Firearms Friday: We Need A Reminder

The past week has been an interesting one to say the least with regard to the protection of our rights. Following the defeat of four gun control measures proposed in the Senate as a knee jerk reaction to the mass murder that took place in Orlando, many democrats decided to stage a sit in. Leading this act of defiance was Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) who, if anything, did a great disservice to his own noble legacy. He was a leader in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s fighting for the equal rights of all Americans regardless of the color of their skin and now he is fighting equally hard to strip law abiding Americans, of all races, of their rights.

He would do well to heed the advice of Thomas Jefferson who wrote in an early draft of the Virginia Constitution in 1776 that “No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms.” Thankfully, this brief, misguided, and ineffectual action came to an end just as fast as it formed. However, that hasn’t stopped many politicians from continuing the debate and calling for the formation of an asinine utopia. A prime example can be found in the musings of Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) who feels that members of congress need and deserve armed protection but that law abiding citizens should not be allowed to possess a firearm.   

Unfortunately, there are many in this country that have bought into this falsehood that only certain people should be able to possess firearms namely the military and law enforcement. Of course, those same people are filling our streets with manufactured outrage whenever a member of law enforcement is involved in a shooting. These are the same people that troll the internet and leave comments along the lines of “the founding fathers never intended for the second amendment to apply to modern firearms… they couldn’t have anticipated “high capacity magazines” and assault rifles [they really mean semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15]… they only had muskets.”

Well, that is one stinky pile that they have stepped in. The simple fact is that the founding fathers were well informed as to what the present had to offer and what the future might entail. To this point, many people have responded to the aforementioned types of comments referencing the Puckle gun as one of the developments of the time. However, while the revolver like mechanism speaks to the innovation of the time, it doesn’t combat the tainted perspectives on display. For that you actually have to look further back in history to the Kalthoff repeater which saw action with the Royal Foot Guards of Denmark in the Siege of Copenhagen (1658-59) and the Scanian War. While not prevalent, the magazine fed (up to 30 rounds) firearm had a rate of fire unmatched until the mid-nineteenth century. This firearm was a legend by the time the founding fathers drafted the Constitution and it is certain that they were aware of the technology.

Others politician in this current environment, like Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), look to try and please both sides by introducing legislation that would do nothing more than muddy the waters and create a system as flawed as the individuals running it. All that it would cost us is a little bit of our freedom. Well, as Benjamin Franklin wrote in the Historical Review of Pennsylvania in 1759, “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” I’m not giving up my rights for the false sense of security that would be gained by the weak minded. Additionally, those who introduce such measures are walking a very dangerous line especially in Pennsylvania where it is written in our constitution (Art. 1, § 21 (enacted 1790, art. IX, § 21) that “The right of the citizens to bear arms in defence of themselves and the State shall not be questioned.” 

Sometimes we just need to remind people of these facts rather than allowing the propaganda to flow, unmolested, throughout the media. Right now, we face a serious crisis. It is not about what we own it is about the mentality of the people. It is about the the willingness to overlook the acts and intentions of the individual in order to assign blame to an inanimate object. It is about the willingness of some to give up essential freedoms for the empty promises of security. And, most importantly, it is about the paralyzing plague in this county that is mental illness and our unwillingness to do something about that problem. That is really what has to change.

A Return To Letter Writing

Negotiations with Iran have long been a polarizing subject from all colors on the political spectrum. This has always seemed a little odd to me given the United States’ tenuous relationship with the country, the vile policies of their leadership, and their attempts to vilify and desire to destroy Israel. To this end, I would support the current nuclear negotiations with Iran if they would simply reverse every position that they have doggedly held on to for so long.

This was the driving force behind Netanyahu’s speech to Congress as Israel can’t afford, nor can the United States, to see Iran develop a nuclear arsenal. To think that this radical country would stick to any agreement let alone one so ill-conceived is naive at best. Believing that they will only use the development and technology for peaceful purposes is like saying Hillary only deleted private emails. It just doesn’t add up.

It was for this reason that Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) penned a letter to the Islamic Republic and why 46 other Senators joined him by signing the letter (the full text of the letter can be found on The Wall Street Journal blog). Contrary to many of the reports from “unbiased” news outlets, this was not an attack on the president nor was it a threat. The letter was a means to demonstrate the significant public opposition to the current negotiations. The current 10 year plan is one that won’t work, one that should not be supported, and if signed, one that should be overturned as quickly as possible to limit the fallout.

With that said, the means by with this message was presented may not have been the best decision. But, again, this is not a means to offend or undermine, it is a way to ensure that the opposition is heard loud and clear. Frankly, it is one of the more transparent actions that I can remember seeing come out of Washington. There was no doubt as to who signed the letter.

The subsequent twisting of the words and assumption of motive is what the public should be up in arms about. That and the idea that there are too many who are placing their trust in the untrustworthy, crossing their fingers, and hoping that there is some semblance honest in the empty promises of a murderous republic. That is simply a stance that I cannot support, Israel does not support, many in the military and intelligence communities do not support, and at least 47 politicians in Washington do not support.

Voting SNAFU!

I knew that I was going to be arriving late the office this morning. After all, I had to stop by my polling place and cast my vote (even though it wouldn’t make any difference in the area in which we live). I arrived at my designated polling location and it seemed as though I had never left the apartment building.

Of the dozen or so people staffing the location only a couple of them weren’t neighbors. I knew each and every one of them which is why I can confidently say that this was not a politically diverse crowd. Maybe that is why no one would say a word to me as I walked up to the building and through the doors.

There were only a couple people in front of me so it didn’t take me long to get up to the table. The lack of participation is not surprising as, according to recent study by WalletHub, only 42.1% of voters ages 18-24 and 68.9% of senior citizen even bother to show up at the polls. License in hand I gave them my name and watched as the confused look fell upon their face as to why I would have a photo ID out. Thirty seconds later I was in, and out, of the booth and heading back to the car.  

By the end of the long day, with the results beginning to come in, I was both incredibly disappointed by my state and happy about the shift in power that was going to occur in Washington. While the process is necessary for the people to have their voices heard I just can’t get over the fact that we will have to put up with a new Governor that does not represent us. To add to the entire fiasco is the fact that his main body of supporters are completely oblivious to the contrariness of the vote that they just submitted in their naive push of the button.

These people who take pride letting everyone know that they are part of the 99% just voted for someone who is part of the 0.1% to represent them. They claim that they want the government to stay out of their bedrooms and their lives but they support having their rights limited and, in some instances, taken away. They want people to take home more of their hard earned money but they support tax policies that obliterate their paychecks. They say they want people to have greater opportunities in life but they don’t want to encourage them to be self-sufficient, they prefer giving them handouts.

WTF!

This whole day just proves the point that sometimes saying that you voted is like saying everybody poops. We know that its true but it doesn’t mean you should be applauded for crapping on the carpet. Voting for the Republican candidate in my town is like farting in the middle of the room… they know people will notice but they don’t want to admit to it. Well, pull my finger because I’m the one who voted Republican across the board.

You Might Want To Consider Thinking Before You Act…

I know NOTHING!

It has been interesting, to say the least, watching and listening to all the commentary surrounding the recent prisoner exchange that President Obama sprung on everyone a couple of weeks ago. As soon as his father spoke and made the claim that his son had forgotten how to speak English I knew there was something a little off about this situation. After all, did Senator McCain forget how to speak English? Did Galid Shalit forget how to speak Hebrew? Anyway, that is another topic altogether, so let me steer this post back on track.

Given the nature of the questionable action and subsequent announcement it seems as though this was done solely to ease the pressure that had been mounting from the VA scandal. However, this just proves that it is best to think before you act as support is nowhere to be found even from some of his own party diehards like Senator Diane Frankenfeintein who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee (I know, hard to believe isn’t it). The following excerpt from Town Hall sums up this little cluster:

Two top lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Tuesday that the Obama administration broke the law by not informing Congress before the prisoner exchange that resulted in Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s release.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss said the administration violated the law by failing to address serious concerns they had about the deal to swap Bergdahl for five Taliban detainees. Chambliss said he had not had a conversation with the White House about a possible exchange for at least 18 months.

"It comes to us with some surprise and dismay that the transfers went ahead with no consultation, totally not following law," Feinstein told reporters following a closed door meeting. "And in an issue with this kind of concern to a committee that bears the oversight responsibility, I think you can see that we're very dismayed about it."  

Of course that only really speaks to the process not what actually took place. That is an entirely different story. Those who served with the supposed POW had particularly strong feelings regarding his release (watch the interviews here) and others from the military have commented on the circumstances around his “capture” and the impact that it had both on operations and moral. The Washington Post had an interesting article which included interviews with those involved in the search and rescue operations after his disappearance:

One Afghan special operations commander in eastern Afghanistan remembers being dispatched.

“Along with the American Special Forces, we set up checkpoints everywhere. For 14 days we were outside of our base trying to find him,” he told The Washington Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he is a member of a secretive military unit.

But U.S. troops said they were aware of the circumstances of Bergdahl’s disappearance — that he left the base of his own volition — and with that awareness, many grew angry.

“The unit completely changed its operational posture because of something that was selfish, not because a soldier was captured in combat,” said one U.S. soldier formerly based in eastern Afghanistan who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the search. “There were military assets required . . . but the problem came of his own accord.”

In the end, the elation didn’t really spread beyond the soldier’s small town in Idaho as many of us, civilians and veteran’s alike, questioned the circumstances surrounding both his ‘capture’ and his release. Even my great uncle, a 27 year Air Force veteran who has been retired since 1974, made his voice heard via Facebook posting the following:

“FROM MY EXPERENCE OF 27 YEARS IN THE AIR FORCE, WHEN PERSON WAS BROUGH BACK UNDER MILITARY CONTROL AFTER BEING AWOL OR DESERTION HE OR SHE WAS PLACED UNDER ARM GUARD. I DON'T KNOW WERE GENERAL DEMPSEY OF THE JOINT CHIEFS GET THE NOTION THAT ARMY MUST TAKECARE OF HIM AND HIS FAMILY. HIM "YES" HIS FAMILY "NO". THE ARMY IS HIS "FAMILY" UNTIL HE DISCHARGE EITHER HONORABLE OR DISHONORABLE.”

And while we could all see that this political move was a huge error by the President, somehow he still seemed surprised that we rely on the facts at hand to determine what is right and what is wrong. Oblivious to the mind of the people and the opinions of those who are and have served in the military, the President’s act before you think cluster leaves us with one final question, as originally asked by Ralph Peters in the National Review, “As for President Obama, how about just one word of thanks to the families of those fallen soldiers you sent out to find Bowe Bergdahl?”

Why Am I Only Hearing Crickets?

Would this be considered a high capacity wood block?

I have said it before and I will say it again, it is time for some sensible weapons registration. MAC over at The Bang Switch and I agree on the fact that we must put companies and manufacturers on notice that we can no longer allow for the careless production, purchase, and use of such deadly instruments in homes across the country. These steel tools are easily within reach of children and the mentally unstable each and every day in this country and it can’t simply continue happening in such an unregulated and dangerous way.

I expect to see members of Congress and the Senate line up behind the President and support all legislative actions, and even executive orders if that is what it takes, so that we can become a safer nation. This should not be an issue of partisanship, this should be an issue that unites us all because, in the end, Washington knows best. This should happen any minute now while the emotions stemming from the attempted murder at a Western Pennsylvania High School are still raw and public support can be rallied behind the regulation of sharp cutting instruments.

Furthermore, we should invest in the development of smart knives so that only the owner, who has filled out all the proper paperwork and has registered their Cutco steak knife set is able to use it. Although, come to think of it, steak knives are rather compact. Maybe we should also enforce a STK (Short Tong Knives) policy and require a $200 tax stamp, 6+ month waiting period, and extensive background checks in order to purchase any knife under a certain length. This also applies to fully automatic knives also known as assault blenders and all ‘electric machine cutting knives’. Heck with maybe, that is definitely what we should do.

Of course, let us not forget the proliferation of ghost knives that have flooded the market. You know, the home made knives flowing from garages and basements across this country that are sold without any record and that go from state to state undetected. And, of course, they come with unlimited capacity blades that can be used over and over with little more than a sharpening stone or strap o leather.

People, yes you, cannot be trusted with such dangerous items without the proper training and only after a background check has been performed. After all, owning a knife is not a right and the Founding Fathers could not have anticipated the development of folding knives, electric knives, concealed carry knives, Leatherman tools, and other such developments. Everyone knows that the object makes the person unstable, it is the cause of these heinous acts, the person holding the weapon is just another victim. Mental health has nothing to do with what continue to happen so we need to ban anything and everything that can be used as a weapon.

How does that sound to you?