Category: Politics

Friday Quote- Robert Heinlein

The police of a state should never be stronger or better armed than the citizenry. An armed citizenry, willing to fight, is the foundation of civil freedom.

Robert Heinlein

It’s that willing to fight that’s the kicker.

Friday Quote- Fleming Rose

The only right you should not have in a democracy is the “right” not to be offended.

Fleming Rose, author

I’d also throw in any “rights” that require the forcible taking of a person’s labor or treasure to give to others, such as the “right” to healthcare or the “right” to food.

Austin, the Only City in Texas Trying to Get Rid of BBQ

According to this story, the city of Austin has decided that barbecue joints need more regulatin’. I’m sure that those behind this measure will say it’s because of the environment, and how can these evil business people begrudge spending $20K to protect the future. [Insert sarcastic face].

I also have a sneaking suspicion that those behind this measure find barbecue on the “icky” side and really don’t care if some of the businesses go under because of their measure. 

Here’s hoping my favorite joint, the Ironworks, is still around the next time I make it to Austin. 

H/t Battleswarm 

Friday Quote – Frank Herbert

All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts, but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted.

Frank Herbert

Justice Thomas May Not Speak During Oral Arguments…

But damn can he write an opinion:

From his dissent in Department of Transportation v. Association of American Railroads:


In this case, Congress has permitted a corporation subject only to limited control by the President to create legally binding rules. These rules give content to private railroads’ statutory duty to share their private infrastructure with Amtrak. This arrangement raises serious constitutional questions to which the majority’s holding that Amtrak is a governmental entity is all but a non sequitur. These concerns merit close consideration by the courts below and by this Court if the case reaches us again.

We have too long abrogated our duty to enforce the separation of powers required by our Constitution. We have overseen and sanctioned the growth of an administrative system that concentrates the power to make laws and the power to enforce them in the hands of a vast and unaccountable administrative apparatus that finds no comfortable home in our constitutional structure. The end result may be trains that run on time (although I doubt it), but the cost is to our Constitution and the individual liberty it protects.

H/t Sebastian

Sweet FSM, I’m Defending a CNN Anchor

One of the “Outrages of the Day” that has been bombarding my various news feeds is a debate between CNN anchor Chris Cuomo and Judge Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court. More to the point, when the judge says that our rights come from God, Cuomo disagreed.

Transcript borrowed from Breitbart:

MOORE: I believe that’s a matter of law because our rights contained in the Bill of Rights do not come from the Constitution, they come from God. It’s clearly stated –

CUOMO: Our laws do not come from God, your honor, and you know that. They come from man.

MOORE: Let me ask you one question. Let me ask you one question, Chris. Is the Declaration of Independence law?

CUOMO: You would call it organic law as a basis for future laws off of it?

MOORE: I would call it the organic law because the United States code calls it organic law. It is organic law because the law of this country calls it the organic law of the country means where our rights come from. And if they come from there, men can’t take it away.

CUOMO: Our rights do not come from God. That’s your faith. That’s my faith, but not our country. Our laws come from the collective agreement and compromise.

MOORE: It’s not a matter of faith, sir. It’s a matter of organic law, which states, ‘We hold these truths to be held equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ And the only role of government is stated in the next sentence is to secure those rights for us. The government starts taking those rights away from us, then it’s not securing and it is defiling the whole purpose of government.

In this instance, I’m going to say Cuomo is correct. Our rights come to us from being humans. From being a sentient species.

Most of the people believe that God created Man, and therefore human rights come from God. If that’s what gets you through the day, fine. When you then use that idea to decide who does and who doesn’t get rights based on your particular writings of God, we’re going to have a problem. Just as it’s wrong when other members of CNN have advocated the restriction of rights based on political ideology.

We have rights because we are a sentient species. That wouldn’t change if there is or is not a deity or deities responsible for our creation.

FDIC Shuts Down Operation Choke Point

The FDIC is now telling banks that they don’t have to close accounts of legitimate businesses the .gov doesn’t like.

And it’s writing new rules to stop it from happening again!

To address concerns raised about Operation Choke Point, the FDIC will now require bank examiners to put in writing any recommendation or requirement for an account termination.

The examiner will also be required to indicate what law or regulation they believe the bank or the customer of the bank is violating.

Problem 1: Someone’s rung the bell. We are going to have to watch to ensure that subsequent administrations don’t pull the same trick.

Problem 2: Banks are, by and large, conservative organizations. Having been stung once for dealing with gun and gun-related industries, they may decide the risk is not worth the reward.

Make no mistake, this is a win for liberty and RKBA. The question is whether the damage can be repaired.