Guest Post by Paladin – a short commentary on HB135 (the NH “Run Away!” bill) sponsored by Stephen Shurtleff

From time to time, we accept and post up guest posts from either folks that we consider to be “notables” or from someone who has something to say.  I have also had the policy that I accept anonymous submissions as well and have put some up in the past – people who have something to say but cannot afford to reveal their identity for fear of retribution.  This post has both attributes:

“DEPUTY DAWG” as quoted by the Union Leader. Wednesday, January 23, 2013.

 “I was in the Army. We used to say the best defense is a good offense,” Shurtleff said. “But I do not believe that should be true on the streets of New Hampshire.’ The Deputy is implying that, if left to our own devices, we the people will become proponents what he called “the best defense is a good offence”; i.e. we would shoot first?

 If his HB 135 is passed, the streets of New Hampshire will offer every criminal armed with a weapon, bats, knives and even toy guns to harm anyone at will, without fear for their lives.

 The Deputy is retired from the U.S. Marshals Service and has immunity from his HB 135, under “The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA). Will he leave his home without his “piece” so he can defend himself?

 Paladin’

I will add this: with his utterance, that Paladin correctly identifies,  of “I was in the Army. We used to say the best defense is a good offense” shows a radical and perverse view of armed lawfully abiding citizens (common among Socialists and Democrats in law making positions, it seems). It also shows a weak example of Obama-lite: a strawman argument that ascribes a combat mentality to a civilian population that is accepted by no one (except by Shurtleff himself).

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Nothing Like a Meltdown During a Committee Hearing

“Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.”   —Benjamin Franklin 

Meltdown!

Meltdowns. Most people find them offensive and off-putting while I find myself amused by them. Admittedly, I am sometimes surprised…but mostly amused. Such was the case today, With House Criminal Justice and Safety Chair, Laura Pantelakos.

Rep David Murotake (R) Nashua completed his testimony opposing House Bill 135 when the rather large crowd broke into applause, despite two prior warnings of the Chair not to do so. Representative Pantelakos began feverishly hammering the podium with the gavel, and yelling for the applause to

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Second Amendment Chicago slap down…

Second Amendment fever is spreading like wildfire…even into the sanctum of Chicago-area Democrat meetings. “Molon Labe”, my friends, and enjoy (watch until the end).  

GrokTV – 2nd Amendment Rally at NH State Capital: NH Rep JR Hoell

While NH State Rep Al Baldasaro led off the 2nd Amendment Rally on Saturday, NH State Rep JR Hoell also addressed the crowd and I caught up with him afterwards for a quick interview on his take of HB135 and the Democrats wishing to strip away the ability of NH Citizens to defend themselves where … Read more

Bringing Civility to Concord….uh…..Not?

Democrats claimed they would bring civility to Concord but as Rick Olsen observed here, at the hearing for HB 135, the Democrat committee chair yelled at the people who had come to the hearing–because they applauded when they liked what they heard. “…We are forced to sit here and suffer through this…I am not going … Read more

Response to Nancy Parsons Questions about Objections to Obama’s Gun Control Policies

Perhaps other people wonder about the questions in Nancy Parson’s letter of January 18, 2013 in the Laconia Daily Sun.  (See:  http://issuu.com/dailysun/docs/lds1-18-13 ) My beliefs are based on the following: True safety requires consideration of reality not wishes. If anyone is hurt during a crime, it should be the criminal not the intended victim.  Criminals will ignore gun laws and get the guns they want.  Lack of accurate information causes many people to irrationally fear guns in the hands of law abiding Americans.

First.  I lived most of my life outside of New Hampshire in states with very restrictive gun laws so initially it felt strange to see armed civilians.  All those other states have much higher crime rates than New Hampshire, and I feel much safer in New Hampshire where criminals aren’t assured of helpless victims.

Second.  A common question among people who know nothing about guns is about “how many bullets does one need?”  The answer is, it depends.

Anyone who thinks you only need one or two bullets should go to a shooting range (there is one in Belmont) and shoot at a target (they’ll help you).  Then consider how hard it is to hit a flying bird or a running, jumping and turning animal.

Self-defense is another matter.  To an unpredictably moving target, add in surprise, fear, perhaps terror, attempts to corral and calm children, calling the police for help, perhaps an angry attacker shooting at you, and our natural hesitancy to shoot another human.

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AN ESSAY: Mark Levin & Andrew Hemingway? Or Mitt Romney & Jennifer Horn?

Andrew Hemingway For NH GOP Chair!
Andrew Hemingway…
…and Mark Levin…

Strange juxtapositions, you say? Especially when talking about the the race for NH GOP chairman between Jennifer Horn, the “establishment” choice, and Andrew Hemingway, the “Movement Conservative” choice? No, I say, not at all. Levin/Hemingway on the one hand, and Horn/Romney on the other are emblematic of the state of the Republican Party today…both in New Hampshire and in the United States. It is separated—note that I did not say

…or Jennifer Horn…
…and Mitt Romney?

“divided,” “fractured,” or “split”; the word is chosen carefully—into two divergent “points of view.” On the two sides there are what might be called “the hard-corps, committed, Constitutionalist, activist, movement conservatives” on the one hand, and the…

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Notable Quote: NH House Rep John Burt

  “Why are we not working on the budget and new jobs for NH.  No the first thing they (NH Democrats) do is gun control for NH, raise the beer tax, vehicle registration fee increase of $30.00 to $50.00 per vehicle in your driveway, gas tax increase of 20%…”

House Bill 135: Hypocrisy Abounds

“Because hypocrisy stinks in the nostrils one is likely to rate it as a more powerful agent for destruction than it is.”  —Rebecca West 

No. Collectivism of the Obama brand cannot preserve Individual Liberty

Over at Townhall was a piece on a phrase from Obama’s 2nd Inaugural Address (a paeon to Progressivism – once again “repurposing language” to sound as if he agree with the Founding Fathers but absolutely up ending the original intent):

“Preserving our individual liberties,” the President said, “ultimately requires collective action.”

A phrase worthy of the Hobbesian philosophy that Rights are determined solely by Government; that is to say, by the Collective and allocated solely by politics and power.  The piece goes through the speech and comments on how “collectivism on steroids” Obama spoke on a number of points in his speech.  I did not listen to the speech live nor have I yet read the speech in its entirety but from what I have gathered in reading other commentary, the Founders are not rolling over in their graves but were exhumed by Obama and handled as dissenters in the finest tyrannical fashion (“see that wall?”).

I had my own thoughts on this phrase and how it violated our native political philosophy and instead, is trying to “fundamentally transform” what has been our heritage into something more Marxist / Socialistic.  While it is true that the Founders agreed on the notion of “we must all hang together or we will all hang separately”, they were fighting to standalone and apart from a tyrannical Government that made decisions for all apart from their input.  After all, that is the history of Mankind – evil people wishing to either hang on to or gather power into themselves.  For politicians, in most cases (and certainly almost all on the Left) crave power and control far more than the “capitalists” they disdain and castigate for being greedy for mere money.

My thoughts (such as they are):

  • No, my Individual Freedom does not depend on collective action.  It does, however, require a belief in something bigger than self, and bigger than mere govt.  It requires that our Rights come from God, and proceeding with that premise in all that is done politically.  It requires that there is an accountability that goes beyond the Laws of the land, and the regulations they promulgate.  It requires an internally based governor that says “Thou shalt not cross this line”; something that Progressives fail to observe.

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A Kool Aid Drinker By Any Other Name…(Or Should I say Another Name?)

For a very long time now, anyone who was all in for some idea, particularly the more wacky–OK, insane– ideas, was said to have drunk the Kool Aid®.   This phrase derives from Jim Jones and his People’s Temple, who were denied exile in Russia from their paranoid-delusional self-imposed exile on an “agricultural mission” in the … Read more

Comment Doodlings: What does “Why to you Need that?” have to do with Freedom?

Over at Bloomberg, Ramesh Pnnuru has piece on “Sensible Gun Legislation”.  A ‘fair enough” piece that brings up some items that an uncle of one of the slain kids at Sandy Hook Elementary that included a legal requirement to report a imminent threat (or suffer jail time for remaining silent), a standard for how guns are secured in the home (disregarding it could result in a felony conviction / large fine), Federally paid for security reviews and upgrades and a national team of grief counselors.

This post is not about the above (other than to point out “why the heck is it the duty of the Federal Government to pay for a local school – especially the grief counselors”? If it is THAT important, why isn’t the more local level of government doing these things?  But there was one comment that I did respond to:

Asked by “Leo”:

I just have one question for Matt A: Why?

Why do you own an AR-15 and 30-round magazines?

This is a 100% serious question. I’d appreciate a frank and full response. In legal terms, “the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

Since “Matt A” had not left a reply, I left one:

Your “worthiness” evaluation of my Need is irrelevant in a Free Society.

If we truly live in the “Land of the Free”, then the phrases “why do you need that?” or “I have no idea why anyone needs <insert whatever here>  are based on an irrelevant premise.  In a Free Society, perceived “need” is only based on the what the acquirer believes to be a need – or even a want.  Not anyone else’s perception of such.

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HB 135: Legal Eagles Will Second Guess

“It’s hard to know exactly how people develop the characters they do. There could be people from humble beginnings that turn into jerks. Some characteristics are just part of that special soul of that human being.”   —David Maraniss 

Hundreds show up to voice their opposition to House Bill 135

House Bill 135 today in Concord. Ann M. Rice is the Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Hampshire. She appeared to testify for HB 135 in an effort to roll back the “stand your ground” provision passed by the last house.  Fine. whatever…it’s to be expected. Just another example of liberals thinking we the people are too stupid to exercise sound judgment.

So here we are…citizens jam-pack

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GrokTV – Right to Life Rally: interview with Ashley Pratt, Exec. Dir. of Cornerstone

Cornerstone: Cornerstone-Action and Cornerstone Policy Research are non-partisan, non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving New Hampshire’s traditional values, limited government, and free markets through education, information, and advocacy. Our vision is to create an environment in which strong families—the foundation of our society—can lead New Hampshire into a new era of prosperity and strength… I finally … Read more

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