Category Archives: Quote of the Day

Quote of the day—David Brooks

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So why are lawmakers responding to mass killings by loosening gun laws? The wrong answer is that the N.R.A. is this maliciously powerful force that controls legislators through campaign dollars. In fact, the N.R.A. spends a minuscule amount on campaign contributions compared with the vast oceans of dough washing through our politics.

The reality is that in some places people want these laws. It’s true that individual gun control measures, like banning bump stocks, have popular support, but, over all, the gun rights people are winning the hearts and minds of America. In 2000, according to a Pew survey, only 29 percent of Americans supported more gun rights and 67 percent supported more gun control. By 2016, 52 percent of Americans supported more gun rights and only 46 percent supported more control.

…

Today we need another grand synthesis that can move us beyond the current divide, a synthesis that is neither redneck nor hipster but draws from both worlds to create a new social vision. Progress on guns will be possible when the culture war subsides, but not before.

David Brooks
October 6, 2017
Guns and the Soul of America
[For a New York Times opinion piece I found this to be very insightful. His view on “progress on guns” is much different than mine but I believe his words to be correct even if his intended meaning is 180 degrees from mine. We need to win the culture war.

Even in Brooks opinion piece there is evidence this is about a culture war rather than about the facts of gun ownership related to public safety, constitutional law, or philosophy:

This gigantic shift in public opinion hasn’t come about because the facts support the gun rights position. The research doesn’t overwhelmingly support either side. Gun control proposals don’t seriously impinge freedom; on the other hand, there’s not much evidence that they would prevent many attacks.

Even though he knows the evidence doesn’t support his goal of “progress on guns” he thinks it should be done anyway. Why?

It’s about control. He want a culture controlled by a central committee. We want a culture of liberty. We have to win this war. We should only compromise if it takes us a small step closer when we find we can’t make a large step closer to our goals.

Take new shooters to the range. It works. I just found out a couple days ago that new shooters Kurt and Tracie recently bought their first gun.

Guns are a “gateway drug” to liberty. Get them hooked.—Joe]

Quote of the day—MMSJkenB

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The US has too many guns and too many idiots who buy them. And we have too many idiot judges that support the idiotic republican view of guns. It may have to do with “small hand syndrome” or an inability to interact with the opposite sex.

MMSJkenB
October 2, 2017
Comment to Why Congress still won’t ‘do something’ about gun laws after Las Vegas
[This is what they think of you and the specific enumerated right to keep and bear arms.—Joe]

Quote of the day—JDPlenty

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I am 100% in favor of total repeal of the 2nd. NO RIGHT TO ANY FIREARMS WHATSOEVER. PERIOD. At the very least, it would get rid of annoying squeaks like that.

JDPlenty
October 2, 2017
Comment to Why Congress still won’t ‘do something’ about gun laws after Las Vegas.
[Considering there are tens of millions of gun owners, with 100’s of millions of guns and billions of rounds of ammunition. Many of which will be inclined turn in their bullets, minus shell casing, primer, and powder, prior to surrendering their guns I would expect few will describe the response as “annoying squeaks”. But as we have long known anti-gun people are mostly disconnected from reality. JDPlenty is, of course, projecting.

And, of course, don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Bill Simpson

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Civilians have no legitimate need for center fire cartridge, semi automatic rifles, with interchangeable magazines. They are weapons of war, developed for killing people in combat in the most efficient manner possible. Whenever the Democrats finally regain power, they should be banned, with people given 2 years to turn them in for some reasonable cash payments, after which, possession would be a felony punishable by a $10,000 fine, and up to 5 years in jail. Ditto with semi auto center fire pistols.

Bill Simpson
October 2, 2017
Comment to Video from Las Vegas suggests automatic gunfire. Here’s what makes machine guns different.
[It’s a Bill of Rights. Not a Bill of Needs.

If I could tell Simpson just one thing it would be that we need to enforce the laws already on the books—18 USC 242.

Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

Quote of the day—EricNM

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The country is awash in 300 million guns. Until that number actually reduces, rather than grows as the NRA wishes, our nation’s gun death rate will always be the highest of any developed nation. The only way to accomplish that is with some sort of gun buy-back and destruction program.

EricNM
October 2, 2017
Comment to Preventing Future Mass Shootings Like Las Vegas
[Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.

EricNM is delusional. It addition to “buy-backs” presuming facts not in evident (the government can’t “buy-back” some they never owned to begin with), there may be as many as 660 million guns in the hands of private citizens, voluntary “buy-backs” have been found to be ineffectual in our country every time they have been tried, and even if it were politically possible legislate mandatory confiscation the most likely result would be for the police and military to, at best, ignore such laws to infringe upon the inalienable right of the people to keep and bear arms.

There would also be a significant chance the surviving politicians would find themselves arrested, convicted, and sent to prison. But don’t expect delusional people break out of their alternate reality no matter what the evidence.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Engraver

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Take the goober’s guns away! Ban the damned things already! Melt ’em down! If Billy Bob has a hissy, so be it. This second amendment is not protecting Americans, it is killing us.

Engraver
October 2, 2017
Comment to A scary turn: Las Vegas may be first mass shooting using an automatic weapon
[Dear Engraver,

I would like to suggest you take point on one of the teams going through the door to collect them and “melt ‘em down”. You’ll meet a lot of people who do a good job of on the spot copper engraving you might have an interest in.

Regards,

Joe]

Quote of the day—Roger Canaff‏ @rogercanaff

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People in civilized cities who don’t want your little substitute penises going off in parking lots and killing their children have no say

Roger Canaff‏ @rogercanaff
Tweeted on April 24, 2017
[It’s another Markley’s Law Monday!

Childish insults. It’s what they do when they realized they are on the wrong side of the law, have a philosophically losing position, and are outwitted.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Dana Milbank

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Consider Title XV of the sportsmen’s bill, also known as the “Hearing Protection Act,” which makes it easier for gun owners to buy silencers for their weapons. The uninformed might suspect that silencers are used by people who want to fire weapons without being caught by cops or observed by witnesses. But more and more hunters are finding that conventional earplugs and muffs are not adequate for today’s weapons — for example, quail hunting with an M777 howitzer or grouse hunting with an FIM-92 Stinger missile launcher.

Dana Milbank
September 11, 2017
The NRA’s idea of recreation: Assault rifles, armor-piercing bullets and silencers
[One might guess Milbank is so out of touch with reality that he believes the right to keep and bear arms is about recreation. And one also has to wonder what part of “shall not be infringed” he doesn’t understand.

But, just as likely is that Milbank does have at least a passing grasp of reality and knows he can’t put up a valid argument so he just goes straight to mocking.

We can make most of the stuff Milbank is “concerned” about in our garages with cheap metal working equipment and a trip to the local hardware store. These changes in the law are a mere recognition of reality. The existing law did nothing to improve public safety and made life more hazardous for good and gentle people who just want to be left alone. But to be left alone is asking too much from authoritarians like Milbank. So, I won’t be asking. I’m telling.

Molṑn labé, Dana.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Michael Jacobus

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My Baba said the Nazi’s were better than the communist.

Coming from a woman who earned a few years of slave labor and a tattoo number from the Nazi’s, makes you wonder how socialism/ communism has such a good PR program on our higher education campuses.

Michael Jacobus
September 24, 2017
Comment to We Still Need To Kill Commies For Mommy, And For The Children.
[I could speculate I don’t think that would be as productive as making more ammunition and more practice.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Hoxw

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Why don’t we have a “terrible implement of the soldier” test? That would actually be in line with the intention of the Second Amendment.

Hoxw
September 19, 2017
Comment to Article on Heller’s “firearms in common use” test
[Hoxw is making reference to:

“The power of the sword, say the minority…, is in the hands of Congress. My friends and countrymen, it is not so, for The powers of the sword are in the hands of the yeomanry of America from sixteen to sixty. The militia of these free commonwealths, entitled and accustomed to their arms, when compared with any possible army, must be tremendous and irresistible. Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom. Congress has no power to disarm the militia. Their swords and every terrible implement of the soldier are the birthright of Americans.”

Tench Coxe
Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788.

It’s a good question and a good point.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Michael Z. Williamson

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It is the triumph of Western democracy that philosophies are allowed to exist and propagate even if they are ultimate evil. It is the failure of Western democracy that we support this to a fault, of allowing Communists to breathe air needed by human beings.

Then we can get back to killing National Socialists and regular Socialists as well, since their difference is only one of path, not destination.

Michael Z. Williamson
September 21, 2017
We Still Need To Kill Commies For Mommy, And For The Children.
[I’m going to need more ammo.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Sir Robert Peel

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Sir Robert Peel’s Principles of Law Enforcement 1829

  1. The basic mission for which police exist is to prevent crime and disorder as an alternative to the repression of crime and disorder by military force and severity of legal punishment.
  2. The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police existence, actions, behavior and the ability of the police to secure and maintain public respect.
  3. The police must secure the willing cooperation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain public respect.
  4. The degree of cooperation of the public that can be secured diminishes, proportionately, to the necessity for the use of physical force and compulsion in achieving police objectives.
  5. The police seek and preserve public favor, not by catering to public opinion, but by constantly demonstrating absolutely impartial service to the law, in complete independence of policy, and without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws; by ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of society without regard to their race or social standing, by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humor; and by ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.
  6. The police should use physical force to the extent necessary to secure observance of the law or to restore order only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient to achieve police objectives; and police should use only the minimum degree of physical force which is necessary on any particular occasion for achieving a police objective.
  7. The police at all times should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police are the only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the intent of the community welfare.
  8. The police should always direct their actions toward their functions and never appear to usurp the powers of the judiciary by avenging individuals or the state, or authoritatively judging guilt or punishing the guilty.
  9. The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them.

Sir Robert Peel
1829
[H/T Windy Wilson.

Kevin Baker has been a big proponent of Peel as well.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Ray Kurzweil

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We have already eliminated all jobs several times in human history. How many jobs circa 1900 exist today? If I were a prescient futurist in 1900, I would say, “Okay, 38% of you work on farms; 25% of you work in factories. That’s two-thirds of the population. I predict that by the year 2015, that will be 2% on farms and 9% in factories.” And everybody would go, “Oh, my God, we’re going to be out of work.” I would say, “Well, don’t worry, for every job we eliminate, we’re going to create more jobs at the top of the skill ladder.” And people would say, “What new jobs?” And I’d say, “Well, I don’t know. We haven’t invented them yet.”

That continues to be the case, and it creates a difficult political issue because you can look at people driving cars and trucks, and you can be pretty confident those jobs will go away. And you can’t describe the new jobs, because they’re in industries and concepts that don’t exist yet.

Ray Kurzweil
September 24, 2017
Why Futurist Ray Kurzweil Isn’t Worried About Technology Stealing Your Job
[That has been my hunch too, but I can’t supply evidence to refute the claim, “But this time it’s different!”—Joe]

Quote of the day—George Clooney

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Don’t you think the next Democrat who runs should just run with a blue hat that says, ‘Make America Great Again?’

George Clooney
September 24, 2017
Hillary Clinton blames many things for her loss. George Clooney blames her ‘frustrating’ speeches.
[The political left just doesn’t get it. Perhaps they can’t.

Read The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. This book was recommended to me by Mike B. (Idaho friend, firearms instructor, and lobbyist for gun owner rights). I was impressed with the book as was daughter Jaime. It explains a great deal of the frustration on every side of political and religious debates.—Joe]

Quote of the day—John Robb

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Facebook just declared war against “disruptive” information.  In addition to hundreds of new human censors, they are training AI censors capable of identifying and deleting ‘unacceptable’ information found in the discussions of all two billion members in real time. This development highlights what the real danger posed by a socially networked world actually is.

The REAL danger facing a world interconnected by social networking isn’t disruption.  As we have seen on numerous occasions, the danger posed by disruptive information and events is fleeting. Disruption, although potentially painful in the short term, doesn’t last, nor is it truly damaging over the long term. In fact, the true danger posed by an internetworked world is just the opposite of disruption.

John Robb
Friday, 22 September 2017
The Long Night Ahead
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Craig Coelho

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The only way Republicans are going to come to their senses is if people start dropping their leaders with weapons which should never be available to the general public. SmartenTFU

Craig Coelho
September 21, 2017
Comment to House GOP pushes to loosen gun rules
[So…. people are only considered sensible if they advocate the infringement of the specific enumerated right to keep and bear arms.

This is what they think of you.

And the not so thinly veiled threat of violence. He must be a “progressive”, violence is in their nature.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Jennifer Mascia @JenniferMascia‏‏

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Looking through the Small Arms Survey’s gun stockpile info, I came across some eye-opening stats. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/de/weapons-and-markets/stockpiles.html …

Takeaway #1: 41% of the world’s civilian-owned guns are in American hands.

Takeaway #2: In the U.S., civilians possess 70 times more guns than cops + the military.

Takeaway #3: American civilians possess 2½ times more guns than the world’s 20 largest militaries — combined. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-34.pdf

Takeaway #4: Americans own 70 million more guns than all of the world’s militaries — combined.

Takeaway #5: American civilians own 11 times more guns than all the cops on earth.

Takeaway #6: American law enforcement agencies are outgunned by civilians 235 to 1.

Jennifer Mascia @JenniferMascia
Tweeted on August 29, 2017
[I think the number of guns in U.S. civilian hands is probably closer to 350 million 400 or 500 million (or perhaps even up to 660 million).

If my experience at matches is any indication private citizens are far better shooters than nearly all police officers and military as well.

At least it’s a start.

H/T Glenn Reynolds.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Timothy Wheeler

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The scientists who lead the national organization of ear doctors have no excuse for ignorance of how suppressors prevent hearing loss. The ignoble reason that they and other leaders of organized medicine have shirked their moral obligation to prevent human infirmity is prejudice, fueled by a willful ignorance.

Timothy Wheeler
July 18, 2017
Medicine’s shameful silence on silencers
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Sunsara Taylor

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It’s the right of the people to shut down speakers.

Sunsara Taylor
Co-founder of Refuse Fascism
September 13, 2017
UC Berkeley free speech in spotlight over super-tight security plans
[No. It is not a “the right of the people”. It is a conspiracy to infringe the of rights others and it is a felony which under some conditions, some plausible in the current context, are punishable by death. It is my hope that any such crimes are vigorously prosecuted, and severely punished.—Joe]

Quote of the day—José Niño

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There is one elephant in the room that is largely ignored in the discussion of crime in Latin America: the stringent gun-control laws present in these countries.

While the previously mentioned factors cannot simply be discounted, the lack of coverage on Latin American gun control policy is rather alarming.

Countries like Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela feature some of the most draconian gun control policies in the region. With crime rates at already high levels, gun control simply makes matters worse for law-abiding citizens fearful of criminals.

José Niño
August 23, 2017
Gun Control Laws Have Failed Latin America
[There is no justification for the infringement of the natural right to self-defense and the right to keep and bear arms.—Joe]