What Did The Presidential Candidates Say Regarding The Supreme Courts Second Amendment Decision

Barack Obama's statement in full:

"I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures. The Supreme Court has now endorsed that view, and while it ruled that the D.C. gun ban went too far, Justice Scalia himself acknowledged that this right is not absolute and subject to reasonable regulations enacted by local communities to keep their streets safe. Today's ruling, the first clear statement on this issue in 127 years, will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country.

"As President, I will uphold the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun-owners, hunters, and sportsmen. I know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne. We can work together to enact common-sense laws, like closing the gun show loophole and improving our background check system, so that guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals. Today's decision reinforces that if we act responsibly, we can both protect the constitutional right to bear arms and keep our communities and our children safe."



John McCain's statement in full:

Today's decision is a landmark victory for Second Amendment freedom in the United States. For this first time in the history of our Republic, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms was and is an individual right as intended by our Founding Fathers. I applaud this decision as well as the overturning of the District of Columbia's ban on handguns and limitations on the ability to use firearms for self-defense.

Unlike Senator Obama, who refused to join me in signing a bipartisan amicus brief, I was pleased to express my support and call for the ruling issued today. Today's ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller makes clear that other municipalities like Chicago that have banned handguns have infringed on the constitutional rights of Americans. Unlike the elitist view that believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness, today's ruling recognizes that gun ownership is a fundamental right -- sacred, just as the right to free speech and assembly.

This ruling does not mark the end of our struggle against those who seek to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens. We must always remain vigilant in defense of our freedoms. But today, the Supreme Court ended forever the specious argument that the Second Amendment did not confer an individual right to keep and bear arms.



Soap Box Ravings is quick to note that Senator Obama said, "I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but."

It is Soap Box Ravings belief that when anyone says they agree with you and they follow their I agree statement with "but" they do not agree. They can soft soap or candy coat their response but everything that follows but is not in agreement. Then some kind of reference like "Justice Scalia himself acknowledged" follows until you then get to what the person really believes in which in this case is Gun Control. While both candidates for President used the word but, the context and meaning was different.

Scarier Than You May Think

An article by Peter Kasler, titled Police Have No Duty To Protect Individuals identifies some of the court cases which determined that the government (police) are not responsible for your self protection. The full article may be found at: http://www.firearmsandliberty.com/kasler-protection.html

Soap Box Ravings is overjoyed that the U. S. Supreme Court ruled today that the Second Amendment is an individual right. The City of Washington, D. C. passed a law in 1976 preventing citizens who lived there from effectively defending themselves while at the same time various courts were busy ruling it was not the governments job to protect individual citizens.

While Soap Box Ravings is delighted with the Supreme Court's decision, he is totally sickened that four Supreme Court Justices did not comprehend the Constitution and The Bill of rights.

This country came within one vote of losing its Second Amendment protection. Think about that as you decide on your choice in the next and any subsequent elections.

Is Speculation A Bad Thing?

Homeowner Rescue Bill Passed Despite Veto Threat, By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN,
Published: May 9, 2008 in The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/washington/09housing.html

Under the Democrats’ plan, lenders could limit their losses from potential foreclosures by agreeing to reduce the principal balances of loans at risk of default. The borrowers, many with expensive adjustable-rate loans, could then apply to refinance with a more stable, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage insured by the federal government.

Housing Aid Bill Passes Senate Test By DAVID STOUT and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: June 25, 2008 in The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/washington/25housingcnd.html?hp

The bill would create an affordable housing fund, financed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored financial institutions that purchase mortgages from lenders. In the first year after final approval of the legislation, the fund would provide about $500 million for the foreclosure-rescue campaign.


Soap Box Ravings is having a hard time trying to figure out why Congress is considering punitive action against oil speculators while at the same Congress is bailing out those who speculated in the housing market.

Do the words hypocrisy or pandering apply hear. Perhaps Congressmen/women speculate greater rewards from the banking industry than they get from the oil industry

Dictionary.com defines "speculate" as: to engage in any business transaction involving considerable risk or the chance of large gains, esp. to buy and sell commodities, stocks, etc., in the expectation of a quick or very large profit.

In a "hot" housing market when you buy a house, whether to invest in or live in, it is still an investment. When you purchase at the limit you can afford or expect to be able to afford you are a speculator. It does not help that the banking or financial institution may have encouraged the buyer to buy at their maximum. And even if they didn't encourage, perhaps neither did they refuse the deal because the subject was "on the line."

When you speculate and the market stays hot, that can be lucrative, when you do the same thing and the bottom drops out of the market the results can be devastating.

It is the same with the oil companies. When they strike oil, sometimes a lot of money can be made. When they drill a dry whole on land they paid a lot of money for, a lot of money has gone down that hole and the speculators lose.

It is interesting to Soap Box Ravings that we have two groups of people speculating, but one is a victim and the other is demonized.

Another Quote From The Master Gunner

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."

By Colonel Jeff Cooper, in his book "The Art of the Rifle"

An E-mail To Senator Martinez, (R) Florida

Dear Sir,

On Thursday, 12 June 2008 I heard your telephone comments on the Neal Boortz syndicated radio talk show. I heard you say that you have researched and China is not drilling in Cuba off of our coast for oil.

You may be technically correct that the Chinese are not drilling at this moment.

However, drilling for oil in Cuba is coming, see: Cuban oil production could be a catalyst for a change in relations with U.S. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/12/business/cubaoil.php

or try: Castro's revenge: The Cuban oil rush, Seventy miles from Florida, a Cuban oil rush is underway - and U.S. companies can't join in. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/
03/19/8402339/index.htm

Does it really matter who gets the oil off our coast since the Senators and Congressman and Congresswomen of this country seem determined to let it be lost? Is it any less gone if Spain, Norway or India drills for it?

At first, I thought: Wow, Senator Martinez with the real facts. Until I researched the situation myself. Now again, I see you as part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Again, I say Drill Now; in Alaska, inside the continental United States, and offshore of Florida or wherever oil exists that is available to the United states.

Sincerely,

Some Thoughts Of Dr. Peter Hammond

Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat.

Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In it's fullest form, it is a complete, total 100% system of life. Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.

Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious rights. When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious rights, some of the other components tend to creep in as well. Here's how it works.

As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:United States -- Muslim 0.6%. Australia -- Muslim 1.5%. Canada -- Muslim 1.9%. China -- Muslim 1.8%. Italy -- Muslim 1.5%. Norway -- Muslim 1.8%.

At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:Denmark -- Muslim 2%. Germany -- Muslim 3.7%. United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%. Spain -- Muslim 4%. Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%.

From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:France -- Muslim 8%. Philippines -- Muslim 5%. Sweden -- Muslim 5%. Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%. The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%. Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%.

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.

When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris, we are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam, and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam, with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in:Guyana -- Muslim 10%. India -- Muslim 13.4%. Israel -- Muslim 16%. Kenya -- Muslim 10%. Russia -- Muslim 15%.

After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%

At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:Bosnia -- Muslim 40%. Chad -- Muslim 53.1%. Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%.

From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:Albania -- Muslim 70%. Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%. Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%. Sudan -- Muslim 70%.

After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%. Egypt -- Muslim 90%. Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%. Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%. Iran -- Muslim 98%. Iraq -- Muslim 97%. Jordan -- Muslim 92%. Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%. Pakistan -- Muslim 97%. Palestine -- Muslim 99%. Syria -- Muslim 90%. Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%. Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%. United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%.

100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrassas are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%. Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%. Somalia -- Muslim 100%. Yemen -- Muslim 100%

Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.

'Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel. -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'

It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts nor schools nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrassas. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.

Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century.

Soap Box Ravings believes there is enough truth in Dr. Hammond's comments to pay attention. If you follow the news worldwide it also appears the greater the number of Muslims in a country, the more problems , including violence, there seem to be. Things like this brings to mind the old saying; "If it waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck it is most likely a duck."

Speak Up Now On Right-To-Carry In National Parks

From NRA_ILA: http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=3950

As we've reported over the last few weeks, the U.S. Department of the Interior has issued a proposed rule to eliminate the prohibition on Right-to-Carry in national parks and wildlife refuges. The National Rifle Association led the effort to change this policy and we are very close to winning this important battle.

However, the new rules cannot take effect until after a period of public comment. Our opponents will take advantage of this time to try to convince the Secretary of the Interior to reverse his decision. NRA members must take action now so that the anti-gunners are not allowed to sway this process.

It is always best to write in your own words. Here are some talking points to assist you:

* Rules on carrying and transporting firearms should be consistent—across the board—with the laws of the state that includes the national park or wildlife refuge;

* Law-abiding citizens should not be prohibited from protecting themselves and their families while enjoying America's national parks and wildlife refuges;

* The new rules should provide uniformity across all federal lands, eliminating the patchwork of laws that create confusion for gun owners;

* Current regulations fail to account for the significant change in state laws since 1984. 48 states now have laws that permit laws that permit carrying and 40 have strong Right-to-Carry laws. Federal regulations should recognize the change in state laws and follow their lead, and;

* The new regulations should restore the rights of law-abiding gun owners who wish to transport and carry firearms for all lawful purposes on most DOI lands, just as they do now on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands.

It is critical that gun owners and sportsmen submit comments during this process.

Comments can submitted online by going to this web site: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=090000648053d497

Comments can also be mailed to the following address:

Public Comments Processing
Attn: 1024-AD70
Division of Policy and Directives Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222
Arlington, VA 22203

Remember, all comments must be received by June 30. Submit your comments today!


Copyright 2008, National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action.
This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.


Soap Box Ravings encourages everyone to send an e-mail or snail mail to the US department of Interior supporting this issue. Like everywhere else, those who break the laws are already armed in the woods and parks now. It is only the law abiding victim who is not armed. You don't have to carry a firearm if you do not want to, but the lawbreakers can not tell whether you have access to one if they are carried or possessed in accordance with the law.

Nuff Said

God And The Soldier

Memorial Day 2008

When Only The Government Has Guns - Another Story Not So Well Known

Grave by mass grave, South Korea is unearthing the skeletons and buried truths of a cold-blooded slaughter from early in the Korean War, when this nation's U.S.-backed regime killed untold thousands of leftists and hapless peasants in a summer of terror in 1950.

With U.S. military officers sometimes present, and as North Korean invaders pushed down the peninsula, the southern army and police emptied South Korean prisons, lined up detainees and shot them in the head, dumping the bodies into hastily dug trenches. Others were thrown into abandoned mines or into the sea. Women and children were among those killed. Many victims never faced charges or trial.

The mass executions - intended to keep possible southern leftists from reinforcing the northerners - were carried out over mere weeks and were largely hidden from history for a half-century. They were "the most tragic and brutal chapter of the Korean War," said historian Kim Dong-choon, a member of a 2-year-old government commission investigating the killings.

Hundreds of sets of remains have been uncovered so far, but researchers say they are only a tiny fraction of the deaths. The commission estimates at least 100,000 people were executed, in a South Korean population of 20 million.

The complete article, titled S. Korea Executed Thousands in 1950 may be found at: http://www.military.com/news/article/s-korea-executed-thousands-in-1950.html?col=1186032310810


Soap Box ravings says the picture used above was identified as persons killed by the North Koreans, but those killed by the South Koreans would look very similar. Soap Box Ravings says after reading about those killed by South Korea while US Army personnel perhaps looked on wonders how you could be sure of the pictures identity.

The accuracy of the picture is not the point. The point is another legal government murdered citizens of its own country for expediency. Remember this because Barack Hussein Obama is coming for your gun, your daddy's gun and any other gun he and his minions can think of.

What the Preamble and the Bill Of Rights Do Not Say But Perhaps Should

The following has been attributed to Georgia State Rep. Mitchell Kaye.

"We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense; guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights."

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes. (This one is my pet peeve...get an education and go to work....don't expect everyone else to take care of you!)

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful. (AMEN!)

ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from!

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!


Years ago, in another galaxy far far away, Soap Box Ravings instructed sailors at NAS, Jacksonville in the Military Rights and Responsibilities Workshop. During this period of time, many young sailors were demanding their rights without understanding their associated responsibilities.

While at the same time, many of the older and therefore normally senior individuals in the service were demanding their personnel complete their responsibilities while the senior officers and senior petty officers (NCOs) were ignoring some of their sailors basic rights.

The upshot of all of this is everyone has rights and responsibilities, the rights and responsibilities are fused at the hip, you do not get one without the other. They are mutually supportive.

A Reminder From The Late Great USMC Col Jeff Cooper

Col Cooper said that Elden Carl (The Great) once explained the proper procedure when attacked by a savage dog is to ram your pistol right down his throat.

You haven't got a pistol?

Well, shucks! I guess you will just have to call 911.






Soap Box Ravings says the story is as true today as it was when it was first told. If your not prepared, you will have to call 911. Remember, the police are only minutes away.

While you are digesting that thought have you ever wondered how many officers or deputies work your area or zone. How many work the night shift versus the day shift? How many are out sick? How many are empty positions because of budget constraints. How well trained are they and how much experience do they have average per officer.

Is the departments experience well rounded or do you have one day working 30 year Chief of Police and a whole department of officers with less than five years experience. Is the agency state certified? How effective is their FTO program. How well do their radios work? Do they have the equipment to be effective in doing their job?

That's OK, you call 911 and then let your previously prepared friends know how it worked out for you.

Larger Trucks On Our Highways

This picture is what Australians call a "Road Train." This is a small one.

Tonight I sent the following e-mail to Senator Bill Nelson, Senator Mel Martinez, and Representative Corrine Brown. This time, I used http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm
to formulate and send my beliefs to my various representatives in Congress.

Here is what I sent:

Thank you for using Gun Owners of America Mail System

Message sent to the following recipients:
Senator Nelson
Senator Martinez
Representative Brown

Message text follows:

My Name
My Address
My State and Zip Code

May 14, 2008

[recipient address was inserted here]


[recipient name was inserted here],

Dear Senator or Representative as addressed

In my car tonight I was listening to a proposal for larger trucks to move on our highways.

I do not think this is either energy conscious or safe.

I believe the most economical way to move large shipments across this nation is by railroad. The railroads should move the freight from one distribution point to another where the freight is then placed on a truck for local delivery or a ship for overseas delivery.

Other nations run rail systems with efficiency and effectiveness and we can also.

Railroads do not damage the interstate highway systems like large trucks do. Once the road is damaged, Congress fails to provide the increased maintenance costs caused by large trucks.

I believe that Congress, shippers, unions, railroads, airlines and truckers should work together to coordinate a useful system to move goods around this country.

Sincerely,

Signed
Home Phone Number

Soap Box Ravings feels sending these e-mails to the folks who could do something, if they were not so busy pandering to voters, is a lot more effective than putting your name on a e-mail and hoping whoever is the number 1000 person on the list will then forward the petition to some congressman or woman somewhere. The secret here is the pandering politician really is not concerned unless you donate money or secondarily can vote them out.

Scary Chinese Naval Advances

From The Patriots Post, May 9, 2008

At a time when the United States Navy is de-emphasizing large-scale, open-sea “blue water” operations in favor of littoral “brown water” operations, the Chinese Navy seems to be doing exactly the opposite. Satellite photographs obtained by the respected defense periodical Jane’s Defense Weekly depict the construction of a massive nuclear submarine base on Hainan, the island that became a household name when an American EP-3 spy plane was forced to land there in April 2001. The photographs show enormous tunnels leading into the underground submarine base, which analysts believe can shield as many as 20 submarines from prying reconnaissance satellites. Because Hainan is situated near deep water, the new base will make it easier for Chinese submarines to “break out” into Pacific shipping lanes without detection. China will also be able to oppose U.S. Naval operations more forcefully in the Taiwan straight.

In addition to attack submarines that can disrupt the sea lines of communication, Hainan’s caverns will likely house the new Type 094 ballistic missile submarine, each of which carries a dozen 5,000-mile-range JL-2 nuclear missiles. Each missile is believed to hold three or four independently targetable warheads. The piers at Hainan are capable of servicing at least two carrier battle groups, and China is expected to build at least six aircraft carriers within the next decade. Lyle Goldstein, the director of China Maritime Studies at the U.S. Naval War College, summed it up best: “What was gray before is now becoming clear. China can now effectively fight a nuclear war.”

Soap Box Ravings says China is finding interesting ways of spending all the money we send them to say nothing of the technology that have got from us. Hainen is not the only problem, look at all the things China owns, operates or is trying to purchase around the world.

China is trying to work her long term petroleum supplies with Iran as well as other countries. China is known to provide money to Democrat politicians running for office in this country. China is known to maintain sources of information in this country.

Soap Box Ravings believes China, well not our enemy at this time, is NOT our friend.

Another Thought To Ponder

When a man ceases to believe in God, he doesn’t believe in nothing. He believes in anything.

Soap Box Ravings thinks this is a fantastic thought which is often credited to G. K. Chesterton.

From The Mouth Of A Messiah

“We don’t deal with the serious issues that are in front of us, we try to figure out what’s going to poll well and what can we do to get through the next election.” —Barack Obama on "Meet The Press" May 04, 2008.

I Keep Trying To Tell You

Shooting Back Works
By Jeff Knox, From The Firearms Coalition

(March 11, 2008) The media and gun control advocates insist that the easy availability of firearms is a problem; that increased firepower equals increased death toll; that the key to stopping armed violence is restricting gun sales and prohibiting lawful firearm possession in certain public places. They’re wrong. They have always been wrong and their misguided tampering comes with a very high price – people’s lives.

In the past year there have been a number of very high profile cases of a lone lunatic walking into a public place and indiscriminately shooting people. Such incidents are aberrations, unpredictable, unstoppable, and relatively unusual. The best indicator that someone might attempt such an atrocity is not how available guns are or how efficiently background checks are conducted, but the level of news coverage generated by the last such tragedy because so many of these cowards are motivated by a desire for their own 15 minutes of fame. Since the media refuses to stop rewarding these murderers, the best that can be hoped for is to mitigate the damage when they strike. In the final analysis, the difference between a crazed bad guy killing several people and a crazed bad guy killing dozens of people is almost always the length of time it takes for good guys with guns to arrive on the scene. Three attacks in the past year offer graphic proof of this fact.

A lunatic armed with two pistols, a .22 and a 9mm, walks into a college class building and begins randomly shooting people as he goes from classroom to classroom. Months later and thousands of miles away, a lunatic armed with a semi-auto AK and a 9mm pistol begins randomly shooting people as he walks into a crowded church building. A few months later and halfway around the world, a lunatic armed with a full-auto AK-47 machine gun and plenty of extra ammunition walks into a college library and begins randomly shooting people.

Three similar scenarios with three strikingly, and unexpectedly different outcomes. None of the attacks could have been reasonably predicted or prevented. All three attacks were planned out well in advance. All three attackers were on suicide missions with the objective of killing as many people as possible before being killed themselves. All three murderers sought a twisted form of fame and glory and were willing to die to achieve it. All three also knew that the more people they killed, the more famous they would be. All three demonstrated basic proficiency with their weapons, but none of the three was known to have had any formal firearms training.

Most would expect that the biggest differences in the shootings would be related to the weapons used and the time it took for police to respond. In fact, police response in all of the attacks was relatively quick, but when the difference between life and death is mere seconds, even just one minute for police to arrive is too long to be of use. Weapon choice also appears to have made little difference since the attacker with the most firepower did not kill the most people. The murderer carrying the full-auto AK killed 8 and wounded another 10 or 11, while the attacker using the semi-auto AK and 9mm pistol managed to kill two and wound several more. The murderer using the 9mm and .22 pistols however killed 30 and wounded 29. (Both of the last two attackers killed two people at other locations prior to the major assaults being discussed here.)

In the most recent incident, a man armed with a full-auto AK attacked students in the crowded library of a religious school in Jerusalem. An adult student at the school, Yitzhak Dadon, who was carrying a pistol, returned fire, striking the attacker, stopping the attack, and ultimately killing the murderer with the assistance of an off-duty military officer who lived nearby.

Late last year, when a disturbed young man launched an assault on a Colorado church, he began shooting people in the parking lot as he approached the main entrance. A member of the church’s security committee, Jeanne Assam, heard the shooting and rushed toward the sound, drawing her own concealed handgun. Upon encountering the murderer, Ms. Assam ordered him to stop then shot him several times, ending the attack.

Unfortunately, at Virginia Tech last April, there was no Jeanne Assam or Yitzhak Dadon – Virginia Tech forbids students and faculty from possessing firearms on campus – leaving the murderer to casually wander from room to room executing people at will until he got tired of it and took his own life.

The weapon chosen can have a major impact on how many people a mass murderer is likely to kill; as proven by the fact that the worst mass murderers in U.S. history chose jet airplanes, fertilizer, gasoline, and dynamite, in that order. Against such attacks a personal firearm is probably not much help, but if the murderer’s weapon of choice is a firearm, one capable person with a gun can make a substantial difference in the final outcome.

Boldness and Italics were added to this article by Soap Box Ravings.

Permission to reprint or post this article in its entirety is hereby granted provided this credit is included. Text is available at www.FirearmsCoalition.org. To receive The Firearms Coalition’s bi-monthly newsletter, The Hard Corps Report, write to PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108.

©Copyright 2008 Neal Knox Associates

Still Good Words From Ronald Reagan

“Are you willing to spend time studying the issues, making yourself aware, and then conveying that information to family and friends? Will you resist the temptation to get a government handout for your community? Realize that the doctor’s fight against socialized medicine is your fight. We can’t socialize the doctors without socializing the patients. Recognize that government invasion of public power is eventually an assault upon your own business. If some among you fear taking a stand because you are afraid of reprisals from customers, clients, or even government, recognize that you are just feeding the crocodile hoping he’ll eat you last.” —Ronald Reagan

Another Retiree Heads Into The Sunset

MH-53 Pave Low helicopter tail number 68-10357 flew its final mission and last flight supporting special operations forces March 28 in Iraq after 38 years of service.

The helicopter was the lead command and control helicopter for a mission to rescue approximately 50 American prisoners of war from the Son Tay prison camp in North Vietnam in 1970, which became a significant event for Air Force special operations.

From Iraq, the MH-53 known as 357 will be transported to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, where it will sit on display in the Cold War Gallery.

Soap Box Ravings finds it very interesting that this aircraft was in service for such a length of time. Now, hundreds of people can look at it and enjoy it at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

I Love This Quote

"There is nothing in life so pathetic as a former president." —John Quincy Adams


Soap Box Ravings is constantly reminded of this by Presidents James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. and William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton as they orbit the world disgracing both themselves and their country as they each continue in their efforts to build their legacy.

Suddenly, Now Senator Obama Gets It

On Tuesday, Senator Barack Obama said he is saddened, angered and even outraged by the antics of his former pastor at the National Press Club yesterday. "I find these comments appalling," he said. "It contradicts everything that I'm about and who I am."

It was a far different tone from the finely tuned speech on race that he had given in Philadelphia in March, shortly after some of Jeremiah Wright's most inflammatory comments had first come to light.

Obama's speech reflects the new political reality that he has confronted in what have been the rockiest weeks yet for his presidential campaign.

Soap Box Ravings says that by his own admission, Obama joined Pastor Wright's church to get an "in" to the community. And during this time, he never heard any of the inflammatory language used by Pastor Wright. While at the same time Obama had Pastor Wright uninvited from his candidacy announcement last year.

Soap Box Ravings believes that Senator Obama is a political chameleon who is like many politicians trying to make himself into something he is not. We do not need any more politicians like that. We need politicians with character enough to say what they mean and mean what they say. The world does not run on a survey.

Washington, DC Shootings

In Washington, DC moments after city leaders addressed a violent city crime spike a 16 year old male was shot in the stomach at the Fort Chaplin Park apartments in Northeast Washington, DC. That was the ninth shooting in D.C. since late Friday in a wave of crime that has left four people dead and seven injured.

Mayor Adrian Fenty called the crime spree "beyond intolerable" and he said, "We are frustrated, but we're redoubling our efforts to make sure we not only catch people who do this, and prevent further shootings, but bring tranquility to these neighborhoods.

The mayor said the police strategy is to flood the affected neighborhoods, particularly in the 5th District with 1,200 police officers, three times the normal number of officers on patrol in the city.

The rash of shootings has police struggling to keep up. A task force of community leaders has met to discuss ways to curb the violence. David Bowers founder of a group called No More Murders D.C., said "It's going to take more than hard working police and social service, it will take all facets of our community."

Police Lt. Judith Anderson said the police are doing the best they can, but they need the public's help, they need information from partners in the community to help solve these shootings.

Washington, D.C. police have offered rewards up to $25,000 for information that leads to arrest and conviction in any homicide case.


Soap Box Ravings points out that Mayor Fenty, when a federal appeals court ruled the District's longtime ban on keeping handguns in homes is unconstitutional, said city officials will "do everything in our power to work to get the decision overturned, and we will vigorously enforce our handgun laws during that time." Mayor Fenty believes that if law abiding citizens are allowed firearms in their homes that shootings in the District will increase.

Soap Box Ravings also points out that when 1,200 police out of a 3800 sworn officer force are used to flood affected neighborhoods service somewhere must fall off. If these officers are in the neighborhood on 8 hour shifts that will use 3600 officers in a 40 hour, 3 shift work week and that does not include weekends. This plan leaves no one doing any other Department tasks.

If officers are on duty for 12 hour shifts for five days (60 hour week) it still doesn't include weekends, and there is only 1400 officers left to handle all other department tasks and cover weekends. Who pays the overtime?

The liberal line that the masses are to illiterate or stupid to live without the government taking care of them from cradle to grave is taking a lot of strain here.

Then we get to the part where the police need people to help them. Someone must report nefarious activities to the police before they can react,

Soap Box ravings can't help but think this sounds like we could be talking about Baghdad, Iraq. They have imported and local trouble makers setting ambushes and IEDs all over the city. They have also offered large rewards for the "Bad Guys" just like the District.

Politicians need to educate themselves on the purpose of the Second Amendment. It is NOT for deer hunting.

Although it may be some of those anti-gun politicians DO actually understand the purpose of the Second Amendment and that is really scary.

Will We Ever Learn

"We trained very hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress, while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation."

Caius Petronius (AD 66)

Quote

The world is a dangerous place to live in not because of the people who do evil, but because of the people who sit by and let it happen.

Albert Einstein

Thought To Ponder, C'mon Say It Ain't So

"There is [a] class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs -- partly because they want sympathy, and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs. ... There is a certain class of race-problem solvers who don't want the patient to get well, because as long as the disease holds out they have not only an easy means of making a living, but also an easy medium through which to make themselves prominent before the public." -- Booker T. Washington in his 1911 book, My Larger Education
Found on PatriotPost.com

Soap Box Ravings can only imagine the size of the group who makes a business of keeping the troubles, wrongs and hardships of the Negro race (Colored, Black, and/or Minority) before the public today. While it still includes many folks of color, it also now includes many who do not qualify by virtue of race or color and/or minority status but who have found a lucrative way to manipulate situations for their benefit.

Wow, It Looks Like The Anti-War Liberals Have A Point, According To Al-Zawahari

From Al-Zawahri, the chief deputy to Osama bin Laden: "No Innocents Have Died."

Ayman al-Zawahri, rejecting criticism of attacks by the terror network's followers that have killed thousands, maintains Al-Qaida does not kill innocent people. "We haven't killed the innocents, not in Baghdad, nor in Morocco, nor in Algeria, nor anywhere else," al-Zawahri said.

His answer was in response to the question: "Excuse me, Mr. Zawahri, but who is it who is killing with Your Excellency's blessing the innocents in Baghdad, Morocco and Algeria?"

Al-Qaida has also claimed responsibility for the Sept. 11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York and Washington in 2001, while its affiliates in Iraq, Afghanistan and Algeria regularly set off bombs in crowded urban areas that have taken thousands of lives.

Al-Zawahari accused al-Qaida's opponents of being the ones who kill innocent people. He said "the enemy intentionally takes up positions in the midst of the Muslims for them to be human shields for him."

Soap Box Ravings says this must be true since this information is on the Internet at: http://www.military.com/news/article/zawahri-no-innocents-have-died.html?wh=news.

Basically Al-Zawahari says Al-Qaida is the victim and whomever they kill it either was "an unintentional error or out of necessity." Soap Box Ravings says "Whatever Al-Qaida does someone else is responsible, it is everyone else's fault, not theirs. A typically liberal feeling."

Here, Here, Lets Follow Traditions

As Soap Box Ravings recalls, the political process for selecting a presidential candidate consists of folks campaigning, citizens voting on who they like and then there traditionally was a national convention in which the state delegates determined who would represent their political party.

Now I hear calls for Hillary to give up her fight and let Obama win.

I totally disagree and I hope Hillary Clinton continues to hang in there until the Democrat National Convention delegates determine who shall represent the Democrat Party. It may well be Obama, but at least it follows tradition.

The Democratic Party has brought this situation on themselves when Hillary was essentially initially preordained. First they allowed the states they wanted to change the time they voted for candidates earlier in the year. These changes were to set up to ensure Hillary would be their candidate. At the same time, the Democrat Party tried to control the States of Florida and Michigan by refusing to accept the voting results from these states because the states changed their voting dates without the permission of the Democrat National Party. I do not believe any state should be told what to do by a national political party.

Now they want the Convention delegates to vote by 1 July to declare Obama the winner, months before the Democrat National Convention.

Hang in there Hillary!

Senator Obama Says Today, IF His Pastor Had Not Retired, He Would Have Left His Church

In an interview scheduled to air on TV today (03/29/08) Senator Obama said," Had the reverend not retired and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country, for all its flaws, then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying there at the church."


Soap Box Ravings believes that Senator Obama's ability to instantly realize his error and modify his behavior makes him the perfect Presidential candidate to answer the phone at 0300.

On 03/25/08 Senator Obama made his famous race speak and now only three days later (not then but three days later) he says had his Pastor NOT retired and had his Pastor NOT acknowledged he offended people, than he, Senator Obama WOULD have left his church. I think this country really deserves Senator Obama.

Talk about double speak and hind sight. At least Senator Clinton (yuk) has the guts to admit she did and still would vote to enter Iraq knowing the information she had at the time.

100 To 1, The Freakin Gun Did Not Discharge In The Holster

Soap Box Ravings understands that a US Airways pilot who "accidentally" discharged his handgun in the cockpit at 8,000 feet as the flight approached Charlotte, NC has been suspended from flight duty.

As an retired military firearms instructor and retired police firearms instructor my first thought is the pistol in question was not stored in the holster at the time of firing. I think the pilot in question, since no emergency was declared prior to the discharge, was playing with the weapon.

I can see it now: Yo pretty flight attendant, does my large pistola impress you?

KAPOW, now everybody is impressed.

And this from the #1 or #2 man flying the plane. If the suspended pilot is in fact the #2 pilot, then the #1 pilot should also be suspended for allowing a member of his/her crew to unholster a weapon in the cockpit.

If these folks are playing in the cockpit, who is actually in charge of the aluminum missile hurtling through the air at 8,000 feet. As I recall, more than one incident has happened during the time the flight crew was not paying attention.

Lest ye think I am to hard on the crew, I learned my attention skills in the US Navy Submarine Force. Submarines also require constant and immediate attention, otherwise they have been known to turn into mud seeking missiles; from which there are no survivors.

Also, most modern weapons, such as the H&K pistol in question only fire when the trigger is pulled. By definition, if you pull the trigger, it is not an accidental discharge. It would either be stupidity or lack of knowledge related to the pistol in question.

I keep reading there was no danger to the passengers, speaking of the weapon only that is probably true. However when the flight crew is distracted at 8000 feet and approaching a landing there is a problem which may eventually be hazardous to passengers.

The bullet hole in the top picture appears to be about in the middle of the picture. The bullet hole in the bottom picture is the white mark in the middle where the red and blue colors come together.

Soap Box Ravings does understand, he worked as an officer and firearms instructor for a Chief of Police who was always drawing his pistol to show somebody his firearm. By the Grace of God, he luckily never fired it but he sure set a very poor example to the rest of the Department.

Pilot Suspended After Gun Fires on Flight: Soap Box Ravings loves this CNN headline, it makes it sound like the gun fired itself. I would have wrote "Pilot Fires Gun On Plane, Suspended" but CNN is normally way more liberal than I am.

My Kind Of Daughter

Little Melissa comes home from first grade and tells her father that they learned about the history of Valentine's Day.

"Since Valentine's Day is for a Christian saint and we're Jewish," she asks, "Will God get mad at me for giving someone a valentine?"

Her father thinks a bit, and says, "No, I don't think God would get mad. Who do you want to give a Valentine to?"

"Osama Bin Laden," Melissa says.

"Why Osama Bin Laden," her father asks in shock.

"Well," she says, "I thought that if a little American Jewish girl could have enough love to give Osama a Valentine, he might start to think that maybe we're not all bad, and maybe start loving people a little bit. And if other kids saw what I did and sent Valentines to Osama, he'd love everyone a lot. And then he'd start going all over the place to tell everyone how much he loved them and how he didn't
hate any one anymore.

"Her father's heart swells and he looks at his daughter with new found pride and he says "Melissa, that's the most wonderful thing I've ever heard."

"I know," Melissa says, "and once he is out in the open, the Marines could blow the son-of-a-bitch away."

Admiral Fired For Lying About An 18 Year Old Affair

A photo of Vice Admiral Stufflebeem.

The Navy fired a Vice Admiral John Stufflebeem after a Pentagon investigation concluded he'd lied during questioning about whether he had an inappropriate relationship while working at the White House in 1990.

The Pentagon Inspector General's investigation was based on an anonymous letter accusing Vice Admiral Stufflebeem of an inappropriate relationship while serving as a military aide to President George H.W. Bush in 1990.

A Navy spokesman, stated that the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) has lost confidence in Admiral Stufflebeem’s judgment and his continuing ability to lead in the office of the CNO.

Besides his total amazement at an investigation over an 18 year old affair, Soap Box Ravings wonders if new standards are being set for those in Washington, D.C. or is it still only the United States military who are upholding standards.

A photo of Hillary Clinton under sniper fire.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during a speech last Monday on Iraq, said of her Bosnia trip: "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

A photo of Senator Obama and Pastor Wright, the Senator's long term Pastor.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama claimed to have never heard any of his Pastor's rants in church, even though he has been a member of that church for over 20years. Senator Obama knew his Pastor and he knew his Pastor's teaching; which is why the night before he announced his candidacy he called his Pastor and uninvited the Pastor from giving an invocation. Senator Obama knew then of Pastor Wright’s teachings, which his own handlers, among others, believed were overly Afrocentric to the point of excluding whites.

According to the Pastor Wright, Mr. Obama told him, “You can get kind of rough in the sermons, so what we’ve decided is that it’s best for you not to be out there in public.”


Neither candidate was under oath but if you lie when you are selling yourself what does that mean. Once a person has lied to me, I know they are a liar. How about President Clinton and his statement about relations with that woman, Monica Lewinsky, another lie and another liar.

As a retired Master Chief Petty Officer, USN, Soap Box Ravings believes as does the CNO, if they lie, their judgment and continuing ability to lead are questionable and they need to be fired. Think about this for a moment, a candidate for President is basically doing a series of employment interviews. Employment interviews are normally terminated immediately if the future employee determines you are lying.

If that sounds harsh, in the military it is mandatory that you believe in and trust those you work with. Your life and many others are in their hands.

Oh golly, I guess you could say that about the President of the United States of America.

It's The Old Camels Nose Under The Tent, Again

IN December 2007, less than two (2) months after the California Legislature banned the use of center fire rifle and pistol ammunition containing lead when hunting big game or coyotes in the habitat of the California Condor, the California Fish and Game Commission expanded the ban by regulation.

Soap Box Ravings says "Once a legislative body passes any law, the controlling organization whether it be IRS, BATF or the California Fish and Game Commission then uses their authority to expand on the power legislators have granted them. Power granted to a government agency is power taken from the public."

Unlike the State law, the REGULATORY ban will now include 22 rim fire ammunition, muzzle loader projectiles, and shotgun shells that contain one (1) percent or more lead.

Additionally, the increased regulatory ban also prohibits the mere possession ammunition containing lead while not just hunting big game or coyotes but also ground squirrels and other non-game species as well; an addition added by the regulators not the legislators.

The Department of Fish and Game says enforcement is effective and could include seizure (by the government) of projectiles (private property) in the field for testing.

The complete article is available for reading, pg 72, American Rifleman magazine, April 2008 edition under the ILA report.

Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguements In DC v. Heller

Soap Box Ravings believes America's Founding Fathers provided in the First Amendment the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.

They also provided the Second Amendment to secure "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms" to guarantee to themselves and their posterity the blessings of "a free State."

By entrusting the nation's sovereignty to the people, the Second Amendment breaks the government's military monopoly by guaranteeing to the people such firearms as would be necessary to defend against the sort of government abuse of their inalienable rights the British had committed prior to the revolution of 1776.

The amendment's "well regulated Militia" encompasses all citizens who have the right to form their own government, not just those who would enlist in the National Guard.

No government deprives its citizens of rights without asserting that its actions are "reasonable" and "necessary." However, A right that can be regulated is not a right at all, it is only a temporary privilege which is dependent upon the good will of the very government officials that such right is designed to constrain.


Herbert W. Titus and William J. Olson, are Gun Owners of America attorneys, who filed a brief representing GOA in the Second Amendment case the Supreme Court presently sitting on.

Their full article "2nd Amendment bars regulation of people’s ability to bear arms" can be found at: http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/03/opposing-view-3.html#more

DILLIGAF

Soap Box Ravings learned two totally useless facts today from his local radio station.

1. 12 black robed protesters (you got it, that's twelve protesters) protested the Iraq War today in Washington, DC. ( I saw more protesters than that here in my hometown and ZipSkinny.com says our total population is 4669) and

2. On the day that President William Jefferson Clinton stained Monica Lewinsky's dress in the White House, his wife, Hillary Clinton was present in the White House all day long.

With all of the problems related to the economy, energy, the war in Iraq and a Congress that couldn't pour pi** out of a boot the media wastes their time and mine with the above facts. God help this country.

Obama "Says Now" He Condemns His Pastor's Remarks

Soap Box Ravings has attended a number of churches in the sixty plus years of his life. However, in order to attend a church for any length of time Soap Box Ravings must believe in the basic tenets being put forth by his Pastor.

A fire and brimstone speech by a Pastor trying to spread the gospel is expected and much different than a preacher saying "God Damn the United States" from his or her pulpit while preaching.

Soap Box Ravings notes the Senator Obama has attended the church with the same Pastor for a number of years. Based upon my thought patterns, since the Senator has donated large sums of money to the church, this indicates to me that the Senator believes in what his Pastor is saying and what that Pastor's church is doing.

Another interesting point is that this church is described as a "Mega-Church" so it would appear there are many others who feel the same way the Pastor feels. Even if the Pastor is just beating the drums to expand his flock and make money, the fact is people are joining and paying. One of those is Senator Barack Obama.

Additionally there is the statement by Senator Obama's wife that she was never proud of her country until her husband ran for the Presidential nomination. By the way, she also attends the same church.

Soap Box Ravings really doesn't care what that Pastor preaches or who believes him unless of course they are a politician running for President of the United States.

Soap Box Ravings almost forgot a couple of his MOST TELLING observations of Senator Obama's speech.



Look at the presentation, the Senator seems to have gone overboard on the number of flags used in his speech. But I guess if you can't really act like a patriot, surrounded by enough flags maybe some folks will at least think you look the part.



However, the second picture, the close-up is most telling. The Senator damn sure is not bothered with any of those US Flag lapel pins. And that folks is what happens when you pander to the crowd or try to play a role that really isn't you. It's not his fault, his aides let him come on stage again without a US Flag lapel pin so he could remind us of how poorly we have done, how his foul-mouthed Pastor is family, and how he, Senator Obama is going to save us.

God help this country!

The full article (Obama Condems Pastor's Remarks) is available at: http://news.aol.com/elections/story/_a/obama-condemns-pastors-remarks/20080318065409990001

Another Zealot Self-Destructs

NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer blew it but says his failure is a "personal" matter

Soap Box Ravings thinks perhaps Governor Spitzer's paid friend may have done that for him. I would almost bet that one of his "idols" is named "Slick Willy.

One Of Obama's Stories

This information below is taken from Obama's Curious Tale
By Jack Kelly published on February 23, 2008. The complete article may be found at Real Clear Politics: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/obamas_curious_tale.html.
The author, Jack Kelly is a former Marine who later went into the Army and became a Green Beret. After his military service, he was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force in the Reagan Administration. Mr. Kelly has the military background and experience to make this call.

Basically, this is the story:

During a debate with Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama referred to "an Army captain who was head of a rifle platoon which is supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon, Who "ended up being sent to Afghanistan with 24 soldiers because 15 of his soldiers had been sent to Iraq. And as a consequence, they didn't have enough ammunition, they didn't have enough humvees. They were actually capturing Taliban weapons, because it was easier for them to get Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief."

Soap Box Ravings says Obama appears to have the total story confused. Even if the unit was missing 15 soldiers how would that cause a lack of ammo, Humvees or weapons.

The author points out that Rifle Platoons are not commanded by a captain. They are normally commanded by a lieutenant, usually a second lieutenant.

The heart of Sen. Obama's charge is that the captain's platoon was cannibalized in order to send soldiers to Iraq. The Army does have a program called "cross leveling" where soldiers from units which are not deploying are sent to units which are to bring them up to full strength. But the Army emphatically denies taking soldiers from units which are scheduled to deploy to a combat zone to give them to other units. This would be insane.

Senator Obama also said, "As a consequence, they didn't have enough ammunition, they didn't have enough humvees..."

Soldiers on a mission carry a basic load of ammunition, typically seven magazines (210 rounds). It's possible to for undisciplined soldiers to burn through this quite rapidly in a firefight. Soldiers can run low on ammo until they are resupplied, but this has nothing to do with the adequacy of ammunition stocks in theater. There has never been a shortage of ammunition in either Iraq or Afghanistan.

The Senator further said, "They were actually capturing Taliban weapons, because it was easier to get Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief."

Soap Box Ravings feels the above statement by Senator Obama makes absolutely no sense from any angle. A soldier in an emergency will defend themselves with any weapon they can get their hands on. However, their supply system is not set up to provide ammunition or repair parts for enemy weapons. It would be crazy to try to use the enemies weapons for any extended period of time.

Units don't deploy to Afghanistan with their stateside vehicles. Afghanistan is 8,000miles from the U.S., in a mountainous region far from seaports. It's hard to ship stuff there. So unnecessary stuff isn't shipped. Units arriving in theater receive the equipment that was being used by the units they are replacing.

Even though he's a member of Congress, Sen. Obama seems to be unaware that it is him and his peers who fund the military. If Sen. Obama thinks the military is inadequately supplied, he should take it up with his Democratic colleagues, who routinely cut the president's defense budget requests.

Soap Box Ravings also feels that Senator Obama has really not thought out his position. He sounds like a lot of our population who want to point out problems that relate to others, while denying any personal responsibility or ownership of the problem that he has just identified. The truly scay part of this is the fact that Senator Obama is seeking the Democratic nomination for the Office of The President.

When ABC's Jake Tapper tracked down Sen. Obama's captain, he found out the Captain 's ammunition complaint was in regards to a shortage of ammo for his heavy machine guns and grenade launchers while training at Fort Drum before deployment, not in Afghanistan. This is a rather different story from the one Sen. Obama

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."