The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Rahimi today. I’m listening to the arguments and reading the transcripts.

I’ve not heard much from Justice Jackson that makes me consider her to be a “good” justice. Today she is showing some significant signs of attempting to do her job correctly.

She is questioning the state, and she is making the state actually define their position regarding historical analogs. In this particular line of questioning, she asks Then what’s the point of going to the founding era? I mean, I thought it was doing some work. But, if we’re still applying modern sensibilities, I don’t really understand the historical framing.

Furthermore, the lawyer for the state is good. She is staying on point, she is making her points. She is doing a much better job than the briefs indicted they would do.

Every once in a while, AWA and I, and sometimes others, get into conversations about charity. On Sunday, I went to pick up a (lightly) used recumbent bike for my hubby, and the person we got it from was obviously well off. The grounds were fenced in tasteful stone, with carvings of animals romping on top, and the land itself was meticulously well kept. The gentleman was older, and he’d apparently purchased the bike for his wife, who was now disabled and unable to use it. He wanted it to go to someone who would get good use of it. We took it, very thankful because it was much needed, and we can’t afford such luxuries.

This is the way the Right handles charity. They give personally. They give to people they can see for themselves are needy in some way. They tend to give to specific people, and to registered charities that they know are doing good in areas that they care about. Think Salvation Army and various church groups.

The Left often accuses the Right of not caring, and not giving. That’s never been my understanding. I see those on the Right (even the ones I consider to be “far right wing nuts”) consistently giving to those in need. They give at a community level, so they can see their dollars at work. They give it during disasters, en masse.

The Left does give to charity, it’s true. Most will help a close friend in need, if pressed. But mostly, they want to give in very anonymous ways. They give to charities directly off their payroll, so they don’t see it or feel it. They give at the government level, so they don’t have to hand it over out of their cash on hand. It’s impersonal.

Obviously this is an over generalization of the situation, but it’s something I see time and again. The Left get SO upset over what they see as the Right “not giving and not caring” and I’ve never understood that. They do give, lots. Americans as a whole tend to give a lot, and the mix of the impersonal Left and the very personal Right seems to work.

The only part that I have real issues with is when charity becomes something more, something not just accepted when necessary, but demanded. The Right is very good at giving a “hand up” most of the time, and a lot of that (IMO) comes from the fact that they want to see and interact with the people who are getting the money or goods. The Left, being more hands-off in their approach, seem to see it all as “someone else’s money” and therefore easy to throw away.

I remember going to an LDS cannery to pick up some canned long-term storage items some years ago. When we were there, their minister (not the right term but I don’t actually know the right one) was there to meet with a young couple. It seems the young couple had come in for help (which is fine… that’s why they have their internal charity), but then hadn’t moved to get OFF the help. The hand up had turned into a hand out, and the minister wasn’t having any of it.

That is how charity should work. No one at an upper government level has even the faintest clue whether I actually need money or not. But Bob down the street has at least a clue, because he sees me at the store, counting change to put gas in my car. Bob knows I volunteer and do things for the town, to make up for what I take. (This is hypothetical, by the by; I am not on the dole at this point in my life, but I have been.)

I don’t think that it’s wrong to want your charity donations to just disappear out of your check. If that’s how you want to give, go for it. I’m glad you’re giving. Me, I want to see the people I’m giving it to. That’s just me. I like to know that my money isn’t being used to pay someone’s overhead salary instead of for food for the widowed mother down the road. But there’s room for both types of giving. Giving is good, for body and soul.

The first couple of times this came on my feed, I was unhappy. “When I die, I don’t wanna go sober.” sounds like such an unhappy ending. My lady said something about how she really liked the song. I had to listen again.

This is not about being an alcoholic.

Later, I stumbled across their video. I smiled all the way through. So many happy people in the crowd. Young, old, children, all swaying, and singing.

A song that reverberates with the crowd.

I hope you enjoy “Sober” by Little Big Town.

Steven Crowder on X: “? BREAKING: Nashville School Covenant Shooter Audrey Hale’s “DEATH DAY” Manifesto Targeted “Crckers” with “white privlages” “wanna kill all you little crckers” “I hope I have a high death count” “I’m ready…I hope my victims aren’t.” “Ready to die.” #NashvilleManifesto https://t.co/89Ie6TlgRf” / X (twitter.com)

What caught my attention is this the language of this particular page:

This is pure Left Wing rhetoric, something that would come out of the mouths of your average Antifa/BLM thug. And yes, the homophobic language is also part of their vocabulary as we have heard it before when taunting those they are about to attack.

When they say they want you dead, you take them at their word. Somebody sold them the idea that all their problems will be solved if they get rid of people they target as the cause of their problems or object of their hate.

“But Miguel! (asshole) Audery Hale was nuts, insane, she was not responsible for her actions.”

Screw that. The people she killed are as dead as if they were shot by somebody with mental faculties intact.

And rest assured, somebody is already getting ready to do it better than she did. And all in the name of their “revolution.”

Prepare accordingly.

Man dies after being hit in the head at protest sparked by Israel-Hamas war

A 69-year-old man died Monday after suffering a head injury at a Westlake Village protest centered on the Israel-Hamas war, according to law enforcement.

The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office said an autopsy determined Paul Kessler died as a result of a blunt force head injury.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said the incident was reported just after 3:20 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, near the L.A. County border. Opposing protesters — pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian — had taken a stand on either side of the intersection when an altercation occurred, authorities said.

Kessler, of Thousand Oaks, was struck in the head, knocked backward and hit his head on the ground, deputies said.

Other news reports said that Kessler was struck in the head with a megaphone and fell, hitting his head on the concrete sidewalk causing a brain bleed.

This is the same chain of events that causes so many of the one punch kills that I cover on this blog.

Jews have been harassed and attacked by Hamas supporters in the US since 10/7, but this is the first confirmed fatality.

What happens next will be a defining moment.

Will they hunt down and throw the book at the suspect?

Or, will they make a half-assed attempt to find him and then waffle on the punishment, all while telling us that Islamophobia is the real problem?

Being California, I suspect the latter.

These mid-level violence Pogroms just elevated to equal force.

The threat is real, Jews need to understand that and prepare accordingly.

Recently, I wrote about my WWII reproduction web gear for around the house carry. The short of it is that I really like it. It is adjustable enough, it is comfortable.

Later this week, I’ll have a period correct medical pouch to go with it. All of this means I’ll have a functional, modernly equipped, WWII rig.

The suspenders are cool. They aren’t adjusted correctly yet because of other issues. When I stand up, I don’t feel like my belt and holster will hit the floor. The load is nicely distributed. They are nice enough that I will likely get a second pair to attach to my cartridge belt. 80 rounds of 30-06 in enblok clips is a charming option.

The mag pouch is a slight problem. It will not hold extended magazines, so I’ve used it with 7 round magazines that match WWII issue. That’s fine. The pouch has two pockets, each pocket will hold two magazines.

This is pretty impressive for the time. It means that an officer with just a side arm was carrying 29 rounds of .45 ACP into battle. Just on their belt.

For me, the location of the pouch is an issue. It slips over the web belt and then snaps to hold it in one location. The pouch is always in the same location, it is not a horrible reach, but it isn’t “right”.

With my modern gear, my magazines are carried on my weak side such that my arm comes back, grabs a magazine and in a smooth motion comes up, presenting the mouth of the magazine to the firearm. Fast and easy.

With the WWII pouch, the movement is to the front left of centerline. Opening the pouch is fast enough, though not as fast as a tension retained magazine. The issue for me is that the motion from there to the pistol is not fluid. There is a twist and jerk that sort of happens. Mostly because the magazine is perpendicular to the magazine well instead of being parallel.

In addition, my dun-lap-over covers the pouch when I’m sitting. I can still get a mag out, but no way I’m getting a mag back into the pouch while seated.

The holster is nice. It seems well enough constructed. It is universal enough to carry just about any type of full-sized pistol.

Now we come to the downside. The bleeping web belt itself.

Do NOT buy a reproduction belt for anything except standing and marching for short periods of time.

It was too thin, it was far too flexible. This meant that the hooks holding the holster to the belt came loose while the belt was attached. More than once, I have stood up, or gotten out of the car, only to find the holster dangling from just one hook. It looks bad and there is a real risk of it falling off entirely. I do not want that to happen.

The second problem with that thin belt is that the holes punched into the canvas for the eyelets will stretch under the load of holster plus 1911. Add to that a bit of torque while sitting, and I’ve had multiple eyelets rip out of the belt after less than two weeks of wear.

I’m now searching for sources for higher quality web belts. I think I’ve found one, but the cost is much higher than I’m ready to pay today.

Original WWII M1936 Webbing Canvas Pistol Belt with M1911 Colt Holster and .45 Colt Magazine Pouch is the version I purchased. Yeah, what was I really expecting for $42?

Not quite sure, but it is starting to feel like is not the one either side was thinking about.

BREAKING: Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Washington DC to protest against President Biden and the US government’s support of Israel.

Some protesters went as far to call Biden “Genocide Joe.”

The crowd was seen waving Palestine flags as they called for a “Free… pic.twitter.com/fL1qV14hMO

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 4, 2023

I get the feeling we will have to do El Cid stuff soon enough.