Five O'Clock Friday: Laughing at Criminals

If they were smart they wouldn't be criminals.

The prayerful thug, John Bell, was on probation for an aggravated robbery he committed in 2015. Another career criminal proving once again that the revolving door probation system presents a real threat to civilized society. 

It's Coming, Prepare Well

This video from the so-called "antifa" movement, i.e. communist thugs, has been making the gun blog rounds. Folks are finding it easy to mock them for the obvious safety violations and poor marksmanship. The derision is well deserved.

At the same time, freedom loving Americans should take heed. Even poorly aimed bullets hit something or someone. Most street thugs aren't skilled marksmen, but they still kill people everyday.

There have been numerous violent encounters initiated by these criminals already and it's likely to escalate. Just last week a community in Oregon surrendered and cancelled their annual parade because terrorists threatened violence against participants. Too bad there weren't enough patriots, or willing cops, in the town to provide a defense against the criminals. In Berkeley recently, we saw law enforcement intentionally ignore the violence. The sad truth is the police have no duty to protect you, despite the slogan, and when the rule of law breaks down they will likely be more interested in their own safety, and that of their families, than yours.

The "antifas" are no less a threat to this country than the islamic terrorists we've been fighting for years. Indeed the two groups even share some of the same goals. Stay alert. And carry your damn gun.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The leftists around the country are becoming increasingly violent. Recent events in Berkeley are typical of what passes for "tolerance" and "peace" among the liberals and democrats.

I find it hardly coincidental that the de facto leader of the left for the last eight years devoted himself to releasing criminals and terrorists from prison, and disparaging the police, while at the same time striving to disarm law abiding citizens. Thankfully, he largely failed with the latter task.

Now we clearly see the legacy of the previous president. Unlike any president of the past, he is publicly supporting the violence, even when out of office.

A friend recently remarked, "You all want a shooting war? You're going to get a shooting war." I do pray he is wrong.

While watching the videos of the anarchy posted online, the lack of police interference is noticeable in many cases. Frankly, there's often little they can do against organized violence. I've said it time and time again, when it comes to your safety, you are on your own. It's a good time to recall the wise words of Jeff Cooper.

"The police cannot protect the citizen at this stage of our development, and they cannot even protect themselves in many cases. It is up to the private citizen to protect himself and his family, and this is not only acceptable, but mandatory."

Even In Church

The Most Reverend Manuel A. Cruz, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark, was attacked during Mass last Saturday by a man who got up from his seat at the service. The Bishop needed 30 stitches in his mouth as result of the punch. The thug who assaulted the Bishop was arrested, though no motive has been released. I'm assuming that unless the goon turns out to be a Trump supporter, we probably won’t hear much more about a motive.

We now have video of the assault.

The recording leaves me wondering why the attacker was allowed to calmly walk up to the altar. During that part of the Mass people are standing, but there is no reason for anyone to be approaching the altar. An Essex County Sheriff's Officer can be seen calmly following the guy, but makes no attempt to stop him until AFTER he sucker punches the Bishop. Inexcusable in my eyes.

Frankly, I am a little surprised the Bishop didn’t react sooner. It just goes to show that one can be blind to a threat when you have no reason to believe there is any danger.

Unfortunately this assault occurred in New Jersey, where good people are defenseless and told to rely on the police to keep them safe. How'd that work out for the Bishop? I am confident that someone approaching the altar in my church here in Virginia would be stopped before he hit the first step.

For my Virginia readers, I will remind you of the Virginia statute which vaguely states that carrying a weapon "without good and sufficient reason" in a church is not lawful. I will also remind you that former Virginia Attorney Cuccinelli offered an opinion that "carrying a weapon for personal protection constitutes a good and sufficient reason under the statute to carry a weapon into a place of worship while a meeting for religious purposes is being held there."

Tomorrow Could Get Interesting

The peaceful transition of power is one of the cherished hallmarks of this great country. But there are those walking among us who don't believe in such a freedom and resort to third-world tactics. Anarchists and other thugs are planning massive violence during the inauguration. The left has been showing its violent nature all through the election process, and their depravity may come to a head on Friday. We should pray they prove to be all talk and no action. Security will be tight around the Capitol and National Mall, but it's probably a good idea to stay alert and prepared wherever you are in the coming days.

I wonder if the mentally ill liberals at the State Department were successfully treated. At least they won't have to show up for work on Friday.

How Much Longer?

I can't help but wonder, how much longer will good people continue to stand by and watch their neighborhoods burn? How much looting and destruction will hard working shopkeepers tolerate? How many more flash mobs will attack innocents before people start fighting back? How much longer will righteous people stand by and watch anarchists violently oppose free elections?

Good men can only be pushed so far...

Fight McAuliffe Mandated Killing Zones

This alert from the Virginia Citizens Defense League highlights the hypocrisy of Governor McAuliffe and his support of gun free killing zones, applicable only to law-abiding citizens. If you are a Virginia resident, please read and take action now.

STATE AGENCY GUN BAN - POLITICS AT ITS WORST

Late last year Governor McAuliffe put into effect an "emergency" ban on the carry of firearms in state agency buildings (DMV, ABC stores, etc.), banning even those with CHPs.

What was the emergency situation that the ban was addressing?  There was none.  When was the last time you heard of a shooting in a state agency building?  When was the last time you heard about one of Virginia's 421,000 CHP holders committing a violent crime?

Everything the Governor does is based on politics and its associated rhetoric.  The state-agency gun-ban is just another example of McAuliffe putting politics over the SAFETY and RIGHTS of Virginia's citizens!

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AGREED WITH VCDL AND TRIED TO STOP THE BAN

VCDL urged the General Assembly to clarify that state agencies cannot have any kind of gun ban without the permission of the General Assembly.  Delegate Mike Webert put in HB 1096, a state-agency preemption bill, to do just that.  The bill passed the House by 65 to 33 and the Senate by 21 to 17, but did not become law because McAuliffe showed his disdain for the General Assembly and gun owners by vetoing it.

THE PERMANENT VERSION OF THE GUN BAN HAS A HEARING ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31ST

Emergency regulations cannot be in force forever; they have to be replaced with a "permanent" version.

Your written requests for a public hearing on the emergency regulation earlier this year worked! That's why the Commonwealth is having a public hearing on the permanent regulation.

The hearing is next Wednesday, August 31, from 10 AM to noon at:

Pocahantas Building (a block south of Capitol Square)
900 E. Main Street (northwest corner of 10th and Main)
Richmond, VA

**Carry is NOT allowed, with everyone having to go through metal detectors (McAuliffe, always the hypocrite, sure likes HIS security, doesn't he?)**

ACTION ITEM #1: I REFUSE TO ROLL OVER!  WE WILL FIGHT FOR EVERY INCH OF GROUND.  LET'S **PACK** THE MEETING ROOM ON WEDNESDAY!

This is a hearing, so everyone who wants to speak will be allowed to do so.  There is a sign-up sheet, with names called in the order they are on the sheet.  You will have two minutes to speak. No signs are allowed, but VCDL GSL stickers will be available.

You can simply say, "I oppose this regulation."  If you wish to say more than that, here are some talking points:

1.  Where is the problem this is supposed to solve?  There have been no shootings in Virginia state agency buildings and the ban on concealed carry is even more unreasonable, as CHP holders are the most law-abiding group of citizens in the Commonwealth.

2.  The Governor has no direct authority from the General Assembly to ban guns in state agency buildings.  To that end, this year the General Assembly passed a bill clarifying that the Governor cannot do any type of gun control without the express permission of the General Assembly.  The only reason that bill did not become law is that the Governor vetoed it!  This action ignores the will of the People, as expressed through their elected representatives in the General Assembly.

3.  Since 1960, all but two of the public mass-shootings have been in gun-free-zones, like this regulation creates.  This would make state-agency buildings in Virginia less secure, not more secure!

ACTION ITEM #2: WE ALL NEED TO COMMENT ON THE PERMANENT BAN

Click here to leave your written comment opposing the permanent regulation (my comment is the first one on the list).  The title should clearly state that you oppose the regulation:

http://townhall.virginia.gov/L/comments.cfm?stageid=7579

The written comment period ends on October 21.

The megalomaniac in the governor's mansion is the same elitist who violated the Virginia constitution in an attempt to pad the voter roles for Hillary Clinton. The governor is a political thug who cares only for his leftist comrades, not the people of Virginia.

Loser-in-Chief

The 10 US sailors taken hostage have been released, and no doubt the story will fade from view in a day or two. Prior to their release, the Loser-in-Chief gave his last discourse on how much he despises the United States of America State of the Union speech. Notably absent was mention of the nine men and one woman taken by the Iranians. Former Navy SEAL Matthew Bracken penned a very interesting comment over at American Thinker...

I rarely pull out my dusty old trident, but in this case, here goes. I was a Navy SEAL officer in the 1980s, and this kind of operation (transiting small boats in foreign waters) was our bread and butter. Today, these boats both not only had radar, but multiple GPS devices, including chart plotters that place your boat’s icon right on the chart. The claim by Iran that the USN boats “strayed into Iranian waters” is complete bull$#it.

For an open-water transit between nations, the course is studied and planned in advance by the leaders of the Riverine Squadron, with specific attention given to staying wide and clear of any hostile nation’s claimed territorial waters. The boats are given a complete mechanical check before departure, and they have sufficient fuel to accomplish their mission plus extra. If, for some unexplainable and rare circumstance one boat broke down, the other would tow it, that’s why two boats go on these trips and not one! It’s called “self-rescue” and it’s SOP.

Read the rest here... 

Bracken has real world experience and I think valuable insight, and his entire post is worth a read.

"Surveys show..."  Heh.

The Overlords Require A Tribute

Last week, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring revoked the rights of millions of law-abiding citizens to carry concealed hand guns in Virginia. His accomplice in this egregious act is State Police Superintendent Steven Flaherty, a long-time anti-gun activist in his own right. In unilaterally revoking long-established reciprocal agreements with 25 states, this team of elitists, along with Governor McAuliffe, is ultimately attacking Virginia gun owners.

The end result of revoking reciprocity agreements is that Virginia gun owners will lose their rights to carry concealed in other states. This is a blatantly vindictive move against a population, who by and large, did not vote for the Governor or AG. There appears to be an additional motive behind this action as well. It turns out that visitors to Virginia can actually still conceal carry while in Virginia, as long as they pay an extra fee to the State Police.

Lest you think this is just coincidental, on the VA State Police Facebook page, the state's spokespeople wasted no time in "reminding" visitors that "out-of-state residents can readily apply for a Nonresident Concealed Handgun Permit in Virginia." That's right, if non-residents pay the Praetorians an extra tribute, they will be allowed to once again exercise the rights that were taken away by the very people collecting the tribute. The State Police are very protective of this fee they collect for "allowing" rights. Last year a proposed bill to recognize all out of state conceal carry permits was killed in the Senate Finance committee when Flaherty's organization claimed it would lose money should the bill pass.

Remember, if they don’t want you to have a gun its probably because they want to do something to you and you would use the gun to resist.

A Government of Thugs

Elections have consequences. We're not talking about the country hosting the Winter Olympics, this is happening here. Listen to this damning testimony regarding the thuggery of the current administration.

We would do well to remember the words of Catherine Engelbrecht, "I will not retreat. I will not surrender. I will not be intimidated. I will not ask for permission to exercise my Constitutional rights."

Transcript here.

In Response to Thuggery

Texas Senator Ted Cruz has penned an awesome letter in response to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's thinly veiled threats.  

  Letter to Rahm Emanuel, Bank of America, TD Bank Group, Smith & Wesson, Ruger

We need more politicians like Senator Cruz who are willing to stand up to thugs like Rahm Emmanuel. Apparently the Chicago mayor is incapable of learning from the past.