This is one sure way to know you’re living in a post-constitutional police state: when some bloated legacy pol believes it within his power — or the government’s power generally — to seize private property protected under the Bill of Rights simply because he doesn’t care for its aesthetics. In fact, even by floating the idea of confiscation of firearms, what the left is admitting here is that to them the Constitution is a dead letter, and that they are more concerned with protecting government from it than they are in upholding the rights of the individuals it is there to insure.
Repeating a lie doesn’t make the lie any more true, so let me once again add some truth to the “conversation” on gun control: a semi-automatic rifle is no more an “assault weapon” than a semi-automatic pistol — both using the same one squeeze, one shot platform; and a semi-automatic pistol is no more an “assault weapon” than a revolver.
Moreover, the second amendment isn’t about hunting. The Framers deemed all of us part of a militia — either ready or reserve — so in truth, a better legal argument can be made that by virtue of your being a citizen you be compelled to keep a firearm, than that some Democratic political scion has within his power the ability to confiscate firearms from private citizens who have broken no laws.
This ain’t Australia, Governor Cuomo. And the fact that you believe you have such power to be used at your whim shows you aren’t fit to serve the public.
One final irony: how many police wielding semi-automatic “assault weapons” in .223 Remington — the same kind of gun used by the CT shooter — is it going to take to go door to door in attempt to confiscate the property of erstwhile law abiding citizens? And what kind of resistance from a literal police state campaign will they be met with?
Optics.
(h/t geoff b)
*****
update: Looks like Cuomo didn’t check his Journolist for the latest “progressive” sneering points.
There are a lot of words ending in “-ation” that could become an option if these fuckers don’t mind their damn manners.
It would be fitting for a civil war to start within New York. Andy ought to get out and about upstate a bit more before he tries something as stupid as this.
I’ll bet Scott Peterson does.
You zealots and your precious little “constitution”.
Next you are going to be spouting nonsense about a “man’s home being his castle.”
http://www.bing.com/search?q=phonehenge%20west&FORM=HPNTLB&PC=HPNTDF&QS=n
From Larry Corriea:
And on that happy note, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah,
and Kwanza is still a made-up “holiday.”
Then answer to Mr Corriea’s question, if I remember my Prairie Fire correctly, is 25 million.
I don’t even know what to say to someone showing this level of ignorance.
I wish women had to do as much paperwork to use their vaginas as I do to buy a gun… Just for a year or so. If there’s even the slightest chance that she might spawn one of the hooligans who runs shrieking through restaurants or screaming in the check-out line at the grocery store, permission denied!
with “friends” like these dept.
The NRA Should Have Stayed Silent
Let’s see,
“We can’t oulaw abortion because that won’t stop women from seeking abortions. It’s morally wrong and it can never be done.”
“We can’t just deport eleven million illegal aliens because it’s morally wrong and it can never be done.”
“We must make law abiding gun owners turn in their firearms and, thus violate the 2nd Amendment because morally, it’s the right thing to do.
The first two are impossible to accomplish. The last? Totally do able.
It’s like my SIL wrote that argument.
Oh, and Governor Cuomo might want to guive upstate New York a wide berth with this idea.
Deer stands abound. Just sayin’.
I tried posting a comment in response to Tobin’s article, nr, but it’s being held for moderation. So let me post it here:
What is it with these government types and confiscation of private property?
DC recently had a hearing in which confiscation of 401K’s was discussed. Now the governor of New York mentions confiscating guns.
And to all those who think this is all part of the dialogue, no it isn’t. No politician in our country should retain public office after advocating the confiscation of private property.
Molon Labe, Motherfucker…
“guns makes us less safe”
What is it with these scorpions and stinging?
What is it with these tigers and eating?
What is it with these fish and swimming?
That was when our population was around 200 million. Now we are over 300, so figure 38 million give or take a few million, after all they’re just meaningless statistics not real people or something.
If Prof. Ayers wants to come after me, he’d best pack a lunch.
You should also insist he pack something you like, since it’s unlikely he’ll be the one eating it.
Bill Ayres focuses his aim on teachers’ schools, indoctrinating the future indoctrinators. He’s not wrong in that, from his point of view. It’s the shortest way to getting what he wants. The trouble is, what he wants is madness. Yet, here we are, and madness reigns. Competence? Gone. Excellence? Disappeared. Wisdom? Ha, we’re kidding, right?
JH
I brought up to one gungrabber that 32K people a year were killed in cars … and, unlike guns, private ownership of cars is not Constitutionally protected…
But, you see, I’m teh stupid to bring that up because cars weren’t invented when the Constitution was written …
you just cannot make this stuff up!
btw, I’m SO stealing that image!
McGehee: I’d like to think so, anyway. My assessment was “mama’s boy with daddy issues”, which is kind of a sad thing when you’re, like, 65 years old. It’s unlikely that he’d be involved in any direct action. Anonymous bombings (where other people do the dangerous parts of actually making and planting them) is exactly his speed.
The only reason he’s not in jail is “white privilege” and having an extremely rich daddy who was extremely well-connected.
sdferr: “Bill Ayres focuses his aim on teachers’ schools”. Yes. Some of us have tried to change that, but it’s almost a lost cause at this point. Letting the existing system go smash and starting from scratch may be the only option.
“Letting the existing system go smash and starting from scratch may be the only option.”
Spies, I wonder. (Which is to say, in other words, I don’t know.) In the first instance, I often think there is very little any particular ‘letting’ is involved, insofar as neither I nor anyone I’ve seen has any specific idea what to ‘do’, in the sense of some particular act to be undertaken which would of itself make the difference to begin an alteration affecting future outcomes in a positive or ‘good’ sense. In this respect, the political ‘system’, if we can nominally designate such a thing, is akin to the ‘economic’ system, i.e., too vast to be understood in toto on its own terms: so I think I stand to it as though ‘it will where it listeth’. On the other hand, we’re always confronted with making local decisions, which either are or aren’t good in themselves, and we hope, lean toward the good, and hence lean toward a contribution to better outcomes. But as to the sort of certainty of the ‘let’, as though there is some ‘thing’ we might do to stop the crazy? I’m incapable of a pin-point.
Northwestern, that’s his other half’s school right?
I was speaking of the education system specifically. Fixing the existing system would require 50 years or more of hard and thankless work, and I don’t think we have that long.
Some local decisions that may help:
1) Homeschool your children (while you still can).
2) Discourage your children from attending university. The good parts of a university education can now be had elsewhere cheaply, or even free. If you or your child wants to study differential equations, Plato, or Victorian Romantic poets find others who want to do the same. If you need a teacher, hire one — then insist that the teacher stick to the subject instead of wandering off into Marxist claptråp.
3) If you are an employer, figure out ways to evaluate job candidates that don’t require a university diploma as a proxy. This is much today easier with so-called “knowledge workers” — you can have them show you a portfolio of their work on the web.
Other ideas?
J. Howard, there’s been no ban but a lot of things have been done, specifically fuel and emissions regulatory “things” that have car manufacturers either dropping their muscle car lines or turning them into luxury lines. Most of the new cars on the street these days are mickey mouse cars, crossovers, and SUV’s(the rich) and a lot of the SUV’s are smaller that they used to be.
“Much today easier”? Grrr…
I apologize for over-generalizing Spies. It’s a bad habit of mine, I think. But now I wonder how you think the educational system goes down? Is this simply a matter of the over-extended money credit bubble, or involved some other way in the broader fiscal issues the nation faces? Or are you looking toward the underlying falsehoods of the pedagogy itself, and with somehow these sophistries coming to light, exposed as the scams they are, hence brought down apart from the financial questions? That is, even assuming a financial crash of some kind, would the sophistic pedagogy necessarily be dismantled in the aftermath, to be replaced by more rational aims and means?
Those progs at Eclectablog are sick obsessed weirdos. Twenty kids lie dead, shredded by a madman, and they cry “What about our vagiiiiiinaaas!?!” Worst thing I’ve read, in a week of particularly plentiful stupid commentary.
With the fed govt $16T in debt and rapidly rising. With $55T in unfunded liabilities (it may have gone up to $70T), politicians like Cuomo are going to get a very nasty surprise. The legions won’t take Cuomo’s commands if Cuomo can’t pay them in real currency. He would be like the Late Roman Emperors in the West issuing out useless decrees with nobody to enforce them.
Besides, 3d printers are already printing out some gun parts. In 10-20 years, the issue will be moot.
A little of both, I think.
The student loan situation is scary and it isn’t going to get better any time soon. This, I think, is going to lead to students and parents taking a hard look at just what they’re paying for, and perhaps seek alternatives.
Administrative bloat is another big issue (this is actually the largest factor in the outrageous cost of education at all levels — even in K-12, many districts have more non-teachers on the payroll than teachers). When cuts occur (and they are happening right now, despite all those votes for Obama), they tend to happen in teaching and research, never at the administrative level.
There are also demographic problems.
Note that I’m not one of those who thinks schools should be job training centers. In my opinion, becoming a responsible citizen requires knowledge of history, art, mathematics, and the rest, as well as your particular area of expertise.
Ha! Now that‘s kinda funny right there:
“While attacking National Rifle Association President Wayne La Pierre on NBC’s Meet the Press this weekend, host David Gregory actually violated gun laws in the city where he broadcasts. “
You should point out that machine guns were, and they liked ’em, despite not being able to afford them.
More on the odious David Gregory.
Lefty SOP.
Who was it a couple of days ago wondering why the lefties don’t preach what they do, rather than what they don’t do? Anyhow, whoever it was, it made for a nice riposte.
Keep Calm & Molon Labe
Personally, I carry a gun because I’m too young to die and too old to
take an “ass” whoopin’….
the cutting edge of education is specialization (i.e.”job training”). The idea that students must be well-rounded in order to begin their lives at 18 is swiftly taking a kick to the groin. Just read any of the education studies being done lately, as well as some of the secular homeschooling zealots.
the facts are: college is now out of reach for most. too expensive, the debt is suicide, there are no jobs. skills like machine repair and farming will be more valuable. Those that can provide for their own needs will be better off.
Our local district is opening up a new high school, sort of like a vocational center but a tad different in that it will also offer pre-med and pre-architecture programs etc.
They’ve been confiscating money for so long without serious objection they seem genuinely stunned that anyone should object as they extend their confiscatory reach to other things.
I believe most parents have good intentions when it comes to making sure their children are learning, but I question whether many of them have the ability to homeschool. The spirit is certainly willing, but the knowledge base may be weak and the ability to transmit that knowledge in a way that is useful to the child that will allow him to make the eventual transition to high school. I am not certain about the parameters in all states, but I don’t know if a homeschooled child is considered to have the credentials to attend an accredited college or university. Additionally, if your child wishes to play sports, he is going to need to attend a high school.
Certainly that is not all homeschoolers, but a great many of the people around here homeschool their children not because the schools are bad (they aren’t) but because they have a personal beef with a teacher or teachers. They pull the kids out of school until they either get tired of having them at home or the kid whines about missing his friends one too many times. Then the kid has to reaclimate to school life until the parent(s) gets pissed off at the school/teacher/coach again and then it repeats. It makes it tough on everyone, especially the kid. Kids need routine and structure and many homeschoolers are unstructured and do things piecemeal.
The homeschoolers I have met who are seriously committed do a great job and their kids are outstanding students and fine, trustworthy young people anyone would be proud to know. It’s like anything else in life, you have to know your limitations. I didn’t homeschool my kids because I can’t teach them everything they need to know and a lot of that has nothing to do with classwork and everything to do with dealing with their fellow man. They need to know there are really nice people out there and that there are also a lot of jerks and some very dangerous types, as well. Also that assignments have a due date for a reason. You show up late, you get marked tardy. Too many tardies and your grade goes down. You can’t skip practice and still start in the football game, &c.
tl:dr
Sorry for the long post.
“but I don’t know if a homeschooled child is considered to have the credentials to attend an accredited college or university”
In most cases, yes, even at “elite” schools like MIT and Stanford. They tend to perform well.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-37242551/can-homeschoolers-do-well-in-college/
but I don’t know if a homeschooled child is considered to have the credentials to attend an accredited college or university.
short answer is yes. homeschoolers go to college if they want to, and colleges accept them easily because they are usually better students than the products of the public school system.
I don’t care whether ppl homeschool or not – to each his own. But the data and studies lately are turning homeschool into the thing to do, if you want to get your kid into the ivy leagues & if you can’t afford to live in a super rich school district.
(not that i give a rip about that, I’m letting my kids all make their own choices, this is just my observations over the last couple years both IRL and online)
My last kid at home already has a full ride scholarship to OU.
I did my part in kicking his ass about grades. Tiger mom-like.
“What is this, a B?! Aaiii!!!”
The Institute for Policy Studies is Coming for Your Guns
proggtardopia awaits
Gun Sales Set New Record in 2012 – More Than 16.8 Million Background Checks
Read that IPS paper at Pablo’s link and consider how stupid their target audience is.
What until after Christmas, it is a pretty depressing thought.
Guns can last a very long time.