Monday, April 27, 2009

Sometimes They Just Don't Get It...

There's an editorial up on Black Star News (I know, I've never heard of it either) bemoaning the fact that when it comes to the 2A, any response of more than two people must be coordinated by the gun lobby. We saw the same thing a couple of weeks ago with the tea parties. Because the left in this country can't get a crowd without offering to pay for everything from smokes to booze, they think everyone does. I've got a news flash for you. Just like the tea parties, word of mouth, or in this case keystrokes, travels fast. The offending editorial can be found here

Now our intrepid editorial writer has some issues with some of the comments left on his site. His biggest is none of his anti-gun buddies came to his rescue. Not a one. See, they know what happens when you tangle with "gun nuts". You get your keister kicked. With facts and figures. Something our writer found out the hard way when he complained about commenters referring to "research" and "studies. Which by the way are from the Centers for Disease Control and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, neither of which are known for their staunch support for the 2A.

He also seems to have a problem with a black commentor, one Peter, who pointed attempted to point out the racist origins of gun control in this country. After the civil war, the southern states attempted to keep some form of slavery in place. By requiring permits to purchase guns, the local constabulary was able to prevent blacks from arming themselves for personal defense, thus allowing racist groups like the KKK to continue to terrorize black communities for decades. The 14th Amendment was supposed to stop this, but until DC v Heller, and again in Nordyke v. King (9th Circuit) the 2A hadn't had a good day in court since US v. Miller.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Sometimes You Have To Wonder

From that cornucopia of news that is the Casper Star Tribune, came a letter to the editor defending the NRA against the editorial board of said paper. Comments were fairly middle of the road for such a letter, until we get to one "Mohamed Barrack". Here's his comment in its entirety:

It is about time that America has finally elected a world class leader who will now put the US on a par with the rest of the world and stop the 2 plus century madness of selfish belief that America is "superior" than the rest of the world in so called "freedoms of the bill of rights" that were at the time written by proven criminals to the legal power at the time, which was England. America finally now has a leader who will disband the false belief that Americans have "natural" rights. The only rights you have is what society gives you! About time the US Bill of rights is put down. America, welcome finally to the world community. Destroy your fireamrs! The revolution is OVER!

I left a comment there, outlining where this person is wrong, but there were some things that needed to be said outside of what was posted there. I'm still not sure if this post was something to stir the pot and he's simply a troll, or if this person honestly believes what they posted.

What galls me most, is the assertion that the 233 yrs of this country's existence is simply "madness". This "madness" as he calls it, has been a beacon of hope to all the peoples of the world. For the better part of 70 yrs, no one was jumping on to pieces of flotsam and jetsam to get to the Soviet Union. Nobody was braving 120+ degree heat in July to get into Iran. There were people starved for liberty enough they would risk their lives trying to get HERE. If that's madness, call the looney bin 'cause I'm guilty .

His assertion that Americans have a false belief in natural rights belies a complete lack of understanding of what this country fought the preeminent military power in world for. The right of self determination. The right to print and say what you believed without government censorship. The right to be secure in your home, to not have to quarter government troops at your own expense and not have those same government troops ransack your house with no probable cause. The right to a trial consisting of a jury of your peers, not a panel of appointed rich men, to confront your accuser, and that you could not be forced to bear witness against yourself. That the government was not the be-all-end-all and that the power of the government was not limitless.

The Bill of Rights was written as curbs on governmental power, hence to 9th and 10th amendments. The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. and The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

This is the United States of America. Through 230 yrs, we have fought two wars for independence, a civil war, a war of imperialism, two world wars to stave off the spread of mad men and tyrants, two wars to contain a very real and concentrated scourge on the soul of humanity, and to free two countries from the vanity, terror, and destruction its leader perpetrated on its peoples. We are not perfect. We have never claimed to be. We have had our problems to be sure, what family doesn't. But this place is damn better than anyplace else on earth, that I can personally attest to.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

An Intersting Last Couple of Weeks

Wow, I've been away for a while, spending time with Mrs Hazmat, attending gun shows as two legs of the triangle of death, dealing with 3 blizzards in 2 weeks, and being, well lazy.

In the interim, I've bought a new hunting rifle and a new 1911A1. I'll post more about them in the future.

I also paid for my Life Membership to the National Rifle Association. Yeah Me!

But what has really got my dander up is the recent spate of anti gunowner hysteria from every corner of the MSM, including a particularly shameful piece by ABC News. Seems any shooting involving more than one person is now grounds for reinstating the cosmetic ban on semi automatic weapons, closing a mythological loophole that allows ordinary Americans the right to transfer privately owned property amongst themselves, and using those shootings as a springboard into keeping a database of gunowners similar to sex offender lists.

Also in the news is the blaming of America's supposedly lax gun laws fueling drug related mayhem in another country. I've heard ad-nauseum for the last two weeks how 90% of the guns used in drug related killings in Mexico come from the United States. So far this little gem has been thoroughly debunked by the Washington Times, Fox News and Factcheck.org.

There is some good news on the horizon. David Hardy at Of Arms and the Law brings us news that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has found the 14th Amendment incorporates the 2nd Amendment on the states within it's jurisdiction. While this jurisdiction is limited to CA, AZ, AK, OR, WA, HI, ID, NV, and MT, it will most certainly be cited in other court cases currently pending in other circuits. For a more detailed breakdown, see Kevin Baker's round up at the Smallest Minority. Remember, the 9th Circus brought us the Pledge of Allegiance flap so this news is somewhat shocking to say the least.

Well, tah-tah for now. I'll try to get more up in the future!