Montana draws a line in the sand

The state of Montana is challenging the federal government under the 10th Amendment. This week, Montana's governor (a Democrat, by the way) signed into law the "Montana Firearms Freedom Act," which essentially declares that federal regulations will no longer apply to firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition that is (a) manufactured in Montana, (b) sold in Montana, and (c) remains in Montana. The rationale is that since the weapons do not cross state lines, there is no interstate commerce, and therefore the federal government has no authority to regulate them.

Here's a good summary, along with the complete text of the new law (from freedomsphoenix.com).

This is exciting. I'm glad to see the states beginning to remember that this nation is not a kingdom divided into 50 regions; it is a union of 50 sovereign states who agreed to join together under a set of conditions that have been steadily eroded for the last 150 years.

It's rumored that Utah may follow Montana's example. I hope other states will do so as well.

Albertville mayor wants signs to include translations

The mayor of Albertville, Ala. wants the city's sign laws to require all signs in Spanish to include English translations.

As much as it irritates me to see signs in Spanish everywhere, I have to disagree with the mayor. Government--even local government--should stay out of the business owners' way. He claims it's a public safety issue:

Because police officers and firefighters cannot read Spanish, he said, it could take them longer than necessary to answer a 911 call at a Hispanic business if its sign is only in Spanish.

Well, if that happens, maybe next time the owner will have a translated sign, or perhaps one that's entirely in English. It's a similar principle to consumers voting with their wallets. For example, I refuse to patronize businesses that advertise primarily in a language other than my own.

Tuscaloosa Tea Party

I went to the Tuscaloosa Tax Day Tea Party yesterday after work. I had to leave around 6:15, unfortunately. But it was a good experience, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Here are just a few photos from the afternoon.

This kid is going to have a lot of federal debt to pay off. So will his kids.


Gadsden Flags and related apparel were common at Tea Parties across the country.


The one on the right was one of my favorites.


My friend Adam came prepared.

Another good one on the left.

There's no justification for this out-of-control spending.

There were a few media members there, and I noticed one guy standing maybe 100 feet behind the crowd (toward Gorgas Library). He had a professional-looking camera, and I stopped to see the logo on his shirt so I could find out what media outlet he was with. Turns out he was from the Tuscaloosa Police Department. I half-jokingly asked if he was taking pictures for DHS. He didn't really seem to want to talk. Now I wish I had taken his picture; I'm going to wonder if some of us are going to be in a database or on a watch list now.

I just might have to move to Texas.

Perry fires up anti-tax crowd

Later, answering news reporters' questions, Perry suggested Texans might at some point get so fed up they would want to secede from the union, though he said he sees no reason why Texas should do that.

Some people are going to say Perry is an idiot for making this remark. They'll say it's political suicide, or they'll call for DHS to keep a closer eye on him. But he's right. Every state entered the union voluntarily, reserving the right to leave the union if it became tyrannical. The War Between the States (it wasn't a civil war) did not change that.

We need to ban swords!

This senseless swordfight killed two people.

Man dies days after swordfight that killed woman

How long will we have to wait for the Indiana legislature to take action?!