More Gun Confiscations. This Time In California

Why Is California Seizing Legally Purchased Guns?

26 November, 2013 / by Website Editor / in Arms, Police State

California is taking the unprecedented and extreme measure of confiscating legally-owned guns. More than 20,000 people who purchased their guns legally had them confiscated after they were suddenly classified as “prohibited persons” from owning a weapon. California Gov. Jerry Brown authorized a $24 million budget for hiring additional officers to help with the crackdown.

The state legislature approved new language earlier this year for what is defined as a prohibited person, or someone who legally registered a firearm but can now no longer exercise their Second Amendment rights. These reasons were expanded to include people who are behind on state taxes, did not pay toll fees in a “timely” manner and other minor misdemeanors or mental health concerns.

Joe Mendez, one of the gun-owners whose weapon was taken away, said 14 officers showed up at his house and police shoved two M16s within inches of his face. They even allegedly lied to Mendez’s wife and said they were only taking a report after her car was involved in a hit-and-run.

California Dept. of Justice spokesperson Michelle Gregory told NPR that in order for gun confiscations to take place, officers must undertake “tedious, expensive and time-consuming work, requiring hours of background checks and cross-referencing. There’s a lot of work that goes into these. “People aren’t always home, there’s different stories as to where the firearms may be and there’s a lot of follow-up [that] needs to happen after.”

A state-wide gun confiscation effort took place in 2011, resulting in 1,200 firearms being seized from 723 people throughout 43 counties.

Should Representation Be Equal? This Is What It Would Look Like.

The 50 states, redrawn with equal population

• BY REID WILSON

• November 25 at 12:31 pm

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The 576,412 people who reside in Wyoming represent 0.18 percent of the total U.S. population. But Wyoming’s three electoral votes represent 0.68 percent of the total number of votes available to a presidential candidate, and the state’s two senators are, of course, 2 percent of the voting members of the U.S. Senate. Blame the electoral college and the Constitution, which sets the number of senators, for Wyoming’s (relatively) outsized influence.

But what if we redrew the map to give every state an equal voice — by giving them an equal population? Mapmaker Neil Freeman has done just that, by drawing 50 states with just about 6,175,000 people each.

Our colleague Dylan Matthews wrote about Freeman’s map back in August, but we thought it was worth a repost. Freeman’s map gives us some pretty condensed states — New York, Newark, Washington, Los Angeles and Houston get their own boundaries. Others, like Salt Lake and Shiprock, which stretches from California east to Oklahoma, are pretty huge.

But every state would get the same number of electoral votes, and every Congressional district would have about the same number of people (Freeman has another proposal: Expand the House to 450 members, which would give every state nine representatives, or 500 members, which would give everyone 10 reps).

Just as the decennial redistricting process inevitably pits incumbent congressmen against each other, redrawing state lines would inevitably throw several senators into competitive races. All six senators from Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota would end up in Ogallala, a state that stretches from Colorado Springs to the Canadian border. Ranier would include senators from Washington and Alaska, while Oregon’s two senators, both Portland residents, would have to face off with Hawaii’s two senators for the right to represent Shasta.

You can bet the new Congress would have many more New York accents. The states of New York, Pocono, Adirondack and Throgs Neck would all need new senators.

Can You Believe It, Al Sharpton Criticizes KnockOut Games

Civil Rights Leader Al Sharpton Calls Knockout Games ‘Insane Thuggery’

29 November, 2013 / by Website Editor / in Uncategorized

Civil rights leader Al Sharpton took a stance on the “knockout” game trend that might surprise many. The knockout game, which involves trying to render unsuspecting victims unconscious with a single punch, has quietly been reaching the front pages of various media outlets after numerous communities have been affected by the game. In Sharpton’s hometown of NYC, several Jewish people have been assaulted in knockout games by teenagers.

Many of the games have involved black teenagers attacking white victims, but Sharpton has become the first prominent black figure to label the knockout attacks as intentional racism and “insane thuggery.” In his column for Huffington Post, he wrote that the games are “unequivocally wrong. These kids are targeting innocent people, and in many cases specifically targeting Jewish folks. We would not be silent if it were the other way around, and we will not be silent now. This behavior is racist, period. And we will not tolerate it.”

The civil rights leader also called for community leaders and citizens to help put a stop to the problem. “This is not a ‘game; it is inhumane behavior that has no place in our country or the world,” he wrote. Diversity is one of the greatest strengths of this nation, and we must respect one another in a way that preserves and further develops this diversity. Therefore, when an injustice happens to anyone, it is the duty of all to speak up. Silence is akin to tacit acceptance.”

Bill O’Reilly also spoke about the knockout game trend with Bernie Goldberg on The O’Reilly Factor. The conservative TV host said that “angry” black men who “didn’t have a father” were largely responsible for the games and said that it amounted to blacks “whacking whites.”

Underemployment Is A Major Problem. Could It Result In Riots This Summer?

At Least 27 Million Americans 'Underemployed'

While the official unemployment rate last year was 8.1 percent, a far greater percentage of working-age Americans were "underemployed."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the underemployment rate in 2012 was 14.7 percent, amounting to 23.1 million people.

Underemployed Americans include those who are officially considered unemployed, plus involuntary part-time workers and "marginally attached" workers — those who have not looked for work within the last four weeks but have sought a job within the last year and are available for employment.

About 2.5 million people were marginally attached workers last year, and 8.1 million were involuntary part-time workers.

As troubling as that may be, the actual figures are likely much worse, according to a report by Wendell Cox for NewGeography.com.

For instance, Gallup estimated that the nation's underemployment rate stood at 17.4 percent in August, meaning that there are more than 27 million underemployed workers.

Also, economists at the Center for College Affordability and Productivity have estimated that 48 percent of college graduates who are employed hold jobs that do not require a college degree. These are not included in the underemployment figures. If they were, the underemployment rate would soar.

Nevada had the highest underemployment rate during the year ending on June 30, 19 percent, followed by California with 18.3 percent. The lowest rates were in North Dakota at 6.2 percent and South Dakota, 7.8 percent.

"The productivity gap that results from underemployment constrains the U.S. economy at a time of unusually severe financial challenges," observes Cox, visiting professor at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers in Paris and the author of "War on the Dream: How Anti-Sprawl Policy Threatens the Quality of Life."

"College graduates face not only a grim employment market, but have student loan repayments that require good jobs," he adds.

"Yet things could get worse. The soon to be implemented Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has a built-in incentive for employers to shift workers to part-time status" or to hire part-time workers to avoid the mandate to provide health insurance to full-time workers.

What Happened To Global Warming Predictions Of Major Hurricanes? Another False Forecast!

2013 Slowest Hurricane Season Since 1982

The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially ended on Saturday, had the fewest hurricanes in 30 years, casting doubt on claims from climate change alarmists that global warming will lead to more frequent and stronger storms.

No major hurricanes formed in the Atlantic basin for the first time since 1994, thanks in large part to "persistent, unfavorable atmospheric conditions over the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and tropical Atlantic Ocean," according to a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Thirteen named storms formed in the Atlantic basin this year. But only two, Ingrid and Humberto, became hurricanes.

The average number of named storms is 12, but the average number of Atlantic hurricanes is six. On average per hurricane season there are three major hurricanes of Category 3 and above.

Tropical Storm Andrea was the only named storm to make landfall in the United States this season, bringing heavy rain and minor flooding to portions of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

This year ranks as the sixth least-active Atlantic hurricane season since 1950, and was only the third below-normal season since 1995, when a high-activity era for Atlantic hurricanes began.

"A combination of conditions acted to offset several climate patterns that historically have produced active hurricane seasons," said Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

"This unexpectedly low activity is linked to an unpredictable atmospheric pattern that prevented the growth of storms by producing exceptionally dry, sinking air and strong vertical wind shear in much of the main hurricane formation region," he said.

NOAA and the U.S. Air Force flew only 45 hurricane hunter aircraft reconnaissance missions over the Atlantic basin this year, totaling 435 hours — the fewest flight hours since at least 1966, NOAA reported.

Unlike the United States, Mexico was battered by eight storms, including three hurricanes. Five came from the Pacific Ocean and three from the Atlantic.

More Information On The Newtown Shooter. There Were Lots Of Warnings That He Was Troubled.

Adam Lanza's Father a 'Broken Man' 1 Year After Newtown School Slaughter

Saturday, 30 Nov 2013 01:18 PM

By Sandy Fitzgerald

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Peter Lanza, the father of Newtown school shooter Adam Lanza remains a "broken" man who still isn't able to deal with what his son did last Dec. 14, his sister-in-law says.

"Peter is a changed man," Marsha Lanza told MailOnline  in a story published Friday. "He's broken. How can you ever begin to try and deal with that? It's just impossible."

The elder Lanza, who works as a tax accountant, had not been in contact with his troubled son for two years before he killed his mother, Nancy, before heading to the Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he murdered 20 first-graders and kindergarten students.

Marsha Lanza said that her brother-in-law has only spoken about the horrific incident to "a very, very small number of people, including my husband Michael, his brother, as they are very close."

She said the shootings are still also too much for her own husband "and sometimes he tells me not to ask about it."

She said that the shootings also affect the rest of the family when people recognize the Lanza name.

"It happens everywhere, the bank, restaurants, gas stations," she said. "You see them see the name, ask for your ID and then you know what they’re thinking. I know what’s going through their mind."

A report from Connecticut prosecutors says there is still no clear motive for the shootings, reports The Washington Post.

It indicated Peter Lanza and his younger son had enjoyed regular contact, including hiking, playing video games and shooting guns, until 2010, when their relationship fell apart.

Peter was divorced from Adam Lanza's mother in 2001, and she got sole custody of the boy, who suffered from Asperger's Syndrome.

According to a report from the Danbury Attorney General last week, she and her son did not speak for three months, even though they shared the same house, and she was banned from going into his room, where he not only kept the weapons he used in the school shootings, but a huge, 7 ft. by 4 ft. poster on a wall that detailed the top 500 mass killings of all time.

Adam's older brother, Ryan, who was initially implicated in the shootings after his identification was found at the scene, continues to refuse comment about the incident, said MailOnline.

Marsha Lanza said the family is still deeply traumatized and asking if there was something more that could have been done.

"Did we miss the signs?" she said. "I went over old Facebook messages that Nancy sent me at the time and nothing seemed to indicate this was coming. We're still struggling to understand it ourselves.'

Related Stories:

• Newtown HS Football Team May Play for Title on Shooting Anniversary
• Newtown Sees Huge Jump in Pistol Permit Bids Since Shooting

© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Another Opportunity For al Queda?

 DHS: Northern Border Now Poses Biggest Terrorist Threat

A top official with the Department of Homeland Security warns that the "nearly unguarded" northern border has become the most likely point of entry into the country for terrorists.

Brandon Judd, president of Homeland Security's National Border Patrol Council, told a House committee on Nov. 20: "For the most part, when discussions on border security arise, the conversation tends to focus on the southwest border. In no way do I want to detract from the importance of securing the southwest border, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ongoing threat of the nearly unguarded northern border to the safety of the American public.

"As far as I am aware, all recent threat assessments have pointed to the northern border as the most likely point of entry into our country for terrorists."

The U.S.-Canada border extends for about 5,500 miles, and there are more than 120 land points of entry — not to mention vast stretches of open prairie along the border.

Judd told the committee: "The northern border is ripe for the exploitation of not only alien and drug trafficking, but also for facilitating the illegal entrances of terrorists and those that would do this country harm.

"If we selectively limit manpower to current locations with high volumes of illegal crossings, all we have really achieved is shifting the point of illegal entry to a different location."