Codger on Politics

Saturday, August 30, 2014

You Break It You Own It

You Break It You Own It

http://online.wsj.com/articles/henry-kissinger-on-the-assembly-of-a-new-world-order-1409328075

""The search for world order has long been defined almost exclusively by the concepts of Western societies. In the decades following World War II, the U.S.—strengthened in its economy and national confidence—began to take up the torch of international leadership and added a new dimension. A nation founded explicitly on an idea of free and representative governance, the U.S. identified its own rise with the spread of liberty and democracy and credited these forces with an ability to achieve just and lasting peace. The traditional European approach to order had viewed peoples and states as inherently competitive; to constrain the effects of their clashing ambitions, it relied on a balance of power and a concert of enlightened statesmen. The prevalent American view considered people inherently reasonable and inclined toward peaceful compromise and common sense; the spread of democracy was therefore the overarching goal for international order. Free markets would uplift individuals, enrich societies and substitute economic interdependence for traditional international rivalries.""

The first rule is: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. John Karry (Hillary Clinton) and Barack Obama misperceived the world as broken because it didn't conform to the latest progressive views. They therefore need to own the problems they have created.

That is not to say they should be allowed to keep fiddling with things they don't understand.  A smart drunk let's the reins drop depending on the horse to get him home.

It is time for the dems to drop the reins and let the elephant bring back stability.

Friday, August 29, 2014

It is time to defund intolerant Universities

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/she-was-the-wrong-kind-of-christian/

""By the end of the story, it seems that that's exactly what some of the Christians on campus are doing. Good for them. Interestingly, when you look at the list of religious student groups still officially recognized by the university, there are exactly three: the Muslim Student Association, Chabad, and Zion's Inspiration, a black Bible study group. I find it impossible to believe that the MSA, which is rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood (see Husain Haqqani on that point) and the Chabad Lubavitch ultra-orthodox Jews, would be willing to sign off on the university's requirement (and if not, G-d bless them for it). I'm willing to bet the truth is that Vanderbilt's administrators lack the spine to tell Muslims, Jews, and black Christians to comply or get off the campus. I could be wrong. Anybody know? If they signed the statement, why did they? How could they do it with integrity?

Anyway, as a father who has children who will soon be of college age, it's important to know that Vanderbilt has become a place that is anti-Christian.""

Universities, physical campus versions, are out of date.  No longer liberal, with a clique of progressive professors acting a gatekeepers to  keep out new ideas, it is no place to send untrained minds. Fortunately there are better and cheaper alternatives.

Any group of people off the street would be better mentors, and the acedemics are available on line. It will take some effort, but to avoid a life time of indebtedness, some effort would be worth it. And as to accreditation, with the progressive destruction of the economy, the surviving companies should be looking again at there valuing of a progressive university education.  An education showing individual initiative should be preferred.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

A solution to current illegal resident situation

A solution to current illegal resident situation

1. Identify the illegals by all means available
2. Update laws regarding employment and public services to decertify benefits for individuals who are identified as illegal.
3. Notify employers and government services of their status
4. Notify individuals of their status and suggest they leave
5. Start deportation proceedings for people who don't take the hint.
6. Aggressively identify and remove government employees who obstruct the process

If they can't work and can't get food stamps, they will get hungry and leave. Others, not yet identified will leave before the benefits are cut off.

Extremely far apart but which side is extreme?

Extremely far apart but which side is extreme?

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119248/gop-extremism-action-rubio-immigration-inhofe-climate

Stop and think about the following  quote for a second.

""Stop and think about that quote for a second. Global warming is a worldwide problem, which means it requires worldwide action, which means the U.S. will have to be part of some kind of worldwide regulatory scheme. Inhofe won't even think about it. And while Inhofe has a reputation as an extremist, he's not an outlier here. Yes, John McCain endorsed a cap-and-trade plan when he was the Republican nominee for president in 2008. But he's basically disavowed that idea. Good luck finding a prominent Republican in office who will even speculate about such a proposal today.""

If the author cannot convince the legislators of the truth of their assumptions (and the truth of global warming is an assumption), shouldn't they question their assumptions? Here the assertion is made with no supporting evidence.

From my viewpoint, the democrats are extreme and moving to be more extreme. Why is my view wrong and the progressive view correct?

You can't change my mind by filibustering the issues and shouting down opponents. You need to engage intellectually.

Monday, August 25, 2014

A Kinder and Gentler Killing Machine, Doesn't

A Kinder and Gentler Killing  Machine, Doesn't work
http://thefederalist.com/2014/08/25/if-you-want-to-stop-isis-here-is-what-it-will-take/

""Killing the IS requires neither more nor less than waging war—not as the former administration waged its "war on terror," nor by the current administration's pinpricks, nor according to the too-clever-by-half stratagems taught in today's politically correct military war colleges, but rather by war in the dictionary meaning of the word. To make war is to kill the spirit as well as the body of the enemy, so terribly as to make sure that it will not rise again, and that nobody will want to imitate it.

That requires first isolating the Islamic State politically and physically to deprive all within it of the capacity to make war, and even to eat. Then it requires killing all who bear arms and all who are near them.""

We don't need nation building, we need nation destroying.  We can't be the good guys in white hats, and get this done. We need to be the berserkers with black hats no one wants to piss off. War is hell, and it needs to be to make war less popular.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

gumball immigration

gumball immigration

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=T4X6U8TdA6i_8QHy2ICoBw&url=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DLPjzfGChGlE&cd=1&ved=0CCIQyCkwAA&usg=AFQjCNHpitMGAQq_besZs-87vQRbVLQ72Q&sig2=akwf4JHSBZ8Qxk1V7KLUxw

This disturbs progressives. why is that? If the numbers are wrong, challenge them. The presenter  has made some assumptions about why progressives want more immigration. Are they wrong?

Critiques:
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/01/immigration-debate-in-perspective.html

http://openborders.info/blog/roy-beck-unwittingly-makes-the-case-for-open-borders/

http://www.snotr.com/video/6720/Immigration__world_poverty_and_gumballs

asseretions
1. our taking in millions of immigrants, will not significantly reduce world poverty, and may increase it.
2. our taking in more immigrants than we can assimilate will harm our economy.
3. no matter how many we take population growth will be orders of magnitude greater.
4. must help the people where they live.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

A Soul Mate from the recent Past

A Soul Mate from the recent Past

""A German-born Jew who emigrated to the United States in the 1930s and who, at the peak of his career—from 1949 to 1967—served as a professor in the University of Chicago political science department, Strauss was the author of more than a dozen books and some 150 articles and reviews about political philosophy. He examined the quarrel between the ancients and the moderns on the importance of religion, the moral and scientific premises of the social sciences, the impact of persecution on the manner in which great works of political philosophy were composed and, not least, the centrality to politics and justice of education. He was a brilliant and beloved teacher.""

Read more: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/08/16/leo_strauss_political_philosophy_reviled_but_redeemed_123642.html#ixzz3AewfAf3k 

""Strauss also provided powerful support for constitutional democracy through his unorthodox, spirited, and multi-layered readings of Greek political philosophy. The classics, he showed, furnished weighty arguments for limited government, representation of the people's interests in a regime that constrained popular will, and the indispensable role of education in the formation of responsible citizens.

The liberal education once built around the Great Books that Strauss championed and practiced also nourished the liberal spirit. It involved not the inculcation of a doctrine but the cultivation of an understanding of the material and moral preconditions of freedom, and of the political moderation that secures them. Indeed, study of the invigorating debate among the best minds across the centuries about what justice requires and what nobility demands itself provides a powerful lesson of moderation.""

It is always comforting to find support for your ideas. It is always cheering to discover arguments that discomfort our supposed moral superiors.

Leo Strauss' Political Philosophy: Reviled But Redeemed

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Hey buddy, you can't Leave, we own you

Hey buddy, you can't Leave, we own you
""
I was a Democrat because I believed in civil rights, like Lyndon Johnson. I was a Democrat because while it was clear to me that the Republican politicians were out of touch and cared for only the upper class, Democrats like Franklin Roosevelt cared for the masses and helping the working man. I was a Democrat because I believed in a strong defense and opposed communism, like John F. Kennedy. And I was a Democrat because I loved the fact that Kennedy understood we needed lower marginal tax rates.

By and large, none of these values are represented in the Democratic Party today. From where I'm standing, the party has largely abandoned its commitment to civil rights and instead allows race-baiters to be national power brokers. As spokesman for the Boys and Girls Clubs of New Jersey, I am hurt that there is not one Democrat in Washington who cares enough about the great inner cities of this country to help those in dire distress from poverty and crime. These cities are in worse shape than those countries from which all those illegal "children" crossing our borders daily are coming.

In my home state, if I can walk the streets of Camden to try to help the disenfranchised, why can't the Democrat in the White House walk the South Side of his hometown and do the same? In terms of caring for the working class, it seems as though Democrats are more interested in catering to the special interests, such as the trial lawyers, lobbyists and George Soros who fund their campaigns — rather than fighting for small-business relief to allow a higher minimum wage or (God forbid) middle-class tax relief.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/14/piscopo-confessions-of-a-disillusioned-democrat/#ixzz3AZEFCrB2 
""

Barack Obama isn't black, he is just another skinny white progressive who hates his white self. While technically black, he was raised white. He feels no empathy for blacks, he feels no empathy for anyone.  He is a progressive and a member of the elite leadership class who are better than you. They are progressives and don't acknowledge the supremacy of the constitution or your rights. They know better than you what you need, get back in line.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

The Demise of a Bastion of Progressivism

The Demise of a Bastion of Progressivism
http://www.the-american-interest.com/articles/2014/08/11/tottering-ivory-towers/

""When the process of innovation moves in from the edges of higher education and begins to disrupt the business models of leading public and private institutions, what will higher education look like? Considering the pattern in other industries, how should existing colleges and universities respond to the threat to their survival? Can they respond?""

 ""Innovative deans and college presidents often face tenured faculty who resist change. Moreover, they have a valuable and costly brand to protect, and elites who offer lower-end goods and services do court danger. Top clothiers like Nordstrom had to be careful about the perception of their valuable brand when they opened discount stores. Likewise, the more elite universities attach their brand names to less expensive, second-tier products, the more they endanger their brand and invite their primary customers to question the extra value they get for their $40,000 in annual tuition. They risk unbundling themselves from their own prestige""

""Where value-for-money rather than a tony brand is the competitive edge, colleges are more inclined to consider partnerships designed to gain an edge. For instance, several U.S. state university systems, including the State University of New York and the University System of Georgia, have teamed up with MOOC giant Coursera to offer online courses and test out new business models and teaching methods. Some international partnerships are reshaping graduate education in professional fields. The for-profit Kaplan University maintains a facility in Singapore, for instance, with academic partners all over the world, from Murdoch University ""

""Nathan Harden predicted in these pages not so long ago that thanks to the online revolution roughly half the nation's colleges and universities will cease to exist within the next fifty years. '""

I believe the most endangered Professors who no longer teach, and retain their status from the tenured status, not inherent ability.  They are part of a support group who back each other up.  See the principles in the global warming debate. once that edifice crumbles they have no fallback.  The principled opposers of global warming are likely to do well.  They have survived the fierce intellectual struggles with their intellect intact. That which you survive makes you stronger. Good, we will need them. 

Ignoring reality

Ignoring reality

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/the-obama-paradox_1_b_5666866.html

""If you compare Obama with George W. Bush (okay -- a low bar), Obama wins, hands down.""
and if you are a hard lefty acolyte. "" Unlike Bush, Obama inhabits the reality-based foreign policy space, with no apologies."" If you consider Obama's alternate reality the "reality". "" Unlike Bush, he has no messianic zealots among his advisers."" That would be awkward in Obama's case since he is the Messiah  ""He gives the kind of well-considered responses that suggest a president who carefully engages with truly difficult policy conundrums."" So say the supplicants that surround him, what say you.

Would that all of this were true. We live in a dangerous world, full of vicious JVs like ISIS, so recently put down by the president. The barbarians are at the gate but are not visible to the president with his rose colored glasses. (By that I am referring to the international villains, not the republicans) That is not  to say the republicans are not threatening to sweep Obama and all his works into the dust bin of history.

But enough of this, the progressive not arguments are repetitive and tiring, We have some gate storming to do.

Friday, August 08, 2014

Progressives saying the conservatives lie, a real

Progressives saying the conservatives lie, a real man-bits-dog story

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/08/the-big-long-30-year-conservative-lie.html

What is the 30 year conservative lie?
""That's well known. Far less often discussed is the flipside of this belief: that helping the less well off will dampen the American money-generating engine—that it will hurt growth, because the only thing that inspires the "job creators" to work so hard is the promise of insanely vast financial rewards. Poverty is a necessary evil in this worldview, and helping the less well off creates a "culture of dependency," which discourages work. "The United States thrives because of a culture of opportunity that encourages work and disdains relying on handouts," Matthew Spalding of The Heritage Foundation wrote in 2012, neatly summing up the conservative ethos.
""
No proof is presented of the assertion that this is a lie. " insanely vast financial rewards." may not be necessary, but confiscating those rewards has to be a disincentive. Some of the blame for too high salaries is due to the progressives attempting and failing to keep a lid on. This distorts the market, causing the rising wage.

If inequity is a problem, it is a problem everywhere.  Why should people dependent on handouts get more in the US than in Bangladesh? And if the dependent on handout people can't support themselves, why not send them to a low cost of living country like Bangladesh?

Why not contribute all of the welfare funds to a world wide welfare system, so we get real equality of the dependents. Why are US dependents any more deserving than the poor of Bangladesh? You are not raciest, are you?

But lets not be hasty.  Lets do it state at a time. We can achieve equality at the state level by exporting the dependent class to our highly progressive blue states. (this won''t  require force,  the red states can transfer the welfare funds with the people. the people will follow the handout) The progressives can demonstrate the value of equality, and the red states can try proving the 20 year old lie.

I won't be betting on the progressive blue states.

Only that specifically allowed is permitted, the

Only that specifically allowed is permitted, the opposite of freedom

http://soaznewsx.com/USA/ID/5568/Why-does-ridesharing-freak-out-some-regulators

""

But, Mitchell said, there's something else at play — the concept of what public-choice economists call "regulatory capture."

"It's the idea that over time, regulatory bodies often end up seeing the world in much the same way as the industries they are regulating," Mitchell said. "It doesn't always have to be a nefarious (situation) where the taxi cab companies buy them off. Sometimes it's just, well, the people you end up interacting with the most are the folks you're regulating.""

Progressive, Lies, and am I being redundant?

Progressive, Lies, and am I being redundant?
http://soaznewsx.com/Opinion/ID/5599/Emil-Franzi-Weak-effort-by-a-weak-editorial-board

""Define or be defined. Saul Alinsky, among others, knew that well and always attempted to define his enemies before they did so themselves. It is a popular progressive elitist and liberal (lately synonymous with elitist) trick to define ideology as something bad and moderation as something good while simultaneously claiming your own ideology is the moderation you seek.""

""

"So few people cast ballots in primaries that, practically speaking, a fraction of Arizonans pick the candidates who face off in November. Too often those are politicians who cater to the ideological wings of their parties, to the detriment of common-sense 

Note – they never told you how THEY define "common-sense" government but a cursory perusal of their editorials easily defines them as dogmatic and even slobbering elitist liberals of the snot-impacted variety.""

The Arizona Daily Star claimed they did GOP voters a favor on Sunday by not endorsing any of the six candidates running in the Aug. 26 GOP primary for governor, but would simply present their relative strengths and concerns.

Instead, they simply trashed all six for taking conservative positions.

They also claimed to be a moderating influence, not ideologically motivated.

Define or be defined. Saul Alinsky, among others, knew that well and always attempted to define his enemies before they did so themselves. It is a popular progressive elitist and liberal (lately synonymous with elitist) trick to define ideology as something bad and moderation as something good while simultaneously claiming your own ideology is the moderation you seek.

Here's how they spin it:

"So few people cast ballots in primaries that, practically speaking, a fraction of Arizonans pick the candidates who face off in November. Too often those are politicians who cater to the ideological wings of their parties, to the detriment of common-sense 

Note – they never told you how THEY define "common-sense" government but a cursory perusal of their editorials easily defines them as dogmatic and even slobbering elitist liberals of the snot-impacted variety.

They then spun those strengths and concerns into the following:

"Strengths" for Ken Bennett: "Bevy of public experience … eight years as state senator. Elected to Prescott City Council, and state Board of Education."

Bennett was PRESIDENT of the Arizona Senate, and the State Board of Education is not an elective office.

Their "concerns" are that he wants to eliminate the state income tax, opposed Medicaid expansion and has an unworkable plan for health care. Obviously, they gave him a brief glance.

"""Strengths" for Doug Ducey: They summate by giving him credit for being a competent state Treasurer and having business experience and support.

"Concerns" are lack of specificity on his opposition to Medicaid expansion and income tax elimination. Fair enough, but they expose their hand when they hit him for saying the Arizona-Mexico border is "wide open and unsecured," which they then declaim "Isn't factual." They then list all the hardcore conservatives who support him they have previously trashed in other editorials. They also banged him for being "unclear" about how to keep Davis-Monthan AFB in business.""

""Besides the sloppy reporting, it obvious that the Star editorial writers are acting as wolves (or hyenas) in sheep's clothing pretending moderation, common sense and objectivity when they are nothing more than liberal Democrat hacks with worn-out or fraudulent concerns who are ignoring too many real ones.""

I enjoy Emil's creative insults, also true

Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Enough with all the rules

Enough with all the rules
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/118951/obamas-immigration-policy-lawful-he-can-enforce-what-he-wants

 ""Many Democrats—not all—believe that the president must have broad powers over domestic policy because Congress is institutionally incapable of addressing the huge number of intricate regulatory problems that constantly arise. ""

Anything congress can't do the executive can do no better. So what makes "Many Democrats—not all—" think the executive can do better.  Only by arbitrarily placing power in the hands of functionaries with no accountability can this be attempted, and evidence to date is not encouraging

Give freedom a chance. Don't try to anticipate. Downsize the regulators. Restrict laws to readable hunks, not requiring rules to support them.

"the huge number of intricate regulatory problems" can be dealt with with out the aid of the federal government.

 The shaft, coming to you soon

 The shaft, coming to you soon
 
 
http://aolanswers.com/websearch?q=Is%20the%20article%20on%20Medicare%20at%20age%2076%20true%3F    More information on what is written below!
Medicare changes at 76 years of age & BEYOND
Read and pass on...if this doesn't affect you personally, it will for someone you love and know. 
 
IMPORTANT ACTION INFORMATION FOR NOVEMBER, 2014  VOTE
 
If you don't read this, and do nothing about it, don't complain when it affects you or your loved ones!!!!!  This is the second Judge to have read the Obama Care document comments.   More highlights of Nancy 's "pass it and Then find out what's in the bill"!!!!!!   Show this to everyone nearing the ripe old age of 76. These are just a few of the things that we Seniors are going to have to deal with starting in 2014.  Even far left Democrats will not like these.
 
 
 
MEDICARE AT AGE 76, IMPORTANT PLEASE READ - ANYONE WHO DOUBTS THIS IS TRUE CAN DOWNLOAD THE NEW OBAMA CARE AND LOOK UP THE PAGES MENTIONED. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING......THIS should be read by everyone, especially important to those over 75..... If you are younger, then it may apply to your parents....
 
 
 
Your hospital Medicare admittance has just changed under Obama Care.
 
You must be admitted by your primary Physician in order for Medicare to pay for it! If you are admitted by an emergency room doctor it is treated as outpatient care where hospital costs are not covered. This is only the tip of the iceberg for Obama Care. Just wait to see what happens in this year and 2014!
 
 
 
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO LIKE THIS... At age 76 when you most need it most, you are not eligible for cancer treatment * see page 272. What Nancy Pelosi didn't want us to know until after the health care bill was passed. Remember she said, "We have to pass the Bill so that we can see
 
what's in it." Well, here it is.
 
 
 
Obama Care Highlighted by Page Number THE CARE BILL HB 3200 JUDGE KITHIL IS THE 2ND OFFICIAL WHO HAS OUTLINED THESE PARTS OF THE CARE BILL.   Judge KITHIL of Marble Falls , TX - highlighted the most egregious pages of HB3200 Please read this....... Especially the reference to pages 58 & 59 JUDGE KITHIL wrote:
 
Page 50/section 152: The bill will provide insurance to all non-U.S. Residents, even if they are here illegally.
Page 58 and 59: The government will have real-time access to an individual's bank account and will have the authority to make electronic fund transfers from those accounts.
Page 65/section 164: The plan will be subsidized (by the government) for all union members, union retirees and for community organizations (such as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -ACORN)
Page 203/line 14-15: The tax imposed under this section will not be treated as a tax. (How could anybody in their right mind come up with that?)
Page 241 and 253: Doctors will all be paid the same regardless of specialty, and the government will set all doctors' fees.
 
This is what they do in Sweden too. I know because Alf's daughter Ann is an OBGYN, and her husband, Thorsten, is a surgeon.........
Page 272. Section 1145: Cancer hospital will ration care according to the patient's age.
Page 317 and 321: The government will impose a prohibition on hospital expansion; however, communities may petition for an exception.
Page 425, line 4-12: The government mandates advance-care planning consultations. Those on Social Security will be required to attend an "end-of-life planning" seminar every five years. (Death counseling...)
Page 429, line 13-25: The government will specify which doctors can write an end-of-life order.
 
 
 
HAD ENOUGH??? Judge Kathie then goes on to identify:  "Finally, it is specifically stated that this bill will not apply to members of Congress. No wonder they did not see the need to read it....doesn't apply to them!!!  THE AMERICAN PEOPLE NEED TO STAND UP TO WASHINGTON .....  I don't know if we can do anything, but awareness helps.
 
 
 
Winds Of Change  --  Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. At least 20 if you can. It has to stop somewhere. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have this message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Saturday, August 02, 2014

Let Obama do it

http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/2/netanyahu-white-house-dont-second-guess-me-again/
""At the same time, Obama called the situation in Gaza "heartbreaking" and repeated calls for Israel to do more to prevent Palestinian civilian casualties""

Here's a thought, as a strong allie, Obama should have US  forces take over and do it right. That would save Israelite soldiers as well.

Democrats are the new evil Republicans

Democrats are the new evil Republicans
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/02/the-coming-democratic-mid-term-collapse.html
""Time has been cruel to many once-revered political assertions. No, all politics is not local. No, the road to the White House does not lead through New Hampshire. The "solid South" hasn't been a solid Democratic redoubt since 1944; "rock ribbed Republican" New England has yielded a grand total of four electoral votes for the GOP in the last six Presidential elections. ""
We have switched roles.
Republicans have lost their edge in the corporate corruption, switched regions of the country they represent, and have had a fresh wave of new faces.  I don't believe the main stream Republicans have lost their desire but with the tea party knocking off the low hanging fruit The replacements have yet to learn. Plus some of the news guys are refusing the training. The real reason is the Democratic hunger for corporate and union dollars and the blanket amnesty for democratic criminal activity. We just can't compete.  Besides we can't bring home the bacon. Harry Reed is a gatekeeper blocking all legislation, meaning republicans have no leverage.
An now a new innovation, corruption by executive order. Republicans are locked out.


Friday, August 01, 2014

Treating Guns as cars

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/opinion/nicholas-kristof-our-blind-spot-about-guns.html?_r=0&referrer=

You can't complain that guns kill people, when that is the function of guns. And you can't let the government regulate the killing, because the government is the ultimate target. They are sure to attempt to regulate your ability to kill them out of existence.

This ability to oppose the government was written into the bill of rights intentionally.

"" Yet, instead, we built a system that protects us from ourselves. This saves hundreds of thousands of lives a year and is a model of what we should do with guns in America.""
Yes, yes it is all for the children, that is the dumb non government person.

"" Whenever I write about the need for sensible regulation of guns, some readers jeer: Cars kill people, too, so why not ban cars? Why are you so hypocritical as to try to take away guns from law-abiding people when you don't seize cars?""
First of all, progressives are working diligently to take away our cars, and second I haven't held anyone make that argument so it doesn't happen (here I am channeling our Progressive brothern, it doesn't need to make sense). The part about " take away guns from law-abiding people" remains unanswered.

"" One constraint, the argument goes, is the Second Amendment. Yet the paradox is that a bit more than a century ago, there was no universally recognized individual right to bear arms in the United States,""  I would characterize this is a little more than a constraint, the problem is that at that at that time the progressives didn't recognize the constitution as the ultimate law of the land. The requirement that anything is " universally recognized individual right " is a rhetorical way to deny any constraint on government.

"" Courts and editorial writers alike saw the carnage and agreed that something must be done. "" This to was not universally recognized, but the rules change when you have a desired outcome. Also, if the courts recognize a point of law, why would what editorial writes have standing in the matter.  Why not refer to the majority of Bloggers? we are people to!

But I do go on.  I have enough examples to put into question the reasoning ability of NICHOLAS KRISTOF.  This is sufficient to negate the "universally recognized" portion of his reputation.