Erick Erickson's Blog, page 30
July 24, 2012
The Desire to Return to the Box
Prometheus was a sneaky Titan. He created man despite Zeus warning him not to. Then he brought men fire. In addition to punishing Prometheus, Zeus decided to get even.
He had Hephaestus mold a woman from clay and the gods breathed life into her filling her with all the finest attributes of the gods — beauty, creativity, kindness, and also curiosity.
Zeus then arranged a marriage between the woman and Prometheus’s brother, Epimetheus. Prometheus had warned his brother not to accept gifts from Zeus, but the brother did so anyway. He and his wife, Pandora, were given a box with a very clear instruction on it to never open it.
One day, Pandora, overcome by her gods given curiosity, opened the box. Pestilence, plague, disease, and sin poured forth from the box into the world. Last out of the box came hope.
Some will take issue with comparing guns to Pandora’s box, but in the discussion of gun control, Pandora’s box is the appropriate analogy. Try as we might, we will never, ever put guns back into Pandora’s box.
Gun control is a fool’s errand.
The cities and states with the toughest gun laws typically have the worst gun violence. In Chicago and Washington, DC, two cities with the toughest gun laws and restrictions in America, people have routinely been gunned down. The only people with firearms were the ones unwilling to obey the law.
Writing in the New York Times, Robert Ebert, movie critic and village idiot, wrote
That James Holmes is insane, few may doubt. Our gun laws are also insane, but many refuse to make the connection. The United States is one of few developed nations that accepts the notion of firearms in public hands. In theory, the citizenry needs to defend itself. Not a single person at the Aurora, Colo., theater shot back, but the theory will still be defended.
What Ebert misses in his zeal to turn a tragedy into a political issue is that the theater was a gun free zone. The law abiding citizenry with their guns obeyed the law. They could not fire back because they were obeying a restriction on guns that the criminal refused to obey.
And that is the point the left seems often enough to ignore.
If you take away guns, you will only take them away from the people you don’t have to worry about in the first place.
“But restrictions,” the left cries. “Men don’t need assault rifles.”
We’ve tried this game before. All the manufacturers did to get around the much heralded assault weapons ban was slightly change the specs on the guns. Suddenly what was illegal became legal.
What’s more, restricting the second of the Bill of Rights, does nothing but deter the law abiding. Restrict access to cartridges with lots of bullets and the law abiding citizen is deterred. The criminal is just challenged.
Gun control does not stop random acts of madmen. Gun control does, however, increase the body count in Chicago, Washington, and other places where the armed citizenry, disarmed by government, is confronted with evil unwilling to yield to the laws.
Pandora’s box is open. Gun control will neither put guns back in the box nor control guns. It will just control the people who really do not need to be controlled on the matter.
Mitt Romney is Too Far to the Right . . .
The casual consumer of news hears it all the time and not just from Democratic pundits. Reporters, pundits, and concern trolls in the media fret that Romney has had to move too far right. He’s just too conservative.
These same people never stop to examine Barack Obama. Between the two, Barack Obama has repeatedly surrounded himself with people who actually don’t much care for the United States. Writing that may anger people, but it is actual, factual, fact.
Instead of considering if Mitt Romney is too far to the right, perhaps we should consider if Barack Obama is too far to the left.
Barack Obama notes in his fictionalized autobiography that everyone bought and no one read that Frank Marshall Davis was an influence in his life. The Obama campaign disputes how much of an influence Davis was, but he had enough of an impact that Obama took time in Chicago to visit places Davis lived.
Davis was an activist communist and friend of Obama’s grandfather.
Barack Obama left Hawaii, went to Chicago, and sat in Jeremiah Wright’s church for 20 years. Among other things, Jeremiah Wright mouthed off from the pulpit about the “U.S. of KKK A”.
When he got his jump start into the major political arena, Barack Obama held a fundraiser in the living room of terrorists who had tried to kill police officers and blow up the Pentagon.
In fact, one of the terrorists, Bill Ayers, told the New York Times
”I don’t regret setting bombs,” Bill Ayers said. ”I feel we didn’t do enough.”
Ironically, the quote was published the morning of September 11, 2001 [editor's note: re-written to make clear Ayers's quote was published that day, but not given in response to what happened that day. Total, but ironic coincidence]
During Barack Obama’s political career in Chicago, he headlined an event for the Democratic Socialists of America and joined the communist rooted New Party in Chicago as a way to get leverage on the ballot.
In the White House he appointed Van Jones, a self-described communist and Kevin Jennings who has his own far-left outside the mainstream issues.
And now out on the campaign trail, Barack Obama is peddling grade school Marxism in the name of fairness.
The left may keep up the drumbeat on Mitt Romney’s conservatism, but I’d like to think some Super PAC somewhere will make sure the public knows what the media won’t tell them — Barack Obama has spent a lot of time surrounded by people who hold the founding ideals of this country in contempt.
It is an inconvenient fact “reasonable” people are not supposed to discuss, but it also happens to be true.
Morning Briefing for July 24, 2012
RedState Morning Briefing
July 24, 2012
Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.
1. Mitt Romney is Too Far to the Right . . .
2. The Cycle of Government: Subsidize the Living; Tax the Dead; Benefit the Corporate Cronies
3. Another Senseless, Preventable Death Lies At The Door of Planned Parenthood
———————————————————————-
1. Mitt Romney is Too Far to the Right . . .
The casual consumer of news hears it all the time and not just from Democratic pundits. Reporters, pundits, and concern trolls in the media fret that Romney has had to move too far right. He’s just too conservative.
These same people never stop to examine Barack Obama. Between the two, Barack Obama has repeatedly surrounded himself with people who actually don’t much care for the United States. Writing that may anger people, but it is actual, factual, fact.
Instead of considering if Mitt Romney is too far to the right, perhaps we should consider if Barack Obama is too far to the left.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
2. The Cycle of Government: Subsidize the Living; Tax the Dead; Benefit the Corporate Cronies
In recent weeks, we’ve been subjected to mellifluous pandering to our nation’s farmers by liberals in both parties. They admonish us about the need to provide farmers with a “safety net” and to protect them from catastrophic events. To that end, they are pushing a massive $1 trillion Ag subsidy, which happens to contain over $750 billion in food stamp spending.
Aside for the fact that crop insurance is something that should be dealt with in the private sector, these supporters of Ag subsidies – especially the Democrats – are hypocritical in their treatment of farmers.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
3. Another Senseless, Preventable Death Lies At The Door of Planned Parenthood
A young woman has died after having a second-trimester abortion at a Chicago-area Planned Parenthood clinic. Tonya Reaves, 24, died late Friday night, according to a local CBS television station, of hemorrhage, with a cervical dilation and evacuation, according to the medical examiner’s office following an autopsy after the abortion that claimed her life.
July 23, 2012
Morning Briefing for July 23, 2012
RedState Morning Briefing
July 23, 2012
Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.
This morning I need an editorial note for the bookends to this Briefing.
It is against my personal policy to link outside RedState in this Briefing. But on rare exception I’ve set that rule aside for things I think really cannot be missed and that might be missed otherwise. Ben Domenech’s post at Richocet warrants all of our attention. It starts the Briefing.
The last post is a rant of a personal nature, which I also typically leave out of these. I was not going to put it in the Briefing, but was really shocked by the similar stories from people across the spectrum who have likewise had unpleasant experiences since I posted it on RedState Saturday. So I decided to put it in.
Now, on to the Briefing.
Erick
1. Batman and Evil
2. So, we’re going to topple the Syrian government.
3. Small Businesses, Big Sacrifices
4. Penn State has torn down JoePa’s statue. Now the NCAA should tear down Penn State’s football program.
5. Maybe Hertz Rental Car Will Pay Attention to This
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1. Batman and Evil
You likely won’t be in a situation in your life where you are confronted by evil as murderous as the villain in Colorado or those on the screen. But you will be confronted by something that demands you set aside your fear to stand for what’s right, to sacrifice self-interest and safety for something more valuable than both. As Chesterton wrote, “The more truly we can see life as a fairytale, the more clearly the tale resolves itself into war with the dragon.”
Please click here to read the rest of the post.
2. So, we’re going to topple the Syrian government.
At least, according to the New York Times: “The Obama administration has for now abandoned efforts for a diplomatic settlement to the conflict in Syria, and instead it is increasing aid to the rebels and redoubling efforts to rally a coalition of like-minded countries to forcibly bring down the government of President Bashar al-Assad, American officials say.” Which is all very… nice. The Assad regime is, of course, a second-generation fascist regime that routinely brutalizes its own population and funds international terrorism on a regular basis. It’s even been credibly argued that the Syrian regime has existing stockpiles of chemical and/or biological weapons – you know: WMDs. Eliminating another Baathist regime from the board would be, if you’ll forgive the phrase, a mitzvah.
Please click here to read the rest of the post.
3. Small Businesses, Big Sacrifices
I awoke this morning at 5am to the sound of my six month old daughter Amelia crying. When I entered her dark room I saw my wife, struggling to stay awake, holding Amelia in one arm as she was attempting to work on her barely lit computer screen with her other arm. My wife Paula is an entrepreneur and a business owner, she also happens to be a first generation immigrant, who suffered through much chasing her American dream–all of her hard work culminating in her pledging allegiance to our flag as part of her citizenship ceremony, still one of the proudest days of our lives.
Please click here to read the rest of the post.
4. Penn State has torn down JoePa’s statue. Now the NCAA should tear down Penn State’s football program.
At 7am Sunday morning, Pennsylvania State University president Rodney Erickson released a statement announcing that the statue of Joe Paterno that has stood outside Beaver Stadium since 2001 would be removed. By half-past eight, the job was finished, and a football legend cast in bronze no longer adorned the stadium grounds.
Please click here to read the rest of the post.
5. Maybe Hertz Rental Car Will Pay Attention to This
It is rare I get to take my wife with me on a trip, but with business in her favorite city, Austin, TX, a broken rib, and a need for a break, I lined up her parents to keep our kids and off we went so she could have some fun and rest.
We only had a day – Saturday – to do anything. Friday I had meetings, radio, and went to see The Dark Knight Rises with friends while she rested from the flight. Saturday morning after some work at the hotel, then my wife and I set out to go have breakfast with friends. That is when the sheer mind numbing idiocy of Hertz collided with our one day of vacation.
July 21, 2012
Maybe Hertz Rental Car Will Pay Attention to This
It is rare I get to take my wife with me on a trip, but with business in her favorite city, Austin, TX, a broken rib, and a need for a break, I lined up her parents to keep our kids and off we went so she could have some fun and rest.
We only had a day – today – to do anything. Yesterday I had meetings, radio, and went to see The Dark Knight Rises with friends while she rested from the flight.
This morning we set out to go have breakfast with friends and that is when the sheer mind numbing idiocy of Hertz collided with our one day of vacation.
At 9:45 a.m. the hotel valet told me our rental was dead after I had called down to retrieve it. Not only was it dead, but it was a keyless entry system with a key fob. The key fob had a key in it that slides out for situations like this, but the key turned out to not actually be to the car. The fob was and key wasn’t.
In addition to not being able to open the trunk to get out my laptop bag, we were stuck.
I called Hertz and they transferred me to roadside assistance. Roadside assistance asked for the height of the parking garage and summoned AAA.
Two hours later AAA had not arrived so I called Hertz back.
The one competent person of the day who I spoke to gave me a claim number, her agent number, and said she would send a lock smith, once the car was open and I could get out my computer she’d send a taxi, get me to the airport for a new car, and Hertz would deal with towing the old rental separately.
The locksmith showed up 15 minutes later. He unlocked the car, but because it was a dead battery he couldn’t get the trunk open.
I called Hertz back, gave my claim number and the agent number of the competent agent and the new agent wouldn’t transfer me, but presumed to help me herself. I told her about the last conversation and she decided to send out AAA again instead of sending me to the airport.
An hour later AAA showed up.
In a van the same size as the locksmith’s van, but convinced he couldn’t fit in the garage, he did not have a remote battery with him. So he left.
Again I called Hertz and supposedly sometime in the next hour someone else from AAA may or may not show up.
Maybe we will get an hour or so out and about on our one vacation day.
Thanks Hertz for being so customer unfriendly.
July 20, 2012
40 Years of Deliverance, Batman, Colorado, and Ted Cruz #EERS
I’m live from Austin, TX tonight. I’ll be commemorating the anniversary of Deliverance, which for some reason put Georgia on the map instead of taking it off.
Also, we’ll get into Batman and the politicization of tragedy.
At 7pm ET, Ted Cruz will join me to talk about the state of play in Texas.
Listen live right here and call in at 1-800-WSB-TALK.
Consider this an open thread.
Joe the Plumber Will be at the RedState Gathering. Will You?
Talk about a guy in the right place at the right time. An American in fly over country just happened to get caught on tape asking a question about tax policy on small businesses to then candidate Barack Obama. Without a teleprompter to help him, Barack Obama spoke to the Ohio plumber off the cuff and from his heart.
Candidate Obama said, “When you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”
The question and the comeback made Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher a household name as “Joe the Plumber.”
He’s now a candidate for Congress in Ohio. He’ll be at the RedState Gathering in Jacksonville, FL. The Gathering takes place August 2nd to August 5th. Joe and I would love to see you there, but time is running out. We’re about a week away from winding down registration.
If you want to be a part of the RedState Gathering, go to http://www.redstategathering.com and register now.
I hope I’ll see you there.
Morning Briefing for July 20, 2012
RedState Morning Briefing
July 20, 2012
Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.
Duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh BATMAN!
1. Joe the Plumber Will be at the RedState Gathering. Will You?
2. Mr. Speaker, Tear Up This Farm Bill
3. What’s in Romney’s Unreleased Tax Returns: He Overpaid His Taxes
4. These Hands: Mitt Romney Uses Barack Obama’s Re-Marx
———————————————————————-
1. Joe the Plumber Will be at the RedState Gathering. Will You?
Talk about a guy in the right place at the right time. An American in fly over country just happened to get caught on tape asking a question about tax policy on small businesses to then candidate Barack Obama. Without a teleprompter to help him, Barack Obama spoke to the Ohio plumber off the cuff and from his heart.
Candidate Obama said, “When you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”
The question and the comeback made Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher a household name as “Joe the Plumber.”
He’s now a candidate for Congress in Ohio. He’ll be at the RedState Gathering in Jacksonville, FL. The Gathering takes place August 2nd to August 5th. Joe and I would love to see you there, but time is running out. We’re about a week away from winding down registration.
If you want to be a part of the RedState Gathering, go to http://www.redstategathering.com and register now.
I hope I’ll see you there.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
2. Mr. Speaker, Tear Up This Farm Bill
During every election cycle, virtually every Republican candidate affirms his or her support for limited government, free markets, and balanced budgets. They all tout their conservative credentials on the flashy flag-waving issues of the day in an effort to ingratiate themselves with Republican primary voters. However, it is the “inside baseball” issues such as the farm bill that expose many of them as frauds.
Put simply, the farm bill is an anathema to free enterprise, limited government, and individual responsibility. The House version (H.R. 6083) authorizes $957 billion in spending over 10 years, 80% of which will go towards food stamps. Despite erroneous claims in the media regarding severe cuts to food stamps, this bill actually consummates the Obama-era baseline into our entitlement empire forever.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
3. What’s in Romney’s Unreleased Tax Returns: He Overpaid His Taxes
Ben Domenech has been doing some pretty solid reporting in The Transom (you’ve subscribed, haven’t you?) about what might be in Mitt Romney’s taxes. He offers this morning the best and most informed theory.
Why most informed? Well, he talked to people who were familiar with the veep vetting process for McCain in 2008.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
4. These Hands: Mitt Romney Uses Barack Obama’s Re-Marx
Oh nooooooozzzeeeeee!!!!
Mitt Romney must be a racist taking Barack Obama out of context.
Why? Well, he’s using Barack Obama’s in context re-Marx from Virginia in a new web ad that I feel comfortable saying will be coming to a television screen near you soon enough.
More of this please. Honestly, this is one of the first ads from the Romney camp I feel heads in a pitch perfect direction.
July 19, 2012
What’s in Romney’s Unreleased Tax Returns: He Overpaid His Taxes
Ben Domenech has been doing some pretty solid reporting in The Transom (you’ve subscribed, haven’t you?) about what might be in Mitt Romney’s taxes. He offers this morning the best and most informed theory.
Why most informed? Well, he talked to people who were familiar with the veep vetting process for McCain in 2008.
So what about the years before 2009? We know he turned over more than two decades of returns to the McCain campaign during the veepstakes vetting process. What was in them? “Mitt’s taxes were complex, but clean. He overpaid his taxes.
An honest appraisal would find nothing to criticize, though Romney’s staff, for better or worse, doesn’t seem to trust the returns to be honestly appraised by the media,” says a source closely familiar with the 2008 vetting process. “To be clear, there’s stuff in the tax returns the dishonest or ignorant can snark at, though it pretty much comes down to criticizing Romney for being rich. There’s nothing indefensible, but as with a lot of the attacks on Bain, Romney isn’t defending. As a game theory matter, people are going to assume the worst. But presidential general election politics seems to be about something other than dealing directly and straightforwardly with issues, so maybe this strategy is focus-grouping better with disengaged independents.”
These Hands: Mitt Romney Uses Barack Obama’s Re-Marx
Oh nooooooozzzeeeeee!!!!
Mitt Romney must be a racist taking Barack Obama out of context.
Why? Well, he’s using Barack Obama’s in context re-Marx from Virginia in a new web ad that I feel comfortable saying will be coming to a television screen near you soon enough.
More of this please. Honestly, this is one of the first ads from the Romney camp I feel heads in a pitch perfect direction.
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