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M.D. Harmon: Time to stand our ground on “stand your ground”
The current ginned-up controversy over “stand your ground” laws in Florida and elsewhere is actually a testament to the growing influence of that portion of the civil liberties movement that is focused on the Second Amendment.
The chief, but certainly not the sole, agent of that growth in effectiveness is the National Rifle Association, of which I have been a member since 1967, when I took the proceeds of my first military paycheck and sent in the requisite $100 that a life membership then cost. (It was a fourth of my monthly gross pay, so it was a substantial amount.)
I’ve never regretted it for a second. Our liberties dealing with the right to keep and bear arms (which are rooted in the intrinsic human right to self-defense) are scorned by other so-called “civil liberties” groups (yes, I mean you, ACLU), so we need a dedicated organization to defend them against their attackers.
We wouldn’t have recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that verified those rights exist, and apply nationwide, were not the NRA and others willing to bear the legal, moral and financial burdens of defending them. Such groups remain at the forefront of a double-barreled effort (sorry) to expand the reach of these liberties.
The first is to reach into those jurisdictions hostile to our rights to fight in court against the continued restrictions such communities and states (and bureaucracies at various levels) enact and try to enforce that are in violation of both the Court’s decisions and the application of those decisions to individual Americans.
Along that line, Second Amendment defenders are contesting the laws of New York and New Jersey, which are using local laws and court decisions to impinge on the rights of Americans to travel with secured firearms and ammunition, something federal law specifically permits.
Even trained military personnel have been charged and their weapons confiscated under these oppressive state policies and statutes, and new laws are being drafted in Congress to halt these abuses of our rights.
In other cases, anti-gun activists have tried to ban the use of lead in bullets via federal regulation, with the latest attempt turned back just this month. Such a ban would greatly increase the price of ammunition, making it difficult or impossible for hunters and target shooters to practice their preferred enthusiasms.
Other states have attempted to require that guns should be manufactured with the ability to “microstamp” bullets fired through them, to link a firearm with its expended rounds. This technology, which does not exist at present, would also be extremely expensive if it ever was developed, and raise the cost of new firearms far beyond the reach of most people, experts say.
Beyond opposing laws designed to harass ordinary gun owners and make criminals out of law-abiding people, gun-rights defenders also have aimed for decades at passing positive legislation that expands the reach of firearms’ rights, both with regard to sporting uses and with regard to their primary purpose, self-defense. (Americans use guns for defending themselves and their loved ones hundreds of thousands of times a year, if not more.)
Thus, gun clubs have been grandfathered into their locations and offered legal protection against neighbors (some of whom moved in knowing there was a gun club nearby) who complained of noise or traffic, or alleged that firearms’ discharges were hazards they deserved to be defended against, regardless of the adequacy of range safety measures.
More significantly, the right to bear arms outside of one’s residence has been strongly defended, resulting in all but one state (Illinois) allowing weapons to be carried outside the home. But the numbers and types of restrictions, including on “open carry” (with a weapon in plain sight) and concealed carry, vary widely. (The places with room for considerable improvement besides Illinois include Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey).
Guns rights defenders in both parties in Congress are working hard to get a law passed to treat concealed weapons permits like drivers’ licenses, in that each state that offered them would have to recognize those of other states, although individual state laws would apply to the circumstances of carry within each jurisdiction. The law is very popular, but will probably have to await the election of a new president to avoid a veto from the current one.
Four states — Alaska, Vermont, Arizona and Wyoming — require no license at all to carry a firearm, either openly or concealed, and Maine is one of many “shall-issue” states where guns may be carried openly and concealed carry permits may only be denied for reasons specifically laid out in law (and not at some official’s whim, as is the case in some of the places mentioned above).
So, felons, the certified mentally ill and spouse abusers may not carry weapons, but every other adult may, including carrying concealed as long as training and registration requirements are met.
We’ve all seen how foolish “No Guns Allowed” policies are, disarming law-abiding people while opening up schools and other public places to those who are willing to break the law because they deliberately intend to attack the defenseless.
The most notable recent addition to the positive side of the law regarding firearms possession and use are so-called “castle laws” and “stand-your-ground laws,” the latter much in the news because of the death of a teenager in Florida at the hands of an armed member of a neighborhood watch group.
Briefly, because many state laws and legal precedents had established that crime victims had what was called a “duty to retreat” when violence was threatened against them, people had to prove that they were essentially cornered and unable to escape before they could use force to defend their persons or property. Or, they had to flee their own homes if they were able.
Because this state of affairs was widely (and correctly) seen as unjust, privileging criminals and punishing victims, many states passed laws saying there was no duty to retreat if you were in your own place of residence. These were known as “castle laws” from “a man’s home is his castle.”
But that “duty” to run away was still being applied to victims threatened or attacked in public, even in places where those citizens had every legal right to be — parks, sidewalks, parking lots, yards, etc.
That was true even though, as long ago as 1895, the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in Beard v. U.S. that an innocent person under attack was “not obligated to retreat, but was entitled to stand his ground, and meet any attack on him with a deadly weapon…”
“Stand your ground laws” thus extended the right of self-defense to those public places, on the solid moral ground that criminals should not have the power to force law-abiding citizens to flee from locations where they were breaking no law and had every right to remain. Janet Napolitano, now the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, signed such a law when she was governor of Arizona.
So it seems odd that people would resist such laws, because there is no reason to make criminals a privileged group. That would be — well, criminal.
Of course, long before anyone, beyond the people directly involved, knows what really happened in the Florida case, anti-gun groups are blaming that state’s stand-your-ground law for the shooting of an innocent person.
Numerous legal experts have pointed out, however, that no matter what happened, the law is not at fault. If George Zimmerman, the admitted shooter, confronted Treyvon Martin, the teenager, after following him, he wasn’t standing his ground under the law’s definition.
And if, as he tells it, he had left off following Martin and was returning to his car when he was attacked and then defended himself, he was acting within his rights under the law.
Either way, the law isn’t the issue, and shouldn’t be criticized as if it were. Efforts to overturn such statutes should be seen as exactly what they are – efforts to turn public places back over to the control of the worst among us, and make everyone else give way to them. Or, more likely, become their victims once again.
We’ve had enough of that. The just-concluded NRA annual convention had more than 75,000 attendees, a record. Let’s show the crooks’ defenders (some of whom are crooks themselves) that most Americans will stand our ground on “stand your ground.”
Speaking of which, isn’t it time Maine had such a law?
M.D. Harmon, a retired journalist and military officer, is a free-lance writer. He can be contacted at mdharmoncol@yahoo.com.http://www.themainewire.com/2012/04/m-d-harmon-time-stand-ground-stand-ground/
Obama Announces the 2012 Launch of ‘African Americans for Obama.’RACIST & OFFENSIVE. IF THIS DOES NOT BOIL YOUR BLOOD, THEN I GIVE UP!!!!!!
This is what racism smells like. It can't be explained away.
Would you vote for a white person who did this? I wouldn't and I
think they would be run right out of town if they tried it.
This is just some food for thought if you're pondering your vote in
November.
Can you imagine Santorum or Romney or Newt or Paul putting out a
call for all the white brothers and sisters to vote for him because
he's white and so are they?
If this video is not alarming to you, simply delete. If you are
offended by what's taking place, please pass it on.
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Lisbon Maine is f$#@ed. It is one of the most corrupt towns I have seen in a long time. I have lived in this town on and off for almost 30 years. The locals are nice but the town officials are awful.
There is a garage in town - there is a auto mechanic there and next to it is a trailer. Most people dont even know the trailer exists, as it is hidden behind a fence and fairly obscure.
There is a local guy who runs an IT shop there, he does basic repairs, some web design and in home repairs. He gutted the entire trailer so it is a wide open room with desks on either side and made one of the bedrooms a store room, filled with shelves etc.
Now, the office trailer is in the village zone, meaning that no mobile homes used for people to live in are allowed to be there unless they are grandfathered. The town ordinances do allow an office trailer as long as it is temporary - the guys there are planning on building a new building for offices there this year.
The town just recently forced the land owner to remove the trailer completely. Stating it was a mobile home used for people to live in. Mind you, the code enforcement officer did not enter the trailer at all for an inspection he walked around the outside and said it was a mobile home and then tried to leave. Once he was confronted, he informed the owner and the IT guy that if he didnt declare it a mobile home he would lose his job. He was afraid Steve Eldridge (the town manager) would fire him, which would result in him losing his pension.
Another recent thing the town council decided to do - limit public speaking at town meetings. Now, I can understand limiting it, you don't want everyone talking over each other and having the meeting get out of hand. However, when someone from the public does go up to speak, and they bring up something the council does not want to here, they are instantly asked to leave and if they do not they are escorted out by the police.
Is...is this news? Chances are it was parked there because it was too dangerous to drive and unload elsewhere during the storm. Which is more important - enforcing a parking ban, or someones life?No, he was not parked there due to the storm. He parks there all year round. He has never gotten a ticket. His wife is a council member for the town - so apparently this gives him a free ride to do what he wants.
So basically, if you don't live in this town and don't know the people, don't guess what it's like.
I know every town has corruption - its common. However, if you were to come to this town and start talking to people, you would find alot that is just flat out disgusting.
Lisbon,
Elon Musk is the next Steve Jobs, says Merrill Lynch analyst Steve
Milunovich, and I hope he's right.
Milunovich is referring to Elon Musk's role as CEO of Tesla Motors,
I am referring to Musk's role in making mankind a 'multi-planet
species'.
Last year, Musk's company, SpaceX, became the first PRIVATE COMPANY
to successfully orbit and recover a spacecraft and he now holds a
$1.6 billion contract with NASA to make 12 robotic supply missions
to the International Space Station.
This just might be the coolest thing ever.
Free market capitalism and the future of space travel...
Goodman Green
- Brasscheck
SpaceX: Entrepreneur's race to spaceFrom PayPal to electric cars to rockets, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk wants his company, SpaceX, to build America's next manned spacecraft. Scott Pelley reports.
1st Private Mission to Space Station Set to Launch April 30
by Mike Wall,
SPACE.com Senior Writer
A private spaceship mission to the International Space Station is on track for a planned April 30 launch, which will mark a historic first for the orbiting laboratory, NASA officials announced today (April 16).
The launch will kick off a pivotal demonstration flight for the unmanned Dragon capsule built by the company Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif. During the mission, the gumdrop-shaped spacecraft will rendezvous with the space station, be captured by astronauts operating a robotic arm and offload some cargo.
If successful, it will be the first time a commercial American robotic spacecraft has ever flown to the International Space Station.
NASA space station managers and SpaceX officials met earlier today to review the Dragon spacecraft's readiness for its debut trip to the orbiting lab. They said the capsule is on track to blast off in two weeks, but only if a few remaining issues are resolved.
"Everything looks good as we head towards the April 30 launch date, but I would caution us all that there's still quite a bit of work that needs to be done," Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, told reporters today. More software validation tests for the Dragon spacecraft, for example, are among the items remaining to be completed.
"We'll continue to work through this stuff over the next week or so," he added. "On the 23rd of April, we'll get back together again and just kind of assess where we are overall to see how things are moving forward."
Making history
SpaceX aims to become the first company to launch a spacecraft toward the orbiting lab under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which seeks to spur the development of American private vehicles to take over the duties of the agency's retired space shuttle fleet.
The firm holds a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to make 12 robotic supply missions to the space station. But the scheduled April 30 flight is not one of the 12; rather, it's a demonstration to show that Dragon and SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket have the right stuff.
Read more here
Dear NaturalNews & Lisbon Reporter readers,
First off, I want to thank all NaturalNews readers who took part in protesting the Michigan DNR and calling for an investigation into the outrageous actions of that agency, which is running state-wide "hit squads" that seek to shoot the livestock of Michigan farmers and ranchers.
I have already heard that the Michigan DNR is getting hammered by the nationwide exposure on this story, as Drudge also linked to it for nearly 30 hours. A contact in the Michigan government has informed me there are grumblings of some half-hearted attempt to try to personally sue me over the story, but that won't work because I don't negotiate with terrorists.
So I guess the terrorists at the Michigan DNR will have to try something else. Maybe they will try to come to Texas and shoot my goats, huh? (Hint: That won't work out too well for them, trust me. In Texas, we don't take kindly to livestock murderers or thieves...)
Speaking of out-of-control government, today I've published a controversial and hard-hitting story on what the federal government is buying right now. It's a bizarre list consisting of 450 million rounds of ammunition, bullet-proof roadside checkpoint booths, and anti-radiation pills. Oh yeah, and armored urban assault vehicles, too.
What does all this point to? Decide for yourself after reading my detailed analysis:
http://www.naturalnews.com/035607_government_checkpoints_Martial_Law.html
Can you really ditch those asthma inhalers? Here are seven herbs that work as natural remedies for asthma:
http://www.naturalnews.com/035601_asthma_herbal_remedies_boswellia.html
Are you smoking e-cigs? Here's how to go from e-cigs to NO CIGS and kick the nicotine habit:
http://www.naturalnews.com/035605_e-cigs_nicotine_cigarettes.html
New science reveals that the methanol found in aspartame is neurologically damaging:
http://www.naturalnews.com/035606_methanol_aspartame_toxicity.html
Parsley helps cleanse your blood:
http://www.naturalnews.com/035599_parsley_superfood_blood.html
And pets are great for enhancing the health of children!
http://www.naturalnews.com/035600_pets_children_health.html
P.S. Holistic health mom and all-around great gal Joni Cox has launched her show on the Natural News Radio Network! Catch her show each Wednesday, and download the archive of her first show if you want to hear a sample of her great broadcast work! Learn more at:
http://www.naturalnewsradio.com/Archive-HomegrownHealth.asp
Today's Feature Stories:
What's the government buying these days? Hollow point bullets, hardened checkpoint booths and radiation pills
(NaturalNews) You can tell a lot about a person by assessing what they purchase. It's called "consumer profiling," and corporations do it all the time. That's how those grocery store loyalty discount programs work, by the way -- they profile your psychology...
Methanol toxicity from aspartame may cause autism, spina bifida, preterm delivery and more
(NaturalNews) The issue hardly gets as much attention as it deserves, but the extreme toxicity of the artificial sweetener aspartame is wrecking human health on a massive scale. And in a comprehensive study on methanol, the major alcohol component of...
Escape the nicotine prison, go from e-cigs to no-cigs
(NaturalNews) It's tough to criticize electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) because those who use them brag that they have eliminated most of the toxic chemicals found in commercial cigarettes, and that they're saving money and have cut back on how often they...
Pharmaceutical company spends millions studying how to steal black cohosh component as potential treatment for Alzheimer's
(NaturalNews) In the push to develop new drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease, drug company Satori Pharmaceuticals has successfully raised $37 million in venture capital to continue studying a key compound that it believes will eventually lead to a major...
Four dollars for a gallon of water? The dream of Monsanto and other corporations wanting to privatize water
(NaturalNews) Four dollars for a gallon of gas is ridiculous enough, but $4 for a gallon of water could someday became a reality, that is if oil tycoons like T. Boone Pickens and water bottling companies have their way. Privatization of water in which...
Cell phone radiation and cancer: Just how much more proof do you need?
(NaturalNews) Cell phones emit a dangerous non-ionizing form of electromagnetic radiation; radiation which can be absorbed by the tissues and cells which come into close contact with the phone, e.g., the head and neck. Scientific studies in the past have...
Fed up with steroids and asthma inhalers? Try the benefits of herbs as natural treatment for asthma
(NaturalNews) Natural treatment for asthma helps reduce acute asthma attacks, manage chronic asthma and helps those with general trouble breathing. The benefits of herbs for treating asthma and the lungs has been shown repeatedly through the centuries...
Pets are good for child health
(NaturalNews) The New York Times came up with an article recently entitled "Can Fido and Whiskers Enrich Children's Lives?" Different medical researchers and scientists were consulted for this article, which begs the question: Does research money...
Parsley is a blood purifying superfood
(NaturalNews) Parsley is considered the world's most popular garnish. Parsley was originally cultivated in Europe and the Middle East but has become a staple in American cuisine. This herb has remarkable healing and blood purifying benefits that classify...
TSA continues to hire deviant criminals
(NaturalNews) A statewide crackdown on deviants in Massachusetts has led to the arrest and criminal charge of U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screener Jose E. Salgado, a 59-year-old from Chelsea that had been working at...
Native American Church tribe has to go through legal hoops for its religous freedom
(NaturalNews) The Native American Church ran into another legal hassle over using mind-altering herbs recently in Honolulu, Hawaii. Unlike other situations historically on the mainland, this confrontation's centerpiece was not peyote, but cannabis...
Call to action - Join the demand to investigate Michigan DNR director Rodney Stokes over forced shooting of baby piglets in cold blood
(NaturalNews) There is nothing more pathetic, ugly and insidious than a tyrannical government thug who uses his power to destroy the lives of law-abiding citizens. Today, we have witnessed the outrageous acts carried out by jack-booted scumbags in Michigan's...
Lisbon,
Ahead of the coming NATO Summit in Chicago, Blackhawks and A/MH-6
Little Bird helicopters used by special forces circled low through
downtown Chicago skies and made for a scary scene along the Chicago
River.
The training exercise comes as the city found out some of the
details of what the Secret Service wants for security at next
month's NATO summit.
The 'War Machine' heads to Chicago...
Goodman Green
- Brasscheck
Blackhawk helicopters, training exercises, Blackhawks Circle Low Through Chicago Skies as Secret Service Releases Security Details
FOX Chicago News
Chicago - Blackhawks and A/MH-6 Little Bird helicopters used by special forces circling low through downtown Chicago skies made for a scary scene along the Chicago River, as they rattled windows flying among the city's skyscrapers.
The training exercise comes as the city found out some of the details of what the Secret Service wants for security at next month's summit at McCormick Place.
FOX Chicago News has their terror prevention shopping list, courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times:
- Portable high security barriers
- Crowd control barriers
- 10-12 portable light towers
- Sandbags, port-a-potties
- Mobile offices
- 5-10 golf carts
The Chicago Tribune reports that the most traffic for NATO dignitaries will be between McCormick place and downtown hotels in the Loop, River North and the Gold Coast.
Fifty heads of state will attend, with delegates, and will be moving multiple times each day.
FOX Chicago News viewers called in, describing men with automatic weapons, hanging out of helicopters.
The city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications on Monday announced that Chicago is the site of a military training exercise this week involving personnel and at least three helicopters.
But the bland press release from City Hall did nothing to prepare folks for the jarring scene that unfolded Monday evening.
“It was frightening,” Jessica Hill said. “I was definitely alarmed.”
Read more here