Power to the people. That has been the socialists mantra for a very long time. The fist in the air symbol was first used in 1917 by the Industrialist Workers of the World but has been used by communists every since. You may have heard “Workers of the World unite”, well that actually comes from Karl Marx himself. His quote was, in German “Proletarier aller Lander vereinigt Euch!” Or in English, Proletarians of all countries, unite”. Or more appropriately workers of the world, unite. Communists, today, still pit the working class against the rich. In every election cycle, you will hear some variation of that sentiment like ‘The rich should pay their fair share’, or ‘Republicans want dirty air, dirty water and to kill babies’.
So instead of ‘Power to the people”, I prefer to say ‘Power to the Person’. The Constitution of the United States of America was written to protect the citizen from the usurping of the government. Or, another way of saying it is that the Constitution was written to protect the individual or the person. It is the person that is supposed to have the power, not the government. The Constitution is actually a set of rules that govern how government interacts with the individual as well as limits its responsibility and power.
There are those, already in government, that has and is usurping the power of government against the citizen. An example would be the governments take over of Healthcare. More recently, the state of California has passed legislation that prevents the parent from opting out of LGBT education in public schools. That takes the power away from the parent and gives the power to the state. In the Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx wrote 10 planks for taking over the control of a society. First was to abolish private property. Making all pay rent to the government because the government owns everything. Another plank was an punitive tax. That was to slow and eventually eliminate capitalism. Yet another plank is Free education in government controlled schools so that the government can control what gets taught. That makes schools indoctrination centers. Does that sound familiar?
The whole idea of communism is to strip power from the individual and give it to the state, by which I mean government. The power of America by which I mean that which had made America special was freedom of the individual. So again, I say ‘Power to the Person’. If you want a better understanding of why there is so much chaos in America now, you need to read the communist manifesto and understand why it is evil. Try http://www.laissez-fairerepublic.com/tenplanks.html . In the 5000 plus years of recorded human history, communism/socialism has NEVER succeeded. A society can not tax its way into prosperity. Big government is evil as it must increase taxes to maintain and grow. As government grows, the engine of freedom must shrink. “Power to the Person”

I like peanut butter. Grandma always bought natural chunky but creamy is good too. I alway prefered plain white bread and some jam. As a kid, pb&j sandwiches were a staple of life. Come on, what is better, as a kid, than a pb&j with a Coke and Fritos corn chips? Add a Ding Dong from Hostess cakes and you got a real lunch.
Even today, as a grampa, I like a pb&j. Now, I know there are people with food allergies and those allergies can be very serious. My oldest son is allergic to peanut butter and my youngest son is allergic to fish, so I know very well about the seriousness of food allergies. I still had Resses Peanut butter cups, Skippy Peanut Butter, peanut butter M&M’s and breaded fish sticks in the house. My wife and I taught our sons that, since they were the ones with food allergies, they were the ones responsible to avoid those foods that they were allegic to. I, myself, am allergic to penecillin, so it is my responsability to inform my doctors and healthcare providers of my allergies, not someone elses. I certainly would not demand that, since I am allergic to penecillin, no one else should be able to take it. The majority of people could benefit from that medicine and it would be selfish of me to demand that penecillin could not be near me.

While in America, peanut allergies account for less than 1% of the population yet schools are labeled as ‘peanut free zones’. That means that while 99% of the rest of the children are not allergic, they are being punished by not being able to enjoy a pb&j. As a matter of fact, many parents have been verbally accosted because they prepared a pb&j sandwich for their children. Do not get me wrong as I am not promoting smearing peanut oil on your hands and grabbing door knobs. But we, as a society, have gone too far to protect the future generations.

Look what happened in a Target store as reported by ABC in Houston Texas on April 12th of this year. A mother was shopping with her child in tow. Her child was hungry and as any good mom would, came prepared. She pulled out a small pb&j sandwich for her child so she could finish shopping in relative peace. Then, she was verbally accosted by what could be concidered a rabid woman accusing this mother of placing other children at a deadly risk. If memory serves, Target stores has anticeptic wipes to wipe down shopping carts. Besides, like I taught my kids, they are the ones that need to be careful and aware since they are the ones that are different. As one mom stated on a social forum…

“I don’t think you did anything wrong (outside of seeking comment via social media from a public that enjoys brutalizing people in an anonymous forum.) My son has life threatening tree nut allergies. I do not expect the rest of the world to change to accommodate him,”

That is it in a nutshell, pun intended. We, as a society, are expected to accomodate 1% of the population and put up with anger and vitrial. It should be the 1% to change and accomodate the 99%. By that I don’t mean that they have to eat peanut butter and live with the consequences. And I am not saying we should all wear peanut oil soaked gloves and give facial massages to people with peanut allergies. But we, as a society, should be more considerate to each other. People without allergies to peanut butter should feel free to eat one without Ninja-mom popping out and bashing someone or shaming them for enjoying a nutricious snack and still be sensitive to the 1% who are.

By the way, my son who is allergic to fish is an accomplished chef that sometimes has to deal with and cook fish. He has taken the necessary precautions when dealing with foods that he is allergic to. Some say his food is the best prepared including fish.

I have heard someone say that since America is the richest country in the world, we can afford (insert socialist program here). This attitude is typical of extreme liberals/socialists. It does, however, show a basic lack of how America became the richest country. America did not spawn the greatest technological advancement in the history of civilization by taxing our way there. The statement above could be rewritten ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs’. Although the statement is attributed to Karl Marx, a communist, it has its roots with August Becker in 1844, also a communist, and to Etienne-Gabriel Morelly a French socialist utopian in 1755. But to get the full effect of that statement, you must read the entire statement.

“In a higher phase of communist society, after the enslaving subordination of the individual to the division of labor, and therewith also the antithesis between mental and physical labor, has vanished; after labor has become not only a means of life but life’s prime want; after the productive forces have also increased with the all-around development of the individual, and all the springs of co-operative wealth flow more abundantly—only then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be crossed in its entirety and society inscribe on its banners: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs!”

There, you can see to true evil nature of socialism/communism. For the communist society to work, the individual is enslaved by the government. The government creates a situation where government labor becomes the means of life, or the individual is reliant upon the government for his/her very existance.

True freedom comes when the individual is free to keep the fruits of his labor. The individual is free to try and make a better life for himself and his family but it also means he risks failing. The Constitution of the United States of America sets up a set of rules for government interaction with the individual, not the other way around. A communist society steals away the individuals incentive to reach his or her potential. America became the society of innovation because the individual was free to innovate AND KEEP WHAT HE EARNED. America is great because the individual is free to try which means he risks failing. But if the government can enslave the individual by making him or her reliant upon government, then that individual is in a situation where the government has become that individuals means of life. Bam, instant communist society. The more individuals that rely on government, the more powerful government is.

Freedom can not coexist with communism. A communist society snuffs out freedom to exist. Any individual that believes that ‘America can afford to give …..’ is exposing themself as a friend of communism and enemy of the Constitution.

I went to my second competition yesterday. I needed the experience, and the scores to get my official ranking. After searching on the internet, I finally found a shotters box. I did not realize how rare they were. I wanted a 2 gun box but would have been happy with a 3 gun, but could only find a 4 gun box which is increadibly heavy. But, I was happy to get one. I bought a spotters scope and it must have been meant to be. I did not have a lot of money to spend and was looking at one made in Russia for about $75. To my surprise, the local chain sporting goods store had a Bushnel scope, regularly priced at $150 discounted to $99 but discontinued and the last one in the store for $75. Yup, I bought it. Since my 22 caliber gun jammed on me, I went on a search for information as to why. You see, I really liked it. Turns out, it functions better with high velocity ammo to create the pressures needed to successfully eject the spent cartridge and load the next. Since I was able to get a case of 22 standard velocity, I either needed to change the springs on my 22 or use another gun. Enter my father to the rescue once again. Many years ago, he gave me the gun he would have used had he gone to Camp Perry that was made to use the very ammo that I have. A Smith and Wesson model 41 made in the mid 1960’s. Still in NRA 95% condition. After a trip to the range for practice, it worked great. So I chose that gun for the 22 caliber round. Now, I have a 45 caliber that I specifically had modified just for Bullseye competition. A Springfield Armory 1911 model Range Officer that I had Titanium rings and an Ultradot 2 mounted on it. The gun is more accurate than most shooters are capable of so I can’t blame the equipment.

Yesterdays match consisted of 3 sets. 90 rounds each, one with 22 caliber, one with centerfire and finally 45 caliber. I chose, like most competitors do, to shoot the 45 in the centerfire round making it a two gun match. 90 rounds of 22 and 180 rounds of 45. Each round would and did take an hour and a half each. So, with breaks, the minimum time was 5 hours. I was ready for the 22 match since I learned alot my first match… you know, the one where I got the lowest score in my state. After all, I practiced and sighted in my gun for 50 feet since my last competition was shot at 50 feet. Well, life likes to throw a monkey in the wrench sometimes, and this match was all shot at 75 feet. Now, remember, Bullseye is shot three legs. First at 75 feet where you shoot 10 rounds in 10 minutes then at 50 feet where you shoot 5 rounds twice at 20 seconds then 50 feet where you shoot 5 rounds twice in 10 seconds. Well, yesterday, all legs of the match was shot at 75 feet. To compensate shooting a target at 75 feet instead of 50 feet, the target is slightly larger.

My 22 scores were much better where my aggrigate score was 77%. Compared to my last match where my aggrigate score was 51%, that was a nice improvement. I still need to work as I suffer from stage fright. I always have since I was a kid. But when I practice alone, my scores are more like 85 to 87%. So if I can do in competition what I normal do at the range, I will be just fine. My trouble came with my 45. I had sighted my gun at 50 feet using a specific brand of ammo. So on my way to the meet, I bought a different brand of ammo. Now, if you don’t know much about guns and ammo, the weight of an empty 45 is around 40 ounces. Add another 4 ounces for a full magazine, and 15 to 20ounces for rings and a red dot scope. That is roughly 60 ounces or almost 4 pounds that you are holding out, fully, one handed. When shooting at a target the size of a one pound coffee can set on its side at shoulder height 75 feet away, any movement can be a complete miss. My sights were off the mark, I was getting tired and I am still trying to correct a slight shaking of my hand. Now, I don’t want you to think my shaking is a straight line vertically or horizontally, nope. My shaking is circular. So putting the red dot from my sights on the target was like a perfect circle around the black part of the target. My groupings were low and to the left. Kind of like shooting at the 7:30 mark on a clock. So I figured I would compensate and shoot high and to the right, but with my shaking, I missed the target completely. Remember that I was shooting, competitively where every point counts for 5 hours. You try holding 4 pounds straight out for 5 hours and see if you get tired.

But as everything in life, you try to learn from the experience. And I did. I need to work on my ‘core’, I need to life weights, strengthen my back, shoulders, elbow and wrist and walk more for building my endurance. I need to sight in all my sights for 75 feet, always use the same brand and type of ammo and adjust the trigger pull to be around 2.75 pounds of pressure for a clean, reliable release.

There are many different styles of shooting. First is ‘plinking’ where you shoot at bottles, cans and simple targets for fun. There is hunting for food and sport. Target shooting to learn your gun and to hit what you aim at. But Bullseye is a more precise style of shooting. Like any sport, it requires practice, good equipment and dedication and conditioning. I will keep you updated to my progress as I need alot of work yet.