NRA Statement on McDonald

Statement by Wayne LaPierre Executive Vice President, National Rifle Association Regarding U.S. Supreme Court Decision McDonald v. City of Chicago

Today marks a great moment in American history. This is a landmark decision. It is a vindication for the great majority of American citizens who have always believed the Second Amendment was an individual right and freedom worth defending.

The Supreme Court said what a majority of the American public believes. The people who wrote the Second Amendment said it was an individual right, and the Court has now confirmed what our founding fathers wrote and intended. The Second Amendment -- as every citizen’s constitutional right -- is now a real part of American Constitutional law

But, Supreme Court decisions have to lead to actual consequences or the whole premise of American constitutional authority collapses. Individual freedom must mean you can actually experience it. An incorporated freedom has to be a real freedom.

The intent of the founding fathers -- and the Supreme Court -- was to provide access. Words must have meaning.

The Supreme Court has now said the Second Amendment is an individual freedom for all. And that must have meaning. This decision must provide relief to law-abiding citizens who are deprived of their Second Amendment rights.

I’m a practical guy. I don’t want to win on philosophy and lose on freedom. The end question is, can law-abiding men and women go out and buy and own a firearm? Today the Supreme Court said yes – anywhere they live!

This decision cannot lead to different measures of freedom, depending on what part of the country you live in. City by city, person by person, this decision must be more than a philosophical victory. An individual right is no right at all if individuals can’t access it. Proof of Heller and McDonald will be law abiding citizens, one by one, purchasing and owning firearms.

The NRA will work to ensure this constitutional victory is not transformed into a practical defeat by activist judges, defiant city councils, or cynical politicians who seek to pervert, reverse, or nullify the Supreme Court’s McDonald decision through Byzantine labyrinths of restrictions and regulations that render the Second Amendment inaccessible, unaffordable, or otherwise impossible to experience in a practical, reasonable way.

What good is a right without the gun? What good is the right if you can’t buy one? Or keep one in your home? Or protect your family with one?

Here’s a piece of paper – protect yourself. That’s no right at all!

Victory is when law abiding men and women can get up, go out, and buy and own a firearm.

This is a monumental day. But NRA will not rest until every law-abiding American citizen is able to exercise the individual right to buy and own a firearm for self defense or any other lawful purpose.

Sent to me via email from the lovely & talented Rachel Parsons of the NRA - ILA.
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Blogging Fail

I should have been there, but circumstances prevented me from attending the CO Arms Range Day.

I'll see what I can dig up.

In the meantime, there a lot of posting on some big legal decision from guys and girls in black robes.

There's hope for this country yet.
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Quote Of The Day

From the infinitely quotable Tam:

Ignorance, as they say, is no excuse for a law.

But it's usually all that is needed to pass one.

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Memphis Beat

Watched it last night, had to.

The thing is, it didn't keep my attention very well. I'll give it another shot (or two), but I can't help but think this show was written by people who never spent any time in Memphis, let alone grew up there.

First, there's Jason Lee. He's a good enough actor, and I think he's right for the role, but, an Elvis fan? Really? He talks about how he grew up listening to Elvis, how Memphis is "sacred ground" - the kind of stuff a New York/LA script writer would say.

Here's a reality check - Jason Lee/his character is the exact wrong age to be a fan of Elvis. Why? Because by the time he was old enough to listen to Elvis (and remember it), Elvis was dead. His mom on the show is too young to be an Elvis fan, for crying out loud! Maybe he grew up listening to grandmas' records or something.

Another thing; although Memphis claims Elvis as its' own, Elvis spent most of his time in Las Vegas, especially in the '70's. I know. I lived two blocks from Graceland. I worked at the gas station (which is now a souvenir shop) across the street from Graceland. Uncle Vester used to bring the Cadillacs in for oil changes from time to time, but never an Elvis sighting. My mom thought she saw Priscilla once, leaving Graceland, but that's about it.

The whole "sacred ground" thing is very post-Elvis, brought on by his death and deification. Very not-Memphis.

Here are some reviews that add to what I'm saying (emphasis mine):

The Memphis location is meant to add distinction, but it doesn’t quite work. The setting and the musical references seem oddly artificial, right down to Lee’s stage performance, for which his voice has been dubbed.

That's because it's shot in New Orleans, maybe?

Everything about Beat, from the accents to the Elvis impersonators lining the police station, from Hendricks' after-hours hobby singing at a bar to his underdeveloped co-workers, suggests a series working too hard to achieve the evocative atmosphere and offbeat characters that come so effortlessly in FX's superior Southern-set drama "Justified."

Working too hard- at the wrong stuff, I agree wholeheartedly.

More often it is labored and belaboring, from the eccentric station-house staff- including Abraham Benrubi, wearing Willie Nelson's old pigtails, as a Chickasaw desk sergeant, and DJ Qualls as a slack-jawed Cletus of a patrol officer--to the Elvis imitators on the street and Dwight's constant promotion of Memphis as "sacred ground" to people who, after all, live there too.

Memphis ain't New Orleans. Of course, you'd have to spend time in Memphis to know that.

This review, however, points to what irritates me the most:

In many respects, Dwight is Memphis. Or at the very least, he’s a man who exemplifies all of the things that I expect Memphians pride themselves on. He’s a polite, intelligent, Elvis-loving gentleman who seems to genuinely believe in serving and protecting his community.

Yep, that's Memphis, all polite and Elvis-like. Y'all come back now, ya hear?

By the way, the police here don't have "wards" they have "precincts". Hey, New Orleans has wards, doesn't it? Don't get me wrong, I love New Orleans, but they are who they are, Memphis is what it is.

I wonder if we'll ever hear Saliva play on this show. They're from Memphis, ya know.

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Blogroll Addition

Please welcome MacBourne's Musings to the Mighty Fine Blogroll

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This Guy Knows How to Get Links!

M.D. Creekmore at The Survivalist Blog – a survival blog dedicated to helping others prepare for and survive disaster – with articles on bug out bag contents, survival knife choices and a wealth of other survival information is giving away a 1,000 round case of 9mm – 124 Grain FMJ (a $200 value – donated by LuckyGunner)! To enter, you just have to post about it on your blog. This is my entry. Visit The Survivalist Blog for the details.

As for me, if you link my blog, you'll get my eternal gratitude, and my ones of readers!

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The 101 Greatest Survival Flicks of All Time

The Survivalist Blog has them!

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The A-Team

They took me to see it for Dad's Day yesterday.

Simple plot, over the top action, impossible stunts.

I loved it.

I laughed out loud at least twice. Continue Reading

Sunday Music

It's Fathers Day, I can play what I want!



What ever happened to the term "status symbol", anyway?


"Pleasant Valley Sunday" - The Monkees.

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Friday Funny

via email

These are Memphis REAL 911 Calls!*


Dispatcher : 9-1-1 What is your emergency?
Caller: I heard what sounded like gunshots coming from the brown house on
the corner.
Dispatcher: Do you have an address?
Caller: No, I have on a blouse and slacks, why?


Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is your emergency?
Caller : Someone broke into my house and took a bite out of my ham and
cheese sandwich .
Dispatcher : Excuse me?
Caller : I made a ham and cheese sandwich and left it on the kitchen table
and when I came back from the bathroom, someone had taken a bite out of it.
Dispatcher : Was anything else taken?
Caller : No, but this has happened to me before and I'm sick and tired of
it!


Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is the nature of your emergency?
Caller: I'm trying to reach nine eleven but my phone doesn't have an
eleven on it.
Dispatcher: This is nine eleven.
Caller: I thought you just said it was nine-one-one
Dispatcher: Yes, ma'am nine-one-one and nine-eleven are the same thing.
Caller: Honey, I may be old, but I'm not stupid.


Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What's the nature of your emergency?
Caller: My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes
apart
Dispatcher: Is this her first child?
Caller: No, you idiot! This is her husband!


Dispatcher: 9-1-1
Caller: Yeah, I'm having trouble breathing. I'm all out of breath.
Darn....I think I'm going to pass out.
Dispatcher: Sir, where are you calling from?
Caller: I'm at a pay phone. Jackson and Hollywood.
Dispatcher: Sir, an ambulance is on the way. Are you an asthmatic?
Caller: No
Dispatcher: What were you doing before you started having trouble
breathing?
Caller: Running from the Police.


* I have no idea if they are real or not, that was part of the email. Continue Reading

Fred vs Jon

Just saw on Facebook that Fred Thompson is going to be on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart.

That's one I'm gonna watch.

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91 Degrees Outside

And it's not even 11:00 AM.

NOW they say global warming is a hoax. Can't they get anything right?

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Free video

17 Ways to win a Gun Control Argument

Courtesy of the USCCA via Buckeye Firearms Association

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It's the National Rifle Association

Not the National Conservative Agenda Association.

Y'all know what I'm talking about.

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OK, This is Beyond Crazy

Vote early, vote often:

PORT CHESTER, N.Y. – Arthur Furano voted early — five days before Election Day. And he voted often, flipping the lever six times for his favorite candidate. Furano cast multiple votes on the instructions of a federal judge and the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a new election system crafted to help boost Hispanic representation.

You gotta be freakin' kidding me.

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Obama's Crossed the Kerry Line

In England, at least:

His fondness for the EU is matched by his disdain for the United Kingdom. It’s not the diplomatic snubs that bother me: the dissing of Gordon Brown, the insulting gifts, the sending back of Winston Churchill’s bust. It’s not even the faux-anger towards the company he insists on calling “British” Petroleum. (No such firm has existed since the merger of BP and Amoco nine years ago. Thirty-nine per cent of BP shares are American-owned, and 40 per cent British-owned. The stricken rig in the Gulf is owned by Transocean, and the drilling was carried out by Halliburton, yet Obama isn’t demanding compensation from either of these American corporations.)

All these things are minor irritants compared to the way the Obama administration is backing Peronist Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands – or, as Obama’s people call them, “the Malvinas”. British troops were the only sizable contingent to support the US in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have fought alongside America in most of the conflicts of the past hundred years. Yet, when the chips are down, Obama lines up with Hugo Chávez and Daniel Ortega against us.

Un-freakin-believeable

More on the Kerry Line here Continue Reading

Quote of the Day

This one comes from Instapundit's father-in-law:

when they want to raise taxes, it’s always for teachers and firemen — but when they actually get the money, it goes to buy leather chairs for guys you’ve never heard of who work downtown.

Yep.
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Who are you?

"I'm the person who just put your political career in the shitter."

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Two Reasons to Party Today

First, it's Flag Day. I love this anecdote:

On June 14, Theodore Roosevelt was dining outside Philadelphia, when he noticed a man wiping his nose with what he thought was the American Flag. In outrage, Roosevelt picked up a small wooden rod and began to whip the man for "defacing the symbol of America." After about five or six strong whacks, he noticed that the man was not wiping his nose with a flag, but with a blue handkerchief with white stars. Upon realization of this, he apologized to the man, but hit him once more for making him "riled up with national pride."

LOL, Teddy was one interesting guy

Second, it's the Army's Birthday:



The 7 Army Core Values

1. Loyalty – Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit, and fellow Soldiers.
2. Duty – Fulfill your obligations.
3. Respect – Treat others as they should be treated.
4. Selfless Service – Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.
5. Honor – Live the Army Values.
6. Integrity – Do what's right, both legally and morally.
7. Personal Courage – Face fear, danger, or adversity, both physical and moral.

Thanks to the Scalawag for the pic.

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Stop the Presses!

I agree with Bill Maher:

Maher: Media 'Way Too Stupid' to Understand Israel/Palestine Conflict, So They Side with the Palestinians

Pigs are sprouting wings all over the world. They have to be.

Thanks to Instapundit for the pointer.

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Sunday Music

A little something from the early 60's:



The Jaynettes - "Sally Go 'Round the Roses". Continue Reading

All Went Well

I survived the interview. I think I did OK, but you never know 'till you get "the call".

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Request

I'm going on a job interview tomorrow, so I'm requesting thoughts, prayers, chants, incense burning, and whatever you folks do with your Flying Spaghetti Monster. I'm sticking to prayer, obviously, but any good thoughts are appreciated.

This will be a positive change in the lives of my family and me.

Blogging will be sporadic, at best, for the next few days.

Thanks

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Saying What Has to be Said

Don't get me wrong, I love CJ2K and all, but this has been in the back of my mind ever since he broke the 2000 yard mark last year:

Johnson, who gained 2,006 yards, was just the sixth to do it and the first since Jamal Lewis in 2003.

None of the other five who got there — O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, and Lewis — ever did so again. Most, in fact, never were anywhere near as good in the seasons that followed.

None were, except Sanders, who quit too soon while at the top of his game.

I truly hope Chris Johnson breaks the mold, and dominates the running game like none before him. There's no reason he can't, except that whole "being human" thing.

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Sunday Music

Picked up a CD of their early stuff a while back, it's pretty good.

Dropkick Murphys - "The Road of the Righteous". Continue Reading

Holy Shit!

Bruce is closing his doors.

That seemed out of the blue, till I read on:

My name is Bruce MacMahon and I am hereby (as of 3:15 this afternoon) declaring my candidacy for New Hampshire State Representative in District 10 of Rockingham County.

Rock on, Bruce. Once you go national, I'll vote for ya!

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Once Upon a Time in Afghanistan

Fascinating, sad, and scary. That about sums it up:

Once Upon a Time in Afghanistan...

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Good for Him

Bush: No regrets for waterboarding

"Yeah, we waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed," the former president said

...

"I'd do it again to save lives," he added.

When I read this, I can believe he said it. Would we hear such things from the present administration? Time will tell.

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(Dumb) Quote of the Day

This from commenter bright11 in this thread:

Yes, crime can happen anywhere, anytime. But it seems to me that many people misinterpret overall crime statistics and believe that they are in danger 24/7. I choose not be be burdened with that kind of mindset.

(comment 183, emphasis mine)

Words fail me, truly they do. One thing I've noticed about commenters, especially at the Commercial Squeal - any time their user name refers to intelligence or mental acuity, they usually have very little.

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Apple is Evil!

The headline says it all:

'For a factory, it's pretty nice': Apple boss Steve Jobs defends conditions at Chinese factory where 10 workers have jumped to their deaths

So, what are they doing about it? NETS!




Nope, nothing wrong with this picture....

YGBFKM. Continue Reading

Prediction

Dennis Hopper's photography is going to be worth a lot of money, soon.


UPDATE: One for us guys:



Thanks, Les, for the pointer.

Yes, that's Paul Newman back in 1964 and Tuesday Weld, 1965. Continue Reading

Wow

One link from SayUncle and I blow past 100k hits like it was standing still.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Cowardly Commercial Squeal at it Again

(Unsigned) Editorial: No sign? No dine

You know what this is all about, right?

It's probably not going out on a limb to predict that the state House of Representatives, following the lead of the Senate, will override Gov. Phil Bredesen's veto of the guns in bars bill this week.

That's because most people are not against it.

Two statewide polls show Tennesseans are strongly opposed to the idea, but the National Rifle Association, which won't rest until there are guns in every honky-tonk, biker bar and strip club, has threatened legislators' re-election efforts if the legislation fails.

Link, please. No? Ok, I'll just take your word for it, being the bastion of responsible journalism you are.

Please tell me, if Tennesseans are so strongly opposed to this, how does the NRA come into play? The NRA doesn't appoint politicians, Tennesseans vote them in. If Tennesseans are so displeased with this bill, nothing the NRA says and does will keep the voters from ushering in a changing of the guard next time they vote.

Unless a developing lawsuit by restaurant servers is successful, Tennesseans will soon have the right to pack heat in any restaurant or bar that serves alcohol and doesn't explicitly forbid it.

Nice use of the hyperbolic "pack heat", there mister/miss unsigned editorial person. Make sure you don't go into detail about it (person carrying can't drink, etc), it would ruin your alarmist tone.

The bright side is that people have the right to show their displeasure with this new policy in two ways. First, don't patronize restaurants and bars without signs in the window barring entry to armed patrons.

That cuts both ways, as restaurant owners have already begun to find out.

As foolish and irresponsible as this law is, it does make this small gesture of respect for private business rights. Restaurateurs don't like the stigma that a no-weapons sign carries, but it could become a kind of welcome mat for diners who prefer gun-free dining.

It could also create a "victim disarmament zone", letting criminals know where the guns are not.

There's another way for Tennesseans to register their displeasure with guns in bars.

An election in the fall presents an opportunity for voters to send a message to lawmakers that there are consequences for their actions.

I already addressed elections, so, instead I'll say this: There's also a way for Memphians to register their displeasure with bigoted newspapers - don't buy them.

Hell, they're only good for the coupons, and you can get those online.

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To Buy or Not to Buy

That is the question. I'm thinking about putting some new furniture on my Mini 14, and think this will fill the bill:

TAPCO T6 Stock 6-Position Collapsible Ruger Mini-14, Mini-30 Standard Barrel Channel Synthetic Black

I want the stock to add versatility to my Mini. My fiancee and I are different sizes (to say the least), and I'd like her to be as comfortable shooting it as I am. The rails will be a nice addition, too.

So, is this a good buy?

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