Stop the world I wanna get……..I mean stop the world so they can get off and we can live in peace.
That would be peace and not pieces!
Today is the first day of the rest of your lives so go out and treat it as if it was your last!
Stop Arguing; Start Arming
Posted on January 13, 2013 by seanmcconeghy
(at D.C. Clothesline)
Shortly after the election, former Ron Paul staffer Eric Dondero wrote a piece in which he declared Obama supporters his sworn enemies, “enemies of liberty” as he called them. He cut off all contact with friends, neighbors, and relatives who backed the President’s reelection campaign, calling them “enemies of freedom”, and took his boycott to all areas of his life. Like most others in the conservative/libertarian coalition, I didn’t think much of it, and dismissed his reaction as childish. It wasn’t so much that I disagreed with his assessment of them, but after all, personal relationships transcend politics. I was half wrong.
What I failed sufficiently to consider was the infinite gulf between how individualists and collectivists view the world. Although many, including me, have generally thought of this primarily in terms of politics, the issues about which the talking heads shout on the news networks every night are merely a reflection of the real difference, not the difference itself. The real difference is much more fundamental.
Consider for a moment just how many conservative/libertarian friends have cut off contact with you for political reasons. There may be people with whom you speak less because of politics, but it is unlikely that you’ll find a person who solely for political reasons uttered the words, “I’m never speaking to you again.” Now ask yourself the same question about leftists. Chances are that number is considerably higher. Understanding why that is the case is critically important moving forward.
Here is the inherent difference that we have not fully considered: conservatives and libertarians believe in the inherent rights and value of the individual. To be sure, the two groups disagree on a whole host of issues, but those disagreements are simply different branches of the same tree. For example, many conservatives oppose legal gambling because they believe it to be in conflict with the inherent dignity of the individual while libertarians generally support it based on the notion that such dignity requires that each person be able to make that choice for himself.
By contrast, leftists have no such respect for individual rights or dignity. In their view, the world must operate according to what makes them feel good, or what seems “fair” to them. That is why they view the Constitution not as a living document but as a moot one. In their ideology, written rules and individual rights are passé. The “enlightened” individual must submit himself to the collective, and those unwilling to do so must be ignored, mocked, defeated, or, if necessary, destroyed.
That difference is why you will generally find that leftists will cut off relationships with you for political purposes, but conservatives and libertarians generally will not. Regardless of political differences, the latter treat people as individuals with inherent dignity. A person is not simply a liberal, Democrat, or even Communist. It’s Bob, and he has a job, a family, hobbies, goals, quirks, etc. Leftists, however, viewing people as members of the collective, treat those who do not reinforce their views as evil. There is no inherent human dignity. Their friend or relative is not Bob but some archaic barbarian rube who is nothing more than an obstacle to “progress”.
Why is this important?
Over the last six or so years since now-President Obama began his campaign, his cult of personality has overtaken the left in a way that no previous President has done with a group of this size in US history. Unlike Dondero, I will say that this doesn’t apply to all of the President’s voters, but certainly a critical mass of them. With demoralization having long been completed and destabilization well under way, tens of millions of minds that have been turned to mush by an education system that makes them incapable of critical thinking have ceded their thought process wholesale to their messiah. You don’t find the anti-war protesters marching over Libya or Yemen. The gun grabbers ignore Fast and Furious.
Many in the middle class praise the President for raising their taxes even after exalting him when he vowed not to do so. Those who decried the Bush Administration’s Wall Street connections didn’t even blink when Obama put the same people in power. Crickets all around as the President walks on water.
To be sure, it is critically important that we not make the same mistake the leftists have made. We must be extremely careful to continue to respect the rights and dignity of individuals even if they themselves fail to do the same. Doing otherwise would make us no better than them: we would defeat ourselves.
That said, beware. Do not expect the same of them: their world view does not allow it. Do not waste your time arguing with them: such attempts will be no more fruitful than arguing with those who say that fossils are Satan’s tricks. Their minds are not simply made up. They’ve been given away. Finally, while our world view demands that we continue to respect them as individuals with dignity and rights, it would be foolhardy to think that these people would not turn on you in a heartbeat if their deity demanded it. Be prepared for that moment.
Have you ever read the children’s picture book “John Brown, Rose, and the Midnight Cat”? Whenever I see a picture of an old English sheepdog, it reminds me of that. It was one of my kids’ favorites.
And Heavenly Father, if it be your will that the crappy steel case ammo they give us seizes up in the chambers of these weapons and causes our extractors to shear off yet again just as the enemy is drawing a bead on our foreheads… where was I? Oh yeah. Just have mercy on our souls and let the steel linings of our big fur hats protect us… Amen.
Actually, I have no problem at all with using steel-cased ammo in my AKs. That is, in fact, what they were designed for. Brass is nice – but why pay more?
Now, my experience is almost entirely with the 7.62X39…and I’ve never (knock on wood) had an ammo-related stoppage with Wolf, Tula, or any of the other steel-cased stuff. My experience with 5.45X39 is limited, but the people I know who use it in their AKs have no problem with steel cases.
You’ve got to remember who the guns were made for; and their purpose. Bear in mind, too, that the Russians have easier access to steel than they do brass – and designed the weapons accordingly.
I DO NOT, however, run steel-cased in any of my American weapons (ARs, M-14s, FALs [which are not - strictly speaking - 'American', but are produced by an American company], Garands, M-1 Carbines, etc.) They are made for brass-cased ammo; and that’s what I use. I don’t/won’t even use the Hornaday steel-cased. Not their TAP or other rifle ammo – and certainly not their pistol ammo. I don’t care what they say about its safety or anything else. I only use steel-cased in AKs.
Upshot: Use the steel-cased in your Russian/Chinese-types…but keep it the hell out of your American weapons…unless you absolutely have NO choice and the goblins are storming the walls.
I was mostly just kidding about the Russian steel-cased ammo, and I’m sure it works fine most of the time. The quality of it seems pretty good to my untrained eye. I just had one bad experience with some 5.45x39mm that repeatedly seized up in the chamber and wouldn’t extract. I still don’t know if it was a lubrication problem with the AK-74 or what. I will say that I was shocked at how much extraction force it required to yank 3 or 4 of the rounds out of the chamber. They went in fine. They just wouldn’t come out after firing. It wasn’t my rifle, so it’s possible it wasn’t being cleaned properly. I’ve certainly never had any trouble with the steel-cased Russian 7.62x39mm ammo.
Stop the world I wanna get……..I mean stop the world so they can get off and we can live in peace.
That would be peace and not pieces!
Today is the first day of the rest of your lives so go out and treat it as if it was your last!
Stupid gravitars!
Just a reminder……………………..
Stop Arguing; Start Arming
Posted on January 13, 2013 by seanmcconeghy
(at D.C. Clothesline)
Shortly after the election, former Ron Paul staffer Eric Dondero wrote a piece in which he declared Obama supporters his sworn enemies, “enemies of liberty” as he called them. He cut off all contact with friends, neighbors, and relatives who backed the President’s reelection campaign, calling them “enemies of freedom”, and took his boycott to all areas of his life. Like most others in the conservative/libertarian coalition, I didn’t think much of it, and dismissed his reaction as childish. It wasn’t so much that I disagreed with his assessment of them, but after all, personal relationships transcend politics. I was half wrong.
What I failed sufficiently to consider was the infinite gulf between how individualists and collectivists view the world. Although many, including me, have generally thought of this primarily in terms of politics, the issues about which the talking heads shout on the news networks every night are merely a reflection of the real difference, not the difference itself. The real difference is much more fundamental.
Consider for a moment just how many conservative/libertarian friends have cut off contact with you for political reasons. There may be people with whom you speak less because of politics, but it is unlikely that you’ll find a person who solely for political reasons uttered the words, “I’m never speaking to you again.” Now ask yourself the same question about leftists. Chances are that number is considerably higher. Understanding why that is the case is critically important moving forward.
Here is the inherent difference that we have not fully considered: conservatives and libertarians believe in the inherent rights and value of the individual. To be sure, the two groups disagree on a whole host of issues, but those disagreements are simply different branches of the same tree. For example, many conservatives oppose legal gambling because they believe it to be in conflict with the inherent dignity of the individual while libertarians generally support it based on the notion that such dignity requires that each person be able to make that choice for himself.
By contrast, leftists have no such respect for individual rights or dignity. In their view, the world must operate according to what makes them feel good, or what seems “fair” to them. That is why they view the Constitution not as a living document but as a moot one. In their ideology, written rules and individual rights are passé. The “enlightened” individual must submit himself to the collective, and those unwilling to do so must be ignored, mocked, defeated, or, if necessary, destroyed.
That difference is why you will generally find that leftists will cut off relationships with you for political purposes, but conservatives and libertarians generally will not. Regardless of political differences, the latter treat people as individuals with inherent dignity. A person is not simply a liberal, Democrat, or even Communist. It’s Bob, and he has a job, a family, hobbies, goals, quirks, etc. Leftists, however, viewing people as members of the collective, treat those who do not reinforce their views as evil. There is no inherent human dignity. Their friend or relative is not Bob but some archaic barbarian rube who is nothing more than an obstacle to “progress”.
Why is this important?
Over the last six or so years since now-President Obama began his campaign, his cult of personality has overtaken the left in a way that no previous President has done with a group of this size in US history. Unlike Dondero, I will say that this doesn’t apply to all of the President’s voters, but certainly a critical mass of them. With demoralization having long been completed and destabilization well under way, tens of millions of minds that have been turned to mush by an education system that makes them incapable of critical thinking have ceded their thought process wholesale to their messiah. You don’t find the anti-war protesters marching over Libya or Yemen. The gun grabbers ignore Fast and Furious.
Many in the middle class praise the President for raising their taxes even after exalting him when he vowed not to do so. Those who decried the Bush Administration’s Wall Street connections didn’t even blink when Obama put the same people in power. Crickets all around as the President walks on water.
To be sure, it is critically important that we not make the same mistake the leftists have made. We must be extremely careful to continue to respect the rights and dignity of individuals even if they themselves fail to do the same. Doing otherwise would make us no better than them: we would defeat ourselves.
That said, beware. Do not expect the same of them: their world view does not allow it. Do not waste your time arguing with them: such attempts will be no more fruitful than arguing with those who say that fossils are Satan’s tricks. Their minds are not simply made up. They’ve been given away. Finally, while our world view demands that we continue to respect them as individuals with dignity and rights, it would be foolhardy to think that these people would not turn on you in a heartbeat if their deity demanded it. Be prepared for that moment.
On the brighter side, enjoy some of these sheepdog photos…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22858517@N08/
more in the file folders on right side
Have you ever read the children’s picture book “John Brown, Rose, and the Midnight Cat”? Whenever I see a picture of an old English sheepdog, it reminds me of that. It was one of my kids’ favorites.
Those are adorable. I might have to use some for upcoming OTs!
Man, we totally blew it about Ronaldus Maximus’ birthday being today. RedPill had a nice little tribute today with his “evil empire” speech.
http://itooktheredpill.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/ronald-reagan-evil-empire-speech/
Those old Roman guys really knew corruption when they saw it.
We need a sign like this on our nation.
Dangit.
And Heavenly Father, if it be your will that the crappy steel case ammo they give us seizes up in the chambers of these weapons and causes our extractors to shear off yet again just as the enemy is drawing a bead on our foreheads… where was I? Oh yeah. Just have mercy on our souls and let the steel linings of our big fur hats protect us… Amen.
Actually, I have no problem at all with using steel-cased ammo in my AKs. That is, in fact, what they were designed for. Brass is nice – but why pay more?
Now, my experience is almost entirely with the 7.62X39…and I’ve never (knock on wood) had an ammo-related stoppage with Wolf, Tula, or any of the other steel-cased stuff. My experience with 5.45X39 is limited, but the people I know who use it in their AKs have no problem with steel cases.
You’ve got to remember who the guns were made for; and their purpose. Bear in mind, too, that the Russians have easier access to steel than they do brass – and designed the weapons accordingly.
I DO NOT, however, run steel-cased in any of my American weapons (ARs, M-14s, FALs [which are not - strictly speaking - 'American', but are produced by an American company], Garands, M-1 Carbines, etc.) They are made for brass-cased ammo; and that’s what I use. I don’t/won’t even use the Hornaday steel-cased. Not their TAP or other rifle ammo – and certainly not their pistol ammo. I don’t care what they say about its safety or anything else. I only use steel-cased in AKs.
Upshot: Use the steel-cased in your Russian/Chinese-types…but keep it the hell out of your American weapons…unless you absolutely have NO choice and the goblins are storming the walls.
I was mostly just kidding about the Russian steel-cased ammo, and I’m sure it works fine most of the time. The quality of it seems pretty good to my untrained eye. I just had one bad experience with some 5.45x39mm that repeatedly seized up in the chamber and wouldn’t extract. I still don’t know if it was a lubrication problem with the AK-74 or what. I will say that I was shocked at how much extraction force it required to yank 3 or 4 of the rounds out of the chamber. They went in fine. They just wouldn’t come out after firing. It wasn’t my rifle, so it’s possible it wasn’t being cleaned properly. I’ve certainly never had any trouble with the steel-cased Russian 7.62x39mm ammo.
Levin on Rove.
http://www.therightscoop.com/extended-audio-mark-levin-exposes-karl-rove-steven-j-law-and-why-they-are-bad-for-gop/
Absolutely no surprises on Rove and I’ve got the same feelings about Krauthammer.