Failure To Orient Horse And Cart

Writing in Politico Dr. Mark L. Rosenberg, who "is president emeritus of the Task Force for Global Health in Decatur, and was the founding director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control" tells us where the gun debate has gone awry:

What’s Missing From the Gun Debate

It’s simple: Science.

He goes on to deplore the lack of funding for basic research into effective means of reducing gun violence but of course, the lack of funding is a symptom rather than a cause. What is missing from the debate is not science, it is trust. 

Conservatives believe, on some evidence, that the social sciences have become yet another bastion for academic progressives. Consequently right-wingers believe that agenda-driven progressives will engage in agenda-driven statistical jiggery-pokery, produce papers peer-reviewed by other progressives, and come away "proving" the efficacy of the progressive agenda item du jour.

Is that distrust misplaced? Maybe! NY Times columnist and reliable lefty Nick Kristof seems to have figured out that the "assault weapons ban" is a joke. And Leah Libresco surprised herself and (I suspect) her WaPo and/or 538 editors with a piece titled 

I used to think gun control was the answer. My research told me otherwise.

So maybe there are progressives willing to break with their team on some gun-related issues. On the other hand, Mike Bloomberg's "Everytown" isn't even aiming for credibility [CNBC list] with their "Schools Shootings" count and don't get me started on the NY Times editors (OK, one).

Closer to home, author Dr. Rosenberg engages in a bit of, hmm, card-palming himself. Stay with me through some snippets, and I bet you'll guess where I am going:

Where does that leave us? The exact causes of America’s rise in mass shootings—and the best ways to prevent such violence—remain uncertain all these years after Columbine. Should we focus our efforts on mental health? Would a ban on semi-automatic rifles necessarily solve the problem? What if the surest bet is for schools to install metal detectors in their halls? 

...

Common sense doesn’t tell us whether a ban on semi-automatic rifles will reduce mass shootings—that question is too complicated for us to simply work out in our heads. But it’s possible a well-designed study could, and would in turn build public trust in any resulting legislation.

...

And we don’t know whether banning the sale of semi-automatic rifles will prevent mass shootings or lead to more gun deaths because there will be fewer good guys with a gun to stop the bad guys with guns. To answer the question, we also have to measure the degree to which each intervention infringes on the rights of law-abiding gun owners. Only rigorous, objective and well-designed scientific research can find the answer.

...

When we ask lawmakers to make decisions without data—measures like campus carry, universal background checks, identifying individuals at high risk for violence or bans on semi-automatic rifles—we are pushing them to approve the equivalent of thalidomide for gun violence.

Four mentions of semi-automatic rifles. Mentions of "assault weapons"?  Zero. And why is that?

I don't know but... Dr. Rosenberg  is a smart guy who has surely figured out that an AR-15 or other semi-automatic platform tricked out with a black matte finish, bayonet mount, grenade launcher mount and flash suppressor to look like a prop in a Schwarzenegger film is no more deadly than a semi-automatic with a wooden stock that would be OK-ish (except for the magazine) in a John Wayne film.

 

But the national debate, as Dr. Rosenberg well knows, is not about banning semi-automatic rifles. As long as they don't look scary, progressives seem to be OK with semi-automatics rifles, for now anyway. So why is the doctor eliding the difference? Why won't he put his cards on the table and tell us that an assault weapons ban is a joke and would be about as effective as addressing our nation's alcohol problem by banning Scotch and vodka but not bourbon or gin?

 

I don't know and I would be curious to hear his explanation. But one guess many will make is that he is simply not comfortable delivering hard truths to progressives. Which kind of disqualifies him from leading the charge of "science".

 

DO LET ME ADD: Here is another credibility-crushing example fro the good doctor (my emphasis):

 

We need to find interventions that will both stop the violence and protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners. For instance, right now we don’t know whether arming all teachers in a school will save lives or take more lives.

 

Well, we do know that no serious proposal to arm "all" teachers has been made. Why send a strawman into the crossfire?

 

 

Comments

[jim nj]

Rob Goldman, VP for ads for Facebook, thrown under the bus by Facebook.

https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-executive-rob-goldman-apologizes-to-company-and-robert-mueller/

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

That Wired story is pathetic and a classic case of prog self denunciation.
I wonder if he's a PhD so we know whether he might have been involved in The Doctor's Plot too.

[jim nj]

Ignatz,

Isn't it? Cue up George Costanza. I wasn't supposed to say/do that...

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Dave,

I am so sorry for your loss.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Woke up and can't get back to sleep. Insomnia is crummy.

Here's a buy on Twitter arguing with a Romney-hater, and he's got a good point:

Saul Montes-Bradley‏ @Debradelai

Saul Montes-Bradley Retweeted Tim Strickland

He'll get close to 80 % in UT.

Haven't you learned to listen to POTUS after the Alabama foul up?

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

https://conservativetribune.com/obama-may-have-been-asking-fbi/

Suspicions of a frame-up attempt, but again I point out that people are missing the motivation.

[jim nj]

Crap. Typepad ate my post.

[jim nj]

Crap. It did it again. I'm being censored.

[jim nj]

Ah. It doesn't like what I'm linking to.

[jim nj]

https://tinyurl.com/ybq5syzu

[gentlejim]

Jim,
Looks like it’s not your night. Your link is kaput. :)

[jim nj]

OK. The tiny url worked.

It's from a Turkish columnist that seems to suggest the paranoia of the Turkish government. The Turks apparently bullied the US about a confrontation between NATO powers over the YPG.

And now Assad is willing to support the YPG.

It must be a what? A conspiracy against Turkey?

Spit-balling.

The next Syrian Air Force attack against the Turks will consist of US forces?

[jim nj]

Gentlejim,

I was wondering about MM said earlier. Now I understand. Typepad won't accept some links and it disappears your comments on the link at the same time.

No error message. Your thoughts just go out to the ether.

[jim nj]

Typepad doesn't save your comment. It decides it doesn't like the URL and everything else you wrote is gone. So you try again, less eloquently, cause you can't repeat, so easily, your original brilliance :)

So you're reduced to a pedestrian version of your first comment. Whatever your original insight or analysis, if worth anything, is gone.

[hoyden]

jim_nj; notepad is your friend. I've learned to save off some posts to notepad before hitting "post" just in case. It's saved my bacon a few times. I've also experienced that frustration where the second time I wrote something was not as good as the first.

[Davod]

Jimnj: I have had that problem in the past. Now I use the right mouse button and copy (while not pasting) the comments. Then, if my comments disappear. I can just paste them back in, and make any changes I think might make the comments more acceptable.

[Davod]

PS. Sometimes Typepad says the comment has already been made, so I add a punctuation mark.

[jim nj]

Hoyden,

I've used your advice to save posts I want to respond to. Thank you.

Davood,

I'll try that. It's just a mouse click.

But I've never had Typepad just swallow a whole post before.

And I was having trouble understanding what MM was talking about until it happened to me.

So I'll try that also. Thank you.

Very frustrating.

[daddy]

Here's the story of our illegal alien who stole someone's identity and worked as an Anchorage Policeman for just under a decade: Officials: Illegal Immigrant Became a Cop in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – For years, the man known as Rafael Espinoza was widely respected as an exemplary police officer who was popular among his peers in Alaska's largest city.

All that ended this week when authorities discovered he was really Mexican national Rafael Mora-Lopez, who was in the U.S. illegally and stole another man's identity...

...the department conducted a pre-employment criminal background check on Mora-Lopez and he also passed a polygraph test. A national fingerprint check also turned up empty.

Federal agents processing a renewal request for his passport discovered the alleged fraud. He was arrested Thursday after authorities searched his home and found documents confirming his true identity...

The arrest was a "bitter pill to swallow" for many in the police department...

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

http://dailycaller.com/2018/02/19/michael-moore-russian-anti-trump-rally/?utm_campaign=atdailycaller&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sat down for a interview with CBS 60 Minutes. This is the transcript of the interview:

https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2018/02/278448.htm

"SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, I hope with this little bit of exchange we’ve had, you understand the man better. That’s why I’m still here. Those things don’t bother me. I’m here to serve my country. I committed to this President. My word is my bond. I ride for this brand. That’s why I’m here, and nothing anybody else says is going to change that."

I really like Tillerson, and he was a great (though unexpected) choice.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

http://dailycaller.com/2018/02/19/texas-sheriff-who-allows-teachers-to-carry-firearms-leaves-msnbcs-jaw-on-the-floor/?utm_source=site-share

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/defense-secretary-explains-new-policy-youre-either-deployable-or-you-need

"Either you're deployable or you need to find something else to do."

[daddy]

Very sorry about your loss, Dave.

[rse]

MM-sundance is absolutely correct about the broward county initiatives. http://harvardlpr.com/2017/02/02/dismantling-the-school-to-prison-pipeline-south-floridas-approach/

ACS is also the group working with Everytown to put on 2nd Amendment continuing legal education programs that pitch that it is NOT an individual right and solely about memebers of a militia and thus anachronistic. I attended one and the young lawyers were nodding their heads and the older ones were horrified and confronting the speakers that their assertions were wrong.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
11m11 minutes ago

Thank you to @foxandfriends for the great timeline on all of the failures the Obama Administration had against Russia, including Crimea, Syria and so much more. We are now starting to win again!

[Davod]

A question:

Is an AR15 semi-auto (one shot per trigger pull) really an AR15?
Is an AK47 semi-auto really an AK47?

The media loves to use AR15 and AK47.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

rse,

This is truly a textbook example of emotional manipulation in news.

Those kids are all over CNN and MSNBC carrying on like some sort of law would have stopped this shooting, when the fact is that Broward made it so that the law was easily circumvented by all partiesm letting everyone drop the ball.

The most ridiculous thing is the effort to blame President Trump, like he handed the kid a rifle and bullets.

Twitter is saying one of the kids in the protest group has a ad who is an FBI agent, and that many of the others are in the drama club at the school. This might all be rumor, but nothing surprises me any more.

It infuriates me that CNN is in all of the airports pumping out this bilge.

And it doubly infuriates me that people don't understand WHY all of these agencies failed to act!

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Davod,

I know noting about guns, so I can't answer your question.

I am sure someone will pop in soon who can, though.

[Porchlight]

Dave, I'm so sorry.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
8m8 minutes ago

“There is no serious person out there who would suggest somehow that you could even rig America’s elections, there’s no evidence that that has happened in the past or that it will happen this time, and so I’d invite Mr. Trump to stop whining and make his case to get votes.” .....
============================
Looks like there is more to come on this tweet. I believe he is quoting Obama.

[clarice]

Re Karamatsu, the sCOTus was hoodwinked by FDR's lying solicitor General who falsely represented to the court that the internees were a security danger. Hoover was adamant they were not.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Yep - quoting Obama! HA!

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
18s19 seconds ago

....The President Obama quote just before election. That’s because he thought Crooked Hillary was going to win and he didn’t want to “rock the boat.” When I easily won the Electoral College, the whole game changed and the Russian excuse became the narrative of the Dems.

[rse]

MM-it gets worse since I have attended these programs in the atlanta area and know the buzz phrases to search.

How's this language for an example?

"Effective Civil Citation and Diversion alternatives to arrest and court action
provide opportunities to stem the flow of young blacks into the juvenile
justice system. Individualized, culturally competent delivery of restorative
justice services addresses harmful incidents while allowing juveniles to
make
amends to their victims, communities and families
- in ways that do
not sabotage their futures."

On the kids, part of the template broward and other schools are using involves highly manipulative and emotional "essential topics" and "desirable topics" that involve what students are to come to believe and be ready to act on. The behavioral science template used is "guides attention and intention" and looking for its presence in all students is part of what the new federal education law requires all schools to assess in all students at least annually.

All of this is readily apparent in many of these interviews. It's not a surprise to the media either as these same topics are ready to be activated as 'frames' for any context or issue.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/02/19/exclusive-acu-leaders-on-cpac-lineup-donald-trumps-gop-conservative-movement-takeover-we-feel-vindicated/

[clarice]

Interestingly, I shared office space with the man who won the case for restitution for the internees and years later the money her father received Ade it possible for her not rich family to pay her non-scholarship portion of her college tuition.

[Marlene]

Dave,my thoughts are with you.

[Captain Hate]

ACS is also the group working with Everytown to put on 2nd Amendment continuing legal education programs that pitch that it is NOT an individual right and solely about memebers of a militia and thus anachronistic.

Garry Wills used to bang that monkey at the New York Review of Books while I rolled my eyes and thought "someone doesn't have basic reading comprehension skills". It kept me from ever contemplating any of his dumbass books so there was an upside.

[rse]

"Broward County Public Schools is committed to keeping students engaged in school and
out of the Juvenile Justice System. We take great responsibility towards achieving our
mission - to educating
all students to reach their highest potential. We believe the potential of each of our students is worth developing, including our youth who are at
risk of engaging in delinquent or criminal behaviors, and those already involved in the
juvenile justice system. It is for this reason that we have invested heavily, in partnership with a number of community organizations, to provide prevention and intervention programs and wraparound services for identified youth. "

That language came from the BCPS 'Diversity, Prevention & Intervention Department'.

[Captain Hate]

Tammy Bruce reported yesterday that CNN is 13th in cable ratings, behind the Hallmark Channel. Fox News is #1.

[Jack is Back!]

I wake to the sad news of Dave losing his Dad. Sorry for your loss, Dave.

May his soul Rest In Peace.

[Buckeye]

Thoughts and prayers are with you Dave.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
10m10 minutes ago

Republicans are now leading the Generic Poll, perhaps because of the popular Tax Cuts which the Dems want to take away. Actually, they want to raise you taxes, substantially. Also, they want to do nothing on DACA, R’s want to fix!

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
1m1 minute ago

Matt Schlapp and CPAC are getting ready for another exciting event. Big difference from those days when President Obama held the White House. You’ve come a long way Matt!

[danoso]

Whoa, MM - you deserve a Hat Tip or something from Insta --

But if they thought Hillary was sure to win, why bother spying on Trump? A sinister reason: To prosecute him — for something, anything they could discover — after he lost, so as to properly cow Hillary’s opposition.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

danoso,

HA! I spent YEARS watching the Clintons, and I know I am right!

You guys will see.

[James D.]

rse @ 7:58

That's horrifying. But, sadly, not a bit surprising.

[jimmyk]

Dave, very sorry for your loss.

[Rocco]

Dave, sorry to hear about your Dad, prayers on the way.

[Buckeye]

rse @ 7:58

That's horrifying. But, sadly, not a bit surprising.

Prog nonsense is what is getting people killed.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
11m11 minutes ago

Hope Republicans in the Great State of Pennsylvania challenge the new “pushed” Congressional Map, all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary. Your Original was correct! Don’t let the Dems take elections away from you so that they can raise taxes & waste money!

[Buckeye]

Getting all "inclusive" with thugs and miscreants is a bad idea.

[Rocco]

Our local State Police have their problems as well. Seems a Trooper pulled over a Judge's daughter and arrested the girl for possession of heroin. Evidently the girl stated, "Do you know how many guys I had to blow for that?" He was ordered to remove the girls statements from the report, refused and was disciplined. It gets worse from here but Turtleboy's on it.

https://turtleboysports.com/state-trooper-leigha-genduso-admitted-drug-dealer-perjurer-and-tax-evader-friends-with-former-msp-colonel-marion-mcgovern-dated-lt-colonel-prior-to-being-hired/

[narciso]

I didn't know that angle about korematsu, not surprised in the least.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

http://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=12964

That brings us to the title of this post. How long has this sort of thing been going on and what other scandals are there? We know the Obama administration weaponized the IRS in an elaborate scheme to undermine Republican groups. We also know the whole thing was broomed by the FBI and DOJ. Knowing that those two organizations have been corrupt for a long time now puts the IRS scandal in a new light. What we may have seen was a cover-up in plain sight, with one dirty agency covering for another dirty agency.

[Threadkiller]

Dave, sorry to read the sad news this morning. Thinking about you and your family.

[narciso]

Whereas quirin was open and shut but not to wittes he must have the flu that day.

[DebinGA]

My mom died a year ago today at her "We've Lost Our Memories but We're Still Delightful" assisted living home. She was still sweet and precious, but no longer recognized us or was capable of conversation. Loved ones had gathered to celebrate her 94th birthday 4 days earlier, and her 85 yo sister and I were with her the day before. Literally beaming, she reached out and held each of our faces with an otherworldly expression of pure joy. The experience was almost alarming in its intensity, but what a blessing when "the call" came that she had quietly died in her sleep, the outcome we'd prayed for.

So sorry you lost your dad, Dave. You are in our prayers.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
12m12 minutes ago

I have been much tougher on Russia than Obama, just look at the facts. Total Fake News!

[Captain Hate]

Re Karamatsu, the sCOTus was hoodwinked by FDR's lying solicitor General who falsely represented to the court that the internees were a security danger. Hoover was adamant they were not.

It still doesn't change one iota the blame for getting it wrong, particularly a court that had been packed by FDR. And Hoover getting it right will mean nothing to the idiots who believe he was a cross dresser.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

I meant to mention that in that Zman article he brings up Chief Justice Rogers completely switchig positions on the healthcare mandate, and the possibility that he was blackmailed.

I always wondered if it had something to do with his adopted children, who were from Lithuania or Estonia, I think.

Now that we know the government is capable of falsifying documents, it isn't a stretch to think that something like that could have been done. Can you imagine facing the prospect of having your children ripped away and sent back? And on top of that, it would have meant charges and an impeachment, too!

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Hey, remember when Martha Stewart had to go to prison for erasing something on a document?

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

http://thefederalist.com/2018/02/19/michael-flynns-plea-reversal-uncover-federal-corruption/

[anonamom]

My momma is having her hip replaced as I type.
Prayers appreciated.

[lurkersusie]

Remember when Feinstein said she was “pressured” to run interference for Fusion GPS, then denied she ever said it? This may explain her bizarre behavior.

Meet The Former Feinstein Staffer Brokering Access To Christopher Steele
thefederalist.com
http://thefederalist.com/2018/02/20/is-a-former-feinstein-staffer-running-fusion-gpss-post-election-russia-dossier-operation/

[DebinGA]

The Hill: Democrats will lose this fall by fighting over immigration now.

Dem dilemma - border security is very important in Mid West districts they need to flip to win back the House.

[lurkersusie]

Dave, sorry for your loss

[Old Lurker]

How old is she A-mom?

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

anonamom,

Prayers offered! Let us know when she's in recovery!

[henry]

Dave, sorry about your dad.

Anonamom, prayers for your mom.

[Extraneus]

OPEN THREAD: Bring the witty repartee for which InstaPundit comment threads are known!

Posted at 9:30 pm by Glenn Reynolds

[Rocco]

anonamom, prayers on the way.

[Beasts of England]

Very sorry for your loss, Dave.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Scott MacFarlane
‏Verified account @MacFarlaneNews
13m13 minutes ago

BREAKING: Robert Mueller charges another man in DC federal court. Alex Van Der Zwaan charged with making false statements to Special Counsel's Office
=================================

I don't know who this guy is.

[DebinGA]

Trump's Operation Blame BOzo is fascinating. He's calling BOzo out, and I don't think his AA base will allow him to hide out and ignore the taunts with impunity.

[henry]

Guy probably mislabeled Mueller's latte at Starbucks.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

https://nypost.com/2018/02/19/aunts-advice-after-school-shooting-always-carry-a-doorstop-in-your-backpack/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_medium=SocialFlow

[Old Lurker]

"charged with making false statements to Special Counsel's Office"

Show me the video tape or go away scum.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Is an AR15 semi-auto (one shot per trigger pull) really an AR15?--

Is this a trick question?

[Davod]

"I always wondered if it had something to do with his adopted children, who were from Lithuania or Estonia, I think."

Prior to the Obamacare decision there were a number of articles about Irish babies being stolen/kidnapped/incorrectly adopted.

[DebinGA]

Van Der Zwaan: "March 2017 saw the probe speed up, as CNN published an article saying that Ukrainian prosecutors wanted to question Paul Manafort, a former advisor of President Yanukovych. In the same month, then-FBI Director James Comey was asked about the Ukrainian requests during a congressional hearing. ... Prosecutors on the case want to question members of the Skadden team who came to Ukraine to work on the report, including former Obama Administration officials Gregory Craig and Clifford Sloan, as well as the London-based associate Alex Van der Zwaan, the Russian-speaking son-in-law of Russian oligarch German Khan, who prosecutors say acted as an intermediary for the team on much of the trip."

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Perhaps Davod was referring to the original select firs Armalite prototype of what became the M 16 that was also known as the AR 15.

[henry]

Hmmm: Alex Van Der Zwaan was charged Feb. 16 in federal court in Washington related to a report he helped prepare on the trial of a Ukrainian politician, Yulia Tymoshenko. Van Der Zwaan was charged with a criminal information, which typically precedes a guilty plea.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-20/mueller-unveils-new-charges-in-russia-probe

[Rocco]

Well this is interesting

https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/comments/7yvp7a/just_found_this_on_google_images_could_it_be_that/

[Appalled]

Quoth twitter, "Alex Van Der Zwaan is a son in law of a Russian oligarch with ties to Putin." (The oligarch, not the son in law.)

Apparently he is going to plead guilty, so this is someone in hand, not some bot in Moscow.

[James D.]

Prayers, anonamom.

And condolences for your loss, Dave.

[caro]

Thinking of you, Dave. I am so sorry about your dad.

[henry]

Voted #5 this morning in our Supreme Court primary. Rain and flooding around the polls in SE WI.

Meanwhile in Madison, I hope they don't screw this up:

MacIver Institute @MacIverWisc
2m

"That is a license to steal.” Citizen Larry Gamble, testifying in support of civil asset forfeiture reform, talks about abuses in current law.

[James D.]

I meant to mention that in that Zman article he brings up Chief Justice Rogers completely switchig positions on the healthcare mandate, and the possibility that he was blackmailed.

This is an incredibly sad statement. We're all sane people here, all respectable members of society who have (or are retired from) productive jobs. We're all good, informed citizens.

And yet we are seriously, rationally discussing the possibility that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was blackmailed (possibly with the removal of his children) to change his decision, by the President of the United States.

Worse, that explanation is probably the most logical and likely explanation for a decision that otherwise made no sense based on everything we know about the Chief Justice and his views; about the law itself; and about the plain reading of the English language.

It is so disgraceful that our so-called, self-proclaimed political elites have done such a terrible job, and been so completely dishonest, for so long, that conspiracy theories not only make sense, but often seem like the only logical explanation for what we see every day from our leaders.

[James D.]

To follow up on my last post, the one thing that the otherwise totally useless David Brooks has said in the past...well, ever, I guess...that's actually correct:

Those of us who are trying to rebut populists like Trump have the disadvantage that our elites really do stink

They do stink. And yet they wonder why we no longer trust them, no longer believe anything they say, no longer wish to be ruled by them.

[henry]

Hahahahaha!
\
Tom Maguire @Tom_Maguire
now

Russian troll farm targets a new group for divisiveness and grievance. Wow, the Russkies are paying $1,400 per week to post Fake News while US journos are getting right-sized?

[anonamom]

Dave, condolences to you,and your family.

[Davod]

Ignatz. Yes. That is the AR15 I was referring to.

A history of the AR15 is available at: AR 15 Rifle – A Brief History & Historical Time Line by Tom McHale

It also includes this about the name of the AR15 type of sporting rifle:

"2009-2011 - With support from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the term Modern Sporting Rifle gains popularity as a more descriptive name for AR-style rifles."

Read more: https://www.ammoland.com/2016/04/ar-15-rifle-historical-time-line/#ixzz57eymIajv

[Extraneus]

Alyssa Milano Explains Why The Second Amendment Is Horrible

https://hotair.com/archives/2018/02/20/alyssa-milano-explains-second-amendment-horrible/

[Davod]

Re. Obamacare and SCOTUS. While the Obama media campaign was that Obamacare was not a tax. The DOJ lawyers argued before SCOTUS that it was.

[henry]

For those waiting for Elmer's alarm to go off, remember who pays for all the lawyers of these govt shitheads: same as WI, we do.

http://www.maciverinstitute.com/2018/02/john-doe-agents-get-legal-counsel-at-taxpayer-expense/

[DebinGA]

David Hogg, Parkland student all over tv, bears watching imo. Hope his retired FBI dad keeps his guns secured, as David is emitting a "Look, ma! Top of the world" vibe.

[Extraneus]

Presidential Politics Experts Rate Trump Worst President, Obama Eighth Best

According to the New York Times, 170 members of the American Political Science Association’s Presidents and Executive Politics section filled out a survey commissioned by professors Brandon Rottinghaus and Justin S. Vaughn.

In their last survey in 2014, Obama was rated 18th, meaning he moved up 10 spots in four years. Trump took the bottom spot once occupied by James Buchanan, the president before Abraham Lincoln as the country neared the Civil War.

Obama was one spot ahead of Ronald Reagan (No. 9) in the new list.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

I haven't been too receptive to the calls for the breakup of the Silicon Valley oligarchs but the always worthwhile Joel Kotkin makes the best and most compelling reason to do so: They want to fundamentally transform how we live.

All the robber barons wanted to do was sell us stuff. These creeps are taking the old dystopian movie Metropolis as a blueprint not a warning.
Very occasionally, as in trade also, there are societal and political and security concerns which transcend free market considerations. As in trade it is often an illusion that we are even discussing the free market when what we're really dealing with is state capitalism, AKA Fascism.