What’s what with US Gun Control

If you don’t understand US gun control, you should read this.

If you think you understand US gun control, and don’t understand why the senate voted down Obama’s bill, you should read this.

This is by far the best, most comprehensive post I have ever read on the topic.

And it’s written by a far-left activist.

Emphasis mine.

It’s been less than a week since national gun control in America died. No “assault weapons” ban. No “high-capacity” magazine ban. Not even the Manchin-Toomey background check compromise that,according to Senator Mark Kirk, was reached by getting drunk on a 54-foot mega-yacht named Black Tie, which is part-owned by Manchin.

Over the last several days, I’ve watched Democratic politicians, lobbyists and Facebook meme-sharers calling down shame on the senators who voted against every single gun control measure proposed in the Senate. Yes, it’s true that none of the measures would have passed the Republican-controlled House anyway, but to have lost in the Democrat-controlled senate was to truly be trounced. I have seen the Democratic pundits all over the nation looking across their podiums and well-lit television studio desks with stunned expressions. “How could this have happened,” they all ask? Only four months after Newtown?

I write this letter as someone who is politically far left of center. You and I have a lot in common, though you may not want to admit it by the end of this article. I think it’s time we had a talk.

I live in the state of Virginia, a place where it’s not easy to be a leftist. Just last week, our State Board of Health voted to approve TRAP(Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) regulations that would close most abortion clinics in the state. It was a devastating loss for myself and other organizers, and it will be even more devastating to the women of Virginia, most of whom will not have access to safe, legal abortions for years to come. I mention this not only so that you have context for the sort of political work I’m involved in, but because I want you to know that *I do know*, from very recent experience, what it’s like to feel powerless as you watch a group of people vote for social policy that you think is absolutely insane.

But I’ll be honest with you: I watched the Senate votes live on Wednesday, and when these gun-related bills were defeated, I literally celebrated. Obviously, you and I have a lot in common, but plenty to differ on. And that’s kind of what I want to talk to you about.

I’ve owned guns since childhood, and it’s an issue that I’ve thought and written a lot about. It’s very difficult for me to communicate with the mainstream Democratic establishment about guns. But because I know how painful it sometimes is to listen to Republican and other Right-leaning people talk about things that we on the Left care strongly about, I thought I would try to help you out.

There are are a few things that you can do to improve your game in the gun control debate, and I thought it would only be fair to point out what they are. So here’s my best shot. Here are the things that you MUST keep in mind if you wish to further the dialogue on gun policy in America.

One of the major points is that many of the people who are trying to regulate guns are, to put it bluntly, ignorant. For example, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg:

This is a man that has built a cornerstone of his career on gun control legislation. He has headed and commissioned panels on guns. He runs a whole group of pro-gun-control mayors. This is an issue he has supposedly been devoted to for a long time.

He doesn’t know how guns operate. He doesn’t understand basic terminology. He doesn’t know what an “assault weapon” is, even though he supposedly was involved in drafting legislation. How is this possible?And how is it possible that we who actually understand the topic are supposed to cede to his judgment on it?

He’s not alone in his utter baffledness about this. Obama recently told donors at a Democratic Congressional Campaign committee meeting that students at Sandy Hook were gunned down by a “fully automatic weapon”.

(In case readers don’t wish to read the whole post, and don’t grasp the significance of that last one, the Sandy Hook shootings did not involve a fully automatic weapon, because these have been effectively banned for years and their use in crimes of any sort in the US is almost unheard of.)

How can you lobby and legislate for years on a topic, and yet be so utterly ignorant of the topic?

I don’t have the answer to that.

But we all know how such appalling, wanton ignorance goes down in communities where even a school child knows the difference; communities regularly portrayed by certain sectors as ignorant hicks.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a quicker way to divide a country.

Like I say, it’s a very comprehensive post. Go have a read.

Quote of the Day – Crisis edition

Via Instapundit.

I’ll believe it’s a crisis when the people who tell me it’s a crisis start acting like it’s a crisis.

Quite. It’s interesting how those who claim that our demise is imminent never seem to actually do something about this supposed imminent demise.

Example: the people who tell us that fossil fuels are ruining the environment… while flying across the country.

Or this classic.

Helping Obama’s brother

I’m inclined to discount this story somewhat (it just smells a bit too convenient), but there’s no denying that Obama has some curious priorities when it comes to whom he chooses to help.

A few days ago I received a call from a man I recently met named George.  He was a bit flustered, and soon informed me that his young son was sick with a chest condition.  He pleaded with me to send him $1,000 to cover the medical bills.  Since George was at the hospital I asked him to let me speak to a nurse, and she confirmed that George’s son was indeed ill.  So I agreed to send George the money through Western Union.  He was profusely grateful.  But before I hung up I asked George, “Why are you coming to me?”  He said, “I have no one else to ask.”  Then he said something that astounded me, “Dinesh, you are like a brother to me.”

Actually, George has a real life brother who just happens to be the president of the United States.  (George Obama is the youngest of eight children sired by Barack Obama Sr.)  George’s brother is a multimillionaire and the most powerful man in the world.  Moreover, George’s brother has framed his re-election campaign around the “fair share” theme that we owe obligations to those who are less fortunate.

Then things get curious.

A couple of years ago, George teamed up with a British journalist Damien Lewis and the two of them published George’s story in a book called “Homeland.” Yet according to Lewis, shortly before the book’s publication in America, the publisher Simon & Schuster decided to shred the entire print run, more than 20,000 copies.  Lewis tried unsuccessfully to get an explanation from Simon & Schuster but to no avail.  He now suspects that the White House convinced Simon & Schuster that George’s story might prove embarrassing to the president.

In 2010, George also applied for a visa to come to the United States and was refused.   While George confesses that in his younger years he was a delinquent, he has never been convicted of any crime.  Moreover, he has a very good reason to visit the United States: his mother Jael Otieno lives in Atlanta.  So why would the U. S. embassy in Nairobi refuse a tourist visa to the brother of the president who just wants to spend time with his mother?

Draw your own conclusions.

Quote of the Day

Had I just gazed the world through my Twitter feed, I would think Chick-fil-A was on the verge of bankruptcy. . . and also that Ron Paul was president, gay marriage was legal, and President Obama didn’t have a decent chance of losing the election.”

Via instapundit.

For those who don’t get the joke, Chick-fil-A is doing record sales thanks to the response to the torrent of hatred they’ve received from those who regard opposition to their agenda as… hate.

And don’t get me started on Ron Paul supporters. Ugh.

Blogging would be heavier but I’m working on a rather lengthy post which has taken up a lot of my spare time.

 

(Not) locked out

Well, in trying to post the previous post I discovered that WordPress’ system had locked me from posting.

I would like to thank the good folk who provide this free service for promptly recognising the mistake.

I’m not sure why it happened, but I suspect that either the previous post activated something, or some people who don’t like my take on their views hit the “spam” button.

Guess I should start posting more often again.

————-

> Reported: http://halfdone.wordpress.com
>
> Message:
> Posting has been disabled on my blog. Please tell me why.
>
> reporter: scrubone - scrubone@gmail.com

Hi,

Our apologies. The system should not have done that.

We have removed the warning in your dashboard and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused.

–
Ryan M.
WordPress.com | Automattic

Random blog search results…

…are always a good topic for blog posts.

Currently wordpress is listing:

• new tsunami footage
• spiderman 2
• resistance is futile
• irony
• ablisa boobs

I get the first 4. I’ve done posts with titles including those things.

But I just had to check out the last one – I mean, I do try to keep the blog toward the PG end of the spectrium!

Having checked Google, it seems that this post is the one attracting attention.

I have not the faintest idea why.

Quote of the day – Outdated political lines edition

Some people aren’t keeping up with political reality.

Um, sorry, Charlie… it’s not “all true.” Not even close. Ask Tea Party-backed Allen West or Tim Scott. Or Tea Party-backed Marco Rubio. If someone is still pushing this “Tea Party is racist” meme after all this time, it is only evidence of that person’s inability to break free from the Leftist echo-chamber.

Are there racists in the Tea Party? Of course, the Tea Party is one of the biggest political movements in America today. That’s gonig to include some racists.

Do those people represent the vast majority of Tea Party members? Of course not.

John Adams

My wife and I have been watching the John Adams mini series which I’d been recording. Sadly I missed the first episode.

Then I recalled something from some time ago… and sure enough, DPF had an old post on the series.

The seven part John Adams miniseries has won 13 Emmies, a record for a miniseries.

It is a compelling story of the first 50 years of the United States. Paul Gianatti did a powerful portrayal of John Adams, the first man to win and lose contested elections for President. The story of his friendship with Thomas Jefferson that turned to rivalvy and then loathing, before finally back to friendship is wonderfully told.

I hope a NZ broadcaster picks these up and shows them here.

That was over 2 years ago, and it still hasn’t made it here. I’ve been recording it on SBS through our cheapo satellite receiver.

It’s certainly well worth watching. I couldn’t comment on the historical accuracy, but it certainly has a very authentic appearance. In the last episode, John rips into the the artist who created the famous “signing of the declaration of independence” painting and muses that all the men depicted (himself and Jefferson excepted) were dead.

Anyway, a good series. One hopes that TVNZ or TV3 might bring it here sometime soon.

 

Keith Olbermann and the worst Anthem singing ever!

Saw this via twitter.

Apparently a lot of people weren’t that fussed on Christina Aguilera’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl.

They’ve got nothing to complain about.

More Liberal Tolerance Caught on Camera

Quote:

“If a liberal journalist were to produce the kind of footage at any one Tea Party, we would not be allowed to forget about it for the next five years,” Hartsock said.

Quote. I doubt we’ll be seeing too many responses like this. Seems all the lefties are too busy telling conservatives that Regan would have hated them, or bashing Palin for being “too partisan” in her speech celebrating one of the greatest conservatives that ever lived.