The Face of Tyranny

Take a good look at this picture:

It is the face of tyranny.  It is the face of a woman who believes that there is enough evil in this world that she be protected by armed bodyguards.  It is the face of a woman who once said:

As a supervisor, I had no protection so I got a gun permit and learned to shoot at the Police Academy. When I became mayor, I succeeded in passing a measure banning handguns in San Francisco, and we instituted a 90--day grace period for pistol owners to turn in their handguns without incurring penalties. At that time, I turned in my pistol. That pistol and 14 others were melted down and sculpted into a cross, which I presented to Pope John Paul II during a trip to Rome later that year. The point is, I know where guns work for protection, and I know where they don't. I've lived a life that has been impacted by weapons, so this is not an esoteric, academic exercise for me. Nor is it a political exercise. I come to this issue because of real life experience.

It is the face of a woman who, despite the anti-guns and anti-rights rhetoric, continues to enjoy the “luxury” of an unrestricted concealed weapons permit in the State ofCalifornia.

It is the face of a woman who should be arrested and tried for treason against the United States, as she continues to push for “common sense gun laws” that remove the rights of citizens to protect themselves from the very form of government that she believes in, while allowing herself to maintain the status quo and operate above the law.

It is interesting to note that she “got a gun permit” when she was a supervisor and had no protection.  How many citizens subjects does she (supposedly) represent that have no protection?  How many of those citizens subjects cannot afford the armed bodyguards that she is provided?  How many of those citizens subjects have a life that is worth any less than her own?

The line in the sand has been drawn.  It is now up to the citizens of this country to decide how solid that line will remain.  If Senator Comrade Feinstein has her way, the Second Amendment will be gutted and we will be one step closer to total government domination with no recourse and no means of self-defense.

This matter does not reside with the government.  It does not reside with the military or local law enforcement.  It resides with YOU, reading this post, deciding how much of your liberty you are willing to give up.  Some may say that Comrade Feinstein’s bill is dead on arrival, and it has no chance of passage.  That does not preclude actions that could or would be taken by the Comrade-in-Chief through an Executive Order – which would be tantamount to a declaration of war on the citizenry and the Constitution.

Perhaps that’s exactly what the Obama administration is looking for – all out insurrection.  If that happens, they would be able to unleash their DHS and TSA minions throughout the country, federalizing everything from the food supply to transportation, electricity to gasoline, phone service to the Internet… everything and anything they can possibly think to control would come under their auspices in the name of the “public good.”

The battle is not coming.  The battle is already here, and the enemy can be easily seen.  Will you answer the call if or when it comes?

Anti-Gun Rhetoric Heats Up

The level of anti-gun rhetoric is astounding.  Examiner Joe Newby reported today that actress Marg Helgenberger agrees that NRA members should be killed in order to promote an anti-gun agenda.  Joe has also reported on other NeoCom members who believe that just being anti-gun and anti-rights is not good enough any longer.  Instead, it is apparently stylish now to openly call for the deaths of NRA members and those who believe that the Second Amendment means what it says as written by the brilliant men who formed this country.

This is truly a sad situation.  President Obama has tried to portray himself as the “healer” of the country, bringing harmony where there has been a divide.  NeoComs complain that there is too much hatred and too little compromise, but their most vocal supporters continue to spew hatred toward those who disagree with them.

What is a good citizen of the Republic supposed to do?

If you are a CSI fan, the first thing to do is contact CBS and tell the network you will no longer watch the show.  Dollars make a difference, and if ratings drop, the network and advertisers will get the point.

The next thing for all pro-rights members to do is to stay strong and stay vigilant.  The attack from the NeoCom side will likely continue unabated for the foreseeable future.

Finally, and it’s certainly not the high road, but maybe it’s time to stop turning the other cheek.  Perhaps we need to call out those who would trample our rights for what they are – enemies of the state due to treason.  Anyone who advocates going against the principles of our Constitution is guilty of treason, plain and simple.  People like Marg Helgenberger who openly advocate the death of people who support the right to keep and bear arms are traitors to the Republic.  We should be clamoring for suitable punishment for THEM, not the other way around.

 Perhaps it's time we turned up the heat and made noise of our own.

Once the NeoCom herd gets thinned out, it will be far easier to restore this Republic back to the foundation upon which it was built.  People like Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell are nothing more than traitors who have betrayed the concepts of our free republic, and they should be treated as such.

We will never get the support of the main stream media outlets, because they have become the lapdogs of the NeoCom administration.  Instead, we will have to work harder at getting the word out, but it can be done.

Do not back down, and do not turn the other cheek.  That is how we got in this position in the first place.  At some point, even the most peaceful person must acknowledge that a battle is at hand, and the only way to keep the ground upon which you stand is to defend it.

That time is coming rapidly.  In fact, I would argue that it has already arrived.

If you are in agreement, please share this post to others who believe as you do.

NASCAR Loses Control

Today is one of the only times that I've been able to sit and watch an entire race.  I'm not sure if I picked a good one or a bad one to watch.  The end of the race was just ... ugly.

Before today's race, Jimmie Johnson was the championship points leader by a scant seven points over Brad Keselowski.  The two stayed very close to each other for the majority of the race, setting up what looked to be a great race for the championship during the last race of the season next weekend.

But then, a flat right-front tire put a damper on Jimmie's season.  With just over 70 laps left in the race, Jimmie hit the wall hard and sent him behind the wall for almost 40 laps.  What could have been a great finale to the season next weekend has turned into a task of Herculean proportions for Jimmie Johnson.  Brad needs to finish 15th or better in Miami to take the crown regardless of what Jimmie does.  It almost seems anti-climatic.

Jeff Gordon

But Jimmie's teammate, Jeff Gordon, decided to keep things interesting.  After Clint Bowyer slid up the track and into Jeff - something that happens often in NASCAR racing with no malice - Jeff decided to exact revenge on Clint.  He waited on the track, driving a damaged car, until Clint caught back up to him - and then spun him around, after talking about doing exactly that on his team's radio.

Had this been an issue of two drivers feuding between themselves, that would be one thing.  But Gordon's decision to take out his frustration on Clint ended up wrecking three other drivers who were doing nothing but minding their own business, and in the process, nearly caught Keselowski in the on-track melee as well.

If that wasn't bad enough, tempers continued to flare off-track, as the pit crews of both teams fought with each other in what could only be likened to a bench-clearing baseball brawl.  NASCAR stopped the race with a red flag to sort everything out.  After nearly 20 minutes, enough order was restored to allow the race to begin again, and fans had to wonder if the excitement was finally over.  There would be only three laps left in the race, so this had to be the end, right?

It wasn't.

Once the drivers got underway again, Jeff Burton managed to get a bit loose inside of Danica Patrick and spun her into the wall.  With her car damaged and smoking, incredulously, NASCAR failed to throw a caution flag and allowed the drivers to continue at full speed.  As the drivers raced full throttle to the checkered flag, Patrick's car continued to limp around the track, damaged and smoking, dropping liquid on the asphalt.  As the leaders approached the checkered flag, the inevitable happened, and a huge wreck took place right at the start-finish line.

Danica's car was lifted in the air by Kurt Busch's car.  Points leader Keselowski was hit, but managed to make it across the line.  Ryan Newman's car was hit multiple times at full speed.  Cars, and parts that belonged on cars, were strewn across the track.  Some drivers made it across the line, and others didn't.

NASCAR totally  lost control of the race.  Perhaps in their zeal to make sure the race ended with a green flag, they totally neglected to take into account the safety of the drivers.  Nobody wants to see an exciting, green flag finish more than I do, but not at the risk of a driver's injury.  Not throwing the yellow flag when Danica wrecked was a mistake of huge proportions, and one that could have had serious consequences.  NASCAR should be ashamed of themselves for putting ratings over safety.

Mike Helton

Jeff Gordon should be equally as ashamed of his actions as NASCAR should be of theirs.  To exact revenge on a driver is one thing, but to do so and ruin the day for three others is inexcusable.  Any respect I had for him has all but dried up after his actions today.  He may have been a champion in years past, but  what he did today was far from the actions of a champion.  He acted more like a vigilante who acts before knowing all of the circumstances of a supposed crime, and that cannot be tolerated when the players are driving 3500 pound vehicles at 180 mph.

There is one race left in the season, and NASCAR needs to get their poop in a group quickly.  Gordon needs to be disqualified for that race, at a minimum, if there is to be any semblance of credibility to their discipline.  Furthermore, NASCAR owes several teams - and their fans - a valid explanation as to why the caution flag was not thrown when Danica Patrick's car was clearly a hazard on the track.

The fans are the lifeblood of NASCAR.  Mike Helton says he knows and appreciates that fact.  Let's see what happens this week as fallout from what was truly an ugly and dangerous finish to the race in Phoenix.

The Day After

It is not quite 12 hours after what has arguably been the most important election in America, at least during my generation.  The Comrade-in-Chief managed to keep his position for another four years, and already the financial market is reacting.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down over 200 points, which equates to a loss of just under 2%.  All of the other indices show similar drops.   Commodities are down too, although not nearly as bad.

But supposedly Obama is the savior of the free world, and will turn things around, right?  It appears that Wall Street disagrees with him.

I've pretty much said everything that can or could be said during the months that led up to last night's results.  The only thing left to remind all of the liberals who believe that the government is here to "help" them is this very wise saying:

"A government big enough to give you everything you need, is a government big enough to take away everything you have."  --Gerald Ford

Would things have been drastically different under President Romney?  Probably not.  The new boss would have been a lot like the old boss.  But it would have been a step in the right direction.

So now, we go "forward."  My only hope is that "forward" doesn't take us over the edge, past the point of no return, to a place that looks nothing like the America that our founding fathers spilled their blood to create and defend.

How Obamacare Affects Me Now

I'm sitting on a conference call today, listening to my HR group explain the new benefits for 2013.  According to the presentation, our family's Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is going to change.  Due to the "new healthcare mandates," the maximum amount that we can use for our FSA account is going to be slashed in half.  The Curmudgeon family depends on this account primarily for pharmaceuticals and co-payments for health care providers.

It's nice to see that the "new healthcare mandate" is making it so much easier for us to pay for our healthcare.

Thanks, Comrade Obama.

Note to Comrade Pelosi - I guess that's an example of the details we didn't know about until after the legislation was signed into law, right?

Weekend Ruminations

Lots of little things over the weekend in my black and white world.  Nothing super huge.

I noticed on Saturday that the local mall is all decked out in their finest Christmas splendor.  I'm surprised they haven't convinced Saint Nick to leave the North Pole early to listen to the kids in the center court.  It's not even Halloween yet, but the Christmas spirit is alive and well.  I guess before long, we'll see Christmas lights up right after Labor Day.  Bah Humbug.  Let me overdose on Halloween candy, and then turkey and stuffing, before you start force feeding me Christmas cheer.  Seriously.

While at the mall, I visited my favorite tattoo artist.  He gave my recent (and first) tattoo a looking over, a thumbs up, and said all was healing nicely.  I think I know what will go on the right shoulder now.  I was told once you get one, you seldom stop there.  I suppose that's right.

My adventure on two wheels continues.  I've enjoyed my little 150cc scooter all year, and it's a great way to get around town for errands.  However, I've decided that cold weather riding gloves were invented for a reason.  Obviously.  Need to pick up a pair.  Driving with warm weather gloves when it's 40 degrees outside makes for some cold fingers.

I had to do a Google search to see if there was any news about hell freezing over on Saturday night.  The Des Moines Register decided to endorse Mitt Romney for President on Saturday.  Coming from one of the most liberal leaning papers in the central part of the country, I was sure that the river Styx had formed an ice crust and the devil was wearing a parka.  I suppose once in a while, sanity does take hold, even for those who favor big brother governments.

Mrs. B&W Curmudgeon found evidence of wild rodents in her kitchen on Sunday, and I knew I had to figure something out.  Last year, as the rodents made their way into the house in the fall & winter, they figured out how to steal the peanut butter from my standard $1 mouse traps.  I'd find traps with no peanut butter on them, or worse, traps that were stripped and tripped, but no rodents captured.  Not this year.  Banana flavored "Laffy Taffy" to the rescue.  Four traps set after dinner, and by bed time, the score was Curmudgeon 3, Rodents 0.  Not one piece of Laffy Taffy was missing, either.  Bring it on, punks.

Sunday was a good day at the range.  Mrs. Curmudgeon went to the range with me and we had a good session breaking in her pink .38 snubbie, which will be her primary defensive carry sidearm.  I found a nice load that reduces recoil, and she was pretty darn proficient with it.  Ladies with guns, protecting themselves and not waiting for someone else to do it.  Makes me feel good.

Watching Hurricane Sandy from 1200 miles away, knowing that we have family directly in her path is not easy.  I almost got in the Jeepster and made the drive, but was turned off by the threat of heavy snows or even blizzard conditions in the WV mountains.  Seeing that threat fizzle out, while Sandy continues to strengthen somewhat unexpectedly doesn't make the decision to say put any better.  Here's to hoping that all of our family and friends on the east coast make it through the next few days safely.

Old Enough To Die

According to the Seattle Gun Rights Examiner, Dave Workman, the US Fifth Circuit Court Court of Appeals in Houston, TX today ruled that US citizens aged 18-20 can indeed be barred from purchasing handguns, regardless of what the Second Amendment of the Constitution reads.  According to Judge Edward Prado, "Congress was focused on a particular problem: young persons under 21, who are immature and prone to violence, easily accessing handguns.”

Old enough to die to protect you, but not
old enough to purchase a handgun.

In other words, if you are 18, 19, or 20 years old, you can enlist in the military branch of your choice and die for your country, but you cannot legally purchase a handgun because you might be too immature and prone to violence.  In fact, on any given day, Comp Pendleton and Camp Lejeune are full of men and women of those ages who are actively engaged in pursuing their decision to serve their country.  So are schools in Annapolis, West Point, Colorado Springs, and New London.

Young adults age 18-20 are also old enough to die for their community, serving as deputy sheriffs and police officers.  Any given day finds communities throughout the country protected by young adults in this age group, starting on careers that will hopefully not kill them before they are retirement age.

Some might argue that these young adults are only allowed to use firearms after they have undergone intense training.  While this is true, it does not guarantee that these same people will act appropriately with firearms.

Immaturity and prone to violence doesn't start at 18 and end at 21.  There are older adults who never get out of being immature and prone to violence, yet because they pass that magic number of 21, they suddenly become able to purchase a handgun (provided they pass a background check - a whole 'nother topic for a whole 'nother day).

So essentially, you have a panel of judges who just said that the bill of rights pertains to adults, with the exception of the Second Amendment.  What's strange to me is that I don't see anywhere in that amendment that an age limit is used.  It simply references a "well regulated militia" which we have already seen discussed in many other places starts at 18, not 21!

This is yet another wrongful interpretation by a group of black robed individuals who are evidently ignorant or apathetic to the meaning of the Second Amendment.  The NRA says they are considering all appeal options, as well they should.  Allowing our 18-20 year-olds to die for our country and communities while preventing them from purchasing a handgun is a double standard that flies directly in the face of liberty.

You cannot balance public safety on liberty's back.  While this ruling might make the anti-gun hand-wringers feel better, it is yet another example of a law that does nothing but erode the rights that our men and women in uniform have died to protect.