Guns, Guns, Guns!

The Supreme Court and New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Corlett.

In the 2021 term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case of New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Corlett. This is a Second Amendment case that could have far reaching consequences on carrying guns in America.

The case basically revolves around the right, under the Second Amendment, to carry guns in public for self-defense. Two people who applied for an unrestricted license, in New York state, were denied a license and sued.

Now the Justices will determine whether or not the rights under the Second Amendment can be restricted. The Court’s decision could be very bad for America. Should the Court rule that plaintiff’s rights have been violated, it would potentially affect every gun law in the country. You can bet that the lawsuits will begin flying should this happen. The gun nuts will be frothing at the mouth to get to carry concealed guns in public.

Let’s consider this some. Many times in the aftermath of a mass shooting, someone spouts off about if only someone would have been armed, they could have intervened and stopped the massacre. I’m not buying that line of thought. Look at the Boulder, Colorado, shooting. Ten people died, including a veteran police officer. The large majority of people walking the streets are going to confront the triple F choices in a shooting incident of this type. Flight, fight, or freeze are those choices. Most untrained people will do the last, freeze. That’s perfectly understandable too. The shock of a situation like the Boulder shooting will freeze you while your brain is trying to process what’s happening. In Boulder, police were in a sustained gunfight with the shooter and could not take him down. Police officers are trained to confront violence, to overcome any fear and take action. Yet, the shooter was able to keep up the fight until deciding to peacefully surrender to the police.

Now, imagine yourself inside that store, carrying a concealed firearm. The only training you have is shooting at paper targets, that don’t shoot back. If you overcome your fear and break out of the freeze mode, you pull your gun and do what? Are you going to pull a John Wayne and have a high noon shootout with the bad guy? If you do, consider yourself dead. Are your going to tactically advance on the shooter and take him out? Do you even know how to do that from training, not watching television to give you your “training?” Somehow you get to where you see the bad guy and open fire. Have you considered who you might be endangering with your gunfire? If you miss, who might be hit and possibly killed? What about the bad guy shooting back at you, in which you might get hit and possibly killed by that fire? Think it through, you know the truth. Remember, your adrenaline is going to be pumping my friend.

Now, one BIG question. How are the police going to know YOU aren’t a bad guy and shoot you, possibly killing you? Do you expect the police to politely ask you who you are? Nope, likely you’ll likely be in a situation where police bullets are flying your way too. In dangerous situations the police are trained that everyone is a possible bad guy until proven otherwise, unless they are uniformed police. That’s for their own safety. So, still think you can take down a shooter John Q?

But, let’s look beyond a mass shooting incident to just plain everyday life. The Governor of Tennessee recently signed a bill into law allowing the carrying of concealed firearms without needing a license (Texas is working on the same type of law too). Now, your a police officer on patrol and make contact with a driver and passenger in a traffic stop. You know anyone can now carry a concealed weapon, so how are you going to approach the vehicle? The police I knew and worked with will do so with their gun in their hand. A police officer will be potentially dealing with a gun carrying citizen in any contact with members of the public. Can you blame them? I would pray that those citizens don’t make any move that a police officer would interpret as an act of reaching for a weapon, because you’d likely get a bullet or more for your movement.

Then, I consider having an armed public out there. How many hotheads will decide to handle their anger by pulling out and using their gun to settle disputes? Do you potentially want to die over a parking spot argument, or some other inane issue?

The hardcore Second Amendment believers want just what the Court may decide. They don’t believe in any laws “infringing” on their Second Amendment rights, most of them being of the Republican persuasion. Hopefully you know they’re lying right? They don’t want convicted violent felons to have guns, even if that felon has completed his/her sentence and paid “their debt to society.” Also, they don’t want those who are mentally ill from carrying guns either. After all, they are not in their right minds. Well, unrepentant felons don’t care about laws do they? If they want to they will go armed. As for the mentally ill, since they are not in their right minds they don’t know that they shouldn’t, or can’t, carrying a gun. Plus, if there is no licensing requirement, no one will put them on the radar to stop them from going around armed.

Do these type of laws guarantee our protection? No, they don’t. But, they can cause law-abiding citizens to refrain from unlawful activity. There are no absolute guarantees. Heck, the Boulder shooter was supposedly known to the FBI prior to him killing ten people. Yet, he was legally able to purchase the firearm he used to murder ten people.

I’m a gun owner and I support the Second Amendment. I just do support the belief that the Second Amendment prevents implementing reasonable gun laws, like concealed carry permits for instance.

You shouldn’t believe it either.

Until next time

More on the Second Amendment

Discussing differing views

On March 24, 2021, I wrote my article called “Dark Ages of the Second Amendment”, which you can read here. To give a quick recap of the article, I wrote that reasonable gun laws are not an infringement of a person’s Second Amendment rights. Firearms being outlawed completely would certainly be an infringement, but since we can own firearms (and I do), reasonable laws can, and should be enacted. Nor would I ever support the confiscation of all firearms in the United States, whether or not the Second Amendment existed.

I received a comment that same day from a person identified as Alan Sexton. In his comment he stated that my views of the Second Amendment were totally irrelevant. He believes any gun law is an infringement. He went on to say that “to the chagrin of the anti-gun crowd, many folks on the political left hold the same view as folks on the right.“

I wrote a long comment in reply to his second comment that any laws are an infringement, but for some reason WordPress failed to post the comment. So, I’m going to recreate the my comment as an article instead.

Let me begin by saying that I once held the same beliefs as Alan, for over 20 years. But, as I saw more and more murders (from individual killings to the mass killings) happening I came to change my views on the Second Amendment. I was also a conservative of the Republican Party during that period as well. Now, either “party” are anathema to me since neither party serves the people.

In my reply, I asked some questions that I hope Alan will read here and give substantive answers to in the comment section of this article. I also offer Alan the opportunity to write an article that I will post on this blog. I guarantee that I will not edit your article in any way. The opportunity is yours to educate people on your Second Amendment beliefs in detail. My email link is listed on my Contact page.

Okay, so off I go.

The Second Amendment reads, “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.“

We will dispense with the part about a well regulated militia, since I (likely as Alan does) believe that is totally separate from the second part dealing with “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”. The discussion comes down to what law(s) infringe on the people’s right.

My first question to Alan was that if any firearm law/restriction can not be enacted, then why has the Supreme Court not handed down a ruling that states that no laws may be enacted?

Next, by your beliefs are you stating that:

• Firearms should not have serial numbers (Gun Control Act of 1968)?
• Federal Firearm Licenses are illegal?
• Convicted felons can purchase, possess, and carry any firearm they desire?
• People with serious mental illness can purchase, possess, and carry any firearm they desire?
• There should be no age limit on the purchase, possession, and carrying of a firearm?
• People can possess and carry firearms (whether concealed or openly) into any state legislative building, the US Capitol, any court (including the US Supreme Court), any police station, any jail or prison, any place of worship, any bar/tavern/lounge, any primary or secondary school, any hospital, and so on?
• People can purchase any possess firearms like the M240 machine gun, the M249 SAW, the M2 .50 caliber machine gun, a grenade launcher (M79 or M203 as examples), etc…?

My next question Alan is, how do you propose to deal with the mass shooting incidents that have caused multiple deaths (Atlanta, Boulder, and – just last night – the FedEx building in Indianapolis as examples)? There have been so many that this is a reasonable question. Now, I concede that no law will stop all of these types of incidents, but some could be deterred with reasonable firearms laws. Is America just suppose to shrug our collective shoulders and say “that’s life”?

Alan, how do you propose the removal of any and all firearm laws/restrictions to attain your belief in the Second Amendment?

When the founders wrote the Second Amendment the firearms of the day were black powder, single shot, weapons. Are those then the weapons allowed to the people? Plus, many states wrote laws prohibiting slaves from owning/possessing firearms. Were those laws unconstitutional? Whiles slaves were counted as only 3/5th’s of a person for determining representation, they were classified as people. Also, in 1837 the State of Georgia enacted law to prohibit the carrying of small firearms, concealed or openly. In 1845, the Georgia Supreme Court, using the Second Amendment to reach it’s decision, overturned the portion of the law prohibiting the open carrying of a firearm. The Court left intact the portion of the law prohibiting the concealed carrying of a firearm.

I’m seriously interested in hearing your reasoning on each of the questions I have asked. By answers, I don’t mean just the mantra that the Second Amendment prohibits any infringement (laws or restrictions) on the right to keep and bear arms. This is your opportunity (or anyone else’s who is interested) to educate everyone on the Second Amendment. I also encourage people who are pro-gun control to articulate their reasoning as well.

I hopefully await your comments Alan.

Until next time

Thoughts Roundup

Clearing out the clutter.

We’ve all been there, stray thoughts that tend to clutter up our mind. They must, sooner or later, be exorcised from our brain to make room to start gathering more stray thoughts. Well, “sooner or later” has arrived for me. Hopefully, some of these thoughts will be interesting to you.

Breonna Taylor: As we know, Breonna Taylor was, as far as many of us in America are concerned, was murdered in her sleep in her home on March 13, 2020. Yesterday the Kentucky Attorney General reported the decision of the Grand Jury reviewing the case. Of the three officers involved in shooting Breonna Taylor, only one was indicted. The indictment wasn’t for murdering her, it was for firing into the adjoining residence! The shooting of Ms Taylor was completely ignored. Once again, White America has justified murder by police officers.

As a result of this idiotic thinking by the Grand Jury, protests broke out in cities across America. Demands by peaceful protestors for justice for Breonna Taylor was thrown in the faces of Americans, as it should be every day. If Americans must be shown the shame they allow to be perpetrated, SO BE IT! America should not be allowed to continue the systemic racism that does exist, regardless of the opinions of Donald Trump and the Republicans in the country.

I fervently hope the protests never stop until America in remade into a nation where true equality and justice for all is the truth, not the convenient mirage Americans hide behind. I urge everyone to support Mutual Aid groups around the country helping those in need and protestors with supplies to sustain them during protests. These are volunteer groups of activists, not any government agency. They depend on the generosity of donors to their vital work.

Louisville Protest: Last night, as a reaction to the grand jury result, a protest went on in the city by protestors enraged by the decision. During the protest two Louisville PD officers were shot. A suspect was arrested by police and was “charged with wanton endangerment and assaulting a police officer,” according to an online BBC article. The alleged shooter was identified as Larynzo Johnson, a 26 year-old Black man.

We know damn well that Mr Johnson won’t be excused by an grand jury for his alleged actions. We know that when he is convicted he will suffer the full weight of the law at sentencing because he is a Black man. The racist White America will demand it. The system will use him as an example to others considering violent acts during protests. After all, they will say, the officers were just doing their job protecting the public. To me, they were doing their unstated jobs of suppressing lawful protest, using violence, and intimidating people they are also allegedly suppose to protect. The police must ensure the nation’s elite maintain the stranglehold over us.

This is how justice is meted out in America. Cops slide for their unlawful acts, while Black Americans suffer the heavy hand of the police, up to and including being murdered. Whether you want to accept it or not, systemic racism is a foundational base instituted by whites, for whites against all non-white people.

Donald Trump: How would any day be complete without thinking of Donald Trump? I’m being truthful and sarcastic at the same time. As usual Trump has continued his harangue on mail-in voting being rife with fraud (a lie). During his afternoon press conference he was asked if he would guarantee a peaceful transition of power after the election. As reported by CNN, Trump refused to guarantee the peaceful transition. Trump stated, “Well, we’re going to have to see what happens.”

Folks, Donald Trump has decided and is prepared to create a constitutional crisis after the election. He’ll begin by fighting the results in court and when he loses he’ll get his Republican Supreme Court to rule he is the lawful winner of the election. The Supreme Court will deny the will of the people, destroying any faith the people have in the “democratic” election process.We already know the national election process for selecting a president isn’t democratic because of the Electoral College. His grip on America after that will be stronger and America will really suffer. He’ll tighten his fascist regime’s control over every aspect of American society. You have now been warned, again. At least some Republicans are pushing back against his lunacy. I want to be wrong about this, but I fear I’m not.

Yesterday, Dr Stephen Hahn, FDA Commissioner, stated that vaccine approvals will be based on the science, not politics. Donald Trump responded to this statement, at his afternoon press conference, “We’re looking at that. That has to be approved by the White House, we may or may not approve it. That sounds like a political move,” according to a CBS News station. FDA rules must be approved by the White House, so Trump could have them changed.

Many, many Americans will decline to take the vaccine, as will I. No one should be put at risk for political purposes. Trump doesn’t give a tinkers damn who gets ill or dies from the side effects of or failures of a vaccine. He’s incapable of empathy and sympathy, like all sociopaths. He only cares about himself.

This is a pure political move so he can get a vaccine approved before November 3rd. He wants to be able to claim all the credit for the vaccine. He wants to use this, like everything, in his campaign. Why that matters, I know not. The election, in Trump’s mind, is going to be false and he’ll try to hold power regardless. However, it will be America who suffers if science isn’t used to determine a vaccine authorization from the FDA. How many will become ill? How many will die? How many children, for which there haven’t been any trials of a vaccine on children, will suffer? How many more families will mourn?

Speaking of Trump some more, he showed up this morning at the Supreme Court to pay his respects to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As he stood looking towards the cabinet, he was wearing a face mask. So was Melania Trump. So, why now? I know there have been a few, very few, occasions he’s worn a mask, but it is still out of character for him. I believe he and Melania wore masks because he is not able to arrange the area to be “safe” for him. He feared the coronavirus. We’ve all seen at his rallies how he doesn’t wear a mask, as almost all of the crowd doesn’t. But, he is positioned well away from anyone while speaking at his rallies. He feels confident since he had control over the environment. So, obviously, as he also said to Bob Woodward, the coronavirus is dangerous and deadly in his mind.

One more thing on Trump and masks. Trump has said that his rallies should be called protests. That way they can legally, he believes, ignore masks and social distancing requirements, just like the protestors do. However, look at footage of several, or more, of the protests that have been happening since the George Floyd murder. In the footage, the wearing of masks or face covers are the general rule protestors follow. While, they aren’t staying safely distanced, they have masks on. Why has no reporter asked Trump about this being different, on mask wearing, at his rallies? He’d make up some lie probably, so why bother asking him.

Whew, that’s enough on Trump for today.

The US Supreme Court: Love them or hate them, they are a branch of the US Government. For now we have no choice about it. Anyway, we all know of the push by Trump and Senate Republicans to fill the chair of Justice Ginsburg. They have the votes to turn the court into 6 – 3 majority for Republicans. Yes, the Democrats in the Senate can slow down how fast it happens, but it will happen.

This spells ill for the country. A 6 – 3 majority will be able to attack and reverse many of the rights the Court placed into the legal fabric of America, like Roe v Wade for example. This concept of Mitch McConnell ramming through a new, Republican, justice to the Court has angered Democrats. Democrats are now saying that they will pack the Court in 2021, should they hold the House and flip the Senate.

Lets say Democrats try this. There are some things they must insure to get this to happen. If Trump holds the presidency, a Democratic Congress will have to have the votes to override a sure veto from Trump. The Democrats must have 2/3rd’s of the votes in each chamber of Congress to override any veto. That means some of the Republicans in each chamber would have to vote to override a veto. They wouldn’t. If Joe Biden is elected, then the Congressional Democrats have to insure the legislation would be signed by Biden. If he vetoes, back to trying to override the veto.

If the Democrats do get to pack the Court, their “victory” would be fleeting. You have to believe the Republicans will do the same when they regain power. Hell, if they all keep it up, in time the whole Country will sit on the Supreme Court (lmao). While having five ideological conservatives on the Court will be ugly, a Court packing war would ultimately be worse. The Democrats need to drop this stupid idea, like yesterday.

OK, we need a laugh. Check out this photo:

Chihuahua and a Rhino

That’s what our Chihuahua would be nutty enough to do. That poor Rhino is thinking while he runs, “What the hell is that little thing?” It just keeps making me laugh.

OK, my mind has been sufficiently uncluttered for now. We’ll do this again in the future.

Until next time

Republican Hypocrisy

Pisses Me Off, But isn’t Unsurprising

At a time the country, or at least a part of the country, are mourning the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Republicans jump right to the politics of the situation and are already pushing for a quick vote on a successor. Senator Mitch McConnell leads the move to speed things along.

We know that in 2016, Republicans said that the next President should select the nominee to fill the Court vacancy. But, of course, Republicans are now manufacturing “reasons” that things are different now and they must get a 6-3 conservative court right away.

That will create a Supreme Court that rules by following their political ideology, instead of the law. The rollback will be used to destroy 70 years of moving the rights and equality for women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ forward. This will drag the United States back to Jim Crow. Discrimination and racism will, once again, become the “law of the land” and allow American conservatives and right-wing extremists to have society belong to “right thinking” White American men. Is this the America of equality we should return to?

Women will be property once again, with not right to control their own bodies. Their will be even more domestic abuse by the men who believe they alone have the rights guaranteed in the US Constitution. We know abortion will be illegal once again, and women thrust into poverty because they know – for whatever reason – they are not ready to raise a child. What will the Republican’s, from their anti-welfare beliefs, say to the impoverished women? They’ll be told that “it’s your problem, not ours.” I’m pro-life, but know any woman has the right to decide for themselves, without scorn. Is this America women’s lack of rights you want again?

American healthcare advances, meaning the ACA, will be rolled back, Millions, tens of million, will once more find they have no options to get even basic healthcare needs met. People with pre-existing conditions will be stopped from getting health insurance, or will pay excessively high premiums for limited benefits if they want health insurance. Free clinics will be where they have to turn. But free clinics, as wonderful as they are, will not be able to provide the same level of care. Medical debt will increase, destroying even more of the ability of people to keep their heads above water and survive. I have been under that kind of medical debt. It beats you down every day, making the future look bleak and unpromising. Is this the America of healthcare you want to live in?

Workers will see rollbacks to worker rights. Rights to equal pay, the right to unionize, workers compensation when you are injured on the job too. Likely, workers will find their rights to sue employers gone. Rights to paid leave will be removed, with medical and family paid leave at the head of the list. Corporations will be able to return to running sweatshops without fear. They could scale back on medical benefits, turn a blind eye to offering education benefits, overtime hours “reconfigured” to prevent paying overtime all together, and allowing hazardous working conditions. There’s more that could get changed, much more. Is this the America you want to work in?

Republicans love private Christian schools and will pass laws, that would be supported by a conservative Court majority, allowing the taking of funds provided to public schools to pay for a child to go to private schools. Court conservatives will be able to make pseudo-Christian beliefs in schooling the law of the land. We could see America fall back to racial education standards of “separate, but equal” for minorities. Money will talk and education will suffer greatly. Is this the America we want again?

Lastly, the possibility of a conservative court backing a fascist like Trump turning American into the evil fascist nation of this millennium. Your very existence held by one man, to do with as he whims. A nation where the common person will either tow-the-line or be severely dealt with. Your voice will be muffled. Your “incorrect” beliefs getting you removed from society to some “re-education” camp. Is this the political America you want to live in?

If you want to stop any of the potential outcomes from happening, then you better scream loud and hard to the US Senate to get them to stop. Be angry, I am and the Republican Senator of my State has already heard from me. Bombard your Republican Senators, if you have one, with your demands. Do it everyday if you have to until you get a satisfactory pledge that they won’t back approving a nominee to the court until after January 20, 2021!

This is a battle for the the very beating heart of America! Deciding to sit on the sidelines shows your support by your silence to Republicans. Do you care enough to fight for it?

Well, do you?

Until next time