While going through my daily rounds in the Blogosphere, I found a link at Kim du Toits that discusses something that doesn't get the attention it merits.

I often post my feelings about the Second Amendment and it's purpose as envisioned by the founding fathers,namely that it was intended as a last defense against tyranny from our own government. But I have always left out what just may be the most important part: Just WHEN is it time to invoke that defense and let the bullets start to fly? this essay addresses that issue in the most thoughtful manner I've seen.

We've all seen the bumper stickers that say "They can have my gun when they pry it from my cold dead fingers", and while it evokes a certain sense of bravado and spirit, I don't think that anyone can regard an individual incident in that vein as an effective way of defending the 2nd Amendment; the public merely sees it as "oh, another gun nut/fanatic/insert meme here pulled off an idiotic stunt and got arrested/shot by the police, good for them".

Go get a cup of coffee, get a note pad to make notes and jot down questions, settle in and really READ and absorb the wisdom contained in the words there.

I am not a religious man as Ron S. is, but I do agree with him that the wisdom contained in the Bible dealing with the secular and intrapersonal relationships within a society were one of the twin pillars in the founding of this country. You don't have to suscribe to a particular tenant to see where he's coming from, if you translate the meanings of the religious wisdom into the secular terms of "how do we form a society that truly works to the betterment of all".

I find myself in complete agreement with Ron on his premise/conclusions/strategy. Go there, read it, ponder it, and put your own two cents in. Start to really think about it, and begin planning Your course of action when TSHTF. It will, inevitably, sooner or later, and Ron has a thoughtful
outline of a good course of action. Remember that it is your DUTY as a citizen of a free Republic to become informed, and to defend the freedoms that Republic affords you, for if not you, who? "The tree of Liberty requires refreshment with the blood of patriots" are not idle words, they are a fact borne out time and again in history. As Ron also notes, our forfathers expected tyrany from government:

The founding fathers of our country had no such illusions of trust: they understood the depravity of human nature. They understood that absolute power corrupts absolutely. They understood that government must be restrained with the chains of the Constitution. They did not incorporate the system of checks and balances because they had faith in the government. Having faith in the government is a complete reversal of the founders' original theory of eternal distrust and vigilance.

Why is this discussion so important? I think that Ron said it best:

All this discussion of armed resistance may beg the question: What's the big deal about gun control? Why should we hazard our lives to stop it? And, where is this tyranny? To answer briefly: the Second Amendment is the guarantor of the rest of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights. Therefore, an attack on the Second Amendment is an attack on the entire Constitution. Without the Second Amendment, we have no means to physically retain our other rights; they become dusty words on an old piece of paper that can be ignored. If we lose the Second Amendment, we lose all the other rights at the same time.

First, our rights came into existence because of the principles in the Second Amendment--arms and militias. They had no rights, no Constitution, no liberty, and would never have had any without the Second Amendment.

This point can be easily demonstrated by examining the justifications given for the American revolution in 1776 in the Declaration of Independence: "In every stage of these Suppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury." The colonists exhausted every available means of appeal over a long period of time, but the oppressive conditions only worsened, and they had no peaceful means left to use. The only recourse is elegantly stated by Patrick Henry: "An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!". All our rights were literally born from the Second Amendment, and, I might add, God is equally a part of Patrick Henry's equation.

Where will you stand when the bullets start to fly? You'd be wise to ponder the question before the need to make a decision arises. If your on the side of patriots, you need to become prepared, if not, prepare for living as a subject, not a citizen.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 03:15 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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The verdict is in. Michael Jackson was found NOT GUILTY on all ten counts

The people have made their decision through the offices of 12 members of the electorate. At least now, we may not have to hear more jackson news 24/7

Now that Mikey was found "innocent", I guess can't show you his proposed "new look" for prison.

I trust the jury made the right decision on the facts of the case as they heard them. Let Jackson go back to Neverland and, hopefully, fade from public sight.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:28 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Michael Fumento is one reporter who put his body where his mouth is and took the trek to Iraq to get a first hand picture of the events there.
He almost paid the final price in doing so.

I think that his first hand account really does show that the MSM isn't getting it right the majority of the time. Maybe if the pool reporters would get out of the hotel bar more often the picture would change. Seems the only time they DO get out is when they report what the Islamofacists Insurgents want to get out on the media.

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A certain Progressive aquaintence of mine once said in a discusion with me that "at Least Ted Kennedy is working for the little guy", and that "we have to do something about the greedy rich.

Wish I had had this item then. I have no problem with making money on an investment, but to pontificate about the evil side of capitalism engaged in by the rich, while your engaged in what your railing against just once again shows the hypocracy of the swimmer from Massachussetts, and by taint of association, of his supporters.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:57 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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HERE'S an interesting take on Watergate. It doesn't change the fact that Nixon was forced to resign (deservedly) due to his participation in a post event cover-up, but if true, it does change the whole background of the event, and should lessen Nixon's iconic stature as the symbol of evil by the Left, were they intellectually honest.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:44 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The Royal Navy has egg on it's face...
I'm very pro-military , but when your stupid enough to deny ownership of expensive equipment, when it's got your id stencilled on the side of it, and then refuse to follow well established salvage rights, you deserve a modicum of public mockery and approbation.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The Progressive meme is that "Bush Lied-People Died", and that meem has been a large part of a lot of reporting by the unbiased LSM.
The charge is that there were no WMD's found (untrue). They further tout the UN as being the body to believe, and the condemnation coming from that august body about the actions the coallition took in Iraq...

So I have to find THIS STORY as particularly amusing as it is telling. It doesn't go into enough detail (surprie,surprise) but the mere fact that the UN now has evidence of the means of WMD's being removed from 109 sites in Iraq should be a big frog sticking in the craw of the LSM's throat...won't be of course, they will do as they always do, ignore it; and continue portraying the US as an evvviiill empire in the making.

MY meme would be "Saddam LIED- People Fried,shredded,hung,shot,stoned..."
guess it's too unwieldy and unpoetic to catch on though.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:13 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I'm gratified to see that some Republicans are standing up against President Bush's attempt to expand the powers of the Patriot Act.

The initial act was a hastely concocted response to terrorism after 9/11, and with all such law, it was ill conceived. There are sections of the law that were things that should have been done long ago, such as information sharing between law enforcement agencies, but these could have been accomplished in a manner that was not as great a danger to our individual civil liberties.

The original act should be allowed to die, not be expanded upon.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 09:44 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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As all the GFW's out there know, I'm rabidly pro-2nd Amendment; in fact I am on the far fringe of that belief, because I believe that it's every adults right (barring criminal history/insanity) to carry a firearm, and licenses/permits be damned. I believe that basic gun safety/marksmanship should be a required course in high school.

That being said, there is a danger out there, and it's killed far too many of our innocent children out there. And it's caused by adults that have no valid reason for possessing these instruments of death. They are mostly just status symbols of the power that wealth can bring. A substitute for a small penis perhaps?

In 2002, 1095 children between the ages of one and nineteen were victims of this pernicious atrocity. That same year, 166 children were the victims of firearms-related incidents...and 7,550 died in MVA related incidents. Yet the only outcry you hear of are against firearms.

I am thinking about starting my own lobbying group (ala Handgun Control Inc.) , legislating against this dangerous possession of irresponsible adults.
And considering there isn't an enumerated right to own one of these child killers in the Constitution, I should have an easier time of it than Sarah Brady has with guns.

I'll have to ponder it a bit more.....I have come up with an acronym for it already though: P.A.P. And I promise that the literature will be full of just that, much the same as in HGC Inc.'s

What is this deadly killer in our midst? Why do we allow these to be owned by people when they pose such a hazard, and they're totally needless,expensive, and mainly owned by the rich; you know, those people that cheat and rob from you to live their life of luxury? The acronym says it all: P.arents A.gainst P.ools.

And it's not just the fatalities we have to be concerned about, for every death there are near fatalities that have lifelong health consequences. They have used supposed "public health care costs" to attempt to ban smoking, yet the costs involved with near drownings far outweigh those.
Health care costs per near-drowning victim typically range from $75,000 for initial emergency room treatment to $180,000 a year for long-term care.
The annual economic costs of residential pool drownings and near-drownings of young children are estimated to be $450 million to $650 million.
Orange County Fire Dept

If Progressive are truly concerned for the welfare of our children,as they claim in the case of firearms, I hope they join me in this fight to stamp out these even more dangerous symbles of wealth and machismo. After all a gun can be used in protection, but a pool is just a tragedy waiting to happen.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 09:22 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Seems that civilization in Europe is much older than previously thought, with Paleolithic structures that rival the pyramids and Stonehenge, but predate them by at least two millenia.

It might be argued that civilization hasn't returned to the area since the collapse of that Neolothic culture, but thats just one snide POV....

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It's Thomas Sowell, need I say more? Hie ye there and further your education in clear thinking.

Update: And here's PART TWO.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:23 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Democrats have been losing a lot of elections lately for one major reason: they have only tried to court what they believe to be their core base, the Progressive Urban Yuppy,Sectarian Elite. They have for all practical purposes given up and ceded the Republicans the "religious" heartland and the rural South. If you don't believe it, just take note of the fact that in most of the states where they won, they only garnered the major population centers...IE, in Penn., they won Philly and Pittsburg, and lost every where else. Here in Ind. they only took something like four or five counties in the state (My home county being one of them btw). This, after the Democrats having held control in the statehouse the last two elections.

From a partisan standpoint, I for one am elated about this, as it means that I can look forward to my choice of candidates to be the winners. That said, there are a Democrats that could be excellant leaders, if they would run with what is really in their hearts, and not with the party's Elitetist heirarchy's packaged meme's.

There are Democrats that know this fact and have tried to clue the Party decision makers in, but those leaders have turned a deaf ear, preferring to listen to marketing and one issue lobbyists instead.

I found THIS PROFILE of one such Democrat that really does have a handle on how to win in America. After listening to him talk, even I would take a long, hard, second look at a candidate he would back, if it was a personal choice of his, and not just a campaign job.

I hope that "Mudcat" remains an outsider in the Democratic stratedgy councils; should they ever become wise enough to really listen to him, and heed his advice, the GOP would be in for big trouble.

Fair warning, the piece is a really long one, but assure you, that if you take the time to really absorb it, you'll be pleased with the insights it can give you, and it's well worth the time.

Raisinettes ?....hmmmm

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:13 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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In the ongoing debate on tax reform, there are three basic proposals...

A. More of the same. (just tweaking rates and adjusting loopholes.)

B. Flat Tax (everyone pays the same flat rate, no loopholes)(and if you believe THAT, I have this bridge...)

C Fair Tax (moving to a consumption tax, rebates issued for basic necessities of life, no taxes on business, death, etc)

As far as A goes, thats what got us in the horrendous mess we're in now, and all the tweaking that can be done will only further sink us in it's stinking morass.

Option B would be better than we have now, but there are some problems from an economic growth standpoint.

Option C would be my choice, were I in the position to take the decision.

I wanted to compare B and C to show why I favor the Fair Tax Plan, but I found that Neal Boortz had already done the job for me, better than I ever could, so here it is:

AND WHAT ABOUT THE FLAT TAX?

Yes, I know. Some of the people that we would love to have supporting the FairTax have weighed in in support of a flat tax instead. So ... here's some flat tax vs. FairTax issues some of you may want to consider.

1) In 1986 the Congress reformed our tax code to essentially give us a flat tax ... a flat tax with two rates. Fifteen and twenty-eight percent. Most deductions were eliminated. Today's tax code is the result of that effort.

2) A flat tax leaves the IRS in place. You'll still have to report your income to the IRS every year, and you'll still be subject to audits.

3) Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes? Still there.

4) Do you get 100% of your paycheck? No. Withholding will still be there.

5) Business taxes? Still there .. and they'll remain embedded in the price of every good and service you buy, so you'll be paying them.

6) Corporate board meetings? They'll still spend an inordinate amount of time working on the tax implications of business decisions, rather than just basing their business moves on what's best for their customers and shareholders.

7) K Street lobbyists? They're still there too. They'll still be drawing their six-figure incomes while they game the new flat-tax for the benefit of their clients.

Bring American businesses back home? Nope. Business taxes are still there, so American businesses will still locate their operations overseas in order to escape our punishing business income taxes.

9) Death Tax? Gift Tax? Still there in all the flat tax proposals I've seen.

10) Will the flat tax bring American wealth back home? The latest estimates put $10 trillion of American wealth in offshore financial corporations. There is only one reason that money isn't back here working ... and that's our income tax structure. Will the flat tax bring that money back home? Nope. The FairTax? Yup.

11) What about the poor? They're not paying income taxes now ... will they pay the flat tax? No way! But politicians will still be looking for a way to raise taxes on the rich so that they can relieve the poor, poor pitiful poor of the responsibility for paying for their own Social Security and Medicare.

12) Will all Americans be able to buy the basic necessities of life without any federal tax consequences under the flat tax? No. The FairTax? Yes.

13) Will foreign visitors to our shores contribute to our Social Security and Medicare programs under the flat tax? No. The FairTax? Yes.

There's just a few points. If you have some good counterpoints, let me know! From my point of view, the flat tax pales in any comparison to The FairTax.

**************************************************************

There you have it. Your opinion?

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 11:07 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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On June 9, the Canadian Supreme Court paved the way to allow individuals to obtain private health insurance. This may be the first break that destroys the Socialist dam.

I have had an ongoing dicussion with a number of individuals of the opposite political spectrum on the topic of Socialized Medicine, and Canada was often offered up as the example that we should follow. I tried to inform them that such a system invariably resulted in a lessoning of quality, and as noted in the story, the CSC AGREES with me, to wit: "Despite this, governments are unable to provide timely tests and treatment to many patients, resulting in suffering and death"

Whenever you get Government involved in what are essentially private sector areas, service always suffers. The more they become involved, the greater the loss. The Candians have finally come to realize that this is just a fact of life.
The ultimate direction they will take still remains to be seen, but I feel that this ruling is my opportunity to indulge in a minor gloat and say "I TOLD you so".
This would have occurred much sooner, had the NHS not had the neighbor to the south providing a safety valve for their system. But eventually, as it always happens, the chickens have come home to roost and they must be attended to.

We certainly have many problems with health care here in the US too, that can't be denied, BUT, we still have the highest level of service for the greatest number of people any health care system in the world.

Government intervention in health care is one reason for high costs...have you EVER seen a bureucratic system that didn't generate inordinate amounts of red tape paperwork, adding to costs and diverting personell from their primary task to (mostly) needless paperwork?

The largest problem with our health care system has nothing to do directly with medical care at all, but the need to "CYA" in an ultra-litiginous society. Tort reform would do more to lower the cost of health care than any other action. Reform in the way Insurance companies assess premiums should be examined and evaluated as well, all to often the insurred pay for projects the companies engage in that have nothing to do with health care.

Some streamlining in the area of medical research and bringing the products of same to the market would help also. Yes, testing need to be done to ensure safety and efficacy, but the present system is rife with built in cost ineffencies, leading to multiple increases in costs above where it is possible for them to be.

Last, but not least, reforming our tax system can help free up large amounts of private and public funds that could help drive down costs through competition. FAIR TAX NOW!

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 08:56 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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THIS explains a lot about the latest concern about mens fashions in France....

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:25 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Sydney Goldberg, husband of the Blogosphere's premier newsblogger, Lucianne Goldberg, has passed away. I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the Goldberg family on their loss.

She felt that this tribute to Sydney written by NRO's John Podhoretz was the most fitting for her site, and who am I to argue?

What finer tribute could a man ask for than that he was truly loved and will be sorely missed?

All that we can know about those we have loved and lost is that they
would wish us to remember them with a more intensified realization of
their own reality. What is essential does not die but clarifies.
The highest tribute to the dead is not grief but gratitude.
-Thornton Wilder

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I know how stupid these quizzes are, but in this case, with the little flame skirmish thats going on, I thought the results were very apre po(sic):

You Are a Rottweiler Puppy

Powerful, smart, and protective. You're eager to growl at anyone you hate - but you're a big sweetheart inside.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 02:18 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I have been Remiss! in the changover from Mblog (that Emigre refuses to acknowledge) I was remiss in not including one of my old blogging friends, Kiril, the Mad Macadonian, and a new friend, a fellow Hoosier that I've been meaning to get around to adding to the blogroll.

Sometimes the law of unintended consequences truly works in mysterious ways, had it not been for a silly little bird in Australia, it may have been months longer before I noticed and corrected such a grave oversight.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 08:31 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Holy Claymation,Batman! Will we soon have avatars to stand in for us at those pesky physicals? And you thought those "liquid robots" in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) were merely the feverish imagination of a wild-eyed script writer! Seems that life can follow art....maybe.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:25 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Enviromentalists are always touting wind power, solar power, etc etc, but when a viable wind power farm is set up, they yell that "the birds will die".

Well, Writing in the Royal Society's journal Biology Letters, researchers say previous estimates of collision risk have been "over-inflated". Seems the birds are smarter than the enviromentalists and just bypass the wind farms. And the "experts" are forecasting the demise of caribou herds if Anwar is drilled for oil....these are the same "experts" that predicted the same thing when the Alaska Pipeline was being built...guess what? the herds have almost doubled in size around the pipeline area, because the pipeline heats the area and provides extra food and shelter....

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:01 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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