It’s not just guns they hate

Gab is essentially a Twitter clone without shadow bans and account suspension of non-liberal viewpoints. It prides itself on free speech but does have terms of service which say that users are not allowed to advocate violence. This resulted in their phone apps being refused by Apple and Google.

That was until yesterday.

The murderer in Pittsburg had an account on Gab.com. As soon as they were notified the murderer was one of their users they took action. I can’t find the exact tweet right now but as I recall it they said:

  • They immediately suspended the account
  • They archived the content
  • They contacted the FBI.

Here is a tweet that says essentially that:

This is your big question? lol okay.

1. We suspended the account after backing up the data to give to the FBI and DOJ
2. When we did this, the username became availible for a short time.
3. Someone created a new account and got the username.
4. We then locked down the username

Here is what you see if you go to gab.com or gab.ai now:

Gab.com is under attack. We have been systematically no-platformed by App Stores, multiple hosting providers, and several payment processors. We have been smeared by the mainstream media for defending free expression and individual liberty for all people and for working with law enforcement to ensure that justice is served for the horrible atrocity committed in Pittsburgh. Gab will continue to fight for the fundamental human right to speak freely.
As we transition to a new hosting provider Gab will be inaccessible for a period of time. We are working around the clock to get Gab.com back online. Thank you and remember to speak freely.

They made a public statement published on medium.com. That page no longer exists.

From here:

BREAKING: http://Gab.com is now banned from Paypal “just because.”

PayPalToGab

From here:

Breaking: @joyent, Gab’s new hosting provider, has just pulled our hosting service. They have given us until 9am on Monday to find a solution. Gab will likely be down for weeks because of this. Working on solutions. We will never give up on defending free speech for all people.

JoyentToGab

From here:

BREAKING: @stripe is likely going to ban us. We gave them plenty of documented and detailed evidence. The no-platforming continues.

StripeToGab

From here:

BREAKING: @GoDaddy is threatening to suspend our domain (which is worth six figures) if we do not transfer to a new provider by tomorrow. This is madness. @realDonaldTrump @parscale I hope you are paying attention.

GoDaddyToGab

It’s not just guns the political left hates. It is free speech. It is you.

They want you disarmed. They want you silenced. They what you dead.

Next week, vote their representatives out of power.

Vote No on #I1639

Via a tweet:

DnlpRbXUUAAynlD

Donate your time and money to fund efforts (as I have also done) to defeat I-1639.

Quote of the day—Kris Brown

You are seeing more candidates at the margin like Fitzpatrick who will come out and be champions of the cause. I think this election cycle is a proof point that more will be doing that in the future.

Kris Brown
October 25, 2018
Co-president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Gun control, once a third rail, now a key issue as Democrats seek to control House
[I find it interesting how anti-gun people talk about the future versus how pro-gun people do. This is Chris Cox of NRA-ILA on September 5th:

The fate of our freedom hangs in the balance in this November’s elections for the U.S. Senate. The good news is that gun owners can once again make the difference in the fight for our rights. The bad news is that if we don’t—if we just sit on the sidelines and leave the battle to others—we will lose our rights for generations to come.

Chris Cox on September 20th:

There is no question that our liberties are at stake on November 6th.

The Democrat leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives has become completely radicalized when it comes to the Second Amendment. Our constitutional freedoms are standing in the way of the extreme big government control that these anti-gun politicians want to impose.

Add that to the unbridled hatred that many on the left have for President Donald Trump, and it could not be clearer for NRA members and gun owners that we have to do everything we can to protect our pro-gun majority in Congress.

The threat is stark. Current Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is an outspoken opponent of the Second Amendment. If Democrats take control of the House, Pelosi would return as Speaker. Her key lieutenants, Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and James Clyburn (D-S.C.), stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her in their support of gun control.

This difference isn’t just for this election cycle. This is typical.

The anti-gun people always say, paraphrasing, “This election is going to be the turning point and we will win.”

The NRA always say, paraphrasing, “This sky is falling! Give us money! Vote for your gun rights!”

I suspect part of the difference is that the NRA is far more experienced in politics. But more importantly the anti-gun people, for all intents and purposes, don’t have any grassroots members to talk to. They are talking to the media. The NRA has millions of members and they are talking to their members telling them what they can do to make a difference.

This year, do your part to make that difference.—Joe]

Vote No on #I1639

Via a tweet:

DoYDcQgU8AAZWBQ

Donate your time and money to fund efforts (as I have also done) to defeat I-1639.

Quote of the day—Sackeshi

I am a 2A repeal-ist total gun confiscationist, gun prohibitionist.

My end goal would be all of the fire arm factories taken down, the guns melted down, the second amendment overturned, life sentence for just having a gun, and total disarming of everyone including the military!

How ever that is clearly not going to happen so I will start with what is reasonable…

Sackeshi
October 24, 2018
Posted in This is what the gun control law should be in the US.
[Never let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns or that those that don’t openly say it aren’t working toward that goal with their “common sense”/”reasonable” gun control.

I’m in full support of a common sense gun law. We actually already have it but its been corrupted so badly that in many political jurisdictions its completely lost its effectiveness. It’s called “The Second Amendment”.—Joe]

I made Twitchy!

A couple days ago The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence tweeted:

Go to a gun show and you will find bomb making kits. The @NRA is more than guns, it is using violence as a means to impact political discourse. It is dangerous.

As you might imagine, this aroused a lot of disbelief in those who have actually been to gun shows. I responded with:

<snort!>

What color is the sky in your universe?

Twitchy captured the exchange and provided this commentary:

The investigation is still ongoing, and at this point nobody knows the person or people who sent suspicious packages that contained devices that were suspected to be bombs to several Democrats. But just because the devices in question aren’t guns doesn’t mean a way can’t be found to blame the NRA. Here’s the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence with the hottest of hot takes.

They included my response.

Go to the Twitchy post and then do a search for “Huffman”.

Very cool.

Vote no on #I1639

Via a tweet:

Dn2CSrAVAAAVbPy

Donate your time and money to fund efforts (as I have also done) to defeat I-1639.

Quote of the day—Matt Gohd

None of us had a grasp of how difficult this would be. We needed more resources, more people.

I would say it was idealistic of us to think that we could get something through at this point.

Matt Gohd
Executive director of Families vs. Assault Rifles
October 23, 2018
‘None of us had a grasp of how difficult this would be:’ Parkland PAC scales back
[From a different article:

At its launch, Gohd, a long-time Democratic donor who has worked at numerous investment firms, told the Miami Herald it had an ambitious goal: to raise $10 million and act as a counterweight to the National Rifle Association, one of the most powerful and successful political activist groups in the country. It planned to target politicians who opposed gun safety regulations. So far, it’s only raised $230,000 – much of which came soon after the group was first launched. From July through the end of September, the group took in less than $30,000 and had only $13,000 left in the bank.

…

The group spent roughly half of its money on consulting services, with the biggest chunk going to Empire Global Ventures, a New York based firm primarily focused on corporate clients but whose founders boast political campaign experience.

The group created digital fundraising ads featuring Kasky, but didn’t have enough money to create ads targeting candidates, as had been the initial goal.

I suspect a big part of the problem is they are not able to understand there are people who don’t see the problem, and hence the solution, in the same way as others. They see the problem in terms of “Families vs. Assault Rifles” and, of course, the obvious solution is to get rid of “assault rifles”. The better problem statement is, “Mass shootings must be stopped.” This allows for a much greater range of solutions. Including, in addition to the obvious, things like “Don’t create large groups of people unable to defend themselves.”

Because of the poor problem statements by so many politicians I’m pretty firmly convinced they have an agenda in search of a problem to use as cover for their agenda. This is sad and frustrating because so many lives have been and will be lost because of all these people with their evil agenda.—Joe]

Support the radio ad: No on #I1639

From Citizens Committe for the Right To Keep and Bear Arms:

HARD-HITTING RADIO AD RIPS GUN CONTROL INITIATIVE 1639, SAYS CCRKBA

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2018

BELLEVUE, WA – A hard-edged radio advertisement blasting Initiative 1639—the 30-page gun control measure now facing Washington State voters—has hit the airwaves, telling listeners that in some Seattle neighborhoods, “if you call 911…it takes 18 minutes for police to arrive.”

The advertisement is sponsored by Washingtonians and the National Rifle Association for Freedom, a political action committee to which the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms has significantly contributed. It began airing as ballots began arriving in mailboxes throughout Puget Sound, to remind voters what is at stake. Listen to the advertisement here.

“I-1639,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “is opposed by four major statewide law enforcement organizations representing a majority of rank-and-file police officers and sheriff’s deputies: The Washington State Patrol Troopers Association, Washington State Sheriffs Association, Washington Council of Police & Sheriffs and Washington State Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association. In addition, the Cowlitz County Deputies and Sergeants Guild is also on record against the measure.

“When boots-on-the-ground lawmen and women oppose a measure that is being promoted as a crime-prevention tool, it is safe to conclude that there is something really wrong with it,” he added, “and I think this radio ad raises some of those issues.”

The radio message challenges voters to set their clocks for 18 minutes and then close their eyes and “imagine you’re waiting for police, and then vote for your safety.”

“We know that police and sheriffs’ departments do as good a job as they possibly can,” Gottlieb noted, “and we thank the men and women who patrol our streets and county roads. The concern is not with law enforcement, but with the initiative mandate of so-called ‘secure storage’ that renders self-defense firearms useless.”

I-1639 is the only gun control issue on the ballot anywhere in the United States this year.

“You can support the effort to keep this advertisement on the air by visiting the ‘Vote No’ website,” Gottlieb noted.

Vote No on #I1639

Via a tweet:

Dpga08uUUAENgsf

Donate your time and money to fund efforts (as I have also done) to defeat I-1639.

Quote of the day—Paul Valone

I defy anyone to find a serious, methodologically sound study showing that any gun law reduces violent crime. The National Academy of Sciences, in a literature review a few years ago, could not. Moreover, I reject the phrase “gun crime.” Is it better when homicide victims are killed by baseball bats or knives? The objective should be to reduce crime, regardless of the implement used by the offender.

Paul Valone
President, Grass Roots North Carolina
You asked what to do about gun violence. Now the NC Influencers offer some solutions.
[Just one question.—Joe]

Distinguishing good from evil

Suppose there were people or organizations which worked to enable, encourage, and train ordinary people to defend themselves from predators. Can this work be categorized as anything but good? These are good people doing good work, right?

If the above characterization is true then it must follow that people or organizations which work to disable, discourage, and make difficult or expensive self-defense training are doing the opposite of good—even though they may claim they are advocates of good they are actually evil. Further evidence of this is their culture of lies and deception.

Apply these rules to the NRA, SAF, GOA, and the politicians which seek the support of these organizations.

Now apply these rules to Everytown for Gun Safety, The Brady Campaign, Violence Policy Center, and the politicians which seek the support of these organizations.

Vote accordingly.

Professional agitators

I work in security. Part of my job is to see the world a little different from most people. I review a lot of material with a different view that most people and some of it is not available to the general public (unless you want to spend a lot of money).

The following is an alternate, and I believe more accurate, view on the state of politics in our country:

Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova is alleged in the indictment to have participated in a conspiracy to “sow discord in the U.S. political system and to undermine faith in our democratic institutions.

The government says that the conspiracy is also part of a 2016 influence operation that dates back to at least May 2014.

Forty-four-year-old Khusyaynova, of St. Petersburg, was the chief accountant of “Project Lakhta,” an effort funded by Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin and two companies he controls, Concord Management and Consulting LLC, and Concord Catering, the indictment says. Prigozhin is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and is often referred to as “Putin’s chef.”

Khusyaynova is accused of overseeing a $35 million budget from 2014 to 2018 that covered spending on activists, social media advertising, and promoting news postings on social networks. The Justice Department says that the proposed operating budget for 2018 alone was over $10 million.

…

Those involved in the conspiracy made extensive efforts to appear to be American political activists, and hide the fact that they were Russian. According to the indictment, the conspiracy “inflamed passions” on topics including immigration, gun control and the Second Amendment, the Confederate flag, race relations, LGBT issues, the Women’s March, and the NFL national anthem controversy.

The conspiracy advised social media writers on how to write for U.S. audiences, suggesting in one instance that people of color who are LGBT are “less sophisticated” than those who are white. “Colored LGBT are less sophisticated than white; therefore, complicated phrases and messages do not work,” the guidance said, according to the indictment. It went on to suggest that infographics “work well among LGBT and their liberal allies,” but not so well with conservatives.

…

Earlier in the day, in a rare joint statement, the nation’s top law enforcement and intelligence agencies issued a warning against what they described as “ongoing campaigns by Russia, China and other foreign actors, including Iran, to undermine confidence in democratic institutions and influence public sentiment and government policies.”

The old adage, “consider the source”, is good advice. But what if it is extremely difficult to know the source?

A lot of the political tension in our country is not due to citizen advocates of actual extremist positions. It is due to well funded outside agitators.

Vote No on #I1639

Via a tweet:

DpY92UaU0AAwZzm

Donate your time and money to fund efforts (as I have also done) to defeat I-1639.

Vote No on #I1639

Via a tweet:

DpqpDPoXgAUert_

Donate your time and money to fund efforts (as I have also done) to defeat I-1639.

Quote of the day—Defens

The real result if I-1639 passes:
Tim wants to by Bob’s used 10-22.
Bob is the local sheriff’s deputy

Rifle – $200
Unconstitutional taxes and fees – ignored
State background check – ignored, since Tim and Bob have known each other for 20 years. (Remember when you could buy a gun from a dealer without all the paperwork if “known to dealer?”)
Tim becomes a law-breaker
Tim doesn’t fvckin’; care – nor does Bob, since his boss told him not to bother enforcing this POS law.
Since Tim ignored this stupid law, he wonders about other stupid firearms laws
Tim heads out to his shop and builds a suppressor
Bob stops by for a visit
Tim and Bob step out side the shop and pop off a few rounds into the shooting stump.
“Cool silencer!” says Bob.. “Have a nice day!”
“Stay safe, my friend!” says Tim
Liberal assholes in Seattle think they’ve made a major dent in crime.

Defens
October 22, 2018
Comment to Vote No on #I1639
[I mostly agree with this. But it’s a little more complicated than that.

Most of the progressive assholes in Seattle don’t know or care about making “a major dent in crime”. We know this because it turns out that in 2017 Washington had one murder attributed to the use of a rifle, the type of weapon targeted by this law This fact is from the 2017 FBI Uniform Crime Report. If they were concerned about “crime” the would know this can’t possibly make a measurable change. It would appear their primary and desired accomplishment is to “poke a stick in the eyes” of people they don’t like. Probably secondary is that they will now be able to more easily control these “deplorables”. As Ayn Rand pointed out decades ago:

The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them.  One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.

I believe this is about achieving control over people they find deplorable.—Joe]

Vote No on #I1639

Via Facebook:

200DollarRifle

Donate your time and money to fund efforts (as I have also done) to defeat I-1639.

Quote of the day—Gideon Joubert

Claims that firearm regulation and gun control laws have any meaningful impact on public safety are dubious at best, and fraudulent at worst. It is simply beyond the scope of legislation to effect the required change in societal norms to have the advertised impact. If that were truly the case, then the prohibition of drugs and prostitution would have stopped the prevalence of those vices. Attempting to change behaviour through the regulation of objects is foolhardy – the causal factors of crime and violence are infinitely more complex than can be addressed by strict gun control. Instead gun control merely succeeds in creating more defenceless victims, and infringes on the civil rights of an entire population. If we can learn anything from Australia, it is that expensive and ever-stricter gun control is doomed to failure.

Gideon Joubert
October 9, 2018
Australia and the NFA – the Truth About Gun Control Down Under
[My experience is that such claims are almost always fraudulent. It’s part of their culture..—Joe]

Vote No on #I1639

Via Facebook:

NraDontCriminalize

Donate your time and money to fund efforts (as I have also done) to defeat I-1639.

Quote of the day—TriggerFinger

Democrats do it and Republicans do it. But they do it differently.

Democrats lie to hide their unpopular positions, like gun control (and more gun control). They lie to the people and then vote more towards their base once elected.

Republicans, on the other hand, lie in the opposite direction. They lie to their base, and then when elected, vote more like Democrats.

This tells us that the true “center” of political opinion lies to the right of how elected officials of both parties vote. They lie in the same direction.

TriggerFinger
October 19, 2018
Lying to get elected…
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]