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Judge Extends Ban on Unmanaged Target Shooting in Los Padres National Forest
Los Angeles, Calif. – The U.S. Forest Service and a Santa Barbara-based conservation group have formally agreed to take a series of steps aimed at reducing the impacts of target shooting throughout the Los Padres National Forest in central California. The agreement – approved in U.S. District Court yesterday – resolves a 2018 lawsuit challenging the agency’s failure to address the proliferation of litter, soil and water contamination, wildfires, vandalism, harm to endangered wildlife, and other environmental and public safety hazards caused by decades of unmanaged target shooting across nearly two million acres of national forest land.
Under the agreement, the Forest Service will prepare detailed studies and consult with federal wildlife agencies to assess and reduce the impacts of target shooting on rare and endangered plants and animals, such as the California condor, California red-legged frog, southern mountain buckwheat, and Kern mallow. The agreement also provides for a temporary ban on target shooting and requires the Forest Service to notify the public about the closure, to post signs at shooting sites, and to take other steps to enforce the ban on target shooting.
“Our public lands have suffered from decades of litter, vandalism, natural resource damage, and unsafe conditions caused by unregulated target shooting,” said Los Padres ForestWatch executive director Jeff Kuyper. “This agreement will make our public lands cleaner and safer places for everyone to visit, will better protect rare plants and animals, and will allow shooters to continue practicing their marksmanship at designated, well-managed sites.”
“The Forest Service promised to close the Los Padres National Forest to unrestricted target shooting almost fifteen years ago,” said Earthrise Legal Fellow Kathryn Roberts. “We hope that the temporary closure required by this agreement will demonstrate that the forest can, as a practical matter, be closed permanently to unregulated target shooting and that such a closure would greatly benefit the forest’s native plants and wildlife and those who enjoy recreating in the Forest responsibly.”
“Unregulated target shooting poses a major threat to sensitive species, including the California condor,” said Maggie Hall, Staff Attorney at the Environmental Defense Center. “We applaud the Forest Service for complying with the important Endangered Species Act consultation process, designed to prevent harm to these species and their habitat.”
The lawsuit was filed in August 2018 by the nonprofit conservation group Los Padres ForestWatch to improve the management of target shooting in the Los Padres National Forest. The suit alleges violations of the National Forest Management Act and the Endangered Species Act, and seeks to enforce a permanent ban on unmanaged target shooting that the Forest Service approved in 2005, but never implemented. ForestWatch is represented by the Earthrise Law Center in Portland, Oregon and the Environmental Defense Center in Santa Barbara, California.
The ban only applies to unmanaged target shooting. Legal hunting with a valid license is not affected, and target shooting can continue at the Ojai Valley Gun Club and the Winchester Canyon Gun Club, both of which are staffed and operated by nonprofit organizations permitted by the U.S. Forest Service.
Three other national forests in southern California have similar, permanent, bans in place. The Angeles, San Bernardino, and Cleveland National Forests have prohibited target shooting outside of formally-designated shooting sites for decades.
In addition to the two permitted shooting sites in the Los Padres National Forest that remain open, shooters can practice their marksmanship at more than two dozen indoor and outdoor ranges located throughout the area. An interactive map of these ranges can be viewed at LPFW.org/where-to-shoot or www.wheretoshoot.org courtesy of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
According to the Forest Service website, “Law Enforcement Officers will be strictly enforcing this Forest Order in all areas of the Forest.” Individuals cited for violating the ban will face a mandatory appearance in U.S. District Court, where the judge can levy fines of up to $5,000 and/or six months in jail. Visitors who observe illegal target shooting should immediately contact 311 to file a report that will be relayed to Forest Service law enforcement officers and the local sheriff.
Background
A ban on “dispersed” target shooting in the Los Padres National Forest was first adopted in 2005, when the Forest Service updated its management plan for the area. In approving the new plan, Regional Forester Bernie Weingardt stated:
The Los Padres National Forest has been historically open to recreational target shooting except where prohibited by closure order; however, with increasing numbers of national forest users, concerns for public health and safety, resource damage to areas where the activity has been concentrated, and the documentation of numerous wildland fires that have been caused by recreational target shooting, the Los Padres National Forest intends to develop a Forest closure order based on Standard S36 in Part 3 of the forest plan. This means the Los Padres National Forest will generally be closed to recreational target shooting except where it is allowed in designated open areas and ranges. The ranges are specific sites that are managed under special-use authorizations. This is not new in southern California. The other three southern California national forests (the Angeles, the Cleveland, and the San Bernardino National Forests) have restricted recreational target shooting to designated areas. Because of its rural character, the Los Padres National Forest has not seen the need to implement this strategy until now. As the population continues to grow and recreation demand increases, I must manage shooting in a way that provides for public health and safety and protects the forest environment. Shooting associated with hunting is not affected and will continue as in the past.
But in the decade following, the ban was not implemented. A 2016 report by Los Padres ForestWatch – a local nonprofit organization that protects the Los Padres National Forest—found nearly one hundred informal shooting sites throughout the forest. The report—Forest in the Crosshairs: The Environmental and Health Impacts of Target Shooting in the Los Padres National Forest—revealed large amounts of trash at these sites, along with dozens of trees left dead or dying from repeated shooting. Televisions, computer monitors, refrigerators, microwaves, and other household appliances were frequently used as targets, contaminating nearby soils and waterways with toxic heavy metals. The report also found numerous shooting sites within the forest near known nesting or roosting sites for the California condor, an endangered species whose recovery is especially threatened by lead poisoning from bullets. Shooting-related vandalism was also recorded at public restrooms and trailhead signs, costing tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to repair.
The Forest in the Crosshairs report also noted that target shooting has caused at least 53 wildfires in the Los Padres National Forest during the past 25 years, scorching a combined 74,478 acres of forestland according to official Forest Service data.
The Forest Service refused to implement its own target shooting ban, and ForestWatch outlined the agency’s legal responsibilities in an October 2017 letter. When forest officials took no action, ForestWatch filed suit ten months later in August 2018. The suit – Los Padres ForestWatch v. U.S. Forest Service – was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The lawsuit sought to require implementation of the decade-old ban, and challenged federal wildlife agencies’ continued reliance on a ban that was never implemented to ensure adequate protection of endangered species in the Forest.
Los Padres ForestWatch is a community-supported nonprofit organization that works to protect the Los Padres National Forest and other public lands throughout California’s central coast region. Our programs safeguard wildlife, wilderness landscapes, and free-flowing rivers while promoting sustainable outdoor recreation and inspiring the next generation to become caretakers of our shared public lands.
Earthrise Law Center is the environmental legal clinic at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. Earthrise provides legal services for nonprofit conservation organizations across the country in virtually the entire spectrum of environmental and natural resources law, from protecting endangered species and ecosystems to preventing and reducing air and water pollution. Earthrise is a team of impassioned attorneys and staff working to achieve targeted environmental improvement while teaching the next generation of advocates to do the same.
The Environmental Defense Center protects and enhances the local environment through education, advocacy, and legal action and works primarily within Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties. Since 1977, EDC has empowered community-based organizations to advance environmental protection. EDC’s focus areas include protection of the Santa Barbara Channel, ensuring clean water, preserving open space and wildlife, and addressing climate and energy.
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Ventura College Foundation Announces Recipients of First Allied Health Scholarships
Ventura, Calif.—Ventura College students interested in careers in the medical and health fields received the first annual Allied Health Scholarship awards from the Ventura College Foundation at an April 13 ceremony at the college.
A total of $93,300 in scholarships were awarded to 42 students who are currently taking or plan on taking courses in the college’s Holistic Health Studies, Kinesiology Program, Paramedic Studies, Nursing Science, Certified Nursing Assistant or Emergency Medical Technology programs.
“Medical careers are always in the top 25 most needed careers in California,” says Debbie Newcomb, Ventura College Career Education I Dean overseeing the Allied Health curriculums. “Students in our medical programs are able to train for careers that are needed, provide at least a living wage and are satisfying and fulfilling. Local healthcare facilities count on us to make available well-trained students to fill their employment openings. We work collaboratively with hospitals, physicians and emergency services providers to ensure that we are training our students in the up-to-date skills they need.”
Now part of the Allied Health Scholarship umbrella, this is the 20th year that Paramedic Studies has been offered at Ventura College. Scholarships have been awarded to students in the program since its inception. Students who complete their course work receive a paramedic certification that meets state and national licensing requirements.
“Scholarship funds mean students don’t have to work extra shifts to pay monthly bills while in the program. This allows them to focus on their studies,” says Thomas O’Connor, Paramedic Studies Department Chair. “Having scholarships that cover the costs of the program and assist with living expenses has an immense impact on student success.”
Clarissa Swallows from Oxnard is one of this year’s scholarship winners. In fact, she received scholarships from two different donors. She was in her early 20s and a single mom when both her parents became seriously ill. She cared for them and managed their healthcare needs until they eventually passed away. “The experience made me want to jump right into school and become a nurse,” says Swallow, now 38, “but I knew that I had to focus on emotional healing and building a stable life before I could manage going back to school.”
Eventually, Swallows did return to school and this May, she will be graduating with three Associate Degrees—in Liberal Studies Natural Sciences, Math and Behavioral Science. Her educational goals are to become a Certified Nursing Assistant, be accepted into Ventura College’s Nursing program, obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and eventually earn a Master’s degree.
“The scholarship awards will be a great help for me. All these programs have lots of expenses outside the cost of the units themselves,” says Swallows. Swallows hopes to one day open a facility that provides care and resources for patients who require home healthcare as well as resources for their caregivers.
Seventy percent of California nurses receive their education at a California community college. Students who complete their Ventura College Nursing courses and become licensed enjoy a 100 percent employment rate and 86 percent of students attain a regional living wage. In existence for 55 years, Ventura College’s nursing program is the largest in the county, graduating the majority of the county’s nursing students.
“Our students were raised here, live here, go to our program and stay here to work. Many are bilingual and the first to attend college in their family,” says Ventura College Nursing Program Director Sandra Melton Ph.D. “We are one of the primary suppliers of nurses to area hospitals, medical offices and clinics. Scholarship assistance to students is life changing. The amount could help pay for such items as textbooks, childcare and the high costs associated with taking the licensing exam.”
Headed for a career in nursing is scholarship recipient Edward Ramirez from Santa Paula. He is currently enrolled in the Ventura College Nursing program. “In high school, I had an epiphany that what I wanted to do with my life was to help people,” says Ramirez. “I had been trying to work and go to school. These scholarships are the difference between being able to sleep at night before an exam and needing to use those late hours to study. Words can’t convey how much this means to me and how much assistance it really is.”
Ramirez will graduate at the end of this year as a Certified Nursing Assistant. He plans to commission into the Army Officer Nurse Corp.
“These scholarship students will be providing healthcare services to our communities in the near future,” says Rob van Nieuwburg, Ventura College Foundation board chair. “It’s exciting to see them beginning this important educational journey right here at Ventura College. They will graduate with the skills to obtain necessary, high-demand jobs. We’re proud that the Ventura College Foundation can help them achieve their career goals.”
The 2019 Allied Health scholarship recipients are Monika Ahluwalia, Jacqueline Alvarado, Vanessa Apodaca, Jessica Aubrey, Katheryn Black, Shy Burgess, Rosa Celis-Aguirre, Christiane Craig, Devin Davis, Lauren Davis, Houda Eazizayene, Sophie Elliott, Katja Godebu, Clara Gonzalez, Renee Grimes, Brenda Guillermo, Jessica “Blueberry” Hahn, Michelle Hamm, Holley Hatcher, Anna Heaton, Zoe Holder, Steven Keller, Jeremy Kohlhepp, Aubrey Lehr, Katherine Martinez Cruz, Ana Mena, Mayra Mendez, Gabriela Moreno, Johnathan Munoz, Hector Orozco, Amber Paz, Edward Ramirez, Diego Renteria, Andrea Rodriguez, Jonathan Ruiz, Jarobi Ruley, Angela Scott, Kelly Smyth, Liliana Solis, Clarissa Swallows, Meagan Wilson and Ila Marie Woods.
Established in 1983, the Ventura College Foundation provides financial support to the students and the programs of Ventura College to facilitate student success and grow the impact and legacy of Ventura College as a vital community asset. The Foundation also hosts the Ventura College Foundation Marketplace; an outdoor shopping experience held every weekend on the Ventura College campus east parking lot. For more information, contact Julie Harvey at (805) 289-6502 or [email protected] or visit www.VCgiving.org.
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Man Arrested Trying To Enter NYC’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral With Gasoline Cans
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NEW YORK CITY — The NYPD arrested 37-year old Marc Lamparello from New Jersey Wednesday night when he allegedly attempted to walk through St. Patrick’s Cathedral with a pair of two-gallon gasoline canisters, lighter fluid, and other items related to creating a fire. The iconic New York City cathedral was built in 1878. Lamparello is a student at CUNY study to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy and was an adjunct lecturer at Lehman College.
The suspect pulled up in a minivan on Fifth Avenue and left the car there for a period of time while he walked around the area, according to authorities at approximately 7:55 p.m. When he returned, according to authorities, he took out the gasoline, a plastic bag containing two bottles of lighter fluid, two extended butane lighters controlled by a trigger, and entered St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
NYPD at St. Patrick’s Cathedral after arrest of man with gas cans (Photo credit: Kerry Picket/The Daily Caller)
The man was confronted by a cathedral security officer who asked him where he was going and told the suspect he was not allowed into the cathedral with all the items he was carrying.
“At that point, some gasoline apparently spilled out onto the floor as he’s turned around,” Deputy Commissioner of counterintelligence and counterterrorism John Miller told reporters. “The St. Patrick’s employee notified CRC critical response command from the Counterterrorism Bureau. Police officers from our Stryker team who are outside that the individual went. South on Fifth Avenue and on the 15th Street.”
Officers eventually caught up to him and began to question him about why he was carrying gasoline canisters and other potentially dangerous items into the cathedral. (RELATED: Crucified Santa Painting To Hang In St. Patrick’s Cathedral)
“His answers were inconsistent and evasive although he remained conversational with them and cooperative, his basic story was that he was cutting through the cathedral to get to Madison Avenue — that his car had run out of gas,” said Miller. “We took a look at the vehicle. It was not out of gas and at that point he was taken into custody and brought to the Midtown North Station House.”
According to Miller, the suspect is known to the NYPD and said it is too early to declare what the suspect’s intentions were when asked if terrorism was a possible motive.
“It’s hard to say exactly what his intentions were, but I think the totality of circumstances of an individual walking into an iconic location like St. Patrick’s Cathedral carrying over four gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters is something that we would have great concern over,” he said. “His story is not consistent.”
The incident happened just days after the massive fire that burned at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Miller said the suspect is still being questioned by detectives and made no mention about Notre Dame in his initial encounter with authorities. (RELATED: Here’s What We Know About The Notre Dame Fire)
Kerry Picket is a host on SiriusXM Patriot 125
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The Mueller Report Changed my Mind on Term Limits
By Thomas L. Knapp
I haven’t read the Mueller report yet. I’m writing this on the day of its release (with redactions) by US Attorney General William Barr. I’ll read it later, but I didn’t have to read it, or even wait for its release, to reach one conclusion from it: It’s time to amend the Constitution to limit the President of the United States to one term.
No, not because I don’t like Donald Trump. I don’t, but I didn’t like his 2016 Democratic opponent either, nor do I expect to like his 2020 Democratic opponent. As long as American voters continue to limit themselves to voting for Republicans and Democrats, I don’t care too much which of the two parties they vote for.
Nor because I think term limits as such would usher in an era of “citizen legislators” and solve some of the systemic problems in American politics caused by political careerism (as my friend Paul Jacob, founder of US Term Limits, believes). It’s not that they’re a bad idea. It’s that they’re more of a distraction than a solution.
But the presidency is an office of singular weight.
We can afford, at least to some degree, to have members of Congress worrying about their own re-elections at the expense of doing the people’s business (however one defines that).
But can we afford to have both the president and Congress worrying about almost nothing BUT the president’s re-election prospects, 24/7, for four years out of every eight?
Let’s face it: That’s what the entire two-year (so far) “Russiagate” moral panic has mostly been about. Democrats want to either impeach Donald Trump and remove him from office or, failing that, destroy his prospects of re-election.
And yes, that’s what the last two years of Bill Clinton’s first term were all about too. Republicans hoped they could find something, anything, that would make it possible to beat Clinton in 1996 (didn’t work).
It didn’t help the Republicans in 1996. It isn’t helping the Democrats now. And ignoring real public policy issues in favor of such antics certainly did not then, and does not now, serve any rational interest of the public, except perhaps the interest of entertainment. That’s what Game of Thrones and F is for Family are for.
This is a problem we can fix. Limit the president to one term. No re-election campaign by the president. No de-election campaign by the president’s opponents.
One. And. Done.
Thomas L. Knapp (Twitter: @thomaslknapp) is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.
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Port Hueneme City Council Meeting Report/Overview
1) City staff announced that council member Sylvia Schnopp pulled her proposal to rename Hueneme Pier from the meeting agenda. According to staff she plans to find another way to recognize former council member Jon Sharkey’s years on the council. Six Port Hueneme residents addressed the council during open forum expressing that renaming Hueneme Pier was not in the community’s best interest and suggested someway way of recognition could be done.
2) Council member Rich Rollins spoke in the inspiration part of the meeting stating he was inspired that the council soon would be starting the Citizens Advisory Commission that would get residents involved in city issues and provide input to the city council on issues the council is considering. Also, an Oversight Committee is being formed to review Measure U and how the tax money taken in by the city is being spent. Two opportunities for residents to have input in city issues. The City Staff will be putting out information on both and how the residents can get involved soon.
3) The council adopted a resolution for the authorizing the creation of a Community Service Officer that would assist Police Officers doing secondary work so Police Officers could spend more time in their duties of protecting PH residents and keeping the city safe. An example of what the CSO would do is taking information at a traffic accident from driver(s) and witnesses if any plus any follow up needed. This sometimes take an hour or two away from officers patrolling the city.
4) The council passed resolution to create a Human Resource Manager to oversee personnel, personnel issues, hiring standards, benefits and other related issues.
5) The Public Works Dept has added six new flashing radar speed signs on city streets to monitor vehicle speeds. This is now a total of six with three more to come. New LED lights have been installed at Moranda Park. The PWD is also installing pedestrian signals at various crosswalks to alert drivers someone is cross the street.
6) A Water Rate Plan meeting will take place in May.
Tom Dunn is a Port Hueneme resident who is publisher of Port Hueneme News, a digital newspaper (facebook @huenemenews) and host of “Hello Port Hueneme” a video interview show about people, places and things in Port Hueneme.
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Oxnard | Police Pursuit Ensues after Shooting
Oxnard Police Department – Incident Press Release
On 04/17/19 at approximately 7:26 p.m. there was a shooting in the 200 block of Cuesta Del Mar Drive, in the City of Oxnard. An Oxnard police officer was in the area at the time of the shooting and located the suspect vehicle as it was leaving the area. The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the vehicle. The vehicle failed to stop and a short vehicle pursuit ensued. The pursuit ended once the vehicle collided into a cinder block wall. Both occupants of the vehicle were taken into custody and a firearm was located near the scene of the termination of the vehicle pursuit.
Investigators are encouraging anyone who video recorded or photographed all or part of the incident, to upload your media directly to the investigators via the following link: https://oxnardpd.evidence.com/axon/citizen/public/cuestadelmarvcu. All submissions are immediately logged into the Oxnard Police Department’s digital evidence system. Contact information is not stored by Axon and community members can remain anonymous, choosing to upload their files without providing contact information.
Officers were unable to locate a victim from the shooting. The suspect’s names are being withheld pending further investigation. If anyone has further information, they are encouraged to call Oxnard PD at (805) 385-7796. If you wish to remain anonymous you may call the violent crimes hotline at (805) 982-7070 or Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. You can also visit this site http://www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org/contactus.aspx to submit a tip via text or email.
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National pet food brand partners with Ventura County Animal Services
To support local shelters and pet parents who adopt a dog the weekend of April 27th, Zignature will be gifting them with a Zignature Adoption Kit in conjunction with select local Southern California retailers
(VALENCIA, Calif.)—April 17, 2019—With more than 1,600 dogs in Southern California shelters alone, Zignature, a premium dog food brand, is partnering with select local shelters and retailers throughout Southern California to distribute Zignature Adoption Kits for anyone who adopts a dog the weekend of April 27th as a way to give back to their home state.
Among the shelters participating are: Ventura County Animal Services, Yucaipa Animal Placement Society, County of San Diego Department of Animal Services North and South Shelters and the Michelson Found Animals Foundation.
“Finding forever families for these wonderful animals is our number one priority,” said Aimee Gilbreath, Executive Director for the Michelson Found Animals Foundation. “We are excited to partner with Zignature on preparing these shelter dogs for success when they start their new lives in their forever homes.”
The Zignature adoption kit includes one four-pound bag of Zignature Goat or Guinea Fowl Formula dry kibble, one 13 ounce can of Zignature Goat or Guinea Fowl Formula, three sample bags of three Zignature dry kibble formulas, a coupon for another free four-pound bag of Zignature dry kibble (redeemable at a local retailer), and one measuring cup for the dry food.
“Every animal deserves good nutrition and with shelter dogs, getting them on a consistent nutritional diet is key when they first get adopted,” said Pets Global Customer Care Manager, Jeff Valdez. “With that said, having the opportunity to work directly with local shelters and retailers for Adopt a Shelter Pet Day is something very important to us.”
Among the retailers participating are: Pet Supply of Camarillo, Pet Supply of Santa Clarita, Found, Adopt and Shop, Paws Redlands, Carlsbad Pet & Feed, and Natural Instincts in Alpine.
Zignature vouchers will be available the weekend of April 27th at participating animal shelters. They can be redeemed at any of the pet store retailers listed above. For more information, please feel free to contact Zignature Marketing Coordinator Latasha Ball at: 661-964-6262.
ABOUT ZIGNATURE
Zignature was created with the idea that while pets are part of the family, their dietary needs are different than that of humans. Because they are carnivores, dogs require a protein-rich diet, which is why the first ingredient is always a quality meat or fish, backed by a meat or fish meal. Not only is it what dogs crave, but it’s what they need to maintain a silky coat, strong muscles, and healthy bones. Designed to mimic what pets used to thrive on in the wild hundreds of years ago, the Zignature recipes prioritize a limited-ingredient menu, which helps with both digestion and minimizing allergens and food sensitivities. Plus, every recipe is free of common allergens like corn, wheat, soy, dairy, and chicken—something very few companies can claim. In short, at Zignature, they see things differently. They believe dogs should not be counting carbs. They believe food should be created with the highest-quality natural ingredients with a touch of love. For more information about Zignature, please visit: https://www.zignature.com/
About Pets Global
Pets Global is a family owned and independent holistic wellness pet food company based out of Southern California with products sold in more than 5,000 stores nationwide. They are leading the industry in high quality formulas for both cats and dogs, while creating new and innovative products to meet the growing nutritional needs of pets. For more information about Pets Global, please visit: www.pets-global.com. For more information about their products Zignature and Fussie Cat, please visit: www.zignature.com/ and www.fussiecat.com/
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L. Neil Smith’s THE LIBERTARIAN ENTERPRISE | A History Making Speech
By L. Neil Smith
This is a shameless commercial. Many, many years ago (I don’t remember exactly how many) I wrote and delivered a longish speech called “I Dreamed I Was A Libertarian In My Maidenform Bra”. The reference, for all of you under 50, was to a series of TV and radio commercials that concerned young ladies dreaming they had various unlikely adventures in their Maidenform bras, and was once funny. Now it has to be explained, which is, of course, the death of funny.
Radio? That’s TV for blind people.
The speech was intended to marinate the listener in the historic _promise_ of libertarianism, and all of the splendid and unexpected things that would be possible — to you — if you were truly free. No one had ever written about that in precisely the way I did, and no one has written about it since. When I gave that speech, at various meetings and convention dinners, it often made grown men laugh and weep within the space of five minutes.
I have always contended — and I still do, today — that, if the Libertarian Party had made that speech, and the revolutionary ideas it contains, the centerpiece of its national outreach, the very core of its platform, the party would not have remained, as it richly deserved, the insignificant and infinitesimal speck that it is today. Anybody listening?
In their own way, the socialist congress-creatures like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have unintentionally proven me right. They have enjoyed spectacular success — far more than the Libertarian Party has ever achieved, and mostly in a far shorter time — employing a method that, if it is not the same as mine, is at least its evil mirror image.
Socialists typically promise voters to steal money from other people at implied or literal gunpoint to buy a finite list of free goodies — free medicine and college education, for example — for their criminal accessories … I mean constituents. What I propose is to stop all the stealing and encourage people to buy anything they want from an infinite list. My friend Libertarian Party founder David F. Nolan, said I was “bribing people with their own money”, and he was right. Another friend, Robert Anton Wilson, said things about the speech that I will treasure forever.
In the speech, I advocate eliminating _all_ taxation and _all_ economic regulation, and I demonstrate how that would increase every individual’s real wealth and standard of living at least eight-fold — and put an end to socialism’s coercive false promises — stimulating unprecedented peace, freedom, and prosperity, just as the American Revolution did in its time. I go on to describe the kind of wonderful world that would create. The speech, in time, went on to form the basis for my first novel — still in print after 40 years — The Probability Broach_, a snapshot of that better world the speech describes. If you haven’t read it, you should.
Now here’s the problem. The speech, which you may still read online, has become somewhat aged and more than a little stale (you can read the current version at https://lneilsmith.org/utopian.html). It’s been used for several different purposes (most recently promoting the Covenant Of Unanimous Consent) and it badly needs updating and rewriting.
he trouble is that I am busily writing two novels at the moment, _Rosalie’s World_, and _The Frozen Stars_, and at least one weekly column for _L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise_. I could neglect those undertakings for a little while and restore the speech to its former glory, if I were decently paid. I won’t do it otherwise; I’ve written far too much over the past 40 years, virtually without reward. I plan to spend the money frivolously, on groceries.
So … if you agree that the freedom movement could benefit by my repairing this great and unique ideological weapon, if you’d like to stop sticky-fingered socialism dead in its tracks, if you believe that those who ponder and write about the individual liberty you desire should be decently compensated, and especially if you feel that your group or organization could help, now’s the time to get together with your friends and pony up. I want at least a thousand dollars and if I don’t get it, well, there’s still the two novels and my weekly column.
That isn’t all bad.
Award-winning novelist and essayist L. Neil Smith is a retired gunsmith, Publisher and Senior Columnist of L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise and the author of over thirty books. Look him up on Google, Wikipedia, and Amazon.com and watch for the forthcoming ONLY THE YOUNG DIE GOOD and ARES. He is available, at professional rates, to write columns, articles, and speeches for your organization, event, or publication, fiercely defending your rights, as he has done since the mid-1960s. His writings (and e-mail address) may also be found at L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise, at JPFO.org or at https://www.patreon.com/lneilsmith, to which you can contribute, directly. His many books and those of other pro-gun libertarians may also be found (and ordered) at L. Neil Smith’s THE LIBERTARIAN ENTERPRISE “Free Radical Book Store” The preceding essay was originally prepared for and appeared in L. Neil Smith’s THE LIBERTARIAN ENTERPRISE. Use it to fight the continuing war against tyranny.
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Thousand Oaks | Probationer arrested for illegal possession of an assault rifle.
Ventura County Sheriff Department – Incident Press Release
On 04/13/19, the Camarillo Police Special Enforcement Detail conducted a probation search on Cory Rivas and located a loaded and unregistered AR-15 assault rifle at his residence.
On 04/13/19, at about 10:00 AM, members of the Camarillo Special Enforcement Detail conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Cory Rivas near his residence in the 2700 block of Edgeview Court in Thousand Oaks. Rivas is currently on probation in Ventura County for drug related charges. Detectives were also aware he had an active Ventura County misdemeanor warrant for his arrest for a violation of probation. As a result of the traffic stop, Rivas was arrested for the misdemeanor warrant. During a search of Rivas’ vehicle pursuant to his probation search terms, detectives located paraphernalia commonly used by people to ingest illegal drugs, such as heroin and methamphetamine. Detectives also believed Rivas was showing indications that he was under the influence of illegal drugs.
Following the arrest, members of the Camarillo Special Enforcement Detail conducted a probation search at Rivas’ residence. During the search they located an AR-15 style “assault” rifle in plain view in Rivas’ bedroom. This rifle appeared to be fully functional with a threaded barrel, pistol grip, telescoping stock and did not have a “fixed magazine” as defined in California Penal Code 30515. In addition, the AR-15 rifle did not have a serial number and it was not registered with the California Department of Justice. Ammunition and paraphernalia used to smoke illegal drugs were also found near the rifle. The rifle, ammunition and drug paraphernalia were all seized as evidence.
As a result of this investigation, Rivas was arrested for 11550(e) HS/ Under the influence of a controlled substance with a firearm, 29800(a)(1) PC / Possession of a firearm by a drug addict, and 30605(a) PC / Possession of an assault weapon. Rivas was booked into the Ventura County
Pre-Trial Detention Facility with a pending court date.
The Camarillo Special Enforcement Detail will aggressively investigate all cases involving public safety and suspected illegal weapons / firearms possession. The Camarillo Police Department’s Special Enforcement Detail is a plain clothes unit that conducts a variety of investigations of crimes occurring within the City of Camarillo. The goal of SED is to reduce property crime and violent crime through investigations and directed enforcement. Anyone with information regarding illegal weapons possession is encouraged to contact the Camarillo Police Department at 805- 388-5100.
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