Reparation Fluff and Gibberish

Posted on by

Quote of the Day

Reparations provide a chance to heal our nation’s racial soul, remake our racial politics and transform dreams of a more egalitarian and interracial democracy into reality.

Joel Goza
Professor of ethics and the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Simmons College in Louisville, Ky.
June 29, 2023
California owes reparations for making Ronald Reagan president

I didn’t realize taking money from the general population and giving to people because of their skin color change people’s racial souls. In fact, I didn’t realize there was such a thing as racial souls. And how does an “interracial democracy” differ from an ordinary democracy?

It is exceedingly rare that I have read an article with so much fluff and gibberish with so little content. It is truly a marvel of rainbows and unicorns. It must be all the schooling required to become a professor that enabled him to get so out of touch with reality.

From Gods and Curses Into Psychology and Sex

Posted on by

Quote of the Day

i don’t think civilization has gotten less superstitious, i think it just shifted from gods and curses into psychology and sex

Aella (@Aella_Girl)
Tweeted on June 26, 2023

I could see a case being made for that.

Another Way to Enjoy Your Trial

Posted on by

Alan Korwin proposed a new law:

The U.S. Constitution, for all its strengths, revered and imitated worldwide, has a fatal flaw. A weakness of Greek-tragedy proportions. The Constitution lacks punishment for those who would violate its terms. Yes, there are avenues of recourse, but these have been neutered and rendered feckless in so many ways.

…

What America needs, what our Republic and Constitution need, is strict adherence to a policy of, “No infringement shall be tolerated.” Small encroachments—like licenses to carry arms or speech codes—must subject people proposing such violations to penalties. Gross infringements like, “We’re going to take away your favorite rifle—and of course we’ll keep ours,” require prison terms. Stiff penalties.

I’m not sure why 18 USC 242 doesn’t cover what his has in mind. Regardless, if there were a means of reliable prosecution I believe the concept is sound.

Gas Tax Loophole

Posted on by

You may have heard Washington state has the highest gas prices in the nation. A huge contribution to this is the state gas tax.

As I frequently drive to and from Idaho this is rather painful. However, I have found a loophole. The difference in the price of gasoline in Idaho versus the Seattle area is so great than I can buy ethanol free gasoline in Idaho for approximately the same price as I can purchase the 10% ethanol blended unleaded in Bellevue.

Ethanol free gasoline gives my car a noticeable boost in gas mileage. On my last return trip from Idaho I was able to demonstrate that I can fill up in Moscow, just over the border from Washington, and, driving at or under the speed limit, I make it back to Bellevue on a half tank of fuel.

That means that if I bring back a five or six gallon can of ethanol free gas I can drive around town a little and still make it all the way back to Idaho without giving the commie Washington state government a single penny of gasoline tax.

Oh, and I can buy all the standard capacity magazines and guns I want in Idaho while I’m there too. All 100% legal*.

*I am legally required to leave any such newly purchased items in Idaho until the courts overturn the illegal gun laws in Washington. But that is what the armory in my underground bunker is for.

Don’t Bring a Pitchfork to a Sword Fight

Posted on by

Via email from pkoning:

71-year-old homeowner’s gun jams when confronting alleged burglar armed with a pitchfork, so he draws his sword: ‘He just saw red’

A 71-year-old man and his 61-year-old wife returned to their home in Seattle’s North Beacon Hill neighborhood around 1:30 p.m. Sunday to find the place in disarray. The kitchen window was shattered. Various items were out of order. The homeowner ventured farther inside to find the culprit lurking in his living room, wielding a pitchfork.

…

The suspect followed the homeowner into the bedroom and wrestled him for control of the gun. Despite the alleged burglar’s best efforts, the homeowner managed to break free long enough to draw down on him. He aimed true and pulled the trigger, but the suspect was left still standing. The gun had jammed.

Since lead didn’t work, the homeowner opted for steel.

Police indicated that after his firearm failed him, the 71-year-old drew his samurai sword and skewered the suspect.

I would prefer backup guns to back up swords. That’s the good thing about the Second Amendment. It guarantees you can have either or both if you want.

They Have to Lie to Win

Posted on by

Quote of the Day

The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether to review a lower court ruling that struck down a law prohibiting domestic abusers from possessing guns. Speaking as someone who has represented families of women and children killed by domestic abusers with guns, the potential danger of this decision is hard to overstate. But under recent Supreme Court Second Amendment precedent, that danger is treated as virtually irrelevant.

How did we get here? Doesn’t the right of a child to live outweigh the right to own a Glock or an AR-15? In most of the world, yes. But in today’s America, probably not.

Jonathan Lowy
June 28, 2023
Hey, SCOTUS — the right to life trumps the right to own a gun

Hey Jonathan – the 2nd Amendment IS the balance between private gun ownership and public safety. SCOTUS has repeatedly said this. This is the age of the Internet. People can find and start read SCOTUS decisions with only a few seconds of effort. Nearly every sentence in your screed is an easily disprovable lie or is deliberately misleading. So stop the lying. You are just demonstrating your evil intent.

But, of course, if they were to stop lying they would have no hope of winning. It is their only hope.

AR-15 in Lawful Hands Brings Down Mass Shooter

Posted on by

Intense:

Via a Tweet from Chuck Petras @Chuck_Petras.

See also:

I Hope they Have the Right Guy

Posted on by

I’m not surprised. Idaho prosecutors are seeking the death penalty:

University of Idaho student murders suspect Bryan Kohberger is now fighting for his life.

Prosecutors had 60 days since Kohberger’s May 22 arraignment to inform the court and the defense that they planned to seek capital punishment.

They did so Monday in a court filing, alleging the 28-year-old “has exhibited a propensity to commit murder which will probably constitute a continuing threat to society.”

Almost for certain they have more evidence than is has been publicly released. And the defense hasn’t made their case yet. Hence, I am hesitant to be in support of conviction in this case. And if conviction is achieved I’m not sure I would support the death penalty because of the lingering doubt about them having the right guy.

I hope they do have the right guy. And if those doubts are crushed. Then, yes, this is an appropriate use of the death penalty.

Legal Bans Do Not Work

Posted on by

Wherever and whenever there is a demand the market will supply the product:

Now that a year has passed since women lost the right to abortion, we can assess how our neighbor Idaho’s near-total ban on it is faring.

In short: It has accomplished next to nothing.

You can’t say categorically that the Idaho ban hasn’t stopped a single abortion. But the data suggests that is essentially the case – that the whole thing is a burden, cost and danger to Idaho’s own women, but hasn’t met the anti-abortion goals that supposedly informed it.

We know this now because clinics in the Pacific Northwest have started releasing data on where women come from to use their services, both back when abortion was legal nationwide, and now that it’s not.

Idaho women are simply fleeing.

Bans didn’t stop alcohol consumption, minors from getting tobacco, or other recreational drug use. They didn’t stop criminals from getting handguns. And it should be no surprise it didn’t stop abortions. Just as there were abortions when they were banned prior to Roe v. Wade. I knew a high school classmate who traveled from Idaho to Washington get an abortion. And women are doing it again.

Reduction and even elimination of abortions is a worthy goal. But I can’t see the legal system making a significant change in the total numbers. It has to be cultural change.

Legal bans only work when you have an adversary party involved which has the ability to support the legal action.*

* In the case of murder you have friend, relatives, and dedicated detectives to “speak” for the victim. The aborted fetus/child is unable to speak for itself and without a dependable voice from those who know what happened.

Ignoring the Obvious

Posted on by

Aside from the willful misrepresentation of the scope of the problem, the creation of a new phrase “gun anxiety” they are ignoring the obvious:

Gun anxiety is making these parents reconsider school, family outings and more: ‘What we’ve seen is that it can happen and does happen anywhere’

Where would I hide or how would I get out?” These are the questions that Tess thinks about constantly, especially when she goes places with her two young daughters. She doesn’t like to take her kids into any big box stores because it feels too risky. There’s always the chance someone could walk in with a gun and start shooting, turning her mundane family errand into another tragic national headline with deadly consequences.

Many parents can relate to Tess’s anxiety over the increased levels of gun violence in the United States. There have already been more than 325 mass shootings this year according to The Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit group that uses police reports, news coverage and other public sources to provide near-real time data about gun violence in the United States. Data from the Centers for Disease and Prevention also names firearms as the leading cause of death for U.S. children and teens, while research has found that the risk of gun violence is significantly higher for Black and Hispanic children.

First the willful misrepresentation.

The National Institute of Justice has studied mass shootings. The database they use reports five mass shootings this year. NOT over 300 hundred.

The obvious and ignored solutions are:

  1. Use the best defense against a murderer with a gun. A trusted adult with their own gun.
  2. If you are suffering from “gun anxiety” to the point of thinking about mass shootings constantly and are afraid to take your children into large stores over something that happens less than ten times per year in the entire country then get some counseling.

Find Gemstones for Free

Posted on by

Quote of the Day

Did you know there are special national parks designated by the govt where the FBI allows you to find gemstones for free?

Google ‘FBI Ruby Ridge’

image

Milo Yiannopoulos@m
Gab June 26, 2023

Well, I thought it was funny.

It is Clearly About Control

Posted on by

Quote of the Day

Like other wars that feckless American “elites” have waged against inanimate objects (such as drugs) or military tactics (like terrorism), the war on guns will completely miss the mark.

The goal is supposedly about public safety.

Yet, of the roughly 81 million registered gun owners in the United States, hardly any of them—around 12 percent—have used their firearms to commit crimes. The vast majority of gun crime in America is done with illicit firearms, usually perpetrated by criminals.

So why is the Biden Administration intent on trying to make lawful gun ownership so hard? It isn’t about public safety at all.

In fact, it is clearly about control.

Brandon Weichert
June 17, 2023
Joe Biden’s War on Guns Misses the Target

“Registered gun owners”? I believe he is assuming facts not in evidence. His citation does not support his claim.

But that is nitpicking. His conclusion is sound.

Markley’s Law is compensation for a small brain

Posted on by

Quote of the Day

If you’ve got an arsenal, you’re compensating for something.

Alicia @spookyblue1995
Tweeted on February 27, 2023

It’s not only another Markley’s Law Monday, it is another science denier!

Alicia has it wrong. The correct observation is that if you demonstrate Markley’s Law, you are compensating for a small brain.

CFP/CHL/CWP/ECWL/CPL Renewal

Posted on by

As I reported four years ago I have a license to carry concealed from Oregon. It was expiring 6/24/2023 so last Monday I drove the six and half hours to John Day Oregon, spent the night in a motel, and went on to the sheriff’s office in Canyon City to renew it. I then drove another six hours to Idaho.
I arrived 15 minutes early for my 9:00 AM appointment, but they allowed me in early and processed my renewal. They took my picture, they gave my new license, I signed the back of the permit, and I was out the door by 9:01.
Friday night, when I arrived back in Bellevue, my renewed Utah license was waiting for me. I spread my set of licenses on the counter and observed none on them call the license for the same privilege the same thing:

Utah: Concealed Firearm Permit
Oregon: Concealed Handgun License
Arizona: Concealed Weapons Permit
Idaho: Enhanced Concealed Weapons License
Washington: Concealed Pistol License
Okay, whatever. None of them are constitutional under Bruen. But It’s the price I pay to avoid getting in trouble until we have constitutional carry everywhere.
As I pondered the set, I wondered in which states I had coverage and did I still need all the licenses to get maximum coverage. It turns out that I could get the same coverage with Washington, Idaho (enhanced), and Oregon.
I’ll keep that in mind the next time the Utah or Arizona licenses come up for renewal. Things change, and it is a lot easier to renew than to apply for a new license if I need that license for coverage in some other state.
My collection and Constitutional Carry in many states gives me coverage in the following 37 states:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
In a few days Florida will allow concealed carry without a license. That would make 38 states available for my legal carry of a concealed firearm. (Does not apply to non-residents.) If I changed my residence to Idaho (I wish!). I would have coverage in Colorado with my Idaho license. Of course, I may need to leave my 18-round magazines behind and replace them with 10 round magazines if things go badly in Oregon. Delaware and Vermont also require I modify my standard carry capacity.

More Babies or Something

Posted on by

Quote of the Day

People who see the declining population as a good thing tend to ignore the difficulties it will create. Let’s begin with the fiscal havoc. The federal government continues to spend more than it taxes, causing its debt to spiral upward. A low birth rate means more retirees and fewer workers to support them — more people entitled to Social Security and Medicare, but fewer taxpayers — worsening the debt. Even if we were to rein in the debt, a shrinking, aging population means more non-working people wanting to buy things with their savings, but fewer people to produce them, causing rampant inflation. As Stanford economist Charles Jones puts it, declining population has profound implications: “Rather than continued exponential growth, living standards stagnate.”

Robert Whaples
June 18, 2023
We Need More Babies

There are solutions other than more babies.

Robotics and AI will increase productivity. Anti-aging therapies will reduce the number of retirees and increase the number of projected workers.

But just because there are multiple potential solutions doesn’t mean the realization of any of the solutions will be successful.

Prepare appropriately.

A Tribe of One

Posted on by

Quote of the Day

Nothing good comes from organizing societies along collective groups pitted against one another. Transcend this bullshit. You are a tribe of one.

Gad Saad @GadSaad
Tweeted on June 11, 2023

I have nothing to add.

Politicians and Political Power

Posted on by

Quote of the Day

President Trump once joked that he could shoot someone “in the middle of Fifth Avenue” and he wouldn’t lose any voters. Hunter Biden could actually do it, high on cocaine, bare-assed naked and surrounded by U.S. Attorneys and plenty of hookers and he wouldn’t spend a day in jail.

There is no justice at the Department of Justice anymore. There is one set of rules for the Bidens and their ilk, and another for us lowly non-Bidens.

Lee Williams
June 20, 2023
Hunter Biden gets a pass from his dad’s war on guns

Anymore? We also saw this with Hillary Clinton and her disregard for the handling of classified information. And the gun running with operation Fast and Furious.

The list is probably endless both in time and space as far back as the existence of the first justice system within non-humans. This doesn’t mean that it should be ignored. It just means there will always be justification for reducing the number of politicians and political power.

In the present day and on the current topic it means more people will disrespect and disobey the law and feel totally justified. This increases the “friction” and “tension” in multiple ways including economic, political, and sense of justice.

See also CCRKBA: HUNTER BIDEN GUN CHARGE DEAL AN OUTRAGE, INSULT.

Supervolcano Awakening

Posted on by

Quote of the Day

A long-slumbering “supervolcano” in Italy is getting closer to a potential eruption for the first time since 1538, a new study warns — and the consequences could be catastrophic.

…

If Campi Flegrei were to reenact its largest previous eruption, it would punch molten rock and volcanic gases high into the stratosphere, unleash 100-feet-high (33.5 meters) tsunamis and spread a plume of sulfur and toxic ash that could plunge Earth into global winter for years — killing crops and causing mass extinctions.

Ben Turner
June 19, 2023
Europe’s most dangerous ‘supervolcano’ could be creeping toward eruption, scientists warn

Prepare appropriately.

I want my underground bunker in Idaho.

Of course, then, the Yellowstone supervolcano becomes a threat. I once read that if it were to blow like it did last time all life within a 600-mile circle would be killed. I looked at the distance from the center of the Yellowstone volcano to my property. It is about 325 miles. I should be fine.

It is Part of Their Nature

Posted on by

Quote of the Day

In a 2022 survey from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), 63% of liberal faculty said they can think of cases when it would be acceptable to shout down speakers, compared with 47% of moderates and 12% of conservatives. Nearly a third of liberal faculty (31%) believe that there are cases where blocking other students from attending a campus speech is acceptable, while just 16% of moderates and 5% of conservative faculty feel the same way.

Samuel Abrams
June 19, 2023
Critical differences in protesting between liberals and conservatives. Here’s why

This is consistent with my assertion that “liberals” are inherently violent (see also here). The use of force to get their way is part of their nature.

This tells me that they know they cannot subject their ideas to a public debate and contact with reality.

Prepare appropriately.

Avoid the Mess

Posted on by

Quote of the Day

I’ve seen some pretty tough enemies before in my life, and I’m not scared of the gun lobby.

Wes Moore
Maryland Governor
June 18, 2023
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says he’s ‘not scared of the gun lobby’ after the NRA sued him over the state’s new gun-control law

This is the problem. They have nothing to lose from infringing upon the rights of millions of people. This is why 18 USC 241 and 242 exist. These laws put some bite into the denial of civil rights. But, of course, since the infringers are essentially the enforcers of the laws, they can safely ignore them.

I don’t think they are looking far enough into the future. At some point people will “vote from the rooftops” and things get very messy. It would be far better for the laws to be enforced and we could all avoid the mess.