Reflections on the Tsarnaev manhunt, one week after

On April 18, Americans residing around the city of Boston were alerted by their neighbors that an imminent threat to their safety was in their midst. Throughout the night, they were warned about the danger to their property and their families.

As April 19 dawned, those Bostonians who were willing, along with many others from surrounding communities, armed themselves and took to the streets and fields in defense of their homes, communities, and fellow citizens...

...wait, WHAT?

No More Veronicas - A Proposal for Aurora's Legacy

As all my readers assuredly know, early last Friday (July 20, 2012) a mass-murderer shot up a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 and wounding nearly five dozen. This murderer's weapons of choice were an AR-15-type "assault" rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, and a Glock .40S&W pistol.

The face of this tragedy for me will forever be 6-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan and her ice cream cone . Veronica's mother was gravely wounded in the attack - there is a bullet lodged in her neck - and will likely suffer some form of permanent paralysis. At last published reports, she hasn't been told yet her daughter is dead.

We've heard that 911 calls poured into dispatch when the shooting started. The first two or three police officers arrived in minutes - after the shooting had stopped. They arrested the suspect with no further incident.

The Denver Post reports today that there were delays in EMS teams reaching the victims. Sure, their system was probably overwhelmed and the firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics who responded I'm sure did their best, but could more lives have been saved or injuries mitigated with quicker response by trained personnel?

Now there's this report; that the alleged gunman basically pre-confessed, but that the notebook he authored may have been sitting in a mailroom since July 12th. There were seven days (since July 19th is the last day prior) that the evil plan could have been cottoned to and perhaps stopped.

Gun control will not stop mass murder. Spending more public money on emergency services will not stop mass murder or even better mitigate the aftermath. We are the first line of defense and response for all emergencies - not just the most violent or tragic.

No more Veronicas. It's up to us - you, me, everyone.

Another Liberal Sees the Light!

Heard about this piece from American Thinker this morning on Jim Quinn's program entitled: Why Do Liberals Bleed? It's dead on.

The money quotes are in the writer's conclusion:

As a good, loyal liberal, I always expected others to take care of me. If I gave my unqualified loyalty to the system, I could sleep well at night. But now, with victims left bleeding, a dangerously naive government, and sheep like masses, I see the absurdity of my thinking.

I heard a philosopher once say that one of the biggest existential tasks of life is giving up the fantasy of the ultimate rescuer. Liberalism reinforced this fantasy for me, as it does for so many others. Now I see the truth: We come into this world alone, and we will leave it alone. When we live our lives in the back seat of the car expecting Daddy to drive us, we only have a child's view of the world.

On that very dark day in November years ago when I became an object of someone's evil and inhumanity, I glimpsed a truth I never wanted to see: that there really is no protection, not in the way I had always thought, not by other flawed humans. I didn't know what to do with this insight until 1 1/2 years ago when I discovered that there were others out there like me, that there was something called conservatism, and now slowly but surely the pieces are coming together for me, one by one.

As I continue on the path to independence and personal responsibility, perhaps looking to myself for protection is another step on my journey.

Welcome home, "Robin of Berkeley", and America is better from your homecoming.

A rock will work, if that's all you've got...

...but wouldn't it have been better if this woman had been better armed?

Mothers Arms
Second Amendment Sisters

Picture of the Day

Recieved via email - with thanks to whoever created it!

Who cares about the Constitution?

Pittsburgh's city council apparently does not. The council has preliminarily passed an ordinance requiring gun owners to report the theft of their weapons within 72 hours or face fines or imprisonment!

When asked for a reaction to this ridiculous measure potentially being at odds with Pennsylvania law, the Pennsylvania Constitution, and the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, Councilwoman Tonya Payne of District 6 actually said:

"Who really cares about it being unconstitutional?"

Not only does this measure need to be defeated or vetoed, Ms. Payne needs to be removed from office.

Armed Citizens - Enemy of the Left

I'm off on a business trip. One of the things I "enjoy" about business travel is the free copy of USA Today that arrives outside my hotel room door. What I really "enjoy" about reading it is that I'm guaranteed to see some piece of left-wing scree that will just set the mood for the day.

This morning, USA Today comes through as expected with a below-the-fold front page article under Kevin Johnson's byline headlined: "Justifiable homicides at highest in more than a decade, FBI says"

No bias in these statements, none at all:

The number of justifiable homicides committed by police and private
citizens has been rising in the past two years to their highest levels in more
than a decade, reflecting a shoot-first philosophy in dealing with crime, say
law enforcement analysts.

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court in June carved out a right to
individual gun ownership, ruling that the Second Amendment allows citizens to
keep guns in their homes for self-defense.

Add in a blowhard comment from a professor at my alma mater:

Alfred Blumstein, a Carnegie Mellon University criminologist, says the gun
"legalization movement" also may have helped create a "greater willingness"
among citizens to act in self-defense.

Now, it's possible that Dr. Blumstein had his words taken out of context, but somehow I doubt it.

Mr. Johnson, the Supreme Court did not "carve out" a right - they simply read the Constitution and ruled on what it said, you fool! To quote the Second Amendment, and yes, I know it by heart:

...THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.

Hear that? "Right of the people" means you and me - I guess they don't teach common plain English anymore in whatever so-called "journalism" school you went to. "Keep and bear arms" doesn't mean the two appendages attached to your shoulders Mr. Johnson; it means my Glock 23 .40 S&W - or whatever your weapon of choice is. "Shall not be infringed" means that the government - who rules by only the consent of the governed - can't do anything to stop us from keeping and bearing.

There is one statement in the article with which I can agree:

Some law enforcement analysts say the numbers represent changing attitudes on
the streets, where police have felt more threatened by well-armed offenders, and
citizens have taken greater responsibility for their own safety.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The solution to crime is to promote law-abiding, armed citizens.

Liberal Civil Rights Idiocy

This AP story in reaction to the passing of Charlton Heston (found on CNN and elsewhere) includes the following quote from Mr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of an organization called the Los Angeles Urban Policy Round Table:

"We certainly disagree with his position as NRA head and also his firm, firm,
unwavering support of the unlimited right to bear arms," Hutchinson said. But,
he added, "Charlton Heston was a complex individual. He lived a long time, and
certainly, there were many phases. The phases we prefer to remember were
certainly his contributions to Dr. King and civil rights."

Where I believe the idiocy comes into this is the simple, plain fact that the ultimate defense for all of our Creator-endowed and Constitutionally-protected rights is the individual right to defend ourselves against tyrrany and violence by arming ourselves.

I'm sure that Mr. Hutchinson's anti-Second Amendment stance is rooted in urban gun violence. My challenge to Mr. Hutchinson - and those who agree with him - is this:

If your neighborhoods are afflicted with violence, and you believe that law enforcement can't or isn't dealing with the problem, the solution lies in the Second Amendment. Take back your own streets with law-abiding, armed citizens. If you aren't willing to fight for your own rights, protect your own property and families, and defend your neighbors against gangs, drugs, and the violence that follows them by taking up arms, why should you expect anyone else to do it for you?

Only 9 of 10? Shame on us!

According to this article from Reuters, the United States is the most armed country with enough guns for 90% of the population to have one. That isn't good enough! The Constitution says "keep and bear" folks - let's get on with it!

For my part, I'll arm myself further to pick up some of the slack when I'm able. My Glock 23 is lonely...

Hat Tip: Drudge

An American Heroine - Margaret Johnson

This story from CNN illustrates the benefit of being a law-abiding, armed citizen. Memo to those who aren't: practice your 2nd Amendment rights. To quote the movie True Romance, "If there's one thing I've learned this week is that it's better to have a gun and not need it than to need one and not have it."