The article is garbage and unworthy of a publication that includes the word “Scientific” (or “American”) in its title. [More]Right. Anybody who disagrees with the monopoly of violence cultists or believes in the right to keep and bear arms is a paranoid racist. It's settled science! Just ask "progressive" sociologists.
But it’s a peculiarly extreme Republican that attempts to convince us that even with slaughter of entire elementary school groups in Connecticut, festivals in Las Vegas, a Church in Texas, a Church in Charleston, the list is endless, that we are to be convinced that more guns are the best solution while research shows the opposite. [More]
Well, I guess as long as she's linking to Scientific American...
Nice to see they also repro'd the Nature piece that had to end up printing an (incompete) retraction...
[Via Mack H]
Conclusion: Scientific American's published Biden endorsement is scientifically indefensible. [More]
Then again, their intent was not to open eyes but to blind them.
[Via Agustin B
Scientific American Endorses Joe Biden - We’ve never backed a presidential candidate in our 175-year history—until now [More]
Every bit as objective as the rest of their agenda agitprop, I assume...
[Via Mack H]
Guns in the Medical Literature: A Call for Scientific Integrity [More]Edgar A. Suter, M.D., founder of Doctors for Integrity in Public Policy, got a piece in the current Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons that exposes the gunquacks. It shows their malpractice has less to do with incompetence and more to do with deliberate, agenda über alles mendacity.
In Gun Control on Trial, journalist Brian Doherty tells the full story behind the landmark District of Columbia v. Heller ruling. With exclusive, behind-the-scenes access throughout the case, Doherty's new book takes readers on a remarkable journey—through the legal, scientific, and historical debates; the political battles; and the myths about gun control that have become widespread. How is the District's new registration process working? How will the Heller precedent impact the firearm regulations in other American cities? Join us for a discussion of the Heller case and its impact.The Cato Institute is hosting a book forum on Nov. 24. Click on the title link to find out how to attend or how to watch the event live if you can't.
To be effective, a new set of institutions would have to be imbued with heavy-handed, transnational enforcement powers. [More]Transnational enforcers? Oh, he means targets.
Once the Founding Fathers had broken the chains of tyranny they realized that what stood before them was a task unequaled in history. Civilizations have always risen and fallen, usually due to the enlightened or misguided paths the leaders chose. Having set the stage for a new civilization guided by the ideals of personal responsibility, honor, and freedom, the men who cast off the oppressors of their time found that creating a nation bound by laws that prohibited a government that set itself apart from the people was a task not easily accomplished.[More from Jefferson's Ghost]
To express the difficulty they faced to future generations so that their intent and desires would not and could not be questioned, they documented much of their discussions. The prime example is of course the Federalist Papers. Notes from the First and Second Continental Congress provide insight as well. Though these documents do exist and are exquisitely detailed as to the intent of the Founding Fathers, most American citizens do not know or understand what is contained within these historic pages. Sadly, while the technological knowledge base has increased over the centuries, the fundamental understanding of history and civic lessons of the past are being neglected, dooming the United States to follow other civilizations that fell to the burdensome weight of their governments. This lack of education is the leading culprit that places the United States in the dire position it now is.
Recent passage of laws such as the misleadingly named Patriot Act and the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act has subtly eroded away the freedoms recognized in the Bill of Rights. The lack of public outcry to such travesties of justice and freedom is purely shocking.
The men who created this new nation knew that the right to express discontent to the Government was a paramount right that only existed if the ability to vocalize such redress of grievance was reinforced by the capability to physically prevent the Government from taking an action that the citizenry felt compelled to stop. This is the foundation of the recognition of the right to use force to defend life, liberty and freedom. The Founding Fathers outlined this in the Second Amendment with the clear intention, as shown by documentation of the period, to prevent a new dictatorship from occurring in the new United States.
A perfect example of the wisdom of the Founding Fathers in action dates back to the late nineteen-forties. Athens, Tennessee became a battleground when armed citizens prevented election fraud and the foundations of a local tyrant. Yet, how many civics textbooks used in the school systems in our nation have even a single sentence in reference to this small but historically significant event?
The men who stood against tyranny in Athens, Tennessee believed in the words and deeds of the Founding Fathers. Instead of kneeling to the iron fist of a dictator, these men risked their lives to uphold the belief that no man is above the law.
Unfortunately, the events in Tennessee were nearly a decade and a half late. During the nineteen-twenties, the first real nationwide push to dictate restrictions upon the citizens became real. Prohibitionists demonized imbibing of alcohol and successfully barred the practice by forcing their position on everyone, even those who disagreed. Two things of paramount importance happened with the passage of the Amendment. The first thing to occur was the willful disregard of the public to abide by the restriction. This set into motion a new view of the Government and laws in which were passed. The response by the Government was one that haunts the nation to this day. The creation of what would be considered one of the most hated agencies associated with the United States Government came into being. When Prohibition was abolished, instead of learning from the experience, the United States Government attempted to follow the same insane path by passing into law the 1934 National Firearms Act. The publicized goal of this law was to prevent access to machine guns and certain other arms by the criminal element that came to exist due directly to the failed attempt at banning alcohol. A database was created and a tax was imposed on the transfer of machine guns, silencers, and long guns with barrels shorter than a specific length. Though the law was highly unconstitutional, most people remained silent on the matter since the precedent had been set less than a decade before when the citizens ignored Prohibition. This silence was considered approval by a greatly misdirected Congress. A new department came into being solely designed to manage the database and to aid in enforcing the law. Within a few decades, this department would grow to become a vile example of tyranny within the borders of the United States.
When Congress passed the 1968 Gun Control Act, one of the worst blows to the Constitution occurred. A seemingly insignificant phrase contained within the new law set the stage for decades of horror. The law delegated to the Attorney General the power to determine the status of a firearm based upon its sporting suitability. The so-called sporting purpose clause allowed the Attorney General to unconstitutionally interpret the law recklessly and loosely. It wasn't long before the duty of determining sporting purpose was further delegated to the BATF with disastrous results.
Since that time, the BATF has repeatedly re-interpreted the sporting purpose clause to suit its needs of the moment leading to unjust prosecutions and unjustifiable deaths. Instead of addressing those seeking a redress of grievance, Congress has repeatedly ignored complaints from the public and professional firearms community. The result of this has been an emboldening of action by the BATF further infringing upon the rights and freedoms of citizens.
This has culminated to the point where the BATF has openly begun to operate outside the law. Ignoring legal mandate, the BATF is now repeatedly creating evidence using the sporting purpose clause to justify their actions. By using an undefined term called "readily restorable", meaning that a firearm can be made into a machine gun without setting standards for what defines readily, the BATF is now making determinations with no basis in scientific procedures or standards, leaving the public openly questioning what is legal under BATF mandate and what isn't.
To say that choices for Congress and the Presidency are lacking is an understatement. No longer do people of good character and upstanding moral qualities offer to sacrifice their time to perform the civic duty of becoming an elected official. Instead, those who would seek to increase their personal power and glory attempt to command the field. With this appalling situation the citizens must seek justice through the courts. When District of Columbia v. Heller was appealed to the Supreme Court, the possibility of justice prevailing became a possibility leaving the political spectrum behind.
This possibility concerns the BATF greatly. Congress has made itself an accomplice to the illegal actions of the BATF by refusing to address the illegal actions of the agency and when it invoked "National Security" to conceal the committee hearings regarding the confirmation of Mr. Michael Sullivan to the position of Director of the BATFE. Instead of addressing the concerns of the people, Congress has decided to separate itself from the people even further. BATF has for many years lobbied Congress, though highly illegal, for its own ends. Without an opportunity to lobby the Court, the BATFE must now decide on how it will address future issues should it survive intact after the District of Columbia v. Heller decision comes down.
The conduct of the BATFE will most likely be of concern to the Court in their decision making process. At least one Justice is familiar with the process required by the BATFE regarding the NFA. Documentation available through the Congressional Research Staff and other documentation available on the internet regarding the less than appropriate conduct of the BATFE and the unprofessional actions by employees of the BATFE in court and during professional contact with the firearms industry should have a great impact on the Court.
Would the Founding Fathers approve of the nation as it rests today? That is something every citizen must ask. It is not time to water that famous tree while hope still exists. Should that change, undoubtedly the citizens will come to understand what their forefathers knew at Concord, Lexington and not so long ago in Athens.
With warmest regards-
The Ghost of Thomas Jefferson
"(Cooper's) intent was to satirically use a clinical term to bring public recognition of the irrational fear of firearms and other forms of weaponry such as knives or explosives. He stated that 'the most common manifestation of hoplophobia is the idea that instruments possess a will of their own, apart from that of their user'. Hoplophobia is deemed to be a cultural side effect of those who engage in the primordial human belief systems that anthropologists refer to as 'animism', or the belief that inanimate objects can hold spirits that can affect human actions."How else, other than hoplophobia, can you explain this recent Washington Times story by Valerie Richardson out of Littleton, Colorado with the headline "Community at odds over fallen hero's statue"?
"A planned statue depicting a local hero, a Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan, has drawn opposition from some parents, who say the image and location are inappropriate for children. A bronze sculpture of Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny Dietz Jr. showing him cradling his rifle across his chest is scheduled to be unveiled July 4 at Berry Park here, where he grew up and attended school. The statue was modeled after a photo of the young serviceman.. . .Petty Officer Dietz, 25, was awarded the Navy Cross, the service's second-highest award for valor after the Medal of Honor, for fighting off an ambush by insurgents in Afghanistan despite being mortally wounded. His actions were credited with helping a fellow Navy SEAL escape."Seems straightforward, right? A hometown hero has a statue erected in his memory so that his sacrifice will not be forgotten by those he made it for. Ah, but enter the hoplophobes:
"But a group of parents wants the city to recast the statue or place it elsewhere, arguing that the site, near three elementary schools and two parks, is a hub for young children who could find the weapon disturbing."Disturbing? DISTURBING?
"'While our hearts go out to the family of this brave young man, we have serious concerns regarding the graphic and violent detail the statue portrays,' stated a flier distributed recently in a nearby neighborhood. 'As a community, we cannot allow the many young children in this area to be exposed to a larger than life-size grenade-launching machine gun,' the flier stated."Of course, the story continues,
"members of Petty Officer Dietz's family and others have defended the memorial, saying there's a clear distinction between a rifle used in combat to defend the United States and a firearm used in other contexts. But critics have said the image of an automatic rifle is particularly inappropriate given the memorial's proximity to Columbine High School. The high school, located a few miles from the park, was the site of the 1999 massacre in which two suicidal teenage gunmen killed 12 students and a teacher. 'In light of our community's experience with the Columbine tragedy, and the clear message of nonviolence that we teach in Littleton schools, what is our city thinking?' the flier stated."The real question is "What are these morons smoking"? But of course it is not marijuana, it is merely the latest manifestation of hoplophobia. If I may paraphrase that famous Alabama philosopher, Mrs. Gump: "Crazy is as crazy does." What shall we do now, sanitize all the statues to our war dead? Shall we redo the Minuteman statue, replacing his musket with a pitchfork? Are you sure that's not too violent a substitute? I mean, pitchforks can kill folks too. How about an Iwo Jima memorial without M1 rifles? You know, sort of like the amiable Marines just hopped a tourist liner to visit Japanese territory and then decided to raise an American flag while the hospitable Imperial Army looked on in smiling approval. While were at it, we can reshape their helmets into construction site hardhats so as to make the whole thing less militaristic. And why don't we spruce up all those Civil War memorials by removing their muskets and replacing them with bouquets of daisies?
militant lesbian objecting to the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile driving through a local grocery store's parking lot because it reminds her of a phallus. I mean, are we talking two different countries here, or entire alternate universes?"This is an example of what mental health professionals call projection – unconsciously projecting one's own unacceptable feelings onto other people, so that one doesn't have to own them. In some cases, the intolerable feelings are projected not onto a person, but onto an inanimate object, such as a gun, so that the projector believes the gun itself will murder him. Projection is a defense mechanism. Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological mechanisms that protect us from feelings that we cannot consciously accept. They operate without our awareness, so that we don't have to deal consciously with 'forbidden' feelings and impulses. Thus, if you asked my e-mail correspondent if he really wanted to murder his neighbors, he would vehemently deny it, and insist that other people want to kill him. . . "(Dr. Thompson's article can be found in its entirety at: http://www.jpfo.org/ragingagainstselfdefense.htm).
"Defense mechanisms are also frequently combined, so that an anti-gun person may use several defense mechanisms simultaneously. For example, my unfortunate correspondent uses projection to create a world in which all his neighbors want to murder him. As a result, he becomes more angry and fearful, and needs to employ even more defense mechanisms to cope. So he uses projection to attribute his own rage to others, he uses denial that there is any danger to protect himself from a world where he believes he is helpless and everyone wants to murder him, and he uses reaction formation to try to control everyone else's life because his own is so horribly out of control."
"Also, it's important to remember that not all anti-gun beliefs are the result of defense mechanisms. Some people suffer from gun phobia, an excessive and completely irrational fear of firearms, usually caused by the anti-gun conditioning they've been subjected to by the media, politicians, so-called 'educators,' and others. In some cases, gun phobia is caused by an authentic bad experience associated with a firearm. But with all due respect to Col. Jeff Cooper, who coined the term 'hoplophobia' to describe anti-gun people, most anti-gun people do not have true phobias. Interestingly, a person with a true phobia of guns realizes his fear is excessive or unreasonable, something most anti-gun folks will never admit."
"Passing a law like the assault weapon ban is a symbolic - purely symbolic - move . . . Its only real justification is not to reduce crime but to desensitize the public to the regulation of weapons in preparation for their ultimate confiscation. . . The real steps, like the banning of handguns, will never occur unless this one is taken first."But was it good for its vaunted pretext, for the purpose of reducing violence
the percentage of guns recovered in Camden that originated in Pennsylvania increased from 23 percent in 2000 to 40 percent in 2004,The mayor apparently implied that New Jersey’s stricter law was responsible.
while the percentage of recovered guns originating in New Jersey decreased from 23 percent to 16 percent.
gun dealers must keep a log and report multi-gun purchases to the ATF, so repeat multi-gun buyers suspected of proxy buying are identifiableIs a one-gun-a-month limit justifiable for the singular purpose of reducing the quantity of Pennsylvania or Philadelphia guns illegally circulating interstate?
and
gun dealers to whom an inordinate quantity of crime guns are traced are readily identifiable for investigation and prosecution under existing law;
so
we don’t need a new law restricting liberty and legitimate commerce to crack down on the real culprits: scofflaw gun dealers & proxy buyers.
a class and written exam on gun and deadly force law, a gun safety course, a gun-handling or marksmanship operator’s test (and Texas requires a conflict management course).Again: Is this a good policy? Good for what? What’s its justification?
"'[T]he fundamental principle [is] that a government and its agents are under no duty to provide . . . police protection, to any particular individual citizen.'As individuals, we cannot –practically or legally—rely on police protection because our police cannot –practically or fairly—be expected to be everywhere they’re needed at once or in the nick of time.
. . . The duty to provide public services is owed to the public at large, and, absent a special relationship between the police and an individual, no specific legal duty exists."
“Primary rights” like “the free enjoyment of personal security”(See William Van Alstyne, The Second Amendment and the Personal Right to Arms.
and
“Auxilliary rights,” inseparable from the protection of primary rights
--“like access to 'courts of law,' and, so, too . . . 'the right of having and using arms for self-preservation and defence.'”
