Page Nine

Bill of Rights Day Fast Approaching

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:53:44 -0500

Dec. 15 this year is a Tuesday, mark your calendars now.

Committees of Correspondence nationwide are beginning to prepare for the Bill of Rights Day commemoration that left people emotionally overwhelmed last year. It's time to start organizing the grandeur and significance of a public reading of our cherished charter of freedom, one of the world's most famous documents.

Simple steps for planning your own local BOR Day event:

http://www.gunlaws.com/BOR%20Day%202006.htm#BillOfRightsEventPlanning

Reports from prior events, with the lighter and darker side of it:

http://www.gunlaws.com/BOR-Day-2008-Report.htm

2008 recap (at the Wrigley Mansion)

http://www.gunlaws.com/BOR-Day-2008.htm

The Bill of Rights

http://www.gunlaws.com/TheBillOfRights.htm

Last year we had 250 people at the Wrigley Mansion, it was spectacular. We'll be back there again this year, with special guest George Washington, this invitation went out to my Arizona list:

http://www.gunlaws.com/newstuff.htm

No one gasped in shock when Obama said he was committed to the will of the people

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:14:03 -0400

During his visit to Cairo, President Obama said that he was committed "to governments that reflect the will of the people." There, in a nutshell, is the problem with his thinking, as well as with the thinking of his predecessor, the thinking of almost all members of Congress and the Supreme Court, the thinking of most of the nation's intelligentsia and commentaria, and the thinking of most Americans.

What's wrong with what he said? Well, imagine in a prior life that Obama had visited the antebellum South before blacks had become a majority of the population. Imagine that during the visit, he had complimented Southern whites for having governments that reflected the will of the people: "Hey, y'all, my compliments for reflecting the will of the people and maintaining slavery."

An extreme example? Yes, but it shows that a moral government is not necessarily a government that reflects the will of the people. Rather, a moral government is one that protects the rights of the individual -- especially against the transgressions of the majority.

What Obama should have said in Cairo was that he was committed to governments that protect the rights of the individual -- that is, to governments that safeguard the life, liberty, speech, and property of each person. Such a government wouldn't allow a woman to be stoned for adultery just because a majority believes that Allah says it's okay.

Obama didn't speak this way, because in his view of government, the individual is secondary to the will of the majority, the collective, the common good, and a charismatic leader.

Take nationalized healthcare. Obama has said that physicians are going to have to "sacrifice" to fix the problems with the healthcare system -- problems, by the way, that have been caused largely by the government he proposes as the solution.

What he meant was that for the common good, physicians will be forced to make less money. This isn't as draconian as the Incas sacrificing virgins for the common good, because, after all, "only" doctors' livelihoods will be sacrificed, not their lives. But the thinking is the same.

The danger is that if physicians can be sacrificed one day, you can be sacrificed the next day. In fact, you will be sacrificed under nationalized healthcare. The underlying premise of nationalized healthcare is that you don't own your body; instead, the collective owns it. As such, the collective can dictate what medical care you receive, at what price, and by what provider.

Sadly, it isn't necessary to trample on individual rights to fix the problems with healthcare, just as it isn't necessary to trample on individual rights to fix any social problem. To the contrary, almost all social problems have been caused by trampling on individual rights, but that's just too basic and too true to be taught in schools or to be accepted by the ruling class.

For example, the horrendous socioeconomic problems among inner-city African Americans have their genesis in government programs -- slavery, followed by Jim Crow, redlining, and the forcible taking of money (property) from taxpayers to support a welfare system that has brought two-parent black families to near-extinction and triggered severe academic problems, dropout rates, and crime (with special support from the government war on some drugs).

The use of force for other than the protection of the individual never has a happy ending.

It took mankind thousands of years to develop a political, economic and social system in which the individual wasn't at the mercy of the mob, tribe, collective, majority, alpha male, chieftain, shaman, or monarch; or at the mercy of other people's envy, superstitions, ignorance, and irrationality.

The chains that kept individuals in slavery, serfdom, subservience, penury, fear and blind obedience to some collective will and a higher authority were broken by the concepts of individual liberty, property rights, free trade, the division of labor, and specialization -- the things that made America great. The result was an explosion in prosperity, creativity, innovation, longevity and health.

The shocking thing is not that President Obama is hurriedly reconnecting the chains of collectivism and statism, just like both major political parties. The shocking thing is that no one is gasping in shock.

An author and columnist, Mr. Cantoni can be reached at ccan2@aol.com.

McDonald v. Chicago

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:41:17 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

Chicago's 27-year-old ban on handguns is coming up for challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court, with a ruling likely due by June 2010, and an oral-argument date as early as February, expected to be set soon. It is the second major gun-rights case to reach the Court, following the 2008 landmark Heller case that overturned the Wash., D.C. strict ban on working guns at home. Alan Gura, lead counsel in the Heller case, is lead counsel in this case, and is quoted as saying, "State and local politicians should be on notice: the Second Amendment is a normal part of the Bill of Rights, and it is coming to your town." The case is being brought by the Second Amendment Foundation, the Illinois State Rifle Association, and four local plaintiffs.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Although this is presented almost everywhere as a Second Amendment case, and it does and will affect 2A in profound ways, the real significance of this case is in its 14th Amendment implications.

The 14th Amendment is supposed to protect the "privileges and immunities" of all Americans. It was enacted soon after the War Between The States (1868), to prevent states from denying rights to freed slaves. The intent was to apply the Bill of Rights to people regardless of the state they were in.

This was completely eviscerated in the Slaughterhouse cases (1873), and has remained dormant since then, leaving only the due process and equal protection clauses in 14A to carry that water. You can google the elements of this situation so I don't have to bore you with the incredibly fascinating lengthy details here.

McDonald, using the Second Amendment, is a stage upon which the High Court can at last restore 14A to the prominence it deserves and is intended to have. The issue could have arisen in other contexts, but here we get a stunning two for one drama.

If 14A is restored, the benefits for liberty, limiting government, protecting states rights and civil rights, and slowing or stopping power-mad federal legislators and Congress as a whole are ginormous, with no way to adequately express in words how big that would be for your freedom -- an effect that will play out for decades to come.

So, sure, we want to see 2A "incorporated" against the states, and prevent states from flatly ignoring 2A and denying or infringing fundamental rights as they have been doing for decades. And sure, the gun-rights players and the hopelessly biased "news" media are highly focused on this important element of the case and Chicago's tyrannical gun ban for innocent people. But it is the 14A aspect that deserves at least equal attention, because it will affect the entire Bill of Rights, 90% of which could also use the help.

Don't forget that Bill of Rights Day is coming up on Tuesday, Dec. 15 this year. Mark your calendar now for events in your area -- and organize one if there isn't one already. http://www.gunlaws.com/BOR-Day-2008-Report.htm. Do something good -- send that link to your email list.

Obama's Muslim Unsupporters

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:38:47 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

From the AP: "CAIRO – Al-Qaida on Tuesday released a new 106-minute long video predicting President Barack Obama's downfall at the hands of the Muslim world.

"The Arabic-language video, entitled 'The West and the Dark Tunnel,' is part of series of messages by the organization marking the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Bin Laden released a short message of his own on Sept. 14...

"Many analysts believe that al-Qaida has been alarmed by Obama's comparative popularity in the Middle East, especially following his landmark speech to the Muslim world in Cairo in June.

"'America has come in a new, hypocritical face. Smiling at us, but stabbing us with the same dagger that Bush used,'" said Al-Qaida's No. 2 boy Ayman al-Zawahri in the message...

"'God willing, your end will be at the hands of the Muslim nation, so that the world and history will be free of your crimes and lies,'" he said addressing Obama at the end of the two-part video...

"'Unfortunately for the Democrats, and judging by their first seven-and-a-half months at the helm of the sinking American ship, the prognosis doesn't look good,' he said." http://tinyurl.com/nrf9sp

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

I can't add much to that. I've been wondering why we haven't heard much from our friends the Muslims and the religion of peace. It's interesting that they too have noticed Obama has a tendency to lie, but that of course just makes him the same as virtually every other politician in office, so it's unfair to single him out for it. Several careful analyses of his lies before Congress have circulated widely on the web and are easily googled, but are inexplicably missing in lamestream reports.

The AP translation, "God willing, your end will be at the hands of the Muslim nation," would of course have been "Allah willing, your end will be at the hands of the Muslim nation," in the original.

In late breaking news, Mr. Obama received the Nobel Peace prize, in part for his work with Muslims, according to the awards committee, surprising him and nearly everyone else on the planet, even his ardent supporters, some of whom are Muslims and are now celebrating.

Women Shooting More

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:27:33 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

Nothing.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

The National Shooting Sports Foundation's "First Shots" program has helped introduce thousands of first-timers to shooting at their local ranges. Nearly half of these participants have been female. The shooting sports are the #2 consumer sport in America, based on money spent, ahead of #3 golf by $100 million, but golf gets all the "news" coverage for reasons that were unclear at press time. http://www.firstshots.org

A new report from NSSF shows a snapshot of these new women shooters. For example, after attending a First Shots seminar at their local range, 47 percent of women have met their local requirements to purchase a sidearm, 26 percent said they have already purchased a sidearm and 58 percent said they are planning to purchase a sidearm in the future. When asked what their primary reason for purchasing a sidearm would be, 86 percent said personal protection, recognizing that when seconds count, the police are just minutes away. See the report, fascinating and data rich: http://www.firstshots.org/PDF/Female_Perspective.pdf

Impossibly Longrange Predictions

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:25:28 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

The Associated Press reports that the Congressional Budget Office study of the proposed greenhouse-gas control bill could have "comparatively modest" effects on overall economic growth over the next 40 years. The CBO estimates the cap-and-trade bill could lower the nation's gross domestic product by 1/4 to 3/4 of a percent by 2020.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

The idea that anyone, let alone an office of the federal government, could estimate the effects of a single bill on the entire national economy 12 years from now is absolutely preposterous.

The idea that the estimate could be as close as ¼ of one percent (0.0025 or 25 ten-thousandths) is patently absurd, proving yet again that reporters and the entire editorial chain has no command of math.

The AP obediently reported the report handed to it by government officials, and called it "reporting." The number of variables that could affect such a thing are incomprehensibly large, but apparently unimportant to the world's largest but math-challenged "news" organization.

This is the same government that couldn't predict people would line up for billions in free clunker cash in mere months. Months, according to leading experts, are shorter than years, and thus easier to predict. This is the same government that ran financially amok, without realizing its fiscal policies would lead to an unexpected and devastating economic crash, predicted by no one. This is the same government that wants to take over the entire U.S. health care system, but can't deliver a single poorly tested pig-flu vaccine in the face of a proposed epidemic, in a timely way. Reporters who pass such drivel on to the public, without asking even the most rudimentary questions or raising the most obvious doubts, aren't qualified to empty the wastebaskets their drivel is thrown into.

Quarter Pounder Ignorance

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:01:15 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

According to wire services, "Professional eater 'Humble Bob'
Schoudt ate 33-1/3 burritos in 10 minutes to win $1,500 in the 2009 World
Burrito eating championship at the New Mexico State Fair, edging out Hall
'Hoover' Hunt who put down 30 burritos. Competitors ate 4-ounce burritos,
each weighing about a quarter of a pound."

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Proving yet again that reporters and the entire editorial chain
has no command of math, we are forced to point out that 4 ounces IS a
quarter of a pound. Sheesh.

9/12 Was Gigantic

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:59:55 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

As many as ten thousand people demonstrated at the U.S. capitol in a loose knit organization of various right-wing coalitions and talk show hosts, including the controversial figure Glenn Beck.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

I didn't report on this last time because I hadn't gathered satisfactory accounts of how many people attended by press time. Now I find there are none. This website paints a picture totally different from the play-it-down, head-in-the-sand reporting most of America got whitewashed with: http://www.lookingattheleft.com/2009/09/conservative-woodstock-rocks-the-capital/.

I still don't have what I would consider reliable numbers, is that amazing or what? I can't even find an example of a similar body-count blackout. But it looks like the rumors of a million people may not be too large an estimate. Far left ABC TV put it at about 60K, The London Daily Mail said 2 million, and WorldNetDaily put it at a million. Images of D.C. with wall-to-wall people were avoided by the networks. C-SPAN has crowd shots that are stunning, and extended coverage that shows how much the lamestream suppressed: http://tinyurl.com/l8u3eb. WorldNetDaily did a good job on images: http://tinyurl.com/oc84v8

Shame on authorities and everyone else trying to suppress the magnitude of this uprising of peaceful, diverse, concerned Americans. CNN, stung by FOX's constant badgering for not covering the event, began running trailers saying, "Yes we did cover it, FOX is wrong!" but not one of their film shots shows the massive crowds -- even in this apologetic excuse of theirs.

The Washington Post, which needed seven writers to tell the story, did a fair job of conveying the breadth of sentiment among the marchers. However, they seeded the story with editorializing and doubts as to whether the marchers represent anything other than an extremist fringe who don't reflect sentiments across the country, or voters. http://tinyurl.com/paettc

Glenn Beck's Common Sense, the man's third NY Times best selling book, has been number one on the Times list for weeks, but why treat him as credible or culturally significant just because he spoke and a million people marched on Washington.

ACORN Still Funded

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:18:45 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

The Senate voted 83 to 7, and the House voted 345 to 75, to cut off federal funds to ACORN, a controversial and scandal-tainted community organizing group that has supported president Obama, and received support from Mr. Obama, who was their lawyer when working in Chicago before he entered politics.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

ACORN is reinventing itself as CCI -- Community Organizers International, a fact conveniently overlooked by lamestream reporters. No one seems to expect the so-called federal bans against this corrupt community organizer involved in massive voter fraud, promoting prostitution and illegal immigration, tax fraud perps and a black hole for federal cash will stop the new organization, under a revamped business structure, with the exact same leaders, staff and goals.

Specifically, the votes "to deny funding for housing and community grants" take effect if and when the Senate 2010 federal spending bill, and the House student-aid bill to which the amendments are attached are enacted as currently written. How many other types of funding this group gets, and the amounts of the cuts compared to their overall take, is unknown. The $53 million they are known to have received since 1994 does not include unknown amounts from federal block grants. The media, flush with tales of funding cutoffs, neglected to mention the ongoing funding and absence of a real cutoff.

1,400 Arrest 46

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:17:24 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

Thomas Watkins, reporting for the AP, writes: "More than a thousand law-enforcement officers descended Tuesday on the homes of key members of a notorious street gang suspected of killing a sheriff's deputy and murdering rivals while defying authorities for decades. A federal indictment identified 88 suspects and detailed criminal activity spanning more than a decade... 1,100 police officers worked with nearly 300 federal agents to arrest 46 gang members (39 were already in custody)... Among them was Tammy Armstrong, a corrections officer accused of helping incarcerated gang members... gang members strafed L.A. police in Feb., 2008... off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Juan Escalante was shot dead in Aug., 2008 in front of his parents' home northeast of downtown." http://tinyurl.com/mw2k9a

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Unasked and unanswered questions include: Why were 1,400 people needed to make the 46 arrests? Why was this known illegal activity allowed to continue for a decade before making arrests? If gang members strafe police, is it considered timely to wait 1-1/2 years to nab suspects? Corrections officers are supposed to help inmates in addition to keeping them locked up, what sort of help did officer Armstrong provide?

While it's encouraging to hear the "news" media cheerleading for the capture of 79 desperados (nine are still at large), is L.A. now safer? How many gangbangers were still operating after the media promo ended?

Well... LAPD estimates that L.A. has 463 gangs, making the 79 individuals arrested seem small. Those gangs have an estimated 39,032 members http://tinyurl.com/yqotg8. No word yet on when the rest might be rounded up, or which of them will be promoted to fill the empty slots created by those detainees who don't get back on the streets soon. No followup "news" reports on that are expected, just the rah rah for the original collars.

Stepping out further, again using LAPD figures, L.A. County has 1,108 gangs, with 85,298 members, and no word on planned arrests for them either, or available jail space for the 85,219 known or suspected gang members still at large, probably for decades.

Note that L.A. gangs are notorious for rejecting diversity and multiculturalism, according to LAPD estimates. The most numerous gangs are Latino, with 22,309 non-diverse members, and blacks (Crips and Bloods), with 14,515 non-diverse members. Rumors that white, oriental and other gangs will be filing Title VII discrimination charges could not be confirmed at press time.

Anti-gun campaigns that focus on crime as a motivator overlook the fact, with the media's assistance, that crime is largely gang related and geographically isolated, leaving much of society untouched. It's also fueled in large measure by the government's feckless War on Some Drugs, making the murder rates war deaths, not gun deaths. See the maps: http://www.gunlaws.com/GunshotDemographics.htm. It's hard to remove the failed social policies that spawn the problem, because that's what justifies much of the law-enforcement community and its budgets and jobs. The 1,400 police involved in the 46 arrests (30 per detainee) are under administrative protection and could not be reached for comment. Thankfully, not one hardened criminal on the streets for more than a decade was killed. An estimated cost to provide public defenders for the former fugitives is unknown.

Corrections: Ammo Shortage

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:38:55 -0400

As expected, the end of the ammo shortage is a spotty affair, with readers writing to say that their neck of the woods is still sparse or barren. I did say it was ending, not that it's over, sorry if I overstated the case. Cabela's locally (Ariz.) has goods on the shelves, as does WalMart and local shops, and prices are dropping. Hang tight fellas and gals, the boom is off the mad rush and I believe things will normalize soon. Sorry if I implied it was done and gone and everything was universally hunky dory.

One local customer at Walmart reports: "Just left with 6 boxes of blazer gold 50rd boxes for 8.95 each . (No more left ); and 2 boxes of .40 Blazer Gold 12.95 each. they still had 20+ boxes left; Lady behind the counter said they got in 5K of WBW yesterday in 9mm and one customer bought it all. How much you want to bet it will be out at the gun show for $25-30 per 100rd box."

One major distributor was flooded with calls because of that Page Nine report, called to set me straight that it's far from over. Gun dealers are paying retail at WalMart to obtain something to sell, ranges are suffering and having to ration, even PDs are curtailing practice. But the military has few problems, says this insider, because their small arms ammo comes mainly from AFT's Lake City plant in Missouri, and commercial providers like PMC don't compete directly (but really straight answers are a little hard to come by). Some calibers are more scarce than others, with handgun loads in shorter supply. Like I said, it's a spotty affair. And let's face it, marksmen have plenty of ammo, right? you just can't get more, or replace spent shells at a good price.

In other news, CBS TV reported on 9/23/09 that there's an ammo shortage, and background checks on gun sales have spiked. They're only ten months late, why is no one surprised.

The Austin Star-Telegram quoted me in a story suggesting there is light at the end of the tunnel: http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1639775.html. The Huffington Post carried an AP story with a dimmer view: http://tinyurl.com/ykugn24. Perhaps the real news is that America's position is more precarious than we realize, and ammo's just the bellwether -- this could happen to toilet paper, batteries, canned goods, liquor, cigarettes, candles, bottled water-- any consumer goods struck by a rumor or perceived threat, and manufacturers would not be able to meet demand.

Corrections: Obama's Eduspeech

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:31:14 -0400

I had suggested (see "Obama's Eduspeech Excelled") that if president Bush had addressed school children the way Mr. Obama recently did, there would have been an uproar from the media and the left. It turns out there was more than an uproar -- with democrats holding congressional hearings and staging a GAO investigation when Bush the 1st did that in 1991. Sorry for the misleading understatement, and thanks to C.D., for the research. http://tinyurl.com/ny3yg3. In other news, kindergarten students are being led in songs praising "Barack Hussein Obama," see it with your own eyes: http://tinyurl.com/ycbelbq "He said red, yellow, black or white, All are equal in his sight, Mmm, mmm, mm!, Barack Hussein Obama." Try this if it's been removed: http://tinyurl.com/y9aoc53

Racists Are Racist

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:03:01 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

Jimmy Carter has decided congressman Joe Wilson is a racist,
because he singled out one of Obama's highly public lies and said so out
loud.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Racism. n. A false charge, of devastating power, that can be
brought against a person without cause, especially when no real charges are
available, to gain advantage in a debate.

"Nothing is more fraudulent than calls for a "dialogue on race."

Those who issue such calls are usually quick to cry "racism" at any frank
criticism. They are almost invariably seeking a monologue on race, to which
others are supposed to listen." --Thomas Sowell

Muslim Attacks Misnamed

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:02:03 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

The nation marked the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks with rain-soaked remembrances and acts of volunteerism
honoring those who rushed into danger to help. Around the country,
Americans packed up care packages for soldiers, planted gardens for
low-income families and painted abandoned, boarded-up homes... soup
kitchens... red cross... volunteers... homeless... charity...

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

The word must have gone out, everyone got the memo -- not a
single news broadcast or print edition in the lamestream used the words
Muslim, islamofascist, radical Muslim extremist, radical Islamists, jihad,
jihadis or anything like it in describing the radical Muslim extremist
attacks on western civilization on Sep. 11, 2001, activities which have
continued unabated around the world, unrepentant, to this day.

No coverage of celebrations in the Muslim world were reported.

The phrase War on Terror has been abandoned. That's probably a good thing
because terror is a generic term, and inaccurately describes the
war on western civilization being waged by millions of Islamic extremists
with explosives, propaganda, co-opting values, birth rates, political
correctness, immigration and cultural norms.

Jones' News Vacuum

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 08:41:24 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

"The White House says president Barack Obama's adviser Van Jones is resigning amid controversy over past inflammatory statements... including comments about Republicans... Jones issued an apology Thursday... White House press secretary Robert Gibbs would say only that Jones, 'continues to work in the administration'."

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Self-avowed communist Van Jones, selected by Mr. Obama to be a government czar, has been forced from office by public outcry, proving the crucial principle once again that the public, when sufficiently aroused, can force its will even on the federal government.

Jones reportedly had not passed FBI background checks because he was subjected to them, even though communists are the arch enemy of every good thing America represents. The reasons for the reported absence of a vetting process could not be determined at press time.

The controversy over this Obama-appointed communist raged for weeks on the internet, free radio broadcasts and in person-to-person conversations nationwide. Lamestream reports of the growing political disaster for Mr. Obama were less robust, with independent research from a Nexis search prior to the dismissal showing:

Total words about the Van Jones controversy in the New York Times: 0.
Total words about the Van Jones controversy in the Washington Post: 0.
Total words about the Van Jones controversy on NBC Nightly News: 0.
Total words about the Van Jones controversy on ABC World News: 0.
Total words about the Van Jones controversy on CBS Evening News: 0.
Total words about the Van Jones controversy on CNN: 0
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/bios/byron-york.html

Perhaps the biggest story in this story is why or how the pillars of the "news" business could so thoroughly suppress a story of such tremendous signficance. It makes you wonder what else they suppress, if a communist eagerly embraced by the administration is completely blacked out.

The Washington Post published a story after the mierda hit the fan, "White House Says Little on Embattled Jones," on page A-3 of its Saturday edition. Other reports immediately after the fact remained abysmal, with the New York Times maintaining silence on the story, along with ABC's "World News" and "NBC Nightly News" for a period too long to qualify as "good journalism." And they wonder why their credibility is in cinders.

Government Incompetence Documented

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 08:38:10 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

The health care system is in such bad shape the government must step in right away and "do something," according to nearly every lamestream journalist working in America. "We've talked this thing to death," according to our esteemed leader, and "the time for change is now."

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

A review of government programs designed to "do something," conducted by Barry Goldwater, Jr., the late senator's son writing for the Capitol Times, reveals that government programs designed to do something historically do nothing except grow the size of government and leave the supposed problem alone.

The Dept. of Energy, created under Jimmy Carter in 1977 and embraced by every president since then, declared war on our energy dependence and was going to free America from its addiction to oil sold to us by foreign sworn enemies. Now in 2009, the department has 16,000 employees, 100,000 contract employees, a budget of $26 billion (that's 26,000 million dollars, for those of you who have a hard time with numbers), and we have drifted into deeper dependence on foreign energy from our enemies who suck out our cash faster than we suck out their oil (we stupidly give them foreign aid on top of oil purchases).

The War on Some Drugs started earlier, under Richard Nixon in 1969, and has been embraced by every president since then. We've spent an average of $69 billion per year (that's 69,000 million dollars, for those of you who have a hard time with numbers) and today street drugs are of better quality, higher potency, more readily available and easier for children to get than beer, because beer, also managed by the government but singled out to be "legal," requires ID.

The DEA, which manages bulk drugs coming into America for the government (with price supports, failed border checks, undiscovered tunnels, payoffs received and favors granted, missed opportunities, etc.) has 5,233 special agents, 5,551 support staffers, a budget of $2.6 billion, and has grown virtually every year since it began in 1973. They find and announce a few percent of the incoming deliveries, wildly trumpeted by their lapdogs in the press, some of whom allegedly are on the sh*t (and it's gooood sh*t).

Mr. Goldwater's analysis continues with Amtrak, which after 38 years still runs a deficit but was promised to turn into a profitable entity; the Post Office which lost 7,000 million dollars last year, the federal Reserve, which through insane practices bankrupted Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ($5 trillion dollars worth, that's 5 million million dollars, for those of you who have a hard time with numbers), leading to the housing-market collapse and the current economic woes; the new government motors company that haphazardly closed profitable car dealerships nationwide, and Medicare -- which Mr. Obama says can provide $900 billion in "new" funding for his medical plan just by eliminating fraud and waste -- this is supposed to encourage us? -- and on and on.

Barry (Goldwater, not Soetoro) has concluded that if you believe this outfit can take over medical care and do anything other than what it's track record proves it can do, you need medical care.

Health Debate Irrational

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:28:46 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

Democrats are insisting on passing Obama's health care package immediately, while republicans and some democrats are united in resisting a fix to the health care system which is in serious trouble.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

When no one knows what will be in the new or amended bill, before it's released, debate over it is irrational. "News" reporters have consistently failed to note this minor fact.

The old bill, HR 3200, remained the same outrageous jumble of government takeover, breakneck spending, bureaucratic wastefulness and bottlenecks that it was when everyone read it the first time months ago.

Fortunately, Obama's original demand that the 1,100 pages be signed by the end of the week it was released failed, so everyone got to see what was in it, and the outrage broke loose. According to thomas.gov, the last action on the bill was on July 14.

Congressman John Shadegg has a 19-page health-care proposal, HR 3218, that basically gets government out of doctors' faces, removes government restrictions so free markets can provide robust services, and it has received virtually no coverage at all. It allows buying insurance across state lines, setting up private medical coops, tax credits for medical care and more.

LATE BREAKING NEWS! The Senate has released a new health-care bill, no one has had time to read or decipher it, and the debate rages on. The pros and antis are already at it, on the same sides they were before, with the same level of understanding (virtually none), only louder.

The House version has not been released, but so what. The required combined version is not even in the dream stage, but so what.

The Constitution delegates no authority to Congress to take over the practice of medicine. Now THAT'S a big deal.

Obama's Eduspeech Excelled

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:26:21 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

The president seemed very presidential as he delivered an inoffensive speech to America's students from grades kindergarten through 12. Despite dire warning from conservatives before they even heard the speech, there was nothing to fear in the short, harmless, encouraging speech.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Obama's speech to America's school children, as finally written and delivered was excellent, it truly was. The best American values were delivered to students nationwide: study hard, you need schooling to succeed, America's future depends on you, being a basketball or rap star is not a career plan. It also proved a crucial point: the public can influence the presidency when they speak loudly enough.

1. The classroom materials distributed before the speech outraged the public, and rightly so. Mr. Obama planned an indoctrinating piece of propaganda swamped in political overtones. It is obvious the speech was rewritten after the uproar, because it didn't match the pre-release materials. The media uniformly failed to mention this, acting as if rewriting is some alien concept, or that it didn't occur.

2. Although the delivered speech was steeped in decent American values, it broke the ice on the idea that Mr. Obama can directly address children too small to understand what's happening. The appropriate timing would be during family hour so kids could watch at home with parents.

3. Children do not attend school voluntarily in America anymore -- we have a compulsory and sequestered system with harsh penalties for failure to comply for the majority of the public. Forcing a politician's speech on them under these circumstances is flat out wrong. If president Bush had attempted such a thing we know what the media response would have been. Instead of the gushing media praise we have come to expect for anything Obama, we would have vitriol and invective -- which would have been proper for the concept -- though it would have no doubt been aimed at the man.

4. By breaking the ice on Obama addresses to young children, the public must now be extremely vigilant for future speeches which may already be planned, and messages that are nowhere near as mellow as the one the public forced the president to change this time around. Don't expect advance leaks on the next speech. Extreme vigilance in protecting our children is no vice.

5. Because Mr. Obama's insiders made the mistake of distributing materials ahead of time, the public was alerted and able to assert itself in time. It also established the crucial principle that parents can have their kids opt out of nationally planned agendas in mandatory schools.

6. None of the news media picked up on this. They a) belittled the concern voiced ahead of the brazen speech plan, and b) failed to recognize that the delivered content was changed to soothe the angry pitchfork-wielding mobs who objected to an effort to solicit support of young kids into an Obama corps.

Presidential Student Indoctrination?

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:13:46 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

In a historic first-ever address by a president, Barack Obama will address every student in government school all at the same time. Conservatives are upset at the speech even before it has been given, the fools.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

While the president had planned on delivering "worshipful" civics messages (the term used by school superintendent Tom Horne), school students' understanding of real history and civics is at deplorably low levels, as measured by a simple Goldwater Institute poll.

Its report: "A Survey of Civic Knowledge Among Arizona High School Students," reveals only 3.5 percent of Arizona high school students have learned the basic history, government and geography necessary to pass the U.S. Citizenship test.

Here are the survey questions, the correct answers, and in parentheses the percentage of government-school students providing the correct answer.

1. What is the supreme law of the land?
Answer: The Constitution (29.5%)

2. What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution?
Answer: The Bill of Rights (25%)

3. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
Answer: Senate and House (23%)

4. How many Justices are on the Supreme Court?
Answer: Nine (9.4%)

5. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Answer: Thomas Jefferson (25.3%)

6. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
Answer: Atlantic (58.8%)

7. What are the two major political parties in the United States?
Answer: Democratic and Republican (49.6%)

8. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
Answer: Six (14.5%)

9. Who was the first President of the United States?
Answer: George Washington (26.5%)

10. Who is in charge of the Executive Branch?
Answer: The President (26%)

Only 40 students passed, out of 1,140 (3.5%). It isn't clear what, if anything, Arizona students are learning in these classes, but it is abundantly clear what they are not learning -- U.S. civics, history and geography. Mr. Obama's address was not expected to improve the situation. Dr. Matthew Ladner, vice president for research at the Goldwater Institute, conducted the study. http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org

Ammo Shortage Ending

The Uninvited Ombudsman — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:11:10 -0400

The lamestream media told you:

Nothing.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Ammo's back, stores are cutting their desperate orders for quantity, and manufacturers are starting to gag on excess inventory built up during the rush to supply demand, according to several sources and Miwall, the huge ammo wholesaler serving western state gun shows. The good news -- prices are starting to drop too. "We're getting new pricing almost daily," the wholesaler says, and that's expected to continue into the holidays. Probably. WalMart reportedly had 100-round boxes of 9mm on the shelves for $19.95.

Marksmen, most of whom already have sizeable supplies, topped off until they are practically out of space, and their wives reportedly won't let them start storing the stuff in the kitchen. "None of us had a personal shortage," says one anonymous sportsman with a knowing grin, "it's just that we had a hard time replacing supplies or getting goods at cheap prices, so we went to the range less, and worried."

According to an unpublished study I did for a think tank, Americans buy between five and nine billion rounds of ammo a year, virtually none of which is used in crime (the shooting sports are the number 2 consumer sport in the nation, behind exercise and ahead of golf).