posted by Caleb on Jul 22
From Tamara her own bad self:
Some bright spark in the Letters to the Editor section of today’s cat box liner was opining that when the Messiah leads us to glory come November, a rational energy policy could be passed that would…
…are you ready for this?
…”[end] the use of fossil fuels in 10 years“.
May I suggest that you, sir, are a bleedin’ idiot and should keep your piehole respectfully shut when grownups are talking?
Are you seriously suggesting that in the space of a decade we could replace every moped and chainsaw, every combine and bulldozer with their equivalents from the Segway catalog? That the coal-fired powerplant that provides the juice to run the refrigerators in the organic produce section of your local Tofu-Mart be supplanted by some solar cells? That the big diesel generator that provides the emergency backup power for your Aunt Millie’s respirator down at Sisters of Mercy General be replaced by pink unicorns farting moonbeams through the blades of wind turbines?
And she wonders why she has a huge internet following.
On the topic of Obama supporters, I have never seen such a bunch of deluded idiots in my entire life. When I talk to people who are planning on voting for him, it’s like talking to a bunch of cultists - I’m not kidding. Of the dozen or so people I know that are planning (or say they’re planning) on voting for Barack, exactly 1 has been able to present a case for Barack that didn’t hinge on how “different” things will be when he’s elected. One person. Sadly, I suspect that this person is the exception, rather than the rule.
posted by Caleb on Jul 15
NSSF has put up a website which enables people to more easily get registered to vote.
Because of the Heller win, this has become the most important election in my lifetime for gun rights. We have the momentum in our favor currently, and we need to at the very least keep from losing our forward drive. The easiest way to lose that momentum would be to end up with President Obama and an anti-gun Congress.
posted by Caleb on Jul 15
The statement of good ol’ Mike Sullivan on the DC vs Heller decision:
ATF is pleased with the Supreme Court’s ruling recognizing that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess firearms, including for private purposes unrelated to militia operations. The court’s ruling is in accordance with the text of the Second Amendment, historical practice, and the Attorney General’s 2001 guidance on the scope of the Second Amendment, and is consistent with the bureau’s understanding of the scope of the Second Amendment. The Bureau also is pleased that the court appropriately made clear that nothing in yesterday’s ruling casts doubt on the constitutionality of ‘longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.’ In addition, the court appropriately recognized that the ‘carrying of dangerous and unusual weapons,’ such as machineguns, is not protected by the amendment. The bureau is studying the decision, but expects that it will not affect its continued enforcement of all existing federal firearms laws.
If you don’t feel like reading the whole thing, let me translate it for you: “Oh thank god they didn’t do anything crazy like say those cousin-humping rednecks could have machineguns. Also, it’s a good thing that they didn’t say anything about catching real criminals, otherwise we’d have to find something to do other than harass law-abiding FFLs.”
I am kidding, sort of. I do think that the BATFE is interested in going after actual criminals, where I think their problem lies is that they don’t really differentiate between a guy who forgets to dot his “t’s” and cross his “i’s” and a guy who is smuggling AK47s in from Mexico.
posted by Caleb on Jul 8
Good for you, Jim Webb. Were I still a resident of NoVA, I would have voted for you.
“Last week I communicated to Senator Obama and his presidential campaign my firm intention to remain in the United States Senate, where I believe I am best equipped to serve the people of Virginia and this country,” Webb said in an issued statement. “Under no circumstances will I be a candidate for Vice President.”
I would like to think that this is in part due to the fact that Sen. Webb is a “blue-dog” democrat, a moderate Democrat who supports the right to keep and bear arms - the kind of Democrat who believes that supporting the troops is more than a lapel pin and lip service.
Now, what I don’t think is that this is a sign that all Democrats are put off by Obama’s far left liberalism or his constant flip-flopping on issues. However, I do think that it shows that among moderates, there is a bit of distaste for this Obama character, and in that case it is likely for the reasons stated above. I mean, if this Obama guy is so freakin’ awesome, how come one of the best democrat senators in a a long time was so quick to distance himself from him?
posted by Caleb on Jul 8
From NSSF, with love(?):
Dear Senator Obama:
Last week the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark decision District of Columbia,
et al. v. Heller held that the Second Amendment protects the right of law-abiding
Americans to “keep and bear arms,” including handguns. Recently, you have claimed the Second Amendment provides an individual right to own firearms. Your current position stands in stark contrast to your support while an Illinois state senator for banning the civilian ownership of handguns. Prior to the Heller decision, you said you believed Washington, D.C.’s gun ban did not violate the Second Amendment. Much like the District of Columbia, your hometown of Chicago has since 1982 effectively banned its law-abiding citizens from having handguns and long guns in their homes.
In light of the Heller decision, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade
association for the firearms industry, would like to know whether you believe the City of Chicago’s gun ban violates the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Chicago
residents? Do you continue to support banning an entire class of firearms from private ownership by law-abiding citizens, including your fellow Chicago residents? Do you
believe the Second Amendment rights of Americans should depend on where they
happen to live? If you do, which other individual rights enshrined in the Constitution do you believe are limited by municipal borders?
We look forward to receiving your responses to these important questions so that
the over 90 million law-abiding Americans that own firearms can know where you truly stand on the Second Amendment.
I’d like to see Vegas odds on whether or not he’s actually going to reply to that; because it quite accurately calls him out for his constantly “evolving” stance on the right to keep and bear arms. I practically need a spreadsheet just to keep up with how many times he’s changed position on the issue. First he was for gun bans, then he’s against them, then he’s for them, now he’s against them, make up your mind!
Of course, to really get the scoop on Ol’ Baracky, you should go to this link, which contains detailed info on all of Obama’s “2nd Amendment” positions.
posted by Caleb on Jun 26
We won today, even if it was a squeaker - we still won. The Supreme Court releasing this opinion, the quote of my lifetime:
The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a
firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for
traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.
The entire nature of the debate about the right to keep and bear arms has been changed by this opinion, which you can read in its entirety at this link.
I’m going to go read the opinion, and I’ll have more commentary at that time.
To Mr. Gura and Mr. Levy, my hat is off to you gentlemen. The contribution your work on this case made to furthering our right to keep and bear arms is almost incalculable. Thank you for dedicating so much blood, sweat, and tears to this case.
Congratulations to Mr. Heller as well, for standing up for your rights and demonstrating that the system does in fact work.
posted by Caleb on Jun 26
This will hopefully be my last bad Heller pun post; as the Supreme Court is probably going to release Heller at 10am today. I say “probably” because they were probably going to release it on Monday, then Wednesday as well.
Since Scalia is likely writing the opinion, I’ll direct you to Dave Hardy’s post on what that could mean.
Stayed tuned for updates!
Update: DC vs. Heller will be the last opinion released today.
Update: I can’t take this much longer.
Update: Justice Scalia wrote the opinion. Justice Breyer dissented, joined by Justices Stevens, Souter and Ginsburg. We will provide a link to the decision as soon as it is available. Four dissents mean that it was a 5-4 vote; now I’m just waiting for the link to be posted to the whole decision.
Update: WOOOOOO!
From SCOTUSBLOG - Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm.
Update: As soon as I get the actual opinion, I’ll link it here. We have a 5-4 WIN in this case, which is closer than I wanted but a “W” is still a “W”. BIG DAY.
posted by Caleb on Jun 25
Could be today, could be tomorrow.
Watch here or www.scotusblog.com for updates.
Update: Curse you, Supreme Court! No Heller for me today. Definitely tomorrow.
(note: I just wanted to say “curse you” like some comic book villain)
posted by Caleb on Jun 12
You know, sometimes I wish I were making this stuff up.
A crack team of cybernauts will form a rapid response internet “war room” to track and respond aggressively to online rumours that Barack Obama is unpatriotic and a Muslim.
H/t to Tamarama, who has decided to aggressively bait the cybernauts (oh my god I can’t say that without laughing) by posting hilarious and completely false things about Obama.
Now, as funny as this is, it also demonstrates a few key points: 1) There are no real grassroots for the other team, 2) the other team recognizes the power behind new media, and 3) lol cybernauts.
Taking each of those in order, the 1st one is pretty self-explanatory. You see countless, countless instances of anti-gun groups having to literally pay people to be their voice on the internet, which causes them to often falsely assume that we’re all paid shills as well. Now, there are legitimate left-wing bloggers who aren’t paid shills for the Democrats, but at the same time, the fact that Obama is forming and internets task-force of cybernauts (ahahahahahahaha) speaks volumes.
The fact that the Obama campaign recognizes the power of New Media is nothing new to us though - even his pet anti-gun group AHSA rolls around the web trolling pro-gun blogs and calling people names. Actions like this demonstrate that the internet is the voice to compete with, stuff said on the internet almost never goes away and can be incredibly pervasive.
Finally, point number 3. Hahahahahahahahahahaha “cybernauts”.
posted by Caleb on Jun 5
You have got to be kidding me, someone tell me this is just a stupid joke. By way of LawDog, I learn that the DC Staatspolizei are planning on blocking off neighborhoods by designating them “Safety Zones”, and then stopping all vehicles entering the neighborhoods and getting ID from the drivers, or finding out if they have a “legitimate” reason to be in that neighborhood. I wish I was making this up:
Under an executive order expected to be announced today, police Chief Cathy L. Lanier will have the authority to designate “Neighborhood Safety Zones.” At least six officers will man cordons around those zones and demand identification from people coming in and out of them. Anyone who doesn’t live there, work there or have “legitimate reason” to be there will be sent away or face arrest, documents obtained by The Examiner show.
I am absolutely stupefied by this, and while I can’t match LawDog’s poetic levels of outrage, mine is just as high as his. Exactly where did Mayor Fenty and his lapdog Chief Lanier get the idea that it would be okay to tell citizens when and where they can and cannot travel in their own country? Have we actually reached the point where armed police are going to demands the “papers” of US citizens to allow those citizens to travel to their own homes?
And how exactly do they plan on enforcing this crap? Who’s to say that what one cop considers a legitimate reason will be considered legitimate by the next cop on a different shift?
The more I think about this, the more depressed I get - DC is supposed to a symbol of our liberty and what makes America such a great nation. Instead, it’s a hole, a pit, where people are deprived of their liberties, their arms, and now their ability to travel without saying “by your leave”; all because some bureaurats (not a typo) have decided that they, the anointed, are in the right to deprive their subjects of said liberty in the name of “safety”. It’s a disgusting display.
