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Tennessee’s Governor, Phil Bredesen, sent a letter to the Speaker of the House informing him of his intent to veto HB0962. HB0962 permits Tennesseans with carry permits to be armed in restaurants serving alcohol as long as they aren’t drinking alcohol. In so doing, the Governor demonstrates the basic problem with Government. Government will deceive the people to get what it wants and it has either no understanding of or commitment to the foundational documents that rule them, the Constitutions of the US and the separate States.

The Governor begins with a meaningless statement of support for the US 2nd Amendment and the TN Constitution. Then he proceeds to ignore them. Of what value is the right to self defense if it is taken from you depending on where you are sitting? What protection do you have when your right to protect yourself is taken from you because someone believes firearm safety tenets supercede your unalienable rights? The right to self defense is not limited by our Constitutions to place and time. We are able to defend ourselves at all times. If we abuse that right that we ought to answer to Government. But leaving us defenseless because something bad might happen and claiming to support self defense is hardly common sense.

Respecting current law, law abiding citizens leave their weapons in their cars if they enter a restaurant serving alcohol. Common criminals do not. The Governor says “Guns and alcohol don’t mix” but HB962 prohibits those carrying a weapon from consuming alcohol. Law abiding permit holders will comply. Common criminals will not. Citing common sense and public safety, the Governor makes law abiding citizens less safe and empowers the common criminal.

How is this common sense? You take away my rights because there might be problems? We don’t tell people they can’t speak because their words might be dangerous. We prosecute those abusing their right to speak. We don’t prevent people from assembling because riots are bad. We prosecute those abusing their right to assemble. Why forbid self defense because of what might happen? Why not simply prosecute those abusing their right? Words and crowds pose just as real a threat yet we use common sense concerning those rights. Why not with our right to self defense?

As to deception, the Governor mentions restaurants but closes with the picture of carrying a gun into a bar at midnight.  HB0962 doesn’t permit carrying guns into bars; into businesses which only sell alcohol. He’s playing misleading word games. It’s not a Guns in Bars bill. It’s a Guns in Restaurants bill. Phil Bredesen knows this and still uses pejorative and deceptive language.

The General Assembly should override the veto. There was broad support for the bill in the Legislature and in the state. Unlike the Governor, Tennesseans see common sense as being able to defend oneself wherever they are, not just here and there, now and then, which seems to be the Governor’s idea of common sense. I cannot see the common criminal disagreeing.

Blue Collar Muse

SEE ALSO:

Is Phil for Guns in High Schools by Stacey Campfield @ Camp4 You;

Bredesen to Veto Guns in Restaurants that Serve Alcohol Bill? by Uncle @ Say Uncle;

Statement from Rep. Curry Todd on the Veto by Uncle@ Say Uncle;

Whining the Override by David Oatney @ The World According to Oatney.

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Steve at Pax Parabellum posts on a tragic story from Nashville that might have been prevented if the good guys could go armed.

He makes the important point that the bad guys, who already don’t care about the law, are already armed. What are the options for law-abiding citizens who go through all the motions to comply with meddlesome state licensing of their God given, Constitutionally recognized rights? Restaurant carry is a good law that needs to be passed.

Reading this, I was reminded of a recent situation which The Much Younger Trophy Wife and I witnessed at a local eaterie. This could have turned out just like the story at Pax. Fortunately it did not. But we wondered about it both at the time and later.

Meanwhile, Matthew Hurtt posts on the Campus Carry bill. According to Matthew last night, the measure failed to make it out of the Sub-committee for lack of a second. Someone needs to find out who made the motion and who failed to second it to even allow it to be voted on. Matthew has the names of the folks on the Sub-committee at his place. Check it out.

Blue

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My friend Josh at American Dad Blog alerted me to this article at The American Thinker.

Missouri State Police have been alerted to be on the lookout for subversive drivers who may be domestic terrorists or members of militia groups. How can Missouri Law Enforcement know the car in front of them might be carrying dangerous people? Why from their bumper stickers of course!

Among the bumper stickers listed as indicative of dangerous, anti-Americans behind the wheel are those supporting Ron Paul or other 3rd party candidates, the Gadsden flag, opposition to the North American Union, opposition to the President’s Mandatory Service agenda, the right to Keep and Bear arms and belief that the States are sovereign. All these and more are “identifiers” common to militia movements across the nation and should alert law enforcement to be cautious when dealing with occupants in cars displaying them.

In fact, they are told such people often consider police the enemy. To be fair, the report doesn’t claim that all people who hold such views are automatically terrorists bent on shooting cops at traffic stops. However, if you have such stickers on your vehicle in Missouri, tensions just went WAY up.

The officer approaching your car (who is carrying a firearm) has no way to know if you are a bad guy or not but he’s been told you might be. And you behind the wheel (who may also be armed) have no way to know if the officer is terrified you might be. Both of you are on heightened alert. How does one diffuse that situation? Will the officer ask for license, registration and white supremacist membership card, just to make sure? Should your first words be, “What did I do wrong, officer? And pay no attention to that Ron Paul nonsense on the bumper, I LOVE Barack Obama’s policies!”?

I understand the potential danger to law enforcement. But that is not an exclusively Right Wing phenomenon. The Left has their share of luncacy. Groups like Earth First and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) along with the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) destroy millions of dollars of property and endanger the lives of citizens and law enforcement alike. It’s reported that ELF is considered one of the major terrorist groups in the US by the FBI.

Why didn’t the Missouri report list Sierra Club and PETA bumper stickers along with “Animals Are People, Too!” as indicators of Domestic Terrorists?

Distributing this sort of alert to Law Enforcement at any level is outrageous and libelous. Can you imagine what the outcry would be if Missouri had suggested its troopers be on the lookout for “I (heart) Allah” bumper stickers? What about “My child is an honor student at our local madrassa” or “Hate is not a family value”? What if they were warned to be careful approaching a car sporting an NAACP sticker? What about a La Raza supporter sticker? Free Tibet?

All these are political and religious statements that are completely permissible under our Constitution and should not be taken as any sort of indication of the proclivities for violence the driver or occupants of a car may have. Such nonsense only perpetuates intolerance, hate, suspicion and all the things we say we’re trying to combat in this nation.

It’s too late to tell Missouri’s officers, “That report? Naaaah … just kidding!” The information is already out there and is having an impact. I cannot imagine a more irresponsible act than to compile and make public such an inflammatory report. The person issuing that report should be demoted or terminated. The state should issue an apology and assure citizens that their efforts are based on solid police work, investigation, facts and proof and not snap reactions to a piece of paper glued to a man’s auto.

Blue

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To the extent they fulfill their mission of reporting the news, newspapers are an incredible community resource. They provide an invaluable service in informing the community of Who is doing What and When and Where it took place. That’s news. There’s even a place for the Why of the story. That’s what Op-Ed pages and sections are for.

Problems crop up when news organs such as newspapers stray from reporting the news or even interpreting the news into being the subject of the news. The Memphis Commercial Appeal would appear to have veered significantly from their mission to report the news to what would seem to be some form of political activism with their decision to post access to the State of Tennessee’s database which contains information about the men and women across the state who have applied for and received a license to carry a concealed weapon.

I really don’t know what the Commercial Appeal’s rationale is in doing this. But I am curious. I have calls in to Joseph Pepe – President and Publisher; Steve Tomb – VP of Operations; Chris Peck – Editor; Otis Sanford – Editor Opinion/Editorials; Eric Janssen – VP of Digital Media and Scott Sines – Managing Editor. None answered their phones and the voice mail I left for each was similar to:

“Good afternoon Sir,

My name is Ken Marrero and I’m a blogger in the Nashville market. I blog at bluecollarmuse.com. I’m calling to get a statement from the paper on their decision to publish access to the concealed carry database maintained by the State of Tennessee. Specifically I’m interested in how the paper believes that decision fits in with their mission to report the news. In addition, I’m wondering if the paper plans to publish access to other such databases and make available information about people who have birth certificates, marriage licenses, voter registrations, driver’s licenses, vehicle license plates and so on. My number is 615-XXX-XXXX. You can reach me there pretty much anytime and I’ll be looking for your call. Thank you.”

No one has called back yet. But it’s only been 30 minutes or so since I left the first message. I’ll update this story if anyone has a comment or explanation for the paper’s action.

Until then, and even before and after then, I urge you to contact your state legislator and encourage him to support the passage of the confidentiality legislation before the legislature in HB 53. And you may want to contact the Commercial Appeal yourself.

Blue

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Eric Odom passed on this link to a story about a Michigan church service disrupted by Leftist whackjobs with an agenda. No doubt feeling frisky fresh from their election day victories, members of Bash Back Lansing erupted from various locations throughout the congregation to rush the stage, shout obscenities, engage in inappropriate behavior and generally try to terrorize Lansing’s Mount Hope Church.

Right Michigan reports,

On Sunday morning, amidst worshiping congregants and following unifying prayers that our President-elect be granted wisdom as he prepares to lead our nation through difficult global, social and economic challenges, the Michigan left declared open war on peaceful church goers.

They did it with banners, chants, blasphemy, by storming the pulpit, by vandalizing the church facility, by potentially defiling the building with lewd, public, sex acts and by intentionally forcing physical confrontations with worshipers.

Click through and read for yourself the entire story. These are the sort of people I expect to be proclaiming Obama as “their” President. I have no wish to be seen in agreement with them on anything any more than I would want to be in league with the Westboro Baptist bunch.

It sounds like they chose wisely, though. I can think of several churches I’m aware of that would not have permitted this to occur in their midst without bashing the “Bash Back-ers” back. It would seem Bash Back Lansing has a poor understanding of Scripture. The Book warns against seeking revenge and inappropriate responses to attacks. But nowhere does it say Christians cannot defend themselves. My guess is had they pulled this stunt in certain churches, a few 2nd Amendment supporters would have thinned their ranks before abandoning survivors to the uncertain mercies of husbands and fathers who don’t take kindly to even cartoon threats to their wives and kids.

I expect this sort of thing to be more common until people learn that yelling obscenities in a crowded congregation and defiling objects of worship are no more protected speech under the 1st Amendment than the proverbial cry of “Fire” in a crowded theater.

How long will it be before my repeating “It’s going to be a long 4 years!” gets old?

Blue Collar Muse

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