Liberty Notes

By Kevin L. Jamison Esq.

July 2004

It is a good day for Liberty.

The Bush administration’s Justice Department has successfully sued a school district.  The district had followed the example of France by banning head scarves worn by Moslem girls.  Unlike France everyone in America is guaranteed the right to practice their religion without government interference; within broad limits.  We do not seem to be getting credit for this effort in the Middle East where everything we do is taken as an assault against Islam in some quarters. 

The movie “Osama” is an Afghan movie about a girl in the Taliban era who disguises herself as a boy so that she can work.  There is no happy ending.  It illustrates what can happen when people take control who believe that religion must be as joyless, difficult, and unpleasant as possible.

I see that a “dark matter” will tear the universe apart in about 30 billion years.  Democrats are already demanding to know why the Bush administration has done nothing about it.

A Democratic organization in Florida has written that Secretary of Defense Rumsfield should be shot.  After the predictable uproar they claimed that they meant it symbolically.  The text I saw was more graphic than symbolic involving putting him up against a wall and the trigger pulled.

          The “Alamo” movie has revived interested in the Bowie Knife.  At a recent gun show I was offered Mr. Bowie’s original knife, which appears to have been made by someone named Pakistan.

          I like the show “Joan of Arcadia” in which a high school girl is given obscure directions by God to perform acts which have Unintended Consequences.  I do think that she needs an employment contract.  On a recent episode Joan’s father, a sheriff’s office detective, investigated a home invasion in which the homeowner had a gun, and the incident a relatively happy ending, however the intruder was dead.  His investigation showed that it was open and shut self-defense, but he thought that it would be best if there was a trial.  This is easy for him to say.  He does not have to be arrested, pay thousands for a bail bond, pay for the legal defense, at least one lawyer, preferably two or more, investigation, experts, and costs.  He does not have to endure the stress of being judged by his neighbors who assume that if he was arrested there must be something to it, he does not have the stress of his future decided by twelve people who have been told by the media, their schools, and the pulpit that everyone who owns a gun is evil.

Tim Oliver has tried to obtain Continuing Legal Education from the Missouri Bar Association for his LTC course.  It was denied because the bulk of the course involved the practicalities of gun use and was geared to laypersons.  I have sat through innumerable CLE courses which told us how to make methamphetamines, something valuable to know if handling such a case, but involving the practicality of drug use and manufacture and geared to laypersons.  Any attorney who is doing criminal law in this country and is not familiar with the basics of firearms is unfit for his position in the kingdom.  I was called by a Jackson County prosecutor who would be handling all the firearms cases in Eastern Jackson County.  She knew nothing about guns, knew that she was ignorant, and wanted references to increase her knowledge.  I am reluctant to help prosecutors, so often it seems like trading with the enemy.  However, she could do a great deal of harm in her ignorance, so I recommended my book as a start, and a couple other books as a beginning.

          It is encouraging that when law enforcement, politicians, lawyers, educators and so forth want answers about the LTC law, they call us.  I have been asked by the Missouri Bar Association to appear on a panel discussion on the LTC law, the Al Brooks legal team was not.  Some Sheriff offices have called for advice on implementation of the LTC law.

          I read a piece on cults.  It defines cults as any group which has a strong leader and demands absolute obedience.  I am a strong leader and demand absolute obedience, but no one listens; we dodged a bullet there.

          Michael Moore is the Leni Riefenstahl of leftist film makers.  Ms. Riefenstahl made documentaries glorifying Hitler.  Moore is, well, Moore.

          I’ve listened to a tape of THE WORLD WITHIN WAR by Gerald F. Linderman.  It concerns the effect of combat on troops in WW II.  He discusses what was called combat fatigue at the time, and called post traumatic stress disorder now.  It is quite interesting.  It also discusses what can only be called war crimes.  These range from taking gold teeth from Japanese dead to murdering prisoners.  People do things under stress they would not do otherwise.  A recent movie reminds us that even in the classic era soldiers mistreated enemy dead.

          I have been writing down the substance of these computer pop-up ads.  I hope to track down the source of these ads someday and re-enact “The Passion of Christ”, with the advertiser playing the part of our Lord and Savior, over and over again.

          The movie “Prey for Rock & Roll” is about a rock band of young women.  It contains sex, drugs (rock and roll), violence, and I fear that some references to God are not theologically correct.  It has a song called “Every Six Minutes” referring to the frequency of rape.  The singer says that if she had a bullet for every six minutes the world would be a better place.  Probably true.

          A year or so ago I saw a movie called “Ginger Snaps”, about a girl who goes through puberty and transformation into a werewolf at the same time.  Either is traumatic, they should be avoided in conjunction.  There is a sequel called “Ginger Snaps 2”.  The sequel shows that these things just do not get better.  Sequels are a commentary on the failure of our criminal justice system.

          Jacq Tucker has been our Web Captain for many years.  He did a great job.  Sheila Stokes-Begley has taken over as Webmistress.  The site continues to improve.  Some of the articles are illustrated with cartoons.  There is a new section called “Living LTC” with practical advice for carrying a concealed weapon and keeping it concealed.  If a method of carry works for you, pass the word.

          Gun Week has published a book review I did.  This influenced my Mother to read the entire magazine.  She was impressed by an article about a high school boy who raised $600 for the Second Amendment Foundation by holding a skeet shoot.  So, Gun Week can gain another reader if they keep publishing my reviews, if it’s worth that much to them.

It is said that there are more terrorists in Iraq now than before the war.  We can only hope so.  Since there are people who want to kill us, it is best that they come to the one or two places where we can shoot them. 

          Election choices often come down to a candidate who might screw us if a safe opportunity to do so came up and the other candidate who would go out looking for ways to screw us.  We dislike voting for the “lesser of two evils” and have often endorsed Libertarian candidates.  But sometimes we must choose to fight the greater of two evils, with a less than satisfactory ally. 

          Abraham Lincoln said “Important principles may and must be inflexible”.  However, we are often forced to be flexible in defending these principles.  The stronger we are, the less flexible we can be.

          A nurse in Miami was accosted late one night in the parking lot of her hospital, by a man who held a knife to her throat.  The lady had a concealed weapon.  As she shot him to save her own life, his last words were, "That's not fair."  I disagree.

          In 1933 a Des Moines Iowa mugger chose to attack Melba King, then a nursing student.  He chose to do so in front of Ronald Reagan’s apartment.  The future president leaned out his window, and in his firm sportscaster voice told the mugger that he would shoot him between the shoulder blades.  The mugger realized that it was hard to hit targets that are running like hell, and did so.  Fifty years later the President admitted that the gun was not loaded.  When we say to bring a gun to a gunfight, we mean a LOADED gun, however, it is only unloaded when the enemy knows it’s unloaded.

          Steve Umscheid, Director of the Vermont Project which fought for a Vermont style concealed carry law, has dissolved the corporation and donated $869.03 to MPS.  Steve has done great work for the movement.

          An Indiana Pizza Hut deliveryman has a License To Carry.  He used his gun when attacked and saved his life.  Pizza Hut fired the man for carrying the means of self-defense against company policy.  You might ask the Pizza Hut executives how much the company spent on security, and why their employees cannot.  Pizza Hut Inc, 14841 Dallas Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75254 (972) 338-7700.

          Senator Gibbons took a tremendous risk when he voted in favor of License To Carry.  He voted based on the evidence.  A member of the “Million” Mom March is running against him.  We will need him in the Senate next year.  Send him a note and a check at Gibbons for Senate, POB 220825.

          For 125 year only criminals carried weapons in Kansas City’s government buildings.  Since honest citizens now have the right to carry the means of self-defense the City has taken steps to protect itself.  It has banned all “deadly” or “dangerous” weapons which it defines as BB guns, pocketknives, and “electronic defense devices (tasers)”.  They specifically include defense devices.  They forbid these devices in city parking lots, so employees and visitors cannot leave them in their cars.  But the mayor has a police bodyguard; they just cannot have mere employees being defended.

          I attended the Gay Pride festival.  It was a bad place to meet girls, for me anyway.  The Kerry people and to a lesser extent Holden were all over the place.  The referendum over gay marriage will create activism in the gay community, which the Kerry and Holden people intend to exploit.

          I went to the gay “gayrage sale”.  Could not find one pink purse that would fit my .45; and they are supposed to be the fashion czars.  Still could not meet any girls.  There is a MVACA show 23-25 July, 2004 at the KCI Expo Center near the airport.  I shall try there; for girls, not purses.  The Antique Bowie Knife Association will be present, I am a member and perhaps that is just the attraction I need.

          Some years ago we reached out to the gay community after an especially nasty gay-bashing, thinking that they would be interested in self-defense, and not wanting them to do something that would ruin things for the rest of us.  They were not interested.  Their view was that everyone should stop hating them, and the government should protect them until that happened.  I don’t think either one of these things will happen, and told them so, but they were fixated on the concepts.

          It used to be illegal to engage in homosexual relations.  Offenders were put in prison, with a bunch of men.  Not well thought out.

For the next month, ask people, where are all the gunfights?  We were told there would be shootouts if LTC passed.  Call radio shows, drop the sentence, and say nothing more.  Leave the thought in splendid isolation.

          We shall overcome.