Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Best Book On Second Amendment


Monday, May 16, 2011


Halbrook, Stephen P. (Ll.D.);
The Founders' second Amendment: Origins Of The Right To Bear Arms;
Ivan R. Dee (Publisher), In Association With The Independent Institute;
Chicago, 2008
The above cited book is excellent for the following reasons:
1. It provides a deep and well documented (Original documents) review of the development of the Second Amendment to our Constitution and, more generally, of the Bill Of Rights and the Constitution;
2. The author presents both sides of each argument before and during the Revolution and during the development of the Bill Of Rights (Especially as to the Second Amendment) and the Constitution as they occurred and in a logical sequence.;
3. The "Conclusions" chapter are very apparently the opinions of Mr. Halbrook and honestly separated from the body of this history.

Those who teach materials as to the subjects covered in this work would be unprofessional if they do not read this book. "Misconduct In Public Office" would be the least accusation I would make against any law-maker or jurist who fails to do the same before dealing with gun related issues. Editors and publishers who fail to know the materials in this volume should be considered unprofessional if they fail to consider the facts presented and conclusions made by Mr. Halbrook before reporting or writing editorials on the Second Amendment.

The points I found very interesting are here listed.
1. "The Militia" (Or "general militia) is the whole body of adult-and-free citizens who have a Natural Law Right to own weapons and to carry them anywhere they please AND may have a duty to own weapons for defense of self and his State.
2. The "well regulated militia" noted in the Second Amendment is that part of the "general militia" as organized into companies (Often at a town or village level) and equipped with standard firearms, drilled in military skills and organized into larger units (Usually under officers appointed by the Governor of each State).
3. These (Both) militias were seen as necessary for the defense of each State AND, much more important to most of the founders of the USA, to provide a defense against the potential tyranny of an overly powerful Federal government.
4. The "blunderbuss" was an early type of very short barreled shotgun, much like the sawed-off shotguns. These weapons were, in fact, sought by the members of the short-of-weapons early, revolutionary, militias, This is in opposition to the Federal Court case (Citation needed) which ruled that such shotguns were not nor never a militia weapon.
5. Pocket pistols were carried by our Founding Fathers with no concern as to CCW permits.
6. British General Gage was specially concerned about the "back woodsmen" most specially skilled in accurate long range shooting being often dependent on such hunting skills for survival
7. Even at the time of the writing of our Constitution and Bill Of Rights there were persons who distrusted the People as to possessing arms.

From other readings I note that:
1. Abraham Lincoln was elected as an officer of his militia company in the "Black Hawk War"; And,
2. As late as 1856 The US Supreme Court noted (In the Dred Scott case) that only free citizens could arm themselves and then travel as they saw fit. this being a right of citizens at that time (And now)

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Guns Vs. Doctors



Doctors vs. Gun Owners
Doctors
(A)   The number of physicians in the U.S. is
700,000
(B)   Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are
120,000
(C)   Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171 
Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services

Now think about this:  
Guns
(A)   The number of gun owners in the U.S. is
80,000,000
(Yes, that's 80 million)
(B)   The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is
1,500
(C)   The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.000188 
Statistics courtesy of FBI  
So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

Remember, 'Guns don't kill people, DOCTORS do.' 

FACT:   NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.  
Please alert your friends to this alarming threat.
We must ban doctors  
Before this gets completely out of hand!


Out of concern for the public at large, I withheld the statistics on Lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Why Modern Arms For The People


All who study history (And all should) we should know that the purpose of the Second Amendment was to give every citizen (Each a member of the "General Militia") to have such firearms as were equal to those issued to regular, federal, soldiers. That constitutional requirement is still in effect.

If you are under the illusion that our national government is incapable of tyranny, you might consider:
1. The forced and racist removal of the Cherokee from their lands by such a dictator as President Jackson;
2. The imprisonment and other persecution of those opposed to World War-I by Democrat President Wilson;
3. The racist and forced internment of loyal Americans of Japanese decent by Democrat President F. D. Roosevelt;
4. The FBI murder of an unarmed mother, holding her infant child, at Ruby Ridge (Under the Administration of President Bush who may or may-not have known this was an FBI "Kill First & Ask Questions Later" operation);
5. The murder of unarmed women and children, by FBI & BATF thugs, under a Democrat Administration in a case where a mailed summons might have worked as well, this to prove that resistance to the Federal Government is more than willing to kill citizens to prove its power; And,
4. The ongoing violations of our democratically passed laws by Democrat B. H. Obama, some of which violations have caused many deaths in the USA and Mexico (eg "Fast & Furious").

You might also recall that the overthrow of the tyrant in Libya was possible only because the People were able to obtain real "Assault Rifles" well beyond the faux and falsely named semi-automatic rifles still allow the People of the USA. Of course, many of those armed citizens were either members of the military of Police or Military who refused to fight the People and, in fact, joined them (For which please use your search engine for "Oath Keepers") OR by killing the military, police and goon-squad supporters of that tyrant.

You might also recall that Mexico has effectively disarmed its common people, proving the maxim: "When guns are outlawed, only the police, army and other criminals will have guns". Of course, Mr. Obama's minions violated our gun sale laws to facilitate the transfer of guns to "Drug Lords".

You might note that Mr. Obama's Administration has bought many, many, assault rifles and riot guns AND excessive stockpiles of munitions for those civilian agencies (Whose loyalty is to their bosses and not, as our military, to the Constitution).
. 

Annotated Declaraton Of Independence

The copy of the Declaration Of Independence provided below is offered as to the Federal Government generally and, most specially, as to the current Administration AND the use of Executive Orders and other misdeeds by Mr. B. H. Obama.







The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

No Fly/Gun LIsts & "Due Process"

The "no fly list" is corrupted with errors listing children, fictional characters and, if my memory serves me, at least one dog. I know that travel outside of the USA may not be a current right for citizens, but it appears that travel within this very large nation is. Because of that size, air travel should be a right to be limited only after minimum due process is had (For which please see below).

SCOTUS has declared that gun ownership is an individual right which cannot be taken away without due process. Even allegations of felony convictions, domestic violence convictions or judicial determinations of dangerous mental illness must be proved if contested.

You might consider how many errors have been found in the "no fly list". You might consider how many, for example, persons are named "John Johnson" in the USA a number of them with the same or very like dates-of-birth.

Before anyone is put OR retained on such lists they must be given:
1. Notice of the reasons for addition on such lists;
2. The statutory and evidential basis for the proposed actions (No "confidential witnesses" to be allowed to meet the "right to confront" standard);
3. A "due process hearing" before an impartial finder of facts and law AND at no great distance from the citizen's residence---Who must have the authority to prevent a person falsely put on such lists OR to remove a person improperly put on such lists.

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Guns, Tyranny & Government

All politicians and citizens should know that the purpose of the Second Amendment was to give every citizen (Each a member of the "General Militia") to have such firearms as were equal to those issued to regular, federal, soldiers. That constitutional requirement is still in effect. All should be aware of President Jefferson's comments on guns, free men and government as reproduced below.

If you are under the illusion that our national government is incapable of tyranny, you might consider:
1. The forced and racist removal of the Cherokee from their lands by such a dictator as President Jackson;
2. The imprisonment and other persecution of those opposed to World War-I by Democrat President Wilson;
3. The racist and forced internment of loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry by Democrat President F. D. Roosevelt;
 4. The murder of an unarmed woman, holding her infant child, at Ruby Ridge (Under President G. W; H. Bush who may or may-not known of the irregular "rules of engagement of the FBI for that incident, being a "kill first and ask questions later operation);
5. The mass murder of unarmed women and children at the Branch Davidian compound under the administration of Democrat William Clinton; And,
6.  The ongoing violations of our democratically passed laws by Democrat B. H. Obama, some of which violations have caused many deaths in the USA and Mexico (eg "Fast & Furious").

You might also note that Mexico has extreme anti-gun laws but has a tyrannical and corrupt government as allows drug cartels to be better armed than some nations. Mexico is certainly a place where: "When guns are outlawed only the police/military and other criminals have guns".                                 ====================================================================

Guns & President Jefferson

The Other Thomas Jefferson Quotes
Much, too much, has been made of the PRIVATE letter of Thomas Jefferson as to the "wall between church and state". Perhaps all should not the following, OTHER, quotes from that founder's statements.

"No free man shall ever be debarred
the use of arms."

"The strongest reason for the
people to retain the right to keep and bear arms
is, as a last resort, to protect themselves
against tyranny in government."

"The tree of liberty must be
refreshed from time to time with the blood of
patriots and tyrants."

Sunday, January 06, 2013

The Swiss, Guns & Psychiatry


On January 2, 2013 there was a multiple killing in Switzerland.  The shooter was previously identified as a psychiatric case, provided treatment and had his guns taken away from him.  That very heavily armed nation has a military grade (Assault?) rifle in almost every adult, male, citizen's home. They even have "gun registries"---Which did not list him as possessing any guns.  He could not legally buy a gun there without showing a psychiatric "bill of good health". These rules and procedures did not keep him from getting guns.

It appears that his primary weapon was an almost antique rifle (Probably much like that used to kill President Kennedy: and certainly not a fully-automatic and real "assault rifle" or ever a semi-automatic faux "assault rifle".
This story clearly demonstrates that terrorists, "crazies" and other criminals will always be able to find a way to obtain firearms----And, the more accessible WMD which require no technical expertise (As was required of Timothy McVeigh in his gun-less Oklahoma City bombing).

The Swiss, being a most sensible people, will realize that such an exceptional case  does NOT  "prove the/any rule" and will not disarm themselves. The above-noted shooting is an exception as the overall rate of illegal shootings, by citizens, is so low in that nation as to be statistically meaningless. [I understand the same is essentially true in Israel where it is not uncommon to see a man, dressed in civilian clothes, peacefully walking down the street carrying a sub-machine gun.]                                          

PS----MALO PERICULOSAM LIBERTATEM QUAM QUIETUM SERVITIUM