Rewriting the Constitution, One Amendment at a Time

Since the current regime in power in the Senate and the White House seem to think it’s okay to rewrite the U.S. Constitution and while they’re at it, take away the rights given to us, I thought I would take a look at that great document and see what else we can change, just for the hell of it.  These idiots have said “the second amendment doesn’t apply to assault weapons because they weren’t around in 1776 when the constitution was written.”  I’m not sure who said it, but I’m sure one of the chowderheads trying to pass the latest round of right denying legislation did.  Anyways, what else did our forefathers not have in mind when they forged our great nation from the ashes of tyranny?  Let’s take a look.

The First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

In 1776, I’m sure there were no Muslims to speak of in the United States.  Guess what, the forefathers didn’t have Islam in mind when they wrote the Constitution.  Also, there was no radio, television, internet or satellite.  So, based on the logic of gungrabbing left, Muslims are banned and so is anything said on any television show, internet blog (uhhh…uh oh) and radio program.

The Second Amendment:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

For the sake of argument, we’ll say the only thing that you can have is a flintlock, or a black powder musket.  That’s it.  And only one per household.  Also, you have to join your local state militia (national guard) in order to have a weapon, because that’s what they meant when they wrote it.

The Third Amendment:

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

I can’t really think of a witty thing to say about this.  This came from a time when the British would just show up and take over the joint, so I can see why this one was here.

The Fourth Amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

But…cars weren’t even thought of in the 1700’s.  So, you can have the right against unreasonable search and seizure in your house, but not in your car, because our forefathers didn’t have that in mind.  Find another place to hide your weed, homie.

The Fifth Amendment:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

So you can’t tell on yourself and you have to be indicted by a Grand Jury.  This is actually good.  It says they can’t take our life, liberty or property…wait, so can they grab our guns or not?  Suppose we should probably ask the folks up on Ruby Ridge.

The Sixth Amendment

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

But the forefathers couldn’t have forseen the absolute media saturation that revolves around high profile cases.  Do you really think the Batman Killer will get a fair trial?  I don’t think he deserves any trial and should be taken out back and summarily executed, but that’s besides the point.  I believe in the constitution so I guess the guy deserves his day in court, but my point is, this whole amendment should be thrown out, because high profile killers can’t ever get a fair shake.

The Seventh Amendment

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Twenty dollars?  Really?  If any amendment needs to be changed, I would say it’s this one.  I mean, talk about outdated, jeez.

The Eighth Amendment

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

So what’s excessive?  In the days when this great document was drafted, I’m sure $1,000,000 was considered astronomically excessive.  However, in today’s society, that’s not uncommon for a high profile defendant.

Ninth Amendment

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Not much to say about this one, other than I think this pretty much says you can’t use the Constitution to take away rights from other people.

Tenth Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

States Rights, people.  This hasn’t changed in over 200 years, and it shouldn’t change now.  Period.  Dot. End of story.

So, here’s the bottom line.  As I’ve illustrated, many of the amendments in the Constitution have nothing to do with modern day.  The forefathers could not have foreseen the world of 2013.  It’s impossible.  But that’s what makes the U.S. Constitution such a wonderful thing.  It lives.  It breathes.  It grows with the country.  No, AR-15s weren’t what the signers of the document had in mind when the drafted the Second Amendment, but it’s what’s we have.  It’s what the American people who chose to own a firearm have in order to ensure they can fulfill what the drafters had in mind.  You can’t bring a knife to a gun fight and you can’t own a musket when everybody else has semi-automatics.

Liberty Will Prevail…I Hope

Ladies and gentlemen of my readership, this is a disclaimer.  I intend to use a word that is not normally acceptable in social circles.  It’s foul and it is grotesque.  If bad words offend you, you may quit reading now and I won’t hold it against you.  However, if you chose to continue reading, please know that I intend to use the word cunt.  It is the only word in the English language…probably in any language that can be used to describe Diane Feinstein.  If you’re still here, I applaud your courage.  Thank you.

Yesterday, this shriveled up old cunt introduced legislation that completely destroys the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution promising that a free man’s (or implied woman’s) right to bear arms would not be infringed upon.  By specifically naming over 160 “scary black guns” that would be banned should this criminal act be passed, she is attempting to remove the tools which keep our country free from the men and women who provide that freedom.

Here’s why I think that it won’t pass and this piece of shit from the great state of California will crawl back to whatever cave she came from and die and finally leave us all alone.

In 1994, the Federal Firearms Ban was passed.  This law went by many different names including the Brady Bill, but it was the precursor to the ban in front of us today.  It was passed by a Democratic Senate and signed into law by a Democratic president.  The next election cycle, the Democrats lost the Senate and many point to that illegal banning of weapons as the reason why.

Here’s the thing, folks.  Even some Democrats, as backward as they can sometimes be, still own firearms.  Some of them even own these so called “assault weapons,” shotguns and hand guns that are on Feinstein’s list.  They don’t like having their rights fucked with any more than us sensible conservatives do.  And as was the case then, they showed their displeasure by replacing their senators with men and women who wouldn’t fuck with those rights.

“But Jason, won’t taking assault weapons off the streets eliminate school shootings and mass murder?”

I’m glad you asked that question, because Diane really wants you to believe that.  The fact is, there is no noticeable change.  There are plenty of tables and charts out there on the internet (thanks Al Gore) to look at in regards to the crime difference pre ’94 ban and post ’04 when the ban was lifted.  The most reliable, I think, is the FBI site on crime statistics.  It shows no noticeable difference in killings with these “bad” weapons than before they were banned.

The bottom line is, Clinton has warned the current sitting government of the perils of messing with peoples guns and their right to bear them.  He remembers what happened.  And let’s not forget, just because the cunt introduces a law, doesn’t automatically make it so.  There is still a process that has to pass before it’s signed.  There is still hope that our democratic process will win the day and restore a little bit of our faith to the system.

If you’re concerned, right letters to your congressmen and senators.  Demand an answer and demand they tell you how they intend of voting.  If their intention is to vote against your best interests, inform them of how you feel and let them know they can probably start looking for a real estate agent to sell their condo in D.C. because they’re gone in the next election.  This country was founded on Democracy.  Just because the current administration is acting tyrannical, doesn’t mean we have to accept it.  Rise up and fight these illegal actions with the weapon they CAN’T ever take away from us.  The Constitution of the United States!

This Is How LIberty Dies…

I’m back.  With thunderous applause, by the way, is how you finish that statement.  Let me start by saying that I’m sorry I left, and work, school and personal schedule permitting, I intend to keep this blog going from here on out.  I have a lot of shit to say, and I feel like this is the best medium to pursue it. 

So, what to talk about?  Anything exciting going on in the news lately?  Our great and fearless leader do anything noteworthy?  Has anybody seen that video where the creator claims that the Sandy Hook tragedy was a hoax?  Let’s talk about it all, shall we?  First, here’s my take on the 23 historic executive orders the wise and benevolent King Hussein signed into law today. 

NOTE:  The orders have been shortened for flow and clarity, but were copied directly from http://www.ijreview.com

1. Require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.

I have no problem with this.  I don’t know why it hasn’t been done already. 

2. Remove needless legal barriers that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system.

What information are we talking about?  What is considered needless?

3. Boost incentives for states to share information with the background check system.

Now we’re bribing states to share?  If it’s a federal background check system, what’s the big deal?

4. Direct the attorney general to review standards of ensuring dangerous individuals are not legally attaining guns.

Hmmm….not sure how I feel about this.  This is the attorney general, remember, who handed over fully automatic weapons to the Mexcian cartels.  Those weapons were then used to kill an American Border Patrol agent.  How is this guy going to set any standards.  I mean if our government is giving the cartel dangerous weapons, isn’t that the epitome of dangerous people attaining weapons legally.

5. Propose giving law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.

Why was the gun seized?  If it was in the commission of a crime, then I’m all over it.  If it was for anything else, then on what grounds do you have to pry into my background?

6. Inform federally licensed gun dealers on how to more thoroughly run background checks on private sellers.

Inform them how?  And so I have to have a background check done if I sell a gun as well as buy one?  That seems kind of stupid.

7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.

Ok.  I’m indifferent to this.  We see how well “Just Say No” worked out.

 8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes.

Ok.  Fair enough.  Seems legit.  Not sure it’s the federal government’s responsibility or purview to tell me how to lock up my gun, but whatever helps you sleep at night.

9. Issue memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.

Why is this even an issue?  This seems like it should be being done already.

10. Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.

Again, why isn’t this already done?  This seems a little silly.

11. Nominate a new director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Todd Jones).

Yay!  It’s the leader of the gun grab club!  Did you really need to do this with such fanfare!  Seems frivolous to me.

12. Provide law enforcement, first-responders, and school officials with proper training for ‘active shooter’ situations.

This should be standard for anyone who works in an office building.  Why are we limiting this to just these people?  Haven’t there been as many mall shootings as anything else?

13. Maximize gun violence prevention and strongly prosecute gun crime.

Again, this is stupid.  This is signing shit just to sign it.  Why aren’t we already strongly prosecuting gun crime?  Really? Come on, man!

14. More federal funding for research on  the causes and prevention of gun violence.

Here’s how you prevent gun violence.  Inner city breeds violence.  Children not being taught to respect guns breeds violence.  Children who are force fed Xanax, Celexa and Prozac breeds violence.  Pay me the damn money.  I just figured it out for you.

15. Report on gun-safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies.

Really?  This is so pointless.  Do we need the leader of the free world killing brain cells on this?

16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors from asking their patients about guns in their homes.

Really?  My doctor asks me if I have a gun in my house, do you know what my answer is?  NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS!  Why do doctors need to know this?  So they can raise your healthcare costs.

17. Release letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.

What federal law would do that?  Doctors would claim doctor/patient privilege before they claimed a law wouldn’t allow it. 

18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school-resource officers.

Finally!  One that makes sense!  However, I would prefer private armed security handled this job, but I’ll take what I can get.  Why?  Because the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.  Jeez, I wish I would have thought of that.

19. Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.

We have this!  Did he really think of these all by himself.

20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.

If you think that will help, then fine.

21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.

Not really sure what this says.  I just see blah, blah, blah Obamacare.

22. Commit to finalizing mental-health parity regulations.

Again.  Not sure.

23. Launch a national dialogue on mental health.

Finally.  Will that dialouge say, if you are mentally unstable, you can legally be locked up for your (and society’s) protection without trial and against your will until you’re well?  If it doesn’t, then I don’t want to hear it.  Crazy people open fire in a movie theater, school and shopping mall.  Sane people don’t do that.  Get a fucking clue.

There you have it.  Now, onto the rest of his shenanigans.  The wise and benevolent leader stated he wanted Congress to enact laws that limited magazine capacity to 10 rounds.  Really?  What difference will that make?  All that means is that the shooter will have to reload a couple of times.

He wants to reinstate the Assault Weapons ban.  Really?  Because a gun is black and looks like something a soldier carries means it’s bad?  The first active shooter, the guy at the Texas clock tower, did as much damage as the guy in Sandy Hook allegedly did.  I say allegedly, because I’m not convinced that whole thing went down like the government is telling us it did.

While I’m on that point, why was it so easy for the leftist liberals to believe that G.W. Bush knew all about 9/11 and he also knew that Iraq had no WMDs yet they refuse to admit that the wise and benevolent dicatator did nothing wrong in Fast and the Furious, Benghazi and manufactured the entire Sandy Hook episode for the sake of taking away our freedoms?  Don’t you guys find that a bit odd?  Yeah, me too.

Until next time, stay real and stay armed.  My rant is done…for now.

There’s Rape and Then There’s Rape-Rape

Let’s talk about rape. I mean, there’s rape, then there’s rape-rape and then there’s legitimate rape, right? Rape is bad, we know that and if you’re a decent human being, you’re taught that from the time you’re a little kid. You don’t touch somebody else’s “no-no zone” unless you’re asked either verbally or with body language. I suggest you ask, just to make sure and take any of the questions and variables out of the equation. It may take some of the sexiness out of the moment, but there’s nothing sexy about facing a rape charge because you misread the signals you thought you were receiving from some intoxicated co-ed. But, if you rape someone, and it’s legitimate rape, they can’t get pregnant, right? I mean, that’s what this dipshit Todd Akin, the representative from Missouri would have you believe. In an interview that aired Sunday, these were his comments:

“It seems to me, first of all, from what I understand from doctors that’s really rare,” Akin said when asked whether a woman who was raped and became pregnant from the assault should be allowed to get an abortion. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

Wow. I really am speechless at the level of stupidity that comment displays. It’s like saying in a room full of black people that Mitt Romney is going to put you back in chains, another faux pas by another politician made in recent days.

This guy actually believes so strongly that abortion is wrong, he’s going to spout some right-wing, medieval, dark ages bull shit. That kind of stuff makes me embarrassed to be a “right leaning” individual. And he’s not the only one. There are people out there, educated, upstanding people that believe that a woman can only get pregnant if she “wants it.” This entire line of thinking sets us back 100 years and essentially makes it sound like any woman who gets pregnant by rape (and it happens more often than you think) actually wanted the vilest thing imaginable to happen to her.

But, if we’re pointing fingers at Mr. Akin, we need to be fair. He’s not the only idiot around. There’s a certain, black, Jewish lesbian who once dated Ted Danson we need to mention when it comes to this subject.

A few years ago, Roman Polanski was found alive and well in Switzerland. If you don’t know who Roman is, he was a director from the 70’s who was accused of date raping a young lady in her teens by drugging her and sexually assaulting her in his home. He fled the country during trial and has been on the lamb ever since. This guy is as big of piece of shit as anyone, but since he’s an “artist” the Hollywood left ran to his side to defend him, including Whoopi Goldberg.

Now Whoopi, speaking on her show, “The View” made a comment in Polanski’s defense saying that while he was accused of statutory rape, it “wasn’t rape-rape.” Basically, this idiot is saying if you sexually assault a minor, it’s not as bad as holding an “of-age” woman down and forcing yourself on her. Where is the outrage? Where are the demands for Whoopi’s head on a platter? There weren’t any then, and there won’t be any now. Because the fact of the matter is, while both comments were ridiculous and downright offensive, Whoopi is a hero to left and while they control the media, they don’t attack their own.

Besides, Whoopi won an academy award for Ghost, so why shouldn’t we listen to her?

The Democrats, the Tax Return and the Birth Certificate

So, here we are again.  Things sure are getting interesting, aren’t they?  As we move along in this race that isn’t really quite a race yet, we find ourselves with our first real showdown.  The Democrats led by the great Harry Reid (read sarcasm <—  here) are demanding that Mitt Romney turn over his tax returns.  Why?  Because they think that Mitt has done something unscrupulous with his finances over the last few years.  This was backed by our president, yes ladies and gentlemen, the leader of the free world when he said that he would lay off the attack ads if Romney turned over his last five years worth of IRS tax returns.

Now, as I remember it, we had a similar situation about..oh…four years ago.  A young upstart senator decided he wanted to run for president.  But, there was a problem.  He wasn’t a U.S. citizen.  Or was he?  Was he born in Kenya?  Or was it Hawaii?  Did he lose his citizenship when he lived in Indonesia?  Hmmm…how do we solve this issue?  I’m pretty sure John McCain never said, “well Barrack, we’ll stop the attack ads if you turn over your birth certificate.”  Nope, that scenario never played out.

Were there conspiracy theorists that demanded the certificate?  Absolutely.  In fact, as I understand it, the “birther” conspiracy continues today, even after a scanned copy of the certificate has been produced.  My point is, the opposition (then, John McCain) never stooped to that level.  He let it go.  It was beneath him.  As it should be beneath President Obama.  I mean, let’s face it.  There’s plenty of things we should be asking the president for.

How about his college records that have been sealed and are gone forever. That’s not relevant?

How about the real reason he gave up his license to practice law?  We don’t need to know?

Why did he go by a different name when he was in college?  Anyone ever hear of a guy named Barry Soetoro?  That’s your president, ladies and gentlemen.  They’re one and the same.

Finally, since we’re talking about releasing papers, why doesn’t President Obama release the documents relating to the Fast and Furious investigation.  Why did he allow Mr. Holder to utilize executive privilege and seal those documents.  And you people say George W. Bush was a criminal…

This man is currently the president.  He already has the job.  I’m more concerned about his tax returns and the other shady dealings that he’s had than the guy who might be president.

Besides, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and Mickey Mouse all have one thing in common.  They’re not the president, therefore have no obligation to turn over jack nor shit.  When they get the job (and for this country’s sake let’s hope that’s true) they’ll turn over everything they’re required to.  Just like President Obama did…oh wait….

Why We Need a Hero

So, it’s been a few days since I’ve posted anything and that’s only because nothing has really gotten me fired up.  I’ve been pretty mellow, and if you know me, that’s kind of hard to believe.  As I was scrolling through the usual crap on Facebook wall…or page…or timeline…or whatever the hell it’s called this week (and oh, when I say crap I’m not referring to the awesome stuff all my friends post, just usual blather of all the politico pages I subscribe to) I came across an item that said:

“General Petraeus to run as Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential Candidate!”

Holy shit!  For reals?  I’m fired up again.  I’m ready to write about something meaningful.  I’m ready to write about something current.  And this is it.  Why this country needs a hero.

I don’t give a shit what you think about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I don’t, plain and simple.  Unless you’re in the military or have served honorably in the military, you have no idea what it’s like to leave the people and place you love and travel 4,000 miles to a place you can’t spell to help people you don’t know for a cause you don’t understand.  And I don’t give two shits how many times these politicians say they know how we feel and know what is going on.  They don’t.  Clinton didn’t.  Bush Jr. didn’t and Barrack Obama sure as hell doesn’t.  And for that matter, Mitt Romney hasn’t got a clue either. But…General Petraeus does.  Not only was he there in both conflicts, leading from the front, but he wrote the book on our foreign policy.  There is nobody that understands foreign policy better than this man.  Trust me.  I’ve met him.  Hell, when I was in Iraq, my office was just down the street from his.

My point is, the man is a military hero.  And that’s what we need.  Now, you left leaning folks will probably disagree with me.  “The last thing we need is some war mongering, baby killing, napalm shooting, barbarian in the white house.”  To that I will say, yes we do.  And since this is my blog, I win.

We’re at war, folks.  Any way you want to shake it, we’re at war.  Your great savior, Mr. Obama got us out of Iraq (which is still blowing itself halfway to hell everyday, by the way) but we’re still at war.  He can stand up on the stage and say we’re prematurely pulling out of Afghanistan like a teenager on prom night, but the fact is, we’re still at war.  There are crazies everywhere.  I’m not just talking about the ones with the funny clothes who pray towards Mecca six times a day.  I’m talking about Russians, I’m talking about Chinese, I’m talking about people that look just like you and I who want to do harm to this country.  We need a strong military minded presence in the White House and I believe that by Mitt bringing the general on board, that gives us that presence.  I’ll tell you what, when the time comes, I’d rather have Mitt in there taking his advice from the greatest military leader in the last generation than Barrack taking advice from that bumbling idiot he’s got as his right hand man.  Think about it.

Why I Deserve to Own an AK-47

I’m going to say right off the bat. I’m going to try really hard to not be “ranty” or “preachy.”  Gun control, arming myself, protecting my family and my second amendment rights are something I take very seriously.  For anyone to infringe upon those or tell me what I can and can’t do when it comes to my rights really upsets me.  However, as I’ve tried to do with my last few posts I will try and take a thoughtful approach to this post.

This post started the other day when I saw this image on my Facebook wall:

Now, this was put here by a friend of mine.  She’s liberal…obviously.  I happen to respect this person quite a bit, even though I don’t agree with her politics.  That being said, I don’t know who “Ann” is, but I don’t like her politics very much either.  Upon seeing this picture, I asked what “Smart Gun Regulation” was.  The answer I was given was that no one should own an AK47 nor should they be allowed to stockpile 6,000 rounds of ammunition and if they thought they were, they were an idiot.  I take a bit of exception to that.  We’ll tackle the AK47 issue first.

In the wake of the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, politicians became politicians again and decided to walk on the bodies of the 12 dead for political gain.  In doing that, President Obama made a comment in a speech in which he said:

“I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals,” Obama said. “That they belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities.” – President Barack Obama

Why the president chose this particular model of firearm to use in his speech, I’m not sure.  Perhaps his advisers misinformed him of the type of weapon used in Dark Knight Massacre.  American soldiers don’t use AK47s.  They use M16s and M4s.  The AK47 is a Russian/Chinese weapon used by our enemies.  And oh, by the way, in its fully automatic configuration, they are already illegal.  However, because it’s big and scary and referred to as an “assault rifle”, it must be bad.  Right?  Actually, the term “assault rifle” is a made term from the left-wing authors of the “Brady Bill” during the Clinton administration, which was probably the biggest constitutional wronging in the history of this nation.  If used in a certain manner, all firearms are capable of “assaulting” so to define a rifle as an “assault” rifle is just silly.  I’m just as capable of “assaulting” you with my pistol or shotgun as I am with an AK47 or an AR 15.  So the answer to the “big, bad rifle question would be a resounding: Wrong!

Do you know why we have our second amendment rights?  Do you know why it is against the U.S. Constitution for the government to limit your gun rights?  The Second Amendment wasn’t put in the constitution so we could protect ourselves against criminals; well, not the ones who rape and murder anyways.  It was put there so that we, as citizens, can defend against an invading army.  More importantly than that, we have those implicit rights so that we can protect ourselves from our own government.

Wait, Jason, are you advocating the violent overthrow of the U.S. government?

Absolutely not!  I would never advocate for such a thing.  However, I’m simply stating a fact that the reason we have the rights we do when it comes to “bearing arms,” is so that if the government oversteps their bounds and becomes a tyranny, we the people can do what needs to be done.  And, as bad as many of you may think it is right now, we’re not to that point.  However, my point is that because we have the right to defend ourselves against the government, we must have the same (or close to the same) firepower that any invading army has or more importantly, the government does.

So no, I don’t think anyone stockpiling 6,000 rounds of ammunition is an idiot.  They could be a competitive shooter, a “survivalist” a gun enthusiast; and yes, they may be a crazed madman.  Sadly, that is the risk we take to have the freedoms we have.  I think everyone should think about this before automatically jumping to silly conclusions and spouting off at the mouth about the crazy guy with the guns.  When the Russians, the government or even the zombies attack, that “crazy guy with all the guns” may be the one who saves your ass.  Just sayin…

The Little Chickens that Lost Their Way

Before we jump into this juicy topic, I want to state a couple of facts up front.  First, I believe wholeheartedly in the sanctity of…chicken sandwiches.  I absolutely love them.  I love the spicy ones, I love the plain ones and I really love them with mayonnaise.  I also believe in the sanctity of marriage.  By marriage, I mean anyone that is in a committed relationship.  I don’t care if it’s two girls, two guys or what society considers “normal,” meaning a man and a woman.

However, that’s not what this blog is about.  At its core, I suppose it probably is, but that’s not the topic I want to discuss.  I want to discuss the hypocrisy of the media (both Liberal and Conservative) and the reactions of certain personalities to the recent statements by the Chick-fil-A ownership.

Now, Dan Cathy, the owner of Chick-fil-A didn’t come out of his own volition and say “we at Chick-fil-A hate gays and lesbians and will refuse to serve them.”  That’s not what he said.  He was asked a very pointed, very direct, very loaded question in an interview.  In that interview when asked if he believed in the sanctity of marriage (which despite my play on it above, generally means one man and one woman) he answered:

“Guilty as charged.  That is, the biblical definition of the family unit.”

If you know anything about Chick-fil-A you know that they’re a Christian Family company.  They are built on their morals and their beliefs.  This restaurant isn’t even open Sundays.  They lose that revenue every week because they believe their employees shouldn’t work on the Sabbath.  That’s how into their faith and beliefs they are.  So, what did you expect them to say?  It’s not like there are signs posted at their restaurants that say: “gays aren’t served here.”  But ask the liberal media and you’d think he was guilty of beating up gay people in the street.  And, it wasn’t just the media that responded.  The Hollyweird elite came out of the woodwork.  One of my favorites was Roseanne Barr who said:

“I hope that anyone who eats at Chick-fil-A gets cancer and dies.”

I’ve been hoping Roseanne got hit by a bus “Final Destination” style since she sang the “Star Spangled Banner” and completely ruined our national anthem.  But…whatever.  She’s still here, so we have to deal with her.  But the protests, and the backlash against a private company that is exercising their First Amendment right is being completely ostracized.  On the other hand, conservative outlets are praising Cathy for standing his ground and taking the moral high road.  They are praising him for exercising his rights.  The right vs. the left.  It’s an issue of standing the moral ground and stating what he believes in vs. caving in and going with what’s popular.  This whole thing seems vaguely familiar.  I’m remembering another incident from nine years ago.  Funny enough, I think it also involved poultry in some way.  Oh yeah….now I remember.  It was the Dixie Chicks!

In March, 2003, the country music group, the Dixie Chicks were performing a concert in England when group leader, Natalie Maines said to the crowd:

“Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”

The conservative right went absolutely ape shit!  They banned the group from the radio, they shunned them from award shows, Toby Keith (although oddly enough also a Democrat) went off on them.  But, the liberal left thought that the girls, especially Maines, were brave for speaking their minds about such a controversial subject at such a turbulent time.  Even as the group saw its popularity go down quicker than a hooker in Central Park, they stood their ground, supported by liberal media moguls like Peter Jennings and Wolf Blitzer.

What’s the point of all this?  The point is, both chickens crossed the road against traffic for things they believed in.  As a good friend (who’s quite liberal) told me recently, we can’t pick and choose which constitutional amendments we support and agree with.  The Bill of Rights is the Bill of Rights in its entirety.  We don’t get to decide which ones we like whether we’re conservative or liberal.

At the end of the day, you can eat chicken sandwiches from Chick-fil-A or you can eat cheeseburgers from Burger King.  It doesn’t really matter what the chicken guy says, just like the Iraq war went on, despite what the Dixie Chicks thought.  The fight for equality will go on.

 

The Lion and the Lamb: My Reaction to the Dark Knight Massacre

So Friday, July 20th was a pretty shitty day to say the least.  Those of you that care are probably pretty curious why it’s taken me so long to respond to this horrible act being that it involves guns and inevitably politics.  Honestly, I took the weekend off.  I almost wrote about it Friday night, but I decided to take a breath and really think about how I wanted to tackle what happened.  Would it be a true “Jason’s Rant” where I talk about the politics involved and the fallout that’s sure to come?  Do I spout the hatred I feel for James Egan Holmes and what an absolute piece of garbage he is.  I mulled this over while I enjoyed my weekend and tried not to think about the 58 people who were in the hospital in Aurora, Colorado and the 12 others who would never enjoy another weekend again.  I mulled over the possibilities and the “what if” there was an armed moviegoer that night who fought back.  I mulled this over and decided that instead of ranting, instead of spouting off, I would try and help you all.

The “active shooter” is the new form of terrorism.  No, James Holmes didn’t have a beard and dark skin, nor did he have a prayer rug and face towards Mecca six times a day to sing a song and bow to Allah, but he was a terrorist none the less.  We don’t truly know what Mr. Holme’s motives were, and perhaps we’ll never know, but he was definitely there to terrorize and cause chaos, much like the character, Bane, many said he looked like.  This is the new terrorism, and it’s been around for quite some time from Columbine to Salt Lake City to Fort Hood and now, sadly, Aurora joins those ranks.

It’s quite obvious that nowhere is truly safe.  Many of you know that I carry my firearm practically everywhere, and I’m not second guessing anyone with this blog, however, a trained shooter could have taken out James Holmes before he completed his mission.  But, not everyone is a trained shooter.  Not all of you carry a firearm and that’s okay.  But, what would you do if caught in this situation?  Would you run?  Would you lay down?  Would you fight back?  It’s tough to say.  No one can truly say what they would do, but these are some things I can tell you.  Take them for what they are.

A long time ago I attended a course titled “Dynamics in International Terrorism.”  The speaker was quite engaging and his talked was titled “The Lion and the Lamb.”  The metaphor simply stated was: when faced with a situation, would you fight back or would you lie down and take it?  Is it that simple?  Science says “yes.”

When an individual is faced with a situation that is terrifying, the body reacts in one of three ways.  This used to be called the “fight or flight” response, but a third option has been added: freeze.  On three of the four planes that went down on 9/11, the passengers froze.  On the fourth, the chose fight.  See what I mean?  The same can be applied to the patrons of the “Dark Knight” on Friday.  It was terrifying and disorienting and completely unexpected, just like that day eleven years ago on those airplanes.  Nobody ever thinks it’s going to happen until it does, and then it happens and you either respond or you don’t.

I’m going to stop right here and make something clear.  I am not chastising nor demeaning anyone in that theater on Friday or on the planes so long ago.  I’m merely saying that everyone responds differently.  Sometimes, somebody just needs to say: “let’s roll,” and take out the threat.  But again, maybe you’re not that person.  Here are some things you can do to survive a situation like this.

If you’re somewhere where an active shooting occurs, the first thing you should do is drop to the floor.  The guy is firing standing up, and therefore the lower you are, the better.  Try putting your hands over your head.  It will help protect you.  Your instinct will be to run, but that will only make you a target.  If you’re with loved ones you’d like to protect, lie on top of them, but lie perfectly still.  The goal is to appear dead.  The shooter only cares about killing people and therefore won’t shoot you if he thinks he already got you.

Carry a firearm.  There are places all over the country you can get trained, no matter where you live (with some 2nd amendment violating exceptions) that will teach you.  Owning and carrying a firearm is your right as an American and really the only way to fight back if someone is shooting.  Restricting gun laws more than they already are only takes away from the law abiding citizens and does nothing to stop the criminals.  However, training is important.  You should never carry a weapon you haven’t fired on the range.

The bottom line, you have the responsibility to protect yourself and your family.  The police do the best they can (and yes, I truly believe that) but they can’t be everywhere all the time.  Get educated, get trained and be aware of what is going on around you.  It’s the only way to be ready.  Because when the wolf comes knocking on the door, you have to ask yourself one question: Are you the lamb to get slaughtered, or are you the Lion who says, “let’s roll.”

The Rise and Fall of George Zimmerman (In the Eyes of the Liberal American Media)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last six months, you know the name George Zimmerman.  Depending on which side of this sordid tale you fall, that name either invokes great pride at an ordinary man who overcame the odds and fought evil, or you see the opposite:  the epitome of evil who murdered a fine young man for being “black in a no black zone.”  How you feel about him was most likely influenced by the media because of the way they’ve latched onto this story with both hands and led us around by the noses.

When the story first broke, I will admit, I thought: “what an asshole.  This guy will set the concealed carry laws and people’s feelings about it back by 100 years.”  I listened to the news, I even heard the 911 call that I thought damned Zimmerman to the electric chair.  “How could they let this guy walk?” I thought.  This is crazy.  He quite obviously went out looking for trouble and trouble is what he found.  What kind of a neighborhood watch rolls around armed, anyways.  Then I found out the guy was a wannabe cop, and that fueled my dislike for him higher.  I wore my “hoodie” in the San Antonio heat in honor of the young man that was gunned down.  Then we heard a different story.

I think I was at an airport when the news of the “doctored” 911 tape broke.  For those of you keeping track at home, NBC news edited the 911 call to make it sound like George Zimmerman was signaling out Trayvon Martin because of his race.  This was one of my reasons that I was so against Zimmerman.  The edited call went like this:

ZIMMERMAN:  “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.”

However, after the real 911 tape was released, we actually heard the dispatcher ask a very important question during the dialogue between the two.  The actual, unedited conversation went like this:

ZIMMERMAN:  “This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.”

911 OPERATOR: “Okay. And this guy, is he white, black, or Hispanic?”

ZIMMERMAN: “He looks black.”

Hmmm…you mean to tell me that a reputable news agency like NBC News would do something like this to slant a story?  I mean come on…these guys catch sexual predators on tv.  They’re the good guys…right?  Wrong.  I started paying a little more attention to how the story of this vigilante was being told in the media.  When pictures of Trayvon Martin were shown, it was a young Trayvon Martin, smiling, in a football uniform, in a suit and tie going to church.  All the pictures were slanted to show him in the best light possible.  All the pictures of George Zimmerman were of him disheveled, unshaven and shown in the worst light.  Hmmm…I still can’t believe the guys that take sex offenders out would do something like this.  But they did.  Still, I thought old George was wrong to be there.

As time went on, we all know what happened.  I won’t rehash the story here, but I’ll get to the point that forced me to write this blog.  Last night, I watched the “exclusive interview” George Zimmerman gave to Sean Hannity from Fox News.  Now, before you go off about Fake News or Faux News or whatever you MSNBC types call it, let me finish.  I’m pretty George picked Fox because they are a little more aligned to the line of thinking that he is.  I’m pretty sure Chris Hansen isn’t packing when he goes in to talk the creepers.  My point is, I think George thought the interview was going to be in his favor.  I was impressed to see Sean put George to the thumbtacks.  He asked hard questions.  He asked direct questions.  And, as George answered those questions, I felt myself sympathizing with him.  He’s a guy who’s married and is tired of the “bad guys” getting away with crime.  Me too.  I’m married and I hate that bad guys get away with crime.  He legally carries a concealed firearm.  I don’t go to Wal-Mart to buy a gallon of milk unless I’m armed. (See my first blog for more details.)  I’m a firm believer in my 4th Amendment rights, as he is.  Was I really relating to this guy…this murderer?  I couldn’t believe what I was feeling.

Hannity asked him what happened.  He explained, for the first time ever on television, that he was going to Target to do his weekly grocery shopping.  His neighbor had been robbed weeks before and it had scared his wife.  On his way to Target, he spotted a young man walking in the rain, close to the houses.  This made him suspicious so he “slow rolled” past.  Let me stop you all right there.  I think this is where he made Mistake #1.  He’s not a cop.  He’s not trained as a cop.  If he had called the cops right there, reported a “suspicious person” and moved on, none of this would have happened, but he didn’t.  He called the cops, but he stopped the car and got out so he could “give the police a better address.”  At that point, he had lost sight of Trayvon and the situation was over.  The 911 Dispatcher even asked George “are you following him?”  George indicated he was and the dispatcher instructed him to stop.  Now, George is under no legal obligation to listen to a dispatcher, but he should have taken the advice.  This was Mistake #2, and this is why: once Trayvon was gone, it should have been over.  But, the wannabe cop decided he wanted to play detective.  He wanted to be a hero.  He never should have been there, but he was and when Trayvon reappeared, George was in trouble.

According to the interview, Trayvon attacked George without warning and punched him so hard he broke his nose.  He then began pounding his head off the concrete.  George began screaming, hoping someone would come to his aid.  In fact, in the 911 call that was played from another caller, you can hear those screams in the background.  Those screams, mind you, the media made you believe were Trayvon’s earlier in this whole dilemma.  At this point in the interview, I’m back with George.  I’ve had my ass kicked, and it’s not a whole lot of fun.  I can tell you that if I had someone on top of me, playing “bouncy ball” with my head on the concrete and I had my firearm, I would have done exactly what George did next.  He pulled the weapon and fired, ultimately killing Trayvon.  He had every right to defend himself.  If that’s what happened.  I will defend his right to do that until my own dying breath.  If we don’t have the right of self defense, what do we have?  The question is, did Trayvon attack because he thought he was about to be attacked himself?  I guess it’s a question we’ll never have answered.

As I watched the interview, I found myself going back and forth with my feelings on this issue.  I was so anti-George when this all first broke, that I was having serious issues thinking that I could identify with this guy…but I was.  Then Hannity asked the mother of all questions:

Do you regret this incident?  Do you regret getting out of the car?  This was George’s chance.  He could really say he was sorry.  That’s not what happened.  He said about the worst possible thing he could have said.

“I feel it was all God’s plan and for me to second guess it or judge it…”

What?  Are you kidding me?  Come on, dude.  I consider myself a Christian, but really?  It was God’s plan?  You just lost everyone that was on the fence like me.

When you carry a gun, and you’re not a law enforcement officer, you don’t put yourself in situations that can lead to something like this.  You don’t intentionally go looking for trouble.  When you do, you’re no better than the thugs that carry illegally.  As I said, I carry, but I don’t ever want to have to kill someone.  Ever.  But, don’t mistake not wanting to with won’t.

So, my take on this?  I think the spin that the liberal media (CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC) put on this from the beginning was irresponsible reporting to say the least and criminal (NBC) to go to the extreme.  I think that George put himself in a bad situation that he made continually worse by bad decisions.  However, once Trayvon attacked, I think George did the only thing that he thought he could to survive.  He killed before he was killed.  I don’t know.  I’m glad he was arrested, because now there will be a trial.  Let’s hope the law and the system can spread some light where the liberal media has failed miserably.