Monday, March 26, 2018

"Assault Weapons"

When there's a mass shooting anywhere in the world I initially show interest and concern for a few days. Sometimes I think about what happened and try to come up with ideas to prevent something like it happening again. This lastest shooting in a Florida high school has been different. The march on Tallahassee, Washington DC and other cities throughout the world caused me reflect about guns for the first time in years and then I realized I was being manipulated.

The narrative after semmingly every mass shootings inevitably turns to gun control with the left bringing up "assault weapons" and magazine size, etc... encapsulated in the phrase "common sense gun control."

The narrative of each shooting is eventually distorted or cherry picked. Facts inevitably come out that show the government or some agency missed something. Very rarely does the lead up to a mass shooting happen in a vacuum. Regardless of the situation, many bright people end up being manuplated by the anti gun left.

For starters, there really is no such thing as an "assault weapon." By definition all guns are "assault" weapons. The term has been used extensively since the 1980s but confuses semi-automatic guns with military assault rifles. I suggest you Google "what is an assault weapon" or watch this retired cop explain the difference.

Essentially, since the National Firearms Act of 1934 everday American's lost the right to legally own fully automatic weapons. This law was modified in 1968 and again in 1986. Today these laws and hundreds more including state laws confuse nearly everyone but basically the law is easy to understand in that one trigger pull = one bullet.

Propaganda Redflags:

Assault Weapons - the Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) of 1994 signed into law by President Clinton might be the best example of bad legislation in the history of Congress. Yet another example that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Hunting - The 2nd amendment has nothing to do with hunting. Those who mention hunting are at best clueless. The 2nd amendment is frankly about the citizens right, maybe obligation to stand up against governmental tyranny.

Magazine Capacity - Capacity is a non-issue in planned shootings. However, it's very much an issue in your defense. A shooter comes prepared and can easily swap out magazines while victims typically only have what's in the gun.

Gun Show Loopholes - If your in the business of selling guns you're required to conduct a background check before the sale regardless of where the sale happens. Furthermore, 19 states currently require checks for private sales between individuals using the services of a licensed gun dealer.

Univesal Background Checks - No part of the United States Constitution empowers the federal government to regulate non-commercial, intrastate transfers of legal firearms between private citizens. Thus any federally mandated universal background check would violate the 10th Amendment.

AR - As in AR-15 does not stand for automatic rifle. It's short for ArmaLite an American Weapons manufacture founded in 1952.

The pen is powerful and if American's allow the narrative and facts to be manuplated we could one day find ourselves living in a police state. "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Ben Franklin

- Mass Shooting Survivor Testimony

- Mass Shooting Survivor Interview

PS One trigger pull one bullet is essentially correct. There are exceptions for collectors, guns covered under the 1968 amnesty and those individuals who have the resources to buy and license a fully automatic weapon under the 1934 NFA.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Postage Rates as of 01/21/2018


Postage Rates

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Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Ice Free Planet

The other day I watched Noble Prize wining physicist Dr. Ivar Giaever give a talk on why he doesn't agree with the "97% of scientists" who believe that man is responsible for warming planet and I'm thinking this guys knows what he's talking about.

A few days later I checked out the Skeptical Science website which poked fun at him using two Noble Prize winning scientists agreeing with the IPCC projections and conclusion. The sad thing is both of the Skeptical Science's Noble Prize scientists bashing Dr. Ivar Giaever could barely talk or maintain their argument.

The media loves to talk about consensus but the truth is consensus has little to do with scientific truth. Throughout history wildly accepted scientific theories have been begrudgingly proven false after some unheard of scientist typically spends his life trying to convince the scientific community they are wrong.

Getting ready for a three hour flight I downloaded a bunch of TED talks. One of them had a very educated lady explaining how we were heading towards an Ice Free Planet and action must be taken before it's too late. To say this passionate plea is deceptive is being nice. To give the impression that Greenland and Antarctica could be ice free anytime soon (a few hundred years verses 5,000+) is beyond total BS!

Turns out there are dozens of talks on TED dealing with global warming/climate change. I haven't watched them all but it's interesting to note there isn't a single talk that even mentions the dozens of climate drivers that we know about and new ones that are just now being discovered. Some how CO2 owns the discussion which for me signals a political agenda NOT the search for scientific truth.

Even under the warmest projections Greenland needs thousands of years to melt. For starters the melting season is never going to be more then a few months and we are talking about one huge chunk of ice pretty much the size of Europe.

Don't get me started about Antarctica which NASA has concluded is actually gaining ice. Of course there are still highly respected IPCC members like Jim Hansen saying just the opposite using NASA's old studies.

Yes huge chunks of ice, some the size of Delaware, have broken off the Western ice shelf in recent years but any high school graduate is supposed to know this ice shelf breakup, while indicative of a warming planet will not directly raise sea levels... The ice melting in your drink doesn't raise the level in your glass. So the next time someone talks about an Ice Free Planet raise your hand and ask "when?". If they don't confess they are talking 3,000+ years I suggest you get up an silently walk towards an exit.

PS The UN's IPCC doesn't acknowledge that billions of people are living in conditions that actually pollute the environment to a degree that we all suffer. If we help the developing world develop it would actually reduce suffering and everyday pollution benefiting us all.

Saturday, February 17, 2018

School Shootings?

Philip Bump of the Washington Post estimates there have been more than 188 shootings at schools and universities in the United States with more than 200 killed since the turn of the century.

*** Correction *** There have been 20 mass (3+ killed) "School Shootings" since the turn of the century. Seems that Mr. Bump included drive by shootings, single discharges, suicides, etc... pretty much anything to increase the numbers. Sorry I didn't expect such data manipulation from my once favorite paper in the age of Google?

My research indicates that knives, bombs and fires have also been used in mass school killings. One very sad example of a bomb and subsequent fire occurred 90 years ago in Michigan when a bomb and subsequent fire killed 44. Sadly 38 were elementary schoolchildren.

I know it's not popular to point out the obvious but school shootings are exceedingly rare. The U.S. has 139,126 educational institutions and gun violence deaths have averaged 12 per year since 2000. That seems like a lot but keep in mind there are roughly 50,700,000 students.

Putting things into perspective is important. For example thousands of kids die choking every year. Kids are much more likely to die riding the bus. National data show school bus-related accidents send 17,000 children to emergency rooms each year!


Statistically our nations young people are exceedingly safe at school but that's not the drum the ratings hungry media or pandering leftist politicians beat.

Nonstop coverage for weeks after school shootings is about ratings (what ever happened to not showing the shooters picture?) and it's likely this coverage has resulted in more copycat school shootings. Regardless, something need to change.


Some schools in Texas and Ohio are trying something different with positive results thus far but this narrative, no matter how successful, is blasphemy to the left.

Some states pass laws that don't make "sense" but clearly reduce gun violance yet many on the Left seek repeal because those laws don't fit their "common sense" narrative. Sometimes laws are shown ineffective and repealed but the Left continues pushing them because they align with their world views.

Something new should be tried. Maybe it's time we as a nation revisit gun free zones? Maybe apply the "air marshal" concept to schools? A few trained and certified concealed carry teachers or staff would at the very least reduce the impression schools are soft targets.

Raise the age to buy guns to 21?

Raise the age to buy ammo to 21?

Limit magazine size to initial design?

Allow licensed health care professionals to anonymously red flag a patient?

Allow school principals to anonymously red flag a student?

Bumpstocks? The ban is proceeding though the administrative rule process which takes longer than most realize.

Some argue guns at school in the hands of someone even with training could be as dangerous as a shooter. I happen to agree with this and suggest an effective non-lethal alternative using the high-tech Swedish pepper spray gun?


However non-lethal ideas will not work in five extremely liberal states. Why? Because they are illegal. Guns don't kill people, people kill people and don't forget to teach your kids to chew their food and all kidding aside maybe safety belts should be required on school buses.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

White Privilege is Raciest



There are MORE poor whites, whites on food stamps, whites with bad teeth, whites without health care, etc... in America than ANY other group.

Being born white or black isn't "the" key. Being born in the US (or coming here early in your life) to loving parents  who sacrifice to give you advantages who are willing to provide structure and demand some form of excellence, etc... That's much more powerful than skin color.


For example there is the story of a poor Asian kid growing up in the ghetto, hiding in his closet to study because he was fearful of getting shot not getting into MIT, Havard, Princeton, etc... With 1530 SAT scores because he's Asian... That's racism but somehow accepted in our society.


Until recently The United States Coast Guard Academy was 100% merit-based and diversity was achieved through diversity of interests and abilities but there has been massive pressure to increase the number of black cadets.


And now it has become clear the Coast Guard Academy has changed it's 100% merit-based system by adding racial weight to ultimately increase blacks in the officer ranks of the Coast Guard. Unfortunately this hasn't dramatically increased the number of blacks attending the Coast Guard Academy.


I would rather a government supported school admit the best best candidates as possible regardless of color. Does that make me a racist?


I would argue that height has more to do with a man's success than skin color.


I would argue growing up in a wealthy family has more to do with success than skin color.


I would argue growing up on the coasts rather than the heart land has more to do with success than skin color.


If the Coast Guard has a goal to increase blacks in it's officer ranks to more closely match society as a whole they should step up recruitment of outstanding African Americans not change standards. 


Changing standards or creating limiting quotas is inherently racist and it blows me away that the left doesn't see this.


Friday, December 1, 2017

Millions of Jobs are Looking for Workers

President Obama repeatedly said college is the key to success. Bennie Sanders wants college to be "free" and nearly became the Democratic candidate for President. As a casual observer it sure seems that the narrative from our political leaders, at least from the left, is the key to success is dependent on higher education, specifically a college degree.

Really?

Ask the next ten people serving you at Starbucks how much college education they have. The results would shock you. Getting a college degree doesn't always translate to a "good" job as universally thought.

There are millions of good paying jobs from plumber, welder, electrician to classics like sales rep that pay high wages, offer advancement and for the most part do not require a college degree. Millions of these jobs are unfilled in our economy and believe it or not this is a growing challenge our nation faces. Our desperate need for more tradesmen is stifling economic growth.

So what's the disconnect?

Well it turns out in many school districts getting into a technical school has become very competitive. The kids that likely would not do well in college are not gravitating to technical schools because they are not smart enough to get in.

Furthermore, it's my belief the country is biased against trade jobs.

Crazy... The kids who should be thinking plumber, auto technician, etc... Aren't getting into the technology schools which have essentially become magnet programs and they are being told these jobs a below them anyway.

All the while the left is literally marching for a $15 dollar per hour minimum wage.

Solution?

Stop bad mouthing the trades and a days work for an honest wage. Bring back shop class to all middle schools and expand high school programs that train in the trades. Instead of trying to funnel more and more students into "free" college consider offering training in high school that has direct application to decent and honorable employment for anyone who is interested.

The reality is the country is in desperate need of workers to fill high paying technical no college needed jobs. This is a huge problem that "Dirty Jobs" star Mike Rowe has been stressing for years.

Monday, October 30, 2017

NASA Hypes Climate Change?

Across the bottom of NASA's Global Climate Change webpage the numbers are listed:

- Carbon Dioxide 406.94 parts per million
- Global Temperature 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880
- Arctic Ice Minimum 13.2 percent per decade
- Land Ice 286.0 Gigatonnes per year
- Sea Level 3.4 millimeters per year


Carbon Dioxide 406.94 parts per million?

406.94 is the total amount of C02 in the atmosphere not the increase. It should read:

Carbon Dioxide 116.14 parts per million since 1880

It's easy to find NASA's CO2 readings and CO2 has been accurately recorded since 1850. Even NASA acknowledges man's CO2 contributions were insignificant until the late 1940s. If you back out the naturally occurring CO2 increase due temperature increases and crunch the numbers, the man made increase in CO2 is roughly 75 ppm since 1850.

Maybe NASA believes a 75 ppm increase in a gas essential to life on Earth is not titillating enough to warrant billions of dollars being spent annually researching an issue that is settled science.

There is no doubt most scientists acknowledge the Earth has warmed and oceans have risen for the last few hundred years.  It's clear, based on ocean level records that we have been warming for about 11,000 years with intermittent periods of cooling.  Please note the Earth is still in the
Pleistocene ice Age and there is little to no evidence to suggest this is going to end anytime soon.

Coordinating thousands upon thousands of historical temperature readings, extrapolating readings from areas with no measurements, determining various heat sink effects, blending different temperature proxies is fraught with systematic error and bias.

Using ocean levels as a temperature proxy sure seems to be a better way to determine the past, present and possibly future climate changes.

Understanding sea level rise isn't rocket science. A rise in sea level commiserate to that experienced during the Roman Empire can be dealt with. It's important to note very few people vacation where it's cold and even NASA says the greening of the planet, do to increased CO2, is a good thing.

Friday, September 15, 2017

Climate Impact of Increasing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

Science 28 Aug 1981
"Climate Impact of Increasing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide"
By:

J.Hansen
D. Johnson
A. Lacis
S. Lebedeff
P. Lee
D. Rind
G. Russell

One could argue this paper is the backbone of the global warming now climate change debate. I think it's important to note how many times this paper is referenced and how many of the authors end up pier reviewing one another. If this paper is actually fundamentally flawed then the entire narrative of CO2 driving climate would be flawed as well.

Many scientists in unrelated fields accept at face value what their fellow scientists write papers about and publish. It's important to note history is replete with examples of one or two scientist proving a prevailing idea wrong and theories false sometimes over a life long struggle.

Just a thought...

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Not all Confederate Monuments Created Equal

Professor Brundage,

Sir, I just read your article about the Confederate monuments and I mostly agree with you and think the country as a whole should look at each monument and question it's origins, funding and timing of construction before recommending removal.

That said, it troubles me that Baltimore took down four statues, under the cover of darkness, one if which was the 5th Supreme Court Chief Justice of the United States. We need to remember the Supreme Court can and does get it wrong... sometimes unanimously!

Clearly a bunch of statues and monuments are Jim Crow BS but some are not and some are without question works of art. Being a Harvard grad I have no doubt renaming Yale (named after a former slave trader) would make you grin but I'm guessing you understand there has to be a point where we must acknowledge our past and own it.

Could this ongoing effort to sanitize history of offensive confederate monuments in fact be driving a wedge between the races? Why does the left continue to focus on the unimportant when there are so many important things going on in our country that need addressing.

I'm a Minnesota boy who now lives in Maine and I for one think race relations have degraded over the last decade and it saddens me.

I hope that you will continue your research and address the monuments that were erected before or after Jim Crow and those that are truly works of art be respected and if possible left alone.

Warm Regards,

Dave Beemer
Bath, Maine

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Eclipse 2017

Six months ago I came up with the idea of going to Utah, visit my Nephew Andy and see the eclipse with my daughter Heidi. When it was clear Heidi wasn't able to make the trip (she just took over her 1st command) I asked my college roommate if he wanted to go. Not only did Rick want to go he was going to bring his son Marc.

Thus the "broclipse" was born.

We camped on government land right next to a nice size creek and hiked up a good size hill to establish our eclipse base and in a nut shell it was awesome!