Brexit:
Of course, the big news for today is that the UK voted to leave the European Union. The UK has always had one foot out the door inasmuch as it had not adopted the Euro but retained its own currency. But the meddlesome and onerous nature of the EU appears to have finally alienated enough of the voters to decide to walk away. Again, I see this as a general realization that the cost of complexity had exceeded the benefits of that complexity. It probably won't stop there, as Scotland will likely reconsider its independence. Some articles:
"David Cameron stands down as British Prime Minister after voters trigger a political earthquake - and global market panic - by backing vote to leave the European Union in historic referendum"--Daily Mail.
"Who will be NEXIT? The Swexits, Czexits and Frexits that could follow Britain out of the EU... and the aftershocks hitting continent"--Daily Mail.
"FINALLY they start to listen! EU requires 'profound change' admits Hollande in the wake of stunning Brexit vote as Merkel and other European leaders express their dismay "--Daily Mail.
"Welcome to the world after Brexit: Here's what happens next"--CNBC. From the article:
First — technically speaking — the referendum is not legally binding. In theory, Cameron, who plans to leave by October, could ignore the will of a slight majority of voters, and not make any moves to exit the political and economic bloc.
But Cameron, who led the campaign to remain in the EU, is likely to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which begins the legal process for leaving the bloc.
"The British people have made the very clear decision to take a different path and as such I think the country requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction," he said Friday in a televised address outside his residence. "I do not think it would be right for me to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination."
Once Article 50 is invoked, a series of negotiations would begin about how to disentangle the U.K. from the many EU structures to which it is a party. The process could take two years or more, if both the U.K. and the European Council agree to extend the discussion period.
Cameron has said this process would be irreversible.
"We should be clear that this process is not an invitation to rejoin, it is a process for leaving," he said in February.
Some have suggested that British leadership could avoid invoking Article 50 all together, and would instead attempt to negotiate a different — not entirely separate — relationship with the EU.
Vox Day has the text of Article 50.
"Brexit And the K-shift"--Anonymous Conservative. Discussion of the Brexit vote in relation to r/K theory, and a prediction that Scotland (which voted to stay in the EU) will now seek its independence from the UK.
Firearms/Self-Defense:
TGIF: Another Weekend Knowledge Dump from Active Response Training.
John Mosby is going in new directions on his writing. He is setting a goal of having one new substantive article per week, but then issuing a monthly booklet (for sale) that covers a certain topic in depth.
"Russian Warehouse Find! Crates Of Machine Guns"--The Firearms Blog. Not just machine guns, but handguns and SKS carbines as well. And the claim is that there are millions of these firearms. Unfortunately, because of Obama's embargo on trade involving small arms, it is unlikely that any of these will find their way to our shore.
"How To Defend Yourself Against Multiple Attackers."--Alien Gear Holsters Blog. Using a firearm against multiple attackers.
"Lessons Learned from the Orlando Shooting Police Response"--Active Response Training. Greg Ellifritz discusses the changes that police need to make when responding a combination active shooter/hostage situation.
"Reality Check--The Counter Terrorist Pistol"--Gabe Suarez. Similar to what I've noted before, Mr. Suarez observes that "all the sub MOA rifles on earth will not be in your belt when you hear the chilling war cry of our enemies and see the first innocent go down from rifle fire. What you will have however is a well concealed pistol." However, he suggests not a standard defensive pistol, but one optimized for combat--i.e., that can be used offensively.
"Fourth Generation Warfare Comes to America"--Recoil Magazine. The Orlando attack and 4GW.
"Red Dot on AK – New Midwest Industries AK Railed Gas Tube"--The Firearms Blog. Related post from Jerking the Trigger.
"'Parallax Free' isn’t."--Breach Bang Clear.
Other Stuff:
Fox News calls on Latinos to support more gun control.
"Democrats Abandon Due Process"--National Review. With some commentary on attacks on the First and Second Amendments. As to the latter, the author writes:
Many Americans do not think of the right to keep and bear arms as a civil right, but they are mistaken. It helps to understand things from the point of view of the Founders and the 18th-century radical liberals whose ideas shaped our republic. Prior to the American founding, the right to keep and bear arms was generally limited to the aristocracy; it was, like the possession of a title or a coat of arms (coat of what?), a bright and dramatic dividing line between the ruling class and the ruled classes, between the Whos and Whoms of society. Arguments about licensing the carry of weapons are hardly new: Caravaggio was arrested for carrying without a license (a sword, in his case) in 1598 near the Piazza Navona in Rome at 3 a.m.
The bearing of arms is a sign of citizenship, which is to say, of being a full participant in government who acts through it, as opposed to subjectship, the state of being a passive being who does not act through government but who is acted upon. In that sense, it is like the ability to vote or to be eligible for service in government. Frederick Douglass understood this linkage perfectly, inasmuch as these ideas were much better understood in those more literate days. “A man’s rights rest in three boxes,” he said. “The ballot box, jury box, and the cartridge box. Let no man be kept from the ballot box because of his color. Let no woman be kept from the ballot box because of her sex.” The militias contemplated by the Second Amendment were armed citizen volunteers who could act to use the force of arms to keep the peace in an emergency; they are entitled to act in the peacekeeping role generally reserved for the state because, being the citizens of a republic, they are the state, the very seat of its sovereignty. The formal government is a provisional arrangement (hence regular elections) constituted as a convenience. While the Second Amendment may not codify a “right of revolution,” as some put it, the idea of armed citizens pushing out a government that had become inconvenient, a burden on their liberties rather than a guarantor of them, could hardly have been alien to a group of men who had just risked their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor doing just that.
"America Was Cool; Enjoy the Last Few Months of It, Kids"--PJ Media. Another article about the attack on the 5th Amendment right to due process and a warning that it will not just stop at the right to purchase a firearm. The author writes:
Until just a few months ago, I was one of those red, white, and blue optimists who firmly believed that the United States could survive damage done by whatever idiots an apathetic electorate put in charge. I terribly underestimated two things: the Democrats’ contempt for the Constitution and the Republicans’ commitment to losing, even when they win.
Now that we’re about three quarters through an elaborate falling dominoes design that will probably end up looking like a hammer and sickle, all I have to say is that you should enjoy the last few months of America because there is one thing of which I am now certain: the republic as we have enjoyed it will cease to exist after the next election.
No, I don’t mean “America” will be gone, rather the America we’ve known.
"America’s Majority-Minority Future Approaches"--Walter Russell Mead at The American Interest. A warning:
Throughout its history, American society has been tolerant of and even supportive of the identity politics of various minority groups, from the Irish and Italians a century ago to Hispanics and Asians today. This tradition has been good for the country, overall, in that it has encouraged assimilation while making our society more dynamic. But if we are moving toward “majority-minority” status in many states and localities, we should probably expect to see a rise in white identity politics as well. It’s hard to argue that this would similarly salutary, or that the balkanization of American society along racial and ethnic lines will make the country a better place.
"My Terrifying Week with Zika: One Editor Reveals What the Virus is REALLY Like"--Yahoo. "It all started with some pain in my toes, which I thought was just a result of my feet swelling from the extreme Caribbean heat. Shortly after, I began experiencing a terrible pain in my left thigh-a pain I had never felt before; similar to a charley horse that wouldn't go away, which was also causing pain in my lower back. At the time, my mom thought I might be dehydrated and urged me to drink electrolyte-filled water and eat bananas. I had also noticed a lump growing behind my ear."
"Private Companies Are Helping African Governments Spy on Their Own People"--War is Boring.