Just a "friendly" warning, Obama.
"Friends suggest armed man in N.C. wasn’t a threat to Obama; Suspect is called law enforcement enthusiast" by Meg Kinnard, Associated Press | April 27, 2010
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — An Ohio man who authorities say was carrying a gun and driving a car loaded with law enforcement equipment when he said he wanted to see the president is a “public service-minded’’ ham radio and police buff, acquaintances said yesterday.
Joseph Sean McVey, who was spotted by police in an Asheville Regional Airport parking lot Sunday just after Air Force One departed, had a note in his car with formulas used for firing a rifle with a scope, authorities said.
Acquaintances from his hometown of Coshocton, Ohio, suggested that the episode may just be a misunderstanding involving a 23-year-old who is a law enforcement enthusiast.
McVey, whose mother lives in Asheville, was being held in lieu of a $100,000 secured bond for the misdemeanor charge of going armed to the terror of the public. If he posts bail, McVey would be released.
The investigation was continuing, but Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley said he did not believe federal officials wanted McVey held....
Randy Fisher, president of the Coshocton County Amateur Radio Association, said he was shocked to hear of the arrest. He said McVey had come to several of the group’s monthly meetings over the last two years and that he last talked to McVey about a week ago via radio. He said he always found McVey friendly and interesting.
“I was impressed that he was a public service-minded type of individual. He really enjoyed using his ham radio for emergency services and that sort of thing,’’ Fisher said.
For about two years, McVey has been a member of a volunteer organization that assists the sheriff’s department with traffic control at emergency scenes, said Tim Wise, president of Coshocton County Radio Emergency Association Citizen Team.
Wise said he was inclined to believe that McVey’s arrest resulted from a misunderstanding. He was unaware that McVey had a gun, but said he did not believe McVey would ever want to harm the president.
Security was heightened at the Asheville airport Sunday because President Obama was leaving after a weekend vacation....
Airport police Captain Kevan Smith said McVey was nowhere near the president’s plane and was in a rental car return lot that is open to the public....
A note in his car’s cup holder had rifle scope formulas, which help a shooter adjust for distance from a target. Such formulas estimate how much a bullet drops after it is fired and are generally included with a scope purchased for hunting or recreation, said Greg A. Danas, a firearms expert based in Massachusetts.
Asheville airport public safety chief Jeff Augram said yesterday that McVey did not have a rifle with him. He said the arrest was needed to ensure McVey was not a threat.
McVey gave authorities an Ohio driver’s license, but a computer check failed to show that the number was valid, police said.
“Everything they found on him, with the exception of a gun, he basically had all that when he was in Coshocton,’’ said Wise. “He just basically liked to monitor police frequencies and listen to what’s going on.’’
That is common for the group’s members, though they are not authorized to have police sirens and lights or to break the speed limit on the way to emergencies, Wise said.
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Related: GORDON DUFF: ASSASSINATION IN DUBAI, ISRAELI’S WARNING TO THE WORLD
Also see: N.C. man posed as officer, Marines say
Soldier sentenced to death in ’85 killingsSuspect admits guilt, avoids death penalty
I'm amazed, aren't you?
"Amazon sues tax officials in N.C." by Associated Press | April 21, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. — The online retailer Amazon.com Inc. says it is taking a stand for free speech by fighting North Carolina tax authorities’ request for information on people who have purchased about 50 million items since 2003.
Amazon said disclosing the names and addresses of buyers would harm customers who may have bought controversial books or movies. In a federal lawsuit filed in Seattle, the company also expressed worries that the disclosures would diminish sales.
Amazon says North Carolina’s effort violates the company’s rights to sell and its customers’ rights to buy books and other items “free from government intrusion into the customers’ reading, viewing, and listening choices.’’
Amazon is asking US District Court in Seattle, where Amazon has its headquarters, to find North Carolina’s request unconstitutional.
It was not clear whether North Carolina was seeking the information to collect taxes from customers directly, or to build a case against Amazon for not having collected such taxes....
They are REALLY SCRAPING the BOTTOM of the BARREL!!
How can that be in this IMPROVING ECONOMY?
North Carolina requires residents to pay taxes on online purchases if buying the same item in a store would result in a sales tax. An out-of-state retailer can’t be forced to collect North Carolina’s tax if it has no physical presence in the state.
Last summer, legislators were considering passing a law that would have directed Amazon to collect sales taxes, arguing that Amazon had relationships with local affiliates, giving it a physical presence.
Amazon responded by cutting off business relationships with North Carolina residents who link to products on their blogs, promote Web shopping deals, and offer coupons.
:-)
You know, like what the agenda-pushing scum bags are doing to Arizona now.
Heard a lot more about that boycott, huh?
The company also stopped working with affiliates in Rhode Island and Colorado because of collection-enforcement laws passed in those states.
:-)
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Thanks, North Carolina!
Also see: Around New England: Green Mountain High
Yeah, VERMONT has the RIGHT IDEA!
