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OAKLAND ( CBS / AP) — Oakland officials were trying to reduce the number of guns in the city by offering a gift card to any Oakland resident who turns in a gun. As part of a gun buyback program, the city was handing out $100 gift cards to residents who handed over a working gun at the Oakland Police Department Saturday.

In April, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found that the National Rifle Association was viewed favorably by 68% of Americans, and unfavorably by 32%. Unlike most polls, the Reuters poll apparently did not allow “unsure” or “undecided” as a choice. In each of the demographics which the poll provided–Republicans, Democrats, independents, whites, and blacks–the NRA was viewed favorably by at least 55%. A 2005 Gallup Poll had found a 60/34 favorable/unfavorable view of the NRA. Previous Gallup results were 52/39 (May 2000), 51/39 (April 2000), 51/40 (April 1999, right after the Columbine High School murders), 42/51 (June 1995), and 55/32 (March 1993)....

Freedom From War The United States Program for General and Complete Disarmament in a Peaceful World U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLICATION 7277 Disarmament Series 5 Released September 1961 Office of Public Services BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D.C. - Price 15 cents INTRODUCTION The revolutionary development of modern weapons within a world divided by serious ideological differences has produced a crisis in human history. In order to overcome the danger of nuclear war now confronting mankind, the United States has introduced at the Sixteenth General...

WASHINGTON - Pastors meeting in Washington have been warned about political activities that could jeopardize their churches' tax-exempt status. IRS regional manager Peter Lorenzetti told the Faith Leaders Summit that prohibited activities include endorsing or opposing candidates, campaigning for them, or making contributions to their campaigns. But pastors are free to do any of those things as private citizens, according to Congressman G.K. Butterfield. The North Carolina Democrat, a former judge, said, "You simply cannot do it in your capacity as the pastor of the church and give the implication that the church is endorsing the candidate."

The final chapter of a trailblazing Second Amendment lawsuit appears to have been written. Yesterday a full panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued its decision in Nordyke v. King, upholding an Alameda County, California gun control ordinance regulating gun shows at the county fairgrounds. The case first originated more than a decade ago when gun show promoters Russell and Sallie Nordyke filed a Second Amendment challenge against the county’s 1999 ban on the possession of firearms on county-owned property, a law enacted primarily to prevent any guns from being sold at the fairgrounds....

DETROIT (WWJ) – An Oak Park woman is facing felony charges for bringing a gun to federal court in Detroit Friday morning. U.S. District Court spokesman Rod Hanson says the weapon was spotted after she came through the Fort Street entrance. “One of the court security guards noticed in the x-ray machine that he could see a weapon in her purse, at that particular point he secured the weapon – it was loaded, and the woman was detained,” said Hanson. Heloise Glenn says she forgot the load 22-caliber Magnum was in there. “If you are going to bring a loaded...

Let’s think about whether all acts of Congress deserve our respect and obedience. Suppose Congress enacted a law – and the Supreme Court ruled it constitutional – requiring American families to attend church services at least three times a month. Should we obey such a law? Suppose Congress, acting under the Constitution’s commerce clause, enacted a law requiring motorists to get eight hours of sleep before driving on interstate highways. Its justification might be that drowsy motorists risk highway accidents and accidents affect interstate commerce. Suppose you were a jury member during the 1850s and a free person were on...

Prepare to be uninspired as Obama takes the only course available to him: going negative.Friday’s devastating jobs report for May should be greeted by rites of mourning at the White House—not necessarily for Barack Obama’s presidency, at least not yet, but rather for the man who once billed himself as the Candidate of Hope. The grim longer-term message of the May numbers, which came in at a much-lower-than-expected 69,000 jobs and raised the unemployment rate to 8.2 percent, is that the positive economic trend that the Obama camp was hoping for as it swings into November is very unlikely to...

It’s one of the clearest, easiest-to-understand provisions in the Constitution. And Harry Reid’s Senate flouts it routinely. The Origination Clause in Article I, Section 7 states: “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.” In addition to clarity, this provision has an even greater virtue: It serves a very good purpose. The Founding Fathers required revenue measures to originate in the House because they wanted this authority to belong to the legislative body closest to the people. Plus, the framers wanted the larger...

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on the future of oil exploration in the U.S. and the importance of the Keystone Pipeline.

Some lies are easier to spot than others. “Of course I’ll respect you in the morning.” “The check is in the mail.” “A vote for anybody but Romney is a vote for Obama.”The people who repeat this last lie are undeniably sincere. They don’t recognize that they’re merely repeating a manipulative platitude, calculated to keep voters within the ideological boundaries of a thoroughly corrupt two party system. The falsehood being parroted sounds almost exactly like it did four years ago except, in 2008, the name “McCain” was used in place of “Romney.”Once again the GOP faithful are being admonished to...

After years of legal drama, a California county is changing its ordinance that bars firearm possession on county property. This change will allow gun shows to be held in Alameda County, albeit with tight controls. After Alameda county made the revision, the 9th Circuit Counrt of Appeals ruled that the ordinance is constitutional. From the Sacramento Bee:   SAN FRANCISCO -- A years-long showdown over the right to bear arms in California's Alameda County appeared to end Friday after officials agreed to allow tightly restricted gun shows on government property. A special, 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the county's...

(AP) — Nothing upsets a president's re-election groove like ugly economic numbers. A spring slowdown in hiring and a rise in the unemployment rate are weighing on President Barack Obama, while enhancing Republican challenger Mitt Romney's argument that the Democratic incumbent is in over his head. Some questions and answers about how Friday's economic news may play in a close presidential race: Q: How bad is this for Obama? A: Pretty awful. Polls show Obama's handling of the economy is his biggest weak spot. People in the United States overwhelmingly rate the economy as their biggest worry, and jobs are...

WASHINGTON -- Mitt Romney scuttled the Massachusetts government's long-standing affirmative action policies with a few strokes of his pen on a sleepy holiday six months after he became governor. No news conference or news release trumpeted Romney's executive order on Bunker Hill Day, June 17, 2003, in the deserted Statehouse. But when civil rights leaders, black lawmakers and other minority groups learned of Romney's move two months later, it sparked a public furor. Romney drew criticism for cutting the enforcement teeth out of the law and rolling back more than two decades of affirmative action advances. Civil rights leaders said...

Do not be distracted by Satan and fallen man's many straw men which only offer vain and hopeless solutions that are rooted in falsehoods and delusional optimistic appraisals. The moral collapse of the American family and moral social structure by moral relativism is FAR GREATER a HORRIFIC DEBT and CONSUMING DRAGON for America then any fiscal crisis or national manufactured crises could ever be. No wonder why sound morality is absolute abhorred by this nation (Republican and Democrat) and has been replaced with a moral relativism that all (conservative and liberal) can adhere to in the blindness and deception of...

Her father says she's just a daddy's girl with some unladylike hobbies. The FBI and the ATF disagree. Celia Alchemy Savage, 23, was arrested by federal and local officials after a Wednesday search of her Cornelia, Georgia home allegedly turned up two pipe bombs, a pistol, suspected marijuana and methamphetamine and alleged drug paraphernalia. She is being held on federal weapons, explosives and drug charges, and has been denied bond. According to the criminal complaint, when an ATF agent asked Savage what there was to do in Cornelia, Georgia, she said, "Blow things up." The agent said that Savage also...

SEATTLE – A national organization is using Wednesday’s deadly shootings in Seattle to push for new gun laws in Washington state. It says a one word change to the law could have prevented someone like Ian Stawicki, the mentally troubled man who shot and killed five people, from getting a concealed weapons permit. "There are some people who should not own a gun. It can be a devastating thing,” said Nina Schumacher, niece of one of the victims in the shooting at Café Racer. "In this case police had no choice but to issue a dangerous person a license to...

Savage seems to enjoy something of a double life, with photographs on social networking sites showing her toting guns, riding motorcycles, skydiving - and posing provocatively for the camera. In other photographs on Facebook, the Gainesville State College student dons boxing gloves - before switching to her barely-there bikini to become a ring girl. The profile page also admits to her love of blowing things up - and her loathing of the law. 'I despise all law enforcement and any governing authority,' she writes. 'I am not one for selective targeting but mass destruction.'

Plaintiffs in a Tennessee lawsuit want to deny local Muslims the right to build a mosque. Why? They claim it's not a legitimate faith and shouldn't be allowed First Amendment rights It's unclear whether a procedural victory for opponents of a controversial Islamic center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, will delay or permanently enjoin completion of a mosque, under construction since last September. Equally unclear, without detailed knowledge of the facts, are the merits of Chancellor Robert Corlew's ruling that the planning commission had not provided proper public notice of the construction before granting a permit. But if this ruling is not...

A Texas man and skeptic of Barack Obama’s eligibility to serve as president has posted a video on YouTube revealing two investigators, reportedly from the Secret Service, questioning him at his home. Rudy Davis, known also as “LoneStar1776″ on YouTube.com, posted video of the inquiry the day after he had uploaded another video in which he suggested Obama, after being convicted of treason for usurping the highest office the land, be executed for his crime. When two men in dark suits showed up at his door the next day, Davis told them, “I think I know why you guys are...

Judge Terry Lewis in Leon County has set a hearing for June 18 to consider arguments from the attorneys for Barack Obama and Attorney’s representing Michael Voeltz, who filed the challenge to Obama’s name being on the state ballot. Judge Lewis is famous for being the judge that was crucial in the 2000 election between Geroge W. Bush and then vice-president Al Gore. Voeltz is represented by Attorney Larry Klayman’s law firm. Support for Klayman is coming from ConstitutionActionFund.org. What is most interesting in all of this is that this case is not being brought forth by Republicans, but a...

The NRA is currently taking heat for allegedly misrepresenting Tom Barrett’s voting record on firearms and the 2nd Amendment while he served in the House of Representatives (1993-2003). A radio ad produced by the NRA claims that Barrett, the Democratic gubernatorial challenger in the Wisconsin recall campaign, voted to ban 15 kinds of guns, including ‘common deer rifles’ while in office. The radio ad, which you can hear below in the video, consists of two hunters talking about Barrett, here’s part of their conversation: Man 1: "Well, Barrett voted to ban 15 different kinds of guns, even a lot of...

Fairfax, VA --(Ammoland.com)- NRA-News is a valued partner that continues to cover breaking gun rights news with a new and improved short video format in the “NRA News Minute” videos. To view the current firearms or gun rights news video, please click above: Ginny Simone talks to Congressman Don Young (R-AK) about his recent discussions with ATF over their requests for Firearms Retailers Bound Books – For more information, go to: http://tiny.cc/d5g6ew

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new financial report from GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney shows that his wealth remains near $250 million, about the same as last The new financial report from Romney describes sales of a large amount of stocks managed through his blind trust. Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul stressed that the trust manages investments for Romney and his wife, Ann. The new report shows that Romney still made millions of dollars over the past year in lucrative bank notes and investment funds, including nearly 40 different funds associated with his former company, Bain Capital.

Even in the bluest of blue states, he’s now treading water at 48 percent, still comfortably ahead of Romney but unable to grab a majority even in Cali. Big deal or no? Banish the thought from your mind that Romney has a chance of winning there. He doesn’t — although don’t hold me to that if we get another three or four jobs reports that look like today’s. No, the potential significance of this and the reason why there’s some buzz about it among righties on Twitter is that it’s circumstantial evidence that The One might be starting to collapse...

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid issued the following statement after the Labor Department announced that the U.S. economy added 69,000 jobs in May. "This report is a sharp reminder that Democrats and Republicans should be working together to strengthen our economy, create jobs, and put the middle class ahead of partisan politics. "If Republicans worked with us, we could pass legislation immediately to cut taxes for small businesses, prevent student loan rates from doubling and ensure women get paid the same amount as men for performing the same work. We could provide incentives to companies to create...

Another month or two of downbeat jobs reports like Friday's, and the 2012 electoral advantage will shift to Mitt Romney. At the moment, the election is still a coin flip.  But even before the latest evidence of slowing job growth, President Obama was no better than a 50-50 pick to win reelection (as noted Democratic pollster Peter Hart put it recently).  And with economic storm clouds building, it’s easy to imagine that Obama could be the underdog before too long. “If the May report is a harbinger of what's coming, Romney’s message that ‘We can do better, but Obama can't’...

So says John Ellis, writing at BuzzFeed. I’m not sure I believe it but I really want to believe it, and darn it, that’s good enough to justify a post: Is there any chance that Barrett can pull off an upset? Probably not. If he was leading in the polls, President Obama would be campaigning for him this weekend. The fact that the president is not campaigning for him this weekend means two things: (1) Barrett is behind in Team Obama polling by more than the margin of error, and (2) a presidential appearance would not provide enough of a...

The Legacy Lives On! Mark’s Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation “Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny precisely because its principles are the founding principles.” --Mark Levin in Liberty and TyrannyWelcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a virtual FRink.Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition! Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic.com! You can call Mark’s show: 1-877-381-3811

May 31, 2012 (HLIWorldWatch.org) - Anyone who is concerned about the influence of the homosexual agenda on reshaping traditional values must become intimately familiar with the major tactics that homophiles commonly employ in order to anticipate them and respond in charity and truth. Homophile strategists are very adept at manipulating public opinion with an arsenal of six tactics that are based upon deceptions and half‑truths: Exploit the “victim” status; Use the sympathetic media; Confuse and neutralize the churches; Slander and stereotype Christians; Bait and switch (hide their true nature); and Intimidation. One reason these tactics have worked so well is...

As state legislators wrapped up their session Thursday, a concealed carry bill allowing the people of Illinois to carry guns had not been called for a vote as some had hoped. Earlier this month, State Rep. Pam Roth, R-Morris, joined numerous other representatives in not only sponsoring the concealed carry bill, but also starting an online petition in its favor. The proposed bill allows people who acquire a permit the ability to carry a loaded firearm. To apply for a permit, a person must be 21 years of age and have a FOID card. Applicants cannot have been convicted of...

First lady Michelle Obama, adding her support to her husband’s endorsement of same-sex marriage, said this week she supports marriage equality because she believes in the “basic values” of fairness and equality she taught her daughters. “In a country where we teach our children that everyone is equal under the law, discriminating against same-sex couples just isn't right,” she said in a video posted by the White House on Thursday night. “It's as simple as that.” The video featured Michelle Obama answering a series of questions asked through Twitter. In the video, Obama doubled as a campaign surrogate for...

The Republican Party is officially dreaming. Rep. David Rivera, a Southern Florida Republican, introduced a conservative alternative to the DREAM Act to Congress on Wednesday, ahead of rising GOP star Marco Rubio's version. Rivera’s bill, “Studying Towards Adjusted Residency Status Act,” or STARS, would allow some undocumented students who enroll for college to stay in the country legally and eventually apply for citizenship.

The Democrat Race Lie This whopper deserves all the attention it can get. Again, it shows the ignorance and contempt of the electorate liberals depend on. ....... In 2010, Democrats gave their website a facelift and whitewash. Check out the screenshot to see what they used to say about their civil rights history compared to now

When most people talk about President Obama's influence on America, they mention reforming health care, repealing "don't ask, don't tell" or ending the war in Iraq. But a nearly unknown executive order could have a greater impact on the future of America than all of those things combined, potentially giving the federal government power to control every project in the country. The obscure memorandum of understanding, based on a long-forgotten executive order signed by President Clinton in 1994, marries the issues of environmentalism and social justice. The federal government can use the laws from one to control the other. Read...

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. - A man is dead following a home invasion early Friday morning. It happened at a residence on Main Street in Essex Junction. Police say the intruder was killed after getting into an altercation inside the building. More details are expected later.

As far as diet goes, I believe you should adhere to the old adage “everything in moderation” and avoid extreme regimens of all kinds. I don’t know what you think of this counsel, but North Carolina’s position seems to be the following: I just broke the law. Blogger Steven Cooksey found this out the hard way — when the North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition ordered him to take down part of his diet-advice website. The 51-year-old resident of Stanley, North Carolina, became passionate about nutrition after a 2009 hospitalization during which he learned he had Type II diabetes and was...

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama's administration called on Congress to do more to help the economy create jobs, with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis saying May's rise in the unemployment rate was unacceptable. "Congress has to take some action because while we see the unemployment rate where it is, it's not acceptable," Solis told the CNBC network on Friday.

In Ohio, President Obama has sold his programs to bolster workforce training and bring jobs back from China. In Michigan, he has promoted the bailout of the automakers. In Nevada, he talked up his proposals to help underwater homeowners stay afloat. Against a gloomy economic backdrop and a Republican opponent blaming him for it, Obama is selling his stewardship of the economy one state at a time, tailoring his message to regional conditions. He has little choice: New unemployment numbers released Friday, with a tiny shift for the worse, show the same persistently sluggish pace of much of the past...

Gun rights advocates recently discovered that the gun control group Mayors Against Illegal Guns has burrowed its "gun violence prevention coordinators" (read "anti-gun lobbyists") into city payrolls from Augusta, Maine to Seattle, Washington, at taxpayer expense. MAIG is the brainchild of New York City's zealous anti-gun billionaire mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who formed the group at a 2006 gun control summit held in Gracie Mansion and co-hosted by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. MAIG touts an agenda of "commonsense reforms" that gun rights advocates see as being somewhere on the far side of repealing the Second Amendment. With a membership that started...

Washington State’s 29-year-old model state preemption statute is definitely under the gun in the wake of Wednesday’s multiple slayings and a string of recent shootings that have put the Seattle Police Department’s skills to the test. That department has been under considerable criticism in recent months, but on Wednesday, everyone from the top down earned every penny of their pay. That applies especially to Deputy Chief Nick Metz, who was criticized a few days ago in this column for something he said. He deserves high marks for what he did throughout the day Wednesday in the midst of a chaotic...

This was the official White House Photo of the Day for Memorial Day on Monday. No, I am not kidding (via Moonbattery ): President Barack Obama is reflected in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall as he delivers remarks during the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War commemoration ceremony in Washington, D.C., May 28, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)Really? The takeaway image of Memorial Day for the Obama White House is the silhouette of non-veteran Obama on a memorial to war dead, complete with glowing halo around his head? Oooooooooo-keedokee.

As a well-known Las Vegas oddsmaker with a pretty remarkable track record of picking political races, I play no favorites. As a matter of fact, I have no favorites in this race among Romney or Obama. I am a former Libertarian vice presidential nominee and chairman of the Libertarian National Campaign Committee. My vote will go to Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson in November, whom I believe has the most fiscally conservative track record of any governor in modern U.S. political history. Without the bold spending cuts of a Gary Johnson or Ron Paul, I don’t believe it’s possible to...

An election almost as important as the presidential election will be held next Tuesday, and conservatives aren't making a big deal of it, just as they didn't make a fuss over the 2008 Minnesota Senate election as Al Franken stole it from under their noses. (Gov. Tim Pawlenty: "Minnesota has a reputation for clean and fair and good elections. We've got 4,100 precincts run by volunteers. They do a good job, and we thank them.") The public sector unions are trying to oust Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker from office for impinging on their princely, taxpayer-supported lifestyles. If Walker goes down,...

A battle over a federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman appears headed for the Supreme Court after an appeals court ruled Thursday that denying benefits to married gay couples is unconstitutional. In a unanimous decision, the three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston said the 1996 law deprives gay couples of the rights and privileges granted to heterosexual couples. The court didn't rule on the law's more politically combustible provision — that states without same-sex marriage cannot be forced to recognize gay unions performed in states where...

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has strong support from repeated Republican primary voters as well as senior citizens, two groups that are more likely to turn out for a July runoff for U.S. Senate, according to a Dewhurst campaign memo written by pollster Mike Baselice. Supporters of former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, a tea party favorite who placed second in Tuesday’s vote, have argued that Cruz would be favored in a runoff because his supporters are more enthusiastic and likely to show up for an unusual, mid-summer vote. So the Baselice memo was clearly intended to rebut that argument. Recent...

The widow of President Ronald Reagan says she is firmly behind Romney. And she says that her "Ronnie" would have liked Romney's business background and what she calls his "strong principles." In a statement issued after the Romneys' visit, Mrs. Reagan said she believes that Romney has the experience and leadership skills that, in her words, "our country so desperately needs."

The open carry of properly holstered handguns, an old American tradition, is on the rise in many states. And now comes the June 2012 edition of Playboy featuring on page 60, sandwiched between Tom Cruise’s interview and Danish model Stephanie Corneliussen’s Mojave Desert pictorial, a centerfold-like cartoon of a man in an aloha shirt open carrying a holstered handgun on his right hip while carrying a Starbucks cup in his left hand and ominously staring down an empty parking lot. . . .

The Justice Department sent a letter to Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner Thursday evening demanding the state cease purging its voting rolls because the process it is using has not been cleared under the Voting Rights Act, TPM has learned. DOJ also said that Florida’s voter roll purge violated the National Voter Registration Act, which stipulates that voter roll maintenance should have ceased 90 days before an election, which given Florida’s August 14 primary, meant May 16. Five of Florida’s counties are subject to the Voting Rights Act, but the state never sought permission from either the Justice Department...

Leadership: President Obama has been running around lately touting a "to do" list he says must be passed "now" to get the economy rolling. If you haven't heard about it, don't worry. Neither have his fellow Democrats. In early May, Obama started issuing an urgent plea for Congress to pass a short, five-item "to do" list that, he said, had to be done "right now" to "speed up this recovery and to create jobs."And throughout the month, he urged "everybody" to "pick up the phone, write an email, tweet, and remind your member of Congress we can't afford to wait...