It Begins in Earnest

Drudge links to Breitbart and Politico about Obama's new rules imposed by Executive Order.  It seems to boil down to your doctor may report that you are "mentally ill" to the NICS (the National Instant Criminal Background Check System), thereby disallowing you from purchasing a gun.

I see three problems with this right off the top.  First, it sets a precedent for sharing health information to people and organizations not directly involved with your personal health care, which was the whole point of HIPAA.

Second, it lumps the mentally ill in with criminals.  Strictly speaking, that means you have two flavors of unrelated data instances in the same database. I think any competent DBA would tell you that this is "Bad". (Think of the your liquor store guy telling the DMV what your weekly alcohol purchase rate is.)  It also reminds me of lessons we should have learned from the 20th century, especially from the 20s and 30s onward.  (I'm looking at *you*, National Socialists and Communists!)

My third concern is the total absence of any due process in the infringement of a Constitutional right.  A recurring theme of 2A supporters is that these "mass shootings" (Newton, Sandy Hook et. al.) might have been prevented by better mental health care, not by more gun laws.  And, I agree.  I think (IMHO) that someone who is diagnosed as incompetent or dangerous to others shouldn't have weapons, or maybe even sharp objects.  (I'm looking at *you*, Charles Manson!)

I think that abrogating *any* Constitutional right by bureaucratic fiat is morally wrong and illegal.  If I were to deteriorate to a point where arming me is truly a bad idea, I would still expect a hearing to determine my competence, one wherein I was represented by counsel and a good shrink.

Being denied that (or any) right on the word of an individual, enforced by an anonymous database is simply not American.

(Gerard has a longer post by O'l Remus detaining how he sees the resistnce unfolding.  His take: it won't.  It will be a death by a thousand bureaucratic paper cuts. Go RTWT.)

Demon's Nest Of Sentiments

Especially appropriate these days...

Via Pibgorn

Just A Look Around...

I'm thinking Obama's sanctions are smoke and mirrors.  They are targeting individual Russians, Putin's buddies, but they aren't stopping the flow of dollars into Mother Russia:

US Buying Russian Helicopters for Afghanistan

Sanctioned Russian Has No-Bid Contract With US

I understand why we don't want to turn Europe's heat off, but there must be a way to get around that.  Gas exports, anyone??

I don't believe Obama et. al. are taking this mess anywhere near seriously enough.

Primary Challenger to Boehner!

Here's his "Meet Eric" page.

Hey, should be better than the (spit) incumbent, and damned better than any Democrat, no?

Of course, I could be wrong.

Small Crack...

...in the wall!

California schoolteachers file lawsuit over mandatory union dues

I've Been Remiss...

...in keeping up with Brooke and Dru.  Here is this Sunday's installment, with the missing ones below the fold.

Go read the rest:

Veteran's Day, 10/13/2103 - Washington D.C.

Then...

...and now!

 

Meanwhile, at Gettysburg...

Park Police Mounties...

 

...face a hostile and dangerous force.

The Freeburg Rule

Worth observing and passing on...

"You call me a racist for having a problem with His Majesty’s execrable policies, or insinuate in any way that my “real” problem is with having a black guy in the White House…

…I’m going to call you a coward for hiding behind someone else’s skin color."

From The House of Eratosthenes

And hiding behind someone's skin color does seem, well, racist, no?

Heh.

He's Back...

...with A Demon's Nest of Sentiments

I can see Obama doing the Hokey-Pokey with the Girl Scouts.  But not Michelle - she's be on the sidelines, rolling her eyes and giving him The Look.

Not Counting Well..

For reasons not exactly well-known to me, I had it in my head the Brooke McEldowney had only posted a couple of his "Demon's Nest of Sentiments" Sunday offerings.  But when I clicked around the calendar over at gocomics.com, I discovered that he'd been at it for a couple of months.  So, today's post will allow you to get up to speed on this.

I swear, he sounds like all of the founding fathers rolled into one!

It's important (and below the fold).  Read 'em and laugh.  Or, read 'em and weep.

(Note:  none today...)

A Demon's Nest of Sentiments

Brooke McEldowney has been on quite the roll off and on the past few Sundays.  I have taken it upon myself to share:

 

Whilst you're at it, visit his blog and store, too!

And don't forget 9 Chickweed Lane!

When I was in college, our chief engineer and some of us students had arrived at a similar sentiment.  We decided that anyone who received a "no confidence" vote could never, ever run for office again.  For anything, anywhere.

Audit The IRS - 6/19 (Bumped and Updated!)

More here!

I'd love to go, but the cost of gas is, shall we say, prohibitive.  I'm looking for someone in the York/Lancaster, PA area who would like to drive and split the cost of gas.  (I'll drive and split the cost if you prefer.)

Leave a comment if you're interested.

Thanks!

Update:  I've been put in touch with a group that is arranging buses to the rally.  The pick up sites are relatively close to the York PA area (Westminster, MD, Owings Mills, MD, and near Towson and Bel-Air as well.)

Info and sign-up at: Restore America's Mission

NSA Whistleblower Comes Out

Go.  Read the whole thing.

Trail o' Breadcrumbs (Updated)

Update - Breitbart has a post by Joel B. Pollak wondering if the deliberate small plane crash into the Austin, Tx. IRS offices wasn't the trigger for the "let's get the Tea Party" attacks.  The crash happened on Feb 18, 2010.  Speculative, yes, but Obama's meeting with the IRS union boss happened less than two weeks later, and the attacks began the next day.

RTWT

Pundette has a link to this story at American Spectator, about a meeting between the head of the IRS' employee's union and Obama the day before the IRS started messing with "... the Tea Party and other conservative groups..."  So it thus appears that the IRS' marching orders, while coming from the very, very tippy-top, were actually communicated from the "side", instead of through the legal chain-of-command.

The story at the links is loading very slowly, if at all.  I suspect that's because it is linked on both Drudge and Instapundit. (5-20-2013)

Paranoid, yet??

To paraphrase Yoda, "You should be!"

Via DougM at Sondrakistan

Whodunit

CNN's Jake Tapper is making a big to-do about a new memo from 9/14, that he says was mis-quoted to say the State's interest in the Benghazi talking point's were to be addressed in a weekend meeting.  He's busy mis-directing about the "mis-quotes", leaving the impression that the memo discredits the reporting on the issue.  It doesn't:

So whoever leaked the inaccurate information earlier this month did so in a way that made it appear that the White House – specifically Rhodes – was more interested in the State Department’s concerns, and more focused on the talking points, that the email actually stated.

I couldn't resist commenting:

"...significance seems to be..."?   Well, is it or isn't it?

This part:

"Insofar as we have firmed up assessments that don't compromise intel or the investigation, we need to have the capability to correct the record, as there are significant policy and messaging ramifications that would flow from a hardened mis-impression.

We can take this up tomorrow morning at deputies."

doesn't persuade me that the talking points weren't changed. The real question about that is still "Who had them changed?" State? CIA? Oval Office? 

It's important we know. Go find out, and report back.

I neglected to ask about the redacted part.  Sorry.

His column here.

Memo here.

Major linkage about talking points at Pundette!

Guess I'm a Lapsed Extremist?!

Saw this over at Sondrakistan:

I stopped practicing the Catholic faith when I was twenty, because I disagreed with most of their teachings on the nature of human sexuality.  I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to convince them to change their stand, so I left.

Fourty some odd years later, I seem to be in what might be described as a near-earth orbit of the Church.  I see how it is still a bulwark against the insane "-isms" that plague us at every step.

And then there's this stupid training poster the Army has put together.  I saw it and said to myself, "I stand with the Catholics".  I may not participate in the liturgy and Communion, but I stand with the Catholics.

Pennsylvania Gun "Control" Bills

I did a short piece over at the Window blog about an e-mail I sent to my state representative, Stan Saylor:

PA House Bill 521

House Bill 521 (2013) would require all persons holding a License to Carry hold liability insurance in the amount of $1,000,000.  When I heard about this, I immediately wrote to Rep. Stan Saylor (who is, it turns out, my across-the-parking lot neighbor).

Rep Saylor,

This is what I refer to as a "nibble"... a "feel-good" means of nibbling away at citizen's rights.  It is an underhanded attempt to make it more difficult (in this case, expensive) for citizens to exercise their Constitutional right to own and carry firearms.

Please vote "No".

Thank you,
leelu

After the protest last Saturday, I decided to see what else our busy little state people had in mind for us.  Turns out, quite a bit!  Aside from the liability insurance ploy, they're proposing:

(Links to the full text of the bills.)

HB 517 - an "assault weapons" ban.  Like elsewhere, the criteria are all pretty much cosmetic.  It starts out with this:

"(c) Definition.--As used in this section, the term "assault weapon" means:
 (1) Any selective-fire firearm capable of fully automatic, semiautomatic or burst fire at the option of the user or any of the other following specified
(list follows)

I don't know if this means my semi-automatic .22, which is incapable of full auto fire.

The bill then goes into a full Chinese menu of cosmetic features, any two together resulting in the wepon being banned.  I want to know how law enforcement is expected to remember all of this??

HB 239 - a firearms registration act:

"Section 3.  Registration.

(a)  General rule.--All firearms in this Commonwealth shall
be registered in accordance with this section. It shall be the
duty of a person owning or possessing any firearm to cause the
firearm to be registered. No person within this Commonwealth may
possess, harbor, have under the person's control, transfer,
offer for sale, sell, give, deliver or accept any firearm unless
the person is the holder of a valid registration certificate for
the firearm. No person within this Commonwealth may possess,

harbor, have under the person's control, transfer, offer for
sale, sell, deliver or accept any firearm which is
unregisterable under this act."

Further along, the best part:

"Each person holding a registration certificate shall:

(3)  Keep any firearm in the registrant's possession unloaded and disassembled or bound by a trigger lock, gun safe or similar device unless the firearm is in the      registrant's immediate possession and control while at the registrant's place of residence or business or while being used for lawful recreational purposes within this Commonwealth. This paragraph shall not apply to law enforcement personnel or security personnel while in the course of their employment."

Does that supercede my carry permit?  Will I have to keep my pistol unloaded while I carry it?  How much will registration cost?

Next up, HB 518 - Imposes a duty to retreat

"Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in general principles of justification, further providing for definitions, for use of force in self-protection, for use of force for the protection of property and for use of force by persons with special responsibility for care, discipline or safety of others.

(1) The use of force is not justifiable under this
      section:

    (iii) if the actor knows that he can avoid the
     necessity of using such force with complete safety by
     retreating; or

     (iv) if the actor was instructed by a peace officer
     or public safety dispatcher to not pursue another person."

Those two phrases are scattered throughout the existing bill.

I suppose if a police officer said "Don't follow him", I'd be inclined to stay put.  Don't know if I need that spelled out.  But, if some shag-nasty is coming after me with a knife, I would prefer not to have to be forced to spend time figuring out if I'll be safe under the bed or not. Thinking about that, versus the immediate threat, seem to be, well, unsafe.

And, don't worry.  The state Senate has gotten into the act too, with SB 435.

SB 435 - "Assault Weapons Ban"

"Class 1 assault weapon." Any of the following:

(1) A semiautomatic center fire rifle capable of accepting detachable magazines and a pistol grip protruding conspicuously below the weapon's action, a thumbhole stock or folding or telescopic stock; a flash suppressor, grenade launcher or flare launcher; or a forward pistol grip.

(2) A semiautomatic center fire rifle with overall length of less than 30 inches.

(3) A semiautomatic center fire rifle with a fixed magazine capable of holding over ten rounds of ammunition.

(4) A semiautomatic pistol capable of accepting detachable magazines and a threaded barrel; a second handgrip; a capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside the pistol grip; or a shroud attached to, or partially or completely encircling, the barrel allowing the bearer to fire the weapon without burning the bearer's hand, except for a slide enclosing the barrel.

(5) A semiautomatic pistol with a fixed magazine having the capacity to accept over ten rounds.

(6) A semiautomatic shotgun having a folding or telescoping stock; a pistol grip protruding conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon, a thumbhole stock or a vertical handgrip.

(7) A semiautomatic shotgun with the ability to accept detachable magazines.

(8) A shotgun with a revolving cylinder.

"Large capacity magazine." Any detachable ammunition feeding device with the capacity to accept more than ten rounds of ammunition. The term does not include any of the following:

(1) a feeding device that has been permanently altered so that it cannot accommodate more than ten rounds;

2) a .22 caliber tube ammunition feeding device; or

(3) a tubular magazine that is contained in a lever action firearm.

Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days."

Nibbles, as I said to Mr. Saylor. I'm gratified to find that his name is on none of the House bills.

I shall be paying him a visit, soonest!

Day of Resistance

What started out as the morning dog walk tuned into a peaceful assembly/protest.  Who knew??

I didn't know anything about it until I turned the corner onto Main St. and saw this:

We cut  the walk short, and went home.  I swapped my Breakers cap for my NRA cap, and went over to join in and get some photos:

The crowd across the intersection.

Two speeches were given.  Acoustics were crap, but I caught quotations from the Declaration of Independence.  We were exhorted to read and know the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  He said (I paraphrase) "The Second Amendment is the gun law for this country."  We recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

A couple of folks came bearing arms.

Nifty signs

I haven't been to a demonstration since the 80s.  This one seemed to me to be important to participate in.  The direction President Obama is taking this country is wrong.  No government should have as much control of peoples' live has his assumed, from health care to unconstitutional laws trying to disarm the citizenry.

I have not been this afraid since the early 60s, when I wondered every day if  the Russians would push the button down.  I do not want the sheriff coming to my door to inspect my guns.  I want to afford to shoot  them, which means nothing but sales tax on ammo.  I don't need expensive liability insurance because I own guns.
The people I met today seemed decent, rational, and patriotic.  Several people recommended a particular gun club to me, and I plan on joining.  I don't want to be alone in this mess.

Main and Broadway is a busy intersection, PA routes 24 and 74, from the MD state line, up to York and Carlisle.  We got a lot of support from passers-by, honking horns, waving, and giving thumbs-up.  I'm happy be where the kind of government intrusion Obama seems bent on will be resisted.  I am glad I wound up here.

(Cross posted over the Window on Red Lion)

It's OK to Use Drones...

...to Kill Americans:

EXCLUSIVE: Justice Department memo reveals legal case for drone strikes on Americans

By Michael Isikoff

National Investigative Correspondent, NBC News

A confidential Justice Department memo concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be “senior operational leaders” of al-Qaida or “an associated force” -- even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S.

Which leads me to this:

More info here

Dots.  Connect.

NBC - reporting real news.  Who knew??

Via Drudge