Attached is my regular Second Amendment Update:

1. Tomorrow, Tuesday March 18th, 2008, the Supreme Cort will hear opening arguments on the DC Gun Ban Case: Tomorrow is a big day for the second amendment, as the precedent set by the Supreme Court will have far reaching ramifications for the 2nd Amendment. Further, despite an official brief in support of the DC Gun Ban published by the Department of Justice, Cheney has come out with a brief against the ban.

From The Post:

In preparation for oral arguments Tuesday on the extent of gun rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court has before it a brief signed by Vice President Cheney opposing the Bush administration’s stance. Even more remarkably, Cheney is faithfully reflecting the views of President Bush.

The government position filed with the Supreme Court by U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement stunned gun advocates by opposing the breadth of an appellate court’s affirmation of individual ownership rights. The Justice Department, not the vice president, is out of order.

2. Washington Dem’s are furious over the proposal to extend licensed carry into national parks: Anythign that Dick’s and Feinstein are against is a strong recomendation.

Anti-gun Democrats on Capitol Hill, led by Rep. Norm Dicks of Washington and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, are livid about a common-sense effort to allow legally licensed citizens to carry concealed sidearms inside national parks. It’s as though they think the proposal was tantamount to condoning genocide.

Despite once insisting that a photo of himself with a dead pheasant be published on the cover of Fishing & Hunting News, Dicks has hardly been a friend to gun owners and Feinstein’s record speaks for itself. Both are “F” rated by the National Rifle Association.

Dicks and Feinstein have threatened to block a sensible move by Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to change national park rules to allow concealed carry in the parks. Opponents claim this change will open the parks to rifle-toting poachers. It’s not true and they know it.

This change would allow citizens who have gone through state licensing procedures, including background checks, to carry firearms for personal protection only. Such people rarely commit crimes.

3. NAS recommends against Ballistic Imaging Database: The NAS being the National Academy of Sciences who was asked to form a committee to evaluate the feasibility of a possible national database containing the ballistic images of all new guns sold in the US.

4. New Orleans suggests a DC style Gun Ban: Talk about a history of missing the boat. This was the same group lead by “Chocolate City” mayer Ray Nagin and police chief Warren Riley, who confiscated guns from law abiding citizens in the aftermath of Katrina. What a track record for success.

From the NRA:

Before espousing the need for yet another law that has been proven ineffective, Riley should consider that the City of New Orleans has already lost two highly questionable firearm cases in court, and there are already more than enough laws on the books to prosecute criminals who illegally possess firearms. He should also consider the fact that any proposal such as that discussed in the interview would violate his state’s firearms preemption law.

A final thought from Wayne LePierre of the NRA:

There are millions of [right to carry] holders in this country. You drive next to them, you shop with them, you see them every day. They’re your dentist or your pastor, your boss or your star employee. They’re everywhere. And the reason you may not know that is because they’re not the problem.

They’re already carrying in your church, the grocery store, and the public library. They’re with you at your favorite restaurant or your local bookstore. And the reason you never think about it is because they’re not the problem.

Some of these are very funny - enjoy!

“In a fiery speech this weekend, Hillary Clinton wondered why President Bush can’t find the tallest man in Afghanistan. Probably for the same reason she couldn’t find the fattest intern under the desk.”
-Jay Leno

Hillary Clinton said that her childhood dream was to be an Olympic athlete. But she was not athletic enough. She said she wanted to be an astronaut, but at the time they didn’t take women. She said she wanted to go in to medicine, but hospitals made her woozy. Should she be telling people this story? I mean she’s basically saying she wants to be president because she can’t do anything else.”
-Jay Leno

“Well, the big story — Hillary Clinton will be running for president in 2008. You know why I think she’s running? I think she finally wants to see what it’s like to sleep in the president’s bed.”
-Jay Leno

“Top Democrats have mixed feelings about Sen. Hillary Clinton running for president. Apparently, some Democrats don’t like the idea, while others hate it.”
-Conan O’Brien

“Former President Bill Clinton said that if his wife, Hillary, is elected president, he will do whatever she wants. You know Bill Clinton…when he makes a vow to Hillary, you can take that to the bank.”
-Jay Leno

A student from the University of Washington has sold his soul on eBay for $400. He’s a law student, so he probably doesn’t need it, but still, that’s not very much. Today, Hillary Clinton said, ‘Hey, at least I got some furniture and a Senate seat for mine.”
-Jay Leno

“Hillary Clinton said today that she wants legislation to allow all ex-felons to vote. See, this way all the Clinton’s former business partners can vote for her in 2008.”
-Jay Leno

“Hillary Clinton’s 506-page memoirs have come out. So much of her personality shines through, that in the end, you, too, will want to sleep with an intern.”
- Craig Kilborn

“In Hillary Clinton’s new book ‘Living History,’ Hillary details what it was like meeting Bill Clinton, falling in love with him, getting married, and living a passionate , wonderful life as husband and wife…Then on page two, the trouble starts.”
- Jay Leno

“In the book, she says when Bill told her he was having an affair, she said “I could hardly breathe, I was gulping for air….No, wait, I’m sorry, that’s what Monica said.”
- David Letterman

“Last night, Senator Hillary Clinton hosted her first party in her new home in Washington People said it was a lot like the parties she used to host at the White House. In fact, even the furniture was the same.”
- Jay Leno

“Senator Hillary Clinton is attacking President Bush for breaking his campaign promise to cut carbon dioxide emissions, saying a promise made, a promise broken. And then out of habit, she demanded that Bush spend the night on the couch.”
- Craig Kilborn

“CNN found that Hillary Clinton is the most admired woman in America. Women admire her because she’s strong and successful. Men admire her because she allows her husband to cheat and get away with it.”
- Jay Leno

“Hillary Clinton is the junior senator from the great state of New York. When they swore her in, she used the Clinton family Bible - the one with only seven commandments.”
-David Letterman

Or Obama / Clinton as the case may be. Think it is silly? Check this out:

The morning after regaining some political momentum by winning three of four primaries (after losing 12 in a row), the former first lady happened to mention on some early news shows the possibility of her and Sen. Barack Obama forming a joint ticket to face the new Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain.

That would be great! Take all the people who will not vote for Hilary because she is Hillary, add to that the people who won’t vote for Hillary because she is a woman or a Clinton, throw in the people who don’t like Obama and/or don’t like the idea of a black man in The White House; then for flavor add those who where jilted by Mrs. Obama’s anti-American comments and you have a sure fire way for the Democrats to loose the Whitehouse. This is the best idea I have seen come out of the Democratic Party since Dennis Kucinich!

Also reporting:
American Pundit
Hot Air
Neocon News
OTB
Wake Up America
Michelle Malkin

I found the attached from WorldNetDaily this morning.

In Arizona, legislation that would allow people to carry their guns onto community college or university campuses has been advancing, and now awaits further Senate action, after critics demanded public schools be removed from the plan.

State Sen. Karen Johnson, the bill’s sponsor, said she was reluctant to make that change, because “I still feel our little kindergartners are sitting there as sitting ducks,” she told the Arizona Republic. But Johnson said the remaining bill now has a better chance to move forward.

Not a popular choice, but I think the correct one.

Lets do some math, and consider what this means. A reasonably competent person with a bolt action rifle (the slowest reload you are likely to see in modern times) can shoot about 30 rounds in a 60 second period - or 1 ever 2 second. With a little practice such a person could shoot one ever second, or 60 in a minute. In even the best cases, it will take the police 5 minutes to get to a scene like a school shooting. So, assuming only a moderately trained individual, and a manual reloading weapon, thats between 150 and 300 dead. Basically Ammo is the only limit.

I fully understand the hesitance of having guns in Schools - even though I am an avid gun owner. But how much safer will our children be if, for example, a teacher who has received special training and had a detailed background check, be permitted to carry a gun? The same is true for our collages - if adults, be they students or teachers, who receive both a detailed background check and special training, are permitted to carry a concealed weapon, that makes it a safer place; Right?

The New York [del]Enquirer[/del] Times did an article on this law which, despite its slant, is a good read. There was a couple of interesting points:

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a Washington nonprofit organization, said 15 states were considering legislation that would authorize or make it easier for people to carry guns on school or college campuses under certain conditions. Those states include Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Virginia, according to the center, but it considers the Arizona proposal particularly egregious because it would not only allow students and faculty to carry such weapons, but staff members as well.

First, it is good to see that not only Arizona but also several others are having a fit of good sense. I need to write my state representative and get him to get something moving here in Texas.

The point about allowing staff members to also carry guns as being “egregious” is a non started. What the Brady Bunch has failed to consider is that everyone, be they faculty, staff, or students are required to take the same training, pass the same testing, and pass the same background test.

A co-worker said it best: People do not go around punching people in the face because people tend to punch back. The same behavior is true regardless of the medium of exchange - be it fists, clubs, or guns. If you have a place where the victim cannot strike back at the aggressor then that place becomes very attractive to the crazy people out there who want to cause us harm.

Gun laws and gun free zones just stack the deck against us and our loved ones. Crazy people to crazy things, and the best we can hope for is a fighting chance.

It was an interesting night last night as the race for the Whitehouse begins to distill down. There where some surprises, especially for the Obamawackos, but it went mostly as predicted. Here is a re-cap:

1. John McCain wins the Republican Nomination as Huckabee Exists

Thats right, John is officially the republican nomination for President of the USA - God help us all. Yes, it stinks, but hey. From the Washington Post:

Sen. John McCain clinched the Republican presidential nomination last night, and immediately castigated his potential Democratic rivals as liberals who lack the experience and wisdom to lead a country facing economic distress at home and engaged in war abroad.

The senator from Arizona easily won primaries in Texas and three other states, becoming the new face of the Republican Party and, at last, capturing the prize that had eluded him for a decade. The victories ended one of the great tests of political endurance for a man whose personal mettle was forged by five years in a North Vietnamese prison.

This outcome was a foregone conclusion for month — for everyone but Huckabee. I am not a big McCain fan - he is more liberal than I like. But he is a damned site better than any of the Democrat potentials. So he has my vote.

The White House announced that McCain would receive President Bush’s endorsement after a lunch intended to cement the senator as the political heir of his former rival.

Of course he did - but note that Bush made no endorsement until after McCain has taken the official Republican Nomination.

2. Obama Wins Vermont

His one and only win last night, I might add. Shows people here in Texas and my former home of Ohio have more sense than much of the country. :) Barack took 60% of the votes in Vermont. But heck, even Kucinich took a %. From the Washington Post:

Of all the predictions ventured about what would happen as the votes were tallied today, perhaps the easiest call to make was that Barack Obama would triumph in the Green Mountain State.

No more than 15 minutes after the polls closed in Vermont, it was clear the Illinois senator had won.

3. Clinton Wins Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island

This was quite a surprise to most people. I wonder who was shocked more - the Obama camp or the Hillary camp. From the Washington Post:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won critically important victories in Ohio and Texas last night, defying predictions of an imminent end to her presidential candidacy and extending the remarkable contest for the Democratic nomination to Pennsylvania’s April primary and perhaps well into the summer.

Clinton also won in Rhode Island, while Sen. Barack Obama captured Vermont. Her victories snapped his winning streak at 12 consecutive contests, rejuvenated her struggling candidacy and jolted a Democratic Party establishment that was beginning to see Obama as the likely nominee.

Clinton still faces daunting odds in her bid for the nomination. Obama began the day with a lead in pledged delegates that will be hard for her to overcome in the 12 primaries and caucus remaining, despite the results from the four states voting yesterday. But her advisers said that the big win in Ohio alone would force a serious look at both candidates and that the race was far from over.

I wonder if Hillary knows she probably has Rush Limbaugh to thank for her wins - after all, he was urging republicans to vote for Hillary in the Primaries. In any event, it will make for a more interesting Democratic race. As Hugh, over at Townhall put it, “A month ago talk radio was dead. Now it has resurrected Hillary?”

These wins seriously helped Hillary, however, she is still running behind and it will be very difficult if not imposable for her to catch up.

In any event, it should be entertaining for a while as they continue what promises to be a bitterly entertaining race.

Also Reporting:
Hot Air
Michelle Malkin
Ace of Spades
OTB
Stop the ACLU
Oblogatory Anecdotes
Town Hall

Yeah, it was photoshoped, but it is still funny as heck.

H/T to IMAO via Malkin.

Also: Big Mouth Frog

The following is an excerpt from the Washington Times which indicates that many of my fellow Republicans have fallen under the spell of Obama. Please say it isn’t so!

Republicans like Sen. Barack Obama nearly as much as they like their own likely presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, according to a new Fox 5/The Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports poll.

The survey determined that a quarter of self-identified Republicans rated Mr. McCain most likable, but nearly as many — 23 percent — chose Mr. Obama as most likable. And among all adults surveyed, Mr. Obama was rated likable by more people than Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Mr. McCain combined, underscoring the Illinois senator’s appeal to voters across the political spectrum.

First off, it is important to note that this is a “likability” survey, and not a “electability” survey. The equivalent a deciding a food smells good as an indication of if you will actually eat it.

Secondly — Wake up people. McCain is not my first choice, but he is a far cry more sane that anyone else out there. He actually has the experience to do the job, and has the life experience to do it right. Sure he is a bit more liberal that I like, is in need of some anger management classes but overall he is the best man (or woman) in the running. Period.

Michael Ramerez sums up my thoughts quite nicely in the following political cartoon. So what do you want, charisma or experience for the man at the helm of our country for the next 4 to 8 years?

Also Reporting:
American Pundit

No, not really - at least not yet. But she did give Obama another hit on the experience Front, using McCain as an example.

From The New York Enquirer Times.

“I think you’ll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say — he’s never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience,” Mrs. Clinton said aboard her campaign plane as she flew to Dallas. “I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002.”

Ouch, that is going to leave a mark. So Hillary endorses McCain over Obama? That shows remarkably good sense, I doubt it will last.

Direct, concise, and to the point - very atypical of Hillary. She has it mostly right - if one assumes that living in the Whitehouse for 8 years actually gives you a lifetime of experience. One could argue the maid or chef has that experience as well - they just need to run.

Also Reporting:
Hot Air
Ace of Spades

This is something off my normal posting tack, bu is quite impressive. This video is of a woman doing 21 different accents, and doing them all very well.

I don’t get to use this word to often, so here goes: Blasphemy!

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) told a crowd at Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, Sunday that he believes the Sermon on the Mount justifies his support for legal recognition of same-sex unions. He also told the crowd that his position in favor of legalized abortion does not make him “less Christian.”

“I don’t think it [a same-sex union] should be called marriage, but I think that it is a legal right that they should have that is recognized by the state,” said Obama. “If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans.” ((Hear audio from WTAP-TV)) St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans condemns homosexual acts as unnatural and sinful.

First, Obama should probably actually bother to read the Sermon on the Mount. I doubt homosexuality would make the grade for “pure in heart”, or “thirst for righteousness”. I would also suggest he rereads vs 19 & 20 of Matthew 5:

Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

To get to the book of Matthew he must have stumbled upon Genesis and read Sodom and Gamora.

The “obscure reference in Romans” is probably Romans 1: 26 & 27:

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

I am really getting tired of writing about this guy. He is the antithesis of everything I believe in, every things I stand for, and everything I hope to see in my lifetime.

Also Reporting:

Malkin
Stop The ACLU
Six Meat Buffet
Cynical Christian
Town Hall