Tuesday, January 20, 2009

I Have A Dream ....

In his August 28, 1963 "I Have A Dream" speach at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King Jr. said many things. Among these dreams he described was this one.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
We celebrated King's birth yesterday (January 19) although his birthday was actually January 15.

Today, January 20, 2009, we celebrate the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama in his term as the 44th President of the United States of America.

As a Conservative American, I find myself less than entirely enamored of this president.

His politics are not only not conservative, but incomprehensible. At best, he can be said to be anti-Second Amendment. At worst, he is a Socialist.

What was his campaign platform? "Change!"

It's not uncommon for a candidate, especially a Democratic Candidate, to run on the platform that "I am Not The Last President", and while that is such a popular platform it remains uncommon for the sole plank to be "change". Usually, candidates are more specific about the changes they would make in the presidential administration. We did not see this in the latest Presidential Campaign.

The primary appeal for this candidate was his race. It is generally accepted that the impetus of his campaign was that he was Black, and his election would validate Dr. King's "Dream" speech.

In fact, Mr. Obama's election on the primary basis of his race is a direct refute of Dr. King's dream.

For any candidate to be elected on the basis of his race is NOT what Dr. King said would validate his dream.

Mr. Obama was elected not because of the content of his character, but because of the color of his skin. Given that his character was constantly assailed ... and the controversy was never answered by the Obama campaign ... it seems only logical to conclude that Race was the primary factor leading to his election.

I can only hope that the low expectations described by conservatives in this country are exceeded by Mr. Obama's performance.

I hope that he respects the Constitution.

I hope that he respects the traditional American values of Capitalism and a Free-Market Economy.

But I don't expect it.

I do, however, expect that these words will encourage his supporters to castigate me as a Racist, because I do not support this candidate on the basis of his policies (as nearly as we can interpret them, given the paucity of his platform definitions.)

I don't think I'm the racist here. I did now admire the Republican candidate's platform, either, but at least I had a good idea where he stood.

McCain was not an appealing candidate; Obama was not a candidate, he was merely an opponent. That should have given him the lead, but not by the margin recorded by the polls.

The single advantage to Mr. Obama's presidency is, that he will make Mr. George W. Bush look good by comparison.

Unfortunately, we must survive the next four years of the Obama Presidency, and the Republicans must field a legitimate candidate, to recover from this administration.

x

Monday, January 19, 2009

New Gun_Grabber bill from Illinois (HR 45)

H.R. 45 - "Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009" (Introduced in House)


From World Net Daily:

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., is hoping to pass a firearm-licensing bill that will significantly rewrite gun-ownership laws in America.

Among the more controversial provisions of the bill are requirements that all handgun owners submit to the federal government a photo, thumb print and mental heath records. Further, the bill would order the attorney general to establish a database of every handgun sale, transfer and owner's address in America.

The bill claims its purpose is "to protect the public against the unreasonable risk of injury and death associated with the unrecorded sale or transfer of firearms to criminals and youth."

... not to get to excited, this is just another "Feel-Good" bill thrown out to make the Congressman look good to his gun-grabber constituents. Still, it's a harbinger of tomorrow's federal legislation.

If passed, the bill would make it illegal to own or possess a "qualifying firearm" – defined as any handgun or any semiautomatic firearm that takes an ammunition clip – without a "Blair Holt" license.

To obtain a "Blair Holt" license, an application must be made that includes a photo, address, all previous aliases, thumb print, completion of a written firearm safety test, release of mental health records to the attorney general and a fee not to exceed $25.

Further, the bill makes it illegal to transfer ownership of a qualifying firearm to anyone who is not a licensed gun dealer or collector. Exceptions to this rule include transfer to family members by gift or bequest and loans, not to exceed 30 days, of a firearm for lawful purposes "between persons who are personally known to each other."

The bill also requires qualifying firearm owners to report all transfers to the attorney general's database. It would also be illegal for a licensed gun owner to fail to record a gun loss or theft within 72 hours or fail to report a change of address within 60 days.

And if a minor obtains a weapon and injures someone with it, the owner of the gun – if deemed to have failed to meet certain safety requirements – faces a multiple-year jail sentence.

H.R. 45 is a resurfacing of 2007's H.R. 2666, which contained much of the same language and was co-sponsored by 15 other representatives and Barack Obama's current chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel. H.R. 2666 was assigned to the House Judiciary committee, where no action was taken.

H.R. 45 currently has no co-sponsors and is likewise assigned to the House Judiciary committee.

The bad news is, this is just the first of many bills which we can expect to be presented to congress in the next four years of the Obama White House.

Is this "Ipso Facto" firearms registration? Yes, that would be the minimum effect of this (and any similar bills).

Sooner or later, somebody is going to propose a gun-grabber bill which is going to stick.

Expect it to be much more egregious than this 'touchy-feely' bill.

Just so you know, the Obama administration will probably encourage a continuing onslaught of bills restricting the Second Amendment.

The only "good thing" about the Obama election is that he will, ultimately, show George W. Bush as a more effective president, in terms of preserving constitutional rights.