Ohio issues record number of concealed carry permits in 2009

Wonder if there was anything special about 2009? Or Ohio?

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A record high number of concealed handgun permits issued were issued in the state in 2009.

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray said the state's county sheriffs issued 56,691 licenses, which surpassed the previous record of 45,497 set in 2004 when the concealed handgun law first went into effect.

"If there's something to take away from these numbers, it is that more and more Ohioans are comfortable exercising the right to carry concealed handguns," said Cordray in a news release.

VIDEO: White House reacts to Prop 8 decision by not reacting

By GottaLaff

The non-reaction reaction:

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was asked if he had any response to the California Supreme Court's decision on Proposition 8.

Said Gibbs: "I have not talked to the President about it. I think that the issues involved are ones — you know where the President stands."

Less is not always more.

Dep't. of Doozies: Reaction to Arlen Specter's switch to Democratic party

By GottaLaff

I'm loving this story. Check out these doozies:

Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and a man with his own history of breaking with his party, expressed regret and said he had no indication that Mr. Specter would change parties. But Mr. McCain said he understood the reason for Mr. Specter’s shift: “It’s pretty obvious the polls show him well behind his primary opponent.”

Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, did not mince words about the senator, saying Mr. Specter “didn’t leave the G.O.P. based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record. Republicans look forward to beating Senator Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don’t do it first.”

But Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, who also supported the Obama administration’s economic stimulus legislation, said Mr. Specter’s decision reflected the increasingly inhospitable climate in the Republican party for moderates.

“On the national level of the Republican Party, we haven’t certainly heard warm, encouraging words about how they view moderates, either you are with us or against us,” Ms. Snowe said. She said national Republican leaders were not grasping that “political diversity makes a party stronger and ultimately we are heading to having the smallest political tent in history for any political party the way things are unfolding.”

Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, called the decision “a real problem.”

Suh-weet!

Public Reacts To Obama Answers

Seems that the Ed Henry smackdown was universally loved.

Reaction to stem cell executive order

By GottaLaff

Someone called in to our local progressive radio station and suggested that any lawmaker who objects to funding stem cell research, or using frozen blastocysts, should sign a contract saying that, should they ever have an illness that could be benefit from the use of embryonic stem cells (blastocysts), they'd have to deny themselves treatment.

Via First Read:

FORMER FIRST LADY NANCY REAGAN: “I'm very grateful that President Obama has lifted the restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. These new rules will now make it possible for scientists to move forward. I urge researchers to make use of the opportunities that are available to them, and to do all they can to fulfill the promise that stem cell research offers. Countless people, suffering from many different diseases, stand to benefit from the answers stem cell research can provide. We owe it to ourselves and to our children to do everything in our power to find cures for these diseases -- and soon. As I've said before, time is short, and life is precious.

SEN. TED KENNEDY: "Sometimes medicine advances through inspired discoveries in the laboratory, and sometimes through brilliant insights at the patient's bedside. But today, an extraordinary medical breakthrough was achieved with the stroke of a pen. With today's executive order, President Obama has righted an immense wrong done to the hopes of millions of patients. The President's action today unlocks the enormous potential of life-sustaining medical progress against a wide range of serious illnesses and injuries, all within strong ethical guidelines."

SEN. MAJ. LEADER HARRY REID: "President Obama today offered the hope of better treatments and cures to millions of Americans suffering from debilitating diseases. I applaud President Obama for restoring scientific integrity to government and ensuring we value science over ideology. President Obama's policy has strong support in the Senate, where in each of the past two Congresses we have passed bipartisan stem cell legislation. The President's executive order supports not only the position of Congress, but that of the majority of Americans and hundreds of leading medical and scientific associations and research universities, and dozens of patient-advocacy organizations representing millions of Americans. Since 2001, our most promising scientists have been forced to work with one hand tied behind their backs. Our nation's new stem cell policy will now help them in their quest to find lifesaving cures."

SEN. MIN. LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL (says Obama’s executive order “incentivizes creation and destruction of human embryos”): "The administration's announcement on embryonic stem cell research represents a troubling shift in U.S. policy. With this announcement, the government is, for the first time, incentivizing the creation and destruction of human embryos at the expense of the U.S. taxpayer. I support biomedical research and I believe the administration would be far better served by directing taxpayer funds to research on non-embryonic stem cells, which is both effective and ethical." [See below]

HOUSE MIN. LEADER JOHN BOEHNER (says the “decision runs counter to his promise to ‘be a president for all Americans"): "This decision runs counter to President Obama's promise to be a president for all Americans. For a third time in his young presidency, the President has rolled back important protections for innocent life, further dividing our nation at a time when we need greater unity to tackle the challenges before us. I fully support stem cell research, but I draw the line at taxpayer-funded research that requires the destruction of human embryos*, and millions of Americans feel similarly. As we move forward, I am hopeful that the President will re-evaluate this and other controversial decisions that put government at odds with the sanctity of human life. Non-embryonic stem cell research is not only showing great promise in the laboratory, but its applications are already being used to treat scores of diseases and medical conditions. Indeed, science and respect for human life can coexist. Politicians in Washington would be well-served to recognize this fact before they ask taxpayers to subsidize the destruction of innocent human life simply to advance a particular agenda. Instead of asking taxpayers to pay for efforts that destroy life, Congress and the Administration should support bipartisan solutions like Rep. Randy Forbes' Patients First Act, which would promote stem cell research that is actually getting results."

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: "President Obama's executive order is a huge win for the millions of people who suffer from spinal cord injuries, diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis and many other illnesses. Californians were the first in the nation to support and fund embryonic stem cell research and we are big believers in the power of this revolutionary science to not only improve but to save lives. Because of the federal ban, Californians world-renown research facilities have had to have separate areas for the federally-funded and the non-federally funded programs, causing duplicative efforts. I applaud President Obama for removing this barrier which allows California to maximize critical research funding so we can continue to lead the world in stem cell research."

*Go here for information that is, you know, accurate.

VIDEO: Laugh along with Joe Biden

By GottaLaff


If we already posted this, it's worth a second look. If we haven't, I dare you to watch this without cracking up along with Joe. His laugh is infectious.

We lerve him so much, and we need a good laugh.