Anti-Gun John Kasich To Announce Ohio Guv Run

UPDATED: Monday, June 1, 2009, 10:34 pm -- It's official. He's running.

***********
Tomorrow, Monday, at 5 pm, former congressman and one time republican presidential candidate John Kasich will formally announce he is running for Ohio governor . The announcement is scheduled to take place in his hometown of Westerville.

Accordingly, I am formally announcing my opposition to his candidacy, and every gun owner in Ohio should follow suit.

John Kasich is no friend of the Second Amendment. He is unapologetic about his brokering the deal that led to the ban on so-called "asssault weapons" by Congress back in 1994 -- the same "Brady Ban"that led to democrats losing control of Congress.

Gov. Ted Strickland, a democrat, has been an unabashed supporter of gun rights, self defense, concealed carry, etc. going back to his days in Congress. He has signed every pro gun bill to come before him since he became governor of the Buckeye State. He signed landmark legislation putting responsibility for all firearms regulations in the hands of competent state lawmakers, rather than the little titans that populate the many city-states that have emerged around Ohio. These local politicians have exploited their power to pass feel-good, nonsense gun bans and other restrictions despite overwhelming evidence that these actions do nothing to impact crime, and many times endanger the very grandmothers and moms they claim to protect.

Gov. Strickland supports law abiding citizens being able to possess firearms. He gets it. He is one of the few enlightened individuals within his political party.

This author is one individual, generally a conservative, who will be voting for Gov. Strickland and working to defeat Mr. Kasich. Considering that I worked on Mr. Kasich's first campaign (as a volunteer when he ran as a political nobody for a congressional seat held by a gentleman with one of those last names that resonate in local politics), one might think I am conflicted. I am not.

I predict Ohio's statewide gun rights organizations will urge their members to look hard at the records of both candidates, and that the logical choice will quickly emerge. I predict the National Rifle Association will either take no position (a cowardly choice) or give a much higher score to Strickland. It should be the latter.

This is a no brainer. Strickland has been a champion of firearms owners for years and years. Kasich? Well he showed his colors in 1994 and was complicit in a 10 year long farce that continues to this day. He needs to explain to voters his position on the Second Amendment, and why he did what he did in 1994. More recently, he was a speaker at one of the tea parties that took place several weeks ago. I was in Florida at the time and do not know whether he spoke to the rights of firearms owners. But if he had, I would have been informed by someone.

Even now there are people in Congress who say the ban that Kasich championed should be made permanent. Its pure nonsense. I cannot support someone who not only voted for that ridiculous piece of legislation, but moreover, helped orchestrate its passage.

Obama Pick May Demonstrate Attempt At End Run Around 2A

Blogger Bob Owens posits that the nomination of Judge Sotomayor represents an attempt at an end run around the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Long before he was the president of the United States or even the junior senator from Illinois, Barack Obama made his opposition to the Second Amendment of the Constitution painfully clear. As a director of the Joyce Foundation for eight years (1994-2002), Obama participated in the creation and funding of prohibitionist-minded anti-gun groups to the tune of millions of dollars. This fact does not surprise the millions of Americans who have responded to the threat by purchasing millions of firearms since the president was elected and who purchased at least 1.5 billion rounds of ammunition in December alone.

What far fewer Americans know about Obama is that he was one of the Joyce Foundation’s directors when they embarked on a plot to undermine the Second Amendment by targeting the Supreme Court of the United States.

You will find this to be an absolutely fascinating and insightful read. It is the Joyce Foundation that bankrolls many, of not most of the state-based anti-gun organizations. In Ohio, it is the so-called Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, which is not so much a coalition as it is a one-woman show operating out of Toledo with a fat checkbook tied to an account that receives grants from the Joyce Foundation.


Since they have not been able to pursuade thinking lawmakers and an electorate that in most states (except California, New York, and some urban areas) isn't populated with "sheeple," anti self defense foundations have turned to the courts. They have failed many times there, as well. So they turned to law journals and have been doing their damndest to populate these publications with language and fiction that questions the intent of the Framers of the U.S. Constitution.


Why law journals you ask?

Joyce’s directors found a vulnerable point. When judges cannot rely upon past decisions, they sometimes turn to law review articles. Law reviews are impartial and famed for meticulous cite-checking. They are also produced on a shoestring. Authors of articles receive no compensation; editors are law students who work for a tiny stipend. …

The Joyce directorate’s plan almost succeeded. The individual rights view won out in the Heller Supreme Court appeal, but only by 5-4. The four dissenters were persuaded in part by Joyce-funded writings, down to relying on an article which misled them on critical historical documents.

This may explain the choice of Judge Sotomayor by President Obama even more clearly. Expecially when you consider the following:

Having lost that fight, Obama now claims he always held the individual rights view of the Second Amendment, and that he "respects the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms." But as a Joyce director, Obama was involved in a wealthy foundation’s attempt to manipulate the Supreme Court, buy legal scholarship, and obliterate the individual right to arms.

Voters who value the Constitution should ask whether someone who was party to that plan should be nominating future Supreme Court justices.

Read the full story, AND PASS IT ON.

Tennessee Group Seeks To Publicize Names Of LEOs Who Attended Gov's Gun Bill Veto

The Tennessee Firearms Association is seeking to publicly identify each law enforcement officer and prosecutor who attended Gov. Phil Bredesen's veto of a bill to allow people with handgun carry permits to take their weapons into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.
Nashville Police Chief Ronal Serpas said Friday that the move could be seen as an effort to "chill people's rights to speak their opinion."

John Harris, the Firearms Association's executive director, asked supporters in an e-mail message to examine images of Thursday's veto ceremony and to post on the group's Web site the names and employment details of those who joined Bredesen. Harris argued that by appearing in uniform at the ceremony, police were trying to give the impression that "somehow their opinion is more important than the opinion of elected legislators."

Yep! Elected lawmakers represent the people. Appointed police chiefs, LEOs and prosecutors represent . . . wait . . . who DO they represent? And what right do they have to influence the will of law abiding citizens?

The full story may be found by clicking here.

A Hero, My Friend, Rests

He served 21 years in the U.S. military, enlisting when he was 16 in the Air Force (and being given an honorable discharge nine months later when they realized he was too young), and enlisting in the Army when he was 17. He rose to the rank of major, and served two tours in Vietnam. He volunteered for a third tour there, but was directed to attend the U.S. military's language institute in Monterey, Calif. There he became a fluent speaker of Arabic. He was a brilliant tactician and later, businessman.

Most importantly, he was my friend.

As of today, he lies at rest in Arlington National Cemetery. You earned it, Bob. I am honored to have witnessed a ceremony honoring a true Patriot. Always know that you are missed. Most importantly, thank you for your Service.

Community College Coed Under Fire For Proposing Concealed Carry By Students

UPDATE: WELCOME KeepAndBearArms.com readers!

A student who wants to form a gun-rights group at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) has been threatened with disciplinary action for her efforts. Student Christine Brashier has turned to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help after reporting that administrators banned her informational pamphlets, ordered her to destroy all copies of them, and told her that further "academic misconduct" would not be tolerated.
"CCAC has demonstrated a shocking lack of respect for the rights of free speech and free association," FIRE President Greg Lukianoff said. "Across the country, students are increasingly denied the First Amendment right to debate the Second Amendment. At CCAC, this censorship trend has reached a new low."

Great reading. A fascinating case. Ms. Brashier is being singled out because the university administration doesn't like the Second Amendment.

And they can't do that.

She has been interrogated by the university about what firearms she owns (what business is it of theirs?), practically accused of bringing firearms to campus (she says she hasn't), and has been told she cannot express her First Amendment right to free speech in questioning the campus' prohibition on concealed carry by licensed CHL holders.

I hope the people at FIRE, who have one hell of a track record in these matters, turn up the heat on university administrators. No student should be treated this way for merely asking why she cannot exercise her basic human right of self defense.

Toledo Residents Arming In Response To News Of Looming LEO Cuts

The first round of Toledo police layoffs, in which 75 officers were let go, may already be having an affect on gun ownership. "I just don't feel safe with the amount they're laying off," says Jonna Ewing. "I think it's going to be a longer respond time." She is spending the day at a conceal carry class. She's been thinking of getting a gun for awhile, but feels now's the time due to the recent layoffs.

So says the media in Toledo, Ohio.

This is not surprising. The acquisition of firearms and ammunition picked up in the weeks prior to the November 2008 presidential election. Cuts in police budgets around the United States will likely keep demand high for any and all firearms that can be used for self defense (which is pretty much any firearm).

Honoring My Friend And Fellow American

Quite early tomorrow morning I will be on the road to Virginia to take part in a unique ceremony. One that has been repeated tens of thousands of times. Time-honored, never changing.

I am buring a friend, colleague and mentor at Arlington National Cemetery.

Bob White saw some pretty hairy action in Vietnam, and later was a businessman and family man. He was a friend and leader. He is missed. He made it back from action, lived a full life before an insidious cancer attacked and took him in just a few months. He loved his time in SF, and was active with a Special Forces alumni chapter in Central Ohio, and was instrumental in the creation of the Ohio Military Hall of Fame for Valor.

Joining me will be my good friend, and occasional TRL contributor, Jude Cuddy. We plan to be on the road by 4 am and in Arlington, Va. in time for the 1 pm ceremony. We will stay over another day to visit some Washington DC memorials, icons to important missions and symbolic of the importance of freedom that so many in this nation take for granted.

Others have communicated to me they wish they could come to pay their respects to this man they never knew, but for whom they had great respect based on what I have written. I wish you could come, as well.

Over the Memorial Day weekend several days ago, I struck up a conversation with another Vietnam veteran. We were talking about the nation, this gentleman's service, life, just a little bit of everything. I mentioned that, sadly, I would be burying a friend at Arlington later in the week. Politely, but insistently, he corrected me, saying my journey is nothing to be sad about.

Because I am going, he said, I pay HONOR to my friend.

Sotomayor Is Obama's First Supreme Nominee

STILL MORE: WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2009, 4:41 PM -- Commentary from Ken Blackwell, Newt Gingrich, Howard Kurtz, Te-Nuiesicoates, Neomi Reo, Alan Gottlieb, Dave Workman, and Glenn Sulmasi.

MORE: WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2009 -- Already, 60 percent of her decisions to be appealed on up to the U.S. Supreme Court have been reversed. It appears yet another of her rulings is going to be overturned by the high court in the coming weeks. The more I read, the more I am coming to the conclusion that she doesn't care about the Constitution or blind justice, she cares about making law her way.

UPDATED: TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2009 -- A correction to my earlier post. Apparently Judge Sotomayor HAS ruled on a firearms related case. According to the Second Amendment Foundation, Judge Sotomayor ruled on a Second Circuit Appeals Court panel that the Second Amendment is not a fundamental right and does not apply to the states in the case of Maloney v. Cuomo. This ruling is in direct conflict with a Ninth Circuit Court ruling in the Nordyke v. King case in California that the Second Amendment is incorporated through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Incorporation may be taken up by the high court during its next session beginning in October , because attorneys in the Maloney case plan to appeal in late June.

“If the Maloney appeal is accepted by the Supreme Court,” asks Alan M. Gottlieb of the SAF, “would Justice Sotomayor – provided she is confirmed – recuse herself from deliberations?”

I told you things would get interesting!

********************
Sure she will make history, and may well be an accomplished jurist. But when I write in the headline, "Supreme Nominee," I am not referring to her superb capabilities. No, merely that this nomination is for the Supreme Court. Let's be clear on that first and foremost.

However, as justice is supposed to be blind, why is U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor being championed for noting that she thinks someone of color such as herself, a Latina, is a better judge of right and wrong than white men? Her words, not mine.

As I noted, justice is supposed to be blind. Justice is supposed to look at the law, and determine whether it is constitutional. Justice is not supposed to be swayed by international events, or the laws of other nations, but whether something fits the rights as outlined in our more important of national documents, the United States Constitution.

Judge Sotomayor has not ruled on firearms, nor on a handful of other hot button issues. The hearings in the U.S. Senate, I hope, will be enlightening.

Thank You Dad

Dad, thank you. My thanks to you and all your fellow veterans for the sacrifice of your youth, and your lives, in the defense of my birthplace and home, the United States of America.

Dad, you were one of the Greatest Generation who put it all behind you.

You didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't make you (though you would give me just enough to shut me up when I was a curious kid). You enlisted, saw horrors no one should have to witness, and with your medical kit patched together boys who had been blown apart. You served your time with distinction, were honored for bravery under fire, though you didn't think it any big deal, then as you were likely headed toward the inevitable invasion of the Japanese homeland, the war was over, and you went home to the family farm in southeast Ohio.

We lost you 15 years ago after a long, full life. You did not live to see the birth of your first grandchild, but you knew she was on the way. You witnessed much in your life, but did not live to see the brutal attacks of 9/11, nor the events that have occurred after. What would you think? Would you believe, as I do, that the way to defend this nation is to take on our enemies oversease? To keep the fight over there? I think so.

Dad, thank you for your service. I think of you every day, but today I salute your memory and your service. Most of all I thank you for your sacrifice . . . and for making me who I am today.

Obama Signs Credit Card, Parks Carry Bill Into Law

The addition of the amendment to the bill — and Obama's acceptance of it — was viewed as a bitter disappointment for gun-control advocates. They watched gun-rights supporters gain a victory from a Democratic-controlled Congress and a democratic president that they couldn't achieve under a Republican Congress and
president. Many blamed the National Rifle Association, which pushed hard for the
gun law.

That paragraph is the only reference to language in landmark credit card reform legislation regarding allowing -- once again -- the legal carry of concealed firearms in national parks by law-abiding Americans.

The NRA should hardly be blamed, but should be given kudos. Up until now, only criminals were carrying guns in our national parks. Now families have a fighting chance for survival if attacked. Plus, the bad guys will likely think twice now before going after mom and the kids, for mom may well be packing and a believer in the basic human right of self defense.

Interestingly, though guns will never be permitted to be carried by Americans -- law abiding or not -- into the White House, the building is, technically, a national park. Therefore, technically, it falls under the new provision in the law. The Secret Service says that will not happen.

Congress, Putting Its Collective Finger In The Wind, Came To Its Senses

A memo to Ms. Boxer:

People across America have been coming to their senses, despite your protestations to the legacy media, in this case, your comrades at The New York Times. Ms. Boxer, Americans are becoming enlightened, if anything.

Which (and you know this is true but don't want to admit it) is why the only howls of protest are coming from the anti-self defense cabal, and not from mainstream America on the firearms in the national parks provision added to the credit card reform bill. Many members voted their conscience on this matter -- that there is no real danger from enabling law abiding people to carry the means to defend themselves from all prey, two- and four-legged, alike.

The bottom line is that Americans no longer believe your:

shrill

dire

ridiculous

irrational

illogical

innumerable

creative

outrageous

outlandish

offensive

obtuse

bizarre

warmed over

fake

piece of crap

hollow

disingenuous

over the top, sky is falling, red herring warnings you have been spouting for years about the so-called "dangers" of guns and the "need" for more gun control.

When will you understand that the danger is not in firearms, it is in the bad guys who misuse them for their own selfish means to demonstrate their "entitlement" to a woman's purse or grandmothers life savings?

Oh wait . . . maybe you were complicit in creating this entitlement mentality, yes? Is that what you are afraid Americans will figure out? Ms. Boxer, just leave law abiding firearms owners alone, and let Americans have the means to defend themselves. This latest restoration of that right, in our national parks, is yet another step toward that independence.

And you don't like that, do you?

These Things Tend To Spread From California

Now the geniuses in the Golden State are considering a full ban on lead ammunition for upland bird hunting.

Folks, it never stops there.

Outdoor Wire has the story, and the warning.

Why A Strong President (And Math) Are Important

URGENT!! Read this, and pass it on.

Do it now.

FTC Thinks Blogs Should Be Regulated

First off, I have never received any "goody" in return for writing a review or something positive. Ethics and all, you know.

So it is with great surprise that as a blogger, the government "generalizes" and says bloggers need to be regulated. I don't believe their premise, first off.

So is there something else afoot in Washington? This Congress and this president are "regulation" crazy. Remember, at least when it comes to firearms, gun control is not about guns, it is about control. How could "regulation" of blog content be any different?

How about this. If I am "given" information, does that mean I can't write about it? If you regulate the blogs, regulate the reporters who are regularly "given" information.

This is nuts . . .

Carry In National Parks To Be Restored -- AGAIN

Congressional anti-self defense shills and the foundation reps who line the pockets of many of these same anti gun national lawmakers are crying foul because an important administrative order-- a perfectly reasonable order they don't like -- from the Bush administration stands to be restored.

Last year, in an administrative order from the National Parks Service, the antiquated prohibition against the carry of concealed firearms by law abiding people in national parks was lifted. When Barack Obama assumed tghe presidency, that order was rescinded.

Pro self defense lawmakers in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate attached the issue as an amendment to a bill to reform the crazy fees credit card companies charge to consumers.

Despite protestations by leaders on the left, the amendment passed overwhelmingly in the Senate. The House has also voted in favor of the amendment. The mood is shifting across the United States about the lawful ownership of firearms. The American public is tired of Congress, and the sitting president, talking about guns they don't like, and how they plan to either register or ban them. Citizens in this nation are tired of the double talk from the political left about the Second Amendment.

Guess what? Lawmakers sense it and they are worried about losing their seats. Plus, the many pro-gun lawmakers from the democrat party who were elected to Congress in the past 18 months -- giving democrats control of both house of Congress -- are sticking to their beliefs and refusing to be bullied by the far left leadership of the party that hates guns. Plus the amendment is also being supported by "finger-in-the-wind" politicians who realize the American public is not about to give up their firearms, witnessed by the shortage of both guns and ammunition at stores across the nation.

Maybe those western lawmakers get it . . something I have been saying all along. Hate is a sickness. And those who say they hate guns? They need to get help.

Anyway, the credit card measure, which pretty much everyone in Congress wants to pass, and has broad support from consumer groups (it does not forgive debt, it merely restricts the practices of credit card companies to arbitrarily raise interest rates for no reason, among other things), is expected to be signed into law by President Obama. But the bill itself, in what it does regarding credit card companies, has its critics over how the federal government continues to intrude into what should be states rights.

I predict it will include the national park carry amendment. Score another positive move for the safety of all Americans.

Of course, the enlightened and broad-minded national media is having a collective hissy-fit. The very idea that law abiding Americans would want the right to defend themselves against violent attack in remote areas where no help is nearby!!! The nerve of we people!!!

The media: So broad-minded are they . . . NOT!

Freedom of Thought

Some words of wisdom for President Obama as he weighs who his choice for , a new U.S. Supreme Court Justice....

Some words of wisdom for members of the U.S. Congress who are hell bent on passing gun restrictions in the face of an American nation that is concerned about crime, looming gun control, a presidential record littered with support for meaningless gun control initiatives, potential unrest due to the economic situation, and the very real concern of terrorism inflicted upon this nation once more and how individuals would defend their families against outside threats and threats that emerge if there is a breakdown in order.


Very wise words, words worth considering . . .

Bloggers Take Center Stage At NRA Exhibitions And Meeting

The 2009 Exhibitions and Meetings of the National Rifle Association, held this year in Phoenix, Ariz., are winding down. And I find myself still back in the Midwest, in Central Ohio. But many of my fellow gun bloggers made the trek this year, and for the second year in a row, were granted "media" credentials by the NRA.

The Second Annual Second Amendment Blog Bash. I have promoted the events of both 2008 and 2009, but have yet to be able to make time to get there. I envy my colleagues -- most of whom I have never met and only know in the virtual world. Someday soon, however . . .

According to a nicely balanced story in the Christian Science Monitor, nearly 50 gun bloggers are on site reporting the goings on, in comparison to about 100 traditional print and electronic broadcast media.

Read it here.

One thing I take exception to. Josh Sugarmann of the Violence Policy Center says the blogging world tips more to the pro gun side of the arms war argument because, among other reasons, pro-gun bloggers have more free time. In fact, many of us have very little time. We do it out of passion. We make the time. It is important. The vast majority of us are employed full time. So to suggest we all have lots of free time?

I work in a straight commission industry as a commercial/investment Realtor. Mr. Sugarmann? He has deep-pocketed foundations bankrolling his computer systems and paying his salaries. We write from our heart. We use our brains. We think. We observe. We discuss. We learn. We reason. Most importantly, no one tells US what to write.

Stereotypes about firearms owners also are busted in this piece, especially when the writer wonders what people look like based on the names they use or the names of their blogs.

"Looking at names like “Bitter,” “Gunnuts,” and “The Smallest Minority,” followers of the growing gun-blogging scene could well imagine some pretty rough-and-tumble characters behind the Internet handles. But at a meet-and-greet with industry reps at Majerle’s restaurant after Friday’s convention, the “blog bash” attendants looked more like attendees at an insurance industry convention, with some Hawaiian shirts thrown in for good measure."

Hmmmm. Interesting. I wear either a suit or sportcoat, or khakis and golf shirt most of the time, unless I am hunting or shooting. And even then I have been known to show up on the range in a suit.

Among the gun bloggers mentioned in the story: Sebastian at Snowflakes in Hell, Bitter, The Smallest Minority, Another Gun Blog, and Cowboy Blob.

It's a good piece. Pass it on.

C-Store Operator Say 'No More'

Across the nation, convenience store operators increasingly are targets for robbery. In those areas where firearm ownership is restricted, regulated or licensed, C-store owners are placed at a disadvantage by politicians trolling for votes and campaign cash from people who recoil at the idea of self defense.

In Central Ohio, C-store operators are saying "enough" as they toil in one of the nation's most dangerous occupations.

""Clerks are fighting back," said Sgt. Rich Weiner, a Columbus Police Division spokesman. "They're out there trying to earn the honest dollar. They're not putting up with it." Sgt. Shaun Laird of the robbery squad said 3,500 to 4,000 robberies occur in Columbus each year. Through April 30, 1,114 had been reported, of which 57 -- about 5 percent -- have been labeled as occurring at a convenience store. That number might be flawed, though, because an officer could list a store as a location even if the robbery didn't involve the business."

What is kind of ironic is that in this story police say they do not advise convenience store clerks how to act or react in a robbery. And yet, we are well aware that police will tell private individuals who wonder what to do if they are mugged to comply with the scumbag, not to fight back, not to provoke.

A double standard?

Nevertheless, this is a good story. Read the entire piece by clicking here.

Elites Out Of Touch

Respected journalist Michael Barone posits that the elites are out of touch with the American mainstream.

While the political left has thumped for years about climate change issues and their perceived need for more gun control, America has moved the other direction. Looking carefully at the junk science behind the global warming scare, and recognizing the gun control has done nothing but embolden criminals and give anti-gun politicians more power.

Enough, America seems to be saying.

Read it here.

Pure Genius

Ingenuity . . . an American trait. A human trait.

The latest creation -- the pedal-powered air gun.

You have to see it. Go to Billll's Idle Mind to see what his idle mind dreamed up.

Love it.

h/t to Uncle

Police Can Attach GPS Without A Warrant

Incredible . . .

A state appeals court in Wisconsin has ruled that police have the right to attach a GPS unit to an automobile and secret follow anyone's movements without obtaining a court warrant.

The court, however, in its ruling also noted that the Wisconsin state lawmakers should pass legislation regulating this practice to ensure against abuse by law enforcement and private individuals.

For the full story, go here.

Just bloody incredible. . .

Quote Of The Day

"Our lives begin to end when we become silent about things that matter.

--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Not everyone is a fan of Dr. King. But these words resonate with anyone who believes in the basic human right of self defense. As a stalwarts of civil rights, the pro self defense community is not sitting down quietly while we watch legislation be introduced to slowly starve access to firearms for personal protection, and all other lawful uses.

Finally, A Glimpse To The Past

For years now, I have been searching for some information on my father, one of those from the "Greatest Generation" era who came back from World War 2 and promptly put away most memories (as best they could) of the hell they experienced.

I have his uniform, and learned from some of the insignia that he was on initial beach landings at either (or both) the islands of Leyte Gulf and Okinawa in the Pacific Theater of operations. But the man, an extrovert (its where I get it I am sure), was one of those individuals who packed up his wartime experiences in a box and stowed them out of sight. He didn't talk about his time in the service, except on rare occasions. Even then, it was minimal. I have a few black and white poloroids taken when he was in-country.

Best of all, I have his Bronze Star medal.

But I have never known for what action or actions he was awarded this honor. To him, the war was something he had to endure. To make a difference. To save a nation. But when it was over he moved on. He had lost part of his youth, but at least he came back.

Inquiries to the U.S. Army found that his records, along with records of hundreds of thousands of other service men and women from various decades, were destroyed in a warehouse fire in Omaha, Neb. in the 1970s. These were carbon copies (will I need to define "carbon copy" to younger readers?) of service records. Before the government microfilmed or computerized records.

Last Friday, the Ohio Military Hall of Fame for Valor (OMHF) held its annual induction ceremony of Ohioans who have distinguished themselves on the field of battle. I was not able to make the Statehouse ceremony this year due to my needing to catch up on business after a month of being unavoidably distracted by matters that are too bizarre to discuss here. Still, on Saturday I watched the proceedings on tape, and remembered my friend Bob White, a colleague who was one of the founders of the OMHF. who passed away late last year after a short and courageous battle with cancer. Bob will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery later this month, and I hope to attend the ceremonies.

Anyway, Bob had encouraged me to keep looking for the records that I had thus far been denied. Though dad's Bronze Star did not include the "V" device for valor, the fact that he had been honored with such, Bob reminded me, meant something important. Even if he put it all away, Bob had said, never forget his sacrifice. And I haven't.

Earlier today, I found what I had been looking for. Stuck to other documents from my father's high school days was the citation for his Bronze Star. I found it by accident while looking for some other documents at my mom's place. Caught in the middle of otherwise non-descript photos and notes about high school achievements. A call to mom confirmed for me that she had no idea the papers were here all along.

Here is what it says:

HEADQUARTERS 96TH INFANTRY DIVISION
APO 96
GENERAL ORDERS NUMBER 1023
23 OCTOBER 1945

AWARD OF THE BRONZE STAR MEDAL

By direction of hte President, under the provisions of Executive Order No. 9419, 4 February 1944 (Section II, Bulletin No. 3, War Department 1944), and pursuant to authority contained in Ar 600-45 (Decorations), 22 September 1943, as amended by Change No. 3, 25 April 1944, a Bronze Star Medalis awarded by the Commanding General, 96th Infantry Division, to the following named military personnel:

Technician Fifth Grade Eldon S. Greer (military ID number ommitted), Medical Department, United States Army. for heroic service in connection with military operations against the enemy on Okinawa island on 21 April 1945. When one of hte rifle companies ofan attack Infantry battalion suffered several casualties as it was making an assault on an enemy held hill, two of the casualties were in a position that, to reach them, required crossing one hundred and fifty yards of open terrain under enemy fire. Receiving word that the men were seriously wounded and needed immediate evacuation, Technician Fifth Grade Eldon Greer and the other men of the squad crossed the area under extremely heavy enemy machine gun fire and gave the casualties immediate first aid and under the cover of a smoke screen laid down by the line company, succeeded in evacuating them back across the open terrain and hence to the aid station. These heroic actions, reflecting exemplary courage and coolness under fire, are a credit to himself and the military service.

That's him. working for the benefit of others. I saw it in my youth and as an adult. He was that way back in the day, too.

I guess I know where I get it from. Thanks Dad! Both for your service, and what you gave me.

Obama and Justice(s)

President Obama has an opportunity to name his first justice to the United States Supreme Court. Court watchers, and those of us involved with civil rights as it applies to the basic human right of self defense, wonder -- and worry -- who that nominee might be.

But Dave Kopel of the Independence Institute pondered this question back in October, shortly before the election that brought Barack obama to the White House.

Read it here.

It Begins

I am a few days behind with this news, but late last month Sen. Dianne Feinstein launched an all-out assault on gun shows.

Here is the link to the story at the home page of the United States Senate. A number of other senators are chiming in on their belief of the need to deny private sales of firearms between law abiding American citizens.

The legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Charles Schumer (D-NY), John Kerry (D-MA), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Carl Levin (D-MI), Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

Said Lautenberg in offering this draconian proposal for consideration: “There is no rational reason to oppose closing the loophole. The reason it’s still not closed is simple: the continuing power of the special interest gun lobby in Washington,” Senator Frank R. Lautenberg said. “My legislation would require background checks for every gun purchased at every gun show across America and would help keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Without this change in the law, anyone – from felons to terrorists to fugitives – can buy a gun at a gun show, no questions asked. That needs to change.”

The gun lobby? That would be the American people. Citizens, taxpayers, grandmothers, aunts, moms and dads. But living in DC, wearing the blinders that come with power, these opponents of self defense continue to deny what is staring them in the face.

Frankly, I am rather surprised Kirsten Gillibrand is joining this motley crew. She has been largely pro-gun, pro self defense in her legislative career.

I can't help but wonder what has been promised to her for her support, or how she has been "threatened" by her democrat colleagues . . .

Please pass on this important story.

Suit Filed Against California Over Meaningless Handgun Registration Program

The Second Amendment Foundation, The Calguns Foundation and four California residents have filed a lawsuit challenging a California state law and regulatory scheme that arbitrarily bans handguns based on a roster of “certified” handguns approved by the State.


According to SAF, this case parallels a similar case filed in Washington, DC, Hanson v. District of Columbia.California uses this list despite a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court last summer that protects handguns that ordinary people traditionally use for self-defense, and a recent ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments. The California scheme will eventually ban the purchase of almost all new handguns.


Attorney Alan Gura, representing the plaintiffs in this case, noted that California “tells Ivan Peña that his rights have an expiration date based on payment of a government fee. Americans are not limited to a government list of approved books, or approved religions,” he said. “A handgun protected by the Second Amendment does not need to appear on any government-approved list and cannot be banned because a manufacturer does not pay a special annual fee.”


For the full story, go here. Details on the case filings can be found by clicking here. Pass it on.