Category Archives: Gun Control

Ten Gallon Tax Expert…

Jim Hightower

I try and stay away from most Facebook debates as they tend to morph into ideological wars, leaving behind any productive and factual exchange of ideas. But recently I was compelled to investigate a post comment by a clearly Liberal individual regarding the IRS scandal, and how he felt these “Right Wing Groups” somehow got what they deserved. He cited an article by stalwart progressive Jim Hightower concerning what “he” believed was illegitimate application of the 501 (c) (4) tax status. Moving past the obvious bias of the author, I did read the article and was somewhat amused by it. Hightower refers to the many abuses of the C3 and C4 as if “Rush Limbaugh” wrote the classifications into the tax code himself. His continual references to “whining and notorious” political players like Rove and the Koch brothers made it clear there would be little substance contained in the rest of the article. Nevertheless, I read on and then decided to do a little of my own homework. Here’s what I discovered.

For starters, let’s look at the obvious. The U.S. Tax Code reads like a Bernie Madoff manifesto. Generations of smooth talking politicians and bureaucrats have manipulated the Constitutional basis for taxation, (the 16th Amendment etc…), into what in many ways resembles something which should be investigated under the organized crime statutes. In any event, after hours of perusing this categorized collection of fiscal injustice imposed upon a complacent citizenry over the last couple of hundred years, I narrowed my search and found a PDF file, readily available through our POTUS’s personal information gathering company, “Google”, http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/eotopicm95.pdf which basically tells us everything we need to know. There you will find fairly easy to understand criteria which one would have to meet in order to qualify for the exemption. Hey, what do you know? It appears the witnesses who testified freely before “The Ways and Means Committee” last week, and their respective initiatives, seem to fit right into those categories rather nicely, despite what some would have you believe.

irsoverhaul12Inevitably there will always be those (on both sides) of the political argument who misuse or misrepresent the tax code. Having said that, the notion or implication that these mostly “Average Joe” or “Tea Party Types” are somehow assaulting the American Taxpayer by seeking a particular exemption, is just another example of Liberals using, “the best defense is a good offense” strategy that they use quite often as a means to navigate around the facts. Moreover, when one looks closely at the number of organizations joining Mr. Rove’s on any list receiving the aforementioned exemption(s), one finds the ACLU, NAACP, AARP, DLA, The Humane Society, The “Colbert” Super Pac, and so on and so on…

All I’m trying to say here is that this is clearly a two-way street. But some folks and their efforts were certainly scrutinized far beyond what is acceptable, and in some cases what was legal. The fact that some fool doesn’t like the “Tea Party” or what they stand for should mean absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. Personally, I think the “Coalition to Stop Gun violence” is a sham which regularly spreads inaccurate data to further an un-Constitutional agenda. However, until the tax code says differently, they will continue to receive tax exempt status in compliance with the letter of the law. And one more thing, what do you think my “Facebook commenter” and Mr. Hightower would say if the IRS started asking the folks over at the AARP or Planned Parenthood how many times a week they pray or don’t pray, or if they planned on participating in any illegal protests in the near future. Answer that with a straight face…

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Keeping evil in check…

050813_missing_girl2_640Possibly more victims. Alleged sexual assault on an unconscionable scale. Miscarriages, infanticide, beatings, locked basements and chains, a house of horrors, and neighbors who apparently ignored their better judgment and looked the other way. This is undoubtedly just the beginning of a very long investigation.

Media types, politicians and pundits alike, including myself, pontificate on a regular basis about where we are and how we got here. Recently I even commented on Facebook about how I missed the country I grew up in, the long bike rides far from home, and traipsing about in a pair of shorts with no shoes almost without a care in the world. Regrettably those days are gone, and my 10-year-old is missing out on the special things that were so much a part of what America used to be.

So in lieu of any fancy statistical data, sociological analysis and/or doctoral prestige, I would offer only this as an observation regarding the events in Ohio. If we are to have any hope at all of addressing the national quandaries before us, then we must return to the beginning. We must revisit family and community, values and faith, and aspire to a culture and code of accountability that while imperfect, has proven its overall worth through generations of our forefathers. Our courts must also re-evaluate their role in terms of the judicial application, but “We the People”  must rise up as fathers and mothers, friends and neighbors, to coral evil where we can before it graduates to levels like we are seeing on our television screens today. Only when we nurture kindness and character in our own homes can we expect our children to carry those tenets forward into society. Only when we set and enforce boundaries within a stable and caring family structure will we enjoy the success of a community that acts in the best interest of all its people. And only when we begin to accept responsibility for our own personal safety and security can we expect those who would do us harm to think twice.

Please join me in prayer for these girls who were forced to become women within the confines of madness and evil, but also pray that we awaken as a society to re-embrace our former nation so we may overcome that evil, or at least confront it with a clear conscience.

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NRA not the problem…

This is a letter from a doctor in my home state of Rhode Island. Read my response below.

Doreen Ciancaglini: NRA vs. our children

                                     Doreen Ciancaglini: NRA vs. our children

Comments 10


                    April 18, 2013 12:32 pm

As a pediatrician, I spend much of my day providing guidance to the parents of my patients, to educate them regarding many issues, ranging from nutrition to safety. I was disheartened to see the defeat of the  bill on expanded background checks on gun sales bill. Most of us want less gun violence. Most of us want fewer gun fatalities, such as in the Newtown tragedy.

Most of us want our schools safe for our kids. How can this be accomplished? We have to make a start. The organization that promotes gun ownership at all cost, the National Rifle Association, is not primarily interested in these safety issues. They aggressively and actively lobby senators to reject any type of reform. They’ve duped some Americans into believing that it’s about their freedoms.

Their victory is a defeat for those if us seeking to keep our children safe.

As I and my colleagues continue to advise parents on child safety, we hope that part of our anticipatory guidance won’t have to include “since there are so many guns out there in the hands of the wrong people, just stay home.”

Doreen Ciancaglini, M.D. North Providence

 

Response:

The biggest problem supporters of the Second Amendment face is ignorance, (purposeful or otherwise), in terms of what it really means. After that, it’s just plain ideological.

This is evidenced in Doreen Ciancaglini’s letter of 5/5/13. In it she refers to the NRA as “not primarily interested in these safety issues”, referring to the defeat of the “background checks” bill. Now I don’t necessarily wish to school the good doctor on the “entire” text of that particular piece of legislation, or for that matter, the nightmares sure to arise out of legal challenges by way of the “HIPAA” statutes, (regulations I would hope she is familiar with), but I will take issue with her assertion on safety. It is a simple fact that there is no agency or entity which has done more to promote the safe ownership and handling of firearms in this country than the NRA. A simple google search would help the average person understand this. Regrettably however, and while I respect and admire her commitment to serve her fellow human being, Dr. Ciancaglini (and others) seem content to demonize that which they clearly do not understand. I wonder what her position is on, swimming pools, automobiles, alcohol, or even “fireworks and ball bearings”, none of which are directly associated with one of the “Bill of Rights”, or the foundational liberty which built and now protects the nation she practices in. The “reasonable discussion” continues to elude…

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“This is what change looks like.” – Barack Obama (2010)

Barack ObamaChange looks like economic instability fueled by ignorance and/or even disdain for a free market system which has made our nation the envy of the world. Change looks like the empty promises of an ideological demagogue, embraced by those who seek “promise” without price. Change looks like fast flight from accountability in all its forms and the validation of excuses as a way of life. Change looks like selfish manipulation of the nuclear family to the detriment of posterity and of society as a whole. Change looks like “Plan-B” for a 15 year old child, further relegating the sanctity of human life to that which is fueling our moral decay. Change looks like a Newtown Police Chief, wounded by unimaginable tragedy, but blinded by that same tragedy to all truth and logic, describing the Constitutional rights so many have died to protect as “entitlements” which must now be forfeit for the “greater good”. Change looks like higher taxes and the strengthening of an all-encompassing federal government far beyond that which our founders envisioned, and at the expense of historical fact and reason. And change looks like a President of the United States who feels “constrained” rather than empowered by two of the three greatest documents ever penned by the hand of man.

So you tell me my fellow Americans, what does change look like for your kids?

Posted in "Patriot64", America, Constitutionality, Economy, Election 2014, Election 2016, Fred Comella, Gun Control, Health Care, History, Home and Family, Political Correctness, Politics, Religion, Rhode Island Local, Right vs. Left, Second Amendment, Socioeconomic, Taxes, Women's Issues | Tagged | Comments Off on “This is what change looks like.” – Barack Obama (2010)

“Left Wing Media” way out of line…

130417220526-boston-marathon-single-image-cutDespite a flood of emails, I have hesitated out of an abundance of reason to comment on the events of last week. I think it wholly appropriate at this juncture however, to recognize the exceptionalism of city, state and federal law enforcement, as they relentlessly pursued this unconscionable evil for the sake of society, as well as the heroic efforts of EMS and civilian bystanders who risked their own lives and ran immediately to aid the wounded at the scene of the bombings. As for the doctors and nurses of some of the finest hospitals in the world, your expertise and readiness were immeasurable in terms of their value during that nightmare week. God Bless all of you!

Having said that, I also wanted to express my disdain for those members of our corrupt media culture who foolishly and irresponsibly injected their political agendas and ideologies into the discussion over how and why this event occurred, in some cases even before some of the victims had been transported to the hospital. These disgraceful individuals were not back room pundits either, but rather on-air personalities who frankly, should wear the label “enemy combatant”. Their blatant disregard for all things appropriate and respectful is just more evidence of the decline of modern journalism in our country today. Consequently, the rejuvenation and/or re-emergence of the true American spirit will only take place when objectivity and the pursuit of truth and reason are returned to the so-called “main stream media”.

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One of ten…

Newsmakers_4_12_13__Gun_Control_Debate_C_824510000_20130412125110_320_240For good or bad, gun-control is now front and center, largely as a result of the Sandy Hook tragedy. I have fought the Second Amendment battle on a number of fronts over the years and I keep coming away with a very disturbing observation. Ironically, it’s not exclusive to the argument over guns, but I continue to be floored by how little politicians know about many of the important issues of our time.

As an example, I was watching WPRI’s Newsmakers recently with Guests, Rhode Island  Rep’s Finn and Chippendale, discussing proposed gun-control legislation coming out of Smith Hill. Firstly, Miss Finn’s “observations” on the availability of data concerning firearms incidents nationwide were almost comical. She was apparently attempting to cite CDC stats, or some lack thereof, and simply flubbed it badly. Her assertions were completely inaccurate and she seemed wholly ill-equipped to make her case. Not to be outdone, Chippendale shanked one of the simplest questions out there, and a favorite of the Liberal television media, concerning “the line” between what Americans can and should be allowed to own. Tim White cleverly threw out the poll-tested “What about bazooka’s?”, to which Rep. Chippendale simply had no discernible retort. The factual and necessary answer would have been that the “National Firearms act of 1934” and subsequent “Gun control Act of 1968” addressed those issues, banning and/or regulating ownership, use, and importation of such/certain weapons. One would think these are questions our elected representatives should be able to answer with ease, thus allowing a more robust debate for “We the People” to consider.

Nevertheless, our freedoms seem precariously balanced in the hands of those who let their emotions and/or political ambitions trump fact and reason. Dangerous ground I would say, as there are another nine Amendments in the BOR. I’m starting to think there should be some sort of test for those who wish to speak for us.

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The Politics of Gun Control…

gun-control-posterWhen you ask the average American, “Are you in favor of background checks for people buying guns?”, the obvious answer will be yes. As with all “polls” however, when you adjust the question to reflect the hidden details, you get a different (and more educated) answer. My point is that the President’s assertions about American’s feelings on gun control are skewed and highly political to say the least. Moreover, how in the world can we have a logical discussion on making our children and our nation safer, when our ideological chief executive’s contribution is to exploit the parents of Sandy Hook by flying them around from sound-bite to sound-bite on Air force One.

If there is anyone out there who believes the President of the United States cares about anything other than positioning himself politically by attempting to demonize and divide the opposition, please remove your head from the partisan sand before you suffocate.

“This is not about me.” Really Mr. President? I think this is all about you.

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“NIGHTLINE” nuttiness…

nightline1I picked up on a “Twitter” post highlighting “Nightlines” hit-job on “GLOCK”. It intrigued me so I had a look at the piece. Basically it was another example of how objectivity in modern journalism has taken a proverbial nose dive of recent. Moreover it reflected the ideological trending of the “Lame Stream Media” in the 21st Century.

That said, there is always something one can pick out of these media debacles, one bit of contrived propaganda they try and slip by you for effect. In this case it was “Nightlines” claims that “one” study showed women are three times more likely to be murdered in homes with handguns, and that sixteen times more women were killed by men they knew and not by strangers.

glock17render4Okay, Let’s move by the fact these assertions are made by the “Violence Policy center”, an ardent anti-gun agency with a proven track record of misinformation and questionable statistics. Let’s also move past the “Kleck” study which suggests firearms are used successfully for self-defense in more than two million unreported instances every year, and that in every state with a “right to carry” statute, there has been a marked reduction in violent crimes over the last ten years, to include the rape and murder of women specifically. As a matter of fact, let us also set aside the “notion” that women are sixteen times more likely to be killed (not necessarily shot), by men they know, for the sexist insinuation and societal issue it really is. No, let’s look at this for what it truly is, a corrupt and irresponsible news media which has placed its full faith and credibility, in the radical Left wing policies of an Administration with little regard for the Constitutional liberties which made this nation great. MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell removed all doubt of these media “tendencies” when she scolded her fellow reporters for letting the “Assault Weapons Ban die”. Therefore it should come as no surprise to GLOCK, COLT, or any other legitimate firearms manufacturer, that they have few friends other than the NRA in the wider messaging war.

220px-Andrea_Mitchell_MSNBC_mic_cropAs a seasoned firearms instructor my message to Patriot Women around the country is this. I know it’s tiresome. I know you’re busy with your careers and families, and I know firsthand how deciphering the statistical data can give you a splitter. But you owe it to yourself and your children to do the research. Please don’t bet your lives on the likes of Andrea Mitchell or the fools over at Nightline…

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Just answer the question…

U.S. Senator John McCain gestures as he arrives to address the third session of the Republican National Convention in TampaSenator Ted Cruz (D) Texas, has a political affliction which could be characterized as a form of leprosy in Washington. You see when he speaks, the truth seems to slip out, and when he defines issues in the context of the Constitution he swore an oath to uphold, he is immediately lambasted by cowards on both sides of the aisle. It seems any “Bill of Rights” question he asks is immediately taken as some kind of umbrage by the Liberal recipient. Now I’m pretty sure a working knowledge of our Constitution is somewhat of a prerequisite for the privilege of serving as an elected official, or at least it should be. So why was Senator Feinstein so “offended” when Cruz asked her a simple Constitutional question? The answer itself is simple.

If “We the People” desire a fair and balanced debate on any issue, it should be noted that Liberals are not at all interested in those types of debates. Talking points and (sensationalism for effect) are the time-tested and proven strategies of the Left. Questions and accountability are seen as unnecessary considering their “superior” intellectual abilities and usually elicit a form of annoying whining, inevitably followed by dodging the question altogether, much like we saw in the Cruz/Feinstein exchange.

Considering this political quandary, my message to politicians like McCain, Graham, Reid and Feinstein is, the founding documents were written in part to remind elitist fools who would be masters of the “low information voter”, that they must answer the question. Moreover, if Senator Ted Cruz is a “crazy bird” for asking the tough and relevant questions other politicians run from, then I shall send him an appropriate amount of bird seed so he may continue to defend my son’s Constitution.

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Not just in Rhode Island…

second-amendment-rifleThe fight for Second Amendment rights in Rhode Island is always interesting. The Ocean State’s unique political landscape lends itself to all kinds of curious interpretations. As a general rule, Rhode Islanders tend to be the quintessential procrastinators, prone to reactionary politics. That said, firearms owners in the state are a passionate bunch when roused. Appropriately and for the purposes of this writing, I think it’s important to identify the two opposing groups on the matter of gun control here in Rhode Island.

Firstly, the states entrenched Leftist politicians oppose the right to “keep and bear arms” as outlined in the federal Constitution and reinforced by an even less debatable state application. Their foremost agenda is “registration” as a means to eventual confiscation. Truth be told, if you hang around in political circles long enough, you’ll hear them say that very thing. Regrettably, their media sanitized efforts are often disguised by a blatant mischaracterization of the Amendment itself, as well as the exploitation of murdered innocents as an acceptable means to the aforementioned end. This is the most despicable kind of political gamesmanship, made even more indefensible by a deliberate end run around the Constitution(s) these elected officials swore an oath to defend.

On the other side there are the ardent few defenders on Smith (Capitol) Hill. Emboldened by a rising tide of awakening gun owners, folks like Representative Chippendale (R) 40 and Costa (R) 31 are often hampered by boatloads of media misinformation, political pandering and a lack of understanding on the part of the general public when considering the true intent of the Second Amendment. It’s always troubling when some in this camp go on about hunting and sport shooting, neither of which have anything to do with the Amendment. This ignorance, willful or otherwise, only makes the task of countering a well-organized and focused opposition more difficult. Ultimately, factual unity around the Second Amendment’s true origin and meaning provides the clarity necessary to understanding how “the right” facilitates/protects additional benefits like hunting and other sporting uses of firearms. Moreover, every gun-owner who values his or her time at the range or in the woods should understand that while the Second Amendment was not drafted for “recreational” purposes and/or reasoning, many of these cultural traditions as well as the God-given right of self-defense, are also protected by way of our founders wisdom, experience and the subsequent Constitutional right to “keep and bear arms”.

Please take some time to read “your” founding documents, as well as the letters and papers of those who wrote them. You will discover they are anything but outdated. In fact, the content could not be more necessary and applicable to our current national posture.

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