There's only one way to "make the Constitution relevant to modern society," Professor!

Over at the Chicago Gun Rights Examiner, I notice that Professor Emeritus of History at Northwestern University, Dr. Thomas William Heyck (who specializes in the study of "radical" British politicians of the last two centuries) seems poised to propose an amendment to Article V of the Constitution of these United States. His might read:

"The law professors of the United States, whenever a majority of celebrities, actors, lobbyists, and pundits shall deem it necessary, shall propose new nuances and understandings of the words in this Constitution, which shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by word or implication by a minority of Justices of the Supreme Court. Should two minorities of Justices with conflicting interpretations emerge, the Chief Justice shall contact Dr. Thomas William Heyck, Professor Emeritus of History at Northwestern University, by whatever means he or she considers best; and Dr. Heyck shall settle the issue by fiat."

Read the whole thing and tell your friends, OK?

And if you want other viewpoints, check out Sebastian's take on the same op-ed over at Snowflakes in Hell, or visit IllinoisCarry.org and talk it over.

Overheard in the kitchen

ME: I should have scraped that paint off years ago. That's like having ten percent more window.
HER: Thanks! Bring me that razor blade?
ME: No problem. Yeah, so that looks . . . really good . . . . especially when you reach up for the top part and your shirt pulls up a little . . . .
HER: STOP THAT!
ME: Why?
HER: STOP IT!
ME: That's not why . . . .
HER: I mean it! I'm in front of the window! It's a window! IT'S TEN PERCENT MORE WINDOW!

Ralph Conner, head of CORE Chicago, ends a life of entrepeneurism and service

Ralph Conner, head of CORE Chicago, ends a life of entrepeneurism and service

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IGOLD 2010 is here

If you can't come to IGOLD 2010 in Springfield today, there are still two ways you can help. The first is to call your local Chicago news outlet of choice and ask them when their story on IGOLD will run.
The second is to go to www.illinoiscarry.org and donate whatever you can afford to support IGOLD and IllinoisCarry. IllinoisCarry is a not-for-profit corporation (but not, legally speaking, a charity, and donations are not tax-deductible.) running at a consistent loss, funded by donations from its "employees," none of whom are paid. Unlike anti-gun groups like the Violence Policy Center, which do little more than convert Joyce Foundation funds into 6-figure salaries for people who literally do Google and Nexus searches for a living, IllinoisCarry does nothing but advocate for right-to-carry in Illinois. I can testify that being a Director at IllinoisCarry has cost me a considerable amount of money so far, to say nothing of time, and the officers pay more for the privilege than I do. If you can help, you can be sure that your money will be spent wisely and gratefully.




IGOLD 2010 is today. Springfield will welcome thousands of gun owners. . . . .

We will fill the Prairie Capital Convention Center . . . .


We will march down Capitol Avenue in a throng of thousands . . . .


We will gather on the steps of the Capitol, under the well-polished nose of Lincoln's statue and the steady gaze of King's. We will celebrate our freedom and demand our rights.
Join us.

I can't blog what just happened . . . .

Because My Bride says that if I do, I'll never have sex again. So, for the record, I am not blogging what just happened. In the living room.

Just now.

See, honey? Your secrets are safe with me.

Daley rips Supreme Court on handgun ban stance :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: City Hall

Daley rips Supreme Court on handgun ban stance :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: City Hall

Da Mare is like a neighborhood bully kid who's just realized he's about to take a beating from one of his victims. He's just going to keep getting louder and shriller and insist that he's the big dog and he's in charge and blah blah blah until everyone stops paying attention to him. We should all hope the decision in Mcdonald is announced early in the spring (not likely), because the longer he has to wait for his thrashing the louder and sillier he's going to get.

Right-to-Carry Town Hall Meeting . . . in Chicago!

Tomorrow night, the UTATU Collective (a student service group at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago) will host a Right-to-Carry informational town-hall meeting at the Carruthers Center for Inner-City Studies near the corner of Oakwood and Langley, just a few blocks off the lake on the south side of Chicago.

That's right, Chicago. And the night after that, there'll be an identical meeting in Elmhurst, IL--one of the most putatively anti-gun of the Chicago suburbs.

All the recent focus on McDonald v. Chicago has tended to take some focus off the very real political changes in Illinois regarding right-to-carry. Five or ten years ago I would have laughed at the idea of putting on a meeting like this one. Tomorrow I expect it to be packed.

I'm planning to make the drive; I've laid in a supply of audiobooks so I can take off after work tomorrow, zoom up to Chicago listening to Pale Horse Coming by Stephen Hunter and then slog back home listening to The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by the late, great Carl Sagan. Thursday morning is going to suck. There was a time when I could drive eight hours in a night, roll into home at one or two in the morning, and be raring to go in the morning . . . . but that was before I got old.

Gun Industry "Ambassador" Antonin Scalia to Hear Gun Law Case

You are so right. Alan Gottlieb is a filthy crook who didn't do his taxes right. He shouldn't be allowed to participate in a case before the Supreme Court. That's a Level One Citizen privilege only.



I mean, if he wanted to be Secretary of the Treasury, that'd be a whole different thing, but . . . .



Seriously, Josh, that's weak even for you. Nobody in America thinks the tax code makes any sense, even the people who are tired of hearing the rest of us complain about it. The only reason there was a hook there when Tim Geithner and the rest decided to take unofficial decade-long tax holidays was that they were applying to be in charge of the tax code they flouted. Since Mr. Gottlieb doesn't seem concerned that he'll be picked up on his outstanding warrants any time soon, I'd say chances are good that his tax problems are settled at this point.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Overheard in the kitchen

Kids are flipping through a couple of gun reference books with one of their friends from school:

"Ah, the most basic name for the sniper rifle--the sniper rifle!"