The problem with protection of groups, religions, speech, gun rights, etc. through legislation is simple – A government that can decide who to protect can also decide who to abuse.  Governments take away rights.  They tell you what you can and cannot do in your life, with your property, with your business, with your money, with your family.

When anyone goes to the government to pass a bill to “protect their rights” they are putting their head in the lion’s mouth.  As Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Our rights and freedoms come from our Creator, not from government.  Governments ONLY get their power from what people give them.  We have given our government too much.  A government big enough to pass your bill today will pass one tomorrow that hurts you.  If we want to treat each other properly, we will.  If we want to discriminate, we will.

There are laws against murder, robbery and fraud.  So those no longer happen right?  In comes Indiana.  It passed a bill similar to federal laws and laws in 20 other states.  It is passed for religious freedom, but is being touted as anti-gay.  Perhaps it is both, perhaps it is neither.  The real issue is, that bill won’t change anything.  I don’t want to drive people underground in their bigotry against religion or bigotry against gays.  I would rather they freely express their opinions so I can choose not to support their businesses.

My prayer is that we can treat each other with love and respect because it is what is right, not keep running to the government to enforce morality.  Think about it for a minute…  Government as a source of morality?  Really?

• Group of 28 coaches have been amassed by a European-based collector over the past 30 years
• An 1835 Traveling Landauer wagon that was commissioned by the Royal Mews is worth £300,000

By KHALEDA RAHMAN FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 13:36 EST, 11 January 2015 | UPDATED: 14:14 EST, 11 January 2015

The group of 28 coaches, which were built long before the invention of the automobile, have been amassed by a European-based collector over the past 30 years.

The pick of the group is an 1835 Traveling Landauer wagon that was commissioned by the Royal Mews worth £300,000.

 A collection of Victorian wrought-iron horse-drawn carriages is to sell for an expected £1.5million. Pictured, the 1835 Traveling Landauer

 The level of luxury that went into making the extravagant Traveling Landauer wagon is said to be beyond that of Rolls Royce standard of today

The extravagant coach was made by Adams & Hooper of London and used to carry King William IV on his Royal duties until his death just two years later.

The level of luxury and detail that went into making it is said to be beyond that of Rolls Royce standard of today.

And a carriage once owned by luxury champagne producers Veuve Clicquot to take clients to their vineyards is valued at £25,000.

As well as the 28 carriages, there are six children-sized coaches and more than 150 items of memorabilia, including period lamps, luggage, picnic sets, tack and photographs.

 The Traveling Landauer, left, was used to carry King William IV on his Royal duties and right, an 1890 Brea estimated to be worth £25,000

 The 1892 Road Coach made by renowned coachbuilders Holland & Holland that is expected to sell for £150,000

 As well as the carriages, there are six children-sized coaches and 150 memorabilia items for sale. Pictured, the 1910 German Mylord

Rob Hubbard, of London auctioneers Bonhams, said: ‘The owner is a Dutch collector but a lot of the carriages he has were made by English coachbuilders.

‘He has spent over 30 years collecting but he is now aged in his 80s and he no longer has any horses left and has decided now to pass it on to somebody else.

‘These carriages are all exceptional in quality, you rarely see them in such good condition.

‘The Royal Mews carriage is luxurious and has 50 yards of individually stitched cord. The attention to detail is beyond the Rolls Royce standard while the Veuve Clicquot carriage’s seats are made from pure silk.’

The auction takes place on March 7.

 The interior of the 1880 Holland & Holland Drag, which has an estimated value of £90,000. The auction takes place on March 7

The group of 28 wrought-iron coaches that were built long before the invention of the automobile. Pictured, 1895 – 1898 Road Coach

 Mr Hubbard added that ‘you rarely see them in such good condition’. Pictured, the 1908 Motor Buggy valued at £40,000

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2905576/Not-just-old-iron-Collection-Victorian-wrought-iron-horse-drawn-carriages-set-sell-1-5million.html#ixzz3VMd7s0QO
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I’m in Washington, D.C. for a week for a conference, so I apologize for slow posts, including missing the cosplay weekend…

Nonetheless, here are some cute dog pictures to cheer up your week.

Which of the following vehicles would you pick if you could have only one?

First, from Wikipedia:

Saint Patrick (Latin: Patricius; Proto-Irish: *Qatrikias;^[2] Modern Irish: Pádraig [ˈpˠaːd̪ˠɾˠəɟ];^[3] Welsh: Padrig^[4]) was a 5th-centuryRomano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the “Apostle of Ireland”, he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, along with Saints Brigit and Columba.

The dates of Patrick’s life cannot be fixed with certainty but, on a widespread interpretation, he was active as a missionary in Ireland during the second half of the fifth century.^[5] He is generally credited with being the first bishop of Armagh, Primate of Ireland.

According to the Confessio of Patrick, when he was about 16, he was captured by Irish pirates from his home in Britain, and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After becoming a cleric, he returned to northern and western Ireland. In later life, he served as an ordained bishop, but little is known about the places where he worked. By the seventh century, he had already come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland.

Saint Patrick’s Day is observed on 17 March, which is said to be the date of his death.^[6] It is celebrated inside and outside Ireland as a religious and cultural holiday. In the dioceses of Ireland, it is both a solemnity and a holy day of obligation; it is also a celebration of Ireland itself.

The Shamrock – The shamrock was used as a metaphor to teach pagans the concept of the Trinity, how the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are separate, like the three parts of the shamrock leaf, but one, in that they all form a single leaf or entity.

The Snakes – The story of St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland is an allegory.  Like a metaphor, it uses one thing to represent another, but instead of a single object, it is a story.  In the case of snakes, St. Patrick actually was credited with driving out paganism, the form of the serpent or snake a metaphor for the Devil and evil, as in the Garden of Eden.  By bringing Catholic Christian beliefs to Ireland and spreading them quickly, he “drove the snakes out of Ireland.”

So there you have it.

Erin go bragh!