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Jordan Peterson Pulls Out of Politicon 2019, Citing Ongoing Health Concerns – Newsweek

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Canadian psychologist Dr Jordan Peterson has pulled out of the "unconventional political convention" Politicon this year, citing ongoing health concerns.

The controversial University of Toronto professor, who rose to international attention as a result of his stance against gender-neutral pronouns, checked into a rehabilitation facility in New York last month after he started taking the drug Clonazepam.

The 57-year-old father and grandfather was prescribed the strong medicationusually given to epileptics to control seizures and convulsions but also prescribed to control panic attacksafter his wife's cancer diagnosis in April of this year.

She has since made a "miraculous" recovery following numerous operations, surgical complications and months in and out of different hospitals, daughter Mikhaila Peterson said in a video announcing Peterson's admission into the facility, adding he was forced to do so after suffering "horrific" physical withdrawal symptoms from trying to wean himself off the drug.

Clonazepam, often sold under the brand name Klonopin, is highly addictive and those that stop taking it can experience seizures, mood swings, shaking and muscle cramps.

Announcing his withdrawal from the event, which takes place in Nashville, Tennessee, this coming Saturday and Sunday, Peterson said: "Dear Politicon attendees and speakers, unfortunately I will no longer be able to attend this year's event, as I am still recovering from a serious health issue.

"I apologize to those who were expecting to see me, and encourage you to continue your valuable political discourse.

"I'll share more information upon my return, and will continue to rely on my team to keep up my work in the meantime."

Politicon, which bills itself as an "unconventional political convention," will feature a number of high-profile speakers, including Al Franken, the former Democratic Senator who resigned after he was accused of sexual impropriety, but has since re-emerged in public life following a New Yorker profile investigating the allegations against him.

Also due to attend is James Comey, the former FBI director fired by President Donald Trump, but the event will also feature some of the president's staunchest defenders.

These include television pundits Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and Tomi Lahren, in addition to former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Charlie Kirk, a 25-year-old Republican darling who tours the country campaigning for Trump with Turning Point USA, is also expected to speak.

Politicon co-founder Simon Sidi said the event aimed at producing "robust and rousing conversation" from both sides of the aisle.

"In our current political climate, each year gives us so many exciting new people to welcome," he said in a statement promoting the convention.

"Where else can you see someone fired by Donald Trump together with someone who used to be his mouthpiece.

"I can't think of a better city to host this bipartisan political lineup than a blue city in a red state."

Newsweek has contacted Politicon for comment regarding Peterson's withdrawal.

Jordan: End arbitrary detention of women who disobey male guardians or have unsanctioned relationships – Amnesty International

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Jordanian authorities must stop colluding with an abusive male guardianship system to control womens lives and limit their personal freedoms, Amnesty International said in a new report published today.

Imprisoned women, stolen children: policing sex, marriage and pregnancy in Jordan documents how women accused of leaving home without permission or having sex outside marriage risk detention and humiliating virginity tests if male family members complain to the authorities. Women pregnant outside marriage also face forcible separation from their newborn children.

The time has now come to end the detention and ill-treatment of women simply for disobeying their male guardian or transgressing gender norms

The Jordanian government should urgently address these shameful violations that national womens organizations have been battling for decades, starting with the zealous use of detention powers by provincial governors, and the discriminatory male guardianship system that allows adult women to be arrested for leaving home without permission, said Heba Morayef, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Over the past several years, the government has adopted several important reform measures to address gender-based violence, including through the opening of the Dar Amneh shelter for women at risk, but the time has now come to end the detention and ill-treatment of women simply for disobeying their male guardian or transgressing gender norms.

Amnesty International interviewed a total of 121 people in Jordan between June 2018 and October 2019 for the report. The organization also met with 10 governmental officials in February 2019 and shared key research findings with the Prime Minister. The Jordanian governments response, received on 14 October 2019, is provided as an annex to the report.

Provincial governors in Jordan misuse a draconian piece of legislation, the Crime Prevention Law, to administratively detain scores of women at any one time. The Prime Ministers offices response to Amnesty International stated that there are 149 women in administrative detention, and that 1,259 women had been released from administrative detention over the first six months of 2019. They are detained for a number of reasons including being absent from home without their male guardians permission and sex outside marriage (zina).

The Prime Ministers office told Amnesty International that 85 women have so far been administratively detained in 2019 for zina, but denied that women were ever imprisoned for absence, unless they were also suspected of an additional offence.

However, Amnesty Internationals documentation and the work of Jordanian lawyers shows that governors order the detention women for absence, often based solely on the request of the guardian.

In February 2019, Amnesty International visited Juweideh prison, the main womens prison in Jordan, and met 22 women jailed without charge or trial who said they were arrested for absence or accused of zina. Most said they had been imprisoned for months and were waiting for a male family member to bail them out. As recently as September 2019, informed sources confirmed to Amnesty International that at least 30 women remained detained in Juweideh for absence and zina.

Almost all described fleeing abusive environments, or said they ran away after their guardian blocked their choice of marriage partner. According to Jordanian law, women under the age of 30 require the consent of their male guardian (normally their father, brother or uncle) to get married.

*Sawsan told Amnesty International she had been jailed for over a year after her father complained to the authorities that she had run away with a man. In fact, she had run away to escape his abuse.

I was stopped on the street in Amman and the police asked me for my ID. I didnt have it, so they said I had to come to their station, but when I got there they found a warrantfor my arrest because I was absent.Thetwopolice officers there beatme I was taken to thegovernors deputy in [location withheld].He said I would go toJuweidehprisonuntil my father bails me out, she said.

Four women that Amnesty International met in, or after their release from, administrative detention said hospital staff called the police because they were pregnant outside of marriage.

*Ola, in her twenties, explained:

I got pregnant and tried to marry the man. But the marriage wasnt approved because I have no guardian. My parents are dead, and I just have younger sisters, no brothers I went to hospital and gave birth. The hospital asked if I was married and I said no, so then they called the police. Thats how I ended up here.

Two unmarried pregnant women separately said they were being held in administrative detention until they gave birth so the authorities could collect DNA evidence from their baby. This was because the alleged father wanted to exonerate himself from zina accusations.

Ministry of Interior officials told Amnesty International in meetings in February 2019 that governors detain women for absence and zina for their own protection, as their family members may want to kill them. They added that the newly established Dar Amneh shelter would end protective custody.

Civil society organizations have widely credited Dar Amneh for reducing the numbers of women at risk in administrative detention. As of mid-September 2019, the facility had hosted 75 women. However, as noted above, Dar Amneh has not ended the practice of women being detained for absence and zina, many of whom appear to be detained to punish and coerce them to return to their male guardian.

Women are also at risk of being prosecuted for the crime of zina, which carries a prison sentence of 1-3 years. While both men and women may be prosecuted if their spouse complains to the authorities, a woman can also be prosecuted following a complaint by her male guardian. This gives male family members another tool to punish and control women.

*Rana, in her mid-twenties, told Amnesty International that she was arrested and prosecuted for zina after she ran away with a man she loved but wasnt permitted to marry, and her father pursued a case against her.

Unmarried women detained for absence told Amnesty international that they were taken by police to do a virginity test. This is an invasive examination performed under the unscientific belief that it can determine if the woman has had vaginal intercourse and violates the prohibition on torture and other ill-treatment under international law.

*Hanan, aged around 20, told Amnesty International she had fled her abusive home on three occasions with her sister and explained:

Every time we ran away, when we were arrested the police would take us to the hospital and my father would insist that they do the virginity tests on [us]. We agreed to it each time, as we knew we had to show our father that we were virgins. Family Protection [police] made it very clear anyway, if our father asks us to do the test, we have to do it. It is his right.

The use of virginity tests by the police in Jordan reinforces a discriminatory idea that male family members have a right to monitor and control womens sexuality. Such unlawful practices must end in all circumstances

Some women described being ordered to submit to the tests by Family Protection or family members. Even in the absence of obvious forms of coercion, women who are in detention cannot give free consent.

Women who are pregnant outside marriage face the added risk that their child will be forcibly taken into state care. While the Prime Ministers office told Amnesty International that a child is only removed where he or she is assessed to be at-risk, womens rights activists and lawyers told Amnesty International the opposite: that Family Protection take the children of unmarried women to Ministry of Social Development care homes as a matter of institutional practice, in the absence of individualized assessment.

Five women who gave birth while unmarried told Amnesty International that their newborn children had been taken away by police without their consent. A Ministry of Social Development-run kindergarten in Juweideh prison allowing women to keep young children with them excludes illegal babies.

At best, unmarried women can seek to be reunited with their children as a foster parent.

Two migrant domestic workers told researchers they gave birth at home to prevent their child being taken away from them. An NGO told Amnesty International they knew of 20 such cases. Unmarried women struggle to register their childrens birth and gain legal identity for them.

Forcible removal of children from unmarried mothers amounts to torture and must immediately stop

A woman who married an abusive partner, who had raped her, in order to register her children said she did so on the advice of an NGO, given her lack of other options.

*Amy told Amnesty International: I didnt want to marry [my husband] but I was advised to do so. I am worried one day he will beat me to death. But I have no choice, I must stay with him. The lawyer said I had to marry him so I can register the [children].

Heba Morayef said: Sadly, we have documented several cases of unmarried women who became pregnant as a result of rape, who were then imprisoned, forcibly separated from their child or denied birth registration.

Forcible removal of children from unmarried mothers amounts to torture and must immediately stop. Instead of actively contributing to the stigma attached to children born outside of marriage, the authorities must work to eliminate it and help unmarried women who want to bring up their children.

Amnesty International is calling on the Jordanian authorities to double-down on their efforts to protect womens rights, in collaboration with civil society organizations.

The opening of Dar Amneh is a positive step that appears to have resulted in less women being detained in so-called protective custody and shows political will to protect womens rights

The opening of Dar Amneh is a positive step that appears to have resulted in less women being detained in so-called protective custody and shows political will to protect womens rights. What is needed now is a comprehensive review of laws and policies to ensure women are trusted to make free decisions about their sexual and reproductive lives; rather than being criminalized, punished and marginalized, said Heba Morayef

* Real name withheld to protect her identity

Jordan: End arbitrary detention of women who disobey male guardians or have unsanctioned relationships - Amnesty International

Kyle Costa’s Linguistic Journey to Jordan and Lebanon The Heights – The Heights

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Theres often a certain look to the typical American college studentmaybe theyre sitting at a dining hall table, papers strewn about in front of an open laptop, coffee in hand. As you walk across any university campus, youll see thousands of these archetypes.

But there are some students, like Boston College senior Kyle Costa, MCAS 20, who have an entirely different world of experience beyond this stereotypical university student profile. While most BC students were walking to Gasson for their first class, Costa was speaking Arabic with Syrian refugees. As they meandered into the dining halls, Costa was spending the night in a Bedouin camp in Jordan. As some students listened to a political science lecture about Middle Eastern conflict, Costa was approaching the Israel-Palestine border and crossing over into the West Bank.

A political science and Islamic civilization and societies major from Cincinnati, Ohio, Costa started his Arabic journey during his freshman year. He had learned the Arabic alphabet the previous summer, which inspired him to take courses in the language upon his arrival at BC. Unlike romance languages like Spanish, French, and Italian, which are often studied in high school, Costas Arabic class was mostly a group of beginner, non-native speakersthis made it much easier for Costa to get his footing.

After going through the elementary and intermediate levels offered at BC, Costa decided he needed more of a challenge. He applied to study the Arabic language through the Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies (CAMES), a leading interdisciplinary learning center at the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon, where he spent the summer following his sophomore year.

Costa was drawn to this particular program both because of its reputation and his desire to put his Arabic skills to useCAMES provides interdisciplinary learning in Middle Eastern studies and the Islamic world, along with Arabic language study. Here, Costa spent time further developing his language skills beyond the classroom and immersing himself in a society of Arabic speakers.

Following a successful summer in Lebanon, Costa took an Arabic seminar at BC, and then planned to spend his junior spring semester abroad in Aman, Jordan, for more Arabic language study. He chose Jordan because he wanted to maintain consistency with the dialect he had begun developing while at AUB the previous summer. The logistics, however, were far from convenientBC itself offers a fairly small amount of abroad programs to the Middle East due to potential safety concerns, and the selective nature of majors that specifically relate to the region.

Lebanon is considered a level three [travel safety alert] from the State Department, which means its more dangerous, he said. But a lot of that is pretty political I think, its a really safe country. It has a lot of issues but its an amazing place to be abroad.

For Costa, this meant finding a previously unapproved external program, petitioning for the University to allow him to go, and starting his planning process months in advance (since then, Costa has added a new external program to the list of abroad destinations for BC students, should any future students want to travel to Aman to further their study of the Arabic language).

Kathleen Bailey, associate director of the Islamic civilization and societies department and Costas senior thesis adviser and mentor, said that she would never forget her meeting with Costa before he began his travels.

He was so surprised when I said we have all these options, and every time I mentioned a different program, his eyes opened wider, she said. I think he realized he could apply for these things because hes qualified, and he got a little bit more confident. I feel like I created a Frankenstein monster, because after that he just applied for everything.

This past summer, Costa decided to return to Lebanon, yet again, for language study. He headed back, this time to practice his Arabic in a teaching role. Working with a non-governmental organization in a school called Al-Jusoor, Costa helped provide educational services to prepare Syrian refugee children living in Lebanon for the Lebanese school systems.

Though an overwhelmingly interesting volunteer opportunity, Costa noted the difficulties of witnessing aspects of the refugee crisis first-hand.

Were not using emergency education strategies in these schools anymore, he said. Its literally crisis strategies, because there are so many kids who dont have access to education anymore, and they dont have those resources available to them.

With this humanitarian crisis in mind, Costa was required to take on a strict instructor-style position while working at Al-Jusoor. Having participated in BCs Appalachia Volunteers program freshman and sophomore yearwhich emphasized emotional connection to the community at handthis mindset required a bit of a mental switch. He explained that, although meaningful relationships can always occur as an instructor, the goal was to reserve his feelings as much as possible to provide a sense of stability for his students.

You try and keep it as professional as you can, because it is only a three- or four-week program, so you try to keep the attachment at a minimum, Costa said. Just because you dont want these kids to feel like, This person is coming into my life, and then you leave.

Having immersed himself in two different Middle Eastern nations, Costa has unavoidably acquainted himself with some of the regions biggest challenges. Whether that be language and dialect changes between each nation or variations in cultural traditions, there is much to be said about the outside perspective of the Middle East and the refugee crisis. In many cases, these nations are largely generalized and lumped together as sharing one overarching culture and painted as one violent zone of conflict, he said.

My experiences in both countries were really different, and I think thats another stereotype that people have, is that they lump all the countries in the Middle East together, and assume theyre all kind of the same, he said. But theyre so different. So many different ethnic and religious groups.

From Costas experience, Lebanon seemed to be comparatively more culturally liberal and Jordan more culturally conservative, even in small details like alcohol consumption and pricing. In addition to these social differences, Costa found a new social world attending school with a primarily Muslim campus on the other side of the world at AUB.

I guess now its pretty common for men and women to kind of hang out together on [AUBs] campus, but before the young men would stand over here, he said, gesturing to his left side, and the women would stand over here.

Even linguistically, Jordan and Lebanon differ in terms of phrases and accents as well. Although boths dialects fall under the Levantine Arabicthe main dialect of Arabic spoken near the Levantine Seas eastern coast, which includes regions of Jordan and Lebanonit was still difficult to adjust initially.

While BC teaches written, formal Arabic, native speakers rely on colloquial speech to communicate. Costa affirms that the formal Arabic taught at BC is still hugely important, as prospective Arabic speakers do still need to learn to read, but these forms are not generally used in verbal conversation.

In spite of all these differences, internal or external, Costa fondly recollects that travel has helped him understand cultural differences. His journeys abroad have also helped him realize that, regardless of these cultural divides, people have a shared humanity that makes them more or less no different than the people he knows from home.

I think that the more you travel the more you realize that people everywhere are pretty much the same, Costa said. Outside of, you know, basic cultural differences, most people care about family, people care about food, especially in Middle Eastern culture.

Not only does Costa see faces of humanity where outsiders might see political unrest, but he also finds trust where others might find suspicion. In fact, Costa felt that developing self-reliance, particularly in an area of the world that so many people view with mistrust, was one of the most influential aspects of time abroad.

I feel like a big thing that I took away from my abroad experience, was realizing that I can travel from Jordan to Israel, and maybe no one along the way will speak English, but I can make it happen and I can follow through the steps and I can do what I want to do.

Despite how dangerous this type of travel might seem, he finds that trust in others is the biggest factor. Particularly from the perspective of students who have traveled somewhere assuredly safe and with a large group of people, or who have never traveled at all, the idea of relying on others and forgoing the advantage of language familiarity is daunting.

So much of that is just trusting people too, Costa said. No matter where you go, whether thats England, France, or wherever, having faith in the people around you is huge. You cant travel and not rely on the people around you.

Original post:

Kyle Costa's Linguistic Journey to Jordan and Lebanon The Heights - The Heights

Where To Buy The Air Jordan 10 Seattle – Sneaker News

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Often looking back on its archives for inspiration and with good reason Beaverton further dives into the history of the Jumpman line-up, bringing back the Air Jordan 10 Seattle after an almost 25 year hiatus. Bearing a similar color execution as the Orlando-inspired creation, the latest is more a neutral offering accented by standout tones. Bases of white tumbled leather add contrast within the lines of two opposing hits of black. Eye stays and midsoles, which take on this tone, standout despite a similar material execution with same-colored webbing and branded embroidery sticking close to this mostly colorless design. The statement green, despite its mostly sparing usage, fully pays homage to the Seahawks with its lining and parts of the tread bearing that ever-recognizable green tone. Grab a detailed look at the pair here and find it hitting the select retailers below as well as Nike.com on October 19th.

Air Jordan 10 SeattleRelease Date: October 19th, 2019$190Color: White/Black-Pine Green-AmarilloStyle Code: 310805-137Style Code: 310806-137 (Kids)

Make sure to follow @kicksfinder for live tweets during the release date.

Where To Buy

Where To Buy (Grade School)

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Where To Buy The Air Jordan 10 Seattle - Sneaker News

Watch: Former Seattle Seahawk, Oregon Duck Dion Jordan working toward return to the NFL – OregonLive

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Former Seattle Seahawks defensive end and Oregon Ducks star Dion Jordan is working hard for what he hope will be another chance to play in the NFL.

The former Oregon Ducks star, currently serving a 10-game suspension for taking Adderall, could be reinstated in a few weeks, according to a report. In the meantime, Jordan is working out and looking very fit. Watch.

Jordan, 29, was suspended in May for violating of the NFLs policy on performance-enhancing drugs and an arbitrator denied Jordans appeal of the suspension.

Jordan, who played for the Seattle Seahawks during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, had previously been approved by the NFL to take Adderall to treat ADHD, but his therapeutic use exemption expired. Jordan told nfl.com that he took the drug to help combat a number of difficult issues that had surfaced in his personal life.

Jordan has had problems with drugs in the past. The No. 3 pick of the 2013 NFL draft was suspended twice in 2014, resulting in him missing six games. Jordan was suspended for the entire 2015 season for multiple violations of the leagues drug policy. Jordan was reinstated by the league in 2016 after serving the one-year suspension, but knee issues prevented him from playing a down in 2016.

-- Geoffrey C. Arnold | @geoffreyCarnold

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Watch: Former Seattle Seahawk, Oregon Duck Dion Jordan working toward return to the NFL - OregonLive

Rep. Jim Jordan is among those who should be held accountable for the abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss – cleveland.com

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Regarding the Oct. 18 column from 78 survivors of abuse by the late Dr. Richard Strauss at Ohio State University, I agree with their demand for accountability.

In pursuing the case, let us not forget U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, who, while on the universitys wrestling staff, dismissed allegations because they were heard in a locker room. This self-righteous and finger-pointing member of Congress should be judged by the same standards as any other complicit individual. He should be removed from his seat as others have been removed for much less. He was trusted to take care of kids and he failed. Get rid of him and make him accountable as a citizen. We certainly need to do better in this state.

Mary Ann Jelenic,

Bay Village

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Rep. Jim Jordan is among those who should be held accountable for the abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss - cleveland.com

Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris on the new position, and new attitude, that have fueled his comeback – MLSsoccer.com

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

TUKWILA, Wash. Before his 2018 season even started, Jordan Morris was dealt the biggest setback of his career.

The Seattle Sounders Homegrown attacker and 2016 MLS Rookie of the Year was nearing the end of his first game of the year a Concacaf Champions League match in El Salvador when he went down late in the second half with what turned out to be a torn ACL. That injury kept him out for the entire 2018 MLS campaign.

Coming on the heels of a disappointing and injury-plagued 2017, whether or not Morris would be able to regain the form that had seenhim hailed as one of the most highly-touted prospects in US Soccer was an open question.

With a clean bill of health in 2019, Morris has answered that question emphatically. He started 24 games for Seattle this regular season, logging 10 goals and seven assists. But the best was yet to come.

On Saturday, he struck a memorablehat trick,including the game-winning goal that sentthe Sounders to a 4-3 victory over FC Dallas in Round One of the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs.

And on Tuesday, it was announced that Morris had won the 2019 MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award.

You have those dreams when youre coming back and youre visualizing this kind of stuff, Morris told reporters after Sounders training on Monday. You always have those doubts, you never know what the knee is going to feel like or if youre going to come back being the same player. Obviously, those doubts happen everyone once in awhile, so to be where I am now, I was looking back talking to my family and my girlfriend about where we were a year ago and to be here now is obviously super special.

In addition to simply being healthy, Morris said an increased comfort level with his role at both the club and international level has helped fuel his comeback campaign.

After coming up as a pure striker, both the Sounders and US men's national team have deployed Morris out on the wing full time since his return to action. Out wide, hes used the blinding speed that remains his biggest asset to not only free himself up for looks on goal, but also set up teammates.

After previously resisting the change, Morris says hes grown to embrace it and now enjoys the multi-faceted nature of his new role.

When I was playing [on the wing] in the past it was kind of like an obligation and I would have rather been up front, Morris said. But now I see that as my position and moving forward and its where I want to play. I definitely see myself as a winger now and Im enjoying it.

I think Im playing with a confidence and a new energy, kind of a new fire this year, he added. I think last year, sitting out for a year, I told myself I was going to have a new fire and new energy and appreciation for the game coming back, and I definitely have that.

The Sounders took a gamble by signing Morris to a lucrative contract extension in the offseason after the ACL injury, betting that he would be able to recapture his old form and help lead the team on another MLS Cup run.

So far, it seems to be paying off. Morris said the overall body of the work that hes achieved since signing with Seattle which includes a Rookie of the Year Award, an MLS Cup title and now the Comeback Player of the Year is evidence that he made the right decision when he chose to join his hometown club over opportunities he had to play overseas.

I have no regrets at all, Morris said, Players are different and I feel like Im continuing to progress here and get better here. Different players choose different paths and need different things and for right now, I definitely have no regrets and Im really happy to be here. I love playing for my hometown team and fighting for championships here and winning it in 2016.

No regrets at all, just super happy to be here."

Originally posted here:

Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris on the new position, and new attitude, that have fueled his comeback - MLSsoccer.com

Second round of tests deems South Jordan’s water supply safe to use and drink – Salt Lake Tribune

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

After drawing samples from more than 20 sites and inspecting them for more than 30 different elements, including contamination by chromium-6, a metallic element that in excessive amounts can cause skin burns and more serious diseases, the city has determined its supply is not the cause of the skin problems some residents have complained about in recent days.

We feel good about eliminating our water system as a source for these health concerns residents are experiencing, said Raymond Garrison, associate public works director for South Jordan City, in a video update posted to the citys website Wednesday afternoon.

That means the water is "safe to drink and safe to use, said Rachael Van Cleave, a spokeswoman with the southwest Salt Lake County city.

The water inspections began after several residents two of them in Daybreak, one just outside and one in another area of the city filed formal complaints to the city, while others raised concerns and questions on Facebook.

One of the Daybreak residents tested the water with a consumer test strip on Sunday and saw results indicating the presence of chromium-6. That resident also said family members had experienced skin irritation.

An initial test of the water gave early signs the water wasnt contaminated, but Van Cleave said the city wanted to make sure we left no stone unturned with our testing.

The city initially reported an estimated cost for the tests at $6,000, but with rush fees and when all testing was completed, the cost ended up being more than $11,000, according to a news release from the city.

The city has invited the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District to do its own independent testing, which Van Cleave told The Salt Lake Tribune is expected to be completed sometime Thursday.

The water in nearby Sandy was contaminated early this year after a fluoridation pump malfunctioned because of a power outage at one of the citys wells. The response to that incident was much slower, with several residents expressing frustration that they were allowed to drink possibly tainted water for a week before they heard about problems with the water supply.

South Jordans water testing has ruled out the possibility of over-fluoridation and also tested for chlorine, full metals and other chemicals.

While the source of residents skin irritation remains unclear, the city is encouraging anyone experiencing symptoms to fill out a survey providing more information. The city plans to share those details with the Salt Lake County Health Department, which will be looking for trends or anything they can pinpoint thats going on, Van Cleave said in the video.

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Second round of tests deems South Jordan's water supply safe to use and drink - Salt Lake Tribune

Chatting With The Speakers Of The 2nd Amendment Rally – AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

2nd Amendment Rally

Washington D.C. -(Ammoland.com)- On November 2nd at 1:00 PM, gun owners will descend on the lawn of the U.S. for the 2nd Amendment rally.

Gun rights advocates and gun celebrities will take the stage for speeches on the importance of the Second Amendment. This gathering isn't a protest. It is a chance for like-minded people to come together for fellowship and a chance to show those holding political office that gun owners do care about fighting against bad gun laws. We will get active in the political realm.

No one gun rights organization is putting on the one of a kind rally that is taking place on the Capitol lawn. It is an authentic grassroots movement, and people from all over the country are coming to take part in it. AmmoLand will be on-site, covering the speakers and events.

Maj Toure is taking a break from his campaign for Philadelphia City Council to talk about the importance of gun rights. Toure has a gift for electrifying crowds with his pointed improvised speeches. In Richmond, over the summer, Toure's Bacon's Rebellion speech inspired the group like no other speaker I have ever seen before.

Other speakers include Erich Pratt of Gun Owners of America. He will be speaking on the attack on the Second Amendment, and what gun owners can do to protect their rights. Pratt is the Executive Vice President of GOA and a lifelong gun-rights advocate.

YouTube stars will be speaking and meeting other gun owners. Eric Blandford of the YouTube channel Iraqveteran8888 will be giving a speech on why he sees the Second Amendment as critical for Americans. He will tell the crowd of his love for the country and why he paid his own way to speak at the rally.

The former Police officer and head of the D.C. Project Dianna Muller will also be up on stage speaking. Muller made waves when she told Congress in no uncertain terms that she will not comply with any unconstitutional laws dealing with modern sporting rifles. In the days since her testimony, her words of I will not comply became a rallying cry for gun rights activists around the country.

Another speaker will be Kevin Dixie of N.O.C. Firearms training. He will bring his unique perspective on gun ownership and the rights of gun owners. Kevin will not throw out talking points. His insight is unique to him.

That point is what I believe this rally will show. We all have different perspectives, and as Americans, we are born with the right to have those views. Without the Second Amendment, we can't safeguard our other rights.

We might not agree on everything. For transparency, I disagree with some of the speakers on issues like background checks and obeying laws I think violates my rights, but that is a part of being in a big tent group. You don't have to agree with everyone.

I had a chance to hold two live streams with some of the speakers of the rally. In the first stream Rob Pincus, Eric Blandford, Dianna Muller, and Maj Toure joined me. I hosted Jeff Knox, Cheryl Todd, Riley Bowman, and Chris Cheng on the second live stream. I was able to dig into the reasons for the rally and get my questions answered.

About John Crump

John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%'ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at http://www.crumpy.com.

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Chatting With The Speakers Of The 2nd Amendment Rally - AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

Go Plinking. The Second Amendment Depends On It. – Shooting Illustrated

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Photo courtesy of Ruger.

When was the last time you went plinking? You know, shooting for fun in the woods, on the farm or at a range, probably with a .22 LR? Its what got most of us started in shooting and led to a lifetime of enjoyment with firearms. I started shooting with a friends Remington Nylon 66 in Apache Black and chrome, a .22 LR rifle I still lust after. Not long afterward, I was introduced to wing shooting with a .410-Bore shotgun and soon had my own .22 LR rifle, a Winchester 69A bolt-action.

Although you can shoot paper targets, its more fun to shoot other targets when plinking, especially if the target moves or breaks. Way back when, city dumps were left uncovered and afforded an amazing variety of targets for a dedicated plinker. Tin cans, glass bottles and the occasional rat could be hunted and shot in the dump. These days, dumps are covered, shooting isnt allowed and we dont approve of shooting glass anywhere. However, aluminum cans, plastic water bottles and similar objects can be set out and used as targets. Clay birds make good targets, because they break and are biodegradable. Should you wish to spend a little money, there are a huge variety of small-bore steel targets, as well as plastic and rubber targets that can withstand a lot of hits.

Plinking is a terrific family activity and can be used as an opportunity to teach firearms safety, gun handling and marksmanship. Once the basics are mastered, a variety of targets and informal competition can be used to maintain interest and keep everyone entertained. Shooting is fun, and a family plinking session should always be structured as a fun and enjoyable activity. Theres a lot of personal responsibility involved in handling firearms safely, followed by cleaning up and leaving no trash after the shooting session.

I encourage you to introduce some folks to shooting by taking them plinking. Taking a young boy or girl shooting is a fun and rewarding experience for everyone involved, but dont forget to include adults, too. You probably know some people who have never been introduced to shooting and would appreciate an invitation. One of the best things we can do to preserve our sport and strengthen the Second Amendment is getting more people involved in shooting, and plinking is a terrific way to do it.

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Go Plinking. The Second Amendment Depends On It. - Shooting Illustrated

Why Don’t People and Vogue Celebrate the Second Amendment? – AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Why Don't People and Vogue Celebrate the Second Amendment? iStock-1145895496

United States/United Kingdom -(AmmoLand.com)-When we talk about the need for the NRA to get involved in cultural engagement in order to establish a pro-Second Amendment culture, some might question the need. After all, Hollywoods bias is well known, its arguably baked into the planning many Second Amendment supporters have. But this will matter a lot even if correction, especially if the Supreme Court case on New York City gun regulations ends up with a favorable ruling.

Why? Think of it this way: In America, while the Constitution protects our God-given rights, the people still rule. The First Amendment not only protects the right of Second Amendment supporters to defend our freedoms, it also protects the right of anti-Second Amendment extremists to encourage the American people to throw out pro-Second Amendment elected officials and replace them with anti-Second Amendment extremists. And we need not kid ourselves: Anti-Second Amendment extremists have been running an incredibly effective long game against our right to keep and bear arms, one that is a full-spectrum fight that includes wielding pop culture against us.

One way is through those magazines you often see in the supermarket, either in the checkout aisle, or where others are stored. Two that blatantly snubbed women who support the Second Amendment in issues celebrating women who made a difference are People and the British edition of Vogue, the latter guest-edited by Meghan Markle.

But in those two magazines, we saw three anti-Second Amendment presidential candidates, a prime minister who inflicted an injustice on thousands of people in her country (when people are wrongly punished via having their legally-owned property confiscated over a shooting they did not carry out, an injustice has taken place), and a major media mogul who supported the extreme anti-Second Amendment group March 4 Our Lives. Excluded? Women who support our right to keep and bear arms.

No talk of Dana Loesch, who has defended the Second Amendment despite becoming a target for vicious slurs and worse. What about Suzanna Gratia Hupp, who turned into an activist for our rights after her parents died in a mass shooting? There are countless other women who gave stood for the Second Amendment and have a great deal of accomplishment to their names, including former NRA President Marion Hammer, former NRA-ILA Executive Director Tanya Metaksa, and even NRA board members like Susan Howard or Sandra Froman (another former NRA President). People and Vogue dont even mention them.

You may wonder why we should care about a magazine from the supermarket checkout aisle, or a publication devoted to fashion. Well, when they are leveraged to attack our rights, we need to care. Worse, these magazines have wide circulation. Between its English and Spanish versions, People reaches almost four million people a week. The American edition of Vogue reaches about 1.2 million. American Rifleman comes in at 1.85 million, or less than half that of People. Vogue has a larger circulation than either American Hunter (929,000) or Americas First Freedom (roughly 630,000).

People, incidentally, will also get mentioned in other news outlets and it sits in the waiting rooms of doctors offices so the four million figure is probably low. Vogue also will crop up in those waiting rooms. American Rifleman? Not so much these days.

Finally, who reads those magazines? Well, much of that readership comes from the suburbs. One admitted success that anti-Second Amendment extremists like Michael Bloomberg have achieved is that they are doing well among suburban women the proverbial soccer moms precisely because they have them so scared of their kids school being the location of the next mass shooting that they dont consider the facts.

Plus, look at who often turns up as the subjects of those magazines Hollywoods A-list. Say what you will, but the writers are good storytellers, and while the actors and actresses are often against our rights, we should not dismiss their ability to help along a narrative that makes Second Amendment supporters resisting the injustices like those that Beto ORourke wishes to inflict on us as the villains.

People and Vogue will be two of the venues used to spread that narrative. The NRA and other pro-Second Amendment groups are going to need to adjust to this new type of threat, and that will require changes. It will be very important for Second Amendment supporters to be mindful of how their approach in defense of our freedoms comes across, and to use the right techniques to convince our fellow Americans that the narrative that anti-Second Amendment extremists are presenting is phonier than a red carpet smile, instead of reinforcing the phony narrative.

About Harold Hutchison

Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.

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Why Don't People and Vogue Celebrate the Second Amendment? - AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

Former NC Justice Orr to speak on 2nd Amendment – BlueRidgeNow.com

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Staff Reports

MondayOct21,2019at2:26PM

The Second Amendment contains some of the Constitutions most debated language, creating a cultural and political divide in this country: 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.

Hendersonville native and legal expert Robert Orr will present a history of the 2nd Amendment on Nov. 9, 1 p.m. in the Kaplan Auditorium at the Henderson County Library.

Orr will address important court decisions interpreting and applying the Amendment as well as some of the broader issues of firearms regulation and gun violence that have sparked a divisive debate among pro-gun advocates and gun safety groups.

Orr was licensed as an attorney in North Carolina in 1975 and practiced law in Asheville for eleven years prior to serving on the N.C. Court of Appeals and as an Associate Justice on the N.C. Supreme Court. He won four statewide elections over the course of his judicial career, retiring in 2004.

Since then, Orr has served as the founding Executive Director of the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law; taught as an adjunct professor at UNC School of Law; and since 2010 has returned to the private practice of law. Orr currently divides his time between Raleigh and his mountain home in Yancey County. Hes married with four grown children and four grandchildren.

A short question and answer session will follow Orrs talk.

The event is sponsored by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America - Hendersonville Group, which describes itself as a nonpartisan organization that supports the 2nd Amendment, but believes common-sense firearm safety legislation can help decrease gun violence.

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Former NC Justice Orr to speak on 2nd Amendment - BlueRidgeNow.com

Opinion: What the gun lobby gets wrong about the Second Amendment – Middletown Press

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

By Vikram D. Amar and Alan E. Brownstein

This artwork refers to the political conversations about guns.

Photo: Donna Grethen / Tribune Content Agency

This artwork refers to the political conversations about guns.

Opinion: What the gun lobby gets wrong about the Second Amendment

The Supreme Court will hear a gun control case in December that could significantly limit the ability of state and local governments to regulate guns for public safety reasons.

The case involves a New York City regulation on transporting handguns that was repealed in July. Although that original rule is no longer in effect, for now the court has not determined the matter to be moot, so the case will move forward.

In this dispute and others, opposition to gun regulations is often grounded on the premise that once an individual interest is identified as a fundamental right, that interest prevails over all countervailing public concerns.

That premise is profoundly mistaken. And, importantly, it is inconsistent with the way that constitutional doctrine has developed with other fundamental rights, such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Second Amendment rights should be treated no more favorably, despite the political rhetoric of gun rights supporters who claim that any firearm regulation is an unconstitutional infringement on their rights.

Of course, a constitutional right does carry with it a strong presumption against government interference with that particular activity, even though the exercise of the right involves a societal cost. We protect freedom of religion, for example, even though we know that some religious practices like pulling children out of school after the eighth grade might be considered problematic or harmful.

But there is a critical difference between assigning a high value to a constitutional right when balancing it against social concerns, and arguing that the right necessarily overrides the publics ability to regulate that activity in ways that may be needed to protect the community.

The doctrine surrounding freedom of speech is instructive. No one doubts that speech rights are taken seriously in America. Yet the right to free speech is not absolute and can be regulated in numerous circumstances. Courts subject government regulations that affect speech to different standards of review that balance the publics interest against the individuals liberty. Among factors considered are the kind of speech involved and the location and manner of the restriction.

For example, a ban on rallies on public streets in residential neighborhoods after 9 p.m. would likely be upheld even though it burdens speech, so long as the law did not discriminate based on the message rally speakers expressed.

So too with protections for personal privacy under the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. That amendment doesnt bar all searches and seizures, but instead requires that such intrusions be reasonable, a concept that inherently involves some kind of balancing of interests. Hence, we all must endure airport security screening searches because they are a reasonable means to protect air travel safety.

The individual right to bear arms for self-defense, as announced by the Supreme Court in 2008, is likewise not unlimited. Even though the court in that case struck down a flat ban on possession of handguns that might be used for self-defense in peoples homes, it observed that states could for historical and public-policy safety reasons prohibit people with felony convictions or people with mental illness from possessing guns, demonstrating that the very scope of the Second Amendments protection takes account of countervailing public objectives.

For instance, some states require that gun owners keep their firearms locked up if there are children living in the home, even though gun owners might prefer easier access to firearms for self-defense.

Or consider the contours of self-defense itself. A Second Amendment right to keep guns for self-defense does not eliminate the need for society to think about how guns should be responsibly employed, even in self-defense situations. If someone uses a gun purportedly for self-defense purposes and kills another person, the Second Amendment does not preclude an evaluation of whether the alleged threat was sufficient to justify the use of deadly force or whether the killing involved excessive force because reasonable nonlethal alternatives were available for the shooter to defend himself.

The national debate now has focused on proposed regulations such as background checks and assault weapons bans. Whether specific measures would be permissible under the Constitution depends on their particulars, but the big point is that particulars matter.

In evaluating gun control regulations, its legitimate to take into account the social harms and risks arising from individuals keeping, bearing and using firearms.

Constitutional analysis of the Second Amendment, as with other fundamental rights, requires some kind of balancing of interests, which includes considering the states need to promote public safety.

Vikram D. Amar is dean and professor of law at the University of Illinois College of Law. Alan E. Brownstein is professor of law at the UC Davis School of Law.

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Opinion: What the gun lobby gets wrong about the Second Amendment - Middletown Press

Jefferson and Sevier Counties added to the list of Tennessee ‘gun sanctuaries’ – WBIR.com

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. Jefferson and Sevier Counties are now considered "gun sanctuaries." They join Monroe, Blount and Loudon Counties who previously passed similar resolutions.

Both counties passed the Second Amendment gun sanctuary resolutions Monday night at their county commission meetings. This comes after the Town of Dandridge passed a similar resolution earlier in October.

Commissioners in Jefferson County said it was important to them and members of the community to show support for the Second Amendment.

Stewart Harris, who spoke to 10News from WETS-FM in Johnson City before his weekly radio show, is a constitutional law professor at LMU Duncan School of Law. He said becoming a sanctuary city or county is more of a political statement than a constitutional statement.

He said states, counties and even towns making the move to become gun sanctuaries has picked up traction in the last couple of years.

RELATED: Blount County is now a Second Amendment sanctuary county

"They will decide they are concerned about gun control laws being imposed by some other jurisdiction," Harris said.

Harris explained the Second Amendment and right to bear arms only kicks in when the government tries to restrict your gun rights.

"In a state like Tennessee, it's very unlikely that will happen, but we're really not talking about a constitutional issue, we're talking about a political decision from the people of these counties," Harris noted.

It's more like insurance.

For instance, One of the sponsors of the sanctuary resolution in Jefferson County, Todd Kesterson,said in a statement:

"We are seeing how many politicians on the Federal level are working toward gun confiscation in efforts to skew or change how the 2A reads. We feel like our freedoms are under attack and wanted to join several of our surrounding counties in letting the State and Federal Governments know that we disagree with these efforts."

The resolution states the county will not provide resources toward any actions or mandates that infringe on the people's right to bear arms. But, Harris said the cities or counties cannot get in the way of federal law.

RELATED: Polk Co. leaders vote in favor of making their county a 'gun sanctuary'

"If there is a conflict between state and national laws, then national laws win every time," Harris explained.

Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Coffey said this new resolution won't change the way they enforce the laws and things like the federal bump stock ban still apply.

RELATED: Measure fails to make Greene County a 'Second Amendment sanctuary'

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Jefferson and Sevier Counties added to the list of Tennessee 'gun sanctuaries' - WBIR.com

Letter to the Editor | Second Amendment is under attack – Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

There is currently a leftist jihad against Christian values, Conservatives, gun owners and Trumpsters. Beto ORourkes recent attack on owners of certain rifles chimes right in.

Mass shootings were almost nonexistent when I was a kid, and some high-schoolers would occasionally bring a gun to show their buddies. What happened?

Christian values that once helped moderate our evil ways are constantly scorned by Hollywood, the left, the ACLU and Democrats who now hold atheists in high esteem.

NFL quarterback Drew Brees was recently vilified for telling kids to bring their Bibles to school on Oct 3. The left has sown bad seeds for decades, and now the harvest is coming in.

Statistics show about one person a day is killed in America with a rifle, while 29 are killed daily by drunken driving. No one is attacking the sale of alcohol. Eight teens a day are killed by wrecks while on a cell phone, but phones are OK. Sixty percent of gun deaths are self-inflicted. About 129 Americans a day die from opioids. However, thats a non-violent crime. More than 2,000 unborn Americans are slaughtered daily, and Dems approve.

Democrats want to ban certain rifles, and then it will be pistols. Will bad guys give theirs up? Revolvers and slide actions would be next. Obviously their goal is erasing the Second Amendment. Listening to the Dems in their debates is like an echo chamber of insanity. So, borrowing a line from early American patriots: Dont tread on me!

JIM EHMEN

Paxton

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Letter to the Editor | Second Amendment is under attack - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

Van Ens: Hit the Second Amendment’s bull’s-eye – Vail Daily News

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Ask a U.S. citizen what the Second Amendment stands for. Some respond this amendment protects an individuals right to carry a gun. Like a shooter who misses the target, they are confused as to the amendments scope and intent.

Historically, the Second Amendment safeguards the citizens right through the states efforts to recruit armed militias that defend our nation. In 1939, Robert H. Jackson, who served as President Franklin Delano Roosevelts solicitor general, maintained the Second Amendment is restricted to the keeping and bearing of arms by the people collectively for their common defense and security. Robert Bork, President Ronald Reagans nominee for the Supreme Court in 1989, then agreed, saying this amendment works to guarantee the right of states to form militia, not for individuals to bear arms. On target, Bork later missed the mark as to what the Second Amendment allows.

Granted, its stilted expression blurs the amendments meaning. It 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.

Constitutional framers were wary of growing a federal government that usurped the rights of states to defend themselves. Consequently, the federal army remained small. When President Thomas Jefferson left office in 1809, federal troops numbered a little more than 12,000. Most patrolled the western frontier, consisting of territories east of the Mississippi River, which included the Ohio River Valley. There Native Americans fought encroaching white pioneers. Federal troops protected white settlers who headed West through the Cumberland Water Gap.

Whena foreign adversary attacked the U.S., colonials assumed states had the rightto raise volunteer militias to defend the nation. States fiercely protectedtheir rights to draft, fund and provide leaders for local militias.

Statesexpressed slight, if any, concern about the federal government infringing oncitizens by denying them the right to carry a gun. The colonial U.S. was an agriculturaleconomy. Farmers hunted game to supplement harvested crops. Children 10 yearsand older fired muskets to kill deer while their parents worked the land. ThomasJefferson shared the cultural assumption that the U.S. would prosper with10-year-olds trained to fire muskets.

Historian Garry Wills pointed out that the Second Amendment had everything to do with the common defense and nothing to do with hunting: One does not bear arms against a rabbit.

Since the 1970s, the National Rifle Association has turned the Second Amendments meaning on its head. It cleverly treats the opening to the amendment about arming militias as a preface to its alleged main punchline: every citizen has the right to carry a gun.

The NRAs grammatical hatchet separates the amendments two clauses. The second clause is wrongly elevated about alleged gun rights, casting aside state militias right to bear arms.

When the NRA kept its national headquarters in Washington D.C. instead of moving to Colorado Springs in the late 1970s, it placed a motto on its headquarters doors, making muddy the Second Amendments original meaning. The NRA separated the second clause from the first in its motto posted on the door: The Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms Shall Not Be Infringed.

Historian Jill Lepore traces the NRAs slippery slide to reshape the Second Amendment. In 1982, Utahs Republican Senator Orin Hatch headed the Judiciary Committee that passed a report: The Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Hatchs committee spun a convoluted constitutional argument thats off-target. What the Subcommittee [Hatch chaired] on the Constitution uncovered was clear and long lost proof that the second amendment to our Constitution was intended as an individual right of the American citizen to keep and carry arms in a peaceful manner, for the protection of himself, the family, and his freedoms, scoffs historian Lepore, who rejects this faulty historical reading.

Many conservative citizens accept this unconventional interpretation of an alleged older, long-lost interpretation of the constitutions original meaning regarding their gun rights. Evangelicals tend to oppose restrictions on gun ownership, reported NBC News on September 4, 2019, and prefer having guns in the hands of good guys, schoolteachers, security guards and law-abiding citizens.

The NRA stacked the deck with handpicked pundits to support their false claim. Of twenty-seven law review articles published between 1970 and 1989 that were favorable to the NRAs interpretation of the Second Amendment, reports historian Lepore, at least 19 were written by authors employed or represented by the NRA or other gun groups.

The NRA violates the Second Amendments original intent: the right of states to arm their militias.

The Rev. Dr. Jack R. Van Ens is a Presbyterian minister who heads the nonprofit, tax-exempt Creative Growth Ministries (www.thelivinghistory.com), which enhances Christian worship through dynamic storytelling and dramatic presentations aimed to make Gods history come alive.

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Van Ens: Hit the Second Amendment's bull's-eye - Vail Daily News

RICAGV: Tiverton voters recall town councilors who championed ‘second amendment sanctuary’ resolution – Uprise RI

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Tiverton voted to recall Town Council President Robert Coulter and Town Council Vice President Justin Katz in the special recall election on October 10. Nearly 1,600 voters voted yes to the recall with only 80 votes cast in favor of Coulter and Katz. Katz blamed the defeat on on the statewide machine of political action committees, including the teachers union, that sent out numerous mailers and others who put bunches of political talk and lies, on social media to get people out to vote.

The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence (RICAGV) is encouraged by the recall results. Coulter and Katz led the introduction last spring of a resolution declaring Tiverton a second amendment sanctuary town. With a room packed with out-of-town folks and residents, the resolution was defeated 4-3, only to be revised and brought back at a later date for passage. The resolution directed law enforcement to enforce gun laws with discretion. The councilors also made it known that they were using their elected positions to send a message to the State House regarding their views on gun legislation.

Second amendment sanctuary resolutions are dangerous because they advance the false narrative that the Second Amendment is at risk, making law-abiding gun owners feel threatened and contributing to the sort of hysteria that leads many to vehemently oppose any measure at all that regulates gun possession, no matter the weapon or the threat to public safety.

I am satisfied that these councilors were recalled. The introduction and passage of this resolution was the last straw for many who had watched them push their political agenda outside the conventions of town governance. It sowed division in a town already divided, said RICAGV supporter and Tiverton resident, Maureen Morrow. Furthermore, it contained incendiary and false language about seized weapons stating the town would not use taxpayer dollars to store weapons. No present or proposed law in Rhode Island calls for seizing weapons.

RICAGV looks forward to seeing who will go on to replace Coulter and Katz in the General election scheduled next month.

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RICAGV: Tiverton voters recall town councilors who championed 'second amendment sanctuary' resolution - Uprise RI

Opinion/Letter: 2nd Amendment confirms existing right – The Daily Progress

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Some argue that the Second Amendment does not make firearm ownership a right when, really, its not about that. The true heart of the Second Amendment is protection of the natural rights of the people. It ensures the right of self-preservation and acts as a means to secure that right.

This right of self-preservation was described by John Locke in his 1690 Second Treatise on Government, from which the Framers drew heavily. In his treatise, Locke argues that this fundamental right of self-preservation allows the people to live freely without interference from any person or anything, including government.

Its important to understand this point. Many of the Framers were students of Lockes philosophical thinking and other philosophers of the time. It is ingrained into the very fabric of the Bill of Rights.

This thinking even influenced Alexander Hamilton when he wrote Federalist No. 28 that If the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is then no resource left but in the exertion of that original right of self-defense which is paramount to all positive forms of government.

The Second Amendment is not a right bestowed by the government to the people. Quite the opposite. It secures the peoples natural right of self-preservation from any person and anything that might wish to rob the people of their liberty or other natural rights, including their government.

To think that we, free men and women, must ask the permission of our government for the right of self-preservation is simply ludicrous.

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Opinion/Letter: 2nd Amendment confirms existing right - The Daily Progress

UK Terror Serves as a Warning to United States: Protect The 2nd Amendment! – Newstalk1290

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

A story shared by Breitbart News over the weekend should serve as a warning to Americans; our right to keep and bear arms must be preserved at all costs. These kinds of stories seem to be all over Europe and especially Great Britain. Britain, sadly, may already be lost forever, largely due to the ignorance of their leadership.

The story of a horrific attack by 20 armed thugs left one young man with a nearly severed hand and another with ax wounds to his chest that left him with a collapsed lung. The only weapon the victims had was a chainsaw. British law prohibits citizens from being armed. Similar gangs of thugs have also been linked to rapes in Britain.

Though the story does not say this specifically, one can conclude that the attackers are most likely Muslim. They were not charged with a hate crime, despite calling the victims 'white bastards'. Put the shoe on the other foot and a hate crime charge would have been filed. The level of cowardice in all of this is mind boggling.

Attacks like this are less likely in the United States because you and I have a constitutionally protected right to be sufficiently armed. There are only a few limitations placed on us when it comes to possessing a firearm and fairly strict rules already in place to govern when and how we can exercise deadly force.

Your Second Amendment rights are more about restraining and limiting government than anything else. But that right extends to self protection and defense. This story serves to show why we must, at all costs, resist any attempts by any political faction in this country to curtail our gun rights. Otherwise, we run the risk of seeing this kind of horror played out in cities all across America.

Originally posted here:

UK Terror Serves as a Warning to United States: Protect The 2nd Amendment! - Newstalk1290

Jonah Goldberg: GOP pressure on Trump was long overdue – The Union Leader

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

UPON HEARING the news that President Trump bowed to pressure from congressional Republicans and reversed his decision to hold next years G-7 summit at the Trump National Doral Miami, my immediate response was, Ah, what might have been.

No, Im not wistful about the missed opportunity for taxpayers to throw a lifeline to Trumps struggling resort. Rather, Im a bit misty-eyed about what the last three years might have looked like if Republicans had shown this kind of spine all along.

There is an interesting consensus among the fiercely pro-Trump and anti-Trump forces on the right. For simplicity, lets call them Never Trumpers and Always Trumpers. Among the Never Trumper Republicans, its a given that Trump is not only unfit for the job but unteachable. No amount of on-the-job training will help.

For the Always Trumpers, the Trump they got was the Trump they wanted all along. Theyre like the person who deliberately set the bull loose in the china shop. They look upon the shattered vases and listen to the caterwauling of the shop owners and grin at a mission accomplished.

In other words, both camps agree that Trump cant change. They only quarrel over whether that is a good thing or bad.

Obviously, I am much closer to the Never Trumper position on this. As Ive written many times, I believe character is destiny, and waiting for Trump to act presidential is like waiting for bears to stop using our woodlands as toilets. Still, I dont think that means Republicans should take a hands-off approach.

Most of the Always Trumpers who dominate Fox prime time and conservative talk radio voted for Trump not because they liked him but because they disliked Hillary Clinton more (though dont expect them to admit that). And even though most conservatives wont say this to pollsters, in private conversations they will generally acknowledge that Trump is often his own worst enemy.

Most conservatives try to focus on Trumps results rather than on the President himself. Republicans like his judicial appointments, tax cuts, deregulation. And his support for culture-war priorities like the Second Amendment and abortion have also kept conservatives on board. They simply tune out the price the party and the country has paid for these wins.

But theres a part of the equation that has been forgotten. Thanks in part to the polarized climate, the near-banishment of critical voices from pro-Trump media outlets and the psychological need to defend the leader of their side, conservatives forget that many of these wins are the result of Trumps hand having been forced in a political transaction.

Until Trump launched his hostile takeover of the GOP, he was pro-choice, pro-gun control and utterly unconcerned about fidelity to the Constitution.

He became pro-life and pro-Second Amendment because that was the price of widespread conservative support.

He agreed to outsource his judicial appointments to the Federalist Society and Heritage Foundation precisely because no one trusted his judgment.

Once elected, however, Trump used his ability to influence his core supporters who have outsize power in primaries to punish GOP critics.

By taking the scalps of politicians such as former GOP Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, Trump also took the spines of countless others.

As a result, the Republicans lost control of the House in 2018 and may be on the cusp of losing the Senate and the presidency in 2020.

In a self-pitying tweet over the weekend, the President said he reversed his decision on Doral because the Hostile Media & their Democrat Partners went CRAZY!

This is a dangerous admission. Trumps popularity with Republicans is sustained by the fact he drives the Democrats and media CRAZY! His supporters dont want to hear about him caving to the demands of liberals. But admitting the truth would have been worse; too many Republican legislators couldnt or wouldnt defend his indefensible decision, and they let the President know hed gone too far. Normal Presidents feel constrained by the political needs of their party, and it turns out even Trump isnt immune to pressure from his team.

Of course, he feels more constrained by GOP congressional support now that hes staring down the barrel of impeachment.

But if Trump had cared more about reciprocating the loyalty he so often demands from the party, he might not be looking at impeachment in the first place.

And if the GOP had worked harder at constraining Trump from the beginning, they might not be looking at the implosion of their party.

Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of The Remnant podcast. His Twitter handle is @JonahDispatch.

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Jonah Goldberg: GOP pressure on Trump was long overdue - The Union Leader

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