Liberty Explained

h/t TTAG

Happy Saturnalia!

Hope you all have a festive 'almalgamation of various pagan ritual observances occuring around the Winter Solstice and co-opted by Christianity for public relations purposes' holiday!

No words needed.....

Typical of the current news paradigm

We find ourselves in the middle of yet another cycle of invented news, contrived drama and faux outrage. I refer of course to the flap over comments made by Phil Robertson of "Duck Dynasty".

Now, watching a scripted "reality" show about some good ol' boys who done got rich making audible lures to entice other ducks to come hither looking to score some tail feather, isn't remotely factored into my leisure time. But to each their own.

What I do find rather fascinating, is that while this doesn't qualify as news for me [and as such further grows my disregard for cable "news"], are the various reactions to those comments and the actions of A&E.

Robertson had every right to speak his mind. He was asked a question, and I respect him for giving his honest opinion, whether I agree or disagree with it. A&E however, also has every right to take action against an employee who's words or deeds can be detrimental to the goal of the company, which of course, is ratings and profit. This is not a 1st Amendment issue, as some politicians and pundits [who should know better] claim. The 1st Amendment protects the citizen against adverse actions by the Government, based on what that citizen thinks or states. Likewise, using the bible as a shield to hide behind, doesn't disqaulify one from being a dick. Being a dick is protected in our society by our Constitution [indirectly].

That this issue is taking up so much bandwidth and airtime by those who ostensibly exist to bring news to the masses....is simply sad.

The 15 Commandments of Operational Security

I. Thou shalt not park thy helicopter in the open, for it bringeth the rain of steel.

II. Thou shalt not expose thy shiny mess gear, for it bringeth unwanted guests to chow.

III. Thou shalt not wear white T-shirts, or thine enemies will dye them red.

IV. Thou shalt provide overhead concealment, for thine enemies’ eyes are upon thee.

V. Thou shalt cover thy tall antenna, for fly swatters groweth not in yon wood.

VI. Thou shalt use a red lens on thy flashlight, or it shall appear as a star in the East.

VII. Thou shalt cover the glass on thy vehicle, for the glare telleth thine enemy thy location.

VIII. Thou shalt blend with thy surroundings, for trees groweth not in yon desert.

IX. Thou shalt cover the tracks of thy vehicle, for they draweth pretty pictures.

X. Thou shalt cover thy face, hands, and helmet, for thine enemies maketh war not on bushes.

XI. Thou shalt not drape thy net on thy tent, for it looketh like tent draped in net.

XII. Thou shalt hide the wires of thy commo, for they pointeth to thee.

XIII. Thou shalt practice the art of dispersion, or one round will finish you all.

XIV. Thou shalt pick up thy trash and litter, for they exposeth thy presence.

XV. Thou shalt conceal the noise of thy generator, for thine enemies are listening.

via Gun Free Zone

The Best 2nd Amendment Speech. Period.

Movin' on up......

With work going at breakneck speed, and never-ending projects around the house, I have been a Slacker Blogger of late. Though nobody is depending on my musings to get through their day, I do apologize nonethess.

To add to my list of all-things-not-blogging, I have finally taken the leap and become the proud parent of a shiny new Apple Macbook Pro. She was delivered without complications [other than UPS being a day late due to snow], and has barely made a sqawk. She certainly seems to require far less care and feeding than her older [and learning disabled] brother.

So, before I get back to blogging with any regularity, I'll be relearning basic computer skills [skillz?] and transfering music, pictures and movies to another drive...or cloud...or clouddrivegooglebox....whatever works bestest and fastest.

World War C: It's that time of year again

Time for the alleged "war on Christmas". Brought to you by those looking to be offended over nothing, and/or those selling ironically timed books about the alleged "war on Christmas".

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

Loss #2 for the Oregon Ducks

Perhaps after talking shit just before both losses, the Duck players will learn to shut the fuck up and concentrate on playing football.

"Histagrams"

So my internet/social media world revolves solely around this blog and America's Debate. So I'm not really down with the instatwitterbookfacegram nonsense, but I did find Histagrams quite funny.

Check them out here.

"Anti Gun Hypocrites"

Reposting this blog entry in it's entirety, from the excellent Total Survivalist Libertarian Rantfest:

In the whole freedom/ gun rights discussion there are many groups. There is a whole spectrum of gun owners with varying beliefs as well as some folks who are genuinely anti gun. Then there are elites who either by political position or wealth have access to all manner of things us common folks do not. These privileges include cash and connections (arguably the same thing) to hire private security who can jump through hoops for places like NYC or even foreign countries.

I disagree with but can respect the anti gun folks who do not own or want to own guns. They have a belief which is part of their life and 'practice what they preach'. Personally I do not think their beliefs are based on reality however that is not my problem. They make the choice and have to live with the consequences after all this is 'Merica. These folks do not worry me anyway, push comes to shove I am armed and they are not.

The people who irritate me are the elites who have excellent ARMED security but wish to usurp my rights to protect myself. The elite's seem to believe that common people like us should not be allowed modern tools for self protection. The rich get well armed security but common folks can 'dial (911) and die'. Look, if I had all the money in the world I would hire private security. Like really, really good private security. Wifey and the kiddo's would go to the park to play in a pair of up armored SUV's with a fire team of ex JSOC Jedi's. However regrettably our budget will not support that so protecting our family falls to Wifey and I.

While a privileged status should have many advantages basic human rights are not one of them.

Slow clap.....well said!

Spoiler or Spoiled?

We in Virginia are finally free of the erroneous and obnoxious ads from the Cuccinelli and McAuliffe campaigns. The 'Cooch' lost by a much smaller margin than most polls had predicted, but he lost nonetheless...and to a rather smarmy and schlocky McAuliffe.

But, predictably, the Virginia GOP supporters have turned their ire on those who voted for Libertarian Robert Sarvis, who garned a Virginia record high 6.6% [or so] in his third party bid for the Governors job. Unfortunately, this is short of the hoped for 10% which would have given the LP automatic ballot access in the next general election, much to the chagrin of the duopoly.

The GOP meme is that Sarvis voters enabled McAulliffe to win. This is a false argument. To believe this line of thought, one's logic has to be provably predicated on the assumption that those voting for Sarvis would have otherwise been more likely to vote for Cuccinelli, had Sarvis not been in the race. Exit polling says otherwise:

And no, Cuccinelli can't blame his loss on scandal-plagued outgoing GOP Gov. Bob McDonnell or third-party libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis.

Despite his scandals, Virginia voters said they approve of McDonnell's job performance by 11 points, 52% to 41%. And if Sarvis had not been in the race, exit polls indicate McAuliffe still would have beaten Cuccinelli by two points, 48% to 46%.

And:

Finally, while it didn’t change the outcome, the third-party candidate in the race, Libertarian Robert Sarvis, may have made it closer for McAuliffe than it would have been otherwise. Had he not been on the ballot, a third of his voters said they’d have supported McAuliffe – slightly more than twice as many as said they’d have gone for Cuccinelli.

Additionally this tired line of excuses presumes that votes are proprietary to the Democrats or the GOP in the first place, which is rather elitist and presumptive reasoning. Republicans should be asking themselves and their party, why didn't more registered Republicans show up to the polls? Why didn't more doners give to the Cuccinelli campaign?

Scott Shackford at Reason sums it up nicely:

Once you wade out of the red team versus blue team fight, you have to set aside the mentality that comes with it. Too many folks were still making the argument that Cuccinelli was better than McAuliffe when they needed to be making the argument that Cuccinelli was better than Sarvis.

Kids are quite often...our Inspiration

Miguel, at Gun Free Zone posted this video and the following sentiment:

I have faced many an idiot pointing guns at my face, got swiped by a strong current and almost drowned, jumped in accidents and assisted in rescue of adult and juvenile victims being attacked by big dogs and attended (without wanting) total dislocations of societal order where people were being less than kind to each other. And although I have felt “nervous” I had to do what was necessary and managed to be “manly.”

But there is no way I could work in a Children’s Hospital and not being an emotional wreck in need of deep therapy and chemicals by the end of the first day.

I could not agree more.

Courage and Character Personified......

Army Ranger Josh Hargis was unconscious, hooked to a breathing tube at a military hospital in Afghanistan after losing both his legs in battle last week.

But when the Purple Heart ceremony began at Hargis’ bedside, it turned out he was not unconscious, as doctors believed. Instead, he struggled with an attending doctor to raise his heavily bandaged hand to salute a commanding officer presenting him with the medal.

"I cannot impart on you the level of emotion that poured through the intensive care unit that day," the commander wrote to the Ranger's wife. "Grown men began to weep, and we were speechless at a gesture that speaks volumes about Josh's courage and character."

There were about 50 fellow Rangers, doctors and nurses in the hospital room during the ceremony. The commanding officer said the salute was the “most beautiful” any person in the room had ever seen.

Link

Quote of the Day

"Banning semi auto rifles with detachable magazines to prevent killings would be like banning Ferraris to reduce speeding. Sure, they go really fast but more speeders drive Honda Civics."

A comment in response to an SFGate editorial on Gov Jerry Brown vetoing a California "assault weapons" ban. An editorial that employed the typically stale and false narrative from the gun control cabal: "Gov. Jerry Brown took a disappointingly timid approach to gun control with his veto Friday of legislation that would have banned semiautomatic rifles with easy-to-replace magazines that spew dozens of rounds in seconds."

Veterans man the barricades in DC.....

...and relocate them to the front lines; in front of the White House.

I should have gone to DC today.

Gov Moonbeam almost sounds lucid.....

“I don’t believe that this bill’s blanket ban on semiautomatic rifles would reduce criminal activity or enhance public safety enough to warrant this infringement on gun owners’ rights.” - CA Gov Jerry Brown

But he banned lead ammunition....so there's that.

Blogging Lull

I'm obviously not a professional Blogger, but I try and keep my loyal readers entertained and informed as best I can. I too, rely on other Bloggers to circulate information relevant and interesting to those who think generally as I do........except for those who are diametrically opposed to my ideology....and ironically, I rely on those as well......to keep me grounded, and to better inform my own position. Unlike many [it seems] I appreciate the opportunity to reevaluate my assessments. It either cements or crafts my position, to always be aligned with the moral imperatives outlined in the Constitution.

All that being said, I must apologize for my downward trend in posting of late. My day job has me focused on terrorism within the Pacific Area of Responsibility [AOR]....and soon I will find myself tapped to lend a hand in the Counter-Terrorism shenanigans with the Africa AOR, in a deployed capacity.

I want to take this opportunity to link a few sites that I turn to for some interesting conversation and distraction [not an encompassing list, and I'll try to add some more].

Geeeez

Western Hero

The Truth About Guns

Shall Not Be Questioned

Sharp as a Marble

Gun Free Zone

New Jovian Thunderbolt

Of Arms & The Law

"The Central Planning Solution to Evil"

Sultan Knish writes from a perspective that, as a Libertarian, I don't always agree with.....but his writing skills and point of view on the gun control lobby are second to none. His entire piece is not only worth reading, it's worth framing on your wall. Please go read the entire piece. Selected excerpts below:

The gun issue is about solving individual evil through central planning in a shelter big enough for everyone. A Gun Free Zone where everyone is a target and tries to live under the illusion that they aren't. A society where everyone is drawing peace signs on colored notepaper while waiting under their desks for the bomb to fall.

That brand of control isn't authority, it's authority in panic mode believing that if it imposes total zero tolerance control then there will be no more shootings. And every time the dumb paradigm is blown to bits with another shotgun, then the rush is on to reinforce it with more total zero control tolerance.

Zero tolerance for the Second Amendment makes sense. If you ban all guns, except for those in the hands of the 708,000 police officers, some of the 1.5 million members of the armed forces, the  security guards at armored cars and banks, the bodyguards of celebrities who call for gun control,  and any of the other people who need a gun to do their job, then you're sure to stop all shootings.

But this isn't really about stopping shootings; it's about the belief that the problem isn't evil, but agency, that if we make sure that everyone who has guns is following government orders, then control will be asserted and the problem will stop.

It's the central planning solution to evil.

Gun control does not control guns, it gives the illusion of controlling people, and when it fails those in authority are able to say that they did everything that they could short of giving people the ability to defend themselves.

The question is the old elemental one about government control and individual agency. And tragedies like the one that just happened take us back to the equally old question of whether individual liberty is a better defense against human evil than the entrenched organizations of government.

Do we want a society run by kings and princes who commit atrocities according to a plan for a better society, or by peasants with machine guns? The kings can promise us a world without evil, but the peasant with a machine gun promises us that we can protect ourselves from evil when it comes calling.

It isn't really guns that the gun controllers are afraid of; it's a country where individual agency is still superior to organized control, where the trains don't run on time and orders don't mean anything. It's afraid of individual power.

One Picture = A Thousand Words

h/t Bob Owens

'Nuff said.........

Waving the Bloody Shirt early......and in error.

Of course, I'll be waiting with baited breath for an aplogy and correction........

Never forget, we are not 'given' a right to own firearms.....

“We look to this because it has always been widely understood that the Second Amendment, like the First and Fourth Amendments, codified a pre-existing right. The very text of the Second Amendment implicitly recognizes the pre-existence of the right and declares only that it “shall not be infringed.” As we said in United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U. S. 542, 553 (1876), “[t]his is not a right granted by the Constitution. Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence.”

DC v. Heller

Yes! I just might live long enough to see this.

Scientists at MIT and Harvard have reportedly found a way to bind photons together to make something that behaves “almost exactly like” the lightsaber from Star Wars, according to The Guardian.

Harvard physics professor Mikhail Lukin says: “It’s not an in-apt analogy to compare this to lightsabers. When these photons interact with each other, they’re pushing against and deflect each other. The physics of what’s happening in these molecules is similar to what we see in the movies.”

There’s no word on whether scientists have tried to use the technology to battle it out in the labs, but the downright-boring scientific language suggests that we’re still a few years off.

Link

Zero Tolerance = Zero Common Sense

Or something even more diabolical?

A student at a high school in Anaheim Hills said administrators ordered her to change out of a T-shirt that promoted the National Rifle Association.

Sophomore Haley Bullwinkle said when she wore her NRA shirt to Canyon High School last month, she landed in the principal’s office for violating the school’s dress code that forbids offensive, violent or divisive clothing.

“They were treating me like I was a criminal,” she said. “I was not allowed to wear that at school because it promoted gun violence.”

The shirt, which was a gift from Bullwinkle’s father when he became a card-carrying member of the NRA, features a buck, an American flag and a hunter’s silhouette. It also has the words “National Rifle Association of America: Protecting America’s Traditions Since 1871” written in the center.

Bullwinkle’s father said he emailed the school’s principal to find out why his daughter had to change her shirt.

Principal Kimberly Fricker responded in an email, which said, in part, “The shirt had a gun on it, which is not allowed by school police. It’s protocol to have students change when they’re in violation of the dress code.”

Link

Whad'dya know...a good guy with a gun.....

"A former marine [UK] emerged as a hero of the Nairobi siege yesterday after he was credited with saving up to 100 lives.

The ex soldier was having coffee at the Westgate mall when it was attacked by Islamists on Saturday.

With a gun tucked into his waistband, he was pictured helping two women from the complex.

His story emerged as sporadic gunfire continued to ring out from inside the mall early today as Kenyan security forces battled Al Qaeda-linked terrorists into a fourth day.

Despite Kenyan police assurances that they had taken control of the building, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 hostages were still being held by a band of attackers, possibly as many as 13."

Daily Mail

Got Talent?

Yep, Britain's Got Talent. Courtesy of Letitica at My Daily Trek.

The group is from Hungary, but borders mean nothing when the heart and soul comes across in art. I think shadow theater is one of the most expressive and beautiful forms we are treated to. Americas Got Talent had a similar act, but I'm partial to this performance.

Good thing "Nobody's trying to take our guns away"......

So says the gun control cabal. Guess Judge Brunetti didn't get the misinformation talking points.

Judge Brunetti expressed his contempt for the right to keep and bear arms, as spelled out in both the Second Amendment to the US constitution and Article 1, Section 15 of the Connecticut Constitution by stating in chambers that “No one in this country should have guns” and that he ‘never returns guns’. A judge’s role is to be impartial and to render verdicts, rulings and judgments based upon law and case law, certainly not personal opinion.

TTAG

Pay it forward....Thai Style

h/t to Gun Free Zone....who h/t'd Bob G.

My Next Ranger Up T-Shirt

 

 

 

Ranger Up

Proof the Gun Control Cabal is racist!

 

h/t Endo

Thumping.....Duck-Style

Had the awesome opportunity to see my Ducks...and take my little ducklings to their very first Oregon Ducks game, as they traveled to the University of Virginia this past Saturday. Parking sucked, but boy howdy, was I amazed at the number of Oregon fans in attendance. I would estimate 30% of the crowd were Ducks.

Since I spent half of this year in Hawaii, and I got to meet Marcus Mariota's [QB, #8] father, my girls decided to honor Marcus by wearing brass skirts and Hawaiian nut necklaces.

Seats weren't too shabby. The trick is buying them through the home team site, and just hoping you're not the only blob of green in a sea of orange.

59-10. Quack!

"They don't have to live here"?

Fox news personalities seem to ever break stride in their pursuit of political correctness. In a recent episode of  'The Five', which is four right wing commentators and the token milquetoast Bob Beckel, Dana Perino had this to say about a current lawsuit against the phrase "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance:

“I’m tired of them,” Perino complained on Wedneday. “I remember working at the Justice Department years ago when I first started right after 9/11 and a lawsuit like this came through, and before the day had finished, the United States Senate and the House of Representatives had both passed resolutions saying that they were for keeping ‘under God’ in the pledge.”

“If these people really don’t like it, they don’t have to live here,” she added. 

Link

Well Dana, remember that notion, as it can be used against your pet causes as well. If you don't agree with some American citizens being afforded the rights and protections of the majority, then you don't have to live here.

I've about had it with alleged Conservatives with microphones and pulpits preaching freedom and liberty but only if you believe in their imaginary friend. Thanks for making the GOP just as pathetic as the Democrats.

The CDC Report on Firearms that you didn't hear about

We were treated to much carping and bitching in the media and punditry circles about the 'evil' NRA obstructing legitimate endeavors to study the use and effects of firearms in the US. The meme went that if only such a study could be conducted, we would surely see that guns were bad...mmm'kay?

The report linked below was released in June. Heard about in the media? Nope. Heard the Newtown families continue to be pimped by the gun control cabal? Yep.

Guns and Ammo magazine has excerpted the following portions of the report, which is also linked at their site.

1. Armed citizens are less likely to be injured by an attacker:
“Studies that directly assessed the effect of actual defensive uses of guns (i.e., incidents in which a gun was ‘used’ by the crime victim in the sense of attacking or threatening an offender) have found consistently lower injury rates among gun-using crime victims compared with victims who used other self-protective strategies.”

2. Defensive uses of guns are common:
“Almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals, with estimates of annual uses ranging from about 500,000 to more than 3 million per year…in the context of about 300,000 violent crimes involving firearms in 2008.”

3. Mass shootings and accidental firearm deaths account for a small fraction of gun-related deaths, and both are declining:
“The number of public mass shootings of the type that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School accounted for a very small fraction of all firearm-related deaths. Since 1983 there have been 78 events in which 4 or more individuals were killed by a single perpetrator in 1 day in the United States, resulting in 547 victims and 476 injured persons.” The report also notes, “Unintentional firearm-related deaths have steadily declined during the past century. The number of unintentional deaths due to firearm-related incidents accounted for less than 1 percent of all unintentional fatalities in 2010.”

4. “Interventions” (i.e, gun control) such as background checks, so-called assault rifle bans and gun-free zones produce “mixed” results:
“Whether gun restrictions reduce firearm-related violence is an unresolved issue.” The report could not conclude whether “passage of right-to-carry laws decrease or increase violence crime.”

5. Gun buyback/turn-in programs are “ineffective” in reducing crime:
“There is empirical evidence that gun turn in programs are ineffective, as noted in the 2005 NRC study Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review. For example, in 2009, an estimated 310 million guns were available to civilians in the United States (Krouse, 2012), but gun buy-back programs typically recover less than 1,000 guns (NRC, 2005). On the local level, buy-backs may increase awareness of firearm violence. However, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for example, guns recovered in the buy-back were not the same guns as those most often used in homicides and suicides (Kuhn et al., 2002).”

6. Stolen guns and retail/gun show purchases account for very little crime:
“More recent prisoner surveys suggest that stolen guns account for only a small percentage of guns used by convicted criminals. … According to a 1997 survey of inmates, approximately 70 percent of the guns used or possess by criminals at the time of their arrest came from family or friends, drug dealers, street purchases, or the underground market.”

7. The vast majority of gun-related deaths are not homicides, but suicides:
“Between the years 2000-2010 firearm-related suicides significantly outnumbered homicides for all age groups, annually accounting for 61 percent of the more than 335,600 people who died from firearms related violence in the United States.”

SSG Ty Carter - American Hero

The Proof Revealed - Updated

They don't care about saving lives. They don't care about innocent victims. They would deny the ability and the tools to a victim of assault...tolls that could save their life or the loves of their children....in a petulant campaign for a utopian paradigm where the State is the only entity allowed the use of force. This is their end game.

Yep, the State...that surveils you and restricts your civil liberties on a daily basis. That State.

This is the aim of the gun control cabal.

h/t Gun Free Zone, Sharp as a Marble

**Updated**

So-called “gun free zones” have never been known to prevent a single violent crime and even the CeaseFire president has acknowledged that “this won’t stop someone determined to cause violence but we hope that standing together and giving businesses a tool to say no to guns will change the conversation around gun violence.”

That is dangerously self-delusional and it is one more exercise of symbolism over substance that makes neighborhoods less safe by creating risk-free environments for robbers, rapists and other criminals.- Alan Gottlieb

h/t The View From North Central Idaho

Starbucks Appreciation Day

Love or hate their coffee, please try and stop by your local Starbucks and show them your support and gratitude for follwoing thei respective state's firearm laws. Starbucks is officially neutral on the subject of 2A right and gun control, but in an age where many businesses kowtow to the faux-populist intimidation by the gun control cabal, they have stood firm.

I did my part, stopping by the Starbucks on my way to work.

Mix guns and coffee and what do you get? A controversial Friday for Starbucks, as gun enthusiasts converge on thousands of Starbucks in Kansas City and across the nation.

It’s all part of a “Starbucks Gun Owners Appreciation Day,” which is being promoted by gun lovers. (Check out the interesting twist on the Starbucks logo on the cup in this link.)

The event endorses the view of CEO Howard Schultz, who has said weapons-toting customers are welcome to get their caffeine fixes at his shops.

It’s good business for Starbucks, given the number of Americans who absurdly think their 2nd Amendment rights are in danger of being taken away.

These are the people who want to take guns into public places to show they won’t be intimidated by gun-control advocates.

Or so the story goes.

The “Appreciation Day” has, of course, prompted the gun-control crowd to criticize Starbucks for being so positive about customers carrying guns in their stores.

Link

h/t Alphecca

The Downfall of the United States started here...Part II

Fearing that certain words and topics can make students feel unpleasant, officials are requesting 50 or so words be removed from city-issued tests.

The word “dinosaur” made the hit list because dinosaurs suggest evolution which creationists might not like, WCBS 880′s Marla Diamond reported. “Halloween” is targeted because it suggests paganism; a “birthday” might not be happy to all because it isn’t celebrated by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Julie Lewis’ family celebrates Christmas and Kwanzaa, but she told CBS 2′s Emily Smith she wants her children to appreciate and learn about other holidays and celebrations.

“They’re going to meet people from all walks of life and they’re going to have to learn to adjust,” Lewis said.

Words that suggest wealth are excluded because they could make kids jealous. “Poverty” is also on the forbidden list. That’s something Sy Fliegal with the Center for Educational Innovation calls ridiculous.


In a throwback to “Footloose,” the word “dancing” is also taboo. However, there is good news for kids that like “ballet”: The city made an exception for this form of dance.

Also banned are references to “divorce” and “disease,” because kids taking the tests may have relatives who split from spouses or are ill.

There are banned words currently in school districts nationwide. Walcott said New York City’s list is longer because its student body is so diverse.

Here is the complete list of words that could be banned:

Abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological)

Alcohol (beer and liquor), tobacco, or drugs

Birthday celebrations (and birthdays)

Bodily functions

Cancer (and other diseases)

Catastrophes/disasters (tsunamis and hurricanes)

Celebrities

Children dealing with serious issues

Cigarettes (and other smoking paraphernalia)

Computers in the home (acceptable in a school or library setting)

Crime

Death and disease

Divorce

Evolution

Expensive gifts, vacations, and prizes

Gambling involving money

Halloween

Homelessness

Homes with swimming pools

Hunting

Junk food

In-depth discussions of sports that require prior knowledge

Loss of employment

Nuclear weapons

Occult topics (i.e. fortune-telling)

Parapsychology

Politics

Pornography

Poverty

Rap Music

Religion

Religious holidays and festivals (including but not limited to Christmas, Yom Kippur, and Ramadan)

Rock-and-Roll music

Running away

Sex

Slavery

Terrorism

Television and video games (excessive use)

Traumatic material (including material that may be particularly upsetting such as animal shelters)

Vermin (rats and roaches)

Violence

War and bloodshed

Weapons (guns, knives, etc.)

Witchcraft, sorcery, etc.
Link

Words fail me.....

Not so Random Thought of the Day

Thanks TTAG

The Downfall of the United States started here

Government workers in the city of Seattle have been advised that the terms "citizen" and "brown bag" are potentially offensive and may no longer be used in official documents and discussions.

KOMO-TV reports that the city's Office of Civil Rights instructed city workers in a recent internal memo to avoid using the words because some may find them offensive.

"Luckily, we've got options," Elliott Bronstein of the Office for Civil Rights wrote in the memo obtained by the station. "For 'citizens,' how about 'residents?'"

Bronstein told KIRO Radio the word "citizen" should be avoided because many people who live in Seattle are residents, not citizens.

"They are legal residents of the United States and they are residents of Seattle. They pay taxes and if we use a term like citizens in common use, then it doesn't include a lot of folks," Bronstein said.

Link

I'm beyond words. It's part of the master Statist plan. If you're no longer a CITIZEN, but rather a RESIDENT.....you cannot rely on the protections enshrined in the Constitution. RESIDENTS have no such rights....only CITIZENS do.

Gun Control Cabal issues agitprop playbook

The gun control brain trust released their marching orders for their minions who attempt to counter those of us who use facts and the Constitution to protect Second Amendment rights. To save everyone the time of reading the entire garbage pail of counter-factual lunacy, here are the key points from the manual linked below.

PREVENTING GUN VIOLENCE THROUGH EFFECTIVE MESSAGING

Key Messaging Principles:

§  ALWAYS FOCUS ON EMOTIONAL AND VALUE-DRIVEN ARGUMENTS ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE, NOT THE POLITICAL FOOD FIGHT IN WASHINGTON OR WONKY STATISTICS.

§   TELL STORIES WITH IMAGES AND FEELINGS.

§   CLAIM MORAL AUTHORITY AND THE MANTLE OF FREEDOM.

§  EMPHASIZE THAT EXTRAORDINARILY DANGEROUS, MILITARY-STYLE WEAPONS ARE NOW WITHIN EASY REACH ACROSS AMERICA.

§  EMPHASIZE THAT AMERICA HAS WEAK GUN LAWS AND DON’T ASSUME THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT.

§  CHALLENGE THE NRA ON YOUR TERMS, NOT THEIRS.

Duty to be a Victim

Friends don't let friends become victims

"Trayvon could have been me?"

So our esteemed President could have been straddling someone who hadn't assaulted him, punching him in the face and into the concrete?

Was he channeling Joe Biden when he said this?

Quote of the Day

"If I had a city, it would look like Detroit." - Barack Obama

As channeled by Rep. Stacey Campfield

This is simply straight up Awesome

If you're a .mil guy and a history nerd like me....these photos will really resonate. Just stunning to look at our own era through a historical lens [pun intended].

See the rest of the collection here.

h/t TTAG

Never forget the true aim of the gun control cabal

We're going to have to take one step at a time, and the first step is necessarily — given the political realities — going to be very modest. Right now, though, we'd be satisfied not with half a loaf but with a slice. Our ultimate goal — total control of handguns in the United States — is going to take time. My estimate is from seven to ten years. The problem is to slow down the increasing number of handguns sold in this country. The second problem is to get them all registered. And the final problem is to make the possession of all handguns and all handgun ammunition — except for the military, policemen, licensed security guards, licensed sporting clubs, and licensed gun collectors — totally illegal.

Pete Shields, 1976 - Chairman of the National Council to Control Handguns [precursor to the Brady  Campaign]

h/t Reason

Reason goes on to write:

As the years passed, it became apparent that this was going nowhere; a different first “slice” would have to be found. In 1990, Violence Policy Center (VPC) announced that it had found it. The debate must be switched from small handguns to large “assault rifles.”

Handguns, VPC explained, had become a media and political nonissue, while calls to outlaw “assault rifles” would benefit from mistaken impressions, i.e., “the public's confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons—anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun.” That rifles of all types were involved in about 300 homicides a year was beside the point. The search was for a target of opportunity, not a solution to crime.

For some, Patriotism is dependent on your sexual orientation

One of the Right's favorite fringe fundamentalist has preemptively come out [pun intended] against supporting Liz Cheney in her apparent run for the Wyoming Senate seat. I'm not fond of Cheney, the waterboarding fan-girl, but to tie one's alleged lack of patriotism on the fact that they support equal civil rights for all Americans....is laughable. But sadly the status quo in much of the GOP.

In 2009, she inartfully dodged two attempts to press her to declare her position on sodomy-based marriage, which in the end means just one thing: she’s for it.

Although I’m not aware that she has declared a position on ENDA, in 2009 she supported the State Department’s decision, in flagrant violation of DOMA, the law of the land at the time, to extend benefits to same-sex partners.

Said Ms. Cheney, “I think it’s wrong to discriminate, in those relationships, based on someone’s sexual preference.” Homosexual activists prefer her to Enzi for the sole reason that she just might be a “sleeper vote for LGBT rights.”

She supported the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which is driving values-based members of the military out of the service and ushering in militant homosexuals. Currently, 55-60% of  all sexual assaults in the military now, thanks in part to the DADT repeal, are committed by homosexuals.

Liz Cheney will be an undeniably appealing candidate, and conservatives will be tempted to turn a blind eye toward her support for the deviancy cabal. But we do so not only at our peril but at the peril of the future of our country.

George Washington famously said, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness.”

The bottom line: Liz Cheney is not, under Washington’s definition, a patriot. She will throw her weight behind those who are placing improvised explosive devices beneath both of Washington’s indispensable pillars. When the roof collapses on us all, those who supported Liz Cheney will be partly to blame.

Bryan Fischer - American Family Association

Your Government wants to limit your ability to defend yourself *Updated*

While politicizing the Zimmerman trial [much like his boss], AG Eric Holder thinks that you don't have sovereignty over your body and your safety.

Separate and apart from the case that has drawn the nation’s attention, it’s time to question laws that senselessly expand the concept of self-defense and sow dangerous conflict in our neighborhoods. (sustained applause)  These laws try to fix something that was never broken.  There has always been a legal defense for using deadly force if – and the “if” is important – no safe retreat is available.

But we must examine laws that take this further by eliminating the common sense and age-old requirement that people who feel threatened have a duty to retreat, outside their home, if they can do so safely.  By allowing and perhaps encouraging violent situations to escalate in public, such laws undermine public safety.  The list of resulting tragedies is long and – unfortunately – has victimized too many who are innocent. It is our collective obligation – we must stand our ground – (applause) to ensure that our laws reduce violence, and take a hard look at laws that contribute to more violence than they prevent.

WSJ

What Holder and his ilk trumpets is the portion of SYG that calls for the victim to make an assessment of the level of danger that they are in [usually with the luxury of only a few seconds]. What the gun control cabal conveniently ignores, is that the 'duty to retreat' concept also requires a victim to make a split second assessment, as to whether or not they have a reasonably safe avenue to escape.

In both cases, the victim is required to assess the situation, and act decisively. But in both cases, this person is still the VICTIM. Call me a neanderthal if you like, but if someone assaults my person, or my family....they have made the decision that could forfeit their own life. And they'll live...or die...by that decision.

Massad Ayoob has an outstanding explanation of the ridiculous assertions being made against SYG in the media, and by the gun control cabal.

 

'Vigilantism' v. the Sheeple

Amidst the blathering by the profiteering race pimps, is the argument questioning why citizens should have the right to use lethal force to defend themselves. Even though Florida's Stand Your Ground law was rendered moot by testimony proving that Zimmerman's actions met the definition of self defense in any jurisdiction, the law itself is now "on trial" in the court of public opinion [and the complicit media], and being prosecuted by those who have a political agenda that seeks only to disarm the citizen and remove any equalizing instrument in the face of assault upon their person.

What gets ignored in the argument as posited by the profiteering sheeple, is why would the law abiding citizen have to incur the burden of risk when they are the party being assaulted in a criminal act?

And then we have our POTUS politicizing this case as a platform for gun control. Classy.

One Night in Bangkok

OK, so I was there a bit longer than that...but it didn't stop the song from running through my head, since many of my formative years were in the 1980's.

I've driven in Baghdad. You couldn't pay me enough to navigate the mean streets of Bangkok. Granted, in Baghdad, we were able to "persuade" other motorists to kindly yield for us.....[cue innocuous whistling....]. I found this photo online, as I didn't take any from a van's eye view myself, but is a pretty good representation of the traffic on every street we went down, while transiting between various point.

The countryside was much nicer, combing an odd sense of modernity and neo-medievalism. I'm not a huge fan of Thai food, but here had the opportunity to eat authentically, and had some really good [and spicy] dishes. Also had some I'd rather forget.

And reminiscent of Nazi Germany only in regards to decor, this guy looks at you from everywhere you find yourself.

Off the Net

At the airport departing for a National Lampoon Asian Vacation.........minus the vacation part.

I foresee very little internet in my immediate future.

As you recover from Independence Day merriment

Gaze upon the daguerreotypes of those who fought in the Revolution to secure that Independence.

More here

Military Logic and the Rebuttal

h/t SNAFU

We've finally reached the peak of Mt Dumbass

The City of Highland Park, IL voted to ban "assault weapons". We've been there before, and we'll be there again. But what doesn't get as much play, are the true intentions of the gun control cabal. It's not about "gun safety".....if it were, they would be proposing gun safety education. And it's not their tired canard of allegedly supporting 'hunters and sportsmen'.

It's about complete civilian disarmament, and the right of a citizen to defend oneself, irrespective of the State.

Speaking in favor of the ban on scary looking rifles, former Councilwoman and local columnist Sally Higginson publicized their true intentions:

"The argument that owning an assault weapon leads to greater security is specious. In fact, owning a weapon in order to use it for self-protection is not self-defense. It is vigilante law enforcement. That makes for entertaining movies and a terrifying reality."

Highland Park Patch

h/t TTAG

Liberty v. Religion

The Supreme Court struck down a key part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act on Wednesday and declared that same-sex couples who are legally married deserve equal rights to the benefits under federal law that go to all other married couples.

The decision is a landmark win for the gay rights movement. It voids a section of the law known as DOMA, which was adopted with bipartisan support in Congress in 1996 to deny all benefits and recognition to same-sex couples. - LA Times

And across this great land, one could hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth, from those who oppose the philosophy behind this ruling. Up front, I will admit to being a proponent of government dis-involving itself completely from the act of marriage, other than protecting the contractual rights as they would in any other case. All marriages [or whatever we would deem to label them] would be a contract entered into by two consenting adults. If those adults wished to have their contract consecrated by the clergy of their choice, then they can do so.

I've searched in vain for reasonable arguments in light of this ruling, and the best I can find are those that rightly proffer that the maze of bureaucracy is ill equipped to negotiate the byzantine path between state recognized marriages [or not] and federal recognition. A fair point.

But what we are treated to more often, is a cacophony of blather akin to the crazy guy with a sandwich board sign on the street corner, admonishing passers-by, that the world is ending. So let me back up a bit. I am a devout agnostic. I believe that there is quite possibly an intelligent creator of all that we survey; and given that I very much believe in ghosts, I am certain that our souls exist irrespective of our earthly forms. Whether or not what comes after takes the form of a biblical heaven, or we discover that we've all been residing in some sort of cosmic petri dish...I cannot say.

I also respect one's belief in a God, of the Bible, the Koran, the Talmud, etc. But I view that belief as a personal connection between an individual and that deity. So while what I continue to write may sound offensive to some, it is not my intention to be such. But it is hard to argue against the notion, I believe, that all religions [Christianity included] are a framework of man. Christianity has been categorically shown to have evolved in fundamental ways since even before the Councils of Nicaea. Man has witnessed the various debates over theological teachings in Christianity alone, and the violent repression of those who dared to practice faith in differing manners. We have witnessed the wanton borrowing of pagan holidays and rituals and the continuing addition of trappings and ritual, based on the decisions of man. So I am of the opinion that belief is supernatural, whereas religion is man-made.

The reactions to the DOMA and Prop 8 rulings, from those who oppose the outcome, is not new to anybody...but I'm genuinely interested at how a set of Americans who generally would consider themselves to be proponents of liberty and minimal government intrusion....can likewise oppose extending those same rights that they enjoy, to their fellow Americans for no other reason than they were born with a biological aberration to be disposed to the same gender, in the same way heterosexuals are disposed to the opposite. The general current is that if homosexual Americans are granted these same liberties, the marriages of the rest of us will either be cheapened or 'destroyed'. My wife and I joke that since the DOMA ruling, we may as well get divorced, if our marriage isn't supposed to mean as much to us now.

A thought provoking [for me at least] article at Religion Dispatches, speaks to how Christians could be in part, responsbile for their own predicament:

Christians have alienated gays and lesbians and their families, friends, and sympathetic allies, driving many away from the love of Jesus Christ and contributing to the secularization of American culture. They have done a great deal to create hostility to the church and closed ears to the Gospel. The saddest cases are the church’s own rejected gay and lesbian adolescents and twentysomethings. They are legion.

I'm not even terribly concerned with someone's private point of view on this issue [keenly interested, but not what I find to be anti-liberty]. I'm concerned with the public statements of political leaders who have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution, not a religious tome.....and a bit entertained by the 'woe is us' reaction from religious leaders. A few examples of the reactions that have me perplexed.

State Rep. Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia) was silenced on the House floor by a colleague, who later explained his actions: "I did not believe that as a member of that body that I should allow someone to make comments such as he was preparing to make that ultimately were just open rebellion against what the word of God has said, what God has said, and just open rebellion against God's law." Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler).

Perfectly acceptable if the two distinguished gentlemen were in a house of worship, rather than the Pennsylvania people's house. Perhaps Rep. Metcalfe is confused as to where the loyalties of his oath lie.

Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) accused the justices of trying to “rewrite the Constitution” and of attacking Jesus Christ himself. “The idea that Jesus Christ himself was degrading and demeaning is what they’ve come down to,” he said.

He added, “the left has every intention of turning government against the church.” He added that progressive are bent on “ramming their views down the throats of Americans.”

Perhaps the good Representative has forgotten that his religious point of view has kept some of his fellow citizens from enjoying the same right, privileges and protections that he and his like-minded compatriots have enjoyed.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) claims that gay marriage always emerges “at the end of a great civilization.” He said the “'holy quintet'” of the Supreme Court has gone against the laws of nature and nature’s God, and now America will suffer the consequences."

He of course, did not provide any examples of his claim. But the theme appears to be common. Somehow, a God that we can't prove exists, will take catastrophic umbrage, not at the perceived sinner, but on the nation as a whole. And somehow, as such, in a nation of many faiths and none, we should mold our laws [and more importantly, our liberties] to comport with a religious faith...when our founding documents and the intentions behind them, quite clearly proscribe such an action of state.

I won't even bother with the wild rantings of various religious leaders and pundits, because quite frankly, their offensive and insulting to the tenets of our Republic [and this post is probably long and ranting enough].

So how do some political leaders come to the notion that we should restrict the individual and collective liberties of our fellow Americans based on their personal belief system? One can quite easily make a biblical case against homosexuality and the exercising of liberty by that demographic set. But the defendants in the SCOTUS case were asked to provide evidence of direct and tangible injury to their litigants, to anybody, by allowing gays to exercies these same liberties that they enjoy themselves.

They did not....because they could not.

That won't stop these politicians from using your tax dollars to continue to push laws [and a proposed Federal Amendment!] to fight against the individual liberty of your fellow citizens, over an issue that does not harm or have any tangible effect on fellow citizens.

Limited government indeed.

Intemperate thought of the day

I abhor the non-stop media coverage of the Zimmerman trial........but Rachel Jeantel just about represents everything that is wrong with America today.

All this has happened before. All this will happen again.

We've allowed civilian law enforcement to militarize. Shame on us. Don't think it can happen here? It already has.

RCMP revealed Thursday that officers have seized a “substantial amount” of firearms from homes in the evacuated town of High River.

“We just want to make sure that all of those things are in a spot that we control, simply because of what they are,” said Sgt. Brian Topham.

“People have a significant amount of money invested in firearms ... so we put them in a place that we control and that they’re safe.”

That news didn’t sit well with a crowd of frustrated residents who had planned to breach a police checkpoint northwest of the town as an evacuation order stretched into its eighth day.

“I find that absolutely incredible that they have the right to go into a person’s belongings out of their home,” said resident Brenda Lackey, after learning Mounties have been taking residents’ guns. “When people find out about this there’s going to be untold hell to pay.”

See photos from the scene.

About 30 RCMP officers set up a blockade at the checkpoint, preventing 50 residents from walking into the town. Dozens more police cars, lights on, could be seen lining streets in the town on standby.

Officers laid down a spike belt to stop anyone from attempting to drive past the blockade. That action sent the crowd of residents into a rage.

“What’s next? Tear gas?” shouted one resident.

“It’s just like Nazi Germany, just taking orders,” shouted another.

“This is the reason the U.S. has the right to bear arms,” said Charles Timpano, pointing to the group of Mounties.

Officers were ordered to fall back about an hour into the standoff in order to diffuse the situation and listen to residents’ concerns.

“We don’t want our town to turn into another New Orleans,” said resident Jeff Langford. “The longer that the water stays in our houses the worse it’s going to be. We’ll either

h/t Son of Liberty