Preparing for Pelosi

"With anti-gun extremists Nancy Pelosi poised to become Speaker of the House, and John Conyers chairman of the important House Judiciary Committee, the threat to gun owners' rights could not be more real in this congressional election..."

This is an NRA-ILA quote, but they took the words out of my mouth.

blatham wrote:

oralloy wrote:

Quote:

but an armed populace is one essential component without which freedom is impossible.

This isn't an empirical claim. It is a philosophical view or, more accurately, a definitional statement - if a population cannot own firearms then it is not free, period, by definition. No arguing with that.

But only a fool, or a species of American NRA member, would go on to claim that Britain or Australia or the numerous jurisdictions where gun ownership is more controlled and less pervasive than is the case in the US are all therefore less free than America.

Well then label me as a species of NRA member, because I am appalled by the lack of freedom in those two countries.

blatham wrote:

It's really difficult to understand how this old equation makes any sense in the modern world. Citzenry can not hope to even approach a balance of firepower with the state, the presumed danger. Ought you not to demand the right to carry/own cluster bombs and pocket nukes?

It isn't about fighting off the government. The Framers of the Constitution wanted the militia to prevent tyranny by fighting FOR the government.

The Framers felt that, by fighting for the government, the militia would eliminate the need for a standing army. And they felt that without a standing army, tyranny would be impossible.


For most of those who acquire firearms to fight danger today, the presumed danger is the common criminal and/or wild animals.

Many don't acquire guns with danger in mind at all. For instance, I hope to one day get a submachinegun solely for the purpose of shooting tin cans and other inanimate targets.

Well then label me as a species of NRA member, because I am appalled by the lack of freedom in those two countries.

U.S. Rank on Press Freedom Slides Lower

By Nora Boustany
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, October 24, 2006; Page A15

Northern European countries top the index, with no reported censorship, threats, intimidation or physical reprisals, either by officials or the public, in Finland, Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands. All of those countries were ranked in first place....

Although it ranked 17th on the first list, published in 2002, the United States now stands at 53, having fallen nine places since last year.

"Relations between the media and the Bush administration sharply deteriorated after the president used the pretext of 'national security' to regard as suspicious any journalist who questioned his 'war on terrorism,' " the group said.

"The zeal of federal courts which, unlike those in 33 U.S. states, refuse to recognize the media's right not to reveal its sources, even threatens journalists whose investigations have no connection at all with terrorism," the group said.

To the point in question...

Quote:

U.S. Rank on Press Freedom Slides Lower....

cjhsa, with all due respect, you're a one-man argument for voting Democrat next month!

Maybe they're content not having 30,000 needless deaths a year, those freedom-hating bastards.

What do you think is going to happen when (oops) IF Pelosi becomes speaker, cjhsa?

I mean, what is it that is so distressing about the prospect?

cjhsa, with all due respect, you're a one-man argument for voting Democrat next month!