Yesterday we had another act of violence by a right-wing extremist intent on attacking and harming the government, inflamed by far-right conspiracy theories about 9/11 and other supposed instances of government “tyranny”

Mr. Neiwert, I see you are quick to jump the gun, but not so quick to issue an apology. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Pentagon shooter was a mental case who could not be trusted to function in society without a custodian.

Bedell, who went by Patrick, had vigorously objected to the government’s role in the 1991 Persian Gulf War since high school, telling relatives that the United States was trying to enrich itself and oil companies, said his brother, 33-year-old Jeffrey Bedell.

But, in about 2002, after the breakup of a long-term relationship with a girlfriend, his skepticism began to turn to deep-rooted suspicion. And soon it became paranoia, his brother said.

Patrick would point skyward, convinced that “they” were watching him. He believed songs he heard on the radio were meant as warnings. Deeply concerned, the Bedell family and close friends tried to seek medical help for him, but Patrick refused, convinced that he was privy to information that warranted his mind-set.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Neiwert and his friends will gladly use any national tragedy to paint those who don’t think like them (liberals) as extremist threats to society. I just wish he would stick to the real right-wing wackos (there’s enough of ‘em) and not use crazy mental cases who go postal.

Resentment of the U.S. government and suspicions over the 9/11 attacks have surfaced in writings by the Californian identified as the gunman who shot two Pentagon police officers before he was mortally wounded in a hail of return fire.

John Patrick Bedell, 36, of Hollister, Calif., was identified as the shooter. Officials said they’d found no immediate connection to terrorism but had not ruled it out.

Signs emerged that Bedell harbored ill feelings toward the government and the armed forces, and had questioned the circumstances behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In an Internet posting, a user by the name JPatrickBedell wrote that he was “determined to see that justice is served” in the death of Marine Col. James Sabow, who was found dead in the backyard of his California home in 1991. The death was ruled a suicide but the case has long been the source of theories of a cover up.

The user named JPatrickBedell wrote the Sabow case was “a step toward establishing the truth of events such as the September 11 demolitions.”

That same posting railed against the government’s enforcement of marijuana laws and included links to the author’s 2006 court case inOrange County, Calif., for cultivating marijuana and resisting a police officer. Court records available online show the date of birth on the case mentioned by the user JPatrickBedell matches that of the John Patrick Bedell suspected in the shooting.

There has been a public relations campaign lately promoting the idea of “right-wing extremism” foisted upon us by the likes of the Southern Poverty Law Center and David Niewert. I wonder how they will classify a liberal from California who grew pot, resisted authority, harbored 9/11 conspiracy theories, and tried to murder two police officers at the Pentagon a “right-winger”? I’m sure they will try, stay tuned.

By the way, what motivates the SPLC to create these crazy claims tying innocent folks to terror and extremism? Well, there is an old saying… Follow the money!

The investigation of a D.C. police detective (AKA an “Only One”) accused of pulling his gun during a December snowball fight is complete, and it looks like the detective will go back to work.

Watch the video below for the original incident. Take note of the attitude this public servant displays when the public demands his identification so a complaint can be made. He feels he should be able to anonymously threaten unarmed citizens with his handgun because his Hummer got a little snow on it, but you and I are kept defenseless against the criminal element in the same city.

And I do have one question for Chief Lanier: When are you going to charge Detective Baylor with reckless endangerment, brandishing, impeding traffic, etc? Or is “professional courtesy” being extended here?

Since the Roberts Court has now ruled that corporations have the same rights as people and overturned decades of laws regulating their speech, I’m wondering: Do they now have the right to arm themselves by employing Blackwater-type mercenaries and post them all over their office buildings?

Will Wal-Mart post armed guards in their parking lots?

Seems like a natural consequence. If corporations can enjoy full First Amendment protections, wouldn’t they likewise get Second Amendment rights?

What John fails to understand, as he is blinded by his infantile views of firearm ownership is that corporations already have the right to bear arms, and those rights are even more liberal than the citizen’s individual right to own a gun. Case in point: It is far easier for a corporation to acquire fully automatic machine guns (the REAL kind, NOT an AR-15 which I’m sure John thinks is a machine gun) that a private citizen:

In areas where a person cannot acquire a Law Enforcement Signature because these people would rather violate your rights than let you own one of these items, there is another way. BATF allows Corporations and Trusts to acquire machine guns, silencers, etc. without having to complete the Law Enforcement Certification part of the form. If you have your own Corporation, or you are an Officer in a Corporation, the Corporation can acquire these items, and you, as a Corporate Officer, can keep the item at your home, take it to the range shooting, etc. just as if the item were registered to you. If the Corporation ever dissolves, the item must be transferred out of the Corporation to another individual or Corporation (or Dealer). Because a Corporation is not a person, an FBI fingerprint check is not required which reduces the transfer approval time to about 30 days.

So yes John, corporations CAN post armed guards in their office buildings. Have you never been to a bank before?

Ladies and Gentlemen, John Amato – liberal and clueless.

Today (Saturday) was day three that the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma and Mohawk manned up the small Haitian Coast Guard Medical Clinic. All three days, we have treated the local Haitian people for broken bones, lacerations, huge open wounds, etc. The outer court yard is filled with desperate people wanting medical attention.Myself and HS2 Elias Gomez have taken the lead on who gets treated and who has to wait. Both boats are helping in some capacity or another, medical treatment, security, supply room, small boating Coast Guardsmen back and forth from the ships. So, many people from the two boats are helping. Some have to man the daily operations of the two boats, but everyone is eager to volunteer to come ashore and lend a hand. HS2 Gomez and I, and a couple of people with EMT experience, have training on mass casualty scenarios, but in that situation there are helos and ambulances to take people to hospitals. Not so here. Until today, we have treated the people and they stay. Their homes are wrecked, the streets are clogged, and there have not been any medevacs. Today, day three, was the first day that we got a few people out; I think the count was 10. The primary goal each day has been to treat and evac those needing amputations. My happiest moment came this morning as one man with a left crushed arm, 30 medical staples and sutures to the face, and a scalp wound was evaced to a hospital. The first day, as triage goes, we thought he was near death so we deferred to stronger amputations who were a mess, but much alive. The following day, when we saw that he was still alive, HS2 Gomez and I decided that he would be our priority. That was yesterday. I scrubbed what was his arm with Betadine, tourniqueted the arm and wrapped it in a red contamination bag. HS2 stapled a huge facial wound with the medical staples and sutures. HS2 Elias Gomez was a master, caring for the patient. I cleaned maggots from his scalp wound and sutured that up. We also hit him up with antibiotics. As I said, today he flew to a hospital. That my friends was an outstanding moment for HS2 and myself.  

We have treated more patients than we can count, then they go out to sit in the outer court yard. 

The scene includes about 30-40 Coast Guardsmen and about 20 Haitian volunteers with various experience. A couple of Haitian nurses and doctors have joined us, but the leadership of the clinic has been HS2 and myself. I believe that the Haitians have recognized the discipline and order that the Tahoma and Mohawk have demonstrated. OS1 Sweetman, YN1 Winslow and ETC Frownfelter have lead the security for the compound. They keep order. The Mohawk has taken leadership over the supply room. I wish that I could tell you their names, but there is one Chief that has done a great job with the stock room. 

Both Mohawk and Tahoma crewmen are willing to do anything. I have seen our Engineering Officer LT Sanzo out in the courtyard bandaging people. I saw our Executive Officer LCDR Fisher hold the hand of a little girl while her wounds were being painfully scrubbed. I was able to come and administer a small amount of morphine to the little girl which made the XO’s job easier. 

Today was the first day also that the decision was made to use morphine. The compound fractures and skin ripped off some of their bodies warranted it as we had to clean the infected wounds. Morphine is mercy. 

For the past 3 days, Tahoma and Mohawk have had to make hundreds of decisions on how to help these people. We are all exhausted. We are all running on adrenalin. We are working in the heat, sweating. No one goes to the bathroom until be get back to the ship from 0830 to 1715 Hrs. Both Gomez and I have been ordered to take breaks. It is non-stop. Today, I had to ask what day it was. I had no idea. Thank God we are starting to get a few people out. Tomorrow we hope to get at least 12 of the worst out. 

A baby is born to a young Haitian woman on the deck of the CGC Tahoma. 

Today at about 1430 I finally obeyed our XO and YN1 Winslow to take a break and eat. Then after about 15 minutes I was called on the radio to get back to the clinic. Someone was going to have a baby! I ran from the pier to the courtyard, about 200 yards to see a 21 year old Haitian woman sitting and looking weak with people holding her hand. 

She told me that the baby had not moved since that morning. I felt her abdomen and could not feel the baby move. She appeared to be full term. Gomez, who from here on out I will call by his first name, Elias, brought her into the clinic and got her up on a table. We examined her to see if she was crowning which she was not. We could not feel the baby move at all. We both placed stethoscopes on her and could not hear a sound from the baby. As best as we could we were beginning to think the worst, so after we were told that there would not be any more flights out, the command listened to us and got her and one more amputee to the Tahoma for medevac. 

A short time later, I was shouted to by OS1 Sweetman to get to the small boat back to the Tahoma, a baby boy was born on the flight deck! What? 

As I got in the small boat, a Lieutenant who I had never seen before was in the boat next to me. After 3 days of prayers God sent us a Flight Surgeon. Elias and I and many of our church members have been praying for a surgeon to help us. I apologize, as I write this at 2339 Hrs, after a long day, I can not recall his name. 

The crew of the Tahoma delivered the baby. I know that OSC Watkins and DC2 Schrewsbury and about 15 others had parts in the delivery. The Flight Surgeon and I got there and assessed the health of the mother and baby boy. I took the vitals and listened to the baby’s heart. It was making sounds now Elias! Pink, warm and well. The flight Surgeon lead the delivery of the placenta on the flight deck and several of us cleaned the baby after its first BM. Then they were medevaced off the hospital. 

To my great joy, the Navy arrived. Two surgeons from the USS Carl Vinson and 3 Medical Corpsmen came to join us. Help has arrived. Tomorrow fresh minds will lead the clinic. To be honest with you, Elias and I could run the clinic for a 4th day, but we are slowing, just a bit, after making all the decisions at the camp involving medical care. I do not think I could pull a day 5. 

Tomorrow, Elias and I will be able to perform the way we prefer. The Medical Officers make the tough calls and we follow their lead. Tomorrow we will get a break, I think, and take lesser roles. However, we are told that we are starting earlier. Rather than leave for the clinic at 0830, tomorrow, which comes in 7 minutes, we leave at 0730. 

I am writing this to wind down. Everyone on the CGC Tahoma and CGC Mohawk has a story to tell. There are dozens and dozens of stories of brave acts from the crew and the Haitian people. Oh, we all felt the earth shake today. It was a small but noticeable shake. 

HS1 Larry J Berman
Independent Health Services Technician
“Ship’s Doc”
USCGC TAHOMA (WMEC-908)
United States Coast Guard 

Things get worse when Connolly attempts to have a different constituent (not Teri) arrested!

Connolly left his office about an hour or so ago, and a small woman, about 4′ 8″ touched his arm, trying to get his attention long enough to say a few words to him as he tried to flee. Connolly then reacts like he’s been bitten by a snake, and starts ranting on to her that what she did was assault him, that assault is a felony, and he is going to have this woman, who couldn’t have weighed more than 110 pounds ARRESTED. Connolly then charges down the hall yelling to the capitol police, WHO THEN TAKE CONNOLLY’S CONSTITUENT INTO CUSTODY. The police talk to this woman for about two minutes, and people in the crowd who witnessed this event give their take on this. The woman is then released, and allowed back in the line to fill out a form where she can express her opinion.

Further reading on this topic:

http://www.bvbl.net/index.php/2009/11/05/breaking-gerry-connolly-tries-to-get-constituent-arrested/

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Congressional-staffer-denies-pushing-visitor-69326747.html

http://townhall.com/blog/g/25e06ac0-1eff-4af0-b823-7509538c3656

Mark Keam (D)   12,588 (%50.65)

Jim Hyland (R)   12,242 (%49.25)

Write-in                      22 (%0.08)

Congratulations to Mark Keam, VA-35’s newest citizen legislator. Between the two candidates running, Keam’s campaign was better funded and a lot more organized. All of this is my subjective opinion but the facts back me up. Keam was visible; both on TV and in the mailbox. On the other hand, Jim Hyland was MIA months, and I only received one mailing from his campaign. Keam personally knocked on my door, taking a lesson learned from Chap Petersen’s winning strategy that has paid him big dividends. If Hyland did knock on my door he didn’t leave anything suggesting he’d been there.

What really amazes me is for all the hard work and money Keam (and the Democratic Party of Virginia) poured into this campaign it came down to 346 votes separating winner from loser. Keam spent lots of money, sent out colorful mailings, knocked on doors, appeared on TV, and had the backing of current “part time” Governor, err… I mean “full time” DNC chairman Tim Kaine, Senator Jim Webb, and former Governer (and current Senator) Mark Warner. Hyland may have done better had he put more personal investment (time and door knocking) into his campaign.

But… could he (Hyland) have done more? He lost by 346 votes, what could he have done to offset those votes? I have a suggestion: Show some principle, state what you support and believe in, and be willing to walk the walk. I explain below.

From day one Keam was very adamant about his desire to legislate more gun control. His stance was clear and unquestionable, just check out the mailings he sent to my mailbox on the issue:

Click this link to view larger images

Keam is clearly your man if you support gun control. Knowing that Keam has the gun control crowd locked in (and how could he not?) if I were Hyland (and I did not support gun control) I’d contrast myself… campaigning FOR gun rights. However, Hyland also appeared to be a supporter of gun control. According to the Fairfax Connection newspaper he stated he supports closing the “gun show loophole”, supports the “one-handgun-a-month” law, and he refused to return the Virginia citizens Defense League’s candidate gun rights survey. How do I know Hyland refused to return the survey? I ran into him Saturday night (Oct 31) and asked him about it, and his apparent lack of respect towards gun rights. What I was surprised to learn however was that Hyland claims to support gun rights in private but felt he had to take a pro gun control stance or else his Democrat opponent Keam would use gun control “as a wedge” against him! Talk about lack of principle! Good grief, Jim… grow a backbone already! How could you not know that you weren’t going to take any votes from Keam the “gun grabber“? Who was advising your campaign, that failure Jean Marie Devolites-Davis? If Hyland felt he had to kowtow to Keam how could we expect him to stand up for himself in the legislature as a freshman delegate? Over the course of our roughly 10 minute conversation I also explained to Hyland why requiring private citizens to run background checks through dealers wouldn’t work like he hoped, discussed Jean Marie Devolites-Davis’ loss to Chap Petersen due to her gun control ideas, and finished up by telling him that VCDL’s VA-Alert reaches over 12,000 Virginia voters; of which he could easily expect several HUNDRED VA-Alert subscribers to reside in his district (VCDL’s VA-Alert readership is more concentrated in the Northern VA, Richmond, and Hampton roads areas). I explained to Hyland that if he lost this election by “several hundred votes” he could lay it squarely on his refusal to return the VCDL Candidate Survey and his expressed public support for gun control. Gun activists are one of the MOST active voting block in Virginia, and Hyland stupidly shunned several hundred of them in his district. I cannot say if returning the survey would have helped him win, but what’s not debatable is he lost crucial votes from gun owners for not being principled, not contrasting his opposing position with a known gun grabber,  and allowing Mark Keam to manage a crucial campaign issue for him.

Well, that makes things easy for me at least: If a candidate can’t think straight about a Constitutional right, they cannot be trusted to make other laws, or be trusted with my vote. I will be voting this year, just NOT for either of these two clowns.

Further reading: Candidates Differ Little in Chamber Debate