Clearing The Air On Concealed Carry On Campus

            In the recent editorial in on April 2, 2012 titled “Weapons Bill Doesn’t Ensure Campus Safety” in the State News, I was both stunned as well as not surprised by the misinformation and perception that CPL (concealed pistol license) holders on university campuses would make things worse or make people feel “more unsafe”. Personally it is frustrating, so I believe it is important to clear the air with facts and the truth.

            To begin with observation, it is clear opponents of guns on campuses usually are not fans of firearms in general and usually surround themselves with so-called “truths” about guns. They cite that firearms, even in the hands of qualified and law-abiding citizens, only incite more violence and lead to a “wild west” society. This same “logic” was brought up when legislation to make the State of Michigan a “shall issue” state. The scenario that many predicted with more law-abiding citizens carrying, that of a lawless frontier society, never happened. These scare tactics have to stop. We have seen that in places where CPLs are allowed and  issued crime tends to be lower, whereas cities with gun bans often have higher crime rates like Washington DC and Chicago. So right here the myths should be dispelled. Guns in the hands of qualified, law-abiding citizens do not create more violence or nor make things worse. The facts state on the contrary that communities and people are safer by allowing concealed carry.

            Now you may be wondering why I have used the phrase “qualified, law abiding” a few times now. The reason is because I cannot stress the concept enough. CPL’s are not given to just anyone and everyone. They are only issued to qualified candidates who have taken firearms courses to become proficient in shooting and knowledgeable of the laws regarding discharge and carrying of a concealed pistol. It has been documented as well that CPL holders are more law-abiding than the average public. Currently there are over 305,000 concealed carry licensees in the state and can carry because they are law abiding. Yet this brings up a question that baffles me why people are against carrying on campus. If we allow 21 year olds and up to carry everywhere else in the state why are we discriminating once they cross an arbitrary boundary that delineates between a college campus and the rest of the state?

            The fact of the matter is to deprive those 21 and over who qualify and are law-abiding citizens of their right to carry is dangerous. In 2008 alone 45 forcible sexual offenses occurred on the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus. Here in East Lansing our campus is extremely unsafe as well. From 2008 to 2010, 38 forcible sexual offenses occurred on MSU’s campus. As the Department of Education notes in the compiling of this data they stress that the statistics may actually be under reported! Armed robbery, rape, aggravated assault, and even murder happen on college campuses yet we are supposed to feel safe? The case of Amanda Collins, a former student of the University of Nevada Reno, should be a wake up call to all of us. Even though she was a qualified, law-abiding citizen she could not carry her firearm on her university’s campus. Abiding by the law she left her firearm at her house. Yet because she abided by the law Amanda Collins was raped at gunpoint only some 100 feet from the police station on the ground floor of a campus parking garage, unable to defend herself. Because she was denied her right not only to the 2^nd Amendment but the basic right of self-defense Amanda Collins became yet another victim of America’s “crime-zones”, a term used in place of so called “pistol-free zones” that campuses are a member of.

            While people claim they would “feel unsafe” with legal concealed carry by law abiding citizens on campuses, it baffles me that they do not feel unsafe already. Armed robbery, sexual assault, and other violent crimes happen on this campus quite often. Those people who dislike guns do not have the right to dictate others’ safety. Law abiding and qualified citizens especially in the MSU community should have every right to protect themselves rather than be another victim or another casualty. The arguments against this bill are like a broken record people. They used these scare tactics and misinformation up 12 years ago and now they are doing it again. The facts speak for themselves. The question truly is: Wouldn’t you want to protect yourself if your life was in danger? We all answer yes to that question, and by letting those qualified individuals exercise their Constitutional right to carry just as they can everywhere else in the state we will not only be able to protect ourselves but make this community a safer place to live for all of us. 

The Paint Creek Kid: Rick Perry's Chances In 2012

     By: Travis Colwell

       

With an impressive record, it is not a long shot
 chance Perry could win in 2012.

            It seemed that the Republican primary lineup was all set, that it would be up to a few candidates to try to vie for the coveted nomination for President of the United States. Although Michele Bachmann may have won the Iowa Ames Straw Poll (only once did it predict the actual nominee and president: George W. Bush 1999) Mitt Romney still was the front-runner and the best bet at garnering independents and defeating President Obama. Then, from the prairie a cowboy from Paint Creek rode into town, strapped to his side an impressive record of conservative credentials and riding on an impressive jobs record. That cowboy is Texas Governor Rick Perry, and on August 9^th he announced his intention to be the next President of the United States. Riding high on a wave of support, already liberals have launched an all out attack on Perry and some are even trying to plant the idea that Perry is a “flame-out” candidate and going the ways of the cowboy: history after a period of time. However it will be Obama riding off into the sunset and Perry becoming the new sheriff in Washington.

            To first analyze Rick Perry it is imperative to review his record and see why he bests many in the Republican field, as well as strikes fear in Obama’s campaign staff. Immediately you’ll see on Rick Perry’s website (rickperry.org) that he is “is the only Texas governor since WWII to cut general revenue spending”. It may seem like a scary thought to many liberals that instead of taxing average Americans to pay for binge spending, you can actually cut waste and programs that have become too over bloated. Rick Perry and Texas faced a deficit in the fiscal year 2011 but instead of raising taxes he cut spending by $15 billion dollars. What does this mean? First it means that more Texans will keep money in their pockets instead of having to pay more taxes to support overspending. Second it means that the business climate within Texas is far superior compared to a state that does tax heavily, either business taxes or individual taxes. If one examines California it is immediately obvious for one the unemployment rate is extremely high, at 12%. Texas? Texas is currently at 8.4% but is growing its private sector. According to national statistics Texas has accounted for 38% of all private jobs created in the country during the recession. One state accounts for over one-third of the total private sector job creation, and that state is Texas! California meanwhile has been bleeding jobs left and right, losing them to states such as Texas due to lower taxes, better balancing of budgets, and more certainty in the economy instead of the threat of taxes coming down the beltway. With unemployment still so high and little GDP growth it is obvious that this election will be all about jobs and who will be the best way forward to try to get America back on track and lead the world again. We’ve already seen Obama has failed with his “Recovery Summer” that has brought neither economic prosperity nor alleviation to the American people. Almost a trillion in failed stimulus, a trillion in Obamacare, which will hurt business growth, and regulations up the wazoo have created a wet blanket effect on the economy, choking any growth that could have been possible if we had embraced lower taxation, limited government, and laissez-faire policies like Perry has pioneered in Texas. 

            Though jobs and the economy will take center stage in the GOP nomination race and the 2012 election, Perry holds strong on other fronts. The best outside his jobs record is the bridging he is doing between establishment Republicans and Tea Party conservatives. He has been in politics for almost a quarter of a century, has learned the beltway well and has been a successful Republican governor far more than Mitt Romney, who many point to as the “establishment’s candidate”. Perry also embodies the Tea Party’s core fundamental beliefs of lower taxes, limited government, belief in the 10^th Amendment, and fiscal responsibility. This is where Perry may break the race wide open for himself. Up until Perry entered the race there was a division between Republican and Tea Party conservatives. While establishment Republicans supported Romney for his middle of the road stance on many issues and his jobs record, Tea Party conservatives scoffed at the idea of a President Romney due to Romneycare. Likewise while Tea Party conservatives celebrate Michele Bachmann as a heroine of fiscal and social conservatism, while establishment Republicans have criticized her statements and gaffs. Finally there is a candidate that both sides celebrate and see as the one candidate who has it all, and who can beat Obama at the polls. In a recent Gallup poll of likely voters, Obama and Perry tied. Now that may sound to some as a bad sign that he isn’t defeating Obama in a landslide, but one has to remember that when he receives the nomination support will increase for him since some of those likely voters don’t vote due to their liking of other Republican candidates. Also as the United States continues on a path of stagnation within the economy according to the CBO, Obama’s poll numbers will continue to decrease (38% approval in recent Gallup polls) and rising opposition to taxes, debt, and Obamacare allowing Perry to win by a greater margin, maybe even a Reagan landslide like in 1980.

            Perry also has other records worth mentioning. He is strongly against the UN and international pressure when it comes to the US justice system. In summer 2011 Perry rejected pressure by the UN, Mexico, and President Obama to stay the execution of a Mexican illegal immigrant who brutally murdered and raped a young American girl. We need a president who is strong in his convictions and strong in the defense of American and state sovereignty. Perry also understands the military due to his service during the 1970’s in the United States Air Force. This is important on two fronts. First it commands respect from the military since their commander in chief would be a veteran of the armed forces. Second a president who had served understands how precious our blood and treasure is and will go out of the way to prevent wars that are unnecessary such as the Libya campaign.  And personally to this columnist Perry, though less reported or campaigned for, is an average American. In the past we’ve always elected those presidents who went to Harvard or Yale, who are part of the elite and who summer in the Hamptons or Martha’s Vineyard. Now is the time more than ever to have an average American, one who understands what a job is and what it is like to work hard both in employment and also in college. Perry may not be the most book smart candidate, and comparing grades to grades Obama probably has better marks. But in this world we don’t need book smart presidents. We need leadership, we need street-smart presidents, we need a president who understands the American worker and family! Perry offers that chance to reject East coast elitism that Obama has ushered into the White House and to reinstate a president who is one of the people.

            This ain’t no one horse town, and the new kid on the trail won’t have it easy trying to solidify his place as the new sheriff especially while Obama and his thugs continue to run the show.  But one cannot underestimate Perry, nor can they ignore the Texas miracle and job growth while Obama’s policies have only created more misery with long-term unemployment. Looking at the polls and the economic woes of this country, it is high noon for Obama. It is time to strip him of the badge and give it to a man who will not only lead us out of the economic recession but also restore pride and prestige to America once again.

           

            Overall here is the grading:

•Economic Policy:      A+        

•Experience:              A+      

 •Domestic Policy:      A+        

•International Policy: A        

•Conservative:           A++

•Likelihood to Win Primary: Frontrunner. Extremely likely to win over Romney

•Likelihood of Winning 2012: Extremely Likely

            

Democrats and Mediscare Tactics: Pure Politics

Currently in the United States we have a massive problem that has been building up for some time. That problem, a problem that threatens the security and way of life of Americans and the United States is the US debt. Right now the US fast approaching the US debt ceiling of $14.3 trillion and in 2010 Americans sent a new class of congressmen and women to deal with this problem, which the Democrats and the Obama Administration only exacerbated. However in a desperate bid to gain back the huge losses that the party suffered in the midterm elections, Democrats have now launched an offensive of Mediscare tactics that have been focused on the proposed changes to the system by Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI).

            To first understand this problem of pure politics, it is imperative to know what Paul Ryan’s budget entails when it comes to Medicare reform. Ryan, who sees that over the next ten years the Medicare spending will double while in five years the reserves and money for the program will dry up leaving it in the red and unable to pay doctors or for seniors on Medicare. This is serious since if nothing is done to reform Medicare it will go bankrupt and will only cause more frustration and problems for senior citizens. Another problem is what the Obama Administration is proposing. Right now the proposed idea that the Obama administration has put forth is a 15-member panel of unelected bureaucrats that dictate what can and can’t be part of Medicare plans, step between the doctor and you, and limit the amount of money that go to doctors. Does that sound like “reform” to you or does that sound like a nightmare? Lets look at Ryan’s plan. For those 55 years of age and older Medicare stays the same, nothing changes. However those younger than 55 will not be part of the same Medicare of the past. Instead it creates a system that puts patients in control of their plans, that they pay into and that is subsidized by the government. If you are wealthy the government will not pay for you. If you are poor, the government will help you but will also have you pay some for your plan so no one free rides off the system. By putting more free market principles by having Americans “purchase” their plans, it creates competition where costs are lowered while the quality is raised, something that is the complete opposite that is happening know with government doing everything. This reform will help keep Medicare functioning for many years while staying in the black, and help control costs and the US debt.

            Democrats refuse to sign on to this reform by playing politics in a last ditch attempt to salvage the floundering Obama presidency and the Democrats who are on the verge of losing their seats. First is the lie that “Ryan’s reform hurts senior citizens”. Congresswoman and now DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) continues to rail against Republicans by claiming that the Republicans are throwing grandma under the bus and killing seniors. How? Now liberals quickly believe this, since they believe Medicare reform means ending Medicare and everyone has to be at the mercy of the greedy pharmaceutical companies. This however is wrong. Ryan’s proposal DOES NOT end Medicare for Americans 55 or older. Medicare DOES NOT change at all for Americans 55 or older. Where is Congressman Joe Wilson when you need him to shut Wasserman Schultz up?

            The next belief is that Medicare is ending and that everything is now a voucher system. This is somewhat true, however the Democrats distort this terribly. They believe the poor have to pay for their plans in total, and won’t be able to afford their plans only creating more sick and killing the nation’s poor. That is the story from the loony left. Here is the truth: the poor pay SOME of their plan. Some does not mean all, and it does not mean most. It means that depending on their income and situation they will pay some of their plans while the government supports the rest of the costs. And the government doesn’t subsidize the rich. They PAY for their plans. Don’t we hear Democrats wanting the rich to pay their fair share? Here is their fair share, because right now almost 1/5^th of our GDP goes towards medical spending and over a half trillion dollars goes towards Medicare every year.

            Here is a final myth: This is extreme right wing engineering! Wait what? If this is radical right wing ideology being imposed then Obama’s unelected bureaucratic panel is communist. How is something that is very moderate, very sensible, very clear be so radical? The answer is it isn’t. Democrats and Republicans believe in reform, and they have agreed on many of these proposals and there is compromise in it. Would an extreme right wing reform of Medicare keep any part of Medicare? No not at all. A moderate approach that has compromise in keeping Medicare but trimming it down by making the wealthy pay their share and other pay some of their plans is what Ryan’s plan is.

            Petty politics by the Democrats is making this country less stable by the day. Every day they continue to drag their feet, and claim they are the friend of the “poor and the senior citizen” not only endangers our country but is a flat out lie. If they really, and I mean truly believe in looking out for the poor and senior citizens they would vote for reform to save Medicare and create a sustainable program to help seniors and poor for many years to come. This is my message to Democrats who just voted against this reform in the Senate, and also the 5 Republicans: Reverse your decision and vote to help the senior citizens of this nation, or get out of the way. We will not see this country be destroyed by our debt due to inefficient programs that suck money down the drain. I believe and so do millions of other Republicans in a strong and prosperous America that looks after our elders. Democrats on the other hand only care about their plush seats in their Congressional offices, only care about winning elections rather than helping the people they claim to look after. 

UPDATE: Israel approves new settlements in wake of Obama's speech.

The government of Israel has responded to Obama through the signing of more settlements in the West Bank. By approving more settlements Israelis will not give up land and homes that are theirs, thereby rebuking the president's want of a return to 1967 pre war borders to create an independent Palestine.

Our Failure of a President

        Today as an American I feel ashamed we have such a president who would side with terrorists and kick our best ally and friend to the curb. The idea that the State of Israel has to give up land because our president wants it and terrorists and unfriendly regimes want it, to "guarantee peace", is outrageous! Because the Mexican cartels threaten our border should we give up Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and half of California? That is absurd you say, but that is the same thing that Obama wants Israel to do! Obama wants a bunch of hardline thugs, who vow to kill as many Jews as possible and wipe the country off the map, to have a legitimate state and take Israeli land, that they defended and captured after Arab nations attacked her in 1967, and have other hardline regimes to gain territory such as Syria.
        If I was Netanyahu, Lieberman, or any Israeli politician I would immediately state that the State of Israel will not bow to terrorists, not bow to oppressive and aggressive regimes, and to the worst foreign policy president in US history (Obama has blown Carter out of the water) and exist within the borders she has currently. Thankfully I and many other supporters of Israel are not alone in this belief because the Prime Minster of Israel himself has stated that the country will not give up land and go back to the '67 border.
        How is it our president is so naive when it comes to foreign policy and throwing away our friends while supporting those who should not be supported? The only answer I can find is because he does not know a thing about foreign policy and believes that if we support the "people" that they will love us. WRONG! Instead of supporting those who we should have supported to keep stability and our OWN interests, Obama has put his support behind the Muslim Brotherhood, rebel fighters we don't even know their backgrounds, protesters undermining the fight against al Qaeda, and now Hamas and their new allies Fatah. Our president is a disaster. Not only are our interests in the region now jeopardized and the election of anti-US and anti-Israel parties such as the Muslim Brotherhood are imminent, but now our relations are strained with our greatest ally, Israel.

        America is still great, and it will always be great, but today is a sad day for America as it is now seen that our president is leading us down a path that will only work against the United States and making us look weak in our enemies eyes and foes to our own allies. We need to get this schmuck out of office in 2012! NObama in 2012! If he is reelected God help us all, and God help the State of Israel...

Racism and the Left Wing Media

It was bound to happen and everyone knew that the left would pull the "trump" card out by saying any and all criticism of President Obama is racist. You don't agree with Obama's foreign policy? You judge on race. You don't support Obama's domestic agenda? You're a racist. You feel that it is time for a change away from the leftist policies put in place by the Obama administration? Well where is your klan robe because obviously you disagree because you are a racist! How ludicrous does this sound folks? Quite doesn't it. Well take these examples of the left trying to save Obama from defeat by playing the race card on MSNBC and NBC:
Ed Schultz calls out Gingrich for "racist" remark
Gingrich using "Thinly Veiled Racism"
Tea Party's Racism Revealed by Keith Olberman
Lets even go back a ways to 2010:
Norah O'Donnell accuses Gingrich of racism

This is a bunch of bushwack to me. Are liberals really this low? Because I criticize the president, THE PRESIDENT, I'm a racist? I thought we were beyond race. For a democracy to exist it is imperative that we have the freedom to support or criticize our leader without receiving such slander. I could go on and on about how Gingrich and those who disagree with Obama are NOT racist, but this arguement is really beneath almost all Americans, and hopefully all Americans know that to disagree with the president not racist. This is a waste of my time, and MSNBC and NBC are just wasting everyone's time by stirring up and fanning unfounded beliefs in racism.

Support Israel, not Hamas!

     Yesterday the world witnessed why this "Arab Spring" is the opposite of what the world really needs with the consequences coming to full light not only in Israel, but on the borders with Syria and Lebanon, as well as the streets of Cairo. Marking what is known as Nakba Day, May 15 being the establishment of the Jewish State of Israel in 1948, Palestinians and their sympathizers took to the streets as they do every year, but this year was different with increased violence and the breaching of Israel's borders. BBC Israeli Forces Open Fire at Palestinian Protesters
      Emboldened by the uprisings around them Palestinians and Palestinain sympathizers came out in droves, including in Cairo where they tried to storm the Israeli embassy. A few weeks about Egypt's new government opened the Rafa border crossing into Gaza where "aid" can go through and reach the "Palestinian people"(most aid goes straight to Hamas to create rockets to fire into Israel). Israel, in my own view that is shared with millions of others, did what is should have done by firing tear gas and, at points when the protesters turned to throwing rocks and trying to breach checkpoints and borders, fired rubber bullets to protect property, Israeli lives, and to restore peace.
     No matter how much individuals debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conundrum, it seems that the sides are just as divided as they have always been. However it is different nowadays. Today in the era of the "Arab Spring" extremists are seen as patriots, fundamentalists seen as freedom fighters, and jihadists seen as heroes. How is it that people can and do support Hamas? It is because they are fighting for the right to exist against the illegal Israeli occupation of their homelands! they cry. Fighting against an internationally recognized state, with borders that are internationally recognized, that was created not out of another country but out of nothing? Fighting for the right to exist, though they do exist as an autonomic government? Fighting the Zionist invaders by killing innocent civilians, by firing rockets that have killed scores of Israeli civilians including children? When these people cite how glorious the cause of the Palestinians are they always support Hamas, but blame Israel for being an agressive occupier of foreign land. Do the people who support the Palesitinian/Hamas also support "wiping the State of Israel off the map, and the killing of the Zionist invaders" as Hamas believes? It sometimes seems so...
     Sensible people know who is in the right and who is in the wrong. We are fed lied and deciet by the western liberal media who has sympathies with the Palestinian cause while ignoring the pain and suffering and the daily struggle of survival by the Israeli people. Take the example that I recently learned about: the border city of Sderot where Grad and Katyusha fall daily causing injuries, property damage, and mental trauma especially to the hundreds of school children. Sensible people know that the people who are blowing up innocent civilians in the name of Allah should never be supported, and those who support such people also should be shunned. We should support those who try to protect themselves from enemies that surround them. We see what Hamas really is, and it is our duty to enlighten others. If nothing is done then more and more individuals will buy into the lies of "Israeli occupation","illegitimate state-hood", and support Hamas and other hardline Palestinians trying to destroy Israel. When a spokesman from Sderot Media Center came and spoke at James Madison College at MSU I found even more proof why Israel, not Hamas, should be supported. I invite you to look at this site and see that this conflict if far from one-sided, and that the true perpetrators of heinous crimes against humanity aren't the Israeli's trying to defend themselves as any other nation or people would do, but it is the terrorists of Hamas and other Palestinian groups that are the perpetrators.

Sderot Media Center: Sderot Media Center

God Bless the United States and God Bless the State of Israel and those who protect it!