He Who Controls The Present

You may recognize this snippet and what it means. The full quote is “He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.” It is from George Orwell’s 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, a futuristic portrayal of a post world war society dominated by government surveillance and public manipulation. It is also one of the few books I’ve read that gave me a serious case of the heebie-jeebies.

So why dust this off now? With the movie “Snowden” recently released, it seemed the appropriate time to see how we are measuring up.

Regardless of if you consider Edward Snowden a patriot, whistleblower or traitor, the information he disclosed is significant. It confirmed what few knew, many suspected and most feared; the depth of the United States government’s worldwide surveillance program. While there are many different programs covering telephone, Internet, email, encryption, commerce and geolocation; the end result is the government’s ability to monitor and connect every aspect of a target’s electronic life in ways we wouldn’t have thought possible. To accomplish this, everyone’s data is harvested en masse. Innocent, law-abiding citizens’ information is collected and stored right along with the terrorists.

In Nineteen Eighty-Four’s reality, citizen monitoring was done by undercover agents as well as by two-way telescreens in public places and individual homes. It not only distributed content, but also monitored the people, listening and watching for signs of subversive tendencies or rebellion.

Even George Orwell couldn’t have envisioned the world we live in today where we have so willingly embraced the technology that monitors us. We have devices that listen to our every word and waits for commands. Our email providers electronically read our messages so they can provide us with additional relevant content. We carry with us devices containing all our contacts, emails, browsing history, financial information and so much more. These devices can pinpoint our locations to a few feet anywhere in the world, 24/7/365. Video surveillance is ambiguous with cameras in our phones, cars, homes, stores and in public places. And of course we share where we are, what we are doing along with pictures for everyone to see. We accept all this enthusiastically and rejoice at the great convenience it provides. We also look at those who shun the technology with distrust for surely they must be hiding something.

While the control of our language hasn’t gotten to the level of Orwell’s Newspeak yet, we are being provided with new euphemisms such as “justice involved individuals” or “undocumented immigrant” to replace words that are no longer politically correct.

We are told to trust that government access to the most sensitive information about every aspect of our lives is protected and only granted ‘legally’ and for our own safety, even if the laws and processes for accessing it cannot be disclosed to us. At the same time we are told the government cannot recover its own emails because a single server, laptop or handheld device has been corrupted.

We look at the books being put out by those in power now. Even when the so-called biographies are revealed to be factually inaccurate, we know that one year, five years, 20 years from now; all that will remain is the carefully crafted narrative and none of the dissent. By creating their own version of the past today, they are insuring their legacy in the future.

While we try to balance the benefits of technology with the intrusiveness that comes with it, we also have to remember our basic rights. For this, we return to the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Fourth Amendment.

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

If we believe the Fourth Amendment still applies in our modern digital world, then we need to be a lot more concerned with our data and who has access to it. We need to reject the argument of “If you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear”. Our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, our way of life does not say it’s okay just because it’s the government that is doing it.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Benjamin Franklin. “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

Bob

#oddstuffing, #constitution, #billofrights, #4thamendment, #1984, #liberty, #mewe, #oddstuffing.com

Respect

Sitting during the National Anthem or Pledge of Allegiance has become the latest wave of politically correct, social justice inspired protest. Supposedly, it is being done to show solidarity with the black lives matter movement, alleged law enforcement brutalities and economic disparities. In reality, it just makes the people doing it look stupid.

Is the National Anthem or Pledge of Allegiance associated with oppression of any minority group or way of thinking in this country? Does the United States flag symbolize hate and oppression of people? I’m going to say HELL NO! It’s just the latest made up distraction designed to inject more controversy and segregation in our country during an election year.

Let’s look at the pledge:

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Somehow, somewhere, someone is translating this into hate. How exactly are they getting oppression out of “with liberty and justice for all”?

Then our National Anthem:

O! say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Written by a witness to the attack on our soil during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812, it is a celebration of our strength, stamina and persistence as a nation against the forces wanting to suppress it. Interpreting “the land of the free and the home of the brave” into an oppressive society is beyond comprehension.

Who is doing this? High profile and very highly paid athletes and now the college and high school students who are emulating them. And let’s not forget the fringe elected officials at the state and local levels. They too need to have their 15 minutes of fame so it looks like they might actually care about their communities.

First off, let’s take a look at our nation. It is called a melting pot for a reason. Our population is the descendants of immigrants from around the world. Members of every race, religion, and belief system have come to our shores looking for the better life afforded by the freedoms our Constitution and Bill of Rights guarantee. It continues, as it has since the beginning, as more come to share in the American dream.

Of course, that American dream came at a price. It was paid for with the blood of patriots, beginning with the Founding Fathers and continuing throughout our history with the men and women of our military forces. They have given their lives so that we can live free.

Among those rights is the right to free speech affirmed by the First Amendment.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Our First Amendment is unique in the world. The irony is of course that without it, the form of protest these individuals are engaging in would be unlawful and, in some nations to this day, severely punished.

So my reply to this latest group of social justice warriors, please do continue with your silent protests. It is your right and I shall defend your right to do so even if I disagree with your point of view. But don’t think it won’t come at a cost. It is also my right to reject you and those who support you. It is the right of your sponsors, employers, ad agencies and everyone who has to deal with you and your elitist views to cut their ties with you and let you dangle out there on your own.

Meanwhile, if you’d like to do something useful instead of sitting on your butt, how about spending a little bit of your eight digit salary trying to fix some of the issues you are complaining about? How about going into the communities yourself and mentoring at risk youth? How about giving a helping hand to those who don’t have and never will have the advantages you were able to obtain in “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. Maybe, just maybe, if you were to teach them what our National Anthem stands for, they too would help our nation achieve “liberty and justice for all.” Maybe if you showed a little respect, they would too.

Bob

#oddstuffing, #respect, #nationalanthem, #pledgeofallegiance, #constitution, #billofrights, #firstamendment, #mewe, #oddstuffing.com

Gun Control vs. Suicide Prevention

The topic of suicide is always a dicey one between gun control and gun rights advocates. The gun control lobby point to the firearm and say the “gun” is the cause. Any mention of the topic by gun rights groups is labeled as being insensitive towards human life. As such, it tends to be the forbidden topic. I disagree. It’s time to grab hold of that highly charged third rail and do something about it.

The gun control lobby has forever included suicide numbers in their counts of “gun violence victims”. They’ve also infamously included mass shooting perpetrators who took their own life after killing others or were lawfully killed by law enforcement. Why wouldn’t they, it increases the numbers. However I don’t see an individual taking their own life and an act of violence towards another person – by any means – as being the same thing. One is done voluntarily to one’s self, the other is done involuntary to another.

First of course there is the argument that the easy availability of firearms in this country as why individuals kill themselves. One would think that the United States, with the highest percentage of firearms owners in the world, would have the highest suicide rate. In fact we are tied for 50th with Uruguay. Many of the countries with higher rates, such as Japan at 17th, highly restrict or outlaw civilian firearm ownership. Eliminating one mechanism, a firearm, is going to have no impact on the suicide rate. Other means will always be found.

Here’s my admittedly non-professional opinion. Suicide is a societal AND a mental health issue.

As a culture we too often look at life as being disposable. While suicide may not be accepted, it is tolerated, considered morally responsible or even honorable at times. Sadly, fighting this philosophy is the most difficult task we face.

There are many stimuli that can lead individuals down a path to take their own life. Depression, a primary cause from any number of sources, is generally treatable. However the way we view mental health and depression can be a roadblock in treatment and prevention. Just the shame of seeking help for a mental health “issue” can keep people from seeking the help they need. Just mentioning depression to a health care professional can initiate scrutiny from many levels and include heavy doses of medication and the potential to lose your job or rights and privileges that are a necessary part of our daily lives. By stigmatizing any form of assistance, we make the problem worse and lose lives we might otherwise be able to save.

As of 2014, nearly half of all suicides in the United States used firearms and about two thirds of firearm fatalities were suicide. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

This past week, September 5th – 8th was National Suicide Prevention Week. Together with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) announced a pilot program, involving community-based AFSP chapters in four states. This is the first time a national suicide organization has collaborated with firearm retailers, range owners and the firearm-owning community about suicide prevention. There are also other partnership programs in Washington, Vermont and other states bringing together mental health professionals and retailers to help identify those at risk and get them the help they need.

Will this effort eliminate all suicides? No, of course not. Not all suicides involve individuals purchasing firearms as a prelude to the act and in no way does removing one method eliminate all others. What it does do is get more training, more awareness and more resources available to those who may be able to intervene in their shops or elsewhere in the community.

One would think the gun control / gun elimination folks, who claim to be interested in saving lives, would have been all over National Suicide Prevention Week. Instead, they focus on one thing – more gun control. Eliminate the gun, eliminate the problem. They just want to remove the one item they don’t like and bury their head in the sand for every other means. Perhaps lives lost to other means are less important to them.

Eliminating firearms doesn’t remove the issue from our society or our minds. Instead we need to remove the stigma of mental health and change the way our society treats lives. All lives… yes, ALL lives matter.

Bob

#oddstuffing, #2ndAmendment, #suicidepreventionweek, #nssf, #afsp, #afsp.org, #alllivesmatter, #mewe, #oddstuffing.com

Labor Day

Something a little different for you today:

September 5th, 2016 is Labor Day in the United States. More than 80 countries around the world celebrate International Worker’s Day, or Labour Day at different times of the year. Today is ours and today I celebrate the American worker.

The modern holiday is celebrated with a three-day weekend that marks the unofficial end of summer. Fall activities begin around Labor Day including football, NASCAR and schools going back into session. Retailers use the Labor Day weekend to kick off the fall sales. And of course, it is the last official day to wear white. You know who you are…

Unfortunately the modern observance of the holiday seems to have forgotten the roots that brought Labor Day into being. Following the Pullman Strike of 1894 where 30 workers died and 57 were injured at the hands of the United States Army and Marshals Service, Congress approved Labor Day as an official holiday. It was an attempt by President Grover Cleveland to gain support among the trade unions following the strike. While it is disputed who first proposed the holiday, Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners or machinist Matthew Maguire, the intent was to create a “workingmen’s holiday”.

The American Labor Union movement, most often associated with Labor Day, began in the United States in the 1880’s. The function and influence has varied over the years but they have always played a major role in worker safety, pay, benefits and job security. While the numbers of union workers has declined over the years, unions still wield considerable influence in American politics.

Some argue it is the unions who, demanding too much, cause American companies to take their work overseas in order to remain competitive. Others contend it is the companies themselves whose never ending demand for greater profits at the expense of the workers who made them successful in the first place.

Union or not, it is the everyday workers of this country that have brought us to where we are. From the houses we live in, the roads we drive on, the utilities to make modern life possible, and nearly every commodity we buy, use and trade come from another worker’s hands. Though we live in an increasingly smaller global village where the products and services come to us seamlessly from down the street or the other side of the planet, there is still a sense of pride in American made.

Perhaps it is the conflicts outside our boarders that bring about the national pride when something is “made in the USA”. As some companies outsource more, others are keeping the jobs inside our country or are actively returning them home. American ingenuity, creativity, resourcefulness and quality all contribute to make our products among the best in the world. Many, including myself, are willing to pay a premium for items made in the USA knowing the contributions from American worker that went into it as well as being able to send our own dollars to another part of the nation.

The majority of the nation has today off and will be celebrating with family and friends in ways as varied as our nation itself. During this time, I’d ask you to join me for a moment to remember those who have contributed to what we have today as well as those who are working today for us. To those of you in the service industry, in infrastructure support, health care, military, law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services – and so many more – our thanks for your labor today.

Bob

#oddstuffing, #laborday, #madeintheusa, #thankyou, #mewe, #oddstuffing.com

Why even bother to vote in California?

Does this sound like the little voice in your head? Your political views lean a little towards the right, you may be republican, libertarian, or just not quite as far left as others. You support constitutional rights and freedom. You’re looking at the upcoming elections and thinking; why even bother? It’s not like my one vote is going to matter in this far left, progressive-democrat stronghold. Truth be told, your vote does matter and in more ways than you think.

I agree this election season is a bit on the depressing side. Our presidential choices are not ideal. Should I vote third party? It’s an option, but for me I don’t see the leading third party candidates as strongly supporting the issues I’m the most concerned with. I’m also less comfortable with the third party candidate process. We’re just hearing about them now with a few months to go until the elections. Yea, I get that the media outlets don’t cover them as much, but it’s still not clear enough.

I look in my own county and I can’t find out who is running in opposition to the usual democratic candidates. My county’s GOP site doesn’t list any candidates for the state congressional districts and not even a mention of any of the various city councils, county boards, school boards – or any of the other elected seats in the county. Has nobody stepped up? Maybe this is our problem.

Even in some of the most conservative areas of the country, residents are waking up and finding laws have been passed which do not reflect the values of the community. Instead, externally dictated agendas are driven by extremist politicians who ran unopposed and have now cemented their power in local government. And we have nobody to blame but ourselves.

By not having solid candidates running for seats at every level, we’re ceding the decisions about rights and liberty to people who have no interest in protecting them. I get the fact that running for even a local political office is an expensive proposition. It takes a lot of time and a lot of money. Even at a local level, elections can turn into full scale pissing matches. The higher you go the more expensive it gets, the more time it consumes and the nastier it is. Let’s not forget, nobody likes to lose either. Going through an election and having your candidate lose can also be demoralizing to those who were energized during the campaign.

But guess what? The people WERE energized and they can be energized again. It may take a few elections to win the one or two seats, but they can be won. Left wing voters may always outnumber centrist or right leaning ones in this state, but it doesn’t mean we give up. If we want to have a voice in the decisions made in California, we need to have someone speaking for us.

Finally, and I believe most importantly, we must actually vote. As odd as it may sound, there are still a lot of folks out there who have not registered to vote. Registering to vote can be done online in just a couple of minutes. The link to do so in California is at the end of this post. The deadline to register for this year’s general election is October 24th.

Keep in mind your vote is more than just a choice between candidates and ballot questions; it’s a message to everyone else. With the news media covering the elections with up-to-the-minute tallies of every race in the nation, it’s easy to become compliant. Some will see their candidate or choice losing and not even bother going in. Others will see a clear victory ahead and decide it’s not worth the drive in to the polling station. Delicately put, that’s CRAP! Even a loss with a strong showing is going to demonstrate the support behind it and maybe, just maybe, be won the next time around.

Every seat at every level in every election is important. YOUR one single vote for the right choice is the way to protect the liberty, rights and values our nation was founded on. As important as it was to the patriots who created our country, it is as important today to preserve it going forward.

The elections are in 73 days.

http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration

Bob

#oddstuffing, #vote, #gunvote, #elections2016, #2ndAmendment, #mewe, #oddstuffing.com

Veto Gunmageddon – Getting Your Rights Back

For those who are paying attention to California gun laws, it’s time to get your rights back.

A quick review: On July 1st, California’s Governor signed six draconian gun control laws, then quickly fled the country. After his return, he signed one more. ALL of these laws target law abiding firearm owners and their legally owned firearms. NONE target criminals or have anything to do with criminal behavior or making anyone except the criminals safer. The one bill presented to him that would have targeted criminal behavior, he vetoed. Welcome to Kalifornistan.

These news laws are:

  •  Expands the definition of “assault weapons” and ban their sale or transfer (AB-1135, SB-880)
  •  Requires an ID and background check to purchase ammunition (SB-1235)
  •  Keeps records of gun owner’s ammunition purchases (SB-1235)
  •  Requires a background check to loan a firearm to someone other than a close family member (AB-1511)
  •  Bans possession of ammunition magazines that accept more than 10 rounds. (SB-1446)
  •  Makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly make a false report that a firearm has been lost or stolen (AB-1695)
  •  Requires a serial number on all firearms (AB-857)

Enter Carlsbad CA businessman Barry Bahrami and Veto Gunmageddon. Bahrami started Veto Gunmageddon to bring back the firearms rights to the law-abiding citizens of California. Seven referendums were created, one for each oppressive new law.

This is a referendum process and will be an up or down vote for the gun control measures signed this year. Each of these referendums needs 365,880 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. If the signatures are received by August 29, 2016, the referendums will be placed on the November 8, 2016 general election ballot. If the signatures are received by September 29, 2016, the referendums will qualify for the November 2018 general election.

A couple of facts about Veto Gunmageddon: This is a 100% volunteer run program. Unlike other state sponsored ballot measures where pay-for-signature staff is used, volunteers are coordinating and distributing all the materials and collecting all of the signatures. Donations are being accepted to help cover the cost to print and distribute the materials. Firearms retailers, ranges, sporting goods stores, restaurants, private businesses of all types and sizes around the state are lending their time and space to collect signatures. This is the epitome of a grassroots effort in action.

Right now this is our best opportunity to get our constitutional rights restored. The California legislature used every backdoor, underhanded, unethical, immoral and yes, very likely illegal tactic they could to cram these misguided measures through the Democratic controlled legislature. Dissenting voices were not allowed and complaints about the lack of transparency and improper legislative procedure fell on deaf justice ears. This is our chance to let our voices be heard.

I know many of the estimated eight to 12 million firearms owners in California are leaning towards or registered Democrats. The good news about these referendums is you can vote to keep your rights without having to give up your party unity.

Can the Veto Gunmageddon initiatives qualify for this year’s election? I sure hope so. This year’s general election is going to set the foundation for the preservation or destruction of individual rights for generations to come. It would be a shame to waste the chance to tap into a potential record setting voter turnout.

Can Veto Gunmageddon win? I wish I knew. As with any issue thrown out to the voters, November 8th could be a huge victory or crushing defeat. All I know is we MUST try. We MUST fight to restore our rights before we have no rights to fight with or fight for.

I urge each and every one of you to go to the Veto Gunmageddon website at www.vetogunmageddon.org, locate a petition site and sign all seven BEFORE August 29th. If you have the time and ability to do it, please consider hosting the petitions or volunteering your time to help gather signatures, or donating to the cause.

You MUST be a registered voter to sign as well as help collect signatures. If you are not registered to vote in California yet, you can register to vote online at: http://registertovote.ca.gov

Bob

#oddstuffing, #2ndamendment, #gunvote, #gunvoteca, #vetogunmageddon, #mewe, #oddstuffing.com

21st Century Policing

Preface: Last week I (foolishly) accepted a challenge to write a 250 word essay on what the most important part of 21st Century Policing is and why. The incentive for this is two essay authors will be invited to have lunch with Santa Cruz County Sheriff Hart at the Shadowbrook Restaurant.

This is the verbose, Odd Stuffing version. A much slimmer, 248-word extract was submitted by this morning’s 8 am deadline.

The link to the Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing is at the bottom of the page.

—–

The title implies a couple of things, the adoption of high tech tools and techniques and a new way of policing. Integrating the latest & greatest technology is essential, however I reject the premise that there is a need to once again reinvent policing. The key to effective law enforcement is the community. It always has been and always will.

Police have come a long way from the original officers walking a beat. Talking to people on the street and in their shops was normal. Information was shared, issues averted and crimes solved. Growth and progress made communities larger and more difficult to effectively patrol. Automobiles gave us greater mobility and the ability to cover distance quickly, but separated the officer on the beat from the community. With it, the simple task of building one-on-one relationships with the community was gone.

With the loss of casual contact, the most common interaction with officers is through some kind of enforcement action. Getting out into the public, on the public’s terms instead of at department-sponsored events, allows communication on a more personal level. Only by stepping out of the primary enforcement role and into that of being a member of the community, can that one-on-one trust be established.

Law enforcement agencies should be a reflection of the communities they serve, each one a little unique as its constituents. At the core is the officers themselves. Many agencies prefer to hire younger, less experienced recruits so they can be molded into the proper culture. While this approach helps with a consistent mindset, it ignores the true diversity of knowledge and experience within the community. With limited non-law enforcement life experience, it may also promote an ‘us vs. them’ mindset. Agencies themselves can reinforce this by promoting policies, practices and perks that separate the officers from the communities and only serve to drive a wedge further between them.

The role of officers has also become more complex over the years. Officers are now expected to play the role of social worker, mental health, drug and marriage councilor, medic, educator, facilitator, consultant, guardian and warrior – all potentially within a single shift. The publics mandate for multidisciplined officers demands a far higher level of commitment to officer training and agency support than ever before.

The final report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing outlines six pillars for a modern, model law enforcement agency. These topic areas are: Building Trust and Legitimacy, Policy and Oversight, Technology & Social Media, Community Policing & Crime Reduction, Training & Education and Officer Wellness & Safety.

While a great piece of reference material with the full weight of the President of the United States behind it, it didn’t see any breakthrough ideas in it. The concepts of trust, transparency, technology, community policing, training, and so on have been around for a long time. The two main issues for agencies wanting to implement any of these recommendations are time and money.

Law enforcement is expensive and can range anywhere from 10 to 50% of a community’s budget. Every department is challenged by maintaining their current level of service with less funding, even as the community demands more services from them. Core functions such as patrol/enforcement and investigations are forever short staffed. Pulling personnel for other activities, even vital community relationship programs, which will have a positive impact on crime prevention, can have a ripple effect through the agency. Shifts and functions need to be covered with less people or left open. Grants can provide short-term program relief but not long-term operational support. Short of tax increases for larger budgets, the priority will always be for core enforcement functions.

This leaves agencies with difficult choices to make. To make gains in one area usually means cutting another. However, there is another possibility. When the walls between the agency and communities come down, additional options for cooperation and collaboration with the public and private enterprise emerge. Untapped resources for solving the community’s problems are available, when the agency is part of the community again.

Bob

#oddstuffing, #21centurypolicing, #whatsoldisnewagain, #bluelivesmatter, #mewe, #oddstuffing.com

http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/taskforce_finalreport.pdf

Criminology 101 – California Style

 

Understanding crime and criminals is the basic element in being able to promote public safety. But I’m going to say there’s an even more basic step that needs to be mastered, understanding who the criminal is.

Witness the State of California and the latest legislative session in Sacramento, California as evidence. Under the pretense of pubic safety, the administration passed sweeping, draconian gun control legislation against whom? Law-abiding citizens. The ONE firearm related bill that made it to the Governor’s desk that would have actually targeted criminals, the people who break the laws, was vetoed.

But then, California has a history of coddling its criminals at the expense of the law-abiding citizenry. The adverse effects of Proposition 47, which reclassified many crimes as misdemeanors, put more criminals back on the streets and increased the crime rate in every city and town in the state, is well documented. Nationwide we’re told it’s now discriminatory to call people criminals or convicts. The new politically correct term for them is “justice involved individuals”. Why hold people responsible for their own illegal actions when it’s possible to blame the law-abiding for discriminating against them.

Keep in mind the anti-gun zealots have bought into the theory of “everyone is a law abiding citizen, until they’re not”. Since the law-abiding own deadly weapons of war, death and destruction, it’s only a matter of time before each of them will go off on a killing spree of their own. Since we don’t have a Minority Report inspired PreCrime Department to arrest people before they commit their crimes, it’s far more efficient to just to go after all gun owners. Everyone should lose his or her rights because someday, somewhere, someone is going to break the law – maybe, or maybe not.

The problem with this logic is that everyone is being punished for something they did not and never will do. The vast, Vast, VAST majority of legal firearm owners will never commit a crime, to say nothing of committing a crime with their firearms. Add to this the estimated one to two million lawful defensive uses of firearms – outnumbering felonious uses by 30 to 80 to one, by law-abiding citizens in the United States each year. According to the gun banners, these incidents never occur and the Good Guy With A Gun is merely a piece of gun lobby fiction. To this I reply: Read the news for yourself.

To make the public “safe”, our politicians are pointing to law-abiding citizens and lawfully owned firearms and saying: This is the problem; this is why you can’t feel safe in your home, your office or on the street. Your friend, your neighbor, your store clerk, your doctor, your bus driver, your lawyer, your programmer and your family – the people who bought their firearms lawfully, own them lawfully and use them lawfully – these are the people to blame. So our politicians make laws that turn these otherwise law-abiding people into criminals and take away their firearms. Then and only then will you be safe.

Of course, banning firearms is only going to remove the firearms from the people who legally own them. The criminals, the ones who illegally own them, are not going to line up to drop off their newly banned guns, the guns they already are banned from owning in the first place.

It’s time for California to wake up and smell some reality. Instead of coming up with laws that target the law-abiding, target the people who are committing the crimes. If you commit a crime, you should be punished. Yes, it really is that simple.

Instead we coddle our “justice involved individuals”, we reduce and eliminate penalties for committing crimes and we tell the rest of the nation that we shouldn’t hold people who commit crimes responsible for their own actions, now or any time in the future. In a nation where there are no consequences for breaking the law, who is going to bother to follow it?

How exactly is this promoting public safety?

Bob

#oddstuffing, #2ndAmendment, #gunvote, #californiacriminology101, #mewe, #oddstuffing.com

Mirror Mirror

A comment on one of my posts stated that if we could point to one study that backs up our claim that people would be safer armed, he would never say a public word about guns again. This got me thinking about what research is out there. Yes, there are studies showing owning and carrying firearms do make individuals and communities safer. There are also studies showing owning and carrying firearms makes you less safe. So, how can it be both?

Research studies are very similar to expert testimony in court proceedings. Two highly educated and credentialed “experts” examine the very same piece of evidence and come to completely opposite conclusions. The only difference is one is being paid by the prosecution and the other by the defense. Since both sides cannot be correct, the jury must make up their mind on the arbitrary points surrounding the “experts” like personality, appearance and presentation as a measure of credibility as well as their own preconceived notions about the facts.

Somewhere along the line, scholarly research also turned into a paid for results enterprise. It may have been around the last time we believed a network news reporter was unbiased. Sadly there are no more Uncle Walter’s out there.

Governments, private companies and causes all commission their own research. In a perfect world, the researchers are unbiased professionals who take great care to ensure their results are impartial and have sound, verifiable results. Instead, what we usually see are results that are so highly skewed they can’t stand the light of day to say nothing of peer review. Yet, they are held up as ironclad, scientific proof of whatever points someone was trying to make.

Research results that go against a position are quickly attacked to minimize it. The methodology is said to be faulty, the data incomplete and the researchers biased. Anything and everything is done to discredit any study that doesn’t point to someone’s preconceived notion.

For the most part, no research is going to change your mind if you already have an opinion on the topic. It’s either going to confirm what you believe or conflict with it. “Research” is put out to try to influence the unconvinced, the people who’s opinion can be swayed by the all powerful myth of a scientific study.

Every so often you hear about a commissioned study pointing to results opposite of what they were supposed to find. Does this change the minds of the people who paid for this study? Hell no! They simply bury it and commission another one to come up with the ‘right’ results.

If you wonder why the Second Amendment community opposes radically anti-gun administrations in the White House and California funding “gun violence research”, this is why. Let’s just save the time and taxpayer money and publish the results first – guns are evil and their gun control plans are the only way to stop all violence. Just the results they are paying for – even if they do defy logic.

Of course this does not mean all research is biased garbage. True professionals do exist and their work is commendable. What I’m saying is that it is exceedingly difficult these days to sort out the paid for, pseudo-science opinion pieces from the real deal.

So my response to anyone looking for studies backing up my claims is this: Do a little research of your own. We all have access to news and information around the state, country and world at our fingertips. Look at the ‘studies’ from both sides of the argument. Look at the raw data from law enforcement at the local through the national level. Look at news yourself and don’t be lulled into thinking that just because one news outlet reports something it is fact. Be forewarned, the results may surprise you.

Or, you can simply start off your hypothesis with the phrase: Mirror Mirror on the wall….

Bob

#oddstuffing, #2ndAmendment, #2A, #guncontrol, #mirrormirror, #mewe, #oddstuffing.com

Executive Orders & Voter Apathy

Executive orders, the cure all solution when there is no mandate from the people, legislative body or even logic. Most commonly referenced as actions by the President of the United States, executive orders are not dribbling down to the State level.

Following the Governor of Oregon into the realm of non-mandated and abusive anti-gun regulations is this week’s Massachusetts Attorney General’s reinterpretation of the state’s “assault weapons” laws. She felt the sale of “copycat” rifles, semi-automatic rifles that strictly complied with the law, violated the spirit of the state’s 1998 “assault weapon” ban. Massachusetts’ newly defined test is if a firearm’s operating system is essentially the same as that of a banned weapon, or if the gun has components that are interchangeable with those of a banned weapon, it’s a “copy” or “duplicate,” and it is therefore illegal.

The Attorney General’s decision certainly isn’t backed up by facts from her own state, which shows only a tiny fraction of deaths from any kind of rifles in the past seven years. In reality it’s just about banning more legally owned firearms.

When the anti-gun elite started going after the so-called “weapons of war”, they focused on the features claiming they made the firearms “more lethal”. Cosmetic qualities like pistol grips, adjustable stocks, barrel shrouds and flash suppressors, all of which have nothing to do with making a firearm more or less treacherous. When the firearms industry responded by producing firearms without these “evil features”, the anti-gun crowd had to adjust. In Massachusetts’s case, it’s now the mechanical features that operate the firearms that are considered “more lethal”.

Of course this will never end. One of the bills that did not pass this year’s California legislature was to reclassify all semi-automatic, magazine fed firearms as “assault weapons”. Most certainly it and others like it around the country will return next year as the next incremental step in disarming the population.

So where does voter apathy play into this? Sadly, it’s very simple. Since the firearm community is so badly fractured, there is little chance of any of these abusive decisions being reversed. Non-black rifle owners don’t see a threat to their firearms so they haven’t fully engaged. Many who just own deer hunting rifles or duck hunting shotguns are sitting on the sidelines. The same holds true for cowboy action shooters, curio & relic collectors and muzzleloaders. But the truth is, the threat to all of us is real. The political references to Australian-style confiscations, which targeted semi-automatic as well as pump rifles, shotguns and of course handguns, is preview of what is to come for the United States.

There’s one more element of these anti-gun laws and orders to consider. As select anti-gun states around the country are coming up with new and unusual ways of stripping firearms away from law-abiding citizens, other states are strengthening their Second Amendment protections. As laws are challenged around the country and conflicts arise in the judicial Circuits, the inevitable appeals will reach the United States Supreme Court. With the passing of Constitutional Jurist Antonin Scalia, the best any appeal can currently hope for is a four-to-four tie, upholding the lower court ruling brought before it. With the audacity and blatant rights infringements being offered up around the country, you can be sure they are betting on a split court and an anti-Second Amendment majority coming in January 2017.

We also have to consider that the nature of the Court’s rulings can be so limiting in scope as to be little help for the masses. Think of it as betting on which one of the two pigeons sitting on the branch above your freshly washed car is going to poop first. Just because you win doesn’t mean you don’t get crapped on.

All of this brings us to one critical reality for firearms owners. We need to come together right here and right now. We can no longer afford to stay within our circle of like-minded friends and resist only when it impacts us personally. We need to fight each of these infringements on our rights as if the law had our name and our personally owned firearms written at the top of it. We need to fight every law, every ordinance and every executive order like it is our last chance because one day soon, it will be.

Bob

#oddstuffing, #2ndAmendment, #2A, #executiveorders, #gunvote