Kyoto was about hobbling America's economy to give socialist Europe a fighting chance. When considers Europeans cries about Kyoto it's critical to remember the dream of the environmentalists is global governance.

Christopher Horner
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming (and Environmentalism)
[Horner makes a very good case, using their own words, that the real motivation behind Kyoto is not prevention of global warming. He also makes a good case reducing man-made CO2 cannot have any effect on the climate but can cause a lot of economic harm. Required reading for anyone that has a Gorebot to deal with.--Joe]

Xenia redesigned her website. Wow. Our little artist.

She showed me her "progress report" this weekend. It was her grades so far this semester. She got an A+ in sculpture, a couple A's, and two A-'s. Barb and I have no idea where she gets the artist stuff from. And with me being an engineer... I joked with her about that A+ in an art subject and said something like, "You've got to do something about that. I'm so embarrassed that you got a grade like that." She gave me "the look" and said, "You're not my father!" So I told her, "You're grounded for a month for getting the two A-'s."

The 2-1 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Parker v. District of Columbia striking down the District of Columbia’s handgun law is judicial activism at its worst.  By disregarding nearly seventy years of U.S. Supreme Court precedent, two Federal judges have negated the democratically-expressed will of the people of the District of Columbia and deprived this community of a gun law it enacted thirty years ago and still strongly supports.

Paul Helmke
President of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence On DC Circuit's Ruling Striking Down DC Handgun Law
[Judaical activism? What chutzpah! He is the same type of person that would bemoan blacks being allowed to vote after a judge declared it a right guaranteed by the constitution.--Joe]

To summarize, we conclude that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms. That right existed prior to the formation of the new government under the Constitution and was premised on the private use of arms for activities such as hunting and self-defense, the latter being understood as resistance to either private lawlessness or the depredations of a tyrannical government (or a threat from abroad).

Judge Laurence Silberman
March 9, 2007 in a decision that concluded the 2nd Amendment guarantees an individual right in the case of:
SHELLY PARKER, ET AL., APPELLANTS versus DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND ADRIAN M. FENTY, MAYOR OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Tellingly, we think, the District did not suggest what sort of law, if any, would violate the Second Amendment today—in fact, at oral argument, appellees’ counsel asserted that it would be constitutional for the District to ban all firearms outright. In short, we take the District’s position to be that the Second Amendment is a dead letter.

Judge Laurence Silberman
March 9, 2007 in a decision that concluded the 2nd Amendment guarantees an individual right in the case of:
SHELLY PARKER, ET AL., APPELLANTS versus DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND ADRIAN M. FENTY, MAYOR OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Baby Steps:

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Friday overturned the city's extensive gun ban

The court ruled that "the bar on carrying a pistol within the home, amounts to a complete prohibition on the lawful use of handguns for self-defense. As such, we hold it unconstitutional."

Fine and wonderful, but if a prohibition against keeping a gun at home for protection is unconstitutional (which of course it is and always has been) how about saving your life while outside your home?  I guess self defense is still to be regarded as a revocable privilege in DC unless you sequester yourself inside your home?  Is human life in one location more important than human life in another, and subject to less protection??  Who is going to offer each of us a "Human Rights Map" wherein we can learn which parts of our neighborhoods allow us the right to live and in which areas we must submit to any and all criminals' demands?

Opponents of gun rights expressed disappointment and anger over the decision.

Naturally.  It means there will be a small reduction in DC area crime which in turn will further destroy their entire premise-- the idea that creating a monopoly on gun possession, reserving guns strictly for criminals, will somehow reduce crime.  The whole premise is of course insane from the get-go, that is, unless you're a criminal or a hater of mankind, in which case it makes perfect sense as a ruse.

And if a law against being armed at home in DC is once more unconstitutional (after a lengthy "Constitutional Hiatus" in which many people have had their lives ruined as a result) lets haul out all the NYC laws and have a look-see, then move on to Chicago and San Franfreako, et al.

Prohibition... goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes...  A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.

Abraham Lincoln
[This applies to recreational drugs and mere possession of firearms and their accessories as much as it does to recreational use of alcohol.--Joe]

According to my calculations PNNL/Battelle was due to respond to our interrogatories last Saturday. My lawyer said Monday. Yesterday I asked if they had responded. I got the following response:

I gave them a 2-week extension.  Pretty standard courtesy.  I routinely ask for extensions myself.  (You are a high-end motivation client.)

I'm not surprised. In addition to being used to working on government contracts with (sarcasm alert) all the motivation that requires they know that I'm going to be turning over all the appropriate material to federal prosecutors. I'm sure it's hard to work up much passion about delivering evidence which might earn you a honeymoon in prison with a new spouse who rents you out by the quarter hour to the person with the most cigarettes.

Hey guys, you can delay it by a few weeks but you aren't going to be able to delay it past the statute of limitations. Bend over and take it like a man.

No, this is not about following up on Captain Kirk's example of sex with green alien women--although I can see that having an exotic appeal.

Tree Hugger magazine (yes, the magazine actually exists) is advocating green sex. Check these articles out:

• How to Green Your Sex Life
• How To Buy A Green Sex Toy
• Sustainable Sex Toys: Just in Time for Valentine’s Day!
• How to Buy Green Lube

I can see how the mantra "reduce, reuse, recycle" needs some modification in dealing with condoms. And I don't have any problem with the advice to shower with a friend but they are also advocating turning off the lights. What!!!??? How are we going to see anything on the video tape afterward?

Guns don't stop criminals any more than they stop crime.  All gun owners have a fantasy in their head that whenever they're threatened with their firearm, they'll heroically pull it out, shoot at exactly the right time, and save the day.  But reality just doesn't follow that idea-- firearms are much more of a threat to everyone around them then [sic] some kind of mythical protection against evil.

Gun Guy
Guns Don't Stop Crime-- They Attract It
Email March 5, 2007
[If "Gun Guy" was really correct then police departments and the military would have no use for firearms. I can only think of three reasonable explanations for what this guy says: 1) Mental problems; 2) He's actually on our side and is mocking the anti-gun bigots; 3) He can't get a real job and has to make up this kind of crap to make a living.--Joe]

I don't know if they are opposed to it just because Republicans are the main advocates or they actually care about the facts. Regardless I welcome all to my side of this fight:

The Department of Homeland Security has postponed the demand that states join in creating what amounts to a national identification card. Congress should use the time until January 2010 to reconsider what is likely to become a multibillion-dollar boondoggle.

...

The Real ID Act mandating a national ID was rushed through Congress two years ago as part of a military spending bill. There weren't even any hearings on it. Since then, states have balked at the costs, and civil liberties groups have challenged the threats to privacy.

...

Security issues have not begun to be addressed. For example, what do states do about the millions of licenses that are lost or stolen every year?

A centralized database raises the odds that identity thieves will gain entry. The new regulations will not require that states encrypt biographical data on driver's licenses, so they will be vulnerable to unauthorized copying.

An ID system is only as reliable as the underlying documents establishing that you are who you say you are. To receive the new license, drivers will need to prove their address, birth date and legal status in the United States by submitting birth certificates and immigration records. But the databases needed to authenticate those documents either don't exist or can't talk to each other. It's a weakness that will be easy to exploit.

Most of the Sept. 11 hijackers used fake or forged driver's licenses to board airliners. Clearly, better systems to produce trustworthy identification are imperative. But Congress' solution appears to have irreparable flaws. It's time to retreat before more states revolt.

I've long been opposed to a national ID card. It fails my Jews In The Attic Test and that should be the end of the discussion. But many people have a severe lack of imagination and claim, "That's crazy thinking." Oh yeah? Brigitte Gabriel, who I quoted yesterday, reported in her book that they had a national ID card in Lebanon. Even before the civil war started the Islamic extremists would set up road blocks, stop every car, demand the ID cards, and if the card reported the people in the car were not Muslim they would be executed beside the road.

Remember when the anti-gun bigot at a National Park claimed right to carry laws don't help people protect themselves from wild animal attacks?

We may have an opportunity to educate that bigot. Also of possible interest is the DOI secretary, Dirk Kempthorne, is the former Governor of Idaho and very pro-gun. Here is a hint:

VCDL has just learned from our sources on Capitol Hill that the Department of the Interior (DOI) is **livid** over the National Park Service's (NPS) asinine rejection letter sent to VCDL concerning VCDL's Petition for Rule Making!

Follow up with letters and phone calls.

[Via Jeff at Firearms Coalition.]

I exaggerate only a little bit when I say this paint resists bombs.

[Hat tip to Jason for sending me the link.]

She definitely needs to get her terminology straight:

We went straight to their shooting range. Each of us shot a Colt-45 handgun at a target of cardboard with the outline of a person drawn on it. I was shaking when the man loaded the gun and placed it in my hand. I was so freaked out by the blast, that once was enough for me. But I was a one-shot wonder. I actually hit the target nearly dead-center.

Our shooting instructor told us they moved up to the 45 handguns because the 22s didn’t kill the terrorists fast enough.

Then two people in our group shot M-16s. It was unreal to not only be that close to those huge guns, but to hear them shot.

I could see a trip to Boomershoot 2007 being quite educational for her.

The man who prefers his country before any other duty shows the same spirit as the man who surrenders every right to the state. They both deny that right is superior to authority.

Lord Acton

Muslims in the Arab world have a saying, "First comes Saturday then come Sunday." Every Muslim in the Middle East knows exactly what this means. This is their way of saying that first they'll get the Jews who observe the Sabbath on Saturday and then they'll get the Christians who's Sabbath is Sunday.

Brigitte Gabriel
Chapter Eight
Because They Hate
[The first half of the book is about her experience as a teenager in Southern Lebanon during the civil war. Lots of emotional stuff. I enjoyed it but would have been reluctant to recommend it because it didn't have much in the way of facts except for the details of her very limited view of the events around her. The next quarter of the book is very factual. Good stuff. It changed my mind about recommending it for people that are pro-Muslim and need their eyes opened. That last quarter of the book gets a bit "shrill". She says that most Democrats should be tried for treason, we shouldn't mind having our conversations listened to or being searched without a warrant, and is rather sarcastic about the ACLU. Yeah, most Democrat politicians (and a fair number of Republicans) should be in prison for treason but the political reality is they are above the law. And I disagree with her about giving up freedoms in the name of security. But if you are going to read just one book on our war against Muslim extremists this is the one I recommend. I think I've read seven different books that devote at least 25% of the content to this topic. This is the easiest to read and because of her very personal experience she makes the threat from the Muslims as undeniable and as frightening as the Holocaust.--Joe]

It's interesting to me how I'm so frequently associated with survivalists. Just because I'm into guns, explosives, and live in Idaho shouldn't necessarily mean I  have anything to do with survivalists. Sure, I have a electric generator but it's for Boomershoot. Sure I know a lot about growing both animals and plants for food. But that's because I grew up on a farm. I even went hunting once. But I don't consider myself even loosely associated with the survivalist crowd. Not that I think associating with them is something to be avoided. I just don't think it's accurate to make that link.

<heavy sigh>

Over at Survival Blog part of my post on biofuels and farmers was picked up as the quote of the day.

Yesterday I went to a local store to pick up the 800 surveyors stakes used to mount the targets and some powdered lime used for neutralizing acid in the soil. The acid in the soil causes the lead bullet to leach into the ground and water. I wandered around looking for the lime and finally asked. The guy found two broken bags spilling their contents in a back corner. He checked inventory in the computer and found a quantity of zero. I asked about the next shipment and was told I would have to talk to someone "up front". As we walked into the main store he said I might be able to get the two broken bags cheap if I asked the guy up front. He introduced me and I explained the situation with the two broken bags. Instead of the usual $8 something a bag he offered me them for $2.00. I agreed if they could put them in a garbage bag or something so the contents wouldn't spill. He agreed and asked if I needed anything else.

I told him I needed 800 surveyors stakes. He asked, "What are you going to do with that many stakes? You're not surveying for a house." I paused as I internally debated telling him it was for explosives or for a big vampire hunt. He said, "Maybe we don't want to know..." I agreed, "Maybe not." As he wrote up the ticket I pointed to the BOOMERSHOOT label on my jacket and told him, "I put on a shooting event called Boomershoot every year. We make explosives, put them in cardboard boxes, and put on the stakes. Then people from all over the country show up to shoot at them." He stopped typing. "Really! I was a 8541 in the Marines. Where is this at?" I told him near Cavendish and he knew where it was at and said he would have to check it out. He started type again told me, "I'm going to give you those broken bags for free because I like you already." He talked about the scopes he used in the military and asked what sort of guns people bring to Boomershoot. I told him lots of things up to and including .50 BMG. We talked about match ammo and the size and range of the targets. As he finished typing he told me, "I'm giving you a discount on the stakes too... unless you have a problem with that." I told him the event was full but it's fun to watch and we get spectators that drive from Seattle each year. He said he would definitely check it out and asked if there was a website. I gave him Boomershoot.org and a buddy and he were checking it out as I left to load up the stakes and lime.

I looked at the receipt later and realized I got the stakes for half the normal price.

Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.

Patrick Henry
Speech of June 5 1788

"This is a display of anger and rage after more than seven years of struggle to keep what is ours."

This (riots in Copenhagen) is what you get in a socialist society.

The building, which has been viewed as free public housing by young squatters since the 1980s, has become a popular cultural center for youngsters with anti-establishment and far-left sympathies.

...

The eviction had been planned since last year, when courts ordered the squatters to hand the building over to a Christian congregation that bought it six years ago.

The squatters refused to leave, saying the city had no right to sell the building, which has hosted concerts with performers like Australian Nick Cave and Icelandic singer Bjork. They have demanded another building for free as a replacement.

The problem is they have no sense of what constitutes ownership. They are like spoiled children screaming "Mine! Mine!"

Socialists and communists have a long history of these sort of riots. It's how they get their way. For example, The National Socialist German Workers Party had numerous riots in their rise to power. Similar riots brought socialists to power throughout all of Western Europe.

The building was sold six years ago and the rightful owners have been unable to use their own property for that time. It's long past time to send the brats to their "free" jail cell for a long "time-out". Had the thugs of the Germany National Socialists immediately been thrown in jail millions of lives might have been saved.

Today I received an email from a Boomershoot entrant requesting a couple of friends be put on the waiting list for Boomershoot 2007.

We get quite a few squirrel hunters at Boomershoot. The skills and equipment required for both sports are essentially identical. However, it appears these two squirrel hunters are a little unequipped for conventional squirrel hunting. Pistols are marginal at best (Rolf used hot .357 magnum loads from "entertainingly close" distances to get marginal results). And the rifle the other guy is shown carrying doesn't have a scope. The closest targets are 375 yards away and without a scope it's really tough to see the targets. Therefore I'm putting these guys AT the 375 yard line. It'll be a once in a lifetime event for them. And no waiting list either.

I recently was given a tour of a "secure area". For access it required your hand geometry biometric information, your RFID card, and your PIN. Or did it?

There were two bolts that connected the sliding door on it's tracks. The removal of two nuts with a 11/16" (I could be wrong on the size, I've been out of the farm shop too long for my eye calibration to be trusted) open end wrench would have allowed the door to be removed. It probably would take as much as a minute to remove the two nuts and the door and a similar amount of time to restore the door and other than the video camera in the area there would be no evidence of access to the "secure area".

I pointed this out to my guide. They didn't seem concerned, "That's why we have other security measures such as the cameras." Security is no stronger than the weakest link. The hand geometry sensor, RFID card, and PIN are easily bypassed. They don't have "other security measures". They have video cameras as their sole means of security.

And of course guns, even in the possession of the guards, were banned in the area.

Very cool. I used it with Net Stumbler files with great results.

For years liberals have misrepresented the danger of legal gun ownership and suppressed or ignored data proving legal gun ownership does not pose a danger to the public. Much to the disappointment of liberals, study after study has found that more guns do not mean more crime nor does more gun control mean less crime.

Gary Palmer
Gun rights issue about to be resurrected in Congress
Alabama Policy Institute
[Yup. Liberals are disappointed by the lack of blood in the streets but that doesn't stop them. They do love those dances. Facts are irrelevant to their reality.

The editorial has further interesting stuff in it. I'd heard rumors in other places but Palmer elaborates on how pro-gun members of congress are attempting to flush out the pretend supporters of our RKBA. Once they are flushed it's our job to shoot them down in the next election.--Joe]