TomAiello

Unfortunately, parents in California can no longer home school their kids (they need a teaching cert). Do you have a cite for that? I can't imagine that's going to go without a court challenge. I sure as hell know that if I still lived in California (not that I ever really plan on doing so again) I'd be suing. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think the Republican alliance is made up of at least three groups (actually there's like a dozen more, but for simplicity): 1) Religious Conservatives (Sarah Palin) 2) Anti-Statist Libertarians (Ron Paul, Barry Goldwater) 3) Neo-Con Foreign Policy Hawks (Dick Cheney) During the Bush years, I think that the third group was ascendant, controlling the platform and direction of the party. Occasional tokens were handed out to the other two groups (especially the first), but by and large the important thing to the party power brokers (around the President) was the foreign agenda. I think that it wasn't clear when Bush originally ran how he was going to fit into the groups (mostly he's a #1 in domestic policy and a #3 in foreign policy), but 9/11 made foreign policy very important, and he ran into the arms of that wing of the party. McCain is generally in the 2nd and 3rd groupings (not the first). He selected Palin because (a) she brought in the third group in the traditional alliance, and (b) she was young and pretty, to counter some of Obama's charismatic energy. What I'd like to see the GOP do now is step back to Goldwater, and put the ant-statist agenda front and center. That works well for the party, because as a minority opposition they're likely to be opposed to the works of the state (controlled by their political opponents) anyway. It also addresses the major downfall of the party in this electoral cycle (the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan) because the ant-statists are generally opposed to foreign adventures, at the very least because they involve massive growth of the state infrastructure. Admittedly, the fact that I'm in group #2, and view the religious right with skepticism and distrust, and the foreign policy hawks with downright opposition, may have something to do with that view. I'm hoping that we see a shake up in the GOP, with the anti-statist view emerging as the dominant unifying force, backed by religious conservatives (who, faced with a liberal government will hopefully fall back to "just leave me alone"), and leaving the foreign policy hawks as the ones' crying in the wilderness (because, after all, without the executive branch, they're pretty much unemployed). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

This is incorrect. When I was in college (about 15 years ago) I asked the people at the admissions office what would happen if I refused to check a box on the ethnicity question. They told me that there instructions from the state (California--I went to a public school there) were that they were _required_ to check the box for me, based on their best guess as to my ethnicity. When I further asked what would happen if I checked something they disagreed with (for example, calling myself "African American"), they told me they would be required to alter my form to reflect their best guess as to my ethnicity. They were unable to tell me what they would do if I was a first generation immigrant from an African nation who just happened to have a light skin tone (for example, what if I was ethnically Afrikaans, and my family had lived in Africa for a hundred years, but I had just emigrated to the US--would I be an "African American")? It's no surprise to me that Ward Connerly, who was on the Board of Regents for that University during this period, is now a leading opponent of affirmative action programs. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

But you dont care Biden said something about a certin President on TV in 1929. You no, when that Pres was not Pres and TV wasnt even being used yet? Real consistant huh To be fair, Obama, a Constitutional law professor, was apparently unaware of the date of ratification of the 15th Amendment. He appeared to think that black people were not allowed to vote, on account of race, in 1902 (or 1920, it's not clear which), when the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

You do realize that the current president has or has had people who have been in and out of the White House Administrations since the Nixon Administration Each party recycles their past operatives continuously, because (a) they're party faithful, and (b) they have experience. This is both good (because they have experience) and bad (because it just brings the same people back time and again). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

What do you think of the US made AUG copy? The MSAR STG-556, I think it's called? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I actually got to talk with Ward Connerly many years ago (when he was on the Board of Regents for the University of California and I was a student rabble rouser). He's thoughtful and generally impressive. I'm pretty much in agreement with his thoughts on affirmative action programs. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'm sure you have, but have you tried putting on some good grips? I always had trouble with my old Beretta until I put on a Hogue grip (the rubber wrap around one with the finger grooves), and that totally changed the feel of it. The Sig P232 (the little one) actually comes from the factory with a similar grip now, and I really like the feel of the grip on the P229 (which, to be fair, fit my hand very well with the stock grips, anyway). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Nah. Like I said, most of my stuff just sits in a safe. Someday after they're all banned and you can't find them, I'll either sell them off a few at a time, or just haul them out and show them off to my grandchildren. I don't have the time to really practice with them, and a gun without a competent, current shooter is really just a hunk of metal. I really only own two guns that I'd consider useful in my hands. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The best way to choose a firearm is to actually get some time on them. If you have a friend who has one, borrow it and take it to the range. If not, you can usually find a big gun store with an attached range that has many popular models available for rental. If you're ever in SLC or Boise, check out these guys, for example. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The first two things I check to see the likelihood of a gun being banned are: 1) Was it something that would have been banned under the Clinton era law? 2) Is it presently banned in California? Honestly, I think that any new federal ban is likely to be patterned on the present California law. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Check. I've got a Bushmaster CMP, and also an Olympic CAR. Check. Mine's an old MAK-90 I bought in the Clinton era, and I'm thinking of upgrading. Don't have one of those. I'll look into it. Thanks for the suggestion. Check. I've got the Glock in .45 and a Beretta in 9mm left over from the last gun ban, and I've since acquired a Sig P229 (.357/40). Have two of those, actually. I'll probably pick up a target model at some point, but I'm not stressed about getting it because I don't think it's going to be banned. I'm definitely thinking a suppressor (or integrally suppressed 10-22) is on my list, though. I've got the Keltec in .380. I don't really like how it shoots. I've also got a Sig P232, and that one I'm very fond of, even though it's quite a bit larger. Check. Got a Benelli M4 with an extended mag tube, and a couple Saiga 12's with 10 rounders--still trying to get one of the 20 round drums for those. I've been looking into something like that, too. Not sure it's too high on my priority list, though, because the one's I like all tend to be bolt action (or single shot) and I don't think that's going to be banned. Even the semi-autos with 10 round mags aren't probably up for banning real soon. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Or, I guess, to think you can't have it in the future. Aren't gun bans kinda on the back burner as far as stated priorities of this next Administration? I just don't see where anything that has been said justifies this line of thought. Can you it point me to something? I wouldn't expect to see it start with the administration. I would expect to see it come from the House, and perhaps be filibustered in the Senate, but I don't see a presidential veto there. If it's just for fun, I'd recommend a Sig Mosquito. Cheap to shoot, doesn't hurt your ears (or your wrist) and the standard mag is California legal. If you want a larger caliber (and live in CA), I'd look into either a .40 or a .45. Even then, most of the mags will have to be neutered to get into California (12 rounds is pretty common in those calibers). My favorite pistol in .40 is the Sig P229, but I'm hardly an expert. In .45 I'm pretty fond of the HK USP. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I don't know. I do know that Obama is pretty anti-gun, and that there is tabled legislation in the House to re-enact the Clinton era ban--the sponsor basically shelved it to wait for a president who wouldn't veto it. I'm going to be (pleasantly) surprised if we don't see a new gun ban in the next two years. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I was definitely looking at PS90 and/or 5-7. The scary looks and large capacity make the PS90 a likely candidate for a ban, and I heard a leading democratic lawmaker call the 5-7 "the assault rifle that fits in your pocket." I'm not really that impressed with the ballistics of the round, so I would have several things I'd grab first in a self defense situation (like my Benelli M4, which is something I actually practice with), but the investment value of both the weapons and the ammunition looks pretty good. Another thing that looks to me like a sure bet for a ban is the Saiga 12, but since I've already got two of those NIB, and another one highly modified that's not quite NIB, I'll probably not get any more. When you say "sigs" are you talking about 556's? Or handguns? The other gun I really get any range time on is a P229 (and I'm well stocked on mags for that), but I was wondering about picking up a 556. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Well, I own enough weapons now that most of them just sit around in my safe. I only get out to the range enough to be proficient with maybe two firearms, and I don't want to spend a bunch of time shooting just a few rounds out of dozens of guns. So, most of the things I'd consider buying are pretty much just investment purchases. Aside from a full auto, or a suppressed .22 (which is pretty much all out fun, actually), anything I'd buy would probably just get added to the list of things I hope to shoot more one day when my kids are old enough to take to the range. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

This is meant as a practical question, not a debate. If you want to debate policy, please start another thread. I think that we'll soon see another set of gun ban laws that make the Clinton era ban look pretty tame. What things do you think ought to be purchased now, as they will be difficult/impossible to get ever again? Any specific models of firearm? Large magazines? Ammunition? Suppressors? I've heard of ban plans for all of those. I'm thinking of throwing some money into acquiring these items in the next month or two because; (a) I think they'll become increasingly difficult to acquire in the future (b) I think they are likely to increase in value (check out machine gun prices since 1987, for example) (c) I'm a cantankerous son of a bitch, and the best way to make sure I want something is to tell me I can't have it My first thought was to purchase a set of AK-47's and a few thousand rounds of ammo. I also considered finding a (legal) Mac-10, and some suppressors, but I'm concerned that the tax stamp amounts to a registration, and that such items might be subject to confiscation, since the feds keep records on them, which would lose my entire investment. I'm pretty much only looking for things that are likely to be banned. Any gun collectors have some advice? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'd be in favor of eliminating those considerations, and taxing people the same regardless of marital status. Using some kind of non-income based taxation system (like a VAT) would solve this nicely. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think the best solution is simply to get the government out of the marriage business. If government no longer sanctions, or recognizes, marriage of any kind, it becomes a purely personal definition. Everyone gets to decide for themselves what constitutes "marriage." If you are concerned about who speaks for you (or gets your stuff) if you are incapacitated or die, then there are already sufficient legal mechanisms to deal with those questions. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Are you prepared? PM me if you'd like to discuss what I believe prepared is, but I'm sure you have your own concept of what you need to be prepared. Prepared for disasters of any such that could disrupt social order and services. How would you define prepared? I'm honestly curious. I only have a couple weeks supply of food. Maybe 5 days worth of water. No gasoline at all, aside from what's in the tank of my car. I'm betting (literally) that any disruption of civil society will be either quite short term in duration (in which case, I've got an assault rifle and a couple hundred rounds of ammo to see me through any lawlessness), or will be very long term (in which case the really valuable things are going to be skills that emerging communities need, like medical training--if that happens I'm hosed, but maybe my wife will help save me). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

How many "attempts" of those sorts were there on the life of _any_ president? I don't think Obama is in any more danger than any previous president (or president-elect). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Here you go. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'll be there from the day after tomorrow (Sunday evening) until the day after the event (Sunday, not sure what time I'll leave)--so about a week. I'm generally running around like a chicken with my head cut off from about Wednesday until about midnight Saturday, though. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

You should travel more. Go to some poor countries where the government does not pay for education. There, most kids don't go to school. The US government doesn't do a good job with education (which is why I am home-schooling my two girls), but if they don't do it, no one else will. So, you're saying that there are no private, non-government funded schools in existence? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I imagine our schoolkids would go from being the 18th smartest out of 24 countries, down to the bottom of the list. I wasn't aware that we needed government to pay for things we want done well. As far as I can see, the things government pays for get done poorly, if at all. Isn't education just a little too important to trust to the bureaucracy ridden, waste prone government? Besides, we were talking about federal spending. Education spending is virtually all done at local levels. Cutting federal spending would have very little impact on what gets spent on public schools. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com