Show Notes 08-07-2018

Tuesday Show 08-07-18

Britain 2018: Record Knife Crime Rates Straining NHS, Depleting Blood Supplies
Trauma surgeons have warned that Britain’s knife crime “epidemic” is putting the National Health Service (NHS) under strain, as figures revealed the number of incidents reached a record high of more than 40,000 last year.
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Moms arrested after 11 children found in ‘filthy’ New Mexico compound with armed Muslim ‘extremists,’ cops say
The three mothers of the 11 malnourished children found living in a filthy New Mexico compound were arrested and charged Sunday along with two men described as armed Muslim “extremists” after authorities raided the property in search of a 4-year-old boy.
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N.Y. targets NRA program in backdoor gun control scheme
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he’s discovered a way to kneecap the NRA by outlawing its gun-liability insurance program and is urging other states to follow his lead, saying they have a chance to exploit the gun-rights group’s admitted dire financial situation.
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Florida Dems Push For Special Session To Repeal ‘Stand Your Ground’
Florida has a long history of being a fairly pro-gun state. Nicknamed the “Gunshine State” by some, they have a long history of passing pro-gun rights laws. At least, they did until this year when Parkland pressured lawmakers to pass a slate of gun control laws in a misguided effort to adhere to the outrage there.
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Trump: ‘We Proudly Stand for the National Anthem’

From CNS News:

(CNSNews.com) – In a speech to the National Rifle Association, President Donald Trump said that NRA members are “true American patriots” who take pride in America’s history, respect its heritage, and “proudly stand for the National Anthem.”

“We have pride on our history and respect for our heritage. We put our hands on our hearts for the Pledge of Allegiance, and we all proudly stand for the National Anthem. We proudly stand,” Trump said.

He said Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) and NRA President Wayne LaPierre are “real patriots” who don’t get “the kind of adulation” that they deserve.

“I want to thank you, the true American patriots of the NRA, who defend our rights, our liberty, and our great American flag. Thank you, thank you very much. The people in this hall have never taken our freedom for granted, never, and you have never stopped fighting for our beloved Constitution, incredible people,” Trump said.

“You give your time, your energy, your vote, and your voice to stand strong for those sacred rights given to us by God, including the right to self-defense. And now thanks to your activism and dedication, you have an administration fighting to protect your 2nd Amendment, and we will protect your 2nd Amendment,” he pledged.

“Your 2nd Amendment rights are under siege, but they will never, ever be under siege as long as I’m your president. All of us are here today united by the same timeless values. We believe our liberty is a gift from our creator and that no government can ever take it away. We believe in the rule of law, and we support the men and women of law enforcement,” the president said.

Damn Right! Mr President!

CDC Kept Quiet on Data Showing Americans Regularly Use Firearms for Self-Defense

From NRA-ILA:

The year is 1996. The Right to Carry movement is building momentum across the United States after violent crime peaked in the early 1990s. Criminologists Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz just published a study estimating that 2.5 million Americans used a firearm to defend themselves against another person in 1993. Gun-control advocates scoff at the number, though Kleck refutes the criticisms levied at his work.

The surest way to confirm, cast doubt upon or refute any research is replication. The CDC had recently entered the “gun violence research” field, publishing a flawed study clearly designed to advocate for gun control in 1993.

Shortly after Kleck and Gertz published their research, the CDC began collecting data that could have been provided evidence in the debate over how often the public utilize a firearm in self-defense. You wouldn’t know it, but the CDC actually collected data on defensive gun use for three years (in 1996, 1997, and 1998) in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys. This data collection was not discovered until Kleck came across it looking for data on another topic. He is analyzing that data and comparing it to his own, but…something is amiss.

For 20 years, this data went unnoticed. Like some buried treasure, Kleck stumbled across this data. He wasn’t looking for it because, like the rest of the world outside of the CDC offices, he had no idea it existed. It was not discovered until 20 years after the fact. Given how often questions about defensive gun usage come up and the wide range of estimates (from around 116,000 per year to millions, depending on the source) as well as the CDC’s clear interest on the topic, one may wonder why this data was never acknowledged.

Perhaps it was simply forgotten…by however many people worked on the BRFSS over the span of three years writing the survey, collecting the data, formatting the data, analyzing the data, and presumably presenting it to someone at CDC. Maybe it was misplaced. Maybe it was lost in a flood.

Maybe. Or perhaps the CDC didn’t report the data because the findings weren’t convenient. It is hard to advocate banning firearms when the evidence shows a sizeable number of Americans using firearms to defend themselves every year in the United States. Is that more or less likely than a team of researchers forgetting they collected data on a hot-button topic?

Our assumptions about the CDC may be colored by their history with gun control advocacy. The motives or circumstances driving their silence may never be uncovered. Maybe in another 20 years someone will find a long-lost memo that details why the CDC kept quiet. Maybe not.

 

Show Notes 03-03-2018

 Saturday notes 03-03-18 

John Kelly: ‘I have absolutely nothing to even consider resigning over’
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly insisted to reporters Friday there’s nothing to make him think about resigning, amid recent questions over his handling of the Rob Porter domestic abuse allegations.
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Florida senators vote not to stop sales of AR-15s
Florida lawmakers on Saturday nixed a proposal that would have placed a moratorium on the sale of AR-15s, the type of firearm used in the deadly school shooting in Parkland on Valentine’s Day.
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Georgia governor signs bill nixing Delta tax break after NRA split
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Friday signed into law a tax bill that fellow Republicans used to punish Atlanta-based Delta in retaliation for the airline’s decision to sever ties with the National Rifle Association.
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Top NASCAR Venue Sticking With NRA Amid Business Outcry
The home of one of NASCAR’s marquee races is standing firm with the National Rifle Association as more than a dozen companies cut ties with the organization in the wake of the Florida school shooting.
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China’s Holdings of U.S. Debt Down 10%
Chinese holdings of U.S. Treasury securities are 10.0 percent below their peak level which was attained in November 2013, according to data published by the U.S. Treasury.
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DOJ takes new look at ex-Navy sailor’s request for presidential pardon
The Department of Justice is taking a new look at a former U.S. Navy sailor’s request for a pardon following his release from jail for taking photos of classified areas inside a nuclear submarine, his attorney said.
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Navy Buys Lasers to ‘Dazzle’ Drones, Take Out Small Boats
The Navy has awarded an initial $150 million contract to Lockheed Martin to develop shipboard lasers that can “dazzle” enemy drone swarms and take out small boats.
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USDA: 35,891 Retailers Engaged in Food Stamp Fraud
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published a report estimating that 35,891 food retailers around the country engaged in food stamp fraud, illegally “trafficking” more than $1 billion in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits annually over the three-year period from 2012 through 2014.
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A California Judge May Have Just Sunk All Those Climate Lawsuits Against Energy Companies
A California district court ruled Wednesday that two lawsuits to hold energy companies responsible for weather affected by climate change are more appropriate for federal court.
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It’s Time For Parkland’s Sheriff Israel To Go
On the afternoon of Valentine’s Day, a 19-year-old man walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and murdered seventeen people and injured fourteen more.
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U.S. to overtake Russia as world’s biggest oil producer
 Oil: The U.S. will overtake Russia to become the world’s largest oil producer by 2023, according to the International Energy Agency, reflecting Trump administration policies such as approving major oil pipelines, opening up areas to drilling and regulation reform.
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Show Notes 10-06 2017

Friday Show Notes 10-6-17

Planned Parenthood insiders spill guts on true objective
Few people familiar with the undercover videos revealing Planned Parenthood executives discussing how to profit from the body parts of unborn babies could doubt the abortion business is concerned about making money.
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Illinois GOP Gov. Rauner faces conservative fury for expanding taxpayer-funded abortions
Illinois GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner’s decision to expand taxpayer-funded abortions has sparked outrage from state and congressional Republicans who say he flip-flopped on the issue and are now hinting at a primary challenge.
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DOJ wants records of Seth Rich murder released
The Department of Justice is demanding the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Washington, D.C., release records relating to the murder of Democratic National Committee employee Seth Rich.
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Bump-Stock Device Received ATF Green Light During Obama Administration
On June 7, 2010 — about a year and a half into the Barack Obama administration — the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives issued an opinion letter, giving the go-ahead to an after-market accessory that allows the user to “bump fire” a semi-automatic rifle.
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Schumer Asks Trump to ‘Break from the NRA…And Work With Us
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told a news conference on Tuesday he’s sent a letter to President Trump, asking for a meeting to discuss gun control.
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‘Deregulation Day’ Spotlights Big Changes Trump Is Bringing to Washington
Monday was “Deregulation Day” for the federal government as declared by President Donald Trump, and thus is an opportune time to deliver the findings of The Heritage Foundation’s latest tracking of regulation.
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Neonicotinoid pesticides found in honey from every continent
The evidence has been mounting for years that the world’s most widely used pesticides, neonicotinoids, harm bees and other pollinating insects. Now it seems the problem isn’t limited to Europe and North America, where the alarm was first sounded. It’s everywhere.
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