My commentary on a variety of issues that interest me including gun rights, individual liberty, illegal immigration, politics, religion, taxes, aviation, judicial activism, journalistic bias and laziness, environmental activism, education, family, health, gardening, history, Scouting, genealogy, etc.
I am a retired international airline captain. In real life, I strike fear into the US Department of Homeland Security as a right-wing extremist (in other words, I believe in God, go to church regularly, own a gun or two, oppose Al Gore and the environmentalist fraud, expect the government to aggressively enforce immigration laws, believe English should be established as the nation's official language, believe the US Constitution says what it says, seek a return to the limited federal government described in the US Constitution, and as a military veteran have sworn to support and defend the Constitution). To quote one of my heroes, Captain Moroni: "I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country." (Book of Mormon, Alma 60:36) In my spare time, I serve on the local Boy Scout District Training Committee. I coach a 4-H Shooting Sports club (see 4-H link below). I also teach the Utah Hunter Education Course, the Utah Concealed Firearm Course, and various other gun safety classes including most NRA courses (see Firearm Training link below).
If a burglar breaks into one's home, is the best response to give that home to the burglar? No? Well, that's exactly what Congress and the Whitehouse do with those who have invaded our nation from across our border with Mexico. We have laws against burglary and illegal immigration. Burglary is a local matter and is handled quite well. Immigration is a federal matter and Congress and the Whitehouse both have been consciously and intentionally negligent in enforcing those federal laws.
Consequently, Arizona passed it's own new immigration enforcement bill. Most Americans endorse this bill -- even a majority of US citizens of Hispanic heritage! Unlike Congress and the Whitehouse, the Governor of Arizona, Janet Brewer, gave a very articulate and well-reasoned statement on why Arizona (like all other States) need their new immigration-enforcement legislation. That reason is simply that Congress and the Whitehouse fail to enforce existing and badly needed immigration laws. She explained that somebody has to do it, so Arizona will do what they can to enforce federal immigration laws within their borders.
Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution:
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against invasion....
Federal politicians think we voters and taxpayers are stupid enough to believe that we need "comprehensive" immigration reform. (Comprehensive means that amnesty is the major part of reform.) What we really need is full enforcement of existing laws with the assistance of local and state law enforcement agencies. The only "comprehensive" reform needed is in the halls of Congress and in the Whitehouse -- a moral and ethical reform that restores the US Constitution and the rule of law.
For decades, Congress and the Whitehouse have been grossly negligent in adequately protecting our borders from an overwhelming invasion of illegal aliens. This negligence has resulted in a situation which is rapidly becoming irreparable. Further delay in courageously attacking the problem will only further exacerbate the problem. If this invasion is allowed to continue, I have serous concerns about which language will be dominant in this nation, which constitution will guide our laws, and which national flag will fly over our government buildings.
• If we can't establish English as the nation's official language now, who will be required to learn what language if we allow 20-30 million illegal workers to become voters? • If we can't control our illegal immigration problem now, how will we control the problem if we allow 20-30 million illegal workers to become voters? • If we can't terminate the nation's "anchor baby" scam now, what will life be like in the United States if we allow 20-30 million illegal workers to become voters? • If we can't eliminate taxpayer-funded education, health-care, benefits, and entitlements for illegal immigrants now, where will the money come from to pay for those programs if we allow 20-30 million illegal workers to become voters? • If we can't control employers who give jobs and under-the-table wages to illegal immigrants now, what the job market be like if we allow 20-30 million illegal workers to become voters? • If we can't get Congress, the Whitehouse, government agencies, and even presidential candidates to take down Spanish-language websites now, will politicians need websites in English if we allow 20-30 million illegal workers to become voters?
How bad is illegal immigration? It is estimated that ten percent of Mexico's citizens now lives in the US! Fifteen percent of Mexico's labor force is working in the US! In 2005, Mexico received a record $20 billion in remittances to family members from migrant workers living in the US! That is equal to Mexico's 2004 income from oil exports and dwarfs its tourism revenue! Immigration is out of control, and Congressmen (Harry Reid, D-NV) say we're racist if we citizens are concerned! (Political tactic #1: If you know your position is wrong, call the other side an ugly name.)
The last US president to have any courage whatsoever on the issue was Eisenhower! I expect nothing less from our current president! The mere existence of congressional and Whitehouse websites in Spanish is proof enough that US politicians hold no loyalty to US citizens and legal voters.
Other than restoring the slave class (Didn't we fight a war over that issue?) in our nation, what do congressmen and presidents gain by pandering to those who violate our borders? Votes from an ever-expanding dependent class!
Please remember that past amnesties for illegals -- the "one-time-only" amnesty of 1986 for nearly 3 million illegals and the six subsequent amnesties -- did not solve anything!
Even though an overwhelming majority of American citizens disapprove of granting amnesty 20-30 million illegals, out-of-touch politicians continue to endorse a policy that has already failed in Congress and in the real world.
One intended result of the current amnesty push is that if a person has legal status in the US, no member of that person's family -- regardless of immigration status -- can be deported! This is an open invitation for every illegal who pays the token $500 fine to smuggle in his entire family! Approximately 80 percent of illegals are male. So, if you add a wife and two or three children, a couple of parents and a mother-in-law, we will not increase out population by the few million authorities say are are here now, but by upwards of 50 or 60 million! Every politician knows these staggering numbers. They know the cost is unsustainable. They simply don't care so long as they increase the voting clout of the dependent class.
One of the federal government's primary job is defense of the nation. While it is fighting two (probably futile) wars to enable individual liberty in two far-away nations, the "leadership" of this nation is surrendering our own sovereignty and identity to foreign invaders.
Congress and the Whitehouse must stop stalling and act now! I urge Congress and the Whitehouse to support a plan to immediately: • Enforce all existing immigration and border-control laws. Congress must immediately give the Administration all resources needed to do so. • Establish an adequate barrier to illegal immigration on our borders and coasts through increased border patrol agents, increased use of technology, formal use of volunteer “Minutemen” monitors (President Bush erroneously calls them vigilantes), and armed military troops. Mine the borders if necessary! • Stop jailing border guards for doing their jobs! • Stop so-called anchor-baby citizenship. Stop giving citizenship to anyone born in the United States unless one or both parents are already US citizens. The 14th Amendment was intended to give citizenship to the children of slaves -- not to the children of invaders! • Provide incentives for employers to verify each employee thorough a computerized database base. Establish felony criminal and civil penalties for employers who hire illegal aliens. Require employers to pay the costs of all government services provided to illegal immigrants in their employ. Without an economic incentive to stay in the US, most illegals will self-deport. • Establish felony criminal penalties for anyone who offers sanctuary to illegal immigrants. • Prohibit humanitarian aid (including medical, housing, and food) to illegals other than that which is necessary to expedite their return home. • Encourage state and local police agencies to help enforce immigration law as Arizona is doing. • Establish English as the official language of the United States. • Ban all federal websites in foreign languages except for those dealing with tourism, international commerce, and State Department functions. There is absolutely no legitimate reason for any member of Congress to have a website in any language other than English. • Ban all federal services and publications (especially ballots) in foreign languages except for those dealing with tourism, international commerce, and State Department functions. • Abandon the scam known as “guest-workers.” This term has only been developed to obfuscate the fact that our government has been grossly negligent in controlling an invasion by foreign nationals. • Require the man occupying the Whitehouse provide proof of citizenship.
Every pro-amnesty congressman must reevaluate his lenient position on illegal immigration. We need congressmen and a president with the courage and integrity to immediately do what is right for the future of our national sovereignty, culture, and integrity. These simple steps are long-overdue steps in the right direction.
Some have likened this move to President Truman's move to integrate blacks into military units. But, this is different. Racial differences are cosmetic. Homosexuality, however, is far more than the way a man or woman looks -- it is a behavior. It is a behavior that is incompatible with nature and God's will. It is a behavior that is profoundly disgusting to people of good character. It is a behavior that is offensive to nearly all my fellow servicemen.
The House (and my Representative) has chosen to cause great harm to the nation's servicemen and to the services. They have, again, bowed to a radical agenda to destroy the moral fiber that made the nation great. This will adversely affect military recruitment and retention as well as unit cohesion.
The House (and my Representative) has again chosen to compromise with evil by pandering to a small, but vocal, radical, and deviant segment of society. A compromise with evil is the same as choosing evil.
2 Nephi 28: 20-21:
For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good. And others will he apacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
The armed forces and our government schools are no place for open acceptance (and even advocacy) of sexual deviancy. Yet, few politicians seem to have the decency or courage to oppose this radical agenda. In November, I will remember this vote, and all other votes that steadily move the nation toward moral and political corruption and toward ultimate collapse.
If Cedar City, Utah (population approximately 30,000) can afford an aquatics park that would make Disney envious, we certainly can afford a nice indoor shooting range such as this:
Considering the royal heritage of shooting sports in Europe, I suppose it's fitting that they have an indoor range fit for a king. Nice!
Unlike in the US, the shooting sports in Europe are generally reserved for the aristocracy and wealthy. It has been so for many centuries. The woods and the game animals were and are all property of the king. Poaching was and is nothing more than a commoner killing the king's deer to feed his family.
I suppose poaching in the US is the same today: Hunting without a license and/or out of season. The game in the US still belongs to the "king."
Our nation is unique in that the people of the United States -- not the government -- established the Constitution. Our Constitution describes itself, federal statutes, and US treaties as "the supreme law of the land" (US Constitution, Article VI, Clause 2). The text establishes these as the highest form of law in the American legal system, mandating that state judges uphold them, even if state laws or constitutions conflict. For this reason it is important to be extremely careful in making treaties with foreign nations and, especially, with the United Nations.
A key safeguard of American sovereignty and of individual rights is the role the Senate plays: all treaties require the consent of the US Senate before they become a part of the "supreme law of the land." The authors of the US Constitution were inspired to delegate this ratification authority to the Senate in order to protect the Constitution, the nation, and its people from a tyrannical or cowardly president who would sell the nation's soul to foreign entities.
The purpose of this process is, in large part, to satisfy the requirements imposed by the oath every Senator takes:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
Sadly, most senators are mere rubber stamps in confirmation votes on judicial and other presidential appointments as well as on treaties, believing that the president should be privileged to negotiate and appoint whatever and whomever he pleases -- no matter how anti-American-values they may be.
As I predicted when I wrote my Senators concerning her confirmation process as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton's Department of State has expressed eagerness to work with the United Nations on a "Small Arms Treaty." I warned my Senators that I would consider a vote for her confirmation the same as a vote against the Second Amendment. Clearly, I was more prescient than the self-proclaimed pro-gun Senators who voted for her confirmation. As I recall, only two senators had the courage to vote against her confirmation. Because most Senators are cowards, there consequently are no courageous statesmen (such as Ambassador John Bolton) currently in place in the Obama administration to stop the UN's egregious assault on the Constitution and on the people.
Contrary to a widely circulated e-mail, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has not yet signed any UN small arms treaty. She could not have done so, in fact, because no such treaty has yet been negotiated.
However, treaty proposals call for tougher licensing requirements for law-abiding Americans who will be subjected to even more bogus bureaucracy to obtain and use a firearm. Of course, criminals who, by definition do not subject themselves to the law nor to bureaucracy, will not be affected by further regulation of firearms.
The expected "Small Arms Treaty" will likely hijack and destroy all weapons that unaccountable bureaucrats classify as "unauthorized." What exactly classifies a firearm as "unauthorized" will be up to the bureaucrats. If California and Washington DC are any indication, those restrictions could be so absurd as a gun having the wrong color!
Clinton, Obama and their anti-liberty commission are also calling for an international gun registry that would pave the way to eventually disarm every responsible American. Yet, since their black-market and stolen guns will not be registered, criminals will continue to be armed -- as has always been the case since Cain killed his brother. In fact, the courts have ruled that criminals (who are prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition) are not required to register their guns, since doing so would violate their Fifth Amendment right to not be a witness against themselves!
If history is an accurate guide, banning guns would only embolden criminals and encourage crime. Worse, banning guns emboldens tyrants -- that is why many of the most ardent advocates of gun-ban treaties and laws are third-world dictators who need gun control to keep their boot of power on the throats of their subjects! Why would we Americans want to endorse, participate in, or even adopt, third-world tyranny?
The Senate must reject all anti-gun agreements and every Senator must protect the Second Amendment against the anti-gun United Nations "Small Arms Treaty" and any gun ban agreement that, in any manner or degree, infringes on American individual liberties including the gun rights of responsible Americans.
The Founding Fathers knew exactly what they were doing when they wrote Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution -- they were giving the Senate the responsibility and power to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And, they knew what they were doing when they added the Second Amendment -- they were clarifying the people's right to defend themselves against all threats -- including the threat of an oppressive government at the State and Federal level -- should the Senate fails to do its job of protecting the Constitution (which it has).
The most important job the Senate has right now is to protect the Constitution as well as US citizens' Second Amendment rights. The Senate must reject all anti-gun agreements and protect the Constitution and its Second Amendment against the UN "Small Arms Treaty." Every Senator must immediately put the State Department and the Whitehouse on notice that they will not tolerate any compromise of American rights and that any government officer who attempts to do so will immediately be removed from office.
I expect that the NRA will be actively involved in this process and will oppose any treaty that would attempt to impose limits on our Second Amendment rights. In the meantime, I urge gun owners to follow this issue through NRA-ILA's Grassroots Alerts. Most importantly, I urge every gun owner to join the NRA and to vote as if your gun rights depend on your vote.
Utah's Senator Bob Bennett was recently booted off the ballot in the Utah Republican Party Convention. However, the senator is not leaving gracefully -- it seems he's quite bitter with the constituents he has ignored in recent years.
After his loss, the senator had an interview with ABC's Jonathan Karl. He ripped the tea party and blames us voters for being too stupid to reelect him. He seems to believe we owe him a lifetime seat in the Senate. That interview confirms everything Utah's conservatives thought about him.
Like Senator Hatch, Senator Bennett only has disdain for us commoners and our opinions. Utah's politicians must come to understand that we will not tolerate representatives who fail to support, defend, and comply with the Constitution.
Although Bennett and Hatch seem to believe we are stupid, most of us Utah Republicans will not perpetually send career politicians to Washington. Unlike other states Utah will not constantly impose corruption, embarrassment, and anti-constitutionalism (Joe Biden, Barbara Boxer, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, Ted Kennedy (RIP), Frank Lautenberg, Carolyn McCarthy, Barry Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Charles Rangel, Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, Maxine Waters, Henry Waxman, and many, many more) upon the rest of the nation. We have much higher standards than that. Bob Bennett does not meet our standards. We expect voters in other States to impose higher standards upon themselves -- throw the bums out!
Mitt Romney's endorsement of Bennett is another strike against Romney.
Today, Rush Limbaugh said, "The governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, and Sarah Palin have ten times the guts of all the combined guts of the male Republicans in the United States Senate." I can't argue with that. And, I include my own male Republican senators from Utah.
Senator Bennett, enjoy your retirement! Senator Hatch, you are warned!
In recent news, an immigrant from Pakistan attempted to blow up Times Square in New York. Some "experts" (including mayor-for-life of New York, Michael Bloomberg abetted by CBS news reader Katie Couric) speculated it may have been the work of somebody like me -- a person who is unhappy with the nationalization of health care:
I await (not holding my breath) for Bloomberg's sincere apology to us right-wing extremists who want nothing more than a government that honors the Constitution's limits on governmental power and the individual liberties guaranteed by the US Constitution.
I live in Utah where Mitt Romney is almost deified. I ask my neighbors, "What about the the issues that concern Utahns the most including abortion, homosexual marriage, government control over health care (and other major parts of the economy) and gun control?" Romney's history is on the wrong side of those issues. He says he's changed. Maybe so, but remember that he's a politician with no proven track record on God's side (and Utah's side) of those issues.
There is no doubt in my mind that of all the 2008 presidential candidates, Mitt Romney was among the best in possessing the leadership skills needed to lead this nation. While there are some religious bigots who would never vote for him regardless of the real issues (there's no point in fighting for their votes), I believe that it is his stand (past and present) and flip-flopping on a few key issues that will damage him most.
During his interview with Tim Russert on Meet the Press on 16 Dec 2007, Governor Romney reiterated his support for a ban on "assault weapons" (whatever that is -- I always though assault is a verb, not an adjective). He also said he "would look at weapons that pose extraordinary lethality...keep weapons of "unusual lethality from being on the street." What does "unusual lethality" mean? As compared to what? Is a firearm Romney deems to have "extraordinary lethality" any more lethal than, say, a 9-inch butcher knife, a quart of gasoline, a nine-iron, a T-Ball bat, or a 54-inch brown shoe lace?
Romney should learn that so-called "assault" weapons are less "lethal" than a typical hunting rifle. In fact, I tell my Hunter Education classes that "assault" weapons, although legal for big-game hunting in Utah, are not suitable for big-game hunting because they are not powerful enough for an ethical and humane kill. Just because an "assault" weapon has menacing-looking features (ie removable magazine, pistol grip, black stock, etc.) is not a rational reason to ban or restrict it.
As for his term "unusual lethality", Romney would be interested to know that the ancient .45-70 cartridge, developed in 1873 for the US Army, is far more devastating than the puny little .22-calber "assault" weapon round with which our GIs are fighting for their lives in Southwest Asia. In fact, the .45-70 is suitable for hunting any animal on the planet whereas that "assault" weapon round is best suited for woodchucks and prairie dogs. Were I a soldier in Iraq, I'd much rather be armed with a 100-year-old Marlin Model 1895 lever-action cowboy rifle chambered in .45-70 than a modern M4 or M16 "assault" rifle
I think Romney grossly underestimates how much we gun owners are concerned by his statements and actions, past and present, regarding firearms. It appears that he underestimates how much the typical gun owner feels that our liberty is threatened by such statements.
Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I assume that his statements and actions regarding firearms are rooted in inexperience with firearms, and there is nothing wrong with that, even for a "life-long hunter" such as Romney -- if he is open to learning what he needs to know to gain the trust of 80-100 million law-abiding gun owners.
He should learn, for example, that the shooting sports are among the safest of all sports. I lead a 4-H Shooting Sports club. Statistically, the kids in our club are safer on the firing range or hunting than they are on the soccer field. CDC statistics show they are more likely to drown in their bathtub than they are to die from a gunshot.
Romney should learn that "children" killed by gunshots are most likely to be 19-year-old gang members than innocent 6-year-olds. Banning "assault" weapons or "weapons of unusual lethality" is not the answer because these guns simply are not killing innocent children or even gang-member "children".
Romney should learn that "assault" weapons really do have legitimate sporting purposes as well as self-defense. Just come to the Utah Summer Games in June and watch 14-year-old boys and girls compete in rifle matches alongside adults with an AR-15 "assault" rifle. I'm proud to say that a lot of those kids shoot better than I do.
Romney should learn that economist John Lott writes that guns are used to stop a crime about 2.5 million times a year in this country, and usually shots are never even fired in this scenario. Lott's studies reveal that for every life lost to a gun, 65 lives are saved.
Perhaps if Governor Romney took a 4-day defensive handgun course, a tactical carbine course, and a course with full-auto guns, he would have a little more credibility. I wrote him with that suggestion. I suggested he include his family in that training. His time would be well-spent both personally and politically. He and his family would have a lot of relaxing, wholesome fun. He'd gain the respect he desperately need from us gun owners. He did not respond to my letter.
We gun owners would like to be on Governor Romney's side -- if we can only trust him to be on ours. In the meantime, I suggest that the governor keep in mind that there are no mass shootings at gun shows or on the rifle range. Mass murders only happen where guns are banned.
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