Month: April 2012

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Getting Out While The Getting Is Good

April 26, 2012 by

It was announced yesterday that Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich will be leaving the Department of Justice to become Dean of the University of Baltimore Law School.

From the university’s announcement:

University of Baltimore President Robert L. Bogomolny has named Ronald Weich, the assistant attorney general for legislative affairs in the U.S. Department of Justice and former chief counsel to both U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Edward M. Kennedy, as the new dean of the University’s School of Law. Weich, a longtime federal official with expertise in criminal justice and legislative process, will begin his tenure as dean in July. The University of Baltimore School of Law is the sixth largest public law school in the country, with more than 1,100 students at its midtown campus.

“Ron Weich is the right person to continue the growth and transformation of the UB School of Law,” Bogomolny said in announcing Weich’s appointment. “During this time of considerable transition in legal education and the legal profession, it is important to have leadership with integrity and vision. Ron Weich embodies those qualities. I look forward to working with him, and I know our students, faculty, staff and alumni will be energized by his arrival.”

“UB is a law school with tremendous strengths and endless potential,” Weich said. “I’m honored to be selected as dean, and I can’t wait to join this vital institution.”

Weich was appointed to his current Justice Department position by President Barack Obama in March 2009 and confirmed by the Senate the following month. In this role, he develops and implements strategies to advance the department’s legislative priorities, coordinates the department’s response to congressional oversight and guides nominees through the Senate confirmation process.

Prior to his work at the Justice Department, Weich served as chief counsel to Senator Reid from 2007-09 and in a similar capacity when Reid was minority leader in 2005-06. As principal legal adviser to the Democratic leader, Weich helped to manage Senate floor activity on Judiciary Committee bills and judicial nominations and coordinated related activities of the Democratic caucus. Weich played a key staff role in enactment of the 2007 ethics reform law, the 2008 amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and other significant legislation.

As Senator Kennedy’s chief counsel (1995-97), general counsel (1992-95) and counsel (1990-92), Weich advised the senior senator from Massachusetts on civil and criminal justice issues, drug control policy, patient safety legislation, constitutional amendments and other matters.

From 1997-2004 Weich was an attorney in private practice at Zuckerman Spaeder, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm with a highly regarded Baltimore office. Earlier in his career, he served as special counsel to the U.S. Sentencing Commission and as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan.

Weich earned a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1983. He also holds a B.A. from Columbia University, which he received in 1980.

Ronald Weich, for those who are not familiar, has been the Department of Justice’s designated obfuscator in hearings on Project Gunwalker before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He was the signer of the letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley which denied that ATF had knowingly allowed guns to walk. This letter was later retracted as being “inaccurate”.

As Rep. Steve King (R-IA) says about Weich’s resignation, it indicates that the Obama Administration is starting to move people out of “the target area” of the Project Gunwalker investigation.

One thing that struck me about the release announcing Weich’s appointment as dean was what the President of the University of Baltimore, Robert Bogomolny, said about his appointment: “During this time of considerable transition in legal education and the legal profession, it is important to have leadership with integrity and vision. Ron Weich embodies those qualities.” Leadership with integrity is not something I would associate with Ron Weich nor, for that matter, any of the higher-ups in the current Department of Justice.

You have to wonder if Dean Weich will be teaching any classes for the University of Baltimore Law School. If so, I’d suggest it be called Congressional Relations: How to Lie, Deny, and Obfuscate While Keeping a Straight Face.

H/T Mike Vanderboegh

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“Blood On Their Hands” – A Documentary About Project Gunwalker

April 25, 2012 by 2 Comments

Michael McNulty of Citizens Organization for Public Safety – COPS – is a documentary filmmaker in Loveland, Colorado. He is seeking funding from the public for a full-length documentary on Operation Fast and Furious and Project Gunwalker.

Mr. McNulty is not a newcomer to documentaries about DOJ malfeasance.  One of his previous efforts is the Academy Award-nominated Waco: The Rules of Engagement which examined the ATF raid and the FBI siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas and its fiery aftermath.

COPS needs to raise $398,500 to produce this documentary. If you’d like to pledge support for this effort, you can go here and make your pledge. I did.

H/T David Codrea

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Kelly McMillan On NRA News

April 25, 2012 by 1 Comment

Cam Edwards of NRA News interviewed Kelly McMillan of McMillan Group International on Monday about the Bank of America’s decision to drop his company as a customer. Mr. McMillan noted a few things that haven’t come out about the story before.

First, his company and a bank representative have had a regular meeting about this time of the year to do a review. Because of this, he didn’t go into the meeting expecting what happened. He said it hit him “like a kick in the stomach.”

Second, when the banking relationship with Bank of America was started, the McMillan company involved was McMillan Firearms Manufacturing. It is hard to see, as Mr. McMillan notes, how Bank of America could not know they were involved in making firearms given that company name.

Finally, Mr. McMillan wanted to be clear that the Bank of America VP, Ray Fox, did not indicate this was a corporate bank policy. Moreover, he said he had never made a statement himself indicating it was a corporate policy when he posted on Facebook. Nonetheless, the Bank of America VP did say to him that they didn’t want his business because he was in the firearms industry. All I can say is from my experience in the corporate world is that there are written and unwritten corporate policies.

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Quote Of The Day

April 25, 2012 by

Sheriff Jim Wilson is always good for a funny quip or comment on the affairs of the day. Here is one he made on Facebook today regarding Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich who hasn’t fared well at the polls.

Newt Gingrich is still receiving Secret Service protection. What are they protecting him from, his ex-wives, or reality?

Indeed.

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Hearings On Target Range Bill Today

April 24, 2012 by

The NSSF sent out an alert yesterday that the Senate Environmental and Public Works Subcommittee will hold hearings on S. 1249 – the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Act of 2012 – which is sponsored by Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO).

The Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee will hold a hearing tomorrow, Tuesday, April 24, at 10:15 a.m., on several bills important to sportsmen and sprotswomen, including NSSF’s priority this legislative session–S. 1249, the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act. The bill, introduced by Senator Mark Udall (D-CO), would allow states to expand their use of Pittman-Robertson funds to develop or expand public target shooting facilities. Amending the restrictions on Pittman-Robertson funds for this purpose is long overdue. More public shooting ranges are needed throughout the country to accommodate the rapidly growing number of target shooters who contribute to P-R funding through purchases of firearms and ammunition. Learn more about this bill and write your senators to support it.

 You can read the full text of the bill here and read more about it here and here.

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Bank Of America, The Second Amendment, And A 46 Year Relationship (updated)

April 23, 2012 by 15 Comments

On Friday, Kelly McMillan of McMillan International, a manufacturer of firearms and some of the best stocks going, posted on Facebook about the treatment of his company by Bank of America. The bank has not issued any statement or press release refuting Mr. McMillan’s version of things. I do have an email in to their press relations office for group commercial banking and will post any response that I get.

Based in Charlotte, NC, Bank of America is the product of a merger between San Francisco-based Bank of America and Charlotte-based NationsBank. Before it took the NationsBank name, it had been NCNB and North Carolina National Bank even before that. While the original Bank of America traces its history back to Amadeo Giannini and early 20th century San Francisco, the real owners of the current Bank of America got their start in 1960 as the North Carolina National Bank and were considered upstarts in the NC banking industry.

McMillan’s full unedited post is below:

McMillan Fiberglass Stocks, McMillan Firearms Manufacturing, McMillan Group International have been collectively banking with Bank of America for 12 years. Today Mr. Ray Fox, Senior Vice President, Market Manager, Business Banking, Global Commercial Banking came to my office. He scheduled the meeting as an “account analysis” meeting in order to evaluate the two lines of credit we have with them. He spent 5 minutes talking about how McMillan has changed in the last 5 years and have become more of a firearms manufacturer than a supplier of accessories.

At this point I interrupted him and asked “Can I possible save you some time so that you don’t waste your breath? What you are going to tell me is that because we are in the firearms manufacturing business you no longer what my business.”

“That is correct” he says.

I replied “That is okay, we will move our accounts as soon as possible. We can find a 2nd Amendment friendly bank that will be glad to have our business. You won’t mind if I tell the NRA, SCI and everyone one I know that BofA is not firearms industry friendly?”

“You have to do what you must” he said.

“So you are telling me this is a politically motivated decision, is that right?”

Mr Fox confirmed that it was. At which point I told him that the meeting was over and there was nothing let for him to say.

I think it is import for all Americans who believe in and support our 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms should know when a business does not support these rights. What you do with that knowledge is up to you. When I don’t agree with a business’ political position I can not in good conscience support them. We will soon no longer be accepting Bank of America credit cards as payment for our products.

Kelly D McMillan
Director of Operations
McMillan Group International, LLC
623-582-9635
http://www.mcmillanusa.com/

 My family has had a 46 year relationship with Bank of America and its predecessor NCNB. From checking and savings accounts, car loans, safe deposit boxes, to the mortgage on my mother’s house, we have dealt with Bank of American in one form or another since 1966. Indeed, my mom had one of the first BankAmericards back in the late 1960s. We now know this as a VISA card.

After my mom’s death in 2008, I kept one account open with Bank of America out of nostalgia for the length of that relationship. I should have remembered that there is no such a thing as nostalgia in banking.

I will begin winding down my banking relationship with Bank of America this week. The first to go will be the BassPro-branded VISA card which is actually a Bank of America VISA card. Then I will begin transferring any remaining bank drafts from Bank of America to my other banks. Once this is done, the remaining checking account will be closed and thus end our 46 year banking relationship. I will be letting Bank of America management know why I closed the account.

I most certainly cannot tell you what to do nor would I. However, I would ask that you consider whether you want to keep your money at a bank (or any of their subsidiaries such as Merrill Lynch) that doesn’t respect you or your Second Amendment values. You know what I plan to do. What you do is up to you.

UPDATE: As noted in the first paragraph, I reached out to Bank of America for a comment on the McMillan Group International situation. I received a reply from Anne Pace of Bank of America. Her email didn’t have any signature line so I don’t know her exact title or position in the firm. Her verbatim response is below:

We want to let you know that we have heard the comments and questions regarding one of our customers. While we cannot discuss the details of any individual client we work with, we can assure you the allegations being made here are completely false. Bank of America does not have a policy that prohibits us from banking clients in this industry. In fact, we have numerous, longstanding customers in the industry.

In a follow-up email, Ms. Pace identified herself as one of the bank’s spokespeople.

UPDATE II: Kelly McMillan has a follow-up statement on Facebook regarding the statement put out by Bank of America that they don’t discriminate against the firearms industry.

In response to Bank of America’s public statement:

The statement we [McMillan] posted was an accurate account of the events that transpired late last week. McMillan Group has been in good standing with B of A and a loyal customer for the past 12 years. We were told that we must finalize all of our accounts because we manufacture firearms.

McMillan cannot speak for Bank of America’s company wide policies, but we can speak out about our personal experiences.

We [McMillan] kindly suggest that if Corporate Bank of America has no policy against conducting business with firearms manufactures, then they should communicate these policies with their regional Vice Presidents and other management.

UPDATE III: I closed out my BassPro Outdoor VISA from Bank of America this afternoon so the first step has been taken. I will be closing out the checking account as soon as everything has cleared and I’ve moved the remaining check drafts to another account at another bank.

I think I will use the money in this account to pay for my trip to the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Orlando this September. It seems only fitting.

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SAF Files Suit In New Mexico Over Law Barring CCW Permits For Legal Resident Aliens

April 23, 2012 by 2 Comments

The Second Amendment Foundation filed suit today in the US District Court for the District of New Mexico challenging that state’s ban on concealed carry permits for resident legal aliens. Similar suits have been brought in Kentucky and South Dakota by the ACLU and in both cases the plaintiff won. SAF just won a suit in Massachusetts, Fletcher et al v. Haas et al, over their discrimination against the gun rights of legal resident aliens.

As was the case in three earlier suits involving legal resident aliens, the State of New Mexico is on shakey legal ground denying them permits. Laws that discriminate based on “alienage” are subject to strict scrutiny. This suit seeks a declaration that the portion of the New Mexico Concealed Handgun Carry Act which limits it to US citizens is unconstitutional and an injunction against its enforcement.

If I had to make a prediction, New Mexico will either fold quickly and settle or a summary motion will be introduced and granted declaring the law unconstitutional. In another similar case in Omaha, Nebraska, that city folded rather quickly.

SAF SUES NEW MEXICO OVER LAW BARRING CCW PERMITS FOR LEGAL RESIDENT ALIENS

For Immediate Release: 4/23/2012

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today filed a lawsuit in federal district court in New Mexico challenging that state’s prohibition on the issuance of concealed carry permits to legal resident aliens.

SAF filed the complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico on behalf of John W. Jackson, an Australian citizen who came to the United States with his wife, an American citizen, in 2007. He obtained permanent resident status in November 2008. They are represented by Albuquerque attorney Paul M. Kienzle, III and Glen Ellyn, Illinois attorney David Sigale. Named as defendants in the case, in their official capacities, are New Mexico Attorney General Gary King and Bill Hubbard, director of the Special Investigations of the New Mexico Department of Public Safety.

“Legal resident aliens in the United States should have the same personal protection rights as anyone,” noted SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb, “because criminals do not play favorites. Mr. Jackson is a productive member of his community, and his plight is shared by many legal alien residents.”

According to the SAF complaint, the laws of New Mexico completely prohibit resident legal aliens from the concealed carry of guns, in public, for the purpose of self-defense. In New Mexico, only citizens may have the benefit of an armed defense by concealed carry.

“Our lawsuit is firmly grounded in the recognition and incorporation of the Second Amendment that came with our Supreme Court victory in McDonald v. City of Chicago,” Gottlieb noted. “We also believe the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause renders the State’s ban on non-citizens obtaining a concealed carry permit to be unconstitutional. Mr. Jackson and others like him only seek to be treated the same as law-abiding citizens. The Second Amendment renders a ban such as that challenged in our action to be impermissible.

“We just won a similar case in Massachusetts,” he said, “and we will pursue this case with equal vigor.”

The lawsuit seeks to enjoin King and Hubbard from further enforcing the state ban on the issuance of concealed carry permits to non-citizens, and to declare that the law is null and void because it violates the Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms, and the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.

H/T SayUncle

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Blackberry Winter

April 23, 2012 by

Blackberry winter has nothing to do with outages in service for the product from Research in Motion. Instead it is an expression used by old timers here in the mountains of North Carolina (and elsewhere in the Southern Appalachians) to describe cold snaps during the Spring when the blackberry bushes are blooming.

It is April 23rd and we just had a dusting of snow early this morning in the upper elevations (above 2,500 feet). My car thermometer read in the mid-30s when I got in it to go to work around 8:30 this morning. I’d like to say this is the latest we’ve gotten snow but I can’t. I still remember when Mount Pisgah got 57 inches of snow on May 7th back in 1992. I had just planted my tomato and pepper plants and just as quickly repotted them indoors.

Blackberry winter is different from dogwood winter as it is later in the season. Dogwood winter is the cold snap we often get when the dogwood trees are blooming. We had an early and mild Spring this year and I think this is Mother Gaia’s revenge on us for getting complacent.

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What The Hell Is The World Coming To Nowadays

April 23, 2012 by 7 Comments

This is a story that is guaranteed to raise your blood pressure. If you don’t feel angry after reading it then something is wrong with you. I can’t make it any plainer.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a 90 year old man was badly beaten while his 85 year old wife was beaten, raped, and killed by home invaders on March 14th.

Bob Strait of Tulsa, Okla., was hospitalized after a vicious March 14 robbery that killed his wife, 85-year-old Nancy Strait. She was beaten and raped in the attack.

The couple, who met on a blind date on Thanksgiving Day 1946, had been married for 65 years.

Police have one suspect in custody, but they believe as many as four others took part in the home invasion.

Mr. Strait, a WWII veteran, was a member of the 101st Airborne Division and jumped into Normandy on the night of June 5, 1944 as part of the D-Day invasion. After the war, he refused to accept veterans aid as he felt, according to his daughter, that “he was only doing his job, like everyone else.” He even turned down a Purple Heart during the war because he didn’t feel his injuries weren’t severe enough.

While the investigation is ongoing, the family is asking that a task force be formed to find the remaining four perpetrators of this heinous crime.

One of the Strait’s daughters, Lenore Gay, said the investigation is ongoing, but she is unhappy that Tulsa police have mustered nowhere near the resources in her parents’ case as those applied to a nationally reported shooting spree in Tulsa that occurred at around the same time.

Gay is hugely grateful for any financial help on behalf of her family, but has also asked members of the 101st Airborne Division Association to contact Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett and ask that a task force be set up immediately to find the remaining suspects still at large in her parents’ case.

If you want to call Mayor Bartlett, his office phone is (918) 596-2100. He also can be contacted by email through this link.

It is damnable thing when some punk-ass thugs can invade the home of a man who put his life on the line almost 68 years ago for their freedom. That they would rape and murder his wife of 65 years is beyond the pale. I can’t think of a punishment too cruel or unusual for these thugs.