Flashpoint
We'll see what becomes of it, but apparently Governor Palin's church has been torched by one or a group of arsonists.

This brings up a question of how best to organize and protect one's self and others from politically-motivated retribution. The Republican Party originally formed with a militia/paramilitary group, the Wide Awakes, but such things lost popularity  after the decades of vigilance groups terrorizing people. Arming one's self is in the Bill of Rights, and organizing is in the Bill of Rights, and even the word 'militia' is in the Bill of Rights, so the acceptability of such bands seem to date back to the beginning, yet this has been stigmatized out of most circles, anyway (with apology to the late George Carlin for the way I phrased that).

Concealed carry helps, obviously, but permits granted in one state are rarely honored in another, see Plaxico Burress for an example. In the past, I've suggested utilizing HR 218, the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act, as a work-around on the issue. In this scheme, a police authority works out a deal with a group (I originally proposed this for professional athletes) so that members will be recognized as reserve officers on a police roster. This will recognize them as LEOs, and allow each member to carry in any state or city.

Would that fly? I don't know, but if you want to make it a part of your platform when running for sherriff, list my screen name as a consultant and go ahead.

And I'd just like to take a moment to grace shown by Sarah Palin by apologizing to her fellow congregation members for possibly drawing a degree of negative attention to the church. If only we all had that spirit...

Take care, everyone.