Warning...Don't Visit Or Vacation In Florida, They May Shoot You!

The recent shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida has shone a spotlight on Florida's 'Stand your ground' law. While the shooter has not yet been arrested for the shooting, it is a very volatile issue right now and it is only getting more explosive as each day passes. One can expect a full investigation by the Justice Department and we await the findings with bated breath.


While the circumstances of the shooting will be revealed in the coming days or weeks, I am overcome with anger at the law itself and the willingness of the authorities to sign this monstrosity into law knowing that there will be many unintended consequences; obviously this would have given rise to many criminal shootings of innocents.


Florida is well known as a prime Tourist destination and I am surprised that the large Theme Parks; Disney and Universal in particular, situated in that state, would not have put enough pressure on Jeb Bush's administration, to influence him to not sign this into law. I dare say we now have another Bush with innocent blood on his hands. 

Mother Jones reports... 'Florida also passed a law permitting residents to keep guns in their cars at work, against employers' wishes. Florida also makes it easy to plead self-defense in a killing. Under then-Gov. Jeb Bush, the state in 2005 passed a broad "stand your ground" law, which allows Florida residents to use deadly force against a threat without attempting to back down from the situation.'

'Many readers have asked whether, given the 911 recordings, a case against Zimmerman would be easier than most homicides in which "self-defense" is cited by a defendant. In Florida, the answer probably is no: The courts' interpretation of the stand-your-ground law has been extremely broad—so broad that, to win an acquittal, a defendant doesn't even have to prove self-defense, only argue for it, while to win a conviction the prosecution has to prove that self-defense was impossible.

Numerous cases have set the precedent in Florida, with the courts arguing that the law "does not require defendant to prove self-defense to any standard measuring assurance of truth, exigency, near certainty, or even mere probability; defendant's only burden is to offer facts from which his resort to force could have been reasonable." When a defendant claims self-defense, "the State has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense." In other words the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt never shifts from the prosecution, so it's surprisingly easy to evade prosecution by claiming self-defense.'

Unfortunately there are 17 more states with similar laws, including Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Washington State, and New Hampshire.

Dominion of New York reports...Reports of justifiable homicides tripled after the law went into effect, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Last year, twice a week, on average, someone’s killing was considered warranted.

The self-defense law — known as “stand your ground” — has been invoked in at least 93 cases with 65 deaths, a St. Petersburg Times review found.

 A 2010 study by theTampa Bay Times found that "justifiable homicides" had tripled in the state since the law went into effect. 

I cannot stress enough the risk you face when visiting Florida and these other states who seem to think this law does more good than harm. It is important to remember that people have been shot by homeowners just for knocking on the door to ask directions... asking directions is something frequently done by tourists in Florida and if the person just thinks you are a threat, he can legally shoot you. 

Were I to paint this issue with a broad brush, I would suggest that this is yet another foolish law enacted by Republicans, but for now I will just focus on Jeb Bush and the innocent blood he has on his hands... no surprise there...

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Red States Are The Real Welfare States

States receiving the most federal funding per tax dollar paid:
1. New Mexico: $2.63
2. West Virginia: $2.57
3. Mississippi: $2.47
4. District of Colombia: $2.41
5. Hawaii: $2.38
6. Alabama: $2.03
7. Alaska: $1.93
8. Montana: $1.92 
9. South Carolina: $1.92
10. Maine: $1.78


Contrary to popular belief, those who make the most noise and complain the most about Federal spending and the programs said spending support, are in fact the same people who collect those Federal dollars and who coincidentally don't want to give up the programs. Their states; the RED ones... receive more per dollar, than they give "As a recent New York Times article documents, even as fiscally conservative lawmakers complain about deficit spending, their constituents don't want to give up the Social Security checks, Medicare benefits, and earned income tax credits that provide a safety net for the struggling middle class."


The secret is not so secret after all, many Red states are really parasites and gold-diggers when it comes to collecting Federal dollars even though they are the most vociferous about government spending. MotherJones.com posts some wonderful maps that highlight these bloodsucking states who want you to believe that they are really against expanding the government spending that they crow about. Empty vessels really do make the most noise.


MotherJones adds..."Of the 22 states that went to McCain in 2008, 86 percent received more federal spending than they paid in taxes in 2010. In contrast, 55 percent of the states that went to Obama received more federal spending than they paid in taxes. Republican states, on average, received $1.46 in federal spending for every tax dollar paid; Democratic states, on average, received $1.16."


Candidate Ron Paul has said that he is happy to see natural disaster victims go without federal help, as was done in his days 100 years ago; (when he was alive, this author believes he is in fact a zombie, thereby void of human feelings) something that many conservatives echo...until they are the victims of a Tornado, flood, or hurricane and consequently become the unwilling, kicking and screaming(wink wink) recipients of FEMA assistance. 


It is also not a secret that when Republicans are in office Reagan, Bush Sr., Bush jr, they spend the most and run up the most debt, spending like drunken sailors, knowing that when the Democrats hold office, the cry from the Republicans would be a deafening one, to reduce federal spending. They are nothing but hypocrites and downright liars.


Conservatives have well been known for voting against their own interest and unknown to them, if they are successful in voting-in their conservative political figures, the first programs to be cut or whittled down are the same ones that these conservative states depend on to feed their citizenry. Apparently conservative voters have not yet connected the dots to figure out that Democratic states who are paying more and getting back less are in fact the ones responsible for    supporting the real welfare states...the Red states. 


In other words the Republican and Conservative citizenry owe their very existence to the Democrats they pretend to hate so much... the Democrats who put food on their Conservative tables and who keep the roof over their Republican heads. 


This reminds me of the old saying, 'Be careful what you wish for' and I for one would have loved my hard earned taxes to go to some more deserving Blue states, but the good books all say we should be charitably to the least of us and their actions do show they are the least of us...when it comes to their willingness to hate others in one way or another, for one religious reason or another...and their gullibility and nearsightedness while listening to and believing the lies of their Republican politicians, who tout that a fictitious 'freedom' is worth depriving women, immigrants and the downtrodden of the dignity and respect they deserve.


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Can We Finance An Israel-Iran War?

President Barack Obama said to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Sunday March 4th : “I will not hesitate to use force when it is necessary to defend the United States and its interests.” President Obama was presenting as strong an assurance as he can to the Pro-Israeli lobbying body known as AIPAC, against the harsh rhetoric being thrown at his administration by many including the republican presidential candidates.

It is no secret that the Republican party and its cohorts clearly want an Israeli strike against Iran sooner rather than later, as that could bolster their support in the upcoming presidential elections.

Everyone agrees that all countries have the right to defend itself and Israel is at that gate right now, facing a growing threat of a Nuclear Iran. There are many moving parts in a conflict involving a Nuclear Iran and the ramifications of a possible attack by Israel. If Israel attacks Iran, one of the concerns is that neighboring countries will be pulled into the fracas and will be forced to choose sides. Those decisions will be weighed down not only by the politics and economics of the issue but also the religious implications of Muslim countries possibly opposing one of the same religion; that being Iran.

Countries choosing sides will have a devastating effect on the Oil market as the region will become unstable, resulting in the rise of oil prices. The resulting higher cost of fuel will plunge the world into panic and some countries will see their recessions turns into depressions. The ripple effect will not baud well for the growing hunger of developing “BRIC” countries… they being Brazil, Russia, India and China.
We can expect the ‘BRIC” countries to secure larger amounts of oil at any price for their use, leaving a financially unstable America in an increasingly worse position than we are right now, as we fight to recover from our own recession and unemployment woes.


President Obama pressed on in his address that while he “Has Israel’s back,” he welcomes the use of patience by Israel, allowing time so that the strong sanctions imposed on Iran’s central bank by the US and its European allies can take effect, forcing them to a less aggressive path in their pursuit of highly enriched Uranium and possibly a Nuclear weapon. This is something that Israel does not look upon favorably as their window of attack may be compromised, the toughest sanctions are due to go into effect in the coming summer.


As expected, the devilishly cunning republican presidential candidates have already begun to stir the pot of doubt and dismay about President Obama’s approach to the issue and what his ‘Muslim loving’ intentions may really be. This being an election year they are throwing everything they can at him, in an effort to cast shadows of doubt on him and his electability to a second term.


Having already lost the debate on the contraceptive issue, the republicans are now trying to beat the war drums between Israel and Iran in a desperate attempt to gather their forces against an Obama re-election. 
The AP reports…”
An AIPAC spokesman, Patrick Dorton, said the group welcomed Obama’s remarks and “his strong resolve to work with Israel to solve the Iranian challenge.”
Obama’s speech quickly turned into Sunday campaign fodder.


Romney, in Georgia, returned to his claim that “if Barack Obama is re-elected, Iran will have a nuclear weapon.”
Santorum said, “The best thing that could happen to world markets is an Iran without a nuclear weapon, and a new Iranian regime, neither of which (Obama) is doing very much about to make happen.”


In comments before Obama’s speech, Gingrich said he saw no evidence Obama would do what it took to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons. “They talk and the Iranians build,” Gingrich said. “We’re being played for fools.”


It is expected that Iran will not go down without a fight if attacked by Israel and will use all means at their disposal to react. This may ensure their counter attack on Israel and on American troops in the Persian Gulf…something I think they are not afraid to do. This will force the US to commit troops and equipment to the fight, amounting to untold billions of dollars in cost, as we have seen in Iraq and Afghanistan.


The one question that needs to be asked now is how will the US pay for a war between Israel and Iran? Will the republicans agree to borrow Billions from foreign sources? Will they renew their efforts to strip or cut social and other programs to pay the humongous costs another war will demand? What will they do?


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