February 19, 2018


News and Views


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/special-counsel-robert-mueller-indictment-russia-significance/
CBS NEWS February 19, 2018, 4:41 PM
Special counsel is "laying the groundwork" with latest Russian meddling indictment

VIDEO – REID ON PROVING COLLUSION

Over the weekend on Twitter, President Trump condemned any suggestion that his presidential campaign colluded with Russians. His comments stemmed from the special counsel's latest indictment on Friday, accusing more than a dozen Russians of carrying out a complicated scheme to influence the 2016 election. The document alleges Russians posed as Americans and used social media to influence the vote.

According to CBS News justice reporter Paula Reid, the significance of the latest indictment by special counsel Robert Mueller is that "it lays out in specific details how the Russians meddled in these elections and what crimes were committed under U.S. law."

"Because when you say someone meddled, well, what exactly does that mean? And here Robert Mueller lays that out specifically," Reid said Monday on "CBS This Morning." "He says sometimes it was pushing out messages on social media, sometimes it was paying Americans to engage in political activities and other times it was setting up two rallies in the same city on the same day on opposite sides of an issue."

It's just the tip of the iceberg in the probe, Reid added.

"What he's doing is he's laying the groundwork here. He's explaining to the American people what happened. And now they'll continue to investigate whether or not any Americans knowingly participated in this," Reid said.

In this particular indictment, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said there is no allegation that any American was knowingly involved in the conspiracy.

"But we know from the indictment that the Russians did work with Americans. They paid people to do this. So the big question now for investigators is, did anyone knowingly participate?" Reid said.

Even Mr. Trump "has not been cleared" yet, Reid said.

"He also tweeted that this began before his campaign, which is true. There's no evidence or claim of collusion in this specific indictment. But this is one of many, and we know from sources that the investigation continues specifically into whether there were any financial transactions between the Trump campaign and Russia and then also this question of obstruction of justice. Just last week investigators were talking again to Steve Bannon. They're also speaking to Trump's legal teams, former spokesman, so the investigation continues. Nobody is in the clear," Reid said.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rep-trey-gowdy-on-mueller-indictments-this-is-exactly-what-we-wanted-him-to-do/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS February 18, 2018, 1:08 PM
Rep. Trey Gowdy on Mueller indictments: "This is exactly what we wanted him to do"

Following the indictments of 13 Russian nationals for their involvement in meddling in the 2016 presidential election, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, says the charges tell Americans what some have known all along: "Russia is not our friend."

"Russia has tried to subvert the fundamentals of our democracy. For those of us who supported Bob Mueller from day one and said, 'Give him the time and the resources and independence to do his job,' this is his job. This is exactly what we wanted him to do," said Gowdy on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, referring to special counsel Robert Mueller.

On Friday, Mueller charged 13 Russians as well as three Russian companies with offenses relating to interference in the 2016 election. The indictment describes a sophisticated conspiracy involving the theft of U.S. identities, sowing discord on social media, communicating with unwitting Americans and even setting up political rallies from afar.

Gowdy said that all Americans must ward off Russia's attempts to use similar tactics in the 2018 and 2020 elections.

"Next cycle it could be a Republican. But Americans are the victims of what Russia did, not Republicans, not Democrats, all of us are victims," said Gowdy. "I would tell all my fellow citizens to be really skeptical of anything you read on social media and do your own independent research."

Meanwhile, just days after a deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida left 17 dead, Gowdy said those critical of current gun laws in place need to take into account the "instrumentality by which that shooter is killing people."

"You should look at the instrumentality and magazine capacity and the speed with which the projectiles, including bump stocks. But you also have to look at the shooter," Gowdy said. "In almost half the instances of mass shootings, there was notice provided to someone that the person was going to do what, what he ultimately did."

He added, "If you only look at the instrumentality and you don't look at the person who's pulling the trigger, then I think you're doing a disservice to everyone who wants to see an end to killings, including mass killings."

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


COMMENT BY KELLY ALLWOOD, A “GUN ENTHUSIAST,” --
“WE NEED THESE RIFLES BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT HAS THEM,” ALWOOD EXPLAINED. HE STOPPED THERE TO SAY HE REALIZES THIS IS WHERE GUN ENTHUSIASTS AND RIFLEMEN ARE MADE OUT TO SEEM LIKE ANTI-GOVERNMENT “WHACK JOBS” BY THE MEDIA, BUT THAT’S JUST NOT TRUE.” I’M SORRY, SIR, BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THEY ARE. THE PEOPLE WHO GO ON SPREE KILLINGS LIKE THIS, ARE USUALLY, TO ALMOST ALWAYS, HIGHLY MALADJUSTED YOUNG MEN (NOT POLLOCK, WHO WAS IN HIS 60S), AND WHILE THAT MAY NOT BE TECHNICALLY CLASSED BY PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFESSIONALS AS “INSANITY,” FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES, THEY CERTAINLY ARE BONA FIDE “WHACK JOBS.” THIS YOUNG MAN WAS FORMERLY DIAGNOSED AS HAVING AUTISM AND ADHD. HE WAS NOT “RESPONSIBLE” OR HEALTHY, AND IF HE HAD BEEN HOSPITALIZED THEIR FIRST TIME, THIS WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED.

THE SECOND GREAT POINT IN THIS ARTICLE, CLEARLY MADE IN ANSWER TO THAT RIDICULOUS WE’RE “PROTECTING OURSELVES AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT” ARGUMENT, READ THIS BY FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR KELLY ALLWOOD: “I DON’T THINK THE FOUNDERS HAD THE ORLANDO SHOOTING IN MIND WHEN THEY WROTE THE SECOND AMENDMENT.” WE’VE GOTTA GET A GRIP, PEOPLE!

https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.htm?C=188
So What Is an ‘Assault Rifle’ Really? We Look at the Definitions and How the Term Is ‘Demonized’
Jun 13, 2016 9:36 am

Image source: AP PHOTOGRAPH OF AUTOMATIC RIFLE
TheBlaze

It seems that there is a lot of confusion as to the difference between military rifles and those designed for civilian ownership, especially because of the language often used to describe the latter.

But why? Is an AR-15 not an assault rifle? Does the “AR” in AR-15 not stand for “assault rifle”?

Special: Biggest scam against the American people exposed

A man with an AR-15, which is a semi-automatic rifle allowed for civilian ownership. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)
It doesn’t. In fact, it doesn’t mean “automatic rifle” either, as many might think. AR actually stands for ArmaLite rifle, which is the company that first developed it in the 1950s.

The most popular terms to describe the weapons at the center of the recent gun control debate are “military-style” and “assault.” These words have long been used to to describe civilian firearms like the AR-15, but some consider it an inappropriate association that is deliberately being made to “demonize” the guns.

With what seems to be little understanding or agreement on the definition of what constitutes an assault rifle and the difference between civilian and military arms, TheBlaze went searching.

Military vs. Civilian Rifles — What’s the Difference?

For the purpose of this article, we’ll focus on AR-15s since it is what CBS calls “the most popular rifle in America” and one often designated an “assault” rifle. An AR-15 is the civilian equivalent to the military’s M-16. So what’s the difference?

Kelly Alwood, a firearms trainer and consultant, told TheBlaze the only difference is that one is fully automatic and the other is semi-automatic. It’s a small yet simultaneously big distinction. Firearms for use by the military are able to shoot continuously with one pull of the trigger, machine-gun style. Civilian firearms, on the other hand, only allow one shot per trigger pull.

M-16, a military automatic rifle. (Photo: Wikimedia)

Chris Parrett, a firearms enthusiast, pointed out that modifying a semi-automatic weapon into an automatic one is not only highly illegal with extreme penalties but also no easy feat.

What Constitutes an ‘Assault’ Rifle?

Merriam-Webster Dictonary defines “assault rifle” as “any of various automatic or semiautomatic rifles with large capacity magazines designed for military use.” The keywords here are “designed for military use.”

If that definition doesn’t quite cut it for you, here’s how David Kopel (via the Washington Examiner) describes it in an article in the “Journal of Contemporary Law” based on a definition from the Department of Defense (emphasis added):

As the United States Defense Department’s Defense Intelligence Agency book Small Arms Identification and Operation Guide explains, “assault rifles” are “short, compact, selective-fire weapons that fire a cartridge intermediate in power between submachine gun and rifle cartridges.”[21] In other words, assault rifles are battlefield rifles which can fire automatically.[22]

Weapons capable of fully automatic fire, including assault rifles, have been regulated heavily in the United States since the National Firearms Act of 1934.[23] Taking possession of such weapons requires paying a $200 federal transfer tax and submitting to an FBI background check, including ten-print fingerprints.[24]

Many civilians have purchased semiautomatic-only rifles that look like military assault rifles. These civilian rifles are, unlike actual assault rifles, incapable of automatic fire.

Based on these two definitions, since AR-15 is designed for civilian use, it therefore doesn’t fit with the definition of an “assault” weapon. This then begs the question why the association is being made in the first place.

(Editor’s note: machine guns, or automatic weapons, are reserved for the military but they can be purchased for a relatively high cost after a very lengthy background check and licensing procedure. See David Kopel’s definition we included above.)

“It’s a way to demonize something for a political agenda and misconstrue [the guns] and the public on the Second Amendment,” Alwood said.

Alwood, who the day he spoke with TheBlaze was traveling around helping police departments with their rifles, pointed out that all arguments for further gun control regulations or bans seem to go back the question “what would you possibly need this for?” Or rather, why would someone need the civilian equivalent to a military firearm?

Alwood said many gun control advocates would tie this question to hunting. In other words, why would a hunter need such a firearm? As the governor of New York Andrew Coumo said his State of the State address this week, “no one hunts with an assault rifle.” To which Alwood would respond, 1) there are practical applications in hunting with a so-called assault rifle and, 2) “the Second Amendment wasn’t designed for hunting,” an association which he thinks started being made in the 1980s.

“We need these rifles because the government has them,” Alwood explained.

He stopped there to say he realizes this is where gun enthusiasts and riflemen are made out to seem like anti-government “whack jobs” by the media, but that’s just not true.

“I don’t want people to think of me as anti-government. Most gun owners are not anti-government,” Alwood said.

He added that the Founding Fathers drafted the Second Amendment with protection of the citizens and their freedoms in mind.

“[Without the Second Amendment] there is no way to resist the government, voiding all other amendments,” Alwood said. “Why should [the government] continue to give you your freedom of speech if there is no one to stop them. It’s the only safeguard we have to protect us from a tyrannical government. …Look at all countries in trouble with dictators, they have absolute gun bans.”

The conservative publication Townhall recently called out two countries with a similar sentiment to this in mind:

Neither the Venezuelan nor Chinese governments have particularly good track records when it comes to human rights. By maintaining a government monopoly on guns, both can ensure that further abuses are carried out with less protests from the citizenry. Overall, it is sad to see two dictatorial governments making it easier to abuse their citizens as they please while also squelching the possibility for resistance.
Read the original post here.



ON THE SUBJECT OF WHICH PARTICULAR RAPID FIRE RIFLE WAS USED, THEY’RE ALL TERRIBLY DANGEROUS, AND SO ARE THE GUN FANCIERS WHO LOVE THEM SO MUCH. AR-15 SEMI-AUTOMATIC VS AUTOMATICS AND “ASSAULT WEAPONS” IN GENERAL – ALL OF THEM -- NEED TO BE BANNED AND NOT JUST THE AR-15; ALSO, THE ARTICLES ON THIS MATTER WHICH I SAW OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS SHOWED SEVERAL AR-15S AND THEY WERE LESS EXPENSIVE AND LIGHTER WEIGHT – GREAT FOR A TEENAGER; THEN, AS SOON AS HE’S 18, HE CAN GO AND BUY HIS FIRST AR AND MANY ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION. THAT WILL MAKE HIM A POWERFUL MAN, AND NOT A KID, RIGHT? THOSE TOUGH KIDS ON THE BLOCK HAD BETTER WATCH THEIR STEP! BY THE WAY, IT THINK THAT IT IS NOT IRRELEVANT THAT HE IS ONLY 5’7” OR SO AND WEIGHS 113 LBS. WHAT’S THE POINT? UNLESS HE’ TAUGHT SOME GOOD MARTIAL ARTS TECHNIQUES, HE IS MORE OR LESS HELPLESS AND HAS BEEN BULLIED ALL HIS LIFE. I DO WISH THE SCHOOLS WOULD KEEP BETTER CONTROL, BECAUSE IT REALLY IS DEEPLY UNFAIR. THAT’S WHY HE NEEDS AN AR.

HUFFPO WOULDN’T BE HUFFPO IF IT DIDN’T THROW IN A LITTLE IRONY. LOOK AT THIS GEM: “VISUALLY, DOES THAT SEEM ANY DIFFERENT THAN AN AUTOMATIC GUN TO YOU? WOULD YOU FEEL TERRIFIED IF YOU WERE PINNED [SIC] IN WITH A CROWD AS SOMEONE FIRED INTO IT WITH A GUN LIKE THAT? OR WOULD YOU FEEL SAFE AND SECURE IN KNOWING THAT IT’S NOT REALLY AN ASSAULT RIFLE?”

THE ARTICLES ON BANNING THE AR-15 HAVEN’T EVEN MENTIONED THE FULLY AUTOMATICS OR THE OTHER SEMI-AUTOMATICS. TRUE, THEY ARE BANNED BY A LAW FROM THE 1930’S, BUT WITH SPECIAL PERMISSIONS YOU CAN STILL BUY THEM. MORE CHEATIN’ AND LYIN’! THAT’S HOW MANY OF OUR LEGISLATORS REALLY MAKE THEIR MONEY.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-a-scaletta/ar15s-are-basically-assau_b_10469112.html
THE BLOG 06/16/2016 07:34 pm ET Updated Dec 06, 2017
Stop Saying AR-15s Aren’t Assault Rifles
By Kelly A Scaletta

Photograph – AR-15

In the wake of the Orlando shootings, the AR-15 and weapons like it are in the spotlight because, once again, a semi-automatic rifle was used in the shooting.

This time, it was technically a Sig Sauer MCX, but it’s in the same classification of gun. It’s a category of weapon called “military” or “assault rifles.” And while some people would like to blame that nomenclature on the “ignorance” of liberals, it’s how they are actually marketed.

But there is also a technical distinction between an assault weapon and the “semi-automatic rifles” which the gun advocates want you to know about.

I will quote the Blaze here, so as to not be called “gun grabber” or be accused of any bias in my definition:

For the purpose of this article, we’ll focus on AR-15s since it is what CBS calls “the most popular rifle in America” and one often designated an “assault” rifle. An AR-15 is the civilian equivalent to the military’s M-16. So what’s the difference?

Kelly Alwood, a firearms trainer and consultant, told TheBlaze the only difference is that one is fully automatic and the other is semi-automatic. It’s a small yet simultaneously big distinction. Firearms for use by the military are able to shoot continuously with one pull of the trigger, machine-gun style. Civilian firearms, on the other hand, only allow one shot per trigger pull.

So one is semi-automatic, and the other is fully automatic. Got it.

See, with a semi-automatic weapon, you have to pull the trigger each time you want to fire a round. You can’t just hold the trigger down and have a steady stream of bullets come out like you can with a fully automatic.

Doesn’t that sound a lot less deadly?

This, to the gun-rights advocate, is the quintessential distinction between them. But that’s a distinction without a difference.

Then there’s what’s called a “bump stock.”

You can buy one right here for just $135.95.

So what is a bump stock, you ask?

I’ll let this guy tell you because he seems like he knows what he’s talking about. After all, he’s selling them, right?

At about the 20-second mark, what did he say?

“This stock will let you use your semi-automatic rifle to bump-fire—or mimic automatic firing—without breaking any laws.”

“Mimic automatic firing... without breaking any laws.”

Those are his words, not mine. And while he goes on to adhere to the semantic distinction, he’s doing it emphasizing that in practicality, there is not one.

Alright, so what does that mean.

At 38 seconds:

“Bump firing is the use of a recoil of a semi-automatic firearm to simulate the effect of firing fully auto.”

So basically, it lets you do the same thing as a fully automatic weapon; it just lets you do it in a slightly different way. Each time the gun recoils, it bounces back, which causes it to automatically pull the trigger again, which causes another recoil and so on.

With both an automatic weapon and a bump stock, you’re holding your finger still while the gun automatically fires, but on a technicality, the trigger is being pulled each time with a semi-automatic.

Using the word “automatic” as an adjective, you can describe a semi-automatic with a bump stock as an automatic weapon, even you [sic] can’t call it one by its technical definition.

Perhaps a visual will help. Here’s a guy bump-firing 100 rounds in a matter of seconds:

Visually, does that seem any different than an automatic gun to you? Would you feel terrified if you were pinned in with a crowd as someone fired into it with a gun like that? Or would you feel safe and secure in knowing that it’s not really an assault rifle?

But there’s a problem with the guy in the last video. He’s using what’s called a double drum, and they suck. They tend to jam up, and that’s the last thing you want to happen if you’re trying to murder 100 people in a matter of minutes. Just ask James Holmes.

So what’s a would-be psychopath to do?

Well he could go buy himself the top-rated AR-15/M16 50RD 223/5.56X15 DRUM Magazine which sells for $215.00 and describes itself as:

Rugged, reliable 50-round drum magazine designed for .308/7.62x51mm & .223/5.56x45mm, full metal jacket ammunition provides plenty of capacity and reduces reloading time. Rated for full-auto fire, the low-profile drum is still compact enough for shooting from the prone position. Integral hand wheel makes it easy to crank back the spring for quick loading/unloading. X-15 magazine fits AR-15/M16 style rifles, and functions with .223/5.56x45mm & 300 Blackout ammunition. The X-15 is also shorter than a standard 30rd magazine.

It’s designed to reload quickly, and it’s rated for full auto fire—their words, not mine.

Becuase [sic] in case the first 50 rounds that went into the deer didn’t do the job, you need to be able to dump another 50 into him fast, or Bambi might get away.

Look, let’s stop with this nonsensical distinction without a difference between automatic and semiautomatic. With a bump stock, it’s effectively the same thing. The “gun rights” people know it because they’re the ones buying it; the gun manufacturers know it because they’re the ones selling it.

And the killers know it because they’re using them to shoot over 100 people in a matter of minutes.

Do you think those victims feel any less “assaulted” because they weren’t “technically” shot by an assault weapon?

What they’re hoping for is that the rest of us won’t know, and we’ll just buy into the “one pull per bullet” nonsensical rhetoric and let it go.

I don’t think the founders had the Orlando shooting in mind when they wrote the Second Amendment.

But we should in considering our gun legislation and start recognizing the difference between a weapon to defend yourself and your family and one designed for assaulting others.

Follow Kelly A Scaletta on Twitter: www.twitter.com/KellyScaletta
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Kelly A Scaletta
Politically aware sports writer and editor

ONLINE GUN BUYING -- https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.htm?C=188



A PLEDGE:

“A LOT OF HIGH SCHOOL KIDS ARE 18 YEARS OLD OR WILL TURN 18 BEFORE THE NOVEMBER ELECTION." OUR KIDS ARE DYING AND NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT," SHE SAYS. "EVERYONE'S GOING TO VOTE." THAT SOUNDS SO GOOD TO ME. MAYBE WE CAN GET BACK TO “AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL” AGAIN.

I’M SO GLAD TO SEE A RENEWAL OF CONCERN AND ACTIVISM ON HUMAN ISSUES. I HOPE FOR THE SAME ON ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS AS WELL. MAYBE WHEN BERNIE IS ELECTED AND THE UNCARING AND LARGELY CYNICAL REPUBLICANS ARE OUT OF OFFICE, THINGS WILL IMPROVE. IT’S AS THOUGH WE ARE COMING BACK TO LIFE AS A NATION AND AS WHOLE, CARING PEOPLE. I THINK WE OWE A LOT OF THIS TO BERNIE SANDERS; AND EVEN MORE TO THE SIMPLE HORROR OF THESE REPEATED TRAVESTIES OF PUBLIC ATTITUDES. I’M SAYING THAT PARTLY BECAUSE SO MANY WERE KILLED HERE, AND PARTLY BECAUSE 90% OF THE TIME WE ARE UPSET AND ANGRY OVER OUR MOST RECENT GUN MASSACRE. THEN IN NO TIME, THE PUBLIC HAS FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT, AND ARE SAYING AGAIN HOW “THE REAL ISSUE ISN’T GUNS,” AND THAT WITHOUT OUR GUNS “THE GOVERNMENT” IS PROBABLY GOING TO MARCH IN AND TAKE OVER OUR TOWNS AND CITIES.

THE PEOPLE I FEAR ON THAT ISSUE ARE THE “ALT-RIGHTERS.” THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT OUR COUNTRY, BUT ABOUT HARANGUING PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THEIR “LIBTARD” VIEWS. I MUST SAY, THAT PARTICULAR TERM IS AS VULGAR SOUNDING AS “CUCK.” DON’T THEY KNOW ANY OTHER WAY TO SPEAK? GUESS THEY AREN’T PLANNING TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT, SO THEY JUST DON’T CARE.

https://www.npr.org/2018/02/18/586958556/student-activists-who-lived-through-florida-shooting-plan-march-on-washington
NATIONAL
Students Who Lived Through Florida Shooting Turn Rage Into Activism
February 18, 20186:00 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered
BRIAN MANN

Photograph -- A week ago, kids in Parkland, Fla., were talking about prom and graduation. Now they're talking about funerals and gun control. Some students say the shooting that left 17 people dead will be a catalyst for different gun laws.
Brian Mann/North Country Public Radio

Sunday afternoon, Cameron Kasky is doing push-ups in a park near Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Kasky, a junior, says kids like himself are doing something new, demanding a fresh look at America's gun laws.

"The crescendo has hit its point. It's enough and it's over," he says. "I haven't got a shred of doubt that this is going to be our change."

Police say 19-year-old Nicholas Cruz has confessed to murdering 17 people last Wednesday with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, which the troubled teen was able to purchase legally. Kasky and most of the other kids in the park survived the attack and now they're pivoting hard trying to create a new national movement.

They've announced plans for a massive rally against school and gun violence in Washington, D.C., on March 24, with smaller rallies and protests in cities around the U.S.

"I just know we must prioritize lives over guns," says Dylan Redshaw, a 17-year-old senior.

Sophie Whitney, age 18 and also a survivor, nods and says, "We can't dwell on the sadness. Of course we're all heartbroken, but we can't let the 17 people die for nothing. We have to make something good out of their death."

At a picnic table in this city park a short drive from their school, the kids have set up a kind of media center. They're fielding calls from news outlets all over the country and also from community organizers who want to help by donating or volunteering. This kind of activism feels really different, compared with past mass shootings.

The kids here say in part it's because the victims are old enough to have a voice. "After what happened in Newtown, those kids were too young to speak out against what happened and to really even maybe even understand what happened," says Chris Grady, age 18, also a senior and a survivor.

"We want to be the voices not only for them but for any student or teacher affected by acts of cowardice like this," he adds.


Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School use a picnic table at a city park as a media center to plan their rallies on Washington, D.C., and around the country.
Brian Mann/North Country Public Radio
Another big change after the Parkland attack has been social media. Brendan Duff is a college student who went to school at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He's come home to help manage the new movement's digital campaign. He says the response has been overwhelming, with hundreds of messages per minute pouring in.

"People all over the country want to help. Social media is honestly the best way to reach not only everyone in this country I think, but definitely this generation," Duff says.

This is all happening really fast. Emma Gonzalez, another survivor of Wednesday's attack, went viral nationwide over the weekend after speaking at an anti-gun rally in Fort Lauderdale.

"If you actively do nothing, people continually end up dead, so it's time to start doing something," Gonzalez demanded, sparking a roar of applause.

On this Sunday afternoon, Gonzalez is here in the park helping plan next steps. Her mom Elizabeth Weigard says it's been "terrifying" watching her daughter get caught up in this highly charged moment.

"All you want to do is hold them tight," Weigard says. "Like I don't even want her to go to the bathroom on her own. And she's just like camped out all night with these amazing kids organizing a movement. It's kind of like letting them drive for the first time, which up until a week ago was my biggest fear. You just got to open your arms and let them fly."

These kids know they're flying in the face of massive political opposition, headwinds that include the NRA's staunch opposition to gun control, and the Republican Party's distrust of limiting gun rights. Sophie Whitney, one of the student organizers, says she has a question for those people: "Why is your right to own an AR-15 more important than a kid's right to feel safe?" She quickly answers her own question, saying, "It's not, it is common sense."

Another student, Dylan Redshaw leans in to speak, voice shaking with anger, and says the kids here aren't looking for gun bans. "We just need age restrictions and high-quality, accessible mental health institutions, and higher checks when people are trying to purchase these weapons," he argues.

These kids moved quickly the last couple days to build a social media campaign, while also tapping into the national grassroots network first organized ahead of the Women's March last year. With that help, they think the rally in Washington, D.C. on March 24 will be big.

"We're going to have a place in every major city somewhere where that people all across the country can go to," Stoneman Douglas alum Brendan Duff says. "They want to feel engaged, they want to feel like they're doing something to help. And this is it."

Another student tells NPR this campaign isn't just focused on rallies and social media. It's also about the midterm election. A lot of high school kids are 18 years old or will turn 18 before the November election.

"Our kids are dying and no one is doing anything about it," she says. "Everyone's going to vote."

NPR's Digital News intern Asia Simone Burns produced this story for the Web.

RELATED:

NPR ED
Should The Parkland Shooting Change How We Think About Phones, Schools and Safety?
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Columbine Survivor On Florida School Shooting
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Students Who Survived Florida Shooting Want Politicians To Know They're Angry



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-motorcade-press-van-driver-detained-with-handgun/
By JACQUELINE ALEMANY CBS NEWS February 19, 2018, 11:19 AM
TRUMP MOTORCADE PRESS VAN DRIVER DETAINED WITH HANDGUN

Photograph -- President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is seen in Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017. AP PHOTO/CAROLYN KASTER

Law enforcement detained the driver of the press van in President Donald Trump's motorcade on Monday morning in West Palm Beach after U.S. Secret Service found a handgun in the driver's bag.

The handgun was found during a routine security screening prior to the motorcade's departure from Mr. Trump's Mar-a-Lago club to Trump International Hotel, where the president plays golf.

The driver told law enforcement that he forgot to leave his gun behind in his personal car before getting into the press van to drive the pool of journalists trailing Mr. Trump for the day. After the firearm was located during the screening off club grounds in a parking lot across the street, the driver was not allowed onto club grounds. The drivers of the other two vans were also removed as a precaution.


White House press staffers replaced the professional drivers after the incident and drove the three press vans in their absence. One of the White House staffers accidentally hit a Secret Service vehicle in the parking lot, causing minor damage.

The Secret Service released a statement confirming the incident Monday:

The Secret Service can confirm that an individual serving as a staff contracted driver was briefly detained by U.S. Secret Service personnel and other law enforcement officials today. The individual was found to be in lawful possession of a prohibited item (firearm) outside the secure area at a Secret Service security screening checkpoint. The incident was investigated by the Secret Service and our partners at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) and resolved. At no time was any Secret Service protectee in danger or impacted. All Secret Service security measures worked.

The incident occurred 37 miles away from Parkland High School less than week after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz allegedly killed 17 people with a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle. Florida is a concealed-carry state.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement Monday morning which said Mr. Trump is "supportive of efforts to improve the Federal background check system." However, the president, who has tweeted 32 times since the mass shooting, has yet to mention gun control himself.


The White House, as is its practice, would not confirm the president's activities at the Trump International Golf Club. Mr. Trump arrived at his Florida property — the "Winter White House" — on Friday, after visiting the victims of the Parkland, Florida mass shooting Friday night, as well as members of law enforcement at the Broward County Sheriff's office. He skipped golf on Saturday and Sunday, but according to several photographs posted on social media by people at Mar-a-Lago, the president socialized with members throughout the weekend and seems to have made an appearance at one party, at least.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



A FEW PEOPLE REALLY ARE JERKS, AREN’T THEY? MOST AREN’T THIS BAD, THANK GOODNESS. ALL OF THE FOUR OR FIVE INCIDENTS THAT I’VE READ ABOUT DOWN THROUGH THE LAST TEN YEARS OR SO, HAVE BEEN ON THE CARNIVAL LINE. TO PARAPHRASE THE WORDS OF ONE UNDERSTANDABLY DISGRUNTLED PASSENGER, SAID WHEN SHE WAS OFFERED A MEASLY 25% DISCOUNT, SHE WILL NEVER, EVER, GO ON CARNIVAL AGAIN. IF SHE SUES FOR HER WHOLE FARE BACK AND DAMAGES OVER MENTAL DISTRESS CAUSED BY THE TRIP, THAT WOULD BE ABOUT RIGHT, I WOULD SAY. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IN THIS AGE OF CELLPHONE CAMERAS BUSINESSES WILL START “TRYING HARDER?”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carnival-cruise-fight-carnival-legend-ship-investigation-security-response/
[I COULD FIND NO WRITER’S NAME WITH THIS STORY.]

Photograph -- carnival-legend-brawl-family.jpg Members of a family disembark from a police boat in Eden, Australia, after being booted off and transported from the Carnival Legend cruise ship for allegedly fighting with other passengers, Feb. 16, 2018. REUTERS
VIDEO -- CBS NEWS, 1:48 DURATION

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Carnival Cruise Line has said "all aspects" of a series of incidents on a South Pacific cruise that was interrupted by brawls will be investigated, including the response of security personnel whom some passengers say made matters worse by using heavy-handed tactics. The violence was apparently caused by a 23-member family, members of which threw punches at other passengers.

Some of the passengers said they locked themselves in cabins to escape three days of violence on the Carnival Legend, which arrived in its home port of Melbourne on Saturday, a day after a family was offloaded in an unscheduled stop in Eden, New South Wales in Australia.

Police said they were investigating the incident and the operator apologized for the "disruptive behavior" by the group that was removed from the cruise liner. One passenger told 9 News Australia the brawl was a "bloodbath."

The "big Italian family" spent days attacking Australians aboard the ship, with people "getting strangled and punched up," passenger Lisa Bolitho told reporters.


"Very violent, they were full-on attacks," she said.

She also questioned the ship's management, quoting the captain as saying, "'What do you want me to do about it -- throw them overboard?'"

WATCH – Cellphone video footage purportedly of the brawl on Friday shows security guards fighting and trying to separate passengers amid shouting and kicking. -- THE FEROCITY IS STARTLING. A CASE OF HUMAN RABIES, PERHAPS? TO VIEW IT, GO TO YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n16cnyC8EcA

The Reuters news agency reported Monday that Carnival had released a brief statement, saying "all aspects including the security response" would be investigated. The statement did not provide a timeline for the company's investigation.

EXCLUSIVE: Shocking violence aboard Carnival Legend cruise ship by 3AWRadio on YouTube

Videos posted online from inside the ship appear to show Carnival security personnel beating an individual on the ground and attempting to grab cell phones from other passengers as they recorded the events.

Bolitho's son Jarrah said he was among those targeted and fled and locked himself in the cabin with his mother.

"I was watching the fight and one guy came up to me and said 'Do you want to go too bro?'" he said, adding the offenders were in their late teens and early 20s. "My mum had to drag me away from it all. They were trying to pick on any Aussie they could find."

Carnival Cruise Line said it was offering guests a 25 percent future cruise credit as a "goodwill gesture" but some passengers criticized the offer.

"I won't be travelling Carnival ever again so a 25 percent off a future cruise in my eyes is unacceptable," Mark Morrison said.

The cruise liner with more than 2,000 passengers was on a 10-day trip from Melbourne to New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



THIS IS ONE OF THOSE STORIES THAT MAKES ME REALLY ANGRY. THERE SHOULD BE NO LOSS OF TIME BEFORE AN AMBER ALERT IS ISSUED. IT SHOULDN’T MATTER WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS “EVIDENCE OF AN ABDUCTION,” OR ANY OTHER CRIME AGAINST HIM – RAPE, OR MURDER PERHAPS? SOLD AS A “SEX SLAVE?” ETC. AN AMBER ALERT SHOULD HAPPEN EVERY TIME A CHILD GOES MISSING, AND FAST, ESPECIALLY SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND YOUNG ONE LIKE THIS. IF THE LAW IS ACTUALLY WRITTEN THAT WAY, IT SHOULD BE AMENDED OR STRUCK DOWN. LET THE SUPREME COURT DO WHAT IT SHOULD, RATHER THAN PUTTING IN DECISIONS TO BENEFIT THE HUGE CORPORATE ENTITIES WHICH THEN SKEW OUR ELECTIONS, AS IN THE INFAMOUS CASE OF CITIZENS UNITED. I ALSO DON’T THINK THE COURT MEMBERS SHOULD BE SEATED FOR A LIFETIME, NOR SHOULD THEY HAVE AN IDENTIFIABLE POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION.

ONE MORE THING HERE. THE CHILD’S WELFARE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE KANSAS DCF JUST LAST SPRING – SOMETIMES AN ABUSER ACCIDENTALLY “GOES TOO FAR” AND THE CHILD IS MORTALLY WOUNDED, OR THE MAN (USUALLY) IN THE HOUSEHOLD IS COMMITTING SEXUAL ASSAULT ON HIM. PEOPLE CAN BE VICIOUS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lucas-hernandez-missing-fbi-joins-search-for-kansas-boy-5/
By CRIMESIDER STAFF CBS/AP February 19, 2018, 1:29 PM
Lucas Hernandez missing: FBI joins search for Kansas boy, 5

Photograph -- Lucas Hernandez KWCH

WICHITA, Kan. — Authorities searching for a missing 5-year-old Kansas boy have scoured a nature park and set up a tip hotline.

The Wichita Eagle reports that police said they received a call at about 6:15 p.m. Saturday to report Lucas Hernandez was lost in southeast Wichita. When officers arrived, Lucas' 26-year-old stepmother said he was last seen at about 3 p.m. Saturday in his bedroom before she showered and fell asleep.

Officers and dogs have searched his home, neighborhood and the 216-acre Chisholm Creek Park. Officer Charley Davidson said Sunday that police have found no evidence that suggests Lucas was abducted, which is why no Amber Alert has been issued.

An FBI team is assisting police. Lucas has brown hair and eyes and weighs about 60 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt with a bear on it.

TWO RELATIVES OF THE BOY TOLD THE WICHITA EAGLE THEY HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THE BOY'S WELFARE IN THE PAST, AND THE child's great aunt said she contacted the Kansas Department of Children and Families last spring. THE AGENCY HAS NOT SAID WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAD CONTACT WITH THE FAMILY.

The stepmother's cousin, Kristin Edson, told CBS affiliate KWCH the boy's father and stepmother are distraught. She said the stepmother told her that when she woke up Saturday, the child was missing and the back door was open.

"Very distraught. Very upset. Devastated. I mean, can you imagine?" Edson told KWCH. "They're just very distraught and worried about his safety. It's cold out. We don't know where he's at."

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



THESE WELSH LOVE SPOONS ARE REALLY BEAUTIFUL AND SIMPLY “SWEET.” I WONDER HOW MANY HUNDREDS OF YEARS BACK THIS ART AND SYMBOLISM GOES. I’VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT IRELAND AND SCOTLAND BUT ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT WALES. THERE’S THE PRINCE OF WALES, OF COURSE, AND WELSH RAREBIT (WHICH IS PRONOUNCED MORE OR LESS LIKE “RABBIT.”)

ALSO, WALES IS WHERE THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RUIN THAT SOME SCIENTISTS MENTIONED AS POSSIBLY, POSSIBLY BEING THE LAND OF KING ARTHUR IS LOCATED IN WALES. YES, MANY ARCHAEOLOGISTS DO THINK THAT A CERTAIN ROMANO-BRITISH WARLORD WAS DEFENDING HIS LANDS AGAINST INVADING ANGLO-SAXONS. WATCH THIS VIDEO IF YOU FIND THESE THINGS INTERESTING –

http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Camelot-Court-of-King-Arthur/ Camelot, Court of King Arthur, by Ben Johnson

“... The Welsh are the direct descendants of the Romano-Britons of England and Wales, who were pushed back towards the west of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th and 6th centuries. Arthur is considered by many to have been a Romano-British leader fighting the Anglo-Saxon invaders. So the placing of Camelot in Wales at Caerleon could be quite plausible.

The legend of Arthur and his knights also appears in The Mabinogion, a collection of eleven stories collated from early medieval Welsh manuscripts, intertwining pre-Christian Celtic mythology, folklore, tradition and history.

The Mabinogion tales were written down in the 14th century but it is widely acknowledged that the stories they are based on date from much earlier than this. The four ‘mabinogi’ tales are thought to be the earliest, dating from the 11th century. Five of the remaining stories involve the legend of Arthur and his knights, even including one of the earliest references to the Grail legend. Three of the Arthurian tales are set at ‘Arthur’s Court’.”

If we look at Aneirin’s poem with its reference to Arthur written around AD 594, and then look at the Mabinogion stories, it appears that the tale of King Arthur is rooted in Welsh folklore, having been passed down through the ages in the oral tradition. If so, this may suggest that Arthur may indeed have been a real person and that some, if not all, of the deeds and accounts of him may be based in fact. Or it may be that ‘Arthur’ is a composite character incorporating the deeds of several British warriors and leaders of the 5th and 6th century.

Cadbury Castle, Somerset
Another candidate is Cadbury Castle, an Iron Age hill fort near Yeovil in Somerset, referred to as a location for Camelot by the antiquary John Leland in his Itinerary of 1542. Leland fervently believed that King Arthur was a real person and did exist in historical fact.

Cadbury Castle WKPD

Following the withdrawal of the Romans in the mid 5th century, the site is thought to have been in use from then until around AD 580. Archaeological excavations on the site have revealed a substantial building which could have been a Great Hall. It is also clear that some of the Iron Age defences had been re-fortified, creating an extensive defensive site, larger than any other known fort of the period. Shards of pottery from the eastern Mediterranean were also found, showing wealth and trade. It therefore seems probable that this hill fort was the castle or palace of a Dark Ages ruler or king.

Local names and traditions seem to reinforce the links between Arthur’s Camelot and Cadbury Castle. Since the 16th century, the well on the way up the hill has been known locally as Arthur’s Well and the highest part of the hill has been known as Arthur’s Palace. Cadbury Castle is also situated not far from Glastonbury Tor, a location shrouded in mystery and legend. A causeway, known as King Arthur’s Hunting Track, links the two sites.

Also, according to tradition King Arthur, the legendary ‘Once and Future King’, sleeps in Cadbury Castle. The hill fort is supposedly hollow, and there he and his knights lie, ready until such time as England should need their services again. Indeed, every Midsummer Eve, King Arthur is supposed to lead a troop of mounted knights down the slopes of the hill.

Tintagel Castle, Tintagel, Cornwall.
In his “Historia Regum Britannae” Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote that Arthur was born in Cornwall at Tintagel Castle. Indeed a 1,500 year old piece of slate with two Latin inscriptions was found at Tintagel in the late 1980s, which would seem to link Arthur with Tintagel. The second inscription on the slate reads ” Artognou, father of a descendant of Coll, has had [this] made.” King Coel (Old King Cole of the nursery rhyme) is said by Geoffrey of Monmouth to be one of Arthur’s ancestors.

Cadbury Castle, Somerset
Another candidate is Cadbury Castle, an Iron Age hill fort near Yeovil in Somerset, referred to as a location for Camelot by the antiquary John Leland in his Itinerary of 1542. Leland fervently believed that King Arthur was a real person and did exist in historical fact.

Cadbury Castle WKPD

Following the withdrawal of the Romans in the mid 5th century, the site is thought to have been in use from then until around AD 580. Archaeological excavations on the site have revealed a substantial building which could have been a Great Hall. It is also clear that some of the Iron Age defences had been re-fortified, creating an extensive defensive site, larger than any other known fort of the period. Shards of pottery from the eastern Mediterranean were also found, showing wealth and trade. It therefore seems probable that this hill fort was the castle or palace of a Dark Ages ruler or king.

Local names and traditions seem to reinforce the links between Arthur’s Camelot and Cadbury Castle. Since the 16th century, the well on the way up the hill has been known locally as Arthur’s Well and the highest part of the hill has been known as Arthur’s Palace. Cadbury Castle is also situated not far from Glastonbury Tor, a location shrouded in mystery and legend. A causeway, known as King Arthur’s Hunting Track, links the two sites.

Also, according to tradition King Arthur, the legendary ‘Once and Future King’, sleeps in Cadbury Castle. The hill fort is supposedly hollow, and there he and his knights lie, ready until such time as England should need their services again. Indeed, every Midsummer Eve, King Arthur is supposed to lead a troop of mounted knights down the slopes of the hill.

Tintagel Castle, Tintagel, Cornwall.
In his “Historia Regum Britannae” Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote that Arthur was born in Cornwall at Tintagel Castle. Indeed a 1,500 year old piece of slate with two Latin inscriptions was found at Tintagel in the late 1980s, which would seem to link Arthur with Tintagel. The second inscription on the slate reads ” Artognou, father of a descendant of Coll, has had [this] made.” King Coel (Old King Cole of the nursery rhyme) is said by Geoffrey of Monmouth to be one of Arthur’s ancestors.


NOW, ABOUT THOSE HAND-CRAFTED SPOONS:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tokens-of-love-the-welsh-tradition-of-lovespoons/
CBS NEWS February 11, 2018, 9:28 AM
Tokens of love: The Welsh tradition of lovespoons

Conor Knighton's love of ISLAND HOPPING has taken him to a scenic spot that's all about love:

Off the northwest coast of Wales, lovely Llanddwyn Island holds a special place in the hearts of Welsh lovers.

It was here that St. Dwynwen -- the Welsh patron saint of lovers -- lived out her days, praying for romantics everywhere to find the happiness she never did.

[Dwynwen – pronunciation – go to this site and click the buttons -- https://www.howtopronounce.com/dwynwen/]

The Welsh celebrate St. Dwynwen's Day on January 25th.

And if you want to show your sweetheart that you REALLY love them, you don't get them chocolates or flowers or jewelry; you get them … a spoon.

Photograph -- lovespoons-conor-knighton-standup-with-spoon-620.jpg
Conor Knighton, with lovespoon, on the Welsh Island of Llanddwyn, CBS NEWS

Kerry Thomas is a woodcarver who specializes in the art of Welsh lovespoons.

"It's a Welsh tradition, which dates back to the 17th century," he said. "Lovespoons were carved by young men, and offered to the young ladies that they were courting. And if accepted, they were then regarded as tokens of engagement, or betrothal."

Thomas made his first simple spoon in 1969 as a gift for his girlfriend. "I thought that I would learn how to carve to save myself having to buy an engagement ring!" he laughed.

lovespoons-woodcarver-kerry-thomas-620.jpg
Woodcarver Kerry Thomas creates a lovespoon, at the Lovespoon Workshop in Cold Inn, Kilgetty. CBS NEWS

That spoon worked its magic -- and Thomas has been making increasingly elaborate utensils every year to commemorate his life together with his wife.

He showed Knighton an intricate four-sided spoon: Two smooth spoons, two rough spoons.

"What's that signify?" Knighton asked.

"The rough and smooth of married life. So, it's our wedding spoon," Thomas replied. "It's not all going to be smooth, it's not all going to be rough."

Each spoon starts as a single piece of wood. After drawing and cutting out a design, Thomas will spend hours crafting custom spoons for couples who may not be as handy as he is.

Photograph --wall-of-welsh-lovespoons-detail-620.jpg CBS NEWS
Each one is a labor of love.

You can say a lot with a spoon. Each twist, each knot signifies something important. "You put in little bits of stories," Thomas said. "You're putting little messages into your spoons."

At Castle Welsh Crafts in the capital city of Cardiff, owner Bob Rice guides his customers through the language of lovespoons.

A symbol such as a wheel means "I will work for you." An anchor might symbolize "steadfast love." A lock, the promise of a new home. The number of "seeds in the cage" is often used to represent how many children a couple would like to have.

"So if some guy goes home, and he's had one done with SIX spheres in, well, she better look out!" Rice laughed.

These decorative objects were once functional; the spoon itself is a symbol.

"What you do with a spoon? You're mixing and blending," said Thomas. "So, the lovespoon, you're mixing and blending the two hearts together. That's the object."

It's a way to say "I love you" in wood instead of in words.

Photograph -- welsh-lovespoons-display-cardiff-620.jpg
A Welsh tradition, on display at Castle Welsh Crafts in Cardiff. CBS NEWS

More from Conor Knighton's "Island Hopping" series:

Wake Island: Where America's day really begins

For more info:

The Lovespoon Workshop, Cold Inn, Kilgetty, Wales
Castle Welsh Crafts, Cardiff
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