Category Archives: Freedom

Quote of the day—Michael Tomasky

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Now, the next eight times some right-wing nut goes on a shooting spree, they’ll have “but James Hodgkinson!” at the ready.

So be it. I abhor this shooting, and I abhor all such shootings. And while I would agree that it was a damn good thing that the police were there, I would not agree that that just proves that more people should have guns so that more Hodgkinsons can be stopped before inflicting the maximum damage. Teachers and regular citizens aren’t cops. They don’t do repeated drills on taking down perps, and they shouldn’t.

Michael Tomasky
June 15, 2017
One Left-Wing Gunman Doesn’t Make a Movement
[I found it very telling that he went through a long list of political assassinations. He correctly labeled almost all the assassins as left-wing. He exempts John Wilkes Booth from the left-wing label even though he almost for certain was a Democrat and murdered a Republican. Not one of the assassins listed is “right-wing”, and I can’t think of any of the many mass shooters in our country one could call “right-wing”. In fact they almost all clearly identify as Democrat with some being apolitical.

Tomasky then predicts something about “the next eight times some right-wing nut goes on a shooting spree”… Well, if past performance is an indicator of future results then there will be about 500 left-wing mass shooters before we get eight right-wing shooters. And this doesn’t even get into the leftist governments who were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions of people in the 20th century.

It’s true, teachers and regular citizens aren’t cops. But it is clearly false that we don’t do repeated drills shooting bad guys. There were 90 people doing essentially that at the match I was at last Sunday (I came in 9th out of 24 in my division). And the weekend before there were 26 people doing at the match I participated in (I came in 1st out of 10). Every weekend and many week days there are matches in my area where hundreds of people practice shooting bad guys. Some of us are very, very good at this.

So, why does he claim we shouldn’t be doing this? The only reason I can think of is that he wants us to feel, and be, defenseless against both the left-wing individuals and the left-wing governments.

At one level it amuses me to see someone relate a large body of substantially correct data and then have that person arrive at a conclusion completely at odds with their own data. But on another level it’s a very sad commentary on the irrationality of the ordinary human.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Justice Anthony Kennedy

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A law found to discriminate based on viewpoint is an “egregious form of content discrimination,” which is “presumptively unconstitutional.” … A law that can be directed against speech found offensive to some portion of the public can be turned against minority and dissenting views to the detriment of all. The First Amendment does not entrust that power to the government’s benevolence. Instead, our reliance must be on the substantial safeguards of free and open discussion in a democratic society.

Justice Anthony Kennedy
June 19, 2017
MATAL, INTERIM DIRECTOR, UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE v. TAM
[H/T to Eugene Volokh and Say Uncle.

This should give gun owners protection against having their Second Amendment rights infringed upon because they belong to some extremist group such as the NRA or the Republican party.—Joe]

You’ve Got 99 Problems And A Lobotomy Ain’t One: GoFundMe For Howard Dully’s Medical Expenses

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Think you’ve got problems? Think again.

Howard Dully is a son, father, husband, and author. He’s also a lobotomy survivor.

In 1960, Howard was 12 years young when his stepmother sought a transorbital (“ice-pick”) lobotomy for him. The reason? He was a difficult daydreamer who couldn’t sit still.

I first heard Howard’s story via radio broadcast in 2005. It broke my heart, and opened my eyes. Listen to the recording here.

Dr. Walter Freeman performing lobotomy on Howard Dully

Image courtesy: Howard Dully/George Washington University Gelman Library

Howard Dully didn’t have to come out of the lobotomy closet. In sharing his experience with the world, he bravely faced his uninvited demons, opened doors for other survivors, while closing the door on a dark chapter of his life. Photos from his childhood medical records speak a thousand words. And then some.

In 2006, when I was the conference organizer for the Eris Society, I invited Howard to speak. He accepted.

Howard’s presentation was so moving, someone from the crowd passed out. As the audience member was wheeled out of the room, Howard held his head high, and resumed his speech.

Howard Dully portrait

Howard Dully, the Gentle Giant. Photo courtesy: GoFundMe.com

Howard has every reason to be ferocious, vicious, and hateful towards the world. Instead, he chose to become a warm, personable, kind Gentle Giant.

Recently I found out that Howard is having some health challenges, and needs help with medical expenses.

A slice of this blog’s readership consists of freedomnistas, anarcho-capitalists, libertarians, and the like – folks who espouse that free markets, charity, and private enterprise will help lift those in demise.

I’m asking you to please put your money where your mouth is. Donate here, now. Then spread the word.

Chin up, Howard. We’re rooting for you. The world’s a better place with you in it.

Violence Alert: Communist Mr. Kit O’Connell’s Ready To Bash Back To Survive

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Update: Kit O’ Connell has publicly corrected his error. Thanks, Kit! (Scroll to bottom of this post to view his acknowledgement.)
———————————————-

Dear Kit O’Connell,

You were wrong when you posted a photo to Twitter, declaring, “Oathkeeper with his hand on the trigger of his assault rifle, defending literal nazis”. Here’s your tweet regarding last weekend’s anti-Sharia law rally in Austin:

Kit O'Connell's twitter post says, "Oathkeeper with his hand on the trigger of hi assault rifle, defending literal nazis. #antifa #Islamophobia #Austin" Oath Keeper standing peacefully, practicing safe handling of firearms, as evidenced by finger off the trigger of his gun.

Kit, being that you’re a self-proclaimed journalist, I challenge you to the following:

1. Correct yourself. Oath Keeper has his finger straightened alongside the frame of his gun. His hand is not on the trigger. Nor is his finger. It’s physically impossible for Oath Keeper to get his hand (five fingers) on the trigger. That’d be like fisting a trigger. There’s simply not enough space. Learn the basics of gun safety.

2. Recognize that Oath Keeper Jay Stang is defending free speech, peacefully monitoring the protestors. In a any crowd, it’s nearly impossible to decipher each person’s specific viewpoint. However, when your group raises a hammer & sickle flag, there’s no doubt: you’re sick enough to hammer into our heads that you stand for land-grabs and death camps for dissenters.

Though Mr. Stang disagreed with your perspective, he peacefully defended your right to free speech, even though during an interview, you repeatedly screamed, “F*ck you!”

https://youtu.be/3j6IrGR-cFg

3. Answer this question: “What’s a literal Nazi?” Just curious. Literally, I’m curious.

4. Assess your contradiction of defending the 1st Amendment, but not the 2nd Amendment. You state you’re “openly biased toward human rights and equality.” Your writings reflects otherwise. Guns are the great equalizer. Sort it out.

5. You’ve declared yourself to be a hands-on gonzo journalist. So do it. Get yourself to the gun range to face your irrational fear of firearms. Even if you don’t aspire to own a gun, at least learn gun safety basics, so you know what you’re talking about, when you write about guns.

You say you’re “proudly disabled, polyamorous and queer”. Yawn, snooze, snore. As you’re well-aware, those three self-declared factor categories make you an easy target for gimp bashing or gay bashing. Checkout the Pink Pistols. Their motto: Armed gays don’t get bashed.

Be pro-active. Refuse to be a victim. Learn self-defense. Stop whining. Go to seminars held by  Black Guns Matter or Operation Blazing Sword; OBS’s basic mission: We teach LGBTQ how to shoot.

You might think gun owners/instructors are Nazi redneck racist gun nuts, but after training with OBS or BGM, your stereotypes will be quickly shattered. These gun teachers understand the value of human life — all lives — and the importance of self-defense.

Your website reveals you’re for hire. That means you need work, and are likely living on a meager budget. Great news! OBS & BGM don’t charge for their valuable services.

6. Chill out. You’re on the verge of violence, as evidenced by your tweet:

Kit O'Connell's tweet says, "Their frog Memes and "ironic" racism are backed with real blood, death and suffering & we will bash back to survive. #PRIDE #CounterACTHate"

Kit, do you really want to bash someone just because they’re not a Communist?

Whatever the case, you’re unstable. The world doesn’t need another mass shooting from the political left. Given your agitated state, I doubt a gun instructor would let you hold a gun in your hand, even if your finger is off the trigger. Don’t let that deter you. You’ll still gain valuable to knowledge if you learn gun safety. It’ll help reduce your fear of guns, so you’re not triggered when someone’s openly carrying.

7. Wear some yellow-tinted gun safety glasses. It’ll go well with your crushed velvet jacket, and blue Antifa neckerchief.

A portrait of a violent communist wearing a blue crushed velvet coat and holding an amber-handled cane, as he gazes out at the waves on Pensacola Beach, Florida on January 25, 2015.

Image credit: Jane Michael Stallings

 

Hunter S. Thompson, here and there with aviator eyewear

Hunter S. Thompson, Father of Gonzo Journalism. Image credit: Sunglasses ID

Kit, good luck. I look forward to reading about your gun range experience, and how you connect with Operation Blazing Sword, Black Guns Matter, and Pink Pistols.

Readers: Peaceful people we are, let’s meet Kit’s madness with gladness. He’s a ticking time bomb, ready to explode. Let’s dismantle this time bomb, before another Communist goes on a killing spree.

#antifa
#Islamophobia
#Austin
#GunSharingCaring
@OKStang

——– Update: Kit’s correction:
Kit O' Connell says: "I've deleted the tweet and publicly acknowledged my error here..."

 

 

 

 

 

Quote of the day—David Hardy

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[A]bout the nominee for the Secretary of the Army, Mark Green. All I need to know is that he believes an armed citizenry is a check and balance on the government, and that therefore citizens should be allowed to own anything the military has, including ships of war.

David Hardy
June 11, 2017
Army Secretary nominee sounds first rate
[Sounds right to me.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Toastrider

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Once people start taking responsibility for their own safety, they begin to move away from the progressive lie. Even if they still hold such beliefs, they will find themselves labeled as heretics because personal responsibility is anathema to progressivism.

The good news is that those of us who value autonomy and liberty will welcome them in with open arms.

Toastrider
June 13, 2017
Comment to Pulse: One Year Later
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Daniel Greenfield

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The left remains convinced that it can create through destruction, that it can build a fair society through theft, an ethical society by destroying its values and a high-minded society through contempt.

It must believe in the redemptive power of its thievery, amorality and hatred. Or face a moral reckoning.

Daniel Greenfield
May 2017
The War of Two Americas
[Via Robert J. Avrech and email from Paul Koning.

I long ago came to the conclusion the left has no morals. Deception and flat out lies are an integral part of their culture. Moral reckoning? Not of their own accord. They will, and their political brethren have, murdered tens of millions and still claim they hold the ethical high ground. Their propensity for violence is obvious and ever present.

Read the whole thing. I alternated between seeing it as a nearly unbelievable conspiracy theory and brilliant insight. Perhaps it is both.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Thomas Fuller

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Seduced by the lure of power, drunk on visions from “higher” dimensions, visions that tell them the violence they do is just, both coalitions have betrayed this chance at peace. Neither coalition will ever persuade the other to see things its way. There will never be a pan-American consensus. There will never be a universal vision of the common good. And because the “reasons” that justify each vision come from “higher” realms that are invisible to the uninitiated, reason will be impotent to bring these coalitions closer together.

And when men and women cannot deal with one another with reason, they will deal with one another by force.

Thomas Fuller
November 6th, 2016
Hillary Versus America: Knowledge Is Power
[H/T to Kevin.

I don’t agree with everything Fuller has to say but there are many other passages that resonate with me.—Joe]

7 dead, many more wounded, it’s the internet’s fault

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Predictably, another attack occurred in London this weekend. Theresa May did at least mention radical Islamism as a problem, but went on to call for more police powers, and to blame the internet.

Centuries upon centuries of Islamist aggression and murder, and it’s the internet’s fault. Your freedom, and mine, is to blame.

One report claimed some fifty shots were fired by police to stop three Muslims armed with knives. I could understand that number of shots if they’d been taking return fire, but against knife wielding punks it seems like an awful lot of shooting.

At least one person was wounded by police gunfire. When that happens (and it sometimes will) and it’s a police bullet, it is a footnote. If a regular concealed carry holder in America were to do the exact same thing, never mind that lives were saved; the howls of accusation would last for weeks.

Practice on moving targets. Aerial clay targets are good, if you can find a place to do it safely;

With only a knife, it is relatively easy to murder innocent, unsuspecting people, in a country that talks about freedom and rights but has forcibly disarmed its citizens and practically turned self defense into a crime.

The Brits have invited this upon themselves with their idiotic policies and their embrace of Progressivism, and we in America are not far behind. They’ll ramp up their police state, clamp down on the internet (control of which has been coveted by authoritarians since its inception) spend more of their tax payers’ wealth, and accomplish next to nothing.

Once again, as always it seems, at least one of the perpetrators was known to the British security network. The result of that knowledge was that they were able to say, after the fact, that they’d been watching that person.

The only way jihad will ever stop is if they’re all convinced that it is utterly hopeless, or foolish, or morally wrong, to continue. There are several ways to accomplish that end, only one of which involves a commitment to total extermination. Theresa May eluded to one of them, but I don’t believe that there is currently a government on this planet that is either principled enough or committed enough, or politically capable of any of those ways.

Maybe it’s not really a government’s problem to solve. What was that saying? Something about a people, or ideology, or process, which created a problem will never be the one to solve it.

Quote of the day—Deputy Matt

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The passage of this bill conveys a special message.  It tells me that these Democrat politicians are more concerned with the lives of convicted felons who used a gun in the commission of their crime than they are about law abiding gun owners who are guilty of nothing more than the unspeakable act of merely owning a gun.  There really is no other way to logically interpret this.  To them, law abiding gun owners are bad, but using a gun in the commission of a felony is acceptable.

The insanity in this state has reached previously unfathomable levels, and it shows no signs of reversing course.

Deputy Matt
May 23, 2017
Proof CA Democrats Prefer Criminals Over Legal Gun Owners
[The insanity is in embracing of the agenda of the political left. Once they have done that the release of convicted felons and the harsh treatment of gun owners makes perfect sense. The criminal class is the natural ally of communists and our political left (while there is considerable overlap it’s not, strictly speaking, repeating myself). Solzhenitsyn wrote about this. And the example above is not the only example in our country.—Joe]

It’s good to have clarity

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This is what they think of you. The 72 Types of Americans Considered ‘Potential Terrorists’ – Are YOU on the Watchlist?

Here is a partial list:

I now see where I stand.

It’s good to have clarity.

Knife crime

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If there were no guns then there would be few murders, right? How would people murder others if they didn’t have a gun, right?

Wrong:

A teenage boy has been stabbed to death in an east London high street, becoming the 11th person to die from knife crime on the capital’s streets in just two weeks.

Police and paramedics were scrambled to the High Street in Walthamstow late on Sunday night, where they found the 17-year-old suffering from a serious stab wound.

He was rushed to an east London hospital in critical condition where he died a short while later, Scotland Yard said.

…

The Walthamstow murder also came just hours after hundreds of protestors took to London’s streets for a peace rally on Sunday.

Demonstrators including families of knife murder victims held banners reading “enough is enough” as they marched from Islington to Hackney amid a growing outcry over knife and gun crime.

Scroll down to see the video of their knife crime protest march.

Remember this. Those who want “common sense gun laws” will never be satisfied. If they are successful banning guns they will come after knives, chemical sprays, sticks, and rocks. These people have mental issues.

Just say no and refer them to a mental health expert.

Sign of the times

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I’m very pleased with this ruling:

The FAA’s drone database hit a major snag this week, courtesy of a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling. The D.C.-based court sided with drone hobbyist John Taylor, who argued that the Federal Aviation Administration doesn’t have jurisdiction over what the law classifies as model aircraft.

“Taylor does not think that the FAA had the statutory authority to issue the Registration Rule and require him to register,” Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the statement. “Taylor is right.”

Less regulation is almost always a good thing.

The current administration says it is going to cut regulations across the board. This does not appear to be a result of those efforts but I welcome the elimination of regulations no matter how it comes about.

Unfortunately, it’s only a grain of sand on a beach.

Quote of the day—Patti Brigham

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We believe that this is really not about the Second Amendment, it’s about public safety.

Patti Brigham
Co-chair of the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
Gun control groups claim victory in Florida – for now
[They claimed victory because no pro freedom bills were passed, not because they were able to pass one or more laws infringing upon our rights. They have to try and keep their morale up somehow.

Aside from blocking the bills which would have reduced the infringements upon the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment what annoys me is that Brigham thinks she can bypass the Second Amendment with an argument about “public safety”. Apparently she is ignorant of and/or disagrees with Ben Franklin on the tradeoffs involving safety and liberty. Even if I knew nothing of the issue I would be substantially more inclined to side with Franklin than with Brigham.

“Public safety” doesn’t outweigh individual rights. This is particularly true when it involves prior restraint. If it did one could make a winning case for banning speech and writing which advocates socialism. Far more people have lost their lives because of socialism in the last 120 years than have lost their lives because of private ownership of firearms.

And that doesn’t even touch upon the fact that the Second Amendment is about public safety.—Joe]

All freedoms have their opponents

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I’ve sometimes heard it said that anti-gun people should just think of private gun ownership as religion with the NRA as the formal church organization and leave us alone. I could almost see that working.

And the concept isn’t limited to the church of the gun. From Nashville we have this:

The Social Club had previously been known as a swinger’s sanctuary at a different Nashville location, and when owners announced the move to its current location at 520 Lentz Drive, residents were outraged.

But the owners promised no sex would take place at the club and instead would open a church to members only to get around zoning laws.

But it appears the city is going to make a fuss over it anyway. The report is quite graphic and the undercover inspectors even took pictures of people having sex (they don’t seem to be included in the report). It appears, just like with gun ownership, people want to control others who are “coloring outside of the lines” of the boundaries they have made for themselves.

As one would expect

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Interesting news from inside the belly of the beast (emphasis added):

Gun control activists who previously worked for Watts in various state organizations are said to be frustrated and feeling burned by her, according to one source.

“Staff who worked for Shannon quit or are fired faster than the organization can replace them. She’s a nightmare,” the source told TheDC.

Another source close to the organization said in a written statement, “Two beliefs unite nearly all gun control supporters: background checks save lives, and Shannon Watts is a self-promoting tyrant.”

In order to be a gun control supporter you have to have a very low opinion of individual rights and a high opinion of the use of government force to infringe upon those rights. That one of the most prominent promoters of rights infringement is also a tyrant is as one would expect.

Sebastian has some advice for Watts.

Quote of the day—Doug Casey

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Once an empire starts falling apart, trying to stop it is like trying to stop a tree from falling once its roots have rotted. It can’t be done, and it’s best not to be around when it happens.

The Cultural Marxists and other enemies of Western Civilization are in total control of the education system, so the next several generations of young people are corrupted. They control the media, so they control the prevailing intellectual climate. They control the NGOs, and the “think tanks” that infest DC and other major capitals. They control the Deep State.

So, no, Trump can’t reverse it. Among other reasons because he himself doesn’t have a philosophical or ethical core. He’s just a businessman; his object is just to make things more efficient. Like Mussolini, to make the trains run on time, as it were. He’s a good influence in that he hates the Cultural Marxists, and they hate him. But it’s not like he can offer a positive alternative for people to believe in.

Doug Casey
2017
Doug Casey on the Plague of Cultural Marxists
[I certainly don’t know if Casey is correct but it seems to be a good match for the information I have.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Lyle

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The criminal class hates the concept of private arms, partly because it makes their trade more dangerous, but mostly because it’s an expression of the sovereignty of the individual.

Such sovereignty is an affront to their very identity. Putting the lie to their claims of legitimacy, it denies them their livelihood and existence.

In short; an armed, legal, polite society is a free society, and there is simply no place for the criminal class (authoritarians; advocates of coercion) in a free society.

In a proper world there is no place for them but behind bars or at the end of a rope. Although we complain about them every day, we hold them up as our teachers, our watchmen and our rulers. What does that say about us?

Lyle
May 6, 2017
Comment to Quote of the day—Jay Dee
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Lori Yeghiayan Friedman

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Federal concealed carry reciprocity is simply an end-run around state laws. It’s a gift to gun manufacturers — for whom any gun restriction, “reasonable” or no — means fewer sales.

Lori Yeghiayan Friedman
April 17, 2017
Op-ed: Federal concealed carry reciprocity is wrong for Pennsylvania and the country
[Ah yes. You can always recognize the Marxist. To them everything is always about money. The concepts of principles, inalienable rights, freedom of choice, and even individualism are either dismissed or derided.

After a hundred years, hundreds of attempts, and over 100 million murdered by their own government Friedman and her ilk still believe Marxism is “progress”.

We are on a different path. To us, freedom is progress.—Joe]

Don’t be evil

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Interesting. At least, i suppose that’s one word to describe it.

This morning before I went to work I was at home looking through the news and such, and I came across a video that I though might be interesting to one of my students. I watched a few minutes of it to make sure it was what I thought it was, then paused it and went to work. There I searched for it, found it, and clicked the vid to que it up for my student. I hit play, and it picked up at the exact same spot I’d paused it… back at home.

Different machine. Different network and ISP. Different browser. Different OS.

It knew exactly where I’d paused.

Nah, nothing there to be creeped the fuck out about, nothing at all.

The ONLY connection that I could identify was that for work we use Chrome machines, and are given all things Chrome to use, including (of course) GMail. To look at work emails and schedule at home I’d opened up my gmail account and a shared spreadsheet. It was opened in the browsers in both places.

Different machine. Different network and ISP. Different browser. Different OS.Both had an email account opened in one tab, it tracked what was going on in other tabs and browsers when I don’t use Google search at home.

Like I said, nah, nothing to be bothered by, right?

I will not now, nor ever, buy or use any Google product that is not provided by work, and I’ll never again open their applications on my home machine if I can possibly help it.