Category Archives: National

Militiamen make presence felt in protest of BLM’s livestock grab

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0410BLMProtest02_t653BUNKERVILLE — The militiamen rolled in to draw a line in the dirt.

About 70 miles northeast of Las Vegas, they set up camp on a sun-baked patch of land next to a bend in the Virgin River, keeping supplies — like rucksacks and sleeping bags — in neat piles under the roof of an abandoned shack.

Gruff and largely unshaven, dressed in camouflage fatigues and cut-off shirts, the men kept their intentions quiet, telling news reporters the reason they pulled their trucks into this rural desert town — on one of the hottest days of the year — is simple enough: “We’re here to camp,” said one man who would not share his name.

The group even had a sign, posted for arriving members: Militia Sign In.

But they were really here to protect one of their own from the perceived enemies: a band of federal agents recently dispatched to the scrub desert to seize the cattle of embattled rancher Cliven Bundy.

“They’re here to protect Cliven’s family and home,” said Lynn Brown, one of Bundy’s daughters.

Read more at Las Vegas Sun

Air Marshal director resigns amid agency gun scheme probe

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bray_splitEXCLUSIVE: The director of the Federal Air Marshal Service is resigning after being investigated for his role in an alleged operation to acquire guns for officials’ personal use, FoxNews.com has learned.

Director Robert Bray’s home was raided in December in connection with the ongoing probe. Law enforcement and congressional sources told FoxNews.com that Bray’s recently announced resignation, which is effective in June, is directly related to the investigation.

Bray allegedly is among several officials who were obtaining weapons through this operation.

The Department of Homeland Security inspector general probe — which also is believed to involve the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — stems from whistleblower accusations involving federal Air Marshal supervisor Danny Poulos.

He is accused of using the agency’s federal firearms license and his relationship with gun manufacturer Sig Sauer to obtain discounted and free guns. He then provided them to high-up agency officials for their personal use, according to whistleblower documents obtained by FoxNews.com and interviews with multiple officials with knowledge of the ongoing probe.

Read more at FOX News Politics

Mickey Rooney, Master of Putting On a Show, Dies at 93

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mickey-rooney1Mickey Rooney, the exuberant entertainer who led a roller-coaster life — the world’s top box-office star at 19 as the irrepressible Andy Hardy, a bankrupt has-been in his 40s, a comeback kid on Broadway as he neared 60 — died on Sunday. He was 93 and lived in Westlake Village, Calif.

His death was confirmed by his son Michael Joseph Rooney.

He stood only a few inches taller than five feet, but Mr. Rooney was larger and louder than life. From the moment he toddled onto a burlesque stage at 17 months to his movie debut at 6 to his career-crowning Broadway debut in “Sugar Babies” at 59 and beyond, he did it all. He could act, sing, dance, play piano and drums, and before he was out of short pants he could cry on cue.

As Andy Hardy, growing up in the idealized fictional town of Carvel, Mr. Rooney was the most famous teenager in America from 1937 to 1944: everybody’s cheeky son or younger brother, energetic and feverishly in love with girls and cars. The 15 Hardy Family movies, in which all problems could be solved by Andy’s man-to-man talks with his father, Judge Hardy (played by Lewis Stone), earned more than $75 million — a huge sum during the Depression years, when movie tickets rarely cost more than 25 cents.

More at New York Times

Navy conduct sea rescue for Rebel Heart

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rebelheartThe Navy has sent the frigate USS Vandegrift to the Rebel Heart to rescue a one-year old child who fell ill on the stalled 36-foot Hans Christian boat.

At last report, the California National Guard sent rescuers who parachuted onto the vessel, but the child did not respond to medications. The child is suffering a fever and an unknown rash.

Although the boat is said to be repaired, the Vandegrift should reach the Rebel Heart by tonight or early Sunday to take the crew off of the boat. The crew consist of San Diego residents Eric and Charlotte Kaufman with their daughters, Lyra, 1, and Cora, 3.

USS Vandegrift

USS Vandegrift

More at UT San Diego

Jeremiah A. Denton Jr., Vietnam POW and former U.S. senator, dies at 89

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obit0331395960841MARCH 28 – Jeremiah A. Denton Jr., a retired Navy rear admiral and former U.S. senator who survived nearly eight years of captivity in North Vietnamese prisons, and whose public acts of defiance and patriotism came to embody the sacrifices of American POWs in Vietnam, died March 28 at a hospice in Virginia Beach. He was 89.

The cause was complications from a heart ailment, said his son Jim Denton. Adm. Denton was a native of Alabama, where in 1980 he became the state’s first Republican to win election to the Senate since Reconstruction.

Adm. Denton lost a reelection bid six years later. But he remained widely known for his heroism as a naval aviator and prisoner of war, and particularly for two television appearances that reached millions of Americans through the evening news during the Vietnam War.

In the first, orchestrated by the North Vietnamese as propaganda and broadcast in the United States in 1966, he appeared in his prison uniform and blinked the word “torture” in Morse code — a secret message to U.S. military intelligence for which he later received the Navy Cross.

Read more at The Washington Post

Inmate found dead from possible suicide

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Flagstaff – On Sunday, March 30, 2014 at about 2:11 AM Coconino County Detention Facility Officers while conducting scheduled inmate security and welfare checks found an inmate unresponsive in his cell. Detention Officers quickly began lifesaving measures, to include CPR, until paramedics arrived on scene and took over lifesaving efforts. The inmate was pronounced deceased at about 2:50 AM. The cause of death is currently under investigation but appears to be a suicide. Coconino County Sheriff’s officials are currently attempting to notify next of kin.

Highly decorated rodeo Hall of Famer dies at 63.

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robert-shallARLEE – Robert H. Schall Jr., 63, from Arlee, passed away Friday, March 21, 2014, after a two-year battle with cancer. He was born June 25, 1950. He spent his entire life in Arlee, most of it on the Schall Ranch.

His rodeo career is legendary. He was an accomplished bareback rider, team roper and steer wrestler, winning countless championships in the PRCA, NRA and other regional associations. He traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada and on occasion to Australia. He was a Montana State University alum, being most proud of his membership on the 1972 NIRA National Championship Men’s Rodeo Team and of being a member of the MSU Athletic Hall of Fame. He won the coveted PRCA Linderman Award in 1986. He was a past president of the Northern Rodeo Association. He was recently inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and is listed on the Montana Rodeo Wall of Fame at Metra Park in Billings.

He was a dear friend and mentor to many. Bob was incredibly proud of being a father to Emily, she was the light of his life. He never missed an opportunity to be with her or support her throughout her youth. He drove many tireless miles to be wherever she may need him.

He was an avid outdoorsman who loved to fish, hunt and pack. His favorite dessert was pie and ice cream. His ability to complete math calculations in his head was astounding.

Read more at The Missoulian

Governor Pence Signs Bill Taking Indiana Out of Common Core

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mike-penceIndianapolis – Governor Mike Pence today signed Senate Enrolled Act 91, which requires Indiana to adopt its own academic standards. The Governor issued the following statement:

“I believe our students are best served when decisions about education are made at the state and local level. By signing this legislation, Indiana has taken an important step forward in developing academic standards that are written by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers, and are uncommonly high, and I commend members of the General Assembly for their support.

“As the task of writing our new academic standards continues, I am grateful to the more than 100 Indiana educators who have put thousands of hours into a comprehensive, transparent, and rigorous process of academic review and am confident that our state will produce Indiana standards that will prepare our students for success in college, careers, and life.”

Shame on Subaru of Wichita

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subaru
Wichita, Kansas – Subaru of Wichita should be ashamed for having such unbeatable prices.

The Subaru dealer of Wichita responded to a protest sign of the Carpenters Local 201 with a sign of their own. Scott Pitman posted their take on the protest on their blog. The dispute apparently started earlier this month over some construction on their site.

KWCH television published an unflattering article on the tactics of the union.

Their YouTube video below was posted with the notice, “We fully support every American’s freedom to exercise their First Amendment Rights, but when we disagree, we’re going to exercise ours and have fun at the same time.”