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boomerscout

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Posts posted by boomerscout

  1. "Firearms stand next in importance to the constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence from the hour the Pilgrims landed to the present day, events, occurences and tendencies prove that to ensure peace security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable the very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil interference they deserve a place of honor with all that's good."

    George Washington

    First President of the United States

     

     

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    "The supposed quietude of a good man allures the ruffian; while on the other hand arms, like laws, discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as property. The same balance would be preserved were all the world destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them."

    Thomas Paine

     

     

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    "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."

    Richard Henry Lee

    American Statesman, 1788

     

     

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    "The great object is that every man be armed." and "Everyone who is able may have a gun."

    Patrick Henry

    American Patriot

     

    "I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."

    George Mason

    Co-author of the Second Amendment

    during Virginia's Convention to Ratify the Constitution, 1788

     

     

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    "A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves "

    Richard Henry Lee

    writing in Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republic, Letter XVIII, May, 1788.

     

     

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    "The people are not to be disarmed of their weapons. They are left in full posession of them."

    Zachariah Johnson

    Elliot's Debates, vol. 3 "The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution."

     

     

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    " the people are confirmed by the next article in their right to keep and bear their private arms"

    Philadelphia Federal Gazette

    June 18, 1789, Pg. 2, Col. 2

    Article on the Bill of Rights

     

     

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    "And that the said Constitution be never construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the Press, or the rights of Conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms; "

    Samuel Adams

    quoted in the Philadelphia Independent Gazetteer, August 20, 1789, "Propositions submitted to the Convention of this State"

     

    "Our main agenda is to have all guns banned. We must use whatever means possible. It doesn't matter if you have to distort the facts or even lie. Our task of creating a socialist America can only succeed when those who would resist us have been totally disarmed."

    Sara Brady

    Chairman, Handgun Control Inc, to Senator Howard Metzenbaum

    The National Educator, January 1994, Page 3.

  2. what has changed: anonymous online sales of parts and ammo, realistic video games where you are actually trained to blast the opponent, lowering the age of adulthood to 18 (even the Romans - a very brutal society - knew better than that), ending the cheap, subsidized housing for the now homeless, lack of sufficient beginning job opportunities, a very permissive culture where if it feels good then you can do it, a lessening of patriotism in society at large unless "what's in it for me?", categorizing religion as an obsolete superstition, and (with mixed feelings) abortion

  3. the firearm used at Newtown was legally registered, and owned by a probably sane person. The shooter stole it.

    I suspect most street crime guns are not registered to the person carying them

    As to Columbine, Aurora, VA Tech, if there had been proper militia citizens there, they would have been able to return fire. Those citizens closest to the shooter should have drawn immediately with pistol, mace or taser. The answer, then, is to start local militias as the 2nd Amendment requires. The National Guard is not the militia as they are under Federal control

    All mental illness? So, if I was shy I couldn't have a firearm? If I was obsessive-compulsive about handwashing, I couldn't have a firearm (I miss "Monk")

  4. "what is the best time of year to start a new boy scout troop?"

     

    There's no time like the present. First, your initial core group needs to conduct a semi-formal interest survey as to the need for a troop. Contact current Cub parents, write letters to the editor soliciting responses, guest speak at the local Lions, Elks, Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.

    If enough interest is generated, then find a potential CO and start the paperwork for that. Get the initial SM and ASMs their initial training.

    Once that is done, spread the word you're accepting Scouts.

     

    Now is a real good time because you can have most of your new Scouts pass their Second Class requirements by the time summer camp starts.

     

  5. gov. agencies such as the Nat'l Science Foundation are independent of Congress. True that they get their funds out of the Congressional budget (as submitted by the Prez), but I'm unaware of any forbidden areas other than stem cell research.

     

    No matter how qualified, a researcher can't start researching just anything. His topic has to be approved by the funders such as NSF. If the proposal counters their beliefs, there is a good chance it won't be funded. Post research peer review may also quash results from seeing the light of day.

     

    I'm all for gun use research. For instance, how did untrained (not counting French & Indian War experience) colonial militias hold off the British for three years until France came and helped.

    I'd also like to see more research on the downside of mental health drugs and treatment programs

  6. not all carjackers have guns. Some just use knives or mean looks.

     

    Many get their guns by stealing them -- from stores, pawnshops, homes. There are even illegal gun rentals -- retirement businesses for disabled criminals.

     

    The recent uprising in Libya was started with hand weapons. Not saying that friends can't then come & help. If people can be smuggled in, shouldn't be too much harder to smuggle in weapons.

     

    I'm for banning online sales of

    gun parts, ammo, and accessories. Let the local dealer see your happy shining face as he asks you, just out of curiosity, why you need 10,000 rounds

     

    There is this rumor that frequently arises that during the 70s some group came into one of the Browning factories at night (Browning had no night shift) to crank out hundreds of Browning Hi-Powers. The guard was never found for questioning (false ID, false address). This would trump any of the "Home Workshop Guns" you might consider tooling up in your basement.

     

    Many of the inner city shootings seem to involve payback for being dis-respected. I would stop the schools from teaching self-esteem, and put them back to teaching skills. If all you have going for you is self-esteem, and someone hurts your feelings, then you have nothing left, so you have to avenge this.???

  7. the Colt was long known as the Great Equalizer. It was about the only way a 140# man could defend himself against a 250# thug. Consider this scenario: two thugs are coming at you to rob you or worse. One carries a knife, the other an ax handle. You weigh 120#, and have had a year of karate. Do you really believe you will prevail?

     

    Many have mentioned keeping your guns secured at home. This means you won't have time to go get it during a home invasion, someone following you into your garage as you arrive home, or even during a carjacking with your kid in the back seat.

     

    In parallel with the broken window theory, perhaps all schools should have a dress code -- no Goth dress allowed. This Skinnering may have helped at Columbine.

     

    As the Aurora shooter's trial progresses, I hope they also indict his psychiatrist. For taking taxpayer funds under false pretenses at the very least.

     

    Putting fences around each school sounds better & better - with vibration alarms hooked to camera at the officereceptionists' desks.

     

    The latest school shooting involved a shotgun.

     

    As guns are driven underground, look for more off the books gunfactories to be set up. I just hope they don't make the bullets out of cast brass instead of lead

  8. "Yah, hmmm.... not sure why yeh would think background checks would be unconstitutional, boomerscout."

     

    because it is an infringement on the right to bear arms. If you don't like that, then change the Constitution.

     

    I like high capacity clips to be available -- the higher the better. They are harder to hide, weigh down the perp, and more frequently jam than the smaller clips

     

     

  9. I think it is really simple - either society is better off with an armed citizenry or it isn't. If it is, why restrict - i.e. churches, schools, etc. If it isn't, why allow?

     

    "Yah, hmmm...

     

    So I'm confused here, acco40.

     

    Your position is that folks who have never taken handgun training nor concealed carry classes, who quite possibly have never passed a background check, should be allowed to carry guns into a crowded school? Because da virtue of an "armed citizenry" trumps everything else? "

     

    Didn't citizenry, back then, mean you were part of the local militia? Then you would have had weapons training.

    Maybe, to own a firearm, you should be required to show up for the monthly training with the National Guard (on the firing range).

    We have to get our driver's license renewed every few years. Perhaps the permit to carry should also be term limited

     

     

     

     

  10. If it has been determined several times that viewing pornography may cause men to treat women not so well, then we need an equal amount of research into video games that promote blasting away at the opponents. This research needs to be neutral instead of by someone with a stake in the video game industry

     

    We also need a lot more research into treating mental illness, into accepting the emotionally disabled instead of ostracizing them. What is needed soonest is studying the effects of the drugs currently used as to side effects, and what happens to the mind when those drugs are no longer taken. The shooter at the Aurora theater has such a wild eyed look, and now he looks normal.

     

    More background checks are probably unconstitutional, but few have enough money to fight the government. More guns will then go underground

     

    Every community is probably breaking the law because it does not have a militia -- a major part of the 2nd that most overlook. I can see using your battle rifle just for drill (as in Switzerland), but if you want to go hunting you are restricted to a muzzle-loader

     

    Businessmen have long been allowed concealed carry as they carry their previous day's sales to the bank & back.

  11. "Da notion that some armed teacher with $30 worth of training a few years ago is goin' to safely and responsibly take out their Glock and shoot the student perp in da midst of an unexpected crowded melee is just nuts. It's Hollywood fantasyland"

    We were told -- several times -- that if you didn't practice regularly (min twice a month), you were just wasting your time with the instruction. What was interesting was when we were on the range, the female shooting club from one of the larger factories in the area showed up for their weekly shoot.

     

    If a female student is coming at you with a knife, you couldn't just shoot her in the leg?

     

    Dynamite is actually very good for defending your family if your IEDs are emplaced ahead of time

     

    Let's consider if a teacher does shoot an innocent student before nailing the perp -- is two possible deaths worse than 26 or 12 or whatever? A good case for home schooling, I guess, and never go to the movies or to camp

     

    Since a clear danger does exist, I am surprised school grounds don't have a fence around them -- would probably ruin the effect of the beautiful campus. Of course there would have to be tremblor (?) alarms on the fence and the nearby ground

     

     

  12. Firearms shooting is not the only hobby that causes an expense to the public at large. Rock climbers not reporting back in cause large numbers of S&R people to go out and look, thereby using up taxpayer dollars in wages and equip wear. Much the same can be said when crowded pleasure boats out on the water start to sink, sports cars crash into crowds of pedestrians at a street market, race cars flip over the fence into the stands, private planes crash into houses, people at rock concerts get crushed in the riots, food at picnics poisons many...

    This is going to be unpopular, but while the murders at Newtown sickened me, I blame the teachers and admin. staff. We entrust our children to their care; cowering in a closet or restroom hardly seems to be a protective act.

    Teachers, as lead by the NEA and AFT, claim they have the intelligence to be in charge of our children. Yet, after Columbine, after Aurora, after the childrens' camp in Norway, nothing much has changed. This school staff didn't even have any TASERS. Whether they choose to carry or not, basic firearms training should be a pre-req to receiving a teaching certificate. Our kids deserve at least this much.

    There are those who claim the 2nd amendment is outmoded because pistols and rifles are outmoded against air assault. If I remember correctly, the VC didn't much use air assault. Nor have those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our Prez sends in one drone strike after another; the bad guys should all be gone by now??

    There is not always a sharp dividing line between mentally ill and mentally well. It is frequently quite fuzzy. It is also, many times, not permanent. Any person could be well one day, over the edge the next, and back to being a pillar of the community the day after. What is judged sane in one group may be judged insane by some other group at the same time.

     

    "When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weight lifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable.

    When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation...and that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act." --Marko Kloos

     

    Gun violence is increasing in "gun-free" societies such as England.

    Disclaimer: The NRA Basic Pistol course was the best $30 I've ever spent. I do not own any firearms at this time.

     

     

  13. Every Scout should know how to sew. When far from home, there may be a need to replace a missing button, stop a small tear from going on a rip, patching a hole in the fabric, re-attaching a pack strap.. We have merit badges for woodworking, metalworking, welding, etc, but none for sewing. Probably not macho enough for an identity questioning age group.

    There were several make-it books in the 1970s such as "Light Weight Camping Equipment and How to Make It" by Gerry Cunningham.

    http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html

    is an old site. The gear projects are listed on the left. I've made the tarp tent several times. The key to lightweight camping is to get it to last a year or two, and not 40.

     

    Http://www.rayjardine.com

    mainly promotes his sewing kits. His book "Beyong Camping" is worth a good hard read

     

    Http://www.backpackinglight.com

    The forums section has about 180 pages of how-to and feedback on gearmaking

     

    http://www.backpacking-lite.co.uk

    One of my favorites. His article on backpack design is worth considering (Ultralight Load Carrying)

     

    Going to Philmont? In many cases the trails are smooth enough that you could just strap everything to a two-wheeled golfcart

     

    I don't have a current source for good cheap fabrics (ripstop, silnylon, etc), but a Google search should bring up plenty of potential suppliers

     

     

    • Upvote 1
  14. Instead of becoming dismayed by the total cost of the changeover, a more gradual approach may grease the skids. Have your senior patrol be the first to change over to backpacking mode, and use them as the beta testers -- determine what works and what doesn't.

    How does the troop feel about making their own backpacking gear? I am thinking of Henry Shires tarp tent as one example. If interested I will post a couple of construction sites

  15. Not sure where you got the age 14 requirement. Even for Philmont you can be minimum 13

    So, how did the Second Class five mile hike go? That should be some indication

    Since the 50 miler is not all in one day (???), this should be doable by your son.

    Does it still get cold in Michigan? Starting in January, earn the swimming mb at the YMCA, and start work on the fitness mb. About late March start on the hiking mb. Meanwhile, he can repeat the fitness routine for tenderfoot. No more elevators; take the stairs. Trips to the store of less than two miles should always be by walking. Walk home from school each day.

    Between now and then, time can be spent reading all the lightweight camping books and websites. Good luck!

  16. No one has much experience with the volcano/wood-fuel type stoves. Why? "

     

    probably because burning wood is many places prohibited even if wood is available.

    As to filtering water, we stick a paper coffee filter into the toe portion of a (cleaned) nylon stocking and pour the water thru that. Water still needs to be treated afterwards

    If this trip is to be the trip of a lifetime, you need to ease into it with plenty of ten to 15 mile weekend hike and camps. Do this every month, and the gear requirements will sort themselves out.

    How is your unit with fundraising? The troop could buy (and retain) backpacks for everyone to use.

     

     

  17. No one has much experience with the volcano/wood-fuel type stoves. Why? "

     

    probably because burning wood is many places prohibited even if wood is available.

    As to filtering water, we stick a paper coffee filter into the toe portion of a (cleaned) nylon stocking and pour the water thru that. Water still needs to be treated afterwards

    If this trip is to be the trip of a lifetime, you need to ease into it with plenty of ten to 15 mile weekend hike and camps. Do this every month, and the gear requirements will sort themselves out.

    How is your unit with fundraising? The troop could buy (and retain) backpacks for everyone to use.

     

     

  18. Meaningful happens in the pre-sale planning when you explain, in detail, what the raised funds will be used for -- to the dollar. It may help to have pictures, posters, a guest speaker or two, and the loan rock from the Tooth on display.

     

    I guess you could incorporate the popcorn into a troop merit badge program (gag!) for salesmanship, public speaking

  19. Meaningful happens in the pre-sale planning when you explain, in detail, what the raised funds will be used for -- to the dollar. It may help to have pictures, posters, a guest speaker or two, and the loan rock from the Tooth on display.

     

    I guess you could incorporate the popcorn into a troop merit badge program (gag!) for salesmanship, public speaking

  20. "who touts himself as a huge program guy"

     

    But, you didn't ask which program. Scouting is outing? White Stag leadership? Million dollar popcorn sales? Summer camp not really necessary? First class in six months?

     

    Some very casual coffee nights are needed to find out what program(s) he wants to implement/improve

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