Obama: 'We Are Not a Deadbeat Nation'

President Barack Obama held the seventeenth solo news conference of his presidency Monday, using it to reiterate his position that he will not negotiate with House Republicans over raising the debt ceiling. "America cannot afford another debate with this Congress about whether they should pay bills they have already racked up," he said. "We are not a deadbeat nation."

The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.
~B. Obama

Morgan Whitaker

2:36 pm on 01/14/2013

 President Obama hammered Republicans for threatening to refuse to pay America’s bills by raising the debt ceiling “if they don’t get 100% of their way.”

Obama kicked off the final press conference of his first term by outlining his second term agenda, including job growth, energy independence, immigration and guns legislation, but quickly pivoted to discuss the impending Congressional battle over raising the debt ceiling, saying “we’ve got to stop lurching from crisis to crisis.”

“While I’m willing to compromise and find common ground over how to reduce our deficit, America cannot afford another debate with this Congress over how to pay the bills they’ve already racked up,” Obama said. “To even entertain the idea of this happening, of America not paying its bills, is irresponsible. It’s absurd.”

“This is about paying your bills.”

President Obama particularly criticized Republicans for entertaining the idea of a government shutdown or default. “Even the threat of default hurts our economy,” he said. The president said he was willing to discuss ways to reduce debt, but pointed out that the November election results showed that “the American people agreed with me that we need to reduce our deficits in a balanced way.”

House Speaker John Boehner interprets the public differently. “The American people do not support raising the debt ceiling without reducing government spending at the same time. The consequences of failing to increase the debt ceiling are real, but so too are the consequences of allowing our spending problem to go unresolved,” he said in a statement.

The president signaled his own willingness to address deficits by noting nearly $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction already found through spending cuts, interest payments, and increased revenue. “We’ve made progress. We are moving towards our ultimate goal of getting to a $4 trillion reduction,” he said. “We can’t finish the job of deficit reduction through spending cuts alone… That’s not a recipe for growth.”

“To even entertain the idea of the United States not paying its bills is absurd.”

Obama suggested he’d be willing to take over the job of raising the debt ceiling, if Congress won’t act. “If they want to put the responsibility on me to raise the debt ceiling, I’m happy to do it,” he said. “If they want to keep this responsibility then they need to get it done.”

“They will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the American economy.”

The president also addressed the ongoing debate over gun violence on the one-month anniversary of the school shooting in Newtown, Ct. He discussed a handful of proposals, including stronger background checks, keeping high capacity magazines “out of the hands of folks that shouldn’t have them,” and an assault weapons ban, but acknowledged all those proposals would face political opposition. “Will all of them get through this Congress? I don’t know. But what’s uppermost in my mind is that I’m clear … about what will work.”

“If there is a step we can take that will save even one child from what happened in Newtown, we should take that step,” he said.

“Those who oppose any common sense gun control or gun safety measures have a pretty effective way of ginning up fear on the part of gun owners that some how the federal government’s about to take all your guns away.” he said. “There’s probably an economic element to that. It’s good for business.” But he insisted he had no plans to take guns from those who legally possess them to protect themselves or hunt, saying those gun owners “don’t have anything to worry about.”

“The issue here is not whether or not we believe in the second amendment,” he explained. “The issue is: are there are some sensible steps we can take to make sure that somebody like the individual in Newtown can’t walk into a school and gun down a bunch of children in a shockingly rapid fashion?”
“Surely we can do something about that.”

This man helped save six children, is now getting harassed for it
Gene Rosen sheltered six kids during the Sandy Hook massacre. Now he's become a target of conspiracy theoristsBY ALEX SEITZ-WALD





Rosen speaks outside his home. (Getty Images)

“I don’t know what to do,” sighed Gene Rosen. “I’m getting hang-up calls, I’m getting some calls, I’m getting emails with, not direct threats, but accusations that I’m lying, that I’m a crisis actor, ‘how much am I being paid?’” Someone posted a photo of his house online. There have been phony Google+ and YouTube accounts created in his name, messages on white supremacist message boards ridiculing the “emotional Jewish guy,” and dozens of blog posts and videos “exposing” him as a fraud. One email purporting to be a business inquiry taunted: “How are all those little students doing? You know, the ones that showed up at your house after the ‘shooting’. What is the going rate for getting involved in a gov’t sponsored hoax anyway?”

“The quantity of the material is overwhelming,” he said. So much so that a friend shields him from most of it by doing daily sweeps of the Web so Rosen doesn’t have to. His wife is worried for their safety. He’s logged every email and every call, and consulted with a retired state police officer, who took the complaint seriously but said police probably can’t do anything at the moment; he plans to do the same with the FBI.

What did Rosen do to deserve this? One month ago, he found six little children and a bus driver at the end of the driveway of his home in Newtown, Conn. “We can’t go back to school,” one little boy told Rosen. “Our teacher is dead.” He brought them inside and gave them food and juice and toys. He called their parents. He sat with them and listened to their shocked accounts of what had happened just down the street inside Sandy Hook Elementary, close enough that Rosen heard the gunshots.

In the hours and days that followed, Rosen did a lot of media interviews. “I wanted to speak about the bravery of the children, and it kind of helped me work through this,” he told Salon in an interview. “I guess I kind of opened myself up to this.”

(Credit: AP/Mary Altaffer)

The “this” in question is becoming a prime target of the burgeoning Sandy Hook truther movement, which — like its precursor that denied the veracity of the 9/11 terror attacks — alleges that the entire shooting was a hoax of some kind. There were conspiracy theories surrounding the shooting from Day One, but the movement has exploded into public view the past two weeks, and a Google Trends search suggests it’s just now picking up steam. It’s also beginning to earn the backing of presumably credible sources like a professor and a reporter.

Rosen, a 69-year-old retired psychologist who now runs a pet-sitting business and volunteers to read books to kids in schools, initially called me to ask if I thought he should reach out to the FBI about the harassment. I said it probably couldn’t hurt. When I asked if I could tell his story, he was reluctant at first. “Here’s my fear: If I start talking like this, will one of these truthers read this and will it embolden them? Will they say, screw that guy, how dare he impugn our credibility or question our intellect, I’m going to go one step farther? Am I being stupid?” he asked.

After thinking about it, Rosen decided that he had to speak out: “I talk to you about this because I feel that there has to be some moral push-back on this.” Rosen said he’s a staunch believer in free speech, and realizes there is little legal recourse possible unless he gets direct threats, so he had a different idea.

“There must be some way to morally shame these people, because there were 20 dead children lying an eighth of a mile from my window all night long,” he said, choking back tears. “And I sat there with my wife, because they couldn’t take the bodies out that night so the medical examiner could come. And I thought of an expression, that this ‘adds insult to injury,’ but that’s a stupid expression, because this is not an injury, this is an abomination.”

The harassment has turned Rosen’s life upside down, and made him feel things once foreign to him, like searing rage. “I was sitting in a restaurant the other night and these guys who were part of a car club came up to me and shook my hand and said, ‘You know, you’re a hero to me.’ He had seen me on TV. So I said thank you. Then I’m sitting there and I hear this other guy, ‘Oh yeah, it was a conspiracy.’ He was a big guy,” he said.

“I tell you what, I had evil thoughts. I wanted to go over to the first guy, and he had about 15 big guys with him, and say, ‘I’m going to go talk to this other guy — just watch my back.’ And then I wanted to go over to the other guy and get up in his face and say, ‘See those guys over there, just know they’re keeping an eye out for me.’ And then I wanted to say, ‘I want to see what you look like. I want to see what a person who generates this kind of evil shit looks like. I want to look at your face and tell you you’re an asshole,’” he said.

He didn’t do it, of course. “But it tells me how rageful I am. And I am rageful about it, both for the children and for the mother of the child who came to my house looking for her son, and I wanted to look at this guy and I wanted to just fucking decimate him. That’s my rage.”

But when he starts to feel that way, Rosen can think of the first man. And the countless others out there who see Rosen as a hero, and not a tool of some shadowy conspiracy. Because for every angry call or email, there any many, many more praising ones: “I get the most beautifully written cards, wonderful calls.” Let’s hope they continue to be the majority.

Conspiracy Theorist 

• The Sandy Hook Massacre: Unanswered Questions and Missing Information By Prof. James F. Tracy

• Gene Rosen, Sandy Hook hero is branded a pedophile in outrageous attacks by conspiracy theorists

• Sandy Hook truthers claim the Newtown massacre was a hoax 
• 1/15/2013 3:59pm by John Aravosis

• Sandy Hook Hoax - Did This Shooting Really Happen Or This Just Ignorant & Wicked Media!? You Be The Judge: The Sandy Hook Shooting Exposed

Obama says spend more, because 'we are not a deadbeat nation'

Photo: Associated Press

Wednesday, January 16, 2013 - Talking Sense by Tim Kern

WASHINGTON, DC, January 16, 2013 — President Obama wants to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars, and he wants Congress to authorize it, because, he said, “We are not a deadbeat nation.” We pay our debts.
We haven’t heard a lie this big since he promised to cut three dollars of spending for every dollar in new revenue.
Borrowing money to pay for past debts, debts that were incurred when there was no way to pay them, is not an obligation; it is a disgrace. Doing it without cutting current spending (really cutting it, not just cutting its rate of growth) is being a deadbeat.
Asking to get a higher credit limit, because we can’t pay for credit already extended, is ludicrous. Having no plan to do anything but borrow more and more is juvenile. And granting that wish is immoral, stupid, irresponsible and fraudulent.
If Obama were an over-indulged child, raising the debt limit would be spoiling him. It's not that the blame for our fiscal situation is all his. Congress has, for decades, lacked any will to say “no” to special interests, whatever they may be. Congress has a tradition of being re-elected based on how much of someone else’s money can be spent on home district projects. But Obama has been told; he just doesn’t want to change. He runs out with the country’s credit card, flying all over the world on a 747 (with an enormous escort), and never thinking of the money he’s pouring out of our digital treasury. He is running the most-indebted nation in history, a nation with a population more in debt than any ever before, and he wants to increase spending, and pay for it (if at all) lifetimes in the future.
If Obama were a customer at a bank, we would ask him, “What’s your plan to repay this?” He has no plan. Or, we could ask him and our Congress, “What did you do with the last 16 trillion we loaned you?”
“I don’t know” is not an acceptable answer for a borrower at a bank.
All this borrowing seems to be “necessary” because our taxes aren’t high enough. Not only does the government collect taxes on everything that can be taxed, our leaders want to borrow even more – already $16,000,000,000,000-plus and counting. No amount is enough to pay for their spending. No amount ever will be.
Americans are already oppressed by taxation. Our enterprise sector is shrinking; we are losing ground – under the taxes we already have. How are we supposed to pay for more, when we will be allowed to keep even less, and why, Mr. President, is that a good idea?
If policy makers' spending schemes were actually working, and if these expenditures were actually “investments,” as they claim, they would have to be the worst investors on the planet. Since the idea of governmental “investment” is nothing but a sad sham, and spending is all about buying votes, where can it end?
Two important questions on the floor now are, “How will it end?” and “Who will end it?” The answer to both is: “It will end when the private and national bankers decide that the USA is worth more dead than alive financially.”
How far Obama’s charm will allow us to go then becomes the crucial question. But he still will need a plan.

House Approves $50.7 Billion in Emergency Aid for Storm Victims

J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press

From right, Steve Bellone, the Suffolk County executive; Representatives Peter T. King and Steve Israel; and the Nassau County executive, Edward P. Mangano, celebrated after the vote Tuesday.

By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ

Published: January 15, 2013

WASHINGTON — After fierce lobbying by political leaders in states across the Northeast, the House of Representatives on Tuesday night approved a long-awaited $50.7 billion emergency bill to provide help to victims of Hurricane Sandy.

The aid package passed 241 to 180, with 49 Republicans joining 192 Democrats. The Senate is expected to pass the measure, and President Obama has expressed support for it. 

The $50.7 billion — along with a nearly $10 billion aid package that Congress approved earlier this month — seeks to provide for the huge needs that have arisen in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and other states since the hurricane struck in late October. 

The emergency aid measure would help homeowners whose homes have been damaged or destroyed, provide assistance to business owners who experienced losses as well as reinforce shorelines, repair subway and commuter rail systems, fix bridges and tunnels, and reimburse local governments for emergency expenditures. 

Though the package does not cover the entire $82 billion in damage identified by the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, leaders from the storm-ravaged region expressed relief over the action in the Republican-controlled House, where storm aid had become ensnared in the larger debate over spending and deficits. 

Representative Peter T. King, a Republican from Long Island who helped press his party’s leadership into holding the vote, hailed the package’s passage as a victory for storm victims but expressed disappointment over the House’s failure to act earlier. 

“It is unfortunate that we had to fight so hard to be treated the same as every other state has been treated,” Mr. King said. 

Senator Charles E. Schumer, the New York Democrat who is part of the chamber’s leadership, said he would urge the Senate to approve the House bill even though he believed it fell short of what the Senate approved last year. “It is certainly close enough,” he said, comparing the bills. 

The developments in the House settle, at least for now, an issue that had become an embarrassment for the chamber’s Republican leadership and had pitted Northeastern Republicans eager to help their constituents against fiscal conservatives bent on taming the nation’s deficits. 

The vote was scheduled over a week ago by Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, after he came under intense criticism for concluding the business of the previous Congress without taking up a $60.4 billion hurricane-aid bill that the Senate had approved. 

His critics included influential Republicans in and out of Congress, including Mr. King and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. 

In a statement, Mr. Christie joined with Govs. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York and Dannel P. Malloy of Connecticut, both Democrats, to express gratitude to the Congress for providing the relief to hurricane victims. 

The $50.7 billion package was presented on the floor in a carefully structured legislative approach that reflected the political sensitivities surrounding the issue. House leaders first offered a $17 billion bill and then a $33.7 billion amendment that was written by New Jersey and New York Republicans. 

The approach allowed House conservatives to vote for some of the assistance while lowering the total cost. Most of the money, included in the amendment, ultimately needed Democratic votes to be added to the final package and then passed. 

In the debate leading up to passage of the aid package, Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, a Democrat from New York, argued that House should have acted sooner. “Residents have been suffering for two-and-a-half months,” she said. “We need the aid. We need it now.” 

As the debate unfolded through the afternoon and into the evening, lawmakers from the region found themselves on the defensive at times, forced to beat back a barrage of amendments that sought to cut items out of the overall package or that demanded cuts in other programs to pay for the package. 

The most controversial of the amendments was offered by a group of conservative lawmakers who sought to pay for the aid package with across-the-board spending cuts to various programs in the 2013 federal budget. 

Critics called the amendment a poison pill, given that it would almost certainly doom the overall package’s prospects of passage in the Senate, controlled by Democrats. But the amendment’s backers said it was merely meant to clamp down on runaway spending and deficits. 

“This amendment is not about offering a poison pill,” said Representative Mick Mulvaney, a Republican from South Carolina and the amendment’s author. “I want the money to go where it needs to go.” 

The amendment was defeated 258 to 162, with 70 Republicans joining 188 Democrats to beat it back.

New York Strengthens Its Gun Restrictions

• January 15, 2013, 4:44 PM

By Laura Nahmias

Assocaited Press

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative at the signing of the state’s new weapons law on Tuesday afternoon.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a sweeping new set of gun-control measures Tuesday afternoon, making New York the first state to pass new restrictions on weapons in the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

   Taking Aim:New York State’s Regulation of Firearms and Proposals for Reform by   Peggy Satterfield

A day before President Barack Obama is set to deliver his own firearms recommendations, Cuomo signed into law New York’s bill shortly after the package passed the Democrat-led Assembly by a vote of 104-43.  It won backing from the state Senate late Monday night by 43-18 margin.

In a news conference at the Capitol, Cuomo said he was proud “not just because New York has the first bill, but because New York has the best bill.”
“I’m proud to be a New Yorker because New York is doing something,” he added, “because we are fighting back.”

The package of more than a dozen new legal provisions broadens the state’s definition of “assault weapons” and limits the size of ammunition magazines while increasing penalties for gun-related crimes and making it easier to revoke gun licenses from people deemed mentally ill.

“This is not some window dressing kind of bill — this is a big deal,” said Richard Aborn, president of New York’s Citizens Crime Commission, an independent nonprofit organization that focuses on criminal justice and public-safety issues.

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Aborn said the bill took a “comprehensive approach” to gun violence by including new measures on mental health along with gun restrictions. “We have to think much more broadly,” he said.

The bill passed the Assembly by a wide margin but it had dozens of detractors among the chamber’s Republican conference, many of whom said the new law violates the second amendment of the Bill of Rights.

“This bill tramples on the constitutional rights of our citizens,” said Assemblyman Marc Butler, a Republican from upstate Herkimer County.

Butler was one of several Republican lawmakers who voiced strong disapproval for the bill. He and others worried about the impact of the new law on New York-based gun manufacturer Remington Arms. The law would
render some of Remington’s products illegal, like the AR-15 rifle used in the Newtown school rampage.

Republican lawmakers said the bill, passed just over one month after the mass shooting, was rushed through by Cuomo so that he could make national headlines.


Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

Proposed legislation highlights the differences between Northeastern Republicans like, from left, Representatives Leonard Lance, Rodney Frelinghuysen and Chris Smith of New Jersey and Peter T. King of New York, and other party members.

“Why are we being bullied into voting on this bill?” asked Assemblyman Steve Katz, a Republican who represents parts of Westchester and Putnam counties. He blamed to legislative rush on the governor’s “misguided, egotistic notion that this will advance his presidential aspirations.”

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, praised the “sensible new laws.”

“Make no mistake, we still have serious questions to answer when it comes to our culture of violence,” he said. “But we have taken a critical step forward today — a step we owe to the victims of Newtown, Webster and in communities everywhere.”

The National Rifle Association released a statement saying it was outraged by the “draconian” bill that it believes will have no impact on crime.

“Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature orchestrated a secretive end-run around the legislative and democratic process and passed sweeping anti-gun measures with no committee hearings and no public input,” the NRA statement read.

   Point, Click, Fire: AN INVESTIGATION OF  ILLEGAL ONLINE GUN SALES by   Peggy Satterfield

Seen by political pundits as a potential presidential contender,  Cuomo has lept into the national debate over gun control, responding to the school shooting in neighboring Connecticut and the deaths of two firefighters who authorities said were lured to a burning house near Rochester, N.Y., and fatally shot on Christmas Eve. The gunmen in both incidents took their own lives, authorities said.

Juliet Leftwich, legal director of the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, called New York’s new laws “the most comprehensive approach to regulating firearms and ammunition of any state in the country.”

Meanwhile, New York state’s public pension fund said Tuesday that it will freeze investments in publicly traded firearm manufacturers.

“After the terrible events in Newtown, it is clear that the national movement toward greater regulation of firearms manufacturers will impose significant reputational, regulatory and statutory hurdles that may affect shareholder value,” said New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who oversees the New York State Common Retirement Fund.

– Debbie Cai contributed to this report.

• MORE: In Connecticut, Slower Approach to Changing Gun Laws

Related: New York is First State to Pass Gun Control Measures After Newtown

Robin Roberts to Return to 'Good Morning America'

By ABC News | ABC News Blogs – Mon, Jan 14, 2013 8:21 AM EST

Robin Roberts' Planning 'GMA' Return, No Abnormalities in Blood in Recovery

Robin Roberts made a live appearance on " Good Morning America" today, announcing plans to return to the show.

"I'm coming home," Roberts said in a live interview from her New York City apartment. "We're talking now a matter of weeks, not months."

Roberts announced that her most recent test, 138 days after the bone marrow transplant she underwent in September, showed no sign of abnormality, meaning she can begin the process of returning to "GMA."

"I'm so happy to be sharing this news with everybody," Roberts said. "We're going to take it step by step…I'm listening to my doctors. I'm taking everything into account but this is a next step and I'm so excited to be sharing it with everyone."

Roberts, a former ESPN anchor, likened the process of her return to an athlete coming off the injured reserve list, easing their way back into the game as opposed to jumping into the starting lineup.

"Part of the process of re-entry is I got up at 4 a.m. this morning," Roberts said. "That's one thing I have not missed is that alarm clock."

Roberts told her fellow anchors she will be doing a "dry run" next week, coming to the "GMA" studio in Times Square and going through hair and makeup but staying off-air as she adjusts to being back in her surroundings.

"My skin is very sensitive and so we have to see how it reacts to the studio lights. My vision is still a little blurry from the treatment," she said. " All of this is getting better day by day so that is the next step.

"After I go through this dry run my doctors will sit down with me again and we'll evaluate where I am," Roberts said. "I should be back sometime in February. Now I have a date in mind that's very personal and very important to me but I will ultimately listen to, of course, what my doctors say and, course, we have to remember we're in the height of flu season.

There's a lot of factors still."

Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News' chief health and medical editor who has been working with Roberts throughout her treatment, also highlighted the importance of protecting Roberts from the flu.

"Her immune system, what protects her from infections, is still rebuilding," he said today on "GMA." "She can't get a flu shot yet. Her body won't respond to that. It's not affecting it which is why it's important for other people to get that flu shot to protect her and I can't tell you how many people here at Times Square studio have told me this is the first year they got a flu shot and they got it for Robin."

Roberts took to Twitter last week, writing, "See you VERY soon," to her fellow "GMA" anchors, prompting speculation about her return to "GMA." In a blog post, titled "Wonderful Wednesday," she shared the "very encouraging news" that her doctors are pleased with her recovery.

"I am excited but there's a range of emotions," Roberts said today. "I haven't been live on television since the end of August. My heart is beating so fast right now but, you know what, it means I'm alive, I'm alive and I'm so grateful to be excited as I am and I can't wait to be back."

In late December, Roberts celebrated the crucial 100-day benchmark, a milestone in her recovery from the September bone marrow transplant, according to her doctor, Dr. Gail Roboz, the oncologist at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center.

"What we know now is that we can't see any of the disease that prompted this whole process right now," Roboz said. "That's really, that's what we were looking for. For right now, did we get rid of what we started out getting rid of?"

Roberts, a breast cancer survivor, underwent the transplant to treat myelodysplastic syndrome or MDS, a rare blood disorder that affects the bone marrow. The transplant was a five-minute procedure in which the donor cells from Robin's sister, Sally-Ann, were injected into Robin's system through a syringe.

Since the September transplant, her doctors have been tracking her recovery and monitoring her weakened immune system to ensure that her system is successfully acclimating to the new bone marrow. Her doctors have called her recovery strong.

"She is doing wonderfully," Roboz said. "There are many patients who at this point after a transplant are not at all having a conversation about going back to work, let alone the type of work that she does, so we are thrilled that she's doing so well."

The "GMA" anchor made a special appearance in December at the New York City wedding of her "GMA" colleague Sam Champion to Rubem Robierb. Roberts played a part in the nuptials, reading a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Roberts first announced her diagnosis on "GMA" in July and has been on medical leave from "GMA" since Aug. 30.

"'GMA' viewers, your messages, your prayers, your well wishes, have given me an enormous amount of strength and hope," she said. "As I said, I'm just so incredibly grateful."

Send 'GMA' Your Team Robin Photo CLICK HERE to Follow Robin's Journey
To find out more about bone marrow donation and sign up for a registration kit from the Be the Match Registry, click HERE.

America Speaks For Itself

When NRA suggested putting armed security in every school across America, mainstream media sharply criticized Wayne LaPierre — calling him everything from "laughable" and "tone deaf" to "whacked," "evil" and "out of step with America." Unfortunately for the media, America disagrees. Most citizens support armed security in schools — and the NRA, as evidenced by its 250,000 new members over the past month. So the media can go speaking for elites, but America will speak for itself.

The AR-15: The gun liberals love to hate

By: David Keene
1/2/2013 01:53 PM

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Politician after politician have joined the television talking heads in calling for a new “assault weapons ban” patterned after the ten-year Clinton ban that was allowed to lapse in 2004 after Justice Department and private studies concluded it had no impact whatsoever on murder and violent crime rates and had become a symbol of wrong-headed governmental attempts to restrict firearms ownership in this country.

California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has called for reinstituting the old Clinton ban to outlaw the sale, transfer and possession of such guns in the future while grandfathering those already in the hands of private parties.

Others, like New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, have gone so far as to suggest “confiscation” or forced “buy back” programs “to get these weapons off the street.” In the last week dozens of commentators, reporters and politicians have said they support the 2nd Amendment, but would support an “assault weapons” ban because such weapons aren’t used for hunting and have no purpose other than to kill people.

While such suggestions reflect a simple minded and narrow understanding of why the founders included the Second Amendment in our Bill of Rights, they also suggest that those making them neither understand the nature of the firearms they would ban, their popularity or legitimate uses.

Those who would ban what they like to call assault weapons like to portray them as automatic weapons designed for use on the battlefield simply because they look cosmetically like their military counterparts. In fact, they are semi-automatic firearms that are designed and built not for the military, but for the civilian market and function differently than their military counterparts. Were our soldiers outfitted with ARs, they would be at the mercy of every army in the world.

The more than three million Americans who currently own AR-15s must wonder if any of these people know what they’re talking about. These guns are not cheap, but they have been the best-selling long arm in this country for some years. Those three million people didn’t buy have purchased them just to look at or because they are planning to use them to kill their fellow citizens.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has surveyed the purchasers of AR-15s. The AR-15 is the most commonly used rifle for marksmanship training and competition. Nearly 90% of those who own an AR-15 use it for recreational target shooting; 51% of AR owners are members of shooting clubs and visit the range regularly. The typical AR owner is not a crazed teenage psychopath, but a 35+ year old, married and has some college education.

The popularity of the AR can be traced in part to the fact that it is a semi-automatic version of the rifle used by the men and women of the military. Nearly half of AR owners are veterans, law enforcement officers, or both. It is a configuration they are familiar with and enjoy shooting. My daughter, for example, served two tours in Iraq, one in Afghanistan, and only owns one gun — an AR.

AR 15s are good for hunting. Some buy an AR for home defense and about six percent of buyers are either collectors or varmint hunters. The standard AR is illegal in most states for deer and big game hunting because it is not considered powerful enough to reliably put down deer-sized or larger game, but is used for coyote, wolf and feral pig hunting in many states.

So the evidence tells us that although Sen. Feinstein and her friends may not know it, millions of Americans buy these guns because they like to shoot them and use them lawfully. The fact that a half dozen out of more than three million have been misused after illegally falling into the hands of crazed killers does not seem to be a reason to ban the popular gun according to most Americans asked in a recent USA Today poll.

These guns are not the weapon of choice for this nation’s criminals or killers.

Indeed, the FBI found that in 2010, the last year for which data is available, more people were beaten to death than killed with all long guns including these so-called assault weapons.

It is true that the Supreme Court has left the door open for “reasonable” restrictions on firearms sales. There is good reason, for example, to keep guns out of the hands of felons, those who have been adjudicated as mentally incompetent, or unsupervised children. However there is no evidence whatever to suggest that a ban on the AR 15 or other semi-automatic firearms can be constitutionally justified just so politicians can say they have done something to satisfy the natural public desire act in the face of a tragedy like Newtown. A renewal of a juiced up version of the old Clinton “assault weapons” ban would no doubt make Sen. Feinstein and her friends feel good and deny millions of law abiding Americans the right to own and enjoy a gun protected by the Second Amendment,, but would do absolutely nothing to prevent future tragedies.

Conrad Bain, Mr Drummond on 'Diff'rent Strokes,' has died at 89

Everett Collection

Conrad Bain, seen with the cast of "Diff'rent Strokes" in 1978, has died at age 89.

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY

Actor Conrad Bain, perhaps best known for his role as kindly millionaire Phillip Drummond on "Diff'rent Strokes," has died at 89, his daughter, Jennifer, has confirmed to Access Hollywood.

Bain had been hospitalized since Thursday, Jennifer Bain said, and wasn't suffering from an illness.

"He just died of old age," she told Access Hollywood.

Bain also said that she and her brother were with their father when he died, and that she sang to him in his final moments.

Bain's daughter said she "adored" her father "as did many others that knew him. A whole generation of people saw him as a father, so I just want to share in their loss."

There will be no funeral or public memorial, she said.



Todd Bridges, who is the only survivor among the three young actors who played Bain's children on the show, had kept in touch with Bain and spoke with him just a week ago, he said, calling Bain "the glue" of the cast.

"I am deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Conrad as we were looking forward to celebrating his 90th birthday next month," Bridges said in a statement. "In addition to being a positive and supportive father figure both on and off-screen, Conrad was well-loved and made going to work each day enjoyable for all of us. He will be missed, but never forgotten."

Bain had already played a major role on the 1970s sitcom "Maude" when he was cast on "Diff'rent Strokes." He played a wealthy Park Avenue widower who adopted the two black sons of his deceased housekeeper. The show made a star out of young Gary Coleman, whose catchphrase "Whatchoo talkin' about, Willis?" became a national sensation. The show also produced a hit spin-off, "The Facts of Life."

But the show had its share of troubles. Young stars Coleman and Bridges, who played Drummond's adopted sons, and Dana Plato, who played his daughter, would struggle with drugs and legal woes. Plato became pregnant during the show's filming and was dismissed from the program. She later committed suicide.

Coleman, whose growth was limited due to an autoimmune disorder, struggled financially and professionally, and died at age 42.

"Diff'rent Strokes" ran from 1978 to 1985 on NBC. It was canceled for low ratings and then picked up by ABC for one final season, ending in 1986.



On "Maude," Bain played title character Maude's neighbor, Dr. Arthur Harmon. Bain's own real-life twin brother once made an appearance as Harmon's brother.


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Sandy Hook survivors sing 'Over the Rainbow' to benefit Conn. charities

By Lauren Sullivan, TODAY

Students who survived last month’s massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown joined voices recently in a benefit recording of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to support charity efforts in their state of Connecticut.

Twenty-one children, ages 6 to 9, joined indie singer Ingrid Michaelson to record the song made famous by the film “The Wizard of Oz.” Their recording is now available for download on Amazon andiTunes. Proceeds from the recording go to the Newtown Youth Academy and the United Way of Western Connecticut.

Michaelson opens the ballad with a solo introduction, then is joined by harmonizing students who sing the iconic lyrics: “Where troubles melt like lemon drops, high above the chimney tops – that's where you'll find me.”

Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

Children of Newton, Conn., perform "A Song From Sandy Hook" at the home of Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth.

Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, former members of the rock bands Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, offered their Connecticut studio for the recording.

Weymouth wrote on Michaelson’s website: “I wish to send my heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful people and kids involved in this beautiful recording — including those who will buy it online — for coming together to combat violence with our very best human qualities: compassion and generosity.”

Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

The children join Ingrid Michaelson on Jan. 14 in Fairfield, Conn.

Frantz told MTV Hive he thought the song choice was fitting. “Not only is it one of the most beautiful songs ever written and a classic, but it relates to what happened in the aftermath of the Newtown massacre,” he said. “The song is about a better world. It’s about a place where you can go and be safe and have a good time. So it’s a perfect song for this occasion.”

Visit sandyhooksomewhereovertherainbow.com for more information on the charity recording.

 

 Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

Children of Newton perform "A Song From Sandy Hook" with Ingrid Michaelson to raise money for the Newtown Youth Academy and the United Way of Western Connecticut.

More on TODAY:

• Hollywood stars use video to demand action on gun violence
• Paul Simon performs 'Sound of Silence' at funeral for Sandy Hook teacher
• Mr. Rogers photo, words of advice go viral in wake of shootings

President Obama News Conference:
'We Are Not a Deadbeat Nation'

Published on Jan 14, 2013

The president addresses questions on the debt ceiling, spending cuts and gun control during news conference on his first term.

Obama Outlines Gun Control Plans

Assault weapons ban and new “executive actions.”

Zeke MillerBuzzFeed Staff



FILE - In a Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013 file photo, gun owners discuss a potential sale of an AR-15, during the 2013 Rocky Mountain Gun Show at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy, Utah. Image by The Deseret News, Ben Brewer, File / AP


Posted Jan 16, 2013 11:57am EST

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama announced a set of sweeping proposals Wednesday that administration officials say are designed to combat gun violence by restricting the sale of new weapons.

Flanked by children upset by the mass school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, last month, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden announced his support for congressional legislation banning the sale of new assault weapons, mandating universal background checks, and banning the sale of high-capacity magazines.

"The world has changed and it's demanding action," Biden said.

"I intend to use whatever weight this office holds to make them a reality," Obama added. "If there's even one thing that we can do to reduce this violence, if there's even one life that can be saved, then we have an obligation to try. And I'm going to do my part."

Obama also announced that he will take 23 "executive actions," including nominating a director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and clarifying "that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes."

The administration will also direct the Centers for Disease Control to study the causes of gun violence as well as the potential link between violence and violent video games.

Senior administration officials said they didn't know how many lives Obama's proposals would save. "There is no question that the action he is taking and the legislation he is proposing will save lives," maintained one senior official on a call with reporters. Nor could they say if they would have prevented any of the mass shootings that precipitated the reform.

Obama isn't presenting specific legislative language to lawmakers; instead he will "work together" with them to fine-tune proposals already introduced in Congress, the officials said, but they wouldn't provide a specific timetable for the legislation.

Likewise, the officials said the proposals would do nothing about existing assault weapons and magazines holding more than 10 rounds, and will only ban the sale of new ones.

"Our view is that we should get done as much as we can get done now and change the practice going forward," said one official.

In the immediate aftermath of the Newtown shooting, Obama called on Vice President Joe Biden to lead a task force to investigate a response to the slew of violence that has plagued Obama's time in office.

According to the officials, Biden and Cabinet officials convened "22 different meetings meeting with more than 220 different organizations and conversations with more than 31 elected officials — Democrats and Republicans."

"The president is backing up his strong words in the wake of Newtown with action," said one official, pushing back on reports that Obama was backing down from a fight given strident opposition from the National Rifle Association.

But the political future for Obama's legislative proposals is grim, with many Americans opposed to the assault weapons ban and many Republicans gearing up for a fight.

"House committees of jurisdiction will review these recommendations," said Michael Steel, a spokesman for Speaker of the House John Boehner. "And if the Senate passes a bill, we will also take a look at that."

The Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy announced that his committee will hold its first hearings on gun violence on Jan. 30.

Obama said "this will be difficult," encouraging Americans to contact their representatives to ask them to support his efforts. "This will not happen unless the American people demand it."

"What's more important? Doing whatever it takes to get an A grade…or giving the American parents the peace of mind when they drop their children off for first grade," Obama added.

   White House Gun Violence Fact sheet by  

   White House Executive Actions by  

   White House Gun Violence Executive Summary by  

NRA ad brings Obama kids into gun debate

By Eun Kyung Kim, TODAY contributor

The National Rifle Association has posted a new video on its website calling President Obama “an elitist hypocrite” for dismissing the group’s suggestion to put armed guards in schools while his own daughters have Secret Service protection.

“Are the president’s kids more important than yours?” the narrator asks. “Then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools when his kids are protected by armed guards at their school?”

NBC Politics: Obama unveils sweeping new gun control proposals

The video, which also is running on the Sportsman Channel, says the president "demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes, but he’s just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security."

TODAY

The NRA ad was released Tuesday night.

The White House responded Wednesday. "Most Americans agree that a president's children should not be used as pawns in a political fight," said the president's press secretary Jay Carney. "But to go so far as to make the safety of the president's children the subject of an attack ad is repugnant and cowardly."

The ad takes issue with recent comments Obama made during an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"I am skeptical that the only answer is putting more guns in schools,” Obama said at the time. “And I think the vast majority of the American people are skeptical that that somehow is going to solve our problem.”

Story: Why gun groups say no way to assault weapons ban

On Wednesday, NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told NBC News, "Whoever thinks the ad is about President Obama's daughters are missing the point completely or they're trying to change the subject. This ad is about keeping our children safe. And the president said he was skeptical about the NRA proposal to put policemen in all schools in this country. Yet he and his family are beneficiaries of multiple law enforcement officers surrounding them 24 hours a day.

"That's the real issue. Anything else is an attempted calculated distraction." 

The 35-second ad illustrates the recent escalation of rhetoric in the debate over gun control. TIME magazine addresses the issue on its latest issue, which features on its cover Vice President Joe Biden, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. All three are dubbed “The Gunfighters." 

NBC News' Ali Weinberg contributed to this report.

39

minutes

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White House calls NRA 'repugnant,' 'cowardly' for invoking president's children in ad

By NBC's Domenico Montanaro

The White House is hitting back at the National Rifle Association for its web video, which refers toPresident Obama's children.

"Most Americans agree that a president's children should not be used as pawns in a political fight," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement. "But to go so far as to make the safety of the president's children the subject of an attack ad is repugnant and cowardly."

Here's the transcript of the NRA's ad:

"Are the president’s kids more important than yours? Then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools when his kids are protected by armed guards at their school? Mr. Obama demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. But he’s just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security. Protection for their kids. And gun-free zones for ours.”


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