A little diversion here for what I’m calling my inflation pants. No, I’m not talking about G-Suits or MAST pants (kudos if you are old enough to know what those are), I’m talking about the good old fashioned pants Bob wears to work and to work around the house & property. I recently ordered a new pair of pants and the price had increased from $52 to $74.50 in just one year. That’s an increase in price of more than 43%.
As you can tell from the price, these are not fancy, dress up, fashionista type pants. Like I would even wear something like that. They are basic, tough work pants. If you’ve met me anytime in the past decade, I’ve probably been wearing a pair of these pants. Made in Vietnam for an American company, I’ve been wearing them for years. But I’m tough on all my clothes and even tough pants wear out so I occasionally need to replace them.
Honestly, I don’t blame the clothing company for the price increase. Their cost of business has increased and, like every other business including my own, they have no choice but to raise prices. It all trickles down to the little guy at the bottom who can’t work any more hours and simply can’t make ends meet.
I blame our country’s administration for the policies that have led to massive inflationary price hikes. Unless you live under a rock or work for the federal government, your life has been severely impacted by the runaway inflation.
No, it’s not Putin’s fault, COVID 19, systemic racism, global warming, or the former President, it’s the out-of-control and reckless government spending and fiscal policies of those who are running our government, and our country into the ground.
With the exception of the elite at the top of the economic pyramid, and our so-called representatives in government who write the laws that take care of themselves more than anyone else, the rest of the country is getting weaker and weaker financially. Everything costs more and salaries are not, and never will keep up.
Bob’s inflationary pants are just one of a million things that cost more, but really shouldn’t. They are a reminder that the people who are causing this are supposed to be working for US, representing US, working on OUR behalf, but are not.
Perhaps it’s time to get new representation before none of us can afford new pants.
Bob
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Tag: #Constitution
Good Samaritan or Armed Vigilante?
Whenever a legally armed citizen stops a criminal from taking lives, or taking more lives, the anti-gun zealots do two things. First, the try to bury the story in the media and social media so the rest of the nation doesn’t hear about it. Second, when burying it doesn’t succeed, they minimize what happened, attack the legally armed citizen and attempt to show how stopping the threat was the worst, most dangerously irresponsible thing to do.
So is the case of the Greenville Park Mall shooting. A despicable excuse for a human being went to the mall with two rifles and one pistol. Emerging from the restroom, he began shooting at people in the food court. Within 15 seconds, a legally armed citizen who was shopping with his girlfriend, engaged the shooter from 40 yards away, hitting him with the first shot. He then closed in and neutralized him with eight of the ten total rounds fired, all while motioning for people to exit behind him. In the end, three people were killed, and two more injured not counting the deceased gunman. This legally armed citizen was carrying without a “permit” due to Indiana’s very recently enacted Constitutional Carry law. Even more remarkable was the fact he did not have a law enforcement or military background and had no formal firearms training. He learned to shoot from his grandfather.
Once the story was out, there was no burying it so anti-gun extremists put Plan B into effect. They attacked the good guy.
They disputed the fact that the armed citizen was legally carrying a firearm by noting the mall has a “Code of Conduct” which lists: No Weapons.
When the police and public began calling him a Good Samaritan, they began circulating the origin of the term and noting it was from a Bible passage describing how someone stopped and helped another person who was injured. Because of this it is unconscionable to describe someone who took a life as a Good Samaritan.
They called the legally armed citizen a “vigilante” because he shot and killed the gunman and didn’t let the police handle the situation.
They said the legally armed citizen put everyone in the mall in danger by having a gun battle with the shooter.
They claimed defensive gun use is extremely rare and that their data shows that “criminal carry” laws (what the anti-gun zealots call Constitutional Carry) “increase gun crime and gun homicides in the states where they’re passed.”
It’s times like this when a Luke Skywalker quote is appropriate. Every word of what you just said was wrong.
In Indiana, there is no criminal violation for carrying a firearm on private property in violation of a Code of Conduct. If discovered, the property owner can only ask the person to leave. Failure to leave on demand is trespassing.
But let’s expand on that a bit. Gun free zones, places which have signs saying no weapons allowed or a Code of Conduct forbidding the carrying of “weapons” are, and always have been the location of choice for mass murderers. Be it malls, schools or workplaces, 98% of all mass shootings in the United States since 1950 have occurred in a “Gun Free Zone”. The reason is painfully obvious. Law abiding citizens are expected to obey the rules not carry a firearm in them. But murderers have zero problems carrying a gun and killing in a Gun Free Zone. The fact that these Gun Free Zones do NOT screen 100% of the people coming into them and do NOT provide armed security or law enforcement within them makes it easy for murderers to kill unopposed.
Let’s not forget the words of the Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Mayor following the November 21st, 2020 shooting at the Mayfair Mall that left eight people injured. “Mayfair has a strict no-gun policy. If the shooter had complied with that policy, no one would have been hurt yesterday.”
Side note: Even the Greensville Park Mall commended this armed citizen: “… We are grateful for the strong response of the first responders, including the heroic actions of the Good Samaritan who stopped the suspect.”
Attacking the term Good Samaritan is just a straw man argument from the anti-gun zealots. Since the original Samarian only helped by rendering aid vs. taking a life to save many others, no modern day legally armed citizen who uses a firearm can be considered a Good Samaritan. Personally, I find it painful to think someone spent time coming up with that.
This legally armed citizen did not seek out someone to punish without legal authority, he responded to a threat to his life and the lives of innocent people all around him. It was self-defense, not a vigilante inspired gun battle that risked the lives of others. Had this legally armed citizen not intervened, how many would be dead waiting for the law enforcement response? Is this what they would have preferred? Sadly, the answer to that question is yes since a high body count helps them pass more gun control.
The anti-gun zealots are always trying to restrict an individual’s right to self-defense in this country. Even though the United States Supreme Court has ruled the Second Amendment DOES include this right, they’d prefer nobody except a tightly controlled, severely restricted and defunded law enforcement be able to use it.
Following the example of the United Kingdom, the Canadian Prime Minister recently declared: “No one in Canada has a right to defend themselves, their family, or their property with a firearm.” How long before they start saying that in the United States?
And finally, is defensive gun use rare? Not really. Firearms are used by everyday people around our country at a rate of 3:1 over felonious use, to the tune of approximately three million per year. In most of these incidents, the firearm isn’t even fired. Simply demonstrating the ability to be able to adequately defend yourself against a criminal is often enough to stop the crime in its tracks.
It’s also important to note the anti-gun zealots always claim Constitutional Carry laws will turn American cities into the wild, wild west and there will be blood running in the streets. Yet each and every time Constitutional Carry is signed into law, violent crime goes down and public safety goes up.
The FBI (yea, those guys) recently put out their metric of armed citizens stopping active shooter incidents at 4.4%. Except, they missed quite a few shootings and defensive uses. The real number is conservatively around 14.6%. Whether this was intentionally done to help drive a political narrative or simply incompetence, it’s best to take anything that comes out of the former premier law enforcement agency in our country with a massive grain of salt.
There’s one more thing I’d like you to take away from the Greenville Park Mall shooting and that’s the lack of focus on the gunman. Why? Because he was stopped quickly and effectively, we aren’t obsessing about every stupid detail about this psychopath. No stories about his pathetic life, how misunderstood his family says he was, or his horrific body count. Most people wouldn’t be able to recall his name, just as it should be.
Why? Because a hero named Elisjsha Dicken was there to stop him. The focus has been on the young man who had the skills and mental discipline to put a stop to the killing as soon as it started.
What do you think will deter the next mass shooter at a mall, school or workplace? A no weapons “Code of Conduct” policy with a little plastic window sign saying “Gun Free Zone” and a disarmed rule obeying population, or the realization that a legally armed citizen might be there to shoot you when you try to start killing people?
Bob
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A Government of the People
A friend of mine, who sadly I have not seen for far too long, recently ran for a local precinct position during the primaries. Of the 14 seats available, only two names were listed, my friend’s name plus one more. The rest of the spaces on the ballot were blank for write-ins. THIS right here is why we have lost control of our government. Nobody is showing up to the table.
I’ve said it before. Every seat on every board in every community is important. If we are not showing up, we are ceding control of our communities, our states, and our nation to those who may not share our interests.
… and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Excerpt from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Nobody realized how important their local school board was until they found out they were indoctrinating our children with racist content, hate and age inappropriate sexually explicit material. Nobody realized the control they have given up until school boards began having parents arrested for speaking out about non-educational content, boards covering up sexual assaults and teachers sexually grooming students.
Nobody cared about planning commissions and zoning boards until they realized these were the people responsible for making sure no firearms or ammunition retailers could operate in their cities and towns. Nobody noticed they had rewritten the bureaucratic processes against the small business lifeblood of the community until they learned there is no way for them to fairly appeal a board decision. Nobody thought their local town or city council was important until they found out they were implementing their own nonsense gun control ordinances, while at the same time handcuffing and defunding local law enforcement.
While most people pay attention to the national political puppet show, they tend to ignore the state and local levels, not realizing the actions of these legislative bodies impact their day-to-day lives more than national level politics do.
An article I recently read tried to explain that because Republicans are more focused on families and religious activities, they tend to not get into political or civic offices as much as Democrats. The explanation seemed to backhandedly imply Democrats were godless, family haters as opposed Republicans. Not exactly what I’d call a logical political theory, but we definitely have a problem with conservative voices showing up.
I believe a more rational explanation is that more conservatives / Republicans share a Ron Swanson (Parks & Recreation) view of government. Government should be as small and as limited as possible. Period.
A Ron Swanson view of government: “My idea of a perfect government is one guy who sits in a small room at a desk, and the only thing he’s allowed to decide is who to nuke. The man is chosen based on some kind of IQ test, and maybe also a physical tournament, like a decathlon.”
The problem with this approach is without representation from all points of view, only the people who are actively trying to shred our Constitution and Bill of Rights and transform our country into their utopian socialist nation are in the government and making decisions for the rest of us.
To quote The West Wing; “Decisions are made by those who show up.”
The good news is conservative voices are now fighting their way back to the table. Responsible, concerned parents are reclaiming their school boards. Conservative members of the communities are recovering seats on local and county boards. But while there is success and momentum in the right direction, it is also a time to be cautious.
Lifelong Democrats are registering as Republicans for local, state and federal posts. Funded by the Democratic Party, they are put in as spoilers to siphon off votes for actual Republican candidates. If they do win, they vote as Democrats. In some areas, the Democrats are hand selecting their Republican opponents. The local liberal press then run stories about how they are “the only Republican who can beat X”. Of course, they are the candidates who have absolutely zero chance of beating anyone, but it keeps viable candidates out of the race. The lesson to learn here is to get to know who is running.
Who is the best candidate? It’s someone you already know. It’s your neighbor, your friend, your local business employee or owner, or maybe it’s that person you see in the mirror every single morning.
Not everyone has the time and inclination to serve, but I’d rather have someone who is willing to take on a position and serve their community for a short period of time than someone looking for the entrance ramp to the swamp.
Remember, the best way to stop unconstitutional laws is to prevent them from being enacted in the first place. It’s time to fill that ballot with people who will represent YOU.
Yes, it does matter who you vote for.
Bob
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Today Was A Good Day For The Second Amendment
Today is truly a good day for free, law-abiding people in our country. The United States Supreme Court has struck down New York’s “May Issue” concealed carry permit law which prevented ordinary citizens from bearing arms to defend themselves in public. While the case was specifically about the New York law, it applies to all other states which also demand applicants to provide “proper cause” to receive government permission carry a firearm for self-defense outside their homes. This historic ruling also updated standard courts must follow when deciding Second Amendment cases.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority that the Constitution protects “an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.”
Today’s ruling (linked below) is 135 pages long and is still being read and digested. While most everyone is focusing on the positive, constitutional aspects, the gun control community is digging in their heels. Rather than accepting the ruling and working towards compliance with the new law-of-the-land, they are actively looking for loopholes or workarounds to circumvent it.
Here is a sampling of statements from some of the biggest proponents of unconstitutional gun control:
The Governor of the State of New York:
“It is outrageous that at a moment of national reckoning on gun violence, the Supreme Court has recklessly struck down a New York law that limits those who can carry concealed weapons.”
“I would like to point out to the Supreme Court justices that the only weapons at that time were muskets. I’m prepared to go back to muskets.”
The Mayor of the New York City:
“Nothing changes today… It ignores the presence (sp) and it endangers our future.”
The Governor of the State of California:
“A dark day in America. This is a dangerous decision from a court hell bent on pushing a radical ideological agenda and infringing on the rights of states to protect our citizens from being gunned down in our streets, schools, and churches. Shameful.”
The United States Department of Justice:
“We respectfully disagree with the Court’s conclusion that the Second Amendment forbids New York’s reasonable requirement that individuals seeking to carry a concealed handgun must show that they need to do so for self-defense. The Department of Justice remains committed to saving innocent lives by enforcing and defending federal firearms laws, partnering with state, local and tribal authorities and using all legally available tools to tackle the epidemic of gun violence plaguing our communities.”
And finally, from the President of the United States:
… “I urge states to continue to enact and enforce commonsense laws to make their citizens and communities safer from gun violence. As the late Justice Scalia recognized, the Second Amendment is not absolute. For centuries, states have regulated who may purchase or possess weapons, the types of weapons they may use, and the places they may carry those weapons. And the courts have upheld these regulations.”
There are of course many, many more rants from politicians, activists, actors and your average, everyday alt-left lunatic fringe. All reveal that they have absolutely zero intention to comply with the Supreme Court’s rulings and will do everything in their power to circumvent the decision by implementing more unconstitutional, draconian gun control laws that have NEVER done anything to prevent violence or death.
Today was a good day for the Second Amendment, but it is only the beginning. May Issue laws in California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia must be challenged under the new standard and repealed, along with a host of other gun control laws implemented under flawed standards by activist judges in prejudicial courts.
Anyone in New York or any other “May Issue” state thinking they will be able to run down to their local police or sheriff station tomorrow and get their brand spank’n new conceal carry permit is mistaken. In contrast to the lightning speed they implement new restrictions on firearms from other court rulings, this new ruling from the highest court in the nation is going to be slow walked to death before they are forced to give up that gun, and people control.
Remember, it shouldn’t take 100 years to reclaim your Second Amendment protected rights. Only you can prevent unconstitutional gun laws from being enacted in the first place.
Yes, it does matter who you vote for.
Bob
Full text of ruling: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-843_7j80.pdf
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Reclaiming NOT Expanding Second Amendment Rights
Perhaps as soon as this week, the United States Supreme Court will issue a decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen. The issue before the court is whether the state of New York’s denial of petitioners’ applications for concealed-carry licenses for self-defense violated the Second Amendment. However, it is the underlying facts that may ultimately decide whether Second Amendment protected rights are applicable outside the home. This case has the potential to be as significant as Heller and McDonald.
As with all Supreme Court cases, it could be a narrow decision applicable only to New York’s highly restrictive and discriminatory conceal carry permit laws, or wider to include other states with similar conceal carrying permits that require applicants to show “proper cause” or a “special need for self-protection”, namely California, Maryland, Rhode Island, Delaware, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Hawaii. There is also the chance this ruling may even include setting the standard by which all Second Amendment cases are to be decided.
What it is NOT is an expansion of Second Amendment rights. This is a lie created by the gun control groups to scare people into thinking they will be less safe. None of it is true.
Despite many people trying to pick apart, redefine, reinterpret or creatively reimagine it, the 27 words of the Second Amendment remain extraordinarily clear.
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
One of the most widespread misconceptions about the Second Amendment is that it grants the right to bear arms. The truth is, it does nothing of the kind. It merely protects that right. The right to bear arms is considered a natural right, one that is not dependent on the laws or customs of any culture or government. Rights of this kind are also called inalienable or even God given rights, inherent to all persons.
Despite this, the nation, states and individual cities and communities have been writing laws to infringe upon the right to keep and bear arms since it was adopted on December 15, 1791. In fact, those defending New York’s highly restrictive gun control law in Bruen note that the law is over 100 years old, thus they claim any reversal of it would be an expansion of Second Amendment rights.
But what the anti-gun zealots call an expansion, is in fact a reclaiming of rights that preexisted BEFORE the unconstitutional gun control law was put in place.
Sadly, Bruen shows how long it can take to reverse unconstitutional laws. If in fact the law in question is over 100 years old, then it took over 100 years for it to be successfully challenged and appealed to the United States Supreme Court to be (hopefully) ruled unconstitutional and reversed.
It’s a fool’s errand to believe that once a law has been enacted, it can successfully be drawn back. Of the thousands of gun control laws passed around the country, precious few are successfully appealed and reversed. The only ones who benefit from the fight are the lawyers. The best way, the ONLY way to stop them is to prevent them from being enacted in the first place.
As is the norm now for cases being decided by the Supreme Court, states and cities around the country who disagree with projected decisions are preparing their response. Not how to fully comply with the decision mind you, that would mean they accept the decision of the highest court in the land. Since they know better than the Supreme Court, they are crafting ways to circumvent the new law-of-the-land and accomplish the very same thing just ruled unconstitutional in a new and creative way.
This is nothing new, especially in the gun control community. Each time a ruling comes out against a gun control law, the anti-gun zealots come up with new ones to take its place. States with highly restrictive concealed carry laws have been particularly good at coming up with new requirements like physical and mental health exams, training and qualifications, multiple interviews, waiting periods, numerous trips to the police station for appointments, all only available during the day during the work week, and ever-increasing fees, fees and even more FEES to help limit who they have to give a permit to.
Remember that each and every time a state has proposed eliminating permits for concealed carry, gun control zealots, led by the activist Giffords organization, has flooded the airwaves and internet with “research” and “studies” showing this would directly lead to people settling all their disputes in restaurants, bars, stores and the streets with guns. It would be the wild, wild west and there would be blood running in the streets of American cities.
Yet each and every time, the exact opposite has happened. Violent crime has gone down and public safety increases.
As we wait for the Bruen decision, let’s keep in mind what has been happening with regards to conceal carry across the country. 25 states now do not require a permit to carry a concealed firearm in public, otherwise known as constitutional carry. That’s half the country that says you don’t need government permission to lawfully carry a firearm outside your home. The national trend is clearly in the opposite direction from New York’s highly restrictive permitting scheme, and there are at least 25 states where we are all safer because of it.
It shouldn’t take 100 years to reclaim your Second Amendment protected rights. Only you can prevent unconstitutional gun laws from being enacted in the first place.
Yes, it does matter who you vote for.
Bob
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Can You Hear Me Now?
Borrowing the catch phrase from an old TV commercial, this the question those of us in the Second Amendment community have. Censorship of the firearms industry or anyone advocating for Second Amendment protected rights is nothing new, although it has gotten exceedingly worse in the past few years. But now that censorship has expanded to include those who choose to hold and speak out on conservative held values or simply question the government narrative. Although many are speaking out, the message may not be getting through.
Censorship of the firearms and 2A community by mainstream news outlets and social media companies has been going on for years. Shadow banning, the practice of partially blocking or restricting the content and comments online to limit visibility is commonplace. Pages and commentators with thousands, hundreds of thousands or millions of followers have found their messages only reaching a tiny percentage of them. Why? It’s simply because those who own the platform don’t like their message. That’s all.
Then there are fact-checkers. Our nation’s free and independent press used to be our fact-checkers since they had an interest in the truth and exposing those who didn’t speak it. But with free and independent giving way to biased and prejudiced reporting, the press simply isn’t trustworthy anymore. Besides, traditional news organizations weren’t set up to handle a 24/7 immediate response model. Enter the fact-checkers.
These so-called fact checkers have emerged as anonymous, unaccountable, supposedly third-party organizations, often directly funded by the very same companies they are “independently” fact-checking for. It should come as no surprise that the sponsoring organization’s ideology and biases towards those they don’t agree with are mirrored in their checks of facts. All the fact-checkers need to do is find an article with an alternate version of “truth” and that becomes the basis of YOUR facts being wrong. Once tagged with a fact-check, even if the fact-check indicates your article is true, its visibility is further reduced.
And let’s not forget Terms and Conditions of Use or Community Standards, the ultimate restriction on content. Social media companies can define anything they want as being “otherwise objectionable” and completely ban it and the users who share it. They don’t have to justify it any further than that and they don’t have to apply the standards equally across the board. They get to decide all by themselves what is true, what is false and what is acceptable for YOU to experience on their platform. These convoluted documents are supposed to make you think they are applying their ideology in a fair manner in your best interest. They are not.
What kind of power do they have? They can ban the sitting President of the United States of America and a member of the United States Congress for so-called offensive content. Yet, at the same time, they permit those who advocate acts of violence against others, target members of political parties or those of a certain race. They also allow actual, bona fide terrorist organizations. Simply questioning an official government narrative or presenting actual / factual information that may cause others to question it, is enough for a permanent ban.
Of course, there is the argument that the social media platforms are private property you use for free. As such, First Amendment speech protections do not apply, and you are perfectly welcome to start your own social media platform. Well…. There are some problems with that logic.
First is the direct connection between one side of the United States government and the news and social media companies. If the White House, members of Congress or members of a political party are contacting these companies and asking them to limit or remove certain content, then you’re damn right the First Amendment applies. The government doesn’t get to do an end run around the Constitution and claim no free speech infringements when they are the ones directing the private companies to do it on their behalf.
Second, let’s not forget the case of Parler, the free speech alternative to Twitter. Liberal talking heads complained the platform was nothing more than a conversative “echo chamber” that attracted and encouraged extremists. In reality, it was simply getting too popular and didn’t employ the same nanny-level liberal fact-checking the other social medial platforms did. So, using the tenuous at best association with the events of January 6th, Google, Apple and Amazon conspired to take down the platform. Yes, it’s back online now with a new infrastructure and management, but the damage has already been done.
I’ve seen dozens of my favorite firearms related businesses and commentators have their content removed and the owners banned over the past few years. All their content was 100% legal, but none of that matters. Of course, they can appeal, but it’s a byzantine system of anonymous company drones who have the final say, and it should be no surprise it doesn’t go in your favor very often.
Keep in mind, banned content doesn’t let people have information that might help them in their own lives. Banned content can’t inspire someone else to speak out in support of a position. Banned content doesn’t allow people to unite around a cause. Banned content can’t question the only “facts” allowed to be shared. Banned content doesn’t exist, at least as far as you know.
There are some new platforms and more coming out soon which may help shift the tide of information sharing to those who have been censored. I believe their success will largely be dependent on the ability to attract the big-name content makers and get them to leave the current social media and news platforms behind. That should start a cascade of others who will be willing to leave and never look back.
For now, we’re all going to have to be creative and spread our message the best we can. There are a lot of us out there, and that’s exactly what they are afraid of.
Can you hear me now?
Bob
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Independence Day 2021
Today we celebrate the publishing of the Declaration of Independence proclaiming us no longer subject to Great Britain’s rule in 1776. This year it comes at a time when our nation is being shamed by those who supposedly represent us for not living up to our potential or being a racist, evil capitalist society. Some are offended by the mere sight of the American flag, the sound of the National Anthem or the words in the Pledge of Allegiance. What a crock!
For those who wish to malign our nation and way of life, to say we are a systemically racist and oppressive society, I support your freedom to do so as protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. But don’t expect me or anyone else to promote your lies and indignation while exercising the same guaranteed rights you are trying to deny to others. Your ability to say these things without legal repercussions is due to the very system YOU are trying to destroy.
Our nation is the shining beacon of freedom it is today because 245 years ago today, patriots from the original 13 colonies decided it was better to live dangerously free than under the relative safety of an oppressive government that no longer represented their interests. Our Bill of Rights, those inalienable Rights unique to the United States of America, have never been duplicated anywhere. Why is very simple. Free people with guaranteed and protected rights are difficult for the government to control. And that my friends, is the whole idea.
Last week I had the occasion to spend some time in several small, rural towns. What struck me was the level of patriotic spirit being displayed in preparation for the Fourth of July. Not only was Old Glory proudly displayed on nearly every home, but also on every single utility pole along the main streets of the towns. Most of these towns will be celebrating with their own small parades and community get-togethers, proudly and respectfully.
Patriotism is not dead or even declining. It is as strong as it ever was and getting stronger every day. The more we are told to be embarrassed by our patriotism and national pride, the more people are waking up to the words written by our Founding Fathers.
Independence Day is for every American, even those who are too foolish to realize it. Be proud of our nation and don’t be afraid to show it. You are the majority, and you are among a nation of patriots.
If you haven’t read the Declaration of Independence lately, today is a good time to do it. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Libertatem diu vivere!
Bob
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A Direct Threat To Public Safety
This quote was part of the California Governor’s response to the ruling from U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez declaring the state’s 32-year-old ban on so-called “assault weapons” unconstitutional. While this matter is nowhere close to being final, the June 4, 2021, ruling in Miller v. Bonta is a substantial step forward in the restoration of Second Amendment protected rights in the State of California, as well as the rest of the country.
The first part of this ruling is:
“Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment. Good for both home and battle, the AR-15 is the kind of versatile gun that lies at the intersection of the kinds of firearms protected under District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008) and United States v Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (1939).”
Of course, the Governor and State Attorney General Rob Bonta immediately attacked this ruling:
“Today’s decision is a direct threat to public safety and the lives of innocent Californians, period. The fact that this judge compared the AR-15 — a weapon of war that’s used on the battlefield — to a Swiss Army knife completely undermines the credibility of this decision and is a slap in the face to the families who’ve lost loved ones to this weapon.”
By attacking the analogy used by Judge Benitez instead of the facts of the case, then continuing to perpetuate the “weapon of war” lie, it showed how little understanding the Governor and Attorney General really have about firearms, crime, violence and the Constitution.
The comparison is apt as the iconic Swiss Army Knife is universally recognized as an indispensable, multi-function, multi-use tool. The Judge could have just described the fact that the AR-15 is an indispensable, multi-function, multi-use tool, but he decided to use the common analogy to make the point. Thinking it compared lethality or anything else is absurd.
Of course, the “weapon of war” lie is one of the most popular myths among the gun control extremists. It attempts to portray the AR-15 as the exact same firearm used by military forces. Naturally it is not, and the incredibly HUGE difference is military firearms that ‘look’ like the AR-15 are select fire; having the ability to fire multiple rounds per trigger pull, either in a burst or fully automatic. The AR-15 has NEVER been used by our military or any other as a “weapon of war”. It is simply a semi-automatic firearm, just like any other semi-automatic firearm without the so-called “evil” cosmetic features. But you already knew that.
While the full ruling is 95 pages long, I encourage you to take some time and read it. Like all of Judge Benitez rulings, it is extremely well thought out and documented with verifiable, factual evidence, even if the State of California ignores it. The link to it is below.
The big question is of course, what happens now? Judge Benitez stayed the ruling for 30 days within the ruling itself, ironically expiring on the 4th of July. The State will appeal, as they have promised in their public statements.
California is the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, well known for its hostility towards and rulings against anything Second Amendment related. Cases in the Ninth tend to be decided by the political ideology of the judges assigned to the case rather than facts or Constitutional issues.
The success in this case was made possible thanks to generous donations and the member supported organizations behind it. The cost has been significant and will continue to grow as it goes to the next stage.
Now realize the State of California has unlimited resources to fight this case. Why unlimited? Because they are fighting this with YOUR tax dollars. The highly exorbitant tax dollars you pay to the state not only pay for their socialist agenda items, but to litigate cases like this to protect their ability to strip your rights away from you. If the State needs more money for the effort, they simply shuffle money from one account (like the DROS fund) to another. If they run out of money, well guess what, there’s more of that where it came from, YOU.
And let’s not forget the billionaire funded anti-gun “grassroots” groups and lawyers who do not want this case to become precedent for the entire country.
With the ruling stayed pending appeal, the State has everything to gain and nothing to lose by dragging out their appeals. The longer the case go on, the more resources are drained from firearm rights organizations. More dollars spent on this case means less dollars spent in other cases. All they need to do is drag this case out long enough for the 5-4 conservative majority on the United States Supreme Court to be reversed, or the Supreme Court to be packed by liberal appointed Justices, whichever comes first.
This case is FAR from over and it is going to be years before it makes it to the Supreme Court. Even so, there is no guarantee it will be granted a writ of certiorari OR be heard by a Court supportive of Second Amendment protected rights OR be adjudicated in our favor. Even in the absolute best of circumstances, it’s a crapshoot. The chances of getting any law reversed, even a bad one, is slim at best and the only ones who are certain to win are the lawyers.
I will repeat what I have said time and time again, the ONLY way to prevent these kinds of idiotic, non-sensical gun control laws from going into effect is to STOP electing people who are promising to take away your rights.
Bob
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/firearmspolicycoalition/pages/5381/attachments/original/1622850515/Miller_v_Bonta_Opinion.pdf
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If Gun Control Works, Why Hasn’t It?
If gun control works, why are parts of our country with the strictest gun control laws the ones with the most violence and crime?
If gun control works, why are the parts of our country with the least restrictive gun control laws the ones with the least violence and crime?
If gun control works, why are they always telling us we need more gun control?
If gun control works, why are they always telling us there are “loopholes” in the gun control laws they created that need to be filled in with new gun control laws?
If gun control works, why do the gangs, terrorists, criminals and thugs always have guns?
If gun control works, why are American citizens buying firearms to protect themselves and their families in record numbers?
If gun control works, why are the areas with the strictest gun control blaming the areas without strict gun control for the crimes and violence committed in the strictest gun control areas, when the areas without strict gun control don’t have the same level of crime and violence?
If gun control works, why are more and more cities, counties and states doing away with gun control laws and passing laws to further protect our natural right to keep and bear arms?
If gun control works, why hasn’t it?
Bob
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A Presidential Three Envelope Joke
There’s been a lot of speculation of what was in the envelope POTUS #45 left on the Resolute Desk for POTUS #46. Well, now is the time to reveal it. It was in fact three envelopes. POTUS #45 pulled the Three Envelopes joke on the incoming administration.
If you’re not familiar with it, the Three Envelope joke goes like this.
On the way out, the previous administration leaves three envelopes. The instructions say when things are bad and you don’t know what to do, open the envelopes in order and they will help guide you through the tough times.
Upon entering the White House Oval Office, the POTUS #46 sees the envelopes and, not knowing what else to do, opens the first one. It says, “Blame the previous administration”. Badakathcare, he exclaims! The current administration proceeds to blame everything not going well on the previous administration.
Time goes on and this strategy wears itself out. The country is looking for answers and the administration has none. With a bit of relief, he opens the second envelope, and it says, “Reorganize”. C’mon man, he cries! Despite this, the administration reorganizes and POTUS #46 is quietly slipped out the back door and the VPOTUS is now POTUS #47. The newly woke and reorganized administration goes about undoing and reorganizing everything into a new, “better” way.
A short time later, the reorganization strategy loses steam, and the country is once again looking for leadership. POTUS #47 having none to offer, opens the last envelope. It reads, “Make up three envelopes.”
Bob
#OddStuffing, #BillOfRights, #Constitution, #SecondAmendment, #2A, #GunControlFails, #3EnvelopsJoke, #2024Elections, #BuhBye46&47, #2024Elections, #medium, #mewe, #parler, #gab, #oddstuffing.com