More Gun Owner Harrassment From CA DoJ

Your barrel is threaded.

Surrender or die.

More "in your face" from the Tyrant Lockyer. He knows exactly what he's doing--rubbing the noses of those he hates in excrement. And getting off on it.

This reminds me of a quote by my friend Brian Puckett:

"I sometimes wonder whether the socialists will issue an edict requiring all firearms to have a pink ribbon tied to the barrel, just to get a belly laugh as the panicked descendants of once-proud American patriots scurry to comply."

Thank God, when they retire, Lockyer's enforcement goons will be able to carry concealed in Maryland (see below)!

CCRKBA CHALLENGES MARYLAND ANTI-GUNNER TO APOLOGIZE TO POLICE FOR INSULT

"By insisting that a new federal law that allows retired police officers to carry concealed handguns is 'essentially dangerous,' a Maryland anti-gun crusader has insulted men and women in law enforcement and should immediately apologize, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) said today."

Sorry, CCRKBA, she’s right—but for the wrong reasons.

It is dangerous to extend rights to one class of citizen—particularly “law enforcement” types—to the exclusion of others.

It is dangerous to presume that rights can be dispensed by government. That reduces them to privileges.

It is dangerous to have the servants tell the master they are in charge of dispensing those privileges—and they reserve them for their own kind.

How many of these cops are out there issuing press releases calling for recognition of our rights, and complaining that having them infringed is an insult to the whole people?

How many would do their utmost to destroy our lives if they found out we were exercising our right to keep and bear arms without “permission”?

Forget Leah Barrett. I’m saying that a new federal law that allows retired police officers to carry concealed handguns is essentially dangerous.

It’s not an insult, it’s a fact.

Don't hold you breath waiting for an apology.

The War on Cows

"So what we have is the government, prodded by large corporations, saying it is helping small family farms by destroying one of our most successful small family farms."

We probably need a federal Department of Bovine Security or some such...

More "Black Arrow" Field Updates

From Vin Suprynowicz

June 10:
We drew about 60 people to my address before the Pike's Peak Firearms Coalition in Colorado Springs Thursday evening (there was a lovely cake with the cover of "The Black Arrow" in full color in the frosting, further inscribed "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.") That followed the afternoon book-signing at the local Barnes & Noble; while I was in town I sold more than 60 copies of "The Black Arrrow." (There was actually demand for more copies of the leather-bound edition than I had brought.)

We got some coverage in the local press; Amy Willard there might be able to provide some more details. (Amy & Dave Willard were the very generous hosts & organizers of my appearance.)

Best Wishes,

-- Vin

June 13:
Several of you have kindly suggested "The Black Arrow" would make a good movie, and asked whether we've made any efforts to place it in the hands of folks who do that sort of thing.

There aren't many folks in movieland who identify themselves as free market types or Libertarians (capital OR small "L") -- Kurt Russell, Dennis Leary, Christina Ricci, and perhaps Clint Eastwood are about all who come immediately to mind.

So, we sent one inscribed copy of "The Black Arrow" to each, through their registered agents or publicists. (Actually, we sent several to the various addresses for Mr. Eastwood's Malpaso Productions -- all were returned.)

Otherwise, what happens to such books?

See http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/offer-listing/0976251604/ref=dp_olp_2//103-0863813-0768614?condition=all

:-)

Best Wishes,

-- Vin

The Joyce Foundation: A Hijacked Legacy

David Hardy details how the Joyce Foundation is a hidden hand behind the trend to close "the newspaper loophole."

We know the foundation is a major player in funding citizen disarmament activities--but why? Who started it, and why did they hate private ownership of guns?

Or did they?

"The Joyce Foundation was established in 1948 by Beatrice Joyce Kean of Chicago.

"The Joyce family wealth came from the lumber industry, including family-owned timberlands, plywood and saw mills, and wholesale and retail building material distribution facilities which were located in the state of Louisiana and the Midwest.

"Until the early 1970s, assets of the Foundation remained small and grants were given to the particular philanthropic interests of its founder. Upon Mrs. Kean's death in December of 1972, the Joyce Foundation was bequeathed ninety percent of her estate, an amount in excess of $100 million. A professional staff was retained and Kent F. Peterson, who had been an executive of the Tremont Lumber Company, was named president.

"At the time of Mrs. Kean's death the annual contributions of the Foundation totaled less than $100,000. By 1974, when the majority of assets was delivered to the Foundation, annual giving reached $500,000 and by 1976, $10 million. During the first twenty-five years, traditional health organizations and hospitals received the majority of the Foundation's contributions. After 1973, higher education and cultural institutions were added as major beneficiaries."

Got that? The social engineering didn't start until after the founder had died, leaving a caste of professional parasites in charge.

A well-researched overview of the Joyce Foundation can be found at DiscoverThe Networks.org—A Guide to the Political Left. A funding summary is presented at ActivistCash.com. And Don Williams gives us some interesting background and insights over at History News Network Reader Comments.

"The Black Arrow" Book Tour--Notes From the Field

By Vin Suprynowicz

Hi, David --

That's great news![*]

We just mailed you a copy of the latest issue of the glossy magazine "Liberty Watch," with my leering mug shot and the tale of Laissez Faire Books and "The Black Arrow" on the cover.

They'll ship additional single copies of the magazine to anyone who sends them $3.95.

It sounds like we may draw some crowds -- and some media attention -- to my appearances in Colorado Springs on June 9. (My column runs in the Colorado Springs Gazette -- that's always been a good market for me.) See http://www.theblackarrow.us/BookTour/.

I have no idea if my appearance in New Hampshire June 26 will be equivalent ... although I WAS officially condemned by the sitting governor the last time I visited. :-)

The challenge is figuring out how to "break out" of the primarily young male readership that will generally pick up a quasi-Libertarian action/adventure shoot-'em-up. Not that we disdain that market. But I've been very gratified by positive reviews from folks like Sunni Maravillosa and Mary Lou Seymour -- this book simply won't "break out" into the more general populace until we can convince women that it is (to a considerable extent) a character-driven romance.

Oddly enough, I believe this discussion about whether there's "too much sex" probably helps. Anyone who's read any of the Laurell Hamilton "Meredith Gentry" books is going to have a tough time believing there can be "too much sex." The real question is whether the love/sex/whatever scenes are differentiated in ways that contribute to character development. And I think that's a much more productive discussion than things like "weapons choice."

The Deanna Forbush analysis piece due to run pretty soon on LewRockwell.com should help.

I'll keep you posted as things develop.

Thanks Again,

-- Vin
-----------------------------
[*]-Reaction to hearing that my review of "The Black Arrow" will be published in GUNS Magazine--DC]

Gonzales vs. Raich—Why Should You Care?

“[T]he Supreme Court accepted the government's argument that Congress could prohibit this wholly intrastate non-economic activity under its interstate commerce power because the ban on these purely local activities was an ‘essential part of a broader regulatory scheme.’ By this rationale, Congress can regulate pretty much anything it wants, and the list of limited powers provided by the Founders is once again in limbo.”

So why should gun owners care?

Oh, I dunno.

Naturally, nothing can be found about the Raich decision and its implications for reloading over at NRA-ILA.

Why do you think that is?

When Leftist Bedwetters Collide

Two teenagers set out to prove the lethality of BB guns for their science project. They "wanted to see if kids should not use BB guns because they're deadly."

Science fair administrators were appropriately horrified, and banned any type of experiment using such evil instruments.

I do love it so when there are competing subversions and these people turn on each other.

Someone ought to explain to Nancy G. Degon that an air rifle is not a "firearm." Then again, I doubt if she'd be interested.

From the Department of Pre-Crime

"The leaked report said that infants not 'under control' by the age of three were four times more likely to be convicted of a criminal offence once they reached maturity, according to an account of the study."

Well, hell--I'm sure we could produce similar results for children of criminals, or those of welfare parents, or even of single mothers. We could probably even come to some conclusions based on [GASP] race!

Maybe we should cut to the chase and just get on with the mandatory sterilizations and forced abortions.

And as for the ones we deem fit to live, I say iris scan 'em!

Sunday Sermon

This is a better quality graphic of the one featured in my profile. It originally appeared as a GunTruths poster.

Expedition Forming: Sign-Ups Wanted

For some reason, I think this gets funnier every time I look at it.

----------------------------------------

Update from the "Stranger than Fiction" department:
This is a very strange coincidence, as this link goes to an ad about time travel. The coincidence will only be evident today, or until I add another article to the blog pushing everything down one place, and kicking the last article into the archives.

Scroll down to the very last line of text at the bottom of the page:

"Take a trip back through time. And best of all, it's free."

How weird is that?

Make Your Own Assault Weapon!

Steve Silver and Dan Schultz put this together years ago for The Lawyer's Second Amendment Society, now defunct, and it was later posted on GunTruths.com, also now defunct.

I thought I'd resurrect and post it here before I become defunct.

Gun Lobby Darling Arlen Specter Has Nerve Holding Philly Hearing Monday on Youth Violence While Gun Trafficking Rages On; Gun Violence

Prevention Groups Call Specter's Committee Hearing 'Bogus'

Those commies sure know how to write catchy headlines, don't they?

Response to California Attorney General Letter

I wanted to send a brief note of thanks to all that have sent email to me, or the Folsom Shooting Club, Inc. (FSC), about the letter to the Attorney General (AG) of California. Your kind words are encouraging.

I also want to acknowledge our member, Steve Helsley for writing a draft of the AG letter. Steve's letter was adopted by the Board with very little editing.

Many of you have asked about donations to our club, and about some sort of limited membership. I have asked the Board to consider creating a limited membership at the next meeting. A copy of this email is also being sent to the FSC Board and to Steve Helsley who proposed that the letter be sent.

Thanks again,
Tom Hause
--------------------------

Also see: "Gun Club to Lockyer's DoJ: You're Not Welcome Here"

Another Motown Anomaly

"One is accused of pointing a gun at a man who had poured pop on his car. Another was allegedly smoking crack cocaine. A third tested positive for marijuana use -- for the third time, police said.

"All three are Detroit cops...

"’We set our goals and principles very high in this department,’ said police spokesman James Tate. ‘If someone within our personnel violates the policies of the Detroit Police Department or commits behavior that could be interpreted as illegal, then appropriate action must be taken.

"’We have hundreds of dedicated men and women who go out every day and provide first-rate service. These are definitely anomalies.’"

Really?

Then I guess “appropriate action” has been taken on those 500 backlogged disciplinary cases? You know, the ones that were anomalies?

Maybe the cops should hold another gun “buyback,” if for no other reason than to get the media fawning all over them.

Plus it might help them raise funds to help stave off the effects of "a $300 million budget deficit, and the threat of laying off 612 police officers." It would also get people's minds off Detroit's leader in gun control, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who responded to Motor City's fiscal woes by charging "more than $210,000 on the city's MasterCard in his first 33 months in office. Some of the charges include an $850 steakhouse dinner; $3,837 on chauffeured sedans; and $11,644 on Super Bowl hotel rooms."

At least we can take comfort that "Kilpatrick again disputes persistent rumors of a party with strippers at the mayoral residence."

I bring this up because I don't want anybody thinking official criminality is endemic, or that the 3 cops were simply emulating their masters. As should be evident to all who can see, corruption in Detroit is an anomaly, and on those rare occasions when it surfaces, appropriate action is taken.

Say Uncle is Having a Contest

He needs a logo for an AR15 lower receiver he's working on.

I don't enter contests, but if I did, I'd submit this:

Innocence Betrayed: Excellence Confirmed

"The JPFO production 'Innocents Betrayed' has just won a Certificate for Creative Excellence (third place) in the Documentary category of the U.S. International Film and Video Festival ."

Did you get your copy yet?

The End is Near!

And Bill St. Clair got the scoop before all of us.

Gun Club to Lockyer's DoJ: You're Not Welcome Here

Kudos to Tom Hause and the Board of Directors of the Folsom Shooting Club for their bold and appropriate letter to California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, that states in part:

"The Board of Directors of the Folsom Shooting Club (FSC) has directed me to advise you, in writing, that Department of Justice staff, while acting in their official capacity, are suspended from using the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center (SVSC). The FSC is concerned that your staff will further your efforts regarding AB 352 and SB 357 while using our facility."

It's nice to see others joining in the Barrett response.

Thank you, Mr. Hause. You and your fellow directors deserve our commendation and support on this. Good job.

I hope many fellow Second Amendment supporters join in sending you a note of encouragement and thanks.
----------------------------
[I learned about this ketter from KABA Newslinks, which featured the hysterical misrepresentations of the "Million" Moms.]

Senate Gives FBI More Patriot Act Power

Great--just what we need.

"Ranking Democrat Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., supported the bill overall but said he would push for limits that would allow such administrative subpoenas 'only if immediacy dictates.'"

I wonder how large of an armored vehicle the feds could drive through that hole he just made?

"Rockefeller and other committee members, such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., also are concerned that the bill would grant powers to federal law enforcement agencies that could be used in criminal inquiries rather than intelligence-gathering ones."

Hey, they're not investigating gun owners for edict infractions, they're investigating "militia extremist domestic terrorists".

See? Fix a few words and we don't have a problem here...

Fish Or Man: "I am Finished"

"I was sentenced June 2nd. It amounts to $500 fine, $250 deferred. 90 days in jail, 90 days suspended. Deferred jail time and money is on condition that for 12 months I have no future criminal offense. This entire sentence will not take effect unless I lose my appeal, (sentence stayed upon appeal)...I did have a letter from the SAF when I got home last night, of course, it was only for another fund raiser. Meanwhile, somewhere in America another unconstitutional 'gun law' was applied to an otherwise law abiding gun owner. A gun owner who will bow his head, cry for America, and then take the plea deal. I am finished."

You Don't Need a Gun Because the Police Will Protect You

Ri-ight.

And why can't I get this song out of my head?

Son of Real ID

I guess if you'd let an employer tag you like a cow, there's not much chance you'll ever stand up on your hind legs and demand any rights.

It's almost like the rulers have a drinking bet going on as to how outrageous they can make things and still achieve compliance.

NRA “Researching the Possibility”

Is that anything like investigating looking into?

NRA still hasn’t taken a public position on the Second Amendment Protection Act.

They still won’t even inform their members that it exists.

Typical.

Weapons of Choice

My June 2005 GUNS Magazine "Rights Watch" column is now online.

Déjà Vu All Over Again

Lotta bloggers talking about SCROTUS ratcheting up tyranny another notch in their medical marijuana decision.

A lifetime ago, an earlier generation used similar arguments in an attempt to ease restrictions against another controlled substance:

"And in the early months of 1921, a dedicated group of brewers, physicians and imbibers attempted to convince the U.S. Congress that beer was nothing less than vital medicine. Whatever craven thirsts might have inspired its advocates, the right of physicians to prescribe 'medical beer' was the subject of intense national debate, drawing the attention of officials at the highest levels of government and provoking arguments within the American Medical Association and other professional groups."

I've never been comfortable with the "medical marijuana" exceptions. It seems to me the argument aknowledges the legitimacy of government coercion when other substances are involved.

Interesting and all too predicatable what our rulers have done with the commerce clause. Time was, "the court construed the clause so narrowly...it ruled that not even so vast an industry as coal mining fell within the commerce power."

That's when FDR rolled up his sleeves and got to work on the last vestiges of federalism.

I find it intriguing that the polar flip in interpretation of the Constitution came about "because one justice, Owen Roberts, switched his vote. Ever since, historians have argued about why he did so."

Sounds like somebody protecting his butt at the expense of everything else to me. Hopefully somebody can tell us more about this character who helped doom the Republic--I'll have to look around.

Finally, anybody thinking Bush really wants strict constructionists on the court needs to square that fantasy with his support of the War on (Some) Drugs and Guns. As if such a jurist would make it through "advise and consent" anyway.

Full Disclosure

TriggerFinger raises concerns about a Bitch Girls post concerning Of Arms & the Law, specifically that a $10,000 funding grant by NRA was not disclosed.

It was. To millions, via NRA's June membership magazines.


From AMERICAN RIFLEMAN, June 2005, pg. 77

David Hardy does not warrant being scrutinized unless it is to confirm the wonderful work he has done and honor him for it. As a member of the Silveira support team from the outset, I know that Roy Lucas held him in the highest regard--and Roy was a guy who would let you know if he had issues with you.

Lest these comments be misunderstood, Matthew, no criticism of you or your decision to post on this is implied. I appreciate your blog and consult it every day.

"This is Not a Right"

Kevin Reece relates the outrageous tale of Cecelia Beaman, a middle school principal victimized by TSA JBTs for accidentally having a bread knife.

It's what Reece doesn't say that catches my attention. Like most Establishment reporters, he doesn't dig very deep.

For example:

"...a security screener announced..."

"...screeners refused to give her paperwork or documentation..."

"'They said "no" and they said it's a national security issue. And I said what about my constitutional rights? And they said "not at this point ... you don't have any".'"

Who "announced"?

Who "refused"?

Who "said"?

Do these people have names? Why do we know private citizen Cecilia Beaman's name, but not those of her thug oppressors?

Case in point:

We know the name of Elian Gonzalez.

We know the name of "fisherman" Donato Dalrymple.

Quick--who's the guy in the goggles?



One purpose of the press is to act as a watchdog over oppressive government, yet time and again I read stories where the agents committing abuses remain anonymous. By not identifying who they are as individuals, they face no personal consequences. They can continue abusing sovereign citizens with impunity.

If some Naziwannabe on the public dole is telling citizens they have no Constitutional rights, I want to know who that creep is. I want him out of any position of "authoritah".

Meanwhile, don't feel too sorry for new civil libertarian Cecelia Beaman, who is shocked, shocked that this could happen to her. As principal of Pacific Middle School, she presides over warrantless searches of charges she suspects of wrongdoing as a matter of policy.

Funny thing about Highline Public Schools' "SEARCH AND SEIZURE (BOARD POLICY 3231-3232)". They admit at the outset: "All students possess the constitutional right to be secure in their persons, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures." But instead of obtaining a warrant based on "probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized," the bar at HPS is lowered to mere "reasonable cause for school authorities to believe that the possession constitutes a crime or rule violation."

So, Cecelia, before you scream too loudly about your rights, maybe you could tell us how many lockers you've ordered searched without a warrant--and what you would do, under the doctrine of "zero tolerance," to some hapless student caught in a situation similar to yours.

---------------------------------

[I found out about the TSA story via FreedomSight, via End the War on Freedom, via What Really Happened.]

"Only the Military and Police Should Have Guns"

Today is the 16th anniversary of the Tienanmen Square Massacre, where only the military and police had guns.

David Rosen--The Non Sequitur King

"Would he have been able to fire at five people, steal two trucks, break into a gated community, beat two children and fatally beat their mother had he not possessed a lethal weapon? I think not."

You "think not." There's an understatement.

It sure looks like all those citizen disarmament edicts were effective at stopping this career criminal from getting a gun. And for that Rosen blames the "enforce existing gun laws" NRA?

The Times, of course, knows the truth and chooses to lie. Leave it to them to unethically advance their agenda by publishing such desperate and moronic hysterics.

Laser Etching and Microstamping

I can't decide which one is my "favorite" sentence from this article:

"It would link purchasers to handgun ammunition through an electronic swipe of a driver's license at the point of sale."

or

"Sen. Joseph Dunn, a Garden Grove Democrat who introduced the bill for Lockyer, said he is working with law enforcement groups to resolve concerns about how to treat a massive existing inventory [and] possession of unmarked ammunition in homes..."

Squeeze, baby!

The War on Guns: Project Disarmed Neighborhoods

Blog Chez Jacq' adds some good commentary and links to the topic.

Love the picture of Dubya.

Blogs, Media and Magazines

I see Say Uncle wrote an article based on a series of email exchanges with me.

Minor point--I'm "a" contributing field editor with GUNS Magazine, as opposed to "the field editor" All it really means is I get a masthead credit. I still have to work a real job.

Dana and Real ID

"We met with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher yesterday. I asked about the Real ID proposal, which our editorial strongly opposed. Unlike some Real ID defenders, he didn't say it wasn't a national ID card. He said Americans' data already can easily be accessed by the government, so this isn't a new imposition. I asked where authority to impose a national ID card was in the Constitution. He didn't provide an answer."

[Scroll down about 2/3 of the page to "Wednesday, June 01, 2005" to read the entire commentary.]

GUNS Magazine: June 1955 Issue

Each month, in commemoration of their 50th Anniversary, GUNS Magazine is posting .pdf files of issues from their founding year. The June 1955 issue is now online.

I get a kick out of looking through these windows to a different time, and the articles are still fascinating reads.

That's Fred MacMurray and Donna Reed on the cover, playing Meriwether Lewis and Sacajawea in "The Far Horizons." The accompanying article features the guns used by the Lewis and Clark expedition (note the blunderbuss, and that the infamous Miller decision centered on challenging short barrel shotguns not having an acknowledged military utility.)

You can read about a seven-shooter, a brief bio on Buffalo Bill, and see "The First New Revolver in 50 Years." You can peruse the classified ads--God bless whoever it was selling this:

NEW-YOUR Constitutional Guarantee (The
Second Amendment) now available on colorful
patriotic wall plaque Hand-screened on blond
wood 9"x7", ready for your wall or gun rack.
Return if not delighted. $2.95 postpaid.
Merryfield, Bristol 2, Vermont.

Take a trip back through time. And best of all, it's free.

A Noteworthy Quote from the Brady Center on Gun Owner Registration

"The only individuals whose privacy would have been infringed by the bill would have been the privacy of people with something to hide from the police..."

Damn straight.

Shameless Plug: "Failing the Test"

As part of his investigation, Whitesides accompanied firearms expert Len Savage, of Historic Arms LLC, to the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s firing range. There, BATFE Agent Michael Cooney, who wrote the report declaring one of the seized rifles fired “automatically,” set out to prove it on videotape.

The problem was, the FN-FAL wouldn’t cooperate.

"Failing the Test," my "Rights Watch" column for the July issue of GUNS Magazine, provides exclusive behind-the-scenes details of JPFO's "BATFE Fails the Test" video.

The magazine is on sale now. So is the video. Get both and ace the test.

Surrender Your Freedom and Live

"A monthlong gun buyback program aimed at getting firearms off the street netted 75 guns as of Friday. Tuesday is the last day that residents can turn in guns...The gun buyback program, titled ‘Surrender Your Weapons and Live,’ was supported by community groups who blanketed neighborhoods with flyers...Guns were turned in at the police station and residents were given a $50 voucher."

"’It's an opportunity to make sure we don't just get the guns out of the house,’ [Brett] Wells said. ‘But it provides opportunities for family strengthening. Really it has been a collaborative effort.’"

No doubt. Sounds like there are quite a few collaborators.

"The total grant for the project was $65,000 from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Wells said the grant has room to buy about 75 more firearms."

Wait a minute. 150 guns at $50 a pop (sorry) is only $7,500. You're telling me it cost $57,500 to administer this evil farce? And the damn lapdog Times Herald doesn't even raise this point, but instead presents the program as "beating estimates"?

"We would have been satisfied if we'd gotten 30 or 40 (guns)," Wells discloses.

Well no, duh. Keep it down to 75 guns and that's another $3,750 they won't have to shell out.

Our tax dollars at work.

Smile, You're on Kelly's Camera

"New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has told top police brass that he wants to put up about 400 surveillance cameras on high-crime and high-traffic streets..."

Of course he does.

Give it a few years and ordinary cameras won't be good enough.

Welcome to The Gray Zone.

A Memorial Day Remembrance

Years ago, when some friends and I launched the GunTruths website, I wrote an article about some of the flames we'd been receiving from antis who took offense at our unapologetic advocacy of the right to keep and bear arms.

One particularly hate-filled Brit wrote:

"When you broke away 200 years ago realise why we don't think it was as great a victory as you do! There have been lots of events over the years that have shown the US to be less than willing to participate in warfare, and when you do, your preoccupation with firing missiles or dropping bombs from a 'safe' distance means that our guys are in more danger from you. Don't get too close you might get your uniforms dirty!"

My observations follow. The complete article is on KABA.

How do you deal with this? These are people who think that pledging your "lives fortunes and sacred honor" against tyranny is no big deal. These are people who took out ads in newspapers pleading for Americans to "Send guns to defend a British home". These are people who, despite the experience of two world wars in the last eighty years disparage the concept of being invaded and needing guns, all the while living under the protective shield of a largely American NATO deployment throughout Europe. Tonight, as they sleep, United States military forces will be standing guard in the darkness.

I cannot but consider such unfair and stark ingratitude against the recollection of my boyhood visit to the World War II Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Nettuno, Italy, where, beneath an ordered formation of uniform white crosses, my Uncle Nick is interred. He never grew past his teens, never went to college, never married, had children, a career, or grandchildren. I can only speculate as to the paralyzing horror, the denial, the sorrow, and the helpless, tragic realization of finality that my grandparents must have gone through with the loss of their baby, their laughing, lovely boy, their cherished only son.

Trust me, beneficiaries of his sacrifice, Nick Morrison's uniform got dirty.




"The World War II Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial is situated at the north edge of the town of Nettuno, Italy. It is just east of Anzio and thirty miles south of Rome...Beyond the pool is an immense field of headstones of 7,862 American military Dead arranged in gentle arcs which sweep across the broad green lawns beneath rows of Roman pines... On the white marble walls of the chapel are engraved the names of 3,095 American Missing who gave their lives in the service of their country and whose remains were never recovered or identified."
--From The American Battle Monuments Commission

No Victims

Deborah Ann Courtney has a new website. In her words:

"Everyone else was either working to get Mc Clintock or Ahnold elected; I was by myself in a courtroom, with one friend, Randy Herrst, not even my family, because my Momma was dying of cancer, and I delivered this statement, as I went deep into myself, and for some reason, the courtroom was jam packed, and silent, and when I was done, and wanted to crumple, a thunderous roar of applause filled the room, and the judge allowed me a few moments of triumph, that grew with the encouragement of the crowd, and as they gave me a standing ovation in the courtroom. My finest moment, his worst fear.

"It is so important that we as victims teach others to become victors. The crowd showed me, now we need to show each other."

Tagging Along

Claire Wolfe just "book tagged" me.

Wow--I'm honored. Really.

I feel like Garth and Wayne.

How can I decline?

Total number of books I've owned: No idea. It must be in the thousands.

Last book I bought: Easy. I'm wearing the t-shirt as I type.

Last book I read: I just finished it today. And what's this talk about maybe not doing a sequel? You can't just leave me hanging like this!

Five books that mean a lot to me:
[These are not listed in any particular order, and there are many more books that mean a lot to me than just these five. So this list is not fixed.]

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

The Bible

Prodigal Genius by John J. O'Neill

The Federalist Papers by Publius

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Tag five people and have them do this on their blogs:

Jed

Nicki

Matthew

Kevin

Say Uncle

There are many more books and many other bloggers that could have been listed here. This reminds me of a scene from the end of the movie version of The Time Machine where Filby and the housekeeper discover George has returned to the future and has taken three books from his library. They don't know which ones he selected as being the most useful for rebuilding a civilization.

"Which three would you have chosen?" Filby asks.

Jedi Gibberish

Rational Review links us to "Star Wars: Are the Sith Selfish?" by Edward Hudgins of The Objectivist Center.

Hudgins calls our attention to a particularly ludicrous aspect of the Jedi Code articulated by Yoda: "that fear of loss is the path to the Dark Side; that attachment leads to greed; and that one should release oneself from that which one fears to lose. If one lets go of fear -- which by Yoda's logic implies giving up what one loves --, loss cannot harm one.

"Well there's a pretty bleak choice! If you really love something -- your wife, children, career -- fear of their loss could drive you to commit every kind of immoral act. Self-interest leads to Darth Vader. The only alternative: self-sacrifice; love nothing. On Yoda's theory, why should he and the other Jedi love the Republic and liberty?"

Good call, pointing this out.

We took the kids to see the film the other night. Special effects are great. Basics, like acting and dialog, could use some work. Hayden Christensen did a better job than most critics are giving him credit for. Brilliant veteran performers like Samuel L. Jackson sounded like they were doing rehearsals for the school play.

Another thing that bugged me is how those on the "good" side kept equating freedom with "democracy."

My final objection was when Obi-Wan saved himself using a handblaster, and afterward threw it to the floor with a disgusted "How uncivilized!"

Maybe, pal. But you used it, didn't you?

A Numbers Game

Los Angeles Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa won the recent election 59% to 41%. Of the 1.5 million registered voters, 30.5% turned out, that is, 448,857 went to the polls or cast absentee ballots.

Here's what a few hundred thousand people decided about the course of gun rights in the City of Angels:

According to Gun Owners of California's Assembly Scorecard, Villaraigosa earned a 0% rating in 1999.

Not that Republican darling Jim Hahn would have been any better.

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

"The United States wants Britain's proposed identity cards to have the same microchip and technology as the ones used on American documents.

"The aim of getting the same microchip is to ensure compatability in screening terrorist suspects."

Sure it is. It's for your own good. It has nothing to do with global control. Where do such silly ideas come from?

Hush now. Go back to sleep.

Have you joined The Real ID Rebellion?

Why not?

"The So-Called Gun Show Loophole"

Per NRA-ILA:
"Amendment 22, the law that closed the so-called gun-show loophole to require background checks on gun buyers, could be altered for the first time by the Colorado legislature."

Per NRA-ILA:
A lawmaker wants to remove some language from the voter- approved law that closed the so-called "gun-show loophole" regarding criminal background checks in 2000.

Per NRA-ILA:
"There Is No Gun Show Loophole"

Per NRA-ILA:
"In its desperation to abolish gun shows, AGS also continues attempts to fabricate a gun show 'loophole.'"

Per NRA-ILA:
"Proponents say their bill is a single-purpose effort to close a so-called 'gun show loophole,' but S. 890 contains numerous complications and loopholes that give a single federal official the ability to shut down gun shows entirely, register citizens who attend shows and impose many other restrictions that have nothing to do with background checks on purchases."

And how do these words and warnings translate into actions?

In a compromise engineered by NRA-ILA:
"[S]enators voted 34-25 to approve the NRA-backed proposal to close the so-called "gun show loophole."

New Weapon System Shoots Around Corners...

...but it won't be available to We the People because you don't need to shoot around corners to hunt deer.

"A: WOULD YOU BELIEVE I QUIT A DAY JOB JUST TO DO THIS."

Yes, Joel.

We would.

Law and Order

Correspondent Robert Lewis is angry over last night's episode of "Law and Order: Criminal Intent." They apparently used the show as a platform to seed the audience with gun control propaganda.

I've heard that L&O has long been a subversive show. I’ve never watched it myself, but I remember channel surfing through it and stopping long enough to hear Jerry Orbach’s character tell the crime scene photographer to “Send the pictures to Charlton Heston.”

That was enough for me.

Richard Belzer and his porn actress wife signed a Violence Policy Center letter urging Congress and the President to enact a “stronger assault weapons ban.”

Face it--the preponderance of TV shows glorifying cops and prosecutors enforcing "law and order" is no accident.

Sure, Sen. McCain, It's Right Here in the Constitution

This guy is pure, megalomaniacal evil.

Yeah, I know he was a "war hero."

So was Benedict Arnold.

The War on the Bill of Rights

From JPFO:

The FBI is investigating library checkout records in its "War on Terror."

A librarian said "no."

"The Library had consulted their lawyer and done their homework, so they told the FBI that it would have to follow the proper procedures. About a week later, the FBI served a subpoena upon the Library, demanding a list of everyone who had borrowed that book since November 2001...

"After the Library's legal challenge, the FBI withdrew its request. Ms. Airoldi learned, however, that under the Patriot Act, the FBI could go to a secret court to obtain a court order to obtain the borrowing records."

That apparently is not good enough.

From The Washington Post:

"The FBI on Tuesday asked the U.S. Congress for sweeping new powers to seize business or private records, ranging from medical information to book purchases, to investigate terrorism without first securing approval from a judge...

"The proposed new powers, long sought by the FBI, have been added by Republican lawmakers, acting on the wishes of the Bush administration, to the new draft of the USA Patriot Act."

How does the propaganda slogan go, "If you're not with us, you're against us"?

Squarely against over here, guys.

Oh, but wait, here's their rationale:

"Committee chairman, Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, noted that other government agencies already had subpoena power to investigate matters such as child pornography, drug investigations and medical malpractice. He said it made little sense to deny those same powers to the FBI to investigate terrorism or keep track of foreign intelligence agents."

No doubt the same treasonous black robes who rule the Second Amendment is a collective state power have abetted the destruction of the Fourth Amendment as well.

That doesn't make it right. That doesn't make it Constitutional.

Mr. Franklin warned us about trading liberty for security.

Open Inquiry to the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team

Since I seem to be fixated on numbers this morning, I have a couple simple questions for the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team:

Since your unit was activated in 1983, how much money, total, have your operations cost the American taxpayer?

How many hostages have you rescued?

How much is that per hostage?

Oh, I guess I also need to factor in how many "hostages" you haven't rescued...

By the way, you guys wouldn't happen to know anything about a BIG METAL DOOR, would you...?

The "pH" Factor

My Very Own Cultural Degeneracy Indicator

Google hits for “Patrick Henry”
“Results 1 - 10 of about 885,000 for ‘Patrick Henry’.”

Google hits for “Paris Hilton”
“Results 1 - 10 of about 6,060,000 for ‘Paris Hilton’.”

I wonder what the ratio of no return is, where the culture as a collective deserves to be doomed?

Josh Horwitz Waves Red Flag

"The standoffs at Ruby Ridge and Waco -- often cited as proof that the government can and does abuse its power -- illustrate why armed resistance is a dead end. Randy Weaver and David Koresh may have had good reasons to distrust the government, but they had no right to use private arsenals to keep the police at bay. Our system includes democratic safeguards, such as juries, that do not rely on the private force of arms."

Hey Josh--why don't you have "our system" find the damned steel front door from Mt. Carmel that somehow mysteriously disappeared from evidence custody--to help determine who actually shot first? And I'm sure Sammy and Vicki Weaver appreciate the jury trials they got.

Damned police state apologist. I suppose the Warsaw Ghetto resistance fighters "had no right to keep the [Nazis] at bay," either.

[Thanks to SaMaeL for the tip.]

The Clock is Ticking

Triggerfinger tells us "time is running out to comment on the FEC's rules for bloggers."

Giving Gun Owners the Finger

Say Uncle directs us to the loopy tale of former Bridgeport City Councilman Joel Gonzales, who cut off his finger in 1994 to protest private gun ownership.

The ridiculously over-dramatic Mr. Gonzales seems to think someone on eBay will give him $50,000 or more for the contraption he used to self-amputate. He plans to give half the money to a zoo, plus fund the insane fixations he deems "activism," including "strengthening gun control laws."

He apparently did it because he thinks the NRA controls the speaker lists at public hearings, and wanted to make his proposal to eliminate "gun crime" heard--that is, "amputating the trigger fingers (index) of anyone who use a firearm to commit a premeditaded [sic] crime."

"When I did it, people said I was crazy. I wonder what they are saying now," speculates Gonzales.

I think "crazy" about covers it, Joel.

But you might want to get a second opinion.

Despite All My Belly-Aching, I Couldn't Resist...

...and just devoured the first 3 chapters of "Out of the Gray Zone."

This is good stuff. I see Bill St. Clair is passionate in his praise:

"Wow! Claire and Aaron have hit the ball out of the park, hit it out of the city, hit it out of orbit, hit the moon, and put a hole clean through. And that's an understatement. Tears dripped from my face. Tears of joy. Tears of anger sated. Tears of hope for our world. May it never get as bad as they envisioned. May we, each contributing as he or she can, prevent that future, and listen to that inner voice of what is right, what is decent, what is necessary, what must be. And make it so."

Now I need to go work for a few hours so I can be back in time for my 10-year-old son's electric guitar recital.

No rest for the wicked, or some such...

"Out of the Gray Zone" Arrived...

...in yesterday's mail, along with a very nice t-shirt. I got my order in early and got an autographed copy.

Can't wait to get to it--right now, in addition to working 7 days a week (plus many evenings) on my "real" job (which is typical for April through August), maintaining this blog, researching and writing my monthly GUNS Magazine "Rights Watch" column, giving the wife and kids the time of day, and keeping my house and yard chores from getting to the point where it would be easier just to torch the place, my time to read and then write reviews is a tad limited.

On that front, "Failing the Test," about JPFO's BATFU expose video, will appear in the next issue of GUNS, in stores around May 30--I'll do an announcement when it hits the shelves.

The editor gave me the green light to put something together on "The Black Arrow" in addition to my regular column, so that's another project in waiting. And I'm smack-dab in the middle of "Enemies Foreign and Domestic," which I want to read in one sitting, but which I'm finding difficulty getting to until bedtime--which means I generally make it about a page-and-a-half before exhaustion takes over.

But I'll get to "Out of the Gray Zone." It's just a question of when.

Oh, look--a package from the PO box--why, it looks like another book...

Crime Gun Solutions--Who These Guys ARE

The names of the chief operators are: Joseph J. Vince Jr., Partner, Gerald A. Nunziato, Partner, Ronald Schuman, Partner, and Robert A. Ricker, Senior Executive Consultant. "Crime Gun Solutions LLC (CGS) partners include the former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (BATF) Special Agent In Charge of the National Tracing Center, the former Chief of the BATF Headquarters Firearm Enforcement Division and the Crime Gun Analysis Branch, and the former BATF Criminal Enforcement Information Systems Development Program Manager." Yep. BATFU careerists. "CGS has worked with city law departments, State Attorney Generals’ Offices, major police departments, and private law firms in an effort to assist them in acquiring, analyzing, and utilizing crime-gun information." So they're paid either by anti-gun politicians using money taxed from We the People, or by law firms suing gun makers? "CGS has been praised for their work in educating judges and juries on the various aspects of using crime-gun information." Yeah, "praised" by enemies of the Second Amendment. And ain't it ironic--no one is "educating judges and juries on various aspects of" the Constitution, the intent of the Framers, the Second Amendment, jury nullification... I question the use of the photo of what looks like a dead guy on their home page--this looks like a real crime scene photo. Is it, and if so, who authorized its use in a for-profit venture? I also find it very interesting that our old pal Robert Ricker is entrenched in the core of this cabal. He was named CCRKBA's "Gun Rights Defender of the Month" back in February of 1999 [they have since removed this from their site, but it is preserved via The Wayback Machine. Bad move deleting it, Alan--our side shouldn't be the ones erasing history; you could have explained it by just admitting you were betrayed along with everyone else.] "Just last month, for instance, in a major article on the growing number of lawsuits filed against firearms companies by big-city anti-gun politicians, The Washington Post reported that 'Bob Ricker of the American Shooting Sports Council, a trade association for gunmakers, vowed that his members won’t be intimidated into an out-of-court settlement, regardless of how many cities line up against them. "Ricker also said the swarm of tobacco plaintiffs’ lawyers suggests that the suits against the industry are frivolous, the work of an opportunistic gang of legal predators. "‘We’ll be able to show that what these lawyers are actually after is money,’ he said, a contention certain to become part of the gun manufacturers’ defense." Now Robert Ricker is a leading voice FOR suing gun makers: "Robert A. Ricker, former Assistant General Counsel for the National Rifle Association and former Executive Director of the American Shooting Sports Council, was scheduled to testify today in the NAACP's landmark lawsuit against the gun industry. "Ricker recently revealed that the gun industry has long known its practices aid criminal access to guns yet has done nothing about it. According to a declaration he filed in another case, 'many manufacturers and distributors consistently refuse to address the problem of the 'felons among us.' They instead hide behind the fiction that as long as a retail dealer has a valid federal firearms license to sell guns, no attention to the dealer's business practices is required by its suppliers.'" So was Robert Ricker lying then or is he lying now? How can we tell? And why would anyone give testimony from this Judas any credibility at all? [Thanks to correspondent Bob Lewis for tracking down the CGS website!]

Crime Gun Solutions--Who ARE These Guys?

Research led me to a post on The Freeholder from a month ago about Gerald Nunziato, a former BATFU careerist now a partner in a venture called "Crime Gun Solutions."

Per the Houston Chronicle: "'If it wasn't for criminals, there wouldn't be a gun industry in this country,' Nunziato said, adding that the claims of the NRA and other gun-rights groups that they are protecting law-abiding citizens with their policies are false.

"'The only people it's protecting are criminals.'"

So who is behind "Crime Gun Solutions"? Seems to be a bunch of ex-BATFUers and pals.

They’re at the forefront of trying to take militia suitable firearms away from We the People, throwing meaningless statistics into the mix just to sound authoritative: “Since the law’s enactment, the number of assault weapons at crime scenes has dropped 45% according to Crime Gun Solutions LLC, a consulting firm.”

If you read the fine print over at the Brady Center, you'll discover "firearms listed in this data are considered by BATFU to be 'crime guns,' which means they have been...[among other things--DC] suspected of having been used in a crime.[emphasis added--DC "

"Former ATF experts at Crime Gun Solutions, LLC, including the former Special Agent in Charge of ATF's National Tracing Center [that would be Nunziato--DC], analyzed the data for the Brady Center and support the study's conclusions."

CEO Joe Vince received special acknowledgement at the IACP Conference IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police) Crime Gun Interdiction Strategies for the 21st Century Summit.

The report introduces itself with quotes from Bill Clinton and Janet Reno. It provides a blueprint for achieving self-fulfilling gun control goals. This summit” was supported through a grant from the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance,” that is, We the People were coerced into paying for this plot against our rights.

The Constitution and legitimate delegated authority and individual rights are not considerations. Nowhere in the summit report is the Second Amendment even mentioned.

Crime Gun Solutions is emerging as a leading subversive threat to the right to keep and bear arms. We'd all do well to keep a watchful eye on this group.

Of immediate concern: Where do they get their funding from? Do anti-gun groups like Brady Center pay for "research"? Does CGS receive money from any taxpayer-funded agency at any level of government? Who are the major investors who own it?

Be nice to track the ninja down and pull his mask off...

In the mean time, don't let the media get away with referring to them as "a consulting group" without acknowledging that they are agenda-driven. Ditto for any "authoritative" claims citing them as a credible reference. Write editors to correct the record whenever you see this occur.

These guys didn't succeed in disarming us when they were in jackboots. Now that they've discovered a more lucrative gig (and any bets that they also have healthy retirement benefits and pensions courtesy of the people they wish to disarm?), they may actually be more of a threat.

Treat them that way.

About Part One...

There seems to be some confusion that I wrote the Open Letter to NRA.

Nah, I don't writ that gud. I just did the brief intro.

It's by MicroBalrog, which I can see now was not made as clear as it could have been. He is a 20-year-old Israeli who cares more about the Second Amemdment than most Americans.

Anyway, just to make sure there's no confusion, I inserted "By Boris Karpa" (his real name) into that piece.

I hope this clears things up. I haven't had this much trouble since I wrote "Gone With the Wind."

Oh, My! What a Surprise!

"But the measure being written by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., would give the FBI new power to issue administrative subpoenas, which are not reviewed by a judge or grand jury, for quickly obtaining records, electronic data or other evidence in terrorism investigations, according to aides for the GOP majority on the committee who briefed reporters Wednesday."

Well, Hell--it's not like there's a Second Amendment in this country to protect other supposed unalienable rights. Or a second political party, for that matter...

Squeeze, baby!

NRA AWOL on Second Amendment Protection Act--Part Two

First, go to NRA-ILA's site search.

Type in "HR 1703" or "H.R. 1703".

Make sure the boxes to search ALL sections are checked.

Click either "Boolean Expression" or "All Words".

Select "All Issues" from the "Display Information" pulldown menu.

Click the "Search" button.

Or don't. All that will happen is you'll get the message "No documents were found."

MicroBalrog wrote an impassioned plea in Part One.

Here's a response he managed to track down from "the most powerful lobbying group in Washington":

Though the NRA-ILA has limited resources, we are doing our best to have the biggest impact. Right now that means we must pass HR 800, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. If that doesn't pass, our manufacturers and dealers will be sued out of business and we'll all be in a world of hurt. We are focusing our lobbying efforts on attainable and necessary legislation and then we'll move on to our second tier of legislation. While HR 1703 is a good bill, it will not come out of committee no matter how hard we lobby on the bill. There are other politics in play regarding the bill sponsor in which the NRA plays no role at all. Unfortunately, that means Congressman Paul is at the mercy of the committee and it's chairman. Someday we'll be able to pass similar legislation, but right now we have to make sure the firearm industry is not destroyed.

Sincerely,
Joel Brewer
NRA-ILA

Did you get that? Poor NRA, with its 4 million members, can't do two things at once at the federal level. Informing gun owners about this bill would simply put too much of a strain on the system, and distract ILA from its primary effort.

Besides, the bill has no chance of passing--why, it will never get out of committee. By not lifting a finger, NRA makes this a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Would it make it out of committee if some political leadership was displayed?

I mean, it's not like gun owners and $20 Million from NRA had anything to do with the reelection of George Bush...

NRA AWOL on Second Amendment Protection Act--Part One

MicroBalrog doesn't understand why NRA is mum on HR 1703, the Second Amendment Protection Act:

An Open Letter to the National Rifle Association
By Boris Karpa

Honorable and estimable Directors of the National Rifle Association!

For years, members of the Association were reading - both in the newspapers and in your Grassroots Alerts - about the National Rifle Association. About how the National Rifle Association is the most powerful lobby in Washington. About how the NRA donates millions to campaigns of candidates it supports. About how the NRA never compromises unless it absolutely, totally has to [well, okay, we ended up coming to grips with reality, there].

You gave fiery speeches about how we should become extremists and demand the right to self-defense. You said that our guns are the guarantee of freedom. You waved rifles in the air, screaming that the enemies of that freedom will be able to get those rifles - when they pry them for your cold, dead hands.

You might have never in this - or maybe you didn’t. What matters is that, after you repeated those things often enough, we started believing them too - maybe because they are really true. We came to believe - like Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, like the Minutemen at Concord and the New-Orleans Greys at the Alamo - that freedom is worth fighting for.

You promised us something truly wonderful - a world where we will all be free like the Founding Fathers intended us to be. You promised you’ll be here for us, fighting for freedom all the way, rain or shine.

Honorable and estimable Directors! Today, you lobby for a lawsuit protection bill - claiming that without it the gun industry would be ruined. Seeing as how the lawsuit strategy of te anti-gun crowd has so far had few if any results, this might or might not be true - but you totally ignore the Second Amendment Protection Act, lingering away in committee - headed by a Congressman that is rated A by both the Association and your "extremist" competitors at the GOA. Yet you tell us that there is no way that the NRA - with all the power you boasted and the promises you made - can dislodge that bill one inch.

I want you to think of all the promises you made. All the times you spoke about responsibility. About honesty. About freedom. And tell me, will you be able to look in the mirror tomorrow morning, knowing all you said was just a sick, twisted lie? Or maybe it really was what it sounded like - a promise?

Keep your promise. Support HR-1703.

[The NRA can be contacted by phone: 800-392-8683
or via this page: https://secure.nraila.org/Contact.aspx]

The Last Gun Shop Update

They're still fighting for their lives...if anybody cares...

The Heirs of Liberty

"With nearly all the votes counted tonight, Philadelphians endorsed by a ratio of 4-1 a charter change that asks the state legislature and governor to let the city draft its own laws 'to prevent and reduce gun violence.'"

The Philadelphia electorate collectively merits a WarOnGuns "Eloi Award."

Welcome to the "City of Brotherly Love," home of Independence Hall: A UN World Heritage Site.

Remembering Norman

[From "Firearms Coalition"--click on "Latest Alerts" in left-hand frame, then select "Gun Rights Alert - 2nd Not Individual Right"]

Remember the Name "Norman Mordue."

I can't decide if I'd rather see it live in infamy or perish in obscurity.

I guess I'd want future generations to know who the traitors of early 21st Century America were--especially the ones who made peaceful redress by those earnestly seeking Constitutional adherance impossible.

You can't take it back, Norman. Your place in history is secure.

An Honest Man

Ian Hamet has guts and integrity:

"IMPORTANT UPDATE! Commenter Dave Cordea [sic] is absolutely correct, this idea is original to J. Neil Schulman, and I utterly forgot it. I must have read his piece in his book Stopping Power some eight or nine years ago. Here I am basking in plagiarized glory without even knowing it. :$ As pennance, Neil may direct me to write a post on a topic of his choosing, of up to 2,000 words, if he ever comes across this. Also, you all should read his first two books. Alongside Night is a roaring good time, and The Rainbow Cadenza gives serious, sobering thought to the phrase “make love, not war”. In fact, it should be translated into Chinese and published here in China, given demographic trends these days.

"So this great, brilliant, original piece that everyone loved? Not mine. Sorry."

Thank you, Mr. Hamet, for setting the record straight on this.

If You Have a Prudential Policy or Account, Cancel It

Follow-up to "Open Letter to Toyota":

The Prudential Spirit of Community Award

"What can a young volunteer do? There are literally millions of opportunities to make an important difference in the lives of others. Following are more than 300 specific projects that have actually been carried out over the past several years by young people who have won Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Perhaps their activities will give you some ideas as to what you can do in your own neighborhood or town to help make life better for someone else.

"Promote Health and Safety

"Theodoros and Nikolaos Milonopoulos of Studio City, Calif. conducted a kids' petition campaign to ban the sale of gun bullets in Los Angeles."

Can't just sell insurance or financial services, can they?

If you do business with Prudential or Toyota, you are helping fund the undermining of the Republic as envisioned by the Founders.

Every Blade of Grass--An Open Letter to Toyota Management

In re: “Toyota Awards $1.12 Million in Scholarships to 100 High School Seniors” (PR Newswire)

“Theodoros Milonopoulos, a Toyota Community Scholar residing in Los Angeles, is a prime example of the dedication to community service exhibited by this year's class. Through his leadership and effort in the area of gun control, the City of Los Angeles banned .50 caliber sniper rifles, plus reauthorized the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. Also, this Scholar - along with the Los Angeles Police Department - organized a rally where 2,000 crime guns were melted down.

“Consequently, Milonopoulos, like many of the Scholars, found community service to be the roadmap to what he wants to do in the future. ‘I plan to become a lawyer after studying constitutional law. It is my dream to serve in Congress so that I can continue to be the voice for our nation's youth.’"

Congratulations, idiots. You just lost all future business from me and every gun owner reading this who cares about the Second Amendment.

Perhaps you think America is ripe for Japanese-style gun control.

You are outrageously mistaken.

As Admiral Yamamoto is reputed to have said, “You cannot invade America. There is a rifle behind every blade of grass.”

It’s going to stay that way—no matter what subversion blossoming tyrant wannabes like foolish little Theo and his enablers, like you, dream up.

You couldn’t just sell cars and trucks, and not tamper with sacred institutions in your host country? You had to go and make an enemy of men like me?

I’ve seen what happens when Japan succeeds in disarming its victims. I note the Japanese government still hasn’t apologized to the people of China for the Rape of Nanking. It looks like Japan is none too popular there right now.

I’m going to do what I can to make sure Toyota Motor Sales, USA, is none too popular here.

You can do one of two things:

1. Fire the idiots responsible for awarding Theo his grant and apologize to American gun owners, or
2. follow Mr. Garrison’s advice.

[Thanks to Say Uncle for the tip on this.]

Newsweek Has Killed More People than My Gun AND Teddy Kennedy's Car

10/05/15 UPDATE: This post is from 2005, so the internal links no longer work. Here's a relevant link that still does.

-----

Doc Brown at Right Justified refers us to a Reuters story on how incompetent and irresponsible reporting at Newsweek resulted in Muslim riots, leaving 16 dead and 100 injured.

Newsweek, of course, is a leading shill for the citizen disarmament crowd.

John Lott, in “Media Bias Against Guns” tells us:

“The 1999 special issue of Newsweek entitled ‘America Under the Gun’ provided over 15,000 words and numerous graphics on the topic of gun ownership, but not one mention of self-defense with a firearm. Under the heading ‘America's Weapons of Choice,’ the table captions were: ‘Top firearms traced to crimes, 1998’; ‘Firearm deaths per 100,000 people’; and ‘Percent of homicides using firearms.’ There was nothing at all on ‘Top firearms used in self-defense’ or ‘Rapes, homicides, and other crimes averted with firearms.’ The magazine's graphic, gut-wrenching pictures all showed people who had been wounded by guns. No images were offered of people who had used guns to save lives or prevent injuries.”

Per NRA, Newsweek is one of the “publications and media outlets [that] have assisted in the attack on Second Amendment rights. The editorial policies of some of the media sources listed portray firearms in a negative manner in an attempt to generate public support for restrictions on firearms ownership.”

Forget the title of this article.

How about “Newsweek Has Killed More People than Ted Bundy”?

Or “Newsweek Has Killed More People than the Manson Family”?

Guess What I'M Reading?

A STADIUM MASSACRE LEADS TO THE BANNING OF ALL SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLES. BUT WHO REALLY FIRED THE FATAL SHOTS, AND WHY?

I wish author Matthew Bracken hadn’t sent it to me. I’m working 7 days a week on my real job, many of those days over 12 hours. I’m up every morning early to post to this blog. I have the magazine deadline to worry about. A wife and two kids need my attention. The lawn doesn’t do itself.

And now I’m addicted to a massive page-turner.

I’m halfway through.

I can’t wait to get back.

There are free preview chapters you can check out online. Then do yourself a favor and BUY THIS BOOK.

I’ll be writing more about this later in my copious free time.

It’s really, really good.

NRA Filibusted

“The NRA has made no statement for or against the ‘nuclear option’. It has tried to please conservatives by posting news updates that are exclusively anti-filibuster and have posted no reference to conservative groups or authors that oppose the change in filibuster rules. The NRA has tried to salve Democrats by pointing out that they have not come out in support of any filibuster rule change.”

Typical Fairfax straddling and equivocation to protect their precious access above all else. John J. Cahill’s conclusion is that we members "should be proud" of this.

Sorry, Mr. Cahill—been down this road of avoidance and plausible deniability before. I don’t respect it in men and I don’t respect it in groups.

Wish I'D Said That

"Well, there ya go. Victims are always right, after all. Suffering a tragedy bestows infallibility upon the victim – a kind of karmic reward for having lost something.

"Which is why it makes so much sense to base law and policy on the hysterical ravings of angry, freaked-out victims. They and they alone possess the clarity of thought and the kind of wise, sober, carefully crafted ideas that make for good policy."

From Say Uncle via Drug War Rant, credited to Independent Worm at Hit and Run.

Federal Glass Control?

Why not? They issue mandates on toilet tanks.

Anyway, I was listening to the radio in my car yesterday, and the "news" had a story on about the recent "spate" of SoCal freeway shootings.

It seems the herbivores are getting spooked, and those with means are looking at ways to improve their chances in such an encounter. Inquiries to a local "bullet proof glass" installer have increased enough to where the station considered it worth interviewing the guy.

I didn't catch all the details, but the gist of his quote was you couldn't buy and install such glass without a federal permit.

That should come as news to Bulldog Direct Protective Systems Inc., "your 'One Stop Source' for Bullet Resistant Products for the Home, Office, or Vehicle."

According to their FAQ:

"Purchasing and Installing Bullet Resistant Glass Systems in the USA is perfectly legal. No Police or government permit is required. We do suggest contacting your local building / fire inspector with regards to building codes, inspections or / permits needed."

So what gives?

Is the news wrong or spreading disinformation?

Has some new "Homeland Security" edict come into play that Bulldog doesn't seem to know about?

I do know there are edicts regarding body armor.

Welcome to the Land of the Second Amendment--where you not only can't possess the means to actively defend yourself in many locales, but the means to passively protect yourself are also denied

Another Wal-Mart Capitulation

“Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said yesterday that it made a 'terrible' mistake in approving a recent newspaper advertisement that equated a proposed Arizona zoning ordinance with Nazi book-burning.

“The full-page advertisement included a 1933 photo of people throwing books on a pyre at Berlin's Opernplatz. It was run as part of a campaign against a Flagstaff ballot proposal that would restrict Wal-Mart from expanding a local store to include a grocery.

“The accompanying text read ‘Should we let government tell us what we can read? Of course not . . . So why should we allow local government to limit where we shop?’”

“[T]he company will also issue a letter of apology to the Arizona Anti-Defamation League.”

"’It's not the imagery itself. It trivializes the Nazis and what they did. And to try to attach that imagery to a municipal election goes beyond distasteful,’ said Bill Straus, Arizona regional director for the ADL.”

Too bad. Wal-Mart had it right the first time. They should tell the punks at the ADL to check their history and then go to Hell. It always starts with controls and bans and regulations, and no one having the guts to call it naked tyranny.

Let ‘em get away with the smaller outrages (and since when are property rights “trivial”?), let ‘em amass more and more power, and pretty soon you have rulers who know that the way to increase their power is to control and oppress.

ADL, of course, is virulently anti-gun.

Which makes them tyranny and genocide enablers.

Real ID From "The Blog of M'Gath"

"If even a handful of states refuse to comply, they can place Washington in a very embarrassing position.

"Let's start with New Hampshire."

Real ID Rebellion Blog

Sunni Maravillosa has created a blog to coordinate resistance to the Real ID Act.

Go on over and have a look--and join the rebellion.

Pass it on.

The Real ID Rebellion

Bill St. Clair is angry.

Claire Wolfe advises us all to stay that way.

Back when suppression of political speech under threat of lethal force, I mean, "campaign finance reform" started going after bloggers, the McCain-Feingold Insurrection was born.

Why not The Real ID Rebellion?

Blogswarm, anyone?

"Black Arrow" Available Now

I just got the following reminder from Mountain Media:

A number of blog posters have remarked this week that they intend to buy "The Black Arrow" later, "when it's available."

We'd take it as a favor if you'd remind them that the $24.95 paperback edition of "The Black Arrow" went on sale 27 days ago, on April 15. It *IS* and has been available for immediate shipment for more than a month from Liberty Book Shop, or at $27.95 (postpaid) from Mountain Media, 3172 N. Rainbow Boulevard, Suite 343, Las Vegas, NV 89108. We ship within 24 hours.

The paperback edition of "The Black Arrow" is also in stock and for sale NOW from Amazon.com, though Amazon warns they can take two weeks or more to ship.

Waiting for "The Black Arrow" to show up in your local Border's or Barnes & Noble will be fruitless. The cookie-cutter corporate bookstores refuse (and have always refused, so this has nothing to do with any "sex scenes," or any determination that The Black Arrow "sucks") to stock Vin's books, despite our listing the book in all the proper directories; including proper ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers) and bar codes; sending the bookstopre chains and ALL the national reviewers "bound galley" review copies 90 days early; offering them 50 percent wholesale discounts, and jumping through all their other hoops.

It's about guns and drugs and freedom.

"The Black Arrow" is available now, and will likely never be any more "available." Order now. The collector's numbered, leatherbound first edition is half gone.

-- Mountain Media

Why the leatherbound edition isn't ALL gone is beyond me. Many in the "pro-gun" community talk big but contribute little, and patronize liberty writers even less.

It's a good book. If you haven't read it, you should. It's entertaining, full of adventure. It unfolds like a movie. And it presents ideas that make TPTB uncomfortable as Hell, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

I just got the green light from GUNS Magazine to do a review. I'll post more on that in a few months, when it hits the stands.

America is Dead--Long Live Amerika

Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership weighs in on the implications of the Real ID Act for gun owners.

Create a problem.

People demand relief from the effects of the problem.

Create a solution to further your control of them.

And, oh yeah, make 'em submit or be destroyed.

How very elegant.

Works every time.

You HAVE No Rights

TriggerFinger gives us the rundown on Bach v Pataki.

Another set of black robes rule the Second Amendment doesn't mean what it says.

Keep squeezing.

"Gun Bullies"

There's a new term for ya. Expect to hear it again, and often.

Every gun activist I know thinks people should be perfectly free to make idiotic choices for themselves. All we ask is that you don't try to impose your lack of rationality/desire for control on us.

The side that imposes the armed might of the state, with the ultimatum "Obey or die," feels threatened?

Good--it's about damned time.

Like someone said (paraphrased), "If gun owners are really violent and dangerous, why are you provoking them?"

[Thanks to KABA Newslinks. Say Uncle also adds value to the discussion.]

Will Self-Replicating Machines Engage in Foreplay?

This isn't gun-related, but I think it's a cool subject for speculation:

Rational Review has a link to a science/technology story at The Independent, "Stuff of sci-fi nightmares? An army of robots that reproduce."

This is not a new concept--and its originator, John von Neumann, is not mentioned in the article, let alone acknowledged with the credit he deserves.

"He created the field of cellular automata without computers, constructing the first examples of self-replicating automata with pencil and graph paper. The concept was fleshed out in his posthumous work Theory of Self Reproducing Automata. The term von Neumann machine also refers to self-replicating machines. Von Neumann proved that the most effective way large-scale mining operations such as mining an entire moon or asteroid belt can be accomplished is through the use of self-replicating machines, to take advantage of the exponential growth of such mechanisms."

Naturally, this fostered speculation on what would happen if information being passed on from one machine to its "offspring" somehow became corrupted, and the "mutation" proved advantageous in its environment. Well, you see where this is going...

Project Disarmed Neighborhoods

Project Safe Neighborhoods is training cops to spot people keeping and bearing arms. Even those minding their own business, as well as those who live in areas where the government thinks it has the authority to issue permits--and then doesn't.

From the International Association of Chiefs of Police:

"Courses offered through PSNET and other PSN related trainings:

"Characteristics of Armed Persons

"This session is designed to aid law enforcement officers in identifying persons who are unlawfully carrying concealed firearms. Based on thoughtful conclusions drawn from fundamental, common sense observations, this training will enable officers to make clear observations and distinctions of some of the more common characteristics demonstrated by individuals who carry concealed firearms. The identification of offenders carrying concealed weapons, before the weapons are used, can be essential to the prevention of violent crimes."

And guess who "fully supports" PSN?

"'The NRA and our over four million members fully support the Justice Department's Project Safe Neighborhoods,' said National Rifle Association spokeswoman Kelly Whitley. Whitley said the project, which includes the grant for additional prosecutors, was based on a similar project in Richmond, Va., where violent crime dropped 70 percent in two years."

Kelly, that's simply not true. I'm an NRA Life Member. I don't support this unconstitutional outrage.

And funny thing about Richmond: Their murder rate is climbing while national numbers decline.

"The project also is popular with gun control proponents."

What, the LaPierre Center to Prevent Gun Violence, formerly National Rifle Control, Inc., isn't considered one?

Guess who else is on the PSN bandwagon?

"'We think that Project Safe Neighborhoods is a step in the right direction,' said Amy Stilwell, spokeswoman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence."

See that, NRA management? "A step." As in the journey isn't completed.

Note to the Fairfax suits. Gun control doesn't work. You really ought to have faith in your own findings.

That is, assuming you're not just talking out of both sides of your mouth.

Again.

"It is Better to Remain Silent and Be Thought a Fool…

...than open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

Somebody ought to let Calvin Floyd in on that.

“If scientists can send a radio signal to a robot on Mars or on a moon of a more distant planet to order its movement,” he asks, “then why don't we require small-arms and rifle manufacturers to install chips right into the grips and stocks of weapons that will radiate a detectable signal?”

Because it’s a monumentally stupid idea, Calvin. But I’m sure the politicians and cud chewers will love it.

[Use BugMeNot to bypass site registration. Thanks to KABA Newslinks.]

Why Not Just Let the Burglars Select Our Watchdogs?

"Chris Simcox, the owner and publisher of Arizona's Tombstone Tumbleweed and a co-founder of the Minuteman Project, says he was denied entry to a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff."

What have we been saying about the government deciding who qualifies to be a journalist?

The New McCarthyism

"Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) today introduced legislation to prevent individuals convicted of felonies in foreign countries from purchasing firearms in the U.S...McCarthy's bill amends current law to state that a person "convicted in any court, including any foreign court, of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year" shall not be able to possess a firearm...McCarthy's bill allows the courts to determine the validity of foreign convictions in disputed cases. 'This clause will protect individuals convicted in courts of questionable jurisdiction or legitimacy,' said McCarthy."

Let's see, China, where selling Bibles will get you a felony conviction, is on our favored nations list, so their jurisdiction must be legitimate.

It seems to me the delegated powers relating to Congress and the courts have already been defined--not that we'd expect the distinguished representative from New York to read the Constitution.

Why are we letting rapists and murderers into the country might be a better issue to address.

[via KABA Newslinks]

Black Arrow Update

Fran Tully at Free West is not pleased with Laissez Faire Books.

Meanwhile, Claire Wolfe leads us to J.D. Tuccille’s review of The Black Arrow.