Happy #$&% New Year!

Saudi Arabia and Iran just cut off diplomatic relations.  Obama is eyeing your guns, again.  And, yes, we do have to put up with him for another year.  The China stock market closed early limit down.  The U. S. stock market is opening down 300 points.  Our borders are wide open to Lord knows what kind of invaders.  And there is a militia-Feds stand-off brewing in Oregon.

And, to top it off, the @#$% Steelers made the playoffs.

Happy New Year!

Another Pilot Point GUN SHOW Appearance!

It has been a while.  But this weekend I am once again taking my Texas Anglican novel Pilot Point to a gun show!  The Liberty Gun Show in New Braunfels to be exact.

I will have a table from 9 to 5 Saturday and Sunday at the gun show which will be at the Convention Center in New Braunfels, Texas.

Wurstfest is also going on in New Braunfels through the weekend, and you know I will enjoy that, too! (“Wurst” is German sausage.  And don’t even start with the puns.)

But I know not all readers can make it to New Braunfels.  So Pilot Point remains on sale at Amazon in both print and Kindle formats at very reasonable prices.


Have a great weekend!  I know I will.

Want to Play the Oregon Shooting Blame Game?

Before I rant start, the ignored obvious should be stated: the one to be blamed above all for the Oregon shooting yesterday is one Chris Harper Mercer.  And in a healthy, sane culture, it would be left largely at that.

But the political culture of the United States is hardly healthy and too rarely sane.  So, as always after a shooting not in Chicago, the Left is oh-so-eager to play the blame game to push gun confiscation, and Obama practically ran to the podium to do just that, of course.

But I will be a sport.  Does Obama and the Leftist fanboys want to play the Blame Game?  Then let’s play!

Umpqua Community College was a gun-free zone or at least the equivalent as confirmed by the UCC president.

UCC Interim President: We have a "no guns on campus" policy. #UCCShooting pic.twitter.com/mmWRKJcRA7

— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) October 1, 2015

Oh, the Left is doing their worst best to dispute that inconvenient fact.  They are failing.

As, sadly, in the Aurora shooting, this policy makes victims sitting ducks and is practically an invitation to shooters who prefer their victims unarmed.

At the very least, gun control on this campus did nothing to prevent this incident.  Likely, it made it worse.

Further, although the Democrat “mainstream” news media has yet to say much about it, there is very good reason to believe Chris Harper Mercer targeted Christians, as one young woman in the room testified before undergoing surgery.

The Left has created a hostile atmosphere against Christians in much of this country, particularly against Christians who hold firmly to traditional morality and refuse to participate in its destruction.  You can cut this atmosphere with a knife on the Left Coast.  Vilify even a peaceful, law-abiding demographic enough and allow such vilification legitimacy in a culture or subculture, and wronged-headed men could act out violently on that. 

And one did.

I will mercifully stop there.  But does the Left really want to play the Blame Game with this atrocity against Christians?  And that when the Left vilifies and disarms Christians and would surely go further in vilifying and disarming them?

Fear and Loathing

I was going to post on Politico’s interview of Eric Holder.  I know – me, link Politico?  But do go read it.  I swear Holder is a race-baiting piece of work.  He wants to make it easier for the Feds to file trumped-up charges of civil rights violations against those who dare defend themselves against thugs of color.  He hopes to start an Eric Holder Institute for Race and Justice – that is not a joke!  What is sad is that there is surely a university all too willing to stoop so low.

But I want to get more personal.  Back in the first half of 2009, I felt under perpetual bombardment from Obama, Holder, etc.  It seemed it was something every day.  I feared for my country.  I feared for our – and my – freedom.  I said the collect from Morning Prayer, “Defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies” with added fervor.

It even affected me physically, wearing me down at times.

Now I get the awful feeling it is happening again.  And I am getting that same feeling of dread again.

It really should not be happening again.  After last year’s election repudiating his party, Obama has far less lawful power than he had in 2009.

But “lawful” is the key word there.  Now that Obama does not have another election in front of him to hold him accountable, his concern for what is lawful is less than ever.  And the Republicans we elected to stop him are doing precious little to do so.

So his regime, more lawless than ever, pushes a new enormity every day it seems.  His FCC, independent in theory only under Obama, passes so-call net neutrality, increasing Fed power over the internet, without even publishing ahead of time what they were voting on. 

That’s how totalitarian governments work.

Obama is seeking to ban a type of AR-15 ammo; the 2^nd Amendment be damned.

The ATF is confiscating property without court authorization or even a criminal charge.  Who gave it that power? Eric Holder.  And does he have the lawful power to do that? Shut up with your questions and concerns about civil rights.  Civil rights are to protect favored classes like thugs of color, not red neck gun owners.

Obama’s Treasury paid insurers $3 billion without explanation and without Congressional authorization – yet another annoying Constitution clause ignored.

This is just stuff that came out this week.  And I’m sure I’ve missed something.  Who can keep up with all of Obama’s lawlessness and attacks on our freedoms?

I knew we had a lawless president.  But I had hoped that the past election and his lame duck status would have constrained him.  Instead, his last election past, he is all the more throwing off the restraint of the Constitution and the rule of law.

I fear for my country . . . and for myself.

By the way, in part for that very reason, I am considering a future change to this blog.  But I will get there when I get there.

I release Pilot Point tomorrow . . . at a GUN SHOW!

Tomorrow is the big day!  God willing, I drive to the Shriners Gun Show in Corpus Christi, Texas, set up a table inside, and officially release my novel Pilot Point.

If this doesn’t release Pilot Point with a bang, I don’t know what will.

All prayers would be appreciated, not just for sales, but that my energy holds up as I am going to try to be there all day.  Also, I hope to do some informal ministry by giving away some copies of my older book, God Knows What It’s Like to be a Teenager, among other means.

What passes for normal around here will resume next week.  Thanks for your prayers and support.

President Oboohoo

One may think my opinion of President Obama is too low, and it is rather subterranean, yes.  Yet he continues to shock me with his conduct. So I guess my opinion has not been low enough.

Yesterday, after his efforts to increase gun control went down in flames in the Senate, he let loose with a televised temper tantrum I cannot recall seeing from any president.  It has to be seen to be appreciated, if that is the correct word. . . .

But two lowlights stand out to me.  First, his press conference (if it can be called that.  The press wasn’t allowed to spoil the glory of his tantrum with irreverent questions.) began with blatant emotional blackmail.  Look, I have a lot of sympathy for a father who lost his child.  But for Obama brazenly to use that to push a gun control agenda that would in reality do nothing to protect such children is shameless.

Of course, later in his own statement, Obama ridiculed those who point out he is in fact engaging in emotional blackmail.

Second, he made this fatuous claim . . .

So while this compromise didn't contain everything I wanted or everything that these families wanted, it did represent progress. It represented moderation and common sense. That's why 90 percent of the American people supported it.

That’s just a flat out lie.  No gun control proposal in the Senate had 90% support, not even close.  Yet he repeated that 90% meme again and again in his statement. 

Then in the very next angry breath, Obama accuses:

But instead of supporting this compromise, the gun lobby and its allies willfully lied about the bill.

Incredible.  Project much, Mr. President?

Something to watch out for – Obama pledged to keep pushing for more gun control.  That might be mainly rhetoric.  But it might also be a tip off that he intends to play the dictator on this issue.  We’ll see.

I could say more, but I think some takes from twitter are to the point . . . and more fun.

Most popular president in history can't persuade own party to vote for commonsense legislation supported by 90% of voters. Or something.
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) April 17, 2013

This is not a man who takes "no" well.
— Elizabeth Scalia (@TheAnchoress) April 17, 2013

Wow. I have never heard an American president full of so much rage at his fellow countrymen. Never.
— David Reaboi (@davereaboi) April 17, 2013

Pres. AngryMan NEVER acknowledges there is legit opposition to his agenda. His oppo is "bought, paid for" while his is "people-driven" #tcot
— Sister Toldjah (@sistertoldjah) April 17, 2013

What you see is the angry Obama who always lurks just below the surface, the man who cannot tolerate dissent & opposition. #tcot #p2 #tlot
— Sister Toldjah (@sistertoldjah) April 17, 2013

Exactly.

Seattle Gun Buy-back Turns into a GUN SHOW!

I love this (mild language warning at the link) for so many reasons:

Police officers in Seattle, Washington held their first gun buyback program in 20 years this weekend, underneath interstate 5, and soon found that private gun collectors were working the large crowd as little makeshift gun shows began dotting the parking lot and sidewalks. Some even had “cash for guns” signs prominently displayed.

I love that an anti-gun plan did not work out quite as planned, that it resulted in an impromptu GUN SHOW in Seattle of all places. 

I like the demonstration of how the free markets work better for everyone than government substitutes.  Gun collectors got guns.  Gun sellers got more than $100 to $200 “chump cards” (or IOUs when those ran out) and got to get out of a long buy-back line.  As one buyer said, “Why not offer them cash versus a gift card? I’m still taking the guns off the streets; they’re just going in my safe.”

Indeed.

(For those who are wondering, the all caps “GUN SHOW” is a tip of the hat to those wonderful GUN SHOW billboards we see sometimes. . . here in flyover country, not in Seattle.)

Obama wants doctors to spy for him.

It is clear from his anti-gun executive orders that Obama wants doctors to spy on you for him.

Some doctors already have no problem with spying for “the authorities.”  Obama wants the rest to follow their good example.

This is not only creepy; using doctors as spies and tools of the regime is the stuff of totalitarian regimes.

Have I mentioned Obama has a totalitarian streak?

Downfall III: Obama’s Totalitarian Streak Goes Mainstream?

I think yesterday afternoon’s Drudge homepage deserves a revisit.

I have long maintained that Obama has a totalitarian streak.  But I cannot recall that being asserted so strongly in a mainstream venue before Drudge yesterday.  And Matt Drudge is no fool and no extremist.

Now although I am convinced Obama’s totalitarian streak will contribute greatly to his downfall, I am unsure whether the perception of his totalitarian streak will be much of a factor.  Americans often criticize and ridicule their presidents, but most do not want to countenance the thought that a current president has more in common with Hitler and Stalin than with Washington and Lincoln.

Oh sure, Leftist loons called W “Bushitler”, and some of the brilliant vanguard on the Right, such as yours truly, have noted Obama’s streak.  But more mainstream and influential voices have not asserted such about Obama . . . until yesterday.

I still doubt whether many outside the Right will perceive Obama as getting his totalitarian on.  But . . . but him going after guns may be the tipping point that gets more people to fear that we do have a President more akin to Stalin than to Lincoln.  That largely depends how much he is willing to play the dictator in going after guns.  I do think he is more willing than some think.  And, as I mentioned, vigorous reverence for the 2^nd Amendment crosses party lines.  This is an issue that can set off the alarms of a great many Americans.

Having said that, Presidents have acted too much like dictators before - FDR and Nixon come to mind - and few, rightly or wrongly, came to see them as having a totalitarian streak.  So I still doubt whether the perception of Obama’s totalitarian streak will be much of a factor in his downfall.

But it said perception does become a factor, yesterday’s Drudge may prove to be a moment of import.

Downfall II: Biden Threatens “Executive Orders . . . Executive Action” Against Guns

When I began my Downfall series yesterday, perhaps you thought me a bit paranoid when I suggested Obama might “play the dictator in going after guns.”  But it’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you:

"The president is going to act," said Biden, giving some comments to the press before a meeting with victims of gun violence. "There are executives orders, there's executive action that can be taken. We haven't decided what that is yet. But we're compiling it all with the help of the attorney general and the rest of the cabinet members as well as legislative action that we believe is required."

And if you think I’m over the top in pointing out Obama’s totalitarian streak, then do not look at the homepage of Drudge today.

 If the shoe fits . . . 

Downfall: the Self-Destruction of Obama – Guns

I really should not be making any more political predictions after my prediction of a Romney win. The one thing I got right is that it was "useless"!

But I can’t help myself when I think I am seeing something momentous unfolding, and that is the self-destruction of Obama.  His re-election has unleashed his arrogant Leftism already beyond my worse expectations.  And I so believe (and pray) it will backfire on him, that I have decided to begin a Downfall series of periodic posts on his self-destruction.  

I think a series is needful because I already see so many seeds of Obama’s downfall that two or three posts will not suffice, not to mention I expect his downfall to be a process, and a messy one.  And I do think it will be a self-destruction.  As after his 2008 election, Obama again has so much good will in the country that if he were somewhat sensible and responsible he could go down as a very successful president.

But sensible and responsible he is not.

For the first post, I will point to what may be the worst miscalculation of Obama so far, not just in his 2^nd term, but in his entire presidency, his decision to go after guns.

In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Massacre, Obama thinks now is the time to push his desire largely to disarm the American people.  He thinks he now has the political capital to do so.  That could be a disastrous miscalculation.

Obama does not get how attached Americans are to their guns and gun rights.  And it’s not just supposed “bitter clingers” he infamously pointed to in 2008.  Strongly pro-gun people include a lot of Democrats and Independents.  The NRA endorses a number of Democrats (some of whom are now betraying gun owners, by the way).

And those gun owners do more than just “cling” to their guns.  They take action when they perceive their 2^nd Amendment rights are under threat.  Note the current soaring gun and ammo sales.  And note the coming political backlash.  Few things can get many Americans angry as the thought of the federal government coming after their guns.  Alex Jones’ appearance with Piers Morgan gives a flavor of that.

And make no mistake about it – Obama’s proposed federal gun registry is rightly perceived as one step away from gun confiscation.

When Obama finally begins to understand the full extent of the anger he is unleashing, it will be too late for him politically.  This issue alone could turn out millions against his party in 2014 and turn him into the lamest of lame duck presidents.

I see only two ways for Obama to escape this scenario:

1. The economy is doing so well and soon that people forgive just about everything else.  That is exceedingly unlikely as I may address in a later post.

2. The most obnoxious of Obama’s proposals are quickly defeated, and he then backs off so quickly that guns are not a big issue in 2014.

That is possible.  Perhaps gun grabbing has so little support in Congress that it is shot down quickly.  But the thing is Obama has a sordid record already of using lawless means when he cannot get his way through lawful means.  His recess appointments when there was no recess are among the examples.  His regime has already made noises of taking steps apart from Congress to restrict guns. 

If Obama plays the dictator in going after guns . . . let’s just say it could get ugly.  We will need to pray that only political means are needed and used in stopping Obama’s excesses.

But Obama is going after guns.  And I do think it will be the beginning of his Downfall.

GUNS!!

Anticipation of a second term for The Dear Leader is heightening the people’s enthusiasm! . . . for buying guns:

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR), announced today that for the first quarter 2012, the Company has received orders for more than one million units. Therefore, the Company has temporarily suspended the acceptance of new orders.
Chief Executive Officer Michael O. Fifer made the following comments:
-- The Company’s Retailer Programs that were offered from January 1, 2012 through February 29, 2012 were very successful and generated significant orders from retailers to independent wholesale distributors for Ruger firearms.
-- Year-to-date, the independent wholesale distributors placed orders with the Company for more than one million Ruger firearms.
-- Despite the Company’s continuing successful efforts to increase production rates, the incoming order rate exceeds our capacity to rapidly fulfill these orders. Consequently, the Company has temporarily suspended the acceptance of new orders.
-- The Company expects to resume the normal acceptance of orders by the end of May 2012.

Ruger is up about 4 points as the stock market opens, by the way. Who says Obama isn’t good for the economy.

GUNS!

One would not think the UK is a gun nut’s paradise, and it is not . . . except for Windsor Castle.

I greatly enjoyed my tour of Windsor Castle yesterday. The famous portraits of kings stand out, but there is so much more that it is really impossible to take it all in.

But I have to admit what was most memorable to this Texan was all . . . the . . . guns. The two guard rooms contain an amazing display of old guns. There had to be hundreds of them, in cabinets, arrayed on the walls, everywhere! I’ve never seen anything like it. It made me think the Royal Family are a bunch of gun nuts.

But, yes, there are other things to see. So if opportunity presents, take the first non-peak train there (to avoid lines getting into the state rooms as I did) and go see it. And do be sure beforehand that the State and Semi-State rooms are open.

Obama working on gun control “Under the radar”

I will resist the temptation to say Obama is shooting himself in the foot. But the last thing he needs is to feed the perception that he is coming after our guns.

And I thought it was mainly a perception and not his agenda. Besides, who would push such a combustive issue when it has no chance in Congress, right? But now it looks like I have overestimated (or underestimated if you prefer) the Dear Leader once again.

On March 30, the 30th anniversary of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, Jim Brady, who sustained a debilitating head wound in the attack, and his wife, Sarah, came to Capitol Hill to push for a ban on the controversial “large magazines.” Brady, for whom the law requiring background checks on handgun purchasers is named, then met with White House press secretary Jay Carney. During the meeting, President Obama dropped in and, according to Sarah Brady, brought up the issue of gun control, “to fill us in that it was very much on his agenda,” she said.

“I just want you to know that we are working on it,” Brady recalled the president telling them. “We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar.”

And reports indicate the “processes” being considered involve bypassing Congress through executive orders or agency regulation. It would certainly not be the first time he tried to impose his will over the heads of the people’s representatives, as Ed Morrissey notes:

That also matches up with Obama’s approach on … nearly everything, it seems. Regulatory adventurism has been a hallmark of every other Obama priority, whether it be health care, financial-services reform, labor policy, and now on gun control. When his agenda is too radical for Congress, Obama simply plans to bypass Congress and rule by decree.

“Regulatory adventurism” is a nice way of putting it. I call it tyranny.

Guns and God: Piece Be With You!

Now this is my kind of church!

A Kentucky pastor is inviting his flock to bring guns to church to celebrate the Fourth of July and the Second Amendment.

New Bethel Church is welcoming "responsible handgun owners" to wear their firearms inside the church June 27, a Saturday. An ad says there will be a handgun raffle, patriotic music and information on gun safety.

Here’s more info if you want to go. Now the guns can’t be loaded, which is a shame. It would add a nice touch to fire off a few rounds during key parts of the service or as an emphatic way to say “Amen!”

I think an Anglican church should try this. Instead of ringing bells at the Sanctus and consecration . . .

-----

Fire off a round for Hot Air.

GUNS!

Sturm Ruger reported earnings overnight. In a word, sales are up . . . a lot. Glad I own the stock. I bought it not long after the election because I figured the Ascension of Our Dear Leader plus a bad economy would help gun sales.

This tidbit from the earnings report is especially interesting:

Firearm orders received grew from $156 million in 2007 to $234 million in 2008. The order backlog at December 31, 2008 was $48 million, up from $18 million at December 31, 2007. Nonetheless, shipments in 2009 will be limited to units produced in 2009 as finished goods inventory was depleted during the fourth quarter of 2008.

In other words, they are selling guns faster than they can make them.