Leaderboard

Sure, the noise and sights are fun. But do you know WHY we shoot off fireworks on the 4th of July? Originally, we didn't shoot fireworks. We shot cannons, muskets, and rifles. We did it as a reminder that this country was born from war. It was reminder that freedom is not free, and that a lot of very fine people gave up their lives, health, property, and made other sacrifices in order to win it. As such, the early Independance Day celebrations were celebrating the winning of a long, exhausting war. On July 4th, 1776, the war had already been in progress for over a year. And the end of the war didn't come until September 1783, seven years later! In 1776, the US population was only 2.5 million. About 1/3 of those supported independance from Britain. Another 1/3rd supported remaining British. The remaining 1/3rd didn't really care. Of the ~1,000,000 who supported the cause of Independance, over 100,000 men actually served in the military at some point. Half of those became casualties, either killed or wounded. And 'wounded' back then didn't mean a 'John Kerry' wound. Wounded meant 'incapacitated' for a period of time, such as losing a limb, being shot, slashed, or stabbed in the body, or similar injuries. The US had a smallpox epidemic from 1775 through 1782. Over 150,000 died from smallpox during that period. Many others died from other diseases, hunger caused by crop destruction, and a variety of other causes related to a country that had conflicting armies crossing it. So, by 1783 when the war ended, the new country was in very poor shape. Nearly 1/10th of the male population had been killed or badly wounded. Manufacturing was practically non-existent. The dollar was worthless, reflected by the common phrase "Not worth a Continental". So, when you see the fireworks tonight, remember that you are hearing the reminder of crashing volleys of muskets and deafening roar of cannons that would have torn great gaps in the American troops. Remember the dedication of those who died to protect the retreat of the American Army at Brooklyn Heights. They did not die to win victory, but to keep the war going. Remember those who died in all of the other American defeats during that war. Every defeat left the army weaker, but with more experience and tenacity. Remember the line from our National Anthem "And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,"? It's not about pretty fireworks. It's about the bombardment of Ft. McHenry in September 1814. After burning Washington to the ground, the British were determined to destroy the major port of Baltimore. After two failed ground assaults on the city, and a lengthy bombardment of the fort in the harbor, the fort still held out. So the British were forced to withdraw. We hear the first verse of that song a lot. But to me, the most important verse is the fourth one. When you see the flashes, and hear the crashing explosions tonight, think of it. "O thus be it ever, when free men shall stand Between their loved home and the war's desolation. Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust." And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

And they wanna make us buy insurance. These are stupid people.

I think it would've been more difficult for him to win the Republican primary than to be elected president if he had done so.

http://www.childrens...org/hope/?p=912 "Beneath the nature-themed walls in room 6742 on the sixth floor of the expansion space at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is a surprise: 27,000 pounds of lead bricks that fully encase the room..." keep shootin

This SWAT-ing phenomena has been occurring a lot more lately against conservatives whom the left absolutely hate. http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/swat-team-raids-home-freshman-gop-congressmans-sister_648086.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatting http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/06/25/Blogger-Aaron-Walker-Swatted http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/302294/cnn-spotlights-swatting-phenomenon

i think the reason some gunshops are posted is because some idiot comes in jercks out his pistol and say what kinda trade can i get.i have watched it happen more that once. now every one talks about legal postind if it aint legal i am carrying then the only way leagelay to keep loaded guns in holsters is to post .is that going to keep me from going in someplace no.i try to use good judgement in things like this i wouldnt give up my titans seats because i cant carry jusr my opinion everybody has one and i would like to think i can voice mine here

Any business that tells me my legally carried firearm isn't welcome is telling me that I'm not welcome and that my money isn't welcome either; and I'm happy to oblige them by NOT giving them my money. Any business who makes their money from the sale of firearms/firearms training, etc. bot doesn't want me to carry my legally carried firearm onto their property is not only telling me that they don't want my business but they are schizophrenic, inconsistent and perhaps moronic - they may feel they have legitimate and rational justification for their position; they may even have rational justification but I'm still not going to give them a dime of my money.

We need Rep. Blackburn in office in the same way we need Romney, there's a radical leftist out there eager to shut her/US down.

Amen

I really don't care if this was Leonard or not. He CLEARLY knew his rights and the responding LEO could legally do nothing to him. Cops have no right to detain someone without reasonable suspicion. In this case, they clearly had none. Some cops hate it when you know the law and they do not. Public safety issue, my butt.

This is about what I had expected when I posed the question. Looks like both will be in my future! Hope my wife doesn't read this!!!

The TSA needs to be disbanded. I think if you ask anyone they are the most unprofessional organization the Feds have every come up with. They are just another “government jobs†program that has run amuck. Many of the people I have heard about could not have passed the testing or background checks to become a Police Officer. It bothered me that the THP worked with these clowns on Tennessee highways and bus stations and allowed them to conduct operations they had no legal authority to do. The THP should have to answer for that. We have a thread going on right now where a Judge (and some people here) think that there was no cause to search a convicted felon that was drunk and in possession of a handgun even when there was a witness that pointed out the on-going felony act. But yet the TSA can search innocent people because they need to get on an airplane. Where is the common sense? I think a fix would be to disband the TSA and cycle Metro cops and THP Officers through the airport as part of their duties. I hope Rep. Blackburn get her bill though. Unfortunately this is going to be a State vs. the Feds issue and I doubt any legislation will have any more teeth than the Tennessee Firearms Freedom Act. But I sure did hate to sit thought that nut case Alex Jones rants to get to hear what she had to say.

Ummm... I'll probably go down in flames for this, but you guys can celebrate July 4th all you want... I'm going to celebrate INDEPENDENCE DAY! :usa:

This took place in Portland OR and this guy is just an idiot likely openly carrying for the purpose of creating an incident which makes him a double idiot.

I know he's making a point, but not everyone should own a firearm. I know people who should never, ever touch one.

the only time this old man uses a place with the gun-buster sign is when i have no choice like a hospital. almost anything else is available elsewhere.at my age though doctors and hospitals seem to pop up regularly

I agree with the above comments but wanted to throw more change into the pot. You mentioned wanting to lose some weight and started running. Just some general questions to think about before my comments on the bike. Just out curiosity what made you interested in road bicycling? I mainly ask this to gauge your interest level. Many people have an interest, go out and drop a lot of money on a bike, ride it a couple of times and then it gets put in the corner. One thought is a number of local shops have rental road bikes and you might want to rent for a couple of days to help you determine if it's something you want to do long term. (If you do make sure the LBS sets you up with a proper fitting bike.) As Lumber Jack mentioned checking out Craigslist or a LBS bulletin board can be a good option as long as you know the frame size you need. Do your homework on frames, components, and get advice from a cyclist friend. Here is a link to help you determine a proper frame size. You start the calculator on the bottom right side of the page. http://www.competiti...ALCULATOR_INTRO I got my bike off a LBS board and it worked out great for me since I got almost three times the bike for my money, YMMV. So buying used is a good way to get a lot more bike for the money but since you said you don't know anything about bikes, find a friend that does or have a LBS check it out prior to the purchase. If you want new, the work with a LBS rather than purchasing online. As others have said fit is extremely important since you usually end up riding for hours at a time. Get a bike that doesn't fit and it will end up in the corner of the garage. Do you have friends that currently ride or know a local club you can hook up with? Hooking up with a group is the best way to ensure you will keep riding and keep your motivation high. Road cycling is much more of a social sport than most people think. Riding by yourself is boring. Do you live in a bike friendly area for riding or will you have to drive your bike to get to a good area? Obviously if you can ride off directly from your house the more likely you will ride. On the bike, buy as much bike as you can afford but don't overspend as you might lose interest. Bikes don't hold resale value very well so you will take a bath if you decide to sell. Don't forget about gear when setting your budget. Helmet, gloves, shoes, clothes, pump, maintenance items, bike carrier if you don't have a suitable vehicle to carry it, etc. blah, blah, blah. The component group (derailleurs, crank, cassettes, brakes, shifters) the bike has is very important and is the one thing that greatly affects the price of the bike. You go with a cheap group and you'll regret it greatly. That's about all I've got at the moment. One thing that you will find is cyclists are a very helpful group of folks and are more than willing to help you because most of us were helped by someone else when we started. Good luck.

NOTHING that he would do would surprise me if he's re-elected. But I don't believe that SCOTUS upholding Obamacare did anything to help him to that end. On the contrary, I believe it solidified Romney's election this November. My crystal ball is broken right now, but that's what I believe. Not that I'm a huge fan of Romney, but I don't believe he's a wannabe socialist dick-tater.

Dennis, that’s terrible. But I’m glad your daughter wasn’t hurt; the girls were very lucky. From your daughters description of the events it wouldn’t have helped her to have a gun and could have gotten her killed if she had tried to pull one. It’s easy to blame where she lives, but we have the same thing right here in Tennessee; every day. The problem is (besides drugs and criminals) that it’s crazy for anywhere that keeps $100K of cash on hand to not have security; no wonder they have been hit multiple times. The girls are lucky the manager had the ability to open the safe, hard telling what would have happened if they had been in a place that didn’t give them that access. I hope your daughter finds a safer place to work.

So, you must also feel that the store owner is responsible for anyone hurt or killed by criminals during a robbery. Keep going yes, since this has obviously happened to you numerous times. " Other customers ", who would that be? I refuse to spend money in a gun store that disallows carry. As far as I'm concerned, they should sell something else,(golf clubs tennis racquets,fishing poles and bait? Maybe ladies lounge wear).. We have one nearby that is really ridiculous, not only do they prohibit carry, they specialize in defensive handgun training.

Hero Gear signs says (or words to that effect): "HCP Carriers Welcome Please keep weapon holstered. All others please clear your weapon outside." Seems a reasonable approach to me and clear as to the shop's intention--welcoming, respectful, and safe.

I have been in two gun stores with a no loaded firearms policy. I spent no money, only time there. Our LGS has this sign.

He was shot because he was acting erratically. He was acting erratically because he was high. According to a witness - Who knows if he was reaching for his gun to surrender it? How are the cops supposed to know if that was his intention? They're dealing with an armed suspect who is high on opiates and isn't responding to any of their commands...and he's reaching for his pistol. Split second decisions.... Why on earth would you reach for your holstered pistol to give it up to the cops? A holstered gun laying on the ground doesn't tell you much other than it was secured improperly. He could've been trying to draw it from the holster and everything came up with it or he could've been trying to draw a holstered weapon to give it up. How do you decide which is which, especially when you're not there? Sounds to me like Scott was too stupid not to know that pulling your pistol on cops, while they're holding you at gunpoint, isn't the greatest thing to do. Based on the evidence presented in court, looks like they decided it wasn't murder. Amazing what unbiased facts can lead to, huh?

Girlfriend testimony from the inquest... "He (Officer William Mosher) immediately draws his weapon and tells him to get on the ground," she said, adding that Scott put his hands up with the intention of disarming. Sterner said she screamed at the officers that Scott was in the military and had a concealed weapons permit. She told them not to shoot, she said. Scott raised his shirt to reveal the gun and had grabbed it to put it on the ground when the officer fired his pistol, she said." Really stupid move. I think it would get you shot anywhere.

This happened a couple years ago. I notice this article doesn't state the fact that Scott was under the influence of substantial levels of Zanax and Morphine. Here's a link to follow - http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/sep/22/coroners-inquest-erik-scott/ Jeff Knox needs to do some more research.

He did make it all the way to 1:23 before he pointed the gun at his face, maybe he's getting safer?