Quote of the Day

...well, yesterday.

When somebody does not do the job, we gotta let 'em go. - Clint Eastwood.

Hey, Romeny/Ryan, if you, by chance, get elected the same sentiment applies to you as well.

And Then There Were None

I finished re-reading Eric Frank Russell's And Then There Were None. It's an excellent read and the society Russell created here is attractive as hell but as with must Utopian visions there is a problem. In the story it only works because the Terrans have rules that control how they interact with a new world. They can't meet violence unless faced with it and they follow their rules. That's a kind idealism governments never follow. The rules are for the little people. Maybe add a bit of the libertarian's armed pacifism and you might get a different result. Then again, it would probably still be like herding cats.

You can read the novelette here.

Situational Awareness

For more go pick up Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1953-1954.

Enjoy.

Blood in the Streets?

In San Antonio Texas, a husband stabbed his wife during an argument. a CCW permit holder stepped up, drew his weapon, and ordered the husband to surrender. He did and no innocent bystanders were injured. So tell me how a concealed permit holder doing their duty as a responsible citizen can only make things worse?

H/T to David.

Not a bad day's work.

In Charlotte, North Carolina two enterprising young robbers* tried to rob to Hispanic gentlemen walking along the street. One robber was armed. The two gentlemen fought back, and one was able to disarm and shoot the gunman in the chest. The finally tally was one gentleman shot in the hand, one robber seriously wounded, and one robber at large. Not a bad day's work.

H/T to Sean.

Bill Whittle: The Incredible Shrinking Man

I need something calming and soothing ...

...right now. There's a bunch happening right now in my life and the only thing certain is the uncertainty. This picture from Theo's kinda does it for me at the moment.

Oh, and this one from The Feral Irishman.

That's what I needed...

...at just the right moment.

Thanks, Borepatch.

Seems to me the lips on that dog should be kissin'...

...a bit higher.

$%&@#

The price was $3.99 in north Durham County today.

UPDATE: Dropped to $3.83 overnight: fricking roller coaster.

Stay tuned for a WTF moment.

[Expletives Deleted]

Deaf boy's name violates weapons policy: School

In Nebraska, a three year old preschool boy who is deaf uses sign language to spell his name. The first letter of his name extends his thumbs and index fingers in a gun shape. The local school board says the sign for the letter "H" violates their zero tolerance weapons policy. Their solution? They told the boy's parents to change his name. I hope the parents gave them a rousing screw you and my attorney will be in touch. Policies such as this are what bureaucrats do instead of think. The ridicule they're going to get over this one is well earned and hopefully will remain come re-election time.

H/T to David.

From the horse's mouth

An NYPD officer speaks out on their firearms training.

H/T to Mike V.

Analysis of the Empire State Building...

...shooting.

Ron Larimer also notes what I'm ashamed to have neglected. Whatever the quality of the gun handling skills and tactics used by the NYPD officers involved in the shooting, they showed a lot of guts to to rush and engage a man who had already proven his willingness to take a life. You have to admire that.

H/T to Sebastian.

In a nutshell

UPDATE: Then there's this...shudder.

Compare and Contrast

Sanjay Sanghoee argues that if a police shootout could be such a clusterfuck it would be so much worse if "untrained" civilian gun owners were also shooting at the evil git. Ya know, blood in the streets and all that.

NYPD officers shoots one evil git and nine bystanders on crowded street.

CCW Permit Holder shoots and wounds two clueless armed robbers in a crowded Orlando Internet Cafe. No bystanders harmed.

It's a bullshit argument Sanjay, but you knew that. Mine may be as well, but the difference is I acknowledge these incidents are fluid, stressful, and that average police officer isn't really trained to deal with them any more than an average permit holder. But police officers manage to rise to the occasion, as do permit holders and a permit holder couldn't have made the situation worse in New York City. It was already about as bad as it could get.