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Turkey Hunters-CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS Matter to you on Nov 5th 2024?

Standard / by mookyj / November 5, 2024 / No Comments

Let’s Start with the only rational answer- HELL YES…

A ‘Yes’ response serves no one if expressed only as lip service in the voting booth when it comes down to making a real difference. Core principles put to action is the only action that matters in your voices and our participation in the election process.

We are learning firsthand in real time that who wins elections has far reaching impact in nearly all aspects of our lives, making a living, raising our families, pursuing our passions, and the resulting absolute nonsense of our political circus. We winch and shake our heads constantly over this as we endure. It is a simple observation of hundreds of years of recorded history, and a dash of common sense, that without the ability to defend against tyranny as a citizen from the less than honorable human traits within our own government, there is no guarantee of the first amendment which had been significantly attacked in recent years and in the quest for political power and domination of opposing parties. There are no Nobel intentions in this narcissistic effort despite the ruse that is constantly in play to disarm opponents in political realms, and anyone who does not agree with faux narratives and party dictate.

As those of us who hunt, fish, and enjoy, use, and support gun ownership, we are treated rather poorly by far too many of our elected representatives and the monster of bureaucracy that is in need of a severe financial diet and retraction of authorities. Try to imagine us as citizens that are effectively neutered of firearm ownership and can be ran over rough shod by any rogue politician or power hungry political party. Cult of personality is not a valid factor if one cares about end goals being accomplished. The reaffirmation of the second and even the first amendment may be rightfully corrected in my lifetime should we wake up and participate and vote as one voice.

Voting day is upon us, whether you participated in early voting, absentee ballot or voting in person, make it count.

I will not demand what party you should affiliate with, or whom you should vote for. If voting today, I hope each of you took the time you look up each candidate, each party, and research their platform, their positions, and most importantly their past voting records and history. Too many change and flip flop to gain votes. We need steadfast constitutionalists, representing us as stewards of our constitution and champions of the first and second amendment rights we hold dear.

I will put forth that in critical review, I might not trust the flip flopping post non violent coup after a legal primary. Anti gunners, anti hunters will flip flop to get votes, but only long enough to get in the drivers seat. Make no mistake, you will come to regret protest or cult of personality voting while falling for the ruse, voting against a candidate that supports these essential amendments down the road.

The mainstream media, and social media actively steer your feeds and searches and what is presented to you on the first pages of your searches, Be mindful that others will forcefully tell you what is fact and what is not. It is evident the fact-checkers are suspect. There is too much at stake and all the stops are being pulled. As opponents of our positions are happy in the strategy of the ends justify the means to gut the first and second amendments, disarm us, and to end hunting and fishing as dictated by special interest groups.

As a whole, gun owners, hunters, archers, trappers competition shooters, and sportsmen in our grand union and especially in New York State fail miserably in casting ballots, despite a large demographic and cross-section of the population in the nation and the Empire State. If it is not our responsibility who then should this be assigned to,? Leftist Democrats bent on a single-party rule, Marxists, Socialists, Radical Fascists? Political parties make strategic calculations based on mediocre participation and furthers the lack of respect of us by those we send to Washington to represent our concerns and core values.

To be fair, there are those among us that vote with firm conviction, educated on the issues, and especially on those candidates professed to protect our first and second amendment rights. You know who you are and my comments are not intended to disparage your good efforts.

We are being browbeaten and dictated to by those that have no understanding or working knowledge of history, the second amendment, sustainable wildlife conservation, and yet allow us to pay our way while putting a virtual knee on our necks in every aspect of our activities and inalienable rights. The same folks that are quick to assert their first amendment rights are the very same that are bent on removing the first and second amendments for conservatives, those who refuse to kneel in front of them. Do we allow by the stroke of a pen to declare firearm owners felons by merely owning a legally purchased firearm? It can be argued that treason is being committed against the citizens of our country and entirely unconstitutional on its face.

The framers of our constitution and subsequent amendments intended that the second amendment be written purposely to defend against a tyrannical government and acts of treason upon us. It is that plain and simple. I am certain that the amendment was not written in the anticipation of a unruly uprising of monster gobblers and Boone and Crockett whitetail bucks

None of us alive today were born into servitude or as serfs to kings whom we broke away from in our founding. If you give a damn about your rights and freedoms and that of your loved ones, your neighbors, your brethren, the passive response, sitting out elections is not a responsible choice, and you must exercise your rights as a citizen.

We cannot afford to sit back and continue letting others do our bidding…

Note from the author: Some of this written in part is a reposting of prior comments and well worth their inclusion here.

A Tale of Two 4473’s

Standard / by mookyj / September 15, 2023 / 1 Comment

From as far back as I can recall of the throes of gun control. It is the incessant, endless claims of not enough gun laws, we need more, and they should all be banned. Despite all the banshee screaming from the mountain tops, we are witness to bail reform, lenient sentencing if at all, day of crime release-rotating door policies, and the topics at hand, no prosecution henceforth for the tens of thousands of gun laws on the books.

Be a scholar and give it an hour of your time. You’ll find some of the multitudes of overlapping and exceedingly redundant laws; you might notice that many of them call out criminal acts that are also illegal no matter what method is invoked. For instance, it is, under broad definition, illegal to commit manslaughter and or murder. It is heinous without regard to how it is accomplished.

In current news, fresh from last evening, Hunter Biden, after five years in the making, has been finally charged with felony gun indictments. Namely centered and focused on false statements declared on the ATF 4473 yellow form which those of us in the hunting and firearm industry are intimately familiar with. It is required along with a NICS check for anyone in the United States who purchases a firearm from an FFL dealer, Private sales also require this in some states for private sale. My home state of New York requires this with the change of the State Police now doing the background checks.

Hunter, if convicted of felony counts may face a maximum fine of $750,000 and 25 years in jail. It is reported that the charges relate to lying to an FFL Firearms dealer, declaring a false Statement on the ATF4473 form, and possessing an illegal firearm for eleven days. No mention was made of illegally disposing of the 38 caliber revolver in a dumpster across the street from a high school. Technically, Hallie Biden did the deed of disposing of it, as reported. His very public drug use is in very clear violation of the declaration provision in the document and is a prickly charge to squirm out of. 11 days? By the casual read of current gun laws, there is no grace period for possession of an illegally possessed firearm. His lawyer is reported to claim, that no one was harmed so it doesn’t matter as the 11 days. Not as I read the laws…

These reported offenses are all part of black letter law that is in practice, treated as murky, discretionary. We should expect better from our DA’s and we certainly deserve better. It’s total bullshit in view of having the 4473 form in the first place. It either has the backbone to ensure noneligible applicants are thwarted in purchasing a firearm or a ruse of no intentional detriment.

The talking heads are predicting no significant jail time or fine, or should it go to the full extent, a daddy POTUS pardon would follow. As of the moment, it is conjecture, not based on fact. Vega odds are yet to weigh in.

I do know directly of another tale, not so long ago, where a Cornell student son, murdered his CEO father at point-blank range with a 12-gauge shotgun. I worked with the deceased up until the company was purchased by him and also knew the family. He was VP of sales at the time. I was not invited to the transition as I was not of a favorable opinion, seeking to have him fired. It is a long sordid story that you couldn’t begin to make up. His son committed the act a little over two years after I had moved on to start my own company.

The very public murder trial ended with a hung jury and then dismissed. The feds came back with charges stemming from false statements made on an ATF 4473 form. The result of that was the full prosecution of a common citizen and a sentence of 20 years plus 3 years of post-supervision. I have left out details and opinions of this abbreviated tale as the point of it to illustrate the ballistic version of two levels of justice currently in vogue.

The takeaway from this in my view: Despite all the claims of timing to the election, pollical dirty tricks, It has been a slow roll of nearly five years to even get this far on Hunter Biden. I think we can safely assume that if it had been one of Trump’s sons, it would have been prosecuted and the convicted corpse left to rot within a year’s time. At least figuratively, in reality, millions in fines and release from jail as a very old man. More importantly, should this be you or I, not of the beautiful people crowd, or politically connected to the party of the ass, we might also be left to rot in jail and destitute of any financial gains. Pay attention folks, the tale of two 4473’s is telling of so much more…

-MJ

New York Gun Owner/Sportsmen Apathy

Standard / by mookyj / November 9, 2022 / 1 Comment

Well, my fellow sportsmen, turkey hunters, deer hunters, waterfowlers, and gun owners across the great Empire State, we can legitimately be labeled as apathetic, not in the game as evidenced by the preliminary results reported this morning. As it appears we will have to suffer four more years of a governor that openly defies the supreme court rulings on constitutional matters, and governs as an emotionally riddled suppository that caters exclusively to a radical left base.

I find this painful to openly state, but we deserve this, we let it transpire with little opposition.

Using estimates for 2020-2021, 4.5 million gun owners are thought to be among us in New York. Seven hundred thousand outdoorsmen participate in hunting pursuits, although no breakdown of gun ownership there. To be fair I cannot assert that all of those included in these numbers would vote single issue, even to preserve our constitutional rights. With the current results pegging Gov. Hochul at 3.022 million votes with a margin of 311,000 votes, a five-point spread, on its face, our group of “like-minded people” could have singled-handedly sent her packing in a landslide.

I’ve heard enough of the downstate runs everything argument… Total bullshit… We failed miserably to represent ourselves. If 68% of us 4.5 million gun owners in New York pulled the lever, scanned the ballot, tables would have been turned. “Put up or shut up” is an appropriate retort to this fail.

Would of, could of, should of, is of little comfort in the coming days when more restrictive gun control gets shoved down our throats while we hope and pray it gets remedied by the Supreme Court years later, assuming confiscation doesn’t happen beforehand. You can bet with our current representatives; they want to be first in the nation in the erosion of the second amendment. It is the one amendment that ensures the good keeping of the first amendment as the others. If you have paid attention at all in the last decade, there are calls for censorship, ending private gun ownership, for neutering anyone that can oppose leftist views. Gun control has always been about control of us. Our opponents have made it clear that safety is not even the real discussion here at all. Bail reform is a game changer for criminal rights over law-abiding citizens. Ten out of ten criminals approve of that message.

We could have stopped this yesterday, and it is clear we didn’t vote as a Tour de Force, nor participate in the fundamental right as a New Yorker. Those that oppose us would like to see our views removed from the landscape and they did show up and vote. To those of our ranks that did, thank you from a fellow patriot. To those that sat it out, and never registered, there is no tolerance for your bitching when it hits the fan. In my best New Yorker accent “You need to show up and vote.”

-MJ

Standard / by mookyj / November 2, 2022 / 1 Comment

THE EXPECTED ANSWER- HELL YES, WITHOUT QUESTION…

A preemptive disclaimer- There is no sugar coating it, no regard for moderate positions, compromise, or apologists in this commentary. For those offended, not sorry, don’t let the door slap you on the ass on the way out. We cannot be sidetracked by the likability of the truth or the notion of being politically correct. This is an updated commentary from prior election cycles and we need to do far better.

A gratuitous ‘Yes’ response serves no one unless followed by conservative/constitutional core principles put into action. As a whole, gun owners, hunters, archers, trappers, competition shooters, and sportsmen in New York State fail miserably. Despite a large demographic and cross-section of the population, we effectively neuter ourselves each election cycle, and there is no valid reason to justify that being the case

To be fair, there are those among us that vote, participate in the political process, petition, and spread the word, you know who you are and this commentary is not intended to insult your sensibilities. Sadly too many sit on their hands when push comes to shove.

Despite the fly-by-night passages of the ‘Safe Act,’ and the emotional knee-jerk reaction of the stand in governor’s “Safe Act II,” an egregious assault on second amendment rights and further restriction on law-abiding citizens, our King ‘C’ was reelected with little opposition by our ranks. Shall we sit on our hands for the emotionally driven radical Hochul that replaced him? We literally had the numbers to vote the bastard out, but could not bother to show up and vote. Does all this sound too harsh? I have expectations of my fellow sportsmen and gun owners to stand up against this naked tyranny. It starts at the voting booth.

We tolerate increasing restrictions pertaining to gun rights, hunting, fishing, and trapping and we are being dictated to by those that have little to no understanding or working knowledge and generally allow us to pay our way while putting a virtual thumb on every aspect of our activities and inalienable rights. It is also to our further dismay that those that are bent on removing the first and second amendments and ending all hunting and fishing get ample access to our political system and yet we are far too apathetic. As a group, we allow this as we decry downstate politics. Sorry, but it’s total bullshit. We failed to see it through.

It is plain and simple. Why do we care in New York? New York in all its levels of government will waste no time in harassing us, even when faced with supreme court decisions. Despite knowing that they will be struck down for unconstitutional offenses, they would rather waste time and money just to keep a jackboot on our necks…

We decry that downstate dictates all things within the state politics and laws that are passed. In the case of issues of interest to gun owners and sportsmen, there is simply no truth to it. In the prior election had just firearm owners voted in mass, Cuomo would have been defeated. There is no plausible excuse for this had we voted consistently. Should we vote as a group, in mass, infringements on our rights including the first and second amendments, our beloved pursuits would see a return as unpinged and free from the constant assault and harassment that we continue to endure. There is much to be upended, reversed, null/voided, and restored.

If you do give a damn about your rights and freedoms and that of your loved ones, your children, your grandchildren, your neighbors, and your brethren, the passive response, sitting out elections is not a responsible choice, and you must exercise your rights as a citizen.

We cannot afford to continue letting others do our bidding… See you at the voting booth?

-MJ

Do We Recognize Ourselves, Our Country 21 years later, Post 9/11?

Standard / by mookyj / September 7, 2022 / No Comments

There was a 9/12 that our voter party card did not matter, white privilege did not matter, struggles of the races did not matter. We did not need diversity training, or reparations to understand in our hearts and our guts that we are Americans. This week our president in office declared half of the country in the goulish Neo Nazi period correct backdrop as extreme, violent, and a most undesirable segment of America. A self-projecting fascist, drunk in the despicable art of propaganda, in my view. It is something I never expected to see in my lifetime from the highest office in the land. In all irony of a most distasteful, insulting and unbecoming display of hyperbolic partisan politics, the use of the term MAGA, Ultra MAGA is somehow un-American. Those that have a problem with “Make America Great Again” have lost their way and for the most dishonorable intentions. Orange Man Bad has huge equity in rent-free space of the craniums of these deranged folks. MAGA would have resonated just as well on 9/12/2001.

We demonstrate daily that we can easily be pitted against each other, at will, for political aims. I submit to each of you, that we can just as easily rally for each other, and have each other’s backs as we did 21 years ago. We can demonstrate what is awesome about us, our country. In doing so, we honor those innocent victims of 9/11 and those fallen who have served us. They deserve better, we deserve better. from each other.

What was made clear to me in my near death experience last year and again last week, is that we know enough to seek forgiveness for our major offensives. What we, you and I fail to do enough of, is to seize the smaller opportunities of moments of kindness, to forgive more easily. We can impact the lives of others in the most profound ways through the accumulation of small acts of kindness. The big things are obvious and easy. It is the daily implementation of it when we are off our game, don’t feel well, or are pissed off at the news. Speaking for myself, I still have a bit of work to do there…

For those of you that are polar opposite to my conservative thoughts, I can still toast to our mutual betterment in life with us being of the same great America that we love, warts and all.

I have not forgotten:

The memories and the feelings from that day have not faded, nor diminished. It was to be a perfect bluebird day in September.

The near-perfect September day morphed, shattered for thousands of victims in mere seconds for many, some in agonizing, terror-filled minutes, hours yet for others.

In the ripples of life, our greatest loss is to never know or benefit from what great deeds and accomplishments of all those lost.

That we came together as Americans. We were united as Americans. We still are Americans. Many have forgotten this very fact in recent times.

Those that perished on this fateful day of September 11th, 2001.

Those that gave all in order to save lives. Heroes that walk among us to this day.

Those who survived only succumbed to it days, months, and years later.

That we are all equal by way of our maker

This is republished each year as I find it so important to include:

On each anniversary of 9/11, my thoughts return to two fellow NWTF members Cynthia Giugliano & Walter Weaver that we lost that day. A memorial webpage can be found at http://www.turkey-talk.com/9_11_01_memorial.htm

As you toe up on the start line of your favorite road race or triathlon or enjoy another fall season hunting our nation’s forests, fishing the lakes and streams of our great land, I ask that each of you give thought to those that serve us. In your travels, I ask that you take the time to thank those that serve us, and continue to support what they do for our country.

Along with counting your blessings, say a prayer for all innocent victims, and that you do something on your part to make the world just a little bit better for those around you. We can all benefit from a little emphasis on random acts of kindness.

-MJ

New York Sportsmen & Gun Owners- Give a Damn about Constitutional Rights?

Standard / by mookyj / December 28, 2019 / 1 Comment

The expected answer would be yes, hell yes, of course, without question…

A preemptive disclaimer- There is no sugar coating it, no regard for moderate compromise or apologists in this commentary. For those offended, not sorry. We cannot be sidetracked about the likability of the truth or the notion of being politically correct.

An automatic ‘Yes’ response serves no one when it comes down to ideology, core principles put to action. As a whole, gun owners, hunters, archers, trappers competition shooters and sportsmen in New York State fail miserably. Despite a large demographic and cross section of the population in the Empire State, we effectively neuter ourselves and there is no valid reason to justify that being the case

To be fair, there are those among us that vote, participate in the political process, petition and spread the word, you know who you are and it is not intended to insult your sensibilities. Sadly too many sit on their hands when push comes to shove.

Despite the fly by night passage of the ‘Safe Act,’ an egregious assault on second amendment rights and further restriction on law abiding citizens, Our Governor was reelected with little opposition by our ranks.

We tolerate increasing restrictions by the state, counties and towns in firearm laws and those pertaining to hunting, fishing and trapping and we are being dictated to by those that have little to no understanding or working knowledge and generally allow us to pay our way while putting a virtual thumb on every aspect of our activities and inalienable rights. It is also to our further dismay that those that are bent on removing the first and second amendments and to end all hunting and fishing get ample access to our political system and yet we are far too apathetic. As a group we allow this as we decry downstate politics. Sorry, but it’s total bullshit. We failed to see it through.

All eyes are on Virginia for a possible showdown between a tyrannical governor/administration and second amendment rights. Calls for violent confrontation are more frequent and alarming. 85 of Virginia’s 95 counties have declared themselves as Second Amendment sanctuaries, modeled after immigration sanctuaries which are the unintended outcome of defying federal law. When by the stroke of a pen you declare firearm owners felons by merely owning a legally purchased firearm, it will end badly if it is not struck down. It can be argued that treason is being committed against the citizens of Virginia and entirely unconstitutional on its face.

The framers intended that the second amendment be written purposely to defend against a tyrannical government and acts of treason upon us. It is that plain and simple. One can reasonably argue that Virginia is on a collision course here. New York, California and a few others are predicted to follow suit.

Why do we care in New York? You can be sure that what happens in Virginia if successful in taking away these rights, New York in all its levels of government will follow suite and waste no time in doing so. As such, only one county in NY has followed the examples in Virginia in declaring themselves a Second Amendment Sanctuary. One has to ask why only one? Are we asleep at the wheel?

Getting back to the assertion that we do not act in mass as a Tour de Force…

For decades as a group we decry that downstate dictates all things within the state politics and laws that are passed. In the case of issues of interest to gun owners and sportsmen there is simply no truth to it. In the past election had just firearm owners voted in mass, Cuomo would have been defeated by an 700K-1.1M margin depending on what numbers you believe. There is no plausible excuse, especially if all gun owners, hunters, fisherman, trappers, archers voted consistently. Had we or in the future vote as a group, in mass, infringements on our rights including first and second amendments, our beloved pursuits would see a return as unpinged and free from the constant assault and harassment that we continue to endure. There is much to be upended, reversed, null/voided and restored.

On social media we present ourselves as all badass, full of bravado… cold dead hands before ever surrendering… Sounds good, seen the movie… How many will cut and run at the first shots fired, as the first bodies hit the ground? Surely not the best outcome we might all agree. Clamoring for a civil war means many atrocities, countless dead, and families forever torn apart and irreparably changed. No reasoned person wants this as we view life as priceless. If we believe in living as free persons of this country, neglecting to vote is irresponsible.

If this social media warrior energy, bravado were redirected to the voting booth, the political process, we might affect change that is needed and not fast enough I might add. It may end up with the Supreme Court squashing this before critical mass. Without regard to that outcome, we can act together collectively and suspend the infighting and bickering to save what is most important and dear to us.

None of us alive today were born into servitude or as serfs to kings whom we broke away from in our founding. If you do give a damn about your rights and freedoms and that of your loved ones, your neighbors, your brethren, the passive response, sitting out elections is not a responsible choice, and you must exercise your rights as a citizen.

We cannot afford to continue letting others do our bidding…

-MJ

2A

Turkey Hunters-CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS Matter to you on Nov 5th 2024?