End the War on Freedom

"I want a government small enough to fit inside the Constitution" -- Harry Browne

Chuck Asay at Gun Week - John Kerry on Rights - my title. Cartoon commentary on the difference, according to John Kerry, between a right and a privilege. Hehe. [gunweek]

# I made my third installment last night on the Marlin 1894P that I described four weeks ago. Got to fondle it for a few minutes, too. Only six weeks to go! No news yet on the availability of the Marlin version of the One Hole Sight.

# If you look over in the right column at my countdown clock, you'll see that the "assault weapons" ban sunset is now less than ninety days away. Not that this will stop the Brady Bunch from doing everything they can to renew it, but still good news.

# KeepAndBearArms.com - What do you think of this politician?: A follow-up to the KABA poll - KABA's most recent poll asked what people thought about an unnamed politician. 1046 of the 1363 voters said "He's a traitor usurping power at the expense of our rights". The politician was Ronald Reagan. His rhetoric on the right to keep and bear arms was stellar, but his actions were not. [kaba]

With this clear evidence of Mr. Reagan supporting the Brady Bill, a ban on shotguns and semiautos, and a ban on carrying firearms in public, it seems fair to ask:

Why is NRA republishing their 1983 resolution (issued, incidentally, 16 years after he signed the Mulford Act) where they proclaimed "President Reagan has forcefully stood by his convictions in support of the second amendment right of citizens to keep and bear arms for any legitimate purpose, ncluding self-defense; and...vigorously rejects the myth that gun control is crime control..."?

# Kathryn A. Graham - Vote Freedom 2004 - an "unofficial" Michael Badnarak for president site, approved by Mr. Badnarak. Currently much more informative than the official site. I changed the icon in the left-hand sidebar to have this site as the link for the image and the words "FOR PRESIDENT" and the offical site as the link for the word "BADNARAK". From the Firearms page, on the Second Amendment: [smith2004]

I've heard full-blown, licensed and practicing attorneys complain that this Amendment should have been clearer. I don't see how they could have made it any more clear short of a baseball bat, but too many folks have been brainwashed into believing that it is somehow obscure. I am a writer. I speak, read and write English very well. I could not have said it more plainly myself!

It should also be noted that it isn't only your ownership of firearms that is being protected here. To "bear" arms is to carry them! And arms do not only consist of firearms. "Arms" can also mean knives, bricks, quarterstaff - whatever floats your boat. The right to keep and/or carry any weapon may not legally be infringed by your government. Your freedom may only be taken for attempting to commit a crime with said weapon. Period. Mere possession is not enough. This Amendment does not set an age limit (parents should be doing that), and it does not require a license from your state.

# I added The Unity Symbol to the left-hand sidebar linked to its page at gunlaws.com. From A Message from Michael Lynch, the creator of the symbol:

To answer the question, "Why was it created?", I felt that it is necessary, as it was over 200 years ago when our Flag was created, to have something that the people can recognize as a symbol of the 2nd Amendment freedom. With so many groups claiming to fight for that freedom, the NRA, GOA, SAF, etc., I found it difficult to select the one that was really fighting for that freedom. I have very limited income, so I can't join all of them. Granted, the NRA is the biggest and does have the most influence when it comes to politics, but do they really focus on the 2nd Amendment right? Do any of them? Thus the reason for the symbol. Anyone, any business, or any group that displays this symbol tells me that they support the 2nd Amendment and are committed to maintaining that freedom.

Now this is where the controversy starts. By 'committed' I mean that the 2nd Amendment gave us that freedom without controls. No waiting period. No background checks. No CCW restrictions. No capacity restrictions. No action or appearance restrictions or bans. Sure, felons should not have guns. As far as I'm concerned, those that break the law give up those freedoms. That's the reason for punishment. As far as children with access to guns and gun accidents, we gun owners must be responsible with them. Teach them from the start. The first five years of their life is the most important learning stage. Take advantage of it. And suicide, although quicker, not easier, and more successful with a gun, will continue.

# Jerry Pournelle - TSA 2 - more on Dr. Pournelle's recent experience with the Taking Scissors Away Gang. I agree with him, "This is insane." [pournelle]

We are home, and once our tickets were switched to American and we got into the American lounge, past our second TSA strip search all was well. However, the TSA managed to scratch the lens of my camera, then insist that nothing they did could have done that. All I know is they took my brief case, I saw several of them looking at my camera (an Olympus digital) and later when it was returned not in my brief case the lens had a scratch. The supervisor said they didn't do anything that could have done that, so therefore they didn't do that.

...

My knee kept setting off their metal detector in their hand search. I had to sit there in an uncomfortable position with one leg raised while the man went over it again and again. It hurt a bit. By that time I wasn't going to say anything: over at the other concourse I had been told that if I took the badge number of the agent who was being repeatedly rude -- he clearly wanted the others to know what he was doing but he had trouble getting their attention -- I wouldn't be allowed on the airplane. I admit I was intimidated. But it is never comfortable to sit with one leg raised while someone keeps running a wand over it.

...

For all the thoroughness of their pawing through both my brief case and the Number Nine rollaway (I could get away with only a shoulder bag, but that's heavy for long trips, so I generally put the computer shoulder bag in the Number Nine bag, which then serves as a rolling barrow for both itself and the brief case) -- for all the thoroughness, and their puzzlement at three sets of earphones, had I wanted to destroy the airplane and myself with it, it would have been no great trick to have carried aboard explosives and detonating equipment. I won't go into how, but I suspect most of you can figure that out, and I am quite certain any competent engineer can: and there are many engineer graduates among the upper ranks of the terrorist organizations. There really is no way that TSA can prevent someone determined to destroy the airplane and themselves with it from doing it.

...

But we were born free.

What happened: before we got anywhere near TSA some gate checker to the Delta corridor gave us these long yellow TSA things, about 18" by 4". They weren't explained, and I paid no attention. Each of us got one. I held mine with the tickets. American had stapled all three of our tickets together so I had them all, for all three of us.

When we got to the TSA belts our identification was demanded again, but not the tickets. Then I was told to start putting things in a tray, but then told not to do it, because my wife was in front of me, and she had to put all her stuff in first. I was told, rudely, that I couldn't start yet. This in harsh tones without even the artificial politeness that they sometimes feign. I said "This is insane." There was no reason why I couldn't be putting stuff in one basket while my wife put her stuff in another. There was no crowd. There were plenty of baskets.

Finally I was allowed to put things in baskets. I had the yellow thing in plain view, and also the tickets. No one was interested, so I put all that in my brief case which was sent through the machine. Another basket held shoes. Another jacket and cell phone and wallets and pens. On the other side of the machine I started to collect my stuff. At this point several people started yelling.

"Who cleared this?" "Don't touch that!" And other such things. King shouted at me about my tickets. I took them and the yellow thing out of my brief case. The yellow thing apparently was the albatross that indicated to these crackerjack government agents that we were to be victims of their attentions. King explained to some other TSA man that I had "hidden" the yellow thing although he saw me put it in the brief case, but perhaps he was so busy yelling that I shouldn't put things in trays yet that he didn't pay attention to what he saw.

I said I had not hidden it, I had put it away with the tickets not knowing what else to do with it. He said something else I did not hear. I said "This is insane."

He began telling me that if I said that again he would call the police. He then called over another TSA agent and told that one that I had said this was insane and he had told me that if I said it again I would be arrested. He then said it to me again and demanded that I acknowledge that I had heard and understood. I said nothing. He called yet another over to tell him that he had told me I would be arrested if I said it again.

Eventually that storm ended because I refused to look at or talk to him.

# Aaron Zelman and Claire Wolfe at Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership - Kick Your Victim Addiction: 12 Steps to Restoring Courage and Freedom - recognizing and curing this potentially fatal disease. [jpfo]

Through everything, never forget that your right to keep yourself alive and free in the face of danger is absolute. A criminal - or a criminal government - can try to kill you. A tyrant can try to take your freedom. But even if the Second Amendment had never been written, or even if it were repealed tomorrow, you would still have the right to preserve your own life.

Victim disarmers may "win" in the court of public opinion, in the media, or in Congress. On the other hand, with enough grassroots power, we may triumph over them. No matter what happens in the outside world, we must never allow victim disarmers to win in our hearts. Despite any law, rule, regulation, executive order, presidential directive, or any amount of propaganda or media opposition, you have a right to stop anyone who comes to try to kill you. You have the right to stop anyone who comes to take your freedom.

# Declan McCullagh's Politech site has a new look. Very nice. It also now has RSS and Atom feeds. [politech]

# Bill Winter at Rational Review - Adroit to Zestful: Review of Harry Browne's Liberty A-Z - Mr. Winter likes Mr. Browne's new book. Though I've seen some reasons be cautious on Mr. Browne's character, I've always liked his rhetoric. This is likely a good book. [rrnd]

# Jeff Quinn at Gunblast - Savage Model 10FP-LE2 .308 Tactical Tackdriver - less than $600 retail (plus scope and rings). 1/4 MOA out of the box. AccuTrigger. A winner. [gunblast]

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