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2021 has seen the introduction of a large number of pro-gunbillsin the Sooner State. A few of them are outlined below. It is important for NRA Members and Second Amendment supporters to stay active this legislative session. Stay updated through NRA-ILA Alerts,and at our website,www.NRAILA.org.

House Bill 1673, sponsored by Rep. Kevin West, allows for an individual to carry a firearm in the designated bar area of a restaurant as long as that person is not consuming alcohol.House Bill 2401, sponsored by Rep. Todd Russ, creates a restoration of rights process that will allow those convicted of nonviolent felonies,to reestablish their Second Amendment rights following a certain period of time with a clean record.House Bill 2475, sponsored by Rep. Wendi Stearman, prevents the use of public funds from being used to advocate against the Second Amendment.House Bill 2645, sponsored by Rep. Jon Echols, is an omnibus bill with clean up language for Oklahomas Constitutional Carry law.Senate Joint Resolution 21updates the state constitution to shall not be infringed and enhances the Second Amendment protections therein.Senate Bill 443,sponsored by Sen. Nathan Dahm, allows for the carry of a firearm in the State Capitol by an individual with an SDA License.Senate Bill 672, sponsored by Sen. Casey Murdock, cleans up state law to allow for the transportation of a long gun in a motor vehicle.Senate Bill 767, sponsored by Sen. David Bullard, allows designated school personnel with an SDA License to carry a firearm for self-defense while on school grounds.

This is only a handful of the bills that have already been introduced.Again, please stay-tuned to NRA-ILA Alerts for more informationandupdates regarding our Second Amendment rights in Oklahoma.

See the original post here:
Oklahoma: Full Slate of Pro-Gun Bills on the Docket in the Legislature - NRA ILA

Sunday, February 21, 2021

Robert Whitcomb, Columnist

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Robert Whitcomb, columnist

Dear Uncle stranger, Cousin known too late,

sweet wife unkissed, come, we will celebrate

in this thronged mirror the uncelebrated dead,

good men and women gone too soon to bed.

-- From Dear Uncle Stranger, by Conrad Aiken (1889-1973)

The control of nature is a phrase conceived in arrogance, born of the Neanderthal age of biology and philosophy, when it was supposed that nature exists for the convenience of man.

-- Rachel Carson (1907-1964), American marine biologist and author. Her most famous book is Silent Spring, about the damage done by pesticides.

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Energy meltdown in Texas

Contrary to the assertions of the usual fossil-fuel fans, Texass use of a lot of wind power (especially in the summer) was not an important culprit in the disaster. Indeed, the wind turbines along Texass Gulf Coast that didnt have ice gumming their works helped ensure that the crisis wasnt even worse. And for that matter wind turbines in Iowa and Canada and a lot of other usually chilly places do fine. So, do solar panels, even if you have to push snow and ice off them from time to time.

The biggest Texas problem was that the natural-gas pipeline system couldnt deliver enough gas to meet the suddenly much higher demand for home heating and electric power. Natural gas is the largest power source in Texas. Pipelines froze and there were cold-related breakdowns at the gas-powered utility plants themselves, some due to poor maintenance and some because the equipment just couldnt handle very low temperatures. And theres obviously not enough backup or as the engineers call it, redundancy. Thats because of utilities drive for maximum profitability.

Consider that back in the 1990s Texas decided against paying power producers to hold gas reserves, even though the common practice in the U.S. and Canada has been to require a buffer of at least 15 percent beyond a typical days need. That also made things worse.

But then, a cursory look at, for example, Americas transportation infrastructure, as well as its electric utilities, shows that were not very enthusiastic about spending money to prepare for emergencies or maintaining public as well as private infrastructure.

Further, the Lone Star State is the only state in the continental United States that runs a stand-alone electricity grid, designed to keep its energy system independent and isolated from other electricity markets.

That means that during storms and extreme heat and cold, most of Texas cant draw from other grids. That raises the question as to whether the entire continental U.S. electrical system should be connected to alleviate regional crises when the occur. Or would that make the whole countrys electricity too vulnerable to cyberattacks by Russians, Chinese, North Koreans, Iranians and other enemies?

At least some of the crisis could have been forecast last month, when the stratospheric air above the Arctic suddenly warmed up. That caused a slow-moving atmospheric chain reaction that weakened the high-level air current circling the Arctic that traps frigid air there. This let frigid air pour into temperate regions of Asia, Europe and North America.

As global warming continues, expect more extreme weather, with more severe storms, worse heat waves and, yes, deep freezes in unlikely places. Our electrical infrastructure must be adapted to these extremes even as we move away from the fossil-fuel burning thats causing global warming.

Heres a good overview of the problem, Click HERE

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Meanwhile, Florida and Alaska have been much warmer than normal this winter.

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U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)

But so what?! All hed do back home is posture and get in the way. If only hed move to Cancun permanently.

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Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott and Governor Gina Raimondo

Why, oh why was Rhode Island so late in creating a truly centralized, reliable and easy-to-understand vaccination-registration system instead of the chaotic, confusing hodge-podge that we saw for weeks? Its a tiny, densely populated jurisdiction that would seem well-positioned for such a system. But what weve had is a mess, though its been getting better the last week or so. Massachusetts (Medical Capital of the World!) has had similar vaccination-rollout problems, though theyre being addressed faster now.

The mixed messages in the Ocean State have been something. Consider that people officially too young to get shots in the first cohorts have been able to jump the lines and get them. Apparently, its easy to lie about your age amidst the confusion.

I think a big, if well-intentioned, problem has been efforts to almost micro-target high-risk groups, which has tangled up the wider anti-COVID effort.

Even West Virginia, which, like many Red States, has many impoverished residents, along with bad health indices because of poorly funded health systems, has done much better than us managing the COVID crisis so far. It rapidly created a registry system that assigns everyone seeking a vaccination a place in line and notifies them when and where they can be vaccinated.

Lets hope that Rhode Islands shot-sign-up site, vaccinateri.org, can handle the crush of people seeking shots. Massachusettss vaccine appointment site, vaxfinder.mass.gov,crashed Thursday morning as about 1 million residents became newly eligible to book their appointments! Any techno lessons there for the Ocean State, even taking into consideration that its population is much smaller? Spend (and tax) whatever it takes to make these sites work.

Post-Pandemic Learning Catch Up

How much learning has been lost because of COVID-19 rules and closings in our schools for the past year? All states should use the results of coming standardized tests and other indices to determine how far behind COVID has left them. Dont cancel the standardized tests. Use them to help figure out how to structure catch-up programs.

Kids in lower socio-economic groups who lack the help (including computer equipment) that kids from more comfortable backgrounds have gotten to try to weather the crisis have fallen the most behind. We need to figure out what sort of remedial programs could help narrow the gap. This will cost tax money, but its absolutely necessary for the future of the country.

Assuming that the vaccination process moves fast enough, this summer ought to see many schools open for catch-up work.

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Expectations for massive job loss due to AI

Last November, Bill Gates predicted that half of business travel and 30 percent of days in the office would disappear forever. Meanwhile, the McKinsey Global Institute says that a mere 20 percent of business travel wont return and about 20 percent of workers might be working from home indefinitely. Whomever you believe, all this means far fewer jobs at hotels, restaurants and downtown shops, even as the pandemic has speeded the automation of (i.e., killing of) many office jobs (including home office jobs) and more factory jobs.

So what can government do to train people for new, post-pandemic jobs, assuming that there will be many? How can vocational and other schools be brought into this project? The trades electricians, plumbers, carpenters, roofers, plasterers, etc., will probably have the most secure, and generally well compensated, jobs going forward, along with physicians, dentists and nurses as well as engineers of all sorts and computer-software and other techies.

Another part of the jobs package should be a WPA-style program to rebuild Americas infrastructure, which the drive for lower taxes and higher short-term profits has dangerously eroded. (See Texas again.) This has undermined the nations long-term economic health. Such a program could also serve to train many people in new, post-pandemic skills that would be useful even as automation accelerates.

Of course, there will always be jobs available for very low-paid personal-help people, such as home health-care workers. Indeed, the aging of the population means that well need a lot more of them

Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, made addressing the looming threat of automation-caused job losses a key part of his campaign, which he suspended before the pandemic. He has proposed giving Americans a $12,000-a-year basic income to help get them through the developing employment implosion. It may come to that.

Meanwhile, meds and eds Greater Bostons (of which Rhode Island is on the edge) dense medical, technological and higher-education complexes will help save it at least from the worst of the long-term economic disruption caused by the pandemic. Much research must be done by teams in labs; technological breakthroughs require a lot of in-person collaboration, and most college students will continue to want and need in-person teaching. Further, Greater Boston is an international venture-capital and company start-up center. These high-risk activities also require a lot of in-person, look-em-in-the-eye work.

On the other hand, Bostons banks and its famed retirement-investment companies, such as Fidelity, will never have as many employees working in its offices as before COVID-19; nor will its innumerable law firms. Many offices in high rises in downtown Boston (and Providence) will remain empty for a long time while architects, engineers and interior designers try to figure out what to do with them.

But No Room ServiceSome of those COVID-closed hotels and motels may never reopen. Can some be converted into housing -- rental apartments or condos to mitigate our housing-affordability crisis? I would think so.

Ready, Aim, Raise Money

It says something about the current state of the gun-obsessed Republican/QAnon Party that Rhode Islands Republican Conservative Caucus is raffling off firearms, including an AR-15 assault rifle, to raise money to elect more alleged conservatives (translation: far-right populists) to the states General Assembly.

The quote below is from the then-retired U.S. Chief Justice Warren Burger (1907-1995) in 1990. The Second Amendment interpretation by this true conservative judge was generally the one held by the Supreme Court until far-right appointees of Republican presidents, in league with the gun lobby, began to take over the court. He was chief justice in 1969-1986.

The Gun Lobbys interpretation of the Second Amendment is one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word fraud, on the American People by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies the militia would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires.

The Second Amendment:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Note that the Founders wrote not only Militia but also well regulated, in those days before assault rifles.

Go here to read the rest:
Whitcomb: Power Failures; Test How Far Behind They Are; Imploding Employment; Rush Job - GoLocalProv

A total of 43 constitutional amendments have been proposed at the Arkansas Legislature this year. Lawmakers can refer up to three of these constitutional amendments to voters for consideration. The three amendments selected from these 43 measures would appear on the 2022 General Election ballot.

Our team has reviewed and summarized each of the 43 proposed measures currently in play in Little Rock. Below is a breakdown of each proposed constitutional amendment. Family Council supports some of these measures; we oppose others; and we have no position on most of them. As noted below, it is possible Family Councils position on some measures could change as proposals are amended or new information comes to light.

H.J.R.1006 by Rep. Frances Fran Cavenaugh (R-AR-060)

H.J.R. 1006 amends the Arkansas Constitution to permit voters to recall elected officials and judges in Arkansas. Upon initial review, Family Council supports this amendment.

H.J.R.1010 by Rep. Joe Cloud (R-AR-071)

H.J.R. 1010 amends the Arkansas Constitution to remove authorization of a casino in Pope County. This is a good amendment that will help curtail casino gambling in Arkansas. Family Council supports H.J.R. 1010.

H.J.R.1011 by Rep. Joe Cloud (R-AR-071)

H.J.R. 1011 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It changes the casino amendment that authorizes casino gambling in Pope, Jefferson, Garland, and Crittenden counties. Under H.J.R. 1011, the Arkansas Racing Commission would not issue a casino license in Pope County unless the voters of the county approve conducting casino gaming at a local election. Family Council supports H.J.R. 1011.

H.J.R.1018 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R-AR-087), Sen. Jane English (R-AR-034)

H.J.R. 1018 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It clarifies that proceeds from the Arkansas Lottery may be used to fund scholarships and grants to students at vocational-technical and technical institutes. Currently, lottery scholarships are only available to students enrolled in public or private two-year and four-year colleges and universities. Family Council supports legislation that ensures lottery-funded scholarships are managed responsibly. We support H.J.R. 1018.

H.J.R.1024 by Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R-AR-057), Sen. Jason Rapert (R-AR-035)

H.J.R. 1024 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It prevents the government from burdening a persons free exercise of religion. The measure is similar to Arkansas state Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Family Council strongly supports this good amendment to the Arkansas Constitution.

H.J.R.1025 by Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R-AR-057)

H.J.R. 1025 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It says that the sanctity of life is paramount to all other rights protected by the constitution. It states that Arkansas citizens, acting as jurors, have the sole authority to determine the amount of compensation or civil penalty imposed because of injuries resulting in death or resulting from acts that create a significant risk to life. H.J.R. 1025 will help prevent the State of Arkansas from placing a price tag on human life. Family Council strongly supports this good amendment.

S.J.R.14 by Sen. Jason Rapert (R-AR-035), Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R-AR-057)

S.J.R. 14 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It prevents the government from burdening a persons free exercise of religion. The measure is similar to Arkansas state Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Family Council strongly supports this good amendment to the Arkansas Constitution.

S.J.R.16 by Sen. Alan Clark (R-AR-013)

S.J.R. 16 would amend the Arkansas Constitution to require public schools to designate their athletic teams as male or female, and require student athletes to compete according to their biological sex. This would prevent boys who claim to be girls from competing in girls sports at school and vice versa. Family Council supports this measure.

H.J.R.1008 by Rep. DeAnn Vaught (R-AR-004)

H.J.R. 1008 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It requires initiatives and referenda submitted to voters via petition drives to be approved by at least 60% of the votes cast on the measure in order to pass. However, it would not require constitutional amendments submitted by the General Assembly to be approved by 60% of the vote. Family Council opposes this measure.

H.J.R.1014 by Rep. Lee Johnson (R-AR-075), Sen. Missy Irvin (R-AR-018)

H.J.R. 1014 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It gives the Arkansas Legislature the power to cap non-economic and punitive damages that courts can award when a person is injured or killed through someone elses negligence. Family Council has never opposed responsible lawsuit reforms. However, H.J.R. 1014 makes it possible for the Arkansas Legislature to put a price tag on human life. Family Council opposes this proposed constitutional amendment.

H.J.R.1015 by Rep. Jim Dotson (R-AR-093), Sen. Bob Ballinger (R-AR-005)

H.J.R. 1015 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It gives the Arkansas Legislature the power to set rules about pleading, practice, procedure, and evidence for all courts in Arkansas. Family Council has never opposed responsible lawsuit reforms. However, giving the Arkansas Legislature the ability to restrict evidence that can or cannot be used in court may make it difficult or impossible for people to obtain justice in court. Family Council opposes this proposed constitutional amendment.

S.J.R.7 by Sen. Bob Ballinger (R-AR-005), Rep. Jim Dotson (R-AR-093)

S.J.R. 7 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It gives the Arkansas Legislature the power to set rules about pleading, practice, procedure, and evidence for all courts in Arkansas. Family Council has never opposed responsible lawsuit reforms. However, giving the Arkansas Legislature the ability to restrict evidence that can or cannot be used in court may make it difficult or impossible for people to obtain justice in court. Family Council opposes this proposed constitutional amendment.

S.J.R.8 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R-AR-018), Rep. Lee Johnson (R-AR-075)

S.J.R. 8 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It gives the Arkansas Legislature the power to cap non-economic and punitive damages courts can award when a person is injured or killed through someone elses negligence. Family Council has never opposed responsible lawsuit reforms. However, S.J.R. 8 makes it possible for the Arkansas Legislature to put a price tag on human life. Family Council opposes this proposed constitutional amendment.

S.J.R.9 by Sen. Bob Ballinger (R-AR-005), Rep. Jim Dotson (R-AR-093)

S.J.R. 9 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It gives the Arkansas Legislature the power to set rules about pleading, practice, procedure, and evidence for all courts in Arkansas. Family Council has never opposed responsible lawsuit reforms. However, giving the Arkansas Legislature the ability to restrict evidence that can or cannot be used in court may make it difficult or impossible for people to obtain justice in court. Family Council opposes this proposed constitutional amendment.

H.J.R.1001 by Rep. Frances Fran Cavenaugh (R-AR-060), Sen. Breanne Davis (R-AR-016)

H.J.R. 1001 amends the Arkansas Constitution to let the General Assembly convene itself into session if the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate issue a joint proclamation calling the legislature into assembly. Currently, special sessions of the Arkansas Legislature can only be called by the governor. Family Council is neutral on H.J.R. 1001.

H.J.R.1002 by Rep. David Tollett (R-AR-012)

H.J.R. 1002 amends the Arkansas Constitution concerning ad valorem property tax assessments for the benefit of school districts. Family Council has no position on this measure.

H.J.R.1003 by Rep. Michelle Gray (R-AR-062), Sen. James Sturch (R-AR-019)

H.J.R. 1003 amends the Arkansas Constitution concerning taxes for the construction, operation, and improvement of public libraries. Family Council is neutral on H.J.R. 1003.

H.J.R.1004 by Rep. Stephen Meeks (R-AR-067)

H.J.R. 1004 amends the Arkansas Constitution concerning mill tax on real and personal property. Family Council is neutral on H.J.R. 1004.

H.J.R.1005 by Rep. David Ray (R-AR-040), Sen. Bart Hester (R-AR-001)

H.J.R. 1005 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It requires initiatives, referenda, constitutional amendments, and referred measures submitted to voters to be approved by at least 60% of the votes cast on the measure in order to pass. Family Council is currently neutral on this measure, pending amendments that may be made to it.

H.J.R.1007 by Rep. Fredrick Fred Love (D-AR-029)

H.J.R. 1007 amends the Arkansas Constitution to create the Citizens Commission on the Minimum Wage. The commission would have the sole authority to increase the minimum wage in Arkansas. Family Council has no position on this measure.

H.J.R.1009 by Rep. Jim Dotson (R-AR-093)

H.J.R. 1009 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It amends the name, membership, powers, and duties of the State Highway Commission. Family Council has no position on this measure.

H.J.R.1012 by Rep. John Payton (R-AR-064)

H.J.R. 1012 amends the Arkansas constitution to revise the duties of certain constitutional officers. Family Council has no position on this measure.

H.J.R.1013 by Rep. John Payton (R-AR-064)

H.J.R. 1013 amends the Arkansas constitution to revise the duties of certain constitutional officers. Family Council has no position on this measure.

H.J.R.1016 by Rep. Jim Dotson (R-AR-093)

H.J.R. 1016 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It is a shell amendment at this time, and it does not contain any actual provisions. Family Council will take a position on this measure if and when provisions are added to it.

H.J.R.1017 by Rep. Jim Dotson (R-AR-093)

H.J.R. 1017 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It is a shell amendment at this time, and it does not contain any actual provisions. Family Council may take a position on this measure if and when provisions are added to it.

H.J.R.1019 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R-AR-087), Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R-AR-006)

H.J.R. 1019 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It clarifies that candidates for the Arkansas Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Circuit Court, and District Court shall be elected on a partisan basis rather than on a non-partisan basis. Family Council has no position on this measure.

H.J.R.1020 by Rep. Josh Miller (R-AR-066)

H.J.R. 1020 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It is a shell amendment at this time, and it does not contain any actual provisions. Family Council may take a position on this measure if and when provisions are added to it.

H.J.R.1021 by Rep. Vivian Flowers (D-AR-017)

H.J.R. 1021 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It repeals language in the state constitution permitting slavery or involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime. Family Council is neutral on this measure.

H.J.R.1022 by Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R-AR-057)

H.J.R. 1022 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It is a shell amendment at this time, and it does not contain any actual provisions. Family Council may take a position on this measure if and when provisions are added to it.

H.J.R.1023 by Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R-AR-057), Sen. Jason Rapert (R-AR-035)

H.J.R. 1023 amends the Arkansas Constitution to say that Arkansans have a fundamental right to keep and bear arms. Family Council supports the Second Amendment, but we currently have no position on this measure.

S.J.R.1 by Sen. Alan Clark (R-AR-013)

S.J.R. 1 amends the Arkansas Constitution. It lets municipalities use short-term financing options to acquire fire trucks. Family Council is neutral on this measure.

S.J.R.10 by Rep. Frances Fran Cavenaugh (R-AR-060), Sen. Breanne Davis (R-AR-016)

S.J.R. 10 amends the Arkansas Constitution to let the General Assembly convene itself into session if the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate issue a joint proclamation calling the legislature into assembly. Currently, special sessions of the Arkansas Legislature can only be called by the governor. Family Council is neutral on S.J.R. 10.

S.J.R.11 by Sen. Greg Leding (D-AR-004), Rep. Jay Richardson (D-AR-078)

S.J.R. 11 is a proposed constitutional amendment. It would change Arkansas laws governing rental agreements, landlords, and tenants. Family Council is neutral on this constitutional amendment.

S.J.R.12 by Sen. Greg Leding (D-AR-004)

S.J.R. 12 would amend the Arkansas Constitution concerning the qualifications to vote in an election. The measure is a shell bill, and it currently does not contain any provisions. Family Council is neutral on this measure at this time.

S.J.R.13 by Sen. Jason Rapert (R-AR-035), Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R-AR-057)

S.J.R. 13 amends the Arkansas Constitution to say that Arkansans have a fundamental right to keep and bear arms. Family Council supports the Second Amendment, but we currently have no position on this measure.

S.J.R.15 by Sen. Alan Clark (R-AR-013)

S.J.R. 15 amends the Arkansas Constitution to require the governor to call a special session of the Arkansas Legislature when issuing an executive order or proclamation declaring an emergency. The special session would give the Arkansas Legislature an opportunity to consider legislation related to the emergency. Family Council is neutral on this measure.

S.J.R.17 by Sen. Bob Ballinger (R-AR-005), Rep. Justin Gonzales (R-AR-019)

S.J.R. 17 would amend the Arkansas Constitution concerning the review of the constitutionality of certain federal actions before the federal actions are implemented in Arkansas. The measure is a shell bill, and it currently does not contain any provisions. Family Council is neutral on this measure at this time.

S.J.R.18 by Sen. Alan Clark (R-AR-013)

S.J.R. 18 would propose an amendment to the United States Constitution limiting the U.S. Supreme Court to nine justices. Family Council is neutral on this measure at this time.

S.J.R.2 by Sen. Alan Clark (R-AR-013)

S.J.R. 2 amends the Arkansas Constitution to make it possible for the Arkansas Legislature to convene itself into special session if a majority of the legislators sign a petition submitted to the governor calling for a special session. Currently, special sessions of the Arkansas Legislature can only be called by the governor. Family Council is neutral on this measure.

S.J.R.3 by Sen. Alan Clark (R-AR-013)

S.J.R. 3 amends the Arkansas Constitution to permit the State of Arkansas to be sued just like any other entity and taken to court. Family Council is currently neutral on S.J.R. 3.

S.J.R.4 by Sen. Mark Johnson (R-AR-015)

S.J.R. 4 amends the Arkansas Constitution to require the General Assembly to provide laws establishing, maintaining, and supporting free public schools. Family Council is neutral on S.J.R. 4.

S.J.R.5 by Sen. Jason Rapert (R-AR-035)

S.J.R. 5 amends the Arkansas Constitution concerning the manner in which primary elections are conducted. The measure is a shell bill, and it currently does not contain any provisions. Family Council is neutral on this measure at this time.

S.J.R.6 by Sen. Clarke Tucker (D-AR-032), Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R-AR-057)

S.J.R. 6 would amend the Arkansas Constitution. It requires the Arkansas Legislature to enact laws revising the election process for primary elections, special primary elections, and general elections. It also requires the legislature to enact laws establishing the process for choosing delegates that will nominate presidential candidates and electors for the President and Vice President of the United States. Family Council currently has no position on this proposed constitutional amendment.

2-19-21 4:40 p.m. KAWX.ORG

Arkansas Family Council

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Here are the 43 Constitutional Amendments Proposed in Arkansas - kawx.org

This week, the Colorado General Assembly convened for its 2021 Legislative Session. Multiple pro- and anti-gun bills have already been introduced, though no hearings have currently been scheduled. Below are a handful of important measures to be aware of.

Pro-gun bills:

House Bill 1038allows those with a concealed handgun permit to carry concealed handguns on school grounds.

House Bill 1070repeals the misguided 2013 law that limited the amount of ammunition a firearm magazine can hold. By removing this restriction, law-abiding Coloradans are not limited in their ability to protect themselves and their loved ones.

House Bill 1082allows valid concealed carry permits to be used as an alternative to a background check while purchasing a firearm, and requiring a sheriff to receive the results of a background check before issuing a concealed carry permit.

Anti-gun bills:

House Bill 1106imposes government mandated standards for storing firearms,requiring them to be made unavailable for self-defense reasons.

Senate Bill 78victimizesgun owners who suffer loss or theft of their property with a fine if they dont report a lost or stolen firearm within five days of discovering them missing.

These measures implicitly attack gun owners and have zero effect on preventing crime;and they are only a couple of the introduced measures this year. NRA Members and Second Amendment supporters need to remain vigilant this year.Please stay-tuned to NRA-ILA Alerts for more information and updateswhen they are available.

See original here:
Colorado: 2021 Legislative Session Convenes with the Introduction of Numerous Gun Bills - NRA ILA

It took two years, but on Feb. 18, 2021, Gov. Mike Dunleavy finally had enough. In a blistering three-page letter, the governor reamed Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, for her rampant misinformation campaign as head of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Despite the governor and Sen. Reinbold belonging to the same political party, Dunleavy issued a stream of vitriol seldom leveled at even his Democratic foes in the Legislature. Everyone has a breaking point, and the governor found his.

You deceived the people of Alaska about their governments response to the largest public health crisis in a century. In doing so, you violated the obligation you have, as a member of the Legislature, to promoting and protecting public health, the governors missive to Sen. Reinbold read. Your baseless, deleterious and self-serving demands on government resources amounts to an abuse of public resources and will no longer be tolerated.

Its not hard to understand why Gov. Dunleavy unleashed his ire on Sen. Reinbold: For a full month, the senator has used her bully pulpit at the helm of the Judiciary Committee to belittle administration figures, partake in fact-free rants that misinform the public about the COVID-19 pandemic, entertain conspiracy theories, promote debunked medical claims and interview fringe figures who are all too happy to smear the medical and scientific establishment to gain personal notoriety. Reinbold falsely claimed the governor was making COVID-19 vaccines compulsory and equated his health mandates to martial law.

Given Sen. Reinbolds frequent and flagrant misinformation, the question most Alaskans asked themselves when they heard of the governors letter likely wasnt why, but why did it take so long?

Its a good question, and its one worth asking on a national level as well. Over the course of several years, the Republican Party in the United States has undergone a transmogrification, with a conspiracy-minded, xenophobic populist faction suddenly at the reins of the party Abraham Lincoln founded. Ten years ago, if youd asked a Republican why they chose their party, they would likely have answered with some mix of fiscal conservatism, belief in a strong national defense, the importance of the Second Amendment, and a sense that the U.S. was drifting toward moral relativism. Ask a self-identifying Republican today, and you might still get that answer or you might get an unhinged tirade about stolen elections, a cabal of child abusers, and the COVID-19 pandemic being a Chinese government plot.

Though the Republican Party is still nominally one party, its hard to see how the old guard of the GOP can coexist with the QAnon faction and the election-fraud diehards. The latter groups increasingly maintain their beliefs in direct contravention to reality. The predictions of Q have been repeatedly debunked and dozens of lawsuits alleging election fraud have been found wholly without merit, but it matters not a whit to the hardcore believers, who appear to think they can make these fabrications into reality through sheer force of will. And lately, these delusions have taken more and more dangerous form: Sen. Reinbolds anti-mask activism and COVID-19 quackery, if accepted by most Alaskans, would bring case counts roaring back to all-time highs. And five people died in January when election-fraud myth adherents, whipped into a frenzy by former President Donald Trump, rioted at the Capitol building in an attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden.

One participant in that riot, facing federal felony charges, was set to testify before Sen. Reinbolds Judiciary Committee on Friday, about the purported medical benefits of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment. (It is apparently immaterial to Sen. Reinbold that the Food and Drug Administration has warned against the use of the drug by coronavirus patients.) Fortunately, Senate President Peter Micciche canceled that hearing personally on Thursday, preventing the spread of more misinformation. Which, again, should lead Alaskans to wonder, why did it take so long?

The answer is that decisions that would otherwise seem like common sense become more complicated when political reality intrudes. Despite Sen. Reinbolds well-established tendency to embarrass her caucus, shes not alone among legislators in her skepticism of COVID-19 health measure, and the Senate majority cant afford to lose very many members before its in danger of no longer being a majority thats why Sen. Reinbold came to be the Judiciary chair in the first place, and why the caucus ditched its requirement that members stick together on budget votes. Thats also why, rather than repudiating the discredited election-fraud claims and QAnon adherents in their ranks, GOP members in the Lower 48 opted to censure and deride those who spoke against them.

But at some point, there has to be a reckoning, and it seems like its coming soon, both in Alaska and across the U.S. the Republican Party cant exist long in its present state. It must choose to reject the fringe that has come to dominate its rank-and-file, or it will become a fringe party itself, fixated on misinformation and raging at imagined enemies. For the health of our state and our country, we should hope it chooses to return to its principles.

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For the GOP in Alaska and nationwide, how far is too far? - Anchorage Daily News