August 12, 2026

Larry Correia on gun regulation and arming teachers

The more I hear, the more I think we need not only need a conversation about guns and mental health, but we probably ought to learn more about what we are talking about before we go around maligning them. In the last couple days, I’ve heard people in the news attack “semi-automatic” weapons (newsflash: almost every single gun in the world is a semi-automatic weapon–it just means that after you fire a round, a new round is pushed into the cylinder so you can fire another round) and “assault” rifles, a term that didn’t really exist until the mid-1980s and which creation only served to popularize the Bushmaster.

If you read nothing else, you should set aside a few minutes and read author Larry Correia’s (see a review of his first book, a best seller, here) two-bits. A former gun store owner and a Utah Concealed and Carry Weapon permit trainer, he provides some interesting insights to the debate

Is it about the guns? [KSL]

Before we jump to conclusions, pass laws with long-reaching consequences, let’s take time to take a closer look at those who are behind the guns. They are, in many respects, those who need our help the most, and by the time they have taken up deadly weapons, we have as a society missed their need for help. Restricting gun ownership is an easy, if misguided answer. Addressing how we help the mentally ill and those on society’s fringes will require more of us, but ultimately will save more lives.

Review | With Wings Like Eagles: A History of the Battle of Britain by Michael Korda

Ranked among the greatest battles in British history, along with Waterloo, defeating the Spanish Armada, and Trafalgar, the Battle of Britain stands as a turning point during World War II when the Nazi juggernaut finally faced a foe that would not fall. Though few recognized it immediately, it was the turning of the tide in the war. WithWith Wings Like Eagles: A History of the Battle of Britain, Michael Korda brings the battle to life, both in the air above England and in the halls of government where defenses we’re planned and prepared.

Entitlements are…earned? [video]

Someone tell me this isn’t a scene from the movie version of Atlas Shrugged…

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) on the house floor “reminds” her collegues that entitlements are “earned.”

John Dougall cleans house in the Utah Auditor’s office

John Dougall, who was elected Utah State Auditor in November, has asked for the resignations of all appointed staff in the Auditor’s office. The resignations are to be effective January 6, 2013.

Dougall told me that he had spent the past 2 weeks interviewing almost everyone in the office, as well as a group of auditors assisting with an outside assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the offices audit methodologies. Of the appointed staffers, 88% requested consideration for reappointment and 76% of those were immediately offered appointments.

Our problem isn’t the taxes, but the spending

Is it time for Republicans trying to avert the fiscal cliff to give up on protecting the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy in exchange for entitlement reform?

Maybe a better question would be: do Republicans still have a choice?

In many respects, the debate over taxes–raise them on the rich! Lower on the poor! Middle class! Get rid of deductions! Close loopholes! Reform the tax code!–is important, but really misses the point of what is behind the fiscal problems our country is facing. At the root of it all, the problem isn’t the tax code–though I’m all for reforming it, simplifying it, and making it more flat–the problem is that we are spending more than we are paying in taxes. And I mean, ALL of us.

The fiscal cliff of 2013 is the debt ceiling of 2011

If it feels like we’ve been here before, it’s because we have.

While President Obama and Speaker Boehner negotiate plans to avert the fiscal cliff next year, the scene has begun to look not unlike one we’ve seen before.