Just so you know, we haven’t forgotten about it. Things have gotten busy, and since we’re at the point we need to field test it, that means we need to find time to shoot at a mellow range. This time of year that’s harder than it should be. I haven’t even been making it to the regular matches at my club.
Month: April 2011
Eric Heyl Hates Women
I’d like to know why the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review thought it was remotely acceptable to publish something as vile as this:
The ACLU seems to be attempting to alter that image. Its offerings at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center will include a ladies-only seminar teaching them how to organize a protest.
To most women, such a seminar probably wouldn’t have the same appeal as, say, a holistic facial at the day spa. But providing people with relaxed, radiant faces isn’t part of the ACLU’s mission.
It’s just a theory. But I think that before more women start attending the ACLU convention, more of them will have to be informed. …
Women likely won’t consider participating in public assemblies or speaking out against government policies if they are concerned that:
— Spending several hundred dollars on a protest permit might leave them without enough money to get the full treatment at that next visit to the day spa.
— Carrying a political pamphlet in a small purse would leave less room for more important items, such as lipstick or compact.
— The heavy clothing required to successfully protest outside in cooler weather would make them appear frumpy.
— Dirt and grass might stain the new Coach shoes they just bought at Macy’s.
— The printing press smell when the signs are printed could totally overwhelm the Chanel they’re wearing.
— Most sign poles come only in one boring color: wood.
— Spouting political opinions simply isn’t sexy.
Well, they did publish just such an attack, but I guess they deemed it acceptable since the right that Heyl mocks is the Second Amendment instead of the First. It’s also the NRA being attacked as opposed to the ACLU.
The reason I made changes to the column is to highlight that this isn’t about guns. This piece is flat out sexist against women who engage in any activity that doesn’t involve a mall and credit card. I thought we moved past those days back in 1950. It would seem the Tribune wants to bring those days back. Because how dare women get so uppity as to make serious decisions about things like political issues and personal issues such as self-defense.
There is no justification for this column. It has nothing to do with disagreement on the political issue, nor is it an examination of the gender participation in either the shooting sports or political field. It merely brushes across those topics in order to poorly disguise an attack on women.
For those would don’t share Heyl’s view that women are unable to occupy themselves beyond thinking about facials, lipstick, perfume, and clothes, you can email him at eheyl@tribweb.com or call him at 412-320-7857.
And shame on the gun store that participated in this load of bull – Anthony Arms & Accessories. Perhaps the reason the manager cites poor sales to women at his store is because he’s happy to paint a picture of the shooting sports as a man’s world, as evidenced by his attack on NRA as simply a boy’s club. I gave them the benefit of the doubt that perhaps the words were misconstrued, and they had no intention of working with such an anti-woman (and presumably anti-gun) columnist, but with no retraction on their website even after well over 12 hours of the story being live, it would appear they stand by their statements.
Another Front in the War
Campus carry bill being introduced in Louisiana. The strategy here is sound. Overwhelm the opposition, and tire them out. Make them fight on so many fronts they spread themselves thin. We have an inherent advantage here they lack.
English Bill of Rights
Thirdpower points out that Coalition to Stop Gun Violence likes to point out that the English Bill of Rights allowed for disarmament, so by virtue of our Bill of Rights being based on it, ours must too. Obviously CSGV are concerned, much like the drafters of the English Bill of Rights, that we can’t have a bunch of armed papists and dirty street urchins wandering around this country with guns. Guns are for proper Protestant gentlemen! That’s a Bill of Rights they can believe in. Rights for some but not for others.
I’m sure that argument will go over well with our Supreme Court, 6 of 9 of which are Catholic. Oh yeah, and remember folks, we’re paranoid and delusional for thinking these people want to ban guns. They can have my guns when the Archbishop of Canterbury pries them from my cold dead fingers.
Patrick Murphy Announces for PA Attorney General
My recently unseated former Congressman has announced his intention to enter the race for Pennsylvania Attorney General. You can see more details about Murphy over at our EVC blog. Needless to say, given the number of gun related topics the Attorney General covers, Murphy could cause serious problems for us. His record is not good. He never signed onto the Heller brief, and he once co-sponsored a gun ban.
Most Important Point about 2012 Elections
From a speech by Wayne LaPierre in Arkansas:
“I believe that the Second Amendment hangs by one vote, and this 2012 election could break the back of it one way or the other,†said Wayne LaPierre, the association’s CEO and executive vice president, in a packed room at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.
That is pretty much true. If anything happens to Justice Scalia, who is now 75, or Justice Kennedy, who is nearly 75, the Second Amendment is in mortal danger. If Obama is elected to a second term, he will leave office in 2016, the year that both Scalia and Kennedy turn 80. The probability, based on actuarial tables, of either them dying during that time are about 1 in 5. That makes the overall odds that we lose one of the Heller Five during Obama’s second term at 2 in 5. That’s not even speaking of the odds they might want to retire. How do you feel about those odds? I don’t like them.
Facts About Castle Doctrine
I’m pretty sure that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette doesn’t know any of them.
After a brief flirtation with losing my mind last night, we will return to our regularly scheduled blogging.
Karma’s a Bitch
I don’t really believe in Karma, because it’s for hippies. But sometimes you really have to wonder. If there’s one thing I’ve been praying and hoping for is that our company makes it. So if you believe in something like Karma, that would mean it all has to balance out in the end. Some bad things have to happen to make up for it. Let’s say I’m getting more optimistic about the job. In the past two weeks:
- Bitter’s check engine light goes on. Looks like the throttle body. Her car has the same engine as mine, and I had to replace mine. 600 dollars. The throttle position sensor goes bad, and that’s not a replaceable part. You have to replace the whole body.
- Before we can get it in to the shop to even get it looked at, she gets rear ended by a fish truck while on her way to restock on fish for our freezer. The fish truck has insurance that doesn’t want to admit fault and pay up, even though it’s a rear end accident, and there’s no doubt as to who is at fault.
- I have two breakers in my box blow up and damage the bus bar. Turns out the dead rat smell emanating from the dishwasher was actually emanating from the electrical panel and wafting into the rest of the house. I have fixed this problem for now, but only after much aggravation.
- Today I come home and the animals have chewed through my gas grill line yet again. This is the second time. The first time there was fat that had dripped on the line. I can deal. This one I’ve been keeping clean. This time was just for spite. What’s worse is I forgot to turn off the tank, so I lost most of a 17 dollar tank of propane. If I ever catch any critter anywhere near my grill again, it better run before I find my air gun and fire up the smoker. That will settle the question of what’s for dinner.
- Go to do the dishes after dinner, and the sink backs up. This happened when I first moved in and I had to auger it out. There is very little that’s more disgusting in the universe than auguring a sewer drain. I worked for a plumber when I was a teenager, and I can still remember “Get your hands in there. Nothin’ in there that’s going to kill you,” ringing in my ears. There are septic bacteria based drain clearing products, but I have no idea how effective this is. I’d like to know before I buy myself some cholera in a can.
So if I end up losing my job in addition to all this, seriously, screw the hippies and their Karma.
Connecticut Magazine Ban Dies in Committee
John Richardson has the details. I don’t think this speaks well for our opponents chances that even Northeast states don’t seem to want to go there. Apparently there were more than 200 people that showed up to the hearing, many testifying against it. Democracy works for those who show up, and we do more than our opponents.
That Ailing Industry
Financial columnists seem to be paying attention to gun companies these days, despite assurances from Josh Sugarmann the industry has been in decline. They note the following about Smith & Wesson meeting its earning mark:
Now to be fair, it wasn’t Smith & Wesson’s firearms division that misfired. In fact, revenue from the company’s primary division climbed to $79.2 million from $74.7 million a year earlier. The drag on Smith came from its perimeter security division, which saw a 38% drop in revenue as businesses and the government spent less on its perimeter security systems.
Doesn’t fit the VPC narrative, does it? In other news, I had no idea Smith & Wesson had a perimeter security division. When I think perimeter security, I think these: