By now, the controversial H.R. 45 Bill has been a topic of discussion across nearly ever dinner table in the country.  It’s also entirely possible these discussions have morphed into heated debates too.  This is an

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incredibly important bill that if passed, will affect the Constitution and will change the relationship Americans have had with their firearms ever since the framers of the Constitution hammered it out.  A few of the proposed guidelines are listed below; however, if you wish to view this extensive bill in its entirety, click here.

First, it’s important to know who Blair Holt is.  In May of 2007, a boy who attended Julian High School in Chicago, used his body to shield a girl who was about to get shot on a school bus.  She lived, but Blair Holt died as a result of his heroic efforts.

H.R. 45 outlines significant changes in the way we purchase, sell, store, use and move any firearms we are in possession of.  The repercussions if this law (provided, of course, it passes) is broken are incredible.  The changes will be drastic.  Before anyone will receive a firearm license, he will be required by law to provide to the Attorney General:

• A current passport-size photo
• Signed statement that authorizes the Attorney General to gather medical and mental health records
• The applicant’s place of birth
• Satisfactory completion of a written examination that is designed to promote gun safety and the applicant’s understanding of how to handle firearms, the risks of using a firearm and a thorough understanding of local, state and federal gun laws; and
• “Any other subjects as the Attorney General determines to be appropriate”

If the license is granted, the owner must renew his license every sixty months by undergoing the same procedures and paying a $25 renewal fee.

Other guidelines include failure to report a stolen or lost firearm within 72 hours of discovering its absence will be a crime.  If you relocate, either within the same state or elsewhere, failure to submit a fee and notification to the Attorney General will be a crime.  Suggested punishments include hefty fines, prison sentences (some of which would be felonies - which means, of course, those convicted would no longer be allowed to ever possess a firearm) or combinations of both prison sentences and fines.

Gun owners will be required to claim all firearms on his annual income tax returns.

These are just a few of the highlights of the proposed changes.  Understandably, this is an incredibly charged topic and the lines have been drawn in the sand.  These proposed changes will affect each of us on varying levels and will change the way our children and their children will see gun ownership.  Hopefully, the right solution can be found that won’t include such invasive laws; that said, those solutions need to be found now since many are pushing to have this bill passed in short time.

Trinity Church in Biloxi Before and After Camille

With the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico hosting a triple threat, the three tropical systems known as Ana, Bill and Claudette, it’s difficult to not remember Monday marks the fortieth anniversary of Hurricane Camille’s devastating and life-changing landfall in 1969.

On a personal (and brief) note, Camille was life-changing for me as my mother and I were nearly stranded only a few miles from and within a few hours of this monster storm’s landfall.  Due to a communications mix-up, it was a fluke the man who would become my hero and my dad, made one more pass through before leaving town.  It’s then he saw my mom and me (I was less than a year old, by the way), rescued us and took us far inland to safety.  Of course, this became their love story they continue to write each day and after forty years, it’s still my favorite story.

This, however, might very well be the only “happily ever after” that can be credited to Hurricane Camille.  With winds of over 200 mph, a hurricane warning wasn’t issued for Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana until the day Camille made landfall.  There was less than twenty-four hours for anyone west of Mobile, AL to prepare, or at least, for those hadn’t taken it seriously before.  Much has been said over the past four decades over how the warnings were handled; however, one must remember it was 1969 and the technological advances since then are nothing short of incredible.  The resources simply didn’t exist then that would have allowed the warnings we now have access to.

The Hurricane Center’s 8:25 AM CDT Statement that was released Saturday, August 16, 1969 - less than one day before Camille made landfall:

STATEMENT    8:25  AM  CDT    SATURDAY    AUGUST  16, 1969

TO SUPPLEMENT 9 AM  EDT  ADVISORY FROM MIAMI

A HURRICANE WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE MIDDLE GULF AREA FROM BILOXI,  MISSISSIPPI  TO  ST. MARKS,  FLORIDA.   SPECIFIC HURRICANE WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED AT NOON TODAY FOR A PART OF THIS AREA.  CAMILLE IS A DANGEROUS HURRICANE AND PREPARATORY ACTION SHOULD BE STARTED IN THE AREA OF THE WATCH.   THE AREA SPECIFIED IN WARNINGS LATER ON SHOULD BE EADY TO START EVACUATION AND START PROTECTIVE ACTION IMMEDIATELY.

Twelve hours later, Camille began to make landfall along the MS Gulf Coast.

Camille was a big lesson, no doubt.   And her landfall didn’t determine its geographical area in terms of damage.  Flooding in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and further north up the east coast was reported at levels not seen for over a century.  Nearly 6,000 homes along the MS Gulf Coast were demolished in their entireties, with many thousands more receiving damage not as catastrophic. And the lives lost?  Mind boggling.

The Corp of Engineers reported over 100 vessels along the coast were sunk, with thousands more damaged or “unfound”.  The insurance industry took a near $300 million dollar hit across several states.

As a result of those lessons learned, thirty-six years after Camille’s historic landfall, below you’ll find the stern and ominous messages the National Hurricane Center now releases as a result of what was learned during Hurricane Camille.  Watches are issued early and warnings are issued usually forty-eight hours before a hurricane is expected to make landfall, and of course, we now have a far better idea of where landfall occurs - not perfect, but much more accurate.  This text is verbatim from the National Hurricane Center’s site during Hurricane Katrina:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

…DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED…

.HURRICANE KATRINA…A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED
STRENGTH…RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS…PERHAPS LONGER. AT
LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL
FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL…LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY
DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.
PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD
FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE
BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE…INCLUDING SOME
WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY…A
FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD…AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH
AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY
VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE
ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS…PETS…AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE
WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS…AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN

The Biloxi Lighthouse Before and After Katrina

AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING
INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY
THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING…BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW
CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE
KILLED.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR
HURRICANE FORCE…OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE…ARE
CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET…DO NOT VENTURE
OUTSIDE!

While researching for this article, I discovered a report released by the National Hurricane Center in September of 1969.  There are some interesting copies of what satellite imagery looked like then.  This in itself is enough to make us look at our current radars and satellites with a new appreciation.  The article, in .pdf format, can be read in its entirety here.

And now, it’s back to The Weather Channel for updates on the tropics…

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Today was the day Bernie Madoff faced a federal judge to learn his fate.  Neither the judge nor fate was kind.  He received a 150-year prison term for what U.S. District Judge Denny Chin referred to as “extraordinarily evil” misdeeds.  Many of his victims, some one-time millionaires in their own right and others just looking for a way to stretch their nest eggs so carefully cultivated over a lifetime, took the opportunity to be sure the 71-year old crook understood exactly how his actions affected not only their lives, but those of their family members as well.

The gallery in the courtroom agreed with the judge’s sentence as applause erupted.  The judge also told Madoff and his lawyers that he’d received over 100 letters and emails, and not a single one was kind or supportive of Madoff.  Judge Chin said, “The absence of such support is telling”.

Nine victims chose to address Madoff in today’s hearing.  Some of the comments included Madoff being labeled a “monster” and an “evil low life”.  One victim said he stole money so he and his wife, Ruth, could live a life of luxury beyond belief. 

Since the federal prison system has offers no parole, Madoff will die in jail.  To date, there are thousands of victims - individuals, charities, celebrities and other businesses - who are out billions of dollars.  Many say this one Ponzi scheme is one of the reasons the American economy is in such dire straits.

Madoff did have a statement and chose to face those he scammed as he said his apologies, noting he knew it didn’t help. 

His wife released her first statement through her own lawyer that said, in part, “I am embarrassed and ashamed.  Like everyone else, I feel betrayed and confused.”  It can be read in its entirety here.  Still, she will spend the rest of her life with a 2 million-plus dollar nest egg while many of those victims are now being forced to move in with family members after having lost everything.

Maybe one of those victims said it best outside court, “He stole my money.  He didn’t steal my life.”

Once again, New Orleans has reclaimed the unwanted title of the nation’s murder capital.  The FBI released its statistics this week and after losing this title for a year, it’s found itself at the top yet again.  With 64 killings per 100,000 people, it comes in well ahead of St. Louis, in second place, with 47 murders per 100,000.

No city wants this title, but New Orleans has had an especially tough time over the past several years.

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Hurricane Katrina’s devastating effects remain, both on a physical and psychological level, unemployment rates have never recovered and are still incredibly high and of course, poverty runs rampant in one of the most beautiful and historical cities this country has to offer.

2008 looked promising for the city.  Murder rates were down nearly 15% at the end of the year with a total of 179.  That was a decrease of 31 murders from 2007.  Hopes were high as the city struggled to move forward, despite its violent reputation.  The fact populations numbers were on the rise, even as the murders were declining only added to that hope.

2008 also brought an increase in the number of police officers on the city’s force and with that, city officials were hoping for a continued trend in the decrease.  Unfortunately, that simply didn’t pan out and now, once again, leaders struggle to not only understand why, but how they can begin to see those numbers decrease.

As time moves forward, so does progress as this southern city works to reestablish its court systems.  New buildings are still being constructed four years after Katrina and new infrastructures are being developed as well.  Hopefully, with federal funding and a continued commitment among the residents and police officials, New Orleans can finally shed its unwanted title and can work to become a favorite vacation or retirement area.  For those who’ve never visited New Orleans, you owe it to yourselves to see the historic cemeteries, churches and other landmarks.  And, too, you’ve not lived until you’ve survived a night on Bourbon Street and witnessed the personalities and charm that makes New Orleans…well, New Orleans.

Find a Canadian lawyer by visiting www.lawyerahead.ca

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Today, the SEC released a statement regarding its move to file fraud charges against Angelo Mozilo, the former CEO of Countrywide.  He’s been accused of “deliberately misleading investors about significant credit risks that were taken in an effort to maintain the company’s market share”.  He’s also been charged with insider trading.

This is the first high level executive to face the consequences of and possibly be forced to take financial responsibility for his role in the current mortgage crisis.  He doesn’t stand alone in these charges, though.  Standing next to him will be the former COO and former Countrywide president, David Sambol and former CFO Eric Sieracki.  Their charges are similar to Mozilo’s.  In part, they’re accused of providing false assurances that Countrywide primarily held prime mortgages and weren’t as much at risk as other lenders that specialized in subprime mortgages.  This is surprising since any mortgage loan officer in this country can attest to Countrywide’s B-C side that specialized in…you guessed it: subprime mortgages.

Mozilo’s lawyer, David Siegel, told The Wall Street Journal that there was no fair basis for any of these charges and reiterated his client’s insistence that all sales were both legal and ethical.  Despite an email that was discovered, written by Mozilo to Sambo and other high level officers, he still claims his actions were ethical:

                … The 100% loan-to-value subprime product is “the most dangerous product in existence and there can be nothing more toxic and therefore requires that no deviation from guidelines be permitted irrespective of the
circumstances.”

Of course, we know those guidelines he speaks of were widely ignored and 100% LTV loans continued, even when potential homeowners had FICO scores in the 400-600 range.  What this boils down to is people were buying homes, with absolutely no money up front aside from the costs of the appraisals and possibly closing costs (which in total, probably amounted to less than $5,000 - if that much).  They could have been considered poor credit risks (any FICO score below 550 is considered poor by most lenders) and still could have purchased a house that they might not could have afforded.

For now, the SEC seems to be content with its big fish.  Whether or not further charges for other head honchos will surface remains to be seen.

Is the fact there is no evidence of a caller’s first hand knowledge of abuse within the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Texas enough for a judge to toss out all of the evidence collected during the now infamous raid in 2008? If the lawyer for the religious sect have their way, it’s more than enough. Despite the evidence that was found that proved the caller’s information correct, it could very well mean there’s no way to protect the kids who were temporarily removed a year ago because the caller lied when she identified herself.

This evidence led to search warrants, which in turn led to even more search warrants. Underage marriages, incredibly young girls who faced motherhood long before they were emotionally or physically ready and a host of other abuse allegations were uncovered during the many searches but may now be deemed illegal due to the mental state of the woman who first reported their living situations. The Colorado woman, who was later discovered to be Rozita Swinton has been charged with false reports of abuse to authorities and will be in court later this month to answer those charges.

As lawyers face off in a courtroom regarding the legality of the searches, there are over four hundred kids who have since been returned to their homes so that they can continue living the only life they’ve ever known. The young girls are still having babies and continue to be forced into so-called marriages. The only bright spot is the criminal case that’s now in jeopardy has little, if anything to do with the child custody issues. Those issues are still being hammered out in Texas courtrooms and will probably continue through the rest of this year.

Should law enforcement be penalized for doing its job, even if the initial reasons were less than truthful? As pure as the motives were, the fact Swinton didn’t disclose her actual identity may be what knocks the strength out of the criminal cases. This would be especially tragic since it will once again tie the hands of law enforcement who now know exactly what takes place behind those gates, but are helpless to halt those activities. A judge is now considering the next step in this case. Her ruling will ultimately determine how much farther this case will be allowed to progress.

Are classrooms across the country so lacking in subject matter that they must now resort to how-to guides for designing and implementing an act of terrorism?  It looks that way for a school in Colorado.  One hundred middle school students were given an assignment that required them to develop an act of terrorism and how each of them would go about implementing it in this country.  They were allowed two minutes to develop it in their minds.  There are countless parents who are not only angry, but are disgusted and sickened by this

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assignment.  The teacher’s credibility is being questioned too, especially since he/she can’t come up with any kind of a response to the many questions being asked.  The teacher does say it was just an exercise meant to illustrate terrorism by a foreign country on American soil.  Most will agree it has been illustrated enough over the past several years.

The school superintendent isn’t helping matters either and insists the students must have misunderstood the assignment.  That’s not likely since there are over 100 kids relaying the same story - anyone who’s ever had teenagers knows how impossible it is to get two teens to agree on anything, much less 100-plus.  He explains the assignment must have been misunderstood because had any student actually illustrated such an act, it would have resulted in immediate expulsion.  This redefines a vicious cycle.

Anything related to this project that was memorialized on paper has been destroyed.  Still, it’s not like the blackboards we remember from school - you can’t erase this.  With the end of the school year nearing, this will most likely go down as a poor choice of assignments and will be forgotten as soon as the kids barrel through their school doors for the last time this year.

There are questions that still linger, however.  This couldn’t have been part of curriculum and if it was, a major revamping effort is overdue.  There’s very little, if any, educational benefit from assigning this project and certainly not within the 120 seconds each student was allotted.

I’m sure most of these parents believe there was a better way to close out the school year than this.  It was in poor taste with no obvious benefits.

For information on criminal lawyers, canadian lawyers and lawyer go here

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Poverty is best defined as those who experience a shortage of food, shelter, access to medical attention and even clothing.  Unfortunately, too many people in America live in poverty.  Even worse is the number of programs currently available that fall short, despite monumental efforts made by selfless people who volunteer their time on a daily basis to offset the increasing numbers of Americans who fall into the federal government’s guidelines of poverty.

Even in the current economic times, we are living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.  Our resources are unlimited, our technological advances are mind-boggling and the numbers of us who contribute portions of our salaries in an attempt to do our part continue to rise; yet even with the countless numbers of shelters, food banks and clothing banks, still the numbers continue to rise.

It’s estimated nearly 37 million Americans are living in poverty this very minute.  The latest census statistics show a population of just over 306 million.  That’s over 10% of Americans who don’t have enough to ensure their children are eating nutritious meals, who can’t provide adequate homes for their families and who may be living with medical conditions that if go unchecked, could result in dire health consequences.

Job losses, foreclosures, lower wages and a multitude of other social problems are all contributing to this crisis.  The fact is, people are trying.  Once the vicious cycle sets up and a series of unthinkable events begin to happen, it’s almost as though a domino effect happens.  Now, there are more dominos that are falling.  Food and clothing banks as well as homeless shelters are all feeling the pain of the recession too.  This means precious few resources available to help those who are attempting to pick up the pieces of their lives.

Maybe the solutions lie within each of us, not so much as in a collective sense, but maybe what each of us can do in our own way and in our own day to day lives.  Some of the most successful stories we hear   are a result of those who make a phone call to their local electric company and ask to make a payment to a family that seems to find itself on the cut-off list each month.  There are stories of anonymous phone calls that have served as the gateway for a small business owner who needs a trustworthy carpenter and an out of work carpenter who has a family to support.  These two people might never have known of the other had a single phone call not been made.  We hear of food baskets being delivered to doorsteps with nothing more than a knock on the door to announce its arrival during the holidays; but when did it become acceptable for this to be a holiday-only tradition?  Hunger doesn’t make the distinction in holidays versus the remaining days of the year.  Stories of mortgage payments miraculously being made that keep a single mother and her children in their home aren’t uncommon either.  Is it really this simple?  Will small efforts such as these be what ultimately turn this country around? One thing’s for sure; we won’t know until we try.  Foreclosures don’t occur if payments are made, electricity isn’t disconnected if the arrears are brought current and poverty can’t exist if there’s enough food available where it’s needed.

NASCAR fans are a loyal bunch who thrive as much on the adrenaline of a fast paced, leader-changing race as much as the drivers of these near-million dollar cars are.  It’s the most recent near-tragedy that’s brought a controversy back into the spotlight and has the drivers, fans and NASCAR executives debating once again.  Restrictor plates, which basically ensure each driver isn’t driving too fast, has long since been a thorn in the collective side of NASCAR drivers.  They insist, and many agree, that it forces them to drive too close

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together since no one can get an upper edge in terms of speed.  Very few drivers believe it serves any purpose other than to provide too much danger due to the increased risk of crashes.  This is exactly what happened in Talladega, AL yesterday.

The world famous track has long since been at least partially blamed for the mandatory restrictor plates, especially after a particularly spectacular crash in the late eighties involving Bobby Allison.  He was running at 200+ mph, his crash sent him airborne and nearly resulted in his death.  He crashed into the fence and sent pieces of his car into the crowd.  NASCAR’s response was the development of the restrictor plates.  They insisted the insanely fast speeds had a lot to do with both Allison’s injuries as well as the spectators who were injured.

Yesterday’s crash that sent Carl Edwards airborne also sent debris flying into the spectator area, just as it did with Allison over twenty years ago.  This, of course, has many opponents arguing that the restrictor plates aren’t doing everything they’re designed for after all.  Yesterday’s fright only seems to back up these arguments.   Amazingly, Edwards walked away from the crash and actually crossed the finish line (the crash happened in the last lap) on foot.  He was battling for first place with Brad Keselowski, who ended up winning the race.  Although Edwards was uninjured, several fans weren’t so lucky.  Flying debris isn’t uncommon at these races and die-hard fans know it’s a risk they take.  Rarely are there lawsuits that result.  This time, there’s one fan who’s still in the hospital with a broken jaw.

Even Dale Earnhardt, Jr., whose father was killed in 2001, says the restrictor plates are celebrated, both by the media and networks, because it increases the chances of “the big one”, referring to a major crash that would most likely end the career of a beloved driver.  It’s not unheard of; some of the best have lost their lives on the tracks and every famous NASCAR family, including the Allison family, the Earnhardt family and the Petty family, just to name a few, has its own heartbreak over losing a family member.

Perhaps it was best said by Edwards himself after the race, “I don’t know if I could live with myself if I ended up in the grandstands.  We’ll race like this until we kill somebody, then NASCAR will change it.”

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Everyone has his own taste in music.  Personally, if it ain’t got a twang, it ain’t got a thang.  My Napster music list is 80% country music (and if you’re interested, the rest is 80’s classics).  Anyone who’s into country music knows all too well the influence John Rich has.  He’s a heavy hitter, for sure.  His latest slam into Wall Street only solidifies this.  It’s the video, though, that has people talking.  The song, “They’re Shuttin’ Detroit Down”, tells a powerful and painfully honest story about the current state of affairs, both on Wall Street (that seemingly has no concern about the jobs being lost, specifically within the automobile industry) and on every manufacturing line in this country.

This is the first video I’ve recorded on my brand new DVR.  If you haven’t seen it, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice and you should take five minutes to see it here.  Trust me, it’s time well spent.  Kris Kristofferson and Mickey Rourke star in the video and play two blue collar workers who aren’t biting their tongues when Kristofferson’s character is laid off after thirty-plus years.  The video progresses to its end when a phone call is received and they rush to his home to find law enforcement evicting him due to foreclosure.  There are clips of the recent

John Rich

hearings in Washington when the big three’s head honchos admitted, albeit hesitantly, to traveling via their private jets to the hearings.  This only adds to Rich’s message.

Rourke, in his usual aggressive ways, invites the boss to “come down those stairs” (the boss wisely doesn’t) to discuss the decision his employer’s made when he learns of Kristofferson’s character’s pink slip.  One thing’s for sure, whether you’re Republican or Democrat, blue collar or white collar, or even a lawyer, there’s simply no arguing this song’s message and the video’s power.

Watch the video and decide for yourself.  My guess is if you’re not already, you’re about to become a fan of country music, or at least, a fan of John Rich.