The great failing of modern liberalism is its inability to keep in check its radical left wing, including communists, race-baiters and most recently, apologists and/or deniers for radical Islamic fascism. Liberalism was supposed to be about lifting people up, promoting the most promising members of all sectors of society, ensuring that genius and talent should never be stifled by racial, ethnic or other prejudice. Courageous and virtuous individuals were to be held up for the admiration of all, and to serve especially as inspiration and role models for the minority groups from which they sprung.
Instead of that, under the sway of radicals, the Left dumped Martin Luther King, Jr. and his message of reconciliation, integration and the promise of America living up to its creed of equality, and instead elevated Stokely Carmichael of Black Power, Malcolm X of the Nation of Islam, and Huey Newton of the Black Panthers.
In this context it is noteworthy that Bill Clinton, of all people, has distinguished himself in drawing the line between liberalism and radical leftism, openly challenging and rebuking the #Blacklivesmatter (a.k.a. BLM) hecklers at his recent =>Hillary rally. On this, he has shown not only principle and courage (whatever Hillary may think, benefit or suffer from it), but consistency. It was Bill Clinton who shut up the rabble-rousing racist rapper Sistah Souljah and ended the ascendancy of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, in 1992-93. As I wrote in "Escape from Berkeley: An EX-liberal progressive socialist embraces America (and doesn't apologize)", "Jesse Jackson never appeared so shaken and defeated as in one press conference early in 1993 where, having just conferred with the First Lady at the White House, he stammered her name as "Hillary Rodman Clinton".
Will liberal Democrats follow Bill's lead and stand up to the radical left that despises them more than they have been willing to admit to themselves? Will they re-embrace the liberalism of John F. Kennedy, Scoop Jackson, Joe Lieberman and Harry Truman? I'm not holding my breath.
I think I liked the BLM better when it was the Bureau of Land Management.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Is the US Economy Strong?
Jay Lehr is Science Director for the Heartland Institute, a world-class athlete and a self-described "Economics Junkie". In this talk, he lays out his vision of how he perceives our current circumstances. Free-market pro-capitalists will find plenty to agree with...and plenty to have doubts about (especially in the first 10 minutes IMHO).
Worth every minute. Get the word out.
Watch the complete video on YouTube.
Worth every minute. Get the word out.
Watch the complete video on YouTube.
A (refugee) Debate Worthy of the Name
Two conservatives convince hundreds of liberals to change their position in 90 minutes.
The complete video is a must-watch for anyone despairing of 1) the lost art of honest debate and 2) the possibility of changing people's minds using facts, logic and rational arguments.
See: See: A Great Statue, a Third-Rate Poem, by Mark Steyn.
The complete video is a must-watch for anyone despairing of 1) the lost art of honest debate and 2) the possibility of changing people's minds using facts, logic and rational arguments.
See: See: A Great Statue, a Third-Rate Poem, by Mark Steyn.
Especially for those born after 1990
The endorsements keep coming.
"This book is fun to read and is especially suggested for those born in the 1990's and later.
Howard Hyde's escape from Berkeley was an ideological escape. He threw off the chains of dogmatic leftism that infects most of the inhabitants of Berkeley. He follows many others before him such as George Orwell, Whittaker Chambers and David Horowitz who underwent a right traveling ideological conversions. This book is fun to read and is especially suggested for those born in the 1990's and later. Hyde explains events that otherwise would be mysterious to young people educated in our left leaning schools. This book is fun to read, especially for those of us who spent time in Berkeley."
Norman Rogers, Physicist, AmericanThinker.com contributing author, UC Berkeley Class of '65.
Available on Amazon.com.
"This book is fun to read and is especially suggested for those born in the 1990's and later.
Howard Hyde's escape from Berkeley was an ideological escape. He threw off the chains of dogmatic leftism that infects most of the inhabitants of Berkeley. He follows many others before him such as George Orwell, Whittaker Chambers and David Horowitz who underwent a right traveling ideological conversions. This book is fun to read and is especially suggested for those born in the 1990's and later. Hyde explains events that otherwise would be mysterious to young people educated in our left leaning schools. This book is fun to read, especially for those of us who spent time in Berkeley."
Norman Rogers, Physicist, AmericanThinker.com contributing author, UC Berkeley Class of '65.
Available on Amazon.com.
Monday, April 11, 2016
George Gilder's The Scandal of Money
"Our misplaced faith in the power of the Federal Reserve to order growth into being by manipulating its monopoly money has led...to the capture of Wall Street by Washington and the consequent starvation of Main Street and decay of Silicon Valley. [Understanding] the real sources of our economic crisis requires surrendering our faith that the Fed has the answers."
Read the review of George Gilder's latest work, The Scandal of Money: Why Wall Street Recovers but the Economy Never Does, at The Weekly Standard.
Read the review of George Gilder's latest work, The Scandal of Money: Why Wall Street Recovers but the Economy Never Does, at The Weekly Standard.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
"Escape from Berkeley" Released Ahead of Schedule
"Escape from Berkeley: An Ex-liberal progressive socialist embraces America (and doesn't apologize)," by Howard Hyde, has been released, three weeks ahead of schedule! Available now at Amazon.com.
Howard Hyde tells how he overcame the influence and indoctrination of radical leftism in his hometown in the 1960s and 70s and became instead an evangelist for Capitalism, free markets, low taxes, the Constitution, and America. He deconstructs the radical student movement and then, by collecting his most popular published articles of the past several years into a single volume, presents a conservative and patriotic citizen-economist's analysis of subjects as diverse as health care, employment, immigration, climate change and foreign policy.
Special edition copies individually serial-numbered and signed by the author are available HERE.
Advance Praise for "Escape from Berkeley":
“Escape from Berkeley strikes at the heart of so much of the emotional and deeply flawed utopian narrative that the left clings to and reveals, step by thoughtful step, how the truth can only lead away from the left and toward the light. A political coming-of-age story that is entertaining, engaging, and essential.”
Dr. Karen Siegemund, Chaiman, American Freedom Alliance and Founder/Director of Rage Against the Media
“Howard Hyde grew up amidst the inner sanctums of the liberal movement and tells his story as a truly exciting adventure thriller. He leads you to the answer of why conservatives must vanquish the lies of the misguided leaders of a movement that can only tear down what our founding fathers built for us.”
Jim Lehr, PhD, Science Director, The Heartland Institute
“Having escaped a culture that found lying to be a convenient tool for promoting an agenda, I can testify that ‘Escape from Berkeley’ is a courageous stand for Truth.”
Nonie Darwish, author, “Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Sharia Law”
“A heartfelt and highly literate journey from political correctness to the moral high ground.”
Evan Sayet, bestselling author of “The KinderGarden of Eden: How the Modern Liberal Thinks”
"An uplifting story of Howard's real-life escape from Berzerkeley’s lunatic leftist politics. Hyde writes history - but not dry history. He writes a personal story - but it doesn't feel insular in the least, because current readers, absorbing the book's engaging prose, looking around at 2015 America, will be moved to say, "Uh oh, here we go again". But Hyde's most readable book also gives reason for hope that the escape path still exists. It's called freedom.
Bill Saracino, Member, Editorial Board, California Political Review
"Like James Burnham and Whittaker Chambers, and more recently Thomas Sowell and David Horowitz, Howard Hyde has made a transcendent voyage from far left to conservative. Personal and political, his book is ultimately a valuable lesson and political economics and how the left's destructive ideology is killing America."
Lawrence Sand, President, California Teachers Empowerment Network
Howard Hyde tells how he overcame the influence and indoctrination of radical leftism in his hometown in the 1960s and 70s and became instead an evangelist for Capitalism, free markets, low taxes, the Constitution, and America. He deconstructs the radical student movement and then, by collecting his most popular published articles of the past several years into a single volume, presents a conservative and patriotic citizen-economist's analysis of subjects as diverse as health care, employment, immigration, climate change and foreign policy.
Special edition copies individually serial-numbered and signed by the author are available HERE.
Advance Praise for "Escape from Berkeley":
“Escape from Berkeley strikes at the heart of so much of the emotional and deeply flawed utopian narrative that the left clings to and reveals, step by thoughtful step, how the truth can only lead away from the left and toward the light. A political coming-of-age story that is entertaining, engaging, and essential.”
Dr. Karen Siegemund, Chaiman, American Freedom Alliance and Founder/Director of Rage Against the Media
“Howard Hyde grew up amidst the inner sanctums of the liberal movement and tells his story as a truly exciting adventure thriller. He leads you to the answer of why conservatives must vanquish the lies of the misguided leaders of a movement that can only tear down what our founding fathers built for us.”
Jim Lehr, PhD, Science Director, The Heartland Institute
“Having escaped a culture that found lying to be a convenient tool for promoting an agenda, I can testify that ‘Escape from Berkeley’ is a courageous stand for Truth.”
Nonie Darwish, author, “Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Sharia Law”
“A heartfelt and highly literate journey from political correctness to the moral high ground.”
Evan Sayet, bestselling author of “The KinderGarden of Eden: How the Modern Liberal Thinks”
"An uplifting story of Howard's real-life escape from Berzerkeley’s lunatic leftist politics. Hyde writes history - but not dry history. He writes a personal story - but it doesn't feel insular in the least, because current readers, absorbing the book's engaging prose, looking around at 2015 America, will be moved to say, "Uh oh, here we go again". But Hyde's most readable book also gives reason for hope that the escape path still exists. It's called freedom.
Bill Saracino, Member, Editorial Board, California Political Review
"Like James Burnham and Whittaker Chambers, and more recently Thomas Sowell and David Horowitz, Howard Hyde has made a transcendent voyage from far left to conservative. Personal and political, his book is ultimately a valuable lesson and political economics and how the left's destructive ideology is killing America."
Lawrence Sand, President, California Teachers Empowerment Network
Thursday, April 07, 2016
Christian, Get Your Gun
"The right to defend one’s own life and/or to protect those around you who are depending upon your intervention in the advent of extreme danger is a God-given right and God-expected responsibility."
Read the complete article by Paul Bremmer at WorldNetDaily.
Read the complete article by Paul Bremmer at WorldNetDaily.
Monday, April 04, 2016
Happy Easter from the Religion of Peace
In the spirit of the season, Asad Shah, a Glasgow newsagent and a "devout Muslim", decided to send out an Easter greeting on his Facebook page:
---------
GOOD FRIDAY AND VERY HAPPY EASTER, ESPECIALLY TO MY BELOVED CHRISTIAN NATION X! BISMILLAH...
Let's Follow The Real Footstep Of Beloved Holy Jesus Christ (PBUH) And Get The Real Success In Both Worlds xxxx
----------
Less than four hours after this ecumenical greeting, Mr Shah was savagely murdered outside his shop by his co-religionists.
Read the complete article by Mark Steyn at SteynOnline.com.
---------
GOOD FRIDAY AND VERY HAPPY EASTER, ESPECIALLY TO MY BELOVED CHRISTIAN NATION X! BISMILLAH...
Let's Follow The Real Footstep Of Beloved Holy Jesus Christ (PBUH) And Get The Real Success In Both Worlds xxxx
----------
Less than four hours after this ecumenical greeting, Mr Shah was savagely murdered outside his shop by his co-religionists.
Read the complete article by Mark Steyn at SteynOnline.com.
Curtailing Jihad is up to Us
Curtailing Jihadi action consists of three steps:
1. Obtaining appropriate weapons
2. Learning all there is to know about their care and use
3. Preparing ourselves to act in response to Jihadi attacks
Read the complete article by J.R. Dunn at AmericanThinker.com.
1. Obtaining appropriate weapons
2. Learning all there is to know about their care and use
3. Preparing ourselves to act in response to Jihadi attacks
Read the complete article by J.R. Dunn at AmericanThinker.com.
The Traditionalist Rebel
Leftist movements begin with rebellion and end with conformity. No Utopian movement can tolerate rebels for long because there is no room for dissent in paradise. An ideal society, the goal of leftist political movements, not only has no room for war, racism, greed and all the other evils the conformist paradises of the left hope to eliminate, it also has no room for disagreement.
Read the complete essay by Daniel Greenfield at Politichicks.com.
Read the complete essay by Daniel Greenfield at Politichicks.com.
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
"Escape from Berkeley" to be Released May Day 2016
"Escape from Berkeley: An Ex-liberal progressive socialist embraces America (and doesn't apologize)," by Howard Hyde, is slated for release on May 1, 2016.
Special edition copies individually serial-numbered and signed by the author are available HERE.
Advance Praise for "Escape from Berkeley":
“Escape from Berkeley strikes at the heart of so much of the emotional and deeply flawed utopian narrative that the left clings to and reveals, step by thoughtful step, how the truth can only lead away from the left and toward the light. A political coming of age story that is entertaining, engaging, and essential.”
Dr. Karen Siegemund, Chaiman, American Freedom Alliance and Founder/Director of Rage Against the Media
“Howard Hyde grew up amidst the inner sanctums of the liberal movement and tells his story as a truly exciting adventure thriller. He leads you to the answer of why conservatives must vanquish the lies of the misguided leaders of a movement that can only tear down what our founding fathers built for us.”
Jim Lehr, PhD, Science Director, The Heartland Institute
“Having escaped a culture that found lying to be a convenient tool for promoting an agenda, I can testify that ‘Escape from Berkeley’ is a courageous stand for Truth.”
Nonie Darwish, author, “Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Sharia Law”
“A heartfelt and highly literate journey from political correctness to the moral high ground.”
Evan Sayet, bestselling author of “The KinderGarden of Eden: How the Modern Liberal Thinks”
"An uplifting story of Howard's real-life escape from Berzerkeley’s lunatic leftist politics. Hyde writes history - but not dry history. He writes a personal story - but it doesn't feel insular in the least, because current readers, absorbing the book's engaging prose, looking around at 2015 America, will be moved to say, "Uh oh, here we go again". But Hyde's most readable book also gives reason for hope that the escape path still exists. It's called freedom.
Bill Saracino, Member, Editorial Board, California Political Review
"Like James Burnham and Whittaker Chambers, and more recently Thomas Sowell and David Horowitz, Howard Hyde has made a transcendent voyage from far left to conservative. Personal and political, his book is ultimately a valuable lesson and political economics and how the left's destructive ideology is killing America."
Lawrence Sand, President, California Teachers Empowerment Network
Special edition copies individually serial-numbered and signed by the author are available HERE.
Advance Praise for "Escape from Berkeley":
“Escape from Berkeley strikes at the heart of so much of the emotional and deeply flawed utopian narrative that the left clings to and reveals, step by thoughtful step, how the truth can only lead away from the left and toward the light. A political coming of age story that is entertaining, engaging, and essential.”
Dr. Karen Siegemund, Chaiman, American Freedom Alliance and Founder/Director of Rage Against the Media
“Howard Hyde grew up amidst the inner sanctums of the liberal movement and tells his story as a truly exciting adventure thriller. He leads you to the answer of why conservatives must vanquish the lies of the misguided leaders of a movement that can only tear down what our founding fathers built for us.”
Jim Lehr, PhD, Science Director, The Heartland Institute
“Having escaped a culture that found lying to be a convenient tool for promoting an agenda, I can testify that ‘Escape from Berkeley’ is a courageous stand for Truth.”
Nonie Darwish, author, “Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Sharia Law”
“A heartfelt and highly literate journey from political correctness to the moral high ground.”
Evan Sayet, bestselling author of “The KinderGarden of Eden: How the Modern Liberal Thinks”
"An uplifting story of Howard's real-life escape from Berzerkeley’s lunatic leftist politics. Hyde writes history - but not dry history. He writes a personal story - but it doesn't feel insular in the least, because current readers, absorbing the book's engaging prose, looking around at 2015 America, will be moved to say, "Uh oh, here we go again". But Hyde's most readable book also gives reason for hope that the escape path still exists. It's called freedom.
Bill Saracino, Member, Editorial Board, California Political Review
"Like James Burnham and Whittaker Chambers, and more recently Thomas Sowell and David Horowitz, Howard Hyde has made a transcendent voyage from far left to conservative. Personal and political, his book is ultimately a valuable lesson and political economics and how the left's destructive ideology is killing America."
Lawrence Sand, President, California Teachers Empowerment Network
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Clintons fiercely suppressing movie putting them in bad light
Hillary Clinton’s presidential aspirations may be threatened by a possible indictment over her email server, the loss of American lives in Benghazi and other scandals. But the Clintons still wield enough power to suppress a movie that reflects poorly on her husband’s administration 10 years after the only time it was allowed to be seen.
Read the complete article by Bob Unruh at World Net Daily. Unruh quotes extensively from Howard Hyde's 2015 piece on AmericanThinker.com, Hillary's Path to 9/11.
Read the complete article by Bob Unruh at World Net Daily. Unruh quotes extensively from Howard Hyde's 2015 piece on AmericanThinker.com, Hillary's Path to 9/11.
Cruz If We Can, Trump If We Must
A Trump administration will be deeply flawed. But Hillary and her camp is at war with Americans who work, pay taxes, take their faith (especially Christian) seriously, speak their minds freely without deference to PC, raise their own children, keep and know how to use guns, and expect their private property and constitutional rights to be respected. There is no comparison.
Read the complete article by Howard Hyde at AmericanThinker.com.
Over 1300 comments. They really hated it.
Read the complete article by Howard Hyde at AmericanThinker.com.
Over 1300 comments. They really hated it.
Tuesday, February 02, 2016
Gun Controllers vs. the Citizens of California
- Fresno Bee: Another California bill would ban 'bullet button' weapons
- California: Third Bill to Ban Semi-Automatic Firearms Introduced
- No Gun Voter Left Behind - Why all California Gun Owners MUST VOTE
- How Gavin Newsom’s Initiative Will Flatten California Gun Owners
- USA Today: After San Bernardino attacks, concealed gun requests skyrocket in area
See more California gun control stories at https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/state-gun-laws/california/
Hillary Clinton Rebukes Law Allowing Teenagers to Target Shoot with Parents
Eight years ago when Hillary was trying to win over Second Amendment supporters, she talked about learning to shoot with her father when she was ‘a little girl.’ But now she wants to deny that same learning experience to youth in Iowa.
Read the full article by Awr Hawkins at Breitbart.com
Read the full article by Awr Hawkins at Breitbart.com
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Climatism: a Foreign Assault on America.
Climatism is a foreign assault on America.
The aggressor is not another nation-state, but an alliance of UN agencies and environmental NGOs.
Read the complete article by Ari Halperin at WattsUpWithThat.com
The aggressor is not another nation-state, but an alliance of UN agencies and environmental NGOs.
- Almost all climate science between 1970 and 1992 was conducted in the USA.
- Almost all climate politics in the same period originated elsewhere.
- Climate politics led to climate pseudo-science, not the other way around.
Read the complete article by Ari Halperin at WattsUpWithThat.com
Tuesday, January 05, 2016
A Second-Amendment Vacation
Greetings to all of our readers and "should-be" readers for a happy and prosperous 2016, to culminate in a victory for freedom and our Constitution on November 8. We hope that you have just passed a joyous holiday season.
For our part, my wife and I spent a week vacationing in the beautiful neighboring state of Arizona. There we experienced encouraging signs that not all of the country has gone mad or is a lost cause. The city of Tucson is harmoniously integrated into the natural beauty of the lush Sedona desert, with its dense forests of saguaro, cactus, mesquite, palo verde and dozens of other charming species of plants, animals and birds that we don't see in L.A. Regular gasoline may be had for $1.79 a gallon, and we never saw a traffic jam (indicating that the low price of gas was NOT starving the highway fund).
But the pièce de resistance, of course, is Arizona's commitment to the Second Amendment. How strong is it? The answer may be exemplified as follows: the only reason Arizona has a Concealed-Carry Permit system is so that Arizona residents may carry unharrassed in other states with which Arizona has reciprocal agreements. Otherwise, it's superfluous, because any adult, whether state resident or visitor, as long as he or she is not a convicted felon, officially declared mentally impaired or otherwise restricted due to action which required a burden of proof on the part of the state, may carry openly or concealed in most public places.
Gun and ammunition sales have broken records this season, and that's not a bad thing (except for the inability to purchase ammo when the shelves cleaned out). Responsible citizens, many of whom may never have fired anything more deadly than a water pistol in their lives—and even that not without excruciating pangs of guilt—are rediscovering the virtues of self-reliance, tradition and civic duty, as well as a deeper appreciation for the Constitution and its protections of individual and state's rights.
Liberals and leftists from Barack and Hillary on down may lament or even condemn this "irrational and prejudicial overreaction" to the recent Jihadist attacks in Paris, San Bernardino and elsewhere, and the catastrophic overrun of Europe by ostensible "refugees" from the Middle East; but those events, while terrible, are in fact only secondary causes of the distress of the people. It is the lack of leadership, indeed the contempt shown to the American people by members of the ruling class's reactions and statements in regard to those events, that has the people realizing that they are being abandoned if not betrayed at a time of unprecedented peril.
We stayed at a resort close to the Safeway supermarket where a mentally disturbed man shot Arizona representative Gabrielle Giffords and several others in 2011, killing six. Liberal efforts to rally around Giffords for the purpose of more stringent gun control laws backfired, as her former seat is now held by retired Air Force pilot and pro-Second Amendment Republican Martha McSally, sponsor of the pending Mental Health and Safe Communities Act. McSally's campaign got an assist from the NRA but also faced the stiff headwinds from money donated by New York liberal Michael Bloomberg to her opponent.
Liberal efforts to Californicate Texas have likewise been rebuffed. As of January 1, holders of Concealed Carry permits in Texas may carry openly, if they prefer.
Paris- and San Bernardino-style attacks are unlikely to happen in Arizona, or Wyoming, or Kansas or Maine or even Bernie Sanders' Vermont, because in those states, unlike, say, California, the responsible and law-abiding citizens have not been ordered on pain of prosecution to be sitting ducks or helpless emasculated bystanders. In public, Californians are required to keep their guns locked, unloaded, in the trunk of the car, with the ammo separated in the passenger compartment. Concealed Carry permits are extremely difficult to come by. The state maintains a list of "approved" firearm makes and models, and those excluded are not just "military-style assault rifles" but even ordinary handguns like Colt's once immensely popular Detective (38) Special and other similar snub-nose models, otherwise perfect for carrying in a purse and operated by women's smaller and weaker hands (so much for women's rights). We may not carry magazines holding more than ten rounds, even if the capacity of the gun is much higher, and this guarantees that some of us are going to lose some gunfights with bad guys who are operating on no such effective limitation, because we lost critical seconds (an eternity in a gunfight) reloading, if indeed we had more ammo to load after we were able to connect gun with ammo during an ambush.
And that's before the onslaught of laws taking effect in 2016, such as concealed carry permits no longer being honored on college campuses. Attorney General Kamala Harris has proposed a ballot initiative with a laundry list of further restrictions on ammo and magazines, a new fee-collecting ammo permit system and a gun owner database.
The list is too long to catalogue here. The bottom line is that, in California, we non-criminals are just not supposed to use guns to defend ourselves or other innocent people. Call 911; the cops will be here in a few minutes to mop up your blood and call the coroner.
By definition, laws affect the law-abiding both ex ante (in advance) and ex post (after the fact), while they only affect criminals ex post, if ever. This is why gun control laws only disarm innocent people and leave predators and terrorists laughing all the way to the bank, the Christmas Party, the music hall or the offices of periodicals which print things they find offensive. If enough Californians wake up to this fact through the irresponsibility of our leaders, the latter may have inadvertently done us all a favor. Unfortunately, it may require more massacres in our "gun-free zones" for the consciousness to change.
The best defense against a bad guy with a gun is a good guy (or gal—feminists, are you listening?) with a gun. May God Bless America. God bless Arizona. God help California.
- - - - - - - -
For more info on concealed carry policy and outcomes, see: http://www.gunfacts.info/gun-control-myths/concealed-carry/
For our part, my wife and I spent a week vacationing in the beautiful neighboring state of Arizona. There we experienced encouraging signs that not all of the country has gone mad or is a lost cause. The city of Tucson is harmoniously integrated into the natural beauty of the lush Sedona desert, with its dense forests of saguaro, cactus, mesquite, palo verde and dozens of other charming species of plants, animals and birds that we don't see in L.A. Regular gasoline may be had for $1.79 a gallon, and we never saw a traffic jam (indicating that the low price of gas was NOT starving the highway fund).
But the pièce de resistance, of course, is Arizona's commitment to the Second Amendment. How strong is it? The answer may be exemplified as follows: the only reason Arizona has a Concealed-Carry Permit system is so that Arizona residents may carry unharrassed in other states with which Arizona has reciprocal agreements. Otherwise, it's superfluous, because any adult, whether state resident or visitor, as long as he or she is not a convicted felon, officially declared mentally impaired or otherwise restricted due to action which required a burden of proof on the part of the state, may carry openly or concealed in most public places.
Gun and ammunition sales have broken records this season, and that's not a bad thing (except for the inability to purchase ammo when the shelves cleaned out). Responsible citizens, many of whom may never have fired anything more deadly than a water pistol in their lives—and even that not without excruciating pangs of guilt—are rediscovering the virtues of self-reliance, tradition and civic duty, as well as a deeper appreciation for the Constitution and its protections of individual and state's rights.
Liberals and leftists from Barack and Hillary on down may lament or even condemn this "irrational and prejudicial overreaction" to the recent Jihadist attacks in Paris, San Bernardino and elsewhere, and the catastrophic overrun of Europe by ostensible "refugees" from the Middle East; but those events, while terrible, are in fact only secondary causes of the distress of the people. It is the lack of leadership, indeed the contempt shown to the American people by members of the ruling class's reactions and statements in regard to those events, that has the people realizing that they are being abandoned if not betrayed at a time of unprecedented peril.
We stayed at a resort close to the Safeway supermarket where a mentally disturbed man shot Arizona representative Gabrielle Giffords and several others in 2011, killing six. Liberal efforts to rally around Giffords for the purpose of more stringent gun control laws backfired, as her former seat is now held by retired Air Force pilot and pro-Second Amendment Republican Martha McSally, sponsor of the pending Mental Health and Safe Communities Act. McSally's campaign got an assist from the NRA but also faced the stiff headwinds from money donated by New York liberal Michael Bloomberg to her opponent.
Liberal efforts to Californicate Texas have likewise been rebuffed. As of January 1, holders of Concealed Carry permits in Texas may carry openly, if they prefer.Paris- and San Bernardino-style attacks are unlikely to happen in Arizona, or Wyoming, or Kansas or Maine or even Bernie Sanders' Vermont, because in those states, unlike, say, California, the responsible and law-abiding citizens have not been ordered on pain of prosecution to be sitting ducks or helpless emasculated bystanders. In public, Californians are required to keep their guns locked, unloaded, in the trunk of the car, with the ammo separated in the passenger compartment. Concealed Carry permits are extremely difficult to come by. The state maintains a list of "approved" firearm makes and models, and those excluded are not just "military-style assault rifles" but even ordinary handguns like Colt's once immensely popular Detective (38) Special and other similar snub-nose models, otherwise perfect for carrying in a purse and operated by women's smaller and weaker hands (so much for women's rights). We may not carry magazines holding more than ten rounds, even if the capacity of the gun is much higher, and this guarantees that some of us are going to lose some gunfights with bad guys who are operating on no such effective limitation, because we lost critical seconds (an eternity in a gunfight) reloading, if indeed we had more ammo to load after we were able to connect gun with ammo during an ambush.
And that's before the onslaught of laws taking effect in 2016, such as concealed carry permits no longer being honored on college campuses. Attorney General Kamala Harris has proposed a ballot initiative with a laundry list of further restrictions on ammo and magazines, a new fee-collecting ammo permit system and a gun owner database.
The list is too long to catalogue here. The bottom line is that, in California, we non-criminals are just not supposed to use guns to defend ourselves or other innocent people. Call 911; the cops will be here in a few minutes to mop up your blood and call the coroner.
By definition, laws affect the law-abiding both ex ante (in advance) and ex post (after the fact), while they only affect criminals ex post, if ever. This is why gun control laws only disarm innocent people and leave predators and terrorists laughing all the way to the bank, the Christmas Party, the music hall or the offices of periodicals which print things they find offensive. If enough Californians wake up to this fact through the irresponsibility of our leaders, the latter may have inadvertently done us all a favor. Unfortunately, it may require more massacres in our "gun-free zones" for the consciousness to change.
The best defense against a bad guy with a gun is a good guy (or gal—feminists, are you listening?) with a gun. May God Bless America. God bless Arizona. God help California.
- - - - - - - -
For more info on concealed carry policy and outcomes, see: http://www.gunfacts.info/gun-control-myths/concealed-carry/
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Dobre Utro, Russia!
Of the top 10 countries from which this site gets hit, 54% of the hits in the last 30 days have come from Russia. Another 5% come from Ukraine. The USA accounts for just 29% of the traffic.
So, Dobre Utro, Russia! Send me a handwritten email sometime at HHCapitalism@gmail.com and let me know what you like and don't like about the site.
I assume that you understand English, or you wouldn't be browsing the articles here. You may write to me in English, French or Spanish as you prefer. Russian, not so much.
Cheers,
Howard Hyde
Editor
So, Dobre Utro, Russia! Send me a handwritten email sometime at HHCapitalism@gmail.com and let me know what you like and don't like about the site.
I assume that you understand English, or you wouldn't be browsing the articles here. You may write to me in English, French or Spanish as you prefer. Russian, not so much.
Cheers,
Howard Hyde
Editor
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Trump Card: Why He's Right About Muslim Immigration Here
If you denounce Donald Trump for saying he wants to stop Muslim immigration until leaders figure things out you don't realize we're in World War III.
The enemy we are facing is worse than any before. They believe they are sent by God to kill every one who does not believe as they do. And their beliefs are the antithesis of American values: No freedom of religion and speech, no liberty and opportunity for all. Women are subservient. Homosexuals die.
Read the complete article by Robert Wilcox at: RobertkWilcox.com
The enemy we are facing is worse than any before. They believe they are sent by God to kill every one who does not believe as they do. And their beliefs are the antithesis of American values: No freedom of religion and speech, no liberty and opportunity for all. Women are subservient. Homosexuals die.
Read the complete article by Robert Wilcox at: RobertkWilcox.com
Friday, December 11, 2015
Trump Goes Too Far, Right?
Donald Trump is not my candidate; never was, isn't now. But after so many rounds of "this time he's done himself in" leading to even higher scores in the polls, I'm taking the safe bet that his latest and most egregious scandal yet, the suggestion that the United States might consider adherence to Islam in determining who to allow into the country, will see him climbing higher still.
First we joked that his candidacy was like a reality TV show or a cartoon villain. Then we thanked him for the enhanced ratings--double the eyeballs ever for a televised Republican candidate debate--and dismissed him. But he didn't go away. He went up. We started to realize that the public distress over the anything-goes-by-executive-fiat immigration policy is far more acute than the comfortable establishment political and media professionals realized; and that as long as no one "better qualified" was willing to take the issue head-on without deference to polite P.C. etiquette, then Trump would continue to, well, trump. Then as the inevitable consequences of Obama's disastrous foreign policy unfolded, Trump remains the only one willing to speak off-script and unfiltered; the anti-candidate.
American are starving for some straight talk about what is going on in the world, in our backyard (Europe) and in our front yard (San Bernardino). Europe is committing suicide; its capital cities are being overrun with hostile elements who have openly proclaimed, and are carrying out in plain sight, the cultural, demographic, political and religious destruction of all that Europe ever was. And the "progressive" American left, led by Barack Obama, is hell-bent on having us follow Europe as swiftly as possible, public opinion be damned. In this crisis no one gives a rat's behind whether the potential leader has the right pedigree or the sophisticated literary polish of Alistaire Cooke. They want someone who tells it like it is where it counts, to the gut. Trump is filling that vacuum with an arctic blast.
It would appear that, according to our confusion of symbols, Hitler's biggest mistake was to neglect to establish Nazism not just as a political regime but as a religion. If he had done that, we might have been powerless to stop him, for to oppose him in any way would be to violate one of our own most sacred constitutional principles, "the free exercise thereof". Tojo, likewise, apparently might have prevailed if only he had bombed Pearl Harbor in the name of Shintoism.
As Americans and westerners, we recoil at the thought of discriminating on the basis of religion. But we need to remind ourselves that we have never shrunk from discriminating against hostile, anti-American, fascist and genocidal ideologies, from Mussolini's Italy to Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
The Islam that we fear and oppose, the Islam that attacked New York and Washington D.C. on 9/11/2001, Paris last month and San Bernardino last week, is not a religion but a tyrannical political ideology. If we can recognize it as such (before more of us get killed), and find the right words to identify and define it, then we can fight and defeat it with no hazard to our constitutional principles. We may freely and forcefully exclude just as confidently as we would the Ku Klux Klan or anyone waving a Confederate flag.
Readers who wish to challenge me on this definition have two groups of experts that they may consult. The first are all of the ex-Muslims who have put their lives at risk by renouncing Jihad, becoming apostates (a capital offense), and speaking out for the sake of warning the West as to the true nature of this "religion". The second are the Islamic leaders themselves, the recognized and credentialed spokesmen for Islam around the world; the ones who write the fatwas against the apostates. They are willing to tell the truth about themselves even if we are not. They are unequivocal: Islam does not permit any man-made law like the Constitution of the United States to take precedence over Sharia and the Qur'an. Before offering an opinion, let alone a denouncement, of Trump's proposal, every American should read and digest those.
As for the "refugees," almost half of whom are from a dozen Islamic countries other than Syria and 75 percent of whom are military age men, they may be clueless about economics, but they are razor-sharp, clear, and profound when it comes to demographics. The most illiterate Muslim refugee (which is to say, the majority of them) could not explain what supply and demand are, or why they should be expected to work in Germany rather than have clothing, shelter, transportation and halal food provided to them in a Jew-free environment courtesy of the German taxpayer; but they can articulate the compound-interest effect of their own high birth rate on the society that they are supplanting with the eloquence of a lettered professor. Our own college graduates seem to struggle to compete on that score.
Once again, Trump is not my first choice; far from it. But if no one else is willing or able to step up, he will have won it fair and square, no tricks, no gimmicks, no deception. Ted, Marco, Carly, Ben, Mike, your move.
- - - - - - - - -
POSTSCRIPT: Each of the candidates who are hoping to displace Trump need to come up with a new, qualitative distinction that prompt potential primary voters to see their candidacy in a whole new light. I will address myself to Ted Cruz in Particular: Many people like him for what he is and has done, but don't necessarily translate that into perceiving him as George Washington; maybe Alexander Hamilton (who, in case it requires reminding, in spite of appearing on the ten-dollar bill, never became president).
To remedy that weakness, IMHO the principled conservative firebrand maverick senator should start dropping not-so-subtle hints as to which GOVERNORS are on his short list of running mates. If people were to begin conceiving of a Cruz-Walker ADMINSTRATION, or a Cruz-Christie administration, or Cruz-Huckabee, or Cruz-Jindal, or even Cruz-Romney, it would change the game. The people will see a rounded-out team with a depth of governing experience in addition to principled leadership, instead of just "Prez Ted Hotshot".
What are your ideas? How can Rubio, Carson or Fiorina add a decisive dimension to his or her campaign?
Speaking of Carly, rumors of her death may be greatly exaggerated. Her campaign may appear stalled, but that may be merely a function of her not getting the media attention accorded to the others; we don't see enough of her. When she's on, she's brilliant and articulate, with an extraordinary command of details AND the ability to summarize. From the forest to the trees to the leaves, to the mitochondria to the planetary whole, she can tell it.
First we joked that his candidacy was like a reality TV show or a cartoon villain. Then we thanked him for the enhanced ratings--double the eyeballs ever for a televised Republican candidate debate--and dismissed him. But he didn't go away. He went up. We started to realize that the public distress over the anything-goes-by-executive-fiat immigration policy is far more acute than the comfortable establishment political and media professionals realized; and that as long as no one "better qualified" was willing to take the issue head-on without deference to polite P.C. etiquette, then Trump would continue to, well, trump. Then as the inevitable consequences of Obama's disastrous foreign policy unfolded, Trump remains the only one willing to speak off-script and unfiltered; the anti-candidate.
American are starving for some straight talk about what is going on in the world, in our backyard (Europe) and in our front yard (San Bernardino). Europe is committing suicide; its capital cities are being overrun with hostile elements who have openly proclaimed, and are carrying out in plain sight, the cultural, demographic, political and religious destruction of all that Europe ever was. And the "progressive" American left, led by Barack Obama, is hell-bent on having us follow Europe as swiftly as possible, public opinion be damned. In this crisis no one gives a rat's behind whether the potential leader has the right pedigree or the sophisticated literary polish of Alistaire Cooke. They want someone who tells it like it is where it counts, to the gut. Trump is filling that vacuum with an arctic blast.
It would appear that, according to our confusion of symbols, Hitler's biggest mistake was to neglect to establish Nazism not just as a political regime but as a religion. If he had done that, we might have been powerless to stop him, for to oppose him in any way would be to violate one of our own most sacred constitutional principles, "the free exercise thereof". Tojo, likewise, apparently might have prevailed if only he had bombed Pearl Harbor in the name of Shintoism.
As Americans and westerners, we recoil at the thought of discriminating on the basis of religion. But we need to remind ourselves that we have never shrunk from discriminating against hostile, anti-American, fascist and genocidal ideologies, from Mussolini's Italy to Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
The Islam that we fear and oppose, the Islam that attacked New York and Washington D.C. on 9/11/2001, Paris last month and San Bernardino last week, is not a religion but a tyrannical political ideology. If we can recognize it as such (before more of us get killed), and find the right words to identify and define it, then we can fight and defeat it with no hazard to our constitutional principles. We may freely and forcefully exclude just as confidently as we would the Ku Klux Klan or anyone waving a Confederate flag.
Readers who wish to challenge me on this definition have two groups of experts that they may consult. The first are all of the ex-Muslims who have put their lives at risk by renouncing Jihad, becoming apostates (a capital offense), and speaking out for the sake of warning the West as to the true nature of this "religion". The second are the Islamic leaders themselves, the recognized and credentialed spokesmen for Islam around the world; the ones who write the fatwas against the apostates. They are willing to tell the truth about themselves even if we are not. They are unequivocal: Islam does not permit any man-made law like the Constitution of the United States to take precedence over Sharia and the Qur'an. Before offering an opinion, let alone a denouncement, of Trump's proposal, every American should read and digest those.
As for the "refugees," almost half of whom are from a dozen Islamic countries other than Syria and 75 percent of whom are military age men, they may be clueless about economics, but they are razor-sharp, clear, and profound when it comes to demographics. The most illiterate Muslim refugee (which is to say, the majority of them) could not explain what supply and demand are, or why they should be expected to work in Germany rather than have clothing, shelter, transportation and halal food provided to them in a Jew-free environment courtesy of the German taxpayer; but they can articulate the compound-interest effect of their own high birth rate on the society that they are supplanting with the eloquence of a lettered professor. Our own college graduates seem to struggle to compete on that score.
Once again, Trump is not my first choice; far from it. But if no one else is willing or able to step up, he will have won it fair and square, no tricks, no gimmicks, no deception. Ted, Marco, Carly, Ben, Mike, your move.
- - - - - - - - -
POSTSCRIPT: Each of the candidates who are hoping to displace Trump need to come up with a new, qualitative distinction that prompt potential primary voters to see their candidacy in a whole new light. I will address myself to Ted Cruz in Particular: Many people like him for what he is and has done, but don't necessarily translate that into perceiving him as George Washington; maybe Alexander Hamilton (who, in case it requires reminding, in spite of appearing on the ten-dollar bill, never became president).
To remedy that weakness, IMHO the principled conservative firebrand maverick senator should start dropping not-so-subtle hints as to which GOVERNORS are on his short list of running mates. If people were to begin conceiving of a Cruz-Walker ADMINSTRATION, or a Cruz-Christie administration, or Cruz-Huckabee, or Cruz-Jindal, or even Cruz-Romney, it would change the game. The people will see a rounded-out team with a depth of governing experience in addition to principled leadership, instead of just "Prez Ted Hotshot".
What are your ideas? How can Rubio, Carson or Fiorina add a decisive dimension to his or her campaign?
Speaking of Carly, rumors of her death may be greatly exaggerated. Her campaign may appear stalled, but that may be merely a function of her not getting the media attention accorded to the others; we don't see enough of her. When she's on, she's brilliant and articulate, with an extraordinary command of details AND the ability to summarize. From the forest to the trees to the leaves, to the mitochondria to the planetary whole, she can tell it.
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