90 Miles From Tyranny

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

BREAKING: Trump Vows to Veto Anti-Gun Bills

If you had any doubt before, the White House made it clear today that President Trump will not sign any of the gun control measures promoted by Democrats in Congress. The White House says the two main bills under consideration remain “incompatible with the Second Amendment’s guarantee of an individual right to keep arms.

HR 8 would ban the private sale of firearms in America. HR 1112 would impose as much as a 20-day waiting period before picking up a new firearm. We’ve written about the potential of the ban on private sales (otherwise known as universal background checks) previously. Luis Valdes worried that it would pass into law. I expressed skepticism that it would make it to Trump’s desk.

The White House made it clear today that President Donald Trump will veto the measure if it gets that far.

From The Hill:

The White House on Monday issued a statement warning that President Trump would veto proposed legislation to enhance background checks for gun purchases if it passes the House and Senate.

The legislation in question, H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112, would require universal background checks and close a so-called Charleston loophole that the shooter used in the 2015 massacre at a historic black church to buy a gun. One of the measures is a bipartisan bill, co-sponsored by Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Pete King (R-N.Y.).

Both bills are expected to pass the House along party lines with limited support from Republicans when they vote on it this week. If the bills pass in the House, they would still need to be sent to the Republican-controlled Senate for approval before reaching Trump.

The White House announced it opposed the bills for violating Second Amendment rights.

“The extensive regulation required by H.R. 8 is incompatible with the Second Amendment’s guarantee of an individual right to keep...

‘Cowboys for Trump’ Trek to DC To Show Support for Border Wall with Hand-Crafted Gift for Trump

Washington, D.C., may be a long way away from the Wild West, but two dozen real-life wranglers just brought the cowboy spirit to the nation’s capital.

In a demonstration to show support for President Donald Trump and raise awareness for the border security issue, a group of conservatives completed a week-long horseback ride through winter weather to march — or is that clop? — to the White House from the historic Cumberland area of Maryland.

“Friday’s arrival concluded an eight-day ride from Cumberland, Maryland, that began on Feb. 15, the same day President Donald Trump declared a national emergency along the U.S.-Mexico border,” reported WTOP Radio in Washington.

“The start day wasn’t a coincidence for the group: They decided to depart the day of the announcement to support Trump’s decision,” the station explained.

Carrying American flags and blue Trump banners, the riders covered about 25 miles per day along the C&O Canal towpath for much of their journey, braving cold temperatures to travel through a part of the country once surveyed by...

Nikki Joly is the 2018 Jackson Citizen Patriot Citizen of the Year

When Nikki Joly's Jackson home burned down in 2017, some believed the fire was a hate crime against the transgender, gay-rights activist who had fought for a local anti-discrimination ordinance.

But now, instead of a victim, the 54-year-old is accused of being the perpetrator.

The Michigan case is gaining national attention as the American public draws parallels to the situation involving Jussie Smollett, where the supposed victim in a hate crime became the accused.

“Real hate crimes are on the rise,” Graham Cassano, associate professor of sociology at Oakland University, said Monday. “But as these crimes increase and become publicized, it’s not surprising to me that people would take the opportunity to use this to their advantage and fabricate hate crimes.”

Authorities are accusing Joly, who was named Citizen of the Year by the Jackson Citizen Patriot last year, of setting fire to his own home and killing his pets, two dogs and three cats. He has been charged with first-degree arson.

A hearing has been set for March 8 in Jackson County Circuit Court.

"We determined it pretty quickly to be an arson," Elmer Hitt, Jackson’s director of police and fire services, said Monday. "We investigated it over what probably was a year’s time before the prosecutor ended up issuing charges.”

Unexpected twists

Hitt said that, initially, some in the community perceived the blaze to be a hate crime. Investigators considered that too, but ruled out the possibility as evidence pointing to Joly came to light.

Hitt declined to offer a motive for the house fire, but acknowledged that some people in Jackson were probably rattled — perhaps in a similar way to the Smollett case — by the police investigation's unexpected outcome and charge.

In the higher-profile hate crime case that turned on its head last week, Smollett, a 36-year-old actor on the TV drama "Empire," alleged to Chicago police he had been a victim.

Smollett was arrested on charges that he set up the assault.

Smollett, who is black and gay, said that masked men yelled racial slurs, attacked him, put a rope around his neck and made references to MAGA, the acronym for President Donald Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again."

But, Chicago police said, their investigation found evidence that Smollett staged the crime, possibly to portray himself as a victim and boost his salary as an actor, and lied to police.
Citizen of the Year

Joly, a transgender man, was touted as Jackon's 2018 citizen of the year by the local newspaper and described as an activist who had endured slights and still re-energized a movement.

He tried to "pass an ordinance in Jackson protecting people against discrimination because they are gay, because they are transgender, because they aren't as some say they should be."

The newspaper's long profile described the Detroit native as someone who had been on his own since his adoptive parents ousted him at 15, had been sexually assaulted, and subjected to "insulting gender questions" and "refused service in bars or restaurants."

Joly, the article said, was "born female," but "prefers a masculine pronoun" and has long "been activist-minded even if it was not always openly."

It also mentioned the fire on Aug. 10, 2017, in which his home was burned down.

In the profile, Joly said that he was "really in shock for quite a while" after the fire. He teared at the thought of his dogs, who perished in the blaze, and organized a weapons training course at a gun range to fight fear.

A few months later, Joly was charged with setting the fire.

Fake hate crimes

In the Joly case, police suspicion was based on a timeline of events, phone records, physical evidence and witness statements. Joly had the "means and opportunity to start the fire," according to a report published by MLive.com in October.

The MLive article said security camera video showed Joly filling a gas can before the fire, gasoline was on his clothing, a witness smelled gas on him, photographs seemed to be missing from the walls, and after the fire, Joly received $50,000 in donations.

Joly's attorney, Andrew Abood, challenged the police conclusion.

"What they have is a coincidence and a coincidence is not...