May 2
1519 – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect, dies, age 67, at the summer home of King Charles VIII, Château du Clos Lucé, Amboise, France.
1559 – John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the Scottish Reformation.
1611 – The King James Version of the Bible is published for the first time in London, by printer Robert Barker.
1670 – King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson’s Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America.
1863 – General Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering during the Battle of Chancellorsville.
1918 – General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
1945 – The U.S. Army’s 8th and 82nd Airborne Divisions liberate Wöbbelin concentration camp, near Ludwigslust, Germany. finding around 1000 dead prisoners out of 4000 imprisoned there.
In southern Bavaria, a column of several hundred prisoners, en route from from Dachau to the Austrian border is halted by the U.S. Army’s 522nd Field Artillery Battalion.
The Soviet Union announces the fall of Berlin.
1964 – Viet Cong commandos from the 65th Special Operations Group mine and sink the American aircraft carrier USNS Card while it is docked at Saigon.
1982 – During the Falklands War, the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
2000 – President Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the U.S. military.
2011 – Special Warfare Operators of U.S. Navy Seal Team-6 assault a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks is suspected to be hiding, and kill him and several other Al Qaeda terrorist leaders
This was his only #1 hit in the U.S.
My eyesight has been changing in the past few years and I’ve found that dot optics like the Aimpoint M68 or SiG Romeo require me to use prescription eyeglasses to keep everything in focus.
Optics Planet recently had this scope on sale ($150 delivered ) so I bought one, then a month later a second one.
This review is pretty good so I thought I’d share it
VORTEX CROSSFIRE II 1-4X24MM RIFLE SCOPE REVIEW
The Vortex Crossfire II 1- 4 x 24mm riflescope is the stuff grown-up folks need to feel like kids again. This offering of the Crossfire II is quick to use, acquires the target smoothly, small so that it will be at home damn near anywhere on any size long-gun. If you can’t tell already, I kind of like it.
Vortex Background
OK, for a little fanboy action about Vortex, they have been making modern optics in Wisconsin since 2002, and before that, the owners had an optics shop, then decided to make their own from scratch. Vortex is very happy to have anyone stop by the sales floor lobby and look at all they have to offer, and you will need some time, it’s a long walk.
On their 50 and 100 yard indoor ranges, they offer police training to the departments in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, and I am sure plenty of time has been spent looking through this optic by many of the officers training there.
OK, now onto some time spent in the desert, and breathing a bit of dust from a sudden wind storm that I have some feeble and colorful language to describe, with that I will keep that part of the day to myself.
Some Identifying Features
What style of a rifle will this scope work best on? The AR platform seems to be a perfect fit. The guide guns, heavy, large-caliber lever action guns that Alaskan guides carry as bear-repellent, would be a great fit as well. I have seen pictures of this scope on a crossbow, now that is something to think about. All caliber will benefit from this scope, with this Crossfire II offering magnification at 1x up to 4x power, I believe this scope on a world-class 22 Magnum bolt action would be a devastation to the squirrel world.
U.S.A. — A recent article, “When ‘Children Killed by Guns’ are Not Children at All,” by Paul Valone, President of Grass Roots North Carolina, with contributions from Jim Parker and Sean Sorrentino, is an informative and insightful look into the propaganda and deception involved in the gun control debate.
The article examines the lies perpetuated by gun control advocates, such as the idea that “gun violence is the NUMBER ONE cause of death for children and teens in our country.” This honest and factual research dig details the truth about gun-related deaths and the ages, races, and circumstances surrounding them.
When ‘Children Killed By Guns’ Are Not Children At All
The first fake news lie addressed in the article is the definition of “children.” The article points out the obvious, to everyone but gun banners, that 18- and 19-year-olds are NOT children, yet gun control advocates include them in the statistics to inflate the numbers. The research also notes that the claim of ‘gun violence’ being the number one cause of death for children is FALSE, as the real statistics show that motor vehicle deaths are more common than gun-related deaths.
Actual and Accurate Total Deaths of Children 0-17 Source CDC WISQARS
Valone’s continued research delves further into the lie that all age groups are equally afflicted. The data from the CDC’s WISQARS system shows that in the 0-15 age range, the rate of motor vehicle deaths is 41% higher than gun-related deaths. However, when looking at 16- and 17-year-olds, the data reveals that firearm deaths by all intents exceed motor vehicle deaths, with a 29% difference.
Another Big Lie Exposed
Another lie exposed in the article is the claim that all demographics are equally afflicted. The article looks at the 16-17 age range and finds that when factored by race, blacks are 425% more likely to be killed by guns than whites.
This is an alarming statistic that is completely ignored by gun control advocates who push for blanket policies that do not address the root cause of gun violence in certain communities.
Hiding Reality
A chronic problem in the Fake News reporting on guns is “combining intents,” particularly suicide. Suicide rates are often used to inflate the numbers and justify gun control policies. However, the article notes that suicide is subject to the “substitution effect,” where people denied one means of suicide tend to substitute another. Japan, for example, has a high suicide rate despite a near-total prohibition on gun ownership.
The accurate statistics highlight who the real winner or, should we say, victims are. When it comes to homicide, blacks are the clear “winner” with a rate of 800% that of whites in the 16-17 age group.
The important article by Paul Valone, Jim Parker, and Sean Sorrentino is a well-researched and eye-opening look into the lies and propaganda surrounding gun control. The authors provide a data-driven analysis of gun-related deaths and the circumstances surrounding them. They reveal the truth behind the inflated statistics often used by gun control advocates to push their agenda.
The article is a must-read for anyone interested in the gun control debate and values honesty and accuracy in reporting.
Is It Right For You?
There are many different kinds of pistols out there, and what’s right for one person might not be right for you.
When doing gun reviews, the duty of the gun writer is to be as objective as possible. My personal opinions are not as important as an honest report on the gun’s quality of manufacture, accuracy, form and function. You, the consumer, on the other hand, should approach the same gun from a very subjective position. Let me give you an example.
As a young peace officer I carried a Smith & Wesson 4-inch Model 19. It was a good gun and I liked it. However, several of the best marksmen in our department shot Colt Pythons. Naturally, I had to try one and bought a Python at the earliest opportunity. With no better idea, I chose to shoot the Colt on our standard department qualification course. After shooting the course several times, over a period of weeks, I came to the conclusion that the Python was not for me.
The Colt, being a slightly larger frame that the S&W, just did not fit my hand as well. I also had trouble with the way the DA trigger stacked prior to the sear being released. And, finally, I found the gun a bit more difficult to conceal for off-duty carry.
Now, to be very clear, the Colt Python is, and was, a fine revolver. But, based upon my subjective evaluation, it just didn’t suit me as well as the Model 19. And that certainly doesn’t mean that it isn’t well suited for other shooters. By the way, the Colt being a quality piece of work, I was easily able to trade it off for other stuff, including my first every 2½-inch Model 19.
It is an excellent idea for the consumer to establish a uniform method of evaluating new guns. I suggest developing a standard shooting drill by which all guns are evaluated. This drill should involve shooting from very close to the target and on out to at least 25 yards. It should involve precision shooting to test accuracy and speed shooting to determine suitability for personal defense. With each gun being put to the same test, it is much easier to determine the one that suits you best.
Just as I had to find out for myself about a suitable revolver, I can’t possibly tell you which gun is best suited for you. I can tell you which guns are well made. I can give you an ideas of the potential accuracy. But, you have to decide for yourself which ones are best suited for your particular needs and preferences. That requires trips to the range and putting lead in the air. And that’s also a fun day, so there really isn’t a downside. Good shooting!
INSLEE’S TRAINING REQUIREMENT FOR GUN BUYERS SAME AS LITERACY TEST FOR VOTERS
BELLEVUE, WA – Washington Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee this morning signed legislation requiring gun buyers to provide proof they have completed a firearms training course before being allowed to complete their transaction, but the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is calling this the equivalence of a “literacy test” that was used to discourage voting by minorities in the South.
“We’re talking about rights in both cases,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “For Jay Inslee or any other Democrat to contend ‘this is different’ suggests they’re either dishonest or delusional, and perhaps a little bit of both.”
House Bill 1143 explicitly states on Page 2 that the purchaser of a firearm provides proof of completion of a recognized firearm safety training program within the last five years that complies with the requirements set down in the second section of the bill. The legislation is part of the radical Democrat push to make Washington gun laws prohibitively restrictive when the Article 1, Section 24 of the state constitution explicitly states, “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired.”
“This requirement, along with the 10-day waiting period, seem like impairments to us,” Gottlieb stated. “When the governor earlier this year compared this requirement to getting training before being issued a license to drive, he ignored one very important point, and he knows it. Driving is a privilege, but keeping and bearing arms is a right protected by both the state and federal constitutions, and there is nothing in either of those provisions about training, or waiting.
“Inslee and the Democrats can couch this any way they want,” he continued, “but it adds up to the same thing. These requirements are designed to discourage Evergreen State citizens from exercising their constitutionally-protected and enumerated rights.
“Democrats in the Legislature are not only at war with Washington gun owners,” Gottlieb concluded, “they have also declared war on the state and federal constitutions, and the built-in protections for law-abiding firearms owners. As we’ve said many times, this isn’t about guns, it’s about rights.”
Biden’s Latest Alzheimer’s Moment Is Actually Very Sad
“Cringe” somehow doesn’t suffice here. This is supra-cringe, trans-cringe.
Biden’s handlers invited the Air Force football team to congratulate them on their past season and rolled their charge out to meet them for a brief photo op.
It would seem to be quite a simple task for a lifelong Swamp member: smile like you’re greeting old friends, gladhand like only a plastic politician can, gracefully accept the gifts, smile for the cameras some more, and depart.
But even that mission was too much for the alleged President to complete.
Via Military Times:
President Joe Biden on Friday awarded the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to the Air Force Academy for winning football games against its rival U.S. service academies.
“Simply put, you can’t talk about the soul of the nation without talking about our service academies,” Biden told the team gathered in the White House’s East Room. “And you can’t talk about the service academies without talking about duty, teamwork, service and excellence. That’s all about you.”
He was ostensibly — as evidenced by the cadets holding the items out apparently in anticipation of handing them off — supposed to take the signed football, the helmet, and the jersey of memorabilia. Instead, he took the jersey, stared into the abyss for a few moments, and wandered away aimlessly while the visibly confused crowd looked on.
Joe Biden hosted the football team today! He was to be presented with a ball signed by the team, a helmet and a football jersey with his name on it. But Biden grabbed only a sweater and began to wander, looking for a way out. pic.twitter.com/z7tJONIp81
— Spriter (@Spriter99880) April 29, 2023
What happened here? Was it a pure dementia moment of wandering off that is unfortunately common for affected people? Did the President make a boo-boo in his Depends? Unfortunately, because the White House is unwilling to give a straight answer to any question, it’s up for speculation.
What’s not speculation is that it’s very sad. It’s elderly abuse. It should be criminal, and it’s most definitely immoral.
I dislike Biden passionately — corrupt sellout careerist goon that he has always been — but stuff like this stirs some sort of sympathy for him, and that makes me uncomfortable. I don’t want to feel those sorts of things toward a creature like Biden.
That the band continues playing throughout adds an extra element of surrealism somehow that’s difficult to finger.
In addition to being dystopian and depressing, it’s also demoralizing. The Deep State has run things behind the scenes for many long decades, but only now do they seem to flaunt it in the People’s faces. The apparent message through the optics appears to be “look here, stupid, we’re going to tell you this demented zombie is in charge of the country, and you’re all going to take it and pretend it’s true. Now clap, seals.”
Sheriff Commends Store Clerk Who ‘Put a Swift End to Dirtbag’s Crime Spree’ by Shooting Him 8 Times
Flagler County, Florida, Sheriff Rick Staly commended a Georgia convenience store clerk who shot a robbery suspect eight times. Qwinntavus Kwame Jordan robbed a Flagler County Circle K Friday morning and fled toward Georgia on I-95.
Cops in Florida and Georgia chased Jordan causing him to abandon his vehicle. Jordan fled on foot and ran into a convenience store brandishing a gun. Big mistake.
Sheriff Staly said: “I commend our Real Time Crime Center team for quickly developing suspect information and his vehicle and thank all the agencies that assisted in apprehending this armed and dangerous fugitive.”
“I also commend the Georgia store clerk that put a swift end to this dirtbag’s crime spree. If he survives his injuries, he should spend a long time in prison.”
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said on social media:
On April 28, 2023, at approximately 3:30 am, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Circle K Gas Station located at 6125 SR100 East in Pal Coast in reference to a commercial robbery. The reporting party, an employee of the gas station, stated that a black male entered the store and demanded to be given all the money in the register.
The suspect alluded to having a firearm during the robbery but never brandished the weapon. The suspect then left the store with approximately $90 in cash and other miscellaneous items.
Using investigative means, FCSO’s Real Time Crime Center determined the suspect’s vehicle had gotten onto I-95 NB from SR100 East with information provided by Community Policing Division deputies.
The suspect’s vehicle was located by the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office traveling northbound on I-95 in St. Johns County.
The vehicle was pursued by the Florida Highway Patrol, the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office on I-95 through the various counties until the suspect reached the Florida/Georgia line. Once in Georgia, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office took over pursuit of the suspect.
Once in Camden County, GA, the Kingsland Police Department achieved a positive Stop Stick hit on the vehicle on I-95. The vehicle later came to a stop and the suspect fled on foot.
The suspect then entered a nearby convenience store, brandished a firearm, and demanded the clerk’s car keys. The suspect then took the clerk’s vehicle and started to flee but then crashed the vehicle through the front of the convenience store.
The suspect then exited the vehicle and chased the clerk and a customer through the store and a struggle ensued.
The clerk, who was now armed, shot the suspect approximately 8 times according to Georgia authorities. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for his injuries. The suspect, later identified as Qwinntavus Kwame Jordan, is currently in critical condition.
The investigation is active and ongoing with several law enforcement agencies involved including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
At the time of the robbery, Jordan was also a fugitive wanted for Armed Robbery from Coffee County, Georgia.
The warrants had been issued on April 27th. At this time, it is unknown why the suspect was in Flagler County.
But, of course, we knew this
Democrat Cities Have Biggest Homicide Rate Problem, Study Finds
The Democratic Party aggressively promoted the idea of ‘defunding the police’ after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer in 2020, which was supposed to improve public safety. A few years later, a new study found the homicide rate in Democrat cities is on the rise and a sign progressive policies are failing.
In a study published by WalletHub, researchers found “homicide rates have risen by an average of roughly 10% in 45 of the most populated U.S. cities between Q1 2021 and Q1 2023, and are still rising.”
The cities with the biggest homicide rate problems include Memphis, Tennesse; New Orleans, Louisiana; Richmond, Virginia; Washington, DC; and Detroit, Michigan. Democrat mayors lead all five cities.
The importance of sleep is underappreciated by many people, especially Drill Sergeants and other Non-Commissioned Occifers which I discovered so many decades ago.
Lessons emerge as scientists unravel a new understanding of sleep.
Doctors are increasingly waking up to the idea that getting enough sleep is crucial. In 2022, the American Heart Association advised physicians that asking patients how many hours they sleep is as important as checking their blood pressure, smoking status, diet and exercise habits.
But many of us routinely force our bodies to fight sleep. We drink caffeinated beverages by day to stay alert, and alcohol to wind down at night. Some of us work all night and sleep in daylight. Others switch time zones and struggle with jet lag.
At the same time, neuroscientists are realizing that the timing of our sleep may be just as important as the amount. We are beginning to understand how we might work with, rather than against, the rhythms of our bodies. For example, new research suggests these rhythms may play a role in patients’ responses to cancer treatment.
May 1
305 – Diocletian forces Maximian to abdicate, then abdicates himself, leaving Constantius, father of Constantine, and Galerius as the remaining Co-Emperors of both the eastern and western Roman Empire.
880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the architectural model for all later ‘cross in square’ Orthodox churches.
1328 – Under terms of the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton, ending the wars of Scottish independence, England recognizes Scotland as an independent state.
1486 – Christopher Columbus presents his plans for discovering a western route to the Indies to the Spanish Queen Isabella I of Castile.
1707 – The Act of Union joining England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain takes effect, lasting until 1801, when Ireland was added to form the United Kingdom.
1865 – The Empire of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay sign the Treaty of the Triple Alliance.
1866 – The Memphis Race Riots begin. In 3 days, 46 blacks and 2 whites were killed. Reports of the riots influenced passage of the 14th amendment to the Constitution.
1885 – The original Chicago Board of Trade Building opens for business.
1886 – Rallies are held throughout the U.S. demanding the 8 hour work day, culminating in the Haymarket affair in Chicago, in commemoration of which, May 1 is celebrated as International Workers’ Day in many countries.
1898 – In Manila Bay, Philippines, the Asiatic Squadron of the U.S. Navy completely destroys the Pacific Squadron of the Spanish Navy in 7 hours, with no American vessel losses or combat deaths.
1900 – An explosion at the Winter Quarters coal mine in Scofield, Utah kills over 200 men in what is the 5th worst mining accident in United States history.
1915 – The RMS Lusitania departs from New York City on her 202nd crossing of the North Atlantic.
1919 – German Weimar Republic Army and Freikorps troops enter Munich to end the breakaway Bavarian Soviet Republic.
1930 – In the Lowell Observatory Observation Circular, astronomer Vesto Slipher officially proposes that a newly discovered dwarf planet be named “Pluto”.
1931 – The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City.
1955 – The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.
1960 – Flying a U-2 spy plane over the Sverdlovsk Oblast in west central Russia, pilot Francis Gary Powers is shot down and taken prisoner.
1961 – The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections.
1971 – The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as “Amtrak” takes over operation of U.S. passenger rail service.
1978 – Naomi Uemura of Japan, travelling by dog sled, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole on a solo expedition.
1999 – Conrad Anker, of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition to Mount Everest, finds the body of British climber George Mallory, 75 years after he and his climbing partner, Andrew “Sandy” Irvine, disappeared in 1924. Nothing found yet could confirm if he and Irvine reached the summit.
2003 – On board USS Abraham Lincoln, off the coast of California, President George W. Bush declares that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended”.
Senator Schumer’s Letter to Chief Judge Godbey (NDTX)
If you don’t do what I want, “Congress will consider more prescriptive requirements.
On Thursday, Senator Charles Schumer, the Majority Leader, sent a letter to the presiding officer of a federal court. No, it was not Chief Justice Roberts. Senator Durbin has that task locked down. Rather, Schumer sent the letter to Chief Judge Godbey of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
The theme, if you couldn’t guess, concerns case assignment in single-judge divisions in Amarillo, Wichita Falls, and Lubbock. (I’ve written about this topic at some length here and here.)
Schumer charged:
Even though the Northern District has twelve active judges and another four senior judges who still hear cases, your orders provide that civil cases filed in many divisions are always assigned to a single judge, or to one of just a few.
Cases filed in the Amarillo Division are always assigned to Judge Kacsmaryk; cases filed in the Wichita Falls Division are always assigned to Judge O’Connor; and cases filed in the Abeline, Lubbock, and San Angelo Divisions are split between just two judges. As a result of your recent assignment orders, plaintiffs in your district can now effectively choose the judge who will hear their cases.
Schumer issued an ultimatum: the court should “randomly” assign cases filed in “rural divisions,” or else.
The Northern District of Texas could, and should, adopt a similar rule for all civil cases. Currently, a federal statute allows each district court to decide for itself how to assign cases.
This gives courts the flexibility to address individual circumstances in their districts and among their judges. But if that flexibility continues to allow litigants to hand-pick their preferred judges and effectively guarantee their preferred outcomes, Congress will consider more prescriptive requirements.
It has come to this. The Senate Majority leader, who has no chance of actually passing court reform legislation, is issuing empty ultimatums to a federal judge. Anyone who can count to sixty knows such “prescriptive requirements” are dead on arrival. And certainly Schumer knows that as well. But Schumer’s intent, like that of Durbin, is not to actually engage in good-faith discussions with the judiciary. Rather the goal, as always, is to undermine the authority of judges he disagrees with.
To quote Justice Alito:
It “undermines confidence in the government,” Justice Alito says. “It’s one thing to say the court is wrong; it’s another thing to say it’s an illegitimate institution. You could say the same thing about Congress and the president. . . . When you say that they’re illegitimate, any of the three branches of government, you’re really striking at something that’s essential to self-government.”
There have been no actual allegations that judges assigned to the Amarillo or Wichita Falls divisions have engaged in any judicial misconduct. (And no, authorship of a law review article that a judge did not actually write does not actually matter.) These judges have not been mandamused or reassigned by the court of appeals.
None of the progressive judges on the Fifth Circuit have, in dissent, charged these judges with malfeasance. And no bar complaints have been filed against the Texas Attorney General or other plaintiffs who have filed in these forums. DOJ has filed motions to transfer cases in these divisions. And, those motions have been denied. In doing so, these courts have rejected the premise of Schumer’s letter: that single-judge divisions undermine public confidence in the judiciary.
Senator Schumer is, in effect, seeking reconsideration of what Judges Tipton, Kacsmaryk, and others have already ruled. The chief judge of a federal district cannot sit in judgment of another district judge in his district. That job belongs to the court of appeals alone.
I am well aware that in 2016, Judge Godbey’s predecessor reassigned 15% of cases from the Wichita Falls division to herself. That was a controversial decision at the time, and one that was never fully justified. And Judge Godbey reversed that decision in 2022. I think it quite problematic for a single judge to take it upon herself to address what are, in effect, substantive grievances with a district court’s rulings.
From a pragmatic perspective, I am truly skeptical that all of the judges in Dallas would be willing to pick up a random share of cases in Amarillo or Lubbock. And no, as Senator Schumer suggests, remote hearings would not be an adequate substitute for actual parties in those communities.
The bigger problem, of course, is that Schumer has now boxed in Judge Godbey. If the Judge takes the sort of action that Schumer demanded, then he will be seen as caving to legislative pressure. If he ignores Schumer, he will be seen as enabling “judge shopping.” And law professors on Twitter will beat their drums.
My recommendation? Do nothing now. DOJ filed motions to transfer, which were denied. Those motions will be appealed to the Fifth Circuit. If the Fifth Circuit affirms those motions, then Judge Godbey will have definitive ground to maintain the status quo. Acting now would be premature, and frankly, would weaken the separation of powers and judicial independence.
Burglars dressed as DoorDash drivers in Indiana home invasion
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WXIN) — Court documents reveal that two armed men pretended to be DoorDash delivery drivers in order to get inside an Indiana home during an attempted burglary — which officials say turned deadly for one of the would-be burglars.
Grayson Rhue, 18, of Roswell, Georgia, was shot and killed on April 6 at the Noblesville, Indiana, home. Rhue, along with 22-year-old Ruai Ngundeng Pal, are accused of an attempted home invasion that backfired when one of the occupants inside the home pulled a gun.
Shortly before 10:20 p.m. on April 6, police were called to the home. The caller told 911 dispatch that her son had just shot at two suspects who had forced their way into the home.
L-o-n-g read, but worth it.
The Return of Paganism
The spiritual crisis afflicting contemporary America has ancient and enduring roots—and so does the cure
When a 28-year-old person identifying as transgender shot up a Tennessee school in March, killing three children and three adults, the usual grim afterlife of tragedy was underlined by an odd note: One by one, media outlets rushed to apologize for “misgendering” the shooter, who, they explained, had been born female but had recently begun identifying as male.
How to make sense of such a statement? And what to do when a newspaper headline tells you about a “trans woman left sobbing in JFK Airport after TSA agent hit her testicles”? Appealing to reason hardly helps, as J.K. Rowling and others learned the hard way when trying to ask simple questions such as how one might define sex if not according to the chromosomes rooted in literally every cell of our bodies. Instead, anyone wishing to find his way through the thicket of American public discourse these days should start by embracing one simple and terrifying idea: The barbarians are at the gates.
I mean this almost literally. Everywhere you turn these days, pagans are afoot, busily hacking away at the Christian and Jewish foundations of American life and replacing them with a cosmology that would have been absolutely coherent to followers of, say, Voltumna, the Etruscan earth god, or to those who worshipped the Celt tribal protector Toutatis.
If you think the above paragraph is a little bit overblown, consider the numbers. In 1990, scholars from Trinity College set out to learn just how many of their fellow Americans practiced some form of pagan religion. The numbers were unsurprisingly small: about 8,000, or enough to pack your average Journey reunion concert. But the researchers asked again in 2008, and this time, 340,000 Americans said yes to paganism. A decade later, the Pew survey posed the same question, and, if it is to believed, there are now about 1.5 million Americans professing an array of pagan persuasions, from Wicca to the Viking lore, making paganism one of the nation’s fastest-growing persuasions.
So fast-growing, in fact, that my colleague Maggie Phillips recently reported in Tablet magazine about the thriving, and officially recognized, pagan faith groups within the U.S. Army. “What’s important now,” one of its leaders, Sergeant Drake Sholar, told Phillips, “is showing religious respect and understanding across the board as Norse Pagans, or Heathens, return to a distinguishable religious practice.”
Insurance isn’t “the way forward” on guns
When San Jose passed an insurance requirement for gun owners, many people figured that was a new frontier they could exploit in their war against the Second Amendment.
The fact that the requirement basically just said you should have homeowner’s insurance didn’t really do much.
But it was sold as if it were the answer.
Now, an insurance-focused publication reports that a poll shows many believe it’s the answer on guns.
According to a recent ValuePenguin survey, 75% of Americans believe that gun owners should be required to have liability insurance on their firearms.
This finding suggests that insurance companies could be a possible solution to gun control. Gen Zers, those earning more than $100,000, and parents with children younger than 18 were among the most likely to support insurance requirements.
Additionally, 82% of Americans think that gun owners should be held accountable for how their guns are used. This sentiment was especially prevalent among parents with children under 18, as well as millennials.
Divya Sangameshwar, an insurance expert with ValuePenguin, believes that insurance may be the smartest way to push for gun control. “Insurers have always led the way when it comes to safety,” Sangameshwar says.
Except actual accidents with guns are relatively rare, especially compared to things like auto accidents, fires, or pretty much everything else covered by insurance.
Where guns take lives are either through suicide or intentional homicide.
Guess what’s not going to get covered by any insurance? Exactly.
Insurance does not ever cover an intentional act. I can’t run someone on purpose with my car and expect Geico to foot the bill. That’s going to be on me, as it should be.
Similarly, with guns, liability insurance isn’t going to cover any intentional act. It won’t cover a homicide and it won’t pay out with a suicide.
Further, it’s unlikely that anyone polled understands that. I’d expect a publication named Insurance Business to at least understand the practicalities of trying to implement some kind of requirement like that and at least mention that.
Then again, a lot of people think gun accidents are a lot more common than they are. Still others likely think gun owners should be on the hook for firearms that are stolen from them for some idiotic reason. They apparently think the insurance would cover the misuse of a stolen firearm, but it won’t.
Look, I get that people want to find solutions to the violence we see on the news every single day.
What I don’t get is why people can’t get beyond trying to punish law-abiding citizens for the actions of those who are anything but.
An insurance requirement is just another step, another hurdle designed to keep guns out of the hands of anything but those financially better off while doing little to nothing to actually reduce crime. It’s insane that we’re even having this discussion in the first place.
Then again, we live in Clown World where anyone can just up and decide to come up with restrictions that have no basis on reality.
April 30
311 – Under the Edict of Toleration by Emperor Galerius, the persecution of Christians under an edict of Emperor Diocletian is ended in the Eastern Roman Empire.
1492 – 13 days after acceding to his demands and granting him his titles, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella formally present Viceroy, Governor General and Admiral of the Ocean Sea, Don Christopher Columbus, his commission of exploration.
1789 – On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first President of the United States under the Constitution. In November 1781, John Hanson became the first President of the United States in Congress Assembled, under the Articles of Confederation.
1803 – The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million.
1812 – The Territory of Orleans becomes the 18th U.S. state under the name Louisiana.
1885 – Governor of New York David B. Hill signs legislation creating the Niagara Reservation, New York’s first state park; Niagara Falls.
1900 – Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States.
1927 – The Federal Industrial Institute for Women opens in Alderson, West Virginia, the first women’s federal prison in the U.S.
1939 – NBC begins regular scheduled television broadcasting in New York City, televising President Roosevelt’s N.Y. World’s Fair opening day ceremonial address.
1943 – Completing Operation Mincemeat during World War II, British Royal Navy submarine HMS Seraph surfaces near Huelva, Spain to cast adrift a dead man dressed as a Royal Marine courier and carrying false invasion plans for Greece and Sardinia, as a ruse for the invasion of Sicily.
1945 – In the Führerbunker in Berlin, Adolf Hitler takes cyanide and then blows his brains out with a pistol, while Eva Braun simply takes cyanide to commit suicide.
1947 – In Nevada, Boulder Dam is renamed Hoover Dam.
1948 – In Bogotá, Colombia, the Organization of American States is established.
1956 – Former Vice President, under President Truman, and Democratic Senator Alben Barkley collapses dies during a speech at the Washington and Lee university in Lexington,Virginia.
1973 – President Nixon announces that White House Counsel John Dean has been fired and that other top aides, H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, have resigned due to the Watergate Burglary scandal.
1975 – The U.S. completes a hasty evacuation of Saigon while Communist forces gain control of the city. The Vietnam War ends with the unconditional surrender of South Vietnamese president Dương Văn Minh.
1993 – CERN announces World Wide Web protocols will be free.
2012 – The unfinished One World Trade Center overtakes the Empire State building to become the tallest building in New York.
Just heard that Bart Skelton passed away back on the 25th, age 62.
Someone on twitter asked:
“What’s taking place on the other side that’s making God call back all the gun fighters?”