Chicago: Two boys throw bricks at an elderly lady and get shot.

In Chicago, a 68 year old woman left her house to go shopping. She returned home to find her windows broken by thrown bricks. While she stood on her porch two boys, 12 and 13 years old, allegedly approached and began to throw bricks at her. She opened fire hitting and injuring the 12 year old. The injured alleged thuglet was taken to a hospital. According to the Chicago Police, both alleged thuglets will be charged. The elderly woman will not be charged because she was acting in self-defense.

There are conflicting accounts in the news so there may be some doubt as to what happened. The police seemed satisfied that it was self-defense. It looks like throwing bricks at an armed old lady might not be a good survival tactic.

Possessed?

Maybe this explains why she's so damn scary.

H/T to Bob.

Who do ya have to be...

Who do you have to be to get David freakin' Axelrod to call you?

Nobody I wanna be.

H/T to Breda.

No.

...not only does the President have the right to sentence Americans to death with no due process or charges of any kind, but his decisions as to who will be killed and why he wants them dead are "state secrets," and thus no court may adjudicate their legality.

So the President can order the death of a U. S. Citizen with no due process or judicial review? Now the target is a terrorist. What happens if the targets get closer to home? I wouldn't trust any politician with that power much less the bunch we have in office now.

H/T to Radley.

Who cheats on an open book test?

F.B.I. Agents, apparently.

H/T to Radley.

CT: Restaurant Owner Shoots Robber.

In Connecticut, two bad guys entered a restaurant and ordered takeout. When the cashier opened the register, one pulled a handgun and reached across the counter to take the cash from the tray. The restaurant owner, who was sitting at a table, pulled his gun and opened fire hitting one of the robbers. The robbers fled the scene. One was later found dead. The other is still at large. One outta two ain’t bad.

We're tired of being played.

The Republicans who want to take over Congress offered their own ideas the other day. Many were the very same policies that led to the economic crisis in the first place, which isn't surprising, since many of their leaders were among the architects of that failed policy.

Mr. President, those promises made in 1994 turned out to be empty promises. It wasn't the attempt to fulfill those empty promises that led to our current situation. In the end the Republicans wouldn't limit their power any more than you or yours would. That's why we're where we are today. My hope is that the Republicans have learned a lesson, but that's only a hope, a vague hope. If they don't they'll end up in the same place in 2012 and 2014 that I expect you and yours are going to end up in 2010 and 2012. We're tired of being played.

H/T to the pistolero.

I spent most of the day...

...working a football game the outcome of which I really couldn’t have cared less about. The pluses were I got to see the Golden Knights do their thing and a C-130 do a fly over and I got paid. Neat.

Colbert testifies before Congress.

It's not like they have any real work to do.

I'm Reading...

...Mario Acevedo's The Nymphos of Rocky Flats. In it a vampire private detective.Iraq War vet investigates an outbreak of, well, the title is kinda self-explanatory. Not bad so far.

Ain't that a ...

In Florida, four teenagers broke into home and found a homeowner and gun. Two of the teens were shot and one may die. The survivors will be charged with homicide if their friend dies.

H/T to Deb.

On the other hand...

A Mencken Quote

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all. - H. L. Mencken

Talk's Cheap

A Pledge to America

Do the Republicans finally get it? They didn't in 1994 and haven't since.

Time will tell.

NC: Shop Owner fires on two Robbers

In Durham, two masked subjects armed with a handgun entered a local coin shop with a the intent to rob the shop. The owner took his own handgun and fired at the subjects. He missed and they fled no doubt after crapping their pants. The police reported no one was injured.

I can't really say I expected...

...anything even remotely related to a balanced report from MSNBC, but, according to MSNBC and a draft report form the Inspector General's Office, it appears Project Gunrunner isn't performing up to expectations despite ATF assurances to the contrary. The apparently don't play well with others or other agencies don't play well with them or most likely the Federal Agencies involved are more interested in protecting turf than getting the job done. And of course MSNBC can't help but push the Mexican canard and blame the NRA for the problem because, of course, its their fault that the Obama Administration has yet to appoint a Director for the ATF. They also characterize the legislation in Congress intended to reform the ATF as an attempt to make it harder for them to do their job. Wait, they may be right if the ATF's job is to harass gun store owners. Actually, I think the legislation is intended to make the inspection of gun stores and the consequences for failing inspections less draconian and one of policy rather than of whim.

A Taste of the Future?

CG-33 Portable Coilgun

H/T to John D.

And then the revolution should begin...

The UK's tax collection agency is putting forth a proposal that all employers send employee paychecks to the government, after which the government would deduct what it deems as the appropriate tax and pay the employees by bank transfer.

...but this is once Great Britain, so who knows.

Backdoor Gun Control

President Obama knows any attempts to push gun control in the United States is bound to bite him, his party, and his agenda in the ass come election day. That explains why any gun control legislation in Congress is on the back burner. That doesn’t mean he supports the Second Amendment. You only have to look at the Small Arms Treaty moving through the UN and this little tidbit from the CCRKBA.

The appointment of anti-gun rights former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels as an alternate representative to the United Nations has removed any doubt about the Obama administration’s intentions regarding global gun control initiatives, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

Fortunately, a treaty requires Senate approval so let your representative know where you stand on this. Do it now.

H/T to Firehand.

He wasn't coming inside to have grits with me

In Texas a man tries to break into the house to have it out with the homeowner who had his car towed and gets shot for his trouble. The man use cinder blocks to shatter the windows and damage the front door. The homeowner shot him in the leg.

I hated shooting a man, but nothing else I could do. I could not let him beat me to death because he wasn't coming inside to have grits with me, I can tell you that much,

NV: Robbery attempt gone right

In Las Vegas an armed teenager tried to rob a convenience store and got shot twice. It looks like he’ll survive. The wounds were non-life threatening.

A Kindred Soul

That pretty much answers the question if Communists see him as a fellow traveler. Jusy saying...

H/T to Roberta and Alan.

A zero tolerance WTF moment.

A year ago a second grader in Broward County, Florida was expelled for bringing a toy gun to school. The School District has a zero tolerance policy toward weapons and they had no choice. The parents of the child could have sent their child to a local school of thugs but chose not to. A year later the School Administrators are still refusing to allow the child to return to school. Zero Tolerance is what bureaucrats do when they're to lazy or frightened to actually make a decision. The parents are home schooling their child. That's probably best since if the administrations behavior is any indication the school system has nothing worthwhile to teach anyone. Stupidity at this level by a government employee should be a firing offense.

The Mexico Canard

The AP has a story about gun tracing in Mexico and David Hardy and David Codrea offer their insights on same.

Another group of reactionary...

H/T to Firehand.

The Stupid Party

Victory is within their grasp and the buggers see it as an opportunity to repeat the mistakes that cost them their majorities in 2006.

In March, House Republicans made an important move to restore their credibility as the party of fiscal discipline when every one of them voted to ban earmarks. "Now House Republicans are going to the American people and saying we want a clean break from the runaway spending in the past. And that's going to be quite a contrast from this Congress and the administration," House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence crowed.

That was then. This is apparently now: "With their eyes on a House majority, Republicans are leaving the door open to allowing earmarks after a one-year party-imposed moratorium," reported Politico on Friday. Republican leaders such as House Minority Leader John Boehner and Whip Eric Cantor are suddenly hedging on the issue. Perhaps we need to remind the would-be House leadership why they should continue to steer clear of earmarks

The problem is they can't and don't acknowledge they've made mistakes. They can't resist that urge to stick their hands in the till again.

Vote 'em all the hell out.

H/T to Glenn.

Tex Ritter - Do Not Forsake Me.

I picked up a copy of High Noon the other day and watched it for the first time in I don't know how many years. Its as good as ever, but what I really liked was the theme song sung by Tex Ritter.

Sore Losers

The Center for Biological Diversity is angry that the EPA told them to pound sand.

H/T to David H.

We've won another one and...

...and John Richardson has the details at No Lawyers - Only Guns and Money. The short of it is that Nevada Administrative Code prohibited possession of firearms in State Parks unless the possessor had a concealed carry permit and even then prohibited the discharge of firearms even in cases of self-defense. The code was challenged and all parties have agree to an injunction preventing it's enforcement until it can be changed. Congratulations to all involved on both sides. This shows what reasonable people who want to find a solution to a problem can accomplish.

...and two hundred and twenty-three years ago...

...the U. S. Constitution was signed in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. I'm sometimes not sure how much longer it's going to last, but that seems to me a record of sorts for a functioning Republic.

GA: Employee fired for having a gun in her car.

In Georgia, Norcross fired an employee because she had a gun in her car while on company business. She had business at the Federal Reserve and advised security of the gun in her car. They took no action but when she returned to work her employer suspended her then fired her. Georgia law allows gun owners to keep a weapon in their vehicle while parked in the company parking lot regardless of company policy. The employee has a carry permit. The company said the law allows her to keep her weapon in her car while parked in the parking lot. The policy under which she was terminated prohibits employees from having a weapon while on company business. What the story doesn’t tell us is whether she was driving her personal vehicle or a company car. The story implies it was her personal vehicle. She’s suing and asking the court to strike down the policy. It’s her personal vehicle. The company’s say over that vehicle, whether the employee is working or not, stops at the tires as long as the employee is not breaking the law. The Norcross policy violates the employee’s property rights and the spirit if not the letter of current Georgia law. I hope she takes them to the cleaners.

Do as I say...or else.

The City of Rock Hill wants to annex a residential development. The residents vote no. City of Rock Hill threatens to cut off their water. According to the news both sides refuse to compromise. How the hell do you compromise on annexation? A bureaucrats definition of compromise must be do as I say. Government: it's only benevolent when you're an obedient slave.

H/T to Uncle.

Willful ignorance

The problem is not the Democrats. The solution is not the Republicans. – Borepatch

Those elected officials currently on the public dole in Washington DC and the party apparatchiks don’t get it. The point isn’t party politics. The point is to kick you all to the curb. If we could do it all at once we would. We can’t so we’re starting with the Democrats. The incumbents, that includes you Republicans, not up for election November 2nd, have until they come up for re-election to learn a lesson. If they learn the wrong one, they are next. It’s not about keeping your party in power. It’s not about your personal power. In the end it’s about your attitude. You know the one where you guys think you know better than “we the people” or the one where you see us as sheep to be fleeced. On November 2nd the lesson begins.

A Heinlein Quote...

...because, well, why not.

The universe never did make sense. I suspect that it was built on a government contract. - Robert A. Heinlein

TN: Nice of him isn’t it.

Tennessee has a new law that allows gun carry permit holders to carry in restaurants that serve alcohol unless the restaurant owner posts the property. I wish North Carolina would follow their example. A professor in Tennessee has set up a website, www.gunfreediningtennessee.org, that identifies which restaurants allow carry and which don’t. He figures if he lets people know which restaurants allow carry, people will avoid giving them custom. Whatever his intent, he‘s provided the residents of Tennessee with a tool to identify those restaurants whose owners have demonstrated they have no concern for customer safety by creating a gun free zone where people are barred from having the means to defend themselves. Nice of him isn’t it. Now Tenneessee gun owners have a perfect tool to help them detemine which restaurants to give their custom.

I guess I could note...

...that the truth is its own defense, or that a British teen is a better judge of character drunk than the majority of U. S. voters in the 2008 election were sober, but I can't really bring myself to condone the actions of the drunk 17 year old British punk who called Obama a prick in an email he sent to the White House. Just saying...

H/T to Gun Shy Tourist.

Cockfighter (1974)

Read the tagline. That's funny.

H/T to Radley.

Quote of the Day

It's H. L. Mencken's birthday. I know this because Borepatch said so. In honor of the man, here's one of my favorite Mencken quotes.

Imagine the Creator as a stand up comedian - and at once the world becomes explicable.

Obamanomics

Remember

9/11

No blogging today.

One Billion Fricking Dollars!

Here’s a suggestion for the Obama Administration; new regulations so to speak. I understand you all are keen on new regulations. All prospective Federal employees must be current on their Federal taxes before their application is processed. All current Federal employees must be current on their Federal taxes or be invited to find other employment outside the Federal system. Then maybe we won't have Federal employees owning close to one billion dollars in back taxes.

H/T to Firehand.

Unless...

From Attack Cartoons.

MA: Man kills two thugs during robbery attempt.

In Massachusetts a man sitting on his front porch was approached by two thugs. They asked a couple of questions then ordered him to empty his pockets. One began to pistol whip him and the other started shooting. The man had a gun in his waistband. He couldn't get it clear of his pants and so shoots the thugs through his clothing. They died from their wounds. He suffered wounds to his groin, wrist, and chest. Simple self-defense as far as anyone can tell from a news story, and self-defense is a human right. It ended as it should.

I am curious though as to whether any of his wounds were self inflicted during the gun fight in his struggle to get his weapon clear of his clothing. Just wondering.

A Rasmussen poll reports...

62% of Likely U.S. Voters believe that no matter how bad things are, Congress can always make them worse.

...and my opinion of "Likely Voters" goes up a bit. I'd figured that one out before I cast my first vote at 18.

H/T to Claire.

No.

Sheriffs in North Carolina want access to state computer records identifying anyone with prescriptions for powerful painkillers and other controlled substances.

The North Carolina Sheriff’s Association is one powerful lobby in North Carolina and they usually get what they want. The database in question was developed for use by doctors and pharmacists so they so they could see if patients were doctor shopping pain killers. The ACLU helped kill a similar attempt in 2007. Tis my hope that they do the same this time around. Having access to the database would be of great help to local law enforcement in their war on some drugs, but you know I value the privacy of my medical records of which my prescription record is a part. Get a search warrant or pound sand.

Contact your local representatives and ask them to oppose this.

Update: Radley Balko sounds off on it.
Update: ...as does MikeH.

Ouch!

H/T to Dick.

My Costco membership...

...just expired. With their policy regarding the legal carry of firearms on their property I've no need to renew it now. I think I'll take a look at Sam's Club.

H/T to John.

What Philadelphia needs is a good lawsuit.

In Philadelphia, three cable workers bang on the back door of a house. The female resident, alone in the house, answers the door with a pistol in hand. They get permission to work in her back yard. The police arrive, take her pistol, and arrest the woman for simple assault.

If the cable workers were so damned concerned for their safety why did they not leave. She has a license to carry and she was in her own home. This smells of bullshit.

H/T to Uncle.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has decided...

...not to run for re-election. Looking at the polls he may just be seeing the writing on the wall but then this is Chicago and I'm sure he could find the votes somewhere if he really wanted another term. I'm not sure anyone that steps into that office will be any better for the gun owners of Chicago or anyone else. If Rahm Emanuel gets the job that pretty much a certainty.

More on the Korean Garands

I’ve a question for the State Department. How many M1 Garands have been recovered from terrorists? The State Department and therefore the Obama Administration have banned the return of M1 Garands and carbines from South Korea out of fear they will end up in the hands of terrorists. The hands these rifles would actually end up in are those of honest gun owners who want to own a piece of history. Are these the “terrorists” the State Department is worried about?

H/T to Uncle.

It's the Regulation, Stupid!

And Bore Patch hits another home run with Underwear, bleach, and the rise of Sarah Palin. Go take a look.

Another reason for the Second Amendment

Alien invasion.

He growled, remembering the 35 percent of his original regiment he’d lost subduing what had once been the city of Cincinnati. Division Commander Resuk had gone in with three regiments; he’s come out with less than one, and they’d still ended up taking out over half the city from orbit. Particularly in the nation the humans had called the “United States,” there’d seemed to be more guns than there were people. – David Weber, Out of the Dark. from Warriors

Go get a copy and enjoy.

Quote of the Day

No matter what I did, I just couldn’t shake the Fokker. – Duel in the Somme by Ben Bova, Rob Balder, with illustrations by Bill Holbrook. Go take a look and if you like what you see they have a tip jar.

Virgin Mobile can kiss my...

I dropped my cell phone Friday and it hit the floor and the pieces went in two different directions. My service is with Virgin Mobile. For $25 a month I get 300 minutes and unlimited text. Most of my phone time is with wife and kids and we do that by text. The 300 minutes usually lasts me the month. So I went and bought a new Virgin Mobile phone only to be told by the “Live Advisor” that it wouldn’t work with my plan because it’s a “PayLo” phone. My response was a phone is a phone just plug in the numbers. The Live Advisor said no can do. Appears the serial number was the wrong serial number for my plan to something I didn't want and there was no way to finesse the system into accepting it, or so the rep said. I asked to talk to a supervisor. He told me it wouldn’t do any good.
“So let me get this straight. You’re refusing to let me talk to your supervisor?”
“It won't do any good.”
"[Expletives Deleted] and thank you for nothing.”
I hung up, the new phone went back to Target, and Virgin Mobile can kiss my ass.
Unreasonable? Who? Me?

Since I accidentally returned...

...The Trade of Queens by Charles Stross to the library before I had finished it [don’t ask], and the library’s reservation system won’t get it back to me until the end of the week, I went by my favorite used bookstore, Books Do Furnish A Room. Someone had cleaned off their bookshelves and dropped off several piles of books. I found some goodies.

Warriors, an anthology edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, with new stories by S. M. Stirling, David Weber, and lots of other people I don’t care so much about.

Two Volumes containing the first six novels in Glen Cook’s Black Company series: Chronicles of the Black Company and The Books of the South. Never read any thing by Cook but this looks like a good time to start.

Statesmen

I've used the quote more than once on the blog so here's the strip it originated from. Thanks to Firehand for the image.

Evil Americans

Day by Day by Chris Muir. Click on the image for a readable image.

Wild Target [2010]

About midway in the film there is a car chase. The Bad Guys are being chased by the Worse Guys. A mother pushes a baby stroller into the street. The Bad Guys avoid the stroller. The Chief Worse Guy tells his driver, “Keep going. We’re bigger.”

Don't worry the baby survives.

The truth about North Carolina's current State of Emergency

As Hurricane/Topical Storm Earl approached the coast of North Carolina, Governor Bev Perdue placed the State under a State of Emergency and in so doing made it illegal for gun owners to take their firearms off their residential property. Governor Perdue claims she did no such thing. She lies, and Paul Valone tells us the truth.

H/T to David H.

Update: John has more here.

Heh!

Gun-wielding ecoterrorist calls for reduction in human population, gets wish.

Now that's funny and probably better than "left-wing ecoterrorist nutjob bites the big one". Also I find it oddly appropriate that the bullet that took him down most likely had lead components.

Last, as noted elsewhere, if you feel the need to reduce the human population...start with yourself.

H/T to Insty.

More on the South Korean Garands

Fox News has a story on the South Korean Garands. The Obama Administration is looking for alternatives to bringing them back to the U. S.. Anyone who wants answers as to why importation of a perfectly legal semi-auto is a problem gets ye old bureaucratic runaround.

Asked why the M1s pose a threat, the State Department spokesman referred questions to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF representatives said they would look into the question Monday afternoon, but on Wednesday they referred questions to the Justice Department. DOJ spokesman Dean Boyd referred questions back to the State Department.