Corrupt Civil Rights Leaders Won’t Support School Choice

So says Juan Williams:

“The civil rights challenge of this generation is education,” Williams said. “Dr. King would never allow anybody to buy his silence, to buy him off.”

He charged that unions are paying off civil rights leaders like Reverend Al Sharpton so that they will not support charter schools and education vouchers. “Poor people need better schools and you can’t make excuses at the cost of our children and our children’s future.”

via Fox News Insider. (with video.)

The editor didn’t even choose the best quotes.

“They don’t ever want those civil rights leaders to stand up and say ‘Yes.’ to charter schools. ‘Yes.’ to vouchers.”  …  “We need  — the black community — better schools.”

This is a big story.  But the MSM will not touch it.  Sadly.

Poor children being denied a good education is a tragedy.

Civil rights leaders on the take not supporting educational choice for these poor children is a travesty.

Survey of 15,000 Law Enforcement on Gun Control

The survey, which was conducted in early March 2013, received 15,000 responses from law enforcement professionals. It found that the overall attitude of law enforcement is strongly anti-gun legislation and pro-gun rights, with the belief that an armed citizenry is effective in stopping crime. Response percentages varied only slightly when analyzed by rank and department size. Among the results:

  • 86 percent feel the currently proposed legislation would have no effect or a negative effect on improving officer safety
  • Similarly, 92 percent feel that banning semi-automatic firearms, or “assault weapons,” would have no effect or a negative effect on reducing violent crime
  • Demonstrating the opinion that the best way to combat gun crime is through harsher punishment, 91 percent said the use of a firearm while perpetrating a crime should lead to a stiff, mandatory sentence with no plea bargains. Likewise, 59 percent believe increasing punishment severity for unlicensed dealers would reduce crime
  • Respondents were more split on background checks, with 31 percent agreeing that mental health background checks in all gun sales would help reduce mass shootings, while 45 percent disagreed
  • 71 percent support law enforcement leaders who have publicly refused to enforce more restrictive gun laws within their jurisdictions
  • 82 percent believe gun buyback or turn-in programs are ineffective in reducing the level of gun violence
  • 91 percent support the concealed carry of firearms by civilians who have not been convicted of a felony and/or have not been deemed psychologically incapable
  • Likewise, 80 percent feel that legally-armed citizens would likely have reduced the number of casualties in recent mass shooting incidents
  • 38 percent believe the biggest cause of gun violence in the United States is the “decline in parenting and family values”. This was trailed by “overly lax parole and short sentencing standards” at 15 percent and “pop culture influence” (e.g., violent movies and video games) at 14 percent.

via: Business Wire / PoliceOne.com

This is incredible.  Don’t plan on seeing this in the MSM.

China Economy to Overtake U.S. by 2016

China’s economy expanded last year at 7.8pc – its slowest pace in more than a decade – and recent data has fuelled concerns that any rebound in the country’s growth is losing steam.

However, the OECD was upbeat, predicting in a new survey of China’s prospects that the country’s economy could expand by 8.5pc this year and by 8.9pc in 2014.

While the OECD noted the slowdown in China’s aggressive expansion, it nonetheless predicted that growth should average 8pc in this decade at current rates of investment and reform.

After allowing for price differences, it forecast that China could become the world’s largest economy, overtaking America, around 2016.

via Telegraph.

High debt is a drag on growth.  You’re using sooo much money for debt service (paying interest) that could have gone to pay for more useful activity… education, roads, technology, etc.

China’s economy grew at nearly 8% last year.  U.S.’s economy grew at less than 1/2 that. (Thanks Obamacare and businesses fearing other Obama policies.)

Also worth noting that this story NOT being carried by any major U.S. news organization save the Washington Post and CNN International.  Not even a single link / page to the regular CNN site despite the story begin pick-up by Reuters news service.  To ABC/NBC/CBS/MSNBC and yes, even Fox this story is not news worthy.

 

What Type of Gun Used at NY Car Wash & Barber Shop?

The following is the Associated Press report on the standoff between police and the man who they say opened fire at a barber shop and a car wash on Wednesday in upstate New York, killing four. But as the gun debate rages, it’s interesting to note that the gun used by the killer was not an automatic weapon, a so-called “assault weapon,” or even a handgun. Instead, it was a shotgun — the type of gun Vice President has been touting as a better protection option although it’s unclear what exact shotgun was used.

via TheBlaze.com.

Other than the Blaze zero media mentions of this interesting fact.

Shotguns are awesome powerful in close quarters combat when you don’t care who dies around you.  The damage per shot is staggering compared to that of “assault” rifles.  … No matter to some.  They actually want to ban everything.  It’s just one gun at a time for these folks.

France’s Richest Man Moves to Belgium

The richest man in France has officially transferred his multi-billion pound fortune out of his homeland to Belgium.

Bernard Arnault, head of luxury goods group LVMH, insists he has moved his assets for ‘family inheritance reasons’.

But others are convinced that the 63-year-old has joined other tycoons and celebrities in wanting to avoid taxes – including a 75 per cent top rate on income – introduced by Socialist President Francois Hollande.

via Mail Online.

This story does not exist to any U.S. media outlets.

The left wing media does not want anyone to think the Laffer Curve actually exists.

So now instead of getting a decent amount of money in taxes from this guy — they had to get greedy and push the tax rate to 75% — and now they get NOTHING.

There’s a quote going around today:

The problem is Socialism is that sooner
or later you run out of other people’s money.
— M. Thatcher

Held by Pirates for Nearly Three Years

After almost three years in captivity, the crew of the Iceberg 1, a cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates, are home after finally being rescued.  …

Its Dubai-based owner, who appears not to have been insured, refused to pay a ransom for it and simply went to ground, ignoring pleas for help from the hostages’ families.

Meanwhile, the governments representing the different sailors on board – six Indians, nine Yemenis, four Ghanaians, two Sudanese, two Pakistanis and one Filipino – were either unable or unwilling to mount a rescue attempt.  …

Now, though, it has been – courtesy of an armed raid not by the multi-national force, but by Somalia’s own fledgling anti-piracy patrols, who have been trained up a South African private military company. But while I would be the first to congratulate the Somali troops for completing what is an extremely dangerous job, I can’t help wondering why it had to be left to them. Freeing hostages is normally a task deemed suitable only for highly-trained special forces, and without casting aspersions on the Somalis’ abilities, I doubt they quite fall into that category.

The multinational force, on the other hand, has huge special forces assets galore, from Britain, France, the US and so on. Given the appalling plight of this ship, could they not perhaps have made an exception in this case?

 

The answer, I suspect, is that most nations are generally reluctant to risk the lives of their own troops to free citizens from other countries, which is probably fair enough. But this does give an idea of the limits to which the international force – and note that word “international” – is prepared to go.

 

One also can’t help wondering why India – which now sees itself as a global superpower, and has perfectly competent special forces – couldn’t have done the raid, given that six of the hostages were Indian. Yes, they would have ended up taking the lead on behalf of a few lesser nations in the process. But isn’t that what being a superpower is all about?

Kudos to the Somalis for pulling themselves together.

Shame on India for not lifting a finger.

It’s time the U.S. and the U.K. seriously think about their global roles as well.  Should add China and Russia to the list as well.  All countries rely on global trade.  All should be willing to do their part to keep global shipping channels free from pirates.

If we’re willing to commit 35,000 troops to kill Afghans who’ve done nothing wrong (other than try to survive) than can’t be pledge a small force of 100 to deal with pirates?

An Intimate Photo Essay of Ann Romney

She said: ‘When I was first diagnosed with MS and my husband was taking care of me, he discovered rotisserie chicken.

‘Rotisserie chicken is every cooks best friend,’ she said. ‘You want to buy it at the end of your shopping so it doesn’t heat up the food that’s in the rest of your basket.’

via Daily Mail Online.

Again, the UK press.

Why is no American journalist carrying this story or anything similar?

Consider:

When Ann wore a stunning red Oscar de la Renta to the RNC, there was not a peep from his PR team, while we received several notices about Michelle’s DNC wardrobe from Tracey Reese and Laura Smalls respectively. When Romney wore a printed Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress, DVF’s PR team not only ignored it, but effectively distanced themselves from her saying they were “not quite sure how she obtained the dress.

The U.S. media is actively ignoring Ann Romney.

Someone try to tell me there is no media bias.

CPD Brass Wants Tighter Gun Tracking

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said today that he would like to see gun owners in Illinois have to report when their weapons are stolen, lost or sold – steps he said would lower the number of firearms in the hands of criminals.  …

“We keep trying to pass comprehensive gun legislation,” he added. “And my recommendation is to really start small. The fact is that if there was a requirement to report the loss, transfer or theft of a firearm in the state of Illinois, that would significantly limit the number of firearms in the city of Chicago.”

via Chicago Tribune.

Media simply reports what the man says as gospel and doesn’t ask any questions.

Please tell us Mr. McCarthy how part one, a “requirement to report the loss, transfer or theft of a firearm” leads to part two, and “significantly limit the number of firearms in the city of Chicago?”

Person A has a gun.  Person A goes on vacation and while gone Gang-Banger B breaks into Person A’s house and steals Person A’s gun.  Person A reports to the police that the gun has been stolen.

First, Person A is going to file a report b/c guns are expensive and he or she is going to want to make the insurance claim that the gun was stolen.

Second, Person A is going to file a report b/c they don’t want the police knocking at their door when the gun is used in a crime.

But just in case that’s not enough…  let’s just say we do create a new law to force Person A to notify the police that the gun was stolen.  Now just exactly what is the police going to do with that information to keep the stolen firearm out of the city of Chicago?

I would really like to know.  Where is the nexus between knowledge of a stolen gun and action that keeps that gun out of the city?

Can someone please explain?

“Obama, Romney – Same Police State”

Johnson’s first point was that the US political system is in desperate need of transparency.  Whether Obama or Romney is elected next month, he told the audience, we will still have “a heightened police state in the US.”  And Obama and Romney are guaranteed to continue American military interventions abroad, he added.

via RT.

Indeed.  Obama and Romney are more alike than different when you consider the other ideas being bantered about.  Such as:

However, [Johnson] saw taxing marijuana as one alternative to outlawing it. “I have drank alcohol,” he said, “and I have smoked marijuana. … I can tell you that in no category is marijuana more dangerous than alcohol – yet we are arresting 1.8 million people a year on drug-related crimes.” He claimed that fully half of the US court and prison budget every year goes to drug-related offenses, and asked, rhetorically, “to what end?”

I would love a presidential candidate to come forward and tell the American people directly that the war on drugs has been an epic failure.

Johnson repeated throughout the debate that thanks to American wars abroad, the US has unnecessarily made millions of enemies around the world.  The use of the military, he said, is to defend the country, not invade other nations.

I would love a presidential candidate to come forward and tell the American people directly that our foreign policy of intervening in everyone else’s affairs has been an epic failure.

“The biggest threat to our national security is that we’re bankrupt,” he told the audience….

I would love a presidential candidate to come forward and tell the American people directly that our debt is a national security issue.

Kudos to Gary Johnson.  Such a shame that the GOP and Dem and MSM just ignore you.

Democrat Voter Fraud in Florida & a Beating in WI

[Republican] Voters are getting letters that look like they are from local elections offices, questioning their citizenship. But Local 6 has learned the letters are fake, and they are going out across Central Florida and other parts of the state.

Officials said the voters who have received the letters thus far are white, registered Republicans who consistently vote in elections.

“This is a major concern,” said Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Mike Ertel, who received a letter from a voter mailed from Seattle with no return address. “You should not expect a letter from your elections office saying, ‘You’re not registered to vote, please don’t go to the polls.’  That’s ridiculous.”

The supervisor of elections in Collier County said some residents there have also received hoax letters.

Inside the letter is the resident’s supervisor of election’s name, the resident’s name and address, and a warning that doubts the voter’s citizenship, saying the resident is not eligible to vote unless a letter is returned in an enclosed form within 15 days.

via WKMG Orlando.

This surprises no one.

Think about this for just one second.  The bogus letters are sent to “white, registered Republicans who consistently vote in elections.”  Who has access to that information?  Sure, it’s available at the local board of elections but not easy to pull together into a mail-merge.  This is a sophisticated effort by someone who has a copy of the electronic voter database.  That’s not easy to come by.

Very creepy.  But this (I guess) is the lengths some people will go to to win an election.  And if the fraud doesn’t work, they just beat some people up and put them in the hospital.  People in the hospital don’t vote right?

State Senator Neal Kedzie says his son was attacked while trying to stop someone from stealing his Romney/Ryan yard sign.

Whitewater Police tell NBC15 News this is an active investigation.

Here is the statement released by Senator Neal Kedzie:

Early on Friday morning, October 19th, my son Sean was awakened by noises outside his residence in Whitewater. As he went to see what the commotion was about, he noticed an individual removing a Romney/Ryan yard sign from his property. He yelled to the person that they were taking something not theirs and to return it immediately.

The individual returned the sign, however, a second person confronted and attacked Sean without warning.

Sean was wrestled to the ground by both persons, held down by a constricting chokehold, and struck repeatedly about the face and head.

He nearly passed out from the chokehold and suffered contusions to his face and eyes.

Fortunately, an alert neighbor heard the commotion, scared the individuals away, and called the police.

My wife and I were awakened by a telephone call from Sean’s roommate that Sean had been taken by ambulance to Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital.

via NBC 15, Madison WI

They say if you resort to violence
then you’ve already lost.
—  Sean Connery as Capt. John Connor, Rising Sun

Given the continued threats of violence should Obama not win it’s safe to say our fair nation is losing its soul.  The media has given a voice to those believe they can govern through raw power and fear.

Something is very very wrong here.  A lack of proper education, poor social values, a biased and weak willed media system, and a general lack of civility can sink the country.  We’re very very close.

Scary times.