Notes and Thoughts

There is only one governing principle that properly respects the freedom of all citizens: ironclad obedience to a clear and concise document that identifies their inherent rights, and forbids the State from compromising them, under any circumstances. The Constitution does not 'give' you those rights. It recognizes them. You had them before you could read or understand a single word. Every human being throughout history had them, even those who lived before any of the Founding Fathers were born. In reading the Constitution aloud, the 112th Congress will acknowledge those rights ... and read an arrest warrant to an out-of-control government." --columnist John Hayward


Obviously, the shootings in Arizona are the primary subject being discussed today... the thought that keeps coming back to me is one that compares this tragedy with the tragedy at Fort Hood.  After Nidal Hasan opened fire, killing 13 and wounding many more, we were encouraged by the President and the media to withhold judgment (Hasan was an American-born Muslim of Pakistani descent) and to not rush to conclusion on motives and fault... very appropriate words and guidance... where is that today?  This should be a day of national mourning... the majority of the media appears to want this day to be that and more...


"I am pretty wary of people who try to seek political gain out of terrible tragedies. And as sure as the sun comes up, the anti-gun lobby became among the first to run on autopilot and seek to politicize the senseless human killings in Tucson. The anti-gun movement resurrected itself only hours after Saturday's mayhem. At 10:34 on Saturday night, Politico filed an anti-gun story as Rep. Giffords and others battled for their lives: 'Gun control activists slammed Arizona for its gun laws Saturday, which allow almost any adult who can pass a federal background check to purchase a firearm.' Their auto-rant is consistent with their strategy of trying to exploit human heartbreak for political gain, sometimes even before the blood dries. When I heard their tired political calls for gun control, I decided to conduct a thought experiment. As it turns out, Washington, D.C., and Tucson have about equal populations. D.C. has 599,000 residents. Tucson has 544,000. ... So what are the differences in the homicide rates between Tucson and Washington, D.C.? As it turns out, they are staggeringly different. ... According to Tucson Police Department records, by December 2010, the city -- which is located 60 miles north of the Mexican border -- experienced 51 murders by the use of guns. Washington police records, meanwhile, recorded 131 homicides in 2010, nearly three times the Tucson rate. ... My wish is that the gun control lobby, which continues to exploit terrible tragedies for political gain, will concede defeat in the real world and remain silent during national sorrow." --Pajamas Media editor Richard Pollock


Peace!

Brett