Wednesday, April 17, 2013
4/15/2013 . . .
. . . or, the parable of the boys (and girls) who cried "(lone) wolf !"once too often.
With Newtown / Sandy Hook Elementary still fresh in our memories, it didn’t take long until Americans were shocked and stunned yet again with another mass attack – this time in Boston. Random targets, ordinary people, targeted this time by indiscriminate bombing instead of indiscriminate shooting. Most of our nation’s citizens immediately rallied to offer support and consolation to the people of Boston, the cradle of the American Revolution that brought about our great nation.
With Newtown / Sandy Hook Elementary still fresh in our memories, it didn’t take long until Americans were shocked and stunned yet again with another mass attack – this time in Boston. Random targets, ordinary people, targeted this time by indiscriminate bombing instead of indiscriminate shooting. Most of our nation’s citizens immediately rallied to offer support and consolation to the people of Boston, the cradle of the American Revolution that brought about our great nation.
Yet just as in Newtown, the Left couldn’t let a crisis go to
waste. Within hours, there was
speculation in the media that it might be a “lone wolf,” a home-grown
terrorist (read "rightwing extremist"). Already the president was
talking about “domestic terrorism” (read "rightwing extremist"). His
former advisor, David Axelrod, was saying that the president might be thinking
about the bombing occurring on “Tax Day,” a thinly-veiled finger-pointing at
TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party activists (read "rightwing extremists"). And then there was David Sirota's headline in Salon hoping that the bomber was a "white American," since to discover otherwise might derail the Left's push for gun control and immigration pandering (well, he got half of what he hoped for).
However, history shows that home-grown terrorist bombers –
including Bill Ayers, the president’s friend – tend to target government
institutions or government employees, not random civilians enjoying a community
event. Jihadist plots tend to focus on mass, indiscriminate killing.
Let’s thrust the Left's disgusting implications aside right
now.
Let’s remind the American people
that the government was busy borrowing money from the Chinese to buy up massive
quantities of ammunition, drones, automatic assault rifles, and mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, ostensibly to “protect” the American people -- or perhaps to protect an overreaching government from an outraged American people.
Let's remind the American people that while the government has successfully thwarted plots and prosecuted dozens of jihadists in the USA, the only case brought by this administration against members of a "rightwing extremist" militia group ended up in their being found not guilty and their weapons and ammunition returned to them!
Let's remind the American people that this administration failed to protect the US ambassador to Libya and his staff, and then attempted to use that failure to blame a "rightwing extremist" for inflaming Islamist radicals to attack the consulate in Benghazi. For two weeks, this administration lied to the world, with each pronouncement only serving to throw more fuel on the fires of hatred in the Middle East, knowing full well that the fatal attack was a planned and coordinated effort to which they had failed to respond.
The government took its eye off the real threat and failed to protect the people of Boston. Its failure resulted in the first major attack on American civilians, on American soil, to succeed since 9/11/2001.
The government took its eye off the real threat and failed to protect the people of Boston. Its failure resulted in the first major attack on American civilians, on American soil, to succeed since 9/11/2001.
This president, who was so willing to take personal credit
for killing Osama bin Laden, now has to accept the blame for this attack. It happened on his watch.
This administration, in its failure to protect the people of
Boston because it was too busy massively arming itself against an illusion
(namely, “rightwing extremists”), deserves to be held accountable. This Congress needs to defund the wasteful
DHS spending and divert those funds into something tangible and productive.
Let’s take that funding and ensure that everybody who was
injured or maimed in the Boston bomb blasts, and the families of those who were
killed or may yet succumb to their injuries, have 100% of their medical bills,
physical therapy or mental treatment costs, or any other expenses associated
with this tragedy covered by the federal government. Much the same as was done for the victims of 9/11, there should be a Special Master appointed to ensure full and just compensation for the victims of 4/15.
They are casualties of the war on terror as much as any of
our wounded or killed combat veterans – except they didn’t volunteer to go in harm’s
way. They were left in harm’s way by an
administration that promised to protect them – and failed to do so. This administration owes them, and the American
people, whatever it takes to repair the damage done to them.
Friday, April 12, 2013
"If It Saves Even One Life . . . ."
Dear Senator,
Please be sure to convey our deepest appreciation to your colleague Senator
Recently, President Obama has fallen back on the Leftist mantra of “save even one life” that routinely gets trotted out whenever the gun control itch needs scratching. He said during his rollout of executive orders – and again in Denver – and again in Newtown -- "if there’s even one thing we can do to reduce this violence, if there’s even one life that can be saved, then we’ve got an obligation to try." Vice-President Biden has likened shooting semi-automatic rifles to an adrenalin rush “like driving a Ferrari.” “But they own guns for one of two reasons — self-protection, or they just like the feel of that AR-15 at the range. ... They like the way it feels. It's like driving a Ferrari, you know. And so my impression is there’s not the same sort of cultural norm about gun ownership with a lot of people who are buying guns now.”
OK, save one life, guns are like cars. Got it. Let’s compare.
CDC figures from 2010 (their most recent available figures):
Motor vehicle traffic deaths All firearm deaths
Number of deaths: 33,687 Number of deaths: 31,672
Deaths per 100,000 population: 10.9 Deaths per 100,000 population: 10.3
OK, OK, so more people are killed by cars than by guns. Not so fast. Guns don’t kill people; people shooting guns kill people. And cars don’t kill people; people driving cars kill people. In both cases, each requires human interaction to be transformed from being an inert object into a lethal instrument.
Let me offer some ideas based on the same logic that seems to be prevailing among the gun-grabbing crowd.
Let’s begin with one unassailable fact about “drive-by” shootings: For every gun involved in a drive-by shooting, there is an equal number of vehicles. Therefore, if gun restrictions are the answer, car restrictions are equally the answer.
Since the Left feels that they’re qualified to dictate to me what I “need” in terms of guns, then I’m equally qualified to determine what they “need” in terms of cars.
If you’re single, you only need one seat. Therefore, any two- or three-wheeled single seat vehicle is good enough for you. The government shouldn’t allow you to have anything larger. You don’t need it! Besides, having excess seat capacity could allow you to transport a designated shooter.
If you’re a couple, you only need two seats.
If you’re a couple with a family, you need no more than four seats. Anything else is excessive and wasteful. If you have more than two children, you’re being socially irresponsible, and you should still be restricted to vehicles containing no more than four seats. Only the military, the police, high-ranking government overlords, and public transportation need vehicles with more than four seats.
Any powered vehicle you own should have a fuel tank restricted to 7 liters (a twofer: Andrew Cuomo’s capacity limitation to make most firearm magazines illegal in New York, and a nice “Progressive” measurement term to show solidarity with our European Socialist role models). You don’t need more than that! If you have to stop more often to reload – er, refuel—that will help first responders stop you from traveling very far from the scene of the drive-by shooting you were probably involved in, since you own a vehicle (Question: Don’t you need probable cause to detain me? Answer: Probably!).
Obviously, you will need to undergo a background check before you’ll be allowed -- given permission by the government -- to purchase a vehicle. Any felonies or traffic misdemeanors will be grounds for declaring you a “prohibited person” from owning any vehicles – ever. And let’s just get it out of the way right now – no private purchases or sales. You will have to go through a car dealer. Car dealers (no Mom and Pop operations) will have to obtain a federal license from BATFE+V in order to contact NICS and run your name through the NICS database.
I hope to see language enabling this to be added to the universal background check legislation for gun purchases. I know the vast majority of car owners are just as law-abiding as gun owners and statistically just slightly more lethal, but it’s only a little infringement for the common good. In the Left’s utopian world, this will eliminate drive-by shootings! I’m sure that some people will be upset, but they’re just being selfish. After all, if it saves even one life . . . .
