The 3%

So here we are. On the other side, are the Brady Bunch, the AHSA, Joyce, the Main Stream Media, and many others whose ultimate goal is the total disarmament of the citizens of the United States of America.

Standing against them, are a few choice and select groups. JPFO, GOA, Three Percenters (3%) and local state organizations.

In between are pragmatists (prags), hunters (fudds), and sheep.

Prags feel that there is always yet a political solution. In this age of Olufson, Heller (sure, 2nd Amendment is great...except for what we say are "reasonable" restrictions), and our new ultra-left government, prags feel that "we should use the tools the forefathers gave us"...and nothing else.

Fudds believe that as long as the government doesn't touch their bolt-action hunting rifle, all is well. Those darned "assault weapons" and handguns should be banned.

Sheep, as one pragmatist put it recently, just want to drink their Starbucks and flip the bird to the driver in front of them.

Prags want to befriend the sheep, so the sheep will vote for pro-2nd Amendment issues. To the prag, the three-percenters are scaring the sheep, sending them scattering across the fields in terror. This, unfortunately, is probably true. However, I posit that the sheep are a lost cause as far as the pro-gun community is concerned.

Here is the problem. Sheep watch CNN, MSNBC, and their local news. Most Sheep news sources are not pro-gun. To your normal person watching TV, guns are for criminals and murderers. For now, news outlets are content to paint handguns and "assault weapons" as weapons designed to kill people. And not just people, but dewey eyed students and babies, and women at the hands of their drunk, red-neck male assaulters.

It was just recently here in Dallas that a competition marksman, using a 50 caliber rifle for practice, had a round get loose (I'm still not sure how, he was on a designated range) and crash through the ceiling of a woman's trailer, 5 miles down range. When the shooter heard of the injury on the news, he immediately turned himself in to the Police - as well as apologized in person to the woman and her husband. Luckily, the round only broke the woman's arm near her wrist, and the Police seemed likely to let the injury pass as an accident. The husband, while he accepted the gentleman's apology, happily went on the news and opined that this is why 50cal weapons should be banned. The news anchor, then, naturally chimed in that 50cal weapons can pierce tanks, shoot down airplanes, and, I kid you not, "destroy" concrete bunkers". And this was our local Fox News station. Yes, Fox ain't perfect, but when a network that is usually reasonably right-leaning makes those kinds of statements, what does that leave us with?

This misleading, and in many cases outright fabricated crap is what most sheep are inundated with day in and day out. Guns don't save lives. They aren't needed tools to ensure our Republic remains intact - they are for "gun nuts" and "red necks" to prove their manliness with, right up until Billy-Bob down the street decides he needs to shoot someone else because they took his parking space. I have even had friends who were gun enthusiasts tell me that I was "asking for trouble" because I carry a legally concealed weapon.

In all reality, how do you combat that? When the general populace has been conditioned to believe something by every source that they deem credible; when they are fed a constant supply of bull$^@# day in and day out, how do you really deprogram that when you do not have access to the level of resources that our enemies do? Further, how do you counter that kind of misinformation when your opponents have been trained not in logical debate, but rather taught to yell emotional tag-lines and stuff their fingers in their ears while screaming "lalalalala" when anyone raises a counter-argument?

Comments recently by self-described prags seem to indicate that those of us who are in the 3% have completely given up on the political front and are cleaning our guns in gleeful anticipation of "going hunting". However, that could not be farther from the truth. Most of us remain dedicated to a peaceful solution. Our opponents, however, know very little except for force (war). Don't pay your taxes, guys with guns come to haul you away. Criticize your representative, guys with guns come to take your guns. Even trying to work within the system ends up in which a shoestring is declared a machinegun (yes, this has since been reversed).

Make no mistake. Heller to the contrary (but not really), and the Constitution and Bill of Rights to the contrary, our government has proven time and time again that they will do whatever they want. Apparently, it is up to us to protest and get arrested and spend millions of dollars of our own money (and another few million of our tax dollars as the government defends itself) to get a ruling from a court that has shown it is no longer really interested in what the Founders intended. In the mean time, we spend years languishing under unconstitutional laws waiting and hoping that the powers that be will deign to let us actually live in the spirit of Freedom that is supposed to be guaranteed by "that goddamned piece of paper". Compounding the problem, there is actually little to no consequences for those who architect unconstitutional legislation and get it passed. The worst they get is voted out of office, and only then if they're not in a place where they have sufficiently programmed their constituents to line up and bleat with proper deference.

Meanwhile, the Fudds sit around cleaning their bolt-action deer rifles and vote for Obama because he's only after those evil massacre inducing "assault" weapons and handguns.

Ultimately, each faction of the gun community needs the others. As Mike Vanderboegh stated here, the Prags need us as the group that could be unleashed should Politicians refuse to be reasonable and follow the Bill of Rights. We need the Prags to act as the respectable front of people who aren't into all that "militia" crap and really don't truck with "revolution". The Fudds need both of the other factions to ensure that "armor piercing" rifle ammunition and "sniper rifles" don't get banned.

Unfortunately, until the three groups truly understand their differences and learn to work together to cover each others real and perceived weaknesses, the infighting and sniping will continue unabated.

Meanwhile, Mike's original question to the Prags and Fudds goes unanswered...
Where is the line in the sand at which point you will conclude that a peaceful political solution is no longer on the table?

I believe I answered that question recently myself.
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.

"This is as far as the bastards are going."

"This is as far as the bastards are going." Click the link to see Mike's dialogue with a confused pragmatist who will gleefully talk to gun controllers as they disarm him completely.

I have mentioned Mike Vanderboegh a few times on this blog, and definitely have talked about him to those people I'm lucky enough to talk to in person.

I've linked an excellent response Mike made to a pragmatist (we'll call them Prags) who thinks that we can reason with people who, while they say they want to compromise, really have only one goal - the eradication of private firearms ownership in any form.

Mike recounts an excellent story that I'll rewrite here from Anecdotes from the Battle of the Bulge:
Late on the night of December 23rd, Sergeant John Banister of the 14th Cavalry Group found himself meandering through the village of Provedroux, southwest of Vielsalm. He'd been separated from his unit during the wild retreat of the first days and joined up with Task Force Jones, defending the southern side of the Fortified Goose Egg. Now they were in retreat again. The Germans were closing in on the village from three sides. American vehicles were pulling out, and Banister was once again separated from his new unit, with no ride out.

A tank destroyer rolled by; somebody waved him aboard and Banister eagerly climbed on. They roared out of the burning town. Somebody told Banister that he was riding with Lieutenant Bill Rogers. "Who's he?" Banister wanted to know. "Will Rogers' son," came the answer. It was a hell of a way to meet a celebrity.
An hour later they reached the main highway running west from Vielsalm. There they found a lone soldier digging a foxhole. Armed with bazooka and rifle, unshaven and filthy, he went about his business with a stoic nonchalance. They pulled up to him and stopped. He didn't seem to care about the refugees. "If yer lookin for a safe place," he said, "just pull that vehicle behind me. I'm the 82nd Airborne. This is as far as the bastards are going."

The men on the tank destroyer hesitated. After the constant retreats of the last week, they didn't have much fight left in them. But the paratrooper's determination was infectious. "You heard the man," declared Rogers. "Let's set up for business!" Twenty minutes later, two truckloads of GIs joined their little roadblock. All through the night, men trickled in, and their defenses grew stronger.

Around that single paratrooper was formed the nucleus of a major strongpoint.

We have made some incremental gains in the last eight years. However, Obama's own Change.gov site dictates directly that he will do his level best to erase those eight years in a few fell strokes of a pen. And not only erase those last eight years, but plunge us back into the dark gun control filled days of the 80's. The gun control fanatics are already trumpeting their triumph and are lining up with new bills designed to disarm law abiding Americans - leaving us at the mercies of thugs, gangsters, and crazed terrorists bent on our destruction. Do not think for a moment that attacks like those that happened in Mumbai could not be easily carried out in Chicago, Washington DC, or New York City - all three of which are full of unarmed victims. All three held up as utopias by gun control organizations.

The time for one step forward and two steps back is over. People like Mike (and I'd like to think myself as well) are willing to dig in where they are. They're willing to not only act as a rallying point for like minded individuals, but they're willing to risk potential harassment, imprisonment, or worse by showing the world that they're willing to stand up for what they believe in. By doing so, they provide hope and momentum to others who are willing to take up the fight, but don't have the eloquence, debate skills, or knowledge to effectively do so themselves.

Stand up and get vocal. Blog, leave comments and letters to the editor when you see an anti-gun article/editorial in your paper. Correct misconceptions where you can. Show the Government that there is a strong group of people out there that will not stand idly by while our rights are removed piece by piece.

Stop alongside your fellow Patriots in the road and dig in to bring the fight to the enemy.

For the record, the image above is a poster distributed to commemorate PFC Martin's heroic statement. The paratrooper in the image is PFC Vernon Haught, also of the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment. More information and a link to a nearly full size copy of the poster can be found at this site.

Spending Our Way Into Oblivion

Audit of $700B Financial Sector Bailout Fuels Criticisms of Paulson, Bernanke

Good morning! Yes, I'm posting this at night. But it is past time we woke up and took stock of our Nation and its Economic Health.

I took a few weeks off to get some personal business taken care of, it's too bad our Government didn't do the same.

Trillions of dollars now in guaranteed bad debt (read: hundreds dump trucks of money that are attempting to fill a hole the size of the Grand Canyon), hundreds of billions handed out to banks and other insolvent institutions with absolutely no stipulations attached. And where are we? Still screwed.

The States, the Auto Industry, voters, Unions - everyone is lining up for money. The problem is, we don't have money to give. Repeat after me - we DID NOT have any money to spare to start with. We were already spending more than we made in taxes BEFORE we starting playing "money machine" and throwing cash down the drain.

So, did our erudite Government look for ways to cut spending, to reduce tax burdens on our corporations that already rank amongst the highest in the world? Did they ease or reduce environmental regulations that are costing our industries and businesses money that they do not have to spend?

No, they turned around and further increased our debts to foreign nations. Debts that we (or rather our Grand Children and likely their Grand Children) must pay back. They dug us further into a hole that may very likely lead to a collapse of not just our economy, but the world economy.

As Karl Denninger has so aptly put it - pouring on more credit, bailing out insolvent and bankrupt industries, is like giving booze to an alcoholic. It may ease the pain now, but it only causes further damage, and an even harder recovery down the road (assuming that last drink isn't the one that destroys the liver and kills the drunk). Not to mention that it's expensive as hell for the one providing the booze (the taxpayers).

Until the market is able to force insolvent banks, homeowners, and businesses into bankruptcy where they belong, we will see continued crashes/softness, and further delay in our recovery.

Again, I call on the Ladies and Gentleman in our Government:
FREE THE MARKET NOW. No more bailouts. No more emergency loans. No more credit to people who can not repay it.

Stop the madness, before it's too late.

When Seconds Count...

A hat-tip to David Codrea at War On Guns for linking to this article.

I chose to post a comment to the article, I'll post it here as well:

A very interesting article, and one with a tone you do not often see on mainstream media outlets.

One thing you said interested me in particular though. Those of us who have gone through the background checks and training to carry a legal concealed weapon also believe that "no guns" signs encourage those bent on doing harm. As a group, we often tend to avoid locations who have posted such signs as a rule - since we are law abiding citizens (we have to be to have a concealed weapon permit by definition).

If the profile of an active shooter is indeed that they often turn the gun on themselves at the first sign of armed resistance, wouldn't having more people capable of armed resistance make sense?

While the (erroneous) point is often made that regular citizens with legal guns will do more harm than good in an active shooting situation by shooting each other and innocent bystanders, and how are Police to know they're the good guys, the basic idea is this: The guy you shoot is the one shooting people who are running and screaming. The guy you don't shoot is the one who has their gun out but is not shooting at people running and screaming.

While most folks with a legally concealed weapon aren't necessarily going to get involved in a situation like a mall shooting by throwing themselves into the fray, they will definitely defend themselves if attacked directly. And that's what you need. You need people who, when a sociopath comes into the building with a shotgun and opens fire, will fire back. Even if they don't hit him, they can potentially contain them long enough for the "experts" (Police) to arrive and take control, limiting the damage an active shooter can do.

Thank you for writing this article. I do hope folks will take a moment to think about the purpose a "no guns" sign really serves. In the game of life, gun beats paper - every time.

Keep Digging, China is Down There Somewhere

Pelosi to Seek Auto Industry Relief Bill

You know, we were told that the bailout was to immediately provide relief to failing banks and the credit market. We were told that there would be no money in ATMs, that the monetary system would collapse, that there would be tanks in the streets.

So they threw $700bil at it. $700bil that we do not have. $700bil that we will STILL be paying off decades from now (assuming there is something still here to pay it). $700bil that, I might add, for the most part still has NOT been applied towards "easing the credit crisis". And yet, things are still running, the world hasn't ended. Yet.

Now, we're told it's needed to bail out automakers. Yes, the same automakers who have failed in an ever so epic manner to be profitable for the last 30 years. The same automakers who go hat in hand to the government every year crying about how they're going to fail. The same automakers, because of whom, we charge massive tariffs on imported cars from countries like Japan that understand YOU MUST MAKE A PROFIT TO SURVIVE. GM today sounded their last death rattle unless the Government throws a LOT of money at them.

And who pays? We pay. We pay more for cars because our automakers could give a flying f*#$ about quality and don't care to compete with foreign manufacturers. We pay more for cars because the UAW has their hands up the automaker's butts in an effed up macabre puppet show. WE PAY FOR THE AUTO MAKERS EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PLANS.

I don't know about you, but I'm incredibly freaking tired of MY hard earned money going to insolvent banks, ineptly run auto factories, dumbasses that couldn't figure out they couldn't afford a home, greedy bastard politicians and their con-men cronies, Jihadist Extremists in the desert, jackoffs that won't get off of their asses and get a freaking job, disaster survivors who feel that they deserve a plasma tv and a new car, people who would rather buy a bluetooth earpiece than school books for their kids, failed wars on stuff that shouldn't be illegal in the first place, corrupt dictatorial nationstates...need I go on??

When is enough enough?

Look on the bright side. At the rate we're going, foreign nations are going to call us due any time now. And it's costing us $2bil/day in debt to keep everything spinning at the moment. Without foreign investment in debt we can't repay, we get to see just how well people can survive with a government that couldn't afford to buy a carton of eggs, let alone their mortgage payments.

A little light reading, if your stomach is up for it.

Always Remember

In light of our new overseers, remember this.



Hat Tip to Western Rifle Shooters

2A Today for the USA

As you might have noticed from my side bar I have the Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership listed as a group I am a member of.

While I'm not Jewish, the JPFO has proved time and time again to be an excellent group actively working to preserve our 2nd Amendment rights. You don't have to be Jewish to be a member, and I've found their literature and activism to not be limited strictly to items impacting the Jewish faith. I can't, however, think of a better group of people to champion the Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms.

Please take 20 minutes to watch this video, and share it with anyone you feel might benefit from watching this.

More information, as well as a link to a large downloadable copy of this video can be found at the Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership web site.