New Hampshire Man Fired for Protecting Gas Station

It seems that if you are a responsible gun owner, using your legally purchased firearm to protect yourself AND your employer from loss or injury by would be thieves in this country, the reward coming your way for acting in what should be and used to be a logical and appropriate manner will result in your dismissal.

Shannon "Bear" Cothran told the Telegraph of Nashua that he was working at a Shell station in Nashua early Monday when a man approached him with a knife. Police confirmed that the would-be robber fled after Cothran pulled out a gun.
Cothran said he then filed a report with Nouria Energy Corp., which owns the station, and was fired hours later even though the store manager and a district manager lobbied to save his job.

The company states that while they are "grateful" no one was injured and there was no loss of property in this instance, their no weapons policy falls in line with the policies adopted by other companies across the country. One has to wonder, however, how many companies go along with policies like this under pressure of the anti-gun lobby, and how much longer will companies continue to run along like lemmings over the edge of a cliff while convenience store employees are killed because they ARE unarmed in accordance with company guidelines?

Find contact information for Nouria Energy Corp. here, if you wish to drop them a line and tell them what you think of their policies.

Sic vis pacem parabellem (if you want peace, prepare for war)

MT

 

But Can They Be Declared "Legally Stupid?"

Sometimes the mainline news is just too strange to be true. A New York (could have been anywhere else other than California?) court is today weighing arguments that three convicts cannot be guilty of murder because they were "too intoxicated" to realize that they were a danger to themselves or others.

Yes. You read that right. It's amazing the lengths some people will go to in order to avoid taking personal responsibility for their own actions. Worse, it's amazing what lengths attorneys will go to in order to help them do so.

From MSN:

The murder convictions of Martin Heidgen, Taliyah Taylor and Franklin McPherson all hinge on the prosecution's contention they acted with "depraved indifference to human life" in fatal crashes that share a number of common threads: driving too fast in the wrong lane while under the influence.
Defense attorneys argued prosecutors failed to prove their clients acted with depraved indifference and, in fact, their clients were too impaired to know what they were doing.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims, and with the judge in the case hoping common sense will prevail on the bench.

Sic vis pacem parabellum.

MT

Shooting Victim Testimony on Gun Control

A friend sent me this video in email, and I've got to say, it's POWERFUL.



We, the law abiding, freedom loving American people, have got to make sure that our voices are heard.

Personally, as many of you know, I AM a member of the NRA, and I highly recommend anyone who loves their freedom to become a member.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Santa Monica Teacher Charged with Molestation of Children

Another teacher has been arrested on charges of sexual molestation of his students in Santa Monica, California. This time there's a hitch; the accused was also investigated for the same activities two years ago.

After the FDLS cases and right on the heels of the Mylie Cyrus photos, a veteran teacher has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of sexual misconduct with minors.

A longtime middle school teacher was charged Tuesday with sexually molesting five female students, and a prosecutor told a court there was videotape evidence.

Thomas Arthur Beltran, 60, of Santa Monica, pleaded not guilty to 14 counts during his arraignment in Superior Court. Bail was set at $3.3 million and he remained jailed.

Police arrested Beltran on Saturday after a 12-year-old girl from Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica reported the alleged abuse to her parents. The investigation led to four other girls.

Beltran, who teaches English as a second language, has been with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District for 30 years, including 20 years at Lincoln.

Police also stated that they had found tapes allegedly made by Beltran which show him in the act with some of his victims. According to a statement made by prosecutors, "virtually every female student that has come into contact with the defendant has had some sort of inappropriate touching."

In 2006, Beltran was also under investigation for sexual molestation of some of his students, but was not charged.

Beltran, who has worked at Lincoln Middle School as a seventh-grade English teacher and is married, was arrested Saturday and was placed in jail pending a $1.1 million bond, which has been raised to $3.3 million. He has no previous criminal record. If convicted on charges which include committing a lewd act on a child, continuous sexual abuse and sexual penetration of a foreign object on a child under 14, Beltran could face life imprisonment.

What in the world are these morons thinking going after underage girls and throwing away their lives because they can't keep their pants zipped up when around children?

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Appeals Court Tosses NYC Gun Industry Suit

A Federal Appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by New York City against the firearms industry. The reason for the suit? Firearms can find their way into the black market.

I think I'm going to see if I can get some sort of lawsuit going against Chrysler Corporation, because there's the distinct possibility that my pickup could be stolen and wind up in a chop shop, the parts being sold from there, having been procured by illegal means. Maybe I'll sue Panasonic, as well, since my TV could be stolen and resold by people using nefarious means to get rid of it.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

How a suit against the gun industry made it's way into the court system on the grounds that firearms can be obtained illegally makes equally as little sense, if it comes down to it, in my opinion. And yet that's just what happened in a case brought by New York City against the gun industry.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a federal law provides the gun industry with broad immunity from lawsuits brought by crime victims and violence-plagued cities. A federal judge had allowed the lawsuit to proceed, though it had not yet reached trial.

New York is one of several cities that had sued gun makers. It said the industry violated public nuisance law by failing to take reasonable steps to stop widespread access to illegal firearms.

The lawsuit asked for no monetary damages. It had sought a court order for gun makers to more closely monitor those dealers who frequently sell guns later used to commit crimes.

I can hear the conversation now, can't you? "Hey, Bubba, run down there to the pawn shop and pick a couple of .38's up, will ya? We're going to need them to knock off the corner liquor store this weekend."

According to the Department of Justice, a very small percentage of guns used in crimes came from legal purchases:

*According to the 1997 Survey of State Prison Inmates, among those possessing a gun, the source of the gun was from -
o a flea market or gun show for fewer than 2%
o a retail store or pawnshop for about 12%
o family, friends, a street buy, or an illegal source for 80%

* During the offense that brought them to prison, 15% of State inmates and 13% of Federal inmates carried a handgun, and about 2%, a military-style semiautomatic gun.
* On average, State inmates possessing a firearm received sentences of 18 years, while those without a weapon had an average sentence of 12 years.
* Among prisoners carrying a firearm during their crime, 40% of State inmates and 56% of Federal inmates received a sentence enhancement because of the firearm.

I very seriously doubt that those numbers have changed that significantly in ten years time. There is a concerted effort in this country to rid the citizenry of the right to bear arms. These groups and individuals involved in this movement will attempt legal action in the most frivolous and outrageous ways in the attempt to undermine the second amendment rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States of America as set forth by the founders of this nation.

I can't help but wonder if they would approach with the same zeal a movement to eliminate the fifth amendment, or perhaps the ninth.

I know that the argument "guns don't kill people, people kill people" is probably one of the most frequently used in discussions regarding gun control. There's a reason for that; a firearm is not a sentient being, nor is it a creature of flesh and blood. A firearm is an inanimate object. There is no instance of a firearm rising of it's own volition and discharging it's ammunition against anyone.

Homicide is a uniquely human activity, as is any crime.

And it doesn't always involve the use of firearms.

If cities like New York are serious about preventing crime, it should look at other means than trying to sue the gun industry. Kennesaw, Georgia, is often used as an example of how a municipality can institute a program that makes a positive impact on crime. Unfortunately, that "inconvenient truth" doesn't play into the anti-gun agenda.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Illegal Immigration Taken on by Local Law Enforcement Agencies

Under growing pressure from citizens across the country, local law enforcement agencies have begun to utilize the training program offered for 12 years by ICE so that they can begin handling illegal aliens when they are apprehended.

The ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Agency has had a program available since 1996 to teach local law enforcement agencies how to properly handle the capture of suspected illegal aliens. Until 2002, only one agency had participated. Now, after growing political and public pressure to address illegal immigration, ICE has trained 41 additional agencies and has 92 more lined up waiting to complete training as well.

Deputies in Houston, Texas, routinely check the immigration status of individuals who are booked into the county jail. New Jersey law enforcement is under orders from the state attorney general to verify citizenship status of individuals taken into custody. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has ordered state officials to enforce immigration laws. And, it goes without saying, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Phoenix, Arizona, is taking on the enforcement of immigration laws.

Critics have lined up on both sides of the argument for and against the current move toward apprehending illegals. Some argue that it makes certain individuals more suspicion and apprehensive in contacting law enforcement when they need it out of fear of having their residency status scrutinized. Others feel that it's past time for local agencies to step in and do their part in enforcing the laws that are on the books which make being in the country illegally a crime.

That fear has been exacerbated by accounts — some rumored, some real — of people being turned over to immigration officials after being stopped for minor offenses such as traffic violations and loitering, or after going to police to report a crime.

In Newark, N.J., a freelance photographer who stumbled upon on a dead body in an alley and reported the discovery to police was detained and asked about his immigration status.

In Falls Church, Va., staffers at the Tarirhu Justice Center, which works with immigrant victims of domestic abuse, say they are fielding calls from women who have been assaulted, yet refuse to go to police.

Rumor and speculation, sometimes spread by those who advocate amnesty for those living here illegally, don't help dispel mistrust for law enforcement agencies who are simply trying to enforce the law.

One thing is for certain, and that is that with the large number of illegal immigrants who have already established themselves in our country, it's not going to be an easy task for any agency or agencies. However, perhaps the words of Joe Arpaio sum it up better than any that have been spoken by any other law enforcement official; "People ask me why I am taking this on? The last I heard, crossing the border is an illegal activity. I took an oath of office to enforce the law, so I am enforcing the law."

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Five Dead, One Hospitalized, in Apparent Murder-Suicide

According to Sgt. Peter Rodriguez, of the neighboring Brea police department, which is handling the investigation, the call came in to the 911 call center at around 11 p.m. Saturday. The boy has been hospitalized and is in stable condition.

Police found the body of a woman on the doorstep. Inside, they found the bodies of a 5-year-old boy and two girls, ages 8 and 9. Officers also found the body of a man with a shotgun beneath him.

Police did not immediately know the motive for the shootings or the relationship of the victims.

This incident has shocked the community of Yorba Linda, a bedroom community 40 miles south of Los Angeles, which is the home of the Nixon Library. The Library is across the street from the scene of the homicides.

So far police have been unable to determine a motive in the slayings.

Updates as they become available.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man



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This Can NOT Be Defined As Patriotic Protest

[UPDATE, 18:40 CST] Amy Proctor has a video clip here at her site. Go check it out, and see if it doesn't affect you.

[End of Update]

We can no longer stand idly by as people hide behind the First Amendment to commit crimes or acts of sedition.

Vandalism is a crime, it is not an expression of free speech. WUA has pointed out time and time again examples of how the anti-war left have committed crimes against patriotic expression.

Enough is enough.

The following is just the latests in a long line of attacks on our veterans and their families.

No more.

Veterans' Day Vandals Touch a Nerve
Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007 By DAVID VON DREHLE/KANSAS CITY

Broken flags await sorting and repair in front of the Bender residence in Kansas City, Missouri - Chuck France

Almost as soon as Ann and Don Bender marked the 4th of July by planting a field of more than 3,500 flags — one for each of the American troops killed in Iraq— the elements began to take a toll. The baking sun and sudden storms of a Great Plains summer left the little flagsticks warped and broken and the fabric bleached and torn.

But that was nothing compared to the damage done in the dark hours of Sunday morning by vandals who kicked down thousands of the flags and left behind a cardboard sign with a single word splattered in red spray paint: "MURDERERS."

"You'll have to excuse me, sir, for crying," said a big bear of a man named Andy Enders as he stood by the remains of what had been "the most beautiful memorial ever created by private citizens, in my opinion."

Other veterans and passersby were busy picking up fallen flags, piling up Old Glorys by the hundreds, smoothing the flags, stacking the stomped sticks and wondering what will be salvaged of the display that has moved and intrigued this town for months.

Its power lay in its simplicity. The Benders live on six tree-shaded acres along one of Kansas City's main thoroughfares, called State Line Road because it marks the boundary between Missouri and Kansas. Thousands of drivers pass their home each day. In the long stretch of grass between the road and their white rail fence, they placed flags to mark the rising toll of the war, with a hand-printed sign at each end of the field displaying the total. On Sunday, the signs said 3,860.

If you wish to protest the war, that's fine, that's your right and your perrogative. We, the veterans of this nation, actually served in our nations armed forces so that you HAD that right. We may disagree with you, but YOU ARE ASSURED THAT RIGHT because of veterans.

When protest breaks down into acts of vandalism, that's another story. You've become criminals.

I call for ALL veterans in this nation to stand vigil, and when you know acts of vandalism have taken place in your home towns, come together and demand justice.

We were trained to operate as units and teams.

That training doesn't go away just because we take off our uniforms and hang our Class A's in the closet.

To the cowards who kicked over the flags here: Justice will find you out.

Once and Always, a VERY HIGHLY PISSED OFF American Fighting Man


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One Toke Over the Line...

Know this:

I have had enough. The line has been crossed. If I ever witness such as this, I will NOT REST until I see legal action taken against the "parents" involved. I would encourage the rest of you who still love our country to do the same.

Hat tip to Miss Beth for this from Malagent's Domain :

Child Attacked Over Soldier Costume

On my way home tonight I was drawn into an incident that has me so angry that I could not even write about it until I calmed down a bit.

In a residential neighborhood I stopped at an intersection and witnessed several children who appeared to be fighting a few yards from my vehicle. At first it did not seem real serious, however, one of the children said something that caused me to pay more attention. He said “You’re a terrorist just like your dad, I’m going to kill you just like the Iraq is gonna kill him.” It was then that I realized what was going on. A young boy, probably 10 or 11 was dressed as a US soldier, he was pinned on the ground while a group of four or five other boys where hitting and kicking him while at least two older people in costumes watched.

I left my truck in the street and got out just as one boy picked up a softball sized rock and headed towards he boy pinned on the ground. He was yelling “MURDERER” over and over. I yelled at the boy with the rock who dropped it and ran as he saw me. The others did not stop attacking the boy on the ground until I pulled them off of him. It was at this point the two older people started screaming at me. “What are you doing to my boys, leave them alone!” They were the mothers of two of the attackers. I told them I was calling the police and they all ran off.

The boy who had been attacked was crying and told me his father was serving in Iraq so he had decided to dress “like a soldier” for Halloween. He told me the attackers were his friends and that after one of the mothers start calling him and his dad a murderer his friends joined in and then attacked him.

Although he was bleeding he did not appear to be seriously injured and was very adamant that he did not want police or medical help. When I went to move my truck and call the police the boy disappeared into the neighborhood.

I’m still not sure whether I’m more disturbed by the children’s actions or the two mothers standing there watching. Were they going to let the boy be hit with a rock larger than a softball? Why did they allow the fight in the first place?

What kind of environment is required for ten year old boys to attack & threaten death over a soldier costume? I can only imagine the things they here at home and I can only imagine ho much worse these kids while be in the teens and as adults.

Had the assailants been a little older I’m afraid I would have been in jail before it was over. Given the fact they were literally children, I did nothing more then pull them away from the victim.

I really don’t give a damn what one’s position on the Iraq war or any war for that matter, but to allow this situation to happen is flat out wrong.

Happy F’N Halloween!

My first question is how can two "mothers" stand idly by and allow a gang of kids to beat the hell out of another one? What kind of MOTHER would do that? And over a kid paying tribute to his soldier father by dressing up AS a soldier for Halloween?

One word comes to mind.

Inverted.

When two grown women who have born children stand idly to the side and allow their offspring to gather a group of other kids to beat and kick another child, these women are NOT mothers; they are progenitors of terrorism. THIS is an act of home grown domestic terrorism.

Think that poor kid being wailed on wasn't terrorized? Ask five or six of your closest friends to start beating the hell out of you and telling you they're going to kill you. Make sure that two of their mothers are standing nearby watching and doing nothing.

There are not enough words to express the anger I feel, not ONLY as a veteran, but as a citizen. This is unacceptable. The hatred of the left for our troops has now taken the form of violence against someone who ISN'T EVEN OLD ENOUGH TO BE ONE. It's an attack on the family of one of our soldiers, a man who, I am sure, is asking himself right now "this is what I enlisted to protect? A country that hates me so much that my family isn't even safe?"

I don't know who this family is, I don't know who the soldier is, but brother, I'm proud of you for wearing the uniform and it speaks volumes to me that your son respects you enough that he would show you the honor of wanting to be like his old man. Well done, and God bless you.

To the two "mothers" who stood aside and allowed their children to attack another child? There will be a reckoning. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but there will be a reckoning. I don't know what it will be, and I'm not making any threats; it would be futile to do so as I have no idea who you are, nor do I want to know. What goes around comes around. There will be an accounting for your own act of evil.

To our veterans, this is a wake up call if I've ever seen one. Be vigilant, be alert, and be strong. Our enemy at home has played their next card. This incident will go unpunished by the law, but there will be others. This is just the first, I'm sure. Be ready to make the law accountable for acts of violence against our troops and their families.

To the left, enough. Our troops are there to protect you, show them a little respect. Without our troops, you certainly wouldn't have the freedom to protest. Or would you rather a police state that censors every word, every thought, every freedom? That's the kind of world you're actually advocating when you stand against our nation and our military defending us from those in the world who would see our nation fall.

Enough.

I could go on, I could say so much more...SO much more...but I'm trying to keep this at a level where any age can read it, so I'll keep the poison that this has raised inside me for another outlet...something productive, I can assure you, but I won't go into the cursing rampage that I could go into over this tonight here.

THAT, my liberal leftist hater friends, is called taking the high road.

And no, as much as I would probably like to, I won't go out looking for some moonbat to wail on.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man


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Don't worry about the dog, beware of the owner...

Who is ultimately responsible for the protection of the home, those who live in it, or the police? Who is responsible for personal safety and well being away from the home, the individual or the police? What role does the police force have in our lives? "To protect and serve" is the motto seen on so many patrol vehicles around the nation. But how often do they actually catch the bad guys in the middle of committing a crime? How often do they come onto the scene while someone is breaking into your home?

Very seldom.

The fact is, they aren't mind readers. They don't have psychic powers to know ahead of time when a crime is being committed and where. They aren't supermen and superwomen. They're humans. And the majority of the time they don't arrive until after the crime has been committed and try to collect as much information as they can so they can go out and catch the bad guys AFTER the crime is committed.

To whom does this give the advantage, the criminal, or the cops? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

So what do you do when you're home and someone breaks in? I know what I'm prepared to do. Do you?

I have long been and advocate of an armed citizenry being a responsible citizenry. NOT JUST armed, however; a citizenry that is armed should know how to use their firearms. And know when to use them.

'Shoot first' laws make it tougher for burglars in the United States

Burglars in the United States could once sue homeowners if they were shot, but now a growing number of states have made it legal to shoot to kill when somebody breaks into a house.

John Woodson, 46, found that out last week when he ambled into Dennis Baker's open garage in a Dallas suburb. A surveillance video showed the robber strolling inside, hands in his pockets.

From the shadows, Baker opened fire and killed Woodson.

"I just had to protect myself and that was it," Baker told reporters despite the fact Woodson had not tried to enter the bedroom near the garage where Baker had been sleeping.

The incident made national headlines since it was Baker's parrot that gave the alarm when it innocently squawked "good morning" at the intruder.

But Woodson's death seemed anecdotal compared to another Dallas resident who a few days earlier had killed his second robber in three weeks inside his home.

Police are investigating both cases, but it is unlikely charges will be filed. Texas recently passed a law branding anybody breaking into a home or car as a real threat of injury or death to its occupants.

In contrast with traditional self-defense laws, this measure does not require that a person who opens fire on a burglar be able to prove that he or she was physically threatened, that force was used only as a last resort and that the victim had first tried to hide.

Florida was the first state to adopt in 2005 a law that was dubbed "Stand your ground" or "Shoot first."

But now they have proliferated largely under pressure from the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA), the main weapons lobby in the United States.

Today 19 out of 50 US states, mostly in the south and the central regions of the country, have this kind of laws, and similar legislation is pending in about a dozen others.

"This law will bring common-sense self-defense protections to law-abiding citizens," said Rachel Parsons, a spokesperson for the NRA.

"If someone is breaking into your home, it's obvious that they are not there to have dinner with you," she continued. "You do have a right to protect your belongings, your family and yourself.

"The law needs to be put on the side of the victim, and not on the side of the criminal, who is attacking the victim."

Common sense in my mind.

There are, of course and as always, those who disagree. There always will be. To me, they do nothing more than create a situation in which the criminal has more rights under the law than those whom they prey on. Amazingly enough, if you look into it, some of the same groups who advocate self-defense classes for women also advocate gun control legislation.

But for the Freedom States Alliance that fights against the proliferation of firearms in the United States, these new laws attach more value to threatened belongings than to the life of the thief and only serve to increase the number of people killed by firearms each year, which currently is estimated to stand at nearly 30,000.

"It's that whole Wild West mentality that is leading the country down a very dangerous path," said Sally Slovenski, executive director of the alliance.

"In any other country, something like the castle doctrine or stand-your-ground laws look like just absolute lunacy," she continued.

"And yet in this country, somehow it's been justified, and people just sort of have come to live with this, and they just don't see the outrage in this."

It's up to you, America, to decide for yourselves, as individuals. But in deciding as individuals, LEAVE IT at the individual level whether you decide to be armed or not. Our founding fathers recognized the need for an armed citizenry and guaranteed that right be handed down through the generations in our nation. We as individuals have a right to defend ourselves, and a responsibility to do so.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man


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