Blogs combined

Please go and see my other blog, I am no longer (actually I never) posted enough to maintain 2 blogs.

VT shootings

Horrible, unimaginable, terrible. Those are the only words to describe the situation.

But the second guessing is ridiculous. University officials and police had no indication this would have been a mass shooting, they thought it was an isolated incident. When I was in a similar college, in a similar place (Penn State, Happy Valley Pennsylvania) if I had received an email saying a shooting had happened, and to stay at home. After 2 hours I would have gone out anyway, maybe not to class, but certainly to get something to eat or to hang out.

And the NY Daily News today says that the "Well, true enough, per the Constitution, such a right is indeed posited, though we believe the framers had state militias in mind when they framed that posit, not every wacko with a beef."
The framers did not mean state militias you morons! The founders were very intelligent and if they meant that they would have said it.

Second Amendment
A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.

While this sentence does mention militia, it is not in context without the definition of militia. From Wikipedia

"Militia is the activity of one or more citizens organized to provide defense or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. The word can have five somewhat different meanings:

Defense activity, as well as those engaged in it, when it is defense of the public, its territory, property, and lawsThe entire able-bodied male population of a community, town, or state, which can be called to arms against an invading enemy, to enforce the law, or to respond to a disaster
A private, non-government force, not necessarily directly supported or sanctioned by its government
An official reserve army, composed of citizen soldiers, also called an Army Reserve, National Guard, or State Defense Forces
The national police forces in Russia, and other former CIS countries, or the former Soviet Union: Militsiya
In any of these cases, a militia is distinct from a regular army. It can serve to supplement the regular military, or it can oppose it, for example to resist a military coup. In some circumstances, the "enemies" against which a militia is mobilized are domestic political opponents of the government, such as strikers. In many cases the role, or even the existence of a militia, is controversial. For these reasons legal restrictions may be placed on the mobilization or use of militia."

The founders were rebels and the rebeled against an oppressive government, they did not want the new nation to have oppressive laws.

Also, please note the word distinct in the last description, distinct from a regular army.

From the Federalist Papers.

Extravagant as the supposition is, let it however be made. Let a regular army, fully equal to the resources of the country, be formed; and let it be entirely at the devotion of the federal government; still it would not be going too far to say, that the State governments, with the people on their side, would be able to repel the danger. The highest number to which, according to the best computation, a standing army can be carried in any country, does not exceed one hundredth part of the whole number of souls; or one twenty-fifth part of the number able to bear arms. This proportion would not yield, in the United States, an army of more than twenty-five or thirty thousand men. To these would be opposed a militia amounting to near half a million of citizens with arms in their hands, officered by men chosen from among themselves, fighting for their common liberties, and united and conducted by governments possessing their affections and confidence. It may well be doubted, whether a militia thus circumstanced could ever be conquered by such a proportion of regular troops. Those who are best acquainted with the last successful resistance of this country against the British arms, will be most inclined to deny the possibility of it. Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of.

Read that quote from Federalist Paper 46, written by Madison, one of the founders that the Daily News is interpreting as not wanted the people to have guns. Where in that do you see that intention? To me that seems to be the opposite. He wants the people to act as a check against the "enterprises of ambition"

Also from the Daily News, "Courageous final act of professor", a story of a real hero, but this man might not be dead if he had invoked his second amendment right to bear arms. He or one of the many other victims of this tragedy may have been able to stop this man in his tracks.

Before we start piling on gun shops "Ready to admit that it's madness for any psycho to be able to saunter into a gun shop and acquire firepower capable of killing 32 innocents?"

Guns will always be around, we can't stop it, if he wanted a gun, he would have gotten one, legally or not, we can control it however, allow law abiding stable citizens to CARRY guns. Perhaps have them take a psychological test, if you pass, give us our rights!

I live in NY and I wish I could carry a gun. For my defense, for the defense of my life, my family and my property. The other day as I was driving with my fiance she asked me to lock the doors, and I said why. She said, "Because when I drive by this section of the city I am always afraid someone is going to jump in the car."

Imus

I hate Imus. He is a liberal bastard who has added so much to the liberal media bias in the last...oh...20+ years. I find his remark inappropriate, racist, and disgusting. But he didn't deserve to be fired for it. Now, if he had come back on the air and people had decided to boycott his show and ratings tanked and then he was fired, that would be fine, but to be fired for expressing freedom of speech? Terrible judgement.

Illegal Immigration

I am against it. I believe it takes jobs from hard working americans. Please don't give me that bullshit about them taking jobs that no one else wants.
Case in point

My father and my brother (and numerous other family members) are union carpenters. They do very well for themselves, but today they were laid off. That isn't a big deal for them because they are both good at what they do, and will be back to work in no time.

Why were they laid off?

Because a certain developer, which I won't name.
"
By the way, did i mention that my brother and my father used to work on this housing complex by this developer?

This developer put pressure on the general contractor to get the union off the job so they could bring in "cheaper labor". Cheaper labor being, as my brother seen with his own eyes, vans full of latino looking people who spoke little english.

Needless to say, after enough pressure, the GC caved to the major developer.

My aunt, whom is a bleeding heart for illegal immigrants often gets in arguments with my rabid right wing brother. She is all open the borders, and my brother's reply is always,

"You can support illegal immigration because you are a teacher, when the mexicans come looking for jobs, they sure as hell ain't gonna send them to PS 25, they are going to come and learn how to do shoddy work sheetrocking."

Nevermind that my brother and father have been trained and do very high quality work, do you really think that your receive the same quality from cheaper untrained labor?

While this is "manual" labor, it is not easy, and should not be done by untrained cheap labor. Please think about this, and try and by and support union made items and respect union strike lines.

I know it is odd for someone of my political persuasion to support unions, but I do, and I believe it should be the norm for most conservatives, I believe if you look into the numbers, you will find that a union job is much more enduring and longer lasting, in need of less upkeep and maintenance.

Via Instapundit

This is now one of my go to websites. A site that appreciates what America has done for the world. One of the few I have come across. If you know of any other sites, please post a comment.

Some interesting articles

First from Salim Mansur on Vietnam. It seems to be a very interesting opinion that I have personally never seen before. He opines that the US sacrifice in Vietnam, purchased time for the rest of Southeast Asia to mature and grow stronger and resilient to the evil of communism. Please go read the rest. I recommend all of his writings.

Second article of the day was found via Real Clear Politics. In The Australian, Janet Albrechtsen discusses anti-Americanism and it's roots. I am sure we can all learn some lessons from these articles.

Run Hillary Run!!

I was having a text conversation with a friend of mine and we were speaking of another friend who used to be a conservative, but is suffering through a time of darkness and dissillusion.

I told him that I have faith in Hillary.

This was actually the conversation

Me-"did you see cy tolliver (powers boothe) on 24?"

J-"ya ya, I miss it, you watch deadwood N******?"

(he mistook me for someone else)

Me-"Wrong guy this is Rich"

J-"Sorry im toast but I knew it as one of u red-staters!"

Me-"its ok but N****** is not one of my fellow radicals anymore"

J-"say it ain;t so big red!"

Me-"He is a changed man, he has lost his way both politically and religiously, he is now center left and an atheist"

J-"I just called 2 congratulate him"

Me-"It's a terrible tragedy, but i have faith that hill will come through for me."

Me-"She will push the weak of heart back into the fold, she will be the forge that tempers the metal of the conservative movement into the blade that will smite the evil leftwing agenda."