Liberal Ninth Circuit Says Open-Carrying a Gun Is a Constitutional Right

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The ultra-liberal and frequently overturned U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit just ruled that the Second Amendment protects one’s right to carry a gun openly outside of the home.

“We do not take lightly the problem of gun violence,” the majority opinion in Young v. Hawaii reads. Here’s more, emphasis added.

For better or for worse, the Second Amendment does protect a right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense. We would thus flout the Constitution if we were to hold that, ‘in regulating the manner of bearing arms, the authority of [the State] has no other limit than its own discretion.’ Reid, 1 Ala. at 616. While many respectable scholars and activists might find virtue in a firearms-carry regime that restricts the right to a privileged few, ‘the enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certain policy choices off the table.’

. . .

Citing Peruta v. County of San Diego, the court also stated that the Second Amendment does not protect the right of a citizen to carry a gun concealed — a tension that will eventually need to be resolved in another case. Charles Cooke, of National Review has more:

Unless the panel’s decision is reversed en banc, the two decisions will have to be reconciled. When that happens, it seems most likely either that (a) the court will strike down the open carry bans in Hawaii and California, or (b) the court will adopt the argument, presented by the plaintiffs in Peruta, that a state can choose to ban either open or concealed carry, but could not prohibit both. Watch this space.

(Read more from “Liberal Ninth Circuit Says Open-Carrying a Gun Is a Constitutional Right” HERE)

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Crook Pulls Gun at Establishment – Loses Nerve When Clerk Pulls His Own Gun

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By The Blaze. A man with seemingly less than honorable intentions chose — of all places — the First and Last Shot Cantina as his target Monday night. . .

The fella’s second faux pas? How about brandishing a gun at the door of the Triadelphia, West Virginia, establishment.

Why? Well, after he showed his gun to the clerk, that same clerk ended up pulling a gun of his own, WRTF-TV reported — and the suspect ran.

Sheriff’s deputies told WTOV-TV that K-9s tracked the suspect to a creek, and soon police discovered he’d parked at Wanda’s Bargain Barn just down the road.

The suspect is still at large, WRTF reported, adding that police haven’t yet released his description — but they intend on releasing surveillance video. The suspect faces a charge of attempted armed robbery, the station added. (Read more from “Crook Pulls Gun at Establishment – Loses Nerve When Clerk Pulls His Own Gun” HERE)

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Suspect at Large for Attempted Armed Robbery

By WTRF. The Ohio County Sheriff Department is searching for the suspect in an attempted armed robbery from last night.

A man walked up to the door of the Last Shot in Triadelphia, says Sheriff Tom Howard. . .

Police have not yet released a description of the suspect, but they said they will release surveillance video. (Read more from “Suspect at Large for Attempted Armed Robbery” HERE)

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Maxine Waters’ Office Evacuated – Here’s What Happened

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By The Blaze. The district office of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) was evacuated due to the presence of a suspicious package with a label which carried a threatening message. . .

The package had a label that read, “Anne Thrax,” which was taken to refer to anthrax, the lethal substance often sent via the mail in bio-terrorist attacks. . .

Waters has been in a heated feud with President Donald Trump with both sides launching rhetorical barbs against the other. The congresswoman had called for the impeachment of the president since before his inauguration, and in response Trump has often referred to has as “low I.Q.,” which some on the left have taken as a racist dog whistle.

Waters was also seriously criticized when she appeared to advocate for members of the Trump administration to be harassed by left-wing agitators who opposed the president’s political agenda. She denied the accusation. (Read more from “Maxine Waters’ Office Evacuated – Here’s What Happened” HERE)

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Suspicious Package Labeled ‘Anthrax’ Left at Office of Rep. Maxine Waters, Officials Say

By ABC News. A hazmat crew in Los Angeles investigated the office of California Rep. Maxine Waters due to a “suspicious package” left there that was labeled “anthrax,” according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The fire department later tweeted that no hazardous materials were found and that no one required hospitalization. . .

On Thursday, the officers and personnel from the Los Angeles Police Department were on site at Waters’ office “to ensure safety and security,” she wrote. (Read more from “Suspicious Package Labeled ‘Anthrax’ Left at Office of Rep. Maxine Waters, Officials Say” HERE)

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Intolerance: Oh, so This Is Why Around Half of Liberals Can’t Stand Being Around Trump Supporters

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Liberals say they’re tolerant. They accept all peoples and ideas, right? Well, that doesn’t appear to be the case. I know we’ve heard this before: liberals are more likely to unfriend you on social media due to political differences. Now, in the Trump era, it seems they can’t stand even being around Trump voters at all. More specifically, nearly half of liberals feel that if a friend supported Trump, it would strain a friendship, according to a Pew study, whereas only 13 percent of Republicans feel the same about those who voted for Hillary Clinton. And part of that is due to the fact that liberals live in a bubble (via WaPo) [emphasis mine]:

The poll shows almost half of liberal Democrats — 47 percent — say that if a friend supported Trump, it would actually put a strain on their friendship. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters more broadly, the number is 35 percent. White and more-educated Democrats are more likely to feel that it’s tough to even be friends with a Trump supporter.

And while partisanship and tribalism are pretty bipartisan things in American politics today, Democrats are actually substantially less able to countenance friends who supported the wrong candidate: Just 13 percent of Republicans say a friend’s support of Hillary Clinton would strain their relationship.

Part of the reason for the imbalance is likely that liberals tend to live in more homogeneous places and don’t even associate with conservatives.Another Pew study last year showed a whopping 47 percent of people who planned to vote for Clinton didn’t have any close friends who were Trump supporters. By contrast, 31 percent of Trump supporters said they didn’t have any friends who backed Clinton.

[…]

One final data point from the new Pew study: 68 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters say they find it “stressful and frustrating” to talk to people who have a different opinion of Trump. About half — 52 percent — of Republican and GOP-leaning voters say the same.

(Read more from “Intolerance: Oh, so This Is Why Around Half of Liberals Can’t Stand Being Around Trump Supporters” HERE)

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Whoa: This Is Why A Former Obama Adviser Is Praising Trump

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By Townhall. A former national security adviser for President Obama is giving his successor some kudos for his foreign policy.

“The Trump administration has had some success in defeating ISIS, which I think is commendable,” said Jim Jones during an interview with The Hill.TV. . .

Jones coupled his praise of Trump with some criticism of his old boss. Obama’s “red line” warning for Syria was a “mistake,” Jones said. In that infamous speech in 2012, Obama said the U.S. was placing a red line in the sand. If Syria encroached it, they would feel our wrath. Well, Syria did just that. The military attacked rebel-controlled areas of the Damascus with chemical weapons, killing 1,500 civilians. It was horrific and an obvious breach of that “red line,” but the U.S. failed to follow through on its threat. There would be no military retaliation. . .

Contrast that with Trump’s response to Bashar al Assad’s second use of chemical weapons against his own people. When we found evidence to suggest Assad had been behind the latest attack, Trump promptly ordered airstrikes on Syrian military sites. A majority of Americans supported the aggressive action.

Over the weekend, the U.S. requested that Israel and other Western nations help rescue White Helmet workers from Syria. The White Helmets are credited with saving thousands of people in rebel-held areas. (Read more from “Whoa: This Is Why A Former Obama Adviser Is Praising Trump” HERE)

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White House Seeks to Clarify Trump ‘Hoax’ Tweet on Russian Interference

By The Guardian. Donald Trump was “obviously” referring to allegations of collusion between his campaign and Russia when he tweeted on Sunday night about “a big hoax”, the White House said, after critics said the president was yet again casting doubt on whether Russia interfered with the 2016 US election.

The White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, said: “Obviously the president is talking about the collusion with his campaign. He’s been very clear that there wasn’t any. I think he’s said it about 1,000 times.”

Trump tweeted that Barack Obama “didn’t tell our campaign” about Russia, “because it is all a big hoax”.

That came after a week of criticism over his handling of his Helsinki summit with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. In Finland, Trump sided with Putin, who denies that Russia interfered. In Washington, Trump confirmed his acceptance of US intelligence conclusions about Russian interference but also said it “could be other people also. There’s a lot of people out there.” (Read more from “White House Seeks to Clarify Trump ‘Hoax’ Tweet on Russian Interference” HERE)

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House Democrat Wants to Run for President With the Yoga Vote

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Can the “yoga vote” carry Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, to the White House?

The midwestern Democrat, best known for unsuccessfully challenging Nancy Pelosi for leadership in the House of Representatives after the 2016 election, is reportedly preparing to run for president in 2020. Relatively young at 45 and representing “Trump country” in the Rust Belt near Youngstown, Ohio, the former college football star sounds like an ideal candidate to attract some of the Trump voters Democrats need to defeat President Trump. But in a potential field that is expected to be enormous, with Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and various blue-state governors and mayors all indicating a desire to run, how could Ryan differentiate himself?

The Intercept reports that he wants to do it with “yoga.”

Ryan has long been a champion of mindfulness, meditation, and similar pursuits, and has even created a “Quiet Time Caucus” in the House of Representatives. James Gimian, the publisher of Mindful magazine who knows Ryan, said he isn’t sure whether Ryan will run for president, but that the yoga vote has gone mainstream in recent years. “The so-called yoga voters are the kind of folks who realize that while they grew up with their mom saying, ‘Pay attention,’ nobody trained them in how to pay attention and use their mind to focus on what’s important,” he said. “That’s a growing population — it’s no longer just Lululemon yoga women.” He said that anybody who is negotiating the “emotional land mine of modern day living” could be someone Ryan’s message would resonate with.

Ryan, who was elected to Congress at age 29, is the author of the 2012 book “A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit.”

“It gets marginalized by calling it the yoga vote. I think it’s much bigger than that,” Gimian said. “His aspiration is to bring this kind of conversation to a wider office.”

The group Yoga Votes (“One body united for change”) puts the total number of people who do yoga in the U.S. at 20 million, and Ryan has done work with the group.

Asked about his chances, Ryan is said to have told one political operative, “I’m going to win.”

Well, at least he’s confident. The problem for Ryan, though, is that he’s probably not crazy-far-left enough for the Democratic base to win anything in the 2020 Democratic primary. He didn’t have the confidence of the Democratic caucus when he challenged Pelosi, and although he’s urged Democrats to focus on the middle of the country instead of the coasts, that is not the Democratic Party. (For more from the author of “House Democrat Wants to Run for President With the Yoga Vote” please click HERE)

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Air Force Base Replaces Bible

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The beloved Holy Bible has been replaced with a generic “Book of Faith” at a Wyoming Air Force base, thanks to a few complainers.

The Holy Bible had been on display at a dining table called the “Missing Man Table,” which the National League of POW/MIA Families explained as a memorial recognizing soldiers absent from a dining hall because they are prisoners of war or missing in action.

“Every element serves a symbolic purpose, from the table’s round shape symbolizing ‘everlasting concern’ to a Bible representing ‘strength gained through faith to sustain us and those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God,'” reports LifeSiteNews.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) claims that 31 active-duty airmen of varying faiths and denominations stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base contacted them in May to express opposition to the Bible at their dining hall’s Missing Man Table. The number of objectors rose to 36 a month later. After an investigation of the complaint, Col. Stacy Jo Huser announced that a generic “book of faith” will replace the Bible.

“Our chaplains are purchasing a generic ‘book of faith’ on Thursday and will let me know when that book is expected to arrive,” Huser told MRFF. “Until it arrives, I’ve asked them to rotate the book placed on the table (rotate it through various faiths). Yesterday they placed the Book of Mormon on the table.” (Read more from “Air Force Base Replaces Bible” HERE)

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Facial Recognition Toll Booths Identify Drivers and Passengers, Notify Police Within Seconds

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The state of New York is using facial recognition cameras to identify drivers and passengers at toll booths.

A recent article in the New York Post revealed that toll booths use facial recognition to identify everyone.

“We are now moving to facial-recognition technology, which takes it to a whole new level, where it can see the face of the person in the car and run that technology against databases,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. (Click here & here to learn more.)

Police are also testing facial recognition cameras that can identify people based on the shape of their ears!

“Because many times a person will turn their head when they see a security camera, so they are now experimenting with technology that just identifies a person by their ear, believe it or not,” Cuomo said.

. . .

Last year Vocativ revealed that NYC is using toll booth gantries to create a ring of spying cameras.

The Authority is interested in implementing a Facial Detection System, in a free-flow highway environment, where vehicle movement is unimpeded at highway speeds as well as bumper-to-bumper traffic, and license plate images are taken and matched to occupants of the vehicles (via license plate number) with Facial Detection and Recognition methods from a gantry-based or road-side monitoring location.

Police facial recognition to identify drivers within seconds

According to the NY Post, toll booth gantries can identify vehicles within seconds.

License plates scanned at the toll plazas, at least, are already being checked for warrants, suspected felons, parole violators, terrorist suspects and the intel is passed within five seconds on to cop cars stationed at the crossings.

How long before NYC uses facial recognition cameras to identify drivers and passengers within seconds?

Currently there are at least thirty-one states that allow police to use facial recognition to identify people from drivers licenses and state IDs.

Roughly one in every two American adults—117 million people—are in the facial recognition networks used by law enforcement, according to a 2016 report.

DHS and law enforcement have created an Orwellian nightmare in NYC.

Imagine a future where police install facial recognition cameras at two thousand bridges and tunnels throughout NYC.

Now imagine that happening in your city or town.

Facial recognition cameras and license plate readers are being used to create secret hotlists and watchlists that track our every movement.

It is time for Americans to stop letting DHS and law enforcement use 9/11 as an excuse to destroy everyone’s privacy. (For more from the author of “Facial Recognition Toll Booths Identify Drivers and Passengers, Notify Police Within Seconds” please click HERE)

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Trump Moves to Revoke Security Clearances

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By USA Today. President Donald Trump is exploring “mechanisms” to revoke security clearances for former U.S. officials who have criticized him for his handling of the Russia investigation and his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday.

Sanders said the administration is reviewing clearances for former CIA director John Brennan, former FBI director director James Comey, former national intelligence director James Clapper, former CIA director Michael Hayden, former national security adviser Susan Rice and former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe.

“They politicize and in some cases actually monetize their public service and their security clearances in making baseless accusations of improper contact with Russia,” Sanders said.

Brennan, who worked in senior roles in President George W. Bush’s administration and was a CIA director under President Barack Obama, offered particularly incendiary criticism of Trump’s handling of his meeting in Helsinki with Putin. . .

Security clearances can allow government officials to work with companies on classified defense programs and advise private contractors. They also can be something of a professional courtesy, allowing former national security officials to talk to their successors. (Read more from “Trump Moves to Revoke Security Clearances” HERE)

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Trump’s Move to Revoke the Security Clearances of Former Intelligence Officials Who Criticize Him Could Backfire During a National Crisis

By Business Insider. The White House named a handful of former US intelligence officials it says President Donald Trump wants to punish by revoking their security clearances. The move is motivated by the former officials’ criticism of Trump.

That proposal received some swift reaction in the intelligence community and throughout Washington on Monday. Presidential administrations have historically relied on former leaders, like the heads of the CIA and FBI, who typically maintain a security clearance after their service has ended, for the purpose of advising the current officials on matters of national security.

In a moment of crisis, these people may offer valuable insight and expertise that could help inform the current administration’s decision, said CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. “You want to be able to go back to the former officials who dealt with these problems and be able to talk with them in a classified setting,” Starr said on Monday.

“Given the amount of turnover in the Trump administration, it might be, from a national security standpoint, rather valuable to retain these people, to have that ability to consult them,” she said. (Read more from “Trump’s Move to Revoke the Security Clearances of Former Intelligence Officials Who Criticize Him Could Backfire During a National Crisis” HERE)

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Poll: After Widely-Criticized Russia Week, This Happened to Trump’s Job Approval

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When I wrote last week that President Trump’s capitulatory press conference with Vladimir Putin was a low moment in his tenure thus far, I wasn’t out on a limb. Trump’s equivocations prompted rebukes from scores of Congressional Republicans, as well as critiques from a number of national figures who are typically supporters and allies. Trump’s secret sauce, however, is that the more he’s attacked, the more Republican voters feel compelled to circle the wagons and rally to his defense — hence the polling released last week in which super-majorities of GOP-leaning voters said they approved of his performance with Putin, and share his views on trade wars and tariffs. If it had been Obama at the center of either controversy, Republicans would undoubtedly have been nearly unified in intense opposition, but tribal loyalty is paramount these days. Indeed, for a great many partisan voters, Trump himself is the top “issue” ahead of the midterms, according to a new Politico/Morning Consult poll:

If the election turns into a referendum on the president, that could be a boon to Democrats…if Trump’s job approval rating is in ugly shape, and if undecided voters break substantially against him. A new NBC/WSJ poll contains hopeful signs for both parties. Let’s start with the good news for Republicans: The president’s approval numbers have surged in the series, placing him back in the mid-40’s:

President Donald Trump’s approval rating edged higher during a week in which he faced withering criticism following a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling that he is positioned to weather the latest controversy sparked by his unusual brand of politics. Mr. Trump’s job approval rating rose to 45% in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, the highest mark of his presidency and up 1 percentage point from June. The survey was taken over a four-day period that started July 15, a day before Mr. Trump’s news conference with Mr. Putin in which he questioned the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia meddled in the 2016 election…Mr. Trump’s overall approval rating continued to rank among the lowest of any modern president at this point his first term, and the poll turned up warning signals for him.

(Read more from “Poll: After Widely-Criticized Russia Week, This Happened to Trump’s Job Approval” HERE)

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