of nations, slavery, and no other crimes whatsoever;. . . . . therefore all acts of Congress which assume to create, define, or punish crimes, other than those so enumerated in the Constitution are altogether void, and of no force;"

Federal gun crime laws? Void. Federal drug crime laws? Void. The gazzillion other federal criminal laws that deal with anything other than the specific enumerated crimes? ALL VOID.

One would think that if any lawyer anywhere in the entire country was worth his salt, all federal criminal trials would have ended years ago. This seems to prove that most lawyers are dullards.

New Hampshire deals a complete death blow to the pending federal hate crimes legislation by pointing out "That, therefore, all acts of Congress of the United States which do abridge the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, are not law, but are altogether void, and of no force; . . . . ."

Later in the Resolution, New Hampshire makes clear what the feds are now risking if they proceed further: The removal of all powers from the federal government by the States!

Quoting directly from the Resolution: "That any Act by the Congress of the United States, Executive Order of the President of the United States of America or Judicial Order by the Judicatories of the United States of America which assumes a power not delegated to the government of United States of America by the Constitution for the United States of America and which serves to diminish the liberty of the any of the several States or their citizens shall constitute a nullification of the Constitution for the United States of America by the government of the United States of America. Acts which would cause such a nullification include, but are not limited to:

I. Establishing martial law or a state of emergency within one of the States comprising the United States of America without the consent of the legislature of that State.

II. Requiring involuntary servitude, or governmental service other than a draft during a declared war, or pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.

III. Requiring involuntary servitude or governmental service of persons under the age of 18 other than pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.

IV. Surrendering any power delegated or not delegated to any corporation or foreign government.

V. Any act regarding religion; further limitations on freedom of political speech; or further limitations on freedom of the press.

VI. Further infringements on the right to keep and bear arms including prohibitions of type or quantity of arms or ammunition; and

That should any such act of Congress become law or Executive Order or Judicial Order be put into force, all powers previously delegated to the United States of America by the Constitution for the United States shall revert to the several States individually."

I have reported on this blog for quite some time that we here in the United States are heading toward Civil War. Many of you told me I was a nut for thinking that.

The simple fact is that we are long overdue for another Rebellion in this nation and I heartily endorse the idea of having one again very soon; preferably starting THIS year!

We must stop our federal government dead in its tracks because it is out of control and very dangerous. If stopping them means attacking them and destroying them by force, then so be it.
Posted on ORF by Karan Berry
Read the full New Hampshire Resolution directly from the State Government Web Site, Here

Stimulated

*MADAME PELOSI*

Madame Pelosi wasn't happy with the small private jet that comes with the Speaker's job...no, Madame Pelosi was aggravated that this little jet had to stop to refuel, so she ordered a Big Fat 200 seat jet that could get her back to California without stopping!

She flies home to California , cost to the taxpayers of about $60,000, one way!

Folks, that is $480,000 per month and that is an annual cost to the taxpayers of $5,760,000.

I think of the military families in this country doing without and this woman, who heads up the most do-nothing Congress in the history of this country, keeps fueling that jet while doing nothing.

Madame Pelosi wants you and me to conserve our carbon footprint. She wants us to buy smaller cars and Obama wants us to get a bicycle pump and air up our tires.

Keep in mind the figures above, do NOT include cost of
plane or crew, Just fuel!

Thanks to Luther for this email.

Title click to link to Time's report "Obama vs. Pelosi" and see another iteration, literally, of this woman's face.

The Lines Are Jammed But Keep Trying

Continue to Call Senators Bingaman and Udall:
800-828-0498 and 202-224-3121

Tell them Daschle needs to hit the road.

Tell them the "Stimulus" Bill is pork on steriods.

Tell them you will be watching their votes and it will be political hara kiri to vote "yes" on either of these. Even the Washington Post is turning on corruption of this scale.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_hari_kari

Action Needed Today - Get Off the Ledge and Fight Back

THIS? OR THIS?

Make calls to Senators Bingaman and Udall regarding yet another tax cheat, Tom Daschle, to head Obama's Health and Human Services. The phone numbers are above under Contact Your U.S. Representative. Also, call the White House and explain how nominating tax evaders reflects badly on President Obama. The phone number is up above, too.

If you don't know what I am talking about see: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=ak8vFBzQdnQw&refer=home

and http://hotair.com/archives/2009/02/02/glitch/

And from Rocky's desk:

Dear Friends-

The most important phone call you make today should be to Santa Fe. Please take the time this morning to call Democrat State Senator Bernadette Sanchez of Albuquerque and encourage her to vote "NO" on Senate Bill 12 in today's Senate Judiciary committee meeting.

Senate Bill 12 is the "Domestic Partners" bill...This bill is bad for New Mexico and would open the door legally for the courts to legalize gay marriage here in our state. Domestic Partnership bills were the gateway to gay marriage in several other states.

Please take the time this morning to stand up for what you believe in. Please call Senator Bernadette Sanchez and encourage a "NO" vote on Senate Bill 12. Her vote will kill this bill.

As an aside, if you would like to make a second call. Please call Democrat State Senator Richard Martinez, who is the Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee, and thank him for standing up for strong New Mexico family values by not supporting Senate Bill 12!

State Senator Bernadette Sanchez 505-986-4267

State Senator Richard Martinez 505-986-4389

Thank you,
Bob Cornelius

CONSIDERING HOMESCHOOLING: CHECK OUT THIS SIGHT FOR TEACHERS AND PARENTS

http://www.schoolteachernews.com/

"News considering issues relevant to teachers, schools, parents and children. Updated daily"

FIRST NOMINATION FOR ORF 2009 SCUMBAG OF THE YEAR

Title click. From the Denver Post.

"Denver police have identified a suspect in the case of a woman who took a pain-medication pump from a soldier who lost a limb in Iraq as he lay in a hospital bed recovering from surgery at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center. "

STIMULUS PACKAGE FOR WESTERN STATES AND MAP

Title click. From New West.com.

"The Interior West is going to see a fair chunk of that $825 billion total bill, of which $541 billion is going to be allocated to the states. The Center for American Progress has created this nifty map that shows the allocations that can be determined on a state-by-state basis (here’s another, that breaks it out per capita). North to south, Montana gets $1.79 billion; Idaho $2.48; Wyoming $1.07; Colorado $7.07 billion; Utah $3.8 billion; Nevada $4.26 billion; Arizona $10.34 billion; and New Mexico $3.46 billion. Rounding out the west, Washington gets $10.39 billion; Oregon $6.34 billion; and the behemoth California $63.37 billion. (The giant sucking sound out here? California.) "

Link to 'nifty map'. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/01/house_stimulus_overview.html

HR45 – More feel good gun control legislation

Being introduced by Democratic Congressman Bobby Rush of Illinois. HR45, also called Blair Holt’s Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, is another bill designed to make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to obtain a firearm while doing nothing to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals.

You can read the details of the resolution here but a few of the highlights are:

• It will be “unlawful” to own a firearm without a license.
• Be required to submit a picture and thumbprint.
• Provide certification that the firearms are properly stored.
• Pass a written firearms exam which tests a persons knowledge of the safe storage of firearms in the presence of children, safe handling of firearms, risks associated with firearms, legal responsibilities of a firearm owner, and anything else the Attorney General deems fit.
• A release of any mental health records.
• Makes private sales illegal.
• Establishes a Federal Record of Sale system which records make, model, serial number, license of the transferee and name and address of the transferor.
• Provides for inspection of your home (fourth amendment violation)
• Reporting of lost or stolen firearms
• Notice of change of address
• Numerous other fun nuggets.

A large part of the bill has to do with licensing and registration. The Federal government is always trying to add more paperwork to legal gun ownership. I am sure there will be fees involved with all this, making it another source of revenue for the government.

Another section of the bill has to do with safety and training. While the 1,500 annual accidental deaths due to firearms are certainly tragic, giving the fact that there are 80 million firearms in the United States the statistics prove that the vast majority of gun owners already know how to safely store and use firearms. All firearms that are sold today are mandated to have gun locks included. Most people that purchase a handgun voluntarily take courses on their safe storage and operation. Passing a federally mandated firearms exam will do nothing to ensure that irresponsible gun owners will start acting responsibly any more than laws against drunk drivers will prevent some people from driving drunk.

I have heard some liberal gun control advocates argue the car ownership analogy. It goes something along the line of:

• Need a license to drive a car.
• Need a photo on file to drive a car.
• Need to pass two tests to drive a car.
• Have to get the car inspected regularly.
• Have to have the car licensed.

So why should anyone complain about similar requirements for gun ownership? The problems with this analogy are many. You don’t need a license to buy an automobile. Anyone (including violent criminals) can purchase a car. A drivers license is valid in all 50 states. There is no waiting period to purchase an automobile. There is no limit on how many cars you can own or how many you can buy per month.

There is nothing in HR45 that will further prevent criminals from illegally obtaining guns. Likewise there is nothing in HR45 that will significantly reduce the number of accidental gun deaths. The only thing that HR45 will accomplish is a further erosion of the rights of citizens to legally own firearms as provided for by the Constitution. In fact, it has been shown time and time again that legal ownership of firearms reduces violent crime as well as other types of crimes such as robbery, burglary, etc. Washington DC had some of the most stringent gun control laws on the books yet had one of the highest homicide rates in the United States.

I urge everyone who is concerned about the constant erosion of our civil liberties and rights to write your congressman in opposition to this resolution. Our C9nstitution says “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” !!!

Posted by Karan Berry

OBAMA'S APPROVAL NUMBERS DROP IN ONE WEEK

Title click. From Poll Gazette: "President Barack Obama’s poll numbers dropped sharly in the last week. Where 71% of Americans approved of Obama one week ago, only 62% does so today. Although 62% is still acceptable for a new president, it shows that he will lose support quickly if he is seen as too liberal."

SPACEPORT AMERICA & SPACEPORT SWEDEN DISCUSS DEAL

From News West 9: "LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - The New Mexico Spaceport Authority has entered into an agreement with Spaceport Sweden to increase global cooperation in the commercial space industry."

http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=9759479&nav=menu505_2

From Global Flight/Blogs: "The road to Spaceport Sweden was always going to be a long one and that is why the announcements of January 2007 seemed realistic with the timeframe then envisaged but unless there is a concerted effort and soon, this new arctic frontier for space tourism will be little more than pie in the blackest of skies."

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/hyperbola/2008/11/is-spaceport-sweden-doomed.html

DEATH BY FIRING SQUAD FOR VIOLENT OFFENDERS USING A GUN

Title click. From WORLD NET DAILY.

"New Hampshire State Rep. Delmar Burridge, D-Keene, is sponsoring H.B. 37, a bill providing for execution by firing squad for anyone who causes the death of another person by use of a firearm while engaged in the commission of a felony – an offense that would be considered capital murder under Burridge's plan. "