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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-15014846868529899862016-11-18T21:06:00.000-06:002016-11-18T21:09:45.894-06:00The Parties' Platforms on GunsHere is what the three noteworthy political parties say about Second Amendment issues in their platforms.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lp.org/platform/" target="_blank">Libertarian Party</a></span></b><br />
<br />
<b>1.9 Self-Defense</b><br />
"The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights—life, liberty, and justly acquired property—against aggression. This right inheres in the individual, who may agree to be aided by any other individual or group. We affirm the individual right recognized by the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense. Private property owners should be free to establish their own conditions regarding the presence of personal defense weapons on their own property. We oppose all laws at any level of government restricting, registering, or monitoring the ownership, manufacture, or transfer of firearms or ammunition."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.iowagop.org/about/platform/" target="_blank"><b>Republican Party of Iowa</b></a></span><br />
<br />
"4. We strongly believe in the constitutionally protected natural right of individuals to keep and bear arms, as recognized and protected by the Second Amendment, and we support the repeal of existing laws that infringe upon those rights. We support the addition of “stand your ground” and “castle doctrine” provisions to Iowa law."<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://iowademocrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016-Iowa-Democratic-Party-State-Platform.pdf" target="_blank">Democratic Party of Iowa</a></span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Gun Safety</b><br />
<br />
We support:<br />
248. President Obama's executive orders on gun control<br />
249. universal background checks<br />
250. requiring registration, licensing, education/testing & liability insurance<br />
251. banning assault weapons<br />
252. gun-free zones<br />
253. closing "gun show loopholes"<br />
254. right to prohibit firearms on one's property<br />
255. temporary confiscation of firearms from individuals under DANCOs<br />
256. guardians' accountability for minors' inappropriate gun access<br />
257. nationwide database of gun ownership<br />
258. hand gun regulation<br />
<br />
We oppose:<br />
259. "Stand your ground"<br />
260. open carryUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-32303057927235528242016-11-13T18:59:00.001-06:002016-11-14T20:32:17.852-06:00Election 2016: The Good, the Bad and the TrumpyWell, the most contentious election of my lifetime is in the books. Let's take a look at how it affected three political parties.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Libertarian Party</span></b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rZlwJE7754s/WCaehTOsZFI/AAAAAAAABPg/EUH0gNMXSToMyHaPrFryifrAEUr55LLggCLcB/s1600/800px-Garyjohnsonphoto_-_modified.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rZlwJE7754s/WCaehTOsZFI/AAAAAAAABPg/EUH0gNMXSToMyHaPrFryifrAEUr55LLggCLcB/s200/800px-Garyjohnsonphoto_-_modified.jpg" width="162" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Governor Gary Johnson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Governor Gary Johnson received 4,123,115 votes nationwide, or about 3% of the total. That was less than the 5% needed to qualify for <a href="http://www.fec.gov/press/bkgnd/fund.shtml">public campaign funding assistance</a>, but it was the highest third party presidential vote total since <a href="https://www.lp.org/libertarian-johnson-gets-highest-third-party-presidential-vote-total-since-billionaire-ross-perot-in-1996/" target="_blank">Ross Perot</a> in 1996.<br />
<br />
In Iowa, Johnson got 58,796 <a href="https://electionresults.sos.iowa.gov/Views/TabularData.aspx?TabView=StateRaces^Federal / Statewide Races^86&ElectionID=86" target="_blank">votes</a> (3.8%). This obviously passed the 2% threshold to secure major party status from the state of Iowa. This will present many advantages to the party. They explain in a recent <a href="http://lpia.org/2016/11/11/political-party-status-for-iowa-libertarians/" target="_blank">press release</a>:<br />
<br />
<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1478824904639_2049">“'Voters ask us why they don’t hear about Libertarian candidates until late in an election,' said Campaigns and Elections Chair James Schneider. 'Our candidates have been campaigning for months, but they have not been allowed to file their candidacy papers until August – and often the media and polls do not acknowledge a candidate until papers are filed.' As a Political Party, Libertarians will now be able to file for office before primary elections [in June]."</span><br />
<br />
Besides the presidential race, the party ran Chuck Aldrich for U.S. Senate and Bryan Jack Holder for U.S. Representative District 3. By my unofficial <a href="http://lpia.org/candidates/" target="_blank">count</a> the Libertarians had 6 candidates for Iowa Senate, 12 candidates for Iowa House and 3 candidates for county offices. There are also 6 Libertarians currently holding office in the state.<br />
<br />
The party will continue to grow and build its organization throughout the state in preparation for its first primary election in 2018. If your willing to help, either as a candidate or volunteer, please contact james@lpia.org or keith@lpia.org. Oh, and don't forget to change your voter registration to Libertarian. <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Democrat Party</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ItjaGSOL-14/WCapDaBYf2I/AAAAAAAABQI/2G005jYXDH0mKQzj56m4b3_5KnsPvHOXwCLcB/s1600/Wicked_Witch_of_the_East_is_dead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ItjaGSOL-14/WCapDaBYf2I/AAAAAAAABQI/2G005jYXDH0mKQzj56m4b3_5KnsPvHOXwCLcB/s200/Wicked_Witch_of_the_East_is_dead.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Going into the final stretch the presidential race appeared to be Hillary Clinton's to lose and lose it she did! Given the high <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/08/31/poll-clinton-trump-most-unfavorable-candidates-ever/89644296/" target="_blank">unfavorability ratings</a> of both candidates, I don't think this can be seen so much as an endorsement of Trump as merely a repudiation of Clinton. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://reason.com/blog/2016/11/10/most-voters-expect-trump-to-be-a-terribl?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reason%2FHitandRun+%28Reason+Online+-+Hit+%26+Run+Blog%29&utm_content=FaceBook" target="_blank">Polling</a> from the final days of the campaign showed that most voters thought Trump would be terrible, but Clinton would be slightly worse. Add in the fact that Hillary and the Democrats are quickly becoming personae non gratae in much of flyover country and add months of leaked emails showing that she's corrupt and dishonest and you've got a recipe for electoral defeat.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Obama won Iowa with 822,000 votes in 2012. If Hillary could have held onto those votes she would have beat Trump's 798,000 votes. Instead, Hillary ran off 172,000 Iowa Obama voters and ended the night with 650,000 votes. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hillary apologists have blamed third parties, FBI director James Comey, the bigoted electorate and other things for Hillary's defeat. But think: Her name was booed during an opening prayer at her own party's convention. People were chanting "Lock her up!" at her own party's convention. If large factions of her own party hate her, why on Earth should independents and cross-over voters line up to support her? If the Democrats had nominated a candidate that wasn't universally reviled, that candidate could have mopped the floor with Donald Trump (who is largely reviled). It's natural for the Democrats to spend some time crying in their beer. But, in the long run, unless they're willing to really examine the shit stains in their own laundry bag they'll probably keep losing big elections.<br />
<br />
Before I let go of the Democrats, let me make one final point: The party really needs to get it's mind right on Second Amendment issues. One big reason voters in rural America lean Republican is because of the Democrats' support of gun control. This even helped the Dems <a href="http://iowafc.org/blog/2016/11/09/no-more-gronstalling-we-flipped-the-iowa-senate/" target="_blank">lose control</a> of the state senate in Iowa, where <a href="http://iowafc.org/" target="_blank">Iowa Firearms Coalition's</a> PAC set up a special fund for the sole purpose of flipping that house. <br />
<br />
Supporting the right to keep and bear arms needn't be a partisan issue. I recall during a Democrat primary debate, <a href="http://www.jameswebb.com/" target="_blank">Jim Webb</a> spoke in defense of the Second Amendment. Most of the other Democrats acted like he was from Pluto, except Bernie Sanders from Vermont who at least acknowledged that "the views on gun control in rural states are different than in urban states." (Then Hillary and the DNC torpedoed his campaign.)<br />
<br />
Of course Hillary always says she supports the Second Amendment but also supports every imaginable restriction or ban upon gun ownership, so what the hell? Gun owners don't care that she now calls it "common sense gun safety" rather than "gun control." Trump might call it a "romantic interlude" when he's shoving someone down a couch; that doesn't change what it is.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Republican Party</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0hu4qBrwnoE/WCkJXkZUgKI/AAAAAAAABQo/zKhTjjJN5PAN1gxnaiowyHGt9R0xPP0kgCLcB/s1600/Donald_Trump_-_Caricature_%252829168164652%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0hu4qBrwnoE/WCkJXkZUgKI/AAAAAAAABQo/zKhTjjJN5PAN1gxnaiowyHGt9R0xPP0kgCLcB/s200/Donald_Trump_-_Caricature_%252829168164652%2529.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>
It was a pretty good election for the GOP despite (or perhaps because of) low voter turnout. Trump took the Whitehouse and the party retained its control of the U.S. House and Senate. While Hillary's numbers were down 172,000 in Iowa compared to Obama's, Trump got 68,000 more votes in Iowa than Romney did in 2012. (Romney: 730,000 Trump: 798,000) The GOP retained the Iowa State House and took over the State Senate. (Republican Terry Branstad still holds the governor's mansion, which was not up for grabs this year.)<br />
<br />
A lot of folks are freaking out over Trump's election. I listed some of my problems with him <a href="http://coldhardcashner.blogspot.com/2016/10/constitutionalistsfiscal-conservatives.html" target="_blank">here</a>, namely that he'll ride roughshod over the Constitution and continue to swell the national debt. Also he'll be an aggressive nativist on immigration and totally anti-free trade. If you want a list of his personal faults, flip on a TV.<br />
<br />
But there are some rays of hope for libertarians. He's promising a lot of nice-sounding <a href="https://assets.donaldjtrump.com/_landings/contract/O-TRU-102316-Contractv02.pdf" target="_blank">Republicany-type stuff</a>: term limits on Congress, reducing the federal workforce, reducing federal regulation, canceling Obama's unconstitutional executive orders, and perhaps eliminating the federal <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-donald-trump-could-eliminate-the-department-of-education-2016-11" target="_blank">Department of Education</a>. Ironically, Trump may be less <a href="http://reason.com/blog/2016/11/10/donald-trump-peacenik-president" target="_blank">hawkish</a> than his opponent from the supposedly dovish Democrat Party. Lastly, I have fewer visions of my gun being pried from my cold, dead hands under a Trump administration<br />
<br />
I'm not too optimistic, but we'll see what happens. Trump is the president; I don't have to like it, but I <i>do</i> have to deal it. Whatever happens it promises to be interesting and entertaining. Buckle up and try to enjoy the ride, folks.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-68277639377337253672016-10-17T11:45:00.002-05:002016-10-17T11:45:47.210-05:00Constitutionalists/Fiscal Conservatives: Dump Trump; Vote Johnson!
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you believe in
limited government and strict constitutionalism, as I do, voting for
statist poster child Hillary Clinton is probably a nonstarter. But
you've heard the Republican Party mouth some pretty words about those
principles in the past, so you might feel that voting for their
candidate Donald Trump is your only option. I hope you don't and I
hope you'll consider voting for the Libertarian Party candidate,
Governor Gary Johnson, instead. (No, it's not wasting your vote,
I'll explain why in a minute.) First, why shouldn't you vote for
Trump?</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Our $19+ trillion
nation debt is killing us with higher costs of living, slower wage
growth, reduced fiscal flexibility, interest payments eating up more
and more of the federal budget, and is a ticking time bomb. Trump
(like Hillary) would only make it worse. When Clinton proposed $275
billion in new federal infrastructure spending, Trump said he would
double those spending hikes (outbidding his own previous proposal). A
recent analysis said that Trump's tax plan would jack the national
debt up another $7.2 trillion over 10 years. Fiscal conservatism?</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And how does Trump
view the Constitution? Last December he vowed that, if elected, he
would sign an executive order mandating the death penalty for cop
killers. Killing a police officer is terrible, to be sure; but that
doesn't give the executive branch authority to create brand new
capital crimes out of whole cloth. Many of us decried Obama's use of
his “pen and phone” to try to circumvent the Constitutional
legislative process. Trump would make Obama look like a piker.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Even though most of
Trump's ideas involve gorilla-stomping all over the Constitution,
constitutionalists are told they MUST vote for Trump because he says
he'll nominate originalist judges who will defend the Constitution.
It seems counter-intuitive to me that Trump would nominate judges
that would thwart his own agenda at every turn. It seems more likely
he will merely lead the party (and the country) further from its
Constitutional moorings.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Someone who knows
plenty about the federal courts and the Constitution is Alan Gura. He
is the litigator who led America's gun owners to victory in two
<span lang="en-US">landmark </span><span lang="en-US">Second
Amendment </span><span lang="en-US">cases before the United States
Supreme Court: </span><span lang="en-US"><i>DC v. Heller</i></span><span lang="en-US">
and </span><span lang="en-US"><i>McDonald v. Chicago</i></span><span lang="en-US">.
Here is what Gura thinks about supporting Trump </span><span lang="en-US">because
of</span><span lang="en-US"> </span><span lang="en-US">his potential
</span><span lang="en-US">Supreme Court nominees:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="en-US"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="en-US"></span>“<i>I have no illusions about what Hillary would do to the
federal bench. Sad! But there is something deeply contradictory about
the notion of electing a power-hungry strongman on the theory that
he'll appoint judges that respect and enforce constitutional limits
on government. Did Hugo Chavez appoint great judges? Did Putin,
Mussolini, or Erdogan? Would it have mattered had they sort-of kinda
suggested that they would? </i></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<i>As much as I care about the courts, worrying about
jurisprudential doctrine is a luxury for people living under
basically free and stable governments, for people who have access to
food and toilet paper. And absolutely nothing in Trump's history
suggests that he'd honor his proposed judge list or otherwise pick
decent judges, while each of his proclamations indicates that the
Supreme Court would be among the least of our concerns under his
regime. True, the Trump gamble—that he'd be a figurehead who'd
delegate authority to responsible people, or be resisted by the
bureaucracy and media (or, laughably, by that stiffest-spined
creature, the Republican Congress), while hewing to a judicial
selection principle anathema to his personal brand—</i><em><i>might</i></em><i>
pay off. Should Trump win, I'd at least delight in Hillary's loss,
and fervently hope that he'd prove me wrong on every count. But I
wouldn't bet my country on it.”</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
What about Governor Gary Johnson? He was a successful entrepreneur
who became a two-term Republican governor of heavily Democrat New
Mexico. During his time in office he vetoed over 750 bills, cut
taxes 14 times (and never raised them), balanced the budget and left
the state with a billion-dollar surplus. His VP candidate, Bill Weld,
was also a two-term Republican governor in a blue state
(Massachusetts). According to the Cato Institute: “Weld cut
spending, balanced the budget, improved the state’s bond rating,
and cut numerous taxes. Even with a Democratic legislature, Weld has
a stunningly successful fiscal record.” Now as Libertarians, the
Johnson/Weld Team would bring those same small government principles
to DC. Johnson has said one of his first priorities would be
submitting a balanced budget to Congress.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So fiscal conservatives and other advocates of limited government
could certainly support Gary Johnson. But since it's nigh on
impossible for a third-party candidate to win, isn't that wasting
your vote? I don't think voting your conscience should ever be
considered a “waste.” If you need more though, how about this:
If we can help Governor Johnson get 2% of the vote here in Iowa then
the Libertarian Party will become officially recognized as a “major
party” by the state. That means Libertarian candidates would no
longer have to waste time and resources gathering signatures in each
race just to get on the ballot. If we can help Governor Johnson get
5% nationally, the party would get similar recognition from the
federal government. This all would mean a more active and competitive
third-party in future elections.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
As we know from the private market, competition is a good thing.
With a little competition from a stronger third-party maybe the two
old broke down parties might have to run candidates for high office
that people WANT to vote for, rather than candidates they HAVE TO
vote for. But that will never happen as long as they can reliably
harvest your vote no matter how God-awful their candidates are. Vote
for a change: vote Gary Johnson for president.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-86508334804821179552016-09-30T15:17:00.000-05:002016-09-30T15:17:00.453-05:00"The Liberty Generation"Here's a pro-Gary Johnson video I like from <a href="https://alternativepac.us/" target="_blank">AlternativePAC</a>.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vC04OgHQ-54" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-15459639107965965322016-09-14T18:28:00.001-05:002016-09-24T10:40:00.241-05:00General Welfare does not mean "Anything You Want"An excellent video from our friends at the <a href="http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/" target="_blank">Tenth Amendment Center</a>.<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iqtBHIe3JMM" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-90317241103073375092016-07-29T16:21:00.000-05:002016-07-29T16:21:22.429-05:00My Pitch For Gary Johnson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pf5a0AXlRjQ/V5vGI5JQ7dI/AAAAAAAABPI/RIIb7zpoh-QXoqbP2x6mzp2hhztKkcZBACEw/s1600/Johnson_Weld.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pf5a0AXlRjQ/V5vGI5JQ7dI/AAAAAAAABPI/RIIb7zpoh-QXoqbP2x6mzp2hhztKkcZBACEw/s200/Johnson_Weld.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><i>I sent this in to my hometown newspaper. It's a bit of an introduction to Gary Johnson and Bill Weld for independent voters who aren't already devoted Trumpists or Clintonistas.</i></u></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The two-party
duopoly has conditioned us Americans to “hold our nose and vote.”
However, the candidates that the two entrenched parties have now
given us for president may require that we hold both our nose AND our
stomach simultaneously, making it difficult to vote at all. They are
essentially a crooked politician and a con man. “The Weekly
Standard” writer Stephen Hayes calls it a choice between “a
congenital liar who jeopardized national security in service of her
own ambition” and “an unstable conspiracy theorist.” No wonder
Americans of all political stripes are fed up.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Thankfully there is
another choice: Libertarian Party candidate Governor Gary Johnson.
His running mate is Governor Bill Weld. The Johnson/Weld team
describe themselves as “fiscally conservative” and “socially
tolerant.” “We want the government out of your pocketbook and out
of your bedroom,” Weld summed up on CNN's Libertarian town hall.
The “Wall Street Journal” calls the Johnson/Weld ticket an
“honorable alternative” to the Trump/Clinton sleaze-fest.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Gary Johnson served
two successful terms as governor of New Mexico, vetoing more bills
than all other governors combined, lowering taxes and leaving his
state with a balanced budget. Weld served two terms as governor of
Massachusetts, being reelected by the largest margin in state
history.
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Can a third-party
candidate win the presidency? The two establishment parties have
certainly made it difficult, but as the old song goes, “the times
they are a-changin'!” Even if Johnson doesn't win remember this:
Every vote for Trump or Clinton is a pat on the back of the
Republican or Democrat Party saying, “Keep up the good work you're
doing in Washington.” Do they deserve that? Each vote for Gary
Johnson is a warning shot fired across the bow of the political
establishment, telling them to get their act together.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you want another
choice in this year's election, check out Governor Gary Johnson and
Governor Bill Weld and their stance on the issues at <a href="http://johnsonweld.com/">JohnsonWeld.com</a>.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-23906999358073778142016-06-04T22:29:00.003-05:002016-06-04T22:30:07.131-05:00Forbes Article: "Economic Forecast For A Libertarian President"I'm amazed at the amount of mainstream press that Libertarian presidential candidates Governors Gary Johnson and William Weld are garnering. Here's a great recent example from Forbes which tries to predict the economic impact of a Gary Johnson administration: "<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/billconerly/2016/06/02/economic-forecast-for-a-libertarian-president/#57e19ae4f17c" target="_blank">Economic Forecast For A Libertarian President</a>."<br />
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A few highlights:</div>
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You can read the whole article <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/billconerly/2016/06/02/economic-forecast-for-a-libertarian-president/2/#60daceec2927" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">here</span></a>."In the long run, the economy will be better off with market-oriented reforms. [...] But getting from here to there depends on how the public perceives the new president."</div>
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<li>"Foreign military activity would certainly be reduced by a Libertarian president, making those defense cuts easier. But Congressional loyalty to military bases and defense contractors in their districts and states will prevent cuts from going too deep."</li>
<li><u><span style="color: #0066cc;">"A President Gary Johnson would veto quite often. He used this power 200 times in his first six months as governor of New Mexico, earning the nickname 'Governor Veto.'"</span></u></li>
<li>"Federal spending would fall under a Libertarian administration, but the president must spend appropriated money whether he wants to or not[.]"</li>
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You can read the whole article <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/billconerly/2016/06/02/economic-forecast-for-a-libertarian-president/2/#60daceec2927" target="_blank">here</a>.<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-16219520472674210892016-05-15T17:32:00.000-05:002016-05-15T17:32:18.620-05:00Review: "The Soviet Story"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the Libertarian Party of Iowa's state convention in March the keynote speaker, Dr. Yuri N. Maltsev, recommended watching the 2008 documentary "The Soviet Story." The film studies the fascinating relationship and similarities between the Soviet Union (USSR) and Nazi Germany. I just watched it and I too highly recommend the film. If you watch it, you will learn a lot about communism and our World War Two ally that they didn't teach you in school. It is available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJH1IW2" target="_blank">Amazon video</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank">YouTube</a> and probably elsewhere.<br />
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The film first spends some time illustrating that communism and Nazism are not as different as many think. It shows how both are largely based on the writings of Marx & Engels. You'll see early Nazi symbology with the swastika literally between the hammer and sickle. <br />
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The film highlights the many mass extermination atrocities committed by the Soviet Union including The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor" target="_blank">Holodomor</a>, the deliberate starvation of 7 million Ukrainians in one year alone. The film attributes some 20 million total murders to Soviet communism over the course of its history. In his book "The Great Terror," researcher Robert Conquest puts that number at about 15 million. Whichever, it's a lot.<br />
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It's important that we remember and understand this bloody history, lest we repeat it. While the crimes of the Nazis have rightly been widely denounced and their ideology discredited as a result, the same can't be said for the communists. You can say, "Soviet communists made mistakes and had some excesses, but they were mostly right," among Western intelligentsia today, whereas saying the same thing about the Nazis would get you booed out of the room. While modern Germany condemns the Nazi regime, Vladimir Putin, current ruler of Russia, calls the collapse of the Soviet Union "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the [20th] century." Most American millennials wouldn't know to disagree with him.<br />
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The film also spends significant time on the wartime collaboration between the USSR and Nazi Germany. I was aware the two countries had a non-aggression pact with each other initially, but was unaware of the degree that the two regimes actively aided each other. There were plans on which country would get to consume which smaller countries, Poland was split between the two, the Soviets let the Nazis use their naval base to stage their invasion of Norway, the Soviet NKVD (secret police) taught the Nazi Gestapo torture techniques and how to set up concentration camps, and the Soviets provided food and materials to the Nazi war machine. When many Jews fled to the USSR to escape the Nazis, the NKVD rounded them up and turned them over to the Gestapo. <br />
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It's obvious that Stalin and Hitler were planning on carving up Europe for themselves before the two monsters began quarreling. This is not the image of our wonderful World War Two ally that we are often presented with in the West.<br />
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Please check out this film! You'll learn a lot. This is a Latvian film (Latvia being one of the three "Baltic states" that didn't appreciate their time under the boot of Soviet oppression) and there are several different versions of the film out there in different languages. Make sure you grab one in English. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-87992371129315632032016-05-01T14:09:00.000-05:002016-05-01T14:09:55.737-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-80567099238937895562016-03-20T16:22:00.002-05:002016-03-20T16:34:30.983-05:002016 Libertarian Party of Iowa State Convention<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Professor Yuri N. Matlsev delivers the keynote address.</td></tr>
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On Saturday March 20th the <a href="http://lpia.org/" target="_blank">Libertarian Party of Iowa</a> held its annual state convention. Normally held in the Des Moines area, this year's convention was held in Cedar Rapids at the <a href="http://www.clarioncr.com/" target="_blank">Clarion Hotel & Convention Center</a>. Although I've been a dues paying Libertarian for many years I had never attended a convention before. Since this convention was on my side of the state I had no excuse to miss this one.<br />
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At 9am Iowa Party Chair Keith Laube welcomed attendees to the convention. The next few hours were spent on rather mundane party business such as amending the party's Constitution and bylaws. Although I recognize its necessity, I have to admit the parliamentary gobbledygook isn't really my cup of tea. Wake me up when we can grab the muskets! The interesting part was hearing the reports from members of the several active county affiliate parties in the state who told about the various activities they've been involved in.<br />
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Dr. Lee Heib discussed the work of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Harrison-County-Iowa-Libertarian-Party-660956753951150/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Harrison County Libertarian Party</a> which has been trying to get their county to contract out (privatize) some of its roadwork. Nate Newsome spoke on the activities of the Linn County Libertarian Party. He said they hold regular meetings, write letters to the editor of local papers and even spoke to a local high school civics class. (The Republicans and Democrats were invited to speak at the school session as well but didn't show up, proving, I guess, that they have "no class.")<br />
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There was also a presidential straw poll of the members which former New Mexico governor <a href="https://garyjohnson2016.com/" target="_blank">Gary Johnson</a> won handily. (You can read more about the straw poll <a href="http://www.coldhardcashner.com/2016/03/gary-johnson-wins-iowa-libertarian.html?spref=fb" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
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The group then accepted nominations for candidates for state office. The following candidates were approved: Don Brantz for State Senate #24, Brian Cook for Senate # 48, Bob Boyle for State House #20, Joe Gleason for House # 31, Jeff Meyers for House # 38, Dr. Eric Cooper for House #45, Joshua Miller for House #78, Garrett Byrd for House #80 and Rick Stewart for Linn County Sherriff.<br />
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After lunch, awards were handed out in recognition of the 2015 candidates, the county affiliates, committee members and volunteers and lifetime members. Then it was time for the convention's two guest speakers.<br />
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First up was Cristina Kinsella, the Advocacy Coordinator for the <a href="http://www.aclu-ia.org/" target="_blank">American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa</a>, who spoke about the work of her group that she thought would be of particular interest to libertarians. She explained <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=86&ba=SF2262">SF 2262</a></span> which would modify current law and allow police to retain seized property <em>only</em> after a person has been convicted of a felony for which forfeiture is expressly authorized as a penalty. The bill is still hanging on by its fingernails in the statehouse.<br />
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She said the "warrantless detention" bill was dead for this session. This would have required Iowa sheriffs to hold prisoners beyond their approved release date if federal agencies requested it. Twenty-six sheriffs had already said they would not hold prisoners without a warrant. She also said that a medical marijuana bill was still alive at the statehouse, although was much more restrictive than the original wording. She said the ACLU of Iowa continued to fight racial profiling and increased sentencing bills.<br />
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Kinsella then fielded questions from the interested group. A couple of members asked about the ACLU's apparent lack of concern for Second Amendment rights. Ms. Kinsella <span class="dbox-bold" data-syllable="gra·cious·ly, "><span class="oneClick-link">graciously explained that since there was some debate among ACLU of Iowa members as to what the Second Amendment entailed and since the Second Amendment seemed well represented by other groups, ACLU of Iowa chose to focus its resources elsewhere.</span></span><br />
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<span class="dbox-bold" data-syllable="gra·cious·ly, "><span class="oneClick-link"></span></span>Next up was the convention's keynote speaker, Dr. Yuri N. Maltsev. A professor of economics at Carthage College in Wisconsin, Maltsev worked as an economist on Mikhail Gorbachev's economic reform team before defecting to the United States in 1989. He is a Senior Fellow of the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://wiki.mises.org/wiki/Ludwig_von_Mises_Institute" title="Ludwig von Mises Institute">Ludwig von Mises Institute</a> and serves as a member of the advisory boards of the <a href="https://wiki.mises.org/wiki/Foundation_for_Economic_Education" title="Foundation for Economic Education">Foundation for Economic Education</a>, <a class="new" href="https://wiki.mises.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Heartland_Institute&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Heartland Institute (page does not exist)">Heartland Institute</a> and the <a href="https://wiki.mises.org/wiki/Quarterly_Journal_of_Austrian_Economics" title="Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics">Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics</a>.<br />
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Maltsev said that the USA was much freer when he came here in 1989, noting the county's tumbling score on the <a href="http:/http://www.freetheworld.com/index.php/www.freetheworld.com/index.php" target="_blank">Fraser Institute's</a> annual rankings of freedom among other things. This distressed him, he joked, because he was getting "too old to defect again." <br />
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Professor Maltsev spent well over an hour laying bare the sins of Soviet Communism, then showed that it and Nazism and Socialism and modern liberalism are not opposing ideas, but basically one in the same. When any of them get far enough along they will require massive coercive force and murder to function. That is why some 200,000,000 people were killed by "socialist" governments (of one stripe or another) during the 20th Century.<br />
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Maltsev said that "The Road to Serfdom" by Friedrich von Hayek was a book that changed his life. He also recommended the 2008 documentary film "The Soviet Story." I've already read von Hayek's book before, you can bet I'll be watching the film soon.<br />
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The convention closed at about 5:00 and I was glad I went. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-8529731043467129892016-03-20T10:46:00.001-05:002016-03-20T10:46:28.572-05:00Gary Johnson Wins Iowa Libertarian Straw Poll<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GlQTHxn27mQ/Vu7E6JB5-MI/AAAAAAAABNI/oG_ssVT2YgAKYzs04NhTp--mHEQYqo3xw/s1600/800px-GaryJohnsonLPConvention2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GlQTHxn27mQ/Vu7E6JB5-MI/AAAAAAAABNI/oG_ssVT2YgAKYzs04NhTp--mHEQYqo3xw/s200/800px-GaryJohnsonLPConvention2012.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johnson at 2012 LP Convention</td></tr>
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The Libertarian Party of Iowa held its annual state convention on Saturday, March 19, 2016 in Cedar Rapids. Along with other party business, it polled its members present on which Libertarian presidential candidate they supported. This information will provide guidance to the state party's delegates to the 2016 Libertarian Party National Presidential Nominating Convention in Orlando, Florida in May where the party will choose its presidential and VP candidates.</div>
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Members were asked to choose their first, second and third preference among the slate of candidates. For members first choice former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson received 67% of the vote. TV producer and party activist Austin Petersen received 23%. Computer programmer and businessman John McAfee received 7%.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-61330392257056064022015-12-18T19:33:00.001-06:002015-12-18T19:35:36.017-06:00Star Wars Conspiracy: Does Fear Cost Us Our Liberty?<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rG0ut6bsNSQ" width="480"></iframe><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-26193568802378422612015-12-12T10:35:00.003-06:002015-12-12T10:36:56.434-06:00Jacob Sullum: "Autonomous Terrorism Calls for Autonomous Defense"Columnist Jacob Sullum had an excellent article at <a href="https://reason.com/archives/2015/12/09/autonomous-terrorism-calls-for-autonomou" target="_blank">reason.com</a> about how armed citizens are a logical defense against the type of diffused terrorist attacks we're seeing. Writes Sullum:<br />
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"There is not much the government can do about the sort of terrorist threat that President Obama described in his <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/06/address-nation-president">speech</a> on Sunday. It will always be difficult to stop self-radicalized jihadists, operating under no one's instructions, from carrying out attacks on soft targets too scattered and numerous to secure.<br />
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"The only viable alternative, self-help, is one that Obama seems ideologically incapable of considering. His proposals for new restrictions on firearms move in the opposite direction, based on the assumption that the problem is too many guns in too many hands.<br />
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"Gun control supporters generally dismiss the notion that armed citizens can help stop terrorists and other mass shooters. They argue that unbadged amateurs will be frozen by fear, that they will accidentally shoot innocent people, or that police will mistake them for bad guys.<br />
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"These possibilities do not negate the lifesaving potential of encouraging greater self-reliance in situations where waiting for police to arrive means waiting for coldblooded murderers to kill and kill again. We know from experience that intervention by people already at the scene can make a crucial difference."<br />
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Read the entire article <a href="https://reason.com/archives/2015/12/09/autonomous-terrorism-calls-for-autonomou" target="_blank">HERE</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-62337036925351466022015-12-03T19:14:00.001-06:002015-12-03T19:14:51.926-06:00<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="300" src="https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/12311204_924177544326461_4495381155241346785_n.jpg?oh=f9203af8413eba58ee17723a52849683&oe=56F01060" width="400" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-16033617840737592412015-10-31T15:16:00.001-05:002015-10-31T15:26:41.541-05:00Have Your Health Insurance Premiums Dropped Under Obamacare?Obama promised that Obamacare would lower health insurance premiums for American families by about $2,500. Here's a video montage of Obama saying it again and again.<br />
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Do you know <em>anyone</em> who has seen their premiums go down since Obamacare was enacted in 2010? My premiums and deductibles went up yet again this year. Judging by the chart from the Kaiser Family Foundation below, I'm not alone.<br />
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<img class="slide_image" data-full="https://image.slidesharecdn.com/2015employerhealthbenefitschartpack-150916163508-lva1-app6891/95/2015-employer-health-benefits-chart-pack-4-1024.jpg?cb=1445543326" data-normal="https://image.slidesharecdn.com/2015employerhealthbenefitschartpack-150916163508-lva1-app6891/95/2015-employer-health-benefits-chart-pack-4-638.jpg?cb=1445543326" data-small="https://image.slidesharecdn.com/2015employerhealthbenefitschartpack-150916163508-lva1-app6891/85/2015-employer-health-benefits-chart-pack-4-320.jpg?cb=1445543326" height="300" src="https://image.slidesharecdn.com/2015employerhealthbenefitschartpack-150916163508-lva1-app6891/95/2015-employer-health-benefits-chart-pack-4-1024.jpg?cb=1445543326" width="400" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-5548254566116397482015-10-15T21:06:00.000-05:002015-10-15T21:06:32.783-05:00<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="200" src="https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/12113468_901844699893079_4560066970067483481_o.jpg" width="400" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-49216137644578223462015-09-05T18:53:00.000-05:002015-09-05T19:02:50.436-05:00Marion Robbery Foiled By Armed Citizen<script src="http://player.bimvid.com/v2/vps/kcrg/78de4e4a4ab488c4a960eefdfec22aebf945c27b/ref=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5rY3JnLmNvbS9zdWJqZWN0L25ld3MvcHVibGljLXNhZmV0eS9saW5uLWNvdW50eS9hcm1lZC1jaXRpemVuLWJyZWFrcy11cC1tYXJpb24tcm9iYmVyeS1zdXNwZWN0LWZhY2luZy1jaGFyZ2VzLTIwMTUwOTAy"></script>Although local news doesn't always report positive gun uses, (see my post <a href="http://www.coldhardcashner.com/2014/07/iowa-news-shows-its-anti-gun-bias.html" target="_blank">Iowa News Shows Its Anti-Gun Bias</a>) in a case this week they did.<br />
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<u>KCRG-TV9 reports:</u><br />
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<em>MARION — A Burlington man was caught in the act of robbing two people in Marion by an armed citizen.</em><br />
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<em>According to the Linn County attorney’s Office, 66-year-old John R. Barnett assaulted two people outside an apartment building in the 1400 block of Grand Avenue in Marion on Tuesday. An accomplice was with Barnett at the time of the assault, police said. A wallet was taken from one victim.</em><br />
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<em>Authorities said that during the robbery, a witness intervened and held Barnett at gunpoint until officers arrived. The accomplice was able to flee with the victim’s wallet.</em><br />
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<em>The Marion Police Department said if a person feels threatened, they have the right to use force. Barnett was arrested and has been charged with two counts of second-degree robbery.</em><br />
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You can watch a more in-depth news video <a href="http://www.kcrg.com/subject/news/public-safety/linn-county/armed-citizen-breaks-up-marion-robbery-suspect-facing-charges-20150902" target="_blank">HERE</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-12409928863501223422015-07-18T14:40:00.000-05:002015-07-25T13:49:02.155-05:00Pentagon Gun Ban Is Getting Brave Men KilledFive military service members lay dead in Chattanooga after a gunman, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, opened fire on a recruiting center and a naval reserve center. They're dead from a lack of shooting back. They're dead because of longstanding policies that leave stateside military members (except MPs and the like) unarmed and leave our military facilities exposed to terrorist attack.<br />
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In 1992 the first Bush administration signed into effect <a href="http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a272176.pdf" target="_blank">Department of Defense (DoD) Directive 5210.56</a>. This directive sought to “limit and control the carrying of firearms by DoD military and civilian personnel," and states that only “DoD personnel regularly engaged in law enforcement or security duties shall be armed.” <a href="http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r190_14.pdf" target="_blank">Army Regulation 190-14</a> was implemented in 1993 and further tightened the carrying of firearms on Army posts. According to the <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/11/end-clinton-era-military-base-gun-ban/" target="_blank">Washington Times</a> this reg forbids "military personnel from carrying their personal firearms and [made] it almost impossible for commanders to issue firearms to soldiers in the U.S. for personal protection."<br />
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If these regs made sense when they were implemented, they sure don't now. Thirteen years into the "War on Terror" and after seeing the 2009 Fort Hood shootings, the 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shootings, the 2013 Washington Navy Yard shootings, and 2014 Fort Hood shootings it makes no sense that soldiers are better able to defend themselves off duty and off base than on (thanks to right-to-carry laws now in nearly every state) and that many military facilities remain soft targets for terrorists.<br />
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Two years ago Marine Corps commandant Gen. Jim Amos <a href="http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20130927/NEWS/309250037/Commandant-calls-new-crackdown-barracks-life-Marine-behavior" target="_blank">proposed</a> arming certain duty and staff NCOs for this very reason. Unfortunately, the DoD didn't act on the proposal and now there's four dead Marines in Chattanooga. Perhaps the Chattanooga shootings will be the final straw that will change DoD policy.<br />
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Gun Owners of America (GOA) has <a href="http://www.gunowners.org/alert7172015.htm" target="_blank">announced</a> that it is working with several congressmen to introduce legislation to repeal the military gun ban. Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN) plans to introduce a bill early next week. Former Marine Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) plans on introducing a bill to allow military recruiters to carry firearms. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) is working on similar legislation in the Senate.<br />
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GOA has set up an <a href="http://cqrcengage.com/gunowners/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=118693" target="_blank">action center</a> where you can send a pre-written message to your Representative urging them to cosponsor the DesJarlais and Hunter bills.<br />
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Let's get this ban lifted before more brave service members die in the name of bureaucratic apathy.<br />
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<u><strong>Update 7-25-15:</strong></u> Fox News <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/07/22/navy-officer-murdered-marine-fired-back-at-chattanooga-gunman/" target="_blank">reports</a> that one Navy officer and a Marine at the Chattanooga naval facility may have armed themselves against regulations and in violation of federal law and may have actually killed the Islamic shooter. While these brave men may have cut the shooting spree short, probably saving additional lives, our service members shouldn't have to jeopardize their careers and law-abiding backgrounds in order to defend themselves and their comrades.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-89333768876681655532015-07-10T20:12:00.001-05:002015-07-10T20:12:39.839-05:00Flag Battle over Battle Flag<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="252" src="https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/11210413_858072310936985_1629834479108367633_n.jpg?oh=2736bf3662fee3518728a71d396df402&oe=565566BA" width="400" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-15983642508198061932015-04-27T20:33:00.000-05:002015-05-02T11:58:48.510-05:00Achtung Baker<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="290" src="https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/11156148_819617874782429_3296633720459716494_n.jpg?oh=c2bc4246366701a7673898b1d9abbe4c&oe=559E6F74" width="400" /><br />
Sorry, I know this didn't show up worth a hoot. I tried to make it clearer. You can see it better <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ColdHardCashnerBlog/photos/a.409561055788115.94881.352164831527738/819617874782429/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">here</a> on Facebook. It's probably a sign from the computer gods that you should "like" <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ColdHardCashnerBlog" target="_blank">Cold Hard Cashner</a> on Facebook.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-35231970793393165412015-04-08T11:29:00.001-05:002015-04-08T11:29:08.164-05:00In Honor of Tax Season<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="400" src="https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/l/t1.0-9/11150438_810637152347168_3304390921527301270_n.jpg?oh=316e3d64045d26b729243ffd40aa6610&oe=55AC965C" width="305" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-58590761068807501272015-03-26T21:06:00.000-05:002015-03-27T18:12:27.429-05:00Iowa's Omnibus Gun Bill Needs Help<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="" class="mw-mmv-final-image mw-mmv-dialog-is-open" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Statue_in_Minute_Man_National_Historical_Park.jpg/800px-Statue_in_Minute_Man_National_Historical_Park.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></div>
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The Omnibus Gun Bill (HF527/SF425) passed with overwhelming support in the Iowa House but appears to now be languishing in the Democrat-controlled Iowa Senate. <a href="http://www.iowacarry.org/" target="_blank">Iowa Firearms Coalition</a> (IFC), one of the state's leading pro-gun groups, has been counting votes in the State Senate and believes the bill would pass easily, if only it would be released for a vote by the Senate's anti-gun leadership.</div>
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In addition to legalizing silencers in the state (for those who undergo the requisite federal procedures), the Omnibus Gun Bill would also:</div>
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Update Iowa’s concealed carry law to move the retraining requirement to every 10 years instead of every 5.</div>
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Simplify the concealed carry permit renewal process and allow a 60 day window to renew.</div>
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Exempt military veterans from having to get training before applying for a Permit to Carry.</div>
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Remove the “permit to acquire” mandate for handgun purchases (FBI NICS program would still be used for purchases).</div>
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Clarifies that online training is acceptable for a concealed carry permit.</div>
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Remove the age restriction on minors shooting while supervised by a parent or guardian.</div>
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Make it illegal to share any identifying information about any of Iowa’s concealed carry permit holders.</div>
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Make all permits across Iowa uniform in appearance.</div>
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Not only have the <a href="http://home.nra.org/" target="_blank">NRA</a> and <a href="http://iowafc.org/" target="_blank">IFC</a> endorsed the bill, but the Iowa Peace Officers Association, Iowa Police Chiefs Association, and the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association as well. Despite this wide-ranging support, the bill now risks being sabotaged by a very small handful of anti-gun State Senators.</div>
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What can you do to help? IFC is urging everyone to take the following three simple steps (in their words):</div>
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<u><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">Petition</span></u></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">If you haven't already, please <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT535"><a href="https://www.votervoice.net/link/clickthrough/ext/434948.aspx" target="_blank"><em><strong>sign and share</strong></em></a></span> our petition
calling on the Senate leadership to stop playing games and bring SF425 to a
vote.<br /><br />The anti-gun crowd has submitted a petition to block the Omnibus
Gun Bill. They got a paltry 1,600 signatures. We're betting we can top that
pretty easily. Please take 30 second to sign and share this!!</span></div>
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<u><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">Email</span></u></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">Contact your Senator, and the Senate leadership. <em>Tell them
you want to see SF425 brought to a vote AS IS. It's time for a vote! </em>Keep
your messages brief, respectful and on point. <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT537"><a href="https://www.votervoice.net/link/clickthrough/ext/434950.aspx" target="_blank"><strong>Here's a great example</strong></a></span> of an email to
the Senate leadership. Send your emails to:</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT538">mike.gronstal@legis.iowa.gov</span>, <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT539">steve.sodders@legis.iowa.gov</span>, <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT540">pam.jochum@legis.iowa.gov</span>, <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT541">joe.bolkcom@legis.iowa.gov</span>, &<br />your
Senator.</strong><br /><br />Don't have your Senator's email address? Not sure who
your Senator is? Find who represents you and their contact info using our <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT542"><a href="https://www.votervoice.net/link/clickthrough/ext/434951.aspx" target="_blank"><strong>Legislative Action Center</strong></a></span>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: blue;"><br /></span></div>
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<u><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">Call</span></u></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"><em>NOTE: The Senate switchboard is only operational while the
Senate is in session. The next time you can call and leave a message will be
when the Senate returns to work on <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT543">Monday</span> at 1 p.m.</em><br /><br />When you call the Senate
switchboard - <strong><span id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT544"><a href="callto:+1515-281-3371">515-281-3371</a></span></strong> - on <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT545">Monday</span> leave a message for the Senate
leadership: <em>"Listen to the people of Iowa. Listen to Iowa law enforcement.
Bring SF425 to a vote AS IS." </em>Ask that the message is delivered to Senators
Gronstal, Sodders, Jochum and Bolkcom.</span></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688132033910740483.post-31251878466844477982015-02-14T17:53:00.000-06:002015-02-14T17:53:39.460-06:00Pro-Freedom Bills In Des Moines- Feb. 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Iowa State House; Des Moines, Iowa; June 30, 2013.JPG" height="266" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Iowa_State_House%3B_Des_Moines%2C_Iowa%3B_June_30%2C_2013.JPG/1024px-Iowa_State_House%3B_Des_Moines%2C_Iowa%3B_June_30%2C_2013.JPG" width="400" /></div>
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There are some good bills floating around in the Iowa legislature this year that could use our support. </div>
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<strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">Gun Rights Bills</span></u></strong></div>
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First up are four pro-gun owner bills and the synopsis for each one provided by the <a href="http://iowafc.org/" target="_blank">Iowa Firearms Coalition</a> (IFC).</div>
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<em><a href="http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&hbill=hf45" target="_blank">House File 45</a> - Emergency Powers</em> This bill guarantees that Iowan's Second Amendment rights remain intact during times of public emergencies, when the ability to protect ourselves and our loved ones is needed most. In short it would keep <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf8trl69kzo" target="_blank">Hurricane Katrina</a> style confiscations from happening here in Iowa.<br /><br /><em><a href="http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&hbill=hf59" target="_blank">House File 59</a> - Preemption Clarification</em><br /> HF59 amends IA Code 724.28 which says local municipalities and governing bodies shall not preempt or supersede state firearms law. Iowa has had a preemption law for almost 25 years, but every year many local municipalities continue to try to work around this law and illegally in fringe on Iowan's rights. This bill would strengthen the current code and provide citizen's rights greater protections from over zealous governing bodies.<br /><br /><em><a href="http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&hbill=hf92" target="_blank">House File 92</a> - Stand Your Ground</em><br /> This legislation would remove a person's "duty to retreat" from an attacker in any location. This would allow law-abiding citizens to protect themselves or their family anywhere they are lawfully present. This legislation would also expressly enhance the protections against criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits when justifiable force is used.<br /><br /><em><a href="http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&hbill=hf99" target="_blank">House File 99</a> - Repeal the Youth Shooting Ban </em><br /> Currently anyone under the age of 14 is strictly prohibited from holding or shooting a handgun in Iowa - regardless of whether or not that minor is under parental supervision. HF99 would amend the state code to allow a person under 14 to lawfully shoot a handgun, with proper supervision, as long as their parent, guardian, or spouse who is 21 years of age or older has provided consent.</div>
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IFC maintains an <a href="http://iowafc.org/action/?vvsrc=%2FCampaigns%2F38572%2FRespond%3Fvvsn%3DBhpcJASbACsaJAfmZaM7FAA" target="_blank">Legislative Action Center</a> site where you can send a pre-written message to your Iowa representatives urging them to support these bills.</div>
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<strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">Contraband Bills</span></u></strong></div>
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If <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/163835/tried-marijuana-little-changed-80s.aspx?utm_source=marijuana&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=tiles" target="_blank">polls</a> are right, about 38% of you reading these words have tried marijuana. Most of you did NOT end up living in a van down by the river or murdering your parents with a pitchfork as pot alarmists would have everyone believe. And although fireworks have been illegal in Iowa since the 1930's, many Iowans bootleg them in and light them off. </div>
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There are three bills that seek to lessen the nanny state's grasp on these relatively harmless, yet illegal activities. Reducing penalties for pot would free up jail space for violent bad guys, saving the state money. Legalizing fireworks would supply the state with an additional source of tax revenue.</div>
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<em><a href="http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&hbill=hf60" target="_blank">House File 60</a></em></div>
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Reduces marijuana possession penalties involving up to 28.5 grams of marijuana from a criminal misdemeanor (<a href="http://norml.org/laws/item/iowa-penalties-2">punishable</a> by up to six-months in jail and a $1,000 fine) to a simple misdemeanor punishable by a $300 fine. </div>
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<a href="http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=true&ga=86&hbill=SSB1121"><em>Senate File 1121</em></a></div>
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Reduces marijuana possession penalties involving up to 5 grams of cannabis. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13 to 1 in favor of this legislation, which now moves on to the full Senate for debate.</div>
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You can go to the NORML website to send a pre-written message of support for these bills to your Iowa legislators <a href="http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51046/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=15526" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<em><a href="http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&hbill=SSB1135" target="_blank">Senate Study Bill 1135</a></em></div>
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This would legalize certain retail fireworks for purchase by Iowa consumers.</div>
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<u><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Freedom of Movement</span></strong></u></div>
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<em><a href="http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&hbill=sf213" target="_blank">Senate File 213</a></em></div>
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This bill would raise the speed limit to 75 on some of Iowa's rural interstate highways.</div>
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<em><a href="http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&hbill=sf208" target="_blank">Senate File 208</a></em></div>
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This bill would prevent Iowa counties and cities from adopting ordinances barring 19- and 20-year-old adults from bars. This would most notably shoot down Iowa City's 21-ordinance. I wrote about why denying these legal adults their rights to liberty, peaceable assembly and pursuit of happiness was fundamentally wrong <a href="http://www.coldhardcashner.com/2010/06/iowa-city-targets-freedom-of-movement.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Be sure to let your Iowa State Representative or Senator know how you feel about any of these potential laws above.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0