Joel: FYI, Lee Stevenson lives in Sweden but is originally from the UK. He is a proud socialist, and thus always thinks what he believes is common and agreed to by everyone, except those crazy Americans with their “very sick and bad taste joke” gun rights. :)

Funny, when I was stationed there they all said the exact opposite of what you said they said. Especially the Swiss. The German units I trained with wished Americans like you would learn what your nation was founded on while they’ve been trying to fight to have the same mentality together throughout the entire planet.

“Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every country in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops.”

– Noah Webster, An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution, October 10, 1787

The problem with socialists is that they don’t believe in themselves. Put a gun in their mind and they think it must be for killing. No wonder when you put one in their hands they shoot up Republicans at baseball practice.

Because they do not believe in themselves, they demand that someone else make their decisions. Socialists are insecure, fearing the possibility of choosing wrong, so they want someone else to choose for them. This is why they are so satisfied with government-run socialized medicine, they don’t have to choose anything, not even an insurance policy.

But what if that someone else chooses wrong? What if that someone else chooses lockdowns and shutdowns — and smackdowns for those who don’t follow these orders? What if a Great Oppression is the wrong choice? What if the rulers choose to send Wuhan-ailing people into nursing homes — populations of the most vulnerable? What if many of the states ban standard treatments that provide early cures? Hydroxychloriquine had been stockpiled in the U.S. after the first SARS outbreak just for use on the next SARS outbreak, like the Wuhan flu. What if their choices cause economic havoc, complete with supply shortages, transportation shortages, and worldwide starvation, as the World Trade Organization fears will happen this year? What if the rulers’ choices cause more Wuhan deaths than would have happened if we had treated last year as any regular flu with the only addition of travel bans from impacted places?

America was only supposed to lose 200,000 people if we had implemented nothing but travel bans and hand washing. Hand washing is standard, travel bans not so much, but our rulers went far beyond these measures and left us with three times as many dead, economic devastation, many trillions of dollars increase in national debt, destroyed lives and livelihoods, and lost liberties that even socialists believe we should have. What is our remedy for our socialist decision-makers having chosen so wrong and having made these choices against our will? We made sacrifices for a worse-than-useless solution.

Our rulers assured us that if we expanded into a Great Oppression we would only suffer 60,000 Wuhan flu deaths, but we ended up with ten times that many, plus more than 100,000 who were lost due to the Great Oppression itself. We made tremendous sacrifices for a horrific solution.

When the rulers choose wrong, we have tremendous devastation. If we individually choose wrong, then we have individual devastation, but at least we can recover from these decisions. Lose your business due to your own choices, start a new one, having learned lessons. Lose 40% of small businesses due to government choices, and who wants to take the chance that our rulers might destroy their new business, too?

When We the People get to choose for ourselves, we get starships and new economies in space. When They the Government choose for us, we get projects to the Moon that they abandon after their great success. Government knows what it wants, and We the People know what we want. When we let government run things, all we get is what government wants. When We the People run things, we get what we want.

Man invented government in order to provide protection from all enemies, foreign and domestic; to peaceably resolve disputes as a disinterested third party; and to stay out of our way, not to make our choices for us. After the Great Oppression, we remember why we want to make our own choices.

I’m pretty sure that you and most Europeans drive killing tools most days, so it is hard to understand why you all are so absolutely boggled, stunned, or amazed that we conservatives, too, are mature enough to handle similar equipment.

Perhaps the reason why you all think of guns, but not cars, as killing tools is that the socialists in America are so willing to kill unarmed civilians — or Congressmen. if it weren’t for them, guns would not be considered killers. Then again, you guys aren’t so free of mass shootings, either, despite all your gun control.

“But as pretty much the only European left here, it’s down to me to tell you. You need gun control.”

I don’t blame you for thinking so, you have no idea that more gun control means more gun violence. You continue to assume that America is homogeneous, but it is not. The city of Chicago has a lot more gun violence than the entire state of Texas despite — or rather because of — having a lot more gun control. That should tell you something, but somehow you fail to receive the message. The places in America with more gun control have more gun violence, because those are the places where the socialists are more armed than the rest of us.

This is why you think you are peeing into a strong wind. If you had actually thought it through, you would agree with us.

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

All governments SHOULD fear and respect their people.

Although I agree that the time for any successful revolution by the US people is likely past, given our dependence on technologies with just a few entities holding the keys to said technologies, the cost of forcing a well armed people to go against their desire to make their life decisions for themselves needs to be high enough to prevent that government from even making the attempt.

That’s why we have guns.

Doubting Thomas: Done.

As for waving the flag on BtB, there is always my tip jar. :)

Wish I could wave a flag on Bob’s site. I’d wave two, the Stars and Stripes and the Lone Star Flag.

“This year Texas Governor Abbott signed the bill that allows open and concealed carry of handguns, no license required. Texas thus joined 20 other States with similar handgun laws.”

Absolutely boggles, stuns, amazes, and forces downward looking head shaking when we hear stuff like this.

I am not joking when I say, that every European I have ever met.. ( England was still EU the last time I was back), considers your gun laws to be a very sick and bad taste joke. I understand the US believes in freedom, but to be free to carry killing tools, concealed or openly…. seriously… Has no one in this day and age thought “this might not be the best idea our Constitution has to offer?”

Guys, I like most of the posters on here… ( Even the batpoo crazy ones!) But as pretty much the only European left here, it’s down to me to tell you. You need gun control. In this day and age where life is cheap, and powerful weapons are easily available, bad stuff is going to happen. A well armed militia can no longer take down a govenment, How many lives, how many mass shootings, how many domestic shootings will it take until you realize that easy access to guns is not the best of policy?

Gun control laws are exceedingly complex and subject to significant changes in recent times. So Calvin Dodge is only partly correct about guns in Texas.

Yes, in Texas no license is required to carry a loaded long gun. But except under limited circumstances, carrying a loaded handgun outside the home in Texas required a State issued license.

From 1871 until 1995, it was illegal to carry a loaded handgun in Texas. Texas Governor Bush in 1995 signed the bill that allowed concealed carry of a handgun with a Texas issued license. Open carry remained illegal.

This year Texas Governor Abbott signed the bill that allows open and concealed carry of handguns, no license required. Texas thus joined 20 other States with similar handgun laws.

As professional security I bet they have all the paperwork and training they need and them some.
And I bet there is a federal rule that makes Space X hire armed security.

As for closing the roads does it matter if the local police do it or the hired security?

I have watched my local police train and qualify on their handguns, Hired private security could not be worse.

It seems that the leviathan has awakened and realized that there is a chance for a robust industry and the avenues for increased graft must be ensured. Just read where the Cameron County DA lead a big celebration for Robert “Beto” O’Rouke. The observation that Lex Luthor Bezos may have a hand in this would never surprise me. I hope that a newly awakened Gov Gregg Abbott (he has primary opponents to the right) might do something about this. Hard to tell.

Also have read that the EPA and other Federal agencies in the environmental grifting racket are getting amped up to take control again as in the Obama years.

This is why I posted several weeks ago, speculation that Musk may have been given more top cover if he had launched out of KSC. Yes more transportation, lots of range rules, but hard for the FAA and the Eco-Terrorists to claim that big rockets going out of Canaveral is some sort of an environmental surprise. Most gave good reasons why Musk made the right choice, but it certainly seems like things are stacking against him doesn’t it?

Initial launches at Canaveral or KSC, would have given him maybe more breathing room to get those sea based platforms done and have working systems coming off them. I also suspect, in retrospect, that a few more ocean landings would have prevented the use of videos of “exploding rockets” against him.

Good luck Elon., fighting Isaac Newton and corrupt Dems is a tough row to hoe.

Mark — That is a good call. With the Bezos/Musk competition, anything to slow down or even shut down Starship development through back door means is probably true.

While Iam wish you nothing but love and light, the fact that your first reaction to a dispute over launch rights is, “Yay, we get more guns!”… Tbh… Not a good look!

Oh, and this is Texas. Nobody needs a license to carry a gun.

Musk is ahead of the game with his ocean launch and recovery platforms. He seems to have realized early on that politicians would be holding Space X hostage, as they regularly do with many deep pocketed businesses. He has a good deal of experience with these sorts given that he has California based businesses.