Journal News To List More Gun Permit Holders After Uproar

Journal News to List More Gun Permit Holders After Uproar

Over the years there have been countless times when one must call into question the ethical practices of journalism.  I find myself at that point yet again.  In the wake of the massacre in Newtown, CT it seems to me that there are those journalists who have made the choice to capitalize on the blended emotions of both fear and anger.  The unfortunate result of such action will do nothing to assist in the ability of proponents and opponents to actually engage in a productive discourse for the purpose of finding a workable solution.

The publication 'Journal News' with two offices located in Westchester, New York and Bronx, New York has deemed it prudent to publish the names and addresses of those citizens that have gun permits.  A decision that I for one can only see as a grave mistake.  Primarily because this tactic falls squarely in the category of what I call 'exacting a pound of flesh in the name of justice' verses serving any real purpose.  The obvious misconception in this ideology is that these permits are for hand guns only as there are currently no requirements for a permit when it comes to a rifle of any kind.  Beyond the breech of privacy, the reality of this situation is that publishing this information puts many other innocent people at risk.

Modern media is no longer restricted to the printed form or available through your favorite local news station.  In the face of a growing number of news outlets, many of these sources have placed a much higher value on ratings and circulation verses accuracy and the quality of the content, ethical practices have long since fallen by the wayside.  All of this is further complicated by the far reaching effects of the availability of the internet and the growing use of social media.

Law enforcement makes no effort to hide the fact that they use information obtained through social media networks such as Facebook in the process of investigating criminal activity.  Although accomplished anonymously, the criminal element is quite prolific at collecting and using the same sources and information.

Publishing the names and addresses of those who have legally obtained permits for hand guns will accomplish one of two things and neither will be beneficial to the reasoning behind the action.  Guns are relatively easy to fence with a decent profit which will result in yet another weapon entering the abyss of non-registered, untraceable weapons out on the streets.  The second scenario is simply that burglars now know which house has a lower probability of containing weapons, which is appealing to the small time burglar who is only interested in the high dollar televisions, stereos, computers, etc. and wants no confrontation with an armed homeowner.

Once considered the battle cry of journalists everywhere, the 'right to know' has become a weapon against the 'right to privacy' by supporters of gun control.  In this same context, freedom of speech has degenerated to the choice between ethics and ratings when it comes to the media.

About Guns
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Adam Lanza's Motive: Did Fear Of Being Committed Lead To Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting? (UPDATE)

You make far too many assumptions. Yes, I would love to have a wooden desk as my personal preference in décor is Old World/Mediterranean. I have a simple metal reject from the Army Surplus Store that’s sitting in an equally plain no frills office, it happens that way when you’re on a limited budget. Interestingly enough I did state in my post that my office was in a separate building from my house because it is not a home office or even a home based business, should have elaborated I guess. My office is located downtown, to get to my desk they would have to get through a set of security doors, find my office among seven others, then get through that door before they even got to the desk to break into it. They would have to do all of that before the police arrived since the silent alarm would have notified them as soon as they broke into the building. Yep, you’re right it doesn’t take a genius just an idiot.
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Obama: Shooting Should Lead To More Action 'Regardless Of The Politics'

Thank you for your brilliant deduction Einstein. Where in my post did I advocate taking the guns away from private citizens? Both sides on this issue must work together to reach a solution that is in the best interest of the community/nation as a whole. This means not going from one extreme to the other. I am advocating that stricter legislation be put in place that governs the sale of assault weapons and large capacity magazines regardless of the weapon. Posting guards with machine guns at the schools will not be in the best interest of the emotional well-being of our children.



I have already advocated that as a taxpayer within my own community I am willing to pay higher taxes for the purpose of installing more sensitive screening/scanning equipment at the entrances of the schools. This includes the hiring of plain clothed armed trained security and to have a plan in place that is fully understood by the entire school staff. Any person attempting to enter the school should be required to prove that they have a valid reason for being there and must show proof of that that validity.
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Obama: Shooting Should Lead To More Action 'Regardless Of The Politics'

Thank you for the fave and I agree with the flaw. Personally I should not have added the ‘[or any public building]’ part to the comment as well. The Oklahoma City Bombing was and still is a very tragic event that is unfortunately still surrounded by conspiracy theories, which is not to say that I view it any less tragic today than when it first happened.



My commentary on this article/issue is primarily concerned with what measures we as a society can take without waiting on the federal government to get through the bureaucracy of special interests groups such as the NRA and associated groups.



Personally I do not want to see our schools turned into prison-like institutions because it will inhibit an environment conducive to the encouragement of the growth of the imagination and learning. But if keeping them safe means that we pay for the installation of tougher, more sensitive metal detectors at all entrances, severely limit public access to the front door after a specific time, have plain clothed armed security at the doors and on the grounds will accomplish this them I’m all for it.
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Gun Advocate On Connecticut Shooting: Armed Teachers Could Have Minimized Tragedy (VIDEO)

No Mr. Dulan arming the teachers not the answer. I am a gun advocate but I am also an advocate for the protection and preservation of human life. I own a number of guns but none of them would even remotely qualify as an assault weapon, I personally see no need for the average citizen to possess these types of weapons. If there are to be more weapons on school grounds let them be in the hands of trained security. My personal opinion is that rather than wait for Washington and all the Lobbyists to get their act together, we need to do something now. As a taxpayer I would vote to help fund additional security measures at our schools to prevent people who intend to do harm from even being able to enter the buildings.
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Ron Johnson: High-Capacity Magazines Are A Constitutional Right (VIDEO)

With all due respect to your position, we do not live in a world where the largest threat is an armed invasion of ground troops from another country such as existed at the time the various amendments were written and thus installed as our current Bill of Rights. We live in a world where this threat can actually be our neighbor, all because he or she perceived a threat based on some moronic ideology that we just might not believe exactly the way that they do.



Personally I don’t want the ‘standing army’ coming into my town with any form of control in mind. I don’t even want the National Guard of this State doing the same. I don’t want them requisitioning my land as an encampment all because they have some stamp of approval from some level of government.



I live on 40 acres in a very rural community where law enforcement is so shorthanded that getting assistance can be a hit or miss situation depending on what is going on in the county. Out here we simply batten down the hatches when the sun goes down and stay alert. We do this because of the close proximity of two vocal unsanctioned and heavily armed private militia groups that nobody seems to be able to do anything about because so far they haven’t broken any laws.
About Aurora Shooting
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Ron Johnson: High-Capacity Magazines Are A Constitutional Right (VIDEO)

Even as a gun advocate I don’t feel that individual citizens actually need a magazine that contains 100 rounds. I also do not believe that tightening gun control will make a marked difference in who is able to obtain weapons of any kind. Thousands, if not more, illegal weapons are shipped into this country and are confiscated yearly by the ATF. Yet there are thousands more that make it into the hands of both criminals as well as those who have been caught in the red tape of gun laws and deemed not authorized to purchase a weapon.



When crimes are committed with an illegally purchased weapon, the ability of law enforcement to trace it and ultimately locate the offender is severely hampered, whereas weapons that were purchased legally at least do provide a more feasible starting point.



While my household has four weapons, one handgun each, a rifle and a shotgun, there are so many others who hide what can only be described as an arsenal of weapons and ammunition. These arsenals include high powered weapons that go well beyond the need for hunting purposes.
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President Obama's Statement On Ramadan

As a strong supporter of Separation of Church and State I can sincerely appreciate what you’re saying. Over the years however I have come to see some things a little differently and reached the concession that while the Christian religion may very well be the predominant religion, we as a nation are made up of many beliefs and cultures. Personally I believe that our diversity is one of the strengths of our nation. It is important for the President to at least ‘acknowledge’ the most important part of the lives of those he is supposed to be governing.



I would agree that if the President is going to comment on one religious holiday or event, then it should follow that comments be made concerning all of them. This should be accomplished without any demonstration of support for one specific belief over another, which in my opinion lays the ground work in crossing the line between Separation of Church and State.



The key factor in my reaching this conclusion is that Christianity is the accepted religious belief in this country and there are certain events regarding this particular belief that the President is expected to participate in. Examples are the official lighting of the National Christmas Tree which was started by President Coolidge in 1923 and the Easter Egg Roll has a history dating back to 1878. Both of which are Christian events.
About Ramadan
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Latino Advertising Can Alienate Non-Latinos, Study Says

I agree. I'm white and totally understand the need for 'target specific' advertizing, whether it is a race, a gender or whatever issue. Personally, I don't care where people come from, if they are all here through due process, in the end we are all Americans with a voice when it comes to deciding who will sit in the White House.
About Photo Galleries
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Ohio Voters Unhappy With Obama-Romney Choice

I also feel that a lot more could have been accomplished these past 3 years if the GOP wasn't so determined to block everything.



Obama 2012!
About Barack Obama 2012
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Alan Simpson Fires Off Angry Letter To HuffPost

Interesting analysis, especially when history has proven that the ‘Fiat Currency System’ has been a failure since the time of the Romans. It hasn’t been any different here in today’s use of the same financial structure, to the point that today’s dollars are no different than the continentals issued during the Revolutionary War. The only aspect of fiat currencies that have stood the test of time is the inability of political systems to prevent the devaluation and debasement of this ‘toilet paper’ money by letting the printing presses run wild.



“Why would it need payroll taxes, or any other form of revenue/income to spend when it can issue all the currency it needs whenever it needs?” That is an interesting statement in view of the fact if it were that simple we would not be suffering the current economic downturn. Printing/issuing currency ‘as needed’ only serves to devalue it even more by creating an inflationary status because currency is nothing more than just a piece of paper that represents something of value. Increasing the amount of currency without increasing the value it represents just makes the currency worth less than when you started.



Bottom line, Fiat or not, taxes are a part of the system and they are not going away. As long as the Federal Government requires citizens to pay these taxes under the premise that they [the taxes] are being used to pay for benefits there remains the need to properly manage said funds.
About Republicans
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Top 10 Lies Boomers Tell

I realize that this author is probably referencing a perceived 'majority' rather than the 'all encompassing' conclusion displayed. However, as one born at the tail end of the Boomer time frame I had to laugh at most of the so called 'lies' that were presented. All too often there are folks that just want to lump us all under that 'umbrella term' of a Baby Boomer if you were born at any point during the 18 year period of 1946 and 1964. We are not cookie cutter copies of each other.



As far as 10 more minutes, have you ever tried to wake up a teenager? I've never worn short shorts, preferring what they call walking shorts. Hair loss is genetic and geographical as well as age related. Eating late or too close to when you go to bed is unhealthy at any age. Wearing high heels hurt my feet even at 16-20 years old. . Age is not an automatic sentence to Alzheimer's. I’m going to refrain from the ‘workplace’ comment, has not affected me. My kids all make more money than I do. I’ve never been one to talk on the phone, social media lets me connect at my convenience. Proper diet and exercise has no age stamped on it.
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'Bristol Palin: Life's A Tripp' Ratings: Lifetime Reality Series Bombs

Having lived in Alaska for 6 years back in the early to mid-80’s, I was interested in watching the 2010 show ‘Sarah Palin’s Alaska’ based on the fact that I honestly loved the scenery and the lifestyle there. I did not even tune into it simply because of the reality that it wasn’t going to be a program about ‘Alaska’ it was nothing more than Sarah Palin doing damage control [if that’s possible] regarding her perception of her possible political career.



I’m not sure what the intentions are of this little upstart for having any form of a reality show. She is still [in my opinion] playing a little puppet role in doing whatever she can in order to keep the Palin name out there in the media. Unfortunately I think her mother, the Queen of Drama Queens does that quite well.
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Tracy Martin, Father Of Trayvon Martin, Releases Father's Day Video On Stand Your Ground Laws

I appreciate your position, I really do. The problem with too many gun control advocates is that they tend to misrepresent the ideals of those who support the 2nd Amendment Right to keep and bear arms. Personally I do not know one single individual who shares my support for gun ownership that also advocates allowing individuals who have been identified as ‘unstable’ regardless of reason to own a gun.



There are too many people who choose to blame the NRA because of its stance, but the true culprits are those that relentlessly oppose proper background checks on individuals attempting to purchase a gun. While people such as yourself lobby for tighter gun control, at the same time there are also those lobbying based on privacy issues to protect the precise information that would prohibit ‘unstable’ individuals from purchasing a gun.



As with all things there are those who go too far. The NRA, myself and others like me are not the enemy here. Try looking at all the issues rather than the easiest one. Also, concerning your figures, in 2010 there were 31,513 deaths related to guns. Breaking that down, you have 19,308 that were suicide and 600 that were accidental, resulting in 11,015 that were homicide. Of that number 3,110 were gang on gang shootings, leaving 7,905 criminally executed homicides.



I still stand by my statement because gun control will only control law abiding citizens.
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Alan Simpson Fires Off Angry Letter To HuffPost

If that is the case then my [so called] arrogance is matched only by your stupidity. Although more commonly referred to as ‘Pork Barrel Spending’ the subject of government mishandling of tax dollars has been the subject of thousands of political debates for more than the last 50 years. Most people do look at comments like this as humor, albeit very dry humor none the less, yet have used them as comedic relief in movies. The film ‘Independence Day’ was riddled with them.



Regardless, the point of my comment is that rather than make cuts or develop new programs, the government should put more effort into better monitoring systems for programs that are currently in place.



The topic of the mishandling of Social Security Funds by the Social Security Administration was the subject of my thesis last year and is currently an ongoing group project outside of the University.
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Inge Marler, Arkansas Tea Party Leader, Makes Racist Joke At Event

Probably neither, they actually elect these types.



http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/07/12107097-steve-smith-reputed-white-supremacist-causes-stir-by-winning-election-to-pennsylvania-county-gop-seat?lite
About Tea Party
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Jeremy Roberts Murders Ex-Wife Candice Roberts, Has 13-Year-Old Son Call 911 (AUDIO)

You are proof positive that God works in mysterious ways. Although you began with the disclaimer of a limited legal knowledge, you absolutely confirmed that limitation by a lack of understanding as to the full concept of culpability in conjunction with the applicable mens rea of the overall situation; which cannot be determined based on a poorly written media report.
About Ohio
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George W. Bush Blamed For Economic Troubles More Than Barack Obama, Poll Finds

In January of 2008, the National Average for gas price was $3.15.



http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2008/01/us-gas-pricesja.html
About Barack Obama
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Alan Simpson Fires Off Angry Letter To HuffPost

One of the biggest jokes in history has often portrayed the irresponsibility of government spending through various [not so] humorous remarks such as “You didn’t really think they spent $30,000.00 on a toilet seat or $40,000.00 on a hammer did you?” While just as [not so]comical if pictured within the realm of political satire, the government can be seen placing American tax dollars into a well-worn sieve whose holes have grown larger with time and [mis]use.



Examples:



Grateful Dead: Washington Spends Taxpayer Dollars on Deceased (Published:Oct 2010)

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dead-people-government-pay/story?id=12005576#.T9Ya37Wbfro



"With the midterm elections looming on Tuesday and the federal deficit soaring to record highs, politicians across the country have been emphasizing the need to cut wasteful government spending in Washington. They might consider putting a stop to sending money to dead people.



In the last decade the government has sent over $1 billion to approximately 250,000 dead people, according to a new report from Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma."



Social Security pays millions to dead people (Published: Sept 2011)

http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/07/pf/social_security_benefits_deceased/index.htm



"NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- While many Americans worry that the Social Security Administration won't have enough money left to pay their benefits when they retire, the agency is doling out millions of dollars to people who aren't even alive."
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The Road to Stop-and-Frisk Reform: Take a Bow, Civil Libertarians

While this particular article appears to discuss the Stop-and-Frisk problem in New York, I have no doubts that it is a serious problem in a great many other areas as well. This is primarily a problem within those areas that are more densely populated. I am not defending unnecessary actions by law enforcement by any means, rather pointing out various factors that I have personally encountered on the streets.



There are some municipalities that have enacted certain city ordinances that do allow law enforcement to stop and question individuals whom they believe may have witnessed a crime. According to these ordinances the individual is required to at minimum provide the officer with their name. There have been instances where the individual reactions to this have ranged from just being rude and cocky to being outright belligerent to the officer for having approached them in the first place. In these instances the officer will usually go ahead and detain the individual on the suspicion that they may be hiding something. Once an individual is detained then they can and will usually perform search for weapons.



Individuals certainly do have the right to refuse to answer any further questions and more often than not this is recommended. I am not saying that every officer handles these situations properly either, some of them are pretty rude themselves. I believe that encounters between law enforcement and citizens can be positive or negative depending on how the officer initiates the encounter.
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Mitt Romney Mocks Obama For Wanting More Firemen, Policemen, Teachers

Referencing the law enforcement situation in the county I live in, yes there is definitely a serious need for more officers. I live in the rural area of a county in Ohio that essentially provides little to no law enforcement protection out here due to the lack of manpower. This area is surrounded by four small towns that are actually classified as villages who share their police officers in order to maintain a minimum of one officer on duty at any given time. This includes Police Chiefs who are also on the rosters in adjoining jurisdictions who patrol as regular patrolmen because there are not enough officers. It has gotten so bad that if we need assistance out here we cannot even call them because they are not permitted to go outside the village limits as they cannot leave the municipal area unprotected.



Referencing the fire fighter situation here, the problem is the same. The greater majority of the fire fighters are volunteers, paid little to nothing for their services. Paid positions are reserved for the Fire Chief and at least one or two paramedics, most fire departments rely on contracts with privately owned EMS services in order to provide the paramedics. The home owner is then billed independently by these private organizations. Fire Investigator positions have been absorbed by the county prosecutor’s office as private investigators to allow for more positions within the fire departments.



Do you still think there is not a problem?
About Barack Obama
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'Rock The Slut Vote' Campaign Seeks To Take Back Derogatory Term From Rush Limbaugh

According to all the data I have reviewed, with the exception of sterilization, ALL methods are prescribed and can be filled at the local drug store and utilized [unsupervised] at home. The only one that is performed in the doctor’s office is the injection, and is still considered a prescription. The most common is the pill based on its track record of being the most effective and its ease of use.



Permanent methods are clearly not a prescription, requiring invasive procedures. These methods are primarily recommended [for women] based on a medical issue rather than a form of birth control. The greater majority of women make the choice to put off getting pregnant for various reasons but not to permanently incapacitate their ability to reproduce.



Abortions are not recognized or considered as any legitimate or acceptable form of birth control by medical, moral or legal standpoints. Although performed by specific physicians, they are still not the recommended choice of the medical profession due to possible health complications at a later date.



My original statement still stands, therefore no, I do not see what you are saying. The issue at hand is ensuring the availability of effective contraception in order to prevent a pregnancy from happening in the first place.



http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/birth-control-methods.cfm



New methods have been developed the greater majority of them are already plagued by ‘ambulance chaser’ lawyers due to the serious health risks involved with their use.
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The War on Contraception: It's Time to Take Sides

Here is an actual Rick Santorum quote: “One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country.” And also, “Many of the Christian faith have said, well, that’s okay, contraception is okay. It’s not okay. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”



These comments were not dug up from some bygone moment of ideological purity, before dreams of a presidential campaign. He said them in October, to a blogger at CaffeinatedThoughts.com (they met at Des Moines’ Baby Boomers Cafe).



When are conservatives going to understand that their beliefs are not the beliefs of every other person in this country? The religious right is getting tiresome.
About Planned Parenthood
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Florida's Stand Your Ground Defense More Likely To Succeed If Victim Is Black: Study

Funny you should say that!



I live in a pretty rural area with minimal law enforcement availability due to jurisdictional lines, which is a problem right now due to a rash of burglaries that have been going on out here. So far they appear to be unarmed outside [cars, garages, etc.] and not like a home invasion. I don’t have a lot of faith in the outcome of depending on Ohio’s Castle Law even though it has supposedly been revamped. I have two rather large mix breed dogs that stay in the house when I’m not home.



I have a shot gun and a couple boxes of shells loaded with rock salt. No intent to kill here, just seriously warn them. I do have a pistol that I keep handy if I feel the need warrants deadly force, which to me means that they attempted to gain access to my home. The funny part of your comment is that the first three rounds are actually blanks.
About Trayvon Martin
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Caiden Cowger, Conservative Teen Radio Host, Slams President Obama For 'Making Kids Gay'

"I'm not for bullying homosexuals; I believe that it's wrong. But when you're trying to teach them the word of God and they consider that bullying...I find that a big problem, not being allowed to convert other people to my religion."



Personally I find his attitude a big problem. There are many people who do not want to be converted to ‘his’ religion, sexual orientation is not even part of the equation.
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'Rock The Slut Vote' Campaign Seeks To Take Back Derogatory Term From Rush Limbaugh

First let me state that I do not consider abortion as a form of birth control and I do not advocate that it be covered via health insurance. Secondly, don’t assume anything on these forums, there is too little allowable space to provide truly in depth comments unless you are a blogger.



I have done a great deal of research in this area and the cost of providing coverage for birth control of any prescription method is still much more beneficial than many of the other factors that are driving up the cost of health care in this country.



It makes much more sense to provide low cost birth control than to deal with all of the additional costs associated with prenatal care and all the health care that will be necessary for the child following the birth. All of which is just the tip of the iceberg.
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'Rock The Slut Vote' Campaign Seeks To Take Back Derogatory Term From Rush Limbaugh

Birth control is a prescription not a procedure. If you are not prescribed the medication then you are not paying for it. People already have the option to ‘opt out’ regarding coverage of birth control. The overall cost of insurance covered birth control is astronomically lower the costs of various programs currently provided for and used by illegal’s in this country. If people seriously want to do something about the rising cost of health care [and so many other things] look at the real factors, not what appears to be the easiest way out. The entire argument is based on the bogus blathering’s of fools.



http://www.illegalimmigrationstatistics.org/

Illegal immigration costing billions in all areas of American lives.
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Birth Control Pill Tax: Forbes Writer Argues Women On Hormonal Contraceptive Pills Should Pay More

This whole issue of birth control is ludicrous! There are so many other things that are driving the cost of health care and health insurance through the roof than birth control. I’m probably going to get jumped about this because there isn’t enough allowable space on here to completely state my position. We have so many illegals in this country that are able to go to any hospital and get treated whether it is an emergency or not and they obviously do not have insurance. Those of us that do carry health insurance are picking up the cost of their treatments and their prescriptions.



Birth control is just the easiest thing to attack simply because it is not a life threatening or life sustaining such as something like Diabetes for example. Nobody [including myself] ever wants to turn away a sick child, but it is not just the children that are getting this care. These people need to get off the birth control issue and look into these other factors that are driving up the cost of health care.



Both health care AND health insurance need a serious overhaul in my opinion.
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Social Media Policies At GM, Target, DISH Network Deemed Unlawful By Labor Official

I guess I don’t spend enough time on there to realize that there was such a problem, I mean such as folks needing something like recovery therapy. Either that or I’ve just never really paid enough attention in that direction. I spend 3 – 5 hours a week on Facebook depending on what’s going on. I am also a student and have a closed group on my page where some of us gather to work on the joint school projects that come up from time to time. The school has a virtual student lounge but using Facebook makes it more relaxed and fun, no Professors!! (laughs)



I think anyone who uses the internet should practice a healthy dose of common sense. Not that I agree with the sharing of personal information because I most definitely do not. If a site is going to provide you with a means of opting out of such sharing, then it should honor your choice.



Respectfully, my comment wasn't so much directed at you personally, I just chose you to direct it towards as a means of getting the comment out there for some sort of discussion. I tried to word it that way, I apologize if you took it personal as it was not intended.
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Social Media Policies At GM, Target, DISH Network Deemed Unlawful By Labor Official

I am sincerely and honestly curious about the negativity towards social media, namely Facebook, not just this discussion. The general consensus from those opposed to Facebook appears to be that anyone [no exceptions] on Facebook gets turned into a solitary zombie recluse.



Even with Facebook since 2007, I am still very active with family and friends. My house still has the weekly ‘movie and a pizza’ night. Myself, two female cousins meet at our aunt's once a week for what we call our weekly ‘Girl’s Night In’, we order food, talk and have fun. There’s a huge flea market that brings in sellers from as far away as Florida and New York that my Significant Other and I go spend the day on a weekly basis. We always attend the Breakfasts at the local Fire Halls. I’m an active member of the local VFW and American Legion. I have a group of friends that meet every Sunday at a local coffee shop. There isn’t enough room to talk about all the ethnic festivals around here, we attend as many as we can.



The only people who are ‘friends’ with me on Facebook are people I actually know in person, spend [real life] time with, and for the most part are related to me. All privacy settings are set to ‘friends only’ with a few set to ‘custom’, I don’t play any of the games or other apps such as ‘places’ and ‘birthdays’ and have all of them blocked.
About Facebook
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Social Media Policies At GM, Target, DISH Network Deemed Unlawful By Labor Official

I can totally understand your position. While I do not personally call myself an activist, there are a number of issues that I do feel the need to at minimum express my opinion. I know full well that there will be those that disagree with me. I do not seek to argue with anyone but at the same time I do invite open, intellectual discussion verses a debate, it is how we work through things and understand each other.



However, I have also learned to use Microsoft Works to ‘work out’ my comments before they are actually posted to that particular forum. I do not claim perfection in my posts, but at the same time I do read them back to myself out loud in an effort to ensure that what I am saying is actually what I want to say before I cut and paste it into the ongoing discussion. It helps in the process of being as respectful as I can to people and their opinions.
About Facebook
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Sex Offenders Fight For Right To Use Facebook

This is an extremely volatile issue in many areas. I can see the concerns and the issues on both sides. Personally I like the idea of severely limiting convicted pedophiles from access to children. However, I also understand that this is a very difficult task in this digital age. I am also aware of the fact that while Facebook requires users to be technically above the age of a juvenile in order to open an account, we all know people that allow children as young as 9 and 10 to have accounts. I don't know anything about how MySpace or the others handle this as I do not participate in them.



Unfortunately that single fact makes this even more difficult. I think if Facebook would assist in this issue by developing some way of establishing and verifying that parental consent was provided to their child in order to have a Facebook page then the childs' true age would be displayed. Laws could then be created that required all of these convicted offender's to register their Facebook page with an outside independent agency that had the ability to randomly visit their pages and view all of their friends. If there is anyone there that falls into their restricted area there is cause to force them to deactivate their account and be treated the same as if they violated probation. It's not the complete answer but it would be a start.
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Mitt Romney's Popularity Spikes Among Women Voters

And I suppose your advice to young men would be to tie a knot in it? Excuse me but your rhetoric goes beyond the arcane. This is the 21st Century and we cannot afford the stagnation effect of conservatism.
About Barack Obama 2012
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Is the Death Penalty Ever Justified?

As a Criminal Justice student my opinion has gone back and forth on the issue of the Death Penalty. Having come to a better understanding of the mechanics of the judicial and court systems, I am currently holding the opinion that the Death Penalty should remain available as an option that is reserved strictly for cases such as serial crimes like murder and violent sexual assaults. Even then extreme caution on the part of the prosecution, the investigators and anyone else involved must be observed. Because there will always be cases where the suspects innocence or guilt is questioned. I think the most revealing thing I've learned is that in reality people are not found to be innocent but rather not guilty - big difference.
About Death Penalty
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Louis Farrakhan Critiques Obama's Gay Marriage Endorsement

Well stated.
About Video
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Makayla Darnell Dead: Newborn Killed After Dog Attack At Ohio Home

There is no question that this is a heartbreaking tragedy on so many levels and my heart goes out to this family and every other family that has had to endure such a horrible ordeal. There are no words that can either describe the pain they must surely be feeling nor can be expressed to ease the sorrow for them.



There is also no question that this issue of dog attacks and more specifically those committed by a Pit Bull or Put Bull mix is such a volatile subject. It is extremely unfortunate that all too often when these articles appear in the news, advocates on both sides of this issue do speak out and it can regrettably appear to overshadow the true tragedy that is the death of an innocent human being.



I personally respect the opinion of every person on both sides, we all have the right to express them. When commenting here, I speak only for myself and for no other. I believe my commentary here on this forum is a direct representation of me as a person and I have tried to be as respectful as humanly possible to each and every person I choose to interact with regardless of the subject or their position.



I have expressed my feelings and have decided to make this post as a public request to the commentator known as Gasparilla to please leave me alone, as continued discussion is pointless and serves no purpose beyond harassment.
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Makayla Darnell Dead: Newborn Killed After Dog Attack At Ohio Home

This is from their Fact Sheet:

A CDC study on fatal dog bites lists the breeds involved in fatal attacks over 20 years (Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998 ). It does not identify specific breeds that are most likely to bite or kill, and thus is not appropriate for policy-making decisions related to the topic. Each year, 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs. These bites result in approximately 16 fatalities; about 0.0002 percent of the total number of people bitten. These relatively few fatalities offer the only available information about breeds involved in dog bites. There is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill.



Unfortunately a lot folks don’t click on links. Here is the conclusion:

Conclusions—Although fatal attacks on humans appear to be a breed-specific problem (pit bull-type dogs and Rottweiler’s), other breeds may bite and cause fatalities at higher rates. Because of difficulties inherent in determining a dog’s breed with certainty, enforcement of breed-specific ordinances raises constitutional and practical issues. Fatal attacks represent a small proportion of dog bite injuries to humans and, therefore, should not be the primary factor driving public policy concerning dangerous dogs. Many practical alternatives to breed-specific ordinances exist and hold promise for prevention of dog bites. (J Am Vet Med Assoc2000;217:836–840)
About News
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Makayla Darnell Dead: Newborn Killed After Dog Attack At Ohio Home

Before I get accused of putting canine before human, I do feel that more can and should be done in the area of child assistance. Regarding those of us who choose to get involved with supporting animals and animal rights, we all have our own personal reasons. Due to my position as a Human Resource Manager for the Army, I also worked for many years as a court appointed advocate for both women and children who have been abused. It is not strictly a civilian problem, it is just not so widely publicized.



I chose to work as a volunteer for various satellite agencies for the ASPCA. There is a lot of funding for the agencies that provide the advocacy for abused women and children that comes from both state and federal levels. The primary (all of it in most cases) funding received for the support of animals and animal rights comes from charitable donations from the private sector.



Finally, I also chose to leave the advocacy programs for women and children ONLY because there are so many rules, regulations and restrictions from the courts that actually hinder progress for many of these children by forcing us to leave them in the deplorable situations because more and more the courts are ruling in favor of NOT breaking up the family unit.
About News
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Makayla Darnell Dead: Newborn Killed After Dog Attack At Ohio Home

I have a female Pit that does that, lol Chases everything in the back yard and I have about 10 acres for her chase whatever in. Never catches anything, just loves to run. Unlike a few other folks that live around here, both my dogs stay in the yard and are never out there unless someone is watching them. Too many folks around these parts think that just because we live out in the country that they can just open their doors and let their dogs run regardless of size or breed. I've already had words with most of them, once I track down the owners.
About News
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Despite Huge Facebook User Pool, Millions Still Say, 'No, Thanks'

F/F It is very refreshing to find someone who appears to share my basic idea about Facebook. As a genealogist I totally love the resources that FB opens up for me. It is really amazing the number of cities, municipalities, counties, etc that have now created Facebook Pages. A lot of them are trying to attract new business, tourists, ec and it makes sense. I've been with Facebook since 07 and have truly enjoyed being able to stay in contact with all of my family members that are strung out all over the U. S. as well as overseas.



While totally respect the idea of sticking primarily to emails, I think the instant interaction provided by Facebook between myself and some of my Kaplan Classmates is almost an irreplacable asset, especially when we are students attending the same class, working on the same project but living all over the world.



These are only two of my personal reasons for promoting Facebook.
About AP
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Unseen: Trailblazing Military Women Forced To Fight For Recognition, Equal Treatment

You sort of turn a deaf ear to it after awhile, not that it always works because it still hurts. When I first went in back in 77, most of the guys treated me as if I were a slut of a dyke, I was told it was because 'nice girls don't join the Army.' I've even recently encountered one individual who seems to believe that because I do not have a Selective Service Number my service is not equal to that of a man. I was told that because I chose to be there that I was still 'collecting on the free ride that was bought and paid for by the blood and flesh of male soldiers.'
About Afghanistan
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Jesse Lee Peterson, Conservative Preacher, Says Women's Voting Rights 'One Of America's Greatest Mistakes'

My comments on this board or any other are not provided as a means of attacking anyone on a personal level unless I feel as I have been so attacked. Rather, my participation here and elsewhere is strictly centered on the idea of interactive debate based on the subject matter and to submit a different point of view. I do not generalize people into groups based on the actions [words] of another or attempt to read into what is stated in the post.



Reading your post, viewed strictly in light of the terminology, it would appear that you subscribe to the ideology that women by virtue of having been born female are for all practical purposes something very close to a burden on society. Interesting.



The core issue of feminism is...



Due to post limitations, further reading available here

http://vjbuchanan.tripod.com/BlogCommentary/index.blog?topic_id=1127721
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Rodney Alcala: 'The Dating Game Killer' To Face New York Murder Charges

I do not disagree with you. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perception, it took nearly 10 years for laws such as Victims Rights to be enacted. It wasn't until 2004 that those Rights were expanded upon in that the victims now have the right to be informed and notified of all matters relating to the accused. If an accused is set to be released, victims can now petition the courts to take whatever action necessary to see that they are not released. Additionally, victims can now appear before parole boards in order to present their case in the matter of the parole. Victims include survivors and the survivors of those victims that have been murdered by the accused. There are many factors reviewed now than there were in 1974, thankfully. Our justice system is not perfect, it is continually evolving based on cases like this one.
About Serial Killers
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Jesse Lee Peterson, Conservative Preacher, Says Women's Voting Rights 'One Of America's Greatest Mistakes'

Having viewed the content of the link you provided, I respect your choice of presentation on the subject of Feminism. However, the fact that others capitalized on the idea is not the defining element of Feminism but rather an economical move on the part of those who saw something that could not be stopped. The primary difference between understanding Feminism and not understanding it is the misconception that only women are Feminists.



http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/courtney_martin_reinventing_feminism.html
About Power
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Jesse Lee Peterson, Conservative Preacher, Says Women's Voting Rights 'One Of America's Greatest Mistakes'

The real tragedy with this is the fact that there are others who will subscribe to this absurdity.



“The Idiocy of Jesse Lee Peterson”

http://vjbuchanan.tripod.com/BlogCommentary/index.blog?topic_id=1127703
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Jesse Lee Peterson, Conservative Preacher, Says Women's Voting Rights 'One Of America's Greatest Mistakes'

Although it is not on the immediate horizon, that day is inevitable. However, the primary point that you are clearly missing is that it is the general population, not the fact that women do not want to serve that has historically made it clear that they do not want to see women drafted into the military.



When I entered the U.S. Army in 1977 there were very few occupational specialties that were actually available to women. This was essentially due to the additional consideration of the very limited availability of the unit of assignment. This was strictly due to the very distinct possibility that their unit could possibly be deployed to a combat zone.



Retired Female U.S. Army Veteran and Proud of it! By the way, I also vote!
About Power
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Best Buy Employee Allegedly Outs Straight Customer On Facebook

This is an open forum and I do make every attempt to be respectful of others regardless of how or who they present themselves to be, that's their business.



However, I did not use the term 'friends' when I mentioned the two individuals who were fired shortly after the gay rumors began. I knew who they were but I did not know them as 'friends'. I did not blame gays for starting the rumor. I have no idea what the religious beliefs are of those that worked there because I did not associate with any of them outside of work, it's just not good policy in my opinion. There are three individual items where you read into my comment.



Furthermore, it has been my experience that it is not a persons religious or spiritual beliefs that result in the telling of lies. I've been lied to by those who profess everything from various different religions to having none.
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Georgia Abortion Bill, Assisted Suicide Ban Signed By Governor Nathan Deal

The article provided links to outside unbiased sources, regardless most will believe what they choose irrespective of the consequences. Interestingly enough this topic has been covered from various news sources not connected to Huffington Post.



http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/9-Lies-Republicans-Tell-Ab-in-General_News-120328-531.html
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Georgia Abortion Bill, Assisted Suicide Ban Signed By Governor Nathan Deal

The article provided links to outside unbiased sources. Sadly, you’ll believe what you want regardless of the consequences.



However, here’s a different source not connected to Huffington Post. Some people do pay attention in class.



http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/9-Lies-Republicans-Tell-Ab-in-General_News-120328-531.html
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Cop Shoots Dog: Untrained Officers Commit 'Puppycide' (PHOTOS)

We have witnessed this before in other places [states] where we've lived. It is a horrendous tragedy that can never be made right again. We currently have two rather large mix breed dogs that are more like our children than our pets as we cannot have children of our own. Our 'babies' are like the best playmates for all the kids from age toddlers to teenagers who come to our house. When home invasions began to rise in our area, we talked with the local sheriff's office about how to best protect our dogs in the event of a break in. Our concern is not for the burglar but for the possible damage that can be done to our dogs. Unfortunately the only 'protection' that is available for the pet is to insure that you have 'Beware of Dog' signs in all of your windows and they must be displayed approx 4 ft from the ground so they can be read by children. If you don't have the signs the burglar can sue you for the damaged done to them by the dogs. Yes, he actually said that. Unfortunately in my experience, the 'Beware of Dog' sign is nothing more than an advertisement to potential burglars that they need to approach this house with deadly force. Our response is another sign that reads "We don't call 911"
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David Axelrod: 'Reign Of Terror' Has Taken Hold Of Republicans In Congress

Even if I did not already support President Obama, I do admit that there are some members of the Republican Party that are worth voting for [Romney not included], it is the fact that the majority of those Republican's are too far to the Right for my comfort. This is demonstrated primarily by their highly publicized viewpoints on women's issues, especially in the area of health and reproduction. My message to the Republican's is simple "Run the Country - Not my Body" then perhaps I might consider paying a little more attention to their other issues. Unfortunately as it stands right now, I believe the Republican's will put us back in the Dark Ages if they should gain the presidency in November.
About David Axelrod
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Mitt Romney: Mothers Should Be Required To Work Outside Home Or Lose Benefits

Yeah, I had to read that twice myself. So much for fiscal conservatism!
About Photo Galleries
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