This is not a bash, but let me explain
Posted By: me on 2008-10-15
In Reply to: I may get bashed for this - but ...
I used to live 20 minutes from the border of Canada, we got a lot of perspective of what the Canadians thought of US.
First, this is not an election about race, but your comments are trying to suggest it is. Nobody in America cares about Obama's race. We care about Obama as a person. What is Obama offering the American people. What is Obama's plans for America. What will he do to our economic and foreign policies. What he wants to turn America into is not good for the country. Of course the people who support him will jump on your bandwagon and congratulate you on the "race" comment because they cannot defend the wrong he has done.
America does not want higher taxes which his plan will certainly increase our taxes. We work 50 and 60 hours or more at work to makes ends meet. Now we're going to have to work 80 hours or more because of the extra tax burdeon we will have to support all his programs while just handing the people who don't pay any taxes more money. Americans don't want our health care industry socialized, which is what his plan will do. We will no longer have control over our own health care.
We don't feel safe from our enemies with Obama's foreign policies. It's taken a lot since 9/11 for some Americans to feel that America is safe (or close to safe) from our enemies. Obama does not have the experience or knowlege of dealing with foreign leaders. A lot of us do not know where or who his allegience stands with. His ties to our enemies is not a very comforting feeling.
I find it funny how a lot of people will support Mr. Obama with his ties to the people who want to see us wiped off the planet, they'd rather see America turned into a socialist country. They'd rather see our freedoms and way of life taken from us. They want the people who work hard for what they have to work harder to give it to those who don't have and who refuse to do anything to better themselves. All for what? So that we can have a black president? That we have a president who is young?
Sure John McCain is not the first choice for a lot of us. We would have rather seen Ron Paul, Mit Romney or any of the others selected, but this is who the republican party chose.
A lot of us are researching what John McCain has done in his political career and what Barack Obama has done in his political career and we are comparing who would be better for America. It has nothing to do with the color (or lack of color) of their skin, it has to do with their character and judgment. It is a very close race and until election day is when we will learn who the people voted for. Here in America the polls do not mean anything. They are just a tool for the media to use to try to influence people, but thankfully most Americans do not vote based on just what polls say, and as we all know what happened with Tom Bradley (better known as the Bradley Effect) we know that polls do not mean anything, and the true results only happen on election day.
For a lot of conservatives we are choosing McCain over Obama because we feel McCain's plans and ideas are better for Americans. He has fought for Americans his whole political career. He has fought with both democrats and republicans on issues he feels are wrong for America.
Obama has too much "bad baggage". Sure he's a good speaker. He should be, after all he's a lawyer. He has had years of experience arguing cases in court rooms, but just because he speaks well, dresses nice, is good looking and had a lovely wife and 2 beautiful little girls does not mean that what he will turn our country into is right for America. Seeing as you have access to most everything on the Net you should visit some independent sites that are neither for or against both candidates and learn more about them, their history, their affiliations, who they studied under, who supports them, who donates to their campaigns. Who are they, what have they done in their careers and what are they trying so desperately to hide.
This campaign is different. We had a women running, Hillary, who now after being defeated are learning that she would have been a lot better for America than what is in there now. As the saying goes if she was elected "at least we know what the devil looks like". I voted for Obama over Hillary, but now I wish I voted the other way.
This election is also different because never in my adult years have I have heard such bias liberal media just trying to tear out the souls of anyone who is not democrat. Issues are in black in white in front of their faces and they choose to ignore them. We have people like Barney Franks, Chris Dodd and others who made a fortune from the housing crisis while they knew it was wrong, yet the democrats will say it was all Bush's fault, when President Bush does not vote on these issues. Sure President Bush is not the most intelligent. As my friend says "He's one fry short of a happy meal", but he didn't vote on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac. Congress did. We were lied to by the democrats and this is where it got us. But the liberal media ignores that. Then we have the top democrats (Nancy Pelosi, and a couple others that I forget their name right now- Harry Reid, that's his name and others) who have the authority to impeach President Bush, and there is plenty legitimate and legal reasons for him to be impeached but they are not doing it. So the democrats will whine about Bush and how he should be impeached, but they don't say anything against the democrats for not impeaching him. There are a lot of conservatives who want Bush and Cheney impeached, so you have to ask yourselves why is Pelosi and others not doing it. I, as others believe, Pelosi and the others have done something wrong (accepted money or whatever it is) and they've been told not to do anything or else.
Anyway....yes, this election is different than others. We have one candidate who is a true American hero, who will fight for Americans and has fought for us. He doesn't belong to the "good ol boys" club like Bush/Cheney. Then you have the other candidate Obama who is so deep up to his neck in shady doings, associates, and everything else we are finding out. Also the same people who have donated and are in charge of President Bush are the same exact people who are supporting Obama (makes you think twice about that one).
You said Barack's wife is well spoken and I agree with you there. I also believe McCain's wife is well spoken. She has dedictated her life as a special education teacher and nurse. She has spent her whole life helping others. She is a truly beautiful lady like Michelle Obama on both the inside and out. Two extra-ordinary women who would make fine first ladies.
Obama's campaign is all about change. Yes everyone is tired of Bush/Cheney, and we certainly don't want to go back to the Clinton/Gore years, so people are looking for a change, just not the kind of change Obama wants to make. He also says its time for change but he picks Biden for a running mate. The same Biden who said that Obama was not ready to be President. Clinton also said Obama was not ready to be president. So Obama wants change but he picks a running mate who has been in Washington as long as McCain has. McCain's campaign is about putting America first. Which means fighting for us. We saw his courage and his fight while he was in a POW camp. He fought then and he will fight now. His running mate goes to show us McCain will truly put change into Washington. He picked a qualified person who gives Americans hope that more than only lawyer's can be elected. She has the experience (she has more experience than Obama does) to be elected as a VP. She's a fast learner and has come as far in a few weeks that took Obama almost 2 years to get to.
So, your post did not offend, but you need to know that this election is not about race. It's about ethics, integrety, patriotism, knowlege, courage, and sticking up for the American people. All qualities that John McCain and Sarah Palin hold.
I'm not saying I believe they will win because it is a very close election, but I like many others hope they do win. We want to be able to remain a free country and prosper the way our founding fathers wanted the country to be.
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What they want is to be able to bash McCain, bash Bush, and bash Palin...
in private, their own little hatefest, slap each other on the back and high five...they could not care less about any issues. That should be patently obvious. And rather sad.
I know you don't expect an answer. They just bash, bash, bash
You know that though. They just like to bash him, no matter what he does. He could turn out to be Jesus Christ himself and they would still fault him for something!
Corporation owned media does not bash Bush, they bash those that bash Bush.sm
Google Bush and vote fraud and there is tons of information about how many Americans 'voted' for Bush. Poor us and poor troops.
Then explain his church and minister. Explain that to me. nm
x
Bash, rant, bash, rant, bash....
My word can you ever rant. But you don't seem so great at sticking to facts. I read the posts you paraphrased and do not agree with your synopsis. She did not say you were a cliche, among other things....she said you were using a cliche. Superior intellect? Huh? Where'd you get that? She stated she liked western history. Just because someone likes to read doesn't mean they are boasting that they are superior. How silly!!!
If you came here to bash
Conservative board.
Never a problem there.
It's a new day. Just say no to bash.
x
Regarding the "O" Bash....
The right wing rag I got my figures from was the IRS:
Progressivity and the Tax Burden
Our tax system, however, is highly progressive, meaning that as one's income rises, a higher proportion of that income is taxed. Thus, those in the highest tax brackets contribute more to the overall tax burden even though there are far more people in lower tax brackets.1
- According to data from the IRS, the bottom 50 percent of income earners pay approximately 4 percent of income taxes.
- The top 25 percent of income earners pay nearly 83 percent of the income tax burden, and the top 10 percent pay 65 percent.
- The top 1 percent of income earners pay almost 35 percent of all income taxes.
The bottom 50% referred to above includes the middle class.
The $6 billion figure came from one of your own posters down in a lower thread...from the tax institute who evaluated O's plan, and the fact that it would add about a trillion (literally) dollars to the deficit. You can scroll down and find it yourself.
Yes, $250,000 in INCOME. That is a small business owner's PAYCHECK. That is what is left after they have paid all their small business operation bills, and he wants to RAISE the taxes on what they have left. It HURTS small businesses. IF they work hard, pay their people, keep their jobs on shore, what do they get for it? After paying whatever business taxes they have to pay, he wants to tax their bottom line AGAIN. In my opinion...that sucks.
Don't have time to run through the whole rant right now. More later.
Get over yourself. If all you can do is bash.....
don't bother posting at all. Sheesh. No wonder people leave this board.
Besides ,we all know that sam is a whole lot more knowledgeable about the entire political process than almost anyone here. Me included, and probably you.
Even though this gal was right about your #8.
The moderator said not to bash.
She did not say that people with opposing viewpoints could not post.
The only bash under this thread is
Just can't resist slamming a different perspective, can you? Not even one time is this possible.
If Bush did not go, you would bash him for that.
nm
You want solutions? HA!. All you do is bash
nm
It's not your right to bash her - this is the liberal board
As I said, if you have a problem with liberal ideology being expressed on this board, you need to contact the administrator as she is the one that helped toward having the two boards and requested many times to not bash. Can you understand that?
Please do not bash liberal posters. Thank you. nm
.
Mentally ill....? That is quite a bash, friend...
I was trying to be civil but the gloves are off now. You are so far embroiled into the liberal lockstep you don't even know what civil is, and you have demonstrated your own immaturity by this attack.
*I think you and your friends are playground bullies with maturity of a 5-year-old...*
This from someone who supports a so-called adult who let his johnson run his life...and then commit perjury and obstruction of justice to cover it up. Yep, there is a MATURE role model for you and you are following him like the sheeple. Instead of talking about it intelligently (that presupposes you are capable), you whine, snipe, and run.
You are welcome to any opinion you have about the *far right* Republican party, conservatives, et al. I have an opinion about the *far left* (although I believe that the whole party is so far left there is no more *moderate* left, they have been so effectively silenced). I believe that the Democratic party will finish destroying this country if they stay in power. Bill got a good start, and you, like the good sheeple are, follow blindly. The upper crust of your liberal party could not care LESS about you, walked to power on your shoulders, and intend to keep you oppressed and under their thumb to stay in power. The truth is, the far right Republican party cares more about you than they ever will. Not bashing, an opinion!
*You guys don't play fair.* Boy, THAT is rich! Someone disagrees with you or takes a shot at that tin god Clinton you bow to, and you don't want to have an intelligent debate, you just want the naysayers to go away. It is that kind of blinder vision that lets people like Adolf Hitler take hold and suddenly it is all right to kill six million people. You spewed enough venom here to pretty much prove that point. But the bigger point is this one, and if you have one brain cell left that is not liberally indoctrinated, LISTEN. The far right Republican party, and conservatives, are AMERICANS too! For the love of mike, get a grip and take off that liberal hat for 10 seconds and realize, conservatives are people just like you, have families just like you, pay taxes just like you, and whether you LIKE IT OR NOT, have rights just like you. I cannot believe the tone you are taking. Read your own post! Sheesh. You are acting like these people (myself included) are your mortal enemies. What in the world is the MATTER with you??? This is a posting board, not a battlefield. Good grief!!
Lets bash the pastor.
According to dictionary.com, the meanings of the N-word are “deeply disparaging and are used when the speaker deliberately wishes to cause great offense.” They go on to say, conversely, “it is sometimes used among African-Americans in a neutral or familiar way.” Since he whispered the statement behind what he thought was a cold microphone, it is highly unlikely that Rev. Jackson intended to cause great offense and his use of the word probably falls into the latter category of usage.
For example, the N-word can become much less offensive and even assume neutrality within historical discourse, literature, poetry, cinema theater and the like. One could further argue that within certain contexts (i.e. rap music, conversations within the black households, neighborhoods and businesses, to name a few) connotations of the word can be construed so as to convey a sense of community…even a brotherhood, of sorts. Language is fluid, dynamic and vital in its nature, not static or one-dimensional. Context, message, intent, environment, speaker and audience all impact the ultimate nuance of meaning in all forms of communication.
I agree with you and take deep offense at the use of the N-word, regardless of who says it. However, I would like to comment on some of the other points you raised in your post. A careful read of the actual statement shows that Rev. Jackson did not use this epithet to personally attack Obama. Rather, he was referring to the black population as a whole. Granted, his choice of words was extremely poor (at least from a white perspective), but the statement was not meant for public scrutiny. It was spoken from one black individual to another, much the same was that Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s statements were made from black preacher to black congregation.
As a white person, I do not believe I can sit in judgment one way or another regarding his choice of words when taken completely out of context, in the same way I am not qualified to criticize the sermons of Rev. Wright. I would like to think that I am intelligent enough to understand that, having lived in the US as a white person both before and after the civil right eras (1948 to present), I have not experienced life in America the same way black people have. They are entitled to their own “take” on their own lives. Who am I to tell them how to “tell it like it is?”
One last point. I am sure that much flap and bruhah will ensue over this unfortunate news. However, the very fact that Rev. Sharpton, you, I, the media and countless others will be having this debate over our outrage and dismay is a testament as to just how effective Rev Jackson and other early leaders in the civil rights movement were in defining the key issues, defying status quo of his times, enlisting support for the cause, effectively engaging his opposition in ongoing bipartisan initiatives over nearly 4 decades and producing fruitful, far-reaching and substantial bodies of legislation from which today’s black community continue to reap bountiful benefits and blessings. They weathered storms of protests, incarceration, series after series of setbacks and reversals, and buckets of bloodshed in their efforts to secure the civil liberties and rights that reach far beyond the black community to encompass other forms of discrimination against women, gays, immigrants and the poor, to name a few…all so casually taken for granted and so easily dismissed in the blink of an eye with one ill-chosen, unfortunate slip of the tongue.
For those of us whose memories reach further back than the latest round of CNN sound bytes and chat room chatter, we probably would forgive Obama should he decide not to denounce Rev Jackson’s support, nor would we feel driven to force him to abandon his own pastor of 20 years for the sake of our own righteous indignation.
And managed to bash dems on the way out....
Don't be so quick to bash Bush.... sm
This is near the bottom of the article I posted. Maybe you just missed it.
"To gain access to the emergency loans, GM and Chrysler must also agree to a wide range of concessions, including limits on executive pay and the elimination of their private corporate jets. "
Everyone put it on Bush's shoulders to do some thing about this and now that he has, still he gets bashed. He's not my favorite president by far, but I think he should be afforded some kind of recognition for doing something to help the economy. As far as pay cuts for the UAW, the article says that they will have to bring their wages more in line with those of foreign auto makers, which is still a danged good salary. Would the UAW rather have a pay check or be completely unemployed? That is pretty much what it all boils down to. I wouldn't particular want to take a pay cut either, but in light of the situation and the current economic picture, I think I would thank my lucky stars that I at least would HAVE a jo
Like the old saying goes "You can please all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time."
Off  .
Yes, BASH BUSH - he should be tried for war crimes!!
He put us in this mess - the SOB should be tried for treason, corruption and war crimes. Oh wait, he probably has a layer of insulation between him and Scooter Libby. Huh.
They are trying to bash Bush again to distract from
nm
I didn't bash anyone...and I read them all
I think that you are unfairly bashing the poor man. Diagree with his politics--fine--that's what the board is for, but what is with the personal attacks. If you don't like the words he uses, that's okay, but why make a big deal out of it. If he talks over your head, I am sure that he didn't mean to. I don't find what he writes hard to understand. I simply disagree with tons of people attacking him on a personal level--or you for that matter. I did not attack anyone personally, nor would I. I did READ all the posts and did give my comment. I stand by it.
"Bashing"? All you do is bash conservatives,
nm
The first one says, do not bash their posts. It does not say stay off the board.
The second one I did not recall seeing. As I said, go to the conservative board and see what you see. The same thing as here. Stop whining about it and grow up.
This is the liberal board. Please do not bash the posters here. Thank you. nm
\\
I didn't bash her AND STOP SHOUTING AT ME
I didn't bash her. I stated the facts. I was hoping McCain would pick someone who would help him win. He needs all the help he can get right now, but no, he goes and picks her! I would have liked to see Mit Romney or Duncan or Ron Paul or any of the other candidates that were up there and I would have voted for him had he picked one of them. Tons of people were supporting and voting for them - especially Romney and Paul, but he goes and picks a nobody with no experience. That's right none! Not a bash - fact! If we have a President in there with the age and health problems McCain does I need to be confident that the VP can step in. She cannot! That is just fact. The only reason I can see why is she is a woman. That just really stinks big time! If the republicans have any hope of remaining in the white house he has got to make some smart decisions. That was not one of them. I did not bash her. I stated the facts. If anything what I said was against McCain. I believe he picked her for only two reasons. One she is a woman and two there will not be anyone there to question his judgement on issues and tell him no, your wrong about this or that. And for pete's sake stop shouting at me! Take your frustrations elsewhere.
We're the peace party, but will bash with the best
nm
What issues? Your only issue is bash Republicans...
and one poster on an anonymous board. Check your intolerance at the door, raise a real issue, and allow everyone their say. Try to actually BE democratic. What a concept.
ADHD. The no bash reply was to your spin
Of course we should compare plans. Your question is a rhetorical innuendo. Your words, not mine. Comparing plans is where it's at.
The bash-free answer to your serious question would be
it comes as no surprise that only after a mere "snippet" of information, you would by trying your best to pin some sort of false charge on Obama. We've seen you do this before, so perhaps that is why you got the response you got. LOL yourself.
This is the reason repubs are trying to bash Acorn sm
Acorn had paid people signing up new voters. The people signed up a lot of fakes because they were paid by the number of new voters they signed on. The fakes cannot vote so there is no threat. What the repubs are building a case about is that Acorn is criminal (which they are NOT) and repubs want to throw out all those millions of new voters. Because the landslide is going to be so humiliating. Even throwing out Acorn wouldn't help McCain.
Right, dont every forget to bash Bush.
nm
People love to bash Bush, but one man cant do it
nm
Yeah, it is so easy to bash Bush, but say one little
nm
This page is for the use of Liberals. Please do not bash their posts. There are other boards
available. For example, if you are a Conservative, please post on the Conservative forum.
Thank you,
Administrator
This board is for liberal posters. Do not bash their posts. sm
Thank you.
Why do people feel the need to come over and do a one time bash n' dash? sm
Sometimes opinions just don't necessarily have to be expressed.
I don't blame her for her opinion....didn't sound like a bash to me....sm
You, on the other hand, have turned into the biggest basher on the board lately. You must be proud.
Nobody cares who you voted for, you bash Obama now and that is not patriotic
nm
Divide this board: Bash/attack/smut for Pubs
nm
au contraire.....what they do on the conservative board is bash the left....plain and simple. I thi
..
Please explain to me what we are not
doing to protect ourselves here? You just assume there's nothing in place here to protect us because you believe all the unsubstantiated liberal talking points that come out ever day. Believe it or not part of protecting us here at home is making the world a more stable place. We can't just hope they won't make the long journey over here like they did in the 1700 and 1800s. Today, in just a few short hours they can walk off of any commercial airline or private plane. We are in Iraq for a myriad of reasons including protecting our own boarders. Why does this have to be explained over and over again to you? A lot of liberals call conservatives narrow minded, but many of you have tunnel vision to a degree I've never seen before.
Let me explain how I can say that.
I agree with you that there were inciting posts from both political viewpoints on the conservative board, myself included. However, I think what is being pointed out was a general trend of "anything goes" for the conservative posters and high deletion/banning rates for the liberals. This has been apparent for a long time and complained about many, many times (usually complaints are deleted so they are virtually impossible to document at this point). I personally was warned once for "picking on" Nan, when objectively, it really was more the other way around. There is a sickness of spirit on the conservative board at times. I was drawn into this and became "ill" also at times. I am not proud of this.
As far as the moderator or administrator, she did post in the Christian board some time ago regarding her beliefs. They were evangelical Christian, kind of extreme. That, coupled with occasional comments on the political board in addition to deleting LOTS of liberal posts and actively supporting and not reigning in the Conservatives is, well, just common sense as to her political leanings.
Explain please
I don't have ESP...
So please explain this:
If marriage is for procreation, and Mary and Joseph were married, why and how was Mary still supposedly a VIRGIN when Jesus was born?
Well, then perhaps you could explain to me
why Saddam's atrocities didn't seem to bother us in the 80s when we wanted his help against Iran?
This might help explain why.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/07/washington/07recruit.html?ex=1309924800&en=1be0e7d4e2aac8d3&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
7, 2006
Hate Groups Are Infiltrating the Military, Group Asserts
A decade after the Pentagon declared a zero-tolerance policy for racist hate groups, recruiting shortfalls caused by the war in Iraq have allowed large numbers of neo-Nazis and skinhead extremists to infiltrate the military, according to a watchdog organization.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks racist and right-wing militia groups, estimated that the numbers could run into the thousands, citing interviews with Defense Department investigators and reports and postings on racist Web sites and magazines.
We've got Aryan Nations graffiti in Baghdad, the group quoted a Defense Department investigator as saying in a report to be posted today on its Web site, www.splcenter.org. That's a problem.
A Defense Department spokeswoman said officials there could not comment on the report because they had not yet seen it.
The center called on Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to appoint a task force to study the problem, declare a new zero tolerance policy and strictly enforce it.
The report said that neo-Nazi groups like the National Alliance, whose founder, William Pierce, wrote The Turner Diaries, the novel that was the inspiration and blueprint for Timothy J. McVeigh's bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, sought to enroll followers in the Army to get training for a race war.
The groups are being abetted, the report said, by pressure on recruiters, particularly for the Army, to meet quotas that are more difficult to reach because of the growing unpopularity of the war in Iraq.
The report quotes Scott Barfield, a Defense Department investigator, saying, Recruiters are knowingly allowing neo-Nazis and white supremacists to join the armed forces, and commanders don't remove them from the military even after we positively identify them as extremists or gang members.
Mr. Barfield said Army recruiters struggled last year to meet goals. They don't want to make a big deal again about neo-Nazis in the military, he said, because then parents who are already worried about their kids signing up and dying in Iraq are going to be even more reluctant about their kids enlisting if they feel they'll be exposed to gangs and white supremacists.
The 1996 crackdown on extremists came after revelations that Mr. McVeigh had espoused far-right ideas when he was in the Army and recruited two fellow soldiers to aid his bomb plot. Those revelations were followed by a furor that developed when three white paratroopers were convicted of the random slaying of a black couple in order to win tattoos and 19 others were discharged for participating in neo-Nazi activities.
The defense secretary at the time, William Perry, said the rules were meant to leave no room for racist and extremist activities within the military. But the report said Mr. Barfield, who is based at Fort Lewis, Wash., had said that he had provided evidence on 320 extremists there in the past year, but that only two had been discharged. He also said there was an online network of neo-Nazis.
They're communicating with each other about weapons, about recruiting, about keeping their identities secret, about organizing within the military, he said. Several of these individuals have since been deployed to combat missions in Iraq.
The report cited accounts by neo-Nazis of their infiltration of the military, including a discussion on the white supremacist Web site Stormfront. There are others among you in the forces, one participant wrote. You are never alone.
An article in the National Alliance magazine Resistance urged skinheads to join the Army and insist on being assigned to light infantry units.
The Southern Poverty Law Center identified the author as Steven Barry, who it said was a former Special Forces officer who was the alliance's military unit coordinator.
Light infantry is your branch of choice because the coming race war and the ethnic cleansing to follow will be very much an infantryman's war, he wrote. It will be house-to-house, neighborhood-by-neighborhood until your town or city is cleared and the alien races are driven into the countryside where they can be hunted down and 'cleansed.'
He concluded: As a professional soldier, my goal is to fill the ranks of the United States Army with skinheads. As street brawlers, you will be useless in the coming race war. As trained infantrymen, you will join the ranks of the Aryan warrior brotherhood.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
Like I said....we all only have to explain our
own decisions to God. Remember your argument here to me. It may come in handy.
God bless.
Someone explain this to me...
If you are a suspected terrorist or suspected terrorist sympathizer you can go to Gitmo or sent out of the country to a place where torture is A-OK for the rest of your life w/o being given a reason for the incarceration or access to our legal system, even if you are an American citizen but....if you are on a list of terror suspects, you can buy a gun just like everyone else.
Published on Saturday, May 5, 2007 by Associated Press
NRA: Don’t Ban Gun Sales to Suspected Terrorists
by Sam Hananel
WASHINGTON - The National Rifle Association is urging the Bush administration to withdraw its support of a bill that would prohibit suspected terrorists from buying firearms. Backed by the Justice Department, the measure would give the attorney general the discretion to block gun sales, licenses or permits to terror suspects.
In a letter this week to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, NRA executive director Chris Cox said the bill, offered last week by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., “would allow arbitrary denial of Second Amendment rights based on mere ’suspicions’ of a terrorist threat.” 0506 07
“As many of our friends in law enforcement have rightly pointed out, the word ’suspect’ has no legal meaning, particularly when it comes to denying constitutional liberties,” Cox wrote.
In a letter supporting the measure, Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard Hertling said the bill would not automatically prevent a gun sale to a suspected terrorist. In some cases, federal agents may want to let a sale go forward to avoid compromising an ongoing investigation.
Hertling also notes there is a process to challenge denial of a sale.
Current law requires gun dealers to conduct a criminal background check and deny sales if a gun purchaser falls under a specified prohibition, including a felony conviction, domestic abuse conviction or illegal immigration. There is no legal basis to deny a sale if a purchaser is on a terror watch list.
“When I tell people that you can be on a terrorist watch list and still be allowed to buy as many guns as you want, they are shocked,” said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which supports Lautenberg’s bill.
In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, lawmakers are considering a number of measures to strengthen gun sale laws. The NRA, which usually opposes increased restrictions on firearms, is taking different positions depending on the proposal.
“Right now law enforcement carefully monitors all firearms sales to those on the terror watch list,” said NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam. “Injecting the attorney general into the process just politicizes it.”
A 2005 study by the Government Accountability Office found that 35 of 44 firearm purchase attempts over a five-month period made by known or suspected terrorists were approved by the federal law enforcement officials.
© 2007 The Associated Press.
Will someone please explain to me -
Why do you keep saying our vote does not count and that the next President has already been chosen?
I for one, have too much to do, to try to explain it....sm
to you, because frankly, I'm getting so I don't care.
There's nothing to find out, and they're making stuff up, so until you have something substantial, I have work to do.
However, if you would have posted about the screaming witch woman from up north and her rag on her, I would have really busted a gut being upset.
As it is, I'm just letting it all go, because Gov. Palin is better than you, better than me, and better than the media.
She will rise above it all, and come out on top. Of this, I have no doubts whatsoever.
That's all I have to say on the matter, cuz I have too much to type for more here....
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