If corporations were really legally treated like individuals then they wouldn’t be prosecuted for organizing like unions and engaging in collective bargaining with labor organizations.
Category Archives: Politics
Quote of the day—Hillary Clinton
At the rate we’re going, we’re going to have so many people with guns everywhere, fully licensed, fully validated, in settings where [one] could be in a movie theater, and they don’t like someone chewing gum loudly or talking on their cell phone and decide they have the perfect right to defend themselves against the gum chewer or cell phone user by shooting.
Hillary Clinton
May 6, 2014
Hillary Clinton pushes gun control, Obamacare
[I find it very telling that her concern is about the number of people with guns. Does she also worry about the number of people exercising their First Amendment rights? And does she think it would be appropriate to license and “validate” people that exercise their First Amendment rights?
And since she used the example of a movie theater does she also worry that if people don’t have their mouths locked shut before they enter a theater that they might yell “FIRE!” when there is no fire?
With bigotry and prejudice this severe Ms. Clinton is unfit to serve in public office. She doesn’t want to be a public servant. She wants to be a tyrant.—Joe]
At least read the book…
…before you attempt to discredit Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Darwin’s theory is an excellent example of conroversy created out of nothing but gossip, speculation and misinformation.
Oleg Volk reintroduced me to Fred on Everything recently. Fred has some very good and provocative essays. This one however seems to have been written in a vacuum.
I think nearly every question or concern in the essay is addressed carefully and in detail in “On the Origin of Species”.
Also, Darwin was a religious man. I don’t understand the conflict between religion and science. It seems to me that they have the common goal (ostensibly at least) of furthering the cause of general understanding. The only way that conflict makes sense is if those individuals fomenting the conflict are more concerned with power and control than with the process of enlightenment (one cancels the other).
The best American is a stupid, silent American
(that is to paraphrase the radio show host, Michael Savage)
Teacher gets suspended for showing kids his tools. Via the Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org).
Properly, that school would have all of its funding suspended until it publicly apologizes to the teacher and agrees to allow tools in the classroom.
Seriously; who doesn’t think there’s been a war going on against individual capability, productivity and self sufficiency in this country? If people are aware, knowledgeable, strong, confident and self-sufficient, who’d need our current nanny style government, after all? That would put 90% of our government right out of business, and we can’t allow that, now can we? “Oh no, Preciousss….nassty kids musst bow to our greatnesss, yesss they mussst. Make them crawl, we will…”
ETA; I wish people would stop using that word (liberal) to describe authoritarians. We CAN take the language back. That would be a great first step. Just use words correctly. It’s easy. Authoritarian. There; I just did it. See? I wasn’t hit by lightning or anything. Don’t be afraid. Go on; try it. It doesn’t hurt a bit.
I’ve stopped getting it
I got it earlier. It made sense earlier. It was predictable. In the fall of ’08 when a certain someone was promising to Fundamentally Transform America, and Spread The Wealth Around, it made sense that people began buying guns and ammo in huge quantities, bracing for a new round of restrictions or worse.
That was six years ago. That’s longer than the time between the attack on Pearl Harbor and the A-bombing of Nagasaki, with all the design, procurement, tooling, production and logistics efforts involved in fighting and winning a highly mechanized, all-out war over most of the planet.
So why is there still almost no powder or 10 mm bullets on the shelves?
Yes, I’m venting, and yes I’m sitting on the sidelines complaining while doing nothing about it.
Quote of the day—Michael Snyder
Did you know that the number of Americans getting benefits from the federal government each month exceeds the number of full-time workers in the private sector by more than 60 million? In other words, the number of people that are taking money out of the system is far greater than the number of people that are putting money into the system. And did you know that nearly 70 percent of all of the money that the federal government spends goes toward entitlement and welfare programs? When it comes to the transfer of wealth, nobody does it on a grander scale than the U.S. government. Most of what the government does involves taking money from some people and giving it to other people. In fact, at this point that is the primary function of the federal government.
Michael Snyder
April 17, 2014
18 Stats That Prove That Government Dependence Has Reached Epidemic Levels
[That’s an almost unbelievable number. But after paying my taxes last week it certainly seems plausible because they sure took a lot of money from me this year.
I can’t help but think the end is near.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Mary Sanchez
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been the best membership recruitment tool the NRA could hope for: a walking, talking, Big Gulp-banning embodiment of government overreach. And look what he’s done now, given the NRA yet another gift on the eve of its national convention.
Mary Sanchez
April 18, 2014
Bloomberg’s The Wrong Guy To Lead Gun Safety Push
[She’s anti-gun but she’s not politically stupid.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Shannon Watts
Moms are afraid our children will be taken away and in the end, I think that’s the emotion that will win the debate.
Shannon Watts
Founder of Moms Demand Action and a board member for Everytown for Gun Safety
April 16, 2014
Can $50 Million Buy Michael Bloomberg Gun Control?
[There you have it. In their world view debates can and should be won on emotions.
Of course in her emotion fogged view of the universe she cannot comprehend the emotion of those that feel threatened that the government is going to restrict their ability to defend themselves and their children. So even if we were forced to debate strictly on an emotional battle field we have some powerful weapons and a lot of ammunition.—Joe]
The Progressive’s prayer
Our Government in Washington,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on all the U.S., as it is in Washington.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into responsibility,
but deliver us from the constitution.
Psalm of the Progressive
Obama is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Government maketh me to lie down in green pastures: case-workers leadeth me beside the still waters.
Government restoreth my self-esteem: bureaucracy leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for its name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no tea-bagger: for government art with me; government’s rod and staff they comfort me.
Government preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: government anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely welfare checks and subsidies shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in public housing for ever.
(OK, now I feel kinda icky)
Others could do better with the wording, but you get the point.
The Bundys speak directly
Interview here. Horse’s mouth and all (not that I’m calling anyone a horse).
Peaceful, cool-headed, principled resistance always works best, but it only works when backed by a substantial, credible force. Doubly so when you’re up against un-principled, arrogant foes. A thousand militia, just being there, will drain the sense of impunity right out of an aggressor. A was said elsewhere;
“No more free Wacos.”
I still don’t fully understand this particular conflict, but it is clear that these people and their supporters have grit, and that’s refreshing to see.
I hope the militia had night vision, some fifties, and some form of aerial surveillance. It’ll be needed next time. This is how the peace is kept.
Quote of the day—Mike Dickinson
@danieljpayne @HustlerMag @NRA that the NRA is a god awful fear mongering group and those who support the NRA are pure trash.
Mike Dickinson
April 5, 2014
DickinsonForCongress (@VoteMike2014)
[This is what some politicians think of you. Don’t wait for them to implement their “take out the trash” programs. Make sure they don’t get elected in the first place.
H/T to Jeff.—Joe]
This is a clue
When people this stupid are elected to national office is it any surprise nearly all government actions are messed up beyond all hope of functionality? Just think about this:
This FBI investigation of Leland Yee reveals how easy it is to import lethal assault weapons that were previously banned,” said Speier in an emailed statement from the Representative’s office to Guns.com.
“This case should be a warning to us all that even the most trusted appearing among us are ready to do real harm,” she said.
Her solution to fix future instances of potential gun running such as in the Yee case? Call on the White House to ban the import of “assault weapons.”
Furthermore, from her congressional website:
Jackie was appointed to serve as a Vice Chair of a new congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force…
Apparently she is one of the best and brightest the anti-gunners have to offer yet says things like:
She is an outspoken advocate for a federal ban on assault weapons, full and complete background checks on all gun sales, including sales at gun shows, and strict limits on high capacity ammunition sales.
“High capacity ammunition sales”? What does that even mean? Is that when I bring a semi-truck to the gun show to haul away my ammo purchases? And that is disregarding all the evidence that restrictions that she is “an outspoken advocate” for do not make people safer and violates the Bill of Rights. She truly has crap for brains.
If someone’s ability to think rationally is so impaired that they are unable to comprehend how stupid the things she says are then it surely extends to every other thing she wants government involved in. If this were someone in management of a private business they would be demoted to a manual labor position, fired, or the business would go broke. As it is people this stupid are still smart enough to get elected, spend your money on stupid stuff, and tell you how to run your life. And it’s not just her. Government is filled with idiots like this and they believe they are your superiors and they “intend to do you good”.
Although Thoreau had an appropriate response when it is an individual with the obvious intent to do you good (run for your life) when it is a government official you don’t have that option available. When they have the power of government behind them they are a threat to society. As Daniel Webster said when talking of those in government with “good intentions”, “They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.”
I’ve said this before but it doesn’t hurt to remind people that good intentions are not a valid defense at a trial. Should, as would be appropriate, Jackie Speier be put on trial we should not let her use good intentions as a defense.
Quote of the day—Robert J. Avrech
The truth is that the left are the religious fanatics. It is they who excommunicate non-believers; it is they who shrilly denounce heretics; it is they who hold kangaroo courts where guilt and punishment are preordained.
Robert J. Avrech
April 7, 2014
Homo Fascism and the Mozilla Moment
[The left doesn’t have a monopoly on religious fanaticism but they certainly do have their share of true believers, crusaders, and history of persecutions.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Glenn Reynolds
Because they’ve decided that free debate isn’t a winner for the collective.
Glenn Reynolds
April 4, 2014
Welcome to the Collective: Justice Breyer turns the First Amendment on its head.
[This was in response to this question:
So why have the court’s “liberals” adopted a hostile attitude toward political speech, which has long been understood as being at the core of First Amendment protection? In his McCutcheon dissent, Justice Stephen Breyer elaborates the theory behind this odd development.
I suspect Reynolds is correct.
And as the situation worsens for the collective they will attempt to infringe more and more of our rights.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Paul Barrett
Our collective dedication to free speech and a free press comes with a price: media excess that may exacerbate a social pathology such as copycat suicide-shooting sprees. Our commitment to the Second Amendment, which the Supreme Court has interpreted to protect widespread gun ownership, has a price as well.
Paul Barrett
April 3, 2014
Another Shooting at Fort Hood: Four Blunt Points
[There are tradeoffs in nearly every decision made. That is one of the things the anti-gun people seem to always ignore. It is rare for an anti-gun person to admit there are benefits to gun ownership beyond some aspect they can dismiss as “unnecessary in today’s world” like hunting, or derisively like “making you feel like a man”.
If the other side wants to have another “conversation” about guns they need to admit there are substantial advantages to gun ownership and consider all the risks, including that to the entire Bill of Rights, by ignoring the Second Amendment. Until then they should be treated like a small child throwing a tantrum because they aren’t allowed to play with a rattlesnake.
They apparently don’t understand that what they insist on doing has horrendous downsides as well as violating certain truths which are self-evident.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Anonymous Conservative
Liberals … have a deep psychological need to destroy happiness and irritate those around them that is so fundamental to their nature, I am not even sure they are consciously aware of it. The state of our nation under their leadership is no accident – no matter how outlandish that may seem. If you don’t like seeing people happy, you find the rich, and the successful, and the happy, and the contented, and you set about screwing up their lives under the guise of their happiness being unfair, their behavior being wrong, immoral, or inconsiderate, and them being evil.
Many of the most committed Liberal ideologues are actually deriving joy from how they are reducing the happiness in the nation, and destroying our social organization. Whether it is screwing up the healthcare of people who enjoy having their healthcare, or trying to make everyone render their families equally vulnerable to crime, or taxing the happy rich people on the grounds that their success and happiness is unfair, Liberalism is more about diminishing the happiness of the happy, than alleviating the suffering of the unhappy, no matter what any Liberal tells you.
Liberals are a truly evil enemy, every bit as much as the Narcissist, and we need to view them as such.
Anonymous Conservative
March 22, 2014
How Narcissists Use Amygdala-Focus
[This might not be the case for all people that identify with the political label ‘liberal’ but I’m pretty sure it is a match for a great many of them.—Joe]
Don’t do it just because it feels good
As both Lyle and I posted recently Idaho passed a law that “nullifies all future federal gun laws”. It passed 68-0 in the house and 34-0 in the senate.
Unanimous. Think about that a bit.
It took our lobbyists in Idaho at least seven years to get the right to keep and bear arms respected on college campuses. And the vote was far from unanimous. There were legislators yelling bloody murder about this. So what is going on with a unanimous vote that “nullifies all future federal gun laws”?
There has to be something else to this than what it is billed as.
The reality is the law has no practical meaning. It has political meaning. It means that legislators that are, for all practical purposes, anti-gun can use it as defense against opponents who confront them on their anti-gun votes. “Look what I voted FOR! You can’t get any more pro-gun that this!”
This does not prevent the locals from going on raids with the Feds and it doesn’t stop them from sharing in the proceeds of civil forfeitures generated by federal enforcement actions. And what do you think would happen if the local sheriff arrested some ATF agent enforcing a federal gun control law?
Do you remember what happened when Lon Horiuchi was charged with manslaughter for the death of Vicki Weaver? After years of legal battles he walked. That was in a case where the Federal Government admitted Vicki Weaver was wrongfully shot paid the Weaver family millions of dollars in compensation.
This law is all for show. It feels good but it doesn’t do any good and if cannot do any good there can only be a downside to it.
Quote of the day—Mike Maharrey
This is an important first step for Idaho. Getting this law passed will ensure that any new plans or executive orders that might be coming our way will not be enforced in Idaho. Then, once this method is established and shown to be effective, legislators can circle back and start doing the same for federal gun control already on the books. SB1332 is an important building block for protecting the 2nd Amendment in Idaho.
Mike Maharrey
March 21, 2014
BREAKING: Idaho governor signs emergency legislation nullifying all future federal gun laws
[Lyle also posted on this last week.
Also of extreme interest was that “S1332 passed the house by a vote of 68-0 and the senate by a vote of 34-0.”
Interesting times.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Anthony P. Colandro
Have you guys seen what is happening in Connecticut right now? One million gun owners in New Jersey are also gonna say, like our brothers and sisters in the north, that we will not comply. And I can tell you here and now, I will not comply.
Anthony P. Colandro
March 13, 2014
New Jersey CEO Takes a Stand Over Proposed Gun Control Bill, Warns Lawmakers ‘We Will Not Comply’ Just Like Connecticut
[It appears a line in the sand may have been drawn which a critical mass of people are willing to stand upon.—Joe]