May 2013 – Page 2 – A Geek With Guns

OpenPGP Key

Many of you are aware that I can be reached by e-mail via blog [at] christopherburg [dot] com. Until now I haven’t published my OpenPGP public key, instead relying on people to first express interest in it before sending it. This isn’t a very effective policy so here is my OpenPGP public key for anybody interested in sending me encrypted e-mails:

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Monday Metal: Herostratic Path, Yersenia Pestis, and Christening of the Common Era by Drona

Since it’s Memorial Day I won’t be writing additional posts today but that doesn’t mean I have nothing good for you. One of my anarchist friends is a member of a local black metal band called Drona. They just posted a three track album titled Depraved Ceremonies to Bandcamp. Unlike most local bands these guys don’t suck at recording and the album actually sounds pretty damn good (and I, as a hypercritical asshole, would be the first to rip on somebody for making a recording that sucks).

All three songs are also available to stream from Bandcamp and you can buy it for whatever price you want to give (including nothing). Give it a listen, I promise it’s worth your time (unless you don’t like black metal, then you probably won’t like this album).

Have a good Memorial Day, I’ll have more content for you tomorrow.

The Definition of Self-Defense According to Obama

Shoot or don’t shoot scenarios are always fun to ponder over. Here I will present two separate scenarios for you to consider. Your goal is to decide whether or not a scenario qualifies as a self-defense situation. After presenting the scenarios I will present Obama’s answers.

For the first scenario we will pretend you live in a small neighborhood where two of your neighbors are feuding. What started the feud happened so long ago nobody besides the two neighbors can remember the exact circumstance. Finally, after putting up with their shit for a long time, you decide to do something about it. You decide to form an alliance with the neighbor that lives closer to you. After your attempts to arm your closest neighbor fail to resolve the ongoing feud you decide to take matters into your own hands. One night you kick in the further neighbor’s door and shoot one of the family members in the face. At this point another family member returns fire. If you being shooting at that family member are you performing an act of self-defense?

For the second scenario we will continue to assume that you live in a small neighborhood but this time you don’t have to suffer feuding neighbors. After living in the neighborhood for a short while you get into an altercation with one of your neighbors. The cause of the altercation isn’t important but it was trivial. One night you catch the neighbor you’re fighting with setting your house on fire. Fortunately you caught the act in time to run inside, grab a fire extinguisher, and put the fire out before it spread too far. Would it be a valid case of self-defense if you then grabbed your gun, walked over to a different neighbor’s house, and shot members of his family?

According to Mr. Obama both of those scenarios are valid cases of self-defense:

Mr Obama also defended the use of drones to kill four US citizens.

“We are at war with an organisation that right now would kill as many Americans as they could if we did not stop them first,” he said in Thursday’s address at the National Defense University in Washington DC.

“So this is a just war – a war waged proportionally, in last resort, and in self-defence.”

After causing grief for many nations through proxy wars with Russia and clandestine operations to topple existing governments the United States is now claiming self-defense as the justification for bombing children in the Middle East. The United States has allied itself with one side of various conflicts, armed those sides, and outright killed members of the other side when their allies failed to take out their opposition. In response to 9/11 the United States decided to invade Iraq as a retaliatory strike against al-Qaeda, who were chiefly operating inside of Afghanistan.

War is peace and initiating aggression is self-defense.

In Washington DC No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Washington DC really is a hive of scum and villainy. Good deeds are frowned upon so severely that performing one will result in you being fined:

The horrific incident that spawned the investigation occurred on a Sunday afternoon in late January as 11-year-old Jayeon Simon and his friend rode bicycles near Eighth and Sheridan streets Northwest in the Brightwood neighborhood. According to court records filed in D.C. Superior Court, three unleashed pit bulls pounced on Jayeon and attacked him.

Seeing the attack, Mr. Srigley went inside his home to get his Ruger 9 mm pistol while several other men hopped over fences to get away from the dogs, court records state.

From behind the wooden fence of his front lawn, Mr. Srigley began firing at the dogs.

Good on Mr. Srigley, his actions likely save that boy’s life. However the local police were unhappy with one minor detail:

Authorities last week made an agreement not to prosecute a Northwest D.C. man who used his unregistered handgun to kill a pit bull in order to stop it from mauling a child in his neighborhood.

Most people, at least I hope, would overlook the fact that Mr. Srigley used an unregistered firearm. After all he did save the live of a child with it. In fact such a scenario may point out a flaw of mandating all firearms be registered. If people like Mr. Srigley can use an unregistered firearm to save a life why should he be burdened by registration laws? Considering the massive number of hoops and hurdles, not to mention the sheer costs, one has to jump through to legally obtain and register a firearm in Washington DC it’s likely Mr. Srigley wouldn’t have had it had he complied with the law. Had he not been in possession of a firearm one boy would likely be dead. But logic doesn’t play into the state’s decrees:

As part of the agreement, Benjamin Srigley, 39, was required to pay a $1,000 fine but will not have criminal charges filed against him for the three unregistered firearms and the ammunition that investigators found in his possession, said Ted Gest, a spokesman for the office of the attorney general.

“We took it into account that he saved this boy’s life,” Mr. Gest said.

They took into account that Mr. Srigley saved the boy’s life and that consideration still leads to a $1,000 fine? That’s cold. But what else can you expect from America’s most corrupt city? Let this be a lesson to everybody, don’t go into Washington DC thinking you can help people. The local police department isn’t going to let you off the hook for doing good.

Ron Paul Found Guilty of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking

Early this year Ron Paul decided to ignore the free-market principles he usually advocates and attempted to seize the domain names RonPaul.com and RonPaul.org from their current owners. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the organization Ron Paul filed his complaint with, not only agreed that the current owners of RonPaul.com and RonPaul.org should be allowed to maintain their ownership but the organization also found Mr. Paul guilty of reverse domain name hijacking:

The owners had offered to sell RonPaul.com to Paul but also offered to give him RonPaul.org as an alternative if Paul didn’t want to buy the .com. Since Paul filed a UDRP against RonPaul.org after the owner offered to give it to him for free, the panel found the case to be reverse domain name hijacking.

Respondent has requested, based on the evidence presented, that the Panel make a finding of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking. In view of the unique facts of this case, in which the evidence demonstrates that Respondent offered to give the Domain Name ronpaul.org to Complainant for no charge, with no strings attached, the Panel is inclined to agree. Instead of accepting the Domain Name, Complainant brought this proceeding. A finding of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking seems to this Panel to be appropriate in the circumstances.

The panel did not find reverse domain name hijacking in the RonPaul.com case (pdf), but determined that Paul did not prove a lack of rights or legitimate interest in the domain by the respondent. As a result, the panel ruled the domain name should remain with its current owner.

Libertarian ethics usually grants property ownership to the first claimant. If you come across a piece of land that isn’t in use and hasn’t been “improved” by somebody you can mix your labor with the land to claim it as your own. Since Mr. Paul is a strong advocate of libertarianism it’s rather ironic that he decided to make an attempt to grab RonPaul.com and RonPaul.org from the first claimants. Free-market principles would state that Mr. Paul should have purchased the domain names for the asking price or negotiated a more favorable price. I commend the WIPO for ruling in favor of the current holders instead of the more famous individual.

You’re Never too Old to be Metal

When I’m 90 years old, if I even manage to live that long, I hope I’m as metal as Christopher Lee:

Turning 91 definitely shouldn’t be an obstacle in releasing a heavy metal record, just ask Christopher Lee. The iconic actor, known for his roles in such cinematic classics as “Lord of the Rings,” “Star Wars,” “Dracula” and “The Hobbit,” is set to celebrate his 91st birthday with the release of his second metal album.

Titled “Charlemagne: The Omens of Death,” actor’s sophomore record will drop on May 27 featuring a total of 10 tracks arranged by Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner. You can check out a preview video with comments from Lee himself below.

Lee’s last metal album, Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross, wasn’t too my liking as it was more operatic than metal (while I’m a huge fan of operatic metal I like more metal than opera) I still gave major credit to Mr. Lee for putting out a metal album at his age. He’s stated in the past that his second album will be more metal so I may enjoy it but even if it’s not to my taste I still tip my hat to Mr. Lee for being the oldest performer in metal and, likely, older than I’ll ever live to be.

Gun Control is More of a Fantasy Every Day

In a way I almost feel sorry for advocates of gun control. While they may be able to get some laws passed in certain individual states it matters not because fabricating firearms in the home is becoming easier every day. Somebody managed to print a functioning evolution of the Liberator on a consumer-grade 3D printer:

When high tech gunsmith group Defense Distributed test-fired the world’s first fully 3D-printed firearm earlier this month, some critics dismissed the demonstration as expensive and impractical, arguing it could only be done with a high-end industrial 3D printer and that the plastic weapon wouldn’t last more than a single shot. Now a couple of hobbyists have proven them wrong on both counts.

One evening late last week, a Wisconsin engineer who calls himself “Joe” test-fired a new version of that handgun printed on a $1,725 Lulzbot A0-101 consumer-grade 3D printer, far cheaper than the one used by Defense Distributed. Joe, who asked that I not reveal his full name, loaded the weapon with .380 caliber rounds and fired it nine times, using a string to pull its trigger for safety.

Here’s a video of the gun firing:

At this point it’s pretty safe to say anybody with a decent 3D printer can print a firearm. Still, a $2,000 3D printer is out of the price range of many people, but that’s OK. Let’s not forget the person who created an AR lower out of hand tools and polymer. There was also the guy who fabricated an AK receiver out of a shovel.

Gun control has been a fantasy for a long time but it keeps becoming more of a fantasy every day.

The French are Voting with Their Feet

What started as a small movement of capital leaving France is becoming a massive hemorrhaging of capital:

For months now, there has been a steady rumbling of people packing up and moving out. There are few reliable figures of the numbers of people leaving, in part because many are moving within the E.U., where there are no immigration requirements for Europeans. Yet for those of us living in France, the exodus has been notable. Around New Year, a moving truck rolled up to our building and loaded the worldly possessions of the couple and four children living below us as they headed off to Singapore where better prospects awaited the father of the family. Earlier last week, a woman flopped on to a bench next to me in the schoolyard of the school our children both attend, fatigued from apartment-hunting in London, where she is moving with her family next month — driven out by what she describes as the aggravation of running a small business with 35-hour work weeks and by tax hikes introduced by President François Hollande, who was elected last May. “I resisted the move, but it’s become impossible,” she says.

To paraphrase a famous Star Wars quote, “The more you tighten your grip, Hollande, the more people will slip through your fingers.” Statist socialists often believe the solution to a floundering country is to increase taxes. They believe that collapsing countries can be salvaged if only the state is able to collect enough money to keep things going. In the end this never works because people will eventually leave a country if conditions become worse that they’re willing to tolerate. When you have to make a decision between putting food on the table or paying taxes to keep yourself out of prison you tend to disappear in pursuit of greener pastures.

At some point Hollande will be faced with a decision. He will either have to accept the fact his policies are driving people out of France or he will have to close the borders to prevent people from fleeing. If history is any indicator he will choose the latter, which means anybody wanting to flee France needs to do it now.

Americans should take note because this phenomenon is beginning to happen here. Droves of people are fleeing New York and California, two of the most burdensome states in the Union. The federal government has been increase its rate of expropriation for some time and shows no signs of relenting. At some point in America’s future there will be a massive exodus of people, which will likely cause the individual and federal governments to enact border controls to prevent capital from leaving. Fortunately technologies like Bitcoin exist that allow individuals to conceal their wealth from Big Brother’s prying eyes.

The Death Toll Continues to Climb

Most people seem to have little objection to the way drones are being used by the United States military. I believe this is because most of the people who have been killed by drones have been brown people not from around here. However the body country of American citizens isn’t zero. Until today it was believed that three American citizens were executed by drones but now we know there have been at least four American citizens executed by drones:

Four American citizens have been killed in counter-terrorism drone strikes since 2009, the Obama administration acknowledged for the first time Wednesday.

Attorney General Eric Holder disclosed the previously classified information in a letter to a top senator that also included the names of those killed and the revelation that only one was directly targeted in the strikes that began in 2009. He did not specifically call them drone strikes – rather, he referred to “counterterrorism operations” – but most of the individuals he mentioned are known to have died in drone strikes.

Even if you’re OK with brown people not from around here being killed without due process the knowledge of people from your country being executed in such a manner should make you consider how few protections you have from your government. So long as somebody within the state can claim you’re a terrorist your name can be added to kill list. From there you can be executed without a trail.

Welcome to the land of the free.

Translating Political Speech into Literal English

We all know there is a difference between English and political speak. Political speak is purposely designed to conceal true meaning whereas English is meant to communicate an idea in a manner that others will understand. I thought it would be a spot of fun to translate some political speak into English and I’ve found the perfect quote to start with:

A pair of DFL House members who cast politically risky votes to legalize gay marriage this session won’t have to worry about the repercussions until next year. Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Lori Gildea has ruled that Reps. Joe Radinovich, DFL-Crosby, and John Ward, DFL-Baxter, will not be subject to recall elections, rejecting the efforts of a local Republican activist who had claimed that the legislators should face removal from office.

[…]

“Constituent disagreement with votes taken by their elected representative does not equate to malfeasance by the representative,” Gildea wrote, in language which appears in both of her dismissals. “As the supreme court has recognized, the remedy for constituents who disagree with an elected representative’s positions or voting record is not in the recall procedures.”

The literal translation of Gildea’s statement would be, “We, judges of the state, have decided that the state-sanctioned process allowed to the serfs to remove state representatives from office is not the proper method for the serfs to deal with state representatives that fail to abide by the desires of the serfs.”

In other words if a group of serfs suffers under a “representative” that doesn’t uphold their values their only recourse is to wait for the next election cycle. While many proponents of democracy may believe such chicanery goes against the ideas of representation that democracy supposedly provides the truth is such stopgaps must be put into place because it is impossible for one person to represent more than him or herself. If communities were allowed to remove a “representative” that failed to abide by the desires of that community then every “representative” would get removed immediately because they cannot represent everybody in the community. In other words democracy is a sham. Its proponents claim that democracy is the one form of government that ensures everybody has a voice but, in truth, only the members of the state have a voice. Everybody else goes without say over their own lives.

In this case the state decided that the option is provided to the serfs to deal with unwanted “representatives” was no longer allowed. The serfs have no recourse because they are not members of the state.