Category Archives: Politics

Quote of the day—David B. Kopel

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The Japanese Constitution, in stronger terms than its American counterpart, guarantees, social equality for women, creates a right to counsel, prohibits prolonged detention, outlaws courtroom use of confessions extracted under duress, and bars convictions based solely on confession. Today, every one of these provisions is routinely violated; action in accordance with those constitutional commands is the exception rather than the rule.

David B. Kopel
1992
The Samurai, the Mountie and the Cowboy
[This reinforces a lesson I have learned many times in other domains and contexts. If you don’t have the means to enforce a contract the contract can and will be violated. The Japanese peasantry were long forbidden to own weapons. Any constitutional “guarantee” in such an environment is laughable. And even in our political environment only a tiny shadow of the constitutional limitations of government are enforced. But one can imagine how, with the right to keep and bear arms, it could be enforced and the limits to government restored.—Joe]

We have some hope

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Dianne Feinstein made herself an enemy of gun owners for decades (see also here, here, here, here, here, and here). It has been clear she will never be voted out of office. She will only stop being a threat when she retires or dies. Now we have some hope it will happen relatively soon:

Feinstein — who at 84 is the oldest U.S. senator — also left politicos wondering whether she plans to run for reelection next year.

Although Feinstein was a motivator for me to create Boomershoot. So, I suppose she does have that going for her.

Quote of the day—Rabbi Dovid Bendory

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A funny thing happened after the election…the Left started buying guns.

…

I know, because I was approached by several congregants in synagogue, and when I asked why they had a sudden interest in firearms ownership, they told me they were concerned about the need to defend themselves against a government out of control. (Ironic, that
explanation—when we freedom-lovers felt that way about then-president Obama, a real and demonstrated threat to freedom, and we were mocked and ridiculed.)

I don’t know where this will lead us. But I do know that many of these first time buyers are in for a surprise when they learn that the Second Amendment community is welcoming, open, and tolerant. That we’re happy to greet new shooters of any political or social background. But more than any of this, I hope they learn the Second Amendment is a right, not a privilege.

Rabbi Dovid Bendory
Rabbinic Director, JPFO
A Funny Thing Happened After the Election
The Bill of Rights Sentinel, Vol 1, No 9, page 3
[A better way to tame an out of control government is to dramatically trim its powers. One would think an explanation of constitutionally enumerated powers would be sufficient enlightenment but, as those who wrote and ratified the 2nd Amendment into The Bill of Rights knew, sometimes words are not enough and more drastic measures are required.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Brien Lundin

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If they don’t want you to know about it, if they don’t want you to own it, you probably should.

Brien Lundin
August 14, 2017
If They Don’t Want You To Own It, You Probably Should
[Lundin was talking about gold, but my first thought was more along the lines of explosives, guns, and ammo.—Joe]

Sign of the times

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In Bellingham Washington yesterday:

WP_20170826_18_20_01_Pro

I keep waiting and wondering what the Federal government is going to do about the enforcement of the Federal laws against marijuana. And I wonder how that resolution will be reconciled with the states which have passed Firearms Freedom Acts.

These are two “elephants in the room” which the politicians appear unable to see.

Quote of the day—John Robb

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If we are unlucky, we won’t see meaningful change and this existential crisis will drive us into authoritarianism.  The form of this authoritarianism depends on which network wins.  If the bad boy network dominates, we could see a dictator like Putin (or much worse) climb the ladder of chaos by scapegoating and purging enemies of the state.  If the mean girl network gains control, we could see intersectional identity (all identities are in a perpetual struggle for dominance akin to Communist class warfare) mutate into an ideology that violently purges groups of people who become obstacles to progress.  In their extreme forms, both of these outcomes could create big piles of bodies.

John Robb
August 23, 2017
American Politics: Bad Boys vs. Mean Girls
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Ray Starman

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I believe it is no longer hyperbole to say the United States may very well be on the road to a Second Civil War. This time it won’t be North vs. South, but Left vs. Right, Marxism vs. American Nationalism, Lunacy vs. Sanity, Tyranny vs. Liberty.

…

Sadly, there will be more violence, more vandalism and more bloodshed on both sides. There will be more confrontations for one reason and one reason only, the left wants it.

The left wants a Civil War. They very well may get it.

Ray Starman
August 15, 2017
The Left is Marching the Nation Towards Civil War
[While I’m about 90% certain they want a civil war I’m not convinced they will get it.

The pattern I see follows that of Germany in the 1930’s. The Nazi party gained political power legally until it almost had control. Then as its grasp on power started to fade it dramatically stepped up the violence and seized power. Had the government been better about stopping the street thugs the Nazi’s would not have been able to up the violence and seize power.

There have been many recent cases, including Portland, Berkley, and Charlottesville where the police did essentially nothing. This only encourages the political left. If the police in this country do there jobs and the thugs end up in jail, seriously injured, or dead the violence will decrease and we will avoid a civil war.

The police have been militarizing for decades now. It’s time for them to use some of that equipment and training and prevent another civil war. It is far better to risk injuring and/or killing a few hundred thugs now than to go through a civil war in the following years.—Joe]

Quote of the day—JPFO Bill of Rights Sentinel

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It’s now got a name: Trump Sleep, the opposite of what President Trump’s election has done to former political liberals: Trump Psychosis. The left is literally sawing holes in reality, inventing collusions where they don’t exist, setting things on fire, displaying an inability to let go of past events…too many are literally losing their grip on reality, and acting out.

On the right we are seeing almost the opposite. Instead of forging ahead with all deliberate speed, and accomplishing what’s possible, with such a tantalizing array of low-hanging fruit, former conservatives are withstanding outrageous assaults and refusing to fight back, file charges, sue, damn the torpedoes, forge ahead and enact legislation. It’s a deadly combination for survival of the nation, let alone preservation of firearms ownership.

JPFO Bill of Rights Sentinel
Vol 1, No 9, page 2
July 2017
Trump Psychosis vs. Trump Sleep Now is NOT the Time for Gunowners to RELAX!
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Elizabeth Warren

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We’re done arguing about gun safety – and we’re going to fight for the common-sense reforms the overwhelming majority of Americans want.

Elizabeth Warren
U.S. Senator
August 12, 2017
Read the massive speech Elizabeth Warren gave ripping moderate Democrats at Netroots Nation
[We’ve been done arguing for years. I’ve been voting, training new shooters, buying guns and ammo, getting training, practicing, and competing. Your move Senator.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Wil Radford

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The left is agitating for a fight. They don’t care how bad it gets. Keep poking the bear long enough and you will get a fight. They want the fight to serve as the catalyst for the destruction of all civil rights expressed in the Constitution, and granted by God under Natural Law. Sickening how ignorant they are, mere “useful idiots”. They will be the ones screaming the loudest about their “rights”when they are being walked out to the execution wall.

Wil Radford
August 17, 2017
Comment to NJ Dems Have 20 Gun Control Bills Lined Up If Murphy Becomes Governor
[The USSR, Italy, Germany, China, and Cambodia all come to mind. When the “intellectuals” who pushed for the political change realized things weren’t turning out as they planned and started complaining the tyrants in power sent them to the gulags, firing squads, camps, and killing fields. This was because these people had some level of influence and hence were a threat to the tyrant’s power.

Those that advocate for the elimination of individual rights believe the conditions they bring about will only be hostile to their political foes and are often surprised when those very conditions they imagined are imposed upon them.

The proper role of government is to protect human rights. The further it strays from that domain the higher the risk of enabling extreme evil.

Be careful what you wish for. You may get it.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Milan Chovanec

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Such a massive punishment of decent arms holders is unacceptable, because banning legally-held weapons has no connection with the fight against terrorism.

This is not only a nonsensical decision once again undermining people’s trust in the EU, but implementing the directive could also have a negative impact on the internal security of the Czech Republic, because a large number of weapons could move to the black market.

Milan Chovanec
Interior Minister of The Czech Republic
Czechs take legal action over EU rules on gun control
[It’s also unacceptable because it infringes upon a natural right, but that line of reasoning has no weight on those the message was intended for. If you want to persuade someone you need to be able to speak in a language they understand. Individual rights are an alien concept to socialist politicians.—Joe]

Quote of the day—NRA-ILA

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NRA is a nonpartisan organization and we continue to endorse members of any party who work to defend American gun owners. As the current marginalized national Democratic Party grapples with its agenda moving forward, it would do well to learn from its past and curtail their attacks on the Second Amendment. Wise Democratic leaders will recognize that they have been here before and that abandoning their anti-gun ambitions is an important component of their path back to power. However, with Democratic House members still offering microstamping and gun turn-in bills, there is little evidence of such wisdom.

NRA-ILA
August 11, 2017
Repudiated at the Polls, National Democrats Continue to Push Gun Control
[I believe it is beyond the capacity of the majority of Democrats to do this. There are too many socialists and communists who know their path to power and tyranny would be blocked by firearms in the hands of individual citizens.—Joe]

Quote of the day—J. KB

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First and foremost, the Second Amendment says that the “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”  I believe that the “and bear arms” part means the right to carry in public, and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals agreed in Moore v. Maidgan.

The Ninth Circuit came to the opposite conclusion, but keep in mind that the Ninth Circuit is the Captain Peter “Wrongway” Peachfuzz of the judiciary.   If you want to know what the constitution really means when it comes to civil liberties, take any decision by the Ninth and do exactly the opposite.

J. KB
August 9, 2017
CCW Appeal to Authority
[Via email from Mike B.

I have heard it said that the Ninth is the most overturned circuit in the country. That the Ninth is in California should come as no surprise.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Predator

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I’ve long thought that we’d get a lot more bang for our buck by building that thick, high wall around D.C. rather than along the Rio Grande.

Predator
August 8, 2017
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Sebastian

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Gun control has always been a weapon of the elite ruling classes to keep the masses in a state of subjugation. When all you have is the vote, you don’t really have much. Elites can manipulate the masses into voting the way elites want them to vote, or can outright manipulate the system (see Venezuela). An armed population will always have an actual say in how things are run.

Sebastian
August 8, 2017
You Don’t Say: Gun Control Disarms Poor
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Doug Casey

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I’ll speculate it was largely due to an intellectual factor, the invention of the printing press; and a physical factor, the widespread use of gunpowder. The printing press destroyed the monopoly the elites had on knowledge; the average man could now see that they were no smarter or “better” than he was. If he was going to fight them (conflict is, after all, what politics is all about), it didn’t have to be just because he was told to, but because he was motivated by an idea. And now, with gunpowder, he was on an equal footing with the ruler’s knights and professional soldiers.

Right now I believe we’re at the cusp of another change, at least as important as the ones that took place around 12,000 years ago and several hundred years ago. Even though things are starting to look truly grim for the individual, with collapsing economic structures and increasingly virulent governments, I suspect help is on the way from historical evolution. Just as the agricultural revolution put an end to tribalism and the industrial revolution killed the kingdom, I think we’re heading for another multipronged revolution that’s going to make the nation-state an anachronism. It won’t happen next month, or next year. But I’ll bet the pattern will start becoming clear within the lifetime of many now reading this.

Doug Casey
August 4, 2017
Doug Casey on the End of the Nation-State
[For more background on his thoughts regarding this topic see Doug Casey on Phyles.

I’ve been wondering, for about 30 years now, how the rapid changes in communication might affect government. What new forms of government might come about now that worldwide communication is essentially free and messages travel at the speed of light. It never really occurred to me that perhaps the nation state would evaporate. Casey points out another factor that affects the continuing viability of the nation state, cheap transportation.

Sure, I’ve read science fiction books where a planet would be owned by a corporation and was, in essence, an evil government. But Casey is talking about something different here. He talks about Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age and Snow Crash as possible examples.

I’ll have to think about it more.—Joe]

Quote of the day—David Hines @hradzka

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The problem with socialism isn’t that you run out of other people’s money. The problem with socialism is that *you run out of fucking food.*

David Hines @hradzka
Tweeted on August 4, 2017
[H/T email from Ry.

Examples of this are left as an exercise for the reader.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Robert Margulies

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Government is not civil: it is naked force. I have practiced medicine for 48 years. Government has not helped.

Robert Margulies
August 4, 2017
Comment to Interesting law suit
[I’m reminded of a George Washington quote.—Joe]

Interesting law suit

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From the top headline at Drudge this afternoon, comes a story about a guy suing the Republican Party for fraud. He donated significant money because they ran on the “Repeal Obamacare” platform and are now clearly not interested in fulfilling their promise.

The suit will probably never go anywhere, but it is worth noting. I’m not sure which is worse, or which is more likely to get results; all of us suing each other rather than accomplishing anything, or shooting each other rather than accomplishing anything.

The Republicans will, in any case, add the word “Replace” to the word “Repeal”. If they end up doing that, we won’t get repeal. Instead we’ll get some equally horrid, government-managed, socialistic and equally unsustainable (but I repeat myself) pile of feces, and then claim that we voters got what we wanted. Later they’ll blame us for their bullcrap.

So no; I will no longer use the term “repeal” and neither should anyone else who believes in liberty. Instead use “Laissez Faire”, which would require a repeal of not only O-Care, but all the rest of the federal shenanigans surrounding medicine. The medical industry is a price-inflated, over-complicated mess because of government interference, so get rid of the interference.

But, oops; Trump has been outspoken as an advocate of “Single-Payer” (commie care) which has been the pipe dream of the Progressive Marxist revolutionaries for generations.

Still, I advocate laissez faire. At least let the individual states destroy their own medical industries – We know they are capable of doing that without federal help.

Quote of the day—Tirno

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How to Know When You Are Not The Beneficiary Of Cognitive Privilege:

You read Marx, and you didn’t get the joke.

Tirno
August 2, 2017
Comment to I guess we have not reached Peak Social Issues
[I came to a similar conclusion when I read The Communist Manifesto.—Joe]