MatthewMaynard.net

When you remember your American History class that dealt with the Civil War (you were taught that subject, right?) any memory of what you were taught about Gettysburg day three probably centers around Pickett and his charge up the middle of the Union line, under fire and failing in a bloody mess the whole way. What you are not taught is how that analysis does not match with Lee’s battle plans up to that point. That is, you are not taught how the standard evaluation of day three, a lone frontal charge against a fortified position, differs from Lee’s assaults at Chancellorsville, or the Seven Days campaign, or historical battles such as Gaugamela that Lee had access to as a student at West Point. What you are left with is a perception that Lee was bested by superior Union generalship, or that he had a bad day. Tom Carhart argues convincingly that Lee’s plan not only was more complex than that, but came within a hair’s breadth of succeeding, and was stopped by none other than George Armstrong Custer.
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On Tuesday, I received an email from the Gun Owners of America, detailing House Bill 69, titled the Firearms Freedom Act. Similar to measures passed last year in Montana and Tennessee, the email summarizes it like this:

The Firearms Freedom Act has a simple concept. It states that if a gun was made in Virginia, and then stays in Virginia, then the federal government may not regulate it under the Interstate Commerce Cause. (Because, you see, the gun was never part of any interstate commerce.)

By gun they mean not only a firearm receiver but also the all-useful suppressor, a safety device the feds have deemed too dangerous for the average person to have, as it apparently protects hearing too well for us to use it. The bill is important because it is an assertion of Tenth Amendment rights against the National Firearms Act of 1934, which unconstitutionally requires a tax on and registration of certain firearms and accessories the government wants to make prohibitively expensive.

Anyway, back to the inbox. The GOA was in favor of the bill and encouraged the reader to be as well, listing how they can contact their delegate and do the involved thing of taking part in their own government. Later that day, I received two emails from the National Rifle Association, commonly perceived to be the “extreme” gun rights organization. The two emails also covered bills introduced in the VA House of Delegates, including House Bills 8, 26, 49, 52, 72, 79, 106, 108, 109, 152, 171, 236, 251, 475, 489, 505, 637, 870, 885, and Senate Bill 79, all removing various restrictions on the rights to keep and bear. Likewise, the NRA was against House Bills 520 and 879 and Senate Bill 268.

Notice anything missing?

The NRA doesn’t want to touch the separation of powers issue for some reason. I would guess that they feel it either detracts from their goal of being “on target” on the guns issue (sorry) or they feel it is a non-starter, that they can’t win when it comes to selling machine guns to the general public. Viewing it like this detracts from the main issue facing the nation, the one that touches not only the Second Amendment but all the other amendments and articles – will or will not the Federal Government be restrained by its originating covenant? If it will be restrained, then we must support HB 69, and any bill like it in other states. If the federal government will not be restrained, then why are we playing tiddlywinks with the details of what arms are protected by the Second Amendment and what aren’t?

Not backing HB 69 makes me wonder if I should keep sending them my membership fee. If they won’t put the money to good use, perhaps someone else would put it to better use.

(This year Someone to Remember Today will focus on Civil War Medal of Honor recipients)

ANDERSON, EVERETT W.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company M, 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Place and date: At Crosbys Creek, Tenn., 14 January 1864. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Birth: Louisiana. Date of issue: 3 December 1894. Citation: Captured, single-handed, Confederate Brig. Gen. Robert B. Vance during a charge upon the enemy.

‘They Have Been Cursed’: Pat Robertson Says Haiti ‘Swore a Pact to the Devil’

Let’s suppose, for the sake of argument, that Pat Robertson (a) is correct in his history of the people of Haiti, and (b) he has some evidence that it happened. Even if those are both true, this is not the time to say something that people will view as laying blame on the innocent. Despite his statement at the end that he hopes and prays that the people of that island would turn to God and that he prays for their immediate relief, people don’t see it as a statement for mercy. They see it as a statement of blame, which it is.

So let’s speculate for a bit. The better time to say that would have been six months ago. The same thing would have happened, everyone would have called him a kook and dismissed him, but when the earthquake struck, somebody might have remembered what he had said and perhaps then it would have been received with a soft heart.

This is the same type of thing he said after 9-11, which he blamed on America’s sinfulness. It may have been true, but it was not received because of the events at the time.

Compare and contrast with Billy Graham’s outfit, which is just soliciting donations and speeding relief. They will likely see many many more donations than CBN, and will be more effective in their ministry.

When spreading the gospel, one must always be sensitive to the weaknesses and tendernesses of others, lest you unwittingly harden the ground you are trying to sow.

Okay, okay, I can’t contain myself.

LIAM NEESON?!?!?!? SERIOUSLY, AN IRISHMAN? FOR PERHAPS THE QUINTESSENTIALLY AMERICAN ROLE?

I was hoping for Alan Tudyk as Murdock, but it seems like they got the characters right. That one is definitely one for the theater.

How many times have I been to a gun show and they’ve had a part I don’t need, but when I need it they don’t have it?

Whatever the number, increase it by one.

We got our CMP order last year, and have had need of a good cleaning kit, but it has been hard to come by. Between Appleseeds and the other stuff we do on weekends, we haven’t been to a gun show in quite some time. Today we were able to get to the one in Richmond. I saw a lot of good fun stuff that I wanted to buy but nothing as far as a complete M1 cleaning kit. Oh well, at least the Intertubes can provide me with one.

For those keeping score, ammo was still in the $1/2 per bang neighborhood, and the prices for weapons were doing their usual thing – similar to the last show and recent advertisements but much higher than a year or two ago. Don’t delay your purchases, you will only get more depressed when you finally do buy.

Not today, though. War re-enactment turned uncivil.

The Confederate commander’s attorney was pleased with the decision. “I think justice was done today,” Rebecca Colaw said.
Ferguson, the Union commander, had a different take.
“The feud on the battlefield goes on,” he said. “All re-enactors are in danger from the actions of bullies on the battlefield.”

Funny, normally it is the Rebels who call the Yankees a bunch of bullies.

So, one of my goals for the year is to “Exercise on a regular (3x a week) basis.” A friend of mine from Boy Scouts and high school has a goal of losing 40 pounds by December 31st. Personally, I don’t need to lose any weight, as I have only 175 pounds in a 6 foot body. If anything needed to be done there, I could stand to turn 10 pounds of mush (it isn’t exactly chub) into 10 pounds of muscle.

And I could have some more endurance. I’ve never been able to last long in runs or stuff like that, so an improvement is warranted. So, what’s my plan?

Running plus Rifle Drill.

Running you probably know, at least in the theoretical sense. Rifle Drill is something from the Marines, where they take their unloaded and cleared rifle and use it as a resistance weight. The unloaded M16A4 weighs in at almost 8 pounds unloaded, so it makes a pretty good barbell-like weight.

I envision a day of running, a day of rifle drill, and a day of both. We’ll see how it goes. I think I’ll use Virginia, my M1A. Either that or Eleanor, the M1.

And yes, I did name them after my grandmothers.

Tell me the state doesn’t think it owns your kids: Parents arrested for failing to register home-schooled kids

If you read between the lines here you get the impression that the Fed might be buying its own paper and reporting it as bought by someone else. Aside from the obvious illegality, if it were true, would it surprise you?

No running water, but Internet? Yes. One must have one’s priorities straight. And since they make about twice what they spend, it seems they do, at least in that area.