October 10, 2011

The Next Senator From The Great State of Texas? I Sure Hope So!

 The following is a video of former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz’s speech to the Family Research Council’s 2011 Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC on October 7th.
 Mr. Cruz is running for the U.S. Senate and I can think of no one I’d rather have representing me. With luck, there will be other Senate candidates from around the country that have the same passion for liberty and the Constitution that Ted has. We can only hope.
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October 9, 2011

Is This Obama’s “Watergate?”

 Most who weren’t alive during the early 1970s (and many who were) could not tell you what Watergate was all about, just that it had something to do with the President of the United States of America resigning his office, something that had never happened (before or since).
 Without going into great detail (Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s All The President’s Men is the gold-standard), “Watergate” refers to the Watergate Hotel and Office Building in Washington D.C., which among other things, housed the offices of the Democratic National Committee. One night in 1972, a hotel security guard caught a group of burglars inside those offices. As the story unfolded, it was learned that the burglars were there at the behest of President Richard M. Nixon’s reelection committee — in fact, one of the burglars worked directly for the committee. In this case, ca-ca flowed uphill and President Nixon sealed his own fate by getting directly involved in trying to cover up the connection after he learned of it (Catch-phrase of the day: “What did the President know and when did he know it?”).
 Two years after the burglary and facing certain impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate, Nixon resigned. What is unfolding now has many wondering if history is repeating itself.

 The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE, or more commonly, ATF) has more or less been caught red-handed intentionally sending weapons across the border into Mexico, weapons that they were supposed to be stopping. Known variously as “Gunwalker” or “Gunrunner,” the official ATF name for the project appears to be “Fast and Furious”…having never seen the movie(s) of the same name, the connection is lost on me.
 Without getting into the details, insiders are blowing whistles and a Congressional investigation has ATF and other Justice Department honchos stonewalling and circling the wagons. It now appears that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder may have at least known about the project and did nothing to stop it. The only step up the ladder from there goes directly to the Oval Office.
 There is more to discuss on this subject (including the possibility of a much more sinister motive for the project than catching druggies), but for now I just wonder how long it will be before we hear people in positions of power channeling Senator Sam Ervin — “What did the President know and when did he know it?

October 7, 2011

“…Where Men Were Free.”

 Okay, I’ve officially given up on pretending this is going to be a traditional “blog”…I just don’t have the time to sit down and vent every time something pushes my buttons and short, pithy paragraphs only tease my appetite for writing. For those of you who have checked back here over the last three months expecting to see something new, I apologize.
 I always try to wait until I have something profound to relate before sitting down to make an entry here…maybe that’s why nothing has been posted for so long. Perhaps I should just let the words flow and not worry so much about how insightful or cutting-edge they might be. Read that as: “Don’t be so full of yourself, Nathan—just write.”

 I have been on the “off-cycle” lately when it comes to listening to the voices on conservative radio. I’ve learned that if I don’t back off every so often, I let the state of affairs in our country twist me up in knots to the point I can’t function clearly. Not that I would for a minute waste time listening to liberal radio…if I want the state-sanctioned view of life, all I have to do is watch NBC, ABC, CBS or any of their “news” off-shoots languishing in the ratings cellar on cable. My “male bovine excrement” meter works just fine, thank you very much.
 What I have noticed more and more is that nothing much has really changed over the last 40 years. We still have left-wing ideologues (masquerading as educators) indoctrinating our children in universities and colleges around the country, with very few standout institutions left (Hillsdale College being a prime example of the latter).
 Democrats (Liberals/Progressives/Marxists/Utopians/take-your-pick) always say that more money—yours, not theirs—is the answer to every problem and that government is the be-all-end-all solution to mankind’s shortcomings.
 Moderates are constantly basing their positions and actions on what Liberals will think about them…more interested in being liked by the establishment media than in being right, more interested in compromise than in standing on principle.
 Those Republicans that don’t identify themselves as Moderates still delineate themselves as Social-Conservatives or Fiscal-Conservatives, each often eyeing the other with ill-concealed loathing and opening the door for Moderate candidates to “bridge the gap” in a brotherly expression of compromise that usually results in the Democrat candidate winning the race — why vote for “Liberal Lite” when you can have the real thing?
 But something changed slightly over the last few election cycles: real Conservatives started winning…and winning BIG. What often goes unreported about the 2010 election is that not only the U.S. House of Representatives, but a majority of state legislatures went Republican…and for the most part, those candidates were Conservatives, not Moderates.
 Don’t believe the disinformation spread by the Democratic Party and the liberal media: ours is not a liberal society, it is predominately conservative. According to Gallop polling, 2011 is the third straight year that those identifying themselves as “conservative” (41%) outnumber “moderates” (36%) and “liberals” (21%)…with conservatives outnumbering liberals by almost 2:1! Just try to prove that by listening to the nightly news.
 We have to quit listening to those who say we have to go along to get along; that ship sailed with John McCain. [I heard someone from the McCain campaign complain that if someone other than Sarah Palin had been on the ticket, the race would have been too close to call. What a moron! Palin on the ticket is what prevented it from being a 49-state landslide for Obama!]
 “OK, Nathan, you’ve been rambling on for awhile now…what’s your point?” My point is, we are reaching a tipping point in our history. For the last hundred years, those who detest our capitalist way of life, our societal exceptionalism, our status as the world’s last superpower have been firmly ensconced in the halls of academia. But now, they are firmly ensconced in the halls of power and running the country!
 We are rapidly running out of time to turn the tide…some say it’s already too late. It’s time for us to wake up, for each of us to make a difference in whatever way we can—voting, campaigning, speaking, writing, praying—to reclaim our country before it is lost forever.
 President Ronald Reagan made many profound statements over his lifetime, but one in particular rings even truer today than when he originally said it:
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States, where men were free.”

July 4, 2011

Why Did You Fight?

 Around 1843, historian Mellen Chamberlain interviewed one of the last surviving Minutemen present at the Battle of Concord in 1775, 91-year-old Captain Levi Preston. This was like interviewing a World War II veteran today:
Captain Preston, what made you go to the Concord Fight?
What did I go for?
Were you oppressed by the Stamp Act?
I never saw any stamps, and I always understood that none were ever sold.
Well, what about the tea tax?
Tea tax? I never drank a drop of the stuff; the boys threw it all overboard.
But I suppose you had been reading Harrington, Sidney, and Locke about the eternal principle of liberty?
I never heard of these men. The only books we had were the Bible, the Catechism, Watts’ psalms and hymns and the almanacs.
Well, then, what was the matter?
Young man, what we meant in going for those Redcoats was this: we always had governed ourselves and we always meant to. They didn’t mean we should.
 “We always had governed ourselves, and we always meant to.” That was the bottom line for the entire Revolutionary War. They were not going to let an increasingly oppressive authority in some distant capitol that was not responsive to the will of the people dictate to them how they were going to live their lives.
 Something to remember as we celebrate Independence Day.

June 2, 2011

Where are the REAL men in the Texas Senate?

 I’m still trying to understand why our supposed-Republican Lt.Gov. David Dewhurst would lobby against a Republican bill that would protect our women and children from repeated molestation by agents of the Transportation Security Administration.
 According to Dewhurst himself (as reported in the Austin American-Statesman), his activity on the Senate floor that night was about the Sanctuary Cities bill, not the TSA bill (also known as the Anti-Groping Bill)...but that doesn’t seem to match up with what state senators are saying. They accuse him of lobbying against legislation that would make it a state-jail felony to perform the sexual-assault searches now being used in airport security checks...with federal lawyers in tow as he wandered the Senate floor. I’m not going to get into whether or not that constituted a violation of lobbying practices according to Texas law, but David Dewhurst has received his last vote for any office from yours-truly. And we definitely don’t need someone like him in the US Senate!
 But what I am really irritated over is the federal government’s threat to turn the entire state of Texas into a no-fly-zone if the bill became law! Apparently, more than a few of our state senators can’t read a bluff and should never play poker for the rest of their lives. Shutting down all air traffic in and out of Texas (even if the Feds had the huevos to try it) would in all likelihood be the spark for a full-blown revolt against an overreaching Federal government...a government that is now reaching into areas we teach our children to scream loudly for help when touched there! [I know, Miss D: bad grammar.]
 We have got to get people to understand that Washington is NOT the heart of the USA...our state capitols are. I can’t remember who to cite as the author, but someone stated it very plainly:
“The states are not creatures of the Federal government, the Federal government is a creature of the states....States: get your creature on a leash!
But like the fictional Dr. Frankenstein, I fear our monster has become uncontrollable.

May 22, 2010

2nd Amendment Alive and Well in Austin

 I see the anti-gun crowd is upset with Texas again…poor babies!!!
 According to an article by Associated Press writer Jay Root, when they installed the brand-new, first-time-ever metal detectors at the state capitol building on May 21st, they set up an alternate line for concealed-carry license holders that bypasses the metal detectors.
 That’s right, boys and girls, you can STILL carry your concealed handgun into the capitol building. That has always been true…God Bless Texas…and it’s good to see nothing is changing in that respect.
 Of course, the usual suspects are all twitterpated over this—including Root himself, apparently. In his article, he uses some of the typical phraseology favored by anti-gun zealots...“pack heat,” “gun toting citizenry,” “lock-and-load culture,” “gun-packing visitors.” And no article on handguns would be “complete” without a statement from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
 According to Root, Brady Campaign spokesman Peter Hamm said, “If you’re planning on perpetrating something in the state capitol, you should simply get a concealed handgun license and show your gun on the way in. It’s just ludicrous.”
 No, Mr. Hamm, your theory is ludicrous. If someone is planning to perpetrate evil inside a secured area, they will find a way, gun or no-gun. Any truly disturbed individual will find a way to get something inside…or more likely, use something already inside.
 As for getting a license solely for the purpose of bringing chaos and havoc, let’s look at what the requirements are:
  1. Paying a $140 fee to the state;
  2. Submitting info on where you’ve lived and worked for the past 10 years;
  3. Submitting two sets of fingerprint cards and passport photos;
  4. Paying approx. $100 (+ ammo) for a lengthy, mandatory class on Texas law concerning concealed carry, non-violent conflict resolution, and lethal force usage;
  5. Surviving an extensive background check to determine if you:
    • have any felony convictions,
    • have any Class A or B misdemeanor convictions within the past five years,
    • are currently charged with or fugitive from an offense,
    • have had any felony-level “delinquent conduct” within the last 10 years,
    • are ineligible to purchase a handgun under state and Federal law,
    • are delinquent on any state, county, or local taxes,
    • have ever been hospitalized for mental illness,
    • are chemically dependent,
    • are delinquent on child support,
    • are under a restraining order/protective order related to domestic violence.
FAIL ANY ONE OF THESE TESTS, and you aren’t getting a concealed handgun license in the State of Texas. Period. Add to that the fact that getting your license back from Austin can take anywhere from four weeks to four MONTHS, we aren’t talking “crime of passion” here.
 No, as has been proven time and again, restrictions on handgun possession mean nothing to criminals — by definition, they could care less about the law and are going to do whatever they want. And as has also been proven time and again, armed citizens can and do interrupt and/or prevent criminal activity by their very presence.
 So, next time you visit the Texas State Capitol, don’t worry about leaving your pistol unattended in your easily-stolen car while you’re inside. Just make sure you have your license ready to show to Security at the front door. God Bless Texas. God Save America.

April 19, 2010

New Rifle!

 Well, I guess I’ve ignored this site long enough — so much for “keeping it current.” Sorry, guys, but I’ve been a little distracted lately...by my new AK-47!!! [OK, you’re right, it’s actually a semi-auto clone of an AKML, but let’s not get picky.]
 Yes, I have officially entered the world of the “evil bad-guy gun.” Even went so far as to [shudder!!] sell my Bushmaster AR-15 to get it.
WHAT!?! You sold the most popular rifle in America today to buy a...a...a GOON GUN!?!?!?! I thought you were an AMERICAN, dude!!!! What in the world would you want with a Commie rifle?!?!?
 OK, do we have that out of our systems now? Good.
 I could go into a long, drawn-out discussion about the pros and cons of AK vs. AR (and I probably will when I’m done with this paragraph), but the deciding factor for me was this: my personal defense carry gun is a Springfield Armory XD pistol (XD stands for “eXtreme Duty”). This pistol can take whatever you can throw at it — mud, sand, water, ICE, trucks running over it — and when you pick it up and squeeze the trigger, it goes “BANG!” I finally figured out I need a rifle that can do the same thing.
 Loaded AKs have been found buried in the Iraqi desert (in the SAND mind you, not a box) and, after a few shakes to clear the barrel and receiver, have fired full-auto without a problem. I double-dog dare you to try that with any AR-style weapon.



 Please don’t get me wrong, I do not HATE the AR…after all it was the first rifle I purchased and it's full-auto big brothers, the M-16 and M-4, have served our country for almost 50 years. As long as you treat it well, keep it clean, and feed it its favorite ammo, it will serve YOU well…just don’t drop it in the mud or neglect it’s upkeep or try running cheap ammo through it. (That “nasty” lacquer-coated steel-cased Russian ammo that makes ARs choke and puke? AKs eat it like CANDY and ask, “Please, sir, may we have MORE?”)
 And, yes, the change in ammunition WAS a major selling point. The AK-47’s 7.62x39mm round is the rough equivalent of the .30-30, most often seen in lever-action rifles. The AR-15 are traditionally chambered for the military 5.56x45mm cartridge [the civilian .223 caliber round works, but don’t try using a 5.56 in a gun designed for .223…bad idea.] Now I might be wrong, but it seems to me that a 126-grain, .30 cal. bullet at 2,450 feet per second has a little more stopping power than a 55-grain, .22 caliber bullet at 3,250 fps. It is said that the .223 is a more lethal cartridge, but quite frankly we’re not looking to kill anybody — we're just trying to stop them from continuing their attack on us. That takes PUNCH. And from what I’ve read so far, the AK does that better than the AR.
 I am not “done” with ARs. I imagine I will someday buy another one to stand beside my AK. But right now, I can’t afford both. And with what I got for my old rifle, I will be able to trick out my new rifle and buy LOTS of ammo and magazines...got to feed the baby.

P.S.: "Thanks!" to my nephew, Jerry, for leaving his AK with me while he was busy at Basic Training in San Antonio...shooting it kind of “iced the cake,” as it were.