This Day in History: October 5

On this day in 1775, General George Washington writes to the president of the Continental Congress, John Jay, to inform him that a letter from Dr. Benjamin Church, surgeon general of the Continental Army, to Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Gage, British commander in chief for North America, had been intercepted. Washington wrote, "I have now a painful tho' a Necessary Duty to perform respecting Doctor Church, Director General of the Hospital."

The TRUE Solution to End School Shootings

Ban Harry Potter.

Good Lord.

Cat Got Your Tongue, Wayne?

The recent school shootings have prompted the predictable tsunami of demands for further citizen disarmament.

Gun Owners of America has long condemned so-called "gun-free school zones," as has Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, and now the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Why, at this posting, is their no official statement on any of the NRA websites in response to this turmoil? After all, they tell us they're the leaders in the Second Amendment movement, and they have the membership and resources to prove it.

The only statements we have on the Association's official position include the one Wayne LaPierre issued at the annual meeting in 1999:

First, we 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.

and president Sandra Froman's recent backpedaling:

The only people that ought to have firearms in the schools are law enforcement and trained security personnel.

It's past time for NRA members to repudiate LaPierre and Froman's positions and demand they change them to conform to the clear "shall not be infringed" intent of the Framers. That means there's an "or else" if they don't.

Big Brother Flops in DC

Many D.C. police said they had hoped that installing dozens of new surveillance cameras across the city would assist them in cracking down on crime, but the system does not appear to be working as planned.

But that doesn't mean the program will be discontinued--that just means there aren't enough cameras.

Maybe they need to start moving them into private spaces as well.

Good Lord, look at what dependency-conditioned humans are willing to subject themselves to in order to avoid personal responsibility for protecting themselves and their society.

[Via Jason M]

The Future of Gun Rights

The mid-term election will be held Tuesday, November 7, 2006, the results of which will determine the future of our gun rights. Will we return to the days of Rosie O'Donnell and the The Brady Campaign to Prevent "Gun Violence" demonizing gun owners and embarking on a national campaign to ban guns? Those were the days when lawmakers were passing anti-gun bills almost faster than they could write them up. Americans were fighting for their gun rights at the national, state, county, and city levels -- consecutively. It felt like a losing battle.

Jennifer Freeman warns us of peril in the upcoming election.

Problem is, who is really out there championing the Second Amendment? So many of our supposed friends refuse to take a leadership stand by proudly proclaiming support of the right to keep and bear arms and then educating their constituents as to why.

This Day in History: October 4

On this day in 1777, 11,000 Patriots under General George Washington attempt an early morning attack on British General William Howe's 9,000 British troops at Germantown, Pennsylvania, five miles north of the British-occupied capital city of Philadelphia.

How many think the Americans were fighting so that one day, Pennsylvania could enact stricter gun control laws?

Bush Organizing School Violence Summit

The Bush administration plans to bring education and law enforcement experts together for a conference on coming to grips with the problem and discuss federal action that can help communities prevent violence and deal with its aftermath, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters...

Perino said participants on the education side would include groups like the National Parent Teacher Association, school principals and teachers' unions. The Federal Bureau of Investigations would be among those representing law enforcement, she said.

Any bets they don't agree with the Harris/LaPierre solution?

[Hat tip to Free Constitution]

Point, Set and Match

"I think we should all understand, no proposed law, none that I would think of or none that I've seen, could have ruled out this situation," Rendell said.

What more is there to say?

Rest in Peace, Helen Chenoweth-Hage

Helen Chenoweth-Hage, an outspoken conservative who served three terms as Idaho'’s 1st Congressional District representative, died Monday after being thrown from a vehicle that overturned on an isolated central Nevada highway.

She was that rarest of political beings--one who kept her word, giving up power after promising to serve only three terms--not because she had to, but because she had said she would.

And she was a faithful champion for the Second Amendment.

First Prof. Covey, then Col. Cooper and now Rep. Chenoweth-Hage. We have lost three great leaders and friends in the last few weeks. I only wish more gun owners truly understood that, but, alas, most won't even be aware that anyone is missing.

Evil IS

And we can either let it devour us, or send it howling back into the darkness.

The Tennessee Waltz

Tennessee's Haynesworth suspended 5 games for stomping on lineman's head

Yeah, I know, this isn't gun-related, but a recurring theme on this site involves the elites getting special treatment not afforded us ordinary folk.

I expect if I stomped on a co-worker's face, I'd not only be immediately fired, but also arrested for assault and battery (if not attempted murder), plus sued for every cent I have. And deservedly so.

And this isn't the first time this time bomb has apparently gone off.

I guess the almighty dollar trumps doing the right thing and ostracizing this animal from civilized people.

Come to think of it, there is a gun tie-in. I want one if this beast is ever anywhere near me.

It's Not That Big a Deal

If people keep guns for self-defence, all that means is that burglars and so on carry guns as well. So someone who just wants to knock your house off for a heroin fix suddenly gets in a position where they might have to kill you, or be killed themselves. No-one who invades your home is going to want to add a murder rap unless they have to. I've been burgled, and really, it's not that big a deal. You just buy new stuff on insurance.

I wasn't going to post this initially because I didn't want to drive traffic to this unctuous fool's site, but you really do need to see what passes for a man in some Australian circles these days.

And judging by the comments, his readers agree with him.

[Thanks to Jason M]

This Day in History: October 3

On this day in 1781, British Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Dundas of the 80th Foot, leading 1,000 British troops, encounters French Brigadier General Marquis de Choisy, leading French troops and a battalion of the Virginia militia totaling 800 men. The action takes place in Gloucester, Virginia, across the York River from British-occupied Yorktown, which was under Patriot siege.

A False Attribution

Prof. Joe Olson has a request--if anyone comes across a "quotation" from him regarding a Scottish 18th century writer, please inform those you can that it's bogus...

Hope this helps in tracking down the spread...

Something like this could damage a man's reputation. Why do you suppose someone would want to do that?

I Won't Stick it in All the Way Part II

The gun laws being proposed are not intended to overturn the Second Amendment rights of citizens to own and carry guns, and we find it hard to fathom that many of the restrictions being proposed would cause undue harm to hunters or gun collectors.

I find it hard to fathom how anyone can be so intentionally stupid.

I Won't Stick it in All the Way...

But I don't get why people think all liberals want to take guns away.

Oh, gee. I wonder too.

"Gun control, not elimination?"

Is that anything like "We only want to rape you a little bit"?

Ignorant uninformed morons with opinions. Is there anything they don't know?

Campus Watch

OK, I'll admit...I was expecting to find anti-gun op-ed's all over the board when it came to discussions over gun rights. Surprisingly enough, I found a fairly good balance, which encourages me about our universities being places where a diversity of ideas can thrive.

The Mad Hatter finds reason for hope at our institutions of higher education. If enough people can help him locate college gun-related editorials, he's thinking of making this a regular feature, which is a wonderful idea.

This Day in History: October 2

Thirty-one-year-old British Major John Andre is hanged as a spy by U.S. military forces in Tappan, New York, on this day in 1780.

They didn't mess around in those days, did they?

Punked

It seems celebrity couple Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, who tied the knot a year ago, demand fidelity from each other at gun point.

The Hollywood actor has revealed that he and Moore purchased shooters just after they got married, and that now he's convinced neither one of them will ever stray.

"We got guns and that helps... She was working on a movie in Louisiana and so we went out and both got (guns). She got a Glock and I got a Springfield"...

"I actually took this boy that Scout was dating out at our place in Idaho and I would, like, carry the gun around in my side at all times just so he knew... Subtle hints," he said.

I'm delighted to see some high profile celebrity gun owners. But implying lethal force against people who aren't an immediate physical threat really doesn't help with a reputation for responsible gun ownership most of us have earned.

It would be nice to see an "A-list" movie star or two explain why they believe in the right to keep and bear arms, and to do so in a way that shows they're more than ankle-deep into the pool. As opposed to the socialist nonsense most of them spew whenever they have a camera and no script in front of them.

Monumentally Important Correction: I guess the title of Ashton's MTV show is "Punk'd", with an apostrophe instead of an "e." S'cuse me for not keeping up with the latest modern, now, au go go trends, especially since I've always considered myself kind of cutting-edge swell...I mean, groovy. Guess I've been owned--or is that pwned?

We're the Only Ones Contaminating Enough

GUNSHOT residue found on the hand of a woman wrongly accused of a shooting came from the weapons of officers involved in her arrest.

The gunshot traces are believed to have been transferred by police who had handled guns before arresting Bundaberg woman Debbie Drews for attempted murder in 2004.

Which makes me wonder how many convictions have been obtained when DNA has been similarly transferred...

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