Justin Amash (R-MI) on the NDAA

http://www.facebook.com/notes/justin-amash/the-truth-about-the-new-detainee-policy-in-the-national-defense-authorization-ac/296584837047596

Internet Censorship Legislation

Followers of AsecondOpinion:Fight for free speech online – reject the Internet #Blacklist Legislation. https://eff.org/r.C8A via @eff

And please copy and paste this message to your friends:

Dear friend,

I just emailed Congress to urge them to oppose the Internet Blacklist Legislation, known as the PROTECT-IP Act in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House. This legislation seeks to give the executive branch power to conduct slash-and-burn campaigns against websites that allegedly host – or even link to – content that infringes on intellectual property rights. That would “disappear” whole domain names, fundamentally undermining Internet security, and/or choke off their financial support. The Internet Blacklist Legislation puts more sites than ever at risk, effectively upending the DMCA safe harbors that have been crucial to the growth of Internet innovation and creativity.

Sadly, these short-sighted and dangerous bills won’t do much to stop online infringement – but they will jeopardize our ability to speak and read online with the kind of freedom we cherish in the offline world. Deep-pocketed Hollywood lobbyists are aggressively pushing to control and censor the open Internet, willing to sacrifice free speech and our Internet culture in hopes of controlling how people view their movies and products.

Thank you for helping us defend privacy and free speech in the digital age,

Rainey Reitman
Activism Team
Electronic Frontier Foundation

https://www.eff.org

9-11

Never forget. Remember the time this country came together as one.

Amazing 9-11 tribute.

Share. Remember. Never forget.

A letter to Occupy Wall Street

Dear OWS:

If there was no tax incentive given to the wealthy, what gives the middle class any reason to reach for the skies, and work toward a generous income? Of course the rules are slanted toward wealthy households, that provides an incentive for someone to reach for the stars. This isn’t an issue of the “trickle-down theory”, but the starting up. If one is given no advantage for hard work, then one never wants to put in the effort. What is one of the most appealing things for a person going into business today? The tax incentives. The tax loopholes that the government provides as a “thank you” for creating jobs for america. A thank you for achieving, for succeeding, for supporting your country’s economy.

In America, we believe in “equality of opportunity” not “equality of outcome”. Everyone gets their own opportunity to do what they want with their life, but not all succeed. What makes a person is not what has happened to them, but how they respond to those circumstances. Even in our somewhat falling economy, with the numbers of unemployed near pretty record levels, this holds true. The people who are the most successful in America today bounced back from extreme poverty, dangerous situations and great hardships. Unfortunately, instead of making something coherent, precise, and valuable happen, Occupy Wall Street has and will continue to alienate the vast majority of the working American people.

For example, Occupy Oakland is about ready to launch a city-wide strike. This is exactly what pissed Americans off about anonymous. Instead of hurting the company (Sony) directly, they decided to take the PlayStation Network down. This disrupted service, which is what OWS is about to do in Oakland. Another issue that is pointed out is….who is your leader? Every democratic movement has had leaders, just as a lion cannot survive long with it’s head cut off, the OWS movement has no head. Therefore, no direction. Even revolutions throughout history have had leaders. From the American Civil War to the french revolution, every major democratic movement had leaders, and a cause. Some state the Arab spring as an example of where a movement needed no leader, yet they had leaders as well. Granted, they were well-hidden because they would have been executed or jailed if known but they were there. A disorganized mass rarely overtakes a well-organized force.

If OWS really wanted to make a difference, perhaps they should follow the example of an organization that actually did. The Tea Party. They came, they protested, they went home. and there was a huge sweep in congress, plus tons of favorable legislation was passed. OWS needs to keep that in mind. Go home during the week. You are destroying the small businesses, sanitation, and general well-being of your neighborhoods when you make camp there. Oh, and OWS can protest without breaking the law. Without breaking into the senate, fighting police, and doing whatever they want. That’s usually known as being a criminal, so it’s no surprise that you’re treated like one. The Tea Party followed the law.They had a clear vision of what they wanted, worked toward it and went home. And it worked.

Occupy Wall Street, it’s high time that you started acting like adults instead of children. You have potential, but don’t squander it away with just a bunch of angry people. You must have a purpose, and follow it.

-A Second Opinion

Kicking Back into Gear

Looks like I got sick and tired of politics as usual. Kicking off in 3-2-1….

On Collective Bargaining

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Gun control

I have always been an advocate for more rights for gun owners. Especially after a break-in at my home last week.

Gun control has been a hot-topic in America since the country was founded. We in America have passed thousands upon thousands of laws restricting gun ownership, the carrying of concealed weapons, and the second amendment. Yet not one of those laws has ever kept a criminal from a murder, robbery, or other violent crime. The laws restrict the rights of law-abiding citizens, which criminals are not, from owning, using, and carrying a deadly weapon.

The advocates of gun control say that we should rely on the police to “Protect and Serve” the people. Yet very rarely are the police at the scene of the crime WHEN it happens. The police usually show up AFTER the incident. The police are there to clean up the mess afterward, not prevent the crime from happening.

You’ve heard the saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”?
Gun control advocates focus on the “pound of cure” since the police show up after a crime has been committed, whereas gun ownership is all about preventing the crime from happening in the first place.

It has been said “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Then this video is worth a treatise on this subject, since it so clearly explains why gun control is crucial for violent crime to continue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gLmKpNgSnM

Wouldn’t you rather be able to defend yourself or someone you love than report to the police what happened afterward?

A letter…

Hmmm. In an excerpt from Muammar Quaddafi’s letter to President Obama, he says this:

“We have been hurt more morally (than) physically because of what had happened against us in both deeds and words by you,” he wrote. “Despite all this, you will always remain our son whatever happened. We still pray that you continue to be president of the U.S.A. We Endeavour and hope that you will gain victory in the new election campaigne.”
Source- AP

If the “Mad Dog of the Middle East” that massacred his own people wants Barack Obama to be president, what does that tell you?

Hello world!

A Second Opinion is Live!

And welcoming our guest columnist; Josh Rutowski.

Expect your first story this week!