On the Verge of...Ooops...IN Another War

In Libya, President Obama seems to have created an open-ended scenario, complete with vague goals and hidden agendas, so he can please all sides. That seems to be his legacy. Reagan was the Great Communicator. Obama will be known as the Great Pacifier.

C'mon, we're fighting a demonic dictator who not only has hidden himself but has craftily made it impossible for news organizations to figure out how to spell his name. Which begs the question, how can he ever be brought before the International Court as a war criminal if the warrant doesn't have his name spelled correctly? As any regular viewer of Law and Order knows, that's grounds for an immediate dismissal of the charges before the third commercial break.

I offer what may appear to many as an overly simplistic and naive suggestion. This one man is the root cause of the upheaval in his country. Even our President (I think) would agree that he should be removed from power.
Hilary's negotiations, our missiles, rebel ground fighting, political manipulation, covert operations, editorial cartoons, and the tsunami in Japan all have failed to accomplish that goal.

Let's kill him.

One bullet to the forehead should do the trick.

At least one of his associates must have a movie script hidden away that he would like to see produced in Hollywood. President Obama has many friends in the movie business. Just sayin'.

A little quid pro quo and bang...done. End of the spelling bee.

Open Letter to My State Legislators

I ask that you vote in favor of House Bill 7 and/or Senate Bill 27 which are intended to keep Firearm Owner Identification Card information confidential.

Publicizing the names of gun owners throughout Illinois will create problems, not solve them.

First, it will cause any number of people who now own firearms legally to simply refuse to register, or re-register themselves. Because the FOID card is required for legal weapon and ammunition purchases, as people decide not to register, the black market for guns and ammunition will expand. This will increase the number of weapons bought and sold illegally in the state and criminalize those individuals who would otherwise follow the law by obtaining an FOID card.

Second, if firearm owner information is allowed to become public, those individuals will be at risk of being targeted by thieves looking to steal guns. The reverse is also true. Those residents without a FOID card will be seen as vulnerable for burglary because they, apparently, do not have a registered weapon.

Finally, what purpose is served by allowing the news media, or anyone else, to have the names of legally registered gun owners?

Since the FOID card program began in the 1960’s, law-abiding citizens have registered with the understanding that their information will be kept confidential. I submit it is a great disservice to them to release their names. I realize the opinion from Attorney General Madigan considers that only the names of FOID card holders are “public information.” With the ready availability of search engines, however, their addresses and other information about them can be easily obtained by the news media or anyone else.

I also ask what sort of precedent this sets for the potential release of other confidential information held by the state. If the Attorney General believes the Open Records Act allows the media to have access to FOID card documentation, what will they request next?

Why Does the A.P. Want A List of Illinois Gun Owners?

I was startled to see a story in today's Tribune that the Associated Press wants a list of all gun owners in Illinois and has filed suit under the Freedom of Information Act to get it.

And Attorney General Lisa Madigan, daughter of the most powerful Democrat in Illinois, House Speaker Michael Madigan, says sure, let's give it to them.

To own a gun in Illinois the state requires we register ourselves by obtaining a Firearm Owner Identification Card. The Illinois State Police, however, maintains the registry and has, apparently, taken issue with Madigan's order to release the information.

I agree with, and applaud, the State Police.

I can't think of any reason the A.P. would want the list other than to make it public. It's pretty obvious they want to do a story about the evil that lurks in every lawful gun owner's home. Probably in some misguided attempt to save us from ourselves. Their reason, of course, will be that they want to assure that the process is working as it should. How will they do that? Why publish the list, of course. Maybe run some random background checks, too.

First of all, that's an invasion of privacy. Second, it is an invitation to burglars everywhere, even though Madigan is quoted as saying gun owners' addresses should remain private. How long do you suppose it will take the media, with all the online data bases it has access to, to acquire every shred of information about individual gun owners that it wants?

Thus, burglars who are so inclined will know just where to go to get what they want.

Of course, any halfway intelligent thief will also understand that, if there's a gun in the house there's also a decent chance the owner of said firearm will choose to use it, rather than lose it.

It's the dummies I worry about. And there are far more stupid thieves than there are smart ones.

There are also the anti-gunners to worry about. What sorts of mischief will they cook up for us once they have our names?

This sort of ruling also makes me think the National Rifle Association and other groups are not so wrong in believing that liberal-leaning lawmakers would love to pass a law allowing the seizure of all firearms. Wouldn't this be a logical start to such a process?

Illinois already has among the toughest, if not the toughest, firearms laws in the United States.

Why put the lawful owners of firearms at risk of becoming victims of theft or worse by publishing a list that, rightfully, should remain private?