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http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl20.xls 2010 FBI Crime Stats. Interesting stuff. The total number of murders in 2010 was 12,996, it's usually reported as that many firearm murders. The actual number of firearm murder is 8,775 (and the antis say there are 5000 kids killed by firearms, which would be 2/3? Since we are debating national rifle control it's intresting to note that there were 358 rifle murders, rifles of all types, not just "assault weapons". 373 shotgun murders, 1704 knife killings, 1772 "other", and 745 "hands and feet including pushing".

The National Rifle Association named former U.S. Congressman Asa Hutchinson as National Director of The National School Shield program. The hope is to reduce gun violence by promoting emergency response education and training. "I think there are people in every community in this country who would be happy to serve if only someone asked them and gave them the training and certifications to do so," said Hutchinson. During Hutchinson's speech, he brought up a particular program which is headquartered in Northwest Arkansas. "In my home state of Arkansas, my son was a volunteer with a local group called WatchDOG dads,...

Greg Brown — CEO of Schaumburg-based Motorola Solutions Inc., member of President Barack Obama's Management Advisory Board, deputy chairman of the Chicago Federal Reserve's board and Razr smartphone loyalist — has a lot on his mind. In a chat with Crain's last week, he shared his thoughts on everything from demand for his company's public-safety radios and the global economy to hiking income taxes on the wealthy and doing business in Chicago and Illinois. Here's an edited transcript:

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is getting his gun control proposals ready and they're looking pretty unconstitutional. He added that he was focusing his attention on changing state laws restricting the possession of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. The governor described the state’s existing ban on those items as having “more holes than Swiss cheese.” “I don’t think legitimate sportsmen are going to say, ‘I need an assault weapon to go hunting,’ ” he said. At the same time, he noted that he owns a shotgun that he has used for hunting, and said, “There is a balance here...

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, Inc., (NYSE; DAL) received 22,000 applications for about 300 flight attendant jobs after posting the positions outside the company last week. Reuters reports that Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson told workers in a weekly recorded message that applications arrived at a rate of two per minute. “We are experiencing a phenomenal response to the job posting,” Anderson said. Applicants will be interviewed in January. New employees will begin flying in June in time for the company’s peak travel season...

-snip- On Friday, the NRA announced that Hutchinson — also a former Homeland Security official and now a lawyer predominantly focused on white-collar crime — will spearhead an effort to put armed guards at schools in hopes of preventing mass shootings like the one on Dec. 14 in Connecticut that killed 20 young children and 6 adults. "School safety is a complex issue with no simple, single solution," Hutchinson said at Friday's news conference. "But I believe trained, qualified, armed security is one key component among many that can provide the first line of deterrence as well as the last...

CNN's Piers Morgan is upset over a petition at the White House web site calling for his deportation, Twitchy reported Saturday. "Ironic U.S. gun rights campaign to deport me for 'attacking 2nd Amendment rights' - is my opinion not protected under 1st Amendment rights?" he tweeted. The petition, created on Friday, cites his relentless attacks on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. "British Citizen and CNN television host Piers Morgan is engaged in a hostile attack against the U.S. Constitution by targeting the Second Amendment," the petition reads. "We demand that Mr. Morgan be deported immediately for...

A man from Ayrshire had to be hospitalised after eating too many Brussels sprouts last Christmas, it has emerged. The traditional Christmas vegetable contain lots of vitamin K which promotes blood clotting. However, this counteracted the effect of anticoagulants the man was taking because he had a mechanical heart. Doctors at the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank eventually realised too many sprouts were to blame.

“A Blessed Visitation” (Luke 1:39-45)It was a meeting of the moms. Two expectant mothers, one old, one young. One was six months along; the other, newly pregnant. And the fact that they were expecting was totally unexpected! Both of them were pregnant when really neither one of them should have been, under normal circumstances. But these circumstances were anything but normal. What was happening was much better than normal. This meeting of the moms was the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. Elizabeth was the older woman; Mary, the younger. Elizabeth was in her sixth month; Mary’s pregnancy had just started....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=11hv3q08ASo

Barack Obama flew to Hawaii this week after fiscal-cliff negotiations stalled, in part for a Christmas vacation, and in part to attend the memorial service for the late Senator Daniel Inouye. Obama offered a eulogy for Inouye, which usually means offering insights into the deceased’s life and character. Instead, as is Obama’s wont, he talked more about himself than the man whose life was supposed to be the center of attention.Even Slate noticed the problem, and blasted Obama for his narcissistic streak: Someone needs to tell Barack Obama—it must get particularly confusing this time of year—that his own birth is...

Republicans are in danger of losing their power and Democrats could become a near-permanent majority if the GOP doesn’t conduct a major overhaul on its party operations, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has warned. … Gingrich said there are 25 issues the party should address, including more work to include minority communities, a push for the party to compete in big cities and a refusal to ignore parts of the country that lean Democratic. …

Just one day after President Obama tapped Vice President Joe Biden to lead an initiative on gun violence, Jon Adler was at its first meeting, along with Cabinet secretaries and organizations representing law enforcement. Not much lead time, but no matter: Adler, national president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Assn., had a list of policy changes — from legislative to regulatory to "tactical" coordination — at the ready, with granular detail. He cited, chapter and verse, the law that makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly possess a firearm in a school zone. He wanted that upgraded to a felony....

Get out of the bed I need to get to sleep. Lincoln the English Mastiff is a big cry baby

After a weeklong silence, the National Rifle Association announced Friday that it wants to arm security officers at every school in the country. It pointed the finger at violent video games, the news media and lax law enforcement — not guns — as culprits in the recent rash of mass shootings. “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” Wayne LaPierre, the N.R.A. vice president, said at a media event that was interrupted by protesters. One held up a banner saying, “N.R.A. Killing Our Kids.” The N.R.A.’s plan for countering...

Michael Moore: “I think we’re very frightened people. I think we’ve been frightened ever since we landed on these shores. We were frightened of the native people, we were frightened of the salves we brought over, as we should have been. “And those in power have known how to manipulate us with fear. And we’ve started wars over being told lies about, whether it was the Spanish American War, Mexican American War, you can go through so many of these wars we’ve been in throughout history and right up through the Iraq War,” he said, which happened “because those in...

December 21, 2012 A Flock of Doves With Kerry at State, Hagel At Defense Would Be Dangerous. Article President Obama began to unveil his second-term national security team on Friday, choosing John Kerry as the next Secretary of State. The Massachusetts Senator shares the President's view of diminished American power and influence, which should only compound skepticism about the mooted selection of Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon. Mr. Obama has found his mirror-image in Mr. Kerry, who for 30 years has been one of the Democratic Party's leading doves. The Senator's antiwar activism after Vietnam is well known and...

And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of...

I have an Iphone on an ATT account. Picked up the phone and this is what was on the display: 1 630 815 8752 The picture displayed was of two small children and the caption read A++holes LOL SLIDE TO REPLY Any help appreciated!

...An article on the pagan origins of Christmas...