Sebastian – Page 387 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Who’s Voting

Ace of Spades has an interesting post on Independent Voters, who are turning away from Obama. If you want to understand why our political system is in such dire straits, you should go read it. Studies of independent voters show that the majority of them are closet partisans. In other words, they can be considered reliable votes for one of the two major parties, but for various reasons, don’t want to identity with them. There is, however, a large number of voters who fit the profile that Ace describes, and they constitute enough people to swing elections:

In other words, they have decided — they just think it makes them seem like smarter, more informed voters to claim they’re still deciding, so they won’t admit that. As they’re actuallyÂ notÂ very well informed voters — and I think they know this — this pretense becomes very important to them. They need some pretense to excuse away their complete disinterest in reading the news.

So they basically start insisting they want the candidates themselves to catch them up to speed, ignoring the fact that policies are spelled out on their campaign websites, and ignoring the fact that these positions are easily and readily discoverable, just by googling and reading.

In 2008, this cohort broke heavily for Obama, and in 2012 they will be an important component in the race. This is why political rhetoric today is so heavily geared toward the ignorant. Speaking of which, Ilya Somin has a video highlighting the problem of political ignorance.

More Coverage of Fast and Furious

Dave Kopel asks whether Obama’s assertion of executive privilege is valid. Instapundit has a few links on the scandal, including one from the Washington Post. Investors Business Daily has run an article stating that the Executive Privilege has the stench of cover-up. Wall Street Journal is running an op-ed. More from the Washington Post. Of course, the WaPo is also offering up some apologia on behalf of Eric Holder.

The only thing I can figure in all this is that Obama thinks taking this up a notch will result in him ending up the victor in the court of public opinion. This scandal was quite easily explained away as incompetence, but the invoking of executive privilege could lead many to question what the White House and Holder have to hide. If this was hatched by the Phoenix office, and everyone involved fired or relocated, then there shouldn’t be an issue with a document release to Congress.

Progress in Jury Nullification

A panel of perspective jurors seems none too thrilled about a felony trial over a small amount of coke. Of course, I can promise you none of those who answered that they would nullify ended up on the jury.

Resolution to Find Holder in Contempt Passes House Committee

From NRA. I don’t really understand why Obama invoking Executive Privilege was a smart move. It’s basically an admission of White House involvement in the scandal, and now, unlike before, the entire media is paying attention to Fast and Furious. How ironic that it might be Obama himself be the one to blow this scandal wide open.

Non-Violent Misdemeanants Have Second Amendment Rights

So says a federal district court, upon considering Chicago’s law that bars licenses from anyone convicted for any gun violation, no matter how trivial or minor.

On Being Made

SayUncle noticed someone carrying in public and snapped a picture. He must have a good eye, because I couldn’t tell myself. I’ve been made twice, both by little kids, whose short height makes it easy for them to see concealed items beneath clothing. The first was Bitter’s nephew, who went to give me a hug goodbye, then awkwardly asks in public “Why do you have a gun on?” The second was more recently, by a friend’s kid, who noticed something in my pocket when he bumped into it, then asked what I had in my pocket. I didn’t answer, so I can’t say I was technically “made” but most people don’t notice the pocket holster.

I’ve been around cops while carrying, and never been made. One was even an accident scene, and when I had a Glock 19 under my shirt. Maybe instead of “stop and frisk,” Bloomberg should just hire little kids.

Right to Keep and Bear Knives

The Delaware Supreme Court has ruled that one can’t be charged for possessing a concealed knife or other weapon in one’s home if that weapon is possessed for a lawful purpose. I agree that the right to keep and bear arms is not limited to firearms, and should cover air guns, stun guns, knives, or any other weapon that has utility for defending oneself. Another interesting thing to note is that Delaware’s right to keep and bear arms provision is a recent one, having been passed in 1987. Anti-gunners keep telling us that the Right to Keep and Bear arms is an anachronism, but when put to the ballot, it seems to be a right the people still believe is important.

NRA to Score Contempt Vote

The letter indicating as much can be found here. John Richardson has the excerpt.

UPDATE: Joe has a few words about Eric Holder’s “Extraordinary offer.”

UPDATE: The Belmont Club on Obama invoking Executive Privilege:

Invoking executive privilege was probably a bad move. It wonâ€™t be evident right away. But it will be as time goes on. The President has taken the political combat into very expensive territory in energy management terms.Â He has neither the altitude nor the fuel to protect either Holder or himself in the long run.

Here’s hoping this backfires. His invoking of Executive Privilege seems to be making Fast and Furious a bigger story, which will get more eyeballs on the scandal. A real good question is what the White House is hiding. If this really was just a botched operation hatched by a field office, why the stonewalling?

Microstamping Passes New York Assembly

I’m wondering if The Freedom Group is regretting expanding and consolidating their manufacturing there yet. It was a foolish move to expand operations in a state where the legislature is outwardly hostile to gun rights and the gun business. The bill covers all guns manufactured or delivered in the State of New York. I have said a purpose of our opponents is to find ways to get gun owners like you and me thrown in prison. This bill is a treasure trove:

Section 4 of the bill amends subdivision 6 of section 265.10 of theÂ penal law to clarify that the existing class D felony offense ofÂ defacing a firearm includes the defacement of a microstampingÂ component or mechanism of a semiautomatic pistol.

And how, as a gun owner, am I supposed to tell whether the stamping face has worn? Research has demonstrated that microstamp faces naturally wear. Can the authorities make a distinction between defacement and normal wear? Is the burden on me, the gun owner, to show it’s wear? I can’t exactly see it. How am I supposed to tell if when I took my pistol into the gunsmith, he didn’t mismatch the part. If I order a new firing pin, how am I supposed to ascertain whether the marking is correct and true? Remember, if it’s wrong, I could be facing a felony rap.

This section also creates a new class A misdemeanor offense when a dealer in firearms sells, offers for sale, exchanges, gives, transfers or delivers a semiautomatic pistol knowing that the microstamping component or mechanism of such pistol has been defaced.

And how is the dealer supposed to know? Are dealers required to equip up like a ballistics lab so they can fire a casing, and examine it under a microscope? What if a stamp is worn? How worn is too worn? What counts as defacement? The dealer is facing a high level misdemeanor if he gets it wrong. If I were an attorney advising a New York gun shop, I’d tell him your safe bet is to cease operations, and get out of the business, or only deal in firearms manufactured before January 1st, 2014, which are grandfathered under this bill.

This bill will definitely help the gun control lobby achieve their goals of putting more gun owners in prison. It will also cost upstate jobs as Reminginton is forced to re-locate.

I Am Amused by Everyone Talking about Wawa

Mitt Romney, being from Michigan, and more recently Massachusetts, probably does not have much experience with Wawa. For those of you who live in Sheetz country, you can get a pretty close comparison to Wawa’s ruthless efficiency on delivering you food. If you can find a good Wawa, you go to the console, pick out your sandwich or other eats, go grab a drink or other convenience store items, then pay for it (the machine prints out a receipt for you to pre-pay, which will then be stamped paid by the cashier.) Usually, if the Wawa is good, and not too busy, you’ll turn around back to the deli counter, and trade a stamped receipt for your Hoagie (not a Sub, as the barbarians call it). Also with Wawa, instead of the standard “Would you like fries with that,” the machine will always ask whether you’d like bacon with that. Doesn’t matter what the sandwich is, they’ll slap some bacon on it for you if you want. They’ll even slap double bacon on if you want. I’ve been to other parts of the country, where there is no Wawa, and other than Sheetz, I haven’t found a whole lot that measures up.

So the fact that Mitt was surprised by this whole process doesn’t mean a whole lot. Wawa is one thing I would sorely miss if I lived somewhere else. Both 7-11 and the gas station convenience stores are ghetto by comparison.