Now, I have her blog on my RSS feed, and I have her on at least one list on Twitter; I suggest you read her stuff, and follow suit…

Here’s her post on some (a ton) of Logical Lefties you should follow on Twitter:

http://eileenleft.tumblr.com/post/37094770495/ff-connecttheleft-a-group-of-logical-liberals-you

About 3,000 people died on 9/11 (a VERY preventable attack); There were only a handful of other deaths in the previous decade of al-Qaeda’s existence; Three times as many have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, over about ten years.

How, exactly, are we better-off fighting them “over there” again…?

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

 Dear Mr. President:

I am writing to address the issues of firearms and firearm-related incidents plaguing The United States of America.

I had an epiphany recently; I suddenly saw, in very stark terms, that “assault weapons,” and all that customarily accompanies such weapons (e.g., high-capacity magazines), are protected by the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Further, any typical “squad-level” weapon, such as an M-60 machine gun, LAW rockets, and M-203 40 MM grenade-launchers, also are protected by the Constitution.

Before I go on to explain my support for these assertions, allow me to relate the reason for my epiphany. I saw the political cartoon below:

It’s easy to infer the intent of the artist; To show the stark difference between weapons technology in the latter 18^th century, versus the extreme (but deceptive) difference with weapons of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. It’s true, the difference is dramatic, and should give any sane person pause before they attempt to argue in-favor of personal weapons that can kill so very many people, with precious little effort. It pains me greatly, but I MUST make that argument.

The Second Amendment is NOT there to protect our right to hunt rabbits and deer. It is there to 1), prevent a tyrannical government from disarming it’s citizens, in order to preserve it’s power, and 2), to provide for a Citizen’s Militia capable of effectively defending The United States, in the event of a war on American soil. Now, here comes my epiphany:

1. The modern-day equivalent of a single-shot, black-powder rifle IS a weapon like an AR-15 assault rifle.
2. Magazine size is irrelevant; A 30-round clip is essentially standard for an assault weapon, even 100 rounds is not excessive, given the context of my argument.
3. Additionally, arms that did not exist in 1787, nevertheless, ARE protected by the Constitution, insofar as they are within the standard of a “squad-level” weapon (e.g., a grenade-launcher).
4. The only direct Constitutional restrictions on such weapons is limited by a “state-of-the-art” test, i.e., what would citizens be using today, if the Revolution were fought today.

I am greatly self-conscious making this argument to you, Sir, given that Constitutional Law is your expertise. However, I am ex-military. I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. And though my service is over, my commitment to that oath remains.

Having said all this, the critical issue remains: We MUST do whatever we can to prevent the unjust death of even ONE person resulting from a firearm. It is simple to say, but difficult to do, however, what MUST be done is to strongly regulate all aspects of the sale, licensing, ownership, secure storage, and prevention of unqualified person(s) from gaining access to such powerful weapons.

In short, the oft-forgotten “well-regulated militia” portion of the Second Amendment must therefore take the forefront in our battle to never again see buried a parent’s precious child, due to the murderous acts committed by person(s) using firearms.

Preservation of democracy and freedom is often messy business; I hardly need to tell you that, Sir, as I have been paying close attention to the politics of division and obstruction that have plagued you, our states, and our citizens, for years now. However, just as the First Amendment often protects speech and expression of views the vast majority of Americans find abhorrent, so too does the Second Amendment provide very difficult challenges.

So. How do we control firearms in a responsible, Constitutional, way? Well, there is a fairly close analogy between weapons regulation and regulation of automobiles. Many thousands of men, women, and children die each year as the result of automobile accidents. We license, we regulate, we test proficiency, we patrol, yet preventable deaths occur. I submit that a similar regulatory structure would prevent most firearm-related deaths, providing the gravity of the need for control over firearms is recognized, and our regulatory actions are commensurately more stringent and deep.

Honest brokers on all sides of this issue should be heard, but regardless, our hands are tied by a very simple, straight-forward interpretation of our Constitution. A direct line may be drawn from a musket in 1787, to an M-4 in 2013. We cannot ignore this fact.

I thoroughly despise what I have been forced by good conscience to advocate in this letter. I trust, Mr. President, you will push for what’s needed and just in your efforts to never again have a Sandy Hook, or Virginia Tech, or Columbine, tear the heart out of our nation.

Thank you for taking the time to read and consider the points I’ve raised in this difficult matter. I don’t envy you, your task; To strike a balance between differing, passionate views, while the soul of a nation still mourns twenty dead babies…

God Bless You,

cc:

Senator Stabenow

Senator Levin

Congressman Huizenga

More powerful weapons than we’d like to believe are covered by  2nd Amendment rights and freedoms. Think about it; The Founders only knew of singe-shot, black-powder weapons. But they were state-of-the-art. They were what was needed to defend a country.

Unfortunately, assault weapons fit that category today. I don’t like the conclusion I’ve come to here. I do like assault weapons, simply because they are what I’m familiar with, BUT something MUST be done to tamp-down the gun violence in America!

I’m forced to conclude that most weapons that we’d like to ban, cannot be banned. I do, however, believe we can (and MUST) take extraordinary steps to keep track of these weapons, to evaluate the LICENSED owners of these weapons, and to restrict the usage on these weapons.

The 2nd Amendment IS about defending America, NOT hunting. But the “Well-Regulated“ part of the amendment is conveniently forgotten by those who can only be described as “gun nuts.”

Dear Congressman Huizenga:

Thank you for your response.

The economics of many, if not all, of these issues have been settled via non-partisan groups like the Congressional Research Service. The very fact that you are parroting the patently false claim that “entitlements” have anything but the tiniest, very marginal effect on our debt and deficit is sorely disappointing. More than that, it shows a shameful lack of regard for indisputable facts, and a lack of understanding of just how important these “entitlements” are to a STABLE American economy.

If we DOUBLED taxes on the top 2%, it would NOT harm our economy. Quite the contrary, it would force the idle-rich to reinvest in AMERICA, not invest in tax shelters in the Caymans. The FACTS side with the Democrats. Please perform due-diligence in establishing the positions you take on behalf of Michigan’s 2^nd Congressional district, and save the political grand-standing for election time.

From Balanced-Budget amendments, to the Farm bill, to the Violence Against Women Act, to Super-Storm Sandy relief, to the Fiscal Cliff, and on and on, we are getting little else from Republicans but ideological hogwash. Further, the GOP seems to fully intend to hold the Debt Ceiling hostage to more job-killing spending cuts. When the GOP wrecked our credit rating in 2011, purely for extremist, political reasons, that was effectively the end of the Republican party I grew-up with. Enough is enough, and all the gerrymandering gymnastics in the world won’t keep the recidivist GOP in power.

I have supported EVERY Republican president since Ronald Reagan; Until, that is, they ultimately proved the utter folly of their policies, or of their character, or both. It’s disgraceful, and you should be ashamed on behalf of your party.

Step into the light, Congressman. Michigan needs GOOD leaders, now, more than ever.

Sincerely,

Jason M. Rowe

29 E 18^th St

Holland, Michigan 49423

 

---

From: Congressman Bill Huizenga [mailto:mi02bhima@mail.house.gov]
Sent: Monday, January 07, 2013 4:22 PM
To: jmr@tbbps.com
Subject: Reply from Congressman Bill Huizenga

Dear Mr. Rowe:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the “fiscal cliff.” I appreciate the opportunity to hear your views.

On January 2nd, the House of Representatives voted on H.R. 8, the American Taxpayer Relief Act. This legislation was written in response to the fiscal cliff, which would be a combination of skyrocketing tax rates for all income levels and impending budget cuts that could decimate our national defense capabilities. While the measure includes some commendable permanent tax relief provisions, overall this legislation further delays a serious attempt to solve our growing spending and debt crisis.

Along with a majority of House Republicans, I opposed H.R. 8. However, it passed the Congress and was signed by President Obama. I opposed it because I fear for future generations, knowing that our nation is $16 trillion in the red. We are headed towards fiscal insolvency. H.R. 8 sends us in the wrong direction by appropriating hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending. The House of Representatives put forward a good faith effort and put revenue on the table. At the same time, it is clear that new revenue would only put a dent in next year’s massive projected deficit. We have a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

While every area of government should feel some cuts, the major driver of our deficit today is entitlement spending. We need to preserve benefits for current and soon to be retirees, while reforming the program so that it will be there for future generations. These reforms could include block grants to the states, alternative private savings accounts, advanced eligibility ages, and reducing benefits for higher earners. Continued delays will only force more drastic solutions on the American people down the road. I will continue to support measures to balance our budget, without passing job-destroying tax increases.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. EMAIL.BEGINHIDE.MERGE

 

M

Sincerely,

Bill Huizenga

Member of Congress


 

It has become critical that Democrats take control of state legislatures from recidivist Republicans. This means starting with the smallest of elections, essentially developing a Democratic “farm system,” from which state-level office can be more easily reached.

From Drain Commissions to City Councils to District Attorneys and on and on, we MUST staunch the tide of GOP ideologues, Hell-bent on turning back American progress to the 1890s.

You did not wish to challenge Governor Walker in the recall election, and that’s fine. We definitely need strong leaders like you in Washington, as well. But I implore you to do what you can to encourage a ground-swell of “young” Democrats, willing to pay their dues, and reach the highest levels of state office.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the people of the great state of Wisconsin, and to the United States of America.

I’m a former college instructor, at an institution where writing assignments were encouraged for every class. There were two main reasons for this (in my estimation): One, writing memos, reports, presentations are important parts of many business jobs, and Two, writing takes practice.

The most frequent misconception “young” writers (“young” meaning only “inexperienced”) have is that prose is easy for good writers, and these good writers were practically born with pen in-hand. Categorically, NOT TRUE.

The writing process is messy, like sausage-making. And the ingredients, when “tasted” before the “product” is finished, can be downright stomach-turning. You write, you get stuck, you brainstorm, you “free-write”, i.e., dump anything and everything you think of onto the page, but almost NEVER write a piece, start to finish, with zero changes/edits.

After years of practice, you get better at writing. You learn how to give your writings “voice”, literally choosing words and structure that feels “conversational” as you read it. You learn to avoid dead-ends, obscure references, wordy analogies, etc.

So, why am I writing this? I was in the middle of creating a Speaker Boehner satire song, and needed a break. By the way, TAKE BREAKS! A mushy brain is a damn poor generator of interesting material…

The main reason the “pendulum” is no longer relevant is we have learned enough about what makes our country function that most issues have become settled.

We KNOW social programs keep our economy stable. We KNOW human rights MUST include LGBT rights. We KNOW education is the most important factor in our nation’s success. We KNOW our gun policies have driven GUN CRIME. We KNOW health care is a human right, and failure to treat it as such would cripple our economy.

Unfortunately, “we” doesn’t include far too many GOP nutjobs, who are bent on sending us back to a simpler time, when small pox, and polio were facts of life. A time when women & minorities knew their “place.” A time when being white and male were the only things that mattered to your opportunities for success. We WILL hurtle backwards to this simple-minded, hateful, disgraceful time, IF we don’t EJECT the RWNJ’s from office.

The next election started the day the last election ended; We can’t rest, not even for a second. The Republican Party, as it stands today, is obsolete. Kick their useless asses OUT of office at ALL LEVELS, federal/state/local. Every moment these miscreants are in power is another step backward in time.

We’ve come too far to let morons like Walker, Snyder, Cantor, Scott, O’Donnell, etc, etc, etc, take away our FUTURE.