BlueNC - Comments

Few people equals elitism

James Rivers — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:09:19 -0400

-Robert P.,

I shoot iron peep sights at high-power matches. I still use iron sights while hunting, although I will switch to a scope when my eyes get to bad to focus on the sights. I would ask who you think the FEW peoople are. Isn't that an elitist slant? With that being said maybe you or your friends with a lot of guns shouldn't own guns. Or knives, or baseball bats or samauri swords simply because someone THINKS you shouldn't. The "leakage" onto the gun show scene has never been a significant source of guns for criminals. That is a made up fallacy by the spin oriented media and Brady Campaign. Less than 1% of all crimes by gun are committed by so-called assault weapons. I have attended gun shows all my life, and street thugs would stand out like a sore thumb. Criminals typically obtain their weapons by stealing them or buying them from folks who steal them, not at gun shows.

1. Why the two weeks? What difference does that make? Some pistols are not legally allowed for hunting as they are not powerful enough. Why ban those weapons as they make great home defense or target guns? So you are saying that a semi-automatic rifle that is used for hunting is ok to possess anytime, anywhere? That doesn't make much sense as gun ownership and hunting don't have as much to do with each other as do guns and the right to keep and bear arms.
2. All other weapons should be legal to own: see above
3. How do you regulate a God Given, inalienable right? Do you fill out a Special Speech Permit to talk in front of a crowd. Or a journalist permit to post here?
4. Why lock your weapon during transport? How does one defend him/herself with non-functioning weapons? Do criminals have to abide by this one also?
5. So we pay for the action of criminals? wow! That's kind of scary. Why wouldn't the person who caused physical or property damage have to pay for it? Mental damage? So your friend or child that borrows your car and kills another in a drunk driving accident means youshould be held accountable?
6. Your exempt from civil libility if you place "The Club" or on your steering wheel and it is stolen. Maybe they steal one of your knives and kill your wife with it. Should you be held responsible for that?
7. This is interesting. Would you submit to cameras being placed in your home to ensure you don't abuse your kids, beat your wife or commit the act of sodomy. You seem to operate on the basis of guilty until proven innocent and total waiver of 4th Amendment rights. Heck, would you advocate placing a device in your car that will electronically send police computers a signal when you speed resulting in a speeding ticket being mailed to you?
8. You agree to pay 5000 for not installing a club on your automobile. You agree to pay 5000 dollars for any potential weapon not stored according to what someone else thinks? Uh huh, that's what I thought.
9. You cannot give any of your treasured possessions to sons, daughters, wives or others of your choosing. You instead ask Big Brother if you may do so. Don't give cars, chain saws, land or anything else away as someone might do something bad with it. Operating on this principle is silly and downright ludicrous!!!!!

I have a few ideas of my own:

A. Any weapon is legal in any state as per the 2nd Amendment (what part of "shall not be infringed upon" don't you understand?

B. Punish criminals, not law abiding gun owners
C. Misdiagnosis by doctor kills far more folks in the US than do guns. Lets send all those doctors away for emotional and physical damage.
D. Do away with a libility based society and take responsibility for actions.
E. Less government intrusion into the lives of Americans. Less rules and lawmaking and more personal responsibility.
F. Public gun ranges as recreational centers for young people
G. Continuation of a proud and respectable tradition of gun ownership.

Believe it or not, some of us Democrats actually think for ourselves and are not our brother's keeper!!!!!!

James Rivers

No.

Leslie H — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:45:29 -0400

I'm KIDDING!!!

It's a think tank meant to stimulate discussion and promote progressive ideals.

It looks like we're having a discussion in this thread on whether or not supporting Democrats against Republicans in general elections, whether we supported them in the primary or not, is a worthy endeavor.

My personal guess is that somewhere around January/February/March 2009 it will become very VERY clear, (sometimes happily, sometimes painfully), to Democrats who win elections in November 2008 that blueNC is most definitely not a prop for the Democratic Party.

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry Truman

Well done, Sir.

Leslie H — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:38:21 -0400

Well done.

Thanks for sharing, Linda. That's another one for the email list. :)

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry Truman

Semi Automatic weapons

James Rivers — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:36:38 -0400

Brunette,

Wow, 20 years ago this question would not have come up in Western North Carolina. With all the folks moving in from other locations, it must be hard for them to get used to the concept of individualism that locals enjoy. Anyway, not at all hard to explain the semi-automatic concept as I thought I already had. I'll be happy to do so again. Competitive shooting - a multitude of shooting events around our great nation utilize semi-automatic rifles and have done so for the past, oh, say 100 years. High Power competitions are extremely popular as they have always been with thousands of shooters competing on any given weekend. Shooters typically use M14 or AR-15 semi automatic weapons at ranges from 200-600 meters (the AK series are typically not used as they are not accurate enough). In Camp Perry Ohio, the national shooting championships are held each year to determine best shots in the nation in both military and civilian classes. Again, semi-automatics are used in many of the events at Camp Perry including high-power matches. As a side note, the military and civilian shooters use military ranges under military instruction in many areas ( I shot high power at Camp Pendelton with the Marines on many occasions as the Base Commander thought it important to give civilians a place to shoot in overcrowded San Diego). Continuing, the use of semi-automatics (dubbed assault rifles by the uninformed) have taken place in sport and competitive shooting for decades. Many of the shooters in these events go on to law enforcement and police oriented careers where a solid foundation of shooting is of great benefit. Hunting. Semi-automatic rifles are carried afield each year by the tens of thousands by hunters and sportsmen. Some on this site try and insinuate that an unfair advantage is somehow given to the hunter if he/she uses a semi-automatic. Not sure how they came by this as they seem not to be hunters. The truth is very little advantage is garnered by the hunter. Game does not typically stand by while a hunter simply blasts away. Follow up shots are few in number (you should hit it the first time) and often animals are on the move. A pump action rifle is as fast as a semi automatic and we tend to hear nothing concerning those weapons. Why is that? Some hunters choose semi-automatics because they fit well while others prefer them to other available arms. In may case I sometimes carry afield a Winchester Model 8 semi-automatic rifle. Production of the Model 8 started in 1908 with my particular rifle being produced in 1926. Frank Hammer, incidently, used a Model 8 to end the careers (permanently) of Bonnie and Clyde. So you see, semi-automatic rifles are not some new phenomenon, but rather old systems with a large following.

So there, you have two stated purposes of the semi-automatic rifle. There are more. Take home protection for instance. Several semi-automatic weapons are ideal for home defense. Take the WWII issue M1 Carbine. It is short, compact, easy to operate by those smaller in stature (women and young people), and very reliable. If I were going to arm my wife with a semi-automatic other than the AR-15 she already has access to, then it would have to be the M1 Carbine. The last, and most important purpose for owning and operating a semi-automatic firearms is simply because someone wants to and has an inherent right to. Just as you want to practice your freedom of speech, freedom of privacy, or any other inalienable rights routinely enjoyed by Americans, the 2nd Amendment is no exception. It is so important in fact that the Supreme Court is ready to rule on it in June. A balance of power is immeasurable in importance for a nation. This balance of power exists between the government and the people. Any tipping of power towards the government end of things doesn't bode well for the people. Semi automatic weapons are simply part of this balance. With Mr. Carter being a candidate to represent me in Washington, I feel an answer on his stance on the 2nd Amendment is in order. There are other Democratic politicians who have stepped up to the plate and done the right thing concerning the 2nd Amendment, and I expect Mr. Carter to or he won't get my vote.

Is this detailed enough for you Brunette? Now how about explaining your end of the issue at hand. Thank you

James Rivers

Can I get an answer to my question?

Brunette — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:35:30 -0400

Is this blog a "think tank" meant to stimulate discussion and promote progressive ideals, or is this blog a prop for the Democratic Party, no matter who says what on that ticket?

North Carolina voted for Obama. In BIG numbers.

loftT — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:30:00 -0400

I am very happy about that. It proves to me (and anyone else who would say otherwise) that we are not the state of Jesse Helms anymore.

I'd like to raise my glass and make a toast to the people in this state who care enough to engage in politics; the candidates who put their necks on the line, the volunteers and supporters who passionately worked and voted for the people who would best represent their values, and to the Democratic Party, though I curse it like a mad preacher at times, it is still the vehicle that puts more of the folks I want in place to represent me than any other party and to my fellow bloggers, without whom I would certainly have moved to Mars by now.

Progressive Democrats of North Carolina

Bottom line for me is

Leslie H — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:24:14 -0400

I'm voting for the Democrat.

That isn't just because I don't like the Republican they're running against. It's because I know that even the most corporate or conservative Democrats, deep in their gut, share two core values with me that most Republicans actually campaign against ...

1) we are all in this together, and by extension ... what harms the little guys will always eventually come around to bite the big guys in the arse.

2) that government DOES work when it is managed by decent, intelligent, hard working people. None of us believes it's ever perfect and none of us believes it is always the answer to every problem, but when people of good will come together to make something happen or fix a problem, great things happen.

Still, with all my " rah rah Democrats woohoo!!! " ravings to everyone who will listen, after the January ceremonies are over and the crowds have gone home, I intend to still be here, and there, and on Jones street when that rare opportunity comes along, offering my own arguments and opinions when I have them ... once in a blue moon. ;)

In closing, for anyone who cops out and wants to declare that, D or R, they're all sons o'bitches, I'll repeat what a good Johnston Democrat (who once sat on Senator Sam's knee when she was a wee small tot) told me soon after I joined the county party,

"That may be so, but my D sonuvabtch is better than your R sonovabtch any day of the year."

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry Truman

sit down and shut up

Pam Spaulding — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:09:10 -0400

Is this what you would prefer?

Also:
Also, lots of people don't get their questions answered on these live blogs; mine certainly don't get answered.

That's correct, and that's why I (and others who participated) asked Colleen Flanagan to follow up offline. None of us ever received the courtesy of a response. Not even the courtesy of a fig leaf to say "it's a complex issue," or "Sen. Hagan has not made up her mind." No response at all. And that isn't something that bodes well for future constituent services. All we're looking for is respectful communication.

I may not have liked the response faxed over from Senator Dole's office re: the offensive NC GOP ad, and I would certainly never vote for her, but at least I received a public response.

--
Pam Spaulding
Durham, NC USA

Pam's House Blend
www.pamshouseblend.com

blind spot

Pam Spaulding — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:04:26 -0400

Plenty of issues are clearly addressed by candidates prior to an election, some without any reference to legislation. My questions were about specific legislation. You're again failing to answer why the answers themselves would be so inflammatory about LGBT issues that they are worth avoiding. It's not "speaking out" it's stating a position. Again, you're conflating activism with a position. I'm not asking her to march in a Pride parade, I'm asking how she'd vote on a bill.

--
Pam Spaulding
Durham, NC USA

Pam's House Blend
www.pamshouseblend.com

I don't think so Linda. Resolutions have to start at the

persondem — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:57:47 -0400

precinct level. They can be considered at a state convention if 2/3 of the delegates vote to allowed it. That happened in 2006 when a slate of progressive resolutions were presented.

In the past 5 years I cannot think of a single resolution that originated at the 13th district convention which was passed on to the state convention.

Person County Democrats

Very much appreciate what he said

Leslie H — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:52:10 -0400

about both Obama and Clinton, the respect and admiration he voiced. Somehow it makes me feel calm, safe, secure, assured ... what's the word I'm looking for here .... I don't know. I feel better than before, anyway.

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry Truman

That's it!! Thank you, that's what I remebered as a cartoon

persondem — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:49:53 -0400

but it's not. It's ...

... more like Burt Lahr as the Cowardly Lion -

Could it have been Sylvester the Cat doing a Cowardly Lion impersonation??

Perhaps it's time for a glass of wine.

Person County Democrats

Thank you so much.

alicia — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:45:29 -0400

Conscious evolution, it's what turns me on. There's got to be a difference between right and wrong.-DTB

Tears in heaven.

persondem — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:44:35 -0400

Somewhere above, Dorothea Dix is weeping, and I'd bet her hands are clenched into white-knuckled fists.

Person County Democrats

And here I thought you were deflecting and dilluting an argument

Linda — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:32:35 -0400

by throwing other issues into it. I suppose you had reasons for it.

I'm finished with this topic - here. I will take it up with Senator Hagan and hope I get an answer.

Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
Pointing at Naked Emperors