So I went to the Tea Party yesterday afternoon, and it damned near got me fluffy. It started at 4:00pm, which is a time that I would normally be wishing it was 6:00pm, because after starting work at 8:00am on a normal day I'm ready to punch that clock and go home.
Well, I scheduled the day off a month in advance, because I was just unhappy about that day and wanted to see my misery in peace. So I left my house at 2:30pm, in hopes of beating the crowd, and it was epic failure. I left early enough to beat traffic, and didn't run into any until I hit I-45-N. I completely forgot about parking spots. Oops. Parking was subterranean hell. Found a spot (finally), and hit the street at 4:15. By 4:30, the fire marshal had already declared "Maximum Occupancy" of Jones Plaza (didn't know they did that at outdoor areas, but whatever).
I brought my camcorder with me, in hopes of catching any pigs starting trouble. I've come to notice that cops REALLY DON'T LIKE having their picture taken. Seriously, they will turn away from a camera faster than a fat kid runnin' from rice cakes. I didn't see any tasers, which I first thought was a good thing...until I started seeing an over-abundance of of large "riot" batons. These aren't your average nightsticks, these are your 3' long hardwood prole-beaters. May of them looked well-used, judging by how the paint had been worn off in the "business" areas.
Prior to any speakers, there was a man waving his Gadsen flag and shouting on a bullhorn about the rape of our rights in this nation, and declared that we were "living in a police state". I was standing across the street filming him at the time, and happened to be standing next to three of "Houston's finest". One looked at his friend upon hearing that comment, and said "Did you hear that? This is a 'police state'!". I pointed my camera in his direction, and asked for his thoughts on the subject. Needless to say, I was promptly waived off without a word coming out of his mouth.
The closest thing to actual disturbance I saw was another of "Houston's finest" threaten to arrest a US Marine Corps veteran for "felony possession of a deadly weapon"...because he was attempting to cross the street with a picket sign. I got it on film, and later promised that salty old Marine that the ordeal would be broadcast on YouTube.
The end portion of my "highlight reel" will be the bum riding the trike, with the "We Love Obama" sign mounted on the back.
Speaking of film, I was increasingly pissed off at Bill Gates and Steve Jobs last night...because QuickTime video files are incompatible with Windows Movie Maker, and I'm not paying for QuickTime Pro. Eventually, I'll be able to illegally download a QuickTime editor, so I can put the footage together without all the dead space.
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Now, I'd like to respond to something my cousin posted on Facebook this afternoon, regarding "the flow of guns" to Mexican dope cartels.
Before I go any further, I'd like to point out that my rights are not granted to me by a "Goddamned piece of paper". They are inherent and common to every man and woman upon his or her birth. They are not privileges that can be granted by bureaucrats, or taken away upon the whims of the legislature. They are RIGHTS...and yes, I have them. They aren't yours to take away.
I (like most others who understand it) call it my "Second Amendment Right" not because it was given to me by a paragraph written two hundred years ago, but because that particular right happened to be listed second in the Bill of Rights. In case you still don't understand this, the Bill of Rights wasn't what gave us these rights, it just happened to be the document that clarified the facts that A) they exist, and B) they are protected by our legal system.
Now, let's get another misconception out of the way. My 2A (short-hand for "second amendment") right has nothing to do with hunting a duck. As a matter of fact it has, actually, very little to do with street crime. My 2A right is what gives me the ability to resist those who would threaten my life and/or freedom.
I personally own a 12ga shotgun, BATFE-registered (even though I strongly disagree with this regulation) in my name, and have for more than a dozen years. I lawfully own ammunition for this weapon that will pierce a Chevy small-block...after traveling through the radiator. When loaded with 00 buckshot, I can clean out an entire Post Office without having to reload more than twice. To date, it has only been pointed at another human being ONCE, and that was when a now-convicted felon threatened my life with a tire iron. That's ONE INSTANCE, in almost 5,000 days...and was in defense of my personal safety. I'd say I'm blessed, especially in this day and age, to have only had to pull it once.
On numerous occasions, I have been wrongfully arrested (so many times I can no longer count them on one hand), and all but the one instance I naively plead Nolo Contendere, have been dismissed. The Supreme Court of this nation has determined that an unlawful arrest is an assault upon a person, and my state legislature has given me the authority to use any force necessary to resist an assault upon my person. And yet, because I still have a tad bit of faith in our legal system (and my right to a trial by jury, which the District Attorney has never bothered to put me in front of), I have not ever even once drawn a bead on a cop...even though doing so, and by extension pulling the trigger, would have been justified.
As evident by yesterday's showing at the "Tea Party" rallies across this nation, the citizens of this nation are getting fed up with the bullshit going on in this nation. Technically, the "Tea Party" was about excessive taxation. In reality, it was about people just getting fed up with gov't in general.
We're getting tired of not being able to live free. For the past eight years, we've dealt with "Bubba Dubbya" keeping attention diverted to "socially conservative" (read: RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALIST FASCIST) issues, to keep our eyes off of how his buddies were raping the rights and the wallets of this nation. Within the past three months, we've seen how our new president is following in his footsteps, while attempting to pass off the appearance of "Change" and "Hope". Their friends are getting paid, they are getting paid with OUR money, and they are raping our rights in the process. Lady Liberty needs more than a band-aid, because that poor woman is bleeding from every orifice right now.
Let's put it this way...if you're reading this, I'm sure you know someone that has been an enlisted member of our military at some point or another. You'll notice that, when they swore their oath of enlistment, they didn't swear to defend "America". They didn't even swear to defend the citizens of the United States of America. They swore to defend and uphold our constitution. My three uncles did it. My grandfather did it. Several of my cousins, second and third cousins, and dozens of friends have done it. In February of 1997, I did it. That's an oath that none of us have ever forgotten, no matter what. It's all about freedom, and our constitutional guarantees thereof.
You can't have freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom from unlawful search and/or seizure, et cetera if you don't have the right (and the means) to defend yourself. It's that simple. Our 2A right is there to ensure the other nine, period. That's the end of that story.
Moving right along, let's look at one of the most hated parts of the Clinton administration I can remember...yes, the dreaded "Crime Prevention" bill. Also known as the "Assault Weapons Ban", it was passed through the House and Senate amidst much debate, but didn't do a damned thing to reduce crime. Why? Because, even prior to the "ban", only 2% of all gun-related crimes were committed with firearms classified as "assault weapons".
Remember the shotgun I mentioned earlier? Remember how I mentioned that I have owned it for a dozen years, and it was BATFE-registered in my name? Well, I bought it at my local Wal-Mart, right off the rack. And yes, during 1997, that shotgun was legal to purchase. In fact, after one of my arrests, the firearm was confiscated from the backseat of my SUV by the local police...and, after being released less than half an hour after this arrest, the confiscating officer was forced to give it back to me. Yes, I was legally allowed to walk across the parking lot of the Angleton Police Station with a LOADED pistol-grip shotgun slung over my shoulder. I felt like John Wayne on viagra and steroids. Did I mention the post office was right next door?
Obviously, banning guns (or even certain types of guns) isn't going to solve the world's problems. It didn't do it 1994-2004, and it won't do it now. Interestingly enough, EVERY SINGLE GUN IN POSSESSION OF A MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL is currently illegal, under Mexican law. Yes, all of them. Even a single-shot rifle with a 28" barrel. It's not just because these people belong to a drug cartel...it's because guns are completely illegal to damned near everyone in Mexico, with the exception of cops and certain ranchers who have to jump through nine different kinds of hoops to get a license that grants them specific access to a specific gun of a specific caliber and ammunition for that specific gun.
Okay, so we've covered how guns are necessary for freedom. We've covered how banning guns (and even certain types of "evil" guns) didn't reduce crimes in this nation. We've covered how guns are completely illegal in Mexico, for damned near everybody...including drug cartels.
So now that we've covered all of this, will someone please tell me how taking away my right to possess whatever armaments I deem appropriate for the defense of my life and freedom will help to reduce crime? Can someone please enlighten me here?
Seriously...I dare you. You can't do it, because there's nothing but rhetoric and noise backing you up.
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