Maine Quake Shakes Region

A 4.0 earthquake occurred at 7:12pm EDT, Monday.

Centered 3 miles west of Hollis Center, Maine it was felt all over New England and eastern Canada.

At this time there are no reports of serious damage or injuries.

Originally it was recorded as a 4.5, then a 4.6, and eventually downgraded to the 4.0 status.

Canadian Border Guard Shot

A Canadian border guard agent was shot in the neck, Tuesday afternoon, by a man who then killed himself.

The shooting happened at the Peace Arch crossing, just south of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Emergency services airlifted the wounded agent, to a hospital, her condition is not yet known.

Traffic entering from Washington, has been completely stopped, due to the incident, since about 3pm PDT.

Chowmein Behind Rise in Rapes in Indian Town?

Jitender Chhatar, a member of a town council, in Haryana, India attempted to explain a rise in rapes. The councilman claims that the recent rise in rape cases is the fault of chowmein. "To my understanding, consumption of fast food contributes to such incidents. Chowmein leads to hormonal imbalance evoking an urge to indulge in such acts."

Other town ouncil members, congress members, and ministers have also tried to place the blame for the increase of rapes, in their town. Sube Singh says that rapes would disappear if all females were married off by the age of sixteen. Congress chief Phool Chand Mullana and education minister Geeta Bhukkal put forth that the rape cases are a conspiracy against the state government. And Congress member Dharamvir Goyat said that at least ninety percent of the cases had actually been consensual.

Some however tried to put actual reasons on the table. Former minister and Congress MLA Sampat Singh said that a "lack of intellectual growth" was the reason behind rising crime against women. "People might have prospered but have not become mature enough to understand their responsibilities towards society and in some cases towards their families even. Generally, families hardly monitor the activities of their children, especially the sons, who are later found to be involved in such acts."

Hopefully more intelligent people, like Singh, will be able to persuade the rest of the government to reason. If they can, with some effort, rapes will decrease in the area, and the women of Haryana will be safer.

Supreme Court to Rule on Arizona Voting Law, Action Delayed on Early Voting in Ohio

The Arizona Voter ID case has resurfaced, with the Supreme Court having agreed on Monday to rule on the constitutionality of a state requirement which requires voters to prove they are U.S. citizens prior to registering and casting a ballot.
The review of  Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. was granted, though the court had previously rejected Arizona's request to block a lower court decision that had struck down that requirement. That particular law had been in effect since 2004, when "Proposition 200" was passed.

But, the Supreme Court will not rule on the case until after the election, in 2013. It will likely be argued in February and ruled on in June.

This case holds particular significance because:

• Whether or not proof of citizenship will be required for registering and casting a ballot will be determined.

• The court will clarify the cooperative, yet sometimes conflicting, roles of state governments and Congress in regulating election procedures.

• The relationship between the Elections Clause, the Supremacy Clause and the National Voter Registration Act will be interpreted:

State legislatures, under the Constitution, are accorded the authority to decide “the time, place and manner” of holding elections. This includes elections for federal offices, but Congress is given the authority to “make or alter such regulations.”

The Ninth Circuit has interpreted the Elections Clause to bestow upon Congress full and final veto power over any state law or regulation related to federal elections

The Circuit Court held that the “presumption against preemption” that normally protects state laws, under the Supremacy Clause, does not apply when the Elections Clause is at issue.  And, it excused Congress from having to provide a plain statement of its intention to override the state procedure, when overruling a state on federal election procedures.

Hence, the Circuit Court made the determination that Arizona, in requiring that voters show specific documentation to prove citizenship, was in conflict with the National Voter Registration Act.

Though the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the Arizona voting case, no action has been taken by the Justices in regard to the controversial early voting case in Ohio. SCOTUSblog reports the case is currently fully briefed and is expected to be addressed by the Court in the near future.

Cross-posted on RedState and Red Pill Report

Meningitis Cases up to 231

Latest numbers out of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have meningitis cases up to 231.

That number is up nineteen from what it was yesterday.

Good news is that no new deaths have been reported.

The Food and Drug Administration continues to investigate other drugs, produced by New England Compounding Center, for meningitis.

So far it is thought that two more of the drugs were contaminated with the fungal form of the disease.

As many as 14,000 people took the injections known to have been contaminated, it is unclear how many more people could be at risk if other drugs were as well.

Denver Seeking Snow Buddies

The city of Denver and Volunteers for America are looking for volunteers to become 'snow buddies'.

In the snow buddy program, volunteers are matched up with seniors, who need help shoveling their driveways and sidewalks.

Anyone who volunteers, must commit for the entire snow season.

To sign up, or get more information, you can go to http://www.voacolorado.org/ or call 720-264-3379.

Ammo Bunker Explodes in Louisiana

An ammunition bunker exploding caused panic in part of Louisiana, Monday night.

Some reports listed a series of explosions, but only one has been confirmed.

Explo Systems, owns a series of bunkers, near Camp Minden Army ammunition plant.

Their government contract gives them the job of disassembling ordnance, and recycling the old parts.

It's not yet clear what caused one of the bunkers to explode, but it did so with enough force to show up on weather radars.

The National Weather Service released a statement saying, "Based on radar analysis, the plume was initially as high as almost 7,200 feet above ground level."

All Explo employees, who were working at the time, are accounted for with only minor injuries.

Ross Perot Endorses Romney

On Tuesday, former Presidential candidate Ross Perot announced that he will be backing Mitt Romney in 2012.

"The fact of the matter is that the United States is on unsustainable course. At stake is nothing less than our position in the world, our standard of living at home, and our constitutional freedoms.

"That is why I am endorsing Mitt Romney in his quest for the presidency. We can't afford four more years in which national debt mushrooms out of control, our government grows, and our military is weakened.

"Mitt has the background, experience, intelligence, and integrity to turn things around. He has my absolute support."

Hollande Declares Homework a Class Enemy

French President Francois Hollande has targeted homework as a class enemy, that blocks equality.

He proposed that all work, "must be done in the facility rather than in the home if we want to support the children and reestablish equality".

According to his administration, the inequality of living conditions amongst the classes makes homework easier for children from families with higher incomes.

As the state can not yet equalize the home environment, they must force all children to do all their work, at school, where teachers can ensure no one has better opportunities than anyone else.

Hollande may have trouble getting his proposal to pass, though, as various polls show between two-thirds to three-fourths of the adult population being against such a ban.

Blue to Gold: ARMY Sgt. Robert J. Billings

ARMY Sgt. Robert J. Billings, thirty, of Clarksville, Virginia, died October 13, in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan.
Billings, of Clarksville, Virginia, died Saturday, in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, JBLM.

According to unit records, Sgt. Billings entered the Army in January 2006 and reported to Fort Benning, GA, for Army Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training MOS 11B (Infantryman). Upon graduation from AIT he was assigned to Fort Carson, CO. He arrived at JBLM in June 2009 and was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. He deployed with 4th Stryker Brigade to Iraq from September 2009 – August 2010. Sgt. Billings was assigned to 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division in January 2011. He deployed to Afghanistan with 3rd Stryker Brigade in December 2011. This was his second deployment.

Sgt. Billings' civilian and military education includes High School Diploma (2001), Associates in Arts, Criminal Justice (2012), Field Sanitation Team Certification (2011), Unit Prevention Leader (2011), Airload Planner (2011), Warrior Leader Course (2010), Combatives Level 1 (2010), Combat Life Savers Course (2009), Force XXI Battle Command Brigade (2007), Military Occupational Specialty: 11B- Infantryman (2006).


His awards and decorations include Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (two awards), Meritorious Unit Citation, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, Iraq Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (two awards), NATO Medal, Certificate of Achievement, Combat Infantry Badge.