April 2011 – Page 3 – Shall Not Be Questioned

I Love Being Protested

I’ve never been to an NRA meeting that had a serious protest. A few stragglers showed up last year, and did one of those morbid “lie-ins.” This year it looks like there are going to try to organize a whole bonafide rally, organized by the Unitarian Church. I will let our protest be the 65,000+ people who are bound to show up in Pittsburgh. I think that’ll send a stronger message to the politicians than any sad display they may put on outside of Annual Meeting.

I love it when our opponents do this stuff. Why? Because it helps motivate our own people, to know they are hated and loathed for valuing an important constitutional right, and enjoying a hobby. Let them show themselves to be the radical prohibitionists they are. I can’t think of anything that will help the NRA more than that happening right outside their Annual Meeting. They are shooting for 300 people. To be honest, I’ll be surprised if they managed 1/3rd that number.

But 300 seems to be the magic number. For instance, Heeding God’s Call was all about protesting gun shops in Philly this weekend, claiming 300 people. Thirdpower has some photos of protest up on his blog, and it looks like an order of magnitude fewer people. I’ve been to gun blogger events with more people than that.

I am very pleased with our opponents having to wrap themselves up with the peace movement in order to keep some semblance of a cause alive. That pushes them farther and farther out of the mainstream, and I think that will only benefit us.

Poetry Slam

Anyone following our opponents on Twitter knows they’ve been pimping this link, which is a poetry slam against carry on campus. Well, Cam Edwards came up with this own parody on this video, which you can see here:

Cam’s video is at 179 already. CSGV, for all that pimping, only has 470. How long do you think it’ll take for Cam’s to pass theirs?

Interesting Exhibit to Be Revealed During Annual Meeting

Looks like there will be a new rifle exhibit opening at the Fort Pitt Museum during NRA Annual Meeting:

In addition to about a dozen rifles, the museum will showcase gear essential to the true rifleman. Powder horns — cow horns used to carry gunpowder — make an appearance, including an 18th century example engraved with patriotic sayings: “LIBERTY OR DEATH,” “KILL OR be KILLD.”

Pretty clearly Coalition to Stop Gun Violence would have serious issues with Fort Pitt Museum celebrating these dangerous militia insurrectionists.

Your Government, Working for You

Looks like there is going to be new requirements for getting a passport:

The U.S. Department of State isÂ proposing a newÂ Biographical Questionnaire for some passport applicants: The proposed new Â Form DS-5513 asks for all addresses since birth; lifetime employment history including employersâ€™ and supervisors names, addresses, and telephone numbers; personal details of all siblings; motherâ€™s address one year prior to your birth; any â€œreligious ceremonyâ€ around the time of birth; and a variety of other information. Â According to the proposed form, â€œfailure to provide the information requested may result in â€¦ the denial of your U.S. passport application.â€

Looks like I will be adding overseas travel onto the list. I’m already curtailing of airlines use, to the greatest extent I am able. I love flying and traveling, generally speaking. I just can’t stand what our oppressive government has turned it into. Tell me why I shouldn’t believe the terrorists have won?

Hat Tip to Cam Edwards

Guns and Restaurants

I’m amazed by the number of op-eds, any time this issue comes up, that says alcohol and guns don’t mix, and then proceed to mention that the bills prohibit license holders from actually drinking. No one really disagrees with that, it’s just that you can’t legislate responsibility. The people likely to ignore the prohibition on drinking are the same people likely to ignore the prohibitions on taking guns into restaurants in the first place.

For those of you heading to Pittsburgh next week, there’s no law about carrying a firearm into restaurants or bars in PA. It’s perfectly legal. We don’t even have a law that says you can’t drink while carrying. But keep in mind, especially for PA residents, being caught with a gun while intoxicated is generally grounds for having your LCTF revoked. How much do you want to bet NRA members manage to pull off another successful convention without having everyone get drunk and shoot up the place?

Making up for Sexism?

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes, positively this time, NRA’s efforts to attract women at the convention coming up at the end of the week.

NSSF Response to Mexican Lawsuits

Seen here. They are quite correct that PLCAA should put the brakes on any potential lawsuit. I don’t think Calderon, in this case, is any different than any of our big city mayors. He knows well this lawsuit is pointless, but it’ll allow him to keep pointing the finger north when his own people demand the failures of his government in the war with the cartels be explained.

Is 4/20 the new 4/1?

I’ve had this link open in the background of my browser for a while now, but I just now got around to really looking at it. I serious wonder if lefty groups have made 4/20 the new April Fool’s Day.

Published: 4/20 9:12 am
From St. James Peace and Justice Committee:

â€œWe like the idea of guns off the streets and out of closets and harms way of children and others.â€ Sheriff David Harder, Broome County Sheriffâ€™s Office.

Saturday, May 14th 10am to 1pm St. James Peace & Justice Committee will take working hand guns and long guns (shotguns and rifles). Guns do not have to be registered â€“ all working guns accepted. Live ammunition will also be accepted for safe disposal.
Drop off point is St James rectory parking lot, 147 Main St. Johnson City, NY (west of JC/Binghamton Arch)

As a token exchange, each gun donator will receive a flower basket. Guns will be crushed by the Sheriffâ€™s department as we have witnessed in the past.

If you have a gun you want destroyed but cannot get it to St James, call us and we can have it picked up.
Call Jack at (607) 321 8537

This seems to be a press release of some kind – one that ignores basic rules like commas and apostrophes. It also seems to be opposed to things like structure, periods, and correct capitalization. And I love the mention of what “donators” will receive in exchange for their guns – flowers. I ponder whether it was sent as a joke because there’s little reason for sending an advisory or release nearly a month before an event, and the specific date does have a special meaning.

On Eating Peas and Taking Guns

Apparently forcing your kids to eat their peas is grounds, by at least one gun control advocate, and Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, for getting the government involved. Off on a blog I hadn’t previously heard of, a father writes of trying to get his son to eat:

Heâ€™s being a very finicky eater, lately.Â Doesnâ€™t want to eat squat.Â We force him to at least taste (not necessarily eat) one of each item on his plate.Â Tonight was different.Â My wife worked pretty hard making some chicken and rice with mixed veggies mixed in.Â I cut a small piece of chicken and shoved it into his mouth.Â Spit it back out so I pushed it back in.Â After a dozen times, he got a super sad, big pouty lip on his face, and started chewing.Â I will admit it, I was doggone mad.Â He swallowed it a few seconds later.Â Starting with that, our new rule with him eating is that he WILL eat at least one single bite of each item on his plate.Â He wonâ€™t have to eat the entire thing, but he WILL take a bite, chew, and swallow one of each.

I can’t count how many times my mother made my eat my dinner when I didn’t want to eat. It’s a game kids play with their parents, and I was certainly no exception. Some say it’s not great parenting to force your kids to eat, and maybe they have a point that they’ll grow up having been conditioned to overeat. But find me a picky eater in adulthood, and I’ll find you a parent that didn’t make their kids try a lot of different food. Now that I am an adult, and have learned to appreciate a wide variety of cuisine, I’m thankful that my mom made me eat stuff I didn’t want to when I was a kid.

But according to some of our fascist opponents, that’s grounds for having the government come and take your kids:

I’m going to be blunt, but just who the hell do you people think you are? This really crosses the line well and beyond a mere debate over the role of guns in society. These people really need to learn to mind their own goddamned business. I hate using language like that on Good Friday, but I’m having a difficult time picking my jaw off the floor at the gall of these people.

Little Randy — "Someone better call Child Protective Services. Not only are they going to make me eat this meatloaf, beatloaf... rumor has it they'll give a gun to my brother and he'll shoot his eye out too."

UPDATE: More anti-gun fascists who think Mr. Tango is holding his gun to the kid’s head:

We must stop this cycle of forcing kids to eat their peas! Or else kids will become obese because of parents threatening to shoot them with guns if they don’t eat! Do these people give two seconds of thought to what they are saying?

I’m sorry @CSGV. This game isn’t going to work out for you. Your people are far far more outside the mainstream than ours are.

NRA News

Rumor has it that the 10 o’clock hour of NRA News will feature a blogger who has been tracking the Eric Heyl column & follow-up.