Once more this week, the gun bans and various incidents seem to dominate news and commentary.

Home front – Self defense
Chicago police changing response to 911 calls
(Fox News) “The Chicago Sun-Times reports that starting Sunday officers won’t respond in person to lesser crimes. Those include vehicle theft or incidents where the victim is safe and doesn’t need medical attention. Deputy chief-of-patrol Steve Georgas says law enforcement agencies want to be more efficient.”

Thanks to Bear for this: Forget it, Jake. It’s Chi-town

Nathan: “Call 911 and die.”  Well, not officially, but probably practically, when the 9-1-1 operator has to decide in a few seconds whether or not the victim(s) are “safe” and based on how “safe” is defined.  Same thing on medical attention:  we are now turning 9-1-1 operators into remote EMTs – while at the same time people are decrying remote medicine and on-line diagnosis.  Arm yourself, people of Chicago!  Chicago has been a cesspool since before Lincoln got his law license, and won’t change like this.  This is the equivalent of a “snow emergency” where you just call in; indicative that crime has gotten so out of control in Chi-town that there is no hope, except to arm yourself and get out as soon as possible.

Mama’s Note: Don’t think there was such a thing as a “license” to practice law when Lincoln polluted the planet, but I may be mistaken. There probably was soon afterwards. And, yes indeed, leaving the cesspools is the only rational solution. For many, however, it is probably much too late.

Self defense – Culture wars
Washington: Arm women at home, not on battlefield
(KNBZ News) “Gayle Trotter, a tax attorney and only woman on a five-member panel at a gun violence hearing in the Senate Wednesday afternoon, argued women need guns to physically defend themselves from larger, stronger male criminals. ‘For women, the ability to arm ourselves for our protection is even more consequential than for men because guns are the great equalizer in a violent confrontation,’ Trotter said. ‘As a result, we protect women by safeguarding our Second Amendment rights. Every woman deserves a fighting chance.'” (01/30/13)

Nathan: The headline is Liberty News Digest’s but accurately seems to summarize the testimony.  This attorney is WRONG – women need to be armed EVERYWHERE, even on the battlefield.  Women should not be sent intentionally into combat, but they always seem to end up there – civilian if not military.  Most of what Trotter said is correct, however.

Mama’s Note: Unfortunately, any place – at almost any time – can become a battleground. Both men and women, in countless situations, can find themselves faced with “combat” in the blink of an eye. It is too easy to fool oneself into thinking that one’s own town, home or business is “safe,” and therefore no defensive tactics or tools are necessary.

Owning, and even knowing how to use a gun is indeed very important, but successful self defense depends on so much more. Acceptance of personal responsibility, and the willingness to do whatever is necessary to carry that out, must be the foundation.

Stupid government – Islamic war: Arab street revolt
Someone’s Wrong: CIA and State Dept. Accounts of Benghazi Contradict Gen. Dempsey’s Explanation for Why DOD Sent No Help
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Oh, yeah, what EVER gave you the idea that someone was wrong.  Betcha they ALL are lying and wrong.

The “messiah” – Theft by government
Obama’s Not Through Raising Taxes: ‘No Doubt We Need Additional Revenue’
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: The incredible greed should come as no surprise, but it still shocks me.  This man makes Midas, Nero, and Louis XIV all together look like careful money managers.

Mama’s Note: Well, yes… but it’s not as if he’s doing this all by himself. At least half of the population is involved in the theft and redistribution, one way or another.

Culture wars: religious liberty
Obama: Boy Scouts Should Expose Homosexuals to Opportunities and Leadership
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Seems to me the problem is homosexuals exposing the Scouts to things that are not appropriate, not exposing homosexuals to opportunities and leadership.

Mama’s Note: It is pretty obvious that homosexuals or anyone else could set up their own clubs and programs, then “expose” the children to anything they wish. It is equally obvious, and has been from the start, that the only real goal is to take over and destroy the Boy Scouts, originally formed around religious belief and practice – however imperfectly they have managed to do so. This makes no more sense than trying to force Roman Catholic convents to admit men (or ponies) to religious orders. The only result would be the closing of the convent.

Crash of 2009 – The “messiah”
Investment Banker Says 2012 May Have Been Economic ‘High Point’ of Obama’s Presidency
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Like Gettysburg for the Confederate States?  We’ve had five years of depression now, and we can expect that we are barely past the halfway point – and that ONLY if we could get rid of this administration.  Tighten your belts, folks, it is going to really get ugly.

Mama’s Note: And what makes anybody think that a different “administration” would make any particular difference? The entire political spectrum is wedded to the idea that they can, should and must control both the people and the economy. Minor variations will not change the outcome.

Government-run, tax-funded schools
In NJ, Talking About a Classmate’s Head Lice Is a Bullying Offense
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Talking about a classmate’s HAIR COLOR can be a “bullying offense” but not automatically: it is all about how it is done.  But then, we can’t expect a “profession” that can’t tell the difference between a soap bubble gun or a paper or Lego gun from a real gun to understand how to use the English language and how to read body language.

Hoploclasts – Congress in action
Sen. Hatch: National Database for Gun Owners ‘Flies in the Face of Liberty’
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Too bad that Senator Hatch doesn’t understand how many things he DOES support also fly in the face of liberty.  And too bad he didn’t fight harder for liberty, even for gun owners, in the past couple of decades.

Home front
Gallup: Conservatives Outnumber Liberals in 47 Out of 50 States
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: I don’t believe it – not based on election results: unless the election results were bogus.  Of course, these are all “self-identified” – I suspect that few of them would rate as real conservatives on the Nolan chart.  The following table shows the five “most conservative” states and it is obvious that the rating has nothing to do with reality to ANYone who has lived or worked in ND or NE, to name just two.  To say that Wyoming is tied with North Dakota is to ignore the most obvious observations that can be made about the states.

Mama’s Note: Again, any distinction between “liberals” and “conservatives” is a matter of degree, not kind. They all believe they are entitled to control the lives of others and steal their property, even if for slightly different reasons.

Culture wars: religious liberty
Obama Administration: We Will Still Force Christians to Act Against Their Faith
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: And this is different how?  For too long, “christians” as a large group in this nation have exhibited their willingness to separate society and church and to bow down to the false god(s) in DC and the state capitols, and now they have little choice but to fight and die or submit to even this.

Mama’s Note: This is no different than the choice everyone has to face when presented with tyranny. Fight or submit.

Culture wars: religious liberty
Catholic and Religious Liberty Leaders Denounce Latest Obamacare Contraceptive ‘Compromise’
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: It IS not really a compromise, but these people did it to themselves: they allowed government to take over more and more sectors of the economy, they accepted government grants and loans and regulations, and now – now they are paying the piper, or starting to.

Mama’s Note: Even Catholic organizations are saying that something like 97 percent of sexually active Catholic women use a method of contraception banned by the hierarchy. Each individual and family must be free to decide for themselves. Pressure from either government or religious institutions is not the path to freedom. As far as I’m concerned, the question isn’t “faith” or contraception at all, but a matter of who decides and who pays for it.

Crash of 2009 – Abominable Act
Gallup: 61% of Small Business ‘Worried’ Over Healthcare Costs — 30% Not Hiring, Fear Going Out of Business
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: I suspect that the numbers will climb quickly: the total costs still have not sunk in.  Many ARE going out of business, and even before the new taxes and “fees” kick in: because we are STILL in the depression which started in 2009, and lies and fancy statistics will not hide that fact.

Mama’s Note: Interestingly enough, the “black” and even the “gray” markets are booming, and the number of people who participate, both buyers and sellers, grows exponentially. Add to that the many new ways to conduct business in private, and the growing acceptance of alternate forms of “money,” this painful interlude may well be the introduction to a whole new world dominated by the free market.

Hoploclasts – Self defense
DC v. Heller Attorney: NY Gun Law ‘Clearly Unconstitutional’
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan:  Yes, it is, but how long will it take to get it decided – IF this court does decide it is unconstitutional?  Nullification and outright refusal to obey a law that is unconstitutional in the both Federal and State Constitutions is needed, and I don’t think New York has a baker’s dozen of honest people willing to do so.  I’m hearing rumors of angry scenes at public meetings and of a few businesses making it clear that they will not comply, but there is no REAL grassroots campaign.

Hoploclasts – Stupid state government
Utah governor: Utah will adhere to the law and obey gun laws
(The New American) Taking a position of opposition to both his past statements regarding challenging federal laws that he deemed unconstitutional and harmful to the state he is sworn to protect and defend, the current Utah governor ALSO is opposing the bills being introduced into the state’s legislature and the position taken by Utah sheriffs as being “emotional” and in violation of the Federal Constitution and laws – apparently he sees himself as working for the Federal government and NOT for the State of Utah.

Thanks to Scott for this one.  He said: We [LDS] believe in being subject.

Nathan: That does not seem to match, in this particular case, with what  the Bible (recognized by LDS as well as “Pearl of Great Price” quoted above), which says:

Acts 5:29:  “We must obey God rather than man.”

1 Timothy 5:8: “But if anyone does not provide for his own, that is his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

The God-given RIGHT of self-defense and defense of others is coupled with an obligation to do so.  Not just in spiritual matters, but in physical matters as well.  If a government refuses to recognize the God-given rights of the people, it has declared itself in rebellion to God, as did Saul and many others.  One questions whether we owe ANY obedience to human kings – since they usurp God’s position (Isaiah 33:22)and certainly not to presidents or governors who are themselves in rebellion against the people whom they work for: the people of their state or nation.  When a government which is supposedly by, of, and for the people – when the people themselves reject God and His laws and seek to impose their own laws which are contrary to those of God (such as refusing to allow self-defense or free speech), then we have no obligation to obey that government.  It is no different than if the government said we had to sing hymns of praise to Hitler or offer sacrifices to Stalin or kill our children:  the obligation is to DISOBEY.