Who Says the 2A is obsolete?

Dang. I think this speaks volumes.




H/T USCCA Newsletter

Gun Owners Are Evil

photo copyright Amy Leang/Detroit Free Press
The local media sources are all over CCW/CPL holders because of this chick (the incident happened last week:

Bernadette Headd says she doesn't regret taking out her 9mm handgun and firing it during a freeway run-in with another driver.

It was self-defense, not road rage, she said.

In an interview Thursday with the Free Press, Headd said she was overcome by fear when she flashed her handgun to try to scare off a driver she thought was trying to run her off I-94 last month. Then she said she fired the gun out of the window of her 1993 Chevrolet Cavalier to get that driver to back off.

Now, the 40-year-old Macomb Township woman is out of the Macomb County Jail on bond, waiting to face a jury in May on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm from a motor vehicle and using a firearm during a felony.

"If I wanted to, I could have hit his truck or even him," she said at her attorney's office in Madison Heights. "I wasn't trying to kill anybody."

But officials at the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office said Headd went too far. They said she fired her gun at the tire of a Dodge Ram that was following closely behind her after its driver tailgated her, prompting that man -- Russell Sabo, 46, of New Baltimore -- to flag down police on the highway.

"Her statement immediately after she was arrested was ... she 'was sick and tired of people running up on her on the freeway,' " said Jim Langtry, chief of operations for the prosecutor's office. "This is an extreme case of road rage."

The incident is one of the few high-profile cases of its kind since the concealed weapons permit law was passed in 1999, making it easier for Michiganders to carry guns. Some who opposed the law warned that such acts would become commonplace once more people were allowed to carry guns.

Now, it is interesting that the Free Press states "The incident is one of the few high-profile cases of its kind since the concealed weapons permit law was passed in 1999..." To hear the media blitz, you'd think Detroit was Dodge City. Um, bad example. You'd think that Michigan was Dodge City because of CCW holders. Yet, they admit in the article this is a rare action for CCW holders.

I also have a contention with the statement that the CCW laws made it "easier for Michiganders to carry guns." Because criminal thugs carry them around all the time without any licensing.

Disarmed People Update

Robert Mugabe instituted gun control (i.e. gun seizures) in 2000. Now those who disagree with him can't fight back. HMMM. Sounds like it is right out of an Aaron Zelman book.

HARARE, ZIMBABWE: Police round up Mugabe's critics

Police stormed the main opposition party headquarters Wednesday and arrested its leader before President Robert Mugabe left for Tanzania for a meeting of southern African leaders about the crisis in Zimbabwe.

Morgan Tsvangirai and other Mugabe opponents were taken into custody hours before the opposition leader planned to talk to reporters about a wave of political violence that left him briefly hospitalized. Tsvangirai aides said they did not know the 54-year-old's whereabouts.

Of course, there are still a bunch of people with rectal-cranium inversions that believe it could never happen here in the USA.

Take a look at what routinely happens to Zimbabwe's citizens when they disagree with the government - and these are the people who weren't killed:

Photo copyright "This is Zimbabwe" http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/

The 2A and Governor Granholm's Resume

Governor Jennifer Granholm is catching a lot of heat these days. No one can blame people for being upset - businesses and citizens are fleeing our state; increasing debt and daily crisis are moving in.

Rather than gripe about her entire job performance, I want to look at her from a 2nd Amendment perspective. Is she doing an adequate job? I say "adequate" because no politician short of Ron Paul would ever do a good job (in regards to the 2A).

She's displayed to major positive 2A actions during her gubernatorial career:

1. She was an Attorney General (i.e. probably fairly anti-gun). Yet, after election to Governor, she signed the Castle Doctrine legislation with no hassle - and took a big hit from her own supporters during an election season.

2. She signed the Emergency Powers Act which bans any disarming of the citizenry during an emergency. That is, no post-Katrina-styled weapons seizures are legal.

Admittedly, the state or local municipalities may choose to violate this law, but at least it made it to law, protecting our right to arms (also part of the Michigan Constitution).

In addition, she's lowered the hunting age for many seasons.

I can also add that every rime I send a communication to her office, I've received a response. I've never experienced this with any other politician at any level of government.

For a Canadian Democrat, she has done a decent job as our governor - limiting the resume only to the 2nd amendment.

The scary part? When it comes to actions, not BS rhetoric, she is more gun-friendly than John McCain or Rudy G.

Briefly on Anti-Gun Hypocrites

I've noticed a lot of blog bashing of anti-gunners who make exceptions for themselves (like Britney Spears). Their hypocrisy isn't a bad thing. In fact, I'd argue it is great. They make our point for us. It's a dangerous world out there, not because of guns, but because some people are plain evil. Self-defense is no crime, and everyone has a right to it, from the billionaires down to the poor, from the famous to the unknown.

While certain famous anti-gunners may be hypocrites, they aren't as dangerous to the 2A as a different type of hypocrite: the gun-owning sell-out.

This is the brainless chucklehead who says "(Insert candidate name here) won't take my hunting gun because it isn't bad. (Candidate) is from the (woods, South, whatever) and understands the importance of hunting." This gun owner doesn't understand the 2A and tragically misrepresents it.

These gun owners don't mind if "scary-looking" weapons are taken off the street. As long as he (they are almost all male) doesn't feel his favorite toy is ripe pickin' - well, who cares if everyone else is screwed? They don't care who goes to jail, who can't defend themselves, who can't exercise their rights... they simply don't care. They are completely indifferent.

The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. We love our right to self-defense. Our scariest foes are not those who hate this right - it is those who are indifferent. They are the ones who sit down and even fail to take notice as the Bill or Rights is stomped on and thrown into history's trash bin.

Gun-owning sell-outs are the most dangerous kind of hypocrite. They lead straight to tyranny.

They Hate Guns, But At Least They are Consistent, Part I

It appears Britney Spears is getting some old time religion, attending services at a Presbyterian Church in California. Meanwhile, her body guard is getting some old-fashioned jail time for pulling a gun on a member of the paparazzi on church grounds.

On camera, a Spears security person apparently pulls a gun on a paparazzo. The shutterbeg was detained, but later released. The church is attended by quite a few celebrities.

Hey - the camera man was detained? Not the dude who pulled the gun? At church?

Never mind. I guess people like Britney (who is all over those anti-gun ads) and her thugs are too special to have standard laws apply to them. But it does lead me to wonder, why is her body guard packing? Aren't guns and gun owners eeeeevil?

I'm glad sensible anti-gunners like Rosie O'Donnell wouldn't allow their body guards to pack. Especially when around children. Oh, she does? Never mind.

They Hate Guns, But At Least They are Consistent, Part 2

At least they are making senate cronies follow the same laws average Joe's have to put up with.

A top aide to U.S. Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) was in jail Monday after being arrested on charges that he tried to carry a loaded gun and two magazines of ammunition into a Senate office building.

Philip Thompson was charged with possessing an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition. Under District of Columbia law, the charge is a felony, which for first offenders carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Hey, didn't our friend, Senator Webb, vote against free speech? As I recall, GOA red flagged him - and he just took office in January.

Michigan's Pro-Gun Attorney General

Yes, Mike Cox is surprisingly gun-friendly. Even more surprising, a newspaper employee is not totally anti-gun. Nolan Finley, editorial page editor of The Detroit News, had this to write:

While prosecutors aren't often the best friends of the Second Amendment, Cox joined the challenge to the D.C. gun ban along with a dozen other states for two reasons: It's unconstitutional, and it doesn't work.

Washington's gun law might have been written by the Taliban. It forbids any private handguns within the city limits. No exceptions.
[...]
The strictest gun law in the nation is worshipped by anti-gun activists. The Distrist of Columbia defended the constitutionality of the law by arguing the Second Amendment confers the right of gun ownership to the state and not to the citizens.
[...]
Cox concurs that the words "the people" mean just that: the people.

He hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the case and knock out for good the sinister idea that only state militias have the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

But it's not just the twisting of the Constitution that interested Cox in this case. He's moved from a pro-gun control prosecutor to an advocate for the rights of gun owners for one reason because he's seen firsthand that more gun laws don't result in less gun crime.

"In my almost 14 years as a line prosecutor, I never saw anyone charged with a gun crime who had a concealed carry permit," Cox says. "Most people who are law-abiding and want to possess guns for hunting or self-defense are no threat to others."

While the D.C. case parsed constitutional language, the most compelling argument, Cox says, is that it doesn't work.

"Gun violence in Washington was not impacted by the ban," Cox says. "Compared to other states, Washington actually did a little worse in gun crimes."

Law-abiding gun owners should salute Cox and keep their trigger fingers crossed that the Supreme Court will at last end this assault on their basic rights.

Target Switzerland

I found David Codrea's post on the Cancer in the Cantons extremely interesting, as I've been reading Target Switzerland by Stephen Halbrook.

Pacifists and centre:left parties want voters to have the final say on breaking with a long:standing Swiss tradition of storing personal army rifles and pistols at home.

They said they would launch a people's initiative to ban such weapons in households. The announcement came a day after parliament refused to take action over the issue.

[...]

Under Swiss law all:able bodied men are issued with a rifle and 50 rounds of ammunition which they can keep after completing their military service.

An estimated 1.6 million firearms are in circulation in Switzerland and a study found that 300 people are killed every year by standard issue weapons.

There are also more than 150,000 active members of rifle clubs, many of whom own more than one gun.

Target Switzerland records how the people of Switzerland, led by their remarkable militia, put the fear of an armed people into Hitler and crowd - so much that the Nazi thugs never attacked the Swiss. Imagine - they were literally surrounded on all corners by the Nazi threat (France to the west, Italy to the south, Austria to the east, Germany to the north) - and they were so potent, Hitler didn't mess with them.

Of course, the best way to defeat the Swiss would be to take their arms from them. Their famous sharpshooters are worthless without a gun. Very good move by the international gun control dictators-in-waiting.

Michigan Update

As mentioned Tuesday, Michigan has new gun legislation coming up.

Here is the update:

The bills went through the first reading on Tuesday, March 20. They've now been referred to the Committee on Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources for discussion.

If a bill makes it out of a committee, it must be read a second and third time before it can go up for votes. This process takes months.

HR 1022 - The Assault Weapons Ban - Doesn't Ban Assault Weapons

Just an FYI to anyone thinking that HR 1022 will only ban "bad" guns.

Semi-automatic rifles, including commercial versions of the AR-15, and "automatic" rifles limited to firing single shots are not assault rifles as they are not selective fire.

For that matter, belt-fed weapons or rifles with very limited capacity fixed magazines are also generally not assault rifles.

Now, what are they out to ban. Oh, yeah, assault weapons. Only they've changed the definition to include whatever you own.

Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week, March 18 - 24

May God have mercy on my enemies, because I won't.

General George S. Patton, Jr.

R.I.P. 2nd Amendment

I know most readers have seen the GOA letter, but for those who haven't, here it is - and there recommendations on what to do next. We must act now.



Far-reaching Gun Ban Would Cripple The Second Amendment
-- McCarthy's bill to outlaw millions of guns

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org

Thursday, March 22, 2007

The Democrats are back in power and their anti-gun wing is trying to make up for lost time as far as gun control legislation is concerned.
There are a number of bills that have been introduced already, but GOA will be there to meet every challenge.

Right now, we need your help in beating back a reintroduction of the so-called "assault weapons ban," the infamous bill that outlawed many types of firearms based primarily on cosmetics, misinformation and scare tactics.

The bill is HR 1022, and last month it was introduced by the Queen of Gun Control, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY). Its 30 cosponsors comprise a list of the usual anti-gun suspects -- so we need to make sure that no pro-gun congressmen are duped into signing their names onto this anti-gun piece of trash.

McCarthy entitled her bill the Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2007, knowing these firearms aren't "assault weapons" and knowing the bill she is reintroducing does nothing to prevent violent crime -- since the guns in question have seldom been used in crime.

McCarthy's bill would reinstate all of the now defunct provisions related to semi-automatic firearms and large capacity magazines. The manufacture and/or importation of many firearms would be prohibited.
This would be paired with a strong ban on the possession or transfer of detachable magazines having moderate or larger capacities.

Truth be told, HR 1022 is the old ban on steroids. Fourteen more guns are listed by name than in the '94 ban, and only one "dangerous"
feature, such as a pistol grip, is needed to make a "nice"
gun into a
"bad" gun. The old ban required two "dangerous"
features, such as a
pistol grip and a folding stock. This distinction effectively expands the scope of the bill to ban a far broader variety of firearms.

Since the U.S. Department of Justice has already documented that the previous "assault weapons" ban did absolutely nothing to stop violent crime, it is clear that HR 1022 is simply a direct attack on the 2nd Amendment rights of gun owners.

More than 10 years ago, the anti-gun lobby and their friends in the media began waging a campaign to frighten people and convince them that the so-called "assault weapons" are rapid fire machine guns when, in reality, they are merely semi-automatic firearms that look different than traditional hunting rifles.

This bill is designed to cripple the firearms industry while infringing on the rights of all gun owners. It is proof positive that the rabid, anti-gun members of Congress really don't care about stopping crime or saving lives -- they just want to take our guns away.

What are the odds of this bill getting through the Congress? Who knows? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just gave Rep. Jefferson a seat on the Homeland Security Panel. Jefferson was the guy who had $90,000 dollars of bribe money stuffed into his freezer.

If the liberals now in control of the Democrat Party feel they are strong enough to get away with that kind of outrage, they may feel they can get away with passing a gun ban that does nothing but punish law-abiding gun owners.

We must take seriously every anti-gun bill introduced in this Congress. But, at the same time, this bill is an opportunity to beat up those members of Congress who hate guns and will stop at nothing to eliminate our constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

If we can give them a good thrashing on HR 1022, we may be able to discourage them from bringing forth more bills like this. And that is why we need your help in beating down HR 1022 quickly, and making sure that none of the good guys get suckered into supporting this.

ACTION: Please use the pre-written letter below to direct your comments to your Congressman. And circulate this alert to your pro-gun friends and family.

You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Representative a pre-written e-mail message. And, you can call your Representative toll-free at 1-877-762-8762.

---- Pre-written letter to your Representative ----

Dear Representative:

I'm sure you are aware that Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) has reintroduced, in the form of HR 1022, the Clinton semi-auto gun ban that sunset a couple of years ago. The Justice Department reported that the ban's impact on gun violence was small at best, and too small to be statistically valid.

By contrast, states adopting concealed carry laws had significant decreases in violent crime while states and cities maintaining strict gun control laws continued to have the nation's highest rates of violent crime.

I agree with Gun Owners of America that the only people affected by the so-called "assault weapons ban" of 1994 were law-abiding gun owners, manufacturers and importers. Clearly, this bill is nothing less than an infringement on the rights of gun owners. And we won't stand for it.

The supporters of HR 1022 will be identified as anti-gun Congressmen and, hopefully, targeted for defeat at the next election. As your constituent, I urge you to oppose this or any other gun grabbing bill in the 110th Congress.

Sincerely,

Golden Screw-up Award

Our lucky contestants:


Senator Barack Obama, for his unofficial and apparently unauthorized attack on the junior Senator from New York. Of course, I enjoyed the unauthorized ad, so I'll give Senator Obama an exemption.



We'll put Al Gore in Obama's place. Look at his picture, the news must have really lit up his day. Gore, of course, lied to - I mean testified - in front of Congress this week about bad things like cars and light bulbs and productive citizens.





He's a longshot for this week's award, but US District Judge Lowell Reed, Jr. is nominated for ruling the 1998 Child Online Protection Act (COPA) violated a constitutional right to free speech, giving pornographers more legal rights than many bloggers (due to the McCain-Feingold Act).






Finally, we have our front runners - the entire HR 1022 crew. 'Nuf said about that gang of commies.





This week's winner - the envelope please - congratulations to the HR 1022 gang. We wish you the worst of luck in your attempts to fully enslave the American public.

Obama/Jr. Senator from NY photo from swedesforobama.com
Gore picture from caveviews.blog.com
Justice picture from www.spectator.co.nz
AR-15 from www.onnovanbraam.com

What's Worse - Iraq or Detroit?

"Most of Iraq is reasonably under control, at least as well as Detroit."
- Congressman Tim Walberg, R-MI

"Any reference to Detroit as a war zone is absurd."
- Matt Allen, Spokesman for Detroit Mayor Kwami Kilpatrick

There have been 3,223 U.S. military deaths in Iraq since the war began in 2003, while 1,576 people died as a result of homicide or nonnegligent manslaughter in Detroit since the beginning of 2003.
- Detroit Free Press

Iraq has 168,743 square miles of land. Detroit has 143 square miles of land.
- Wikipedia

Since 2003 there have been 0.019 Americans murdered per square mile in Iraq. Conversely, there have been 11.021 Americans murdered per square mile in Detroit since 2003. I think the Congressman owes Iraq an apology.
Jay

Take That Al Gore

Czech President Václav Klaus rebuts Al Gore in a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee - sent to Congress before Gore testified in front of that committee.

My ambition is not to bring additional arguments to the scientific climatological debate about this phenomenon. I am convinced, however, that up to now this scientific debate has not been deep and serious enough and has not provided sufficient basis for the policymakers' reaction. What I am really concerned about is the way the environmental topics have been misused by certain political pressure groups to attack fundamental principles underlying free society. It becomes evident that while discussing climate we are not witnessing a clash of views about the environment but a clash of views about human freedom.

As someone who lived under communism for most of my life I feel obliged to say that the biggest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity at the beginning of the 21st century is not communism or its various softer variants. Communism was replaced by the threat of ambitious environmentalism. This ideology preaches earth and nature and under the slogans of their protection – similarly to the old Marxists – wants to replace the free and spontaneous evolution of mankind by a sort of central (now global) planning of the whole world.

The US is not the bastion of freedom. We've passed that torch to men like President Klaus, who won't be bullied by the Global Warming thugs.

The Problem With Gun Owners

I am about as pro-gun as you can get - but I do have a problem with many gun owners.

Let me give you an example from the 2000 Presidential race.

Co-worker: I'm going to vote for Al Gore
Jay: Why? You hunt, don't you want to keep your gun?
Co-worker: He won't take my shotgun. Gore only wants to get rid of "bad guns"
Jay: What are "bad guns"?
Co-worker: You know, machine guns, stuff that can hurt people.
Jay: New machine guns are already illegal. He can't make them "more banned" than they are now.
Co-worker:Well, I think most guns are bad. He is from Tennessee, so he understands hunting. He won't take my hunting shotgun.
Jay: He worships the earth. Are you sure he won't take your gun and all hunting away as well?

This gentleman also supported Gore even though he wanted to ban the internal combustion engine. As we were both Michiganians who make their living from the auto industry, I couldn't understand why this didn't bother him.

Jay: What about the internal combustion engine? We need that to make cars.
Co-worker: Gore wouldn't end our jobs without making sure we had a comparable job to go to.
Jay: Comparable job where? In what industry?

Fast forward to John Kerry in 2004. Same scenario (with guns), and John Kerry "won't take my shotgun."

I think it comes down to this: many gun owners fall victim to the same lies spewed forth in public - and a lot of private - education.

Unlike our Founding Fathers, and their very clear reminders that we have inalienable rights that the government cannot bestow or take away, these unfortunate souls buy into the Nietzsche/Hegel philosophy that government bestows all rights. Therefore, it can, on any whim, take away any right.

That, too, is why they believe the BS that "my gun" is safe, because they will only take away "bad guns."

Until all gun owners are educated on - and believe in - the inalienable rights this country was founded on, this brainless acquiescence to the government will continue.

First Step Against Illegal Immigration

From WND

One of the major cop-outs in the illegal immigration debate is this: There are millions and millions of foreigners already here. It would be an overwhelming task to find and deport them all.

Let me suggest a good starting point – an all-out declaration of war on the organized criminal street gang MS-13, comprised mostly of illegal aliens and now threatening the lives and quality of life of nearly all Americans nationwide.

Just last week, for instance, the Washington Post reported three leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha participated in or planned four murders in the area during a span of two years, according to a federal prosecutor in a racketeering trial involving the terrorist gang.

Attorney James Trusty told the court MS-13 gang members abide by the ethos "rape, kill and control." He said they use guns, knives and machetes.

"This gang works together locally, nationally, even internationally," said Trusty.

MS-13 was a little-known band of miscreants from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala five years ago – hardly known to the general public. But a reign of murderous terror waged across the country has made it infamous.

You want a place to start the battle against illegal aliens? MS-13 is a priority. These are not farmworkers. These are not gardeners. These are not cheap construction workers or meatpackers. These are murderers and rapists.

Instead of targeting Border Patrol officers, the U.S. Justice Department should use its resources to eradicate MS-13. Instead of meddling in the conduct of the war in Iraq, the U.S. Congress should resolve to wipe out this internal threat to our peace and security by the end of this year. Instead of pushing for "comprehensive immigration reform," President Bush should call for an all-out war on this band of thugs.

If the illegal alien problem is too big to tackle all at once, set priorities. MS-13 should be the starting point.

Why Worry About the Clintonistas? Bush is as Bad

From WND:

A memo signed by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff implements a controversial program condemned by critics as a precursor to a European Union-style partnership with Mexico and Canada.

The document shows the Security and Prosperity Partnership, or SPP, is being directed at the highest level of the Bush administration, says the public interest group Judicial Watch, which obtained it and other documents through a Freedom of Information Act request.

[...]

Judicial Watch said that unlike previous records produced by other federal agencies, the DHS records are heavily redacted, blocking out names of the U.S., Mexican and Canadian government officials carrying out the partnership's agenda across all three countries.

The DHS also released a 10-page chart listing 36 "SPP Security High-Level Working Groups" that include the "Mexico-U.S. Repatriation Technical WG," the "Mexico-U.S. Intelligence and Information Sharing WG," and the "Canada-U.S. Cross Border Crime Forum."

In October, as WND reported, about 1,000 documents obtained in a FOIA request to the SPP showed bureaucrats from agencies throughout the Bush administration meeting regularly with their counterparts in the Canadian and Mexican governments to engage in a broad rewriting of U.S. administrative law and regulations.

Here's an Idea

Governor, lawmakers struggle with budget puzzle

LANSING -- The stakes are high and the choices distasteful as Gov. Jennifer Granholm and leaders from the Legislature begin talks this week to resolve budget crises -- both immediate and on the near horizon.

The immediate problem is a $940-million shortfall for this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

Unless Granholm and lawmakers can plug that hole in the next few weeks, the state would temporarily run out of money to pay bills, state Treasurer Robert Kleine said.

Plugging the hole would require new taxes or deep cuts in services -- or, more likely, a combination of the two.

Too bad the Governor can't cut the public pension burden (political promise to cronies), like every citizen in the state has seen happen. I know we aren't that special, unless it is election time, but the state has been in a recession for years. Instead of raising taxes on business - who raise their prices to the customers, or go out of business if they can't raise their prices - and instead of raising taxes on Joe and Jane Citizen - who pay the higher taxes both personally and in the form of higher prices to heavily taxed businesses - simply cut out chunks of government. What makes government so special that it has to subsidize everything? Nothing.

Why don't we encourage personal responsibility from the citizenry? That alone will cut hundreds of millions from the budget.

Heck, if you cut taxes too, maybe some businesses will actually come to the state instead of tripping over themselves to cross the border.

You Ain't Got No Stinkin' Rights

There is only one constitutional right in the United States which is absolute and that is your right to believe anything you want.

Kalifornia State Senator Sheila Kuehl, when arguing for SB 52,requiring citizens to obtain a state-issued license to own a firearm for self-defense.

What rights has a slave? There is only one: a slave can think anything he wants. As long as he doesn't utter it or act on it - he may think what he wants. He has no right to the fruit of his labor; no right to self-defense, no right to raise his children, no right to contract with others for his betterment, no right to worship - except as his master allows. He has only the right to his own thoughts. All other rights are at the sufferance of his master - whether that master is a state or an owner.

Kalifornia State Senator Tom McClintock, in a written rebuttal.

Senator McClintock, as quoted in Freedom & Firearms, published in Concealed Carry Magazine (Vol 1 Issue 5)

Happy New Year - Biblical New Year, that is

It's the first new moon of the biblical year (Ex. 12:1-2).

ADONAI said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year."

Sure, Tishri 1 starts off the civil calendar in either September or November. But Nisan 1 kicks off the new Biblical year. The new moon hit Israel at around 6pm local. This new moon officially sets up all the Feast dates for the year. Passover is 14 days from tonight... according to Exodus 12:6.

Shalom.

Michigan Gun Legislation

Michigan Gun Owners, do you want to change how you buy your handguns? Are you sick of going through all the paperwork, only to have to go to the local police department or sheriff's office to have them do the "safety inspection" - which basically consists of cops getting pissed off at you for owning a gun? This "inspection" is really the final step in the gun registration.

House Bill 4490 is up for an introduction and first reading today. The bill, if passed, eliminates the need for this "inspection."

Tied in with the legislation is HB 4491, which repeals crimes associated for not going through the "inspection."

Gun owners will still need to file those little green cards with their city or county after the gun purchase... but they won't have to deal with the cops giving them attitude.

This bill will need the support of Michigan's gun owners.

HR 1022

From Save the 2nd and the Library of Congress:

HR1022 Now has 30 cosponsors. Is your representative listed? If so unleash the wolves on them and get them straightened out. Here is the list of current cosponsors:


H.R.1022
Title: To reauthorize the assault weapons ban, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep McCarthy, Carolyn [NY-4] (introduced 2/13/2007) Cosponsors (30)
Latest Major Action: 2/13/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COSPONSORS(30), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]: (Sort: by date)
Rep Ackerman, Gary L. [NY-5] - 3/7/2007
Rep Berman, Howard L. [CA-28] - 3/13/2007
Rep Capps, Lois [CA-23] - 3/9/2007
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 3/9/2007
Rep Crowley, Joseph [NY-7] - 3/7/2007
Rep DeGette, Diana [CO-1] - 3/13/2007
Rep Delahunt, William D. [MA-10] - 3/13/2007
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14] - 3/9/2007
Rep Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] - 3/7/2007
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] - 3/7/2007
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] - 3/7/2007
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 3/9/2007
Rep Hirono, Mazie K. [HI-2] - 3/13/2007
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] - 3/7/2007
Rep Lofgren, Zoe [CA-16] - 3/15/2007
Rep Lowey, Nita M. [NY-18] - 3/15/2007
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] - 3/7/2007
Rep Markey, Edward J. [MA-7] - 3/13/2007
Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] - 3/13/2007
Rep Meehan, Martin T. [MA-5] - 3/7/2007
Rep Miller, Brad [NC-13] - 3/9/2007
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] - 3/7/2007
Rep Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [NJ-8] - 3/13/2007
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] - 3/7/2007
Rep Schiff, Adam B. [CA-29] - 3/7/2007
Rep Sherman, Brad [CA-27] - 3/15/2007
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28] - 3/13/2007
Rep Tauscher, Ellen O. [CA-10] - 3/15/2007
Rep Van Hollen, Chris [MD-8] - 3/7/2007
Rep Wexler, Robert [FL-19] - 3/9/2007

Christian-Arab Predicts World Islam Takeover - Unless...

Someone had some harsh words for the current wussy leadership in the West.

When will you Westerners realize that half-measures don't work with people who are willing to die by the thousands for Allah to achieve their goal?" This was the upshot of a recent conversation between a Holocaust survivor living in Herzliya and a Christian-Arab living in the Galilee.

"I have to tell you something which very few of you seem to comprehend. Your [Israel's] bungling war against a few thousand Hizbullah fighters which you should have crushed no matter what, considering the importance of the outcome, has created a completely new situation, not only for this area, but globally. Your inept leadership totally misunderstood the importance of winning this war.

"As a matter of fact, the whole Moslem world, not only the Arabs, simply couldn't believe that the mighty Israeli Army that defeated the combined Arab forces in six days in 1967, and almost captured Cairo and Damascus in 1973, couldn't defeat a small army of Hizbullah men. As usual the Moslems see things the way they want to see things. Most think that the present generation of Israelis have gone soft and can be defeated.

"The American bungling of the war in Iraq only added to their conviction that victory not only over Israel but also over the West is not only possible, but certain. The ramifications of these two bungling wars may bring an Islamic bloody Tsunami all over the West, not only in Israel. The sharks smell blood and these two wars gave them the green light to attack sooner than they had in mind. Your problem is that you are on the defensive and they have the option to choose the time and the places when and where to attack and there is nothing much you can do about it.

"When will you Westerners realize that half-measures don't work with people who are willing to die by the thousands for Allah to achieve their goal? In their eyes the Western World is simply an abomination on earth that has to be wiped out.

How do they suggest we stop this?

"I think there are two ways to avoid [this Armageddon]. One can be a major war which the West can win. As in World War Two, had the West attacked the Germans in 1936 the war would have lasted not more than a month with very few casualties. Their procrastination resulted in World War II with all its consequences. Eventually, the West will have to tackle the Iranians, it is better that they do it now to avert a world catastrophe later. With Iran defeated the Islamic onslaught will lose its base, and it may be the turning point in history to defeat the menace of extreme Islam. The majority of the Moslems don't want this confrontation anyway.

"[Alternatively,] all the West has to do is follow Putin's ways. He assassinates his enemies without blinking an eye. Assassinate the four or five Mullahs who run the show, Ahmadinejad and a few more Iranian fanatics, and the War can be avoided. It may be difficult to do, but not impossible. With today's hi-tech technology I am sure that new weapons against individuals are being prepared right now. I think it would be a better way of handling the matter than an all-out war against Islam."

Those Silly French

The French urged Israel to invade Syria during their war against Hizbullah last summer.

Army Radio reported Sunday that French President Jacques Chirac contacted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert via a secret channel at the very beginning of the war in Lebanon. He informed him that France would support an Israeli invasion of Syria.

Chirac asked that Israel act to topple the Assad regime, and promised in return to block any moves against Israel within the United Nations or European Union.

Yet, ever French,

Just last week Chirac threw his full support behind a conciliatory visit to Syria by EU Foreign Minister Javier Solana. "I back it without reservation,” Chirac said. “Europe speaks with one voice."

Some Great Anti-Junior-Senator-From-NY Smack

Remember "1984"?

Hope For Liberal Canada

I was reading through the Detroit Free Press sports pages the other day, when I saw a headline reading "UDM softball player one of Canada's best." It was a short, nice article and I read it.

What amazed me about this girl was the brief profile they had on her.

Grade point average: 3.8.

Major: Criminal justice. "I want to be a police officer. I need to be out there doing something. It interests me, and you get to carry around a gun."

Guns? "It's the ultimate thing to have one in your hands."

There was more, but that was enough to know the U of Detroit-Mercy had a quality student on their team.

A View on Illegal Immigration

While I am at it, I know this is making the email rounds across the internet, but it was too good to pass up. I don't know who the original credit goes to.

Let's say I break into your house

Recently large demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Congress is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration.

Certain people are angry that the US might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely.

Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests.

Let's say I break into your house.

Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave. But I say, 'I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors. I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard-working and honest' (except for when I broke into your house).

According to the protesters:

You are Required to let me stay in your house
You are Required to add me to your family's insurance plan
You are Required to Educate my kids
You are Required to Provide other benefits to me and to my family (my husband will do all of your yard work because he is also hard-working and honest, except for that breaking in part).

If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my RIGHT to be there.

It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I do, and I'm just trying to better myself. I'm a hard-working and honest, person, except for well, you know, I did break into your house.

And what a deal it is for me!!!

I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you ca n do about it without being accused of cold, uncaring, selfish, prejudiced, and bigoted behavior.

Oh yeah, I DEMAND that you to learn MY LANGUAGE!!! So you can communicate with me.

Why can't people see how ridiculous this is?! Only in America .....if you agree, pass it on (in English). Share it if you see the value of it.

If not blow it off......... along with your future Social Security funds, and a lot of other things.

A New Take On An Old Subject

I remember the original version of this email making the internet rounds, but I haven't seen this updated version until this morning. I don't know who the original credit goes to.

FEUDALISM
You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.

FASCISM
You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them, and sells you the milk.

PURE COMMUNISM
You have two cows. Your neighbors help you take care of them, and you all share the milk.

APPLIED COMMUNISM
You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the government takes all the milk.

DICTATORSHIP
You have two cows. The government takes both and shoots you.

NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY
You have two cows. The government takes both and shoots you and sends the cows to Zurich.

MILITARISM
You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you.

SINGAPOREAN DEMOCRACY
You have two cows. The government fines you for keeping two unlicensed farm animals in an apartment.

PURE DEMOCRACY
You have two cows. Your neighbors decide who gets the milk.

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY
You have two cows. Your neighbors pick someone to tell you who gets the milk.

AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
The government promises to give you two cows if you vote for it. After the election, the president is impeached for speculating in cow futures. The press dubs the affair "Cowgate". The cow sues you for breach of contract.

BRITISH DEMOCRACY
You have two cows. You feed them sheep's brains and they go mad. The government doesn't do anything.

EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY
You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. After that it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain.
Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.

CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.

HONG KONG CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly-listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax deduction for keeping five cows. The milk rights of six cows are transferred via a Panamanian intermediary to a Cayman Islands company secretly owned by the majority shareholder, who sells the rights to all seven cows' milk back to the listed company. The annual report says that the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more.
Meanwhile, you kill the two cows because of bad feng shui!

TOTALITARIANISM
You have two cows. The government takes them and denies they ever existed.
Milk is banned.

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
You are associated with (the concept of 'ownership' is a symbol of the phallocentric, warmongering, intolerant past) two differently aged (but no less valuable to society) bovines of non-specified gender.

COUNTERCULTURE
Wow, dude, there's like...these two cows, man. You have *got* to have some of this milk.

SURREALISM
You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

Why, Oh Why, Wisconsin?

Hey, Badgers... what is the deal with losing to UNLV? There goes my bracket for this year.

Quote of the week March 11-17

God made man and God made woman, but Samuel Colt made them equal.

Author Unknown

Feds Wanna Shut Down Hunting and Shooting Opportunities

From NRA-ILA


FEDERAL AGENCIES PROPOSE CLOSING PUBLIC LANDS TO SHOOTING AND HUNTING!
Federal agencies have proposed closing hundreds of thousands of acres of public land to recreational shooting and hunting in Arizona, Florida, and Nevada! It is critical that gun owners and sportsmen attend any upcoming public meetings and let their voices be heard!


BLM PROPOSES BANNING RECREATIONAL SHOOTING ON ARIZONA PUBLIC LANDS -- IRONWOOD FOREST NATIONAL MONUMENT! The BLM will be holding a series of public meetings to discuss banning recreational shooting on the Ironwood Forest National Monument. It is critical that gun owners attend those meetings!

HUNTING PROGRAM ON FLORIDA REFUGE IN JEOPARDY! A draft Waterfowl Hunting Plan and Environmental Assessment for Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge NWR) in Collier County, Fla. would ban waterfowl hunting on the refuge. The plan describes two alternatives for hunting on the refuge: (1) the proposed action alternative would open a waterfowl-hunting program, and (2) the "no action" would close the refuge to waterfowl hunting. Currently, waterfowl hunting is allowed on the refuge.


SHOOTING CLOSURE EXPECTED ON BLM LANDS OUTSIDE LAS VEGAS The Bureau of Land Management has announced its intent to close certain areas within Nye County, Nev. to recreational target shooting. BLM is citing rapid increases in population and growth of Pahrump, Nev., as the reason for closing the area to target shooting.

A Modern Hero

This man is David Hatuel. He is an Israeli. And he is a modern hero in by book.



As Israel National News explains,

David Hatuel, whose wife and four daughters were murdered in a 2004 terrorist attack, welcomed a daughter to the world on Thursday. The baby girl and her mother Limor are in good health.

Hatuel’s first wife Tali and their four daughters were murdered while driving near their home in Gush Katif in an attack that shook the nation. The girls ranged in age from two to eleven years old.

Tali Hatuel was eight months pregnant with the Hatuel’s first son at the time of the attack. She and her daughters were shot at point-blank range by Islamic Jihad terrorists, who launched their attack from abandoned buildings near the Kissufim Road, which the Israeli Supreme Court had forbidden the army to remove.

After mourning his family, David Hatuel explained that he had two options: to fall and let the tragedy destroy him, or to choose life. He was subsequently evicted from his home, still filled with memories of his family, as part of the Disengagement.

Here is a man who lost his entire family - a wife, four daughters, and a baby due in less than four weeks. Then the Israeli government forcibly removed him from his home in the flawed and tragic "Disengagement" and handed his home over to the terrorists that murdered his family.

And this man chose life instead of choosing to be bitter and full of hatred.

The world needs more men like David Hatuel.

picture © Arutz Sheva (Israel International News)

The Anniversary of "No Duty To Protect Us"

Today is an awful anniversary. Twenty-two years ago this month, an awful criminal act was committed. In response, the courts committed an even worse act.

Early morning on March 16, 1975, two thugs broke down the back door of a three-story home in Washington, D.C. Three women and a child shared this residence. One woman was attacked and raped on the second floor, while her housemates on the third floor heard her screams and called the police.

Since the first call was assigned a low priority, the responding officers left quickly after no one answered when they knocked on the door.

The women frantically called the police a second time. The dispatcher promised help would come—but no officers were even dispatched.

A long time after things went quiet, the third-story women came down to aid their roommate. Only, the attackers weren't gone. They kidnapped, robbed, raped, and beat all three women over a fourteen hour period.

The women later sued the city and the D.C. police for negligently failing to protect them or even to answer their second call, but the court held that government had no duty to respond to their call or to protect them.

The Second Amendment is about your right to protect yourself. The Founding Fathers' believed you had a right - and a corresponding responsibility - to defend yourself and those who depend on you. We can't let government abuse this right. After all, no one else is responsible to protect us.

Golden Screw Up Award

It is time for another Golden Screw-Up Award.

This week's nominees are:

Al Gore, for not telling the truth in An Inconvenient Truth. Oops.

But part of his scientific audience is uneasy. In talks, articles and blog entries that have appeared since his film and accompanying book came out last year, these scientists argue that some of Mr. Gore’s central points are exaggerated and erroneous. They are alarmed, some say, at what they call his alarmism.

“I don’t want to pick on Al Gore,” Don J. Easterbrook, an emeritus professor of geology at Western Washington University, told hundreds of experts at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America. “But there are a lot of inaccuracies in the statements we are seeing, and we have to temper that with real data.”

Polar explorers Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen
for their wonderful, albeit cancelled, trek across the Arctic to highlight the devestating effects of global warming and the tradegy of melting polar ice.

One night they measured the temperature inside their tent at 58 degrees below zero, and outside temperatures were exceeding 100 below zero at times...

"They were experiencing temperatures that weren't expected with global warming," Atwood said. "But one of the things we see with global warming is unpredictability."

Uh huh. The North Pole was really, really cold because of global warming.

James Cromwell, Jack Bauer's daddy on 24, for his recent patriotic comments in the UK.

"I can't handle living in the United States of America when I know the last two elections were rigged, and that we were denied our right to vote, where we live in a country where 32 percent of the people vote and even those people's votes don't count, and the people who should really have a stake, kids, don't have any say at all – people of color, very little to say, unions, practically nothing any more … we're losing our jobs. …"

The envelope please...

Congratulations to our Global Warming celebrities. No, sit down Al. This week's award goes to our polar explorers who blamed -100 degree temperatures in the Arctic on global warming. Congratulations, Ann and Liv.


Bancroft/Arnesen photo © www.thepoles.com
Al Gore photo © www.lonestartimes.com
James Cromwell photo © World Net Daily

How To Effectively Communicate With Your Elected Leadership

Just a few tips on how to communicate with our elected officials (state of Federal) that I picked up on from US Chamber of Commerce experience.

Don't email your representative. Emails are worthless. If you do email, do NOT send an attachment... the virus programs will automatically assume it is a virus and kick it out.

Snail mail is ok. Phone calls aren't much better.

If you want to get noticed, FAX your letter to your representative. The FAX is the most powerful communication tool with your representative, short of a photo op during election season. When traveling, politicians often carry fax communications to read from their citizenry. You are much more likely to score points using a fax.

If your address and contact information are not included with the letter, it will be discarded. No politician cares about anonymous opinions when someone contacts their office.

HR 1022 - In Case You Missed It

HR 1022, the assault weapons ban, is now up to 18 cosponsors.

HR 1022 MUST be defeated,.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-1022

Contact your Representative: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd

Note: Fax your representative. Don't email him/her. Emails are worthless. Fax has the most pull with most representatives.

March Madness - Fun Times and Economic Disaster?

From Forbes.com:

For the first time, most games in the 2006 National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament will be broadcast online for free. That's one reason why consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas has estimated March Madness will cost $3.8 billion in lost productivity...

In 2005, Challenger, Gray said March Madness would cost $889 million. That number quadruped this year because a Gallup poll indicated that 41% of Americans--more than 58 million U.S. workers--are college basketball fans. Previously, the firm had estimated a much lower number of fans.

Nevertheless, the games will surely combine with the warming weather to distract employees from their spreadsheets. Workers have always spent time checking scores, chatting about the games and participating in office betting pools. But the free online broadcasts could take office time wasting to a whole new level.

By the way, as a University of Michigan alum, I wish the Michigan State Spartans and their awesome coach, Tom Izzo, the best of luck tonight.

Conversely, as a University of Michigan alum, I hope the Ohio State Buckeyes get their backsides kicked back to Columbus in the first round.

Beware The Ides of March

From The History Channel:

44 BC: The Ides of March

Gaius Julius Caesar, dictator of Rome, is stabbed to death in the Roman Senate house by 60 conspirators led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus.

Caesar, born into the Julii, an ancient but not particularly distinguished Roman aristocratic family, began his political career in 78 B.C. as a prosecutor for the anti-patrician Popular Party. He won influence in the party for his reformist ideas and oratorical skills, and aided Roman imperial efforts by raising a private army to combat the king of Pontus in 74 B.C. He was an ally of Pompey, the recognized head of the Popular Party, and essentially took over this position after Pompey left Rome in 67 B.C. to become commander of Roman forces in the east.

In 63 B.C., Caesar was elected pontifex maximus, or "high priest," allegedly by heavy bribes. Two years later, he was made governor of Farther Spain and in 64 B.C. returned to Rome, ambitious for the office of consul. The consulship, essentially the highest office in the Roman Republic, was shared by two politicians on an annual basis. Consuls commanded the army, presided over the Senate and executed its decrees, and represented the state in foreign affairs. Caesar formed a political alliance--the so-called First Triumvirate--with Pompey and Marcus Licinius Crassus, the wealthiest man in Rome, and in 59 B.C. was elected consul. Although generally opposed by the majority of the Roman Senate, Caesar's land reforms won him popularity with many Romans.

In 58 B.C., Caesar was given four Roman legions in Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum, and during the next decade demonstrated brilliant military talents as he expanded the Roman Empire and his reputation. Among other achievements, Caesar conquered all of Gaul, made the first Roman inroads into Britain, and won devoted supporters in his legions. However, his successes also aroused Pompey's jealousy, leading to the collapse of their political alliance in 53 B.C.

The Roman Senate supported Pompey and asked Caesar to give up his army, which he refused to do. In January 49 B.C., Caesar led his legions across the Rubicon River from Cisalpine Gaul to Italy, thus declaring war against Pompey and his forces. Caesar made early gains in the subsequent civil war, defeating Pompey's army in Italy and Spain, but was later forced into retreat in Greece. In August 48 B.C., with Pompey in pursuit, Caesar paused near Pharsalus, setting up camp at a strategic location. When Pompey's senatorial forces fell upon Caesar's smaller army, they were entirely routed, and Pompey fled to Egypt, where he was assassinated by an officer of the Egyptian king.

Caesar was subsequently appointed Roman consul and dictator, but before settling in Rome he traveled around the empire for several years and consolidated his rule. In 45 B.C., he returned to Rome and was made dictator for life. As sole Roman ruler, Caesar launched ambitious programs of reform within the empire. The most lasting of these was his establishment of the Julian calendar, which, with the exception of a slight modification and adjustment in the 16th century, remains in use today. He also planned new imperial expansions in central Europe and to the east. In the midst of these vast designs, he was assassinated on March 15, 44 B.C., by a group of conspirators who believed that his death would lead to the restoration of the Roman Republic. However, the result of the "Ides of March" was to plunge Rome into a fresh round of civil wars, out of which Octavian, Caesar's grand-nephew, would emerge as Augustus, the first Roman emperor, destroying the republic forever.

A Member of Congress on the DC Gun Ban Decision

From Ron Paul's office regarding the March 9 overturning of the DC Gun Ban:

The DC Gun Ban

March 12, 2007

Last Friday a federal appeals court in Washington DC issued a ruling that hopefully will result in the restoration of 2^nd Amendment rights in the nation's capital. It appears the Court rejected the District of Columbia 's nonsensical argument that the 2^nd Amendment confers only a "collective right," something gun control advocates have asserted for years.

Of course we should not have too much faith in our federal courts to protect gun rights, considering they routinely rubber stamp egregious violations of the 1 ^st, 4^th, and 5^th Amendments, and allow Congress to legislate wildly outside the bounds of its enumerated powers. Furthermore, the DC case will be appealed to the Supreme Court with no guarantees. But it is very important nonetheless for a federal court only one step below the highest court in the land to recognize that gun rights adhere to the American people, not to government-sanctioned groups. Rights, by definition, are individual. "Group rights" is an oxymoron.

Can anyone seriously contend that the Founders, who had just expelled their British rulers mostly by use of light arms, did not want the individual farmer, blacksmith, or merchant to be armed? Those individuals would have been killed or imprisoned by the King's soldiers if they had relied on a federal armed force to protect them.

In the 1700s, militias were local groups made up of ordinary citizens. They were not under federal control! As a practical matter, many of them were barely under the control of colonial or state authorities. When the 2^nd Amendment speaks of a "well-regulated militia," it means local groups of individuals operating to protect their own families, homes, and communities. They regulated themselves because it was necessary and in their own interest to do so.

The Founders themselves wrote in the Federalist papers about the need for individuals to be armed. In fact, James Madison argued in Federalist paper 46 that common citizens should be armed to guard against the threat posed by the newly proposed standing federal army.

Today, gun control makes people demonstrably less safe-- as any honest examination of criminal statistics reveals. In his book "More Guns, Less Crime," scholar John Lott demolishes the myth that gun control reduces crime. On the contrary, Lott shows that cities with strict gun control--like Washington DC--experience higher rates of murder and violent crime. It is no coincidence that violent crime flourishes in the nation's capital, where the individual's right to defend himself has been most severely curtailed.

Understand that residents of DC can be convicted of a felony and put in prison simply for having a gun in their home, even if they live in a very dangerous neighborhood. The DC gun ban is no joke, and the legal challenges to the ban are not simply academic exercises. People's lives and safety are at stake.

Gun control historically serves as a gateway to tyranny. Tyrants from Hitler to Mao to Stalin have sought to disarm their own citizens, for the simple reason that unarmed people are easier to control. Our Founders, having just expelled the British army, knew that the right to bear arms serves as the guardian of every other right. This is the principle so often ignored by both sides in the gun control debate. Only armed citizens can resist tyrannical government.

Who Should Feel Threatened

As David Codrea reported on his blog yesterday, an anti-gun editor was terrified by a box of mailing labels left on his porch.

A state police bomb squad team inspected the package delivered to the Christiansburg home of Christian Trejbal and found no bomb, town police Lt. Mark Sisson said. Police cordoned off the residential street and advised neighbors to stay inside while a bomb-sniffing dog and X-ray technician inspected the package, he said.

The brown cardboard box about 15 inches by 15 inches was full of mailing labels similar to those used by mail delivery services, Sisson said. He said the package had been delivered by a DHL truck and left at the front door...

Extra police patrols were ordered Tuesday at the home of a newspaper editorial writer after a suspicious package was delivered there following a storm of criticism of a column he wrote about concealed weapons permits...

Trejbal's column Sunday was accompanied by an online database that listed the names and addresses of more than 135,000 Virginians who are licensed to carry concealed weapons...

Sisson said police will make extra patrols around Trejbal's house "until we feel there's no threat."

Today, I read a horrifying story about a real threat.

A 17-year-old girl who spent weeks looking for her missing dog unwrapped a box left on her doorstep and found the pet’s severed head inside, authorities said...

After Crystal Brown’s 4-year-old Australian shepherd mix wandered away last month, she put up “missing” posters in her neighborhood and went door-to-door looking for him. She called the St. Paul animal shelter and rode the bus there several times.

“I felt empty,” Crystal told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. “I couldn’t talk to anyone. He was my dog. It was just me and him. ... I told him everything and he never shared any of my secrets.”

Two weeks ago, a gift-wrapped box was left at the house Crystal shares with her grandmother. The box had batteries on top, and a note that said “Congratulations Crystal. This side up. Batteries included.”

Crystal opened the box and found her dog’s head inside. The box also contained Valentine’s Day candy.

Crystal screamed when she saw her dog’s face.

“She was just hysterical,” said Crystal’s grandmother, Shirley Brown. “She was screaming. She said, ’Grandma, it’s my dog’s head!’

“I said, ’no it can’t be!’ ”

Authorities say the case is an isolated incident and the suspect likely knew the family. A motive is unclear.

“This was so cruel,” Crystal said. “This is one sick, twisted person.”

Now, who was really threatened? Big, tough Mr. First Amendment who was frightened of criticism? Or some poor 17-year-old girl who found that grizzly package - from, according to police, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THEIR FAMILY?

Reducing the Crime

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick had a meeting last night. This morning, the headlines proclaimed: Kilpatrick tells Detroit: Let's tackle crime, grime together.

I don't know if they work on grime, but a few years ago, Boston had an effective crime-prevention program.



Heck, St. Patty's Day is coming up. How appropriate.

all pictures© www.boondockfans.com

Martial Law

This comes straight from Armed & Christian, who got it from Unalienable Rights.

Fed Makes It Easier To Declare Martial Law, Nullify Bill Of Rights, And Use The Military Against Citizens

We live in a fundamentally different country since 9/11. Not only do many Americans view their government with suspicion, but how their government views them has drastically changed.

A perfect example of this took place last fall. Prior to the elections that transformed the makeup of Congress, the Bush Administration pushed for the inclusion of two stealth provisions into a mammoth defense budget bill. The additions made it easier for the government to declare martial law and establish a dictatorship.

Since the days of our Founding Fathers, when King George III used his armies to terrorize and tyrannize the colonies, the American people have understandably distrusted the use of a national military force to intervene in civilian affairs, except in instances of extreme emergency and limited duration.

Hence, as a sign of the Founders’ concern that the people not be under the power of a military government, control of the military was vested in a civilian government, with a civilian commander-in-chief. And the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 furthered those safeguards against military law, making it a crime for the government to use the military to carry out arrests, searches, seizure of evidence and other activities normally handled by a civilian police force.

However, with the inclusion of a seemingly insignificant rider into the massive defense bill (the martial law section of the 591-page Defense Appropriations Act takes up just a few paragraphs), the Bush Administration has managed to weaken what the New York Times refers to as “two obscure but important bulwarks of liberty.” One is posse comitatus. The other is the Insurrection Act of 1807, which limits a president’s domestic use of the military to putting down lawlessness, insurrection and rebellion where a state is violating federal law or depriving the people of their constitutional rights.

Under these new provisions, the president can now use the military as a domestic police force in response to a natural disaster, disease outbreak, terrorist attack or to any “other condition.” According to the new law, Bush doesn’t even have to notify Congress of his intent to use military force against the American people—he just has to notify them once he has done so. The defense budget provision’s vague language leaves the doors wide open for rampant abuse. As writer Jane Smiley noted, “the introduction of these changes amounts, not to an attack on the Congress and the balance of power, but to a particular and concerted attack on the citizens of the nation. Bush is laying the legal groundwork to repeal even the appearance of democracy.”

The main reason we do not want the military patrolling our streets is that under martial law, the Bill of Rights becomes null and void. A standing army—something that propelled the early colonists into revolution—strips the American people of any vestige of freedom. Thus, if we were subject to martial law, there would be no rules, no protections, no judicial oversight and no elections. And unless these provisions are repealed, the president’s new power will be set in stone for future administrations to use—and abuse.

A fundamental principle of American government is to not trust public officials. But modern Americans, primed by television pablum and ignorant of their history, have a tendency to trust people in office simply because they appear to share a common faith, say the right things or come from a certain region of the country. But lest we forget, power has a tendency to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Furthermore, the way this was handled proves that we cannot trust government officials. By sneaking this provision in as a rider to a larger bill, public debate and media attention were avoided. Had the provision been openly discussed and debated, there would have been opposition and outcry. And it most likely would have been soundly rejected. Instead, it was rushed through the Republican-controlled Congress prior to the elections and enacted into law.

The Founding Fathers would have literally been up in arms over Bush’s actions. They understood the dangers inherent in vesting power in a single person, which is exactly what this legislation purports to do. There’s no limit to what the president can now do: the “any condition” language opens the door for total power, a dictatorship. The people are left with no defense.

Furthermore, this legislation erases the balance between the state and federal government. The state governors understood this, and that’s why many vocally opposed the provisions. But it was to no avail.

Who’s to blame here? Congress has utterly failed to exercise its power to check the growing power of the Executive Branch. The media have also been woefully remiss. Although a handful of bloggers sounded the alarm, the major media outlets failed to report on it. If it weren’t for a recent editorial in the New York Times, most people would still be in the dark. What’s the point of a free press if you can’t rely on the media to report the news?

However, the larger blame rests with the Bush Administration, whose actions over the past six years suggest that the American people are the enemy. Think about some of the changes that have already moved us closer to a police state: the invasive USA Patriot Act; the increased domestic surveillance of citizens’ emails and telephone calls; attempts to deny habeas corpus to prisoners; a national ID card; and now this alarming new law. In addition to opening the doors to a military state, the law also facilitates militarized police round-ups and detaining of protesters in detention camps that are already being built on American soil by the Halliburton corporation. Americans are incredibly naïve if they believe those camps being built are just for illegal aliens.

A pattern is emerging, predicated on one horrific incident in 2001. The current administration is laying the groundwork for a military state, and this is our final wake-up call.

In light of this, I am also urging all of you to get involved and demand that we have a "Read The Bills Act" that will force lawmakers to sweat over the details and see exactly what they are passing into law. Sign the petition here.

Does It Get Better Than This?

Photo© AP

Global warming? Not enough for these people.

A North Pole expedition meant to bring attention to global warming was called off after one of the explorers got frostbite. The explorers, Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen, on Saturday called off what was intended to be a 530-mile trek across the Arctic Ocean after Arnesen suffered frostbite in three of her toes, and extreme cold temperatures drained the batteries in some of their electronic equipment...

Well, did the expedition achieve the objective and bring attention to global warming? No? Why not?

Then there was the cold — quite a bit colder, Atwood said, then Bancroft and Arnesen had expected. One night they measured the temperature inside their tent at 58 degrees below zero, and outside temperatures were exceeding 100 below zero at times, Atwood said.

"My first reaction when they called to say there were calling it off was that they just sounded really, really cold," Atwood said.

But what about the global warming?

The explorers had planned to call in regular updates to school groups by satellite phone, and had planned online posts with photographic evidence of global warming. In contrast to Bancroft's 1986 trek across the Arctic with fellow Minnesota explorer Will Steger, this time she and Arnesen were prepared to don body suits and swim through areas where polar ice has melted.

Don't worry, you can always show the kiddies An Inconvenient Lie... I mean, er, Truth?

Atwood said there was some irony that a trip to call attention to global warming was scuttled in part by extreme cold temperatures.

"They were experiencing temperatures that weren't expected with global warming," Atwood said. "But one of the things we see with global warming is unpredictability."

I only live in Michigan, but even I know that it is freakin' cold in the Arctic. How is that unpredictable? The reason for the bitter cold -100° was... global warming?

Time To Step Up To The Plate

It is time to step up to the plate. It is time for a mass rally to protect our rights. Here is a way to do it, and you have plenty of time to plan for it. If you are an uninvolved gun owner, throw any excuses for not attending out the window, or else you may be throwing your rights out the window instead.

From the website:

This country is heading down a path that does not favor gun owners' rights, and ultimately, does not favor freedom.

We wish to have a national rally to show our unwavering support for the 2nd Amendment.

National rallies held at our nation's capital do not always turn out as well as they could. It is not feasible for everyone to drive across the nation to show their support, even if it is something in which they strongly believe.

So instead, we propose the following: separate rallies at each state's capital on the same day, uniting as one nation for one cause.

The appointed date is April 28, 2008. You have over 13 months to plan for this. Get ready to exercise your rights.

Click the flag icon above to go to the website and get involved. Click on the sign below to see why you need to be involved - if you aren't already working to protect your rights.

I posted last week about my trip to Ride Fast and Shoot Straight, and their information on gun blogs and censorship in Red China.

Somewhat humorously, I shared the "shocking" results of the test:



Now, why Red China would find me dangerous, I don't know. Other than loving liberty, that is.

I am amazed at one thing, though. I would get one or two hits from China every month before the post. Now I am getting three or four hits a day!

So, to the ChiCom censors reading this blog, and the blogs of my gun-owning, freedom-enjoying comrades-in-arms around the blogosphere: Greetings. Thanks for taking the time to read our thoughts. You guys have a great day. While your at it, why don't you ease off the persecution of Christians and stop shooting people who want freedom? And leave Taiwan alone.