James L. Paris's Blog, page 166
April 25, 2016
National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bills Introduced in House and Senate
Representative Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) has introduced H.R. 923 in the House, and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has introduced S. 498 in the Senate, bills that, if passed, would result in concealed carry reciprocity nationwide, something for which gun rights advocates have been pushing for many years now.
This latest effort on behalf of national reciprocity is being engineered largely by the Gun Owners of America, a gun rights organization that has become known for its stridency in protecting the interests of American gun owners. The GOA sees itself as substantially different from the NRA in that regard, accusing the latter of being too quick to assume positions of compromise in the area of gun control.
We���ve talked in this space before about the nightmares lived by some Americans when they traveled out of state with firearms they were duly licensed���by their states of residence���to carry concealed. One of the most high-profile of those incidents concerned Shaneen Allen, a Pennsylvania resident and mother of two who, although appropriately licensed by PA to carry a firearm, was arrested by New Jersey police in 2015 during a routine traffic stop for having the gun in her possession, because New Jersey does not recognize the PA permit. Facing up to 10 years in a NJ prison because of that state���s draconian gun laws, Allen was eventually pardoned by Governor Chris Christie, but the enormous problem of law-abiding gun owners finding themselves caught up in the web of vast, state-to-state differences in gun possession laws remains.
Despite this latest legislative effort, however, national reciprocity is likely still some time away, which means that every gun owner is subject to the different laws that characterize each state to which he or she might want to travel while in possession of a firearm for self-defense. My suggestion for avoiding any possibility of trouble is to keep handy a convenient reference guide that outlines the relevant laws of all fifty states. To that end, I highly recommend the Traveler���s Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States. This is a terrific, 8 �� x 11 physical book written by J. Scott Kappas, a Kentucky-based attorney who also operates a firearms business. The Traveler���s Guide provides a wealth of information on this subject, information that answers all of the questions you will have as a gun-carrying traveler to other states, including:
Which states allow me to carry a ���loaded��� firearm in the passenger compartment of my vehicle?
Which states allow me to carry a concealed firearm with or without a license to carry?
Which states honor my permit to carry a concealed firearm?
Which states��� laws allow open carry of a firearm while on foot?
Which states prohibit the mere possession of a handgun while in a vehicle?
Which states allow me to carry a firearm in their state parks?
How can I transport firearms on commercial airline, cruise ships & trains?
How can I transport firearms through a state that prohibits any gun possession?
The Traveler���s Guide to the Firearm laws of the Fifty States provides the answers to these questions, and so much more. The bottom line is that if you are a gun owner, this book is a ���must-have��� if you ever expect to travel outside of your home state; I highly recommend it. To order your copy, Click Here.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Target Stores ���Targeted��� by Conservative Group Over New Bathroom Policy
The so-called ���bathroom controversy��� continues, and the latest point of interest in the debate involves retail giant Target���s recent declaration on behalf of those who seek to choose, based on ���gender identity,��� which bathroom to use in the company���s stores. Target posted a message on its website last week announcing that the store would now ���welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity. ���Everyone deserves to feel like they belong.��� To the uninitiated, ���gender identity��� does not refer to the gender one actually is, as determined by the biological plumbing that characterizes his or her person. Instead, gender identity refers to the idea that one may see himself or herself as a being a member of a gender that is actually different from that which is otherwise defined by his or her physically-represented gender, and that, in this case, a person may choose to use the bathroom of the gender he or she sees himself (or herself) as being. The bottom line is that this means men who choose to see themselves as women will be permitted to use the women���s rest room at Target, and vice versa.
A targeted (no pun intended) public response to the retailer���s announcement has been engineered by the conservative action group American Family Association. The group is urging a boycott of Target, with group president Tim Wildmon saying that Target���s new policy ���poses a danger to our wives and daughters,��� and that what it is now allowing ���is exactly how sexual predators get access to their victims.��� Already, there are hundreds of thousands of signatures on an associated AFA petition, the #BoycottTarget pledge. The AFA has proposed that Target, rather than allowing anyone to use either of the existing bathroom options that he or she chooses, add a ���gender neutral��� bathroom to its stores, but there is no sign as yet the retailer has any interest in such an idea.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
April 22, 2016
Murder Rate Sees Big Jump in Democrat-Run, Gun Control-Heavy U.S. Cities
According to a study released April 20 by the non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice public policy institute, 2015 saw a substantial increase in the murder rate in America���s largest cities, and that the number of murders in Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington, DC ���account for more than half��� of the increase for the year, according to the report. What is so telling about this information is that each of those cities is heavily controlled by the Democrats, and each has some of the nation���s most restrictive gun control laws on the books.
In addition to a mountain of ���garden variety��� rules and laws that prevent the easy access to firearms by law abiding citizens, all three cities are subject to bans of so-called ���assault weapons,��� and Chicago even has on the books something called a ���violence tax��� that���s tacked on to the price of every firearm sold in a retail setting within the city���because, of course, it is the law-abiding gun owner purchasing his firearms through standard, legal channels who should be punished by the system for his natural propensity to criminal violence.
As revealing as this study data is, it is just the latest in a long line of information that has revealed the utter uselessness of both Democrat policies, more generally, and strict gun control measures, in particular, in limiting violent crime.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Trump Wants To Allow Men To Share Locker Rooms And Bathrooms With Your Daughters
As an Evangelical, I have found the road of supporting Donald Trump for president more than a little rocky. Yes, he has been married three times, he has supported liberal causes and politicians in the past, his coarse language, and even his pretense of being a church going Christian - all more than a little baggage. My wife and I for the first time in thirty years cast ballots for different candidates in the recent Florida primary. She voted for Ted Cruz and I cast my vote for Donald Trump. To explain my reasoning (which I spent more time detailing on my radio show), you could say that I fall into the category of someone that has 'given up' on traditional politicians. I have been disappointed so many times that I have simply reached the point that I wanted a total outsider. The idea of a successful businessman as president, was an exciting bandwagon to jump on.
Trump represented not just an outsider to me, but someone whose core issues resonated as well. Build a wall and formulate a reasonable immigration plan, balance our nation's budget and pay off the national debt, make our trade agreements fair and give Americans a decent chance to compete in the marketplace, rebuild America's failing infrastructure, go after ISIS and other terrorist groups in a real and substantial way, and most of all - bring main street common sense to Washington. It all sounded so good, and I bought the whole pitch - hook, line, and sinker. I refused to even listen to the chorus of voices warning about Trump's past, questions about how his current conservative positions were not consistent with his decades of being a liberal - I just blocked it all out. This was my guy, and he might be a bull in a China shop, but he was going to be my bull in a china shop, and it is a china shop that needs to be destroyed and rebuilt anyway.
There is something happening in the Trump campaign, and it is not the least bit gradual. This week we have our conservative champion saying that men should be allowed in women's bathrooms and locker rooms, and he even added that he has plans to raise taxes as well - what?
From Trump's Today Show Appearance -
���Well, look, North Carolina did something that was very strong and they're paying a big price and there's a lot of problems....People go, they use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate. There has been so little trouble.���
He fretted over the economic impact of the new law: ���And the problem with what happened in North Carolina is the strife and the economic ��� I mean, the economic punishment that they're taking.���
Co-host Matt Lauer followed up: ���So if Caitlyn Jenner were to walk into Trump Tower and wanted to use the bathroom, you would be fine with her using any bathroom she chooses?��� Trump replied: ���That is correct.���
Progressives Will Continue To Move The Line If We Let Them
What we know about progressives, is that they will continue to try and move the moral boundaries of our society. We were told that all they wanted was gay marriage. Those of us that said that this was just the beginning were ridiculed. Well, here we are. We are now being told that men who identify more as a woman (or at least say so on a given day) should be allowed complete access to women's bathrooms and locker rooms. If a man felt so strongly that he was a woman that he had the surgical procedures necessary to physically look like a woman, I guess that person could legitimately claim that gender (at least anatomically). What we are talking about here is an undefined policy that allows any man (penis still attached) to wander into the women's facilities at will. No one can explain how we are to separate individuals that are genuinely convinced they are not the gender of the physical body which they are inhabiting, from predators that will use this as open season on all manner of sexual deviance. I address this in much greater detail in Born With A Penis In The USA.
Even more troubling than Trump's position on men in women's bathrooms, is the reason he suggests that North Carolina should go along with this. He cites the 'economic punishment' they are taking. What? This is the guy that sued Univision for $500 million dollars after they decided to drop coverage of the Miss U.S.A. pageant in retaliation for his immigration proposal. A few rock concerts are cancelled, PayPal pulls out, and Trump tells North Carolina to cry uncle? Something smells very bad here, and what is going on seems to have been exposed in a meeting that just took place in Hollywood, Florida. Trump's new handler, Paul Manafort, explained to RNC officials and heavyweights, ���That���s what���s important for you to understand: That he gets it, and that the part he���s been playing is evolving,��� Full article here.
I should add that I personally called the Trump Resort in Sunny Isles, Florida and asked if men were allowed to use women's facilities at their property. I was told in no uncertain terms, "no." So, even Trump's own resorts appear to not be following their owner over a cliff on this. I honestly don't know what is going on here, but maybe those that are now explaining that Trump is playing a character (not unlike what happens in professional wrestling) have it right. I won't hang around to see Trump putting on the spandex tights... As my grandfather told me more times than I can count, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
Helping you make the most of God���s money! #nevertrump
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio
Saudi Arabia Threatens U.S. Over 9/11 Lawsuits
Is the truth about to finally come out about the Saudis involvement in 9/11? A new law being considered in Congress would remove sovereign immunity from Saudi Arabia and allow victim lawsuits to go forward. The Saudis are threatening an economic scorched earth if the law is passed. Can we gain any preparedness lessons from the recent earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan? A preview of the Tuesday primaries, Russia's risky game of chicken with U.S. forces escalates, another for-profit college goes under, and a major franchise tax preparation firm under investigation by authorities.
Illuminati Unmasked - Johnny Cirucci
Twenty year U.S. military veteran Johnny Cirucci discusses his explosive book on the secret world order known as the Illuminati. What role does the Catholic church play in controlling the worldwide shadow power structure? What is the significance of the involvement of Jesuits in key seats of power - all the way up to Pope Francis? Does Barack Obama have secret ties to the Jesuits? Are U.S. elections rigged? The suspicious makeup of the Supreme Court and key leadership positions in the U.S. government, who was behind 9/11, and more. The Illuminati Unmasked: Everything You Need To Know About The New World Order And How We Will Beat It.
Canadian High School Basketball Star Uncovered as 30-Year-Old African Refugee
It turns out that the star of the 2015-2016 Central Catholic High School (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) basketball team was not your typical high school kid ��� not by a longshot. Although he was masquerading as a 17-year-old student, the 6-foot-9 center of the Central Catholic Comets this past season is, in fact, a 30-year-old native of South Sudan, Jonathan Nicola, who had been living with basketball coach Pete Cusumano while in Canada on a student visa.
As a result of the enormous age discrepancy, it is expected that the visa will be terminated. Nicola is presently in custody at a detention center in Windsor while authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding his unique situation and the hearings process associated with his immigration status continues to play out. According to reports, it is the Canada Border Services Agency that ultimately uncovered evidence of Nicola���s true age.
Privacy concerns have prevented any specific details about the case���including what, specifically, tipped anyone off as to the ruse being perpetrated by Nicola���from being disclosed at this point, but a Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board spokesman, Stephen Fields, is adamant that no ���real��� students were ever in any danger from the presence of Nicola in their midst. In speaking with the Windsor Star about the situation, Fields said, in part, ���Generally speaking, if we felt at any time that there is any kind of threat to any of our students at any of our schools, then we would act appropriately.���
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Liberals Cannot Decide If Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill is Good or Bad
In America���s latest, bizarre journey into the land of political correctness, black abolitionist Harriet Tubman will be replacing Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, as the face on the U.S. $20 bill.
The decision was made by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, and met with wide approval by many liberals, who are grateful to see an iconic, historical figure from the African-American community finally reach a pinnacle of American symbolism. Founding father Alexander Hamilton, whose image is on the $10 bill, was originally the fellow earmarked to be the odd man out in the government���s quest to put a woman and/or minority figure on the country���s paper money, but Lew said the change to bump Jackson instead was made for several reasons, not least of which is Hamilton���s resurgent popularity as a result of the wildly-successful musical Hamilton currently running on Broadway.
Wouldn���t you know it, however���the decision to put Tubman on a piece of American currency has actually angered some in the liberal community who think it inappropriate that she should serve as a symbolic representative of the very capitalism (they say) she fought in her capacity as an anti-slavery warrior.
In fact, The Washington Post���s Wonkblog has an article up, ���The irony of putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill,��� that makes the case for wrongheadedness in the decision to have Tubman���s likeness featured on money. In addition to quoting various activists who feel this way, article author Danielle Paquette herself points out, ���The abolitionist icon, after all, fought the oppressive system that launched our economy. Why would she want to become a symbol of it?��� According to Paquette, then, the entire American system of capitalism would not exist without slavery.
Really?
Here, again, liberals reinforce the truth behind something actor Robert Mitchum once said: ���There just isn't any pleasing some people. The trick is to stop trying."
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
April 21, 2016
Growing Consensus: Trump Clinches Nom without the 1237 Delegates
An article over at POLITICO by Eli Stokols is formally clarifying what many of us have begun to suspect in recent days and weeks ��� namely, that if Donald Trump finds himself within even reasonable striking distance of the 1237 delegate total heading into the July convention in Cleveland, he will indeed emerge as the GOP standard-bearer.
To clarify, 1237 delegates is still the minimum number needed to secure the nomination; whoever emerges as the nominee will had to have accumulated at least that number, and, for Trump, the surest way to arrive at that figure is to win outright enough of the delegates remaining up for grabs in the final contests between now and June 7. Following his landslide win in New York, Trump has 845 delegates to Cruz���s 559, and is heavily favored in many of the primary battles left to go. There is a growing feeling within the party that Trump���s anticipated number of victories in the remaining contests, as well as the margins therein, may actually grow, now that more Republican voters are reconciling themselves to the idea of Trump as the nominee.
However, if he doesn���t reach the 1237 number by the time primary season ends, then things become a little less certain...but only a little less certain. Now that Trump appears to have turned a corner, partially helped by his recent outreaches to Republican Party bigwigs, as well as his efforts to appear more ���presidential,��� it is becoming highly unlikely that if his delegate count is within, say, 100 of the 1237 needed going into the convention, that he will fail to capture the nomination. The Republican ���insider��� thinking, according to the POLITICO article, is that Trump will likely see about half of the 200 or so unbound delegates come his way, and so if he is around 1137 by convention time, he will have it sewn up.
Of course, if Trump does not secure the nomination on the first ballot, his claim to it becomes immediately weakened, but, even in that case, it���s now unlikely he will exit the convention as something other than the Republican nominee, assuming he has something close to the needed 1237 by July. While some observers speculate on Republican ���kingmakers��� meeting in secret during the convention to help broker the selection of someone other than the presumptive nominee, the possibility of that actually occurring is practically zero ��� there is no chance, in this day and age, with media eyes and ears everywhere, that any sort of ���backroom��� deals would actually take place, and positively no chance they would fly with the Republican electorate if they did occur.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
April 20, 2016
Christian Medical Sharing - My Four Year Review
I have been a member of a Christian medical sharing plan for almost four years now. It has honestly been one of the best financial moves I have made. I would estimate that I have saved about $15,000 so far by dropping my traditional health insurance. Presently, at the age of 51, I pay $204 monthly. My cost for a traditional health insurance plan would be close to triple this amount. Medical sharing plans do not cover low dollar medical expenses, such as routine visits to the doctor and prescription drugs. It is also important to note that a qualifying medical sharing plan gives you an exemption from Obamacare and the associated penalties for not having insurance.
Medical Sharing Programs:
Christian Healthcare Ministries
A key concept to understand is that everyday expenses are not covered by these kinds of plans, but there are plenty of ways to save money on these costs. As a cash paying patient at my doctor's office, they offer me a substantial discount. In fact, what I end up paying is similar to many of the other patient's co-pay amounts (they have big expensive insurance plans and my out of pocket is many times exactly the same). There are websites I have discovered that allow cash paying patients to shop out routine procedures like a colonoscopy. I recently read an article that made the point that a colonoscopy can cost you between $700 and as much $3,300! Check out this medical price comparison search engine.
I also have discovered ways to get some of my prescription drugs for free and others for just a few dollars. All it took was a little shopping around to find these deals. From what I have learned, many retailers substantially discount prescriptions (or even make them free) as a loss leader to get you in the door. I guess they are betting that if you stop in to pick up your prescription you will also do your grocery shopping (which does turn out to be the case often times for me). My medical sharing program has arranged for a discounts for its members on routine lab tests as well. I go online and pay in advance, and simply take the receipt down to the medical lab and get my full metabolic panel of tests. It only costs me about $60, despite the fact that the standard fee for the exact same test would be $400 to $500 without my discount.
Medical sharing has worked well for me. I don't necessarily think it is the right option for everyone. For example, if you have significant medical issues that would be considered pre-existing conditions, you might well be better off with an Obamacare type plan. I have to share how encouraged I was recently when I received an e mail from one of our readers sharing with me that he had more than $80,000 in medical bills and they were fully paid by the medical sharing program he learned about from my blog! Since everyone wants to know, the program I am personally a member of, and recommend, is Christian Care Ministry.
Helping you make the most of God���s money!
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio
