The Ultimate Answer to Kings: I don't believe I missed this!

They say that Louis XIV had the inscription Ultima Ratio Regum cast into all the cannon of the French Army. It means "The Ultimate Argument of Kings," and that always struck me as one of the most honest and up-front things any ruler or would-be ruler ever said. "We can dress it up prettier than this, but when it comes down to the unvarnished truth this is what it's about: You'll do as I say or I'll send my goons to kill you."

I thought about that for a long time. If there's an ultimate argument, it seems only logical that there must be an ultimate answer. For years I thought the ultimate answer must be the bullets in my rifle, but it never seemed quite right. I've got bullets - he's got frigging Cannon Balls. I mean, if there were three hundred million rifles throwing bullets at him, then maybe. But we all know that's not going to happen. So if there's an ultimate answer to his ultimate argument, it sure as hell ain't bullets.

It finally came to me - and that's when I left the city, abandoned a goodly percentage of my goods, and gave all that was behind me a good, stiff Randian Shrug.

The ultimate answer to kings is not a bullet, but a belly laugh.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

I don't believe I missed this!

Congratulations, Wyoming activists!

Oddly, the development doesn't seem to be getting much press.

Okay, it's not that odd. But I'm surprised it isn't all over the gun blogs.

5 comments:

Mayberry said...: No press, imagine that. Gun blogs quiet, now that is surprising...; July 5, 2011 at 8:17 PM
Tam said...: It got a bit of discussion back when it looked like it was going to pass, and again when it passed. Now is just when it goes into effect.

Besides Vermont Carry was a pipe dream for most of us ten years ago.

Vermont-Alaska Carry seemed kinda cool, but, you know, Alaska?

Vermont-Alaska-Arizona Carry got lots of ink.

Vermont-Alaska-Arizona-Wyoming Carry? If you're the fourth chick down the red carpet wearing the same dress, the paparazzi start losing interest, you know what I mean?

And that's just fine with me. I want it to be routine. I'll wager that within five years, we get at least three more states with Constitutional Carry.; July 6, 2011 at 7:22 AM
Matt said...: I agree that for the most part it has lost it's sensationalism. The LSM will treat it as just another anomaly of flyover states, they are uncivilized don't you know. The Gun blogs and main line gun mediea don't know how to deal with it since many of them are in states that are pretty restrictive (CA and IL etc). Also many of the gun mediea have toed the NRA line for years that reasonable restrictions such as requiring state permission to carry concealed etc is OK.; July 6, 2011 at 8:09 AM
Tam said...: Matt,

"The Gun blogs and main line gun mediea don't know how to deal with it since many of them are in states that are pretty restrictive (CA and IL etc)."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... sorry, wait... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Okay, done.

I go look at the Invesp.com list of the top 25 gun blogs and I see TN, IN, WA, PA, FL, OH, AZ, ID, VT...

(Okay, maybe OH isn't all that great, but they've gone from no carry to shall-issue CCW in bars in less than a decade, so they're catching up.)

Hell, until last year, Arizona had worse CCW laws than Indiana, and Texas & Georgia still do...

FWIW, I finally decided to get a permit when I moved to IN. $125 for a lifetime permit with no training requirement that lets me carry open or concealed pretty much anyplace but schools or courtrooms? And it comes on a sheet of paper that you have to cut out and laminate yourself? Okay, that's almost wookie-suit enough for me. We've thrown "Constitutional Carry" bills at the statehouse wall for a couple legislative sessions in a row now, and they stick longer and longer every year. It's only a matter of time here...

(Rumor has it that Wisconsin just passed their shall-issue bill out of fear that current cases winding through the courts would have left them with Constitutional Carry, the same way it accidentally happened in Vermont, lo those many years ago...); July 6, 2011 at 2:20 PM
MamaLiberty said...: Yeah, most of us here in Wyoming just figure there's no longer a coat tax. Lots more people carry than ever got a "permit."

Still have the long list of places where CC is "illegal," but the funny thing is that open carry is perfectly legal everywhere but federal buildings. Sort of weird, but those who actually conceal... well, they actually CONCEAL it, so who's to know? Nobody goes around frisking us to find out. :)

Much ado about not much, really. And I'll be tickled if more states figure it out as time goes by.

But we don't have anything near "Vermont Carry" yet. They don't have any of those silly restrictions. Working on it...; July 6, 2011 at 4:02 PM