Shooting the Second Amendment

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) came up 

with an idea for greatly reducing gun violence in the city

of Albuquerque and its entire county: Suspend the Second 

Amendment to the Constitution, oh, just for thirty days,

to see if her action will drive down the number of shootings

in that part of her state. Just an emergency order to promote

and preserve public safety, no need to get your BVDs in a 

twist.

Gov. Grisham claims that as governor, she has the power to 

suspend the right, guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment no less,

to carry firearms in public across both city and state for 30 

days, and to see how that works out. If it doesn't significantly

cut down on gun-related crimes, then Grisham would give it

some more time to bring about her sought-after results.

The gov says that she expects legal challenges to her action

(Gee, Gov, ya think?) but claims that she simply had to do

something because, well, an 11-year-old boy was a recent 

victim of said shooting. So why not punish the law-abiding

gun owners by suspending the 2nd Amendment? Brilliant!

Never mind that the criminals won't put away or turn in 

THEIR guns; this was never about them anyway! Raw

power is the name of the game here!

Strong opposition to Gov. Grisham and her putting 2A on the 

shelf is already brewing. The Albuquerque Police Chief,

Harold Medina, has publicly stated that he won't enforce 

the governor's order because it is unconstitutional (and he's 

right). This is what fascism looks like. When someone in 

government just goes ahead with issuing an emergency order,

violating precious constitutional rights in the process, that is,

indeed, fascism. Furthermore, this measure will tie the hands of 

law-abiding gun owners, making it difficult for them to defend

themselves, their families, their homes, businesses, vehicles,

and such. Hey, Governor, FYI; they aren't the ones running 

around shooting people! Therefore, Gov. Grisham is either 

1) horribly naive regarding the effectiveness of gun control measures 

or, 2) Grisham knows that her temporary suspension of the 

2nd Amendment will not reduce the total of gun crimes 

one iota, it's just that she wants to grab and wield power which

she has no legal right to possess in the first place. To sum it up,

Gov. Grisham is either dumb or diabolical. She should at the very 

least know that the Constitution cannot be suspended or dispensed 

with by anyone in government --- especially by anyone at the 

state level. Apparently she neither knows nor cares. So Grisham

does some virtue signaling by suspending the Constitution's

Second Amendment. 

Gun rights groups are getting involved as we speak, joining forces

with Police Chief Medina. So are lawmakers and sheriffs from 

both political parties (!). Count on this battle to wind up in court

pretty soon. And then? Stay tuned ... 

MEM

A Joyous Anniversary!

Today we mark fourteen years together online! 

14 years since I first put words to blog and established

my place in cyberspace. And all of you, my wonderful 

readers, came along to join me! 

In recent years there has been a plethora of news stories

about a plethora of events affecting our country. Many of

these events are the likes of which your astounded Peasant

never thought he'd see in our United States! But to be 

forewarned is to be forearmed, and with our knowledge of

these disturbing and shocking things we can create ways

to counter them and conquer our enemies from within,

restoring our nation to what it was and was always meant 

to be, namely the beacon of hope and freedom to the world.

That we should remain a free, sovereign, and prosperous

people, not having to bow and curtsey to any dictator here

on our home ground nor from afar in another country. 

To have the rule of law as established in our Constitution,

and be governed accordingly so as to remain a country of laws

rather than a country of people who make laws. And, most

certainly, to have a government of, by, and for the people;

not of, by, and for a small but oppressive elite class.

And, all the while, to studiously ingest the political and economic

news each week to separate the chaff from the wheat; to identify

and praise the heroes as well as to identify and castigate the 

heels among us --- and to have loads of fun doing all this!

Thank you all for readership and encouragement. 

Thank you for coming along on this quest. 

God bless you all, and God bless America.

MEM

A People With Two Opposing Views on Which Way to Go

For years there has been friction between liberal and 

conservative black people regarding the political 

direction that the country --- especially black people 

themselves --- should move in.  The former think that

improvement of their lives and their outlook on same 

will be best provided by left-of-center politics and 

politicians, with emphasis on an ever-present helping

hand, while the latter preferring limited government and 

a limited role in their lives, allowing for them to find

or make their own path to their personal success.

Former President Barack Obama, the United State's 

one and only black president to date, has weighed in 

on a related matter: Republican presidential candidate  

Sen. Tim Scott, who is black himself.  Obama has 

shown disdain for the South Carolinian, inveighing 

against Sen. Scott's positivity about the United States:
"There's a long history of African-American or other 

minority candidates within the Republican Party who

will validate America and say, 'Everything's great, 

and we can make it,' ". 

For one thing, Obama gets it wrong about Scott's 

view on our country. Scott does not claim "everything's 

great," but Sen. Scott does argue that his family history 

has been a story about going "from cotton to Congress"

in the period of his grandfather's lifetime, demonstrating 

while America certainly has long had its obstacles,

they are not insurmountable and that the country is 

fundamentally good. Obama carped that Scott's rhetoric

isn't sufficiently "undergirded with an honest accounting

of our past and our present." Obama is one of the last 

people who should criticize Sen. Scott, nor anyone else 

for that matter, for a lack of honesty, given his track record 

regarding his own honesty and his relationship with the truth

while in the White House ("If you like your health care plan,

you'll be able to keep your health care plan!" for one example).

If Sen. Tim Scott's words are troublesome to the former 

president, then that's on him, not on Sen. Scott. 

MEM  

James Buckley, R.I.P.

Just earlier this year your beloved Peasant congratulated

James Buckley, older brother to William F. Buckley Jr. and 

the fourth of the ten renown Buckley children of William Sr.

and Aloise Buckley on reaching his 100th birthday --- 

the great centennial in age! Now, I sadly inform you, my grand 

readers, of his passing. His final day of his long and amazing

life was August 18.

What more can I say about this man and his accomplishments 

in the service of our country? And he was a member of a 

distinguished family which he and his siblings made even

more distinguished through their careers with their work

to make our United States an even greater, more liberty-

oriented, and with a more politically aware people seeking

a more reasonable, less mendacious, constitutionally 

restrained federal government, making for a more just

and harmonious life for the citizenry. 

We now salute and give a hearty farewell to the last living

member of the remarkable and renown brood of the Buckley

family. James has now followed his nine siblings to their

last homing and their well-earned final rewards. The Buckleys

made our country all the better for their having lived in it

and worked diligently in its service.

Requiescat in pace.

MEM

Charter Schools Win a Huge Victory

In Manhattan, a recent development regarding the nationwide

battle for charter schools as a choice for parents who want 

their children to receive better educations than they would 

in the usual public schools occurred.

A Manhattan judge rejected a last-minute attempt by the 

United Federation of Teachers to obtain a court-ordered

block to prevent two Success Academy schools from

opening as planned. The union was challenging the city's

decision to grant Success Academy space for its schools

on grounds the approval did not take into account a new 

law requiring that public schools reduce class sizes.

In June the charters were placed under a temporary 

restraining order limiting repairs they could do to their 

allocated spaces to ready them for the coming school

year. 

The UFT's filing came rather late, mere days before 

the schools' opening, claiming the "myriad harms and

safety concerns" made by building improvements 

Success was already carrying out had become "urgent."  

Gee, how "urgent" was the need to act upon taking steps

to ensure the safety of the both the students and teachers

in the already existing public schools in New York?

What, pray, has been done to cut down on violent behavior

and general thuggery? By the by, one can also make this 

inquiry about the public schools in other U.S. cities, 

also certainly in my nearest big city of Milwaukee,

and the answer to these questions would be the same.

Judge Lyle Frank deserves to be commended for his wise

rulings, slamming the door on this effort by the UFT.

Judge Frank stopped the latest example of the never-ending

harassment the teachers unions toss at whatever might,

just might make some pesky competition for the unions' 

inept, corrupt, failing schools. The war is far from over but

a key battle was won.

As of this writing the NYC Department of Education reported

that the 2022 K-12 enrollment in regular public schools was

906,977 --- down almost 10% from 2019-2020. During this 

same time period charter schools increased to 141,091 

students from 129,523, much to the consternation of, along with

the grinding and gnashing of teachers union teeth.

Success Academy is one of the best charter school networks 

in the country. It offers better options for children who are 

languishing in the traditional public schools. And the more 

that the teachers unions drag them into court the more that they

are demonstrating two things: their fight for the substandard 

status quo in education in their wretched schools for children 

from kindergarten up to and including 12th grade, and their 

contempt, disdain, and unbridled arrogance toward these 

students, their parents, and the taxpayers.

MEM