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From the March/April 2008 Issue
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It’s Just A Courtesy
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| Editor’s Note: When a reader sent me a link showing a video of presidential-hopeful Obama failing to salute the flag during the national anthem, I was incensed. But before I fired a broadside, I asked Connor to look into it. When he got back to me, I realized once again — as much as I hate to admit it — his thoughts were well-founded and compelling. Hence, this guest editorial by him. For some reason, this thing really got my ire up and I’ll bet it affects you the same way. |
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| The event was a presidential candidate group-grope and steak-fry held in Indianola, Iowa, in September 2007. If it’s not edited out before this goes to print, you can view a report and video at http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/anthem.asp (a Web site that gets to the bottom of Internet gossip). Simply put, when the Star Spangled Banner was played and the colors presented, of the four would-be-presidents on stage, only Senator Barack Hussein Obama failed to place his hand over his heart. He chose to stand with his fingers loosely entwined, hands dangling casually. The media didn’t have much to say about it. But a miniscule minority of patriotic Americans learned of this, and went, well … nuts. Don’t even think about it. Do not consider for an instant accusing me of bashing this clown because he’s Muslim, because he is of mixed race, because he’s black — at least, he is at some election-campaign venues while at others he’s sorta-not — or because he’s an allegedly “liberal” Democrat. I will not submit to this curious modern American phenomenon whereby a thoughtful man stands and states his opinion, and if the subject of his commentary qualifies for membership in any degree to some “protected and untouchable class,” whether by dint of ethnicity, religious practice, political ideology, “victimization” or entitlement, that speaker may be not only dismissed but demonized with a languid wave of the race, religion or other “cards” — including, it seems, the “Jack of Morons.” So forget it. I’m not sittin’ down and shuttin’ up, much less apologizing for some imaginary “offense.” Arrogance Ain’t A Crime I’m not even bashing this eminently bashable butthead because he’s not a patriot, although he is manifestly not one, and for that reason alone he should not dare to run for the presidency of the United States of America. But it is the mark of a truly free country that even mobile pond scum can make a bid for the White House. Democracy is a messy, contentious business. Tyrannies tend to be tidier. I’d rather deal with the disarray, thank you. I’ll bash him for other reasons. Read on. Many insist Obama violated federal law. Nope; U.S. Code, Title 36, subtitle I, Part A, Chapter 3, § 301 reads “all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart; ” the operative word being “should.” Obama broke no law. All he did was show his own “true colors.” Others opine Obama violated his senatorial oath in a punishable fashion. Nope; the Senate oath of office is composed of vague word-candy and soft soap, the most pointed promise being to “bear true faith and allegiance.” You could drive garbage trucks full of lawyers through the holes in it — not a bad idea, but an exercise in futility. Finally, there are those who believe Obama’s actions constitute treason, and he should be so charged. That dog just won’t hunt, folks. One has to be caught red-handed pulling the pin, throwing the bomb or selling the secrets to make treason stick. Ask Jane Fonda. If we pressed any of these three arguments, we would look like screamin’ monkeys tossin’ twigs at a rhino — with the same result. Let’s not waste the ammo of our energy on ourselves, or even on his supporters. They blindly buy his bologna in copious quantities, and savor the sandwiches made from it. We need to put nagging doubts in the minds of the fence-straddling “undecideds,” and do so deftly, with dignity. Here’s how. Silent Statement Obama is known to have placed his hand over his heart at some events and not at others. An Obama campaign spokesorganism said, “Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t,” adding, “In no way was he making any sort of statement, and any suggestion to the contrary is ridiculous.” Oh, au contraire, Fauntleroy. His statement was loud and clear. When a presidential candidate chooses not to render even a simple courtesy to the national colors, his message could not be more crystal-clear if he’d burned the flag. “Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t” clearly means he acts according to his own self-interest — remember, at some events he could gain votes by burning the flag — or even worse, according to his whims of the moment. In fact, judging from the makeup of the crowd at Indianola, it was not in his best interest to behave as he did there. Now you have the picture of a man whose arrogance and erratic nature is such that he cannot be counted on to act in anyone’s best interest, including his own. This is the message — forget his politics — we need to deliver to the “undecideds:” He is reliably neither left nor right, Muslim or Christian, patriot, populist, Martian or Flat-Earther. He’s an Obamist, and not even a predictable one. Save the fury and thunder. Instead, serve this dish cold — on a bed of ice, with a flourish and a spritz of lemon. Tell your friends. |
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| Triple The Fun Looks like we did it again. When you’ve got somebody like Clint Smith aboard you’d be remiss if you didn’t work with him to do what he does best — teach. Once again, FMG has teamed-up with Clint to produce three new DVDs, expanding on the growing library of Thunder Ranch Training DVDs. The new trio, Defensive Shotgun, Defensive Revolver and the unique Defensive Firearms, are all vintage Clint, at his best. Using multiple cameras, better audio and some “out of the box thinking” has really amped-up the fun factor, while still being chock-full of important “stuff.” We think we’ve raised the bar on “gun” videos with these. Defensive Shotgun opens the door to these effective self-defense tools. Clint covers safety, mental preparation, room clearing, light use and action types. His demonstrations clearly show the effectiveness of the shotgun. Defensive Revolver takes on the myth only an auto can be effective for self-defense. Using the S&W Thunder Ranch Defensive Revolver, recently introduced by S&W (and our cover story in this issue!) as a demo tool, Clint covers the basics of revolver manipulation, action types, loading, holsters, lights and more. Like Clint says, “Wheel guns are real guns” and he shows you why! Defensive Firearms is something unique, and we’re sure soon to be copied. “Use what you have” are the key words in this DVD. Whether it’s the family heirloom single barrel H&R 12 gauge, or that WWII German Walther P-38 in your closet, Clint’s tips about care and feeding, manipulation, performance expectations and more will help you to make important decisions about your own home defense battery. They’re $49.95 each or you can get a “Thunder Ranch Six-Pack” price of $275 for all six in the series! If you know Clint, you’ll want to re-live your training with him. If you’ve never had the chance to attend Thunder Ranch, these DVDs are a great way to meet this surprisingly humble fellow — a fellow with almost limitless energy to teach. Oh yeah, you’ll have a great time too! Get ’em at: www.americanhandgunner.com and click on the Thunder Ranch Training Series link, or phone (800) 628-9818. |
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| New Ruger Auto You’d better get used to saying “new” and “Ruger” in the same breath, and this latest took us all by surprise. I’m sorta proud of the fact I can usually drum-up some insider-type info (hence the name of the column) but this one trumped us all. The first we knew of it was when we saw it in a press release. And like many others, I was impressed. Even more so when our test guns arrived. At 17+1 cap, you’d think it was a fatty, but it’s svelte, feels an awful lot like a 1911 and I simply don’t understand how they did it. It’s got a very narrow stainless steel slide, glass-filled nylon frame and a very nifty “reversible” backstrap allowing you to simply pull it out, reverse it, and put it back to change the grip profile. The three dot sight system is fully adjustable, but looks rugged and compact. The ambi-safety works like a 1911’s and there’s a slew of other safeties too. Stay tuned for an in-depth look soon. We’re very impressed. While we’re at it, Ruger has also announced the new .327 Federal SP-101. Picture a 115 gr. Speer Gold Dot at 1,335 fps and you have sort of a .32 caliber .357 Magnum, or a .32 Magnum on steroids. Ruger worked with Federal to make it happen. Six shots and .357 performance (and 20 percent less recoil than the .357) might make the new SP-101 a “Perfect Packin’ Pistol” as John Taffin might say. www.ruger.com. |
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| There's more from Insider in the March/April issue... • S&W Closes Cop Contract
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| This column is sponsored by: Les Baer www.lesbaer.com |
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