The Bureaucrat Gives and the Bureaucrat Takes Away

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.

Second Amendment

One sentence. Succinct. Placed second in a list of ten crucial enumerations of rights retained by the people as a conditional for the ratification of the Constitution in the first place.  Without the Bill of Rights, there would be no Constitution and no United States.  The Constitution is the glue which binds us together as one nation, for it provides for our mutual co-operation as multiple states acting in unison in the areas which effect us all.  There is a common currency (so far!), a common armed force, common standards of weights and measurements, the right to travel and conduct business across state boundaries.  This works because each state recognizes the citizens of the other states as having the same rights.  It has been the most successful political agreement in the history of human relations.  Appreciate it the next time you drive into another state without having to stop and render entry fees or show citizenship papers.  Appreciate it as you realize the right of free speech, security in your papers and effects, freedom from soldiers quartering in your home, right to trial by jury, right to vote, right against self-incrimination and so many others regardless of which state you are within.

The United States Constitution was written with the God given principle of subsidiarity.  Subsidiarity requires the level of authority for any given power to remain as low as possible, as close to the individual as possible.  These levels can be thought of as: the individual, the family, the neighborhood, the town, the county, the state and lastly, the federal level.  If a man needs food and shelter, then that is his proper area of action.  If his children need an education, then the family has the proper authority to see to it.  If he needs security in his streets, he forms a town council.  If the state needs governing the he forms a state government.  Lastly, the states had those mutual concerns mentioned above, then the federal was formed for those concerns only!  In other words, the Constitution of the United States does not confer rights, but rather, some rights are specifically restricted, for the purpose of the legitimate areas of action of the federal, but no others.  The majority of the rights, held by our citizens, precede the Constitution, and what authority the federal has is granted by the people, not the other way around.  That is why some of the framers argued that the Bill of Rights was unnecessary, for to them, the rule of subsidiary was obvious.  Wisely, others argued that men's memories were short, and they wanted the rule written into the document.  The two amendments which demonstrate this most clearly are the ninth and tenth.

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

Ninth 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.

Tenth Amendment

The fastest way to end this remarkable federation of our fifty states would be to cease recognizing the rights of our citizens as they cross state borders and this is happening now.  The right to keep and bear arms has been making a slow and determined come-back since suffering severe restrictions in the later part of the nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth.  Starting with Florida in the late part of the last century, the majority of our states have been issuing Concealed Carry Permits to their citizens.  These citizens quickly experienced the reality of the pre-constitution days as they found themselves unable to exercise these new found rights across state lines.  Through much time and effort a strange system of Reciprocity Agreements sprung up between the Attorneys General of such and such state with some other states which would allow arms carrying citizens to enter certain states, but not all.  Right now I, as a Virginia citizen, could enter North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida, but not Georgia, as I traveled south on vacation.  My route to Texas had to be through Tennessee and Arkansas, as Mississippi and Louisiana were off limits.  This is what happens when we violate the rule of subsidiarity in one area, it creates more violations down the road.  A man has the right to keep and bear arms, for whatever legitimate reason he may have (self protection, defense of country, sports, etc.), however when the states wrote restrictions in the form of gun control, they violated the rule and created a serious flaw in the federation as well.

The Attorney General for Virginia is Mark Herring.  He has hit the news with his remarkable announcement that he will cease recognizing the right of citizens from twenty other states to keep and bear arms.  In other words, he is unilaterally canceling the Reciprocity Agreements Virginia has with those states for this reason, in his own words:

 “Virginia, and nearly every other state in the country, have recognized that carrying a concealed handgun is a significant responsibility that should be extended only to those who have gone through a process to prove a level of competency and responsibility,” Attorney General Herring said. “The standards for proving competency and responsibility are up to each state, and the General Assembly has established Virginia’s standards for whom it considers capable of safely carrying a concealed handgun. Those standards should be applied evenly, consistently, and fairly to anyone who wants to lawfully conceal a handgun in Virginia.”

Wrong!  He is flipping the rule of subsidiarity on it's head and establishing a precedent wherein each state begins to violate the federation by ever increasing restrictions against the citizens of the other states.  What he has said is, since we violated the rights of our own citizens, in the form of gun control laws, we will extend those violations to any other American who would wish to enter Virginia.  This is why I have argued against any and all gun control laws, for they violate the Constitution and cause further disruptions down the line.  Can you name any other right, which has been listed in the Bill of Rights, which we would tolerate bureaucrats switching on and off at their own whim?  His citation of Virginia, and other states, establishing "standards for proving competency and responsibility" shows the error.  What other right requires such standards?  What other right, as protected by the Constitution, requires us to earn the benefit?

After February, the agreements with twenty states will be revoked, for Virginia.  This will not protect Virginians from all of y'all citizens of other states, as I never heard of a criminal being deterred from committing a crime simply because he couldn't get a permit.  It will simply be a huge restriction to Virginians to travel, the very people this idiot claims to be protecting.  In reality, at the base of his motivations, is the violation of the Second Amendment, wrapped in pretty words.  He wants guns out of the hands of the people, all the people, of every state.  It is my hope that the legislature of Virginia will squelch this guy and write a law which recognizes the rights of all Americans to enter Virginia with their arms, in compliance with the Constitution of the United States.

What's the Difference?!

The following quote is from Rush Limbaugh, this week, concerning the spending bill which the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives just approved.  That bill basically sells out the American people on virtually every issue the Republicans ran on when they won the majority of the seats in 2014.  Even Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) chortled, "We got everything we wanted this year."

“The country was just sold down the river again by your very Republican Party. … I know many of you are dispirited, depressed, angry, combination of all of that. … When you surrender the power of the purse, and that’s the primary power the House of Representatives has. Not a penny of money can be spent in this country by this government without the House of Representatives authorizing it.

They gave up the power of the purse. The reason they did that is because for some inexplicable reason, they are literally paranoid and scared to death of even being accused of doing something that would shut down the government.

And now the Republicans have the largest number of seats in the House they’ve had in Congress since the Civil War. And it hasn’t made any difference at all. It is as though Nancy Pelosi is still running the House and Harry Reid is still running the Senate. ‘Betrayed’ is not even the word here. What has happened here is worse than betrayal. Betrayal is pretty bad, but it’s worse than that.

This was out-and-out, in-our-face lying, from the campaigns to individual statements made about the philosophical approach Republicans had to all this spending. There is no Republican Party! You know, we don’t even need a Republican Party if they’re gonna do this. You know, just elect Democrats, disband the Republican Party, and let the Democrats run it, because that’s what’s happening anyway.”  (end quote)  

Last year, when I heard folks gleefully anticipating a major Republican victory, I warned that it would come to no good.  There is no longer a two party system, wherein different philosophies of governance are there for choosing.  It is a one party system with two divisions, each leading us to perdition, each spending borrowed money like drug addicts; for as money addicts, they have no choice.

When we elected "W" Bush, we also loaded both houses with Republicans.  We are just learning how badly they betrayed us, specifically with the Patriot Act (euphemism) and other "security" measures.  The Republicans are just another specie of snake.

So, I'll not be joining in on discussions of Trump vs. the other snakes.  I'll not be spending one minute in listening to debates, "issues", or campaign speeches.  I'll be sharpening my knives and keeping my powder dry, 'cause when the damage done by these power whores oozes through the system just a little more, there will be chaos.

Am I the only one who thinks Donald Trump is there simply to run interference for Hillary?

Lord have mercy on us.

Trey Gowdy Grills DHS Official on Due Process

Is there only one representative who sees the horror of the Airline No-fly list?!  The maddening thing is this, now that Mr. Gowdy has shown the unconstitutional nature of the no-fly list, nothing will be done about it. Nothing. Nada. Zip!  Even with Republican majorities in both houses, the list is here to stay. 

Dealing With the Devil II

On July 20th, this year, I wrote a post called Dealing With the Devil.  In that post I complained about the National Instant Background Check system, which Obama considers his personal enemies list.  When it was originally proposed and pushed through congress by the National Rifle Association, oh! You didn't know?!  Yep, this huge infringement upon the national right to keep and bear arms is the brainchild and evil bastard child of the National Rifle Association.  They pushed this through amid the howling protests of their members, which has resulted in many members switching allegiance to Gun Owners of America and the National Association for Gun Rights. Anyway, when it was shoved down our collective throats, we were promised that the only people who would be prohibited would be those with actual felony convictions. (short time later...) and domestic violence misdemeanors, (a little later) and veterans who have been given psychological counseling, and (several years later) Social Security recipients who have help with their financial affairs, AND....

(a few weeks later) BSBHO is about to add, we expect, by executive order, without congressional approval, the Federal Airlines No-fly list.  The no-fly list is the most whimsical, unconstitutional list of all.  If any member of the government even thinks a specific person is a hazard, real or not, he gets placed on the list.  This list is very easy to get on and is impossible to get off, for no one in government would accept that liability and there has never been a workable process of removal designed.  The late senator from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy, found himself on the list and the power of his office struggled to get him off.  This is one of the rankest violations of the American system of due process ever devised and Obama will integrate it with the National Background Check, which in one fell swoop invalidates the 2nd, 4th and 5th amendments to the Constitution.

The governor of Connecticut isn't waiting for BSBHO.  Dannel Malloy, a Republican, is already using the Connecticut Background Check system to prohibit persons on the no-fly lists from buying guns.

Speaking of eviscerating the 2nd Amendment, the Supreme Court stepped in it again.  Back in 2008 they ruled in Washington DC vs. Heller that the right to keep and bear arms was an individual right which nullified the prohibition of gun ownership foisted on the people of Washington DC.  In 2010, in the case of McDonald vs. City of Chicago, they nullified a similar prohibition of gun ownership in Chicago.  These two cases moved the bar in the right direction...somewhat.

This week, the Court declined to review the case of Friedman vs. City of Highland Park.  Highland Park, IL is a political district situated immediately north of downtown Chicago,  They enacted a city ordnance which bans the ownership and possession, within their boundaries, of semi-automatic, magazine fed rifles, rifles which are very popular in Texas and other states.  By declining to review the case, the Court in fact ratified the ban.  They basically nullified Heller and McDonald, two of their own decisions.  If Highland Park can ban certain specified guns then any gun may be specified, by any governing authority.  Bye bye 2nd Amendment!

In reality, gun ownership in America isn't going anywhere soon.  The vast majority of our people have guns, shoot guns and carry them for personal protection.  There isn't near enough political currency to actually nullify the 2nd Amendment because too many of us carry it around in our hearts.  However, if bozos like the city council of Highland Park keep pushing, they will soon experience some real push-back.  In the meantime, move away from Illinois, New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.  Let those pathetic monuments to liberal fuzzy ideals fade away under their own dead over taxed weight.

As for all of the lists being weaponized into one mega list, we should all be concerned and demand this be stopped now!  Government lists are the very opposite  of freedom as history has told us before.  Any restrictive power we allow the government always grows against us, for that is the nature of the beast; for this was why the United States Constitution was written in the way it was, that all powers not specifically enumerated are withheld from the federal level.  Now is the time to get your guns, for times like these are the very reason for the 2nd Amendment.

One more point,  the 2nd Amendment does not confer upon our people the right to keep and bear arms, it ratifies it.  In other words, that right pre-exists the Constitution and the federal government. The statement, "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." was placed in the Constitution to remind the government of that essential fact.  It also emboldens our people, because we can read too!

The Islamic "Religion" and Religious Freedom

Our people are tearing up the airwaves with angst and vitriol over Donald Trump's declared intention to stop Muslim immigration.  At first glance it seems like a violation of Freedom of Religion.  In reality, it isn't, because in essence, Islam is not a religion at all.

In the 500's a man named Mohammed sat down and wrote up a set of rules, which he claimed were given to him by God.  It is apparent that somewhere in his past, a Christian tried to catechize him, because he includes several Christian facets, such as the tenets of One God, the Virgin Birth and Jesus.  Beyond that, it is a book with three manifest purposes: to make Mohammed powerful, to make Mohammed rich and to get Mohammed as much sex as he could stand.  If you are shocked by this assertion, read the book, it's all in there.  Also, this false religion of Mohammed, in order to effect these goodies for Mohammed, uses the force of the sword to spread the "word".  Talk about violation of Freedom of Religion!  It is the antithesis of Christianity.  His forces spread like wildfire through Northern Africa, the Middle East and Spain.  It was a real and present threat to Italy which prompted the Crusades, to beat back this scourge.  Spain was the only country who successfully purged themselves of Islamic invaders, a fight which lasted over 500 years and was finally completed by Queen Isabella, yep, the same queen who funded Columbus in the late 1400's.  Though Queen Isabella pushed them out 500 years ago, the pressure has always remained and today, Spain is high on the Islamic State's list of reconquest, but sadly, Spain has saturated herself in this modern social liberalism mush and has no strong leader capable of effective resistance.

Our politicians and media heads keep talking about "Radical Muslims" and the "religion of peace".  Both of these are lies hidden in euphemisms, such as a "woman's right to choose".  Firstly, Islam is NOT a religion of peace.  It isn't even a religion.  It is a political method of force which has, as it's stated purpose, the conquest of all lands.  It's in the book.  The proper term for Radical Muslim is, Muslim Fundamentalist.  In other words, he believes the tenets of his "religion" and puts his life where his mouth is, and those tenets are to kill unbelievers and conquer lands.  He will not emigrate into a foreign country to fit in, but rather to destabilize the current social order so to replace it with Islam! as this is the first order of Sharia law.  In truth, he is more honorable that the majority of the proponents of Islam, because he isn't a hypocrite, he read the book and takes action,  But even the "peaceful" followers of Mohammed will work to undermine the existing social structures, for it is their basic method for the propagation of the faith.  This was the hard reality that Spain faced after expelling the armed forces of Islam.  The reason for the Spanish Inquisition was not forced conversion to Catholicism, as is often claimed by Protestants, but rather the exposition of covert Muslims who publicly claimed to be Catholic but were actually working to subvert the Church and re-instituting Islam.

Let's talk about the reasoning behind Freedom of Religion.  Up until the 1500's there was mainly the Catholic Church in the western world.  She was the source and structure of Christianity.  She fought many battles, through the middle centuries, in the minds of men and governing councils, preserving the Faith from error and mutation.  She preserved the scriptures, in the form of the Latin Vulgate Bible, and evangelized all nations, as directed to Her personally by our Lord Jesus Christ.  She never used force of conversion, never.  Force of conversion is repugnant to the very gospel of our Lord.  She taught nations of the value and dignity of each and every human being, rich or poor.  She commanded kings and emperors to cease killing their own people at will.  She taught men and women to marry once and for life and to raise their children well.  She made it abundantly clear that the only pathway to heaven was to willingly and completely surrender oneself to Christ and his moral teachings.  She taught her children how to defend themselves against terror and assault.  Then came the Protestant Revolt in the 1500's.  It was the new churches of Calvin, Luther and King Henry of England that started persecutions, to push away the Catholic Church.  Read the history of Henry's wicked daughter, Elizabeth, who pilloried and quartered her people for being faithful to Catholicism and retains, shamefully, an honored part of England's political history.  It was always the new churches persecuting Catholics and each other as they vied for political stability and property for themselves.  That persecution is the genesis of the Pilgrims and other new sects moving to the new world seeking religious freedom.  At the core of all of these new "Christian" religions are the basic tenets of love of neighbor and social order.  With that commonality, it is possible to agree to disagree and to live with Freedom of Religion.  However, when another "religion" teaches violent primacy, then social order disintegrates.  That is why Islam cannot be accommodated by Freedom of Religion, for it is the forceful application of a lie and the Truth of Christ deserves defensive action against it.  The symbols say it all, the sword of Islam or the self-sacrifice of Christ?  I will never submit to the sword!

I have written in this blog a couple of posts which lament the idea of walls on our borders and the restriction of people's freedom of movement across any national borders.  I stand behind all of that because, as I stated, the freedom to move into another country is predicated on the absolute Christian responsibility to live in harmony with the host country's laws and civil order.  If one cannot do that, then one has no right to move in.  It is obvious that Muslims cannot do that, for it would be an apostatizing of their own statements of faith.  As they did in Spain, they will do everywhere they go.  This is why Donald Trump, while certainly not my choice for president, actually got this one right.

A Public Service Announcement

Run! Hide! Fight!  This the title of this YouTube video which shows strategies to employ if you are suddenly, and shockingly confronted with an active shooter.  I completely agree with these points, if you find yourself trapped without a gun of your own.  As you watch this video, have your finger poised to hit the pause button at exactly 0:59.  There! Do you see it?  The murdering creep walks past that Gun Free Zone sign, with the attendant regulatory citation, like it isn't even there.  At that is the crux of it all.  Why do we pay any attention to those signs if the madman, the reason for this terrible Gun Free Zone idea in the first place, ignores them?

A much better idea is to Fight! Fight! Fight!.  To do that, we too need to ignore those stupid Gun Free Zone signs.

A second idea has surfaced, in light of the San Bernardino shooting.

  

See how ridiculous Gun Free Zones are?  We must stop tolerating this restriction on our right of self protection.  Ignore the signs and demand their removal.

May our good Lord help us all.