Qotd: Robert Heinlein, 05212010

“Your enemy is never a villain in his own eyes. Keep this in mind, it may offer a way to make him your friend. If not, you can kill him without hate–and quickly.” R.A.Heinlein

[I find this generally good advice for conduct throughout different areas. –B]

Mayor Daley, your ignorance is showing

An officer was shot and killed during a robbery attempt today in Chicago. Mayor Daley is using this opportunity to say that a stricter handgun ban would have prevented the shooting.

The 30-year-old officer was shot as he left his father’s house on the South Side early Thursday morning by would be robbers.

“If this person didn’t have this, never happened,” the mayor said, holding up a handgun on display for the news conference.

Mayor Daley, how is it a criminal is going to obey your law? Aren’t criminals defined by the fact that they break the law?

“Access to guns in America, everybody can have guns, doesn’t matter who they are, doesn’t matter if they have a criminal record, or not, they have access to guns and that’s the most frustrating issue.”

They have access to guns in your view because they can break the law and steal them. How do you believe we should solve this issue? By making good disarmed victims for the criminals to prey upon. Smart thinking there, where did you get your degree, Head Up Rear University? Mayor Daley has a city with crime completely out of control with some of the most strict gun control in the country. However instead of blaming crime on his failed policies and admitting he was wrong, he just continues to create excuses.

It is most ironic that it was the officer’s father who carried a firearm that dealt with the threat.

In the Wortham case, the officer’s father, a retired Chicago Police officer, rushed to his son’s aid. Using his own handgun– retired police officers are allowed to legally keep their weapons– he shot two of the suspects, killing one of them.

It’s amazing what can happen when one is allowed to defend themselves. The retired officer was allowed to carry a gun. So instead of being dependent upon his phone and the police department; he was instead allowed to be self-reliant. As such, he survived and was able to shoot two of the suspects. Mayor Daley, I suggest you remove your head from a particular body cavity, stop acting like a bigot, and take a serious look around. Your policies are killing your citizens, not firearms. What are the real reasons behind your incessant disarmament of honest law abiding citizens?

That’s a California politician for ya!

Instead of fixing the issue that has caused people to open carry as a public statement, Lori Saldaña just wants to stop them from making their statement.

To some lawmakers, carrying around an empty gun seems threatening. In a quick response to this perceived but non-threat, AB1934 was drafted to make it a crime to carry an empty firearm in plain view. The bill’s author, Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, D-San Diego, is quoted as saying, “What I’m concerned about is people, who have no training, can carry a gun for no other purpose than to make a public statement.”

California is a may-issue state. Translation for the uninitiated; do you like kissing ass? Because if you want a license, start kissing your local sheriffs ass. People to protest this have been doing protests legally by carrying unloaded firearms openly. Instead of looking at the flaws in the process, she intends to further restrict and punish law abiding citizens. I find it interesting that some law makers are uncomfortable by firearms being in possession of their constituents, is it because they’re afraid that one day they may be held accountable for their actions?

Now that’s Awesome!

Son, don’t go pointing guns at people unless you mean it!

Do you want fries with that gunshot wound to the leg?

That is what one Arkansas would-be robber may have been asked, as the Burger King worker he allegedly tried to holdup Monday grabbed the gun and fired it right back at him.

Good for the store clerk, may she get exactly what she wants for Christmas this year. A note to her boyfriend if she has one, she’s a keeper!

This should not be happening

Yet it is. The 2010 Census is currently ongoing with workers now going door to door.

There are about 635,000 U.S. Census workers currently going door to door counting Americans who did not return their surveys.

One thing many people did not expect was a lack of screening and fingerprinting for potential Census Workers. One Census Worker managed to get hired using an alias despite being a registered sex offender.

A census official told the Inquirer that a “Jamie Shepard” had been hired in late April after passing the name check, but was fired May 5, as he failed the fingerprint check.

He was hired before a full check was completed.

Another incident involved rape and burglary. This census worker was using his job to stake out potential victims.

One of the victims was a 21 year-old physically handicapped woman.

He got caught and in a very stupid manner.

The attacker left his blue jeans, T-shirt, underwear, boots and wallet with his driver’s license in the woman’s bedroom, authorities said.

The same article tells of a completely different incident, still involving Census Workers in Texas. Three men posing as census workers broke into a home, tied three of the victims up and ambushed the fourth when he got home, killing him in the process.

All of these incidents combined indicate how lost our government is and the amazing number of sheep who believe things like the following will help.

How do I know that census takers aren’t criminals? What was the screening process for job applicants?

The U.S. Census Bureau has made the screening process for employees more rigorous than in any previous census. Each applicant is required to accurately disclose information about any conviction, imprisonment, probation, or parole in the last 10 years. All census takers must undergo both an FBI name check and an FBI fingerprint check. We disqualify any applicant whose screening indicates prior convictions or a pending charge for certain categories of crimes, such as murder, sex offenses, robbery, voter fraud, or other crimes that suggest a threat to safety or the integrity of census data.

Obviously the law, in this case, doesn’t stop criminals. Also, they only disqualify applicants based on their background check, but what do they do for those who lied about their background? This seems to be just more lip service, like the TSA, to make people feel safe.

A final note on dealing with the census in particular (but a good habit when dealing with people claiming to be government officials):

If a census worker comes to the door, be sure to be in Condition Orange during the entire visit. Do not allow them into your home. If they asked to come in, notify the authorities immediately. Also, watch out for anyone else that maybe around helping the worker and presume the worker and anyone else to be a potential threat unless you actually know them. Give them only the constitutionally required information
(i.e. how many live there). Do not provide names, birth dates, races, etc for those in residence.

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that no one is out to get you, better alert than dead.

~TMW~

Why we’re winning

I heard an extremely inspiring story from Snowflakes in Hell indicating the proof that we’re winning the war in the fight for self-defense and firearms.

The other reason we win is a story told to me by someone who works for NRA about an NRA member who donated 450 dollars. The guy had been out of work for a few years, had two disabled children, but he wanted to do something to help preserve the Second Amendment. So he and his wife collected cans from roadsides and public places, until they had saved up enough money. And they were apologizing for not being able to give more. Really makes you realize why we all keep doing this, and need to keep doing this.

I’m trying to think of something to add, but wow. To collect that many cans and to part with the result when he could have very well used the money himself says more than anyone else possibly could. It does remind me though that the most common personality trait I see in the gun community is very giving and helpful. The first year I went to Boomershoot, 100% of the proceeds from the raffle went to Soldiers Angels. The prize winners just gave the cash back to Joe. Obviously we have something to offer that the other side does not. This still hasn’t gone above 20 bucks and I first saw it 2 weeks ago.

And this is a bad thing?

I find that having more women shooting is a good thing. I also find that referring to them as “fanatics” detrimental. While if someone called me one I would just shrug it off, many prospective shooters may not be that thick skinned. The article didn’t really seem to be negative but the title sure is.

Qotd: Thomas Paine May 15, 2010

When all other rights are taken away the right of rebellion is made perfect. –Thomas Paine, “Dissertation on First Principles of Government”, 1795

[More specifically natural rights cannot be removed even by laws of man. As such when someone attempts to use force or the threat of force to coerce people into not exercising their rights, one should examine and determine if the time to act is now. –B]