Of course, the difference is that if it's a terrorist attack, Obama may have to blame actual terrorists. Actual Islamic State terrorists. God knows he's incapable of doing that. If it's a mass shooting, he can blame the guns, as always.
Even last week, when we have testimony from the Dallas chief of police that the killer told them he specifically wanted to kill white cops, as clear an example of race-based terrorism as you get, Obama went into full auto mode, reprising what I think is his most idiotic argument of all, that it's "easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a book". In what country? On what planet? In the US, it's a federal felony; a teenager can't walk into the local gun shop and buy any firearm. Do you mean they commit the felony and buy a stolen gun off the street? Oh, that's right, you guys don't have the time to enforce those laws, so you want to create some new laws you can not bother to enforce.
Outraged at this unacceptable situation, Apple Computer CEO Tim Cook announced that beginning Aug. 1, all teenagers and adult customers of Apple computers and devices will be able to buy Apple products as easily as they can buy a Glock pistol.
"It will be very simple," said Cook after touring the Glock factory in Smyrna, Ga. "From now on Apple products will be sold to teenagers using the same criteria used for them to buy a Glock. It's only fair and I am sure the president will agree."
Apple's press release summarized the new purchasing rules as follows:
- No straw purchases: Any person who attempts to solicit, persuade, encourage, or entice any Apple dealer to transfer or otherwise convey an Apple product other than to the actual buyer, as well as any other person who willfully and intentionally aids or abets such person, shall be not be allowed.
- Furnishing a computer to a Minor - No Apple dealer will sell or give an Apple product to a person under 18 years old. All purchasers must sign a statement before the sale that they will not sell, give or otherwise transfer the computer to a Minor.
- Apple dealers must complete and have the buyer sign Apple Form 4473, Computer Transaction Record.
- The dealer must verify the identity of the buyer through a government–issued photo identification.
- No Apple product will be sold to any person who is not a legal resident of the state where the sale occurs. Purchases may be made online but the product must be personally picked up by the buyer in the buyer's legal state of residence. Before transferring the computer to the buyer, all procedures stated herein must be in compliance.
- No Apple device may be sold to any person who has previously been convicted of or previously entered a guilty plea to one or more of the offenses of murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, or any felony involving the use or possession of a computer and who shall have on or within arm's reach of his or her person a computer during the commission of, or the attempt to commit:
- Any crime against or involving the person of another;The unlawful entry into a building or vehicle;
- A theft from a building or theft of a vehicle;
- Any crime involving the possession, manufacture, delivery, distribution, dispensing, administering, selling, or possession with intent to distribute any controlled substance
- Any crime involving the trafficking of cocaine, marijuana, or illegal drugs.
- The dealer must contact local law-enforcement offices (LEO) to ensure that the buyer is not disqualified from buying or possessing a computer. A dealer may not transfer a computer unless the dealer receives a “proceed” response, or three business days have elapsed since the dealer contacted the law enforcement office. A dealer may not sell a device when a “denied” response is issued by LEO.
"These are only common-sense measures," Mr. Cook said, "and they will
make sure that every teenager, especially in Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore
and other Democrat-administered cities in America, will find it no
more difficult to get their hands on an iPhone or MacBook Pro than on a
Glock."
And ban "high capacity" hard drives.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you want a computer that runs very fast, you need more paperwork and you have to pay a $ 200.00 tax to the United States.
And you have to punish law abiding computer owners if a criminal uses a computer for any illegal act.
Look on the bright side: the ruling elite are now so incompetent matching demagoguery to existing prejudice it's easy to tell these are lies. Just 70 years ago, similarly promoted lies like "capitalist speculative middlemen in commerce are ruining the economy" were actually believed in China, Russia, and Germany.
ReplyDeleteI think Bernie Sanders supporters still believe that.
DeleteThat's particularly ironic, as Bernie is of the religious sect which has historically specialized in being capitalist speculative middlemen.
DeleteThey manage the just-in-time buffer and queue of objects in commerce. Very, very important job. Otherwise your breakfast cereal would not be available from General Mills every week of the year at an averaged price, trickling out of grain storage silos, but instead would be boom/bust with the wheat harvests a few times a year.
Perhaps Mr. Trump can explain, with a Verilog model we can all simulate, exactly who protectionism at the border benefits.
Many conservatives still believe that. They want a junior version of the iron curtain, named "protectionism". Special taxes on imports and exports. Targeted taxes on objects in commerce, like cars, medicines, and solar panels, which "foreigners" manufacture more cheaply than "natives". Much like the tax on cotton exports to England which sparked the US war of Northern aggression, which is to say, the more-aggressive collection attempt for those taxes.
ReplyDeleteI think (my conspiracy theory) that the powers that be know there is an economic shit storm coming and very likely a social crap storm as well. They don't want Americans to have weapons when TSHTF and especially if we correctly conclude that it was our politicians (federal state and local) who sold us down the river. For that reason they must have gun control. It is impossible to take over a country where the citizens are all armed.
ReplyDeleteWell, your theory fits observable facts. They've been gradually disarming America since the 1930s, and I think it pisses them off that they can't "close the deal". It's not like there aren't dozens of quotes you can find online where some assclown politician is saying they would order door to door confiscation if they thought they could get away with it.
Delete(Disclaimer and confessional: I'm ignorant of gun control laws before the NFA of 1934).