New York Store Robbery and Standoff: "A store clerk fights back after an armed robbery in Albany. Tonight, a suspect is in custody following a standoff with police. The robbery happened at Quail Street News around 5:20 A.M. Store clerk Hafiz Alam was behind the counter when a man walked in the door and demanded money. Alam opened the register and handed over the money, but while putting the cash away, the robber made a mistake. The man set his shotgun on the counter and while he wasn't paying attention Alam grabbed the gun. The robber ran out the door while Alam called for help. Moments later, the robber came back in, struggled with Alam, and one shot is fired. Luckily, no one is injured and the robber made off with the gun and the money. Outside, a city worker spotted the man's license plate number and that's how police tracked the suspect to his home at 71 Westerlo Street. Police shut down streets and evacuated homes while attempting to get the man out of the house. When they got no answer Albany Police fired tear gas into the home. The suspect came out of the building and was taken into custody. He is behind bars tonight, police say he will face charges in the robbery. Alam, the clerk in the robbery, says he will return to work for his next shift.


Time to admit the "gun nuts" are right: In the aftermath of the Petit family slayings in Cheshire [Connecticut], we all reached for explanations: How do human beings sink this low? How could this tragedy have been prevented? Why? There are so many nagging questions. They all need to be asked. And maybe some old arguments need to be hashed out again. That is why one old question is worth asking again. It is this: What if the Second Amendment is for real? Is it possible that it should it be revered, just like the First Amendment? Sam Ervin said, "The Constitution should be taken like mountain whiskey -- undiluted and untaxed." Maybe that applies to all of the Constitution. Is it possible that the Second Amendment is not a quaint and antiquated remnant of a world that will never return, but an idea as relevant and sound today as when it was written? Is it possible that we are not talking about the right of the government to form a militia when there is no standing army, but the right of the individual to defend himself, or herself, against both tyranny and lawlessness? Maybe we are talking about the right of self-defense -- the right of the individual to take up arms against a government that wants to oppress, be it foreign or domestic. And the right of the individual to defend himself against criminals, brutes, and barbarians when local police seem unable to stop them. Might the Second Amendment matter almost as much as the First? I think the answer is yes. And just like the First, the Second is practical, newly relevant, and far wiser than the watered-down alternatives."


Arkansas Murder Charge Dropped: "A 2006 first-degree murder charge against a former Ozark woman has been dropped, according to Prosecuting Attorney David Gibbons. An order dismissing charges against Audrea Waldo, 24, was signed July 26 by Circuit Court Judge James Kennedy. Waldo was accused of shooting her father, Joel Waldo, 48, on Jan. 2, 2006, at the family’s home at 504 W. Main St. in Ozark. A probable cause affidavit filed in the case said Waldo shot at her father eight times with a .45-caliber pistol. Waldo told police she was threatened by her father and feared he would do something to her and her grandmother. Gibbons said autopsy results show the shooting victim had a large amount of methamphetamine in his system, giving credence to Audrea Waldo’s claims and justifying her use of deadly force." [All 8 bullets were self-defense??]