Monday, February 28, 2005

Enjoy, A Regular Post To Follow Shortly

I am working an early shift for my corporate masters so my regular post that would appear here will be delayed a few hours. In the meantime consider this. If a user calls me and doesn’t know how to create a desktop shortcut should they be:

A) Beaten about the head with their laptop

B) Sent to the nearest 1st grade class and given a computer usage class by the 7 year olds

C) Fired ASAP since they are selling software

D) Politely shown how to create the shortcut while their user profile is forever tagged as having an I.10 error and made an example of in a company wide email.

E) All of the Above.

Have a great morning; be back with more in a few hours.

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Quick Note

Hope your having a wonderful weekend everyone. I have been clued in on a couple of new traffic generators. I am trying them out this weekend so I will have a more detailed report Monday or Tuesday. They are both new so you all know what that means, get in now while the getting is good. Both are similar to BlogExplosion and BlogClicker in their function. Here are the links: Traffic Pods and TrafficAxion. Enjoy.

Friday, February 25, 2005

WTF Friday Rant Volume 1 Issue 13

Folks it's that time again and for the lucky thirteenth WTF Friday rant I want to welcome some special visitors to our annual collection of insanity. So welcome to all coming from BLOG OF THE DAY, stick around, put your feet up and stay awhile. Today is also my day to post on The Wide Awakes so pop over there and take a gander at my take on the re-emergence of European Racism. Now on to the WTF Friday Rant. Have a great weekend everyone.

The Balls on this woman!!!!! Courtesy of Melinda @ Anything Said
http://wedding.weddingchannel.com/search_purchase


Canada tells US no thanks to missile defense but they still want a call if one's headed their way. Talk about having your cake and eating it too! C'est La Vie, canucks.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050225/D88F6
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4289925.stm

Battle of the Sexes turns nasty, it turns out that women are capable of deceitful sexual acts just like men. Damn, I guess they were right when they said anything we can do, they can do better.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050224/D88F19S80.html

Colorado House of Representatives share new spirit of cooperation! Beware of the ass-ramming members that wander the halls.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion/article/0,


The hand that feeds bites back!
http://reuters.excite.com/article/20050224/2005-02-24T132

Coming soon, (insert name of product) by Bin Laden
http://reuters.excite.com/article/20050224/2005-02-24T131

I knew I was a little light in the wallet but this is crazy!
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/2/23/154725.shtml

Illegals not only steal identities but then buy houses! Only in America.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/4224901/detail.html


NAACP calls Chris Rock "racist", He is funny but I could not agree more.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/2/23/215131.shtml

Alleged Bush assassin's family planning to sue? Why would an innocent family have a preset code for "I am being tortured"? If it smells like a rat and looks like a rat, then guess what? You have rat.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/2/24/161945

Damn, I guess that dream of smaller government is really dead now.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/2/23/165259

Syria resorting to the same playbook used by Sadamm, can we expect the same result as Iraq?
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/2/24/104124
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=x


Thoughts of freedom spread to Lebanon, Good luck and Godspeed.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=4

ABC realizes hammering Bush is a losing proposition and resorts to reporting on UFO's
http://www.southflorida.com/movies/sfl-ufoshowfeb24%2C0%2C

Condi for Cheney and a draft pick to be named later. Hillary quoted as saying, "Oh Sh**!!!"
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=4

Churchill Update: Now he did not even write his master's thesis, I think I am going to apply for his position when he is finally fired, because I am just as qualified as he is to teach.
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0%2C1299%2

I want to be a "Director of First Impressions" when I grow up.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0223str

Thursday, February 24, 2005

ACLU Rides Again

Time to check in on my favorite lefty group, The ACLU, and see what they have been up to since I last pointed out the error of their ways. Seems that they are under the misguided perception that a citizen’s civil rights extends even to the manner in which the police might restrain you if you choose to fight and resist arrest. Folks, the police do a hard enough job without these nut jobs breathing down their necks and for the ACLU to interject themselves into a debate that is clearly outside their own stated mission is just another example of the ACLU’s drift towards a strongly anti-America organization that appears to embrace the tenets of anarchy.

Here is the ACLU’s own mission statement from their website:

The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty. We work daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Our job is to conserve America's original civic values - the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The American system of government is founded on two counterbalancing principles: that the majority of the people governs, through democratically elected representatives; and that the power even of a democratic majority must be limited, to ensure individual rights.

According to them, America was founded on two principles: that the majority of the people governs, through democratically elected representatives; and that the power even of a democratic majority must be limited, to ensure individual rights.

Correct me if I am wrong but in their “mission statement” where does it state that they should protect us from the police using tasers to restrain people from hurting themselves, others, or police? The ACLU seems to think that taser use by police is out of control and they are the people to stop it. Perhaps they would prefer to have police just shoot people instead of using a taser? It is tragic that people have been killed by police using a taser to restrain them and the percentage is quite low when compared to when law enforcement is forced to use their firearms. The MSM and ACLU like to throw around the number of deaths by tasers but never mention how many times tasers are used without deadly consequences. Once again people are only getting half the story from the bastions of journalism and personal liberty. The taser is a valuable tool used by law enforcement to protect the suspect and themselves from injury when the situation warrants it. If you were to look at the death rate of taser use vs. the death rate of gun use it seems like a no brainier.

If the police have to use a gun on a suspect to resolve a situation rather then a taser the chances are much higher that the person will be killed. For those that are unfamiliar with tactical weapon use in law enforcement let me enlighten you. The first myth I would seek to dispel is the concept of a “warning shot”. Ask anyone in law enforcement about warning shots, they don’t exist and are in fact a dangerous and stupid idea. Law enforcement personal is trained to use their firearm as a last resort or if they or others are in a life-threatening situation. One hard and fast rule in handgun use is never shoot at something if you’re unsure what’s behind it, so the idea that a warning shot should always be used is just dangerous to the surrounding environment. When a police officer or even a civilian under goes firearms training, one is trained to use a firearm to stop a potential attacker by aiming at “center mass”. While police officers are generally very good marksmen or women, a shot to the torso of an attacker is always going to be more effective then an attempt to wound by shooting an arm or a leg, thus the higher death rate.

Just today, 2/24/05, in Phoenix the police were involved in a situation where a suspect attacked the police after a short car chase and was shot by police after fighting with police and trying to get one of the police officers guns. By the way the suspect in this case was 6’3” and weighted over 300 pounds; I don’t care where you from that is one big SOB. The wounding only served to enrage the suspect further and he was finally brought down by an officer using a taser. The police officer was not aiming to wound the suspect but to put him down and ensure the safety of nearby civilians and his fellow officers. After the suspect was shot he proceeded to injury one of the cops trying to arrest him and then when he got to the hospital to be treated for his gunshot wound, he fought with the emergency room staff. As soon as the story is posted online I will provided a link, here however is a link to an article showing the decrease in officer involved shootings here in Phoenix after tasers were placed into field service.

In Chicago between 1990 and 1998, there were 505 police related shootings which resulted in 139 deaths. Here’s the article. How many of those deaths could have been prevented if the officers had another tool to resolve the situation? How many of those people would still be alive today if they had been shot with a taser instead of a handgun? These are the kind of questions you will never hear from the ACLU, the MSM, and their anti-police allies. The truth is that we will most likely never know but a rational person could look at those numbers and make the reasonable prediction that most of those people would be still be alive today.

Another fact that the ACLU fails to mention in his protest to taser use is that in most of the deaths where a taser was used the suspect was under the influence of some drug. In fact a study funding by the DOJ will test tasers on pigs to dispel the myth that they kill. The professor in charge of the study is skeptical about the taser caused the deaths especially when drugs are involved. Here’s the link.

Police departments are like any other government agency, they despise litigation. If they truly thought that taser use was a negative and not the positive that it actually is, they would discontinue its use immediately. Here are some links to stories about police departments standing by their use of tasers, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

The bottom line is that the ACLU should stick to things that they know like bulling the Boy Scouts and infringing upon our 1st amendment rights. Tasers save lives when used correctly and are a valuable tool to law enforcement. Maybe I am wrong, maybe we should follow the lead of the ACLU and just shoot all suspects instead of safely arresting them after they have be subdued with a taser. I think that ACLU is counting on cops killing more people with firearms so they can sue for wrongful death and further undermine the job the police do, just my opinion. The fact is that if people did not resist police then there would be no need for this debate but I will tackle that topic another time. Have a great day and thank a cop for the job they do.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Mini-Tour Of My Blogroll

I am feeling a little under the weather and may or may not post a little later in the day. But in the mean time, for everyone's enjoyment I have randomly selected some folks from my blogroll that I feel everyone should read on a regular basis.

Enjoy the links, tell them hello and that The Mad Tech says Hey!

The Wide Awakes - A diverse group of folks dedicated to spreading the truth of the world while helping liberals make fools of themselves. Really a great bunch of writers but more importantly, great people. Really I am not saying that just because I write there also.

FFS - What can I say about K other then the fact that she is great and her writing always puts a smile on my face while making me laugh about the stupid people she faces everyday. And she has one of the coolest blog designs in the blogsphere.

It is What It is - Z is simply the man when it comes to telling things like it is. Her stories of his recent move south strike a nice balance with his no punches pulled commentary on the day's events. Plus his dogs are damn cool.

Framptonia - Nate and his crew provide thoughtful commentary on all topics and in a civil nature since his team member’s hail from both sides of the political fence. This blog will become a powerhouse in the Blogsphere I predict, the writing is always original and challenges the reader to really think about the topic.

The Church of Dysfunction - What can I say about a young man (20) who is not afraid to show his commitment to his faith and speaks his mind. The Rev. shares his unique view on various topics and once a week or so performs a valuable service to his local community by posting about released sex offenders with data from law enforcement.

NIF - Last but not least by any measure. TJ does an outstanding job in gathering a wide spectrum of news items for digestion along with his commentary. Far more interesting then Drudge and will be larger then him in the near future.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

How Scott Ritter Is Once Again Betraying His Country

First of all let me say I believe Scott Ritter to be treasonous bastard who is only stirring the pot so he can sell his upcoming book. For those who have a short memory, Scott Ritter used to be a United States Marine and Weapons inspector for the United Nations. Scott has been a busy little boy since giving up being a weapons inspector, he now earns a living speaking and writing about how bad his country is. In fact he has a “Michael Moore” style movie coming out soon that was financed with $400,000 dollars of Oil-for-Food blood money. Oh, did I mention that he was once arrested for trying to have a cop posing as a 16 year old girl meet him at a Burger King to watch him masturbate. This guy is a real piece of work. In fact in 1998 he was so sure that Iraq had WMD’s that he quit his job at the UN in protest over what he thought was President Clinton being “soft” on Saddam. Here’s the link for the original article in the NY Post on Sept. 1st 1998, the Post what $3.50 for the full article so I dug it up here for your reading pleasure. Now that I got that out of the way and you have some background on what Scotty used to do, here’s what he has been up to in the last few days.

Ritter claimed at a speech he was giving in Olympia, Washington that not only has the President asked the DOD to draw up plans for attacking Iran but he has seen, discussed, and signed off on them. That statement taken by itself and out of context does not seem too bad, just another obvious lie from a moonbat seeking to rile up the far left anti-America crowd.. But here is the kicker, not only has the President signed off on the attack plans but they are due to kick off in June of this year. Yes the great and powerful Scott Ritter has seen the future and he sees a U.S. attack on Iran in June of 2005.

Let consider for one second that he might be telling the truth, hell if that the case then Mr. Ritter should be seeking legal consul since he has just committed treason and if convicted could be put to death as all traitors should be. Here’s the truth, Scott Ritter is a smart political operator and his statement about the United States attacking Iran in June of 2005 is merely a feebly shrouded attempt to create a media stir and make some more money by creating a market for his outrageous claims. The problem with a jackass like this is that people actually listen to him and never consider the implication of what he is actually saying. Look at these want to be numb nuts over here, not only did they abuse their role in the blogsphere but if you read through the comments after the post, they encouraged others to accept Ritter’s statement as good-as-gold truth. Now of course by tomorrow this will be making the rounds across the blogsphere, it fact these guys already picked up on it and while I point of the lunacy of it all I am also contributing to the life of this story, it’s a damn Catch-22.

I am not really sure why Scott Ritter hates President Bush, after all he claims to be a registered Republican, yet here’s a recent example of the thinly veiled hate he spews toward our commander in chief. Maybe while he was in Iraq and he saw the kind of money that was being made off the Oil-for-Food scam, something snapped and he developed the same self-loathing that infects so many Americans of the leftist persuasion.

The logistics of any attack are so tough and would surely open up the troops in Iraq to a counter-attack from Iran as well as potentially kick off a large scale war in the region that could include Syria, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, among others. One other point to consider is the political pressure we would feel from Europe, China, Russia and India. Each of those nations has grown close to Iran and depends on the Iranians for oil and gas, not to mention a regional conflict would surely plunge the world into a recession as energy costs skyrocketed. The thought that the President has already signed off on an attack against Iran is simply too crazy to comprehend.

If the Iranians do not give in to the political pressure from the United State, the EU, and others then a military option must be considered. When the Iranian government states that they are only interested in clean nuclear power for their people, it’s a blatant lie. Iran sits on top of huge oil reserves and has no need for an additional power source such as nuclear power. Given that Iran’s mullahs have been sponsoring terrorism for the past 30 years, it’s a pretty safe bet that they won’t think twice about giving a nuke to some terrorist group to use on Israel, Europe, or the United States. For them it make perfect sense tactically since they could sit back and deny any involvement till the end of time while enjoying the murder of innocents with one of their weapons.

The world’s quarrel is not with the Iranian people just their leaders who refuse to join the community of nations that have condemned nuclear weapons. I think that the French and Germans do not really want to see a nuclear Iran either since their countries have large Muslim populations and have become a favorite hiding spot for the Islamofascists. If the day comes and military force is the last option, I hope that will stand with us. Of course if the Iranian people rise up and seize their futures from the mullahs then this whole discussion is a moot point, that’s my hope and I am sticking to it. Have a great day and enjoy the links.

Kerry's Form 180: The Blogburst Edition


John Kerry has never released his military records, in spite of his bragging about being a “war hero", and claiming he would release them soon on the "Meet The Press" television show with Tim Russert and the "Imus in the Morning" show with Don Imus. So let’s encourage him to release his military records to “clear things up".

As a group of concerned citizens who want to hold our leaders accountable we’ve formed a blogburst group to drive the issue home. If you want to join the blogroll for Kerry’s 180, click here to email the group founder, Cao and include the url for your blog. The blogburst is every Tuesday, so don’t forget to blog about it. All you have to do is encourage people to send him his 180, Just ask in your email and Cao will send you the code for the blogroll.

Here's the link to the actual form that he needs to fill out, as you can see there is not really much to it. Hell, I bet even one of his staffers could fill it out for him and make it even easier for him. Folks the simple truth is that like many of the "soldiers" at Kerry's famed Winter Meetings, Kerry lied about his service and because he has made it a centerpiece of his public service his record or lack there of is a issue he must deal with. So quote a great American:

"Why don't you jump on the team and come on in for the big win? "


Monday, February 21, 2005

Happy Birthday To Ryne

No regular post today because it's the anniversary of the second greatest day in my life, my wedding day being the first in case you were wondering. Today is my son's fourth birthday. He is an amazing little boy with unbelievable energy and a thirst for learning that puts both his mother and I to shame.

As many will agree, one of the greatest things in the world is that look of utter admiration and love that you can only get from your child. When I look into his eyes that are so full of wonder it restores my faith in the thought that anything is possible. The future of our children is boundless and somewhere deep down I think they know it and are eager to get on with it.

Well enough writing for one day, I am going to play dinosaurs with my boy and enjoy every second of it. Have a great day, hug your kids cause they grow up too quickly, and I will be back tomorrow with a “regular” post.

Happy 4th Birthday to Daddy’s little Boy

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Is the EU an exercise in Socialism?

I don’t claim to be an economist or even play one on the internet but let me pose a question for all, is the European Union an exercise in socialism? Europe is split upon two distinct lines, the old socialism leaning countries with their sky-rocketing unemployment and enormous social programs and the new capitalist countries with growing economies and bright futures. Before we get into the details, let me define socialism for all those on the short bus.

Socialism

1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done.

The future of Europe is faced with two paths and soon the people of Europe will have to choose one to follow. The EU states on it’s website that it is not intended to supersede the individual countries sovereignty but as the EU brings on more countries as members the groundwork is laid for a centralization of power. The EU was first conceived by the French in 1950 as a defense against the march of communism. What first started as a mutual trade and economic group has morphed in to something much more.

The EU has stated as some of its goals that it would like to be a political and economic power to serve as a counter to the United States. Well, I hate to burst their bubble but the latest economic information show that not only do they have a long way to go but much of the rest of the world is passing them in economic terms. Recently the weak economies in Germany, the Netherlands and Italy ate away at the progress the rest of the EU has made. The gains made by the recent members in their capitalist economies like Poland, Spain, the Czech Republic and Greece has done little to offset the sliding economies of “Old Europe”.

No greater illustration of the demarcation line between the members of the EU is the tax burden that member nations levy on their citizens. It is generally accepted that the tax-to-GDP ratio is a very accurate measure of the tax burden of a countries citizens so that will be the measure I use. The lowest tax-to-GDP ratio of the EU25 is 28.7% for Lithuania. The EU25 is defined as the following countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The highest tax-to-GDP ratio belongs to Sweden at 51.4%. My goodness at that rate how can Ikea make stuff so cheap with all those taxes? In fact if one removes the nations that recently joined the EU, the overall tax-to-GDP ratio for the entire EU rises to an average of 41.8%. The United States tax-to-GDP ratio was 26.4%. All of the numbers are for 2002 and the US ratio comes from here.

Now if one takes an every closer look at the numbers, you will find that most of the lower tax burden countries are ones that have joined recently or have system of capitalism in place with low unemployment. As the unemployment figures in “Old Europe” continue to stay high, such as France and Germany which stand at 9.6% and 9.8% respectively. Gee, that makes our 5.5% look just grand doesn’t it? Especially since our unemployment has been dropping for over two years now, could it be because of our lower tax burden? The answer is yes for those who are slow or are subscribing to the lies of the left. The lower the tax burden on a society, the more money that society has to spend on goods, invest in businesses, create jobs.

Now by this point you might be asking how does this prove or even suggest that the EU is socialist group of countries. It does not. This post stems from a conversation I had recently with a co-worker and friend. I had originally thought that the EU was blatant socialism starting to run amok across Europe, and then I did some research through the miracle of the internet. The fact is that the EU nations stand on the edge of a great downfall and must make a hard choice. Early in the 90’s one of the stated goals of the EU was to surpass the United States as an economic power and thus put us in our place while returning Europe to a status in the world that it has not enjoyed since the late 1800’s.

While the United States has had 2 periods of economic downturns in recent years, we also have had extended periods of prosperity. Europe in contrast has been on a slide ever since the dot com boom of the late 90’s. The downturns I refer to are the economic slowdown in 92/93 after the Bush-41 tax hike which according to most economists laid the foundation for the rapid expansion of the Clinton years, and the recession brought on by the 9/11 attacks and the Clinton policies of his 2nd term. Take a look at these numbers again; notice how the U.S. tax burden spikes around the Clinton years and then declines once “W” took office. Once again something that is not widely reported in the MSM, lower taxes promoting economic growth.

The EU is not a collection of Socialist states just yet but it could be on its way. If the French and Germans are allowed by other members to continually have unemployment rates above 9% with GDP growth rates under 1% then sooner or later they will use their political clout to force EU member to subsidize the massive social programs that they already have in place. I wonder if the newness of capitalism played a part in many of the former Warsaw Pact nations tripping over themselves to join the pseudo-socialists in the EU. Maybe that and the inherent lack of faith in humanity that was ingrained during the years of Soviet rule are why those nations lined up to help pay for the rest of the continent’s mistakes.

Folks it comes down to the simple truth that while not perfect, capitalism is the best game in town and those on the left who bitch and moan about how bad it is should take a hard look at the numbers and then decide once and for all if they have faith in their fellow citizens. Just one more then for those on the left (short bus), life is not fair and if you’re not willing to work for it then you don’t deserve a damn thing. I have just finished “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand for the 3rd time. That book was published in 1957 and its message is truer today then ever before. Those who can't produce simply loot from those who do, and that amazingly enough describes most of Europe and the American left. Let me leave you with one last phrase for those in Europe who don’t wish to end up in a Socialist conglomerate or even those in this country who follow the dictates of the left, think on these words: I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.”

Cross-posted at Wide Awakes

Friday, February 18, 2005

WTF Friday Rant Volume 1 Issue 12

First and foremost, thanks to everyone who has donated to the March of Dimes in my Walk America effort. If you would like to help click on the Walk America picture in the post above or on the left sidebar. Without further ado, here's this week’s edition of the WTF Friday Rant. Enjoy the links and have a great weekend everyone.

I am all for every vote counting but criminals? There has to a penalty to breaking the law.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/2/18/03552.shtml

No more "Big Apple", it has rotted to the core. Thanks Chuck, Hillary, Charlie and of course Al.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/2/17/100902.shtml


I have heard of cutting off one's nose to spite your face but this crazy.
http://reuters.excite.com/article/20050217/2005-02-17T181330Z


Krauthammer on why 2018 is the important date in Social Security reform.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/charleskrauthammer

Modern day Robin Hood, kind of, ok not really.
http://reuters.excite.com/article/20050216/2005-02-16T121939Z


FBI joins the party and piles on the Boy Scouts along side the ACLU.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6988233/

While re-affirming the 1st Amendment, Judge compares Christians to Nazis or Ku Klux Klan.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=429

Michael Moore cries poor to the tune of 50 million dollars, enjoy the blood money Mikey.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/2/17/155054.shtml

Dean kicks off his Idiots Only Tour with a bang. DNC to sponsor a new book of racist jokes that is sure to bring flocks of new African-American voters to the Democratic Party.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/2/17/102438.shtml

Soros supports lawyer convicted of providing aid to terrorists. When asked about his donation, Soros replied "Support of terrorism is how revolutions start, just look at the history of the U.S." Quote is fictitious but I am sure he would say something similar if given the chance.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/2/17/115403.shtml

Iran follows in Saddam's footsteps calls for "Great Islamic Alliance" to oppose The Great Satan. Well we all know how that worked out for Saddam. Good luck with that Iran.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/2/17/160902.shtml

Canadians push for single nation/currency North America, wait just a damn minute, I thought Canada hated us? I think Mexico and Canada would be better off just applying for statehood.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar


"Crazy Frog" hits the big time and signs a contract with Simon Cowell.
http://reuters.excite.com/article/20050217/2005-02-17T181156Z_01_


China's red-headed stepchild Taiwan heading the right way for a smacked bottom.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42918
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A33297-2005Feb17?la
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42049
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38876

And last but not least.

The Vatican has found St. Paul's tomb. His picture to be removed from Italian milk cartons.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38876

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Guess What? Illegals Don't Show For Court Dates!

In the move to reform our immigration laws there are few statistics that are more telling of the huge task ahead then the percentage of failure to appear in the nation’s immigration courts. In one such court in Harlingen, Texas has a failure to appear rate of 88% for the year of 2004. That means that out of the 10,401 illegals scheduled to appear, only 1,246 actually showed up for their hearings. Unfortunately that kind of percentage is the norm and not the exception across the nation. Here is the full article that I refer to.

The laws on the books do nothing but contribute to this issue. When an illegal immigrate is apprehended, he or she is issued a Notice to Appear in immigration court at a specific date, usually within 6 months. The arresting officer must at the same time make a decision to either detain the illegal because of a criminal record or if the officer believes the illegal is a threat to national security, or let the illegal go with or without a bond. Now since the sharing of criminal information between the United States and other countries is still incomplete or nonexistent you can see what a terribly difficult job the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have.

It’s not really a surprise that appearance rates are so low, it fact the ICE does not really investigate the reasons behind the lack of appearances by illegals. The U.S. government estimates that there are about 7 million illegals in this country, some folks think that is a little low in light of the fact that the Mexican government believes that 4.5 million of its people live here illegally. The Border Patrol caught 1.1 million people trying to immigrate illegally last year. On an average day in the Rio Grande Valley/McAllen sector, which is 17,000 square miles in size, the border patrol catches about 270 people.

About 25 years ago, policy concerning illegals was changed so that if caught the illegal was given the option to return to their country of origin to avoid the court system and save the taxpayers money. The result of the policy is just to allow illegals to get caught in the morning, return to Mexico, and be caught again in the afternoon. The fact is that this policy and the reality of its failure have destabilized the American southwest to a dangerous degree. The funding for the border security has increased over the last several years but money alone will not solve this problem or even stem the flow. At any given time only a small percentage of the illegals living here are being actively sought by ICE, on the order of about 400,000.

While we are increasing our use of technology to monitor the border, we must also make a commitment to place more agents on the borders and give them the tools to make a different in this silent invasion from the south. Border Patrol agents have one of the toughest jobs in the world and their efforts should be applauded and praised. As our leaders dance around the issue either out of a desire to garner votes or to protect the cheap supply of labor that their business buddies have become addicted to, we must pressure them to “think outside the box” and come up with ideas that protect this nation while allowing honest immigrates the ability to pursue the American dream.

One such idea that has been forwarded here in Arizona is an idea to build a private prison in Mexico to house the every increasing number of illegals in Arizona’s prisons. The proposal is now working its way through the Arizona Legislature and details can be found here. I encourage the lawmakers for wanting to try something different but this is way out there. Arizona has become the focal point for illegal immigration as other crossing points near San Diego and El Paso were tightened but I just can’t wrap my head around this one. How can a sovereign state of the United States ship illegal immigrates to a private prison in another country that will be paid for by Arizona taxpayers? I guess since I am not a bottom feeder, sorry lawyer I can’t see the legality of it.

Which government would be responsible for the capture of any illegals that escaped? Not to mention the sheer idioticy of shipping Mexicans to a prison in Mexico to wait their court date for breaking United States immigration laws. Before you say that will not happen, consider this, people caught by the border patrol that have criminal records do not have the option of opting out of the court system and returning to their country of origin, they sit in jail so they would have the potential to be sitting in a prison in their own country waiting to face charges back here in the states. In my opinion the legality of it will never be worked out and the legislature needs to head back to the blackboard.

The effects of illegal immigration are felt throughout this nation, if not directly then surely the increased health costs as providers pass the cost up the chain, increased taxes to pay for enforcement and storage costs associated with holding illegals, or increased crime rates including identity theft as the illegals seek to establish themselves in America. The cost of holding illegal immigrates has cost Arizona 118 million dollars over the last few years which our dear governor has seen fit to bill back to the federal government. I can only imagine what that money could have done for the state if available. I urge every American, regardless of where you live, to do some research find out how bad the problem is for yourself and then get involved either by supporting local measures or contacting your representatives in Washington and letting them know that this issue is serious and inaction upon it is simply unacceptable. Have a great day everyone.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

MSM Strikes Back

Seems that the opening blows in the coming war between the MSM and the Blogsphere have been launched. The Tulsa World has seen fit to make a target of Michael Bates over at BatesLine. Michael has committed the unforgivable sin of publishing excerpts from the newspaper while giving them full credit for the content. I know what you’re thinking, just about every blog does that same practice on a regular if not daily basis, and God knows that I do.

The Tulsa World has clearly overstepped the bounds of copyright protection and is threatening Michael with legal action. Clearly they have no idea who they have picked a fight with. Here's a little bit of background information over at Michael's site and an equally good write-up at Michelle Malkin's site. Apparently the Tulsa World has no idea the odds they face in this battle, not to mention that they appear to not have a leg to stand on. Kevin over at Wizbang has a great letter that he has written to the vice-president of Tulsa World, read it here and send your own to this clueless wonder if the mood strikes you. I wish I had some clever rallying cry to issue but I don’t so let’s just stick it to the Man. Have a great day.

Academia Under Siege

My, what a ruckus that Ward Churchill has caused. His antics at the University Colorado are only the tip of the iceberg as many who follow the exploits of the left on American’s college and university campuses. Not only is Churchill himself under fire for his extreme views on the cause of the 9/11 attacks, but across the nation other professors who share his theories are feeling the heat as well.

This professor in upstate NY experienced such a backlash about an invitation that was extended to Churchill to speak at Hamilton College. If one digs a little deeper it turns out that Professor Rabinowitz is quite the radical herself, having once offered a teaching position to convicted leftist terrorist Susan Rosenberg. Hmmm, that’s the kind of college I want to send my kids to while paying the inflated costs associated with a private school. Of the nearly 160 responses from parents and alumni and the nearly 500 responses from the general public, very few supported the kind of hated that at the very least is tolerated on the campus of Hamilton College. Quite the tribute to Alexander Hamilton for which the school is named, I am sure he would be very proud as well as the college’s founder Samuel Kirkland since it was a foundation bearing his name that extended the invitation. Needless to say the college canceled the invitation and Professor Rabinowitz has stepped down from her role in the Kirkland Foundation.

Down the road at the University of Pennsylvania another professor is under fire from his agreement with Churchill’s core argument and his assertion that 9/11 was an “inside job”. Professor Francisco Gil-White is crying that his contract at the university maybe not be extended because of his views about 9/11 and the website that he serves as deputy editor for. I hesitantly link to his site, but as you will see for yourself the views are so far out there as to be simply unbelievable. Maybe not that far out there when you consider that one of the courses that Gil-White teaches is the Psychology of Ethnicity. Now if any of my faithful readers has a clue what that course covers by all means please enlighten me because I have no frigging idea.

Now it seems to me that if the University of Pennsylvania has been willing to tolerant Gil-White’s political views for the past four years why try to push him out now? It turns out their complaint and reason given for only offering a one-year contract was that “questions emerged" about the quality of his research and teaching according to Penn psychology chair Robert DeRubeis in a written response to Gil-White’s accusations. That seems entirely plausible if you even read his material for 5 minutes, no I think that Gil-White is trying to capitalize on the Churchill incident and crying fire where there is none. The full story is here for your review.

There is some debate as to whether publicly funded professors enjoy the same freedom of speech as the general public. The Colorado legislature does not seem to think so and are proposing a law that would require new rules for reaching tenure and maintaining here at the university level. The article describing their efforts can be found here. The bill was already being debated before the Churchill madness erupted and according to authors is an attempt to protect conservative students from leftist professors who outright penalize or intimidate students in to not expressing ideas or raising topics that are in opposition to the professors own views. I am not sure what chance it has of passing, but if there is in fact "academic bullying" going on in the Colorado University system then they have a larger issue of hiring the wrong people to teach America’s youth. One of the greatest failures of primary schools is not teaching our children to express their opinions and stand up for what they believe in, I personally blame rampant political correctness but that is another topic for another time.

In my mind there is no debate about whether professors should speak their minds, as deplorable their views might be, the gift of freedom to speak one’s mind has been bought and paid for by the blood and sacrifice of many men and women over the history of this great nation. While parents and the public might cry outrage at what is being taught in universities and colleges today the simple fact is that this countries higher education system is a business and with any business we the public have a decision to spend our money at that vendor of education or move on to another college or university that more matches our own views and opinions.

If we do our jobs as parents and prepare our children to take in all opposing viewpoints and opinions with a grain of salt and not accept things on blind faith then all the Churchill’s in the world will not make a difference and will be discarded to the ash heap of history upon further examination of their opinions. Children are amazing in that regard, when they are growing up they question everything and anything and that’s how they learn. As they grow up and mature the insane curiosity they possess is lost as they become lazy and more accepting of “popular opinion” or what they are told.

Now don’t get me wrong I don’t advocate a nation of cynics or skeptics but it seems that we for the most part have lost our desire to question for the sake of gaining knowledge. Knowledge that has not been earned has no value to the one who simply gained it by walking on the shoulders of others. But knowledge that is earned has greater value then gold to the recipient, maybe that explains why Americans value education so greatly.

So in the end it is the laziness of students, faculty, administrators, and parents, even the public that people with “Churchill” opinions are allowed to continue and even flourish. These professors must be challenged at every turn without regard for the consequences of questioning the absurd. If they are not challenged and exposed then sadly when over time their views become the majority we will have no one to blame but ourselves. Well I think that’s enough for one day about the various professors and their “crazy talk” but I will make a prediction about the next one to be exposed. Take a gander at this article and let me know what you think. Have a wonderful day.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

An Open Letter to President Bush Part II

I originally wrote this letter to President Bush on November 4th. I thought it was interesting how priories can change in a short 4 months. My list of items that the President should work on changed quite a bit. If I were writing this letter today the list would read in this order, 1) Iraq/Iran/North Korea, 2) Taxes, 3) Immigration/National Security, 4) Social Security, 5) Federal Spending, and 6) OBL. I moved tax reform up to the second priority because I feel if the President can accomplish that, they the tough decisions that need to be made on Immigration and Social Security will be easier to swallow.


I had sent the original letter to the White House just before the President’s second term started but have not gotten a response back yet, when I do I will post it on my site for sure and maybe here. I doubt it will be anything but a form letter thank you but one can always hope. Have a great day everyone and let me know what your suggestions for the President would be.

Dear President Bush,

Congratulations on you victory. I watched both Senator Kerry and you speak on Wednesday and found both of your statements to be truly hopeful. For the record, I did put aside my differences with some of your policies and voted for you and Vice-President Cheney. The next 2 years hold an enormous opportunity for you. You have an increased majority in the Senate and House of Representatives, but I caution you not to waste this majority in the pursuit of fringe issues.

Your core supporters of which I am, want, no need you to return to the fiscally responsible, smaller government roots that embody the conservative movement in our party. To that end I have a number of issues that I hope you will address in the coming four years. These are listed in order of importance

1) Iraq. Please do not let Europe or others diminish your resolve. Our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are counting on you. The Iraqi and Afghan people are staking their futures on our resolve. Nothing will do more to improve our status in the world then helping to create free societies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

2) National Security/Immigration. I believe that national security and the lack of immigration enforcement are tied together. Please consider moving some of the forces that are returning from Europe and South Korea to postings along our northern and southern borders to assist the border patrol with enforcement of the existing immigration laws. I understand our policy of having a non-militarized border with Canada and Mexico, but the time for that has passed and I think our allies would agree. We should also endeavor to help our northern and southern neighbors in any way to strengthen their own borders. Our national security is paramount and accordingly please allocate the funding to keep all Americans safe. Inspect the shipping containers, hunt down the terrorists cells in this country, but never forget who you’re protecting. The American people will only tolerate so much government interference in their lives in the pursuit of security.

3) Taxes. Please take a good look at the tax code, bring in tax experts, and think outside the box. Make it easier for small businesses to start up and stay in business. Eliminate or reduce penalty taxes to encourage investment by all Americans, not just the wealthy. I personally would like to see something like a flat tax rate or a national sales tax. Either is a fair way to levy income taxes.

4) OBL. Please proceed with caution in regards to OBL. Hear me out on this one. If reports from various news sources and your own Defense department are to be believed, then OBL is sitting in a cozy cave in southwest Pakistan. If we go in and get him, we will spark a civil war in a country that has nuclear weapons and has given us great support in the war on terror. I applaud your long term vision on this subject and ask you not to bend to political pressure. Don’t get me wrong, I want that son of a bitch killed or rotting in prison as much as the next American but we need to be smart about it.

5) Federal Spending. Forgive the bluntness, but Mr. President you have been spending our money like a drunken sailor on shore leave. I understand we have just come out of a recession, been attacked and are fighting 2 wars, but come on man. Now that your tax cuts have taken hold and the economy is improving, the government’s tax revenues should be increasing. Don’t spend that increase on wasteful pork that Congress forces upon you. Please take a hard look at what is actually needed to defend this country and spend only that amount, and don’t forget about the needed social programs and education. I am all for helping people out but let’s not go crazy, remember the less government is involved in our lives the better off we are.

6) Social Security. Something needs to be done to Social Security just to keep our commitment to seniors for the next 20 years. Most people in my generation have already written Social Security off and are planning for retirement on our own. This is perhaps among the toughest decision you will have to make, but please do not pass the buck, make the tough choice and save Social Security. I am not sure what exactly can be done, maybe raising the retirement age or reducing benefits for the first few years of retirement. You as the most powerful man in the world can certainly find some people with ideas about fixing this.

Of course these are a wish list of what I would like to see happen, but I am realistic and know that we first and foremost have to attend to our national security; everything else you can accomplish is gravy. I wish you the best for the next four years and pray for you and our country every day. Thank you.

Cross-posted at The Wide Awakes

Monday, February 14, 2005

Pakistan's Nuclear Garage Sale

Imagine for a moment that Al Qaeda has 50 nuclear weapons. I personally can not even comprehend such a terrible prospect. The absolutely scary truth is that it almost happen. Yesterday the feds announced charges against a Pakistan man who supposedly tried to secure 50 nuclear weapons for Al Qaeda, the full story is here.

While the world focuses on Iran’s bid for nuclear weapons and North Korea’s announcement of actually processing nuclear weapons, lost in the political shuffle is the fact that both of those countries were allegedly help by one man, Dr. A.Q. Khan a Pakistani nuclear scientist and the father of their nuclear program. His exploits are documented here for all to read.

During the 90’s the world sat like a deaf-mute, not seeing or hearing anything while Pakistan provided technology and training regarding nuclear weapons to Libya, Iran and North Korea. In one report regarding the North Korean effort to arm itself with nuclear weapons, Khan claims to have seen 3 North Korean nukes, 5 years ago! Now while this may come as a shock to most, but the North Koreans have been working their nuclear program since the ink was barely dry on the 1994 Non-proliferation agreement that then President Clinton negotiated to prevent the North Koreans from pursuing the weapons. Details of the agreement can be read here, and as anyone can clearly see, we only asked for a dictator to promise not to build these weapons while giving him everything he needed in the form of Nuclear reactor technology.

The technology and training that North Korea received from A.Q. Khan would have been meaningless without the vital lessons learned from the 2 light-water nuclear plants that we built for the North Koreans under the Clinton agreement. The fuel from other nuclear plants that was supposed to be removed from the country only served as a seed for the weapons that followed. The path that the North Koreans and to a lesser degree Iran has taken to joining the nuclear community was brought and paid for by the unwillingness of President Clinton’s administration to make tough choices and engage our allies in the effort as well.

Now hindsight is 20/20 and I am sure in his heart President Clinton never intended to pave the road to nuclear weapons for either Iran or North Korea. Unfortunately the road to Hell is often laid brick by brick with good intentions. I doubt that history will look kindly upon William Jefferson Clinton when his failures of foreign policy are added up and laid out for all to review. I give only a short list; failure to address the rise in terrorism against this country even after Richard Clarke begged them to listen, failure to strike at or bring to justice those responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, failure to slow or prevent North Korea from exporting missile technology across the globe, failure to secure nuclear material as the former Soviet Union splinter further into separate countries, and failure to prevent the Pakistani government, through A.Q.Khan, from exporting nuclear weapon technology.

If God forbid we have to go to war with North Korea or Iraq over their nuclear weapons programs, I am sure that Clinton’s “I feel your pain” speech will be a great comfort to the many families who may lose members who serve in the military. No, they will shake their heads and wonder how it came to this. And the answer my friends is it came to this because of the failure of two men to do the right thing, Bill Clinton to see the threat and defend this nation as he swore in taking the oath of office, twice. And the failure of A.Q. Khan to see that by helping Iran, Libya, and North Korea to obtain or start nuclear weapons programs, he was sowing the seeds of destruction.

The future will take some tough decisions and I believe we will get there despite the efforts of these men to kick off a new nuclear arms race. Rest easy fellow citizens, we have extraordinarily men and women working to resolve these issues so that our children do not have to learn “A-Bomb” drills as our mother and fathers once did.

BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE BLOGSPHERE!!!

I guess the title says it all eh? I want to congratulate my fellow bloggers, small and large, in their efforts to hold Mr. Easton culpable for his out-right lies. One thing that Easton failed to understand and that most of the MSM still don’t understand is that there is a standard and they will be held to it. One thing that most of us in the Blogsphere understand is that words mean things. I sincerely hope that the call to release the video of Easton’s slanderous comments does not die down. We can only hope that it will be released and then maybe those in the World that consider CNN an actual news source will learn the truth that many of us have known for years. The truth that CNN is nothing but a left-wing hate organization spewing propaganda to serve their own twisted goals. Many great men and women are fighting and dying for this country across the globe, not just in Afghanistan and Iraq.

My brother who serves with the 101st Airborne is scheduled to return to Iraq for a 2nd tour in the fall. He once told me that the hardest posting he ever had was the 6 months he served in Kosovo. When I asked him why, he simply responded that the good they accomplished in that terrible place was never reported, ever. The brave men and women serving worldwide, protecting our civilian rumps do not ask for medals and parades, they only want to do the best they can doing their duty and serving this country with honor. They deserve and we as the civilians that they serve should demand that they get a fair shake from the media. There is so much good that is being done over in Afghanistan and Iraq is never reported outside of military news sources, military member’s own Blogs, or others in the Blogsphere that have ties to the military.

Now don’t get the wrong idea, when bad things happen they deserve the same treatment as the good events. I do not look at the world in rose colored glasses; the world is a scary, evil place right now. One of the great strengths of the American people has always been the ability and foresight to do the right thing regardless of the cost. That is the mantra of our military and it is being followed everyday across the planet. Those that abuse their uniform or positions of authority need to quickly found and removed before that can do any further harm, just like those involved with the Abu Ghraib incident.

I have asked my brother and other members of the military to write guest posts here from time to time. Once they have received guidelines from their commanding officers, their contributions will hopefully be a regular occurrence on this humble site. I would like to issue a challenge to my very capable fellow bloggers: find a member in the military and become their pen pal, help spread the good that is being done. I have some links in the left sidebar to various organizations that work with the military, see if you can help one of them with your efforts. Together we can render the MSM irrelevant on one more issue and give these brave men and women their due. Thank you and God bless our men and women in the armed forces for their continuing service.

Friday, February 11, 2005

WTF Friday Rant Volume 1 Issue 11

Friends, it's a sad day for me. Without a miracle last ditch effort by the owners and players, there will be no hockey this year and that saddens me greatly. But enough about me, here the WTF Friday Rant. Enjoy the links, remember your better half on Monday and have a great weekend.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Sex in a Can for women!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/londoncuts/articles/

Bill Buckley wants the Pope dead.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=128


North Korea says no to giving up Clinton Nukes
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050211/D886


Franken won't run, damn the fun we could have with that campaign!
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/2/10/

Flint Michigan tells Michael Moore to F**K OFF.
I can only nod in agreement and ask what took so long.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/2/10/


Dodd pressures CNN to release Easton video.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/2/10/


Russia to build Nuke plant for Iran, only catch Russia gets back spent fuel to make bombs of their own.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?


Senate takes first step towards tort reform, good move but I am not holding my breath.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/2005

Wisconsin once again proves that they are the only American Communist State.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050211/

Young Nazi gets award for insulting President, 20 years ago he would have gotten a treason charge and 20 to life.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?


UN says no to sex with refugees, Why don't they know this is wrong like 99% of the world? Yet another way the UN is proving its worthlessness.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0%2C%2C3


Spiders Attack, Aussies Flee
http://reuters.excite.com/article/20050211/2005


And you thought the US Postal Service was bad.
http://reuters.excite.com/article/20050211/2005


Canadians balk at Stalin brand liquor
http://reuters.excite.com/article/20050211/2005

Thursday, February 10, 2005

The Folly Of Failed Gun Control Polices

One of the great myths of this world is that gun control laws actually work. Time and time again the uninformed and weak rally against gun ownership as if it is the sin of the world and the lack of gun control has damned us all to hell on Earth. Now after 30 years of studies about the effects of gun control laws, the verdict is finally in. You will not hear about this in the MSM, mainly because they are firmly anti-gun as are most of the left and blatantly ignorant of the benefits of gun ownership. I know that is a pretty broad comment but unfortunately it’s pretty much true.

I am lucky to live in a state that has both an open-carry law and a shall-issue law. A quick definition of both: open-carry means that anyone who means the state’s basic requirements may carry a firearm in the open and clearly visible to all, as long as the gun is not carried in a threatening manner. Shall-issue means that the state will issue a concealed carry permit to anyone who means the state’s requirements rather then “may-issue” which states the permit is only issued upon a determination of need.

The Centers for Disease Control has just released a study in the effectiveness of gun control laws and the data proves that gun control laws do not work to reduce crime as the proponents of such laws claim. The full report is here. The study examined data from various sources over a period from 1976-2002. In fact over the last 10 years firearms deaths in this country have declined according to the study. The reason is not surmised in the report but in my humble opinion, education and proper training of firearms is the biggest reason.

The spectrum of gun laws in this great country of ours runs the gambit of no registration or restrictions to an absolute ban on handgun ownership. I want to focus on the out right ban of handgun ownership and use Chicago and Washington D.C. as examples why that form of gun control will never work. Chicago’s ban on handgun ownership has been in place since 1982 and just last year the city suffered 676 homicides, three-quarters of which were handgun related. (Source 1) The worst part about the Chicago handgun ban is that it has exceptions for the Mayor and City Council members. (Source 2)

Washington D.C. which has had its handgun law since 1976 provides an even starker example of the laws failure; they have had a murder rate of 69.3 per 100,000 as recently as 1998 according to this article and just last year had 248 homicides. When compared to the most dangerous European city, Moscow at 18.1 murders per 100,000, Washington with its snub of 2nd Amendment rights fails completely.

Now we have San Francisco considering not only a ban on handguns but if you already own one, you will have to surrender it if the law passes. One San Franciscan, Declan McCullagh has taken upon himself to educate his fellow citizens as to exactly what the potential law would entail; the information can be found here. The fact is that even if the law is passed in San Francisco, there is no data to support its intent which is to decrease crime. Now the law as I have read it seems to be in violation of every citizens 2nd Amendment right and is sure to be struck down as such. In fact the Department of Justice has recently released an affirmation of the 2nd Amendment as an individual right. You can read about it here and here.

The simple fact is that banning handguns as San Francisco wants to do and as Chicago and Washington D.C. have done only takes guns out of the hands of responsible, law-abiding citizens not criminals. Criminals have always found a way to procure handguns. The Department of Justice also has some interesting statistics regarding gun related crime rate. It seems that even with a steady rise in gun ownership and gun production, gun related crimes have fallen across the board for the last ten years (1993-2003). (Source 3) If your curious about the guns laws of your state there are many good resources available, such as here and here. It seems that education and training are finally making an impact on young gun-owners as well. In the period from 1994-1997 among the U.S. population as a whole, 30,708 people died from gunshot wounds, a 22 percent decrease from 1994. (Source 4) Of that number of gunshot wounds resulting in death, only 3.5 percent were attributed to accidents. The NRA gets a bad rap from many organizations in this country but they are on the forefront of responsible gun ownership by providing training and education to the public.

But what about gun control laws in other countries you ask, well let me give you two examples of countries with failed gun laws, Australia and England. In the late 80’s and continuing through the 90’s the various states of Australia passed even increasingly restrictive gun ownership laws. Now without exception, every time a new law was passed, shortly thereafter a horrific crime was committed with a firearm. The local governments mistook the “sudden” rise in gun related deaths as a sign that the laws were not restrictive enough and continued to pass tougher and tougher laws. The fact is that criminals feel emboldened if they know that no one has a gun but them. We can see this in the crime statistics of any U.S. state or country where gun ownership is common place.

England is a prime example of higher crime due to lack of gun ownership. Take a look at these crime rate charts comparing English crime rates to those of the United States. Shocking is it not? Not really when you look at it from a rational point of view without any preconceived notions about gun ownership. Consider this information, according to a recent survey of industrialized nations and their suicide/homicide rates; Israel is the clear winner in the gun control debate due to their greater availability of guns to law-abiding citizens. Consider how Israel does this by reading their “basic” gun laws:

Israeli law requires that a person have a license in order to own any kind of firearm, but the license is readily available to any law-abiding adult who can show he or she has had firearms training. (Israel has universal military training for Jews of both sexes). And if you legally possess a gun, Israel allows--indeed encourages--carrying it. In effect, Israeli law nearly parallels that of Florida, Pennsylvania and 28 other U.S. states where licenses to carry a concealed firearm are available on application and passing a background check. (Vermonters have the right to carry without obtaining a license).”

Now many will say that’s great but it does not really prevent terrorism, maybe but consider this. The Israeli policy of having armed citizens everywhere certainly can not prevent a suicide bomber but in attacks of a more conventional nature where a terrorist attempts to spray an area with fire from an AK-47, the terrorist is almost always killed or disarmed immediately by handgun carrying citizens thus limiting the tragedy. In one such instance, the terrorist survived his wounds and when placed on trial, he complained that an armed populace just wasn’t “fair”. Incidentally, that event I quote from happened within 3 weeks of the McDonalds massacre in San Ysidro, California where 21 unarmed people died before the gunman was subdued. Draw you’re own conclusion from the information.

While the perception of the general public is that Europe is firmly anti-gun, the facts state otherwise. With the exception of England most of the Western European countries do in fact allow hand gun ownership although France, Belgium and Germany have much more restrictive laws then the United States. Switzerland is the one shining example of what a proactive gun ownership policy can accomplish. The Swiss have combined the best of Israel and the U.S. when it comes to guns. Their laws are similar to Israel and the availability of guns is on par with the United States. In fact every military aged male with a clean criminal record is issued a gun and required to keep it in his home in order to satisfy his mandatory militia obligation.

Ponder this, why do you suppose the terrorists have not tried a mass killing with one of their AK-47’s at a crowded public place here in the Unites States? Could it be that they fear an armed populace like they encountered in Israel? Maybe, maybe not, who can say for sure. But I will say this, if you take a second and think like a criminal or a terrorist, where and who would you rather assault or steal from? If I am a terrorist or a criminal, I am headed to the city or state with the most restrictive gun laws in the country. Why would a thief break into a home to steal if he stands a chance of being killed? Nope, he goes down to the non-gun owner’s house to steal from them, why get killed over a television? The terrorist, he’s headed to Chicago, Washington D.C. or even San Francisco to kill lots of people, because he does not have to worry about John Q. Public shooting him and preventing him from causing carnage. Why go to a city like Phoenix or Dallas where not only do you have a large number of gun owners but ones that carry concealed, that’s just suicide.

The fact is that disarming the public through ever increasingly restrictive gun control laws do not serve this country in any manner but to weaken it. Just the mere threat of an armed public serves to decrease crime and prevent certain types of terrorist attacks. As a trained, law abiding gun owner, I have a duty and responsibility to my family, my community, and my country to exercise my 2nd Amendment rights and stand ready to defend our nation if needed. And that my friends and fellow citizens is the true intention of the 2nd Amendment. Have a great day.

The Mad Tech

“Dishing Truth Like It’s Going Out Of Style”

Cross-posted at Wide Awakes