“Pelosi, Top Democrats Renew Call for Gun Control” Oh, joy.
From the Epoch Times:
BY MASOOMA HAQ
“Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on Feb. 14, the third anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting, that Democrats will seek to enact stricter gun control measures to ensure that all students are safe from gun violence.
Pelosi says her party won’t rest until shootings like the one that took place in Parkland are permanently curbed.”
This is a quote from an Epoch Times article received in today’s email. I subscribe, and you should, too.
The problem this poor soul has is one shared by others, mainly that laws control society without fail–and when they inventively do fail, more laws are the cure. The search continues unceasingly for the proper combination of restrictions that will finally ensure safety for us all.
This well-meaning woman fails in the fundaments. She does not understand human reality, or if she does (something I am wont to believe) she refuses to admit that laws do not control the acts of the law-breakers, they only describe the desires of the majority of the peaceful population.
**We follow the law because the law follows us.** Law enforcement is for other people.
No amount of “Gun Control” will ever stop a determined mind from committing mayhem. While such measures may serve to curb the abilities of not-quite-insane among us, in truth far-reaching gun control will prohibit law-abiding persons from enjoying their God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
So, why do this knowing it is bound, ultimately, to fail?
In my opinion, as a dyed-in-the-wool conservative, the reason that any law a leftist advocates is purely for control–behavior control–of other people–that would be me–and they without a doubt will couch it in terms of being for the better good.
But we do that for infants, not for adults. Once I learned how to roll over in bed without falling out, I didn’t need the sides of my crib any more. I learned about consequences.
Conservatives know about consequences. We learn. We’ve been doing it for a while now.
Here’s just one example: I own a firearm. I carry it with me–all day, every day. I have never discharged that weapon outside of a firing range, and have no intention of doing so. Here’s what drives the leftists nuts: It is not the force of a written law that drives my good behavior. It never was, and it never will. be. It is the force of a properly formed conscience that guides me. I know the difference between right and wrong, and it isn’t whether or not any particular act is legal. Legality has very little to do with it.
Fascinating.
Worrying about nothing
So, we’ve watched the troubles grow daily in America, as those who worry about their own security react to the ever-increasing understanding of the scope the NSA’s intel program has become known. Now, maybe you thought that was unusual, that the NSA would be gathering intelligence, but that’s what they do. It’s their reason for existence. Remember how upset we weren’t — but how upset our allies were — when they came to understand they were being spied upon? As if they knew it wasn’t happening. Of course, “Gentlemen do not read each other’s mail.” To which I’ll only add that gentlemen do not Tell The World that they read each other’s mail. Of course we spy on our allies. That’s how we KNOW they’re still our allies. “Gosh, it just never occurred to us” is not what I want to hear from my security team, how about you? I want them to know everything important Before It Happens. The way you do that is to know everything. Period.
Now then. From my experience, there is always going to be a disconnect between what we say and what we do, and in a democratic republic that’s hard to accept when it comes from your government. On a personal level, I expect you to be honest with me and I imagine you have similar expectations about me. When we trust each other, things work out well. When someone says one thing and does another, things go downhill quickly, don’t they? And that’s almost what we’re reading about these days. It’s more troublesome than that. We’ve been horns-waggled into believing that we could trust our government. You can’t do that. You elect them, but you don’t trust them without verification. How do you verify what they hide from you? (for your own good, of course) “You can’t handle the truth!”
Oh, I don’t know. Try me.
On voting early and often (with a hat tip to Chicago)
It is a necessary part of our duties as citizens to cast our vote. Think before you cast that ballot, but vote.
Here in Washington State, we can mail our ballots or deliver them directly to the polling place.
I’ve already delivered mine. Who’s next?
Should our soldiers be armed?
Should our soldiers be armed?Where? They already are armed in combat situations, but are not generally armed in headquarters locations. Arms are kept safely in the Unit Arms Room, a secured area designed for that purpose.
We might have to revisit that, in light of recent events where, as Pogo said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
Arguing that our soldiers should always be carrying their weapons does not address the problem, but it does give some light to the problem — how is it that the armed defenders of freedom are as vulnerable to the whim of some deranged character as those of us innocents walking along the city streets? Shouldn’t they be able to protect themselves, if we call on them to protect us? But knowing how to “kill people and break things” does not a good tactical defender make.
I’ll have more to offer later. Developing, as they say. In the meantime, take a look at this from the WaPo.
Yeah, I know. But sooner or later someone…
Cool little cartoon from xkcd reflects a larger problem of pervasive ignorance and apathy regarding computer security. When we asked several netizens their thoughts, the most common answer was “I don’t know, and I don’t care.”