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Inside The Brotherhood (Video)
Inside the Brotherhood is a six part documentary that examines the rites, rituals and power of influence that Freemasonry have within Law, Banking, Police, Religion and Politics.
The documentary is based on Martin Short's book "Inside the Brotherhood: Explosive Secrets of the Freemasons" and Stephen Knights "The Brotherhood: The Explosive Expose of the Secret World of the Freemasons".
New McCain Ad: Barack Obama To Blame For Gas Crisis (Video)
This is interesting. The McCain campaign, which has long thought it holds an advantage on foreign policy issues, is shifting the focus to domestic concerns with a new ad blaming the gas crisis on Barack Obama...
"There are two people to blame for todays high gas prices, one is named George W Bush, and the other is named Dick Cheney. They decided to invade Iraq, which so far has cost over one trillion dollars, all of which had to be borrowed, resulting in a decrease of well over 50% in the value of the US dollar. Weak dollar = high oil prices end of story. Until the US dollar gets stronger oil will continue to rise, as will other commodities. The US gets over 50% of it's imported oil from Canada. Since the Iraq war started the Canadian dollar has gone up over 60% vrs the US Dollar." Willy Bova
VP search by McCain, Obama take diverse path
For all the lengths Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain have gone to in keeping their hunt for a vice president under wraps, their deliberations are in some ways being conducted in plain sight. As the process unfolds, strategic imperatives for the two candidates have become clearer.
Members of both parties said Obama, 46, should not be looking to make any risky moves that would divert attention from his role as the would-be head of what he says will be a new generation of leadership seeking to make a clean break from the politics of the past.
By contrast, McCain, 71, has good reason to look for a choice that would change the landscape, a point that some of his own advisers are making to him....
The Case for Charlie Crist for VP
Florida Republican Gov. Charlie Crist has been all over the national news lately.On the policy front, he backed up Sen. John McCain's (R) call for lifting the moratorium on offshore drilling, a reversal of his opposition to drilling spurred, Crist said, by the high price of gas.
On the personal front, Crist announced his engagement to Carole Rome; the couple had been dating for nine months. So, given all the attention paid to Crist of late, does he merit being McCain's vice presidential pick later this summer?
The Case Against Charlie Crist for VP
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is one of the few potential vice presidential candidates of either party who doesn't seek to downplay his interest in and excitement about the post. "It is very flattering to be considered and even the mere mention of the question is a humbling kind of thing for someone like me," Crist told Sky News during an interview earlier this week on a trip to Europe.
Yesterday we made the case for why Crist would be the perfect pick as John McCain's running mate. Today we argue the opposite....
Floridians help fill McCain's coffers
Unlike vice presidential rival Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Gov. Charlie Crist doesn't show up on the latest list of John McCain's campaign "bundlers" -- the politicos dubbed "Trailblazers" and "Innovators" who flex their Rolodexes and collect the checks. Pawlenty has raised more than $500,000 for McCain, according to his campaign, which could be one reason many observers see him as the Arizona senator's most likely veep choice.
But while Crist doesn't appear, plenty of his Florida campaign team does. The names in McCain's $50,000-$100,000 list include former GOP state chairman Al Cardenas, current GOP chief Jim Greer, Crist adviser Chris Kise, lobbyist and former Jeb Bush aide David Rancourt, state House Speaker Marco Rubio and part-time Floridian Donald Trump.
Unlike McCain, many seniors depend on the Web
If Sen. John McCain is really serious about becoming a Web-savvy citizen, perhaps Kathryn Robinson can help. Robinson is now 106 - that's 35 years older than McCain - and she began using the Internet at 98, at the Barclay Friends home in West Chester, Pa., where she lives. "I started to learn because I wanted to e-mail my family," she says - in an e-mail message, naturally.
Blogs have been buzzing recently over McCain's admission that when it comes to the Internet, "I'm an illiterate who has to rely on his wife for any assistance he can get." And the 71-year-old presumptive Republican nominee, asked about his Web use last week by the New York Times, said that aides "go on for me. I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself." How unusual is it for a 71-year-old American to be unplugged?
Panic Selling in the Fannie & Freddie Debacle?
Did the markets see panic selling last Friday? There was a big sell-off, but there was an equally big recovery -- with stocks closing about mid-range. There was a lot of fear coming into Friday's session.
The Euro markets were down and the European financial indexes were all getting hit. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac went down. US financials had backed off right down to their Thursday's lows. Lehman Brothers went down to $16 per share.
Economic Collaspe?
Capitalism has struck the deadly reef of corruption and is now sinking fast. But passengers of the American ship of state--already drowning in the murderous waters of loss of homes and jobs--are still believing politicians' reassurances that nothing's really happening......
How does your bank rate? Find out here
Bankrate.com's Safe & Sound® service is a proprietary system designed to provide information on the relative financial strength and stability of U.S. commercial banks, savings institutions and credit unions. The system employs a series of twenty-two tests to measure the capital adequacy, asset quality, profitability, and liquidity (CAEL) of each rated financial institution. Individual performance levels are determined from publicly available regulatory filings and are compared to asset-size peer norms, industry standards and key absolute benchmarks. Combined results form the basis for our Composite CAEL and Star Ratings, which are described below. When possible, the system also produces a report that provides a detailed explanation of our findings, for each rated financial institution.
Wachovia Securities Raided in Auction Rate Probe
Securities regulators from several U.S. states raided the St. Louis headquarters of Wachovia Securities on Thursday as part of a broad investigation into questionable practices involving auction rate securities, Missouri officials said.
Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan’s office said the “special inspection” at the Wachovia Corp (WB.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) affiliate, the former A.G. Edwards, concerned the $330 billion auction rate securities meltdown.
Late Night Jokes Of The Week: Jackson's Nuts, Gramm's Whiners, McCain's Dentures, And Obama's Judaism
This week in Late Night Jokes, the hosts take on Jesse Jackson's "nuts" comment, Phil Gramm's "whiners" remark, John McCain's age, and Barack Obama's religion, with speeches by Larry Craig and President Bush thrown in for good measure.
Maryland troopers spied on activist groups Protesters added to database of terrorist suspects
Undercover Maryland state troopers infiltrated three groups advocating peace and protesting the death penalty — attending meetings and sending reports on their activities to U.S. intelligence and military agencies, according to documents released Thursday.
The documents show the activities occurred from at least March 2005 to May 2006 and that officers used false names, which the documents referred to as "covert identities" - to open e-mail accounts to receive messages from the groups......The activist was identified as Max Obuszewski. His "primary crime" was entered into the database as "terrorism - anti govern(ment)." His "secondary crime" was listed as "terrorism - anti-war protestors." The database is known as the Washington-Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, or HIDTA.
Making Americans Unsafe
The Bush Regime’s "terrorist" protection schemes have reached the height of total incompetence and utter absurdity. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, a private organization that defends the US Constitution that inattentive Americans neglect, there are now one million names on the "terrorist" watch list.
One of them is that of former Assistant US Attorney General Jim Robinson, whose top security clearances are current. Every time Mr. Robinson flies away on business, he is delayed by a totally incompetent "terrorist" protection racket that cannot tell a person named Jim Robinson, who served in the highest echelons of the US government, from a Muslim terrorist.
What confidence can we have in a regime that is incapable of differentiating an Assistant US Attorney General from a terrorist?
Fitzgerald says Rove was trying to fire him during CIA leak probe
In a supplement to his responses to the House Judiciary Committee, Patrick Fitzgerald confirms what we've always suspected: Karl Rove was trying to have Patrick Fitzgerald fired while Fitzgerald was still investigating Rove for his role in leaking Valerie Wilson's identity--and the timing lines up perfectly with the Administration's efforts to fire a bunch of US Attorneys.
Remember back in June, when Fitzgerald publicly suggested he had more details to share with Congress about Rove's efforts to get him fired? .....
Microsoft's Real Problem: The Second Coming of Apple
As Microsoft (MSFT) continues to waste time and resources figuring out how to win a sideline game it has already lost--Internet media--its shareholders have bigger things to worry about. Namely, the future of the Windows and Office cash cows. It has been so long since Microsoft had anything real to worry about in these businesses that it's easy to take their perpetual domination for granted. Don't.
We've written frequently about the cloud computing threat: Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and other web-based services companies offering functionality and apps for free that Microsoft currently charges a boatload for. Microsoft is aware of this threat and is moving to try to combat it. But if it smoothly navigates a technology paradigm shift of this magnitude, it will be one of the first dominant technology vendors in history to do so.
Massive Facebook fraud scare as website accidentally publishes dates of birth of millions of users
Facebook was at the centre of a massive ID fraud scare yesterday after it accidentally published confidential information about its users. In a huge breach of privacy, the social networking site disclosed the dates of birth of many of its 80 million active users - even if they had asked for the information to be kept secret.
Google Shares Plummet After Disappointing Earnings
Google Inc. shares plunged nearly 10 percent Friday after the Internet search leader's second-quarter earnings missed analysts' expectations.
Management said economic turmoil in the United States and parts of Europe appears to be causing consumers to click less frequently on the ads that generate virtually all its profits. That unnerved already jittery investors, although Google managers said they expect the Mountain View-based company will thrive even if the economy weakens further.
As Gas Prices Rise, Police Turn to Foot Patrols
People around here are seeing a lot more of Officer Robert Stewart.
Officer Robert Stewart ducked into a barbershop recently while on foot patrol in Suwanee, Ga. Following strict new orders, he frequently leaves his squad car, hopping out to visit a bartender, then a barber, then a bank teller who squealed and clapped her hands, demanding to see the latest photograph of his son.
As gasoline soars past the $4-a-gallon mark, police chiefs in towns and cities across the country are ordering their officers out of the car and onto their feet in a budgetary scramble.
"The Price of crude oil dropped by over 10% this week. The price of a Gallon of gas remained the same, go figure." Willy Bova
Top 25 things Vanishing From America
The landscape of America is constantly changing. As culture shifts and new technologies and products are introduced, this is to be expected. But some things are impacted more than others and the once-ubiquitous can even become extinct.
WalletPop takes a look at 25 such things that are quickly disappearing from our country. From honey bees to checks to bowling alleys to incandescent light bulbs, we count down 25 things you may not be able to find in the U.S. for very much longer.
OBAMA HUMOR 101
We all know about this week’s Controversial Satire Attempt by that wicked, bad New Yorker, which we can now bash for being wicked instead of just elitist (boring!). That particular faux pas rocked the ever-intertwined worlds of politics and publishing and seemed to prove that poking fun at a certain presumptive presidential nominee can be a precarious enterprise, if not an absolute no-no.
However, one brave—or maybe foolhardy—scribe at the Los Angeles Times, Joel Stein, stuck his neck out on Friday with a column entirely devoted to finding less offensive and more effective ways of ridiculing Barack Obama. Let’s see how he did.
Who will win the Obama vs. Obama election?
From New York to San Francisco, I've been asked over and over: Given the state of the country, how could Barack Obama and John McCain be so close in the polls? The answer - at this point it's not about Obama vs. McCain. It's about Obama vs. Obama. Upscale, white "Sex and the City" women are still livid over how they perceive the Obama people treated Hillary Rodham Clinton during the Democratic primaries.
He has got a major, major problem there, and they feel he has done nothing to address it. I'm not saying women will vote for McCain - he's just a look-over at best - but they will be missing in action this November unless something changes.
'Psychological Operations Is My Specialty' Confessions Of A
Covert Agent
Everything I've done has been highly classified, all black programs and black operations. Some people I know thought I worked for the CIA, but it's much more complicated than that. I've worked with people in the CIA, DIA, NSC, NSA, SAIC, Army Intel and many more lesser known agencies within the intelligence apparatus.....
When Spies Don't Play Well With Their Allies
As they complete their training at “The Farm,” the Central Intelligence Agency’s base in the Virginia tidewater, young agency recruits are taught a lesson they are expected never to forget during assignments overseas: there is no such thing as a friendly intelligence service. Foreign spy services, even those of America’s closest allies, will try to manipulate you. So you had better learn how to manipulate them back.
But most C.I.A. veterans agree that no relationship between the spy agency and a foreign intelligence service is quite as byzantine, or as maddening, as that between the C.I.A. and Pakistan’s Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, or I.S.I.
Flying Without ID? Know What's in Your Files
Fliers who find themselves attempting to fly without identification should prep themselves on what their old addresses were, when their wedding anniversary is and and their children's addresses. Knowing those and other bits of personal information in public records will be key to convincing federal employees to let you past the x-ray machines onto your plane.
That's because under new rules from the Transportation Security Administration, travelers who try to fly without identification now have to do more than just let screeners paw through their bags and wand them up and down. Now, those who left their license at home or had it stolen have to answer a series of questions relayed to the screener by employees in TSA's operations center in Virginia, where employees have access to databases of public records, including those compiled by data giant Lexis Nexis.
Greg Norman tames British Open winds, leads by two
Golf had the weirdest dream Saturday.
In this dream, malevolent winds burned faces, shoved golf balls from their lies and yanked caps off heads, until all the wreckage and all the tortured shots and all the happy gorse culminated with emphatic applause on No. 18 for . . Greg Norman?
Yeah, you know those deep, senseless, REM dreams where familiar faces turn up in unfeasible places? Well, on Saturday in early-evening sunshine in the dunes of Royal Birkdale, here came the third-round leader in a scene so beyond belief it's already, surely unforgettable no matter what might happen today...
Florida Locals confident Greg Norman can win British Open for the third time at age 53
When Olin Browne saw Greg Norman was leading the British Open late in Friday's second round, he didn't reach for his eyeglasses to make sure this wasn't a misprint. He instead reached for his cellphone.
"I sent him a text message said, "Great playing ... keep it going," said Browne, a three-time PGA Tour winner who lives in Tequesta. The rest of the sports world may be startled to see Norman, 53, a full-time South Florida resident and a part-time professional golfer, holding a two-shot lead entering today's final round of the 138th British Open at Royal Birkdale. Browne, however, isn't the least surprised....
Senator Phil "Nation of Whiners" Gramm officially resigns as
McCain Campaign Co-Chair
Phil Gramm, a top adviser to presidential candidate John McCain, is resigning from the role as campaign co-chairman after his comments that the United States had become a "nation of whiners" who constantly complain about the state of the economy.
The former U.S. senator from Texas and past presidential candidate made the remarks earlier this month. McCain immediately distanced himself from the comments, but they have been criticized constantly as McCain tries to show he can help steer the country past its current financial troubles, the Associated Press reported. Gramm had also suggested that the country was facing a "mental recession" instead of real economic problems.
Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a German magazine he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months. In an interview with Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Maliki said he wanted U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.
"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."
Homeland Security blocks voter drive
.............The new policy by the agency, an arm of the Department of Homeland Security, has caused outrage among local League of Women Voters volunteers as well as local congressional representatives.
"Homeland Security has no jurisdiction over this. They can't limit voter registration," said U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, chairwoman of the House Judiciary immigration subcommittee. "Who do they think they are?" Some are concerned that the new policy is an attempt to suppress voter participation by new citizens.......
GOP whistleblower names Karl Rove in Ohio's 04 election theft
............This case has the potential to put some of the most powerful people in the country in jail, according to Arnebeck, as he was joined by a well-respected, life-long Republican computer security expert who charged that the red flags seen during Ohio's 2004 Presidential Election would have been cause for "a fraud investigation in a bank, but it doesn't when it comes to our vote."
"This entire system is being programmed in secret by programmers who have no oversight by anybody," the expert charged, as Arnebeck detailed allegations of complicity by a number of powerful GOP operatives and companies who had unique access both to the election results as reported in 2004, as well as to U.S. House and Senate computer networks even today.....
"The on going court cases about the 2004 Ohio vote totals, rarely get national attention. However 2 people have been convicted of rigging the recount in 2004, in Ohio's largest county and face 18 months in prison. This story deals with the issue of how the election tabulation occured, and the destruction of the Ohio ballots in violation of federal law, before they could be recounted. Basically the vote tabulation for the 2004 Ohio election stopped for nearly 2 hours on election night. The vote tabulation for Ohio was contracted out to a firm from Tennessee who also hosted the Bush/Cheney reelection website, and the GOP emails that disappeared in the DOJ US Attorney scandal. The recount was rigged and never really took place. Several counties destroyed the ballots in violation of federal law, unlike Florida in 2000, where all ballots were eventually recounted. The story is well referenced if you want to learn about What Really Happened in Ohio in 2004." Willy Bova
Nigeria Issues Arrest Warrants for Top Pfizer Officials After Drug Experiments Conducted on Children
A Nigerian state judge has issued arrest warrants for three top Pfizer officials, saying that they failed to appear in court to face charges of illegally conducting drug trials that led to the deaths of 11 children. Judge Shehu Atiku, sitting in the city of Kano, said that Nigerian Pfizer head Ngozi Edozien and senior company officials Lare Baale and Segun Donguro failed to appear in court in compliance with a Nov. 6 court order.
The state of Kano is seeking $2.6 billion from Pfizer, charging that the company illegally tested an experimental antibiotic, Trovan, on children in Kano during a meningitis outbreak in 1996...
Seven Foods to Balance Your Blood Sugar Levels
We all know that optimum weight is something everyone needs to be striving for if we are going to live healthy and harmonious lives. Research shows that the best foods for enjoying good weight are those that don't cause a sharp rise in blood sugar levels. Balanced blood sugar is associated with physical and emotional health, as well and longevity. In fact, steady blood sugar levels are the one thing that every person who lives over 100 (centurion) has in common.
Foods that cause a spike in blood sugar are generally sugar and refined carbohydrates. They cause the body to produce insulin, which makes you crave food constantly, leading to weight gain and a variety of health conditions including diabetes.....Almonds, Avocado, Hummus, Walnuts.......
Omega-3-Rich Fish Oils Reduce Weight Gain in Animal Study
A diet that contains fish oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids may help the body metabolize fat better and thereby gain less weight, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Kao Corporation in Tochigi, Japan, and published in the Journal of Nutrition.
Researchers took mice that had been bred with a predisposition to obesity and fed them a high-fat diet (containing 30 percent of its calories from fat) for five months. Half of the animals had this diet supplemented with 8 percent fish oil....
Diet Rich in Plant-foods Aids in Preserving Muscle Mass in
Older Adults
The strength that sometimes leaves many older adults could be maintained and restored by consuming raw vegetables and fruit, a study, published in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has suggested. In a society where grain- and protein-rich diets rule, this is refreshing news that can help older adults live more healthily and happily.
Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass, and can lead to falls and injuries due to the weakened musculature of older adults. Because of the high-protein, high-grain diet of Westerners, acidosis occurs more readily, which in turn triggers the loss of muscle mass experienced by the elderly. Though acidosis is naturally a part of the aging process, it can be greatly slowed by re-evaluating dietary choices at ages sixty-five and above, or better yet, eating healthfully and living healthfully in the youthful years to maintain an adequate muscle mass.
Mobile phones: You must carry certificate with you, against the law to loan phone to someone else in Sir Lanka
Government is to introduce tough new regulations on mobile phone users requiring them to carry a certificate of ownership and barring them from using phones belonging to others.
Under the new regulations announced by the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRC), users would have to carry a letter from the mobile phone provider confirming that the person carrying the phone is the owner of the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module).All people would be subjected to checks at security check points for the letter of certification provided by the mobile phone operator to prove the ownership of the SIM card.....
Gov: Chicago may get troopers, National Guard For Crime Patrols
Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday raised the possibility of bringing in state troopers or even the Illinois National Guard to help Chicago combat a recent increase in violent crime -- an offer that Mayor Richard Daley didn't know was coming.
Appearing at signing ceremony for a bill that toughens the penalty for adults who provide guns to minors, Blagojevich said "violent crime in the city of Chicago is out of control." "I'm offering resources of the state to the city to work in a constructive way with Mayor Daley to do everything we can possibly do to help ... stop this violence," said the governor.
GOP cyber-security expert suggests Diebold tampered with
2002 election (Amazing Story)
A leading cyber-security expert and former adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) says he has fresh evidence regarding election fraud on Diebold electronic voting machines during the 2002 Georgia gubernatorial and senatorial elections.
Stephen Spoonamore is the founder and until recently the CEO of Cybrinth LLC, an information technology policy and security firm that serves Fortune 100 companies. At a little noticed press conference in Columbus, Ohio Thursday, he discussed his investigation of a computer patch that was applied to Diebold Election Systems voting machines in Georgia right before that state's November 2002 election.....
Satellite Radio Merger Saga Takes Unexpected Turn
During his tenure at the Federal Communications Commission, Jonathan Adelstein has been a fierce critic of government policies that allow big media companies to get bigger. So it came as a surprise when the Democratic commissioner put forth a proposal that would allow the nation's only two satellite radio companies to merge.
Adelstein, the potential deciding vote, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he would support Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. (SIRI)'s $3.1 billion buyout of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (XMSR) if the companies agree to a six-year price cap and make one-quarter of their satellite capacity available for public interest and minority programming, plus other conditions. It may be that the commissioner, a seasoned political operator who spent 15 years as a Senate staffer, recognized a limited window of opportunity.
Iran and Bush Admonistration in Pre Pre-Negotiations?
With the media and international affairs observers focused on the Bush administration's decision to send a US envoy to international nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva this weekend, this detail in a wire report out of the Turkish capital Ankara today is interesting. From the AP, who's in Turkey today? White House national security advisor Stephen Hadley. What's he doing there? According to the AP report, talking about Iran. And who is coming to Turkey tomorrow? Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
Terrorism Funds May Let Brass Fly in Style
The Air Force's top leadership sought for three years to spend counterterrorism funds on "comfort capsules" to be installed on military planes that ferry senior officers and civilian leaders around the world, with at least four top generals involved in design details such as the color of the capsules' carpet and leather chairs, according to internal e-mails and budget documents.
Production of the first capsule -- consisting of two sealed rooms that can fit into the fuselage of a large military aircraft -- has already begun....
Banks reportedly not taking IndyMac checks
The frustration didn't end for some IndyMac customers when they finally were able to withdraw their funds from the failing Southern California bank seized last week by federal regulators.
Some people have run into more problems when they tried to deposit IndyMac cashier checks at other banks.
Sheryl MacPhee said she waited in line two hours Tuesday at an IndyMac branch in San Marino to liquidate a certificate of deposit. But when she took it to a Washington Mutual branch in South Pasadena to deposit, she said a manager told her their new policy was not to accept IndyMac checks. If the customer insisted, she said she was told, it could take eight weeks or more to access the full amount.
Poll: Deep economic insecurity
Americans are deeply worried about their economic prospects and they want government to invest in expanding economic opportunity and assisting those in need, according to a new poll released today.
The Rockefeller Foundation/Time magazine poll of 2,008 Americans, conducted June 19-29, found significant increases in economic anxiety, especially among young people and minorities, and dissatisfaction with the federal government’s response. The percentage of Americans concerned with their own economic situation, at 47 percent, has nearly doubled from 24 percent in January 2007,
Daytona Beach Cop who Demanded Free Coffee From Starbucks, Gets Fird Instead
An internal affairs report says a Daytona Beach police officer demanded free coffee and tea from a Starbucks and threatened employees with slower emergency response times if they refused.
Lt. Major Garvin, a 15-year veteran, was fired July 8. According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Chief Mike Chitwood says Garvin recently failed a polygraph test that he insisted on taking.
Maureen Martin: Florida pro-gun laws saving lives
There is literally living proof in Florida that its concealed carry and other pro-gun laws save lives. From 1987, when the concealed carry law was passed, until 2006, murder and non-negligent manslaughter rates in Florida plunged 45 percent, to 6.2 per 100,000 persons from 11.4, according to crime rate statistics compiled annually by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
More people are alive today in Florida thanks to those laws, which kicked off a nationwide trend toward adoption of conceal-carry provisions. Today almost 40 states have followed Florida's lead.
Georgia Pacific: Palatka plant exempt from Florida gun law
Georgia Pacific's paper mill in Palatka is joining two Orlando theme parks which claim they are exempt from a new state law allowing employees to keep their guns in their cars at work. Georgia Pacific told its 1,000 workers in Palatka that the Department of Homeland Security is the reason its employees are prohibited from bringing guns to work, said Jeremy Alexander, a company spokesman.
Marion Hammer, past national president of the National Rifle Association, said the exemption is "ludicrous," adding "they cut down trees and make toilet paper."
Citizen advisors part of platform: By Al Abbatiello
Editor: When I was considering running for County Commission, District 1, I spent a lot of time asking myself: "What would I do or consider doing to make St. Johns a better county." Looking back on the 10 years I've lived in St. Johns County, the many commission meetings attended, and thinking about some of the haphazard reactionary decisions made by our commissioners, it became clear to me what can be done better and thus my election platform evolved. One of the things we can do is include the county's citizens in the planning and decision-making process and by doing this, better decisions with less confrontation between the community, developers and County Commission can be made.