So Utah has become the first state to have a state firearm, in addition to a state flower, state bird, etc.  It’s actually surprising to me that it hasn’t happened before.  Utah’s choice, the Browning 1911 design is very appropriate considering its role in the freedom of our country.

The full CNN article can be found here.

There is a fair amount of chatter from liberal anti-gun pundits whining about it.  I hope the idea takes hold.  I would like to see the Winchester 1895 in .405 become the North Dakota state firearm in honor of Teddy Roosevelt.

From the Washington Post, an article by Stephen Hunter that makes a pretty good case for the 33 round magazines that are now under scrutiny because of the recent shooting in Arizona:

Why 33 rounds makes sense in a defensive weapon

MidwayUSA and many other shooting sports suppliers are sold out of 33 round Glock magazines, although Midway lists them as backorderable.

With the recent shooting in Arizona of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and several others, including a federal judge, by a nutjob with a host of fringe beliefs, I was very saddened by much of the media coverage and the response from Washington.  Politicians such as Senator Lautenberg and Rep. McCarthy have seized the opportunity to introduce gun control bills.  The left-leaning media has seized the opportunity to blame the Tea Party and talk radio for creating a vitriolic, hate-mongering atmosphere.  Paul Krugman in a New York Times op-ed column has a particularly idiotic argument tracing all of this “hatred” back to 1992, relating political opposition to Bill Clinton to the cause for the Oklahoma City bombing.

The media is also taking the opportunity to blame Sarah Palin for using “target” metaphors in the recent political campaign. Politicians also couldn’t leave that one alone, with Bob Brady, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, proposing legislation to make that type of imagery a federal crime. Glenn Reynolds has a very good analysis of the targeting of Sarah Palin in his article in the Wall Street Journal entitled The Arizona Tragedy and the Politics of Blood Libel.

The question I have is who is responsible for inciting hatred?  Perhaps it is the folks who feel the need to paint a portrait of Sarah Palin in every negative frame they can find, even in the middle of tragic events when our attention should be on recovery and healing.

Let’s put the blame squarely where it lies: with a young man who chose to do something very drastic and evil.  He acted on his deluded beliefs and will ultimately be held responsible.

And let’s remember who Gabrielle Giffords is: a Democratic politician who defied her own party at times (not voting for Nancy Pelosi for speaker, for instance), but instead chose to represent her constituents, some of them the very people the media are attacking for creating an atmosphere that led to this event, and the very people that folks like Lautenberg wish to strip of their second amendment rights by creating fear and hysteria.

God willing, Gabrielle Giffords makes a full recovery and continues to faithfully represent the good people of Arizona. Though my political leanings are far more conservative, I feel she has a passion for connecting to her constituency that much of Congress does not.  She should be a symbol of strength and grace for our nation, and the recent political/media circus around her shooting is a travesty.

Let’s hope that instead of hiding in fear, our folks in Washington take a page from Gabrielle Giffords’ playbook and get out there and meet all of the people they represent, not just the special interest groups or people from the same party.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has commuted the sentence for the guy who was to spend seven years in prison for owning guns he legally purchased in Colorado. He had moved back to New Jersey and even sought out information from police on how to stay out of trouble with transporting his guns, but trouble found him anyway.

The story from Fox News: Man Jailed for Owning Guns to be Set Free

I have been meaning to do a blog post for a while on Sarah and her haters, but there are so many facets to cover, it’s almost overwhelming.  As evidenced by the recent credit card attacks and SarahPAC hacking attempt, there are plenty of folks who go out of their way to manifest their hate for the Palins.  As a matter of fact, there is a ridiculously complex website called www.democratichub.com that seems to have devoted a lot of time and energy to creating a page tracking Sarah Palin’s “Gaffes,” “Lies,” “Incompetence,” “Negativity,” and so on.  The people who contribute to it must suffer from equal parts paranoia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and unemployment.  One of the tag categories is “negative behavior.”  It seems that Sarah’s reality show on TLC would fit into that category just about every week according to these folks.

Sarah Palin's Alaska is what's on my DVR.

In the first episode, Sarah, Todd, and family go salmon fishing and rock climbing. In the second episode, Sarah, Todd, and Bristol visit the range to shoot clays, and Sarah and Bristol go halibut fishing.  The third episode focuses on passing along the leadership of the family’s salmon fishing operation to Track, the oldest son.  In the fourth episode, Sarah shoots a caribou.

And the reaction to all of this “negative behavior” by the left and the Sarah-haters?  Predictable.  

An animal rights group was outraged by the halibut clubbing in Episode 1, which is par for the course on a commercial fishing vessel.

Aaron Sorkin recently called Sarah Palin “deranged” and her show a “snuff film” because she shot a caribou on a legitimate hunt.  

Having given too much attention to the perspectives of the Sarah-haters, let’s pose a question: What if she’s for real?  I think that’s what Sarah Palin’s Alaska on TLC is trying to answer.

The Sarah Palin I see is the person who was thrust into the spotlight as a hail-mary by the McCain campaign.  Like many of us, she made some mistakes and wasn’t perfect in front of the cameras.  I can’t imagine standing up to that kind of scrutiny. It is sad that one of the first “real” (i.e. non-Washington insiders) people to run for that high of public office was so vigorously targeted by the media and the left that she so naturally and easily threatens.

The Sarah Palin I see in TLC’s show is a loving mother much like my wife.  As a matter of fact, our families have some things in common: we enjoy the outdoors; we participate in activities such as hunting, fishing, camping, and kayaking; we believe in the sanctity of human life; and we love our kids to death.  In addition, Sarah and Todd’s relationship is very similar to ours.  My wife is the organizer and the brains behind the operation in many ways, including our finances.  She is outgoing, energetic, and makes things happen.  I am more laid back and tend to take things as they come.  I admire Todd Palin and his support of Sarah in her endeavors with politics and TV, and I would like to think that I would do the same thing for my wife.

So what is wrong with this typical Alaskan family that works hard and plays hard? And why do they deserve titles such as “hate monger” and “liar?”  The answer is that they scare the living heck out of the left and they don’t apologize for their beliefs.  I’ll be watching the show, since I not only get to see the Palin family, but a reflection of my own.  Sarah, Todd, Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Tripp and Trig are all interesting folks and I find it hard to believe that they’re all acting out a script as part of a one-hour weekly campaign ad.

My take on the TSA and the recent increase in body-invasive techniques is that we are giving up rights at a rate far faster than we are gaining national security.

The debate is getting interesting as several articles have been published lately that suggest profiling as a much more efficient method of preventing air disasters (which in my small amount of research appears to be why Israeli air travel remains so safe).

What surprises me is the number of people who are OK with the body scanners and pat-down procedures. In my small midwestern town a newspaper poll is leading 54-46 in the opinion that they are necessary for security.

In my mind, a logical parallel to the issue is our health care system. It was functioning better than any in the world, but we had to fix it. Why do we continue to spend huge amounts of federal dollars chasing broad solutions to non-existent problems when we should be perhaps doing some judicious tweaking?

Recently, I was interested in the capacity of the American public to revolt against the TSA measures, and I read an article that claims the national opt-out day was not quiet because of a lack of protesters, but because the TSA did a good job of stepping back from the procedures for the day so that there were no negative experiences for anyone to report. Interesting. I will continue to follow this issue, since if nothing else, there are some good articles about passengers in see-through bikinis.

Links:

TSA Should Profile, Keep Hands Off Innocent Passengers

What the TSA Didn’t Tell Us

Ronald Reagan speaks out from 1961 in a record that was distributed in response to Democrats’ plans to socialize medicine.  I wish we could hear his voice now during this recession. 

The network news is coming to resemble Swiss cheese with its voids scattered throughout, meant to keep us ignorant.  I think it’s even beginning to smell similar to a very aged cheese.  Eat it with a little wine and numb your senses, sheeple!

From Fox News:

Comedy Central Scoops Network News on Climate-Gate Scandal

An excerpt from the article (my emphasis added):

“An examination of morning and evening news programs on ABC, CBS and NBC since Nov. 20 yielded zero mentions of the scandal, even in the Nov. 25 reports about Obama going to Copenhagen to discuss the need for emissions reductions,” the Institute reported Wednesday.

But during that time, the Institute says, “the networks reported on pro-golfer Tiger Woods’ ‘minor’ car accident at least 37 times. They also found time to report on an orphaned Moose and the meal selection at the president’s State Dinner.”

Katherine DeBrecht has written an instant classic children’s book: Help! Mom! Radicals Are Ruining My Country.  Previously, she has written Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed.

Sarah is our hero, and Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank are rather accurately portrayed. My baby’s getting a copy and she can’t even read yet. At least I can show her the pictures so she can recognize good and bad when she watches the news.

The Fox News story on the book.

Katherine DeBrecht’s website.

You know, I love biting satire, because it’s usually so true.  Love ya, Sarah from Alaska!

Having been distracted by flood news in our region (3Rs world headquarters is at the headwaters of the Red River), I have neglected the blog.  But today in a fit of brilliance I have decided to try a new feature on for size (cue trumpets), wherein I offer my services as a translator (somewhat akin to the Liberal Translation feature on Sean Hannity’s show).  The difference is that I am mainly concerning myself with headlines.

Here’s a headline from ABC News today:  Obama Lays Out Plan For Detroit’s Survival.

That sounds so benign and measured.

Translated into a more boldly defined truth (albeit a tad wordy):

Obama Practices Unique Brand of Socialist Zealotry as He Abuses Power by Firing GM CEO and Strongarming Chrysler Into Making Deal!

What should I call this feature?  Or should I just shut up before the Obama administration asks for my WordPress login information?

Discuss at your own risk.