The 35-foot long flag was painted on a concrete slab near Interstate 680 in Sunol by three men about two weeks after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.
Even though the mural had been in clear view of commuters for nearly nine years, a Caltrans spokesman says it wasn't until last month that someone in the agency asked if the flag was on state property.
Spokesman Allyn Amsk says it was covered up with grey paint Wednesday morning.
In a statement Friday, Schwarzenegger extended his "apologies to the artists whose mural inspired drivers along 680 for over eight and a half years."
Saturday, July 03, 2010
July 3, 1863
Ever seen the movie Gettysburg? Or read The Killer Angels? Today was the last day of the Battle, the day of Pickett's Charge, as bloody a mess as ever happened.
Between 46,000 and 51,000 Americans were casualties of the three-day battle. Union casualties list 23,055 (3,155 killed, 14,531 wounded, 5,369 captured or missing), while Confederate casualties are estimated 23,231 (4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, 5,830 captured or missing).
It's sunny and hot there today; unlike 1863 it's supposed to be the same tomorrow. Then, they were gathering dead and wounded in the rain.
I can't really think of anything profound to say. I guess the word at Ace is the proper one: Remember.
Between 46,000 and 51,000 Americans were casualties of the three-day battle. Union casualties list 23,055 (3,155 killed, 14,531 wounded, 5,369 captured or missing), while Confederate casualties are estimated 23,231 (4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, 5,830 captured or missing).
It's sunny and hot there today; unlike 1863 it's supposed to be the same tomorrow. Then, they were gathering dead and wounded in the rain.
I can't really think of anything profound to say. I guess the word at Ace is the proper one: Remember.
Friday, July 02, 2010
If you had any doubts what kind of slimeball Mayor Daley is,
go read this. One short excerpt:
Since 2003 the city has paid some $7 million in legal fees to fight five police torture lawsuits it probably can't win. The latest turn in this saga involves a secret settlement agreement designed to protect Daley.
...
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind here is that all this money--our money--is being spent on cases in which the city's prospects seem dim at best. The mayor himself has admitted there was torture at Area Two; the city's Law Department admitted it more than ten years ago. Consider that from the first day the suits were filed, everyone has known that Jon Burge--a defendant in all the cases--would be called as a witness. Burge, now living in Florida on his police pension, has escaped indictment in part because state prosecutors maintain that the statute of limitations on his offenses has expired and in part because when the statute clock was ticking, the state's attorney's office, under Daley and his successors, looked the other way.
This is one aspect of His Sliminess. Who has a constant police bodyguard and doesn't trust the peasants he rules over to own arms, and since he can no longer prevent the peasants from owning, wants it to be as difficult and expensive as possible to have one.
'Slimy' doesn't really cover him, does it?
Since 2003 the city has paid some $7 million in legal fees to fight five police torture lawsuits it probably can't win. The latest turn in this saga involves a secret settlement agreement designed to protect Daley.
...
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind here is that all this money--our money--is being spent on cases in which the city's prospects seem dim at best. The mayor himself has admitted there was torture at Area Two; the city's Law Department admitted it more than ten years ago. Consider that from the first day the suits were filed, everyone has known that Jon Burge--a defendant in all the cases--would be called as a witness. Burge, now living in Florida on his police pension, has escaped indictment in part because state prosecutors maintain that the statute of limitations on his offenses has expired and in part because when the statute clock was ticking, the state's attorney's office, under Daley and his successors, looked the other way.
This is one aspect of His Sliminess. Who has a constant police bodyguard and doesn't trust the peasants he rules over to own arms, and since he can no longer prevent the peasants from owning, wants it to be as difficult and expensive as possible to have one.
'Slimy' doesn't really cover him, does it?
Remember that bit about restricted airspace over the spill zone?
Consensus was it was to keep air traffic down for safety reasons. Maybe not, it seems:
I don’t think this is an “Obama problem” as much as it is a “government problem,” but of course the bold, fresh Hopenchange climate of transparency was supposed to solve this particular government problem, wasn’t it? The next question, though, is what would be waiting for CNN on the beach assuming they were allowed to go down there. For a hint, see the second clip below via Fast Company. Remember, according to multiple sources, BP’s actually stooped to creating the beach equivalent of Potemkin villages as backdrops for Obama photo ops. Even the stuff in the gulf that looks okay isn’t really okay.
I don’t think this is an “Obama problem” as much as it is a “government problem,” but of course the bold, fresh Hopenchange climate of transparency was supposed to solve this particular government problem, wasn’t it? The next question, though, is what would be waiting for CNN on the beach assuming they were allowed to go down there. For a hint, see the second clip below via Fast Company. Remember, according to multiple sources, BP’s actually stooped to creating the beach equivalent of Potemkin villages as backdrops for Obama photo ops. Even the stuff in the gulf that looks okay isn’t really okay.
As Uncle says, Mark Karlin displays a whole lot of stupid,
and out in public where all can see.
The fact that the lead plaintiff, Otis McDonald, is a black man, is apparently of no consequence to Mr. Karlin. Karlin also fails to bring up Justice Thomas' concurring opinion, stirringly describing the Fourteenth Amendment's intended role in preventing the forcible disarmament of freed blacks. Courtland Milloy wrote, for the Washington Post:
Referring to the disarming of blacks during the post-Reconstruction era, Thomas wrote: "It was the 'duty' of white citizen 'patrols to search negro houses and other suspected places for firearms.' If they found any firearms, the patrols were to take the offending slave or free black 'to the nearest justice of the peace' whereupon he would be 'severely punished.' " Never again, Thomas says.
The gun bigots just can't stand it; and when they hit this level they lie. And slander. Because it's all they've got.
If you think the 5-4 partisan hack decision denying the City of Chicago the right to ban handguns is about guns, you're wrong. (It's the same 5-4 GOP block -- with some face changes -- that put Bush in the White House and bestowed Corporate Personhood in the Citizens United Case, in short a radical right activist majority of judges.)...
It's about white males in America feeling threatened by becoming a minority and the gun is their last psychological reassurance of entitlement power against an encroaching demographic change in our democracy.
The fact that the lead plaintiff, Otis McDonald, is a black man, is apparently of no consequence to Mr. Karlin. Karlin also fails to bring up Justice Thomas' concurring opinion, stirringly describing the Fourteenth Amendment's intended role in preventing the forcible disarmament of freed blacks. Courtland Milloy wrote, for the Washington Post:
Referring to the disarming of blacks during the post-Reconstruction era, Thomas wrote: "It was the 'duty' of white citizen 'patrols to search negro houses and other suspected places for firearms.' If they found any firearms, the patrols were to take the offending slave or free black 'to the nearest justice of the peace' whereupon he would be 'severely punished.' " Never again, Thomas says.
The gun bigots just can't stand it; and when they hit this level they lie. And slander. Because it's all they've got.
To further illustrate how right is the name Richard the Turd,
just found this on his proposed new gun law:
— Limit the number of handguns residents can register to one per month and prohibit residents from having more than one handgun in operating order at any given time.
— Require residents in homes with children to keep them in lock boxes or equipped with trigger locks.
— Require prospective gun owners to take a four-hour class and one-hour training at a gun range. They would have to leave the city for training because Chicago prohibits new gun ranges and limits the use of existing ranges to police officers. Those restrictions were similar to those in an ordinance passed in Washington, D.C., after the high court struck down its ban two years ago.
— Prohibit people from owning a gun if they were convicted of a violent crime, domestic violence or two or more convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Residents convicted of a gun offense would have to register with the police department.
— Calls for the police department to maintain a registry of every handgun owner in the city, with the names and addresses to be made available to police officers, firefighters and other emergency responders.
"If I can't get my way, I'll screw you over SOMEHOW!!!" The cry of the Brat Politician.
— Limit the number of handguns residents can register to one per month and prohibit residents from having more than one handgun in operating order at any given time.
— Require residents in homes with children to keep them in lock boxes or equipped with trigger locks.
— Require prospective gun owners to take a four-hour class and one-hour training at a gun range. They would have to leave the city for training because Chicago prohibits new gun ranges and limits the use of existing ranges to police officers. Those restrictions were similar to those in an ordinance passed in Washington, D.C., after the high court struck down its ban two years ago.
— Prohibit people from owning a gun if they were convicted of a violent crime, domestic violence or two or more convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Residents convicted of a gun offense would have to register with the police department.
— Calls for the police department to maintain a registry of every handgun owner in the city, with the names and addresses to be made available to police officers, firefighters and other emergency responders.
"If I can't get my way, I'll screw you over SOMEHOW!!!" The cry of the Brat Politician.
Well, today's just full of stuff to take note of
How did four Supreme Court justices wind up arguing against the Constitution?
Sullum notes that Stevens argued that firearms have a “fundamentally ambivalent relationship to liberty,” which is amazing from a jurist supposedly working within the Constitution. The document itself recognizes that a free people have the right to self-defense by owning firearms, an explicit rejection of any such ambivalence. In fact, they found the connection between gun ownership and liberty so unproblematic that they guaranteed the right of the people to keep and bear arms in the second explicit statement of uninfringeable individual liberties in the Constitution.
Because they're not just concerned with interpreting the law: they're concerned with using it as a club to force people into the 'proper' ways of living. And thus should be reminded of their proper job, or thrown out of the court entirely.
The decision reveals a fundamental antipathy on the part of liberal jurists to the clear language of the Constitution. While we celebrate the fact that five Justices got it right, we should be very worried that the other four still would rather search for penumbras and emanations for their own idea of social engineering than in actually reading the clear text of the document they swore to uphold.
Seems their word isn't worth crap if it stands in the way of what they want to push people into.
Richard the Turd admits he couldn't get away with it. Which is amazing.
Mayor Daley today backed off his plan to limit Chicagoans to one handgun — and dropped the idea of requiring liability insurance — in a watered-down replacement to Chicago’s “unenforceable” handgun ban.
The mayor’s ordinance — approved by the City Council’s Police Committee and poised for approval by the full council at a special meeting on Friday — was considerably weaker than Daley and top mayoral aides had initially described.
Instead of limiting possession to one handgun for every qualified person living in a home, it allows those persons to each register “one handgun-per-month.”
Little bastards just can't STAND the idea of people doing something they don't like, can they?
Afshan Azad, who has appeared in four of the films as one of the wizard’s screen girlfriends Padma Patil, hails from a strict Muslim family.
She was allegedly attacked at her parents’ home after she had started dating the new lad.
Her dad Abdul, 54, has appeared in court accused of threatening to kill her. The actress’s brother Ashraf, 28, faces the same charge and an allegation that he assaulted her causing actual bodily harm.
She's lucky; she's alive, as opposed to the police trying half-heartedly to find a missing person(i.e. 'body') a few months after her disappearance.
President Obama made a speech yesterday on the subject of immigration, and did the usual Democrat crap of equating illegal immigration with legal, declaring wanting to secure the borders 'racist' and so forth. The Governor of AZ was not impressed, to put it lightly.
If you missed it, a lawyer who used to work for the Justice Dept. came out and said the Department dropped the voter intimidation case against the New Black Panthers purely for racial and political reasons. And, like a number of other cases recently, the major media has fallen on its face again in not doing their damned job. Which is why
A: They're going down the toilet and
B: Some feds are downright frantic to 'save' them; they know who their friends are and want to pay them off.
The NRA finally comes out and says Kagan is a threat to the 2nd Amendment. Well, duh, guys.
Friend of mine got me started watching Burn Notice when I can; seems two of the stars made a trip to Iraq, even more reason to like it.
Hey, Grahamnesty, the tea party will be around long after your sorry RINO ass is gone. Screw you.
On a more happy note, I tend to want one of these. It's one of those "I'm not sure why, but I do!" things.
The Toronto Police demonstrate that they're full of crap. Again. It's not just that they made a mistake with this guy and his stuff, it's the "Let's pile up EVERYTHING even if it's not related so it'll look more impressive!" idiocy.
ChicagoDetroit is well and truly effed. For a friggin' museum to find a actual physical piece of history like this, and decide to SELL IT?!? Effing amazing.(correction on city, thanks Tam)
"To ask internet cafes to spy on their customers and students is another step in the direction of creating a society of total surveillance," said Mr Kundnani.
"What is dangerous about this initiative is that it does not just focus on preventing access to illegal material but also material that is defined as 'extremist' without offering an objective definition of what that is.
"It thus potentially criminalises people for accessing material that is legal but which expresses religious and political opinions that police officers find unacceptable.
Hey, seems that's primarily what British Police do nowadays, along with harassing photographers and pushing them down stairs for asking questions.
As for me, I shall now gather up some things and head out; test-firing to do and a last bit of grocery stuff to pick up before the mobs arrive(I hope).
Sullum notes that Stevens argued that firearms have a “fundamentally ambivalent relationship to liberty,” which is amazing from a jurist supposedly working within the Constitution. The document itself recognizes that a free people have the right to self-defense by owning firearms, an explicit rejection of any such ambivalence. In fact, they found the connection between gun ownership and liberty so unproblematic that they guaranteed the right of the people to keep and bear arms in the second explicit statement of uninfringeable individual liberties in the Constitution.
Because they're not just concerned with interpreting the law: they're concerned with using it as a club to force people into the 'proper' ways of living. And thus should be reminded of their proper job, or thrown out of the court entirely.
The decision reveals a fundamental antipathy on the part of liberal jurists to the clear language of the Constitution. While we celebrate the fact that five Justices got it right, we should be very worried that the other four still would rather search for penumbras and emanations for their own idea of social engineering than in actually reading the clear text of the document they swore to uphold.
Seems their word isn't worth crap if it stands in the way of what they want to push people into.
Richard the Turd admits he couldn't get away with it. Which is amazing.
Mayor Daley today backed off his plan to limit Chicagoans to one handgun — and dropped the idea of requiring liability insurance — in a watered-down replacement to Chicago’s “unenforceable” handgun ban.
The mayor’s ordinance — approved by the City Council’s Police Committee and poised for approval by the full council at a special meeting on Friday — was considerably weaker than Daley and top mayoral aides had initially described.
Instead of limiting possession to one handgun for every qualified person living in a home, it allows those persons to each register “one handgun-per-month.”
Little bastards just can't STAND the idea of people doing something they don't like, can they?
Afshan Azad, who has appeared in four of the films as one of the wizard’s screen girlfriends Padma Patil, hails from a strict Muslim family.
She was allegedly attacked at her parents’ home after she had started dating the new lad.
Her dad Abdul, 54, has appeared in court accused of threatening to kill her. The actress’s brother Ashraf, 28, faces the same charge and an allegation that he assaulted her causing actual bodily harm.
She's lucky; she's alive, as opposed to the police trying half-heartedly to find a missing person(i.e. 'body') a few months after her disappearance.
President Obama made a speech yesterday on the subject of immigration, and did the usual Democrat crap of equating illegal immigration with legal, declaring wanting to secure the borders 'racist' and so forth. The Governor of AZ was not impressed, to put it lightly.
If you missed it, a lawyer who used to work for the Justice Dept. came out and said the Department dropped the voter intimidation case against the New Black Panthers purely for racial and political reasons. And, like a number of other cases recently, the major media has fallen on its face again in not doing their damned job. Which is why
A: They're going down the toilet and
B: Some feds are downright frantic to 'save' them; they know who their friends are and want to pay them off.
The NRA finally comes out and says Kagan is a threat to the 2nd Amendment. Well, duh, guys.
Friend of mine got me started watching Burn Notice when I can; seems two of the stars made a trip to Iraq, even more reason to like it.
Hey, Grahamnesty, the tea party will be around long after your sorry RINO ass is gone. Screw you.
On a more happy note, I tend to want one of these. It's one of those "I'm not sure why, but I do!" things.
The Toronto Police demonstrate that they're full of crap. Again. It's not just that they made a mistake with this guy and his stuff, it's the "Let's pile up EVERYTHING even if it's not related so it'll look more impressive!" idiocy.
"To ask internet cafes to spy on their customers and students is another step in the direction of creating a society of total surveillance," said Mr Kundnani.
"What is dangerous about this initiative is that it does not just focus on preventing access to illegal material but also material that is defined as 'extremist' without offering an objective definition of what that is.
"It thus potentially criminalises people for accessing material that is legal but which expresses religious and political opinions that police officers find unacceptable.
Hey, seems that's primarily what British Police do nowadays, along with harassing photographers and pushing them down stairs for asking questions.
As for me, I shall now gather up some things and head out; test-firing to do and a last bit of grocery stuff to pick up before the mobs arrive(I hope).
Thursday, July 01, 2010
There are reasons people refer to Chicago's mayor as Richard the Turd
After spending two years fighting a legal battle that was clearly futile from the start, he didn't take the defeat graciously. He resentfully acknowledged his obligation to abide by the Second Amendment while pledging new shackles for those unwilling to depend entirely on 911 for home security.
The mayor is expected to demand registration of all handguns, mandatory training for gun owners and a limit of one handgun per person. This last novel idea comes from Corporation Counsel Mara Georges, who according to the Associated Press "says the court ruled people can have a gun for protection, but didn't say they're allowed more than one."
So they're going to do(I imagine Nanny Bloomberg in NYEffin'C will also) the same thing DC tried: make it as difficult and expensive as possible for anyone to qualify. As I recall that got DC sued again, and they lost that one too; after spending a bunch of other people's money on court costs. Daley is going to do the same because
A: He's an arrogant, corrupt bastard who can't stand being told he can't do what he wants, and
B: It's other people's money he'll be spending and other people's lives he's endangering, so he doesn't give a damn.
These people are too nasty for a good rope; they deserve something as stiff, prickly and nasty as possible.
The mayor is expected to demand registration of all handguns, mandatory training for gun owners and a limit of one handgun per person. This last novel idea comes from Corporation Counsel Mara Georges, who according to the Associated Press "says the court ruled people can have a gun for protection, but didn't say they're allowed more than one."
So they're going to do(I imagine Nanny Bloomberg in NYEffin'C will also) the same thing DC tried: make it as difficult and expensive as possible for anyone to qualify. As I recall that got DC sued again, and they lost that one too; after spending a bunch of other people's money on court costs. Daley is going to do the same because
A: He's an arrogant, corrupt bastard who can't stand being told he can't do what he wants, and
B: It's other people's money he'll be spending and other people's lives he's endangering, so he doesn't give a damn.
These people are too nasty for a good rope; they deserve something as stiff, prickly and nasty as possible.
I guess the police in Maryland have been taking lessons from
the Brits.
"Are you saying sir, that in a public place, I have to ask permission of every person in my picture? I don’t. I know the law.
However, when you’re asked to stop photographing children, that then becomes a little bit of a grey area.
Well, if it’s a grey area, why am I being detained?
You’re not being detained.
Why did he prevent me from leaving?
You were acting silly. ...You were running around.
I wasn’t running around. I was walking away from your officer ...when he grabbed my arm, twisted it, and tried to grab my camera.... Can I have my ID back? ... I’m going to carry on working in this area.
At the moment, in this area they are trying to form up the parade, safely and securely.
They are welcome to do so, and I’m trying to do my job.
Under what law am I being detained? I’m allowed to have free movement because this is a public place...Under what law am I being detained? ....
Tell my why I'm being detained.
You're not. You're able to leave... that way."
Etc. ad badge-heavy bullshit.
"Are you saying sir, that in a public place, I have to ask permission of every person in my picture? I don’t. I know the law.
However, when you’re asked to stop photographing children, that then becomes a little bit of a grey area.
Well, if it’s a grey area, why am I being detained?
You’re not being detained.
Why did he prevent me from leaving?
You were acting silly. ...You were running around.
I wasn’t running around. I was walking away from your officer ...when he grabbed my arm, twisted it, and tried to grab my camera.... Can I have my ID back? ... I’m going to carry on working in this area.
At the moment, in this area they are trying to form up the parade, safely and securely.
They are welcome to do so, and I’m trying to do my job.
Under what law am I being detained? I’m allowed to have free movement because this is a public place...Under what law am I being detained? ....
Tell my why I'm being detained.
You're not. You're able to leave... that way."
Etc. ad badge-heavy bullshit.
Wheee, now THAT'S therapy!
Check it out
And I just realized that if I want the groceries I'm actually short on without fighting through a mob, I'd better not wait until tomorrow or the weekend.
And I just realized that if I want the groceries I'm actually short on without fighting through a mob, I'd better not wait until tomorrow or the weekend.
Og's talking about a post Joanna put up
on men and porn, and the argument is ongoing. I'll let you read up on it, I'm staying out of this except for one comment:
Depends on the definition of 'porn'. I used to know a lady who considered the Tequila Fairy somewhat pornographic, and another who thought nudity just fine, but a picture of a woman in scanty attire holding a gun was downright dirty and disgusting and porn.
(damn, that was easy to find!)
When the definitions being worked with are so variable, makes it difficult to argue the point. If 'porn' is the actual point.
Depends on the definition of 'porn'. I used to know a lady who considered the Tequila Fairy somewhat pornographic, and another who thought nudity just fine, but a picture of a woman in scanty attire holding a gun was downright dirty and disgusting and porn.
(damn, that was easy to find!)When the definitions being worked with are so variable, makes it difficult to argue the point. If 'porn' is the actual point.
One project done
The new front signals are mounted, and look like this:
I'd mentioned these are aftermarket; they have a threaded stem. I cut the original base off below the cracked portion, drilled it out to take the stem- hole small enough that you screw it in- and used some epoxy to make sure it won't shift. Mounted it in the original hole and ran the wires. I had to cut off the connectors that came on them- larger than the originals- and put the originals on. And they work. I'll leave it sitting till the adhesive cures.
Rear signals worked the same
though I used a different shape on the back.
I'd mentioned these are aftermarket; they have a threaded stem. I cut the original base off below the cracked portion, drilled it out to take the stem- hole small enough that you screw it in- and used some epoxy to make sure it won't shift. Mounted it in the original hole and ran the wires. I had to cut off the connectors that came on them- larger than the originals- and put the originals on. And they work. I'll leave it sitting till the adhesive cures.Rear signals worked the same
though I used a different shape on the back.
Screw the news; I've beent thinking about that range time with Dad
Been several years since that's happened, and it was a lot of fun. He had a couple of rifles he'd picked up that he'd not yet had a chance to shoot, so we zeroed those and proceeded, between us, to put a bleep-load of .22lr downrange. Along with some .41 Magnum, some .38 Special and a few .380(handloading means we actually had some of the latter). Hot & humid and we didn't care. Found some pieces of clay pigeon and set them up on the 100 yard berm, along with some other suitable targets and proceeded to break them up.
Depending on which rifle, had to hold about 4-8" above where you wanted to hit with the .22 rifles, but once you figured the right amount, well, he chased a golf ball all over the berm. Made me wish I'd thought to bring some kind of swinging target. I've got one made for the kids, but it's a bit large, a steel disc about 3/8" thick and a foot across. I bored two holes about 6" apart, made two hooks so could hang it from a stand at whatever range. Kids like targets that do something when they hit it. Later on made a smaller one, but I have no idea what happened to it over the years, it would've been perfect for this. I need to find a suitable piece and make another one.
I wrote once about when I actually started paying attention to the personal-disarmament clowns and their desire to destroy the 2nd; in the years since I've done a fair amount of arguing with people and writing letters(now mostly e-mails) on the subject. Sometimes made a difference, sometimes not. Days like this make me glad for every moment spent on the subject.
Latest was with a group of people, a lady noticed my Diversity shirt and said she just didn't care for guns. Ok, no problem; can I ask why? Boiled down to 'They hurt people". Well, they also defend people, they can be used to save lives. "They're LOUD." So are drums and bagpipes and hammers on metal. She gave me That Look; you know the one, the "You've actually got responses that make sense to what I say, and I don't really want to hear them" look, and said "You've got answers to everything, don't you?"
"I've had this argument before."
She nodded toward the shirt and said "You brought the argument with you."
"No, I've had this argument LONG before I had this shirt."
And it continues. Know a lady I taught to shoot who thinks that banning 'high-capacity' magazines- which she thinks of as anything over the six rounds of the revolver she was shooting- is just fine because "It might keep a criminal from firing too many shots." Pointing out the fallacies in this makes no difference, she's made up her mind. On the other hand, she's actually gone to the range and shot a pistol, which is more than she'd ever done before; before that, they were those nasty things bad people used, etc. Now it's something she has in case of unauthorized nighttime visitors.
I've noticed that most of the people I've had the argument with didn't point to this or that figure or study, they mostly argued on emotion and feelings. Sometimes facts make a difference with them, sometimes not. You do what you can and you're glad for every small victory. Including all the ammo you can use, things like this:
AL SHARPTON: 90% OF MY LISTENERS SUPPORT THE SUPREME COURT’S GUN DECISION. “I would say 90% of the calls I received yesterday were in support of the Supreme Court and people say they want to bear guns. They’re tired of the violence and it’s very very interesting. I have had a few on both sides today, but yesterday was overwhelming, it was stunning to me.” Given that disarming black people was one of the main purposes of gun-control laws, it shouldn’t be that surprising. Some years ago we had a program at my law school where ex-Black Panther Kathleen Cleaver (with whom I went to law school) came to speak. It was heavily attended by Knoxville civil-rights veterans, and I think some of my colleagues were surprised when an elderly black preacher launched into a defense of the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms. I wasn’t.
It tends to surprise people in favor of bans and such to find out just how much of the movement they support is based on "We can't let those niggers have guns!" They don't like it, some because it's such a bad thing, some because it makes a smelly splotch on their movement, but they don't like it. And it's not surprising they'd never heard of it: the Brady Bunch and VPC and people like Sharpton never mentioned it because it hurts their cause. Having it pointed out that a bunch of early civil rights activists were armed to the teeth- and sometimes used those arms- to protect themselves and others working to get rid of Jim Crow laws and such does NOT help someone who's claiming "If we got rid of guns years ago, think how wonderful things would be!" Someone who used a shotgun or a pistol or rifle to keep some Klan dirtbag from raping/killing/beating them would disagree, and how would that aid the movement?
For that matter, it doesn't help the gun bigots when the face of gun ownership has come to so often be a picture like this:
"I mean, she's got all her teeth and everything! And she's pretty! How do we paint her as an ignorant, dirty redneck racist?"
Or something like this:
Last few years an awful lot of people woh either hadn't thought about it or been against gun ownership have, through various means, come to the conclusion that guns ARE noisy and dangerous; and that when someone's breaking into your home in the night or coming at you in a parking lot something noisy and dangerous is damn well what you need.
We've still got a lot to do; people like Obama & Kagan & Schumer & Co. are never going to stop wanting to disarm us. We've got to keep making sure that their anti-civil rights attitudes are exposed for what they are, never allow them time and leisure to attack us without opposition.
Well, that's enough of what passes for deep thought from me for one morning. The new turn signals are in so I've got to get them mounted on the bike, among other things that need doing.
By the way, the cartoon and hotty pictures I sto- borrowed from Theo's place; if you like the lady with the scattergun, check out Oleg Volk's other work; he's done some very interesting stuff.
Depending on which rifle, had to hold about 4-8" above where you wanted to hit with the .22 rifles, but once you figured the right amount, well, he chased a golf ball all over the berm. Made me wish I'd thought to bring some kind of swinging target. I've got one made for the kids, but it's a bit large, a steel disc about 3/8" thick and a foot across. I bored two holes about 6" apart, made two hooks so could hang it from a stand at whatever range. Kids like targets that do something when they hit it. Later on made a smaller one, but I have no idea what happened to it over the years, it would've been perfect for this. I need to find a suitable piece and make another one.
I wrote once about when I actually started paying attention to the personal-disarmament clowns and their desire to destroy the 2nd; in the years since I've done a fair amount of arguing with people and writing letters(now mostly e-mails) on the subject. Sometimes made a difference, sometimes not. Days like this make me glad for every moment spent on the subject.
Latest was with a group of people, a lady noticed my Diversity shirt and said she just didn't care for guns. Ok, no problem; can I ask why? Boiled down to 'They hurt people". Well, they also defend people, they can be used to save lives. "They're LOUD." So are drums and bagpipes and hammers on metal. She gave me That Look; you know the one, the "You've actually got responses that make sense to what I say, and I don't really want to hear them" look, and said "You've got answers to everything, don't you?"
"I've had this argument before."
She nodded toward the shirt and said "You brought the argument with you."
"No, I've had this argument LONG before I had this shirt."
And it continues. Know a lady I taught to shoot who thinks that banning 'high-capacity' magazines- which she thinks of as anything over the six rounds of the revolver she was shooting- is just fine because "It might keep a criminal from firing too many shots." Pointing out the fallacies in this makes no difference, she's made up her mind. On the other hand, she's actually gone to the range and shot a pistol, which is more than she'd ever done before; before that, they were those nasty things bad people used, etc. Now it's something she has in case of unauthorized nighttime visitors.
I've noticed that most of the people I've had the argument with didn't point to this or that figure or study, they mostly argued on emotion and feelings. Sometimes facts make a difference with them, sometimes not. You do what you can and you're glad for every small victory. Including all the ammo you can use, things like this:
AL SHARPTON: 90% OF MY LISTENERS SUPPORT THE SUPREME COURT’S GUN DECISION. “I would say 90% of the calls I received yesterday were in support of the Supreme Court and people say they want to bear guns. They’re tired of the violence and it’s very very interesting. I have had a few on both sides today, but yesterday was overwhelming, it was stunning to me.” Given that disarming black people was one of the main purposes of gun-control laws, it shouldn’t be that surprising. Some years ago we had a program at my law school where ex-Black Panther Kathleen Cleaver (with whom I went to law school) came to speak. It was heavily attended by Knoxville civil-rights veterans, and I think some of my colleagues were surprised when an elderly black preacher launched into a defense of the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms. I wasn’t.
It tends to surprise people in favor of bans and such to find out just how much of the movement they support is based on "We can't let those niggers have guns!" They don't like it, some because it's such a bad thing, some because it makes a smelly splotch on their movement, but they don't like it. And it's not surprising they'd never heard of it: the Brady Bunch and VPC and people like Sharpton never mentioned it because it hurts their cause. Having it pointed out that a bunch of early civil rights activists were armed to the teeth- and sometimes used those arms- to protect themselves and others working to get rid of Jim Crow laws and such does NOT help someone who's claiming "If we got rid of guns years ago, think how wonderful things would be!" Someone who used a shotgun or a pistol or rifle to keep some Klan dirtbag from raping/killing/beating them would disagree, and how would that aid the movement?
For that matter, it doesn't help the gun bigots when the face of gun ownership has come to so often be a picture like this:
"I mean, she's got all her teeth and everything! And she's pretty! How do we paint her as an ignorant, dirty redneck racist?"Or something like this:
Last few years an awful lot of people woh either hadn't thought about it or been against gun ownership have, through various means, come to the conclusion that guns ARE noisy and dangerous; and that when someone's breaking into your home in the night or coming at you in a parking lot something noisy and dangerous is damn well what you need.We've still got a lot to do; people like Obama & Kagan & Schumer & Co. are never going to stop wanting to disarm us. We've got to keep making sure that their anti-civil rights attitudes are exposed for what they are, never allow them time and leisure to attack us without opposition.
Well, that's enough of what passes for deep thought from me for one morning. The new turn signals are in so I've got to get them mounted on the bike, among other things that need doing.
By the way, the cartoon and hotty pictures I sto- borrowed from Theo's place; if you like the lady with the scattergun, check out Oleg Volk's other work; he's done some very interesting stuff.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
My one post for this morning Updated
Kagan is a dirtbag.
Unless there is some other interpretation of these documents that does not occur to me, it appears that Elena Kagan participated in a gigantic scientific deception. On behalf of the Clinton White House, she deliberately subverted what was supposed to be an objective scientific process. The ACOG report was certainly seen in that light by the federal courts. Federal Judge Richard Kopf was deeply impressed by the scientific integrity of the report; he wrote:
And Calypso Louie is a Jew-hating piece of work, isn't he?
Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan has written the leaders of more than a dozen major U.S. Jewish groups and denominations seeking “repair of my people from the damage” he claims Jews have caused blacks for centuries.
Farrakhan sent the letter along with two books from the Nation of Islam Historical Research Team that the 77-year-old minister said prove “an undeniable record of Jewish Anti-Black behavior,” starting with the slave trade and Jim Crow laws.
“We could charge you with being the most deceitful so-called friend, while your history with us shows you have been our worst enemy,” he wrote.
Makes you wonder if the Mother Ship already took large parts of his brain.
Update: Kagan is not only a dirtbag, she's a lying dirtbag on a Bill Clinton level:
“Did you write that memo?” Hatch asked.
“Senator, with respect,” Kagan began, “I don’t think that that’s what happened — ”
“Did you write that memo?”
“I’m sorry — the memo which is?”
“The memo that caused them to go back to the language of ‘medically necessary,’ which was the big issue to begin with — ”
“Yes, well, I’ve seen the document — ”
“But did you write it?”
“The document is certainly in my handwriting.”
Well, she did work for Clinton...
Unless there is some other interpretation of these documents that does not occur to me, it appears that Elena Kagan participated in a gigantic scientific deception. On behalf of the Clinton White House, she deliberately subverted what was supposed to be an objective scientific process. The ACOG report was certainly seen in that light by the federal courts. Federal Judge Richard Kopf was deeply impressed by the scientific integrity of the report; he wrote:
"Before and during the task force meeting," he concluded, "neither ACOG nor the task force members conversed with other individuals or organizations, including congressmen and doctors who provided congressional testimony, concerning the topics addressed" in the ACOG statement.
This statement was obviously false. The federal courts were victimized by a gross deception and a perversion of both the scientific process and the judicial process, carried out, the evidence appears to show, by Elena Kagan.
And Calypso Louie is a Jew-hating piece of work, isn't he?
Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan has written the leaders of more than a dozen major U.S. Jewish groups and denominations seeking “repair of my people from the damage” he claims Jews have caused blacks for centuries.
Farrakhan sent the letter along with two books from the Nation of Islam Historical Research Team that the 77-year-old minister said prove “an undeniable record of Jewish Anti-Black behavior,” starting with the slave trade and Jim Crow laws.
“We could charge you with being the most deceitful so-called friend, while your history with us shows you have been our worst enemy,” he wrote.
Makes you wonder if the Mother Ship already took large parts of his brain.
Update: Kagan is not only a dirtbag, she's a lying dirtbag on a Bill Clinton level:
“Did you write that memo?” Hatch asked.
“Senator, with respect,” Kagan began, “I don’t think that that’s what happened — ”
“Did you write that memo?”
“I’m sorry — the memo which is?”
“The memo that caused them to go back to the language of ‘medically necessary,’ which was the big issue to begin with — ”
“Yes, well, I’ve seen the document — ”
“But did you write it?”
“The document is certainly in my handwriting.”
Well, she did work for Clinton...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Another demonstration of how the nannies
are going to kill us all:
Why does neither the U.S. government nor U.S. energy companies have on hand the cleanup technology available in Europe? Ironically, the superior European technology runs afoul of U.S. environmental rules. The voracious Dutch vessels, for example, continuously suck up vast quantities of oily water, extract most of the oil and then spit overboard vast quantities of nearly oil-free water. Nearly oil-free isn't good enough for the U.S. regulators, who have a standard of 15 parts per million -- if water isn't at least 99.9985% pure, it may not be returned to the Gulf of Mexico.
...
The Americans, overwhelmed by the catastrophic consequences of the BP spill, finally relented and took the Dutch up on their offer -- but only partly. Because the U.S. didn't want Dutch ships working the Gulf, the U.S. airlifted the Dutch equipment to the Gulf and then retrofitted it to U.S. vessels. And rather than have experienced Dutch crews immediately operate the oil-skimming equipment, to appease labour unions the U.S. postponed the clean-up operation to allow U.S. crews to be trained.
A: NOTHING is quite good enough to actually be used.
B: When forced to use it, make it as difficult as possible for the stuff to be used.
C: Use the crisis to pay off unions and/or other political cronies, no matter the cost.
Why I started asking if there were enough lampposts in DC for the bureaucrats, too.
Why does neither the U.S. government nor U.S. energy companies have on hand the cleanup technology available in Europe? Ironically, the superior European technology runs afoul of U.S. environmental rules. The voracious Dutch vessels, for example, continuously suck up vast quantities of oily water, extract most of the oil and then spit overboard vast quantities of nearly oil-free water. Nearly oil-free isn't good enough for the U.S. regulators, who have a standard of 15 parts per million -- if water isn't at least 99.9985% pure, it may not be returned to the Gulf of Mexico.
...
The Americans, overwhelmed by the catastrophic consequences of the BP spill, finally relented and took the Dutch up on their offer -- but only partly. Because the U.S. didn't want Dutch ships working the Gulf, the U.S. airlifted the Dutch equipment to the Gulf and then retrofitted it to U.S. vessels. And rather than have experienced Dutch crews immediately operate the oil-skimming equipment, to appease labour unions the U.S. postponed the clean-up operation to allow U.S. crews to be trained.
A: NOTHING is quite good enough to actually be used.
B: When forced to use it, make it as difficult as possible for the stuff to be used.
C: Use the crisis to pay off unions and/or other political cronies, no matter the cost.
Why I started asking if there were enough lampposts in DC for the bureaucrats, too.
My now-standard theme: if the cops are spending too much time
on bullcrap or playing games like this, they obviously have too much money and free time. And fixing the money part of that is real easy...
Busy weekend
that involved a trip, helping Dad take care of some stuff- including jacking up and blocking one corner of the back deck- and hitting the range with him, which I don't get to do often. A while back he'd picked up a Marlin 39A Golden Mountie, a .22 lever-action with an old Sears scope on it, and hadn't had a chance to fire it before. That is one sweet-shooting rifle, and it had no problem breaking clay pigeons at 100 yards. Odd thing: the hammer and lever on this rifle are chrome or nickel-plated, only one like that I've heard of. Salesman's sample, maybe? And his S&W Model 657 is also something I lust after. A very nice trip to the range, heat and all.
Being back behind the keyboard, I shall now run over a few news items that catch my eye before I head out to take care of a bunch of stuff. Starting with
Remember when one of the lectures we received was how nasty man was the only creature that practiced war? That we should be more like the chimps?
South Bend Seven says out loud something I was thinking: the recent studies on organized chimp warfare make it clear that 90% of infantry tactics are older than our species:
Y'know, I think this was one of the things that got the Gauls in a lot of trouble when they met disciplined troops...
You know what makes me optimistic about this video though? The lack of discipline in the riot cops. They charge down the street like a pack of rabid Gauls. It's nice to know that when riot cops advance they scatter about like school children instead of staying in formation, shoulder to shoulder, like trained professionals. That's the kind of thing it may come in handy one day to know.
Among the reasons why people like Barney Frank and Charles Rangel should be horsewhipped.
My caption would be "Anybody ELSE got something smartass to say?"
Just wonderful, the kind of people modern liberals like to align themselves with:
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denounced Israel as a “genocidal” government on Sunday as he hosted Syrian President Bashar Assad on his first visit to Latin America.
A wonderful take on Prince Harry throwing out the first ball:
His windup was a little weak, like a rookie reliever with Rickey Henderson on first, but his delivery was good, especially when compared to the current denizen of the Oval Office.
This is perhaps unsurprising, since Harry has experience throwing hand grenades while Barry can't even pitch a convincing tantrum.
What, you expect consistency from places like Firedoglake?
Yesterday left-wing extremist Blue Texan at Firedoglake erupted in outrage at the right's relatively mild reaction to the death of former Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd. See, "Conservatives Trash Robert Byrd While His Body is Still Warm." Check the link. For reminding folks of Senator Byrd's disgraced past as an Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan, Blue Texan writes, "As always, the right remains a paragon of class."
But back in January, Blue Texan attacked former GOP Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott as "chummy with racist hate groups." See, "Senate Majority Leader was Affiliated with White Supremacist Group."
Words fail.
Screen caps below.
Finally, a close from Theo:
Being back behind the keyboard, I shall now run over a few news items that catch my eye before I head out to take care of a bunch of stuff. Starting with
Remember when one of the lectures we received was how nasty man was the only creature that practiced war? That we should be more like the chimps?
South Bend Seven says out loud something I was thinking: the recent studies on organized chimp warfare make it clear that 90% of infantry tactics are older than our species:
http://southbend7.blogspot.com/2010/06/c…
The chimps are shockingly sophisticated. They’ve got “move swiftly, strike vigorously and secure the fruits of victory” down pat.
Y'know, I think this was one of the things that got the Gauls in a lot of trouble when they met disciplined troops...
You know what makes me optimistic about this video though? The lack of discipline in the riot cops. They charge down the street like a pack of rabid Gauls. It's nice to know that when riot cops advance they scatter about like school children instead of staying in formation, shoulder to shoulder, like trained professionals. That's the kind of thing it may come in handy one day to know.
Among the reasons why people like Barney Frank and Charles Rangel should be horsewhipped.
My caption would be "Anybody ELSE got something smartass to say?"
Just wonderful, the kind of people modern liberals like to align themselves with:
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denounced Israel as a “genocidal” government on Sunday as he hosted Syrian President Bashar Assad on his first visit to Latin America.
Chavez has drawn close to Syria and Iran, and cut ties with Israel last year to protest its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
“We have common enemies,” Chavez said, describing them as “the Yankee empire, the genocidal state of Israel.”
A wonderful take on Prince Harry throwing out the first ball:
His windup was a little weak, like a rookie reliever with Rickey Henderson on first, but his delivery was good, especially when compared to the current denizen of the Oval Office.
This is perhaps unsurprising, since Harry has experience throwing hand grenades while Barry can't even pitch a convincing tantrum.
What, you expect consistency from places like Firedoglake?
Yesterday left-wing extremist Blue Texan at Firedoglake erupted in outrage at the right's relatively mild reaction to the death of former Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd. See, "Conservatives Trash Robert Byrd While His Body is Still Warm." Check the link. For reminding folks of Senator Byrd's disgraced past as an Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan, Blue Texan writes, "As always, the right remains a paragon of class."
But back in January, Blue Texan attacked former GOP Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott as "chummy with racist hate groups." See, "Senate Majority Leader was Affiliated with White Supremacist Group."
Words fail.
Screen caps below.
Finally, a close from Theo:
Two things on the McDonald decision
First, from Second City Cop:
And as for the pretend concern, the fact is any cop who has worked the streets has responded to a location where there was a gun. And if you maintain situational awareness and keep things under control, you usually never even saw the gun. People don't run around broadcasting they've got guns in the home. If they did, the CPD would have taken it away and they wouldn't have it when they needed it.
The fact is that legally owned firearms in the hands of law abiding citizens are seldom a problem. Legit citizens don't usually have run-ins with the police and don't need the police around to live upright and moral lives. What they do need is a means to defend themselves, their families and their homes when the government can't.
Second, from Tam:
Is there any wine sweeter than the tears of Mayor Daley?
How does it feel to want, Dickie?
The VPC is, of course, predicting bodies stacked like cordwood and blood running in the gutters worse than it already has been in Chicago. Just like they've predicted that in every state that passed 'shall-issue' carry laws. Oh, and on this line:
In the two years since that decision, only 900 firearms have been registered in the District that otherwise could not have been registered before the Heller ruling. The citizens of DC reject the wrong-headed notion that more guns make us safer.
No, there's only been 900 because the DC authorities are still working hard to make it as difficult and expensive as possible for someone to legally own one, you chickenshit little bastards. And you know it.
- Last Friday, as Daley awaited the Supreme Court ruling, he continued to fret about the dilemma the ruling would cause police officers, firefighters and paramedics arriving at emergency scenes.
“What does a first-responder [do when they] come to your home, if you have 50 guns and you pointed a gun at your wife? You have a legal right to a gun,” the mayor said.
And as for the pretend concern, the fact is any cop who has worked the streets has responded to a location where there was a gun. And if you maintain situational awareness and keep things under control, you usually never even saw the gun. People don't run around broadcasting they've got guns in the home. If they did, the CPD would have taken it away and they wouldn't have it when they needed it.
The fact is that legally owned firearms in the hands of law abiding citizens are seldom a problem. Legit citizens don't usually have run-ins with the police and don't need the police around to live upright and moral lives. What they do need is a means to defend themselves, their families and their homes when the government can't.
Second, from Tam:
Is there any wine sweeter than the tears of Mayor Daley?
How does it feel to want, Dickie?
The VPC is, of course, predicting bodies stacked like cordwood and blood running in the gutters worse than it already has been in Chicago. Just like they've predicted that in every state that passed 'shall-issue' carry laws. Oh, and on this line:
In the two years since that decision, only 900 firearms have been registered in the District that otherwise could not have been registered before the Heller ruling. The citizens of DC reject the wrong-headed notion that more guns make us safer.
No, there's only been 900 because the DC authorities are still working hard to make it as difficult and expensive as possible for someone to legally own one, you chickenshit little bastards. And you know it.
Monday, June 28, 2010
I know a lot of you don't care for Limbaugh,
but he had a lot on the McDonald decision today that ought to be heard and thought about. I'm going to excerpt a bit here:
Of all the ways this court could have affirmed their decision to choose this, and Justice Thomas' opinion on this, as I say, is a genuine momentous history lesson. What liberal can argue with this? In a Chicago case, no less, in a Chicago case. Now, here's page 28, the court's opinion. "In debating the Fourteenth Amendment, the 39th Congress referred to the right to keep and bear arms as a fundamental right deserving of protection. Senator Samuel Pomeroy described three 'indispensable' 'safeguards of liberty under our form of Government.' 39th Cong. Globe 1182. One of these, he said, was the right to keep and bear arms: 'Every man . . . should have the right to bear arms for the defense of himself and family and his homestead. And if the cabin door of the freedman is broken open --" freedman is a new freed slave. "If the cabin door of the freedman is broken open and the intruder enters for purposes as vile as were known to slavery, then should a well-loaded musket be in the hand of the occupant to send the polluted wretch to another world, where his wretchedness will forever remain complete." That's in today's ruling! And that is, again, from Samuel Pomeroy from the 39th Congress.
Well, okay. "In debating the Fourteenth Amendment, the 39th Congress referred to the right to keep and bear arms as a fundamental right --" I'm reading directly from page 28 of the ruling here. "In debating the Fourteenth Amendment, the 39th Congress referred to the right to keep and bear arms as a fundamental right deserving of protection. Senator Samuel Pomeroy described three 'indispensable' 'safeguards of liberty under our form of Government.' One of these, he said, was the right to keep and bear arms: 'Every man . . . should have the right to bear arms for the defense of himself and family and his homestead," meaning house. "If the cabin door," the front door, "of the newly freed slave is broken open," somebody storms in, "and the intruder enters for purposes as vile as were known to slavery," as in a lynching, "then should a well-loaded musket," meaning a fully loaded shotgun "be in the hand of the [freed slave] to send the polluted wretch--" i.e., the intruder "--to another world," -- i.e., hell "--where his wretchedness will forever remain complete." That is quoted page 28 in the ruling of the Supreme Court today.
Page 29: "Evidence from the period immediately following the Amendment’s ratification confirms that that right was considered fundamental. In an 1868 speech addressing the disarmament of freedmen..." newly freed slaves. Freedmen, by the way, one word, it's an actual term used back then "... Representative Stevens emphasized the necessity of the right: 'Disarm a community and you rob them of the means of defending life. Take away their weapons of defense and you take away the inalienable right of defending liberty.' 'The fourteenth amendment, now so happily adopted, settles the whole question.” And in debating the Civil Rights Act of 1871, Congress routinely referred to the right to keep and bear arms and decried the continued disarmament of blacks in the South." Page 28-29 of the Supreme Court ruling today. So the Supreme Court not only confirmed that the Second Amendment means what it says but it used or uses discrimination and abuses against blacks post-Civil War, newly freed slaves to make their point. I hope somebody asks the solicitor general Elena Kagan about this today or at some point. Her confirmation hearings, otherwise known as the rubber-stamp committee, gets underway in about 11 minutes.
The rest of the transcript is here.
At this point I'm going to borrow from Kevin(again) on this particular matter:
"Just to insert, the Dred Scott court listed "those liberties that are fundamental to a democratic society and rooted in the traditions of the American people" and here I repeat Chief Justice Taney's listing of the rights that could not be conferred upon blacks, free or slave:
And let it not be forgotten that the man this case was about, Mr. McDonald, is black. Prevented by the laws of Chicago from owning a handgun.
Let's rejoice that a majority of the Court recognized the importance of the 2nd to freedom and individual liberty, and despair that four of the Justices would rather see rights decided by what they personally feel, no matter how many suffer for the sake of their feelings.
Of all the ways this court could have affirmed their decision to choose this, and Justice Thomas' opinion on this, as I say, is a genuine momentous history lesson. What liberal can argue with this? In a Chicago case, no less, in a Chicago case. Now, here's page 28, the court's opinion. "In debating the Fourteenth Amendment, the 39th Congress referred to the right to keep and bear arms as a fundamental right deserving of protection. Senator Samuel Pomeroy described three 'indispensable' 'safeguards of liberty under our form of Government.' 39th Cong. Globe 1182. One of these, he said, was the right to keep and bear arms: 'Every man . . . should have the right to bear arms for the defense of himself and family and his homestead. And if the cabin door of the freedman is broken open --" freedman is a new freed slave. "If the cabin door of the freedman is broken open and the intruder enters for purposes as vile as were known to slavery, then should a well-loaded musket be in the hand of the occupant to send the polluted wretch to another world, where his wretchedness will forever remain complete." That's in today's ruling! And that is, again, from Samuel Pomeroy from the 39th Congress.
Well, okay. "In debating the Fourteenth Amendment, the 39th Congress referred to the right to keep and bear arms as a fundamental right --" I'm reading directly from page 28 of the ruling here. "In debating the Fourteenth Amendment, the 39th Congress referred to the right to keep and bear arms as a fundamental right deserving of protection. Senator Samuel Pomeroy described three 'indispensable' 'safeguards of liberty under our form of Government.' One of these, he said, was the right to keep and bear arms: 'Every man . . . should have the right to bear arms for the defense of himself and family and his homestead," meaning house. "If the cabin door," the front door, "of the newly freed slave is broken open," somebody storms in, "and the intruder enters for purposes as vile as were known to slavery," as in a lynching, "then should a well-loaded musket," meaning a fully loaded shotgun "be in the hand of the [freed slave] to send the polluted wretch--" i.e., the intruder "--to another world," -- i.e., hell "--where his wretchedness will forever remain complete." That is quoted page 28 in the ruling of the Supreme Court today.
Page 29: "Evidence from the period immediately following the Amendment’s ratification confirms that that right was considered fundamental. In an 1868 speech addressing the disarmament of freedmen..." newly freed slaves. Freedmen, by the way, one word, it's an actual term used back then "... Representative Stevens emphasized the necessity of the right: 'Disarm a community and you rob them of the means of defending life. Take away their weapons of defense and you take away the inalienable right of defending liberty.' 'The fourteenth amendment, now so happily adopted, settles the whole question.” And in debating the Civil Rights Act of 1871, Congress routinely referred to the right to keep and bear arms and decried the continued disarmament of blacks in the South." Page 28-29 of the Supreme Court ruling today. So the Supreme Court not only confirmed that the Second Amendment means what it says but it used or uses discrimination and abuses against blacks post-Civil War, newly freed slaves to make their point. I hope somebody asks the solicitor general Elena Kagan about this today or at some point. Her confirmation hearings, otherwise known as the rubber-stamp committee, gets underway in about 11 minutes.
The rest of the transcript is here.
At this point I'm going to borrow from Kevin(again) on this particular matter:
"Just to insert, the Dred Scott court listed "those liberties that are fundamental to a democratic society and rooted in the traditions of the American people" and here I repeat Chief Justice Taney's listing of the rights that could not be conferred upon blacks, free or slave:
(Citizenship) would give to persons of the negro race, who were recognized as citizens in any one State of the Union, the right to enter every other State whenever they pleased, singly or in companies, without pass or passport, and without obstruction, to sojourn there as long as they pleased, to go where they pleased at every hour of the day or night without molestation, unless they committed some violation of law for which a white man would be punished; and it would give them the full liberty of speech in public and in private upon all subjects upon which its own citizens might speak; to hold public meetings upon political affairs, and to keep and carry arms wherever they went.Those liberties. In 1856 the Supreme Court wasn't yet willing to reinterpret a "living Constitution," so instead the Court's members decided that excluding an entire race of people from its protections was perfectly valid. It's only a little damage, and it's for public safety, you know."
And let it not be forgotten that the man this case was about, Mr. McDonald, is black. Prevented by the laws of Chicago from owning a handgun.
Let's rejoice that a majority of the Court recognized the importance of the 2nd to freedom and individual liberty, and despair that four of the Justices would rather see rights decided by what they personally feel, no matter how many suffer for the sake of their feelings.
Why I'm leaning more toward ropes than tar & feathers
Despite promises of an open negotiating process, many of the toughest deals were reached in private conversations among Democrats, as well as White House and Treasury officials, outside the Senate meeting room session that was being broadcast on C-SPAN.
...
...said a teary-eyed Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.)...“No one will know until this is actually in place how it works. But we believe we’ve done something that has been needed for a long time...”
Corrupt. And incompetent, but mostly corrupt. Just like Pelosi and "We have to pass it so everyone can find out what's in it" because she and the Democrats are overall so corrupt they don't dare let people know what they're actually passing until it's too late. At least for now.
Commenter Gerry has a line, "These fools are going to keep pushing until they cause the shooting to start", and more & more I think he's right.
And, let us not forget, this is the kind of 'efficiency and caring' they want to force on us:
... Chavez launched an “economic war on the bourgeoisie owners” of supermarkets, mills, rice plants and food distribution companies.
...said the failure of the state-owned PDVAL [Petroleos de Venezuela], a subsidiary of the national oil company, to distribute food imports that rotted at the shores…
...Several thousands tons of rotting meat ... “stank like 100 dead dogs.” ...
...Inflation leapt to 21 per cent in May as food prices rose 41 per cent…
Soldiers have been deployed to raid private homes for food stores.
Chavez: “Socialism is necessarily better than capitalism across the board and, that’s what we’re proving,”
By faililng, like socialism always does, because every one of these bastards thinks the only problem so far has been that they're not the ones in control.
...
...said a teary-eyed Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.)...“No one will know until this is actually in place how it works. But we believe we’ve done something that has been needed for a long time...”
Corrupt. And incompetent, but mostly corrupt. Just like Pelosi and "We have to pass it so everyone can find out what's in it" because she and the Democrats are overall so corrupt they don't dare let people know what they're actually passing until it's too late. At least for now.
Commenter Gerry has a line, "These fools are going to keep pushing until they cause the shooting to start", and more & more I think he's right.
And, let us not forget, this is the kind of 'efficiency and caring' they want to force on us:
... Chavez launched an “economic war on the bourgeoisie owners” of supermarkets, mills, rice plants and food distribution companies.
...said the failure of the state-owned PDVAL [Petroleos de Venezuela], a subsidiary of the national oil company, to distribute food imports that rotted at the shores…
...Several thousands tons of rotting meat ... “stank like 100 dead dogs.” ...
...Inflation leapt to 21 per cent in May as food prices rose 41 per cent…
Soldiers have been deployed to raid private homes for food stores.
Chavez: “Socialism is necessarily better than capitalism across the board and, that’s what we’re proving,”
By faililng, like socialism always does, because every one of these bastards thinks the only problem so far has been that they're not the ones in control.
Still somewhat tied up but listened to a lot of stuff on the McDonald decision
on the radio earlier.
1. YEAHHH!
2. A LOT of history in the decision on the fact that denying citizens their rights noted in the 2nd Amendment is equivalent to the way some states used state and local laws to disarm free blacks after the Civil War; that's going to piss the hell out of a lot of the right people.
3. FOUR of the justices seem to think the Constitution doesn't apply to states and cities. At least on non-PC matters. Which, like the 5-4 in the Heller case, is scary as hell.
In the moment, I'll use my version of Kevin's version:
Suck on that, Schumer & Brady & Daley.
1. YEAHHH!
2. A LOT of history in the decision on the fact that denying citizens their rights noted in the 2nd Amendment is equivalent to the way some states used state and local laws to disarm free blacks after the Civil War; that's going to piss the hell out of a lot of the right people.
3. FOUR of the justices seem to think the Constitution doesn't apply to states and cities. At least on non-PC matters. Which, like the 5-4 in the Heller case, is scary as hell.
In the moment, I'll use my version of Kevin's version:
Suck on that, Schumer & Brady & Daley.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
VP Biden is a miserable, arrogant little bastard
and I finally have an actual use for him. First, what started this:
Vice President Biden called the manager
of a custard shop outside of Milwaukee, Wis., a "smartass" after the man asked him to lower taxes.
After realizing that A: this would get out and B: just how it would reveal what he thinks of those nasty peasants who won't keep in their place,
The manager said later in an interview with WISN that he thought Biden didn’t seem happy initially about the taxes comment, but that the vice president later whispered that he was just kidding.
Kidding. Yeah. Well, here's the use: I just helped Dad dig out a hole, cut a partly-rotted post, enlarge the hole so we could put in a steel plate and screw jack and lift the porch corner to replace the post with some cement blocks, and with a little digging I think Biden would help fill the hole.
And to anybody catching their breath and saying "Can you believe he actually wrote this?", the only other actual use for Biden- besides fill- is the fact that he opens his mouth and lets the truth about what he and his master think of us out.
Thanks to Dick for messing up my mood at the end of what had been a happy and productive weekend
Vice President Biden called the manager
of a custard shop outside of Milwaukee, Wis., a "smartass" after the man asked him to lower taxes.
After realizing that A: this would get out and B: just how it would reveal what he thinks of those nasty peasants who won't keep in their place,
The manager said later in an interview with WISN that he thought Biden didn’t seem happy initially about the taxes comment, but that the vice president later whispered that he was just kidding.
Kidding. Yeah. Well, here's the use: I just helped Dad dig out a hole, cut a partly-rotted post, enlarge the hole so we could put in a steel plate and screw jack and lift the porch corner to replace the post with some cement blocks, and with a little digging I think Biden would help fill the hole.
And to anybody catching their breath and saying "Can you believe he actually wrote this?", the only other actual use for Biden- besides fill- is the fact that he opens his mouth and lets the truth about what he and his master think of us out.
Thanks to Dick for messing up my mood at the end of what had been a happy and productive weekend
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