Red Clay Citizen

Just Look at the Results

Modern day versions of Paul Revere have been sounding the alarm about illegal immigration for years now with little effect on North Carolina's elected officials, the notable exception being a growing number of our Sheriffs.  We have warned local lawmakers of the cost of becoming sanctuary cities and tried to tell anyone that would listen that this state was becoming a magnate for illegals who spread the word that North Carolina was soft on illegals.

Despite the trend of self deportation due to the economy, North Carolina is viewed by illegals in this country as a sanctuary state.  A recent article in Forbes had a very interesting quote about a recent order by the governor of Rhode Island:

"But he also says an executive order signed a year ago by Gov. Don Carcieri cracking down on illegal immigration drove away his largely immigrant base of customers, who told him they were moving to North Carolina and other states where they could live without fear of getting deported."

Two questions come to mind immediately:

1. How did North Carolina gain this reputation for being soft on illegals?
2. How Governor Carcieri get them to leave his state?

The answers to the first question are obvious for anyone that has seen the changes in North Carolina over the last 10-15 years.  With one of the fastest rates of growth in the country, illegals have flocked to the state to fill construction and service jobs and underbid the local workforce.  Once here, they began to take advantage North Carolina's vast array of benefits for its citizens that runs from food stamps and free medical care to instate tuition at our community colleges.  These programs are designed to help this state's citizens that are in need, not people who broke the law to come here.

The answer to the second question is as follows:

Governor Carcieri announced the order as the state was facing a $550 million budget deficit. He said illegal immigrants were on a burden on public schools, hospitals and law enforcement agencies and blamed the federal government for not taking action.

His order required state agencies, vendors and contractors to use a federal database known as E-Verify to check the legal work status of new hires. It also directed state police and prison and parole officials to identify illegal immigrants for possible deportation.

North Carolina has taken small steps in the direction of Rhode Island but not enough, apparently in the mind of illegal aliens who still think of this state as a haven from enforcement of the law.

A tip to Illegals that are coming here next: You may want to avoid Wake, Johnston, Alamance, Cabarrus, Cumberland, Gaston, Henderson and Mecklenburg counties. Chatham county, on the other hand has decided that their government has ample resources to accommodate you.  If you need directions, just ask the first law enforcement officer you run into when you get here.

Students Want Guns On Campus

Students at NC State University last month held a clever little protest where they wore empty holsters on campus to call attention to the vulnerability of so called "gun free" campuses.  After the massacre at Virginia Tech, students want to know why they can not lawfully defend themselves against an armed attacker.  The universities have, in effect, become a soft target for the killer who only wants to end as many lives as possible before taking his own or going down in a hail of police bullets.

How different would Blacksburg been if students were armed?  We don't have to guess what would have happened because it did happen.  Five years before and only 130 miles from the Virginia Tech massacre a killer was stopped in his tracks by armed students that had retrieved guns from their cars.  The Appalachian school of Law in Grundy, Virginia (Bev Perdue's hometown) was the scene of an on campus shooting that was stopped by armed students.  (Needless to say, the media wasn't quick to tell the story.)

But, if you are a student that would like to see legally carried guns on campus, you might want to keep that proposal to your self.  A student in Connecticut laid out his position during a class project in his communications class as was promptly reported to the university administration as a violence risk and questioned by campus police. UNCW's professor Mike Adams has the details.

We used to have a concept in this country known as criminal intent that tended to keep honest people from being charged with gothcha style justice.  What ever happened to that idea?  Hang in there Holster Boys!  Common sense may appear on your campus one day.

Why is the Secret Service Poking Around in Beaufort County?

Reports are beginning to trickle out about an incident that occurred on November 20th near the Beaufort County town of Chocowinity.  According to news accounts and the local District Attorney, Seth Edwards, two agents of the U.S. Secret Service were conducting an investigation in the yard of Mrs. Louise Chandler, 78.

What happens when two strangers go poking around an eastern North Carolina widow woman's premises? 

That's right, her son comes to defend his momma, firearm in hand.  Mrs. Chandler was also armed and ready.  The whole thing got sorted out but left a bad taste amongst Beaufort County citizens.

The Secret Service must not have known much about Mrs. Chandler. Turns out, Mrs. Chandler has her own connections to law enforcement.  Her son-in-law is Beaufort County Sheriff Alan Jordan.

Confidential sources have told the Beaufort Observer that the investigation may center around a written threat against Barack Obama.

I am sure there is more to come on this.

Bad Guns Hurt People

A recent story on WRAL in Raleigh caught my attention.  The headline said "Assault Weapons."  So I expected to see a story about some terrorist armed with a machine gun cranking off hundreds of rounds like the North Hollywood Shootout.  Instead, what I found was a common mistake among reporters:  mislabeling a semiautomatic rifle as an automatic.

While it may seem to be as trivial as comparing a Corvette with a Corvair (after all, they're both cars), there is a difference between a real assault weapon and the civilian version.  During the Clinton Administration, technology that was well over 75 years old was banned, not for the weapon's cababilites but for their looks.

WRAL reporter Beau Minick needs some education with regards to firearms.  The video footage of the story was shot in the evidence room of the Franklin County Sheriff's office and showed several rifles that were purported to be the dreaded "assault weapon."  The reality is 3 of those shown were russian SKS rifles that were designed during World War II and are comparible to the American M-1 Garand rifle that GI's used in every theater of the war.  It never was automatic and was originally designed with a 10 round magazine. It fires one round for every pull of the trigger and is not a machine gun and, as such, is not useful for modern military (i.e. assault) uses.

The Sheriff's office also displayed an AK-47 type rifle.  Here again, more explanation is required. While the original AK-47 was designed way back in 1947 as an automatic assault rifle, the civilain version has alway been a single round weapon.  In fact, machine guns have been tightly regulated in the US since 1934.

Reporters need to learn the difference between what a gun does and what it looks like.  By carelessly throwing around the term "assault weapon," the media mislead the easily mislead public into thinking any average citizen can waltz down to his gun store and by a machine gun.

Surge-ing Ahead: Credit Where Due

Well lookie here... the surge worked.
-Max Borders

Say Thank You

"It's not about politics." - the Gratitude Campaign.
-Max Borders

The MSM won't cover the war...

... as this post suggests. Why? asks Jeff Jacoby - because we're winning.
-Max Borders

Has the Worm Turned?

Interesting poll on the sentiments of the Iraqi people.
-Max Borders

Torture: In the Eye of the Beholder?

Supporters of John McCain will like this editorial in the N&O.

Maybe it's just me, but I really don't see how unpleasant interrogation is torture. War is not for the squeamish. Dealing with terrorists surely isn't. And when we're functioning in the extra-Constititutional domain of terrorists and foreign combatants, isn't it worth making their situation unpleasant if the goal is to extract information that will save lives of Americans or innocents? Simulated drowning is scary to be sure. I didn't like it when my older step brother sat on top of my head with a pillow (simulating suffocation), either, but I wouldn't call it torture.
-Max Borders

Semper Fi

It is with a heavy heart that I notify you of the passing of American Patriot, Gunnery Sergeant Thomas George Beattie, United States Marine Corps (Retired).  When I came home from Naval Service in 1993, one of the first 2nd Amendment activist I met was Tom Beattie.  A tireless advocate of the rights of self defense, Tom Beattie handed me his business card when we first met.  The card simply said, “Interesting Projects Undertaken.” His name on the card was Thomas, but everyone around him called him “Gunny.”  The card made no mention of his background as a career Marine who had served in Korea & Viet Nam nor his service in a number of banana republics south of the border. For 22 years Tom Beattie served his country in the company of America’s Warrior-Protectors – The Marines.

One of the “interesting projects” he undertook in retirement was to take up the job that others had little time for – citizen/lobbyist.  He was often found in the halls of the legislature advancing the cause of freedom and protecting North Carolinians’ Right to Keep and Bear Arms.  Pro 2nd Amendment lawmakers enjoyed his visits and appreciated the wealth of information he carried around in his head while the gun grabbing legislators ran in the other direction when they spotted that black felt cowboy hat coming down the hall.  For all of us who don’t have the time or opportunity to button hole politicians on the right to keep and bear arms, Gunny was there for you and me.

Gunny Beattie stood watch as sentry in the Marines and at the North Carolina Legislature.  General Order #5 from the General Orders for Sentries states: “To quit my post only when properly relieved.”  According to the Beattie family, Gunny was on watch Saturday evening at his computer guarding the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.  Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Beattie, You Stand Relieved.  Semper Fidelis, Marine.   

Now the rest of us the RKBA community will have to take up the Gunny’s post and try our best to carry out the rest of the Sentry’s orders while standing guard for America’s first freedom.  This Sunday is the eleventh day of the eleventh month, known in this country as Veterans’ Day and Remembrance Day in the rest of the English speaking world.  Take a moment this Sunday and remember Gunnery Sergeant Thomas George Beattie, USMC (Ret.) and remember why he spent much of his life protecting your rights.