Ruminations – 4dec17 (updated 7dec17)

George Rebane

California’s land use and housing crisis continues in full swing, and is caused by Sacramento abetted by local loonies in county and city governments.  Here is a piece by some heavy weight economists at the Hoover Institution to give you a measure of the ongoing insanity in our state.

IRS scumbag Lois Lerner, guilty but unindicted for using the IRS to attack conservative political organizations, now wants the courts to seal her incriminating testimony, arguing that people will be so incensed by her admissions that her personal safety will be threatened.  (more here)

The proverbial ‘Man on a White Horse’ political savior appears more and more acceptable to our electorate when he decides to make an appearance to unify and save the nation, whether you like it or not.  One can draw this conclusion by looking at the rise of superhero movies, videos, TV series, computer games, etc that entertain, simplify the world, and give comfort to so many.

What most lefties miss about the Second Amendment is that, unlike the states’ national guards, militias were neither standing nor organized military units, but were spontaneously assembled when the need arose – ‘Grab your gun and come!’  Hence, one more reason to have an armed citizenry to counter both external and internal threats to our freedoms.

[5dec17 update]  The Left’s perpetual wrath against lowering corporate taxes ignores the benefit to working people’s retirement funds benefitting from higher corporate profits (the causal chain is too difficult for them to handle), and that includes retirement funds like CALPERS and CALSTRS taxpayers provide for terminally progressive government workers that have massive unfunded liabilities.  Those anticipatory benefits are already in the stock portfolios of such funds.

Religious freedom for all except the Christians.  In progressive America when minority religions (often speciously and/or gratuitously) argue lack of religious freedom, they are seen as the persecuted.  When Christians do so to oppose obvious government mandates against their beliefs, they are held up in the public eye as promoting “hatred”.  (more here)

Bob Crabb’s cartoon in the 5dec17 Union - filched, feted, and featured below - is a feeble attempt by RR to present readers some fair and balanced content, an editorial policy which it has decidedly rejected over its long residence in our community.  (And that  for the simple reason that watashi-wa, as opposed to other worthies in the blogosphere and the media, has no idea about what you, dear reader, consider fair or where to place the fulcrum.)

[6dec17 update]  RR reader and climate change skeptic Greg Goodknight lambasted by true believer Mick Tuttle in the 6dec17 Union (here).  Mr Tuttle believes that preventable man-made global warming is happening, and that there is a scientific consensus which confirms an ongoing catastrophic global warming trend caused by humans pumping CO2 into the atmosphere, a discharge, if greatly reduced, will prevent the impending temperature catastrophe.  Fortunately, such a comprehensive consensus neither exists, nor is there undisputed evidence for the much-publicized catastrophic portents, nor do we have a clue about how to prevent such a rapid climate change were it actually happening.

Millennials weigh in on capitalism and socialism (here), which they don't consider all that bad since they've learned that it really need not be connected to communism, which is also really not that bad.  Ahh, the joys of having educated our young.

[7dec17 update]  The House passed a bill that would make CCWs issued by one state legal in all states, just like drivers’ licenses.  The Democrats strongly object and instead want to expand their policy that limits concealed guns only to the criminal class.  For decades they have demonstrated the benefits of this policy in the cities and towns under their political jurisdiction.

Comments

[Paul Emery]

George

what qualifies as an "internal threat to our Freedom" ? Does that mean that a like minded group can determine that another group or entity is that threat and go get their guns and take action?

Fascinating question that is never discussed. Are there examples in our history that you can refer to that occurred or should have inspired action?

[Gregory]

Paul, do you remember the LA Riots a quarter century ago? The LAPD abandoned areas to rioting looters.

Merchants in Koreatown banded together, with guns. It worked.

[Todd Juvinall]

Looks like Obama is now the leftwing version of the John Birch Society. He has gathered together some say 30,000 nutjobs to prey on Trump and his supporters. Next thing will be the color of their shirts. Wonder which color>

[Paul Emery]

Thanks Gregory I remember that. That's a good example

[Account Deleted]

from Paul - "what qualifies as an "internal threat to our Freedom" ? Does that mean that a like minded group can determine that another group or entity is that threat and go get their guns and take action?"
You already answered that question Paul.
Remember 'local control'? That was your deeply held belief not that long ago.
If the neighborhood I live in thought there was somebody or some group threatening our peace and safety we would band together and defend ourselves.
Who could have a problem with that?
Only the bad guys.

[Walt]

Scott. That "local control" has already come back to bite Paul.
Now it just depends on "what" is getting controlled.

The state is going to go blind with rage when THIS gets signed.
http://dailycaller.com/2017/11/29/congressman-hudsons-concealed-carry-reciprocity-bill-passes/
Ca. is already looking for ways around this new up and coming law.

[Don Bessee]

Here is an example of what our State legislators are up to instead of making our lives better;

http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/12/04/matt-dababneh-lobbyist-accuses/

The Weinstein wave is rolling over a lot more lefties than they ever expected. ;-)

[Account Deleted]

More Krazy-fornia action regarding the 2nd A.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-gun-buyback-20171203-story.html
They got 164 guns. Spent 25K. Do the math. Just under 152.44 a pop. Not too many of those ultra bad guns. 3! And $150 in Wally-World fun money - no questions asked!
Like, who actually owns this fire arm? Steal a gun and the police are the fence!
"Honey, where's my .22 single shot my grandfather gave me?"
"Well, I don't know - ask junior - he's in his bedroom with a new video game he just bought at WalMart.".
And the murder rate in San Diego?
Oh - who cares?

[Account Deleted]

Don - the CA legislature takes this problem VERY seriously and will allocate vast sums of tax payer money to compensate any victim of the Democratic legislature.
I notice there are women in positions of power in the legislative branch that knew or should have known about a lot of these complaints and either helped to cover up or did nothing for the women complaining. Now, of course, they are shocked - shocked! - at these awful violations of trust. One of them is crafting legislation right now to look after sexual harassment protection for women in private industry. She just happened to forget about protection for women in govt service. Just an oversight. Honest.

[Bill Tozer]

Concerning the proverbial “Man on the White Horse”, what makes the storyline better is if there is a really mean heartless sinister bad guy. A bad hombre villian. Our hero already has his white stead, got the girl, and now it’s time to nab the bad guys. As the Texas Ranger motto goes, “One riot, one Ranger.”

The vllians have already hatched their evil plan. What’s next?, you may ask. Trump’s business ties. Aha, that will get TheRed Headed Stranger on the white horse all tied up in knots. Nobody can be that successful without those shady business dealings. That’s where we will bushwack the scoundrel and leave his carcus for the buzzards. It’s all in his tax records. Then we will take over the world.

http://freebeacon.com/politics/david-brock-memo-attack-trump/

Busy little beavers, them Clintionistas.

http://freebeacon.com/tag/david-brock/

[Walt]

It's not just the IRS that's up to dirty tricks. I give you the FBI.
http://dailycaller.com/2017/12/04/clinton-aides-went-unpunished-after-making-false-statements-to-anti-trump-fbi-supervisor/

Things are going to get ugly for Muller and fast.

[Bill Tozer]

Everything the extremist hard core hate filled divisive racist Lefties do blows up in their faces. I have not seen anything like it in all my born days. It’s just as consistent as death, taxes, the law of gravity, and Wile E. Coyote foiled again. Get closer, Libbies. Lucy will hold the football for you and go ahead and give it a nice hard kick....again. Then call Acme Rents. Amazing. This Reckoning is awesome.

[Gregory]

I'd like to see Crabb's recent 'toon, about the Christmas decorations in the Trump White House, published in The Union. So sweet and nonpartisan, it was not.
http://www.rlcrabb.com/uncategorized/deck-the-halls/

An ugly and cheap shot.

[Todd Juvinall]

That is the Crabb way. Totally biased and unfair. But hey the bongs still smoke fine.

[Gregory]

Paul E up top...

There's also Wounded Knee where the citizens with guns didn't stop their massacre, and the Bundy Ranch thing where no shots were fired. There's also the tale Condoleeza Rice tells of her father and other black men in her community gathering in their house, with arms, when the local constabulary were wearing sheets and moonlighting as nightriders. Would it have turned out differently had her father and his friends not been armed?

You bet your ass.

The 2nd, unlike the mischaracterization of supporters by Dick Sciaroni in The Union a few days ago, doesn't bestow any right to overthrow the government to the people. It does leave the people with the right to have the arms they might need for self defense or the defense of others, whether the aggressors were lawless criminals or acting under color of authority. Sedition and treason are still federal crimes.

[Gregory]

Paul E up top...

There's also Wounded Knee where the citizens with guns didn't stop their massacre, and the Bundy Ranch thing where no shots were fired. There's also the tale Condoleeza Rice tells of her father and other black men in her community gathering in their house, with arms, when the local constabulary were wearing sheets and moonlighting as nightriders. Would it have turned out differently had her father and his friends not been armed?

You bet your ass.

The 2nd, unlike the mischaracterization of supporters by Dick Sciaroni in The Union a few days ago, doesn't bestow any right to overthrow the government to the people. It does leave the people with the right to have the arms they might need for self defense or the defense of others, whether the aggressors were lawless criminals or acting under color of authority. Sedition and treason are still federal crimes.

[rl crabb]

Toddy & Gregy - Unlike you lap dogs, I still enjoy skewering both players of this grim dance called American politics. Lurch to the left, lurch to the right. Come out swingin' and fight, fight fight!

[George Rebane]

PaulE 302pm - Absolutely. People can think for themselves and then, if so moved, can bet their collective asses, fortunes, and sacred honor on the outcome of their actions. You have to come to grips with a major truth here Paul - this is America, an extremely exceptional country where such things have taken place, and, God willing, can still take place. For a more complete discussion, I invite your attention to my piece on Par Force.
http://rebaneruminations.typepad.com/rebanes_ruminations/2008/04/par-force-an-un.html

[Todd Juvinall]

rl crabb | 05 December 2017 at 02:51 PM

No crabby, not lap dogs. We think for ourselves and some of us GASP! have values we treasure and support. People like you are the fools of the place. Self-described but inaccurately as "middle". My goodness, you skewer the right ten to twenty times more than the left. Therefore you have told us all we need to know about you.

[Gregory]

Earl, "lap dogs"? Moi? Your latest "parody" skewering of the Trump winterized white house just wasn't funny. Face it, or get The Union to publish it. A "here's Donnie!" paen to The Shining would have worked better than your Addams Family/Frankenstein mashup. It is the Christmas season and making fun of the holiday decor chosen for the White House is a low blow.

Your blog's own lap dog, your BFF Chris Hodgekinson, needs a muzzle and a snip.

George, while I appreciate your request for my Tuttle rebuttal to place on your blog, I think it best to have The Union publish first.

[Account Deleted]

If the White House had been decorated like that when the Obamas were in residence, the left would have gushed about the daring style and class of the finest first family ever. Since it's Trump the haters hate. Simple as that. So childish.

[Bill Tozer]

Lois Lerner.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/52991

[Todd Juvinall]

I am still wondering the legality of a government employee taking the FIFTH when asked about her job as a government employee. Anyone have the law on that?

[George Rebane]

ToddJ 831am - I don't think the Fifth concerns itself with whom you worked for, only about self-incrimination. And were she to truthfully answer the congressional committee about what she did as an IRS employee, she would land in the slammer. The real question is why she's not being prosecuted with evidence that is easy to obtain from her record and fellow employees.

[Todd Juvinall]

But we have all kinds of constraints on a federal employee's speech like secrets. And they sign contracts for their jobs and swear an oath. I think they might be bending their FIFTH rules. Anyway, hopefully, the rumors are true this babe is going to be prosecuted.