Making Information Available Without Bias Or Agenda (Concerned Comments for a Favorite Book Store)

I'm thinking carefully about what I want to say here because it's going include critical comments about a bookstore where I really enjoy shopping. On the other hand, they appear to have some stocking policies that do their customers a disservice and I want to strongly urge that they consider adjusting those policies.

Today is #IndieBookstoreDay and, being huge book lovers, my wife and I went to one of our favorite bookstores today, Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, WA. Some fun browsing was done and we did bring home some books. However, I also noticed something that actually bothered me a lot given contemporary trends in American politics.

This is an admirable sign.

However, the sign is posted all over a Political Science section with all the ideological diversity of a Berkeley Trump effigy burning contest. There are literally dozens of books about confronting the dangers of President Trump and Fascism (at least they don't completely conflate the two). I spotted exactly one book in the entire section that was not left-oriented in its political focus.

Why is this important? Because our country is outrageously fractured along political lines rights now and I think it is critically important for us to start working together instead of treating each other like enemies. Part of that includes coming to understand each others' perspectives better, which to me seems infinitely preferable to a catastrophic continued social deterioration.

An alternative view is that expressed by Jack Dorsey of Twitter recently, when he tweeted his praise for this article:

The Great Lesson of California in America’s New Civil War
Why there’s no bipartisan way forward at this juncture in our history — one side must win (link)

I sincerely hope that is not the policy of Third Place Books. Here are some quick pictures of the Political Science section. I will follow them with some suggestions for books to consider adding.

Here are some books that would make excellent, informative reads for that Poli Sci section and give it some much-needed variety. 

"Attention Deficit Democracy" and "Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty" by James Bovard. Mr. Bovard is an impassioned and consistent critic of governmental forces when they attack our civil liberties, regardless of party.

"Free For All: Defending Liberty in America Today" and "Worst Instincts: Cowardice, Conformity and the ACLU" by Wendy Kaminer. An unflinching and deeply principled liberal, Ms Kaminer was on the national board but found her uncompromising civil liberties positions unwelcome there.

"Flyover Nation" and "Hands off My Gun" by Dana Loesch. Mrs. Loesch is an impassioned and intelligent conservative and these books are packed with useful information.

"Republican Like Me (How I Left the Liberal Bubble and Learned to Love the Right)" by Ken Stern. The former CEO of NPR takes look and discovers some affinity for...and understanding of...the non-liberals who make up half of our country.

All of these books would serve the political diversity that Third Place Books claims to want and make a better variety of information available to the store's clientele.

"Give up your guns, America!" America: "Nuts!"

Gun rights have been on the upswing in recent years and now it seems a little odd how quickly gun control seem to be back on the offensive. Maybe it's because gun owners have gotten a little complacent and thought that things would always be going our way. Maybe it's because the gun controllers are running such a coordinated campaign with the aid of legacy media talking heads...possibly a campaign that was planned to coordinate with a gun-hostile White House whose election was forestalled.

In any case, we're in the middle of one of the most ferocious gun control battles I've seen in the past 30 years.

But I can't help but think that there's an air of desperation to this battle. The gun control movement really hasn't been doing so well in recent years and there's been every sign that their fortunes were going to decline past the point of no return. Concealed carry has gotten so widespread in recent years that a number of states have just decided to allow the carrying of concealed pistols without any license. AR15s that were moderately popular around 1990 before the Clinton Assault Weapons ban are now everywhere....they are called the most popular rifle in America for good reason and they have been flying off the shelves. Factors which could render gun control completely toothless are the increasingly diverse demographics of the gun owning public and the likelihood that we aren't very far off from completely untraceable 3D printed guns (not to mention magazines).

In fact, it strikes me that this isn't so much the sign of gun control taking over again as their last, desperate attempt to render themselves relevant. It reminds me of the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, when Hitler threw the bulk of his remaining forces into a last ditch offensive. It certainly did some damage but in the end it was futile.

Determined, unflinching resistance stopped that offensive cold and I have no doubt that gun owners have the ability to fight back decisively and stop this offensive cold too. Support gun rights groups, contact your representatives, talk to friends and family....and if you can, attend gun rights rallies and use your fury at being called potential criminals and murders as fuel to stuff those words right back down their throats.

This Saturday (April 21), Washington state is holding a gun rights rally that could be big. Expectations are for good attendance and it could be the largest gun rally Washington state has seen in recent years. I'm going, of course, and have been wondering whether to open carry a rifle this time instead of just the usual concealed pistol.

But instead of bring an AR15, I'm thinking I may just bring the M1 sold to me by the government 20+ years ago. It may have even been at the Battle of the Bulge, so the idea of bring it Saturday is fitting.

Bloomberg and his new little muppets are telling us to give up our guns. A furious America is answering, "Nuts!"

N.B. The M1 actually loads with clips...8 rounds of .30-06 that make AR15 rounds look anemic.

Gun rights alliance interview #3: Bonnie Stecher of the Well Armed Woman

Bonnie Stecher is a friend who works in a place where I occasionally shop. We ended up talking about guns one day and I was delighted to find that she is a founder and instructor of the Snohomish County chapter of the Well Armed Woman organization (link).

Bonnie kindly let me ask her a few questions about her experiences in the shooting community.

"How did you get started in shooting?"

Bonnie said that her dad got her started, fishing and shooting as a kid. She raised a family and, after her kids were grown, found herself looking for a hobby. She returned to shooting and then heard about the Well Armed Woman organization. She founded the Snohomish County chapter just over 5 years ago and is pleased with the turnout of ladies who shoot. Though there is an element of turnover, with some people joining, learning a little bit and then moving on.

"What have your interactions in the gun community been like? Do you feel that you have been welcomed as a shooter?"

The community mixed when it comes to how welcoming it is. Norpoint Range in Arlington (where Bonnie's group shoots) is good. There was a training facility on Whidbey that was so-so.

"How can the gun community reach out to a variety of shooters?"

That gets challenging but we've got to organize and stick together. A common shooting facility would help...there's been one in the works in Sky Valley for some time.

But the political side of it is a tough one.

"Are there any other things you would like to say?"

Bonnie indicated that she has found her work with the Well Armed Woman organization to be rewarding. The dynamic when a woman gets a gun often is that a husband wants his wife to be able to protect herself so a gun is purchased, stored in a dresser drawer, forgotten.

It is better when people take the initiative and get trained because they can then have the knowledge and experience needed to use that gun to keep her safe. It is better to be an alert sheepdog than a defenseless sheep. Being a victim is not good and so many people just do not stay aware of their surroundings, walking around with their eyes on their phone.

Peak Gun Rights? Not Even Close!

Reason.com recently published a very good article, asking whether we have already experienced peak gun rights and will experience a sharp decline in those rights (link). While there is good reason to be concerned about the torrent of gun control posturing and coverage in the media...and the civil liberties wimps in in legislatures doing their bidding...I have thought about the matter a lot recently.

My answer is a definite NO.

It is true that we have a fight on our hands but I am really starting to think that it could be more like a desperate Battle of the Bulge type fight than an unstoppable blitzkrieg. Will we lose? Nuts!

1. There aren't that many dedicated gun control activists. The NRA has close to 5.5 dedicated members and many supporters.
2. The NRA is the part of the gun rights movement that is willing to compromise. If they ever shut down (e.g., a recent attempt to extend Russian collusion investigations to the NRA), the next organization to take their place would probably not bother compromising.

That's the thing that gun control fans don't understand. We have been compromising and attempting to work with you and it's gotten us nowhere. The AR15 *is* the gun rights compromise. We have abided by a lot of really stupid laws for decades and all it's gotten us is more demands and hysteria.

Ironically, it may be the anti-Trump "Resistance" which is showing us the way to advance gun rights further. Attorney Generals like Washington state's Bob Ferguson have defied Federal law in opposition to immigration and travel restrictions. If extreme gun control attempts take away gun owners' motivation to continue abiding by arbitrary  and virtually unenforceable laws.

That Reason article hints at the outcome, in mentioning the growing non-compliance with gun laws. People are declining to turn in bump stocks or standard capacity magazines, even in states with a history of gun control compliance. If you ban AR15s or revoke the Second Amendment (nearly impossible but some unwise people have suggested it), almost no one will comply. Home firearm builds, many of them untraceable, will be ubiquitous. People will start figuring they have to violate the law anyway, so why comply with laws banning/restricting machine guns or suppressors. How long until people start 3D printing durable firearm receivers....or drop in autosears?

Prohibition, enacted with the intention of improving society and reducing domestic violence, served only to increase violence, create America's 100 year organized crime problem, *increase* alcohol abuse and foster corruption in government and contempt for laws. The chaos and justified contempt for legal fairness which would result from enacting worse gun control laws than we already tolerate would probably make Prohibition look like a church rally by comparison.

I hope that some gun control advocates and legislators have sufficient judgement to understand that. I do not want our country to look like Syria in 10 years.