Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.—Thomas Jefferson
Archive for March, 2010
And I quote…
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010Ninth Circuit Court says tasering pregnant women not unconstitutional
Monday, March 29th, 2010The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday ruled that the Seattle Police Department’s use of a Taser on a pregnant woman, three times, to effect her arrest after she was stopped for a traffic violation, was not unconstitutionally excessive force.
A divided panel of the Court of Appeals concluded that Sergeant Steven L. Daman and officers Donald M. Jones and Juan M. Ornelas were entitled to qualified immunity from Malaika Brooks’ claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
In November 2004, Brooks said, she was seven months pregnant when Ornelas stopped her for speeding as she was driving her son to school. The ticket states that she was traveling at 32 miles per hour in a 20 mile per hour school zone.
According to Brooks’ version of events, Ornelas and Jones both asked her to sign a Notice of Infraction, but she refused, insisting that she had not been speeding.
Ornelas then called Daman. When he arrived, he asked Brooks to sign the notice and then instructed the officers to “[b]ook her,” when she again refused.
At this point, Brooks was in her car with the ignition running and her door shut and refused to exit her vehicle. Jones then showed Brooks his Taser, explaining that it would hurt “extremely bad” if applied and demonstrated it for her.
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Gov. calls session to OK health plan suit
Saturday, March 27th, 2010PHOENIX – Gov. Jan Brewer wants a special session on Monday to get clear authority to sue the federal government over the new health-care bill.
Brewer also wants lawmakers to approve a resolution asking Congress to come up with the cash Arizona needs to keep its health-care program running between now and when new federal aid becomes available in 2014.
Cutting back on health-care spending, as Brewer and the Legislature have already agreed to do, stands to lose the state billions of dollars in the new health plan.
The program most immediately threatened in the budget Brewer signed into law earlier this month is KidsCare, providing nearly free health insurance for children of the “working poor,” which will be dropped June 15 to save $18 million.
The federal legislation, however, says any state which reduces its health programs below current levels immediately forfeits the right to future health-care dollars from Washington.
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U.S. Health Care Bill Praised by Fidel Castro – Round About Place
Friday, March 26th, 2010
DALLAS, March 26 /PRNewswire/ — Round About Place reported that Fidel Castro, undisputed dictator of Cuba has come out on state-run media and made some comments about the health care overhaul in the U.S. under the Obama administration. The remarks are shocking democrats and justifying the claims of conservatives concerning the bill that was signed into law on Tuesday by president Obama.
Castro called the passage and signing “a miracle” but then chastised America for taking too long to accomplish what communist Cuba enacted decades ago. He also stated that the new law was a “major victory for the Obama administration” and carried on to say that this empowered the administration to get a hold of lobbyist and “mercenaries.”
“It is really incredible that 234 years after the Declaration of Independence … the government of that country has approved medical attention for the majority of its citizens, something that Cuba was able to do half a century ago,” Castro wrote.
PR Newswire
Fidel tells Obama “Felicidades” on Health Care—Fox News
Fidel Castro Congratulates Obama for Health Care Bill—NewsRealBlog
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The McCain-Lieberman Police State Act
Friday, March 26th, 2010For OpEdNews: Stephen Lendman – Writer
The McCain-Lieberman Police State Act – by Stephen Lendman
If enacted, it will advance what this writer addressed in a December 2007 article titled, “Police State America – A Look Back and Ahead,” covering numerous Bush administration laws, Executive Orders (EOs), National and Homeland Security Presidential Directives, edicts, and various illegal acts targeting designated domestic and foreign adversaries, dissent, civil liberties, human rights, and other democratic freedoms.
Straightaway post-9/11, George Bush signed a secret finding empowering the CIA to “Capture, Kill or Interrogate Al-Qaeda Leaders.” He also authorized establishing a covert global gulag to detain and interrogate them without guidelines on proper treatment.
Other presidential directives ordered abductions, torture and indefinite detentions. In November 2001, Military Order Number 1 empowered the Executive to capture, kidnap or otherwise arrest non-citizens (and later citizens) anywhere in the world for any reason and hold them indefinitely without charge, evidence, due process or judicial fairness protections of law.
The 2006 Military Commissions Act authorized torture and sweeping unconstitutional powers to detain, interrogate and prosecute alleged suspects and collaborators (including US citizens), hold them (without evidence) indefinitely in military prisons, and deny them habeas and other legal protections.
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Who shot Alexander Hamilton?
Friday, March 26th, 2010Concealed Weapons Bill Heads to Governor
Friday, March 26th, 2010Ariz. House gives preliminary approval
PHOENIX – A bill making its way to the Governor could change the way people in Arizona carry guns. As it stands now, if you want to carry a concealed weapon, you have to get a permit.
But the new bill will allow any Arizona resident over 21 to carry a concealed weapon, and they wouldn’t have to take the training classes currently required.
Under this law proposal, the 8-hour training class would be optional—only required if you want to take your concealed weapon to other states.
Victoria Johnson lives in Sun City. She never owned a gun until recently, when she got her concealed weapons permit. She took the 8-hour class required by law, which covered serious legal issues.
She says, “I think that there are things that people need to know, that wouldn’t know if they didn’t take the class.”
Jim Gibbs with Shooter’s World worries that if this law passes, there could be a whole group of people carrying concealed weapons who may not use them responsibly.
Apparently criminals use them more responsibly.
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New Arizona concealed weapon permit law considered
Thursday, March 25th, 2010PHOENIX – The Arizona House on Thursday considers legislation that would make Arizona the third state allowing people to carry concealed weapons without a permit.
The House is expected to amend its version of the bill to match a version poised for a final vote in the Senate.
The legislation would make it legal for any U.S. citizen 21 or older to carry a concealed weapon in Arizona without the permit now required.
Currently, carrying a hidden firearm without a permit is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
If the legislation is enacted, Arizona would join Alaska and Vermont in not requiring permits to carry concealed weapons.
Senate Bill 1108 was passed to the House for consideration. The Senate Fact Sheet says that the bill will:
1. Changes the classification of misconduct involving weapons by removing as a violation subject to a class 1 misdemeanor the carrying or transporting of a concealed deadly weapon without a CCW permit unless:
a) It occurs during the commission or attempted commission of a serious offense, violent offense or any felony offense that is a class 4 or above, in which case it is a class 6 felony.
b) The person, when contacted by a law enforcement officer, fails to answer an inquiry by the law enforcement officer as to whether the person is carrying a concealed deadly weapon, in which case it is a class 3 misdemeanor.
c) The person is under 21 years of age, with specified exceptions, in which case it is a class 3 misdemeanor.
2. Allows a CCW permit holder to enter a public establishment or attend any public event carrying a deadly weapon, except as prohibited by law, unless the establishment is a secured facility.
3. Exempts from misconduct involving weapons violations related to the possession of a deadly weapon on school grounds a person who possesses a certificate of firearms proficiency and who is authorized under the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act to carry a concealed firearm.
KPHO Channel 5 reported many comments favorable toward the measure from their Facebook site. On AZFamily.com, however, pundit bashing ranges from:
Yeah! We can all carry concealed and shoot anyone who scares us!
to:
This proposed law, allowing concealed carry, is a good thing.
US citizens are guaranteed the right to keep and bear arms by our constitution.
Any law that infringes on our constitutional rights, must be erased.Pearce’s proposed law restores the understanding that good citizens, who have not been convicted of a felony, may possess a concealed weapon, for self protection.
Currently only felons intent on doing harm to others, and those who pay for and obtain renewable
permits may carry a concealed weapon.Bravo Mr. Pearce.
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Joe the Plumber comes to Arizona to help defeat Proposition 100
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010PHOENIX — Samuel Wurzelbacher, more commonly known as “Joe the Plumber,” is scheduled to make an appearance at Friday’s “Ax the Tax” rally against Proposition 100, which institutes a temporary sales tax increase across Arizona to fill the budget shortfall.
Wurzelbacher rose to fame after he questioned then-presidential-candidate Barack Obama about tax increases at a campaign rally. Both Obama and McCain referred to Wurzelbacher as “Joe the Plumber” during the presidential debates, thus giving him the nickname.
The Yes on Proposition 100 website is sending out e-mails attacking his appearance and asking the question whether you, “…stand with Joe the Plumber or Arizona Children?” The text of the message reads, “This Friday, ‘Joe the Plumber’ is coming to our state to tell us how we should protect education and public safety in Arizona. Our question is: Do you stand with ‘Joe the Plumber’ from Ohio or Arizona children and the Yes on 100 campaign?” Of course, you only stand with Arizona children if you vote YES to tax them into oblivion. This shows that the YES on 100 website is run by the same Obama tax-and-spend Democrats that attacked Joe the Plumber during the Obama campaign.
Since Joe the Plumber no longer supports John McCain, it shows that he has gained some common sense. I think that he might be worth listening to.
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Arizona lawmakers not waiting for immigration reform from Washington
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010Arizona currently has a House and Senate Bill to address the problem of illegal immigration. One would add an amendment, if voters pass the proposition, and the other would amend the law Title 11, Chapter 7 of the Arizona Revised Statue making cities and town responsible for enforcing the immigration laws.
A House Concurrent Resolution (2004) would require the Secretary of State to submit a proposition to voters to change Article II, Section 35 of the Constitution of Arizona. The change would prevent lawsuits by persons here illegally. The change reads:
A person who is present in this state in violation of any federal immigration law related to improper entry by an alien shall not be awarded punitive damages in any action in any court in this state.
The Senate is considering S.B. 1070 which would require officials and agencies of the state and political subdivisions to fully comply with and assist in enforcement of federal immigration laws. It further establishes criminal trespassing laws by illegal aliens and punishments for hiring workers out of a car.
In part, the bill provides that, “No official or agency of this state or a county, city, town or other political subdivision of this state may adopt a policy that limits or restricts the enforcement of federal immigration laws to less than the full extent permitted by federal law.” It gives anyone the right to bring action in superior court against any official or agency of the State of Arizona or political subdivision who creates laws impeding the enforcement of federal immigration law. This would prevent “sanctuary” cities from springing up across Arizona.
The bill would make it unlawful to hire workers from a car in the street and illegal to enter a car to be hired and transported to a work site.
Under the new law, it would become a class 2 felony to smuggle anyone under the age of eighteen who is not accompanied by a family member over the age of eighteen or if the use of a deadly weapon or “dangerous instrument” is involved in the offense. It becomes a class 3 if the use or threatened use of deadly force is involved.
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Proposition 100 seeks to raise taxes
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010Proposition 100 appears to be on the ballot for the May 18th election (you are cheerfully reminded that early voting begins April 22nd). It seeks a temporary increase in the Arizona sales tax to support various programs in Arizona. A web site has been set up to encourage a Yes vote on this proposition. The web site is replete with videos of people whose paycheck depends on you paying them.
From the site with our augmentation in italics:
Proposition 100 Protects Arizona’s Basic Needs
Remember the teacher you had in elementary school, the one whose memory has stayed with you all this time? She seemed to care a little more than the rest. Those few minutes a day, the personal attention she gave every student, made the difference between really understanding algebra or barely pulling a C.
I do remember. I was taught the Constitution, the Bill of Rights I knew that George Washington was our first president. I learned basic math, science and English (You remember English? It is the language spoken in America.) Of course, teachers were allowed to discipline, then. I guess they hurt my ego. That’s what Spock says. The Arizona Education Network complains, “Arizona per-pupil funding is currently among the lowest in the nation.” Well then, I don’t know…. Why don’t we use the limited funds to teach kids the basics that they need in life. Or better yet, instill in the kids a knowledge of how to find out what they really want to know. Teach the kids how to learn instead of indoctrinating them.
Remember the time you dialed 9-1-1 and the police seemed to arrive on scene right when you hung up the phone?
I respect cops and I know quite a few. Some are really hard working, dedicated people doing their jobs. If this happened to you, you are extremely lucky. Extra taxes do not increase the response time. We could, of course, stop persecuting gun owners who protect themselves. Just a thought.
Remember the co-worker who had to be let go because of the economy? Last you heard, he still hadn’t found work – and his family was relying on AHCCCS to take the kids to the doctor.
Now this is sad and I cannot understand why we would cut medical care to children especially in these hard economic times. Is medical care for our elected representatives being cut, as well? Kids should not be punished because the Federal Reserve has destroyed our economy. Hey, there’s an idea. End the Fed, make Congress do their job outlined in the Constitution and then we can use the billions of dollars that the Fed is squirreling away in off-shore accounts to help our kids health and their education.
Yes, these are stories – but they’re the stories Arizonans live every day. And each of these stories is a reason to support Proposition 100, a temporary increase in Arizona’s sales tax meant to protect education, public safety and health care.
Yes, these certainly are stories. There is no such thing as “temporary increase” in taxes. Any increase in taxes promotes spending by the government that receives them.
The whole problem is that people do not have money because the Federal Government has consistently interfered with Constitutional businesses. They have taxed people since Roosevelt for a system that is now paying out in IOUs. They have instituted Medicare which is a major cause of health care cost increases. Now they created monstrous bureaucracies that eat at the GNP. And now they are on the “brink” of installing the final Communist bureaucracy to totally control health care.
It is not time to raise taxes. It is time to tell government to stop spending our grandchildren into debt.
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And I Quote…
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010Besides, it is a truth confirmed by the unerring experience of ages, that every man, and every body of men, invested with power, are ever disposed to increase it, and to acquire a superiority over every thing that stands in their way.—“Brutus,” Anti-federalist paper of October 18, 1787
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AZ voters get shot at healthcare reform on November ballot
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
PHOENIX — Before the gavel ever sounded in Washington, in Arizona it was already decided: Residents will get their own chance to vote on healthcare reform.
Last year, state lawmakers on a party-line vote passed HCR 2014, or the Arizona Health Care Freedom Act.
It’s just three pages.
But if it’s passed on November’s ballot, it’s enough to undo much of the federal government’s 2,700 page bill and more than a year of work.
“It does two things and two things only,” said Dr. Eric Novack, who helped lawmakers write the act.
Novack, a Phoenix surgeon, said the first thing it does is to give residents the right to spend their money to get the type of healthcare they choose.
And the second: Give them the right not to have healthcare if you don’t want it.
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KidsCare repeal said to jeopardize Ariz. funding
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010PHOENIX — A controversial decision by Arizona lawmakers to eliminate a health insurance program for poor children puts it at risk of losing billions of dollars in federal Medicaid funding under the historic health care bill approved by Congress.
Arizona last week became the first state to eliminate its Children’s Health Insurance Program, removing an estimated 38,000 kids from the rolls starting in June in a budget-cutting move by Gov. Jan Brewer and the Republican-led Legislature.
State officials said Monday the move could have devastating consequences because of the health insurance plan in Washington.
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, told Brewer and House Speaker Kirk Adams in separate letters that eliminating the state’s KidsCare program on June 15 would violate a “maintenance of effort” requirement of the Senate health care overhaul bill approved by Congress.
The state’s Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, now provides coverage to approximately 1.3 million Arizonans.
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Health-care plan to cost state $7B a year unless lawmakers restore cuts
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010PHOENIX – The new federal health-care plan could cost Arizona $7 billion a year if lawmakers here don’t restore the cuts they made to health-care programs, critics say.
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, said the scheduled elimination of KidsCare on June 15 would put the state at odds with a provision in the new federal program requiring states to maintain their programs as they are when President Obama signs the bill.
She said the threat isn’t simply losing the $3 of federal money for each dollar of state funds for the program that provides nearly free care for the children of the working poor.
Sinema said failure to maintain existing programs makes Arizona ineligible for all federal Medicaid funds – about $7 billion a year for the current program, which has the state funding care for everyone up to the federal poverty level of about $18,300 a year for a family of three.
What’s worse, Sinema said, is that, beginning in 2014, the federal legislation requires states to provide health care for anyone earning up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. She said if Arizona has not maintained its current program between now and then, the entire burden of expanded coverage would be on Arizona taxpayers.
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