Unalienable Rights are just that.
Sons Uday and Qusay had the time of their lives creating messages at each others' expense last night.
The Church Sign Generator provides hours of mindless fun!
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Sunday Sermon
Unalienable Rights are just that.
Sons Uday and Qusay had the time of their lives creating messages at each others' expense last night.
The Church Sign Generator provides hours of mindless fun!
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night...
Follow-up to "The Last Gun Shop"
Per Dave Polaschek:
"Stopped by KGS yesterday. They have filed an appeal with the Zoning Board of Adjustment in Minneapolis, and have an extension of their deadline until May 19, 2005, when a hearing will be held downtown. The public hearing will be at 2pm on May 19, 2005 in City Hall. Room 220CH. This buys them another month, and in that month, they’re planning to file in state court, as well."
Good for them. They're fighting for their life and won't give up or go down easy. That's essentially a microcosm of the struggle to salvage the Bill of Rights.
I do note times are tough for them financially, and they're selling mugs (hey, those ought to become collector's items). I also note their plea to get the major gun groups involved.
What, they're not? Not even with statements of support?
Per Dave Polaschek:
"Stopped by KGS yesterday. They have filed an appeal with the Zoning Board of Adjustment in Minneapolis, and have an extension of their deadline until May 19, 2005, when a hearing will be held downtown. The public hearing will be at 2pm on May 19, 2005 in City Hall. Room 220CH. This buys them another month, and in that month, they’re planning to file in state court, as well."
Good for them. They're fighting for their life and won't give up or go down easy. That's essentially a microcosm of the struggle to salvage the Bill of Rights.
I do note times are tough for them financially, and they're selling mugs (hey, those ought to become collector's items). I also note their plea to get the major gun groups involved.
What, they're not? Not even with statements of support?
Saturday, April 16, 2005
NRA Maintains the Tradition
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. [More]
More status quo from National Rifle Control, Inc., aka the LaPierre Center to Prevent Gun Violence:
"Shortly after the Minnesota school shootings, [NRA president-elect Sandra Froman] said, 'I'm not saying that that means every teacher should have a gun or not, but what I am saying is we need to look at all the options at what will truly protect the students.'
"NRA Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre clarified the following week that the NRA is not advocating arming teachers and supports the federal law that bars most guns from schools.
"On Tuesday, Froman seemed to retreat from her initial comments.
"'The only people that ought to have firearms in the schools are law enforcement and trained security personnel,' she said."
Well, we knew that was coming.
More status quo from National Rifle Control, Inc., aka the LaPierre Center to Prevent Gun Violence:
"Shortly after the Minnesota school shootings, [NRA president-elect Sandra Froman] said, 'I'm not saying that that means every teacher should have a gun or not, but what I am saying is we need to look at all the options at what will truly protect the students.'
"NRA Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre clarified the following week that the NRA is not advocating arming teachers and supports the federal law that bars most guns from schools.
"On Tuesday, Froman seemed to retreat from her initial comments.
"'The only people that ought to have firearms in the schools are law enforcement and trained security personnel,' she said."
Well, we knew that was coming.
Coincidence? We Don't Think So.
On Wednesday, I posted "Hysteria on the Homefront."
Within two days, and to their credit, Science & Spirit deleted the sentence about "child" gun deaths.
Special thanks to my buddy and specialized headgear joint venture partner (sorry, it's an inside joke and I ain't sharing it) Uncle Tom for engineering that outcome by forwarding the War On Guns link along with some relevant CDC stats to the S&S editor.
Within two days, and to their credit, Science & Spirit deleted the sentence about "child" gun deaths.
Special thanks to my buddy and specialized headgear joint venture partner (sorry, it's an inside joke and I ain't sharing it) Uncle Tom for engineering that outcome by forwarding the War On Guns link along with some relevant CDC stats to the S&S editor.
Hardyville Taxes the Taxman
Claire Wolfe treats us to another masterpiece. As with all consummate pros, her style makes the painstaking labor, skill and training needed to produce such compositions seem effortless.
In a rational world, genius would be rewarded with widespread patronage.
In a rational world, genius would be rewarded with widespread patronage.
Friday, April 15, 2005
To The Men Of England
Percy Bysse Shelley had the timeless nature of government and governed pegged:
The seed ye sow another reaps;
The wealth ye find another keeps;
The robes ye weave another wears;
The arms ye forge another bears.
Sow seed, -- but let no tyrant reap;
Find wealth, -- let no imposter heap;
Weave robes, -- let not the idle wear;
Forge arms, in your defence to bear.
It may be too late for the men of England. Is it too late for us?
Read the complete poem here.
The seed ye sow another reaps;
The wealth ye find another keeps;
The robes ye weave another wears;
The arms ye forge another bears.
Sow seed, -- but let no tyrant reap;
Find wealth, -- let no imposter heap;
Weave robes, -- let not the idle wear;
Forge arms, in your defence to bear.
It may be too late for the men of England. Is it too late for us?
Read the complete poem here.
"O, what a tangled web we weave...
...when first we practise to deceive!" (Walter Scott)
From Frederick P. Blume, Jr.:
"Follow this link, let the applet load, and see the connections. This is an incredible job of connecting - with neural netware - the various groups that are working in concert to undo the United States of America. The folks at DISCOVERTHENETWORK.ORG have done a spectacular job and you should see what they've done."
From Frederick P. Blume, Jr.:
"Follow this link, let the applet load, and see the connections. This is an incredible job of connecting - with neural netware - the various groups that are working in concert to undo the United States of America. The folks at DISCOVERTHENETWORK.ORG have done a spectacular job and you should see what they've done."
Thursday, April 14, 2005
The Fruits of "Pragmatism"
Self-Proclaimed "Pro-Gun" Candidate Endorses Gun Grabber
Walter Moore ran for mayor of Los Angeles. Among his claims in an email to me: “I fully support our Second Amendment rights.”
He even addressed the Westside NRA Members’ Council to recruit gun owner support. I’ve spoken to some members who gave it.
I didn’t involve myself with his campaign because Moore refused to go on record answering specific questions about how he would support the right to keep and bear arms.
“Publicizing my stand on the Second Amendment to people who hate guns before the election would be counter-productive,” he told me. “It's fine for people WITHIN the Second Amendment community to know my stand, but if we start trumpeting it to the world, well, we risk losing a lot of votes unnecessarily.”
I pressed him on that, and his reply was “I've stated my position. Anyone who disagrees with my position can instead vote for one of the liberal Democrats against whom I'm running.”
Mr. Moore’s strategy of hiding from his claimed principles in order to glean votes resulted in a sixth-place finish, with 2.8 % of the vote.
And now, Mr. Moore, who had a problem “publicizing [his] stand on the Second Amendment” has no problem publicizing his support for a gun-grabbing rival.
The Los Angeles Times reports “Walter Moore, a Republican lawyer from Westchester…endorsed [incumbent mayor James] Hahn.”
That’s the same James Hahn who, according to The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence joined other big city mayors and “called on the Senate not to support legislation to give gunmakers, distributors and vendors immunity from civil liability.”
“As the city’s chief prosecutor,” Hahn’s website advertises, “he used innovative approaches to curbing gang violence, sued gun manufacturers to stop the illegal distribution of guns…”
In his Candidate Statement, Hahn brags that he “Joined members of the Million Mom March and other local organizations in calling for the renewal of the federal assault weapons ban. As City Attorney, Hahn wrote the law banning assault weapons in Los Angeles, the first major city in California to do so,” and “Signed into law an ordinance that prohibits the sale or transfer of large caliber handguns and rifles in the city."
I'm sure Mr. Moore will have plenty of justifications for voting "for one of the liberal Democrats against whom [he was] running." And we can all see how well his political "pragmatism" works to advance and secure freedom.
"Jim Hahn is straight with you," Moore told The Times, "and he follows through on what he says he's going to do."
Yeah, we know.
If you’re a gun owner who supported Walter Moore, this is what you got for your time, money and efforts. This is what you'll always get when a candidate won't proudly champion all of the Bill of Rights and makes excuses to avoid doing so.
Walter Moore ran for mayor of Los Angeles. Among his claims in an email to me: “I fully support our Second Amendment rights.”
He even addressed the Westside NRA Members’ Council to recruit gun owner support. I’ve spoken to some members who gave it.
I didn’t involve myself with his campaign because Moore refused to go on record answering specific questions about how he would support the right to keep and bear arms.
“Publicizing my stand on the Second Amendment to people who hate guns before the election would be counter-productive,” he told me. “It's fine for people WITHIN the Second Amendment community to know my stand, but if we start trumpeting it to the world, well, we risk losing a lot of votes unnecessarily.”
I pressed him on that, and his reply was “I've stated my position. Anyone who disagrees with my position can instead vote for one of the liberal Democrats against whom I'm running.”
Mr. Moore’s strategy of hiding from his claimed principles in order to glean votes resulted in a sixth-place finish, with 2.8 % of the vote.
And now, Mr. Moore, who had a problem “publicizing [his] stand on the Second Amendment” has no problem publicizing his support for a gun-grabbing rival.
The Los Angeles Times reports “Walter Moore, a Republican lawyer from Westchester…endorsed [incumbent mayor James] Hahn.”
That’s the same James Hahn who, according to The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence joined other big city mayors and “called on the Senate not to support legislation to give gunmakers, distributors and vendors immunity from civil liability.”
“As the city’s chief prosecutor,” Hahn’s website advertises, “he used innovative approaches to curbing gang violence, sued gun manufacturers to stop the illegal distribution of guns…”
In his Candidate Statement, Hahn brags that he “Joined members of the Million Mom March and other local organizations in calling for the renewal of the federal assault weapons ban. As City Attorney, Hahn wrote the law banning assault weapons in Los Angeles, the first major city in California to do so,” and “Signed into law an ordinance that prohibits the sale or transfer of large caliber handguns and rifles in the city."
I'm sure Mr. Moore will have plenty of justifications for voting "for one of the liberal Democrats against whom [he was] running." And we can all see how well his political "pragmatism" works to advance and secure freedom.
"Jim Hahn is straight with you," Moore told The Times, "and he follows through on what he says he's going to do."
Yeah, we know.
If you’re a gun owner who supported Walter Moore, this is what you got for your time, money and efforts. This is what you'll always get when a candidate won't proudly champion all of the Bill of Rights and makes excuses to avoid doing so.
At Least They're Consistent
Sarah Brady complained about state preemption legislation in Kansas, calling it the “No Local Rights bill.”
“[W]e should all agree that in a democracy,” she commands, “the people of a local community should be able to take the appropriate steps to ensure their safety locally. That's what democracy is all about. To pass this wrong headed language into law is contrary to democracy.”
Meanwhile, fellow gun grabber California Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg is backing state legislation to ban public school sports teams from using the name “Redskins.” Why the need for action from Sacramento?
“If local control were to govern civil rights," Goldberg said, "there would be none.”
“[W]e should all agree that in a democracy,” she commands, “the people of a local community should be able to take the appropriate steps to ensure their safety locally. That's what democracy is all about. To pass this wrong headed language into law is contrary to democracy.”
Meanwhile, fellow gun grabber California Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg is backing state legislation to ban public school sports teams from using the name “Redskins.” Why the need for action from Sacramento?
“If local control were to govern civil rights," Goldberg said, "there would be none.”
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
What Do You Call a Cop Who Points a Gun at His Own Head?
Reinstated.
I'm sure glad the bill was passed so guys like this can legally carry a concealed firearm in 50 states and us ordinary citizens can't. I mean, we all know LEOs are more "professional" than you and me.
I'm sure glad the bill was passed so guys like this can legally carry a concealed firearm in 50 states and us ordinary citizens can't. I mean, we all know LEOs are more "professional" than you and me.
Hysteria on the Homefront
[Scroll to “Hatred on the Homefront,” toward bottom of page.]
“Each day in the United States,” Heather Cunnigham states authoritatively, “10 children are murdered, 16 die from guns, and 8,042 are reported abused or neglected.”
“16,” Heather? The gungrabbers used to say “13.” I guess they’ve updated their stats since the FBI released their Uniform Crime Statistics in 1997.
Have they also updated their statistics so they don’t—depending on the source—include “children” from 19 to 24 engaging in criminal gang activities?
(See Guy Smith’s excellent online resource, Gun Facts, “Myth 13”.)
“Each day in the United States,” Heather Cunnigham states authoritatively, “10 children are murdered, 16 die from guns, and 8,042 are reported abused or neglected.”
“16,” Heather? The gungrabbers used to say “13.” I guess they’ve updated their stats since the FBI released their Uniform Crime Statistics in 1997.
Have they also updated their statistics so they don’t—depending on the source—include “children” from 19 to 24 engaging in criminal gang activities?
(See Guy Smith’s excellent online resource, Gun Facts, “Myth 13”.)
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
The Last Gun Shop
Coming Soon to a City Near You
Per Dave Polaschek, "The last gun shop in Minneapolis is about to be shut down (deadline April 18th)."
So much for being "paranoid" about the "slippery slope."
Per Dave Polaschek, "The last gun shop in Minneapolis is about to be shut down (deadline April 18th)."
So much for being "paranoid" about the "slippery slope."
Lynch Mob, Anyone?
Statement of Sarah Brady on Kansas Legislation
(Translated from the original German)
Sarah thinks local communities should be able to violate unalienable rights because the majority rules, and “that’s what democracy is all about.”
(Translated from the original German)
Sarah thinks local communities should be able to violate unalienable rights because the majority rules, and “that’s what democracy is all about.”
"The Mechanisms of the Slippery Slope"
In re "Slip Slidin' Away," correspondent Randy Hudson calls my attention to an authoritative paper by Eugene Volokh, available as a .pdf file or in html.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Dear NRA: Not With My Money
[To avoid site registration use BugMeNot Userid: bob@jonessmith.com and BugMeNot password: Bug2not]
“The ‘survey’ consisted of one question: Do you think that the nation needs additional gun control laws, or should we just enforce the laws already on the books?”
Typical. It hasn’t seemed to dawn on most NRA contributors that enforcing existing gun laws is what the government was doing at Ruby Ridge and Waco.
I won’t help Fairfax perpetuate NRA Management-endorsed gun control with my money, either.
“The ‘survey’ consisted of one question: Do you think that the nation needs additional gun control laws, or should we just enforce the laws already on the books?”
Typical. It hasn’t seemed to dawn on most NRA contributors that enforcing existing gun laws is what the government was doing at Ruby Ridge and Waco.
I won’t help Fairfax perpetuate NRA Management-endorsed gun control with my money, either.
"Guns Aren't an Issue"
Howard Dean, on crafting a national Democrat party platform:
“I was a governor who was endorsed every year by the National Rifle Association."
“Guns, Dean predicted, would never come up - either pro or con - in his 50-state survey of what the Democratic message should be.
“‘Guns aren't an issue,’ he said. ‘If Philadelphia wants gun control, fine. If Alabama doesn't, also fine.’"
So I guess rights aren’t unalienable. I guess the right of the people to keep and bear arms can be infringed, and the Constitution is not the “supreme law of the land.”
How about this, Howard?
“Slavery isn’t an issue,” he said. “If Philadelphia wants slavery, fine. If Alabama doesn’t, also fine.”
But in a way, you’re right, Howard. Guns aren’t an issue. It’s not about guns. It never really has been.
Stated more accurately, freedom isn’t an issue.
“I was a governor who was endorsed every year by the National Rifle Association."
“Guns, Dean predicted, would never come up - either pro or con - in his 50-state survey of what the Democratic message should be.
“‘Guns aren't an issue,’ he said. ‘If Philadelphia wants gun control, fine. If Alabama doesn't, also fine.’"
So I guess rights aren’t unalienable. I guess the right of the people to keep and bear arms can be infringed, and the Constitution is not the “supreme law of the land.”
How about this, Howard?
“Slavery isn’t an issue,” he said. “If Philadelphia wants slavery, fine. If Alabama doesn’t, also fine.”
But in a way, you’re right, Howard. Guns aren’t an issue. It’s not about guns. It never really has been.
Stated more accurately, freedom isn’t an issue.
Slip Slidin' Away
Leaders in the civilian disarmament movement ridicule the notion that gun control laws are intended to result in, uh, civilian disarmament. There is no "slippery slope," they say, and suggestions to the contrary are unfounded.
"THE FEDERAL ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN IS JUST THE FIRST STEP ON A SLIPPERY SLOPE TO BAN ALL GUNS IN AMERICA
"Response: Wrong. There is no hidden agenda behind saving the Federal Assault Weapons Act."--The Brady Campaign
"Fearful of becoming enmeshed in the gun lobby's 'slippery slope' argument (that any gun control, no matter how limited, is the first step toward total gun confiscation), many actively voiced their opposition to a handgun ban, warning that ban proponents would marginalize the entire movement. They could offer no proof of this claim—yet the argument took hold."--Ban Handguns Now
"In this debate, it is the National Rifle Assn. that is the true purveyor of fiction. In its paranoid world, any measure to make you safer is the first step on the slippery slope to taking away its members' rights."--Richard North Patterson at Common Dreams
In other words, the "slippery slope" argument is a myth. There is no hidden agenda. There is no proof that success in some gun control measures leads to other attempts at restrictions. The whole argument is a fiction. If you believe in it, you're living in a paranoid world where you think people are trying to take away your rights.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
Just ignore the quotes Gun Scholar has compiled, or a similar collection posted by my favorite gun control organization.
Very seldom is a debate won by calling names, and if I just called the gun banners liars, I wouldn't expect it to be persuasive. So I won't.
I'll call them demonstrable liars.
But don't take my word for it. Take theirs. Follow the links and prove it yourself.
"THE FEDERAL ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN IS JUST THE FIRST STEP ON A SLIPPERY SLOPE TO BAN ALL GUNS IN AMERICA
"Response: Wrong. There is no hidden agenda behind saving the Federal Assault Weapons Act."--The Brady Campaign
"Fearful of becoming enmeshed in the gun lobby's 'slippery slope' argument (that any gun control, no matter how limited, is the first step toward total gun confiscation), many actively voiced their opposition to a handgun ban, warning that ban proponents would marginalize the entire movement. They could offer no proof of this claim—yet the argument took hold."--Ban Handguns Now
"In this debate, it is the National Rifle Assn. that is the true purveyor of fiction. In its paranoid world, any measure to make you safer is the first step on the slippery slope to taking away its members' rights."--Richard North Patterson at Common Dreams
In other words, the "slippery slope" argument is a myth. There is no hidden agenda. There is no proof that success in some gun control measures leads to other attempts at restrictions. The whole argument is a fiction. If you believe in it, you're living in a paranoid world where you think people are trying to take away your rights.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
Just ignore the quotes Gun Scholar has compiled, or a similar collection posted by my favorite gun control organization.
Very seldom is a debate won by calling names, and if I just called the gun banners liars, I wouldn't expect it to be persuasive. So I won't.
I'll call them demonstrable liars.
But don't take my word for it. Take theirs. Follow the links and prove it yourself.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
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