First, I am not a Constitutional lawyer. These are strictly my opinions and interpretations. Everyone has their opinions about gun control so I thought I’d weigh in on the matter and hopefully apply some “common sense” to the argument, if possible. Second, when I mention “Army” below, I mean all branches of the military. It’s just easier to use one term for them.

If you read the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, this is what it says:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. > more <

First off, don’t take the title the wrong way. This is strictly a personal event and (hopefully) not related to other military installations.

Last night we bought our daughters a small pack of fireworks so they could light them off in celebration of America’s “birthday”. It’s the same thing that happens in nearly every country and something I’ve been doing every year since I was old enough to be trusted with fire (about 2 years ago ). Seriously though, I’ve been lighting fireworks since I was in grade school, maybe about 6 years old or so. > more <

This is something I’ve been meaning to do for a while but every time I’m at a computer, I don’t think about it. So now it’s time to remedy that.

I’ve known for a while that I didn’t fit neatly into our current political system because I like certain aspects of the Republicans (like 2nd Amendment rights and their stand against illegal immigration) but I hate other aspects (like their pro-life agenda and the idea of being the world’s police). However, I also like some of the Democrats ideas (like universal health care and pro-choice) but I hate other things (like the perpetual welfare system and giving illegal immigrants Constitutional rights). > more <

I’ve said this among my close friends and family for a while: we need to stop sending so much money and aid to Africa. It’s just like giving hand-outs to homeless people. Not only that, but we have kids who are homeless or underfed here in America. Why do we keep sending food and money overseas when we can’t even take care of our own?

Today I found a perfect article that reiterates my argument, only in a better fashion because the interview is with an African who knows what the problems are. Der Speigel Online interviewed James Shikwaki, a Kenyan economics expert. Here are a few choice quotes: > more <

I just have to mention this for the simple fact that the military, in my opinion, can be run by complete idiots. (Again, I will keep my comments to a minimum since I’m still in the Navy and don’t want to temp fate.)

From an article at Military.com, a 22 year old Air Force Airman 1st Class will be sent to jail for 4 months and reduced in rank for having a threesome with two other Air Force members. One of the other “partners” is also facing charges but the third isn’t because it’s felt that she was too drunk to be aware of what was going on. The original charges were asking for 10 years in prison and a reduction in rank. > more <

I don’t usually post things like this and I hope this doesn’t become a habit. But I heard about it yesterday and thought others might be interested.

According to WorldNetDaily, President Bush signed an Executive Order back on May 9 (without telling anyone) that gives the Office of the President the power to take over the government in case of national emergency. From the article: “Translated into layman’s terms, when the president determines a national emergency has occurred, the president can declare to the office of the presidency powers usually assumed by dictators to direct any and all government and business activities until the emergency is declared over.” > more <