Senate Stalls Gun Control

Good roundup at HotAir to start.

The Manchin-Toomey “wrote it on our yacht” background check-prelude to registration bill went down 54-46, failing to get the 60 votes to pass.

The AWB goes down 40/60. Remember a few weeks ago when Reid claimed they didn’t have even 40 votes for it? He wasn’t kidding. They barely ended up with that much. It’ll be a few minutes before the roll is up, but assuming Republicans voted against it unanimously, that means no fewer than 15 Democrats joined them.

It’s a good start to stalling the tyrannical aspirations of government.

Bloomberg as quoted by HotAir:

Today’s vote is a damning indictment of the stranglehold that special interests have on Washington. More than 40 U.S. senators would rather turn their backs on the 90 percent of Americans who support comprehensive background checks than buck the increasingly extremist wing of the gun lobby.

Why is it that anti-gun tyrants love using the number 90% so much?  They make up numbers saying guns are going to Mexico at a rate of 90%, and they claim 90% of people support draconian checks as a step towards registration, confiscation, and obliteration of gun rights.  Do they just love targeting minorities of 10%?  Oh, that’s right, they do.

Incidentally, only 4% care about gun control as opposed to every other issue.

Gun-ban propagandist, hypocrite who said he’d shoot his rivals, and fraudulent journalist who was kicked out of England Piers Morgan whined on:

Soon he’ll fade back into obscurity once the schtick of having a lying Brit who threatened violence and lectures down to Americans wears off.  Oh, and it has.

They showed they care about America’s dead and the liberties we fought for, and won’t be swayed by political propagandists dragging grieving families around as political props.

Meanwhile, from the Washington Times, Obama plays the blame game, and says those who oppose him are filthy liars who need to be sent to the gulag:

President Obama angrily blamed the defeat Wednesday of his centerpiece gun-control proposal on lies spread by the National Rifle Association, calling it “a pretty shameful day for Washington.”

“The gun lobby and its allies willfully lied about the bill,” Mr. Obama said in the White House rose garden about 90 minutes after the vote. “It came down to politics.”

No, they didn’t.  Obama has been quite open about his loathing of the Second Amendment and the Constitution in general, and he views it as an obstacle to his grand utopian dream that would be so much easier.  See, the left knows what’s best for you, and they’re going to give it to you by force if they can.

There’s also a certain type of projection on the left.  They accuse others of lying while they do.  The NRA warned of true objectives.

“They claimed that it would create some sort of big-brother gun registry, even though it did the  opposite,” Mr. Obama said. “This pattern of spreading untruths … served a purpose. A minority in the U.S. Senate decided it wasn’t worth it. They blocked common-sense gun reforms, even while these families looked on from the Senate gallery. It’s not going to happen because 90 percent of Republicans just voted against that idea.”

Of necessity, to work, it had to create a big brother gun registry – which would be either an amendment or a future bill when this one was found.  There was no secret that Democrats were pushing for a big-brother gun registry.  But, as Levar Burton would say, don’t take my word for it – take NY Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer’s:

There’s that 90% statistic again, too.  They just love it.

And again, the “families” are being led by Democrat propagandists.  I say “families” because Mark Mattioli isn’t represented, nor are many other Newtown families who don’t hold the same opinions as those who are politically aligned and campaigning for the Democrats’ rights-control schemes.

“You’ve got to send the right people to Washington,” he told voters. “That requires strength and it requires persistence. I see this as just Round One. Sooner or later, we are going to get this right. The memories of these children demand it.”

The American people and those who’ve fought for liberty don’t want their tyranny.

We did send the right people to Washington.  We sent Ted Cruz and Rand Paul.

But do note what Obama said in there.  The meaning is clear.

…requires strength and it requires persistence. I see this as just Round One. Sooner or later, we are going to get this…

He uses some of the Newtown families as props, and it seems many of them are willing props – but he doesn’t care about them any more than he cared about the hundreds of dead children in Mexico murdered by his Fast and Furious program.

Also remember what Joe Biden said:

And lastly, but not least, the Assault Weapons ban and the limitation on the size of magazines, let me say this as clearly as I can: this is just the beginning.

And Joe Biden today:

“We’re going to get this eventually,” Biden said. “If we don’t get it today, we’ll get it eventually.”

The gun ban anti-rights movement is not out for safety, they’re out for your disarmament, which has horrific long-run consequences.

I see this as just Round One. Sooner or later, we are going to get this…

…let me state this as clearly as I can: this is just the beginning.

We’re going to get this eventually…if we don’t get it today, we’ll get it eventually.

And the anti-gun anti-rights movement will never stop.

Illegal Alien Jumps Border Fence Behind McCain & Schumer

From the National Review & HotAir:

Funny.

…except for the ABC story at HotAir that says apprehensions are down.

Mira, the way the Border Patrol works is that if they catch them, they’re apprehensions.  If they get away, they’re listed as gotaways.  Pretty simple so far.  If there are overlapping stations, they may or may not count them as gotaways for the station, because it doesn’t look good for stations to state they’re letting illegals through.   So they may pass them off to other stations either to attempt apprehension, or to call them someone else’s gotaways, or the record of the gotaways may be passed back.  Stations do things different ways, some list gotaways to show that they’re being overrun and need additional resources, others don’t list gotaways so they can say they have the area under control.  It all depends on local management and how they feel about the situation; and different directives from DC on what constitutes what.

From what I’ve heard and seen, and from plenty of open sources as well, the border is in fact not under control, and there are in fact significantly larger numbers of aliens crossing, being apprehended, and getting away.

No small part of this is due to the fact that smuggling operations were able to listen to Obama’s statements that the Border Patrol would have reduced hours for agents – and reduced time in the field means reduced time to apprehend aliens, means more time during shift changes, and means less time to cover remote areas far from the actual station headquarters.  Just like any rural law enforcement, officers have to show up for work and then drive to where they’re needed – and often times they’re needed far from where they start their workday.

None of this is news to anyone who’s ever worked anything as simple as a delivery route, or set up a military watch or patrol of a perimeter, or just thought about it for a few minutes.  Folks have other things to do, so they typically aren’t thinking about law enforcement operations – but in this case, there’s been a cause and effect from Obama saying “reduced hours” and alien/drug smugglers knowing exactly what that means to them.

Aliens also know that Obama’s promises of ramming amnesty down the throats of American citizens is good news for fence-jumpers.  All they have to do is get in before the deadline and they get a claim to your tax dollars.

Obamacare and Car Insurance

Didn’t expect to do another Obamacare post so fast, but I just found out my car insurance went up.  I’m with a very major insurance company, and in the many, many years I’ve been with them, they aren’t the type to raise rates arbitrarily.  I called up and asked why my rates went up about $50.

The answer I got was that in my state, the company has assessed the new costs of Obamacare and started raising rates to compensate for those increased costs that Obamacare is causing.  The increased health care costs as a result of Obamacare are now raising car insurance rates because those same car insurance companies also end up paying medical bills for those injured in car accidents.

So watch your statements, call and ask.

Somewhere in that red tape tower, your rates just went up.  Broken windows.

Colion Noir for NRA News

Gunwalker Update: 2 Years Later

Katie Pavlich interviewed by Citizen Watchdog – a good review and overall summary for anyone who hasn’t been following it.

This video was a bit before the 2 year mark, a few months back, posted here in HawaiiReporter’s 2-year retrospective.

Gunwalker Update: AZ Rep. Matt Salmon – “Is Fast and Furious Part of Obama’s Gun Control Plan?”

From Red Alert Politics:

Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) lashed out against President Obama’s gun control proposals on Wednesday, asking if a Fast and Furious probe would be included in the list.

“My home is the home to Fast and Furious, where there was gun-running across the Mexican border, and you know we still haven’t gotten any clear answers,” Salmon said. “Is that part of the President’s gun proposal? To finally come to grips and find out what actually happened with Fast and Furious and how far it went up to the top, to Eric Holder? Because I haven’t heard that yet.”

Hey there, Bob Woodward!  Why don’t you ask some questions about this giant government conspiracy?  Some guys stealing paper in a hotel is a big deal, but a government agency running guns to Mexican narcoterrorist cartels isn’t?

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The media doesn’t question it.  It was part of the plan – to create a crisis, the “iron river”, when they called Bill Newell up from Phoenix to repeat the 90% lie.  They decided to use Sandy Hook instead, because they got caught in Fast and Furious.  Sandy Hook just happened to be the lunatic they needed, because their own objectively evil plans to arm narcoterrorists fell apart when they ended up killing Brian Terry and Jaime Zapata.

Obama’s Sequester Release of Illegal Aliens and the State of the Border

Via HotAir:

This makes me more enthusiastic about the sequester, just because now I’m curious to see how derelict he’s willing to be in his duties to in the name of putting political pressure on the GOP. Next up: Suspending TSA checkpoints at America’s airports, maybe? Where else is he going to find two percent savings in three-plus trillion in spending?

In a highly unusual move, federal immigration officials have released hundreds of detainees from immigration detention centers around the country in an effort to save money as automatic budget cuts loom in Washington, officials said…

The agency, Ms. Christensen added, “is continuing to prosecute their cases in immigration court and, when ordered, will seek their removal from the country.”

Officials did not reveal precisely how many detainees were released or where the releases took place, but immigrants’ advocates around the country have been reporting that hundreds of detainees were freed in numerous locations , including Hudson County, N.J.; Polk County, Texas; Broward County, Fla.; and New Orleans; and from centers in Arizona, Alabama, Georgia and New York.\

What the folks at HotAir miss is that this is a win-win for Obama.  He gets to say that we don’t need border security.  If people don’t notice an immediate difference, he’ll be able to argue that border security isn’t important.  Those in favor of sequestration as a means to get any cuts at all are going to find that’s the consequence of that argument.

After sequester Obama can say that the border will be secured when the funding comes back, and in the meantime he gets to release some undocumented Democrats to go vote for his party several times over.

Drudge has this for his headline pic:

Meanwhile via WaPo:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned Monday that her agency would be forced to furlough 5,000 border control agents under mandatory spending cuts, likely allowing more illegal immigrants into the country and potentially compromising national security.

Napolitano said the cuts, known as the sequester, would disrupt the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to conduct customs inspections at ports, leading to increased waiting times for travelers and cargo shipments. Disaster relief funding would be reduced by $1 billion, she added, meaning relief for victims of natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy and tornados in Joplin, Mo., and Tuscaloosa, Ala., could be cut.

At the borders, Napolitano said the department would have to scale back patrols between ports of entry in the southwest United States, after years of making progress in stopping people from entering the country illegally from Mexico.

Furlough for Border Patrol is primarily going to consist of rescinding what’s called administratively unscheduled overtime (AUO).  The short version is that Border Patrol Agents basically work 10 hours every day to cover overlapping shifts and so they can continue working when there’s work – it’s the nature of the job.

It’s not standard overtime – agents don’t make “time-and-a-half”, it’s basically just a 10-hour standard workday.  It’s set up so that if an agent is out chasing a group of illegals, he doesn’t just look at his watch and go “crap, shift’s over” and let bad guys he’s tracking go – and he doesn’t have to work to chase them down and do so without getting paid.  There’s also FLSA, which is Fair Labor & Standards Act pay.  AUO represents an increase over base pay of about 25%, and FLSA represents about another 5-7%, depending on the number of hours worked.  FLSA exists so that workers can’t be forced or incentivized to work for more hours with less pay.  After a 25% increase in hours – from 8 hour a day to 10 hours a day, from 40 per week to 50 per week – if an agent has to work 60 hours one week, AUO doesn’t pay anything additional.  The agent is basically working for free – that’s where FLSA comes into play.  It’s not a lot, but it’s some compensation for long hours.  Then there’s also discussion of cutting one day per two weeks for field agents – resulting in working 9 of 10 days – another 10% reduction in pay.

Ultimately, USBP personnel and some associated agencies are looking at about 40% pay cuts.

When that average of 2 hours of work per day goes away, you have that much less coverage.  When you cut down on hours, you cut coverage.

You also begin to hemorrhage good employees.  Congress through DHS has made nationwide pushes for new employees, especially the Border Patrol.  (They’ve also mandated certain numbers to be maintained.)  This brings in people from across the country to work in new locations – ultimately many good, qualified people lured in for the pay.  But the problem is that when you cut their pay by about 40%, you’re going to have employees leave.  “Federal agent” looks good on a resume, and there are plenty of police departments and sheriff’s offices who will offer lower pay that suddenly looks more appealing when agents can increase their standards of living by moving back home.

Not pictured: A good place to get pizza, someplace to go fishing, Hobby Lobby, Target, Dave & Busters, a motorcycle shop, a comic book shop, or much of civilization at all.

Another issue that will develop is corruption – for people who are flexible in their morals, the good pay is an incentive to stay on the straight and narrow.  With a 40% pay cut, those who were immunized to corruption by a good salary will suddenly find enticements by criminal enterprises that much more inviting.

All of this is no small part of what’s being targeted by Obama’s sequestration.  He’s already pushing for amnesty, and now the rumors of reductions in Border Patrol coverage have led to greater alien traffic.  Anyone who knows any Border Patrol Agents can ask them – they’ll tell you that traffic is up.

Reduction of coverage by Border Patrol, ICE, Customs, and other border control agencies ultimately do result in increased numbers of illegal aliens.  A drastic reduction in pay will lead to more officers committing criminal acts, and lead to a loss of good personnel.

And all of this contributes to damage done to the nation.  In the short-term, it can be used as a cudgel against political opponents.  In the long-term, it’s ultimately destructive to the nation and fitting to someone with a firmly anti-American mindset who’s out to fundamentally transform the nation in order to make things “fair” on the world stage.

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It is amazing how “discretionary” spending is paying for the fundamental functions of government – like military & border security, yet “mandatory” spending is paying for handouts to Democrat serf constituencies so they can keep getting their Obamaphones and EBT cards.

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Janet complains about lack of bed space:

“Look, we’re doing our very best to minimize the impacts of sequester.  But there’s only so much I can do,” Napolitano said. “I’m supposed to have 34,000 detention beds for immigration.  How do I pay for those?  We want to maintain 22,000-some odd Border Patrol agents. I got to be able to pay their salaries.”

Bed space solved.  With that money saved, pay agents.

Obama’s Sequester Hypocrisy

From BarackObama.com:

Wanna play dueling Obama quotes?

People will lose their jobs – because that’s what Obama wanted to have happen.

The Washington Post gave him four pinnochios on sequester lies.

SEIU and Obama’s Organizing for Action Astroturf Against Gun Rights – Lobbying for NY SAFE Act; Update – Rally Postponed

Update: Rally was postponed.  There was a huge influx of 2A supporters who started going after them on Facebook and registering for seats and free meals.  Protesters for citizens’ rights don’t get free rides paid for by BarackObama.com/Organizing for America, but they decided to use the political machine to their advantage, stymying it for now.

Update 2: The NY Post was given other reasons by SEIU for why it was cancelled… which don’t quite jive with the story on FB.

From Organizing For Action, aka MyBarackObama.com:

ALBANY LOBBYING FOR “NY SAFE ACT” (Day of Action)

Governor Cuomo and our legislature passed the “NY SAFE ACT.” It will reduce gun violence in our state. Predictably, it is under attack by the National Rifle Association and allied groups. :::We are joining with the SEIU 1199 to lobby in Albany. This free bus trip will last from 8:00 to 4:30 with breakfast and lunch included. Meet up at 250 S Clinton St. Park in the M Lot at the corner of W Fayette and S Clinton Sts. (Parking in that lot may be validated. No sure yet.) Show your determination to keep our excellent new law!:::You must call this number to get a seat on the free bus. 315-424-1743 Ext 110 Ask for Nekeia:::Also sign up here.

Time:

Thursday, February 28, 2013 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Host:
Jayne H

Location:
1199 SEIU Office (Syracuse, NY)
250 S Clinton St.
Syracuse, NY 13202

Directions:
Please google 250 S CLinton St, Syracuse, 13202

Screenshot here:

Freepers are wondering if this is even legal.

The NY SAFE Act is detailed here at American Thinker as “the rape of the Second Amendment”.  Keep in mind this is the same act that NY State Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin exposed as part of a confiscation scheme, and the same law that was rushed through in the dark of night so quickly that even NY cops are violating the law by carrying their service weapons.  The anti-rights forces so hate that citizens have rights that they didn’t even stop to carve out an exception for the state’s enforcers.

For a quick summary/recap of NY SAFE from when it first reared its tyrannical head, this is what the bill covers:

The text of the New York bill can be found here.  But a quick summary would be this on ammo:

• All ammunition purchases have to be through an FFL
• Ban on internet ammunition purchase
• Background checks for all ammo purchases
• All sales of ammo to be reported to police

And this on guns:

• Ban on magazines that hold more than 10 rounds made before 1994
• Ban on magazines that can hold more than 7 rounds
• “Grandfathered” 10 round magazines cannot be loaded with more than 7 rounds – or face charges
• Registration for all “assault weapons”
• Registration for all handguns
• Registration required every five years
• Mental health reporting which is to be checked against a non-existent database on citizens
• One-feature test for “assault weapons” (no detachable magazines, no pistol grips, no threaded barrels – as written includes adjustable choke shotguns)
• Bushmaster AR banned by name

Also, “assault weapon” possession in NY is now a Class B felony.  Possession of an actual machinegun is only a third degree Class D felony.  An evil scary non-machinegun can get you 25 years.  A real machinegun can get you 7.

This draconian near-total ban (and it’s only a step to a total ban) is being supported by the President’s “Organizing For Action” perpetual campaign machine and the SEIU with their professional agitators.

The president’s own apparatus is actively lobbying to destroy the Constitutionally-enumerated natural right to keep and bear arms; almost as if we now have an institutional revolutionary party.  Sounds familiar.

The Obama Sequester

Via HotAir, from the RNC:

Charley Jones on Texas Overnight on 1080 KRLD had a better audio version several days ago, with Obama’s November 2011 support of the cuts juxtaposed with Obama’s February 2013 warning that jobs will be cut, border patrol agents will lose their hours, FBI agents will be sent home, civilian support personnel to the military will be cut, prosecutors will stop working and criminals will go free, dogs and cats will be living together, mass hysteria.  Nice to see the RNC finally got something together.

Now are they running it anywhere but the internet?