Martin O’Malley Apologizes For Saying “White Lives Matter”

Democratic Presidential Candidate Martin O’Malley apologized this weekend for telling a vocal crowd from the Black Alliance for Just Immigration that “White lives matter” during a Democratic Forum in Arizona.

The complete statement from the former Governor of Maryland was that, “Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter.” Those words set off loud jeers from the group. After the forum, O’Malley apologized on a radio show for his words.

Ted Cruz Attempts Cartoon Voices From The Simpsons

Republican Presidential candidate Ted Cruz has decided to endear potential voters across the USA with his impressions of cartoon characters from the Simpsons. We’re not sure if this is a smart move or truly cringe-worthy. You watch, you decide.

Mother Lode Fair Auction 2015

The annual livestock auction at the Mother Lode Fair raised a total of $285,000 this year. The small animal auction on Sunday raised $23,325.

Combined, this was a total of $308.990.

Asia Davis Returns To The Mother Lode Fair

After eight years, Asia Davis returns to the Mother Lode Fair to briefly perform tonight. In 2007, Asia won the “Mother Lode Idol Contest” at the Mother Lode Fair. The former Jamestown resident advanced to the California State Fair and won the “California Idol” competition. Shortly afterwards, Asia moved to Los Angeles to pursue a singing career. Asia remains busy in the music industry and has been traveling the globe. The video above was the performance that first made residents aware of her.

What Is Draining Your Smart Phone Battery Life?

Battery life on your smart phone is essential. However, why do some smart phones batteries drain so much quicker than othes?

Well, there’s an app for draining your battery. Not purpsefully, but it is. In fact there’s more than one app affecting your phone. Watch this video, as it may cause you to make some immediate changes to your phone apps.

Major Victory For Property Rights Advocates

(Reason Magazine)

The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment requires the government to pay just compensation when it takes private property for a public use. But according to a 1949 “Marketing Order Regulating the Handling of Raisins Produced from Grapes Grown in California,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture was permitted to demand a portion of each year’s California raisin crop, free of charge. The title to those raisins passes to an entity known as the Raisin Administrative Committee, which is allowed to use the raisins for its own purposes. Those purposes include giving the raisins away for free to school lunch programs or selling them for foreign export. If it sells them, it gets to use the proceeds to fund its own operations.

In a decision issued earlier this week on Monday, in Horne v. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the USDA’s raisin confiscation scheme as an unconstitutional violation of the Fifth Amendment.

“The reserve requirement imposed by the Raisin Committee is a clear physical taking,” observed Chief Justice John Roberts. “Actual raisins are transferred from the growers to the Government. Title to the raisins passes to the Raisin Committee.” That is a textbook example of an uncompensated government taking of private property, Roberts held, and it therefore must fall under the plain text of the Fifth Amendment.

Roberts’ opinion was joined in full by Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito. Justice Stephen Breyer, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, concurred in part and dissented in part. Justice Sotomayor filed a solo dissent, in which she sided entirely with the USDA. “The government may condition the ability to offer goods in the market on the giving-up of certain property interests without effecting a per se taking,” Sotomayor asserted.

Monday’s ruling is a major victory for property rights and a welcome rebuke to government regulators who try to stretch their powers beyond the limits set by the Constitution.

Copperopolis Homecoming 2015

With the high temperatures on Saturday above 100 degrees, very few people came out to watch the Copperopolis Homecoming Parade.

For the brave souls who managed to walk or slowly ride/drive along the roasting O’Byrnes Ferry Road, a crowd of about twenty or so people were on both sides of the street to clap, wave, cheer and greet them.