Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services was a recent Supreme Court decision regarding reverse discrimination. It was found in favor of Ames on an unanimous vote with the opinion written by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. The basis of the case was that Marlean Ames, a white, heterosexual woman, was denied a promotion in a favor of a lesbian. She was later demoted as a program administrator and replaced by a gay man. She filed suit under Title VII alleging discrimination. She lost in district court and the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that decision. However, the 6th Circuit had adopted a rule that when a person of a majority group alleged discrimination they had a higher burden.
It is on this second step that Todd Vandermyde examines in his Freedom’s Steel podcast. Todd believes that the SCOTUS striking down lower court’s made up or secondary rules may be helpful in gun rights cases. I’ll let him explain it in the video below. I think he may be on to something especially when it comes to AWBs and mag bans.
The moral of the story is to be more discreet about your grifting. Lack of discretion caught up with Wayne and now it is catching up with “Camera” Hogg.
UPDATE: Poor David. He can’t get any respect from meme-world.
The permitless concealed carry bill, SB 50 – Freedom to Carry NC, has passed the North Carolina House of Representatives and now will be sent to Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) for his consideration. Odds are that Stein will veto the bill.
The vote was 59 aye and 48 nay on the 2nd Reading and it passed the 3rd Reading on a voice vote. Every Democrat and two Republicans voted against the bill. Rep. Ted Davis (R-New Hanover) and Rep. William Brisson (R-Bladen, Sampson) had voted against the bill in House Rules Committee and voted against it today on the floor. 13 representatives were given excused absences today.
I listened to the full debate on the bill in real time. Both sides had their moments and both sides tried to make their points. Much was made about 18 year olds not being responsible enough to carry a firearm. Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort) made an excellent rebuttal to this by noting that it is perfectly legal in North Carolina for an 18 year old to open carry a firearm.
Rep. Brian Echevarria (R-Cabarrus) made a very good speech in favor of the bill. He said a lot of statistics were being pushed in the debate but the one statistic he pointed to was the Second Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms. He said it was 100%. Echevarria who is African-American pointed out that this bill would not have been supported by Jim Crow! It was a great line. Echevarria also pointed to all those forbidden to possess a firearm saying the bill still would not allow them to carry.
The argument made by Rep. Ted Davis (see above) was really weak. His argument was that those who had North Carolina Concealed Handgun Permits had their privacy invaded by having to provide fingerprints and undergo a background check. He contended by allowing permitless concealed carry that it wasn’t fair to those who had undergone the permit process. I have to disagree as holding a permit does provide some advantages that those without a permit will not have. The two main ones are that it substitutes for a NICS background check when making a firearm purchase and that it allows you to carry concealed in a number of other states.
You can watch the full debate in the video below. It starts at the 4:20:25 mark and continues through 5:22:25.
I would like to note that both the NRA-ILA and Grass Roots North Carolina will be scoring this bill. Opposition will be noted and will be reflected in the grades earned by legislators.
The North Carolina General Assembly has posted the calendar for the House of Representatives for Wednesday, June 11th. Of note is that SB 50 – Freedom to Carry NC – passed out of the House Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee today. It has now been placed on the House Calendar for its Second and Third Readings tomorrow
SB 50 passed the Senate on March 20th. I am unclear if there remain any differences in the bills between the two chambers. If not, then it goes to Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) who will, in all likelihood, veto the bill.
It is time to light up your representatives in the NC House urging them to pass this bill. The Dems will probably ignore you but it never hurts to put some pressure on them. The Republicans need to be made to understand that anything other than a Yea might cause them to lose their seat.
The list of NRA committee assignments has been released for 2025. It is preliminary as committee members must still accept their assignment to the various committees. This goes for both Board members and non-Board members.
I also want to note this list is not confidential. I specifically asked the Office of the Secretary about that in an email.
From what I understand, the officers put a lot of time and effort into filling the committee positions. I can believe it as finding the right people for the right committees while taking into account the person’s preferences is not a small task. Additionally, consolidation of committees is under discussion. I am sure it will be on the agenda of our September board meeting. You can see from the listing below how there will be an effort to consolidate competition shooting committees along with “fun” shooting committees.
As for me, I got everything I sought. I wanted to be on the Membership Committee to look for ways to reach out to younger potential members as our membership base is aging. I wanted Legislative Policy and the State & Local Subcommittee for obvious reasons. Likewise, my interest in hunting has grown in recent years so I was happy to be assigned to Hunting and Wildlife Conservation. I think bringing hunters back into the fold is a key component of rebuilding NRA membership. Finally, the Audit Committee is a committee of the Board and I was elected to it.
Below is the list. Again, as a reminder, it is preliminary but I don’t expect many changes. I will post the final list down the road. If you would like to compare 2025 with 2024, go this page.
UPDATE: I was asked why Maria Heil’s name appears in red on the Nominating Committee list. That is because she has resigned from that committee and it is an indication of an open seat. As a reminder, the Nominating Committee is elected by the whole board and is not an appointed seat.
The Day of the Jackal was made into a movie starring Edward Fox as the Jackal. It is one of the rare movies where it was as good as the book.
According to The Telegraph, prior to becoming a best-selling author, Forsyth was a pilot in the RAF and a journalist. He also was a secret agent for MI-6. As a foreign correspondent Forsyth worked in places like Paris and East Berlin during the Cold War as well as Biafra in Africa. I assume his time in Biafra provided him the background for his novel on mercenaries in Africa – The Dogs of War. His books have sold 75 million copies. I know I have bought and read many of them over the years with some read multiple times. For his contributions to literature, Queen Elizabeth II made him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
For two decades, until his 85th birthday, Forsyth shared his views through a weekly column in the Daily Express. He retired from writing thrillers in 2018.
His wife of 30 years, Sandy, died last year after a four-year decline in her health. She was his second wife after Carrie, the mother of his two sons, Stuart and Shane, who are both now in their 40s.
In 2023, he said: “Among the sadnesses in my life is that my two sons emigrated. One lives in Sweden with his wife and three children, and the other in Ibiza with his wife and my fourth grandchild.”
The Independent writes of Forsyth and his early career:
Born August 25, 1938, in Ashford, Kent, Forsyth served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force before becoming a journalist. He was hired by Reuters in 1961 before moving over to the BBC in 1965, where he worked as an assistant diplomatic correspondent.
During much of his early career with Reuters, he reported on French affairs and the attempted assassination of President Charles de Gaulle. After transitioning to BBC, however, he was sent to Nigeria to report on the Biafran war.
With a background like that it was no wonder he could write such detailed thrillers. While Forsyth stopped writing novels around 2018, they are still worth going back to read again and again.
SB 50 – Freedom to Carry NC – has passed the NC Senate and has now passed out of the NC House Judiciary 2 Committee. It is now in the House Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee which is the last step before coming to the floor of North Carolina House. It is thought it could be voted on in committee either Tuesday, June 10th, or Wednesday, June 11th.
Update: The bill is on the Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee schedulefor tomorrow, June 10th.
Grass Roots North Carolina released the following alert asking for people to contact the Rules Committee to urge its passage.
TELL HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE REPUBLICANS TO PASS SB50
Senate Bill 50(“Freedom to Carry NC”) is likely on to get a hearing in the Rules Committee on Tuesday June 10, 2025.
That’s the good news. We know that the Dems are planning stiff opposition to this bill and will likely throw all their underhanded tactics to slow it down and defeat it. You can be sure the anti-gun lobby will be present in numbers to try and defeat liberty.
We need you to remind the Rules Committee Republicans who “brung ’em to the dance,” and tell them what you expect them to do.
We also need you to show up and let them know we’re serious about getting this passed. Location and directions below.
Remind them that we were denied permitless carry in 2023… We expect it in 2025.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
CONTACT NC House Republican Members on the House Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House: Contact the Rules Committee Republican Members and tell them to approve SB 50.
Meet at the “Printed Bills” room at 8:30 am on June 10th. Location map and directions below.
DONATE TO GRNC: We are still low on funds after our highly successful election effort. Please donate by going to: grnc.org/wp/2012/06/donate-to-or-join-grnc/ . CONTACT INFORMATION
NC HOUSE Rules CommitteeREPUBLICANS
A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Blair Eddins, Brenden H. Jones – Vice Chair Charles W. Miller, Donna McDowell White, Erin Paré – Vice Chair Jimmy Dixon, John A. Torbett, John R. Bell, IV – Chair Karl E. Gillespie, Kelly E. Hastings, Kyle Hall, Neal Jackson Sarah Stevens, Steve Tyson, Ted Davis, Jr., Tricia Ann Cotham – Vice Chair William D. Brisson
Below, find a copy-paste email list you can use to easily contact these representatives. Beneath that, in the Deliver This Message section, find the copy-paste message to use
Suggested Subject: Vote Yes on SB 50 Freedom to Carry
Dear Rules Committee Member:
I am writing because I understand that SB50 (“Freedom to Carry NC”) has is to be considered in your committee on Tuesday, and I want to voice my full support for this bill and encourage you to vote for it.
About three-fifths of our country’s states already have constitutional concealed carry in some form or another, and it is long past due for North Carolina. I am calling on you to make sure our state lives up to its “First in Freedom” moniker, and to not leave us languishing on this matter once again. We were promised Constitutional Carry in 2023. We’re expecting it in 2025.
In large part, gun voters are responsible for the majorities Republicans currently enjoy in the General Assembly, and I expect you to live up to the promise of conservative leadership that we voted for, including and especially when it comes to the Second Amendment. Vote to move SB50 forward.
I will be monitoring your actions on this important matter through legislative alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina. Respectfully,
This is just one more necessary step to make North Carolina the 30th state to adopt permitless carry. Given that one of the license plate slogans in North Carolina is “First in Freedom”, it is time to pass this bill.
However, the bill’s path to law faces a major roadblock if it successfully passes through the House: Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. On Tuesday, Stein suggested to reporters that he would veto it if it passes the House, which could be his first veto since taking office in January.
“My standard reviewing any piece of legislation is, will this make us safer?” Stein said when asked about Senate Bill 50. “I don’t know what the version of the bill is today. I was going to see what they ultimately do with this bill. If it doesn’t make us safer – and the previous version certainly did not – I cannot support it.”
I don’t think this is a surprise to anyone who has followed firearms politics in North Carolina in recent years. Democrats have been fairly united in opposing any measure aimed at removing any of the restrictions on firearm rights. Whether it was allowing churches with attached private schools to protect their congregations or removing the Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permits, they have voted as a bloc. Indeed, their treatment of any legislator such as Rep. Tricia Cotham who was absent for the vote on these bills was so vindictive that it proved to be counter-productive.
With the Republicans only one vote short of a super-majority in the House and holding a super-majority in the Senate, timing is going to be the key to overriding the veto. All it will take is 2-3 Democrats being absent on the day the override is brought forward for it be successful.
Today marks the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion aimed at ending the war in Europe. By the time of this post American soldiers had finally advanced beyond the beach defenses at Omaha Beach and a beachhead had been established on all invasion beaches.
Searching for new materials to post about D-Day I came across some things from the Library of Congress. First was a map of the positions of all units, Allied and German, on June 6th at 2400 hours.
The second thing I found at the Library of Congress was Gen. George S. Patton’s diaries from World War II. While Patton did not participate directly in the Normandy invasion, he played an important role in keeping the Wehrmacht and German leaders incorrectly focused on the Pas-de-Calais as the actual invasion site. This was called Operation Fortitude and involved deceptive radio transmissions along with a fictional 1st US Army Group.
Here are Patton’s entries for June 6th. I have a translation added afterwards as many would have a hard time reading his cursive handwriting.
6-5-44 (I listened to the radio at 0600 but no news in fact none by radio all day. Called Hughes and asked him to get off radio of congrats. to Alex, Keyes and Clark. About 0900 we got a COSITINTREP #4 A. Enemy intelligence. No change. B. Bombarding forces still at sea. Ships and craft assault force at anchor waiting. Convoys proceeding according to plan. U. S. LCT 2498 sunk off Portland Bill 01600 4 June no casualties. D.D.E. I think this means that the attack has not started. Brad did not want to attack until the 6th as the tide was good later 0645 and gave more time for Navy Bombardment.) I still believe in night attacks.
6-6-44 [*Type*] (The war is on. At 0700 BBC announced that the
the German radio reported allied landing boats w of Le Havre to the Cherbourg
Peninsular. It is a nice bright day for a battle. I hope I get in before it
is all won. I need some glory.
According to all reports we have things are going very well our troops (British Para) are in CAEN and tanks (Br) are reported nearing that town.
Fighting reported Cherbourg-St. LO road (103 & 82 US Air B)
I have horrible feelings that fighting will be over before I get in but I know
this is not so as destiny means me to be in.
[*Type*]
(There is a report that all bridges (23) over SEINEWest of Paris are out by
our air. Of course these can be replaced rapidly with posters if the
Germans want to. I feel sure that all the so called information we
hear on the radio is
imaginary as if I were present at the landing I would not realy know a damned
thing - how can the commentators. The PM and the King both made fine speeches. We did not get in on FDR's. Started to pack a little.
6-7-44
Gen Hinds spent the night he is chief of Art 3rd Army Grp AA Radio still full of platitudes. We hear that OMAHA Beach in front of VII Corps is giving trouble it is a sad branch until it is taken Cherbourg can't be attacked. That will delay
the whole operation.
We will not get a good picture till tomorrow. I have just found out that
the trouble is at UTAH Beach and not Omaha if they stick there it will
leave a gap between us and the British. Went for a drive in
a M-29 snow buggy
Reading Patton’s thoughts is interesting. You can see how desperately he wanted to be involved even it was to seek “glory”. I did appreciate his comment that if he were present he would “not realy (sic) know a damned thing”. He understood the concept of the fog of war probably better than most.
It is somewhat remarkable that even 81 years later we are learning more about the invasion and the participants. It just takes a little bit of digging.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
