HA-ha! It seems NASA has lost contact with its latest boondoggle, the Mars rover. What was it that you nerds wanted again? It’s coming back to me…Now I remember! A trillion dollars for human colonies on Mars and the moon. You jokers can’t even send a tinker toy to Earth’s nearest neighber without screwing up. Thanks for wasting $410 million of our money.
Losers
Delta Democrat (of course anything with Democrat in the title . . .) Times:
We applaud the legislative action taken by the Washington County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in putting a muzzle on vagrant animals — especially pit bull dogs — who roam our communities.
It is a problem that only came to light two weeks ago, when Washington County resident Claudette Skelton told of the horrible story of her white collie-mix dog being mauled to death, reportedly by two pit bulls on her property.
“I would like these dogs barred from the face of the Earth,” Skelton said during the Jan. 5 meeting of the Board of Supervisors.
On Tuesday, Skelton remained just as adamant: “We just need something done immediately.”
We do not believe properly registered and collared animals, and the public at large for that matter, should be placed at peril, in running the risk of attack by these vicious mongrels.
On the proposed law:
We believe the new legislation sends a strong message to pet owners that their animals must be collared, leashed and licensed, and failure to comply could subject them to a misdemeanor violation and a $25 fine. Pit bull dogs also must be confined in a secured area with a roof or high enclosure of at least six feet, and cannot be allowed to roam free. And pit bull dog owners must register the animals with the Washington County Sheriff’s Department and a designated Humane Society.
I would dare say that the owner of the two pit bulls running loose that killed the collie weren’t obeying existing law when they let their dogs run loose. You really think irresponsible pet owners are going to obey this new law? Some people just shouldn’t own dogs, regardless of the breed.
The Senate overcame Democratic delaying tactics Thursday and sent President Bush an overdue $373 billion bill financing a vast swath of government and bearing a bushel of victories for the White House.
Owen was real time blogging the vote to override the veto of a concealed carry law in Wisconsin. He’s happy to report the veto has been overridden! Kick ass.
How many states is that now?
Update: I jumped the gun. Clark in comments says that the assembly needs to vote too.
A study done by the Violence Policy Center found that one in every five law enforcement officers was killed in the line of duty between Jan. 1, 1998, and Dec. 31, 2001.
Might be missing a sentence there. I could be wrong, but I don’t think 20% of cops are killed in the line of duty.
But even supporters of the Assault Weapons Ban are admitting it’s a crap law that doesn’t serve its purpose:
“To say there’s a ban is a hoax,” Johnson said.
People apparently don’t know what loopholes are. Whenever legislation doesn’t have the desired effect or someone thinks that something ought to be required by law and it’s not, then it’s a loophole. The latest is this quote about the Assault Weapons Ban:
An additional question cited the Bushmaster rifle used in the D.C. sniper attacks last year as an example of a gun legal only through “loopholes.”
It’s not a loophole, it’s a poorly constructed law.
Kevin rightfully rants about the government’s attempt to get their man (or family) by any means necessary. Even if they have to charge people with bogus crimes.
After a five month investigation by the feds, the only charge is possession of tracer rounds?
Chuck has a round up of the Kenneth Walker shooting. If you don’t know who that is, click the link.
BET released a list of the most segregated cities in America:
10. Philadelphia
9. Chicago
8. New York City
7. Buffalo-Niagra Falls, N.Y. (sic)
6. Cincinnati
5. Newark, N.J.
4. St. Louis
3. Cleveland-Lorain-Elyria, Ohio
2. Detroit
1. Milwaukee-Waukesha, Wis.
Not a lot of southern cities on that list. Seems to support my conclusion here.
I, not cops, got bad guy
This was said by Hale DeMar. The Wilmette man who shot an intruder and is being charged with bogus gun crimes. After idiot George Carpenter (the police chief) told everyone they’re safer locking themselves in a room and dialing 911.
Note to Carpenter: Fuck you. I don’t hide in my own house.
I remain the number one google for idiot george carpenter.
With Kerry in the lead in NH, I’m sure Dean is relieved. Now, the candidates will stop picking on Howie.
On its first day, the Tennessee lottery took in $10.8M, which is nearly $2 per state resident.
The state Department of Economic and Community Development under former Gov. Don Sundquist repeatedly violated state laws and policies regarding expenditures and contracts, an audit released Wednesday by the state comptroller’s office shows.
The department also “concealed questionable transactions” including the purchase of $17,523 worth of sport shirts and $2,300 worth of luggage; awarded two no-bid contracts for the same service at the same time; circumvented state law in the way it awarded $2.8 million worth of infrastructure-improvement contracts to the city of Smyrna for an expansion of the Nissan plant; and awarded job-skills grants without receiving proper applications.
Someone should go to jail.
A gun, on its own volition, went on a rampage:
A police officer arriving at an elementary school to teach a Drug Awareness and Resistance Education class was accidentally shot in the left leg by his own gun as he was getting out of his patrol car Tuesday, officials said.
snip
Under police department rules, no guns are worn in the elementary school, and Fontenot had taken the weapon from his holster and put it on the car seat when it went off, the superintendent said.
Finger off the trigger, partner. And insert obligatory rant about how dumb it is to think only police should have guns.
It’s getting to be election time. This is a rare occasion because it represents the only time the rest of the country gives a fuck about the South. The rest of the year, our region is made fun of on sitcoms, reality TV, and in various op ed pieces. We’re ridiculed by snooty intellectuals and hated. We’re belittled a bit because our region consists mostly of troublemakers. At least we’re viewed as troublemakers. After all, we did secede.
At election time, we’re no longer inbred, toothless hillbillies. We suddenly become this mysterious voting bloc of gun-toting, God-fearing conservatives who like free stuff from the government (aka, southern Democrats – by the way, are there any of those left nationally?). It’s true. Most southerners like their guns and their God. We also have liberals and conservatives here in the south, though our definition of liberal typically includes people fond of guns and God but place free stuff higher on the list than other folks.
Democrats tend to write the south off nationally, which is a mistake. After they write us off in terms of votes, they often write us off in terms of policy (that gets back to the vote thing). Al Gore wrote us off in terms of policy and it cost him votes. There’s a reason his concession speech mentioned something about mending fences at home.
And here in Tennessee on the local level, we’ve elected quite a few Democrats lately. The Democrats shouldn’t write the south off completely. But what wins Democrat votes in the rest of the country doesn’t fly here in the south.
With elections, the fun begins. We suddenly get the people who used to try to appeal to snooty intellectuals interested in appealing to us. They try to pass their gun control legislation off as common sense stuff by stating things like We don’t mean your shotgun, Ethyl. We’re talkin’ ‘bout them there assault weapons. Or they attempt to dumb down their agenda. And every politician before visiting the southeast finds Jesus; eats pinto beans at a Ma & Pa diner; and goes hunting.
We southern folks really like it if you’d slow down a bit when talking to us. It’s not because we’re slow to understand, it’s because fast talk makes you seem rude. That should illustrate why you snooty intellectuals don’t understand us. But it only illustrates that to other southerners. The snooty intellectuals don’t get it. We do things differently in these parts and that’s why people love the south or hate it.
We call a woman Ma’am and we do it to be polite. We don’t do it because she’s old. When I address the 16 year-old girl who works at Target, I say Yes, ma’am.
Most of us know how to kill, skin, and prepare various animals for food. Well, I do. My family was really country. This does not make us a freak show to be talked about. I was on a job once in Maryland. We got on the subject of hunting (which most people on the job hadn’t done) and I mentioned I have killed and eaten various animals. Suddenly, everyone began asking me about it like I was this wild mountain man. Hell, I was just an accountant. By the way, SayUncle is opposed to killing in general and hasn’t hunted since his teens. I don’t even kill spiders; I escort them outside. This annoys the wife, who thinks all things with more than four legs should be eradicated from the planet.
We drink our tea sweet. And we can make a meal out of nothing but pinto beans, corn bread, and an onion. You can say things here like He needs killin’ and people will sympathize.
But make no mistake; we’re not a bunch of dumb, uneducated simpletons. If you treat us like we are, that’s your mistake. There’s a reason most presidents come from the South and it’d be wise to remember that.
Thanks to the Comedian (a blog you should be reading) and his phat photoshop skillz (which your humble host sorely lacks), we now have the updated SayUncle logo at the top there. Thanks!
And Mike is back with lots of stuff! He needs to stop disappearing.
The city has reacted quickly to the death of Fritz, a poodle-terrier, by writing a law aimed at cracking down on pit bulls and other dangerous dogs.
The proposed ordinance is being referred to as “Fritz’s Law.”
Fritz was killed Jan. 10 by a pit bull that had once before attacked Fritz and his 86-year-old owner, Charles Crockett.
City officials and residents are not satisfied with King County Animal Control’s lenient treatment of the pit bull’s owner and the pit bull, which had attacked other dogs and menaced other Auburn residents.
“We are reacting to that situation,” Councilman Gene Cerino said.
A proposed ordinance would give police more authority in dealing with vicious dogs and their owners, and label all pit bulls as “dangerous dogs,” regardless of whether they’ve been violent in the past.
As dangerous dogs, pit bulls would have to be muzzled any time they are outside a kennel — even if they’re on a leash.
Basically, if someone decides your dog is a pit bull and you haven’t muzzled it, they can call the police on you. Never mind that responsible pit bull owners will be subject to this nonsense.
Another dog fighting ring has been busted.
This one is a bit silly:
An encounter with an angry pit bull in Washington Heights leaves two police officers hospitalized.
They were responding to a burglary report last night when they say a pit bull suddenly charged them.
The officers fired six rounds.
The bullets richocheted hitting the cops in the legs (sic).
The dog was also hit, but not killed.
The ASPCA is now caring for the dog.
So, were they in the pit bull’s house? It seems he may have been doing his job. And in an apartment with sheet rock walls, what did these bullets ricochet off of? I doubt we’re getting the whole story.
And I can’t quite figure this one out. But it seems to me that a pit bull and a llama shared a home. The dog was eating when the llama came to check it out. The dog jumps on the llama and kills it (which is a testament to the power of these dogs and why most people shouldn’t own them). It’s not a good idea typically to feed two dogs at the same time. I’d have never thought the dog would have become aggressive over food with a llama. Of course, I wouldn’t have fed my dogs near a llama.
I like to point these incidents out because the media often labels dogs involved in bites as pit bulls (even when they aren’t). Golden retrievers who are more likely to bite don’t tend to make the news. One reason is that the other breeds don’t do as much damage. The other reason is sensationalism.
Protection for me but not for thee.
Michael continues to detail his experience in failing to get a gun carry permit. Of the three issued (two to councilmen and one to the mayor), one was given to a man who had a restraining order against him. Pretty abysmal.
Les has a round up of various gun related things. I particularly like the looks of the Sigarms 1911. I expect Glock to make one soon.
Mark discusses social service agencies taking kids. There are times when it is necessary when there is abuse but the criteria for removing children from their parents should be more stringent. The tip of a neighbor should warrant an investigation. Not entering your home and breaking up a family almost immediately.
Yeah, I’ve been slamming Dubya pretty hard about his spending. But the Democrat candidates’ plans unsurprisingly would increase the deficit too. By more. AlphaPatriot has the scoop.
KNS tells us that the lottery kicked off like gangbusters. On the way home last night, I stopped to get some beer and bought some tickets. For $20, I won two more tickets and $2. Go me!
Actually, when I stopped at the Pilot in Maryville, the place was packed out the doors. Everyone was buying lottery tickets, even people who looked like they shouldn’t be. It was a rather disturbing experience.
As thousands of gun-touting hunters roam Wisconsin in search of deer, Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark said Tuesday he opposes concealed weapons laws like the one recently passed by the Wisconsin Legislature.
The retired four-star general from Little Rock, Ark., said he doesn’t think people need concealed weapons for protection.
“If we need protection, we need other means of protection than concealed weapons,” said Clark, explaining he owned 20 guns and has been shooting since boyhood. “I shot a lot of big guns and a lot of little guns. If you like big guns come into the Army.”
To be honest, General, we gun owners tire of that Army line.
So, the Brady Bunch issued its state by state report card a while back. Tennessee got a D+, if you must know. Maybe we can get an F next year. Regardless, here’s something on the issue I found amusing:
First, the group gives Vermont a grade of D- because, supposedly, the “state’s weak laws make it too easy for criminals, the mentally ill and juveniles to get guns.”
But this statement is laughable, for crime in Vermont is virtually non-existent. Just last year (2003), Vermont earned the Safest State in the nation award from the Morgan Quitno Press — a group of statisticians who rank each state according to its safety record.
snip
FBI statistics showed last year that the states which enjoyed the lowest murder rates earned grades of D or D- from the Brady Campaign. New Hampshire, North Dakota and Maine have murder rates that any state or country could only dream about.
snip
Finally, the Brady Bunch awarded Maryland one of the highest grades in the nation (an A-), even though they had the second HIGHEST murder rate in the nation.
How can the Brady Campaign give that state an A- with a straight face? The state is not keeping its citizens safe from gun violence — or any other violence for that matter. But hey, Maryland gets an A-, simply because they have strict gun control laws — regardless of whether those laws are keeping people safe.
Oh, that whacky Brady Campaign.
Watching it now. When Bush said the Patriot Act was set to expire next year, kudos to all those guys that stood up and applauded its expiration. Too bad they’re likely the same bastards that voted for it.
So, stories like this make me wonder if Tennessee municipalities are pondering taxing the winnings from the recently established (today) lottery.
Dog fighting is a horribly brutal sport. Dogs have their tails and ears cropped short so that they can’t be grabbed. The dogs are taught to be dog aggressive, which makes rescue adoption difficult if the potential adopter has another pet. Some dogs who don’t perform well are used as baiting dogs. This means that the poor dog who happens to not be a good fighter is muzzled so he can’t fight back, while another dog learns to fight by mauling the poor defenseless dog. This builds the attackers confidence, they say. The animals are abused typically to make them meaner.
Unfortunately, dog fighting is big money and still popular (though illegal):
Police raided a rural house and found a blood-soaked dog fight arena where fans had gathered for a night of gambling with a winner-take-all pot of $50,000.
Officers arrested 123 people late Saturday on felony charges of cruelty to animals, dog fighting and commercial gambling.
Newton County sheriff’s deputies found one dead dog lying at the side of a makeshift ring, and another dog so badly mauled that it was later euthanized. Blood covered the walls and soaked through an old carpet.
“It’s hard to understand any crime, but to see animals used or I should say misused for someone’s entertainment like this is just pitiful,” Sheriff Joe Nichols said. “It just tears at your heart.”
Deputies seized about a dozen guns, several kilograms of marijuana and cocaine and more than a quarter of a million dollars, Sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Mitchell said. Deputies also found four trophies already engraved with the date of the fight.
Congrats to Andrew on his pending army! One week from today, me and the Mrs. find out if Junior is actually going to be a junior or a young ms.
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
Uncle Pays the Bills
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