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Saturday, June 28, 2008, 3:00 AM
Blogosphere Hybrid SUVs for EMS quick response vehicles A two-year study on the feasibility of hybrid-powered SUVs for EMS quick response vehicles was just completed, and will be published in the July issue of the Journal of EMS. Switching to hybrids would reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of each unit by 50%. What’s more, the upfront cost of these vehicles is 10% less than the normal EMS vehicle, and the hybrid SUV’s are also wilderness approved. Cities and counties hoping to lower their contribution to climate change should take a hard look at these vehicles, which would do a lot towards earning that coveted moniker “Cool City.” North Carolina Sierra Club Blog http://sierraclubnc.blogspot.com New N.C. polls: Good news for both parties The good news for Republicans in a new poll: Their candidates are ahead. The good news for Democrats: But not by that much. But in a state George W. Bush twice won with 56 percent, Obama trailed McCain by only four points in the poll. Hagan trailed Dole by 10. Campaign Tracker The Charlotte Observer http://campaigntracker.blogspot.com/ Gun ruling was an easy call The Supreme Court’s conclusion yesterday in the D.C. gun case was a no-brainer, which is a sad commentary about dissenters Stevens, Ginsburg, Souter and Breyer. But the argument that the Second Amendment invokes an individual right to keep and bear arms was so obvious that even wishy-washy Anthony Kennedy had to side with the common-sense faction of Scalia, Roberts, Thomas and Alito. The court’s principal finding is this: “The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.” Any other interpretation would have been unthinkable in early America, where frontier defense and hunting for food required the handy use of firearms. Not many people rely on hunting to feed their families these days, but the defense imperative is every bit as relevant. The ban on private ownership of firearms in the District of Columbia, with very limited exceptions, has made honest citizens more vulnerable to attack in their own homes by criminals unlawfully armed. The amendment’s reference to a well-regulated militia has been an eternal source of confusion but should be separated from the individual right plainly stated, Scalia wrote in the majority opinion. The opinion was fair and reasonable, acknowledging limitations, and above all, it was correct — an easy call. Too bad some justices refused to go along. In terms of presidential politics, the ruling has put Barack Obama on the spot. Doug Clark Editorial Writer, Greensboro News & Record http://blog.news-record.com/staff/offtherecord/
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