ISIS celebrating San Bernadino attacks
As the tragic picture from San Bernadino fills in, it has become clear that Wednesday’s bloody assault had nothing to do with gun violence or gun control laws and whether or not they are adequate to protect innocent lives. It was a well planned, well organized terrorist attack committed by radicalized Muslims, including a non-citizen here on a Pakastani passport. Twenty Seven year old Tashfeen Malik came to the United States in two thousand fourteen, the bride of Syed Rizwan Farook who returned with her after a month away, including a prolonged stay in Saudi Arabia.
The get away vehicle and it’s driver.
Investigators have discovered heavy armaments in the couple’s home, including several pipe bombs and the equipment and materials needed to build Improvised Explosive Devices, the kind that are used to kill our troops oversees. Turns out, there’s a not so hard to find trail linking Farook to known terror suspects and neighbors are now reporting they saw several odd, large, after Midnight deliveries to Farook’s house. (Anyone care to guess why they didn’t report the suspicious activity to authorities beforehand?) Officials have seized their cell phones, computer hard and thumb drives among other evidence with the F B I now admitting it was a likely terrorist attack committed by radicalized Islamists.
Victims in San Bernadio
In wake of the attack, G O P presidential candidate Kentucky Senator Rand Paul introduced Amendment No. 2899, known as the Stop Extremists Coming Under Refugee Entry Act or SECURE Act, which would have suspended visa issuance for nations with a high risk of terrorism and imposed a waiting period for background checks on visa issuance from other countries. It failed last night on a vote of just ten in favor with eighty nine opposed.
Paul: More proof that DC is out of touch
Paul also introduced The Defend Our Capital Act of 2015, which was offered as an amendment to H.R.3761, Restoring American’s Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015. The legislation would have removed existing restrictive firearm ownership laws in Washington, D. C. and mandated the issuance and granting of reciprocity for concealed weapons permits for both residents and non-residents. The amendment, which needed sixty votes to pass, failed on a vote of fifty four to forty five. Paul chided his colleagues saying quote
“There is a reason that most of America rightfully believes that politicians in Washington are out of touch. Tonight, we witnessed two common-sense pieces of legislation get defeated.”
No doubt, we’ve not heard the last of any of this.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
Pearl: Prunes school budget
Well, it doesn’t look like things are going to be boring at the Hooksett Budget Committee. Last night, it met to consider the proposed school budget, which increases spending by more than five point six percent.
The first motion of the evening came from David Pearl, himself a former school board member, to cut one million dollars from the proposal, or about four percent. Pearl explained that because the committee can only appropriate a bottom line budget, he choose the tuition line for the cut with the expectation that administrations and the school board would move funds within the budget as they saw fit.
Pearl said he believed the tax payers couldn’t continue to bear the burden of the average five plus percent increases in spending that the budget has in each of the last four years. After an hour long debate, the motion passed five to four with Pearl, Chris Morneau, Marc Miville, Patrick Gosselin and Tabitha Jennings in favor and John Pieroni, Kevin Van Horn, Steven Peterson and Amy Boilard, the school board’s designee on the board, opposed. Members Jason Hyde and Richard Boisvert were absent.
Hooksett: Getting interesting again
The committee then passed a motion to invite the school board and Superintendent Charles P. Littlefield to come before it to present what the reduced budget might look like. (Expect calamity!) The motion pasted 8 to 1 with Boilard opposed.
There was also a heated discussion over the school board’s failure to provide a default budget to the Budget Committee for last night’s meeting. Instead the committee was given a draft which was not approved by the school board. Boilard explained that the board only received it at their Tuesday night meeting and didn’t have time to review it. Pearl asked what time their meeting adjourned. The answer was 7:35, which is pretty early in the night.
Rolling Thunder: Rolling into Concord
Rolling Thunder’s New Hampshire 1 chapter has announced there will be a POW/MIA Chair of Honor dedication in the historic Hall of Flags at the NH State House on Monday Dec 7th at 10:00 AM. The primary goal of Rolling Thunder® Inc. is to raise awareness of the POW – MIA issue by educating the public of the many American prisoners of war that were left behind, help correct the past and protect future veterans against being left behind. They are also committed to helping American veterans from all wars.
McGuigan: Invites public to attend and remember
Toward that end, Rolling Thunder developed the Memorial Chair of Honor program where POW/MIA chairs are placed in public spaces to remind people of the plight of those who remain prisoners of war or missing in action. Among the first chairs presented in New Hampshire was the one installed during the Centennial Celebration Ceremonies at Manchester’s Gill Stadium in September of two thousand thirteen.
Rolling Thunder NH 1 President Bob McGuigan said the group plans to meet at 9:30 just outside the State House entrance and will be participating in the ceremony. He invited the public to attend the dedication, saying quote:
“These chairs are a vital part of keeping alive the memory of those missing.”
You can learn more at Rolling dash Thunder dash n h 1 dot org. We’ve linked to it, of course.
Come win me at Ste. Marie!
A reminder: The Ste. Marie Annual Christmas Craft Fair is tomorrow from 9 to 4. The iconic West Side parish, which is located behind Catholic Medical Center and has plenty of off street parking, invites you to shop to your heart’s content at the forty tables that will be filled with local crafts. Who knows? You just may win one of the sixty door prizes they’ve made available, including a six foot tall Cat in the Hat stuffed animal! Great, something to remind me of how short I am.
That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ is next!
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