Tag Archives: politics

Prognastication

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The current president is not eligible for a second term, so he is effectively a ‘lame duck’ right out of the gate. Since he doesn’t have to worry about re-election, he’s free from the political compromises that one has to consider when a re-election is desired.

For me, it isn’t too early to start thinking about 2028’s election. Considering the polarization (and even Balkanization) going on in politics right now, I suspect that there’s a better than even chance that the Democrats will win in 2028. And, if they do win, I have no doubt they’re going to want to restamp their brand all over the political landscape. I expect rollbacks and elimination of most changes done by the current administration, but I also am confident that some ‘punitive’ measures will be exacted against those deplorables who didn’t side with them in 2024 (and 2016). And whats the best way to punish those flyover-country peons who voted against their betters? Banning large pickup trucks? Busing ‘peaceful migrants’ into their areas? Or…how about the more politically palatable bromide of ‘gun control’?

If the Democrats manage to swing the election, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for them to leverage some of that ‘mandate’ with the voters in order to push through an assault weapons ban of some sort. And, yes, I am very aware that I say this pretty much every election….but even a broken calendar is right once a year. It may not have happened in the last administration, and it may not happen in this administration, but that doesn’t guarantee it won’t happen in the next election. So, lets run some numbers…

As of today, there are approximately 183 weeks to the next presidential election. $20 a week will give you about $3600 to spend on ‘last minute’ gunstuff purchases right before the election (though you’d be a fool to wait that long to make those purchases. Have you learned nothing from the last bunch of panics?) Currently, $3600 gets you a Glock, mags, a quality-tier AR, plate carrier, and ammo.

I don’t know if any of you are old enough to have been gunnies at the begining of the Assault Weapons Ban of ’94, but for those of us who were there, the memories of the stupid prices that were asked for things like ragged 30-around GI mags makes an impression. With Magpul mags running about $10 each in bulk you’d be silly not to have dozens.

But..you do you. I learned my lesson years ago and will have absolutely no sympathy for anyone who, three and a half years from now, suddenly starts throwing a hissyfit about how they can’ find any mags/guns/ammo on the shelves and when they can the prices are outrageous.

Nailed it

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From Saturday’s post:

Its just a matter of time before the left starts saying how it was ‘an inside job’ by a Trump stooge to ‘near miss’ the the former President to make him look tough.

and today:

News website Semafor reported that Mehlhorn, in an email to some sympathetic journalists and supporters, said there was a possibility “that this ‘shooting’ was encouraged and maybe even staged so Trump could get the photos and benefit from the backlash.”

If you really wanna go for the double-layer of tinfoil, wrap your head around this: it, in fact, was a ploy by the Trump team to make their guy look tough. They were gonna pull some patsy out of the woodwork, give him a rifle with blanks, have him take a shot, get popped by snipers, and Trump would look like a hero as he clutches his ear with a hidden razor blade in his palm to draw some blood. BUT….one of Trumps team was working for the other side and at the last  minute they switched out the blanks for live ammo and it became the real deal.

Yeah, I don’t believe that either. But I’ll bet someone, somewhere does.

Election years

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I have to remind myself that this year is an election year. As I’ve said in the past, election years are expensive. Invariably, as the elections roll closer, I get less and less confident in my supply of Uncertain Goods. According to the preponomicon, I’ve got something like a thousand assorted magazines in storage. (I know that sounds like a lot, but when you think about how they have to be distributed across many guns, and then have to last for the rest of your life, you start to see that perhaps it isn’t as much as you think.)

There are three things that rise to the top of my Be Concerned About This list during election years.

Potential gun legislation – this is a pretty simple one to wrap your head around. It’s most obvious manifestation was during the Clinton administration. Yes other presidents added their own twist, but the Assault Weapons Ban and Chinese Import Ban are the most visible examples of what I’m talking about.

Economic turmoil – “Tax them back to the stone age” seems to be the Democrats’ answer to everything. Or, as Reagan said, their policy is if “If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”

Social changes – This is subjective, but the it seems like when the Democrats have the reins there are more episodes of riots, mass crime, distrust, and political warfare.

The last four years have been good to me, but that wasnt because of anything Washington did but rather despite it. I don’t look to Washington for solutions to the problems in my life…heck, most of the time thats where the problems came from…and I hope you don’t either. I will say that for the things that are important to me, I prefer someone other than a Democrat at the helm of state.

It seems a forgone conclusion that its a Biden/Trump matchup this year and both candidates have enough stink on them that, under normal circumstances, they couldn’t win an election to be dog catcher. But, put them against each other and it becomes the political equivalent of two guys trapped in a closet dueling with hand grenades.

I voted for Trump in the last two elections, and I’ll vote for him again (if he’s on the ticket) no matter what the courts wind up doing to him. Not necessarily because I like him as a President (which I do), but rather because Biden is quite clearly an empty suit who mentally checked out a long, long time ago. Really, this election is Obama v. Trump.

Election years are always abnormal. The normal expectations and plans don’t apply. Unfortunately, that unpredictability means that there’s no reason to slack off on making sure my house is ‘in order’.

Vote

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My usual election-themed Heinlein quote:

“If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There may be no candidates and no measures you want to vote for … but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong.”

― Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

Yeah, yeah, yeah…”If voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal.” Whatever, man…. I’ll vote every chance I get.

News – Gianforte signs ‘constitutional carry’ gun bill

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Id been so wrapped up in my own issues that I overlooked this gem, which was reminded to me by ,Rawles over at SurvivalBlog:

HELENA — Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a major ‘constitutional carry’ bill Thursday that will let Montanans carry concealed firearms in public settings including banks and bars without a permit, in addition to limiting university system officials’ ability to restrict firearm possession on college campuses. 
…
“Our Second Amendment is very clear: The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” Gianforte said at a bill signing ceremony Thursday afternoon. “Every law-abiding Montanan should be able to defend themselves and their loved ones.”
….
The university system provisions of the new law take effect June 1. Its other provisions are effective immediately.

 

 

Just so. I know someone close the the governor and I’m going to ask him to pass along my thanks to our reporter-thumping chief executive. Lets see if he can keep the momentum up.

Casus belli

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Gotta say…no burning police stations, no flipped over police cars, no looted Starbucks….still a more peaceful protest than your average BLM march.

Doesn’t matter though… these are the sorts of optics that people need to further an agenda of nerfing your gun rights. They’ll say that, clearly, there is a ‘clear and present danger’ in America of ‘right wing extremists’ and that those ‘weapons of war have no place on our streets’ and that ‘reasonable, commonsense’ legislation is needed to……, etc, etc, etc.

Probably add in body armour just for good measure…’cause those ‘right wing extremists’ were armored up against the ‘legitimate government’.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue of electoral misconduct and impropriety, it’s hard to not think that all this news footage of outrage and outrageousness isn’t going to come back in the form of justification for some sort of Draconian legislation.

I’ve been banging this drum for years, that a new ban was coming…… maybe this is the year. Certainly, it seems more likely this year than at any point previously. Take your stimulus money and grab a couple stripped lowers and a twenty-pack of magazines, guys…might be glad you did in the not too distant future.