Alaska Police Seek Author of Mysterious Note That Saved Life of Beaten Teen

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Police responding to a typed, anonymous note slipped under their door helped save the life of a severely beaten teenager found in an abandoned Anchorage house scheduled for demolition two days later, authorities said Thursday.

Police hoped the author of the note would come forward with more information about the situation.

Police have identified the teen as 18-year-old James Clinton and said he remained unconscious and in critical condition.

The investigation began Monday night with the note to police at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Chief Rick Shell said two officers were on duty at their desks in a squad room about 8:30 p.m. when one of them spotted it on the floor.

“He picked it up, read it, let the other officer read it,” Shell said. “The other officer saw content that led him to believe that the Anchorage Police Department should be involved.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Pope Says Church Is ‘Obsessed’ With Gays, Abortion and Birth Control

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Six months into his papacy, Pope Francis sent shock waves through the Roman Catholic church on Thursday with the publication of his remarks that the church had grown “obsessed” with abortion, gay marriage and contraception, and that he had chosen not to talk about those issues despite recriminations from critics.

His surprising comments came in a lengthy interview in which he criticized the church for putting dogma before love, and for prioritizing moral doctrines over serving the poor and marginalized. He articulated his vision of an inclusive church, a “home for all” — which is a striking contrast with his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, the doctrinal defender who envisioned a smaller, purer church.

Francis told the interviewer, a fellow Jesuit: “It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time. The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent. The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently.

“We have to find a new balance,” the pope continued, “otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”

The pope’s interview did not change church doctrine or policies, but it instantly changed its tone. His words evoked gratitude and hope from many liberal Catholics who had felt left out in the cold during the papacies of Benedict and his predecessor, John Paul II, which together lasted 35 years. Some lapsed Catholics suggested on social media a return to the church, and leaders of gay rights and gay Catholic groups called on bishops to abandon their fight against gay marriage.

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How The U.S. Military Plans To Hijack The Airwaves

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Photo Credit: Forbes

Photo Credit: Forbes

If you want to take over a nation, then first take over its airwaves. Broadcast your messages and interdict the enemy’s ability to broadcast theirs. When the U.S. attacked Iraq in 1991, or NATO bombed Serbia in 1999, among the first targets destroyed were TV and radio stations. When there is a military coup in Africa, the first buildings the rebels usually grab are the radio and TV studios.

So it is illuminating that the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), the organization that oversees America’s elite special forces, is quietly searching for equipment that will effectively give it control over every FM and AM radio station in an area. The short, innocuous-sounding announcement on the Federal Business Opportunities site states that SOCOM seeks vendors to provide “a radio broadcast system capable of searching for and acquiring every AM and FM radio station in a specific area and then broadcasting a message(s) in the target area on all acquired AM and FM radio station frequencies.” SOCOM wants equipment that is both lightweight and sophisticated enough to detect and broadcast over multiple frequencies simultaneously. And SOCOM wants it fast. The equipment must be at least Technology Readiness Level 8, a Pentagon measure of technological maturity that means that it is fully developed, tested and ready for use.

“It appears that SOCOM is looking to purchase a preferably commercial off the shelf friendly-foreign or domestic advanced form of Software-Defined Radio (SDR) as a solution for their tactical and theater Psyops or MISO missions,” says a military expert who asked to remain anonymous. “The exact platform – whether it’s ground-based or airborne – cannot be determined from the solicitation. It would appear to be an urgent request because of the TRL 8 or above stipulation. ”

This is what the Pentagon now calls Military Information Support Operations, or MISO. This is a far less sinister name for what the rest of us call Psychological Operations, or Psyops. that subtle form of warfare that uses carefully tailored information – truthful or not – to change foreign hearts and minds in a way that furthers U.S. interests.

Read more from this story HERE.

Starbucks CEO: If You Have a Gun, We Don’t Want Your Business

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dump starbucksThe day after the mass shooting at the Naval Yard in Washington, D.C., Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced that guns aren’t welcome at Starbucks. With Schultz’s unfortunate comment to a traditional marriage supporter just six months ago, many conservatives will undoubtedly regard this as yet another slap against them by the world’s largest coffee retailer.

In his “Open Letter,” the CEO acknowledged that Starbucks’ past approach to open-carry was to “follow local laws [and] permit it in states where allowed and we prohibit it in states where these laws don’t exist.” Then, without citing any specific instance, Schultz said the open-carry debate was becoming “increasingly uncivil” and “even threatening.”

Although Schultz suggests that the “presence of a weapon in our stores is unsettling and upsetting for many of our customers,” he doesn’t explain how a concealed weapon would bother anyone. Nor does he examine whether gun-free zones – like the Naval Yard in DC – actually encourage the type of violence and bad press he is trying to avoid.

Schultz concludes that he is proud of our nation and its first amendment heritage. With the likely fall-out from his announcement, Schultz may regret not giving more consideration to the very amendment that guarantees that heritage.

Navy Yard: Swat Team ‘Stood Down’ at Mass Shooting Scene

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Picture - Navy Yard ShootingOne of the first teams of heavily armed police to respond to Monday’s shooting in Washington DC was ordered to stand down by superiors, the BBC can reveal.

A tactical response team of the Capitol Police, a force that guards the US Capitol complex, was told to leave the scene by a supervisor instead of aiding municipal officers.

The Capitol Police department has launched a review into the matter.

Aaron Alexis, 34, killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard…

Capitol Police Officer Jim Konczos, who leads the officers’ union, said the Cert police train for what are known as active shooter situations and are expert marksmen.

“Odds are it might have had a different outcome,” he said of Monday’s shooting and the decision to order the Cert unit to stand down. “It probably could have been neutralised.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Joe Miller To Give Keynote Address at Nevada GOP Unity Dinner

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joe_miller (1)Joe Miller will be the keynote speaker at this year’s annual Nevada Republican Party’s Unity Dinner in Las Vegas. The event will take place on Saturday, September 28th following the GOP’s Fall State Committee meeting.

Miller stated, “I am honored to be asked to speak at this year’s Nevada GOP Unity Dinner.” He added, “One common, though not unchangeable trait, Nevada and Alaska share is that the majority of each state’s land is currently held by the federal government.”

An astounding 69.1 percent of Alaska’s land falls under federal ownership, second only to Nevada at 84.5 percent. Miller noted, “For some years now, both as a matter of justice and for the purpose of creating economic growth and job creation, I have advocated the need to return ownership of much of the land to the states and the people where it belongs. The states and the people formed the federal government and not the other way around.”

Miller plans to address this vital issue, as well as what actions he feels are needed to return our constitutional republic to its strong moorings and revive the America dream for ourselves and future generations.

Nevada National Committeeman James Smack said of the event, “It is an honor and a pleasure to host Joe Miller and his wife Kathleen for our Nevada Republican Party Unity Dinner in Las Vegas on September 28th.  Mr. Miller represents the principles that Nevada Republicans expect from their candidates, highlighted by smaller government, lower taxes and personal responsibility.  I look forward to hearing his message and encourage my fellow Republicans to join me in welcoming Joe Miller to the Silver State!” James Smack, Republican National Committeeman for Nevada.

More information and tickets for the event are available HERE.

Former Guantanamo Prisoner Killed in Syria after Joining Islamist Brigade

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Photo Credit: WND

Photo Credit: WND

A former prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. naval base died fighting for anti-government rebels in Syria, according to an Islamist opposition group which posted a video of his funeral on YouTube.

Moroccan-born Mohammed al Alami, who was released in 2006, is the first former Guantanamo detainee to die in battle in the Syrian civil war, analysts say.

The video, first reported by The Miami Herald, was posted by Harakat Sham al-Islam, one of the Islamist brigades fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It showed the August 5 funeral in which Alami is praised by a rebel leader for enduring “the prison of the Americans in Guantanamo for five years … where he did not reform or change.”

U.S. Defense Department officials had no comment.

Aaron Zelin, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who monitors jihadi activities at the website Jihadology.net, said the video appeared to confirm rumors that had been circulating for several weeks about a former Guantanamo prisoner being killed in Syria.

“The sources seem to be legitimate,” he said, adding that the video was posted on a known jihadi website.

Alami fought in Afghanistan and was captured in Pakistan after the September 11 attacks.

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Marines Had Weapons, But No Ammo During Navy Yard Shooting (+video)

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Photo Credit: YouTube

Photo Credit: YouTube

So, Homeland Security gets a couple billion rounds of ammunition, but the military doesn’t get any. That’s disturbing.

On Monday, a crazed gunman killed 12 innocent people, and injured over a dozen more, in a Washington, D.C. Navy Shipyard. It didn’t matter that it occurred on a military installation, because in 1993 Bill Clinton decreed that all U.S. military bases be “gun free zones”; thus denying the victims their 2nd Amendment right to defend themselves. But, it didn’t help those who did manage to be carrying a gun at the military base on Monday, because, apparently, it’s an ammunition-free zone, as well.

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Obama’s New Sales Pitch: ‘No Serious Evidence ObamaCare Will Hurt The Economy’ (+video)

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Besides the fact that most Americans do not like, nor want, ObamaCare, our Snake Oil Salesman-In-Chief continues to sell it to us. Today, Obama’s new sales pitch is that there’s “no serious evidence it will hurt the economy”. Clearly, Obama doesn’t understand economics.

According to Real Clear Politics,

PRESIDENT OBAMA: … in two weeks, the Affordable Care Act is going to help millions of more people. And there’s no serious evidence that the law, which has helped to keep down the rise in health care costs to their lowest level in 50 years, is holding back economic growth.

Wrong! There’s plenty of “serious evidence” showing the negative impact ObamaCare has on the economy. The Heritage Foundation and Freedom Works give examples:

From The Heritage Foundation,

As employers and businesses prepare for Obamacare’s sweeping changes and mandates to begin in 2014, many are already laying off some of their employees. An event at Heritagetoday will discuss the burdens of the law both for small businesses’ ability to hire and grow and individuals’ ability to find jobs. Here are 10 examples of job loss due in whole or part to Obamacare and its consequences:

Medical Device Tax

1,000 jobs lost: “Stryker Corporation Confirms Obamacare Layoffs.”
275 jobs lost: “Medical Device Tax Blamed for Welch Allyn Layoffs.”
100 jobs lost: “Latest Obamacare Casualty: 100 Workers at Smith and Nephew.”

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Officials: Navy Yard Shooter Carved Odd Messages into his Gun Before Carnage

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Photo Credit: Washington Post

Photo Credit: Washington Post

Aaron Alexis carved bizarre phrases on the stock of his shotgun before he killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, and investigators are hoping the words provide clues to what prompted the shooting, two law enforcement officials said.

The phrases were “Better off this way” and “My ELF weapon,” according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

The officials cautioned they do not yet know what, if anything, Alexis meant in the etchings.

ELF generally stands for “extremely low frequency” and can refer to weather or communications efforts, among other things.

Alexis, who was battling mental health issues, told police in Rhode Island in August that he was hearing voices of three people who had been sent to follow him and keep him awake and were using “some sort of microwave machine” to send vibrations into his body, preventing him from falling asleep, according to police reports.

Read more from this story HERE.