Our Right to Defend Ourselves

BATFE Coverup Continues
Jews for Preservation of Firearm Ownership
For years, under both Democrat and Republican administrations, American citizens -- cornerstones of their communities -- have been falsely charged and railroaded into prisons. Their lives have been ruined. Their families have been shattered. It has all been because of accusations and sham trials that belong in Communist China, not the United States of America. We're talking about the decades of abuses committed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). We're talking about the _continuing_ abuses that are ruining innocent gun owners and gun makers today. Worse, we're now also talking about political cover-up and complicity.

This is the latest in a series of articles, and JFPO is pulling no punches. Once more, the JFPO is pointing out that NO administration in living memory has supported our right to defend ourselves - and in fact, has worked to take that right away. Will this, together with conservative GOP unrest (if so mild a word applies) over the explosion of spending and the complete abandonment of conservative doctrines by the GOP national leadership make a difference? I doubt it, but it never will keep them from trying. In the meantime, buy more ammo. While you still can.

Michigan debates deadly force legislation
WNDU TV News
"Gun control advocates want to stop Michigan legislators from passing a law allowing people to use deadly force to defend themselves without fear of prosecution. The bills were introduced this month in Michigan. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Million Mom March are calling lawmakers in an attempt to keep the bills from getting out of the House Judiciary Committee. The battle in Michigan over the so-called deadly force legislation is an important one for both sides. It could open the doors to similar laws across the country, a top priority for the National Rifle Association, or stop the effort in its tracks." (09/18/05)

Of course the TV station isn't aware that many states HAVE such laws, and that many more states, still following common law, have seen no need for such laws - because no one would dare prosecute. Notice the tactics used by MMM and BCPGV: dirty politics made dirtier still.

Maine: Jury finds man not guilty
WLBZ News
"A man from Brooks who says he was protecting his home and family when he shot his father's girlfriend is a free man. Jerome Reynolds II was on trial for murdering Janet Bacon. Reynolds admits he shot Bacon at his home, but insists it was self-defense. It took the jury six and a half hours to decide Reynolds is not guilty of murdering Janet Bacon." (09/17/05)

This situation DID seem to call for a full jury trial, and I am glad the jurors saw their way clear to a proper verdict.

South Dakota: Teenagers shot breaking in to business
KSFY News
"Two South Dakota teenagers were shot early Saturday morning after they allegedly broke into a Roberts County business, and police say the man who pulled the trigger owned the business. It happened at the Circle K Resort on Lake Traverse in northeastern South Dakota about 5:00 am. The Roberts County Sheriff's Office says the store owner lives behind the business. Police say he woke up and heard one of the boys trying to get into the building. Then the owner reportedly fired at least one shot from a shotgun, hitting both of the teenagers." (09/17/05)

The store was on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Reservation, and there are still many AmerInd who support and practice the right of self-defense: I don't know if this store owner was an enrolled member but I hope that both Anglo-German-Scandinavians AND Dakota-Nakota people will support this man: he is sure to be sued.

New Hampshire: Home invaders confronted, turn heel
Union Leader
"Two men broke into a Channel Lane home Friday night but 'fled immediately' when "confronted" by the homeowner, police said. Sgt. Pat Sullivan said no further information was being released yesterday because detectives are still gathering evidence in the case. He would not comment when asked if the homeowner confronted them with a gun and would not name the homeowner. ... No one answered a knock at Boisvert's home yesterday morning. There is no telephone listing for him. A surveillance camera is mounted above and to the right of the main entrance of his beige sided home situated along the Piscataquog River. A 'No Trespassing' sign is posted on a white picket fence in front of the residence while a decal, with a drawing of a hand holding a revolver pointed outward at a caller, warns: NOTICE! If you are found here tonight You will be found here tomorrow." (09/18/05)

No shots fired - as is often the case when people are prepared. Too bad these two crooks were so stupid that they can't read even a pictographic sign.

Virginia: Jurors acquit lawyer-cattleman in neighbor's slaying
Daily Press
"A jury Friday found a lawyer-cattleman not guilty in the slaying of his neighbor, concluding he was defending himself when the 74-year-old neighbor came after him with a 3-foot stick. Jurors deliberated five hours before returning their verdict in the first-degree murder trial of John Ames. He was accused in the April 2004 killing of Perry Brooks, a man with whom he had feuded for 15 years. ... Ames testified he shot Brooks after he came after him with the stick. 'The look on his face was the meanest look on any human being's face I've ever seen in my life,' Ames, 60, said of Perry Brooks in testimony Thursday. Ames shot Brooks four times with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, killing him." (09/16/05)

Many people will say that defending yourself with a handgun against a stick is poor form, or even undue force - but remember Colonel Colt's fame: the entire purpose behind firearms is to level the playing field instead of depending on physical strength or agility; and people were killed with sticks and stones a LONG time before firearms were available.

New Hampshire: Man shot, killed during break-in
Union Leader
"A Fremont man was shot to death about 1:45 a.m. yesterday at a home at 80 Pine St. in a case that neighbors say may be connected to a string of break-ins. ... neighbors said they believed a resident of the home shot Gaedtke because he broke into the house in the middle of the night." (09/16/05)

Hopefully this well-publicized funeral of a burglar will discourage other stupid people from doing the same. In New Hampshire? If he were still among the living, I would suggest an insanity defense for his break-in trial.

Tennessee: Shooting victim allegedly attacked trio first
Rhea County News Herald
"An Ogden Road man who shot another man at his home may have done so in self-defense. ... David Kite, 47, whose home it was, said he had been the one to shoot LaFuze but had done it because he was afraid LaFuze was going to hurt someone. Kite, his nephew, Christopher Kite, 32, of College Street, Dayton, and Cindy Gailor, 41, of Ogden Road, were all at the residence Thursday night when LaFuze showed up at about 11:30 p.m. LaFuze was heavily intoxicated and asked to spend the night, according to the witnesses. He was argumentative and even combative before falling asleep at about 12:30 a.m. At about 2:30 he woke up and was again combative, according to the three. ... When David Kite tried to restrain him, LaFuze began fighting him. In turn, Gailor and then Christopher Kite attempted to intervene, but LaFuze attacked them as well, according to their statement. The semiautomatic pistol fell out of LaFuze's pocket during the struggle, and David Kite picked it up and put it on a shelf. LaFuze had Christopher Kite on the floor and picked up a heavy glass candy dish and appeared to be about to hit him in the head with the dish when David Kite retrieved the pistol and shot LaFuze one time in the foot." (09/18/05)

Sounds like a nasty scene - and as with sticks and stones, a glass ashtray certainly is a deadly weapon. As to shooting him in the foot? Well, I can think of far better places, if I wanted Mr. Kite to not be in danger.

Mama's Note: My question is: why did they let him in to start with if he was drunk and combative? That's asking for trouble.

California: Armed pot club owner engages robbers
San Leandro Times
"Six men armed with rifles and handguns robbed a medical marijuana club Friday on Foothill Boulevard and one suspect was shot and killed by the owner. The robbers broke into the store at about 11:30 a.m. just before it opened." (09/19/05)

These attacks on pot clubs are getting almost as numerous as attacks on jewelry stories, and again I have to ask, why aren't the police taking more action? Is it because they still treat the medical groups as criminals?

Georgia: Law student shoots home invader
Macon News
"A Mercer University law student shot and killed a man who broke into his home, police said. Frederick Taylor, 21, and his companion, Adrienne Warren, 22, were in the upstairs bedroom early Sunday morning when they heard glass break, police said. Warren stayed upstairs and called 911, while Taylor went downstairs. He saw the intruder at the bottom of the steps, said Macon police Sgt. Cornelius Pendleton. Taylor shot and killed the intruder about four minutes after the initial 911 call was made, police spokeswoman Melanie Hofmann said. The intruder was shot in the upper torso and pronounced dead at the scene, she said." (09/19/05)

People will claim he should have waited for the police to respond to the 911 call, but I think the homeowner did the right thing. It is wrong to run and hide in your own home.

Illinois: Gas station worker fires at robber
Peoria Journal Star
"A gas station attendant who was robbed early Sunday turned a gun on the robber, who was arrested hours later by police. No one was injured in the robbery, which occurred shortly after 6:30 a.m. at the Clark gas station, 3606 N. Prospect Road. The employee told police a man, later identified as Derek B. Horn, was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and blue bandana over his face, and carrying what appeared to be a handgun, called him to the register. The clerk then surrendered an undisclosed amount of money. As the robber fled the store, the attendant grabbed a revolver under the counter and gave chase. While outside, the gas station employee yelled for the robber to stop before he then fired two shots in the robber's direction, but the robber kept running." (09/20/05)

Not enough for them to rob us, now they have to shoot at us, too? Seriously, the clerk could have used force to defend himself: but firing shots like this is probably (1) not a good idea and (2) evidence of poor (or nonexistent) training.

Nevada: Man shoots alleged home invaders
LasVegas Sun
"A Henderson man shot and wounded two brothers who allegedly broke into his home near College Drive and East Horizon Drive on Monday night, Henderson Police said. ... The preliminary investigation indicates that the homeowner was acting in self-defense, so he has not been charged in connection with the shooting, Rasmussen said. Rasmussen said the Boldens and possibly one other suspect broke into the home through a back door. The homeowner heard the men inside the home and fired in their direction, striking the brothers, Rasmussen said." (09/20/05)

Glad to see Nevada is still doing things right and not charging this home-defender.

Florida: Would-be robbers get more than they expected
River City News
"A 54-year-old man told police he was attacked at gunpoint at his home in the 6400 block of Heidi Road about 8:40 p.m. Sept. 10. He told police when he arrived home and entered through a side door, two men wearing all black clothing with white masks followed him though the door. One man pointed a shotgun at him and ordered him to get down, according to a police report. The victim said he refused to get down, grabbed the barrel of the shotgun, jammed it into the gunman's stomach and yelled, 'I'll kill you,' the report said. The victim told police he pulled the shotgun from the gunman's hands and both attackers fled his house in an unknown direction." (09/21/05)

Remember that a bad guy can do this, too. One reason for proper training for handgun AND long gun use.

Virginia: Prosecutor: Self-defense believed in shooting
News Virginian
"A Staunton man hospitalized with a bullet in his back early Friday had been shot when his street gang attacked an armed victim, authorities have tentatively ruled. .... As doctors listed Coakley in critical condition hours later, investigators had 26-year-old Jeremy Kyle Bryant, of Staunton, in custody as the shooter. They charged him with carrying a concealed weapon because he lacked a permit, and released him. Investigators didn't charge him as the shooter, however. That's because Bryant, surrounded by a group of men at the intersection of Fillmore and Frederick streets, pulled out a concealed pistol after someone else brandished a knife, Staunton prosecutor Ray Robinson said. "From what I understand, it was self-defense," Robinson said. "It was apparently some gang members that had been harassing Bryant.'" (09/24/05)

An example of why we need to go nationally to Vermont carry (no I am NOT advocating some sort of federal CCW program - just getting rid of the tens of thousands of laws that make it illegal for people like Bryant to be prepared to defend themselves without breaking a law).

'No-fly' action takes pilot's job
Boston Globe
"Cape Air pilot Robert Gray said he feels like he's living a nightmare. Two months after he sued the federal government for refusing to let him take flight training courses so he could fly larger planes, he said yesterday, his situation has only worsened. When Gray showed up for work a couple of weeks ago, he said Cape Air told him the government had placed him on its no-fly list, making it impossible for him to do his job. Gray, a Belfast native and British citizen, said the government still won't tell him why it thinks he's a threat. .... Federal prosecutors, citing national security concerns, refused even to confirm in court that Gray is on the list, and said the government would only disclose its reasons privately to the appeals court, without sharing them with defense lawyers." (09/22/05)

One of the first examples I am aware of that documents a negative impact on people who are IN the flying business. And a reason that constitutional guarantees (such as knowing the charges against you) should apply to both US citizens and foreigners: we all can suffer like this.

Colorado: Woman fires at intruder who cops think was serial rapist
Denver Post
"A man police believe may be a serial rapist preying on women in Aurora and Denver narrowly escaped injury when a would-be victim fired a shot at him as he stood in her bedroom doorway, said Sgt. Rudy Herrera of the Aurora Police Department. .... The young woman heard a noise in her apartment, and she waited in her bedroom, gun in hand. The would-be attacker fled when the shot was fired." (09/23/05)

Too bad that she missed. Again, I hammer on the need for people to get training.

Tennessee: Man catches burglary suspect
Rogersville Review
"A Morristown man faces criminal charges after the owner of an automobile sales lot told authorities he caught the man burglarizing his business, detaining the intruder at gunpoint while notify authorities. According to Hawkins County Sheriff Warren Rimer, at approximately 5:30 p.m. Sunday the owner of S & S Auto Sales, Harold Steele, reportedly caught Holt breaking into his business, which is located near the Poor Valley bridge. The sheriff said Steel observed Holt attempting to take several items from the business, including a heavy duty vacuum cleaner. "Mr. Steele told our officers he came out with a pistol and pointed it at Holt and ordered him to freeze while he then called 911," Rimer said." (09/20/05)

A good example: no shots had to be fired, but without the weapon, the criminal would have escaped.

Ohio: Man 'stable' after being shot
Times Reporter
"Roy L. Kenney, 32, of 2468 Bellflower Rd. SE, Port Washington was reportedly in stable condition after he was shot Thursday night when he tried to enter his estranged wife's residence .... Kenney was shot by Eric Burns, 31, who lives at the residence, about 9 p.m. after Kenney broke into the house. Burns, Kenney's estranged wife and her two children, ages 10 and 6, locked themselves inside a bedroom. "(Kenney) took a baseball bat to the bedroom door," said Tuscarawas County Sheriff Walt Wilson. "Burns used a .22 caliber rifle and shot through the door and struck Kenney.'" (09/25/05)
Good outcome, poor tactics and training, and a situation that stinks to high heaven.

Stupid Guvmint Tricks

NASA outlines $104 billion moon mission plan
Houston Chronicle
"NASA will attempt to launch American explorers back to the moon in 2018 aboard a new rocket comprised of an Apollo-derived capsule for the astronauts and rocketry borrowed from the aging space shuttle fleet, NASA administrator Michael Griffin said today. Griffin estimated the price of the mission will be $104 billion. The last of six Apollo missions to reach the lunar surface with space-suited astronauts returned to Earth in December 1972." (09/19/05)

NASA? NASA! Yeah, sure. Let private business have a free hand and we'd have a motel and tourists up there by 2015 or sooner. But NASA? Please. The plan, by the way, would use very similar technology: 1960s and 1970s Apollo and Shuttle elements, spend a whole week! On the moon for four people! Wow. I am agog with excitement.

Mama's Note: This is the kind of nightmare that should wake people up to the insanity of government involvement with anything like this! Just where do they think they are going to get that kind of money in the first place? The entire country is broke and real bankruptcy isn't far behind. Our creditors will not put up with this nonsense much longer, trust me! I'm sure they are prepared to take over our land and natural resources that were put up as collateral for those debts. Doubt me? Read this and weep.

UN: Mugabe denies famine, defends urban demolitions
BBC News [UK]
"Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has denied his country is in the grip of an avoidable famine, and defended his controversial slum clearance policy. Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Mugabe said the demolition of vast urban areas was an effort to boost law and order and development. He insisted that the slum clearances were followed by well-planned building projects designed to rehouse the poor. Some accuse him of bulldozing slums housing opposition supporters." (09/19/05)

You think there might be an empty cell next to Saddam's for this thug? If the US were truly serious about being the "world's policeman" and protecting other people, this man would have been met at the doors of the UN by a squad of cops and a date for arraignment in the nearest court able to give a capital sentence.

US, Russia reject North Korea demand
CNN
"U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Russian counterpart have rejected a North Korean statement that Pyongyang would begin dismantling its nuclear program only if the United States provided a light-water reactor for civilian power. Pyongyang's official news agency earlier in the day printed the demand from a spokesman for the North Korean Foreign Ministry -- comments that threatened to unravel an agreement reached in Beijing on Monday among North Korea, its neighbors and the United States." (09/20/05)

This is a follow up to: North Korea demands nuke reactor from US (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 19 SEP). The North has made blackmail into as close to a fine art as they are ever going to get. This week we saw headlines proclaiming that the crisis was resolved, (North Korea nuke talks at make-or-break point, MSNBC, 18 SEP) only to be followed by more headlines reporting that North Korea has more demands. They seem to feed off Iran, and vice versa. China, North Korea's ally and host for these "talks" uses this as one more tool in their quest for domination of the region.

Arrest ties Pyongyang to counterfeit $100 bills
Washington Times
"North Korea's government is producing high-quality counterfeit $100 bills and is working with criminal groups in China to sell the fake U.S. money internationally, U.S. officials say. Some details of the production of what federal officials call 'supernotes' were disclosed after arrests last month in several U.S. cities of people linked to a major Asian crime ring trafficking in fake money, arms, drugs and cigarettes. A senior Bush administration official said one of the 10 indictments in the case contains the first disclosure of the North Korean government's role in the counterfeiting. The indictment identifies Chao Tung Wu, a Taiwanese national in custody on charges of dealing in counterfeit bills. He told an FBI undercover agent that 'the government of a foreign country,' identified only as 'Country 2,' is 'making counterfeit U.S. currency which Wu could sell to the agent. Mr. Wu has pleaded not guilty to the charges, said his attorney, Debra Opri, who confirmed that federal investigators have determined that the counterfeit currency came from North Korea." (09/20/05)

North Korea is not the only nation to have counterfeited US currency in the past or today - this featured prominently in a semi-libertarian novel "A State of Disobedience" published last year.

Mama's Note: The US government is the largest criminal organization in the world, counterfeiting bills of every denomination. They just don't call it that... yet.

Lawmakers ask CIA to open 9/11 report
USA Today
"The leaders of the House Intelligence Committee want CIA Director Porter Goss to provide a public version of his agency's hard-hitting report on the failures leading up to Sept. 11, 2001. In a letter made public Friday, Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., and the panel's top Democrat, California Rep. Jane Harman, asked Goss to reveal as much of the report from his inspector general as possible." (09/18/05)

Why not just release the whole report?

Michigan: Beachgoers win round in access fight
Boston Globe
"Having shelled out $10,000 to spend four summer weeks in this quaint lake town, Michele Flanagin assumed she had the right to walk the shores of Lake Michigan. But 30 yards to her left, as she sat last month on a small stretch of public beach, was a sign warning that the sand stretching from the water's edge to a large hill leading up to multimillion dollar homes is private. Off-limits. Another sign was posted about 30 yards to her right. 'Ridiculous,' said Flanagin, 45, a vice president of planning and marketing at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center. 'It's silly. It's all the same beach, and who's to say whose it is.'" [RRND editor's note: I bet we're [RRND/FND] about the only place you will read about this story where the editors are as incensed as the homeowners are! - SAT] [FND editor's note: Have to agree here. As a "navigable waterway," it's likely that Lake Michigan's shoreline, up to the flood line, is "owned" by the Army Corps of Engineers ... and is therefore "public" property. Why should some "publics" be less "public" than others? - TLK] (09/18/05)

Actually, the Corps doesn't own any of it: the "people" of the State of Illinois do. Which is one reason it is such a mess.

Missouri: Judge blocks abortion restriction law
Fox News
"A federal judge on Friday blocked enforcement of a new state law further restricting abortions, saying it would have forced an end to the procedure in part of Missouri. The new law requires doctors performing abortions to have clinical privileges at a hospital within 30 miles. It also lets parents sue people who 'intentionally cause, aid or assist' their minor daughters in getting abortions without their consent. U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughery said the civil liability language 'threatens an immediate chilling effect on all abortion counseling within Missouri and nearby states,' in part because the language is too vague to know what actions could be targeted. The temporary restraining order came just one day after Republican Gov. Matt Blunt signed the new law passed during a special legislative session." (09/17/05)

Another stupid court trick: a judge grasping at straws to preserve her power and control (and that of her fellows) at the expense of the lives of people. Doctors performing other "procedures" are required to meet such conditions, and a school nurse can't give an aspirin without parental permission in writing, but this. Together with other outrageous court cases in the past few days, this marks out more battles to come.

Boston: Cop charges trooper with "horse butting"
Boston Globe
"It is not the kind of case generally seen in federal court: a Boston police officer suing a state trooper over an incident involving a horse. The lawsuit springs from the police officer's allegation that the trooper had intentionally made his police horse butt him with the animal's head, after a New England Patriots game, leaving him with injuries that kept him out of work for five months. In opening arguments last week, the trooper's lawyer, Brian Rogal, said Massachusetts State Trooper John Linquata would never have used his horse to assault someone. 'He wouldn't inflict pain on the horse,' Rogal said. 'He respects the horse.' But the police officer, Lawrence Calderone, told jurors that Linquata became furious at him for jaywalking and yanked hard on the reins, causing his horse to hit Calderone's face." [FND editor's note: Now boys ... play nice or we take those shiny badges and guns away from you! - SAT] (09/19/05)

Hey! Don't discourage them! The more that they fuss and feud with themselves, the less time they have to bug us!

China admits women were forced to have abortions
Independent [UK]
"Several health workers have been arrested in Shandong Province in the east of China after the authorities admitted that local officials had been forcing women to have abortions or undergo sterilisations. Sources in Linyi City and its surrounding counties claimed that up to 120,000 women had been coerced into submitting to the procedures and that some of them were in the ninth month of their pregnancies. The arrests follow the detention on 6 September of a local activist, Chen Guangcheng. Mr. Chen had claimed that women with two children were being forced to undergo sterilisations, while women pregnant with their third child were required to have abortions." (09/21/05)

Knowing China's track record, I suspect the reason for their arrests not that they did it, but that they got caught. This has been China's policy for decades, and hidden only with opening trade relations. Is this any different than anything Saddam did, or anything Mugabe is doing in Zimbabwe?

Up in flames
Mirror [UK]
"Hundreds of tons of British food aid shipped to America for starving Hurricane Katrina survivors is to be burned. US red tape is stopping it from reaching hungry evacuees. Instead tons of the badly needed Nato ration packs, the same as those eaten by British troops in Iraq, has been condemned as unfit for human consumption." (09/19/05) ]

I realize that Brit rations (just like US MREs) are an acquired taste, but they aren't bad, and they certainly ARE fit for human consumption: of course, bureaucrats have demonstrated constantly their inhumanity.

Medical marijuana refugee files complaint against two judges
Liberty For All
"Cancer patient and medical marijuana refugee Steve Kubby has filed a complaint with the State of California's Commission on Judicial Performance against two judges, alleging that they 'secretly and illegally assisted county prosecutors to fraudulently obtain an appellate court ruling.' Kubby says this action would have sent him to prison and 'a certain death' had he not been in Canada at the time. Kubby depends on cannabis to control his adrenal cancer, and he would not have been able to have access to cannabis while he was incarcerated." (09/21/05)

Steve continues to fight nonviolently.

Virginia: In Clarksburg, they made the lots too small
Washington Times
"Montgomery County planning officials yesterday said they do not know the full extent of building problems in Clarksburg, after recently discovering that some housing lots are too small by as many as 800 square feet. During a two-hour hearing, County Council members asked pointed questions of the officials and later criticized their 'lack of accountability' that allowed builders to commit hundreds of violations in the Clarksburg Town Center. 'At this point, everybody knows this is a problem. I even went to a dedication of a synagogue yesterday, and the topic of conversation was Clarksburg,' said council member Michael Knapp, a Germantown Democrat who represents Clarksburg. 'This is kind of crisis mode.' Several single-family homes have been built on lots that are as many as 800 square feet smaller than the 4,000 square feet required by site plans, said Rose Krasnow, chief of the Department of Park and Planning's development review division." [FND editor's note: Heaven forfend that people actually live outside the constraints of bureaucratic "planners" -TLK] (09/20/05)

Standard city lots for centuries were 25'x 100', or 2500 SF, only 60% of this "standard" which is burro-rat stupidity at its best.

Bill Aims to Encourage New Refinery Building
(CNSNews.com)
Rep. Joe Pitts, a Pennsylvania Republican, has introduced a bill intended to speed the process of building more oil refineries in this country, something that would boost the supply and possibly lower the price of gasoline. Two major hurricanes have temporarily reduced America's oil refining capacity by as much as a third, at a time when world demand for oil has boosted prices to unprecedented levels for American motorists.

Thanks to Darryl for this one. The problem is, of course, that government regulations, encouraged and in league with environists, have not only NOT allowed any new refineries to be built, but have forced hundreds of them to be closed. And in those closures, the locations of the refineries have been confined to a relatively small and critical area.

Bush to press lawmakers for guest-worker program
Houston Chronicle
"A Bush administration reform plan reportedly would allow illegal immigrants to remain in the United States using guest worker visas for up to six years. The White House approach departs from a proposal by Sen. John Cornyn to require illegal workers to leave the country before they could achieve legal status as guest workers. Highlights of the administration plan were reported in the Arizona Daily Star and The Hill, a Washington newspaper, after White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove and other administration officials met last week with Republican Reps. Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake of Arizona." (09/20/05)

He just can't seem to get off this hobby horse, and he is losing ground with more and more of his supporters as a result, as they see the growing immigration problem as rapidly becoming worse than terrorism. The dangers of guest worker programs are being demonstrated daily in the streets of Germany, the Netherlands, France, and yes, in Texas and California and Colorado cities as well.

Mama's Note: Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of newly unemployed thanks to the meltdown in the south. I hope he's going to find this a very hard sell, but fear the congress will cave in eventually. We shall see.

Silly People Tricks

Tennessee: Egyptian student arrested with pilot uniform
Sierra Times
"A university student from Egypt was ordered held without bond after prosecutors said they found a pilot's uniform, chart of Memphis International Airport and a DVD titled 'How an Airline Captain Should Look and Act' in his apartment. The FBI is investigating whether Mahmoud Maawad, 29, had any connection to terrorists. He is awaiting trial on charges of wire fraud and fraudulent use of a Social Security number. Maawad, who is in the United States illegally, told the judge during a hearing Thursday that he is studying science and economics at the University of Memphis." (09/17/05)

Speaking of problems with immigration and terrorism.

Ugly scene for teens on screen
NewsDay
"Welcome to the world of cyberbullying, a new age form of aggression that can instantly erupt with a few keystrokes. At least one expert describes such virtual smearing as a suburban phenomenon because so many adolescents have their own computers and unsupervised time to use them -- making Long Island the perfect environment for it. The alarms triggered by cyberbullying have begun to sound at schools in Nassau and Suffolk counties, raising concerns and prompting a conference on the subject later this month at Stony Brook University. Long Island 'fits the typical profile: upper-middle class, suburban kids with lots of technology, too much time on their hands and not enough parental supervision,' said Parry Aftab, whose New Jersey-based group WiredSafety.org combats cyberbullying across the world." (09/18/05)

To be honest, when I read this story at first, I thought this was just another example of more and more political correctness. I was wrong. http://WiredSafety.org covers a wide range of internet issues including identify theft, hacking, denial of service attacks, and such. But the best way to understand this cyberbullying is their sister site: http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/ - just the intro is very enlightening. What they are talking about is far beyond the "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." Just as GRTF schools are still unable to control the traditional "gi'me your lunch money" bullying, it seems that they are allowing, even encouraging identity theft, use of computers to cost kids and families money, expose them to physical attack, and make life miserable. But it will not be solved by the schools, or by the government: it will take parental action and defensive actions by children and parents.

Stealing the sound of your password
San Francisco Chronicle
"It may seem like the quiet click-clacking of computer keystrokes is nothing but background noise, but to a modern cyber-thief, the sound could translate into an array of stolen passwords. Researchers at UC Berkeley have now proved that, using a device as simple as a $10 microphone, software can learn to recognize the sound of keystrokes as they're typed, and reveal the characters with 96 percent accuracy. Worst of all, in this era of needing passwords to access all sorts of things online, there's no good way to stop it." [FND editor's note: One more thing to be worried about, and deflect our energies from fighting the state? - SAT] (09/19/05)

Another example of technological defenses which we all need to develop.

Family Dollar offers to rehire fired worker
The Tennessean
"Officials with Family Dollar stores offered a Midstate woman her $7-per-hour job back yesterday, after firing her when she took time off to evacuate two younger siblings from hurricane-ravaged Mississippi." (09/16/05)

While we should be pleased with the store's mercy in this case, the facts of the case make it clear that the store had EVERY RIGHT to fire this woman. Believe it or not, employers have rights, too. Just as do landowners and landlords.

Mexico: Tap water cleaner, but residents stick to bottled
Arizona Republic
"Perched on the seat of a squeaky three-wheeled bicycle, Felix García Bedoya makes a living by delivering bottled water to Mexico City residents who don't trust their tap water. 'No one drinks water from the faucet here,' he said, heaving a 5-gallon bottle onto his shoulder. 'The government says it's safe, but no one believes them.' Therein lies a paradox. Mexican tap water has gotten dramatically cleaner in recent decades, especially in the cities, experts say. But still, no one drinks the stuff. All but the poorest Mexicans buy bottled water, either from corner stores or door-to-door vendors like García Bedoya. In fact, Mexico consumes more bottled water than any other country except the United States, with about 4.7 billion gallons sold in 2004, according to the New York-based Beverage Marketing Corp." (09/20/05)

A problem which many people in the Gulf Coast can relate to more today than for years. Of course, some of us who grew up in West Texas know exactly what GOES into AND comes out of the taps - and distill our own!

Mama's Note: The trick is to know where the water was before it went in the bottle! A great deal of "bottled water" is taken directly from the same "taps" these people are so afraid of! Buyer beware -- and yes, it's better to make your own.

ACLU targets abstinence-only programs
Washington Times
"The American Civil Liberties Union yesterday began a campaign to urge officials in 18 states to reject abstinence-only sex-education programs. Many abstinence programs contain false or misleading information, discriminate against homosexual youth and promote religion, ACLU leaders said, citing a December report issued by Rep. Henry A. Waxman, California Democrat. The effort began as Maine announced that it had become the third state to reject federal abstinence-education funding, because of new rules that conflict with state policy. Maine officials said this week that they will forgo a grant offered through the 1996 welfare-reform law because it must be used for abstinence programs and because they prefer comprehensive sex education. They used the grants for abstinence ad campaigns before the rules change." (09/22/05)

Exactly WHAT the ACLU has to do with this is a question no one is answering. I support (and encourage) ALL states to reject ALL federal funding (and stop collecting federal taxes, for that matter, as well). But exactly HOW this is a civil rights issue is beyond me.

Fraud sinks Subway's sub club
Wired News
"For years, Subway regular Brandy Littleton kept business-size cards with tiny stamps on them in her purse. She loved the Sub Club, a reward system that allowed studious customers to earn free meals every time a card filled up with stamps. ... A few months ago she learned that her collected fortunes had become worthless. The Sub Club was phased out, and the San Bernardino, California, woman found herself paying full price every time she wanted a sandwich artist to prepare her a meal. ... The reason: fraud. In a world of home laser printers and multimedia PCs, counterfeiting has become increasingly easy. With materials available at any office supply store, those with a cursory knowledge of photo-editing software can duplicate the business-card-size rewards cards once punched at Cold Stone Creamery or the stamps once given out at Subway sandwich shops. " (09/21/05)

RIP. Just a few more days to go. Dig out those old cards if you can!

I do sometimes provide a quote and additional commentary, and do so today:

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
BEING COMPASSIONATE WITH OPM
"As we hear calls for a 'compassionate' response to the victims of this (Hurricane Katrina) tragedy, it is important to remember that you can't be compassionate with other people's money. This difference is as simple as the difference between my reaching into my pocket for money to help someone in need and my reaching into your pocket for the same purpose. The former is charity -- the latter is not."
- Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute

Additional Commentary: provided by an elderly relative of mine, who asks to remain anonymous. He is not a libertarian, but right here he sounds like one!

I have been a member of the Peninsula Emergency Preparedness Committee for years. It has bothered me that the public does not know the chain of command to get FEMA involved. They are not the first responders!! It is you, your mayor, your governor, the President, then FEMA in that order. FEMA will not respond until asked, and they were not in the Katrina disaster.

PEP-C POINTERS: the chain of responsibility in emergencies With all the finger pointing in the aftermath of Katrina, we thought it might be an idea to point out the chain of responsibility in emergencies.

YO-YO. Yep, YO-YO. You're On Your Own. This is why emergency managers keep trying to tell us they won't be there. That we are to plan to be self-sufficient for AT LEAST the first 3 days. You noticed that it was 3 or 4 days before ANY help arrived in the gulf. And some people were very upset about that.

• So, just so you know, here is the deal:
  You are responsible for yourself and your family.
• Your neighborhood should then check on each other and offer aid. Hopefully, you have a neighborhood organized for this purpose.
• Next, your neighborhood should report in to the local first responders and emergency operations center as to your status and needs. Local first responders will attempt to respond to life and death emergencies if you can get word to them.
• MAYOR and local emergency managers implement their disaster plan
• Local Emergency Operations Center, in communication with county and state emergency operations will evaluate the status of the area (according to the reports you have sent in) and make plans to allocate resources. Resources are allocated according to the greatest need, concentration of people, and business centers. A school full of kids is a priority. A mall full of shoppers is a priority. A business center is important for the community in supplies and jobs. Sorry, but your house is way down on the list. Life trumps property.
• County and state emergency responders will begin response.
• Governor declares state of emergency if asked This will clear the way for federal help and money.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency makes plan to aid area in response to governor's request.
• FEMA responds. FEMA, Federal Troops and other outside agencies CANNOT come into an area unless requested by that state. The president is not going to land Marine One in your backyard to bring you water. YOU bring you water. You did notice, didn't you, that clean water is the one most essential item everywhere.
• There you have it. YO-YO
  Take care,
  Preparedness is an act of love. Prepare because you care.
  PEP-C (Peninsula Emergency Preparedness Committee)
  PO Box 1217; Gig Harbor, WA 98335 <prepare@pep-c.org>