“Osama bin Laden is dead, and the World Trade Center site is teeming with new life. Osama bin Laden is dead and lower Manhattan is pulsing with new activity. Osama bin Laden is dead, and New York City’s spirit has never been stronger.” – at the time, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Well, Whaddya Know… Stats Validate What Gun Owners Have Been Saying For Years

A common narrative from anti-gun activists asserts that more guns equal more crime. But those of us who own guns have known this storyline to be false all along. It never made sense, and now we have data to prove it.

According to a recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, there is a direct correlation between gun ownership and crime, but that correlation doesn’t align with the storyline from the “guns are bad” crowd. In fact, shocker… it shows just the opposite.

The NBER analysis used Tennessee’s database for handgun carry permit holders, and then cross-referenced that data with crime statistics in those zip codes. It was determined that once information from the database was publicized, in areas where gun ownership was highest, burglaries were correspondingly lower. Conversely, in areas with relatively low gun ownership, burglaries were considerably higher:

“Our analysis suggests a post-publicization relative decrease – both in absolute and in percentage terms – in burglaries in zip codes with higher numbers of gun permits, relative to zip codes with median numbers of permits, and a post-publicization relative increase in zip codes with fewer gun permits: our estimates suggest an 18% relative decrease of burglaries in those zip codes with the largest number of gun permits.”

Well, who could have guessed such a sharp contrast? Anyone with half a brain, that’s who.

If a criminal is considering what areas and homes they want to target, there are a few factors they will weigh. Certainly, a burglar is going to want to focus on a residence that will have valuable belongings which they can take, but the first thing they’re going to assess is their own well-being. It’s human nature.

A house or apartment with a big Rottweiler or Dobermann Pincer? That could certainly deter a burglar. The same can be said regarding a residence with a sophisticated security system. Burglars certainly want to avoid getting bitten by a big dog or having police arrive at the scene of a burglary while it’s in progress. But as much as criminals dislike dog bites and jail time, what deters them most is the prospect of getting their heads blown off in an attempted burglary.

Responsible gun ownership is a good thing. Gun owners give criminals a serious reason to reconsider burglarizing someone’s home. Government officials thinking of becoming overly tyrannical must remember that they have an armed populace; and in some cases, that populace is heavily armed. Even foreign adversaries can be deterred by America’s gun-toting public, as was the case with both the Japanese in World War II and the Soviet Union years later.

It turns out that bad guys avoid messing with good guys who have guns.

By Jordan Case

“There’s a bigger problem here about how we’re going to control the channels of communications in this country.”

Bingo.

That’s what this is all really about. All of the leftist demoncraps sitting there aren’t concerned about ‘online harassment’ or ‘disinformation’.
This is about who controls the narrative.

America Needs a Return to First Principles
How to revive U.S. vitality and confidence? Economists John Cogan and Kevin Warsh offer a way to think about what made the country prosperous. Pay attention to the ‘three I’s’—ideas, individuals and institutions.

The 21st century so far hasn’t been the best of times for America. First 9/11, then a financial crisis and deep recession, then a global pandemic without recent precedent. The economy has suffered, and politics has been upended. American self-confidence has been badly bruised, and public trust in institutions has plummeted. What can we do about it?

That’s the question that John Cogan and Kevin Warsh, both policy veterans and Journal contributors, asked themselves in September 2020 when prompted by former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. She had just taken over as director of Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, where both men are affiliated, and she made a pained but probing observation.

As Mr. Warsh tells it, Ms. Rice said that while “people know what we conservatives believe about economic policy, it doesn’t seem like we’re winning. It doesn’t seem like we’re persuading people.” American policy makers and businesspeople, and leaders around the world, “are less sure why we believe what we believe, and they’re less sure why they should believe it, too.”

The two men treated Ms. Rice’s lament as a challenge and set out to write what Mr. Cogan describes as “a call to action.” Titled “Reinvigorating Economic Governance” and just released, it outlines a policy framework based “on our nation’s foundational principle of natural liberty.” Governments at all levels, Mr. Cogan says, aren’t dealing effectively with America’s challenges: “It’s because economic policy has strayed from what I think of as the first principles.”

The two are well suited for the role. Mr. Cogan, 75, is an economist at Hoover who served in Ronald Reagan’s budget office and is the author of an encyclopedic book on the history of U.S. entitlement programs. Mr. Warsh, 52, worked in the George W. Bush White House and was a governor at the Federal Reserve during the financial crisis.

Their paper is optimistic, almost revivalist, in tone, even as it highlights the many faults with American policy. The U.S. economy, it states, “is among the most powerful forces for good in the history of humankind.” The authors credit the “micro-foundations of the economy” for having driven living standards “to heights unimaginable at the nation’s founding.”

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Chicago shooting: Would-be robber shot, killed in Calumet Heights; 1 in custody

CHICAGO — One person was taken into custody after a man was shot to death while trying to commit a robbery Saturday afternoon in Calumet Heights on the South Side.

Two men were walking back to their vehicle from a store about 3:45 p.m. in the 1500 block of East 95th Street when they began talking with the 32-year-old, Chicago police said.
The pair then entered their Volkswagen SUV and the man got into the backseat, struck one of them with a handgun and demanded their belongings, police said.

One of the men then pulled out their own gun and shot the would-be robber, striking him in the forehead, left leg and chest, police said.

He was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead. He was identified as Xavier Johnson by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. One person was taken into custody.

Biden Administration Tops Orwell with ‘Disinformation Governance Board.’

Communism comes in various stripes.

The Soviets had their version, the Chinese have theirs—these days quaintly called “Socialism with Chinese characteristics.” The North Koreans have “Juche!” The Cambodian Khmer Rouge had theirs (thankfully short-lived) and the Cubans a pretty traditional Marxist-Leninist state with the creepy addition—they have long embedded secret police in the neighborhoods to keep an eye on everybody.

But they all have in common what they most loathe: freedom of speech.

Joining them in this abhorrence of the cornerstone of democracies is now the current U.S. administration that is about to install, through its Department of Homeland Security, a “Disinformation Governance Board.”

How Orwellian can you get!

But to call that Orwellian is both an understatement and an insult to the great George Orwell whose “Ministry of Truth” was a far more clever construction that contained the ironic overtone intended by the author.

There’s nothing ironic about the bureaucratic Biden era locution that seems thought up by the totalitarian dullards of our Deep State as a warning lest we peons get out of line and think for ourselves. It owes more to Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels than to the author of “Animal Farm” and “1984.”

We could also call it—using Chinese rhetoric, since it is their form of communism ours most now resembles—“Socialism with American Characteristics.”

As in China, this allows for an oligarchic class to continue to enrich itself without untoward intrusions from the lowly serfs.

That this comes from Homeland Security and its chief Alejandro Mayorkas is more than slightly ominous. Adding to the threatening intent of the initiative is his choice to lead this assault on the First Amendment, Nina Jankowicz.

Jankowicz was such an “expert” in the field of “disinformation” that she was one of those most loudly calling the Hunter Biden laptop story Russian disinformation, which makes her either an idiot or a liar. I’ll go with the latter.

She was also involved in “strategic communications” (“Deep Statish” for propaganda) in Ukraine during the days all the hanky-panky was going on with Burisma.

But it’s worse still. Via Breitbart, we learn that the “talented” Ms. Jankowicz recorded a song on YouTube with the lyrics “Who do I have to [world’s most well-known expletive deleted] to be rich, famous and powerful?”

Well, we now know the answer: the American people. Second answer: the Bill of Rights.

Not even if you paid me to hold it for a picture.

REMINDER: It’s Victims of Communism Day.

Today is May Day. Since 2007, I have advocated using this date as an international Victims of Communism Day. I outlined the rationale for this proposal (which was not my original idea) in my very first post on the subject:

May Day began as a holiday for socialists and labor union activists, not just communists. But over time, the date was taken over by the Soviet Union and other communist regimes and used as a propaganda tool to prop up their [authority]. I suggest that we instead use it as a day to commemorate those regimes’ millions of victims.

The authoritative Black Book of Communism  estimates the total at 80 to 100 million dead, greater than that caused by all other twentieth century tyrannies combined. We appropriately have a Holocaust Memorial Day. It is equally appropriate to commemorate the victims of the twentieth century’s other great totalitarian tyranny. And May Day is the most fitting day to do so….

Our comparative neglect of communist crimes has serious costs. Victims of Communism Day can serve the dual purpose of appropriately commemorating the millions of victims, and diminishing the likelihood that such atrocities will recur. Just as Holocaust Memorial Day and other similar events promote awareness of the dangers of racism, anti-Semitism, and radical nationalism, so Victims of Communism Day can increase awareness of the dangers of left-wing forms of totalitarianism, and government domination of the economy and civil society.

While communism is most closely associated with Russia, where the first communist regime was established, it had equally  horrendous effects in other nations around the world. The highest death toll for a communist regime was not in Russia, but in China. Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward was likely the biggest episode of mass murder in the entire history of the world.

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Any time you put a modifier/qualifier in front of the word ‘justice’, you no longer have justice.
“Social justice” is code for one set of rules for the rich, another for the poor; one set for whites, another set for minorities; one set for straight men, another for women and gays.
In short, it’s the opposite of actual justice.
— Burt Prelutsky

A man who was being robbed by two Norristown teens killed them in self-defense, prosecutors said

Two Norristown teens who attempted to rob a man late Friday died after their intended victim shot them with a gun he was licensed to carry, prosecutors said Saturday.

The shooting occurred about 8 p.m., as the man was walking to his car from a home nearby on Warren Street, according to a statement from Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. Steele did not release the man’s name because no criminal charges have been filed in the case.

Detectives determined that a fight broke out after one of the two 17-year-old males pulled a gun on the man. During the scuffle, the man shot both teens, Steele said.

The man called police and attempted to give medical aid to the teens, but both were pronounced dead at the scene. Officers found an illegal ghost gun — a firearm assembled from a kit that lacks a traceable serial number — with an extended 30-round magazine nearby, authorities said.

Steele declined to release the names of the teens, saying there is “a lot of work” to be done in the investigation.


The law considers using a fake gun the same as if it was a real one

Armed Robbers Had Replica Guns, One Robber Killed

FRANKFORT, IL — One person is dead following an armed robbery early Saturday morning at Ryan’s Pub, 7928 Lincoln Highway in Frankfort, according to Will County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Dan Jungles.

The WCSO said two armed men wearing masks, gloves and hoods went into the bar around 3:15 a.m. demanding money from patrons. The armed robbers threatened to shoot all of the patrons and employees if they did not comply with the robbers demands, according to the WCSO.

It was later discovered that the guns used by the robbers were “replica firearms,” similar to airsoft guns, according to an update from the WCSO. One of the replica guns was found near the body of the dead robber, and the other was found in a parking lot outside of Ryan’s Pub, according to the WCSO.

A patron in the bar was also armed and shot one of the robbers several times, according to the WCSO. The other robber fled the bar on foot into a nearby vehicle, which sped away heading eastbound on U.S. Route 30, according to the WCSO.

The robber who was shot was pronounced dead at the scene by Frankfort Fire Protection District, according to the WCSO…….


 

Park-goer walking dog with girlfriend at Memorial Park forced to shoot at ‘would-be’ burglars

HOUSTON – What officials say was supposed to be a peaceful trip to Memorial Park turned violent and dangerous Wednesday night around 9:30 when burglars targeted a car in a parking lot near East Memorial Loop and Arnot.

Instead of getting away with stolen property, the suspected bad guys were met with a fiery surprise.

“Our officers arrived on the scene and met with a complainant who witnessed his vehicle being broken into,” said Houston Police Department Lieutenant Mike Barrow.

On top of that, Houston police say one of the three would-be burglars had a gun, but so did the victim.

”The complainant took a shot and missed,” Barrow said.

No one was hurt, according to Barrow, who says officers patrolling the area were able to respond almost immediately. Police caught one suspect, Billy Ray Chavis, and arrested him. The other two suspects ran away.

Park-goers say they’ll be more vigilant. “It’s shocking to hear that something like that could happen here,” said Abiel Cano.

”Today’s world is very scary,” said Cindy Dickerson.

HPD says they have ramped up security in the park because they want the public to feel safe.

Investigators and the victim, who declined an interview, hope someone who knows where the other two suspects are, will give authorities a call.

Oklahoma lawmakers take aim at anti-gun businesses

Last year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law that forbids financial institutions that discriminate against gun companies from taking part in the state’s municipal bond market, a move that has met with mixed success. Now Texas’ neighbor to the north is expanding on the idea. The Oklahoma State Senate approved a measure on Wednesday that would prohibit any state contracts from being signed with businesses that “discriminate against a firearm entity or firearm trade association” over the objections of a handful of Democrats in the chamber.

Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, said the firearm industry is under attack. He is the Senate author of the measure.

Some banks have policies that say they will not loan money to gun and ammunition makers that sell high-capacity magazines or long rifles to those under 21, Murdock said.

“The bill states that if you have these policies, the state of Oklahoma will not do business with your company,” Murdock said.

Murdock said the state can have a policy that says it will not spend taxpayer dollars with companies that have policies that go against Second Amendment rights……

Is it a political stunt? Well, maybe a little, especially given the caveats in the legislation’s fine print, which defines discrimination in this case as refusing “to engage in the trade of any goods or services with the entity or association based solely on its status as a firearm entity or firearm trade association,” refraining “from continuing an existing business relationship with the entity or association based solely on its status as a firearm entity or firearm trade association,” or terminating “an existing business relationship with the entity or association based solely on its status as a firearm entity or firearm trade association.”

What we’ve seen from big banks like Citigroup and JP Morgan isn’t an outright refusal to do business with any and all gun companies, but rather requirements that their customers who own or operate businesses in the firearms industry must comply with in order to maintain their relationship with the financial institution. The New York Times laid out Citigroup’s policy when it was first enacted back in 2018.

The new policy, announced Thursday, prohibits the sale of firearms to customers who have not passed a background check or who are younger than 21. It also bars the sale of bump stocks and high-capacity magazines. It would apply to clients who offer credit cards backed by Citigroup or borrow money, use banking services or raise capital through the company.

The rules, which the company described as “common-sense measures,” echo similar restrictions established by some major retailers, like Walmart. But they also represent the boldest such move to emerge from the banking sector.

It’s unclear to me whether Citigroup would actually be impacted by the bill approved by the Oklahoma Senate, despite what Sen. Murdock says, because the company isn’t refusing to do business with any company solely because of their status as a “firearm entity or firearm trade association.” Indeed, any and all gun companies are more than welcome to keep doing business with Citigroup, as long as they adhere to its corporate gun control policies.

The practical effect of the bill may not be fully known unless and until it becomes law, but the intention is clear enough: the state of Oklahoma will limit its contracts with entities that take a dim view of our right to keep and bear arms. That’s a position worth supporting, even if I think the legislation could use a little tweaking to put some teeth into it.

Sen. Rick Brattin Amends Bill to Exempt Firearms and Ammunition from Sales Tax

JEFFERSON CITY —This week, State Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, successfully added language to House Bill 1606 exempting all purchases of firearms and ammunition from state and local sales tax in Missouri.

“Across our nation, there is a movement by anti-gun forces to tax guns out of existence,” said Sen. Brattin.  “We have to fight back against this and one way we can do that is stopping the unconstitutional taxing of our guns and ammunition. The Second Amendment is a basic constitutional right and there’s no reason any government should be taxing that right or putting up deliberate barriers to keep Missourians from exercising their right to keep and bear arms.”

Senator Brattin was elected to the Missouri Senate in 2020 after previously serving four terms in the Missouri House of Representatives and two years as Cass County Auditor. He serves as Vice-Chair of the Education Committee and also serves on General Laws; Local Government and Elections; the Joint Committee on Government Accountability; and Seniors, Families, Veterans and Military Affairs. Senator Brattin lives in Harrisonville with his wife, Athena, and five children. They are members of Abundant Life Church in Lee’s Summit.

Comment O’ The Day

The goal is not to save our planet from climate change, it’s to create a crisis which will give goobermint more control over the people.
It’s the perfect catastrophe hoax to coerce the population into being submissive and obedient to ‘authority’.
There’s no end to climate change, therefore there’s no end to the goobermint’s use of it for propaganda purposes.
Hungry, fearful, and destitute people don’t worry about rights or freedoms, but simply surviving, thus they can be more easily controlled to do the goobermint’s bidding.

This Eminent Scientist Says Climate Activists Need to Get Real

The “really” in the title of Vaclav Smil’s newest book, “How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We’re Going,” is doing some heavy lifting. Implicit in the renowned energy scientist’s usage is the idea that most of us are uninformed or just plain wrong about the fundamentals of the global economy. He aims to correct that — to recenter materials rather than electronic flows of data as the bedrock of modern life — largely through examining what he calls the four pillars of modern civilization: cement, steel, plastics and ammonia. (The production and use of all four currently requires burning huge amounts of fossil carbon.)

Which brings us back to that “really.” In the context of Smil’s book, which will be published May 10, the word is also a rebuke to those calling for rapid decarbonization in order to combat global warming. “I am not talking about what could be done,” says Smil, who is 78 and who counts Bill Gates among his many devotees. “I’m looking at the world as it is.”

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