I thought the intro quote was funny:
From somebody I assume is a member of the hysterical anybody-but-Bush crowd (to be distinguished from the rational, reasonable, sane anybody-but-Bush crowd, of which I am a member) comes a new criminal accusation: “George W. Bush’s website is in violation of the United States Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 3.”
If you want to know what that is, click the link. Bush’s worst scandal yet.
The investigation has concluded that there was not the alleged arsenal in the house and the types of guns used in the recent standoff:
Guns found in the home included one SKS, a military-style, semiautomatic rifle, a 9mm handgun and a shotgun. The shotgun appeared to have been fired twice. The SKS rifle was used to kill Scott, and the youth used the 9mm handgun to end his own life, Guider said.
It should be noted that an SKS has a fixed (not detachable) magazine and is not covered by the Assault Weapons Ban.
Cops in Detroit were trying to shoot a dog, the result:
It happened Jan. 13. The four-legged suspect, named Bugsy, was loose, and the cops said it attacked them. They nailed Bugsy after firing more than 20 shots. Their bullets also hit two houses and a plastic tank filled with gas.
The Detroit Police Department’s internal affairs unit and Office of the Chief Investigator, which handles citizen complaints, are investigating the incident, involving three officers from the 5th (Jefferson) Precinct.
Claiborne, who is a Detroit firefighter, is still livid when he talks about the officers running up and down his block on Harvard and firing their guns repeatedly. One of the shots went through his front window as he was holding his daughter in the kitchen, slamming into a wall several feet from them.
“I still don’t really know how the bullet missed us,” Claiborne said. “There must have been an angel in the room.”
His neighbors, Gerald and Candace Wheeler, surveyed the damage to their two-car garage in awe after the police killed Bugsy, a 1-year-old Neapolitan mastiff who died in an alley a block away at Grayton, near Chandler Park Drive.
There are eight bullet holes in the garage. One bullet grazed the plastic handle of a full gas can inside the garage.
“That gas can could have easily blown up,” said Gerald Wheeler.
After the officers killed the dog, Wheeler said one of them approached him and nonchalantly uttered, “Wow, your garage looks like a piece of Swiss cheese.”
“I asked him, ‘Who is going to pay for this?’ ” Wheeler said. “He told me to turn it in to my insurance company.”
Then there’s the dog’s owner, Timothy Johnson, who lives on Grayton. He bought the dog as a family pet on Christmas Eve 2002 to surprise his 3-year-old daughter Jordan. Johnson said Bugsy, who was about 150 pounds, dug his way out of a kennel in the backyard while the family was out.
“This was really unnecessary,” Johnson, 41, said. “I grew up in Detroit and Highland Park and I really don’t want to give the city a bad rap, but Bugsy was not a vicious dog. If the officers would have taken a little time, they could have easily found out who owned the dog.”
Seems one of those gun safety rules is be sure of your target and what’s behind it.
Portland police are recalling the Glock 21 45ACP service pistols because they have had two of them explode. My thought initially was that they loaded ammo not suited to the gun (like 45 +P) and that’s not a good combo. Apparently, the police say that it’s not the ammo. Glock is offering 9MM pistols as a no cost replacement.
I don’t know what to think of this one. Seems we may be missing some info as I don’t know of Glocks exploding for no reason.
AWBanSunset links to a quote by a Republican:
The National Rifle Association and certain members of my party are about to make things much harder for President Bush and his re- election campaign.
Many people, myself included, think the coming election between Bush and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., is going to be very close, with the vote and electoral count difference razor thin. Accepting that to be reality, then I’m wondering why certain Republicans are choosing to hand the Kerry campaign a controversial issue on a “nickel-plated” platter. That issue being the ban on assault weapons.
Bush stands to lose gun owner votes by his own actions. Good. Republicans need to learn that lesson.
And more:
Their fear of the National Rifle Association, its ability to lobby and back the opponent of anyone who takes a stand against them, has galvanized them into inaction.
The NRA is the sum of its members. People think of it as this giant uncaring, people-less machine. It is not. It has members and they vote.
Here’s a story that details a trend of people getting pit bulls as pets, then realizing they can’t control them. So, they turn them loose instead of finding homes or shelters for them. People won’t take them to shelters because of Breed Specific Legislation. The dogs are banned. Turn them in and go to jail or be fined. Just another example of the problems of Breed Specific Legislation.
I just saw John Kerry on TV criticizing Bush’s tax cuts for the “wealthiest Americans.” Now, I’m just guess here, but it seems to me that any reasonable definition of “wealthiest Americans” would include Te-RAY-za Heinz Kerry. I wonder what Mr. and Mrs. Heinz Kerry did with their tax cut? I’m sure he gave it back.
In fact, last year there were 18 millionaire Democrats in the Senate. I’d be interested to see what each of them did with THEIR tax cuts. I’m sure they refused the money on principle, what with tax cuts for the wealthy being so wrong and all.
Jim Kessler of UPI has an article on Joseph Krar, a person you have likely never heard of. I addressed Krar here. Some key info:
Krar, who is affiliated with several anti-government, white supremacist militia organizations, was apprehended after mailing a package containing false U.N. credentials, Defense Intelligence Agency IDs, phony birth certificates and a forged federal concealed weapons permit to a co-conspirator in New Jersey.
The package came with a note that read, “We would hate to have this fall into the wrong hands.” It did. It was delivered to the incorrect address.
An alert citizen contacted the FBI, which led to the arrest of Krar and the discovery of a mind-numbing weapons cache: fully automatic machine guns, remote-controlled explosive devices disguised as briefcases, 60 pipe bombs, nearly 500,000 rounds of ammunition and enough pure sodium cyanide “to kill everyone inside a 30,000 square foot building,” according to federal authorities.
John “don’t you know who I am” Kerry was taken to task by some guy and Colin Powell to name foreign leaders who support him. He won’t (or can’t). Not a good sign.
John “did I mention I was in Vietnam” Kerry has challenged Bush to monthly debates. Those should go well.
John “give credit where it’s due” Kerry also claims to have known all about terrorism prior to 9/11. The Post accuses him of ignoring it.
John “liars and crooks” Kerry has also been caught fibbing.
A woman saw a dog in a pen outside without water. She went into the pen and gave the dog water. Now, she’s been charged with trespassing. Hopefully, neglect charges will be filed against the dog’s owners.
Spain’s new leader has vowed to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq:
Spain’s new Socialist leader vowed Monday to bring home the 1,300 Spanish troops now in Iraq, a move that follows the worst terrorist attack to hit the U.S. ally.
“The Iraq war has been disastrous. It was a mistake,” Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told reporters in his first news conference after his party defeated conservatives in Sunday’s elections.
The drastic shift in Spain’s presence in Iraq comes after a series of terrorist bombings Thursday on commuter trains in Madrid that killed 200 people and wounded some 1,500, 243 of whom remain hospitalized.
That’s disheartening merely because of the precedent it sets.
Oh my! KABA does a good job of pointing out the problems with this State Department report on the second amendment:
Among the statements found in the report:
“…advocates of gun control have never argued that they want to deny individuals the ability to protect themselves against criminals.”
That’s odd. Sarah Brady’s bunch, the so-called Violence Policy Center, the misnamed “Million” Mom March and many other gun ban groups are all on record opposing concealed carry for self-defense — even under the strictest of licensing. They are all on record supporting gun bans. VPC wants a total ban on all handguns, when handguns are the most effective, most affordable, easiest to use personal self-defense device ever devised for human beings — and the Brady Klan went to court supporting such handgun bans as the one in Morton Grove, Illinois.
In other words, the Government-funded, Government-published, Government-promoted author of that statement is an obnoxious liar.
Sorry for the light blogging. It’s currently a religious holiday around these parts.
That’s right: it’s March Madness. Maryland just won the ACC tournament, and the NCAA Men’s bracket selection is coming up in just a little bit.
My wife is watching the Women’s bracket. All three Research Triangle schools are in the tourney. And while it’s hard to find a conference with more religious zeal than the ACC, I note for our RTB audience that there are 6 SEC teams, including UT (duh) and Vandy (our alma mater!), in the dance, not to mention a TON of miscellaneous teams from Tennessee: Austin Peay, David Lipscomb, Chattanooga, and MTSU. Nice going!
Gotta love this time of year.
If you use a non-Arab actor to portray a terrorist in a campaign ad, in lefty fantasy land that means Bush Introduces Racism to Campaign 2004. Seems to me that maybe those who assumed he was an Arab have an issue.
It’s racist to use a non-Arab who may or may not resemble an Arab (from the snippets of the ad I saw, I could only make out eyes and hair, not enough to conclude race at all).
This represents the tone of the coming campaign.
So, there’s this standoff going on a few miles from my house. Seems some 16 or 17 year-old has holed up in a house, is heavily armed and has killed one police officer.
The local news reports that the kid has automatic weapons. He shot a policeman who was likely wearing a vest. Other reports say the kid is using an AK47, while some reports (the TV news) said he was using a high powered rifle with a hunting scope.
And the kid is the son of a local district attorney.
So, we may have the following anti-gun buzzwords involved:
The children
Assault weapons
Sniper rifles
Armor piercing ammo
Dead cops
A public official involved is never good.
Sounds like a Violence Policy Center/Brady Campaign wet dream. Get ready for the coming political shit storm.
My sincerest condolences to the family of Jason Scott, the slain officer. And here’s hoping this situation resolves without more killing. And my apologies for politicizing this so soon, but it is coming soon to a hysterical reporter or gun controller near you.
I even hold myself out as a small L libertarian but it seems I am not so much. Via Jeff, I took the libertarian purity test and scored a 32, which makes my only slightly libertarian. This is one of those tests that tries to convince you that you’re a libertarian. Example: It asks odd questions Should we abolish Medicare? Now, I think Medicare is currently crap. I think it’s poorly run and has some major issues. But people need Medicare. I don’t necessarily want it abolished, though I’d want it abolished in its current form. Therefore, I said No, as some folks still need it. This makes me seem not all that much libertarian despite having a minimalist approach to such a program.
Us whacky moderate libertarians. Go figure.
Bonus: Tim is plotting scores so post yours there.
Les discusses G-Rated versions of X-Rated sayings. I, too, have a potty mouth. This does remind me of this manager I had when in public accounting. He went to great lengths to inform people that he didn’t cuss and that he didn’t appreciate cussing around him. The problem with this was the fact that he did the G-Rated cussing. When something happened, he’d say Gosh darn it or refer to someone as a son of a biscuit. And my personal favorites were freak and fudge. I did a lot of freaking and fudging up, apparently
I realized that I was going to be a short timer in public accounting. So, one day after the manager let loose with a full-blown, Yosemite Sam, non-cussing rant regarding a particular client problem, I said Those bastards. He proceeded to give me the lecture about cussing, how he didn’t do it and how he didn’t appreciate me cussing. I responded thusly: Why the holier-than-thou attitude? You mean what I say. I just sound a lot less fucking stupid saying it.
I don’t think he got it. Oh, I don’t advise doing this in your own career. As I said, I knew I was a short timer.
If you’re going to cuss, do it right.
Rocky Top Brigadier Katie Allison Granju is now the online editor of WBIR’s website. Congrats to Katie!
So, we note that US casualties and bombings in Iraq were on the decrease. We also know that Al Qaeda was reportedly operating in Iraq. Then, Spain gets hit with a massive terror attack.
Obviously, correlation does not equal causation but it is something to consider. The flies abandoning the paper?
I removed my AWB clock a while back (kevin has one if you must see it) but note that it will expire six months from tomorrow.
I know people sometimes accuse the blogosphere of being a huge echo chamber, but I just have to give credit to Kevin of the Smallest Minority. He’s been kick butt and taking names lately. But of course, if you’re reading this, you’ve probably been reading him, too.
And let’s not forget our own Say Uncle, who has also been on a tear, too. Awesome work! I’m really proud to be a part of this community.
If for some reason you decide to visit the VPC’s web page, you’ll see that their current whipping boy is Assault Weapons. They are pushing hard to have the existing Assault Weapons Ban “strengthened.”
Now, we gun enthusiasts have known all along that the “assault weapons ban” was a ridiculous concept; except for specifying a few models by name, it essentially banned manufacture of guns that had certain features. So manufacturers said, “OK, we’ll leave off the features.” It was hard for us to see what problem the ban was going to solve. Were there really that many bayonetings going on? Were criminals really using rifle-launched grenades during their crimes?
Even the VPC members themselves admit that letting the ban expire will not “make one whit of difference one way or another.” They know it’s broken. But, in a brilliant example of political jiu-jitsu, they’ve found a way to use this fact to their advantage.
They say, “The law needs to be strengthened.” It’s brilliant.
Here’s an example of one of their documents. Their current strategy is a two-pronged offensive. First, they demonize the Evil Gun Manufacturers for “evading” the law. The law bans certain guns by name; the manufacturers change the name! The law bans guns having more than two features from a list; the manufacturers leave off the features!
Next, they call for a refined definition of “assault weapon.” The a la carte definition proved to be too obvious an attempt to disguise what was essentially a ban on “scary-looking guns,” and was, as they point out, pretty easy to work around. Instead, the VPC has decided that they must focus on something that (they say) makes these firearms especially lethal.
So now the VPC has identified the “key features” of “assault weapons” as:
1. pistol grips or barrel shrouds that allow the weapon to be “spray-fired” from the hip
2. the ability to accept detachable, high-capacity ammunition magazines holding from 10 to 100 rounds of ammunition
Now, this is more like it. Who could be against such “common sense” features? You don’t need a pistol grip, a barrel shroud, or a high-capacity magazine for hunting or target shooting, after all. And that’s really what the Second Amendment is about, right?
Let’s table for now a discussion of whether or not “spray-firing” is really something that happens all that often, or is especially deadly, or whether you need a pistol grip or barrel shroud to do it. Suppose the VPC prevails and Congress bans guns with pistol grips. What, exactly, IS a pistol grip? The current ban says it “protrudes conspicuously beneath the stock.” In some cases it’s obvious; the grip on an AR-15 or an AK-47 is clearly a pistol grip. But what about a thumb-hole stock? Or a Monte Carlo stock? Are these legal or not? If they’re technically legal, how long before the VPC claims they are attempts by the manufacturers to “evade” the law, and calls for a ban on ANY stock that doesn’t look like the one on a Marlin 1894?
Let’s consider also the phrase “ability to accept detachable, high-capacity magazines.” It doesn’t take a genius to realize that most firearms that can accept a detachable magazine can accept one of ANY capacity. The only limitation is the amount of weight that the magazine catch can support*. Are manufacturers going to be required to design their magazine catches to support no more than 10 rounds? Will the magazine wells have to be re-designed so that pre-ban magazines won’t fit anymore? Or will the VPC accuse manufacturers of “evading” the law when it turns out that a magazine is a magazine is a magazine, and call for banning ALL firearms that accept detachable magazines PERIOD?
Of course, I’m sure that there won’t be any restriction on law enforcement or other government agencies. Just civilian ownership, because while These Guns Have No Place In Our Society, they’re perfectly safe in the hands of the government agents.
* I’m mainly talking about rifles here. Of course, some handguns have a magazine catch at the bottom of the well that rules out using a magazine longer than the grip.
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
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