Stupid: H-S Precision hires former FBI sniper who shot and killed Randy Weaver's Wife and Son in Standoff

This is absolutely sick and disgusting…. 😡

An American gun manufacturer has hired a professional killer to tout the merits of its weapons. What better spokesman could a company have than one who has shot and killed a young mother with her baby in her arms?

The South Dakota company’s Internet website has proudly published a letter attesting the greatness of its new sniper weapon.

“Pound-for-pound, component-for-component, dollar- for-dollar, you will not find a better rifle,” says the new spokesman for H-S Precision in Rapid City. His name is Lon Horiuchi, a government assassin who retired from the FBI in 2006. AFP called to ask him if this was also the weapon he used to blow away the face of Vicki Weaver at the remote area of Ruby Ridge in Idaho in 1992, but he did not return the calls.

On Aug. 21, 1992, U.S. marshals perpetrated a sneak attack on the mountain cabin of the Randy Weaver family in northern Idaho. When the family dog, Striker, a docile and loving golden retriever, began to bark at the agents, they shot him dead “because he was giving away our position,” one said later. Sammy Weaver, 14, saw the incident and screamed, and the agents nearly blew his arm off (the impact of which spun him around), and then zippered him through the back with a three-round blast from automatic weapons. The boy was dead before he hit the ground. His father, Randy, later told this writer that when he got to him, “his chest was blown out and his heart was like raw hamburger.”

The marshal directing the raid, Bill Degan, was also killed, maybe by his own men.

During the afternoon and night, all sorts of deceptive information was being transmitted from the scene to the FBI headquarters in Washington. The marshals, desperate after being caught in the act of breaking the law, had made up all kinds of cover-up stories—the most outrageous being that the Weaver family had them pinned down for eight hours in an all-day shootout in which Randy’s 16- and 10-year-old daughters had been holding them off with high-powered weapon fire from the windows of the cabin.

via americanfreepress.net – Gun Company Hires Mother’s Assassin. (Yes, I know what kid of books they sell, but that doesn’t take away from this story at all.)

No matter one’s opinions of what happen during the Ruby Ridge stand off or of Randy Weaver, this has to be one of the worst P.R. Disasters in modern history. Hiring a man as a spokesman for a company, who basically murdered a child and a man’s wife. Someone somewhere made a huge bad marketing decision.

Please, keep in mind, that I do know the full history behind the “American Free Press”, and sometimes the Anti-Government and Anti-Zionist tone of much of their news, but this does shine through that, very much so. I think someone needs to rethink a marketing strategy, and fast!

(H/T Freedom’s Phoenix)



Stanford Financial Group busted in fraud charges

Well, this is quite interesting:

Stopping what it called a “massive ongoing fraud,” the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday accused Robert Allen Stanford, the chief of the Stanford Financial Group, of fraud in the sale of about $8 billion of high-yielding certificates of deposit held in the firm’s bank in Antigua. Also named in the suit were two other executives and some affiliates of the financial group.

In the complaint, filed in Federal District Court in Dallas, the S.E.C. accused Mr. Stanford and two associates — James M. Davis, a director and chief financial officer of Stanford Group and the Antigua-based bank affiliate, and Laura Pendergest-Holt, the chief investment officer of both organizations — with misrepresenting the safety and liquidity of the uninsured CDs.

The CDs were sold by Stanford International Bank through the firm’s registered broker-dealer and investment adviser, which are in Houston. Both the bank, which claims $8.5 billion in assets and 30,000 clients in 131 countries, and the brokerage unit, which operates about 30 offices in the United States, were named in the S.E.C. suit. Stanford Financial asserts that it advises about $50 billion in assets.

Shortly after 10 a.m. Central time, about 40 police officers and other law enforcement officials simultaneously entered Stanford Group’s two office buildings in Houston. Many of the law enforcement personnel carried large black briefcases. Stanford group’s headquarters are in two offices in Houston, one within a tower of the Houston Galleria shopping mall, and the other across the street.

A spokesman for Stanford Group declined to comment.

via Texas Financial Firm Accused of Fraud – NYTimes.com.

It is amazing how a major meltdown in the markets will expose the frauds.

Vox Day Snarks:

What, there was something fishy about high-yield Antiguan CDs? Really? What will shock us next, the discovery that the import/export firm with the branch office in Medellin is selling coke?

Heh.

While I think it is alright to have a sense of humor about it. One must realize that there most likely some people “taking a bath” right about now. So, I shall keep the giggles to a minimum. Who I feel mot sorry for, are the peole who trusted these companies to invest thier money properly, and have gotten horribly screwed over. Those are the one’s I feel for.

Allan Keyes still whoring for attention

Allan Keyes still does not get it, after all these years. After he was basically chased out of the Republican Party because of his outlandish behavior, he is still trying to garner some sort of spotlight.


Alan Keyes, a 2008 presidential candidate who now is a plaintiff in one of the many lawsuits seeking to verify whether Barack Obama qualifies under the U.S. Constitution’s requirements to occupy the Oval Office, says the tactics adopted by lawyers for the president confirm there is an issue for the courts to investigate.

Keyes, who was the candidate of the American Independent Party, cited a recent exchange with lawyers representing Obama in which they warned they might seek monetary penalties against those raising the question of Obama’s eligibility under the Constitution’s requirement that the president be a “natural born” citizen.

“It confirms the common sense suspicion that he won’t act forthrightly in this matter because he has something to hide,” Keyes wrote on his blog after WND reported the warning about “sanctions” was raised by Obama’s defense lawyers.

The onetime U.S. ambassador explained on his posting that those raising questions over Obama’s eligibility so far have simply been ignored by courts.

“In effect, the courts are refusing to admit plaintiffs on this matter into the courtroom, thereby denying them justice,” he wrote. “Madison wrote, ‘Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It will be pursued either until it be obtained or until liberty be lost in the pursuit.'”

via Keyes: President ‘has something to hide’ on eligibility.

From what sources tell me, the only reason Alan Keyes was ever offered a position in Reagan’s Cabinet is because Ronald Reagan felt sorry for the man. Also because Reagan wanted to make points with the Black Republicans at the time. Ever since then, Keyes has tried to garner the spotlight and has tried to make himself a so-called rightful heir to Reagan’s legacy; All the while being laughed at, by the rest of the Republican Party. One would think that this uppity fool would get the message that nobody, and I mean nobody wants this religious zealot in politics, but still he keeps on trying to get the spotlight. It is truly one of the tragic legacies of the Reagon era.

Trump Folds

Here’s more fallout from the economy bubble…:

He is known as a successful entrepreneur to the millions who watch him on the US version of The Apprentice but Donald Trump on Tuesday suffered the indignity of watching a company that bears his name file for bankruptcy protection.

Trump Entertainment Resorts, of which Mr Trump owns 28 per cent, filed for Chapter 11 protection at a court in New Jersey on Tuesday after bondholders who control the debt-laden casino operator rejected Mr Trump’s attempt to take the company private.

The filing came as the group missed its last deadline on a $53m interest payment. It is not the first time the group has filed for Chapter 11: four years ago, an earlier incarnation of Trump Entertainment also sought bankruptcy protection from its creditors.

The filing reveals that the company has assets of $2bn and total debts of $1.7bn. Its biggest creditor is US Bank, which is acting as agent for the bondholders in the group. The group of bondholders could not be reached for comment but they are owed $1.3bn, according to the filing.

Other creditors include Bally Gaming, a Las Vegas-based group, and Bovis Lend Lease, the property developer, which is owed $7.5m.

Like other casino operators, Trump Entertainment, which owns three resort properties in Atlantic City, has been hit by the economic downturn and a severe slump in visitor attendance and gaming revenues.

via FT.com – Trump Entertainment files for Chapter 11.

But of course “The Donald” did not feel like take responsibility for his failure. He did what most rich executives do and what some politicians do; He blamed someone else:

In a stinging statement released last week following his resignation from the board, Mr Trump laid the blame for the group’s demise squarely on the bondholders. He accused their representatives of making “a series of bad decisions” and said they had “encouraged wasteful spending, which has led to severe problems with the company”.

Mr Trump pointed to the contrast between Trump Entertainment and The Trump Organisation, which he controls. “While The Trump Organisation grows and flourishes, Trump Entertainment …has languished. The Trump Organisation’s portfolio of residential, commercial, hotel, and golf properties has expanded all over the world, while Trump Entertainment has yet to diversify outside of Atlantic City.”

Mr Trump could not be reached for comment but his statement of last week suggests he opposed the bankruptcy route. “Now I will study and watch as the horrible and outrageous fees being paid to lawyers and consultants will suck the blood from the company,” he said.

“This internal turmoil will be compounded by dramatically deteriorating revenues across the board for casino companies in Atlantic City as the market tanks and competition from local markets grows.”

Ah yes, put the blame on someone else for the failure of a company that bears your name. Instead of being a man and admitting the failure. Trump could have went down there an fired all the idiots, took over ownership of the company and steered it to prosperity, but instead, he continued to lease his name to a failing enterprise and now that it’s bombed, he’s casting blame elsewhere. Typical of people of his ilk.

(H/T The Daily Beast)

Icon Journalist Sam Donaldson Retires

Sam Donaldson
Sam Donaldson

Yes, I called him an icon, and I am damned proud of it. Sam Donaldson is icon of my youth, someone I remember watching as a kid. This back before my time in the political world. Back before I even knew the difference between a Liberal and a Conservative. A man who can be traced back to the days of Television, when there still an ounce of integrity.

The Washington Post reports:

Whatever else he accomplished in his 41 years at ABC News, Sam Donaldson knows he’ll be remembered mainly for his bellowing voice.

“I guess it’ll be on my tombstone: ‘He yelled at Ronald Reagan,’ ” Donaldson says.

Now, with little fanfare, the 74-year-old newsman is retiring from full-time work next week. “Some people leave the business bitter, feeling they’ve been cast out, or they hang on too long,” he says. “And I don’t ever want to get in that position.”

There was one thing in this story, that I really wanted to comment on:

Donaldson’s detractors viewed him as a liberal blowhard, and there were certainly times when his mouth outran his brain. Donaldson encouraged Colin Powell to run for president in 1996 and kept predicting that he would. Five days after the Monica Lewinsky scandal erupted, Donaldson said of Bill Clinton: “If he’s not telling the truth, he’s done. . . . I think his presidency is numbered in days. This isn’t going to drag out. We’re not going to be here three months from now talking about this.

You might be shocked to know this, but I never noticed Sam Donaldson acting like a “Liberal Blowhard.” If he ever did when I was watching, he was not very obvious about it. Unlike the anchors of today; like Keith Olbermann, who bellows his political opinion out, like it is the Gospel according to St Luke or something to that effect. For the record, I never heard or saw Sam Donaldson getting on National Television and screaming, “Shut the Hell up!” Like Keith did.

I think it goes back to a word that I used in the beginning of this Blog Entry; Integrity. It is something that the America Media needs to get back to, in a very big way.

Others: Michael Calderone’s Blogs and The New Republic

Stay Classy William Teach AKA Porter Good

First off, as a rule, I do not get myself involved with what other people write on their Blogs. I believe in freedom of speech, Freedom of Expression and so forth.

However, this morning, I happen to come across something that caught my eye. If you’re following the headlines, there is a woman who’s a columnist at the Tennessean. Her name is Gail Kerr. She wrote a piece on some Tennessee lawmakers who are pursuing the Obama birth certificate issue.

Now let me say from the outset that I respect her opinions; I do not agree with them, at all. However, I happen to read a blog reaction to what she had written over at pirate’s cove, which is owned by a one William Teach, who’s real name is Porter Good.  As I suspected, it was of the usual Conservative affair, criticize the piece and take gentle pokes at the author. However, there was a small bit in this piece that I found to be most offensive and I thought I would blog about it, and possibly inform Mr. Teach, that there are others out there that read his Blog. The offending part is underlined:

After eight years of the Left accusing Bush of everything that they don’t blame on anthropogenic global warming, and sometimes they blame both, with little to no proof, lefties, still riding high on hopeNchange, and probably the fumes from their black velvet Obama paintings, just do not like it when anyone asks for simple proof of Obama’s citizenship. Witness barking moonbat, and member of The Tennessean, Gail Kerr take on the subject of Barry’s birth certificate (and, hopefully, Jenny Craig)

The picture of the Woman in question:

Mr. Teach, let me remind you sir, that there are people in this world, who are not of perfect physical condition. As someone who is overweight and has struggled with weight gain for my entire life. I found your crass, asinine, dig towards this woman’s weight to be totally uncalled for, over the top and quite frankly immature, and most unbecoming of a Conservative Blogger. While I wholeheartely agree with you on your assessment of B. Hussein Obama, I do not believe that the personal insult of this woman’s Physical appearance was even remotely needed in the context of this discussion.

While I realize that a Blogger of any sort of integrity would ‘Man Up” and apologize, I do not expect this of teach at all. As I have observed, he has spent the good part of his Blogger career, cheerleading for George W. Bush and kissing the ass of the Podhoretz clan; so, one can only expect so much.

Update: Porter Good posts in the comments section says, verifying his true depraved nature:

And, yeah, I defended W when he deserved it, and attacked him when he deserved that, particularly on illegal immigration. As far as the Podhertz crack, that sounds vaguely anti-semetic on your part. Are you a Jew hater? Sounds like you owe me an apology. Oh, I misread your intent? Goodness!

It’s quite funny, when confronted with the truth, Neo-Con’s resort to playing the race card. Just like their Democrat counterparts. (There are those who would say that Democrats and Neo-Cons are one in the same, but that’s out of the scope of this discussion…) Identity Politics is such a tragic thing, on the left….. and the Right.

Others: The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, At-Largely,  and The Mahablog

Heh: Grandpa McSame is Bitter

This is a bit funny.

Democrats are growing increasingly frustrated with the brash political attacks Sen. John McCain has launched against Barack Obama in the weeks since the new president took office. No one expected the Arizona Republican to be a legislative ally for this administration. But it was widely assumed that Obama’s overtures to McCain in the weeks after the election would dull some of the hard feelings between the two. Now, they are realizing, it has not.

“He is bitter and really angry,” Bob Shrum said of McCain in an interview on Friday. “He is angry at the press, which he thinks is unfair. He is angry at Obama and angry at the voters. He has gone from being an angry old candidate to being an angry old defeated candidate.”

Indeed, during the debate over the economic stimulus package it was McCain, as often as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who spearheaded the opposition. The Arizona Republican denounced the proposal as pure pork on the Senate floor and introduced an alternative measure comprised nearly entirely of tax cuts.

On Sunday, McCain wouldn’t let the fight die, even with the legislation through Congress. Appearing on CNN, he described the $787 billion measure as “generational theft” and said that the bill’s authors should “start over now and sit down together.”

Meanwhile, appearing on ABC’s This Week, Sen. Lindsey Graham — McCain’s chief ally in the Senate — said of the process by which the stimulus was forged: “If this is going to be bipartisanship, the country is screwed.”

via huffingtonpost.com — Dems Fed Up With McCain: “Angry Old Defeated Candidate”.

Humph… I don’t feel a bit sorry for the old bastard. When you run a terrible campaign and basically whore yourself  and your running mate out to the far right, and then try and pimp yourself to the left; what do you expect? The old codger just needs to retire or preferably just drop dead, so Cindy can collect.

Hurry up and Wait

The Economy is going to hell and a hand basket and the President is shirking his responsibilities to take the First bitch Lady out for Valentines Day.

After pushing Congress for weeks to hurry up and pass the massive $787 billion stimulus bill, President Obama promptly took off for a three-day holiday getaway.

Obama arrived at his home in Chicago on Friday, and treated wife Michelle to a Valentine’s Day dinner downtown last night. The couple was spotted leaving upscale Table Fifty-Two, which specializes in Southern cuisine, with the first lady toting what appeared to be a doggie bag.

The president plans to spend the Presidents’ Day weekend in the Windy City, and is not expected to sign the bill until Tuesday, when he travels to Denver to discuss his economic plan.

Both the House and Senate passed the bill Friday night.

The push to get the bill through before the holiday weekend was so frantic, members of Congress didn’t have a chance to read all 1,071 pages of the document before they could vote.

via WHAT’S THE RUSH? – New York Post.

After all, what does he care? That Limousine Liberal does not care, he’s got money coming out his rather skinny wazoo…

Of course, I just loved this comment over at the Post:

libh8r wrote:
I wander what was in the doggy bag that Michelle was carring home???
It’s Barry’s Balls
Indeed.

President Obama disrespects Sir Winston Churchill

This is not in the least surprising, at least not to me anyhow.

Via the U.K. Telegraph:

A bust of the former prime minister once voted the greatest Briton in history, which was loaned to George W Bush from the Government’s art collection after the September 11 attacks, has now been formally handed back.

The bronze by Sir Jacob Epstein, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds if it were ever sold on the open market, enjoyed pride of place in the Oval Office during President Bush’s tenure.

But when British officials offered to let Mr Obama to hang onto the bust for a further four years, the White House said: “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Diplomats were at first reluctant to discuss the whereabouts of the Churchill bronze, after its ejection from the seat of American power. But the British Embassy in Washington has now confirmed that it sits in the palatial residence of ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald, just down the road from Vice President Joe Biden’s official residence. It is not clear whether the ambassador plans to keep it in Washington or send it back to London.

American politicians have made quoting Churchill, whose mother was American, something of an art form, but not Mr Obama, who prefers to cite the words and works of his hero Abraham Lincoln. Indeed a bust of Mr Lincoln now sits in the Oval Office where Epstein’s Churchill once ruled the roost.

The reason I say that it is not in the least surprising, is because this is the same man, who said he would meet with Iran without any preconditions. But quickly changed it, when it began to erode his support amongst independents.  Those who will talk to terrorists and terrorist nations are not to apt to keep busts of great warriors in their offices.

Of course, there is this reason too:

Churchill has less happy connotations for Mr Obama than those American politicians who celebrate his wartime leadership. It was during Churchill’s second premiership that Britain suppressed Kenya’s Mau Mau rebellion. Among Kenyans allegedly tortured by the colonial regime included one Hussein Onyango Obama, the President’s grandfather.

Ah yes, but of course, it is the old, “Let’s hold the White Man responsible for things that their ancestors did 300 years ago”; trick.  The old white guilt trick. This is the same man, whom holds in high regard the man, whom some feel sold the Anglo-Saxon race up the river, just so he could further his own political career and the man whom some refer to as the Patron Saint of White Guilt.

Others: Jules Crittenden, Riehl World View, Fausta’s Blog, TigerHawk, NewsBusters.org, protein wisdom Theo Spark, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS