RKBA is a DKos group of second amendment supporters who also have progressive and liberal values. We don't think that being a liberal means one has to be anti-gun. Some of us are extreme in our second amendment views (no licensing, no restrictions on small arms) and some of us are more moderate (licensing, restrictions on small arms.) Moderate or extreme, we hold one common belief: more gun control equals lost elections. We don't want a repeat of 1994. We are an inclusive group: if you see the Second Amendment as safeguarding our right to keep and bear arms individually, then come join us in our conversation. If you are against the right to keep and bear arms, come join our conversation. We look forward to seeing you, as long as you engage in a civil discussion. RKBA stands for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
First, the OT:
Fog Guy:
(Reuters) - Pakistan on Saturday said its legal process should be respected after the U.S. embassy called for the immediate release of an American diplomat who was arrested after he killed two Pakistanis this week in a self defense shooting
In a statement on Saturday, the embassy identified him as a U.S. diplomat who it said had been unlawfully detained by authorities in Lahore, where the shooting took place. It said the diplomat acted in self-defence when confronted by two armed men and had every reason to believe they meant to harm him, and said arresting the diplomat was a violation of international norms and the Vienna Convention. In his initial statement, Davis told police that he was chased by the two men soon after he withdrew money from a cash machine. The men approached him when he pulled over at a traffic signal and they pointed a gun at him.
Davis then fired at the men, a police official said. Armed robberies and carjackings are becoming more common in Pakistan, but Westerners are rarely targeted. The killings are likely to fuel anger against the United States in the mainly Muslim nation where anti-American sentiment runs high and anger at the U.S.-allied government is also growing due to its perceived ineptitude.
Group tries to bring Greek warship to New York
A group of history buffs wants to bring a full-size replica of an ancient Greek warship to the United States and row it in New York Harbor......The group is also trying to recruit 170 rowers to row the ship during a tall ships festival in New York on July 4, 2012.
Egypt:
KV:
A few people have commented that peaceful, nonviolent revolution beats a violent, armed revolution and point to the current situation in Egypt. If it works, I'm all for the nonviolent solution but I think they spoke too soon. I much prefer an armed, nonviolent revolution since you at least retain the ability to defend yourself with force. Considering the situation in Egypt, with the looters, thieves, and various other 'bad guys' running around, is being unable to defend yourself effectively a good thing?
Various Kossacks pointed out the following news articles (Comment, and I will give credit where it's due):
"If I had a visa to anywhere, I'd join them. But that's not going to happen," said Mohammed Khaled, a 28-year-old Egyptian doctor. "Right now, I'd settle for a gun, but I can't even find one of those."
Surging lawlessness on the streets after the much-reviled police essentially melted away prompted neighbors to form armed patrols. But crowds of men armed with shovels, sticks, clubs, chains, guns and even whips did little to project an image of stability.
link
Kamel El-Helbawy, a Uk-based Muslim brotherhood cleric shares this opinion. "Mubarak is sending to the streets his gangs of thieves and criminals, who have been newly released from prison and armed with knives, clubs and pistols, to scare the people...Mubarak is writing the worst chapter of Egyptian history," he told Reuters.
As the violence raged and more and more people got injured, the army refused to intervene in the fracas, prefering to stand aside and watch. "We have received no instruction to intervene," said one of the soldiers at the square. However, military planes continue to circle the area throughout, while a couple of military vehicles driven into the square created a barrier between the pro and anti Mubarak group. A military spokesman, addressing the protesters on state television earlier yesterday, said: "The armed forces are calling on you. You began by going out to express your demands and you are the ones capable of restoring normal life."
link
Signs that the pro-Mubarak forces were organized and possibly professional were abundant. When the melee broke out, a group of them tried to corner a couple of journalists in an alley to halt their reporting. Their assaults on the protesters seemed to come in well-timed waves. Protesters said that some of the Mubarak supporters carried police identification. (This was from the linked page as a quote from the NYT.)
...
"There's much more gunfire coming from parts of Cairo," the BBC's Lyse Doucet just said as she anchoraged coverage from a rooftop in the city.
link
Gunfire coming from parts of Cairo? Who do you think that is, the unarmed nonviolent anti-Mubarak forces, the army, or the (most likely organized by the government) pro-Mubarak forces? With a ratio of 3.5/100 (guns to people) in Egypt, who do you think is shooting?