Did Hell Just Freeze Over (NPR Edition 09/14/2013)?

OMG, my Saturday dose of Car Talk had just finished and I still had my headphones on...

Wait-Wait... Don't Tell Me has actually made fun of our current, godlike administration.

A Somewhat Sublime Thought for the Day

Comes to us courtesy of Chris Muir.

Weekend Earworm: 07/19/2013

Was initially intending to put a bit of Pat Benatar (you could say I've been feeling All Fired Up) but had a change of heart while drinking morning coffee and reviewing the news.

I think some Eurythmics might be more appropriate:

Enjoy and forward, to our Two-Minutes Hate, Comrade Citizen!

Additional Thoughts On Our Nation's 237th Birthday

Image Courtesy of DullHawk's place.

I sure as hell hope not!

On this day, please take a few moments to reflect on what it's all about (special thanks to The Charters of Freedom):

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Hero, Traitor, Whistleblower, or Felon? It Doesn't Really Matter in the Bigger Picture

I started this post a while back and let it simmer at the back burner... I've always been a reasonably law and order kind've guy who realizes we're a big country with porous borders and the world's dynamics have been dramatically changing since World War II.

Not all that long ago, I would've quickly called Edward Snowden an absolute traitor (I still can't wait to find out that Bradley Manning will rot in a deep, dark hole somewhere):

In a note accompanying the first set of documents he provided, he wrote: “I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions,” but “I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant.”

Nowadays—especially, in light of everything else that's been recently coming to light—I'm not so sure.

Or, so I was thinking (for a bit) until more information about brave [snark] Mr. Snowden began to come to light. Professor Jacobson & Company, over at Legal Insurrection, have done a great job of compiling thoughts and information on him.

I sure as hell don't see him as any hero. Whistleblower? No. Traitor? No. Felon? Maybe. Putz? Definitely.

Add to that an unfortunately useful tool whose drama may all too well draw attention away from what really and truly matters.And, that is the scope of potential surveillance our government has placed upon us under the guise of "protecting" us.

As demonstrated by the implications of the recently-revealed IRS Scandals, it's the "potential" that should have us all worried as once a potential is realized to a bureaucracy, it becomes a given that it will be abused at one point or another. Add to that the scope of how this surveillance can intrude and disrupt every aspect of our lives and we have really placed that proverbial bridge across the Rubicon and it will only become a matter of time before it is crossed. The questions truly become:

When?
How far?
And how destructively?

It doesn't matter that it may have started under Dubya's administration. It was started and—most importantly—it is now being perpetuated by a current administration that has shown no true regard for the laws of this republic.

I Am So Disgusted With These People

As someone traumatized by the start of the PC movement (bowel, maybe?) that launched just as I was finishing college, this surprises me not:

Important: Researcher Says that Berenstein Bears, Franklin the Friendly Turtle Perpetuate "Racist," "Socially Dominant Norms" to Children

This comes to us courtesy of Ace, who reminds us:

These are the people who populate our EPA, IRS, and of course our DoJ, too.

Oh, how I wish this d!ckw@ds would go away and leave us alone!

Am I Zumboing Myself? Have to Say That I Kind've Agree With Bob on This One

Bob Owens reveals some of his thoughts over the new offering from TrackingPoint:

Summed up: you look through the scope to identify your target, and press a button located on the front of the trigger guard to mark it. Once marked, an interrupter mechanism kicks in as you squeeze the trigger. It only allows the shot to fire once the crosshairs intersect a second time with the spot you marked.

The rifle itself is built using parts from a “who’s who” in the world of manufacturing precision long-range rifle parts, including a Surgeon action, Krieger barrel, and an Accuracy International AX chassis. The ammunition — .338 Lapua in one version, .300 Winchester Magnum for the two smaller rifles — is custom-loaded for the gun.

The part of the system that makes the headlines isn’t the rifle itself, but how the rifle interfaces with software and a sensor package straight out of Predator to come as close as possible to creating a “can’t miss” scenario at long range for even the least-experienced shooters.

Amazing. And I find myself hating it.

Although I definitely see the possible military applications for this, I have to ask, what is this really for? And, before you go getting all hissy on me like the commenters to Bob's post, no, I am not advocating banning it from the civilian market. I simply want to ask that we consider its real utility in how we apply it.

Do you think that it'll allow you to retake that 600 to 700-yard shot that you passed on a trophy bull elk last year? Carefully consider the implications of taking that long a shot. Period. Can you adequately see the animal and what is beyond it for safety's safe? Is the velocity and energy of your bullet still sufficient to make a humane kill?

I guess where my worry comes in is that some of the more financially well-off of the yahoos in our midst, who don't spend enough time at the range as is (and, why yes, I may be a tad hypocritical here - refer to the In The Field portion), may jump on this as the newest fad for reaching out and touching someone of the game animal variety. Think back to the ultra-magnum craze that swept the industry and our ranks  for a couple decades. Personally, all we had were a lot of numbskulls using rifles that cost more than my first truck, throwing out $3-5 per trigger pull, and still missing because they couldn't handle the recoil and muzzle blast and/or literally couldn't affford the proper range time.

Just thinking.

Doesn't Matter If Dubya Started It...

Obama's perpetuating it. So, where's the truly bloody hands?

Bring. It. On. [Term Deleted for Decency]!

'Nuff said:

Professor: What America Really Needs Now Is a Violent Civil War to Kill Off the NRA

There is a Reason the 2nd Amendment Immediately Follows the 1st

How much has DOJ overreached? Other news organizations might have to defend Fox News (Update – Search Warrant added)

RTWT.

Poor Touchy, Troubled Tamerlan

Poor boy. Yeah, apparently there's folks going there, as well.

I'm sick of this not offending the sensibilities of wanton murderers sh!t. Call a f#<king spade a f#<king spade and be done with it. Or, as Rachel Lucas puts it:

Well. How dare the world?

Look, this young man simply wanted to helpfully cure you hicks of your goofy baseless prejudices about his oppressed religion, by blowing up a little boy and a bunch of other people. He did his faith a huge favor last week, a great big huge explosively helpful favor, and now I think we’re all on the same page: we’re done picturing Islam as a violent religion, yes? Surely those days are behind us at last, thanks to the brave heroics of one Mr. Tamerlan Tsarnaev. 

Via Ms. Lucas, see also, this:

Couldn't agree more!

I Agree That This Is VERY Dangerous!

Hat tip to Tam and her vigilance from The Porch as she calls attention to the following post:

Stop the Compact for America Con-Con Initiative

The basic argument against convening an Article V constitutional convention is that based on the right of the sovereign People in convention to alter their government whenever it fails to secure our rights (as proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence), an Article V constitutional convention could not be limited as to what amendments might be proposed, and therefore could lead to the proposal and ratification of dangerous alterations to the Constitution. The Article V requirement that three-fourths of the states must ratify any new amendment would not necessarily protect us from harmful amendments because, just as our original Constitutional Convention did in 1787, any new constitutional convention could prescribe an entirely new ratification procedure, such as holding a national referendum.

Let's face it, the population centers are all based in handful of urban, liberal, and idiotic cities. We already know the damage they can do in elections. Do we really want them getting the chance to gut the Consitution—especially, Amendment II, which we know they would in a heartbeat?

These are the same people pondering ‘We the People’ Loses Appeal With People Around the World.

It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong. ~Voltaire*

Civil Disobedience is a scary concept. We may pay with our livelihoods, our freedom, and even our lives; however, when faced with the slow pressure of the boot of tyranny to our neck—whether in the attempt to enforce its dominance over us or protect us from ourselves, for our own good—we will lose all just as assuredly by doing nothing.

Our founding fathers foresaw this in the Second Amendment.

So many of us have talked about it before. Just what part of:

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

don't they understand?

And, still, they insist on bringing that boot down slowly and surely onto our necks for all of ours own good.

There are over 80 million of us with the means and even the training to resist this within the full extent of the amendment we hold so dear and sacrosanct in ensuring the successful continuation of our republic.

We also have other, less violent means that can be just as effective.

There are 80 million of us. What if we all said no?

Bob Owens speculates on a bit of this occurring in New York in a recent post over at PJ Media:

Register … or Rebel: How Many New Yorkers Will Defy New Law?
New York has estimated that there are one million firearms that fit their new definition of an “assault weapon,” and they are concerned that a large number of citizens will rip the teeth out of the law by simply refusing to register their arms. Perhaps hundreds of thousands of New York’s most law-abiding citizens are likely to make the choice to rebel against an unconstitutional law that violates their Second Amendment rights.

Perhaps of even more concern to Governor Cuomo and his anti-gun allies: this high level of resistance arose before Assemblyman McLaughlin released the list of confiscatory amendments Democrats had wanted to include in the NY SAFE Act.

NY Democrats have tipped their hand on their gun-control agenda, revealing to citizens that confiscatory disarmament of the civilian population is their goal, and that the “slippery slope” is no fable. They grossly miscalculated the public’s acceptance of their assault on the Second Amendment. What that means for the future in New York remains to be seen.

Read the whole thing. Think about it.

And, think about what others have said throughout history*:

When leaders act contrary to conscience, we must act contrary to leaders.  ~Veterans Fast for Life

If... the machine of government... is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.  ~Henry David Thoreau, On the Duty of Civil Disobediance, 1849

Human history begins with man's act of disobedience which is at the very same time the beginning of his freedom and development of his reason.  ~Erich Fromm, Psychoanalysis and Religion

We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal."  ~Martin Luther King, Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Why We Can't Wait, 1963

As long as the world shall last there will be wrongs, and if no man objected and no man rebelled, those wrongs would last forever.  ~Clarence Darrow

As Always:

Be Seen. Be Heard. And Stand Firm.

* All quotes courtesy of the Quote Garden.

Walking for Rights

Initially caught this over at Instapundit:

On MLK holiday, walking for civil rights and the Second Amendment.

When Charles “Chuck” Hicks does the Martin Luther King Jr. Day peace and freedom walks Saturday, he’ll also be taking a step for what the National Rifle Association has dubbed “National Rifle Appreciation Day.” That’s because Hicks is the son of Robert Hicks, a prominent leader of the legendary Deacons for Defense and Justice — an organization of black men in Louisiana who used shotguns and rifles to repel attacks by white vigilantes during the 1960s.

“The Klan would drive through our neighborhood shooting at us, shooting into our homes,” recalled Hicks, 66, who grew up in Bogalusa, La., and has been a civil rights activist in the District for more than 35 years. “The black men in the community wouldn’t stand for it. You shoot at us, we shoot back at you. I’m convinced that without our guns, my family and many other black people would not be alive today.”

As one of the organizers for the weekend’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities, Hicks’s pro-gun stance may seem like something of an anomaly. But even though King may best be remembered for his philosophy of nonviolent protest, the fact is that black civil rights activists in many small towns throughout the South carried guns or received protection from groups like the Deacons for Defense and Justice.

How Dare We...

Take Vice President Biden's words from yesterday and Drudgetapose?!And, because we all did, rumor has it that all proper-thinking libs apparently have their panties in a bunch.

I guess my more proper side has to ask myself if such comparisons should've been made. Hmm, let me think for a mom-

Oh Hell Yeah!

Does it all look familiar, my overly liberal readers? That's because it is and payback's a real bitch. You all set that tone for us.

Anyhow, I also liked Ron Capshaw's less-impassioned thoughts on the matter over at PJ Media:

The Obama administration has greeted the response to president’s threat of an executive order to bypass Congress and implement gun control measures as reminiscent of dictators, as hysteria.

But such comparisons are not easy to dismiss. Lenin stated “One man with a gun can control 100 without one.” Stalin, his successor declared, “If the opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves.” When the Kulaks refused, Stalin instituted his own “executive order,” and they were helpless as the state mowed them down.

But this disarming of the population was not exclusive to the Russians. Mao Tze Tung declared “All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The communist party must command all the guns, that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party.”

Fair play is fair play, folks—especially, when history supports comparing such actions to such monsters.

It Sure As Hell Does Feel As Though Time's Up

Caught this version of the Gadsden flag, today, over at Chris Muir's Day by Day.

Seems appropriate, doesn't it? Check it out over at DullHawk's place.

As always:

Be Seen. Be Heard. And Stand Firm.

Epiphanies: The Anti-GMO Movement

Hat-tip to the Instapundit.

Mark Lynas, a British environmentalist who helped spur the anti-GMO movement in the 1990's, admits that he was completely wrong to oppose GMOs. In Mr. Lynas's own words:

As an environmentalist, and someone who believes that everyone in this world has a right to a healthy and nutritious diet of their choosing, I could not have chosen a more counter-productive path. I now regret it completely.

So I guess you’ll be wondering—what happened between 1995 and now that made me not only change my mind but come here and admit it? Well, the answer is fairly simple: I discovered science, and in the process I hope I became a better environmentalist.

 As summarized by Torie Bosch, the article's author:

To feed a growing world population (with an exploding middle class demanding more and better-quality food), we must take advantage of all the technology available to us, including GMOs. To insist on “natural” agriculture and livestock is to doom people to starvation, and there’s no logical reason to prefer the old ways, either. Moreover, the reason why big companies dominate the industry is that anti-GMO activists and policymakers have made it too difficult for small startups to enter the field.

That's just such a lovely epiphany after all the damage has pretty much been done.

[Head shaking] And, looking at this photo from the article, I just have to wonder what it is about all the fucking fruitcakes that flock to this kind of shit.

I guess it's better than going around dressed as a vagina; however, as someone who used to lean towards environmentalist tendencies, I just have to say to all these folks:

Get fucking real and get a real life.

Shit like this sure as hell doesn't win me over to your pathetic view!

Hoo-Ah! Reprised: A Possible View Into A Coming Line Of Attack

Last night, I linked the letter from former Marine Corporal Joshua Boston to Senator Dianne Feinstein. I'd first picked-up on it Thursday morning while perusing Shall Not Be Questioned before starting work.

Reading through the comments, it was immediately clear that amidst the nearly overwhelming "Amens" and "I'm with you's" the character assassinations were already underway. Okay, I know, say something we don't already know too well...

What really grabbed me was the line of attack from several of them and their reoccurring theme [emphasis, mine]:

• I was interested to see how prior service lower ranked enlisted understood and viewed this 2nd amendment issue - and their understanding of their personal entitlement after weapons training and serving their country; realizing that the average sailor is below academic standards.
• Someone certainly feels entitled, what a condescending delusional individual.
• Simple question for you:  When did a Constitutional Right become an entitlement?

Just what the hell does entitlement have to do with any of this?

Mayhap, we're seeing the early probing from the newest publicity and catch-phrase blitz from the Antis.

As always:

Be Seen. Be Heard. And Stand Firm.

An Earworm To Start 2013 With

This popped-up on my iPod while I was doing some serious data entry for the HR Empire. It felt very apropos to some of my thoughts and wishes for 2013.

Happy New Year!

Affirmative may be justified
Take from one give to another
The goal is to be unified
Take my hand be my brother
The payment silenced the masses
Sanctified by oppression
Unity took a backseat
Sliding further into regression

One, oh one,
The only way is one

One, oh one,
The only way is one
I feel angry I feel helpless
Want to change the world
I feel violent I feel alone
Don't try and change my mind

Society blind by color
Why hold down one to raise another
Discrimination now on both sides
Seeds of hate blossom further
The world is heading for mutiny
When all we want is unity
We may rise and fall, but in the end
We meet our fate together

One, oh one,
The only way is one
One, oh one,
The only way is one
I feel angry I feel helpless
Want to change the world
I feel violent I feel alone
Don't try and change my mind

[x3]
I feel angry I feel helpless
Want to change the world yeah
I feel violent I feel alone
Don't try and change my mind

I feel angry I feel helpless
Want to change the world yeah
I feel violent I feel alone
Don't try and change my mind

Thanks to A-Z Lyrics for the transcript.

Just A Thought For The Children

I wonder how many of these folks calling on this-and/or-that gun ban, for the sake of protecting our children, are also ardent or outright zealous supporters of Pro Choice and the constitutional guarantee of such under Roe vs. Wade?