GOAL Post\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2013-SPECIAL 4<\/p>\n
Legislative Update from Olympia\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 7 June 2013<\/p>\n
FOUR DAYS LEFT IN SPECIAL SESSION<\/p>\n
REP. STEVE O’BAN REPLACES SENATOR MIKE CARRELL<\/p>\n
SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF JOHN LOVICK APPOINTED COUNTY EXECUTIVE<\/p>\n
NJ SENATOR FRANK LAUTENBERG PASSES<\/p>\n
BIDEN, REID, MANCHIN MEET ON S. 649<\/p>\n
UN ATT – 71 COUNTRIES SIGNED SO FAR<\/p>\n
SCANDAL(S) OF THE WEEK<\/p>\n
There are four days left in the 30-day special legislative session.\u00a0 At this point the focus remains on closing the gap between the House and Senate budget offerings.\u00a0 The House passed a few bills this week, mostly affecting education budgets.<\/p>\n
Freshman Representative Steve O’Ban (R-28-Lakewood) was selected by the Pierce County Council to replace Senator Mike Carrel, also of Lakewood.\u00a0 That restores the 25-24 balance for the Majority Coalition in the state Senate.\u00a0 The County Council will now choose a House replacement for O’Ban, but that appointment is less critical as it has no impact on the Democrat majority in the House (55D-43R).<\/p>\n
Former State Representative and later Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick was sworn in on Monday to replace disgraced Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon.\u00a0 Both are Democrats.\u00a0 Representative\/Sheriff Lovick was no particular friend of gun owners, but his office door was always open and he would rationally discuss gun-related issues.\u00a0 John is a gentleman.\u00a0 For the record, he is also a 30+ year Washington State Trooper, now retired.<\/p>\n
Undersheriff Tom Davis will fill in until the County Council appoints a replacement, who must stand for election in 2014.\u00a0 While the sheriff’s position is non-partisan, the incumbents attitude on guns could influence the County Council, among others.<\/p>\n
Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ,) author of the 1996 “domestic violence misdemeanor” gun ban and most recently of the failed magazine ban amendment to S.649, passed away earlier this week of viral pneumonia.\u00a0 He was 89.\u00a0 NJ Republican Governor Chris Christie has set a date for a special election, and in the interim has appointed NJ Attorney General (and Republican) Jeffrey Chiesa as Lautenberg’s temporary replacement.\u00a0 Reportedly Chiesa is equally anti-gun.<\/p>\n
Vice President Biden and Senators Harry Reid and Joe Manchin reportedly met behind closed doors this week to strategize about passage of S. 649, the omnibus Senate gun control bill.\u00a0 No further information as to what was discussed is available at this time.<\/p>\n
71 nations have now signed the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (UN ATT).\u00a0 Earlier this week the White House announced President Obama will sign the treaty in August during the summer Congressional recess, usually a slow season from a political perspective.\u00a0 It appears he is trying to stretch out his controversies!\u00a0 A complete list of the countries that have signed the treaty can be found at \u00a0http:\/\/www.un.org\/disarmament\/ATT\/<\/a><\/p>\n Two new scandals have erupted this week.\u00a0 A British newspaper revealed the existence of a FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court order directing Verizon Wireless to turn over to the National Security Agency all “metadata” (externals of wireless communications: telephone numbers, subscribers’ names, duration and location of call, etc).\u00a0 If they’re getting it from Verizon, they’re getting it from all the other providers as well.\u00a0 That was followed by a report from another British newspaper about the existence of an alleged top secret program called “PRISM,” where NSA is supposed to have back door access to Google, Facebook and a host of other internet media programs.<\/p>\n The initial Obama administration response was something to the effect that “it started in the Bush years” as a response to 9\/11.\u00a0 Apparently true.\u00a0 But all of these programs have been continued by the Obama administration, as the President himself acknowledged at a presentation in California today.\u00a0 He called it an acceptable balance between security and personal privacy.\u00a0 I believe Benjamin Franklin had the proper response to that one more than 200 years ago.\u00a0 “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”<\/p>\n I’m not going to get into this in any detailed way.\u00a0 ANY time you post something, or search for something, on the internet, it crosses many lines.\u00a0 Internet privacy is nonexistent.\u00a0 And cellphones are RADIOS.\u00a0 If it goes out over the air, it can be intercepted.<\/p>\n But I do see one major difference between what went on in the Bush years and what has been happening here since Obama took office.\u00a0 There is no record that the Bush administration used non-partisan government agencies for partisan political purposes.\u00a0 It’s clear now that Obama & Co used the IRS to target political opponents.\u00a0 Congress is still attempting to determine the degree — and source — of that abuse.\u00a0 The question is, what else has the current administration used\/abused in the name of partisan politics?, what else have they used\/abused?<\/p>\n BILL STATUS:<\/p>\n All bills filed in during the regular session are available and may be acted upon.\u00a0 At this time there are no new gun bills, nor has there been any action on bills previously filed.<\/p>\n GOAL POSITION ON BILLS<\/p>\n No active gun bills at this time<\/p>\n HEARING(S) SCHEDULED<\/p>\n None<\/p>\n LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE:\u00a0 You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000.\u00a0 Toll free!!!\u00a0 The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993.\u00a0 Also toll free!!!<\/p>\n 1-800-562-6000\u00a0\u00a0 TDD 1-800-635-9993<\/p>\n OTHER DATA:\u00a0 Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov<\/a>“.\u00a0 Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format.\u00a0 You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http:\/\/www.adobe.com<\/a>).\u00a0 You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573.\u00a0 Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000.\u00a0 You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http:\/\/www.tvw.org\/<\/a> (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site).<\/p>\n By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted.\u00a0 By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill.\u00a0 The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.<\/p>\n GET THE WORD OUT:\u00a0 If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “jwaldron@halcyon.com<\/a>“.\u00a0 Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights.\u00a0 Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club\u2019s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s).\u00a0 PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL.\u00a0 I can be reached at “jwaldron@halcyon.com<\/a>” or by telephone at (425) 985-4867.\u00a0 Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals.\u00a0 Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.<\/p>\n