Via Insty, Tammy Bruce laments that cultural issues account for the fact movie sales are at a 15 year low:

Americans will no longer go see movies which are nothing more than the manifestation of the backwash of malignant narcissists. We’re also sick and tired of listening to actors lecture us about how awful the US is, and more recently, why a cold-blooded mass murdering gang founder should have been given clemency.

My explanation is simpler. Three factors have attributed to poor movie sales:

1 – TiVo: I have it and love it. I now never watch commercials, ever. Other than when a movie creates a buzz in the news, I never know it’s out. Currently, the only movie I know of that is playing is Narnia and that’s because it has made the news for being Christian or anti-Christian (I can’t remember which).

2 – Alternative media outlets: DVDs, pay per view, and Al Gore’s Internets are much more convenient. I can get DVDs delivered to my house. I can push three buttons and get pay per views. I think Hollywood would increase their margins by just bypassing theaters altogether. You want me to watch? Then pump it into my house. I’d rather wait four months for pay per view than load up the car, find a sitter, shell out $16 for tickets, another $8 for refreshments, sit in a chair less comfortable than my couch, deal with the idiot who wants to yell at the movie, to watch a crappy movie. That brings us to 3.

3 – The movies suck. Hollywood is out of ideas. They remade The Dukes of Fucking Hazzard, for crying out loud. Nothing original, it’s all been done. They’re all remakes or novel adaptations. Do something interesting. Not only are they getting content from things already done, they’re re-doing some of it in the same format: at the movie (like King Kong*). Here’s an idea plucked fresh from my website: Find the most complex, attention getting conspiracy theory and make a movie out of it. Seriously, New World Order, black helicopters, John Titor, Scientology, pick one. Sure, they’re so far-fetched but, dammit, they’re entertaining. Is it sad that I’d rather read the ramblings of crazy people and scam artists than go to a damn movie.

Feh.

Update: *And the only reason I realized King Kong was out was because I checked email and it’s advertised on Yahoo.

It’s happened again. The billboards around town tell me that there are two gun shows the weekend of 12/31, Mike Holloway and RK Shows.

A man in Oregon had his concealed handgun permit revoked when he admitted he had a medical marijuana card and that he used it frequently. A judge has ruled the man can keep his permit:

A Washington County judge ruled that a Beaverton man can hold a concealed handgun permit despite being a medical marijuana user.

Washington County Sheriff Rob Gordon revoked Steven Schwerdt’s permit three months ago when Schwerdt indicated on a form that he had a medical marijuana card and frequently used the drug.

Judge Marco Hernandez said Monday that the county did not convince him that Schwerdt was violating a federal law that prohibits a habitual drug user or addict from possessing a firearm.

Update: David Codrea, on the NRA’s drug stance:

I’ve never understood the affinity of “conservatives” to support prohibition.

Radley Balko notes:

The gun was stolen, not unregistered. Mississippi doesn’t require guns to be registered. The prosecution apparently wanted to push the fact that the gun was stolen in an attempt to discredit Maye

We knew that already. Radley also has a rundown on the story with new facts, notably:

The narcotics task force did have a warrant for Cory Maye’s apartment.

Maye was not listed on the warrant.

Via Robert, who should blog more, Tapco has a deal on HK91/G3/PTR91/Cetme mags. 50 for $50. $1 each, can’t beat that.

Via Michael, here’s a rundown of plagiarism in the press for 2005.

Another interstate highway running through it. No matter how many come in, there’s only two lanes out going east.

This product, make because of a desperate situation, simply disturbs me. A product being sold by James McAdams of England is so wrong on so many levels.

It is reported that 50% of people in London are worried about security and sleep with some form of self-defence to hand, for use against intruders.

The ‘Safe Bedside Table’ has a removable leg that acts as a club and a top that doubles as a shield for self-defence. This is for people who are willing to take on an intruder, providing an extra sense of security whilst in bed.

This is what a criminal wants to see. While a club is better then nothing, it is sad they cannot meet the criminal with a nice .357 magnum.

So club and shield against yobs armed with a gun. GUESS WHO WINS?
[Boing Boing]

Paraphrased from Sunday’s The Boondocks:

Could you repeat that? I’m afraid I couldn’t hear you over the sound of me shitting my pants.

Radley Balko writes:

District Attorney Buddy McDonald emailed me yesterday to tell me the gun Maye used to shoot Officer Jones was unregistered, and possibly stolen.

Of course it’s unregistered, as the state of Mississippi does not require guns to be registered, as our friends at the Brady Campaign will attest. So, the claim that the gun is unregistered is, well, silly. As to stolen, Radley reports that doesn’t seem to be the case either.

Yes, with all the ills facing society, it’s good to the Senate tackling something important:

The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is considering legislation to limit the size of carry-on luggage, saying the suitcases he sees going into airplane cabins are far too large.

If you’re rich and famous, you can get a permit there. Ask Sean Penn. Timothy Wheeler endorses shall-issue CCW laws in California:

Thirty-eight states now issue permits to law-abiding citizens to carry personal firearms for self-protection. But California’s law leaves permit-granting authority to local chief law enforcement officers, making for a complex patchwork of rules that are often unfairly applied. Some sheriffs grant permits to any good citizens who apply. But in Los Angeles or San Francisco, you can forget it unless you are a celebrity or other well-connected worthy.

I wouldn’t get my hopes up.

JJ and wife are expecting.

The return of hollow-points:

Hollow-point bullets like the one used in the slaying of Officer Daniel Enchautegui are much deadlier than ordinary bullets – and nearly as easy to get.

Actually, they’re just as easy to get.

Cops favor using the hollow-point bullets because they are less likely to pass through a target and ricochet into a fellow cop or bystander.

And, of course, because they have much better stopping power than ball ammo.

But they want their public sale banned to keep them out of the hands of thugs like Enchautegui’s alleged killers, Steven Armento and Lillo Brancato.

They do? So, they want non-police to stick with ammo that will pass through a target and ricochet into a fellow cop or bystander.

Anyone with a gun permit can buy the hollow-points in a gun shop. They also are readily available on the black market.

And, in just about any place that isn’t New York, you can get them at Wal-Mart.

The main difference between hollow-point and regular, “full-metal jacket” bullets is that the hollow-points flatten on impact and expand inside a target.

Yeah, that gets back to that stopping power thing I mentioned earlier.

An on-duty cop’s bulletproof vest would likely provide the same protection from a hollow-point as a regular bullet.

Actually, a vest offers a bit more protection from hollow points, which like to expand when they hit stuff and, therefore, penetration would be much less.

Update: Brutal Hugger in comments:

I’ve bought hollow points in New York. Never at a Wal Mart, but a friend of mine who makes all his non-Internet ammo purchases at Wal-Mart buys hollow point 9mm ammo there all the time. I demand a retraction!

Heh! Silly me, relying on the word of a reporter when it comes to gun laws.

I’ve offered my opinion on the issue before, but let’s have a second opinion on the AK-47 v. AR-15 debate:

It is true that Kalashnikov (the inventor, not the weapon) was an able weapon designer, but he was not superior to Eugene Stoner (the father of the M16/M4). Kalashnikov designed a weapon for an ill-trained conscripted army. For that purpose, the AK47 was and is a superb weapon. Stoner designed a weapon for a professional army. Any professional soldier would prefer the M16/M4 family over the Kalashnikovs.

Via Mr. Completely.

Here’s the headline of an AP story:

Anti-Syrian journalist killed in Lebanon

Just curious why the press would refer to someone with an obvious slant (i.e., being anti-Syria) as a journalist? Why not, say, activist or some other term that isn’t usually associated with objectivity?

In Tennessee, the dead have risen from the grave to vote for Ophelia Ford:

Election records of a September special election that put Ophelia Ford in a state Senate seat show that someone may have used the name of a man who had been dead for six weeks to vote.

Ford, a Democrat, beat Republican challenger Terry Roland by 13 votes in a race in which 8,750 ballots were cast. The election was to replace Ford’s brother John Ford, who resigned in May after being indicted on bribery charges.

A razor thin margin and dead people voting. Why, if this keeps up, I’ll lose faith in our Democracy.

Drug laws, particularly meth laws, are making their way into the PATRIOT Act:

A conference report by Senate and House negotiators to extend for four years provisions of the USA Patriot Act includes a comprehensive anti-methamphetamine package restricting the sale of products containing ingredients needed to cook the drug and providing new tools to police and prosecutors to combat dealers.

Via Insty.

To preface this, I’m against the death penalty. Not for any touchy-feely, hippie tree hugging reason like most folks. I oppose it because it’s disproportionately applied to poor minorities. And, as AC Kleinheider says:

A society that uses capital punishment must be comfortable with one fact: You are going to kill innocent people. I don’t care how many appeals you exhaust or how much science you bring to it. Human error or human malice will result in the death of an innocent or two.

All that said, here’s a question I’ve proposed at other blogs but I’ll ask again:

Why do they schedule executions of the condemned at such God-awful hours?

During all the hooey about the 1,000th execution, number 999 or maybe 1,000 was executed at 2 in the morning. Tookie was executed after midnight.

Seems to me the real punishment when the death penalty is used is waiting around and knowing it’s going to happen. That’s compounded by the fact it’s going to happen at some odd hour.

Apparently, the key to successful blogging is to, you know, not blog. Good to see Spoonsy blogging again, though.

In Tennessee, where you happen to commit a particular crime will affect the fine you receive:

The Alcoa Police Department is using a new law to discourage drug violations in the city.

Police Chief Ken Burge issued a warning: “If you manufacture, sell, buy or possess to sell drugs in designated drug-free zones, your offense will be aggressively prosecuted and may cost you much more money.”

A law in effect for some time designated schools and areas within 1,000 feet of school property as “drug-free zones” and made drug transactions within those zones more serious crimes than similar activity in other locations.

The Tennessee General Assembly passed a law that took effect July 1 increasing the number of locations designated as drug-free zones. The original law specified “public or private schools.” The new law adds pre-schools, child care facilities, public libraries, recreational centers and parks.

The new law regarding drug-free zones provides fines ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, depending on the offense, in addition to the fines usually imposed for drug convictions.

I understand the desire to keep drugs out of schools and such but that shouldn’t carry that much more weight.

Head is building an AK pistol. It’s time he obtained one of these.

Update: Perused the web a bit and have basically decided that this story is not credible. The source is not credible and the claim is unsubstantiated. Moved below the fold. Consider it redacted. Still, it reminded me of this:

Click below to see original post.
Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Helen:

Remember when kids could play with toy guns and they were not a symbol of all that was evil in the world? My daughter doesn’t. She warned me that she could never bring the potato gun to school without the risk of expulsion.

At 15 months, I built Junior her first AR-15. I’ll probably build her one of these too.

I was reading the tale of the nutjob on a plane who threatened to kill a child, tried to barge into the cockpit, but was thankfully subdued by passengers when I read this line:

The man was put in plastic “tough cuff” restraints aboard the plane and detained for the remainder of the flight, said Scott Ishikawa, state Department of Transportation spokesman.

Seriously, it’s probably not a bad idea to buy some of those next time you fly. You can get them here.

Update: Chris in comments has a better idea, Zip Ties. Much less conspicuous.

Despite passage of the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004 allowing police and retired police officers to carry weapons across the country, Chicago has to be different:

Retired Chicago Police officers will be getting letters in the mail soon saying the city won’t certify them to carry guns — a move that angers the head of the local Fraternal Order of Police.

Supposedly, this if for liability reasons. However, given the city’s apparent fear of guns, I have my doubts.

Or Sharon the love

And through absolutely no fault or effort on my own part. Sharon Cobb says in comments:

I am requesting the owner of this site verify that I explicitly explained to him that Michael Moore was in no way involved in my film, that No one was profiting from it,etc., and yet you went ahead and wrote this inspite (sic) of the facts.

I am confused, of course, because in the harassing emails that I have received from her, she asked me not to post her emails. I abided by that. But she did mention that Moore had nothing to do with her film. However, his name does appear in the credits and she says she’s given him permission to use her footage in his upcoming film. I dunno, you tell me.

She sends me these requests because troublemaker #9 posted some less than flattering things about her, which in that email even I said to her I thought they were a bit much. Now, she’s demanding we correct assertions we never made, something she’s good at herself. As Les put it in comments:

Your correction takes the form of making corrections to mistakes that weren’t made.

Now, for the big kicker, she has threatened to sue me for libel, slander and intentionally inflicting emotional harm. It’s probably my fault for telling her that her allegations were unfounded and unless they came from a lawyer, I wouldn’t take them seriously. And if they did come from a lawyer, it’d have to be a pretty stupid lawyer. That said, here’s the deal, I’ve only linked to Sharon a handful of times. I liked her TennCare stuff, wished her well on her surgery, and linked to her insight on Tennessee politics. I’ve not linked to her all that much because, frankly, I don’t generally read her site. If I do, it’s because someone else I do regularly read linked to it. But because she can’t take the criticism leveled by #9, I’m in a pickle. Do I pull the posts to avoid the hassle? Or do I stick to my proverbial guns? Well, I like guns whether they’re real or proverbial. This is not the first time I’ve been threatened with legal action for this blog. It won’t be the last. You will not silence me and your petty threats are laughable. So, bring it.

If you’re going to blog, you need to toughen up. Not everyone who links to you is going to send you accolades, praise, and support. If you can’t deal with criticism, whether you think it’s founded or not, then take your blog down and apologize.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

David Hardy provides a summary of the Colt v. Bushmaster lawsuit. Here’s the whole thing.

No, not that kind. Defense Review looks at the Stag Arms left-handed AR-15, for you southpaws out there.

Heh!