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By Kevin Myers |
| This is all so true and accepting refugees from these countries only makes the rest of the world have the same afflictions.Worth a refresh on the facts, before sending aid to Africa! Kevin Myers (born 30 March 1947) is an Irish journalist and writer. He writes for the Irish edition of the Sunday Times, having previously been a columnist for the Irish Independent and a former contributor toThe Irish Times, where he wrote the “An Irishman’s Diary” opinion column several times weekly. Until 2005, he wrote for the UK Sunday Telegraph. His articles criticize left-wing opinion and the “liberal consensus”, sometimes incorporating hyperbole, sarcasm and parody. This essay appeared in The Irish Independent: Somalia is not a humanitarian disaster; it is an evolutionary disaster. The current drought is not the worst in 50 years, as the BBC and all the aid organizations claim. It is nothing compared to the droughts in 1960/61 or 73/74. And there are continuing droughts every 5 years or so. It’s just that there are now four times the population; having been kept alive by famine relief, supplied by aid organizations, over the past 50 years. So, of course, the effects of any drought now, is a famine. They cannot even feed themselves in a normal rainfall year. Worst yet, the effects of these droughts, and poor nutrition in the first 3 years of the a child’s life, have a lasting effect on the development of the infant brain, so that if they survive, they will never achieve a normal IQ. Consequently, they are selectively breeding a population who cannot be educated, let alone one that is not being educated; a recipe for disaster. We are seeing this impact now, and it can only exacerbate, to the detriment of their neighbours, and their environment as well. This scenario can only end in an even worse disaster; with even worse suffering, for those benighted people, and their descendants. Eventually, some mechanism will intervene, be it war, disease or starvation. So what do we do? Let them starve? What a dilemma for our Judeo/Christian/Islamic Ethos; as well as Hindu/Buddhist morality. And this is beginning to happen in Kenya, Ethiopia and other countries in Asia, like Pakistan. Is this the beginning of the end of civilization? AFRICA is giving nothing to anyone outside Africa — apart from AIDS and new diseases. Even as we see African states refusing to take action to restore something resembling civilization in Zimbabwe, the begging bowl for Ethiopia is being passed around to us out of Africa, yet again. It is nearly 25 years since the famous Feed The World campaign began in Ethiopia, and in that time Ethiopia’s population has grown from 33.5 million to 78+ million today. So, why on earth should I do anything to encourage further catastrophic demographic growth in that country? Where is the logic? There is none. Now they want to move to other countries to continue to breed and commit crime. To be sure, there are two things saying that logic doesn’t count. One is my conscience, and the other is the picture, yet again, of another wide-eyed child, yet again, gazing, yet again, at the camera, which yet again, captures the tragedy of children starving. Sorry. My conscience has toured this territory on foot and financially. Unlike most of you, I have been to Ethiopia; like most of you, I have stumped up the loot to charities to stop starvation there. The wide-eyed boy-child we saved, 20 years or so ago, is now a low IQ, AK 47-bearing moron, siring children whenever the whim takes him and blaming the world because he is uneducated, poor and left behind. There is no doubt a good argument why we should prolong this predatory and dysfunctional economic, social and sexual system but I do not know what it is. There is, on the other hand, every reason not to write a column like this. It will win no friends and will provoke the self-righteous wrath of, well, the self-righteous hand wringing, letter writing wrathful individuals; a species which never fails to contaminate almost every debate in Irish life with its sneers and its moral superiority. Itwill also probably enrage some of the finest men in Irish life, like John O’Shea, of Goal; and the Finucane brothers, men whom I admire enormously. So be it. But, please, please, you self-righteously wrathful, spare me mention of our own Irish Famine, with this or that lazy analogy. There is no comparison! Within 20 years of the Famine, the Irish population was down by 30%. Over the equivalent period, thanks to western food, the Mercedes10-wheel truck and the Lockheed Hercules plane, Ethiopia’s population has more than doubled. Alas, that wretched country is not alone in its madness. Somewhere, over the rainbow, lies Somalia, another fine land of violent, AK 47-toting, khat-chewing, girl-circumcising, permanently tumescent layabouts and housing pirates of the ocean. Indeed, we now have almost an entire continent of sexually hyperactive, illiterate indigents, with tens of millions of people who only survive because of help from the outside world or allowances by the semi-communist Governments they voted for, money supplied by borrowing it from the > World Bank! This dependency has not stimulated political prudence or common sense. Indeed, voodoo idiocy seems to be in the ascendant, with the president of South Africa being a firm believer in the efficacy of a little tap water on the post-coital penis as a sure preventative against AIDS infection. Needless to say, poverty, hunger and societal meltdown have not prevented idiotic wars involving Tigre, Uganda, Congo, Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea etcetera. Broad brush-strokes, to be sure. But broad brush-strokes are often the way that history paints its gaudier, if more decisive, chapters. Japan, China, Russia, Korea, Poland, Germany, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in the 20th century have endured worse broad brush-strokes than almost any part of Africa. They are now — one way or another — virtually all giving aid to or investing in Africa, whereas Africa,with its vast Savannahs and its lush pastures, is giving almost nothing to anyone, apart from AIDS. Meanwhile, Africa’s peoples are outstripping their resources and causing catastrophic ecological degradation. By 2050, the population of Ethiopia will be 177 million; the equivalent of France, Germany and Benelux today, but located on the parched and increasingly Protein-free wastelands of the Great Rift Valley. So, how much sense does it make for us actively to increase the adult population of what is already a vastly over-populated, environmentally devastated and economically dependent country? How much morality is there in saving an Ethiopian child from starvation today, for it to survive to a life of brutal circumcision, poverty, hunger, violence and sexual abuse, resulting in another half-dozen such wide-eyed children, with comparably jolly little lives ahead of them? Of course, it might make you feel better, which is a prime reason for so much charity! But that is not good enough. For self-serving generosity has been one of the curses of Africa. It has sustained political systems which would otherwise have collapsed. It prolonged the Eritrean-Ethiopian war by nearly a decade. It is inspiring Bill Gates’ programme to rid the continent of malaria, when, in the almost complete absence of personal self-discipline, that disease is one of the most efficacious forms of population-control now operating. If his programme is successful, tens of millions of children who would otherwise have died in infancy will survive to adulthood, he boasts. Oh good: then what? I know, let them all come here (to Ireland). Germany and the rest of Europe is already inundated and there are literally millions queuing up who want a hand out, taking in refugees because you feel sorry for them will end in the demise of those countries taking part. You will note that: No Gulf State is taking any refugees, and the head of the human rights commission is Saudi Arabian !?! |
Looks like the Mid 1950’s when the Red Cars were still running! or not
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Back when it seemed that the Nation was awashed in really cheap Chinese & Russian ammo. I had one of these fine rifles. As it was perfect for a general plinking rifle & they were plentiful and dirt cheap. Oh well, time moves on!!!
Case in Point: Most lockable gun cases meeting TSA requirements will last you for years.
Ralph Smith
The TSA agent called an airport police officer to inspect the firearms in my checked luggage. The officer didn’t seem to know much about guns, but she was a large woman with a Glock on her hip and the authority to lock me in the airport jail. Call it intuition, but I got the sense that her friendly demeanor could change.
I’d removed the barrel from my 870 so that it would fit into the case a little easier. Rather than open its action, she grasped the receiver and slide in a few places, as if gauging the firmness of a big zucchini. Then she held the barrel up, squinting one eye as she peered through the muzzle with the other.
Satisfied with that, she then picked up my carry gun, which, unlike her Glock, has a manual safety that at first prevented her from cycling the slide. She began wrenching on it like a frustrated toddler.
You have to take the safety off first,” I said softly. “It’s right there.”
Tempted as I was to say something clever, the sure outcome of any smartassery would’ve been more time spent in the airport back room with my new friends, and I had no interest in that. I kept my mouth shut, and a few minutes later, I was on the way to my gate.
Flying with firearms makes people nervous, and I’m frequently asked about the difficulty of it. I fly 10 to 12 times a year, and almost always with a firearm. Most trips end without any delays or questions from security. But on occasion, situations like the one I just described—which happened to me after a turkey hunt last spring—do arise.
If you’re not prepared, you might have a long day and some probing in your future. You don’t want that. Plan ahead and be informed, and nothing in your travels with guns will be unmanageable.
Know the Rules
TSA rules for flying with firearms are explicit and easy to understand, and they apply to every domestic airline. Read them here.
Some airlines (and airports) implement rules of their own, but in general, if you understand and follow the TSA rules without exception, you will be O.K.
Your firearm and ammunition must be in your checked baggage. Gun parts—magazines, choke tubes, bolts, etc.—need to stay in your checked bags as well. You can throw a fit in the security line and argue over the harmlessness of a choke tube, but it won’t do you any good—and it could be the first step toward that probing I mentioned earlier.
You can’t just drop your .45 in your suitcase, either. To legally check your firearm, you need a hard-sided case that meets TSA specifications (most appropriate cases are labeled as such). I’ve flown all over the country with a $30 hard-sided plastic pistol case with a pair of padlocks on it. I have checked rifles and shotguns alike in a basic $40 Plano case as well, but if you’re protecting optics, it’s worth investing in a beefier case.
Pistol cases can be put inside other checked luggage; long guns need to be checked in individual bags. Be certain to remove any detachable magazines, and check twice to ensure that the gun is unloaded. A limited amount of ammunition can be checked in the case alongside the firearm or separately in your luggage, but it must also be packaged per TSA regulations. The easiest thing to do is to keep ammo in its factory packaging. Don’t forget any loose rounds in pockets or packs. You don’t have to use TSA locks to secure your gun case, but they do make life easier. Ensure that there are no potential access points into your case, particularly if you’re using a plastic case, which has corners that can be pried open. When in doubt, add another lock.
Once you’re positive that everything is secured properly, arrive at the ticket counter at least 30 minutes earlier than normal. You’re required to “declare” your firearm to the airline immediately upon checking in. It’s better to softly say, “I’m checking a rifle and ammunition,” than to loudly say, “I’ve got a gun!”
After that, you’ll be required to sign a declaration form that your firearm is unloaded. They may ask to see inside the case, they may call for a TSA inspection on the spot, or they may tape the form to your case and send you on your merry way. Be prepared for any of the above—but do not allow the firearm to leave your possession unless the case is locked and you have the keys. If your firearm is sent down the line, hang out for 10 to 15 minutes before heading through security yourself, because you could very well be called to unlock the case for an inspection.
Some people who dislike guns also work at airports—especially around major metropolitan areas. If you sense that someone is uncomfortable around your firearm, then they probably are. Even personnel tasked with their inspection, like TSA officers or airport police, may not know much of anything about guns. That’s why it’s worth hanging out a few extra minutes with the keys to your locks, just so you can be present if they need to look inside your case.
Once you’re called into the back room, you can give them a good rant about your Second Amendment rights, their ineptness, and the overall wretched state of their administration. But that won’t get you to your gate or back home any faster. Being cordial and helpful—but saying nothing more than what’s needed—-probably will.
TIP OF THE MONTH: Airports and Archery Gear
Interestingly, I’m stalled in security more consistently with bowhunting tackle than with firearms. In fact, I can recall one hunt where the security officer virtually ignored the locked pistol case in my bag but spent 15 minutes inspecting the innards of my bow case. Although you’re not required to declare archery tackle, the TSA may want to see it anyway—and you don’t want them tampering with your bow unsupervised. That advice about arriving early if you’re flying with guns applies to flying with bows, too. —W.B.