Saturday, January 10, 2004



Regarding Free Speech Zones:

What Bush's Secret Service have done may indeed be wrong in a Utopian world, and I don't see what's good about it, and I think it is productive for Conservatives to voice their concern. But at the very least we need to acknowledge that the American Left use free speech zones every day.

In many States, abortion protestors are enjoined from getting too close to get to a clinic.

ESPN's studios certainly aren't free speech zones, as Rush Limbaugh can attest.

Ditto Trent Lott in the Senate Chambers, for heaven's sake.

And from everything I have read in the past three weeks, a public school Second Grade teacher who would have her class sing "Silent Night" in their Holiday concert would get a quick lesson in Free Speech on Public Property.

Some Hitler sign-equipped people got pushed back a few hundred yards from the President last week?

Sauce for the gander.
Free Speech Zones?

By now, everybody knows about the "free speech" zones that President Bush had set up when he went to give a speech in Knoxville and other cities. Bloggers like Kim du Toit and Misha were up in arms about it. Bloggers like DANEgerus and Bill Hobbes took a different view. The actual news link won't come up for me, which makes me veeeeeery suspicious about the whole damn thing. But I'm going to toss my two cents in just for good measure.

The first things we have to look at, in my opinion, are these: Was anyone prevented from saying what they wanted to? If so, how? Were people allowed to say what they wanted, but only in a certain space? Was anyone jailed for what they said? Just what was done, and by whom?

So far, all the reports that I've seen are that the people who wanted to protest were given an area about one-third of a mile away from the president. One person states that signs that were critical of Bush were removed.

The local police, at the Secret Service?s behest, set up a "designated free-speech zone" on a baseball field surrounded by a chain-link fence a third of a mile from the location of Bush?s speech. The police cleared the path of the motorcade of all critical signs, though folks with pro-Bush signs were permitted to line the president?s path. Neel refused to go to the designated area and was arrested for disorderly conduct; the police also confiscated his sign. Neel later commented, "As far as I?m concerned, the whole country is a free speech zone. If the Bush administration has its way, anyone who criticizes them will be out of sight and out of mind."

I'm actually riding the fence on this. On one hand, people should be able to say whatever they want to say, especially on PUBLIC PROPERTY, which we the people have paid for via our taxes. If Bush is stupid enough to take away people's signs then he deserves whatever he gets. Preferably a whole heaping of shit, served up in a pie tin thrown at his face.

Speaking of throwing things at people's faces, that's the other side of the coin. Anybody remember WTO? How about the riots in Miami? It seems that anytime the Left gets together to protest, all hell breaks loose. There are still repercussions from WTO in Seattle, in terms of how protesters are treated. And you know what? The cops have every right to be suspicious, since the moonbats have proven time and time again that they will break the law, disrupt the peace, and vandalize anything they disagree with. During anti-war protests this year, sidewalk trashcans were ripped from their bolts and chucked through windows. One hotel had it's entranceway set on fire. These people destroyed public property that had nothing to do with the object of their protests! What makes people think that when the President comes to town, these people will suddenly toss aside their violent ways and protest peacefully? The safety of the President is a pretty damn big deal, and if you want to allow people who have proven to be violent close to the podium, you can guarantee that the Prez wouldn't get two words out of his mouth before he was hit with a rotten tomato, a rock.... or a moltov cocktail. And before you scoff at that thought, just look at some of the pictures that came out of Seattle during WTO. The entire downtown area was trashed.

So I think this was a compromise. "You can say what you want, but you're not getting close enough to threaten the president." However, the line was crossed when the anti-Bush signs were confiscated by the Secret Service. So I can see the points of both sides of this arguement. However, I'm leaning more towards the Hobbs and DANEgerus side. As a resident of Moonbat Central, people like Misha and Kim have to convince me that the protesters wouldn't have posed a threat to the President before I'll agree that designated "free speech" zones were unnecessary and dicatorial.
And let me tell you, that's going to be a hard sell.

So be outraged that some signs were taken. Be outraged that yes, there were peacefull protesters who were lumped in with the anarchists and loons. But save some of that rage for the very people who make it necessary to take drastic measures.
Home Cooking Done Right

The salmon is in the smoker right now. I'm using applewood to smoke it. The next batch is going to be alderwood. Once the salmon is smoked, we're making beef jerkey, and next week, we're smoking some chicken.

I've got salmon in the smoker, a girlfriend who kicks ass, a dog that's cute as hell, two cats who love me, a gunrack full of guns, ammo for all of them, and friends to drink with. Life for me right now is good.

And in conclusion, let me add that Hillary Clinton is a Miserable Failure.

(Oh c'mon, you knew I wasn't going to let that slip by!)

For those who are interested, this is the smoker that I bought. Although I don't know who is smoking what at that website. I went into a local sporting goods store and bought it for $50.00. Whoever put it up for $149.00 is smoking some serious crack.


First up, via The Smallest Minority, comes the Gun Grabbing Communists, er.... the Hoplophobic Fuckwits, no, that's not quite right... What do they call themselves? Elitists Against Anything Explosive no dammit that's not it either... Ummm.... Oh Yeah, the "Brady Campaign" put out it's annual report card for the states that allow guns. Of course, in those gun free meccas of Chicago (599 murders in 2003) and New York (580+ murders in 2003) we've seen just how effective gun control is, haven't we? I'm not going any further with this. These people are nothing but gun-grabbing commies. I mean, let's call a spade a garden tool here. If these people actually wanted people to be safer, they wouldn't oppose guns. They would oppose criminals getting off with a slap on the wrist. Actions speak louder than words, and these gun grabbing communists simply want you disarmed, so that you can't resist them when they start implimenting their policies. Fuck 'em all. Rope - Gun Grabber - Lamppost. Some assembly required.

Now, for those who think that I'm a little overboard on my rhetoric there, why don't you take a gander at this: Criminal breaks into house, steals car keys and house key. Criminal goes back to same house THE VERY NEXT NIGHT, only this time the criminal gets popped by the homeowner. Criminal flees with two bullets in him, and get arrested. HOMEOWNER gets arrested as well. Why? BECAUSE HE LIVES IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHICAGO, AND HE HAD A GUN!

A Wilmette homeowner who shot and wounded an intruder succeeded in driving the burglar out of his house and may have ended a series of cat burglaries on the village's east side, but this week he faces weapons charges that include a local ordinance banning handgun possession.

You stupid plebe! How DARE you have a weapon! How DARE you defend your home! That's reserved for your betters! Now DANCE, monkey DANCE!

Go read that entire article. I've got what Kim du Toit would call a Red Curtain Of Blood going right now. Here's my solution to the gun-grabbing communists. Shoot them all. Then string up their bodies as a warning to ANYBODY ELSE who would disarm law abiding citizens.

Gah. I need to go to the range. And I'm going to print "Brady Campaign" on all my targets.


Drumwaster pointed out RHJunior's live journal blog. Go check out the January 9th entry.

Oh yeah.
WTF???

OK, so I just checked my email. I have spamguard so damn near all my spam gets junked. But just for kicks, I go see what the hell people are trying to send. And it causes me to ask a question.

Just how many people fall for that money scam, anyways? I mean, you would think people would wise up and start ignoring these assholes, right? You know the ones I'm talking about. "Hello, my name is 'insert some african sounding name here' and I need your assistance". Christ, the way things look in my trash file, about half of Africa must be extremely rich, and in need of assistance. If the whole scam wasn't so damn irritating, it would be funny. And if you WEREN'T clued onto the fact that it was a scam from the whole preposterousness of it all, wouldn't getting TONS of letters that are all the same clue you in? Who the hell do they think they're kidding, anyways?

Ah well, with one button, it all goes away. Buh Bye.

Friday, January 09, 2004

On my list of books to buy

Orsen Scott Card. Damn near every time I read an article that he's written, I find a gem of a quote that I wish I could have penned. Hell, even his reviews and critiques contain wisdom:

It is Tolkien who came out of the war with the story that must be believed by any society that intends to survive: That there are times when you must fight in order to keep all the good and beautiful things and people you love from being destroyed or enslaved; and though the fighting may be marked by error, waste, brutality, cruelty and wanton destruction, and even the side of Good can be corruptly or foolishly led, nevertheless good people will take up arms in a noble cause.

Just read that one paragraph a few times. How many times have you been trying to explain just why this war is important, why more "discussion" or "diplomacy" wouldn't work. Card as the ability to take the thoughts that I try to express but can't, and put them to paper.

I wish I had that talent.

Hat tip to Cold Fury.
BWAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

OH GOD, MY RIBS! THE PAIN! Somebody make him stop before I laugh my lungs up!


If it's just hand-to-hand combat, do you think you could survive being attacked by a 110 pound mountain lion? Saw this while surfing for something else, which is this:

Speaking of Tacoma, it's America's most stressful city.



Two links for you today. One, Analog Kid is looking for all Seattle/Everett/Tacoma/Olympia area bloggers who are interested in getting together for the Meet, Greet, and Shoot. Now, I'd drive over to Spokane for the opportunity to get together and blow off rounds with some of these guys, so it really doesn't matter to me where it is. But AK wants to get a central location set so that people don't have to drive for five hours to make it. It's going to be on the 17th of this month. That's a Saturday. Anyone intrested should head on over to AK's and let him know. I'll be there with my new pistol, plus a few of my other guns.

Second, in case you hadn't heard, Madonna has endorsed Wesley Clark as the Donk nomination. Not being one to allow such a moment to pass by unmolested, Lee over at Right Thinking has created a few (NOT SAFE FOR WORK!) posters for Clark to use on his campaign. Heh. C'mon, you just KNEW somebody was going to have fun with this!

I'm off to take the dog to the park. Enjoy!


We've all heard the mantra of "Exercise more, Eat less" that's been pushed at us since birth. Hell, we HAD the four food groups, and now that's changed to the food pyramid, and they've already found a few little problems with THAT. We had the government issued "Body Mass Index", (which states that Michael Jordon is overweight) to try and follow, all in the name of health. There are exercise manuals, diets, we're constantly being hounded with examples and pictures of what we SHOULD look like, and what we SHOULD do to be healthy.

Fortunately for us, more and more people are realizing that it's all bullshit.

Another study just released provides some especially poignant data. The Midwest Exercise Trial led by Joseph E. Donnelly, EdD put men and women on a 16 month-long, intensive exercise regimen (at 60 to 75% of their maximum heart rate, to burn about 2,000 kcal per week). While men lost about 5 kg and 3.7% body fat, women gained 0.6 kg of body weight while losing a mere 0.2 kg body fat. It makes for some rather interesting math, noted Gaesser. The women each burned about 138,000 total kcal during those 69 weeks, or about 313,636 kcal per pound of fat!

It sort of flies in the face of that simplistic myth -- "burn 3,500 kcalories and lose a pound" -- doesn't it?


Look, there are a few things you can do to be healthy. 1) Stop smoking (I'm still working on that one), 2) stop eating fast food, 3) don't overdrink, and 4) get outside for an hour a day. It doesn't have to be much. Take your dog for a walk. Go for a hike. Bike down to the store instead of drive. No only does this get your ass off the couch, but it gets you into some sort of sunlight, which your body needs in order to produce Vitamin D. Follow those four steps, and you'll be fine.

The food pyramid is bullshit. You can just toss that pile of junk right out the window. Carbohydrates need to be used, otherwise your body just turns it into fat and stores it. So if you're eating five loaves of bread every day and wondering why you're gaining fat, that's why. Veggies, fruits, and other produce should have been at the bottom of the pyramid. I have rarely seen anyone get fat from eating too many apples. Your body excretes any protein that it doesn't use, so trimming the fat off of your meat goes a long way towards getting thinner. Eggs are low fat. Pull the skin off of your chicken before you cook it. That gets rid of 80% of the fat right there. Fried chicken is a no-no. Seafood is pretty much low-fat. If you can get decent seafood for a low price, chow down. But toss that food pyramid in the trash.

Let's recap:

1) Don't smoke (or smoke less, and try to quit)
2) Stop eating fast food/junk food. Put the Ho-Hos DOWN!
3) Don't overdrink. Beer has TONS of carbs in it.
4) Get off the couch and go outside for an hour. Gardening, walking, biking, take the dog to the park, it doesn't matter so long as you're active.

This won't make you some ripped muscled stud, but it will get you much healthier than just sitting around. Hell, simply changing how you eat will do worlds of good. You like fried chicken? Try this recipe:

Pull the skin off the chicken. Type of meat doesn't matter. You can marinate it for an hour or two if you like.
Roll the chicken in beaten egg. Get it good and coated.
Roll the chicken in breadcrumbs. You can get seasoned breadcrumbs or plain, depending on what you like.
Bake the chicken at 350 for an hour, or until it's as done as you want.

The egg and breadcrumbs give the chicken a crispy "skin", and you've dumped the fat right out of the picture. Try marinating the chicken in a vinaigrette before you use the egg and breadcrumbs. A simple Italian salad dressing will work. Viola, you have crispy chicken with much less fat. And it's simple to do.

But whenever you see the government come out with some plan that's "good for your health", toss it. Junk it. Use it as toilet paper. Because that's all it's good for.

Hat tip to Kim du Toit.
The Council Has Spoken!

This weeks winning entries are The Face of Stupidity Evil by AlphaPatriot, and Anything Bush can do, Dean can do Better, by Little Tiny Lies. You can find all the results here.

Thursday, January 08, 2004



Q. What do you get when you lump together one hunded and fifty cliches?

A. An anti-Bush rally in Knoxville.


This is good stuff: Michael J. Totten: History and Total War


Today was a mighty slow day 'round these here parts. A little Animal House vulgarity from me and some Linky Love from Dave and that's just about all there is. I still have nothing to say but ran across this and thought the Dear Reader might want to have a peep ==>

Anecdotage.com


Solomonia is right on the money about why our actions in the Middle East are working.

By now you should know that Ohio has joined the ranks of the constituionally sane. Say Uncle reports that Kansas might be next. Here's a money quote:

Ruff, who is married to a Leavenworth police officer, said most law enforcement officials supported allowing law-abiding citizens to have concealed weapons.

She said safeguards would be built into the bill that would require Kansans to receive training and undergo background checks before they could be eligible for a gunholders' permit.

Ruff said she had no desire to carry a weapon and was not a member of the NRA. She said her support was based on what she said was the constitutional right to carry a gun and protect oneself.


One step at a time, we will reclaim our rights.

The Smallest Minority posts a link to a story with a surprise twist at the end. He also has a clock ticking down until the sunset of the "Assault" weapons ban. Faster, dammit! Faster!

Speaking of guns, I'm not the only person in the Puget Sound who picked up a great Christmas Present. Molbot, we're going to have to meet up at AK's meet, greet, and shoot.

Acidman has a post up about Boobs. This has nothing to do with guns or politics, but it's about BOOBS, so who cares.

Geek with a .45 has found a BBC article that forced him to pick his jaw up off the ground. I was doing the same.

And last but not least, Kim du Toit has another rant up. It's small by his standard but has just as much wisdom in it.


How many times have you heard that those horrible JOOOOOOOOOOOOS started shooting at "po' widdle Palestinians when all they were doing was throwing rocks!" I've heard that arguement quite often, normally from some outraged Moonbat. "How can they shoot little kids who are just throwing rocks?!"

Well, does anyone here like to have rocks thrown at them? Besides our troll and his pimp? No, of course not. But what if it's not just rocks? I mean, we're dealing with a variaty of news agencies here, not just the AP but Roto-Rueters, Al-Jazeera, Al-Ghardiyan, ect., ect., ect. Despite their claims of objectivity, it's almost laughably easy to see the bias written into their stories.

So the question I have is, just what kind of rocks are the "palestinians" throwing?

Thanks to a tip from Random Nuclear Strikes, now I know.

Makes you think twice, doesn't it? There's a big difference between someone chucking a few pebbles and someone dropping brain-splattering chunks of concret, isn't there?

Keep that in mind the next time you hear "Oh, they were only throwing rocks!".


"Will you tell those assholes to shut up?"

"HEY SHUT UP YOU ASSHOLES!"


Click me

Neither BlogSpot nor HaloScan nor Four Right Wing Wackos are interested in being a forum for slanderous or libelous commentary. If you want to allege that someone is a pedophile or homosexual or whatever other manner of miscreant, do it somewhere else. I don't give a fuck why you're here and who started what or whose side you're on - if all you have to offer is unfounded accusations, kindly escort yourself to the door.

All other commentary is welcome. Blah.

Wednesday, January 07, 2004

Put up or shut up, Geoff

OK, Geoff. You want to threaten people? I'm not the one who bombed your comments. I'm not the one running through dozens of proxy servers and trolling blogs. That would be your bitch, Gordon. The one that you refuse to reign in. So here's the deal, Geoff. You've already been shown up on other blogs, and we both know you're full of shit. Put up or shut up. Let's see your "proof". Otherwise, fuck off. Me, I'm guessing that you had your little bitch bomb your comments so that you could look like a poor lil victim. He's done it on other blogs, why can't he do it to yours?

You think you have something on me, nancy boy? Let's see it. Because we both know you don't have shit. All you have is a pathetic troll to lick your nutsack and make you feel important.

I'm going to head to bed, Geoff. In the morning, I want to see your "proof" that I threatened you. I want to see the "proof" that I used proxy servers to bomb your comments. And since we both know that it won't be there, I'm not going to lose a wink of sleep over it. It's put up or shut up time, Geoff. And when I'm still blogging and posting months from now, after your pathetic little bullshit claims didn't get anywhere, will you apologise?

Probably not. Too bad. Let's see it, Geoff.

Oh, and by the way: When Bane and Drum both agree that you're a pathetic fuckwit, you KNOW you've screwed the pooch.


I apologise to those of you who enjoyed Gordon's presence here. He likely will not be appearing here anymore. Pity, in a way; we had nearly 500 hits yesterday.

Anyway, he's gone.

So long, Harmless!


And lots of it today. First up we have Steve, who specializes in making people laugh so hard that whatever they're drinking flys out their noses and onto their computer screens. This time he takes on Hillary, who as everyone knows, is a Miserable Failure. (I got yer googlebomb RIGHT HERE, moonbats!)

Next up is Noel of Sharp Knife, who takes on Mr. Pound, the British MP who believes that the common filth don't know what's good for them. Watch out for the puns.

And for those who like to read, A LOT, Instapundit pointed me the way to Baen Free Library, where you can download books from authors big and small. For free. Obviously, Baen has figured out what the RIAA can't seem to get a grasp on.

I don't know any author, other than a few who are — to speak bluntly — cretins, who hears about people lending his or her books to their friends, or checking them out of a library, with anything other than pleasure. Because they understand full well that, in the long run, what maintains and (especially) expands a writer's audience base is that mysterious magic we call: word of mouth.

Word of mouth, unlike paid advertising, comes free to the author — and it's ten times more effective than any kind of paid advertising, because it's the one form of promotion which people usually trust.

That being so, an author can hardly complain — since the author paid nothing for it either. And it is that word of mouth, percolating through the reading public down a million little channels, which is what really puts the food on an author's table. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise.

Think about it. How many people lend a book to a friend with the words: "You ought a read this! It's really terrible!"

How many people who read a book they like which they obtained from a public library never mention it to anyone? As a rule, in my experience, people who frequently borrow books from libraries are bibliophiles. And bibliophiles, in my experience, usually can't refrain from talking about books they like.

And, just as important — perhaps most important of all — free books are the way an audience is built in the first place. How many people who are low on cash and for that reason depend on libraries or personal loans later rise on the economic ladder and then buy books by the very authors they came to love when they were borrowing books?


Ah well, the longer the RIAA shows that it's an archiac monolith who can't keep up with the market, the better chance we have of watching it come tumble down. Musicians the country over can only hope.
Instant Justice

Convicted Sexual Predator goes where he shouldn't. Convicted Sexual Predator then attempts to get jiggy with an eleven year old boy. Boy's father then proceeds to beat the hell out of Convicted Sexual Predator with an axe handle. Both men get arrested.

Now, I'm all for whuppin anyone who tries to molest your kid. But I do have a few questions before I declare the father free of blame. Just what kind of "private community home" was the boy at? Was he with his father visiting? "Private Community Home" sounds like code for "Halfway-house for sex offenders", and if that's the case, what the hell was this father doing, bringing his kid there? On the other hand, if this was some sort of retirement community or assisted living home that the father and son were visiting, then by all means, beat that molester like a red-headed stepchild.

Here's a simple solution: If someone gets convicted of molesting little kids, LOCK THEIR ASS UP AND THROW AWAY THE DAMN KEY! That way you won't have to worry about kiddy-diddlers re-offending! But hey, maybe that's too "simplistic" for some people.

Hat tip to Random Nuclear Strikes.


Aaron's Rantblog has a few questions he'd like to ask the Feminists.

Where are the Burn, Burka, Burn! protests in front of Arab embassies? Where are the protests against widespread clitoridectomies in front of the Muslim and African embassies? Where are the boycotts?

Hmmmm, I don't know. I guess there aren't any. What a surprise.

Did Neville Chamberlain make peace in Europe by negotiation or did General George Patton by crushing Nazi Germany? Negotiation with totalitarians is delayed suicide. ItÂ’s that simple.

Words that should be inscribed on the foreheads of the Democrats in Congress. I have a knife that would work wonderfully for that purpose.

In conclusion, let me add that Hillary Clinton is a Miserable Failure.

Speaking of Hillary, does anyone in their right mind think that if ANYBODY with a (R) after their name made a piss-poor joke about Ghandi, they wouldn't be on a rack with thumbscrews attached to their nuts right now? Just look at what happened to Lott. He made a statement that only SUGGESTED a hint of racism, and he was tossed out of his cushy Majority Leader's seat in Congress. Clinton calls Ghandi a shop owner in St. Louis, and everything is fine and dandy. Oh, right, there's no liberal media. What a crock.

Tuesday, January 06, 2004



I love the blogosphere. I really do. Look at this post. Splendid!


"Michael J. Fox is going to appear on Scrubs as... a surgeon?!? What next, Stevie Wonder as an ambulance driver?"

Mother, May I Sleep With Treacher?: Back to the Suture


Here is the list of judges for MoveOn.org's "Bush in 30 Seconds" competition. It's like a Who's Who of Douchebaggery.
Sliding in Seattle

My buddy has a theory about Seattle drivers. About half of the drivers on the road grew up in Seattle, and thus have no idea how to drive in the sun. The other half moved here from California, and thus have no idea how to drive in the rain. There's a very small minority that grew up in places with more adverse weather, and know how to drive in anything, but they're the exception, not the rule.

Would you like to know when people are really screwed?

Heh.



We got a decent amount of snow today in Seattle. Now, if this was Idaho, Montana, either of the Dakotas, ect., ect., ect. this wouldn't be newsworthy. Hell, in Chicago they wouldn't even pull out the snowplows for what we got. But in Seattle? Muahaaahaaahaaaaaaaaa!

Thankfully, I grew up in Northern Idaho and learned how to drive in the middle of winter. So I'll get into my four-wheel drive truck and do my best to avoid the other non-driving people out there who are sliding their cars around like Olympic skaters on an ice rink.


Information on Firearm Liberties has been added to The Resources.


OK Tim, this is going to be my big huge post for the month. You might want to put it up as a separate essay, or leave it to be dropped off the page in a few days. It's up to you.

One of the biggest concerns I have right now deals with the Left’s attempts to wrest guns out of the hands of the common man. I’ve seen this topic on a lot of blogs lately. I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve been better informed as of late, or if it’s something that has been in the news more often recently. But I’ve seen both the pro-gun blogs, and the gun-control blogs, and the debate has been raging just about everywhere. So here’s my take on it, for what it’s worth.

We can start with the 2nd Amendment:

"A well-regulated militia, being necessary for the security of a free state, the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed."

Shall. NOT. Be. INFRINGED. That’s about as plain as it can be put.

Now then, some people like to debate the meaning of “well regulated militia”. So, let’s go see what the Founding Fathers had to say about that.

"I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
--Patrick Henry--

What does the United States law say about the militia?

"The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age..."
--Title 10, Section 311 of the U.S. Code.--


I don’t think that there can be any doubt in people’s minds just what is meant by “militia”. Far from the negative connotation that it has gotten from far-right groups, the militia of the United States is EVERYBODY. Now, are we clear on that? Good. First half of the amendment = everybody, second half of the amendment states don’t screw with our guns. So, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s move on.

Why would the Founding Fathers not want the peoples right to bear arms revoked, ever? Let’s start with the most basic: Self defense.

You’ve probably heard the saying “God made men, Sam Colt made ‘em equal”. That has more truth in it than you might think. Let’s say that somebody my size and weight attacked my girlfriend. Let’s say it happened at night, while my girlfriend was walking to her car after a long day of work. She’s tired, hungry, and just wants to get home, but now she’s got a six foot tall, 200 pound man coming at her, demanding that she open her car door and get in. How could she stop him?

Could she punch him? Maybe, but I doubt it would do any good. This guy has a good 50 pounds and nine inches on her. With his longer reach, he could pummel her while keeping her out of range. Don’t forget that if our assailant is on drugs, he most likely won’t feel much pain to begin with. If he’s on something serious, like PCP, he won’t feel any pain at all, even if he gets his arm ripped off.

Let’s say she had a knife. Still a problem. She could try to stab him, but once again, his longer reach would keep her at bay, while he started swinging his fists. That also assumes that she has the training necessary to take on a man who is larger than her.

How about pepper spray? I bought my girlfriend a can of that when she was working down at Pike Place Market, and we didn’t have our concealed carry permits yet. It’s good stuff. I was trained on it in the military, and I can tell you that it is highly effective, on a sober person. It works on drunk people just about as good. But what if there’s more than one assailant, or the person is on PCP or “sherm” (cigarettes dipped in embalming fluid, and then smoked)? Pepper spray MIGHT slow them down a bit, but it might as well be breath freshener. Once again, the woman is at a HUGE disadvantage. In all honesty, I would be at a huge disadvantage if I was up against a man my size who was on PCP or sherm. I’ve seen the effects of just about every kind of drug, and people on PCP scare the daylights out of me.

So, how is this woman to stop from being assaulted, mugged, raped, or killed? What can she do in order to protect herself? Very simply, she could carry a gun

Most people, if they are in a proper frame of mind, will see the danger inherent in continuing an assault against such an armed would-be victim, and stop the assault. The woman can stop herself from being a victim simply by brandishing her weapon. If the attacker is on a mind-altering substance, then quite honestly there’s nothing she could do to actually prevent the attack, and thus she must defend herself. A gun allows her to do that. You could stick a knife in the chest of a person high on PCP, and they wouldn’t even blink. One or two rounds to the cranium, and it will have an effect. A gun allows a person to eliminate any physical advantage that the attacker might have. A 150 pound woman will most often lose a fist fight with a 200 pound man. A 200 pound man will most often lose a fight with a 230 grain .45 ACP bullet. Nuff said?

So we have self defense as a reason for the people to be armed. Self-defense not only applies to the person carrying a weapon, but to the other people in the area. When criminals know that people in their pool of victims are armed with handguns, it increases the chance that they’ll pick a victim who will react quite negatively to their assault. As the risk of an armed resistance increases, the criminals have no other options than reduce the amount of violent crime committed, or encounter a would-be victim who ends their criminal spree. Also, people who are armed can interrupt a crime in progress, much to the detriment of the criminal. A well-armed citizenry has a blanket effect on violent crime rates, as criminals move on to safer grounds, and more crimes are cut short by the common man.

Self defense doesn’t just apply to humans, however. Many people who spend time in the outdoors know that encounters with wildlife are inevitable. Cougars, bear, coyote, and other animals can and will attack humans, if the situation is right. An unarmed man attacked by a bear is termed “bear food”. It’s that simple. While these situations are very uncommon, they do happen

Not everyone is Bruce Lee. A gun allows people to protect themselves against threats to their person or property, no matter their physical size or shape. Now, there are people who would argue that the Police would be better defenders of private citizens, rather than have the citizens themselves go around armed. Those people would be wrong. Quoting from Warren v. District of Columbia:

Accordingly, courts have without exception concluded that when a municipality or other governmental entity undertakes to furnish police services, it assumes a duty only to the public at large and not to individual members of the community (emphasis mine)

The police have no duty to protect individual citizens, only the public at large. Therefore, it is YOUR responsibility to protect yourself. The way you do that is the same way that a police officer would: with a gun.

The other primary role of guns is the preservation of freedom. This might seem to be a grand foppish statement, until you look at historical precedent.

Before Stalin murdered millions of people, he had to ensure that they could not resist him. How did he do that? He disarmed them. A few thousand armed Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto managed to hold off the Gestapo for weeks, until they were finally overwhelmed. So why did millions of them die in Hitler’s gas chambers? Because Hitler had made sure that they didn’t have weapons. They had no way of resisting the brownshirts or the SS. The only way that Castro keeps the people of Cuba under his thumb is the fact that only his forces have guns. Chairman Mao knew that in order to control the people, they had to be disarmed. In fact, every last mass murder or genocide was preceded by the population being disarmed. Rwanda, Bosnia, the USSR, Nazi Germany, China, Korea during WWII, Cuba, all of the target populations were disarmed prior to being repressed, murdered, tortured, and raped. Because the monsters know that if the people have guns, they will not allow themselves to be abused in such a fashion.

A well armed populace is the best way of ensuring the people’s liberty and freedom. A government cannot truly repress the citizenry if said citizens are armed.

Let’s use a blatantly hypothetical situation, and say that Bush suddenly turned into every Barking Moonbat’s worst nightmare. We have goose-stepping brownshirts marching up and down city streets, grabbing any and all dissenters and tossing them into jail. Anyone who opposes the current government is jailed, tortured, or murdered. Freedom of speech is tossed right out the window, and the current administration’s will is brutally enforced at gunpoint. What would you do? What could you do?

If you were properly armed, you could resist. No matter how many soldiers follow the illegal orders, there are 80 million gun owners in the United States. Short of carpet bombing entire states, there would be no way for the government to enforce its will. Guns, in the hands of private citizens, can prevent the government from turning into a communist or fascist state.

If you want more information, there are several websites I would recommend. First and foremost, The Smallest Minority has links to court cases, examples aplenty, and well thought out reasoning for why private citizens have the right to own guns. Kim du Toit has an entire list of essays on gun ownership. Both Kim and The Smallet Minority contributed (albeit unknowingly) to this little piece. And Clayton Cramer has a blog dedicated to the defensive use of handguns, stories that aren’t likely to see in the national media.

Have I covered everything? Did I miss anything important? Are there any questions you might have that I didn't answer? Let me know.

UPDATE: From Trooper John Smith, in the RNS comments, comes a great website about the right to bear arms. A Human Right.


Mark Steyn is terrific. Here he is fisking an English pacifist.


Austin Bay outlines what are likely to be some of 2004's Security Challenges.


This is weird on the heels of that Palestinian story below:

A bomb attached to a bicycle killed at least 10 people, most of them children, in this southern city Tuesday, underlining the violence still plaguing Afghanistan (search) two years after the fall of the Taliban.
FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Bike Bomb in Kandahar Kills at Least 10


Children of Palestine:

Meanwhile, while all that was going on, Ali Daraghmeh, a writer for The Associated Press, reported from the West Bank that playtime for Palestinian kids isn't just limited to nice things like kickball, not when there's a jihad to be staffed. "Palestinian children," reported Daraghmeh, "are collecting cards showing gunmen and soldiers the way American kids trade baseball cards, and some educators are concerned that the uprising hobby is helping to breed a new generation of militants."

And business is good, says Majdi Taher, a former candy salesman who makes the cards. All told, about 6 million cards have been sold over the past two years, plus sales in December alone of 32,000 albums in the two main population centers of the northern West Bank, with little slots for a kid's favorite suicide bombers.

"The albums are sold in cardboard boxes shaped like Israeli tanks and include a dedication from Nablus governor Mahmoud Alul," wrote Daraghmeh. "A child who fills an album with all 129 pictures can win a computer, a bicycle, a watch or a hat."

It works. Overdose on 129 collectable martyrs, stick some dynamite under your new hat and bicycle off to blow up some infidels.
PittsburghLIVE.com - Breeding Palestinian terrorists



This is from late December. Guess I missed it.

The real story in Saddam's capture is that the Bush administration has turned loose the Special Forces to fight a covert, no-holds-barred war in Iraq.
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What that means is no more Mr. Nice Guy. It means our first priority will not be to arm American troops with paint rollers each morning, to get everything looking more spiffy in Baghdad. Instead, we're talking about what some in the Pentagon call "pre-emptive manhunting" -- more intelligence, more captures, and more assassinations of Baathist insurgents. The paint can wait.
PittsburghLIVE.com - Return of the Special Forces


Are more Americans watching Fox News because they are stupid, or are they stupid because they watch Fox News?

Monday, January 05, 2004



Warning: Nudity!

Dave, what do you think about Ruth? She's kinda bony but also, err, kinda not.


Eye on the Left found an article from the Seatlle Post-Intelligencer written by some Guest Columnist who posits that President Bush is popular because Americans are stupid. Here's an excerpt:

It's well past time that people confront this issue, no matter who's offended. We are on the way to becoming a nation of imbeciles. I'm certain that a plethora of "George W. Bush" jokes is already being circulated in every capital of the world. We can stop this sapping of our national integrity but we must do it soon, lest the morons become the norm and those of us who use our brains for more than memorizing advertising jingles are ourselves ostracized from society.

Let's start talking. Let's bring the S factor out of the closet and into the daylight where we can all see it, gulp at its hideousness and finally make serious attempts to bring it to bay.
Haw! By "bring it to bay" maybe he means only smart people could vote. Knowing what little I do about the voting patterns of King County, I'd take care to not get what I wish for, were I he.

I wanted to find something out about this fellow, because I wanted to email him, but I didn't find all that much. Here's what I've got:

- A Neal Starkman of Seattle is looking for great teachers.

- Is it the same guy?

- Is this the same guy?

Maybe it doesn't matter. I just like to find out who a "Guest Columnist" is before I weigh his words.

Or should I say "before I way his words", you know, me being Stupid and all.
Brrrrrrrr.......

We've had record low temps here in the Puget Sound. It's rare to get any kind of snow in Seattle, yet we've already had a few days of snow, and we're currently in the middle of a cold snap that has killed about half of the plants around my house. We expect 4-6 inches of snow tonight. Portland is expecting a blizzard sometime soon. Parts of Washington State are not just below freezing, but below zero.

Tell me again about global warming?


"There is a pattern with Gov. Dean," Gephardt said in a speech at a Des Moines hospital. "First, say something indefensible. Then deny you ever said it. Then, when it's proven you said it, don't tell anybody why you said it. And then go and say it all over again." - LA Times


This weekend, Dave marveled in disgust at how low the Loony Left is stooping in its attacks against President Bush.

I take strong issue with his characterization. The Left aren't stooping at all - they actually live in the gutter.

UPDATE: There's a second ad now.



Japan's economy is gaining steam as well. This is good for everyone. This stands in stark contrast to economic disorder in Germany as announced last week.

Japan's prime minister said Monday that the nation's economy is finally emerging from a prolonged slowdown thanks to rising corporate profits, investment and write-offs of bad bank loans.

"Japan's economy has strong underlying strength. It has potential energy," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said in a nationally televised New Year's press conference. "Finally, we are starting to see some bright signs."
Yahoo! News - Japan PM: Economy Emerging From Slowdown


Palm Beach County prosecutors investigating Rush Limbaugh for his prescription drug use have filed "doctor shopping" charges against only one person in the past five years, according to a review of court records.
local6.com - News


The Simon Wiesenthal Center is pretty unhappy with MoveOn.org:

“Politics and preparing for a presidential election is one thing, but comparing the Bush Administration’s fight against Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein with the policies of Adolf Hitler is shameful and beyond the pale and has no place in the legitimate discourse of American politics,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the Center’s dean and founder.
Social Action Archive

Another constituency aliented. Go Dems Go!


China Orders Cats Killed After SARS Tests!

My Way News

PETA Declares War!

Sunday, January 04, 2004



Any right-thinking person has been called names by a Leftist before. Hell, our troll loves to sling insults around, but when you only have two braincells that's all you can do.

However I never, EVER expected the Loony Left to stoop this low.

I swear, this has got to be a plant. The Left is disintegrating at a record pace, and we on the right are just staring in bemusement and disgust. There is no parallel in nature. These people are so overwhelmed with their hatred and idiocy that all they can do is froth at the mouth.

You want to know by Bush will win this year? Because the Left, through their antics and bile, will practically HAND him the election.

Hat tip to LGF.


Please. Go read.


So tell me, since when does hiding weapons and explosives in a mosque count as a smart move?

Here's a hint: It doesn't. By the way, any assholes who want to scream about the Geneva Convention, shut your pieholes. The Geneva Convention clearely states that places of worship shall not be targeted UNLESS THEY ARE BEING USED FOR PURPOSES OTHER THAN WORSHIP, such as STORING OF AMMUNITION.

If these people are in a tiff because we went into their mosque, then maybe THEY SHOULDN'T BE STORING AK-47'S IN THERE! They're not pissed because we went into a mosque, they're pissed because we caught them being little terrorist supporting pissants! Thank god I'm not in charge over there, because I would have razed that building to the ground. Oh, you want to stockpile weapons here? Fine, no more building to hide your weapons in. Bring in the bulldozers!

But then, I'm not in charge. They should be facedown thanking Allah for that. I'm much more cold-hearted when dealing with people who want to kill me, or my allies.

Hat tip to the ever increadible Francis Porretto.
It could happen....

Courtesy of poster "bb" over at Right Thinking from the Left Coast comes a bit of satire that made me chuckle just a bit.

About that Mars landing...I expect the leftists to begin a new campaign based on this event.

"END THE ILLEGAL AND UNILATERAL OCCUPATION OF MARS! Bush lied! Where are the pictures of the Martian WMD? WHERE? NASA spent $400 million on a unilateral invasion of a foreign planet and now it's in a quagmire! NO WMD! Where are the Martians? Where are the WMD? BRING ROVER HOME NOW! NO HYDRAULIC FLUID FOR FROZEN AMMONIA!"


Bravo NASA for getting it done. Maybe next time you can show the EU how to do it as well.


I really don't know what more proof people need to see that gun control has a disastrous effect on crime rates. I could point out all the statistics, details, paperwork, what have you, and it still wouldn't sink into some people's heads. So how about this:

---Chicago finished off the year with more murders than New York or Los Angeles," said SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb. "During the past 12 months, 599 people were murdered in Chicago, three more than in New York, where 596 people were slain, and about 100 more than in Los Angeles.

Five hundred and ninty-nine people murdered in one of the strictest gun control cities in the USA. If you fart while carrying an unloaded, locked, secured handgun in Chicago, they arrest you for attempted homicide. If you sneeze while carrying a legally purchased gun, they bust out the Gestapo to play the marimba on your kneecaps. And yet five hundred and ninty-nine people were murdered in Chicago. That's more than the number of American soldiers who have died in a FRIGGING WAR ZONE!

When are the gun-grabbers going to figure out that criminals don't give a damn about your laws? When are the gun-grabbers going to figure out that criminals don't purchase guns at a gun shop or gun show? When are the gun-grabbers going to figure out that the best way to lower crime rates is to allow law abiding citizens to carry handguns?

I'm not holding my breath. At this point, gun control is a religious mantra to many on the Left. No proof is enough to change their minds. But I'd like to reach out to anyone who might be in the middle. Let me show you the statistics, the evidence. Hell, let me take you shooting. But please, lets stop this idiotic thinking that says gun control lowers crime. Because I can point to real world examples that show just the opposite.

And thanks to Kim du Toit for pointing this out. You made the right choice, Kim. Getting out of that city was the best thing you could do.
The Council has Spoken!

This weeks winners are What Makes Texas More Sacred to the US Than Judea and Samaria to Israel? by Aaron's Rantblog, and On the First Day of Kwanzaa, My True Love Tortured Me... by The Right Coast. You can find all the results here.