Mr. President, Rescind The Prohibition Against Truckers Exercising Their Second Amendment Rights...

“The 15,000-member SBTC is calling on federal authorities to preempt state and local laws regarding the right to carry a firearm.

Therefore, in accordance with the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, we hereby request the U.S. Department of Transportation please issue a preemption order nullifying any and all state and local laws that restrict truck drivers from carrying firearms across state lines throughout America in order to enable them to protect themselves and their cargo as they engage in interstate commerce.

As this is now a matter of life and death, please issue same forthwith.”

I fully agree.  Truckers are background checked.  They are susceptible to violent crime, especially during times of social unrest; truck stops are not the safest places on the interstate.  It is not possible to provide protection to every truck on the road; the right to defense of those who transport the necessities of life must be protected.

Please sign this petition!

White House Petition to Rescind the DOT prohibition Against Truckers Carrying Firearms

Gov. Whitmer: A Word Regarding Chloroquine And Covid-19....

From the CDC:

“Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine

 “Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are oral prescription drugs that have been used for treatment of malaria and certain inflammatory conditions. Chloroquine has been used for malaria treatment and chemoprophylaxis, and hydroxychloroquine is used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and porphyria cutanea tarda. Both drugs have in-vitro activity against SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and other coronaviruses, with hydroxychloroquine having relatively higher potency against SARS-CoV-2 [1,4,5]. A study in China reported that chloroquine treatment of COVID-19 patients had clinical and virologic benefit versus a comparison group, and chloroquine was added as a recommended antiviral for treatment of COVID-19 in China [6]. Based upon limited in-vitro and anecdotal data, chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine are currently recommended for treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in several countries. Both chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have known safety profiles with the main concerns being cardiotoxicity (prolonged QT syndrome) with prolonged use in patients with hepatic or renal dysfunction and immunosuppression but have been reportedly well-tolerated in COVID-19 patients.

Due to higher in-vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 and its wider availability in the United States compared with chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine has been administered to hospitalized COVID-19 patients on an uncontrolled basis in multiple countries, including in the United States.  One small study reported that hydroxychloroquine alone or in combination with azithromycin reduced detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in upper respiratory tract specimens compared with a non-randomized control group but did not assess clinical benefit [7]. Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin are associated with QT prolongation and caution is advised when considering these drugs in patients with chronic medical conditions (e.g. renal failure, hepatic disease) or who are receiving medications that might interact to cause arrythmias.
Hydroxychloroquine is currently under investigation in clinical trials for pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and treatment of patients with mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19. In the United States, several clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis or treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection are planned or will be enrolling soon.  More information on trials can be found at:  https://clinicaltrials.gov/external icon.
”There are no currently available data from Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) to inform clinical guidance on the use, dosing, or duration of hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis or treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.  Although optimal dosing and duration of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19 are unknown, some U.S. clinicians have reported anecdotally different hydroxychloroquine dosing such as: 400mg BID on day one, then daily for 5 days; 400 mg BID on day one, then 200mg BID for 4 days; 600 mg BID on day one, then 400mg daily on days 2-5,” https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/therapeutic-options.html, emphasis added.

No, it isn’t a proven therapy.  Certainly not the proven cure the president appears to make it out to be, but the fact is that Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine, particularly in combination with azithromycin, are being used WITH GOVERNMENT APPROVAL to treat coronavirus, apparently with at least some beneficial effects.  You are wrong to threaten to penalize doctors for using a therapy that even the CDC recognizes to have potential therapeutic effect.

I do not support Pres. Trump.  I take what he says with a healthy dose of skepticism.  However, just as I did not automatically dismiss everything said by former Pres. Obama - despite my disagreements with so many of his policies and positions - so I also do not automatically dismiss everything said by Pres. Trump, despite my many disagreements with him and general disregard for his character.  But let’s not make the mistake of allowing disagreements with, or disregard for him to prevent us from making use of all the tools we have at our disposal for fighting this virus just because he is the one advocating for it.

A petition calling on the governor to rescind this ban can be found here: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/gov-whitmer-rescind-your-ban-of-off-label?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=&quote_id=quote4&title_id=title2&recruiter=15451848&loc=dashboard

03/26/2020: US Reaches 1,000 Coronavirus Deaths....

In related news, the mortality rate for pneumonia in the US SO FAR this season is 7.1% (compared to a mortality rate of 2-3% for coronavirus), just .2% under the threshold of 7.3%, the point at which an epidemic is declared, with 38 million flu illnesses, 390,000 hospitalizations and 23,000 deaths from flu.  Per the CDC, the rate of children getting the flu this season EXCEEDS the rate experienced by children during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.

But we're not hearing about any of that.

A little perspective.

No, the World Health Organization is NOT Advising Against Using Ibuprofen....

I took the following screenshot from the World Health Organization’s Twitter page.  You will notice the March 18, 2020 date.

Careening Towards Bankruptcy...

Ok.  Unless we can get a grip on the panic the media are driving regarding the coronavirus, we are literally going to bankrupt people.  The stock market lost thousands of points last week, and it is gearing up for more losses this week.

There are illnesses out there that have put more people in the hospital and taken far more lives in the US alone than the corona virus has worldwide.  And because the media are feeding a steady stream of gloom and doom, sky is falling hysteria, the retirements of thousands of people are on the verge of being wiped out - your parents, my parents, anyone with an investment-based retirement.

This has gotten out of hand.  It cannot be allowed to continue.  We cannot afford to buy into the hysteria.

The panic ends here and now.

Bloomberg: Tyrant In The Making...

I was recently asked a question about Bloomberg’s stance on gun control, and whether he would be likely to write a gun control executive order if he is elected. 

Even though it is not supposed to be in the power of a president to enact laws on his own, It would not surprise me in the least if, should he be elected, Bloomberg  issued a gun control EO on his first day in office. It would then either be on congress to pass a law overriding that EO - something that will by no means be a certainty depending on the makeup of congress at that time - or for the supreme court to rule it unConstitutional.

Bloomberg has imperial ambitions; he proved his willingness to micromanage the lives of those under him while mayor of NYC (his ban on large soft drinks, trying to control their sodium intake, his stop and frisk policy that let police frisk you without probable cause, etc.). He truly believes his intellect is far superior to the rest of us mere mortals, as he stated in a recent speech at Oxford University: “… We, the intelligentsia, the people who could make it into this room…” He went on to state his belief that as a member of that elite group HE knows and understands things that the unwashed masses (that’s us) can’t begin to comprehend (specifically, why “a guy in a dress should be in the same locker room as your daughter”). HE knows what’s best for us - and he is willing to outspend everyone else, all the while using his media empire to push his views and agenda, to make it into the White House. And to top it off, he is a card carrying member of the Trilateral Commission (http://trilateral.org/download/files/membership/NA%20members%20April%202018(2).pdf) AND the Council on Foreign Relations (“[Full disclosure: Bloomberg (the candidate) is a life member and Bloomberg (the firm) is a corporate member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Bloomberg Philanthropies has generously supported the work of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Global Health Program, https://www.cfr.org/blog/meet-michael-bloomberg-democratic-presidential-candidate)” - the kingmakers of the US; Trump is a member of neither group, neither is Steyer. This group isn’t just putting their stamp of approval on a candidate, as they did during those three days when Obama mysteriously disappeared from the campaign trail, showing up at the annual meeting of the Trilateral Commission and securing their approval over Hillary Clinton, this time it’s ONE OF THEIR OWN, putting them firmly in the driver’s seat of the government. For those who doubt, the DNC rules kept a number of candidates out of the debates because they failed to meet certain fund raising and endorsement criteria, yet they are looking to change those rules to allow Bloomberg, who hasn’t raised a dime, and so far only has the endorsement of Obama, to allow him on the stage for their next debate. Why?  These two groups are the ones that elevate the candidate of their choice. One of their own is running, and they want him on the stage.

Sanders is scary because of his socialist ideology, but he would have a difficult time pushing his agenda through congress.

Bloomberg is TRULY scary because, not only does he have the wealth and media empire (his own personal propaganda machine) to shape opinion and policy, he is a member of the very organizations to which so many in government are beholden, the true, behind the scenes power brokers not just of the US, but of the world.

EDIT:  02/18/2020.  The DNC has announced that, despite raising no funds and only collecting ONE endorsement, Bloomberg has “earned” a place in the Nevada debates.  As I said, the Trilaterals and CFR’s WANT Bloomberg on that stage, and the DNC is willing - if not happy - to comply with their wishes.

I Don’t See Color....

This statement has triggered debate in recent years from both sides of the racial divide.

On one hand, there are those of all chromatic persuasions who state that they don’t see color, which is immediately denounced as an impossibility; one cannot NOT see color.  And there are those who will also argue that the statement, “I don’t see color”, is a repudiation of the injustices suffered through the years by minority communities.  It is a deliberate attempt to deny the implicit bias they assume that all people - particularly those of the majority “race” - MUST have.

On the other hand, there are those who truly use this statement as a way to deny that minorities have suffered as a result of their ethnicity.

Then there is a third group who say they don’t see color; I am one of these.  No, I’m not blind or colorblind, nor am I ignorant of history, so what do I mean when I say this?

It means, very simply, that I - and many like me - have made a conscious decision not to let color play a role in how I treat people.  I am fully aware of the injustices suffered by minorities, and I make every effort to ensure that I treat all people with respect.  When my minority customers come to my store, they receive the same high level of service with which I provide my non-minority customers.  A black male in a hoodie doesn’t elicit any more attention or concern from me than a white or hispanic male in a hoodie; frankly, with the desire to hide their identity, they all concern me equally.

I disagree with the notion that ALL people, particularly non-minorities, suffer from implicit bias against ethnic minorities, and it is too easy a conclusion to which to jump to automatically assume that everyone who makes this statement is denying an implicit bias of which they are either unaware or deliberately trying to cover up.

It is sad that those who assume non-minorities MUST be biased against them nonetheless allow themselves to indulge in the same biases of which they accuse others.

The Richmond, VA, Second Amendment Protest And MLK Day - Not The Contradiction Some Make It Out To Be....

“... the idea of a mass armed rally at the state capitol on a holiday devoted to civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr. is its own form of tyranny..,”  Noah Robertson, What Virginia gun rally says about future of Second Amendment rights, Christian Science Monitor, January 17, 2020.

The author who penned that sentiment conveniently ignores that, while MLK did indeed stress nonviolent protest - the same idea espoused by the vast majority of the pro-Second Amendment protestors who will be in attendance with the same firearms they carry WITHOUT INCIDENT every day - he availed himself of his right to own MANY firearms for the defense of himself and his family.  One of his friends characterized King’s home as “an armory” because he owned so many firearms, while William Worthy, a journalist who covered the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, reported that he almost sat on a loaded gun while visiting King’s home. King applied for a concealed pistol license which, predictably for that time period, was rejected.  I can’t think of a better time to protest in support of our Second Amendment rights - a right in which MLK strongly believed and, within the limitations of his time, exercised to the fullest extent possible.

Public Comment Re: Proposed Change to Form 4473...

The ATF has called for public comment regarding proposed changes to the federal 4473 firearm purchase background check form.

One of the changes concerns a change to Section B, Sex: Male/Female.  The ATF is proposing to add a third option to this question: Nonbinary.

I sent the following to the ATF:

Regarding Section B, question regarding Sex: Male/Female/Nonbinary.  Nonbinary is not a question of sex, it is a question of perceived gender.  And since the question relates to the ability of ffl’s and law enforcement being able to readily identify an individual, the previous question regarding Sex: Male/Female is the most accurate question.

Changing this question as a nod to some social trend is counterproductive in this instance.

Leave the question as it is.  It is not worth the expense required to change the forms, nor does it aid relevant parties in readily identifying the individual attempting to transfer the firearm.

The ATF needs to hear from the public regarding the futility if this proposed change.  Comments will be accepted for the next 43 days, and can be sent to the following email address: FederalRegisterNoticeATFF4473@atf.gov

An Open Letter to Michigan Gov. Whitmer....

Gov. Whitmer: the temper tantrum ends.  

Now.

You LIED when you told Michigan voters Before the election that you had no plans to seek a $.27/gallon gas tax, then turned around AFTER the election and tried to implement a $.47/gallon gas tax.  This tax is COMPLETELY UNSUPPORTED by Michigan taxpayers, the legislature knew it, and they denied the tax increase you demanded.

So in true tyrannical fashion, you took your rage out on those Michigan citizens who cannot defend themselves - school students and the disabled.

You denied Michigan public charter school students a much-needed funding increase while increasing funding for traditional public schools.  Let’s be perfectly clear: you didn’t tell what you claim to be “for-profit corporations” they don’t deserve funding (most public charter schools are NOT run by for-profit corporations), you told school children and their families - many of them low income - that THEY don’t deserve funding because you personally disagree with the idea of public charter schools.

You completely de-funded Michigan’s autistic citizens.

This is tyranny.  And it ends - NOW.

RESTORE THE FUNDING!

TODAY!