Category: RKBA

Monday Links

May 29, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Happy Memorial Day! We’re going to start off with several Reason articles.

First, the face of teachers’ unions during the COVID pandemic only taught for three years, but is expected to get a full pension. I’m of the opinion that if you’re working for the union, the union should be dealing with your benefits.

Next are a couple items on the reshuffling of the political parties. I’ll let the headlines speak for themselves. The left-right spectrum is mostly meaningless and the rise of right-wing progressivism. Just as the labor market is in flux, the political market is similarly in flux. Fun times.

Finally, an article from The Volokh Conspiracy discussing a recent Florida Supreme Court decision that loading and openly carrying a gun on your property is not criminal use of deadly force. Although, if you’re having to face multiple attackers on your property, it may be more prudent to have your weapon already loaded. Or get behind cover to load and wait for the police.

In the vein of self-defense, we have an article from The Hill about a “prank robbery” going horribly wrong when the pranksters came across an armed civilian. And this kind of outcome won’t slow down these kinds of pranks. Because the dumb fucks think it won’t happen to them.

Now for our light items.

I think this is probably vapor-ware, but this Extreme Tech article depicts a “laptop” with six monitors, dual AMD Epyc “Genoa” 96-core CPUs, and 24 DIMM slots for up to 6TB of DDR5 memory. And it weighs 55 lbs. Um, yeah. There’s part of me that wants one in a kind of morbid fascination way.

Finally, we have a Variety article on Weird Al. Because Weird Al.

Monday Links

May 22, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Well, this week’s links will probably be all over the map.

First, let’s start with an AP article on Disney scrapping a billion dollar project because of DeSantis fighting with them. Y’know, I hear a lot of gunnies decrying when certain states use their power to compel companies to do gun-prohibitionist things. Or when they chase companies out of states with ridiculous regulations. Shoe. Other foot.

Speaking of Disney, this article from Techradar, states that when Disney merges their Disney+ and Hulu services, they will probably shrink the available library. One of the tech podcasts I listen to was commenting that the Streaming War is over, and now the Great Streaming Consolidations will begin with the survivors. Guess I should watch the Willow television show before it disappears.

It’s not Monday Links without Reason articles.

First is Reason’s take on the Durham report. When a report like this makes a stalwart like National Review’s Andy McCarty think hard on if the FBI is salvageable in its current state, then it’s a damning report. IMHO, it’s high time to, at the very least, split the FBI’s intelligence role off of its law enforcement role.

Second – can Uvalde’s authorities not do things to prove how incompetent and authoritarian they are? From the article: “Adam Martinez’s youngest son was at Robb Elementary on the day of the shooting—though thankfully he was physically unharmed—and, like many other parents, he became a vocal critic of the police department. However, in retaliation for his criticism, the school district banned him from school property—and school board meetings—for two years.“

A couple of other headlines that grabbed my interest.

From Insider, a Michigan teen used a slingshot to stop the kidnapping his sister. The suspect was apprehended with wounds consistent with being hit by a slingshot.

From CNET, a new company is going to be offering free 55-inch televisions. The catch? It has another screen to just for ads. Maybe other stuff too.

Finally, a light item.

Monday Links

May 15, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This may be a bit of a hodgepodge.

First, we go to Reason for:

Debt ceiling fight is hitting a hard deadline. Yes, we need to cut spending. No, we should not allow the government to default.

Inflation ticks up again in April. Surprisingly, the culprit is rent. Which is a big issue in my neck of the woods.

No, universal background checks do not stop mass shooters. It’s a complicated issue. As previously discussed.

Now that we’ve consumed our vegetables, we can have some fun dessert articles.

First, Recoil has a review of the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol shotgun. This one is in the running for the new Ward semiauto shotgun.

Next from The Drive, an article on FHP’s Mercury Marauders.

Finally, from the local news station, the local high school drama group is garnering some well-earned attention for their version of Disney’s “Frozen.” Like the movie or hate, the kids done good.

What Kind of Mass Killings?

May 3, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This isn’t going to be revelatory for those who study violence in depth, but I’m trying to get to an analogy that most people will understand. Particularly when the media splashes all of the “mass shootings” and bring on panelists asking for the same laws. Those panelists who sneer at me when I say that what they’re asking for won’t work.

I was listening to The Reload podcast back on the 17th, and they were talking about mass shootings / mass killings. The first part, is of course, on definitions. Because, as the host describes, depending on the definition used, the Louisville bank could have been the 156th, 46th, or the fourth.

Definitions matter for another reason. How to prevent these events will change depending on the motivations for the shooting.

The best analogy I can come up with is cancer. Cancer is not one disease. It’s a series of different diseases with similar features. You also cannot treat lung cancer the same way as you treat prostate or breast cancer.

And Florida Becomes Number 26

April 5, 2023 / / 0 Comments

I’m sure there are a variety of feeds talking about DeSantis signing permit-less carry in Florida. I’m linking to The Gun Writer’s substack feed. Per the article:

The new law allows law-abiding Floridians to carry concealed handguns without seeking a Concealed Weapon or Firearm License, or CWFL, from the government. However, the state’s successful CWFL program will remain in effect.

I fully intend to renew my license for a variety of reasons. One is reciprocity when I travel out of Florida. Two is the waiving of the waiting period.

For those who want to carry without the permit, it becomes law on July 1.

Monday Links

April 3, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Let’s start with getting one of the big stories out of the way. Some asshole decided to shoot up a small private Christian school in Tennessee. The fact the asshole identified as transgender has sent the normal talking points all skewed. Here’s Operation Blazing Sword’s press release which probably encapsulates my feelings on the issue. I don’t judge a movement by its lunatic fringe – unless the moderates are celebrating the lunatic fringe.

Moving on to a couple of Reason articles.

US Trade Commission admits that tariffs caused increased prices to consumers. Which is what I’ve always said.

DeSantis signed a bill banning rent control and pre-empting local zoning. This could be good or bad. Particularly in the current housing market.

A couple of other serious items.

How do you treat someone who’s been a fixture of the local television and radio market for better than fifty years. According to The Tampa Bay Times, you fire him after a show to cut costs. I listened to Jack Harris for many a year – particularly before I got into podcasts.

According to Mac Rumors, General Motors is going to phase out CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of its own infotainment system. Great way to make sure your vehicles are not in the running the next time the Ward household is in the market for a vehicle. Or renting a vehicle.

Wrapping up with a couple of light items.

Gizmodo discusses Makita’s portable microwave. Which, the prepper side of me is interested in, but the more realistic side is telling me I’m not the target audience.

And because of the explosion of crochet in the Ward household, we have a Guardian article about how crocheters tried using ChatGPT to create patterns and hilarity ensued.

Monday Links

March 13, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Last week I had to go out of town for the day job and ended up picking something up. I will save the gory details, but it’s why I was mostly quiet except for scheduled posts.

This week’s links are going to be Florida and gun heavy.

From the Florida side:

The right’s continued assault on free speech has apparently emboldened one state senator to push for bloggers who write about state officials to register with the state. Hey, Senator Brodeur, go fuck yourself. And read the First Amendment sometime.

According to this article from WFLA, more children are being Baker Acted and they’re making up a larger segment of examinations. For those of you outside the state, the Baker Act allows for temporary involuntary commitments of up to 72 hours if the person is in danger of hurting themselves or others. Is this a situation of over-diagnosising mental illness? Or of schools CYA’ing? It could be both. And they’ll still miss the ones who really need it. Or ignore it. [Looks at Broward]

Let’s balance this with a piece of good news. Last year, a Florida State Trooper stopped a drunk driver from running through a marathon by ramming the car. Trooper Toni Schuck was awarded Trooper of the Year for her selfless actions. For as much grief as I give police for their practices, I want to spotlight those who perform heroic actions.

Now on to gun stuff.

According to Yahoo Finance, Visa and Mastercard have decided to “pause” tracking gun purchases using their cards. I personally think the firms are waiting for some of the furor to die down. Still, take the wins where we can.

According to The Army Times, the Next Gen Weapons program that Sig just won is having some serious issues. The word the article used was “imploding.”

This article from War Is Boring brought a smile on my face. There are reports that Russia is facing an ammunition shortage. The article is about a shortage of missiles, but my first thought was all that surplus ammunition that Americans bought and shot since the end of the Cold War.

A final article of concern.

According to the Brussel Times, Argentina has pulled out of a treaty surrounding the natural resources around the Falklands Islands. Do I think this is the first step to a renewed conflict? Not really. But I think it will be part of a case the Argentine government puts together if it decides to try again.

I Am Not the NRA

February 22, 2023 / / 0 Comments

It came time for me to renew my NRA membership, and this year I chose not to send them money. According to The Reload, I’m not the only one.

It wasn’t just the allegations of corruption in the leadership of the NRA. It wasn’t just the botched bankruptcy or the constant legal woes. It wasn’t just the failure of the organization to help against the recent gun control pushes. It wasn’t just the board handing all the money over to Wayne LaPierre to fight his own legal battles. It was all of these things – and one more. It was the fact that my vote didn’t count. That my vote for the board – the one reason I still sent my money since 2019 – was essentially shit-canned so that hand-picked sycophants could get their own turn at the trough.

If the NRA wants me back – and people like me back – I need to see some real reform. I need to see WLP and his cronies removed. I need to see the board reformed to a real oversight organization.

I need the NRA to be what it should be. An organization that helps mold new shooters by teaching them the basics. That helps them in their journey through continuing courses. That has a strong political arm to help protect our rights – and not wading into other culture war bullshit.

I see some solid moves to that end, and I will be the NRA.

Monday Links

February 20, 2023 / / 0 Comments

I missed last week due to day job antics. A lot of tasks that looked simple that weren’t. Oh well. I managed to get it done on time. So, this week I have some serious items, and then a bunch of light items that have been building up. Buckle up, this is going to be a bit longer than normal

First, for the serious items.

From Reason comes an article about the lone Republican on the Federal Trade Commission Board resigning in protest of Chair Lina Khan’s expansion of the FTC’s power and disregarding the rule of law. While I personally like some of the areas Khan’s addressing (non-competes come to mind), I don’t think her method is good for the health of the republic. See ATF.

Speaking of gun laws, we have an article from Townhall about a judge declaring that the ban on marijuana users from owning guns is unconstitutional. While I have a personal dislike of the devil weed, I also dislike how its handled in our laws. I also don’t think users should be prohibited from owning guns. Anymore than alcohol users should be.

Moving on to economics, we have a Reuters article on how orders for industrial robots hit record highs last year. Tight labor market for workers means its more economical to automate.

This was a big brouhaha last week or the week before, but here’s an article from a local station on AMC going to a tiered pricing for its tickets. All I heard from most of the voices was complaining about price gouging. Unsurprising, I find this “concern” unmoving. With the changing economics of the movie theater industry, the companies are going to have to find some way to make it more profitable. If it causes a significant backlash, they’ll quietly discontinue.

For the last serious item, an article from NBC about how colleges are looking at nuclear mini-reactors for electricity. I like the idea of a decentralized power system with a bunch of smaller nuclear reactors.

Now, on to the light items.

These are more local interest stuff, but hey, it’s my blog.

First, an article on the “dead” University Square Mall. Huh, I actually thought it was shut down. I have a scene in Badmoon Rising set in the mall.

Next, an article about local businessman and philanthropist Dr. Kiran Patel finally finishing his huge compound. We’ve been watching that one go up for years.

The Wife and I joke about winning the lottery and building a compound for the family. Which is why this article on an old summer camp for sale caught my eye. Heck, it’s only a couple million.

SQUEE! New Civilization is coming!

The Brother sent me this article about the math around the anime missile swarm.

Oh hey, I can park Serenity in front of my house. Sort of.

Monday Links

February 6, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Let’s start with some gun-related news.

First from Reuters, a US judge blocked Rare Breed from selling their AR triggers after the Justice Department sues.

And from Fox News, a federal judge ruled that a wrongful death suit against Kenosha police, authorities, and Kyle Rittenhouse may proceed. From the article: “The father of Anthony Huber – one of two men Rittenhouse killed – filed the lawsuit in 2021. The lawsuit, which names Rittenhouse, police officers and others ad defendants, accuses officers of allowing for a dangerous situation that violated his son’s constitutional rights and resulted in his death.” This is why I am very glad with Florida’s law that prevents civil suits against those who were judged to have acted in self-defense.

Speaking of Florida, I have a local article on legislation being introduced for Florida to go permitless carry. I’ll believe it when it actually gets signed. Even then, I’ll keep my permit for those rare incidents I go out of town. Or need to do a private purchase.

For those of you following the recent brouhaha surrounding D&D’s Open Gaming License:

Erin Pallette sums up the end result nicely in this blog post. TLDR, Hasbro pretends it was all a big misunderstanding, they didn’t really mean it, and no one is really believing them.

I’m sure this Reuters article on Hasbro cutting 15% of its workforce isn’t related to their recent money grab at all.

From the file of reporters not understanding costs:

CNN is saying that buying a house is cheaper than renting in five cities. By cheaper, they mean the monthly payment. Not including little things like maintenance and upkeep that are usually handled by the landlord when renting.

And from Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, a local brewery is going to charge men more than women for a specific seltzer because “PINK TAX”. Um, okay. Let’s see how that works out for you.

Lastly, this is something I want to see:

Gizmodo reports on rumors Apple will bring a foldable iPad to market in 2024. Depending on the form factor, this may be worth exploring. It would be nice to have a device I could use as an iPad mini and then fold out for larger needs.