Saturday, February 21, 2009

A Severe Case of "GDS"

That would be "Gun Derangement Syndrome", a form of Hoplophobia that is enhanced by OCD. A case study in this condition is Chicago Mayor Daley, a man who has an obsessive need to reference everything back to his hatred and fear of firearms:

Asked if he thought voters who wanted more transparency in government were disappointed in Burris, Daley said he thought people would eventually "move on with their lives."

"Three people got killed [last night]. Do you think the people who killed them care who is their U.S. senator?" Daley said. "Life goes on."

Daley was referencing a triple shooting of teens on the South Side.


So Chicago's got a gang problem and Daley is completely helpless to stop it despite his past attempts to blame it all on gun owners so he thinks that the entire state should drop what they're doing and focus on his problems.

He could also be (poorly) trying to blunt calls for politicians blatantly involved in unethical (if not illegal) situations to resign as the Blagojevich/Burris investigations get closer and closer to City Hall.

Or perhaps both. This is Daley after all.

Friday, February 20, 2009

O-day +30 Part 2: International Conviction

After years of decrying human rights abuses under Bush 43, the Obama Administration steps up to the plate. He sent Hillary out to announce to the world that we really care about rights abuses but only if they don't get in the way of business as usual.
"But our pressing on those issues can't interfere on the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis," Clinton told reporters in Seoul just before leaving for Beijing.

HopeChange we can believe in. I know I do.

To Continue a Trend

There are more Facebook 'fans' of Gun Nuts Media than there are 'member' of the AHSA.

No Love for the Brady Campaign

Many moons ago, the Brady Campaign had an open forum on their site. They shut down comments and eventually deleted them because it turned into one of the best locations for pro-firearm advocacy on the net. At one point, they claimed "150,000 internet grassroots advocates" based off of their e-mail alerts. I know that most pro-gun bloggers receive them so that number is considerably less.

Paul Helmke then moved over to Huffpo. We followed and the pro-rights comments still outnumber the anti's 10:1.

The Brady's also have a page on Facebook that has a forum for people who "join the group". The majority of the posts and threads are by pro-gun advocates w/ nary a Brady supporter to be heard.

So if 'gun control' is so popular, where are the supporters?

Quiver of arrows

I would like to thank everyone who has come by to visit the Trailer. I see some old friends and alot of new faces as well. The discussion has been excellent and insightful. I'm doing my best to thank people individually, but I can't spend all my time on the interweb tubes. Thank you all.

In my view, there are 5 basic categories of people with regards to the 2nd Amendment:

1. Those who respect it and exercise it.
2. Those who respect it and don’t exercise it.
3. Those who don’t respect it yet do exercise it.
4. Those who don’t respect it and don’t exercise it.
5. Those who can’t even differentiate between Rights and privileges. The entire Bill of Rights is a complete mystery to these folks.

Or the shorty version:

1. Sheep dogs
2. good sheep
3. wolves/Fudds
4. bad sheep
5. pathetic sheep

When you run the list through my patent pending “F*ck the 2A” filter, the original 5 categories of people are reduced down to 2 categories.

1. Those who believe their safety is their own responsibility.
2. Those who believe their safety is someone else’s responsibility.

I want to make absolutely clear that I do not wish to disparage or belittle those who engage the antis from a linguistic, academic, historical or court precedent foundation. I have tremendous respect for each arrow in the quiver. Indeed, each arrow is needed, based on the individual you’re debating and from what angle.

My main point is that quoting U.S. Code or SCOTUS rulings ain’t gonna put much of a dent in:

“12 caliber death machines that pump 4 rounds for each trigger pull with a 100 bullet clip of high kill-rate heat-seeking cop-killing shells and shoulder things that go up are of no use to civilians other than the mass slaughter of innocent children and shooting passenger planes out of the sky.”

I see 5 types of people with regards to the 2A, but only 2 types with regards to the natural Right of self defense.

For those who remember the Brady Blog days, I was actually able to get my beloved Kelli to admit that a mother dolphin had the natural Right to kill an aggressive shark in order to protect her slower swimming offspring. It’s the only concession I’ve gotten from her in over 2 years of debate.

Let’s not waste ammunition and use our arrows wisely.

O-day +30: Punishing Economical Drivers

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he wants to consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they buy.
So in order to actually diminish the demand for fuel efficient vehicles and to continue to fill the Gov't coffers that his boss just emptied even more, LaHood wants to punish people for driving. That's all this really is.

I bought a Prius because I couldn't afford to pay $4/gallon on a truck that only got 12mpg. I still drive the same distance but now the cost difference is going to be less depending on how much they make this tax. Beyond the fact that the gas tax most likely will be kept in addition. Hence less incentive to bother w/ the added cost of a fuel-efficient car.

This includes attaching GPS devices to vehicles to monitor them. Hmm, I wonder how long it will take before that plan becomes abused by our ever so trustworthy .gov?

Update: "O" 'spokesthings say "No" but (according to Il State Sen. Dale Righter) Il Democrats are proposing a .21+/gal. gas tax hike.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Chicago, England

Mayor Daley has argued that security and terrorism won’t be an issue if his Olympic dreams come true because, by 2016, there will be a surveillance camera on every street corner in Chicago.

On Thursday, Orozco refused to say how many cameras are currently linked to the 911 center. But, he reiterated Daley’s earlier promise. “We’re going to grow the system until we eventually cover one end of the city to the other,” he said.
So my bet is that we'll see the exact same thing we did in the UK. A mixture of crime moving out into the suburbs and ever inventive ways of vandalizing them.

Basically, areas like Englewood and BackoftheYards will have their cameras destroyed or stolen pretty quickly and they won't get replaced or repaired very quickly, especially when repairmen start getting attacked and they refuse to go back.

Neighborhoods closer to the suburbs will see a decrease in crime as the drug dealers and burglars just shift thier 'offices' over a few blocks to areas that don't have cameras. A proportional crime increase in the 'burbs and collar counties will soon follow.

Maybe a better plan to reduce crime in Chicago is to put cameras inside the offices of the Mayor and his Merry Aldercritters.

Did someone hit the reset button?

How many times have you found yourself trying to engage an anti and run into the following talking points?

The 2A is a State’s right to have a Militia.
Do you have the right to own howitzers, B-52’s and nukes?
The 2A covers Flintlock muskets, not modern firearms with shoulder things that go up.
With a modern military, the 2A is irrelevant.
It’s the job of the police to protect us.

Most of the rest fall into the general category of being utterly incapable of making a distinction between wolves and sheepdogs.

How many times have you responded:

Individuals have Rights, States have powers. The organized vs unorganized Militia distinction.
The Militia Acts of 1792 and the distinction between hand held and crew served weapons. The difference between firearms and destructive devices.
Quill pens, printing press, radio, TV, interweb tubes, blah blah blah.
True nature of the 2A as a defense against tyranny. Power in the hands of the people. The Revolutionary War.
Cops can’t be everywhere, cops only respond after a crime has occurred, cops too heavy to carry.

How many minds have you changed? Hoplophobes into neutrals? Nuetrals into pro-gunners? How many newbies have you taken to the range? Ever convinced someone to go out and buy their first gun and take some safety training? I’m not in any way trying to say the above arguments are ineffective, I’m honestly asking what arguments have you found to be the most effective? What’s your ice breaker for an anti. How do you engage and frame the topic?

I’m just a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal, but I like this approach. Once I get a hint at pure unadulterated PSH, I ask a simple question.

Would you like to come over to my house and join me in tracking down the skunk that lives by the river so we can poke him with pointy sticks?

Then I ask them why not.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

10th Circuit Private Property Victory

Fairfax, Va. – Today, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously in support of allowing employees to store legally owned firearms in locked, private motor vehicles while parked in employer parking lots. This decision upholds NRA-backed legislation passed in 2004.
In my view, this is less of a 2A issue than a private property issue. The inside of my vehicle is my property. While the business may own the lot, they don't own my car. It's in the same vein as businesses punishing people for having political stickers on their car that the owners oppose.

Garnering Support

Tonight I gave a talk to the EIU Young Republicans to gather support for the upcoming Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day (IGOLD) on March 11th as well as looking to gather interest in a Eastern Chapter of the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC).

Not the greatest picture but the speech was well received. One of the issues they were looking into was a way to conduct a trip to Springfield to speak w/ their State Senators and Representatives. I noted that IGOLD was a perfect opportunity for that along w/ being able to provide transportation. Several of the members also supported pursuing Concealed Carry legislation for Illinois. One thing I was able to do was clarify the common misperception that the FOID card is also a carry license. The newly elected president made sure to take extra liturature and cards to pass out to members who weren't at this meeting.

With some luck, I will get invited to talk to other groups on campus likely to support firearm rights as well as a few more members joining the SCCC.

Getting the word out there. One step at a time.

O-Day +28: Fairness Doctrine

A White House spokesman tells FOXNews.com President Obama opposes any move to bring back the so-called Fairness Doctrine.
Ah, a 'spokesman' said it, not Obama. We've already seen his history of changing his story when a "spokesman/staffer/etc." makes a comment and not the Lightbringer himself:
Politico.com, March 31, 2008: "Sen. Obama didn't fill out these state Senate questionnaires - a staffer did - and there are several answers that didn't reflect his views then or now," Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for Obama's campaign, said in an e-mailed statement. "He may have jotted some notes on the front page of the questionnaire at the meeting, but that doesn't change the fact that some answers didn't reflect his views. His 11 years in public office do."
My sodium levels are going to go through the roof with all the salt I'll need to take for this current stance.

Ugh, why me here?

With all the great works by others in the pro-gun arena, I didn’t want to jump into the fray, even as a guest blogger, unless I had something unique to offer; a niche to fill.

So here goes…

F*ck the 2nd Amendment.

But please do so in a respectful manner since I’m not lost on the fact that the 1st Amendment protects my Right to say that.


Rule of Duh #1:

Self defense is a natural Right inherent to all flora, fauna and fungi.

Rule of Duh #2:

Human Beings are animals.


Therefore, human beings have a natural inherent Right of self defense.

Too many people, on both sides of the 2A debate, are caught up with linguistics, true intent of the writings of dead people and the perceived force of court precedent. There are others that have hashed out Miller, Cruikshank, Heller, the Federalist Papers etc, at great lengths. While I admire and deeply respect the time, energy and detail in this research, I can’t help pouring myself a drink, raising it above my head and softly saying:

“Wow, that’s neato… now F*ck it.”

As a life form, I have the inherent Right to preserve my living status whether or not the 2A was written clearly, written poorly or even written at all.

Rule of Duh #3:

Humans are good at making and using tools.


Let that soak in a bit.


Unorganized Militia Gear

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Idiot or Agent?

Texas Fred gets a e-mail from someone claiming to be from Sweden wanting Fred to bypass International and National laws to sell him a firearm. Then gets pissy when Fred tells him 'Not a Chance'.

Howdy

First and foremost, I would like to sincerely thank Thirdpower for the opportunity to blog here as a guest. I hope ya’ll can Keep and Bear with me.

This is going to be long, detailed, and absolutely true.

This is how I adopted the name kaveman(remember how you insinuated that this showed I was a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal, kelli) and how I was introduced to firearms. The name stems from events early in my childhood and made me who I am today, my own defining moments, my age of ascension. I apologize for not providing any links to prove my story, because it somehow flew under the media’s radar. Believe it or not, this is the short version, I’ll stick to the highlights.

First some back history…

My Grandparents on my Mother’s side lost EVERYTHING in the Great Depression. No I don’t mean they took a financial hit and had to start buying ribeyes instead of T-bones, I mean they were broke.

Grandpa loaded up the station wagon with all their worldly possessions(complete with the chicken coop strapped to the roof) and headed out west. He got a deal that if he started a farm and turned a profit within 5 years, he got the land for free. These programs were quite popular and badly needed after so many lost so much. He managed to turn a profit on a potato farm in Idaho(Grandpa was no fool, he went for a sure thing). At the beginning, both my Grandparents hunted for the food on the table. Gardening came into play as well, but hunting AND gathering wild berries and fruit was how they started. This is how they, and my Mother survived.

Fast forward to their retirement…

After working the fields for many years, they took to the hills and went camping. Not the ordinary- let’s sleep outside tonight in the KOA Campground and drive to Denny’s in the morning for their $2.99 breakfast deal kind of camping- but survival mode camping. They camped out, in the tow-behind type campers for 5 months straight. They returned home and stayed for 1 month to pay bills, do upkeep on the house, buy staple supplies and check in with family and friends. Then, back out for another 5 month stretch. Hunting/fishing was the norm to round out the staples, as was making do with what was at hand. For as long as I can remember, this was their routine, ten out of every twelve months, you’d find them in the hills.

I told you that story so I could tell you this one…

Every year, my family joined my Grandparents for 2 weeks out of every summer to enjoy the camping tradition with them, along with my Mother’s brother and his family. Every morning started out the same way, my Grandfather screaming GOOD MORNING at the top of his lungs at day break. The fire was rekindled and breakfast was prepared. Far beyond “normal” breakfast, this was stick-to-your-ribs country style eats: eggs, bacon, sausage(link and patty), hash-browns, pancakes, french toast, cereal, and the best home-made biscuits and gravy this side of the Missisippi. Everything rounded out with your choice of milk, OJ, or cocoa. My Brother and I, along with our cousins would enjoy eating contests to no end. Who could eat the most pancakes was our favorite. The rest of the day was spent exploring and playing kick-the-can with an entire mountain range as our field. Hotdogs, hamburgers, steak, chicken, fish and the obligatory s’mores
were part and parcel for lunch and dinner.

Then something happened…

My cousin Angie was 12
My cousin Mikah was 10
My brother was 9
I was 6
And my cousin Denise was 5

Everything started out the same, everyone around the breakfast table doing some good ‘ol fashioned face-stuffing. I don’t quite remember who it happened to first, but it eventually happened to all of us, one by one.

A soon as any of us would put our fork down on the table and started rubbing our stomachs in a vain attempt to try and find room for just one more biscuit, Grandma told us to gather all of our things and wait for her around the camp fire. One by one, all of us received the same firm but soft-toned speech. We didn’t think too much of it at the time.

That would change very soon…

Grandma finished the dishes and came out of the camper with a large brown paper bag and sat down between us, setting the bag on the ground. She then explained to all of us, in that same soft yet firm Grandma voice, that this camp was for the grown-ups, and that we must now go and find our own.

She opened up the bag and gave us the following:

A large cast iron skillet.
One large bag of corn-meal.
One large jar of honey.
One medium-sized book titled “How to Identify Edible Wild Foods of the Pacific Northwest”.
Grandpa then gave each of us a strong knife from his collection(to keep forever) and two .22 rifles to the two oldest (Angie and Mikah) and 200 cartridges. (we had all been previously trained in safe gun handling and proper use by our parents).

Grandma began to speak again, as we were trying to figure out if this was a joke or not. She said that we must take all our belongings and set up a separate camp at least 1 mile from the adult camp and we were not allowed to return until the following morning. There, we would be fed as much breakfast as we could possibly eat and as soon as our fork hit the table, we were to once again leave until the following morning. She informed us that providing lunch and dinner was no longer her responsibility, it was ours. Hunt it, fish it, gather it. If we went hungry, then we were doing something wrong. This would be the new procedure for our 2-week “vacation”, now and in the future, until we reached the age of 18 and could then stay in the adult camp, if we chose to do so.

By now we had realized that this was not a joke and started hiking up the mountain, carrying everything on our backs along a deer trail. We walked for what we guessed to be a mile and soon found a bunch of lodge-pole pines formed in the shape of a teepee. No animal skin covering, just the trees shaped into a large cone and tied with strong rope at the top. There was no evidence it was currently being used by any two-legged creatures, so we adopted it as our new home. We kinda suspected that Grandpa had made this for us to find, but we never felt the need to ask. After dumping all our gear inside, we took stock of our situation.
We then promptly wasted the rest of that entire day exploring and playing kick-the-can. We didn’t even start to gather firewood until after the sun had set and soon found that gathering wood in the dark- not the 7-11 parking lot at night kinda dark, but more like standing on the side of a mountain 30 miles from the nearest one-horse town kinda dark, was rather difficult. We were tired and we were hungry.

The following morning, our traditional eating contest started as soon as we hiked back to the adult camp and we had decided that maybe we should plan the day out better.

The first few days were pretty rough, we had no real strategy. But you know what? Hunger-pangs have a wonderful ability to focus the mind and feed the soul. It wasn’t too long that we started setting up our static fishing lines in the river right at sun-rise, before we even ate breakfast. Firewood was gathered in abundance and my magnesium/flint kit made short work of the dry kindling. We all had specific jobs, not unlike a very small group of social insects. The two oldest hunted, and brought us along to receive some pointers about to fine art of shooting small animals without wasting any meat. Word to the wise, if you shoot a red-breasted robin ANYWHERE but in the head, I hope you enjoy the taste of wet feathers because that is all you will recover. My brother was in charge of cooking. My job was to build and tend the fire, never letting it go out completely, even during the night. The youngest had the job of gathering and maintaining an ample supply of firewood.

As you can imagine, this story naturally spawned many others. Like the time Mikah went to Grandma one morning and said that he ran out of ammo 10 days into our 2-week adventure and politely asked for more. She refused him flatly. My Grandfather slipped him an extra box of 50 when she had her back turned and then made some hand gestures for which there was only one interpretation: “This is a one-time only deal boy, start working on your shot placement.” For those of you who have read my past comments for long enough, the Idaho hills is where I had that rather unfriendly encounter with a black bear at the age of 14. A lowly little .22 rifle saved my life that day. I didn’t have to shoot the bear, just make enough noise for him to re-think his position. Re-think it he did.

What effect did this experience have on me?

It built teamwork skills as well as self reliance. It instilled in me a moral and ethical code and level of self-esteem which no amount of “lying on the couch” could hope to offer. It taught me to never waste food. It taught to me that people can achieve great things when they band together for a common cause. It taught me a little about how our species survived. Humans don’t have sharp claws, or sharp teeth, or thick armored skin. We don’t fly, can’t swim very well, can’t climb very well, and can’t compete with many animals in a straight sprint. Our eyesight is decent, certainly not the best, and our hearing and sense of smell is quite laughable within the Animal Kingdom.

What are we left with?

A big ol’ noggin carrying a big ‘ol brain. We’re smart. We’re cunning. We’re problem solvers.

We are also sometimes lucky enough to have the opportunity to learn the wisdom of our elders. My Grandparents lost everything and survived. I will survive as well. My friends and family will survive. All that’s required is a sense of community and a little discipline.

And tradition ain’t bad either.

I have my Grandfather’s rifle, the one that saved my life, as well as one of his pistols. I have my Grandmother’s shotgun. More important than the chunks of wood and steel inherited from past generations, I inherited their attitude, their determination, their willingness to fight for what’s right. I can’t ever thank them enough for what they have given me. I can only pass down the wisdom to the next generation. Some people may say that guns are just tools, I disagree; my firearms are testaments to history and they tell one hell of a story.

Kaveman is not just a moniker, it’s who I am.

When we were cold, we built the fire.
When we were hungry, we hunted the game.
When we were thirsty, we fetched the water from the river.
When we got efficient enough to take a break from the tedious nature of our existence, we played kick-the-can.

New Boss, Old Boss, Same Old Routine..

With the nation in the worst recession in a generation, hundreds of thousands of people out of work, and the Government claiming it needs to spend nearly a Trillion Tax dollars we don't have to get it going again, Congress is holding 'working retreats' and fundraisers at plush resorts and giving themselves raises.
Last month, when 600,000 Americans lost their jobs, the House and Senate allowed themselves a $4,700 cost-of-living raise, bringing their annual salaries to $174,000.
But we won't do it next year. Promise.
as the stimulus bill inched forward, Democrats held a two-day issues conference at the Kingsmill Resort & Spa in Williamsburg, Va., a property owned by brewer Anheuser Bush-Inbev NV and whose spa is known for its hops and chamomile massage.
But we were working. Honest.
members of the House of Representatives took a break earlier this month from bashing the Democrats' $800 billion stimulus bill and journeyed here to the Homestead Resort, an 18th-century mountain spa, where the diversions include golf, skiing, skeet shooting and falconry.
But the taxpayers didn't pay for it, only lobbyists. Really.
Next up for Congress this month, once the stimulus debate is done: an overhaul of financial services regulation; help for homeowners -- and two Senate fund raisers in Florida. Senate Democrats will host their biggest campaign contributors at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, with a Greg Norman-designed golf course and 51,000 square-foot spa. Republicans chose The Breakers in Palm Beach, a Renaissance-style landmark on 140 oceanfront acres, where the lowest-price room this time of year lists at $600, when available.

The "Change" is all going into their pockets.

Monday, February 16, 2009

We are the Facebook.

You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

The Consumerist
is reporting that Facebook has changed its TOS and now can use anything you post to it in perpetuity.

5 yr old + scissors =

an emergency appointment at the hairdressers.

Chicago Gun Case Amici

All five Amici briefs in support of the defendants have been filed and are now listed on the site.



I'm very pleased to see that my State Rep. signed onto this, unlike my Federal Senators (Durbin, Obama) on the DC case. I have contacted my State Sen. to ask him why his name is not on it.

Zero Intelligence Rescinded

The Jr. Marine who was suspended for having inactive drill rifles in her car is going back to school.

Marie Morrow is heading back to class after the superintendent of the Cherry Creek School District decided that she has paid enough for bringing fake rifles to school.

"I'm just glad to be back in school and have this whole thing over with," said Morrow, a senior at Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora. "I expected to get the minimum sentence, which is what they did."


Some good news at least.

Rumor Mills

Went to a local gun show w/ the wife on Saturday in partial celebration of Valentines Day/Anniversary. When I got there, the whole place was abuzz w/ the 'news' that a rider had been attached to the stimulus bill mandating licensing and registration. Supposedly it was "all over the news".

So I started talking to people about it. I narrowed it down to one guy who was talking about the stimulus bill passing and HR 45. Apparently the conversations got combined in a classic case of telephone.

As 45Superman remarked, "as if we don't have enough REAL problems--people have to invent stuff."


Update: Uncle pointed me towards a GOA release that may have been a original source.

No Campus Carry in PA

This single incident will be used to deny the rights of everyone else.

GREENSBURG, Pa. — A Seton Hill University student was fatally shot by police after a standoff at an off-campus apartment early Sunday, authorities said.


No matter that it was off campus or that alcohol was involved. All that will be focused on will be that fact that he was a student.

Support the SCCC.