This Day in History: May 23

It is after midnight on May 23, 1777. The British Redcoats are dug in on the high ground of Sag Harbor. A single shot is heard, coming from the direction of armed vessels in the harbor. The uneasy village residents wake up and listen for a second shot.

At James Howell's Inn on Main Street, commandeered by British officers, Lieutenant Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs and his rebel raiders from Connecticut have just pulled the British commander from his bed and taken him prisoner.

"Apples to Oranges"

Well lets look at that. Did the Sons of Liberty contribute substantially to our freedom? I would argue no. If vandalism could have changed the course of things there would have been no need for that bloody conflict known as The Revolution, now would there? What their activities did do was prompt the British to increase the troop presence in the Colonies. The men at Lexington and Concord weren’t having a rockfight, they were involved in an all out shooting war.

The Sons of Liberty were terrorists. They attempted to use fear and intimidation against the civilian population in order to enforce a trade embargo. And it didn’t work. Armed revolution did.

GoldFalcon has some "caustic commentary" about Mike Vanderboegh's latest post. Knowing Mike, I wouldn't be surprised to see some return causticity...

Oh, look-- I was right.

RKBA: A Human Right

Does a woman have a human right to resist rape or murder? Do people have a human right to resist tyranny? The United Nations Human Rights Council has said “no”—that international law recognizes no human right of self-defense. To the contrary, the Human Rights Council declares that very severe gun control—more restrictive than even the laws of New York City--is a human right.

Dave Kopel, Joanne Eisen and Paul Gallant present a history of international law dealing with the right of self defense, and conclude that it "is a widely-recognized human right which no government and no international body have the authority to abrogate."

[Via Dan Gifford]

We're the Only Ones Taking Care of Business and Working Overtime Enough

This village's police department wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars by paying officers for unnecessary or unauthorized overtime shifts and, possibly, shifts they never worked, according to the mayor's summary of an internal investigation report.

If you ever get annoyed

Look at me I'm self-employed

I love to work at nothing all day

And we be

Only Ones in business every day

Only Ones in business every way

Only Ones in business, it's all mine

Only Ones in business and working overtime

Work out!

[Via Declan]

We're the Only Ones X-Rated Enough

The Tennessee Highway Patrol suspended one of their own after an alleged run-in with a porn star.

He may have just blown his career. Or something.

[Via 45superman]

[More from "The Only Ones" files...]

We're the Only Ones Getting Our Moms Hopping Mad Enough

A state trooper has been charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment after allegedly shooting his mother in the foot during a domestic dispute in Chester County.

Maybe he could get her together with Lee Paige, the Godfather of "The Only Ones," and enter them in a three-legged race...

Walking the Walk

Zach Doty is raising eyebrows by taking the Second Amendment for a walk.

We've been discussing and admiring this young man for a few days now.

This Day in History: May 22

On May 22, 1775, the New Hampshire Provincial Congress voted to raise a volunteer force of 2,000 men to join the patriot army at Boston. These “provincials” were organized into three regiments, each regiment having an official establishment of 648 officers and men in ten companies.

Guest Editorial: Rock 'Em

[FOREWORD: These speculations may make some uncomfortable. Some may deem them irresponsible. That's understandable--we're good and peaceable people, and the thought of actually resisting encroaching tyranny is beyond the experience of most of us. We want to be able to resolve things with words, with reason.

There will also no doubt be those who say this crosses the boundaries of free speech and enters into the realm of inciting crime--they may even deem such words "domestic terrorism." My intent of posting this essay is to illustrate what has been done historically by people we now revere as champions of Liberty--and to illustrate what could happen again if those who just keep pushing with the intent of destroying Freedom don't back off.

Against that background, these speculations could be considered a modest response. Having children, it is my desperate wish--and the reason I have devoted much of my life to fighting the tyranny of gun control--that reason will prevail. It's why I try to rally people to get involved--so that we become so strong, that the potential for confrontation and conflict diminishes into improbability.

Because of this, I don't endorse Mike's conclusion--and that is possibly because he is a more direct and courageous man than me. Nonetheless, I've never insisted on people agreeing with me, and think it's critically important that people understand such sentiments as expressed herein exist. The cynic in me says my way--getting enough people involved and radicalized to render our enemies impotent--is probably a fool's errand. The idealist in me says I can't stop trying.

So perhaps my timidity is helping to keep the frog in the pot. Or perhaps, enough time is being bought so that when the frog finally jumps, he won't be alone.

Read Mike's latest, and make up your own mind.--DC]

Rock 'Em: The Last Chance to Stop the Amnesty Conspiracy
By Mike Vanderboegh

Rebellion is my theme all day;
I only wish ‘twould come
(As who knows but perhaps it may?)
A little nearer home.

Yon roaring boys, who rave and fight
On t’other side the Atlantic,
I always held them in the right,
But most so when most frantic.

When lawless mobs insult the court,
That man shall be my toast,
If breaking windows be the sport,
Who bravely breaks the most.
-- The Modern Patriot, William Cowper, 1779.


"And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had...and his sling was in his hand; and he drew near to the Philistines."-- 1 Samuel 17:40.

"Hey, I'm a voter. Aren't you supposed to kiss my butt?"

The Amnesty Conspiracy's bipartisan toadies in the United States Senate wish to ring the death knell for the Founder's Republic. As soon as the 20 million illegals who are now here are, presto, change-o, dubbed "American citizens" and their relatives in the millions upon millions are brought north in "compassionate" reuniting grace, you can hang up any thought of a return to the limited government and constitutional rule of law of the Founders.

Are you concerned about gun confiscation? Its a fact of life in Mexico. Big government intrusion on private free enterprise? Can you say PEMEX? Worried about campaign finance and political corruption? The Mexicans have a word for the endemic bribery that characterizes their government: "mordida"-- the bite, and they expect to be bitten by every official at every level. No matter what issue concerns you, the undeniable tidal wave of a deliberately imported third world culture is about to swamp it.

Let's face it, the only reason we've been electorally competitive this long is that the liberals have been murdering the children within their wombs for the past 35 years. Well, they're going to be importing those wombs now to finish the job.

These folks, God bless 'em, are used to nationalized industries, gun control, soldiers walking the streets dispensing their own rough "justice" with machineguns, identity-grievance politics and, above all, the undefeatable evil synergy of crooked politicians and drug lords controlling events. They are used to being ruled by a godless oligarchy of the privileged rich who know what's "best" for them. You know, they're Democrats.

You may ask anyone familiar with Mexican history since 1912 what the rule of law means south of the border. Or, for a modern example closer to home, take a look at some of the seamier La Raza-dominated suburbs of LA. These millions of newly minted citizens will toil upon the Democrat latifundistas' political plantations as indentured servants for the next fifty years and gradually, in the end, the American Republic will be as dead as its Greek and Roman predecessors. If, that is, it doesn't catastrophically collapse in the next decade or so in a welter of racial warfare and Balkan "ethnic cleansing" that will make the former Yugoslavia look like a kindergarten at play. The devil will walk abroad in the land and our children's children's children will curse our folly.

What then shall we do? Both political parties are equally complicit, ignoring the law and their own sworn oaths to the Constitution, not to mention the polls and the plain will of the majority of the American people who wish them to secure the border, enforce immigration laws and jail the employers of illegals. Like Bill Murray in Ghostbusters, we can only plaintively wonder: "Hey, I'm a voter. Aren't you supposed to kiss my butt?"

You can laugh, but make it a bitter laughter. The Amnesty Conspirators are willing to flout the received political wisdom of the way things are supposed to work because they believe they can change the entire equation of political power in this country without consequence to themselves. They believe that we, the voters, will get mad but that we won't get even. They believe that by the time we figure out what happened, it will be too late.

The last whispered hope of the anti-amnesty politicos is that the House will stop the Senate bill. Now, given all that's happened in the past fifteen years, that is a slender reed indeed to pin your children's future on. I have a better idea. It's an old idea, but I believe that its time has come round again.

"If breaking windows be the sport..."

The breaking windows that the English poet Cowper was celebrating were the windows of American Tories, broken by the Sons of Liberty in the run-up to the American Revolution. In Eighteenth Century America, windows were expensive and difficult to replace. It was said you could tell an American colonist's wealth by the size and number of the windows in his house. As most of the high-ranking Tories loyal to the King were rich, their windows became natural targets when the Sons of Liberty wanted to send a message. If the head of the local militia was a Tory, he would be persuaded to resign his commission by breaking his windows. If a Boston merchant refused to join the boycott of British goods, he would have to hire a glazier in the morning. Tax collectors and other crown functionaries shuttered their houses, only have the shutters torn from their hinges by a mob and then have their windows broken. Sounds harsh? The rise of American independence was accompanied by the tune of breaking glass, and we wouldn't be free today without it.

Of course how free we are, and are going to be, is the question, isn't it? Eight years ago I wrote a speculative piece of fiction called "The Window War" about what might happen if gunowners, outraged by one too many laws restricting their natural, God-given and traditional rights, took the Sons of Liberty's methods to heart and hand.

(You can find it at: http://www.keepandbeararms.com/information/XcIBViewItem.asp?ID=1604)

The story circulated to modest approval in the email circles of my fellow gunnies and then dropped into the electronic wastebasket of history. Dropped, that is, until the election crisis of 2000. On the 11th of November of that disputatious year, a fellow named Jeff Head reposted The Window War on the Free Republic website with the notation: "Not advocating anything here. . .just wondering if Mike had thought about a work of fiction called "'Window War II' as it applies to fraudulent elections?" Free Republic was at that time (before its editorial sanitizing in later years by the myrmidons of the Republican National Committee) the premier forum by which conservative activists communicated. Other "Freeper" posters agreed, saying things like "have rocks will travel". The discussion percolated for a few days and then died, until....

"We would not tolerate an illegal government."

Friday November 24 3:11 PM ET
Amid protest, Fla. Counties Plow on With Recount
By Marianne Armshaw and Michael Conner

West Palm Beach, Fla. (Reuters)

Dozens of supporters of Republican George W. Bush protested on Friday against what they called Democrat efforts to "steal" the U.S. Presidential election for Al Gore as Friday's Palm Beach and Broward counties plowed on with reviewing disputed ballots. . .

Unknown persons threw a brick through a window at the Democratic Party's Broward County headquarters late on Thursday or early on Friday when the office was closed, police said. Scrawled on the brick was the message: : "We would not tolerate an illegal government." Plantation, Florida, police were investigating the incident, in which no one was injured.

Within 34 minutes this story was posted on Free Republic with the screaming banner: "The Window War has Begun!" Whether because of the intimidation of the brick or not, the Broward County Dems folded their recount efforts shortly thereafter, and one by one, the rest of the Florida Democratic Party county election officials involved in recounts followed suit over the next several days. Eventually, the Supreme Court settled the issue.

"We have been too law-abiding."

You know, I'd like to think that the fellow who threw that brick had read my piece, but I have no idea. Even if he did, did the brick intimidate the Broward County Dems? Who knows? But I do know this: liberals as a class are cowards. The political/business/racial-identity cabal that makes up the Amnesty Conspiracy are cowards as well. Heck, I know of no American liberals who have been willing to personally suffer, let alone die, for any of their misbegotten beliefs since the early 1960s. They get government to do the heavy lifting for them. They genuflect at its altar and cannot comprehend anyone else who doesn't. And one other thing: they never, ever think that their public actions and pronouncements will have private consequences. And why should they? As I observed in the afterward to "The Window War":

"For sixty years, the liberals have used our respect for the law against us. Each time they moved the line of law to further their agenda, breaking off a bit of the Constitution, we, as law-abiding citizens have backed up grumbling but complying. And why should they stop pushing us back from our God-given liberties? We've never pushed back to stop them. We have been too law-abiding."

"I aim to misbehave."

We are at a crossroads in our history. No one can deny it. If this amnesty passes into law, everything after it will be changed in ways that are surely as preventable as they are foreseeable. The Mandarin class of our "betters" has decided they no longer need to listen to us. How then shall we get their attention? What will it take to change the disastrous future they seek to write for us?

Maybe a Sons of Liberty brick through the window of every Democrat and Republican county headquarters with "Jail illegal employers!" written on one side and "No amnesty!" on the other will work. As a tactic, it does have the advantage of having been successfully employed in the past. Just ask Sam Adams. It is past time to demonstrate to the arrogant political class who believe themselves to be our rulers and not our servants that the Sons of Liberty still live. It is time to get their attention. It is time, in the words the fictional Captain Malcolm Reynolds of the Firefly class space freighter Serenity, to "misbehave." Remember, "behaving" has gotten us to this point. What have we got to lose? More importantly, what will we lose if we don't?

For those of you who would hesitate at vandalism in liberty's cause, perhaps you could deliver the brick to your particular politician's office with the message and the implication. They listened last year when thousands shipped bricks to them to build the wall. Maybe they'll listen if you tell them that this time it's through the door by mail, next time it's through the window by hand. Heck, just print out this essay and wrap the brick in it. They'll get the message.

There are those who say that I should be arrested for simply making the suggestion that deliberate political vandalism in the defense of liberty is no vice. I quote to them, "If this be treason, then make the most of it!" To my American brothers and sisters of all races, religions and creeds, who believe as I do -- to those who believe not in the false collectivist promises of those who would rule us, but in the individual liberty and prosperity of the shining city on a hill that was and is the promise of the Founder's Republic -- I say to you: "ROCK 'EM." Let the Window War begin. It won't take long to get the attention of the cowardly and treasonable Amnesty Conspirators. And when we do, somewhere Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty of old will be smiling.

Mike Vanderboegh
PO Box 926
Pinson, AL 35126
GeorgeMason1776ATaol.com

NOTE: Folks, if you agree with this essay, pass it on. It's the only way the word will spread, for the MSM won't pick it up and most blogs will shun it as well.

Alice Falls Down the Rabbit Hole

Alice said...

You wouldn't get a harsher penalty if you had a decent lawyer which Senator Hinojosa did. Less than 10% of those who accidently attempt to take a handgun through security are prosecuted because of the way the law is written. Sen. Hinojosa is pro-gun and pro-CHL.

Well, gee, Alice. I thought the post concerned itself with elites enjoying privileges and immunities not available to commoners--I'm sure Sen. Hinojosa can afford all kinds of things less fortunate people cannot--but what you appear to be saying is, if you're poor and obscure, and charged with the same crime as a rich, connected man, you're screwed. I didn't realize MORE "equal justice" was a concept worth defending.

Your "pro-gun" champion voted against a measure that would have protected the names of those CHL holders you say he supports from public disclosure.

Then he "championed" registration of all private purchases conducted at gun shows--which would have made private transactions without NICS checks felonies.

This guy might look like a gun rights hero through your looking glass, Alice. Feel free to drop by and spin some more fantasy tales. For instance, I'd love to hear where you get that "less than 10%" prosecution rate from.

What Does the "Immigration Reform" Bill Have to do With Gun Rights?

Jennifer Freeman of Liberty Belles tells us.

Wayne Fincher Update: May 21

To all,

Wayne is doing o.k. The letters that everyone has being sending are having an effect so please, please keep writing letters for personal support for Wayne. Pass it along to everyone you know. Keep Hollis Wayne Fincher alive. The sentencing will be held at the Federal Court House on June 22nd, 2007 at 10:00 A.M. Support is needed at this time. We should not let the court benches be empty on this day. Hollis Wayne Fincher would be in court for you backing you all the way if you we're innocent too. Please send letters to the Judge Larry Jimm Hendren, to Wayne's lawyer Shannon L. Blatt at P.O. Box 1825 Fort Smith, Arkansas 72902-1825 and Hollis Wayne Fincher's mailing address is 801 S. "A" Street Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901

We appreciate all the letters and support that everyone has given. Please keep praying for Wayne as we continue to exhaust every avenue that we can. Please tell everyone you know.

Sincerely,
Connie Fields

[More about Wayne Fincher from WarOnGuns]

Remarkable Young Men

Two home-schooled teenagers in this northern Idaho town say they are carrying loaded guns to the library, grocery store and other public areas for self-defense, as a crime deterrent, and to educate others about their rights.

Zach Doty, 18, carries a loaded Glock handgun on his hip. His 15-year-old brother, Steven, carries a .22-caliber rifle in a sling on his back.

Police have been called on several occasions to question the teens but have not found the teens to be in violation of the law.

No, but they've been systematically harassing them.

And this isn't the first time this family has undergone government harassment because they choose to live as free people. Because he was apprenticing his son--who enjoyed the work--his father had to move the family from Washington state to avoid the child labor law nazis, who would rather see shiftless, effete young men stunted and hypnotized by pointless and indolent self indulgence. They lost their house through draconian fines and liens.

And yet look at the fine young men they have raised, in spite of the collective "wisdom" of the state.

It's obvious the enforcers are intent on continuing their abuse of these young men--so it's up to us to make that more difficult by exposing them to the light.

Here's the original thread from OpenCarry.org that gives the details. Note there is no shortage of handlicking chatroom warriors who would rather find fault with this young man than admit the appropriateness of a sovereign individual acting that way.

More on Zach Doty from WarOnGuns:
A Remarkable Young Man
Zach Doty Update

[Via M1Thumb and ChareltonHest]

Yep, We're Terrorists, Alright

Anti-Government Issues and Beliefs

Gun Control is a conspiracy to enslave us starting with the removal of our ability to either defend ourselves or forcefully change our government.

Pennsylvania joins the effort to define Second Amendment defenders as "terrorists"--providing for those in government who wish us disarmed to declare us "suspects" and deny (legal) gun purchases.

No conspiracy there, nope. What are you, paranoid? Oh, good, because that makes you a nut, and we can deny guns based on that, too.

Hey, as long as we're deemed terrorists, we might as well embrace the role with pride. John Hardin has just the T-shirt for us:



[Via Eric]

This Day in History: May 21

"That the prisoner is guilty of conducting five men to Brunswick; of holding a traiterous correspondence with the enemy, in offering himself as a pilot to General Howe, to conduct the British army from Brunswick to Philadelphia; and also in promising to discover to the enemy to what place the continental stores, from Philadelphia, were removed; and the court found the prisoner guilty of a breach of the nineteenth article of the thirteenth section, and were of opinion that he should suffer death; but, from some circumstances which appeared on his trial, the court think proper to recommend him to the General as an object of mercy."

New War on Guns Poll: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Today's post on Citizens of America is still lingering in my mind--perhaps because so many of us worked so hard on it, and saw it die through lack of support. Perhaps it wasn't the good idea I thought it was, or perhaps those of us behind it didn't have the talent to pull it off.

But there are other options. Depending on your particular set of convictions, there are many choices for gun owners to throw their efforts behind--both with manpower, and of course, with financial support. If you're politically inclined, we have NRA and/or GOA and/or CCRKBA. If you're more into promoting ideas, there are JPFO and/or SAF. And, of course, there are various state and localized efforts.

The blunt and obvious truth: The other side has wealthy benefactors allowing it to prepare slick, "professional" and compelling propaganda to attack our rights--plus the media is overwhelmingly sympathetic to citizen disarmament. We cannot even compete--let alone win-- in the forum of public opinion if we do nothing to counter their arguments and promote our own. And that, like it or not, requires funding--and lots of it.

Go take this week's poll, the results of which I'll discuss next Sunday.

Here are the results of last week's poll (click on image to enlarge):

Welcome to Quik-E-Reporting and Have a Nice Day!

Macpherson, the publisher of Pasadena Now that covers news and current affairs in the southern California town near Los Angeles, is now dealing with both bouquets and brickbats for his decision to hire two reporters in Mumbai and Bangalore to write about city council meetings.

Yeah, absolutely it's his right to hire whatever "authorized journalists" he wants--and a Southern California readership is probably dumb enough to fall for it.

But just so we're clear: a prime purpose of a free press is to be a watchdog over government. If anyone believes foreign mercenaries have a compelling interest to act as members of The Fourth Estate, I've got a bridge for sale--and yet government oversight is exactly where this creature MacPherson wants to assign his contractors. It's also interesting that--under Ohio law, for instance--these hired foreigners would have access to concealed carry permit names, but a "non-professional" citizen gun rights blogger would not.

And it's not exactly like India enjoys unfettered freedom of expression.

We're the Only Ones on "Terrorism-Related Official Business" Enough

Two New York City police officers have resigned after being accused of trying to rob the apartment of a suspected drug dealer in New Jersey, a law enforcement official said yesterday...

[A] Rutherford resident saw one of his neighbors fighting with two men on Friday about 8 a.m. When he asked who the two were, they identified themselves as police officers on terrorism-related “official business.”

He fought with them? You mean he "lifted a finger" and lived?

[Via Declan]

[More from "The Only Ones" files...]

We're the Only Ones Indignant Enough

But he said that his principal goal was to get his old job back and be freed from such indignities as having to carry an identification card stamped “No firearm.”

I'm sure he would also support a non-"Only One" who participated in a group shooting of an unarmed man not having to suffer the same indignity.

And since we're known by the company we keep, look who's in his corner: our old pal Liberty Lynchin' Patrick, aka "Mr. Lift a Finger and Die."

[Via Declan]

We're the Only Ones Benevolent Enough

An off-duty police officer shot and killed a driver in the Bronx late Friday night when the man, who had just crashed into another car, began to pull away after the officer confronted him...

Officer Lora is being represented by lawyers from the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, a police union, a spokesman for the group said, adding that it had no comment on the shooting.

That's OK--we've heard comments from the "Malevolent Association" before:

"We need to make it clear that if someone lifts even a finger against a police officer, their life could be on the line."

Believe it.

[Via Declan]

[More from "The Only Ones" files...]

COA Ads Exhumed

Many thanks to WeAreTheMilitia for rescuing our Citizens of America radios spots from Internet Archive Oblivion.

Although COA no longer exists, I still maintain the concept was valid and needed--the only deficiency was in the fundraising model, as it was dependent on gun owner support.

Perhaps I was overreaching when I wrote:

So Citizens of America will eschew the old appeal directed exclusively to middle-aged white males, the celebrity with the shotgun opened over his shoulder, and instead target their messages to people who might never hunt a dove or shoot a sporting clay. They'll show women that they have the power not to be battered or raped; African-Americans that they have the power not to be enslaved; gays that they have the power not to be bashed; and Jews that they have the power to say "Never again!" and back it up. And they'll be shown how they can assume this power; because the common denominator that makes such victimization possible each and every time it happens is that the predator can rely on his prey being helpless.

Citizens of America aims to change that big time.

Pretty ambitious, huh? Pretty naïve. But then again, there were those in the "gun rights community" with a wide reach who were actively sabotaging us and smearing our efforts every step of the way. And it's not like most gun owners are known for getting behind a call to charge forward.

One big caveat--each ad ends in an appeal for support--as COA no longer exists, ignore that appeal. That shouldn't be too hard, considering it was mostly ignored when it would have made a difference...

Sorry to sound so cynical. I gotta admit, it would be tons easier and make me far fewer enemies to just say "enforce existing gun laws" and start giving out undeserved political approvals--especially since that appears to be what the overwhelming majority of "activist" gun owners want to hear and respond to.

But there are rays of hope, and the reason for this post points to one. Many thanks again to WeAreTheMilitia. It took no small amount of time and effort to create this new archive, and I appreciate the generous support.

Publicola, We Hardly Knew Ye

Publicola is throwing in the towel.

I understand the motivation.

There goes one of our better voices. Keep your fingers crossed that we haven't heard the last from him.

There's a Difference Between Confusion and Ignorance

Some commentators who oppose what they see as unconstitutional limits on gun ownership said they feared gun control advocates would successfully use the Virginia tragedy to bolster their position, especially with Democrats’ new power in Washington. 'We see calls for gun control but we may not see as much empathy for calls for armed self-defense,' said David Codrea, a blogger and a columnist for Guns Magazine.

What confuses me is why these same people that will not budge on the defense of their second amendment rights, seem to be able to sleep through the suspension of habeus corpus included in the Military Commissions Act and the dilution of the Bill of Rights by the PATRIOT Act and continue to support the politicians that recommend, pass, and enact into law such legislation. Of what possible use is a basement full of assault weapons without the right to peaceable assembly or freedom from warrantless searches? Where is their righteous indignation when rights cherished by all Americans are infinged.

You obviously don't know anything about me, or the countless gun owners I identify with who celebrate a "Bill of Rights Culture."

Here's another example of self-imposed ignorance:

It also never seems to occur to these second amendment supporters that it's very difficult to find anyone who has been victimized by someone using a firearm that is equally as adamant in their support for gun-rights.

Really?

Tell that to Suzanna Gratia-Hupp.

Pal, if I were you, I'd shut up and start learning. Right now, you're only making a fool of yourself.

SAC 12

Over at Stan's...

Go see what all the best bloggers are talking about.

This Day in History: May 20

We the Citizens of Mecklenburg County do hereby desolve the political bands which have connected us to the Mother Country & hereby absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British crown & abjure all political connection, contract or association with that nation who have wantonly trampled on our rights & liberties & inhumanely shed the innocent blood of American patriots at Lexington.

So according to the Founders' understanding of Liberty, not only could states secede from a union, but smaller political subdivisions, like counties, could as well. And they could adopt their own laws. And form their own militia defense.

Or at least so the story goes. The first recorded appearance of this declaration was in 1819, and some question its authenticity. Still, it's instructive to note such sentiment was promulgated in the early part of the 19th Century, and might give us a template for trying out here in the early part of the 21st.

I've not weighed in on "the Free State Project" because I admire their goals (albeit I'm not surprised by the infighting between the New Hampshire and Wyoming factions), but I have reservations about how realistic their chances of achieving them are, and hesitate throwing water on the efforts of people who are walking the walk. It would be affirming to see if their objectives are achievable on a smaller scale--perhaps within one of those factions, a "Free County Project" might yield some interesting potentials.

We're the Only Ones Showering Young Girls With Attention Enough

White admitted setting up a video recorder in a bathroom and filming the two girls aged nine and fourteen while they were having a shower.

What is it today about "Only Ones" and recorders...?

We're the Only Ones Spoiling the Mood Enough

Naked dancing. A dead dog. A police officer with an eye for detail and a can of Mace.

As long as we're on the subject of taping police encounters, here's a little cautionary tale for all you married lovers in your own home out there...

[More from "The Only Ones" files...]

4 of 5 Demand to be Disarmed

In the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, Hudson County residents say they strongly support more stringent gun laws, according to a recent Jersey Journal/New Jersey City University poll.

Pretty meaningless, if you consider that those wanting more probably don't have a clue as to what exists now, or know much about firearms in general and the arguments supporting an armed populace.

I'll bet if you polled people 500 years ago, an even higher percentage would insist the Earth is flat and the center of the universe.

Every time I hear our president or some other politician extol "democracy," I shake my head.

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

POLICE have defended their actions after two teenagers from North Yorkshire sparked a massive armed response - by wearing Wild West fancy dress and carrying a toy pistol.

Yup--shore look like a couple o' desperadoes t'me.

Sounds Like They Need "Gun Control"

An outbreak of violent crime this week has triggered soul-searching and outrage in Japan, a country that has long prided itself on its safe streets and tight communal bonds.

OK, what law do you pass now?

[Via John Schaefer]

We're the Only Ones Self-Protecting Enough

Waugh said courthouse patrons were lucky that day, and he can't believe that 20 years later, there's still no routine screening for weapons.

Some employees, including Assistant Pottawattamie County Attorney Jon Jacobmeier, have decided to provide their own protection.

"The way I see it, I got three young kids," Jacobmeier said. "If someone's going to try to make them fatherless and kill me, which I assume is going to happen one of these days, I'm going to be ready for him."

Jacobmeier said he carries a Glock semiautomatic handgun. His boss, County Attorney Matt Wilber, also packs a pistol.

Let me get this straight--you get to carry but you want me screened for weapons, simply because we have different jobs (mine not dependent on what government can extort from the productive sector by threat of force)?

Hey, I've got kids. How do you think I feel if someone tries to "make them fatherless" ? But then again, I forget my place. After all, I'm not an "Only One," am I?

[Via JOEMERCHANT24]

Rudy Collector Cards

Here's an ingenious and funny idea from OperationRino.com.

Collect 'em all!

[Via Andre Campos]

Open Carry Recorder Bleg

I got the following email the other day:

In a roundabout way (from OpenCarry.org and the story of Zach Doty) I became aware of your website.

I have had my own open carry experiences, though not as extensive as his, and during them I always wondered "What if a citizen or LEO chose tell a tale about the manner in which I was conducting myself?"

Off and on I have looked for a portable video recording device, but have never found anything satisfactory.

I wonder if you would put out a request to your readership for their input?

My reply:

Need to know:
1. Is it legal to tape officer encounters where you live?
2. Are you talking open or covert CAMERA carry?
3. How much are you willing to spend?

His response:

1) I live in Ohio. If it is legal for them to tape me during an encounter, I don't see why not. I'm not worried about it at the moment.

2) Either one, but it must be video. I had hoped to find a tapeless (record to memory chips) model, but nothing I have found would quite work.

3) $200-300, maybe a little more.

I found some stuff that ought to do the trick, but it more than doubles his price range because the camera and recorder are separate components--also note I have no experience with these devices or the people offering them--this is just the most relevant hit from a brief keyword search.

Mini-recorder
Button camera
Hat camera

While I consider all public police interactions with citizens to be...uh...public, with no expectation of privacy on the part of the interrogator, I have found those with badges and guns who were not impressed with my belief system. Know your state laws--it may be illegal even if done openly--even thought they can record us--even covertly--with impunity. "The Only Ones" and all that, y'know. I once had a police sergeant threaten to arrest me for recording our encounter using an out-in-the-open micro cassette recorder. If they end up searching you and find a hidden recorder, it's possible charges could be filed.

So that's the set-up. If anyone has anything to contribute, either about hardware and prices my correspondent might want to look at, or about the general subject of recording law enforcement encounters, please add your comments to this post.

No One Needs a Rubber Rifle to Hunt Deer

It turns out the Goshen man in his 20s, whom police didn’t identify, is on leave from the Army Rangers and was training for his physical fitness test. The “rifle” was made of rubber...

Before starting his cross-town jog, the man called Goshen Town Police and told them what he would be doing, Jakubczyk said. But once he crossed into Blooming Grove, the calls started coming in and police had no answers for frightened residents.

Notice how the fact that he at no time ever threatened anyone even factored into the reactions. I'd say the Pavlovian hysteria conditioning is working...

[Via Declan]

This Day in History: May 19

Twas on a May day of the far old year
Seventeen hundred eighty, that there fell
Over the bloom and sweet life of the spring,
Over the fresh earth and the heaven of noon,
A horror of great darkness...

Dial 911 and...uh...Hello...?

Police Chief Joe Leonardi said dispatchers first reported a problem the morning of May 2, after discovering that emergency calls from Verizon customers had been rolling over to a 10-digit Police Department line.
Sword Medical

But later that day, city officials say the 911 system failed completely, leaving them to question how many callers couldn't get through.

And it's not like it would do you any good in a self defense situation even if you could get through...

(Give the above link a while to load--it's our first Citizens of America radio spot, obtained from the Wayback Machine Internet Archive. I need to figure out a way to get them stored on this site--that doesn't appear to be a Blogger feature.)

Brady's Consult "Expert" to Fight Guns on Campuses

The Brady Campaign has published a new report geared toward swaying the uninformed and fearful among us to maintain our nation's schools as Harris/Klebold/Cho Empowerment Zones.

They list all kinds of sources for their conclusions, including one that hasn't gotten much attention outside of a humble blog frequented by a handful of gun rights activists:



Thanks, Wayne. Nothing like giving aid, comfort and ammunition to our enemies.

At what point are you going to admit you were wrong and repudiate this absurd and inexcusable position.

We're the Only Ones Indicted Enough

In delayed reports, suspended Lockney Justice of the Peace and Municipal Court Judge Michelle Aruajo remains free on bond after being indicted May 8 on felony counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for the alleged March 10 shooting of her husband, Romeo Aruajo, who is recovering from four bullet wounds to the abdomen stemming from an apparent marital dispute.

Yeah, I'm sure you and I would be free on bond.

It looks like her attorney, Terry McEachern, is a piece of work himself:
Judge Finds McEachern Guilty of DWI

This really is unfolding like a small town soap opera.

[More from "The Only Ones" files...]

We Need Common Sense Gavin Newsom Control

“Enough is enough,” said Newsom in the city’s Bayview district. “We need common sense gun control.”

And what is "common sense" to a creature who makes no secret of his evil desire to disarm everyone but his enforcers?

Remember--this is the creature who decides for himself which laws to publicly flout--and unleashes a criminal investigation on those who ask if they can do the same and disregard laws they don't like.

This is the creep who uses girls half his age, providing for their underage drinking. And while we're on that subject, this is the substance abusing loser who can't control his own behavior, which may explain why he wants to control everyone else's.

This is the exhibitionist pervert who fellates microphones in public.

This is the subversive who has declared SF a "sanctuary" for immigration lawbreakers.

Thing is, Gavin, you think you're on the winning side. It ain't over yet, pal. The day may yet come when the investigation focuses on you.

[Via Vinnie]

Knife Rights at Blade Show

Doug Ritter has posted the new Knife Rights News Slice .

They'll have a booth at the Blade Show from June 8 to June 10, 2007 at the Cobb Galleria Centre and Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. That Saturday, at 10:00 AM, Blade Magazine will be sponsoring a panel discussion: "How to Protect Your Knife Rights."

Baltimore Proposes Unmasking Tyranny

Under Curran's plan, the mayor could declare "public safety act zones," which would allow police to close liquor stores and bars, limit the number of people on city sidewalks, and halt traffic during two-week intervals.

Police would be encouraged to aggressively stop and frisk individuals in those zones to search for weapons and drugs.

And remember: "They" hate us because we're free.

[Via John Schaefer]

This Day in History: May 18

Therefore, my lords, whatever has been done by the Americans, I must deem the mere consequence of our unjust demands. They have come to you with fair arguments, - you have refused to hear them: they make the most respectful remonstrances, - you answer them will bills of pains and penalties: they know they ought to be free, - you tell them they shall be slaves. Is it then a wonder, if they say in despair, ‘for the short remainder of our lives we will be free?’ Is there one among your lordships, who in a situation similar to that which I have described, would not resolve the same? If there should be such a one, I am sure he ought not to be here.

Is Wayne LaPierre Coming Around?

If that's the case (and we all know it is), then why shouldn't we also be having a discussion about trained adults legally carrying concealed firearms for their own protection and the protection of others? Texas Governor Rick Perry's willing to have that discussion. Why isn't the nation's attorney general?

The same question might be asked of you, Mr. LaPierre--why has NRA avoided DEMANDING full recognition of the Second Amendment on our nation's campuses, and, in fact, adopted the Brady position? And are you limiting the "discussion" to universities, or are you now also considering changing your inexcusable position on banning guns at primary education facilities?

[Via Alan]

Zach Doty Update

We posted about this case yesterday. Scroll down to posts by NarrowPathPilgrim:

Chief of Police called just as I was getting ready to leave the attorney's office. He indicated that the video tapes were ready to pick up, but that they wouldn't have any audio. I asked why the tapes had no audio and he said that the officers had wireless microphones transmitting on the same frequency which canceled each other out.

As contributor ChareltonHest wrote: "Uh-huh."

Plus, it looks like he and his brother were harassed and detained again.

We're the Only Ones Innocent Enough

"He's pleading not guilty because he is not guilty," Peter Hickey said after the hearing. "And we expect at the end, the conclusion of the trial, that that's what the outcome will be."

...Videotape from a surveillance camera in the tavern shows a man police say is the 250-pound Abbate punching, beating and throwing the 115-pound Obrycka to the floor.

Hickey may be right. A little bribing and threatening can go a long way in Chicago, especially by "The Only Ones"--and all you need to turn is one juror.

[Via Paul Grant]

Somos Los Unicos

The Santa Fe Police Department is considering the possibility of recruiting Mexican nationals to fill vacant police jobs.

Yep, can you see someone who isn't even a citizen arresting a patriot on American soil for keeping and bearing arms?

Hell, why not just cut to the chase and outsource our policing to the Blue Helmets? I'm sure they could do it a lot cheaper, and that's what everybody in power says it's all about...

[Más de “Los Unicos” archiva…]

BATFU Introduces Bubble-Head Protective Gear

Good grief. Leave it to BATFU to show up for a raid with such style.

That isn't Ms. Gailey, is it?

[Via 45superman]

WARNING!

There are reports of "outrage" over some scumbag kid who created a Virginia Tech video game. You can go ahead and read the story I linked to, but I just want to let everyone know that while finding the actual site where the game is is not all that hard, my protection sw shows a problem:


A white checkmark in a green circle is "safe." A white "X" in a red circle is a warning.

What, you expected disgusting creatures who think something like this is funny to be clean?

You Are Here

1894C calls our attention to two graphics expressing a similar theme.

Well done. A picture can, indeed, be worth a thousand words.

"Let's Get the Record Straight"

On Gun Control
Mitt Romney supports the strict enforcement of gun laws. He is a supporter of the federal assault weapons ban. Mitt also believes in the rights of those who hunt to responsibly own and use firearms.

Compare that to his "position" today:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney conceded he had signed legislation banning assault weapons but said, “Let's get the record straight.” He said he is a supporter of the rights of gun owners under the Second Amendment.

Frequent WarOnGuns contributor 1894C says "I'm raising the BS flag on that one!"

As well he should.

When it Comes to Gun Confiscation, All is Nothing.

"Son, let me explain something to you. You don't poke a wolverine with a sharp stick unless you want your balls ripped off." -- Grandpa Vanderboegh's Rule of Life #32.

Mike Vanderboegh gives a gun confiscation enthusiast a lesson in thinking things through to their logical consequences.

This Day in History: May 17

At Piscataway, the British 42nd, 71st, and 33rd regiments raided Bonhamtown and Piscataway. The British described American casualties as 67 killed and 130 wounded; their losses were placed at 2 killed, 16 wounded, and 12 captured. (May 17, 1777)

Parker and "the Final Word"

I'm sure there will be all kinds of kudos for this being a great promotional piece for 2A. I was with you until this line, Mr. Levy:

The U.S. Supreme Court is, and rightly should be, the final word on that question.

What, just like they were "the final word" at one time about slaves not having the rights of free citizens?

Anybody who thinks a pronouncement from any branch of government declaring we have no right as individuals to keep and bear arms will be "the final word," and that we'll all then go gentle into that good night, lives in a pretty sheltered world and hasn't really been paying attention to what the soul of this movement is all about.

There will be no "final word" denying our rights, nor any more "final solutions" while some of us yet breathe.

[Via Dan Gifford]

Eli's Coming, Hide Your Heart Girl

Trocka claims in a federal lawsuit that Trooper Nicole Eli, the district's school resource officer, grabbed her by the coat, pushed her back into her car and shook her repeatedly without cause.

The suit said that Trocka bruised her back on the steering wheel and has suffered sleeplessness and emotional distress because of the incident.

Via Declan, who says "The poor women must have thought she was back in Poland under the old commie regime."

Citizen Comments on Virginia Tech

From Declan:

David, I watched the opening session of the Virginia Tech Review Panel, and it opened with comments from Gov. Kaine and Vir. Tech President Charles Steger. This doesn't look good for gun owners. The Governor asked the panel to look at all aspects of the shooting and the subsequent response by the college and State, he made no mention of VT's ban on concealed carry. Steger spoke briefly and about how vast the campus was and the huge task of protecting VT's staff and students, again no mention of the college ban on concealed carry. He was then given an incomprehensibly gushing kudos from the panel chairman, how objective could anyone on the panel be after hearing that?

Maybe you could let your readers know about this site and ask them to post their comments there.

UPDATE--Here are my comments:

Why don’t you consider the fact that Virginia Tech policy prohibits firearms on campus—even for concealed weapon permit holders—important enough to discuss?

Why do I watch and listen in vain to find any reference to a bill that never made it out of committee that would have changed that? Why did Virginia Tech Associate VP of University Relations Larry Hincken say the death of the bill that would have allowed adult students and faculty the means to defend themselves made him “happy”?

Why did Hincken pen an editorial reply on The Roanoake Times ridiculing the concept of peaceable people keeping and bearing arms on campus?

Why are these hearings silent on these matters?

We all know the only thing that stopped Cho was a bullet. That no one was able to stop him sooner is on your consciences, or should be.

More Deep-Seated Conviction from the "Gun Lobby"

Feldman discusses a careening life that transformed him from gun control supporter to lobbyist for the National Rifle Association and at least part of the way back again.

Reminds me of another such creature, our old pal Judas Bob.

It illustrates the danger of making professional men your representatives rather than principled ones.

There's a word for people who give you the love if you give them enough money...

[Via Paul Grant]

"Supported by the Likes of..."

It is supported by the likes of Chuck Schumer, Ted Kennedy, Dick Durbin, John Conyers and NRA board member Larry Craig.

Does that make them an "ilk"?

Why is it NRA is tripping all over themselves to support streamlining the ability of the state to restrict gun purchases, but mention keeping and bearing arms on campus and we get this "it's not time/we don't want to exploit tragedy" BS?

We all know what the only thing that stopped Cho was--a bullet. The real outrage is that one didn't stop him sooner. And the likes of Larry Craig are intent on keeping it that way.

[Via M. Terry]

Home Invasion for Dummies

Armed officers burst into the house, shouted at the owner to lie on the floor, and ordered him to surrender his weapon.

But efficiency turned to embarrassment when the "gunman" turned out to be a life-sized model of the video game character Lara Croft, complete with trademark outsized pistols.

Well, at least they kept Angelina Jolie's kids from seeing it.

[Via 45superman]

A Remarkable Young Man...

There's hope.

[Via Charelton Hest]

"A Good First Step"

“We’re supportive of the concept that those adjudicated as mentally defective should not be able to purchase a firearm,” said NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam.

A spokesman for the Brady Campaign, a gun-control group, said that the bill was a “good first step.”

See that, Andrew? After decades of gun control, these liars are calling this bill a "good first step." And they'll say the same about the next bill, and the one after that.

Some of us have been warning about this particular subterfuge for years:

They’ll propose further restrictions under the bald-faced pretense that it’s "a good first step." They won’t tell you that there are already over 20,000 gun laws on the books at the federal, state and municipal level that are consistently ignored by all but the law-abiding.

"A good first step…" the clueless segment of our victim pool populace will drone back at the proposal of law number 20,001.

"One helluva good first step– keep ‘em coming!" agree illegally armed criminal predators, emboldened with each new law that renders their prey increasingly vulnerable…

You can never give them enough, Andrew. You can't dance with the devil or placate this enemy.

That is, assuming you consider them the enemy.

[Via Charelton Hest]

This Day in History: May 16

Our battalions for the Continental service were some time ago so far filled as rendered the recommendation of a draught from the militia hardly requisite, and the more so as in this country it ever was the most unpopular and impracticable thing that could be attempted. Our people even under the monarchical government had learnt to consider it as the last of all oppressions.

Guest Editorial: NRA Ratings Sham in Georgia

By Matt Knighten

I have sent you emails a couple of times in the past about NRA ratings in Georgia that are similarly confusing as that of Bill Brown's own rating.

Well I don't think I have updated you on the latest ordeal with the NRA and Georgia legislation.

Georgiacarry.org (link already on your website) had been pushing a bill called HB 89 that would allow a person not ineligible for a carry license to be able to carry a firearm anywhere in a car without a license (our thinking being if you left your license elsewhere or left your firearm in the car with a unlicensed family member driving, that it would not be illegal). Our current law makes it illegal unless an unlicensed person puts it in a glovebox, console, or open to view (licensed people can carry anywhere in the car).

HB 89 had already passed the House Committee, Full House and Senate Committee (GCO showed up to and spoke at all public meetings, no other pro-gun showed up for any), all that was waiting was a vote by the Senate which we expected it to pass by a good margin.

The NRA had its own bills (2 identical, one for the house HB 143, the other in the senate SB 43). Basically they both were to prohibit certain employers from prohibiting employees from lawfully carrying and possessing firearms in locked motor vehicles; to provide for immunity for employers who allow employees to possess firearms in locked vehicles on the premises of such employer.

They both were strongly opposed by Georgia Chamber of Commerce and other similar powerful lobby groups (GCO was not opposed or in support of it as our membership had mixed feelings). As the crossover day approached, the NRA pushed hard for passage. It failed. Only our bill HB 89 was passed before crossover day and could continue. So the only way for the NRA to get their bill back in the running was to tack it on to HB 89.

So without asking the author of the bill or GCO (its only defender in the house and senate), the NRA got HB 89 pulled from the calendar and amended it. HB 89 went from near certain passage to near certain failure.

So we started asking Senators to make sure the amendment was not officially added (full vote needed) and leave HB 89 as it originally was.

The NRA got wind of what we were doing and they released a threat (published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution "Political Insider" column) that said if anyone voted against adding the amendment or the bill itself, would be given an F. We contacted NRA's rep and said that they were killing HB 89 with their threats. The threat remained, so support for HB 89 dried up.

It almost came to a vote, then the Virginia Tech shootings happened and so they had an excuse to bury the bill with the amendment and not incur the wrath of the NRA.

So thanks to the NRA help and threats, instead of getting one pro-gun bill passed in Georgia, we get none.

The absurdity is, without the unfortunate deaths at VT giving legislators an excuse, the NRA would probably have given the original author of HB 89 as well as many others a F.

Anyway, just thought you would like to know.

Matt Knighten
Owner GeorgiaPacking.org
Secretary and member of the Board of GeorgiaCarry.org

PS - We have now learned that an 800 lb gorilla is great if it does what you want, however there are times when all it ends up doing is smashing your own hard work to bits.

We're the Only Ones "Deep Pockets" Enough

The family of a teenager who was accidentally killed by his best friend is suing a Martin County deputy whose handgun was stolen and used in the shooting.

This is an interesting set of circumstances--everyone mentioned in this story is in the wrong.

[More from "The Only Ones" files...]

Prosecute This Criminal Now!

The man was walking with a beagle along Flint Hill Road in Bedford County, carrying a bag of dog food and an unloaded .22-caliber rifle, when he stopped and sat in a ditch near school property, authorities said Monday.

If they determine he set one foot on school property, I know at least one guy who wants to see him prosecuted to the full extent of the law:

[W]e believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools. That means no guns in America's schools, period ... with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel.

Isn't that right, Wayne?

Onward Christian Soldier

In July 1993, Charl, relying on his faith and a .38 caliber special revolver, caused a gang of terrorists to flee a church in Cape Town in what became known as the St. James Massacre. The terrorists were part of the Azanian People’s Liberation Army, the military wing of the Pan African Congress, a Marxist-Leninist group.

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!

An Open and Shut Case

Police shut down a building at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Monday after a faculty member reported seeing someone carrying in what looked like a gun case.

A case?

A freaking case?

This is certifiable.

Besides, what kind of scofflaw would violate this?

Hartford Passes Criminal Immunity Law

The Hartford city council passed an ordinance Monday allowing the city to sue gun owners if they fail to report their weapon lost or stolen and the gun is used in a crime in Hartford.

With gun violence plaguing city streets, Mayor Eddie A. Perez and members of the council decided they could not wait for legislation pending at the General Assembly to help control the problem.

I don't know why not--it's not like they can require "prohibited persons" to report guns lost or stolen from them--since they're not allowed to have guns and can't legally own them, being forced to report that they'd had one in their possession would violate their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

I posted a comment over at The Courant and hope others join me.

No One Needs a Claw Hammer to Hunt Deer

When will we finally enact reasonable tool control?

Yuri Orlov hammers away at some absurd assumptions and nails them to the wall.

This Day in History: May 15

PREAMBLE AND RESOLUTION OF THE VIRGINIA CONVENTION, MAY 15, 1776, INSTRUCTING THE VIRGINIA DELEGATES IN THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS TO " PROPOSE TO THAT RESPECTABLE BODY TO DECLARE THE UNITED COLONIES FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES"

"A Gun Reform We Can All Support"

This slick attempt to sound like a "reasonable" consensus is a given reminds me of the old Lone Ranger joke where he tells Tonto they're surrounded by Indians:

"What you mean WE, Kemosabe?"

Don't presume to speak for me. I'm firmly in the "shall not be infringed" camp, and if a person has been adjudicated too dangerous to be allowed access to a gun, what the hell is he doing running around free with access to matches, fertilizer and box cutters?

A "Campfire Prank"

A group of teachers who staged a fictitious gun attack that left many children in tears during a Tennessee primary school field trip are facing disciplinary action for their insensitive "campfire prank"...

Mr Bartch said that the prank lasted just five minutes and was meant to be a "learning experience". "We got together and discussed what we would have done in a real situation," he explained.

And just what would you have done, Mr. Bartch? What are you personally prepared to do if the lives of precious children entrusted to your care were being threatened by an armed intruder? Forget the students--what did you learn from your "prank"?

The school's version of what happened is posted on their website. It doesn't change my questions one bit.

Time to Weigh in, Mr. Gresham

Here's a follow-up to my "Gun-Free Talk" post from April:

Hi David,

An interesting follow up on Tom Gresham's Gun Talk from a couple weeks ago; since pointing out to him the NRA's gun-free schools policy, he hasn't mentioned the NRA even once on the air. Today's show was a rebroadcast from January but the last two shows (three hours each, minus ads) have been devoid of calls to join the NRA. This after weeks of hammering to join and double their membership. Interesting.

-Alan

I'd find it even more interesting if Mr. Gresham directly addressed this issue with his listeners and readers. That he knows about this situation is enough to expect that he would make his position known and use his influence to rectify it. Now, more than ever, we need the leaders in the gun rights community to take bold public stands on issues, not ignore or avoid them for whatever their reasons.

Note that I did give Mr. Gresham a heads-up on this post last night and invited him to respond. I explained:

It is not my wish to embarrass you or to cause friction between you and your friends at NRA—but their position on gun free school zones is simply unacceptable. Real people, including gun owners and NRA members, are and will continue to be in danger unless and until this changes. We deserve leadership for the rights of free citizens to keep and bear arms from an association that’s bylaws state its purposes and objectives are to defend the 2nd Amendment—instead of leadership for the Brady position, which is all they’ve shown to date.

I hope he didn't reply yet because he's too busy and hasn't seen the email yet. My invitation still stands.

Bill Brown as Covered by the Professionals

To some local residents' dismay, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown doesn't believe the public is made safer by permitting more people to carry loaded and concealed weapons.

And he cites a 2005 handgun murder that climaxed a road-rage incident in Buellton as evidence of why he feels that way...

“I don't subscribe to the theory that it's safer in public if you have large numbers of armed people running around,” Brown added during an interview at his Sheriff's Department office near Goleta.

Right. As I've demonstrated time and again, we're just not as stable and trustworthy as Brown and his "Only Ones."

Nice to see the "authorized journalists" are finally getting around to noticing something we mere bloggers have been covering for over half a year now. Still, it's funny how the primary issue that makes this story unique--NRA's "A" rating and endorsement of an anti-gun sheriff who doesn't believe armed citizens make society safer-- apparently isn't considered "newsworthy."

There's also an important clarification to make about Larry Rankin, who the reporter does mention. Per Larry:

Just for your information, they said, I "could not be reached for further comment," they did not try to contact me or I would have given them some good feedback about Sheriff Brown and my reasons.

I'm working on a follow-up right now--it will feature statements from Santa Barbara gun owners and NRA members who have contacted NRA on this matter and been blown off. Their silence on this and refusal to explain themselves and condemn Brown's stance is simply unacceptable. But count on the stonewalling to continue because only myself and a handful of others give a damn enough to demand answers. Which means the ratings charade will continue.

"Described by One Blogger"

But how do you make certain all the guns have been turned in? Simpson — described by one blogger as “Homer Simpson’s dumber brother” — offers the solution...

What, it would have killed you to mention which one?

This Day in History: May 14

On the morning of May 14, 1781, a fleet of small vessels carrying over two hundred Refugees arrived off Fort Lee. After landing with their artillery and horses, the troops marched into English Neighborhood (as the general area was known) and dispersed a militia picket posted there. A party of militia returned later that day to find the Refugees had started work on a new blockhouse, built upon the remains of old Fort Lee. They commenced firing from a “stone house” a hundred yards away, but the Refugees stormed the house and drove them out.