...fair for the Gander

At last report His Obamaness has instructed his infantry to stomp dissenters in the Senate, scrap Senate rules, and pass his health-destruction strategy under a process called "reconciliation."

That process has three distinct characteristics. (1) It was originally enacted to ensure that necessary appropriations bills get passed even when Senators are stymied by deep ideological differences, such as whose state gets the biggest unnecessary bridge. (2) It has been abused by both parties. (3) Permitting legislation with a simple majority, it defies the reason we have a Senate in the first place -- to act as a check on popular passions and demagogues who would inflame and capitalize on them.

The Obama may or may not get away with it, so maybe we should be prepared to cut Him a deal, to wit: Here's your hall pass to screw up the health-care system worse than it is, Mr. President. In return, you must instruct your Senate minions to give us reconciliation status for the Thune Amendment which, after all, was favored by 58 Senators last year.

What could be fairer?

Buck it?

In a shop session yesterday I noticed that Buck honing oil, at something over $2 an ounce, looks like, smells life, feels like and works like generic automatic transmission fluid at a shade over two bucks a quart. Just sayin'. (And, yeah, I know kerosene, three-in-one, and used 10 wt. crankcase oil work about as well as anything. And spit.)

Once in a while libertarians need to remind themselves that fraud is fraud, whether subtle or brassy, governmental or commercial. We do not often state it this way, but our philosophy operates on a premise that things will get start getting better only after we quit lying to one another.

I swear by the Almighty I didn't know gun cleaning solvents came in foofooraw lemon scents until I was idly fingering some merchandise at a local sporting goods store. Barrel Blaster by CVA. Maybe using it will help you get lucky, and I suppose it might even clean your barrel.

I doubt, however it will ever overtake the old reliable. Hoppe's No. 9 is the most powerful aphrodisiac known to man. (Do not take internally.)

Loopies versus guns in St. Paul

It's hard enough keeping track of my own state legiscritters, but a friend to my north passed on timely wire note from the AP:

"...Gun control and gun rights advocates are ready for a clash over a bill that would require a background check on buyers of firearms at Minnesota gun shows. (The sponsor), a St. Paul Democrat , says he's trying to address what he and others argue are gaps in law. Members of the Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance say the bill violates federal law governing background checks over private gun sales."

Since it occurs that I am acquainted with an influential Minnesota editor, I sent a message to the media:

"Any report on this should probably note prominently that there really is no "gun show loophole." Federal law simply does not require background checks for sales between non-licensed private individuals, anywhere. The point seems almost always to get lost ..."

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The "clash" today is in a committee, so passage would be the first of several steps necessary to actually cave in to wet-pants Gophers.

( I think the trimmed-down AP quote is covered by the fair use doctrine, but just in case it isn't I wanna say the AP is a great news organization and all of you should call your local papers and broadcasters and ask them to buy more AP services, which are uniformly excellent according to a blogger who can't afford to get sued.)