Now that Chancellor John Weaver has ruled to grant a 180 day stay on his previous ruling on the Knox County Charter new questions arise. Are term limits back in place? Were they ever gone?

For the first time in this entire process I now agree the election for Knox County Commission seats is so flawed it should be voided and moved to November in a special General election. The Primary election for County Commission could be held in September or October in another special election.

There are several other reasons. The most important is that there are too many levels of voter disenfranchisement. Since the Charter is valid and never reached the point of being invalid the Tennessee Supreme Court ruling that decreed term limits are in place for the offices of Knox County Mayor and Knox County Commissioners stands. The Supreme Court ruling must be obeyed.

What other choice is there than to void the election for the Knox County Commission seats?

There are nine ineligible candidates for Knox County Commission who are term limited and cannot serve. This is 50 percent of the Commission seats. The election cannot go forward under these conditions.

This persistent lack of leadership from all levels of local government has tarnished this election. People will stay home and this will affect the Primary Election for US House and Senate seats further disenfranchising voters. The apathy and disgust created in the Knox County Commission election cannot be allowed to spread to other elections.

The SCOTUS gets one right, I think. Actually, it’s a bit confusing:

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees.

The ruling, a strong rebuke to the administration and its aggressive anti-terror policies, was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and international Geneva conventions.

Said Justice Kennedy:

“Trial by military commission raises separation-of-powers concerns of the highest order,” Kennedy wrote in his separate opinion. “Concentration of power (in the executive branch) puts personal liberty in peril of arbitrary action by officials, an incursion the Constitution’s three-part system is designed to avoid.”

Allah says:

So if they try him, they have to take him to federal court — but they don’t have to try him? What?

SCOTUSBlog says:

More importantly, the Court held that Common Article 3 of Geneva aplies as a matter of treaty obligation to the conflict against Al Qaeda.

Cam Edwards has more from the event.

Per the law, muzzleloaders have historically not been classified as firearms. The significance of this classification is that muzzleloaders are not subject to background checks, can be bought without going through a firearms dealer (i.e., you can mail order them), and felons can own them. In Wyoming, that just changed:

Supreme Court Says Muzzleloaders are Legally Firearms

The ruling comes in an appeal by a convicted felon who says he thought he was allowed to own a black powder rifle. Such rifles are excluded from the federal definition of firearms.

A spokesman for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department says the ruling will come as a blow to some Wyoming residents who have felony convictions in the past but who are now dedicated black powder hunters.

No details on the case. Anyone know?

Jeff at Alphecca got a mention in the British press. I’d consider it an honor to be labeled the lunatic fringe by the British press. If they think you’re crazy, you’re doing something right. These people have amnesty for illegal kitchen knives, for Christ’s sake.

David Codrea:

Kalashnikov Backs Weapons Control

Of course he does.

He’s a communist.

Voolfie tells us how to talk to gun control advocates.

Chris talks about buying a used gun and how to check them out.

Jersey thinks one gun a month is a good law.

Rustmeister smacks down a Memphis TeeVee station.

The US at the UN on guns:

The United States said on Tuesday it was willing to endorse a set of principles aimed at keeping small arms out of the hands of groups intent on human rights abuse, genocide or breaking UN arms embargoes.

But Washington would not back a formal agreement such as an international treaty imposing controls on weapons transfers across national boundaries, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control Robert Joseph said.

The folks at Common Dreams are crying about the NRA’s level of influence.

It’s a gun buyback program but for knives, only in the UK where they apparently are afraid of their shadows.

So, do you like links to gun news in one big post like this or in a bunch of small posts like I usually do?

Heh.

R. Neal has a handy voting guide up. In other news, he endorses two Republicans, John J. Duncan, Jr. and Phil Bredesen.

I love mangos. Here’s a handy guide on how to cut them.

Check out this lame, sensationalist report about the Knoxville .gov buying pricey SUVs. I guess when there is no news, you just make a story up.

Update: Jim took issue in comments noting that:

I’m sorry. Perhaps I misunderstood.

When you say “I guess when there is no news, you just make a story up,” that appears to me that you’re accusing us of making up the news. That would be reporting what is not true.

There is nothing in the report that is not true.

As for sensational, that’s in the eye of the beholder. There are some people who are glad to know how their tax dollars are spent.

I see his point and hereby rescind the comment I guess when there is no news, you just make a story up. The point I was trying to make (and absolutely should have been more clear about) is that:

When something they investigate doesn’t really seem that newsworthy, they report it anyway. I stand by that. I don’t think said SUVs are that overpriced, to be honest. Have you priced them lately? And they are, despite people’s complaints, convenient and utilitarian. The tone of the article was, in my opinion, sensationalistic and blown out of proportion.

Apologies to Jim for being unclear.

Looks like The American Shooters & Hunters Association has removed any doubt that they are not a complete sham of an organization.