Forget Guns. What About Mexico's "Assault Jet Skis?"

It appears that Mexican drug traffickers are using jet skis to smuggle drugs into the United States.

There is a simple solution to this: Instead of the Mexican government exaggerating the number of guns that are smuggled across the border from America to Mexico, and demanding that we ignore our Bill of Rights and ban so-called assault weapons, let us demand that the Mexican Government ban ownership of jet skis.

Of course, in the real world, that isn't going to happen. But why should law-abiding Americans allow one of our rights to be infringed upon because of some fabricated story from a foreign government? And even if it was possible for the Mexican government to enact jet ski legislation, the argument from south of the border would undoubtedly be that law-abiding Mexicans have a right to own a jet ski, and that if jet skis are banned, only criminals will have them.

Exactly.

Colorado Governor Ritter Vetoes Background Check bill

On Friday, May 15, Governor Bill Ritter (D) vetoed Colorado house Bill 1180.

The bill, passed by both houses, would have exempted Colorado concealed handgun permit holders from the background check requirement for the purchase of a firearm. That may be scary to some people, but the truth is that people who are granted concealed carry permits have to undergo a stringent background check as part of their application.

The current National Instant Check System (NICS) that performs a criminal background check on potential gun buyers at the point of sale is overloaded to the point that there is nothing instant about it. Frequently, buyers have to wait at the gun store for hours while the gun dealer hangs on the phone, waiting for the system to perform the check. Quite often shoppers must return to the store the following day to purchase and pick up their new firearm.

HB1180 would have relieved some of the load on the system by allowing people who have a concealed weapons permit to purchase a firearm (remember, most likely they already own at least one) without having to endure the background check. It should have been a simple administrative change to the system, but the Governor saw fit to not streamline an overloaded procedure.

This wasn't really a gun bill because it didn't change anything except a bureacratic procedure that costs taxpayers money. Feel free to contact the governor at (303) 866-2471.

Memorial Day in Boulder

Boulder, Colorado has something of a reputation as a town run by goofy people. Certainly if you look at the decisions of the city council, (passing resolutions against the Iraq war, declaring that pet owners are now animal guardians) not to mention the antics of Ward Churchill, it may not be a surprise to know that those of us who live outside Boulder city limits refer to the town as "seventeen square miles surrounded by Reality".

But one thing that we can all be proud of Boulder for is its hosting every Memorial Day for the past 31 years of the Bolder Boulder 10K run. This is one of the most popular and well-attended 10k street races in the country. Professional runners from countries like Ethiopia compete here. Tens of thousands of amateur runners and walkers run the ten kilometers (about 6.2 miles) every Memorial Day for fun.

And the race is linked directly to remembrance of our veterans with a flyover by military aircraft and participation in the run by many of our local servicemen and women.

Every year, people show up along the route to show their support for the runners. You will find guys with a guitar and an amp standing at the side of the road, playing to the crowd. There are at least two groups of belly dancers, Blues Brothers impersonators, and some pretty good local bands.















This year, my wife and I hung out on Pearl Street with our friends from King For a Day (KFAD), a local rock band. Above Right photo: left to right, Vicar (lead guitar), Simon (acoustic guitar and vocals), Goose (bass guitar)and Johnny (drums).

But the Bolder Boulder isn't just about running and music, it's definitely a chance for some self-expression:















Below, KFAD's Vic(left) and Goose rockin' out with the runners.



















But you know the really great thing about Memorial Day in Bolder?



Nobody gets left out...

Ronald Regan on Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day. It is the day that Americans pause for a moment to remember, honor, and give thanks to all the people in our five service branches, the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, who have sacrificed themselves for our country. The rest of us owe these people for everything that we have. Spanning four centuries, every war fought by Americans from the Revolutionary War to the two world wars, Korea, Vietnam, and the current Global War on Terror, has influenced who we are as a nation, and what we have accomplished.

I wanted to write something profound to mark this important day. But in the course of my research I came across the speech that President Ronald Reagan gave at Arlington cemetary on Memorial Day, 1982. He said it so much better than I ever could, so here is a particularly relevant excerpt from one of this country's greatest presidents. God bless our service people, our veterans, and our country:

"The willingness of some to give their lives so that others might live never fails to evoke in us a sense of wonder and mystery. One gets that feeling here on this hallowed ground, and I have known that same poignant feeling as I looked out across the rows of white crosses and Stars of David in Europe, in the Philippines, and the military cemeteries here in our own land. Each one marks the resting place of an American hero and, in my lifetime, the heroes of World War I, the Doughboys, the GI's of World War II or Korea or Vietnam. They span several generations of young Americans, all different and yet all alike, like the markers above their resting places, all alike in a truly meaningful way.

"Winston Churchill said of those he knew in World War II they seemed to be the only young men who could laugh and fight at the same time. A great general in that war called them our secret weapon, ``just the best darn kids in the world.'' Each died for a cause he considered more important than his own life. Well, they didn't volunteer to die; they volunteered to defend values for which men have always been willing to die if need be, the values which make up what we call civilization. And how they must have wished, in all the ugliness that war brings, that no other generation of young men to follow would have to undergo that same experience.

"As we honor their memory today, let us pledge that their lives, their sacrifices, their valor shall be justified and remembered for as long as God gives life to this nation. And let us also pledge to do our utmost to carry out what must have been their wish: that no other generation of young men will ever have to share their experiences and repeat their sacrifice.

"Earlier today, with the music that we have heard and that of our National Anthem -- I can't claim to know the words of all the national anthems in the world, but I don't know of any other that ends with a question and a challenge as ours does: Does that flag still wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? That is what we must all ask."

President Ronald Reagan, Memorial Day, 1982.

The Taurus Judge revolver

I recently had a chance to evaluate the "Judge" revolver, made by Taurus. This is a five-shot revolver with a short barrel, chambered for both .45 Long Colt and .410 shotgun ammunition. At first glance, I was sceptical. With its three-inch barrel, it is a rather large snubnose revolver to carry only five rounds of .45 ammo. I'm sure the sub-compact .45 caliber semi-auto pistols are slimmer, with a slightly higher capacity. So what's the big deal with the Judge?

The big deal is that you have the firepower of a .410 pump action shotgun in something the size of a pistol. When we loaded it up with .410 buckshot rounds, we found that it put a pattern of buckshout about 3-4 inches wide on paper at about twelve yards. I shot it on eight-inch diameter falling steel plate targets at about the same distance, and had one of the fastest runs on steel I can remember! The large red fiber optic front sight was very quick to pick up and place over the target.

This gun is touted by Taurus as being a good choice for close quarters self-defense, particularly in a bedroom in case of home invasion, or in a car, in case of a car jacking. I'd also add that I think it would very good for people who sail small boats where piracy is a threat.

Al I can say is, I want one!

The Best Defense: Survival

I was fortunate to be invited by Michael Bane to put in some work on his upcoming "The Best Defense" series that airs on the Outdoor Channel. Along with highly accomplished Sci-fi author and US serviceman Michael Z. Williamson, the three of us have just finished a couple of days filming some material on survival. This includes discussions of how to bug out or escape from a life-threatening situation, and also some pointers on surviving hard times if the economy continues to follow Plan B, while the government follows Plan A.

If you haven't seen Michael Bane's blog, it's full of good firearms, shooting, and Second Amendment related news.

Don't be Too Harsh on Pelosi

Poor Nancy Pelosi. Every time she says something about what she was told, what she knew, what she understood about what she was told, who lied to her about waterboarding and torture methods, it all just seems to get twisted by the evil CIA, the Republicans, and the media.

Some people are even beginning to question how long she can remain as the Speaker of the House. The audacity of those right-wingers who hope to bring her down!

I say, don't be too harsh on Speaker Pelosi. If she is forced to step down from her position as Speaker, we may get some replacement who is competent enough to do some real legislative damage.

I for one hope that she's around until 2010. By then, we may have a functioning Republican party and an electorate that is tired of the Democrats trial and error approach to some of those annoying things that keep them up at night, singing Kumbaya around the hot tub. You know, stuff like the on-again, off-again ideas of a catch-and-release program for terrorists (oops, can we still use that word?). By 2010, into our twentieth stimulus program, with the Dow Jones at 3,000 points, civil rights advocates in California clamoring for english to be taught in schools, and Chrysler and GM reduced to selling ride-on lawnmowers, we may just be able to install a Republican as Speaker of the House.

You go, Nancy Girl, but not just yet.

HB1180 -- A Pro-Gun Bill in Colorado

When a statewide instant background check system was first implemented back in the late nineties, anyone who had a concealed weapons permit could buy a gun without having to submit to the background check. Later, the regulations were changed and anybody, including CCW permit holders had to undergo the instant check (which the gun dealer conducted by phone) when purchasing any firearm from an FFL dealer.

The problem was that with the increasing number of sales of firearms over the past year or two, the phone call background check is no longer instant. It can take several hours sometimes for dealers to get through to the government database and verify that it's OK to sell the gun to the customer.

Well in Colorado, both houses of the legislature have passed House Bill 1180, that grants FFL dealers the right to waive the instant check for CCW permit holders. The bill is on its way to Governor Bill Ritter's (D) desk for signing.

No word yet if the Governor will sign it, but considering it's harder to get a CCW permit than it is to pass the instant check, logically, signing the bill should be a formality. We'll see if logic prevails. Stay tuned.

Today is Victory in Europe Day. What have We Learned?

Sixty Four years ago today, the part of the Second World War that was fought in Europe was officially brought to an end when the president of Germany, Admiral Donitz (Hitler's successor) surrendered to the Allies. The war in the Pacific against Japan would continue a while longer. But for the people of Europe, the war that had begun in September of 1939 was finally over on May 8th 1945.

In 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with Adolf Hitler in an attempt to avoid a war between Britain and Germany.

The following is the wording of the statement that Neville Chamberlain waved when he stepped off the plane after the conference in Berlin had ended on 30 September, 1938.

"We, the German Führer and Chancellor, and the British Prime Minister, have had a further meeting today and are agreed in recognizing that the question of Anglo-German relations is of the first importance for two countries and for Europe.

"We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again.

"We are ... determined to continue our efforts to ... contribute to assure the peace of Europe."

Chamberlain read this statement to a cheering crowd in front of 10 Downing St. and said;

"My good friends this is the second time in our history that there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honor. I believe it is peace in our time."

On September 3rd, 1939, Britain and France went to war with Germany, after Germany invaded Poland.

What can we learn from the lessons of history?

1) Aggressor nations cannot be appeased by simple negotiation. We must always negotiate from a position of strength if we want to win and survive against dictators and aggressive ideologies.

2) Maintaining a strong military is the final solution to aggression after all other political and diplomatic methods have been exhausted.

3) It is naive and dangerous to assume that we can change the minds of heads of state or people of other countries, civilizations, or religeons simply by talking to them and assuming that while we don't understand their reasons and point of view, they will easily see ours and come over to our way of thinking.

Today, we face threats to our nation's security, and the security of our allies on many fronts: Nuclear proliferation, the spread of nuclear weapons to rogue nations is upon us. Radical islamic terorrism is here and growing. We cannot secure our borders. We cannot afford to fight another large war.

But we absolutely cannot afford to appease dictators and rogue nations. History is clear about what happens when we try.

Are We Ready for PAKIS-TALIBAN?

The Taliban is back. They have managed to take over a province in northern Pakistan, and the Pakistani government has made the mistake of trying to appease the Taliban by allowing them to impose Sharia law in that region.

No doubt, the Pakistani government hoped that if they gave in to the Taliban and threw them a bone, the radical religious group would be satisfied. But no. The Taliban is on the march to secure a much larger area. I'm sure it's obvious to a lot of people that the ultimate goal of this group is to take control of the entire country.

Currently, the Pakistani military is fighting the Taliban in the Swat Valley, with the nation's capital of Islamabad only about sixty miles away.

If Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falls into Taliban hands, it changes the whole balance of power in the region, and in the world. India would have a rogue state armed with nukes on its border.

My question is, where is the UN? Where is the organization that wants to impose a worldwide ban on private ownership of firearms, but doesn't seem to be worried about the potential for terrorists holding nuclear weapons?
Where is the UN, the organization that intends to tell parents how they can discipline their children, but ignores the abuse that muslim women have to endure under Sharia Law?

I'm not sure which organization is the bigger threat to western civilization--the Taliban, or the United Nations.