James L. Paris's Blog, page 171

Surge of Concealed Carry Permit Holders Continues

For those who believe in the utility of an armed citizenry, the rapid increase of the concealed carry population is a welcome sight. All across the country, states are seeing a marked surge in the number of residents who wish to exercise their Second Amendment rights to keep and bear, as well as their inalienable right to self-preservation. As more representatives of law enforcement agencies across the country publicly admit that the threat level from both ���garden variety��� criminals and politico-religious terrorists is such that the best chance for citizens to stay safe is at their own hands, Americans everywhere are getting the message, and taking the necessary steps to lawfully carry guns wherever they go.

According to a recent piece over at Breitbart News by their Second Amendment columnist, AR Hawkins, Ohio alone issued 72,000 new licenses in 2015, which represents a near-25 percent jump from the number of licenses issued there in 2014.

While many applaud the numbers, it is important to remember that there is a lot more to situational readiness in a self-defense scenario involving guns than merely having one when serious trouble breaks out. When it comes to defending yourself, survival is as much, or more, about your mental readiness as it is your physical readiness. To that end, I recommend the terrific Counter Violence, a highly-informative, 138-page physical book that deals largely with the subject of mindset as it pertains to violent encounters. From that perspective, it is a thorough work, and one that belongs on the shelf of anyone who seeks to become completely prepared to defend him/herself, as well as those innocent parties nearby, from the kind of violent attacks that have become an all-too-regular presence in our communities, across the country, and around the world nowadays.

The author of Counter Violence is E.J. Owens, the founder and president of Legally Concealed. Owens��� specialty as an instructor is in the area of concealed carry and home defense scenarios. His background is impressive, and includes service as a U.S. Army infantry officer, as well as CQB (close quarters battle) instructor and hand-to-hand combat instructor with the military.

In addition to receiving a great book on self-defense preparedness, your purchase of Counter Violence will give you access to four bonus videos/PDFs:

Anti-Carjacking Scenarios (video)

Home-Defense Shotgun (video)

The Ultimate ���GO��� Bag (PDF)

The Definitive Guide to Concealed Carry (PDF)

Stunningly, all of this great material is available for just the cost of shipping and handling - $5.97 (plus any state tax you might have to pay). What���s more, even at that unbelievable price, you also enjoy a 60-day, money-back guarantee on your purchase (which I highly doubt you���ll feel the need to use). If you would like to learn more, or just pick up your copy of Counter Violence right away, Click Here.

 By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

 

Refugee Watch: ���Brussels Coming to a Town Near You���

Refugee Resettlement Watch is declaring that what we saw in Brussels, what we saw in France last year, and what we are seeing throughout Europe, more generally, is absolutely headed to the United States if America does not begin prioritizing its own national security in such a way that it smashes through the bonds of political correctness and begins taking a highly restrictive posture with respect to its admission of Muslim refugees into the country.

Ann Corcoran, the editor over at Refugee Resettlement Watch, says, in part, ���There is only one difference between us and them.  They have been seeing the colonization longer and the percentage of the Muslim population is higher than ours is here in America.  How can our ���leaders��� possibly not see the same future for us if we allow the Muslim population to continue to grow exponentially.���

For those unfamiliar with the group, Refugee Resettlement Watch is an organization devoted to bringing light to the activities of the U.S. government and affiliated groups in the resettlement of refugees to America. It identifies, as its three main priorities, the efforts to:

Educate citizens about Refugee Resettlement Policy of the U.S. Government.
Encourage grassroots citizenry to become involved in this issue and by becoming involved help direct the future of your community.
Encourage reform of Refugee Resettlement Policy at a national level.

 By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Could We Be Headed Back into Recession?

Although the stock market seems to have stabilized, of late, that has in no way allayed the fears of many that the U.S., and, indeed, the global economy, is headed toward recessionary conditions. You may have heard talk in the news about the prospect of negative interest rates in the U.S., and how Fed Chair Janet Yellen ���wouldn���t take those off the table,��� something she declared in a recent appearance before Congress. There are now five major central banks with interest rates in negative territory���Denmark, Eurozone, Sweden, Switzerland, and Japan���and so the U.S. would certainly have company if it went there. Obviously, conditions would have to worsen here considerably before that happens, but the very fact that this is a topic of discussion in Fed circles gives a good indication as to the overall lack of confidence our economic ���leaders��� have in the strength of America���s financial engine, presently.

Driving much of the renewed fear of recession in the U.S. is the reality of unemployment in America. Supposedly, the unemployment rate is now down to around 5%; that would be great news if it were a true, accurate figure representing unemployment in America, but it is not. First of all, that figure does not accurately account for those who are now part-timers or ���gig��� workers who would otherwise be genuinely employed in better conditions ��� when those people are accounted for, the actual unemployment rate is over 10%. Additionally, there is the reality that the labor force participation rate, a measure of how many people who could work are working or are out there looking for work, is still about as low as it has ever been. The continued stagnation in employment continues to be a strong indicator of the ever-present threat of recession in the U.S.

The bottom line is that we are a long way away from a thriving economy, one that translates into prosperity and great personal security for the vast majority of American citizens. Accordingly, many are doing what they can to keep their heads above water, and one of the ways they are accomplishing that is by finding ways to purchase meaningful ���big ticket��� items, like cars, furniture, appliances, even real estate, at absolute bargain prices.Helping those looking to save enormous sums has been the massive growth of auctions and online auction sites all across the United States.

The auction mechanism has gone into overdrive with the evolution of technology, including (obviously) the Internet. However, as great as these auction opportunities can be, they���re of little use to anyone who cannot find them in an efficient, useful manner. Enter Gov-Auctions.org, a site devoted to providing its members with accurate, constantly-updated information on all kinds of auctions in every state. Gov-Auctions.org is precisely the kind of platform that can be of such a benefit to those looking for a coherent way to find true bargain outlets on the widest varieties of merchandise and property.Aside from in-person, traditional auctions���Gov-Auctions.org has comprehensive information on online auctions of both the government and non-government variety. In addition to providing more outlets for companies and agencies to auction their wares, online auctions are a good alternative for those who, for whatever reason, prefer not to do their bidding in person.

Although much of the orientation of Gov-Auctions.org is vehicles, that is by no means all that you can find at the site. The tremendous number of links to both offline and online auctions includes access to all kinds of merchandise; if you can think of it, is likely due to be auctioned somewhere, and that includes a wide variety of personal property, real estate���you name it! There���s a ton here, including some great tutorials on the auction process for those new to it. You can grab a two-year membership to Gov-Auctions.org right now for just under 40 bucks. To learn more about this comprehensive auction resource, Click Here.

 By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Free Credit Report, Credit Monitoring, And Credit Scores - No Trial Memberships, Just 100% FREE

* Trending - FREE Survival Gear (recommended By Jim Paris) - Click Here

I am very excited about the evolution of the process involved with a consumer obtaining their credit reports and scores. It seems like just yesterday when the routine was to send off a letter making a request from each bureau directly, and then waiting two weeks or longer for the credit reports to arrive in the mail. Today, you can access your credit reports and scores through a wide variety of services, and you can do so online in just minutes. No, I am not making reference here to the large number of services offering a free trial membership. These services are free, but after 30 days you start paying a monthly fee. There is simply no reason to sign up with one of these programs when free options are available for both your credit reports and credit scores.

Option 1 - Free Online Credit Report Portal

Without going into a lengthy explanation here, the government requires the three major credit bureaus to provide you with a free copy of your credit report one time per year. You are also entitled to additional free copies any time you are turned down for credit (due to information on your credit bureau report). Simply go to Annual Credit Report.com and follow the steps and you should be able to access your credit reports (with all three bureaus) in under ten minutes. In some cases, if you are not able to successfully verify your identity (through challenge questions), you will have to complete the process by mail. 

Option 2 - Free Credit Reports, Scores, And Ongoing Monitoring

The best overall method for accessing your credit reports are through two services - Credit Karma and Credit Sesame. Not only will you be able to access all three of your credit bureau reports, but your credit scores, and you can even set up credit monitoring. If you only sign up with Credit Karma, you will be accessing just two of the three credit bureaus. By using both services, you have your complete credit profile. 

In addition to obtaining an initial  free copy of your credit report and your credit scores, you can do so as often as you like (just log back in to your free account). Each of these services will also give you recommendations on steps you can take to raise your score. Lastly, you can set up free credit monitoring as well. Instead of paying $10 to $20 monthly for one of those expensive credit monitoring services, you get free 24/7 monitoring. This means that you will receive an e mail alert any time your credit file is being accessed. This is the key to identity theft prevention. 

Why is this free? This question comes up a lot, and I was wondering about this myself when I signed up. You will see ads and offers when you log in to your account. For example, based on your credit score you might be offered a specific credit card or home loan. The advertisers pay good money to be able to make these offers to individuals based on their credit profile. As a result, this arrangement is a win-win for all parties concerned.

ChristianMoney.com also has an eBook available on the step by step process of credit repair - Click Here. You don't need a Kindle and can read this right on your own computer. It has been a highly popular selection over at Amazon for a number of years. We also have a video download that is more than two hours in length and takes you through the entire process of evaluating your credit score and taking the necessary steps to raise it quickly - Click Here. 

 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

Jim's Discusses His Recent Travel Deal Trip To Italy

On this episode Jim goes to Italy using a discount travel package - was it a great deal or too good to be true? Jim also discusses his private tour of the Vatican and his experience using Uber while in Rome. In other news, a prayer center is ordered to pay $7 million in restitution by state of Washington and Hulk Hogan wins $115 million in landmark judgment.

LBJ - The Man Who Killed JFK?

Consummate political insider Roger Stone makes a compelling case that Lyndon Baines Johnson had the motive, means, and opportunity to orchestrate the murder of JFK. Stone maps out the case that LBJ blackmailed his way on the ticket in 1960 and was being dumped in 1964 to face prosecution for corruption at the hands of his nemesis attorney Robert Kennedy. Stone uses fingerprint evidence and testimony to prove JFK was shot by a long-time LBJ hit man���not Lee Harvey Oswald.

President Johnson would use power from his personal connections in Texas, from the criminal underworld, and from the United States government to escape an untimely end in politics and to seize even greater power. President Johnson, the thirty-sixth president of the United States, was the driving force behind a conspiracy to murder President Kennedy on November 22, 1963. In The Man Who Killed Kennedy, you will find out how and why he did it.

The Left Eats Its Own: PETA Condemns Anti-Trump Protester Who Struck Police Horse

A woman who was a protester at an anti-Trump rally in Kansas City, Missouri on March 12 has been arrested for abuse of a service animal in the wake of her assault on a mounted police officer���s horse during the protest. Mounted police personnel were assisting in crowd control in downtown Kansas City when one protester, 29-year-old April Foster, approached an officer and his horse, ���Dan.��� Foster began screaming in Dan���s face in an apparent effort to frighten him and prompt him to retreat, and, when that effort failed, Foster slapped the horse in the face with her open hand.

Although Foster herself quickly retreated after striking the animal, information called into police via their TIPS hotline helped them to eventually locate Foster. She was arrested, and subsequently posted a $500 bond. She is scheduled to make her first court appearance on May 4.

Foster, who self-describes (via her Instagram bio) as, among other things, a ���commie��� and a ���trans,��� has surely put her leftist-progressive brethren in a bit of a bind, vis-��-vis their feelings about her, by committing this act of animal cruelty. PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch released a statement underlining that reality:
���All animals feel pain, stress and fear just like we do, and they deserve our respect and protection. Horses are highly sensitive prey animals, and this poor horse was without a doubt already under a tremendous amount of stress as a result of the chaos, the crowds, the deafening noise of the angry protesters, and more. PETA commends the person who called the tip line so that this woman���s apparent cruelty to this horse does not go unpunished.���

I���m very glad that Dan the Police Horse is apparently just fine in the wake of his altercation with April the Commie-Trans, and also happy to see another case of the left going after one of its own; life���s little pleasures.

 By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

NFL: Georgia���s Religious Freedom Bill Could Keep Super Bowl Out of Atlanta

Once again, a state���s attempts to legislate in favor of religious freedom are being met with socially-based blackmail at the hands of America���s leading business entities. In this case, it is the National Football League that threatening unfortunate consequences to the state of Georgia and city of Atlanta if Gov. Nathan Deal signs into law House Bill 757, which protects clergy should they choose not to perform marriage ceremonies ���in violation of their legal right to free exercise of religion,��� and also ���protect[s] property owners which are religious institutions against infringement of religious freedom.���

The NFL is saying that the proposed law would likely keep the Super Bowl out of Atlanta for at least the foreseeable future. Atlanta has been prominent on the league���s radar screen for Super Bowl consideration since its decision to build a new stadium to replace the Georgia Dome. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a multi-purpose facility complete with a retractable roof, is scheduled to open in 2017. It should be noted that one of the prime motivators behind the team���s decision to move forward with a new stadium was its previous failed bids to host the Super Bowl, and the NFL���s suggestions that upgrading would greatly improve the city���s chances of having the league���s premier event land on its doorstep.

However, all of that is very much up in the air now. League spokesman Brian McCarthy: ���NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard. Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential Super Bowl host sites.���

For his part, Falcons owner Arthur Blank, along with the owners of the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Braves, has indicated his opposition to the bill. Gov. Deal is facing a May 3 deadline to either sign or veto the measure���and, soon after, on May 23, NFL team owners are scheduled to vote on which cities will host the Super Bowl for years 2019, 2020, and 2021.

 By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

iPhone Bursts into Flames During Alaska Airlines Flight to Hawaii

Alaska Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating after an iPhone 6 belonging to a passenger traveling from Bellingham, Washington to Honolulu, Hawaii burst into flames while she was watching a movie on the device during the flight.

The passenger, Anna Crail, is a 19-year-old college sophomore who was traveling to Hawaii for spring break. As she told KOMO-TV, ���All of a sudden there was like 8-inch flames coming out of my phone, and I flipped it off onto the ground and it got under someone��� seat, and the flames were just getting higher and a bunch of people stood up.��� As Crail puts it, ���When it started, I thought we were going down.���

Although the incident occurred while Flight 807 was still 90 minutes out from Honolulu, there were no injuries or damage, and the plane was able to complete its journey without (further) incident, according to an FAA spokesman.

This is not the first report of an iPhone 6 catching fire. In December, two separate incidents of iPhones bursting into flames made the news ��� an Atlanta man���s iPhone reportedly caught fire while it was in his pants, and, in another case, a man was in bed when his device, which was lying next to him, caught fire.

According to ABC News, Apple, the maker of the iPhone 6, has reached out to both Ms. Crail and the airline.

 By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

 

Donald Trump to Meet Today with Influential Republicans; Is This the First Step Toward ���Unity?�����

Controversial GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump will reportedly meet with roughly two dozen high-profile and influential Republicans in Washington, DC today, in a get-together organized by Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessions. As you may recall, Sessions endorsed Trump at a Madison, Alabama Trump rally in February, and now Sessions is apparently doing what he can to smooth relations between Trump and many in the so-called Republican establishment.

This is not to be an official meeting, according to reports, but, rather, something more off-the-record. Trump was already scheduled to be in the nation���s capital today to address the annual policy conference for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and so the opportunity for this impromptu assembly with Republicans presented itself to the candidate (and supporter Sessions). No names of anticipated meeting attendees have been released at this time.

Trump has been increasingly vocal about the need for party unity as he continues to add to his delegate total following each state contest. Republicans of all stripes have been growing increasingly worried about the disarray in which the GOP finds itself as a result of what has been a highly-contentious primary and caucus season.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large