A Look Back: The Best Quote of 2009

"We should be long past applauding politicians of any hue: they got us into this mess. The best deserve a probationary opportunity to prove themselves, the worst should be in jail."
Gerald Warner, The UK Daily Telegraph, January 20th, 2009 (Inauguration Day)

Northwest Airlines terrorist attack

The Christmas day attack on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit by a passenger who ignited an incendiary device is an important reminder for all of us. If the passenger really is connected to Al Quaeda, as he claimed, it is another example of that organization's strategy to repeat it's attacks on a target until they are successful.

In 1993, Islamist terrorists lead by Ramzi Yousef detonated a bomb in the basement of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York, killing six people and injuring 1,042. The attack was intended to bring down both towers, but failed. In 2001, however, the terrorists were back with a different method, crashing aircraft into the towers. As we know, this time they were successful.

On 22 December, 2001, Shoe Bomber Richard Reid attempted to ignite explosives aboard American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami. He was overpowered by passengers and crew and is now in jail.

In 2006, British authorities arrested three men accused of plotting to blow up at least seven trans-Atlantic airliners in one day over the Atlantic, by detonating liquid explosives.

This latest attempt on the Detroit-bound flight shows that Al Quaeda is still determined to bring down airliners. It also illustrates that they don't quite have the technology worked out yet, but as with the WTC bombing, they are persistent.

It also shows that increased security at airports is important as a first line of defense to stop terrorists and explosives getting onto airplanes, but as in this latest case, cannot be relied upon to prevent every single attack.

The most important lesson we can all learn from this is that once an aircraft takes off, the only people who can save themselves are the crew and the passengers. It doesn't matter how many F-16s are scrambled to escort the aircraft. Those fighter pilots cannot take out the terrorists on the aircraft, they can only shoot the plane down before it can be crashed into a target on the ground. It is vital that when a passenger starts to act in a threatening manner, such as trying to ignite a bomb, the passengers and crew act immediately and decisively to take him down with overwhelming physical force.

A Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,

Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times..

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many
people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our
U.S. service men and women for our being able to celebrate these
festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people
stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq

Dear Al Gore

Dear Mr. Global warming,

It was 23f at my house this morning. That is only slightly warmer than Hillary Clinton's personality. I thought you might like to see the weather forecast for Colorado and surrounding areas. I fail to see how global warming is such a problem when we are experiencing winter storms like the one that came through here about a week ago, accompanied by about six days of sub-freezing temperatures. That storm covered 895,000 square miles from the Rocky Mountains all the way to the east coast. I don't yet know how large the current storm is, but there are already forecasts that the airlines will have more trouble keeping their flights in the mid-west on schedule than those British climatologists had keeping their fabricated-data emails from public view. As I type this, my neighborhood is getting a snow-job that's almost as good as the stories about the ice cap melting and polar bears becoming extinct.

But don't take my word for it, here's the forecast from a meteorologist in Denver:
Snow will increase and spread across the state tonight. 9NEWS Meteorologist Marty Coniglio says that the southwest corner of Colorado will be hardest-hit overnight with other areas getting snow, just not quite as heavy, through the morning hours Wednesday.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the foothills west to the Continental Divide from 5 p.m. Tuesday until 5 a.m. Thursday. Locations within the advisory include but are not limited to Breckenridge, Estes Park, Bailey, and Idaho Springs. These areas could see 5 to 12 inches of snow accumulate by early Thursday morning.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY also includes Denver, Fort Collins, Greeley, the entire Interstate 25 corridor and Eastern Plains locations out to Deer Trail from 8 p.m. Tuesday through 5 p.m. Thursday. These locations can expect 4 to 8 inches of snow to accumulate by early Christmas Eve day.

Winds will also be an issue the further east you travel with gusts up to 45 mph causing low visibility for travelers and blowing and drifting snow.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY also includes the Sangre De Cristos and Wet Mountains of southern Colorado, and the Walsenburg and Trinidad areas. Mountain locations can expect 5 to 10 inches of snow by Thursday, while lower elevations will see 4 to 8 inches of accumulation.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for most of southeast Colorado, the panhandle of Oklahoma and north Texas from late Tuesday through Thursday. Expect 4 to 8 inches of snow to accumulate in locations like Lamar, Holly and Springfield by late Thursday.

A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for part of southwest Colorado, including the southwest San Juans and Durango vicinity until 6 p.m. Wednesday. Mountain locations can expect 10 to 18 inches of snow to accumulate by late Wednesday, while lower elevations will see 4 to 8 inches of snow.

A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for extreme eastern Colorado, western Kansas, and western and southwest Nebraska from 5 p.m. Tuesday through 11 p.m. Thursday. Locations such as Akron, Limon, Burlington and Ogallala, Nebraska can expect 5 to 10 inches of snow to accumulate by Christmas Eve. If you are planning to travel, gusts above 40 mph in the warning area could create near blizzard conditions with blowing and drifting snow.

Travel will be extremely difficult throughout Wednesday as this storm moves across the state.

Along with the snow, it will get much colder along the Front Range over the next couple of days. Highs will only be in the teens and twenties through Christmas Day, with extremely cold northerly winds. Some overnight lows could drop into the single digits.

Michael Morse, Firefighter and Author

I've added a new link to John's Favorite Links, on the right side of this page. Michael Morse is a Providence, Rhode Island firefighter. I got to know Michael while I was working for the company that published his excellent book, "Rescuing Providence". Michael also helped me when I was researching some first aid information for my book on bugging out of dangerous situations.

I think I've made it pretty clear in some of my blog postings just how much I love and respect our military people; Our civilian emergency people are cut from the same cloth. When the rest of us listen to our survival instinct and run from danger, these guys ride to the sound of the guns, so to speak. Who can forget the firefighters on September 11, 2001 who were running UP the stairs at the World Trade Center, or who rushed to the Pentagon that same morning, to pull military personnel and others from that burning building? Same mindset, just hoses instead of rifles.

It's Always Nice to be Published

One of the biggest kicks any writer gets is to see their work in print. Even if it's only an advertisement in the local paper that says, "Eat at Joe's" we all get a thrill in knowing that somebody is reading something we've written, tweaked, and sweated over.

So this month I was doubly thrilled to see my article, "Chopping and Changing: Personalizing a Fighting Handgun" in the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Concealed Carry Magazine. The article describes what are arguably the basic attributes that a self-defense pistol may need, and some of the ways to chop and change a pistol for it's owner. I had the opportunity to tour the Robar facility in Phoenix, Arizona, where they do some incredible gunsmithing and refinishing on practical, tactical firearms. (Big thank you to Robbie and the staff at Robar for their hospitality).

Also this month, I got a call from the editor of American Cop magazine to tell me that my article which compares the IRA-5, a 9mm short-barrel rifle produced by Iron Ridge Arms in Longmont, Colorado, to a short-barrel AR-15 for police work such as SWAT team building entries, appears in the January/February 2010 issue of American Cop magazine. (Another big thank you to Oliver and the guys at Iron Ridge Arms).

Both magazines are available by subscription only, so you won't find them on the shelf at your local store, but they are both quality publications, and both are available for download off the internet.

The solution to the Fort Hood Shootings was There All the Time

I've deliberately avoided rushing to comment on the shootings that occurred at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5th. I've been waiting for the dust to settle and for the general debate to at least consider alternatives beyond denying Muslims the opportunity to serve in the military, keeping Muslim soldiers out of war zones, increasing security, etc, etc, ad nauseum. But so far I haven't seen much else.

I don't see that racial profiling--although it makes sense when looking for middle-eastern terrorists--will help much if the next service person to shoot up an installation happens to be a crazy Methodist of Icelandic origin.

The solution to this particular type of problem has already presented itself, and it works. The perpetrator, a US Army officer was stopped by civilian police officers who shot him.

It used to be that officers and NCOs in our military routinely carried loaded sidearms. It was part of their job and their duty. Along the way, the military seems to have bought into the idea that guns are bad and that all problems can be solved by launching a B2 bomber or a guided missile. (This may be one reason why the Pentagon is constantly updating aircraft, ships and missiles, but our soldiers are still carrying virtually the same rifle their fathers did in Vietnam and Desert Storm. But that is a discussion for another time.) The truth is that on the battlefield, infantry is always required to hold a piece of ground. There is an old saying to the effect that in battle, the last one hundred yards has to be taken by men with rifles.

In the same way, soldiers carrying loaded pistols wherever they go are far more effective than those who are unarmed. Some people will say that having more guns carried by soldiers will make it more likely that another shooting may occur. But I say that guns in the hands of soldiers who are loyal to their country and their fellow soldiers does not increase the threat, it decreases it. As we have already seen, the real threat is a gun in the hands of the bad guy, when he is the only person who is armed. We've seen this at Columbine, Virginia Tech, and many other schools that purport to be "Gun Free Zones" and now we've seen it on a military base.

It's time to restore the time honored tradition that fighting men (and women) should boldly proclaim themselves to be warriors, both on and off the battlefield, and that they should act and dress accordingly. And that means carrying a loaded sidearm and being trained and confident in their capabilities to use it.

Today We Honor Our Veterans

Our veteran service people have done more for their country than any other demographic. Not only have they defended this country through it's many wars and skirmishes, but the vast majority of them have gone on to have productive careers, continued to be good, contributing citizens and pillars of the community. Many more never came home.

But it is not by chance that we celebrate Veteran's Day on November 11th. Today is also Remembrance Day and Armistice Day in other parts of the world. This refers to the signing of the Armistice in France at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 to end World War One.

If you love your freedom, thank a veteran.

Not the Beginning of the End, but the End of the Beginning

Yesterday's off-year elections revealed quite a mish mash of public opinion: gay marriage lost in Maine (the 31st state that has voted it down), Breckenridge, Colorado voted in favor of legalizing marijuana (despite the overriding state law that forbids it), the Republicans picked up two new governors in Virgina and New Jersey, and the Democrats took control of a Congressional seat in Northern New York State that hasn't been held by a Democrat since the last civil war.

Did I say, "last" civil war? Well if you think about it, our political system is a lot like a civil war. There are two clearly defined armies--red and blue--every two years they launch campaigns that result in a battle called voting at the polls, and once the votes are counted territory, huge pieces of land, comes under the control of the winner.

The Founding Fathers fought a real shooting war to gain independence from the British. It's hardly surprising that some of those facets of revolutionary war found their way into our Constitution. And it's hardly surprising that as a nation, as large and diverse as we are, that we seem to be so divided over political and social issues. But that's OK, I'll take votes over bullets and ballots over bombs any day.

Today, the day after those elections, marks the first day of the 2010 campaign season ("campaign" - there's another military term). But this one is a little different from previous campaigns. First, campaigns are starting earlier and costing more--even at local levels. Second, I think there is a lot at stake. Possibly more than we've had to deal with in decades.

In 2010 all the House members and one third of the Senate will be up for re-election. The current government has made it clear that it wants to remake America as a socialist nation. I grew up in a socialist country. At the end of World War Two, Great Britain was one of the three great superpowers that included the USA and the USSR. In the space of a half-century, it has been reduced by socialism to a third-rate banana republic. The implied message from the British government that I grew up with was simple: Pay your taxes and keep your mouth shut, and the government will take care of you from cradle to grave.

I didn't want to live that way, so I came here. Now I see the same sentiments growing among some politicians in this country. Pass a sweeping health care bill without reading it; Pass another gun ban bill that punishes law-abiding citizens, not criminals; avoid the issue of porous borders that allow illegal aliens, drug dealers, other criminals and terrorists to cross with impunity. None of these issues are about the issues, they are simply tools to completely remake this country as an entity where the government controls the individual, where the concept of a sovereign nation has no importance or relevence, and where the People can no longer point to traditions, and cultural traits and say, "this is what makes me an American."

But the tide may be turning. We no longer have to rely on three network TV channels and a bunch of (failing) leftist newspapers for our information. The internet and cable TV news has had a huge positive effect on First Amendment freedom in this country. And I think that will become even more evident between now and election day, 2010.

The Republic may be in peril, but I think the tide is turning. As Winston Churchill once said, "...[T]his is not the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning."

The Problem with Leftists

I don't know where the following originated or I'd give the author credit, but it is simply too true to pass up. Notice that almost all of the liberal's reactions would have to involve a lawyer. Also, in fairness to some old-school, traditional liberals, I think the word "liberal" should really be replaced with the word "leftist". "liberal" in the dictionary refers to people who are broad minded. I don't think that can be said of leftists.

If a conservative doesn’t like guns, he doesn't buy one.
If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy.
A liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a black man or Hispanic are conservative, they see themselves as independently successful.
Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don’t like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn’t go to church.
A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it’s a foreign religion, of course!)

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

If a conservative slips and falls in a store, he gets up, laughs and is embarrassed.
If a liberal slips and falls, he grabs his neck, moans like he's in labor and then sues.

If a conservative reads this, he'll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A liberal will delete it because he's "offended".

A Very Special Guest Blogger with an Important Message

I've never turned this blog over to a guest blogger before, but this one is very special. Please take a moment to read this important message from my friend, Shelby.


Team: Shelby’s Saints!!!! City: Atlanta, GA
Venue: Centennial Olympic Park
Date of Walk: 10/17/2009
Registration Start Time: 8:00 AM
Walk Start Time: 9:30 AM
Length of Walk: 3 Miles

My name is Shelby Dowdy. I am 12 yrs old and I was diagnosed on August 13, 2009 with Type 1 diabetes. My life now consists of finger checks, insulin shots, and counting carbs. Join me and my family as we walk for a cure!!!!! If you aren’t interested in walking you can make a donation in my honor to help find a cure at the website below or I would be glad to turn it in the morning of the walk. If interested in walking or pledging please email my mom, Jessica Dowdy at jessicadowdy@bellsouth.net. If you would like to join our team, go to this link, http://walk.jdrf.org/ , click on register for walk, find our team in the list Shelby’s Saints, and register!!!

John's Been a Little Busy Lately...

Phew! September is just zipping by. I've been preoccupied with a couple of big projects lately and haven't had much time to blog. First, my book, "The Street Smart Guide to Bugging Out and Staying Alive" is available from Delta Media as part of a book and CD survival package they put together.

That was followed by an invitation from radio talk show host Mark Walters to appear a couple of weeks ago on his Sunday evening radio show, Armed American Radio. This is a syndicated show, that is quickly being picked up by radio stations across the country. It's also available at the Armed American Radio website as a podcast. Just click here to go to Armed American Radio.

Finally, I'm a collaborating editor on a rewrite and update of "The World's Assault Rifles" by Thomas B. Nelson and Gary Paul Johnston, a massive volume of weapons from around the world, with plenty of photos and technical and historical information. It's being published by Ironside Publications, and it should be available around the end of this year, maybe very early next year.

I haven't had much time to comment on all the big things that are happening in the world: Iran's nuclear program, G20, the government's plan to have us plunge headlong into socialism via healthcare, the way our President avoided the Libyan and Iranian leaders at the U.N. this week (Teddy Roosevelt would have punched their lights out).

So instead, I'll just leave you with a question from another president...

9-11-01 Never Forget Those Who Died, Never Forget Those Who Killed Them

Photo: Firefighters work to put out the fire at the Pentagon the morning of September 11th, 2001.

"Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward and freedom will be defended... make no mistake, we will show the world that we will pass this test." President George W. Bush

Today, we remember the attacks on our country that happened eight years ago and heralded a war that continues today around the world. More than three thousand people lost on the East Coast, countless tens of thousands of people--military and
civilians--dead or wounded around the world in the past eight years. This is a war that will last for decades. We fight an enemy that is driven by an ideological fervor to eradicate any civilization, any religion, any nation, and any person that disagrees with their beliefs.

We have witnessed attacks on other countries like Britain and Spain, we have witnessed horrible acts against individuals, like the beheading of journalist Daniel Pearl. We have seen countries like Afghanistan hijacked from its people by groups like the Taliban.

...and in this country, we waste time debating the morality of waterboarding suspected terrorists?

During another war, British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill said it best, "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." - Winston Churchill, Speech in November 1942 British politician (1874 - 1965)

Writing my Elected Officials About Obama's Healthcare

I just finished emailing my congressmen about my opposition to heath care. I sent emails to:
House Rep. Jared Polis, 2nd congressional district (D-CO), and Senators Mark Udall (D-CO) and Michael Bennet (D-CO). Here is the text of my letter, I'll post any replies that I receive.

"Dear ...,

I was born in England and later came to the United States as a Legal immigrant. I'm proud to say that I am now a United States Citizen (and a registered Democrat). One of the big reasons I left the UK is that I did not want to live in a socialist country. Now, with this new administration, I see the same red flags (no pun intended) being raised that I saw in the country of my birth. Socialized medicine is a failure.
It is a one-size-fits-all policy that treats the individual as simply another number. Here's a personal case in point:
A couple of years after my dad retired--after working his whole life and never being sick, or using National Health resources--he was told he needed to have cataract surgery, and the doctor put him on the list for the operation. A few weeks later, he was notified that because he's retired and does not need to see to drive to work, he was being bumped DOWN the list for a few months so that people who needed to see to drive to work could take priority.
I ask you, what kind of treatment is that that for someone who has worked and paid their taxes their whole adult life?

Any government program that is directly linked to the economy does well in good times and poorly when the economy tanks. In Britain, it isn't unusual for a hospital to close a wing for a year or two until there is government money available again.
In this country, We The People don't want government involvement in our lives, particularly in our healthcare system.
I say: Yes to tort reform. No to the Public Option. And especially, NO to further government intrusion in our lives in the name of advancing a socialist agenda.
Thank you for your time.

The People Who Got Us into this Mess

The following article written by veteran journalist Charlie Reese has been around for a while, but as I sit here this Labor Day morning watching Fox News cover the ongoing healthcare debate, congresspeople's shenannigans, the President's picnic today with the union leaders who helped him get elected, the appointment of a manufacturing czar by the Whitehouse (with no oversight by the Congress)--not to mention the worst recession since 1983 and the growing mountain of public debt that this country has stacked up, I don't think I'm the only person in this country who is thinking, what is going on? What would Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin and the rest of the Founding Fathers think? And how did we really get to this point?

Well here's the answer from Charlie Reese:

545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high

taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred Senators, 435 Congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices -- 545 human beings out of the 300

million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress

delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability

to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician

$1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it

is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in

this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall.

No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.

The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for

originating and approving appropriations and taxes.

Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not

the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree

to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present

facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to

those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then

it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red ..

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ .

If they do not receive Social Security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they

want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists,

whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take

this power..

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy,"

"inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

Ted's Still Dead, Guess Who's Back

With Ted Kennedy's passing, the family must be looking around for a new patriarch. But who is the logical choice for male head of the family?

Ideally wouldn't it be another forceful political personality with a solid political record and good name recognition?

I know...It's well-known Republican Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger! Oh, the irony!

Hasta la vista, Baby!

Ted's Dead

U.S. Senator Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (February 22nd 1932 - August 25 2009) has died from a malignant brain tumor at the age of 77.

This certainly marks the passing of an era. Ted Kennedy was the last of the four Kennedy boys born to Joseph Kennedy Sr. and Joan Fitzgerald Kennedy. Joseph Jr. died serving his country during World War Two when the airplane he was piloting blew up, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963, Robert Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 during the presidential campaign. Senator Kennedy is survived by his son, Patrick, who is a member of the House of Representatives. But I think the political tour de force that was the huge influence the Kennedy family had on politics in America for more than five decades is pretty much over.

I cannot say that I agreed with much of Senator Kennedy's liberal political views. He supported many anti-Second Amendment bills that threatened the right of a free people, as individuals, to keep and bear arms.

In 1969 at Chappaquiddick, Kennedy's car ended up in the river, and Mary Jo Kopechne died. It seems to be generally agreed that the incident, with all the questions that surrounded Kennedy's actions at the time, nixed any real chance he may have had to follow in his brother John's footsteps to become President. But Kennedy did go on to a long career as a U.S. Senator, where he championed many worthy causes to benefit the individual rights of Americans (except for the right to own a gun, of course, and despite the fact that at least some of the time he was protected by people with guns).

Personally, I believe that Chappaquiddick prompted Kennedy to champion many worthy causes, such as civil rights and universal healthcare as some sort of atonement. Nobody can accuse him of being a slouch in the Senate.

But whether we agree or disagree with Senator Kennedy's politics, he was undoubtedly an icon.

Socialists get a Taste of Their Own Medicine

In a recent Fox News poll, 52% say that "...the noisy protesters at town hall meeting are expressing authentic outrage. Some 52% think it is real outrage by concerned citizens--significantly more than the 29% who think the protestors are fake mobs planned by lobbyists and other opposition groups."

I've been saying for a couple of decades that the way to beat socialism is to use the same tactics against socialists that they use against us. Conventional wisdom says that conservatives don't protest in public. Generally speaking when you see a noisy rally on TV it's a group of people with left-leaning political views.

But now we are seeing huge numbers of middle-aged and senior people protesting publicly, and noisily by going to these town hall meetings to protest socialist healthcare. We saw a similar thing on Income Tax Day (April 15) when thousands of people, old, young, Republican and Democrat, organized the Tea Party rallies to protest big government.

Conservatives are behaving like socialists. They are protesting noisily, they are shouting down elected officials when they feel those officials are lying to them. In short, they are applying the tactics of the Left against the Left.

Is it any wonder that some socialists accuse these people of being part of fake mobs? After all, fake mobs, rent-a-mob, has been a tool of socialism for decades. So when socialists see the same tactics used against them, they automatically assume that those people are faking their anger and frustration.

The truth is that the genie is out of the bottle. Once people understand that the things they have worked for all their lives are about to be taken from them, they get angry.

Fake? I don't think so. More like the tip of the iceberg.

This Guy is One Tough Parachutist!

One of the most exhilarating things I've ever done is a parachute jump with the U.S Army Golden Knights parachute display team (click here to read my blog story). These soldiers are true professionals, and excellent ambassadors for the Army.

Today, a former member of the Golden Knights, SFC Dana Bowman made a special parachute jump onto the grounds of Walter Reed Hospital. This is one of the Veterans Administration hospitals for our service people and veterans.

What makes Dana Bowman's jump even more significant than usual is that he lost both legs and his partner in a skydiving accident in 1994, when the two Golden Knights teammates collided in freefall at a combined speed of about 300mph. But within five months of his accident, Bowman went back up and made another jump. After the accident, he created a new career for himself as a motivational speaker, and he jumps regularly to demonstrate that the right mindset and attitude can overcome just about anything.

In case you're wondering about how SFC Bowman lands on two prosthetic legs, it seemed to me, watching the live coverage on Fox News this morning, that he lands on his butt!

Journalists Freed!

I think most people breathed a sigh of relief when the two American female journalists touched down in California on Wednesday after being freed from detention in North Korea. Kudos to former president Bill Clinton for flying out to North Korea to meet with dictator Kim Jong Ill, and making sure that the release took place. It's for situations like this, that we are fortunate to have a few ex presidents on hand. They understand diplomacy, they have credibility around the world, but they are not directly connected to the current Administration, so there isn't much room for the other side to criticize them, or expect any concessions.

No, President Clinton was undoubtedly the right man for the job. Who is better qualified to pick up two young women--perfect strangers--and take them home with him?

Nobody should have to endure twelve years in a North Korean prison for straying across the border in what seemed to be a fairly innocent mistake. I mean, come on, when millions of illegal immigrants deliberately come across the U.S. border, we don't lock them up for twelve years, we argue about whether or not they are entitled to free health care!

Anyway, all kidding aside, I'm sure we are all glad that the two journalists are home.

Bill Clinton Goes to North Korea

No, the former president isn't emigrating to avoid higher taxes on the wealthy. He's doing what I criticized Al Gore for not doing a few weeks ago: trying to secure the release of the two female american journalists who accidentally strayed across the border into North Korea, and ended up with a twelve year sentence to a labor camp.

CNN reports that while the visit is a private trip on Clinton's part, it has the blessing of the White House, because Clinton is also carrying a letter from President Obama to give to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. We can only speculate about the contents of the letter, but I think there are only two likely topics, either a request for clemency for the two journalists, or it's a request for North Korea to resume talks on ceasing its nuclear weapons program.

Lets hope that the former Prez is successful in bringing these two journalists home. But it does beg the question, why didn't the Secretary of State go? Remember back in the '90s when Bill and Hillary were running for the presidency? They said that if elected, America would actually get to-for-one, implying that Hillary would be a politically active First Lady.

How ironic that, now Hillary is Secretary of State, it's her spouse who is the other haf of the Secretary of State team.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Unless you've been living in a cave in Afghanistan, you probably know that President Obama hosted a beer bash with black Harvard law professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cambridge Massachusetts police officer Sgt. James Crowley, who arrested Gates. All three are seen here, presumably on their way to knock back a few cold ones. I wondered if this photo might have been photoshopped but it appears on the White House blog, so I'm assuming it's genuine.

I could ramble on about my interpretation of body language, but really, once you look at the photo you either get it or you don't.

A Fallen Hero Receives the Medal of Honor

Our nation's highest military award for conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty, the Congressional Medal of Honor, has been awarded to Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti of Raynham, Massachusets, who was killed in action on June 21st, 2006 during a firefight with Islamist terrorists.

SFC Monti was deployed with the Tenth Mountain Division in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. SFC Monti had already rescued one wounded soldier when he was shot and killed by Taliban forces while rescuing a second soldier.

Since 1861, the President of the United States, on behalf of the Congress has awarded more than 3,400 medals to individuals from the five service branches of our military. At least SFC Monti is in fine company.

The presentation of the Medal of Honor will be made on September 17 at the White House to SFC Monti's parents. A memorial scholarship fund has been set up in SFC Monti's name. Donations can be made by clicking here.

Justice Dept. Goes Easy on the Shoe Bomber

The U.S. Department of Justice has decided to lighten up on convicted shoe bomber, Richard Reid.

Reid, you may remember, is the terrorist (oops! is it still politically correct to use that word?) who tried to blow up American Airlines flight 63 from Paris to Miami in February, 2002 by igniting explosives hidden in his shoe. Fortunately, a passenger noticed Reid trying to light the fuse, and flight attendants took him down and subdued him until the Boeing 767 landed in Boston.

Reid was incarcerated in federal prison here in Colorado along with other nasty pieces of work such as four of the terrorists--including leader Ramzi Yousef--responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, co-conspirator of 9-11 Zacharias Moussaoui, Jose Padilla -- the Dirty Bomber, and Bin Laden's personal assistant (use your imagination...) Wadih el-Hage.

Reid complained to prison authorities that he was being prevented from conducting daily group prayers as dictated by his religion. This seems a little strange to me: First, it implies that Muslims cannot pray alone, only in groups. Second, it seems like an excuse for a mini terrorists convention at the prison every day. Third, if Reid was so concerned about his religious freedom, maybe he should have considered the consequences before he tried to murder a plane-load of people, forever robbing 197 souls of all their freedoms, religious and otherwise!

But that's OK, under "special administrative measures"(SAM), the federal prison authorities have not been allowing Reid to contact the other terrorist prisoners, so who cares what he thinks? Well, since Reid is incarcerated on U.S. soil, he is protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and religion, just like the rest of us. And now, the Justice Dept. has seen fit to suspend those SAMs. Amazing. Next thing you know, we'll be closing the Guantanamo Bay prison for terrorists and sending the inmates to a tropical paradise to serve out their time...Oh yeah, I forgot; we're already doing that.

Senator Barbara Boxer is at it Again

A while ago, US Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) reprimanded a Brigadier General during a senate hearing for calling her "Ma'am", saying that she worked hard to earn the title of Senator. Never mind that in the US military, it's customary to address women as Ma'am as a sign of respect.

Not content with upbraiding a senior military officer, during a recent senate committee hearing, the senator also offended Harry C. Alford the head of the Black Chamber of Commerce by presenting an opposing view to that held by the BCC on energy policy, from two other black organizations: The NAACP, and One Hundred Black Men.

Boxer might just as well have said that because Mr. Alford's Black Chamber of Commerce does not share the same official position as her, she found another black organization that does. The video tells the whole story (click here).

So how come we haven't heard complaints from Jesse Jackson or the Reverend Al Sharpton? Simple. Who's side would they take in a fight between a white liberal woman and a black conservative man? Better to stay out of this one altogether.

"God, Guns, Guts, and American Made Pickup Trucks"

Here's an interesting piece of video from CNN. The reporter is interviewing a car dealer in a rural part of the United States, where they are giving away a free AK-47 with every purchase of a new vehicle. The car buyer must still obtain the rifle through a local gun dealer, and go through the usual criminal background check, etc. before actually taking possession and ownership of the firearm.

The interview is interesting because it highlights the difference in cultural attitudes between urban and rural people. It's worth noting that the CNN reporter is unable to clearly articulate her concerns about this gun giveaway, while the car dealer has no problems explaining why a legally-owned, semi-auto AK is a viable option for people who live 15 minutes away from the closest police response want to defend their homes from violent criminals. Click here to watch the interview.

You can also take the poll in the top right corner of this page.

Will Members of Congress Have the Same Healthcare as the Rest of Us?

(Photo. Representative John Fleming (R- 4th District, Louisiana) meets with health care professionals at a Louisiana hospital)

Imagine a hypothetical situation some time in the not-too-distant future where you are sitting in the waiting room of a government-run doctor's office, waiting several hours to see a doctor:

The door opens, and in walks Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) she's there for her regular procedure, a short operation that the doctor calls a cranial-rectal separation (it involves a winch, a tow rope, and a baseball catcher's mitt). Anyway, in this imaginary scenario, she sits down next to you and begins to complain about the healthcare system.

"But," you say, "don't all members of Congress have their own health care plan?"

"Not any more," the Speaker grumbles, "Some republican house rep from Louisiana introduced legislation that makes congress use the same universal health care as the rest of you."

And here is where we leave fantasy behind and return to reality. Because, a Louisiana congressman has actually introduced legislation that will do just that. It will make our elected officials subject to the same government health care that the rest of us peons will have to endure.

Representative John Fleming (R- 4th District, Louisiana) has introduced House Resolution 615 that will make politicians give up their own expensive health care plans (The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program) and use the same government-run health care that they are trying to impose on the rest of us. Congressman Fleming was recently interviewed on Fox News, and stated that 48 Republicans have signed onto his resolution, while not one single Democrat has. Not One. But that's OK, you can go to the congressman's website and view the list of politicians who have agreed to abide by the same law as the rest of us. Is YOUR congressman there? Click on this link to find out. Incidentally, I'd like to thank one of Colorado's Congressmen, Rep. Doug Lamborn (R - 5th District) for signing on.

If you don't see your congress critter's name on the list, and you feel that what's good enough for the rest of us is good enough for our elected representatives, you can download a letter of support to send to your elected House Representative in Washington D.C.

It looks Like Judge Sotomayor will be Confirmed

It's looking like Judge Sonia Sotomayor will make it out of the Senate hearings on her confirmation to the Supreme Court pretty much unscathed. I watched some of the hearings this week, and she does seem to have a pretty good idea of what judges should, and should not do.

I do wish she had been more forthright when questioned by republican senators about her view of the Second Amendment, particularly since it's likely that another gun rights case--such as last year's landmark Heller v. D.C. decision--will make its way to the Supreme Court some time during her career (which is a lifetime appointment.)

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that her judicial record is, "generally in the mainstream", "not an activist", and went on to say that he thought Judge Sotomayor would keep an open mind on gun rights. I think Senator Graham is a smart and capable man, and I hope he's right. The Second Amendment, which states that "...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." is, to most people, self-explanatory. All I ask is that any judge who has to make a ruling based upon those words from the Bill of Rights takes them at face value. I hope that Judge Sotomayor will do that.

One Democrat's views on Cap and Trade

Recently, my wife wrote to Congressman Jared Polis, (Democrat, Second Congressional District, Colorado) asking him to vote against the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, also called the Cap and Trade bill, currently under consideration by the in Congress. Cap and Trade is the energy bill that if passed, would, according to the Heritage Foundation, cost each American household "3,000 per year".

According to Newsmax, House Minority Leader John Boehner claims the legislation will send many jobs overseas and put "millions of Americans out of work".

Newsmax also quoted President Obama as saying that under Cap and Trade, "...electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket."

This sounds like a pretty serious piece of legislation. It sounds like there should be some pretty serious debate and discussion between legislators, and also between the Congress and the American public. After all, isn't that why we call our legislators in Washington "elected representatives"?

So when my wife wrote to Representative Jared Polis (Democrat, Second Congressional District, Colorado) we expected a detailed, reasoned response. Here's the congressman's email in it's entirety:

"Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition/support for H.R. XXX, the XXXX Act of 2009. I appreciate hearing from you on these important issues, and I apologize for any delay in my reply. Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. Although we disagree on this issue, I hope my letter clarifies why I voted for this bill/ I hope my letter addresses your particular concerns.> If I can be of any further assistance on this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to contact me at (303) 484-9596. I also encourage you to visit my website,
www.polis.house.gov, and sign up to receive my e-newsletter."

Now I ask you, is it any wonder that Americans are so disillusioned and frustrated with our elected officials? The only conclusion I can reach, when reading drivel like this is that many of our politicians don't give a damn about our opinions. After reading a few replies like this one, how many citizens would simply throw up their hands and say,"forget this. it just isn't worth my time to write to these people."

...hmmm...could it be?...no...surely that couldn't be the reason.

Could it?

Will the NRA sink Judge Sotomayor's Confirmation to the Supreme Court?

Maybe. The issue is that the Second Circuit Court ruled in the Maloney v. Cuomo case, that the Second Amendment does not apply to state and local governments, Judge Sotomayor, President Obama's pick to replace Justice Souter on the Supreme Court, joined the court's opinion. The result of this case implies that individual states may have the right to ban guns.

This means that if confirmed, Sotomayor would sit on the Supreme Court, in judgment of any gun rights cases that came along. It seems strange to me that the framers of the Constitution would have written the Second Amendment to protect the rights of individuals to keep and bear arms at the Federal level, but that they would have not intended that the same right would be extended to the individual states.

Stay tuned, this is going to get interesting...

Governor Palin Will Step Down

Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska has announced that on July 26th, she will resign as Governor of Alaska, and hand over the state to the Lt. Governor Sean Parnell.

At this point, speculation abounds, but it seems she has three choices: Work to get other conservative republicans elected, prepare for a run for the Presidency in 2012, or run for a U.S. Senate seat as one of the two senators from Alaska.

It's interesting that the Governor made a couple of comments in her announcement today that her heart belongs to Alaska, and that she will continue to work for Alaska. To me, that sounds like she will run for a Senate seat, but to do that she must defeat the republican incumbent senator, Lisa Murkowski, who was appointed to that position by her father, Gov. Murkowski, the previous governor of Alaska.

My money is on a senate run. And we certainly could all benefit from that. Having Palin as a conservative, pro-gun senator from Alaska might help to offset the socialist bias that the senate now has, and the 60-vote Democrat super majority that the appointment of television clown and humorist Al Franken (Minnesota) delivered last Thursday with his win over the republican incumbent.

We'll see if I'm right, but my money is on the senate run. The Senate would certainly benefit from a female senator who has run a state, believes in the right to keep and bear arms, and is a conservative with a backbone. When was the last time we had one of those?

"We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident"

To coin a phrase from the Marine Corps: This is my flag. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

It has flown outside our house for several years, and the wind and weather have taken their toll on it. So, it seems fitting that we replace it on Independence Day with a new, and this time, a slightly larger flag. But while times change, it is still Old Glory, the Stars and Stripes. It still conveys the same message that we are all free people, part of a democratic republic, and that (as it says in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence) "...We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness..."

Today, July Fourth, is Independence Day in America.

While the Congress officially separated the American colonies from Great Britain on July second, 1776, it did not officially approve the letter to King George (the Declaration of Independence) until July fourth. From that day on, Americans have always celebrated our independence from the Crown on the fourth. And it's always been a joyous and festive occasion!

John Adams, one of the original signers, wrote this to his wife, Abigail: "...I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

Let's celebrate! Happy Birthday, America.

Forget Hello Kitty, Meet Cornershot Kitty

The Cornershot is basically a rifle stock with a hinge halfway. The back half of the stock fits into the shoulder like a rifle, while the front half allows a pistol and a video camera to be mounted. This means that the operator can not only see around corners, while staying behind cover, he can also film what he sees, and he can also shoot what he sees. I examined one of these devices at the SHOT show a couple of years back. It's a good tool for a law enforcement officer or a soldier because he doesn't have to stick his head out from cover to see what is going on around the corner. This is an Israeli product, but the idea seems to have originated with the Nazis during WWII, when they bent the barrels on some of their rifles and machine pistols (see photo).

Well now, the Cornershot comes with a fake cat (think glove puppet) that is hollow, and fits over the pistol. The back legs of the fake cat cover the legs of a bipod, if one is fitted. The purpose of the cat is to camouflage the pistol, so that a bad guy who spots it simply thinks there is a cat standing by the corner, watching him. By the time the bad guy figures out what is going on, he's probably been shot a couple of times. Click here to watch the video.

British Soldiers plus German Rifles equals Neutralized Terrorists

The London Daily Telegraph reports that troopers of Britain's Special Air Service (SAS) made a nighttime High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) parachute jump on the outskirts of Baghdad recently. The covert insertion was part of a mission to locate insurgent leaders and bomb-making factories.

It's interesting that even with all the talk about U.S. forces pulling out of Iraq, there still seems to be an active terrorist presence almost on the doorstep of the Green Zone. But enough of armchair strategy.

Here's the interesting part of the story: The SAS has now added Heckler & Koch's new battle rifle to its armory, the HK417. So now you have British soldiers using German rifles. Sir Winston Churchill might have been shocked, but actually it's nothing new. Everybody from the SAS to the british Metropolitan Police Force has used the German-built HK MP5 submachine guns for more than twenty years.

You may be familiar with H&K's 416, a M16 clone chambered in 556NATO, but the 417 is the big brother. It's chambered in 762NATO, has the same controls in the same places as the ubiquitous M16 (so it's easy for troops trained on the M16/M4/AR-15 platform to switch to the 417) but is also capable of being used as either a Close Quarters Battle (CQB) weapon, or as a precision rifle for long distance engagements (okay, so it's also a sniper rifle). Simply change the barrel from the 12 or 16-inch versions to the 20-inch barrel, and add a long-range scope. Voila!

When the M16 rifle was first fielded in Vietnam in the mid-sixties, the idea was that the 5.56mm cartridge was lighter than the 7.62 cartridge, so more of it could be carried into battle. While this was considered a good thing, it did not take into account a couple of other important factors: The 5.56 mm bullet does not fly as far as its heavier 7.62 mm counterpart, and the 55-70 grain projectile doesn't always put the other guy down as effectively as the 147 grain bullet in the 762NATO round. Arguably, this did not matter too much in the jungles of Vietnam, where enemy soldiers weighed about 110 LBS, wore only light uniforms, and were most likely engaged from zero to maybe a hundred yards or a bit more. And don't get me wrong, the 556NATO cartridge does put the bad guys down. It's just that the devil is in the details: does it do it at long distance? Does it take more than one solid hit?

However, the 762NATO round does a much better job than the 556NATO of penetrating barriers and unarmored vehicles like cars and trucks. During the U.S invasion of Panama in 1989 to arrest Manuel Noriega, the U.S. forces used the standard M16 rifle almost exclusively. However, when they came across heavily barracaded villas owned by Noriega's henchmen, they found that the 556NATO round was unable to shoot through the barriers. There were a few urgent calls placed stateside to fly down some mothballed, M14 rifles (chambered in 762NATO) to fix the problem. Ironically, the M14 was the standard U.S. service rifle early on in the Vietnam war (and was replaced by the M16) but with it's wooden stock, 7.62 caliber, and twenty-round magazine, was considered by some to be outdated when compared to the sleek little M16 with plastic stock and pistol grip, aluminum frame, and smaller 556NATO chambering.

So in the deserts of the middle east, where distances to targets can go from zero to a thousand yards (and those targets are a bit heavier built than Vietnamese people) it makes sense to use a cartridge that performs at extended distances. Particularly when, like the SAS on their Baghdad mission, you infil by parachute and don't have to hump a lot of ammo all day like the guys in Vietnam did on patrol.

Different strokes for different wars, I guess.

NRA's Personal Protection Class

It's been a hectic week. I spent some of it as part of a team teaching the National Rifle Association Personal Protection in the Home class to a dozen law-abiding citizens.

The purpose of the class is to teach people how to better defend themselves from violent attack. While the emphasis is on teaching students to shoot a pistol in a defensive situation such as a burglary while they are present in the home, the class also teaches how handguns work, ammunition selection, safe gunhandling and marksmanship, and there is also included a presentation from a law enforcement officer on Colorado statutes in regards to self-defense. Under state law, any person who passes a criminal background check, and who can provide a certificate from a recognized training organization (like the NRA) can apply for a permit to Carry a Concealed Weapon (CCW) which allows them to carry a handgun almost anywhere in the state.

About 48 of the 50 states currently allow some form of concealed carry. Some states have "may issue" laws, which means that applicants who meet their state's criteria (usually passing a background check and having a taken a suitable shooting class) may be issued a CCW at the discretion of the issuing law enforcement officer (usually a Chief of Police or a County Sheriff).

Other states have passed "shall issue" laws which say that if an idividual applicant satisfies the criminal background check, and the requirement for firearms training, then the issuing law enforcement officer "shall issue" a CCW permit to that person. This is a much more fair system, and is much more in accordance with the Second Amendment right to "Keep and Bear Arms."
The Second Amendment says that "The right of the the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It does not say, ...not be infringed unless a cop decides to infringe.

NRA Certified Instructors teach classes in all fifty states. For more information, click here for the link to NRA's website.

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live in Denver!

I'm standing in a restaurant in downtown Denver before the long-awaited gig from former Blind Faith band members Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, wearing my 24-year old Clapton tee shirt, when this woman around forty years of age approaches me and gushes about what a big Winwood fan she is, and how she's so looking forward to seeing Clapton live for the first time. That's fine. I told her that I've been a Clapton fan since '74, but I've never seen Winwood live before. For a moment, it seemed like the seventies again; real Yin Yang. Cosmic, man.

So my wife and I get into the auditoreum and find our sixteenth row seats, and I look around, and I'm amazed at the diversity of the audience. Granted, most fans were like that lady in the restaurant, but there were quite a lot of kids in their teens and twenties, and--whoa! A veritable sea of grey hair! Seems that a lot of the original crowd who were in their twenties back when Eric was fronting for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, and of course, Blind Faith, had also decided to show up live (the concert, not the crowd, well barely ... some of them) instead of just buying the Madison Square Garden concert DVD and curling up on the couch with the big screen TV and a glass of Chardonnay.

The performance kicked off with a crashing, pulsing rendition of Blind Faith's, Had To Cry Today, complete with some very good bright, pulsating stage lighting. It brought the audience to its feet, and that's where most of us stayed. It just kept rolling, and getting better and better for two hours. Steve Winwood, who is surely one of the most talented musicians to grace a stage for the past forty years is equally at home playing keyboards or electric guitar, but he also more than held up his end of an acoustic guitar duet with Clapton that featured Layla.


The band was tight. The other musicians, drums, bass, and two backup singers were more than qualified to be on stage and gave a great performanc. But there was one other giant on stage; Chris Stainton on keyboards. I think the first time I saw Chris playing with Clapton was in '79 or '80 on the Just One Night tour, that produced the double album of the same name. Stainton delivers. He's the guy who, just when you think the guitar solos can't get any better, pops up from behind the keyboard and delivers a blistering piano solo that just leaves the other band members as well as the audience, well, gobsmacked--as Eric would say. And Chris was certainly on form last night. The band was great: Cocaine, Voodoo Chile, Mr. Fantasy; Only two people should be allowed to play Georgia on My Mind in public: Ray Charles (who's dead) and Stevie Winwood.

Somewhere around the performance of Pearly Queen, I noticed how the stage lights were illuminating a lot of smoke in the theater. The atmosphere was starting to smell like someone set fire to the southern end of a north-bound mule. I looked ahead of me a couple of rows and watched two guys whose evident smoking and drinking had turned them from the graceful dancers that I'm sure they must be when they aren't smoking, to a pair of lobotomized chimps in concrete boots. I doubt they will remember much this morning about a truly professional, polished, and talent-laden concert. And at 150 bucks a seat, I guess that's why they call it Dope.

But I digress. Remember that 24-year old tee shirt that I bought in Chicago at the Behind The Sun Tour? I only wear it for Clapton concerts. It's almost as good today as it was back then. Clapton and Winwood, on the other hand, are much better.

Obama Takes Swift, Decisive Action

A CNBC news clip shows the President taking swift and decisive action the other day. He saw a threat, evaluated his options, and carefully and surgically used deadly force to solve the problem. Almost sounds like Spec Ops, doesn't it?

During a taped interview, a fly buzzed around the president and landed on the back of his hand. He immediately killed it with a single swat. "Got the sucker," he confirmed, before continuing with the interview.

This did not sit well with the folks at People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) who don't like the idea that the president killed a living thing. They sent him a fly trap that is designed to humanely catch a fly without harming it so that it can later be released.

I think the president's actions were correct. I just wish he'd apply the same policy to terrorists. As for PETA's catch and release policy on flies, it's hard to argue with them on that issue when it is the same policy that the Obama administration uses for Guantanamo Bay terrorists.

Now if the president had caught the fly in the PETA trap, he could have had it flown to Bermuda and released there--just like that small group of GITMO terrorists were a couple of weeks ago. On the other hand, perhaps we should continue to treat terrorists like the president handles house flies and swat 'em dead at the first opportunity.

Dude, Where's My Constitution? Are You Sick of Big Government?

Fox News pundit Glenn Beck read a letter on the air today from a woman who says she's been a lifelong Democrat and is frustrated with the headlong rush to socialism that the current administration is taking us.

Here's part of what she wrote: "The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written."

As I listened to the text of the letter, I had to agree with her. Here are a few of the things that she's angry and frustrated about and what she wants done about them:

"One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders..."

"Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. "

"Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. "

"Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say. "

"Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more."

"Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated."

"Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. "

"Nine, charitable contributions ... Charity belongs in our local communities ... Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves."

"Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us."

"Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? "

"Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now. "

"Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave."

You can read the full text of her letter at GlennBeck.com just click here. If you agree with her sentiments, you can sign the petition on the same page. I managed to sign it just before the website overloaded from the number of people trying to access it. That speaks volumes about how ordinary people feel about our country and how we are being screwed over by politicians from both parties.

David Letterman's Apologies to The Palins

So. David Letterman has apologized for a second time to Sarah Palin and her two daughters for his joke in which he claimed that Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez impregnated Palin's underage daughter while she was watching the game.

I'm not going to get into the discussion about whether or not he meant it, whether of not he should apologize, or if the incident is enough to force Letterman to resign from his talk show, "Late Night" on CBS.

But in true Letterman style, I'll give you the top ten reasons why I think he should resign from his spot as a talk show host:

10. He's dull.
9. He's boring.
8. He's narcissistic.
7. He should make way for someone with fresh material.
6. I miss Johnny Carson
5. Is Arsenio Hall still available?
4. I don't think he understands why people found the joke offensive.
3. The Palin joke was simply in bad taste.
2. He isn't funny.

And the number one reason I think Letterman should resign: He isn't entertaining.

President Bush's Birthday Parachute Jump

Not only have President Bush and I both jumped with the U.S. Army's Golden Knights parachute display team, but we've both jumped with the same guy -- Tandem Team Leader Sergeant First Class Mike Elliot.

This photo is of Mike and me about 8,000 feet above Wyoming. President Bush's first jump was during World war II into the Pacific ocean as a navy pilot when he was shot down. He has jumped with the Golden Knights on his 75th, 80th, and now his 85th birthday.

Here's the article I wrote shortly after my jump in 2005. Thank you, Golden Knights. And Happy Birthday Mr. President!


"You can tell when the jumpers are leaving the aircraft. They make a swoosh sound that I can hear up in the cockpit,” pilot Alan Aber told me, “When the new guys are trying out for the team, they aren’t used to jumping out of something that goes 105 knots. There’s a blast shield that folds over the rear doors when they are locked back in the open position. Sometimes they don’t push off far enough and they really smack into that blast shield. But generally it’s more embarrassing than anything else,” Aber chuckled. I chuckled too, thankful that I had not collided with anything when I made my skydiving debut the previous day out of Aber’s plane, a Fokker F27, used by the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights Parachute Display team to introduce lucky individuals like me to the sport of parachuting, and to promote the Army’s ongoing public relations campaign. My jump took place over Cheyenne, Wyoming, where I was strapped to Sergeant First Class Mike Elliot, an Airborne Infantryman and tandem instructor on the Golden Knights Gold Demonstration Team to literally hitch a ride on his parachute. Like many people, I have an irrational fear of heights; Standing on the observation floor of the Sears Tower in Chicago, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado have all triggered sweaty palms and the feeling that the great void around and below me would somehow reach up and drag me down into it. I had already decided not to dwell on putting my life in the hands of a stranger while jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft. At least by jumping with the Army I knew I was beginning my skydiving career at the top--no pun intended. Mike and I began by examining the tandem parachute: a 370 square foot elliptical nylon canopy and container which together weigh approximately 60lbs. Next, we reviewed the method by which we would leave the aircraft. “You’re going to look like this in freefall,” Mike explained as he slid belly down, arms and legs extended, onto a convenient coffee table in the Regional Airport building in Cheyenne. He played a short video showing Golden Knights jumpers freefalling in complicated geometric shapes with other team members, popping smoke, and generally having fun while on a collision course with planet Earth at 120 mph, all to the sound of some good rockin’ music designed to get your adrenaline level up. By the end of the film I was not only eager to jump, I wanted to invade a foreign country just for the fun of it! And maybe that’s the point of all this. At a time when many of our soldiers are deployed overseas, the Golden Knights don’t hide the fact that their mission is to promote the Army to the public. It’s called advertising, and these soldiers are wonderful ambassadors both for the sport of parachuting and for the Army.


Our third jumper was Staff Sergeant Joe Jones, who would jump with Mike and me and film our descent for the personalized video tape that all guest jumpers receive; capturing the rare privilege of wearing the Knight’s famed yellow and black jump suit. Joe’s parachute is a 120 square foot elliptical nylon canopy and container weighing approximately 20lbs.


In addition to display jumps at events like Cheyenne’s annual Frontier Days festival, the Golden Knights also field Style and Accuracy teams for both inter-service and civilian (inter)national competitions. In the Accuracy event, the team must touch down as close as possible to a target that is only a few centimeters wide. In the Style competition, the team jumps at 7500 feet and is judged by the number of different formations they can make, requiring that they separate and rejoin for each successful maneuver. Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the Golden Knights unit is comprised of only 86 members: jumpers, parachute technicians, aircrew and support personnel. There are two demonstration teams: Black Team and Gold Team. I made my jump with Gold Team. I asked Mike Elliot the age of his oldest jumping partner: “A ninety-two year old lady,” Mike replied, “and President Bush senior has also jumped with us.”


A typical jump is made from one of the two Fokker F27 twin turboprop aircraft that the team purchased in 1985. Built in Holland, these aircraft were customized with an oversize door on each side of the fuselage, just forward of the tail, and were originally destined for delivery to the parachute regiment of an African army. But when the deal fell through, the aircraft were sold instead to the Golden Knights. “We had to fly them back from Holland in stages,” Alan Aber recalls. “We added fuel tanks inside the fuselage and hopped from Holland, to Ireland, to Greenland, and finally to the East Coast. We had a couple of factory pilots with us, but it still amounted to on-the-job training to get used to them.” The F27 meets some important criteria for the team: It is of the correct size to transport a team and all their gear from one jump location to the next, while being small enough to operate from short runways and fly slow enough (105 knots) for parachutists to exit the aircraft and stay together in formation.


Cheyenne, Wyoming, where I made my tandem jump is 6,000 feet above sea level. We jumped at 14,000 feet above sea level. As the airplane spiraled upwards in the thinning air, we passed around an oxygen bottle. At one point, I found myself getting light headed and took a few extra lungs-full. I had to sit on Mike’s lap in order to get his harness hooked to mine, and then we stood up and duck-walked down the aisle to the rear of the aircraft. As we approached the open door, with the green light above it, I hooked my thumbs into the harness. I looked out of the door and then it finally hit me that I was about to throw myself into the same nothingness that surrounds the Sears Tower. Oh well, too late to back out now. Pride took over and we stood in the door. As instructed, I lifted my feet, hanging in my harness, legs slid backwards in between Mike’s knees, my heels pointed up. I rested my head back against his left shoulder so that he had an uninterrupted view of the ground, and raised my hands in a surrender position. “Ready?” Mike asked.“Yes, I’m-“ Before I could take a breath, we were gone. Whoa! I wasn’t prepared for such fast acceleration. Our combined weight would cause us to accelerate to 170mph if Mike did not release the small drogue parachute immediately after we left the aircraft. The drogue is designed to keep the speed down to a maximum of 120mph. As we fell to earth in the classic horizontal, arms and legs extended position, two other Golden Knights jumpers swooped down and linked hands with me. For a few precious seconds I was part of one of the finest display teams in the world. I was literally jolted back to reality as Mike deployed the parachute. The sudden deceleration gave me the impression we were shooting upwards, rather than down. And then we were floating silently, gliding in a series of lazy figure eights as Mike steered us to land on the airport grass, scant feet from where we had taken off. What a rush. Forget my fear of heights. I’d do this again in a heartbeat.