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The girl that I blogged about who was orphaned when her mother was killed in a car accident? She received some assistance from the community, but she is now needing some help for college. She was going to attend Full Sail University, but the death of her mother is changing her plans, and she will attend community college instead.

There is a fundraiser for her here. Maybe you can contact the coordinator and help her out…

Incrementalism, it’s a thing.

The State Senate of New York just passed a ban on machetes. It moves on the State Assembly.

This guy has the right to remain silent, and he should have used it.

He was not happy with the judge’s revocation of his bond, and decided to call him a slang word for male genitalia. Then, after being sentenced to 60 days in jail for contempt, he did it again, receiving a second 60 day sentence.

A judge has the legal power to control his courtroom. That MUST be the case, in order for justice to function, otherwise there would be no way to hold court. This power is nearly absolute in the courtroom, especially when court is in session.

Not so much when outside of the courtroom.

The Miami Herald is running with a story that accuses Carnival Cruise lines of discrimination, and compares the decision to banning blacks or Jews from going on cruises. Why? Carnival is refusing to book cruises from Cuban born US citizens for cruises leaving the US and cruising to Cuba.

“They’re imposing repressive Cuban laws on American citizens,” says Maria de los Angeles Torres, a respected expert on Cuba and a longtime pro-engagement and anti-embargo academic who directs Latin American and Latino studies at the University of Illinois in Chicago. “It’s like they’re bringing Cuban law here.”

Why is this?

Current Cuban law prohibits Cuban-born individuals from entering Cuba via ship or other sea vessel, regardless of U.S. citizenship status. For that reason, at the present time, Fathom cannot accommodate Cuban-born individuals.

Following the law is not discrimination. The US has a no fly list. Air carriers are required to follow the law if they want to fly here. This is exactly what is happening here. Does the Herald expect the world to continue the Cuban boycott? Or is it time to tear down the wall?

Another problem that I have with the article is this:

Forty-seven years in this country, 36 as a U.S. citizen, a voter — and I cannot sail on an American cruise ship because Cuba says so.

The Carnival ship in question is not an American ship: It is registered in Bermuda.

 Finally, there is this:

Something precious is lost when a foreign government dictates what kinds of U.S. citizens can sail out of the Port of Miami.　

That isn’t what is happening. Cuba is not dictating what kind of people can sail out of Miami, as Cubans are free to sail from that port any time they wish. What Cuba is doing is dictating who can enter THEIR country.

So there have been rumors for weeks that the Republicans are going to refuse to seat Donald Trump as the Republican nominee, no matter what the voters say.

“The media has created the perception that the voters choose the nomination. That’s the conflict here,” Curly Haugland, an unbound GOP delegate from North Dakota, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday. He even questioned why primaries and caucuses are held.

In other words, the leadership of the Republican party only supports elections if the voters  select the proper candidate.

The plan involves delegates for Ted Cruz being the ones who are on the committee that sets the rules for the convention, and then using those rules to prevent Trump from getting the delegates he needs to win. This would trigger the brokered convention we have all been hearing about, which would mean that literally anyone (except Trump) could be the nominee. Seeing as how Ted Cruz has been caught in a few peccadilloes recently, it won’t be Cruz, either. It looks like the establishment is pushing for Ryan.

As you can understand, this has Republican voters feeling angry and disenfranchised, with  seven in ten Republican voters saying that the election process is not working the way that it should.

As an independent voter, I can tell you that this really makes me angry. Whether or not you like Trump is irrelevant. Elections are supposed to mean that the majority decides. Once you publicly declare that elections don’t matter, you have ceased being a democratic republic and have moved firmly into being a dictatorship. I cannot support, and will actively oppose, any attempt to subvert the system of free elections that this nation was founded upon.

Should the person who receives the most votes, whether that be Trump or anyone else, not get the Republican nomination through some sort of underhanded maneuvering, it will be time to admit that the Republican party no longer supports free elections. At that point, I would rather have Hillary in office than put that party of dictators in charge. I will either vote for Hillary or sit the election out.

For years, the Republicans have been telling us to select the lesser of two evils when voting. I will take that advice. This is nothing but a grab for the reins of power, elections be damned. I will not, and can not, support that. No matter what.

Today is a big day. My girlfriend, who is from New York, received her concealed weapons permit. To understand why this is such a big day, you have to see where she came from

When we first began dating, she was mildly anti gun, meaning that if you asked her, she would tell you that she didn’t see a reason to own a gun, and certainly didn’t see why a person needs to carry one. She pointed out that she took a 4,000 mile road trip across the US by herself, and if a woman can do that without needing a gun, a man certainly could.

Two months after we began dating, we were at a baseball game and a man in the crowd got belligerent. The police came over, and he decided that it would be a good idea to punch the cop. The cop did a leg sweep, and the drunken idiot’s face hit the concrete so hard that I felt my seat shake and heard his face hit the ground from 30 feet away. After it was over, she was visibly shaken, and told me that she doesn’t like violence, and it makes her sick to her stomach.

Because she was afraid of guns, I let her know that I carry, but I didn’t advertise it. I also had to promise not to carry in her house. I would leave my weapon in the car.

Three months later, I convinced her to go to the range with me. I started her off shooting a .22 handgun. I find that the lack of recoil and relative quiet of the pistol are very non threatening. Once she fired that one a bit, I moved her to a suppressed 9mm. She was proud of herself, that she was able to hit inside of the 9 ring with more than 3/4 of her shots. I took photos of her and her target. She proudly put them up on Facebook. By this time, I had a drawer in her house where I kept my things. I would come into the house and immediately put my pistol in that drawer. She was OK with that. Baby steps.

The terrorist attacks in Paris were a turning point. We were on vacation in France when the attacks took place. When we saw the news of the shooting, she turned to me and said, “When we get home, I want to take the concealed weapons safety course, so I can apply for a concealed weapons permit.”

She took that class in January. She went to the District Office on March 3. Her permit arrived today. Her mother has an appointment to apply for her permit next week. Her father is filling out an application as well.

In the space of two years, I converted three New Yorkers who have never owned a handgun their entire lives into gun owners with their own CCW. If each gun owner would just convince one person who is on the fence into being a gun owner, we will never have to worry about anti gunners again. Do it with a level head and the facts. Be patient. Rational people will see the truth, and with truth comes understanding. Fear cannot exist with rational understanding.

The score:

So far, I have convinced at least 7 people who were not gun owners to not only become  gun owners, but get their CCW. Three of them are now life members of the NRA.

That is how we win.