Victimhood is cherished by the left. As one of their media of exchange it is like gold to them. It is one of the highest forms of existence, for which they all long, to which they all aspire, and which they would have us all attain at their hands as payment in kind.
Lyle Keeney
November 21, 2010
Comment to Quote of the day—Kurt Hofmann
[This is in regards to Virginia Tech gun control victim Colin Goddard representing the Brady Campaign.—Joe]
The headline is The Pope drops Catholic ban on condoms in historic shift but even after reading the article I can’t help but think (someone else said this long before I thought of it, but I don’t remember who it was), “If you don’t play the game you shouldn’t be in a position to make the rules.”
They might as well have put an arsonist in charge of the fire department.
Chris Cox
November 17, 2010
Executive director, NRA Institute for Legislative Action.
Cox is referring to the appointment of Andrew Traver as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE).
[This statement indicates Cox is operating on the assumption that the ATF serves as valid a purpose as the fire department. I’m not at all convinced it does and I’m not convinced Cox believes that either.
I think a better analogy would be putting a KKK Grand Wizard in charge of the Bureau of Minority Regulation.–Joe]
We are expected to accept Goddard as some kind of expert on our rights–as having some unique insight about how to legitimately infringe on that which shall not be infringed–not because of extensive study on his part of Constitutional law (his major was international studies), but because he was shot. When he argues that continuing the mandated defenselessness policies on college campuses is necessary for safety (despite how poorly that worked at VA Tech and elsewhere), we are similarly asked to accept that he is an “expert” on the subject, not because of his extensive training in self-defense (which I have never seen claimed), but again because he was shot. By that standard, I suppose everyone who survives a heart attack is now a cardiologist.
Kurt Hofmann
November 15, 2010
‘Gun control’ gets a new poster boy
[Oh! I like this game:
–Joe]
Just open your eyes and realize that gun shop and school don’t belong in the same sentence.
Michelle
November 17, 2010
West Allis Alderman Proposes Gun Store Ban
[How about opening your eyes and realize that the Bill of Rights never mentions schools but does say, “…the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”—Joe]
The NRA just released a statement saying they are strongly opposed to Andrew Traver being appointed to head the BATFE. They rightly point out that he is tied to anti gun organizations and has been involved in deliberate deceptions regarding firearms in common use and protected by the Second Amendment.
Sebastian elaborates further on some of these same points.
Say Uncle says, “We don’t need a guy from Chicago running an agency that deals with guns. We need Cletus and Bubba who like to blow stuff up.” But I disagree.
I’m in alignment with Rob who says, “There is no need for the United States to have the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice BATFE.”
Does it really matter who the head of the Bureau of Political Speech and Book Censorship is? Or how about the Bureau of Blacks, Jews, and Homosexuals? The answer is a very vigorous, “No!”
As long as the BATFE is a regulatory and enforcement agency instead of government surplus distribution center it doesn’t matter. The political goals and fight remains the same regardless of who the head is.
The entire organization should be abolished and most of the people involved with the organization, it’s formation, and funding prosecuted.
It’s time to quit worrying and learn to love the battle axe. History teaches us that if we don’t, someone else will.
Jack Donovan
Violence is Golden
[Via Linoge and Hsoi.
I find the phrase “battle axe” somewhat jarring. It should be “gun”. But perhaps Donovan intended it to be jarring. A battle axe is far more messy than a gun. A gun is civilized. Referring to a battle axe instead of a gun brings the point into sharper focus (puns intended).—Joe]
Via Alan we have this admission from the TSA:
“No one likes their Fourth Amendment violated going through a security line. But the truth of the matter is we are going to have to do it.”
I am reminded of a quote by William Pitt the younger, “Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.”
TSA, it’s time for all of you to go—preferably after having been convicted of 18 USC 242.
I haven’t read the entire set of documents but the basics appear to be that a group of people conspired to hide their true political backers, distributed political materials harmful to a pro-gun candidate, who then lost by 122 votes.
Here is a tidbit I found in the documents alleging demonstrating misconduct:
If you voted in the primary in her legislative district (Washington State 38th district—in or near Everett) you can help. Read the following and fill out the Declaration and send it to her.
Via email from Joe Waldron:
From: Joe Waldron
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 4:28 PM
Subject: GOAL Alert, 38th Legislative DistrictDear GOAL listers:
GOAL is a political action committee (PAC) registered with the state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) with the mission of supporting pro-gun candidates to elected office in Washington, primarily at the state level. (Due to RCW 9.41.290, state preemption, most firearms-related legislation is limited to the state level.)
In furtherance of this goal, GOAL has endorsed and given campaign contributions to candidates from BOTH major political parties, and occasionally to minor party candidates. The determining factor is their position on the Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 24 of the Washington state constitution.
Once again in a Washington election, there are reports of inappropriate or even illegal activity conducted in support of or opposition to several candidates. (Hard to believe, I know, but apparently Chicago-style politics has made it to the great Northwest.)
One of these allegations of illegal activity involves a group calling itself Moxie Media. At the request of the PDC, state Attorney General Rob McKenna is investigating Moxie Media’s actions in the 2010 elections. According to the PDC report, Moxie Media created several separate organizations to conduct attacks on candidates too conservative for their liking. Moxie Media allegedly received its funding from several labor unions, among others. .
One of the candidates they attacked during the primary election period was Senator Jean Berkey, a Democrat representing the 38th District (NW Snohomish county).
Senator Berkey has been in the legislature since 2001, and a Senator since 2003. Senator Berkey was given an A- rating by the NRA-ILA Political Victory Fund and was also endorsed by GOAL and recommended to its members by the Washington Arms Collectors.
Senator Berkey lost the primary election by 122 votes.
I recently received the below communication from Senator Berkey. I believe she has a case. And the individual elected, Democrat Nick Harper, didn’t even bother to return the Candidate Questionnaire. That gives a pretty strong indication as to where he will stand on gun issues.
The GOAL list is a statewide e-mail list. I have no idea who on the list lives in what legislative district, hence the general mailing. This e-mail is intended for residents of the 38th District .
If you live in the 38th and you believe your vote in the primary election may have been influenced by the Moxie Media mailing, please give Senator Berkey a hand. She has been there for us, and deserves your support.
TIA,
Joe Waldron
Chairman, GOAL
Legislative chairman, WAC
Legislative chairman, WSR&PA
E-MAIL FROM SENATOR BERKEY:
Joe,
Thank you for your endorsement and your help with the Primary election in the 38th Legislative District.
I lost the Primary election by 122 votes and I believe some mail sent out by Moxie Media on behalf of some liberal Democratic groups cost me the election.
They designed the last minute mail to look like it was from Republicans (Cut Taxes PAC) to fool conservative voters. Unfortunately, it was well done and worked.
I believe the Attorney General may overturn the election and the liberal Democratic candidate that won the election may not be seated in the Senate.
I will send you this link to the PDC report (130 pages) that will shock you with the arrogance of these liberal labor and attorney groups. Every member of the Gun Owners Action League should read this report to see what we are up against.
www.pdc.wa.gov/archive/commissionmeetings/meetingshearings/pdfs/2010/11.015.pdf
Also, I will send this link to the editorial published by the Olympian.
http://www.theolympian.com/2010/11/10/1434238/maneuver-to-finance-political.html
I need help from your members in Everett and Marysville (the 38th Legislative District) and would like to ask them look at the attached Declaration (BerkeyDeclaration.doc–27 KB). If they voted during the last five days of the Primary election on August 17th, they may want to complete it and return it to me. If they have any questions, they should contact me at jeanberkey AT comcast.net.
It won’t cost them a penny and may prevent another gun control nut from being elected to the Washington State Senate.
Thank you for all your great help,
Senator Jean Berkey
If there are adjustments we need to make as we move forward, we have an open ear.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
November 16, 2010
TSA: Despite objections, all passengers must be screened
[I seriously doubt whether her ear can open wide enough because I think the entire TSA (A Security Theater) should be forcibly shoved into her ear and left there.—Joe]
I believe it is a mistake for us to borrow $700 billion to make tax cuts permanent for millionaires and billionaires. It won’t significantly boost the economy and it’s hugely expensive, so we can’t afford it.
President Barack Obama
November 14, 2010
Obama Says He’s Committed to Middle-Class Tax Cut Extension
[Just the phrase “we can’t afford it” and the word “expensive” in reference to a tax cut tells you how out of touch with reality he is or desires to change your perception of it. The proper usage of those words is more like, ‘You can’t afford spending money on expensive items.” You use a different set of words to describe taking money from people at gun point.—Joe]
Microsoft is being closed mouthed about the sales numbers for Windows Phone 7 but the indications are that it is doing well:
Early reports hint that Windows Phone 7 has been selling strongly in international markets, with DigiTimes reporting in a Nov. 3 article that sales of HTC-build Windows Phone 7 smartphones are better than expected in Europe and Australia. In the U.K., news outlets reported a lack of available phones through carrier Orange.
“Early supporters of the new operating system such as South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are also experiencing rising demand from carriers,” suggested the DigiTimes article, which sourced its information as unnamed “Taiwan-based handset makers.”
TheStreet.com, citing an unnamed “market research source,” reported some 40,000 Windows Phone 7 devices sold in the United States on the first day of release. Neither Microsoft nor AT&T offered exact figures when contacted by eWEEK, although an AT&T spokesperson said the carrier was “encouraged by early demand from customers in stores and online.”
Microsoft employees (such as myself) were asked to not purchase new WP7 phones for a few days so the local stores would have phones in stock for the general public.
I haven’t decided which one I will get yet and I don’t really have a strong recommendation at this time. I have three “engineering units” in hand which I have been using for quite some time and will get my personal phone within the next few weeks.
I get the most unusual email:
From: timi top [mailto:timitop_007@yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2010 9:12 AM
To: joeh@boomershoot.org
Subject: how can i build a bomb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hello sir,
My name is temitope and I recite in Nigerian, it’s being a long time have been searching in other to know about how I can build bomb, it not just for fun, but for people in my area to know me that am one of the researcher, I will like you to put me through so people in my area will be doing that in my memory when I grow old and die, and I will be able to generate money from there, please sir I love it if you can help me through and also help me to buy some materials that can be use for it because am not in usa and I will need someone to help me in other to purchase this items and send it to Nigerian, you can reach me by my mobile number or my e-mail address, am on timitop_007@yahoo.com or call me on +2348169640844 I will be looking for to read from you soon bye and do have a lovely weekend aheard
TEMITOPE
I’m not sure I could find law enforcement in Nigeria but I may not need to because all the IP addresses in the email header are from New York. So I might as well play the fish for a while:
From: Joe Huffman [mailto:joeh@boomershoot.org]
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2010 10:21 AM
To: ‘timi top’
Subject: RE: how can i build a bomb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What do you want to do with the bomb? What does it need to be able to destroy? How big does it need to be?
-joe-
Update (11/15/2010 05:16): I received a response.
From: timi top [mailto:timitop_007@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2010 5:09 AM
To: Joe Huffman
Subject: RE: thanks for your reply sir
hello sir
thanks for your respond , i want to generate money from there, by selling to my country military people, not that i want to use it for harm or for any dirty game, is just to know know that am one of the people that develop technology in Nigerian please help me out sir, cos we have already have people that is building guns and bullet, but i want to be first person in Nigerian to build bomb and one of the people that develop Nigerian technology…… i will be looking forward to read from you again bye
TEMITOPE
I replied:
From: Joe Huffman [mailto:joeh@boomershoot.org]
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2010 5:16 AM
To: ‘timi top’
Subject: RE: thanks for your reply sir
I am sorry but I don’t have any experience in building those types of bombs. The difficulties are as much or more about the accurate delivery of the bomb than about the explosives which is where I have a little bit of expertise.
-joe-
It is no dishonor to be in a minority in the cause of liberty and virtue.
Samuel Adams
[There was a time when the defenders of the Second Amendment were in the minority. We fought on, even those many believed it was a losing battle, in part because we believed it was the honorable thing to do. We are now winning.
This quote reminds me of the famous Barry Goldwater quote which is also quite good.—Joe]
I couldn’t care less about truth and falsity or causation and correlation, or all that other double talk the pro-gun crowd like so much.
MikeB302000
November 12, 2010
Austin, Texas Murders Way Up
[We’ve known this for a long time but it’s nice for him to admit it. If only all the anti-gun people would do so it would make things a lot easier.—Joe]
How about we subsidize the gun safe business instead of pissing money down the ATFE-shaped rathole? If the VPC really wants to stop gun violence, offering low-cost gun safes would have more impact than supporting the Agency that Can’t Shoot Straight and/or introducing or tightening gun control legislation.
Robert Farago
November 12, 2010
Violence Policy Center: Great Landing, Wrong Airport
[The reason this approach is not taken is because the people that support the Brady Campaign and/or the VPC have a solution in search of supporting evidence. They are not searching for a solution to a problem.
It’s like someone looked at the crime rate among people with non-white skin compared to white-skin and used that as justification for laws such as curfews, registration, tracking, and even preemptive imprisonment of non-whites all the while claiming they were intended to “prevent colored violence”. Hence the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence would have a sister organization called “The Brady Campaign to Prevent Black Violence.” They don’t seem to understand that “preventing crime” in this manner is akin to claiming someone is “guilty until proven innocent” as well as infringing on a host of other guaranteed rights.—Joe]
I’ve been reading the posts on varies blog and people have been sending me email of videos (thank you Rob) and links.
I like this one best (thank you Kris):
Like I have said before, next on my list is the TSA. I wish I had the time and money to work on them full time. As I have said before I think I could have a lot of fun with them.
There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.
John Adams
[The only way to accomplish this is to have very strict limits on the power of government. Hence a constitution of enumerated powers. Now we just need a way to enforce those constitutional limits to power.—Joe]
Medicine only works when those in the job WANT to work harder to help people, and that happens most consistently when both those served and the server receive benefit from the service. Medical providers aren’t mercenary per se, but when almost every decision you make gets parsed by multiple, NON-Involved people, the only compensatory mechanism is financial reward.
Bill
November 8, 2010
Comment to Following the U.K. medical model.
[Wife Barb works in the medical field as well and what Bill says both here and in the rest of his comment matches her experience as well. Government involvement in health care does not improve it. It subjects it to review by people that weren’t there and don’t have near the training that you do. It makes it time consuming and frustrating dealing with the bureaucrats rather than working with the patients. This increases the cost. This drives away those that are passionate about improving peoples lives. This retains people who can tolerate pushing paper and drives away those that find providing good quality medical treatment rewarding.—Joe]
…you clearly haven’t been paying attention.
The Political Insider (requires registration for e-mail alerts) is fielding a poll, trying to find out who we want for the next Republican presidential candidate. It’s all multiple choice, with the usual suspects. There are some general opinion questions too. The one that really got me is; “Do you think the tea party represents the Republican Party?”
Oh boy. First; No, or I sure hope not. But that’s not the proper question. The proper question would be; “Do you think the Republican Party represents the tea party?” The answer is; “Hell No, that’s why the tea party exists. Get it?”
That, you Insiders, is the problem, and so the tea party is trying to overrun the Republican Party, co opt it, and bring it into line. The other question I did not see is; “What should be the primary goal of the Republican Party over the next several years?”
The one, simple answer is; “Get rid of socialism and purge the socialists from American government payrolls. All of it. All of them.” We’ve had enough.
They didn’t give us the opportunity to answer in our own words, so I deleted the message.