Overwhelmed

I have a cold, and like many men, I am a total baby about such things. You would think I was about to die. Since I am not running a fever, I am pretty sure I will live, but never the less, I feel a sense of ennui.

There is so much in the news to comment about, that keeping up with all of it, and making useful comments seems an overwhelming task. The unions protesting in Wisconsin against the Governor's plan to require that they pay some of the costs of their benefits is one that simply defies belief. Here we have teachers standing along side socialist and communist organisations, throwing a hissy fit because they are going to be asked to pay a part of their health plans and retirement. Everyone else does. Teachers felt it was OK to shut down the schools, and to use their students as props, and to get fake doctor's excuses to do so. What sort of ethical standard does that make for the children to emulate? What message does it send to have them standing with socialists and communists.  Communists and Fascist regimes were responsible for an estimated 130 million murders of their own people in the 20th century.  How do they justify standing with such people?  While the Left has been calling for "civility" from the right, where it has gotten nothing but civility, what message does it send to students to see their teachers making threats and rude comments to lawmakers on the television?  Perhaps they should all be fired, and Wisconsin should start over.

The Project Gunwalker scandal has reinforced for me my take on Government in general. Namely that it is the biggest, toughest bunch of thugs out there. You can find my personal beliefs about what government is at Of Government and Being Conservative. But the complete, and very public lawlessness of what ATF has done is staggering. In the process of sending guns into Mexico deliberately, they have violated our laws, violated international treaties, violated Mexican law, been responsible for one, maybe two murders, and that is just the start. The cover-up, as always, has led to violations of more laws. The DOJ looks to be running out the clock on Senator Grassley, and they just might succeed. Despite the heroic efforts of David Codrea and Mike Vanderboegh to keep the story going, I fear the ATF will get away with it, which will embolden it to more thuggish behavior. I urge anyone who may be concerned to write their Senators ask them to hold hearings on Project Gunwalker. You can find the details at The National Gun Rights Examiner page.

Then there is the utter ignorance in Kaylee Dodson's letter to editor, found at Keep and Bear Arms. Ms. Dodson, writing to the Standard Examiner claims:

Elias makes a good obvious suggestion that would protect schools from such events as the Columbine shootings. The Second Amendment does protect the right to bear arms, but in it may also take away others rights to confidently attend school in safety. It could be argued that one might not see a 'Gun-free Zone' sign and therefore wander into that zone without being aware. How many times has a person been pulled over by a cop because they failed to 'observe' a stop sign or a red light? The warning is there, it's your job to see it. Much like a No Smoking sign, I feel that setting up gun-free zones can help protect those who do not wish to be subject to the dangers that come with the prohibited action. We don't all make the same choice to carry a weapon or smoke a cigarette and therefore shouldn't all be exposed to the fire that may follow.

The only way that a person can be confident of his or her safety is if he or she is prepared to enforce that safety against someone who might try to violate it. The putting up of signs, whether they are  "gun free zone" signs, or "no smoking" signs, only stops those inclined to obey them. But these are not the people you need to be worried about. The people you need to be worried about are the people who would violate those signs with the intent to do you harm.  I say this with complete respect for the tough job the police do, but if that day ever comes, when seconds count the police will be minutes away.  You may not like to be around people carrying guns, but if a criminal brings a gun on campus despite the signs, you wouldn't know it until he decides to draw and start shooting.  That's the reality.  So, your confidence in your safety is in fact only an illusion, smoke and mirrors to lull you into such a state.  You can remain in your state of arrested development, but I advise that you grow up and see the world as it truly is.  Begin looking out for yourself.  Buy a gun, learn how and when to use it, and carry it with you everywhere you go.  And stop putting up roadblocks to others who have already grown up.

Now, for those who have grown up, there was a post over at the Truth About Guns entitled Self Defense Tip: Just Because You're Shot Doesn't Mean You're Dead. It is definitely worth thinking about. What if you get shot in a confrontation?  According to Robert Farago, most people survive gunshot wounds, which means your assailant has likely survived and you need to keep an eye out not only for further assaults from him, but his possible friends as well.  Please read, and think about what you might do.