There essentially are no restrictions on guns or ammunition. There are several organizations, local, national and worldwide, providing guns and ammunition to minors and to the poor, either for free or at subsidized prices, often without parental consent, even to the point of covering up for criminal use of guns in some cases so as to maximize the number of kids with access to guns. It is a human right after all. A right is a right, and that’s that. If you so much as question it, you are against children and against human rights in general, you backward-minded Neanderthal, redneck ignorant Nazi bastard. There are gun training programs in most public schools, with free ammunition available if a kid goes to a school counselor to ask for it, saying that his parents are denying him his right to ammunition.
There’s the background. It is firmly entrenched in our culture, hardly anyone is questioning it, those who do are never taken seriously, and for sure it is not threatened either by this Congress or any foreseeable one.
Then; proposed new federal legislation adds to all of the above by forcing tax payers to pay for free guns and ammunition, for the asking, nationwide. Anyone objecting to this new bill is accused of wanting to “ban guns”, denying the poorest people and the children their second amendment rights. If you can’t get it for free, immediately, any time, anywhere, your right to it has thereby been denied, QED, so without this new bill, even with everything in the first paragraph untouched and safe for the future, the second amendment is effectively banned. Poor, sobbing victim after poor, sobbing victim is paraded in front of the in-depth news show cameras to tell their stories of woe and despair arising from a lack of access to ”affordable” guns and ammunition, and the pundits have nothing but sympathy for them, and the serious understanding that can only come from having had similar experiences of their own.
Now; it is by that same resoning, in that same sort of environment, that Rick Santorum and others are accused of wanting to ban birth control.
Focus, People. Santorum may be the spawn of Satan for all I know, but neither he nor anyone else of any prominence wants to ban birth control. This entire issue was manufactured by Democrats to divert attention from the Obama economy and other Obama atrocities because they believe that “social issues” are the Republicans’ weakness and they want to keep the discussion focused there. Some among us have actually fallen for it even though it’s been used a thousand times before in broad daylight. Please get a grip.
Now I will point out that when we of the pro liberty mindset want a human right respected (one that‘s actually in the constitution, for example) we don’t demand that certain goodies be given to us as part of a government program at taxpayer’s expense and we don’t demand it be given to kids against their parents wishes. The proof of whether a “right” is really a right is that a true right never demands anything from anyone else other than non interference.
I agree with what my former co-blogger said: ” By all means, let your freak flag fly. But I’m not buying the flag for you.”
And for the record, no, I don’t think health insurance should cover ED pills either.
Medical insurance should cover anything the insurance company and the customer agree to, and it is no business of government’s whatsoever. I just wanted to make that clear, for those who may be new here (and new to the concept of liberty). So any time you hear a politician talking about insurance, the subject would properly be centered around how best to get government’s ugly nose out of it. Government’s only proper role, as in other areas, is to enforce contracts when one party unilaterally breaks from them, or commits fraud, etc., and in that case it is on an individual case basis only. WE make agreements with others as willing participants. Government’s job is to serve US by protecting against fraud and coercion, rather than initiating it as they’re currently doing on a regular basis. If they don’t like that arrangement they need to be put out, one way or another. It’s called liberty and it’s our job to see to it.
Under the Obamacare theory, the government should buy everyone a gun because it is an actual enumerated constitutional right. I would like a Wilson 1911.
If every Republican candidate would adopt the attitude towards the present administration of that Roman fellow who ended every speech, no matter the subject, with “Carthago delenda est!” I think we would be better off come November.
But the Government already gives away Free Guns! That is, if you are a Police Dept. who needs to Upgrade your 5 person Agency for the Village out in the middle of NoWhere (Population 2,500) with Free M-16s; or if you need some AK-47s for your Drug Cartel down Mexico Way; or if you’re an Afghan “Security Guard” who has a Burning Desire to commit Jihad, why the Feds will give you all the Firearms you want!
The White House screwed up with the contraception mandate upon the Catholic non profits. So to fix their screw up, they are falling back on their usual screaming “REPUBLICANS WANT TO STEAL YOUR LADYPARTS!!!!”.
What’s really depraved, though, is how republicans, democrats, and pretty much everybody else actually are stealing boyparts, and how the thieves are being paid to do it with State funds, and how the stolen boyparts are being sold afterwards to make cosmetic facial cream for women.
Not that any of you will say a word about it, of course. It’s too far off topic. Or something. Anything. Any excuse to not speak up in defense of the innocent children being mutilated around you.
I think this post is right on … until you mention Rick Santorum. It’s pretty obvious from what he’s said that he would ban contraceptives if he had the ability to do so. While most non-liberals are fine with birth control as long as you pay for it yourself, Santorum isn’t, and I don’t think bringing up his name helps your argument.
Not to derail too far, but is it just me, or does that sound like something the brady bunch are already nearly claiming when it comes to the “ease” of obtaining a gun?
So what, if Rick Santorum wants to ban contraceptives, even as President? That’s all the more reason why government should have no say in what insurance companies can and cannot cover! If Obama has the power to require insurance companies to give everyone free contraceptives, then Santorum, if he takes office, will have the power to ban insurance companies from covering contraceptives.
Do the Democrats really want to go there? Well, yes they do, because they always assume that they will be in power, and will just use it “appropriately”, while the Republicans will never get back into power to execute their own wishes. And while I wish the Republicans were different, they aren’t…and that is why we need to limit governmental power!
I agree that this whole issue is manufactured to divert attention from the bigger issues we face as a nation (and on which which Obama can’t defend his record). I have a little hypothesis that the birth control issue was specifically targeted to prolong the Republican infighting.
Before this Obama issued this new birth control mandate, Romney was leading the pack and seemed to be the imminent Republican nominee. Once Obama issued his mandate, it spurred many Catholics to wake up and take notice. Many of these Catholics, who might otherwise have stayed home for their state’s primary, were spurred to action and marched to the polls. If you’re Catholic and the issue you’re currently most concerned with is birth control, who would you vote for of the available candidates? Santorum, obviously. Suddenly Santorum started surging ahead. He didn’t quite come out in front of Romney, but he gained enough ground to be competitive and prolong the battle.
In the end, this just means that both Republican rivals get bloodied longer and the eventual candidate has less time to battle Obama. And what does Obama have to lose by this ploy? He got his base riled up and excited. He diverted attention from his horrendous record. Even if his birth control mandate is defeated, he can claim that it was the work of his rivals. His base will give him points for trying.
He stands to lose Catholic votes come November, but my guess is that most of those who would consider voting for him anyway will have forgotten about this by then. He backs off a little, makes some cosmetic changes to his proposal and makes peace with a few influential church leaders, and all will be well for him.
I, of course, have no evidence to prove this assertion. I just offer it as a possible explanation for what we have seen over the last few weeks. If I’m correct, then the whole Republican establishment just played right into Obama’s hand.
JMD, you are probably right, except that as a Republican who hopes to see Obama go down this election, I kinda want a prolonged primary. I don’t trust any of the candidates, so I’m inclined to think that the longer they work out the differences, the better off we’ll be.
I’m also inclined to think that this strategy may potentially backfire, because it’s a topic that’s riled up a lot of Republicans as well; there’s also the possibility that, when elections come around, Obama’s base will no longer be fired up enough about the issue to bother to get up and vote. (If Catholics have short memory, then the same can be said of Obama’s other voters.)
It’s also possible that Obama put this into place without realizing what sorts of things would happen…and is now doing his best to use the controversy to rile up his base, and bloody the Republicans a little more–that is, he may be in “damage reduction mode”.
With Obama, it’s probably safe to say that most things he does, he does so out of malice…but sometimes, you can’t rule out incompetence!
“…he’s said that he would ban contraceptives if he had the ability to do so.”
Citation needed, in Santorum’s own words and in their full context please.
Some of us believe Romney is simply beyond the pale on grounds having absolutely nothing to do with birth control….
I long for the day I have a party to choose from that doesn’t qualify as either the party of evil or the party of stupid, and wants to leave both my bedroom and my wallet the heck alone….