Ad from a century ago

This vintage ad for a Savage semi-automatic pistol appears similar to those from 1913 on record at the Library of Congress. Ten shots. If New York does eventually go ahead with its legislated seven-round mag limit, it'll set the self-defense clock back 100 years.

Reader thoughts and tips always welcome

I had some good tips last week. Wouldn't mind seeing more.

If you'd like to communicate by email:

doug.talksouth@gmail.com

A New York Times correction

From: The New York Times

Aside from the basic hardware, there's something else here that makes me chuckle.

Bloomberg's people apparently told the Atlanta Constitution's DC bureau this week that the commercial spokesman was a "real guy," not an actor.  Has the New York Times committed a new error in its correction? Or does the Times know something we don't?

Spring "wilding" in Chicago

And Second City Cop expects more to come as temperatures warm.

One hundred years ago...

"Easter, 1913"

National Photo Company Collection, Library of Congress

On edge in Texas

The Dallas Morning News reports conspiracy worries are swirling in one Texas County this Easter morn:

Kaufman County’s district attorney and his wife were found slain Saturday, raising fears that their deaths may be part of a plot that included the death of one of the county’s assistant district attorneys in January.

The report goes on to say it appears the couple's front door was kicked in. And that "shell casings are everywhere."

Making up rules to suit their agenda

The Obama administration wants the U.N. to move forward on the Arms Trade Treaty. In violation of the promised and established procedure.

The Obama administration is demanding that the U.N. General Assembly vote on an arms trade treaty opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) next week, abandoning its earlier insistence on consensus.

Iran, Syria and North Korea were the hold outs on reaching consensus. And Russia blocked a move to proceed without unanimous consent.

What's in the treaty that Obama wants so badly?

If you don't know the answer, this previous post might shed some light.

And, silly me. I actually thought Obama was playing by the rules. Or at least pretending to.

As I noted late year, a treaty doesn't necessarily have to be ratified by the senate before a president begins moving toward compliance.

The Los Angeles Times reports a vote on the treaty by the U.N. General Assembly could come was soon as Tuesday.

Defacto gun purchase ban in Jersey county

The Wall Street Journal notes a situation in New Jersey post-Sandy:

The storm's floodwaters damaged tens of thousands of Essex County mental health records used as part of background checks for gun purchases, county officials said, meaning some prospective gun owners have not been able to buy pistols or rifles for several months.

Imagine what might be possible under a national New Jersey-like system. How easily might gun purchases be halted with a claim of records lost to theft, fire, natural disaster or cyber-attack.

America appears in the process of shifting from the land of presumed innocence to one where rights are denied based on presumed mental illness unless there's verification otherwise on public record.

So, Faux Bubba's finger wasn't on the trigger?

Maybe so, but still...

And we still don't know who the guy is.

I'm thinking he may have shaved his beard and scrubbed his Facebook page by now.

How stable is global banking?

Weiss Research shares its ratings on some of the big players in today's Money and Markets:

Source: http://www.moneyandmarkets.com

Obamacare and stagnation

Coyote Blog makes the case that passage of the Democrats' health care reform in 2010 was when re-surging employment suddenly chilled. Especially powerful is the post's enhanced chart based on one from the St. Louis Fed. It shows "net monthly job creation":

(Payems is Fed-speak for All Employees: Total Non-Farm)

Jogs my memory. I know people who within 30 days of Obamacare's passage were cut to part-time as their employers made "forward looking realignments." Around that time, another woman I know lost her supervisory post as her company downsized, many under her were let go or reduced to part-time. Since then, others have told me similar tales that often include a post-script that their health care coverage was eliminated in their realignment.

Silver coin oberservations

Hadn't priced average circulated U.S. silver coins (those minted 1964 or earlier) on eBay in a while.

But as I scanned some of the coin rolls moving this week, they seem to be selling at a slightly higher premium than I recall in the past. Some online coin dealers also seem to be listing product at more of a premium than usual, despite the fact silver's been back under $30 an ounce for a while.

So which is it? Is the "paper" value of silver too low, or is consumer demand for the coins especially high?

Or maybe it's just a market fluke falling somewhere in between.

I'm also curious whether what happened in Cyprus might have anything to do with a possible rise in domestic demand.

The Bahamas wasn't enough?

Now there's a report the Obama daughters have been spotted on a ski trip in Idaho.

Is the Air Force logging some hours as a First Teen taxi service?

And the Secret Service racking up some significant expense as well?


Update: The originating TV station scrubbed the ski story at White House request.

From the beginning of the administration, the White House has asked news outlets not to report on or photograph the Obama children when they are not with their parents and there is no vital news interest. We have reminded outlets of this request in order to protect the privacy and security of these girls.

The federal government eliminated White House tours, yet untold amounts of spending are incurred by the Secret Service (and perhaps other government entities) so the Obama girls can enjoy elitist privilege. I'd argue there is a compelling public interest to report this. The media is negligent for allowing White House censorship of this off-shoot of what President Obama assured us was a "sequester crisis."

Truth in advertising

It's time for a concerted effort to make Mike Bloomberg and his so-called Mayors Against Illegal Guns disclose who their self-proclaimed TV ad gun owner is.

Who is this "gun owner"?
Courtesy: MAIG Coalition 

Is he a real gun owner? An actor?

It's time we demand the nanny state mayors come clean, and cough up a resume for their Second Amendment "advocate." The man, featured in 30 and 60 second commercials said to be running in 13 states, is being used in an attempt to shape our future, infringe on our Second Amendment and private property rights. We deserve to know more about who he really is.

Meanwhile,  there's a new dose of hypocrisy from the gun control crowd, and another Bloomberg spot is forefront there too.

Beginning last week, advocates for a Connecticut assault weapons ban and firearm magazine capacity limits cried foul when the NRA had a robocall campaign in the Newtown area notifying residents of potential legislation.

The anti-gunners claimed it was insensitive for the NRA to assault Newtown residents with what they called objectionable messages, that the community was still in recovery from the Sandy Hook shootings.

Now? Mayors Against Illegal Guns seeks to make Newtown residents relive the losses of Sandy Hook with a new commercial running in the Hartford television market that includes the Newtown community. It features family members and bios of some of those killed. For those still trying to recover emotionally from the Sandy Hook shootings, the MAIG refresher spot can turn up on their TV unannounced at any time.

From: Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition via YouTube

A straightforward legislative alert robocall from the NRA is deemed over the line, but an emotional pitch to revive and exploit the losses at Sandy Hook gets a nod from the gun control crowd. We should let Bloomberg's mayors know we object to their shameful exploitation.

If you have a mayor that's a member of MAIG, maybe they should hear from you.

Friday's (March 29) radio show

Don and I are back to 1:00 pm EDT this week. Looking forward to Friday's show on TalkSouthRadio.com:

What does Joe Biden mean when he says an assault weapons ban and universal background checks are just the beginning?

Have you seen Mike Bloomberg's false flag Fudd hunter commercials running on local TV? They're popping up here in Atlanta. 

And the S&P hit an all time high this week. Really. But are there economic fundamentals to justify it, or is Ben Bernanke's easy money blowing a bubble that's going to burst louder and wider than housing did?

We go live at one o'clock Friday, March 29. Join us then if you can, or catch a replay later. 



Update: Program's done, in the can. First hour discussed the gun control push, and the disingenuous tactics used to move it forward. Later in the show, we also ponder whether DHS bought near the ammo some say it has. Final half hour considers the latest on Cyprus, perhaps some steps folks can take to prep in case something similar happens here.

The show's available from start to finish by clicking here. 

Who is the Bloomberg pitch man?

Still no name or resume to go with the guy in the MAIG spot.

No UN Arms Trade Treaty

Iran, Syria and North Korea refused to go with the flow. 

"Sold out for 2013"

The Kansas City Star chimes in with its latest on the ammo shortage, and includes this disclosure from one ammo maker:

“We are sold out for 2013,” said David Shaw, marketing director for Fiocchi, an international ammunition manufacturer with a plant in Ozark, Mo. 

Fiocchi added an extra shift to increase production, but Shaw said the plant can’t get in front of the demand.

Mike Vanderboegh adds brief commentary at Sipsey Street Irregulars.

Arms Trade Treaty draft ready for vote

The United Nations Arms Trade Treaty Conference has released it's final draft. The conference is slated to vote on its document later today. That's probably before most Americans have the slightest clue what's in it.

Joe Wolverton, II writes at The New American:

Given that the Arms Trade Treaty specifically grants the UN and “state parties” exclusive control over the manufacture, purchase, possession, sale, trade, and transfer of weapons of every size — from handgun to intercontinental missile — how can it claim to be the best hope of protecting women and children from armed conflict? In fact, in nearly every case of mass killings by government, the people targeted were first disarmed, leaving all weapons in the hands of government, preventing the people from resisting the march of tyranny.

John Lott at Fox:

The Arms Trade Treaty will regulate individual gun ownership all across the world. Each country will be obligated to “maintain a national control list that shall include [rifles and handguns]” and "to regulate brokering taking place under its jurisdiction for conventional arms.”  In fact, the new background check rules approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee include just those rules -- a registration system and a record of all transfers of guns.

The "control list" is covered under the treaty's Article Five. Here's the section, in its entirety:

Article 5
General Implementation  

1. Each State Party shall implement this Treaty in a consistent, objective and nondiscriminatory manner, bearing in mind the principles referred to in this Treaty.  

2. Each State Party shall establish and maintain a national control system, including a
national control list, in order to implement the provisions of this Treaty.  

3. Each State Party is encouraged to apply the provisions of this Treaty to the broadest range of conventional arms. National definitions of any of the categories covered in Article 2 (1) (a-g) shall not cover less than the descriptions used in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms at the time of entry into force of this Treaty. For the category covered in Article 2 (1) (h), national definitions shall not cover less than the descriptions used in relevant United Nations instruments at the time of entry into force of this Treaty.  

4. Each State Party, pursuant to its national laws, shall provide its national control list to the Secretariat, which shall make it available to other States Parties. States Parties are encouraged to make their control lists publicly available.  

5. Each State Party shall take measures necessary to implement the provisions of this Treaty and shall designate competent national authorities in order to have an effective and transparent national control system regulating the transfer of conventional arms covered under Article 2 (1) and of items covered in Article 3 and Article 4.  

6. Each State Party shall designate one or more national points of contact to exchange information on matters related to the implementation of this Treaty. A State Party shall notify the Secretariat, established under Article 18, of its national point(s) of contact and keep the information updated. 

Biden says country "on the verge" of universal background checks

Politico 44 notes:

Biden called the planned upcoming votes on background checks and assault weapons ban and gun trafficking “just the beginning” of the White House effort. He said he and President Obama have a better sense of public opinion on guns than does Congress.

Excelsior

From Chris Muir's Day by Day Cartoon:

Catch-22

“The dollar is going to collapse if Ben Bernanke doesn’t reverse course. And if he does, the whole phony economy that has been built on the foundation of stimulus is going to collapse as well.” - Peter Schiff

Domestic arms race update

Many on the Left giggled and grinned at "right wing paranoia" when the Department of Homeland Security began seeking massive contracts for more ammo last year. But with consumers now stripping retail ammo inventories for months on end, guess who sounds paranoid now?

Consider this headline and sub-header today at Salon.com:

With gun nuts hoarding bullets, will cops be disarmed? 

Gun owners terrified of nonexistent plans to restrict ammo are hoarding bullets. Now police are running out

The writer at Salon tries to spin consumer buying and fears of ammo restrictions as being based on non-existent threats. But that's not true.

Democrats began rattling sabers for restrictions on ammo sales last summer when Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy was forefront in a pitch to limit online ammo sales nationwide.

Earlier this year, a lawmaker in California put a bill in motion for tight ammunition sales restrictions in that state.

Also in January, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo boasted of new ammo restrictions he rammed through the state legislature and signed into law:

All dealers in ammunition must be registered with the State Police, and each sale will require both a state background check and transmission of a record of the sale to State Police, so as to enable alerts of high volume purchases.... Dealers must report any loss of inventory. The legislation will also include a ban on direct internet sales of ammunition. Ammunition ordered over the internet must be delivered in a face-to-face transaction with a firearms dealer and the purchaser will be subject to the state background check.

The Left tries to spin concern over new gun and ammo restrictions as unwarranted or non-existent. But the public record says otherwise.

If the Left seriously wants to end the current consumer run on ammunition, maybe it should just cease its assault on gun rights, and quit all its various efforts to put arms and ammo out of reach of law-abiding Americans.

And if police agencies are having trouble finding sufficient stocks of ammo, maybe those agencies should hold Democrat lawmakers accountable for the market forces they set in motion.

Three vacations in three months

Who else but the Obamas?

John McCain's name keeps popping up

From The Hill:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has emerged as a key player if Senate Democrats are to have any chance of passing legislation to expand background checks for private sales of firearms.

Are Arizona voters letting this senator know where they stand on the issue?

Change proposed for Europe's bailout schemes

The idea of guaranteed bank deposits is apparently becoming a thing of the past.

Four years ago

Apparently 9mm and .45 acp was hard to come by about this time in '09.

No AR-15 for Mark Kelly

Seems the seller wants to steer clear of any potential legal hassles presented by Kelly's story, and is pursuing another option.

Three senators prepare to oppose gun control legislation

And those senators are Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee.

Where's the rest of the GOP?

White House tours remain closed

Secret Service said it had to make cuts somewhere, so White House tours got axed.

But now we read the Obama girls have flown to the Bahamas for spring break. Obviously, a significant Secret Service detail is involved.

And it appears the DC MSM has dutifully kept mum on the matter.

Schumer treachery now part of Reid's senate gun bill

So says this update from Gun Owners of America:

First, the number of the bill we are fighting is S. 649. Harry Reid introduced it on Thursday and brought it directly onto the Senate calendar. This means the bill can now come up at any time — probably soon after the Easter recess is over. 

Second, the bill is a lot worse than even we anticipated. 

We expected it to contain the Veterans Gun Ban, which would mean that you would sell, gift, or raffle a gun in America at the risk of a 15-year prison sentence because of something you didn't know about the veteran/buyer. 

But, surprisingly to us, the Far Left has convinced Reid to include the original Schumer version of the Universal Registry Bill. This would ban private sales of firearms, unless purchasers first get the permission from the government. If Senators can pass this de facto registration bill, they will be well on the way to confiscation (see, for example, Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York, who has a gun owner registry and has called for gun confiscation). If this bill is passed, Senators will claim that they "broke the back" of gun owners in America.

Is the current ammo shortage really such a shocker?

Even the MSM now realizes some saw it coming. While the current ammo shortage took many by surprise, others clearly saw it coming. Or at least saw signs it could happen. 

At least one retailer perhaps was dropping a hint when it pitched for people to "hoard" a little ammo last fall.

On the Don and Doug online radio program, Don Dickinson and I frequently cited warnings on ammo price and availability. Even here on the blog, I noted last July...

And let's not forget civilian ammo supplies have been spotty in recent years. Some calibers completely disappeared from store shelves (and from online merchants) for months in late 2008 and into 2009. It just makes sense for shooting sports enthusiasts to stock ahead enough to ride out those times of scant supply. If there was a possibility golf balls would be in short supply, I expect golfers would do the same.

Here's a couple more data points noted last April:

I see where a major online gun dealer now advertises Aguila .223 rifle ammo for $349.95 per 1000 round case. I recall another retailer had the same stuff for around $270 a case just four months ago.  

I also see Sportsman's Guide is selling Federal 5.56 55-grain ammo on strippers for $280 per 900 rounds. That's a good price, but it's on back order. They don't anticipate taking delivery until late October. If you'd ordered four months ago, it would have likely been delivered to your doorstep in five to seven days.

If you can find Federal 5.56 today, expect to pay at least a buck a round. Maybe more. Ditto for .223.

Ammo's just one commodity that proved the risk of trying to prepare only after a hard warning.

My intent here is not to gloat by saying we told you so. I'd rather you see data points and spot a trend for yourself before a trend goes mainstream. This is perhaps the most common theme of Don and Doug.

I invite you to check out the show if you haven't already. It's currently available exclusively through TalkSouthRadio.com, though we may branch out into other venues in the near future.

Hey, Media Matters... About those seven round mags...

A few weeks back, Media Matters for America went bonkers. How dare a Gannett newspaper report there were no seven round magazines for many modern firearms.

Media Matters, a left-wing spin machine, boldly proclaimed:

Gannett Article Falsely Claims NY Law Forces Gun Owners To Use Magazines That Don't Exist  

Nothing larger than seven round mags are allowed under New York's new gun law. They have to exist, right?

Well, look what's popped up on Bloomberg news:

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s seven-round limit on magazines sold in New York will be suspended “indefinitely” by a measure in his $136.5 billion budget set to be passed this week, Dean Skelos, a Senate majority leader said. 

The ban on magazines holding more than seven bullets was set to start April 15. Cuomo has said the law needs to be rolled back because manufacturers don’t make seven-round holders. The measure was a center piece to a gun law the 55-year-old Democratic governor pushed through the legislature in January, making New York the first state to respond with tougher gun regulations to the Newtown, Connecticut school massacre. 

Yes, seven round mags exist for some firearms. For others, ain't no such thing.

If New York legislators had done their jobs, and bothered to research a bill before voting, they might not look like imbeciles right now. But instead, they chose to bow to a power hungry governor rather than hear the will of the people or consider basic reality.

The game is on in DC

From Gun Owners of America: 

Feinstein Angry as Majority of the Senate
Votes to Ban Gun Control

Senate staffer says “gun grabbers were livid” and “DiFi was pissed”

On Friday, GOA asked you to contact your Senators and urge them to support the Lee amendment which would require Senators to muster 67 votes before adopting gun control legislation. You responded to the call, and the results were very encouraging. 

The good news is that a majority of Senators supported the Lee amendment by a 50-49 vote. The bad news is, since the Senate rules requires 60 votes, the Lee amendment fell ten votes short. 

Click here to see how your Senators voted on the Lee amendment.

Big Sis wants more AMMO!

Anybody out there got 360,000 rounds of .40 cal to spare? DHS is shopping again.

View Details for Buy # 464340

General Buy Information

Buy #: 464340

Solicitation #: HSFLAR-13-Q-00020

Buy Description : Commercial Leaded Training Ammo (CLTA)

Category : 13 -- Ammunition and Explosives

Sub Category : 1310 -- Ammunition, over 30mm up to 75mm

NAICS : 332993 -- Ammunition (except Small Arms) Manufacturing

FedBizOpps Solicitation : Yes

Recovery Act : No

Set-Aside Requirement : Small Business

Buyer : DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

End Date : 03/28/2013

End Time : 17:00 ET

Delivery Days : 30  Day(s) -   Required (No. of calendar days after receipt of order (ARO) by which Buyer requires Seller to deliver)

Line Item(s)

Item No Description Qty Unit

001 Ammunition, Commercial leaded training ammo (CLTA) Pistol .40 caliber 165 grain, jacketed hollow point (JHP) p/n P40HSTS3G or equal - Brass casing. Quantity of 360,000 rounds - newly loaded unit price per 1000 rounds with FOB Destination.

Link to the originating DHS procurement request

If, by some miracle, a vendor can cough up the rounds, what kind of price can DHS expect to pay in this period of a national ammo shortage?

Much ado about NRA robocalls

For days now, I've been reading and hearing things from folks on the Left whining about offensive and inflammatory NRA robocalls to the Newton, Connecticut area in opposition to proposed gun bans and other controls.

Kudos to Huffington Post for putting audio of one of the calls online so we can really hear what the NRA is saying:


The NRA robocalls sound pretty straight forward. And, judging by this sample, accurately describe legislation that's proposed.

No one cries about insensitivity when Joe Biden, the father of gun free school zones, and Mike Bloomberg attempt to make Newtown and Newtown families centerpieces of their campaign for greater gun control.

Looks to me like the Left simply wants to control the public debate by silencing opposition. The Left willingly seeks to exploit Newtown families, but uses cries of insensitivity in an attempt to prevent that community from having access to both sides of the gun control debate.

Simple truth

"Carrying a pistol concealed is also rather more socially acceptable than clanking along in armor, with a sword on your side." - Oleg Volk

A dollar doesn't go too far with some folks

From Chris Muir's Day by Day Cartoon:

Cyprus is a warning

Woo-hoo! Headlines declare Cyprus has been saved. Sort of.

But now draw back, and look at the big picture.

The short version worse than the long one

So, Mr. False Flag in the Bloomberg-backed ad not only has his finger on the trigger, he's got a nervous leg too.

And people are approaching as the shotgun bounces.

Maybe the commercial shoot would have gone better if producers had let their Fudd actor take a bathroom break. The twitchy leg tells me the guy's gotta pee big time.



Background checks won't help keep this guy or his family safe. What he needs is an NRA hunter safety course. And a potty break.

EU votes to subsidize tobacco

Daniel Hannan blogs at the U.K. Telegraph that it's all about consolidation of the EU's centralized power.

One of Bloomberg's stealthy anti-gun ads

This Bloomberg backed ad is supposed to feature a sportsman who supports the Second Amendment.

What kind of doofus is gonna sit with his finger on the trigger as his kids play nearby?

The Backwoods Engineer has more on the Phony Fudd Ads coming from the false flaggers at Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns. 

Bloomberg pours more money into gun control push

Another $12 million. 

Bloomberg is the worst kind of tyrant.

He doesn't think you're smart enough to run you own life, so he's gonna set up rules so he can run it for you.


"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." - C.S. Lewis

Thoughts on guns from a great American

Same guy who wrote this:

Our nation was built and civilized by men and women who used guns in self-defense and in pursuit of peace. One wonders indeed, if the rising crime rate, isn't due as much as anything to the criminal's instinctive knowledge that the average victim no longer has means of self-protection.

Also wrote this:

Now I believe our nation's leaders are good and well-meaning people. I do not believe that they have any desire to impose a dictatorship upon us. But this does not mean that such will always be the case. A nation rent internally, as ours has been in recent years, is always ripe for a "man on a white horse." A deterrent to that man, or to any man seeking unlawful power, is the knowledge that those who oppose him are not helpless.

The writer?

Ronald Reagan.

In a column for Guns & Ammo published in September 1975.

Talk of Texas gold repatriation

Some folks in Texas want the state's gold reserves pulled out of Federal Reserve vaults and brought home to Texas.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports former Congressman Ron Paul is in the Texas gold repatriation camp. So's Governor Rick Perry.

Lawmaker Giovanni Capriglioni has introduced a bill in the state house to start putting things in motion. Capriglioni says establishing a gold depository in Texas would give the state a reputation as being more financially secure in times of financial crisis.

"Murder Mayor" Rahm Emanuel under fire at home

"Look at the murder rate in this city. He’s murdering schools, he’s murdering good jobs. He’s murdering housing. I don’t know what else to call him. He’s the murder mayor.” - Karen Lewis, president, Chicago Teachers Union

I'm no fan of teachers unions like the CTU, but the point to note is the CTU accuses Democrat Rahm Emanuel of waging class war on urban folk.

Media reports Emanuel was out of town on a family ski trip as Lewis launched her attack.

Police agencies turn to barter

KJRH TV, Tulsa reports:

“Ammunition and assault weapons in general have skyrocketed,” (Jenks, Oklahoma police chief Cameron Arthur) said. “In the past, $3,000 would get us several rifles or a great deal of ammunition. But we have seen prices go up 30, 40, 50 percent. In addition to the fact, not only is it a lot more expensive, but the time to get it could be six months to a year, or in some cases even longer.” 

Arthur said the department is currently waiting on an order placed in October. It is due to this demand that many police departments have begun to trade and barter among each other.

President Obama embarrasses again

From the Toronto Sun:

U.S. President Barack Obama is taking heat for comparing relations between Israel and Palestine with Canada and the U.S. 

Because Canadians are known for hurling rockets into Buffalo, right?

From Hope n' Change Cartoons:

The money crack

"For going on five years now, since the 2008 Credit crisis, the global system has been grossly over-issuing money.  I have referred to the Greek collapse and European crisis as the initial crack in the global government finance Bubble.  It is tempting to see Cyprus as the first crack in money." - Doug Noland

Ammunition nixed from Arms Trade Treaty draft

The Foundry updates on the UN Arms Trade Treaty talks in New York:

The most consequential change was the more complete removal of ammunition and parts and components from the treaty’s scope. This caused heartburn on the part of the holier-than-thou brigade, led by Norway and New Zealand, and for once they had a point: The revised wording appeared to impose obligations considerably weaker than the U.S. system, which the Administration has vowed to preserve and to use the treaty to advance. But in a forceful but informal intervention—no one else calls the rest of the delegates “folks”—on Thursday, U.S. Ambassador Don Mahley made it crystal clear that the U.S. would not accept the inclusion of ammunition in the formal scope of the treaty and that it had grave reservations about several other aspects of the draft text.

Comcast bans gun related advertising

Out of sight, out of mind. Comcast joins the war on guns by eliminating gun advertising on its cable systems.

The Journal and Courier, a Gannett paper in Lafayette, Indiana is among media reporting the move:

“Consistent with long-standing NBC policies, Comcast Spotlight has decided it will not accept new advertising for firearms or weapons moving forward,” said Chris Ellis, a spokesman for Comcast’s advertising sales division, Comcast Spotlight.

Just another move by elites in their effort to villainize guns, a deliberate step to keep them out of a mainstream arena, and an action that will leave Comcast viewers less informed about firearms and firearms related businesses in their areas.

Time Warner and Cox Cable already place some restrictions on firearms advertising. USA Today notes those companies don't note the restrictions on their websites.

Connecticut Dems change tactics on gun control

Progressive Democrats often insist a majority of the people favor more gun control.

If so, why do they use procedural trickery to cut citizens out of the legislative process?

From the NRA-ILA:

Next week, Governor Dannel Malloy (D) and anti-gun legislators are aggressively trying to push through an Emergency Certification Bill (E-Cert), a procedure by which the House Speaker and Senate President Pro Tempore jointly propose legislation and send it directly to the House or Senate floor for a vote.  An E-Cert would bypass the committee process and public hearings, eliminating your opportunity for input. 

As of today, the overwhelming majority of gun-related legislation that has been introduced in Connecticut is an affront to your constitutional rights as a law-abiding citizen.  Some of the most egregious proposals are expected to be rolled into this comprehensive gun control package, including a gun and ammunition rationing scheme, a ban on standard capacity magazines, the registration of all firearms and a ban on nearly all commonly owned semi-automatic firearms used for self-defense, recreational and competitive target shooting, and hunting.

If Connecticut's governor and legislators resort to these measures and ram through legislation, will Connecticut's firearms makers move on principle to leave the state and relocate to those where government respects the people's Second Amendment rights?

DHS wakes up to its image problem

So, DHS apparently turns to MSM to deny anything out of the ordinary with its pursuit of massive ammo contracts.

But DHS still fails to explain why some of today's ammo contracts are so much larger than was deemed sufficient only a few years ago.

Piecemeal we go from citizenship to serfdom

Someone shot me a note touting yet another survey that claims Americans clamor for universal background checks on all firearms transfers.

Yeah, Americans want every gun sale to have a background check. Assume for a just a minute it might be true.

Americans also want their health insurance status reported to the IRS, they cheered passage of a law that makes it a requirement. And once private health care decisions are increasingly made within the confines of government controls.

Americans now have a government that wants to snoop on greater numbers of emails and other private communications with no probable cause necessary. And Americans seem okay with that.

TSA style inspections at airport boarding areas became more invasive. And are now expanding to transit stations for morning commuters or to Interstate highways where normal commerce can now be subject to roadside checkpoints. Just entering a sports venue may require a pat-down. All for our safety, of course.

Americans nodded approvingly as government monopolized the student loan industry, and steered things in a direction that makes college financially out of reach for many unless they become indebted to the state.

If you conduct commerce with another individual in the amount of $600 or more in a year, you're now supposed to generate a 1099 form for the IRS.

Take our losses of Liberty one at a time, and most Americans don't even notice. Others, failing to see the big picture, even cheer some of these government power grabs.

But there certainly is a pattern for those willing to step back and connect the dots.

The worst tyrants in history never imagined having such power and such reach. Yet bobble head Americans nod in approval as government reduces us to little more than controlled lab animals or domesticated beasts fulfilling a prescribed role on government's plantation.

Bloomberg's money buys infringement on freedom

"It is a sad day when a New York billionaire can buy a western state legislature so easily."

Not just 'wingers' and libertarians who express concern about the militarization of domestic police

The ACLU has compiled a series on the subject.

C'mon, people.

Yes, there's plenty to be alarmed over.

But Obama told you he was going to do this. No one should be surprised.

Of Liars, RINOs and Obamacare

From Red State: "Senate Republicans Willfully and Knowingly Lie to Their Constituents"

Georgia's Chambliss and Isakson make Red State's list.

An hour earlier today

One-time time switch: The March 22nd Don and Doug kicks off at 11am Friday morning.

Likely topics:

Shifts in the Senate sideline some gun control bills - while others go forward. But it's way too soon so celebrate any kind of victory.

The United Nations hopes to have an international Arm Trade Treaty worked out by the end of the month. Hillary Clinton stood in they way last time, but what will happened under John Kerry's watch?

And the banking crisis grows in Cyprus. Europe's troubles are a lot deeper than it would like to let on.

Join us at 11am EDT on TalkSouthRadio.com or jump right in to the live show audio stream here.

Demand for gun permits rises in Newtown

"A good percentage of people are making it clear they think their rights are going to be taken away."

Lies, lies, and more lies.

Congressman Charlie Rangel claims millions of kids are being mowed down by assault weapons in our cities.

 If Lefties like Rangel have to keep telling whoppers to sell their gun control fantasies,
 why aren't conservatives on Capitol Hill calling them out for theses obvious lies?

 

Lotsa danger still lies ahead

Gun Owners of America sent this out by email earlier today:

Note to Dianne Feinstein: 

You Do Need to be Lectured on the Constitution

In case you missed it, an interesting exchange took place in the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. 

Texas Senator Ted Cruz politely asked gun-control crazy Dianne Feinstein how she would feel about applying her minimalist view on the Second Amendment to other parts of the Bill of Rights. 

Feinstein went into orbit. "I'm not a sixth grader," she huffed. Invoking her extensive Senate history of spitting on the Constitution, she made it clear that she didn't appreciate being reminded of the Constitution's restrictions on her legislative will. 

Feinstein suggested that Congress should pass anti-gun legislation without considering the Constitution, in the expectation that the courts will sort it out. Notwithstanding the fact that Feinstein and every other senator had taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution. 

So here's where we are: In a few weeks, after Easter recess, Harry Reid will move to proceed to some gun control proposal, probably the Veterans Gun Ban (S. 54). He'll then use his privileged recognition to set up a whole lot of votes intended to get Democrats reelected in 2014. 

Democrats will be given a shot at voting against the crazy Feinstein gun ban. But then Reid will do what he did on ObamaCare and play let's-make-a-deal for votes on other gun control. 

Bribes and tradeoffs will be made. And votes will be scheduled with a view to making Republicans maximally vulnerable by making them vote against measures which biased polling shows are popular in their states. Republican senators need to join together as a caucus to oppose the "motion to proceed" to any gun control legislation. 

Let the Democrats be the ones forced to bite the bullet and vote for a "motion to proceed" which is framed as a vote in support of the Feinstein gun ban. 

Under regular order, 41 Republicans can block any gun control this way. Harry Reid can use a special procedure under the anti-gun rules changes to force a vote with 51 Democrats, but, if he does, Mitch McConnell gets to "stop the trains" by offering the first unamendable amendment - a process which Reid cannot relish. 

ACTION: Click here to contact your Senators. Demand that they vote against any "motion to proceed" to any gun control proposal. Demand that he oppose a motion to proceed to the "gun control buffet."

Want to get on the GOA alert list? Click here.

More anti-gun trickery in New York

Tip off New York cops to your neighbor's "illegal" gun, and you could get $500.

Will the snitchery rise as folks refuse to register their "assault weapons" and refuse to send 20 or 30 round mags to the crusher?

Biden gets a soft interview on gun control

Did't expect NPR to ask tough questions, did ya? 

Connecticut gun insurance plan falling flat

Few have rallied behind a proposed Connecticut state requiring special liability policies for gun owners. Most folks find the idea absurd.

The Day, based in New London, reports today on a recent public hearing. Its report says, in part:

A representative for the insurance industry said accidents due to firearms are already covered under homeowner's or renter's insurance. The insurance industry would not cover intentional, willful or criminal acts, said Susan Giacalone, counsel for the Insurance Association of Connecticut. 

According to the bill, someone would need to obtain self-defense insurance to provide coverage for civil and criminal defense costs in the event the person used a firearm in self-defense. If gun owners did not maintain this insurance, according to the bill, they would be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. 

"To me, that is one of the most egregious parts of this bill," said state Rep. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott. "That we are going to require people to have insurance for their actions in self-defense."

Special insurance needed for self defense with a gun? Someone could just as easily get sued for using a baseball bat, a machete or a frying pan.

Requiring special gun liability and self-defense insurance is just an attempt to create another hurdle to firearms ownership. Call it out for what it is: A very bad idea.

Stress levels rise as more people engage

Brandon Smith writes at Alt-Market:

Just as the public is on a shrinking timeline, so are the elites.  For every burst forward in our efforts to wake up the population to the loss of their freedoms and heritage, they must speed up their plans to gain economic and political supremacy.  The harder you pull on the ends of a frayed rope in opposite directions, the sooner it is going to snap.

Smith's article is also reposted at Zero Hedge.

Photo of boy with rifle triggers inquiry

It appears an undisclosed caller to a tip hotline over a photo of a boy with a rifle prompted police and child welfare officials to descend on a home in New Jersey.

Huffington Post has a write-up on what happened next.

The family's father adds a few details in an apparent post of his own, which includes details of how authorities demanded access to the family's secured firearms:

They kept trying to pressure me to open my safe. They had no warrant, no charges, nothing. I didn't budge. I was told I was being "unreasonable" and that I was acting suspicious because I wouldn't open my safe. Told me they were gonna get a search warrant. Told em go ahead. Nappen (my lawyer) asked me for the dyfs workers name. she wouldn't give it. i asked for credentials and she wouldn't show em. i tried to take a pic of her and she turned around real fast and walked away. After a while of them threatening to take my kids, get warrants and intimidation they left. Empty handed and seeing nothing. 

In this day and age, you never know who may come knocking.

Know your rights. Act responsibly. Stand your ground.

Reid implies sequester to blame for Marine deaths

From Real Clear Politics

And then there's this:  The Marine Corps denounces Reid's political posturing.

Making a registry

From Shall Not Be Questioned

Reid sidetracks some gun control measures

Looks like Senate President Harry Reid doesn't want to embarrass President Obama by allowing senators to vote against the Feinstein and Schumer gun control bills. Or he may fear the Dems will lose the senate if they vote for 'em. The Hill reports Reid won't bring those measures up for a senate vote.

But there's still room for gun control to advance as several other bills, and there's still some time for back door dealing or amendments to those bills. Universal background checks and gun trafficking measures are still on the table.

Remain vigilante.

Update: A disappointed Dianne Feinstein vows to fight on, perhaps offering her so-called assault weapons ban as an amendment to the bill that does move forward. She knows the odds are against her now.

And Politico reports Chuckie Schumer is also working the backrooms looking for support and revisions that would let some form of his bill still be part of the big picture.

Rand Paul on immigration

Perhaps it's more pandering than a real position.

Arms Trade Treaty talks are back, and the push for passage is stronger than ever

Anti-gun and other activists up the pressure as talks resume at the United Nations targeting agreement on an international  arms trade treaty. Amenesty International specifically targets President Obama in its push:



Unfortunately, Mr. Obama probably doesn't need much nudging.

Here's another taste of pro-treaty propaganda, it too specifically targets lobbying Mr. Obama:



Last summer, there was active opposition to the treaty. The NRA continues its opposition, but the Washington Post notes the NRA is also fighting national legislation in the Congress this time around.

Treaty advocates hope to have their work done and approved by the end of the month.

From related posts last year:
About that UN Small Arms Treaty
NRA: Gun registration is part of arms treaty draft
How far could Obama take an unratified treaty?

Remember the UN Arm Trade Treaty?

Talks are back underway at the United Nations.

Seen much MSM coverage?

Didn't think so.

Historic debt will yield historic consequences

Ol' Remus maps it out, plain and simple:

There are those among us who want what they don't need and need what they don't want. Tolerance for this has metamorphosized into entitlement, which for the beneficiary mimics success, and so the core of career consumers has grown large enough to make its own weather and exert its own gravity. Debt on this scale would eventually overwhelm any economy, no matter how robust. Enough is never enough, even if it were a wide-open spigot plumbed to any conceivable source of supply. Fantasies about debt can keep it going for a while, but in the real world no debt has ever gone unpaid, if not by the borrower then by the lender. In the end, historic debt has historic consequences.

Cyprus not playing by EU rules

Banks remain closed today and tomorrow in Cyprus. If EU powers thought Cypriots would lay down and accept the skimming of personal bank accounts as part of a national bailout, there's increasing indications they were wrong:

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades held a telephone conversation with European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn on Monday night to inform him that there might not be enough parliamentary support for a deposit tax on the island.

Things sure can get messy when banks and government get sloppy with money, and then assume they're entitled to take a chunk of cash from someone else to help smooth over their own affairs.

Why Sandy Hook became a target

The New York Daily News cites an anonymous source who says the Newtown killings were the work of video game fanatic who wanted a soft target:

"This was the work of a video gamer, and that it was his intent to put his own name at the very top of that list. They believe that he picked an elementary school because he felt it was a point of least resistance, where he could rack up the greatest number of kills. That’s what (the Connecticut police) believe.” 

The man paused and said, “They believe that (Lanza) believed that it was the way to pick up the easiest points. It’s why he didn’t want to be killed by law enforcement. In the code of a gamer, even a deranged gamer like this little bastard, if somebody else kills you, they get your points. They believe that’s why he killed himself.

It seems that gun-free school zones are everything we feared they were:  A magnet for cowardly killers.

Remember the Georgia Carry study?

It cited data showing active killer events quadrupled after the Gun Free School Zones Act came into being.

More Colion Noir

You knew it was coming. Mr. Colion Noir's first NRA-backed video is on YouTube:



Anymore hyperventilating about this over at MSNBC?

Previous post

Magpul makes ready

Rifle magazine maker Magpul says it made no idle threat. It plans to move operations if Colorado's governor signs the state's just passed mag ban.

From Magpul's Facebook page:

Apparently Gov Hickenlooper has announced that he will sign HB 1224 on Wednesday. We were asked for our reaction, and here is what we said: 

We have said all along that based on the legal problems and uncertainties in the bill, as well as general principle, we will have no choice but to leave if the Governor signs this into law. We will start our transition out of the state almost immediately, and we will prioritize moving magazine manufacturing operations first. We expect the first PMAGs to be made outside CO within 30 days of the signing, with the rest to follow in phases. We will likely become a multi-state operation as a result of this move, and not all locations have been selected. We have made some initial contacts and evaluated a list of new potential locations for additional manufacturing and the new company headquarters, and we will begin talks with various state representatives in earnest if the Governor indeed signs this legislation. Although we are agile for a company of our size, it is still a significant footprint, and we will perform this move in a manner that is best for the company and our employees. 

Based on this brief release, I wonder if Magpul is looking at setting up operations in states where intrastate "firearms freedom" laws have been passed. Those laws are intended to exempt firearms and accessories made in the state and that remain in the state from federal firearms laws and regulations.

Should've expected this

Last of the 2011 home growns
November 2011

I trusted the optimistic long-term weather forecasts over the weekend. And put some tomato plants out in our little garden plot. I knew it was early, but probably worth the risk.

Now forecasts are revised and call for lows around 29 on Wednesday.

Oh well, I'll put some bags or something over my 'mater plants as temps get near freezing.

If they survive, great. If not, I replant. I don't mind either way. I still think the effort to get a slightly earlier crop is worth the effort. Once established, our plants tend to keep producing until around Thanksgiving.

Going.... going....

All but .30-06 is gone or almost gone.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program sent out an ammunition update earlier today:

AMMO: The CMP does not have any caliber .223, .22LR, or .30 carbine ammo for sale at either store. We are sold out and expect to receive shipments of these calibers in 3-6 months. We continue to accept orders for these calibers and will fill those orders when we receive the replenishment shipments from the manufacturers. We do have caliber .30-06 ammo at both stores, but a 10 can purchase limit per year per customer applies. We also still have the Atomic caliber .308, but expect to run out in the next 60 days.

MRAPs and the new normal

Wanna know how DHS plans to use its new MRAP fleet in the field?

Take a look at a DHS training exercise.



Also note the sound bite from an DHS commander. This exercise is not about intervention in a standoff situation or hostage rescue. The objective is clearly stated: To gain entry and take the suspect(s) by surprise. This appears to be a new option for how DHS serves no-knock warrants.

If DHS believes it needs MRAPs to deal with human smugglers in our cities, it's well past time for DHS to put a greater emphasis on securing the borders instead of using what slips across them as an excuse to further militarize domestic law enforcement.

A previous post on immigration and DHS MRAPs

The face of Satan

From Twitter to the Daily Mail, and media points in between - there's buzz over the face of Satan in the History Channel's The Bible series.

(Image left: The History Channel. Image below: Twitter)

Producers of the series have stepped forward with a statement, President Obama is not part of cast, nor was there intent to cast the devil in his image:

"This is utter nonsense. The actor who played Satan, Mehdi Ouzaani, is a highly acclaimed Moroccan actor. He has previously played parts in several Biblical epics– including Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our President."

Okay, people. Now that we've cleared things up, this blog will resume regular programming...

When will it end?

The Southern Illinoisian gave coverage to the current national ammo shortage over the weekend. And it tackled the question everyone's asking: When will it end?

The buzz in the shooting industry varies. Some say there could be relief in sight by late summer or perhaps fall. Others say it will be the end of the year or sometime in 2014 be-fore things improve. There is no certainty.

The Southern also had a sidebar attempting to explain some of the regional and national drivers behind the shortage. The Southern cited "some analysts" as expressing belief that "America is arming itself."

Some analysts? The trend's been noted for some time, and clearly predates the current round of marketplace ammo shortages.

Related past post

Code Pink worries about Obama's domestic security apparatus?

From WND:

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, a left-wing “peace and social justice movement” known for its colorful marches and protests, told WABC host Aaron Klein the potential for the Obama administration to abuse its growing domestic police power is “extremely troubling.”

Code Pink was among those on the Left that cheered Rand Paul's recent senate filibuster seeking answers from the Obama administration about its domestic drone policy.

Bernanke's the pusher

And he's turned our economy into a hopeless addict.

One additional thought:

The Cyprus bailout may seek to skim saver's accounts off the top, but Bernanke's near zero interest rates to help the banksters have taken a far greater toll on America's retirees and other account holders who used to earn significant interest income.

A disgusting Republican performance

I speak of House Speaker John Boehner, who gushed on ABC's This Week today about the great rapport he has with the president.

Boehner also assures us there's no immediate debt crisis in America. He tries to walk it back from there, but his credibily was pretty shot by that point.



If this is Republican leadership, don't expect the party to hold the line on much of anything against Obama's dedicated forces of progressive American transformers.

Firearms fever in Hawaii

There was a gun show in Hawaii this weekend. And KHON TV reports it was packed:

Organizers say it's the largest crowd they've seen in the show's 35 year history. 

The longest line was for ammo. 

"It's really difficult to get ammo at a good price right now, if you can find it," says Doug Moose, Mililani resident.

Some see Hawaiians surge in firearms interest as push back to gun ban efforts being pushed by Democrats in Washington DC, according to KHON. Hawaii already has some of the most restrictive firearms laws in the country.

Cyprus ponders a shift, but global damage may already be done

Seeing that the wealth confiscation from depositors' bank accounts has set off panic at home, the parliament in Cyprus ponders if it can get away with the proposal by shifting more of the burden to the so-called rich as it seeks to meet criteria established by the EU for a financial bailout.

Reuters reports:

The originally proposed levies on deposits are 9.9 percent for those exceeding 100,000 euros and 6.7 percent on anything below that. 

The Cypriot government was on Sunday discussing with lenders the possibility of changing the levy to 3.0 percent for deposits below 100,000 euros, and to 12.5 percent for above that sum, a source close to the consultations told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Either way, the move's already delivered a blow to consumer confidence of the international banking system. Sure, this just involves Cypriot banks, but it was the EU that demanded the concession for a Cyprus bailout.

If it skimming plan stands in Cyprus, what other EU country in crisis might be next?

And what prevents our own Congress from pulling a similar stunt going forward? It and the Federal Reserve have already shown little respect for responsible savers. They're focus since 2008 has been on maintaining a facade of sustainability.

How many assets on deposit in banks around globe will be withdrawn in the coming days, finding their way into gold or silver or even currencies that can be stuck under the owners' mattresses?

Hitler gets stung by the Cyprus bailout

C'mon. You had to know this was coming.

Why Cyprus matters

Don Dickinson sent me his thoughts on the developing situation in Cyprus, and why Americans should be watching how this plays out:

It has long amazed me how slow the dumb masses are to pick up on trends even after they have been clear for months if not years. 

Most news outlets are still reporting on this as if it is obviously limited to Cyprus, its Russian off-shore investors, and maybe somewhat the Eurozone in general. 

But wait, there are clear signs of direct connections to American finance and "banking." 

- Years ago, we had those multi-interconnected octopus charts of how all the banks and nations of Europe and American and even some Asian are linked inextricably in a birds nest network of loans and deposits. 

- Since his first election and with increasing vehemence, BHO has been lecturing Americans about how the only real problem is that the evil rich are not paying their fair share. At this point it is a very small step as far as the poor masses are concerned from talking about the evil rich to exacting "a contribution to save America." The interesting trick when it goes down will be that huge numbers of people who never thought they were in the rich category will find their assets also gone in the levy. 

- For at least the past year, there has been talk by the American leftist wonks of a "one time levy on pensions and retirements." This is vague enough that any kind of such deposit or guarantee could be included in some way.  

Just before writing this I read that the Cyprus bank holiday associated with this confiscation has already been extended to Tuesday. One wonders how long a bank holiday would need to be to preclude a run after the holiday? 

Without access to cash, how long before Cyprus descends into anarchy?
Some other random thoughts: 

- Could this be what triggers the big run up in real assets? Jim Sinclair thinks so and also thinks that Putin in particular and the Russians in general are not going to take this lying down. 

- If this does not trigger runs outside Cyprus on Monday, I will be amazed. I think at first, they may be only in the countries closest to Cyprus in banking situation and arrangements and/or closest geographically. If that happens, I can see the runs spreading, at first like ripples on a pond, and then very suddenly going global. 

- I cannot fathom the American reaction. Most Americans have never heard of Cyprus and will tend to disregard any possible connection to America. On the other hand, significant numbers of Americans have on-going experience with reacting too slowly to the developing ammo run. If even a few thousand Americans start a bank run, could it go the way of the .22 LR run on steroids? 

- I am stunned that the plutocrats have taken this step instead of just more printing of whatever funds they thought were needed at the moment. Monetization has been proven to have few immediate impacts and not to generate panic in the dumb masses. So, why change now? Sure, informed people know about the long term theft that is monetization but the dumb masses are oblivious. Why panic the masses by denying them access to their meager funds? Is there some big important reason that we are not yet aware of?

The inflation situation

Among other inflationary signs, Zero Hedge notes:

History has shown us countless times that you cannot print money without prices soaring. There is not one single instance in which currency devaluation has not done this. And the US Federal Reserve is now printing $84 billion every single month.

Can't trust central banks and governments

Folks in Cyprus are learning the hard way.

Early Saturday, the nation reached an agreement with international lenders for bailout help. Part of the agreement: Bank depositors with more than 100,000 euros ($131,000) in their accounts will take a 9.9 percent haircut. Even those with less in savings will see their accounts reduced by 6.75 percent. 

Got that? Responsible savers are seeing wealth confiscated to bail out the "too big to fail" crowd.

Any lessons here for Americans as we watch our government amass trillions upon trillions in national debt?

So, when should we start to fret and worry?

"You see in the end we'll win. We will win for the same reasons we have won before; because our cause is just and it is right." - Mitt Romney at CPAC

This one's been buggin' me for a day now.

Romney speaks like his naivete remains intact despite the bruising he took in November. 

We have four more years of Obama-induced destruction because the GOP indulged Romney in a presidential bid that wasn't fought to win.

Losing wouldn't have been so bad if the Republican campaign effort had helped restore the party's base, energized conservatives, and left Republicans with a sense of purpose. 

Naw, we got Romney. And now he bears a message that sounds way too close to "don't worry,  be happy."

It's kinda like that Sean Hannity slogan, "Let not your heart be troubled."

It bugs me too.

If conservatives would quit brushing off the dire straits we're in, something might get done to actually turn things around.

Old school policing, New York style

NYPD with machine gun. Appears to be from 1918.

All photos from the George Grantham Bain Collection, 1910-18
Library of Congress
:

What the heck was the NYPD "Diet Squad"? Were Big Gulps and trans fats a problem 100 years ago?

Apparently guns were deemed a public menace back then too. Looks like this load's destined for burial at sea. At least the mayor wasn't seeking a national ban.

Another crime stopped by concealed carry

Even Huffington Post can't resist reporting these now:

Charlie Blackmore, Jr. told Wisconsin Fox affiliate WITI that he saw a man kicking a woman in the head and belly at the side of the road as he was driving to work early the morning of March 12. He pulled his car over and told the suspect to stop, but the man came towards him. 

That's when Blackmore, who served in the Marines from 2005 to 2007, decided to draw his weapon, a 9mm handgun. Blackmore told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the suspect, who he estimated stood more than 6 feet tall and weighed about 220 pounds, proceeded to taunt him, reportedly saying "Shoot me, then."

Nobody got shot. Police arrived and took the suspect into custody.

Revolutionary thought

"The next election is 20 months away. Now is the time to furlough the consultants, and tune out the pollsters, send the focus groups home and toss the political scripts. Because if we truly know what we believe, we don't need professionals to tell us." - Sarah Palin at CPAC

Little doubt why the entrenched political establishment hates her.

At DC's doorstep

It looks like a congressman's Arlington town hall for gun control was upstaged by gun rights demonstrators.

And apparently the reporter who covered it can't tell the difference between a shout and a scream.

From WJLA, Washington

Bugs!

Greyhound bus travelers delayed by cockroach infestation.

Bedbugs trigger backpack ban at Detroit school.

Bedbug scare at an Ohio school turned out to be head lice.

"The Day After" revisited

I first recall taking notice of the phenomenon known as EMP while watching the debut of The Day After on TV back in 1983.

Last night, I watched the film for the first time in 30 years with my family. And the brief portrayal of EMP jumped out at them as well.

The Day After
DVD cover

The Day After depicts life around Lawrence, Kansas following an all-out nuclear exchange between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The story line is nothing so shocking to those of us who grew up in the Cold War era, but the content and concepts have largely faded with the demise of the USSR.

Today's kids know little of nuclear weapons, their potential for harm up close or far away, or what steps can be taken to protect yourself in the event of a nuclear attack. This stuff is no longer taught in schools, and my teen and tween daughters were full of questions as the film played out on our TV.

Today's PC schools have replaced nuclear war by presenting guns as the weapons of mass destruction to be most feared. We had "duck and cover" drills, today's kids have "active shooter" drills. But slighting nuclear weapons may be a disservice to our kids.

With nuclear proliferation now wider than ever, it's past time to dust off some of that Cold War schooling. While the threat of a mass exchange like the one in The Day After may have diminished, the potential for a more limited nuclear attack by a rogue nation or terrorist group is accelerating.

One or two high altitude devices might all that's necessary to plunge our country into an EMP birthed darkness without all the immediate mess of blast and fallout of a conventional nuclear attack.

The Day After is available on disc through Netflix and for purchase through Amazon. When I last looked, there was also a bootleg version posted on YouTube.

Ammo shortages taking a toll

The boom days of December are long gone. Ammo outages appear to be taking a heavy toll on at least some gun retailers. Russell Longcore at Dump DC took notes on a trip to a retailer in Georgia:

Walked into the indoor shooting range…not one of the lanes was being used. I’ve been in this range facility when all lanes were in use and there was a waiting list. So the store was not realizing any revenue from people practicing their shooting skills. People are not stupid. If ammo is not readily available, you don’t go to the range and shoot up a few hundred rounds…you save what you have. 

But the other thing I realized is that the blowback of the nationwide lack of ammo is that THOUSANDS of gun dealers will be forced out of business because of their lack of cash flow.

His assessment is similar to what I noted last month:

Big box stores have other products to cover their bottom line. Many independent sellers of guns and ammo, both brick and mortar and online sellers, don't. For them, the exhilaration of December sales has long ago faded. Empty shelves and out of stock notices tell me they're facing hard times if supply doesn't catch up soon.

Large amounts of supply are still moving to retailers, but what's not clear is how those supplies are being allocated. And restocked ammo often sells out within minutes of arrival. It's hard to make a sale on a gun if you can't sell a box or two of ammo to go with it.

It's ironic that overwhelming demand for guns and ammo may actually result in putting some retailers in the biz out of business if supply and demand don't reach some sort of equilibrium soon.