January 2010 – Page 2 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Michael Moore Profits from Taxpayers

It doesn’t make a good Michael Moore post unless you can show he’s a hypocrite. Fortunately, Moore gives us plenty of fodder.

Michael Moore’s latest film, Capitalism: A Love Story – which bashes taxpayer bailouts of big Wall Street companies – was itself the recipient of taxpayer subsidies from the state of Michigan, the Mackinac center reports. Moore previously bashed the film tax credit program, calling it a handout for big Hollywood production companies.

I guess it is only objectionable when taxpayers are forced to subsidize other rich fat cats.

Drinks are on the House

The House Speaker, that is.

It reads like a dream order for a wild frat party: Makerâ€™s Mark whiskey, Courvoisier cognac, Johnny Walker Red scotch, Grey Goose vodka, E&J brandy, Baileyâ€™s Irish CrÃ¨me, Bacardi Light rum, Jim Beam whiskey, Beefeater gin, Dewars scotch, Bombay Sapphire gin, Jack Daniels whiskey â€¦ and Corona beer.

But that single receipt makes up just part of the more than $101,000 taxpayers paid for â€œin-flight servicesâ€ â€“ including food and liquor, for House Speaker Nancy Pelosiâ€™s trips on Air Force jets over the last two years. Thatâ€™s almost $1,000 per week.

I could use a spare bottle of Grey Goose if she’s got a bottle (or even half!) laying around. I just got our sampler of vanilla beans from around the world in, and now the 2 cups of extract I planned to make aren’t going to be nearly enough.

Another Trip in the Time Machine

Dave Hardy points to his original 1974 law review on the Second Amendment. He scanned the whole paper if you want to read it. Pretty interesting.

There’s a Chilly Breeze

It seems that Hell just dropped a few degrees. I don’t know how else to describe the prospect of Massachusetts getting a single license issuing authority that removes the discretion of local police. I admit that I don’t pay close attention to things in the Bay State anymore, but wow. Just wow.

I realize that most of you read that and wonder what kind of gun rights hell that describes, and why I would consider it a good thing. Consider that when someone I know described the gun laws of Massachusetts to a Pennsylvania gun owner, the guy didn’t even believe that it was in America. He knew the state was part of this country, but he assumed the laws described were from a country that has a near ban on ownership. Baby steps don’t even begin to describe how reform happens in Massachusetts.

How to Report the News

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtGSXMuWMR4[/youtube]

Smart Gun Reality?

If the New Jersey AG or California AG declare this is a certified smart gun, it will be the only gun you’re allowed to buy in either of those states. Fortunately, Jerry Brown has been more friendly on the issue lately, and we just had an administration change in New Jersey. Nonetheless, it’s interesting how much it costs, and it’s only a .22LR.

Gun Show Bill Dead in Virginia

Normally they just let bills that aren’t going anywhere languish in committee, but the Virginia House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee held a vote and voted it down 4-1. This kills the bill. They also killed a bill that would have weakened preemption considerably. This means the bills are dead, and sends an effective message that gun control will find no welcome in the Old Dominion. Obviously some folks are upset.

Going Overboard on a Single Issue

In a world of politics where it’s rare to see a candidate take a strong stand on any position and actually mean it, I suppose that I should find Joe Hoeffel’s dedication to abortion admirable – at least as a matter of not being afraid to be clear on his positions. But for a guy who wants to win a state that’s more of a purple shade of blue rather than bright blue, you’d think he would have figured out that his enthusiasm for a controversial issue isn’t exactly going to win him many votes.

Most pro-choicers I know are not ardent pro-choice advocates. While they are unlikely to vote for a candidate who wants to ban all abortions, they are also not likely to carry water for those who take a Kang-like dedication to “abortions for all.”

So I really have to wonder exactly what Hoeffel’s strategy on this issue is for his race for governor. He can’t possibly think there’s a constituency for it. The abortion issue and related links made up 28 of his last 60 tweets. I can’t fathom anyone who actually thinks that abortion is such an important issue today that it justifies nearly 50% of a campaign’s social media outreach. There are no big controversial abortion bills on the floor of either the state legislature or Congress. Even if he survives the Democratic primary, there’s really nothing the next governor will be able to do for either side of the issue. Hoeffel has just gone nuts on this non-issue, and I can’t fathom whose votes he believes it will win. At this rate, I fully expect him to show up at the next campaign stop with a Planned Parenthood abortion pride t-shirt on.

He Better Hope He Doesn’t Get Browned

Chuckie Schumer is dropping in the polls. I’m sure Chuck can count on the anti-gun vote to save him. All he has to do is ask his buddies Jon and Martha. I don’t want to be too optimistic, but it would be awfully nice to run the Scott Brown treatment on Schumer. I’d love to send one of the major architects of gun control legislation for the past two decades packing.

Bill Schneider: “I Told You So”

Bill Schneider, whoÂ backed Obama in the election, is nowÂ coming out with “I told you so” articles, saying how great Obama has been for gun rights. While I will give Mr. Schneider the benefit of agreeing that Obama has kept his word to moderate Dems like Tester, Baucus, and Webb, to lay off the gun issue, I think he’s blind to the bigger picture.

Obviously he’s not following the Brady machinations, who are quickly realizing they flushed their endorsement of Obama down the toilet. They weren’t fools. They looked at his record just like we did and drew the appropriate conclusions. He’s also incorrect that the Ensign Amendment repealed anything (it was amended on the DC voting rights bill, which is being held up by Democratic leadership because they hate the gun amendment). He’s overlooking that Obama only signed pro-gun legislation because it was amended onto must-pass legislation, that Obama wouldn’t have had much room for exercising a veto. These amendments were a partnership between Republicans and pro-gun Democrats, and not anything pushed or desired by the White House or Pelosi.

I have to admit that to the extent that Obama made deals with pro-gun Dems to lay off the issue, he’s kept his word. The assertion that Obama is pro-gun, or good for gun rights, is as ridiculous now as it was before the election. His history on this issue is not one of respecting the Second Amendment. While he’s not done anything to us, he’s also not done anything for us. If Bill Schneider wants us to praise a Democrat for helping us get pro-gun legislation through the House and past the Oval Office, he should be telling us to praise Harry Reid, not President Obama.