I have an ultra-secure wireless network that automatically reports all hacking attempts to unsavory men with bitey dogs.
Bruce Schneier
Schneier Asks to Be Hacked
June 28, 2006
[Cool! I’d stipulate that the unsavory men and dogs enjoy guns, explosives and rough sex but that’s just me.–Joe]
I don’t probably don’t blame Reuters as much as a lot of others do. People have a very strong tendency to hear what they want to hear and disregard the rest. Reuters got caught and is apparently taking the appropriate action.
Someone from the culture in a war zone is going to find it much easier to get pictures and stories that a less biased outsider would be. But then they are going to have their own biases, because of their culture, in that war. If the people at Reuters biases tend to align with the incoming pictures and stories it would be easy to look at pictures and stories less critically as those that did not.
That doesn’t mean I don’t think we should look the other way when it happens. Just don’t try and arrange a lynching because of it. A light flogging should be sufficient.
Here’s the story for those that haven’t been reading the big name bloggers:
Access taxes and proficiency tests for exercising your rights are very much alive for black Americans, and all Americans, if you wish to exercise your right to keep and bear arms.
Alan Korwin
August 04, 2006
From Michelle Malkin:
A disabled war hero and his wife were assaulted and robbed in Bethesda, Md., a few weeks ago.
The guy lost an arm and a leg in Iraq and five punks mugged him and his wife. If one or both had been armed things might have turned out differently. Maryland, however, doesn’t trust it’s citizens to carry firearms to defend themselves except under rare circumstances. Hence being outnumbered or out-sized is an invitation to the predators on the street.
From the Washington Blade:
“It’s a shame in this world that both in the area of gay rights and in the area of gun issues that these should be political issues,” Sarah Brady says. “These should be common sense, human decency, public safety issues, not political footballs.”
The bipartisan approval that the Brady Bill ultimately achieved is something that she would like to see occur in the realm of gay rights, Sarah Brady says.
“We were able, in the ‘80s and ‘90s, to bring the two parties together for public safety and that’s something which is beginning to happen in the gay community as well,” she says. “It should not be a hot-button issue. It should be common sense and the right thing.”
I fully agree neither issue should be political footballs. Common sense and scientific facts should bring us together for the elimination of the Brady Act and other unlawful, immoral, and hazardous restrictions on our inalienable rights to keep and bear arms.
The other day I posted about a friend not getting a job after being asked bigoted questions about his gun ownership. I bumped into him again on Thursday. He now has a job with another company. This company didn’t ask any questions about his personal life during the interview.
He asked if I was interested in working there. For now I’m not. I’m happy with my job and my co-workers and no one has even hinted my interest in guns and explosives is a problem. I’ll keep my eyes open for warning signs though.
The right there specified is that of ‘bearing arms for a lawful purpose.’ This is not a right granted by the Constitution. Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence. The second amendment declares that it shall not be infringed; but this, as has been seen, means no more than that it shall not be infringed by Congress.
Chief Justice Morrison Waite
U.S. Supreme Court
U S v Cruikshank
92 U.S. 542 (1875)
[In response to “The Gun Guys“. Remember that rights are guaranteed or infringed. They are not granted. Only privileges and permissions are granted.–Joe]
There has been some interesting research on the correlation between lawyers and gun owner rights. Here is the conclusion:
Lawyers contribute primarily to candidates who vote against gun rights. Most of this money ends up in the pockets of Democrats, who exhibit a heavy bias against gun rights. Interestingly enough, the Democrat party is the one that claims to represent the little guy, while a special interest group comprised of economically-elite professionals encourages Democrats to pass more laws limiting the right of self-defense for people who cannot afford private security guards. It’s time for those who believe in traditional Democrat values to take a closer look at their party.
My own research on a closely related topic supports this conclusion. I’ll post the details on my research at a later date.
The real problem is in the hearts and minds of men… it is easier to denature plutonium that to denature the evil spirit in man… Man’s skills have outstripped his morals…
Albert Einstein
[As applicable today with regard to the threat from Muslim extremists (Iran for example) as it was when Einstein said it.–Joe]
Have you lost the combination to a Master Lock combination lock? Here’s how you recover it.
Keith Tyler is teaching firearms classes now. I used to shoot with him when he was going to college at WSU in the ’90s. We both went down to Lewiston to shoot the USPSA (IPSC) matches at the Lewiston Pistol Club. He was always a very fast shooter. His accuracy sometimes left a bit to be desired but since he is a Grand Master (Open Class), and Master (Limited and Limited 10) I suspect that weakness has been corrected.
There is talk of getting him to visit the Lewiston Pistol Club for a weekend class sometime this fall. If you are interested let me know and I’ll forward your message to the appropriate person.
As I mentioned the other day Xenia and Sara talked to a newspaper reporter. Yesterday their picture was on the front page of the Daily News along with quotes from them and me. I haven’t seen it yet but Barb and Xenia bought three copies and I should see it this weekend.
Update: I misunderstood. The picture was of Xenia and Jesse. Sara wasn’t available when the photographer called so Xenia called Jesse. And the quotes from me weren’t until page three.
I just had a long and very interesting chat with a man, retired from the Air Force, who served in Korea among other places, then spent several years as a government inspector for M-14 rifle production. He could rattle quite a bit of fascinating information off the top of his head (I took notes) but one thing struck me as odd: He seemed to be completely unaware of both the NATIONAL FIREARMS ACT of 1934 and the Firearm Owner’s Protection Act of 1986. A forgivable “offense” I suppose, but interesting from one who had had a career in handling “machineguns”. He was under the assumption, as are many citizens, that machineguns in the hands of peaceable Americans are illegal. Anyone casually interested in such things can take a clue from the acronym, BATF. A machinegun is much like a carton of cigaretts or a bottle of whiskey– their possession is said to require an accompanying tax stamp. Also take note of the fact that BATF is a branch of Treasury. They are (ostensibly) a tax authority.
For anyone interested in Second Amendment politics, please take a look at this analysis of THE FIREARMS OWNERS’ PROTECTION ACT. You will get some insight into that hideous, chilling muddle with which we in the industry are faced and, I think it important to point out, what John Moses Browning, among others, was not. FOPA was a simplification, mind you, of previous law.
For those of you at all levels in law enforcement; you need to know a little about what’s been going on, from the coup of 1934 until now, so that collectively we can begin taking the steps to restore American’s full civil liberties.
When I was getting fingerprinted at the local sheriff’s office years ago for an NFA weapons transfer, the deputy taking the prints saw the “Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms” title on the forms and asked me if I was applying for a job. I told him, “No. This is an NFA weapons transfer.” Previously chatty, he clammed up and said no more, obviously knowing nothing about such things. He probably thought I was a super-spook, paramilitary international arms dealer working on the sly for Ollie North or some such, and he wasn’t going to ask any questions. I didn’t try educating him on decades of political and legislative history, either.
The whole passport design is totally brain damaged. From my point of view all of these RFID passports are a huge waste of money. They’re not increasing security at all.
Lukas Grunwald
A security consultant with DN-Systems in Germany and an RFID expert.
Hackers Clone E-Passports
[In addition, the same arguments used against a national ID card can be used against passports.–Joe]
There is no cease-fire, there will be no cease-fire. We are determined to succeed in this struggle. We will not give up on our goal to live a life free of terror.
Ehud Olmert
Israeli Prime Minister
Israel Approves ‘Full Force’ Strikes
On the attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Charles Whitman made history. Both sides of the gun debate use the example for their case. The anti-gun people because he killed 15 people and wounded 31. The pro gun people because private citizens started shooting back and kept him pinned down while the good guys got in position to finish him off.
The link above is a factual retelling of the tragedy. It’s good reading.
[Sent to me by Meredith who is a student at the University of Texas.]
Xenia was downtown with Sara yesterday when a woman identifying herself as a newspaper reporter for the Daily News approached them and asked if they were high school students and if they would mind talking to her about cell phones in the school. They had a nice conversation and Xenia called me shortly thereafter to tell me I might be getting a call about cell phones in the schools.
I received the call earlier this morning. And one of the first questions she asked was if I had any comments on the school policy against cell phones with cameras. I asked if they had a policy against ordinary cameras in the school. They didn’t. So I told her I didn’t think it made any sense to have a policy against cell phone cameras. One is allowed and the other isn’t. What sense can that make? Besides what’s the problem with cameras anyway? She expressed her opinion that there was concern about cameras being in the locker rooms and bath rooms. Yeah, I can see why they wouldn’t want pictures taken in those places but it’s just like gun control.
They don’t seem to get it. If someone is going to violate a rule against behavior that is obviously wrong and will be punished if the perpetrator is caught then what makes them think a rule against possessing the object to begin with will be honored? The possession is a victimless crime. Victimless crimes shouldn’t exist.
This could be very useful. Lighter and tougher body armor. It will never take the place of defensive weapons but I would consider wearing body armor on a regular basis if it were cheap and comfortable enough. I carry my handgun whenever I can but in many cases you may end up taking the first hit before you are able to take the attack to the aggressor. And of course there are those times when I’m not allowed to bring my defensive tools with me and body armor might allow me additional time to bring my hands and/or feet into range and absorb the attack while I’m delivering my own.
From the UK Times:
Since Israel started to bomb Hezbollah targets in Lebanon last month, it has asked for faster delivery of JP8 jet fuel and guided bomb units (GBU28s). The jet fuel order could be worth up to $210 million and the 100 GBU28s, which are better-known as bunker busters, could cost $30 million. Other outstanding deliveries include F16 fighter jets and armoured troop carriers.
Just as computer programmers turn caffeine into code Israel converts jet fuel and bombs into dead terrorists.
I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions.
Lillian Hellman
Letter to the House Un-American Activities Committee, May 19, 1952.
[An admirable point of view.–Joe]