A Commentary by Patrick J. Buchanan

Friday, January 07, 2022

“Every Day Is Jan. 6 Now.”

On first read, I thought the Times was conceding its obsession and describing its mission. For the editorial began by bewailing yet anew the “horrifying” event, “the very real bloodshed of that awful day,” the “once-unthinkable trauma.”

Still, a year later, said the Times, “the Republic faces an existential threat,” as the “Capitol riot … continues in statehouses across the country, in a bloodless, legalized form that no police officer can arrest and that no prosecutor can try in court.””We should stop underestimating the threat facing the country. … (our) democracy … is in grave danger.”

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By Frank Miniter, Editor in Chief, America’s 1st Freedom (An NRA Publication)

When I visited the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) National Tracing Center, located in Martinsburg, W.Va., during the Obama administration, records listing the names of people who bought guns and what guns they purchased were piled along the corridors of the building and stacked head-high in 13 tractor-trailer-sized steel containers out back. Between the stacks of records of gun sales were rooms filled with people scanning the documents.

The Obama administration had invited reporters there to push a narrative that they needed more money and resources to scan the documents. The program manager with the ATF leading the press tour also emphasized that they wanted changes in federal law so they could get and digitize more records to create a database of gun sales—and then, of gun owners.

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Tenth Amendment Center ~

By: Michael Boldin|Published on: Jun 15, 2021|Categories: Right to Keep and Bear Arms, State Bills|

AUSTIN, Texas (June 15, 2021) – Today, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law that takes the first two steps against National Firearms Act (NFA) restrictions on firearm sound suppressors.

Rep. Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress) filed House Bill 957 (HB957) on Jan. 4. The legislation repeals Texas code criminalizing owning a firearm “silencer,” more accurately referred to as a sound “suppressor” – outside of Federal regulations. It also bans the state from enforcing any federal restrictions on suppressors that don’t exist under the laws of the state.

On May 4, the Texas House passed HB957 by a vote of 95-51. 14 Democrats joined 81 Republicans in voting yes. The full Senate passed it by a party-line vote of 18-13. With Abbott’s signature, the new law goes into effect on Sept. 1.

SUPPRESSORS

Suppressors simply muffle the sound of a gun. They do not literally silence firearms. Nevertheless, the federal government heavily regulates silencers under the National Firearms Act. The feds charge a $200 tax on the purchase of the devices. Buying one also requires months-long waits after filing extensive paperwork with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The repeal of state suppressor restrictions will not alter federal law, but it does remove a layer of law hindering access to these devices. The widespread easing of suppressor regulation in states subtly undermines federal efforts to unconstitutionally regulate firearms. Banning enforcement of federal restrictions is particularly important in light of not just restrictions under the NFA, but proposals from Congress and the Biden administration to ban them completely.

HB957 includes provisions to exempt suppressors made and sold in Texas from federal regulations under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, although this section of the act is unlikely to have immediate impact without approval of a federal court.

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Point of Contact: Karen Sorah, GFFCspringtown@gmail.com

Generations of Faith Family Church is hosting a session that will provide a source and connection for those who are considering home schooling.

We believe that a small, friendly info session could be just what some are looking for rather than attending a large scale home school convention.

Generations of Faith Family Church is a small church in Parker County. Our congregation is mostly homeschoolers. We are a family integrated church with a heart to equip and encourage. 

Our first info session is scheduled for Thursday, June 17 at 6:30 PM.

The second session will be conducted in July. Date and time to be announce. We are located at 711 North Highway 51, Springtown, TX.

RSVP: GFFCspringtown@gmail.com

http://www.TenthAmendmentCenter.com, By: Mike Maharrey|Published on: Jun 14, 2021

During the ratification debates, supporters of the Constitution insisted that the new general government would only exercise the powers explicitly enumerated in the document. But less than three years after ratification, Alexander Hamilton did a complete 180, suddenly discovered “implied powers” and wrecked the Constitution.

During the Philadelphia Convention, many framers favored a strong national government. In fact, James Madison even proposed a federal veto on state laws. But as the convention wore on, delegates voted down proposals to create a centralized “national” government one by one – including Madison’s federal veto. The Constitution that emerged from the Convention created a general government with a few, defined, enumerated powers.

Opponents of the Constitution warned that the proposed “federal” government would quickly grow in power and scope. But, supporters of the Constitution, including Hamilton, swore this wouldn’t happen. They “sold” the Constitution to a relatively skeptical public by promising that the general government would not be able to go beyond the specific powers laid out in the document.

James Madison gave perhaps the most succinct and clear explanation of the limited nature of the federal government in Federalist #45.

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We highly recommend Ben Steiner for City Council, Place 4.

The Weatherford Democrat recently reached out to candidates running in contested races in the May 1 election. 

The following is an excerpt from the Weatherford Democrat, April 16, 2021

Name: Ben Steiner

Age: 30

Occupation: Manager – Program Management, Hospital Operations

Education/experience: Master of Healthcare Administration, University of Houston – Clear Lake; Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs, Indiana University

Family: Wife, Olivia; Dog, Duke

QUESTION: Why are you running for office? 

ANSWER: “The government is best which governs least.” – Henry David Thoreau

The above quote summarizes my position on why I am running for Place 4 on the Weatherford City Council.

Let’s get back to the basics and enjoy what it means to be a Texan and an American.

Let’s be the catalyst that makes the decisions that shape our community’s future – with less tax, less regulation, and more freedom!

Q: What are the top issues facing the city and how do you hope to remedy them?

A: Infrastructure – Change and growth is headed to Weatherford – that’s irrefutable. We should be driving funds towards long term, sustainable investments in our infrastructure that will continue to allow Weatherford to continue rapidly grow.

Buildings – The city is currently designing a new public safety building that is estimated to cost $14.5M and be approximately 36,800 square feet in size. The building size is 145% larger than the existing and 545% larger than the building that was vacated in 1997. I would strongly urge public officials to build what is truly needed (not wanted); and have a plan for the will-be vacated building once this is built. 

A project like this should warrant collaboration across all our tax districts that creates a true public safety building (police, fire, EMS, training programs, etc) – allowing for a larger building to be erected, while taking advantage of cost saving opportunities as a result of economies of scale. 

It would be great to see government entities consolidate and eliminate their ever expanding footprint – allowing businesses to utilize the shrinking available real estate in the community.

Regulation/economic development – The city’s municipal code is over seven hundred pages in total and continues to handicap small businesses and property owners. Small businesses have to divert precious resources and money to be in compliance with city code, instead of investing those resources into their core business.

Property owners pay a hefty bill every year for the right to keep their hard-earned property; only to have city dictate what they can and cannot do on their own property. 

The municipal code needs thoroughly audited; leaving only the pieces that are “for the protection of the public health, safety and welfare of its citizens” as intended”; instead we have ordinances that directly conflict with state law.

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An Excerpt From The Weatherford Democrat, April 12, 2021

Name: Jennifer Loftin

Occupation: Mom, homemaker, law firm manager and financial analyst

Education: James Madison University: BA Mathematics Magna Cum Laude, BA History Magna Cum Laude with Distinction

Experience: Served for two terms as a school board trustee, currently as vice president; graduate of eXceptional Governance Project for school boards; maintained Continuing Education requirements for school board trustees (every year); worked in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill with both the House and Senate members as well as serving at the C Street House and the National Prayer Breakfast; worked with national, state and regional levels of the Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values; worked with Certified Financial Planning; worked as a special assistant for TCU for the TCU Police Department, as a substitute teacher at Kinderfrogs, for the basketball department and to assist the strategic planning of the Business School.

Community Involvement:  

– Vice president, Aledo ISD board of trustees

– Former school board liaison to Aledo Education Foundation

– Former board of directors Aledo Education Foundation

– Former co-chair for Bearcats N Boots (AEF fundraiser)

– East Parker County Chamber of Commerce

– Local Government Collaborative

– Aledo ISD District Safety Committee

– Aledo PTO

– Advocats

– Volunteer with Aledo ISD — classroom and library assistance, book fair volunteer, field trip chaperone

– Beach Club after school Bible Study leader at Stuard when my kids were there

– Leader for Women in the Word at Christ Chapel Bible Church

– Parker County Republican Party

– Delegate Alternate to the Texas Republican Party

– Member Republican National Committee

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The following is adapted from a speech delivered on February 18, 2021, at a Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar in Phoenix, Arizona.

February 2021 • Volume 50, Number 2 •

Scott W. Atlas

The COVID pandemic has been a tragedy, no doubt. But it has exposed profound issues in America that threaten the principles of freedom and order that we Americans often take for granted. 

First, I have been shocked at the unprecedented exertion of power by the government since last March—issuing unilateral decrees, ordering the closure of businesses, churches, and schools, restricting personal movement, mandating behavior, and suspending indefinitely basic freedoms. Second, I was and remain stunned—almost frightened—at the acquiescence of the American people to such destructive, arbitrary, and wholly unscientific rules, restrictions, and mandates.

The pandemic also brought to the forefront things we have known existed and have tolerated for years: media bias, the decline of academic freedom on campuses, the heavy hand of Big Tech, and—now more obviously than ever—the politicization of science. Ultimately, the freedom of Americans to seek and state what they believe to be the truth is at risk.

Let me say at the outset that I, like all of us, acknowledge that the consequences of the COVID pandemic and its management have been enormous. Over 500,000 American deaths have been attributed to the virus; more will follow. Even after almost a year, the pandemic still paralyzes our country. And despite all efforts, there has been an undeniable failure to stop cases from escalating and to prevent hospitalizations and deaths. 

But there is also an unacknowledged reality: almost every state and major city in the U.S., with a handful of exceptions, have implemented severe restrictions for many months, including closures of businesses and in-person schools, mobility restrictions and curfews, quarantines, limits on group gatherings, and mask mandates dating back to at least last summer. And despite any myths to the contrary, social mobility tracking of Americans and data from Gallup, YouGov, the COVID-19 Consortium, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have all shown significant reductions of movement as well as a consistently high percentage of mask-wearing since the late summer, similar to the extent seen in Western Europe and approaching the extent seen in Asia. 

With what results?

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The Truth Behind The Great Ammo Crisis

NRA, by Caleb Giddings – Friday, February 5, 2021

Everyone is aware of the ammunition crisis. Major media outlets have covered it, it’s all over what little of your social media feed hasn’t been censored, and I’ve been covering in detail since July. The ammo crisis has been constantly evolving, starting as a mere shortage in the early days of the COVID-19 lockdowns, and progressing to a full-blown crisis as I write this 321 days after March 13th.

What caused it?

The simple explanation is that demand exceeded the supply, then continued to exceed the supply. But to understand how that happened you have to go a little deeper. According to Jason Vanderbrink, President of Federal, CCI, Speer and Remington, before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was considerable excess capacity in the ammunition market.

Manufacturers could make more than they could sell, so supply was abundant and prices were low. You could order a case of 9 mm off the Internet for $200. Manufacturers were prepared for an uptick in sales that normally accompanies a presidential election, but the excess capacity would have been enough to cover that.

2020 had other ideas. The first was the COVID-19 pandemic. Then a summer of civil unrest that sometimes turned violent. A hotly contested presidential election, and then the party of gun control having control of both houses of Congress and the Presidency.

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This database of compensation for Texas state employees is published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. We publish this information because we believe that disclosing how tax dollars are spent is in the public interest.

(The Texas Tribune ~Updated: Oct. 1, 2020 • Download all data)

There are 111agencies in the state government.

These agencies employ everyone from the governor to customer service representatives. Salary ranges are set every two years by the legislature. Explore each agency to see more detail about its positions and employees.

Click here for more –