This year’s Halloween decoration

One of the most important lessons I learned in grad school was “what don’t I know?”  The answer, of course, is “a lot.”

As you near the end of your studies as a PhD candidate, you have to take a comprehensive examination.  It is a test to see if you have a fundamental understanding of the subject you are going to get your degree in well enough that you can teach it to others.

No it’s not.  It is an academic gauntlet.  The purpose of which is to teach you humility.  You stand in front of a whiteboard while various professors bombard you with questions of increasing difficulty, on a subject, until you have no choice but you say “I don’t know.”  Then they move onto a different subject and repeat the process until they break you.

See, you just completed 10 years of schooling.  You think you know so much.  You don’t, and they have to prove it to you by showing you the boundaries of you knowledge.  You’re like a puppy, let loose into a big yard.  This is your realm.  And so you run until, ZAP!!!  You hit the electric fence.  You run in the other direction until ZAP!!!  You hit the fence again.  Soon you learn that in the whole wide world you can see, your realm is tiny.  You know a thimble’s worth in the ocean of knowledge.

This is an experience I wish more people would go through.  Especially journalists and politicians.

I am an expert on things in my thimble.  When I talk about them, I talk with authority.  For everything else, I research.   Before I opine, I try to learn as much as I can.

There is an expression my graduate adviser used all the time “know just enough to be dangerous.”  There is another one by Charles Darwin that I love: “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.”  Psychologists have proven that this is true, scientifically, it is called the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

For weeks the gun blogosphere has been calling out the politicians and journalists who make stupid statements and push for stupid laws regarding universal background checks, gun free zones, and everything else they claim will save lives but won’t.  How could these people say on TV or in print what they say and be so wrong with so little shame?  They have the confidence of the ignorant.

Politicians and journalists are the embodiment of the Mark Twain quote: “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.”

Twain also said “Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”  And we know that Twain was a genius.

There is one law I would love to have pass that I believe would help this country like no other, it is this:

“Before a congressperson can vote on a bill, they have to pass a qualifying exam to demonstrate a basic knowledge of the subject matter the bill will address.”

Such a law would most likely bring DC to a standstill.  But once more we yield to the wisdom of Mark Twain “No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.”  So maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

Caught this on the news feed:

My first thought was “Anybody want to bet me that this guy is anti-gun too?”

So I went through his feed a little and lo and behold, he is.

Regarding Ben Carson’s comments on the Holocaust:

Regarding Texas campus carry:

Ahhh… It was almost too easy.

It’s an amazing coincidence isn’t it?  The people with the attitude of “believe what we want you to believe or we will kill you” don’t like it when other people own and carry guns.

This is why WE have guns.  I don’t want to stand before a firing squad because I don’t believe that my V8 pickup is directly responsible for the weather.

Bumped into ATF’s Firearms commerce in the USA. Lots of interesting stuff!

Top Machine Gun State: Texas with 33,548 units beating Florida (33,435) by measly 113 squirt guns. (Virginia came third with 32,685, don’t tell Governor Terry McAuliffe or he will crap in his pants.)

Top Silencer State: Again Texas with 130,767. Georgia comes second with a distant 59,942.

Top Destructive Device State: California with 245,524. Texas goes second with 200,870.

Top Short Barrel Rifle State: Texas again with 23,840. Florida does second with 14,872 .

Top State Short Barrel Shotgun: California with 14,872 followed by Pennsylvania with 12,715.

Top Any Other Weapon State: Texas with 6,740 and then California with 3,856.

Rhode Island, Delaware and Hawaii are at the bottom of the pile with NFA fun stuff. Some items are as low as in double digits only.

“This is alarming because domestic terrorism is alive and well,” (David A. ) Love said.  “It is such a problem that the U.S. Department of Justice recently predicted increases in violent acts by white extremists who are responding to a new reality in which people of color will become a majority in America.’

“At the same time,” Love said, “there is a vicious cycle created by rightwing politicians, the NRA and hate groups who stir up anger, fear and resentment over changing demographics and want their country back.  Ars

Source: Arson Suspected in Six Church Fires in St. Louis | Southern Poverty Law Center

But the truth turns out to be a mite different.

(CNN)A man has been charged with arson in two of the seven church fires that occurred in the St. Louis area during October, authorities said Friday.

David Lopez Jackson, 35, of St. Louis was arrested Thursday night and charged with two counts of second-degree arson, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Sam Dotson said at a press conference.Dotson didn’t provide a motive, saying the investigation had not been completed.The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in a press release that the fires don’t appear to be hate crimes. Most of the seven churches were attended by African-Americans.

Source: Arson charges filed against man in fires at two St. Louis churches – CNN.com

Please do get a very comfortable seating solution as we wait for an apology from the SPLC and Mr Love to the NRA and a biblical condemnation to the arsonist for his Hate Crime against religion.

Hat Tip to Craig K.

The”Hysterical Ladies Anti-Domestic Terror Society and Gunhumperbusting Guild”? Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that addressing a woman as “hysterical” was Freudian term that feminist hated with passion and would slice your parts if you dared use it.  But what do I know?

I do love the classy message:

My reply to their slogan is copies straight from Jim Belushi’s character in the movie Red Heat after being told something similar:

“No, I think I have a headache and good taste.”

We are really driving them mad, aren’t we? My weekend is made.

UPDATE: Awesome Twitter comment.

FTW

I’m going to double down on Miguel’s post.

A bit of tragic news hit the airwaves.  A little girl was choking in school.  An EMT with a private medical transport company was flagged down.  He stopped to help.  The girl had been choking too long and ended up brain dead, the EMT got suspended without pay for violating company policy.

I hate this story and love this story at the same time.  I hate it because of its tragic ending for the little girl.  I love it because it illustrates, as harshly as possible, life in a CSGV-esque utopia.

It’s not about the guns with the nannies and scolds.  Guns are a tool.  It is independence that these people detest.  A self reliant people do not need the government to come in and solve all of their problems.  Consequently, a self reliant people don’t need or want a big government.  Self reliance is in direct conflict with the nanny state.

So how does the nanny state make people less self reliant?  They take away the tools of self reliance.  Eventually the ability to help oneself wastes away from lack of use.

Why am I talking about guns and a government induced loss of self reliance and this little girl who choked to death.  Because it is the same mentality.  The article wonders why none of the girl’s teachers tried to help.  I can answer that.  My wife was a teacher.  Government union rules and risk aversion.  The opinion of the union was:

“You are not a medic, you are not trained to help, all you are going to do is make things worse, you can be held liable if you hurt the student trying to help, you can’t be held liable if the student dies while you were doing nothing.  DO NOTHING. DON’T HELP.  WAIT FOR THE EXPERTS.”

Teachers who violated this code of conduct were punished.  It is better to let a student die than help the student and risk making him/her worse.

Why was the EMT suspended?  Because doing good is not covered by their insurance and his company had the same stupid rules as the teachers, when it came to anybody who was not a paying client.  Better to let a bystander die than risk company liability.

Compare this to the actions of the armored car drivers during the North Hollywood Shootout who asked their company if they could use their armored car to provide cover for the officers who were helping the wounded.  The company said yes.  They were hailed as heroes.

This is what the CSGV advocates for in an active shooter scenario.  Don’t try and do anything yourself.  Attack the shooter and risk getting hurt.  Lay low and wait for the experts.  You can’t be blamed for getting killed if you did nothing.  Better to be a victim, dying on your knees, than to get shot trying to stop the killing.

People who have been disarmed, first physically then mentally, will do that… die on other knees waiting for help from the approved source.  The nanny state will honor these people as victims and create memorials to them.

Independent people will fight back.  A few may die in the process but more lives with be saved.  The nanny state will victim blame them for their own deaths.