Good News

***Lots of good news this week, at least in my opinion. The Supreme Court struck down mandatory union dues and mandatory abortion counseling in pro-life clinics in California, they also upheld Trump's Muslim travel ban. This is good news not only because I agree with all the decisions, but because they are constitutional. That's what the Supremes are supposed to do - interpret the Constitution. They are not there to legislate from the bench. Equally huge is the fact that breaking today is the news that Anthony Kennedy is retiring. His voting record is pretty mixed...hopefully Trump can hit another home run with the next appointee the way he did with Neil Gorsuch. You think the Democrats have been psychotic up to now? Just wait, this will really send them over the edge.

Details here: http://www.scotusblog.com/

***Civilians around the world become better armed.

A note to the folks obsessed with somehow disarming all civilians: You may want to find a new hobby. This particular horse isn't just out of the barn, it's in the field shooting skeet.
Worldwide, there are about 857 million firearms in civilian hands—up 32 percent from the last Small Arms Survey estimates in 2006. For comparison, there are about 133 million firearms controlled by the world's militaries and 22.7 million in the hands of law enforcement across the planet.
That means a growing numbers of civilians around the world are in a position to push back against police and militaries that serve often-abusive governments, and that are already outmatched in terms of raw weaponry. In the wake of the murderous, state-sponsored horrors of the 20th century, this latest report from the respected, Geneva-based Small Arms Survey represents good news to many people (albeit not the usual suspects you'll see quoted on the news).

More at the link.

***The reason for the above? Stories like this:

Heather Mac Donald is a Manhattan Institute scholar who wrote the book The War on Cops. She argues that Americans are less safe today because police, for fear of being called racist, back off. I sometimes disagree with Mac Donald, but she is a thoughtful researcher whose ideas deserve to be heard.

At UCLA, when she was allowed to give her "Blue Lives Matter" speech, many in the audience applauded.
But then "they stormed the stage," she explains in my video interview with her.
The protesters, both white and black, shouting "Black lives—they matter!" drowned out any possible questions.
Watching video of the event, I was surprised to see what looked like a party atmosphere. Protesters smiled as they got out cameras and recorded each other.
"It's almost an expectation that if you're a minority student on campus, you're there to protest," Mac Donald told me.
Eventually, the UCLA protesters took over the stage. No further discussion was possible.

 
They are not interested in dialogue or solving any problems, they are interested in acting like the thugs they are and shouting down any opposition.

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Late one night a mugger wearing a ski mask jumped into the path of a well-dressed man and stuck a gun in his ribs. "Give me your money," he demanded. Indignant, the affluent man replied, "You can’t do this – I’m a US Congressman!" "In that case," replied the robber, "Give me MY money!"

At the height of a political corruption trial, the prosecuting attorney attacked a witness. “Isn’t it true,” he bellowed, “that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?” The witness stared out the window, as though he hadn’t heard the question. “Isn’t it true that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?” the lawyer repeated. The witness still did not respond. Finally, the judge leaned over and said, “Sir, please answer the question.” “Oh,” the startled witness said, “I thought he was talking to you.”

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In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. He then hid himself and watched to see if anyone would move the boulder out of the way. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.
Many people loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none of them did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
A peasant then came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to push the stone out of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.
After the peasant went back to pick up his vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King explaining that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

Moral of the story: Every obstacle we come across in life gives us an opportunity to improve our circumstances, and whilst the lazy complain, the others are creating opportunities through their kind hearts, generosity, and willingness to get things done.

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“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”

Samuel Adams