Category Archives: GUEST POSTS

Guest Post: The Way the Media Manipulates the Way We Think About Guns

Posted on April 4, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

The following is a guest post by reader Darren Davis. This is not a paid submission and may not necessarily represent the views of LadyLiberty1885.com. It is an opinion article. Inquiries or submissions from readers can be sent to TheLL1885@gmail.com

The Way the Media Manipulates the Way We Think About Guns

By Darren Davis

America is at war right now. There are people that are fighting tooth and nail to deny our right to the 2nd Amendment. There is no way we can deny that there has been an abundance of violence lately. We have the shooting in Aurora, the Sandy Hook Shooting, the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the list goes on and on. As tragic as these events are, the media seems to be looking at things the wrong way. By doing this, we have legislators that are actually suggesting that we place limits on our right to bears arms. This reaction is heavy-handed and isn’t going to solve the actual problem. Continue reading →

Posted in GUEST POSTS, Media Bias | Comments Off

Violence And Blame: Hypocrisy – Part Three

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Liberty Speaks

A three part series by Liberty Speaks

LNS
Violence and Blame
Part Three: Hypocrisy

In the wake of these shootings where do we go from here? Which path do we take to escape such unsolicited gratuitous evil? Who or what do we blame for the actions of an individual that disrupts our society in a manner that is contrary and hostile to our beliefs? Continue reading →

Posted in CRIME, GUEST POSTS, Liberty Speaks, Poltical Correctness | Tagged Hypocrisy | Comments Off

Violence & Blame: Surviving and Hypocrisy Part Two

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Liberty Speaks

Three shooters that are the subject of this second installment of a three-part series are Jared Lee Loughner, John Hyde, and Duc Mihn Pham. All three used a firearm to shoot to kill or wound, all three suffered from mental illness, and all three showed warning signs prior to their acts. Continue reading →

Posted in CRIME, GUEST POSTS | 4 Comments

Violence & Blame, Surviving, and Hypocrisy Part One

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Liberty Speaks

A three-part series by Liberty Speaks….

Part One: Violence and Blame

Over the last ten years I have seen my share of violent mass shootings take place in our country. Newtown, Aurora, Tuscon, Ft Hood, Virginia Tech and Columbine are the six shootings that most people can name off-hand at any given moment. There are also a couple of shootings (which I will discuss in part two), that personally touched my family, specifically my husband. Many people in our nation have asked for an open dialogue about gun violence. I felt it was time that I would start one. Maybe, what we need to do is wait and breathe before automatically deciding it is the weapon to blame instead of the individual who commits that act. After all, there is no such thing as a deranged weapon.

Back in January of 2011, I felt compelled to write a note and place it on my Facebook page, Liberty Speaks, for all to see. I was disturbed at the quick condemnation of the First Amendment and the accusations that speech was to blame for the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and the deaths of six others. Below is that note, with a few updates which will be highlighted. Continue reading →

Posted in GUEST POSTS | 1 Comment

Students Speak Out: Chik-fil-A Stays

Posted on February 28, 2013 by A.P. Dillon

As Liberty Speaks reported yesterday, the University of New Mexico Board held a vote to determine the fate of a Chik-fil-A franchise on their campus. The results of the vote are in: 8-3, Chik-fil-A stays.

The student paper, The Daily Lobo, has more, emphasis added:

After postponing its vote last semester, the SUB Board decided Wednesday to let Chick-fil-A retain its spot in the SUB.

Eight board members voted to keep the controversial restaurant while three voted to replace Chick-fil-A with another restaurant.

Rebecca Vanucci, a GPSA representative to the SUB Board and its president, said the board was supposed to vote on the issue in October, but postponed it until this semester to better assess student reaction to Chick-fil-A. She said she was overwhelmed by the amount of student participation in the survey.

“In my four years on the SUB Board, this has never happened,” she said. “We’re talking about an issue, and we’re getting taped, and we’re getting a lot of audience.”

Further down, emphasis added:

On Wednesday, the ASUNM Senate voted 15-3 in favor of a resolution that urged the University to replace Chick-fil-A. The student government passed the resolution after conducting a survey last month. The results showed that 85 percent of those surveyed were in favor of keeping Chick-fil-A on campus, while 15 percent were in favor of kicking it out.

The SUB Board did a similar survey in cooperation with ASUNM and GPSA that ran from Jan. 28 to Feb. 11. According to a presentation by the SUB Board, 3,755 respondents composed of undergraduates, graduates and faculty members participated in the survey. Results indicated that 44 percent of respondents said Chick-fil-A’s principles are positive overall, while 41 percent said they are negative overall.

Vanucci, who voted to kick out Chick-fil-A, said she was disappointed about the results of the vote. She said that because students who complained to the board about the restaurant during recent months, the issue surrounding Chick-fil-A is a safety and a moral issue.

“My main concern as SUB Board president is to keep the SUB as safe and accessible for everyone,” she said. “No matter how many people say, ‘just don’t buy the chicken,’ if someone told me that they feel unsafe … I should respect that feeling.”

Seems like their SUNM Senate has a lot of chicken haters on it. I’m wondering exactly how a chain chicken restaurant makes anyone feel ‘unsafe’? Perhaps they watched Not Without My Chicken and thought it was a documentary? I submit that Ms. Vanucci is a first-rate moron, but in a more mild and pandering fashion than renowned Chik-fil-A rager, Adam Smith.

Luckily, logic and common sense prevailed, from the same Daily Lobo piece, emphasis added:

UNM student Steven Ybarra said the board made the right decision to keep Chick-fil-A. He said the restaurant does not threaten the safety of LGBTQ students. He said that because 85 percent of students want to keep Chick-fil-A on campus, according to a recent ASUNM survey, the decision was good for the majority of the University community.

“If they feel unsafe, it’s because … they created a symbol of oppression that they feel they need to protect themselves from,” he said. “Nobody is in imminent danger in this campus because of chicken. The majority of students do want to keep Chick-fil-A here on campus.”

Thank you, Mr. Ybarra.

The other chicken haters joining Vanucci in their fear of delicious nuggets and waffle fries were Debbie Morris and Priscila Poliana.

At any rate — Freedom of speech and chicken eating were defended and the results are delicious. Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), EDUCATION, GUEST POSTS | 3 Comments

Once again, First Amendment and Chick-fil-A are under Attack!

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Liberty Speaks

Chick-fil-A is once again the subject of controversy. I am ashamed to say it is happening in my state of New Mexico. But then again, the word ‘ashamed” is coming up quite often these days in conversation.

A meeting will be held today Wednesday, February 27th on campus of the University of New Mexico as to whether or not a Chick-fil-A can remain on campus. The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico approved a resolution to remove the restaurant because they feel the stance that the stance taken by Chik-fil-A CEO, Dan Cathy, last summer on Gay marriage is not something that UNM wants to represent. Evidently, they don’t “represent” the 1st Amendment either. ASUNM Vice President, Sunny Liu, said that “out of ASUNM’s 20 senators, 15 voted in favor of the resolution, three voted against, and two abstained.”

Liu said the resolution, “reflects the student government’s official stance on the issue. He said the resolution aims to make the University more comfortable for minority groups, especially LGBT students”, on campus, even though 85 percent of students surveyed said they wanted Chick-fil-A to stay. In a current poll online according to the Daily Lobo a vast majority of students want to keep the restaurant on campus. So, the will of the students is effectively being ignored. In a letter posted to the editor of the Daily Lobo it is clear that some students understand a 1st Amendment attack when they see one. Posted in response to the article “ASUNM votes to evict mor chikin,” published in Friday’s Daily Lobo.

Editor,

I was pretty disturbed to find out that the student government is trying to forcibly remove Chick-fil-A from the SUB. Whether or not we agree with Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy’s view on sexuality, running Chick-fil-A out of UNM is an exceptionally immature and unfair way to react. By attempting to force out Chick-fil-A, ASUNM is sending a message of discrimination. If our government is attempting to destroy our freedom of speech by shutting down businesses, then where is our government headed? How long before anyone can be run out of UNM for politely and reasonably stating an opinion? Is anyone else disturbed by this? Justin Kesselring
UNM student

I personally applaud this student for understanding the core ideals and sacred understanding of the First Amendment. People listen to me, the First Amendment was not created to protect only what we are “comfortable” with in society. It is there to protect the individual in society. That includes statement, beliefs, and ideals which are not necessarily our own. I state this because even the VILE Westboro Baptist Church is afforded the right of free speech in this country. I personally do not agree with anything that church has to say, but I will defend it’s right to say it.

Regarding this Chick-fil-A on the UNM campus. It employs ten people some of whom are University students. The removal of the restaurant will impact them greatly. Where will they go? Has anyone even bothered to figure out that this particular Chick-fil-A is not even owned by or managed by Chick-fil-A? It is operated under a company called Chartwell’s, a franchise of its own. In a statement to local news station Channel 7 KOAT Chartwell’s says this:

Chartwells rejects any form of discrimination and has clear and strong policies that embrace diversity, inclusion and respect in the workplace. We have zero tolerance for any behavior that is contrary to these values. Chartwells has a Zero Tolerance Discrimination and Harassment Policy, which enforces compliance with federal, state and local laws that prohibit discrimination or harassment based on sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, color, disability, age, pregnancy, national origin, veteran status or any other unlawful factor.”

I take them and their statement as being honest and truthful. Speaking directly with a very credible source on this subject, this Chick-fil-A prides its self on the ability to produce a good quality product for the students of UNM and holds its Integrity to a very high standard. In no uncertain terms do they discriminate what so ever.

With that being said, I fear the voice of the students is being denied, the 1st Amendment is once again under attack. It proves to me that if your view is not “a comfortable one” not a PC one, or if you have any dissent that goes against the grain, you will be attacked, ridiculed and thrown out of society. Isn’t that a reason why we left England and the King’s rule in the first place back in the 1600’s? Or is the history of America and what we were founded on being thrown off campus as well? Continue reading →

Posted in GUEST POSTS, Poltical Correctness | 5 Comments