The Armed Citizen

"This is a robbery!" someone hollered. Colton, Calif., liquor store owner Dan Lee grabbed for a pistol that was beneath the cash register, but in an instant he found himself staring down the barrel of a robber's gun. At the same time, he noticed another man climbing over the counter toward his mother. Lee grabbed his gun and shot them both. "He pretty much made the decision for me when he came over the counter at my mother and threatened her life," Lee said. After three recent robberies and three slayings of business owners and clerks in the San Bernardino Valley, Lee recommends that people in high-risk businesses consider what they will do in the event of a worst-case scenario. (The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, CA, 03/26/2005)

Shoats Grocery & Package is a small store where neighbors often stop for breakfast or lunch, but owners Bobby and Gloria Doster said two strangers who entered their business had more nefarious intentions. Gloria Doster was rearranging boxes by the front door when a wigged man came through it; behind him, another masked man announced they were robbing the store. One intruder grabbed her and pushed her toward the register, while the other kept his gun on her 62-year-old husband. As Gloria tried to open the register, the assailant told her she wasn't moving fast enough and shot at her husband. Not only did he miss, but his gun jammed. Bobby Doster then retrieved a .380-caliber handgun and shot one of the men while his wife drew a 9mm pistol she keeps near the register. They both opened fire on the other robber. "I was trying to shoot and dial 911 at the same time," Gloria Doster said. Police arrived about five minutes after her call and took the men to the hospital, where both died soon after. (The Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, GA, 01/25/2005)

The attempted holdup of a Charlotte area shoe store was foiled when a store employee returned fire against robbers who had begun shooting inside the store. According to witnesses, three or four men wearing ski masks and carrying guns entered the store, announcing, "This is a robbery." One of the thieves began searching store patrons and, shortly thereafter, the men began shooting. However, a store clerk quickly grabbed a gun of his own and fired back, striking at least two of the crooks. One crumpled in a doorway and later died at the hospital. Another man, whom police suspect was involved in the robbery, arrived at an area hospital with life-threatening injuries. Neither the clerk nor any store employees or customers were injured. "The [clerk] did a good job. He saved us. He saved my kid. He saved our lives," said store customer Ramon Lopez. (The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, NC, 02/26/2005)

A pit bull had mauled a 3-year-old boy and was biting the youngster's mother when a passing motorist stopped to see what was going on. Corey Kelley said that at first he thought Shonda Busby was playing with the dog in the family's rural yard in Chatom, Ala. He turned his truck around for another look and saw blood. "The closer I got to her, I could see the blood and bite marks on her arms. I pulled up and said, Are you alive?' She said, 'Yes, get this dog off me. He's biting me; he's killing me.'" Kelley quickly drove home, called 911 and grabbed his .22caliber rifle. Unaware that Busby was shielding her 3-year-old, her rescuer said he drove as close as he could, about 8 feet away. From his truck, he aimed at the dog and told Busby to lie as still as she could. "Shoot!" she told him. Kelly's mortal shot hit the animal between the eyes. When Busby sat up, Kelley saw the little boy; his scalp was torn and there were bite marks all over his body. Following the tragedy, the child was treated at Children's Hospital and was in fair condition. His mother required surgery. Kelley said he did not feel like a hero. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat," he said. "I'm just an old country boy. Helping people is just something I like doing." (The Birmingham News, Birmingham, AL, 03/05/2005)

An employee of a St. Louis gas station sent a would-be armed robber running for his life when the clerk pulled a pistol from his waistband and began firing at him. The 24-year-old clerk told police a man appearing to be in his 20s and dressed in dark clothing entered the station, pulled a mask down over part of his face, produced a handgun and announced a holdup. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, MO, 03/23/2005)

A Jacksonville, Fla., cabbie was dropping off two passengers when a robber with a gun burst onto the scene. The cab driver halted the attack by shooting the culprit in the chest. Police said the criminal, who died at the scene, had been hiding in the bushes and made his move as the passengers were exiting the car. (Florida Today, Jacksonville, FL, 03/20/2005)

Want even more stories? Visit the Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog.

Other accounts of self-defense collected on this blog:
2nd Amendment Saves a Pregnant Woman,
Armed Student Saves 10 People,
2nd Amendment vs. a Serial Rapist,
Crime Spree Stopped with the Simple Presentation of a Firearm.

Failures of Gun Control:
UK Government under reports gun violence to pretend their policies work,
Scotland holds a Summit on their Failed Gun Policies, Chicago's gun ban continues to fail,
Real Women's Rights (This one includes one of my favorite personal accounts),
Opposition to CA AB 2062,
Knife Control?!,
Protecting Children through Gun Control?,
Futility of the Gun Banning Philosophy,
A Contrast to VA Tech.

Thoughts just prior to the release of DC v. Heller, with one of the best appellate court quotations ever.

Thoughts on publicized shootings: Shootings early in 2009, Alabama Shootings, Finland School Shooting. Remember: The only proven method to mitigate the disaster of a rogue criminal shooter is to have more first responders, e.g. CCW permit holders lawfully armed and on scene. These criminals do not respect "gun free" zones, but simply view them as target-rich opposition-free areas in which to slaughter innocents.

Carrying a Firearm is an Inherently Civilized Act.

Right to Carry Statistics.

Does Violence Beget Violence?

GM: A warning for California and the U.S.

Tomorrow morning, General Motors is very likely to file bankruptcy. I'm so happy we poured tens of billions of taxpayer dollars into them to prevent something they have to do anyway. It turns out that if you have massive, unsustainable legacy costs, you can't just dump more money on the problem and hope those costs will disappear. You actually have to do something about the underlying problem.

A parallel comes to mind. It doesn't matter if we pour tens of billions of taxpayer dollars into California's sucking black hole of a government. We have massive, unsustainable legacy costs and continued irresponsible spending. We'll actually have to do something about them, not just pour more money on the problem and hope the costs disappear.

There's an obvious pattern here, so I'll continue it. The U.S. is now doing precisely the same things GM and California have done to end up in their current catastrophic economic situations. As a country, we need to finally stop spending and do something about our legacy costs, or we will eventually reach the inevitable result we'll see with GM tomorrow and with California in a matter of weeks or months. Oh, and about health care? It's really not as hard to solve as people like to claim it is.

Time To Short The US Dollar

I've held this opinion for a couple of months now, but the signs keep on piling up. I'm probably going to actually take some action on this with some actual money. So in the interests of coming back later and telling everyone I told you so, I just want to get this out there on the record.

Short the US Dollar RIGHT NOW.

Probably the ideal time to have done this was the day Barack Obama signed the stimulus (porkulus) bill into law. Back then everyone else in the world was fleeing to the dollar, or being forced to unwind their investments which forced the dollar back up.

My opinions line up exactly with the reccomendations of Peter Schiff of Euro Pacific Capital. Buy international stocks, build up foreign currencies, or at the very least get an account with a currency trading firm and short the dollar. Buy the Yen, or the Euro, or the Canadian Dollar, or the Aussie. Or whatever. Get. Out. Of. Dollars.

Here are a couple of links that I highly reccomend you check out.

This first one is a blog I check everyday. Full of useful info.
www.calculatedriskblog.com

This second one is a story I found that calculated risk linked to and it turns out to be full of very good info.

Tim Duy's Fed Watch

Seriously. Click on the links. Check things out. Lots of good info.

Sonia Sotomayor gets a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons

Mr. Obama's new Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor marks a new low in identity politics.

I don't care what gender or race someone is. I care how well they know the law, and if they'll make decisions based on solid legal principles and reasoning. That's all anybody should care about with regard to a Supreme Court Justice. We have dozens of ethnic groups in the U.S. We can't have a member of each on the Supreme Court, nor is diversity for the sake of diversity the right way to fill a court vacancy. Any good justice is capable of rendering quality legal decisions for the entire U.S. without respect to gender or race.

In fact, they're required to do so. According to Title 28, Chapter I, Part 453 of the United States Code, each Supreme Court Justice takes the following oath:

"I, [NAME], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as [TITLE] under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God.'' [Emphasis mine.]

I do not understand why people are so eager to continue the Balkanization of the United States, but I hope my generation does a better job of looking beyond skin color to a person's character instead of continuing to stomp on Martin Luther King's dream.

What's especially repugnant about the media's fixation about what color Ms. Sotomayor's skin is and whether she has ova or testes is that they're not reporting that she's really not all that qualified.

Follow up: Thomas Sowell, like many others, agrees.
2nd Follow up: Sotomayor believes individual gun ownership is illegal and protected by the 2nd Amendment.

Remembering the Fallen

This is what Memorial Day looks like at the Veterans' Cemetery in Chico, California.



I went there to pay my respects generally to the men and women who have given their lives to protect the freedoms and lives of my family and my country.

I also went to specifically visit the grave of Matthew "Axe" Axelson, who was a member of SEAL Team 10 and who died in Afghanistan during Operation Red Wing, documented in Marcus Luttrell's excellent book, Lone Survivor. Marcus was the eponymous survivor of the operation, and covers not only the mission, but gives an account of the training of the SEALs.

My daughter was too emotional to go, but she and her sister made a small bouquet that I placed on Axelson's grave. I found myself more emotional than I expected when the time came. My timing was fortuitous enough that I heard the end of the general memorial, saw the 21-gun salute and heard a boy scout play Taps.

We should all be grateful for all of the sacrifice and character of such men.

Mexican Drug War Officially has Beachhead in the United States

The Houston Chronicle reports that the Zetas (a branch of a cartel) have their own ranch for training in the US to fight against their competitors here.

The FBI is advising law enforcement officers across the country that a Texas cell of Los Zetas — an increasingly powerful arm of the Mexican Gulf Cartel drug trafficking syndicate — has acquired a secluded ranch where it trains its members to “neutralize” competitors in the United States.

In order to ensure its share of the lucrative illegal drug trade, the cartel’s members reportedly are operating north of the border to collect debts and spy on competitors. They have also protected cocaine and heroin shipments that were bound for Houston, where they were repackaged and shipped on to Alabama, Delaware, Georgia and Michigan, according to the FBI.

And that's the news...

Deflation Over 12 Months

Here's the updated CPI (the press release for April just dropped this morning).

Month	Monthly Inflation Rate	Annual Inflation Rate
May 2008	0.84%	0.34%
June 2008	1.01%	0.41%
July 2008	0.53%	0.46%
August 2008	-0.40%	0.44%
September 2008	-0.14%	0.40%
October 2008	-1.01%	0.30%
November 2008	-1.92%	0.09%
December 2008	-1.03%	0.01%
January 2009	0.44%	0.01%
February 2009	0.50%	0.02%
March 2009	0.24%	-0.03%
April 2009	-0.22%	-0.10%

We haven't seen annual deflation for 50 years. It is the greatest fear of the money people at the Fed.

Now is the time to be turning cash into hard assets. Food, gold, property, etc. We are in a window now where your money will buy good deals, so use it wisely folks.

Nancy Pelosi is a liar

Nancy Pelosi has had a lovely time trying to cover her behind on the subject of what she knew and when she knew it with regard to enhanced interrogation techniques.

After engaging in several lies, then some serious backpedaling, she's decided to go with what is still clearly a whopper: in 2002, the CIA failed to brief her about waterboarding already in use against al Qaeda operative Abu Zubaydah. It defies all reason to believe that the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, usually privy to the same information the President of the United States has, was not fully informed.

Worse yet, her fellow Democrats have circled the wagons and are saying the CIA may have violated the law by not informing her. They're talking about changing the law to be able to punish the CIA for "misleading" members of Congress.

Politicians are evidently so used to getting away with lying that they think they can engage in this without consequences. In this case, their lies have consequences no matter what ends up happening.

Let's say the Democrats successfully cover Nancy's bony butt on this one. The CIA's morale and ability to do its job will suffer. Agents will be jumping ship faster than the Border Patrol Agents are abandoning their jobs, or California taxpayers and businesses are fleeing their state. Our ability to defend our nation will be severely impaired so one worthless politician can pretend she didn't know about waterboarding.

I prefer the results if Nancy Pelosi is called out and demonstrated to be prevaricating. She'll likely lose her post, and if we're really lucky, her next election.

Which is better for the nation?

The most galling part of all this is that all Speaker Pelosi had to do is say, "Yes, I knew this was taking place. It was immediately after September 11th. I feared that drastic measures were necessary to protect our nation. Think back to how you felt right after the towers fell. I've had a change of heart in the intervening years."

Even though that change of heart really is actually Ms. Pelosi being lead by the nose by constituent polls, I could actually almost respect a statement like that. The current drivel she's spouting throws a vital agency under he bus to save her own political career, once again demonstrating what she really cares about: herself.

Update: The CIA is clearly stating Pelosi was fully briefed. Make copies of your records, CIA, because when you turn them over to Congress, this bunch will probably shred them, burn them, and continue to pretend Pelosi is an angel.

ReasonTV Bids "Hasta La Vista" to Arnold

ReasonTV has a send up of the governator and a review of how the CA budget got where it is. Well worth sharing:

Schoolkids' Biggest Threat: Teachers

I write this in all seriousness. There are great teachers out there, but I now believe they're in the minority.

The LA Times is currently running a series called "Failure Gets a Pass."

Not only is it nearly impossible to fire a teacher, but while they're waiting around many of them are "housed" -- out of the classroom to protect students -- being paid their full salary while the appeals process goes through, sometimes taking years.

You'd think if the issue were more serious than simply bad teaching performance, it'd be easy to get rid of them. You'd be wrong. Even when a teacher molests a student, they can be moved to another school, turning another classroom into potential victims.

Of course, every time there's a budget cut, the new teachers get cut first, even though they're often the most energetic (and because they're the lowest wage it takes more of them to equal the cost of fewer senior teachers). This policy, and the maze-like dismissal process are a direct result of the teachers union. And it's the teachers who are responsible for this union.

'Empathy' Versus Law

Thomas Sowell has a great series of articles about the importance of keeping justice blind.

That President Obama has made "empathy" with certain groups one of his criteria for choosing a Supreme Court nominee is a dangerous sign of how much further the Supreme Court may be pushed away from the rule of law and toward even more arbitrary judicial edicts to advance the agenda of the left and set it in legal concrete, immune from the democratic process.

Would you want to go into court to appear before a judge with "empathy" for groups A, B and C, if you were a member of groups X, Y or Z? Nothing could be further from the rule of law. That would be bad news, even in a traffic court, much less in a court that has the last word on your rights under the Constitution of the United States.

Appoint enough Supreme Court justices with "empathy" for particular groups and you would have, for all practical purposes, repealed the 14th Amendment, which guarantees "equal protection of the laws" for all Americans.

Read all four parts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

How Many People Have Your Lightbulbs Poisoned?

I'm done buying CFL light bulbs. In addition to the fact that they cost more, are shipped over from China (thus killing jobs in the USA) and don't work with dimmers, they're also poisoning the workers making them:

Large numbers of Chinese workers have been poisoned by mercury, which forms part of the compact fluorescent lightbulbs. A surge in foreign demand, set off by a European Union directive making these bulbs compulsory within three years, has also led to the reopening of mercury mines that have ruined the environment.

The Bell Tolls For Thee

This is a post by a real estate guru / libertarian mensch John T. Reed. I am quoting the entire post here, but please note that the title is a link back to the original post, as well as all the quoted text is a link back to John T. Reed's headline news page where I first read this. I highly recommend perusing some of his other articles on the site, it is food for thought. For example his article on why we should bring back the draft changed my mind on the issue.

But this article "Kids and grand kids my ass" so completely and thoroughly resonated with me I have wanted to talk to people about it ever since I read it a few weeks back. I wanted to go all Jerry Maguire and print out a copy and put it in everybody's mailbox at work. I wanted to invite friends over and discuss it over tea.

Here it is.

Editor's note: Mr. Reed has asked that we not post the full text of the article here, but it is worth your time to read.

http://johntreed.com/grandkids.html

Grading the Stimulus

Back in January, the incoming Obama administration was pushing the stimulus plan. They said that the results would be dire if the stimulus didn't pass. They even gave us this handy graph to compare what unemployment would be like with or without the stimulus:

As you can see, the prediction with the stimulus was that unemployment would top off at 8% and then gradually fall. Without the stimulus, unemployment would rocket to to the crippling level of 9% by Q1 2010, then gradually fall to be the, um, same as the alternative by 2014 (which means that this massive debt Obama is incurring is to save 1% unemployment for a couple of years).

Now the April unemployment numbers are in, and we can do some comparing:
Yay! Current unemployment is 8.9% and would have been nearly 9% if you don't count the 66,000 temporary employees added to federal payroll for the 2010 census and the 6,000 employees added to local and state governments.

So our current economy has now reached a point worse than where the Obama team predicted we would ever be if the stimulus didn't pass. Oh, and we've added huge amounts of debt and the debt will only get worse.

Freedom from Offense?

Well, here's an Orwellian bit of legislation. H.R. 1966 would evidently make offending anyone on the internet a felony. What's wrong with that?

Well, the big problem is that it's in direct opposition to the 1st Amendment. There is no right to freedom from offense. If we're going to go that route, maybe we should just allow Canada to annex us and get it over with.

Nobody seems to get that the 1st Amendment isn't there to protect what we want to hear. Things that don't challenge us don't need protecting. Thus, it exists to protect offensive speech. The stuff that makes you think, even if it's a bit hard to hear.

Eliminate that, and you eliminate real political debate, which I believe is the real goal. 20th Century Progressives like Woodrow Wilson are simply fascists (don't believe it? Check out the Sedition Act of 1918).

A softer approach with a big red heart (or is it a star?) and a smiley on it doesn't change the fact that it's shutting down real freedom of speech.

The Armed Citizen

Georgia Belle Sullivan of Clinton, Louisiana, will never know if her former employee, Arthur Sanford, came back for money, revenge, or both. Sullivan was up late watching television when she heard a noise that caused her two dogs to start barking wildly. She took her pistol and went to investigate, but before she full realized what was happening a shadowy figure lunged at her. Although she fired at the intruder, he kept coming and the two struggled for the gun. Sullivan said, "He beat me with his fists. He was trying to get the gun out of my hand, but he never did." Sanford continued to attack, saying that he wanted money, until his grip finally loosened and he died on the spot from the gunshot wound to his chest. Sanford had worked on Sullivan's cattle farm for years, but had been fired three years earlier because of suspected drug use. Sanford also had a history of arrests for armed robbery. (2theadvocate.com, Baton Rouge, LA, 02/17/2005)

"It's not in my nature to even kill a mouse, but he forced it and I do not feel guilty of any wrongdoing," said an 84-year-old homeowner in Mishawaka, Indiana. The local police agreed that this was a justifiable shooting. Robert Birtwhistle had been awakened about 1 A.M. to the sounds of his front door being kicked in. He took his pistol and went downstairs, warning the intruder to stop or "he was gonig to get what was coming to him." The intruder, however, kept trying to get in and eventually broke down the door. Birtwhistle fired once, and the intruder fell to the floor. When police arrived, the intruder was pronounced dead at the scene; he was later identified as James Rosebush, who lived only blocks away. Police commented that it was possible Birtwhistle was targeted because of his age, which would lead the criminals to believe he was an "easy target." (The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, In, 02/18/2005)

For the second time in four days, a New Orleans, La., armed citizen turned the tables on would-be robbers. In this instance, according to authorities, two teenage brothers, Micah and Darius Adams, approached an unidentified man who was returning to his car late one night. Just as the man reached his car, Micah Adams drew a gun and demanded money. The man produced his own firearm and fired at Adams, hitting him several times in the torso. Although he tried to escape, Micah Adams was later found dead on a nearby street. Darius Adams was subsequently apprehended by police and was facing murder charges since he was accused of helping to commit a felony that resulted in a death. (TheTimes-Picayune, New Orleans, LA, 02/06/2005)

A 24-year-old Long Beach, Calif., resident was sitting in his car at a fastfood restaurant when an armed man forced his way into the car. The carjacker, later identified as Maurice Adams, ordered the victim at gunpoint to drive to another neighborhood and then robbed him. While Adams was rooting through the trunk looking for more items, the victim grabbed his own gun, which was concealed in the glove compartment, and began to run. Adams opened fire on the victim, striking him; in turn, Adams was shot multiple times by the victim. Adams died shortly after arriving at the hospital. The victim, whose name was withheld for his own protection, was said to be recovering from his wounds. (Press-Telegram, Los Angeles, CA, 01/22/2005)

"This is something you read about happening to someone else. You never think it will happen to you," said Linda Fixler of Bardonia, N.Y. Her husband was working alone in their jewelry store early one morning when two men came in asking to look at some engagement rings. After a few minutes both pulled out guns, aimed them at Fixler and threatened to kill him. During the course of the robbery, however, Fixler was able to retrieve his own handgun and shoot one of the robbers who fell to the floor seriously injured while the other fled on foot. The fleeing robber was later apprehended along with a third man who was in the "get-away" vehicle, but had driven off when he heard the gunshots. "It's a terrible feeling," said Fixler. "All you want to do is stay alive." (thejournalnews.com, White Plains, NY, 02/15/2005)

Thanks to the quick thinking of a sub shop owner in Dayton, Ohio, a robbery attempt was quickly thwarted. The manager and his wife were working the morning shift when they spotted a man with a mask and sunglasses heading toward the store with a gun in hand. The owner triggered the security system and retrieved his gun. One employee described what happened next: "[The suspect] got up on the counter. I was scared. I just dropped to the floor." The robber, however, who was pointing his gun at the manager, did not even have time to speak because the manager pointed his gun and shot him in the arm. He fled and was later apprehended at his sister's house. He was expected to be charged with aggravated robbery. (Dayton Daily News, Dayton, OH, 01/15/2005)

Armed citizen stories are taken from American Rifleman magazine. You may subscribe to American Rifleman by joining the NRA. "If you have a firsthand 'Armed Citizen' experience, call NRA-ILA PR/Communications at (703) 267-1193. Studies indicate that firearms are used over 2 million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate, imminent threat to life, limb, or in some cases, property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings to: 'The Armed Citizen,' 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400."

Want even more stories? Visit the Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog.

Other accounts of self-defense collected on this blog:
2nd Amendment Saves a Pregnant Woman,
Armed Student Saves 10 People,
2nd Amendment vs. a Serial Rapist,
Crime Spree Stopped with the Simple Presentation of a Firearm.

Failures of Gun Control:
UK Government under reports gun violence to pretend their policies work,
Scotland holds a Summit on their Failed Gun Policies, Chicago's gun ban continues to fail,
Real Women's Rights (This one includes one of my favorite personal accounts),
Opposition to CA AB 2062,
Knife Control?!,
Protecting Children through Gun Control?,
Futility of the Gun Banning Philosophy,
A Contrast to VA Tech.

Thoughts just prior to the release of DC v. Heller, with one of the best appellate court quotations ever.

Thoughts on publicized shootings: Shootings early in 2009, Alabama Shootings, Finland School Shooting. Remember: The only proven method to mitigate the disaster of a rogue criminal shooter is to have more first responders, e.g. CCW permit holders lawfully armed and on scene. These criminals do not respect "gun free" zones, but simply view them as target-rich opposition-free areas in which to slaughter innocents.

Carrying a Firearm is an Inherently Civilized Act.

Does Violence Beget Violence?

Nullification of Federal Law and States' Rights

I've mentioned these stories tangentially below, but they deserve their own post. Montana has already passed a law, and Utah and Tennessee are considering following suit, that has great importance. The stores are here and here.

The issue is guns and gun control, but the laws have broader implications. Much broader. First, specifically, these laws make "guns that are made and kept within state boundaries exempt from federal regulations. That means they're exempt from things like background checks, licensing and registration." (First story above.) In effect, Montana is choosing to nullify Federal law with regard to firearms. I hope Utah and Tennessee really do pass similar laws.

The broader implication is that we may soon be fighting civil war fought not with firearms but with legislation. Nullification of Federal law within state borders would result in a reassertion of States' Rights, a concept enshrined in the 10th Amendment. When the 10th Amendment is active, the 9th is usually respected as well, since State legislatures are very directly dependent on their constituencies.

How will the Federal government fight this blow to their power? They'll try to use interstate commerce, which they regulate under the Constitution. The pretext used in the past will be that because people in Montana are buying fewer guns from other states, they're affecting interstate commerce, and thus the Federal government can step in and regulate even guns made in Montana for use only in Montana. Yes, that pretext is just as stupid and ridiculous as it sounds, so we need to fight it as hard as possible. When it arises, we need to call, write, and otherwise bombard our representatives with communications that we support Montana's law and do not support Federal attempts to undermine it.

If this is done with respect to firearms and eventually on other matters, we have the chance to once again become a Republic worthy of the respect of Jeffersonian Libertarians.

How Joe Arpaio deals with Blackmail

Al Sharpton (I reject his title as reverend--he's not a spiritual leader no matter how, where or what he studed in college) has made a living of whoring himself to the media in order to build enough attention to blackmail public figures he doesn't like. He doesn't seem to have any actual interest in advancing the rights of African Americans, and most of them seem to be aware of it, and reject him as any sort of leader.

Al Sharpton has been making noises about protesting Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his department's enforcement of immigration law. Fortunately, Sheriff Arpaio seems to know how to deal with a blackmailer. See his response to Sharpton here or read on:

Chuck DeVore's Idiocy

California State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R, Irvine) has incited my ire today. He made some less than impressive comments with regard to legalization of marijuana in this Sacramento Bee article.

"Studies have shown there is impairment with marijuana use. People can get paranoid, can lose some of their initiative to work, and we don't live in some idealized libertarian society where every person is responsible completely to himself. We live in a society where the cost of your poor decisions are borne by your fellow taxpayers."

(Above emphasis mine). It is true that our current society is not libertarian. In this quotation, he seems to get what libertarianism is in practice: you take responsibility entirely for yourself, and don't expect society to take care of you.

Then Mr. DeVore went on the Armstrong and Getty Program to clarify his comments today, as they spoke about those statements yesterday. Audio of the interview is available here.

He made an utter ass of himself with his take on libertarianism, indicating that "his libertarian friends" want to smoke doobies and have government pay for welfare, too.

I can't stand politicians who pretend to know what they're talking about while demonstrating they don't, and who pretend to have friends they clearly don't.

I shared my displeasure with the Assemblyman and also Armstrong and Getty:

Hearing Chuck DeVore's comments in interview simply enraged me. He's confused libertarian with libertine or liberal.

As a libertarian, I don't want to get welfare and smoke a doobie. I don't smoke marijuana at all, and never have. I don't even drink. I am not and have never been on welfare, and believe it should be pared down to a minimalist level. A complete libertarian would say welfare shouldn't exist at all.

He indicated libertarians aren't interested in taking responsibility for, or living with the consequences of their actions. Nothing could be further from the truth. We believe that government should never relieve anyone of their personal responsibilities, nor should it save anyone from the consequences of their own actions.

Stupid should hurt.

Let's also address Mr. DeVore's original comments. In his comments and interview, he indicated that our society isn't ready for libertarian principles. Though I disagree, that's not really the heart of the issue. The government isn't ready to relinquish the power it assumes through nanny laws.

Let's be honest: except for statistically rare exceptions, people rise to the level of performance and behavior that is expected of them. People are capable of personal responsibility and self-reliance.

Further, given that this country was founded in the ideology now called libertarianism, and continued therein for many years, there's no reason to believe we can't return to our roots.

The only thing standing in our way is the will and education to do it. Everyone needs to be able to discuss the Constitution and what it means. Everyone should be aware of the philosophical underpinnings of our country. That's the required education.

Next we move to the legislative will. We can start with something small. Repeal the motorcycle helmet laws Mr. DeVore mentioned in his interview, and make it law that an emergency room does not have to treat injured motorcyclists who fail to carry insurance and wear a helmet. Note that you would have to engage in nullification of the Federal law that demands anyone showing up to an emergency room must be treated, but that's already being done in other States with regard to other issues (stories here, and here). This step says, "You may behave as you like, but YOU, not society, are responsible for the consequences of your actions." Treat people like adults, and they will act like it, or they will exit society in some fashion.

A child doesn't potty train if you never stop changing her diapers. It's much easier to have someone clean your mess up for you than deal with it yourself. The only problem is you end up sitting in your own filth for extended periods of time, and that's simply unpleasant and unhealthy. Yes, this is a graphic analogy for our current societal situation, which should be as utterly repugnant to any thinking adult as sitting in one's own feces.

We're moving from a guilt society to a shame society, and that's not good. What does that mean? My Greek Classics professor helped us understand Ancient Greek worldview by explaining they lived in a shame society. Individuals were often not terribly moral. They were afraid of shame. So, anything they could get away with for their own advantage, they did, so long as no one was looking. If they got caught, they paid the penalty of societal shame, but that was the only motivation not to do wrong.

Throughout the early history of U.S. society, and in libertarian society, people function on a guilt model. That is, your own individual moral compass guides you. You don't need to be caught to avoid doing wrong, because your conscience rejects the idea.

It doesn't take a genius to determine which model creates a more orderly and responsible society or which society is superior at maintaining and expanding civilization.

Today, we are legislating all behavior, creating an attitude of, "It's fine for me to do this if it's not illegal," and worse, "It's fine for me to do this even if it's illegal, so long as I am not caught." This legal/illegal societal outlook is, functionally, a shame society, or a step backwards for civilization.

The advantage this new shame society provides for government is power, since people are used to an accept regulation of all aspects of their lives. The advantage it provides for people is that they may shirk responsibility and ask the rest of society to bear the consequences of their actions for them. In short, in a shame society such as we're building, you never have to grow up and potty train.

So, Mr. DeVore, I reject your asinine bleating about how we don't have an idealized libertarian society. Our society's decline is in large measure your fault, most recently demonstrated by your corrupt involvement with the farcical budget process that highlighted the illegitimacy of the California State government. We can take steps toward implementing practical libertarian philosophy right now that will at least move us in the right direction. All you have to do is grow a pair of political gonads and stand up for what you claim to believe in.

Catching up on Attorney Andrew McCarthy

If you haven't been following Andrew McCarthy's recent interactions with the Department of Justice, catching up is well worth a few moments of your time.

Andrew McCarthy is a lawyer who has served for a quarter century as an assistant U.S. attorney and a deputy U.S. marshal. In his own words: "I’ve always believed enforcing our laws and defending our nation are duties of citizenship, not ideology. My conservative political views aside, I regularly make myself available to liberal and conservative groups, to Democrats and Republicans, if they think tapping my national-security or law-enforcement experience would be beneficial." (Source given below)

Recently, Mr. McCarthy was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion to assist the President’s Detention Policy Task Force. He declined with honest regret for two reasons:

1. President Obama and Attorney General Holder have created an untenable situation for lawyers asked to advise the government on policy matters.

2. The exercise known as the “President’s Detention Policy Task Force” is a farce.

This is worth your time to read. Here's his column explaining his decision. Here's his actual letter to Attorney General Holder.

Oh, and he also takes on the Justice Department's hypocritical position on torture in this column, which is also worth your time.

In essence, nothing substantive has actually changed with regard to torture. The current administration would just like you to believe it has, since much ado was made during the campaign about how wrong enhanced interrogation is. Note that even while denouncing it, Pres. Obama has carefully left a loophole so that enhanced interrogation may be used if absolutely necessary. (NPR story here).

Libertarian Candy: Repealing the 16th Amendment

Today on the Glenn Beck program, Judge Andrew Napolitano spoke of something that can only be described as libertarian candy: repealing the 16th Amendment. The transcript is available here.

If you've read my prior posts, you know I don't think much of the 16th Amendment, or current income tax law. I don't believe the 16th Amendment should be permitted to trample the 4th or 6th Amendments. I believe Article 1, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution (relevant section) was deliberately designed to limit government power: "No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken."

I'm glad to hear there's a growing movement to do something about this problem. By the way, I think the Fair Tax should be implemented instead as a Constitutional source of revenue for necessary programs.

For a brief, cogent argument about why the 16th Amendment should be repealed, have a look at this essay.

The Armed Citizen, Special Edition

This story comes from the Jawa Report. Two armed robbers attempted to rob, then rape and kill an apartment full of people enjoying a birthday party. One lawfully armed attendee saved everyone. The full story is available here (Jawa Report) and here (WSBTV original story).

Savage Banning

Talk Show host Michael Savage has been banned from travel to the U.K. because of his extremist views. I used to listen to Mr. Savage, because he's often entertaining and brings out some news stories that one might not hear elsewhere, but he's a bit ranty for me.

Why do I care? Well, many internationalists think we should follow Europe's lead in social law. Despite our 1st Amendment, we have political correctness which is a thinly-veiled attempt to shut down thought that opposes progressivism under the guise of politeness.

Benjamin Franklin commented on the freedom to express one's thoughts as a fundamental principle for any free country a half century before the 1st amendment was introduced:

"This sacred privilege is so essential to free Governments, that the Security of Property, and the Freedom of Speech always go together; and in those wretched Countries where a Man cannot call his Tongue his own, he can scarce call any Thing else his own." The full letter is available here.

More on Global Cooling

While researchers are being careful to point out that Global Warming is going to make a quick comeback, they're admitting an oddly quiet sun may lead to Global Cooling. Huh. I thought human intervention was more important than any natural factor.

Then again, perhaps it's egotistical to think we can have more impact on warming with our tailpipes than our sun has.

As usual, I post this disclaimer: I believe in cleaner technologies (read my previous posts and you'll see). I just believe the human-caused global warming scare is both overblown and a front for a global socialist agenda, which is given in more detail in previous posts.

The Armed Citizen

Richie Chapman of Bowie, Arizona, did not know that in exercising his right to protect his property, he was also aiding in bringing a murderer to justice. Chapman was working at a Bowie RV store when a man entered and demanded all the money in the cash register. The man then pulled out a gun, prompting Chapman to draw his own gun and fire, hitting the robber. "If he had gotten a shot off, I would have been dead," said Chapman. The robber fled and was later apprehended at a local hospital. The man turned out to be Johnny Lee Williams, who was being sought in the kidnapping and murder of an East Texas Wal-Mart employee, Megan Holden. After being treated at the hospital, Williams was turned over to the FBI. (Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, AZ, 01/22/2005)

Gloria Turner remembers firing with one hand and dialing 911 with the other. Turner and her husband, Bobby Doster, had owned their grocery store for eight years and, although they were prepared for the worst, they did not expect it. But one evening, while the Turners were stocking their shelves, two teens walked in and demanded money. Turner recounts, "I was about to give it to them when the first guy said, 'You're not moving fast enough,' and pulls out a gun." The robber aimed at Doster and fired, missing him. When their attackers' gun jammed, the couple had enough time to retreat behind the counter and grab their own guns. A gun battle erupted in the store. When it was over, both robbers were dead. Sheriff Mike Smith said that the store owners would not be charged, adding that, "People have a right to protect their lives and their property." (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 01/25/2005)

Note: One of the robbers attempted to murder Bobby Doster. The criminals were killed after failing to commit cold-blooded murder because he wasn't "moving fast enough." How in the world did the question of "Will the owners be charged?" even arise? I once heard a wonderful quotation I wish I could source. A reporter in California asked a sheriff's deputy if a homeowner who had defended his family would be charged with a crime (yes, California is that far gone). The deputy's response was delivered with a straight face, though I know not how, "Ma'am, the homeowner would be the victim. We try not to charge the victim."

Crawfordsville, Arkansas, resident Clarence Cochran operated a small store out of his home that he called The Neighborhood Store. But one night the neighborhood erupted in gunfire when two men entered Cochran's store with the intent to rob it. One of the robbers shot at Cochran, hitting him in the stomach. Despite the wound, the 80-year-old Cochran was able to retrieve his pistol and fire at both men, killing one. The other robber, identified as Antonio BAss, fled but was apprehended at a nearby hospital. He was charged with aggravated robbery. Deputies on the scene said Cochran was alert and able to speak to them, although he was airlifted to the hospital as a precautionary measure. (Evening Times, West Memphis, AR, 12/27/2004)

Dr. Wesley Parkhurst served nine months in Iraq, but it was only after returning home to Henryetta, Olahoma, that he found himself having to use deadly force. The physician stopped to help a woman who had been assaulted by her husband, Gary Wayne Britt. Though she asked to be driven to her mother's house, Parkhurst wisely drove to the police station after Britt twice rammed the doctor's car. Outside the police station Britt confronted Parkhurst and advanced on him, despite Parkhurst's loaded .45-cal. handgun. Parkhurst fired two shots, both of which struck Britt, who was listed in stable condition at an area hospital Parkhurst was not charged. (Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, OK, 01/12/2005)

As Clyde Colley looked down at th gunshot wound in his leg and then up at his wife, he decided that if he did not do something, they would both die. Almost two hours earlier, two men had broken into their Sandlick, Virginia home, shot Mr. Colley and ordered the elderly couple to get on the floor. As one of the intruders held the couple at gunpoint, the other ransacked the house. Finally, Colley said that he was not feeling well and needed to go lied own. This excuse gave him enough time to get his gun, which he fired twice, killing one intruder and sending the other fleeing nito the night. As their phone lines had been cut, Mrs. Colley was forced to run down the driveway and flag down help. Police later apprehended the surviving intruder, Mazel Sexton, and charged him with numerous felony counts. Colley was not expected to be charged in teh death of the intruder, who was identified as Hubert Howard, Jr. (The Dickenson Star, Clintwood, VA, 12/22/2004)

A Hollis, New Hampshire man was awakened one night to the sounds of screaming in his back yard. The homeowner, Donald Narkis, grabbed his gun and headed downstairs when he heard glass breaking in the kitchen. Narkis fired in the direction of the intruder, who, undeterred, continued to advance as he screamed and smashed furniture. Together with his armed daughter, Narkis ordered the intruder onto the floor, but the man wouldn't stay down. Narkis fired again, but the shot hit next to the intruder's leg. When police arrived at the scene, the intruder, identified as Peter Camplin, compliained, "that psycho tried to shoot me." Camplin, who had moved into the neighborhood only months previously, was found to have a significant amount of cocaine and alcohol in his system. (The Telegraph, Nashua, NH, 01/19/2005)

Armed citizen stories are taken from American Rifleman magazine. You may subscribe to American Rifleman by joining the NRA. "If you have a firsthand 'Armed Citizen' experience, call NRA-ILA PR/Communications at (703) 267-1193. Studies indicate that firearms are used over 2 million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate, imminent threat to life, limb, or in some cases, property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings to: 'The Armed Citizen,' 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400."

California Special Election voting guide

This special election guide will be short and easy. The people who like high taxes in California are hitting the advertisement trail hard in preparation for the upcoming special election, and we need to counter their efforts.

My recommendation? Vote no on California propositions 1A-1D. Why? They're the solutions proposed by a crooked legislature to screw Californians out of more money. They've tried to mislead voters at every stage of this process.

If you're unsure about anything else, please vote no on Proposition 1A. Let the California government know they can't trick you into voting for higher taxes over a longer period of time, no matter what they call the prop or how they try to sell it. The spending cap is fake, and won't stop their rampant buying spree. Only running out of money will do that.

Prop 1F looks like fun. I'm all for expressing my disapproval to the legislature, and suggest voting yes on 1F.