Man acquitted in shooting is 'happy to be free'

This is the reason we need to get the castle doctrine/stand your ground law passed. There was absolutely no reason for this man to even be arrested, let alone spend all that time in jail. I listened to the 911 recording and came to the conclusion that he was right to defend himself against 2 younger assailants.

The first thing Jay Rodney Lewis did after being acquitted this month was “go to Fuddruckers and get me a burger. Because that jail food was horrible.”

While he ate, the 49-year-old Lewis nervously watched out the window for police. “I was so scared that somebody was going to come in and say, ‘OK, that’s it. You’re coming with us,’ ” he said.

One couldn’t blame him. Lewis had just finished 112 days in jail because he didn’t have the cash to make bail. When jurors finally freed him on Feb. 9, Lewis walked out homeless, unemployed and minus most of his possessions.

All he has left is his car, everything else is gone, taken from the curb by scavengers and the trash people. The jury only took a few minutes to reach a decision. A decision that should never have been necessary.

“I just don’t think the state did its job to prove he was guilty,” juror Mary Kinney said. “I think the man felt he was in danger.”

Why does our county persecutor (spelling is correct) think it should be up to someone to prove they are innocent? Does he not believe that you are innocent until proven guilty? He went to the State House to argue against the stand your ground law, citing it would benefit criminals. I guess he hasn't read the bill. It states specifically that if you are committing a criminal act you are not covered. The truth is, like any other liberal pisswit idiot, he has a fear of armed honest citizens. I would like to know what he's afraid of. Is he afraid we might find out there is a reason he should be removed from office? Fortunately for him stupidity isn't a crime. Even though it's not a good thing in a elected official. Even though we seem to have a lot of that.

The evicting deputy seized four handguns, three rifles, a shotgun and a machete that had been left in the apartment. So where are his guns? how long will it take him to get them back? He should be pushing the issue and demanding their return, after all, a jury of his peers found him not guilty.

Then there is the apartment complex where he lived.

One week after the shooting, a lawyer for Regency Woods typed up a notice that eventually was posted on the door of Lewis’ apartment. It described Lewis as a “clear and present danger to the health or safety of the other tenants.” As evidence, it cited Lewis’ involvement in “an assault with a weapon within 1,000 feet of the property described above” and the fact that he’d been arrested because of it.

What a bunch of hoplophobic bullshit. The only danger he turned out to be was to the miscreant that was going to harm him. They defamed his character without knowing the facts. They evicted him while he was locked up and unable to respond or collect his belongings. I'm not a lawyer, but I would think he has a good case for a lawsuit. His relatives are all in Kansas, just who was supposed to pick his things up. Plus there is the fact that he didn't even know it was happening until it was too late.

Anti-gun Register is crying again

There is a editorial in today's paper bemoaning the fact that there are several gun bills introduced in the legislature this year. The one that has their panties wadded up today is a Constitutional Amendment to add keep and bear arms. It's a simple but strong amendment that states that all Iowans have the right to Keep and Bear arms for all legal purposes. Of course they don't see the need because they are hoplophobes and have no use for the 2nd Amendment.

They start out the editorial still crying about Iowa going to shall issue a year ago. Of course before that happened we heard all of the standard gun hater talking points. Shootouts over parking spaces and fender benders,blood in the streets, you know the drill. It hasn't happened and that's really got their panties bunched up. It really upsets some of them that their predictions haven't come true. I guess we are more law abiding than the paper gives us credit for.

They alwasy talk about "reasonable" or "common sense" gun laws. The problem with "reasonable" gun regulations and "common sense" gun laws is that the ultimate goal is the complete disarmament of the civilian population. All of the gun control groups a one time or another has stated that their goal is only military and police should have guns. Just look at the former names of some of these groups. Handgun control inc. is now CSGV. The rest of them have similar histories. Changing their names to seem more docile. Their claim is they want to stop gun violence. The problem is, the only guns they want to restrict is the ones owned by the law abiding. Criminals by their very nature do not obey laws. All of the gun hater groups support the same civilian disarmament laws. When only the police have guns, you live in a police state. Not someplace I care to live.

The 2nd Amendment tells the government what it cannot do. Of course all of the Constitution is ignored in one way or another. The liberals don't understand "Shall not be Infringed". They always talk about how their "reasonable" gun laws won't affect our "right" to hunt. I have read the Constitution several times and have never found the word hunting anywhere. The 2nd Amendment and the "well regulated" militia isn't about hunting. It's about retaining all of our other rights. It's about the protection of the people from a over reaching, tyrannical government. They like to say that one person won't stand up to the government. Maybe, maybe not. The Revolutionary war was started by one citizen with a gun at Lexington. The Shot Heard 'Round the World. The start of throwing the tyrants out. If one person makes a stand, other will follow. Hopefully we will never see that day, but I'm not that optimistic.

In the Declaration of Independence there is a line that defines the need for a armed populace; That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government. The founders knew that any government can become over reaching.

They bring up the fact that Iowa has no equivalent to the 2nd Amendment. It is because when it was written there weren't groups trying to ban the lawful use of firearms. Most people at that time owned and carried arms and weren't worried about anyone taking that right. It was a much simpler time. Anyone could go into the local mercantile and purchase guns and ammo. No paper work, no background check, put down your money and get you gun. Now we live in a time where we have to ask permission to exercise a Constitutional right. A right that was denied to many Iowans under the old may issue law. Sheriffs that would either not issue permits at all or only to their friends and political contributors. This brought about the fight for shall issue and our victory in 2010. Some of the sheriffs are still upset over our win and go so far as to state publicly that they are issuing permits to criminals. The Johnson county sheriff probably should be investigated if he is issuing such permits. Or maybe he should learn the difference between arrested and convicted. They get called out on their outright lies. Anyone getting a permit in Iowa must pass a NICS background check. If they pass this how can the sheriff call them a criminal? Sour grapes.

We lost our rights slowly, over the years and we will regain them, one step at a time. The bill for a Constitutional amendment is a necessary step on the road to recovery. The anti's always talk about Heller and McDonald. These cases were decide by a divided court in a 5/4 decision. All it would take is to replace one Justice on the court and both of these decisions could be overturned. The best case is Justice Sotomayor. She stated in her confirmation hearing that Heller was settled law. Then in McDonald, she reversed herself and declared that there is no right to keep and bear arms. That tells me that she outright lied to the Senate at her confirmation hearing. Right now all it would take is to re-elect Obama and one justice retire because of illness or old age. One more antigun liberal on the Supreme court and our rights could be denied.

Iowa Firearms Coalition and the NRA will keep plugging away until our full rights are restored. Our lobbyists are doing a great job and the membership is great about responding to call of action. The Register editorial board is the home of gun hating hoplophobes who's voice is becoming weaker. Look at the numbers for people issued permits and the numbers for gun sales in the last couple of years. The numbers are growing and now the current trend is that more women are getting permits. We are responsible for our own safety. The same Supreme Court that barely affirmed our rights, has also ruled many times that no one has the right to police protection. The duty of the police according to the court is to the "public at large".

Last week Rekha Basu was all in knots over HF573, the stand your ground law. There were blatant lies in her article about how criminals would use the law to kill each other. Of course we have to start out with the old "wild west" statement. Calling the bill "shoot to kill" tells us where this is headed. Nothing could be further from the truth. The law gives law abiding citizens the right to defend themselves in any place they are legally allowed to be. It negates the duty to retreat. Although retreat can be a good thing, there are cases where it is more dangerous to run than to stand and fight. The best part of the law is the fact that the criminals or their survivors, can't sue a citizen that defends themselves. If in the unfortunate event I have to use deadly force to defend myself, why should I be subjected to a lawsuit, costing me hundreds of thousands of dollars (money I don't have) because someone wasn't taught how to play nice. This and the fact that the burden of proof that it wasn't self defense is on the county attorney where it belongs. Our justice system is supposed to be based on "innocent until proven guilty". The County Attorney himself said it's a law to enable criminals. I guess he didn't read the bill. Or maybe he has no reading comprehension. He's a Lawyer, been to law school and otherwise well educated yet he can't understand something as simple to read as this? I don't have near the amount of education that he has and I read the bill and understood what it meant. maybe we need a new county attorney. One with better reading comprehension skills.

Warning to Veterans, ask for help, go to jail

I ran across a couple of stories about veterans asking for help because of mental health issues. Nothing dangerous, just some depression. It seems that depression is sort of common in returning veterans and the VA tells us to just ask for help. In the first case Matthew Corrigan telephoned what he believed to be the 'Military's Emotional Support Hotline' because he was depressed and had not slept for several days,"


"The number Corrigan called was in fact the National Suicide Hotline. When he stated that he was a veteran, he was asked if he had firearms, to which he said yes. He said nothing about being suicidal or using a firearm or threatening anyone. After a short conversation, Corrigan hung up, turned off the phone, took prescribed sleeping medication, and went to bed.

So, what does the government do? They send a SWAT team at 4:00 in the morning.

There were floodlights outside his front and back doors and an estimated 8 police officers in the back yard and 20 in the front yard.
"Corrigan turned on his phone and found that Officer Fischer of the 5th District was calling him, asking him to come out, which he did at about 4:50 a.m., locking the door behind him. He was handcuffed and put in the back of a SWAT truck.

One of the police officers asked him to let them into his apartment. He said they did not have consent to enter, they didn't have a warrant. So the officer stated: 'I don't have time to play this constitutional bullshit!' Really? What happened to the oath they swore to uphold and defend the Constitution? Don't have time to abide by the law?

"I don't have time to play this constitutional bullshit!" Let that sink in for a minute.

Corrigan says police took him to a VA hospital, broke his front door and entered his apartment without a warrant, where they confiscated his guns, vandalized his place and took his dog to an animal shelter.

A Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team, entered Corrigan's home without a warrant and searched for explosives," the complaint states. "The EOD team opened closed containers and used X-ray equipment to search closed containers.
"After the initial warrantless search, the EOD team brought in a dog to search for firearms. They seized 3 fire arms that were stored in cases that they tore the latches off of. They also seized all the ammo he had.

Corrigan says he spent three days in the VA hospital, because "having weapons pointed at him upon leaving his apartment triggered his PTSD hyper-vigilance and caused irregular heartbeat."
After he was released from the hospital and determined not to be a suicide risk, Corrigan says, police arrested him and put him in jail, where he remained for almost 2 weeks.
"When Corrigan returned to his apartment 16 days after being seized, he found that John Does I-XV had left the front door unlocked and unsecured, had left the electric stove on, had cut open every zipped bag, had dumped every box and drawer, had broken locked boxes from under the bed and the closet, and emptied shelves into piles in each room. All his tropical fish in his 150 gallon aquarium were dead."

It never does say what he was arrested for. Locked up for 16 days and his property destroyed just because he didn't feel good.

The second case involves a Navy Vet


The federal government broke a promise, according to the lawyer for a Navy veteran facing criminal firearms charges after he called for help on what is promoted as a confidential suicide prevention hotline.


The government alleges the former petty officer from Blacksburg committed four felonies by making a homemade gun using a pipe and a shotgun shell. OK, this is a crime, but he turned it over to police. Sean Duvall, a Persian Gulf War veteran, was despondent and contemplating suicide after being evicted from his apartment in June.


On June 8, Duvall called the Veterans Crisis Line, billed as a “confidential toll-free hotline” by the Department of Veterans Affairs. He explained he had a device for committing suicide and he “really needed help,” the motion read. He said he wanted to hand over the device for someone to safely dispose of it.

So the guy want's to do the right thing and he's asking for help. It starts out OK, until the feds step in.

Duvall gave the device to the police officer who responded, along with his backpack and what was to be a final note to his family.

The call for help was a success story for Duvall’s state of mind. He was released after a few days at a psychiatric hospital. According to his motion, he is now on medication and sees a counselor and a psychiatrist regularly. He has a new job and a new apartment.

The same call for help also brought trouble. Duvall first was charged with a misdemeanor – carrying a concealed weapon. Then the federal authorities stepped in.

Duvall now faces four federal felony charges with a possible punishment of 40 years in prison. All four charges are based on the one crude homemade shotgun. Duvall is accused of possessing an unlawful destructive device, possessing an unregistered firearm, manufacturing a destructive device and possessing a destructive device without a serial number.

There is no doubt that he did these things. He had no intention of doing anything with the improvised shotgun except commit suicide. He turned it in and now the government, the one he served, want to lock him up for 40 years. God Bless America.

Duvall’s lawyer, Randy V. Cargill with the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Roanoke, was blunt in asking a judge to dismiss the charges. “It is wrong to break a promise,” he wrote in the motion to dismiss.

Duvall never expected his call to the “confidential” hotline to be used against him by a prosecutor, Cargill said. “It is contrary to Congress’ express goal of helping veterans in need and encouraging them to get help without fear,” he wrote. “This is dishonorable; it is wrong; it is unfair; it shocks the conscience.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs defended its procedures in a written statement, but did not address whether its efforts might be hampered by the Duvall charges.

The V.A. noted it is permitted under law to disclose otherwise private information “when necessary to avert a serious and imminent threat to the health and safety of an individual or the public,” according to the statement provided by spokesperson Phil Budahn.

“Alternative solutions are always explored with the Veteran, and if none can be found that guarantee safety, local law enforcement is notified. At that point, the responder is trained to keep the Veteran engaged and safe. Once help arrives, responsibility for the situation is turned over to the local authorities. All policies and procedures of the Crisis Line are based on respecting callers’ rights of confidentiality,” the V.A. statement said.

Two mental health professionals involved in national discussions of suicide prevention for service members and veterans suggest Duvall’s prosecution could undermine prevention efforts.

The Va is always telling us to call for help. Of course if you do you face the possibility of going to jail. They ask if this is going to cause Veterans not to call for help. Of course it is. When agents of the government ransack you possessions and lock you up for no reason it's going to make the next one think about not calling.

All veterans are being treated like second class citizens and even terrorists under this administration. DHS sent out a report that if you are a Veteran and por-gun or have certain bumper-stickers on your vehicle you are to be watched. Even though we took a oath to support and defend the Constitution, we are suspects even before we do anything. Just because we might need a little help.

Two mental health professionals involved in national discussions of suicide prevention for service members and veterans suggest Duvall’s prosecution could undermine prevention efforts.

“Actions such as this only serve to compound the problem, fueling the impression that the essential networks are not there to help but, as in this case, punish and prosecute,” said University of Utah psychologist M. David Rudd, scientific director for the National Center for Veterans Studies.

Washington psychologist Alan L. Berman, president of the International Association of Suicide Prevention, agreed. “The threat of punishment will deter help-seeking, the very thing that Mr. Duvall did in calling the VA Crisis Line to begin with,” Berman said.

No kidding. After reading these to stories I know I would think twice about calling anyone. The young Veterans returning from the sandbox with PTSD are going to be treated like common criminals. They are having a hard enough time adjusting without the threat of being persecuted for something they haven't done thrown in the mix. And what about the ones that have lost body parts? Think they might have a little stress in their lives?

Throw into all of this the fact that even getting our benefits from the VA is a fight that can take months and even years. Giving truth to the saying "we are from the government and we're here to help.

So, now I'm a terrorist.

Checking out my facebook page I ran across this article posted by a friend.


FBI says paying for your morning coffee with cash a potential terrorist activity, urges coffee shop owners to report cash-paying customers to authorities

It seems that now, using legal tender dollar bills in this country is cause for concern.

From the article we learn;

Purchasing a cup of coffee using cash instead of a credit or debit card, using Google Maps to view photos of sporting event stadiums and large cities, and installing software to protect your internet privacy on your mobile phone -- these and many other mundane activities are now considered to be potential terrorist activities by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). And the agency is now distributing a new series of flyers as part of its new "Communities Against Terrorism" (CAT) program that urges shop owners and others to report such "suspicious" activity to authorities.

It seems they have a whole list of different businesses that should watch for "suspicious" people. You know the type, the ones using cash.

They finish the article with this;

A few years ago, this type of outlandish fear-mongering and Stasi-style spying on citizens would have been considered a crazy conspiracy theory by many. But today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with its "See Something, Say Something" campaign, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) "First Observer" citizen spying program, and the TSA's Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response" (VIPR) internal checkpoint force, together with the new FBI spying program, are making this police state nightmare in America a tangible reality

We've put all of these liberals in charge and this is what we get. DHS and TSA checking out bus stations and setting up roadblocks. And they have a proven track record. They have never found a terrorist, not one. I believe that this is all a prelude to the suspension of the November elections. Obama and his minions have the power and they don't want to give it up. So they cook up all of these "crazy ideas" to make us suspect everyone we come into contact with. Is your neighbor a terrorist?

They are going to push too far and too hard someday and then what are they going to do? Rush us all off into internment camps? Start trying to gun down innocent citizens in the street? They could have a problem getting anyone in Law enforcement or the military to do their bidding. We all took a oath to support and defend the Constitution. Yo9u are taught early on that you have no obligation to follow orders you feel are immoral or go against the Constitution.

I hope I'm wrong about the elections. I hope we elect a new President and send this current bunch of losers packing. It would be good for the country and good for those of us that still believe in the Constitution and rule of law.

Janet Napolitano fails

Janet Napolitano fails to understand role at DHS…instead, lobbies for amnesty

Dave Gibson has a good article on Napolitano and her epic failure as head of DHS.

On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano spoke at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. and told the crowd that our current immigration laws were “sorely outdated and in need of revision.”

But, when an audience member asked what, specifically was wrong and in need of change, Napolitano could not give a clear answer.

She then went on to chastise Congress for failing to pass the DREAM Act which would give amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.

Obama can't get re-elected without several million illegals voting for him.

In her first year as head of the DHS, Janet Napolitano refused much-needed funds for her department, leveled unfounded accusations at veterans, accused conservatives of being potential terrorists, stopped worksite immigration enforcement, weakened the highly effective 287g program, and began her ongoing lobbying efforts for amnesty legislation.

And that was just in the first year. How in the world do idiots like this get in positions of power? Just the idea of calling veterans potential terrorists should have got her run out of the country.


During an April 2009 CNN interview, the woman charged with enforcing immigration laws, stated: “crossing the border [illegally] is not a crime per se.”

Oh? Try crossing illegally into Mexico and see what it gets you. You will end up in a cell awaiting deportation. This is the only country in the world that allows illegals to have jobs and not worry about being deported.


Napolitano claimed that the violence posed by the drug cartels has yet to affect this country. She took this stance, despite a 2009 FBI report which claimed that Mexican drug cartels were already operating in 230 U.S. cities.

Tell that to the Family of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, gunned down by drug traffickers in Arizona. The violence is on both sides of the border whether she sees it or not.


The Homeland Security Secretary has the responsibility of securing our borders and removing criminal aliens from our communities…The same criminal aliens who kill our neighbors in horrific drunk driving accidents, who poison our fellow citizens with drugs such as methamphetamine (80-90 percent now coming from Mexico) as well as those who take jobs from U.S. citizens during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

For every illegal with a job, there is a American without one. This bullshit line about them doing jobs Americans won't do is just that, Bullshit. I've done a few jobs over the years I didn't like just to have income. If the illegals weren't taking the jobs, the wages wouldn't be suppressed.

This is one of the fine people that Obama has put in charge. They will allow Granny and children to be groped at the airport, yet Akmed gets a pass because it might be profiling. DHS and their offshoot TSA are useless. They both need to be disbanned and started over with someone that has a little common sense. Something that isn't too common in DC.

Man Kills Pa. Teen After Being Knocked Off Bicycle: Cops

A 65-year-old man shot and killed a teenager after the boy and his friends knocked the man off his bicycle and tried to assault him, Pennsylvania authorities say.

According to the story, it's a clear case of self defense. Of course the Huffington Post writes a headline that makes it sound like he just started shooting. He was attacked by 3 younger, stronger youths and was receiving a beating.

Here's the full article

The comments are more than 50 to 1 in favor of what the older gent did. I understand it too. Since I have become disabled, I couldn't fight off one young strong teen. Let alone 3.

But the great Huffpo reporters don't tell us all the story'

Shooter was teens' third random victim Wednesday morning, officials say

Third time is a charm.

The teens knocked the man off his bicycle and onto the ground in their third random robbery attempt in about an hour's time, said Berks County District Attorney John Adams.

Adams said, the teens went into West Reading and assaulted an elderly man and another man before targeting the bicyclist.

Now there is a dead 16 year old. I feel bad for his family, but maybe if his family had taught him right from wrong, this might not have happened. I wonder if the one that's wounded learned anything? Or the one in jail? I do know one thing the wounded one learned, getting shot hurts.

It was only 2 weeks ago that a older gentleman was assaulted in Philadelphia and was nearly beaten to death. Beaten so bad his eye orbits were broken. 6 teens against 1 veteran with 1 eye. here.

When you are out walking or riding, be very aware of your surroundings.