Citizenship Remembered

We chose to forget.

What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? I venture to suggest that what we mean is a sense of national responsibility ... a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.
--Adlai Stevenson

Mopar

I never owned anything like those beauties. My one long term relationship with a Dodge was a 1970 pickup. A rusty old Dodge D series, it started every day and ran. With very little maintenance, I drove it to work for 6 years, pulled a trailer full of Scout camping gear out on weekend trips every month, and gathered firewood to heat my home every fall. It looked a lot like this one, but wasn't in as good a condition. It's one interesting feature was that the guy who owned it before me had put a 360 in it. A sleeper, that's what we used to call it.

I miss it.

It's surprising how much memory is built around things unnoticed at the time.
--Barbara Kingsolver

It is not Swine Flu

According to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, it's the "H1N1 virus." Calling it Swine Flu might affect pork sales. Some want to call it the North American Flu, the Israelis are calling it the Mexican Flu.

It's too late to contain it. The open border means that we had no chance to stop the spread. The government isn't even checking people as they arrive at airports, and I assume that is because they know it won't make any difference, whatever run this is going to have has already begun.

But remember, when you're suffering with fever and chills in the next few weeks, it's not swine flu, no matter how scientifically correct that name is.

If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? Five? No, four, calling a tail a leg don't make it a leg.
--Abraham Lincoln

The Cost

According to the Air Force, as reported by Bloomberg.com, it cost $328,835 to fly that 747 and two F-16s to New York. No word yet on what the financial loss was in the city. It has been reported by CBS that the FAA knew it was likely to cause panic, but demanded that the city not inform the public. They went so far as to threaten federal sanctions if word leaked out.

Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this Presidency.
--Barack Obama

Your Tax Dollars at Work

Just what does it cost to run an F-16 by the hour? How about Air Force One? Where did they fly from? How long was the flight?

I looked a bit, but the answers I found for those expenses were all over the map. Whatever it cost, I hope they got some good pictures. Ya know, better than the thousands of pictures they already have.

Click image to biggify.

Three groups spend other people's money: children, thieves, politicians. All three need supervision.
--Dick Armey

Goodbye to a Memory

We're drinking my friend, To the end of a brief episode, Make it one for my baby, And one more for the road.
--Johnny Mercer

Spring

Late spring, to be precise. It doesn't follow the calendar, and long before the official end of spring, it will be summer. Today is beautiful. Clear sky, warm. I'm going outside.

Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.
--Zen Proverb

Torture

In my previous post, I posed an impossible situation.

You have a prisoner, and you know he knows the location of a nuclear weapon, armed and ready, in a major U.S. city. He's not talking. There is (remember this is hypothetical) a sure way to get him to tell you the information, but to do it, you will have to have him tortured in a hideous manner.

No problem. In a situation so clearly defined, my moral compass would direct me to immediately order the prisoner to be tortured. Unfortunately, life is never that clear.

If you take prisoners, some of them might know something about planned attacks, some might know nothing. If you torture them, some might break and tell you something useful. Others would lie. The ones who knew nothing would make things up, anything to make the pain stop.

There is a continuum of questioning techniques that begins with sleep deprivation and relentless questioning, moves to waterboarding and mistreatment, and finally arrives at what all of us agree is torture. Somewhere in there, we are debased by our own actions. At some point, we have gone too far, because at some point we are causing mindless suffering to someone who does not know the answers.

Where that line is, and how far we can morally go is the subject of current debate. If I had more respect for Congress and the President, I would expect them to hold open hearings, establish a policy, issue clear guidelines to the military and move on. Instead, I expect them to spend their time looking back at the Bush Administration, pointing fingers, laying blame, and accomplishing nothing.

In the real world, where American intelligence officers have to do this questioning, I think waterboarding goes too far. Psychological games, manipulation of people based on their beliefs, trickery, bribery, etc. are all ok. That's me, and I know the line is gray.

When you stare into the abyss the abyss stares back at you.
--Friedrich Nietzsche

Moral Boundaries

If you were the President, and all the information before you led you to the conclusion that torture would save American lives, what would you do? To make this seem more clear, let's make it the kind of absolute question that all of us can agree is impossible, a hypothetical situation.

You have a prisoner, and you know he knows the location of a nuclear weapon, armed and ready, in a major U.S. city. He's not talking. There is (remember this is hypothetical) a sure way to get him to tell you the information, but to do it, you will have to have him tortured in a hideous manner. You can choose to order this man's torture, or you can choose to let the nuke go off. You're the President, and the men who will carry out your orders wait for your decision.

Leave your thoughts in the comments. I'll post my thoughts tomorrow.

The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.

Domestic Terrorism

I have been a law abiding, participating, citizen for over 50 years. I married young, and stayed married. I worked, paid taxes, went to church, participated in the community, volunteered in social organizations, voted, served honorably in the Marine Corps. I raised 4 sons. I bought a house, paid it off, and still live in it. I fly the flag on patriotic holidays, stand with my hand over my heart when the Colors pass during a parade. I still feel a chill when a band plays the Marine Corps Hymn. But apparently, I have a dark side, so I am going to confess it all here for you. Listed below are things you should know about me.

I'm a libertarian. I am in favor of abolishing the recreational drug laws. I think adult consensual sexual behavior should be a non-issue. I think censorship is bad, everyone needs to be allowed to think and say what they believe. In short, I am in favor of you (and I) having the maximum personal freedom to live our lives. I would vote for the Libertarian candidates if I thought they had a snowball's chance of being elected, and they didn't come across as such nutjobs when they spoke. So I am a small "L" libertarian.

I'm a supporter of the U.S. Constitution. I think words mean things. The Constitution should not be interpreted to "find" rights. There is a method to edit the document, an agreed on process called amending. If you want to create a new protection or modify the existing ones, start the process. Don't use the courts to find things that are not there, or to try to limit the rights by court decisions.

I'm a veteran. Proud to say I served as a United States Marine. One of millions of Americans that have worn the uniform of the Armed Forces and served. Compared with many, I had an easy tour, and I stand in humble awe of those who sacrificed much in defense of the United States.

I'm a gun owner. I shoot in competitions, both rifle and handgun. I'm a member of the NRA. I reload, both because I enjoy what I learn and because it saves money.

I think we should control our borders, and limit immigration. If we need workers from Mexico, let's set up a legal framework to control who gets in. An open border promotes the movement of criminals and criminal traffic in goods in both directions.

I do not think that the actions or edicts of the United Nations can in any way supersede the U.S. Constitution or U.S. law.

I think electing Barack Obama was a poor decision. It has nothing to do with race, it is his political background and the policies he promised to promote that I object to. I am not a supporter, and I hope to see a more conservative candidate replace him in 2012. I thought that was the system, two major parties, a battle of ideas, both groups working to do what they think is best for America.

Enough. Since any one of these is enough. I don't feel like I have changed, but I do think someone moved the lines. Up until recently, terrorists were people that flew airliners full of people into buildings in New York and Washington DC, or blew up trains full of passengers in Madrid. But now, that threat is being discounted, and the threat of domestic terrorism is being highlighted. The Department of Homeland Security report can be viewed here. People who hold to the ideas I have listed, even just one of them, are being considered domestic terrorists.

So I guess my quiet lower middle class taxpayer existence, my patriotic support, my taxes, my belief in America and the freedoms espoused in the founding documents is wrong. My service as a Marine, the exercise of my rights to free speech, freedom of religion, free association, and right to arms all make me a domestic terrorist? I'm the person the federal government is watching? If I quote George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or Patrick Henry at the bottom of this post, is it going in my file?

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.
--George Washington

Edge

Edge of Edge's Conservative Movies was the other blogging guest last Saturday. Not a major force in the ol' blogoshere, the three of us, I suppose, but it was fun. He is the only other person that I personally know locally that is blogging regularly.

Edge holds the distinction of being one of the funniest people I've ever worked with. His ability to do impersonations, and his insights and stories, have left me laughing helplessly any number of times. If you hit his site, leave a comment and ask him to tell some of his stories. On video, if possible.

Humor is a rubber sword - it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.
--Mary Hirsch

The First Time

There's a first time for everything. The first time you meet someone, the first time you shoot a gun, the first time...well, you get the idea.

This evening, we had dinner with Borepatch and his family. Afterwards, the discussion came around to reloading, one thing led to another, and then this happened.

Let's call it "Borepatch Makes a Cartridge". It was a .45ACP cartridge, made on a Lee press that was already configured and adjusted. The opportunity to really learn this art will have to come another time. The steps from a pile of empty range brass to new ammo are many, and at several places, mistakes are possible. Still, perhaps the hook was set. His ear to ear grin would suggest that.

Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experience.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Change

The internet changes things in unforeseeable ways. The amount of information available, in real time, affects everything. I can remember needing software drivers for a card, and spending hours on the phone, then waiting for 3 days for it to arrive on a floppy. Now, I find drivers online, usually from the vendor's website.

I can remember seeing an old movie and wondering if I was correctly recognizing one of the actors. Now Google will provide me with links to find the cast of any movie, and it takes less than a minute.

I used to get my news from the TV and the 16 page local newspaper. Now news comes in a flood, picking out what is important and trying to be informed is the challenge.

Perhaps most importantly, there was a time where you only knew the people in your immediate community, your church, and workplace. Now, it is possible to have some sort of friendship, in an electronic pen-pal sort of way, with people you haven't met. And every once in a while, there is a chance to meet someone new. someone you would never have met in the old world.

This Saturday, I will be having dinner with BorePatch and his family. I think this is one of the most interesting things to happen to me because of the interwebz yet. Someone I would never have met, had not both of us started blogging. The list of things that had to happen since about 1980 for this to be possible is enormous.

They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.
--Andy Warhol

CmdrFenix

CmdrFenix has been reading my blog. He's one of us, and while I couldn't find a profile, his posts speak for themselves.

Fortune favors the bold.
--Virgil

It all depends on the viewpoint

Rep. Jan Schakowsky's official website has this to say about about the tax protests:

“The ‘tea parties’ being held today by groups of right-wing activists, and fueled by FOX News Channel, are an effort to mislead the public about the Obama economic plan that cuts taxes for 95 percent of Americans and creates 3.5 million jobs. It’s despicable that right-wing Republicans would attempt to cheapen a significant, honorable moment of American history with a shameful political stunt. Not a single American household or business will be taxed at a higher rate this year. Made to look like a grassroots uprising, this is an Obama bashing party promoted by corporate interests, as well as Republican lobbyists and politicians.”

She supports protests for causes she approves of. She's planning on speaking at a protest on the genocide in Darfur on April 19th, 2009. Somehow, her understanding of the right to protest, organize, and redress the government doesn't include viewpoints she finds inappropriate.

To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men.
-- Abraham Lincoln

Update
15,000 people in Sacramento alone, and she thinks they did it because of Fox News?

Update 2
For the sake of argument, let's say Rep. Schakowsky is correct. The only reason that people attended these protests in approximately 2000 cities all over the country was because they were told to by Fox News. That makes Fox News the third largest political party in the country. They should pick a name and organize for the next election.

Sometimes the Past Speaks, Sometimes it Shouts

Bloviating Zeppelin posted a letter he found, that was written to his father by his grandfather on the eve of WWII, as the country still struggled with the Depression. Words to read and remember.

It lead me to look at this post about President Obama's visit to Saudi Arabia. There is nothing to do but add him to the blogroll.

...for faith and freedom and security are just as near at hand today as ever before.
--from a letter written to Richard Lee Alley by his father, 1941

The Silencing of Dissent

From the Raleigh News And Observer comes this story of the silencing of former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo. Invited to speak on campus, the protest became so violent that he was escorted away under police protection. Here's a small quote from the article.

The sound of breaking glass from behind a window shade interrupted the tug-of-war.Tancredo was escorted from the room by campus police.
About 200 protesters reconvened outside the building. "We shut him down; no racists in our town," they shouted. "Yes, racists, we will fight, we know where you sleep at night!"

And so we move one step further into the darkness, one more voice silenced by violence and the threat of violence. One more set of ideas that cannot be heard. Soon they will be burning books. If it was Pr. Obama or Speaker Pelosi speaking, and protesters shut them down, prevented them from being heard, whose voices would be raised in favor of free speech and free expression?

It doesn't matter if Mr. Tancredo is right on this issue. I do know that he should have been allowed to speak. If someone else wanted to speak to refute him, they should have been allowed to speak too. It was only in the free exchange of ideas that our democracy had a chance.

If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.
--Noam Chomsky

BAG Day

I don't know how it started. I heard it first from Kim Du Toit about 2004. It's called Buy A Gun Day, and it falls every year on April 15th. Since they tax us and tax us and tax us, and then give a little back and have the temerity to call it a refund, this is one way of getting something out of it.

Because there's something you don't have that you want. Some hole in your safe that deserves to be filled. An item of blued steel and walnut, perhaps. Or a C&R eligible revolver that calls to you like it is the One Ring and your name is Gollum.
It burns us, we wants it, it is the Precious.

Whatever it is, take that tax refund and Buy A Gun.

Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the people's liberty's teeth.
-- Gen. George Washington, Continental Army (Ret.)

The Price

Freedom is free for most of us. The price is being paid by men like Marcus Luttrell. Marcus was a Navy Seal, he's the only survivor of a raid in Afghanistan in 2005. He's home now. Coping with his injuries, working on his recovery. He had a service dog, as part of his therapy. A few days ago, his dog was shot for no reason.

I can't say anything about this that makes any sense. If you want the details, Ms Underestimated covers it well, here, here, and here.

One of the common failings among honorable people is a failure to appreciate how thoroughly dishonorable some other people can be.
--Thomas Sowell

The Death of GM

It is dying, all the taxpayer money being poured down the rathole is just life support. But once, it was a mighty, vibrant industry. Once it built this.

Then it retooled and helped America win World War II by building tanks and planes and trucks and weapons. When the war was over, they started turning out cars. Millions of cars. The icons of American manufacturing. They made this in 1956.

Even the pickup trucks had some personality.

The 1960s. Chevelles, Camaros, Firebirds, Corvettes, GTOs. Cars people wanted. Mythic, iconic cars. Advertised unashamedly to people who wanted to go fast in style.

The illness began in the 1970s. The Chevy Vega should have sounded the alarm. A horrible noisy plastic POS, underpowered and poorly designed. Ask yourself, when was the last time you saw one on the road?

The government started passing laws, laws on fuel consumption, bumper size, emissions. The cars that came next were like echoes of the previous machines. Molded bumpers, smog controlled de-tuned engines. The one thing that GM did well in this time period was make it hard to impossible for the average guy to work on his own car. Ford and Chrysler did no better. Remember Pintos and K-cars? Don't see any of them driving around, either.
Now we've come to this. This week GM unveiled a concept car toy vehicle joke that was designed with help from Segway. The PUMA. If they think that this is going to save GM, it really is over.

The deepest defeat suffered by human beings is constituted by the difference between what one was capable of becoming and what one has in fact become.
--Ashley Montagu

From Behind the Lines

I was reading MArooned, enjoying Jay's writing and humor, the stories he tells of his family and the general gunny flavor of his blog when I came across something that IS ABSOLUTELY BATSHIT INSANE troubling about Massachusetts law.

I had to go look it up and Jay was right. Under Massachusetts law, possession of ammunition is the same as possession of a firearm. Additionally, empty cases are considered ammunition. That's right, a single empty brass case with a dead primer is treated the same as a loaded weapon.

So, a child at a Veteran's Day ceremony, who is given the brass from a fired round at the 21 gun salute, is a now a felon, as is the vet who gave it to him. If he took that case to school to show a friend, he could be arrested, and expelled. The veteran who gave it to him could be convicted as a felon, sentenced to prison, and stripped of his remaining rights.

Massachusetts is lost. What part of "shall not be infringed" do all those gun laws at the link honor? Every bit of it is completely unconstitutional. If you live there, FLEE. Sell whatever you have to and go north to New Hampshire or come south. If you know anyone that you care about that lives there, tell them to flee to a free state while they still can. Every dollar of tax paid to Massachusetts is used to oppress the very people that paid it.

Jay's blog is worth a stop, though, and is being added to the blogroll.

There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Reardon, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with.
--Ayn Rand, writing in "Atlas Shrugged", 1957

Broken Promises

Here's the promise. "I can make a firm pledge," Barack Obama said in Dover, N.H., on Sept. 12. "Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes."

Now, on April Fool's Day, Pr. Obama's promise raises the question of who the fool really is. Today, the federal tax on a pack of cigarettes went up from 39 cents to $1.01, a tax increase of 62 cents a pack.

The spin on this is that smoking is voluntary, that the President and everyone in his kinder, more compassionate administration just wants you quit. That when he was talking about taxes he meant payroll and investments. But that is not what he said. It's not even what Joe Biden said, here's his words, "No one making less than $250,000 under Barack Obama's plan will see one single penny of their tax raised, whether it's their capital gains tax, their income tax, investment tax, any tax."

That pesky little "any tax". But oh well, I know they are liars. If you've stopped at this blog more than once, you know it too. The lie about taxes is really nothing, it's what we've all come to expect from politicians. The bigger lie is more subtle.

There is no desire to make smokers quit. If they wanted you to quit, they would ban the sale of tobacco. There's plenty of evidence that the stuff is bad. No, they want smokers taxpayers. They have looked at the number of people that will curtail their smoking and balanced that against the increased income from this new tax on each pack. Somewhere there are charts and PowerPoint presentations that show within some margin of error just how much more tax revenue this new tax will bring in.

Now the evil, evil, tobacco companies make about 24 cents a pack in profit. The federal take is $1.01 per pack, and each state is taking their own state tax as well. New York state tax is $2.75 per pack. Who's the evil bloodsucker again? Who has the biggest investment in ensuring that sales of this product continue?

There are 30 billion packs of cigarettes sold in the U.S. every year. This 62 cent tax increase is an additional 18 billion dollars in revenue. Taken disproportionately from the people in lower income brackets. Made on a product that everyone agrees is harmful enough to affect the quality of your life, raising your risks of cancer and heart disease, possibly taking years off your life.

If the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists - to protect them and to promote their common welfare - all else is lost.
--Barack Obama