Self-Serve Justice or Instant Karma
Who needs a judge to dish out a sentence? Not these dopes.
Category: General
Michigan DNR announces opening dates for campgrounds, harbors and other outdoor spaces
As Michigan moves to Stage 4 of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Safe Start plan, the Department of Natural Resources has determined official opening dates for state park and state forest campgrounds, state harbors and other DNR-managed outdoor spaces – just in time for the summer season.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, most state parks, state-managed trails and boating access sites stayed open to provide local opportunities for outdoor recreation. At the same time, the DNR worked behind the scenes to prepare to fully open sites and facilities once the department could again perform nonessential work and hire and train summer park workers. Learn more about what it will take to get campgrounds open this year. Read more
SAF: Biden Staff Fuels Gun Sales by Supporting No-Bail Releases
BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today said the support Democrat Joe Biden’s staff is showing to violent protesters in Minneapolis by donating to a bail fund is an “outrage,” and it demonstrates why alarmed Americans are buying more guns to protect their homes and businesses.
“After all the violence we’ve seen in major cities, Biden’s position is simply outrageous,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “No wonder gun sales surged 80 percent in May over the same month last year. People watch their cities burn, while Biden and his staffers think those responsible should be allowed to walk. That’s a bad formula for public safety, but apparently Biden and his crew don’t get it.”
A group called the Minnesota Freedom Fund reportedly received contributions from 13 Biden staffers. The Freedom Fund reportedly opposes the practice of making people arrested pay cash bail to avoid “pre-trial imprisonment,” according to Reuters.
But a Biden campaign spokesman told Reuters the former vice-president opposes the institution of cash bail altogether, calling it a “modern day debtors prison.” He doesn’t think these anarchists should pay bail at all.
“So,” Gottlieb observed, “while Biden opposes guns for honest people, he’s all for turning dangerous rioters loose on personal recognizance, maybe so they can go somewhere else and wreak havoc.
“We wholly support the First Amendment as much as we advocate for and defend the Second,” he continued. “Peaceful, non-violent protest is as much a part of the American fabric as the right to keep and bear arms, but last weekend’s violence completely overshadowed such efforts. Read more
Michgan: Silver Lake Park ORV Area Opening Postponed
After careful consideration, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will postpone the opening of Silver Lake State Park ORV Area in Oceana County until Saturday, June 13. The additional time allows for new operational functions associated with COVID-19 public health and safety guidelines to be integrated, as well as significant progress on construction of the new dune entrance ramp. In addition, the opening date coincides with the updated “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order, announced last Friday, which now ends June 12.
One of the department’s biggest challenges was the halting of nonessential work and the need to recruit, hire and train seasonal summer workers. Once the state’s executive order allowed such efforts, after May 15, the DNR began steps toward opening the ORV area. Many of the area’s recurring opening duties and tasks are near completion, but the bulk of construction on the new dune entrance ramp-widening project is still underway and would become more challenging with the number of visitors expected. Additionally, many of the new and evolving COVID-19 safety practices and protocols – building sneeze guards, establishing cash and voucher handling procedures, training new staff and instructing new and returning staff on new COVID-19 safety measures – are still being implemented. Read more
Michigan: restoration continues at Copper Harbor Lighthouse in Keweenaw County
Standing as a silent guard at the very top of the Upper Peninsula, the Copper Harbor Lighthouse once guided vessels traveling in Lake Superior to safe harbor.
Originally built in 1848, the lighthouse site consisted of a 44-foot stone tower with a lantern room, a detached lightkeeper’s dwelling and landing dock.
By the 1860s, the Keweenaw Peninsula’s harsh winters and Lake Superior’s severe weather had taken their toll on the original buildings. The U.S. Lighthouse Service replaced the stone structures with a brick lighthouse and attached living quarters.
Beginning in 1866, the new lighthouse was manned by lightkeepers and their families until it was automated in 1919. By 1958, the lighthouse had become obsolete, and the U.S Coast Guard sold the property to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Today the lighthouse site, which is part of Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, includes the original 1848 keeper’s quarters and the 1866 lighthouse. While time may have changed the lighthouse’s purpose, the need to protect the historic buildings from the elements is still pressing. Read more
Michigan: final prep to move Julia and U.S. Grant’s Detroit home is underway
With the necessary permits secured, the planned move of Julia and Ulysses S. Grant’s Detroit home is underway.
The newlywed couple lived in the home for just over a year when Grant was stationed in Detroit in 1849. Learn more about Grant’s time in Detroit.
The home will move from its current location at the former Michigan state fairgrounds at 8 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue to the corner of Orleans and Wilkins Streets in Eastern Market.
Permits for preparation at the home’s current and new locations were approved in late March 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the state-mandated stay at home order, work could not begin until mid-May. In addition, the state fairgrounds site is a COVID-19 testing site, and proper safety and security protocols for contractors needed to be implemented before work could begin.
Contractors gained access to the site on May 19 and began work to prepare the house. The move will involve dividing the house in two; the second floor will be removed and placed onto one moving truck. Then, the first story will be placed on a second moving truck.
Last fall, contractors installed the steel beams that will be used to lift the second story. On May 22, carpenters began the delicate work of cutting the house in two. To prepare for the cutting, several wooden supports were installed internally to minimize sway. In addition, the house has been lifted off its foundation.
Visit the project website for more photos of move preparation.
In early June, contractors will begin constructing a new foundation and preparing utilities at the home’s new location in Eastern Market. The prep work at both locations is on target for completion by the end of June 2020.
Meanwhile, planning for the physical move is in progress. The home must move 15 miles to its new location, which will require relocating traffic signals and utility lines, as well as temporarily closing streets. Every effort is being made to plan for the safest possible route with limited disruptions to the community. At this time, a final move date has not been secured.
The Michigan History Foundation is raising private funds for the move, the prep work and the final restoration of the home. Please donate today or contact Erin Burns, Michigan History Foundation Executive Director, at erin@michiganhistory.org
For more information about the Julia and Ulysses S. Grant home, visit the project website at GrantHomeDetroit.org.
Civilian Conservation Corps Proposed to Put American Back to Work
GW: I had to check and sure enough, a Democrat wants to relive the past with more government.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Collin O’Mara will host a press call on Wednesday, May 27, at 12:15 p.m. ET to discuss how a 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps could put Americans back to work, support community resilience in the face of climate-fueled floods and wildfires, restore public lands, and recover wildlife.
Wyden and O’Mara will discuss the senator’s recently introduced the 21st Century Conservation Corps for Our Health and Our Jobs Act. They also will build off O’Mara’s recent New York Times op-ed calling for a new Civilian Conservation Corps.
Please email Nicole L’Esperance (Nicole_LEsperance@wyden.senate.gov) or Mariah Wildgen (Mariah_wildgen@wyden.senate.gov) to RSVP and obtan call-in information.
WHAT: Press call on the need for a 21st century Civilian Conservation Corps
WHEN: Wednesday, May 27 at 12:15 p.m. ET
WHO: Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Collin O’Mara, president and CEO, National Wildlife Federation
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Visit the National Wildlife Federation Media Center at NWF.org/News.
Michigan: DNR Officers Assist Evacuation during Midland County Flood
LANSING, MICH. Nearly 24 hours before the Edenville Dam in Midland County collapsed Tuesday, conservation officers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources began evacuating people in homes and businesses positioned downriver of the dam. With historic flood levels expected, the officers remain on scene and are providing emergency response as needed.
Shortly before dark Tuesday, the dam collapsed, creating life-threatening, flash flood conditions that forced a mandatory evacuation for the city of Midland, including residents, businesses, medical facilities and Dow Chemical’s headquarters – all in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We will continue working with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to assist with patrol vessels anywhere we can,” said Lt. Jeremy Payne, the DNR’s district law supervisor in Bay City.
The initial dam breach caused the failure of a second area dam – the Sanford Dam. As a result, the Tittabawassee River is overflowing its 24-foot flood stage and is expected to crest around 38 feet today. At 7 a.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service said the flood stage was over 34 feet and rising.
More than 20 conservation officers from throughout the region responded with 10 DNR patrol vessels and search and rescue equipment to help continue the evacuation of flood victims. Read more
GoPro’s New Zeus Mini—The World’s Most Versatile Light
Magnetic, Mountable & Wearable Zeus Mini Brings GoPro Versatility to Lights
SAN MATEO, Calif. – Mount it, wear it, love it—GoPro’s magnetic multipurpose waterproof light, Zeus Mini, brings the brand’s legendary versatility to lights. Now available on GoPro.com for $69.99, the rechargeable Zeus Mini features a robust magnetic swiveling clip and is compatible with GoPro’s full line of camera mounts—making it insanely convenient for a wide range of uses. Read more
CMP Paver Project
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Receive Your Lasting Spot on the Firing Line Through the CMP Paver Project
By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer
TALLADEGA, Ala. – With many junior shooting careers reaching an abrupt end this spring, consider the gift of a permanent place for them on the firing line for decades to come through the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) Paver Project.
Situated on the grounds of the CMP’s own Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama, the Paver Project offers a collection of engraved granite slats, available for purchase and personalization for an individual, club, company and any other worthy sentiment. The pavers come in 4”x 8” or 8”x 8” sizes, as well as a special 4” x 4” option for juniors.
Each paver is embedded in the concrete areas behind the firing lines throughout the facility, including the practice rifle range, pistol ranges and the sporting clays and trap fields. Individuals or groups may purchase one or up to three pavers.
For more information about the CMP Paver Project, contact Greg Raines at graines@thecmp.org. Order forms can be found on the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/ranges/talladega-marksmanship-park/paver-project/.
All orders are considered charitable gifts to the Civilian Marksmanship Program, a 501(c)(3) organization, and may be tax-deductible. Read more