Nearly 24 hours after a monster tornado tore through a suburb of Oklahoma City, leaving at least 24 dead — including nine children — hopes for a rescue of trapped survivors are beginning to wane as more threatening weather moves into the region.
“We will rebuild and we will regain our strength,” said Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, who went on a flyover of the area and described it as a “heartbreaking experience” that is “hard to look at.”
The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., forecast more stormy weather Tuesday in parts of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, including the Moore area.
Rescue crews are sifting through rubble in the search for survivors, painting X’s on buildings to make sure nothing is being overlooked.
“As long as we are here … we are going to hold out hope that we will find survivors,” said Trooper Betsy Randolph, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. But officials believe more bodies are underneath the rubble.
“I truly expect that they’ll find more today,” Oklahoma City Medical Examiner Office Spokeswoman Amy Elliott said.
Elliott cautioned Tuesday that officials could see as many as 40 additional fatalities, and Fallin said that bodies may have been taken to funeral homes instead of authorities.
Just keep praying people, and give aid in any other way that you can. And to those under tornado watches and warnings today, as my family and I am, be prepared.
On the Friday, May 3, Politics Nation, MSNBC host Al Sharpton fretted over the video that was played at Friday’s NRA convention in Houston to introduce Rick Perry which shows the Texas governor firing at targets with an AR-15. Sharpton began the segment:
Houston, we have a problem. It’s called the NRA. Today, in Houston, the NRA held its annual convention with a whose who list of the far-right pundits and politicians in the country. In fact, the NRA used a tasteless video to introduce Texas Governor Rick Perry, complete with the soundtrack and slow motion effects that showed him shooting an AR-15, the same type of gun used at Newtown.
After a clip of the Perry video, Sharpton responded:
That’s offensive. Glamorizing a weapon of murder. That’s not what Americans want. At a townhall last night in Arizona, a woman who used to work for Gabby Giffords and who was shot in the Tucson massacre praised Republican Senator John McCain for his “yes” vote on background checks.
On Friday, TheBlaze brought to your attention a “shocking” cartoon in the Sacramento Bee that politicized the recent Texas fertilizer plant explosion that killed 14 and injured many more.
The drawing depicts Texas Governor Rick Perry saying “Business is booming in Texas!” in front of a sign saying “Low Tax!” and “Low Regs!”. To the right is a presumed depiction of the explosion, a flag reading “Low Regs” flying out of the chaos.
In a letter to the Bee’s editor, Perry said it “was with extreme disgust and disappointment I viewed your recent cartoon.”
“While I will always welcome healthy policy debate, I won’t stand for someone mocking the tragic deaths of my fellow Texans and our fellow Americans,” Perry wrote. “Additionally, publishing this on the very day our state and nation paused to honor and mourn those who died only compounds the pain and suffering of the many Texans who lost family and friends in this disaster.”
But the Bee’s editorial page editor, Stuart Leavenworth, stands by the decision of the artist, Jack Ohman. He said the cartoonist “made a strong statement about Gov. Rick Perry’s disregard for worker safety, and his attempts to market Texas a place where industries can thrive with few regulations.”
Oh of course, BIG government could have prevented this tragedy. Big government is always the answer isn’t it?
A fertilizer plant explosion in the town of West, north of Waco, has killed as many as 70 people and injured hundreds. However, no official numbers have been released.
.
Meanwhile, the residents of the town of 2,700 are being asked to evacuate due to ammonia fumes after the explosion of West Fertilizer. The plant is located at 1471 Jerry Mashek Drive, just off Interstate-35. School buses and ambulances are being used to evacuate residents from the area.
Firefighters had been called to the plant to battle a small fire around 7 p.m. Crews were working to bring the blaze under control when the explosion happened around 7:50 p.m. Officials have said firefighters are among the missing.
.
Emergency crews from central and north Texas have been called in to help respond to the injuries and destruction from the explosion. Into the early morning hours Thursday the plant was still smoldering and active ingredients were still inside. The situation is still too volatile to have firefighters try and battle any flames.
Trooper D.L. Wilson of the Texas Department of Public Safety estimates that as many as 75 homes were severely damaged and an apartment complex with 50 units was gutted by the blast. West EMS Director Dr. George Smith said, “We’ve got a lot of houses on one street especially there that look like a war zone. They’ve been collapsed, so there may be people inside those houses, either critically injured or deceased.“
.
Tommy Muska, West’s mayor, said at a news conference three hours after the explosion that buildings in a five-block radius from the plant were severely damaged by the explosion. Among them was the West Rest Haven Nursing Home, a location where first-responders evacuated 133 patients, some in wheelchairs. “We did get there and got that taken care of,” Muska said.
Trooper Wilson said said 133 patients from the nearby nursing home were evacuated. He could not comment on the extent of any patient injuries, but says all patients have been evacuated from the building.
.
Dr. Smith said he saw the initial fire and became concerned. “When I saw the fire I went to the nursing home, because I knew there were hazardous chemicals [in the plant], and I helped the nursing home personnel move them [residents] away from the area close to the explosion.” Then the doctor said there was chaos. “It exploded while I was in the nursing home. I had debris and glass windows all over me… had to get out of there myself,” he said. “Luckily we had got most of the residents on the other side. Hopefully I think that saved some lives.”
The hotline number (254) 202-1100 has been set up at Hillcrest Hospital for family and friends to check on loved ones.
.
Dr. Smith said some 66 people were taken to Hillcrest Hospital and several others to Providence. Smith said the patients being admitted ranged in age from babies to elderly.
Triage was initially set up at the local high school football field, however it was moved to a nearby softball field because of a strong odor in the area.
.
CBS 11′s Brian New reports there are dozens of ambulances lined up at the triage area.
Information was hard to come by in the hours after the blast, with even Governor Rick Perry saying state officials were waiting for details about the extent of the damage.
“We are monitoring developments and gathering information as details continue to emerge about this incident,” Perry said in a statement. “We have also mobilized state resources to help local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of West, and the first responders on the scene.”
.
Aerial footage showed fires still smoldering in the ruins of the plant and in several surrounding buildings, and people being treated for injuries on a flood-lit local football field, which had been turned into a staging area for emergency responders.
A woman passing through West on Interstate-35 at the tie of the explosion told CBS 11 News she saw a fireball 100-feet wide shoot into the air.
USGS says the blast was the equivalent of a 2.1 magnitude earthquake.
.
West Fertilizer has been in business for decades, selling fertilizer to farmers between Hillsboro and Waco.
American Red Cross crews from across Texas were being sent to the site, the organization said. Red Cross spokeswoman Anita Foster said the group was working with emergency management officials in West to find a safe shelter for residents displaced from their homes. She said teams from Austin to Dallas and elsewhere are being sent to the community north of Waco.
You can call Chris Matthews anything you want — “dimwitted political hack” would be entirely appropriate — but please don’t insult an entire profession by calling Chris Matthews a “journalist.”
Very true. Matthews is a hack, and always has been. McCain explains Crazy Legs’ latest bout with News Speculation Syndrome
In other words, the important thing about this crime — the thing that made it worth eight minutes of national network air time — was that it gave Chris Matthews a chance to stoke the paranoia of MSNBC viewers with the bogeyman specter of dangerously violent racists who (as all MSNBC viewers know) are the core constituency of the Republican Party.
Of course, as is often the case, Matthews jumped to conclusions. In this case he wanted any excuse to bash Senator Ted Cruz and any other Republican to oppose Dear Leader’s Leftist agenda. And, again, Matthews got it completely WRONG!
Fast-forward 11 days, and Chris Matthews is completely discredited by the latest headlines:
What? It wasn’t scary white supremacists highlighted in an eight-minute MSNBC segment? Nobody that Mark Potok warned us about? Not even a Tea Party member? No, a disgraced lawyer with a personal grudge:
And of course, now that the truth is out, Matthews will not man up and correct his fantasy will he? Hell no! Like many leftists, Matthews makes wild accusations to smear people he disagrees with, and when he is proven wrong? He just moves on to the next smear. That is what is most fascinating about Leftist walk behinders like Obamagasm Boy Matthews. The thought never occurs to them that if they must resort to lying to win an argument, then they are on the wrong side of life. Maybe it would be more fitting to say that Matthews is on the wrong side of reality.
Speaking of being on the wrong side of reality. Look at the screen cap Stacy got of Crazy legs and Potok The guy honestly looks like the guy who gets cut off at noon at your local dive bar, you know the guy, he will buy you a drink the “next time” if you get him one today. He is also the douche nozzle who demands the bartender pour him a “good shot”, when he never ever tips.
Took my new Taurus Millenium .40 to the range this morning, and I put another 60 rounds through it. I am practicing for mt CHL test, and here in Texas, you have to fire 20 rounds each from 3 and 7 yards, and 10 from 5 yards. Your score, which must be 175, is based on a points system. The center target is worth 5 points, just outside that is 4 points, and hitting the target gets you 3 points. I hit all 60 shots in the target, 14 shots were in the 4 point range and 40 were in the 5 point area, including 16 of 20 from 3 yards, I missed low the first three shots getting the sighting down, the gun shoots a tad high it seems. Overall much better than my first trip to the range. The gun has a little recoil, but is smooth, and easy to handle. Here is the target I am practicing on
The Senate Education Committee this morning approved a bill to ban Planned Parenthood from providing sex education materials or instruction in public schools in a 6-2 vote, after little discussion.
……….
Democratic Sens. Royce West and Leticia Van de Putte voted in opposition to Senate Bill 521 by Sen. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney.
Public school districts that opt to provide sex education must make all course materials available for public review and allow parents to exempt children from any portion of the course without penalty.
Paxton’s bill, and an identical House measure by Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, would add two requirements:
Individuals could not provide sex education instruction if they belong to, or are affiliated with, an organization that performs abortions. Materials from abortion providers also could not be used in the classroom.
If materials or instruction is provided by somebody who is not a school district employee, parents must sign a waiver allowing their children to participate in the class.
Paxton’s bill drew passionate testimony during a public hearing last week, but the committee vote was delayed by a lack of a quorum.
Supporters of the bill accused Planned Parenthood of placing an improper emphasis on sexual freedom and abortion rights that is inappropriate for school-age children. Opponents accused Paxton of attempting to place unneeded restrictions on local instruction that would force some school districts to drop sex education despite high rates of teen pregnancy.
.
After three recent break-ins at his restaurant in Edinburg, Texas, the fed-up owner of Pumpjack Mexican Restaurant began staying inside his business overnight to personally defend his property from intruders.
At around 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, history again repeated itself. The business owner shot and killed a suspected burglar who forced his way into the restaurant. Police have identified the suspect as 46-year-old Gibert Medina, Jr., according to KGBT-TV.
Medina was confronted by the restaurant owner and, following a confrontation, was shot in the torso, according to police. At least three shots were fired.
Officials also confirmed that the Pumpjack Mexican Restaurant had been broken into three separate times in recent weeks, with criminals making off with TVs and cash.
Police have not identified the restaurant owner, but no criminal charges have been filed in the case. Texas’ “castle law” was extended from a person’s home to their workplace in 2007, allowing workers to use deadly force if they feel they are in danger.
Lt. Oscar Treviño, an Edinburg police spokesman, x that the case has been turned over to the Hidalgo County District Attorney for review.
The bill’s primary author, Senator Brian Birdwell,said the bill is about preserving the 2nd Amendment.
Of course, Liberals will howl over this, and I know they will predict Wild West shootouts, and blood in the halls of academia, and so on. Of course they said similar things when Texas passed our concealed carry law in 1996, and they said the same in Florida when my native state passed that CC bill in 1987. And, to date, those Wild West shootouts have still not happened. I hope Governor Perry gets the chance to sign this into law.
I have never fully agreed with Congressman Paul, although in some areas I respected and agreed with his positions. Even in those areas, including foreign policy, where I thought he was off base, I at least respected him. That respect, though, is now gone forever. And it is not coming back, not after Paul wrote this
Former Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul said Monday that the shooting death of a U.S. Navy Iraq War veteran was the consequence of his life as a one of the military’s most celebrated snipers.
Chase Power, the parent company behind the $3 billion Las Brisas coal power plant in Corpus Christi, Texas, announced yesterday that it was cancelling the project.
“Chase Power… has opted to suspend efforts to further permit the facility and is seeking alternative investors as part of a plan of dissolution for the parent company,” Chase CEO Dave Freysinger told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
Freysinger made it very clear who was responsible for the projects death. “The (Las Brisas Energy Center) is a victim of EPA’s concerted effort to stifle solid-fuel energy facilities in the U.S., including EPA’s carbon-permitting requirements and EPA’s New Source Performance Standards for new power plants,” he said.
“These costly rules exceeded the bounds of EPA authority, incur tremendous costs, and produce no real benefits related to climate change,” Freysinger commented.
WASHINGTON — Addressing the issue of gun control, singer-songwriter James Taylor told The Daily Caller that Americans “need to make some sacrifice[s] to our freedoms” in order to keep children safe.
Following his performance at President Obama’s second inauguration, The DC asked Taylor if he agreed with Obama’s executive actions on gun control.
“I think the nation is very divided on gun control,” Taylor told The DC, “but I think the majority of us feel strongly — even the majority of gun owners feel strongly — that we need to make some sacrifice[s] to our freedoms, if that’s the way to put it. We need to make some sacrifices to what we might want to have, in order to safeguard our children.” [...]
So, if we surrender some of our liberty, kids will be safe? I beg to differ Mr. Taylor, and Old Ben Franklin would definitely have some sagacious words about giving up liberties in exchange for security.
And today, it is Danny Glover, spouting the latest Leftist propaganda on gun rights. Billy Bob has the details
You know the actor Danny Glover, right? The guy from Lethal Weapon, with Mel Gibson? Umm, he might be retarded. Or maybe he has done some bad narcotics. I’m not sure exactly, but something is wrong with the guy.
This is what he said to a group of students at Texas A&M recently…
“I don’t know if you know the genesis of the right to bear arms,” he said. “The Second Amendment comes from the right to protect themselves from slave revolts, and from uprisings by Native Americans.”
“A revolt from people who were stolen from their land or revolt from people whose land was stolen from, that’s what the genesis of the second amendment is,” he continued.
This is one of the lies being spread around right now by the Neo-Marxists who are pushing gun control. It is an effort to discredit the Founders, and the second amendment. The Founders were VERY clear on gun rights, do not fall for this load of BS!
He asks “when are you Texans going to secede?” and seems to be in favor of us doing just that. And, I must say, his reaction to the King of Corruptocrats, A.K.A. Charlie Rangel’s hinting that we Southerners need overcomin’, is about like mine was.
New York is different and more progressive than a lot of areas in other states, and some of the Southern areas have cultures that we have to overcome.
Oh they have to overcome us huh? Well, charlie, as a proud Southerner, and proud American, I am a bit tired, OK very tired of crooks like you looking down your nose at people who actually love the Constitution! So, Charlie, I would just say to you what Dick Cheney once said to Patrick Leahy. And to Stacy McCain, I would say, come on son, there is plenty of room! And yes, we do have the best damned governor in America to boot!
“The Second Amendment to the Constitution is a basic right of free people and cannot be nor will it be abridged by the executive power of this or any other president.”
Hell, yeah. So when are you Texans going to secede, so all us freedom-loving Americans can move to Texas and escape the fascistic power of corrupt dishonest “progressives” like Charlie Rangel? Because I’m thinking maybe they’ll think twice about the need to “overcome” an independent Republic of Texas with a population of 26 million.
Of course, now, the Leftists, who do not understand nuance, are likely to start calling Stacy, and myself Neo-Confederates, and questioning our patriotism.
State Rep. Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands) has begun the process to file legislation assisting the protection of the Second Amendment of the United State Constitution.
The “Firearms Protection Act” bill would make any federal law banning semi-automatic firearms or limiting the size of gun magazines unenforceable within the state’s boundaries. Anyone trying to enforce a federal gun ban could face felony charges under the proposal.
“We can no longer depend on the Federal Government and this Administration to uphold a Constitution that they no longer believe in. The liberties of the People of Texas and the sovereignty of our State are too important to just let the Federal Government take them away. The overreach of the federal administrations executive orders that are do not align with the Constitution, are not very popular here in Texas,” said Toth.
Along with Wyoming, Texas will lead the country in continuing to stand for the sovereignty to run Texas as Texans see fit while exercising the Bill of Rights Amendments 2 & 10 to “prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers… [to] extending the ground of public confidence in the Government.”
Along with Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who has already filed more than 23 suits against the Federal Government, Toth will continue to stand with other Texans to encouraging the promotion of personal responsibility and liberties while actively guarding against outside parties attempting to erode the freedoms enjoyed by Texans so that the people of Texas may have more confidence in their government.
For more information contact, Amy Lane, Chief of Staff at 512-463-0797. Steve Toth is the newly elected State Representative for District 15, which includes The Woodlands, Shenandoah, Imperial Oaks, Oak Ridge North and Benders Landing along with some of the surrounding areas. He lives and works in District 15 and is establishing a House District 15 Office in Alden Bridge near the corner of Research Forest and Kuykendahl that he hopes to open by February of this coming year.
Defensive uses of firearms might make local news, but the national headlines never feature these stories, yes that also includes YOU Fox News. Imagine how the national attitude might differ if thee stories were reported.
Of course these stories of average Americans stopping crimes, and many saving their lives are not reported by CNN, or MSNBC, or CBS, ABC, NBC, or even Fox. In researching crime stats, I found estimates of defensive gun uses, the lowest number I found was 108,000 per year, that adds up to almost 300 per day! But, these stories do not get told do they? Liberals love to discount any chance of am armed citizen using a gun to defend themselves, they also love to pretend that having a gun, or carrying one is dangerous, and will lead to Wild West shootouts. These stories disprove that malarky. Of all the people I have known, most had guns, heck in the South, guns are part of just about every home, and no bad ever comes from the vast majority of those guns, or gun owners .
Rick Perry is as solid for gun rights as there is, so, of course, ultra Liberals are going to attack him for it. Jim Hines of Connecticut went well past simply disagreeing with the Texas governor however, saying that Perry has “blood on his hands”
The stats, of course, back Perry up and refute the whining Rep. Hines, who puts his faith in Liberal feelings based legislation rather than in the wisdom of the Founders. But, Hines’ remarks are typical of the hate-filled rhetoric we have been hearing from the Left the past week. They have taken their campaign of demonization to new lows. Sadly, Democrats use to at least attempt debate, now, though, it is vile personal attack and baseless allegations. Frankly, in their lust for political power, Liberals would rather smear their opponents, and ignore evidence that proves their fascination with gun control is an abject failure, than actually try to prevent future mass shootings.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) on Wednesday afternoon urged people to turn in their guns, arguing it would be an appropriate response to last week’s mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.
“I would personally just say to those who are listening, maybe you want to turn in your guns,” Jackson Lee said on the House floor. “Oh no, I’m not going to take your guns. But look at what Dick’s Sporting Goods did … they wanted to be part of the solution and part of America.”
Dick’s Sporting Goods announced this week that it would stop selling and displaying guns at its store closest to Newtown, and would suspend the sale of modern sporting rifles nation-wide out of respect for the victims of the shooting.
So, a sporting goods chain is now “part of America” because they have suspended the sale of modern hunting rifles? They are now part of the solution? Solution to what exactly? All they did was cave in to the hyper-sensitive nonsense the Left deals in.
Of course Dicks Sporting Goods, which may have just lost my business can do what it wants. But this move by them is transparently superficial. This is the type of emotionalistic “solutions” Liberal minds come up with. They like to “make a difference”, they feel that by doing something, they are really making things better. Whether or not these “somethings” work, or are effective matters not. For Liberals, it is enough to feel like they are doing right thing.
a president that might actually understand that security in our schools is the best answer, not more useless gun control laws
At a Tea Party event Monday, former Republican presidential candidate and Texas Governor Rick Perry became the highest-profile Republican politician to support arming teachers and administrators.
Perry argued that anyone with a concealed handgun license should be able to take guns on public property in Texas, including schools, and he urged legislators “to look at ways to improve safety at schools.”
“In the state of Texas, with our concealed handgun license, if you have been duly backgrounded and trained and you are a concealed-handgun-license-carrying individual, you should be able to carry your handgun anywhere in this state.” Teachers should have “access to weapons in their school,” Gov. Perry said, provided they have the proper training and license, and it should be left up to local school districts to determine their own policies in allowing firearms on their campuses. He later added that property owners had the right to prohibit guns on their own private property. Some school districts across Texas already allow school personnel to carry guns; when Perry referred to the one school district that allows teachers and administrators to carry weapons, he was interrupted by loud applause from the crowd.
Perry warned citizens of rash decisions from the federal government.“One of the things that I hope we don’t see from our federal government is this knee-jerk reaction from Washington, D.C., when there is an event that occurs, that they come in and they think they know the answer.”
In every one of the recent school shootings, the killer has stopped when? When he decide enough was enough? When a Liberal sang him a song of peace? No, when he was confronted with armed resistance! In Pearl Mississippi, that resistance came in the form of an assistant principal who ran to his car to retrieve his gun. The fact the Left is not willing to grasp is that sometimes evil is visited upon us, and we must fight back. Passing more laws that the next killer will ignore will do nothing.
Final… Oh wait, my bad, they actually onlyvoted to ban the word “lunatic” from federal law. For a minute there I bet you thought these worthless shit bags were actually going to do their freaking jobs!
As the nation staggers through hard times toward total ruin as a result of the toll taken on the economy by Big Government, it’s nice to see our rulers finally addressing the serious issues that threaten us:
The word “lunatic” will be stricken from federal law under legislation that passed the House on Wednesday and is headed to President Obama for his signature.
The Congressional action is the latest effort to remove language from federal law that has become outdated or is considered demeaning.
Words are especially “demeaning” when they hit too close to home.
Only one Rep voted against the measure.
The lone “no” vote was cast by Representative Louie Gohmert, Republican of Texas, who said in a statement that “not only should we not eliminate the word ‘lunatic’ from federal law when the most pressing issue of the day is saving our country from bankruptcy, we should use the word to describe the people who want to continue with business as usual in Washington.”
So, in 225 years, America has gone from Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Washington, Mason, etc. to THIS! One man, ONE in the entire House gets it? And the Republicans have a big majority in the House! Dear God we are so screwed!
The Congressional action is the latest effort to remove language from federal law that has become outdated or is considered demeaning. Two years ago Congress took out references to “mental retardation.”
darcprynce
Dave C
Gatordoug
