Voting starts

Nice to see Ohio has started letting folks cast absentee ballots today. You can cast your vote the same day you sign up and then they hope to tell if you vote again on election day. . . .

Bet the Dems are going nuts over this - they can smell the chance to work the system on this one. Can you say MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD?

What the heck were they thinking. . . . I guess Obama will steal OH

Bail Out Blame

From the Boston Herald:

Herald Pulse

Who is more to blame for the Wall Street meltdown?

22% - George Bush
49% - Barney Frank
3% - Barack Obama
1% - John McCain
10% - Bill Clinton
14% - Alan Greenspan

The bad part is we will vote good ol' Barney back into office next time around like nothing ever happend. . . . Only in MASS

Market update

End of the world the Dems say. . . .

Market is up 418 points today. . . .

I think we will make it without the bail out. . .

Bail Out Pork spelled ACORN

For those of you that think this bail out is a good thing. . . . Say HI to Democrat Voter FRAUD!

They have put into the bill that 20% of any return we get on our TRILLION dollar "investment" will go to a group called ACORN. This is a Democrat group that have been investigated by a number of states (and accused by them in court) for registering voters for the elections that don't exits (VOTER FRAUD folks). Example - In Washington state they registered 1800 new voters. . . . 1794 of them were fake. . . .yep, only SIX were real people. . . .A number of members have been brought up on charges from it too. . . .

More info on this HERE

Remember, if Obama wins, he probably cheated. . . . it's the Democrat/Socialist/Communist way

Update - More info HERE TOO

OK, this is Just Funny

From over at BorePatch. More HERE

Well now. . . Do we really need this bail out?

Stocks up 280 points so far today alone. . . . further proof that we don't need a bail out and that over time the market will correct for our stupidity. . .

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Have you heard her speech? No wonder the bail out failed. . . .

Give it a listen. It is amazing how she shifts the blame to the Republicans even though it all comes from the Dems and Clinton. . . . . . She all but says it is the Republicans fault we are here, and you know they will use this in the election. . . And she expects them to then vote for it for her???

she nuts?

And why did they not get 100% Dem vote for it???

From Bready Center to Prevent Gun Ownership

From there website before Obama gets it taken down. . .

Republican Presidential Nominee, Sen. John McCain

- Senator McCain's Record on Guns

• Co-sponsor of the McCain- Lieberman Bill to provide background checks on all guns sold at gun shows.


• Co-sponsor of the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Legislation, which the gun lobby opposes as an infringement of First Amendment rights.


• In 2000, McCain acknowledged his position on the gun issue had "evolved," and he was featured in a new advertising campaign urging voters in Oregon and Colorado to support statewide ballot initiatives, requiring background checks at gun shows, both of which passed (Oregon Measure 5 and Colorado Amendment 22).


• In 2004, he was C rated by the NRA and was not endorsed, despite voting with them on most issues.


• Opposed the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Law.


• In the 2004 Omnibus, McCain opposed background check approval records being destroyed within 24 hours instead of the current policy of 90 days; opposed preventing ATF from conducting an inventory audit of licensed gun stores; and opposed a provision that would prohibit the public release of crime gun trace information (the so-called Tiahrt Amendment).

[Close Senator McCain's Record on Guns info]

+ Senator McCain on Recent Supreme Court Case

From a Campaign statement on the U.S. Supreme Court Heller decision, June 26, 2008

Today's decision is a landmark victory for Second Amendment freedom in the United States. For this first time in the history of our Republic, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms was and is an individual right as intended by our Founding Fathers. I applaud this decision as well as the overturning of the District of Columbia's ban on handguns and limitations on the ability to use firearms for self-defense.

Unlike Senator Obama, who refused to join me in signing a bipartisan amicus brief, I was pleased to express my support and call for the ruling issued today. Today's ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller makes clear that other municipalities like Chicago that have banned handguns have infringed on the constitutional rights of Americans. Unlike the elitist view that believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness, today's ruling recognizes that gun ownership is a fundamental right -- sacred, just as the right to free speech and assembly.

This ruling does not mark the end of our struggle against those who seek to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens. We must always remain vigilant in defense of our freedoms. But today, the Supreme Court ended forever the specious argument that the Second Amendment did not confer an individual right to keep and bear arms.

[Close Senator McCain on Recent Supreme Court Case info]

+ More Quotes from Senator McCain

From an address to the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance in Arlington, Virginia on September 27, 2008

As you may know, the only guns I've used were government-issued. I'm a fisherman, whenever time permits. But while I do not use firearms for recreation, I give ground to no one in my defense of the Second Amendment.

When I first ran for Congress, I was proud to have the support of gun owners. For more than two decades, I've opposed efforts to ban guns, ban ammunition, and ban magazines -- and you can be certain that I will do the same as president.Like all who appreciate the outdoors and enjoy spending time there, I am a committed conservationist. I have long supported multiple uses for public lands that ensure they are available for future generations to hunt, fish and explore. In Ohio alone, over 1.5 million hunters contribute $1.9 billion to the state's economy, much of it in rural areas. I am proud to be speaking to you on the opening day of archery deer season in Ohio.

My opponent, Senator Obama, claims he supports our hunting heritage, but he voted to allow lawsuits that would force American gun-makers out of business and to ban ammunition commonly used for hunting. A senator's votes -- if he is not offered the option of "present" -- reveal his real views. They are a far better yardstick than occasional statements of theoretical support for the Second Amendment heard on the campaign trail.

You can also tell a lot about a man by how he speaks when you're not around. And earlier this year, Senator Obama gave us all a little insight into his opinions of gun owners when he was among friends in San Francisco. He was in a room full of rich liberals, right at home. And he reported on some of his findings from his encounters with ordinary Americans. He said that in places like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and elsewhere, people are "bitter." And that is why, in his clinical opinion, you folks "cling" to your guns and religion.

My opponent's unguarded comments reflect the common Washington view that the Second Amendment is a quaint custom that must now yield to the judgment of modern enlightened opinion. And here Governor Palin and I have real differences with our Democratic opponents. They have learned something since 2000. They don't talk about their plans for gun control. They claim to support hunters and gun owners. But just because they don't talk about gun control doesn't mean they won't support gun control.

Let there be no misunderstanding. If Senator Obama is elected president, the rights of law-abiding gun owners will be at risk. He has voted as a senator to ban guns, to ban ammunition, and to allow gun makers to be sued out of existence. Senator Obama hopes he can get away with having it both ways. He says he believes that the Second Amendment confers an individual right to bear arms. But when he was running for the State Senate in Illinois, his campaign filled out a questionnaire asking whether he supported legislation to ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns with one word: "Yes."

From a Question and Answer session with NRA members, May 16, 2008

Q: Senator, the U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide the case of District of Columbia v. Heller-a case that will address the question of whether the Second Amendment protects an individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and whether Washington, D.C.’s bans on handguns and functional firearms in the home are constitutional. What is your position on this historic case?

A: I hope the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the lower courts ruling and strikes down Washington, D.C.’s bans on handguns and self-defense in the home. It seems clear to me that the D.C. laws are unconstitutional. From a crime-fighting standpoint, they have been a complete failure. All gun-control schemes are based on the premise that criminals are going to obey the law. Well, by definition, criminals break the law, and they certainly break the law in Washington, D.C., as it ranks among the highest crime areas in the country every year. I was proud to co-sponsor legislation in Congress to overturn D.C.’s ban on handguns and self-defense. I was also proud to join a bi-partisan majority in signing an amicus brief in support of the individual right to own firearms. I was not surprised that my presidential opponents refused to support this common-sense approach to protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens.

Q: Senator, would you explain the reasons behind your opposition to Bill Clintons ban on many semi-automatic firearms, that he misleadingly called assault weapons?

A: Of course. Gun bans don’t work, because they only restrict the rights of law-abiding citizens. Criminals pay no more attention to laws banning guns than they do to laws banning assault, robbery or murder. In fact, the National Institute of Justice found that the firearms banned by President Clinton were used in less than two percent of all crimes involving firearms-clear evidence of the ineffectiveness of this law. I voted against the Clinton gun ban when Congress considered it in 1994 and I voted against efforts to keep that misguided law on the books. I was pleased to see the law rightfully sunset in 2004, because it represented an arbitrary restriction on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.

Q: Senator, throughout your career you have opposed waiting periods on firearm purchases, bans on commonly owned ammunition, and efforts to register and license gun owners. What are your reasons for those positions?

A: Throughout my years in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, I have consistently opposed these measures, because they are arbitrary restrictions on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. Gun bans, waiting periods, ammunition bans, registration and licensing of gun owners-each of these has a common theme: They only affect law-abiding citizens. And they have another common theme: They don’t work as crime-fighting tools. The way to reduce crime is to prosecute criminals to the fullest extent of existing laws-which, if elected president, gun owners can count on my administration to do.

Q: Senator, you were a co-sponsor of, and helped lead the effort to pass, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in the Senate-a bill to stop the reckless lawsuits that were designed to bankrupt the American firearm industry. Why did you feel so strongly about that legislation?

A: I was proud to co-sponsor and work hard for the passage of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. For too long, big-city mayors were trying to sue the American firearm industry out of business, by forcing them to spend nearly a quarter of a billion dollars just to defend their innocence in court. Holding the manufacturers of a lawful product responsible for the unforeseeable acts of criminals is not the way we do things in America. It was important for Congress to step in and protect this key industry, an industry that President Franklin Roosevelt called the arsenal of our democracy. I was proud to help lead that effort.

From a speech to the NRA in Louisville, Kentucky on May 16, 2008

…When I first ran for Congress in 1982, I was proud to have the support of gun owners. For more than two decades, I've opposed efforts to ban guns, ban ammunition, ban magazines, and dismiss gun owners as some kind of fringe group unwelcome in "modern" America. The Second Amendment isn't some archaic custom that matters only to rural Americans, who find solace in firearms out of frustration with their economic circumstances. The Second Amendment is unique in the world. It guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. To argue anything else is to reject the clear meaning of our Founding Fathers…

…Over the years, I haven't agreed with the NRA on every issue. I have supported efforts to have NICS background checks apply to gun sales at gun shows. I recognize that gun shows are enjoyed by millions of law-abiding Americans. I do not support efforts by those who seek to regulate them out of existence. But I believe an accurate, fair and instant background check at guns shows is a reasonable requirement. I also oppose efforts to require federal regulation of all private sales such as the transfer between a father and son or husband and wife. I supported campaign finance reform because I strongly believed our system of financing campaigns was influencing elected officials to put the interests of "soft money" donors ahead of the public interest. It is neither my purpose nor the purpose of the legislation to prevent gun owners or any other group of citizens from making their voices heard in the legislative process.

Those disagreements do not detract from my long record of support for the Second Amendment and the work we have done together to protect the rights of gun owners from the political attitudes of the moment in Washington that view the Second Amendment as a once quaint custom that must now yield to the judgment of modern enlightened opinion. We have real differences with the Democratic candidates for President. They have learned something since 2000. They don't talk about their plans for gun control. They claim to support hunters and gun owners. But just because they don't talk about gun control doesn't mean they won't support gun control. Let's be clear. If either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama is elected President, the rights of law-abiding gun owners will be at risk. They have both voted as Senators to ban guns or ban ammunition or to allow gun makers to be sued out of existence…

From his campaign website on April 11, 2008

On High Capacity Magazines:
John McCain opposes bans on the importation of certain types of ammunition magazines and has voted against such limitations.

On Gun Locks:
JohnMcCain believes that every firearms owner has a responsibility to learn how to safely use and store the firearm they have chosen, whether for target shooting, hunting, or personal protection. He has supported legislation requiring gun manufacturers to include gun safety devices such as trigger locks in product packaging.

On Ammunition Regulation:
John McCain believes that banning ammunition is just another way to undermine Second Amendment rights. He voted against an amendment that would have banned many of the most commonly used hunting cartridges on the spurious grounds that they were "armor-piercing."

On Background Checks:
John McCain supports instant criminal background checks to help prohibit criminals from buying firearms and has voted to ensure they are conducted thoroughly, efficiently, and without infringing on the rights of law abiding citizens.

On the Gun Show Loophole:
At a time when some were trying to shut down gun shows in the name of fighting crime, John McCain tried to preserve gun shows by standardizing sales procedures. Federal law requires licensed firearm sellers at gun shows to do an instant criminal background check on purchasers while private firearm sellers at gun shows do not have to conduct such a check. John McCain introduced legislation that would require an instant criminal background check for all sales at gun shows and believes that such checks must be conducted quickly to ensure that unnecessary delays do not effectively block transactions.

On Waiting Periods:
John McCain has opposed "waiting periods" for law abiding citizen's purchase of firearms. The confiscation of firearms after an emergency John McCain opposes the confiscation of firearms from private citizens, particularly during times of crisis or emergency. He voted in favor of an amendment sponsored by Senator David Vitter prohibiting such confiscation. Stiffer Penalties for Criminals who use a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime John McCain believes in strict, mandatory penalties for criminals who use a firearm in the commission of a crime or illegally possess a firearm. Enforcing the current laws on the books is the best way to deter crime.

From a speech at the American Conservative Union's annual CPAC conference, February 7, 2008

I have defended my position on protecting our Second Amendment rights, including my votes against waiting periods, bans on the so-called assault weapons, and illegitimate lawsuits targeting gun manufacturers.

From a speech to NRA members at a D.C. Event, Sept 21, 2007

When I first ran for Congress in 1982, I was proud to have the support of gun owners and the National Rifle Association. For more than two decades, I've opposed the efforts of the anti-gun crowd to ban guns, ban ammunition, ban magazines, and paint gun owners as some kind of fringe group; dangerous in 'modern' America. Some even call you 'extremists.' My friends, gun owners are not extremists, you are the core of modern America.

From his Campaign website, www.johnmccain.com, "Issues" Sep 1, 2007

John McCain believes that the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual Constitutional right. “We have a responsibility to ensure that criminals who violate the law are prosecuted to the fullest, rather than restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens. Gun control is a proven failure in fighting crime. Law abiding citizens should not be asked to give up their rights because of criminals--criminals who ignore gun control laws anyway.”

John McCain opposes backdoor attempts to restrict Second Amendment rights by holding gun manufacturers liable for crimes committed by third parties using a firearm, and has voted to protect gun manufacturers from such inappropriate liability aimed at bankrupting the entire gun industry. McCain says, "Neither justice nor domestic peace are served by holding the innocent responsible for the acts of the criminal."

Press statement on the Fiscal Year 2004 Omnibus Bill, January 22, 2004

On the Instant Check / Gun Provision:

Mr. President, let me state from the outset that I take a backseat to no one in my support for Second Amendment rights, and I have supported nearly every law that protects the rights of law abiding gun owners since first coming to Washington. But there is a special interest rider included in this Omnibus appropriations bill that’s absolutely appalling. The House sponsor of this provision has argued that it benefits gun owners, but the only gun owners it seems to help are those who have broken the law!

This rider has three major provisions - all of them unnecessary for gun owners and none of them helpful for law enforcement. First, it requires that background check approval records be destroyed within 24 hours instead of the current policy of 90 days. Proponents argue that keeping these records for 90 days constitutes a national firearm registry.

I want to be very clear that I oppose federal registration of firearms. I also want to be equally clear that our current policy of keeping these records for 90 days does not constitute in any way, shape, or form a national registry. It’s a phony issue.

The 90 days retention allows the NICS system to correct mistakes that occur when they accidentally approve someone who should have been denied a gun in the first place. This happens about 500 times a year, according to GAO. Nearly all of these false approvals are because of missing domestic violence records. So, as far as I can tell, this provision benefits no one except those who should have been denied a firearm, but were not.

The second provision prevents ATF from conducting an inventory audit of licensed gun stores. This means that ATF auditors will have no way of knowing if a gun store is missing firearms - a sure sign that they are selling guns illegally and without the proper background checks.

Mr. President, in Tacoma, Washington, ATF auditors discovered 233 firearms missing from Bull’s Eye Shooters Supply store. One of those weapons was used by the accused DC-area snipers. Why are we putting special language in a must-pass federal spending bill to protect a store like Bull’s Eye? Consider the potential consequences.

And a third provision prohibits the public release of crime gun trace information. This information is not top secret data that jeopardizes our national security, or hinders law enforcement. We cannot have a government that operates in secret and refuses to release information that shows where criminals have obtained a gun.

This provision has no support from the law enforcement community, and was even opposed by Chairman Young and Subcommittee Chairman Wolf. Yet, here it is today, included in this terrible bill. Mr. President, this language is an embarrassment to law abiding gun owners and is a slap in the face to law enforcement.

[Close More Quotes from Senator McCain info]

Republican Vice Presidential Nominee, Gov. Sarah Palin

+ Governor Palin on Recent Supreme Court Case

From a statement on Supreme Court decision on DC vs. Heller, June 26, 2008

Governor Sarah Palin today lauded the U.S. Supreme Courts landmark decision upholding the right of Americans to own guns for self-defense, hunting and other purposes. The high courts 5-4 ruling in District of Columbia vs. Heller affirmed gun rights by striking down the Districts 32-year-old ban on handguns.

"This decision is a victory for all Alaskans and individual Americans. The right to own guns and use them responsibly is something I and many other Alaskans cherish," Governor Palin said. "I applaud the Court for standing up for the Constitution and the right of Americans to keep and bear arms."

The state of Alaska in February joined a multi-state amicus brief written by the state of Texas in support of the Second Amendment right of individual Americans to bear arms.

The Second Amendment reads: 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.

The basic issue at stake for the justices in their ruling was determining whether the amendment protects an individual's right to own guns. Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the courts majority, said the Constitution does not permit the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home.

But Scalia added that nothing in Thursdays ruling should cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons or the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings.

From a statement on the Supreme Court Case DC vs. Heller, February 8, 2008

Governor Sarah Palin announced the State of Alaska will join the multi-state amicus brief authored by the State of Texas in support of the Second Amendment right of individual Americans to bear arms.

On Tuesday, February 5, 2008, Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg notified Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott that Alaska would sign on to the brief. The Texas amicus brief in the case Washington, D.C. v. Heller will be filed by February 11, 2008.

Governor Palin, a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association, has long been a champion of the constitutional right to bear arms, as well as a proponent of gun safety programs for Alaska's youth.

"I am proud to join the State of Texas in support of the Second Amendment," Governor Palin said. "We need to send a strong message that law-abiding citizens have a right to own firearms, for personal protection, for hunting and for any other lawful purpose."



[Close Governor Palin on Recent Supreme Court Case info]

+ More Quotes from Governor Palin

From an Interview with ABC News, September 12, 2008

Q: Guns. Seventy percent of this country supports a ban on semi-automatic assault weapons. Do you?

A: I do not. And you know here again, life being an open book here as a candidate, I’m a lifetime member of the NRA. I believe strongly in our second amendment rights. That’s kind of inherent in -- in the people of my state, who rely on -- on guns for not just self-protection, but also for -- for our hunting and for sport also.

It -- it’s a part of the culture here in Alaska. I’ve just grown up with that.

Q: Isn’t gun violence in America a health issue? We spend billions of dollars a year every year treating people who are victims of gun violence. Nothing we can do about that?

A: Do you think that all of that gun violence, though, is caused by people pulling a trigger, who would have followed any law anyway?

No, you -- you start banning guns, and you start taking away guns from people who will use them responsibly and use them ethically.

You put more and more laws on -- on guns, and you start taking away a second amendment right, it’s going to be, Charlie, the bad guys who have the guns, not those who are law-abiding citizens.

From the USA Today, November 9, 2006

"I was taught to use and respect guns at a very young age"

"We hunt as much as we can and I'm proud to say our freezer is full of wild game we harvested here in Alaska."

From her 2006 Gubernatorial campaign website, November 2006

"I am a lifetime member of the NRA, I support our Constitutional right to bear arms and am a proponent of gun safety programs for Alaska's youth... I have always strongly supported the personal use of fish and game by Alaskans. I grew up hunting and fishing in Alaska, and I am proud to raise my children with this same uniquely Alaskan heritage... Anti-hunting groups who oppose hunting and fishing rights will be the winners if we allow them to pit us against ourselves... As an Alaskan with strong beliefs on this issue, I am confident in my ability to build consensus among diverse user groups and reconcile the many competing interests in a manner.

From a 2006 Gubernatorial Campaign statement, October 3, 2006

Republican Candidate for Governor Sarah Palin has received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association.

The NRA is widely recognized today as America's foremost defender of Second Amendment rights. The NRA has, since its inception, been the premier firearms education organization in the world. "The NRA has given Sarah Palin its highest possible rating," said Alaska NRA Director Wayne Anthony Ross. "Anyone who remembers the years when Tony Knowles was Governor, if they love the outdoors, will be voting for Sarah Palin."

"This is such a great honor for me," said Palin - a lifetime NRA member. "I grew up hunting in Alaska and it's still a huge part of my life. We hunt as much as we can and I'm proud to say our freezer is full of wild game we harvested here in Alaska."

Palin has long been a champion of the constitutional right to bear arms as well as a proponent of gun safety programs for Alaska's youth. "The NRA makes gun advocacy and education possible because of the tireless efforts of its nearly three million members," said Palin. "I'm proud to be counted among them and to have their support in this election."

From the Eagle Forum's 2006 Gubernatorial Candidate Questionnaire, Alaska, July 31, 2006

In relationship to families, what are your top three priorities if elected governor?
Sarah Palin responded:
1. Creating an atmosphere where parents feel welcome to choose the venues of education for their children.
2. Preserving the definition of "marriage" as defined in our constitution.
3. Cracking down on the things that harm family life: gangs, drug use, and infringement of our liberties including attacks on our 2nd Amendment rights.

[Close More Quotes from Governor Palin info]

Democratic Presidential Nominee, Sen. Barack Obama

- Senator Obama's Record on Guns

• Signed onto a letter to Senate Appropriations Chair Byrd and Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee Chair Mikulski opposing the Tiahrt Amendments and any attempts to attach them to Justice Department Appropriations (April 13, 2007).


• Supports restricting purchases of weapons and ammunition at gun shows, establishing a national database that would capture and record imprints left by bullets, and making gun locks mandatory (Baltimore Sun, 9/15/2004).


• As a state Senator, Obama voted to allow concealed weapons to be carried by retired police officers and some military personnel (Baltimore Sun, 9/15/2004).
• Obama regularly supported gun-control measures, including a ban on semiautomatic "assault weapons" and a limit on handgun purchases to one a month. (CBS News 1/17/2007).


• As a state senator, he opposed letting people use a self-defense argument if charged with violating local handgun bans by using weapons in their homes. The bill was a reaction to a Chicago-area man who, after shooting an intruder, was charged with a handgun violation (CBS News 1/17/2007).

[Close Senator Obama's Record on Guns info]

+ Senator Obama on Recent Supreme Court Case

From a Campaign statement on the U.S. Supreme Court Heller decision, June 26, 2008

I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures. The Supreme Court has now endorsed that view, and while it ruled that the D.C. gun ban went too far, Justice Scalia himself acknowledged that this right is not absolute and subject to reasonable regulations enacted by local communities to keep their streets safe. Today’s ruling, the first clear statement on this issue in 127 years, will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country.

As President, I will uphold the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun-owners, hunters, and sportsmen. I know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne. We can work together to enact common-sense laws, like closing the gun show loophole and improving our background check system, so that guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals. Today's decision reinforces that if we act responsibly, we can both protect the constitutional right to bear arms and keep our communities and our children safe.

[Close Senator Obama on Recent Supreme Court Case info]

+ More Quotes from Senator Obama

From a townhall campaign event in Duryea, PA, September 5, 2008

I believe in the Second Amendment, and if you are a law-abiding gun owner, you have nothing to fear from an Obama administration.

Now, the NRA sometimes... their general attitude is look, we don’t want anything, and if you even breathe the word ‘gun control’ or ‘gun safety,’ then you must want to take away everybody’s guns. Well, that’s just not true.

This can’t be the reason not to vote for me. Because your guns... we’re not going to mess with them... spread the word with your friends.

Acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination to be President of the United States, Denver, CO, August 28, 2008

The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.

From a News conference in Chicago, IL, June 25, 2008

What I have said is, is that I'm a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, but I do not think that that precludes local governments being able to provide some commonsense gun laws that keep guns out of the hands of gang-bangers or children, that local jurisdictions are going to have different sets of problems, and that this is a very fact-intensive decision that has to be made. But I do think that the Second Amendment is an individual right. So, what I would like to do is wait and see how the Supreme Court comes down, and evaluate the actual reasoning in the case to see how broad or narrow the decision's going to be.

From an Interview with the Flathead Beacon, Montana, May 28 2008

Q: Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer has said he is skeptical a Democrat can beat John McCain here because of a real or perceived weakness on gun rights. Do you think Gov. Schweitzer is correct and how do you reconcile any need for gun law reforms in urban areas with the anxiety many Westerners may feel that their Second Amendment rights may be trampled?

A: Well I think you just identified exactly the argument that has to be made. And that is that we have two realities when it comes to guns in this country. You’ve got illegal guns landing on the streets in the hands of gang-bangers in places like Chicago where children have been shot on the streets in astonishing numbers, and then you’ve got law abiding gun owners who are hunting, and sportsmen, and keeping a gun in the house to protect their family, and who have a tradition of lawful gun ownership dating back generations. It’s part of a way of life. The key is to reconcile those two realities.

The voters of Montana need to understand that I believe in the Second Amendment, I believe it is an individual right and I will not encroach on their right to get firearms and to do everything that they’re doing right now. What I do want to see is better enforcement when it comes to handguns that are pouring into the streets of urban centers and that means better background checks, it means being able to trace guns that are used in crimes back to gun dealers that may be violating our laws. It means closing the gun show loophole. Those are, I think, some common sense regulations that in no way will impede on the ability of lawful gun owners in Montana or anywhere else in the country from exercising their Second Amendmentrights.

From the Los Angeles Times on May 16, 2008

"I do believe that there is nothing inconsistent with also saying that we can institute some common sense gun laws, so that we don't have kids shot on the streets of cities like Chicago," Obama said.

He cited background checks and "unscrupulous gun dealers who have peddled them to people who shouldn't be getting them. Those are laws that I think the majority of Americans believe in."

Obama said he disagreed with the NRA. "Their basic position is that any law related to gun ownership is a potential camel's nose under the tent and that if we allow even the smallest concession that somehow guns will be taken away from everybody.”

”If you subscribe to that view then you are not going to agree with me. On the other hand, if you are a gun owner here in South Dakota who uses your gun to hunt or to protect your family and does so in a lawful way, then you have nothing to worry about from me.”

From an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times on April 25, 2008

Q: Have you been following the news of all the gun deaths?

A: The news has just been heart-breaking. I've asked my staff to contact the Chicago Police Department. and I'm going to put in a call to the mayor just to find out just what is accounting for this huge uptick.

Q: Is there anything the federal, state, or local government can do?

A: There's a bunch of things we can do. I've already said as president I want to restore [federal] COPS funding, which will put police on the streets. Additional police improves public safety. New York has seen a huge drop in crime over the last decade, more than even other cities, and part of it is they've got more cops than anybody else per capita. We've got to help local communities put more police on the streets. We want to make sure we provide state and local government with the targeting information they need, the technology they need to make sure police are going to the places most at risk for gun violence. We've got to tighten up our gun laws. I've said before we should have a much tougher background check system, one that's much more effective and make sure there aren't loopholes out there like the gun show loophole. [Or] The Tiahart Amendment [requiring destruction of gun-purchase records.] Here's an example of something common-sense: The ATF [federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms] should be able to share info with local communities about where guns are coming from, tracing guns that are used in criminal activity. It's been blocked consistently in Congress. As president, I'm gong to make sure we know if guns are being sold by unscrupulous gun dealers not abiding by existing laws. We should know about that.

Finally, we've got to deal with the underlying social issues that are causing this gun violence as well. You've got gangs of young men who are lost, who are involved in the drug trade. Starting early with early childhood education, improving our K-through-12 education, having after-school programs or summer-school programs so we are providing pathways for young people to move in the right direction.

As president, we've got to be able to help local communities put those programs in place.

Q: In Gary [Ind.,] and in Beaumont, Texas, you talked about parents doing a better job parenting. Is that applicable here?

A.: Absolutely. That's what I refer to when I say we've got to get to the underlying problems here. Children have to be taught right and wrong and violence isn't a way to resolve problems. Kids have to be kept off the streets at night. Transmitting those values is important. A lot of these kids unfortunately they might not have parents at home who are helping to give them guidance. Their communities themselves are wracked with violence. They're seeing it every day going down the streets. The role of the community, the churches, other institutions, instilling a different sensibility in our young people -- that's got to be part of the solution as well.

Q: The Washington, D.C. [handgun ban] case before the U.S. Supreme Court you were asked about at the debate -- have you have a chance to look into that more?

A: My view continues to be that the constitution, I believe, does provide a right to bear arms; but that local communities, and state governments, as well as the federal government, have a right to common-sense regulations and firearm ownership [rules.] The truth is, obviously, the ban here in Chicago, the ban in D.C. is not keeping the guns out of our cities, and so I'm interested in just figuring out what works and I'm confident we can come up with laws that work and that pass constitutional muster and don't infringe on the rights of lawful gun owners whether it's in Downstate Illinois or rural Montana.

Q: As a state legislator, you voted against a bill which would let people with orders of protection [against others] carry guns and another that would have barred municipalities from punishing people who kept guns in their homes. Why?

A: I felt that [the first one] was a precedent for conceal-and-carry laws. There has not been any evidence that allowing people to carry a concealed weapon is going to make anybody safer. [The second one] is relevant to the D.C. handgun issue. I wanted to preserve the right of local communities to enforce local ordinances and this would have overturned municipalities being able to enforce their own ordinances. We can argue about whether the ordinances work or not. But I wanted to make sure that local communities were recognized as having a right to regulate firearms.

Q: But you don't want to take a stand on the D.C. gun-ban law?

A: I don't like taking a stand on pending cases.

From a Campaign statement, April 16, 2008

One year after the tragedy at Virginia Tech, families are still mourning, and our nation is still healing. As Americans gather today in vigils and 'lie-ins' – or pray silently alone – our thoughts are with those whose lives were forever changed by the shootings. But one year later, it’s also time to reflect on how violence – whether on campuses like Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University or on the streets of Chicago and cities across this nation – can be prevented. Clearly, our state and federal governments have to strengthen some laws and do a better job enforcing others. But we all have a responsibility to do what we can in our own lives and communities to end this kind of senseless violence. That is still our task one year later, and it will be our ongoing task in the years to come.

From the Philadelphia Democratic primary debate, ABC, April 16, 2008

Q: Senator Obama, the District of Columbia has a law, it's had a law since 1976, it's now before the United States Supreme Court, that prohibits ownership of handguns, a sawed-off shotgun, a machine gun or a short-barreled rifle. Is that law consistent with an individual's right to bear arms?

A: Well, Charlie, I confess I obviously haven't listened to the briefs and looked at all the evidence.

As a general principle, I believe that the Constitution confers an individual right to bear arms. But just because you have an individual right does not mean that the state or local government can't constrain the exercise of that right, and, you know, in the same way that we have a right to private property but local governments can establish zoning ordinances that determine how you can use it.

And I think that it is going to be important for us to reconcile what are two realities in this country.

There's the reality of gun ownership and the tradition of gun ownership that's passed on from generation to generation. You know, when you listen to people who have hunted, and they talk about the fact that they went hunting with their fathers or their mothers, then that is something that is deeply important to them and, culturally, they care about deeply.

But you also have the reality of what's happening here in Philadelphia and what's happening in Chicago.

Q: But do you still favor the registration of guns? Do you still favor the licensing of guns?

And in 1996, your campaign issued a questionnaire, and your writing was on the questionnaire that said you favored a ban on handguns.

A: No, my writing wasn't on that particular questionnaire, Charlie. As I said, I have never favored an all-out ban on handguns.

What I think we can provide is common-sense approaches to the issue of illegal guns that are ending up on the streets. We can make sure that criminals don't have guns in their hands. We can make certain that those who are mentally deranged are not getting a hold of handguns. We can trace guns that have been used in crimes to unscrupulous gun dealers that may be selling to straw purchasers and dumping them on the streets.

The point is, is that what we have to do is get beyond the politics of this issue and figure out what, in fact, is working.

Look, in my hometown of Chicago, on the south side of Chicago, we've had 34 gun deaths last year of Chicago public school children.

And I think that most law-abiding gun owners all across America would recognize that it is perfectly appropriate for local communities and states and the federal government to try to figure out, how do we stop that kind of killing?

From the Associated Press annual meeting on April 14, 2008

Is there a way for us on the one hand to acknowledge the importance of gun ownership in huge swaths of the country, and recognize... that at the same time recognize that for us to put in place strong, tough background checks, to close the gun show loophole, to be able to trace guns that have been used in crimes to the gun dealers who sold those guns to see if they're abiding by the law, making sure that they're not working with straw purchasers to dump illegal handguns into vulnerable communities - that those two visions are compatible - that they're not contradictory.

From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on April 1, 2008

I do think we have to do a better job sharing information [on guns] between local and federal officials. I am not in favor of concealed weapons. I think that creates a potential atmosphere where more innocent people could [get shot during] altercations.

From a Pennsylvania Campaign Event on April 1, 2008

I believe in the Second Amendment…I believe in the lawful use of firearms for hunters and sportsmen and people wanting to protect their families.

From an interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, March 13, 2008

Q: How do you differ from Sen. Clinton on the issue of gun control? A: I think our positions are fairly similar. I'd let her characterize her own position. I certainly believe in the Second Amendment right, that people have the right to bear arms. But I also believe it is important to have some common-sense gun laws in place to make sure that straw purchasers aren't being used to fill up our streets with illegal firearms, and that we have stronger background checks so we keep firearms out of the hands of people with mental health problems or young people or those who have committed crimes. I think it is important for us to strengthen our ability to trace guns that have been used in crimes to gun dealers to make sure they are not operating in an illegal way. I think it's possible to reconcile the tradition of gun ownership, and the rights of sportsmen, hunters and those who want to protect their families, with keeping handguns that are used in crime off the streets. You can protect the rights of gun owners and at the same time keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

From a News conference in Milwaukee, WI, February 15, 2008

In response to the NIU shooting:
We offer them [the victims and their families] our determination to do whatever it takes to eradicate this violence from our streets, from our schools, from our neighborhoods and our cities.... [by doing a] more effective job of enforcing our gun laws, strengthening our background check system, being able to trace guns that are used in violent crimes to unscrupulous gun dealers -- so that we can crack down on them -- closing gun show loopholes.

On microstamping:
There was a discussion today about a law that has just passed in California that allows micro-tracing of bullets that have been discharged in a crime so that they can immediately be traced. This is something that California has passed over the strong objections of the NRA… That's the kind of common sense gun law that gun owners as well as victims of gun violence can get behind.

On the Second Amendment:
There is an individual right to bear arms, but it's subject to commonsense regulation.

On local gun laws:
I think that local jurisdictions have the capacity to institute their own gun laws…The City of Chicago has gun laws, as does Washington, D.C.... I think the notion that somehow local jurisdictions can't initiate gun safety laws to deal with gang-bangers and random shootings on the street isn't born out by our constitution.

From a Campaign Appearance at Boise State, February 2, 2008

“And then there are people who say, 'Well, he doesn't believe in the Second Amendment,' even though I come from a state – we've got a lot of hunters in downstate Illinois. And I have no intention of taking away folks' guns.”

From the 2008 Nevada Democratic primary debate, MSNBC, January 16, 2008

Q: Senator Obama, when you were in the state senate, you talked about licensing and registering gun owners. Would you do that as president?

A: I don’t think that we can get that done. But what I do think we can do is to provide just some common-sense enforcement. One good example — this is consistently blocked — the efforts by law enforcement to obtain the information required to trace back guns that have been used in crimes to unscrupulous gun dealers.

That’s not something that the NRA has allowed to get through Congress. And, as president, I intend to make it happen.

But here’s the broader context that I think is important for us to remember. We essentially have two realities, when it comes to guns, in this country. You’ve got the tradition of lawful gun ownership, that all of us saw, as we travel around rural parts of the country.

And it is very important for many Americans to be able to hunt, fish, take their kids out, teach them how to shoot.

And then you’ve got the reality of 34 Chicago public school students who get shot down on the streets of Chicago.

We can reconcile those two realities by making sure the Second Amendment is respected and that people are able to lawfully own guns, but that we also start cracking down on the kinds of abuses of firearms that we see on the streets.

From Ebony Magazine, December 31, 2007

As president, my first act on this issue will be the restoration of full funding for COPS (the Community Oriented Policing Services program). I also support reasonable, common sense measures to limit the occurrence of gun violence that has taken the lives of too many Americans, and that has particularly ravaged Black communities.

These measures include closing the gun-show loophole and requiring mandatory background checks on purchasers at gun shows .… I also believe that we have to make guns in this country childproof .... I support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent. I believe that these weapons, such as AK-47s, belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets. These are also not weapons that are used by hunters, sportsmen, and sportswomen.

From a Campaign statement (not a quote from the Senator), November 20, 2007

Senator Obama believes that we can recognize and respect the rights of law-abiding gun owners and the right of local communities to enact common sense laws to combat violence and save lives. Obama believes the D.C. handgun law is constitutional.

From the 2007 NAACP Presidential Primary Forum Jul 12, 2007

Q: How would you address gun violence that continues to be the #1 cause of death among African-American men?

A: You know, when the massacre happened at Virginia Tech, I think all of us were grief stricken and shocked by the carnage. But in this year alone, in Chicago, we've had 34 Chicago public school students gunned down and killed. And for the most part, there has been silence. We know what to do. We've got to enforce the gun laws that are on the books. We've got to make sure that unscrupulous gun dealers aren't loading up vans and dumping guns in our communities, because we know they're not made in our communities. There aren't any gun manufacturers here, right here in the middle of Detroit. But what we also have to do is to make sure that we change our politics so that we care just as much about those 30-some children in Chicago who've been shot as we do the children in Virginia Tech. That's a mindset that we have to have in the White House and we don't have it right now.

From a rally in Milwaukee, WI on April 16, 2007. www.realclearpolitics.com

There is gonna be discussion about how did this person get the firearms that he used. And there are already reports that potentially the semi-automatic weapons he used would have been banned under an assault weapons ban that was allowed to lapse. There'll be discussion about security on college campuses. There will be speculation as to what caused this young man to snap. But I hope that it causes us to reflect a little bit more broadly on the degree to which we do accept violence, in various forms, all the time in our society. We glorify it, we encourage it, we ignore it, and it is heartbreaking and it has to stop.

From The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p.215 (2006)

I believe in keeping guns out of our inner cities, and that our leaders must say so in the face of the gun manufacturer’s lobby. But I also believe that when a gangbanger shoots indiscriminately into a crowd because he feels someone disrespected him, we have a problem of morality. Not only do we need to punish that man for his crime, but we need to acknowledge that there's a hole in his heart, one that government programs alone may not be able to repair.

From a U.S. Senate debate with Alan Keyes, sponsored by the League of Women Voters in Illinois, October 21, 2004

OBAMA: Well, let's be clear. Mr. Keyes, for example, does not believe in common gun safety laws like the assault weapons bill. I have, as one of my guests today, the head of the Fraternal Order of Police. I'm proud of the support that I've received from that organization, in part, because they are concerned precisely about what Mr. Keyes referred to--getting shot by assault weapons, when they go in, in an attempt to do a drug bust.

Now, Mr. Keyes suggested that, somehow, because criminals break the law, that we shouldn't have laws in the first place. That defies logic. People break all sorts of laws, but we still have the laws in place.

And the fact of the matter is, is that Mr. Keyes does not believe in any limits, that I can tell, with respect to the possession of guns, including assault weapons that have only one purpose, and that is to kill people, unless you're seeing a lot of deer out there wearing bullet-proof vests, then there is no purpose for many of the guns.

I think it is a scandal that this president did not force a renewal of this assault weapons ban. If it had problems with it, then we should have closed those loopholes that might have made it not as effective as it should have been.

KEYES: I think one of the great problems is that the Assault Weapons Ban deals with a fictional distinction. You have guns that are exactly the same guns as are banned, in function, that were banned because of the way they look. And you know, that's the whole truth of this policy: it's to make politicians look as if they are doing something, when in point of fact, they are doing nothing.

The answer to crime is not gun control, it is law enforcement and self-control. And when we remember that, we will see the rates of crime go down in Chicago, and everywhere else.

MODERATOR: Mr. Obama, thirty seconds.

OBAMA: Well, I think it's true that we have to focus on self-control, and when young gang-bangers are out there shooting into crowds, there's a moral issue and a values issue that has to be addressed.

But I tell you what, it helps if they don't have an assault weapon with them when they shoot into that crowd. And I think that common sense gun safety laws aren't just supported by gun control politicians. They're supported by mothers who've been, seen their loved ones gunned down on the streets, and I think it's necessary that we address the problems that they see every day.



[Close More Quotes from Senator Obama info]

Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee, Sen. Joe Biden

- Senator Biden's Record on Guns

• Senator Biden has been a consistent supporter of the Brady Campaign.


• In 2004 he spoke at a press conference with Sarah Brady and John Kerry in favor of renewing the Assault Weapons Ban.


• Voted for the Brady bill that provided a waiting period for the purchase of a handgun (passed 63-36 on November 20, 1993) and background checks at gun shows. (Bill S.1805/H.R.1036; vote number 2004-30 on Mar 2, 2004)


• Voted against special legal protection for the gun industry (Bill S.1805/H.R.1036; vote number 2004-30 on Mar 2, 2004).


• He is “F” rated by the NRA.

Stock Drop

OK folks, while the medial screams about the stock market crash and blood in the streets please take a note of these numbers:

Yesterday –

Drop 777 points, or 7% down

Back in 1987 we had a 22% drop in one day. . . . and the economy lived, moved on and grew. . . .

Folks, we will get through this no problem. We need to calm down, not let them panic us into giving away our future to Wall Street to bail out a few bad apples. If we give in then we will be giving BILLIONS of dollars to the same folks that ran things into the ground in the first place.

It is time to stop the madness and take a count of who caused this both in government (hello Barny Frank and the Democrats back to Clinton) and on Wall Street and tell them Tough Luck guys, you are out of a job!

Look at the vote – a bunch of Democrats didn’t even vote for it (since it did not have enough pork for them) and a bunch of Republicans didn’t vote for it (since they had calls coming in against the vote at 10 to 1). . . ..

People don’t want this bail out. People are getting sick of Big Government taking our money and giving it to folks who did not earn or deserve it. People don’t want to pay off mortgages for folks that overextended themselves when they have there own families to support and mortgages to pay.

Best thing I heard yesterday was a person noting that we had a similar fall in the market after 9/11 and the stock market had recovered in about 8 months. . . Yes it hurt, but we got through it. The basic market is sound, and we will get through this too.

Remember, the easy way to tell if a politician is lying is to look and see if his lips are moving. . .

People want change, they may not know it but what they want is smaller government, less bail outs, and less government in our lives. This could be the first step to taking out country back from big government if we just have the stomach from it. . . .

Update - FYI

12.8%: Drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) on Black Tuesday (Oct. 29, 1929)

22.6%: Largest one-day percentage drop in stock market history (Black Monday, Oct. 19, 1987)

Bail Out Update

Here is the vote:

	Ayes	Noes	PRES	NV
Democratic	140	95
Republican	65	133		1
Independent
TOTALS	205	228		1

not sure how the Democrats can blame the Republicans on this one. If the bail out was so hot how come 95 of their own guys voted against it.

I think things still stink of PORK and the no votes folks know it. . . . .

I am also not sure how much this will effect me. . . . I am years away from retiring if I ever can and so my investments have plenty of time to recover before I need the money. . . I just hope they don't tax me to death first to pay for it. . .

We will see what happens tomorrow.

Let the Poo flinging begin

Well, they killed the bail out bill.

Now both sides are blaming the other for the failed vote. . . I am starting to see why this Congress has something like a 9% approval rating. . . .

I am not sure if I am for or against it at this point. I am sure that they seem to be pushing this through fast and I fear that they will add all sorts of pork to it for special interests and slip it by in the rush to pass it.

I guess I am glad it failed. I think we need to take a close look at the fix and make sure it is not all just more Washington Smoke and Mirrors but a real fix that we are being asked to pay for.

I am also not sure we will ever get a real fix out of these folks since they are the ones that caused the problem in the first place all in the name of letting everyone get a mortgage to own a home - whether you could pay for it or not. . . .

Fixing this mess is going to hurt no matter what and I think we should make sure it hurts Wall Street more than the voters so they may learn from the mistake. I also think we should vote out of Congress every person that has been backing Fanny and Freddy and telling us they were fine as they went down the tubes. . . . Lets see who F and F have been giving money to and boot them. . . . Oh Ya, that would be Obama and his gang of DEMS. . . . .

Bail out Rejected

OK, now things get interesting. . . .

Interesting

FOR THE RECORD (More HERE)

“[T]he World Economic Forum has ranked the United States as the world’s most competitive economy for the last two years... Its statistics show that per-capita gross domestic product in the U.S. consistently has grown faster than in other developed economies since 1980. Looking deeper at the causes of American competitiveness shows that we score especially strongly not only in domestic market size (No. 1 in the world) but also in such areas as time required to start a business (No. 3), venture capital availability (No. 1), the cost of firing an employee (No. 1), ownership of personal computers (No. 2), university/industry research collaboration (No. 1) and quality of scientific research institutions (No. 2). The availability of venture capital might be affected temporarily by the market turmoil, and we should worry if Democrats gain control of both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue in November because they might exacerbate what the survey found to be the two most ‘problematic’ issues for doing business in the U.S. —high tax rates and cumbersome tax regulations. But whatever happens in the next few months, most of the other advantages that have been powering the U.S. economy forward for decades will remain unchanged.” —Max Boot

Says it all. . . .

“Under [Bill] Clinton, the entire federal government put massive pressure on banks to grant more mortgages to the poor and minorities. Clinton’s secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Andrew Cuomo, investigated Fannie Mae for racial discrimination and proposed that 50 percent of Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s portfolio be made up of loans to low- to moderate-income borrowers by the year 2001. Instead of looking at ‘outdated criteria,’ such as the mortgage applicant’s credit history and ability to make a down payment, banks were encouraged to consider nontraditional measures of credit-worthiness, such as having a good jump shot or having a missing child named ‘Caylee.’ Threatening lawsuits, Clinton’s Federal Reserve demanded that banks treat welfare payments and unemployment benefits as valid income sources to qualify for a mortgage. That isn’t a joke—it’s a fact. ... In 1999, liberals were bragging about extending affirmative action to the financial sector. Los Angeles Times reporter Ron Brownstein hailed the Clinton administration’s affirmative action lending policies as one of the ‘hidden success stories’ of the Clinton administration, saying that ‘black and Latino homeownership has surged to the highest level ever recorded.’ Meanwhile, economists were screaming from the rooftops that the Democrats were forcing mortgage lenders to issue loans that would fail the moment the housing market slowed and deadbeat borrowers couldn’t get out of their loans by selling their houses. A decade later, the housing bubble burst and, as predicted, food-stamp-backed mortgages collapsed. Democrats set an affirmative action time-bomb and now it’s gone off.” —Ann Coulter

Bail Out

Looks like most folks are still not happy with the bail out idea. . . . I want more details on this. How much PORK is still in this bill they are in such a rush to pass on us. . . .

From CNN:

Quick Vote

Should Congress approve the compromise $700 billion bailout of the U.S. financial system?

Yes	48%	909
No	52%	977
Total Votes: 1886

And so we wait

Seems like we are still sitting around waiting for Congress to come up with a plan to fix the economy. . . It does not seem to actually effect the market though. The market has be up and down by hundreds of points while they have worked on it.

I am starting to think that Congress is pushing the panic button so that they can shove things through that we don't really want and we don't have time to look at the details. It looks like some sort of scam artist working on it. . . . . .

I wish I could believe the media on this but I can't. They refuse to look at the cause beyond "it's Bush's fault" when the problems, bad loans, and strong arming banks to loan money to high risk folks goes back to Clinton's administration. Bush even has tried to reform things before now but the Democrats blocked it because they buy votes by getting poor folks loans that they can't really afford.

I have yet to see when more government control gets us anything but a bigger mess. . . . I don't know what to do but I am inclined to let the market fix itself and get rid of the silly government mandate that we lone money to folks that can't pay it back so they can buy a house. . . . .

I also find it interesting that the Democrats waited until now to scream panic when a year or so back they were telling us it was all good. . . . wouldn't have anything to do with the election would it??

We should run all of these folks out of office and start with a whole new set of crooks to run Congress, it can't get worse since they are at single digit approval as it is now. . . . . But the media will run cover for them and blame Bush I am sure. . . .

Interesting

No deal on the Wall St. bail out yet the market is up 100+ points. . . . maybe the sky is not falling as bad as they say. . . . Maybe we do have time to actually think this through before throwing money at it.

Personally I would like to see a list of the Congressmen that took money from these people - Fanny, Freddy, and the other failed banks that need to be bailed out. Anyone on this list should be excluded from making any decision on the fix. They helped get us in this problem, they should not be rewarded for it.

If nothing else the people paying the taxes and therefor paying for the bail out should know who was taking their money. . . . we won't since the top money men were Democrats and they would look bad, but we should push for this info. Make it Public!! They call it open government. . . .

Media starts to see the real Dems. . .

Never thought I would see this on CNN. . ..

Read it HERE on his take on this crisis. . . almost a pro McCain article

Ya, it's McCains fault. . . .

“For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac... and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market... If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.” —John McCain arguing for passage of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act (S. 190) which he co-sponsored in 2005.

Don't buy the Liberal Lies from Obama

Dem's the facts

HERE is a good post on what the Dems are trying to add to the bail out package. . . not much if any of it has a thing to do with the crisis but hey, when has that stopped them from handing out your money

Obama vs First Amendment

Looks like Obama is trying to kill free speech now, or at least any speech that is against him. . .

Seems he fears the gun crowd voting against him so he is trying to squash any ads about his voting record on guns. . .

More here including the ad he wants you not to see. . . .

Obama and Gun Rights

Folks this is a simple one.

OBAMA IS AGAINST GUNS

if you don't think so look at his record. Not the statements he makes now, those are cheap words, look at the way he has voted and bills he has sponsored. He is anti-gun, no questions. Anti-Gun is Anti-Freedom.

Ya ya, the American Hunters and Shooters Association says he is good on guns. . . well, take where that comes from. For all practical purposes the AHSA is an offshoot of the Brady campaign against guns. It is funded and run by the big names in gun control.

Remember to check you facts. . . yourself, the news folks can't be trusted any more

Democrats Kill the Bail Out

Well, it looks like the Democrats are up to their same tricks by adding all sorts of pork to the bail out bill. they seem to think that with all this money to play with there is plenty for their pet pork projects too. . .

Then the Republicans walk out or don't vote for it and they get the blame.

Folks, these fools are going to turn all our futures into a big game so they can try to get Obama into the White House and also see who can add the most non-related pork to this bill.

They don't want to fix anything, they want a free ride. Thank God this has not passed yet and maybe they can be talked into the fact that the voters want this killed or minimized the cost to do just what is needed and NO MORE.

If McCain is smart he will make sure that it passes with only what is needed to stabilize things and no more. Then we will see who really is the guy for change and fiscal responsibility. . . (hint, it won't be Obama the tax man)

This will make or brake McCain. This election is now in the hands of the stock market, unless there is an attack on us before election day.

Obama still don't get it

Take a look at how he spent yesterday HERE

Shows where his priories are. . . and they are not with fixing things or helping US

Explination of how we got here

Moonbattery has a great piece on how we got where we are. . . . and why they want to blame conservatives for it. . .

Affirmative action got us into this mess and it can be proven. . . .

Give it a read HERE

Oleg's Warning . . . .

Looks like someone hijacked Oleg's pro gun forum he started. He is suing them and could use help if you can . . .

Details here

Fact Check and Obama

FactCheck supposedly exists to look beyond a politician's claims. FactCheck's primary funding source, the Annenberg Foundation, also gave $50,000 to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence for "efforts to reduce gun violence by educating the public and by enacting and enforcing regulations governing the gun industry." Found this data in a number of places

The problem here is that Fact Check claims to be neutral in all of this and just checking the facts. They are no such thing. It looks like they are a left leaning pro Obama group, they are not fully checking the facts and ignore things that don't fit what they want to say. . . .

Just another attempt to mislead us as to what Obama stands for and what he will do to this country if elected. . .

McCain

Looks like independents are starting to break for McCain. . . they like that he is angry and doing something. Maybe this return to DC to fix things will give him the lead and win in Nov!

We will see. . . .

Info on Fanny May and Freddy Mac

Got this link from the Gunslinger. . . a surprise for me, the New York Times is actually telling us how this worked and that CONGRESS runs these two and controls them. . . . So CONGRESS is responsible for the outcome. . . .

Give it a read HERE

Of course they don't talk about the "kickback" to the Barny Frank campaign which explains why he does not see a problem with them as they are now. . . Of course he is a MA lefty politician so basically can't be trusted. . .

Hey, National Firearms Day

What a great idea!

Read about it HERE

Obama Update

Well there is a surprise. . . . NOT

Looks like Obama will push for the debate and stay on the campaign trail instead of trying to help out the country with the biggest crisis since he was elected to the Senate.

Oh Ya, he hates America, and wants us to fail so he can be our leader and save us. . . .

Take a close look folks, this guy is unfit to be President of the US. He always runs from the hard work or choices and he is doing it again. . . . He won't even show up to vote Present. . . .

McCain puts USA first

McCain proves once again that he is the right man for the office.

See CNN. He is suspending his campaign so that he can go back to DC and deal with this crisis as he should. . . . . Where is Obama? Why isn't he doing the same?

Either this thing is as big as they all say or it is not. If it is then McCain is doing the right thing and putting the country first and taking action . . . . I am not even sure Obama will be there to vote Present on this one. . . . if not then he may hurt himself but I don't think so. This is a great way to show the voters who cares about this country and who understands that there are things you have to do in life. . . . Things bigger than yourself and your quest for power. . . . Obama does not get this. . . While Obama sits on his hands McCain acts to fix the problem. . .

Further proof that Obama is on a power trip, he is out for his own gain and we are just a means to an end. . . . Obama does not care about us, he just wants POWER.

Obama Quiz

See if you agree with him on what he wants to do if elected. . .

Quiz is HERE

I was against him 92% of the issues, guess he don't get my vote

The Mentalist

OK, watched the new show "the Mentalist" last night. Not bad. I knew I was in trouble when it starts with a wife shooting her husband whom she thought killed their daughter. My one comment was "Nice Grouping" as she put three shots to the center of the chest. . . . .

I think I need to get to the range more often. . . . .

South Park Flash Back

CNN says that Hawaii wants folks to make a Volcano "Safe Room" in there house. More here

Maybe it is a warped sense of humor but all I could think of was the South Park episode when they were doing "Duck and Cover" and the volcano went off and the lava just went right over them. . . .

Sorry, it may be serious but that is where my mind went on this one. . . .

Almost a Mass Moment

In case you wonder what they teach the kids in school. . . . UMass has stopped a professor from giving his students two credits for independent study if they would go to New Hampshire and work for Obama’s campaign canvasing door to door. No credits if you want to work for McCains side. . . .

Ain’t that nice? See how liberal our schools have become? What happened to teaching facts in school? I hope they do more than just say no. He needs to pay for this crap. We need to get the politics out of school and get back to teaching kids not trying to brain wash them. . . I thought colleges were supposed to be neutral in teaching our kids things? Guess not, looks like they are trying to teach them to be nice little communist/socialist. . . .

Frankly I am amazed this guy did not get away with it. I wonder who blew the whistle on him? They should be given credit for being a good citizen and stopping this crap. I am also wondering where he got the idea and if any other teachers are trying to pull this crap.

Update - it was the press that caught them and started asking the administration what was going on. The administration said they don't do that but when shown the facts things were stopped. . . . I wonder how many elections they have done this and got away with it.

And I thought they went too far giving credits for basket weaving but this one takes the cake. . .

Banking Problems

Here is a nice review of how we got into the current mess. . . . . and who knew what. Worth a read.

Obama Update

While Obama tries to hide his past and ties to the current economic problems we are having here is a neat bit of info from Hot Air:

Citizens Against Government Waste discusses its analysis of the presidential candidates in terms of their career records in fighting wasteful spending, and it’s not even close. John McCain has am 88% rating from CAGW, while Barack Obama limps to a paltry 18%. However, Obama has a consolation prize in that he didn’t finish dead last. His running mate ensured that – Biden has a 0 rating.

From the interview on FOX:

Tom Schatz, CAGW: There is a long track record in both cases, some of which goes to Senator Obama in the Illinois Legislature. We do not analyze the states. But just on the votes in 2007, Senator Obama voted correctly only 10% of the time, and Senator McCain voted 11 out of the 35 times. He did vote correctly every time. His lifetime rating 88% is the sixth-highest in the Senate. Senator Obama’s lifetime rating is 18% in the years that he has been a Senator. So there is a vast difference on the question of spending and taxes and those results are consistent with other analyses and organizations that track all of these various votes.

so Obama is not the worst offender on spending our money on PORK, but he saved it by picking one of the worst as his VP. . . .

Another Mass Moment

Ain’t it great? The Economy has been blasted by the Democrats who forced banks to give folks loans that they could not pay back. Now our own Congresscritter Barney Frank who just a few months ago told us Freddy Mac and Fanny May were fine is now demanding that we give them cash since they are failing?

Which is it Barney? Are they good or bad? And why did they donate so much money to you and Obama? That wouldn’t have anything to do with you changing your stance now that it is all in the open would it?

When are you going to come clean and tell folks they have been in trouble for a while but your friends were running it and paying you off so you would look the other way? It is nice how your friends got Golden Parachutes worth millions to leave Fred and Fanny after they destroyed them. Heck, now many of them are on the Obama team working to get him elected. . . .

We need to vote the Democrats out of Congress in a big way and get some money conservatives into office to fix things from the top down. . .

I love how they are blaming Bush for this failure when it is due to programs started by the Dems and ramped up in the Clinton years. . . Folks, the Dems live in a fantasy world and the money side is no different. We need to get them away from control of the money. . .

Cool Stuff

OK, this is just cool.

This guy found the exact M1 rifle that his Dad used in Korea in the Army in the 50's and got it for him for his 79th birthday. . .

Give it a read. . ..

International Peace Day

How fitting, yesterday was International Peace Day. . . So while the tree hugger hippy types were out learning how to surrender my older daughter and I went down to a friends gun range where they were having a kids day! Anyone could come and shoot as long as your brought a kid with you. They had instructors set up at every gun so it went smooth and the kids got help with how to safely handle and shoot each type of gun. They were great with the kids and answering all the questions that came up.

She had a great time. We started with her trying skeet with a 20 Ga. She missed it but is now hooked and wants to do skeet at our club. . . . from there we moved over to the 200 yard range where she got to try her had with an AR-15 set up for target shooting. Now our club range only goes to 100 yards and she had never tried that before but she did well, three shots, three 8's. not too bad. It was funny to hold an AR that they had added weight to for accuracy, mine is stock as I like to keep the military rifles as close to original as I can. . . . we then moved on to lever action .22s with scopes on them shooting at 25 yards. Also fun, but she like iron sights better. . . .

After a quick lunch she got to try archery for the first time and loved that too. . . . Now I am going to have to figure out how to set up a small range in the back yard. . . . I have a small bo around here somewhere. . . .

We finished the day with her trying black power, both a flint lock and a cap rifle. She did good with both.

On the way home she was thrilled to have had the chance to try all the guns out! To top it off, it was great weather for it too!

I thought this was agreat way to introduce new shooters, although I don't know how many were totaly new to the sport, my daughter is not that's for sure. It was also great to see that they had a few of those AR-15's there so folks to try them and see that it is just a gun and not the "EVIL BLACK RIFLE" that the medial loves to play. . . . Good way to win harts and minds.

So, how did you spend International Peace Day?

Email Hack

Ain't that nice. . . Looks like it was a son of a Democrat State Rep that hacked into VP want to be Palin's personal email. More HERE

Now lets see if the media even covers this one. . .

Or maybe the Obama hit squad will fill the phone lines of any media that reports this news they don't like and get the story killed. Hey, we can't have them reporting on FACTS that don't pass the Obama test. . . "Do they make me look good? OK, you can talk about that"

Be scared folks, Censorship is here and it is called OBAMA

Obama and the Banks

did you know that in the short two years or so Sen. Barack Obama is NO. 2 on the Freddy Mac/Fanny Mae political contribution list. . . . .

Just something to think about next time you hear the Dems say it is not their fault. . . .

Obama Is caught in another Lie

Obama is now running a spanish ad that says McCain is Racist. . . .

Excuse me??

Are we talking about the John McCain that is all for open boarders and Amnesty for the illegals that are here now??

Ya, sounds like a racist to me. . . only racists want to allow the illegals to stay here. . . .

I guess Obama is so desperate he will do anything to get power.

And this from the guy that spent 20 YEARS in a racist church that hates white folks and who's priest says "GOD DAMN AMERICA" ya, well at least we can say he is an expert on being racist so he can tell one when he sees one. . . .

Sorry Obama, no way McCain can be called a racist. . .. you loose on this one but nice way to play the race card dude. . .

Stocks up today

Well, after falling 400 points yesterday we are up 400 today. . . so much for AIG making a lasting dent in the stocks.

Not sure how Obama will run with this one but I am sure he will find a down side to the market going up. . .

The market is a mess and will be until after the election. It is Congresses fault and who runs Congress? The Dems. . . And what is their approval rating? 12% or there abouts. . . .

Blame things on the Republicans all you want but the Dems have been running Congress for two years and done nothing. We need to vote EVERY incumbent out of Congress and get some new blood in there that is conservative with OUR money and OUR country. . .

Obama is Desperate!

He is now playing an ad in Virginia claiming that if McCain wins that Roe vs. Wade would be overturned. . . .

IS HE NUTS? Even if McCain was dumb enough to put forward a judge for the Supreme Court that felt Roe v Wade should be overturned that person would never get the OK from Congress. . . they would never make it to the bench.

As they brought up on the radio, if we lived in a fantasy world and it did get overturned by SCOTUS then all that would happen is it would go back to the STATES to decide if they wanted it legal or not. How many states do you really think would outlaw it?

So, why is he lying? He is loosing to McCain, and he is REALLY loosing to him with white women . . . . so all he has left is scare tactics. . . . . I hope these women have the brains to see past these lies and vote for McCain.

The other nice trick Obama is pulling is Ads in SPANISH!!!! And he lies well in Spanish with an ad that tries to link McCain to Rush Limbaugh (who fought against him most of this election. . . ). You can go read about it here. Even some of the media who are on Obama’s side are calling him on this one. . . .

Well, when all you have is hope and change I guess you need to lie to since you have no solid plans to run on . . . ..

Another win for Freedom

Looks like the gun grabbers lost another one.

Give it a quick read and you will see how uneducated they are or they think you are. At the end of the article it talks about Congress telling the locals how to run things in DC. . . I believe that DC is technically run by Congress as it is not a state. . . so Congress has every right to set the laws there.

I also find it interesting that they have no problem when Congress tells all of us we can't have guns, that is OK but if they are saying you can have a gun then they are interfering in local issues. . .

Nice double standard again from the Brady group. . . .

Heller is causing cracks, it is slow but it is happening. They can see that and it is driving them nuts. Heck if this keeps up and Obama looses we may actually have folks thinking they are free or something. . . .

I could survive for 1 minute, 19 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

Yesterday Was Constitution Day!!!

Here is a great post about it from a Las Vegas paper. . . give it a read. . .

News from the Left. . .

So the folks on the left who claim to be better than the Evil Right are now into breaking into computer networks – Hacking – in order to win. . . . Ya, that sounds like something the “Good Guys” would do. . .

They hacked into Palins PERSONAL email and posted them on line. They didn’t find anything criminal but they did it anyway. I guess they are not for personal privacy in the Democrat Party pulling this stuff. It may even break Federal law to do this but they think it is all ok since it is done to keep McCain out of the White House. . . . Can you trust them? Do you want them in control when they feel your privacy is nothing if they decide they want to know what you are doing? And they do this without court order or warrant. . . Isn’t that what they claimed Bush was doing? But no, it is not the right but the left that is doing it. . . . .

And Obama now tells his followers to get into peoples face. He wants them to go out and talk to their neighbors and folks on the street and tell them he will lower taxes and supports gun rights (he has voted for a total handgun ban twice). And if you tell them you don’t think he dose support lower taxes and gun rights he tells his followers to get in your face and tell you he does. He wants them to LIE to you over and over until you get past that ‘Confusion” that he talked about yesterday, and stop listing to the wrong TV and Radio stations and buy into his lies. We will keep lying to you until you believe and vote for Obama like the rest of the cult. . . . And if we do get into power we will pass laws like the Fairness Doctrine to silence any who oppose us. No more TV or Talk Radio that does not the left's censors. . . .

Thanks, but now we know. If they do that now what will they do if they get power? You think the Patriot act was bad (and it was) Obama will take it and run with it. . . . We will have Big Brother watching our every move. . . Orwell was almost right, just got the year wrong. . . 1984 will come to pass in 2009 if Obama and the left get into power.

Just think of where this country will go if the party that supports invasion of YOUR privacy gets to appoint judges to the Federal and Supreme courts. . . . they will have nothing to stop them. . . .