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."