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- Written by Michael Z Williamson
But I do wonder if we can find a comparative on immigrants from Poland to the US, vs emigrants from the US to Poland?
- Details
- Written by Michael Z Williamson
The gun haters are hysterical, and will make up any ridiculous claim possible. You probably recall Sarah Brady claiming "assault weapons" were designed to be "rapidly and accurately spray fired from the hip," which is like claiming a beer can is designed to be "rapidly and accurately consumed by shaking and popping."  For some reason, the Army still insisted on sights on M16s, and taught me how to use them, rather than this amazing accurate spray fire from the hip technique.
 
But onto the present day.  Someone has got their anti-intellectual moral corruption and cowardice into Amazon.
This is the note I received on an item I sell:
Hello from Amazon.
We are writing to let you know that the following detail pages have been removed from our catalog:
ASIN: B007FH65PA, SKU: 5F-B4TA-FPQS, Title: "factory original steyr m95 5 shot stripper clip"
This product has been identified as a speed loader designated for use on an assault weapon. Amazon policy prohibits the listing or sale of assault weapon parts and accessories. For more information, see the Seller Help Page related to weapons http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/
For more information on our policies, search on "Restricted Products" and "Listing Restrictions" in Seller Help.
**Action Required: Within 48 hours of this notice, please review your remaining listings and make any changes necessary to ensure compliance with our policies.
Failure to comply with this request may result in the removal of your selling privileges.
We appreciate your cooperation and thank you for selling on Amazon.com.
Amazon Services
Please note: this e-mail was sent from a notification-only address that cannot accept incoming e-mail.Please do not reply to this message.
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I responded:
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 Their response, within the hour:
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 I was not satisfied with the support, and responded so, with expanded documentation.
There was no reply.
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One can contact Amazon directly at the CEO's office, which should then trickle down to the appropriate department.  I sent this: 
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 Dec 9
Dear Jeff,
Customer service refused to reply to me.
Per the below message from Amazon, there are several problems.
1:  The Steyr M95 is a 120 year old, 5 shot, bolt action rifle. Some models are so old that ATF doesn't even consider them firearms. https://en.
2: While "assault weapon" is a political term that varies by jurisdiction, there are no jurisdictions in the world that would identify the Steyr M95 as an "assault weapon."  In fact it was out of service before the first assault rifle entered service.
3:  An en bloc clip is a MAGAZINE LOADER, specifically allowed per Amazon rules. It is also essential to the function of this weapon. The en bloc with five rounds goes into the internal magazine, and the weapon doesn't function properly without it.
4:  An en bloc clip is not a "Speedloader," which is a revolver accessory.
5:  "Assault weapons" don't take "speedloaders." They take "Detachable box magazines."
6: Whoever "identified" this is completely ignorant of how firearms function. If they are having input on other products, they are costing you lost sales.  If it's some random complaint by a respondent online, I would hope Amazon is wiser than to trust "the internet."
 I would appreciate a thoughtful response, rather than a repeated bleat that "this has been identified as a speedloader for an assault weapon," which I've had twice, and is akin to identifying a gas can as a shell loader for a tank.
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I have still received no response.
I have just sent this query:
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Per the description and the above link, this is a MAGAZINE LOADER, which is within Amazon's listing rules. It is also an essential functional part of this historical rifle. It cannot be properly operated without one.
 The rifle predates so-called "assault weapons" by a half century.
 "assault weapons" don't take "speed loaders." Revolvers take speed loaders, which, are in fact, also a magazine loader.
 Your previous response was snide, ignorant and unhelpful, and then there was no further response.  Please escalate to someone who is capable of grasping the above, capable of discussing the matter without resorting to copy/paste, and has decision making authority.
 For information purposes, I would like to know how this decision was reached.  Clearly, no one with any credentials in firearms was involved. So who made this decision, using what ludicrously flawed information? That response will be used for a professional article.
 
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 I award Amazon a rating of "full retard and full diaper."
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It is essential that we stop this sort of rampant assininity, and it proves the point that the neurotic gun haters will never be satisifed. Bans on full auto are not enough, bans on self-loading sporting rifles don't sate them, bans on 1930s military collectibles are only a waystop.  We've reached the point where a 19TH CENTURY RELIC is an "assault weapon."
DC has already ruled that a lead muzzle loader projectile, with neither rifle nor powder, is a felonious weapon.
We must fight the war with reason, rhetoric and the law now, or we will most certainly have to fight it later in the streets.
- Details
- Written by Michael Z Williamson
Bill Dunbar makes this observation:
Something bothered me about Brits comparing sexual consent to serving tea. I finally got it down in words...
HOW CONSENT AND TEA REALLY WORKS
Great Britain: Hey China, I want some tea.
China: Ummm...okay, I'll fix it for you-
Great Britain: No, I want to buy your tea and sell it myself.
China: I don't think so.
Great Britain: I'm selling your daughter opium and whoring her out until you see it my way.
China: Son of a Bitch! Get out of my house!
Great Britian: My army says dibs on the guest room.
China: How much silver is it going to take to make you gwai lo lay off?
Great Britain: A lot. And the tea.
China: Well...as long as I grow the tea.
Great Britain: Hey India. I snagged some tea from China. Can I grow it in your yard?
India: I don't really use the stuff much, but I guess so...
Great Britain: I'm going to need your bedroom. And your daughter.
India: Son of a Bitch!
Great Britain: God, how I love tea and imperialism!
Great Britain: You colonies, you all love the mother country, yes? You love tea, yes? Well, since you can only trade with your mother, Mother has decided you will pay for the new curtains here at home. Mother is taxing your tea.
The Thirteen Colonies: What curtains? Shouldn't we get a say if you want us to help pay for things? We're family, for chrissakes, not some drunk you roll in an alley.
Great Britain: Lie still and think of England.
The Thirteen Colonies: No more tea. Buy your own damn curtains, Ma.
Great Britain: No tea?!? That's...unBritish!
The Thirteen Colonies: Bingo!
British and Hessian troops: Ma says you owe her some dough. Pay up before we have to get rough.
The Thirteen Colonies: Tell Ma this is my house. Coffee from now on. And I'm having French girls over, too.
- Details
- Written by Michael Z Williamson
First world problem:  Too much food. Both deep freezes and the fridge/freezer are stuffed, and 90% of it is meat, as it should be.
Complication:  Great deals on meat locally.
Scene: Local yuppie "organic" store, with wild caught sockeye salmon for $6.99/lb.
I say, "We'll take ten pounds."
Meat cutter says, "Ten pounds of salmon?" He stares at me as if I couldn't possibly have said that.
"Yes.  And then some bacon."
The sign specified it was "pork bacon," which is redundant, since only pork can be bacon.
He asks, "Do you just want a 15 lb box of that, then?"
"Sure, that will work."
He seems game, and tags our salmon and hands over a box of bacon.
Back at the house, there's not enough room. So, TIME TO COOK!
We now have 6 quarts of Morrocan chicken tajine, 8 quarts of tomato beef soup, 3 meatloafs, two beef and squash lasagna (since the other person can't eat grains), two more meatloafs, a whole smoked salmon and some bacon.
You know what separates us from the animals? The ability to damage entire ecosystems for dinner.
That's why we're awesome.
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