“From city halls to county courthouses, from the State house to the White House – bureaucrats control our lives. Public servants who often try to become our masters. People whose salaries we pay, but what goods and services do we get? On Sierra Wave’s Bureaucrat Beat, we’ll report what they’re up to.” That’s the Bureaucrat Beat declaration of dissatisfaction, but as you may know, Bureaucrat Beat talks about so much more.
Postal Service’s new sportswear line will likely not look like your daily postman.
Like the Post Office. We in the Bureaucrat Beat Newsroom do love the Post Office, in spite of some obsessive regulatory attitudes. It’s a service we need, and the Post Office, partially funded by the federal government, loses billions of dollars per year. To help stall the financial slide, the P.O. has decided to launch a fashion line – for men only!! What are they thinking?? Don’t they know women are the world’s premiere shoppers?
The clothing line will be called Rain Heat & Snow. The P.O. will collect royalties from sales. They will sell outerwear, sportswear, casual wear, athletic wear and seasonal wear – for men only!! What’s up with this? Is it requirement that the P.O. shoot itself in the foot? Oh, all right, eventually, they claim, they will include women.
Smith & Wesson doesn’t care what gender buys their products. News reports say that S & W’s third-quarter earnings more than tripled from the previous year. Like locusts, Americans have cleaned out huge gun stores’ shelves. Fear of gun control, and some unnamed terror has driven up sales. This year, Smith & Wesson reported a third-quarter profit of $14.6 million compared to last year’s $4.4 million.
Love the story about the Crystal Geyser employee who sued for discrimination – he is an overweight white man. Before the judgment came down in his favor, he had lunch with his lawyer at the Merry-Go-Round in Lone Pine. His fortune cookie said look for financial gain ahead. He was awarded more than half a million, in total. We in the Bureaucrat Beat Newsroom have made reservations for lunch.
Way over half million – the latest DMV debacle. According to the LA Times, a half-finished, $208 million computer project was iced for lack of progress. They spent $135 million before trashing a big part of it. The part that would have overhauled vehicle registration is dead in Sacramento waters.
That’s not the only computer nightmare in the State’s capital. A computer upgrade for the state’s payroll system came to an ugly end after spending $254 million!!
On a more soothing note, David and Janet Carle of Lee Vining have issued a new book after they traveled outside cities across Japan, Korea, China, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Greece, Sicily, Spain, Portugal, the Azores Islands, and the U.S. Their book, “Traveling the 38th Parallel”, indeed follows that line of demarcation around the world and bisects familiar territory at Mono Lake. The book chronicles the Carle’s adventures. The book’s inside cover says, “Former park rangers, the authors set out on an around-the-world journey in search of water-related environmental and cultural intersections along the 38th parallel.” The book focuses on many who are “struggling to preserve some of the world’s most amazing, yet threatened, landscapes.”
Back down to the ugly depths – lots of scams about these days. For heaven’s sake, don’t give strangers personal information, don’t trust a weird story over the phone or in email. Sadly, you can’t even use your credit/ debit cards for shopping without fear of someone stealing your numbers. A Bishop man said he found out his card numbers were hacked when his bank told him about a charge on his card in a jewelry store in Italy! He was one of the some 200 Bishop people whose cards were scammed.
Did you catch “Hotel Impossible” and the crew’s re-do at Alpenhof Lodge? Great story and a lesson to all of us in business – we’re only human, we need to grow and change, it’s not scary. Especially if Anthony Melchiorri comes to visit.
Let us pray that the Koch brothers do not visit their ownership on the Los Angeles Times and other Tribune papers. The obsessive brothers like to wield political power with their big bucks. If you dig extremist, right-wing life, you’ll love the Koch brothers. That kind of out of balance lifestyle is not compatible with news media ownership.
We’re not the only ones miffed at LADWP. Parents of students at Marquez Elementary Charter School at Pacific Palisades have launched a major campaign to stop DWP from building a power distribution station right next to the school. Parents point to “regular accidents at distribution stations around the country, risk of fire and explosions, and health risks like childhood leukemia from the electromagnetic field.”
Poor DWP. Those pesky members of the public always get in the way!
With that, this is Benett Kessler, signing off for Bureaucrat Beat where we await your word on our lives in the Eastern Sierra and beyond.
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People who question what our founding fathers intended should look at the gun laws back then.
Mean while according to the latest CNN Poll the support for Gun Control is dipping especially over the past few months. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/18/cnn-poll-is-support-for-gun-control-dipping/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po6Vr2j8ZJY
To the person with endless monikers and hateful language: I thought of you when I saw this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGwtG8nVpUU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pilG7PCV448
Does anyone have any ideas about why the founding fathers included the phrase,”A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state”?
Because they remembered the British and how we won our freedom.
BK
Benett- I wonder what Thomas Paine would write about the gun control issue… and other issues for that matter (in today’s context).
Not sure, but I opened my copy of “Common Sense, Rights of Man, and other essential writings of Paul Paine.” I saw his Declaration of Rights. Number IV says, “Political Liberty consists in the power of doing whatever does not injure another. The exercise of the natural rights of every man has no other limits than those which are necessary to secure to every other man the free exercise of the same rights; and these limits are determinable only by the law.” In other words, we need to consider one another when we demand freedoms and make sure others are not being harmed by our insistence on freedoms.
Benett
It always baffles me as to whe some people love to bring up what “The Founding Fathers” did or did not do back then as the end-all to any disputed subject today.
As if 1776 was just last week and society is exactly the way its always been.
And speaking of The Founding Fathers … (to quote Big Al) “…let’s put the junk behind us now…” and simply forget about those wonderful Founding Fathers (Washington included) who thought owning slaves was “The American Way.”
If you’re going to quote me Dr Facts, quote me in the context it was meant, not in the twisted hate you seem to perpetuate.
I’m glad to see you quoting that same comment not once but twice, I guess it made too much sense, so you are using it to try to slam me.
Right on brother!
Because the threat of the British and untamed Indians posed a immediate threat to the colony’s so it was very pertinent to have a well REGULATED within each colony at that time!
Pro 2nd amendment folks Just need to admit it that, They don’t care about anybody else and not willing to sacrifice their hobby for another’s safety, or nobody they know has died in gun violence so it isn’t a big deal to them, or they are a big gun enthusiast and love the feeling of being powerful with a weapon meant for war and don’t want that ego booster to be illegal.
@Benett,
We won our freedom under the 2nd amendment because we were united! Now that same amendment is killing us! Dividing us to the point where we are ready to use the 2nd amendment right on each other. .
Jereniah- that is hogwash. People have been killing each other long before any type of gun was invented. And they will continue to. Look at the Romans and Vikings glory days. It’s like blaming the car makers for my speeding tickets.
The monkeys first clubbed the other monkey to death, with a bone or a stick .. he didn’t even know he murdered the other one. The first man clubbed another man to death, he was probably like look what I invented!
Here, is an example of how some Americans feel about gun control. Also perhaps a prime example of how people they should express themselves (angry, bitter, nasty)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-34dy_rpyOc
I know posters on this blog such as Big Al are great pontificators and would prefer “we leave the junk behind” (don’t draw attention to this angry segment of our society”
but (sorry Big Al – this is happening all over the country) I agree. I, too wish this type would just go away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-34dy_rpyOc
Oh my a third time quoting me Dr. oh me .. I am so honored .. thank you thank you very much!
Trouble people believe what they want to believe, or what they have been conditioned to believe! A speeding ticket and a love ones life is not comparable, so please miss me with your juvenile remarks. The solution to our tainted culture is nowhere in sight, so how irresponsible does that make us to not do anything about this problem of kids shooting others and killing themselves by a way of getting their point across? We are doing nothing! And services are being cut! Good Job America!
They are only in sight if we allow ourselves to see them Jerry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJr3VVXfxAU
Interesting point of view on gun lovers.
Here is a better one on guns:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=0sujnvIV4g4
Yah, I have my gun locked away and the key is hidden. I would never want it to escape its locker and go out on a killing spree. So I keep it locked away.
John, to my best ability I respectfully disagree. The whole people kill people saying is just a short cut to dismissal. A short cut of dismissal to acknowledge the FACT the less guns equals less incidents. I guess it’s hard for a gun owner to admit guns do kill people and GUNS do it in the most precise efficient way when wants to kill another.
But again we are wasting our time with this issue, when we don’t have representative democracy anyway.
Thanks Jeremiah. I have now locked away my baseball bat in my gun safe in case it wanted to go postal and take out some people.
Hey good for you Joe! If you can’t use the bat to hit baseballs/softballs then yeah, put it away!!
Ever notice the correlation between how active the NRA becomes after the GOP gets their butts kicked in a presidential election … twice?
Also interesting is how fast the GOP is trying (wisely) to thoroughly distance itself from the Tea Party … if it ever wants to win another election.
So, strictly from a pure political scenario – the louder and nastier the Tea Party gets – the easier it is for the Dems to get into power.
Their movement only attracts the Rush Limbaugh set. And Limbaugh is laughing all the way to the bank.
Gun Control is such a petty issue when it comes down to the real problems we face. It’s blown way out of proportion. But I am gonna say people will very well need their guns to survive when the next currency collapse happens. So You may say I am flip flopping, but we are heading down the inevitable disaster of the devaluing of the US dollar (other country’s are already working on how to bypass the US dollar)! The more we engage in minor stuff like this the more the Feds and legislators have the opportunity to go behind the scenes to print more money and devalue the dollar!
And one more thing, it so easy for us to talk about gun control when we don’t see the major effects of gun violence here in the country bumpkin valley.
Wolf-PAC.com
You bring up a hard, cold fact, Jeremiah. The most straight-shooting economists are telling us that the glory days, post WWII, of America (especially the world-famous middle class) are gone. For decades, a person (especially in California) could bet on the property he bought (or inherited) would increase in value, and this has been the case for several generations now.
The party is over.
Time to recoup and perhaps accept the things we cannot change.
Those in charge (upper-class) have got the game so air-tight for themselves that only they can today afford that luxury condo on the golf course and have tricked many into keeping things that way duping the fools with emotional/political propaganda such as how if they vote for them we will return to the good ol’ trickle-down effect days of yesteryear.
Meanwhile, the smartest Americans are distancing themselves from all things political, frugally getting by on one car, one suit, a simpler life – and suggesting to their children and grand children the same lifestyle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK0tbb1LFfw
This is the sort of paranoia (and outright lies) that exists today.
And it’s always our party is better than your liberal party.
The NRA tries it’s best to keep our rights not just to only keep and bear arms, but also through their efforts they help preserve our liberty.
If the govt. takes away our rights to keep and bear arms, then they can do what ever they want with us, and all of the legislation in the world will not keep them from making us into slaves. This isn’t just about guns, that is just the cover story, the real battle is for our freedom.
I don’t think those points are so secretive or kept from the lime light, everyone knows about these things, it doesn’t matter though, because anyone who can reason for themselves, can see that it is just attacks on the organization and our rights.
The ATF can be jack booted at times, as with all govt. agencies. LOL I not an NRA member, but I feel they do good for us. Not everyone sees it that way, that is understandable, because not everyone agrees with them, and not everyone realizes what is really at stake if we lose these rights.
It’s not just about people thinking they have to own guns, it is about whether or not we can retain our ability to protect ourselves as well. That is actually the most important item at stake.
How many guns do you think you need to protect yourself? Question number one. Plus, I will just say that there are a number of
court decisions regarding guns that show there can be some regulation on weapons although this does not keep us from owning guns
and protecting ourselves. I don’t believe the issue is as black and white as you present it. Smith & Wesson’s third quarter earnings
were triple this year over last. Horrible shootings are on the rise. These are important issues to think about. We still maintain
our right to buy, own and bear arms. We can protect that and still examine the real needs when it comes to gun ownership. Hey,
I’m a member of the Bishop gun range. I get it, but there is far more to this issue. There is a culture of violence that needs
correction.
Benett Kessler
Benett- Someone told me the other day, that with every new law is another freedom taken away. My right to bear arms is already a joke once I step outside my front door . Pepper spray and a whistle just piss off people that are out of control . I do admit , that on this issue , I will never agree with you on this issue.
P.S. there are better places to target shot for free to the east.
You might read the second amendment. I did last night, and it’s fairly open-ended re: personal
possession of firearms for personal reasons. There are also Supreme Court decisions allowing
states to regulate firearms and other issues. I frankly don’t know what new laws I would support.
It’s just obvious that our society has a serious problem, and the hoarding of firearms seems
somewhat desperate. My only solid view is that this is an issue that needs serious and deep
thought not superficial soundbites.
BK
I disagree about the 2nd amendment being open ended. The original intent is plainly obvious in that citizens have always possessed guns since its inception. Somewhere along the line we went from a society that self regulated to a society that is completely dependant on government. I think Benjamin Franklin said it best;
“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.”
“When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.”
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty.”
“Where liberty dwells, there is my country. “
Mr. Franklin certainly had the insight to understand the nature of man through the ages. Truly, giving up liberty for safety
leaves us nowhere – remember the liberties surrendered under the Patriot Act, ongoing poking into our emails and other
communications without warrants.
FYI – Here is the 2nd Amendment: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Gun possession requires a balanced, intelligent and thoughtful owner. Background checks might help, but I think the above
discussion about different priorities in the lives of people will have a greater impact than more laws. Of course, you
can’t legislate intelligent behavior. Those within earshot can take the lead and do it. Goodness has a way of spreading.
BK
I maintain a collection of various firearms dating back to the late 1800s which I use to hunt and shoot with on a recreational basis. I appreciate the workmanship that went into them. Like a stamp or baseball collection, one can accumulate literally hundreds of guns representing different makers, styles and time periods. Why should the government control how many I can have? I can only use one at a time. Yes, unlike my stamp collection, guns can kill people. Like Mr. Barton points out, so do knives, cars and drugs. You wisely agree that people are to blame, not the gun. Sounds like tighter background checks are needed but not limiting people to the type or quantity is the best compromise.
Consider reading our precious first amendment, I am sure it is close to your heart as it is mine. When I read it I understand its intent yet see its vulnerability when subjected to interpretation and doubt. I believe that threatening our second amendment puts all other freedoms in jeopardy. Today its background checks for guns, tomorrow the FCC will want to examine your moral fiber as a media broadcaster prior to issuing license. How long ago did our government round up citizens for internment? How long ago was the Communist black list? Political correctness has us tongue tied and unable to dispel obsolete or prejudiced notions. We need to grow up as a nation and get over this gun problem as a responsible people. We need to return to community and eliminate the need for so much government. If we don’t, these problems will take care of themselves; a society that does not produce as much as it consumes or greedily ignores the backlash of its actions quickly becomes bankrupt. How will anyone survive with a bankrupt government, a bankrupt society and no way to protect themselves? America is we the people, it is not them the government.
The question isn’t how many guns does it take to protect yourself, but rather how many laws does it take to protect yourself.
Laws do little to protect people. Criminals find ways around laws and the law abiding citizens are left as victims. I’m referring to white collar crime too, not just gangsters and the mentally ill.
Many things can kill people. Drugs, tobacco, and alcohol kill scores of young and old daily yet there are laws regulating it. A knife in a skilled hand could kill many people quickly in a crowded venue. The knife, like a gun, like a car driven by a drunk driver, like a hammer, like a narcotic are only the tool in a big box of potential devices used by people to commit crime. Sure, you can try to make guns, knives, drugs, alcohol etc harder to get but it is still prevalent.
Laws limiting the quantity or type of guns will be useless and hard to enforce. Shootings occur often in areas where firearms are banned, ie. Chicago and Mexico.
Points well made. People are the ultimate cause and point of potential self control.
Benett
Benett –
The presence of weapons might or might not have an effect on human behavior. It depends on the individual, thus the familiarity with the gun and its use or simply the personality of the subject. We have to realize that everything influences behavior, such as our surroundings and things which we interact with on daily basis. Reducing violent music, video games, movies, etc. might lead to lower amount of aggression among people. Opting for music instead of the popular politically-charged hate-mongers on the talk-radio circuit surely will mellow a person out. A crime is committed every 2 seconds and media is filled with aggression every day. Weapons are a serious threat to the public, and in closing this research I would like to use Seneca’s quote: “A sword is never a killer, it is a tool in the killer’s hands.”
John Barton who is to rationalize how much guns is enough to protect yourself?
We have become so accustomed to blowing each other away in this country, we have become desensitized to the fact.
Why make arguments on speculation?
In areas with the highest gun ratio have the highest gun incidents, areas with the lowest gun ratio have the lowest number of incidents.
Another bad thing to come out of our gun culture is all the latin american gangs and thugs all have Made In USA guns, The gun show loop hole makes it so easy to buy guns and smuggle them over boarders.
Your reference holds no weight about guns banned in Mexico and Chicago (of course it might with some), it holds no weight in mexico cause of the reason I mentioned above and Chicago is a Island of gun control surrounded by a sea of guns.
It’s about limiting the access of certain types, or at least hopefully a lil harder for people like those in the past that had one intention. Too bad people like yourself make the argument that helps keep the access of legal purchase’s to people that want to do harm to others.
You are missing the point completely and your arguments are without coherent logic. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. The place of government is not to dictate what and how many “things” I can have but rather to control what I can and can’t do with them such as don’t drive if you’re drunk, wear clothes in public, shoot guns at appropriate targets etc. We are no more desensitized to gun deaths than we are drunk driving deaths, stabbings or drug abuse which by the way, each far out number gun related deaths.
It really isn’t about how many guns you need to protect yourself, it is also the right to own them, if one wants to collect guns such as one collects cars, then they should be able too.
I will say it again Benett, this is just the tip of the ice burg, the toe in the door, it may not say you can’t own guns at all , but it says you can not own certain guns, and the trouble with these laws, as with any law, it is the way people write them.
They say, you can’t have an automatic weapon, which they hope to rid the streets of assault type auto, and semi automatic weapons, they write it that way, in such a way that it can and will include your basic semi automatic Remington 870 express shot gun.
It is vaguely written an it is used to take weapons which really are not illegal under the new law, but one can say, well that shot gun is a semi automatic.
Even if it doesn’t have a pistol grip.
So then … some other tragedy occurs, and they say, well now we have to take more guns .. or all guns away, no matter what it is. They have paved the way with this new law, if it succeeds.
Stepping stones to taking away our rights, once they have the guns, and they make them illegal, then they can take the next step, to apply any unconstitutional laws, even do away with the constitution, who is going to say anything, who will be able to stand up and say NO!
Nonsense! The NRA is a shill for the GOP and one of the largest lobbyists in Washington. Every so often (like copulating dogs in the street) the NRA and the GOP go on the warpath, whip up anger and resentment amongst our most unhappy voters, and create more political garbage such as “Liberals want to take away our AK-47s and must be stopped!” And the angriest in our society fall right in line. (no pun intended).
I’ve yet to feel any sense of danger or paranoia living without a machine gun in my closet.
In 1959, the Gallup poll showed that 59% of Americans supported banning handgun possession. In 2011, the Gallup poll showed that 26% supported banning handgun possession. In 1990, the Gallup poll showed that 78% of Americans supported stricter laws on gun sales than were existing at the time, 17% felt the laws were fine as they were, and 2% supported less strict laws. In 2011, the Gallup poll showed that 43% supported stricter laws on gun sales, 44% felt the laws were fine as they were, and 11% supported less strict laws. In 2001, the Gallup poll showed that 51% of Americans preferred that current gun laws be enforced more strictly. In 2011, it was 60%. A 2009 CNN/ORC poll found 39% favored stricter gun laws, 15% favored less strict gun laws, and 46% preferred no change. CNN reported that the drop in support (since the 2001 Gallup poll) came from self-identified independents and Republicans, with support among Democrats remaining consistent.
There is a sharp divide between gun-rights proponents and gun-control proponents.This leads to intense political debate over the effectiveness of firearm regulation. Democrats are more likely to support stricter gun control than are Republicans. In an online 2010 Harris Poll, of Democrats, 70% favored stricter gun control, 7% favored less strict gun control, and 14% preferred neither. Of Republicans, 22% favored stricter control, 42% favored less strict control, and 27% preferred neither.
In the same 2011 Gallup poll, 55% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents had a gun in their household compared to 40% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. Of Republicans and Republican-leaners, 41% personally owned a gun. Of Democrats and Democratic-leaners, 28% personally owned a gun. Republicans are more likely to own guns, according to Joseph Fried’s interpretation of General Social Surveys conducted in the last 35 years.
It should come as no surprise that the NRA (one of largest lobbyists for the GOP has become very active since losing the last two presidential elections.
Big Al, What are you talking about “if the govt. takes away our rights to keep and bare arms” ?? What’s that? and which one of 20 something executive orders does it say the gov’t is gonna take the 2nd amendment away?? To me it’s about a logical way to help this serious problem of crazy people buying a warfare weapon only to be a tyrant here at home (they don’t need underground ties to buy the weapon they can go to the store, and some of you feel background checks are unnecessary??) . For every 100 people in this country there is over 90 guns, so for anybody to think the gov’t is gonna try to eliminate guns or take the away from good people you are part of the paranoid circle!
So if your backing the NRA logic then what makes the difference of the argument of having a rocket launcher to protect your family? you can’t make a logical argument on why ordinary citizens with little to no training should have easy access to deserve a weapon meant for War. But I do agree with them being in the right hands but not to the general public, have you gone out and seen the general public lately? LOL.
I would chill out a little bit cause it’s not this do nothing congress is gonna get anything done, whether a majority of Americans feel it is necessary to have background checks on gun sales, it doesn’t matter since the politicians don’t work for us anyway.
(this is relevant to all that is political)
Wolf-PAC.com We the people need to push for a constitutional amendment that takes away corporate person hood, so they can’t spend unlimited amounts of money buying our politicians through legalized bribery, that’s what we have. Do funding of elections publicly, so they don’t have to go begging and sucking up to big donors and corporations for cash, we write their checks so they work for us! and not their big donors!
-Cenk Uygur- founder of Wolf-PAC.com
When it comes down to it, We are not Free! If we intend to survive on this planet, we need to align ourselves with the laws of nature, guide ourselves, and that’s that!
-Peter Joseph- founder of the zeitgeist movement
Not unlike the famous rat experiment, (where the rats were allowed to multiply until there were so many of them their society completely broke down) too many human beings stuffed together like rats, produces some who take to violent measures and lose their way.
You are soooo right Dr.!
If we had a well regulated militia , I would join one. Just to shut you tea toddlers all up.
Well Jerry, if you can’t see it now, you will. I am surprised you feel this way about the govt. wanting to take our freedom away, with all that you write. The laws of nature are well and good, but they will fall by the wayside as well .. when one world order is at hand.
Call me crazy, if you will, I don’t want to be one who said I told you so. But I think I will be … telling you .. I told you so. Unless something changes, that is where we are headed.
I am not diss’ing our mother earth, but mother earth can not stand up to greed if it is allowed to run rampant. I suppose though, she will have the last laugh when we F it all up, or is it great weeping?
Big Al this illusion of freedom you speak of is comical. What is era of ones perceived freedom are you referring to? We are not free! And we see proof of it everyday, But if people want to buy into the illusion of freedom and live their content lives, that’s all fine and dandy.
We all have this illusion of freedom in our head, but don’t get me wrong I don’t believe in taking away what liberties we do have but I am also not for misinterpreting the constitution to keep the access of guns to all, when we know there is a difference and we know we have a problem with the culture! Ammo is a whole new story. Call me crazy too Big Al, I don’t take any of this convenient life for granted and I see how it is balancing on the verge of collapse, and if we destroy our own earth out of pure ignorance, shame on all of us for not taking it seriously!
You and I are sadly dissing our Mother Earth together the more we feed into this cyclical consumption trend the corporations have made, all for a profit, a profit that goes only to a certain few, while the rest of us just feel the repercussion of the irresponsible decisions.
Be careful there, Jeremiah.
When you shed light on the greedy and how corporations are effing up everything, you run the risk of being labled “a commie.” Or worse yet … “a liberal.”
(with a wide grin)
Jeremiah – Here are some more facts re: the NRA our Tea Party folk don’t like to talk about:
The NRA is criticized by groups advocating for gun control such as Americans for Gun Safety, Brady Campaign, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and Million Mom March. Some newspaper editorial boards like the New York Times,Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have also criticized the NRA’s positions.
Members of the U.S. Democratic Party and liberal commentators have frequently criticized the National Rifle Association’s policies. However, on occasion, politicians in the U.S. Republican Party and conservative commentators have also criticized the organization. In 1969, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon resigned his “Honorary Life Membership” to the NRA. In 1995, former U.S. President George H. W. Bush also resigned his life membership to the organization after LaPierre sent him a letter that labeled agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), “jack-booted government thugs”. The NRA later apologized for the letter’s language. After the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie called an online video created by the NRA “reprehensible” and said that it “demeans” the organization.[97] Jim Baker, a senior lobbyist for the organization, later characterized the video as “not particularly helpful” and “ill-advised.”
The NRA has been criticized by other gun rights groups for doing too little to get existing restrictions repealed. Organizations such as Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO) have at times disagreed with NRA for what they perceive as its willingness to compromise on legislation that would restrict access to firearms.
I am gonna weigh in on the gun control first, yep guns sales sky rocket. And the gun manufactures thank all the doomsday preppers, thank all the paranoid ammo and gun stockers, all the people who believe this congress can actually pass a bill that the people support.
what good is that gun if you can’t even find ammo for it?
And who is that far in their own bobble they don’t support keeping tabs on all gun sales? I mean we keep tabs on all car sales, Amazon.com keeps tabs on all there sales and purchase’s. What is patriotic about not doing anything about a problem that benefits nobody but the gun manufactures?
Nobody is coming for your guns so settle down, but good luck finding ammo! Again the NRA and gun manufactures thank you! They thank you for supporting them blindly!
By the way, LA County Coroners Office has long sold their gift shop gifts to the public through the internet. Want a toe tag with your name on it? Just order it. How about a beach towel with a chalk outline of a body? No really, it’s true. Again, you can buy that too. They call the store Skeletons in the Closet. Here is the link:
http://www.lacoroner.com/
OMG! Very strange. I wonder if they make money for their department.
BK
OMG LMAO!! That’s funny .. hehe.
The humor ends though when showing up to identify loved ones.
Benett I felt the need to correct you. The USPS is not partially funded by the federal government it recieves no funding from the federal government.
You are essentially right. The USPS remains controlled to a large degree by the federal government and only receives subsidies for disabled and overseas voter mailings. Congress passed an act that requires the USPS to pre-pay retirees health funds for ten years. No other federal agency has to do this. That’s when the USPS started seriously losing money. Like $1.5 billion a year. It looks like the feds have gone a long way to seriously harm the postal service and to keep control of it. Here is what Wikipedia says:
The USPS is often mistaken for a government-owned corporation (e.g., Amtrak) because it operates much like a business, but as noted above, it is legally defined as an “independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States”, (39 U.S.C. § 201) as it is controlled by Presidential appointees and the Postmaster General. As a quasi-governmental agency, it has many special privileges, including sovereign immunity, eminent domain powers, powers to negotiate postal treaties with foreign nations, and an exclusive legal right to deliver first-class and third-class mail. Indeed, in 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that the USPS was not a government-owned corporation, and therefore could not be sued under the Sherman Antitrust Act.[70]
The U.S. Supreme Court has also upheld the USPS’s statutory monopoly on access to letter boxes against a First Amendment freedom of speech challenge; it thus remains illegal in the U.S. for anyone, other than the employees and agents of the USPS, to deliver mailpieces to letter boxes marked “U.S. Mail.”[71]
The Postal Service also has a Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee and local Postal Customer Councils, which are advisory and primarily involve business customers.[72]
These and the many, many other services rendered from government employees are warmly welcomed. They make America the great country it is.
I have no problem whatsoever paying taxes to continue receiving these services.
A happy taxpayer – ok, but are you happy with the value you’re getting from your tax dollar?
Imagine this country being run by the mega-rich and their stooges – Corporate America. (Isn’t this the way it really is?) While the rich buy up everything in sight, they throw an occasional bone to the little guy.
Lately the mega-rich has masterfully convinced a certain group of people to politically allow the mega-rich to pay NO TAXES (the “trickle-down” BS story). Yet the very same people who support NO TAXES for the rich, are always the first to whine about paying any taxes for whatever reason as the economy worsens and jobs disappear.
Such stupidity!
Don’t forget to mention that, unlike UPS and FedEx, the USPS cannot close post offices, change the days of service or raise postal rates without Congress voting in agreement. So far Congress has absolutely tied the hands of USPS management to control their costs.
I have seen some very big transportation companies buy computer systems and software that never worked as advertised and had to be scrapped in a couple of years after purchase. FedEx is one of these. Anyone who has ever had to deal with SAP knows how bad “enterprise softwar” can be to use. Never let Germans write software! AAArrrrggghhh.
I think .. the men only line is a start, actually, a test run before they run the women’s line. After all .. they start with the easy choice … men … LOL … they are not so picky, so it it is a success then they know they can work on the women’s line. That will be tough. hehe
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
Now try and imagine how life would be without those who have dedicated their lives to serving you.