Penny Dean and Your Rights

Franklin is reported to have said "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Faithful readers of our site are familiar with that quote. With that in mind, please note <a href="http://www.wctv.tv/news/headlines/80375832.html">the following excerpt from Tallahassee's WCTV web site</a>:

<blockquote>In the wake of his failed attempt, the Netherlands will begin using the scanners on all passengers taking flights to the United States.

Local passengers have mixed feelings about the technology in all U.S. airports.

Americans went on binges buying guns and ammunition in early 2009, worried that a radical leftist president and Democrat-dominated Congress would violate their Second-Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. The effects? Less murder, robbery, rape, and property crime, according to an FBI report released Monday. This gives the young president and Democrat Congress at least one proud but unintended accomplishment for which they'll never claim credit.

In the interest of time, I am just going to quote this article, since it seems to have been broken at the original site.

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) — A Lowell, Mass. man has struck a plea agreement with prosecutors that effectively reduces the prison sentence he is serving for firing a shotgun at his ex-wife at a New Hampshire mall.

Arthur Kousounadis was convicted two years ago of felony criminal threatening in the December 2006 shooting at Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua.

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia">Apophenia</a> is the experience of seeing patterns or connections in random or meaningless data. You probably know someone like this, someone who can tell if it is going to rain because of the way the birds fly. You may even have a dog who knows that whenever he smells toothpaste, and sees you pick up your car keys, he knows that he is about to go outside to do his "duty".

The NH Legislative Facilities Committee voted today to ban firearms in the NH State House.

This is a Joint Committee, and members are:

Sylvia Larsen
Terie Norelli
Margaret Hassan
Mary Jane Wallner
Peter Bragdon
Sherman Packard
Lou D'Allesandro
Marjorie Smith
Daniel Eaton
Gene Chandler
Martha Fuller Clark
Sheila Roberge

The Joint Facilities committee just passed by an 8-3 vote (party lines) the following regulation on the State House:

<img src="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/files/2009/12/IMG_1718... align="right">According to an eyewitness, a D.C. Police detective (pictured here w/ gun) went nuts after kids pelted his Hummer with snowballs at 14th and U Streets NW this afternoon. The veteran detective got out of his car and eventually grabbed for his gun, displaying it to the crowd. He did not immediately identify himself as a police officer. He calmed down once his fellow uniformed cop arrived. Apparently, someone called 911 to report a man with gun.

<h2>74-year-old San Jose man arrested for carrying firearm near school</h2>

By Lisa Fernandez

lfernandez@mercurynews.com
Sherman "Tony" Fontano with his dog, 'Magnum', at his San Jose home Thursday... <img src="http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site568/2009/1217/20091217__... align="right">

After his brothers watched a newscast about the national movement to carry guns in public, they told Sherman "Tony" Fontano he could do that himself. Two San Jose police officers also said it would be OK.

According to <a href="http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Criminals_using_increasingly_high_c_1218200... Raw Story</a>

<blockquote>Criminals in the United States are increasingly armed with high-caliber and automatic weapons during robberies and murders, according to a study by the Police Executive Research Forum.

I'm sure many of you have heard something to the effect that the Second Amendment is about the militia, or the National Guard, or some such inaccurate conclusion. The exact wording is:

<blockquote>A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.</blockquote>

As you likely know, this is about "the right of the people" even though it is not the first word of the sentence. There are commas in use that we don't use in the 21st century. But the meaning is clear.

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