About

Welcome to Licentia Loquendi, founded January 2009. L2 is a team blog that focuses primarily on political, military and Constitutional issues with a Conservative Christian slant. We are two college students, a Navy corpsman, an Army sniper and a Vietnam era Army veteran.

Each writer has free reign over postings. One writer's views are not necessarily the views of all writers.

28 January 2009

Make My Day

In Colorado Springs, CO, James Parsons shot and killed Sean Kennedy when Kennedy broke into Parsons' house, believing it to be his own. I bet the fact that Kennedy's blood-alcohol level was over triple the legal CO limit for driving had something to do with that. Parsons "is protected under Colorado's 'Make My Day' law, which allows people to use deadly force in self-defense in their home against intruders" (FNC).

That's Hardcore.


She's my new hero. That is hardcore.

Ahmadinejad and a Breach of Security in Israel

According to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, "'Those who say they want to make change, this is the change they should make: they should apologize to the Iranian nation and try to make up for their dark background and the crimes they have committed against the Iranian nation'" (FNC). The aforementioned crimes are, "specifically, criticizing and trying to block [Iran's] nuclear program" (FNC). Reading the sentence as it is, it appears to me that America's crimes are criticism (and what state doesn't criticize every other state?) and attempting to keep nuclear power away from a state that has repeated called for the destruction of Israel and which "supports the militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas" (FNC). If Ahmadinejad would like an apology from the U.S., he can apologize for denouncing the Holocaust as a "myth."
On the other hand, last semester I wrote a report on Iran and nuclear power, and Ahmadinejad seems to be the one calling for Israel's head, not the clerics who actually hold the power. Or so we hope.

An Israeli woman named Paula purchased filing cabinets from the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, and then discovered that they were full of "hundreds of files -- with social security numbers, bank acount numbers and other sensitive U.S. government information" (FNC). According to the woman, she considered "'calling the American consulate right away, and then . . . thought, you know they'll just hide it and say, 'Oh, we made a mistake'" (FNC). "The files contained social security numbers of U.S. Marines and State Department employees stationed in Israel, and documentation of how U.S. government money is allocated to fund sensitive programs in the region. Among the papers was also a report labeled 'secret' that documented an encounter a U.S. Marine had wtih an Israeli woman at a bar in Jerusalem" (FNC). Apparently, the cabinets were purchased in December 2005, but the discovery was not reported until after "a Sept. 22, 2008 incident in which a Palestinian teenager crashed a BMW (purchased via an auction held by the consulate) into a group of Israeli soldiers" (FNC), including the woman's son. "Paula, an Israeli who also holds U.S. citizenship, says she wanted to expose the incident because her loyalty is to the state of Israel" (FNC).
First of all, if this woman has been harboring this sort of information for almost three years, who knows who has seen it. Second of all, it seems to me more that she wanted to expose the incident in retaliation for her what happened to her son. Third of all, if this woman's loyalty is to Israel, then she should forfeit her U.S. citizenship immediately. She refused to relinquish the files to the head of security until she was threatened with criminal charges. If the lives and security of U.S. Marines and State Department officials mean that little to her, then she should not even be permitted to enter the country.

27 January 2009

Auschwitz & Updike

Today marks the 64th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

John Updike died! He was 76 years old and succumbed to lung cancer. I must admit that I only ever read Terrorist (a year or two ago), but I thought it was very good. Updike's writing style interested me far more than Hemingway's ever could, and the development and character of protagonist Ahmad Mulloy was very detailed.

Also! There's a spoof about Obama and Beyonce's song "All the Single Ladies" on YouTube. It made my night.

25 January 2009

What about Israel?

I noticed in a FOXNews article that Hamas is proposing a year-long truce. The article mentioned that Israel and Hamas are building "on a fragile cease-fire . . . after a 22-day Israeli assault to end Hamas rocket fire, which killed some 1,300 Palestinians" (FNC). The article also mentioned that "first estimates show Gaza suffered about $2 billion in damages during the Israeli air strikes and ensuing ground offensive" (FNC).
The article mentioned nothing about the number of Israeli lives lost or the damages done by Hamas.

Since I haven't seen my roommate in six weeks, we had a lot of catching up to do. For two and a half hours, we talked straight politics and watched An American Carol (it was her first time!). But, since I've already seen the movie three times, she let me read her copy of The American Conservative (mine is probably in my campus mailbox, which I have yet to check). The "Spirit of '76" article is so true!

23 January 2009

Quit Listening to Rush

"President Obama warned Republicans on Capitol Hill today that they need to quit listening to radio king Rush Limbaugh if they want to get along with Democrats and the new administration," states a FOXNews article. Also, in "response to the objection by Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to the president's proposal to increase benefits for low-income workers who don't owe federal taxes" Obama replied, "'I won . . . I will trump you on that.'"
Quite frankly, I believe that Americans should be free to listen to whatever radio station they want to. Disagreeing with the Democrats and the new administration has nothing to do with Rush Limbaugh.
Also, simply because Obama won the election does not mean that he immediately wins everything. His office does not give him supreme power. In my opinion, his statement was immature and totalitarian.

The Guantanamo Situation & The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball

Said Ali al-Shihri was released from Guantanamo in November 2007. He "returned to his home in Saudi Arabia after his release . . . and from there went to Yemen" (FNC). He is now allegedly "second-in-command" (FNC) of Yemen's branch of Al Qaeda. According to the DoD, "more than 60 terrorists released from Guantanamo may have returned to the battlefield" (CNN). McCain agrees that Guantanamo should be closed, but his route would have been different. "'So, the easy part, in all due respect, is to say we're going to close Guantanamo . . . then I think I would have said where they were going to be taken. Because you're going to run into a NIMBY [not in my backyard] problem here in the United States of America'" (CNN).
A NIMBY problem? Not in Pennsylvania! Rep. John Murtha told FOX that "suspected terrorists . . . are 'no more dangerous in [his] district than in Guantanamo'" (AP). And let's not just throw them into the same state as the site of a terrorist attack, but let's plop them just a short distance away!


Obama also skipped The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball, which "was the party without all of the celebrities." I can't believe he didn't attend. "There were 48 Medal of Honor recipients in attendance, who were undoubtedly disappointed by the Commander-in-Chief's failure to show. Over the past 56 years and 14 inaugurations, no President has skipped this event - until now." The attendees of that ball are the very ones who have given us our freedom to hold elections and choose our own president. "The very people who he sought to have support him during his candidacy and campaign, who have fought to protect this country, were snubbed in favor of publicity and the opportunity to rub shoulders - yet again - with the out-of-touch Hollywood elite."

20 January 2009

The End of an Era

Fire In My Bones posted an article after the election, titled 10 Ways to Pray for Barack Obama. He will certainly need a great deal of prayer in leading our nation.

A FOXNews article described the departure of the Bushes -- I was surprised (well, not really) by the lack of class displayed by some after the announcement that Bush was no longer president.

Reverend Joseph Lowery said "'We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right' . . . to laughter from the vast audience." Apparently I'm not "mellow" -- and I can actually be pretty stressed and uptight sometimes. And I'm "yellow?" According to Bare Minerals, I'm "light," thank you very much. I don't remember ever asking anyone "to get in back." And Caucasians don't "embrace what is right?" Is that only Caucasians? Though Rev. Lowery said this "to laughter," I hardly find his comments PC. And I thought we were all striving to be PC.
I realize that there was a message beneath all of that, but I simply wish he would have worded it differently and more tastefully. I personally did not find it at all amusing -- but of course, that's just my opinion.

The troops were told "'that they will always remember where they were when Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States.'" The last time I heard a similar statement was around September 11, 2001. I don't really remember where I was when George W. Bush became president -- though I was most likely in front of my TV. Either way, somehow I don't remember where I was a day eight (or even four) years ago, but I remember where I was today. Give me a few years. I'm sure I'll forget. But I'm absolutely certain that I will never forget where I was on September 11, 2001.

16 January 2009

Surge in Gun Sales

According to an article on FoxNews.com, Obama is driving a surge in gun sales. While I admit that I am a bit worried about gun rights and the loss thereof, part of me wonders if gun owners and organizations are exacerbating the issue. According to the article, "in June [Obama] said he agreed with the Supreme Court when it overturned the District of Columbia handgun ban" and he also "stated during the final leg of the campaign that he believes in the Second Amendment, and 'I will not take your shotgun away. I will not take your rifle away. I won't take your handgun away.'" Then again, he -- like any other politician -- made promises, which he recently admitted to being unable to keep (though at the very least, he admitted it and he did so early). Perhaps Obama deserves the benefit of the doubt. Shortly prior to the election, Conservatives claimed that the huge mess regarding the economy was the doing of the Liberals, in order to shift attention to Obama and his economic plan, as opposed to the war. Perhaps now Conservatives are using the same tactic to raise suspicion of Obama.

Or maybe a little suspicion is healthy and perhaps a history lesson, as well.

15 January 2009

Reloading & Qassams

Yesterday, the Standard-Journal published an article regarding a bill "currently in state legislature" which "would require all bullets and cartridge cases to be marked with a code and registered to the owners in a computerized database, therefore, reloading would be outlawed."

QassamCount enables Facebook users to donate their status to raise awareness about the number of rockets that have hit Israel. Updates are provided on either a live or daily basis, depending on the user's preference.

B.H.: We're just like Germany, 1935.
D.G.: No, you mean 1931.
B.H.: The National Firearms Act wasn't passed until 1935.
D.G.: You're right, but--
D.J.: Anyone for '34? '33?

B.M.: I thought we had a motley crew over here. And then I looked over at your table.

04 January 2009

Effective Range


Top
Distance: 50 yds.
Weapon: .223

Bottom
Distance: 300 yds.
Weapon: .270