The people have spoken and we have a new president-elect. Although our right to keep and bear arms was rarely mentioned outside of his campaign website, those of us who deeply value the U.S. Constitution recognize that we are in a never-ending battle to retain and regain our rights.
An interesting twist on the new Chief Executive is his advocacy for a "Civilian Security Force" that is "just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded" as the military. View the speech where he rolled out his idea for such a body here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2yGzHfy7s
What role might the RKBA community have in such a body? We will have to wait and see, since I find no evidence of any details being unveiled. What I do know is that, with a democratic sweep of the White House and both houses of congress, we are likely to see a wave of proposed gun-ban legislation.
This is no time to rest--our freedom and liberty are always under attack.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Election 2008 and the Second Amendment
As we close in on election time, it's useful to examine what the candidates are saying about the Second Amendment. We've already seen that, despite the Supreme Court's narrow ruling in favor of an individual's right to keep and bear working arms in the home for self-protection (see DC v. Heller), leaders are continuing to defy the Constitution and act as petty dictators. For example, both Fenty of Washington, DC, and Daley of Chicago are fighting the ruling--and the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights--and making and enforcing rules and laws that are clearly illegal. They have rejected our founders' and framers' wisdom in favor of their own misguided agenda.
The 5-4 decision favoring Heller should have been unanimous, if the justices were all doing their jobs. Instead, 4 of them chose to toss our heritage to the wind in favor of enabling dictators to operate at all levels of U.S. government.
Amazingly, Barack Obama and Joe Biden continue to support infringing our rights and seek to undermine our right to keep and bear arms. Biden brags that he was an innovator in abridging rights: He actually pushed to ban what today are the most popular sporting rifles in the world before Clinton picked up on it in 1994. Although the so-called "Assault Weapons Ban" was an abject failure--and unconstitutional, both Obama and Biden want to reinstate it and make it permanent.
John McCain and Sarah Palin both support our Second Amendment rights, and trust the people to act responsibly with respect to firearms. Rather than layer on more unenforceable laws that do nothing to stop criminals and only burden and/or abridge rights of the law-abiding, they seek to make sure we retain our right to self-protection.
Self-defense is one of the most basic drives in life. It is a natural right, that comes from our 'Creator,' however one interprets that term. Please go to the polls in November and vote your conscience. For educational purposes, here are brief excerpts from the Obama and McCain election websites:
Obama (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/urbanpolicy/#crime-and-law-enforcement)
"As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment ... Obama also favors commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them. He supports closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. He also supports making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent ..."
McCain (http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/77636553-6337-4ecd-b170-49e1c07d2fbd.htm)
"John McCain believes that the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual Constitutional right that we have a sacred duty to protect. We have a responsibility to ensure that criminals who violate the law are prosecuted to the fullest, rather than restricting the rights of law abiding citizens. Gun control is a proven failure in fighting crime. Law abiding citizens should not be asked to give up their rights because of criminals - criminals who ignore gun control laws anyway. ..."
The 5-4 decision favoring Heller should have been unanimous, if the justices were all doing their jobs. Instead, 4 of them chose to toss our heritage to the wind in favor of enabling dictators to operate at all levels of U.S. government.
Amazingly, Barack Obama and Joe Biden continue to support infringing our rights and seek to undermine our right to keep and bear arms. Biden brags that he was an innovator in abridging rights: He actually pushed to ban what today are the most popular sporting rifles in the world before Clinton picked up on it in 1994. Although the so-called "Assault Weapons Ban" was an abject failure--and unconstitutional, both Obama and Biden want to reinstate it and make it permanent.
John McCain and Sarah Palin both support our Second Amendment rights, and trust the people to act responsibly with respect to firearms. Rather than layer on more unenforceable laws that do nothing to stop criminals and only burden and/or abridge rights of the law-abiding, they seek to make sure we retain our right to self-protection.
Self-defense is one of the most basic drives in life. It is a natural right, that comes from our 'Creator,' however one interprets that term. Please go to the polls in November and vote your conscience. For educational purposes, here are brief excerpts from the Obama and McCain election websites:
Obama (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/urbanpolicy/#crime-and-law-enforcement)
"As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment ... Obama also favors commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them. He supports closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. He also supports making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent ..."
McCain (http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/77636553-6337-4ecd-b170-49e1c07d2fbd.htm)
"John McCain believes that the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual Constitutional right that we have a sacred duty to protect. We have a responsibility to ensure that criminals who violate the law are prosecuted to the fullest, rather than restricting the rights of law abiding citizens. Gun control is a proven failure in fighting crime. Law abiding citizens should not be asked to give up their rights because of criminals - criminals who ignore gun control laws anyway. ..."
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Gun Control Misinformation in the Denver Post
The Denver Post featured an anonymous opinion piece advocating more gun control--which provided misinformation! [The misinformation has now been removed and noted at the bottom of the article.] Read the [revised] article and the comments at:
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_7716133
The article calls for the renewal of the failed "1994 Assault Weapons Ban," which was signed into law even though statisics suggested it would make no difference--since criminals, by definition, ignore laws. After it was deemed an abject failure after ten years, it was non-renewed.
The blaring error, however, is where the writer states that Maryland passed a similar ban at the state level in 2007. In fact, the proposed ban never made it out of committee, because Maryland lawmakers recognized that the law would be both ineffective and unconstitutional.
The XM-15 rifle mentioned is one of the most popular target shooting and varmint guns used by recreational shooters and farmers. And most of the features included in the 1994 ban were either cosmetic; for the safety of the user; or made them accessible to women, the disabled, the elderly, and people of short stature.
As one of the commenters noted, the Fraternal Order of Police and the National Association of Chiefs of Police do not support this ban. The strongest supporter is the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which includes foreigners from dictatorships and monarchies.
Mental health professionals have written exhaustively about copycats, who jump on the bandwagon when any crime is committed. These incidents occur in clusters, especially near holidays, as lunatics seek fame and express their anger towards a society where they've felt like outsiders. The fact is that lunatics and criminals will always be with us. Disarming ourselves is insanity.
Prohibition doesn't work. It simply creates a lucrative black market that cartels are delighted to take over. If guns are banned, only criminals will have them. Compared to the total number of guns owned by private citizens, the number used for crimes is insignificant.
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_7716133
The article calls for the renewal of the failed "1994 Assault Weapons Ban," which was signed into law even though statisics suggested it would make no difference--since criminals, by definition, ignore laws. After it was deemed an abject failure after ten years, it was non-renewed.
The blaring error, however, is where the writer states that Maryland passed a similar ban at the state level in 2007. In fact, the proposed ban never made it out of committee, because Maryland lawmakers recognized that the law would be both ineffective and unconstitutional.
The XM-15 rifle mentioned is one of the most popular target shooting and varmint guns used by recreational shooters and farmers. And most of the features included in the 1994 ban were either cosmetic; for the safety of the user; or made them accessible to women, the disabled, the elderly, and people of short stature.
As one of the commenters noted, the Fraternal Order of Police and the National Association of Chiefs of Police do not support this ban. The strongest supporter is the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which includes foreigners from dictatorships and monarchies.
Mental health professionals have written exhaustively about copycats, who jump on the bandwagon when any crime is committed. These incidents occur in clusters, especially near holidays, as lunatics seek fame and express their anger towards a society where they've felt like outsiders. The fact is that lunatics and criminals will always be with us. Disarming ourselves is insanity.
Prohibition doesn't work. It simply creates a lucrative black market that cartels are delighted to take over. If guns are banned, only criminals will have them. Compared to the total number of guns owned by private citizens, the number used for crimes is insignificant.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Wall Street Journal on gun control--the far left
Response to "Democrats Stall on Gun-Records Bill" by David Rogers, Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2007.
What makes this issue frustrating for me as a citizen is that even with 32 innocents dead at VA Tech, we focus on gathering information and causing undue burden to many millions of law-abiding citizens--and unnecessarily restrict their rights rather than facing the real issues head-on.
We ignore what happened just a few miles away from VA Tech when a similar mass-murderer entered another "gun-free" zone at Appalachian School of Law. Two students ran to their cars, and returned with handguns, and as soon as the perpetrator saw a gun pointed at him, he dropped his own. Only 3 died. The police arrived almost 5 minutes later. Imagine how many more would have died had these students not armed themselves and this lunatic had proceeded across campus in his deadly rampage. But no one tells that story, or the truth about how "gun free zones" attract such cowards.
Gun control does little but place undue burden on the innocent or deny them their only reasonable means of self-protection. Our founders, both in the Bill of Rights and all of their writings surrounding the crafting of our constitution, clearly indicated that U.S. citizens have the individual right to keep and bear arms. And that means for self-protection from aggression of any kind, as well as in response to tyranny.
We only argue about this now due to the acts of activist 20th century judges with political motives. Many elderly people have a gun for family protection they obtained in the service many years ago, or which was passed down through the family. My father lived in a remote rural area and experienced numerous occasions where he simply held a gun without pointing it and aggressive individuals calmed down and chose not to enter his home uninvited.
A recent London Times article reported the elderly in the U.K., where firearms restrictions prevent them from owning reasonable means of self-protection, are increasingly helpless victims of home invasions. New gun ban and gun control laws being proposed in the U.S. unfairly target the poor, elderly, women, people with disabilities, and people of short stature--whose only reasonable means of self-defense is a firearm. And worse, the various "assault weapons" bans seek to criminalize the very features that make firearms useable by this group. Only a linebacker has the size and strength to operate a gun without these features. The government has banned or limited sound suppression, which would protect individuals' ears--and then closes down ranges where law-abiding citizens enjoy shooting sports because of the noise! This insanity needs to stop.
Another problem is the very idea of "mental illness." The DSM-IV, arguably the bible of the mental health profession, is based on voting by politically selected opinion leaders--not science. Women who suffered post-partum depression or hormonally-based depression in menopause, or men who suffered due to a natural mid-life crisis or post-traumatic stress from their participation in war are not statistically more likely to commit crimes than those who never reported symptoms. In fact, it's likely that most people never report symptoms at all, out of fear they will be listed as mentally ill by mental-health witch doctors.
When most people were around guns all the time, kids routinely learned to shoot and care for guns when they were little. When kids had rifle shooting sports in the schools, no one paid much attention to guns. Kids carried them on school buses.
But now we've taken a frighteningly extremist turn, and little boys can't exercise their natural tendency to make sense of their world at war by drawing guns, tanks, and military artwork in school. This very cathartic and natural behavior is squelched by anti-gun extremism based on unfounded fear. Our children are losing their constitutional rights and being raised in a culture of fear.
Congress needs to drop the entire issue of gun bans and gun control and bring back gun sports to schools. Our founders trusted citizens to act properly. This proposed legislation makes our own leaders seem increasingly like those of fascist regimes. Notice in those countries where guns are banned that the criminals and corrupt government officials still have them, and use them to harm and kill innocent defenseless citizens.
Some of the anti-Second Amendment groups who seek to further limit or even destroy legal access to guns by law-abiding citizens, or fund such efforts, include the Brady Campaign, Rainbow PUSH Coalition (Jesse Jackson), the Million Mom March, Protest Easy Guns, the Joyce Foundation, Americans for Democratic Action, the League of Women Voters, the AARP, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, the Violence Policy Center, the Legal Community Against Violence, Ceasefire, and the American Hunters and Shooters Association.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police is one of the most dangerous organizations--comprised of people from dictatorships and countries that already banned gun ownership, they are extensively cited by U.S. researchers in all sectors, although the Fraternal Order of Police, Law Enforcement Alliance of America, and the National Association of Chiefs of Police do not share their strident anti-Second Amendment views. These well-meaning but misguided individuals don't realize the repercussions their public policy has on law-abiding citizens, for whom a gun is the only reasonable means of self-protection.
Another unspoken reality--the law of supply and demand will prevail. Guns are easy to manufacture and distribute. If we limit access to or ban guns, crime organizations will quickly take over the lucrative business of manufacturing and distributing them--to criminals! Criminals and corrupt government officials will always have them, as will celebrities. Law-abiding citizens are the ones who lose their constitutionally-guaranteed rights--and potentially their lives.
This legislation needs to be dropped altogether. The National Rifle Association, Brady Campaign, and legislators potentially "seizing the moment" following the VA Tech shootings amounts to a nation-wide amygdala hi-jack. It is nothing more than a knee-jerk emotional response combined with misdirected opportunism. Whatever happened to a society built on trust?
What makes this issue frustrating for me as a citizen is that even with 32 innocents dead at VA Tech, we focus on gathering information and causing undue burden to many millions of law-abiding citizens--and unnecessarily restrict their rights rather than facing the real issues head-on.
We ignore what happened just a few miles away from VA Tech when a similar mass-murderer entered another "gun-free" zone at Appalachian School of Law. Two students ran to their cars, and returned with handguns, and as soon as the perpetrator saw a gun pointed at him, he dropped his own. Only 3 died. The police arrived almost 5 minutes later. Imagine how many more would have died had these students not armed themselves and this lunatic had proceeded across campus in his deadly rampage. But no one tells that story, or the truth about how "gun free zones" attract such cowards.
Gun control does little but place undue burden on the innocent or deny them their only reasonable means of self-protection. Our founders, both in the Bill of Rights and all of their writings surrounding the crafting of our constitution, clearly indicated that U.S. citizens have the individual right to keep and bear arms. And that means for self-protection from aggression of any kind, as well as in response to tyranny.
We only argue about this now due to the acts of activist 20th century judges with political motives. Many elderly people have a gun for family protection they obtained in the service many years ago, or which was passed down through the family. My father lived in a remote rural area and experienced numerous occasions where he simply held a gun without pointing it and aggressive individuals calmed down and chose not to enter his home uninvited.
A recent London Times article reported the elderly in the U.K., where firearms restrictions prevent them from owning reasonable means of self-protection, are increasingly helpless victims of home invasions. New gun ban and gun control laws being proposed in the U.S. unfairly target the poor, elderly, women, people with disabilities, and people of short stature--whose only reasonable means of self-defense is a firearm. And worse, the various "assault weapons" bans seek to criminalize the very features that make firearms useable by this group. Only a linebacker has the size and strength to operate a gun without these features. The government has banned or limited sound suppression, which would protect individuals' ears--and then closes down ranges where law-abiding citizens enjoy shooting sports because of the noise! This insanity needs to stop.
Another problem is the very idea of "mental illness." The DSM-IV, arguably the bible of the mental health profession, is based on voting by politically selected opinion leaders--not science. Women who suffered post-partum depression or hormonally-based depression in menopause, or men who suffered due to a natural mid-life crisis or post-traumatic stress from their participation in war are not statistically more likely to commit crimes than those who never reported symptoms. In fact, it's likely that most people never report symptoms at all, out of fear they will be listed as mentally ill by mental-health witch doctors.
When most people were around guns all the time, kids routinely learned to shoot and care for guns when they were little. When kids had rifle shooting sports in the schools, no one paid much attention to guns. Kids carried them on school buses.
But now we've taken a frighteningly extremist turn, and little boys can't exercise their natural tendency to make sense of their world at war by drawing guns, tanks, and military artwork in school. This very cathartic and natural behavior is squelched by anti-gun extremism based on unfounded fear. Our children are losing their constitutional rights and being raised in a culture of fear.
Congress needs to drop the entire issue of gun bans and gun control and bring back gun sports to schools. Our founders trusted citizens to act properly. This proposed legislation makes our own leaders seem increasingly like those of fascist regimes. Notice in those countries where guns are banned that the criminals and corrupt government officials still have them, and use them to harm and kill innocent defenseless citizens.
Some of the anti-Second Amendment groups who seek to further limit or even destroy legal access to guns by law-abiding citizens, or fund such efforts, include the Brady Campaign, Rainbow PUSH Coalition (Jesse Jackson), the Million Mom March, Protest Easy Guns, the Joyce Foundation, Americans for Democratic Action, the League of Women Voters, the AARP, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, the Violence Policy Center, the Legal Community Against Violence, Ceasefire, and the American Hunters and Shooters Association.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police is one of the most dangerous organizations--comprised of people from dictatorships and countries that already banned gun ownership, they are extensively cited by U.S. researchers in all sectors, although the Fraternal Order of Police, Law Enforcement Alliance of America, and the National Association of Chiefs of Police do not share their strident anti-Second Amendment views. These well-meaning but misguided individuals don't realize the repercussions their public policy has on law-abiding citizens, for whom a gun is the only reasonable means of self-protection.
Another unspoken reality--the law of supply and demand will prevail. Guns are easy to manufacture and distribute. If we limit access to or ban guns, crime organizations will quickly take over the lucrative business of manufacturing and distributing them--to criminals! Criminals and corrupt government officials will always have them, as will celebrities. Law-abiding citizens are the ones who lose their constitutionally-guaranteed rights--and potentially their lives.
This legislation needs to be dropped altogether. The National Rifle Association, Brady Campaign, and legislators potentially "seizing the moment" following the VA Tech shootings amounts to a nation-wide amygdala hi-jack. It is nothing more than a knee-jerk emotional response combined with misdirected opportunism. Whatever happened to a society built on trust?
Saturday, September 22, 2007
WSJ article on gun control
I submitted a letter to the editor (LTE) of the Wall Street Journal in response to "Democrats Stall on Gun-Records Bill" by David Rogers, Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2007; Page A6
located at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119033829426334720.html?%20mod=politics_primary_hs and if they choose not to print it, I'll blog it.
Something I did not mention in my LTE: Notice that Rogers cites the views of a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) rather than looking to the National Association of Chiefs of Police (NACOP)!
Why is that, Mr. Rogers? We're discussing our own U.S. internal policy, based on our own Constitution. You're publishing the opinions of foreigners and people who have access to armed body guards, discussing how to disarm more law-abiding American citizens.
What if "at-risk" kids were treated the way kids once were--taught to shoot safely as kids and that firearms are useful tools for self-protection and sport, and given opportunities to pursue shooting sports if it interested them?
Instead, they are raised in fear and guns are portrayed as evil. It just makes guns all the more alluring. I challenge politicians to set up a program that encourages young inner-city kids to become proficient with firearms. Air rifle would be fine for this. It builds discipline, is fun, and could get them to the olympics or into college.
Instead of looking to the flustered international community for their misguided bias (as if brainstorming bureaucrats can solve a problem they don't even understand)--why don't we draw on our own Constitution and the wisdom of our own Founders and be an example?
located at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119033829426334720.html?%20mod=politics_primary_hs and if they choose not to print it, I'll blog it.
Something I did not mention in my LTE: Notice that Rogers cites the views of a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) rather than looking to the National Association of Chiefs of Police (NACOP)!
Why is that, Mr. Rogers? We're discussing our own U.S. internal policy, based on our own Constitution. You're publishing the opinions of foreigners and people who have access to armed body guards, discussing how to disarm more law-abiding American citizens.
What if "at-risk" kids were treated the way kids once were--taught to shoot safely as kids and that firearms are useful tools for self-protection and sport, and given opportunities to pursue shooting sports if it interested them?
Instead, they are raised in fear and guns are portrayed as evil. It just makes guns all the more alluring. I challenge politicians to set up a program that encourages young inner-city kids to become proficient with firearms. Air rifle would be fine for this. It builds discipline, is fun, and could get them to the olympics or into college.
Instead of looking to the flustered international community for their misguided bias (as if brainstorming bureaucrats can solve a problem they don't even understand)--why don't we draw on our own Constitution and the wisdom of our own Founders and be an example?
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Response to WUSA Gun Rally report
This is a response to the 9NewsNOW article titled "Gun Protesters take Aim at District Heights Gun Shop" by Audrey Barnes, 8/28/2007 at
http://www.wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=62239
So 400 guns used in Prince George's County crimes over the course of 10 years(!) originated at Realco. The buyers of these guns went through onerous, burdensome Brady checks at Realco--which have been proven to cost a lot for very little in return. They waste commercial, police, and citizen resources to provide a "feel good" service with few results and are mostly intimidating to innocent customers who simply wish to protect themselves or participate in recreational shooting sports.
We don't know how many of these guns were actually stolen or sold later by other individuals or shops that don't provide these checks, so we point to the original seller--that *did* perform the required checks so the guns could be traced back to them!
Government actions have led to the closure of 79% of gun dealers since 1994 so there are fewer places for law-abiding citizens to purchase these useful tools. No wonder the few remaining outlets are the source of all the guns in highly populated metropolitan areas!
As usual, we hear the minority--the traumatized families of those who were the targets of crime and the people who are riding the emotional and political appeal of feel-good legislation that infringes on constitutionally-guaranteed rights and does nothing to actually solve the real problems.
In fact, it only puts more innocent, law-abiding people at the effect of criminals. What if police and lawmakers worked with citizens instead of passing more laws that criminals will ignore that will only burden the law-abiding and limit their access to tools of self-defense?
Our Founding Fathers knew that the vast majority of citizens could be depended upon to help their neighbors and communities and trusted them to exercise their rights responsibly. They also knew that a very small percentage of sociopaths and lunatics would always be present in any society.
Let's try something completely different. Let's bring back school shooting sports, and actually make air-rifle a bona fide sport in PG County schools. Young people can build self-esteem, focus, discipline, and act in the manner that young people did for many generations with no crime problem--and possibly prepare for the Olympics!
Instead of turning guns into alluring forbidden fruit, let's encourage learning firearm safety and have recreation that may draw more kids off the street. And let's stop turning more of our law-abiding citizens into criminals with the stroke of a pen.
http://www.wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=62239
So 400 guns used in Prince George's County crimes over the course of 10 years(!) originated at Realco. The buyers of these guns went through onerous, burdensome Brady checks at Realco--which have been proven to cost a lot for very little in return. They waste commercial, police, and citizen resources to provide a "feel good" service with few results and are mostly intimidating to innocent customers who simply wish to protect themselves or participate in recreational shooting sports.
We don't know how many of these guns were actually stolen or sold later by other individuals or shops that don't provide these checks, so we point to the original seller--that *did* perform the required checks so the guns could be traced back to them!
Government actions have led to the closure of 79% of gun dealers since 1994 so there are fewer places for law-abiding citizens to purchase these useful tools. No wonder the few remaining outlets are the source of all the guns in highly populated metropolitan areas!
As usual, we hear the minority--the traumatized families of those who were the targets of crime and the people who are riding the emotional and political appeal of feel-good legislation that infringes on constitutionally-guaranteed rights and does nothing to actually solve the real problems.
In fact, it only puts more innocent, law-abiding people at the effect of criminals. What if police and lawmakers worked with citizens instead of passing more laws that criminals will ignore that will only burden the law-abiding and limit their access to tools of self-defense?
Our Founding Fathers knew that the vast majority of citizens could be depended upon to help their neighbors and communities and trusted them to exercise their rights responsibly. They also knew that a very small percentage of sociopaths and lunatics would always be present in any society.
Let's try something completely different. Let's bring back school shooting sports, and actually make air-rifle a bona fide sport in PG County schools. Young people can build self-esteem, focus, discipline, and act in the manner that young people did for many generations with no crime problem--and possibly prepare for the Olympics!
Instead of turning guns into alluring forbidden fruit, let's encourage learning firearm safety and have recreation that may draw more kids off the street. And let's stop turning more of our law-abiding citizens into criminals with the stroke of a pen.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Personality of anti-Second Amendment extremists
What is it about human nature that predisposes a significant number of people never to examine new data once they've formed an opinion? Psychological instruments point to this phenomenon, which apparently is loosely predictable based on specific preferences or attributes such instruments identify. We see it in ideologues on both the far left and far right. And people apparently also self-select for roles.
The Brady Campaign is delighting in the VA Tech shooting report--seeing this as a "win." If you haven't read it, the task force made recommendations based on rhetoric in lieu of reason and ignored Virginia Governor Kaine's directive. And officials in DC and MD recently have tipped their hand--they also are in bed with the Bradys and Joshua Horwitz's Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. What makes these well-meaning people rigorously ignore facts in favor of emotional rhetoric? This is nothing short of a national amygdala hi-jack at the expense of individual rights--it will make the ignorant feel good so they can go to bed happy.
Thomas Jefferson, we hardly knew ye. How do we diffuse knowledge to those who close their eyes and cover their ears?
The Brady Campaign is delighting in the VA Tech shooting report--seeing this as a "win." If you haven't read it, the task force made recommendations based on rhetoric in lieu of reason and ignored Virginia Governor Kaine's directive. And officials in DC and MD recently have tipped their hand--they also are in bed with the Bradys and Joshua Horwitz's Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. What makes these well-meaning people rigorously ignore facts in favor of emotional rhetoric? This is nothing short of a national amygdala hi-jack at the expense of individual rights--it will make the ignorant feel good so they can go to bed happy.
Thomas Jefferson, we hardly knew ye. How do we diffuse knowledge to those who close their eyes and cover their ears?
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