Saturday, January 22, 2011

Newt set to break more Contracts with America

Newt Gingrich most famously launched the Contract with America that set a conservative agenda before Congress, now he is back ready to show how to break real contracts with America by promulgating bankruptcy proceedings for states. Under this provision states could be free like corporations to rewrite pension plans and basically take the little guy to the cleaners.

How about this one Newt. We take 100% of all salary and bonuses over 2 million a year and apply it to the federal deficit. Only the filthiest rich need quiver and America gets to work its way out of the red. If this is not acceptable how about we just sue every CEO who makes more than 2 million a year in a publicly held corporation for dilution of earnings and breach of fiduciary duty. We are getting tired of not getting dividends when CEO's get bonuses.

It is not the working American that is causing the problems of this economy, it is the greedy few who like to fund people like Newt and his ideas at the expense of the rest of us. I for one am tired of seeing all these good ways to stick it to the little guy in the name of the Capitalist Dream. I say dream on 800 thread count sheets for a while.

Friday, January 14, 2011

the poor 30 round clip

Heard on talk radio today - the defense of the 30 round clip for pistols. The argument was basically that it is silly to outlaw such clips as it will not deter criminals from their use. Ok, a variation on the tautology "when guns are criminalized only criminals will have guns." Never the less the eradication of legal access to such things as extended clips is a step toward sanity. If we can't stop a behavior at least we can take steps to make such behavior difficult. Allowing easy access to things is different that stopping access. We as members of a society have an obligation one to another to provide safety for each other. Any action that we take to improve our mutal safety and security while maintaining respect for the individual is one that I applaud.

Question- Does the right to keep and bear arms mean I can mount a mini gun on my Subaru?

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Second Amendment Remedies:They can't see the connection?

During his campaign effort to unseat Giffords in November, Republican challenger Jesse Kelly held fundraisers where he urged supporters to help remove Giffords from office by joining him to shoot a fully loaded M-16 rifle. Kelly is a former Marine who served in Iraq and was pictured on his website in military gear holding his automatic weapon and promoting the event.

"I don't see the connection," between the fundraisers featuring weapons and Saturday's shooting, said John Ellinwood, Kelly's spokesman. "I don't know this person, we cannot find any records that he was associated with the campaign in any way. I just don't see the connection.

"Arizona is a state where people are firearms owners — this was just a deranged individual."

* * * *

We equate gun ownership, possession and use with our political expression and we don't see the connection when an individual picks up a gun and starts to use it against politicians? This is the most disingenuous statement that I have heard in a long time. Granted the individual shooter may not have attended a single rally for Jesse Kelly, but Kelly is the one who was equating gun use with political action when he posed with guns and encouraged their use as a part of his campaign. It is sort of like alcohol producers disavowing connection with drunk driving. We all know that not all use is abusive or wrong, but we must recognize when our behavior may influence others.

Of course Mr. Kelly is not guilty of this shooting, neither is the architect of the "second amendment remedy" Ms. Sharon Angle of Nevada. No doubt she was just looking for some good press by giving that outrageous sound bite to the media. Likewise Sarah Palin's website with cross hairs on Arizona's 8th District which Ms. Gifford represents was not "wrong", but neither was it right. Our words have consequences, our thoughts influence others, our example is a model. When we advocate violence we cannot deny the effects of that violence.

Go ahead, wear your sidearm to Starbucks. Stand up for your rights. After all you are a mature and trained individual who would never use a gun except in self defense, but can you be so sure of your neighbor whose right to bear arms may lead to disaster? Is your idea of self defense consistent with a free and healthy debate in the marketplace of ideas? Or is you side arm a chilling limiter of discussion and a source of fear for those around you?

I have carried weapons openly in the field while hunting as young man, in Vietnam while serving in the US Army. I do not do so now, neither do I hunt, there is no reason for it in my world.

My best wishes to Rep. Gifford her family, the families of other victims, the people of Arizona 8th and the people of my country. May we learn to live with our differences and as a result, live in peace.