Thank you, Mr.Ong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwUekmQ7iss

Because it is my right.

"the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed"

The right.

I fell into a bit of a Liberal think trap yesterday with my post about Joe Biden.

For the record, I want you to know that it doesn't matter if the argument is made for AR-15 or not, it is our RIGHT to own them.  Rights do not have to be justified; they simply are.  And before I forget to post this, the second amendment does not give me that right, the second amendment recognizes that right pre-exists and protects that right from the government.

But don't take my word for it, take the word of those who were there.  

We can start with St. George Tucker.  Tucker was a Revolutionary War veteran, attorney, and later a U.S. District Court judge who wrote of the second amendment:

"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, and this without any qualification as to their condition or degree, as is the case in the British government." 1

He further elaborated:

"This may be considered as the true palladium of liberty... The right of self-defense is the first law of nature; in most governments it has been the study of rulers to confine this right within the narrowest limits possible. Whenever standing armies are kept up, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms is, under any color or pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction." 1

In a letter to John Cartwright Thomas Jefferson writes:

"The constitutions of most of our States assert, that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves, in all cases to which they think themselves competent, (as in electing their functionaries executive and legislative, and deciding by a jury of themselves, in all judiciary cases in which any fact is involved,) or they may act by representatives, freely and equally chosen; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed; " 2

Noah Webster

"Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States. A military force, at the command of Congress, can execute no laws, but such as the people perceive to be just and constitutional; for they will possess the power, and jealousy will instantly inspire the inclination, to resist the execution of a law which appears to them unjust and oppressive." 3

Tench Coxe 

"As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people duly before them, may attempt to tyrannize, and as the military forces which must be occasionally raised to defend our country, might pervert their power to the injury of their fellow-citizens, the people are confirmed by the next article in their right to keep and bear their private arms." 4

For those who would argue that arms are only for Militia, Tench writes:

"Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man gainst his own bosom. Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American. The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people." 5

The militias were not intended solely to defend America against foreign enemies, but against the tyranny of their own government!
       

The argument that the second amendment no longer applies because our forefathers couldn't have imagined the changes in technology that produced modern firearms is absolute balderdash in the face of Tench's statement above where he says that "Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of the American." 

 "But wait!" you cry, "Our Forefathers never thought something like a machine gun would exist!"

The founders of our nation never could have imagined the invention of the radio or television or the advent of cults that call for cutting your testicles off while waiting for a spaceship to carry you from the earth, but we afford these the freedoms of press and religion.  If the constitution can grow and change as needed to guarantee rights to all in some areas, why not all areas?

Stop asking me why I need an assault weapon.  I deny the existence of such an object.  I will, however, use DEFENSE weapons as it is my RIGHT to do so.

We don't NEED a lot of things yet we have them.  We don't NEED much more than a sharpened flint and a dry cave, so why do we have nice homes? The fastest posted speed limit (that I know of) in the US is 85 MPH, so why do we NEED vehicles capable of travelling faster than 85?  Rosa Parks didn't NEED to sit in the front of the bus.

Ouch.

1) St. George Tucker's Blackstone's Commentaries: With Notes of Reference, to the Constitution and Laws, of the Federal Government of the United States; and of the Commonwealth of Virginia (1803)

2) Thomas Jefferson's letter to John Cartwright. From Monticello 5 June 1824 

3) An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution (Philadelphia 1787)

4) Tench Coxe (1755–1824), writing as "A Pennsylvanian," in "Remarks On The First Part Of The Amendments To The Federal Constitution," in the Philadelphia Federal Gazette, June 18, 1789, p. 2 col. 1

5) Tenche Coxe, The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788.

Joe Biden is misguided at best.

I'm sure many of you have heard VP Joe Biden's "advice" recently regarding self defense at home.  If not, here is a video.

Where do we begin?

I believe that we should start with one of the most irresponsible statements I've ever heard, "Just walk out on the balcony.... and fire two blasts outside the house."

Really, Joe?  Just fire blindly into the night?  No worries about the payload of lead or where it will go? That violates the most fundamental rules of firearms safety. (Google "Celebratory Gunfire")  And why fire both barrels, Joe?  Shouldn't you keep one round in reserve just in case the enemy isn't frightened by shots you're not firing at him or her?

But wait, it's gets "better."

The shotgun on the right is what Joe says is OK.  



Let's examine that. 

Given my experience as a shooting instructor, all the data I've read, and having been involved with firearms before it was legal for me to own one, I would venture to guess that most people in the industry would recommend standard pressure 2 3/4 inch 00 buck shot shells for the 12 gauge when it comes to home defense.

One shell from this firearm delivers 9 .33 caliber pellets at an advertised velocity 1325 FPS (feet per second); muzzle energy from that shell would be 1894 Ft lbs.

Pretty devastating.  Of course Joe just wants you to fire it in the air.

I want to take a side trip for a moment.


  The machine pistol on the left is a no-no for Joe and other "anti-gun" types. 

The pistol is a very low recoiling Scarab Skorpion vz 61 in .32 ACP caliber.  

Each round from this weapon is moving around 925 FPS and delivers 123 Ft lbs of energy.

It is easy to shoot and, with practice, can put several rounds in a tight group at 21 feet with a quick squeeze of the trigger.  

Joe says that is bad.  Joe doesn't want you to be able to shoot multiple rounds with one pull of a trigger.  Joe doesn't even want you to be able to pull the trigger manually and get off several shots in quick succession. 

Joe doesn't know what he's talking about because in the same breath he advocates doing something far more "powerful."  

Have you figured it out yet?  You've got all the clues you need.  

That's right!  A single 12 gauge shotgun blast with 00 buck shot is more powerful than getting hit with 9 rounds of .32 ACP AT THE SAME TIME!

Joe, if you think full autos are bad and high capacity semi-autos are bad, why do you think it's OK to put 9 rounds down range with a single pull of the trigger?

Your belief system is flawed.

"Just get a double barrel shotgun."

2 shells, Joe?!?  She just fired blindly into the night, remember?  What is she to do now?  Did she bring extra ammunition with her?  Is she trained in tactical reload?  How much ground can the enemy cover in the few seconds it takes her to reload, Joe?

"You don't need an AR-15, it's harder to aim, it's harder to use and you don't need 30 rounds to protect yourself."

Joe, I'm not as sexist as you are and would never tell a woman what she can and cant's shoot, but I do know a bit about body mass and physics.  Most women do not have the body mass or strength of most men. Yes, there are exceptions; I have met some women who would whip me in a fair fight.  Some even in an unfair fight.

But I digress.

Take a look a the following videos and check out Joe's belief system.

 

Ok, this one is a little more serious.

                                                                        

And this fellow makes a great argument for the handicapped out there.

Bottom line: Unlike Joe Biden, the AR-15 is accurate and effective.

I really don't want to talk about it.

Welcome to post-election 2012.

To the surprise of a few evangelicals, God hasn't wiped the US off the face of the earth for re-electing Barack Hussein Obama.  I didn't vote for him, so no, I'm not happy with the outcome of the election.  However, I'm not calling for recounts, threatening to leave the US, or demanding secession.

Here is what I feel about the whole issue:

Shut up.

That's it. I don't want to hear your drama and whining on the issue. You should have campaigned harder for your country starting years ago.

Do you think the US has become an immoral cesspool?  Then you should have raised your kids better, been better examples to your neighbors, and voted for whatever it is you believe in years ago.

Do you think the US has a corrupt business system?  Then you should have lobbied against whatever you have a problem with and led by example in running your business the way you believe.

Do you think the US education system is a joke?  Then you should have joined the PTA, gone to every open school board meeting and / or run for positions on the school board, raised your kids better, and been a better example to your neighbors.

It's our own fault.  Period.  (Apologies if it's not your fault.)

If you want a certain group of politicos gone, vote them out. If you are the only voice, proselytize.  Get out there and convince others you're right and to support your cause.

Tobago Vacation - Day 5 - June 2008

Today is Monday, 15 October, 2012.  I spent the weekend in Monroe, Louisiana at my uncle's funeral.  I felt like I needed to write about life a little so pulled up my blogspot page and found this draft from 2008.  It will remain unfinished for now, but I will go ahead and publish it incomplete.

I apologize for the 4 year delay in updates!

-----

The overcast skies from the past couple of days finally let loose with gusto in the wee hours of the morning. I woke to hear my first Caribbean rainstorm, smiled, and went back to sleep. Another quick deluge around 9 brought me around for the day.

Walking outside to a damp, still dripping morning, I noticed some movement in the bushes near the room. Straining to see what was causing the little branch to move so much, I caught a glimpse of a tiny body vibrating a mist of water from iridescent green plumage. It was a hummingbird.

Yes, I grabbed the camera.


He must have found me fascinating as I was able to get within inches of him.













When he was finished looking at me, he flew away.









Given all that I saw of Tobago the day before, I decided to keep the car a second day. After a quick breakfast of local fruit and delicious dried sausage I smuggled in from Penshorn's Meat Market in Marion, Texas, I took a trip down to the car rental place and extended the contract.

My flag.

I apologize for the time away. I've recently been promoted to a supervisory position at another camp and the new job carries an enormous burden of paperwork. My CSA / Admin was promoted just before I arrived, and her replacement won't be here for another month or more, so the burden falls on my shoulders for a while. My bosses have told me several times that the paperwork is a necessary part of the job. I explained that I see work like pooping. The actual pooping is the good part. It's the functional and productive part of the job. A little paperwork after the work is done, and all is well. However, too much paperwork leaves me irritated.

But I digress from my reason for posting today....

A few months ago the company for which I work decided that we, the American contractors working in Iraq, should stop flying American flags on our vehicles or over our offices and living quarters on base so as not to offend our "host nation" and all of our co-workers from other countries.

This is my answer to their request.


I've GOT to catch up on my Tobago trip posts!

First Annual COB Speicher Chili Cookoff.

I have to take a break from our regularly scheduled vacation programming to vent a little.

When I got back from vacation I was informed that there was going to be a chili cookoff here at the base and I had been signed up to represent the dept. Those of you who know me know that I was honored and excited to do so. I love to cook, and I love to cook chili. I have a huge chili pot and lots of spices here in Iraq with me.

I started prep a few days ago. I purchased steaks from the PX, took a couple of to-go boxes full of onion, tomato, jalapeño slices, and pinto beans from the DFAC, made sure I had beer (non-alcoholic of course!), and lined up my spices.


Yesterday, I diced up the steaks, seasoned the meat heavily with onion, garlic, cumin, and jalapeños, and let it sit overnight in the fridge to meld all together.

I fired up the grill at 4am this morning and started heating the pan.

The meat went into a little hot olive oil to brown, got stirred around a bit every few minutes, then in went the tomato, more onion, a load spices, and more jalapeño.





Once that was simmering away nicely, I added beer, V8 juice (no tomato sauce available), and tossed on the lid.




I checked the progress periodically, made seasoning / liquid adjustments, and stirred, stirred, stirred. Around 10:30 AM, I tasted the concoction, declared it good, and called the concoction "Chili."

The judging was held at our area offices on the north side of the camp. A small group of emissaries was dispatched with me to escort the pot via an unreported route. We arrived safely at 11:30 and turned in our entry. The tasting began at noon sharp.

Judges tasting chili while spectators watch and hydrate. (It was 129 deg F here today.)

Judges about to announce the winner(s).

I knew I was in trouble when the late-entry canned chili from the HSE dept placed third. The lady who won first place is a very nice lady, but her chili was reminiscent of spaghetti sauce. Delicious, mildly spicy spaghetti sauce, but spaghetti sauce nonetheless. Here she is with my... I mean her trophy.

The first place trophy.

I know that I can't help that the judges were milquetoast Yankees who's lips get blistered by black pepper, but I still sat there feeling like I should have won. This wasn't a superior chili that beat me, but inferior taste buds!

After the official judging, people kept coming up to me telling me that they thought my chili should have won. As I stood beside my pan dishing out bowl after bowl of delicious Texas Red, I heard people telling their friends, "Hey, try this guy's chili! It's the real deal!" or "As hot as this is, I want to eat more! How do you do that?" The flattery was humbling.

I was standing down by the other end of chili row when I heard someone yell, "Time to go! We're out of Chili!"

What? We're not out of chili. There are still people standing in line. Let me look.

Sure enough. About 1/2 left in each pot. Let's go check out the winner's pot.

A little less than 1/2 a pot left over.

"What do you guys mean we're out of chili?"
"No, Joel. YOUR chili. It's all gone."

Second place, my behind. ;)