The Senate Judiciary on Criminal Justice Committee, chaired by Sen. Tim Grendell (R-18), will hear proponent, opponent and interested party testimony on Rep. Bruce Goodwin's HB450, legislation that would restore gun rights to members of the armed services or the Ohio National Guard who are between the ages of 18 and 21, on Wednesday, December 10 at 9:00 a.m. in the Senate Building's North Hearing Room (a tentative hearing has also been planned for the same time and location on Dec. 11, if needed).

The Chairman has indicated that a substitute bill may be offered, and that the bill may receive a vote out of committee!

By Gerard Valentino

Most Americans transfixed by Black Friday sales at the local discount megamart completely ignored the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. Sadly, it’s learning from such tragedies that might save your life someday.

For those not familiar with the story, terrorists fighting for an independent Kashmir stormed several high profile hotels and other locations in Mumbai, resulting in at least 200 deaths as of this writing. Like the bombings that took place around the world prior to 9/11, Americans see the carnage in Mumbai as largely another issue they can ignore. As they see it, attacks similar to what happen in places like India don’t happen here.

It’s amazing that post-9/11 that people have their head buried so deeply in the sand, or should we say they are so deeply buried in the American societal ways, that getting a deal on a plasma TV is more important than taking a few minutes to learn the possible tactics of our next attackers.

The tactics used by the terrorists in India are similar to those found in Al Qaeda manuals in Iraq – chillingly among the documents found during intelligence sweeps included plans for America’s schools.

Al Qaeda learned from their mistakes in planning and carrying out the 9/11 attacks, and there is no doubt they might regret the attack. After all, since they chose to punch us in the face their fortunes have turned a little sour. Osama bin Laden can’t stick his head up out of a cave somewhere in Pakistan and his terror network is in shambles. America faces other security risks yet nearly 8 years later, there hasn’t been another large scale attack.

The enemy continues to plan that next big attack and it might just mirror what happened in Mumbai. Recognizing the telltale signs of such an attack is vital to how people will survive when it happens, because it will.

Statewide harvest up 70 percent from 2007

COLUMBUS, OH - Ohio hunters were on the mark for opening day of the 2008 deer-gun season. Hunters took 33,034 white-tailed deer on Monday, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The deer-gun season remains open through Sunday, December 7, and then reopens for two days on Saturday and Sunday, December 20-21.

The preliminary figures from deer check stations throughout the state show a significant increase from last year's opening day total of 19,391. Monday's weather was breezy with intermittent rain or snow across the state, a stark contrast to opening day 2007 when hunters were hampered by heavy rain.

Counties reporting the highest numbers of deer checked on Monday included Tuscarawas-1,821, Washington-1,456, Coshocton-1,307, Harrison-1,286, Guernsey-1,202, Licking-1,134, Ashtabula-1,089, Holmes-1,088, Knox-954, and Athens-828.