Category Archives: Freedom

Our cultural revolution

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Via email from Chet.

The University of Washington Should Not Censor Faculty Social Media:

Several faculty who had attended the gathering told me they were afraid to speak in my defense. One, a full professor and past chair, told me that what had happened was very wrong but he was scared to talk.

Another faculty member, who was originally from China and lived through the Cultural Revolution told me it was exactly like the shaming sessions of Maoist China, with young Red Guards criticizing and shaming elders they wanted to embarrass and remove.

Scary stuff. He documents numerous violations of University of Washington faculty code and constitutionally protected First Amendment rights.

One of my degrees is from the University of Washington but I haven’t donated any money to these communists in many years and won’t be either. They really need to get their act together. This sort of behavior is intolerable.

Quote of the day—Charles Hugh Smith

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Dogmas collapse first in the minds of believers, when they slowly awaken to the reality that the dogma no longer serves them, it only serves to prop up the wealth, power and prestige of their increasingly fanatic leaders. Propping up a failed system doesn’t actually fix what’s broken; it only guarantees the banquet of consequences will include shackles: the option to escape the consequences will no longer exist.

So sorry, but your karma ran over your dogma.

Charles Hugh Smith
September 29, 2019
So Sorry, Your Karma Ran Over Your Dogma
[He has a point there.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Gene Ralno

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Use of the term “gun violence” is part of the democrat flimflam because it narrows the focus to fit the objective. The objective of course is to disarm the American public. Think about it. Have you ever heard the term “gun gentleness” used by a politician or anyone else?

No? Then ask yourself why the democrat party doesn’t focus on just violence instead of gun violence. Fact is they’re after guns, not violence. They couldn’t care less about the entire field of violence because it commingles too many criminals with peaceable, lawful citizens.

Gene Ralno
October 1, 2019
Comment to RE: Michael Corrigan
[It’s not about public safety. It’s about control of the common citizen.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Jacob Sullum

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His plan does not pass the laugh test, but it beautifully illustrates the magical thinking of gun controllers.

Jacob Sullum
October 2, 2019
Joe Biden Plans To Ban and Register ‘Assault Weapons’ but Won’t Say What They Are
[It also demonstrates how easy it is to lead the useful idiots.

See also the QOTD for yesterday.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Metallicman

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The Democrats’ electoral strategy is very simple and straightforward:

  • Identify an injustice or slight that has been perpetrated on a specific victim group

  • Blame that injustice or slight on Republican policies

  • Propose a free government handout program that will alleviate their hardship

  • Show how the funding for that handout will come from raising taxes on white conservative “rich people” who don’t deserve their ill-gotten financial fortunes anyway.

  • Ban things as necessary to consolidate power.

Metallicman
October 25, 2018
The Many Things that Democrats want to Ban (Running List)
[H/T to SayUncle.

If you have 10 minutes or so read the entire list.

He’s not wrong.—Joe]

All your guns

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Democrats are in some sort of crazed frenzy:

If you want to see how extreme the Democrats have gotten on gun control, you just had to listen to a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week.

It is one thing for Democrats such as Beto O’Rourke and Rep. Eric Swalwell (R-CA) [This should be a ‘D’.–Joe] to call for confiscating AR-15s and civilian versions of AK-47s. But in the committee hearing this past Wednesday, the loudest applause came when Democratic witnesses called for bans on all or at least the vast majority of guns.

“I believe that any weapon that can be used to hunt individuals should be banned,” announced Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall M. Brackney in the hearing. Brackney and other witnesses showed just how far the Democratic Party has gone on gun control in only a few years.

Brackney was given a chance by Congressman Greg Steube (R-FL) to correct the record if she might have misspoken, but she only doubled down. Steube pointed out that any firearm could be used to hunt people down, and Brackney responded by repeating the point. She only clarified that police and the military would still be able to have guns.

Ten years ago, if a Democrat witness had suggested banning all guns, one can only imagine that Democratic congressmen would be desperate to disassociate themselves from those comments. But not now. Not one, single Democrat expressed any disapproval.

The only good thing about this is that they have overreached. This will make them vulnerable at the polls and in the courts. If we play our cards right they might even be slapped down harder than in 1994.

But don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns. These monsters have come out of the closet and shown their true colors for everyone to see.

Quote of the day—Eric Boehm

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Of all the places to argue that only the government should be trusted with guns, Beto O’Rourke picked…Kent State University.

Eric Boehm
September 27, 2019
Beto Goes to Kent State, Argues Only the Government Can Be Trusted With Guns
[One might claim Beto pegged the irony meter. More careful reflection should bring to mind that leftist governments regard shooting disarmed civilians with little or no risk a feature, not a bug.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Carl Bussjaeger

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Recently, we learned that Florida is apparently using its “red flag” law an average of five times a day.

Five times per day. That’s 1,825 people flagged per year.

…

“Red flag” goes into effect. Homicides go up. Firearm homicides go up. Suicides go up.

They don’t work. The vast majority of firearm homicides are committed by people who aren’t supposed to have guns anyway, and who will get them; generally in an unlawful fashion.

“Red flag” laws may even make suicides worse, by aggravating already disturbed people while leaving them on the loose to die by other means, and by not Baker Acting them so they get help. If I’m correct, 2019 suicide numbers in Florida may well be even worse than the significant increase of 2018.

Carl Bussjaeger
September 28, 2019
Florida Red Flag Law: How is it working out?
[Great research!

If only the facts mattered. As anti-gunner Joe Biden said “We choose truth over facts.”

These things will have be resolved in some other way than public debate and legislative action, perhaps the courts, because facts are mostly irrelevant to the political left.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Publius Decius Mus

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Among the many things the “Right” still doesn’t understand is that the Left has concluded that this particular show need no longer go on. They don’t think they need a foil anymore and would rather dispense with the whole bother of staging these phony contests in which each side ostensibly has a shot.

Publius Decius Mus
September 5, 2016
The Flight 93 Election
[H/T Oppo.

This was clearly visible in September 2016 and it is now arc light illuminated three years later.—Joe]

Quote of the day—J.D. Tuccile

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Now that lifestyle and political affiliation correlate so closely, it’s awfully easy to taunt the “enemy” by waving a few cultural banners in their faces—or by putting legislation to partisan use. Why run afoul of protections for free speech, thought, and assembly when you can just torment people by piling restrictions on the things they enjoy in life? You can camouflage the targeting as a policy dispute, even though your teammates nudge-and-wink understand that it’s all about sticking it to the latte-sippers or bitter clingers.

Weaponized law. How can that go wrong?—except in every conceivable way.

…

A little cultural flag-waving is just fine, but it emphasizes very real tribal divisions that raise the stakes in policy disagreements. Law is too dangerous a tool to leave in the hands of opposing tribes who just want to use it to bludgeon one another.

J.D. Tuccile
April 25, 2017
When Laws Become Partisan Weapons
[It’s an escalating process. Each side wanting revenge for the wrongs they have suffered at the hands of their political opponents. This is another justification for strictly limiting the powers of government to the essential services which cannot be practicably supplied by private enterprise.—Joe]

Quote of the day—JPFO

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Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership calls for immediate censure of Robert “Beto” O’Rourke by Congress, for insisting that if elected he would take guns from Americans, a blatantly illegal act. We call for an immediate and unequivocal renunciation of that position by every politician seeking office, unless they come out and publicly demand repeals of The U.S. Bill of Rights. Do not be cowards–face us and admit where you stand.

JPFO
September 18, 2019
Democrats have “come out of the closet,” cheering to disarm the public.
[Censure is not enough. He should be prosecuted.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Michael Bloomberg

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Enough with “speech is violence.” Restoring the ability to disagree without becoming mortal enemies is a new and urgent civic imperative.

Michael Bloomberg
September 15, 2019
Rage has free speech under siege on the American campus
[Via Sebastian.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Lyle

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Saying we’re “rebelling” against the elite is to assume that they’re the authority. No; they’re the rebels, see. One does not “rebel against” robbers, rapists, arsonists and vandals. One upholds the law. Upholding the Law of Liberty is not “rebellion”. Violating it is.

Lyle
September 16, 2019
Comment to Quote of the day—A. R. G. @AdamRobGoCop
[I look forward to their trials.—Joe]

They are not after your guns

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Via StarProphet (PBUH) @r7booster:

NotAfterYourGuns

It’s not difficult to make a convincing case of this.

Quote of the day—Squiggly Line Guy

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When you’ve made the case that one Amendment does not apply to an entire group of people, you’ve made the case for the rest of the Amendments not applying. Ultimately you’ve devolved back into FDR Internment Camp rationale. Or border detainment rationale. You’re doing the same thing, just from a different front.

The only leaps and bounds necessary are for Leftists to take, in convincing themselves they are not Xenophobic or racist.

But I almost forgot… it’s not real Xenophobia or racism when it’s from the Left.

Squiggly Line Guy
September 12, 2019
How The Left Spreads Racism Through Gun Control
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Alexander Hope

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Never forget, even for an instant, that the one and only reason anyone has for taking your gun away is to make you weaker than he is, so he can do something to you that you wouldn’t let him do if you were equipped to prevent it. This goes for burglars, muggers, and rapists, and even more so for policemen, bureaucrats, and politicians.

Alexander Hope

By Neil Smith and Aaron Zelman
[Via Paul Koning (numerous occasions) and Carl Stevenson:

  • Comment to Quote of the day—Douglas Anthony Cooper
  • Comment by Carl Stevenson to Gun cartoon of the day
  • Comment to Quote of the day—Disarm @Disarm
  • Comment to Quote of the day—Glenn Reynolds
  • Comment to We live in interesting times

Good advice.—Joe]

Beto and his friends

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Via Comfortably Smug @ComfortablySmug we have evidence that Beto has philosophical friends in political history:

BetoAndFriends

It probably would make it a little too busy, but one or more from Vladimir Lenin could demonstrate Beto’s kinship with him as well:

An oppressed class which did not aspire to possess arms and learn how to handle them deserve only to be treated as slaves.

Or:

One man with a gun can control 100 without one. … Make mass searches and hold executions for found arms.

Or:

Soviet organisation has made possible the creation of armed forces of workers and peasants which are much more closely connected with the working and exploited people than before. If this had not been done it would have been impossible to achieve one of the basic conditions for the victory of socialism—the arming of the workers and the disarming of the bourgeoisie.

It’s time to ban assault knives

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A mass stabbing in Florida:

Tallahassee police were called around 8:35 a.m. to Dyke Industries, a building materials company located on Maryland Circle in an industrial park off Hartsfield Road.

When officers arrived, they found a number of stabbing victims and began treating them on the scene, said Officer Damon Miller, a spokesman for TPD. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was killed. Five people were taken to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and were being treated.

A suspect is in custody, though police gave no description of the person or a possible motive for the violence. A source told the Democrat the suspect is currently being interrogated.

Most large employers I have worked for ban possession of knives as well as guns. I wonder how this happened.

Quote of the day—J.D. Tuccille

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While weaponizing laws against political opponents may buy votes among the faithful in the short term, it delegitimizes laws and their enforcers in the eyes of their targets. That further reduces any possibility of compliance with laws that already have a history of being honored only in the breach. When the dust settles, the government ends up looking weak and the law pointless. And the country will be more divided than ever.

Maybe O’Rourke and his colleagues will eventually be able to turn their gun confiscation wishes into law, but history is very clear that most people will defy the prohibition.

J.D. Tuccille
September 4, 2019
Beto’s Impossible Gun Ban Dreams
[Not only will such a prohibition be defied, there is a greater risk. It’s possible the people will implement a prohibition on prohibiting politicians. If they do, one should expect the people will have a higher success rate than that achieved by the politicians in banning guns.

Let’s keep them from being elected, get some good court rulings, and avoid the whole mess.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Alan M. Dershowitz

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No university student has the right to be safe from uncomfortable ideas, only from physical threats, and any student who claims to be in physical fear of politically incorrect ideas does not belong at a university. The most extreme example of this distortion of the role of higher education took place at my own university when a distinguished dean of a Harvard residential college was fired from his deanship because some “woke” students claimed to feel unsafe in his presence because he was representing, as a defense lawyer, a man accused of rape.

Alan  M. Dershowitz
August 31, 2019
The Dangerous Stalinism of the “Woke” Hard-Left
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]