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This is all we need. Gun carrying soldiers on nicotine fits.

BTW :FDR smoked Cigarettes
Churchill smoked cigars (and drank like a man)
Hitler was a tee totaling anti-smoking vegetarian
I know who’s company I’d rather be in

The Pentagon really has to understand that young men (and old soldiers) who are on the sharp end really don’t care about years down the road…they just want to get through the next patrol.

NannyState, you are again over-reaching.

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Subject:  Veto SB 2600

Apparently emboldened by the mass thievery going on at the national level, I see our Florida legislature has taken the policies of our Dear Leader to heart and started grabbing for cash with both greedy little hands.  I am referring, of course, to SB 2600 in which $6 million dollars from the Division of Licensing Concealed Weapons and Firearm Trust Fund has been raided in a move that would make Vikings, Mongols and Tuskens quite proud.  

I am the kind of voter who insists on research, and ordinarily I would quadruple-check anything disseminated by the NRA, however, I am most irritatingly required to rely on the their report of this misappropriation due to the myfloridahouse.gov website’s pitiful coding, which prompts me to download the ASP file that should instead be displaying the full text of the bill.  

I sincerely hope this isn’t by design.  That’s the sort of thing that could cause people to start filing lawsuits.

As a Citizen of this country, as a CCW holder in the state of Florida, I urge you to put an end to this foolishness.  Line-item veto this misappropriation, line-item veto the threat to our state’s education budget if their trust fund theft is circumvented, and shine the light of publicity on the cockroaches that conceived the entire scheme.  Prove to us that you’re different, that you’re not the typical politician, that you deserve your Governorship and a future Senate seat.

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All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

(emphasis mine)

This is important because it means that when the US signs a treaty, we are then committed to fully and completely honoring it with the full force of law from the Federal level all the way down to your local sheriff.

Consider for a minute the Kyoto Protocol.  If the US signed onto it, it would mean that the UN suddenly has the right to limit American ingenuty, technology, industry, advancement,  prosperity, and sovereignty.  It is a way of imposing taxes on industrial countries, paid to an un-elected world body with no enforcement powers, for the dubious cause of promoting second and third world dictators and despots with our cash.  All based on a pseudo-science of global warming that more scientists daily are speaking out AGAINST.

And if we signed it, we’d be on the hook.

Now take the Law of the Sea Treaty.  This Treaty has been bouncing around the UN since the Fifties and again, the US has refused to sign it. And for good reasons too:

• It vested control over seabed mining in countries that do not possess the necessary technology.
• Its governing structure guaranteed a permanent majority to the less developed countries of the G-77.
• It burdened companies who would be interested in mining with unusual costs and obligations and provided various permanent advantages to their competition. Private companies would bear the expense of developing technology, of prospecting, of paying taxes. The Authority would bear none of these. Moreover, the private company would be required to sell its technology to buyers and at prices determined by the Authority. The duration and extent of the mining rights would be determined by the Authority.
• These regulatory powers would protect markets and prices from the competition of seabed mining.

In plain English, it means that yet again, a UN council will be able to tell industrialized countries or what private companies within those countries CAN’T do, under law, within their own territorial waters, where ships of commerce or war can or cannot travel, and imposes fines (again paid to an unelected body with no enforcement power that supports dictators and despots) for violations. See this article for more detailed reasons the LOS treaty is a very bad idea.  Just a taste:

“One of the concerns raised by critics of the Law of the Sea Treaty is that it could be used to sharply limit U.S. military operations.  Among the examples they cite is Article 20, which stipulates: “In the territorial sea, submarines and other underwater vehicles are required to navigate on the surface and to show their flag.”

That pretty much sounds like someone else telling us, the United States, how we can deploy our own defense structure.  Answer the question of why anyone would want to force that issue and you have your answer about the real meaning of and reason for the proposed treaty.

Which brings me to the inspiration for this piece:  It seems that a treaty we signed is having some negative ramifications right here and now.  These folks seem to be in the right, constitutionally speaking.  Morally, I find it repugnant.  What I find more repugnant, however, is that the same administration that signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child sued these two towns in California who took advantage of it…and the current administration has done nothing to stop the lawsuit from pressing forward.

Washington DC, listen up. You can’t have it both ways.  It could be that this is just another case of our legislature not reading the damn bill or upon reading it didn’t understand its ramifications. Once signed and ratified, however, it is the law of the land.  If you want to break the treaty, fine.  If you wanted exemptions to the treaty, you should have done so before it was signed and ratified.  Take this as a learning moment and consider carefully the next time you have to, you know, actually THINK about something before you do it.

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A quick precis, Texas declared independence and became their own country in 1836. In the first elections held in this new country, the citizens of the Republic voted to become a member state of the United States, but backbiting and backstabbing and political infighting between Texas and DC prevented it from happening until 1845.  The annexation of Texas to the US was so divisive (including late-night, quorum-free votes in DC to annex the independent nation whether they wanted it or not and using military force if required) that eventually TX and DC decided the only way it could be accomplished was for the Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States to be passed.  Unfortunately for Gov. Perry, not once in this agreement, nor any subsequent or supplanting documentation, is the right of Texas to secede and become and independent Republic again ever mentioned.

However:

New States of convenient size not exceeding four in number, in addition to said State of Texas and having sufficient population, may, hereafter by the consent of said State, be formed out of the territory thereof, which shall be entitled to admission under the provisions of the Federal Constitution

Nowhere does it say that what these four additional states will be called, where they will be located within the territory of the Republic, how large these states must be, or, and here is the kicker, that they MUST treat to become states of the United States.  That’s right folks, we have ourselves a loophole. Now, let us look at a map:

An argument could be made, not a good one mind you, that Texas already did this when the State of Texas sold off the chunk of land to the US that eventually was incorporated into several other states.  But you would be wrong. At best, it only means that Texas has divided itself ONCE and the Federal government did the dividing.  That still leaves three more states that can be added into the current borders of the State of Texas. (Really it is still four, but I’m trying to throw a bone here since the State of West Texas was later dissolved.)

Nowhere, in any of the eight constitutions that the State of Texas has been under since it first declared independence, seceded from the US and joined the Confederacy, rejoined the Union under Reconstruction, no where, has anything ever been written to disallow the division of Texas into several smaller States.  Further, nowhere does it say that those states have to join the Union if they do separate.

Gov. Perry, your duty seems clear.  You have the power, never once retracted, to divide your State into five States.  You can leave the borders of “Texas” as the city limits of El Paso if you want to do so and divvy up the rest into  New Texas, South Texas, Panhandle Texas, and East Texas.  These four new Texan States would be free to join the Union dependent upon the will of the voters in each area.  Or, you know, to not join.  Personally, I just want to know you are doing for the right reasons.  Your Bill Of Rights has remained more full bodied and well enumerated since the inception of the Republic. (Your current hash of amendments to the Constitution of 1876 is worse than here in FL, and that’s saying something; but that’s another show.)  If you are ready to follow the letter of the law, to stand up to what you see as an over-reaching, over-taxing, power hungry Federal government, do it the right way.  Use the Law correctly:  not as a sword to thrust at your political opponents, but as a shield to protect your citizens.  You have a moral obligation, sir, to do what is right for your people.

And I will stand with you.

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This week we have been called racists, bigots, revolutionaries, and sore losers.  That is just what the news broadcasters have called us.  Short sighted celebs have had to go out and make sure that their own vapid excuses for thoughts were heard.  The blogs have been worse, trying to  incite, to intimidate, and following blindly a course that I can’t even begin to understand, let alone consider even remotely intelligent.  But when asked to explain themselves, they go off on tangents, attack the questioner rather than answer the question, and act like the logical answers we are asking for are just too complex for us little people.  We are the chattering masses after all.  Our politicians, the ones who are supposed to have the ENTIRE country’s future in mind, jump right down in the gutter with the blogs and the press. And isn’t it just wonderful that 44’s staff say the Man isn’t even aware of these Tea Parties?

So you know, as far as a week in review goes, there ain’t nothing new here.

We knew before Wednesday that the press wouldn’t get it.  We knew that J9 Gaff-o-tron would react the way she did.  We knew that certain members of our legislature would downtalk it.

Ain’t nothing new here.

Well, here’s something you might not have known.  At the Tampa Tea Party, a woman, a black, and a Cuban, were the speakers.  And they were cheered by the crowd for what they had to say, not because it was politically correct to be polite to minority figures.

Here’s something you might not have known…that CNN reporter who made an ass of herself in the Land of Lincoln is now on an unscheduled vacation.

Here’s something you might not have known… parks and downtowns and courthouses where the Tea Parties were held around the country, were actually cleaner when we left than when we got there.  The crowd was as polite as any you could ask for. “Pardon me, thank you, let me help you with that, please” were the rule, kinda like at a crowded gun show.

One more thing you might not have known:  This Party Is Not Over.

Plans are in the works around the country for more rallies.  Statehouse steps are going to be filled by patriots and malcontents alike.  We are going to keep reminding our hirelings that we are in charge.  We are going to keep voicing our concerns.  We are going to keep writing, emailing, and calling our representatives, to give them the chance to actually represent US.  This time, we had somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 people show up.  Next time it will larger.  This time, some of our speakers wandered a bit in their message. Next time we are going to focus tighter.  This time, we had Republicans, Democrats, Green Party, Ron Paulers, Constitutioners, and Libertarians all standing together with folks who were none of those things.  Next time, we will have the same thing, only larger.

This. Party. Is. Not. Over.

And now, pictures of the Tampa Tea Party:

[View with PicLens]

12►

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First off, to show CNN that it wasn’t just Republicans, the following two:

Next, this sign might be hard to read, but it says a little something about the DHS report:

And reader Jarrod sent us this pic by didn’t tell us where it happened.  He says the sign was the give away, but he couldn’t get a shot of the “I aim to Misbehave” shirts.

That’s all for now.  We will be adding more as they come in. Thanks to everyone who has sent in their links too.

Update from one of my favorite places, Couer d”Alene, Idaho. (They make silver there.)

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