I have not listened to it myself, because it’s like when you were a kid, and talked into the tape recorder, played it back, and thought “That doesn’t sound like me, that sounds awful.” I wonder what kids today talk into. Though it looks like the old style machines are still around.
Month: February 2011
Nobody Get Thrown Off The Lifeboat
I think sometimes it bears reminding, that this is a core tenet of protecting the Second Amendment. What does that mean? It means even though I do not shoot bullseye pistol, I respect people who participate in that sport and their right to do it. I believe their firearms are just as protected as mine. It means even though I do not hunt, I will support hunting and the right for individuals to own firearms for that purpose. And yes, even if I am personally wary of Open Carry as a method of activism, it means I support everyone’s right to do it legally, and will fight tooth and nail any bill to restrict it, and will support bills that repeal those restrictions. This means I will expend energy even fighting restrictions on shotguns in libraries. My appeal to those folks who are pushing that is, please don’t make me expend energy fighting restrictions on shotguns in libraries. We have better things to do than fight battles we don’t have to as a movement.
It’s fine for us to disagree about what is and what isn’t effective, but remember that nobody gets thrown off the lifeboat. As soon as we start advocating for laws that restrain each other, we’ve already lost.
Getting Your Wookie Suit On and Riding the Drama Llama
Robb has some worthwhile thoughts on the latest OC dustup:
There is a big difference though in carrying a firearm and going about your business and carrying a firearm because Dagnabbit! I want people to SEE ME! Riding on back of the Drama Llama does not help. Really. In my line of activism, the two results I want are people to see the pistol, but not become alarmed, or to miss it completely. What doesn’t help is having too many people getting upset. Our actions are cumulative. Upset enough people enough times, and eventually you can turn someone who was at best ambivalent toward us hostile.
The real concern should be that there are OC bills currently in Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma, all of which are jeopardized when our opponents are able to point out that passage is going to mean people showing up to the local library with a 12 gauge. It’s one thing for them to throw that out there hysterically, it’s quite another when they can point out examples to legislators.
We need these bills. If I ever go visit Everglades National Park, or Big Bend National Park, I don’t really want to have to conceal if I’m walking the trails. I doubt I’m the only one who feels the same way.
Criminal Cartoons
I’m sorry, but this made me laugh out loud:
A wise reader wonders if the appearance of the PBS children’s-series character “Arthur†at a press conference with House Democrats runs afoul of the Hatch Act. …
If the “Arthur†is a federal employee, the Hatch Act permits federal employees to “attend and be active at political rallies and meetings,†so that would seem to cover it. But the Hatch Act also prohibits â€engaging in political activity while in official uniform.†Obviously, this provision is most frequently applied to military personnel.
This sounds like the kind of discussion I would get into with friends after a few drinks. It’s silly to ponder on one hand, but as Geraghty points out, it still represents a problem of taxpayer-funded employees being used to lobby for more taxpayer funds. It happens all the time.
The Numbers Landscape for 2012
We have another US Senate race in Pennsylvania. With the incumbent Bob Casey being a fairly mild fellow, it could go either way. However, he should probably rethink his political brand just a bit with these numbers coming out today:
Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has a 44 – 24 percent approval rating, but even after four years in office, 31 percent of the state’s voters are undecided about him.
I guess the fact that nearly 1/3 of the electorate has no opinion on him after 4 years is not a completely bad thing. At the 7 month mark, not even his own staff knew if he was alive.
The True Cause of Gun Violence
It’s time for the Brady Campaign to close up shop. The Violence Policy Center can stop Googling their “research.” CeaseFire PA doesn’t need to put in the miles to drive to Harrisburg anymore. Why? Thanks to the insights of a teenager, we have identified the root problem of irresponsible & criminal behavior with guns.
A Super Bowl party being thrown by teenagers got out of hand in Brookline after fights broke out and a shot was fired, police said.
The juvenile who threw the party at his Creedmore Avenue home on Feb. 6 told Channel 11 News alcohol was being consumed at the party, but that it shouldn’t have been there. …
“If only the Steelers had won, none of this probably would have happened,†said the teen who threw the party.
That’s right, we can solve the problem of violence by making the Steelers win every single game. The shooting couldn’t possibly be blamed on teens who shouldn’t have been having a Super Bowl party with drinks to begin with. It’s also impossible to believe that the teen who fired the gun already had a warrant out for his arrest. A bunch of juvenile delinquents who won’t accept responsibility for any of their actions & view fighting as a reasonable solution to problems – nah, that couldn’t be to blame. It’s all on the Steelers.
Steven Hunter Interview on NPR
Felonyspy
Find out who are the convicted felons in your neighborhood. I have no idea how accurate this data is, but I am not at all opposed to felony convictions being public record. I support efforts like this. The only thing that gives me pause is that many felonies shouldn’t be. But this site seems to show the charge, so I can decide whether or not I care whether my neighbor was convicted of importing lobsters in the wrong type of bag, or whether he molested ten year old girls in another state.
Five Too Many
New Jersey already limits magazine capacity to fifteen rounds in magazines. Apparently some lawmakers think that having those five extra rounds is just too wild and crazy, and are proposing to reduce the arbitrary and ridiculous limit to ten.
Truth is, New Jersey is in the middle of the pack. Maryland is 20 rounds. New York is 10. New Jersey was in the middle. The even greater truth is these lines are totally arbitrary, and have nothing to do with public safety. This is just another opportunity for our opponents to get more law abiding un owners behind bars where they think we belong.
Good News for Illinois
Chicago has apparently been hemorrhaging population:
The U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday that during the decade ended in 2010, Chicago’s population fell 6.9% to 2,695,598 people, fewer than the 2.7 million reported back in 1920.
This will mean loss of representation for the city, which strengthens the pro-gun position in Illinois, and weakens the anti-gun position.