The REAL issues

The supreme court has a big week. This week they will hear arguments on the constitutionality of Gay Marriage as well as DOMA.  Facebook seems to have gotten the memo today and I am seeing one after another of my friends Facebook pictures replaced with the marriage equality symbol in order to show their avid support for marriage equality. While I have already voiced my personal opinion on marriage here, I encourage everyone to participate in respectful dialogue on all political issues including gay marriage.

So where's the rub you ask? Because, as I am sure you have now figured out, new posts only ever come out when I'm particularly peeved about something or other going on in politics. So here's the issue:

First of all, this is a supreme court decision.  As strongly as you may feel about a particular case, the supreme court is the only branch of the US Government that can and should completely disregard your thoughts and opinions on the issue. If there is any time that it is completely pointless to show your support or lack there of for a particular issue, a supreme court case would be it.

Secondly, I get that there are important rights reserved for governmentally recognized marriages but of all the issues of the day, this is the only one that I have seen this kind of response for. I get that it's facebook, and it's silly trend that will last a week and die out, but where are the facebook pictures demanding we end the war in Afghanistan which is resulting in weekly fatalities not to mention the 2 billion (with a 'B') dollar a week price tag.

I am truly sorry for the pain that this issue has caused for so many, and I pray that we can come together in love and begin to heal the wounds, but I guess I am just discouraged find that while the digital world make wake up for a spiffy political graphic, they won't lift a finger to do much else.

Biden to limit number of clips per magazine

Vice President Biden demonstrated his vast gun knowledge in yesterday's Google + "hangout" session (who knew he was so HIP!) when he talked about limiting the number of clips (not rounds or bullets) per magazine. With such vast gun knowledge, how could any of us doubt his ability to write educated, well balanced, gun legislation?

To add insult to injury, he then followed up his remarks by discussing the number of shells (Again, not rounds, or bullets) that the Araura shooter's high capacity magazines could carry.... Now I don't fault anyone for not knowing this terminology. I only know it because my spouse happens to be a gun enthusiast. What I do fault, however, is anyone who tries to write legislation that would limit our second amendment rights without even knowing the proper terminology for the things they want to limit.

Here's the video, it gets good around 5 min 6 seconds.

Letter to the Editor "I am fearful"

BY: DALE E. CARPENTER, JD
January 16, 2013

To the Editor:

I am a lawyer, a civil-rights advocate, and a war veteran...and I am fearful; not at the prospect of dying at the hands of some mad-man with an "assault' Rifle" (as tragic as they are, you are more likely to be struck by lightning multiple times than to be killed in a mass shooting); I am fearful at the prospect of an all-powerful federal government run amuck. I am deeply troubled by a government that is failing at its primary function -- to protect our liberties ("Inalienable rights") enshrined in the amendments to the US Constitution; a Constitution that our government officials have all sworn to "support and defend"; an oath that is too often ignored. 

Ever since the events of 9/11 ("never let a crisis go to waste") the rights of US citizens have been repeatedly violated and abused in the name of public-safety and security. A Sampling:

• Warrantless wiretaps as well as electrionic capture of all citizens' digital communications in an NSA database (4th amendment) 
• Indefinite detentions of US citizens without charge of judicial review, authorized by the NDAA (4th, 5th, & 8th amendments)
• Warrentless searches of US citizens by the FBI, authorized by the Foreight Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act (4th & 5th amendments)   
•  Presidential assassination lists targeting US citizens among others (4th, 5th, & 8th amendments)
•  Invasive warrantless searches by federal TSA agents, not just in airports, but in train and bus stations, and on Interstate highways (4th & 5th amendments)
• Religious liberty violations -- federal regulations forcing religious entities to pay for abortion drugs in violation of their strongly held beliefs (1st amendment).  

 Not to mention the nationalization of our healthcare system via the so-called Affordable Care Act, which compels citizens to purchase commercial insurance products or pay a penalty (in violation of the commerce clause, but upheld as a "tax" which it expressly disclaimed to be); Or the militarization of the police and federal domestic agencies with their armored personnel carriers, military weaponry, black helicopters, surveillance drones, and their no-knock raids in the middle of the night (E.g. FDA guns-drawn raid of an organic-food co-op to confiscate yogurt made with unpasteurized milk)

And now, a full frontal assult on the 2nd Amendment by Diane Feinstein, Joe Biden, and others of their ilk. Proposed legislation would criminalize/ regulate the possession or transfer of nearly all modern rifles (semi-automatic & Magazine fed), and create a national registry of gun owners (Gun registration has been a precursor to gun confiscation by nearly every tyrant of the 20th century). FBI crime statistics report that far more people are killed each year by fists, feet and hammers (or other blunt objects) than by all rifles of any description, but no one is proposing the registration or regulation of hammers.

Once you know the facts, you might suspect that this "gun control" effort is more about "control" than it is abou gun safety. it appears that they simply want a government monopoly on the use of force (You should ask yourself what possible use the TSA would have for its recent purchase of 450,000,00 -- that's right, 450 million - rounds of .40 caliber, hollow-point, hand-gun ammunition).  Mao TseTung, said it: "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."

It might be prudent to remember that the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired as British red coats attempted to enforce King George's "gun control" edict ("executive order") to confiscate muskets, ball and powder (the "assault weapons" of the day) at Concord, Massachusetts.