Quote of the day—Brian Cates

This demonstrates the biggest problem with Liberals isn’t KNOWING what the evidence shows. Instead, the problem is that their vested interest in a false vision compels Liberals to discount each and every fact that would destroy that vision.

Brian Cates
June 4, 2013
Why Evidence Doesn’t Matter to Liberals Enchanted by a Vision
[I’ve run into this sort of thing with numerous people. Many people simply cannot be reached with evidence.

I’ve literally had people tell me, “I don’t believe your facts.” That the facts were from the FBI UCR and there was no contrary evidence did not matter. He did not even have an interest is supplying “his facts”. He was just right and I was wrong. This was a college professor. That he was an admitted Marxist teaching in the school of business made me realize we did not have a common basis for communication. I’m pretty sure we don’t even share the same reality.

Some people have unshakable faith in things that are demonstrably false. When these type of people are encountered as individuals it can be a source of amusement, frustration, or make your job miserable. When these people are in positions of governmental power they burden you with stupid regulations, destroy economies, and commit genocide.

The Second Amendment was designed and put in place to protect us from Liberals enchanted by a vision.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Christopher Burg

@linoge_wotc @moms_no I’m only in the discussion for entertainment. People who say they oppose guns but want to use them by proxy amuse me.

Christopher Burg (@ComradeBurg)
Tweeted June 4, 2013
[I confess that I get a certain amount of amusement from it as well but it is mixed with a bit of concern. They frequently advocate ruthlessness be employed by their proxies in the application of those guns against me and other innocents.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Joe Markley

I think if we acknowledge that we are putting law enforcement officers at risk by limiting their ability to defend themselves I think we have to acknowledge that we’re putting homeowners at risk by limiting their ability to defend themselves.

Joe Markley
June 3, 2013
Conn. lawmakers revise gun control legislation
[Yes, but only if you are capable and willing to follow a logical train of thought. Many people are not.—Joe]

Do you believe in mermaids?

Today Barb L. and I went to Flaming Geyser State Park (Washington State). This was the “stomping grounds” of Ted Bundy and The Green River Killer. In fact the Green River runs right through the park:

Map picture

As we were entering the park I told Barb L. the story of when Barb S. her mom, and I came to the park about 30 years ago. Barb’s mom, Joy, used to tell the story of that visit. Some guy started talking to Barb and quickly left when Barb said that her husband was “just over there taking a nap”. Joy thought the guy was acting strange and she was very suspicious. She would point out that Barb S. looked a lot like the victims of Ted Bundy and her recollection of the guy at the park was consistent with Ted Bundy.

It was sort of a strange feeling as Barb L. and I pulled in and parked. There, just a couple hundred feet away, was “The Green River” so famous for all the women killed and dumped near or in it.

We shrugged off the feeling and found the trail to the flaming geyser. It’s not much. For a while when hole was drilled (coal exploration), back around 1900, the flame would be as high as five or six feet. Now it’s about five or six inches (see also the picture associated with this tweet):

IMG_6181Cropped2013

We found a geocache nearby. It was the first one I had looked for in a long time.

We then found the trail that went into the woods a couple hundred yards to the “bubbling geyser”. If you looked closely you could see bubbles coming up through the water. We hung around for a few minutes then some guy showed up on the trail above us with his dog and just stood there. I figured he was waiting for us to leave so I suggested we go because we really came for a hike, not to stand around and talk.

We hiked up the little hill to the trail where the guy and the dog were. The dog really wanted to approach us but the man had him on a leash and held him close. I slowly reached out my hand and let the dog sniff it. The guy started talking to us and told us a little about his dog. Then asked if we had been down the trail by the river to the Indian hieroglyphics. We told him no but that sounded interesting. He gave us directions then asked, “Do you believe in mermaids?” We smiled, and said no. He then started telling us stories about Indian paintings of people with big fins for feet and a hand coming out of fisherman’s nets and taking a swipe at the fisherman. “I believe”, he told us. As Barb and I started edging on down the trail he started talking about the UFOs (see also this tweet).

We strolled on down the trail in the direction of where the hieroglyphics might be. The guy and his dog passed us and disappeared on ahead. We found the trail near the river and followed it for a while in the proper direction until it petered out in thick brush and trees. We decided we weren’t so interested that we wanted to push through the brush. Then the voice of Mermaid Believer came to us, invisible through the brush ahead of us, “The river’s too high. You can’t get there easily now.”

Okay then. Time to head back out. We walked back toward the picnic area with Barb checking to make sure she had her knife with her. I told her, “And you know how to use my gun if need be and I’m not able to do so.”

We went back to the picnic area and there was Mermaid Believer again. He was a couple hundred feet away on the other side of the picnic area moving parallel to us. We went back to the car and I got out my telephoto lens and camera and managed to take just one picture of him before he ducked behind what we believe was his vehicle:

IMG_6197Cropped
That was interesting.

We found another trail and went on up the trail with Barb telling me “women raped and killed while hiking in the woods” stories from the knife class she took last weekend.

Our trail made a loop and we arrived back in the picnic area 20 or 30 minutes later. Mermaid Believer, his dog, and his pickup were gone.

I have just one question for you… “Do you believe in mermaids?”

Quote of the day—Harry Reid

Right now I think everyone should just calm down and understand that this isn’t brand new. It’s been going on for some seven years.

Harry Reid
U.S. Senate Majority Leader
June 6, 2013
Reid on reaction to furor over phone records: ‘Just calm down’
[If this was your spouse telling you to “calm down, this isn’t brand new…” that they had been fooling around with someone else for seven years would that make it okay?

Maybe that is an extreme example. Let’s try some others:

  • How about your accountant telling you they had been embezzling for seven years?
  • How about your lawyer telling you they had been working for your legal opponent for seven years and billing you for the time spent doing so?
  • How about your doctor giving you unnecessary prostate exams every three months for seven years, and charging you for it, because he enjoyed giving them?

Hmm… I’m thinking Senator Reid has a severe case of rectal cranium inversion. Too bad it not so debilitating that it necessitates immediate retirement and exile.

I also think it is very telling that in Paul Barrett Business Week article he restructured the quote in such a way that it changes the meaning. Barrett rephrases it as:

“Everybody should just calm down,” the Nevada Democrat said at a press conference in Washington. “It’s a program that’s worked to prevent not all terrorism, but certainly a vast majority of it.”

If that is the measure of success and such success is sufficient justification then one should not be surprised to soon see some “common sense” restrictions on the First Amendment. I expect Senator Reid and Mr. Barrett can surely agree our government needs to pass legislation for the following:

  • Background checks, ten day waiting periods, and proof of need before allowing anyone to own a Bible/Koran/Torah
  • Registration of all religious texts
  • Limiting the purchase of religious books to one per month
  • Ban all religious books containing more than 10,000 words

They should then give enforcement powers to the ATF and rename the organization Firearms, Alcohol, Religion, and Tobacco (FART).

It’s just common sense, for the children, to prevent terrorism.—Joe]

Compensating

Oleg takes a shot at those who invoke Markley’s Law. Here are my favorites:

compensating6356

compensating_0243web

Quote of the day—Tom

I would like to see the U.S. military raid every home of neighborhoods that have a high rate of gun violence. Sweep the area, bust down doors if people won’t let you in and rip the homes apart looking for illegal guns that have a potential to be used in crimes. if a thug commits a crime with an unregistered gun that results in death or injury to anyone, the penalty should be life in prison with no parole or the death penalty. Are you with me?

Tom
Rochester NY
June 1, 2013
Comment to New Jersey Pushes Gun Control
[Not just anti-gun but anti-rights.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Tio Hardiman

I am Mr. Ceasefire and I got caught up in a situation and I am not here to point fingers and blame nobody. The verdict is still out. I can’t really speak about the case. Things happen for a reason and liberation comes in many forms.

Tio Hardiman
June 1, 2013
Bond set for CeaseFire head Tio Hardiman in domestic battery charge
[The organization “CeaseFire Illinois”, of which Hardiman is the director, changed their name to “Cure Violence” in September of 2012.

Some people have been calling the organization “Anti-Gun”. From what I have read about them, and I have sort of been following them for several years now, they aren’t really anti-gun. There is an undercurrent of anti-gun sentiment but I have not seen anything overt on their website although Hardiman himself has been quoted as advocating restrictions on guns. As near as I can tell they are a decent organization that attempts to prevent violence in a reasonable way. Yes, preventing violence is something that sends up warning flags for both Lyle and I (see also here and here). But these people are doing it by talking to potential perpetrators and victims when a violent situation is developing. I don’t have a problem with that.

The guy hasn’t been convicted of domestic violence yet, only accused. So I’m a little hesitant to say this anti-gun guy is a violent person. We have some strong clues and there is a strong correlation between anti-gun people and violent behavior but you should not apply statistics to an individual. So for now I’m going to glare at him and prepare to verbally lash out should the domestic battery charges turn out to be true.

Getting back to the quote. He appears to know English words but is unable to string them together in sentence in a way that make sense to me. Liberation comes from being arrested for domestic battery? But what do you expect from an anti-gunner?—Joe]

Quote of the day—Philip Luty

More importantly, at least as far as I was concerned, it succeeded in giving the British anti-gun lobby something to think about, which was the whole motivation behind the project in the first place. The irony of the whole story though is this: it was those responsible for the hand-gun ban whom I have to thank for ‘Expedient Homemade Firearms’. If it were not for the anti-gun lobby, neither the book or this web site would exist!

Philip Luty
Approximately 1996
Book History
[And if it were not for the U.S. anti-gun lobby neither my blog nor Boomershoot would exist.

At least in my case I haven’t been put in prison (yet). Luty was denied parole because, “Mr.Luty continues to maintain very strong views about UK gun laws to which he is opposed. Report writers identify considerable apprehension over his lack of insight and concern over the wider implications of his offences and his continuing views over gun ownership and use.”

Imagine being held in prison because you refused to agree that blacks should be slaves or that only licensed journalists are entitled to have free speech.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Siara

These Repubs need to learn to differentiate between their guns and their Dick S. Serious. Too much of their identities is wrapped up in this. It’s silly.

Siara
February 4, 2013
Comment to Assault Weapons Ban Likely To Die So That Broader Gun Policy Legislation Can Live
[It’s another Markley’s Law Monday!—Joe]

Gay bashing in Seattle

This looks like a race and/or gay bashing:

On 5/29/13, just shortly before 10:00 p.m., a witness flagged down an officer to report that he saw 6 or 7 men assaulting an unknown black male. The witness went on to say that while the group was assaulting the man they were yelling racial and sexual orientation epithets at the victim.  The witness saw the group beating the man with their fist and kicking him. They were also striking the victim with their skateboards.

While officers were interviewing the suspects, a man (later identified as the victim) walked up to the scene, bleeding from a laceration to the mouth. He pointed to the group and told the officers that the suspects had assaulted him and called him names associated with his ethnic background and sexual orientation.

The victim stated that he did not know the suspects or why they attacked him.

The 20-year-old victim was bleeding heavily from a lacerated lip.  He was transported to HMC for further treatment of his injuries.

You could be the nicest person in the world with no known enemies in what you think is a “safe part of town” but yet people could hate you and want to inflict violence upon you. Be able and prepared to defend yourself.

The police hit their targets about one third of the time. Unless you are more highly trained than them you are unlikely to get a better hit ratio.

Getting “one shot stops” is difficult and rather rare. There are seven attackers and you only have a 10 round magazine in your gun? Tell your next of kin to blame the anti-gunners if you run out of ammo and your attackers kill you.

Update: I should have pointed out that this happened in the same Seattle area neighborhood, Capital Hill, that recently had gay/gun-rights posters criticized by the local press which claimed, “What better way to make people feel unsafe in gay-friendly Capitol Hill than by slyly referencing homophobia and hate crimes in pro-gun propaganda plastered on every street corner?”

One handed drawing from concealment

Insights’ John Holschen shows us how to draw from concealment from a bottom opening garment. Here is the video:

Barb learns to fight with a knife

As a birthday present I gave Barb L. a Syderco Delica knife and a one day Defensive Folding Knife class from Insights Training.

This video was taken when she learned what she could do with it on a piece of meat covered with two layers of clothing:

There was also a birthday card, cake, dinner, and some other things included but this is the portion of her birthday most on topic for this blog (and suitable for public consumption).

Slightly off topic is that the Instructor is someone I have talked about numerous times on this blog. Here are some posts that mention him. There are others as well:

Barb and I had lunch with John and we had an interesting conversation. He has had some unusual jobs recently. Some were extremely boring, but that was actually part of the interesting part.

Update: The second link to the QOTD by John has been fixed.

Quote of the day—Dave Workman

The Chicago contingent is in a predicament that would be uncomfortable and embarrassing for lawmakers in any state west of the Mississippi, considering the homicide rate their city suffers … under the current regime. But they are the Chicago contingent, and they seem immune to embarrassment and discomfort while the bodies pile up.

Dave Workman
May 29, 2013
Clock ticking on Illinois carry effort
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Richard Pearson

Whatever the case some kind of concealed carry will come to Illinois. Some believed it would never happen. Many of our good members have passed away waiting for concealed carry to come to Illinois. I was thinking about them today. I could see their faces but I have to tell you I could not remember all their names. We should all be grateful for their efforts and remember that freedom comes at a dear price. In any case, I hope they are looking down on us and see that concealed carry come to Illinois. I also wonder, not just today, but often, how many lives were wasted because we did not have concealed carry in Illinois. I hope those people are looking down on us and are comforted by knowing many lives will be saved and others will not have to suffer the untimely death they suffered.

I also remember the endless string of enemies we have faced in our quest for concealed carry and our seemingly endless efforts to preserve the Second Amendment in Illinois. Many of those enemies will see Illinois get concealed carry first hand.

Many of our enemies have passed away also. I hope they are looking up and see concealed carry come to Illinois.

Richard Pearson
May 30, 2013
ISRA Thursday Bulletin
[H/T to Michael B. via email.—Joe]

The REAL “War on Women” – Gun Control

From CCRKBA:

Quote of the day—Aaron Blake

Many in the Democratic Party quite simply aren’t being ruthless about gun control.

Aaron Blake
May 28, 2013
Democrats still aren’t being ruthless about gun control
[Mr. Blake, I hope that statement is used at your trial.—Joe]

A good start

There is a an old joke that goes something like (where X is lawyers/politicians/ethnic-slur/etc.):

Q: What do you call a bus load of X that drives off of a cliff?
A: A good start.

While I’m sympathetic to someone who has lost their job, probably through no or little fault of their own, I think of this as pretty much the same way:

The Chicago Sun-Times has laid off its entire photography staff, and plans to use freelance photographers and reporters to shoot photos and video going forward, the newspaper said.

A total of 28 full-time staffers received the news Thursday morning at a meeting held at the Sun-Times offices in Chicago, according to sources familiar with the situation. The layoffs are effective immediately.

This is the same paper that still employs Mary Mitchell even after she said this:

There’s no telling how many guns would be taken off the street in gang- and drug-plagued neighborhoods if police were to set up roadblocks and search everyone going into those areas.

For those of you who argue that what I am proposing violates basic civil rights, forget it.

When you go to an airport or into most schools, you have to walk through a metal detector.

This is the same paper that publishes editorials like these with no author name:

Editorial: Reject concealed gun bill

…we shudder at the thought of the concealed-carry bill scheduled for a vote Friday in the Illinois House. The bill not only would allow concealed firearms to be carried throughout the state, but it also would overturn the assault-weapons ban in Chicago and Cook County, as well as other laws aimed at keeping guns out of criminals’ hands. In all, 109 home-rule governments would see their gun laws nullified. Gov. Pat Quinn came out strongly against the bill late Thursday.

Editorial: No more concessions on gun bill

We doubt many gun control proponents in the state Legislature ever thought they could vote for a concealed-carry bill that not long ago would have been a gun advocate’s dream.

At this point, gun-safety advocates must draw a line. No more concessions.

If the editors of that paper were writing “Reject mixed race marriage bill” and “No more concessions on segregation” and advocating warrantless searches of homes looking for mix-race couples they would, and rightly so, have trouble getting their newsprint delivered through the hordes of protestors.

That they and their ilk in Chicago steadfastly adhere to beliefs, proven false decades ago and in 49 other states, that it is appropriate to deny specific enumerated rights even after being told by the courts to change their ways is proof positive of their bigotry. Their advocating of the continuing and expanding infringements of basic human rights has contributed to the needless deaths of hundreds if not thousands of people over the years. I look forward to the Sun Times going bankrupt, the assets sold off, and the entire staff laid off. I would love to see their buildings torn down, then gun ranges, gun shops, and gun and ammo factories built in their place. Then offer the editors and management jobs cleaning the toilets in the gun establishments and tell them they should be thankful they aren’t in prison.

I won’t be going to New Jersey

The only reason I would voluntarily visit New Jersey is if I could get a no-limit varmint hunting license for the politicians and law enforcement. This has to stop:

Motorists driving through New Jersey can be subjected to a warrantless search if their luggage is similar in appearance to a gun case, an appellate court ruled last week. The Superior Court’s Appellate Division upheld a five year prison sentence against Dustin S. Reininger, a former police officer who was in the process of moving from Maine to Texas when a Readington Township police officer recognized the cases in the back of Reininger’s vehicle as the sort that usually carries a rifle.
During the long trip on March 20, 2009, Reininger became tired and decided to pull off the road in an empty, well-lit parking lot. He stopped his green Toyota SUV, turned off his lights, and went to sleep in the driver’s seat under a blanket. At 3:25am, Officer Gregory Wester knocked on his window and woke him up, shining a flashlight in his eyes.

A jury acquitted him of the charges for possession of the “assault firearms” and handgun possession but convicted him in absentia of illegal possession of hollow-point bullets, shotguns, rifles and a high-capacity magazine. He was apprehended in Texas and extradited to New Jersey.

H/T to JoeyD Sr. for the email who, appropriately, used the subject line of “Fascist States of America”.

Quote of the day–Ladd Everitt

We’ve always been too polite, by appealing to politicians to do the right thing, … appealing to their conscience and hoping they’d come around even when the evidence suggested they wouldn’t. We went too far into the realm of educating the public and ceded the field of politics to the NRA. That was disastrous for us.

Ladd Everitt
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
May 2013
This Is How the NRA Ends: A bigger, richer, meaner gun-control movement has arrived
[The NRA ends? They just set a new record for annual meeting attendance. They had over 86,000 show up. The anti-gun organizations are run on shoestring budgets with unpaid interns.

The problem they have trying to educate the public is that the more educated the public becomes the more apparent it becomes that the anti-gun side is wrong.

The problem they have with politics is that just a single political organization on our side has 5 million members (the NRA). And there are others, such as the CCRKBA, which have hundreds of thousands of members. None of their organizations have dues paying members. Their “biggest” organization has a mailing list of 25 to 50 thousand. The politicians respect votes and little else. The anti-gun people cannot deliver the votes and hence the political field is “challenging” for the anti-gun people as well.

Gun control advocates are too polite?

Ah yes, I remember now:

I wonder what Everitt thinks the proper response should be.—Joe]