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.

A Simple Plea...

The hype has hit. The 2008 election season has been in full stride since Obama and the junior senator from New York announced their candidacies several weeks ago.

Of course, the GOP side hasn't been quiet either. They have Rudy, John McCain (campaign slogan: because it is my turn, dammit), Chuckie Hegel, blah blah blah blah blah. Of course, on a bright side, Dr. Ron Paul is running, and former Senator and cool-actor-who-isn't-liberal Fred Thompson is considering running, too.

I know the standard pro-gun voting response is that we have to vote for the lesser of two evils. Basically, we usually (at least on the national stage) get a rabid anti-gunner running as the Democrat and the tacit anti-gunner running as the Republican. Both hate us, but one caters to us by stroking us, displaying incredible ignorance of our rights (i.e. "don't worry, I won't ban hunting" when talking about the Second Amendment), and getting nice NRA endorsements.

Side note: when you get that hunter orange postcard from the NRA endorsing whoever, take it to your bathroom and keep it handy in case you run out of toilet paper. Because that is all it is good for. I can't count how many "A" rated politicians have produced, at best, "C" rated results. For crying out loud, pay attention to JFPO or GOA analysis - but ignore the NRA endorsements. What the NRA-PVF smokes, I don't know - but it ain't cigarettes. End side note.

Simply put, the pro-gun/anti-gun thing goes much deeper than guns. We all realize that. It is about freedom versus those who would take freedom away. Anti-gunners, whether they are rabidly anti or tacitly anti, are still people who want to take away freedoms. Read that Bill of Rights and see what lack of freedom we have.

In '08, let's not settle for the lesser of two evils. We need to vote evil out of office and place some one who will restore this country to the Constitutional foundation it was built on.

Ron Paul is Running!

Finally, Presidential news to be excited about. Ron Paul is running for President.

Why So Stunned, Governor?

One moment Gov. Jennifer Granholm was the confident saleswoman, telling a receptive Flint audience Monday night that her plan to raise taxes and spend more on education would lift the state's economy.

Then, riding back to Lansing, the cell phone rang. Comerica Chief Executive Officer Ralph W. Babb Jr. was calling to give her a heads-up that he would announce the next morning he was moving the company's corporate headquarters from Detroit to Dallas.

So it was early March and a bank - part of the Detroit economy for about 157 years - was moving to greener pastures. Why so stunned, Governor?

You head off to Germany to beg for jobs, but you don't even know what is going on in your own backyard?

I keep hearing all kinds of psychobabble from your administration. "We need to attract the right companies to make the Michigan we want..." Yadda yadda.

I wonder why all this bad economic news sneaks up on you? You didn't know that Comerica, Michigan's largest bank, was unhappy here? You didn't know that Delphi Corp. was ready to call it a day in Michigan? You were surprised when Pfizer bailed on Ann Arbor? You were shocked when Ford went $12 billion in the toilet last year and announced a mass exodus of jobs from the state? You didn't forsee DaimlerChrysler getting rid of plants in Michigan?

Perhaps the problem has to do with a leader who doesn't understand economics, the need for businesses to make money, the realization that small business is screwed beyond belief in this state, and lack of realization that excessive taxes and regulations don't make Michigan an attractive place to work. Most leaders aren't so out of touch with the business world.

World Court BS

Egypt is trying to take Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a member of the Israeli Cabinet, to the World Court on murder charges.

Why?

They claim that soldiers under his command during the 1967 Six Day War executed 250 Egyptian prisoners of war at the close of the conflict, rather than transfer them to prisons in Israel.

The controversy began with an Israeli documentary film, “The Spirit of Shaked,” which aired in Israel earlier this month. Egyptian officials claimed that the documentary proved that “Israeli hands are drenched with the blood of Egyptian prisoners.”

Yet the producer of the documentary verified that the dead fighters were armed and were killed while fighting. As the Foreign Minister explained, "It does not describe a case of a massacre of prisoners of war, but rather the death of soldiers in the heat of battle."

I guess some people think it is ok to butcher Jews. Israel should lift their middle finger and tell the World Court, and Egypt, where to go.

On the other hand, I guess I'd be upset too after such an ass-kicking. Check out the stats (from Wikipedia):

Combatants
Israel	Active: Egypt Syria Jordan Aided by: Iraq Kuwait Saudi Arabia Sudan Algeria

Strength
264,000 (incl. 50,000 regular troops); 197 combat aircraft	Egypt 150,000; Syria 75,000; Jordan 55,000; Saudi Arabia 20,000; 812 combat aircraft
Casualties
779 killed, 2,563 wounded, 15 prisoners (official casualties)	21,000 killed, 45,000 wounded, 6,000 prisoners over 400 aircraft destroyed (estimates)

Long-Secret Archive of Nazi Records to be Opened

Millions of secret files on concentration camps and their victims are likely to be opened by the end of the year.

Representatives of the eleven nations that comprise the governing commission of the International Tracing Service voted on Thursday to begin the process to publicize the papers, AP reports. The Service controls between 30 and 50 million pages of Holocaust documentation...

The files, stored in Bad Arolsen, Germany, have been used since the 1950s to help locate missing persons or uncover the fate of people who disappeared during the Third Reich. Later, the files were also used to validate claims for compensation. Only personnel of the Tracing Service, an arm of the International Committee of the Red Cross, has had access to the files, which fill 16 miles of gray metal filing cabinets and cardboard binders in six buildings.

Wasn't Adolph Hitler a big believer in gun control? Hmmm. 16 miles of filing cabinets? 50 million pages of documentation? And some people charge the Second Amendment is "anachronistic"? Tell that to the Jewish Germans of the 1930s and 40s.

Update on Michigan's Castle Doctrine

The State of Michigan version of the Castle Doctrine went into effect on October 1, 2006.

Along with Global Warming and Over-Population, this was predicted to be a most devastating blow to the safety, health, and welfare of the people.

Almost six months later, I can report that Michigan, as prophesied, did not become the Wild West. Well, we do have several ghost towns now, but that is an economic problem. Your job may not be safe here in Michigan, but thanks to the Castle Doctrine package, your right to self-defense is stronger than ever.

Say It Ain't So, Joe (I Mean Dogg)

I couldn't believe my eyes.

Snoop Dogg detained in Sweden on narcotics suspicion.

Oh, that wasn't the part I couldn't believe. It was the quote from the government spokesperson.

“He underwent some tests that will now be sent away for analysis,” Brannlund said. “In two to three weeks, we’ll know if he was on something.”

It takes you two or three weeks to figure out if he was high? Half the managers in America can tell you what their employees are high on by looking in their eyes or sniffing their clothes. They don't need "two or three weeks" of tests.

2 Valuable - Censored

I was off visiting Ride Fast and Shoot Straight, when I came across their interesting post on websites and blogs censored in Red China.



Wow! I'm censored in Red China. I wonder if I can get the ACLU to intervene?

Test your own site. Great Firewall of China.com

WE REVERSE

This comes directly from E. David Quammen's excellent blog GunShowOnTheNet... one of the best patriotic, educational, and useful sites on the internet.

"We reverse"

On March 9, 2007 the United States Court of Appeals - For the District of Columbia circuit reversed its previous ruling. Essentially recognizing that "the Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms" means precisely that which was originally written.

Below you will find pertinent quotations from the ruling. (More will be added as the ruling is studied). In addition, you can access the full (downloadable) PDF copy here. The court cites a number of interesting precedents used in determining their ruling.

Quote from SILBERMAN, Senior Circuit Judge:

"Appellants contest the district court's dismissal of their
complaint alleging that the District of Columbia's gun control laws violate
their Second Amendment rights. The court held that the Second Amendment ("A well
regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of
the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed") does not bestow any
rights on individuals except, perhaps, when an individual serves in an organized
militia such as today's National Guard. We
reverse...."

"...In sum, the phrase "the right of the people," when read
intraextually and in light of Supreme Court precedent, leads us to conclude that
the right in question is individual. This proposition is true even thought "the
people" at the time of the founding was not as inclusive a concept as the "the
people" today. See Robert E. Shallope, To Keep and Bear Arms in the Early
Republic, 16 CONST. COMMENT. 269, 280-81 (1999). To the extent that
non-whites, women, and the properttyless were excluded from the protections
afforded to "the people" the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
isunderstood to have correct that initial constitutional shortcoming."

"The wording of the operative clause also indicates that the
right to keep and bear arms was not created by government, but rather preserved
by it. . . . Hence, the Amendment acknowledges "the right . . . to keep and bear
Arms," a right that pre-existed the Constitution like "the freedom of speech."
Because the right to arms existed prior to the formation of the new government,
see Robertson v. Baldwin, 165 U.S. 275,280 (1897)(describing the origin of the
Bill of Rights in English law), the Second Amendment only guarantees that the
right "shall not be infringed." Thomas Cooley*, in his influential treatise,
observed that the Second Amendment had its origins in the struggle with the
Stuart monarchs in late-seventeeth-century England. See THOMAS M. COOLEY, THE GENERAL PRINCLES OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 270-72
(Rothman & Co. 1981) (1880)...."

* - Here are some other quotes concerning our Right by Mr. Cooley;

"The right [to bear arms] is general. It may be supposed from
the phraseology of this provision that the right to keep and bear arms was only
guaranteed to the militia; but this would be an interpretation not warranted by
the intent. The militia, as has been explained elsewhere, consists of those
persons who, under the laws, are liable to the performance of military duty, and
are officered and enrolled for service when called upon. . . . [I]f the right
were limited to those enrolled, the purpose of the guarantee might be defeated altogether by the action or the neglect to act of the government it was meant to hold in check. The meaning of the provision undoubtedly is, that the people, from whom the militia must be taken, shall have the right to keep and bear arms, and they need no permission or regulation of law for the purpose. But this enables the government to have a well regulated militia; for to bear arms implies something more than mere keeping; it implies the learning to handle and use them in a way that makes those who keep them ready for their efficient use; in other words, it implies the right to meet for voluntary discipline in arms, observing in so doing the laws of public order."

- Thomas M. Cooley, General Principles of Constitutional Law, Third Edition [1898]. (Mr. Cooley was Dean of the University of Michigan's Law School, Michigan Supreme Court justice, and a nationally recognized scholar).

"2. Those declaratory of the fundamental rights of the citizen: as that all men are by nature free and independent, and have certain inalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness; that the right to property is before and higher than any constitutional sanction; that the free exercise and enjoyment of relgious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed; that every man may freely speak, write, and publish his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right; that every man may bear arms for the defense of himself and of the state; that the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated, nor shall soldiers be quartered upon citizens in time of peace; and the like."

- Thomas M. Cooley, LL.D, [A Treatise on the Constitutional Limitations Which Rest Upon The Legislative Power of the States of the American Union" 6th Edition, Little, Brown and Company 1890.] (Outline of Declaration of rights for the protection of individuals and minorities, expected from states when forming/amending a Constitution).

This is good news. And, at least has us moving back in the right direction. To the desired goal of return to TRUE original intent. Instead of the currently practised, and applied, perverse 'stare decisis' mode of precedence! All of us having a desire for full restoration of our Second Amendment Right. Owe a huge amount of gratitude to the Second Amendment Foundation, Keep and Bear Arms, and all of the other individuals and organizations that made this happen! But, most of all, our gratitude is due to that "Creator" which had bestowed upon us our Natural Right(s) to begin with!

Jay's side note: Thomas Cooley was a University of Michigan man! This is how a true Wolverine thinks!

Remember - Time Changes This Weekend

My least favorite time of the year is at hand. I lose an hour of sleep - and you will too!

Don't forget to SPRING FORWARD!

Golden Screw-Up Award

Let's cut to the chase. Our nominees:

President George W. Bush, because he didn't have the fortitude or wisdom to pardon Scooter Libby. Mr. President, you'd better give your administration a healthy dose of Viagra or Cialis, because you guys are going to be completely impotent the remaining 1.75 years until Hillary gets in.

Ann Coulter, for her feelings toward John Edwards.


Al Gore, our perpetual nominee, for his do-as-I-say-but-don't-expect-me-to-be-inconvenienced-like-you-peons-should-be global warming efforts, high energy use, and "carbon offset credits."

This week, for many reasons, we'll offer an exemption to Ann Coulter. First, she's a fellow alum of the University of Michigan (even though it was the eeeevil Law School... that dark spot in Ann Arbor that produces drains-on-our-economy). Second, her comment wasn't a golden screw-up, it was well-calulated marketing gold - both for her and ironically for the Democrats using the remark against her. Third, she's the best columnist going. Fourth, my liberal family members hate her with a venomous passion, which makes the entire comment-thing that much more fun at family gatherings.

The envelope, please...

It is an inconvenient truth, but this week's illustrious winner is Internet Guru Al Gore. Congratulations.

Reasons to Ban Handguns

I found this good stuff over at militajim's blog:

40 Reasons to Ban Guns
1. Banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, Detroit & Chicago cops need guns.

2. Washington DC's low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control, and Indianapolis' high murder rate of 9 per 100,000 is due to the lack of gun control.

3. Statistics showing high murder rates justify gun control but statistics showing increasing murder rates after gun control are "just statistics."

4. The Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which went into effect in 1994 are responsible for the decrease in violent crime rates,which have been declining since 1991.

5. We must get rid of guns because a deranged lunatic may go on a shooting spree at any time and anyone who would own a gun out of fear of such a lunatic is paranoid.

6. The more helpless you are the safer you are from criminals.

7. An intruder will be incapacitated by tear gas or oven spray, but if shot with a .357 Magnum will get angry and kill you.

8. A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead rapist at her feet.

9. When confronted by violent criminals, you should "put up no defense - give them what they want, or run" (Handgun Control Inc. Chairman Pete Shields, Guns Don't Die - People Do, 1981, p. 125).

10. The New England Journal of Medicine is filled with expert advice about guns; just like Guns & Ammo has some excellent treatises on heart surgery.

11. One should consult an automotive engineer for safer seat belts, a civil engineer for a better bridge, a surgeon for internal medicine, a computer programmer for hard drive problems, and Sarah Brady for firearms expertise.

12. The 2nd Amendment, ratified in 1787, refers to the National Guard, which was created 130 years later, in 1917.

13. The National Guard, federally funded, with bases on federal land, using federally-owned weapons, vehicles, buildings and uniforms, punishing trespassers under federal law, is a "state" militia.

14. These phrases: "right of the people peaceably to assemble," "right of the people to be secure in their homes," "enumerations herein of certain rights shall not be construed to disparage others retained by the people," and "The powers not delegated herein are reserved to the states respectively, and to the people" all refer to individuals, but "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" refers to the state.

15. "The Constitution is strong and will never change." But we should ban and seize all guns thereby violating the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Amendments to that Constitution.

16. Rifles and handguns aren't necessary to national defense! Of course, the army has hundreds of thousands of them.

17. Private citizens shouldn't have handguns, because they aren't "military weapons'', but private citizens shouldn't have "assault rifles'', because they are military weapons.

18. In spite of waiting periods, background checks, fingerprinting,government forms, etc., guns today are too readily available, which is responsible for recent school shootings. In the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's,anyone could buy guns at hardware stores, army surplus stores, gas stations,variety stores, Sears mail order, no waiting, no background check, no fingerprints, no government forms and there were no school shootings.

19. The NRA's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign about kids handling guns is propaganda, but the anti-gun lobby's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign is responsible social activity.

20. Guns are so complex that special training is necessary to use them properly, and so simple to use that they make murder easy.

21. A handgun, with up to 4 controls, is far too complex for the typical adult to learn to use, as opposed to an automobile that only has 20.

22. Women are just as intelligent and capable as men but a woman with a gun is "an accident waiting to happen" and gun makers' advertisements aimed at women are "preying on their fears."

23. Ordinary people in the presence of guns turn into slaughtering butchers but revert to normal when the weapon is removed.

24. Guns cause violence, which is why there are so many mass killings at gun shows.

25. A majority of the population supports gun control, just like a majority of the population supported owning slaves.

26. Any self-loading small arm can legitimately be considered to be a "weapon of mass destruction" or an "assault weapon."

27. Most people can't be trusted, so we should have laws against guns, which most people will abide by because they can be trusted.

28. The right of Internet pornographers to exist cannot be questioned because it is constitutionally protected by the Bill of Rights, but the use of handguns for self defense is not really protected by the Bill of Rights.

29. Free speech entitles one to own newspapers, transmitters, computers, and typewriters, but self- defense only justifies bare hands.

30. The ACLU is good because it uncompromisingly defends certain parts of the Constitution, and the NRA is bad, because it defends other parts of the Constitution.

31. Charlton Heston, a movie actor as president of the NRA is a cheap lunatic who should be ignored, but Michael Douglas, a movie actor as a representative of Handgun Control, Inc. is an ambassador for peace who is entitled to an audience at the UN arms control summit.

32. Police operate with backup within groups, which is why they need larger capacity pistol magazines than do "civilians" who must face criminals alone and therefore need less ammunition.

33. We should ban "Saturday Night Specials" and other inexpensive guns because it's not fair that poor people have access to guns too.

34. Police officers have some special Jedi-like mastery over handguns that private citizens can never hope to obtain.

35. Private citizens don't need a gun for self- protection because the police are there to protect them even though the Supreme Court says the police are not responsible for their protection.

36. Citizens don't need to carry a gun for personal protection but police chiefs, who are desk-bound administrators who work in a building filled with cops, need a gun.

37. "Assault weapons" have no purpose other than to kill large numbers of people. The police need assault weapons. You do not.

38. When Microsoft pressures its distributors to give Microsoft preferential promotion, that's bad; but when the Federal government pressures cities to buy guns only from Smith & Wesson, that's good.

39. Trigger locks do not interfere with the ability to use a gun for defensive purposes, which is why you see police officers with one on their duty weapon.

40. Handgun Control, Inc., says they want to "keep guns out of the wrong hands." Guess what? You have the wrong hands.

Kudos to militiajim.

Modern Proof the Second Amendment is not an Anachronism

What is more fun than bashing gun owners? Besides promoting and passing unconstitutional legislation that "takes away" a God-given right codified in the Second Amendment? Nothing, apparently.

The ACLU, "bastion of our civil liberties," states that the Second Amendment is a "collective right," and now applies only to a state having a National Guard. Other opponents state that it is an anachronism, hopelessly outdated. After all, they suggest, "no one should be allowed to have nuclear bombs in their possession," displaying their terrible ignorance of diction by confusing "arms" and "ordnance."

Republican candidates constantly try to soften their anti-gunning views by saying "this won't affect deer hunting," as if the Second Amendment was about hunting.

Others say our society has evolved where police protect us so we no longer need guns, because guns are "bad." I know we should all hold hands, because if we are holding hands, we can't be holding a gun, but this month we sadly commemorate a recent court ruling that showed us one reason why we have a Second Amendment.

Simply put, the police have No Duty to Protect Us.

That's right - they don’t even have to come when you call during that crisis, assuming you could get to the phone. You hear that window downstairs breaking at 2am, you lock your bedroom door and frantically call 911, you wait for the cavalry to arrive. But according to the law, they don't have to come, and there is nothing you can do about it.

The government and police owe no legal duty to protect individual citizens from criminal attack. The highest court in the District of Columbia stated the “fundamental principle that a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any particular individual citizen.”

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.

Now, let's just skip the fact that there isn't always a police officer available when you are being attacked by a thug. The police don't even have to respond to your call. What is so anachronistic about the Second Amendment now? What does it have to do with hunting now? What does it have to do with the National Guardsmen and Guardswomen assigned overseas?

Nothing - as always.

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.

So the Second Amendment reminds (not assigns) you that you have the right to protect yourself and others.

By the way, to those who think militias are a thing of the past, who protected neighborhoods right after Hurricane Katrina? The New Orelans Police Department? FEMA? The National Guard? Nope. It was gun-owning citizenry keeping crime out of their neighborhoods by patrolling day and night. It was gun-owning citizenry acting in a militia-capacity.

Now, anti-gunners will take these arguments and try to pervert it right away. They'll label it as an attack on police officers or some such thing. It isn't. I am thankful for the police who protect my city. Buy I also know it is ultimately my responsibility to protect my family and myself. And I know that I have a God-given right to do so, regardless of what the anti-gunners say. You do, too.

That's Leadership?

Preface: The State of Michigan is in a deep recession, and has been for a few years. Unlike 49 other states. So what does the Governor do? She proposes to raise taxes. And she has town meetings to sell her plan.

"It's extremely tough when you're facing these kind of challenges," she said.
"This is the fundamental question we have. What should we become in this
state?"

On several occasions, Granholm deflected questions about her
proposals to raise taxes, instead pushing the audience to answer what they'd do
in her position...

The centerpiece of her plan to solve the budget crisis calls for a 2% tax on most services...an added nickel a pack tax on cigarettes, a new tax on estates valued at $2 million or more and an increase in the state tax on liquor. She also would close about a dozen so-called loopholes to raise $26 million in this budget year...

Of course, the pseudo-intellectuals have our economic problems all worked out.

Charles Ballard, an economist at Michigan State University, said Granholm's
plan doesn't go far enough.

"The economic plan in the last decade has been just to cut, cut
and cut," he said. "We just can't fix it exclusively through spending cuts. I
would go farther with the sales tax on service."

Sure. Good idea. Let's screw people even more. Darn it, I should get a Ph.D. so I can think up brilliant economic plans, too.

At least there was some comic relief. One person, who works for an "activist group" that wants the state to step in to stop foreclosures, utility shutoffs and other bad news for residents asked, "Why don't you use your emergency powers to declare a state of economic disaster?"

I Thought It Was A Bluff

I guess most of you non-Michiganians won't care, but The Detroit Free Press reports this morning that DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche isn't "sold" on selling Chrysler.

I can't prove it, but my guess (conspiracy theory, actually) has always been UAW-related. This is UAW-renegotiation time, the contract is up this year. So, what do you do to enhance your position? You say the Chrysler division sucks our money right up and we want to investigate getting rid of it.

Quote of the week March 4 - March 10, 2007

No man is above the law, and no man is beneath it.
-Teddy Roosevelt

Quote of the week March 4 - March10 2007

Screwin' Up - Golden Style

It's time for the Golden Screw-Up Award.

This week's contenders:
Al Gore, former Veep of these great United States, inventor of the Internet and now, Academy Award® winning documentarian! How's that electric bill coming, anyway?

Senator John McCain, who's campaign slogan must be "It's my turn, darn it!" But, Mr. Republican isn't effectively wooing much of the party base.

Our final nominee is actually a package deal: the three people in Colorado who (allegedly, of course, unless convicted in a court of law) swapped their baby for a downpayment on a used car.



And the winner is: Al Gore! Congratulations on a great ending to your award-winning week.

Wait, I can't do this. Nothing is more stupid than selling your kid. Sorry, Al, I have to do a recount - and you are losing this week to the sicko trio from Colorado.

Get Outta Here

Are you bored? Need something to get your blood flowing faster? It is time to do something about it. Head over to Armed & Christian and read his excellent post on 21 Reasons to Deport Illegal Aliens.

Education?

I can't imagine what this school teacher wrote in her diary the next day. Maybe, "Note to self: when text messaging your drug dealer, make sure you actually send your message to the dealer, not to a state trooper."

Trooper Trevor Pervine was at dinner with his wife and parents, celebrating her birthday when his phone started buzzing.

Pervine was getting text messages about buying marijuana Thursday night, Kentucky State Police spokesman Barry Meadows said. The person sending the messages had the wrong number... a teacher at Murray Middle School is accused of sending the messages and has been charged with conspiracy to traffic in controlled substances within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, Meadows said.

Pervine initially thought the messages were from friends playing a joke, Meadows said. A couple of phone calls put that idea to rest, so Pervine began responding to the messages to set up a meeting, Meadows said.

When she arrived at the meeting point, she found Pervine and other law enforcement officers waiting for her, Meadows said.

And out of Florida, what's up with this:

A middle school principal made a deal to buy $20 worth of crack cocaine in his office Thursday while students were still on campus, authorities said... arrested in the school lobby at 3:45 p.m. Thursday after buying drugs from an undercover police officer, Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.

I always thought "higher education" referred to college, not strung-out teachers and principals.

Old Military Guys Are Still Heroic

An American senior citizen killed an alleged mugger with his bare hands, and his traveling companions aboard a tour bus fended off two other assailants in the Atlantic coast city of Limon, police said.

This man, retired U.S. military, about 70-years old, put the 20-year-old armed assailant in a head lock and broke his clavicle. The headlock was so tight, the assailant died from asphyxiation.

Not too bad. 70-year-old ex-military man beats the crap out of 20-year-old thug armed with gun and knives. After he subdued the attacker, the other 12 senior citzens on the bus went after the thugs two accomplices. They couldn't take on the old timers and fled.

Golden Screw-up Award

Let's get to it. Our nominees this week include:

Al Gore
Our buddy, Mr. Internet, is not only a perpetual nominee, but unleased his personally-trained minions on Michigan this week to shut down whatever industry remains in my economically depressed State.

Nancy Pelosi
Our favorite Speaker of the House - by the way, she's a woman in case she hasn't reminded you in the last five minutes - for her "we support our troops but won't fund them so they'll get butchered out there and we can bring them home and let radical terrorists then come into this country but they'll only attack Republicans never Democrats because we are tolerant and understanding" resolution.

Brittany Spears
Bald looks much better on me. Need I say more?

And our winner is...

Ex-veep Albert Gore, Jr. Congratulations on your efforts to shut down businesses in the State of Michigan.

© Wayne Stayskal/Tribune Media Services

© Wayne Stayskal/Tribune Media Services