We’ll start today with what all the cool kids would call a “pro tip.” And I’ll warn you, I won’t hedge or pussy-foot or equivocate. What I say will piss off a few readers, so-called “moderate” folks who’ll judge my rhetoric “extreme.”
I want you to know that I’d be absolutely delighted by that reaction, from those people.
Ready?
Democrats and their progressive allies are hateful, anti-American, anti-Liberty oxygen thieves who loathe this country and mean to destroy it. The latest evidence is their reaction to the assault on Wednesday’s parade in Kansas City.
Naturally, they’re demanding more “gun control” — its their go-to, their calling card (along with The Race Card), pretty much all they know how to do. Here’s an excerpt from a statement issued the day of the incident by the current occupant of the Oval Office:
“Today’s events should move us, shock us, shame us into acting. What are we waiting for? What else do we need to see? How many more families need to be torn apart?
“It is time to act. That’s where I stand. And I ask the country to stand with me. To make your voice heard in Congress so we finally act to ban assault weapons, to limit high-capacity magazines, strengthen background checks, keep guns out of the hands of those who have no business owning them or handling them.”
At that point, the regime knew virtually nothing about the crime committed, the suspects involved or the firearm used. That didn’t matter. It never does. The official, oh-so-predictable statement, fairly dripping with emotion but with little evidence of intellect or principle, is a leftist spasm, not an expression of sound policy consistent with an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States.
Meanwhile, in Kansas City, a headline blared,
“City leaders want to pass gun safety laws, but Missouri won’t let them”
Well, of course not — that’s called preemption, which prohibits counties and municipalities from enacting measures that conflict with state law or violate the state constitution. The mechanism has been upheld repeatedly in the courts, and yet the caterwauling about it continues.
Now, more than 48 hours after the gunfire, we actually know some things. Specifically:
- The human toll, as it’s been reported, is one dead and 21 wounded, 11 of whom are “children” (under the age of 18, that is).
- Authorities have said that the assault wasn’t “targeted,” but rather related to “a personal dispute.” There’s widespread speculation that it was gang- or turf-related.
- Judging by cell-phone images from the scene, the gun recovered appears to have been an AR-15 (-style) rifle, the type of firearm that prompts the Left to invoke their made-up term, “assault weapon.”
- Photos taken after the incident, as well as anecdotal accounts, indicate that the shooter was a minor. That seems to have been confirmed today, when a Missouri court tagged two juveniles with “gun-related and resisting arrest” charges. Authorities say they expect more charges to follow.
Kansas City, like its urban counterpart at the other end of Missouri’s beltline, St. Louis, is solidly Democrat and hopelessly obsessed with race. Unlike the rest of the state, which is conservative, traditional and generally wholesome, Kansas City perpetually is beset by crime and simmering unrest. It’s the sort of place I’m talking about when I urge readers to move to a friendly state but avoid population centers.
So while no place is immune to violent crime, KCMO was ripe for the sort of thing we saw on Wednesday.
Getting back to the assault itself, none of the talking points delivered reflexively by Democrats addresses the underlying problems that led to it — the death of the black family, the decay of once-great cities, the rot brought on by a half-century of official coddling, the government-sponsored culture of entitlement, the acceptance of crime and criminals, and the institutional undermining of law enforcement.
And what, the current occupant of the Oval Office (and his cabal) wants to “ban assault weapons”? A thuglet shows up at a parade with an AR-15 — either stolen, bought on the street or sneaked out of his home — and Democrats’ answer is to take guns out of the hands of law-abiding Americans?
Yeah, fuck that.
Make no mistake, they are coming for your guns. There’s never been a gun law that doesn’t violate natural law and the Constitution, but they’ll never stop trying to rob you of your Liberty.
Despite our focus on “assault weapons” bans and the like, we’d be wise to open our eyes to some of the quieter, more insidious ways the Left is attacking our birthrights.
The People’s Republic of California, for example, the feds’ laboratory for the unmaking of America, in 2025 will require credit-card companies to assign a special “merchant code” to identify — and track — purchases made at gun stores. American Express, Mastercard and VISA already are working on implementing the scheme, which will allow banks to score brownie points with the Permanent State by reporting “suspicious activity.”
What’s that you say? You don’t live in the PRC? Well, unless you’re in one of a handful of states that’s acted legislatively to prohibit such a code, your plastic pew-pew purchases will be under surveillance. Count on it.
Buy locally. Buy privately. Pay in cash.
The battle will never end. Wise up. Put your affairs in order.
I seem to remember, going back to 40 years ago when I heated my house with wood I brought in myself, that there’s an addictive quality to harvesting firewood. Whether driving the backwoods of southern New England then or walking the wooded slopes of Ozarkansas now, it’s a mindset of always being on the lookout for the perfect standing dead tree, the pleasure of going back to the woodshed with just a little more than I’d planned.
It’s seductive. It’s gratifying. I make no apologies.
Deb had pointed out a dead tree near The Amphitheater that she wanted me to take down before we collect and burn the brush we’ve piled up there. I really didn’t think the thing was dead, but removing it would open up our view of the rock formation a tad, so I agreed.
Since I already was on something of a roll, and with rain and dropping temperatures coming this afternoon, I decided to take care of it this morning.
Turns out it was a hickory of some sort, maybe a mockernut, six or eight inches at the base and about 25 feet tall. Felling went quickly and bucking it was easy, owing to how its branches held the trunk conveniently off the ground.
While it wasn’t a particularly vital tree, it wasn’t dead, either. The wood will benefit from some seasoning.
The hard part was getting it from where I bucked it to where I wanted it. Piece-by-piece I tossed it down into the back yard, carried it out to the driveway at the end of the cabin, loaded it into the wheelbarrow and muscled it through the woods to the new fire pit, where I unloaded and stacked it.
That definitely had my heart pumpin’.
This third contribution to the woodpile I started the other day has it lookin’ good. I’d say it’s now 40% done. I made sure to bring the driest, most seasoned wood to the top so that we can draw on the pile sooner rather than later. I topped it off today with a (camo) tarp and rocks to hold that in place.
Pretty much gassed by then, I still managed to give our generators their monthly workout before heading indoors and kicking back.
It was a good day, a productive one. Deb has a three-day weekend comin’. We’ll have to wait and see what that might bring.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB