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I received an email from one of the organizations that I support, GunsAmerica (www.gunsamerica.com) and there was a link in it to a video of people peacefully protesting in the UK that they want their gun rights restored.  I think the video is actually a couple of years old as somewhere in it a poster mentions Tony Blair, the former PM of the UK.  Over the years, they have given up their rights for the mistaken belief that they would be safer if guns were not available.  Of course, the law-abiding citizenry turned in their guns and now only criminals have them.  One of the posters in the video has dates of when certain events happened, a ban on self loading(semi auto) rifles  – 1989, Handguns – 1997, Fox hunting – 2002, and it asks what’s next, when will this stop?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTq2NEUlhDE  For those who haven’t noticed, there are many events that occur in the UK that actually then occur here in the US.  It’s almost as if there is a foreshadowing that occurs.  If we don’t get our government, but even more importantly, our citizens, to understand that our 2nd Amendment rights should be left alone, we will be in a real world of hurt.  The government cannot take care of each individual.  It’s just not possible.  They try and fail miserably.  In the wake of hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans police and the National Guard confiscated weapnos from law-abiding citizens.  Their theory was if anyone had a gun, they were going to do bad things.  What they did was violate peoples 2nd Amemdment right.  In some cases, when the people didn’t want to give up their guns, they arrested them.  Arrested for standing up for your Consitutionally protected right!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm5PC7z79-8

I also believe that the government wants to control everything in our lives.  They control us two ways, by taking our guns so we can’t resist and by taxing us.  If we don’t like something, they will force it on us.  That’s why they don’t want us to have guns.  It’s an affront to their power.   We could actually resist.  The 2nd Amendment exists to allow the citizenry to protect themselves from an oppresive government.  That’s the truest reason it exists.  Secondarily to that is defense of the person and home. 

We need to stand up for our rights.  Please, write your Senators and your Representatives.  Make sure they know that you do not support any type of gun legislation that restricts or tries to control your 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms.  I found this video as well.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j73SsNFgBO4&NR=1 It has some good statistics and quotes some of our forefathers.  Those men that came before us knew first hand what an oppresive government could and would do.  We should listen to them.  The world is no different today than it was back then.  We just have more technology.  The ideaologies are pretty much the same.

Today, I wrote to my Senators and my Congressman. I have included the short text of my letter. If I get a reply from any of them, I’ll post it.  The letter:

We must stop the so-called bailouts that are happening. We have invested $350 billion and what do we have to show for it? Are things getting better? I think not. We must also block the proposed $1 trillion plus stimulus package. All we are doing is socializing our country. If this is not stopped, we will end up looking like the UK, France, and Germany to name a few countries that have decided that the government must take care of all aspects of everyone’s life. The statement from the Constitution “to provide for the common defense” has been twisted to mean the government has to take care of everything for everyone. I don’t want the government so deeply ingrained in all I do. Nor do I want the government redistributing my tax dollars to lower income citizens. The Declaration of Independence states “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The pursuit of happiness means that you have to work for it, not complain loud enough that it’s given to you. I maintain that opportunity must be equal for all individuals, but the outcome is dictated by what they do with the opportunity. Please STOP GIVING AWAY MY TAX DOLLARS.

The reply by email from Sen. McCain.  I realize that these are probably form letters that are returned, but note that there is no comment on the $1 trillion stimulus package in the reply.

 

January 27, 2009

 

 

Mr. Charles Vark

 

Dear Charles:

 

Thank you for contacting me about the Troubled Asset Relief Plan (TARP) funds. I appreciate learning your views.

I opposed releasing the remaining $350 billion of TARP funds because I have seen no evidence that the additional and substantial taxpayers’ money will be used for its intended purpose. TARP was created to allow the Treasury Department to purchase up to $700 billion in “toxic assets” from financial institutions in order to help homeowners facing foreclosure and to stimulate the economy. Instead, the Treasury Department has used TARP funds to prop up the banking industry and to guarantee securities backed by student loans and credit card debt.

The misuse of the first $350 billion of TARP funds combined with the lack of transparency promised by Secretary Paulson was reason enough to oppose releasing additional funds. But most troubling to me has been the use of TARP funds to help bail out the domestic auto industry – in direct defiance of Congress. In December, after extensive discussion and debate, the Senate rejected a plan to pump billions of federal dollars into the domestic auto industry because we saw no evidence of serious concessions from the industry and no assurance of the domestic auto manufacturers’ long-term viability.

There is no doubt that Congress intended that the Treasury Department use the funds provided to assist only financial institutions. But that has not been the case. The language authorizing the TARP program has been interpreted to allow Treasury to change the game plan and use the funds for things outside the scope of Congressional intent. Less than two weeks after enactment of the program, Secretary Paulson changed course and decided instead to use TARP funds to recapitalize banks – a decision that was made with little or no input from Congress, and was an option that was explicitly rejected by Paulson and Bernanke when they were selling the TARP plan to Congress.

I am disappointed that TARP funds have been released before we were able to impose strict standards of accountability and ensure that the money is spent only as intended by Congress – to purchase mortgage-backed securities and other troubled assets and provide help to homeowners who are on the brink of losing their most important investment and roofs over their heads.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this very important matter. Please feel free to contact me on this or any other issue of concern.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

John McCain

United States Senator

 

JM/dkr

 

We authorized $700B to be used to help take care of bad mortgages.  The government gave money to banks.  Some banks didn’t want the money and were coerced into taking it.  In fact, an acquaintance at Chase stated that the $25B that they received was set aside.  Chase didn’t need the money and is just going to hold on to it.  Now we have Obama and his minions looking to put a $1 trillion stimulus in play.  The stimulus package is nothing more than a way to get a large chunk of the private sector sucking on the government tit.  A large chunk of the money are actually earmarks.  Why do we need the government spending this money?  Instead of taking money (that we don’t have) and doling it out like dope dealer to an addict, why can’t the government cut our taxes and let us spend the extra money that we have where we see fit?  This would have a direct, speedy impact on families and the economy.  I’ll tell you why.  Because the current government wants to rule your life and tell you what you can and can’t do.  These tax cuts should be across the board.  Not mainly for people who don’t pay taxes anyway.  Tax burden of $0 – $1000 tax cut = $1000 refund check.  But the refund check is someone else’s money.  This is Obama’s redistribution of wealth that he so smugly talked of with Joe the plumber, but it’s in disguise, buried in the tax code. 

First it’s the nationalization of banks.  Next comes national (universal) health care.  Once these two things are in place, we are done.  We will have become just like a western European social democracy (emphasis on social).  If I wanted to live in the UK or France, I’d move there.

Check out this link.  The first half pertains to this blog, but the whole thing is worth watching.  http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=3459409&referralPlaylistId=search|morris

I would urge each and every one of you to call you Senators and Congressmen.  Tell them to not support the $1 trillion stimulus package that is making its way through Congress.  We can not afford it!  Where will the money come from?  More importantly, where will it go?  This stimulus package is a huge piece of pork.  History has proven that we cannot spend our way out of a recession.  Please write emails, make phone calls, send faxes.  Tell your Senators to filibuster this piece of garbage. 

Read this article.  http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17862.html

The Democrats are drunk with power.  They are making statements that show they don’t care what anyone else thinks.  We, the people, need to tell them to quit spending OUR MONEY!!!  Especially when they don’t even have it to spend.

The US military has been trying to tell our leaders, the press, anyone who will listen that the enemy combatents at Gitmo that were released have gone back to the fight.  Supposedly, we make them sign an agreement that says they will not fight against us again.  Yeah, that works.  Unfortunately, Obama has signed an executive order to close Gitmo.  And now we have some really “bright” individuals with one in particular, Jack Murtha, who thinks we should bring these sorry excuses for human beings onto American soil.  He is just plain wrong.  He is looking at this from an economic standpoint.  His district will get an infusion of cash to take care of this vermin.  He’d probably sell a family member if it got him some political capital.    I digress.  Now we have our intelligence community and foreign governments telling us what our military has been saying all along.   http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/23/mideast/detainee.1-414168.php

It has now been shown that these individuals do go back to the fight.  Why would we let them go?  Keep them locked up forever.  I don’t mind my tax dollars going for that.  But let’s also keep them off American soil.  Come on, Mr. President.  Wake up!  We’ll just have to fight them again.  But then again, maybe next time we won’t take them prisoner.  Maybe we’ll be able to kill them.  Let’s just hope they aren’t able to take any  innocent lives before we take them out.  Instead of regurgitating them back into the fight, we should digest them.  That way they get treated like what they truly are.

I’d like someone to try to explain to me what is going on.  The price of oil has plummeted, but the price of gas and diesel goes up (at least in Arizona).  Best I can figure, the economy is so screwed up that basic supply and demand principles are not in effect.  http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/commodities/oil-prices-reverse-course-traders-buying-cheap/
I also believe that if the stupid press would stop being so freakin’ negative about the economy, it might have a chance to at least level off.

Racism is like a pendulum.  In the past the pendulum was in a position where blacks were targets of racism.  The pendulum is swinging.  It is actually swinging to the other side where whites are starting to be the targets of racism.   Rodney King said, “Why can’t we all just get along?”  Martin Luther King Jr. said that he hoped that his children would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.  All great comments.  From where I sit, I think we’re pretty close to that.  So why is it that we have black people in positions of leadership that practice race baiting and don’t get called on it.  Our own president, during his inauguration, sat by and listened to a black preacher, Joseph Lowery,  race bait during the recitation of his prayer.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYBjZT7JbVw It would not be appropriate for the president to react or comment on the spot, but I would hope that he has a follow up with this individual and explains what is wrong with what he said.  And he should never be invited to a function again.  Now, if a white person speaks out about this obvious race baiting, it gets turned around on them and they are called racists.  But where is the outrage by the black community?  Why are they not calling this guy out?  Why don’t they call out Jesse Jackson, Al Shapton and all the other race baiters?  Why don’t the blacks see that these people are actually the ones that are holding them back?  They are the ones that perpetuate racism!  Where is the outrage?  Kudos to Bill Cosby for calling them on it.  We need more leaders like Cosby and less of the other guys.  Obama should put Cosby on his cabinet.  He could be the Secretary of Shut-the-hell-up-and-do-for-yourself.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6615-2004Sep8.html  And by the way, this isn’t a “black” problem.  This is a “victim” problem.  Color really has nothing to do with it.

 I believe that muslim extremists believe that they should make the entire world Islamic.  Some people might say that I’m being paranoid.  Some might same I’m racist.  Others say I’m right on.  I know some muslims.  They are moderate in their views.  They are happy to let me be a Christian and exercise my religion.  By the same token, they want to be left to practice theirs.  Sounds about right, doesn’t it? 

Here’s where I think a problem exists, not just with those muslims I know, but all moderate muslims.  When is the last time you saw a news report where anyone that’s muslim, be they your average Joe or a respected imam, condemn the atrocities that are perpetrated by muslim extremists?  I’m betting you have never seen this.  Why is that?  It could be because the MSM doesn’t want you to see it, but I doubt it.  It’d be a huge story if it ever happened.  No, it’s because no matter what happens, moderate muslims win either way.  If the powers that be (I hesitate to say “the West” as it’s not inclusive enough) continue to press and we stamp out all the extremists until we have only peace loving muslims, they win.  They continue to enjoy the freedom that is afforded by living in a democracy.  If we give up the fight or we lose the fight against Islamic terror and extremism, everyone will be forced to convert to Islam or die.  That’s what they do.  Assimilate or be eliminated.  If this happens, guess what.  The moderate muslims were already in the religion.  They just have their women put on the burkas instead of the western clothes with a head cloth and have them walk a couple of paces behind.  Of course, the women won’t be able to go anywhere on their own anymore.  They’ll have to be escorted.  But I digress.  The point is, they can just sit back and wait to see the outcome.  In some cases moderate muslims may feel pressured to show favoritism to the extremist side of the conflict.  But this will only happen if it looks like the extremists are winning.  Because they don’t want to appear to appease the infidels.  If they do that, then they are infidels as well and the extremists might kill them.

So, you see, they win either way.  There is a good write up that supports my views.  You can read it here.  http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=4DE15EF9-A76C-4DD4-81E2-75683AEED74D

In the days leading up the the presidential election and in the time since Obama has been elected, there has been a serious increase in gun purchases as well as ammo sales. I don’t have any hard numbers to back me up on this, but I do have a personal experience. I went to a local Sportsman’s Warehouse store. Whenever I go there, being someone who likes guns and believes the 2nd Amendment is a RIGHT, not a priveledge, I always walk by the gun counter. This day, I was totally surprised by what I saw. There were hardly any handguns on display. In fact, there was probably well over 50% less handguns maybe as much as 75% less on display than the last time I had been there which was a couple of months before. I was astonished. So much so that I just stood there and stared in awe. I thought to myself, “They must be not going to carry handguns anymore” as I’ve seen other stores take this stand (Walmart and Sports Authority) for fear of being sued if a wack job uses a handgun that was purchased in their store to do harm to someone illegally. I stood there so long, and I must of had a strange look on my face, because one of the salesmen behind the counter who was actually helping a customer interrupted his conversation with that customer to ask me if I was OK. I told him I was fine, but I took the opportunity to ask him if they were not going to carry handguns anymore. His reply? “No, we’re still carrying them. There’s just been a huge run on them.” 

I have also been watching the run on ammo and the price increases that have gone along with it.  5.56 Nato ammunition used to be available for about $.35/round.  I received an advertisement the other day that was touting military grade 5.56 ammo at $.97/round.  Unbelievable!

But this is what happens when people believe that their right to own a firearm or even just ammunition is about to be taken away.  We saw the same thing happen when Congress put the assault gun ban in place in the 90s.  As there was a time lag between when it was passed and when it went in effect, people went crazy buying guns that were going to be on the banned list.  By the way, an assault rifle is a rifle that fires fully automatic.  Those are already heavily regulated.  The ban that was in place was a ban on assault “looking” rifles.  If it looked mean, they banned it.

Is this run on guns and ammo justified?  I guess time will tell.  What each person needs to do is take heed to what Obama says and make a personal judgement as to whether he can be believed and trusted.  He has been saying all along that he won’t take anyone’s guns away.  But, by the same token, he has NEVER supported pro-gun legislation and has in fact supported every piece of anti-gun legislation that he’s seen, both at the state and federal level.   He’s also loading up his administration with a bunch of anti-gunners.  Here’s a good read on it.  http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,479367,00.html

Personally, I bought a bunch of ammo almost a year ago.  Anybody want to buy some?  I’ll sell it to you cheap.

I keep hearing in the MSM that the entire world seems to be against Israel in their prosecution of the conflict in Gaza. People are screaming about how bad Israel is and how Israel is the problem in the whole mess that is the Middle East. What really gets me is the fact that everyone seems to think that Israel is a bully in this current conflict in Gaza and they are using a sledge hammer to swat a fly.  They call how Israel is fighting a “disproportionate” response to Hamas’ firing rockets into southern Israel. I think they’re right. Instead of Israel making phone calls to the buildings they are going to bomb or shell and the neighboring homes as well, I think, to be fair, Israel should just launch unguided missiles into the Gaza strip. That would be an equal response, right? That’d be better.  Yeah.  So, instead of making those calls or dropping leaflets informing of the impending destruction of a specific target, they should just indiscriminately lob some ordnance in there. Brilliant. Who cares about the Palestinian men, women and children who are not Hamas, but will be blown to bits anyway. By the way, if the rockets stop flying out of Gaza, the Israelis say there can be some measure of cease fire, maybe even a peace accord somewhere down the line. But I’m thinking that it would be better to buckle to international pressure and take the Israeli soldiers out of harm’s way.  That way Israel can provide that equal and appropriate response and fire off some unguided missiles.  That will help stop this conflict, right?

A friend of mine sent this to me originally. I checked this on snopes and it has been verified.  The first letter went out in December 2008 from the president of GM to entire GM workforce and made it’s way to Gregory Knox, president of one of GM’s suppliers.  At least I think they supply GM.  It’s a very powerful letter.  If more people feel this way, why aren’t we voicing our opinions?  Why do we keep quiet?  Please call your elected officials and make sure your voice is heard.

Dear Employee,

Next week, Congress and the current Administration will determine whether to provide immediate support to the domestic auto industry to help it through one of the most difficult economic times in our nation’s history. Your elected officials must hear from all of us now on why this support is critical to our continuing the progress we began prior to the global financial crisis…………………As an employee, you have a lot at stake and continue to be one of our most effective and passionate voices. I know GM can count on you to have your voice heard.

Thank you for your urgent action and ongoing support.

Troy Clarke

President
General Motors North America

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In response: – from Gregory Knox,

In response to your request to call legislators and ask for a bailout for the United States automakers please consider the following, and please also pass this onto Troy Clark, the president of General Motors North America for me.

You are both infected with the same entitlement mentality that has bred like cancerous germs in UAW halls for the last countless decades, and whose plague is now sweeping the nation, awaiting our new “messiah” to wave his magical wand and make all our problems go away, while at the same time allowing our once great nation to keep “living the dream”.

The dream is over!

The dream that we can ignore the consumer for years while management myopically focuses on its personal rewards packages at the same time that our factories have been filled with the worlds most overpaid, arrogant, ignorant and laziest entitlement minded “laborers” without paying the price for these atrocities and that still the masses will line up to buy our products

Don’t tell me I’m wrong. Don’t accuse me of not knowing of what I speak. I have called on Ford, GM, Chrysler, TRW, Delphi, Kelsey Hayes, American Axle and countless other automotive OEM’s and Tier ones for 3 decades now throughout the Midwest and what I’ve seen over the years in these union shops can only be described as disgusting.

Mr Clark, the president of General Motors, states:

There is widespread sentiment in this country, our government and especially in the media that the current crisis is completely the result of bad management. It is not.

You’re right, it’s not JUST management, how about the electricians who walk around the plants like lords in feudal times, making people wait on them for countless hours while they drag ass so they can come in on the weekend and make double and triple time for a job they easily could have done within their normal 40 hour week

How about the line workers who threaten newbies with all kinds of scare tactics for putting out too many parts on a shift and for being too productive (mustn’t expose the lazy bums who have been getting overpaid for decades for their horrific underproduction, must we?!?) Do you really not know about this stuff?!?

How about this great sentiment abridged from Mr. Clarke’s sad plea:

over the last few years we have closed the quality and efficiency gaps with our competitors.

What the hell has Detroit been doing for the last 40 years?!?

Did we really JUST wake up to the gaps in quality and efficiency between us and them?

The K car vs. the Accord?

The Pinto vs. the Civic?!?

Do I need to go on?

We are living through the inevitable outcome of the actions of the United States auto industry for decades.

Time to pay for your sins – Detroit .

I attended an economic summit last week where a brilliant economist, Alan Beaulieu surprised the crowd when he said he would not have given the banks a penny of “bailout money”. Yes, he said, this would cause short term problems, but despite what people like George Bush and Troy Clark would have us believe, the sun would in fact rise the next day and something else would happen. Where there had been greedy and sloppy banks, new efficient ones would pop up. That is how a free market system works. It does work if we would let it work!

But for some reason we are now deciding that the rest of the world is right and that capitalism doesn’t work; that we need the government to step in and “save us”. Save us, hell we’re nationalizing and unfortunately too many of this once fine nation’s citizens don’t even have a clue that this is what’s really happening but they sure can tell you the stats on their favourite sports teams yeah THAT’S important.

Does it occur to ANYONE that the “competition” has been producing vehicles, EXTREMELY PROFITABLY, for decades now in this country?…

How can that be???

Let’s see – -

Fuel efficient -

Listening to customers -

Investing in the proper tooling and automation for the long haul -

Not being too complacent or arrogant to listen to Dr W Edwards Deming 4 decades ago –

{http://www.lii.net/deming.html added for those interested. P.}

Ever increased productivity through quality, lean and six sigma plans -

Treating vendors like strategic partners, rather than like “the enemy” -

Efficient front and back offices -

Non union environment -

Again, I could go on and on, but I really wouldn’t be telling anyone anything they really don’t already know in their hearts

I have six children, so I am not unfamiliar with the concept of wanting someone to bail you out of a mess that you have gotten yourself into. My children do this on a weekly, if not daily basis, as I did at their age. I do for them what my parents did for me (one of their greatest gifts, by the way). I make them stand on their own two feet and accept the consequences of their actions and work them through.

Radical concept, huh?

Am I there for them in the wings? Of course but only until such time as they need to be fully on their own as adults.

I don’t want to oversimplify a complex situation, but there certainly are unmistakable parallels here between the proper role of parenting and government.

Detroit and the United States need to pay for their sins.

Bad news people, it’s coming whether we like it or not.

The newly elected Messiah really doesn’t have a magic wand big enough to “make it all go away” I laughed as I heard Obama “reeling it back in” almost immediately after the vote count was tallied “we might not do it in a year or in four”! Where was that kind of talk when he was RUNNING for the office

Stop trying to put off the inevitable!

That house in Florida really isn’t worth $750,000!

People who jump across a border really don’t deserve free health care benefits!

That job driving that forklift for the big 3 really isn’t worth $85,000 a year!

That couple whose combined income is less than $50,000 really shouldn’t be living in that $485,000 home!

Let the market correct itself people, it will. Yes it will be painful, but it’s gonna be painful either way, and the bright side of my proposal is that on the other side of it is a nation that appreciates what is has and doesn’t live beyond its means and gets back to basics and redevelops the work ethic that made it the greatest nation in the history of the world and probably turns back to God.

Sorry, don’t cut my head off. I’m just the messenger sharing with you the “bad news”

Gregory J Knox
President

Knox Machinery, Inc.
Franklin , Ohio 45005