UK Death Panel in Action

London - Charlie Gard, an infant with an inherited disease died after being died treatment in the UK. The parents had raised money, and had US hospitals offering to help. However, "three British courts ruled that further treatment of Charlie’s disease would cause the infant “significant harm.” Is that not just some amazing Orwellian newspeak?
 
 In 2008, liberals mocked Sarah Palin for talking about death panels with regard to Obamacare. Is this not a death panel?

Opposing the Revolution

The American Revolution was not always a forgone conclusion. Leading up to Independence there was many dissenting voices. On this day in 1776, John Dickinson, a Pennsylvania representative to the Continental Congress, rose up in opposition to Independence.


With all sincerity , Dickinson believed that the colonies were unprepared militarily, economically, and politically for war with England. The frontiers would be abandoned and Indians would set loose to create havoc. Instead of supporting the colonies, France and Spain would capitalize on the internal struggle to invade and recapture territory lost in the Seven Years War.


His concerns were entirely reasonable, and shows how risky the Revolution was.

Guide to Houston Gun Shops (Inside the Beltway)

My work-in-progress opinion of Houston gun shops.




Collectors Firearms - This is the premiere gun shop in Houston, and one of the top in the country. For vintage guns, it is likely the top shop. The selection at this place is amazing.  It has all types of firearms, from revolutionary war muskets to modern black rifles. See for yourself as the website is phonemnal and frequently updated. The prices are generally higher than most, but it helps availability. When I was looking for an Ithaca model 37, they were the only shop in town that had one.  I could bid on one online, and they were less, but when you factor in shipping and FFA charges, it would be about $30 cheaper. Is $30 worthwhile to be able to personally inspect the gun, rather than relying on pictures?  On the week June 5 - 10, 2017, they had a store wide 15% off sale, which was great. For common modern arms they are reasonably competitive with other shops. The staff is nice but their knowledge varies. 









Lone Star Defense & Arms - This place is the best shop for new owners and the best place for FFL transfers. The owners of this shop are very friendly and nice. They don't keep stock of new guns, but you can order online and have it arrive within 2-3 days. The online prices are extremely competitive, if you are not in a rush and good benchmark for prices. They do have a nice selection of used guns sold on Consignment. This list used to be frequently updated, but it has been slower as of recent. Prices are competitive, so you have to check frequently as some won't sit for long. The price will be 10%-20% less than you might find at Collectors. FFL transfers are only $15, and free for guns bought in their online store. I've also used them to ship guns out for repair, for which they only charged me one FFL fee. Since they are a gun shop, they have better and more convenient access to shipping, so it was much cheaper to use them than to go to FedEx on my own.









Full Armor Firearms - Okay, these guys are just outside the beltway, but too big to ignore. They have both a shop and range.









Carter's Country (Katy Freeway) - They have a good selection of both new and used guns. They also have the best selection of safes, holsters, optics, reloading supplies, hunting gear, shooting accessories, and ammo. They have a small selection of black guns but their specialty is more of pistols, hunting rifles and shotguns.  For used guns, they have a weekly listing but supply may change inter-week without being updated.






Republic Arms - Nice guys, but they usually have less than 5 guns in their store.  You can order through their online shop (which looks like every other online shop). I think their specialty is appraisals and estate sales.







Sunbelt Jewelry & Pawn (2 locations) - Going to a pawn shop for a gun may seem sketchy, but they have a decent stock of used guns. Their sticker prices aren't that attractively priced, but you can bargain. Unlike a Cash America or some national pawnshop chain, the manager will have a better ability to negotiate.






Black Gold Guns & Ammo - Small shop located near Karbach brewery, and not far from Academy.






Top Gun - Primary an indoor firing range, they have a solid selection new pistols as well as some used ones. You can rent a wide variety of guns to try out, in case you are unsure about how a caliber or model feels.





Cash America Pawn (1816 N Durham Dr) - I'm not sure about other Cash America pawn shops, but this one has a few guns. I might have left it completely off the list, but they had a French MAS-49 on of the few times that I have gone it.








Freer Gun Shop - This is more of a gun repair facility than a shop. They will have a few vintage long guns for sale. Great repair shop, though, especially for vintage guns.













The Liberty Armory -  This place seems to be a great shop for people interested in black guns, e.g., AR-15s, semi automatic pistols, etc. Their website doesn't show what is in stock. They do have a range and training classes which teach more than just the CHL. These look intriguing, but I've never attended.




Academy Sports & Outdoor - No used guns, but they have a wide variety of new guns, plus they have a wide array of ammo, shooting supplies, and hunting gear.

Against abortion, but Pro-Choice???

We've all heard the "I'm personally against abortion, but am pro-choice" argument before, well summarized in this oped. She acknowledges that the baby is a unique life, which makes her argument easy to deconstruct.

Scary Mommy: I personally believe that life begins at conception. I believe that an embryo and a fetus are unique human beings. I believe that choosing to terminate a life because of inconvenient timing is wrong. Those beliefs are all rooted in my religious faith, and are why the idea of abortion generally doesn’t sit well with me.
But I can’t laud the separation of church and state and also want my religious beliefs to be the basis for public policy. That’s hypocrisy.....Outright bans on abortion have not been proven to reduce abortion rates....And if you really want to lower abortion rates, put your weight behind legislation that is most likely to reduce unwanted pregnancy. Start advocating for affordable, accessible birth control, comprehensive sex education, and good health care for everyone. If the goal is to reduce abortion rates — which I assume is the goal of anyone who calls themselves pro-life — that’s the only proven way to do so.

To that I say, “I personally am against children working in coal mines, but don’t think my religious beliefs should be the basis for public policy.”

Sounds pretty silly, right? We all base our views of policy on our own moral beliefs, especially when one party has no voice. Unlike a topic like gay marriage, where it is fair to say “well, I’m against gay marriage personally, but my religious beliefs shouldn’t dictate public policy” – because in that case there are two consenting adults and their marriage does not affect anyone else. The author acknowledges that the embryo is a unique human being, but that unique human being does not have a voice in the abortion decision. That is why it is fair that society steps in. No one, except the suicidal, says “I wish I was aborted.” If anyone would say that, society would get them suicide prevention counseling. So if someone believe that the embryo is a unique human being, you also have to believe that in abortion the unique human being is consenting to suicide.

Laws against abortion would not eliminate murder, just as laws against murder don’t prevent murder. Adoption is the variable that is completely missing from this article. There are many good couples that cannot have children of their own, who are ready and willing to adopt. However, unlike the 1960s, adoption today is extremely expensive and difficult, since many unwanted babies are aborted. Many attempt to go through the process, and reluctantly give up after spending tens of thousands of dollars on failed attempts. If adoption was as easy as it was in the 1960s, you would also see couples with natural children adopt additional children.

How tyrants take control of democracies

Robert Reich via Newsweek (along with some of my comments in Italics)

As tyrants take control of democracies, they typically

1. Exaggerate their mandate to govern—claiming, for example, that they won an election by a  landslide even after losing the popular vote.
2. Repeatedly claim  massive voter fraud in the absence of any evidence, in order to restrict voting in subsequent elections. (or cry interference from a foreign nation)
3. Call anyone who opposes them “enemies.” (or deplorables, but see further commentary below)
4. Turn the public against journalists or media outlets that criticize them, calling them "deceitful” and “scum.” (Or co-opt the media to being your sycophants. If they don't go along, shut out media personalities or outlets that provide any sort of critical view. Just see how Sheryl Attkisson was forced out. )
5. Hold  few if any press conferences, preferring to communicate with the public directly through mass rallies and  unfiltered statements. (Like Hillary not having a press conference for over 300 days. Avoid any hard interviews too. Just go on urban radio stations or the View. I’m not sure who did that. )
6. Tell the public  big lies, causing them to doubt the truth and to believe fictions that support the tyrants’ goals. (Similar to “I will put bills online for 3 days before signing them” or “if you like your doctor you can keep it”.)
7. Blame economic stresses on  immigrants or racial or religious minorities, and foment public bias and even  violence against them.
8. Attribute acts of domestic violence to “enemies within,” and use such events as excuses to beef up internal security and  limit civil liberties.
9. Threaten  mass deportations,  registries of religious minorities and the banning of refugees. (Name a tyrant that had mass deportations? It is conform or be imprisoned. Plenty of non-tyrants have greatly restricted immigration of any type.)
10. Seek to eliminate or reduce the influence of competing centers of power, such as labor  unions and opposition parties.
11. Appoint  family members to high positions of authority. (It's cronies, not just family members. Unqualified people, who’s top quality is loyalty. However, Hitler kept top people in their business roles. In a July 6, 1933 speech to the Nazi State governors, he notes "We must therefore not dismiss a businessman if he is  good businessman, even if he is not yet a National Socialist, and especially not if the National Socialist who is to take his place knows nothing about business. In business, ability will be the only standard)
12. Surround themselves with their  own personal security forces rather than security details accountable to the public.
13. Put  generals into top civilian posts. (It’s not generals, it’s cronies. Plenty of former generals have served with distinction in civilian roles, including George Marshall and Colin Powell. )
14. Make  personal alliances with foreign dictators.(Kim Jong Il has no foreign personal alliances)
15. Draw no distinction between personal property and public property,  profiteering from their public office. (like how the Clintons went from being “dead broke” in 2001 to being worth $110 Million today on the salaries of two government employees.)

Consider yourself warned.

Reich tries to create a list which fits Trump, but some of his statements are really secondary items. When tyrants take control of democracies, they ACTUALLY do the following:

1. Increase executive power, by using executive actions to circumvent the legislature. Exaggerating a mandate can be just bravado ; it’s trying to expand dictatorial (executive) power that is the problem. This also can include ramrodding legislation through the legislature through means outside the traditional process , and not letting the people find out what is in bills before being passed. “We have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it.” – Nancy Pelosi
2. Appoint “czars” to lead certain key functions, to circumvent a traditional confirmation process of the legislature.
3. Use the IRS or other government agencies to intimidate the opposition. I’m not sure any form of “punishing the opposition” escape Herr Reich’s list. Calling them “enemies” is not the same as actual persecution and/or retribution. If there is a criticism, retire a low level bureaucrat with full pension. Definitely do NOT appoint a special prosecutor for such a case. Use your Attorney General to cover everything up.
4. Disrupt the function of the opposition parties and rallies, such as paying people like Robert Creamer to plant people to start fights at your opposition’s political rallies. (Robert Creamer visited the White House 342 times, including 47 meetings with the President).
5. Use foment civil unrest by dividing people against each other. Rahm Emanuel said “Never let a serious crisis go to waste.” Sometimes tyrants have to invent that crisis.
6. Sack career non-partisan civil servants and replace them with crony bureaucrats (Travelgate, among others)