Dear President Obama,

I grew up in Miami, Florida.  As you could probably imagine, many of my friends were of Cuban descent.  Most of them were second generation Americans, the grandsons and granddaughters of first wave Cuban exiles.  First wave, describes the Cubans who fled (or were driven out of) Cuba during and shortly after the Revolution in 1959 because of political reasons.  They are recognized as political refugees.

I remember quite clearly being told about the Cuban Revolution by my friend’s grandparents.  It struck a chord with my, a young Jewish boy in Miami, because what they described in Cuba sounded so much like what the Holocaust survivors who my grandparents knew up in Fort Lauderdale would describe.  The torture, mass killings, not knowing who you could trust, the horrors they they had witnessed first hand.  The fear and the sadness poured out of them decades later.

There is one story that sticks in my mind from the paternal grandfather of a friend, classmate, and next door neighbor.  He (the grandfather) was a young man, a teenager during the Revolution.  Politically curious, he attended an anti-Castro meeting in a warehouse in Havana with a friend.  It was raided by Castro’s soldiers.  They split up and ran, the plan was to hide for a while then return home.  After a little bit, my friend’s grandfather started to walk home when he came across the scene of a massacre where a number of anti-Castro meeting attendees had been stood up against a wall and shot.  He recognized the shirt on one of the bodies.  It belonged to his friend.  Fearing that he had been followed and not wanting to put his family in danger – it was well known that Castro’s soldiers would will the families of anti-Castro supporters – my friend’s grandfather went to the Havana docks and found a boat headed for Miami.  He left Cuba with nothing but the clothes he was wearing, having never said “good bye” to his family.

This is the regime that you are going to baseball games with.  This is the regime that you are nodding along with when they criticize America.  This is the regime you “agree to disagree” with on human rights.

Is that the strongest condemnation you have for a regime that stood people against a wall and shot them because a family member dared to listen to a speaker disagree with Fidel?

You are willfully ignoring the greatest act of oppression and mass murder in the Western Hemisphere in the 20th Century for a photo-op.

Mr. President, you are being shown a Potemkin Village and you are asking if you can buy a time-share in it.

This is an affront, not just to the American ideal of liberty, but to basic human decency.

This is unbecoming of the President of the United States.

-J.Kb.

It wasn’t even close or far: unanimous court decision. 8-0 vote.

While stun guns were not in existence at the end of the 18th century, the same is true for the weapons most commonly used today for self-defense, namely, revolvers and semiautomatic pistols. Revolvers were virtually unknown until well into the 19th century, and semiautomatic pistols were not invented until near the end of that century. Electronic stun guns are no more exempt from the Second Amendment’s protections, simply because they were unknown to the First Congress, than electronic communications are exempt from the First Amendment, or electronic imaging devices are exempt from the Fourth Amendment.

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES JAIME CAETANO v. MASSACHUSETTS ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS No. 14–10078. Decided March 21, 2016

You can read (and I urge you to do so) starting in page 15. It is a careful dissection of the stupidity of the lame meme used by Gun Control, Gun Sense and “Gun Safety” fanatics. The closing alone is worth the price of admission.

A State’s most basic responsibility is to keep its people safe. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was either unable or unwilling to do what was necessary to protect Jaime Caetano, so she was forced to protect herself. To make matters worse, the Commonwealth chose to deploy its prosecutorial resources to prosecute and convict her of a criminal offense for arming herself with a nonlethal weapon that may well have saved her life. The Supreme Judicial Court then affirmed her conviction on the flimsiest of grounds. This Court’s grudging per curiam now sends the case back to that same court. And the consequences for Caetano may prove more tragic still, as her conviction likely bars her from ever bearing arms for selfdefense. See Pet. for Cert. 14. If the fundamental right of self-defense does not protect Caetano, then the safety of all Americans is left to the mercy of state authorities who may be more concerned about disarming the people than about keeping them safe.

There you go.

I wish I had good news. I wish I could tell you that all these nutjobs-racist-socialist scum will cease to exist come November 9th and we go prepare ourselves for Thanksgivings with the family and then a peaceful Christmas.

It is not gonna happen. It will actually get worse. 

This past weekend we saw how the political ultra-left had no problems violating the Civil Rights of people who wanted nothing more than the simple right to exercise their Freedom of Assembly at a Trump Rally in Arizona.

I do not care if you like Trump, hate him or could not care one way or the other: You cannot “protect” Civil Rights by violating Civil Rights.”

The lack of Law Enforcement (Ferguson Effect) and Judicial response (DOJ political blindness to left-wing misdeeds) to this, past and future events will embolden the Socialist Mutawwi to go further up and including violence against those who they deem politically impure. They are betting (and rightly so) on the common decency of people and the existing law system that gives them equal footing with the rest of us, but will use it to subvert what they consider an evil and unequal society.

What we are seeing now is simply the results of many years of preparations. It is the culmination of the 60s movement who went on to take positions within the government and Academia, the last one possibly the most influential as they now created another set of young Useful Idiots who believing themselves immortal, will be the cannon fodder in days ahead.

J. Kb. wrote about Orwell recently and it is scary un-funny how much IngSoc is now commonplace. Definitions change to accommodate a political story rather than serve as guide of thought. History itself has to be changed or suppressed (“We‘ve always been at war with Eastasia“) and the record changed or better yet, memory-holed. We have seen this being applied by the Gun Control Community with a small amount of success when they move the goalposts and change definitions and even how they change how call themselves and what they do like Handgun Control Inc to Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and from Gun Control to “Gun Safety.”

And don’t think short game. The Ultra Left thinks and plans for the very long game as they have been doing till now. Will they achieve their goals by November? Nope, doubtfully. Even if Hillary gets elected and re-elected and this batch of useful idiots has worn out, a new batch will be coming out of colleges ready to take their place and continue the Mutwwai. Think about it, Would Bernie Sanders be even considered as Primary candidate 20 years ago? Obama? There is your answer.

So, what will we see? More in the form of uncivil disturbances. They will create episodes in which their own will be hurt or killed to claim status victim and demand “justice” from an oppressive and militarized Law Enforcement. They will also demand a softer/kinder/gentler Law Enforcement (…wait, they already are doing so… never mind) which will result in less actual safety and leaving the population at the mercy of the Socialist Mutawwi. Expect riots and arson to go unchecked like it happened in Baltimore. And when the Socialist Mutawwi go home after a nice day of Social Justice imparted on the oppressive corner Bodega owner because he decided to support for the none-approved candidate or cause, the standard criminal scum will show up to reap on the lack of cops on the streets. Yes, it is not a bug, it is a feature. People do not complain much about political change when they are victims of unchecked crime.

“Damn it, Miguel! You are just making paranoid shit up.” Actually this has happened before in many countries and I lived the process in Venezuela with a few different adjustments to fit the local culture. I guess I do not have to explain how well the country is doing under the Latino version of Bernie Sanders and his Bots.

Do I expect the US to end up like Venezuela, Zimbabwe, etc? No, a much different culture to begin with and a very different economy. That does not mean there will be no strife, no clashes with bodies decorating the streets: There will be plenty but probably it will not rise to a former Yugoslavia-type of event. If I have learned one thing about being American is that we are polite to an extreme, but once that extreme is reached, you better bring out the checkbook and write HELL where it says PAY TO THE ORDER OF.

You think I am kidding and that there is not a lot of silent anger barely being held in check? Then explain the Trump phenomenon.

From the folks at Bennington Trading Post

I am going to argue for a shift in social policy.  I know the immediate reaction to it from many (if not most or all) of my readers will be “J.Kb, are you crazy?  Did you hit your head and become a socialist?”  No I haven’t gone crazy, or become a socialist.  But I want you to bear with me for a moment, and let me argue my point.

I have become in favor of publicly funded daycare, as part of the public school system.

This came about as the result of some conversations I had recently with my tax guy and my son’s daycare.

Let me explain why:

In principle, I am not against the government spending money.  It needs to.  What concerns me is how much money the government spends and on what it spends the money.  One of the things I believe in is that the government should not be in the business of direct wealth transfers.  The government shouldn’t take money from Citizen A and give it to Citizen B, because A has more then B.

I am in favor of spending (in reasonable, sustainable amounts) on institutions that benefit the country and citizenry as a whole.

The military to defend us.

Law Enforcement to protect us.

An impartial judicial system (courts, prosecutors, public defenders) to maintain justice and order.  This is critical for a strong economy, where legal protection is vital in maintaining business contracts.  Without courts to enforce civil law, our economy would crumble.

Infrastructure that is used for the transportation of goods and services that support a thriving economy.  The Federal Interstate Highway System is perhaps the greatest economic endeavor of any government since the fall of the Roman Empire.

I will add to this list, public education.  It is a benefit to the nation that its citizenry is educated.  It benefits all of us when our population is literate and can finish school with the skills necessary to work and contribute to the economy (We can debate the effectiveness of this later, I’m talking about principles).  This is one of the things that separates 1st world from 3rd world countries, mass education.

Given this, I think that public daycare would be a public benefit.  The children of the poor and working classes are at a disadvantage to the children of the middle class.  We can talk about many reasons why, but one of the biggest is that middle class kids are better prepared for school.  Middle class parents read to their kids.  Poor parents don’t.  Part of that is just a matter of time (hours put in at work), and part of that is cultural.  This is also seen over summer vacation, where poor kids don’t get intellectually stimulated and fall behind while middle class kids go to camp.

Publicly funded daycare would provide an education floor for poor kids before they started school and during the summer, giving them the benefits of a more middle class upbringing.

Yes, I am absolutely advocating educating the generationally poor out of their generational poverty.

I’m already paying for publicly funded daycare, so are you.  Both at the state and federal level.  This is the exact type of direct wealth transfer that I am against.  Going to a publicly funded system would come with ending the daycare subsidy.  This transitions the money the government spends on daycare from a direct wealth transfer to a public benefit available to anybody who wants to use us.

Yes, I know, public daycare will cost more than the subsidy, so how is this better?  Well, this is where conservative pragmatism comes in.  By providing public daycare, we can reduce other direct wealth transfers a well.  Daycare is expensive, even with the subsidies.  There is the common argument that for many parents, daycare isn’t worth the cost.  They just don’t make enough money to justify daycare.  I can tell you from personal experience, this one is true.  We moved for my job.  My wife didn’t work for a while because if she went out and got a retail job, she would’t make enough to cover the cost of daycare.  It wasn’t until professional job came along that it became financially worth it.

By removing the cost of daycare entirely from someone’s budget, now a minimum wage (or better) job is a money making venture.  For poor families and single mothers, this means more income.  More income means less other benefits.

Let me be brutally honest: “Now that your daycare is publicly funded, like public school, you have no reason not to get a job, so go find work because we’re gonna reduce your welfare.”

Given the rate of welfare abuse (including daycare subsidies*) and the inefficiency of government wealth transfer programs, the additional cost to the public for daycare should be offset by the reduction in other benefit programs.

*Growing up in Florida, with my family owning a small business that employed a lot of part time workers, I witnessed first hand how grandma could get approved as a daycare and collect the daycare subsidy for watching her own grand kids.

More people working is also a benefit to the public as more people are involved in the production side of the economy and become tax payers.

Now I know one of the arguments against this is just how bad the public school system is.  Yes, I am aware of that.  But part of this program is that I support a voucher system – which I also believe in for public school reform.  Pick your daycare (licensed ones only, no more grandma), and the credit follows you.

So there you have it.  I want to make daycare a public benefit.  The two reasons are:

1. Educate the bad habits out of poor kids.
2. Gives me an excuse to cut welfare/direct wealth transfers.

Let me put it to you like this: I have Netflix.  Some people can’t afford Netflix.  I’d rather pay a little more to add to the DVD collection at my local public library (which I can borrow from as well) than to pay for other people’s Netflix.  Public benefit vs. direct wealth transfer.

Hopefully my justifications are enough to allow me to keep my conservative credentials (especially No. 2).

Grass Valley, CA — Protests broke out late this week as a group of activists marched in front of Grass Valley’s Del Oro Theater after the establishment announced plans to show a special weekend matinee of Mel Brooks 1974 comedy film Blazing Saddles. The protesters, who object to the use of what they see as racist themes in the iconic film, say that the movie isn’t funny, and promotes unrealistic portrayals of Irish people around the world.

Protests Break Out Over Proposed Blazing Saddles Showing.

It is a spoof news website, but I am sure it will happen soon enough, specially with the Jew-Hating sentiment so prevalent in out colleges.

Dear SJWs… don’t mess with Mel Brooks… Just don’t.

There are two quotes from George Orwell’s magnum opus, 1984, that have been sticking in my mind the last few days.

“There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always — do not forget this, Winston — always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever.”

“The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy — everything.”

When I read 1984 in high school, and then again in college, the idea of a free nation turning into a totalitarian state was treated as a top down movement.  Of course 1984 was based on the rise of Stalin in the Soviet Union, and that very much was a top down power grab.

It rocks me to my core to see so much of what Orwell warned us against coming to life, as a bottom up, populist movement.  I read 1984, firm in the conviction they I never wanted to have the boot in my face.  I am a die-hard supporter of the Second Amendment because our founding fathers wrote into the principle document of this nation, a way to get the boot out of our faces if all other means fail.

I watch the Social Justice activists, BLM agitators, and people at the anti-Trump rallies, and for all their bloviating about how they are oppressed and they want to end oppression, their goal is quite clear.  They want to wear Orwell’s proverbial boot.

The extent to which they want to carry out the act of becoming the oppressor class makes me wonder if either Orwell was perhaps the greatest prognosticator of the 20th century, or Social Justice has read 1984 as a how to manual.

–

“There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life.”

There is a quote by H.L. Mencken “Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.”  Social Justice activists have succeeded in taking this to the extreme, by finding any opportunity to denounce someone else’s fun as racist and shut it down.  They have used the term cultural appropriation as an excuse to stop all intellectual curiosity or cultural cross pollination.  These people have be able to find the racism and oppression in taco night, carnival games, cafeteria sushi, yoga, popular literature, weak reasons to go drinking, exploration of classical art, and pretty much everything else in the known universe.

–

“Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy — everything”

Social Justice is a movement that states that it is for tolerance and anti-racism.  The level of open, naked, antisemitism it displays is something that Western Civilization has not seen since Europe in 1930’s.  Top colleges like Vassar, Oberlin, and the UC system all but offer degrees in Jew hatred.  Even people who would normally be embraced for being “stunning and brave” by Social Justice, find themselves under attack for being associated with Jews.

They have fought to change or ban the names of libraries, academic titles, school crests, and school names, with near ISIS desire to purge history that does not conform to their ideology.

They turn the most pedestrian of activities into an excuse to earnestly advocate for ethnic cleansing and genocide.

They use racial animus and hate to swell their ranks and demand undeserved restitution form others.  They do not try to better society.  I have never heard, seen, or read a discussion on White Privilege that sought to improve the lives of black Americans, only to make the lives of White Americans worse.  It is the politics of scapegoating all of a group’s ills on another, and then exacting retribution.

–

Social Justice is no stranger to shouting down people and opinions they disagree with.  But what they have done in this election season is beyond the pale.  I am no fan of Donald Trump (and I have no interest in the comments to this post turning into a defense of Trump), but I adamantly believe in the principle I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Using riots, violence, and the promise of civil disobedience to try and shutdown the campaign of a politician is the antithesis of democracy.  Threatening people with violence for supporting a political candidate is the fastest way to end liberty.

This is populist totalitarianism.  This is an attack on the core principles on which America was founded.  This is the lacing up of the boot.

This we cannot abide.

If you want to support a candidate, that is your right.  Donate to their campaign.  Stump for them.  Go to the polls and vote for them on election day.

DO NOT try to silence the opposition and intimidate your opponent’s supporters.

I promise you, that will not end well.  That is not a threat, not yet, that is a warning.  I do not want to have to recount to day to my children when I witnessed the American kristallnacht, at the hands of those who proclaim to be for Social Justice.

Never again.  I mean it.

There are many of us, millions of us, who do not want the boot in our or anybody else’s faces.  We don’t care who wears it, an elected official, petulant children, social activists, or an angry mob.  We want only to breathe deep of the sweet air of freedom.  To paraphrase MLK, we want everybody to drink from the river of prosperity, freed from the thirst of oppression.

The very first flag hoisted by this nation was emblazoned with the words DONT TREAD ON ME.  A dozen score years later, we still bear that motto proudly.

Since this is the hashtag generation, let me put this in words that you will understand #FuckYourBoot.