http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/04/11/martin.confederate.extremist/index.html?hpt=C1

Confederate soldiers man their artillery in the battle for control of Kansas.

Editor's note: Roland S. Martin, a CNN political analyst, is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith," and the new book, "The First: President Barack Obama's Road to the White House." He is a commentator for TV One Cable Network and host of a Sunday morning news show.

(CNN) -- Based on the hundreds of e-mails, Facebook comments and Tweets I've read in response to my denunciation of Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's decision to honor Confederates for their involvement in the Civil War -- which was based on the desire to continue slavery -- the one consistent thing that supporters of the proclamation offer up as a defense is that these individuals were fighting for what they believed in and defending their homeland.

In criticizing me for saying that celebrating the Confederates was akin to honoring Nazi soldiers for killing of Jews during the Holocaust, Rob Wagner said, "I am simply defending the honor and dignity of men who were given no choice other than to fight, some as young as thirteen."

Sherry Callahan said that supporting the Confederacy is "our history. Not hate; it's about heritage and history."

Javier Ramirez called slavery evil, but prefaced his remarks by saying that "Confederate soldiers were never seen as terrorists by [President Abraham] Lincoln or U.S. generals on the battlefield. They were accorded POW status, they were never tried for war crimes. Not once did Confederate soldiers do any damage to civilians or their property in their invasion of the north. The same is not true of Union soldiers."

Realskirkland sent me a Tweet saying, "Slavery is appalling, but was not the only reason for the CW [Civil War]. Those men, while misguided on some fronts stood up for what they felt was right. They embodied that American ideal that the states have a right to govern themselves. THAT is what a confederate soldier stood for."

If you take all of these comments, don't they sound eerily similar to what we hear today from Muslim extremists who have pledged their lives to defend the honor of Allah and to defeat the infidels in the West?
Video: Governor: Slavery omission 'mistake'
Video: Confederate month: 'Part of heritage'
Video: Martin: 'Month honors terrorists'

When you make the argument that the South was angry with the North for "invading" its "homeland," Osama bin Laden has said the same about U.S. soldiers being on Arab soil. He has objected to our bases in Saudi Arabia, and that's one of the reasons he has launched his jihad against us. Is there really that much of a difference between him and the Confederates? Same language; same cause; same effect.

If a Confederate soldier was merely doing his job in defending his homeland, honor and heritage, what are we to say about young Muslim radicals who say the exact same thing as their rationale for strapping bombs on their bodies and blowing up cafes and buildings?

If the Sons of Confederate Veterans use as a talking point the vicious manner in which people in the South were treated by the North, doesn't that sound exactly like the Taliban saying they want to kill Americans for the slaughter of innocent people in Afghanistan?

Defenders of the Confederacy say that innocent people were killed in the Civil War; hasn't the same argument been presented by Muslim radicals in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places where the U.S. has tangled with terrorists?

We can't on the one hand justify the actions of Confederates as being their duty as valiant men of the South, and then condemn the Muslim extremists who want to see Americans die a brutal death. These men are held up as honorable by their brethren, so why do Americans see them as different from our homegrown terrorists?

The fundamental problem with extremism is that when you're on the side that is fanatical, all of your actions make sense to you, and you are fluent in trying to justify every action. Every position of those you oppose is a personal affront that calls for you to do what you think is necessary to protect yourself and your family.

Just as radical Muslims have a warped sense of religion, Confederate supporters have a delusional view of what is honorable. The terrorists are willing to kill their own to prove their point, and the Confederates were just as willing in the Civil War to take up arms against their fellow Americans to justify their point.

Even if you're a relative of one of the 9/11 hijackers, that man was an out-and-out terrorist, and nothing you can say will change that. And if your great-great-great-granddaddy was a Confederate who stood up for Southern ideals, he too was a terrorist.

They are the same.

As a matter of conscience, I will not justify, understand or accept the atrocious view of Muslim terrorists that their actions represent a just war. They are reprehensible, and their actions a sin against humanity.

And I will never, under any circumstances, cast Confederates as heroic figures who should be honored and revered. No -- they were, and forever will be, domestic terrorists.
 
 

http://www.infowars.com/cnn-article-equates-confederate-soldiers-to-terrorists/

Kurt Nimmo - Infowars.com

In a remarkably addlepated story about the Confederacy, Roland Martin of CNN tells us Confederate soldiers defending their homes against invasion by the North were no different than Osama bin Laden and the supposed 9/11 hijackers.

“Even if you’re a relative of one of the 9/11 hijackers, that man was an out-and-out terrorist, and nothing you can say will change that. And if your great-great-great-granddaddy was a Confederate who stood up for Southern ideals, he too was a terrorist,” writes Martin. “They are the same” as Muslim terrorists.

Martin also feeds into the ongoing corporate media effort to demonize a large number of Americans as “extremists.” He does not mention the Hutaree or other exaggerated scapegoats, but his historical revisionist argument hints that opposition to federal power over the states is domestic terrorism.

Martin made his comments after Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell decided to honor Confederates for their involvement in the so-called Civil War, actually a war against Northern aggression.

Since McDonnell issued his proclamation — and modified it to include a reference to slavery in response to intense pressure by the race-baiting crowd — the corporate media has gone into overdrive to characterize the North’s invasion as a heroic effort to end slavery.

As Infowars.com noted last week, the so-called Civil War was not about ending slavery. It was about the North imposing economic policies on the South. The South seceded from the Union because the North had imposed punitive tariffs upon it. In 1828 the North began imposing agricultural tariffs on the Southern states to subsidize its industrial policies and this ultimately led to secession.

In 1860, Lincoln promised not to interfere with slavery, although he did pledge to “collect the duties and imposts” the government claimed.

Lincoln admitted to Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase that his Emancipation Proclamation was not designed to free the slaves but was a brazen piece of war propaganda.

McDonnell’s effort to honor Confederate soldiers arrives at precisely the right time for advocates of state power over the individual. Millions of Americans stand in opposition to Obama and the federal government in response to Obamacare, cap and tax, and additional authoritarian power vested in the Federal Reserve and the IRS at the expense of the states and in direct violation of the Constitution.

It is also a response to a number of states talking about secession and nullifiction.

“I believe we are nearing a point where there are enough irreconcilable differences between those Americans who want to control other Americans and those Americans who want to be left alone that separation is the only peaceable alternative,” writes Walter E. Williams. “Just as in a marriage, where vows are broken, our human rights protections guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution have been grossly violated by a government instituted to protect them.”

Mr. Martin’s article is yet another example of the the Mockingbird corporate media in league with the federal government pulling out the stops to characterize patriotic Americans as extremists, racists, and domestic terrorists.
 
 

http://www.ktvz.com/global/story.asp?s=12287115

Traffic crackdowns happen all the time on Redmond Reroute, other High Desert highways - but this one was different

Signs warn motorists: Drug detection dog ahead

By Barney Lerten, KTVZ.COM

Redmond police, trying a new method to address drug trafficking through the city, set up a special enforcement operation on the North Highway 97 Reroute Thursday afternoon, stopping drivers for traffic violations and searching some vehicles if they had cause to believe drugs might be found.

The "focused traffic patrols" took place between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m., and warning signs were placed along the highway, advising motorists that drug detection dogs could be working in the area, said Lt. Nathan Garibay.

"If, when vehicles were stopped for traffic violations, police had any reason to believe there might have been drugs involved, they furthered their investigation and had the dog check the car," said Capt. Brian McNaughton.

Two people were arrested on drug charges, including the driver of a semi truck that was pulled over and searched, turning up a small quantity of cocaine, McNaughton said.

Garibay said the new step is being taken because, like most communities, Redmond "has found that a significant portion of crimes is connected" to drug manufacture, delivery and use.

Redmond police also identified illicit drugs as one of the top community priorities during a strategic plan developed in 2008.

"We are committed to protecting our citizens from all crimes and ensuring our community remains safe," the lieutenant said.

McNaughton noted that Deschutes County is designated a High Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area, which provides federal funding for drug-fighting efforts. The Warm Springs Indian Reservation recently received a similar designation, as did Lane County.

McNaughton said they expect to conduct the traffic/drug operations at least once a month, perhaps every couple of weeks.

Anyone with information about illegal drugs or other crimes in Redmond is asked to call (541) 504-504-3400, or submit an online report at the police department's Website at www.ci.redmond.or.us.
 
 

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/04/ohio-official-tells-residents-to-arm-themselves-amid-cuts/1?POE=click-refer

When the sheriff's department in Ashtabula County, Ohio, was cut from 112 to 49 deputies, just one vehicle was left to patrol the 720-square-mile county.

Asked what residents should do for protection, Common Pleas Judge Alfred Mackey replied, " Arm themselves," and added, "We're going to have to look after each other."

Area gun dealers and instructors told WKYC-TV, Cleveland, that they've noticed an uptick in sales and interest in self-defense classes.

One instructor, Tracy Williams, said the cuts mean "you don't have any other option" other than to listen to Mackey's advice.

Check out this video from WKYC for the full story: