The Greatest Constitutional Amendment Ever?
So, it's Constitution Day. To help celebrate this occasion, I thought it might be fun to share one of the more amusing stories of a proposed constitutional amendment. On reflection, it does seem to make a lot of sense today... In 1922, Wisconsin representative Victor Berger proposed a constitutional amendment to abolish the United States Senate. You can sense his frustration level from the preamble to his proposed amendment.
A Constitution Day Reminder About… Guns
How quickly we forget the simplicity and elegance of our Constitution. Politicians and a complicit media gleefully ignore the rules set forth in our national owners manual, allowing elected officials, in reality, our employees and servants, to run amok. One of the shortest, and most poorly understood concepts comes from the Bill of Rights — the Second Amendment to be more specific. On this prelude to Constitution Day, I thought you might enjoy a quick excerpt from my book, The Practical Guide to the United States Constitution.
Regulate This
Once again, the Second Amendment debate is front and center in the news. Whenever people violate the rules of human decency, exposing foundational flaws in our society even a turnip knows will never be fixed with some new law, people scream for action. “Just do something!”Predictably, the “do something” drumbeat points to proposed new gun laws and a challenge to the Second Amendment in principle. Then the pontificating begins (from those who’ve not read seven syllables of writings by our country’s founders) with, let’s say, creative and again predictable, hot takes.
The French Do Something Right
French military jokes tend to write themselves, and somehow, French arms haven’t always enjoyed the satisfaction of a durable martial reputation. So, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way so we can proceed to the story at hand … Do you know why French tanks are designed with one forward and five reverse gears? In case they have to retreat straight ahead. Ba-da-bing! Now I’ve gotten it out of my system; it’s time to heap some well-deserved praise on a French arms maker.
Charm School for Shooting Range Etiquette?
When I grow up, I’m going to start a charm school for shooting. You know, like cotillion. That’s where exasperated parents sent we poorly behaved children to learn about proper fork and spoon use and doing the Foxtrot safely while wearing braces. With all my cotillion penance, I don’t remember a single field trip to the shooting range. To me, that spells opportunity.
Guncranks TV: Are Lever Actions Obsolete?
With the large number of modern, modular, semi-automatic rifles chambered for intermediate cartridges in circulation, do lever-action firearms still serve a role? Today, the Cranks discuss just that,
A Day in the Life… of Big Government Mandates
The most frightening thing about this rash of mandates and “show me your papers” requirements is how it’s setting up a never-ending barrage of similar behavior. Under the logic of “for the public’s health,” we’re turning one small step into a giant leap, straight into a pile of…
The Bloodletting
A libertarian mindset and compassion aren’t, at least by definition, mutually exclusive. However, there are occasions in life where one has to plant a stake in the ground and choose one or the other.
How to Plan a Tactical Baby Shower
The big news in my Casa de Joy is the forthcoming arrival of two next-generation Guncranks. Both of my offspring have fired up the mini-me generators and are expecting pocket people — within two days of each other. The expected arrival dates are so close I have to think planning was involved, but as a dad, I really, really don’t want to know anything about that.
There’s a Social War a Comin’ – ACRU
If you put your iPhone to the ground, you’ll hear distant war drums beating. On a quiet day, you might also catch hints of Silicon Valley boardroom debates. They know trouble is on the horizon, and I’ll bet some of that crypto money tech company bigwigs are wondering how the heck they’re going to respond.