Free Republic

I’ve never wanted to own a gun. In fact, in my former days as a liberal, I was one of those singing the mantra of gun control. Even as I morphed into a conservative adult, I still felt that there was no need for me to own a gun, but believed that was the right of all law-abiding citizens to keep and/or bear arms, should they choose to do so. Saturday night, however, that all changed for me. My dog and I became the targets for a drive-by shooting... ...Even though it was most likely a random act of stupidity...

With virtually no mention in the mainstream media, Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez convened on June 15, the first meeting of the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), an apparently extra-constitutional advisory group organized by the Department of Commerce (DOC) under the auspices of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). A March 31 press release on the White House website, under the title “Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America: Progress,” announced the formation of the NACC. The press release noted that the NACC would meet annually “with security and prosperity Ministers and will engage with senior government officials on an...