Quote of the day—Inez Stepman

He wants that unelected department staffed by trained academics, presumably by him, to have veto power over every municipal state and federal law in the country, if it creates, in his eyes, any kind of disparity between groups. And he wants that body to have veto power over who stands for political office.

I call it woke Stalinism … his position is that a group of unelected academics should have complete veto power over all laws in the United States, and kind of similar to how it works with the mullahs in Iran, to basically select the slate of candidates. The people may vote, but only on the candidates or among the candidates selected by people who think like Ibram X. Kendi.

Inez Stepman
June 4, 2021
Biden’s Proposed Funding of Critical Race Theory Puts US on a ‘Very Dark Path’: Inez Stepman
[We live in interesting times.

Complete elimination of disparity can only be achieved by death for all.

Prepare appropriately.—Joe]

California assault weapon declared unconstitutional!

It’s about time!

SAF Court Victory: Judge Says Cal. ‘Assault Weapon Ban’ Unconstitutional

Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment. Good for both home and battle,the AR-15 is the kind of versatile gun that lies at the intersection of the kinds of firearms protected under District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008) and United States v Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (1939). Yet, the State of California makes it a crime to have an AR-15 type rifle. Therefore, this Court declares the California statutes to be unconstitutional.

Plaintiffs challenge a net of interlocking statutes which impose strict criminal restrictions on firearms that fall under California’s complex definition of the ignominious“assault weapon.” Hearings on a preliminary injunction were consolidated with a trial on the merits pursuant to F.R.C.P. Rule 65(a)(2). Having considered the evidence, the Court issues these findings of fact and conclusions of law, finds for the Plaintiffs, and enters Judgment accordingly.

Of course the defendants, rather than be put on trial, will appeal and probably get an injunction putting the right of the people to keep and bear these type of arms on hold for a few more years. In the mean time I suspect this means that the people of California can buy new AR-15s (if they can find them) for at least a few days.

Who could have guessed?

Seattle police union chief fears losing 400 officers in a year as crime levels soar

As crime levels in Seattle continue to climb, more police officers are fleeing the force for jobs in police departments outside the city, where politics may play less of a role in shaping law enforcement decisions.

More than 200 officers have left the Seattle Police Department in the past year, leaving staffing levels below what department leaders say are necessary, and the head of the police union fears that number could double by next year.

“I’m fearful that we could lose up to 400 people within a year’s time, and then, where does that put us in our community?” Mike Solan, the president of the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild, told the Washington Examiner.

“It would take decades to recover,” he said.

In 2020, Seattle saw its highest number of murders in 26 years, and crime in the city has trended upward in keeping with a national rise in violence.

This is such an obvious result I find it necessary to believe the politicians responsible intended this outcome. They are deliberately destroying “The Emerald City”.

Quote of the day—Francisco

All of which points directly to many Americans increasingly realizing that individual independence, sustainability, and resilience matters, and it’s not a big reach from there to deciding “if I’m taking care of myself, why do I need any of those people?” Official Washington can safely be left behind their patrolled fence, they’ll be superfluous, a theatrical performance only for each other.

We’re certainly not there yet, but I think I may be able to see parts of it from here. Don’t stop working toward the goal, and provide what assistance you can to those traveling the path with you.

Francisco
June 3, 2021
Comment to Quote of the day—Caroline Glick
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Why are anti-gun people so violent?

Yesterday morning I got a phone call. It went something like this:

Caller (voice of a young woman): Is this Joe Huffman?
Joe: Yes.
Caller: I’m <full name>. I live in <state>. You have a tweet of mine on your blog. It says, “<two sentences giving insight into why the right to keep and bear arms is important>”. I still believe that. But even though I have deleted my twitter account people are still able to connect me with that tweet. I’m getting a lot of hate mail and death threats because of that. I’m only <age> years old. I can’t really deal with this. Can you remove that blog post?
Joe: I’m in meeting at work right now. If you will send me an email with a link to the blog post so I can find it easily I’ll take it down later today. Can you do that?
Caller: Yes. I can do that. Thank you sir.

This was the email thread:

Sent: Wednesday, June 2, 2021 10:19 AM
To: blog@joehuffman.org

Link to the post  <deleted>

From: Joe Huffman
Sent:
Wednesday, June 2, 2021 11:21 AM

The post is now gone.

It so terrible that something like this would generate so much hate.

If it would be of any use to you I can go through my log files and find the IP addresses of everyone (or during certain time frames) who viewed this blog post. Cyber security professionals (this is what I do) working with the police can use this information to (in most, but not all cases) find the person behind the IP address.

Regards,

Joe Huffman
Cell: 208-301-4254
Blog: https://blog.joehuffman.org/

Sent: Wednesday, June 2, 2021 11:22 AM
To:
Joe Huffman

Thank you so much for your help sir.

I find it very telling that both the anti-gun people are sending out death threats and that they are targeting a woman so young she cannot legally purchase a handgun rather than me.

Why are they so violent? It’s part of their nature.

Why are they targeting a young woman with her right to keep and bear arms infringed by the government rather than me? That is a rhetorical question. We all know the answer. And this gives us all the information we need to know about what they will do if we are disarmed.

I wish I could reproduce that tweet without increasing her risk. Her experience demonstrates the accuracy of her tweet.

Prepare appropriately.

Quote of the day—Caroline Glick

The polarization of opinion on Israel that we are witnessing in American politics between Republicans who support Israel and Democrats who oppose Israel, is an expression of a much larger division within American society. The heartbreaking but undeniable fact is that today you can’t talk about “America” as a single political entity.

Today there are two Americas, and they cannot abide by one another. One America – traditional America – loves Israel and America. The other America – the New America – hates Israel and doesn’t think much of America, either.

Traditional America believes that the U.S. brought the promise of liberty to the world and that even though it is far from perfect, the United States is the greatest country in human history. In the eyes of the citizens of Traditional America, Israel is a kindred nation and the U.S.’s best friend and most valued ally in the Middle East.

New America, in contrast, believes that America was born in the sin of slavery. New Americans insist America will remain evil and an object of scorn at home and abroad so long it refuses to exchange its values of liberty, capitalism, equal opportunity and patriotism with the values of racialism and equity, socialism, equality of outcomes, and globalization. For New Americans, just as the U.S. was born in the sin of white supremacy so Israel was born in the sin of Zionism. In New America, Israel will have no right to exist so long as it clings to its Jewish national identity, refusing to become a “state of all its citizens.”

Caroline Glick
May 28, 2021
Dark Clouds: Google, Amazon, Israel and the New America
[Via email from Paul K.

In recent months, more so than in previous years, it has been made more and more clear the conflict of visions (no, not this conflict of visions) may be irreconcilable via peaceful means. One vision is of collective rights, planning, and responsibility. The other is of individual rights, planning, and responsibility.

This collective rights and collective responsibility inevitably lead to individual injustice. The process of achieving equality of outcomes because a moral imperative and an easy sale to many people. Today we have calls for reparations. Even if this were conceded it would not end. Distribution of property equally or according to need will follow. Some time after that would be the demands for retribution. And so it would continue until the final true equality is clearly in sight and a remaining majority, or powerful enough minority, put a stop true equality.

The bottom line is that achieving equality of outcomes becomes an unending task because:

Full equality comes with death. And it should come as no surprise the political left is well acquainted with death on a very large scale.

This is the unspoken promise of the collective vision. Today, the collective vision is making itself more visible and more insistent on making “progress”.

Prepare appropriately.—Joe]

Interesting times

Gun sales: Best May ever, 2021 set to crush record, public ‘afraid of violence, tyranny’:

2021 looks to double the number of background checks and sales of 2015, when 23 million checks were conducted.

Quote of the day—Operation Blazing Sword / Pink Pistols

We oppose David Chipman’s nomination as ATF Director with the same vigor as we would if a known homophobe were nominated to oversee hate crime investigation, and for exactly the same reasons.

Operation Blazing Sword / Pink Pistols
May 29, 2021
Chipman Appointment: “Like a Homophobe Investigating Hate Crimes”
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Firearms Policy Coalition @gunpolicy

The ATF’s entire reason for existing is to restrict liberty. Proposed rule 2021R-05, which seeks to redefine “frame or receiver,” is a perfect example of this. An agency like that cannot be redeemed. Submit a comment and stand for natural rights at Fight ATF!

Firearms Policy Coalition @gunpolicy
Tweeted on May 27, 2021
[With all the people supporting the “defund the police” movement you would think abolishing the ATF could get some traction. It’s not going to happen.

As a side note, I find it interesting that the people most interested in defunding the police don’t want to defund the ATF. And those most interested in abolishing the ATF don’t want to defund the police.—Joe]

Quote of the day—FreeRangeChicken @chicken_range

You just told me to refresh myself on period verbiage, so refresh yourself on period guns. You just jump all over the place to advocate for your little dick stick.

FreeRangeChicken @chicken_range
Tweeted on May 27, 2021
[It’s another Markley’s Law Monday! Via a tweet from In Chains @InChainsInJail.

We have SCOTUS decisions. They have crude, juvenile, insults.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Robb Allen @ItsRobbAllen

The problem isn’t who is being picked to lead the ATF, the problem is that there an ATF to be lead.

Abolish it.

Robb Allen @ItsRobbAllen
Tweeted on May 29, 2021
[Why should there exist a government organization to regulate an specific enumerated right? Is there a government bureau for the regulation of churches?

See also: Some questions don’t make sense in a free society.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Alan M. Gottlieb

All law-abiding citizens of this country are considered adults at the age of 18 for nearly all purposes. They can vote, enter into contracts, start businesses, get married and join the military. But the state prohibits them from exercising the fundamental right to bear arms, that is, to carry a handgun outside the home or in an automobile, even though the state allows other adults to obtain a license to carry firearms in public.

We’re asking the court to remedy this situation by issuing an injunction against further enforcement of the ban on our individual plaintiffs and other young adults facing the same situation. Citizens in this age group enjoy nearly all of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution except when it comes to the Second Amendment. This cannot be allowed to stand.

Alan M. Gottlieb
May 27, 2021
SAF FILES FEDERAL CHALLENGE TO ILL. CARRY BAN FOR YOUNG ADULTS
[Incrementalism at work.

It’s a good venue as well. Judges in the Seventh Circuit have been good to us.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Sam Jacobs

Red August was effectively a series of politically motivated riots; however, the riots were not stopped by the police force of China. The Red Guards often received official protection from the police, who instead enacted harsh measures against anyone who dared to resist Mao’s Red Guards. Red August is generally considered the beginning of the Red Terror in China. Red Guards from Beijing No. 6 High School famously wrote “Long Live Red Terror!” on the wall with the blood of their victims.

It is easy to get bogged down in the various details of the Cultural Revolution, but it is the broader points that are most important. The Cultural Revolution was, at least ostensibly, wages against “the Five Black Categories:” landlords, rich farmers, counter-revolutionaries, bad influences, and rightists and “the Four Olds:” Old Ideas, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Customs.

Finally, it is worth noting the ferocity with which people were attacked for holding opinions that were until very recently uncontroversial. There was a massive, hysterical push to destroy symbols of Chinese history that had become unfavorable due to the current political climate. Those who were being persecuted by the government were, somewhat perversely, painted as if they were an oppressive class being uprooted by a revolutionary government that was going to equalize society by addressing historical injustices.

Sam Jacobs
May 2021
How Totalitarianism Rhymes Throughout History: Czechoslovakia, China, & Venezuela
[Does this sound familiar? Perhaps even “rhyme” with current events?

Take appropriate action.—Joe]

Good point

Via daughter Jaime:

Excess

Quote of the day—Lee Reiners

Crypto enthusiasts call me a Luddite, statist, technophobe or worse. Asset bubbles are maintained by a common narrative, and anyone who dares question it must be attacked. But a growing chorus is pointing out the emperor has no clothes.

Lee Reiners
May 25, 2021
Ban Cryptocurrency to Fight Ransomware
[I’m certainly no fan of cryptocurrency. I might even concede that banning it would put a serious dent in ransomware. But I am very reluctant to advocate a ban on it. Doesn’t the First Amendment protect it?

When I first heard of Bitcoin I was rather enthused about it until I discovered it wasn’t completely anonymous. Anonymous financial transactions are a critical component of a free society. Anonymous financial transactions with anyone in the world who has access to a computer would solve a lot of freedom issues. To the best of my knowledge all anonymous financial transactions still, and will in the foreseeable future, require a physical exchange.

Hence, I am inclined to agree with Reiners:

It isn’t obvious that cryptocurrency provides any benefit at all beyond the chance to make a quick buck. I have been studying the crypto market since its inception, and I have yet to identify a single task or process that crypto makes easier, better, cheaper or faster. Don’t take my word for it. Ask any friend why he owns cryptocurrency, and the answer will invariably be “to make money.” In other words, speculation.

With all the above in mind what I would like to see is the natural death via a loss of faith in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general such that it can’t be used for criminal acts.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Francisco

Write that down and pin it to the corkboard in your office.
It will turn out to be one of the greatest understatements you will have ever made.

Not that quantum computing will not produce many absolutely amazing positive results, it will, but the view of them will be obscured by all the smoking craters QC causes.

Francisco
May 25, 2021
Comment to Quantum computing as a threat to Bitcoin
[I’m currently of the opinion the positive results will be on par with the smoking craters. But I’m not knowledgable enough on the subject to claim any expertise.

We live in interesting times.—Joe]

Just one of the risks

About a week ago a reader sent me an email:

Subject: Gun Registration Fail

An important part of the DC Police hack that nobody is covering or even speculating on:

DC has gun registration, handled by the MPD.

Presumably (NO EVIDENCE OF THIS YET): The hackers now have:

A list of every legal gun owner in DC, with their home address, work address, birthplace, and Social Security number.
A list of every legal gun each gun owner owns.
The location that gun is kept in the home (DC requires this information as part of the registration process).
A list of every Carry Permit holder in DC.

you can find the Reg form here for the information collected, and _potentially_ stolen/hacked.
https://mpdc.dc.gov/node/1494261

I’ve been looking and waiting for evidence the security breach (see also here) affected gun owner in D.C. I’ve not seen any yet.

Regardless, this is an additional risk of gun and gun owner registration. And not just to gun owners. If the bad guys have a list of all the gun owners in a city that means they also know which homes don’t have gun owners. Hence, they can create their own list of soft targets.

This is just one of the risks, to the entire population, of the illegal registration of an inalienable right.

Incrementalism

In Texas:

A measure allowing Texans to carry a firearm without a license is on the brink of becoming a law after the state Senate on Monday approved the bill, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott, who has pledged to sign the Republican-championed legislation into law.

The bill makes legal what gun rights advocates have dubbed “constitutional carry,” or permitless carry. It would allow Texans over the age of 21 to carry a firearm without first obtaining a license as long as they are not barred by state or federal law from doing so. Under current law, Texans are generally required to have a license to carry a handgun either openly or concealed.

More than a dozen other states have similar laws on the books.

It wasn’t that long ago that Texas finally stopped infringing upon the rights of people who wished to openly carry a firearm. And it was in 1995 which concealed carry was legalized (this last link has a great history of the incrementalism of concealed carry laws in the entire country).

Now Texans will soon have constitutional carry.

At least for concealed carry of firearms the pragmatic incrementalism has worked. The principled approach of all or nothing does not have appeared to significantly contributed to our nationwide success in restoring this fundamental right.

Sign of things to come?

Is this some sort of communist takeover and a sign of things to come?

Squatters take over multimillion-dollar Sammamish home, police say hands are tied

Neighbors identified the two people as the squatters and both were arrested for burglary, according to Pingrey. Both were out of jail within days and headed back to the home, bringing more people with them.

“After they were out of jail, we had a large group trying to get back into the house,” Pingrey said. “No one was supposed to be there. The homeowners were not allowing anyone to stay there.”

Taking the advice of local prosecutors and lawyers, Pingrey said law enforcement is limited in what they can do. His frustrations hit a boiling point when the squatters demanded to be allowed to take property inside the home with them. Pingrey said, legally, his hands were tied and officers conducted a “civil standby.”

Pictures taken by a neighbor show police vehicles lined up on the street with officers watching, as the squatters filled a U-Haul truck with items inside. Another picture shows a garage full of appliances, including an ATM.

“We were not allowed to go in there with them and had to allow them to take this property out,” Pingrey said. “The person who had been illegally living there (was able) to come in and get what they stated was their property.”

Or is it some sort of misguided law with a loophole being exploited?

Quote of the day—Christopher F. Rufo @realchrisrufo

I learned about racism, slavery, segregation, Jim Crow, and the Trail of Tears in my K-12 education. I never learned about the Holodomor, Cultural Revolution, and 100 million dead from global communism. American schools haven’t “whitewashed” history; they’ve “redwashed” it.

Christopher F. Rufo @realchrisrufo
Tweeted on May 24, 2021
[Via daughter Jaime.

It’s been a long time since I looked at school history book but I suspect this is a valid point.—Joe]