Showing posts with label Rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rights. Show all posts

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Smarter

Some sites I read for amusement or information. I read Althouse, because I often feel smarter after reading a post. Do I agree all the time? No, but my beliefs are challenged or reinforced and I am better for it.

Here is a good example of why it is one of my favorite sites centering around a word - "the".


Cost Savings

While the price of rifles and ammo goes up, Magpul is trying to make their training programs more affordable:
News from Magpul Dynamics 
With the state of the industry right now, the Dynamics crew is making some accommodations....
Magpul Dynamics Pricing and Ammunition Requirement Update
In an effort to make training more accessible in these times of increased prices and reduced availability, Magpul Dynamics has updated their pricing structure, round counts, and acceptable calibers for the 2013 training year.
Effective immediately, all three-day classes are reduced to $600 per student, and two-day classes are reduced to $450 per student. In addition, the curriculum has been revised for all pistol/carbine courses based on the changes occurring over the past year to allow for maximum training value at a slightly reduced round count. Also, we are temporarily allowing the use of pistol-caliber carbines and 22LR AR-15 pattern training rifles in the carbine classes. Please understand that there are many drawbacks to training with 22LR as opposed to normal rifle platforms, but significant training value will still exist. We expect a full return to allowing rifle-caliber rounds only in the future as the ammunition supply catches up with current demand and ammunition prices return to a reasonable level. However, we understand the financial burden placed on students with the current state of the economy and the rapid rise in retail pricing in the ammunition industry. We firmly believe in the value of quality firearms training and are committed to providing quality products and services at a fair price.
Duane, Steve, Jon, and Caylen
It is nice to see that people get it - and I bet it helps their business. They (deservedly) look good and probably get a few customers they wouldn't have before the changes.

I believe in letting the markets work, so the prices are what the prices are for rifles, pistols, and ammunition. If you don't like the price, let it go. If others do the same, the prices will come back down. Heck, if the Constitution isn't totally torn up, there might even be some deals to be had when things normalize.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Good for the Goose, Good for the Gander

WHY GOOD PEOPLE NEED SEMIAUTOMATIC FIREARMS AND “HIGH CAPACITY” MAGAZINES … Part I
"Americans have historically modeled their choices of home protection and personal defense handguns on what the cops carried. When the police carried .38 revolvers as a rule, the .38 caliber revolver was the single most popular choice among armed citizens. In the 1980s and into the 1990s, cops switched en masse to semiautomatic pistols. So did the gun-buying public. Today, the most popular handgun among police seems to be the 16-shot, .40 caliber Glock semiautomatic. Not surprisingly, the general public has gone to pistols bracketing that caliber in power (9mm, .40, .45) with similar enthusiasm. The American police establishment has also largely switched from the 12 gauge shotgun which was also the traditional American home defense weapon, to the AR15 patrol rifle with 30-round magazine…and, not surprisingly, the law-abiding citizenry has followed suit there, too." 

Ban Assault Hammers and Clubs

"Think about it: In 2005, the number of murders committed with a rifle was 445, while the number of murders committed with hammers and clubs was 605. In 2006, the number of murders committed with a rifle was 438, while the number of murders committed with hammers and clubs was 618.
And so the list goes, with the actual numbers changing somewhat from year to year, yet the fact that more people are killed with blunt objects each year remains constant. 
For example, in 2011, there was 323 murders committed with a rifle but 496 murders committed with hammers and clubs."
Hammers and clubs don't really kill people - people kill people. A rifle is a tool no different from a hammer. A rifle is used for sport no different than a bat.

Friday, November 30, 2012

"Basically, IT magnifies power"

I like this quote from Bruce:
"Basically, IT magnifies power"
He is using it to discuss the activities of the Syrian government to deal with dissidents, but I think it applies to more mundane situations - like running a business.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Early Christmas

Slim had been encouraging me to get a lower, so I finally pulled the trigger - twice.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Where is the line?

I'm struggling with this one. Rachel Held Evans - "God and our political platforms..."
"Because God is not a flag pin.
God is not a beam in a political platform.

God’s name is not something to use to score political points. It's not something to throw around lightly or to use as a weapon against a political opponent."
Where is the line between God being a part of everything we do and using God to fulfill our own wants? Where is the line between openly expressing our faith and offending others? Sometimes the line is clear.

Recently there has been a discussion about prayers before college football games as some schools are replacing it with a moment of silence. My libertarian side says that is a good thing. My practical side says people need to have thicker skin than to be offended by a 30 second prayer. My Christian side hates to see God removed from another part of my life.

And if we are going to ban prayers before games, should we also stop playing the National Anthem?

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

TSA

I agree they are getting more aggressive - aggressive with the people they are supposed to protect.

I've had run-ins with the TSA before (and another thing about that encounter).

I had another discussion with them this week. My daughter was sick when we left Knoxville for the happiest place on earth, so we had her digital thermometer in a carry-on. No issues when going through security in Knoxville - in fact, we got to go through the metal detector instead of the cancer machine. Win!

On the return, my wife and daughter got to go through the metal detector, so I asked if I could go through, too. Surprisingly, they let me. No fuss. So far, so good. (In fact, on the way to Orlando, I got to meet Jessie Godderz of Big Brother fame aka Mr. PEC-Tacular.)

However, the aforementioned digital thermometer got flagged in the x-ray machine because it had a nine volt battery in it. They asked whose bag it was, so I pointed to the three year old. The TSA agent took the backpack to a metal table to do the search. He asked if there was a battery in the bag. We said yes and that it was in a digital thermometer. He could not find said thermometer in the bag and my wife kept reaching to help him. This seemed to annoy him as we were not supposed to touch the bag.

During the search, I don't remember what he said, but something set me off, so I started my usual speech about my tax dollars at work and security theater. This really got his knickers in a knot. After finally finding the "hidden" thermometer, he took the bag to be re-scanned. While he was there, he must have asked for a supervisor to talk with the grumpy old white man.

The supervisor asked me if I had a problem with them searching my bag. I said I had a problem with the inconsistency - that the thermometer had not been a problem at the other airport. She said I should be glad that they found it here to keep me safe. What?!?! I should be glad you found a thermometer?!?! These people have no concept that false-positives are a bad thing, too. She was quite aggressive in her tone and insisted that I was in the wrong.

My wife got nervous and asked me to drop it.

The original agent held out the bag to me, but would not let go. I truly believe that he was hoping I would jerk it out of his hand, so that they could give me an even harder time. Finally, he let go and we moved on to our flight.

I cannot believe so many people are happy with the TSA as stated in the first link of this post. Security theater is better than reality.






Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Monday, February 27, 2012

The First One Should Be Enough

Five reasons you should refuse a police search.

An Open Letter to Chris Dodd from ESR

Sing it, brother! Quoting:
"I can best introduce you to our concerns by quoting another of our philosopher/elders, John Gilmore. He said: “The Internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it.”
To understand that, you have to grasp that “the Internet” isn’t just a network of wires and switches, it’s also a sort of reactive social organism composed of the people who keep those wires humming and those switches clicking. John Gilmore is one of them. I’m another. And there are some things we will not stand having done to our network.
We will not have it censored. We built the Internet as a tool to make every individual human being on the planet more empowered. What the users do with the Internet is up to them – not up to Hollywood, not up to politicians, and not even up to us who built it. Whatever else we Internet geeks may disagree on among ourselves, we will not allow our gift of fire to be snuffed out by jealous gods."
Via Slashdot

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Doctors "Fire" Patients

Be careful if you chose to ignore your doctor's recommendations regarding vaccinating your child. You might get dropped as a patient.

Is this the same as refusing service to politician?

Via Slashdot.org

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Dems scared to oppose SOPA

An interesting theory:
"Despite widespread opposition to SOPA from bloggers on the left, Democrats in Congress (and the administration) were reluctant to oppose the bill outright. The MPAA was not shy about reminding them that Hollywood has been a reliable source of funding for Democratic candidates, and that it would not tolerate defections."
Via Slashdot.org

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

No More Mobile Hams in the US?

NTSB new recommendations:

"To the 50 states and the District of Columbia:
  1. (1) Ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices (other than those designed to support the driving task) for all drivers; (2) use the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration model of high visibility enforcement to support these bans; and (3) implement targeted communication campaigns to inform motorists of the new law and enforcement, and to warn them of the dangers associated with the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices while driving. (H-11-XX)"
Seems to be a lot of folks with strong opinions on both sides of the proposal based on the chatter on the repeater and the general comments on various articles (here, here, here) posted about the recommendation. While I am in the don't tread on me camp, this cuts both ways as I want to talk on my radio/mobile phone, but I want my family to be safer, too. Liberty? Security? Pick one?

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Anti-piracy Ad uses Priated Music

jjaron Remember those annoying "You wouldn't steal a car" anti-piracy ads? They pirated the music bit.ly/tMYfYbFri, Dec 02 05:49:38 from TweetDeck
retweeted by arrington

Soldier, Farmer, Poet

kasthomas "I was a soldier so that my son could be a farmer, so that his son could be a poet" -- Thomas Jefferson.Wed, Nov 23 18:17:40 from web
retweeted by msuster
But be careful that the soldier, farmer, poet doesn't become:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by dictatorship.

The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence


From bondage to spiritual faith

From spiritual faith to great courage

From courage to liberty

From liberty to abundance

From abundance to selfishness

From selfishness to complacency

From complacency to apathy

From apathy to dependency

From dependency back again into bondage"


Via The Smallest Minority

Word of the Minute: Venality

Venality: a vice associated with being bribeable or of selling one's services or power, especially when one should act justly instead. In its most recognizable form, dishonesty, venality causes people to lie and steal for their personal advantage, and is related to bribery and nepotism, among other vices.

And some would give more power to the Government
"So, when you connect the dots, properly understood, what happened this week is the first battle in a civil war; a civil war in which, for now, only one side is choosing violence. It is a battle in which members of Congress, with the collusion of the American president, sent violent, organised suppression against the people they are supposed to represent. Occupy has touched the third rail: personal congressional profits streams. Even though they are, as yet, unaware of what the implications of their movement are, those threatened by the stirrings of their dreams of reform are not."
If you are worried about big business, limit government and you reduce the power that corporations could buy.

Monday, November 28, 2011