Category 2nd Amendment

May 31 2018

Of Question Marks, No Shows, and Shadow Games

 

The NRA has released its ratings of the 2018 candidates. In Maine, there were no surprises on the Democrat side. All received a well deserved “F”.

On the Republican side, there was an expected confusion. Confusion, because two of the candidates in the Republican Gubernatorial Primary are only recent converts to conservatism or, at least, their brand of it. Mary Mayhew not so recent as Shawn Moody, who clung to his dubious shroud before a last second conversion to join the GOP primary.

Both have received an “AQ” rating from the NRA. What that means is that the candidates, or their campaign team, have filled out the questionnaire correctly but have no record to back it up. In other words, they are a question mark.

Which begs a different question: Why would gun owners and 2A advocates trust the defense of their Natural Born Right to self-defense to candidates who have no such record to be judged on? Why leave such an important issue to chance?

It’s easy to see that 2nd Amendment is the divining issue of this election cycle. So it stands to reason that any candidate claiming to hold conservative values must claim his or her steadfast embrace of a 2A value system, but who has the record to prove it? If there is a profession that epitomizes the old saw, “Talk is Cheap”, it would be politics.

Remember, Al Gore once convinced the people of Tennessee he was Pro-Gun and how did that turn out? Mayhew and Moody could very well be the virtue their questionnaire signals but what record do they have to prove it? Are we willing to put our trust in hope and chance?

On the topics of ratings, along with his questionable “A” rating, Shawn Moody should be rated “MIA” in campaign participation. Moody has been a no-show for at least six candidate forums. Perhaps the politician, who is not-a-politician, is so confident in his fancy new finish over the old LePage political machine that he thinks he can cruise to the finish line or maybe he’s decided to take a page out of the old Mike Michaud playbook, hide in the shadows, and coast to a win.

At any rate, there is only one candidate who has been giving an “A+” rating by the NRA. They did so because he is the only candidate with a record that backs up his campaign promise to defend our God-given right to self-defense. That candidate is Garrett Mason.

The 2nd Amendment protects all of our Natural Born Rights. This is never an issue to be left to chance; not to question marks, no-shows, or shadow games. There is one true consistent defender of 2A principles with a record to prove it and he is Garrett Mason.

May 20 2018

Red Flag White Flag Surrender

 

Once again the people of this Republic have been challenged by a great crisis in our midst and, once again, politicians are doing everything in their power to do everything but address the crisis with a solution. For politicians, in keeping with the teachings of Rahm Emmanuel, a crisis, however great or small, is an opportunity for advancement of agenda not solutions. For leaders of this ilk, our society of today is rife with opportunity for advancement of leftists ideals.

The open war upon our children in our schools has shown a glaring light upon damaged individuals who are willing to focus their demented hatred on this Nation’s softest targets, our children. But the glare of scrutiny is being shifted away, by opportunistic punditry, from the most telling question of all: Why? Why are public schools our nation’s softest targets, why is mental illness so high among our youth, and why are the laws, in place to deal with the mentally ill, repeatedly ignored?

Instead, politicians call for new legislation, new opportunities to increase their power to “address” a problem they’ve already ignored. Such is the Red Flag gun control legislation being foisted upon the people of Maine. So while good people are asking for answers to the problems in our mental health system, politicians respond, sensing an opportunity to exploit the hurt, rage, and confusion of honest citizens, to further the end game of gun confiscation.

The Red Flag gives law enforcement the authority to confiscate the weapons of a citizen if an significant other perceives or believes the owner of the weapons is a threat for violence or mentally ill. If enacted, Red Flag becomes an end-a-round the Constitution and perception, instead of evidence, becomes the means of conviction. Striking while emotions are high and hot has been the most effective means of leftist activist for centuries and history’s violent cycle is at our door again.

Make no mistake, the final goal of all gun control legislation is confiscation. Perception is the malleable threshold gun control activists have dreamed of to make that end goal a reality. For in the end, those who hold the standards, in laws based on perception, have the ultimate power to manipulate the lives of their fellow Americans.

The Left has long decried the negative restraints of the Constitution. They have used and are using the time proven albeit infamous tactics to subvert civil law and a Constitutional Republic: Crisis, violence, popular emotion, mob rule, public shaming, negative perception, and intimidation. This all in an effort to create an atmosphere were laws and law enforcement is based on emotion and perception.

Who interprets the validity of the perception? The Truth in what is perceived? Is it the same government that regularly dismisses those that criticize it as small minded or mentally ill?

Or will it be the media elites of our country who sniff disdainfully at those who embrace the beliefs of Christianity as being mentally ill? Or those same elites and politicians who blame the over six million members of the NRA, who have never committed a crime, for the mindless killing of our children and label those God-fearing law-abiding citizens as terrorists? Should we allow politicians this authority to regulate the powers of perception over our lives when they embrace and defend MS-13, Ha-mas, and, in turn, disparage, denigrate their own citizens they are sworn with oath to defend?

Red Flag legislation is just another gateway legislation to confiscation. It is agenda based, not solutions based, with a goal for power that is easily manipulated to target those deemed unfit by the powers that be or think they should be. This should be a red flag to people of common sense not to wave the white flag in the midst of emotion and surrender Rights dearly paid for.

History teaches us that each step down the road towards weapons confiscation is a step irreversible with dire consequences, with all the dismissive retorts of conspiracy notwithstanding, which have been heard before. Instead of relinquishing our rights to trial, redress, and defense, we should be demanding our government enforce the laws given. It is to this end that our Founders foresaw that we should be armed for if we are uncomfortable with the government’s perception of us now, imagine if we are unarmed.

May 17 2018

That Dodgy Candidate

 

Shawn Moody’s sudden conversion to conservatism has Maine people scratching their heads. Moody was anything but conservative when running for Governor as an Independent. As a political appointee of the Governor, he managed to keep a low profile within the LePage political machine.

With the confusion and lack of clarity on his political direction, perhaps the LePage camp felt they had found their “Manchurian”. The political landscape of Maine felt the rumble and shuffle as the whole of the Governor’s political machine shifted and morphed into the Moody team. Was this the blank slate that they needed to insure eight more years of the LePage regime?

But the heat of the primary has begun to mottle the hastily plated facade of a true conservative candidate and the juxtaposition of two different politicians from two different races is creating an uncomfortable reality for the kingmakers behind the politician. Shawn Moody is spending more and more time trying to dodge his inconsistencies. Yes, the dodge is on and the many moods of Moody is starting to show.

For a man who claims to be the outsider and the proverbial “unpolitician”, his mastery of the political rope-a-dope would hold even Ted Kennedy in awe. Debate moderators have scolded Moody for never answering a question and when he does they are surprised that he sounds more like the Democrats then the Republicans. This dodge and weave approach to truth is just the type of political gamesmanship the voting public has grown tired of.

Another candidate on the dodge is Mary Mayhew. Mayhew also had a conversion to conservatism. While the writer agrees that conservatism is great thing to convert to, the fruit of a conversion should show in the actions of a leader.

Mary Mayhew has faced bipartisan criticism for her handling of DHHS. With tragedy of a girl’s death in the form of repeated child abuse on Mayhew’s watch, this and the several other cases of poorly administrated abuse cases is a baggage that will sink her campaign. Mayhew has not addressed these concerns satisfactorily because she cannot.

With the Ken Fredette campaign struggling to gain traction, there is really only one choice for true conservatives in the Republican Gubernatorial primary. Garrett Mason can run on his record because it is there in plain sight for everyone to see. His conservative principles have stayed consistent, his ideals are constant, and they have not wavered.

The 2nd Amendment will be the divining issue of this election. This along with school choice, abortion, family values, fiscal restraint, defense of the Constitution, states rights, and so many more are not issues that should be left to chance to a candidate that dodges, bobs, and weaves their way around the issues. Maine needs a leader with a consistent record of conservatism and Garrett Mason is that leader.