paranoia

THE LIST

Fill Yer Hands recently blogged regarding a minor phenomena I’ve seen more and more of.  And, frankly, have heard about for years.

You’re a gun owner – why don’t you join the NRA or the SAF or some other pro-rights organization and put your money-where-your-mouth is?

Because I don’t want to be on a list.

SERIOUSLY?

You think that mouthing off in your local watering hole about the President or his policies, or buying firearms and ammunition, or prepping, or posting comments on the Internet haven’t already gotten someone’s attention?

It’s been widely reported that the ‘temporary’ NICS background check files have been (illegally) saved by the FBI, and every time a licensed gun shop goes under, they are required to ship all their filed Federal Forms 4473 to the BATFE.  We suspect there’s a huge database, although we’ve no positive proof.

How about the DHS Watch Lists when flying, or taking a train, or traveling abroad?  Or the NSA monitoring all the email traffic electronically, looking for key words like ‘guns’ in messages?

Personally, I suspect there has always been a list, and I involuntarily was added to it upon my first ‘papered’ firearm purchase.  And my ranting in this blog (and as a commenter on other blogs) about libertarianism, the Constitution, Gun Rights, Civil Liberties and various government abuses probably has made my file thicker.

But, I don’t care.  Why?  If indeed there are concerted efforts to monitor the actions and locations of possible threats (e.g. gun owners and free-thinking people) I’m probably at the head of the line.  Not only am I a gun owner and speak out about it, I’ve spoken publicly about the JFK assassination.

If there indeed IS a list, and we as a nation cross the Rubicon, I’ll never make to the camps…

(quietly removes tin-foil hat and skulks away…)

Inform on your neighbor or family – it’s Patriotic!

A few years back, I began noticing some bumper stickers on hunter’s trucks, suggesting responsible hunters inform on those less responsible.  Then, the AZMVD put out a sticker to get people to call in on their neighbors who failed to have current vehicle registration.  Now, the FBI gets into it:

You call NICS yourself and report a family member you think shouldn’t have a firearm

From FBI — Index Brochure

In addition to local, state, tribal, and federal agencies voluntarily contributing information to the NICS Index, the NICS Section receives telephone calls from mental health institutions, psychiatrists, police departments, and family members requesting placement of individuals into the NICS Index. Frequently, these are emergency situations and require immediate attention. Any documentation justifying a valid entry into the NICS Index must be available to the originating agencies.

Feinstein ‘Off The Rails”

California Senator Diane Feinstein has gone off the rails with respect to the newest flavor of ‘assault weapons ban‘.  The fact this was obviously drafted up years in advance of the latest mass murder shows her complete disregard for the United States Constitution, and her own hypocrisy – being a CCW holder and gun-owner, herself.

Some Exemplars:

• Requires owners of existing “assault weapons” to register them with the federal government under the National Firearms Act (NFA). The NFA imposes a $200 tax per firearm, and requires an owner to submit photographs and fingerprints to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), to inform the BATFE of the address where the firearm will be kept, and to obtain the BATFE’s permission to transport the firearm across state lines.

• Prohibits the transfer of “assault weapons.” Owners of other firearms, including those covered by the NFA, are permitted to sell them or pass them to heirs. However, under Feinstein’s new bill, “assault weapons” would remain with their current owners until their deaths, at which point they would be forfeited to the government.

• Prohibits the domestic manufacture and the importation of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The 1994 ban allowed the importation of such magazines that were manufactured before the ban took effect. Whereas the 1994 ban protected gun owners from errant prosecution by making the government prove when a magazine was made, the new ban includes no such protection. The new ban also requires firearm dealers to certify the date of manufacture of any >10-round magazine sold, a virtually impossible task, given that virtually no magazines are stamped with their date of manufacture.

There’s more analysis of the bill at the above link. Suffice it to say she’s delusional if she thinks that this is in any way going to pass in the House. – Chuck Kuecker

I certainly hope so.  Call your Congressmen and Senators – multiple times! – Guffaw

h/t Beloit Ballistics

PARANOIA Big Destroya, Part II

SO…people next to The President have suggested that he might take it upon himself to bypass all this Constitutional bother and just make an edict of gun control as he likes it.

Seriously?  Quelle surprise.

I’ve been reading weblogs for over three years.  ‘Writing’ one for almost two.  Daily.  And I find it interesting how they mimic the ‘national’ news.

Not necessarily in content, but in attitude.  And in repetition of story themes.

The President  (pick one or more)

A.  Stole the election

B.  Is using false documents and a Connecticut SSN not issued to him

C.  Is planning on becoming ‘President For Life’

D.  Will impose severe firearms restrictions extra-legally, by fiat

E.  Expanded federal surveillance rules against U.S. citizens

F.  Kept rendition rules in place and is using them.

G.  Has authorized drone and assassination of more U.S. citizens than any other President.

(ad infinitum, ad nauseum)

Regardless what you believe to be true, we must remain vigilant based on facts, not wishes or Internet hype.  Worrying about whether or not the Executive Branch is secreting alien life forms in Area 51 may make for fun reading, but is not focused on the problem(s) at hand.

And what can we do about them?

Facts will save us – rumor will kill us.

SO…You think your Wi-Fi is secure?

My roomie uses Android on her cellular telephone and wireless tablet.  She runs her business from them – appointments, records, transactions, etc.

She is a gun owner, collector and CCW permit holder.  A solid citizen.

She called me into her room the other night to show me the multiple Wi-Fi connections on her tablet.  My hotspot wasn’t showing, but this was:

This then disappeared and reappeared multiple times during our observation of her tablet, all in a few minutes.  And it didn’t show on my hot-spot Internet access 15 feet away.

As one may rename the label for one’s Wi-Fi, it’s probably just some joker.  Right?

Cleanliness is next to…

So, I’m reading passing-over, yet again, another warning on the Internet regarding keyboards.  It seems, more than public bathrooms, computer keyboards are THE source of e-coli bacteria for most folks.  E-coli is one of those nasty things we sometimes access through uncooked food and can cause serious illness and even death.

Yeah yeah, sure sure…yawn

I’m a bit of a germaphobe.  Being slightly OCD and having been ill many times in my life, this is not surprising.  A while back I was reading how the so-called 5-second rule is more realistically a 5-minute rule.  (dropping food on to a generally-clean-appearing floor does not automatically mean it’s instantly acquired enough strange bacteria to be a health hazard if eaten!  As if I’d do something like that! )  Currently living in a house with three dogs and a cat usually means mishandled food doesn’t even make it to the floor.  If it does, it means they’re kenneled, sleeping or seriously full.

So, back to the keyboard.  Specifically MY cordless computer keyboard.  Usually observed in low-light conditions, no issues are observed.  Wait-a-minute…what’s THAT on the keyboard, that red stuff (OH, it’s probably wearing paint…) WAIT!  The keyboard has black with white lettering, no color!  Uh-oh…

Yep.  A couple months back, just after my move, I developed a habit of eating at my computer, over my keyboard in some cases.  Usually…aw geez!  That’s it!  Jack-In-The-Box Tacos!

Old, dried TACO SAUCE ON AND IN-BETWEEN THE KEYS!  Yucch!

Apply Clorox Disinfecting Wipes to the affected area, twice!  And to all the electronic gadget remotes living in my room, just in case.  Because one never knows.

I feel better now, and a little hungry.  What sounds good?  mmmmm-tacos!

Buck Up!

SO, of the competitors Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Tweedledum won.

SO WHAT?  BUCK UP!

That third party guy GOOD IDEA received the most votes that party has ever received in a presidential election!

What do we know, now?

The once and future President of the United States promotes policies with which many of us disagree:  More gun control, more Internet control, less free speech, more of our troops to unwinnable wars, more redistribution of wealth, support for other countries use of child soldiers, continued Federal attacks on State-legal marijuana dispensaries, quadrupling the warrantless wiretaps since the Bush era, continuing and expanding the so-called PATRIOT ACT, granting the FBI access to private communications without warrant, renewed FISA warrantless spying on banking and wireless communication, continuing the horrendous Federal Reserve QE debacles, and,

LEAVING OUR AMBASSADOR AND FORMER NAVY SEALS TO DIE IN LIBYA, WHEN HELP WAS AVAILABLE.  AND HE WAS WATCHING VIA LIVE FEED.

Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t?  Let’s make a two-pronged effort:  1)  Pay attention to any government attempts to violate our rights, and be vocal in our response, and 2)  Reform the opposition party so the leadership no longer consists of big government RINOs, to give us a real choice in the next election.  Like Mr. GOOD IDEA was supposed to.

Because you just know Hillary is waiting in the wings for 2016…

Future Senator Bluto Blutarsky said it best:  Let’s GO!

Collective Delusion

Collective Delusion aka Mass Hysteria!

Pick a subject:  The Kennedy Assassination, 9/11, terrorism, the economy, our perverse government, our perverse corporations, gun control, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

There is a propensity in the human condition to look for reasons why things happen.  And, to punish the people responsible, if those things are bad.

I, for one, subscribe to the Conspiracy Theory of History.  This means that while we may only see the titular head of the iceberg (John Wilkes Booth or Lee Harvey Oswald) there were less-than-obvious forces behind the scenes, involved in the giant ongoing chess game about control  (see my previous post How it Really works).  Both pre and post the event(s).

And as we know, the winners write the history books.

Of course, this doesn’t mean everything is the result of some dark conspiracy.  Sometimes individuals are just koo-koo.  Or evil.  Unto themselves.

But today, more than ever, with rapid electronic communication and the Internet, disinformation gets out of bed and makes it’s way around the World before the truth facts have their socks on!

It’s even easier when one is predisposed to believe what is presented.  If the President or Bernie Sanders is said to have made a collectivist statement, I tend to believe it, as they are collectivists.  The same for Rush Limbaugh if he is alleged to make a right-wing statement.  And, of course, if I already think poorly about the person and their opinions, statements attributed to them seem automatically true:

“Our main agenda is to have ALL guns banned. We must use whatever means possible. It doesn’t matter if you have to distort facts or even lie. Our task of creating a socialist America can only succeed when those who would resist us have been totally disarmed.”  -  Sarah Brady

The only problem is she never said that!  And it keeps getting re-attributed as proof of her beliefs.

We need not to keep passing on disinformation as fact – not buying into the collective delusion.

For more on this phenomena, please go read The Great Seattle Windshield Epidemic.

Trust, but verify, before passing along information.

h/t Neatorama

Bullets Beans and Bullion

The ubiquitous Gun Blog Black List always seems to be adding different and interesting items to their content.  Today, I noticed a listing for Bullets Beans and Bullion.

While technically not a blog, it does present an interesting compilation of links.  Blogs, reference materials, news. politics, all designed to attract thoughtful readers.  Many wearing tin-foil chapeaus.

Preppers, gun folks, libertarians, anarchists, conservatives, political junkies, bullion hoarders.  During my initial cursory review, I even spotted something for Lyndon LaRouche fans!  Different strokes, what?

The columns differentiate types of links as follows:  Economics     Bullets, Beans
Bullion     Alternative Media    Miscellaneous/New Blogs

I’ve not had a chance to check it all out (because there is MUCH content), but it appears interesting and if you add a comment you may very well have your blog or website added into the mix!

Don we now our metallic apparel and go take a look see.

Ruby Ridge + 20

WP reminds us of the horrific events 20 years ago,

On August 21st, 1992, US Marshals shot and murdered a dog and a 14-year old boy named Sammy Weaver. In self-defense, a family friend, Kevin Harris, who was staying with the Weavers, fired in response and killed one of the Marshals at Ruby Ridge, Idaho.

The government ongoing encroachment of power hasn’t abated since then.  Go and read his analysis including the Rules of Engagement and additional stuff regarding Project Gunwalker.

He poetically ends with:

Our Founding Fathers, knew what tyranny is- they left us the tools to keep it at bay, we let those tools rust and squandered their wisdom but I will not forget these words:

“Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.”   Patrick Henry

I firmly think, unfortunately, it is nearly time that atrocities such as these, and others will be happening once again. And if you do not believe or think so, then read yesterdays post.  (U.S. Marine arrested for Facebook posts)

h/t  And I ask, whose paranoid are you?