BREAKING NEWS...the California mass shooter has been iD'd as 28-year old Ian David Long...a marine possibly suffering from PTSD according to reports now coming in. Our returning warriors desperately need help as too many are suffering the ravages of the horrors of war and unfortunately 12 innocent people got killed last night...and the shooter shot himself to death...as another vet slipped through the broken VA system. 😪 But make NO mistake...the shooter alone is responsible for his actions.

Op-ed:

Ft. Lauderdale Proves It's Time for Open Carry 

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots on American Political Radio

As I sit here writing this article this, 11 days have passed since Estaban Santiago-Ruiz murdered five people at the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. And as some of the media talking heads, the ‘so-called’ mental health experts, and the kumbaya touchy-feely sorts try to turn his murderous jihad inspired rampage into that of someone suffering from mental illness or PTSD instead of accepting the fact of what Santiago-Ruiz’s act was...as in a lone-wolf act of islamic terrorism (see proof of that in my article, A Bit Too Close to Home)...what must be remembered is that there is another component to this shooting...one that must shoulder at least some of the blame...and that component is that under existing U.S. law flying with a checked gun is perfectly legal.

Now dear reader do not get all bent out of shape thinking that I am favoring gun control for I am not...in fact quite the opposite...just bear with me and you will see that in a bit.

So while most people do not know that flying with a checked gun actually is legal, most do know that we cannot bring a firearm...a gun...loaded or otherwise...onto a plane. And last year alone, as per TSA data, 3,391 people tried to do just that...with four of the five guns confiscated being loaded. And that number is quite hard to believe what with the left’s cry for even more gun control after incidents like the Sandy Hook school massacre, the Charleston South Carolina church shooting, San Bernardino, and so many others. 

In fact, there have been similar shooting incidents like Ft. Lauderdale in the past few years but incidents somewhat buried by the media. In 2013, a security officer was killed and passengers were injured in a shooting spree at Los Angeles International Airport and in March 2016, a similar incident happened at the Brussels Airport...does anyone even remember those two incidents...I think very few do.

But the simple fact is that while it is a federal law not to be able to carry a firearm onto a plane or for a concealed weapon of any kind to be carried into an airport, the feds still leave it up to the airlines and local and/or state legislatures to set rules for the actual ‘so-called’ public areas of their respective airports...areas like baggage claim, restaurants, gift shops, and bathrooms for example...making these areas ripe ‘targets’ for those states or cities who allow guns to be carried in a public area or who allow pick-up of checked guns to go unhindered.

And not to be forgotten is that airlines are not required by law to check to see if a checked gun is even registered to the person traveling or even to the person checking the gun in, nor are they required to check to see if said person has a permit for said gun or if a permit is in place to use or even carry that gun once the passenger has reached their intended point of arrival.

And while Estaban Santiago-Ruiz did indeed have legal ownership and a permit to carry a gun in Alaska...a gun some believe is the same gun he used in the airport shooting...he still had to check his gun in as per existing TSA rules...rules that allowed him to freely pick up his checked bag that held the gun at the Delta baggage carousel upon his arrival in Ft. Lauderdale...rules that allowed him to go into the bathroom and open the case, take out the gun, load it, and then come out shooting...rules that allowed the end result being five innocent people lying dead and eight others being wounded, some quite seriously. 

Remember, neither the feds nor airport security monitors how a checked firearm...a checked gun...is picked-up by the person who checks it in...meaning once that person picks up their luggage, bags, or case that holds their gun, they can now freely carrying it within the airport itself, albeit still in the required case, but there is nothing to prevent them from doing what Santiago-Ruiz did...as in take it into a bathroom and load it, especially since by TSA law the ammunition must be stored in the same case as the gun.

So what exactly are the current TSA rules regarding bringing firearms...bringing guns...onto a plane? First, a passenger may ‘transport’ (their word) unloaded firearms in a locked hard-sided ‘container’ (again the TSA’s word) as checked baggage only but the hard case can then be placed inside a regular suitcase if so wanted. Second, said firearm and/or ammunition must be immediately declared to the airline when checking their bag at the ticket counter. Third, the ‘container’ case must completely secure the firearm from being accessed. Any locked cases that can be easily opened are not permitted and only the passenger flying can retain possession of the key or combination to that lock. Fourth, all firearm parts, including magazines, clips, bolts and firing pins, are prohibited in carry-on baggage, but may be transported in said checked baggage. Fifth, all 'so-called' replica firearms, including toys, can be transported in checked baggage only. Sixth, rifle scopes alone are permitted in both carry-on and checked baggage. And lastly, ammunition of any kind is prohibited in carry-on baggage, but may be transported in checked baggage... which is exactly what Santiago-Ruiz did.

And yet even with all these safety features in place there remains no addressing whatsoever of what happens when said case carrying the gun is picked-up. And herein lies the problem...so what is the solution?

First, it is important to remember that airport security as of now continues to remain focused only on the threat of armed hijackers who could take over an aircraft, which means that all actually flying are screened very carefully...as in the infamous TSA groping and searches many of us have gone through. But the people remaining behind or those doing drop-offs or pick-ups are not screened at all...a very common occurrence at most airports both here in the U.S. and worldwide with the exception most likely being Israel and for obvious reasons their security is much better than ours.

As for U.S. baggage pick-up areas, there is no screening at all for domestic flights thus allowing  for anyone to pick-up anything unless the gate personnel take the time and effort involved to match the airline ticket with the baggage claim number. However, when someone gets off an international flight arriving in the U.S. they pick-up their baggage but must go through Customs which is a secure area and whose personnel not only checks numbers and such to make sure they match, but who can and do open bags at will, thus being able to confiscate numerous guns and weapons each year. 

But when all is said and done the question remains will there be any viable and much needed changes made to airport security in light of the Ft. Lauderdale shooting? 

And the answer to that is not really a simple yes or no for the liberal do-gooders amongst us will call for a time-out and a wait-and-see attitude until Santiago-Ruiz’s mental status and/or islamic ties...ties as in his islamic moniker 'Aashiq Hammad' which the media is so playing down...is finally determined. And why...because these sorts in their misguided wisdom hope this attack was just an isolated incident. Refusing to see the strong possibility of copycat incidents becoming reality in the very near future, as well as their refusing to see the Ft. Lauderdale shooting being the sad beginning of islamic terrorist airport attacks of all kinds on America’s airports...attacks with a much higher body count than Ft. Lauderdale I might add...our liberal do-gooders continue to bury their heads in the sand as to who and what the enemy really is.

So now in Ft. Lauderdale’s aftermath we are left with the question of what if anything can be done to at least stop others from following the bathroom modus-operendi of Estaban Santiago-Ruiz. Personally I think we will at least see an overall yet slight beefing-up of security at the baggage claim areas whether it be just a general heightening of police and/or security presence, or of security actually knowing who on each flight checked in a firearm and now waits to pick it up, coupled with a visual check to see whether that person leaves the airport, uses the rest room, or just hangs around. And maybe we will even see an armed guard posted in each bathroom to be on the lookout for anyone acting suspiciously.

But there is another solution...a solution ignored by many on the left while being heralded by many of us on the right...and that is simply allowing 'open carry' in all 50 states. And by 'open carry' I mean being able to openly carry a firearm in public, doing away with the in effect in all 50 states 'concealed carry' laws where firearms can be carried but cannot be seen by the casual observer. And the 34 states where 'open carry' is already in effect, those states have seen a 24% drop in the overall rate of violent crime...including murder...than states without 'open carry.' And know that implementation of 'open carry' in no way would stop or delay the much needed background checks done before a firearm could be purchased...those laws would and must remain in place.

And I do not want to hear that the ‘bad guys’ will now be able to 'open carry' too because guess what... they already do and always have. 

Now just think about what even one lone person with an openly carried gun could have both done and prevented at Ft. Lauderdale...as in shoot Estaban Santiago-Ruiz dead before the body count started to rise, while also saving ‘We the People’...we taxpayers...the expense of keeping the bastard alive for years as he awaits trial even though he has already admitted he did what he is being accused of, as he goes through needless appeal after appeal, until whatever sentence he is handed is finally carried out. And 'open carry' also spares the victim’s loved ones left behind the heartache of knowing that justice in today’s America sadly still seems to favor the perp over the victim in most cases.

If ever there was a case for 'open carry,' the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport massacre is just that case. And I just hope that Florida lawmakers listen loud and clear to the will of the people...me included...now that Florida Senate Judiciary Chair Sen. Greg Steube, has filed an 'open carry' bill for our state Senate’s upcoming session. And while it will not bring those five murdered people back, it just might prevent even more innocents from being murdered by those out to kill us all.

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RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!

Today, Tuesday, January 17th from 7 to 9pm EST on American Political Radio, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori will discuss why open carry is needed in all 50 states, will take a look at who's really deplorable, and will look ahead to Friday's 'end of an error.'

Hope you can tune in at: http://tunein.com/radio/American-Political-Radio-s273246/

 
We at cprworldwidemedia.net are honored to work with founder James David Fox in this worthy endeavor. Please check it out as we hope that 'Veterans In Pride House' becomes a nationwide organization.

'Veterans In Pride House' is dedicated to the welfare and caring of our brave men* returning from the theaters of war. Located in Laurel Mountain Valley in the heart of Pennsylvania, four beautiful Victorian homes...one for each branch of service...have been renovated to meet their special needs.

'Veterans In Pride House' is committed to helping our homeless Veterans who have lost everything. Some Veterans are now disabled, but all are homeless. We provide PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) counseling, three hot meals per day, and their own comfortable bed. Counseling sessions are both one-on-one, and in group. We also help the Veterans find jobs, and we have the availability to get them to their medical appointments. Many of our Veterans have lost limbs, and we are able to care for their special needs. 'Veterans In Pride House' also works with those Veterans who have trouble working through the maze of their disability income allotments, and we pick-up needs that their income does NOT cover.

Remember, many of our Veterans come home to find their families and homes are gone...so please consider helping these brave warriors return to a normal life, after all they gave their all for us, now it is our turn to give something back. https://www.gofundme.com/vetsinpride

* In the future 'Veterans In Pride House' also hopes to serve our homeless women Veterans as well, and to that affect fund-raising has already begun. https://www.gofundme.com/vetsinpride

Op-ed: 
Iraq...is it really over for America
By: Diane Sori

And it seems they all died in vain...or did they.

'Shock and awe'...well served and with good intentions...a war that freed Iraq from the clutches of a brutal dictator and gave the Iraqi people a chance at an independent, free, and sovereign nation...a chance that Barack HUSSEIN Obama's deliberately misguided actions have taken away from them...taken away from them at the cost of American lives.

And with Iraq’s (Shi'ite) Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki now facing political unrest as 44 members of Iraq’s parliament resigned due to government forces breaking-up Sunni-led protests, fighters from the al-Qaeda linked group the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant have completely taken over the city center of Fallujah (where 100 Marines were killed in the 2004 second battle of Fallujah) by seizing military equipment given to Fallujah's police by US Marines. And with al-Qaeda militants almost in total control of the provincial capital of Ramadi, you have to wonder where did we go wrong and was the cost in American lives and in our taxpayer dollars worth it.

The answer to the first question is easy...Barack HUSSEIN Obama is the sole cause of the war gone horribly wrong...but the second question is a bit harder to answer for many factors come into play as Iraq heads into a civil war of Wahhabi Sunni vs. Shi'ite muslims.

Since the Iraq/Afghan War began on March 3, 2003, and up to about four days ago, 4489 American troops have been killed in the almost 11 years of fighting with two-thirds of those deaths occurring in the almost five years since Barack HUSSEIN Obama usurped...I mean took the oath of office. And more than 51,778 have been wounded, including thousands with serious brain and spinal injuries... including those coming home minus arms and legs...and including those with PTSD being their life after seeing and living the horrors of war.

And those returning home now have to continue to fight weary as they are, but this time they're sadly fighting their own government for their pensions and for much needed medical care... fighting their own government because the man who occupies the White House does NOT honor them, their sacrifices nor does he keep promises made to them.

So as these brave warriors battle DC bureaucracy for what is rightfully theirs, the fact remains that the money spent in tying to assure Iraq's seemingly now lost freedom could exceed three TRILLION of our taxpayer dollars...three TRILLION dollars for Iraq and a tooth and nail fight for our troops...all courtesy of the Obama administration...all courtesy of a Commander-in-Chief who is anything but.

And buried within those three TRILLION dollars is the millions of dollars that was spent on equipment that sits rotting in fields all over Iraq...and this because Obama would NOT allow our troops to train the Iraqi's on how to use said equipment for what was of paramount importance for this most vile of men...for this most traitorous of presidents...was announcing to the enemy the date our troops would begin and end their withdrawal, thus assuring them victory if they just bode their time and waited for us to leave...for as we all know America's enemies are Barack HUSSEIN Obama's friends on whose side his allegiance always lies.

So as violence escalates throughout Iraq, especially in the al-Anbar province where 2013 saw the most civilian casualties in five years, and as internal security issues worsen, Obama continues to bloviate that ending the Iraq War is one of the main accomplishments of his administration...second only of course to his single handed take down Osama bin-Laden (sarcastically said) NOT caring that what he calls ending a war is actually losing a war due to his having had our troops fight that war as per the tenets of political correctness.

But the question remains was this sacrifice of American lives, American blood, and American limbs worth it. Remember, some have said that this war was all about oil and making the 'fat cats' even fatter, so for those who believe that I guess to them it was NOT worth the cost in American lives for the war did NOT affect Iraq’s major oil fields. In fact, Iraq is now pumping even more crude than before the war as it's increased links to wells in its predominately Shi'ite south.

Also remember that Iraq, as much as the Democrats want it to be, is NOT really George W. Bush's war for it was Billy-Boy Clinton himself, who in 1998, signed the Iraq Liberation Act, making Saddam Hussein’s removal from power a matter of US policy.

And as much as those on the left claim that Saddam Hussein did NOT have the chemical and biological weapons that were the major selling point for America going to war even though the chemical weapons now in the hands of Syria's Bashar Assad are the very ones Saddam moved out of Iraq into Syria before the first US troop set foot on Iraqi soil...and even though Bush's 'surge' turned the tide of the war in America's favor and helped give birth to a fledgling Iraqi democracy... even with all this taking its toll in American lives the war was worth fighting because abandoning what Clinton set in motion...abandoning what Bush accomplished... would have been reckless at best... would have been un-American at worst for what America starts America finishes...Barack HUSSEIN Obama be damned. 

But do NOT think for a minute that this war is really over as Iraq stands between Iran and Israel and for that reason alone the Iraq war will NEVER be truly over for America.

Op-ed:
This administration must do right by those who keep us safe and free
By: Diane Sori

While right now most are focused on the turn of events in Egypt and how they will affect the entire Middle East region, there is an event going on right here at home that must NEVER be forgotten...the plight of our veterans and our troops as they return home…a plight made worse under the Obama administration.

Every year on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Barack HUSSEIN Obama makes oh so nice phony speeches for his photo-op library, but photo-ops do NOT a veterans crusader make. And a crusader is what our veterans need right now for the facts and problems speak for themselves.

Here are just a few facts that might surprise you about how this president and his administration truly feel about our veterans:

Fact: Over 67,000 veterans are currently homeless. These brave men and women who wore our country's uniform risked their lives every day to keep us safe and free at home yet when some returned home they found they had NO home to go to. And sadly, veterans are more likely to be homeless than the general population as they currently represent 14% of all homeless adults in the United States, with double that number homeless at some point during the year. And within that 67,000 figure the number of female veterans who are homeless has grown during this administration as well.

Fact: The VA has been criticized for delays in disability claims as some lawmakers and veterans’ advocates say the Pentagon is falling short on its responsibilities to returning troops because of cuts due to the sequestration. And while the VA itself is shielded from the automatic cuts under said sequestration, the personnel reductions at the Pentagon affects the over half million veterans (up from the 11,000 in 2009) that have been waiting for at least 125 days to have their benefit claims processed so they can get the help and services they need.

And that delay is just for physical injuries (such as the 1,600+ who have lost a limb; the 156 who are blind; the over 177,000 with major hearing loss; and the thousands who are disfigured so badly that they may need total or partial facial reconstruction).

The Department of Veterans Affairs also estimates that an average of 22 veterans commit suicide each day from PTSD when they could have been helped (a number that now exceeds the number dying on the battlefield, translating into the fact that combat vets now account for roughly 20% of all suicides in this country). In fact, one study recently disclosed that about one-third of all military veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq were officially determined to be mentally ill by government officials examining them, yet many in authority still do NOT realize that PTSD is just as serious as physical injuries. And many, actually the vast majority of those in need of mental help, find that they have to wait more than half a year just to get an appointment at a VA facility because of the paperwork and claims delays. And veterans with PTSD do NOT have a half a year to wait for help.

Fact: Today it takes military vets in need of ongoing treatment an average of seven months just to get an appointment at a VA facility, and this along with the Obama plan to limit military pay raises to 0.5% in 2015; along with a prescription drug fee increase as early as next year for active-duty and retiree families; and along with the fact that anyone who retires from the military will face higher out-of-pocket costs for health care is all just totally unacceptable.

And it’s all about priorities for funding…or should I say a lack of federal funding…for our troops and veterans are just NOT a priority for this president.

And priority funding would greatly reduce veterans’ homelessness if permanent funding both on the federal and state levels was put in place for our vets along with discharge services, affordable housing with rental assistance, supportive services for those with mental illness or those suffering from substance abuse and addiction, and for those with physical disabilities, because many of those problems are the result of service-induced trauma and injury. And if these issues were addressed when our troops were being discharged, along with the VA assessing the housing status of veterans as they leave active service, the numbers of homeless veterans would drop substantially.

Priority funding would also help guarantee adequate monies for VA health care without the undue delays and restrictions currently happening. It would be nice to see both Congress and this administration working together to make sure that the advance appropriations estimated for FY 2014 are adequate enough to meet the projected demand for veterans’ health care needs, and that those amounts were authorized into the FY 2014 Appropriations Act, in addition to making sure that sufficient funding is worked into the administration’s FY 2015 request as well.

It would also be nice if the Obama administration and Congress would provide a construction appropriation amount sufficient enough to address as many as five of the VA’s highest priority research facility’s construction needs in FY 2014 (as identified in it facilities assessment report) along with allocating $175 million for minor construction, maintenance, and repair funds dedicated exclusively to renovating existing research facilities.

The Administration and Congress should also provide $611 million or more in funding for the VA Medical and Prosthetic research program (so many of our troops are coming home minus arms and legs…or both) in FY 2014 to allow for appropriate program growth and to cover anticipated inflation.

Also, Congress should authorize a role for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to monitor and report on VA budget formulation in the advance appropriations process. Congress should debate and consider authorizing advance appropriations for all VA accounts, NOT only those associated with VA health care, but also for those covering programs all other benefits and services that the VA provides to sick and disabled veterans.

And lastly, the administration and Congress, if serious about supporting our veterans and returning troops, should provide adequate funding to support the Transition Assistance Program and Disabled Transition Assistance Program to make sure that all transition service members (active or reserve component) receive proper services through their transition period.

All this is the least this administration and Congress can do for those brave men and women who proudly wear or did wear the uniform of the United States of America. Getting screwed because of dollars and cents can NO longer be allowed for this president continues to take our taxpayer dollars … BILLIONS of dollars… and sends those dollars to muslim countries out to kill us instead of redirecting ALL those monies towards helping our veterans and returning troops…the very ones protecting us from those out to kill us.

Our veterans and returning troops MUST take priority over anything else, because without the sacrifices of these heroes we might NOT be the ‘land of the free and the home of the brave’.