Thursday, January 08, 2004

Just added some more folks to the ol' blogroll. Of particular note is the link entitled "North State Blogs". Nope, it ain't a group of Yankees. This is a link to a group of bloggers that come from or live in North Carolina. Ya see, North Carolina was called "the Old North State" way back when & it's still something taught in the local schools. I wonder if they're still teaching about the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence? Hopefully at least in Mecklenburg County, but who knows the way the government schools are nowadays.

So in honor of that (& because I'm feeling kindly homesick) I offer you the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independance in it's entirety

"1. That whosoever directly or indirectly abetted or in any way, form or manner countenanced to unchartered & dangerous invasion of our rights as claimed by G. Britain is an enemy to this County - to America & to the inherent & inaliable rights of man.

2. We the Citizens of Mecklenburg County do hereby desolve the political bands which have connected us to the Mother Country & hereby absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British crown & abjure all political connection, contract or association with that nation who have wantonly trampled on our rights & liberties & inhumanely shed the innocent blood of American patriots at Lexington.

3. We do hereby declare ourselves a free and independent people - are & of right ought to be a sovereign & self-governing association, under the controul of no power other than that of our God & the general government of the congress, to the maintainence of which independence civil & religious we solemnly pledge to each other our mutual cooperation, our lives, our fortunes & our most sacred honor.

4. As we now acknowledge the existence & controul of no law or legal officers, civil or military, within this County, we do hereby ordain & adopt as a rule of life, all, each & every of our former laws - wherein nevertheless the crown of great britain never can be considered as holding rights, privileges, immunities, or authority therein.

5. It is also further decreed that all, each & every military officer in this County is hereby reinstated in his former command & authority, he acting conformably to these regulations. And that every member present of this delegation shall henceforth be a civil officer, viz. a Justice of the peace in the character of a 'Committee-man' to issue process, hear & determine all matters of controversy according to sd. adopted laws - to preserve peace, union & harmony in sd. County & to use every exertion to spread the love of country & fire of freedom throughout America until a more general & organized government be established in this province. A selection from the members present shall constitute a Committee of public safety for sd. County.

6. That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted by express to the President of the Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia, to be laid before that body.

Ephraim Brevard
Hezekiah J. Balch
John Phifer
James Harris
William Kennon
John Foard
Richard Barry
Henry Downs
Ezra Alexander
Charles Alexander
Zaccheus Wilson
Waightstill Avery
Benjamin Patton
Matthew McClure
Neil Morrison
Robert Irwin
John Flennegin
David Reese
William Graham
John Queary
Hezekiah Alexander
Adam Alexander
John Davidson
Richard Harris
Thomas Polk
Abraham Alexander
John McKnitt Alexander"


& so as not to be without thoroughness in the matter, here's a link to the Mecklenburg Resolves of May 31rst 1775.

Ya see, when Mecklenburg County of North Carolina declared her independence from Great Britain, that effectively nullified every law in place at the time. But the declaration also adopted all former laws. what was lacking was a system of enforcement since all ties to the crown (including constables) had been severed. So the Resolves were necessary to create some kind of system of enforcing order.

I will repeat a few sections of the Resolves:

"4. That the Inhabitants of this County do meet on a certain Day appointed by this Committee, and having formed themselves into nine Companies, to wit, eight for the County and one for the Town of Charlotte, do choose a Colonel, and other military Officers, who shall hold and exercise their several Powers by Virtue of this Choice, and independent of Great-Britain, and former Constitution of this Province."

"19. That the several Militia companies in this county do provide themselves with proper arms and accoutrements, and hold themselves in constant Readiness to execute the commands and Directions of the Provincial Congress, and of this committee."

"20. That this committee do appoint Colonel Thomas Polk, and Doctor Joseph Kennedy, to purchase 300 lb. of Powder, 600 lb. of Lead, and 1000 Flints; and deposit the same in some safe place, hereafter to be appointed by the committee."

Now there is some debate as to whether or not the Mecklenburg Declaration existed. As I remember hearing it one Captain James Jack arrived in Philedelphia on June 3rd, 1775 with the purpose of informing the Second Continental Congress of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. But Captain Jack does not. The most credible speculation I've heard for his not mentioning the mecklenburg declaration is that he was afraid it would nto be received well in Congress, since they were still contemplating peace with Great britain & the wording of said declaration was fairly hostile.

But what is not in dispute is the Mecklenburg Resolves. It never crossed my mind until I re-read them a few minutes ago, but it does seem to indicate that the militia was to provide its own arms doesn't it? It provides for a general purchase of powder, shot & flint by the militia as a whole, but it seems to state that the arms are to come from the militia members themselves.

Not that this is conclusive, but it does question the idea that arms were provided for the militia by the state (or county in this case). Or more accurately, it adds more evidence against the idea that militias of the time were not privately armed.

In any event, this is the end of my reminiscing about home & its history. Please check the blogroll as there are several new blogs (new to me at least) over there. Not all are in line with my politics, but the writing & discussions offered are good enough that this isn't an issue. & check out the North State Blogs link, as it has some very well written blogs from what I've seen so far.

Monday, January 05, 2004

This will be a brief post. I plan on elaborating on it, but time constraints prevent that for now.

This thread at The High Road (mentioned below in this post about Mr. Jordan's plight) we find an interesting discussion.

You have people expressing resentment at Mr. Jordan's situation as you'd expect. But you also have something else that is not uncommon; people condemning Mr. Jordan out of hand because he broke the law.

It ranges from berating Mr. Jordan's intelligence to justifying the idea that even unjust laws should be obeyed until they are repealed. You also have those who are worried that Mr. Jordan's actions will reflect badly on the pro-gun community & those that think concealed carry laws themselves are acceptable & thus Mr. Jordan is nothing more than a common criminal.

There are also those who take these fools to task for their erreneous logic & conclusions, myself being one of them.

So if you're looking for an interesting interactive discussion, then mosey on over there & give it a read. Just don't say I didn't warn ya about what some posters are saying. Oh, & please remove any breakable objects from arms reach. Better make that two arm lengths if your last name rhymes with Bu Poit.
Lest I delay mentioning it any longer, a gentleman in Ohio needs your help.

Mr. Jeff Jordan of New Hampshire was traveling through Ohio. A state trooper claims he was speeding & pulled him over. Mr. Jordan was then searched because the trooper claims he saw a magazine pouch on Mr. Jordan's belt. Mr Jordan was arrested after it was discovered that he was wearing concealed weapons.

Naturally the press moved in to make Mr/Jordan out to be some sort of arsenal carrying extremist.

In Ohio the law is funny. If you have a weapon in the car it's a misdemeanor, but if the weapon is concealed on your person then it's a felony. Mr. Jordan is facing 2 counts of felony concealed carry.

Needless to say if he is convicted it will be bad for him, for according to federal law any conviction that could result in more than one year of incarciration disqualifies one from legal firearms possession, even if a sentence of less than a year was given.

But if Mr. Jordan wins then there's hope that the law in question which violates the U.S. & Ohio constitutions repsectively will be removed.

I won't try to decieve you: Mr. Jordan did not do this in order to challeneg Ohio's concealed carry law. He simply ignored a law that interfered with his Right to Arms. But don't let that stop you from helping him out if you are able. Despite this not being purposeful, it could still be helpful to those in Ohio & possibly those in other states. At the very least winning the case would help out Mr. Jordan, who was merely possessing the means of defense.

BTW, Mr. Jordan is known as Hunter over at The Liberty Round Table. while not a blogger Mr. Jordan is apperently a pro-Right to Arms activist with an online presence.

For more on this I refer you to this post, this post & this post (as well as a few in between) at End The War On Freedom, this post over at Musings of a Geek With A .45, & this thread at The High Road.


Donations to Mr. Jordan's legal defense can be made through

Keep And Bear Arms PMB # 141
15201 N Cleveland Ave.
North Fort Myers, FL 33903-2715
(239) 560-7566

(Checks should be made out to KeepAndBearArms.com, with a note in the memo field or attached letter stating that they are for "Hunter's Defense".)

KeepAndBearArms.com has said it will create a web page for donations & I'll update this when their page for said donations is up & running.
Fayetville Online writes a press release for the face of gun control in this country: the BATF.

"A timely phone call delivered the break lawmen needed."

The only break the BATF needs is a permanent one. Besides, calling them lawmen is like calling Satan an option provider.

"A man suspected of selling guns to drug dealers called a Fayetteville pawnshop while federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents were there investigating a case. An employee tipped agents that the caller might be one of the men they were asking about."

Uh-huh.

"The man, who called himself Mike, said he wanted to buy some pistols the next day - May 22, 2003.
Agent Rick Samples got on the phone posing as a pawnshop employee and convinced Mike to come in that day. Samples sold four guns to the man, whose real name is Reginald Paul Currie."


So Agent Samples sold guns contrary to the law. But as usual the BATF are not restricted by the same laws they would enforce upon us peasants.

"Joe Lenczyk, the agent-in- charge of the Fayetteville ATF office, arrested Currie when he stepped outside.
'It was beautiful,' Samples said."


Hmm, I wonder how many Sicherheitspolizei commented on how "beautiful" the Kristallnacht was?

So Agent Samples thinks it's a beautiful thing that he causes a man's arrest through enforcing an unconstitutional law while enjoying immunity from said law himself. That's typical of the hypocrisy inherent in a special class of citizen.

"The case was one of the biggest in the ATF's continuing effort to stop the pipeline of guns from Fayetteville to New York drug dealers."

Wait. Hold up. Are they implying that despite NYC's draconian gun laws that those they deem criminals are still acquiring arms?
The most effective way to stop this "pipeline of guns" is to legalize their sale in NYC & stop illegally restricting sales in the rest of the state.

"Lenczyk said the men bought 32 guns at Fayetteville pawnshops, took them to New York City and sold them to middlemen.
The brokers sold them to Dominican drug dealers, Lenczyk said."


Well I can't really blame them. The prohibition against purchasing Arms in NYC has really driven the prices up & made the black market much more lucrative than it'd otherwise be. Funny how prohibition always seems to do that.

"U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft highlighted the Smith case during remarks he made in December about gun crime prosecutions."

Too bad he didn't read the bloody Constitution before he went around braggin that he was vigorously enforcing unconstitutional laws.

"The practice, called straw purchasing, is illegal, relatively easy and lucrative, Samples said."

Of course Agent Sample, being the good little NAZI he is fails to mention that the law against straw purchases is itself illegal, being it conflicts with the Constitution. But why on earth would he jeopardize his job security for the sake of honesty?

& it's easy as hell. In fact in some places it's so easy that most people don't realize they're doing it. They buy a lever action for their Great Uncle or an elderly relative & instantly they're felons.

& of course it's lucrative. The Feds created a lucrative market every time they outlawed a firearm, why would it be any different because a state or city does it?

"Guns are bought in bulk and usually cost $130 to $150. They sell on the streets for $500 to $700, Samples said."

Ayup. Although the numbers seem a bit off. It's probably closer to $200 - $250 per pistol they buy & $300 on the street when they sell. Again, this is because of gun control laws that prohibit free market trade.

"Gun dealers are required to notify authorities when they suspect someone is buying guns illegally, but often don't, he said.
'We do get notification on occasion,' Lenczyk said, 'but not as often as we like.'
'There are some (dealers) that are openly cooperative and some that are reluctantly cooperative,' he said."


Of course he doesn't get as much notification as he'd like. Ideally he'd sit on his ass while every person in his jurisdiction was spying on their neighbors to inform him the second they saw any potential gun crime.

& of course dealers often don't notify the BATF. First of all this is the agency that has dominion over who gets to sell guns & who doesn't. They can walk in & inspect a store at anytime during business hours (at least once a year) without a warrant & generally they have a reputation of making life hell for people who are just trying to make a living while following their bullshit regulations. Not to different than a Sicherheitspolizei bitching because not everyone is calling them to inform on Jews.

Additionally, think about it: a straw purchaser walks into a store, purchases a firearm & then hands it over to someone else. How the hell can you tell? Outside of the nervous, firearms ignorant type how exactly can a firearms dealer determine who is purchasing for themselves & who is purchasing for someone else? Yet Agent Samples would have you believe it's simply a willful refusal to comply that prevents dealers from reporting straw purchasers.

"Gun runners have high status among drug traffickers, the agents said. 'It's done for profit, power and prestige,; Lenczyk said"

Ya know what? If I was in a place where my Right to Arms was as disrespected as NY or NJ, I'd look to gun runners with high esteem my damn self. But note how throughout the article they constantly refer to these gun runners customers as consisting solely of drug dealers. That's a little bit disingenuous considering how many people in NYC are arrested every year for no other reason than they possess an unregistered firearm.

"Tougher gun laws in other states and criminals who can't buy guns legally because of felony convictions make for a lucrative market, especially in large cities."

Keep in mind it's not just violent felons, but any person convicted of a crime that carries a potential sentence of more than one year in prison, as well as those convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors. Lord only knows how low the mark will be in ten years at the rate they keep passing unconstitutional gun laws.

But as I've said before, this is merely another example of how government regulation & prohibitions create a black market that's more lucrative than the government sanctioned one. You have restricted classes of people as well as restricted areas when it comes to gun possession or purchase, therefore the market will provide.

"The Fayetteville ATF office makes more arrests than any other ATF office in the Carolinas, Lenczyk said. Twelve agents and one lawman each from the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office and Lumberton and Fayetteville police departments investigate gun-related and other crimes in 14 counties in eastern and central North Carolina."

& they seem proud of that? An agency makes more arrest based on unconstitutional laws than any other in the state & they think that's something to be proud of? What's worse is that the local cops are complicit in this slap in the face to the Bill of Rights.

"Illegal gun trafficking causes more crime and violence wherever the guns land, Lenczyk said.
'A bad guy on the street, ... he's looking for a reason to use that gun."


No, violent criminals cause more violence. "illegal" gun trafficking does not cause violence, just as "legal" gun trafficking does not cause violence.

Further the majority of gun crimes the BATF persecutes people for is of the non-violent nature. That means the record number of busts this office makes is comprised of mainly technical violations, such as mere possession, or buying/selling w/o the appropriate permits.

So again like the Sicherheitspolizei they make arrests because a person's "papers are not in order". This is the majority, perhaps the vast majority, of cases they pursue. Remember, they're a tax agency. (Yes, I'm aware they've been transferred to the Dept. Of Justice, but their main job is to enforce the NFA of '34 & certain provisions of the GCA of '68 which are primarily disguised as tax laws.)

& I'm sure I'd disagree with Agent Lenczyk's definition of "bad guy on the street". To him it no doubt would include any person with a non violent intent who exercisies their Right to Arms without the required permission of local, state &/or federal government. To me that would encompass soley those who seek to cause harm through force or the threat of force to someone with just provocation.

"A grant from the U.S. Justice Department will allow Fayetteville police to hire a full-time technician soon to trace the history of every gun involved in a crime in the city and Cumberland County."

Your federal tax dollars going to enforce unconstitutional gun control laws yet again.

"ATF will train the technician, Lenczyk said"

Well at least we know it'll be an inefficient use of your tax dollars then, considering their history of managing another database. The bright side is it will not be a complete research effort, so some gun owners may avoid persecution. The dark side is that some innocent gun owners will likely get tangled up by the BATF's incompetence.

"Samples and Lenczyk said they hope the recent arrests change the belief of some area lawmen that the ATF is interested in snagging, but not sharing, high-profile cases.
'We don't take over local cases,; Lenczyk said. 'We pride ourselves on being the Avis of federal law enforcement. We try harder."


I think certain sheriffs in Idaho & Texas would disagree. But in any case these assholes are proud that they work hard to infringe a person's constitutionally protected Rights?

"The agents also want to dispel what they said is another myth - that illegal gun trafficking is a low-risk business.
Gun runners and felons and drug dealers with guns 'will be found and they will be prosecuted,; Lenczyk said."


I wonder how many Sicherheitspolizei said the same thing about Jews & those who smuggled them in violation of NAZI law?

& I realize I keep comparing the BATF to the Sicherheitspolizei. In a way this is inaccurate as the Sicherheitspolizei were unfortunately very competent despite the evil they assisted & committed. But the comparison is valid in principle; both are enforcing laws that are contrary to the inherent natural Rights of the ones it is enforced against.
& if the BATF wants to keep acting so similar to the Sicherheitspolizei then I say that we citizen should play our role as well. Vive Le Resistance!

To sum up, this Fayetteville Online "story" is nothing more than a fluff piece designed to make people think that the BATF is doing something commendable. In reality they are enforcing the most heinous of the prior restraint based gun control laws on the federal level & each & every one working in the Firearms division should have had several "tar & featherings" by now. They are contemptible, not because they are bad people at heart, but because whether they realize it or not they are accessories to a bad system that does great harm to the people of this country. They should be disbanded as an agency & any employee or ex-employee should be barred from holding any public office or position of public trust. That would include being a flag waver on a government funded road work project.

But perhaps too many years of seeing too many laws that disrespect my Rights have made me a bit too harsh in my condemnation of the BATF. If y'all think they deserve leniency please lemme know.

Now the worst part is these damn revenuers (they're tax agents & that's what we call 'em back home) are occupying my home state! I'm not there presently but it's always sad to see the place you grew up in being occupied by a foreign force. Well, to any of y'all behind the lines (like there are any of us who aren't) Vive Le Resistance!