Mixed Economy - in the U.S. of A.

This article on Investopedia focuses on the differences between socialism and communism, but it lays bare the reality that the United States has excepted elements of socialism as normal.

The Difference Between Communism and Socialism

When I was in Germany as an exchange student, our German counterparts proudly presented their "social welfare state." I cringed, but what do we have here? Do we have 5 pillars of a social welfare state?

Democrats Go After Black Rifles - Again, and Again, and Again

Democrats repeatedly go after AR-style rifles. Why?

1. ARs look evil. They are dark, sinister, unnatural. 
2. They are easy targets, because they are less prevalent than other weapons. But of course, that is changing. 
3. Democrats can easily confuse fellow citizens by calling them: "assault weapons" and "military-style weapons."
4. Democrats lie about the weapons by overstating or mischaracterizing the capabilities of certain features, accessories, and the overall weapons. 
5. Democrats constantly call ARs inappropriate for sporting use, while they act like they are avid hunters. 
6. Democrats ignore that ARs are the exact military-style weapons that the founders of the United States and authors of our Constitution wanted civilians to possess. 
7. AND FINALLY Democrats exaggerate the impact illegal use of ARs has on us. For example, deaths from rifles in the USA is a small percentage of overall gun deaths. That makes gun deaths from ARs even less significant. Not to mention that all murders are NOT committed with guns in the USA.

Original post on SteemIt

Bandoleered Bookworm on SteemIt

A New Blog, Again!

credit: BusinessInsider.com

This is the philosophy of this new blog, Regular Schmoes: Seriously, elite Dems are your fiends ;) - for the time being. It's borrowed, from the wrong industry, but the modern culture war is, well, a war:

Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

- Marine General Mad Dog Mattis 

RegularSchmoes.blogspot.com

Camper Gun (Intro)

The truck gun revisited and modified and further adapted.

I want a gun to keep in a pop-up camper that we haven't actually purchased yet. This is like decorating a house before you've signed the loan - or picked it. Then again, everyone thinks about how their current furniture will fit in a new house and what they will need to fill out the new house. And if you always wanted a new, perfect couch, then why not make sure you have a place for it.

Well, on to my perfect couch camper gun.

First, my Criteria, which might expand or contract,during this process: (1) Easy to stow, (2) Easy to use, (3) Effective, and (4) Inexpensive.

Criteria

1. Easy to stow: I want something that I can safely stow. Something relatively compact that I can fit in a cabinet or other available space preferable in a locking box, case, or tethered.
2. Easy to use: Since it will be stowed like a fire extinguisher, I don't anticipate extensive practice. Also, I want the entire family to be comfortable with its operation. 
3. Effective: The caliber and capacity needs to be able to provide a good defense against unwanted two- and four-legged visitors.
4. Inexpensive: It will be a gun that will sit idle most of the time, like a tacklebox or truck gun.

In short, the winning camper-gun candidate will need to be comforting but not burdensom and able to answer the call.

When I started this process, the most logical choice seemed to be a folding a takedown .22 LR rifle. I have become enamored of late with .22 LR, after shooting a nice target rifle - and because of ammo prices. So, lets start there - and specifically the single-shot rifles.

Credit: Cheaper Than Dirt

NEXT: Camper Gun (Part 1): Single-Shot Rifles

Fight Like You're The Third Monkey

"... when it's time to fight, you fight like you're the third monkey on the ramp to Noah's Ark… and brother, it's startin' to rain."

- Christopher Woods, Rash'Tor'R

"Trump Is Literally Hitler"

photo credits: tumbr.com, furtherglory.wordpress.com, otswithapps.com, edvardmunch.org

More at The Wrong Guncast

Well-Seasoned Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Easy Warrior lies for profit.
"The President of the United States
lies for sport and gets away with it.” -Elizabeth Warren
original photo: hennessysview.com

Statutes Vs. Law

Hypothesis: Statutes suck.

Law is organic and grows out of judicial decisions involving juries of actual peers.

Statutes are legislated by an extremely small minority and finished by bureaucrats working to protect their jobs.

Conclusion: All statutes are illegal.

We Outsourced The Fight

According to Michael Bane, gun-rights advocates are failing on two fronts, and a new one has opened up:

1. "The willingness to outsource the fight."

2. "Inability to consolidate victory."

3. "We are now in a Culture War" and that makes it a "zero-sum game."

Whom did we outsource the fight to? Bane said it was pretty much left up to Gun Culture 2.0, and they did what the rest of us did (Gun Culture 1.0) - which was not much. But I think the most important that we ALL did was act like "membership" WAS the fight. We joined the NRA. We followed Facebook gun pages. We liked posts and loved tweets. We enjoyed the echo chamber. 

We do make small victories. Bane contends that we elected Trump, but what have we gotten for it? And he said that the same thing went for Bush, Jr. We do not hold our elected officials to task and account, and Republicans in Congress are demonstrating that in spades. We rest on shaky laurels; we do not consolidate victories - judicial, legislative, elected, and appointed.

And now with the liberal MSM and politicians pandering to youth, Bane finally contends that we are in a Culture War in which the anti-private-gun faction wants us dead. They want to rip private guns from American culture, and since they are so determined to pursue this Culture War, then this is a zero-sum game. Either we win, or they win.

Well, I believe that we will never lose. We may have setbacks - like most of the 20th century, but gun rights are on an upswing with concealed carry and Constitutional carry, and the judiciary slowly recognizing the natural, individual right to arms.

So what have I done? I have argued with Facebook friends and foes - and edjumacated coworkers, but did I do anything political?

Well, in this modern social-media age, I did offer kudos to my U.S. Rep, when he posted his NRA rating on Facebook - and I defended him and encouraged him and he responded positively. But I haven't written a letter to a pol in a couple years, and I've never done anything else.

 So what to do? I listened to the recent Society and the State podcast episode "How To Lobby In Your Pajamas." Connor Boyack's main strategy is, if I can be so bold to paraphrase: Treat politicians as people. Offer them a free lunch. Honor their accomplishments (of course, the ones that went our way). Even if they are not NRA "A+" rated, we still need to make them feel appreciated. Give kudos for non-gun issues. Make your contact with them a positive experience, and of course, contact them about the issues you care about.

What else, I don't know. But in the meantime, I need to research what my Congress people have been doing - and contact them.

Oh, yeah. Apparently, state-level gun rights organizations can be really effective and need more attention.

You might be saying: "What's this we crap?" If you have been active in lobbying politicians and defending our rights, then I say: "Thank you."

The Solution To Government

God has given to men all that is necessary for them to accomplish their destinies. He has provided a social form as well as a human form. And these social organs of persons are so constituted that they will develop themselves harmoniously in the clean air of liberty. Away, then, with quacks and organizers! A way with their rings, chains, hooks, and pincers! Away with their artificial systems! Away with the whims of governmental administrators, their socialized projects, their centralization, their tariffs, their government schools, their state religions, their free credit, their bank monopolies, their regulations, their restrictions, their equalization by taxation, and their pious moralizations!

And now that the legislators and do-gooders have so futilely inflicted so many systems upon society, may they finally end where they should have begun: May they reject all systems, and try liberty; for liberty is an acknowledgment of faith in God and His works.

- "The Law" by Frederic Bastiat