Tiananmen Square Activist Turned American Second Amendment Activist
— andy

Simply excellent!

HereÂ’s a transcript (the cameraman missed the first paragraph).
The past Monday I decided to visit the Minuteman Park in Lexington and pay tribute to Captain John Parker and his fellow minutemen. A thought came to my mind, that the founding fathers of the United States and Chairman Mao had one thing in common: they all realized that guns are important political instruments. Their similarities, however, ended there:

Chairman Mao wrote: ‘Political power grows out of barrel of a gun’, and he dictated: ‘The party shall command the gun’. James Madison and his compatriots, however, believing that the power of the state is derived from the consent of the governed, ratified that ‘the right to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed’.

...

Read the whole thing. Video below the fold.

Via @BenK84 more...

Posted by: andy at 08:09 AM | Comments (135)
Post contains 152 words, total size 1 kb.

— Open Blogger

One of the unpleasant realities of child-rearing is that the little bastards have to eat -- apparently every day. Oh, I have tried to limit their intake, hoping that the reduction in energy would decrease the volume of their squawking, but it seems to increase it. And as they get older they not only go out and eat unspeakably foul fast food, they expect to return home and eat again.

My solution has been to stock the refrigerator with large containers of inexpensive but reasonably healthy (compare it to the crap they eat when they are with their friends) foods that are also easy to make.

I blame Purina (for not selling Teenager Chow) for what little work I have to do to keep them from complaining non-stop. I could put a dispenser in the garage, and just hose it out every few days. Life would be grand. more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 11:25 AM | Comments (184)
Post contains 466 words, total size 3 kb.

Enviroweenie David Attenborough, "Humans are plague on Earth"
— andy

Scratch an environmentalist, find a Malthusian.

The television presenter said that humans are threatening their own existence and that of other species by using up the worldÂ’s resources.

He said the only way to save the planet from famine and species extinction is to limit human population growth.

“We are a plague on the Earth. It’s coming home to roost over the next 50 years or so. It’s not just climate change; it’s sheer space, places to grow food for this enormous horde. Either we limit our population growth or the natural world will do it for us, and the natural world is doing it for us right now,” he told the Radio Times.

This is the real motivation behind the Global Warming Climate Change Climate Chaos movement or whatever they're calling it now. The developed world is, well, developed. But the developing world can't be allowed to do so because ZOMFG!!11! Population Bomb!!eleventy!, even though this has been discredited time and again.

And given that it's the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I should note that a Venn diagram of this mindset with the abortion-on-demand crowd looks like this: O

So here's a helpful suggestion, Mr. Attenborough: You first.

Posted by: andy at 05:45 AM | Comments (568)
Post contains 217 words, total size 2 kb.

Tuesday Morning Link Dump
— Pixy Misa

• The Obama Economy: Two Strippers Fight Over A Dollar
  
• Five Shot In Drive-by On MLK Blvd Yesterday
  
• John Stewart Mocks Black Man For Speaking Incoherently
  
• Georgia Man Sues To Get "GayGuy" License Plate
  
• Turnout High In Israeli Elections
  
• Likud Worried About Losing Votes To Further Right Parties
  
• Post Office Cuts Threaten Source Of Black Jobs
  
• Gun Clubs At Schools
  
• Bloomberg's Legacy: Doubling NYC's Debt
  
• Eleven Funny Pictures From Inauguration
  
• Big Pharma And John Kerry Raid Medicare
  
• A Picture From The Nightmare In Iran
  
• Obama's Warmed Over Collectivism
  
• Ace Hardware: The Ultimate Stronghold Against Zombies
  
• Joe Scarborough Jealous Of The Attention Piers Morgan Is Getting
  
• Reagan's 1981 Inaugural Address (video)
  
• EU: Let's Regulate Journalists
  

Follow me on twitter.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 05:06 AM | Comments (197)
Post contains 125 words, total size 3 kb.

Top Headline Comments 1-22-13
— Gabriel Malor

Happy Tuesday.

While Democrats have paroxysms of glee at Obama's inaugural promises to spend more money the country doesn't have on progressive programs most people don't want, smarter commentators noted what was lacking in the speech.

Here's the AP: "If there was a way to reconcile such spending with demands to stabilize the nation's debt, he didn't mention it."

David Ignatius, after calling the speech "flat, partisan and pedestrian," noted: "If you were hoping that the president would set the stage for a grand bargain to restructure AmericaÂ’s entitlement programs and fiscal health for the 21st century, you wouldnÂ’t have found much encouragement."

Even Politico found that there was no indication that Obama's claim four yours ago that he would make "hard choices" on entitlement reform would come true in a second term: "His inaugural address promised an ambitious progressive agenda — and laid bare Obama’s deeply conflicted relationship with entitlement reform."

In other news, the Canadians are pissed off at themselves for their new bank note which features the wrong Maple leaf. A real quote, not from the Onion: "ItÂ’s almost Canadian in the fact that we canÂ’t even get our symbols right."

Scientists want to create a cave-baby, Jurassic Park-style. Moronettes, they're looking for a volunteer...

The House GOP introduced legislation yesterday to keep the government from hitting the debt ceiling until at least May 18. It would withhold the pay of lawmakers in either the House or Senate if their chamber fails to pass a budget this year (so, not by May 18, but sometime before October). The point, say House Republicans, is to force the Senate to pass a budget so normal budgeting negotiations can begin, something the Democrats have avoided for four years.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 02:54 AM | Comments (328)
Post contains 296 words, total size 3 kb.

Chris Matthews: Damn, What a Centrist Speech
— Ace

Also, just like Lincoln's.

This guy... he's got a wacky screw loose.

Posted by: Ace at 04:24 PM | Comments (330)
Post contains 26 words, total size 1 kb.

ONT - "Hey babe. What are you wearing" Edition [krakatoa]
— Open Blogger

This is a short fashion ONT. Monday ONTs are for the chicks, I always say.

Which I don't say at all, ever, and instead is simply my way of announcing that the Maetenloch is off doing "trade-shoe, er, show" stuff, and has foisted off this weeks ONT duties onto a motely crew of ruffians, ne'er do wells, butt-pickers, hump-backed northeastern slackjaws, and me.

What sets me apart you ask?

It's the clothes of course. The clothes make the man. And what could be more manly than my current ensemble. (That's franch for totally buff.)

I'm sporting a fashionable layered look: Torn Bruce Lee tshirt, VaTech sweatshirt, and a hoodie. Long underwear, and pajama bottoms, of course. And fluffy slippers.

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful.

Hate me because something along those lines is what I've been working in every day for the past few months. Telecommuting for the win! Of course I'm wearing all that because I'm a cheap bastard, and refuse to turn the heat up over 60 most days.

Alas, the dream withers next week, as I start hitting the road damn near full-time for work. Then I have to dress nicely enough for the various JW Marriott or Renaissance concierge lounges. That means ditching Bruce Lee, and sporting the kind of threads that reflects the sort of goal-setter and dream achiever that tells people "Here is a man that's going places..."

more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:45 PM | Comments (677)
Post contains 397 words, total size 3 kb.

Everything Is Awesome Again, Part II
— Ace

A post I hoped I'd never have to publish.

But you can use this thread to sing songs about how Wonderful Obama's first term have been -- how he's solved every problem and made us all prosperous, free, and safe -- and how the next term, by gum!, will be even betterer.

I'm really glad the unemployment rate has declined from 7.8% to 7.8%! The latter indicating 7.8% of a greatly diminished employment pool, by the way.

Posted by: Ace at 01:20 PM | Comments (629)
Post contains 89 words, total size 1 kb.

Trash Talk from Ravens' and Patriots' Camps Following Game
— Ace

A Ravens linebacker (Suggs, not Ray Lewis) calls the Patriots arrogant.

“Tell them to have fun at the Pro Bowl. Arrogant f******,” Suggs said in the locker room....

“These are the most arrogant p***** in the world, starting with Belichick on down,” Suggs exclaimed.

Bellichick, incidentally, refused to speak with reporters after the loss. He also refused to talk with them after last season's Super Bowl loss.

Last year, Tom Brady's wife knocked the Patriots' own receiver corps for letting him down in the clutch. This year, a receiver's wife (Mrs. Wes Welker) lets Ray Lewis have it.

“Proud of my husband and the Pats. By the way, if anyone is bored, please go to Ray Lewis’ Wikipedia page. 6 kids 4 wives. Acquitted for murder. Paid a family off. Yay! What a hall of fame player! A true role model!,” the former Miss Hooters wrote on her Facebook page following the Patriots’ 28-13 loss to Baltimore.

Posted by: Ace at 12:39 PM | Comments (205)
Post contains 175 words, total size 1 kb.

3D Printers Are Close To Changing The Ballgame
— JohnE.

Ace has written quite often about how pervasive the liberal advocacy has become especially into non-political realms, and it's absolutely true. I stumbled on this article at Tech Crunch over the weekend that proves the point perfectly.

As the race – and it’s basically a race – to release as many 3D-printed gun parts as possible heats up, it’s never been harder for me to come down on the side of the “Freedom To Tinker” crowd. Last weekend Defense Distributed, a group dedicated to releasing plans for a 3D printed gun, posted a video and description of their 3D-printed AR-15 thirty-round magazine. The video, which is, unnecessarily, full of snarky vitriol, shows that, on some level, the 3D printed gun isn’t very far off. It also shows that the call for 3D printer legislation could soon overpower the call for freedom.

The problem with childish displays of firepower coupled with “How’s that national conversation going?” is that it proves that the folks who are doing this tinkering are less than responsible. They feel that this is a freedom of speech issue rather than a gun control issue. It’s abundantly clear that the lads at Defense Distributed are enjoying their newfound notoriety and, like a boy band on their first tour, they’re ready to trash some hotel rooms. The resulting shenanigans have convinced Congressman Steve Israel (D-NY) to call for the banning of undectable 3-D printed high-capacity magazines.

It's quite hysterical that a "defender of the freedom to tinker" would blame the tinkerers over the efforts of an authoritarian congressman to put limits on the technology. You can almost read where his "discretion" and "need to self-censor" commentary would have gone. It's also interesting that the line between exciting technological advancement and dangerous political exploitation just happens to match up perfectly with this preening sissy's delicate sensibilities.

I'd hate to send this guy scrambling to his nearest fainting couch, but we are rapidly approaching a time when these gun control laws are going to be almost impossible to enforce outside of public possession. The "undetectable plastic gun" is largely a James Bond fantasy. However, printable gun parts will be a reality very soon (and by "soon", I could mean "tomorrow"). These advancements, along with those in ceramics and composites, will make it much easier to produce a workable and reliable firearm in the future and the law will have a much harder time keeping up (the major challenges remain in small parts like pins and springs, and of course, barrels). It's also worth noting that we're crossing an important line in terms of affordability and access here. While 3D printers are relatively expensive now (roughly $3k base), as the technology advances, it will become accessible to the public. Your 50" flat-screen HDTV isn't $5000 anymore, for example. Just download a file off the internet, load it into your 3d printer, hit "print" and away you go.

Naturally, whenever a beta-male ninny whines about "snarky vitriol" of gun rights defenders, you know you have to click through. This led me to the guys behind Defense Distributed (@DefDist) who are releasing these 3D files to the public and allowing others to make improvements and changes. This is essentially the programming version of open source, which has been a fantastic avenue for project development and innovation. It seems like they're pretty damn close with the AR-15 mag files and the AK-47 isn't too far behind. They're having some difficulty with the AR-15 lower, which is seeing some extreme stresses in the rear part of the assembly near the buffer ring. They are making progress, however.

Truth be told, I thought he was a little over the top in the testing videos. That is, until I saw his appearance on Glenn Beck's program. He is not a guy that would really be easily pigeonholed into a left/right political philosophy. Definitely an interesting guy and very eloquent and knowledgable.

Patriot or dangerous? I'm siding with patriot. Check out the video below. You'll enjoy it. more...

Posted by: JohnE. at 01:00 PM | Comments (132)
Post contains 689 words, total size 5 kb.