News from The Sight M1911, Volume 187

News from The Sight M1911

Volume 187, 9/14/05

With the stunning devastation of Katrina receding into sound bite memory for most everyone except those folks who have no homes to go home to, the storm of wind and tidal surges has been replaced by another storm of equal intensity, that of blame, recrimination, and partisan broadsides: The government didn’t do enough. It didn’t do it fast enough. It didn’t move fast enough because the victims were black. It didn’t move fast enough because the victims were poor. The Mayor blew it. The Governor choked up. The FEMA chief was inexperienced. The President was disengaged. Too much of the guard was in Iraq to respond quickly to the disaster. Etc., etc.

I can’t help but wonder if the lion’s share of the emotional voltage of this critique – beyond the obvious, that it provides an arsenal of ammo with which to assail George Bush – comes from the fact that Katrina has laid bare the foundation myth of the nanny state: the government will protect you; the government will fix your problems and heal your wounds. The event showed once again that the government really doesn’t do a very good job of protecting us. Maybe it should, but the reality is that it doesn’t. Those who took responsibility for their own safety and survival came through OK; those who trusted the government’s promise to take care of them were tragically disappointed. The message is clear. The state is not the messiah. When the chips are down, be ready to provide for your own security and survival.

For those of us who care a lot about gun rights, New Orleans is truly “the handwriting on the wall.” When citizens needed their guns the most, the mayor of New Orleans gave an illegal order to his police to confiscate the guns of law abiding citizens. Interestingly, I have yet to hear of a single instance of a law abiding citizen misusing a personal defense firearms to abuse another person, to shoot someone by mistake, or even to resist the illegal orders issued by the mayor. The gun threat from law abiding citizens was purely imaginary, unless, of course, you happened to be a looter. There were enough cops and guard to disarm the victims going into the Superdome, but not enough to protect them from predators once they were inside. We all need to take a few minutes to dig up our states’ emergency powers laws to see just what kind of ugly little surprises might be buried there.

ARMED MILITIA PROTECTS ITS NEW ORLEANS NEIGHBORHOOD

Band of neighbors survived Hurricane Katrina, then fought off looters.

http://tinyurl.com/7dqdb

WITH GUNS AND GENERATORS, A FEW HOMEOWNERS STAND GUARD OVER NEIGHBORHOODS

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/050905/w090513.html

HALTED GUN SALES INFURIATE CUSTOMERS

BATON ROUGE, La. -- As fearful residents rush to stock up on guns, Wal-Mart, one of the region's biggest suppliers, abruptly stopped selling them at 40 stores scattered throughout the Gulf Coast.

http://tinyurl.com/cggce

NEW ORLEANS BEGINS CONFISCATING FIREARMS AS WATER RECEDES

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3346578

VIDEO OF ELDERLY WOMAN BEING BEATEN DURING GUN CONFISCATION

http://tinyurl.com/9bvh2

NEW ORLEANS GUN CONFISCATION IS BLATANTLY ILLEGAL

http://tinyurl.com/bfbyw

FEARFUL SOUTHERNERS BUY FIREARMS AT TORRID PACE

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/nation/12600417.htm

HOW OFTEN DO AMERICANS USE GUNS FOR DEFENSIVE PURPOSES?

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46085

A SMALL TOWN IN TENNESSEE

The story of the NRA supported boycott of ConocoPhillips is big news right now as it should be. I would like to take this chance to introduce you to some old news that has some bearing on the subject. I live in Smyrna Tennessee and like all cities it is suffering the blight of franchise restaurants. One is Captain D’s. While it is just another franchise like all the rest it has taught me a small lesson lately that I would like to share.

http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2005/08/08/a_small_town_in_tennessee/

U.S. GUN RIGHTS AT ISSUE IN UNITED NATIONS EFFORT

Expressing concern that the United Nations' efforts to stem international gun running could impede the rights of U.S. gun owners, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is proposing legislation to bar financing for the world organization should it infringe on Americans' Second Amendment rights.

http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/alpert081605.html

WHAT MICHAEL MOORE AND LIBERALS DON’T (AND WILL NEVER) UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE SECOND AMENDMENT

http://tinyurl.com/cgpls

ATF, VIRGINIA POLICE ACCUSED OF 'PERSECUTING' GUN SHOWS

http://tinyurl.com/7f9cv

GUNS SURRENDERED AT AIRPORTS ON RECORD PACE

Meanwhile, Feds mull relaxation of potential weapons rules

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8962856/

DO GUN BUYBACK PROGRAMS REALLY WORK?

http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2005/08/20/local/iq_3648743.txt

CALIFORNIA: SAN LEANDRO POT CLUB SHOOT-OUT

http://tinyurl.com/aur43