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It Wasn’t Just a “Fair Weather” Crowd

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So yesterday a bunch of people showed up at the Washington State Capital in Olympia. 

I wasn’t among them for a couple different reasons.  First my wife had to work, second It would have been at least a 6 hour trip one way.  Google says 5:35 and that’s a lie, it takes that long to get to Auburn where I grew up, and it’s about an hour from Auburn to Olympia.  Third the whole state is hovering around freezing and snowing in many places, including the passes.  Yeah I’m not embarking on a 339 mile road trip that in the grand scheme doesn’t matter.  If I need to roll out to Olympia to speak against legislation I will, but that’s not what this was so my investment in time and money wouldn’t have been worth it‘

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Most news papers I’ve seen put estimates at around 1,500 people, the Seattle times is estimating under 1,000, some however have reported 2,000.  So take the estimates for what you’d like.  Given the cold and weather I’d say this was a significant turn out.  Doubly so since other major gun related events were going on yesterday and were packed as well.

The WAC show in Puyallup was packed, and put to me as “nuts”, and it appears that today is equivalent to a normal Saturday.  Considering Sundays are usually much more lax than Saturdays, the WAC show is busy.

There were rallies in 49 of the state capitals yesterday along with massive gun shows going on as well.  Hopefully everyone in attendance has taken the time to write their legislators as well. 

Also as a side note, a few at gun shows did something stupid and resulted in injuries due to a failure to observe the 4 rules.  Remember folks, right now we’re under a magnifying glass and the best way to describe these incidents as, “Not Helping”.  Never fear though because our opponents, ever ghoulish, were dancing in blood on twitter.

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There were 3 different incidents with 5 injuries.  One was a case of induced touching where he was reloading his carry piece after going through the gun show.  Some how he put a round through his hand. 

The biggest single incident was Raleigh where an idiot didn’t unload his shotgun he was intending to sell at home.  When showing clear at the table it discharged striking 2 people with shot and injuring the hand of person checking the weapon.

The last one from Ohio was done by a vendor and some how the weapon went off by opening the box.  Yeah I don’t believe that story either.  Please folks, use some brains, this is not the time to cause more negative attention for us.

Quote of the Day–Random Little Girl (9/26/2012)

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Grandma, why is that guy wearing a skirt?

Grand daughter of the dearly departed…

September 26th, 2012

[Yeah, today wasn’t the happiest day for our family.  Late last week we found out a member of TMW’s family, who was quite close, passed away unexpectedly.  TMW’s parents stayed with them while we were in the hospital after the car wreck.

Initially we didn’t think we’d be able to make the funeral thinking it would be back in Minnesota, except nope it was close by in Spokane.  Sunday my wife found out the funeral was today so I took the day off work and my in-laws drove out from the west side.

Shortly after the wife found out she asked me, what are you going to wear to the funeral?  My response without thinking was, a kilt of course, what else!  The wife didn’t argue but many constantly tried to get me to justify this through some logical means mainly because they couldn’t come up with a justification of why I shouldn’t.  The naysayers even included my own mother.

You know what, every last one of them was wrong.  You want to know how wrong they were, every time the widow saw me she smiled.  The granddaughter asking that question made her laugh.  When I walked up to give my regards she rapidly became more up beat and said, “I love the kilt!”

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My only regret is I wish I had known she would have liked to have a piper.  It’s often difficult to find one mainly because it’s not something you can just look up in the yellow pages.  It’s something where you need to know people, well I happen to know exactly the right people as my mom is involved with the Seattle Scottish Highland Games every year and could have certainly given me names and numbers.  Alas it’s too late now, and at least for me it was a good thing because whenever I hear this since 2003 I have to just go off by myself.  Doubly so if I hear it in person.

Goodbye Mike, you will be missed, and thank you for all you did.

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-B]

Quote of the Day–Adam Kline (10/3/2012)

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The NRA thrives on weak challenges; it sees them as fundraising opportunities. Its supporters are ready to believe that any gun bill — no matter how rational its purpose or how minor its scope — is a threat to God-given and constitutionally protected rights, and will contribute generously, giving the organization not only the psychological momentum of a win, but likely a surplus as well. It is up to us to choose our battles wisely.

(Emphasis mine)

Adam Kline – Sen. Kline: Democrats haven’t wimped out on guns

October 2, 2012

[h/t to Joe for the article. First, side rant. Adam Kline also said the following:

The way it works in this democracy is that we legislators represent our constituents. We can get a majority of our colleagues on an issue when enough of us sense that the people are there, or almost there, or at least going there, and that we may have to push them there, but at the end of the day our risk will not have been wasted. The work of moving public opinion on an issue cannot be done by legislators alone, whose work makes us generalists, but must be done by the activists who care particularly about that issue.

We don’t live in a democracy Mr. Kline.  We live in a constitutional republic.  I realize though that a majority of those who now work in the legislative bodies are ignorant of how the system was actually designed to work and prefer to twist and manipulate it to destroy the rights of the minority.  For you see a democracy is nothing more than mob-rule.  If the mob wants to take your property, they can.  If the mob wants to kill you, they can.  If the mob decides they would rather bleed you dry like a slave, they can.  The point of a constitutional republic is that both the majority and minority are protected equally.

Now back to the quote at hand, more specifically the part emphasized.  There is a reason we view it as a threat to a natural and enumerated right.  Because it IS! I grew up in the age of the 1994 assault weapons ban.  I remember it quite well and it’s goal was down right obvious.  Don’t believe me?  The most popular rifle in America would still be banned if it wasn’t for the expiration of the AWB.

That was claimed by supporters as being rational and the only way to curb gun violence.  The thing is, statistically gun control has been proven to be ineffective over and over again.  Further when you compare nations with strong gun controls it becomes obvious it creates a world that is less safe for the law abiding. 

That is the crux Mr. Kline.  The American public no longer likes being criminalized by the government for merely having and effective tool of self defense.  The American public sees what you’re doing and claiming for exactly what it is.  You’re issue is that you can no longer control the narrative.  Not only can you not control the narrative but you’re upset because the people on your side of the debate are crazy and violent.  Because of this your side of the debate is left standing still every time you attempt to infringe on that natural and enumerated right.

It is however unsurprising that you find your home the Peoples Republic of Puget Sound and you feel your “majority” other wise known merely as Seattle is a right for you to dictate life throughout the rest of the state.  I doubt this will make any difference given the 37th Legislative district is the equivalent of Communist China, but if you live there, please send that tyrant home.

So in closing Mr. Kline, in the words of Melvin Udall, “Where did they teach you to talk like this, some Panama City sailor wanna hump hump bar, or is this get-a-way day and your last shot at his whiskey, sell crazy some place else, we’re all stocked up here.”  -B]

Quote of the Day – Sebastian (2/18/2013)

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New gun restrictions there, even modest ones, is a much bigger deal than in the states anti-gun forces have already largely won. Any victory there will provide a template that will be repeated in other traditionally pro-gun swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, you name it. Once the dominoes start to fall, it’s going to be extremely difficult to stop. This is why they cannot be allowed to score any wins at all. This isn’t about reasonableness. This isn’t about people coming together to solve problems. Politics is not either of those things: it is about power, and nothing else, and the side that is more effective at wielding power is the one that goes home victorious, and the other beaten up and bloodied in ways that couldn’t have been imagined when you went in thinking they were going to be reasonable. There is no reasonableness in the political process, there is only victory and defeat.

Sebastian – How the Tide Turns
February 18, 2013

[First go read the whole thing.  Between that paragraph and the last paragraph it was a tie.

The law’s main purpose is simple, “to keep those who have the money and the power with the money and the power.”  Anyone who thinks differently is merely an ideologue who hasn’t discovered reality yet.

Right now our opponents are fighting tooth and nail to find a way to keep us out of the fight.  It is the only way they can hide their weakness and convince legislators to commit Seppuku.  Sebastian is right on another front, we must punish every last one of these tyrants come the next election.  We need to ensure those who attack our rights, even if unsuccessful pay the political price.

Those three sponsors for the Washington AWB are now saying, “I’m sorry I didn’t realize this was going to trample on more civil rights than just your right to arms.”  The three sponsors of that particular bill all belong to the Greater Peoples Republic of Seattle and I don’t see any of those paying for their crimes.  There are however plenty of people betraying gun owners over other bills such SB 5711.  We need to teach a very valuable lesson on all fronts.  We need to throw any legislator out who supported these bills.

Further if the state supports it, to show sincerity, get them recalled.  I’ve been contemplating for a while leading a charge to recall a couple of tyrants from Washington.  It will be exceedingly difficult, however there is always the possibility given the rapid change in the political climate of the past two months.  Washingtonians are pissed and many of them are becoming active again after being dormant for a long time.  I’m not kidding either, I know a few people who had even given up on voting after the King Dome/Safeco Field fiasco getting back into the ball game again.

What I don’t want to do though is make a bad move which is why I’m trying to talk with those who have a better aerial view of the political battlefield.

Make no mistake folks, we are seeing the final moves of a long played chess game.  How quickly it ends is anyone’s guess.  I can tell you if our opponents fail in their current plays, they will have exhausted themselves into defeat.  While we will still need to remain vigilant their relevancy politically will join the likes of the Aryan Nations and the KKK.  Let’s do everything we can to ensure their plays fail and anyplace they do gain an inch they pay politically by loosing a mile. -B]

A Response from a Representative…

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So as mentioned previously my wife sent a pretty direct letter to our federal representatives.  Patty Murray responded today.

Dear Mrs. TMW:

Thank you for contacting me regarding your thoughts on new gun control legislation. I appreciate having the benefit of your views on this matter.

The views of Washingtonians are very important to my work. I will keep your thoughts in mind, and I encourage you to stay in touch. If you would like to know more about my work in the Senate, please feel free to sign up for my weekly updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.

Sincerely,

Patty Murray
United States Senator

TMW’s comment to me when forwarding it was a perfect descriptor:

She answered with a non answer.  Way to talk around the issue.

Murray however gave a much different response to a friend of mine:

Dear Mr. Willington:

Thank you for writing me regarding the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. It was good to hear from you.

As a mother, grandmother, and former preschool teacher I was shocked by the tragedy that unfolded in Newtown. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the victims whose loss is difficult to comprehend.

Unfortunately, this horrific tragedy was another in a long line of gun violence episodes that have ranged from places like Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Aurora to coffee shops in Lakewood to the corner of South Byron Street and McClintock Ave South in Seattle. These episodes have plagued our cities, our schools, and our shared sense of security. This cannot go on. As a society we need to come together to begin a real conversation on all the factors contributing to those horrific instances of gun violence, but we also need to take specific action to bolster our current gun safety laws.

There is no question that we can and should limit access to the assault style weapons of war that are on our streets and that are too often being used to kill innocent people indiscriminately. I have repeatedly voted for an assault weapons ban and will do so again as soon as we can get a bill to the Senate floor.

But preventing tragedies like the one in Newtown will take more than just common-sense gun policies and enforcement. It will also take a renewed commitment to understanding and dealing with the root causes that lead isolated individuals to carry out these atrocities. At this moment, everything needs to be on the table for scrutiny.

Our nation is at a crossroads moment, and we must take the path that protects future generations from re-living these gun violence tragedies over and over again. It will take the courage of people with opposing views but a common purpose sitting down with one another and agreeing that the status quo is unacceptable.

Please be assured I will keep your views in mind as I work with my colleagues and please feel free to share with me your ideas on how to address this crisis. If you would like to know more about my work in the Senate, please feel free to sign up for my updates at http://murrav.senate.gov/updates. Thank you for contacting me, and please do not hesitate to contact me again.

Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator

We haven’t gotten a response from Cantwell regarding her specific letter though here is her response to my letter:

Dear Mr. TMW,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

All Washingtonians – and all Americans – offer our deepest condolences to the families of the 20 children and six school staff members who were killed in this senseless attack. Our thoughts and prayers are with the community of Newtown, as its residents heal from this incomprehensible tragedy.

This horrific attack highlights several issues that must be addressed promptly in order to better protect against such inexplicable violence.    We need to get powerful assault weapons off our streets.  And we need to strengthen services for the mentally ill and their families.

In the past, I supported the original Assault Weapons Ban and the Brady Bill, as well as the Youth Handgun Safety Act of 1993, which prohibits juveniles from possessing or receiving handguns. I look forward to work with my colleagues in the Senate to strengthen responsible legislation to rein in gun violence. We need to work to close the loopholes in existing laws that allow criminals and children to gain access to firearms contrary to the law’s intention. One example is the well-known “gun-show loophole” which allows people to purchase firearms at gun-shows without undergoing the background check required when guns are bought from licensed dealers. Lastly, I believe we must support increased gun-safety and gun-use education.

I support the Second Amendment and the rights of law-abiding Washingtonians who own guns.  I also remain focused on addressing the deeply troubling violence in this country and making our state and our country as safe as possible for all people, including our most vulnerable citizens, our children. I believe both of these goals are important and can be simultaneously accomplished through common-sense gun laws and stricter enforcement of existing laws.

Along with addressing gun violence, making services for the mentally ill and their families more accessible will encourage those suffering from mental illness to seek needed care and support. Mental health care is a critical component of our healthcare system and an individual’s overall health status. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately one in 17 Americans suffers from a seriously debilitating mental illness. I care deeply about mental health care and understand the important role behavioral health services play in the lives of both those who suffer from mental illness and their family and loved ones.

Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Maria Cantwell
United States Senator

If you live in the state of Washington.  Light up their phones and crank up the heat.  I am liking the idea Robb had, especially since the local gun shows draw from both Idaho and Washington so we’d get a decent set of calls into multiple districts.  Combine that with methods for people to send letters to congress critters it could be quite effective.  Especially if you had people there who could help them personalize them instead of form letters.

As you will notice on the right hand side, I’ve added a Join the NRA link.  I know some aren’t too happy with the NRA, I’m one of them.  As Sebastian said though, we have the NRA we’re going into this fight with, it’s not going to change and you’re not going to wish up an alternative.  Do what you can, voice your opinion to the NRA, they have a better record of listening than congress, and get active.  If all you do is bitch in the corner about how they don’t represent you, of course they won’t.  You haven’t lifted a finger to guide them in representing you.

I’ve also added a quick box to aid people in contacting their legislators.  Do it if you haven’t already.  There is nothing to loose by doing so and you have everything to gain.  As you can see folks, this is going to be an up hill battle and this is one we can not loose.  A quote worth remembering of which I was reminded of it by a friend of mine:

“Never give in, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never Yield to a force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
― Winston S. Churchill

We must stand and fight.  We must not waiver, we must not flinch.  We must come out on top, our very culture depends on it.

Why I Hate the City…

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So Joe recently lamented about how he much prefers life on the Palouse as opposed to life in Seattle. Today I was reminded by my news ticker why I didn’t rush back to where I grew up after college.

The incident happened about 10:30 a.m. while three women were waiting at a bus stop on Southeast 316th Street just west of 124th Street Southeast, Capt. Mike Hirman said.

The robbers, who were black and in their early 20s, were armed with a handgun and pepper spray. The man was about 6 foot with a skinny build. He was wearing a dark jacket and jeans. The woman was 5-foot-2 to 5-foot-5 wearing a black jacket and Mickey Mouse pajama bottoms.

Broad daylight on a moderately busy street, 1 mile (seriously by street) from where I grew up.  When I go back and visit family and friends, I remember it’s nowhere near like when I grew up there.  It’s much less forgiving and much more dangerous.

Frankly, I like the town I live in where I trust my neighbors and they trust me.  We know that should the excrement hit the fan, we are more than willing to help each other out.

Yeah, there’s a lot to be said for living out here.

The World is Not Ending Tomorrow…

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You want to know how I know, it’s quite simple really.  29 years ago tomorrow hell froze over, a blizzard hit the Pacific Northwest and made the Seattle area down right miserable.

In the middle of all that misery I punched through my moms uterus and abdominal wall that I can only hope looked something like this:

Dance and all!

I was born defying all the odds, weighing in at a whopping 4 lbs 2 oz and was 6 weeks early(I was reminded it was actually 6.5).  My mom still refers to me as her gift from god.  I know there are certainly some people in this world who wouldn’t consider me a gift.  Frankly I don’t care, there’s a phrase I’d use to describe it but some would consider it gratuitous in its use of expletives.  The gentler version is “Screw ’em”

So for all of you who think the world ends tomorrow, I hate to break it to you but it wont, at best that process actually began 29 years ago.  For some their political end is at hand, and I will have no heartburn at all if some how my name comes up yet again before them, repeatedly, until they crash into the wall so hard they disappear into the wastebasket of history.

It is kind of nice though that by the age of 28 I became despised and called out, by name, by some of the most despicable people I’ve ever seen or heard of.  Yeah, this year was a good year, now I just need to best it next year.

SSCC #236–Lincoln RI

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Officer Edward Krawetz is on trial for allegedly kicking Donna Levesque as she sits handcuffed on the ground.  The kick was caught on video but the defense is arguing that Krawetz was defending himself from further attacks after Levesque kicked him first.

So he’s on trial so is this really an SSCC?

The Lincoln police officer standing trial for allegedly kicking a handcuffed woman at Twin River in 2009 was convicted of assault in 2001.

How nice of the department to hire someone with a prior criminal history of assault into a position where they get qualified immunity a license to beat people.

State Sponsored Criminal Count #236: Edward Krawetz

Because if you like beating the crap out of defenseless people, become a cop, that way you’re immune from punishment.