A Short History of Gun Control In America

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Guns have been in the news again and again lately.  The guns I am writing about are the privately owned guns of our citizens.  Sadly, these patriotic men and women have not glorified for the millions of lives they save every year, usually without firing a shot.  Rather, the entire institution of gun-ownership has been demonized by the media and the lowlifes of the political class based on a tiny number of sensationalized murder cases.  This phenomenon happens from time to time and is always accompanied by a call for more gun control.

Before I get to control and its history, I want to address the most dangerous guns in America and elsewhere – publically owned or government guns.  These weapons pose a true threat to the health and security of our citizens and potentially pose a dire threat to our civil liberties and freedom.  Governments throughout history have proven themselves to be the least trustworthy possessors of weaponry.  In the 20th century alone governments murdered more than 200 million innocent victims with their military weapons.  I cannot speak for the rest of the world, but in America we need to seriously confront this lethal problem.

The Founder’s were naturally distrustful of an armed government, particularly a standing government army.  That is why they placed stringent restrictions on the army and, at the same time, embedded the right of the people to possess arms as a check against government tyranny.  I am  working on a series of columns along these lines which will compliment my previous article Posse Comitatus, https://perrinlovett.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/posse-comitatus/

Ultimately, I will reach the conclusions that we need to abolish all control laws which are directed against private citizens, we need to return to the militia model of defense, we should abolish our standing armies (this is a rather unpopular idea, for all the wrong reasons), and we need to disband or disarm the most of the police forces in America.  Those remaining law enforcement officers which might survive should return to their Natural Law function – protecting the rights of the people, as opposed to carrying out the edicts of the state.  For now, I will concern myself with giving you a brief education about gun control in the United States.

Where did the idea of gun control come from?  I’m not sure when and where it first originated, though I have an idea the concept has been around longer than firearms themselves.  A few gun control advocates are earnestly interested in stopping crime and helping people.  Most are not. Essentially, the majority of gun controllers are the same breed of would-be tyrants who have plagued mankind for eons.  First I imagine they demanded rock control, then sword control and now, gun control.  It is really all a scheme to deprive people of their natural rights of self-defense and self-preservation.  Tyrants do not like armed people.  Armed people are dangerous to tyrants.  Personally, I like the idea of endangered tyrants.  Perhaps we could, in the near future, save a couple and place them on display at zoos.  To hell with the rest.  “When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”  – Thomas Jefferson.

Gun control was present during the colonial period of American history.  White Europeans attempted to limit the availability of firearms to groups like slaves and native American indians.  Just before and during the Revolutionary War, the British attempted to disarm the entire rebellious population.  Their theory was that unarmed people would have a much harder time ousting the red-coat armies. 

Independent American gun control first began after the nation was freed of King George.  In early America gun control was first initiated in against blacks, both slaves and free men.  Racist tyrannical whites did not want the downtrodden slaves or free blacks to defend themselves.  Armed slaves might just free themselves, after all.  This process derived from various State laws which outright forbid blacks from owning guns.  The KKK was an early gun-control advocacy organization (a fomer-day Brady campaign, if you will).  The injustice was nominally cured by the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1868).  I say nominally, because the States found clever ways to circumvent the new Acts.  The favored trick was to tax gun sales so as to price the poor (which usually included blacks) out of the gun market.  As I will demonstrate shortly, rather than stamp out this hideous policy, the feds later adopted it.

So far in our history gun control has only affected “undesirable” populations – slaves, blacks, and the poor.  In the late 19th Century New York City enacted a ban on the concealed carry of firearms by just about everyone.  This new law was designed to protect pick-pockets and thieves, key constituents of Tammany Hall and the Democrats of the city (birds of a feather…).  It seems Boss Tweed’s cronies got too many complaints from their thieving electorate about people with concealed weapons thwarting robberies.  As far as I know, this was the first color-blind ban on concealed weapons.  New York has ever been a nest of nobility.

In the early 20th Century most Americans (except blacks and the poor here and there) were free to own whatever type of weapons they both desired and could afford to purchase.  I have read the true statement that any child who wanted one and had the money to pay for it, could mail-order a Browning .50-caliber machine gun and have it delivered to their home.  Yet, mysteriously, there was little crime in this far away “wild west” America.  Crime seemed to come along later with heavy federal regulation of firearms.  Numerous studies have definitively linked the two. 

As I noted earlier, the federal government enacted legislation which imposed a tax and registration on the ownership of certain types of firearms.  This first occurred with the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934, 26 U.S.C. 53.  This law was part of the overall scheme to deprive Americans of fundamental civil liberties.  I have previously noted the dread year of 1913, with the creation of the Federal Reserve and the ratification of the 16th and 17th Amendments.  Like plantation slaves, tax slaves with weapons pose a risk to their masters.  Americans may have seen a rise in violent crime through the 20th Century because their “leaders” emulated the gun laws of well-known criminals. 

“The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms.”  – Adolph Hitler.

adolf-hitler

(Adolph Hitler, gun control proponent.  Google Images.)

On November 11, 1938 Hitler and his government enacted sweeping gun-control legislation, the Weapons Act of 1938.  This Act was aimed at a particular subject “race” – jews.  “Jews … are prohibited from acquiring, possessing, and carrying firearms and ammunition, as well as truncheons or stabbing weapons. Those now possessing weapons and ammunition are at once to turn them over to the local police authority.”  1938 Nazi Act, Section One.  The rest of the Act made possession of weapons by jews criminal, with proscribed punishments. 

On October 22, 1968 President Lyndon “Bane of Freedom” Johnson signed into law the National Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968, 18 U.S.C. 44.  This Act imposed additional infringements on the ownership of guns.  It was allegedly imposed as a crime-fighting measure however, it was obviously intended to further limit the availability of weapons to the law-abiding members of society.  Crime exploded in tis aftermath.  Many scholars have properly analogized the GCA to the Nazi Act of 1938, with “Jews” being removed.  The GCA was also pushed into law by racists who wanted to further discriminate against blacks.  By this time, the bigots knew better than to simply switch the word “black” in place of “jew.”  The result was the same – more disarmed Americans.

Both the NFA and the GCA are policed by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (the AFT).  Both are blatant violations of the Second Amendment.  Every year, when not supplying military weapons to the Mexican drug cartels, the ATF wasted millions or billions of taxpayer dollars setting up sting operations in order to oppress otherwise innocent Americans through enforcement of these illegal laws.  I have represented several of these poor persons in court.

Of course, gun control has grown by leaps and bounds in and out of the federal government in the ensuing decades.  There has been a great deal of push-back against these laws, but the main pillars of disarmament still stand.  Things keep getting worse.  In 1986, arch-“conservative” Ronald Reagan signed into law a tax reform bill which, among other things, capped the supply of “class III” firearms.  Class III weapons are those such as fully automatic guns and destructive devises (military-grade weapons).  This, again, has had the effect of pricing these weapons beyond the means of most people.  It also deprives us access to modern weaponry.  It is virtually impossible to obtain a post-1986 weapon without spending hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars (one must become a dealer or a manufacturer to do so). 

Thus, Americans are denied access to the very weapons we need the most, those which can be effectively used to thwart government aggression, including mis-use of the standing army.  The Founders were on to something.

m4

(The Second Amendment is not about duck hunting.  Google Images.)

I could run on for another 1500 words or more with this subject.  Instead I will stop here and provide more information in my upcoming columns on the Second Amendment and related articles. In the meantime, do not heed the siren’s call for more gun controll, we need a good deal less.  Guns Up!

Friday Night News

Just one post today – my Top Ten TV Shows of all time.  Check below this post.

I’m tired and a little sick, so this will be short.  I should go to bed but I have wood for a fire, a good cigar and some great ale.  Hmmmm.

The news:

No cave on THE SEQUESTER [getting old, I know…].  Barak “Not a Dictator” Obama rambled on for a while on this subject and others today.  I caught it on CNBC.  He seemed to talk but I could not get what he was saying.  Sounded like an adult from Charlie Brown.

The news is a bit dry today.  Family incomes and spending power have fallen to lows not seen since the 1950s and we continue to hemorrhage jobs overseas.  Not to worry, Michael Doomberg says the U.S. can just borrow forever.  He’s right; the Federal Reserve has set up a perpetual debt machine.  It won’t last forever, and when the S–t hits the fan it’s going to be bad, but for now they will keep buying treasuries like mad.  Really mad, insane.  Anyway, I’m tired.  Have a good weekend, my friends.

Perrin’s Top 10 Television Shows Of All Time

This is a decidedly offbeat subject for me, but I’ve been in an offbeat mood all day.  I feel kind of sniffly and wobbly.  I suppose I have a case of Wobbly Sniffles. 

I don’t watch much television anymore.  In fact, I think it has been years and years since I last sat down intent on watching the tube.  My life is pretty exciting and I don’t feel the urge to watch someones else’s unfold according to a “reality” script.  Maybe TV has taken a turn for the worse these days.  Maybe I’m too busy.  Maybe it doesn’t matter.

On occasion I find my self watching a football game, golf tournament, or the “news.”  This is usually the result on walking into a room where a television is already on.  One sad thing: I haven’t seen most of my favorite shows in a while as most are now ancient history.  I don’t mean to show my age, but most of the following names are pretty old.  maybe you remember some of them.

1.  Sanford and Son, NBC, 1972 – 1977.

sanford

(Esther, you ugly!  Google Images.)

Sanford and Son is by far the greatest show in TV history.  It was just too funny.  If you don’t find Redd Foxx almost unbearably hilarious, there is something wrong with you.  For the younger crowd, this was a show about the misadventures of a nutty Watts junk-man and his down-to-earth son.  The supporting cast was amazing.  My favorite episode?  Every one in all seven seasons.  Okay, it may have been the episode where Fred’s newphew-in-law “stole” his money.  “YT!”  Or, it could be the lottery contest with no winner episode.  “The police!”  It was all of them.

2.  All in the Family, CBS, 1971 – 1979.

bunker davis kiss

(Funniest TV moment ever!  Google Images.)

Another show so “outrageous” it probably couldn’t be a pilot concept these days, All in the Family followed the hijinks of bigoted cab-driver Archie Bunker and his wacky family.  Archie was politically incorrect and proud of it!  He also got just about everything wrong, but his true good nature usually kept him straight in the end.  Favorite episode?  The Sammy Davis, Jr. kiss episode – possibly the single funniest moment in television history.

3.  This Old House, PBS, 1979 – Present.

norm

(Norm, Master Carpenter.  Self-described most popular Jewish carpenter since Jesus.  Google Images.)

Hey!  A PBS show.  I always loved watching the cast and crew renovate some old derelict of a house into a thing of impressive beauty.  Something about the productiveness and the incredible craftsmanship speaks to me.  This is the grand-daddy of all home improvement shows.  I will still watch new episodes if I get a chance.  They have some spin-offs too.

4. The Dukes of Hazzard, CBS, 1979 – 1985. 

daisy d

(Maybe I watched for Daisy.  Daisy…  Google Images.)

Yeeeeeeee – Haaaaaaaw!  What child didn’t love this show?  For a boy down South it was mandatory viewing.  Bubba Watson liked it so much, he bought the original General Lee (1st one from the pilot).  I wonder how many Chargers they destroyed jumping all those ponds.  The “outlaw” Duke boys were the heroes while the law, Sheriff Roscoe and Boss Hogg, were they (lovable) bad guys.  That doesn’t happen too often on film.  Show like this don’t happen much either.

5.  Sesame Street, PBS, 1969 – Present.

sesame-street

(The old 123 gang.  Google Images.)

Another PBS show and a kid’s show.  Friends, I’m talking about Sesame Street before the arrival of Elmo, the Destroyer.  The old show that you and I watched in the 70’s and early 80’s.  The old show featured grown-ups that acted like it and instilled values in the kids and muppets.  Favorite episode?  The Christmas special with Bert and Ernie and Mr. Hooper (Gift of the Magi).  Elmo and his thugs ruined the whole thing.  I used to watch it with my daughter.  Thank God she’s outgrown it!  Hooper must be rolling in his grave.

6.  The Jeffersons, CBS, 1975 – 1985.

The-Jeffersons

(I’ve had it up to here…  Google Images.)

The Jeffersons was a spin-off from All in the Family.  George and Louise (“Weezy”) Jefferson hit the big time thanks to George’s dry-cleaning business and move to Manhattan.  They used to be Archie’s neighbors.  The show lasted so long because it was genuinely funny, like Sanford and Family.  The character interaction was superb; the play between George and maid Florence was priceless.  Throw in the zany neighbors and you had a perfect show.

7.  Little House on the Prairie, NBC, 1974 – 1982.

little house

(Classic TV.  Google Images.)

Little House was the ultimate family show and Michael Landon’s finest work.  Landon played Charles Ingalls.  The show followed his adventures with his family in rural Minnesota during the 1870s and 1880s.  It highlighted the best qualities in human nature, every story came with a lesson.  The show also is one of the few to feature an active and positive Christian congregation.  It had dignified humor, humble “manly” characters, strong women, and precocious children.  It was America.

8.  Married With Children, Fox, 1987 – 1997.

bundy

(Al “Born Loser” Bundy.  Google Images.)

This show was as irreverent as Little House was pious.  It centered on the life of women’s shoe salesman and former high school football standout, Al Bundy, and his dysfunctional family.  Like Sanford and Family it was funnier than heck and as politically incorrect as conceivable.  Unlike most sit-coms, Married usually ended on a funny sour note with no lesson learned.  It was just pure entertainment.  Favorite episode?  Pete’s potato.

9.  Hee-Haw, CBS and syndication, 1969 – 1992.

hee-haw

(Pick’n n Grin’n.  Google Images.)

Hew Haw was a country-themed variety show which caught on with a national audience.  Set in fictional Cornfield County, it featured popular recording artists, comedy skits, and original hilarity not seen since.  Favorite episode?  All the “Where Oh Where” skits, especially with celebrities.  Just good, clean fun.

10.  ?

Did I mention I don’t watch a lot of TV?

Thursday Night News

Two postings today.  The last was a shorten version of Don’t Talk, https://perrinlovett.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/how-to-interact-with-the-police/.  The first was a “defense” of Julius Caesar that turned into a comparison of the decline and fall of the Roman and American Republics: The Decline and Fall of Something, https://perrinlovett.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/the-decline-and-fall-of-something/.  Check out The Decline if you haven’t already.

Now the news:

I was wrong!  The GOP has not caved yet on THE SEQUESTER [lone wolf howls eerily].  Then again, Thursday is not quiet over. 

Detroit is about to be taken over by the State of Michigan, finance-wise.  The decline of this once great city is astounding.  It could eventually become the first major U.S. city reduced to ruins.  Sad but predictable.

Is “Is the Pope Catholic?” now, temporarily, an invalid retort?

All for now…

March 10, 2013 Libertarian Party Event Bullett Points

The following are bullet points which will accompany my upcoming address to the CSRA (Agusta, GA) Libertarian Party.  The event will be on Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 1 p.m. at the Roadrunner Cafe, Washington Rd., Augusta.  This material is subject to change prior to March 10th and may be deviated from at the event.

 

How to Interact wih the Police

or

DON’T TALK!

 

By: Perrin B. Lovett

Attorney and Counselor at Law

www.perrinlovett.wordpress.com

 

Bullet Points

CSRA Libertarian Party Presentation

Augusta, Georgia

Sunday, March 10, 2013

 

These points were developed in part from my recent column, How to Interact with the Police, https://perrinlovett.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/how-to-interact-with-the-police/, 2/26/2013. Please visit my website for more information. The material herein and my remarks and answers during the presentation do not constitute legal advice and do not establish an attorney-client relationship. This information is given for its own sake, it is a general legal education. Consult with an attorney for legal advice in specific cases. The following points were developed as a guide (only) for my presentation to the CSRA Libertarian Party:

  • Don’t talk. Do not ever talk to the police under any circumstances.
  • Talking gets people arrested and convicted (put in prison).
  • There are exceptional reasons why you might need to address the cops sometimes.
  • What to do when confronted by the police, especially while carrying a weapon.
  • Fifth Amendment; Second Amendment (U.S. Constitution).
  • Video (Don’t Talk to the Police): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc.
  • Sometimes even “innocent” interaction leads to prosecution.
  • Tier One: voluntary meeting, citizen is free to leave. Just walk away.
  • Tier Two: Terry Stop; officer investigating some crime, citizen not free to leave.
  • NEVER consent to searches.
  • Terry – supposed to have probably cause to stop citizen.
  • Officer must have something more than a hunch about the possible crime.
  • Talking will not help during a Terry stop. Don’t Talk.
  • Tier Three: Arrest of citizen; SAY NOTHING! Except ask for an attorney.
  • Anything you say can and will be used against you!
  • If you’re not talking, you’re not lying.
  • Never agree to meet with the police nor answer questions nor make statements.
  • Never voluntarily approach the police (except in life or death emergency).
  • They lack evidence, don’t help them.
  • Thank God for guns! Guns keep us safe! Hoplophobia.
  • Don’t believe the government or the news.
  • “The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” – H.L. Mencken.
  • Do not make a spectacle of yourself. Lay low. Keep quiet. Don’t talk.
  • The South is still somewhat gun-friendly. The cops are not your friends!
  • Carry permits – play the game. Make no waves. Move to a freer State.
  • Avoid confrontation; carry concealed.
  • If they don’t see it, they won’t question it!
  • Open carry does not give probable cause, by itself.
  • The cops kill people and are not prosecuted.
  • Civil rights violations. 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (KKK Act). Bivens actions.
  • Self-defense shootings mean contact with the police. Say as little as possible.
  • Get an attorney at that point.
  • Armed Citizen’s Legal Defense Fund, www.armedcitizensnetwork.org.
  • Cops at the door. Keep it closed. No warrant, no entry. Don’t talk!

The Decline and Fall of Something…

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In my popular Posse Comitatus column, https://perrinlovett.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/posse-comitatus/, I made a possibly confusing and unfair allusion to Caesar bringing about the demise of the Roman Republic and ushering in the Empire.  It seems that “crossing the Rubicon” is too simply of an explanation for what really happened.  The actual process from republic to empire lasted for decades and involved many actors in addition to Caesar.

The Roman Republic existed from roughly 500 B.C. until 27 B.C.  Most republics do not make it that long.  Ours, if it can still be credibly called a republic, is coming apart at the seams after only 237 years.  The Roman Republic replaced the line of monarchs who had ruled Rome for over two and a half centuries.  It was succeeded by the Empire, which lasted from 27 B.C. until the German Odoacer set himself up as the first King of Italy in 476 A.D. 

During the Republic the government was operated by a Senate (congress) and one or two Consuls (presidents).  Most public officials were limited to one-year terms.  Many of these public offices, including the Consuls, survived into the Empire, though with greatly reduced authority.  There had been a tremendous amount of political strife for over 100 years before Augustus Caesar (Caesar Divi F. Augustus) became the First Emperor.

Caesar (Julius Caesar of the first Triumvirate) returned from war and was expected or feared to take dictatorial control of the Republic.  He became a dictator of sorts, but he never got the chance to fully dominate the Senate, being assassinated on March 15, 44 B.C.  His murder at the hands of Casca, Brutus, and Cassius is one of the better known events of ancient history.  However, the conspiracy included dozens of Senators.  Allegedly (according to Tacitus?), once Caesar was killed, the chief leaders of the conspiracy called out repeatedly to Cicero by name, as if to showcase their good works.  It is also alleged Cicero waved off the acts and attention in disgust.

cicero

(Cicero, champion of Constitutional republicanism.  Google Images).

Many have theorized Cicero was a co-conspirator.  I don’t think so.  Marcus Tullius Cicero was a lawyer, statesman, Senator, and former Consul (63 B.C.) and is widely considered one of antiquities foremost figures.  His influence on Latin language is still felt with prominence today.  I quote he frequently as he was one of the most critical opponents of the Constitutional demise and all dictatorial actions.  He would be one of my two picks as the Ron Paul of his day, the other being the black-robed Cato.  Despite his constant opposition to totalitarianism, I do not think he would have sanctioned murder as a means to eliminate the practice.  I think his morals, nobility, and steadfast dedication to the law would have prevented his involvement.

Heedless of his own peril Cicero kept up his criticism of Mark Anthony and Company (the Second Triumvirate) and was, in 43 B.C., labeled an enemy of the state and hunted down mercilessly.  He was captured on December 7, 43 B.C. and immediately murdered by Anthony’s troops.  His last words (according to Plutarch?) were allegedly: “There is nothing proper about what you are doing, soldier, but do try to kill me properly.”  He was decapitated and his head and hands displayed publicly in Rome.

This brutal display of lawlessness and savagery was formerly utilized by would-be or quasi dictators.  Gauis Marius and Lucius Sulla had used similar tactics against their enemies.  Such horrific treatment was the most high-tech form of intimidation at the time, drones were still more than 2000 years away.

Marius served seven terms (at intervals from 107 – 86 B.C.) as Consul despite laws enacting terms limits.  His power was derived from constant warfare and the need for “emergency” powers from the Senate.  War and “emergency” powers go hand in hand with dictatorship.  If you haven’t watched the news in the past 12 years, perhaps you did, at least, see the three Star Wars prequel movies. 

Sulla served two terms as Consul (82 – 81 B.C.) and, like Marius, gained much power as a petty dictator through war powers.  Sulla’s wars were not confined to foreign enemies, marching on Rome itself in 82 B.C.  The Senate foolishly conferred upon him dictatorial powers for life.  These he immediately began to use, murdering 1,000s of enemies, with no semblance of Due Process.  Previously, the Republic had prided itself on justice and faithful execution of the laws, rather than of citizens and nobles.

So, you see, Caesar has a product of his times as much as a dictator.  His short reign came in the middle of a century marked by Constitutional decline.  Caesar is the best remembered name from the period though his actual power differed little from that of his predecessors and successors.  He could have done eternally great service to the Republic and perhaps changed centuries of history if he had followed in the footsteps of one of his ancient precursors. 

History also remembers Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, mostly out of awe for his humility in power.  Cincinnatus was Consul and was granted dictatorial powers during a time of war twice, in 458 B.C. and again in 439 B.C.  Unlike 99% of historical figures granted such rare authority, Cincinnatus immediately abandoned his high position once crises abated.  Perhaps Caesar had such intention but was not allowed time to exercise it.  Perhaps not.

I hope you have seen, within this column, parallels to modern America.  To me they seem both unmistakable and also unmistakably dire in their warnings to us.

We currently have a President who, unchallenged essentially, claims the right to murder American citizens without Due Process.  At the same time, we have a craven opposition party which, rather than impeach and remove the usurper, propose to give him Constitutional powers beyond his office.  All of this, consequently, stems from “emergencies” whether martial or economic.  This has become an established pattern since 2001 though it has roots much older.

This year we mark the 100th anniversary of some of the most destructive Acts in our history.  In 1913 the 16th and 17th Amendments killed the States’ fading power against the central government and the Federal Reserve began it’s mission to enslave the nation (publicly and privately) in debt while enabling Washington to potentially spend without limit.  Around the same time the National Guard was formalized and strengthened, giving Washington military control over the entire nation. 

The ensuing 100 years saw an exponential growth in government, the decline of civil liberties, constant foolish wars, and the nationalization of serfdom.

Having recently lost our Cicero and Cato figures to retirement, we can only pray for a latter-day Cincinnatus.

Wednesday Night News

Yesterday was a record-breaker here in blogtown: a 60% increase in views over the previous all-time daily high.  Thanks everyone!  How To Interact With The Police, https://perrinlovett.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/how-to-interact-with-the-police/, proved to be one of my most popular columns yet. 

That, along with the popularity of Posse Comitatus, https://perrinlovett.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/posse-comitatus/, and other law-related columns, confirms my theory that people really like legal topics presented from a freedom-oriented perspective.  These posts are lengthy too.  That gives me hope that people are accepting, even anxious for libertarian solutions to modern law and policy problems.

Today I posted Politics, https://perrinlovett.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/politics/, my off-beat attempt to accurately portray the political landscape in America today.  Have a look; it’s just as informative as my recent hits and a good deal funnier (I think).

I’ve got plenty of new stuff coming in the near future, including the second installment of Slavery in America.  I plan to cover things like: The Constitution, Constitutional law, law school (don’t go…), the debt-bomb, some non-political/legal matters, and many more subjects.  For now, let’s have a look at a little news:

I’m still predicting the GOP will cave on ……(wait for it)……tHEEEEEE SEQUESTER!!!!!!! [maniacal laughter while thunder booms ominously].  I think they will cave tomorrow, maybe late.  Who knows. 

Today, the Elephantiasis party erased all doubts as they forcefully wrested the WE ARE CRAZY AS HELL title from the Donkeys.  Mad Mitch McConnell and Company today released a plan to cave on THE SEQUESTER [a woman screams hysterically] and, in exchange for selling out their very last shred of principle, the RepubliCONS propose ceding Congress’s Constitutional authority to control the federal budget to the White House.  I’m not making this up, here’s the story from Politico: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/senate-gop-ponders-shifting-power-to-obama-88149.html?hp=l1.

First, the cave is a given, it will happen even without the theatrics.  Second, this scheme is illegal.  The Constitution is clear who is supposed to make the budget.  Oh wait … we don’t have federal budgets anymore.  It’s still illegal.  How’s that for “conservative”?  They will side-step a good law just so they can break the Supreme Law of the Land.  Criminal.  Lastly, this strategy (if you can call it that) is mind-bogglingly stupid.  I can’t even wrap my boggle around it yet.  I don’t want to…

In other news, Bob Woodward joined the ranks of Kanye West and just about everyone else in the Northern Hemisphere who think President Sotoro is “mad.”  Read all about it, from Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/27/us-usa-fiscal-woodward-idUSBRE91Q11620130227.  The White House has apparently threatened Woodward over his remarks.  WARNING: If you live near Mr. Woodward just remember drones and their missiles don’t make a peep until the blast occurs.  This might be a good time to vacate the neighborhood.  Just sayin.

All of this proves my point from Politics: our “leaders” are a bunch of idiots, lunatics, and psychopaths.  I find this a little more important than who is refusing to host the Oscars again.  How bout you?

Politics

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“Politics” comes from ancient Greek roots.  “Poly,” of course, means “many” and “Ticks” are little blood-sucking parasites.  Thus, “politics” means: many little blood-sucking parasites.  I really wish I could attribute that definition to my own genius but I feel overly honest today.

palpatine

(Emperor Palpatine, the ultimate politician. Source: Google Images.)

Wikipedia says “politics” is  “the art or science of influencing people on a civic, or individual level…”  See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics

I have studied politics (formally and informally) since around 1980.  In those days, everyone in the South tended to be Democrats, party-wise.  My parents were proud Democrats at the time and were horrified when Ronald Reagan won the Presidency.  I watched on.  As the years progressed, I decided I was a “conservative” and, therefore, a Republican, much like Reagan. 

I watched Family Ties back then and might have been influenced by the antics of Alex P. Keating.  Then came the Rush Limbaugh era; I listened everyday after high school while working as a runner for a local law firm.  I knew Rush was right.  Well, something in my subconscious had doubts.  In college I drifted into libertarian thought and have remained there ever since.  As the years pass I become closer and closer to a full-blown anarchist. 

During this time, while I descended from a believer in minimal government to a dreamer about no government, reality took a turn for the worse.  The whole of my dear country seems to have gone the other way!  Whereas we had a big government when I was a child, now we have a GIGANTIC monstrosity of a government that seems to grow geometrically ever second.

Hence my disconnect from the world of practical politics.  It is patently obvious that there is no discernible difference between the two major parties in America – they both lead to bigger and more controlling governance.  Over the years I supported several politicians in various ways – both Republicans and Libertarians (I have Democrat friends too).  My support usually faded away with my short, rambling attention span.  I have never been a member of any party. I am proud of that; I hate political parties.

Deer Ticks (file/credit: Getty Images)

(Politicians soliciting contributions.  Google Images.)

In his Farewell Address to the nation, President George Washington devoted nearly two pages to warning the people about party politics.  He began: “Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the Spirit of Party, generally.”  Thereupon he listed the many dangers of “faction” at the expense of Public Liberty.  He closed with a thought on excessive party politics: “A fire not to be quenched; it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest instead of warming it should consume.”  See: The Founder’s Almanac, pp. 309 – 310, The Heritage Foundation, Washington 2002.  Given Washington’s fame and standing you would think more people would have listened; they did not and American “democracy” became an all-consuming conflagration.

H.L. Mencken wrote in the Minority Report (1956): “Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule – both commonly succeed, and are right.”  Mencken defined “democracy” as “the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”  Every election since has proved him right on both counts.

The most excited I ever got about any election(s) was in 2008 and 2012 supporting Ron Paul.  I knew then Dr. Paul was an anomaly in American politics.  My fellow citizens chose a different path and now Dr. Paul is retired.  With him, at the end of 2012, went Rep. Dennis Kucinich.  Washington is now devoid of any statesmen whatsoever and the only small impediments to Total Government are gone.  I would like to believe Dr. Paul’s son, the other Dr. Paul, will follow in his father’s hallowed footsteps; I don’t think it will happen.

I have decided to waste no more time following the stupidity (which worsens daily) of field level politics.  My personal academic concentration is now centered on political theory or philosophy and the history thereof.  A good friend of mine says that America is finished, like a $500 car in need of $5000 worth of repairs.  For our generation I fear he may be on to something.  Still, I hold some hope for the future.

My fledgling professional academic career is and will be focused on educating younger persons about the mistakes of faith in politics and government, the evils resulting from such faith, and alternatives to the status quo.

Perhaps the most honest book ever written about American politics is Parliament of Whores by P.J. O’Rourke (1991).  The title says it all.  Inside the reader will discover, among many other witty things, a whole section of chapters entitled, The Three Branches of Government: Money, Television and Bullshit.  Perfect.

Government and politics in general, particularly in America, really do center on O’Rourke’s three “branches.”

Money in politics is not necessarily the root of all evil, but it certainly is the tool of all evil in politics.  It takes a lot of money to get elected to national or state office in the first place.  Savy politicians set up campaign funds legally designed to break or sidestep any campaign finance laws in the way.  Then the ticks turn around and suck blood from any source to fill their funds.  Sometimes they contribute a little of their own money but most of it comes from “donors.”  People all over give a little here and there to help some bozo get elected; once elected the bozo ignores the little people.  The big bucks come from the special interest groups, they get the politician’s attention post-election.

Money flows into Washington, D.C. and the several State capitals by the dump truck load.  Giant corporations and the super rich constantly brib ..er.. give to elected officials in all kinds of ways.  Sometimes they support a pet project of the tick’s (charity, etc.), sometimes they provide booze and hookers, they give kickbacks and favors, and sometimes they just give plain old cash in brown- paper grocery bags.  The amount of money flowing into the Capital is astounding, but it pales in comparison to the money flowing out.

This year, like last year, the federal government will spend something like 3.5 Trillion dollars per its official “budget.”  I just put “budget” between quotation marks because Congress hasn’t put forth an actual budget, as required by the Constitution, in years.  Alarmingly, the vast majority of federal spending is on UnConstitutional programs.  The government spends a huge percentage of that money out of debt.  Fully a third of the budget is borrowed these days.  Check out the U.S. Debt Clock for a good fright: http://www.usdebtclock.org/.  In fact, I believe the borrowed sum exceeds the amount paid by individual taxpayers.  Corporations also pay for a larger portion of the budget than do the individual taxpayers.  However, as with any business expense, corporations pass their taxes along to customers via higher prices for their goods and services.  So the People ultimately pay those taxes as well.  Aaaaand, guess who guarantees the huge debts run up by the ticks?  Yes, taxpayers again.  So, Ma and Pa America have to pay for all the illegal, unnecessary spending of the government, even when they receive no representation for their money.

Like I said, most government programs are not grounded in the Constitution and are therefore illegal.  Of the $3.5 trillion spent, Medicare and Medicaid get about $800 billion.  They are not in the Constitution.  Social Security, the third rail of tick-dom, gets a similar amount.  Not in the Constitution.  Our never-ending, foreign, undeclared wars of aggression get a slightly smaller amount.  Being undeclared and indefensible, they to are also illegal.  The total of interest on the national debt, federal pension costs, and various welfare programs get a similar amount of funding.  Like undeclared warfare, specific welfare is also illegal.  As none of the programs are needed there is no need for all the federal employees vested in those pensions.  If the government didn’t spend so damn much money there would be no debt and, thus, no interest.  The “legitimate” functions of the federal government are mostly unnecessary anymore, and those that are should really only cost us a few hundred billion dollars per year at most.  That could easily be covered by tariffs and import fees – as the government was supposed to be funded and was funded for years without trouble.

I could go on and on with the money stuff but we still have television and bullshit….

Television is really representative of all major media, both news and entertainment, in this nation.  Whether you get your news on TV, from the radio, or from a print medium, it’s all the same.  The government puts out a line of crap and the media runs with it.  Very seldom in America are we treated to any critical reporting anymore.  Remember those special interests?  They own the media nearly completely.  Towing the line is part of the overall scheme.

This scheme extends into non-news entertainment.  Reality shows, pro sports, pop music and other trivial pursuits are the modern bread and circuses of Amerika.  While you drunkenly watch 300-pound men decked out in pink play with a ball, the government is stealing you blind and destroying your country.  The ticks laugh at you too.

Bullshit.  It’s a crude term but it accurately describes everything I’ve been writing about.  It’s also all you ever get from the government.  Mostly everything you hear, see, or read from the government or its pet media are outright lies.  Very little the ticks do is honest or important so they have to concoct wild stories to get you to go along – provided you even pay attention, most people do not.  For instance, when Washington goes to war the ticks always say it’s over something noble like “keeping the world safe for democracy” or “fighting the ‘terrorists’.”  Saying they want to keep profits high for the military-industrial complex (a special interest) doesn’t sound as good.  When President Obama announced ObamaCare, he didn’t say he wanted windfall profits for the insurance and finance companies of America (special interests).  He said it was all to help the children, or the less fortunate, or you and me.  Bullshit!

And when the government and the ticks tell the truth, it’s truly frightening.  The Whitehouse says it will use drones to kill Americans without Due Process.  You better believe they will!  When Congress authorizes an illegal ponzi scheme like Social Security or an illegal monopoly like the Federal Reserve (the biggest special interest of all), they do so openly and with impunity. 

My point is … well, I’ve already made it – I do not like modern, practical politics and for good reason. 

The next time you come into contact with a tick, instead of giving it money and voting it into office, get out the tweezers and the alcohol.  I’m Perrin Lovett and I approve this message.

Tueday Night Post-Script

I am blown away by the attention this site is getting.  Do you people really read these long-winded posts???  I hope so.

Here’s what I’ve been doing while posting, working, fathering, etc.:

I’m smoking another gigantic cigar, the Grand Habano, Grand Reserve, #5, 2010, Grandioso.  It’s a 7×70 (huge) beast of a Nicaraguan cigar!  The best stuff comes from Nicaragua now, not Cuba.  I have a host of friends on their way there tonight, they’re (used en all in one sentence!) guests once again of Nick Perdomo, master of Esteli! 

Here’s the cigar:

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A grand cigar deserves a grand drink.  Tonight it’s Duck-Rabbit’s Brown Ale (and others).  The Duck-Rabbit:

0226132116

I do all of this to make your blog-time happy. Cheers!

PPS:  A serious note.  I’ve been getting a great deal of feedback about the site here and on my email and FB.  I try to respond to all of them.  If you have a question or comment you want addressed, add it as a comment to the particular article here.  That will make it easier for me to answer.  Cheers!

Tuesday Night News!

I have more information on my speaking engagement in March.  As I posted the other day, I will address the Libertarian Party of greater Augusta, GA on Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 1 p.m.  The event will be at The Roadrunner Cafe, 2821 Washington Road, Augusta, GA 30909.  My topic will be citizen encounters with the police, to include special attention towards armed civilian encounters.  It is sure to be informative and entertaining.

Everyone is welcomed to attend, though there will be some organization business which only members can participate in.  Check out the Roadrunner website for menu items: http://www.roadrunnercafe.com/.  There is no charge associated with the meeting but you will probably want to order food or drinks.  Those of you in the first two rows may want to wear ponchos or plastic trash bags … just kidding.  Come on out, if you are a freedom lover.  Washington Road is exit 199 off I-20 in Augusta (the main Masters exit).  I will shortly post bullet points related to my talk.

Speaking of which, earlier today I released How to Interact with the Police, https://perrinlovett.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/how-to-interact-with-the-police/, a short, overly simplified article on what to do when confronted by the cops, armed or otherwise.  This has proven to be a very popular column as, oddly, many of my legal posts are.  I’m glad I can be of service to you.  A follow-up may be in order.  If you haven’t read it yet, please do so.  The central theme is “Don’t Talk” to the police.  Talking gets people arrested and convicted.

Aaaand, speaking of the blog: thank you for making today the biggest, best, highest-trafficked day in blog history!  I am impressed and humbled by the attention.  I have a super post coming tomorrow.  It will deal with practical politics in the U.S.A., with horrifying figures and facts and unusually humorous sarcasm.  Check it out tomorrow!

News comment of the day: Back to … ThE SEQUESTER!! Hahahaha [maniacal…].  Drudge is asking will Boehner and Co. cave?  I ask when, not if?  My guess is thursday the 28th.  We shall see.  Also, apparently by the headline, Chris Christie, one of the current GOP golden boys, has endorsed ObamaCare or something.  Is anyone surprised?  For my many Republican friends, again I ask you to demonstrate for me how your party differs at all from the Democrats.  I just don’t see it, except for the mascots.