Good news

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Appeals court rules firearms dealers can sell handguns to 18-year-olds:

A 53-year-old law preventing federally licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns or handgun ammunition to adults under the age of 21 is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

A divided panel on the Richmond, Va.-based Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a Virginia federal judge’s ruling upholding the federal Gun Control Act of 1968.

“When do constitutional rights vest? At 18 or 21? 16 or 25? Why not 13 or 33?” asked US Circuit Judge Julius Richardson in his ruling. “In the law, a line must sometimes be drawn. But there must be a reason why constitutional rights cannot be enjoyed until a certain age. Our nation’s most cherished constitutional rights vest no later than 18. And the Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms is no different.”

Richardson was appointed by Trump. The optimist in me believes Trump appointed judges will be the straw that breaks the back of nearly all meaningful gun control.

Quote of the day—President Joe Biden

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While there’s no one-size-fit-all approach, we know there are some things that work. And the first of those that work is stemming the flow of firearms.

President Joe Biden
July 12, 2021
Biden to Promote Plan to Reduce Gun Violence
[Citation needed.

Not only that, where and how do firearms “flow”? Do books and religion flow? Does he want to stem the flow of books and religion too?

How about saying something that makes sense? Then we can talk about information flow.

That he wants to stop or dam up the exercise of a specific enumerated right tells you all you need to know about his fitness for employment as a public servant.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Brant Lambermont @brantlambermont

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in you cannot. nor can you Viagra without a (real) doctor note though the latter would be better use of those tiny, limp penises

Brant Lambermont @brantlambermont
Tweeted on June 13, 2021
[They use childish insults because it’s the best they can come up with.

He was replying to this tweet from David Hogg:

It shouldn’t be legal to buy guns, gun parts or bullets off the internet.

On the other hand I am of the opinion that a gun is like a book. Possession, use, and purchase is a specific enumerated right. You should be able to be purchase them anyway, anytime, and anywhere.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Black Lives Matter Utah Chapter

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When we Black Americans see this flag we know the person flying it is not safe to be around,” the post reads. “When we see this flag we know the person flying it is a racist. When we see this flag we know that the person flying it lives in a different America than we do. When we see this flag, we question your intelligence. We know to avoid you. It is a symbol of hatred.

Black Lives Matter Utah Chapter
July 4, 2021
Black Lives Matter Utah chapter calls American flag ‘symbol of hatred’
[This is what they think of you.

Respond appropriately.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Trace Munson

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As we’ve noted many times before, anti-gunners believe that firearms are actually just men’s way of “overcompensating” for our genitalia.  When Governor Cuomo shut the gun stores down at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the guns struck back with a bullying campaign, teasing poor Andy that all the women around him could tell that he had a small penis. He had two choices: Either re-open the gun stores and allow the guns to go back to gunning around killing innocent people all by gunselves, or correct everyone’s false belief about his mighty member.

Trace Munson
July 8, 2021
More Things Cuomo Can Blame on Guns
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Carol Swain

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When I hear young Blacks—or anyone, for that matter—talk about systemic racism, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I want to laugh because it’s such nonsense. I want to cry because I know it’s pushing untold numbers of young Blacks into a dead end of self-pity and despair. Instead of seizing the amazing opportunities America offers them, they seize an excuse to explain why they’re not succeeding.

Carol Swain
What I Can Teach You About Racism
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Larry Sanger

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Wikipedia, like many other deeply biased institutions of our brave new digital world, has made itself into a kind of thought police that has de facto shackled conservative viewpoints with which they disagree. Democracy cannot thrive under such conditions: I maintain that Wikipedia has become an opponent of vigorous democracy. Democracy requires that voters be given the full range of views on controversial issues, so that they can make up their minds for themselves. If society’s main information sources march in ideological lockstep, they make a mockery of democracy. Then the wealthy and powerful need only gain control of the few approved organs of acceptable thought; then they will be able to manipulate and ultimately control all important political dialogue.

Larry Sanger
Founder of Wikipedia
June 30, 2021
Wikipedia Is More One-Sided Than Ever
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Lauren Footman

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We, as Americans, demand the right to live free from gun violence. Historic disinvestment in communities and unregulated access to guns equals more gun deaths. It’s really that simple.

Lauren Footman
Director of Outreach and Equity at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence,
Via email on July 6, 2021
[Apparently Footman is unaware of a well known truth:

Every complex problem has a solution which is simple, direct, plausible—and wrong.

Henry Louis Mencken
Modified from the original in his 1920 collection of essays called “Prejudices: Second Series”.

She is also flat out wrong about there being the possibility of a right “to live free of gun violence.”

It comes as no surprise to find an anti-gun advocate expressing ignorance and falsehoods. It’s part of their culture.

Respond and prepare appropriately.—Joe]

Quote of the day—David Codrea

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I’d argue that one of the most in-your-face tyrannical phrases ever constructed is:

“RESTRICTED FOR GOVERNMENT OR LAW ENFORCEMENT USE ONLY”

David Codrea
June 29, 2021
Second Amendment will be Nullified if ‘Common Use’ is Restricted to ‘Popularity’
[A far more appropriate, and almost never used phrase, is found here:

Law Enforcement Restrictions

…

Governments that are unfriendly to basic human rights are not allowed the use…

It appears most people are of the opinion that our public servants are actually masters of the public. This attitude needs to change.—Joe]

Quote of the day—@MyBoxMyChoice21

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Zero humans need a weapon that powerful. Most have them to compensate for s.

@MyBoxMyChoice21
Tweeted on June 23, 2021
[The irony of someone having a user name asserting freedom of choice and making a tweet about others having no need to make choices for themselves is surely lost on someone so stupid they claim an AR-15 is particularly powerful or that it is used as a penis substitute.

But, such is the situation with people who have little or no respect for civil rights.

They have childish insults. We have SCOTUS decisions.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Brandon Smith

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Political elites see California as their own little kingdom with their own special laws, and they plan to eventually spread those laws across America using California as the model. But, if such laws are overturned as unconstitutional, then the precedent actually works in reverse. Now, the leftists are concerned that an overturned gun ban in CA means more blue states will follow and their entire gun grabbing scheme will go out the window.

Brandon Smith
June 11, 2021
The Real Reasons Why California Leftists Are Terrified Of The AR-15
[The optimist in me sees the extremist gun restrictions in California gun as an opportunity. They have pushed things far past what normal people could possibly view as reasonable it makes it easier to get precedent set in our favor.

Once we have a firm defensive line we can then attack at whatever weak spot we chose and establish another firm defensive line. That is how we achieved shall issue concealed carry and how we are getting constitutional carry. That was mostly in the legislative domain but the same battle plan should work in the domain of the courts.

I would love to see, as Lyle demands, prosecutions of the perpetrators. But, the same reason California presents itself as an opportunity for us makes the prosecution angle difficult or perhaps impossible. The political jurisdictions with the best opportunities for prosecutions are the jurisdictions least likely to be friendly for prosecutions. We can escalate failures in the courts to friendly territory, but we cannot initiate prosecutions in friendly territory —Joe]

Quote of the day—Mark Truppner

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With the increase in firearms across the state, Bonta partnered with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence to call on Californians to utilize the state’s red flag laws – Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) and Domestic Violence Restraining Orders (DVROs). GVROs and DVROs can help local law enforcement temporarily recover firearms or prevent the purchase of firearms by individuals who have shown a probability to commit violence. Red flag laws can be a proactive tool to help prevent gun violence.

Mark Truppner
July 2, 2021
Attorney General Bonta Releases 2020 Gun Sales Data
[“Prevent crime” by confiscation of a constitutionally protected property.

What is the proper action to be taken to prevent Bonta and his ilk from committing the crime of deprivation of rights under color of law?—Joe]

Quote of the day—Edd Gent

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How do old cells in adult humans give rise to the youthful cells found in infants? New research suggests they reset to their lowest biological age in early embryonic development, with potential ramifications for longevity science.

For a long time, it was assumed that germline cells—those that form eggs and sperm and pass a parent’s genetic information on to their children—were essentially ageless. But how this could be was never clear and more recent research had shown that germline cells do accumulate the signs of aging.

This led to the conclusion that there must be some kind of rejuvenation event that allows the offspring’s cells to start with a clean slate. But when and how this occurs was a mystery.

Now a team from Harvard has shown that the age of mouse embryo cells resets about a week into development, representing the “ground zero” of aging. The finding not only provides insight into the fundamental dynamics of aging, but also suggests we might mimic the process in adult cells to rejuvenate aging tissues.

Edd Gent
June 28, 2021
Harvard Scientists Pinpoint ‘Ground Zero’ of Aging in Mouse Embryo Study
[I had often wondered about this. If old age is caused, primarily, by the shortening of telomeres, then how do embryos get normal length telomeres from non-infant parents? I figured that someone must know, it’s such an obvious question. And the obvious follow up question of, “Can we replicate this restoration of telomeres in an organism?” Must have an answer similar to, “No, it only happens during the union of a single sperm and egg.”

That these were unanswered questions has incredible consequences now that answers are being discovered.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Aaron P. Tutt @aaronptutt

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Every gun owner wants to kill. That is the only reason to own a gun. Going to the range is just killing practice. There are other ways to keep yourself safe. The only purpose of a gun is murder.

Aaron P. Tutt @aaronptutt
Tweeted on Jun 29, 2021
[So… what do you suppose one should do with people that want to kill, practice killing, and have tools which have murder as their only purpose? I think Mr. Tutt has a pretty clear idea of what he thinks should be done with us.

The belief that one can read the mind of others is frequently the sign of a personality disorder. This typically is restricted to someone well known to them.

That Tutt claims to know want 100’s of millions of people think is an indication he is completely bonkers or is deliberately trolling.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Adam Winkler

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If you’re a gun-rights group challenging the law in California then you want to be before Judge Benitez. He has become the most vigorous defender of gun rights in the federal courts today.

Adam Winkler
Law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles
June 21, 2021
California Gun-Control Battles Sparked by One Judge’s Decisions
[I hope Benitez is well protected. He is a major player in getting the long standing infringements on our rights overturned.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Kat Timpf @KatTimpf

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The government is made up of people in power who wanted to be in power and I think it’s important to remember that.

Kat Timpf @KatTimpf
Tweeted on June 25, 2021
[Never forget there are people who openly claim, “I was born to regulate.” There are also people who believe they are “born to rule”. They may be less public about it but they exist.

Power is addicting for these people. They get a thrill out of wielding power. And as time goes on to achieve the same thrill requires more and more power.

I suspect this was one of the reasons for the U.S. Constitution to have enumerated powers. Of course, as a practical matter, that didn’t last long.

A case could be made for nominations for political office to be made via lottery system. Perhaps then people would see the advantages of minimizing the power of government to the bare minimum of what cannot be done well via the private sector. But I suspect some other “lesson” and “solution” would be discovered to enable power hungry monsters to take over government.

I’m certain as long as there is a need for governments there will be a need for the citizen option of rooftop vetoing government overreach.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Dennis @AllanJu70286484

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Dudes with small dicks need AR-15s. They can’t get laid or satisfy a woman so they get their rocks off with a gun. Facts Hundred points symbol

Dennis @AllanJu70286484
Tweeted on June 15, 2021
[It’s another Markley’s Law Monday! Via a tweet from In Chains @InChainsInJail.

Citation needed.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Jim Rickards

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The case against Bitcoin as an investable asset is long and compelling. It has no use case; there’s almost nothing you can buy with a Bitcoin, and it has no return other than higher prices based on an application of the greater fool theory.

A glance at the price chart shows it’s clearly a bubble, the worst in history, worse than NASDAQ in 2000 during the dot.com frenzy and worse than the Japanese stock market in 1989.

…

Bitcoin will never be a reserve currency because its capped issuance amount makes its price deflationary, which is unattractive to borrowers. Without a Bitcoin bond market, there can be no securities in which central banks can invest reserves.

Worse yet, the Bitcoin price is a Ponzi scheme driven by the issuance of the stable coin Tether, which has never accounted for the billions of dollars that have been taken from naïve Tether investors. That said, none of this matters.

Bitcoin has become a belief system. The true believers see what they want, hear what they want and are immune to the arguments of the non-believers.

…

Bitcoin will never displace the dollar, but it could destroy confidence in the dollar by its all-encompassing impact. This could cause social disorder and contribute to the decline of linear, rational civilization.

My solution to this conundrum is to hold physical gold. For the Bitcoin believers (and others), the solution is always… more Bitcoin.

The market is becoming unhinged. Gold can be your anchor.

Jim Rickards
March 15, 2021
The “Bros” Are Preparing Their Next Attack
[I’m not certain it is as compelling as Rickards appears to claim. And you will notice he is not consistent. He claims it has no use case but how can it “destroy confidence in the dollar by its all-encompassing impact” if it can’t be used for anything?

But I am in general agreement with him. I own zero Bitcoin. I do own some gold.—Joe]

Important 4th Amendment case

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The Bill of Rights isn’t completely dead:

Appeals Court Rules Aerial Police Tracking of Citizens Violates Fourth Amendment

The use of surveillance planes in Baltimore to track people’s movement for long periods without a warrant is a violation of the Fourth Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.

The case revolved around an air surveillance program run by the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) called Aerial Investigation Research (AIR). Beginning in 2016, BPD announced it would be using cameras attached to planes to conduct aerial surveillance to fight crime.

Quote of the day—Tamara K. @TamSlick

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Vaccines can’t melt steel beams… unless they’re weakened by 5G exposure!

Tamara K. @TamSlick
Tweeted on June 25, 2021
[I’m a little surprised that she didn’t manage to get in a reference to the grassy knoll. Certainly she has the talent to do so. But, perhaps that’s getting a little obscure for the youngsters out there.—Joe]