Veterans Fight to Keep 75-yr. old Mojave Desert Memorial Cross

I am not a religious man. But I do not think that Cross is offensive, especially when it was put on a rock over 70 years ago in memory of the our soldiers. It is a reminder of the men who died for their country and in memory of those men who put it up there.

If this gets ordered pulled down, how are we American's any different then the Taliban who blew up the 100s of years old Budda statues carved into the mountains in Afghanistan?

I am going to try and stay on top of this and if it is ordered pulled down I will make like a tree hugger and handcuff myself to it. We as American's have to stand up for what is right, even if we don't believe in what it stands for. Will you stand with me?

Free AK-47 with new truck

A Butler, Missouri, car dealer named Mark Mueller is giving away an AK-47 with every new truck he sells, and this CNN reporter throws every liberal cliche at him in her interview. Doesn't faze him for an instant! If you're for gun rights, you'll enjoy this video. A few seconds of it appeared on Fox, but the good stuff is here.

Why Am I Wrong?

Why am I wrong for believing that a person must take responsibility for their own actions?
Why am I wrong for believing that a person can not and should not expect someone to save them when they screw up?
Why am I wrong for holding people accountable for their actions?
Why am I wrong for only wanting to help those who are in need out of no true fault of their own?
Why am I wrong for believing that no one has the right to anything that they themselves can not provide for themselves?
Why am I wrong for believing that the only helpless individual is the very young or the very old?
Why am I wrong for being pissed off that people who spent themselves into overwhelming debt are bailed out using my tax dollars while I was responsible and have to watch my house price drop below what it was worth when I bought it 9 years ago?
Why am I wrong for thinking that man or women have the right to keep the money they or their family has made regardless of how they legally made it?
Why am I wrong for believing a person has a right to defend themselves, their loved ones, a stranger, their property, and their pets, at any cost, from being killed or stolen?
Why am I wrong for believing the police should be used to take care of bigger issues and take reports, because the people have prevented the crime?
Why am I wrong for believing that a punk is a punk no matter what color his or her skin is?
Why am I wrong for believing that a person should be judged by their ability and their character?
Why am I wrong for not liking the ACLU when they always seem to be defending criminals?
Why am I wrong for thinking that a person who is not born in America has no right to come here illegally nor has a right to make demands of any kind?
Why am I wrong for believing that it is racist to use racist terms toward a person no matter what color they are?
Why am I wrong for believing the pledge of allegiance should be mandatory for anyone who is a citizen of this country?
Why am I wrong for thinking people have the right to worship whom ever or what ever they want and no right to demand I follow?
Why am I wrong for believing that the individual knows what is best for him/her self better than the government does.
Why am I wrong for thinking that there is no difference between successful crime and unsuccessful crime and that both should be punished the same? Is this another form of rewarding failure?
Why am I wrong for holding the citizens of a country responsible for the actions of its government? Are American’s not held responsible for ours?
Why am I wrong for thinking it is bullshit that another country can demand America do something that they themselves do not even do?
Why am I wrong for thinking it ridiculous that any other country demand anything of the US?
Why am I wrong for believe both the Democrat and Republican Party are both playing us for fools.
Why am I wrong for being a conservative but not liking Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity?
Why am I wrong for believing it is our duty and moral obligation to stand up and defend our country even when the federal government is not willing too?
Why am I wrong for believing in the Constitution?
Why am I wrong for standing during the National Anthem and getting chills every time?
Why am I wrong for loving my country and being willing to die for the freedom it provides?

Ronald Reagan Speech

I would like to think this would have to motivate both Liberals and Conservatives the same. I wonder what Reagan would have done after 9/11 or today?

Sam Dieteman

Congratulations to Sam Dieteman and his lawyers for escaping the death penalty and only getting life in prison. Congratulations in duping 12 people into believing you are sorry for what you did and for getting mercy by doing one noble thing by telling the truth. I hope you life in prison is rape filled and the beatings are a plenty.

Arizona, I was really starting to think things were changing here. We passed some gun laws that put responsibility back in the hands of law abiding people, though it shouldn't have been necessary. We have a sheriff that cracks down on crime and tells liberals to piss off.

We as Arizonans should have been patrolling the neighborhoods these jackasses where terrorizing for 14 months. We should have been armed and ready to fight back. Instead, people hunted a hole and lived in fear. This is the power we allow criminals to have over us.

We must stop the us against them mentality that has formed to drive a wedge between citizens and police. They are not our enemy; they are our protectors. Police also have to know that the law abiding citizens are on their side. So thank the officer the next time he or she gives you a ticket you damn well know you deserve.

A Gator in the Desert: Arizona gun rights victory

A Gator in the Desert: Arizona gun rights victory

Universal Health Care

Email from Dirty Liberal about my Barrack Birth Certificate post - I think you might be right about the distraction part. But here is your next dirty lib challenge. How "universal" is the health care plan? Is it rally socialized medicine or is it just the same type of program offered to our veterans? I am not saying that they do not deserve it, of course they do but this plan is not eliminating private insurance. It is just giving people a choice.

I am glad the Dirty Liberal brought this up. I was debating talking about it on here. Last night I watched Bill Maher and it was all I could do to not break things and vent my spleen on this blog till morning. Bill Maher also brought up the veteran's comment and I find it funny that the Dirty Lib uses the comment today. Either he watched the show too or it is the new rallying cry of the left.

Let me tell you the difference between Universal Health Care and the VA. The VA is set up to take care of the men and women who have put their lives on the line for our country. We, the citizens of the USA, owe it to them to take care of them. These are people who have either been injured in the military or retired from the military.

I have not done research on this and from talking with friends I have heard different things, but as far as I know, I do not qualify for VA medical benefits. I did my 4 years and got out uninjured. I do not feel I should get benefits, but that is another discussion I think.

Comparing a system set up to protect those who are willing to put their country before self and a system to provide anyone, including slackers, health care is rediculous.

As for Universal Health Care, I do not want anything Nationalized. I want government to keep to the mandates stated by the constitution. I did not see health care anywhere in there.

Now if you want to know what I think we should do to make health care cheaper then read William Johnstone's book, "Out of Ashes". A book I bought the dirty lib but he has not read. It would have to be adjusted from the book but that is because you weak ass liberal pusses would never adopt the other things written about in the book.

Barrack's Birth Certificate

I am here to put a rest to the issue of Barrack's Birth Certificate (BC). I have researched the hubbub and found that the Certification of Birth is what Hawaii issues if you request a copy of your birth certificate.

http://hawaii.gov/health/vital-records/vital-records/vital_records.html

I was never very interested in this story until the dirty liberal asked me about what I thought. So I started doing some research and found some weird things ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE. I did not find the above info right away.

The picture of the Certification of Birth (CB) bothered me because it did not look like my BC. This made me wonder what the hell a CB was. I then found sites that claimed a CB was given to just anyone no matter where they were born. One example said that an American who has a baby in another country can then come home and ask for a CB. So I wondered why wouldn't Barrack shows his real BC.

I blame Hawaii and Barrack's mother. Hawaii for changing their documentation filing and going strictly to pc. I blame Barrack's mom for not keeping his original.

I do not know how many of you have your original BC but I do not. When I went to get a drivers license at 16, my mom had to request one from the hospital I was born in. So if Barrack had to do the same thing and all Hawaii gives is a CB, then WHAT ELSE CAN HE DO?

Now here is the real crime. HOW COME I HAVE NOT HEARD MY EXPLANATION ALL OVER THE NEWS? If I can find it they should be able to also. I hear people defending Barrack, but all they say is case closed so and so said it was good. Never did I hear an explanation of what a CB is.

I swear when shit like this happens I have to wonder what they are trying to distract us from. Point out Barrack's BC and hope we forget about Universal Health Care?

The bad thing is, it probably worked.

Delayed and Blogging

I am sitting at Sky Harbor Airport bored; my flight to San Fran has been delayed, so I think I will blog. I have been real busy lately and have slacked on getting to some pretty import things lately. Since I have not had time to fully investigate these items I will put them up and I will let you tell me what is happening.

- White cop arrests Black Professor: If the president can opine on this topic with out all the facts so can I. At first I was a little upset that a man could be arrested from his own home regardless of color, but as more info has come out and other witnesses have stepped forward I think this professor is just a prick who started the fight because HE is a racist. AGAIN I DO NOT KNOW THE FACTS. But I can just picture this professor automatically making this about race and then berating the officer both inside the house and outside. Another officer, who was black and on site, said he would have arrested the man too.

- Reciprocity bill fails to pass in Senate. From what I understand this bill would have allowed concealed carry holders to carry concealed in any state that also allowed concealed carry. This is another bill that would have forced law makers to obey the Constitution. In truth, I do not think this bill would have done much anyway, since I have a list of states that have reciprocity with Arizona and most do. I know James might have a difference of opinion so I look forward to his take.

- Dirty liberal turned Dirty Harry. Went shooting this Sunday with my dirty liberal co-worker/friend and I was very impressed. I should note that we made it out to the desert at 6:45am which was not bad, but an hour later we were sweating into our eyes and had to go. It would have been perfect if we got there at 6am, but I was not waking up at 4am.

For a guy who just started shooting he is an excellent shot, hell for a guy who has been shooting for a long time he is good. He is still at the basic stand and shoot stage of his training, this is only about two months in, but I think he is ready to start moving to the next step which is practicing drawing and firing which we did some of on Sunday. It is always funny to watch someone move to the next step, myself included, because you lose all cockiness you had before. You start to realize that the chances of getting into a shooting match with someone with your gun already drawn, time to breath, and time to aim are minimal. You also start to notice that your great new holster and that having too many safeties sucks.

- John is new to this so none of this is derogatory and I want to use these lessons for other new shooters. It is rare to find a new shooter who is so gung ho. Here is what I learned from watching John.

1. Belt selection is critical. People often think they any belt will work and that is not the truth. I have gone through a lot of belts myself looking for the perfect mix of normal attire, conceal carry, and open carry.

2. Holster: John bought a holster I recommended for him when he only planned on having the gun in the house and to take to the range. You have all seen them, it is a soft ambidextrous holster that fits multiple different pistols and has a snapping strap that goes over the grip.

3. Safety and no round in chamber: John loves his safeties and does not believe in carrying his weapon with a round in the chamber. I am interested in his opinion after yesterdays outing.

Let’s bring these three things together in what we experienced when I had John stand at the line and draw fire with his set up as is. John had a soft thin belt which had a lot of play in it. He also had the soft holster which has a big loop for all different sizes of belts. Together this made for over 6 inches of play easy. Couple this with the holster being tight around the gun and you can picture the motion he had to make to draw the gun. This was humorous because it was practice and would have been tragic if it was real.

After getting the gun out of the holster, John then had to remove the safety, rack a round into the chamber, acquire the target, and then fire. This took 3 – 4 seconds the first couple of times. Add another 1 – 2 seconds for messing with the holster. Comical, but great lessons learned. Keep up the hard work John!!!

What do you consider fundamental rights?

Dirty Lib John got me riled up at lunch the other day when he said he believed that health care is a fundamental right. He said that the life portion of our forefathers belief that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was a thumbs up to universal health care.

I had to pause for a minute to think about what they were talking about. The constitution, the bill of rights, and the declaration of independence are always interpreted differently and usually skewed to the debaters point of view.

So I ask all of you, what do you believe are fundamental rights?

I believe the following:

All men/women have the fundamental right to life. Meaning, we have the right to live and no one else has a right to take another persons life.

Liberty: We all have the right to live free. Meaning that we have the right to live free of bondage, free to do as we please, and free to worship how we want, sleep with who we want, and free to be worthless or purposeful.

Pursuit of happiness: We all have the right to pursue happiness, we are not guaranteed to achieve it.

Ah, I am sure some of you are looking at what I have written and thinking, "I got you, you slipped up now".

Taken how I wrote it you could argue that I am an anarchist. Well I am not, because those above rights are yours but never at the expense of someone else's rights.

You have the right to life, but not at the expense of another persons right to life.

You have the right to liberty but not at the expense of someone else's liberty.

You have the right to pursue happiness but not by taking someone else's happiness.

Confused yet? Me too.

I want to key in on the word YOU. You have the right to do all the above things, but YOU have to do them. You have no right to expect those things to come from someone else. Hell, when you receive those things from someone else you are essentially giving up your liberty. For only a free man/women can provide him/herself with those items.

When you work and then pay for a service with the funds made from said work you are providing for yourself and beholden to no one. If you are given something, with no service performed, then you are beholden to the person giving it to you.

If you can't see where I am going with this, read again and again until you do.

If you still don't get it, I present an example.

Bears in the wild can take care of themselves, but when bears find large camp grounds they move in for the free food. They never wander far and return when ever hungry. They stop working (hunting) for their food and become fat and lazy. Then the rangers come in and lock things down so the bears no longer have easy access to the campers food. WHAT HAPPENS???? The bears die, because they no longer want to hunt and they no longer remember how. Don't take my word for this, but I remember recently hearing that fewer bears are hibernating now because they have access to human food year round.

Socialism doesn't work folks. Things may not be perfect now, but I believe we need to work on fixing the problems within our CAPITALIST system, not change the whole game to what is proven a failure. You want to see failure in socialism in the USA look at California and for failure in universal health care look at Massachusetts.

I really want to hear what you have to say. I can not guarantee the convo will not get heated, but debate is always a good thing and if we keep it respectful it is even productive.

Texas

Currently in Texas!!! Got to love a place that puts a high price on Personal Responsibility. Now I am not saying all of Texas is that way, but I would have to say a good majority. I also love a place that instills pride in being from or living in it.

You never hear anyone say with pride that they are from Arizona. That is mostly because not many are actually native to Arizona. I claim Arizona as where I am from but in truth I moved there when I was 7. I am actually from Illinois, I know, Illinois can you believe that. The newly risen liberal capital of the US.

Back to Texas, I have always said that if things got real bad and Texas ceded from the union I would have to move there. I think I would fit in. Though, I would get bored quickly since I would have few liberal dirtbags to debate with.

On a bright and shiny note: John, aka dirty liberal I work with, has now bought his third gun in less then three months. It should be noted that each gun serves a different purpose. He has been practicing hard and recently took his CCW certification. He is still a dirty liberal but he is now a gun toting dirty liberal. Maybe, as reality seeps in to his Idealistic brain, he might even see that socialism and hand outs are good for only the worthless.

Deep Thoughts from a Shallow Mind

I have been traveling for a couple months and just got home last week. This has made it difficult to blog. I figured I needed to post something but I have not had time to really latch on to any one thing, research it, and post. So I think I will just post about some thoughts I am having.

Personal Responsibility has really become my catch phrase lately and I have found it to be both a guide and a burden. The guide part is obvious, but the burden part is what I would like to elaborate on.

I have had some issues come up lately both in my professional life and my personal life that have caused me to think long and hard about what to do. The answer was always found when I asked myself, "Is this my responsibility or is it not?". For the issues I felt were my responsibility I forced my self to stand up and take the hit. I also reflected on what I could do to not allow that situation to come up again.

By doing this, I have felt more confident in my decisions and less vulnerable to accusations. I also find myself procrastinating less and jumping onto a task right away. Its my responsibility and I need to get it done quickly, properly, and professionally.

So I ask you............Do you ever self reflect, do you have a mantra, or any other way that you use to motivate yourself to be the best you can be?

Firearms Freedom Act Introduced in Florida

Interesting news about what some states are trying to do to limit federal influence on their firearm rights. Florida has some very loose gun laws so its not to surprising that they jumped on with this one. Some of Arizonans laws are close to Florida's so maybe this will catch on here and maybe even more on a national level.

Introduced in the Florida House on July 6, 2009, the “Firearms Freedom Act” (HB-21) seeks to provide “that specified firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition for personal use manufactured in state are not subject to federal law or regulation” in the State of Florida.

The bill is sponsored by Florida State Reps O’Toole and Plakon. They follow in the path of Montana, and Tennessee who have already passed such legislation. And they join with Utah, Texas, South Carolina and others who are considering it in an effort to limit federal regulation of guns, and specifically invoke the 9th and 10th Amendments as restrictions on federal power:

“the regulation of intrastate commerce is vested in the states under the ninth and tenth amendments to the United States Constitution, particularly if not expressly preempted by federal law. Congress has not expressly preempted state regulation of intrastate commerce pertaining to the manufacture on an intrastate basis of firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition”

NRA - Great Organization or Fear Mongers?

I have been a gun owner for a long time. I can not say since it I was legal, because that was my Dad's gun, but I bought me first gun shortly after I joined the Air Force and have upgraded as my finances have allowed.

However, I have never joined the NRA or any other organization. Just recently I accepted a free 1-year membership to the NRA and have been paying close attention to the information they provide. I have also been going to gun shows and spent a lot of time online and in gun stores. The common theme is that Obama is going to take our guns.

Well, it doesn't take a great education to know that Democrats for the most part do not like guns and that we only have to worry about our guns being taken when a Democrat is in office.

BUT, I have not seen anything that shows Obama is actively trying to take my guns. YET!?!?

I just don't know. Obama has said all the right stuff so far, even when in Mexico he said he would not sacrifice American's rights because of the violence in Mexico.

My liberal coworker, who is now a gun owner (welcome to the club), likes to ask me what proof do I have that Obama wants to take my guns and I do not have an answer. I know that from studying Obama's past that he has said he wants gun control and I know he is from Chicago which has horrible gun control laws. But he has not done anything. YET!?!?!

His Attorney General has come out and said he supports reinstating the Assault Weapons Ban (what a joke), but I have not seen any support from the legislative branch, which is Democrat run, so you would think it could pass.

My liberal coworker also brought up a great point in saying that hyping Obama’s liberal mind set and screaming about an upcoming rush to take away our weapons benefits the NRA, gun store owners, and other groups. I couldn’t argue that point.

So, never wanting to agree with a dirty liberal, I posed my questions directly to the NRA. I never thought I would get a reply, but I did. However, the response I got is pretty weak. I have followed their links and they do not tell me much. First, all of the links are to Conservative websites. This in itself is not a bad thing, but it tells me they have an agenda. I hoped to use the information from those sites to cross reference with other sources. Unfortunately, the information I read was speculation and innuendo.

Second, the sites that do talk about actual bills are written by congressmen and it is extremely far fetched they will get real consideration. No where is there a link saying the President supports them.

Now, I am not blind nor am I dumb. I do not trust those in Washington at this moment to protect my 2nd amendment rights. I just do not like people exaggerating, embellishing, and frightening people for their own benefit.

There are plenty of reasons to present to people the need to bear arms and the need for an organization to fight to keep those rights. I can not be a member of an organization that uses fear to drive up membership.

I have attached both my email and the reply. I welcome you all to take a look and help me see what they are seeing. Did I miss something?


My Email:

Hello,

Can you show me anything that actually cites what you have listed in emails about the attorny general and/or Obama. I have tried looking for facts into Obama and his administration attempting to push gun laws and I can not find any. I know Obama and his people hate people who want to defend themselves, they have stated it in the past.

What I am looking for is something that has been stated sense the election. Some speech or quote that says, "We want to take your gun rights away". Even something that has to be read between the line would work. I fear we are using the possibility of our rights being taken away to gain membership and support from the fearful, when in truth, it is us who are making them afraid.

I am not a liberal or someone trying to play games. I want to be able to show proof that they are trying this and must be stopped. I do not want to be a parinoid fear monger.

The Reply:

Dear Steve,

Thank you for contacting NRA-ILA.

What Obama has said -http://www.gunbanobama.com/Default.aspx?NavGuid=6e4eb1bf-3a37-475b-8f00-0da81a24c06d

What Obama has done - http://www.gunbanobama.com/Default.aspx?NavGuid=530ecfa4-ae4e-4819-97e6-892463d99f08

During this session bills like HR 45 and HR 2159 have been introduced.

HR 45 - http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=4329
HR 2159 - http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=4879

AG Eric holder has publically announced he wants to reinstate another "assault weapons ban" http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/NewsReleases.aspx?ID=12245http://www.nraila.org/Issues/Articles/Read.aspx?id=341&issue=010
Obama reconsiders CIFTA treatyhttp://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=4780

I hope you find this information helpful.

Man Stands Up to Criminals Receives a Bullet

Here is a person who stood up to criminals. Unfortunately, he had to bring a protest sign to a shoot out. His government disarmed him and therefore he was easy prey against his enemy who is well armed and cold blooded.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,530985,00.html?test=latestnews


Good people who are unarmed stand no chance against animals with weapons. Arm the people of that town and I am willing to bet that after a short spike in violence and a long clean up of dead bad guy parts the streets become a lot safer.

The News

It is retarded and sad that Michael "shares his bed with kids" Jackson is such big news while we have a Marine who has been captured by the Taliban. That story is relegated to second page news while Michael "who gives a shit" Jackson's Dr's license is investigated.

Give me a friggin break America. Priorities are all messed up. Hell, I want to beat the shit out of us right now.

Independence Day

Yesterday was the Independence Day, the 4th of July. As far as I can remember it is the first time I have been out of the country on Independence Day, though I may have been in Kuwait for one in 1997 but I can not remember when I was actually there. I know it was hot and all the animals either wanted to kill you or them selves. But I digress.

What I really want to talk about is personal Patriotism.

The patriotism we should all embrace. I joined the military out of patriotism. Sadly, when my drill instructor asked my basic training flight why we joined, I was the only one who raised his hand to the question, “who joined to serve their country” The rest raised their hands for “to pay for college” and for “had no other options but to work at McDonalds”. That truly saddened me to think that out of 50 or more people, I was the only one who wanted to serve my country and not doing it out of necessity. I have not lost my patriotic drive and can accurately be accused of loving my country blindly. I used to think the good old US of A was perfect and anyone who said differently was an idiot.

I have changed a lot over the years since 9/11. I have been driven to understand why the US is so hated and have learned that there are some good reasons people might hate America. We get involved everywhere and sometimes meddle where we shouldn’t. We do things half assed sometimes and leave people hanging, i.e. Vietnam, Iraq 1991, Afghanistan in the 80/90s just to name a few. In Vietnam we went to war half assed after the French had already lost a war there. In Iraq we called for the Shiites to stand up against Saddam and we would have their back, but we didn’t. In Afghanistan we supported them against the Russian and when they won, we turned off all support which allowed for Osama and the Taliban to take over. It is important to know that Osama and the Taliban were not in control of government after the communists were kicked out; Ahmad Shah Massoud led his soldiers into Kabul first. We were too focused on the collapse of Russia to realize that leaving this fledgling country to its infighting would leave us with 9/11 and other attacks.

These are just a few examples of America’s mistakes and we can list a whole lot more if we wanted too. For all of America’s mistakes, we still do a lot more good then we do bad. The gist of it is that America is the big dog, the Super Power, the boss. No one likes the boss, but he is the one you turn to when the shit hits the fan and you need help. He is also the one who gets blamed when things go wrong. America gets blamed for interfering in one country and blamed for not interfering in another. Somalia is touted by some as an example of American imperialism in Africa and in the same breath America is blamed for the deaths in Darfur for not intervening. You just can not win. All we, as Americans, can do is hope that our good deeds are truly good and not expect to be rewarded for them. We also need to recognize when our attempts at good fall short.

Our forefathers built this country with the belief that all men are created equal. In their time, that did not include women or men of color. Over time that has changed, all Americans are created equal and free. We should strive to maintain those truths. The world likes to point out that America was built on the destruction of Indians and on the backs of Africans. Those comments are undeniable though the severities of each are arguable. History shows us that no country or society is free of misdeeds, but it is the learning from those misdeeds and striving for a freer more tolerant society that should be our goal.

I love my country and would gladly lay down my life fighting for what it stands for. This should not make me a rarity but just another American amongst 300 million other Americans who feel the same way. You do not have to like everything about your country, just like a family you may not agree with everyone in it, but you stick by family through think and thin. I hope our day of Independence brought you to reflect on why you live in America and if it didn’t then I ask you to ponder why you stay in America or why it would be better to live somewhere else.

If you have lasted this long and finished reading this meandering hodge podge of a post, I ask you to leave a comment on why you are or are not a patriot.

Jackie Mason - I Have a New Love

Please watch this. He makes it seem so simple.

Email From a Friend Who's House Was Broken Into

Yesterday morning, Jen received a phone call from a Phoenix police officer informing her that he and another officer were in our house investigating a possible break-in.
They needed at least one of us to come back to the house because a window had been broken, leaving the house unsecure, and they were unable to leave the house unattended.

(Question #1--What if this situation happens to a homeown er who isn't in town, and happens to have no friends or family nearby that they can call?)

We both came back to the house, and upon arriving surveyed the house quickly to see if there were any noticeable missing items. (As of yet, we can't think of anything that has disappeared.) The officers showed us the point of entry, which was a spare bedroom being used as our computer office. (Geographically, the window is on the north side of the house, next to a laundry room window, whose screen was pried off in their likely first attempt. The front door faces east, to the street.) They had pried off a screen, damaging the framework on the outside. They then used a rock to break through the double paned glass, reached through the hole, and unlocked the window. When the officers arrived, the window had been unlocked and pulled up.

From what the officers could tell, it did not appear as if the intruder actually ever got into the house. In fortune undefined, our next door neighbor to the north made a 911 call, which alerted the officers to the scene. We haven't yet gotten to talk directly to the20neighbors to find out what exactly happened, but it seems likely that they scared the burglar(s) away by sound or proximity. The officer informed us that one of our screens was in the neighbor's yard....which means either the officers saw it there, or the neighbor heard the breaking glass and came out to investigate, or even simply looked out a window. This likely scared them away.

The police dusted and found a print on the window, estimated the damages, and were on their way. There is one funny part of the story, that occurred when the officers were doing the sweep of the house to see if anyone was hiding inside.....while checking the walk-in closet off of the main bedroom, one of the officers was rather startled when a similarly startled cat sprang from it's normal sleeping spot.....they had a good laugh at that. I can only imagine....

It's the possible scenarios that are the most interesting to me......my initial reaction was of relief that Jen wasn't home at the time.....tele-commuting on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they had picked a day in which she wasn't there.....random or not is an entirely new line of possibilities. The officers, however, disagreed...saying that a disturbing trend is for intruders to ring the doorbell as a solicitor, checking to see if someone is at home or if a dog is in the house.

The scenario opened up a few questions for me, and I'm sure there will be more......

#2. If someone is in the house, she does not need to pronounce that she has a weapon, correct?

#3. If she had been home, heard the glass break, and went into the office (standing inside, looking out) with gun in hand to inspect.....finding the intruder still outside standing on a chair as if to come in....is she within her rights to shoot at that point?

#3b. If she had been home, and went around to the back side of the house to inspect from the outside, where is she within her right to shoot?

#4. I seem to remember a story in Texas, who has20different laws on this one, but what rights did the neighbors have at any point in this?

#5. What are the liabilities that we have concerning [our] unsecured weapon in the case of a break-in?

I would first like to say that I am glad that both Matt and Jenn are safe and nothing was stolen from the house. I would like to thank Matt for allowing me to post his story on this blog and allow everyone to read his story and share in answering his questions. I would like to also ask that our law enforcement readers throw their 2 cents into the mix.

Second, I would like to remind everyone that the following answers are my opinion, though educated, they are only opinion and you should look up your own answers or ask a lawyer.

Remember: No matter what anyone says, no matter how the law is written, only the people involved in the altercation know what happened. It will be up to people sitting behind desks to decide whether to try the case or not. If they do, then it is up to 12 people to convict you or find you innocent. I would rather be tried by 12 then carried by 6.

#1. If you are out of town and the police can not contact someone, I can not imagine they are going to watch your house till you get back. I have no clue what would happen. Hopefully, a police officer would be able to tell us.

#2. No one has a responsibility to retreat or offer any kind of warning in the sanctity of their own home. I look at it this way. If you are trained and in control you can give a warning and that is awefully nice. If you are scared shitless and barely able to hold the gun, then do not give away your position and hope the cops show before a confrontation.

#3. It is my understanding that once they have broken into your home, whether or not they are inside, they represent a danger and you are justified in defending yourself. At the point you discribe, I can not imagine anyone not agreeing that you would feel indangered for your life.

#3b. This gets trickier as I am not exactly sure what the law states in this case. Things start to go gray here. For example, you are no longer in your home and therefore could retreat. However, the scenario changes if they become agressive. If you come out and confront them and they run, then you really have no fear of death, if they turn toward you and move forward, you are now in danger of being attacked. (this scenerio is covered in one of my very early posts)

#4. You owe your neighbors lunch, dinner, a bbq, beer, or what every they like. They really saved your property by being aware, vigilant, and proactive. If they had taken it a step forward and investigated the situation, with a firearm perhaps, they would fall under the same rules as 3b. They do not know who these people are, maybe its you and you locked yourself out, or you sent someone to do what ever. They can investigate and confront, if threatened they have every right given to the rest of us to defend themselves.

That man in Texas was a wierd story in that he called the cops, gave them a play by play of the burglary, was told to stay inside, then ran out and confronted the robbers, and shot them. A man after my own heart in the fact that he confronted bad guys, but wierd in how he chose to confront them.

#5. This is something your story put in my head straight away. Oh shit, was the gun stolen? I do not know the actual law, but during my CCW class it was stressed that our weapon is our responsibility even if stolen. I have never heard of a case being tried where a person was charged after their gun was stolen and used in a subsequent crime. This is another question I would like a police officer or lawyer to answer.

Again, these are my personal answers and are no way a representation of law. If you want exact answers look them up or call a lawyer please. Then post the answers on here.

These Guys Need Your Help!!!

Another Example of Police Brutality

Or is it another example of people being stupid?

For one minute I would like for all non-law enforcement people to try, just try, and put your self into their shoes. You have pulled over a person for what ever reason, maybe it’s a bad guy you know about or just some poor bastard late for church. But you have to be on high alert incase it is a bad guy. You always have to be on high alert. For 10 hrs a shift you have to be completely aware of all that is going on around you and then put yourself into the middle of the fight.

Now that you have imagined for just one minute what it must be like to be a cop, put yourself into the police officer's, mentioned below, shoes. You have a guy pulled over and another person comes running out asking questions. Maybe the pastor is wearing a collar or a robe that identifies him as a pastor, but maybe not.

So let’s treat the pastor as a normal guy, which is how a pastor should be treated by anyone in authority.

"Sir, please walk away, this is none of your business." says the officer

"He is one of sheep. It is my job to worry about him." says the pastor

Well if the pastor continues to harangue the officer then it is time force him to go away. If he puts up a fight or runs to get 40 of his friends, well its full on go time.

This is personal responsibility at its height. What possible thing does that pastor have to do with this situation? NONE, nothing what so ever. If it is a grown ass man who is being talked too, ticketed, or arrested then no one, including his parents have nothing to do with the situation.

Want to know what they can do? They can wait patiently and if the worst happens such as arrest, they can go bail the person out of jail.

REMEMBER PEOPLE, it is not the cops job to judge you, it is his or her job to site you for breaking the law. The time to argue whether you did it or not is in court. YOU WILL NEVER WIN AN ARGUEMENT WITH A COP!!! At least an on duty cop.

Your only hope is that if you are polite and respectful that he might show mercy and just give you a warning. Treat a police officer with respect and 9 times out of 10 he will treat you the same way. Act like an asshole and it wont matter what job you have, your ass will either be receiving a ticket, an ass wuppin, or jail. All of which you deserve for being stupid.


Police Taser Pastor 'Helping' Driver in Traffic Stop
Thursday , July 02, 2009

WEBSTER, Texas — Police used a Taser on a pastor and pepper spray to disperse his congregants Wednesday after the pastor allegedly interfered with a traffic stop in the church parking lot.

Congregants say they were in the Iglesia Profetica Peniel church for an early morning prayer when pastor Jose Elias Moran went to assist the stopped driver, a church member, by asking the police what had happened.

An incident report on the Webster police department's Web site said Officer Raymond Berryman tried to calm Moran and arrest him. But police say he pushed the officer, went inside the church and returned with 40 other congregants.

The congregants say Moran fled into the church when the officer grew angry and began to yell, and Moran's family disputes that the pastor touched the officer.

Moran's son Miguel said 30 witnesses saw the officer turn aggressive and repeatedly kick the church door. Several members were hit with pepper spray and children were present, Miguel Moran said.

"They treated him as if he were a drug dealer or murderer, but he is a pastor that tries to help the community," Moran said. "The police always want to be right but they are not."

Moran's wife, Maria, said she tried to help her husband after he was hit with the Taser but police threatened to arrest her.

"My husband has a heart condition and with electrocution who knows what could've happened," Maria Moran said, referring to the Taser's electrical shock.

"A pastor has to tend to his flock," she said. "That is all he was doing."

Speaking from a hospital bed Wednesday night, Moran told The Associated Press he planned to hire an attorney to file charges against the officer. He was being held at the hospital overnight for additional tests.

Police did not immediately return calls seeking comment and more details of the incident. Police Sgt. James Lovel did not specify Moran's status, except to say he was in custody and negotiations for bail were taking place Wednesday night.

Webster is a suburb southeast of Houston.

Harold Fish's Murder Conviction Thrown Out!!!

This is great news for Harold and great news for victims of crazy people.


Retrial ordered in fatal shooting of hiker
by Michael Kiefer - Jun. 30, 2009 03:08 PMThe Arizona Republic

The Arizona Court of Appeals on Tuesday threw out a murder conviction of a hiker who claimed self-defense when he shot a man to death on a hiking trail north of Payson in May 2004.
Harold Fish, 62, was convicted of second-degree murder in June 2006 for shooting Grant Kuenzli, 43, after Kuenzli ran at him waving his arms because Fish had fired a warning shot into the ground to scare away Kuenzli's aggressive dogs. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
But the Court of Appeals sent the case back to Coconino Court Superior Court to be retried because the trial court judge had not given adequate instruction on what constituted self defense.

And the panel of appellate judges scolded Coconino County Superior Court Judge Mark Moran for not answering a jury request to define the word "attack." The panel remarked that the jury may not have understood that someone can commit aggravated assault on another person without actually touching him.

Fish's contention was that Kuenzli's three dogs ran at him and put him in fear for his safety. He fired a shot into the ground in front of the dogs and scared them away. But then Kuenzli ran at him shouting and waving his arms and refused to stop.
The panel also noted that the lower court had "sanitized" evidence of prior incidents in which Kuenzli had become enraged and had frightened people during encounters with the dogs. Many times, in criminal trials, such "prior bad acts" are excluded. But in this case, the appellate judges felt it was relevant, especially since there were no witnesses to the event.
The appeals court also felt that Moran could have allowed the defense to classify dogs as potentially "dangerous instruments," furthering Fish's self-defense claims.
Two weeks after Fish's trial began, the Arizona State Legislature rewrote the state's self-defense statutes to force prosecutors to better disprove self-defense claims. And although the Fish case was a catalyst for the law, it could not be applied retroactively. That change in the law, however, coupled with the strong wording of the ruling may factor into whether the Coconino County Attorney decides to retry the case or whether Fish goes free.