History for January 24

History for January 24 - On-This-Day.com:

Birth anniversary of actor/comedian John Belushi (1949-82).

 Happy Birthday! Neil Diamond, Mary Lou Retton, Yakov Smirnoff

1908 - In England, the first Boy Scout troop was organized by Robert Baden-Powell. 


1965 - Winston Churchill died at the age of 90. 


1972 - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws that denied welfare benefits to people who had resided in a state for less than a year. 


1989 - Ted Bundy, the confessed serial killer, was put to death in Florida's electric chair for the 1978 kidnap-murder of 12-year-old Kimberly Leach. 

De Blasio ‘getting back at us’ by not plowing: UES residents

De Blasio ‘getting back at us’ by not plowing: UES residents | New York Post:

"It really is a tale of two cities — this time with the tony Upper East Side getting the shaft!

Huge swaths of the city’s wealthiest neighborhood had been not been plowed by early Tuesday evening, leaving 1-percenters out in the cold, according to the city’s own map of snow-plower activity. 

“He is trying to get us back.

He is very divisive and political,” said writer and life-long Upper East Side mom Molly Jong Fast of Mayor de Blasio."

What could possibly go wrong.......Snyder seeks 50,000 work visas to lure immigrants to Detroit

Snyder seeks 50,000 work visas to lure immigrants to Detroit | Crain's Detroit Business:
 "During a morning event at the IDEAL Group, a family-owned manufacturing and construction company in southwest Detroit whose founder is the grandson of Mexican immigrants, Snyder announced his plans to try to secure 50,000 work visas for the city over five years. 
The type of visas involved are not currently allocated by region or state, but rather go to legal immigrants who have advanced degrees or show exceptional ability in certain fields.
Under the governor's unique proposal, one-quarter of the nation’s 40,000 annual EB-2 visas would be designated for such immigrants willing to live and work for five years in Detroit."

Fact-Free Left Turns Blind Eye To Socialism's Failures Of The Past

Fact-Free Left Turns Blind Eye To Socialism's Failures Of The Past - Investors.com

President Obama seems completely unaware of how many of the policies he is trying to impose have been tried before, in many times and places around the world, and have failed time and again.

Economic equality? 
That was tried in the 19th century, in communities set up by Robert Owen, the man who coined the term "socialism." 
Those communities all collapsed.

Media shocked that criminals not flooding legal checks-----Colorado gun checks surge in 2013, but only 1.8 percent are rejected

Colorado gun checks surge in 2013, but only 1.8 percent are rejected - The Denver Post:
"While Colorado politicians went head-to-head under the gold dome in 2013 over gun-control legislation, firearms dealers made money hand over fist.

More people tried to buy a gun in 2013 than in any year in the state's history.
Nearly 400,000 criminal background checks were processed by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for would-be gun purchasers — or 16 percent more than in 2012, itself a record-breaking year.

Despite a new law that expanded background checks to include all gun sales, 2013 data show that only 1.9 percent of checks were denied.
The denial rate is lower than it was in 2012, prior to the new law.
In 2012, 2.1 percent of sales netted denials."

Here It Comes - More Leading Economists Call For Capital Controls

Here It Comes - More Leading Economists Call For Capital Controls | Zero Hedge:

In a speech to the American Economic Association earlier this month, the pair suggested that rich economies may need to resort to the tactics generally reserved for emerging markets.

This is code for financial repression and capital controls.

The idea behind capital controls is simple: create barriers to restrict the free flow of capital. And if you’re on the receiving end, capital controls can be enormously destructive.

But for politicians, capital controls are hugely beneficial; once they trap funds within their borders, the money can be easily taxed, confiscated, or inflated.

Historically, capital controls have been used in ‘desperate times’. Too much debt. Too much deficit spending. Wars. Huge trade deficit. Intentional currency devaluation. Etc.

Does any of this sound familiar? It’s no surprise that policymakers have once again turned to this ‘desperate measure’. They’re already here.

Iceland has capital controls, over five years after its spectacular meltdown. We can also see capital controls in Cyprus, India, Argentina, etc.

I’ve been writing for years that capital controls are a foregone conclusion. This is no longer theory or conjecture. It’s happening. And every bit of objective evidence suggests that the march towards capital controls will quicken.

This is a HUGE reason to consider holding a portion of your savings overseas in a strong, stable foreign bank where your home government won’t as easily be able to trap your savings.

Our schools are more babysitter than educational----When Kids Get A Snow Day, Working Parents Forced To Scramble

When Kids Get A Snow Day, Working Parents Forced To Scramble « CBS Philly:
 "MALVERN, Pa. (CBS) — It’s always a stress for working parents when schools are closed, trying to figure out how to care for the kids while still having to work.
......“But it generally does require some shuffling and some, ‘Hey, it’s time to be quiet, Mom has some conference calls.’ “"

Even Big Labor Leftists say real unemployment number is over 10 percent

Ken Braun: Even Big Labor Leftists say real unemployment number is over 10 percent | MLive.com

A pool of “missing workers” as large as the economy of Illinois is being ignored by the official unemployment rate, according to a think tank run by America’s big labor unions.

These workers have disappeared from the labor force since the start of the Great Recession in 2008, having given up looking for work. 

If their plight were counted accurately the December 2013 unemployment rate would zoom from the “official” 6.7 percent to a whopping 10.2 percent.

An official number this high has not been recorded since 1940, the year before American entry into World War II.

Using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that factor out changing demographics - such as a growing number of retirees - the Economic Policy Institute reportconcludes nearly 6 million additional Americans would be looking for work today if we used the labor force participation standard in effect for 2008 and earlier.

New App Will Scan Your Date’s Face to See If They’re a Sex Offender

New App Will Scan Your Date’s Face to See If They’re a Sex Offender | Betabeat:
"There’s a soon-to-be-released app that identifies strangers by using a creepshot a user uploads of them, to further enable your cyberstalking ways.
This latest advancement in technology is an app called NameTag.
It works by users uploading a snapshot of a person, where it’s then scanned and compared to publicly available social media accounts and dating website profiles. 
It also scans criminal databases, like the National Sex Offender Registry, to identify pervs.
What results is a detailed dossier of your subject, allowing you to commence your private browser-backed creeping."

Obama 'Threatens Fox News Reporter's Career' For Digging Too Deep into the Benghazi Story.

BREAKING: Obama 'Threatens Fox News Reporter's Career' For Digging Too Deep into the Benghazi Story... | RedFlagNews.com
Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren charges that the Obama administration tried to press her to shut down a colleague’s reporting on the jihadist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that cost the lives of a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans.

Van Susteren asserted recently on her blog that the administration made an extensive effort to conceal what happened in Benghazi. She cited U.S. officials’ refusal to include the Fox News Channel in several Benghazi briefings along with a warning that her colleague’s career would be ruined if she persisted in her reporting on the attack.

The Fox News host recalled a “disturbing phone call from a good friend in the Obama administration” shortly after the Sept. 11, 2012, attack, which the administration initially blamed on a protest of an anti-Islam video.

“In this call, my friend told me that my colleague Jennifer Griffin, who was aggressively reporting on Benghazi, was wrong and that, as a favor to me, my friend in the administration was telling me so that I could tell Jennifer so that she did not ruin her career,” Van Susteren wrote.

Van Susteren said that in her 20-plus years in the business, she had never received a call to try to shut down a colleague.

What do we do when we don't believe most anything our governor says?----------Snyder recommends state contribute $350 million to help settle Detroit bankruptcy

Snyder recommends state contribute $350 million to help settle Detroit bankruptcy | Crain's Detroit Business

Gov. Rick Snyder recommended Wednesday that the state contribute $350 million over 20 years to a settlement offer to help resolve Detroit's bankruptcy.

"This is a settlement," Snyder said. 
"This is not a bailout. I want to be very, very clear about that.

"The money, which would require legislative approval, would not pay off the banks, other creditors or the city's debts, he said. 

It is meant to minimize the harm to the city's retirees and to protect assets.

"This is about getting Detroit to be stable, to grow again, to give good services to its citizens, to help people in all parts of Detroit," Snyder said.

It's dem vs RINO. It's Americans vs american government-------We’re All Suspects in Barack Obama’s America

We’re All Suspects in Barack Obama’s America | Alternet:
"Barack Obama’s speech Friday on surveillance was his worst performance, not as a matter of theatrical skill, though he clearly did not embrace his lines, but in its stark betrayal of his oft proclaimed respect for constitutional safeguards and civil liberty.

 His unbridled defense of the surveillance state opened the door to the new McCarthyism of Mike Rogers and Dianne Feinstein, the leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees, who on Sunday talk shows were branding Edward Snowden as a possible Russian spy.

Instead of crediting Snowden for forcing what the president concedes is a much-needed debate, Obama bizarrely cited the example of Paul Revere and the other early American rebels in the Sons of Liberty to denounce their modern equivalent.

But the “secret surveillance committee” Obama referenced that Revere and his fellow underground conspirators established was intended to subvert rather than celebrate the crimes of the British controlled government in power."

Crony capitalists. A pox on their house!---------Chamber of Commerce Spent Over $50 Million Pushing Amnesty, Common Core in 2013

Chamber of Commerce Spent Over $50 Million Pushing Amnesty, Common Core in 2013:
"The U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent more than $50 million on lobbying efforts last year and will surpass that this year as it ramps up its efforts on amnesty, Common Core, and the destruction of the Tea Party that is opposed to both measures. 
According to disclosure reports, the Chamber of Commerce spent about $52.7 million last year, and much of that was spent on what has been described as the "top legislative priority for the business community"--amnesty for illegal immigrants.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office determined that the pathway to citizenship provision in immigration reform legislation would lower the wages of American workers."

5+ years of Obamamercia----"Zombie subdivisions," abandoned in downturn, plague Colorado counties

"Zombie subdivisions," abandoned in downturn, plague Colorado counties - The Denver Post:

""Zombie subdivisions" — some platted but vacant land, others partially built and then abandoned — plague parts of the Intermountain West, siphoning valuable resources from struggling local governments, dragging down property values and causing blight.
Millions of these undeveloped lots exist, many requiring public services in remote neighborhoods that generate little tax revenue. 
The unfinished developments have become the "living dead of the real estate market," according to a report released Wednesday by the Cambridge, Mass.-based Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
The problem is especially prevalent in states including Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Arizona — where wide-open spaces and booming economies drew new residents and developers before the recession began."

The tree huggers ain't gonna like what happens to trees when Barry triples energy costs------NH Thieves Raiding Woodpiles For Firewood

NH Thieves Raiding Woodpiles For Firewood « CBS Boston:

"CANDIA, N.H. (CBS) — Janine Richardson couldn’t believe it when she and her husband went to bring in some firewood to heat their home and it was all gone.

“We don’t use oil at all,” said Richardson. 

“We heat by wood solely so it was cold, it was cold that night, luckily we had little scraps around so we burnt that for the night.” 

Police in Candia New Hampshire says it’s happened at least twice this month. Heavy piles of firewood have been stolen from people’s property.

“I haven’t seen that in this area,” said Candia Police Chief Mike McGillen. “I can’t recall having many investigations like this.”"

Well, pot education coming to our schools? I sure hope it'll be as effective as "sex ed" was in preventing unwanted pregnancies----Sheriff to launch discussion on the impacts of legal marijuana

Sheriff to launch discussion on the impacts of legal marijuana | Aspen Daily News Online:
"How can the Aspen School District encourage students to delay marijuana use until their brains have fully matured?
How can Aspen pot shops discourage naïve tourists from eating enough cannabis-infused products to induce a bad trip?
And should the Aspen Skiing Co. be worried about more people chiefing on its chairlifts?
Those are just a few of the questions that Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo is hoping to shed light on when he convenes a community roundtable discussion about the impacts of legal marijuana on Monday."

This is very cool---His Daughter Started A Modeling Career At Age 5. Sounds Wrong, But It’s Not What I Thought…

His Daughter Started A Modeling Career At Age 5. Sounds Wrong, But It’s Not What I Thought… | Distractify:

Stupid and powerful is a bad combo for our kids---Union victory: Porn-watching Wisconsin teacher awarded new job, backpay

Union victory: Porn-watching Wisconsin teacher awarded new job, backpay | Fox News:
"Here's what Wisconsin's legal system and its teachers unions have just taught the nation:
If you're a teacher and you get fired for looking at porn at work, you'll get your job back.
Such is the case of Andrew Harris, former seventh-grade science teacher at Glacier Creek Middle School in the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District.
The district's school board Monday voted in a special closed session to comply with an arbitrator's 60-page order that demands Harris be reinstated.
He was fired in 2010 after receiving and viewing multiple pornographic and sexually inappropriate images and videos, according to a complaint.
To add insult to the district's injury, taxpayers will have to pay Harris nearly $200,000 in back pay. In total the district will spend nearly $1 million on the case, the brunt of which went to legally defending its position that the firing was fair."

Fracking Protesters Arrested for Gluing Themselves to the Wrong Petrol Pumps

Fracking Protesters Arrested for Gluing Themselves to the Wrong Petrol Pumps:
"On Monday, four members of an anti-fracking group wound up in jail for using bicycle locks and glue to fasten themselves to gas pumps at a petrol station in Great Lever, England.
The group sacrificed themselves in order to protest the hydraulic fracking activities of Total, a French petroleum company.

But, to their embarrassment, the group sacrificed themselves to the wrong petrol station, which was no longer owned by Total.
The petrol station was owned by Certas Energy, who neglected to take down the signs after buying the station."

Busted: Gun Control Legislator Dianne Feinstein's Hypocrisy Exposed!

Busted: Gun Control Legislator Dianne Feinstein's Hypocrisy Exposed! (VIDEO) - The Federalist Papers:
"The two videos illustrate the fact that gun grabbing politicians want to take the guns from you, but not from themselves. 
Do you agree?"

Say it ain't so---The Captain & Tennille Are Getting a Divorce

The Captain & Tennille Are Getting a Divorce - Breakups, Divorced : People.com:
"Their biggest hit was "Love Will Keep Us Together," but '70s singing duo the Captain & Tennille are getting a divorce.
Toni Tennille, whose real name is Cathryn Antoinette Tennille, 73, filed for divorce on Jan. 16, the Prescott, Arizona City courthouse confirms to PEOPLE.
Daryl Dragon, 71, also known as the Captain, was a keyboard player for the Beach Boys before meeting his wife.
They released their first album in 1974, winning a Grammy the following year. "

For bankrupt Detroit, is $350 million just a drop in the bucket?

For bankrupt Detroit, is $350 million just a drop in the bucket? - CSMonitor.com:
"The immediate reaction, however, has mostly ranged from confusion to criticism.
Considering that Detroit's unfunded pension liabilities are estimated to be $3.5 billion – and city-owned art at DIA is appraised at $875 million – it's unclear what $350 million could accomplish. 
Moreover, in a state where the federal bailout of the auto industry was widely criticized by Republicans, Snyder risks alienating his own party by using state money for his plan."

See No Evil

See No Evil | CNS News:

"I just saw a tease on a news site that said Obama didn't know
the extent of the NSA surveillance.
It seems that he also didn't know about our nation spying on the German Chancellor,
didn't know the Obamacare website was nowhere close to being ready to roll out,
didn't know about the IRS targeting conservative groups,
didn't know about the Petraeus investigation,
didn't know about the Department of Justice seizing the AP's phone records,
had no knowledge of Fast and Furious and
doesn't remember a thing about what he was doing the night four Americans were slaughtered in Benghazi Libya.

There are several possibilities: Obama is either surrounded with frighteningly incompetent megalomaniacs, he has terrible judgment in choosing people to fill sensitive positions, he has a very bad memory, he is an out and out liar, or perhaps a combination of all the above.

.....Hope somebody on his staff doesn't start a war and not mention it to him. 

History for January 23

History for January 23 - On-This-Day.com:

National Pie Day

Birth anniversary of John Hancock (1737-93, NS)

Ratification anniversaries: in 1933, the 20^th Amendment was ratified (moving presidential inaugurations to Jan 20) and in 1964, the 24^th Amendment was ratified (abolishing the poll tax).

Happy Birthday! Rutger Hauer

1556 - An earthquake in Shanxi Province, China, was thought to have killed about 830,000 people. 

1960 - The U.S. Navy bathyscaphe Trieste descended to a record depth of 35,820 feet (10,750 meters) in the Pacific Ocean.



1968 - North Korea seized the U.S. Navy ship Pueblo, charging it had intruded into the nation's territorial waters on a spying mission. The crew was released 11 months later. 


1971 - In Prospect Creek Camp, AK, the lowest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. was reported as minus 80 degrees. 


1977 - The TV mini-series "Roots," began airing on ABC. The show was based on the Alex Haley novel. 


2003 - North Korea announced that it would consider sanctions an act of war for North Korea's reinstatement of its nuclear program.

ObamaCare’s Attack on the Elderly

ObamaCare’s Attack on the Elderly | FrontPage Magazine:
"Beginning the the same time the LCP scandal was being exposed, the Obama administration began awarding hospitals bonus points for spending the least amount of money on elderly patients. 

Even worse, the idea was sold to the elderly as a good thing during the 2012 presidential election campaign."

The inconvient truth---Target announces it will drop part-time employees from its healthcare plan

Target announces it will drop part-time employees from its healthcare plan | TheHill
Target Corp. announced on Tuesday it would no longer offer healthcare coverage to its part-time employees.

In a blog post on the company’s website, Jodee Kozlak, the executive vice president of human resources, framed it as a positive development for part-time employees of the company.

“The Health Insurance Marketplaces provides new options for healthcare coverage that we believe our part-time members may prefer,” she wrote. “In fact, by offering them insurance, we could actually disqualify many of them from being eligible for newly available subsidies that could reduce their overall health insurance expense.”

Kozlak added that at present, fewer than 10 percent of part-time employees that are eligible have actually enrolled in the company’s healthcare plan.

No one can figure it out? People like "free" or "discount". And this is news?-----A quarter of Affordable Care Act enrollees were uninsured, Priority Health survey finds

A quarter of Affordable Care Act enrollees were uninsured, Priority Health survey finds | MLive.com: "Although easy access to doctors was considered a high priority, 43 percent said they did not know if the provider network in their new plan was similar to their former network.
Most said the subsidy influenced their selection of a plan.
But more than 60 percent did not know whether they were eligible for cost-sharing reductions. 
The discount is available for those who choose a silver plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace and whose income is below a certain level – about $29,000 for single people."

Wait til these guys are unionized government employees----Paramedic charged with stealing $80 from dead man

Paramedic charged with stealing $80 from dead man | MLive.com:
"Prosecutors said Price was on an ambulance run for Professional Med Team Inc.
Pro Med President Thomas Schmiedeknecht could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The attorney listed for Price in court files, Ronald H. Pannucci, also could not be reached Tuesday."

It's comin' to America, folks-----Swedes buy insurance to skip long health queues

Swedes buy insurance to skip long health queues - The Local:
"One in ten Swedes now has private health insurance, often through their employers, with some recipients stating it makes business sense to be seen quickly rather than languish in national health care queues.

Sweden's health system 'worst in the Nordics' (04 Dec 13)
'Rid health care of venture capital': Liberals (11 Nov 13)
Swedish midwives cut health care costs (02 Oct 13)

More than half a million Swedes now have private health insurance, showed a new review from industry organization Swedish Insurance (Svensk Försäkring).
In eight out of ten cases, the person's employer had offered them the private insurance deal.

"It's quicker to get a colleague back to work if you have an operation in two weeks' time rather than having to wait for a year," privately insured Anna Norlander told Sveriges Radio on Friday.
 "It's terrible that I, as a young person, don't feel I can trust the health care system to take care of me." "

Wimp presidents get bad deals-----Iran on nuke deal: 'We did not agree to dismantle anything'

Iran on nuke deal: 'We did not agree to dismantle anything' - CNN.com:
"(CNN) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted Wednesday that the Obama administration mischaracterizes concessions by his side in the six-month nuclear deal with Iran, telling CNN in an exclusive interview that "we did not agree to dismantle anything."
Zarif told CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto that terminology used by the White House to describe the agreement differed from the text agreed to by Iran and the other countries in the talks -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany.
"The White House version both underplays the concessions and overplays Iranian commitments" under the agreement that took effect Monday, Zarif said"

Obama certainly knows "JV"-----Obama Claim That Post-Bin Laden Al-Qaida Is 'JV' Is Alarming

Obama Claim That Post-Bin Laden Al-Qaida Is 'JV' Is Alarming - Investors.com:

"President Obama says post-Bin Laden al-Qaida's control of more territory than ever doesn't matter because it's like a junior varsity high school basketball team.
Hoops aren't what al-Qaida is shooting.

When New Yorker editor David Remnick pointed out to Obama during a November interview that years after Osama bin Laden had been killed, "the flag of al-Qaida is now flying in Fallujah, in Iraq, and among various rebel factions in Syria" and "al-Qaida has asserted a presence in parts of Africa, too," the response he got was either delusional or deceitful.
The president retorted that "if a JV team puts on Lakers uniforms that doesn't make them Kobe Bryant."

Do we really want two sets of laws in America?----D.C. trial for one shotgun shell but no gun, not given NBC David Gregory offer

MILLER: D.C. trial for one shotgun shell but no gun, not given NBC David Gregory offer - Washington Times

A year ago this month, the attorney general for the District of Columbia let NBC News anchor David Gregory off scot-free for possession of a “high capacity” magazine because doing so “would not promote public safety.”

Now, Irvin Nathan refuses to use that same prosecutorial discretion for an average citizen who violated a bizarre technicality that makes empty casings and shells a crime as serious as having an illegal firearm.

Mr. Witaschek, a successful financial adviser with no criminal history, is the first known case of a citizen being prosecuted in D.C. for inoperable ammunition. 
Washington police and prosecutors have spent a year and a half trying to nail him for the possession of so-called unregistered ammunition. 

A hunter and gun owner, Mr. Witaschek has always kept his firearms at his sister’s house in Virginia. 
If convicted, he faces a year in jail and a $1,000 fine for having a single, inoperable shotgun shell in his home. 
The jury trial starts on Feb. 11.   

The Metropolitan Police Department raided Mr. Witaschek’s rented Georgetown house twice in the summer of 2012 on the word of his angry ex-wife.

Frustrated with not finding the promised firearms, the police handcuffed him, searched his home top to bottom and came out with only ammunition, which carries the same felony penalty as a firearm.

(Click here for more details of the raids from my first story on his case.)

Mr. Witaschek told me this week, “Since the night my home was invaded and family terrorized by a militarized D.C. police force, I am more afraid of what government is doing than I am of any of the people I encountered when I spent the night in jail.”

He added, “The Second Amendment was meant to guarantee individuals the right to protect themselves against government — as much as against private bad guys and gangs.”

There have been two pre-trail hearings in the case so far. At the end of the first hearing in November, Judge Robert Morin gave the government until Jan. 3 to come up with a good defense for the initial police raid without a search warrant.

Knowing things weren’t going in their favor, the two assistant attorneys general for the District on the case, Peter Saba and Oritsejemine Trouth, offered Mr. Witaschek probation if he pleaded guilty. He declined the offer.

At the second hearing, the judge disallowed the first warrantless search and the fruits of it. This eliminated a box of rifle ammunition from the charges.

Undeterred, the prosecutors continued with the two items from the second raid — a misfired 12-gauge shotgun shell and a box of muzzleloader sabots.

Sabots are plastic covers that make it easier to push the bullet into a muzzleloader gun. 
There is no propellent on the bullet or sabot — because the gunpowder is separated — so it is not clear that it can be categorized as ammunition and thus only registered gun owners can possess it.

Thus, the single vaguely legitimate remaining charge for “unregistered ammunition” is the misfired shotgun shell that Mr. Witaschek has kept as a souvenir from deer hunting years earlier. The shell cannot be fired because the primer was already stricken and failed to propel it.

“I believe that some in the prosecution and police apparatus know what they did and are trying to continue this charade to cover their tracks,” Mr. Witaschek said of the warrantless raid and SWAT team tactics used against his family. “If I am proven a ‘criminal,’ then their bad acts are covered. If not, they are liable.”

That’s why Mr. Witaschek turned down the prosecution’s second offer that he would plead guilty to a reduced charge of “attempted possession” of ammunition. That crime still would carry a maximum of penalty of a six-month jail sentence, and it is not eligible for a jury trial.

Neither of the prosecutors nor the spokesman for Mr. Nathan responded to requests for comment.

Without a firearm, Mr. Witaschek could not do anything dangerous with an inoperable shotgun shell or muzzleloading bullets.

So it is inconceivable that a judge or jury would see this case as anything other than an overly technical interpretation of a law supposedly intended to prevent crime.

Nevertheless, the attorney general and his team insisted on prosecuting. Mr. Nathan’s office has spent countless hours and taxpayer money to try to nail a man who is an upstanding member of society with no intent to harm anyone.

Mr. Witaschek deserves the same treatment as the powerful TV anchor Mr. Gregory. Mr. Nathan should drop this absurd charge before this case goes to the jury.

Aerial drone catches ice images at Holland State Park

Aerial drone catches ice images at Holland State Park
http://www.hollandsentinel.com/article/20140119/NEWS/sthash.ytBIDO6H.gbpl#ixzz2r2X39EBz

"The incoming cold and snow will make it tough to get a look at the ice building along the Lake Michigan 

shore, but a recent aerial video taken by a Hope College sophomore brings the shoreline spectacle to your warm living room. 

Jeff Zita used a small four-propeller drone to capture about 8 minutes of video of the expanding ice cover at Holland State Park on Jan. 12 — one of the few sunny days this month. 

“I thought I’d get some awesome shots of Big Red and the ice,” Zita said."