Presumptuous Politics : Mar 22, 2016

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Montana Democrat Cartoon

Gun-toting owners at Utah eatery show support for Second Amendment

When patrons stroll into Utah’s Sea Bears Ogden Fish House they typically have one of two questions, co-owner Tony Siebers said: What’s with the kilt or what’s with the guns?
That’s because the restaurant workers – Tony, his wife and co-owner, Monika, and their four children – wear kilts around their waists and guns on their hips, KSL reported. The symbols are nods to the Scottish fare and the family’s stance as staunch supporters of the right to bear arms.
"We're big supporters of open carry and the Second Amendment," Tony, 46, told FoxNews.com during a busy lunch rush on Monday. "Out here in the West it's a little more common."
Tony said the business hasn't had any issues with customers that may be uncomfortable around guns. And, more often than not, he said the customers are carrying, too.

"People continually come up to the counter and say, 'Hey, I like that you carry and I've got my concealed license and I'm carrying, too,'" he said. "It's all been positive dialogue because we have like-minded people who really support the Second Amendment and support open- or concealed-carry."

The family first decided to bring guns into the business about a year ago to ward off any would-be criminals while the Siebers counted their money after closing or restocked supplies. But while they were waiting for concealed-carry permits to be approved, Monika began openly carrying, according to The Standard-Examiner.
Tony wears either an EAA revolver or SCCY 9-mm. and his 22-year-old twin sons Collin and Chase both favor .357 Magnums. Monika carries a Smith & Wesson M&P 9-mm. in her holster. The couple’s other children, son Austin, 19, and daughter Toli, 14, don’t carry.
Tony told FoxNews.com none of his family has ever had to use their weapon and he's had no problems with customers who carry, either.
"Never ever," he said. "And like I said, it's not those people you worry about. They use it for protection only."

Sea Bears got its distinctive nickname due to the couple's three boys, as "Siebers" turned into the playful "Sea Bears."
“When they were growing up, their friends gave them a nickname,” Tony told KUTV. “They said, ‘Oh, the sea bears are here.’ That’s where the name came from.”
The restaurant opened two years ago in Ogden, a city of about 85,000 people that sits around 10 miles east of the Great Salt Lake. The menu mostly boasts Monika’s creations, but the fish and chips is the eatery’s staple item.
“We’ve been in this location for two years and this location has been really good to us,” Tony told KUTV. “It keeps getting better and better.”

Montana GOP officials fight to 'close' primary, in complication for Trump

Montana Republicans are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to step in as early as this week and force the state to “close” its upcoming primary so only GOP voters can participate -- in a case that could pose complications for Donald Trump.
The Republican front-runner so far has done better in "open" primaries, where members of both parties can vote, than in "closed" primaries limited to Republican voters only.
Montana, set to vote June 7, has had an “open primary” since 1912.
But state GOP officials want to change all that, in a bid to keep out Democrats and other “cross-over” voters who might sway the outcome. They argue keeping the primaries open infringes on their constitutional right of association.
“This is a First Amendment right,” state Republican Party lawyer Matthew Monforton told FoxNews.com.
He said the looming primary is particularly important because it would allow people to flood the system in an incredibly close Republican race. If the system is left unchecked, Monforton believes outside groups could unfairly influence the state’s winner-take-all primaries, where Montana’s 27 presidential delegates are up for grabs.
While the primary is set for June, it's possible the race will still be competitive at that point -- though Trump on Monday voiced confidence in his ability to get the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination.
Montana’s Republican Party filed the original lawsuit in 2014, but escalated the matter to the Supreme Court earlier this month. On March 11, Monforton filed an emergency injunction to the court seeking to block non-GOP voters from participating in the upcoming primary.
“Without relief from this court, non-members and Democratic-aligned institutions will soon exploit Montana’s open primary and seek to nominate Republican candidates opposed by the majority of Republican voters,” Monforton wrote.
In a rare one-sentence order Wednesday, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy asked Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, a Republican, to respond to Monforton’s appeal of a lower-court order, which denied his request to block the June primary for Republicans in Montana.
Fox has until Tuesday to respond.
Monforton dismissed Fox, calling him “a liberal Republican” whose political ambitions are what’s driving his refusal to close the state GOP primary.
Calls to Fox for comment were not immediately returned.
Currently, Montana primary voters are free to choose either a ballot that only lists Republican candidates or one that lists Democratic candidates. No proof of party affiliation is required, and voters can request both parties’ ballots. They cannot vote in both, but no one is asked which ballots they ultimately choose.
The unexpected move by the Supreme Court to weigh in last week has given Monforton’s case much-needed momentum.
“We were certainly pleased,” Monforton told FoxNews.com of the Supreme Court’s response. “These emergency applications are the longest of long shots.”
It claimed the open primary violates its First Amendment freedom of association rights by allowing non-party members a vote and thus setting up a scenario where nominees are not chosen by a majority of Republicans.
Though the case pre-dates Trump's entry into the race, Monforton believes the current open system would help Trump -- and a closed primary would aid his top rival, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Indeed, Trump does seem to be doing better in open Republican primaries than his opponents. The New York businessman has come out ahead in 13 out of 16 states with open primaries including Massachusetts, North Carolina and Illinois. In states with closed primaries like Nevada, Florida and New Hampshire, Trump has taken the top prize in only six out of 14 states.
The outcome of the Montana challenge also could have an impact in state races. This year, 40 Republican legislatives races in the state have contested primary elections. Many feature tough matchups between conservatives and moderate candidates -- who could attract “cross-over” voters in an open primary.

Trump meets with GOP lawmakers in DC, urges party to ‘embrace’ him

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump met Monday in Washington with congressional Republicans and other conservative leaders, attempting to forge a relationship with party leaders while urging them to “embrace this movement.”
Trump described the meeting as a success and just the “beginning” of such efforts, as he tries to convince a seemingly reluctant GOP establishment to join forces with him.
“We had a really good meeting. It is a beginning, but it was a very good one, with some of the most respected people in Washington,” Trump said after the private discussion with roughly two-dozen Republicans including Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Alabama's Jeff Sessions, who has already endorsed Trump.

The billionaire businessman sought the meeting as he adds to his delegate count, vowing he will eventually clinch the nomination. Yet he still faces opposition from rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich and plotting by some Republicans to derail his outsider campaign with an alternative candidate.
“If people want to be smart, they should embrace this movement,” Trump said. “If they don’t want to be smart, the whole thing could go down.”
Among those also in attendance Monday was New York GOP Rep. Chris Collins, whose post-meeting analysis was similar to Trump’s and who sounded a sense of the inevitable.
“Mr. Trump will be our nominee. We need to bring the rest of the party to unite us to stop Hillary Clinton,” he told reporters, adding the GOP front-runner’s dialogue with Washington Republicans was “just starting.”
No members of either House or Senate GOP leadership were known to have been in attendance, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell or House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Trump said Monday that he has had a good conversation with each of them.
McConnell told Fox News on Sunday that he would be home in Kentucky. However, Ryan along with Trump was in Washington on Monday to speak at the annual policy conference for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a major pro-Israel group.
The meeting was also attended by former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, who now runs the influential Heritage Foundation conservative think tank, as well as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and wife, Callista.
Among the GOP establishment’s concerns about Trump is that his comments and views about women, Muslims and some Mexican immigrants are too divisive to win the White
House. And more recently, the violence at his campaign events have added to such concerns.
Trump suggested after the meeting that he understood the establishment’s fears. But he argued that he has the support of millions of everyday Americans and cited as proof that GOP voter turnout is up this year by 72 percent.
“I’m an outsider. I understand,” Trump said. “They are senators, governors, congressmen, women. They are not used to this. … But I have many, many people behind us. And to be honest with you guys, Republicans should embrace me.”
Also attending the meeting at the Jones Day law firm, at the base of Capitol Hill, were GOP Reps. Duncan Hunter Jr., Calif.; Tom Marino, Pa.; Scott DesJarlais, Tenn.; and North Carolina’s Renee Ellmers, the only other woman in the room besides Callista Gingrich.
DesJarlais described the meeting as “very frank” and “honest,” with discussions on such topics as foreign policy, Republicans’ support of Israel, defeating Democratic front-runner Clinton and Trump’s potential Supreme Court nominations.
Others at the meeting said Trump asked for their support. They said some in attendance already supported Trump while others came to “test the waters.”
Collins said the violence at Trump rallies was only discussed in the context of organized protesters trying to disrupt free speech.
Ellmers, who voted for Trump in the North Carolina GOP primary, told Fox News that Trump’s remarks about women were discussed.
“Women are going to choose the next president, they care very much about all kinds of issues. National security is a main issue, soccer moms of yesterday are security moms of today,” she said. “I know he's made some off-the-cuff comments. I certainly don't condone them, but I know the sense of un-comfortability as a Republican, I think, we need to concentrate on things we agree with, we need to come together in a unified party.”

Bill Clinton slams 'awful legacy of the last eight years', claims he was criticizing Republicans

Former President Bill Clinton slammed what he called the "awful legacy of the last eight years" during a campaign appearance for his wife, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, in Washington state Monday.
Clinton made the remarks at an event in Spokane ahead of Saturday's Washington state Democratic caucuses.
"If you believe we’ve finally come to the point where we can put the awful legacy of the last eight years behind us," Clinton said, "and the seven years before that when we were practicing trickle-down economics and no regulation in Washington, which is what caused the crash, then you should vote for her."
The remarks appeared to be a shot at President Barack Obama, in whose administration Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state and whose policies she has defended in her primary campaign against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Republicans quickly seized on the statement, posting a video of the remarks to YouTube.
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However, a Clinton spokesman told USA Today that the former president was referring to Republicans in Congress with his "awful legacy" remark.
"After President Obama was elected, Republicans made it their number one goal to block him at every turn," spokesman Angel Urena said. "That unprecedented obstruction these last eight years is their legacy, and the American people should reject it by electing Hillary Clinton to build on President Obama's success so we can all grow and succeed together."
Hillary Clinton has a lead of more than 300 delegates over Sanders in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination from primaries and caucuses following a sweep of five states March 15. Alaska and Hawaii also hold Democratic caucuses on Saturday, but Washington has the most delegates ultimately at stake with 101.

At least one dead, several hurt after explosions at Brussels airport, Metro

BREAKING: At least one person was killed and several others were injured after explosions rocked the Brussels airport and subway system Tuesday morning, days after a key suspect in last November's Paris terror attack was apprehended in the city.
Authorities did not immediately confirm that the explosions were a terror attack. However, Belgium's interior minister announced that the terror threat was being raised to its maximum level. Flights were canceled and arriving planes were diverted. Security was also tightened at all Paris airports.
"One person has died and perhaps there are several more," said a police official at the airport told the Associated Press.

Brussels Airport spokesman Anke Fransen confirmed that the blasts occurred shortly after 8 a.m. local time (3 a.m. EST). Reuters, citing the Belga news agency, reported that shots were fired and shouting in Arabic was heard before the explosions.
Zach Mouzoun, who arrived on a flight from Geneva about 10 minutes before the first blast, told BFM television that the second, louder explosion brought down ceilings and ruptured pipes, mixing water with blood from victims.

"It was atrocious. The ceilings collapsed," he said. "There was blood everywhere, injured people, bags everywhere."

"We were walking in the debris. It was a war scene," he said.

About 80 minutes after the airport blasts, an explosion was reported at the Maelbeek subway station, not far from the headquarters of the European Union. Rescue workers set up a makeshift treatment center in a local pub. Dazed and shocked morning travelers streamed from the metro entrances as police tried to set up a security cordon.

Alexandre Brans, 32, who was wiping blood from his face, said: "The metro was leaving Maelbeek station when there was a really loud explosion. It was panic everywhere. There were a lot of people in the metro."
First responders ran through the street outside with two people on stretchers, their clothes badly torn.

The explosions at the airport hit at the middle of the busiest time there. Smoke was seen billowing out of the terminal while other images showed a security officer patrolling inside a hall with blasted paneling and what appears to be ceiling insulation covering the floor. A member of Belgium's parliament, whose wife was at the airport, told Belga that the wounded were struck by flying glass and ceiling tiles.
Marie-Odile Lognard, a traveller who was lining up in the departures hall for a flight to Abu Dhabi, told BFM television that people panicked after the first explosion about 20 meters from her and that a second explosion about 15 seconds later caused parts of the ceiling to collapse.
"I knew it was an explosion because I've been around explosions before," said Denise Brandt, an American woman interviewed by Sky television.

"I felt the explosion, the way it feels through your body. And we just looked at each other and I said let's go this way. It was over there. There was just this instinct to get away from it. Then we saw people running, crying, toward us. So I knew we were going in the right direction and away from it. "
Amateur video shown on France's i-Tele television showed passengers including a child running with a backpack dashing out of the terminal different directions as they tugged luggage.
eslam, the prime suspect in the Paris attacks, was arrested in Brussels.