I hate to say it, but I've about had it with "Girlie Men" and utopian idealists. Some people simply deny the existence of things that upset them, such as the evil that man can perpetrate against man, or that some religions preach the wholesale murder of others. Some people's lives are so depressing, miserable and screwed-up that murder and suicide are the only things they have to look forward to; that and an imagined 73 virgins in the after life.

It's disturbing to see just how much we don't get it. Airlines are fined millions of dollars for scrutinizing those most likely to be terrorists. Air marshals are forced to abide by a dress code that identifies them and makes them the first target to be taken out by the bad guys. Terrorists and other illegal aliens waltz across our boarders unchecked and unchallenged. The press refers to terrorist strongholds as "holy cities" and calls murderous criminals "freedom fighters."

Our local Channel 4 news used to show a picture of a handgun whenever it reported any crime. (I don't know if they still do, I quite watching them years ago.) Some years ago, Bill Moyers did an anti-gun hit piece for Parade magazine. The story was about the murder of a college professor. The problem is, the victim was killed with a knife, the killer never had a gun. But that's what passes for intellectual honesty. And us tax payers are still paying for his PBS schlock.

Rabidly anti-gun politicians like Senator Barbara Boxer carry concealed weapons, and enjoy all the security your tax money can buy. To them, the ends justify their lies.

The fact is that crime, violence, sociopaths, bullies and tyrants will always be with us. We believe in equality, not domination by the most brutal. An armed senior citizen has a chance against a career criminal, a lady has a chance against a rapist, and a guy in a wheel chair lives his life with more confidence. That is the freedom guaranteed by our Second Amendment.

The last time I saw anyone in L.A. act like a real American was during the 1993 L.A. riots. That was when Korean storeowners armed themselves with repeating rifles to protect their homes, families and businesses. It worked, but then the L.A. cops came along and tried to disarm and arrest them. (The Koreans, not the rioting mob that was beating, burning, looting and murdering!) I know, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that the stability of our country is a direct result of an armed populace.

I don't understand why so many politicians want to disarm America. I can only suppose they don't want anyone to be able to resist their dictates. A scary conclusion that raises the question: what do they have planned for us after they confiscate our guns?

I do know in that in California, only guns on the Cal D.O.J. "list" can be legally bought and sold. Make a model with 4 different barrel lengths, or just slightly change the finish, and each becomes a new model requiring numerous guns be given to the State for destruction testing and various fees paid (I've heard every 3 or 4 years).

The harder the State makes it, the fewer manufacturers will do business here. I know that the laws passed here mean that many guns cannot be handed down from father to son--they must be handed down form father to State. In one generation no citizen will legally be able to own a semi automatic rifle with a pistol grip. As if a pistol grip made a rifle more dangerous!

I don't like to write e-mails about anything but kittens. E-mail is run through supercomputers and scanned for certain keywords like "gun" by Federal agencies. These messages are flagged for "further investigation." I do fear a government that fears my guns.