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Nation of Riflemen
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
To anyone that is still coming to this page it will see a change when I get the
time. The links will be updated but as a blog it was a bust. Sorry. There are good gunblogs out there. Go find one. Bye.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Be Still My Heart...
Sarah Palin Rifle Training - video powered by Metacafe
Sunday, September 21, 2008
By way of Confederate Yankee comes
this piece on Sarah Palin published in the UK. Ha!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Mortgage Crisis!
I found this over at Kenin Baker's The Smallest Minority.
It's a transcript of a monologe from the September 19, 2008 Mark Levin Show.
Kevin Baker had his own comments interpersed throughout the transcript and they're worth reading.
Also here is the Wikopedia entry on
the Community Reinvestment Act.
Unfortunately these politicians are running for the hills because they do not want to take responsibility for what is going on, and I mean BIG TIME.
So I want to tell you a little story about your government; I want to tell you a little story about how it works and doesn't work. I want to tell you a little story about how things go on in the shadows in this country and the massive bureaucracies of this country that you don't know about, and yet they affect your lives every single day.
We have a massive Administrative State....and we have this massive bureaucracy, that's utterly unelected, and unaffected by what you want or what you believe. It's part of the Washington elite management system that controls so much of what goes on in this country.
...And I want to tell you a little bit about how the liberals in government whether they be elected or appointed, whether they be bureaucrats or politicians, how they work together and bring us to this point. And then tell YOU the problem is free markets, the problem is Capitalism, the problem is greed.
They lie.
The Community Reinvestment Act, or CRA - is a federal law that requires banks and thrifts to offer credit throughout their entire market area. And it prohibits them from NOT giving loans to poorer areas within the reach of their communities. They call this redlining. They call violations of this redlining.
The purpose of this Act is to provide credit, including home ownership opportunities to what they call "under-served populations" and commercial loans to small businesses.
The law was passed by Congress in 1977 under Carter as a result of national grassroots pressure from groups like ACORN (an ultra-Left wing criminal enterprise in my humble opinion) which brought pressure for affordable housing for the poor. It was opposed significantly and aggressively by the banking community. But they had no choice. It became law 31 years ago.
The law mandates that "each banking institution be evaluated to determine if it has met the credit needs of its entire community" - that is, if it has given loans to enough poor people, or people who can't really afford them.
And then that record is taken into account by the federal government when it considers an institution's application for mergers and acquisitions.
And so the law is enforced by the federal government and in 1995, as a result of interest from Bill Clinton's Administration - particularly Janet Reno and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the implementing regulations for the law were strengthened by focusing the financial regulator's attention on institution's performance in helping to meet community credit needs.
So they really, really pushed them. They used the FORCE OF LAW to compel these private institutions to make bad loans.
These changes were very controversial.
...The Clinton Administration's regulatory revisions with an effective starting date of January 31 1995, were credited with substantially increasing the number and aggregate amount of loans to small businesses and to low and moderate income borrowers for home loans. Clinton used to brag about this.
Part of the increase in home loans was due to increased efficiency in the genesis of lenders like Countrywide that DID NOT mitigate loan risk with savings deposits, which traditional banks do. They were using the new SUBPRIME AUTHORIZATION, of 1995. Are you listening to me? This is known as the secondary market for mortgage loans. The revisions in the law allowed the securitization of CRA loans containing subprime mortgages. In other words, they had to figure out how to give loans to people who do not qualify for the loans under traditional procedures. So they changed the procedures.
The loans were not capitalized. So you have No Down Payment loans, No Interest loans, Low Interest loans that turn into higher interest loans over time (ARMs), and on and on. They were trying to be creative in what they could do, and they HAD TO BE under the threat of losing business practices and activities as compelled by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government compelled this activity and compelled this behavior.
The first securitization of CRA loans, started in 1997 with Bear Stearns (remember them?)
Now in 2003, The Bush Administration recommended what the New York Slimes (Times) called "The most significant regulatory overhaul in the Housing Financial Industry since the Savings and Loan crisis a decade ago". This change was to move governmental supervision of two of the primary agents guaranteeing subprime loans; Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, under a wholly new agency created within the Department of Justice, which would give it more oversight power and more auditing power. It would require these two so-called "companies" to better capitalize their debt.
Even so, what remained was the implied guarantee that the American taxpayer, should anything go wrong, would back-up these loans.
But that legislation to strengthen these programs, to move the oversight to an independent separate agency WAS BLOCKED in 2003 by Congress. And it was blocked by the Democrats, because the Democrats were in bed with ACORN and these other "community activists grassroots groups", of whom Barrack The Hussein Obama is quite familiar.
These are the constituents of the Democrat party - that is these Left wing groups like ACORN.
(Barney) Frank (D-MA) was in bed with them; Chris Dodd (D-CT) was in bed with them; the Clinton Administration was in bed with them; and so they blocked the reforms the Bush Administration proposed in 2003.
Barney Frank said at the time "These two entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are NOT FACING ANY KIND OF FINANCIAL CRISIS. The more people exaggerate these problems...the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing".
So basically, the Socialists FORCED the private sector to behave in ways the private sector didn't want to behave but was forced to behave under threat of law. That is to give loans to people who were bad risks.
The two government run companies; Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, when the Bush Administration said in '03 "Look we got a problem here. They don't have enough capital, they're running wild over there. We don't have enough oversight and auditing activity. We want to break out that activity - make it independent so they can oversee it. Force them to capitalize against their loans better". They were BLOCKED.
Now I don't know about people who say we can't talk about party (blame) - We HAVE TO TALK ABOUT PARTY HERE because the only way you have accountability, and the only way you fix this situation, is to know WHO and WHAT is responsible, and what policies got us here!
Now these policies encouraged the development of the sub-prime debacle, through this CRA legislation, which forced banks to lend to uncreditworthy customers. Which they are now being criticized for having done. Before this debacle, while they are now attacking these huge financial institutions - they would praise them for all the uncreditworthy risky loans they were giving to 'certain' citizens (and non-citizens) in this country!
In 2003, the NY Slimes said of the Bush Administration's plan "The plan is an acknowledgment by the Administration that oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which together have issued more than 1.5 trillion in outstanding debt, is broken".
2003.
Former Treasury Secretary John Snowe from the Bush Administration, 2003 - "There is a general recognition, that the supervisory system for housing-related government-sponsored enterprise neither has the tools nor the stature, to deal effectively with the current size, complexity and importance of these enterprises."
Michael Oxley, Republican from Ohio, former House Finance Services Committee Chairman, he said: "The current regulator does not have the tools or the mandate to adequately regulate these enterprises. In recent months, we have seen the mismanagement and questionable accounting practices went largely unnoticed".
The Senate Republican Policy Committee, the Conservatives warned in 2003, that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac threatened the U.S. economy and taxpayer "Although both firms seem to be performing well at the moment, it is far better for Congress to take pre-emptive action, instead of facing an enormously expensive corrective action after a destabilizing crisis strikes. Given how large these government companies have grown, and how much interest rate risk they retain, the risks posed by their current operations, should move Congress to increase their disclosure requirements, improve safety and soundness regulations, and examine how best to extricate the Federal Government from their operations. And through such steps, Congress could give regulators and investors a better sense of the risks that Fannie and Freddie's operations pose and reduce the likelihood of a bailout."
That was the Conservative Republican Policy Committee, Conservative Republican Senators.
What did the Democrats say? What did they say in 2003?
When the Bush Administration in 2003 was in fact, ringing the alarm bells, and did in-fact draft proposed legislation to address this, Republicans supported it and Democrats blocked it.
"These two entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are NOT FACING ANY KIND OF FINANCIAL CRISIS. The more people exaggerate these problems...the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing". - Barney Frank, 2003 (D-MA)
He told the AP a few weeks later: "I don't think we face a crisis. I don't think we have an impending disaster."
In 2004 Frank said "I think Wall Street will get over it", referring to the possible collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
In 2005, the Republicans in Congress offered legislation to basically do what the Bush Administration had proposed two years earlier, and here's what the Democrat Minority Leader in the Senate Harry Reid had to say: "The legislation from the Senate Banking Committee passed today on a party-line vote by the Republican majority, includes measures that could cripple the ability of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to carry out their mission of expanding home ownership. While I favor approving oversight by our federal housing regulators, to ensure safety and soundness, we cannot pass legislation that could limit Americans from owning homes and potentially harm our economy in the process". That was UPI quoting Harry Reid in July '05.
This by the way is the same reason they won't address the other looming disasters like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. They just won't do it. Until we're on the brink.
As recently as August 16, 2007 - a little over a year ago - Schumer and Dodd, the Chairman of the Banking Committee, called on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac regulators TO LIFT THE PORTFOLIO CAPS SO THEY COULD GIVE OUT MORE LOANS, to MORE people. They argued that allowing the two firms to buy more mortgages, and we're talking about these sub-prime mortgages, "at least temporarily" they said, "would inject much liquidity into the market and calm the financial markets."
That's what we're talking about.
In November 2006, Schumer in an Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg: "With the benefit of hindsight, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which imposed a new regulatory framework on all public companies doing business in the U.S., also needs to be re-examined. Since its passage, auditing expenses for companies doing business in the U.S. have grown far beyond anything Congress had anticipated. Of course, we must not in any way diminish our ability to detect corporate fraud and protect investors. But there appears to be a worrisome trend of corporate leaders focusing inordinate time on compliance minutiae rather than innovative strategies for growth, for fear of facing personal financial penalties from overzealous regulators."
They were arguing for REDUCING the regulations that had been passed after Enron!!!!
...We will be paying for all of this now and down the road because of Socialism. That's what I am trying to explain. That's why I am taking the time to slog though this. Because it all sounds so foreign - because it has all been going on, behind the curtain. So we really haven't been aware of it. It's like Illegal Immigration, been going on for 45 years, they have been passing these laws, and we really haven't been aware of it. We're aware of it now, because we are on the hook for it.
What Chuck Schumer wrote in the WSJ Op-Ed in November 2006, is not what Chuck Schumer says today. Here's what he said on the senate floor
"8 years of de-regulatory zeal by the Bush Administration, an attitude of "The market can do no wrong" have led us down the short path to economic recession. From the unregulated mortgage brokers, to the opaque credit default swaps market, to aggressive Short Sellers who were driving down the price of even healthy financial institutions based on innuendo, this Administration has failed to take the steps necessary to protect both Main Street and Wall Street".
There may not be a silver bullet to fix what is currently dragging down the economy, but we can take steps to mitigate the costs and make sure that the impact of this crisis will be short-term. " - Schumer, (D-NY)
See, our nation would be far better off without charlatans like Chuck Schumer. We have you dead to rights here Chuck. We have you in writing where you demanded LESS regulation and less oversight. So the fact you go to the senate floor and spew your talking points doesn't work here.
We have you Barney - we have you dead to rights too. You're a liar. You fought the reforms the Administration tried to put in place in 2005.
Yet Frank had this to say today:
"The fundamental issue is we have got to put an end to this situation in which there is no sensible regulation, and irresponsible individuals in the private market, or unwise individuals in the private market can incur the kind of risks that put us in a threatening situation," said House Financial Services Committee Chairman, Barney Frank.
He's a liar.
Now Barrack Obama, Obama is allied with radical groups like ACORN. These radical Left wing front groups like ACORN which pushed hard for the legislation that Carter put in place - the CRA forcing private financial institutions to make the riskiest of loans.
We have the Clinton Administration dead to rights - including Janet Reno, who insisted that these banks and financial institutions would not be able to survive and expand unless they took a certain amount of their assets and applied them to the riskiest of loans. That's what they created in 1995 with this sub-prime market - of zero down loans. They were trying to come up with packages so they could meet their federal requirements. And they did.
Then step in the two government-run entities, Fannie and Freddie - and they are buying up these loans from the private sector as far as they can. Now that doesn't promote home ownership, yet that is what they were in existence to do. So why were they buying up these risky loans?? Because they appeared as assets on their books, even though they weren't. And the more assets they had, the bigger the bonuses for Franklin Raines, and Jamie Gorelick, and Jim Johnson - these three who are Obama's ECONOMIC ADVISORS - that's why they bought them up. It was in their OWN self-interest!!
This corrosive cronyism, has spread throughout the financial institutions in this country. That's why they are hustling to fix it! Their fingerprints are all over this dammit! Don't you see???!!! This wasn't the private sector that did this, this wasn't any individual company that did this, this is institutionalized corruption - we call it Socialism!!! Every effort to address it by the Bush Administration in '03, by the Republicans in '05, was rejected. Rejected by Chris Dodd, rejected by Chuck Schumer, rejected Barney Frank, rejected by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. This is why I rail against this! This is why I rail against the Left and the Socialists.
This isn't a joke! This is real life!
And now, over the weekend, the Treasury Secretary - who is a Liberal Democrat, and a Friend of Schumer's - has a plan that sticks us with a bill of over 1 TRILLION dollars!
We're nationalizing businesses, we're subsidizing businesses, now we're going to create a one trillion dollar trust?
I tell you what; Socialism Sucks.
The Paulson plan could cost $1 trillion!
Look what your government has done! They have dragged us to the precipice!
You and I weren't overseeing Freddie and Fannie - you and I had nothing to do with this CRA law - with all these Left Wing grassroots groups - or forcing banks and thrifts to cough up money for risky loans - we had nothing to do with this!
This is what goes on behind the scenes.
"Oh it's Capitalism and Free Markets that are the cause" - no it's not - THAT'S the problem!
What kind of a businessman gives a loan to someone who cannot pay it back unless they have a gun to their head???
...So all this crap that is out there - all these bad loans that are out there - they are going to pass them off into this fund, so every business out there that is loaded with these is going to dump them on you and me - the American taxpayer. To save those businesses. And by the way, those businesses - in many cases were forced to make these crap loans by the very people who are going to save us!!!
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) said on ABC's "Good Morning America" said lawmakers were told last night "that we're literally maybe days away from a complete meltdown of our financial system, with all the implications, here at home and globally."
Why is Chris Dodd still chairman of the banking Committee?? Why isn't he spooning out slop at some federal prison? Why isn't he in charge of the soap at some Federal prison?
"What you heard last evening is one of those rare moments - certainly rare in my experience here - was that Democrats and Republicans decided we needed to work together, quickly," Dodd said.
Funny how they want to work quickly to fix it now - but refused to do so in 2003 and 2005 BEFORE this collapse was triggered.
"Congressional leaders tell Politico that to expedite the rescue, Treasury plans to seek additional authority rather than creating a new entity. The plan involves buying up hundreds of billions of dollars in bad mortgages to take them off the books of financial institutions that otherwise might fail".
...Yeah let's hurry up (and fix this) let's set this thing up before the American people figure out what's going on. Let's set it up - because as all the experts keep telling us, "this is just too big to fail!" That's too big and this is too big - we have to nationalize everything! That'll fix it! That's because we know that whatever the government does is okay and whatever the private sector does is horrific.
I'm sick of these Socialists.September 2008 will be remembered as the time when Socialism really, really took hold in this country.
Amen
Friday, September 19, 2008
Are We Fighting a Holy War?
No Charlie we aren't, but they are. And we damn well better realize it and act accordingly. Oh and once again, no bias there...
Tuesday, September 18, 2008
Another WTF Moment
I heard an ad on the radio this morning where Ray Schoenke, the President of the American Hunters and Shooters
Association (AHSA), claims that our Second Amendment rights are safe under both Obama and McCain. He then goes
on to give his support to Obama for his economic policies. Schoenke is entitled to his opinion about out economy
and right to encourage his fellow travelers to support Obama for that reason. He dosn't get to tout Obama's support
of the Second Amendment, because Obama doesn't. Obama has never supported my right to keep and bear arms. He never had
a gun control bill come past him that he hasn't supported as a "reasonable" restriction on the right to bear arms. Prior
to Heller and his run for the White House he supoprted the collective rights interpretation of the Second Amendment. His
web page claims he supports the Second Amendment protections for hunters and recreational shooters when that
is not what the Second is about. The Second is about the people's ability to resist oppression when all other avenues fail.
Schoeke is a shill of the gun control lobby. He and Obama are fellow travelers.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
A WTF Moment
I happened to catch a report on the ABC Evening News about the economic plans of both McCain and Obama.
The "reporter" says that McCain would "make permanent Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans." Not
make permanent Bush's tax cuts but make pernament Bush's tax cuts to the "wealthiest Americans. "Wealthiest
Americans?!" That's not reporting McCain's position. That's a Democat talking point not news, and it makes
ABC a mouthpiece for the Obama Campaign. Hey, but there ain't no bias at ABC News they report the neeeews.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Quote of the Day
And a special acknowledgment to author of Niven's Law: "There is a technical term for those who mistake the
opinions and beliefs of characters in a novel for those of the author. The term is 'idiot.'"
S. M. Stirling, Conquistador, Acknowledgments, ROC BOOKS, 2003
I'm still in the process of reading John Ringo's The Last Centurion. I like it. For those of you who don't like the opinions of the protagonist and attribute those opinions to Mr. Ringo himself, I call your attention to the quote above.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Quote of the Day
Most People in the U. S. don't realize how important getting the right President is. Sure, the President
gets blamed for a lot of things that he or she can't control. The Prez does not control the stock market or
the Federal Reserve. But the reality is that the Founding Fathers, having no real previous experience of democracy
or a republic and having lived under a monarchy thier whole fucking lives, created a temporary king to run a country.
They were at heart monarchists. They just didn't like the current one and didn't want to make it hereditary.
So every few years we elect a king. Since people like consistency, we tend to elect the same king as many times
as we can get away with. And the king, especially in any sort of emergency, has a lot of power. They don't alawys,
or even most of the time, have enough
to fix things right away. But they've got a lot of power.
Including the power to totally screw things up...
...When you choose a king, forget most of the reasons you
think you should vote for the king. Mostly, the king can't do much about the economy but ruin it. They can't
make you richer or smarter (although they can manage the reverse). If you want one suggestion, think about
all the contingencies under which that king may hold your lives in his or her hands. And choose wisely...
John Ringo, The Last Centurion, 2008, Baen Books, p.38-9.
Yes, its a quote from a character in a work of fiction and may not be that of Mr. Ringo himself. But it is something to think about in this election year. Of the two viable canidates for President, I know who I want to hold in his hands the lives of my family. I will vote accordingly.
McCain/Palin 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Dear Mr. Obama
This is being posted all over the internet. Make sure you watch the whole video.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Time for the next round.
I've hesitated to comment on Heller. I mean, damn, everybody else is doing so well, but we've had 70 years
of purposeful misintrepretation of Miller by every liberal court in the land. Why should we expect anything
different with Heller? One of those Chicago fucks is already saying the decision only applies to the Federal
government and not to local and State variety. And of course Obama says it is an individual right but doesn't
restrict "reasonable common-sense" regulation. Well, Ialready know what he considers reasonable and
common-sense are not the same as me. His past comments on gun control show his position. He has already
demonstrated he is one of those people who will continually parse words to his own advantage. Truth is,
the only thing he cares about is getting elected, and he will say anything and pander to anyone to be
President. There are gun owners who will take his statement at face value because it then allows them to
ignore the 2nd and vote for him because they like his positons on other issues. The blind, ignorant,
and plain stupid among us will buy that crap and sell the rest of us down the river. Gun owners can't
and must not trust him. I honestly don't have warm fuzzies over McCain either. He's way too concerned
over what the Dems think about him. His fence sitting and outrihgt betrayal of the Constitution in the
past scares me as much as Obama's "change". All that to say this, the fight ain't over guys. Keep
your powder dry. Time for the next round.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Constant Frustrations
Work
Wife
Work
Wife
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
My oldest child, Shirley Caitlin Smith, graduated from the Durham School of the Arts today. Congratulations Baby. What the future holds we shall see.
Wednesday, May, 26 2008
Memorial Day 2008
Wednesday, May, 26 2008
Robert Lynn Asprin
Author
28 June 1946 to 22 May 2008
Rest in Peace
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Ok so I was in a training class today and the subject went briefly to politics i.e. Hilliary and Obama. The Instructor said his nightmare was a brokered Democratic Convention were Obama was the presidential candidate with an agreement to make John Edwards Attorney General and nominate Hilliary to the Supreme Court. Be afraid. Be very afraid.So I'll vote for McCain however distasteful I find the prospect. The alternative is too damn scary.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Its a new year so I thought I'd try to make regular entries again.
Just finished reading A Desert Called Peace by Tom Kratman and it is a damn fine read. I'll call it a alternate history of the Iraqi War as it should have been with some sci fi trappings. The story takes place on a world colonized from Earth whose politics, national divisions, ans history of modern warfare, has closely paralleled our own. A warrior's family is killed by jihadists in a 9/11 like act of terror and he responds to their everlasting regret. I won't say more except that the left is sure to hate this book and say all sorts of untrue and true things about it and that's the best recommendation of all. It is also the first in a series and I can't wait to read the next.
I also added the Lawdog and Mostly Cajun to my blog list.
Monday, September 24, 2007
You'll notice I added a few blogs to my Weblogs list. They are all good and worth a look. I got a new quote from The Smallest Minority. I don't know if it was original to him, but its oh so true.
When seconds count the police are only minutes away.
No commentary required.
I was at the dinner table tonight and my youngest, Ruthie, age 6, was talking to her mom about something she wanted and how it should be free. Mom told her nothing in life is free. Then the middle daughter, Courtney, mispronounced TANSTAAFL. I'm a long time Heinlein fan and laissez faire libertarian. I corrected her pronunciation [eyes roll up] and asked where she heard that. She's taking a home school, co-op "tutorial" in economics and got the term there. Suprised the hell out of me. I'd put money on the fact she'd never have heard the term or even the concept if she were still in a public school system. Maybe there's something to this home school stuff after all.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
I watched Shooter the other day and my initial reaction was good flick but if you can't divorce yourself from the book, Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter, you might want to take a pass. I also liked it because it mostly stayed away from the usual Hollywood pro gun control hypocrisy. They also made an effort to get the guns handling right which is more than Hollywood usually does. I read some of the reviews on Netflix that drubbed it because of its left leaning politics. I thought about it and saw the reviewer's points. The villains in the movie work for a Halliburton like corporation and at least in the outtakes/deleted scenes there are hits on the present Administration. Stephen Hunter showed a profound respect for gun owners and the individual in his novel Point of Impact. He showed no such respect for government bureaucracy and the lengths it will go to have its way. There are portions of the book I'd have loved to see in the movie and didn't [the final courtroom scene], but I still liked the movie. I loved the book. I just liked the movie. Read the book. Rent the movie.
Tuesday, July 4, 2006
I spent the 4th doing my favorite things. I took my ten year old son to the range and introduced him to shooting my 10-22 and an old Daisey BB Gun. I found out the 10-22 was too heavy for him and my old Daisey is a bitch for him to cock. We had fun even so. His birtday is the 6th so I did another favorite thing. I went and bought a gun. A Daisey Red Rider BB Rifle. OK, it's only a BB Gun but its the perfect gift to teach him the basics until he strong enough to use the 10-22. And in doing so I'm doing another favorite thing...thumbing my nose at the Brady Bunch. Ha!
Friday, June 9, 2006
I've not updated this in so long I wonder why I even bother. No politics this time. At the moment I'm really disatisfied with both work and life in general. Too much uncertainty going down. I'm not sleeping more than four hours a night from worry. So politics are on the back burner. Once things are a bit more toward normal I'll try again.
Tuesday, November 1, 2005
I'm told you can judge the quality of a person by their enemies. The Brady Bunch doesn't like Alito becuase he argued that the Commerce Clause shouldn't apply to intrastate sale possession of a machhine gun. Intrastate regulation, he argued, should be a State matter not Federal. The Brady bunch doesn't like him? that's a mark in his favor.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Alito on Guns from David Hardy's Website.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Brazilians Reject Proposed Gun Ban
With 92% of the vote in Brazilians voted overwhelmingly against the gun ban. The Antis wanted to make this a template for prohibition here in the US. They failed. We won. In the future I expect the Antis will do everything they can to keep a referendum from having the final say. If given an informed choice people are not going to give up their guns. It is a victory and I'll take it.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Congress OKs Gun Industry Lawsuit Shield
The Senate's version passed with the ammo study and the gun lock requirement. I don't like it. I tend to side with the GOA over the NRA. Having said that these additions don't even approach the bill killing amendments that were attached to the last attempt. Victory? Kinda. Maybe. Maybe not.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
The doomsday provision
John Stossel hits the nail right on the head. Gun control laws don't work. Every year there are more defensives uses of firearms criminal uses. Nowhere in Miller VS the United States does the Supreme Court define the Second Amendment as a "collective" right or the National Guard as the "militia". The Second Amendment is intended to provide the people with the ability to oppose tyranny. Read the article.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Violence Policy Center Urges Washington Redskins to Withdraw From Shooting Fundraiser With National Rifle Association as NRA Lobbies on Capitol Hill to Overturn D.C.'s Gun Laws
The lead pretty much says it all. Here's the link to their press release.
Violence Policy Center Release
In response I point to another press release from the San Francisco Police Officer's Association declaring their opposition to a San Francisco gun ban. Note the paragraph on the DC ban.
San Francisco Police Officer's Association press release
Any "rational" person can see what an utter failure the DC ban has been.
Sunday, October 7, 2005
Breaking America's grip on the net
The EU wants to have the UN in control of the Internet. I don't know if its possible for the US to tell them where to shove it and make it stick but we had better try. As sad a state as the US is in at the moment we've still got more freedom than citizens in any other country, and for the most part those freedoms are respected on the net. As bad as the "we know what's best for you crowd" is here at home it much worse overseas. That doesn't even take into account the marxists, socailists, tryrants and general scumbags that make up the United Nations. If the Internet is to continue as a forum of freedom and liberty its control must remain in the hands of the United States. We can't trust anyone else with it.
Sunday, October 2, 2005
Testy tourists risk being shot
29/09/2005 17:06 - (SA)
The lead on this story should read "Sour Grapes by Brady Campaign." They couldn't win in the Florida Legislature so they take aim at Florida's economy by publishing falsehoods and lies about Florida's Castle Law. This is the same thing they did when Florida passed concealed carry. there was no blood on the streets then and no tourists will get shot by the good citizens of Florida. The sour grapes willbe on Brady's face.
Sunday, October 2, 2005
I went and saw Serenity yesterday. I was hooked on Firefly from episode one. I was not happy with the way it was treated by FOX. I was gifted with the DVD shortly after it's release and my love for it increased. The movie was not the series. I had great hopes for the gradual revelations that Whedon would have stingily doled out. Well FOX killed that. The movie was good. Some questions were answered. Some were not, while others never will be even if we get a sequel. I hope Serenity will do enough business to make a sequel viable. If it doesn't, well this is a good ending. If you haven't seen it, go. You won't be disappointed.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Serenity is here.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
My wife complained that my language in these posts leaves something to be desired. So I apologize and I'll clean it up...or try to.
Monday, September 19, 2005
I don't genrally watch TV cop shows. They piss me off too much. Their politics are of the left/communist variety. Their procedure leaves alot to be desired. And they get the guns wrong. Case in point: I caught a bit of Crossing Jordan. I think it was the wrap up for last season. A cop is shot with a 30-06. the round is described as a steel core round banned for civilian use. The steel core allowed it to punch right throught he officer's vest. My problem with this? Any rifle round short of a .22 will punch right through an officer's vest like butter. Who advises these people? The on site BATF advisor or someone from Handgun Control? People look at this, believe it, and make up their minds based on it. I can't say it was intentional propaganda but it serves the same purpose.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
I just finished up two novels that were damn good reads. The fiction I read tends to be Science Fiction with an occasional mystery, fantasy, or action/thriller tossed in. These are both Military Sci Fi.
The Weapon, by Michael Z. Williamson.
The novel follows the military service of an Operative in the Freehold Military forces. Freehold is a world that has declared it independence from the U.N. with the expected results. Freehold responds t the UN's military action against them by deploying Operatives to Earth to attach the infrastructure. Williamson is former military and the details ring true. It is well written and keeps your attention. There are also some pointed jabs at the UN and the welfare state. Read and enjoy.
Watch On The Rhine (Die Wacht am Rhein),by John Ringo & Tom Kratman.
John Ringo has written a series of novels about the invasion of Earth by the Posleen, centaur shaped alien Mongols. The Posleen hit a world and ravage it. they're like army ants destrying anything in there path. Ohter aliens come to Earth's aid with technological help. One of the technologies allows Earth's military to rejuvenate old soldiers. This novel follows Germany's preperation for and battle against the Posleen. Germany's current socialist policies have ill perpared them for this battle and they need experienced, combat tested soldiers. They are forced to rejuvenate members of the old Wafen SS. Ringo wrote this with Thomas Kratman. They don't try to sugar coat the SS into anything it wasn't. It's a good read. Enjoy.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Bush hits U.N. corruption
The only way to end U.N. corruption is to end the organization, but whatever replaced it wouldn't be any better.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Disaster official at NY symposium: Planners didn't anticipate gun problem after Katrina
I won't comment on what went wrong in New Orleans in regard to Katrina. My point in posting this article is that this is yet one more avenue from which the antis can attack us.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
New London homeowners slapped with eviction notices
This is something the U. S. Supreme Court can be proud of don't ya think?
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Here's an article by David Kopel that makes the case against the gun confiscation going on in New Orleans.
Friday, September 9, 2005
Police in New Orleans Begin Confiscation of Weapons From Law Abiding Citizens.
This excerpt is from yesterday's New York Times...
...as police officers began confiscating weapons, including legally registered firearms, from civilians in preparation
for a mass forced evacuation of the residents still living here.
No civilians in New Orleans will be allowed to carry pistols, shotguns or other firearms, said P. Edwin Compass III, the superintendent of police. "Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons," he said.
But that order apparently does not apply to hundreds of security guards hired by businesses and some wealthy individuals to protect property. The guards, employees of private security companies like Blackwater, openly carry M-16's and other assault rifles. Mr. Compass said that he was aware of the private guards, but that the police had no plans to make them give up their weapons.
Is this a sign of what's to come for ther rest of us?
Comments are welcome. Post tomailto:gnsmith@acpub.duke.edu.
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