I was reading Colby Cosh’s headscratcher piece today, discussing various reasons people have for voting for one Presidential candidate or the other. One of these is the Supreme Court. The next President could appoint up to four new justices. It occurs to me that this could possibly be one of the really long-term effects from either guy, and as such deserves a pretty high priority on anybody’s pro/con list— possibly THE highest.

What say you? Any thoughts on who either guy would appoint? And beyond that, who they would appoint who could get past the confirmation process?

In case you gave up visiting One Hand Clapping, the Rev. Sensing is back and blogging after a short hiatus. His son graduated (is that the right word?) from Marine Boot Camp. Congratulations to him and his family!

Semper Fi! (Is it OK for a non-Marine to say that?)

A new Day by Day! And I’m digging the new art style. Black and white, as though he’s headed for syndication or something?

I can’t seem to turn on the TV without seeing a blogger. And bloggers are also breaking stories and fact checking the media. However, here’s a new one. It seems Pete and his DrugWarRant (a blog you should be reading) are at the center of a heated Illinois House race:

Speaking of smears, Weller, in the closing days of the campaign, is running a radio ad and sending out a direct mail piece noting that Renner is endorsed on a Web site called “DrugwarRant.com” and implying that Renner is somehow aligned with a group promoting heroin use. The race is featured on the site, but Renner is not for what they are for and told me he never asked for their help. Said Renner, this is “as low as it’s gotten.”

The problem with that, as Pete puts it, is that he is not a group and he doesn’t promote heroin use. Jerry Weller is a liar.

Regarding my spam troubles, Kathy Kinsley installed a couple things for me. One closes posts older than a week and the other defaults the comment moderation queue to Delete instead of Do Nothing.

All better and no bitch has to be choked. So, Alphie, take that!

Sorry, rambling post ahead with no real thought out order or point. Just some random thoughts strung together.

So, we have allegations of widespread voter fraud from the left and the right. Obviously, both sides are playing for keeps. Additionally, there is violence against the GOP headquarters. It seems the left is getting a bit out of control. I suppose it’s in anticipation of the election not going well.

Last night on The Daily Show, Zogby called the election for Kerry. His reasoning was that it was close and the undecided will decide it. He said history has shown undecideds go against the incumbent.

Also, there is some mention of violence and riots after the election. And some are already saying the election will be decided by judges:

Equal Protection, like the Commerce Clause, is sort of an all-purpose method for the feds to assume authority for everything, even those things which are, constitutionally, explicitly under the control of the states. We will pay dearly for this down the road, because every fucking election for the rest of our lives is likely to be settled this way. After all, once an unelected, unaccountable branch of government assumes final authority over the election process itself, what could possibly go wrong?

Additionally, I caught the South Park election episode which was hysterical. It concluded by stating that each election, you’re given a choice between a giant douche and a turd because they’re the two guys who sucked up enough to get to be in the running. So, you vote against one guy or another.

And, to beat all, the Libertarian founder has endorsed Bush using the logic that this is no the time to fuck around. Coincidentally, I may have changed my mind on my vote had that been written a week sooner. Or maybe not. Tennessee is safely a red state.

Is this the preview to hard times ahead or will Tuesday just be the preview of a rather unceremonious changing of the guard or status quo? Pending apocalypse? I dunno. We live in interesting times.

Will it get better before getting worse or worse before getting better. I am of the opinion now that I just want this election over.

Update: Oh yeah, and I’m still calling this one for Bush. I am using the highly scientific method pioneered by William Burton:

I’ve come up with a rule of thumb for wagering on Presidential elections (at least general elections).

See who looks most like a funeral director, and bet against him.

Shallow? Of course.

But no more shallow than letting the big donors decide, or the Supreme Court.

Gore – Bush
Clinton – Dole
Clinton – Bush
Dukakis – Bush (but this one was close)
Mondale – Reagan
Carter – Reagan
Carter – Ford

By my measure, Nixon was the last guy who won an election while looking more like a funeral director.

Update 2: Oh and campaign finance reform; 380 or 3 tons of weapons that were there, then weren’t, then were moved, then weren’t, then sealed, then weren’t, that were moved, then weren’t, that were found, then weren’t; blood for oil; flip flop; yada yada yada.

Politicians are trying to scare. One example is the assault weapons ban. And they (and their cronies) are lying about it:

FactCheck.org also cited examples of distortions used by Kerry supporters, including an ad suggesting that Bush opened America’s streets to gun-toting terrorists by failing to extend a ban on assault weapons.

The ad, sponsored by MoveOn PAC, displays an AK-47 with machine-gun fire rattling in the background. “This is an assault weapon,” an announcer tells viewers. “It can fire up to 300 rounds a minute. In the hands of terrorists, it could kill hundreds.”

FactCheck.org said the ad “is about as misleading as it can be” and fails to point out that fully automatic machine guns capable of firing 300 rounds a minute have been outlawed since 1934 and remain illegal. The online truth squad also pointed out that Congress — not Bush — allowed the ban to expire.

Of course, these same distortions have been present in the mainstream media too, who are part of the problem. Scaring the Hell out of you sells papers.

The National Park Service has clarified that the Grand Canyon was created by Noah’s Flood.

Oh and this is more Funny Sad, not Funny Ha Ha.

Update: Yeah, yeah, they’re just selling a book.

Article headline: NRA, Kerry seek votes in Appleton.

And I thought he was running against Bush.

I am generally non-violent. However, if I could get my hands on whoever it is that has spent the last two days spamming the hell out of my site, I’d beat them within an inch of their lives.

Of course, with Wordpress, the spam never makes it to the site but goes into a moderation queue. And then I have to delete them. That can be a pain when it numbers 300 per day.

Except, it’s called the Rocky Top Roundup, a collection of posts from Tennessee bloggers. Give it a read.

Anyone having trouble getting to Yahoo?

Land Survey Blog details the most restrictive land use law in the nation:

Known as the 65-10 Rule, it calls for landowners to set aside 65 percent of their property and keep it in its natural, vegetative state. According to the rule, nothing can be built on this land, and if a tree is cut down, for example, it must be replanted. Building anything is out of the question.

That’s pretty horrendous.

I have a gmail account that I have yet to use. I don’t really know what the significance of it is or what it does. However, I apparently have six one invites in case someone wants one.

Update: none left, sorry. Man, they go fast.

In the last 12 Hours, a spam bot has left over 120 spam comments. Not a single one made it to the blog.

Drug War Rant:

A new acronym is born. D’Alliance notes that the ONDCP and the DOJ have given birth to the NSDAP (unfortunately, their method of reproduction involves screwing us). The mewling newborn, which will be quickly sucking at the public teat, is designed to go after the designer drugs. For a bit of fun, try googling NSDAP. Oops.

Heh.

Triggerfinger details the lies of some politicos trying to push an assault weapons ban in Illinois.

Chad Daniel Crawford, who I blogged about here, placed kicked a small dog named Gizmo several months ago. It got national media attention. I heard on the news today that he has plead not guilty and his lawyer is arguing that the press coverage of the incident has had an averse affect on Mr. Crawford’s life.

Since the incident, he has lost his job; lost his apartment and was forced to move; and fears for his life (and received death threats). Good.

Tennessee’s child porn law may be so broad as to be unconstitutional:

Throw a bunch of trashy photographs of pigtailed “girls” engaged in vile acts in front of a jury.

Argue John Q. Citizen purposely downloaded those images because he wanted to view child pornography and liked what he saw.

Don’t bother trying to find the “girls” or their birth certificates. They don’t look 18.

Under Tennessee’s child pornography law, John Q. Citizen might well be headed to prison – even if those “girls” turn out to be adult actresses.

“Why can that not happen?” Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Jerry L. Smith wanted to know.

Additionally:

The chief bone of contention is a section in that law that allows a jury to “infer” or conclude that a person shown in pornographic material is a minor based on how the material is packaged, labeled or portrayed.

I think this is kind of silly. If the images are of consenting adults, there is no crime as far as I’m concerned regardless of marketing. Child porn is a horrendous crime, as long as it’s really child porn.

That being said, I’m also pretty sure Tennessee’s age of consent for sex is less than 18. That would seem to be a larger concern than young looking adults who have pigtails consenting to dirty pictures, since Tennessee also has a high occurrence of teen pregnancy.

A man steals a rifle from a police car (don’t they lock those things?) and starts shooting at people in a neighborhood:

A stolen squad car and gun rampage has the King County sheriff’s office scrambling for ways to keep their weapons from falling into the hands of crooks.

Folks here are still shaken by the fact the gunman walked through a Kent neighborhood shooting the stolen SWAT rifle. They say it could have easily turned deadly.

Police say it was 33-year-old Edgar Garcia who broke into a sheriff’s patrol car, found an extra set of keys and took off with it.

He got a sniper rifle from the SWAT team out of the trunk and allegedly shot and wounded Mike Dubuc in the right arm.

He then looked for other targets.

It gets better:

“He was shooting to kill,” neighbor Chad Todd said. “And then he pointed it at me and I ran over my fence to get my assault rifle. By the time I got that he was over in the woods, so I came here with my pistol to see if Mike was all right.”

Too bad Chad didn’t get him.

On your way home, take the long way (especially if you have a big ass SUV). And if you could spray some hair spray out your window, that’d be great too. Why? Because it’s late October, the weather is beautiful and I’m wearing short sleeves.

I love global warming, even if it is made up.

This is to test whether or not my new RSS feed shows the entire post or just an excerpt. Should work but I’ll soon know. You feed readers out let me know if it works.

This time from Interpol:

The new head of Interpol declared war on small arms today, saying the proliferation of pistols, shotguns and rifles threatens peace and law enforcement across Africa and around the world.

South Africa’s National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi, elected as head of the international police agency this month, said he would use his tenure to ”do everything to ensure that this campaign against small arms becomes a global campaign”.

”In the Caribbean, the issue of small arms is a problem. In Africa it is a problem. In Europe it is a problem. In Asia it is a problem,” Selebi said in Pretoria at the launch of a new study on gun ownership in southern Africa.

Guns are a problem where guns are banned? That is odd. I also found this odd:

”As long as there are large numbers of firearms there can not be a guarantee of peace,” he said, adding that African police chiefs had agreed to work together to curb the number of small arms in circulation.

I thought guns kept the peace. That is, after all, why police officers carry them.

Enforcement problem:

A Justice Department report shows that Arkansas has rejected a higher proportion of applications to buy firearms than most other states.

One of every 48 prospective gun purchases in the state is rejected. On average, the survey of 40 states shows one of every 65 attempts to buy a gun is rejected.

Arkansas uses FBI background checks to enforce provisions of the Brady Bill, enacted 10 years ago. The law makes it illegal to sell guns to people with criminal records.

The Justice Department study shows that since 1999, 15,438 Arkansans have been rejected for gun purchases. In Connecticut, one buyer is rejected for every 330 purchases, while in Tennessee, there is one rejection for every 26 purchases in Tennessee.

As I’ve said before, gun friendly states seem to enforce existing gun laws better than non-gun friendly states. I think it’s probably because if you have too many, you can’t enforce them all. I guess they let the important ones slide.

Kinda frightening:

Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies are looking for at least four, possibly five men today, who barged their way into a couple’s home in south-east Shelby County.

The couple was severely beaten. The couple told Sheriff’s Deputies they awakened about 4:30 this morning when several men banged at the back door at their home, which is located in the 9400 block of Plantation Lake Road near Collierville. The men wore ski masks and black shirts that said “POLICE.” All of the men, armed with pistols, were yelling, “Police! F.B.I.! Open Up!” As the couple answered the door, the men barged their way inside the house demanding money.

They forced the lady to take them through the house ransacking various rooms. Not finding any money, the men beat the woman and her husband with their pistols and a cue stick from a pool table. The couple was then taken to a bathroom where their feet were bound with duct tape.

In New York, it’s expensive to even get the city to allow you to own a gun. It’s impossible to get permission to carry one, unless you’re a celebrity or filthy rich (ask Robert Di Nero):

Gov. Pataki has quietly allowed one of his biggest contributors to be made a “deputy superintendent” and “colonel” in the State Police, angering law-enforcement officials, The Post has learned.

David Mack, a megamillionaire New York City construction executive whose brother provided the governor with a controversial private jet ride to a St. Barts vacation last year, regularly shows up at official functions, including police funerals, in a full-dress police uniform with a 9 mm pistol on his belt, a prominent law-enforcement source told The Post.

It mentions later in the article that he’s not authorized to carry a handgun and has no police power. Why, then, can he pack a 9MM when in uniform?

Two candidates in a race both have an A rating from the NRA. The NRA wants one to win so they change one rating to an F. Further in the article we find the NRA’s reason:

On a portion of the tape from the hour-long show, Velazquez said, “Somebody once told me that in Montana, you have two choices: You could be in favor of gun control or you could run for office, but you couldn’t do both. So, you know, I’m not in favor of gun control because I might run for office again.”

Velazquez also said on the program that she wasn’t sure the framers of the constitution intended a broader, universal right to gun ownership and commented she believes “they had envisioned a limited right to gun ownership.”

Velazquez said Tuesday her remarks were taken out of context. The initial statement about running for office was made in jest, she said.

I’m not sure who is playing politics here.

I’ve heard around the spectrum talks of this election ending badly. By badly, I don’t mean in terms of your guy losing. I mean people addressing the potential for post election violence. If it’s close, will there be riots. If it goes to court, will there be riots?

Also, one of the Supreme Court justices is ill. In the event he’s not around for the pending case, would a 4-4 vote cause riots?

I’m just wondering how likely it is that this thing could end badly. Thoughts? I tend to doubt there will be substantial riots except maybe in Democrat leaning large cities.

I have two beers bet on this election and rioting would interfere with my ability to collect. I’d hate for Kevin and Chris to brave the riots to bring me my beer!

I’m sure Hell has a special place for people like this:

When the dog arrived at the shelter, care-takers counted between 50 and 60 cigarette burns all over her body.

Ontario’s pending pit bull legislation has been introduced:

The Ontario government introduced its legislation to ban pit bulls in the province Tuesday afternoon, with an eye toward passing a law by the end of the year.

Attorney-General Michael Bryant said he is committed to pushing the ban through, despite a growing chorus of opposition from dog owners who say it is misguided to blame the breed.

And the dumbass quote of the day:

“If this is an inherently dangerous dog, as I believe it to be, then you can’t leave it to the dog owner to every single time put the muzzle on it,” Mr. Bryant told reporters on Tuesday.

“Just like you can’t leave it to the gun owner to always put the safety clip on a weapon before it goes out in public.”

It’s a dumbass twofer. First, No breed is inherently dangerous. Secondly, what the hell is a safety clip?

The latest potential victim of eminent domain abuse:

The City of Mansfield wants to build a 100-acre project that will include retail shops, upscale apartments and a baseball complex.

To complete the project, the city wants two acres of Wanda Allen’s property.

Again, we have a city taking from one private individual to give to another. The article contains this snippet:

Eminent domain allows a government entity to convert private land to public land with reasonable compensation to the landowner.

There is also the important criteria of public use.

Indeed it was:

Although a few weeks isn’t much time to spot trends, we’re unaware of any shootings with previously banned guns, much less the mass killings gun-control advocates predicted. It’s a sure bet partisan political activists would be all over the story if there was one. In an age in which the words, “The first time I ever met you was when you walked on the stage tonight,” were barely out of Dick Cheney’s mouth before Internet sleuths and others produced proof refuting the claim, if there were any evidence of shootings, we’d all know about it.

The reality is that the firearms covered by the ban accounted for very few deaths before and during the ban. There’s no reason to think that will change.

Politicians have a lot of control over our everyday lives. They must exercise their authority carefully to avoid restricting our liberties for a quick-fix that amounts to meaningless legislation. We deserve better.

As soon as there is a shooting with one, we will see hysteria. In fact, even if there is a high profile shooting with a post-ban weapon, the usual suspects will still claim the ban needs to be in effect.

I noticed (and noted in comments) that the NYT (and AP) hit piece (that’s what I’m calling it now) on the missing explosives was lacking in the timing department. Turns out, there’s a reason for that:

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of 380 tons of powerful explosives from a storage depot in Iraq has taken a new twist, after a network embedded with the U.S. military during the invasion of Iraq reported that the material had already vanished by the time American troops arrived.

NBC News reported that on April 10, 2003, its crew was embedded with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division when troops arrived at the Al Qaqaa storage facility south of Baghdad.

They were gone over a year and a half ago.

Update: Jeff has much more. As does TTLB. More like an October Surmise!

Like SUVs, apparently, guns can kill people all by themselves. I guess they just walk around and shoot at people. It’s a good thing this guy has a webcam for his gun.

Kudos to WATE for offering RSS feeds of their content! Hell, the KNS doesn’t do that.

A new porn store called *giggle* Inserection is causing grief to people who are apparently upset that someone may want to, you know, visit there:

A shop selling pornography and other taboo toys is causing a stir in north Knoxville.

The store called Inserection is on Broadway across the street from the old 5th Avenue Motel. Developer Phillip Welker has applied for tax credits from the state historical commission. He wants to use the tax breaks to build apartments in the building. The city condemned the motel in October 2002 after a fatal stabbing and numerous code violations.

“Unfortunately, one bad business could keep away other good businesses that are wanting to spend lots of money towards revitalization,” said city Councilman Rob Frost.

The councilman said he’s called upon the Knoxville Police Department to investigate Inserection. It sells DVDs, lingerie, toys, novelties and smoking paraphernalia.

But store clerk Summer Cavender said more than half of the stock is non-adult oriented. If that’s true, the business will be allowed to stay.

By definition, the word “insurrection” means “an act, revolting against an established government.”

However, Cavender says her workplace isn’t revolting in the least. Rather, it’s in compliance with the law. “We’re not here to cause any problems, or offend anybody. We’re just here to run a business.”

But some of their neighbors are taking offense. St. John’s Lutheran Church is one of five ministries in the same neighborhood. You can even see the business from the front lawn of the church.

Though I’m all for peoples’ right to sell dirty magazines and stuff, I am amazed that people still go to porn stores. Haven’t these people heard of the internet?

As soon as I took my monk oath, the hotties would most definitely move in and start selling beer right across the street. And the temptation would just be too much. Since I already know what would happen, I won’t bother becoming a monk.

Justin Wilkins writes:

Americans Need To Do Their Own Investigating

In this time of election craziness it’s easy for us all to become brainwashed into believing complex issues are simple and easily explained in 20 second news bites.

Election rhetoric only perpetuates this ignorance such as “Kerry is flip-flopping” on guns. There is more to it than that: He’s FOR guns to hunt deer and ducks and our right to bear arms. He’s AGAINST folks having assault weapons like Ak-47s. (You know, the stuff armies and terrorist use?)

I cannot fathom why President Bush allowed the assault weapons ban to expire. Is it because hunters need AK-47s? Do you really need to take out a deer with a semi-automatic machine gun?

The irony is that he is a victim of not doing his own research. I sent him the following email:

A semi-automatic rifle is not a machine gun. Period. A machine gun fires multiple rounds per trigger pull. A semi-automatic (which is what many hunting rifles are) fires one shot per one pull of the trigger.

The assault weapons ban only banned guns that looked like military guns. Practice what you preach and do some investigating instead of taking at face value the talking points the media is shoving down your throat regarding the assault weapons ban.

Regards,

You can send him one to, his email address is posted with the article.

Update: KABA picked up on it, I’m sure Mr. Wilkins email doth runneth over.

Update2: He has responded with:

What I wrote was based on everything I know so far. Of course, you know as well as I do that anyone can distort anything to suit their argument. You are right I need to do more investigating. I do not know much about guns and you helped me understand a difference and an argument.

What I will do now is go look more closely at the AWB law and see if it makes sense.

Thanks Uncle!

One at a time, my friends, one at a time.

Took Mr. Blasty to the smith, who made some mods described here. Then, we fired off about 30 rounds. Not a single malfunction and the mags fed fine. I was a bit worried since I’d heard the 7.62 mags had feeding issues some times.

The smith also taught me how to tinker with the magazines to make them fit better. This is necessary because the 7.62 mags are slightly wider than standard 5.56 mags.

SayUncle is happy. Very happy. One word: awesome.

Murders were up last year in the US to 16,500 and overall crime is down. I thought the asshats that would somehow tie this to the assault weapons ban would be The Brady Campaign or the Violence Policy Center. I was wrong. Today’s asshat is John Edwards. Edwards, who apparently forgot he and Kerry were running for the White House and seems to think Clinton is, says:

Homicides With Firearms Account for Nearly 100 percent of Murder Increase, But Bush Let The Assault Weapons Ban Expire. There were nearly 1,000 more homicides using guns in 2003 than in 2000, while homicides using other weapons were did not have dramatic movement. The increase in firearm homicides accounts for nearly 100 percent of the total increase in homicides. Yet, faced with these facts, the Bush administration refused to take action to keep the deadliest weapons off our streets. (FBI Uniform Crime Report, 2003)

Wasn’t there a ban last year, Johnny Boy? If the rate had increased this year, you may have had correlation. As it is, you’re just full of it. Also amusing is the idea Edwards is portraying that Clinton apparently made crime go away while Bush brought it back. Anything to get elected.

Update: error corrected.

In this pictorial of tactical shotguns over at Mr. Jones, Mike Spenis of Feces Flinging Monkey quips:

Whenever I see the word ‘tactical’ I mentally replace it with the phrase ‘tricked-out’. (Similarly, the word ‘match’ should be replaced by the word ‘expensive’, and the term ‘mil-spec’ should be replaced by the word ‘black’).

Yup.

Reginald Shareef on the pending SCOTUS case regarding eminent domain:

I’ve watched with interest this fall as the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of Kelo v. City of New London. The legal question here is whether a municipality, using the power of eminent domain, can take private property for economic purposes. The case is interesting because it will determine whether cities can seize a person’s property and transfer it to private developers to boost an ailing economy. At the same time, the case is redundant because economic development has been the catalyst behind urban renewal “takings” for the past 50 years.

As the French like to say, “the more things change, the more they remain the same.”

What is different about the Kelo case is the “fig leaf” covering the economic development component of government takings is stripped away as New London openly condemned property that will be used in a private development plan. Heretofore, governments have used their eminent domain powers to condemn property in “blighted” areas, ostensibly to improve them. What a hoax! What really has happened is that these properties were turned over to private developers for economic development.

He then addresses some redevelopment programs in Roanoke.

So far this week, the only surprise has been the questionably motivated release of information pointing to missing explosives that now apparently went missing before American troops arrived on the scene in early 2003.

So what else can we expect this week? Finding Osama? Reports of drunk driving? Should be fun. I just hope I get my car back today so I can relax and enjoy the election coverage.

I thought the South Park guys did the little animated piece in Bowling for Columbine. Turns out that, like everything else Michael Moore does, it was misleading:

Conan: “Michael Moore is depicted in this film [Team America] along with a lot of other celebrities. And I talked about it with one of our producers after we saw the movie because you guys sort of go after Michael Moore. And it thought, that’s surprising, because Michael Moore was in Bowling for Columbine, it’s his movie, he interviewed you (points to Matt) on Bowling for Columbine and I remember thinking I thought those guys were friends with Michael Moore. Did you have a falling out?”

Matt: “It wasn’t so much a falling out. He asked me to do the interview for Bowling for Columbine because I grew up in Littleton, Colorado. So I thought, okay, I’ll talk about growing up in Littleton, Colorado. What he did that made us a little angry is he put an animation in right after my piece in Bowling in Columbine that is very South Park-esque in its look. And I think 99% of the people who saw Bowling for Columbine think Trey and I did that animation.”

Conan: “I thought it was yours until my producer told me that he talked to you guys. I thought that you had done that animation.”

Trey: “No no. He asked us if we would do an animated thing for him, and we’re like, You know, we grew up in Colorado, our parents have guns, it’s you know, whatever.”

Conan: “I’m wearing a gun right now. It’s just accepted.” (Audience laughs)

Trey: “Yeah exactly. We strongly believe in guns. So then he kind of did it anyway. So then later when he did Fahrenheit 911, people were like, well, Michael Moore kind of lies and manipulates to make people think certain things. We’re, like, personal victims of that. So we basically decided to make him into a puppet and blow him up.” (Referring to Team America movie)

Matt: “I mean, he didn’t explicitly say, Matt and Trey did this animation. But he made it look like it. And that’s what he does in his movies. He uses two images together and creates meaning where there isn’t none.”

Trey: “And he’s fat.”

So, the SP guys are pro-gun. Cool.

If you thought that maintaining a registry of handguns would be similar to maintaining a registry firearms ownership (since handguns are, you know, firearms), you’d be wrong. The PA Supreme Court thinks that although the database may be a registry, it is not a registry of firearm ownership because it doesn’t maintain a record of all firearms owned by Pennsylvanians.

That may be the stupidest thing I’ve heard today.

Via TriggerFinger.

* Ed note: been trying to work that quote into a post title for a while now to no avail. It doesn’t seem to fit anything so I threw it in this one. I thought it was funny and it has nothing to do with the post. Bonus points for the reference. Besides, does anyone read the titles any way?

2004 election cost estimate is $4B. Presidential race to cost to cost $1.2B:

“The 2004 presidential and congressional elections will shatter previous records for spending, and the biggest reason is the increase in giving by individuals to candidates and parties,” said Larry Noble, the Center’s executive director.

The article also details where the bling bling is coming from. Looks like the incumbent protection act err campaign finance reform didn’t really have it’s desired effect. Must be a loophole, or something.

You know, $4B would buy a lot of healthcare err insurance, military equipment, employment benefits, and other pie in the sky things the candidates are promising us.

This is scary:

Several hundred tons of conventional explosives are missing from a former Iraqi military facility that once played a key role in Saddam Hussein’s efforts to build a nuclear bomb, the U.N. nuclear agency confirmed Monday.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei will report the materials’ disappearance to the U.N. Security Council later Monday, spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told The Associated Press.

“On Oct. 10, the IAEA received a declaration from the Iraqi Ministry of Science and Technology informing us that approximately 350 (metric) tons of high explosive material had gone missing,” Fleming said.

“The most immediate concern here is that these explosives could have fallen into the wrong hands.”

Do you think?

Jeff has the latest.

In this spare time, Noah Seligman should try reading the Constitution:

The Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms. We have a “well regulated militia .” It’s called the National Guard. No one will take away the right to own a gun, but we will enforce responsibility. The assault weapons ban contributed to eight years of declining crime rates. Letting it expire was a failure of leadership.

Apparently, the second amendment established the National Guard 130 years after the second amendment was ratified.

Took Mr. Blasty to the range this weekend and had a problem. The problem was not with Mr. Blasty, but rather the ammo. Some Wolf ammo has recessed primers. With the Russian ammo, it’s hit or miss. Some of the primers are flush and most are not. The firing pin of an AR15 only pushes through a little bit (we’re talking thousandths of an inch, according to my gun smith). Hence, the firing pin should have no problem striking the primer of non-recessed primers. The solution is to buy ammo without recessed primers, and that may be difficult in 7.62X39. It’s nearly impossible to do if you want to buy Russian milsurp, like I do.

The trouble with buying good ammo is that you limit yourself to a few brands and they are pricey. Additionally, I already bought 1,000 rounds of 7.62. This brings us to plan B. Plan B initially involved getting my hands on a longer firing pin (you know, so it could poke through farther and strike the primer). However, due to mass production, the assembly line and other evils of capitalism, firing pins only seem to come in one size. Now, we have Plan C. Plan C involves shaving a little metal off the rear of the bolt carrier which will cause the firing pin to come forward a bit further. This will allow the pin to strike the recessed and non-recessed types of ammo. Should solve the problem, I’ll let you know how it goes.

The six rounds I managed to get off today did quite well. The magazines fed fine and no real problems. However, due to the primer issue, I had to go through about 60 rounds to get six to go off. This was annoying. Bang, click, rack, click, rack, click, rack, click. etc., etc. Oh well. Live and learn. Additionally, the Yankee Hill rear sight I got was dead center without any adjustment.

This problem, it would seem to me, would be common in most 7.62X39 builds. People have asked me to keep them updated as to how this little project goes and whether or not I would recommend it. Given this problem and the potential magazine problem (there are a lot of junk 7.62 mags out there that don’t feed right, though production of new ones will start soon and this will remedy that. The feed problem can usually be fixed by taking vice grips to the feed lips), my recommendation on this project is as follows:

1) If you want to buy a stock gun and shoot it out of the box with no tinkering, do not take on this project.

2) If you, like me, like to piddle with stuff, tinker with gizmos, tweak things, generally poke things with a stick, and have the time and energy to do it, then go ahead and give it a shot.

Canadians are standing up for their pets:

“I hit the wall at the end of the speech,” Bird later said. “(The dogs) become your babies and when somebody says your baby has to wear a cage on his face, that’s tough.”

Heh! Via Xrlq.

Sure, I’ve been Instalanched a few times but this marks the first time my site got a comment from Glenn Reynolds. And it’s two months late.

Went Saturday to do the civic duty thing. I left blank the School Board because two people were running and the choice was to vote for two. The Mrs. was disappointed she couldn’t vote in the City of Alcoa election because they had an initiative on the ballot to allow the sale of liquor by the drink in restaurants. We eat in Alcoa often and feel we have a right to mixed drinks but weren’t allowed to vote on it.

I also voted for Duncan. Duncan is a principled man and I support him even if I disagree with him about a few issues.

Oh and for president, I voted for Michael Badnarik. I proudly wasted my vote on a man who has no chance of winning. I voted for someone who XRLQ referred to as a criminal for not paying taxes, not having a driver’s license and a few other things. Of course, doing cocaine, driving drunk, engaging in unauthorized meetings with the enemy, and lying under oath make you a criminal too. As do importing lobster tails that are less than five and a half inches, lassoing a catfish in Tennessee, and speeding.

I do wish the Libertarians would nominate someone who, you know, isn’t crazy. They need to distance themselves from the lunatic fringe. But that won’t happen for a while.

I could have voted against Kerry but the fact is Tennessee is safely in the red column. I voted my conscience.

Via Fark: Grand jury refuses to indict killer of would-be thief:

The man who shot and killed a would-be thief in his yard will not face murder charges after a Gloucester County grand jury voted against indicting him…The grand jury did return one indictment in the case: The alleged accomplice of the victim was indicted on charges of burglary and theft.

And this is in New Jersey! Of course, being New Jersey, there’s a cloud behind the silver lining:

Prosecutors are not giving up.

After the shooting, prosecutor Sean F. Dalton defended the charges, saying that New Jersey state law does not allow the use of deadly force to protect property. That’s still his argument.

Spokesman Bernie Weisenfeld said prosecutors are considering all their options on where to continue, including presenting the case to a second grand jury.

Can’t have the citizens “taking the law into their own hands,” doncha know?

Listen to the audio. Hehe.

Bubba welcomes the following into the Rocky Top Brigade:

Holding down the fort

Sandcastles and cubicles, featuring reader Cube.

Somewhere near marker XIV

You’ll always find a fifth

Mocephus

Opinion times

Clark Stooksbury

Library Monk

Soulfish Stew

MooreThoughts

Land Surveying Weblog, who addresses property issues.

Dope on a Slope, featuring reader and all around SKB reader lobbygow

Meanderthal, a group blog consisting of SKB commentors.

Bob Stepno

Restore Knoxville

Welcome all!

Well, Alphie is close yet so far away, so this is a gratuitous link. However, he also points out Kerry inconsistencies on guns.

I got an email asking about this post where a paraplegic in a manual wheelchair is seeking advice on what sort of carry gun he should buy. I figured I’d post my advice and direct readers over there to offer their own advice as well. The criteria are relatively lightweight and easily concealable, of average reliablity (or better), with better-than-average stopping power, a caliber of .38 or larger, and shouldn’t be too hard to break down and clean. Magazine capacity, appearance and price tag are immaterial. So, here goes:

First of all, don’t bother with a .38. The army abandoned the caliber for a reason. Stick with any .4X caliber, preferably a 45 ACP. Of the other criteria, plenty of pistols meet all those criteria. One requirement stood out to me and that is ease to break down. For that, I’d go with the Glock. I would either go with the Glock 27, Glock 36, or the Glock 30. Glocks are tough, low maintenance, user friendly, and the easiest to breakdown. Some folks complain about the lack of a manual safety but if you don’t pull the trigger it won’t shoot. And the Glock is ultra-reliable even under extreme conditions (such as buried in sand or mud; and after being submerged in water; and after being run over with a truck). I recommend carrying it in a holster that covers the trigger (like any carry gun should be carried). Summary as follows:

Glock 27: 40 caliber, 12 round capacity, and the smallest of the three. Advantage: smallest and easiest to conceal. Disadvantage: it’s not a 45ACP.

Glock 36: 45 ACP compact, 7 round capacity, medium sized. Due to the single stack mag, it’s thinner than the Glock 30 which makes it easier to conceal. Advantage: 45 ACP. Disadvantage: Little more difficult to conceal and lower magazine capacity.

Glock 30: 45ACP compact, 11 round capacity, largest of the three (it’s 1/8 inch wider than the 36). This accepts double stacked mags and has a higher capacity. As a bonus, it accepts other 45ACP glock mags, which the 36 doesn’t. So, you could use Glock 21 mags. Advantage: 45ACP, higher capacity mag, and added weight makes it more controllable to shoot. Disadvantage: It’s the largest of the three.

So, I’d say it’s your preference. Of course, I also recommend any Sig or H&K but they are slightly more difficult to break down and they are more expensive.

Any readers in Columbus, OH may want to attend a public hearing to discuss a local assault weapons ban, as well as taser and stun guns.

National medical groups (somehow this report is coming out of India) are using the expiration of the ban as a tool to push to do something about gun violence. The solution they offer is, of course, a new assault weapons ban. Assault weapons have only been used in less than one or two percent of crimes (depending on which statistic you want to believe) and that rate was the same before and during the ban.

Heh! October disguise.

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.

Jon Stewart was on Crossfire last week. Here’s a video. Here’s a transcript. I like The Daily Show and I think Jon Stewart is funny. He gets on the show and says to them:

STEWART: See, the thing is, we need your help. Right now, you’re helping the politicians and the corporations. And we’re left out there to mow our lawns.

BEGALA: By beating up on them? You just said we’re too rough on them when they make mistakes.

STEWART: No, no, no, you’re not too rough on them. You’re part of their strategies. You are partisan, what do you call it, hacks.

He also called Carlson a dick and made fun of his bow tie. And, sorry to say for any bow tie wearing readers, anyone over the age of 12 who wears a bow tie and is not in a tux deserves to be made fun of. Actually, you probably deserve to be beaten up shortly after your mom cuts the crust off your PB&J.

Stewart assailed the media for their complacence in the media/corporate/political establishment, which is a good thing. He’s done that on his show before. He also called them both partisan hacks. And he was right.

However, Stewart was tossing rocks from his glass house. A while back, Kerry got some sand in his vagina or something and stopped doing media events because he didn’t want to address his Vietnam service (this marked the first time that I know of where he didn’t want to talk about his Vietnam service). Then, Kerry appears on Stewart’s show and, instead of tossing rocks, Stewart lobbed softballs. The Crossfire folks pointed this out. Stewart relied on his standard defense that his show is a comedy show, it follows puppets making prank calls, and that if the media wants to compare itself to his show then the media has some serious issues.

Bullshit, Jon. I’ve seen you on your show ask difficult questions and I’ve seen you drill your guests. I’ve seen you drill the media. Those are good things. The fact is Stewart gives certain folks a pass and these folks tend to be liberal. It’s your show, do what you want. I’ll still watch because it’s funny. The fact remains that you make fun of the Bush administration for all sorts of things (they probably deserve it) but the only thing you make fun of Kerry for is his boring, monotonous voice.

On last night’s show, for example, Stewart showed the result of the third debate was that all the media could talk about was the reference to Cheney’s lesbian daughter. Nevermind the other issues (even though they were scripted infomercials funded on the taxpayer dime). He will attack the media and the media deserve it.

I realize you have a show to run and that you’re nice to your higher profile guests. Stewart was, for example, always nice to RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie. But, if you’re going to tour news shows and criticize them, you should toughen up and maybe practice what you preach.

In a world of compromise, some don’t:

Investigators said Felecia Moss, 34, was followed when she drove her Lexus into her gated community. When she arrived at her home, a man who was driving a blue Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera pulled up and approached Moss as she got out of her car.

Moss said the man, who had a gun, demanded money from her. But when she showed him her empty wallet, he grabbed a cellular phone from her purse.

Moss then pulled out a 9mm Heckler and Koch semi-automatic handgun. The man scuffled with Moss, trying to get the gun. Without being able to get the gun, the man took off running.

Moss fired three shots at the man, and fearing he would return for his getaway car, she shot the tire out on the vehicle.

I hope she didn’t shoot at him when he was fleeing but glad she stopped him. Also, I love the fact she shot out the tires.

The Times Union has a decent piece on how neither side in the gun control debate wants to compromise. It also features this neat quote on sensationalism:

“Every time we start to do something sensible about gun control, somebody shoots John Lennon and then we legislate to that”

On the polarization of the gun issue:

When it comes to guns in America, experts agree that debate and legislation are driven largely by politics, paranoia, ignorance and media sensationalism — forces that rarely result in sensible public policy.

Those who study the issue say pro- and anti-gun forces are so polarized and concerned about protecting their ideological points they stymie credible policies that could reduce gun violence. Last month’s expiration of the federal assault weapons ban, they say, is a case in point.

Critics of the assault weapons ban — including some backers of gun control — say it had little or no effect on crime. Yet many gun control advocates dismissed any question about the law’s impact and instead blamed the law’s demise on what they call a grotesquely powerful gun lobby — led by the 4 million member National Rifle Association.

I would also add media ignorance to the list as most folks think the ban actually affects assault weapons. Additionally, a little fact checking was done and noted in the article:

Arulanandam cited last year’s Violence Policy Center report “Officer Down,” which said that one in five law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty is slain with an assault weapon. The statistic was repeated by major news organizations in writing about the law, but it’s not quite right.

The Violence Policy Center acknowledges that it included officers killed with weapons that were not covered by the assault weapon ban, calling it an insignificant difference.

So, they lied and think it doesn’t matter? Unfortunately, the article goes on to sing the praises of Americans for Gun Safety as a non-partisan, non-political common sense gun law organization. This is simply not the case. This organization is anti-gun but it tries to wrap itself in a moderate package. You can’t polish a turd.

What part of “mass graves” don’t you people understand?

A sign that I am getting either crazy or crotchety in my old age is that I apparently sound like Pat Buchanan.

Note to self: Self, pummel yourself repeatedly about the head and neck area with a medium sized herring* until this goes away.

* A red one would be nice.

With Bush getting the NRA endorsement, The Geek reports that the NRA lobbed some softballs at Bush. So does Jed. I do applaud the Bush administration’s recognition of the second amendment as an individual right. However, their actions speak louder than words. Support of the assault weapons ban is an affront to gun rights. For that, Bush lost my vote.

Why didn’t the NRA explain in the interview what the ban actually did?

Clayton Cramer tells me that I’m crazy or maybe my type are lefty trolls trying to get votes for Kerry. He also throws out the word purist as though it were an insult:

There is a slightly better than even chance right now that we can re-elect a guy who tells the soccer moms what they want to hear–but who lifted not one finger to get the assault weapon ban renewed–or we can elect Kerry and Edwards, who interrupted their campaigning to show up in the Senate, for the first time in many months, to vote for renewing the ban–and who would, if they could, replace it with a far more severe assault weapons ban.

I know that there are pro-gunners who are so focused on purity that they are going to vote for someone other than Bush. And what are they going to say next year, when President Kerry is pushing hard for a new, much tougher assault weapon ban, and gun registration, and support for lawsuits against gun makers again?

“I was pure!”

Great. That and 75 cents will buy you a cup of coffee. This is not a game. We are engaged in a struggle for not only our gun rights, but the survival of Western civilization. I can’t tell you what John Kerry will do as commander in chief, because he has given so many conflicting messages, many of which indicate that he will not take this war against Islamofascism seriously. I suspect that some of the “purer than thou” posters are actually anti-gunners trying to lower Bush’s vote totals

Then he warns not to buy into this nonsense, vote for Bush, and rails further against Kerry. I agree with Cramer that Kerry would be the worst possible thing for gun rights. He would push for new laws, including a more restrictive ban. I won’t vote for Kerry. At the same time, Bush supports the ban.

This amazes me. I assume that Bush and Kerry are not stupid people. Therefore, I am absolutely befuddled that Bush would support the ban because all the ban did was ban cosmetic features rifles can have. It was a ban on guns that look like military guns and that is all. Bush doesn’t have the decency to do his homework and actually look at what the ban did. Or he doesn’t care. He’s catering to soccer moms, who also don’t know what the ban did. Bush says he wants it but he didn’t push for it, likely because it could only cost him votes. Gun controllers will vote for Kerry. The anti-gun groups have already endorsed Kerry.

I am also amused that Kerry would support the ban, though it does fit his pattern that any gun control is good. I would think (assuming Kerry actually knows what the ban did) that he wouldn’t think it went far enough.

Neither man can talk honestly about the ban. The fact is, they are both wrong. Both are liars. And neither deserves my vote (or yours for that matter).

And even if it were only the ban, I can’t support Bush due to some civil liberties issues, big government, huge amounts of spending, and a few other things. He gets taxes and the war right. So, on election day, I’ll either not vote for president, vote third party (dunno which, yet), or write in my own name for a laugh.

The fact is, I live in a Bush state. He will handily win Tennessee. I may have a different opinion if I were actually in a state where the vote was close.

Noting that the Humane Societies are against breed specific legislation, critics of the proposed dog ban in Canada are calling the proposal unworkable for the reasons I’ve outlined here before:

Mr. Roney said that because pit bulls are cross-breeds, Canadian and American kennel associations don’t recognize them as an individual breed. “Most casual observers can’t tell the difference” between a pit bull and other breeds of dog that look similar, he said.

“Banning one breed which is very difficult to identify is going to lead to chaos,” Mr. Roney said. “That’s what our colleagues in Windsor, (which) recently introduced a breed ban, are telling us.”

City officials in Windsor “had to basically say that if a vet thinks it’s a pit bull, it’s a pit bull. And what we see in American jurisdictions are lawsuits after lawsuits as to whether an animal is a pit bull or not.”

“It’s been established … that breed-specific legislation is very difficult to enforce, if not impossible,” said Christine Hartig, a project officer with Ottawa bylaw services. “So I’m not sure how we’re going to do it, to be honest.”

Ban the deed, not the breed.

South Carolina authorities are cracking down on dog fighting, which is good:

The state began its crackdown on dogfighting in March at the request of animal welfare groups, which help authorities in investigations but in South Carolina generally cannot make arrests. The groups pledged about $60,000 to pay the initial salary and expenses of a SLED investigator for dogfighting, agency spokeswoman Kathryn Richardson said.

Even before the crackdown, animal welfare groups had conducted a training session on dogfighting for law enforcement agencies in 2003.

A month later, police made a key arrest in Orangeburg County. Sheriff’s deputies found more than 50 dogs living in fetid conditions. Many were chained to the ground; some had bloody cuts. Deputies also discovered a pit used for dogfights.

The article also addresses cultivating aggressiveness in the dogs:

Dog owners who train pit bulls to be aggressive run the animals on treadmills or have them chase cats on a machine that resembles a crude carousel. The carousel, known as a “jenny,” puts a cat just out of reach of the dog, which runs around the circle repeatedly trying to bite the cat.

For practice, some pit bull owners will throw weakened animals into an arena with a highly aggressive fighting dog.

A home video, seized by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department during a Columbia-area drug investigation in the past two years, graphically depicts the brutality of a fight.

The video shows pit bulls biting each other’s faces, necks and ears. The dogs pant heavily but continue to attack each other for about an hour.

A handful of people, including at least one child, sit around the makeshift fighting pit as the dogs’ handlers shout encouragement to the animals. One fan wears a T-shirt with a large picture of a pit bull on it.

The pit is a square arena, made from wooden boards and covered with what appears to be carpet. Blood stains the floor.

“Bite his head off! Bite him up, Rocco,” one man says to a large, brown dog as it chews the throat of a smaller, black pit bull.

When the fight ends, one fan pulls out cash that investigators say is presumably for a bet.

Authorities say betting pots easily can exceed $100,000.

Pretty brutal stuff.

This piece on the impact of guns on crime is not at all hysterical:

Jack Buttman can sell a 9 mm Glock pistol in less time than it takes to order breakfast in a diner. It’s even faster, he says, if the buyer is familiar with the one-page form for the federal background check and doesn’t stop to read the questions.

Buttman, owner of Butt’s Gun Sales in Billings, Mont., says he can send a buyer out the door in 12 to 20 minutes.

At any gun shop in the Capital Region, the same sale can take as long as six months. New York is one of 12 states that require some form of permit to buy a handgun, and even permit holders wait a week to 10 days to add another gun.

Earlier this year, New York state’s strict gun control laws earned a solid B+ from The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The same report by the nation’s best-known gun control advocacy group, billed as a tool to educate Americans “about how their state’s leaders are doing on laws and policies that promote a reduction in gun violence,” gave Montana an F.

So, NY requires excessive fees and licensing and they only earn a B+? What gets an A? Confiscation? Continuing:

But does it mean citizens of the Big Sky State are more at risk of gun violence?

According to a University at Albany publication of 2001 FBI statistics, the most recent available, the percentage of violent crimes committed with guns in New York state was virtually the same as in Montana — 17.7 percent in New York and 17.4 percent in Montana.

The same is true for other states: Colorado and Connecticut, for example, have gun laws as different as New York’s from Montana’s, but they have about the same percentage of violent crime committed with guns.

I find that statistic a bit odd. What about non-gun related violent crime and homicide? It’s not unreasonable to conclude that a state with more lax gun restrictions makes intended victims less appealing since they have a means to defend themselves.

Apparently, New York has a shortage of Ruger 10/22s. Or pellet rifles.