Difficult Question for Vote Fraud

…or maybe it is not so difficult.

Here is the situation:

You are an Ohio resident and you see ACORN shuttling a group of what look to be homeless people into the polls on Election Day. After casting your vote, you stay to watch them. Once they are through the lines, you follow them to another polling station where they then queue to vote again.

You tell a policeman about it but he refuses to do anything. “That’s a Federal thing.”

What do you do?

When I initially thought of this, I told myself that I would wait until they were back in their bus and then commit unspeakable acts of violence upon them.

Once I had given it a second thought – and upon realizing that I do not keep a Molotov cocktail for just such occasions in the truck – I determined that I would, to the best of my abilities, enact a citizen’s arrest. Here is what I would like to think I would do:

I would video the offense (does not every one have a camera phone nowadays?). I would block the shuttle with my vehicle. I would then announce to the driver and everyone on the shuttle that I was arresting them. Then, with that handy camera phone, I would call the Federal Bureau of Investigation and tell them what I had done. If they did not respond, I would keep going through the government alphabet soup agencies until I reached the correct one.

Should the driver, homeless people, or ACORN lawyers attempt to stop me or to escape, I would then brandish my firearm. If the situation turned “messy” after that, I would accept whatever the consequences may be.

When an individual commits voter fraud, it is a criminal act. When an organization does, at least to me, it is no different than a coup d’état.


(Something to note, deadly force is authorized for use in preventing escape from custody in the State of Texas. This does not mean that ACORN bus drivers may be summarily executed in downtown Dallas unless, of course, it is done solely for fun.)

Sweet Talk

Reading a recent post from Kim reminded me of a few cute conversations between my wife and me.

A few years ago…

Wife: “You don’t have to have meat with every meal.”

Arky: “That’s right. You can substitute it with eggs or peanut butter which is OK as long as you have bacon or sausage to go with it.”


A few years before that, at home for lunch…

Wife: “Would you like a cookie?”

Arky: “YEAH!”

Wife: *puzzled*

Arky: “What about [our daughter]? Are you going to put her down for a nap first?”

Wife: *puzzled*

Arky: *puzzled at her puzzled*

Wife: “Oh! No. I said ‘cookie’. C-O-O-K-I-E.”

Lighting Fires

I am fairly certain that Jim Morrison was not signing about tax brackets when he sang,

“You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn't get much higher”

I realize that it has probably, actually been many years since Senator Barack Obama has freebased. However, I get the feeling that he must have heard the song and is taking Jim’s words to heart.

The Obama-Biden campaign is repeatedly repeating that there will be no tax increases for people making less than $250,000. (I often wonder how inflation would affect that.) Despite not having anything in either Senator’s legislative pasts that suggest they are sincere in such statements – for neither have ever voted for an income tax deduction – that claim is the official stance of their campaign. Whether or not they would raise income taxes below $250 is not my question for this post though.

What I would like to know is, “What do they think the highest tax bracket should be?”

Is fifty percent too high? Is ninety percent?

If either ever considered giving an answer, it would not be “straight.” It would likely be as follows, “There are many considerations that must be made and that cannot be answered by a simple statement.”

My reply to that of course is, “Then give me a complex statement. I am somewhat intelligent. I can understand it.”

Of course, they have no response.

They would like to tax close to one hundred percent. Anyone in disagreement can expect to be liquidated.

How high is their “ideal” top bracket? What tax brackets do they support?

Here are a few questions for Senator Obama:

“With your tax plan, how much would someone have to make to afford a fifteen-year mortgage on a $1,650,000 house? How much would they have to make if they wanted to purchase $104,500 in land in addition to it?”

Range Report

I have to say that was the easiest proselytizing I have ever done. My understanding of the man I took shooting last Saturday was incorrect though. He is more of a “libertarian” than a “liberal”. His mother was a pacifist but his father was not. He was already a big supporter of the military, the police, and the National Rifle Association.

When I say “big supporter”, I mean that both figuratively and literally. The guy dwarfs me and I am a bit larger than average. (Pay attention to that because it will come into play later.)

He had never fired or, if I took his meaning correctly, even held a firearm.

I started him on a Ruger Mark II, .22 caliber pistol. I explained the function, operation, etc. I then loaded the magazine with two rounds. I fired the first. He fired the second. His first shot, fired at a target on the three yard line, did not hit paper.

I gave him some instruction on how to aim.

We fully loaded both magazines – I wanted him to be familiar with firing a weapon before loading a full magazine. Had he been a bit skittish after the first round, I would have continued with a single round in the magazines. As it was, he was completely comfortable operating the Ruger. He had said that he knew how to aim but what he knew to be true was incorrect.

With my “fine” instruction (“point that way!”), his next shot went through the X-ring. The nine shots after that were all either in the X-ring or the 10-ring.

I wish all of my students were so good.

He may have been the best student I have ever instructed. He was very cautious. He strictly observed the range rules. He strictly observed my rules. And he instantly obeyed the instructions given him on sight alignment, breathing, trigger control, etc.

The next ten rounds were mostly in the 10-ring with two in the X-ring and two in the 9-ring. However, that was at seven yards.

Since he was comfortable with the staple gun, I mean the .22LR, I started him on the 9-millimeter Lugar. In this case, it was a Glock 19C.

Before anyone gives me grief for carrying a 9MM, please keep in mind that I bought it because my wife, small and thin, could fire double taps without the recoil throwing the second shot. My next pistol is going to be a Smith & Wesson 340PD firing lovely .357 magnum rounds. (I have fired many rounds through them and am quite taken with it. “No,” the recoil does not bother me.)

As was the case previously, I loaded two rounds in the magazine. I fired the first; he fired the second.

His first shot was in the 7-ring at seven yards. Another magazine later, there were multiple shots in the 10-, 9-, and 8- rights.

Once he was comfortable with firing the 9MM, we changed targets and distances. The farthest shots he made were from ten yards. He did not do badly at any time.

We even fired my wife’s pistol, a Keltec P3AT. She affectionately calls it her “noisy cricket.”

I mentioned he was big. He had to hold the cricket with the tips of two fingers and a thumb. One of those fingers was pulling the trigger. After six rounds of firing the cricket, he was done with it. It hurt too much. (The cricket fits my wife’s hands just fine, thank you.)

I emphasized to him that tight groups were more important when starting than shot placement, i.e. precision over accuracy initially. He appreciated that. (I am going to pause for a moment to toot my own horn here… I had a two-and-one-half-inch group at the fifteen-yard line with the cricket!)

Here is the great news: Once we were done shooting, we took a look around the store. He held the Glock .45’s, the Springfield XD’s, and the Smith & Wesson M&P’s. He then bought a Smith & Wesson M&P .45!

Once the paperwork was complete, we returned to our lane and fired a box of .45 ACP at the targets. The recoil was nothing for him and I absolutely loved it. I mentioned he was big. He can wear this on his side without printing. For that matter, he could put it in his pocket and it would still be hidden.

He and I are going to make a habit of shooting. He is registering for a CHL class. I am taking him to get personal defense ammunition and then we will be cleaning weapons in the near future. We will of course be returning to the range soon too.

He is telling his wife that it is cheaper than golf.

He is not voting for Obama or for anyone in the “left” column either.
(Much as I would like to take credit for that last part, he was not going to do so prior to meeting me.)

Any One of These

There is a double standard in politics with the TLA news agencies. Everyone knows this. On cnn.com there are nearly three million “hits” when doing a search for “right wing”. There are only half of that for “left wing.” We can safely surmise that CNN refers to people as “right wing” twice as often as they refer to someone as “left wing.” (Although personally, I now have no regard for anyone that CNN does not prefix with “right wing” or “far right” or “ultra conservative.”)

Having said that, if any Republican politician supported any of the following views, he would be crucified on the nightly news:

• Registering for the draft mandatory for men and women;
• Creation of a government agency the size of the military and with as much power but focused on combating “terrorism” domestically (I would also lay money that people like Bill Ayers would not make their short list);
• Spreading the wealth around;
• Bitter people clinging to guns and religion.
  

Palin is crucified for a lot of things she has said or did not say. However, for these Biden receives a “free pass”:

• Inviting a paraplegic to stand next to him on stage (when he was clearly in a wheelchair;
• One easy to remember, three letter word: “JOBS. J-O-B-S”;
• Saying that one must be a Pakistani or Indian to own a liquor store;
• Receiving enemy fire from snowflakes.
  

I do not expect any news outlets to be fair anymore. I probably should but my cynicism has had the better of me. On that note, had Cindy McCain said she was never proud of her country until Senator McCain’s presidential nomination, both she and Senator McCain would never hear the end of it – or at least would not hear the end of it until November fifth.

If Cindy McCain had said that we would no longer be allowed to be cynical, she would be painted as a psychotic cow unworthy of life.

Micelle Obama should take note to that last too, since she and her husband are among the top purveyors of cynicism in the world.

Restocking the Inventory

Since the birth of my youngest thirteen months ago today, I have curtailed my business travel considerably. I often travelled with a firearm to get in some range time. (When at home, I try to spend as much time with my family as possible and though the oldest goes to the range with me, the younger ones are still – even for my parenting – a bit too young to go.)

Curtailed along with my travel is also the number of new shooters I make. Last year, I “created” better than a dozen new shooters. I “introduced” about twice that many and “re-introduced” shooting to a handful.

“Why Arky, I didn’t realize you could go to the range instead of to the movies.”

“Yes. And you’re not giving your money to lefty-Hollywood types.”

Well this weekend, I have plans to take a flaming liberal, and later his wife, to the range. His parents were pacifists. He heard that there were bits of iron and wood used to sling projectiles very quickly but had never even held a firearm.

His wife was raised around guns but went to college and received a degree in psychology.

Fortunately nothing bad has happened to precipitate the purchase of a firearm but they want one for home defense. The plan is for him to become familiar with firearms and then for her to become familiar. Once they are well versed in usage and safety, they are going to get guns for home defense.

If I have anything to do with it, they will also practice often and apply for their conceal handgun licenses. Once they realize that they are responsible for their own defense, they will hopefully realize that they are responsible for their own finances, medical care, retirement, and children.

If I do my job well, they will then teach others these traits too.

Hopefully this will all happen before the election but I will take victories whenever I can get them.

Socialism ala Arky

It may come as no surprise that I enjoy shooting. The noise does not bother me. I have never fired a weapon with enough recoil to turn me away from shooting it. I was not a sniper and have not been a serious competitive shooter. I am adequate with both pistols and long guns though. I enjoy shooting small caliber pistols and large caliber rifles and big bore shotguns and everything in between them.

So what would socialism look like if I ran the circus?

“Every American will be able to deduct the first $10,000 spent on firearms and ammunition from his taxes.” – Arky’s tax plan

“I have a range map
that covers every American. Any American can shoot at any range and cannot be refused for having a lousy rifle.” – Arky discussing the National Marksmanship Plan

“My opponent is out of touch with American riflemen. If he would spend more time on the range and less time in Congress (if that is even possible), he might just learn a thing or two about the daily struggles of everyday shooters.” - Arky on the stump

“…And it’s not surprising they cannot shoot, they cling to the Brady Campaign or Handgun Control, Inc. or hostility toward people who know how to use firearms or anti-shooter sentiment or anti-self-defense sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” – Arky probably speaking in Pennsylvania


“Arky the Hun will require you to shoot. He is going to demand that you shed your scopes. That you put up your iron sites. That you come out of your shooters bench, that you move into an off-hand position. That you push yourselves to aim straighter. And that you meet, close with, and destroy the enemy. Arky will never allow you to waste ammunition, unaimed, untargeted.” – Arky’s wife

Point of Clarification

A reader by the name of “MarkD” drew a parallel on a forum that I frequently read. (Since I do not own the copyright, I will simply paraphrase here.)

We have a right to keep and bear arms. This right is not granted by our Constitution but instead simply enumerated by it. We may consult with whomever we choose regarding them. With little restriction, we may own any firearm of our choosing bought at a store of our choosing.

However, no where is it written that we may be provided firearms at the expense of others.

We have a right to health care. We may see any doctor we wish and may get any treatment we desire at any place we wish to be treated.

However, no where is it written that we may be provided health care at the expense of others.


We have the right to health care, just like we have the right to eat a meal, own a house, and brush our teeth.

What has been foisted upon us is the notion that we have a right to have others pay for our health care. While this has been primarily from liberals, very nearly the exclusive domain of them, conservatives are not blameless either. The SCHIP program is a good example of conservatives supporting socialized medicine. (* I understand the conservative argument for SCHIP that government does for us what we cannot do for ourselves and that the children of people who will not take care of them fall into that category. In practice though, it socializes medicine and provides for people who will not take care of themselves.)

There was a time in America when the work of others and the fruits of their labor belong to someone else. The issue was hotly debated. More than six hundred thousand were killed to settle that dispute.

Our time, energy, money, and property are for us to consume, save, and give as we individually determine.


*UPDATE - Mark has given me permission to post his comments. I think they are more coherent. (Thank you, Mark)

Lots of folks have weighed in on Obama's "right to healthcare", but bear with me while I explore this using our beloved Second Amendment as a guide.

We all agree that as Americans we have the right to keep and bear arms, meaning we have the right to purchase, own, keep and use weapons for lawful purposes unless there's a good reason (like a felony conviction) why we should be prohibited from exercising that right. I have the right to choose, in consultation with people who know more about weapons than I do, what type of weapon will meet my needs. The government can't (theoretically) tell me that a particular weapon isn't appropriate for me to own.

Nowhere does the Constitution say that we must be provided with weapons at taxpayer expense.

Likewise, if I have a disease I have the right to choose, in consultation with whatever expert I select, a treatment program that meets my needs. I can follow Tom Cruises example and try to heal myself, I can choose holistic medicine, or modern medicine, or just medical care to provide for my comfort until I succumb to the disease. The government can't tell me (for instance) that I'm too old to be treated for a potentially terminal illness and require me to be euthanized.

I don't have the right to have my medical care provided at taxpayer expense.

I think it's an important parallel.

Favorite Blogs

For the longest time, I have not had a "favorite blogs" section. There has been no reason for this other than it has not been a priority for me.

However, the Old Warrior from the Air has started blogging and I would rather face an enemy machine gun nest than have to explain to him why he is not on my "favorite blogs". (Given that he packed three 7.62 x 51 millimeter Gatling guns in addition to sundry rockets pods not that long ago makes a single crew-served machine gun seem slightly lack luster anyway.)

Semper Fi, Old Warrior!

Difficult Question Time for the Religious

This is a question for the Judeo-Christian types. There are some atheists that this question may apply as well as a few Hindu, Muslim, and perhaps even Buddhist types (and I recognize that some in the last category view it as not so much religious as philosophical).

With little exception, we all want the best for our children. We want them to be happy. We want them to be successful. We want them to Live Long and Prosper.

However, today I happened to think of the Columbine High School massacre and more specifically about Cassie Bernall and Rachel Scott. Both are considered to be martyrs and, by the best accounts of the witnesses given, Bernall was possibly given a chance to recant her faith.

I received an email recently that gave the following scenario: Gunmen enter a church and tell the congregation that they are going to kill the believers. They then offer any non-believers the chance to leave. Once most of the congregation has left, they tell the preacher he may continue and they leave. It was meant to be a ruse to purge the unfaithful and the hypocrites from the congregation.

I like to think that I would be faithful to the last and that I would die fighting. I like to think that were I to die fighting, my “side” would be victorious. I like to think that if fighting were not an option, I would be an honorable martyr.

My question is not for what you would do or like to think you would do.
My question is thus:

If put into the scenario where your child were to either die a martyr or had the option to live if only he would recant his faith, which would you prefer he do?

I must admit, this one is hard for me.