The answer to a yes or no question...

...is yes or no. Any other answer is deceptive and a lie by intent if not in action. Such a response during your confirmation hearing should disqualify you from consideration. Yeah, I know. Not bloody likely.

I don't know whether to applaud...

...or jab a stick in his spokes.

Stop Spending

Via WRSA.

North Carolina: Husband Comes to Wife's Rescue

In Moore County, North Carolina four armed robbers entered a convenience store at closing time with obvious intent. What they didn't count on was the husband of the clerk waiting in the parking lot. He got his shotgun from his car and went to his wife's aid. A gun fight ensued resulting in one bad guy shot in the face, the clerk and husband wounded, the two bad guys in custody, another being sought by law enforcement, with no deaths.

I didn't see that coming...

Mr. Gura and the SAF have chosen their next target and it's right here in North Carolina.

SAF SUES TO OVERTURN NORTH CAROLINA’S 'EMERGENCY POWERS' GUN BANS

I expected them to go after another one of the big dogs like Bloomberg and NYC.

While they're at it how about a suit against the local act that allows Durham County to require registration of handguns when 99 other counties don't and can't because of preemption. Or better yet why don't you guys in the North Carolina Legislature avoid a law suit and repeal it

Update: You can find the written complaint here.

Heh.

Chicago responds

The city is expected to take steps similar to what D.C. enacted after its gun ban was shot down.

Which would be laws that make the process of having a gun so onerous and expensive that only the most hardheaded will bother. None of us really expected "Dick" Daley to roll over and play dead did we?. Time for round three.

H/T to Mike.

Roger Ebert

"At Least 29 Shot In Chicago Over The Weekend." It's the fault of our damn unconstitutional gun laws." - Roger Ebert

I agree, but somehow I don't think you mean what I mean.

H/T to Og

Bloomberg on McDonald

"The Court's decision today and its decision in 2008 in District of Columbia v. Heller both make clear that we can work to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and terrorists while at the same time respecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. That's what New York City has always done. And, I will continue to collaborate with mayors across the country to pursue common-sense, constitutional approaches to protecting public safety." - Mayor Michael Bloomberg

That kinda works if you define anyone who owns a gun or wants to as a "criminal or terrorist."

Here's hoping you're next.

Robert Byrd [D-WV]

We had to wait for him to die from natural causes to get him out of Congress? What the hell does that say about us.

Mayor Daley...

...happy now?

Heh.

It's a Good Day

SCOTUS on McDonald vs. Chicago.

Reversed and Remanded.

The Second Amendment does apply to the States and local municipalities.

Here's the decision.

Bless you SAF and Alan Gura. So who's next? Bloomberg and NYC?

Intapundit on the decision.

What is the NRA thinking?

Erick Erickson, over at Redstate, reported that the NRA has ordered it’s Board of Directors not to comment on the Elena Kagan nomination or testify at her hearings either as representatives of the NRA or in their private capacity. I know Kagan will most likely be confirmed but considering her contempt for the Second Amendment why make it easy. At some point they need to stand up and use a bit of that precious political capital. Grade the damn Senators on how they vote and get on with it. Who knows? Maybe with active opposition by the NRA we could kill the nomination.

Actually, I’m curious to hear the NRA’s logic on this one. Don't know that I'd buy it but I am curious.

Do you get the feeling...

...correcting the oil spill isn't the FED's current priority?

Day 68: Why isn’t the A-Whale in the Gulf yet?

Because the gods of bureaucracy haven't been appeased yet.

Spoke to soon....

In Monroe, North Carolina a doofus tried to rob a convenience store. He pulled his gun and the two clerks pulled theirs. In the following exchange of gunfire the robber was shot and later dubbed by medical staff as deader than hell. Later police had to return to disperse a crowd outside the store who were apparently family members of the slain doofus. I know he was somebody's son and while I might have a bit of compassion for the family/mob, even though they apparently raised their son/brother/nephew to be a thug, I have none for the now ex-robber/doofus. Self-Defense is a human right, and as noted in the previous post...

You live and learn. Or you don't live long.

Quotes of the day

I've been looking for some kind of blog fodder all day with little success so in the spirit that you must post at least one thing a day...two Heinlein quotes.

You live and learn. Or you don't live long.

Place your clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark.

- Robert A. Heinlein, The Notebooks of Lazarus Long

The oven goes south.

My wife complained that the oven element was out the other day so off to the local parts store I go to buy a new one. She had talked to her Dad in Florida and he agreed that is what the problem was and my opinion wasn’t needed just go buy the damn part.

We get along so well.

I got the part and took out the old element and put the new one in. I didn’t turn the power off and got a spark in the process. The clamp that attached to one end of the element was melted so flicked the breaker off and I replaced it. I attached the new element and turned the breaker on. Nothing. Shit. I thought maybe I crimped the clamp on rubber instead of wire and so did it again. Nothing. Shit.

The next day I tried to Google an answer. After reading what little I could find on our particular oven it looked like I’d burned out the EOC board. Those things start at about a hundred and sixty dollars and go up. Shit.

My wife being a patient loving woman ordered me to call a repair person, which I did. They came out today and found not a burned out EOC but a loose wire. In pulling the element out the wire had come loose. The tab was seventy-five dollars and the repairman spent close to three hours at the house. These guys charge seventy-five dollars for the repair and the cost of parts. That’s even if they have to order the part and come back another day to do the repair. The opportunities to screw over a customer in such a situation are numerous especially with those who don’t what they’re doing, like me, according to my wife. So if you live in the vicinity of Durham, North Carolina and need a large appliance repaired I suggest you give these guys a try. It's the least I can do.

Durham Appliance Thrift & Repair
1551 Guess Rd, Durham, NC 27701
Phone: (919) 286-7980

Stupid sons of ...

The idiot that made this decision, whether government or BP bureaucrat, needs to be looking for another job, and the elected officials that let it stand need to resign...now.

Via Geek w/a 45.

Too good not to steal.

Joe Scarborough doesn’t think the ‘Al Gore groped me’ allegation is a news story. Does that make him a climax denier?

Via Glenn.

President Putt Putt

Now that's funny.

Tyranny of the Majority

I guess I’m naive but I thought our Constitution was supposed to protect us from the tyranny of the majority. That would require that those elected to public office and given the responsibility to protect our Republic from enemies foreign and domestic to give a damn and honor their oath. I'll hold my breath.

Enough

At least in North Carolina, a police officer’s authority to use deadly force comes down to defense of self or others. It’s not really that simple but for purposes of this post it’ll work. Bore Patch posted this and this. Vin Suprynowicz posted this. New Orleans police officers opened fire on unarmed civilians during the Katrina clusterfuck then tried to cover it up. They failed. El Reno Oklahoma police officers used a Tazer on an eighty-something year old bedridden woman because she took an aggressive stance toward them…ten of them. Las Vegas PD officers carried out a drug raid for marijuana and took a resident into custody. As ordered, he was on his knees and raising his hands when he was shot in the head by one of the officers. The reason given? He made a furtive movement. The use of the Tazer, I’d argue was a potential use of deadly force when used on an infirm eighty year old. I also argue it was unjustified with ten officers on hand. I feel the same about the other incidents. the scale of the New Orleans incident makes it unusual but incidents such as the use of the Tazer and the shooting of the suspect are happening way too often.

There are always some bad seed, but most police officers are hard working, upstanding citizens whose goal is to provide protection for the citizens for whom they work. The problem as I see it is that most police officers out there see themselves apart from those they serve. It’s encouraged in basic law enforcement training and law enforcement culture. Those they serve are “civilians” and the police aren’t. That and the ongoing militarization of the police have built a wall between us and them. When that happens it’s easier to justify their actions and use of force by citing officer safety. When the officer’s safety is more important than that of those they serve you have improper uses of the Tazer, search warrants served with SWAT teams, firearms drawn in situations where they may not be needed, and /or a finger on the trigger when the use of deadly force isn’t justified. And then people die. The police aren’t held accountable [and they aren’t, not to the degree they should be] and ill will and distance increases. It has too change. If it doesn't the endgame will be interesting times for us all, and then more people, on both sides, will die.

"Sex Crazed Poodle"

That's way more than I needed to know. Time for a mind wipe.

Gun Control Fails in the PRC

If gun control isn’t working in the PRC where the nominal response to using a gun in a crime is a short trial and a bullet in the back of the head, what makes anyone think for a moment that it’s going to work anywhere else where the wages of sin is a slap on the wrist, a fine and/or prison? Self-defense is a human right. The people know it even if the governments won’t.

H/T to Mike W.

Rigging the system

The purpose of the DISCLOSE Act is to keep Republicans from being re-elected. At least according to Hank Johnson, of Guam fame, that bright shining light from Georgia, speaking the truth.



It’s not about doing the people’s business, protecting the nation, the Constitution, liberty, freedom, our scared honor, or any of that other petty shit. Screw all that. It's about getting re-elected. They're rigging the system to keep themselves in office and their party in power. November may be too late.

via J.D. Tuccille

I just finished watching...

...The Hangover. Now that's funny.

DISCLOSE passes the House.

Here's the roll call. The NRA might not rate these guys on their vote but the rest of damn well ought to. Oh, and the guys that didn't vote? No vote was a no vote on this one. They need to pay the price come November.

The Reason for the Second Amendment

From Bore Patch.

In a just world those bastards would have died on the bridge from the return fire of the citizens.

Chicago: Blood on the streets….

Fifty-four people shot, with ten dead, over a Chicago weekend. Blood on the streets without concealed carry and with a gun ban. How can this be? I blame Mayor Daily. Makes as much sense as the excuses anti-gunners usually spout.

Is blogger acting weird for...

...anyone else tonight?

Yeah, I know. It took me a while.

I don’t get that many comments. A few weeks back in one of the few the poster referred to me as Simon.

Simon. What the fu…. Oh. The sidebar.

I forget sometimes that many of us don’t have the same pop culture references.

So to that poster: Thanks for the post, but I ain’t Simon. I’m anonymous and my moniker is kahr40.

Damn. Now I need a new keyboard.

The Cajun deals with the Scrabble approach to naming your child [get a handful of letters, toss 'em on the board, there you go] regularly. Now here's Kevin's contribution. Put the cup down before reading.

I can beat that. A while back, my sister the school teacher told me about one student in her school that had everyone shaking their heads. Her name is spelled "Le-A."

How do you pronounce that? Lee-ah?

No.

Lay-ah?

No.

Her mother was furious that her name was such a struggle. "It's pronounced LEDASHA! The DASH AIN'T SILENT!"

Truth

via The Anarchangel.

It was bound to happen sometime.

An essay on the politics of zombies. I'd never really given it much thought beyond a simple kill 'em all, God will know his own approach. I assume the Democrats would try to register them to vote. It's only a short step from the tactics already in use in Chicago and several other Democrat strongholds. Heh.

Via Ilya Somin at The Volokh Conspiracy.

If your weapon...

...is not on your person, lock it up. If you don’t subscribe to that point of view, at least lock ‘em up when you have guests. Maybe then tragedies like this won’t happen.

With a Vengeance...

Count the days.

Seriously?

The best cease and desist order yet.

But since I never underestimating the stupidly of a bureaucrat, it probably won’t keep the title long.

via Radley.

Liar, liar, pants on ....

Senator Jon Kyl [R-AZ] claims that in a private conversation President Obama said on securing the border

The problem is, he said, if we secure the border, then you all won't have any reason to support comprehensive immigration reform.

If true the President is willing to hold U. S. citizens on the Mexican border hostage to get what he wants. The Obama Administration has in effect called Kyl a liar, and we have a he said he said. While I have no reason to trust the word of Kyl, he’s also given me no reason to doubt him. Obama on the other hand….

That's funny...

The Brady Bunch is selling their mailing list. Les Jones notes:

FS: Addresses of Completely Defenseless Families

Via Uncle.

An article on open carry in North Carolina

Here's an article on open carry in North Carolina. It quotes Paul Valone of GRNC, and Bubba of What Bubba Knows. The only negative quote is from a guy from North Carolinians Against Gun Violence that equates open carry to the old west and Dodge City. Ya know the old blood on the streets argument that never seems to come about. It accurately depicts the major problem for those who want to carry in North Carolina as not the "going armed to the terror" law but the number of places or instances you can't legally carry a firearm. Its a fairly balanced and positive article and that's suprising.

More inane stupidity from the land of Bloomberg.

A knife is a useful tool. I can carry them in my pocket so I have them available at need. And yes, part of that usefulness is that I can use it as a weapon if need be.
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance and his fellow travelers have way too much time on their hands if this is the best they can do to justify their budgets.

This kind of thing just makes me angry.

Police Officers wonder why people have so little respect for them. It’s because of officers that do this kind of thing. Once the dog was secured on the end of the catch pole it was no threat. So why shoot it? Police claim the dog was vicious. Not if the video is any indicator. The matter is under investigation.

The New York Senate tabled...

...their State's microstamping [sham] bill. This editorial lists the Senators who killed the bill while the writer bitches about the outcome.

Good work guys. It's best to throttle crap like this in the cradle before it gets legs. Once started, no telling where in ends. As for the anti-gun editorialist...we win, you lose, now go piss off.

H/T to Thirdpower.

UPDATE: Bloomberg's not given up on it yet. The bill will be reintroduced. He apparently had donated money to GOP State Senators to help them in re-election [intice them into voting for his agenda]. Now he's pissed they're not supporting his agenda [staying bought]. I guess it may come down to who they're more afraid of: him or the NRA.

Survivalist Blog Giveaway

M.D. Creekmore at The Survivalist Blog – a survival blog dedicated to helping others prepare for and survive disaster – with articles on bug out bag contents, survival knife choices and a wealth of other survival information is giving away a 1,000 round case of 9mm – 124 Grain FMJ (a $200 value – donated by LuckyGunner)! To enter, you just have to post about it on your blog. This is my entry. Visit The Survivalist Blog for the details.

Offered without [much] comment.

KAHR40'S SCORE
Your scored 0.5 on Moral Order and -7.5 on Moral Rules.

The following categories best match your score (multiple responses are possible):
System: Conservatism
Ideology: Ultra Capitalism
Party: No match.
Presidents: Ronald Reagan
04' Election: Michael Badnarik
08' Election: Ron Paul

Of the 617,348 respondents (11,291 on Facebook):
2% are close to you.
1% are more conservative.
1% are more liberal.
70% are more socialist.
26% are more authoritarian.

Must have been the God question that threw me to the right a tad. Here it is if you want to give it a try.

Via Roberta X .

FYI

My blog lists on the sidebar are undergoing renovation. Its a work in progress and will take me a bit to complete. If by chance you would like to trade links let me know. Thanks ahead of time for linking me.

Interesting times are a coming

Despite opposition by a House of Representatives majority and a bipartisan group of Senators, the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday is expected to proceed with plans to impose federal government regulation of the Internet, which would essentially treat broadband networks -- and the companies that invested more than $200 billion in private capital to deploy them -- as utilities.
...
"Look at the Gulf oil spill, that's what happens when we let corporations just do their own thing without any accountability. We can't allow that to happen with the Internet. We won't allow it."
...
By bringing broadband and the Internet under FCC regulatory oversight, the FCC would also be able to impose policies related to speech or online business models.

The Obama Administration is going to restrict our free speech. That’s the only way to interpret this action. It’s an attempt to shut down the opposition. I believe there may be unintended consequences to that action. We’re about to live in interesting times. The question is for who?

Hey Rahm!

Does it strike you as the slightest bit hypocritical to criticize BP CEO Tony Hayward for going to a yacht race while the oil spill crisis is ongoing when your own boss takes a break to play golf?

Didn't think so.

Via Glenn.

More zero tolerance bull…

A school in Rhode Island told a student his hat with small plastic toy soldiers carrying rifles on it violated its weapons policy. He’s been forbidden to wear it to school.

I can’t think of anything to say about these asinine fools that isn’t already obvious to those of us able to breathe without a written policy.

H/T to David

Chris Christie

Other than my natural inclination to be distrustful of any politician out of New Jersey, I find this response to a reporter’s question kinda refreshing.

I wonder if he'll be willing to put up with the bullshit past one term?

Via Bore Patch.

Some tout FDR as Obama’s model...

...for “solving” our current financial woes, and FDR is credited with ending the Great Depression. Personally i think his role model is Al Capone, but I digress. The question is whether the Great Depression was the result of a lack of regulation of financial markets or government intervention by first the Hoover then the Roosevelt Administrations. The popular narrative was always that those unregulated financial markets caused the problem and Roosevelt saved our asses. I’d always thought it was WWII and its aftermath that ended the Depression despite FDR. If you’re one of those conspiracy buffs that believe that Roosevelt finagled us into a world war them maybe he does get some credit for the save. In this column Thomas Sowell offers us one page as evidence that government intervention was the culprit. I guess it would be too much for anyone in the Obama Administration to read it and see the light?

H/T to Geek w/a .45

A neat graph...

...showing the relation of the homicide rate to Prohibition, the War on Drugs, and the increase in shall-issue states.

Via Jennifer III.

Jaywalking?

All of this because of a jaywalking violation?

DISCLOSE pulled.

Pelosi has pulled DISCLOSE. Apparently this was the result of opposition by the Blue Dogs and Black Caucus. Hope it stays pulled but I expect it ain't dead yet and will show up again after she's either bribed her internal opposition with pork or badgered 'em back into line. It's the Democrat way.

Via Glenn.

Heh.

The Gun Bloggers Glossary

Via Uncle.

Mr. President, when do you do...

...the "people" work? Would that be between rounds of golf?


I know this is an ad posted by the GOP but it does raise some valid questions a lot of people would like an answer to.

I know. I'm not holding my breath either.

In all my years of teaching CPR...

...I ain't ever seen any training videos like this.

Via Linoge.

But it's for your own good!

President Obama has issued an executive order "Establishing the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council" Initially the Fed is now going to butt into your life in these areas: smoking cessation; proper nutrition; appropriate exercise; mental health; behavioral health; sedentary behavior; substance-use disorder; and domestic violence screenings. Now please show me where in the Constitution it gives the President or the Fed any power over me in these areas. Show me where my health is made your business, and if I don't choose to comply what then? It's one more link in the chains of the nanny state.

Here's your lifestyle change.

H/T to Firehand.

NRA exempted from DISCLOSE

The NRA serves a purpose. The do good work in protecting our Second Amendment rights, but this isn’t right. The NRA has been exempted from the DISCLOSE Act because our elected officials fear the influence of the NRA and don’t want to be held accountable by the NRA for their votes. What about other advocacy groups? What about other Second Amendment advocacy groups? You’ve just thrown them all under the bus to your own advantage. That’s wrong and I expect more from the NRA. I guess I shouldn’t.

H/T to Sebastian.

Etheridge apologizes...

...and that's supposed to make it all better. Except if he was sorry for his actions and not just getting caught he'd have apologized to the students before the video hit the fan. Scary thing is as far as the traditional media is concerned that probably is the end of it except for those arguing that the victims were in the wrong.

Update: And now the students are being compared to a "hunter-killer" team.

Bob Etheridge [D - NC] assaults student in DC

This took place sometime last week and now the video has hit the internet. The video speaks for itself. I don't know what they call that in DC but in your home state, Congressman, it's called simple assault and is a misdemeanor. I don't know about you but I expect more of my elected officials. You will of course turn yourself in...that's what I thought.

Midterms are coming up. The stress of possibly getting kicked to the curb must be getting to him. Driving him to drink or something.

Ohio: Robber shot after slapping Grandma

In Cleveland a robber walked up to a family sitting on their front porch and demanded their goods. They complied until he slapped the grandmother. The son and grandsons then jumped him, took his gun, and shot him. A just end to a disrespectful piece of trash.

Via Deb

The A-Team [2010]

To enjoy The A Team you’re going to have to be able to suspend disbelief. Not only that but shoot it and bury it six feet deep. If you are able to do that you can enjoy the film. If not your misery will begin about 60 seconds into the film and continue throughout. After a smothered “bullshit, ain’t no way….” At that 60 second mark I managed and did enjoy the film. What I remember about the series most is automatic weapons, lots of brass manyfacturing, and nobody getting hit. For a Specail Forces team they couldn’t shoot for shit. These guys do better. It's over the top but fun. Another reviewer described this film thus...

“This is as close to a comic-book movie as you can come without being an actual comic-book movie.”

If you can suspend your disbelief you will have a grand time. If not stay home.

I can't really argue with this sentiment.

The Last Excuse





















Via Firehand.

Voter intimidation is...

...apparently OK under certain circumstances according to the DoJ.

In November of 2008 the members of the New Black Panther Party stood outside a polling place in Philadelphia dressed in military garb carrying weapons and through their actions and words intimidated those arriving to vote. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights division under the Bush Administration quickly brought suit The Panthers offered no defense and lost by default. Under the the Obama Administration the case was dismissed. Since then any meaningful investigation of the matter has been blocked by the DoJ and their Democrat friends in the Congress. Now one of the attorneys on the trail team has resigned and is talking. The story is here. It appears that the "traditional" interpretation of the civil rights act by DoJ is that minorities are incapable of violating the civil rights of whites no matter how egregious their actions and if that is so there is no equal protection under the law.

Some people are too stupid...

...to breath without coaching.

A man in Missouri used a handgun to punch holes in his wall for his satellite TV cable. He hit and killed his wife who was standing outside the house.

Tragic accident my ass.

via Fits.

Scary

North Carolina: HB 2031: No Seizure of Firearms in Emergency

According to Grass Roots North Carolina some good people in the North Carolina Legislature have reintroduced HB 2031: NO SEIZURE OF FIREARMS IN EMERGENCY/FUNDS. This bill will prevent local authorities from banning the carrying and sale of firearms and ammunition during a declared state of emergency. This is a response the happenings is King, North Carolina this past February during a winter storm.

You might want to send the sponsors your thanks. They are: Mark Hilton [R - Catawba], George Cleveland [R - Onslow], Bryan Holloway [R - Rockingham], Jim Gulley [R - Mecklenburg].

You might also want to contact your own representative and ask them to support the bill.

Another reason to vote the bastards out.

Thursday 53 pieces of Senatorial trash voted to let the EPA regulate greenhouse gases. This a power not expressly given them by Congress but one taken by the writing of regulations. The Congress can’t get Cap and Tax through so they let the EPA steps up to push the agenda. This yet another reason we need to push the DEMS out this November and in 2012. The bustards keep confusing that public servant/public master thing. We really need to show them who’s boss.

An Anniversary

Schlock Mercenary is ten years old. If you're unfamiliar with the web based comic strip you can rectify that here. You won't be disappointed. It's a hoot.

This is one of several...

...pictures of the sun taken from an $850 million satellite. Scientists are using the data to “find the causes of solar weather events that disrupt technologies on Earth” Considering how many ways the FED pisses away our money, this actually is pretty cool and serves a purpose other than simply pissing away our money to buy a politician a vote.

Via Firehand.

Restore the Constitution Rally

If you are so inclined, there is a Restore the Constitution Rally planned for August 14th in Greensboro North Carolina.

Time: August 14, 2010 from 1pm to 4pm
Location: Guilford Courthouse Battleground Park
Street: 2331 New Garden Rd
City/Town: Greensboro, NC

More here.

It also looks like Mike Vanderboegh will be present. This could be interesting.

North Carolina: Homeowner shoots intruder

On June 1, 2010 a homeowner in Granville County shot and killed an intruder. The homeowner was wounded in an the exchange of gunfire. Let's hope he fully recovers. As to the bad guy? No loss.

H/T to David.

Seriously?

The Democrat Senatorial nominee in South Carolina has been asked to pull out of the race because he's been charged with a felony. The felony: showing pornographic pictures to a college student? Really? And they want him to withdraw? Seriously? Seems like he’d fit right in with the Washington crowd.

I suspect the statute he is in violation of is SCGS 16-15-305(A)(1) Disseminating, procuring or promoting obscenity.

Guerrilla Voting

June 22 is the second North Carolina primary and who is going to be the Democrat’s Senate candidate is up for grabs. Elaine Marshall won the first primary but not with enough of a lead to prevent Cal Cunningham from asking for a run off. Now the interesting thing about North Carolina is that if you are registered as an independent you get to choose the primary you vote in. If you’re a right leaning independent who is satisfied with the Republican candidate why not your conscience vote on the 22nd and help the Democrats pick the “best” candidate for their party? Just a thought. Heh.

Oh so Presidential...

(CNN) - President Barack Obama bluntly defended his administration's response to the undersea gusher fouling the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, telling an interviewer he has met with experts to learn "whose ass to kick."

Ignoring the law

"The choice the Chicago resident has is obey the law and remain defenseless or decide to defend home and family by breaking the law and getting a gun." - Robert J. Cottrol.

According to a study carried out in 2007 at least 100,000 Chicago residents have chosen to break the law and obtained a firearm to defend themselves. I don’t know the methodology used for the study or how accurate the estimate. With Chicago's population the number strikes me as low, but I’d call even a 100,000 people thumbing their noses at Mayor Daley a damn good start.

Fringe

I’ve gotten hooked on Fringe and am most of the way through the first season. I like it but had reason to question the wisdom of the characters. In episode 16 they’re going down into the sewers to find a BFM that’s already killed several people. They know it’s a BFM and they take handguns. Handguns? Seemed like need bigger gun territory to me. Like this. I understand the FBI have ordered a few. Then I noticed the old guy toting the Desert Eagle [caliber unknown] and I thought that might work, and of course it did [Hey its TV] Two rounds and the BFM is down. Wouldn't have been enough for me. Couple of magazines worth might have done the job...maybe.

Inconvenient Truths

A cross examination of global warming science conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Law and Economics has concluded that virtually every claim advanced by global warming proponents fail to stand up to scrutiny.

He found that the climate establishment does not follow the scientific method. Instead, it “seems overall to comprise an effort to marshal evidence in favor of a predetermined policy preference.”

The cross-examination, carried out by Jason Scott Johnston, Professor and Director of the Program on Law, Environment and Economy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, found that “on virtually every major issue in climate change science, the [reports of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] and other summarizing work by leading climate establishment scientists have adopted various rhetorical strategies that seem to systematically conceal or minimize what appear to be fundamental scientific uncertainties or even disagreements.”

So some climate scientists decide what the outcome is going to be then cherry pick the facts to support it them do their best to conceal inconvenient truths that might raise questions about their claims. It's nice to have this study for support but I think most of us had already figured this one out. Man-made global warming is bullshit.

H/T to Bubba.

Chicago: It’s an epidemic of…

…self-defense. Another robber shot by an armed citizen. I thought handgun ownership was illegal in Chicago. How’s this possible?

The Chicago Trib wants to know why these victim's aren't being procecuted asking if the law is worth having if its not enforced. Easy answer: It's not. There's also the slight problem that defending yourself with a firearm on your own property [residential or business] is an affirmative defense in Illinois. Prosecute and see what happens. To the Trib: research before you open your pie hole. Twits.

H/T to Uncle.

UK: Never let a crisis go to waste

Great Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, may not be jumping on the “we have to do something now” bandwagon after the murder of 12 people last week but, as expected, others are. That’s pretty much to be expected and I expect the PM’s request for a deliberative rather than knee jerk response is going to fall on deaf ears. When you’re at the near bottom of the slippery slope, it’s hard to climb back up.

H/T to David.

As if we needed a poll...

...to tell us this? The poll indicates that more liberal [in the progressive/Marxist sense] you are the less capable you are of grasping economic reality. Case in point: the current occupant of the White House, his fellow travelers in the House and Senate, and their legislative agenda.

H/T to CY.

Thumb to nose, wiggle fingers

Ex-governor Spitzer, we're already making enough shared sacrifice through taxation. When local state and federal governments start cutting unnecessary programs [my definition, not yours] to a degree that it impacts on the deficit spending. It's the people benefiting from government largess that need to sacrifice.

Marketing 101

So let me get this straight. Free advertising, free positive advertising, is a bad thing? Apparently so, according to Mahindra, an Indian automaker trying to enter the US market. Mahindra Planet is a blog dedicated to endorsing Mahindra products because the blogger likes them for some reason. His reward: A lawsuit. Makes perfect sense as a marketing strategy to piss off a blogger and lots of his blogger friends.

H/T to Dick.

SC: Soldier Defends Family

Three bad guys tried to rob a family Thursday. The father, a soldier recently returned from Iraq shot and wounded one and exchanged fire with the others as they fled. None of the victim’s were injured. The wounded robber was later located at a local hospital in critical condition.

Obama's deficit reduction commission...

...lacks the resources to carry out their assignment and need a bigger budget.

We are so screwed.

H/T to Radley.

Dwile Flonking

I'd like to use this as one example of Great Britain as a nanny state but there's so many damned examples of the same idiotic, bureaucratic behavior here in the States. For example the banning of drinking games on University campuses because when they play them they get drunk. Like it takes a game to to get a college student upchuck drunk when alcohol is around. I think they'll find they same true in the UK.

Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy. - H. L. Mencken

Dwile Flonking, a game that involved beer soaked rags flung at other players and the penalty of downing a beer when you missed is now illegal in the UK. Considering it's Great Britain the guy who made it through the game sober was probably the loser.

Yes, I stole the quote from the article but in my defense I'd seen it before.

H/T to Radley.

An anniversary of sorts...

From the Cajun.

1932 – The Revenue Act of 1932 is enacted, creating the first gas tax in the United States, at a rate of 1 cent per US gallon (1/4 ¢/L) sold. Today the taxes FAR exceed the profits that greedy Big Oil gets on a gallon. But few people know that. You see, the state-run media wants you to think of EVIL Big Oil, not Big Government…

The current Federal tax on gas is 18.4 cents per gallon. In North Carolina I pay an additional 48.6 cents per gallon. Profits for the oil and gas industry on what’s left is about 9.5% per this article. At he current price of $2.63 a gallon the evil oil Companies get about 18.6 cent a gallon [I know. It varies from state to state]. Government [all flavors included] profit more than the oil companies. Maybe they want to consider that as they screw with “big oil”. Oh that’s right; taxes on “alternative energy” will make up the difference. Oh, and this doesn’t even address whether gas taxes need to be this high to begin with or even exist.

Surprising Restraint

Mr. Cameron said the government would do everything it could to “mend the hurt” caused by the shootings. But while laws and practices involved in gun ownership will be reviewed, he said, there is not always “an instant legislative or regulatory answer.”

That doesn't mean they still won't ban their shotguns and bolt action .22s. They'll just do it in a deliberative rather than knee jerk manner. Britain is too far down the slippery slope to reverse direction. Kevin, at TSM, noted that there are no more than 1% of the population with firearm's certificates and the rest have been brainwashed to know better. Too late, but the fact that a British politician, the Prime Minister no less, would even make that statement gives him a bit of credit in my book. Now if he would admit that gun control has caused as many or more problems than its solved I might even vote for him...if I lived in the Brady Paradise.

Cameras: The New Guns

As in, fine for us, but not for you.

Cops in several States, aided and abetted by local prosecutors, are charging citizens, who record cops carrying out their duties, with violations of the local wiretap laws. These laws were not enacted to punish people for catching the police embarrassing the crap out of themselves or breaking the law themselves but that in essence is what they’re doing here. These prohibitions amazingly do not apply to the police recording citizens without their approval.

This is utter bushwa. Police Officers have no expectation of privacy in the normal course of their duties and those worried about who is recording their actions are most likely doing something they shouldn’t be.

H/T to Uncle.

Diversity Lane...

...by Zack Rawsthorne. I added it to the sidebar. Enjoy.

Twenty-one years ago today

Quote of the Day

Reading about the most recent mass shooting in the UK and what's likely to follow reminded me of this little bit.

England has never enjoyed a genuine social revolution. Maybe that's what's wrong with that dear, tepid, vapid, insipid, stuffy, little country. - Edward Abbey

Quote of the Day

In difficult ground, press on;
In encircled ground, devise stratagems;
In death ground, fight.
Sun Tzu - The Art of War (circa 400 B.C.)

Read what you will into the posting of it.

DISCLOSE is...

...supported by Charlie Schumer and it will...

According to The New York Times, a “reform” bill might require advocacy groups (such as NRA) “to identify all their financial donors or set up separate accounts to handle political spending and identify the donors to that account.”
Simply put: If NRA wants to use its general funds from member dues to speak out during election season, then NRA would have to give the federal government a list of every single NRA member.

The FEC database is open to whoever want to view it and with an issue as divisive as gun control who's to say someone won't use the information in the database to harass gun owners or proponents of other divisive issues. What if your boss hates the NRA and uses the database to purge any members that work for him? Under this legislation it ain't impossible. That being said the fact that Schumer wants it is enough reason to suspect and oppose it.

Sebastian has more on it.

Oh yeah, call or write your Congresscrittors or Senators to voice opposition ASAP.

Something BIG hits Jupiter...

...for the second time That's scary and neat. See the aftermath of the first time here.

When gun control doesn't work...

A taxi driver with a shotgun and a .22 rifle went on a three and a half hour shooting spree yesterday. The UK’s gun control laws have already banned almost all firearms, other than shotguns and .22 rim fire bolt action rifles. After this tragedy it won’t be long before the remaining shotguns and .22s allowed civilians are prohibited as well. Gun control fanatics won't admit they're wrong. They just TRY HARDER and fail. The interesting thing is as the UK list of prohibited firearms increases and gun ownership decreases their rate of gun and violent crime increases. The opposite is true here in the US where gun ownership has been increasing and violent crime decreasing.

Kevin over at The Smallest Minority has a post on this subject and he’s better at this than I. Go read.

I'm Reading...

...David Drake's The Legions of Fire. I'll read almost anything David Drake writes except his recent fantasy novels. Something about them just didn't grab me. I enjoyed his Lt Leary novels and I've read his collaborations with S. M. Stirling and Eric Flint multiple times. Maybe it was just here were other novels I wanted to read more waiting.

That’s gotta hurt.

I can almost see the steam pouring out of Daley’s ears like in one of the old Looney Tunes.

Another Chicago resident has defended himself with a handgun.

This time it happened after police were chasing Aaron Marshall, 26 for fleeing on foot after a traffic stop where narcotics were dropped. Marshall ran and selected a house to break into and possibly hide. Marshall apparently picked the wrong home in the 300 block of North Pine to invade. An unidentified home owner shot Marshall after he’d broken through a window of that house.

The gun shot wasn’t fatal and the bad guy was taken to the hospital for treatment.

It may be that it’s not that Daley doesn’t want to have him charged but he can’t at least with any expectation of a conviction. Illinois law considers self-defense an affirmative defense to a gun ordinace if the self-defense occurs on the individual’s land, abode, or fixed place of business.

ILLINOIS LAW:

(720 ILCS 5/24-10)

Sec. 24-10. Municipal ordinance regulating firearms; affirmative defense to a violation. It is an affirmative defense to a violation of a municipal ordinance that prohibits, regulates, or restricts the private ownership of firearms if the individual who is charged with the violation used the firearm in an act of self-defense or defense of another as defined in Sections 7-1 and 7-2 of this Code when on his or her land or in his or her abode or fixed place of business.

(Source: P.A. 93-1048, eff. 11-16-04.)

That's gotta hurt.

H/T to David.

Desperate Daley

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is clearly getting desperate to save the city's longtime ban on private ownership of firearms. With the prospect looming of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling his city's ban unconstitutional, and after the state Supreme Court tossed his $433 million lawsuit against the gun industry, he is now calling for a change of venue — to the World Court normally reserved for disputes between nations and crimes against humanity.

So it looks like even Daley given up any hope the Supreme Court will come down on his side. As for this latest crap shoot...no jurisdiction Dick.

H/T to Uncle.

This 'bout sums it up.

A good way to get your ass shot.

Hospital uses armed man in unannounced drill

How’s this for an ill-conceived emergency preparedness drill? An off-duty cop pretending to be a terrorist stormed into a hospital intensive care unit brandishing a handgun, which he pointed at nurses while herding them down a corridor and into a room.

The bright light at the hospital who approved this one needs to be encouraged to find another job. This is not how you run drills of this sort. The off-duty cop playing the terrorist is lucky someone didn't shoot him.

Home Owner catches Burglar

This guy was moving out of a house and returned to pick up more of his stuff when he noticed the front door had been kicked in and a pile of said stuff waiting for pick-up. So the good guy waited and the bad guy came back to collect the good guy's stuff. With the help of a shotgun he held the bad guy until the cops showed up. One police commentator said had he fired the round could have gone through the wall and hit the woman sleeping on the other side. So next time think about your backstop and what’s beyond it, change your angle of fire, and then shoot the bastard if need be. This time the bad guy saw reason at the end of the shotgun. Next time he might not. As for the police,

officers do not recommend taking these extreme measures to protect your home.

If not him, who? Depending on the police for anything but investigation after the fact and assignment of blame is a loser’s game. Just my opinion.

Ignore the narrative..

My wont is to side with the Israelis against their Hammas, Hezbollah, Palestinian, Iranian, and now Al Qaeda opponents. With the current media feeding frenzy, with Israel serving as the chum, I guess it’s no surprise that when Prime Minister Netanyahu goes on the tube to provide the official Israeli response only Fox News carries it. The others seem to be ignoring anything that disrupts the narrative of Israel as villain.

North Carolina: Home Invasion goes bad...

...for the perpetrators.

In Durham during the early morning hours two armed males broke into a house and one was shot and killed by a resident. The other fled and was later caught and arrested for kidnapping, burglary, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, and impersonation of a police officer. The matter is still under investigation.

New York: Baseball Bat vs. Pistol has predictable result...

...but no loss of life.

In Jeffersonville a would be robber entered a pharmacy armed with a baseball bat and demanded money. The clerk pulled his licensed pistol and asked, “Do you really want to do this?” The robber didn't and fled.

I guess the antis could call this the Only-One loophole…

…if it happened here.

A State Security Officer in China opened up on a panel of judges killing three and wounding three before he took his own life. He was apparently upset over the division of property during his divorce proceeding.

H/T to Tam.

It’s called the National Rifle Association for a reason.

The NRA is a one issue group and that issue is the Second Amendment. He may be firmly in line with Obama, Pelosi, and the socialist left on health care, cap and trade, and anything else on the progressive agenda but he always supported our gun rights. That may not be enough for him to get my support if I lived in Nevada, but it is enough to get the NRA’s support. Remember the R stands for Rifle.

H/T to Uncle.

UPDATE: Sebastian on the subject.