USCCA ENDORSES BILL HUNT

Gun Rights Roundup
by Uli Gebhard

USCCA Armed American Report ISSUE 195

NOTE: The USCCA would like to wish Mr. Bill Hunt the best of luck in his run for Sheriff of Orange County, California. He has our fullest endorsement!

Orange County, CA had to deal with an appointed Sheriff for almost two y ears. Her experience stems from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department – one of the most CCW-restrictive agencies in the nation. Barely in office Sandra Hutchens went on a reckless mission to revoke, restrict and deny renewal on hundreds of legitimately issued concealed carry permits.

Cameron Jackson - OC's Best Kept Secret

Don't forget to tune into Cameron Jackson tonight!

The OC Show with Cameron Jackson

Fridays 5 pm to 6 pm on KUCI 88.9 FM http://www.kuci.org/

The Problem With Harry

Hutchens - The Double Dipping Sheriff

Don't forget: Get out the OCGOP vote!

Email From Steve Poizner for Governor

In Case You Missed It:

California's Governor Race Shows Signs Of A Scott Brown-Like Victory For Poizner

By Kimberly Dvorak

San Francisco Examiner

May 6, 2010

With GOP Senator Scott Brown’s win in Massachusetts as inspiration, Steve Poizner’s campaign has risen from the dead and pulled within 10 points of Meg Whitman in the Republican primary race for governor.

While the numbers come from internal polling, the outfit providing the intel is none other than Senator Scott Brown’s public polling firm. The numbers demonstrate “how fluid the race is,” said Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies.

The polling concluded on Tuesday and demonstrated that the 800 likely Republican voters were taking a second look at Poizner. Approximately 38 percent said they would vote for Whitman, while 28 percent favored Poizner and 30 percent were undecided. Just over a month ago Whitman led by nearly 50 points.

Newhouse said that outside the San Francisco Bay Area, Whitman’s lead is cut to five points, 35 to 30 percent with a month to go until the primary election. “This race is eerily similar to the Brown, Coakley race,” he said.

“Where we are running our messaging, we have closed from 48 points down to five points. Meg, the marketing expert, needs a refresher course because she probably could have spent less than $70 million to lose 43 points, but at least she provided a bailout for her political consultants who she needs to remind her of her deeply held beliefs,” said Team Poizner Communications Director Jarrod Agen. “We all know Meg went on a climate change cruise with Van Jones and Jimmy Carter, now she’s become the most expensive melting glacier in political history.”

The California Republican governor’s race has now shown signs of life and with 30 days until voters hit the booth, Poizner’s camp says the energy has shifted in their favor.

“Our poll shows that Meg Whitman’s lead over Steve Poizner, which we measured at 59%-11% in February, has closed to 38%-28%, with Whitman holding just a ten-point lead,” Agen explains. “Further, it’s important to note that even though Whitman has spent considerable resources in the area, Steve has not yet aggressively advertised in the San Francisco Bay Area market. “

Poizner’s camp explains that like the Scott Brown race in Massachusetts; ”this race has been largely misunderstood by the media. Campaigns, especially primary campaigns, and especially in large states like California, are seldom won three or four months out from election day.”

With the President discussing the immigration issue at a White House Cinco de Mayo event and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano saying the Democrats are “focused on the border like a laser,” a fair question for Poizner is the immigration issue that has exploded across the nation.

“The federal government has not done enough to end illegal immigration, leaving states like Arizona and California to take fend for themselves,” said Team Poizner’s Agen. “Like Meg Whitman, President Obama has called for an amnesty plan that allows illegal immigrants to pay a fine, go to the back of the line, and become citizens. Steve Poizner strongly opposes amnesty and he is the only candidate in this race that is willing to make ending illegal immigration a top priority.”

Since Arizona passed its tough new illegal immigration law, many California cities have decided to boycott or denounce Arizona. Poizner says he would ‘get tough’ on the issue in California if were governor.
 “Steve supports Arizona’s new law, which takes a bold approach to dealing with illegal immigration while making it crystal clear that racial profiling is both illegal and wrong. Arizona has acted because the federal government has failed to secure our borders,” Agen said. “It is time for California to do the same and, as governor, Steve pledges to make stopping illegal immigration one of his highest priorities. He has detailed a bold plan to address the crisis, which includes cutting off taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal aliens, employing state resources to help secure our borders, ending sanctuary cities, and cracking down on employers who hire illegal aliens”

Poizner points out while Whitman and her liberal allies in Congress want to reward illegal aliens with a 'pathway to citizenship,' he has just two words: ‘No Amnesty.’
Read the article here.

California Students Sent Home for Wearing U.S. Flags on Cinco de Mayo

California Students Sent Home for Wearing U.S. Flags on Cinco de Mayo


By Joshua Rhett Miller

- FOXNews.com
Administrators at a California high school sent five students home on Wednesday after they refused to remove their American flag T-shirts and bandannas -- garments the school officials deemed "incendiary" on Cinco de Mayo.

The path from Cite and Release to Federal Detention Centers in Orange County

Bill Hunt comes to Fullerton

Join Orange County Sheriff’s Candidate

Bill Hunt and special guest for an evening of wine and hor d’ oeuvres

Thursday, May 13, 2010

5:30 pm - 8:30pm

Held at The Bushala Residence

2020 Conejo Lane

Fullerton, CA 92833

Special Guest

California State Assemblyman Chris Norby

Suggesed Donation

$50 Per Person

$99 Per Couple

Casual Attire

With a little luck and maybe an email or two, we just might get a special visit from Hugh Nguyen and Shawn Nelson.

Tea Party or Radical Muslim? Media gets it wrong!

Before the arrest of the radical Pakistani Muslim, Faisal Shahzad, many of the talk show hosts were speculating the attack as a possible or even likely Tea Party-related incident.  When I heard those concerns I realized just how out of touch the media is with the average citizen who just wants lower taxes and less government interference in local matters. 

Then I saw this headline from CBSNews.com: Faisal Shahzad's Motive Shrouded in Mystery

What planet is the author on? For that matter, who is the person who penned the title and the article? They seemed to have missed the forest while seeing the trees. Radical Muslims inflict carnage for one reason: to strike fear in the hearts of those who do not believe the same as they do. For radical Muslims, the BELIEVE OR DIE mentality is the cornerstone of their faith. Unfortunately, the cartoon above accurately portrays or mass media and government.

Just over a week ago my blog was visited by someone with an electronic signature designated "national security-090923120828". I'm use to seeing congressional or state representative imprints/designations due to the politics I preach. However, in light of the Times Square attack and the media campaign against the so-called Tea Party movement, I have to wonder why I would get a hit on my tiny blog by a service provider designated "national security-090923120828". Is it because of my very loose affiliation with a few Tea Party activists or did someone at the NSA "trip over" my blog while surfing the World Wide Web? Who knows, who cares, and so what; life goes on.

But not so fast.  I am not concerned about law enforcement looking around here, I support them and their difficult job.  Let them have their fishing expedition and they can start right here.  I am concerned though about mass media.  On a local level, a single media outlet such as radio or TV, can sway thousands, perhaps millions if the market is that large.  Locally, there are also print media sources like news papers, which can sway the minds of thousands, maybe even millions, with their slanted articles that do not have the authors' names.  Then we have the blogs.  Friends for Fullerton's Future did a great job exposing Red County Blog and a local self-proclaimed conservative blogger who is taking public funds to support social welfare programs in Orange County.  This is but a small example of the pains that special interests will go to in an effort to gain traction for their cause.  The worst part is that many "reporters" and "bloggers" really are nothing more than public relation consultants.  If someone with enough money, maybe just a few thousand dollars, wants to cast a negative shadow on a political group like the Tea Party movement or even ACORN, the masses minds will be tainted. 

One fact remains: our greatest effort should be directed towards identifying radical Muslims who have consistently and repeatedly shown their willful and wanton disregard for the value of human life and equal rights. The media and our government need to bear that in mind when they report on incidents of terrorism and conduct investigations. Simply look to the likely source.

Get Out The Vote With Absentee Ballots!

DUI Checkpoints set for Cinco de Mayo (May 5)

I guess the South OC cities' names aren't important enough to mention individually. 

Racial Profiling vs. Criminal Profiling

We are taught at an early age that justice is, or at least should be, blind.  The scales of justice should not be tainted by anything immaterial- "just the facts, ma'am."  Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the court.

But when it comes to the events prior to court proceedings when the investigation is still in its infancy, profiling can be a tool worth implementing by investigators trying to understand "who, how, where, when, what, and why" as they relate to crimes.  Before an officer can lawfully detain a person, the officer must have "reasonable suspicion" to believe that a crime has occurred, is occurring, or is about to be occur. The "reasonable suspicion" standard varies somewhat from one jurisdiction to another but it generally comes down to the officer's belief that some criminal activity has taken place and that the person be detained has information about the suspected crime.

A simple example of this is when an officer observes a driver drive past a STOP sign without stopping.  The officer believes a crime was committed and consequently stops and detains the driver so that a citation can be issued to the driver.  At the bottom of the citation is a place for the driver to sign.  The signature, if you read the citation, is not an admission of guilt.  It is simply a promise to appear in court so that a judge may make a determination if the citation issued was done so lawfully and whether there are any other mitigating circumstances the court should be aware of.  This would be the driver's opportunity to provide the court evidence.  With justice being blind and the ONLY evidence submitted by both the officer and the driver being verbal/written testimony of those two parties, the court will likely give greater weight to the officer's testimony because peace officers are generally considered to be credible expert witness. 

During that stop by the officer, he or she will ask the driver for their driver's license and registration. Depending on jurisdiction, the officer may also ask for proof of insurance. If the driver fails to provide a driver's license the officer will ask if they have any other form of identification. If the driver is unable to prove their identity in the field, the officer must take the driver into custody so that they can be identified, usually through finger prints. They will be held until a positive identification is made. If the law enforcement official or agency cannot determine the driver's identity, the driver may be turned over to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

In many jurisdictions, ALL suspects who are booked into the local jail have their residency/citizenship status determined by ICE agents. If they are not legal residents or do not hold a valid visa, they are queued for a deportation hearing pending the completion of the criminal court proceeding.

At no time has race been mentioned or considered. 

I recall as a child watching INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service, predecessor to ICE) agents driving around Santa Ana and Anaheim rounding up dark-skinned men who were standing in groups on street corners and in parks. That must have been about 1980, give or take a couple of years. I remember the stories of people being wrongfully deported simply because they were in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and had no identification. That was racial profiling. 

I listened to a young man tell his story of being profiled as a criminal because he is black. The program host asked him to give some examples. The man said he is stopped almost once a week and harassed by cops. The host pressed him for what the officer gave as the reason for the frequent stops. The man said the officer said his brake light was out. The host asked if his brake light was actually out and the man said YES. The host then asked why he didn't fix it so that they would stop harassing him. The young man then said they didn't give him a ticket to fix it. So, as it turns out from the young man's own account, the officers had cause to stop him and each time the officers were exceedingly nice by not issuing petty tickets for equipment violations.

I went on dozens, maybe hundreds, of ride-alongs with officers in numerous jurisdictions and I never saw anyone stopped based on their race. With each stop I would ask what the cause was and every single time the officer noted a vehicle code or penal code violation. When asked, one white officer said the reason he was stopping a car was because of a "KNAC" bumper sticker (KNAC was a 1980s-1990s hard rock and heavy-metal radio station). The driver was a white female and her passenger a white mail with long hair and no shirt. No violation noted until the officer walked up and smelled marijuana. Upon checking their identification, it was determined that the female driver had a warrant for failing to appear for another traffic violation. The male took the wrap for the dope and both were arrested. There was clearly substantial criminal profiling and assuming the officer didn't have cause to stop and detain the driver, a violation of the arrestee's constitutional rights with respect to the initial stop may have occurred. The officer said after the arrest that he was joking about the bumper sticker and the real reason was that the driver did not signal before changing lanes. 

Another time out with a different white officer, a 1985 Buick with low suspension and miniature wheels was stopped. I asked why he was stopping the driver and he said, "Look at it; It’s one giant rolling violation." Indeed it was. Upon approaching the vehicle the officer saw 6 shaved heads moving in the car which lent to the officer's concern that there was criminal activity which they were attempting to conceal. The officer upholstered his gun and yelled for them to put their hands up. Back up was called in and each person pulled out and cuffed. One person was out on parole for PC187 (Murder). Another person had a stolen loaded and concealed handgun. There were several knives and numerous small bags of marijuana and methamphetamine. All of them were Mexican gang members. They were all arrested and booked into the local jail. Was there racial profiling in this event? No; just a lot of good criminal profiling.  

To be fair, racial profiling happens all the time by law enforcement officers around the world. Al El Airlines looks for people who look middle-eastern, Muslim, and exhibit certain traits or heightened nervousness. Needless to say, El Al has one of the safest records with respect to security. Iranian police actively look for and detain westerners, especially Americans-looking English speakers. Are these two examples fair and reasonable uses of racial profiling? That depends on your perspective. What about the burglary and rape in a predominantly white neighborhood and the suspect is described as a black male, 25-years old. Every black male between the ages of 15 and 50 in the vicinity will likely be stopped while officers look for the suspect. Is that racial profiling? Yes. Is it fair? Is it reasonable? Yes.

There are times when racial profiling is used and it is acceptable. Then there are times when criminal profiling is used and confused by those who do not understand how law enforcement officers investigate crimes and suspected crimes. Ultimately, regardless of profiling, the courts will decide guilt and innocents.

From the OC Register: Dan Walters - High-speed train way off track

By DAN WALTERS

Sacramento Bee columnist
dwalters@sacbee.com
 
"California's high-speed rail project leaders tell us it's on track and that the state's residents can confidently look forward to a future of super fast bullet trains whisking them from one end of the state to the other at airline-like speeds.

However, the state auditor's office is saying officially what outside analysts already had concluded – the bullet train isn't ready to roll, lacking the tens of billions of dollars in federal and private financing the project will require.

California voters have approved a $9.95 billion bond issue, but it's supposed to pay for no more than 50 percent of construction costs. With total estimates running beyond $40 billion, the bond would be good only for a quarter at most.

The High-Speed Rail Authority is hoping for a big wad of federal funds – about half the total – but so far has received just a fraction, with no commitments for any more.

However, the biggest unknown, as state auditor Elaine Howe points out in a report issued Thursday, is whether private investors would be willing to commit at least $10 billion.

The enabling legislation says the bullet train will not have any state operating subsidies, but the authority's own documents say that private investors need "revenue guarantees" to protect their investments. That raises the specter of operating subsidies, as another recent report by the Legislature's budget analyst also points out.

"To plan adequately for private investment, the authority should further specify the potential cost of revenue guarantees and who would pay for them," the auditor's report recommends.

An indication that something's amiss is found in the defensive reaction of Curt Pringle, the authority's chairman, to the auditor's report, calling its title "inflammatory" and "overly aggressive" and promising that the questions will be answered as the business plan is revised.

There is a fundamental conflict between voters being told that if they approved the bonds the bullet train would be self-supporting, without operating subsidies, and the apparent requirement for "revenue guarantees," which probably could come only from tapping a state budget that's already awash in red ink and/or imposing some new special tax.

The auditor's report, coming just weeks after the legislative analyst's report and a critique by the Senate Transportation Committee staff, indicates that specific route planning, now under way throughout the state, should be placed on hold until the financial kinks are worked out – if, indeed, they can be.

The danger – and perhaps the hope of bullet train advocates – is that the authority will make so many commitments that the state will be politically compelled to pony up more money for construction and operation, regardless of financial viability.

Big public projects often become financial sinkholes via that process."