NOTE: This article was written as a response to another, originally published in “The Bollard” on April 5th. It can be read here.
A guy wrote once that, although debate and compromise are valuable things in the right place, there are some positions that are completely, flatly wrong. These, because they’re just so obviously invalid, are no longer worth discussing, and compromise with them is plain dumb. (more…)
Yes, this is about the 9/11 attacks. Yes, I firmly believe nineteen hijackers drove four planes into three buildings and a field in Pennsylvania. No, I don’t think that’s the whole truth.
Half the people reading left after the first sentence; most of the rest left after the second. Even my saintly mother left after reading the third. If you’re still here, you’re either very intelligent or very bored.
I can work with that. (more…)
My last article was, at least nominally, about gun control.
It started optimistically enough; I began by stating that our country is more heavily armed than some war zones and pointing out the most recent mass shooting event. Somehow, though, in examining the statistics on gun violence, I concluded that the guns are not the real problem.
If you’re curious about that, feel free to go read that article; it’s a trip. If, on the other hand, you’re concerned directly with controlling the ownership and possession of firearms, read on here. (more…)
The United States is one of the most heavily armed places on Earth, measured per capita. There are places that have been in civil war for long enough that all noncombatants have fled; they are less heavily armed than we. And we see the results on the news on a daily basis, it seems; just the other night there was another mass shooting, an apparent ambush at a backyard barbecue.
So gun control appears to be a logical necessity. Why is there even debate on the subject?
I’ve examined some statistics that may give us an answer, as well as a possible course going forward. I’ll warn you now, though: The answers I arrived at are vastly different than the ones I at first expected. (more…)
Some of my olde– uh… more experienced readers may remember when gasoline first topped one dollar a gallon at the pumps. If you’re finding it tough to put a date to the event, here’s some hints: Jimmy Carter was President, there were hostages in Iran (which was about to be at war with Iraq), and America was in the grip of an energy crisis. (more…)
The caucusing is over; the choice is made; the numbers are in. And we know who won and who lost, pretty much; unlike last time, the results are pretty reliable. But even though the numbers don’t lie, by themselves they don’t tell the whole truth. (more…)
As of this writing, it’s about twenty-four hours before the Iowa Caucuses begin. This year there’s a good chance that we’ll know the results by the end of the night thanks to Microsoft. (Watch the video; it’s awesome.)
Just before the caucuses, the New York Times decided to endorse John Kasich, the solidly conservative governor of Ohio. And… well, let’s face it: The man’s got zero chance in Iowa. So who cares?
We ought to (more…)
Bernie Sanders may very well be the Democratic Party’s candidate for President in 2016, and Donald Trump is increasingly likely to be his Republican opponent.
And you could change that.
Interested yet? Thought you might be. Let me tell you what’s up and why it matters.
I should have started this with “Spoiler Alert”. ‘Cause nobody’s seen this movie yet.
A couple of days ago, President Obama announced on national television that he was taking executive action about gun violence. He invoked memories of tragedies, from Newtown and Aurora through Ford Hood and San Bernardino, and at one point he broke into tears.
I’m going to (more…)
For those of you who have been following the news, the recent announcement by Stag Arms about their plea deal with the ATF is unsurprising. For those of you that haven’t been paying attention, here’s a basic rundown:
Stag is a true niche manufacturer. They assemble the only version of the AR-15 presently on the market that’s designed for left-handers, specifically (more…)
The Not Fake News 
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