Scott Prouty the 47% Videographer, who changed the Presidential Race in 2012
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Should we sacrifice children for the sake of guns?
Rex Berry: What is our priority, our children or the absolutist's abstract (and profitable) view of the Second Amendment?
By REX BERRY Published: 3/7/2013 1:51 AM
Last Modified: 3/7/2013 3:49 AM
I am a retired 26-year veteran of the Tulsa Police Department. I own guns. In 2002 I began working overseas in numerous conflict zones. I specialized in training and monitoring police and security forces. I offer the following questions and information for your consideration. The critical decision.
What is our priority, our children or the absolutist's abstract (and profitable) view of the Second Amendment?
The Second Amendment says, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."Thomas Jefferson and Gouverneur Morris understood sentence structure. Commas mean the citizen is to be part of a regulated state militia. We had a wild frontier and firearms were single-shot muzzle loaders. Standardized locks (firing mechanisms) were just being developed in France.
Truth: This legislation has nothing to do with hunting or self defense. The sheer number of guns in America makes confiscation of civilian weapons impossible.
Truth: This is about military battle weapons. Gen. Stanley McChrystal said on Fox News that these weapons do not belong in civilian hands. The M16, M4, AR15 and AK47 can chew through a cinder block wall within a relatively few shots. The Barrett .50 caliber is lethal to several miles. It can punch through a concrete wall and destroy a person over a mile away.The National Firearms Act of 1934 did not disarm us. It limited gangster access to sub-machine guns, hand grenades and a few other deadly instruments.
I attended school in Claremore during the 1950s and 1960s. Children were not subjected to metal detectors and panic drills in preparation for lunatics with guns.
According to the Congressional Research Service,
- between 1982 and 1994 the number of people killed in mass shootings averaged 25.5 a year.
- From 1995 to 2004 - during the assault weapons ban - the average was 20.9 a year.
- From 2005 until now, the average has been 54.8 killed.
How did God get conflated with guns?
On Dec. 14 the Rev. Bryan Fischer, director of the American Family Association, stated that God did not intervene at Sandy Hook because prayer was no longer in school and God does not go where he is not wanted.
Where have reason and logic gone?
Now our legislators sponsor bills to bring guns into schools and make criminals out of Oklahomans who try to enforce federal weapons limitation. Oklahoma passed a law (since overturned as a violation of the First Amendment) outlawing Shariah law, something that never was nor ever will be a threat.
When officers carry 100-round weapons to defend against similarly armed bad guys, then three officers engaging one bad guy can result in a "death blossom."
Four people firing from different positions - 100 rounds per person, each round with about a half-mile kill range - means a circular lethal zone about one mile in diameter. Isn't that a bad thing?
Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) basic firearms training does not prepare anyone to contain this threat. Officers have suffered heavily facing these weapons.
Examples include the North Hollywood shooting on Feb. 28, 1997, and the April 17, 2004, Kosovo ambush of 13 officers by one assailant with an AK47. YouTube videos of these incidents are available, as are videos of M4/M16 weapons against concrete and other targets.
Original Print Headline: Should we sacrifice children for sake of guns?Rex Berry is a retired Tulsa Police Department officer.
By REX BERRY
Volunteer crews chase their dreams in a desert Mars
Jim Urquhart / Reuters
Members of the Crew 125 EuroMoonMars B mission return after collecting geological samples for study at the Mars Desert Research Station in the Utah desert on March 2. The mission is meant to simulate what explorers will face during an eventual mission to the Red Planet.
By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News
NASA says it could be another 20 years before humans touch down on Mars, but in a sense, the Mars Society has been exploring the red planet for more than a decade — in Utah.
The nonprofit society's Mars Desert Research Station, near Hanksville, Utah, has been home to 126 crews since the Mars-style habitat was erected in 2002. The idea behind the experimental station is to test the tools and techniques that could come into play during eventual human expeditions to the real Red Planet. Each expedition crew consists of roughly a half-dozen volunteers who spend about two weeks in the Utah desert, conducting real research on a make-believe Mars.
Utah's desert is one of several locales around the world that are thought to be sufficiently Mars-like to teach researchers about the far more extreme conditions on the cold, dry planet. Other locales for Mars simulations include theCanadian Arctic, Antarctica, Norway's Svalbard Peninsula,caves on the Italian island of Sardinia, and even a lab in Russia.
The crew members for such simulations range from NASA researchers to students who hope to walk on Martian soil someday. Another would-be Marsonaut is Reuters photographer Jim Urquhart, who has long yearned to take pictures of the Mars Desert Research Station and its crew. "I had tried for years to go, but my story pitches never made the cut," he said Monday in a blog posting. This month, Urquhart finally got the green light from his editors, in part because "science and space exploration have become sexy again," he said.
Urquhart came away impressed by the volunteer astronauts. "I kept thinking to myself that this group of six embodies so much of what I wish I could become," he said. "They were passionate and chasing their dreams."
Check out these pictures — and Urquhart's blog posting — for more about his visit to Mars in the Utah desert.
Members of the Crew 125 EuroMoonMars B mission return after collecting geological samples for study at the Mars Desert Research Station in the Utah desert on March 2. The mission is meant to simulate what explorers will face during an eventual mission to the Red Planet.
By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News
NASA says it could be another 20 years before humans touch down on Mars, but in a sense, the Mars Society has been exploring the red planet for more than a decade — in Utah.
The nonprofit society's Mars Desert Research Station, near Hanksville, Utah, has been home to 126 crews since the Mars-style habitat was erected in 2002. The idea behind the experimental station is to test the tools and techniques that could come into play during eventual human expeditions to the real Red Planet. Each expedition crew consists of roughly a half-dozen volunteers who spend about two weeks in the Utah desert, conducting real research on a make-believe Mars.
Utah's desert is one of several locales around the world that are thought to be sufficiently Mars-like to teach researchers about the far more extreme conditions on the cold, dry planet. Other locales for Mars simulations include theCanadian Arctic, Antarctica, Norway's Svalbard Peninsula,caves on the Italian island of Sardinia, and even a lab in Russia.
The crew members for such simulations range from NASA researchers to students who hope to walk on Martian soil someday. Another would-be Marsonaut is Reuters photographer Jim Urquhart, who has long yearned to take pictures of the Mars Desert Research Station and its crew. "I had tried for years to go, but my story pitches never made the cut," he said Monday in a blog posting. This month, Urquhart finally got the green light from his editors, in part because "science and space exploration have become sexy again," he said.
Urquhart came away impressed by the volunteer astronauts. "I kept thinking to myself that this group of six embodies so much of what I wish I could become," he said. "They were passionate and chasing their dreams."
Check out these pictures — and Urquhart's blog posting — for more about his visit to Mars in the Utah desert.
Jim Urquhart / Reuters
The night sky whirls above the Mars Desert Research Station outside Hanksville, Utah, in a long-exposure photo. The station is designed to reflect the type of habitat that would be constructed on the Red Planet for future explorers.
The night sky whirls above the Mars Desert Research Station outside Hanksville, Utah, in a long-exposure photo. The station is designed to reflect the type of habitat that would be constructed on the Red Planet for future explorers.
Jim Urquhart / Reuters
Csilla Orgel, a geologist, collects samples for study in the Utah desert.
Csilla Orgel, a geologist, collects samples for study in the Utah desert.
Jim Urquhart / Reuters
Members venture out in their simulated spacesuits to collect samples.
Members venture out in their simulated spacesuits to collect samples.
Jim Urquhart / Reuters
Crew members return to the Mars Desert Research Station after a simulated Marswalk.
Crew members return to the Mars Desert Research Station after a simulated Marswalk.
Jim Urquhart / Reuters
Crew members prepare a meal inside the Mars Desert Research Station. The mock astronauts wear simulation spacesuits when the venture outside, but work in shirt sleeves when they're inside the habitat.
Slideshow: Month in Space: February 2013
Crew members prepare a meal inside the Mars Desert Research Station. The mock astronauts wear simulation spacesuits when the venture outside, but work in shirt sleeves when they're inside the habitat.
Slideshow: Month in Space: February 2013
Get a look at the moon's glories, interplanetary vistas and other outer-space highlights from February 2013.
Some CPAC Board Members Secretly Trying to Get Gay GOP Group Back Into Conference
By ELIZABETH FLOCK
March 13, 2013
The ruckus that has been started over the exclusion of Republican gay rights group GOProud from CPAC, for the second year in a row, may be about to get a little bit bigger.
Whispers hears that several board members of the American Conservative Union, which hosts CPAC, are quietly working to bring GOProud back.
[SEE: Political Cartoons on Gay Marriage]
Though GOProud isn't serving as a co-sponsor of CPAC this year as it did in 2010 and 2011, the group's executive director Jimmy LaSalvia will speak in a panel discussion at the conference called "A Rainbow on the Right: Growing the Coalition, Bringing Tolerance Out of the Closet."
And one person close to CPAC tells Whispers that LaSalvia will make a surprise appearance on another panel Thursday hosted by the Conservative Inclusion Coalition, dubbed "Conservative Inclusion: Promoting the Freedom Message to All Americans." A member of the Log Cabin Republicans, another Republican gay rights group, may also take part in the event, a source close to CPAC said.
[READ: CPAC Hosting Party to Ward Off Obama Zombie Apocalypse]
The inclusion of LaSalvia in a second CPAC event is part of a larger effort by several American Conservative Union board members to bring GOProud fully back to CPAC, the source said. Those members believe that by 2014 or 2015 GOProud will be invited back to CPAC as a co-sponsor.
When board members first voted to exclude the group last year, the decision was far from unanimous.
But the insurgent board members' efforts may be blocked by ACU Chairman Al Cardenas, who has made his displeasure with GOProud clear on a number of occasions. On news/talk radio station 630 WMAL earlier this month, Cardenas said GOProudwas excluded because of the group's behavior at prior conferences, where he said they "did not act properly as guests" and held press conferences criticizing ACU board members.
Whispers hears that Cardenas has made clear that there would be no change in the ACU stance toward GOProud unless a board member openly lobbied to reopen the issue.
But CPAC spokeswoman Laura Rigas told Whispers Cardenas also "understands that a small number of board members feel differently on the issue."
More News:
The Most Melodramatic-Sounding Panels at CPAC
What Not to Wear to CPAC: Wal-Mart, Mini-Skirts, Slippers
Whispers hears that several board members of the American Conservative Union, which hosts CPAC, are quietly working to bring GOProud back.
[SEE: Political Cartoons on Gay Marriage]
Though GOProud isn't serving as a co-sponsor of CPAC this year as it did in 2010 and 2011, the group's executive director Jimmy LaSalvia will speak in a panel discussion at the conference called "A Rainbow on the Right: Growing the Coalition, Bringing Tolerance Out of the Closet."
And one person close to CPAC tells Whispers that LaSalvia will make a surprise appearance on another panel Thursday hosted by the Conservative Inclusion Coalition, dubbed "Conservative Inclusion: Promoting the Freedom Message to All Americans." A member of the Log Cabin Republicans, another Republican gay rights group, may also take part in the event, a source close to CPAC said.
[READ: CPAC Hosting Party to Ward Off Obama Zombie Apocalypse]
The inclusion of LaSalvia in a second CPAC event is part of a larger effort by several American Conservative Union board members to bring GOProud fully back to CPAC, the source said. Those members believe that by 2014 or 2015 GOProud will be invited back to CPAC as a co-sponsor.
When board members first voted to exclude the group last year, the decision was far from unanimous.
But the insurgent board members' efforts may be blocked by ACU Chairman Al Cardenas, who has made his displeasure with GOProud clear on a number of occasions. On news/talk radio station 630 WMAL earlier this month, Cardenas said GOProudwas excluded because of the group's behavior at prior conferences, where he said they "did not act properly as guests" and held press conferences criticizing ACU board members.
Whispers hears that Cardenas has made clear that there would be no change in the ACU stance toward GOProud unless a board member openly lobbied to reopen the issue.
But CPAC spokeswoman Laura Rigas told Whispers Cardenas also "understands that a small number of board members feel differently on the issue."
More News:
The Most Melodramatic-Sounding Panels at CPAC
What Not to Wear to CPAC: Wal-Mart, Mini-Skirts, Slippers
Gang trafficking of endangered great apes prompts global action
Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters fileA Thai wildlife official holds an orangutan while an Indonesian official scans its microchip before it is repatriated to Indonesia on Nov. 21, 2006. The animal was one of 50 smuggled orangutans rescued from a Thai amusement park.
By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News
LONDON — The illegal trafficking of great apes by organized crime gangs and others prompted international action Wednesday that was hailed by experts as a major step toward saving them from extinction.
For the first time, governments agreed to set up a global reporting system in a bid to establish how many of the animals are being taken from the wild to perform in theme parks or to be shown off by wealthy collectors.
The decision was made by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora, which has 177 member countries, including the United States, at its 16th conference in Bangkok, Thailand.
The move came after a United Nations body made the first attempt to quantify how many apes are being stolen from their natural habitats in Africa and South-East Asia.
The United National Environment Program produced a report, Stolen Apes,earlier this month that estimated nearly 3,000 great apes were stolen alive every year.
The report said that a local poacher might sell a live chimpanzee for $50, but a dealer could resell the same animal for 400 per cent more. Orangutans can fetch $1,000 at resale, it added, noting gorillas illegally sold to a Malaysian zoo in 2002 reportedly cost $400,000 each.
Drugs, guns, money laundering
UNEP said in a statement that this illicit trade was "increasingly linked to organized crime and trans-boundary networks that move the animals in the same ways as drugs, arms and laundered money."
Doug Cress, one of the authors of that report, said Wednesday’s decision by CITES showed it recognized there was "an environmental crisis and that it needs to bring its full weight to bear on it."
Cress, of the U.N.-backed Great Apes Survival Partnership, admitted the figures in the Stolen Apes report were "so conservative" that they were "almost laughable."
Cress said the demand for stolen apes came mainly from from zoos and theme parks in Asia and wealthy collectors in the Middle East.
"A zoo will say, 'We need two chimpanzees, go get them' and the dealers will fill these orders," Cress said. "It’s not a byproduct trade, it’s a systematic, cold and calculated business."
"Whereas in the Gulf states, it tends to be private menageries," he added.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species,the populations of the eastern and western gorilla, bonobo, chimpanzee, Sumatran and Bornean orangutan are all decreasing.
The western gorilla and Sumatran orangutan are critically endangered, the others are all endangered. It also lists humans, saying the population trend is increasing and its status is of "least concern."
'Our closest cousins'
Asked whether great apes would survive this century, Cress said it was "a coin flip right now."
"I think we’re waking up to the problem. The problem is human beings are in direct competition with great apes," he said. "They are our closet cousins we’re fighting with. We’ll win because we’re that much smarter, but we will also lose by winning."
"Unless we give them the space they need, it could be a bleak future," he added.
The CITES decision was also welcomed by Wendy Elliott, manager of WWF International's species program, who described it as a "significant" and "very positive sign of intent."
"The future for great apes across both Africa and Asia is really concerning," she said.
But Elliott said while international trafficking was a problem, the trade in apes for their meat at a local level was "the key factor that’s probably driving the poaching."
"If you are a wealthy or high status person, serving gorilla at a banquet gives you a certain amount of gravitas," she said.
"Unfortunately we’re seeing decreasing levels of great apes almost everywhere," Elliott said.
However she said there was "one glimmer of hope" in Uganda, where numbers of mountain gorillas, a subspecies of the eastern gorilla, have been increasing, partly because they help provide an income for local people through eco-tourism.
Related:
100 most endangered species listed with this question: Are they worth saving?
Two baby gorillas rescued in Congo; escalation of smuggling feared
Baby gorilla on black market for $40,000 is rescued
By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News
LONDON — The illegal trafficking of great apes by organized crime gangs and others prompted international action Wednesday that was hailed by experts as a major step toward saving them from extinction.
For the first time, governments agreed to set up a global reporting system in a bid to establish how many of the animals are being taken from the wild to perform in theme parks or to be shown off by wealthy collectors.
The decision was made by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora, which has 177 member countries, including the United States, at its 16th conference in Bangkok, Thailand.
The move came after a United Nations body made the first attempt to quantify how many apes are being stolen from their natural habitats in Africa and South-East Asia.
The United National Environment Program produced a report, Stolen Apes,earlier this month that estimated nearly 3,000 great apes were stolen alive every year.
The report said that a local poacher might sell a live chimpanzee for $50, but a dealer could resell the same animal for 400 per cent more. Orangutans can fetch $1,000 at resale, it added, noting gorillas illegally sold to a Malaysian zoo in 2002 reportedly cost $400,000 each.
Drugs, guns, money laundering
UNEP said in a statement that this illicit trade was "increasingly linked to organized crime and trans-boundary networks that move the animals in the same ways as drugs, arms and laundered money."
Doug Cress, one of the authors of that report, said Wednesday’s decision by CITES showed it recognized there was "an environmental crisis and that it needs to bring its full weight to bear on it."
Cress, of the U.N.-backed Great Apes Survival Partnership, admitted the figures in the Stolen Apes report were "so conservative" that they were "almost laughable."
A baby mountain gorilla is safe with Rwandan authorities after they rescued the endangered animal from poachers. TODAY.com's Dara Brown reports.
"We were trying to err on the side of caution, but we know they are far worse," he said. "That’s why this reporting mechanism that CITES adopted today is so important."Cress said the demand for stolen apes came mainly from from zoos and theme parks in Asia and wealthy collectors in the Middle East.
"A zoo will say, 'We need two chimpanzees, go get them' and the dealers will fill these orders," Cress said. "It’s not a byproduct trade, it’s a systematic, cold and calculated business."
"Whereas in the Gulf states, it tends to be private menageries," he added.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species,the populations of the eastern and western gorilla, bonobo, chimpanzee, Sumatran and Bornean orangutan are all decreasing.
The western gorilla and Sumatran orangutan are critically endangered, the others are all endangered. It also lists humans, saying the population trend is increasing and its status is of "least concern."
'Our closest cousins'
Asked whether great apes would survive this century, Cress said it was "a coin flip right now."
"I think we’re waking up to the problem. The problem is human beings are in direct competition with great apes," he said. "They are our closet cousins we’re fighting with. We’ll win because we’re that much smarter, but we will also lose by winning."
"Unless we give them the space they need, it could be a bleak future," he added.
The CITES decision was also welcomed by Wendy Elliott, manager of WWF International's species program, who described it as a "significant" and "very positive sign of intent."
"The future for great apes across both Africa and Asia is really concerning," she said.
But Elliott said while international trafficking was a problem, the trade in apes for their meat at a local level was "the key factor that’s probably driving the poaching."
"If you are a wealthy or high status person, serving gorilla at a banquet gives you a certain amount of gravitas," she said.
"Unfortunately we’re seeing decreasing levels of great apes almost everywhere," Elliott said.
However she said there was "one glimmer of hope" in Uganda, where numbers of mountain gorillas, a subspecies of the eastern gorilla, have been increasing, partly because they help provide an income for local people through eco-tourism.
Related:
100 most endangered species listed with this question: Are they worth saving?
Two baby gorillas rescued in Congo; escalation of smuggling feared
Baby gorilla on black market for $40,000 is rescued
Activists decry 'act of sheer brutality' after Saudi Arabia executes 7 young men
By Abdullad al-Shihri , The Associated Press
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Seven Saudi men convicted of theft, looting and armed robbery were executed on Wednesday, according to the country's official news agency, more than a week after their families and a rights group appealed to the king for clemency.
The executions took place in Abha, a city in the southern region of Asir, the Saudi Press Agency said. A resident who witnessed the execution said the seven were shot dead by a firing squad, a first in the kingdom, which traditionally has beheaded convicts sentenced to death.
The witness spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared retribution.
Amnesty International called the executions an "act of sheer brutality."
"We are outraged by the execution of seven men in Saudi Arabia this morning. We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances, but this case has been particularly shocking," said Philip Luther, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa director.
"It is a bloody day when a government executes seven people on the grounds of 'confessions' obtained under torture, submitted at a trial where they had no legal representation or recourse to appeal," Luther said.
The south has been marginalized and suffered discrimination by the powerful central region where the capital, Riyadh, and the holy shrines of Mecca and Medina are located.
The seven were arrested in 2006 and received death sentences in 2009, a Saudi newspaper reported at the time. The case was back in focus after Human Rights Watch earlier this month called for the sentences to be canceled because the men were juveniles at the time of their arrest.
Torture claimsOne of the men told The Associated Press in early March that he was only 15 when he was arrested as part of a ring that stole jewelry in 2004 and 2005. Nasser al-Qahtani said he was tortured to confess and had no access to lawyers.
Al-Qahtani said that during the years-long trial, he only faced the judge three times and when the men tried to complain to the judge about the torture or show torture marks on their bodies, they were ignored. He also said the judge never assigned him a lawyer.
The original sentences called for death by firing squad and crucifixion.
The oil-rich kingdom follows a strict implementation of Islamic law, or Shariah, under which people convicted of murder, rape or armed robbery can be executed, usually by sword.
On Sunday, a Saudi paper reported that the government is looking into formally dropping public beheadings as a method of execution and instead considering death by a firing squad as an alternative. There have also been calls in the kingdom to replace public beheadings with lethal injections carried out in prisons.
Local observers said there are fewer people willing to carry out beheadings.
Saudi Arabia has executed 23 people so far this year, including the seven men on Wednesday. Last year it executed 76 people and in 2011, 79.
'Strong evidence' that trial was not fairAlso, several people were reported crucified in Saudi Arabia last year. Human rights groups have condemned crucifixions, including cases in which people were beheaded and then crucified. In 2009, Amnesty International condemned such executions as "the ultimate form of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment."
On March 4, Human Rights Watch appealed to King Abdullah not to execute the seven men and said there was "strong evidence" that they did not get a fair trial.
"It is high time for the Saudis to stop executing child offenders and start observing their obligations under international human rights law," said Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East director at HRW.
The following day, the king ordered a one-week suspension until the case was reviewed.
The Washington-based Institute of Gulf Affairs, which campaigned for the suspension of the executions of the seven men, recently said in a note to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that one of the reasons the seven were sentenced to death was that "they hail from the south, a region that is heavily marginalized by the Saudi monarchy, which views them as lower class citizens."
A Methodical Massacre: Horror And Heroics
By EDMUND H. MAHONY and DAVE ALTIMARI,
The Hartford Courant
11:44 p.m. EST, December 15, 2012
Adam Lanza blasted his way into the Sandy Hook Elementary School. He fired a half-dozen thunderous rounds from a semiautomatic rifle to open a hole big enough to step through in one of the school's glass doors.
Once inside, he had to make a choice.
Principal Dawn Hochsprung's office was straight ahead. To the right, 25 or so children were rehearsing a play in the school cafeteria. To his left were the first-grade classrooms.
Lanza turned left.
It was about 9:40 a.m. Friday. In just minutes, Lanza — a withdrawn, emotionally detached 20-year-old who lived with his mother and is said to have played graphically violent computer video games — would kill 26 people in the country's second-largest mass killing. Dead were 20 children, four teachers, the school principal and a school psychologist. Earlier in the morning, Lanza shot and killed his mother, Nancy, perhaps the only person with whom he was socially engaged.
Lanza shot himself as police arrived, sirens wailing.
Late Saturday, an army of police detectives continued to interview members of Lanza's family and others who knew him, searching for answers to innumerable questions — chief among them what could have driven anyone to such violence.
Several sources in law enforcement and elsewhere provided what they said was the most current information on how the events leading to the school shootings unfolded.
On Friday morning, as Lanza turned left, toward the first-grade classrooms, Hochsprung and school psychologist Mary Scherlach, shocked by the sounds of gunfire and shattering glass, bolted into a corridor from a conference room across the hall from the classrooms.
He shot them both with the rifle.
The first classroom that Lanza reached was that of teacher Kaitlin Roig. Alarmed by the gunfire, she had hidden her students in a bathroom and closed her classroom door. For reasons that could not be explained Saturday, Lanza passed by Roig's classroom.
The classroom he chose to enter was substitute teacher Lauren Rousseau's, where he proceeded to systematically shoot everyone inside — the 14 children who investigators believe were huddled and clutching one another in fear, Rousseau and a special education teacher who happened to be in the room. Rousseau was filling in for the regular teacher, who was out on maternity leave. Rousseau had been teaching at the school for six weeks.
"There were 14 coats hanging there and 14 bodies. He killed them all," said a law enforcement officer involved in the case.
Lanza next arrived at teacher Victoria Soto's classroom. Soto is believed to have hidden her 6- and 7-year old students in a classroom closet. When Lanza demanded to know where the children were, Soto tried to divert him to the other end of the school by saying that her students were in the auditorium.
But six of Soto's students tried to flee. Lanza shot them, Soto and another teacher who was in the room. Later, in their search for survivors, police found the remaining seven of Soto's students still hiding in the closet. They told the police what had happened.
The two teacher's aides who were killed were Mary Anne Murphy and Rachel Davino. It was unclear which aide was in which room when they were killed.
The first officer to arrive at the school found Lanza's body near the door of Soto's classroom.
The intense violence lasted about 10 minutes. Lanza fired at least three, 30-round magazines with deadly accuracy. Two of the people he shot survived. All of the victims were shot multiple times.
"I did seven (autopsies) myself with three to 11 wounds apiece," Chief State Medical Examiner Dr. H. Wayne Carver III said Saturday. "Only two were shot at close range. I believe everybody was hit (by bullets) more than once."
Investigators believe that the violence began even earlier that morning in the 4,000-square-foot home on Yogananda Street where Lanza is believed to have lived with his mother. He hasn't spoken since 2010 to his brother, Ryan, or his father, Peter, who has a home in Stamford and another in New Jersey, the sources said.
During a search of Lanza's mother's home, police found her body in her bed. She had been shot twice in the head. Authorities have not determined the time between when Adam Lanza killed his mother and left for Sandy Hook Elementary.
Before entering the home, a law enforcement source said that police used a robotic device to search the structure for explosive devices. None apparently were found.
Lanza occupied two of the home's bedrooms, the source said. He is believed to have slept in and kept his clothing in one, and used the other bedroom to store possessions, including his computer.
Two law enforcement sources said the hard drive had been removed from Lanza's computer and broken in pieces. They said that forensic electronics experts at the FBI will examine the drive in an effort to determine with whom Lanza corresponded electronically and how he otherwise used the device.
One of the sources said that Lanza used the computer to play a violent video game in which life-like characters engage in graphic battle scenes.
Police investigators were still stunned Saturday by the scene they encountered at the school a day earlier, in particular by the seven surviving — but shocked — children hiding silently in the closet in Soto's classroom.
Officers found the children during the initial, rushed search of the building for survivors.
"Finally, they opened that door and there were seven sets of eyes looking at them," a law enforcement officer familiar with the events said Saturday. "She tried to save her class" he said of Victoria Soto.
She was shot not far from her desk, from which she had hung drawings on which her students had written captions such as, "I love my teacher Miss Soto."
Police heard what sounded like a child's moans from where the bodies of the children in Rousseau's classroom had collapsed together. Police had to move several bodies to reach an injured boy, who died en route to Danbury Hospital.
Mary Ann Jacob, a library clerk, had 18 fourth-graders with her in a classroom when the shooting started. They heard it over the school's intercom system.
"The intercom had opened up so we could hear some confusion in the office," Jacob said. "So I called the office because I thought it was a mistake and that they didn't realize the intercom was on. The secretary answered and she said there's shooting. So we yelled 'lockdown' in our room and then ran across the hall and yelled 'lockdown' in the classroom across."
"You could hear the shots. They sounded like popping noises, so we tried to minimize it with the kids," she said. "I don't think until we opened the door and there were 15 state cops with these gigantic guns and federal agents escorting the kids out that they really realized what was going on."
Art teacher Leslie Gunn said she was beginning a class on sculpturing clay with 23 fourth-graders when the shooting began. Her first thought was that the sounds of what turned out to be gunshots were a work crew making repairs to the school roof.
"It got really loud," Gunn said. "It was too loud. Something was bad."
Shaking, she dialed 911 frantically but was unable to get through to the police. Eventually she reached her husband.
"I told him I don't know what is going to happen to us."
A couple of the fourth-grade boys started to cry.
"I told the kids something is wrong and we are just going to have to stay here," Gunn said. "I said I love you. And you are all so brave.''
They remained in the room for about 15 minutes. They heard someone banging on the door to the classroom. When she realized that it was the police, she let them in and spoke to her students
"I told the kids [to] hold each other's hands and not let go," Gunn said.
Courant staff writer Matthew Conyers contributed to this story.
Supposed Hacking of Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton's Personal Information Looks More Like a Hoax
By ELIZABETH FLOCK
March 11, 2013
A screenshot of the website that claims it hacked several politicians and celebrities in March 2013.
An anonymous hacker with a Russian domain name has posted what appears to be personal information belonging to Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, FBI Director Robert Mueller, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, as well as several Hollywood celebrities. The site, www.exposed.su, claims to have stolen social security numbers, current and former addresses, and telephone numbers belonging to the politicos.
But like many supposed hacks of late, this effort may be nothing more than a hoax.
A phone number the site says belongs to Vice President Biden actually goes to a store called Delaware Seed & Garden. A phone number the site claims belongs to Robert Mueller went to a recording of what sounded like a beating heart. A prior address of Hillary Clinton's that was supposedly hacked is 1600 Pennsylvania Ave—the address of the White House.
[READ: Why Chinese Hacking May Backfire]
Though we don't know much about the anonymous hacker, he or she appears to be a fan of Showtime's hit TV show Dexter. According to the site's source code, a YouTube video of the show's theme song was supposed to autoplay on a loop. The quote scrawled across the top, "If you believe that God makes miracles, you have to wonder if Satan has a few up his sleeve," was taken from an episode that aired in 2007.
A scary photo used on the site, showing a girl with her eyes covered in black makeup and putting her finger to her lips, was also stolen: it previously appeared on DeviantArt, an online community of artists, where the photo was tagged "Horror & Macabre." Nevertheless, an Los Angeles Police Department spokesman tells Whispers it is looking into the incident and would have more information once "top brass" finish meeting.
Greg Otto contributed to this post.
A screenshot of the website that claims it hacked several politicians and celebrities in March 2013.
An anonymous hacker with a Russian domain name has posted what appears to be personal information belonging to Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, FBI Director Robert Mueller, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, as well as several Hollywood celebrities. The site, www.exposed.su, claims to have stolen social security numbers, current and former addresses, and telephone numbers belonging to the politicos.
But like many supposed hacks of late, this effort may be nothing more than a hoax.
A phone number the site says belongs to Vice President Biden actually goes to a store called Delaware Seed & Garden. A phone number the site claims belongs to Robert Mueller went to a recording of what sounded like a beating heart. A prior address of Hillary Clinton's that was supposedly hacked is 1600 Pennsylvania Ave—the address of the White House.
[READ: Why Chinese Hacking May Backfire]
Though we don't know much about the anonymous hacker, he or she appears to be a fan of Showtime's hit TV show Dexter. According to the site's source code, a YouTube video of the show's theme song was supposed to autoplay on a loop. The quote scrawled across the top, "If you believe that God makes miracles, you have to wonder if Satan has a few up his sleeve," was taken from an episode that aired in 2007.
A scary photo used on the site, showing a girl with her eyes covered in black makeup and putting her finger to her lips, was also stolen: it previously appeared on DeviantArt, an online community of artists, where the photo was tagged "Horror & Macabre." Nevertheless, an Los Angeles Police Department spokesman tells Whispers it is looking into the incident and would have more information once "top brass" finish meeting.
Greg Otto contributed to this post.
Wealth inequality video goes viral
Morgan Whitaker, @morganwinn
12:45 PM on 03/04/2013
Wealth inequality in the U.S. is probably worse than you think it is.
A video made shortly after the 2012 election showing how much greater the disparity actually is, has gone viral in the last few days thanks to links from websites including Reddit and Mashable. First, it lays out what people see as ideal, a system in which wealthy Americans get a lot more but poor Americans are slightly above the poverty line.
Reality perhaps has the most shock value. As the narrator lays out in the video (uploaded by an unaffiliated, anonymous YouTube user), the top 1% has 40% of all the nation’s wealth, the bottom 80% only has 7% of it.
Given the political path we’re on, it seems far more likely that gap will grow, rather than shrink, in the coming months and years.
First, there’s the sequester, which will help make poor people poorer.
“There will be cuts to a wide range of services for the needy, analysis shows, including Meals on Wheels for seniors, nutrition assistance for mothers and children, rental help for low-income families and programs for the homeless,” according to a Washington Post report Monday. Our neediest Americans will be hit, including more than half a million women, infants and children, who could lose access to food by Sept. 30, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
Meanwhile, corporate profits are skyrocketing. Take a look at the front page of the New York Times Monday— “Recovery in U.S. Is Lifting Profits, but Not Adding Jobs“—which shows how corporate earnings are up, but jobs for the little guy simply aren’t being created.
The report highlights the impact of the sequester, which experts estimate could cost the nation 700,000 jobs, but is expected to have little to no impact on Wall Street profits.
And as one economist points out, corporate earnings have risen by 20% a year since the end of 2008, but “disposable income” has grown by only 1.4% a year over the same period. “There hasn’t been a period in the last 50 years where these trends have been so pronounced,” he said.
Again, more money into the pockets of the wealthy with few indications it will trickle down to the rest of the country.
Of course, the Obama policy that could help to fix some of this, the one most Americans voiced their support for when they voted him back into office, has been stymied by Republicans. The party refuses to compromise on further tax increases after making small concessions in the fiscal cliff battle. Their uncompromising position stopped the president from getting the balanced deal he wanted—one with a little tax revenue, and more budget cuts—in this latest sequester debate.
The GOP also continues to block his appointments to jobs like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a group designed to help protect the little guy against corporations.
Reality perhaps has the most shock value. As the narrator lays out in the video (uploaded by an unaffiliated, anonymous YouTube user), the top 1% has 40% of all the nation’s wealth, the bottom 80% only has 7% of it.
Published on Nov 20, 2012
Infographics on the distribution of wealth in America, highlighting both the inequality and the difference between our perception of inequality and the actual numbers. The reality is often not what we think it is.
References:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2...
http://danariely.com/2010/09/30/wealt...
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011...
http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/19/news/...
References:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2...
http://danariely.com/2010/09/30/wealt...
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011...
http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/19/news/...
First, there’s the sequester, which will help make poor people poorer.
“There will be cuts to a wide range of services for the needy, analysis shows, including Meals on Wheels for seniors, nutrition assistance for mothers and children, rental help for low-income families and programs for the homeless,” according to a Washington Post report Monday. Our neediest Americans will be hit, including more than half a million women, infants and children, who could lose access to food by Sept. 30, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
Meanwhile, corporate profits are skyrocketing. Take a look at the front page of the New York Times Monday— “Recovery in U.S. Is Lifting Profits, but Not Adding Jobs“—which shows how corporate earnings are up, but jobs for the little guy simply aren’t being created.
The report highlights the impact of the sequester, which experts estimate could cost the nation 700,000 jobs, but is expected to have little to no impact on Wall Street profits.
And as one economist points out, corporate earnings have risen by 20% a year since the end of 2008, but “disposable income” has grown by only 1.4% a year over the same period. “There hasn’t been a period in the last 50 years where these trends have been so pronounced,” he said.
Again, more money into the pockets of the wealthy with few indications it will trickle down to the rest of the country.
Of course, the Obama policy that could help to fix some of this, the one most Americans voiced their support for when they voted him back into office, has been stymied by Republicans. The party refuses to compromise on further tax increases after making small concessions in the fiscal cliff battle. Their uncompromising position stopped the president from getting the balanced deal he wanted—one with a little tax revenue, and more budget cuts—in this latest sequester debate.
The GOP also continues to block his appointments to jobs like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a group designed to help protect the little guy against corporations.
Cyber threats against US 'ramping up': Obama
Susan Heavey , Reuters – 51 min.
WASHINGTON — Cyber security threats against the United States are growing, President Barack Obama said before meeting corporate leaders on Wednesday to discuss rising concerns about hacking attacks emanating from China.
President Barack Obama, shown in a March 1 photo, on Wednesday spoke about cyber security with CEOs, including leaders from Honeywell, Northrop Grumman and AT&T.
"What is absolutely true is that we have seen a steady ramping up of cyber security threats," Obama said in an interview with ABC, noting that some threats were "state sponsored."
"We've made it very clear to China and some other state actors that, you know, we expect them to follow international norms and abide by international rules," Obama said.
After efforts to improve cyber defenses failed in Congress last year, the White House has tried to elevate the issue. Obama signed an executive order last month to encourage voluntary security standards and information sharing.
But Obama also wants Congress to try again on legislation. "There are ways that we can harden our critical infrastructure, our financial sector," Obama said in the ABC interview. "They need to get this done."
Obama took the unusual step of meeting with corporate chief executives in the White House Situation Room, the secure site in the West Wing basement where the president meets with national security advisers during crises.
The meeting included Honeywell International's David Cote, AT&T's Randall Stephenson, and Northrop Grumman's Wes Bush, spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.
The meeting comes the day after U.S. intelligence leaders said for the first time that cyber attacks and cyber espionage have supplanted terrorism as the top security threat facing the United States.
Carney said the meeting with CEOs was part of an effort to build consensus on the need for legislation.
"He wants to hear from out in the field what they're ... experiencing, what their concerns are, what their challenges are, what they hope to see in terms of action in Washington," Carney said.
Industry executives planned to raise a number of concerns during their meeting with Obama, including protection from legal damages if government data networks are breached, privacy issues, and how to share information about cyber attacks.
This week, U.S. authorities said they were investigating reports that Obama's own family had been hit by hacking.
The president said in the ABC interview that he did not know whether reports were true that hackers had posted financial and personal information online about his wife, Michelle, along with other high-profile Americans.
"It would not shock me if some information ... among people who presumably have pretty good safeguards against it, still gets out," he said.
(Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa, Roberta Rampton and Alina Selyukh; Editing by Christopher Wilson and Stacey Joyce)
ACU ANNOUNCES EVEN MORE U.S. MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO ADDRESS CPAC 2013
Published: March 8, 2013
Contact: Laura Rigas, (202) 347-9388, lrigas@conservative.org
What two minutes each, wow alot of hot air, better keep doors open wide......
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Conservative Union (ACU) today announced that
U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY),
U.S. Representative Michael Burgess (R-TX),
U.S. Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT),
U.S. Representative Tom Cotton (R-AR),
U.S. Representative Cory Gardner (R-CO),
U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX),
U.S. Representative Steve King (R-IA),
U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA),
U.S. Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA),
U.S. Representative Steve Pearce (R-NM),
U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo (R-KS),
U.S. Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) and
U.S. Representative Ann Wagner (R-MO)
will address CPAC 2013 — the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference. America’s largest gathering of conservative leaders and activists will be held Thursday, March 14 – Saturday, March 16, 2013.
“These Members of Congress are joining an already incredible lineup of featured speakers addressing our CPAC audience,” said ACU Chairman Al Cardenas. “Last week I had the pleasure of presenting many of them with ACU Congressional Ratings awards and look forward to hearing their remarks at CPAC.”
Senator John Barrasso was sworn in to the United States Senate in 2007 having represented the people of Natrona County in the Wyoming State Senate. Barrasso serves on the Republican leadership team as the Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. He also serves as Chairman of the Senate Western Caucus. Barrasso serves on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Indian Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In 2008, Texans overwhelmingly re-elected Senator John Cornyn to represent them for a second six-year term in the U.S. Senate. Cornyn was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and previously served in Texas as a district judge, a member of the Texas Supreme Court, and as Texas Attorney General. Sen. Cornyn currently sits on the Senate Finance and Judiciary Committees. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee.
After spending nearly three decades practicing medicine in North Texas, Congressman Michael Burgess has served the constituents of the 26th District since 2003 in the United States House of Representatives. Burgess currently serve on the prestigious House Energy and Commerce Committee and in the 113th Congress, 2013 and in 2014, will serve as the Vice Chairman of both the Subcommittee on Health and the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, and as a member of the Energy and Power Subcommittee.
Believing in the core conservative principles of a strong national defense, fiscal discipline, limited government, and accountability, Congressman Jason Chaffetz distinguished himself as a budget hawk by co-founding the Sunset Caucus, identifying budget cutting measures, running a lean office that returned more than $600,000 of his office budget in his first term, and sleeping on a cot in the closet of his office.
As a Member of Congress, Representative Tom Cotton is a member of the Financial Services Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. Following his Iraq deployment, Cotton was assigned as a platoon leader at The Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery, where he was responsible for conducting military honors funerals for veterans from World War II to today’s war. Cotton’s military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and Iraq Campaign Medal.
Congressman Cory Gardner has been a leading conservative voice in Colorado where he served in the state legislature for five years prior to being elected to Congress to represent the state’s 4th Congressional District. As a member of Congress, Gardner serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which he has jurisdiction ranging over national energy policy to interstate and foreign communications.
Serving his fourth term in the United States House of Representatives, Congressman Louie Gohmert was first sworn in January 4, 2005. He proudly represents the First District of Texas which encompasses over 12 counties stretching nearly 120 miles down the state’s eastern border. Louie serves on numerous House committees and subcommittees. He was recently named Vice Chair of the Judiciary subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security due to his extensive knowledge stemming from years in the court room.
Representative Steve King serves the people of the Fifth Congressional District of Iowa and has since his election in 2002. King is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, where he sits on the Constitution Subcommittee and the Immigration Subcommittee. King also chairs the Conservative Opportunity Society, a powerful and legendary House caucus best known for energizing Republicans to regain the majority of the House of Representatives in 1994.
In 2008, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers was elected to serve in the House Republican Leadership, where she held the office of Vice Chair of the Conference for the next four years. In November 2012, McMorris Rodgers was elected to serve as Chairman of the Conference, the fourth-highest-ranking position among House Republicans. She is the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress.
Devin Nunes has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2003. He currently represents California’s 22nd congressional district which is located in the San Joaquin Valley and includes portions of Tulare and Fresno Counties. At the beginning of the 112th Congress, Nunes was named to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
In 1996, Congressman Steve Pearce was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives, where he served until 2000. During this time, he was elected as Caucus Chair and served on the Appropriations Committee. Today, Pearce continues a lifetime of service as New Mexico’s only conservative voice in Washington. Pearce was appointed by his peers to serve on the House Committee on Financial Services, and as chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus.
Congressman Mike Pompeo serves the 4th district of Kansas on the Energy and Commerce Committee. In Congress, Congressman Pompeo has focused on freeing private enterprise to succeed. He has launched a national effort called America Flies aimed squarely at promoting the aviation industry against outrageous attacks on “corporate fat cat jet owners.”
Congressman Lamar Smith represents the 21st Congressional District of Texas. He serves as Chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, which has jurisdiction over programs at NASA, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Congresswoman Ann Wagner’s public service began at the grassroots level. She served for nine years as a local committeewoman in Lafayette Township and went on to Chair the Missouri Republican Party delivering historic Republican gains. Ann won her 2012 Congressional race with over 60% of the vote and received more votes than any other Republican candidate for Congress in the State of Missouri this cycle.
CPAC will be held March 14-16, 2013 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, offering three days of blockbuster speeches, policy discussions and networking opportunities – all celebrating the shared principles of smaller government, a strong national defense and traditional American values. For additional information, visit our website at conservative.org/cpac/, on Facebook at facebook.com/CPACNews, or on Twitter at @CPACnews and#CPAC2013. Media registration (including bloggers) is now open. For those who plan to cover the event, please request credentials at http://cpac2013media.eventbrite.com.
Please note that the schedule has been announced, is updated daily and available on our new CPAC 2013 website under “Program.”
The CPAC 2013 App, produced by The Washington Examiner, can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store and Google Play. To view the HTML5 version, please click here.
Previously announced confirmed featured speakers include:
MORE YOUNG CONSERVATIVE SPEAKERS ANNOUNCES FOR CPAC 2013
Published: March 11, 2013
Contact: Laura Rigas, (202) 347-9388, lrigas@conservative.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Conservative Union (ACU) today announced even more conservative leaders who will be featured speakers and emcees and serve in other important roles onstage at CPAC 2013, the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference. America’s largest gathering of conservative leaders and activists will be held Thursday, March 14 – Saturday, March 16, 2013.
“As part of our theme this year, we are highlighting a number of young conservative activists and leaders at CPAC,” said ACU Chairman Al Cardenas. “For 40 years CPAC has played a vital role in energizing and educating young leaders and this year in particular we are ensuring they have an opportunity to address our attendees in different capacities.”
Featured activists who will speak at CPAC over the course of the weekend include:
Karl Beckstein, Northeast Regional Vice Chair of College Republican National Committee
Guy Benson, Political Editor, Townhall
Bethany Bowra, Founder, Next Generation of Voters
Charles Blain, who will recite the Pledge of Allegiance
Michael Coger, former Chairman, College Republican Federation of Virginia
Patrick Coyle, Jr., Vice President, Young America’s Foundation
Steven Crowder, Actor, Comedian
The Honorable Jose Felix Diaz, Florida State Representative
The Honorable Elise Hall, Oklahoma State Representative
Jordan Hostetter, who will sing the National Anthem
Amanda House, Network Red, Editor of Events
Sonnie Johnson, Founder, “Did She Say That”/Breitbart News Network
Alex Levin, Treasurer, College Republican National Committee
Dana Loesch, Host, “The Dana Show”
Amy Lutz, Executive Director, Missouri College Republicans
Ryan Lyk, State Chairman, Minnesota Federation of College Republicans
Courtney Mattison, Former Communications Director, Rutland County Republican Party
Alexander McCobin, President, Students for Liberty
Brittney Morrett, Youth Outreach Coordinator, The LIBRE Initiative
Vinciane Ngomsi, Conservative Activist
Katie Pavlich, News Editor, Townhall
Ryan Reynolds, featured emcee
Lisa Stickan, Chairman, Young Republican National Federation
Katie Thompson, Chairman,South Carolina College Republicans
Shoshana Weissman, Founder of Network Red, Deputy Political Director of The Casale Group
CPAC will be held March 14-16, 2013 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, offering three days of blockbuster speeches, policy discussions and networking opportunities – all celebrating the shared principles of smaller government, a strong national defense and traditional American values. For additional information, visit our website at conservative.org/cpac/, on Facebook at facebook.com/CPACNews, or on Twitter at @CPACnews and#CPAC2013. Media registration (including bloggers) is now open. For those who plan to cover the event, please request credentials at http://cpac2013media.eventbrite.com.
Please note that the schedule has been announced, is updated daily and available on our new CPAC 2013 websiteunder “Program.”
The CPAC 2013 App, produced by The Washington Examiner, can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store andGoogle Play. To view the HTML5 version, please click here.
“These Members of Congress are joining an already incredible lineup of featured speakers addressing our CPAC audience,” said ACU Chairman Al Cardenas. “Last week I had the pleasure of presenting many of them with ACU Congressional Ratings awards and look forward to hearing their remarks at CPAC.”
Senator John Barrasso was sworn in to the United States Senate in 2007 having represented the people of Natrona County in the Wyoming State Senate. Barrasso serves on the Republican leadership team as the Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. He also serves as Chairman of the Senate Western Caucus. Barrasso serves on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Indian Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In 2008, Texans overwhelmingly re-elected Senator John Cornyn to represent them for a second six-year term in the U.S. Senate. Cornyn was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and previously served in Texas as a district judge, a member of the Texas Supreme Court, and as Texas Attorney General. Sen. Cornyn currently sits on the Senate Finance and Judiciary Committees. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee.
After spending nearly three decades practicing medicine in North Texas, Congressman Michael Burgess has served the constituents of the 26th District since 2003 in the United States House of Representatives. Burgess currently serve on the prestigious House Energy and Commerce Committee and in the 113th Congress, 2013 and in 2014, will serve as the Vice Chairman of both the Subcommittee on Health and the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, and as a member of the Energy and Power Subcommittee.
Believing in the core conservative principles of a strong national defense, fiscal discipline, limited government, and accountability, Congressman Jason Chaffetz distinguished himself as a budget hawk by co-founding the Sunset Caucus, identifying budget cutting measures, running a lean office that returned more than $600,000 of his office budget in his first term, and sleeping on a cot in the closet of his office.
As a Member of Congress, Representative Tom Cotton is a member of the Financial Services Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. Following his Iraq deployment, Cotton was assigned as a platoon leader at The Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery, where he was responsible for conducting military honors funerals for veterans from World War II to today’s war. Cotton’s military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and Iraq Campaign Medal.
Congressman Cory Gardner has been a leading conservative voice in Colorado where he served in the state legislature for five years prior to being elected to Congress to represent the state’s 4th Congressional District. As a member of Congress, Gardner serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which he has jurisdiction ranging over national energy policy to interstate and foreign communications.
Serving his fourth term in the United States House of Representatives, Congressman Louie Gohmert was first sworn in January 4, 2005. He proudly represents the First District of Texas which encompasses over 12 counties stretching nearly 120 miles down the state’s eastern border. Louie serves on numerous House committees and subcommittees. He was recently named Vice Chair of the Judiciary subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security due to his extensive knowledge stemming from years in the court room.
Representative Steve King serves the people of the Fifth Congressional District of Iowa and has since his election in 2002. King is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, where he sits on the Constitution Subcommittee and the Immigration Subcommittee. King also chairs the Conservative Opportunity Society, a powerful and legendary House caucus best known for energizing Republicans to regain the majority of the House of Representatives in 1994.
In 2008, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers was elected to serve in the House Republican Leadership, where she held the office of Vice Chair of the Conference for the next four years. In November 2012, McMorris Rodgers was elected to serve as Chairman of the Conference, the fourth-highest-ranking position among House Republicans. She is the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress.
Devin Nunes has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2003. He currently represents California’s 22nd congressional district which is located in the San Joaquin Valley and includes portions of Tulare and Fresno Counties. At the beginning of the 112th Congress, Nunes was named to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
In 1996, Congressman Steve Pearce was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives, where he served until 2000. During this time, he was elected as Caucus Chair and served on the Appropriations Committee. Today, Pearce continues a lifetime of service as New Mexico’s only conservative voice in Washington. Pearce was appointed by his peers to serve on the House Committee on Financial Services, and as chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus.
Congressman Mike Pompeo serves the 4th district of Kansas on the Energy and Commerce Committee. In Congress, Congressman Pompeo has focused on freeing private enterprise to succeed. He has launched a national effort called America Flies aimed squarely at promoting the aviation industry against outrageous attacks on “corporate fat cat jet owners.”
Congressman Lamar Smith represents the 21st Congressional District of Texas. He serves as Chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, which has jurisdiction over programs at NASA, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Congresswoman Ann Wagner’s public service began at the grassroots level. She served for nine years as a local committeewoman in Lafayette Township and went on to Chair the Missouri Republican Party delivering historic Republican gains. Ann won her 2012 Congressional race with over 60% of the vote and received more votes than any other Republican candidate for Congress in the State of Missouri this cycle.
CPAC will be held March 14-16, 2013 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, offering three days of blockbuster speeches, policy discussions and networking opportunities – all celebrating the shared principles of smaller government, a strong national defense and traditional American values. For additional information, visit our website at conservative.org/cpac/, on Facebook at facebook.com/CPACNews, or on Twitter at @CPACnews and#CPAC2013. Media registration (including bloggers) is now open. For those who plan to cover the event, please request credentials at http://cpac2013media.eventbrite.com.
Please note that the schedule has been announced, is updated daily and available on our new CPAC 2013 website under “Program.”
The CPAC 2013 App, produced by The Washington Examiner, can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store and Google Play. To view the HTML5 version, please click here.
Previously announced confirmed featured speakers include:
U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte;
U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann;
U.S. Representative Diane Black;
U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn;
U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor;
U.S. Representative Steve Scalise;
U.S. Senator Tom Coburn;
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz;
U.S. Senator Pat Toomey;
U.S. Representative Sean Duffy and Rachel Campos-Duffy;
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson;
U.S. Senator Mike Lee;
UT Mia Love;
U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell;
U.S. Representative Tom Price;
U.S. Senator Tim Scott;
U.S. Senator Rand Paul; Texas Governor Rick Perry;
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio;
U.S. Representative Paul Ryan;
former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum;
former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin;
former U.S. Representative Connie Mack;
former U.S. Representative Ann Marie Beurkle;
former Florida Governor Jeb Bush;
former U.S. Representative Artur Davis;
former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich;
former U.S. Representative Allen West;
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli;
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal;
Mayor of Saratoga Springs;
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.
Producer Gerald Molen;
Producer Mark Joseph;
Producer, Writer and Consultant Pat Caddell;
Director and Writer John Sullivan;
Screenwriter Howie Klausner;
NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre;
ACU Board Member Carly Fiorina;
NRA President and ACU Board Member David Keene;
Heritage Foundation President-Elect Jim DeMint;
Heritage Foundation President Dr. Edwin Feulner;
Eagle Forum Founder Phyllis Schlafly;
Radio Host and Breitbart TV Editor in Chief Larry O’Connor;
Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery Dr. Benjamin Carson;
and
Donald Trump;
MORE YOUNG CONSERVATIVE SPEAKERS ANNOUNCES FOR CPAC 2013
Published: March 11, 2013
Contact: Laura Rigas, (202) 347-9388, lrigas@conservative.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Conservative Union (ACU) today announced even more conservative leaders who will be featured speakers and emcees and serve in other important roles onstage at CPAC 2013, the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference. America’s largest gathering of conservative leaders and activists will be held Thursday, March 14 – Saturday, March 16, 2013.
“As part of our theme this year, we are highlighting a number of young conservative activists and leaders at CPAC,” said ACU Chairman Al Cardenas. “For 40 years CPAC has played a vital role in energizing and educating young leaders and this year in particular we are ensuring they have an opportunity to address our attendees in different capacities.”
Featured activists who will speak at CPAC over the course of the weekend include:
Karl Beckstein, Northeast Regional Vice Chair of College Republican National Committee
Guy Benson, Political Editor, Townhall
Bethany Bowra, Founder, Next Generation of Voters
Charles Blain, who will recite the Pledge of Allegiance
Michael Coger, former Chairman, College Republican Federation of Virginia
Patrick Coyle, Jr., Vice President, Young America’s Foundation
Steven Crowder, Actor, Comedian
The Honorable Jose Felix Diaz, Florida State Representative
The Honorable Elise Hall, Oklahoma State Representative
Jordan Hostetter, who will sing the National Anthem
Amanda House, Network Red, Editor of Events
Sonnie Johnson, Founder, “Did She Say That”/Breitbart News Network
Alex Levin, Treasurer, College Republican National Committee
Dana Loesch, Host, “The Dana Show”
Amy Lutz, Executive Director, Missouri College Republicans
Ryan Lyk, State Chairman, Minnesota Federation of College Republicans
Courtney Mattison, Former Communications Director, Rutland County Republican Party
Alexander McCobin, President, Students for Liberty
Brittney Morrett, Youth Outreach Coordinator, The LIBRE Initiative
Vinciane Ngomsi, Conservative Activist
Katie Pavlich, News Editor, Townhall
Ryan Reynolds, featured emcee
Lisa Stickan, Chairman, Young Republican National Federation
Katie Thompson, Chairman,South Carolina College Republicans
Shoshana Weissman, Founder of Network Red, Deputy Political Director of The Casale Group
CPAC will be held March 14-16, 2013 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, offering three days of blockbuster speeches, policy discussions and networking opportunities – all celebrating the shared principles of smaller government, a strong national defense and traditional American values. For additional information, visit our website at conservative.org/cpac/, on Facebook at facebook.com/CPACNews, or on Twitter at @CPACnews and#CPAC2013. Media registration (including bloggers) is now open. For those who plan to cover the event, please request credentials at http://cpac2013media.eventbrite.com.
Please note that the schedule has been announced, is updated daily and available on our new CPAC 2013 websiteunder “Program.”
The CPAC 2013 App, produced by The Washington Examiner, can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store andGoogle Play. To view the HTML5 version, please click here.
RESTORING TRUE CHARITY
by Christopher Manion
Issue 223– March 13, 2013
From CPAC [Image written the same day the Catholic Church nominated a new POPE, Francis I]
Many leftists cheered when Pope Benedict XVI issued his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est in 2005. They ignored most of the document, naturally, which insists that true charity is inseparable from Christ and His Church. They focused instead on his condemnation of “unbridled capitalism with its cult of profit.” The leftist progeny of earlier Liberation Theologians deny what Benedict affirms: that his critique is inseparable from what he calls a “Christian anthropology,” a view which is threatened by the modern resuscitation of an “ancient material hedonism” that flows from “a purely horizontal and materialistic view of life.”
Was Benedict overstating the issue? Hardly. That ancient and noxious aroma is everywhere. Witness the recent remarks of Mr. Taro Aso, Japan’s finance minister, who said last month that old people on government-funded medical care should “hurry up and die.”
Of course, any finance minister should worried about money. But Benedict has noticed that many Catholic “charities” might be preoccupied with money too - even permitting financial need to give a back seat to what true Christian “Caritas” is all about. Hence, in 2012 he promulgated Intima Ecclesiae Natura, a law whose consequences will have a serious and lasting impact, especially in the United States.
In the next twenty years, we will witness one of the biggest shifts in Church’s educational and charitable activities. When Intima Ecclesiae Natura, is fully implemented, the Church will have to sever its ties with an increasingly hostile, even hedonistic, secular government, and cease accepting government funding for its charities, its educational institutions, and its hospitals. The results will be revolutionary – and liberating.
It is no accident that, in the past fifty years, countless Catholic institutions have diluted, ignored, or even defied Catholic teaching, as the amount of government funding they receive has steadily increased. Catholic universities made their move rather dramatically, renouncing the authority of the Church in the famous “Land O’Lakes” statement of July 1967. This “declaration of independence” from Rome made it possible for them to receive federal funding made available in Lyndon’ Johnson’s Higher Education Act of 1965. Since then, they have received billions in taxpayer dollars.
The same conundrum faces Catholic Charities, USA, and Catholic Relief Services, both of which receive a majority of their funding – billions of dollars a year – as federal contractors, often operating alongside, or even cooperating intimately with, organizations whose principles “are not in conformity with the Church’s teaching.”
The implementation of Benedict’s new law will resuscitate true voluntary charity after a century-long Church alliance with a government that has now turned against it in fury. But do not expect it to be welcomed. Leaders of these Church bureaucracies (including the colleges and universities) will undoubtedly insist that Intima Ecclesiae Natura changes nothing, that they need the money, and that they are already obeying it anyway.
Unfortunately, they aren’t. But it will be a brave bishop who will hold their feet to the fire; and it will take a brave pope who will guide, support, and instruct those bishops with love, fortitude, and perseverance. After all, billions and billions of dollars are at stake – a drop in the bucket to the feds, but critical to funding Church institutions as they are run today.
And that is why those institutions will change dramatically as Intima Ecclesiae Natura is implemented in coming years, and the Church renounces government funding (as bishops in Illinois and Oklahoma already have). Once those “golden handcuffs” are removed, liberated Catholic bishops will also be able to implement existing Canon Law regarding public scandal. Raymond Cardinal Burke, who heads the Vatican’s highest court, insisted earlier this month that, if a Catholic politician “support[s] legislation which fosters abortion or other intrinsic evils, then he should be refused Holy Communion.”
Was Benedict overstating the issue? Hardly. That ancient and noxious aroma is everywhere. Witness the recent remarks of Mr. Taro Aso, Japan’s finance minister, who said last month that old people on government-funded medical care should “hurry up and die.”
Of course, any finance minister should worried about money. But Benedict has noticed that many Catholic “charities” might be preoccupied with money too - even permitting financial need to give a back seat to what true Christian “Caritas” is all about. Hence, in 2012 he promulgated Intima Ecclesiae Natura, a law whose consequences will have a serious and lasting impact, especially in the United States.
In the next twenty years, we will witness one of the biggest shifts in Church’s educational and charitable activities. When Intima Ecclesiae Natura, is fully implemented, the Church will have to sever its ties with an increasingly hostile, even hedonistic, secular government, and cease accepting government funding for its charities, its educational institutions, and its hospitals. The results will be revolutionary – and liberating.
No “Catholic” charitable activity is to be conducted outside the authority of the bishop, the document states. “In particular, he is to take care that their activities keep alive the spirit of the Gospel.” (Article 6).And how should the bishop exercise that authority? “In particular, the diocesan Bishop is to ensure that charitable agencies dependent upon him do not receive financial support from groups or institutions that pursue ends contrary to Church’s teaching. Similarly, lest scandal be given to the faithful, the diocesan Bishop is to ensure that these charitable agencies do not accept contributions for initiatives whose ends, or the means used to pursue them, are not in conformity with the Church’s teaching.” (Article 10, § 3)
It is no accident that, in the past fifty years, countless Catholic institutions have diluted, ignored, or even defied Catholic teaching, as the amount of government funding they receive has steadily increased. Catholic universities made their move rather dramatically, renouncing the authority of the Church in the famous “Land O’Lakes” statement of July 1967. This “declaration of independence” from Rome made it possible for them to receive federal funding made available in Lyndon’ Johnson’s Higher Education Act of 1965. Since then, they have received billions in taxpayer dollars.
The same conundrum faces Catholic Charities, USA, and Catholic Relief Services, both of which receive a majority of their funding – billions of dollars a year – as federal contractors, often operating alongside, or even cooperating intimately with, organizations whose principles “are not in conformity with the Church’s teaching.”
The implementation of Benedict’s new law will resuscitate true voluntary charity after a century-long Church alliance with a government that has now turned against it in fury. But do not expect it to be welcomed. Leaders of these Church bureaucracies (including the colleges and universities) will undoubtedly insist that Intima Ecclesiae Natura changes nothing, that they need the money, and that they are already obeying it anyway.
Unfortunately, they aren’t. But it will be a brave bishop who will hold their feet to the fire; and it will take a brave pope who will guide, support, and instruct those bishops with love, fortitude, and perseverance. After all, billions and billions of dollars are at stake – a drop in the bucket to the feds, but critical to funding Church institutions as they are run today.
And that is why those institutions will change dramatically as Intima Ecclesiae Natura is implemented in coming years, and the Church renounces government funding (as bishops in Illinois and Oklahoma already have). Once those “golden handcuffs” are removed, liberated Catholic bishops will also be able to implement existing Canon Law regarding public scandal. Raymond Cardinal Burke, who heads the Vatican’s highest court, insisted earlier this month that, if a Catholic politician “support[s] legislation which fosters abortion or other intrinsic evils, then he should be refused Holy Communion.”
Such steps are taken not only to bring the supporter of “grave moral evil” back to the Church, but also to avoid “the grave sin of sacrilege,” as well as to prevent public scandal, since failure to act “gives the impression that the Church’s teaching on the intrinsic evil of abortion is not firm.”The contributions to the Church of Pope Benedict XVI are immeasurable indeed. As the years go by, he will be fondly remembered, and increasingly appreciated. Let us pray for him, and for his successor.
Family grieves for soldier who died after six tours of duty
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
Lesleigh Coyer, 25, of Saginaw, Michigan, lies down in front of the grave of her brother, Ryan Coyer, who served with the U.S. Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on March 11, 2013. Coyer died one year ago.
By Elizabeth Chuck, Staff Writer, NBC News
At 26, Staff Sgt. Ryan Coyer already had a lifetime of accomplishments: four tours to Afghanistan, two tours to Iraq, and being named a member of the elite U.S. Army Rangers.
On Monday, the eve of the one-year anniversary of Coyer’s death, his family gathered at his graveside to commemorate that lifetime of accomplishments, unexpectedly cut short when Coyer died of cardiac arrest.
"The kid could do anything he wanted as long as he put his mind to it," Anthony Coyer, Ryan’s father, told Michigan’s MLive.com last year of his son, who was born in Nashville but grew up in Saginaw, Mich., playing football and frequently landing on the honor roll. "He wouldn't admit that."
Coyer enlisted in the Army in 2004, according to his obituary, posted by Snow Funeral Home in Saginaw. He was 19 when he enlisted; his father said he had made the decision to leave Saginaw — a town of 52,000 — for boot camp in Georgia when he was still a high school senior.
"Before he graduated [high school], he signed himself up," Anthony Coyer told MLive.com. "He did it on his own and he came home one day and told his mom and dad what he was going to do."
Six months after enlisting, according to his obituary, Coyer was assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment, the special operations command unit of the U.S. Army Rangers.
Soon Coyer was deployed overseas, then deployed again — and again. In between his two tours of duty in Iraq and four in Afghanistan, Coyer wouldn’t talk much about what his prestigious team did in combat.
"We just know that he ... served to protect and defend this country, and he did a damn good job of it," Anthony Coyer told MLive.com.
Coyer had been back on base at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga., on March 12, 2012, when he suddenly died of cardiac arrest. Further details surrounding his death weren’t made public.
Efforts by NBC News to reach Coyer's family on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Lesleigh Coyer, his younger sister, called her only sibling a protective "best friend" who was never quick to like the guys she chose to date. She told MLive.com that she and her brother, just two years apart, used to get into mischief all the time, such as toilet papering their neighborhood late at night.
The final resting place for Lesleigh Coyer’s partner-in-mischief — a decorated serviceman who loved lifting weights and riding his motorcycle, his obituary says — is Arlington National Cemetery. On Monday, a Reuters photographer took a picture of Lesleigh curled up on the ground in front of her brother’s grave, grieving. She and her parents were visiting the military cemetery in Virginia from Saginaw a day before the one-year anniversary of Coyer’s death.
"I looked up to him," Lesleigh Coyer told MLive.com via text days after her brother’s death. "I leaned on him, just as he did me ... He was a great man and I was honored to be his sister."
NBC News’ David Arnott contributed to this report.
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
Tony Coyer puts his hand on the shoulder of his daughter Lesleigh as his wife Mary weeps while visiting the grave of his son.
COMMON ENEMIES
by Morton Blackwell
Issue 223– March 13, 2013
from CPAC
I know of no two people who independently hold the same positions on everything, yet everyone I know takes actions in cooperation with at least some other people. Complete coincidence of preferences is not required for cooperation.
For decades, the largest contributor to my late friend Paul Weyrich’s activities was Richard Mellon Scaife. He greatly admired Paul’s effectiveness in politics. One day Mr. Scaife told Paul he could no longer support him. He said Paul was against abortion, and that he, Mr. Scaife, was a supporter of Planned Parenthood. Paul asked for a meeting, and Mr. Scaife agreed. Paul took a train to Pittsburgh.
Knowing that Mr. Scaife had keenly followed election politics for many years, Paul showed him a national list of a couple of dozen major races in which he, Paul, had been involved. There were two columns, the first contained conservatives Paul had actively supported and beside it were their well-known liberal opponents. All the conservative candidates were pro-life; all of the liberal candidates were pro-choice. Paul asked him which candidates on the liberal list he would have wanted Paul to support.
Mr. Scaife looked down the list carefully and replied, “None of them.” He is primarily an economic conservative, and those Paul had opposed were a pack of leftists Mr. Scaife knew and despised. Admitting their different positions on abortion, Paul said, approximately, “You have to set your own priorities. What’s more important to you?”
On the spot, Mr. Scaife told Paul he’d keep supporting him, and so he did, generously, until Paul died many years later.
Intensity, not preference, determines political action in the public policy process. When faced with an opportunity for action, we are guided by the comparative intensity of our preferences. Rarely, if ever, are there perfect choices. Like it or not, to act in an election campaign or a legislative battle means to accept imperfections in the side one chooses.
If the available choices appear approximately equal mixes of good and bad, one can prudently choose not to act and let the actions of others control the event. But some imperfect choices can be right and others clearly wrong.
After the fall of Napoleon III, the French monarchists won election to a majority of seats in the national government, but they were divided into Legitimists and Orleanists. The two Bourbon factions agreed that the elderly, childless, Legitimist claimant to the throne would become king, to be followed by the Orleanist claimant, who would then be the Legitimist heir under the ancient laws of France.
The two sides agreed on everything except what would be the flag of France. The Legitimists insisted that it would be the historic white flag and a field of gold lilies; the Orleanists insisted it would be the revolutionary tricolor which their ancestor, Louis Philippe, accepted in 1830. The two sides squabbled for years, during which they lost (probably forever) their monarchist majority in the national government, which became the Third Republic.
I am optimistic that all those in our country currently threatened with destruction by the leftist ideologues will cooperate, rather than follow the Bourbon path to disaster. Let us follow the wisdom of Whittaker Chamber, who wrote:
For decades, the largest contributor to my late friend Paul Weyrich’s activities was Richard Mellon Scaife. He greatly admired Paul’s effectiveness in politics. One day Mr. Scaife told Paul he could no longer support him. He said Paul was against abortion, and that he, Mr. Scaife, was a supporter of Planned Parenthood. Paul asked for a meeting, and Mr. Scaife agreed. Paul took a train to Pittsburgh.
Knowing that Mr. Scaife had keenly followed election politics for many years, Paul showed him a national list of a couple of dozen major races in which he, Paul, had been involved. There were two columns, the first contained conservatives Paul had actively supported and beside it were their well-known liberal opponents. All the conservative candidates were pro-life; all of the liberal candidates were pro-choice. Paul asked him which candidates on the liberal list he would have wanted Paul to support.
Mr. Scaife looked down the list carefully and replied, “None of them.” He is primarily an economic conservative, and those Paul had opposed were a pack of leftists Mr. Scaife knew and despised. Admitting their different positions on abortion, Paul said, approximately, “You have to set your own priorities. What’s more important to you?”
On the spot, Mr. Scaife told Paul he’d keep supporting him, and so he did, generously, until Paul died many years later.
Intensity, not preference, determines political action in the public policy process. When faced with an opportunity for action, we are guided by the comparative intensity of our preferences. Rarely, if ever, are there perfect choices. Like it or not, to act in an election campaign or a legislative battle means to accept imperfections in the side one chooses.
If the available choices appear approximately equal mixes of good and bad, one can prudently choose not to act and let the actions of others control the event. But some imperfect choices can be right and others clearly wrong.
After the fall of Napoleon III, the French monarchists won election to a majority of seats in the national government, but they were divided into Legitimists and Orleanists. The two Bourbon factions agreed that the elderly, childless, Legitimist claimant to the throne would become king, to be followed by the Orleanist claimant, who would then be the Legitimist heir under the ancient laws of France.
The two sides agreed on everything except what would be the flag of France. The Legitimists insisted that it would be the historic white flag and a field of gold lilies; the Orleanists insisted it would be the revolutionary tricolor which their ancestor, Louis Philippe, accepted in 1830. The two sides squabbled for years, during which they lost (probably forever) their monarchist majority in the national government, which became the Third Republic.
I am optimistic that all those in our country currently threatened with destruction by the leftist ideologues will cooperate, rather than follow the Bourbon path to disaster. Let us follow the wisdom of Whittaker Chamber, who wrote:
I do not ask of the man who lets me slip into his foxhole whether he believes in the ontological proof of God, whether he likes me personally, or even whether, in another part of the forest, at another time, he lobbed a grenade at me. I am interested only that, for the duration of the war, he keep his rifle clean and his trigger finger nerveless against a common enemy. I understand that that is all he wants of me.
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