Chaos in Charlottesville

All right, I didn't really want to get into this, but here we go. Let's talk about this business in Charlottesville, VA. First I will explain what transpired in Charlottesville. And then I will give my opinion on the events.

The Protest and Counter-protest

According to nbcnews.com, "Supporters gathered in Emancipation Park Saturday morning in anticipation of a noon rally held by "Unite the Right." The aim of the rally was to protest the removal of a statue honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The park was formerly known as Lee Park." The group was made up of white supremacists, neo-Nazis, KKK members, and the like. I did read somewhere that the protesters did have a permit to assemble.

Some of the protesters were "wearing bicycle and motorcycle helmets and carrying clubs, sticks and makeshift shields." Some were also in combat armor.

The rally was organized by a white nationalist blogger, Jason Kessler. Fox News reported, "Kessler reportedly blamed the violence that unfolded on local government and law enforcement officials, claiming they did not separate the protesters and counter-protesters." It is, obviously, difficult to prove Kessler's  statements.

The Washington Post did report, "In an emergency meeting Saturday evening, the Charlottesville City Council voted unanimously to give police the power to enact a curfew or otherwise restrict assembly to protect public safety."

Earlier in the week, the city ordered the rally to be moved to a larger location for safety reasons. Daily Mail reported, "On Friday, US District Judge Glen Conrad granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed against Charlottesville by the right-wing blogger which allowed the rally of white nationalists and other extremists to take place at its originally planned location downtown." The city obeyed the decision.

The rally began, as planned, at noon at Emancipation Park and the violence erupted soon thereafter. However, hundreds of protesters had already arrived by 11 AM.

The counter-protesters were made up of members of Anti-Fa, Black Lives Matter, Anti-Racist Action, Showing Up for Racial Justice. The counter-protesters arrived around the time the rally began. Again from Daily Mail, "Mimi Arbeit, an organizer of the planned counter-protests, rejected Kessler's argument that the rally was about freedom of speech. 'Fascism functions by using the institutions of a democracy towards its own ends,' she said by telephone."

It's not clear who, metaphorically, threw the first punch to start the violence, but both sides sprayed "chemical irritants", "hurled water bottles", and clashed. The Virginia Governor, Terry McAuliffe (D), declared a state of emergency and the Charlottesville City Council voted unanimously to allow Police Chief Al Thomas to declare a curfew. No action on the curfew was taken until midnight.

During the protest, "A large contingent of Charlottesville police officers and Virginia State Police troopers in riot gear were stationed on side streets and at nearby barricades but did nothing to break up the melee until about 11:40 a.m. Using megaphones, police then declared an unlawful assembly and gave a five-minute warning to leave Emancipation Park."

Counter-protesters chanted things like "We're here, we're gay, we fight the KKK!" and "No Trump! No KKK! No fascist USA!”

Anyway, the fighting continued for a couple hours leaving around 35 people injured.

The Idiot in the Car

Approximately two hours into the violence, the car driven by James Alex Fields Jr. plowed into a group of 20 people. The crash killed at least one person, Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old Virginia paralegal. I'm not sure which group Heyer was a part of. Fox News reported, "Police charged Fields Jr., of Ohio, with second-degree murder and other counts after the silver Dodge Challenger they say he was driving barreled through the crowd."

The New York Post reported, "Also Saturday night, the US States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia and the Richmond Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a joint statement calling their probe a “civil rights investigation.”"

My take

This situation is an example of our political climate these days. The media will criticize the KKK lunatics and the neo-Nazi skinheads, because they're an easy target, however, the media won't call out the AntiFa nuts too. Both sides were in the wrong here folks. They both came to fight in the streets and instill terror in their adversaries.

The two groups involved in the street war in Charlottesville represent a small portion of America. David Duke doesn't represent me, nor does the KKK, nor do neo-Nazis. On the other hand AntiFa and Black Lives Matter don't represent everybody on the left.  

I've never respected the ideologies of the KKK, the Nazis, or any white supremacy group, because I don't believe my skin makes me any better than people with different skin tones.

Let me clarify something else, I don't respect groups of any kind that use terror and fear as their weapons. And don't fool yourself AntiFa (language warning on the linked article) uses terror and fear to try to control people. The neo-Nazis they revile are the very people they act like. Neo-Nazis act violently toward people who do not share their beliefs and AntiFa acts violently towards people who do not share their beliefs. These people weren't out there fighting hate, they were using hate as much as the skinheads. Let's not forget that the acronym, Nazi, translates to National Socialist German Workers Party in English. Nazism was Socialism.

When two groups comprised of various militant like folks meet, we get Charlottesville. Neither group should be allowed to control people by using terrorism. The media also did a fine job of stirring the pot by only pointing out half of the problem.

The protest by the white supremacy groups was supposed to be against the removal of the statue of Robert E. Lee, which is the only part of this whole situation I agree with. I don't think Charlottesville should remove the statue, because General Lee was an important figure in the Civil War, not due to his white skin. The Civil War was one of the most important wars in our country's history and it shouldn't be forgotten. You can remove every Confederate flag and every statue of a Confederate, but it will not erase history. When they do remove the statue I hope they at least put it in a museum.

My biggest problem with this junk is that the these white supremacists are being labeled as "right-wing" and "far right". These people aren't right-wing, they're nuts. I'm right-wing and I can guarantee that I don't think like that. I believe in the Constitution and the Holy Bible; and neither document gives me the right to claim that I'm any better than anyone.

My take home message for this post has three points: 

1. Violence has no place in our streets or in our politics;
2. Be careful not to let the media's gross generalizations change the way you think;
3. And, don't pick a fight with people who have an opinion different from yours.

Update: I read an article on The Daily Signal titled "I Went to Charlottesville During the Protests. Here’s What I Saw." that  supports my view.
Here's the link: http://dailysignal.com/2017/08/14/went-charlottesville-protests-heres-saw/

Have Gun ㅡ Won't Travel

There are a lot of dumb crooks these days and there are also a lot of dumb laws. I don't have an example of a dumb crook, but I do have an example of a dumb law. This example takes place in New York City, the home of gun control fanatics; NYC is like our version of London. Anyway, two licensed gun owners from Georgia were arrested and jailed for owning guns.

The facts

Both Patricia Jordan and Avi Wolf, the gun owners, followed the TSA guidelines for transporting firearms. You can read the guidelines at the TSA website, if you would like.  Patricia Jordan stored her unloaded firearm in a TSA approved case and declared that her checked bag contained just that, which was fine with the TSA. Avi Wolf declared his empty gun magazine, which was fine with the TSA.

So, everything was going fine for each person, until they tried to fly out of NYC. According to Reason.com, "Patricia had tried to declare her gun, which was unloaded and in a TSA-approved case. Avi was trying to declare an empty gun magazine–essentially a piece of metal with a spring in it." After which they were arrested by NYC authorities and thrown in jail for a day. Both of these "offenses" apparently broke New York law.

Also from Reason.com, "They were threatened with three years and six months in jail–the mandatory minimum for having a gun in New York. They spent months worrying about how to beat the charge. Each spent more than $15,000 in legal bills."

Jordan and Wolf were eventually let off with a violation of "public disorder".

The District Attorney on this matter and his response was, “We are not going to apologize for enforcing our gun laws. We do enforce them fairly and humanely and as compassionately as we can. … You can discuss that with the legislature. They didn’t make it a crime only if there’s bullets in it.”

Let me remind the reader that neither Wolf or Jordan had a loaded firearm with them. Jordan's gun and magazine were separated and Wolf only had an empty magazine. 

The funny part of the story is that in an interview with Wolf he said of his cellmates, "One guy beat up his wife, this other guy was busted for a whole bunch of drugs. So they’re like, what did you do? Why are you here? It’s like I got caught at security with an empty magazine. … [They] just laughed at me; like it was a joke.”

This isn't a first time occurrence as other people have been arrested for possessing a firearm with an out-of-state permit. The state of New York doesn't recognize out-of-state gun permits.

My take

First of all, New York City's law violates the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which reads: "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." I know this amendment is now a point of debate, even though it's clearly stated and a part of our own legal system. New York City's passion for controlling gun laws has caused them to lock up legal gun owners who are not even moving to the city.

Secondly, even though the citizens of New York City are having their Constitutional rights violated by their legislature, why should citizens of other states be arrested and prosecuted for possessing a firearms legally licensed to them? It makes no sense for the city to do such a thing unless it's for the purpose of making a political statement against gun ownership. Maybe New York isn't making a political statement, but it seems like it's not about enforcing laws, since out-of-state citizens are being arrested.

I'm a supporter of States' rights and all, but this is an overreach on New York's part. They shouldn't arrest someone for having a firearm when they are registered in another state and follow TSA guidelines for transporting their firearm. If Jordan and/or Wolf were moving to New York, then it would be a little different. However, they were simply passing through the airport to go somewhere else.

New York has a pretty good racket going on here and it should be stopped by the New York legislature, because they are in violation of the Constitution.

Wisdom from our Founding Fathers

The Founding Fathers of America were some of the smartest and wisest men in the world; they also understood, firsthand, tyranny and the need for limited government. You can tell this if you've read the Constitution; these men came up with the Separation of Powers, the Electoral College, the Bill of Rights, and numerous other important concepts. So, I am sharing some of their quotes about government and various other things.

• “The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite.”  – Thomas Jefferson 

• “The greatest [calamity] which could befall [us would be] submission to a government of unlimited powers.” –Thomas Jefferson, Draft Declaration and Protest of Virginia 1825 

• “I am a mortal enemy to arbitrary government and unlimited power. I am naturally very jealous for the rights and liberties of my country, and the least encroachment of those invaluable privileges is apt to make my blood boil.” –Benjamin Franklin 

• “You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments; rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; right derived from the Great Legislator of the Universe.”  –John Adams 

•  "In a word, as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights. Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. No man is safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties, or his possessions. Where there is an excess of liberty, the effect is the same, tho’ from an opposite cause." –James Madison, National Gazette, 27 March 1792 

• “He who dares not offend cannot be honest.” –Thomas Paine  

• “To be prepared for war, is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” –George Washington, First Annual Message, January 8, 1790 

• “The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed.” –Alexander Hamilton

• "The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty." –James Madison, Letter to George Thomson, June 30, 1825 

• "It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles."  –Patrick Henry 

• "The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers." –Thomas Jefferson  

• "I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for the abolition of slavery." –George Washington, Letter to Robert Morris, April 12, 1786 

• "It will not be denied that power is of an encroaching nature and that it ought to be effectually restrained from passing the limits assigned to it." –James Madison, Federalist No. 48

• "Every child in America should be acquainted with his own country. He should read books that furnish him with ideas that will be useful to him in life and practice. As soon as he opens his lips, he should rehearse the history of his own country." –Noah Webster 

• "Education is useless without the Bible." –Noah Webster

As a side bar, Noah Webster is considered, by some, to be a founding father of our country due to his dedication to preserving the values of the signers and framers of the Constitution. By starting his dictionary, Webster helped to create the American version of the English language, which was, and still is, important to our identity as Americans. Webster has been called “Schoolmaster to America”.

The Bagpiper

My blog needs some jokes every once in a while, because I like jokes and everybody needs laughter these days. So, here ya go (I can't take credit for this one, I didn't write it):

As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Nova Scotia back country.
As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions.

I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late.

I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man.

And as I played "Amazing Grace," the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head was hung low, my heart was full.
As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen anything like that before, and I've been putting in these septic tanks for twenty years."

Apparently, I'm still lost... it's a man thing.

Happy Birthday America!

Tuesday, as you know, is the Fourth of July; the 241st birthday of America. In my opinion, America's birthday is the second best birthday on the calendar, the first being Jesus' birthday. Anyway, I'm going to honor the best country on the face of the planet in my own way, with facts about the Fourth of July. Here's the list:

• On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress adopted the final version of the Declaration of Independence. This is what we, as Americans, celebrate every year. Our fight for independence from Britain didn't end, however, until 1783 with the Treaty of Paris on the third of September.

• "On July 6 [1776], The Pennsylvania Evening Post became the first newspaper to print the extraordinary document." (This quote is from an article: The History of America’s Independence Day on pbs.org)

• The Continental Congress actually voted for independence on July 2 of 1776. John Adams wrote in a letter to his wife: "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America."

• Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, two of the signers from Virginia, were brothers from the historically significant Lee family. Some of the descendants of the Lee family include Robert E. Lee, Zachary Taylor, and Charles Lee (3rd Attorney General of the U.S.).

• Thomas Jefferson authored the first draft of the Declaration, which was edited by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. The final version was written by Jefferson with the edits of Adams and Franklin incorporated into the document.

• Three of the first five presidents died on the Fourth of July: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. Adams (2nd pres.) and Jefferson (3rd pres.) both died in 1826, while Monroe (5th pres.) died in 1831.

• Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4, 1872, the only U.S. president to be born on Independence Day. 

• The story goes that John Hancock signed his name so large that King George could read it without his glasses. This story, however, is untrue. It is believed that Hancock signed the way he did because, as the president of the Continental Congress, he was the first to sign the Declaration. 

I could continue add more facts to this list, but I think that's enough. I will leave you with the link to the Declaration of Independence (if you haven't read this document I suggest that you do) and a quote from Thomas Jefferson about the Fourth of July: 

“May it be to the world, what I believe it will be ... the signal of arousing men to burst the chains ... and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form, which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. ...For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them."

Happy Fourth of July everyone! Remember in your prayers and thoughts the many men and women who won our independence two-hundred and forty years ago and those who continue to protect our independence today. God bless America.