Heh

I've always liked the writing style of this.

And yes, I am easily amused!

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Hello ..... McFly!

Is the mainstream media reporting. or is there too much momentum to ignore:

American women are buying guns and taking aim on firing ranges in growing numbers, according to a recent study and interviews with gun-shop owners.

I could have told you that.

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Weapons-grade stupid

Found at Sipsey St Irregulars, and I can't bring myself to embed this, so I'll just have to link.

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Expiration dates

Here's a loooong list of promises that Obama made, promises that have expired.

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You keep using that word ......

I do not think it meansa what you think ita means:

When Ron Paul and Pat Buchanan are on the most unpopular list and Michelle Malkin and George W. Bush are among the most popular among self-styled conservatives, the only logical conclusion is that John Derbyshire is entirely correct. American conservatism is absolutely doomed.

Doomed, indeed.

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Apologies to Inigo Montoya

JPFO Alert

Will there be elections in 2010?

Bitter, bible-clinging Teabagger arrested for threatening Eric Cantor

And by bitter, bible-clinging Teabagger I mean Obama donor:

I wonder how reticent the media will be to label him a Muslim considering how quick they are to label these militia wackos as Christians.

LeBoon just so happens to be a Barack Obama donor. Somehow I doubt that'll be part of any headlines.

If it rains, it pours.

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Even blind hogs pick up nuts

Seen at Ace's, this stunning, stunning article:





Yeah, from MSNBC.

Go figure.

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Have you heard the one that goes .....

businesses don't pay taxes - the customers do? Well, BOHICA:

You didn't really believe that, did you? Good. To confirm your suspicions, read the new BusinessWeek interview with Ron Williams, the chairman and CEO of Aetna Insurance, which covers more than 36 million Americans.

His take is that yes, premiums will go up, and yes, your coverage will change.

I hope we don't change much.

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Health care idea

I was just thinking (while reading an article by Yuval Levin) about the health insurance payment reform crap, and these words just kinda, struck me:

Conservative and liberal experts generally agree on the nature of the problem with American health care financing: There is a shortage of incentives for efficiency in our methods of paying for coverage and care, and therefore costs are rising much too quickly, leaving too many people unable to afford insurance.

See, that's the problem right there ...... everyone thinks the government needs to incentivize everything.

Government can't incentivize; it can only promise not to penalize you as much.

That's one tasty carrot, huh? I can hardly wait.

So lets start comparing oranges to Tangelo's. If the company you work for supplies you with a company vehicle, the IRS considers that a 'fringe benefit' and taxes you on the constructive value of the vehicle.'

Now, if the company I work for is self-insured (which it was), and has to pay the balance of any health care I receive, why shouldn't I be taxed on that 'fringe benefit as well?

The economic law of supply and demand is not repealed just because you're talking about health care. If someone else is paying for your health care, or at least limiting your financial exposure, there will be a tendancy for you to use more health care than you might, in fact, need. So economically, if demand goes up, so do prices ...... unless supply expands to meet demand (which it won't).

So if you're using more health care than you need, and someone else is subsidizing your health care use, why should that not become taxable income?

That'd turn things upside down, wouldn't it?!

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Curiously satisfying!

It's a shame you have to wait till the end to get to the money quote:



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GRE round-up's ....

For the following dates:

March 23

March 24

March 25

March 26

March 27

George Washington - socialist?

Joe Conason seems to think so:

Quotations and facsimiles of the Militia Act can be found on hundreds of right-wing blogs, of course, where it is often cited to demonstrate that the founders would have despised gun control. Few if any of these Second Amendment zealots seem to have realized yet how ironic it is for them to quote this venerable statute alongside their anguished protests against the constitutional validity of any federal mandate.

Or maybe Washington was a socialist, too.

His point is that the Militia Act of 1792 required all militiamen to acquire suitable arms, at their own expense. While I can sort of agree with this, his context (or lack thereof) doesn't support his claim.

Given that the historical evidence is that the founders were frightened of a standing army, and that they wanted the citizens to be able to (yea, even responsible for?) defend the country, the desire of the founders to have all militiamen adequately armed kinda has a lot of common sense attached to it. I'd also point out that keeping and bearing arms in a security context is specifically written into the constitution ...... the requirement the keep health insurance is not.

There's also the sticky bit about the militia expenditure being a one-time thing, as opposed to the health insurance mandate, which would presumably make economic demands on your pocketbook for your entire life.

There is also the possibility that wealthier patriots could subsidize these militia purchases for those not as financially able to obtain arms. As an example, I'm going to need to start saving my pennies, since my son will be 21 next year, and I intend to buy him a pistol for his birthday, though it could just as easily be a military-grade rifle.

I don't see George Soros handing out free health insurance chits.

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Apologies (to both my loyal readers!)

Sorry about the hole in yesterdays' and Wednesdays' postings ..... spent all day yesterday ad the car dealer getting a new minivan.

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Makes sense to me

Seen at Uncle's, this post making a whole lot of sense:

All schools should institute gun safety classes.

And this from a student. RTWT

Well done, Corby!

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Why hasn't John Cornyn resigned?

Because his track record isn't looking too good these days:

Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas) told HuffPo today that Republicans won't run on an across-the-board repeal of new health-care laws.

HuffPo? Really?

Is anyone in the GOP listening? I know, lets ask Charlie Crist and Mitt 'Romney-care' Romney what we should do.

Cornyn ..... what an idiot.

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SNAFU

But I thought the government could convince the banks:

The banker described homeowners pleading to him for help, but he said his bank is not interested in modifying mortgages, even after taxpayers helped bail out the nation's biggest banks.

"It's just not happening," said the banker.

Wow ...... didn't see that comin'.

Here's some of the best money the government could spend: Have Uncle Sam buy all the depressed mortgages, and let taxpayers pay them off at 0% interest. Even at the inevitable high default rates, we'd still be better off than bailing out banks.

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It's about fuckin' time

But some involved still seem to miss the point:

"There's no guarantee of the quality of individuals you are going to get," said Middleton. "If you're a shipping company, that could be legally concerning. It's also concerning to everyone if you have individuals with guns and not much oversight out on the seas."

Yo, douchebag: if someone attacks a ship of mine on the high seas, those charged with protecting it better not leave any survivors. And it's only concerning if you subscribe to the idea that pirates have a right to pirate someone else's shit.

And this guy is an expert? At a think tank?

God help us.

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GRE round-up

Gun Rights Examiner round-up for Mar 22.

JPFO Alert

Gov Tim Pawlenty remains silent on UN "gun control" shill in his state government.

About that ... thing ... last night

I know it's a hard blow to deal with, but we must keep our chins up. I think that I have the most to gain (allegedly) from the HCR law, except that it won't help me right now, and I need the help, well, right now. I'm still a'gin it.

There are lots of reactions on the internet today ..... take a look at some, but don't despair.

Good health care (real care) may be the next illegal drug. Just remember that if we really want good health care, just like drugs, we'll be able to find it.

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Playing by the rules

David Codrea has an Examiner column that deals with this travesty:



RTWT ...... please.

And if we're going to make shit up as we go, how about this. If I see a Democrat who voted for the health care payment fuck-up bill coming around me, I'm going to deem him to have made an attempt on my life, and pass appropriate judgement upon him.

But I'll just be making it up as I go.

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First of all ......

Bart Stupak, the master of congressional theater, should resign - immediately. He has shown himself to be a self-serving grandstander, claiming to be a staunch defender of the unborn while accepting the word of the most pro-abortion president in history to keep things the same. He was always going to vote for this bill.

His constituents should demand that he step aside.

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I'd rather watch ......

sausage being made than watch the dog and pony show that is the House of Representatives.

I've come to the conclusion that our country was doomed from the beginning.

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Us vs Them

Seems the campus po-po in AZ don't like the idea of concealed carry on campus:

A proposal to allow faculty members to carry heat on college campuses has the gun lobby and police drawing down on each other, with each predicting dire consequences.

... Arizona State University Police Chief John Pickens and Yavapai College Police Chief Joe Cappelli testified before the House Military Affairs Committee on Wednesday that Harper's idea is a bad one that might cost lives, not save them.

Wow .... police not wanting to deal with legally armed citizens. Imagine that.

Someone needs to clue police chiefs around the country that they work for us, and it's not our job to make their job easier.

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What do they have to fear?

I've got two words, that I'll mention in a bit:

Investigators have arrested a boy lthey say punched the girl, then smashed her head on the pavement and continued to kick her and stomp on her head with steel-toe boots as she lay unconscious, said Sheriff's Office spokesman Mike Jachles.

Since we generally coddle underage offenders, this thug has nothing to fear.

But in Packetman world? Those two words:

Bullet, brain.

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If they know they're stealing?

Democrat Congressman Tom Perriello spills the beans:



"If you don't tie our hands we will keep stealing."

So exactly why are you still there?

We are so truly fucked.

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Bushmaster ACR drawing

Seen at Uncle's ......



Yes, it's very cool, but it made my brain hurt!

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Another Only One®

I've always wondered how people who live on a border operate:

"I walked over to Canada on a Saturday night around quarter to nine to get a pizza," Buzz Roy explained. Roy lives and works in Derby Line. He walked down Church Street to the nearest pizza shop, which happens to be in Canada, and said that to his surprise he was stopped by state police and told that crossing on Church Street is illegal.

Yeah, I guess if you've lived in a border town, you'll have to start adjusting your life around our laws.

Derby Line is right on the border, and I counted 3 streets that cross into and out of Canada (on Google Maps), but I guess there's only one approved crossing point. And I'm sure that this action was a simple matter of being in the states, and walking catty-corner to the pizza shop whih just happens to be in Canada.

It'd be nice if the constabulary was comprised of people who want to protect the public, rather than just arrest those who violate the rule of the day. It's rather interesting that when questioned (as in this case), the authoritahs don't want to speak about it.

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This is justice

A victim turns a robber's weapon on him, with correct results:

According to investigators, Michael James Robinson III pointed his weapon at the male customer, who grabbed it; the two men struggled and the customer shot Robinson twice.

The justice is all the more poetic since the customer used Robinson's own weapon, but it would have been so much better if the customer had his own weapon.

You know, to even the odds!

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Karl Denninger - III'per?

Maybe ..... just a taste of the red meat:

There are millions of Americans who are extraordinarily pissed off right now. Some of them, like me, write scathing columns on The Internet or we rant on Talk Radio and Television (such as Judge Napolitano)

But some just smolder.

It gets much better ........ RTWT. So maybe the III'per mind isn't so radical after all.

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Something to consider

How soon is soon enough for must-inform?

On the video, Staten tells the officer he has a license for a concealed handgun. Staten was carrying a .38-caliber handgun at the time of the incident.

Under the state handgun laws at the time, when someone was approached by police for identification, he was required to show the concealed-handgun license.

The dash-cam video is incomplete(?), and doesn't show the officer asking for ID; all I saw was the dude getting the habeas grabbus put on him.

I don't know how, or if, a civil jury will be sympathetic .... it looks like business as usual for LE.

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Classic funny

For your enjoyment .......



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The bad with the good

Why shouldn't a business owner be able to discriminate:

A black city cop says a trendy Times Square bowling alley threw him a racist gutter ball - and he's suing.

Aubrey Henry says he was barred from the Lucky Strike Lanes on W.42nd St. by a bouncer who said his hiking boots did not meet the dress code.

He said the same bouncer let in white bowlers wearing similar footwear.

(We'll not mention how silly it sounds to be spending $300/hr on a single bowling lane!)

I was listening to Vicious Circle #42 yesterday, and I heard Alan say that (and I'm paraphrasing) if we're to live in a free society, we must accept the trade-offs.

I whole-heartedly agree, and am willing to do so. I learned a long time ago that you can't always get what you want ...... you just have to live with it.

So, if a bowling alley doesn't want to allow blacks (or Jews or whites or whatever), they should be allowed to exclude whomever they want to. The individual members of society would then be allowed to frequent (or not) that business.

In this world, there will be all sorts of things we don't like, or that we think aren't fair ....... but there will also be things that we shouldn't try to do anything about.

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JPFO Alert

JPFO battles bagel-brained Jews in Baltimore.

An interesting discussion

Say Uncle has stirred up another minor one, this time regarding an individual who is apparently the victim of the background check system :

MOBILE — Demario Terrell Davis’ 2004 arrest on a misdemeanor marijuana charge popped up on a federally required background check when he sought to buy a military-style rifle the following winter.

Criminal history records did not reveal the outcome of that arrest, however. Government checkers had three business days to find the answer, according to the law, or the sale could go through regardless.

The government lost that race against the clock, and Davis had himself a new .223-caliber Stag 15. He later went to prison for having the weapon.

Now, there are lots of comments on Uncle's site, and they are of varying opinions, bit I'll get to that in a minute. But I want to point out a couple of things right off the bat.

First, this "story" is at least 4 years old ...... his arrest was in 2004, and if we assume the most time elapsed, the winter mentioned would have been in 2005, plus 3 days to look for disposition of his case, into 2006 (if this happened at the end of 2005). So at least 4 years old, maybe more.

Second, unless you're an AL attorney, we can't say for sure what the laws in AL were 4 or more years ago. I have seen that there were a couple of court cases that ruled that simple possession of marijuana is not a violent crime, so it's possible that Mr Davis' arrest, though a misdemeanor, was considered a violent offense, which would have knocked him out of eligibility to own a firearm. Current AL law says that the punishment for conviction of a misdemeanor marijuana charge is a maximum of one year in jail, and a $2000 fine.

So, if we view this situation under current AL law, Davis was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession (?). This could have netted him a jail term of no more than one year, which under question 12c on the 4473, would have allowed him to purchase a firearm. And if he had seen the error of his ways (I know, don't laugh), he could legitimately answer 'no' to question 12e.

But given the age of the story, the points are moot, since we, under normal circumstances, don't know what the laws were when all this happened.

But to Uncle's comments. They range from 'Davis needs to be put under the jail' to 'The FFL was just following the law', and most things in between.

Now, Tam says that she would not transfer a firearm with a 'Delayed' response, and that's her right. However, the FBI pretty clearly sets out what an FFL can legally do after the FBI-announced three business days are up. So in this case, the authorities did not come back with a denial, and the FFL was legally entitled to transfer the firearm under NICS rules. You may disagree with the wisdom of this practice, but there's no denying that it's allowed, and follows the letter of the law.

I don' think that anyone would disagree that the background check is flawed; it is, however, what the government has set up for FFL's to use, and they must accept the bad outcomes with the good. Of course, my solution would be to repeal all of the laws on the books, since they're mostly ineffective.

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PS: I note that all of the articles about this incident use the exact same story, no matter what source, so it's obvious that no one is doing any actual reporting on this. I also note that this story pops up on the eve of the selling dealer's trial for bypassing background checks.

It's the money, stupid!

I've long maintained that the most important thing that conservatives can focus on is the money available to the US government. "Follow the money" is the inevitable refrain .... it's true, and Jeff at Protein Wisdom has the skinny:

In a quiet way, Barone makes a resounding argument here — and it is one we’ve explored on protein wisdom for several years now: namely, will fiscal and legal conservatism — which to my way of thinking is tied to free enterprise, smaller government, and individual rights (and so can properly be called classical liberalism or even libertarianism) — sell better, in national elections, than the standard rhetoric of “cultural conservatism” that has for years been (in many cases appropriately) tied to the GOP?

My own opinion is [] yes

I'll (try to!) illustrate with teh ghey example, with regards to marriage.

My wife's preacher has told me that the government really got involved with the traditional church role of marriage about 600 years ago, as far as recognizing certain marriages over others. Right or wrong, that's the way it's been for a long time. Right now the government favors, financially, married folk while those who aren't "officially" married (or single) don't get the same benefits. Right or wrong, that's the way it's been for a long time.

But what if being married and gay, or married and straight, or married with more than one spouse, or single had no effect on how you were treated by the government, financially? What if the extent of the government's involvement regarding marriage was to enforce the contractual agreements in whatever marriage you're in, but was neutral with regards to the tax code, or with any other financial consideration? What if there was no money to follow?

Then the social conservatives would be in a bit less-influential position as far as stamping out teh ghey mariage menace .... most folks would say to themselves, "whatever floats yer boat". And if the Unitarians or the Episcopalians or the Pasta-farians wanted to marry gays, who am I to stand in their way? They don't have to answer to me at the end of the world; they just have to stay out of my way and leave me alone.

And that's one of the things that really pisses me off about social conservatives - they would have you do exactly what progressives would have you do, just on the other end of the political spectrum (Value Voters, I'm callin' you out!).

Sad, really ...... Rodney King almost had it right; instead of "can't we just get along" he should have said "can't we just leave each other alone?"

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Hit the problem at the source

While I think that all of the Firearms Freedom Acts are a good thing, maybe the several states should look to the root of the problem - the 17th amendment.

The US Senate was originally designed as the states' representatives in our national government. It will be necessary to restore them to their rightful status if we're to slow down the commerce clause shenanigans.

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This is why

But of course Joe Stack was crazy, wasn't he? Well ..... maybe:

Arriving at Harv's Metro Car Wash in midtown Wednesday afternoon were two dark-suited IRS agents demanding payment of delinquent taxes. "They were deadly serious, very aggressive, very condescending," says Harv's owner, Aaron Zeff.

The really odd part of this: The letter that was hand-delivered to Zeff's on-site manager showed the amount of money owed to the feds was ... 4 cents.

Yeah, 4 cents isn't enough to fly a plane into a building, but several thousand dollars?

You may say that all of Joe Stack's problems were self-inflicted, and they very well could have been; maybe he was just following the plainly-written IRS code (as if anything about the IRS code is plainly written). And it's my opinion that the IRS is as bad as, if not worse than, the ATF as far as "interpreting" regulations. It is almost axiomatic that you cannot get the same answer twice regarding a tax question by asking the IRS.

Regardless, I believe the only ones who think the IRS is infallable are the IRS, and collectivists.

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Wind power? Meh

From Ace's headlines, this regarding the Danish experiment with wind:

Niels Gram of the Danish Federation of Industries says, “windmills are a mistake and economically make no sense.” Aase Madsen , the Chair of Energy Policy in the Danish Parliament, calls it “a terribly expensive disaster.”

Come on boys, don't hold back!

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Consequences?

Found at Uncle's, this post about a girl who wanted to bring her girlfriend to the prom ...... school says 'What prom?':

The American Civil Liberties Union had demanded that the Itawamba County school district allow senior Constance McMillen to attend with her girlfriend. A school district policy requires that dates be of the opposite sex.

A school board statement Wednesday announced the district wouldn't host the April prom.

Ah, the good 'ole ACLU. Helped you out, didn't they?!

Listen up, kids ......... you need to learn this sooner rather than later.

Actions have consequences. Some of them are certainly unexpected.

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Ok, I chuckled a little

Heh



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III-perism

Kevin at TSM has an interesting QotD up at his site, taken from Mostly Cajun:

I don’t know what makes a politician get to Washington and immediately assume that every problem in the world can be fixed by more rules, another federal agency, and a few tax dollars, but a majority of them get that way. And the rest, who don’t, get into the “my esteemed colleague” mode, addressing people like Barney Frank as if her were of sterling character and his ideas of no more import than a difference in the color of the carpet.

I’m tired of the silence that signifies assent.

The post at Mostly Cajun also mentions Claire Wolfe, who wrote "101 Things To Do 'Til The Revolution", namely that America is in the 'awkward' stage - " It’s too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards.”

Kevin also commented on Cajun's post, and displayed a curious attitude, and I'll try to explain.

Now, the attitude isn't repugnant to me, but rather it reminds me of Mike Vanderboegh's thinking at Sipsey St, and that's the curious part. Most of the gun bloggers I read are pretty antagonistic towards Mike, thinking that his view of things amounts to 'kill 'em all, let God sort 'em'. Which couldn't be further from what he's actually saying, generally. Yes, he does envision the shooting war, but only as a response, not to start the war.

Like Kevin, I believe that we've passed the point of shooting the bastards, because if we'd have done that 50 or 60 years ago, we probably wouldn't be in the societal mess we're in now. And if we'd have run several people out of town on a rail (tarred and feathered for good measure!), we could have avoided shooting anyone.

You see, we've stopped holding politicians accountable for their actions, and not just at the ballot box. George Washington made very prescient statements about who fears whom, government vs the people. Our government no longer fears us, because we haven't reminded them that they need to.

Thomas Jefferson wrote "I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical." [emphasis mine]. The Whiskey Rebellion is a good example, and that happened almost immediately after we ratified the Constitution (because the government started reaching into the pockets of Americans). Jefferson also wrote (during the rebellion) that he hoped that the instigators wouldn't be punished harshly, but only slapped on the wrists a bit ...... because he thought that the citizens should keep close tabs on the government.

But we don't do that anymore ...... we're too busy enjoying our own success, our own relative wealth.

Seems we just can't be bothered anymore.

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Only One?

An off-duty Bronx transit officer takes exception ....... to snowballs:

Four Bronx buddies are facing a year in jail for criminal possession of a weapon - a snowball that hit an off-duty transit cop.

The young men say they were horsing around in the late February storm when an errant snowball smacked Officer Adonis Ramirez in the leg.

Yeah, there's not much information in the story, but this being NY, I'm sure that Officer Ramirez won't have any trouble with these 4 for a long time.

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What.The.Fuck.

I'm going to have to make some phone calls:

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) intends to purchase twenty-seven (27) REMINGTON BRAND MODEL 870 POLICE 12/14P MOD GRWC XS4 KXCS SF. RAMAC #24587 GAUGE: 12 BARREL: 14" - PARKERIZED CHOKE: MODIFIED SIGHTS: GHOST RING REAR WILSON COMBAT; FRONT - XS CONTOUR BEAD SIGHT STOCK: KNOXX REDUCE RECOIL ADJUSTABLE STOCK FORE-END: SPEEDFEED SPORT-SOLID - 14" LOP are designated as the only shotguns authorized for ED based on compatibility with ED existing shotgun inventory, certified armor and combat training and protocol, maintenance, and parts.

And I need to calm down before I do!

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Nancy Pelosi's are the biggest

Her balls, that is ....... it takes a giant brass pair to even attempt this:

Having determined that they lack the votes in the House to pass the Senate bills as-is, House Democrats are attempting one of the most breathtakingly unconstitutional power grabs ever witnessed - a maneuver to deem the Senate bill ALREADY PASSED by the House by rule, despite the fact that it clearly has not.

But how many of the sheep will hear about this? From the MSM?

Hah! Don't count on it.

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More common sense

Alan at Snarkybytes has this video:



He also has the one-year anniversary Vicious Circle ........ if you like that kind of stuff!

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Health care STILL isn't a right, redux

Walter Williams has a good article about why health care isn't a right, and what it actually is:

A better term for newfangled rights to health care, decent housing and food is wishes. If we called them wishes, I would be in agreement with most other Americans, for I, too, wish that everyone had adequate health care, decent housing and nutritious meals.

Or slavery.

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These are not your daddy's policemen.

Police work just isn't what I remember it:

Concerns about an Oregon Department of Transportation employee who purchased several guns after being placed on leave prompted law enforcement across Southern Oregon to step in.

Negotiators and a SWAT team from Medford police safely took a man — whose name wasn't released — into protective custody Monday morning in the 500 block of Effie Street, Medford police said in a news release.

Protective custody, huh? Protecting who?!

Oh yeah, they had him under surveillance, and stepped in when he bought two handguns and an AK-47 patrol rifle.

Oh yeah, they had him psychologically evaluated .... you know, just in case he was a danger to himself.

If it were me, the only words out of my mouth would be 'Get me my lawyer'. Here's how the evaluation would go:

Them: Do you ever think bad thoughts?

Me: Get me my lawyer.

Them: Do you know where you are?

Me: Ge me my lawyer.

Then I'd look at filing whatever suits I thought would stick.

Fucknuts.

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How do you do that?

I watch the various open carry debates with interest, the latest one at Sebastian's. This one is a bit different since it's prompted by a more mainstream source, and as usual the comments are the juicy parts!

Andrew states that we were on the right track "normalizing concealed carry". As point of order, you can't normalize something that's out of sight, unless you're going to wear a shirt that states "I am concealing a firearm", which defeats the purpose. This is what I call the Concealed Carry Conundrum. In reality, the only things that serve to 'normalize' concealed carry are news reports of how many permits are being issued, coupled with the citizenry's thinking about the fact that they may indeed be walking around concealed weapons on a daily basis.

I don't think the citizenry thinks that much at all.

Jacob Sullum, I believe, hits the nail on the head when he says this (emphasis mine):

Then again, the sight of people with pistols on their hips could serve to confirm prejudices about gun owners among people who believe they fetishize their weapons and seek to project a macho image.

And that's the problem ..... dealing with others' prejudices ...... an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge.

So how do you provide the sufficient knowledge? Those people have to start asking questions, and they won't unless they're pushed into it.

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Congressional bleg (just wishing)

Why don't our congresscriters have real email addresses?

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JPFO Alert

Harsh reality vs pitiful whining.

To have and not need, vs to need and not have

Uncle brings this tale where the victim needed them all:

However, reconstruction of the incident would show that it had been only three minutes from when the alarm sounded to when the first responding Alachua County deputy made it into the gunshop. The incident itself had lasted less than two minutes.

During that time, Harry Beckwith had fired 105 shots.

RTWT.

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People are people

From Ace, this post on how people are still people, and criminals still criminals - no matter where you go:

"People were attacked with axes, daggers and cutlasses -- many of them children, the aged and pregnant women."

And that's something that collectivists just won't understand ...... just because you pass a law doesn't mean the problem is solved.

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Zero defects

Another instance where the desire not to offend ...... offends:

IONIA -- To the little boy's mother, it was just a 6-year-old boy playing around.

But when Mason Jammer, a kindergarten student at Jefferson Elementary in Ionia, curled his fist into the shape of a gun Wednesday and pointed it at another student, school officials said it was no laughing matter.

They suspended Mason until Friday, saying the behavior made other students uncomfortable, said Erin Jammer, Mason's mother.

Oh, how far we've fallen.

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JPFO Alert

Lampoon a leftist.

Just payin' it forward

I'm sure you've already seen this elsewhere on the 'net, but I would be remiss to not post here as well:














More at the link.

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Friend, foe, or just misguided?

Sebastian has stepped in it again!

He was able to go to DC to be at the Supreme Court building for the McDonald arguments, and he took in some sights, saw a few NRA bubbas, and got into some other stuff.

But he also mentioned that maybe he should buy Peter Hamm (of Brady fame) a coffee from Starbucks, since it was so cold.

This started the battle over whether the Brady bunch are our misguided friends, or our enemies.

Regarding the twitter post that started it all, I believe that Sebastian's suggestion was a simple case of good-natured ribbing, and not out of character for Sebastian.

But I mentioned at Joe's, I couldn't do that .... let me try to explain.

Only the most cynical individual would ascribe malevolent motives to all anti-gunners; I'm quite sure that most of them have what they feel are good intentions - reduction in crime, reduction of murders, reduction of senseless accidental firearms deaths. These are all laudable goals, goals I agree with. Where we differ is in how we get there. And despite the evidence, despite the trends, despite the acknowledgement from criminals that gun control does not work ......

They keep trying. And trying. And trying. They lie ..... they obfuscate .... they publish nonsensical ratings for states. And they keep losing, and not just politically, they're losing the intellectual battle as well. Why do they keep at it? When do their attempts to disarm turn from well-meaning into sinister? I see two facets to this question.

First, my right, your right, their right to self-defense is absolute. When it's you or the goblin, I pick you. You deserve the right to defend yourself. Even if the goblin has a rock ...... or a knife ...... or a gun. I believe you have the unalienable right to arm yourself with whatever weaponry that is required to keep you safe.

Whatever weaponry. Pepper spray ...... knife ....... gun.

Second, the founders recognized the natural right to self-defence, but saw the need to codify that right as a political guarantee against outside forces and, if necessary, the government itself.

So the reduction of crime, the reduction of murders, all of that, must come second to my right to survive. And given that I can't have a sheriff's deputy with me 24/7, I carry a firearm.

So you tell me ...... are the Brady bunch our friends, or our enemies?

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More funny

xkcd brings it ............








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Just for fun

Here's a little on what happens when you fire a pistol underwater:



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What's up with Cramer?

I'll admit that I'm not that familiar with Clayton Cramer's writings, save that he's been quoted by SCOTUS and he's pretty influential. That said, most of the recent stuff I've read makes me wonder why we listen to him:

All of this is true — but it turns out that there are some substantial social costs on the other side that simply don’t get any attention.

And of course, his solution is to continue government intrusion where it has no business. And the comments tell the story ...... it's all collectivist justification for more government.

There are social consequences to every choice we make as individuals .... some are negligible, some are not. Regardless, it is not the government's responsibility to do something about it. The only legitimate need for government is when social problems turn into criminal conduct.

And then, only to clean up the mess.

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Keeping Kids Safe bill

I saw the report yesterday evening on ABC ...... I couldn't find video, but here's the link. I agree that the federal government shouldn't get involved, and here's why.

On the report, one woman testified to congress that her young special-needs daughter had one arm immobilized behind her back, had the opposite leg grabbed, and was lifted off the floor and driven into the ground. I remarked to my wife that if that had been one of our children, the school system would be short a teacher, and that prosecutors would have a hard time finding a jury that would convict me in GA.

I'm just sayin .....

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Projection much?

Those whacky liberals ........ :

A 45-year-old woman, charged with ending a domestic dispute by killing her 26-year-old husband of five days, is a registered lobbyist for a group fighting domestic violence.

I'm glad I don't have to make this shit up.

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[Doc] Zero my hero

To borrow from Schoolhouse Rock.

The good Doctor has an excellent post about the second amendment:

Sometimes liberals sneer at the idea we might keep arms against government tyranny, because a bunch of pistol-packing Tea Party types have no chance of repeating the success of the Revolution against a modern military force. This completely misses the point. A disarmed populace has little choice but to obey orders. If the population is armed, a tyrant’s forces have to do more than just brandish their weapons… they’d have to start pulling triggers. Victory for a righteous populace would come in the military’s refusal to pull those triggers. Tyranny should never be easy. Of course, it should never come to that again, in the United States. As long as the population is armed, this is an understanding, and a duty… not an assumption.

I know a lot of folks don't like Mike V at Sipsey St, but this is a drum he's beaten for a while now. It's not the threat of violence that he advocates, it's the promise of retribution for criminal behavior, regardless of who perpetrates it.

Doc, and his commenters, agree.

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Another justice rant

I've been reading more about Chelsea King's murder, and found that the suspect had a sentence imposed previously that was in contradiction to a psychiatrist's warning, and in his criminal history:

Prosecutors said in 2000 that Gardner's lack of significant prior criminal record justified less than the maximum sentence for molesting a 13-year-old girl.

This brings up one of my pet peeves. In my world, the punishment for X should be Y, not a range of A to D. John Gardner's (the suspect) lack of previous criminal convictions should have absolutely nothing to do with how he's sentenced in a discrete action. One of the biggest jokes I know of is the line 'Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.' ....... we should add at the end 'unless you have a really good attorney or know someone.'

I need to stop thinking about this .....

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Health care reconciliation

I know that the Dems will try anything to get Obamacare passed, and that the GOP have few arrows left in their quiver. The one they do have, I believe, is that they can offer unlimited amendments to the bill. So how about this (and I know this is very low-tech):

Just as debate is about to end, you offer your whole plan for health care, but presented as "We propose to subtitute our version for your version, and here's why". Put the explanation of why your bill is better into the bill itself.

And then deny unanimous consent, and require it to be read to the American people (or C-SPAN).

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Sounds good to me .....

One editorial a month.

A good plan.

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Someone else has figgered it out

Seen at Uncle's place, this article about another citizen awakening:

"Before he even looked in to see what kind of drugs they were, I called 911," she said. "I told them exactly what was going on. I'm like, I don't want them coming through my door with guns drawn, because I love my dog." [emphasis added]

Seems the lady got a shipment of drugs that wasn't for her.

Heh!

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JPFO Alert

Stop the UN stealth attack on the Second Amendment.

Two birds, one post

A babysitter helps defend her charge from molestation; oh yeah, she's 74 years old:

The intruder fondled the girl in her bed, but he didn't count on a brave 74-year-old babysitter who bit his arm and fought to get him as far away from the child as possible, said Capt. John Darby, with the Special Victims Unit.

Now there's a hero of the ordinary kind. A citizen, if you will, as opposed to a subject. And that brings me to a related point, and I'll be crass and put it in economic terms.

Chelsea King, 17, was murdered, presumably by a convicted sex offender who was, surprise surprise, not following the rules. The Media are waving their hands about what we're to do about this flagrant abuse of the system.

It seems to me the first failure point is the seriousness society assigns to sexual offenses, and the second failure point is the aftermath of the first conviction.

We, as members of society, need to make sexual offenses a capital offense. Then the punishment needs to be death ....... via 230 grain cranial injection.

That'll be much, much cheaper than the incarceration option, and makes recidivism unlikely.

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Drawing the personal line

Here's an interesting article that points out the need to draw a personal line in the sand:

The suspect, later identified as 49-year-old Clayton Emil Huff of Eagle Point, then brandished a gun and ordered Johnson to get in the trunk of the Mustang.

A struggle ensued after Johnson refused to enter the trunk, a move praised by Schoen.

Kathy Jackson at Cornered Cat goes through the same exercise, in much more detail and with an eye towards security*.

Note that it's much better to have thought about these things in advance, instead of having to make a snap decision.

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*Security as opposed to safety - you're guaranteed neither.

Day off ......

Having Daddy Day with my daughter.

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More on toy gun siezures

Seen on the interwebz, this report from a local tv station:



And about the magazine ..... I think he eventually gets it in correctly, only after trying to insert it in backwards.

Yeah, these are the guys I want interpreting gun laws. Sheesh.

I know it's easy to armchair-quarterback from over here in GA, but this is what I'd do. I'd make as big of a stink of this as I could. First, I'd sue them for taking property without compensation, and seek an injunction or whatever legal manuever's appropriate. Then I'd dare, dare the ATF to show me a converted airsoft gun, no, I'd double dog dare them. I'd also pursue the political angle, following my senators and representatives around asking them what they're going to do about this. Then when they offer a plea deal in court, I'd say hell no, prove what you've accused me of, because you can't.

/rant off/

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Proverbs 22:6

Saw this at Uncle's ...... there is nothing you can say that will lessen the horror:

DEERFIELD BEACH - Minutes after Randy Reddick Jr. sent his two young sons to his truck to get the coat and hat he left on the front seat, one of the brothers ran back into the house screaming.

"I shot my brother! I shot my brother!" the 10-year-old cried Saturday afternoon. "I didn't mean to do it."

I won't speculate about the level of firearms training this man gave his sons. When I got my carry pistol, the first thing I did was showed it to my daughter (3 at the time) an told her that she must not ever touch it without me or my wife around. And that I'd show it to her any time she wanted, but that I had to be with her.

And I hope and pray that is enough for now.

My condolences to Reddick and his family.

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But ... they told me ...... (Updated)

They told me they wouldn't do this:

The Obama administration will seek to reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 during the Bush administration, Attorney General Eric Holder said today

.
We told you so.

Never trust a Democrat (or a Republican either) politician.

Update: I've been made aware that this article is over a year old. I would contend that it doesn't matter ..... Obama is vehemently anti-gun.

How he'll get around all of this is the same as he's always done 'I didn't do it, my Atty General/Homeland Security/ HHS bubba did it - what can I do?'.

What can you do, indeed. How about resign?

We told you so.

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Sad

Libertarians and more conservative types would suggest that citizens not be too dependent on government services. There's a reason:

PITTSBURGH (AP) - With her boyfriend in severe abdominal pain, Sharon Edge called 911 for an ambulance in the early morning hours of Feb. 6. Heavy snow was falling—so heavy it would all but bring the city to a standstill—and Curtis Mitchell needed to go to a hospital.

"Help is on the way," the operator said.

It never arrived.

It took 30 hours for someone to actually get to his house, but by then he was dead. Medics got within 1/4 of a mile of the house, twice, but didn't have the fortitude to walk that last bit. So Mitchell died.

He died ....... waiting for the government to help him.

Don't make the same mistake.

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