No Runny Eggs

Or at least I had hoped to make it live. WISN is the worst ABC affiliate in the nation, as they’re blathering on local crap for a second hour.

8:17 – Forgot to mention that Free Republic, as always, has a rolling live thread. Meanwhile, Jim of bRight & Early has an equally-sucky affiliate.

9:00 – Missed the current ABC/WaPo poll, but The Other Thompson is a dead duck.

9:01 – We start with the Brownback robo-call pointing out that Romney wasn’t always pro-life. Brownback sticking by it. Romney trying to say it’s untrue, and Steffie trying to draw out what is untrue about it. Romney ducking and shucking.

9:03 – Brownback ain’t afraid of no YouTube. Next hit piece aired; Romney slamming Rudi for being essentially a ‘Rat. Romney soft-pedaling, and Rudi pushes the pro-abort line.

9:06 – Next hit piece – The Other Thompson on Rudi for stating the obvious; a pro-abort candidate will put the Pubbies against the Catholics (specifically). Tommy trying to get this out of the abortion gutter that Steffi drove it into.

9:08 – To McShame from Steffi – Shouldn’t we de-emphasize abortion in favor of national security? No, but the transcendent issue is defeating Islamokazis.

9:10 – YouTuber – “What would be your strategy for ending the war in Iraq?” Paul – “Just march home; this is an illegal, undeclared war” (I guess that authorization of use of force never happened </sarcasm>. Hunter – “I was here when the Rooskies threatened Central Europe, and when the Sandanistas threatened Central America…. The Marines have turned around Al Anbar… and the ‘Rats to a person didn’t pause in their rush to the exits to thank them.”

9:13 – Steffi – Is there a middle ground? Huckabee – Yes. Let’s become energy independent. “If we can feed ourselves, fuel ourselves and manufacture for ourselves, we’ll stay free.” Brownback – The problem is political (say, isn’t Congress taking most of the month off?), and make it 3 states.

9:15 – McCain – “We are winning. We must win. If we lose,… we will be back…. The morale is high.” To Rudi – Is there any difference between you and McCain. Rudi – “I noticed that no ‘Rat has mentioned the words ‘Islamic terrorism.'”

9:18 – To the Romney third of Rudi McRomney – Are you all of the same mind on Iraq? Romney – Yes. On Obama – “He’s gone from Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove in one week.” “It’s time to give the troops a surge of support.”

9:19 – Immediately to the Tanc to find differences – “Can we win? Yes.” Review the rules of engagement and let loose the dogs of war without the muzzle. “Iraq has got to take control of Iraq”

9:21 – To The Other Thompson – I’ve got a plan, and that’s to demand payment from Iraq and state elections.

9:22 – To the Toofer Paul – “I’m in the wrong primary.”

9:24 – To McCain – “The war was mismanaged for 4 years, but now it’s being managed right…. I’m going to be judged by history and not by public polls.”

9:25 – Steffi and company pushing CubaCare for the kids by raising taxes – “Do you side with Grassley or Bush?” Huckabee – “Either give America the same kind of health care Congress has or Congress the same kind of health care America has.” We’re not going to fix it until this country focuses on wellness and prevention. TOT – Neither. Huckabee is right. Don’t raise taxes.

9:28 – To Tanc – “It’s not the responsibilty of government to provide womb-to-tomb health care to America.” Let’s expand HSAs (good), reimport drugs (bad), and boot the illegals.

9:29 – Steffi – “Are you in favor of expanding CubaCare for Kids?” TOT – Not the way they did it. Tanc – No. Romney – We have to make “private” health insurance mandatory. Rudi – Points out that this is a step toward full-blown CubaCare.

9:32 – Hunter – Allow interstate commerce for health insurance.

9:33 – Stupid question of the day – “How do you provide health care without raising taxes?” Brownback whacks it out of the park – “Keep it private.”

9:34 – Barack Strangelove comments up now. Debate between Rudi and Romney on this. Rudi (who would keep the option open) – Obama had diarreah of the mouth. Steffi brings up Rudi’s diarreah, and he backs off somewhat. Romney (who was portrayed as he wouldn’t do it) – Points out the paradox of Obama. Steffi tries to draw out what Romney would do if Pakistan tries to block an extraction of Osama bin Laden. He’ll keep the option on the table.

9:37 – Hunter pointing to what Pakistan has done (er, it isn’t much).

9:38 – Free elections in Iran? That’s funny; the Mad Mullahs banned just about everybody except their boy Ahmaddhimmijob. Brownback Huckabee – We can’t force everybody to accept our way of life (well, we managed in Germany and Japan; of course, we killed just about everybody who waged war on us first). Let’s spread it by example To Toofer – “I’m definitely in the wrong primary.”

9:41 – To Rudi – Democracy also requires the rule of law. Question from Steffi – Did we go to elections too quickly in Gaza? Rudy – Perhaps. First, we have to build respect of rights and security. McCain – Rule of law is starting to happen in Iraq. It’s naiive to say we’re going to attack Pakistan without thinking it through. Brings up that Kennedy said essentially the same thing regarding democracy as Bush.

9:44 – Romney – Reach out with all our capabilities. Steffi tries to draw out a cheap shot at Bush, Romney declines. Hey Toofer, they attacked us on 9/11.

9:46 – Steffi to Tanc – Foggy Bottom called your plan to nuke Mecca/Medina “reckless”. Tanc – That’s why they’re called Foggy Bottom. To TOT – It would unify 1 billion Islamokazis against us (true, but there are already 800 or so million unified against us; what’s another 200 million, give or take whoever’s there during the nuclear Hajj).

9:49 – Brownback – If you push democracy in certain parts of the Islamic world now, you’re going to get more Islamokazi gubmints.

9:50 – YouTuber #2 – “Should we raise taxes for infrastructure?” Huckabee – “No on taxes, but we do need to rebuild.”

9:50 part 2 – “Rudy, how can the Pubbies rebuild without raising taxes?” (me – cut the damn spending on the welfare state) Rudy – You don’t have to increase tax rates to increase revenues. And here’s a special for Breck Girl – the last time we raised the capital gains tax, we reduced revenue.

9:52 – Romney – Economic growth is how you grow revenue. Back in Taxachusetts, I said, “Fix it first.”

9:53 – McCain – Everything in that latest transportation bill has been pork, and nothing for fixing.

9:54 – To commercial.

9:59 – BoobTube part 3 – “Would you restrict the role of the VP and put it in the Constitution?” (I think this left tilt is the reason why the Pubbies aren’t warm to the CNN/YouTube debate) McCain – “There’s only 2 roles…be president of the Senate and check on the health of the President daily.” TOT – “Vice President Cheney’s criticized for a lot of things he doesn’t do.” Rudy – The VP has to be capable to take over the office on a moment’s notice, and then the division is something to discuss. Steffi pushes on whether Rudy would take Cheney. You can’t keep the VP in the dark like Truman was.

10:03 – Romney – “They have kept us safe the last 6 years.” Brownback – I wouldn’t delegate, but I would involve. Bush overrelied on Cheney. Toofer – “I belong in the DhimmiRAT primary.” Hunter – Depends on the credentials of the President. I’m a vet, my son’s a vet, and I wouldn’t share the role of CinC with a VP.

10:05 – “Fair”Tax time (23% sales tax) Huckabee – I like a 23% sales tax because “it ends the underground economy” (no; it moves it to the black market). Romney – It’s not that good. One thing; as it is proposed, it would kill the new home construction industry. Rudy – Kill the death tax. Simplify the tax code, and the flat-“fair” tax is intriguing if we were starting at the beginning. Question from Rudy – who would administer it and those exempt from it (guess the IRS isn’t going away).

10:09 – McCain – Get rid of the AMT. Tanc – I’m a co-sponsor (pushes a Boortz book). The power of taxation is that it manipulates behavior (and a 23% sales tax wouldn’t manipulate behavior into a lack of consumption outside of the black market?) Brownback – Flat tax, not a 23% sales tax.

10:12 – E-mailed Q – “What is the defining mistake of your life and why?” Hunter – “I considered running as a ‘Rat my first time.” Paul – “Not speaking out on the Constitution” (not running as a ‘Rat?). Huckabee – “Not taking better care of myself the first half of my life.” Romney – “Taking a pro-abort position when I first ran.” Rudi – “30 seconds isn’t enough time. I’ll explain it to your pappy priest.” McCain – “Moving off the Forestal after nearly getting blown off. (missed the other one). Brownback – “Not telling my wife and kids I love them often enough. TOT – “Not being supportive enough when my mother-in-law died of breast cancer.” Tanc – “It took me 30 years to accept Christ.”

10:15 – Steffi – “What will you restore to the Oval Office?” Tanc – Hope. TOT – Be bi-partisan and un-PC in the war on jihad. Brownback – Rebuilding the family, and providing Justice #5 to reverse Roe v Wade McCain – Fight Islamokazis and never surrender. Rudy – Hope part deux, oh and the top 3 ‘Rats didn’t run anything. Romney – Strengthen the military, strengthen the economy and strengthen the family. Huckabee – Put a frame that says “Boss” in the Oval Office and put ordinary Americans’ mugs in it like I did in Arkansas. Toofer – Openness. Tell Congress everything (which would tell everyone everything including our enemies). Hunter – Economic patriotism.

10:22 – And we’re out of here.

10:38 – I see that Matt Lewis also has a sucky ABC affiliate. He’s declared Rudi the winner almost by default. I’ll decide later.

(H/T – Captain’s Quarters via Dad29)

Revisions/extensions (1:19 pm/1:27 pm 4/27/2007) – Others on the case – Bryan (who actually beat me because I was busy with the katana)
Free Republic

It’s been a while since I felt the need to break out the katana to a lieberal’s words, but I think I’m still in practice. Today’s victim is one Dan Simpson, retired diplomat and member of the idiotorial boards of the Toledo Blade and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the bloody carcass is his column from Wednesday’s Blade calling for the disarming of America. Let the fisking commence:

Las week’s tragedy at Virginia Tech in which a mentally disturbed person gunned down 32 of America’s finest – intelligent young people with futures ahead of them – once again puts the phenomenon of an armed society into focus for Americans.

No, it puts the phenomenon of one armed nut turned loose among a disarmed populace into focus once again.

The likely underestimate of how many guns are wandering around America runs at 240 million in a population of about 300 million. What was clear last week is that at least two of those guns were in the wrong hands.

That’s still less than 1 gun per person.

When people talk about doing something about guns in America, it often comes down to this: “How could America disarm even if it wanted to? There are so many guns out there.”

Maybe in your circle. In my circle, it comes down to this: “How can we allow citizens to better protect themselves?” Of course, since I’m in Wisconsin, and there is no such thing as legal carry, that might skew my circle a bit. Nonetheless, remember that the Virginia Tech campus was a “gun-free” zone, where only Cho and the out-of-position police had guns.

Because I have little or no power to influence the “if” part of the issue, I will stick with the “how.” And before anyone starts to hyperventilate and think I’m a crazed liberal zealot wanting to take his gun from his cold, dead hands, let me share my experience of guns.

By jumping to the “how”, you just proved yourself to be a crazed liberal zealot wanting to take my guns from my cold, dead hands. Please, continue.

As a child I played cowboys and Indians with cap guns. I had a Daisy Red Ryder B-B gun. My father had in his bedside table drawer an old pistol which I examined surreptitiously from time to time. When assigned to the American embassy in Beirut during the war in Lebanon, I sometimes carried a .357 Magnum, which I could fire accurately. I also learned to handle and fire a variety of weapons while I was there, including Uzis and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

I don’t have any problem with hunting, although blowing away animals with high-powered weapons seems a pointless, no-contest affair to me. I suppose I would enjoy the fellowship of the experience with other friends who are hunters.

So you meet the other definition of liberal – wanting to deny others what you enjoyed. As for the whining about high-powered weapons versus Bambi and friends, the more powerful the weapon, the faster the animal dies, and the faster the animal dies, the less it suffers. Now, you wouldn’t want to REALLY piss off PETA by having hunters make these animals suffer (after all, that’s the job of PETA).

Now, how would one disarm the American population? First of all, federal or state laws would need to make it a crime punishable by a $1,000 fine and one year in prison per weapon to possess a firearm. The population would then be given three months to turn in their guns, without penalty.

Allow me to introduce you to the Second 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.”. Since you’re not in Wisconsin, allow me to also introduce you to the Wisconsin Constitution, Article I, Section 25, “The people have the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose.” Last time I checked, Constitutions trump laws and stupid lieberal wishes.

Hunters would be able to deposit their hunting weapons in a centrally located arsenal, heavily guarded, from which they would be able to withdraw them each hunting season upon presentation of a valid hunting license. The weapons would be required to be redeposited at the end of the season on pain of arrest. When hunters submit a request for their weapons, federal, state, and local checks would be made to establish that they had not been convicted of a violent crime since the last time they withdrew their weapons. In the process, arsenal staff would take at least a quick look at each hunter to try to affirm that he was not obviously unhinged.

Dad29 has the perfect take – “‘Arsenal staff’ would be qualified pshrinks, eh?” Oh, and just how are the hunters going to remain proficient shots? Slinging a couple dozen rounds downrange just before the season starts just doesn’t cut it.

It would have to be the case that the term “hunting weapon” did not include anti-tank ordnance, assault weapons, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, or other weapons of war.

Again, one of the reasons the Second Amendment came about was so that the people could defend themselves against a tyrannical government as a last resort. It is no accident that the United States has the longest-lasting system of government in modern history; rather, it is because government has ultimately always remembered that it is accountable to the people in every manner possible, including revolution.

All antique or interesting non-hunting weapons would be required to be delivered to a local or regional museum, also to be under strict 24-hour-a-day guard. There they would be on display, if the owner desired, as part of an interesting exhibit of antique American weapons, as family heirlooms from proud wars past or as part of collections.

I was remiss in not mentioning the great fault of centralizing guns before. While it is easier to take a couple of weapons from a less-than-vigilant owner, if one wanted a heap of weapons, all they would have to do is bribe the local “caretaker”, or if they had the foresight to bury some of their weaponry, storm the holding areas. Further, I rather doubt that these weapons that are centralized will remain in good condition very long.

Gun dealers could continue their work, selling hunting and antique firearms. They would be required to maintain very tight inventories. Any gun sold would be delivered immediately by the dealer to the nearest arsenal or the museum, not to the buyer.

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Without the ability to try out or observe the weapons, they’ll be out of business before you could hang the “going out of business” signs.

The disarmament process would begin after the initial three-month amnesty. Special squads of police would be formed and trained to carry out the work. Then, on a random basis to permit no advance warning, city blocks and stretches of suburban and rural areas would be cordoned off and searches carried out in every business, dwelling, and empty building. All firearms would be seized. The owners of weapons found in the searches would be prosecuted: $1,000 and one year in prison for each firearm.

Bring shovels. LOTS of shovels.

Clearly, since such sweeps could not take place all across the country at the same time. But fairly quickly there would begin to be gun-swept, gun-free areas where there should be no firearms. If there were, those carrying them would be subject to quick confiscation and prosecution. On the streets it would be a question of stop-and-search of anyone, even grandma with her walker, with the same penalties for “carrying.”

Allow me to introduce you to the Fourth Amendment – “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

The “gun lobby” would no doubt try to head off in the courts the new laws and the actions to implement them. They might succeed in doing so, although the new approach would undoubtedly prompt new, vigorous debate on the subject. In any case, some jurisdictions would undoubtedly take the opportunity of the chronic slowness of the courts to begin implementing the new approach.

And those areas will be crime havens.

America’s long land and sea borders present another kind of problem. It is easy to imagine mega-gun dealerships installing themselves in Mexico, and perhaps in more remote parts of the Canadian border area, to funnel guns into the United States. That would constitute a problem for American immigration authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard, but not an insurmountable one over time.

I can see the Border Patrol now – “Hey Pedro, you packing? No? Here’s some water and a Social Security card.”

There could conceivably also be a rash of score-settling during hunting season as people drew out their weapons, ostensibly to shoot squirrels and deer, and began eliminating various of their perceived two-footed enemies. Given the general nature of hunting weapons and the fact that such killings are frequently time-sensitive, that seems a lesser sort of issue.

Oh, and the fact that, other than Chai Vang, hunters just don’t do that now, either during hunting season or outside of hunting season.

That is my idea of how it could be done. The desire to do so on the part of the American people is another question altogether, but one clearly raised again by the Blacksburg tragedy.

Frankly, your idea sucks, is unconstitutional, and wouldn’t work even if it were constitutional.