Learned how to shoot a hand gun today...I feel like a responsible Republican!

Today my boyfriend took me to the indoor shooting range and let me fire his .40 caliber Glock hand gun. Today I became a gun-totting redneck Republican...finally!

Of course, I am not saying that you need to have fired a gun to be a Republican but man was that cool...fun...powerful! There is a certain amount of security that come along with something like that. I like to know that, even with my limited 100 rounds of experience, I can now use a gun if I needed too. Probably not quite that effectively but still...I could do it to defend myself. That is a right we all have!

There is no doubt that there are those out there that think what I did today was awful but I have one thing to say to them...its my right and I'm looking forward to being able to do something like that again.

I don't know much about gun control cases or laws so if anyone has any info to share, please feel free. In the next few days I'm going to familiarize myself a little bit with it.

Articles:
The Liberal Case For Gun Control Doesn't Get Far in The Supreme Court: Newsweek
The McDonald v. Chicago Supreme Court case, argued on Tuesday morning, was a good opportunity for liberal advocates of gun rights to present their case in briefs. But they probably won't win the decision. In fact, there is not a single justice that will necessarily side with them.


Starbuck in Crosshairs on Gun-Control Debate: CNN Money
The debate over gun control is heating up at Starbucks. Gun owners bearing arms have been gathering at various Starbucks locations in states where it's legal to do so in public. That's sparked protests from gun-control advocates and kudos from pro-gun groups. The coffee chain says that its stores simply abide by state laws, and it is legal to carry weapons in 43 states. But businesses have the right to prohibit customers from carrying guns in their establishments despite state laws, and that's the crux of this particular dust-up.

Gun-Rights Groups Score Win in National Parks Issue: Poughkeepsie Journal
The National Rifle Association and other Second Amendment advocacy groups can put a check mark in the win column if they are so inclined. As of Feb. 22, gun owners may possess firearms in all but 20 of the nation's 392 national parks. However, this does not relax the ban on carrying them into visitor's centers and ranger's offices. Firearms are banned in federal buildings.

Woolner: How many guns are too many?: NorthJersey.com
Second Amendment fans were at the Supreme Court Tuesday arguing that the constitutionally protected right to bear arms should kill Chicago’s gun law. The court will probably do just that. But Chicago’s ban on handguns, along with one in suburban neighbor Oak Park, are the only laws that are so restrictive. They don’t reflect what is going on across much of the country. The real problem is that state legislators want to give more people the right to buy more guns and carry them into more places.

Video: TERRORIST, WHERE?! by Steve Crowder

Article Spotlight 3.2.10

Gun Control:
Supreme Court Weighs Chicago's Strict Gun Ban: ABC News
Otis McDonald, 76, is afraid for his life in his crime-saturated Chicago neighborhood and he is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his city's strict ban on handguns in the home.

Economy:
Winter Storms to Distort US Jobless Figures-Summers: Reuters
White House economic adviser Larry Summers said on Monday winter blizzards were likely to distort U.S. February jobless figures, which are due to be released on Friday. "The blizzards that affected much of the country during the last month are likely to distort the statistics. So it's going to be very important ... to look past whatever the next figures are to gauge the underlying trends," Summers said in an interview with CNBC, according to a transcript.

Politics:
Brooklyn ACORN Cleared Over Giving Illegal Advice on How to Hide Money From Prostitution: NY Daily News Brooklyn prosecutors on Monday cleared ACORN of criminal wrongdoing after a four-month probe that began when undercover conservative activists filmed workers giving what appeared to be illegal advice on how to hide money.

One Senator Holds Up Bill, in New Level of Gridlock: Wall Street Journal
The Senate tied itself in knots Monday as it tried to get around a single lawmaker's objection to a spending bill, a showdown that has become emblematic of capital's partisan gridlock.Sen. Jim Bunning (R., Ky.) again blocked a $10 billion bill that would have extended unemployment benefits and other programs after halting its progress last week. And on Monday, the impact of his blockade started biting, with the expiration of benefits to 100,000 people and the suspension of 41 transportation projects across the country.

Administration Blames Bunning's 'Political Games' for Furlongh of 2,000 Workers: FoxNews
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood blasted Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning Monday for blocking legislation to extend several federal programs, a move that triggered the furlough of 2,000 transportation workers Monday.


Harold Ford: Democrats are 'scared': Politico
Former Rep. Harold Ford Jr. said Tuesday that Democrats are “scared” heading into this fall’s election and that he decided not to run for the Senate from New York because he feared his party would lose the seat after a tough primary.

Health Care:
Obama said poised to Offfer more Healthcare Changes: Reuters
President Barack Obama will offer changes to his healthcare overhaul this week, the White House said on Monday, and a leading Democrat said the president was preparing a smaller version of his broad bid to revamp the $2.5 trillion industry.

Video: WAR Helps...a LOT! by Steve Crowder

Article Spotlight 3.1.10

Politics:
Doctors tell Barack Obama to Quit Smoking: Guardian
Barack Obama is still struggling to kick smoking, according to his first medical examination since becoming president. Obama is sensitive about his cigarette habit and tetchy with reporters who raise it. But after his 90-minute medical at the Navy hospital outside Washington yesterday morning, his doctors confirmed he had not yet managed to conquer the habit and suggested he "continue smoking cessation efforts".

Pelosi's Brutal Reality Check: Politco
Asked this weekend to grade her performance as speaker, Nancy Pelosi gave herself an “A for effort.” But Pelosi knows that the real test is still to come. Pelosi is inarguably one of the strongest speakers in modern history — an authoritarian figure in an era of centralized power in the House. But the coming months are a make-or-break period for her, a brutal reality check of her ability to manage all aspects of her job — consensus-building, agenda-setting, vote-counting, fundraising and campaigning.

Pelosi: GOP has had its day; confident Dems can pull together on Health Bill: The Hill
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that Republicans have left their mark on the healthcare bill and should accept that the bill will go forward. "They've had plenty of opportunity to make their voices heard," she said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday morning. "Bipartisanship is a two-way street. A bill can be bipartisan without bipartisan votes. Republicans have left their imprint."

Democrats' Obama bounce in California disappearing: AP
Hancock's frustration is evident throughout the nation's most populous state. Just a year ago, the Democratic Party looked at California as a base for adding to its majorities in Congress. Now, it could be a the place where it loses them.

Late Night GOP Wars: Letterman Pits Romney Against Leno's Palin: Deadline.com
Jay Leno made news when he announced that Sarah Palin will be among his high-profile guests when he returns to The Tonight Show next week. Now David Letterman's lineup for next week pits Mitt Romney against Sarah Palin on Tuesday night -- and the ratings may well provide clues on which probable GOP presidential contender may be most popular.

Supreme Court scrutinizes state, local gun control: MyWay
Gun control advocates think, if not pray, they can win by losing when the Supreme Court decides whether the constitutional right to possess guns serves as a check on state and local regulation of firearms. The justices will be deciding whether the Second Amendment - like much of the rest of the Bill of Rights - applies to states as well as the federal government. It's widely believed they will say it does.

Debra Medina, New Star of America's Right, Firing up TX Gov Race: Guardian
...Until Debra Medina, that is. When Medina breezed into Lytle's community hall the locals found themselves confronted with a Texan version of Sarah Palin. She wore a sharp scarlet skirt suit, librarian-style glasses and a puffed-up hairdo. More than 60 Lytle residents had gathered to meet her, a hefty turnout on a weekday at 11am for a Republican primary election in the race to be Texas governor.

Farrakhan predicts 'white right' trouble for Obama: AP
Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan, boasting his divine stature, on Sunday predicted trouble ahead for President Barack Obama and urged him to do more to improve the lives of blacks and the downtrodden. The 76-year-old leader said the "white right" was conspiring to make Obama a one-term president, and pointed to his stalled efforts to introduce health care legislation as proof. He said those opponents and lobbyists were trapping him into a future war with Iran that could lead to mass destruction.

Economy:
American Reliance on Government at All Time High: Washington Times
The so-called "Great Recession" has left Americans depending on the government dole like never before. Without record levels of welfare, unemployment and other government benefits as well as tax cuts last year, the income of U.S. households would have plunged by an astonishing $723 billion — more than four times the record $167 billion drop reported last month by the Commerce Department.

California is a greater risk than Greece, warns JP Morgan chief: Telegraph
Mr Dimon told investors at the Wall Street bank's annual meeting that "there could be contagion" if a state the size of California, the biggest of the United States, had problems making debt repayments. "Greece itself would not be an issue for this company, nor would any other country," said Mr Dimon. "We don't really foresee the European Union coming apart." The senior banker said that JP Morgan Chase and other US rivals are largely immune from the European debt crisis, as the risks have largely been hedged.

Foreign Affairs:
Putin: Russia to build new strategic bomber: Breitbart
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russia will build a new strategic bomber, a move that comes as the nation tries to upgrade its aging military arsenal. Putin said in televised remarks that work on the bomber must follow the development of a prospective stealth fighter, which made its maiden flight in January and was hailed by the government as a big step in military modernization efforts.


Other:
Some Iraq, Afgan War Vets Criticize movie 'Hurt Locker' as Inaccurate: Washington Post
Time magazine called "The Hurt Locker" "a near-perfect war film," but Ryan Gallucci, an Iraq war veteran, had to turn the movie off three times, he says, "or else I would have thrown my remote through the television."

Survey: 26% of Americans get news via phones: Breitbart
Long Island Bar Fires Pregnant Bartender: ABC

Cartoons: Feb 25-March 1

Courtesy of Townhall.com

Chick Chat: .33% of Americans are in the Military and they do good!

For a while I was just so fed up with the things going on in Washington that I could no longer even follow what was happening. Sorry that I've been gone for a few months now. I just needed a break from being depressed about the state of our union.

I was thinking about what to write about today, while catching up on watching and posting Steve Crowder's videos from You Tube (which we all know that I love) when I came across this particular one called MARINES INVADE HAITI!! Kind of makes me chuckle because for a couple months now I've been dating a man who is in the U.S. Reserves and the video really touched home.

Naturally I've learned a lot more about the military since I started things with my beau. I had never before realized how incredibly multifaceted they are. I always knew in the back of my mind that we did good along with the defense, but as Steve Crowder says, "the only thing the US Military does a bad job of doing is letting everyone know all the good that they are doing." I'm lucky enough to have learned so much more in the last couple of months, specifically since my beau's job in the Army is mostly about doing good.

I didn't know that there were specific area of the military that focus their energies solely on entering areas and creating good will among the people. Departments that focusing on helping others and improving the lives of those touched by disaster or corruption; men and women that enter dangerous areas to earn the trust of villages and elders by enhancing their way of life. Even if in return they are improving the relationship between America and the world, it is a small price to ask for the amount of good that people around the world are receiving from US Military.

I am at least grateful that here in the US people seem to have a better understanding of the good that our men and women do overseas. For some reason the beau was surprised when he recently had to make a trip into New York City in his ACU (I didn't know what those were 2 months ago so for all of us lacking army knowledge those are the camo-patterned uniforms we've all seen) people were so appreciative. Walking around he was asked to take photos with people, given free merchandise and tours, paid special attention too and mostly just thanked for his service to our country.

I thank God everyday that the vast majority of this country appreciates the sacrifice that such a small portion of American are willing to do. Just so we all have a better understanding here: only 1/3 of 1% of our country serves in the military. Such a small percentage defending so many!

When I heard that number, my heart went out even more to all those in the military. Despite where your opinion lies on the wars, we have a responsibility to support the men and women risking their lives for us! I know that I am not brave enough to take the risks and accept the sacrifices that come along with being a part of the military family. Are you?

I’m going to include the Crowder video below of course and if you have a chance to watch it please do. He makes some good points but he also has some touching footage of our military…footage that I am not used to seeing. We don’t get to see those kind of images on CNN, CNBC, FOX etc. Videos of American soldiers doing the good are not as news worthy as the footage of the mistakes.

So I will end this little rant by saying a big THANK YOU to all those men and women that are a lot braver than 99.66% of this country. You risk your lives: mind, soul and body to protect, defend and improve life for the rest of us. As meager as a simple thanks can be for all that you do, it is the least we can give you in return. Thank You and God Bless!