Second Amendment News Roundup for 1/9/08

Focusing on guns and politics, here is today's Second Amendment News Roundup:

From the NRA: Help Keep Recreational Shooting Open on Federal Lands:
http://www.nra.org/Article.aspx?id=10033

The Buckeye Firearms Association has an interesting article on The Straw Purchase: The Last Hope of the Anti-Gun Elite:
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article4129.html

ROFL! Gun Law News has 'the Obama ring tone.' You gotta see this:
http://www.gunlawnews.org/Federal-Politics/obama010808-2.html

The JPFO has essential reading as they offer a reprint of one of their stellar articles on '6 Things About the Second Amendment,' which is an in-depth analysis:
http://www.jpfo.org/filegen-n-z/six-about-2nd.htm

The MUST-read of the day is by Eugene Volokh at the Volokh Conspiracy on the election implications of the Second Amendment case before the Supreme Court:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_01_06-2008_01_12.shtml#1199854683

Well, my friends, it's time for the election fraud conspiracy theories. Michelle Malkin has the story:
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/01/09/diebold-derangement-syndrome-2/

Sebastian has the quote of the day, and you MUST see this!:
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/?p=2367

Nicki comments on the snub of the gun and ammo industry by the credit card processing service:
http://libertyzone.blogspot.com/2008/01/thoughts-on-citi-merchant-services.html

The War on Guns has an obvious solution to the background-checks-at-gun-shows problem:
http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2008/01/obvious-solution.html

Mike McCarville has some thoughts on why the New Hampshire polls were so wrong:
http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2008/01/what-went-wrong-with-new-hampshire.html

Alphecca comments on John McCain's win in New Hampshire:
http://www.alphecca.com/?p=597

Dustin's Gun Blog posts some interesting thoughts on carrying while intoxicated:
http://dustinsgunblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/cwi-carrying-while-intoxicated.html

Red's says that pro-Second Amendment states are recruiting firearms manufacturers:
http://redstradingpost.blogspot.com/2008/01/more-second-amendment-states-looking-to.html

Squeaky issues a very important announcement, and I agree with her 100%:
http://www.squeakywheelseeksgrease.com/blog/2008/01/08/liberals-who-vote-for-socialists-make-me-want-to-puke/

Bitter Bitch has a post on her blog after a long absence. Read it!:
http://www.thebitchgirls.us/?p=7741

Breda makes an excellent point about the Meredith Emerson murder in North Georgia:
http://thebredafallacy.blogspot.com/2008/01/meredith-emerson-accomplished-martial.html

Second Amendment News Roundup for 1/8/08

Focusing on guns and politics, here is today's Second Amendment News Roundup:

Michelle Malkin has the late-breaking updates on the N.H. Primary, including the news that a record turnout has resulted in a lack of ballots:
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/01/07/let-the-voting-begin-the-new-hampshire-primary-kicks-off/

John Lott reports that a major credit card company has rejected the firearms industry, refusing to process charges for guns, ammunition, etc.:
http://johnrlott.blogspot.com/2008/01/credit-card-processing-company-rejects.html

The Volokh Conspiracy points to new research on the Second Amendment:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_01_06-2008_01_12.shtml#1199810389

Volokh also examines the question, 'Did George W. Bush Destroy Reaganism?':
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_01_06-2008_01_12.shtml#1199814770

The Buckeye Firearms Association analyzes the top Presidential contenders in light of the 2nd Amendment:
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article4127.html

Mike McCarville takes a look at Hillary Clinton's strategy in light of her present woes:
http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2008/01/clinton-eyes-february-5th-no-matter.html

A Keyboard and a .45 has some interesting info concerning the Muslim Dad's 'honor killing' of his two teenage daughters:
http://akeyboardanda45.blogspot.com/2008/01/from-comments.html

Born Again Redneck provides important commentary on the apparent need of the masses to seek for 'novelty' in politics...a very dangerous concept on which to base one's vote!:
http://bornagainredneck.blogspot.com/2008/01/forty-year-itch.html

Blogonomicon has some ominous news on a bill Congress passed concerning gun control, violence, and 'home-grown terrorism':
http://blogonomicon.blogspot.com/2008/01/bill-that-no-one-will-talk-about.html

Red's posts Sen. Mike Crapo's response to Michael Sullivan's confirmation as head of the ATF, which has been placed on hold:
http://redstradingpost.blogspot.com/2008/01/idaho-senator-mike-crapo-regarding-atf.html

Say Uncle has updated info on the Second Amendment Blog Bash at the NRA convention:
http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2008/01/07/second_amendment_blog_bash_-_more_stuff/

Robb Allen blogs about his night at the shooting range:
http://blog.robballen.com/archive/2008/01/08/Range-takeaways--Part-I.aspx

Sebastian has gun-rights advocate and Congressman Bob Barr's take on the Georgia gun issue and Heller:
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/?p=2343

Nicki says that in spite of the fact that New York has some of the toughest gun control laws in the nation, they are considering even MORE gun control:
http://libertyzone.blogspot.com/2008/01/new-yorks-next-big-step-toward-tyranny.html

David Codrea at War on Guns gives us a definition of insanity--a MUST-read:
http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2008/01/and-continue-it-will.html

Traction Control has a great plan. Donate to Fred Thompson and buy some guns at Traction's commercial sight, and he will match it:
http://tractioncontrol.well-regulatedmilitia.org/?p=896

Two Predictions on Today's New Hampshire Primary

Today is the day--it's time for the long-awaited and historic New Hampshire Primary, the longtime first primary in the nation.

As always The Liberty Sphere will be following the results very closely. But we will not report results or project winners until the votes are counted.

We will, however, make two predictions for today's voting.

The Liberty Sphere predicts that John McCain will beat Mitt Romney. McCain has great momentum on his side, and Romney has been losing ground of late.

As for the rest of the Republican field, it's anybody's guess. We hear rumblings that Ron Paul will finish third, which would be his best showing yet. But it is difficult to predict anything but the winners in this race due to its fluidity.

On the Democratic side, we predict that Barack Obama will handily beat Hillary Clinton in yet another shocker for the former First Lady. Mrs. Clinton's crowds have not been very enthusiastic despite the well-organized Clinton machine in the state.

Check back with The Liberty Sphere later in the day for further updates.

Ron Paul Not the Only One Snubbed in N.H.

Ron Paul fans have made much about the fact that their candidate was snubbed by ABC News and Fox News Channel by excluding him from the New Hampshire Republican debates just prior to the New Hampshire Primary today.

They certainly have much to complain about. The actions of ABC and Fox were inexcusable and dastardly.

But Ron Paul was not the only one snubbed.

GOP Presidential hopeful Duncan Hunter also got the boot from the two debates. And he has already won a delegate to the Republican National Convention in the summer--a feat which Ron Paul has yet to match.

In fact, of the participants in the two debates--that is, those candidates that ABC and Fox ALLOWED to participate--only FOUR have won delegates--Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, and Duncan Hunter.

As of yet John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Ron Paul have not won any delegates officially. Yet both McCain and Giuliani were included in both debates in New Hampshire.

This fact was not lost on Duncan Hunter when he made his announcement today that he is staying in the race. The candidate took the opportunity to blast ABC and Fox News for excluding him, even though he already has a delegate, which, according to Hunter, 'is more than some who participated in those debates.'

Indeed. Both ABC and Fox News are deserving of hisses and boos for excluding both Hunter and Paul. In fact, it was truly a low-down thing to do.

There was a time when we expected better from Fox. Not anymore. As I have stated many times, as it has become clear that they are pushing Rudy Giuliani and blatantly snubbing or ignoring other candidates, they are actually approaching the reprehensible practices we have long loathed at ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN.

OBAMA OPENS DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD IN N.H.

U.S. Senator Barack Obama, D-Illinois, has opened a double-digit lead over Hillary Rodham Clinton in the New Hampshire pre-primary polls.

With the New Hampshire Primary looming in roughly 48 hours, Obama seems to be building upon his major victory in the Iowa Caucuses.

As for Mrs. Clinton, her disappointing 3rd-place showing in Iowa has her campaign totally stunned and frantically searching for a way to minimize the impact of her losses and come up with a new strategy that will put her back in the lead.

But New Hampshire is not the end of Mrs. Clinton's woes. The South Carolina Primary is coming up quickly in January, and once again the former First Lady finds herself losing her footing in a state where she once held a solid lead.

Polls are showing that Barack Obama is continuing to gain ground in South Carolina, with some showing him neck-and-neck with Mrs. Clinton while others show him in a solid lead.

Many pundits in the state expect that Obama will win South Carolina as well.

This highlights a scenario to which The Liberty Sphere pointed several months ago in which we predicted that Mrs. Clinton would lose the first three major primaries to Obama. While this will certainly give the Illinois Senator a great deal of momentum, we expect that momentum to come to screeching halt by the time the Florida Primary rolls around.

By then more rationally-minded Democrats will have had time to pause to consider just how terribly risky and dangerous it is to support a political novice who has ZERO foreign policy knowledge.

The same can be said for Mike Huckabee on the Republican side.

Neither candidate has the experience or the gravitas to represent the most powerful nation on earth on the world stage in an era where one single mistake could result in a mushroom cloud over a U.S. city.

And let's not forget the continuing volatility of Pakistan--a major nuclear power.

Unfortunately for the Democrats, the two candidates who had the most experience in these matters have dropped out of the race--Joe Biden and Chris Dodd. The rest are essentially political novices.

Even Mrs. Clinton is to be preferred over Obama or Edwards, given that the former First Lady has at least some practical knowledge of world politics, though not extensive.

When it comes to foreign policy and world terrorism the Republicans still have a distinct advantage over the Democrats, with the exception of Mike Huckabee who showed us recently that his grasp of the situation in Pakistan is alarmingly lacking.

Fred Thompson, Duncan Hunter, John McCain, Ron Paul each have considerable experience, wisdom, and gravitas to deal with volatile situations on the world stage.

Thus, when the Democrats come back to their senses, we suspect that they will realize that Hillary, even with all of her baggage and weaknesses, is their best bet.

Thompson Finshes 2nd, Picks Up 3 Delegates

GOP Presidential contender Fred Thompson did much better than expected in Wyoming's Republican Caucuses on Saturday, coming in a strong 2nd place and picking up 3 delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Mitt Romney won the most delegates at the caucuses, coming in 1st place with 8 delegates.

Duncan Hunter placed third with one delegate. The rest of the GOP field of candidates received nothing, zilch, nada. This includes Ron Paul, John McCain, Mike Huckabee. and Rudy Giuliani.

While the Wyoming Caucuses are not expected to have a major impact on the New Hampshire Primary on Tuesday, the results of the much-ignored event may well lead to many voters in N.H. taking pause to notice that Fred Thompson is still very much in this race, despite rumors to the contrary.

Only 12 delegates were at stake in the caucuses due to sanctions by the Republican National Committee for the Wyoming GOP's decision to schedule its event so early in the year, following Iowa's decision to hold its caucuses on Jan. 3.

The national Party has regulations that forbid the scheduling of primaries and caucuses before a certain date. The GOP sanctioned both Wyoming and Florida, banning some of their delegates to the GOP National Convention.

Since the Iowa Caucuses are non-binding, the rules do not mandate sanctions against the Iowa GOP or the Iowa Democratic Party.

The next stop on the campaign trail will be New Hampshire on Tuesday. Polls show Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney in a dead heat, with John McCain surging.

Instant Analysis: The Iowa Caucuses

With over 99% of the Democratic vote counted and with nearly 90% of the Republican vote tallied, the Iowa Caucuses have once again shown us the independence and grit of Iowa voters.

Defying all predictions (except for the last minute prognostications late last night), Iowans have picked Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee as their preferred standard-bearers for the Democrats and the Republicans.

Although the Iowa Caucuses are very strategic in American politics due to their uniqueness and thoroughly grassroots process, the system does have its weaknesses. That weakness shows itself in the winners.

Only the most activist of voters participate in the Iowa Caucuses, which require a commitment of time and energy. On the Democratic side this means that Leftist activists by and large choose the preferred candidate. On the Republican side this means that rightwing evangelicals carry the most weight in picking their preferred candidate.

Thus, Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee emerge as winners.

While America needs the unique grassroots process as epitomized by the Iowa Caucuses, their importance in influencing who will eventually be the Parties' nominees is highly questionable. So many candidates have won Iowa only to go on to defeat.

It is highly unlikely that Mike Huckabee will be elected President of the United States. And this is why Republicans will eventually reject him.

The same can be said for Barack Obama. He is a first-term U.S. Senator who has ZERO experience in so many areas that are vital to America's well-being. This is particularly true with regard to foreign policy and terrorism.

In fact, neither Huckabee nor Obama have the necessary experience to deal with situations such as Pakistan.

Obama may well win in New Hampshire and Michigan. But by the time the Florida primary rolls around we can expect Democratic voters to have settled down from their 'star-worship' and consider the cold, hard facts that in a dangerous world such as ours it is sheer folly to select a novice as your Party's nominee.

As for Huckabee, voters in New Hampshire already know the folly of choosing a novice. He will not do well in N.H., neither will he gain much traction in Michigan. Huckabee's best hope is to make a good showing in South Carolina, which is still very much in flux.

Both Obama and Huckabee have made 'change' the rallying cry of their respective campaigns. When disgruntled voters throw a tantrum, they usually turn to such candidates, even if they possess very little knowledge or experience in the area of world politics.

But Iowa is different--always has been. The entire electorate nationwide is not quite ready to throw a tantrum, at least not to the degree that they are willing to throw all rationality out the window. For this reason we can look for McCain to win New Hampshire.

It will take the Democrats a bit longer to come to their senses. We predict they will have done so by the time the Florida primary rolls around.

Major Poll Shows McCain in First Place

Could it be true?

We have heard reports out of New Hampshire that GOP Presidential hopeful John McCain's crowds have dramatically swelled in recent days and that there is a new buzz being generated about the candidate that he is the one to watch.

On the heels of those reports comes the news, released yesterday, that McCain is in first place in a major poll released over the weekend.

Two things to consider: first, this is the only poll among the top polling organizations that places McCain in the lead, and second, his lead in this particular poll is tenuous. At least three other candidates are within easy striking distance...Thompson, Romney, and Huckabee.

The biggest news of all, however, lays buried within the poll results--news that seems to be confirmed across the board among ALL of the major polling organizations. That news is that Rudy Giuliani's stock has been devalued--dramatically.

The former New York City Mayor has experienced a sharp decline in support over the past three months, totally dropping out of the top tier of candidates in some polls. He barely registers at all in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina--the three early primary states.

Aides to the Mayor state that his strategy has been to focus on later primary states that carry huge delegate counts, such as Florida and others.

But this is a risky endeavor, particularly if someone emerges from the first three primaries with momentum.

McCain's stock has risen for three basic reasons--one, the success of the resurgence in Iraq, for which McCain had advocated for years and which has resulted in a dramatic drop in violence; two, his maturity, experience, and wisdom that are vital in a dangerous world; and three, his willingness to amend his positions on issues that do not find widespread support among the voters.

When the electorate takes him to the woodshed over his support of amnesty for illegal aliens and the McCain-Feingold debacle, McCain listens.

Thus, McCain has a good chance at winning New Hampshire. But he has troubles down the line.

So, stay tuned. It's getting very interesting out there. And Iowa looms large on Thursday of this week.