The neo-feudalism of Obama’s maskless ball.

I lost my invitation and, besides, the pilot of my private plane was on holiday, so I had to miss the intimate, scaled-back get-together that Barack Obama convened to celebrate his 60th year gracing our planet with his awesomeness.

I didn’t feel too badly, though — no paralyzing waves of ‘FOMO’ — because all my friends in the media made me feel I was almost there. There were all those leaked snaps and videos, for one thing, showing the Prez dance-dance-dancing the night away, nary a mask in sight.

In truth, that was the one thing I liked about this obscene, Gatsby-esque spectacle. The Obamas, and presumably their guests, had been vaccinated. They therefore knew that they were not at any meaningful risk of contracting THE WORST DISEASE SINCE THE BLACK DEATH — I mean, the nasty little respiratory virus bequeathed to a grateful world by the ChiComs. They just weren’t, and neither are you — always assuming you are vaccinated and under the age of, say, 80.

The only thing that would have made this aspect of Obama’s Feast of Trimalchio more delicious would have been a couple of candid snaps of St Anthony Fauci doing the twist with Chrissy Teigen. Maybe the Daily Mail will eventually come through on that.

Let’s just set the record straight on a couple of matters. When it was first revealed that His Highness was planning this illustration of Thorstein Veblen’s thesis about conspicuous consumption, there were some plangent noises among the patter of adulation. Four hundred guests and 200 peons — er, servants? A teensy bit over the top, Barack?  So the Obamas said they scaled it back — look it up: it was all over the court press. But it is clear that they didn’t. Possibly, the Cuomo Bros had their invitations yanked, but that was only because — Ecce Cuomo — shares in Cuomo preferred had just taken a sharp dive. This, incidentally, provided a good illustration of the irrationality of this part of the market. Stock in the Cuomo Mafia deserves to be rated a zero — bankruptcy time — but not because Andrew is the Luv Gov and can’t keep his pinky off the pink bits of the ladies. That’s what the media outrage machine would have you believe. But the real reason he deserves to go can be adduced in the number 15,000, approximately the number people whose deaths he caused by forcing nursing homes to take patients suffering from COVID. Anyway, the ‘root cause’ of Cuomo’s defenestration is the threat he poses — make that ‘posed’ — as a possible alternative to the gibbering, geriatric wing of the Democratic party going forward.

The second thing that needs to be corrected is the calumny that the Obamas occupy a pad worth $11-$12 million on Martha’s Vineyard. In fact, that 30-acre estate is worth about three to four times that much, but some lingering sense of propriety (I won’t call it shame) caused them or their PR flaks to lowball the assessment.

All in all, the Obama Odeon was an excellent illustration of Joel Kotkin’s thesis in The Coming of Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class. Western societies, above all American society, is lapsing back into a sort of stratified, feudal arrangement with some a tiny hyper-rich elite at the top and a vast pool of ‘deplorables’ kept in check by the police power of the state — what Joe Biden memorably apostrophized as ‘F-15s and some nuclear weapons’. Mediating the two like a layer of fat is a sort of clerisy that is treated to varying crumbs from the table as it explains, flatters, and cajoles.

There is a lot to be repelled by in the Spectacle of Barack Obama’s exercise in brazen self-indulgence, also a lot to be angry at.
I think it is important, though, to look at it as a learning experience. Pretend you were Aesop. What moral would you draw from this exercise in exhibitionism?

Doubtless there are several learning experiences to be had. But I thought that Rep. Jim Jordan perfectly articulated an important lesson in a tweet.  Now we know, he wrote, that

‘#COVID19 spreads at:

-Church
-School
-Trump rallies
-Motorcycle rallies

It doesn’t spread at:

-“Peaceful” protests
-The southern border
-Democrat wedding receptions
-San Francisco hair salons
-Governor Newsom’s dinner
-President Obama’s birthday party’

Really, I hadn’t know that before and I am grateful for the enlightenment.

CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY BILL INTRODUCED IN SENATE

A group of Republican lawmakers in the Buckeye State recently filed a permitless carry bill in the Ohio state Senate.

The proposal SB 215 was filed by Dr. Terry Johnson, state senator for Ohio’s 14th Senate District, and has eight co-sponsors. The measure joins HB 227, filed earlier this year in the Ohio House, which has 22 co-sponsors.

The move is a priority for state Second Amendment advocates.

“Ohioans have proven themselves to be overwhelmingly law-abiding over the past 17 years since concealed carry became law,” said Dean Rieck, the Buckeye Firearms Association’s executive director. “And Ohio is ready to join the 21 other states that now permit concealed carry without a license.”

The legislation proposed would not change Ohio’s lethal force laws or the locations where guns can already be legally carried in the state. Likewise, it would not do away with the state’s popular shall-issue concealed carry licensing program. Roughly 700,000 Ohioans held active licenses in 2020, according to a report from the Ohio attorney general. What the measure would do is codify that such licenses are not needed to carry a legal firearm in the state.

Republicans hold a commanding control of the Ohio General Assembly, counting 25 of the 33 seats in the Senate and 64 of 99 in the House. Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, has already this year signed a stand your ground bill into law, and DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney previously told the Ohio Capital-Journal that the governor has not yet taken a position on the proposed constitutional carry legislation.

The move, if successful, would make Ohio the 22nd state to recognize such permitless carry laws. So far this year, five states – Iowa, Tennessee, Montana, Utah, and Texas – have adopted similar protections.

State Opportunities to Repeal Bans on Gun Mufflers

The same person who invented the muffler for the automobile invented them for guns.  Hiram Maxim, the inventor, called them “Silencers”.  An obvious reason they were not invented earlier is the inside of a gun muffler is more complex than a gun barrel. Early silencer designs were made of mild steel, making them subject to corrosion. A silencer for a gun using black powder would require a significant effort to clean after each use.

Smokeless/non-corrosive gunpowder did not become common until about 1900. At that point, gun mufflers became more practical. Increasing prosperity in society, brought about by technical innovation and the use of fossil fuels, made target shooting more economical for more people.

Hiram Maxim invented the gun muffler in 1902. It was moderately popular. President Theodore Roosevelt owned several and found them useful for target shooting and pest control.

The Progressive regime of Franklin Delano Roosevelt was able to make the interstate transportation and marketing of silencers prohibitively expensive in 1934.   There was no clear reason to do so in the legislative record. Placing prohibitive taxes on machine guns, silencers, and short-barreled rifles and shotguns was the booby prize in 1934. The main aim of the proponents of the law had been to require registration and licensing of all pistols.

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When you don’t have enough people that will vote the way you want, will do what you want, will allow themselves to be controlled the way you want, well, replacing them is an option.

The Democrats Finally Did It on Immigration…And It’s the End of Us If They Succeed

Why wouldn’t Democrats do this? They need to address their base’s lust for left-wing activism. They want to get as much done as possible before the 2022 midterms likely wash them off the Hill. When it comes to illegal immigration, amnesty is a top item. For weeks, Democrats floated that they might incorporate some form of amnesty into this $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill that’s just a progressive goodie bag of wasteful spending. And, of course, you knew they were going to make the argument that legalizing these people impacts the budget in some fashion.

Now, with the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill looking to pass the Senate, the reconciliation bill is next, though House Democrats want this package done first and will block the former until that’s done. It’s all talk, no action. It’s pure theater. It’s meant to press this up against the September 30 government funding deadline. Regardless, if Democrats succeed in this effort, we’re done.

The $3.5 trillion package that the left-wing of the Democratic Party wants has a framework that allocates some $107 billion to get this amnesty push going. And only through the reconciliation process can this be done (via Breitbart):

The cost of the amnesty to taxpayers is just slightly lower than Senate Budget Committee chairman Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) amnesty plan, which was projected to cost $150 billion.

Any amnesty plan crafted by Democrats is expected to give green cards, which lead to naturalized American citizenship, millions of illegal aliens eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), those working on U.S. farms, and those considered “essential” workers.

Democrats’ amnesty via the reconciliation plan hit a serious roadblock last month when Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) announced she will oppose their $3.5 trillion budget. With Sinema’s opposition, Senate Democrats do not have the 50 votes necessary to pass the budget via reconciliation with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a tie with Republican opposition.

Most recently, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) told donors amnesty would only be possible if Senate Democrats shove it through the reconciliation process.

“If we don’t have reconciliation, I’m not sure that there’s a pathway forward,” Menendez said.

How many will be legalized? What’s the exact number? We don’t know. It doesn’t say. But given the fact that Democrats are hanging onto their majorities by a thread ahead of a key midterm election with Biden’s numbers rapidly sinking, you can bet the mortgage that the “millions” figure is correct. I’m not saying anything new—Democrats need to get as many on the fast track as possible. And they know there will be zero Republican support to do get this done.

This has all the makings of a doomsday situation. The House Democrats are purposefully delaying until all this nonsense is pressed against the deadline to keep the government open. Oh, and on top of trillions in new spending, an estimated $256 billion will be added to the deficit over the next eight years, and a soft amnesty push—the reconciliation package has no mechanism to increase the debt ceiling. The deadline for that was August 2. The Treasury is now in “extraordinary measures” mode. It only has enough reserves to fund government obligations for no more than three months.

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6 Governors Stripped Of Power Because Of Overreach During The COVID-19 Pandemic

  • Lawmakers in 46 states have moved to limit governors’ emergency powers wielded during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing executives have overextended their authority.
  • Pennsylvania voters in May approved two amendments to the state’s constitution proposed by Republican lawmakers that sought to limit the executive power of Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf, while Republican lawmakers in Michigan voted in July to repeal the Emergency Powers Act of 1945, a law used by Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to issue widespread restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic without consulting the legislature.
  • The power struggles between legislatures and governors are not necessarily partisan, with the overwhelmingly-Democrat legislature in New York voting to limit Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s emergency powers in a bill passed in March.

State legislatures in six states limited their governors’ emergency powers wielded during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing executives have overextended their authority.

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Running out of candidates to infect is the normal end state for a pandemic, in other words, it creates herd immunity all on its own.

Delta Spreads So Quickly It ‘Runs Out Of Candidates’ To Infect, Says WHO Expert

A World Health Organization (WHO) expert said the Delta variant of COVID-19 spreads so fast that it runs out of people to infect, but also warned that while infections could decline just as fast as the infections increase, “there may be more to come.”

Epidemiology expert Larry Brilliant explained that based on models of Delta variant outbreaks in New York and San Francisco, the variant is spreading in “an inverted V-shape epidemic curve.” He told CNBC that the models suggest Delta infections are increasing fast, but the infections will also decline very quickly.

Brilliant’s projection of the variant’s spreading, if it turns out to be true, means that the virus continues to spread so fast that “it basically runs out of candidates” to infect, but it will also start receding following high records of infection.

There have already been apparent scenarios of Delta infection recessions in India and the United Kingdom. India peaked at more than 390,000 COVID-19 cases in May, but as of late June, cases have remained below 50,000. In the U.K., there were around 47,700 infections, but come July 29, there were only about 26,000 confirmed cases.

Brilliant, who was part of the WHO team that worked on smallpox, said that based on the Delta variant’s recent activity, the probability of a “super variant” evolving is low, although it could not be ruled out. He added that the Delta’s activity could be as short as “a six-month phenomenon in a country, rather than a two-year phenomenon” due to its quick spreading and quick recession.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 situation in some Southern states has started to frustrate healthcare workers as they begin to see a repeat of history from last year’s devastating pandemic situation, CNN reported. Chief of Staff at Houston’s United Memorial Medical Center, Dr. Joseph Varon, said “this is a déjà vu of what we had last year,” adding that it was “preventable” but some people “are not doing the right thing.”

The U.S. is averaging more than 100,000 new cases daily, marking the highest numbers in the hard-hit country in the last six months. Some 50.1% of the total American population has been fully vaccinated, recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed.

So far, the United States remains the hardest-hit country in the world. Data from Johns Hopkins University revealed that the country has logged 35,762,751 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Sunday. The U.S. has also recorded 616,827 deaths linked to the disease. India follows behind with nearly 32 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 427,000 deaths.

Basic Practical Riflery For The New Shooter.

A few years ago, I decided I wanted to become a rifleman. A practical rifleman. Through disciplined self practice, and help from the online community, I have been able to ever expand my skills from a 100 yard skill-set to a 600 yard comfort zone. If I can do it, anyone can, but a lot of people don’t think they can make that jump.

I have run into many AR owners who think that if they can’t shoot 1 to 2-inch groups like they see online, they aren’t shooting well. They perceive their rifle equipped with a red dot as being too imprecise to carry them past close-range shooting. They doubt their skills, but they haven’t tried to apply the skills they have.

Because they don’t think they can do it, they don’t shoot at longer ranges. But I’m here to tell you that you can.

Let’s knock that mental wall down and develop a simple shooting program for all the new AR-15 shooters out there. Let’s identify an easy-to-master system that can carry their rifle out to distances they once dismissed.

Today we’re going to create a basic program to get you (or someone you know who needs this) a tool set to reliably drop rounds on a target out to 400 yards. Let’s get started.

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The Great Reset: The Global Elite’s Plan to Radically Remake Our Economic and Social Lives

The Great Reset is upon us…or at least the powers that be are trying to bring it out. What was once a fringe “conspiracy theory” is now on display plain as day for everyone to see. The economic, political, academic, and media elites around the world are leveraging the chaos, confusion, and restrictions on liberty from the COVID-19 lockdowns and using them to radically alter society around the world.

What will this change look like? The global elites want to create a society of renters who own nothing, while also pushing a social agenda that would be unpopular with the unwashed masses and difficult to implement in a society with a broad, ownership-based middle class. What this means is that you would rent not just your home, but also your phone, computer, car (though you probably will “carshare,” the term for renting a car when you need one for an extended period and summoning one when you need it for a ride), and even the pots and pans you cook with.

The flip side of this will be a radical transformation of the world economy. No longer will you have a job in the sense that it has traditionally been understood. Instead, you will work various and sundry “gigs,” all of which place you in a precarious position at any given time. You will receive a fee for services performed, with no benefits, paid time off, healthcare, or anything else that the middle class in the West has become accustomed to.

To facilitate the Great Reset, rural populations will have to be coerced into more concentrated population centers since dispersed populations have too high a “carbon footprint.” The suburbs will be a thing of the past as suburbs and exurbs become more like cities. Mixed-use housing, where you and 500 other people live in a mid-rise condo hive with shops and “workshare” spaces (the new version of an office – on your dime, not your employer’s) in the same area.

The short version is that it’s a total end to the American way of life, specifically the way of life of most of the Western middle class. The specifics, including the why, are a longer story that you’re going to want to read if you want to be ready to fight against the Great Reset.

Table of Contents

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Des Moines police say resident shot intruder in self-defense

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Police in Des Moines say a resident shot an armed intruder who broke into an apartment overnight.

Police say the incident happened around 12:30 a.m. Friday when a man armed with a handgun broke into an apartment along Lincoln Avenue. Police say the intruder assaulted and threatened residents inside the apartment before he was shot by one of the residents.

Investigators say the intruder fled the scene and later showed up with a bullet wound at an emergency room. He is expected to recover.

Police did not release the names of the victims or the accused intruder and have not announced any arrests in the case.

14 Israelis infected with COVID despite 3rd vaccine dose

9 days after Israel kicked off campaign for third vaccine dose, Health Ministry statistics reveal 2 people hospitalized despite booster shot

More than a dozen Israelis who have been vaccinated three times against SARS-CoV-2 have been diagnosed with the virus in spite of the vaccines, according to a new report Sunday evening.

According to data from Israel’s Health Ministry which was published in a report by Channel 12 Sunday evening, fourteen people who have received a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine were diagnosed with the coronavirus at least seven days after receiving the third dose.

Israel officially kicked off its mass vaccination campaign for the third dose on July 30th, and has vaccinated some 422,000 people with the third dose thus far. The third dose is available to members of high-risk groups, including the elderly.

Of the 14 recipients of the third dose who tested positive for the virus at least seven days after receiving the booster shot, eleven are over the age of 60, with the remaining three being younger people who received the shot because they suffer from compromised immune systems.

Two of the 14 people who were diagnosed with COVID at least a week after receiving the booster shot have been hospitalized as a result of their COVID infections. Sunday’s report did not specify whether the two are in serious condition.

Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called on Israeli Arabs to get vaccinated against COVID, saying the vaccine is a crucial part of the battle against the Delta Variant.

“This epidemic of the Delta variant is flooding the whole world and bringing with it high rates of contagion and increased mortality rates in many countries. The Delta variant is also spreading through Israel, and those most affected are older people – your parents and your grandparents. Therefore, Israel has obtained additional vaccine doses in order to provide our citizens with a third vaccine dose, so that we can protect all those over the age of 60.”

Bennett said that vaccination rates among the Arab sector are “too low.”

 

Bill Aims To Add ALL Semi-Automatic Rifles With Detachable Magazines To NFA

Back when candidate Joe Biden was running for president, he had laid out several different things he wanted to do in the way of curbing so-called “gun violence”. Multiple times on episodes of Cam and Company, Cam stated we should be taking Biden at his word on what he wishes to do. From his wish list:

Regulate possession of existing assault weapons under the National Firearms Act. Currently, the National Firearms Act requires individuals possessing machine-guns, silencers, and short-barreled rifles to undergo a background check and register those weapons with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Due to these requirements, such weapons are rarely used in crimes. As president, Biden will pursue legislation to regulate possession of existing assault weapons under the National Firearms Act.

Let’s first note the laziness and candor in Biden’s plan by linking to a fact sheet on Giffords Law Center’s webpage. Biden is clearly in bed with this group, why else would his website link to them? I don’t think it would have been too hard for the team to come up with a similar document to link to or come up with their own ideas on the subject, but I digress.

Then there is the progressive golden boy, former ATF agent, David Chipman, who’s falling from grace, but still an entity to deal with, and his views. As reported on The Hill:

David Chipman, a retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent, on Monday said AR-15 rifles should be regulated like machine guns.

“What I support is treating them just like machine guns,” Chipman, who is now a senior policy adviser at Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence, told Hill.TV’s Buck Sexton and Krystal Ball on “Rising.”

“To me, if you want to have a weapon of war, the same gun that was issued to me as a member of [the] ATF SWAT team, it makes sense that you would have to pass a background check, the gun would have to be in your name, and there would be a picture and fingerprints on file,” he continued.

Anyone paying attention? Just to connect the dots, we all know about Chipman’s involvement with Giffords. Biden linking to Giffords? Chipman working for Giffords? Swampy.

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Portland sees Antifa descend on Christian worship event, clash with Proud Boys in streets

Videos from Portland showed a crowd of demonstrators violently shut down an event where Christians gathered the pray on the waterfront – before another clash Saturday afternoon involved Antifascists and alleged Proud Boys members throwing projectiles at each other on a city street.

Police officers did not intervene in either confrontation – besides a squad car sounding its siren just feet away. 

The first instance of violence happened Saturday at an open-air event planned at Tom McCall Waterfront Park near the Battleship Oregon Memorial to be hosted by Artur Pawlowski, a traveling preacher who’s been arrested in Canada for holding in-person worship services in violation of coronavirus restrictions. Several Antifa Twitter accounts tweeted about the planned event, the Post Millennial reported, and videos posted online showed that a crowd of demonstrators dressed in black bloc attire showed up at the waterfront to confront worshippers.

Dozens of people carrying black umbrellas and shields are seen spraying red and yellow gas at the group of worshippers, as other Antifa members steal sound equipment, lawn chairs and wagons left across the lawn by families who had come to listen to the pastor speak.

“All Cops are B*******, in the name of Jesus,” a male’s voice is heard saying during the melee.

Children, including toddlers, were in attendance at the worship event when the group of Antifa demonstrators began throwing projectiles, including eggs, one woman told a videographer at the scene.

“They threw a flash bomb into a group of kids who were out there,” she said.

A male worshipper said a pastor had walked up to ask the group of demonstrators to stop — but he was pepper sprayed. The woman is seen attending the pastor’s eyes covered by an orange substance.

The Portland Tribune reported that members of the far-right group, Proud Boys, later descended on the worship event and clashed with the Antifa members. Additional video circulated online by independent journalist Andy Ngo shows the clashes carried onto a nearby city street, and the alleged Proud Boys members, seen dressed in yellow and black garb, fired a paint ball gun at several Antifa members.

WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE 

A squad car for the Portland Police Bureau pulls up and flashes its siren – but seemingly had no impact in stopping the confrontation. A man is heard yelling at the officer behind the wheel, “Do your job.”

Once the groups converged at the waterfront, a fight broke out but the confrontation there was “over prior to any police response,” Portland Police Bureau spokesman Derek Carmon told KOIN. “As the groups left, there was a report of another small fight that was over prior to police response. No arrests were made and no one came forward to report any crimes that we are aware of.”

“Police had no interaction with either group today,” Carmon added.

Screenshots shared by Ngo showed that another Antifa-affiliated Twitter account later tweeted that members threw the sound equipment into the Willamette River and stole sandwiches and water bottles belonging to the Christian group – before then giving them back out to the homeless.

A Teacher’s Union is Suing a Mother For Repeated Attempts to Know What Her Kindergartener is Learning

On Monday, Nicole Solas, a Rhode Island mom whose daughter will be going into kindergarten, was sued by chapters of the National Education Association (NEA) for submitting multiple requests to find out what her daughter was learning when it comes to lesson plans on concepts such as transgenderism and Critical Race Theory (CRT).

Triangle [Virginia} man shot and killed by Dale City homeowner in self defense tied to string of armed robberies

A 20-year-old Triangle man who was fatally shot last month by a Dale City woman in what police determined was a justified act of self-defense has been connected to five recent armed robberies at area 7-Eleven stores, police said Monday.

The man, identified as Azhar Laurent Smart, 20, of Triangle, was found by police suffering a gunshot wound at 12:25 a.m. on Thursday, July 22, outside a home in the 4100 block of Hoffman Drive, a residential area off Prince William Parkway near the Sheetz gas station, according to a news release issued at the time.

Smart was shot by a resident of the home who told police he approached her while she was outside walking her dog. Police later determined that Smart was wearing a face mask and was armed with a handgun when he was shot, according to the police news release.

Smart was transported to a nearby hospital, where he died from his wounds, the release said. The Dale City resident who shot Smart was not identified and was not injured, according to police.

On Monday, Aug. 2, police said a subsequent police investigation into the handgun Smart was carrying determined it matched a firearm that was discharged during a July 16 armed robbery at the 7-Eleven on Dale Boulevard in Woodbridge.

During that robbery, the lone suspect fired a round after taking money from the store. No injuries were reported. The shell casing collected at the scene was compared to the weapon recovered at the July 22 homicide and was determined to be a match, 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok, Prince William County police spokesman, said in an Aug. 2 news release.

Detectives have been investigating the July 16 robbery in connection to four other robberies that occurred at 7-Eleven stores in Woodbridge and Dumfries since late June involving a suspect with the same description, clothing and behaviors observed in all five incidents, Perok said in the Aug. 2 release.

The other robberies occurred at 7-Eleven stores on Fraley Boulevard in Dumfries on July 5, where a shot was also fired, and locations on Cloverdale Road on July 3, Darbydale Avenue on June 29, and Minnieville Road on June 28, Perok said.

“Detectives became increasingly concerned over the robberies escalating after the suspect was found to have discharged a handgun during the two more recent incidents. Forensic examination of the shell casing recovered on July 5 is ongoing,” Perok said.

At the time of the July 22 homicide, the deceased was wearing clothing that was also observed in the reported robberies, Perok said.

“Following the investigations into this robbery series, all known evidence indicates the deceased was responsible for all five incidents,” Perok said.

Detectives are still looking into why Smart was at that particular house on Hoffman Drive on July 22, Perok said.

Federal law-enforcement officials from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives contributed to the investigation, Perok said.

Man Behaving Erratically Shot, Killed After Entering Pleasant Hill Home

PLEASANT HILL [California] — A man who was behaving erratically was shot and killed Tuesday evening after entering a home, according to Pleasant Hill police.

It happened at about 5:45 p.m. on Shadow Mountain Court near Camelback Road. Several 911 callers reported a suspect was vandalizing parked cars and trying to get inside homes, according to police.

Responding officers, along with the 911 dispatcher heard several gunshots and discovered a male intruder in the living room of a home suffering from a gunshot wound.

The victim was transported to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek where he succumbed to his injuries.

Authorities have not released the suspect’s name or identified the shooter.

Police said the residents of the home, along with witnesses were cooperating with the investigation. There are no other suspects at this time.

More information may be released later.

Final report; Tisas .45 ACP commander

As reported previously, reliability had been established. Beyond that, today AK & I sortied out for some a.m. range time, zeroing various & sundry firearms.

The Tisas was again confirmed to be a reliable shooter, but shows a distinct accuracy preference for standard operational 230grain hardball ammoo. I had no problems keeping 5 shots in the bullseye of a pistol target offhand at 50 feet and I’ve never heard of anyone complaining that .45 fmj wasn’t up to the job, so it goes into the carry rotation.

We thank you for your kind attention and return you to our regularly scheduled programming, already in progress.

You daily example of “Crap For Brains”

This is what they think they deserve, goobermint control and largesse at the taxpayer’s expense. The goobermint has no ‘duty’ past the 1st amendment guarantee that; “Congress shall make no law….. abridging the freedom of …..the press…..”

Martha Minow, a professor and former dean of Harvard Law School, is the author of “Saving the News: Why the Constitution Calls for Government Action to Preserve Freedom of Speech.” Newton Minow served as chair of the Federal Communications Commission under President Kennedy.

“Minow outlines an array of reforms, including a new fairness doctrine, regulating digital platforms as public utilities, using antitrust authority to regulate the media, policing fraud, and more robust funding of public media.”

Why government has a constitutional duty to save the news industry

Only one private institution is mentioned in the Constitution: the press. Our nation’s founders recognized that a press free to criticize those in power and spread information across society is essential in democracy. But what does that mean today when we see newspapers disappearing every month? Is our government failing to meet its duty to protect and strengthen the press?

The 1st Amendment assumes the existence and durability of a private news industry. This suggests the Constitution not only allows but requires the government to take steps to keep the press viable. And in fact, the government has done this since the beginning of the republic.

The current press landscape demands new action. Journalism jobs over the past two decades have declined by 60%. As newspapers close and local broadcasting and cable news reduce investment in reporting, digital platforms have diverted ad revenues and enabled the spread of conspiracy theories and misinformation. Especially notable is the loss of reporting in smaller towns, suburbs and rural areas, leaving thousands of American communities with no local coverage. This decline may even be tied to fewer candidates for office in local elections.

The idea of government intervention in the news media is not new. Throughout our nation’s history, the federal government has directly and indirectly contributed to the cultivation and growth of the news industry.

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Indiana Handgun Permit Applications Skyrocket.

Figures coming out of Indiana, which eliminated the fee for handgun permits on July 1, indicate price is a serious hurdle for many residents eager to exercise their Second Amendment rights to ensure their safety and that of their loved ones. According to an Indy Star report on July 8, during the first 7 days of the month there was a 10-fold increase in applications compared to 2019 figures. Eight thousand came in the first day alone.

The July 1 change removed the previous $30 price for the five-year concealed carry version of the handgun permit. The state’s total volume figures aren’t exclusively self-defense associated, however. Hunters who want to go afield with a handgun must also procure one, although a state spokesman told the newspaper they accounted for only a third of those received during that week. Applicants, as before, are still required to undergo a background check and pay a $13 processing fee for the mandatory fingerprinting.

Applications can only be submitted through the state website, and Indiana State Police First SGT Ron Galaviz told the newspaper that volume on that web page is causing intermittent delays in its response. “With the fee change, we’re seeing a huge uptick in the number of people trying to access our system,” he said. “It might take a little bit of time, but people are able to get in. We ask for a little bit a patience.” The URL came up quickly when American Rifleman checked multiple times this week.

Applicants can schedule appointments for fingerprinting and background check completion on the website. Lifetime carry permits remain available in Indiana at a cost of $125.

Prior to the fee change, sportsmen who only hunt or target shoot with their handgun paid $15 for their version of the state’s handgun permit.

Des Moines apartment intruder shot by victim in self-defense

DES MOINES, Iowa —Authorities in Des Moines are investigating after a home intruder was shot by one of their victims in self-defense.

Des Moines police received reports of a man arriving at a metro hospital with a gunshot wound.

According to Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek, the man had forced entry into an apartment in the 2500 block of Lincoln Avenue just after 12:30 a.m. Friday armed with a handgun.

Parizek said the man assaulted and threatened residents inside the apartment before being shot by one of the residents.

Police said the intruder’s injuries were not life-threatening.

Des Moines police detectives continue to investigate the case.

Gun Control Activists Blame Biden As Chipman Nomination Nears Collapse

On Wednesday, advocates for David Chipman told POLITICO that they were pushing for a full vote to confirm the gun control activist as ATF director before the Senate starts its August recess. By Thursday afternoon, however, Chipman’s biggest supporters appeared resigned to the idea that senators will most likely skip town without holding a vote and had started pointing their fingers at the White House and Joe Biden himself over the crumbling prospects of installing one of their own as the head of the agency overseeing the nation’s gun laws, regulations, and the firearms industry.

Frustrations became evident during a Zoom call on Thursday afternoon with Cedric Richmond, senior adviser to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement — the latest in months of meetings in which advocates have brought up Chipman’s nomination.

According to two people familiar with the call, a small group of survivors and those pushing firearms restrictions urged the White House to be more aggressive on the nomination. They also encouraged the administration to support ending the filibuster to allow firearms legislation to more easily pass the evenly-divided Senate, the people said.

If Biden can’t move senators like Joe Manchin to publicly support Chipman’s nomination, how exactly is Sleepy Joe supposed to convince red state Democrats to nuke the filibuster? The White House isn’t the hang up here, it’s a number of Senate Democrats themselves who are the biggest roadblock in that regard. But with Chipman’s nomination in serious trouble, gun control activists have to place blame somewhere, and they’re certainly not going to blame themselves for pushing Chipman as a candidate in the first place.

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