Lots of happenings with the pending Supreme Court case in New London. The Daily Journal advises caution on the use of eminent domain:

Millville Mayor James Quinn said he couldn’t “let the city down.” He said he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he didn’t support, and the City Commission didn’t approve, an ordinance giving the city power of eminent domain over businesses standing in the way of a new shopping center along Route 47.

Considering what the shopping center would do for this city — 1,000 new jobs and millions of dollars in property tax revenue — it’s easy to understand the mayor’s point of view.

The mayor says the facts are in black and white. We suggest, however, that before the city uses its eminent domain power, it not only calculate the numbers but also count and weigh the human cost and possible loss of trust that could accrue if the city were to relocate or shut down an established business in favor of a new one. City officials must consider the fact that these businesses have provided jobs to local residents for years and during tougher economic times for Cumberland County.

Or, you know, consider the fact that taking from one company to give to another is not public use.

The Institute for Justice is challenging an ED case in Ohio:

A nonprofit law firm today appealed a county court decision that allowed the City of Norwood to forcibly acquire a rental property to make way for a mixed-use development.

The mixed use property is offices, rentals and retail property. Again, not public use.

The News Herald says one thing is for sure:

Whenever you see the term “eminent domain” in the paper, you know one thing for certain – some governmental body is attempting to take property away from an unwilling private owner.

If the rightful owner were willing to sell his land, that person obviously would reach an agreement with the city, state or other governmental unit that is orchestrating the land grab.

The purchase price would be agreed upon, the governmental unit would write a check, and the deal would be closed.

And in Hell err New Jersey, residents ask the city to wait on the Supreme Court ruling:

Residents of Long Branch’s redevelopment zone pleaded with the City Council last week to put a hold on eminent domain proceedings involving their properties until the Supreme Court rules on the issue.

“The Supreme Court has taken the eminent domain case,” Harold Bobrow, of Ocean Boulevard, said at the Oct. 12 council meeting. “Put this [the redevelopment plan] on hold until after the decision of the Supreme Court. Once [the homes in the redevelopment zone] are down, they are gone, kaput, goodbye.”

The pregnant woman who was forced to the ground and arrested for talking on her cell phone too loudly (who I mentioned here) is happy that the stupid charges against her were dropped:

“We didn’t want our action to be taken as a reflection on our view about the officer’s credibility,” said Deputy Montgomery County, Md., State’s Attorney Katherine Winfree. “We just felt that under the circumstances, this was the appropriate disposition at this time.”

Winfree said there were questions about whether prosecuting a seven months pregnant woman in such a case was a good use of “judicial resources.” Prosecutors reserved the right to recharge Aaron if she has another run-in with the law.

Aaron’s lawyer, Jeanett Henry, remains furious over the officer’s conduct.

“She proceeded to tell him that she is pregnant. But he didn’t listen, he didn’t comment, and he did put her on the ground, face down, and her stomach was being pressed against the concrete,” Henry said. Aaron said she is due to give birth to a girl in February, and that doctors have told her the fetus is healthy. She is now considering suing the transit agency for false arrest.

Kevin alerts us that there is speculation that the October surprise is coming this Saturday because Bush is taking the day off.

I predict he’ll beat Osama to death live on TV.

After all, he went out and killed some of the most vile creatures on the planet. I hate geese. See here, here, here and here.

By the way, Politically Incorrect Dog and I chased the resident geese out of the subdivision again last night. God, I hate those things.

Update: I’m not a hunter as I’m generally averse to killing things, but I may take it up just for geese. Anyone have the lowdown on geese killin’ in Tennessee? I guess I’d need a shotgun. It’s probably illegal to pick them off in the subdivision with a .22? Though Mr. Blasty would be more fun.

Update 2: Would it also be illegal to leave the dead bodies as a warning to other geese?

Via Bubba, we learn that the local (and free!) bird cage liner has endorsed Kerry. Also, the NYT endorsed Kerry. The Chicago Tribune endorsed Bush. Ad infinitum and who cares?

But I have to wonder why news media outlets are in the business of endorsing any candidate. Doesn’t lend to credibility, if you ask me.

1) Butter fly knives and gravity knives are illegal in New York? Yup. They are.

2) And a 75 year old woman, who refused to leave a nursing home where she was visiting a sick friend, was tasered.

The gun show loophole, which does not exist, will no doubt get airplay because of this incident:

A city man was indicted earlier this year for a crime that does not exist, a judge has ruled.

Timothy Geddes, [address info snipped, I wish the press would do the same thing – after all, why are you advertising where criminals can go and steal guns? And of course there are also privacy concerns.] had been charged with selling a pistol to another person “without being licensed to do so.”

Geddes was indicted on the charge Jan. 22, but Hillsborough County Superior Court Chief Justice Robert Lynn dismissed the case Sept. 28.

Lynn ruled that there is no such crime, and state law does not require a gun owner to have a license in order to sell a firearm to another person.

Shouldn’t police know the laws?

The Geek alerts us to an assault weapons ban push in Illinois:

On Wednesday morning, 20 October, IL Attorney General Lisa Madigan will be joined by IL State Senator John Cullerton and IL State Representative Karen May at a press conference during which they will introduce the “2005 ILLINOIS ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN.” This proposed legislation will include bans on most, if not all, semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, and handguns. It will also ban black powder rifles and any other firearm having a bore of .50 caliber or greater. The legislation will also require you to turn in your guns to the police or face forced confiscation.

Also in Illinois, explotation of children to further agendas:

Many of the children lined up at the federal building plaza to protest gun violence plaza had something in common. They knew what they were talking about from personal experience.

Up to 200 hundred grade school children gathered in the federal building plaza with signs reading essentially: “please don’t shoot me, I want to grow up.”

It was the 20th anniversary of the Illinois Coalition Against Handgun Violence and the keynoter was Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan who called for passage of an Illinois ban on assault weapons similar to the one which the feds have let expire.

Chicago has probably the second most stringent gun control laws in the nation (next to DC). Coincidentally, they rank second in murder rate too (also, next to DC).

Not only should we exploit our kids, we should repeat the lies and hysteria of anti-gun groups:

Madigan says that assault weapons are strictly designed for the efficient killing of many people at once. She said there’s no need for them anywhere and sought support for the legislative sponsors: State Senator John Cullerton and State Representative Karen May.

How does the UN feel about guns? Not good. Apparently, small arms means revolvers. Go to page 104 and check the picture. A sample:

The 2001 United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade of Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects produced the Programme of Action (POA), a consensus document containing norms and policy recommendations for how various actors should address the problem of small arms and light weapons. In 2006 the United Nations will once again host a conference to follow up on the progress of implementing the agenda from 2001. Discussions on the issues for the next conference have already begun, including debate over
whether to include agreements for legally binding measures, brokering, marking and tracing, export controls, civilian possession, nonstate actors, and legal and illicit gun flows. Many say that the POA has yet to be fully implemented and others are eager for stronger language and more action.

The role of the United Nations has been crucial thus far, yet further implementation depends on local and national actors. As regional and subregional organizations begin to take ownership of the issue—and NGOs undertake more action at local, regional, and international levels—the United Nations’ coordinating and consultative role may take on greater significance. – emphasis added for people who need to be told that

The UN also wants to establish a system for the regulation of armaments. Additionally, they conclude two particular areas—arms brokering and the marking and tracing of weapons—seem ripe for a binding set of standards.

And my personal favorite: The participants agreed that disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) efforts need to increase substantially.

Global gun control, my ass.

Mr. Blasty meet blog. As promised, here’s a pic of the new AR (complete with a bonus pic of the Uncle workbench that I built back when I was nesting):

It’s a 16 inch CAR style with a telescopic stock. Oh, and it doesn’t shoot the standard 5.56MM round. This one is chambered 7.62MM. Got the kit from the guys at J&T Distributing and lower from Doublestar. Got the YHM flip-up rear sight from Global Tactical.

Update: And here’s his older brother, who doesn’t have a name:

Last month, I convinced the wife to trade in her car on a nice shiney new Mazdaspeed MX-5. For me of course. She can’t drive it, since it’s a 6-speed and all. Mine is “look at me” red, as it was only available in two colors and they only had red in stock.

Anyway, I was able to enjoy about 1000 turbocharged miles before I made the mistake of parking it downtown while attending the Martin Short concert with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. When I returned, some @sswipe had determined it would be in their best interest to punch and then apparently kick in the door.

At least they didn’t slash the top.

So now I’m stuck with a rental while the whole side of the car gets repainted. Sure, it was bright red and new and sort of stands out in the crowd, but why would anyone intentionally inflict this kind of damage on an innocent parked vehicle? There weren’t even any political stickers on it.

And urban activists wonder why nobody comes downtown…

All I can say is, I hope it hurt. Note to self: Next time, rent the Three Amigos instead.

As an aside, if you’re looking for one heckuva great little performing sports car (and don’t have children, as my peers are quick to point out), this Mazdaspeed MX-5 is one sweet little car. The Mazdaspeed engineers took a stock Miata and completely overhauled it, stiffening and lowering the suspension, reworking the motor and tranny, adding a turbo, popping on a limited slip and 17″ wheels, and many other mods (that are covered by warranty), making this definitely NOT your sister’s Miata. I chose this over the Audi TT, BMW Z3, and Honda S2000. Uncle likes his guns. I like my cars.

Oh yeah, did I mention we have new blogger here at SayUncle? Well, we do. Enjoy.

And some of you probably know him, but I’m not talking.

At work, I’m in the middle of one of those phases where each task is just as irritating as the next, and every time the phone rings or email beeps it gets worse. So what do I do about it? Hook up with Mr. Uncle & Co. to join in the blogging. Apparently blogging is preferable to working.

So this is my first post and I’ll keep it brisk. I consider this my “Hello World” post. To Mr. Uncle, thanks for having me! To his readers, I’ll try not to scare any of you off. And I’ll try to refrain from posting links to John Edwards fixing his hair.

Well, when that many people get together for beer, what do you expect?

It has been five weeks since the expiration of the assault weapons ban. I find it rather odd that the weapons of choice for criminals that would lead to blood in the streets haven’t been living up to that.

No terror attacks have occurred either with all these AK47s that are now supposedly widely available for terrorists, who also prefer them.

Now, it is possible that some isolated instance will occur at some point. But the fact is the blood in the streets hysteria has never been an issue and I doubt it will be.

Meanwhile, SayUncle completed his latest AR15 build last night.

SayUncle never gets a flu shot. The two times in my life I have received one, I came down with the flu. Otherwise, I never (well, mostly never) get the flu. You may have heard that there is a shortage of flu shots in the US. That is, unless you’re part of the political elite:

While many Americans search in vain for flu shots, members and employees of Congress are able to obtain them quickly and at no charge from the Capitol’s attending physician, who has urged all 535 lawmakers to get the vaccines even if they are young and healthy.

The physician’s office has dispensed nearly 2,000 flu shots this fall, and doses remained available yesterday. That is a steep drop from last year’s 9,000 shots, a spokesman for attending physician John F. Eisold said, because many congressional employees have voluntarily abided by federal guidelines that call for this season’s limited supply to go mainly to the elderly, the very young, pregnant women, long-term-care patients and people with chronic illnesses.

But people of all ages who are credentialed to work in the Capitol can get a shot by saying they meet the guidelines, with no further questions asked, said the spokesman, who cited office policy in demanding anonymity.

So, Mr. and Mrs. America, take one for the team. Oh, you mean us too?

Bill Hobbs is looking for high-quality Tennessee-based political blogs that are politically oriented center-right (in other words, mainstream). So, if that’s you and you want to contribute, head on over and sign up.

I guess the Rocky Top Brigade isn’t enough.

Tom visits a local tourist trap at the Smokies and has a guide for you.

Backroad blog takes on the nonsensical sporting purpose importation rulings of the ATF.

LA, which apparently needs money, is trying to scare it out of people:

The measure would raise the sales tax in Los Angeles to 8.75 percent, among the highest rates in the nation. It is intended to pay for the addition of 5,000 new police officers to the 22,000 who now work for the city police and county sheriff’s departments.

Opponents of the initiative argue that local leaders are pushing it as a quick fix and lack the political will to deal with larger and more divisive issues facing the region, including an overwhelming wave of illegal immigrants and nearly broken-health care system.

But most galling to the opponents is a commercial that shows a woman and her daughter cowering next to a bed in a suburban home, screaming helplessly for police who are too late to save them from a shadowy intruder slowly climbing the stairs.

The ad ends before the little girl and her mother meet their presumably violent fate. It fades to black as the woman screams “No!” — followed by the sound of a heartbeat and empty dial tone.

That’s pretty abysmal.

The text of NRA endorsed presidential candidate George Bush is here:

President Bush: It was a clear reversal. It was a position that needed to be reversed—the prior Administration had taken the position that the Second Amendment only applies to state militias and doesn’t protect an individual right to bear arms. My opponent issued a press release earlier this year supporting that exact same position. I know that’s not what the Constitution says. The Constitution gives people a personal right to bear arms. So we did reverse the Clinton Administration’s position, and I think that was the right thing to do.

So, why support the assault weapons ban? Why oppose rolling back DC’s unconstitutional gun restrictions? Or why not, you know, get rid of several anti-gun executive orders? And why the support for closing the gun show loophole? Etc.

I know nothing about the psychology of transgendered persons, at all. However, I think that it’s pretty safe to say they may have a few emotional problems, particularly when they shoot at people:

Philadelphia’s first transgender police officer is in a lot of trouble after she is accused of shooting near another officer during firearm’s training.

[snip]

Gonzalez, 57, is scheduled for a sex change operation next summer. She takes hormones and other medication.

Back then, Gonzalez told NBC 10 in January that she notified her police department about her life change and her officers were supportive.

“All I ask is that they tolerate me and accept me,” she said then.

Gonzalez is accused of mishandling firearms and putting other officers in danger.

According to sources, Gonzalez was training other officers at the police academy firing range Friday night when she got into an argument with Officer Marie Schmidt, a 17-year veteran of the force.

Gonzalez allegedly took Schmidt’s gun out of her hand and fired a round at the ground, then fired another down range.

Noting the dangers of firing into the ground, police reassigned Gonzalez and she was checked into a hospital for evaluation.

I’m not saying being a transgendered person necessarily denotes a predisposition to violence or emotional problems, but I have to wonder why this person would be an armed public servant since she seems a bit unstable.

So now that the “assault weapons ban” is gone, what’s our next goal? One of the blogs I frequent (I can’t remember which one! If it’s yours, leave a comment) suggests going after the Hughes Amendment to the Firearm Owners Protection Act. This is the law that (among other things) froze the supply of new machine guns for 2nd-class citizens…I mean, non-government-employees.

Just think about all the “assault weapons” hysteria we had to endure. Now think how much worse the screaming would be if Congress wanted to allow regular people to buy brand-new for-real MACHINE GUNS.

Or would it? After all, most people thought that’s what “assault weapons” were. Won’t people be confused when the papers and TV start broadcasting their dire warnings of blood running in the street and bullet-hoses unleashed on our schoolyards? Won’t they look around and see that the AWB expired, and none of the predicted disasters came to pass?

Oh, who am I kidding?

Eric Raymond has several recent posts. Let’s hope he doesn’t take another 7 month hiatus from blogging.

I found this on Instapundit, so probably you’ve already read it, but what the heck. One or more regular readers here have claimed that Iraq was a distraction from the REAL important anti-terrorism task: capturing Bin Laden in Afghanistan. As far as I know (but I could be wrong), none of these readers are 4-star Generals (NY Times, registration required, sorry):

Contrary to Senator Kerry, President Bush never “took his eye off the ball” when it came to Osama bin Laden. The war on terrorism has a global focus. It cannot be divided into separate and unrelated wars, one in Afghanistan and another in Iraq. Both are part of the same effort to capture and kill terrorists before they are able to strike America again, potentially with weapons of mass destruction. Terrorist cells are operating in some 60 countries, and the United States, in coordination with dozens of allies, is waging this war on many fronts.

As we planned for potential military action in Iraq and conducted counterterrorist operations in several other countries in the region, Afghanistan remained a center of focus. Neither attention nor manpower was diverted from Afghanistan to Iraq. When we started Operation Iraqi Freedom we had about 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, and by the time we finished major combat operations in Iraq last May we had more than 10,000 troops in Afghanistan. [Emphasis added]

But what the hell does this guy know about anything, anyway?

Oliver Willis calling someone a hack.

Blogger laws worth reading. A taste:

Ninth Law – Memes and Quizilla quizzes are not a substitute for original posting. A bloggers credibility index is inversely proportional to the number of memes and Quizilla quizzes they post each day.

Chuck gave a reporter a hard time and gets some press coverage. Congrats.

homemade squirrel launcher

Alrighty, then.

Matt Rustler is on hiatus. However, he has an all star cast guest blogging over at Stop the Bleating. Just scroll away.

A local teacher is in trouble for showing an R rated movie to here class, which is a no-no unless you get permission from parents. Coincidentally, this R rated movie happened to be Fahrenheit 9/11:

A Knox County high school teacher has been put on administrative leave with pay – and could face termination – for showing parts of the controversial R-rated movie “Fahrenheit 9/11” to students in her English class.

The school system’s guidelines for showing videos state that “under no circumstance” are films with an R rating allowed. “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which criticizes President Bush’s response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is rated R for some violent and disturbing images and for language.

The guidelines also state that individual school principals must approve in writing any movies or other audiovisual works that teachers want to show and that parents must be notified about any showings.

Jon Miller, principal of Central High School, said he had no idea English teacher Suzanne Miller was showing “Fahrenheit 9/11” to her students. He learned of the situation Friday after a parent called the school to complain. On Monday he and the school system’s human resources department still were trying to nail down details.

The local VRWC sponsored radio program this morning said the teacher was planning on showing another movie that counters Moore’s film (I’m assuming Farenhype 9/11) and that the students would write a paper about convincing people.

She should have followed protocol but I tend to think that this wouldn’t be an issue if it weren’t the Moore film. Hell, in high school history, we watched Young Guns as a historical cowboy movie.