7/02/2005
Route Revision
Thanks to some input from Jed of FreedomSight, I've come up with a route that I think will minimize both distance and exposure to GFW states and states where I can't have a loaded gun in my vehicle.
The Route, starting in Columbia, SC (I'm leaving out movement in/around Cola for simplicity's sake)
I-26 West to Asheville, NC
I-40 West through Knoxville to Nashville, TN
I-24 West to Paducah, KY
US-60 West through Cairo, IL to I-55 just south of Cape Girardeau, MO. I'll catch a tiny bit of GFW IL here, maybe a mile or so.
I-55 North to St Louis, MO
I-70 West to Kansas City, MO
I-29 North to Council Bluffs, IA. Out of state CCW not valid in IA
I-80 West through Omaha, NE and Cheyenne, WY to I-84 just south of Ogden, UT. AFAIK, NE doesn't have CCW at all.
I-84 West through Ogden, UT, Boise, ID, and Pendleton, OR to I-82 just south of Umatilla, OR
I-82 North (or is it West?) through Yakima, WA, to Ellensburg, WA
I-90 West over Snoqualmie Pass into the greater Seattle area.
So I've almost completely eliminated travel through GFW IL and reduced travel through IA by about 2/3. Trading the crossing of SD for NE is pretty much a wash.
Vehicle descriptions and travel dates/times will not be publicly released for security reasons.
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Personal Expression, 'In Kind' Contributions, and Washington
Via SoundPolitics, I found this story, where a Thurston County (my home of record county, BTW) judge ruled against the No New Gax Tax Campaign (Initiative 912)on two issues. The first concerns not spending money collected over the internet until they get the donors' addresses, and isn't really a big deal.
The second part has much larger potential ramifications: the judge ordered a Seattle talk radio station KVI 570 AM, to report the value of the commentary in favor of the I-912 and urging listeners to support the campaign by two of their hosts, Kirby Wilbur and former GOP gubernatorial candidate John Carlson, as in-kind contributions.
Think about that: editorializing, by media folks whose job it is to have and express opinions, is now, at least in Washington state, a political campaign contribution with a monetary value, and thus subject to campaign finance regulation.
Think about this if applied on a national scale: in a Presidential election, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, et al, along with the editorial page of pretty much every newspaper in the country, would have to stop opining about the Presidential race within a day or two after the nominating conventions concluded, as they hit the campaign contribution limits. In a way, what this judge has done is turn the Supreme Court's ruling in Buckley v. Valeo (I think that's the case; please correct me if I'm wrong) on its head. Buckley held that money was speech, and therefore should not be regulated. This judge is saying that speech is money, and therefore should be reported and regulated.
Screw you, judge: Donate to No New Gas Tax now!
For those who are interested, the relevant section of the Washington state constitution is Article I, Section 5: "Every person may freely speak, write and publish on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right."
I fail to see how this ruling, requiring that speech be given a monetary value, and thus subjected to spending limits, is in compliance with the state constitution.
I wonder if Big Media, especially the Seattle papers and TV stations, will get behind any appeal made by KVI. I think it would be a clever strategic move by the I-912 people to file a suit, in front of the same judge, asking that editorials against their cause by the Times and P-I be declared in-kind contributions as well.
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Carnival Time Again
Carnivial of Cordite #20 is up at Resistance is Futile!
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Last Enlisted Marine Vietnam Vet Retires
Via Yahoo! News:
QUANTICO, Va. - When he enlisted in the Marines in 1969, Randall Arnold had to fight his way past a friend to get to the recruiting office. Thirty-six years later, Master Sgt. Arnold had no regrets as he retired from the Corps as its last enlisted Vietnam War veteran.
At a retirement ceremony Friday at Quantico Marine Corps Base, Arnold said his reasons for signing up were "purely selfish. It was just about travel and adventure. I was 18 years old, and I wanted to see the world."
...
He's retiring now because he has to, as he approaches the mandatory retirement age of 55. He hopes to find a job that will allow him to continue working with the Marines.
"Once a Marine, always a Marine," he said.
Good luck, Master Sergeant. God speed.
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6/29/2005
Good News Story
Good news stories of any sort seem to be dishearteningly infrequent in the MSM, so this one in the Tacoma News Tribune caught my eye (I might add that the smaller, local papers do a much better job with positive stories than the big papers.) The story is about a recent local high school grad going off to West Point. What really caught my interest was the kid's (I'm over 30 now, so I can call him a kid) quote at the end:
"Don't worry mom, I'm a grown man now, and I can take care of myself and my country."
Good luck, Cadet. We need more like you.
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6/28/2005
Annoyance
After researching the matter on Packing.org, I came to the annoying conclusion that it's pretty much impossible for me to make the trip from Fort Jackson, SC to Fort Lewis, WA, without driving across territory where I can't carry concealed and/or I can't carry in my car. At least not on anything resembling a time/distance efficient route
Here's the route, by city/waypoints: Columbia, SC - Louisville, KY - Nashville, TN - St. Louis, MO - Kansas City, MO - Souix City, IA - Missoula, MT - Renton, WA.
The problem states are Illinois (GFW state), Iowa (no recognition of out state permits), and South Dakota (unknown-research ended by appearance of energetic toddler.)
My favorite state is Montana, where I can drive around with a loaded gun on the dash, or conceal it if I want to.
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Turbulence
Been busy the past few days...prepping to move, getting everything packed up, and then the movers came today and took everything away. So my only computer access is at work.
I won't be leaving SC until 9 July, so I should be able to post ofr most of that time. It may be slow and intermittent, though.
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