Armed Citizens vs Armed Guards

OPINION IN BRIEF

“Which of these three options is more likely to prevent further murderous rampages:

a) making universities closed campuses and increasing the police presence on campus (as the president of [Northern Illinois University] has promised to do);

b) making guns much harder to obtain; or

c) enabling specially trained students and faculty to carry concealed weapons on campus?

Because political correctness has replaced wisdom at nearly all universities, colleges are considering options a and b.

But the only thing the first option will accomplish is to reduce the quality of university life and render the campus a larger version of the contemporary airport.

And the second option will have no effect whatsoever since whoever wishes to commit murder will be able to obtain guns illegally.

But if would-be murderers know that anywhere they go to kill students, there is a real likelihood that one or two students will shoot them first, and if in fact some would-be murderer is killed before he can murder any, or at least many, students, we will see far fewer such attempts made. Even though many of these murderers end up killing themselves, they don’t want to die until they have first murdered as many students and teachers as possible.

Of course, there is virtually no chance that the uniformly left-thinking individuals who run our universities will ever consider this option. To do so would mean abandoning what is essentially a religious-like conviction that guns are immoral rather than the people who use them immorally.” —Dennis Prager

Copied from the PatriotPost.US, 25 February, 2008

Soap Box Ravings agrees with Dennis Prager regarding college campuses. However, Soap Box Ravings believes the problem is broader and affects much more than just college campuses. The problem also includes shopping malls, worksites, and any other place where large groups of people congegrate. Historically, the majority of shooters in this country seem to have been seeking "suicide by cop." The reason they shoot others is to force the police into action. However, the arriving police do not know whether there is a "suicide by cop" action in progress or a terrorist action in progress and many people can be killed or injured while the police evaluate the situation.

A lawfully armed citizen only has to realize that his or her life, or the life of another is in mortal danger to react. They are on scene, have knowledge of what is going on and the means to stop or at least defect the concentration of the evildoer. An arriving police officer does not have that information and it takes time to gain information.

Many people believe that the gun rather than the shooter is immoral. Many people also believe that any problems they have are caused by other people and it is up to the government to solve all of their problems.

If the government were to provide armed protection at all times and locations for all people, how would it be decided who carried the gun and who was protected. If your protected, does that make you elite. What happens when you guard doesn't come to work one day?



On duty, Soap Box Ravings Bodyguard poised for instant action

Why Does A Cycle Seem To Repeat Itself?

LIBERTY

"The massively cruel and ruinous communistic experiment of the Soviet Empire would not have been necessary if philosophers and intellectuals had not ignored a basic truth about human nature:

Human beings, as a derivative of the instinct to survive, are innately driven to act in their own self interest. Notwithstanding propaganda, conditioning or brute force, any government or institution which runs head on against the grain of this basic human drive is doomed to fail.

We seem not to have learned a basic lesson of history:

Capitalism harnesses human self interest; socialism exhausts itself trying to kill it. The bureaucrats, who seize and dole out other people’s assets, initially see themselves as humanitarians. Eventually, they conclude they are indeed superior to others, and treat themselves accordingly. They make laws to which they are not subject; they vote themselves and their wards privileges and benefits. Then, they no longer serve—they rule a nation of the government, by the government and for the government." —Linda Bowles

Copied from the PatriotPost.US, 25 February 2008 Patriot Vol. 08 No. 09

Todays Quote

"Capitalism and communism stand at opposite poles. Their essential difference is this: The communist, seeing the rich man and his fine home, says: 'No man should have so much.' The capitalist, seeing the same thing, says: 'All men should have as much.' " -Phelps Adams

Found in the U.S. Concealed Carry Armed American Report on 02-22-08

Problem Solved

Soap Box Ravings says Blogger appears to have solved their Spell Check problem. They have eliminated the Spell Check function. I, for one would prefer to have spell check than the ability to translate my blog into a foreign language. Perhaps words in foreign languages do not require proper spelling like English does.

WAY TO GO NAVY, FANTASTIC SHOT BY THE USS LAKE ERIE (CG-70)

The USS Lake Erie (CG-70), launched a SM-3 missile designed to knock down incoming missiles (not orbiting satellites) at 10:26 p.m. EST. The Lake Erie hit the school bus sized target about three minutes later as the spacecraft traveled in polar orbit at more than 22 times the speed of sound or about 17,000 mph.

Talk about wingshooting!

The three-stage SM-3 Navy missile has been very successful in a series of tests since 2002. The previous tests targeted short- or medium-range ballistic missile but never a satellite. The Navy had to adapt the SM-3 programming for this shot. Navy officials have said the changes would be reversed once this satellite was down.

Soap Box Ravings is proud of his shipmates. Taking out a target moving 22 times the speed of sound is some truly awesome shooting. The bad part of the shot is that it reveals a little more of our potiential to countries, who for whatever reason, worry about us. For example, I am sure we will soon hear comments from Russia and Communist China among others. They will use this feat to ratchet up their weapons requirements regardless of the fact that this was done to prevent possible injury to people on the ground.

Barak OBama Needs You To Believe

A Houston campaign office for Barack Obama displayed the Cuban flag with the murderous Che Guevara superimposed.

Soap Box Ravings hopes those who support Obama's idea of change actually spend some effort to figure out what his stated changes are going to be.

While researching, perhaps they could enlighten me on the actual accomplishments of Senator Obama or Senator Clinton for that matter. Senators Obama and Clinton seem to be fairly matched on their accomplishments which in each case seem to be minimal. Although Clinton may have actually slept with a President.

Read The Patriot Post

Some People Should Not Be Allowed Firearms

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin points an AR-15 pattern rifle at Chief of Police Warren Riley during a press conference on Tuesday, 12 February.

The rifle was part of $6 million in new equipment purchases for the New Orleans Police Department and fires a .223 bullet at 3300 feet per second.

Mayor Nagin is infamous for ordering the New Orleans Police Department to seize the guns of law-abiding citizens in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, supposedly to make the city safer.

Soap Box Ravings (who qualifed as a firearms instructor in the US Navy and again while a police officer) says this is another picture of an elite anti-gun person who feels that elementary safety precautions do not apply to them. Luckily he does not have his finger on the trigger. And, of course, the Chief of Police (who by definition is also a politician) is laughing at his bosses joke while there is a rifle muzzle pointed at his midsection.

Another infamous antigun line:
Only the police and military should be allowed to have guns!

There are more pictures at: http://patriotpost.us/news/nagins_got_a_gun.asp

"Brief, Rapid-fire Assault"

Soap Box Ravings says this is the description of todays (02-14-08) shooting at Northern Illinois State University today.

This is also the description of any shooting with malice incident anywhere, military or civilian. You are very lucky if you see the shooter and/or the gun before they start shooting. The name of their game is not to fight fair but to kill, terrorize and finally memorialize themselves in the evening news. Following that, they quite often kill themselves so they can avoid punishment.

The antigun folks want all firearms restricted to police and military. In last weeks shooting Kirkwood, Missouri was initiated when the gunman shot and killed a police officer in the parking lot. He then armed himself with the police officer's firearm which increased his firepower immensely. The shooter went from having a revolver to now having a revolver and a semiautomatic pistol.

As a police officer firearms instructor I trained my peers to realize every call, every interaction involved a firearm; at the very least theirs. I repeatedly told them if a bad guy wants a gun all he needs to do is call a police officer. The officer will be wearing one when he or she arrives. And often, they are not expecting someone to take it away from them.

By the time the police, university or anyone else could get the word out this shooter was done with his mission. Cell phone notifications, pa announcements and calling the police mostly take place in the time it takes to fire XX number of bullets and believe me you can not count that fast much less call or answer your cell phone.

I don't even have to ask, but my guess this is another "GUN FREE ZONE".

How is it working for you!

For Some The Learning Curve is Much Longer Than Others

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot lift the wage-earner by pulling down the wage-payer.
You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away men’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.
by William J. H. Boetcker, 1916

Soap Box Ravings says these quotes are 92 year old secret information. Many folks in this country do not believe any of the lines quoted above. Actually non-believers prefer to operate either under the newer theory that if a big enough lie is shouted long enough and loud enough it will become true. Well not of course, if your talking about the Law Of Gravity. Or the other popular theory where you restate your past actions in the best possible light regardless of what they actually were.
Twist the facts loudly.

The Law Of Unintended Consequences, Again

From The Patriot Post, 02-08-08, more at: http://patriotpost.us/


In recent weeks, environmentalist groups are realizing Federal biofuel and ethanol mandates have the potential to do far more harm than good.

Initially the idea made a fair amount of sense; use a portion of our abundant corn crops to produce ethanol as an alternative to oil. Thereby reducing greenhouse emissions, in addition to reducing our reliance on foreign oil.

Pressured by the environmentalist folks and their allies, the federal government enacted a series of ethanol subsidies. Thereby causing market confusion with unpredictable and changing government mandates and subsidies.

Farm subsidies are sacred to politicians, but the consequences of this “solution” are now obvious, and even environmentalist groups have begun to complain.

Rising demand for ethanol means a rising demand for corn and a corresponding rise in corn prices, in and out of this country. Those who eat tortillas made from corn have been particularly affected.

The resulting increase in food prices have have caused farmers to increase their land useage and causing increased environmental damage.

If America’s entire grain harvest were devoted to ethanol production, it would replace only 18 percent of our automotive demand for oil.

Most importantly, the ethanol fiasco reveals the ineptitude of centralized government when it comes to running the market. Remember, the USSR used a centralized government to control their markets among other things.

The laws of supply and demand are enough to handle our energy troubles, so long as the market is free from government interference. Otherwise, we will continue to suffer from the Law Of Unintended Consequences.

Quote

“Today, the political platforms of at least one party in the United States and pretty much every party in the rest of the Western world are nearly exclusively about... government health care, government day care, government this, government that. And if you have government health care, you not only annex a huge chunk of the economy, you also destroy a huge chunk of individual liberty.” —Mark Steyn

Soap Box Ravings is all about individual liberty. I obey the rules and try to play nice in group settings but I want to decide how to live my life and spend my money that I earned by putting my "sheepdog" life on the line around the world to protect the"sheep."

Another Day

Which is worse: ignorance or apathy?

I don’t know and I don’t care.

Another Point To Ponder

“Washington, D.C. is a place where delusions go to thrive. That explains why Congress and the president are now agreed on remedies that will not work, expending money they do not have, to fix a problem that may not exist.” —Steve Chapman

It Is Always About William Jefferson Clinton, Whether You Like It Or Not

Clawing for a Legacy

In Charles Krauthammer's article "Clawing for a Legacy" from Friday, February 1, 2008he writes: “There was general amazement when (the now-muzzled) Bill Clinton did his red-faced, attack-dog, race-baiting performance in South Carolina. Friends, Democrats and longtime media sycophants were variously perplexed, repulsed, enraged, mystified and shocked that this beloved ex-president would so jeopardize his legacy by stooping so low. What they don’t understand is that for Clinton, there is no legacy. What he was doing on the low road from Iowa to South Carolina was fighting for a legacy—a legacy that he knows history has denied him and that he has but one chance to redeem. Clinton is a narcissist but also smart and analytic enough to distinguish adulation from achievement. Among Democrats, he is popular for twice giving them the White House, something no Democrat has done since FDR. And the bouquets he receives abroad are simply signs of the respect routinely given ex-presidents, though Clinton earns an extra dollop of fawning, with the accompanying fringe benefits, because he is (a) charming and (b) not George W. Bush. But Clinton knows this is all written on sand... Clinton knows that popularity is cheap, easily lost, easily regained. (See Lewinsky scandal.) But historical legacies are forever. He wants one, desperately. But to get it he must return to the White House. And for that he must elect his wife. At any cost."

Soap Box Ravings total digust of all things Clinton holds to this day. Today, Neal Boortz reported that Hillary "cried" again. Is it any wonder, a Clinton with tears in their eyes particularly when a camera is focused on them is to be expected. When Hillary Clinton claims to have more experience than Barack Obama this is what she is talking about. While the majority of her experience seems to be sleeping with the President she has had amny years to learn her husbands tricks of the trade (no pun intended).

The full text of Charles Krauthammer's article can be found at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/31/AR2008013102627.html?sub=AR

Another Thought To Consider

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed, and hence clamorous to be led to safety, by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” —H.L. Mencken

Soap Box Ravings is truly amazed by how government and/or politicians at any level continue to react as described by H. L. Mencken above. So much of the in-fighting takes place over "phony" issues that the real issues are never decided. For one example, read our Constitution and see how far the government has gotten into your life using "interstate commerce."

Thought For Today

“Every candidate who repeats the misleading nonsense that ‘47 million in America have no health care,’ ought to be challenged with hard truth. The number is grossly inflated by including millions who are here illegally and millions of others who have the means to pay for health care insurance but refuse to adjust their budget and lifestyle. And don’t expect any media type to question where in the Constitution Congress derives any authority to dispense health care.” —Janet LaRue

Soap Box Ravings wonders with government health care for all will it be mandated that those who are self-insured must use the government health insurance whether they want to or not. I doubt it. I really don't see Teddy Kennedy waiting in line in a doctor's office with all of the unemployed and social security recipients. Don't really see any high member of the government doing that.

The reason I say waiting in line is because the good doctors and surgeons will move to another country where they can charge and get reasonable fees. Think not? Have you ever wondered why such a large percentage of our doctors and surgeons are from other countries?

Although if you run enough illegal aliens through daily and the government is foots the tab I guess you could make a profit. The thought reminds me of a military sick call about 45 years ago.