All you need to know about the alleged shake-up in Knox County Government:
On the new Knox County Commission is the son of an ex-commissioner, the father of a current commissioner, and the wife of another ex-commissioner.
The more things change . . .
Update: But if you want the long version, it is here.
Been a while since I shut down my old yahoo.com email address. I logged in today just to see. 20,340 messages. I looked at the first two pages and it was all spam from the future. If you’re sending mail there, I ain’t reading it. Then, I logged into the mail server I have for saysuncle.com. Mind you, I have never set up an email address there. I had 8,553 messages. I ain’t reading those either.
Also, I guess I need to cut down on images. I get 23 gigabytes of bandwidth per month. I never really checked my bandwidth, honestly figuring it would never be an issue. But today, I am at 22ish gigabytes. I guess it’s possible that the site becomes inaccessible today and will return tomorrow.
It’s back. I always watch the first few episodes because I like the tryouts. Guilty pleasure. But to would-be contestants, here’s a tip:
I know matter-of-factly that I don’t have a very good singing voice. I have a deep voice and a limited range. Most songs are out of my range and if I try to extend my vocal capabilities beyond my range, I sound like Homer Simpson. The reason I know this is because I’ve actually heard myself sing. It’s true. I have recorded myself singing and listened to it (from my band days) and I know I’m not good. So, before strolling in front of Simon and all, listen to yourself or you may well be a laughingstock.
By contrast, the Bureau of Justice Statistics conducted a survey of 18,000 state prison inmates in 1997, the largest survey of inmates ever conducted. Less than 1 percent of inmates (0.7 percent) who had a gun indicated they had obtained it at a gun show. When combined with guns obtained from flea markets, the total rises to 1.7 percent. These are tiny fractions compared to the estimated 40 percent of the criminals’ guns that are obtained from friends or family and the 39 percent that are obtained on the street or from illegal sources. The numbers also had changed little from a similar 1991 survey that indicated that 0.6 percent of inmates had gotten their guns from guns shows and 1.3 percent from flea markets.
As they say, armed gays don’t get bashed. The Toledo Blade has a piece on The Pink Pistols, a gun rights group for gays and lesbians. I found this interesting:
Personally, I’m what the Pink Pistols call a “gun bigot,” someone who’s not crazy about firearms, knows nothing about them, “may never have even fired one, certainly doesn’t have any, [and] would gladly subject innocent people to defenselessness.”
Admitting you have a problem is the first step.
I first heard the term gun bigot from Joe Huffman. I suppose the term is getting legs in the gay gun community.
Via Kevin, who has one of my favorite quotes:
Basically, I figure guns are like gays: They seem a lot more sinister and threatening until you get to know a few; and once you have one in the house, you can get downright defensive about them.
When you’re in your car, you are not invisible. I could clearly see that you were about two-knuckles-deep in your nostril.
David Hardy notes (as I have a lot recently) that the media is forming its anti-gun herd. They’ve been running what are, essentially, press releases from anti-gun organizations. I wonder if it has to do with the fact that congress is controlled by folks with Ds after their names?
Up next, bans on spanking:
The emotional debate over spanking reignited in California when Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Sally Lieber said she plans to introduce a bill this week outlawing the swatting of children age 3 and younger. Violators could face up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine.
I don’t think determining the method for disciplining children is a roll for government. Obviously, abuse should warrant criminal charges.
John Lott notes that the NYT took some creative liberties with Florida’s concealed carry laws:
This editorial is very deceptive in that it implies that felons are obtaining permits. But these individuals were not convicted of “felonies.” Florida judges have the power to take a plea, impose probation (without entering a conviction) and once the person completes that, “withhold conviction.” These individuals are eligible for a permit because they were not convicted of anything.
Ted Balaker and Sam Staley, coauthors of “The Road More Traveled: Why the Congestion Crisis Matters More Than You Think, and What We Can Do About It”, have written what will be a very controversial piece in the Washington Post. The long and short of it, is the premise that increased wealth is the reason for increased individual automobile driving and that there are many myths about suburbanization and the automobiles relation to Global Warming. The five myths are discussed at the end of the post.
Today is a particularly good day to discuss this as the American automobile is now “Public Enemy Number One” to the newly formed “Global Warming Coalition against the Automobile”. Can you stop Global Warming by walking? We will see.
“Global Cool” launched in London and LA today is a brand new worldwide movement of celebrities, musicians, politicians and business leaders who will use their vast scientific knowledge to tell you how to live. Energy conversation is a magnificent idea and is something I do personally and believe in but you know the material has hit the fan when the rock stars and actors form another “We are the World” group of human micromanagement.
The idea that the planet has only ten years to stop Global Warming is being repeated so often that it is approaching the critical mass of universal acceptance. Never mind that no scientific proof exist to prove this. Also never mind that the people who will preach from the high alter of Global Warming understand nothing about science. Again we will suffer through another assault of “Social Democracy” and junk science. Yes the planet is warming. But is it the sun or humans that are causing Global Warming? Only actors and musicians Josh Hartnett, Leonardo Di Caprio, Orlando Bloom, KT Tunstall, Pink, The Killers, and Razorlight know the truth. And they will tell you how to live.
How long will it take for “Global Cool” to reveal its real agenda?
I’m no fan of Ann Coulter (her rhetoric is a bit much – and that’s an understatement), but that’s fucking funny:
Girl-power feminists who got where they are by marrying men with money or power—Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Arianna Huffington and John Kerry—love to complain about how hard it is for a woman to be taken seriously.
So, with great joy, I report the death of the TeeVee show Armed and Famous. Ok, Tam reported it and I linked. But still, it’s a good thing. For those not in the know, they give washed-up famous people a gun and some police training and make them cops. They then film it. It really rather minimizes the importance of the police function. And, of course, creates a potentially dangerous situation where someone who is likely unqualified to enforce the law now does so. Let’s all be thankful it ended before someone got killed.
In other news, I caught on The Daily Show that another show in the vein of To Catch A Predator was on. Only this show could have been called To Catch The Apathetic. Seems they’d get a couple of actors to go out and engage in some abuse, such as a conflict between two lovers. Said conflict would get physical while the cameras rolled. Then, the host would confront the people who just stood by and watched it happen. That’s fucking retarded. And whoever the brainchild of this show was should get a swift kick in the nads.
Sure, most people didn’t respond at all. It’s what people do sometimes (remember Kitty Genovese?). But, let’s say said smacking around and roughing up occurred around some group of guys who had a little too much to drink while leaving the local bar and have something to prove. And then those guys proceeded to beat the shit out of the actor. I, for one, would applaud that group of guys.
Or, worse, someone goes to confront the actor, who is told to be belligerent to any who intervene, and that someone draws down on the guy?
It’s a recipe for disaster. I guess there’s a reason they don’t film this crap in red states.
WBIR spent a commercial free hour Monday night giving Knox County citizens a chance to see and hear many prospective candidates for appointments to Knox County Commission. Each candidate was given thirty seconds to explain who they are and why they should be appointed to Knox County Commission.
If you missed the special program you can see a repeat on YouTube here, here, and here.
Seems the comment program doesn’t like blogspot.com again. I tried fixing it. So, if your url is at blogspot.com, leave a test comment and tell me if it doesn’t show up.
He’s never seen a gun control he didn’t like. But now, he’s heading for the presidential run and has to get his red state, gun loving on:
The Republican leading Rudy Giuliani’s New Hampshire campaign said he thinks the 2008 presidential hopeful will be an “easy sell” – and that the ex-mayor “satisfied” him that he won’t support federal assault-weapons bans, as he has in the past.
“I’m satisfied that he believes there’s no need for any additional gun laws, that’s for sure,” Wayne Semprini told The Post yesterday.
As mayor, Giuliani supported the federal ban – which expired in 2004 – and other gun-control programs.
Good for Rudy, if true. But I don’t believe him all that much. If it is true, I might even vote for the guy.
Lately, Montana has a tendency to poke the feds with a stick. Their legislature condemned the Patriot Act; they asked politicos for federal office why they think they’re exempt from campaign finance laws; and introduced a bill a while back telling the feds to get out of their gun permit and drivers’ license process.
Well, David Hardy notes they’re at it again and have introduced a bill that says firearms made in Montana are not subject to federal gun laws. Well, the constitution says that too since Congress power to regulate interstate commerce should actually involve that items, you know, legitimately be involved in interstate commerce. Now, you folks that want machine guns don’t quite your jobs and buy some cows just yet. Seems the bill (text here) excludes machine guns (i.e., machine guns are still regulated).
By not supporting the second amendment. I find it odd that progressives are trying to get the gun vote by being, well, anti-gun. Now, I’m as gun nut as gun nut gets but supporting weapons bans doesn’t seem to be pro gun:
By a margin of 77-21%, voters support renewing the assault weapons ban (66- 32% among gun owners).
What percentage of people actually know what the recently deceased arbitrary legal construct known as assault weapons is? I’d say not many. They are merely rifles that look a certain way and are identical in functionality to many other rifles.
Over at Arms and the Law are the details of the IG’s report on ATF disciplinary matters:
Of 76 files where the agent was disciplined, 16 contained no documentation at all to show why, and not one showed a report of investigation.
Another VPC study. If they implied that, Jeff, then they can’t demonize guns:
The national rate of black homicides was 18.71 per 100,000.
The national homicide rate overall was 4.86 per 100,000 and the national rate for whites was 2.97 homicides per 100,000, the group reported.
“The toll that homicide exacts on black teens and young adults in America, both male and female, is disproportionate, disturbing, and undeniable,” the study warned. “The unique facilitating role of firearms cannot be ignored.”
I wonder what gun ownership rates are among the various races?
1) Car payment – they suck. But lately, you’re better off financing through the car manufacturer since they give really good rates. I mean, hell, if your liquid accounts pay a better rate than you’re being charged for a car, then it’s a no-brainer.
2) A Honda – This one, specifically. We borrowed it for a day and Junior really digs the DVD player. I always viewed them as, well, cheap little cars. Apparently, that has changed in the last decade or so. Consumer Reports and just about every other online resource says The Pilot rocks and is a good damn deal.
FlashFog is a security system that floods a room with harmless fog so thick that you can’t see. Then flashes strobe lights so as to disorient any intruders. I guess it’s a good deterrent but if you’re that disoriented, how do you get out?
Alrighty, gun nuts, let’s have a talk. Whenever you throw around words lie traitor and treason and such, people will largely look at you like you’re, well, nuts. It’s true. No matter how righteous you are or how right you may be. In short, you’re not converting anyone with the gun nut rhetoric. You’re only preaching to the converted. On the Brady Blog allowing comments, Tom said in comments here:
To a great many in the middle, “gun nuts” come across as, well, nuts. Allowing them to speak for themselves more often than not only feeds that stereotype far more effectively than the Bradies could do on their own.
It’s not that I necessarily disagree. It’s that it’s not the way to win. Sebastian says:
Folks,we’re really not going to accomplish anything by antagonizing the federal judiciary. In fact, it’s going to seriously hurt us. These are the same federal judges we’ll be relying on to, someday, rule in our favor and throw out a gun law because of the second amendment.
There’s also the fact that shooting and an increase in buying guns for protection only recently took a major upswing. So, let’s not scare away the newbies with our talk of treason, treachery and other things that go bump in the night.
But Uncle, you say, isn’t that maybe a little hypocritical of you? Ayup. But, I’ve been giving it some thought. And, since gun rights are at a crossroads, it’s probably best that I tone it down. Sure, I’ll tell the occasional person to fuck right off but that’s about it.
Update: Whoops, I left off the main point, which is this:
Remember your audience. If I let loose with the crazy gun talk here, that’s different than if I do it at, say, a newspaper’s website.
Cheap, available assault rifles, which closely resemble the Kalashnikov AK-47s brandished by Iraqi insurgents and African rebels alike, have become the weapons of choice for gang members and other violent criminals in Palm Beach County.
Sorry, but most data I’ve seen indicates that cheap handguns are the weapon of choice of criminals. It is, after all, difficult to tuck a Kalashnikov into your pants.
Growing numbers of criminals are favoring these powerful semiautomatic weapons, which, authorities say, have greatly enhanced their capacity for indiscriminate violence. In the past six months, assault rifles have been used to maim or kill dozens, including bystanders such as a 50-year-old father of three and an 8-month-old baby.
These weapons are no more powerful than any other rifle of the same caliber. And their calibers are substantially less powerful than most hunting rounds.
There’s some interesting info in the article, though. Seems the Florida gangs are loading up with WASRs.
Packing while committing a crime is usually a good way to get a larger sentence, whether or not the gun was actually part of the crime. Looks like Washington disagrees:
… the courts read the statutes on sentencing enhancement for armed crime, in combination with the state right to bear arms, as requiring that the arms be accessible and have some connection to the crime.
So, you use comercially available software to help a little old lady draft a will. Suddenly, you’re guilty of unauthorized practice of law.
Update: Xrlqy Wrlqy gets his snark on. Sorry, I just don’t buy that printing a page from software is the practice of law. Sounds to me like the guy was trying to help a little old lady out.
Update 2: Disagreement in comments. I’m not convinced of any nefariousness on the part of the agent but Xrlq is.
Update 3: In comments, Xrlq says:
BTW, I just read the opinion. Drafting her will was not his only act of UPL. The other consisted of drafting a general power of attorney, conferring all sorts of rights on himself, apparently without even encouraging her to seek counsel from someone who (1) knows what the hell he’s doing and (2) doesn’t have a potential stake in the matter himself.
In that case, it seems there was some shenanigans if not outright nefariousness.
On the Notice of Baggage Inspection tags (which I get every time I travel):
But the best thing is that it is printed in English and Spanish. Wouldn’t it make more sense to print it in English and Arabic?
Well, that’d be profiling.
Clayton Cramer’s civilian gun self-defense blog gets some press coverage:
Cramer said he started the log after debating gun control advocates who claimed there “really aren’t that many defensive uses of guns in the U.S.”
Generally, if no shots are fired, these incidents get zero coverage.
In Florida, hundreds of people got concealed carry licenses who were prohibited by law from doing so.
Update: David says:
None of the people the media is shrieking about are convicted felons.
Seems the convictions were withheld.
What would John Wayne do? I give points for the name alone. A piece on home defense rifles and one on survival carbines are good reads.
Guess I’m getting old since I don’t even know what the spammers are flooding my site with these days. Used to be Viagra. Now, it’s hentai. I didn’t know what that was. So, I googled it. Here’s the wikipedia entry. I’ve said before that you can judge a culture based on its porn. By that measure, clearly the Germans and Japanese have issues.
You can tell the American Hunters and Shooters Association is full of it when they refer to the National Rifle Association as extremists. Of course, the American Hunters and Shooters Association is headed up by a bunch of anti-gun hacks and is no friend to gun owners. The press, of course, seems to love these guys. The NRA is extremist, you see, for actually being a pro-gun group that, you know, doesn’t advocate more gun control.
Xrlq defends libertarians. Well, kind sorta. He has a good fisk of a pro-drug war article. My favorite quote:
Yes, some looneytarians also attack the war on terror, but that’s another issue altogether. If you think you can defend yourself against terrorists as easily as you can against drugs, try “just saying no” to a terrorist sometime.
PGP puts that quote in perspective:
DC Mayor and avowed gun grabber saying outloud the most taboo of gun controller deep-dark-secrets: that gun control doesn’t make any sense and will not work at the local jurisdiction level.
I’ve been tagged to answer three questions. And it’s all about me. So, here’s the questions:
1. My: You’ve heard the saying “I’d give my right arm for…”. So, what would you give your right arm for?
2. Me: What’s one word that describes how you want people to see you?
3. Meme: If you could be any blogger, which blogger would you be… and why?
And here are my answers:
1. World peace. Yeah, it’s corny. But, honestly, that or a cure for all disease, poverty, etc. would be about the only thing I’d give my right arm for. I mean, I use it all the time, so it better be worth it. And my sacrifice may as well benefit everyone.
2. I had a conversation with Joe Huffman and Kevin at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous in Reno about personality types of bloggers. It seems that there’s a certain type of personality per some test that occurs in less than one percent of the population. However, about 30% of bloggers fit that personality type according to data at Tim Lambert’s. I don’t recall taking a test but my personality type, per Kevin, fits it. And I don’t know what it’s called and I’m too busy to look it up (more on that later) and would rather spend this bit of free time blogging than googling. I don’t know that I fit that type but, from my psychology and counseling days, I do know a few things about me. And these things fit the type that Kevin described to me. Two characteristics that I have are that a) my self-esteem is unusually high and b) I have a very low need for the approval of others. In short, I don’t generally care what most people think about me. I’m not sure but I think that personality type is known as prick.
3. Billy Watson. Oh, and that link is not safe for work. No, I kid. I’m quite content being myself, thanks.
And, if you blog, consider yourself tagged. I’ve also been tagged by another meme but I haven’t gotten to it because that one is, like, work. And I’ve been busy. How busy? Well, and no offense to beavers, but either:
1) busier than a three-legged dog trying to take a piss on a frozen lake
or
2) busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest
Both analogies involve legs. And one was stolen from Tom.
Update: Thanks to Phelps, I found it:
Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging
To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of “definiteness”, of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise — and INTJs can have several — they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don’t know.
See, prick.
I’m sure it’s just me, but there just seems like there’s something wrong with law enforcement financially benefiting from enforcing the law.
It’s not just you. Letting the officers keep their loot is a bad, bad idea. Almost as bad as revenue sharing with the companies that make traffic cameras. Now, there’s motivation to be less than, err, forthright.
I tell you, global warming and smoking seem to cause everything.
They’re both also the leading cause of ass-hattery.
Mr. Campfield, it seems there’s another way to get rid of the tax on food instead of ill-conceived platitudes designed to garner publicity. Seems the state of Tennessee makes too much bling:
So, for the 12 months of Fiscal year 05-06 and the first 5 months of 06-07, $461 million more in Revenue has been collected than was originally appropriated.
…and not one dime has been returned to taxpayers in the form of a lower food tax.
On the British isles, some folks really hate traffic cameras. So, they set them on fire. Never fear, big government has a solution: put in cameras to watch the cameras. Then they’ll put in cameras to watch the cameras that are watching the cameras.
Looks like there’s a gun control bill in the works:
This bad Bill expands upon the unconstitutional Lautenberg misdemeanor gun ban [922 (g)(9)]. This gun ban, passed as an amendment to a 1996 omnibus spending bill and signed into law by none other than President Clinton, was first introduced by leading anti-gun Senators Frank Lautenberg, Dianne Feinstein, and your favorite and mine, Ted Kennedy.
“We have one of the highest homicide rates in the country but at the same time have the strictest [gun] law,” Fenty said, joining other urban chief executives at the bipartisan summit on the issue yesterday on Capitol Hill. “Local jurisdictions just can’t solve the problem. You need to have the federal government have one standard for dealing with illegal guns.”. . . .
This pearl of wisdom came from the mayors against gun summit. They admit their plan doesn’t work. And advocate doing it harder.
Sailorcourt has a report from the Bloomberg protest rally:
I’m home from the “Prosecute Bloomberg” rally. It was an interesting experience. In some ways the rally was very successful, in other ways not so much.
He has photos.
Via bitter, the Brady Bunch doesn’t seem to like Glenn Reynolds:
These sobering statistics came back to me when I read Glenn Reynolds’ disturbing op-ed encouraging government mandates that people have guns in their homes. I was angry and alarmed that some might take these proposals, and the flawed statistics on which they rely, seriously.
Flawed statistics? Have you read your own material?
By the way, The Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Ownership Blog is now allowing comments. So far, all the comments come from pro-gunners.
In Tijuana, the police were issued slingshots after having their guns taken in a corruption probe. No, really.
Southern firearms dealers are raffling off free guns to raise money to fight a lawsuit by New York City.
The unusual fundraiser — officially called the “Bloomberg Gun Giveaway” — is organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun owner rights group, and firearms shops.
Well, I’ll take some tickets. This bit is funny:
“These are sick people,” Mayor Bloomberg said. “And if they think that this is funny, I don’t think that the parents or the spouses or the children of those that get killed with illegal guns would find that very entertaining.”
But, Mr. Bloomberg, this is a legal gun. I know for you there is no difference. The gun is a Para Ordnance .45 caliber automatic handgun worth about $1,000. More:
“Instead of dealing with his problem of criminals in New York [Bloomberg] wants to blame everyone else outside of New York,” Hill said.
The shop is:
Bob Moates Sport Shop Inc.
10418 Hull St., Midlothian VA 23112, United States
(804)276-2293, USA (804)276-2332 fax,
Send them a check, if you’re so inclined.
Up next, the mayors want to make more guns illegal:
None of the mayors at the news conference mentioned federal legislation other than the Tiahrt Amendment. Most notably, not one word was spoken about the federal assault weapons ban, which the Democratic Congress passed in 1993 and the Republican Congress allowed to expire a decade later.
Mayors are interested in renewing the ban, but the Tiahrt Amendment is a higher priority, Brown said.
Since they are attacking illegal guns, it makes perfect sense to have more guns made illegal. The ban on weapons that look like assault weapons is basically pointless. See here and here.
Is it just me or is it that every time a Clinton is involved in a national election, the Rodham goes away?
Jack McElroy is having quite the discussion on his blog “The Upfront Page” at the Knoxville News Sentinel. A charge was made by local GOP Chairman Brian Hornback that Mr. McElroy has a conflict of interest because he serves on “all kinds of boards of non-profits”. If you have ever read Mr. Hornback’s writing you know it quickly devolves into partisan politics.
Mr. Hornback writes, “From what I understand Jack “Conflicted” McElroy appeared on Inside Tennessee and said that the replacement of term-limited incumbents isn’t about party building. So, if you are Jack “Conflicted” McElroy it is about party building. Party building the Democrat Party and tearing down the Republican Party. The question for Editor McElroy is: How is that position on the Democrat Board going for you?”
To Mr. McElroy’s credit he addresses the larger issue of whether the Editor of the News Sentinel should sit on various boards and asks his readers for their viewpoints. What happens is an eighteen post free for all with several commenters including the pseudonymous writer “50 Cents Wasted” and even the appearance of Mike Cohen to make the required charged of, “Also, Mr. Cents, folks would pay more attention to you if you signed your name. It’s awfully easy to trash folks when you can shield your own identity.” Even Cynthia Moxley drops in to clarify, “FYI. I’m not the only Moxley in town. All you have to do is turn on the radio to know that. And that is not me who posted to this site on Jan. 20.”
This is not only an interesting read but asks some important questions about the role of Editor and Publisher of a daily newspaper in a mid-market town like Knoxville. Conflict of Interest is a Knoxville tradition. Some might say a Religion. It is a positive step to see the Editor of the News Sentinel consider whether it is time to make some changes.
Give it a read.
The kids continue their record long streak of passing colds around to each other and other kids. Sigh. A while back, someone asked me:
How much do you spend on daycare?
I told them. But I have to rescind the comment and say to take that number and add about $180 per month to it for the increase in doctor’s visits, prescription medication, and other stuff you have to buy because you basically send your children to a den of plague every day. But, no worries. I mean, they either get exposed to this stuff at daycare or in kindergarten. So, get it over with sooner rather than later.
In other news, this morning I was preparing The Second to go to daycare. He looks at me and says mamamamamamama. I said to him No, I’m dadadadadadada. Can you say dadadadadadada. He smiles real big and says dadadadadadada.
Junior said dadadadadadada first and The Second said mamamamamamama first.
Tam:
and what’s gonna happen to the finger-wagging, lecturing, “Lesser Of Two Evils” voters if this election comes down to McCain v. Edwards or Clinton v. Giuliani, and there is no lesser evil? Are we justified in voting third party then? Or should we just say “screw it”, and stay home?
Nylarthotep wonders why the ATF is dragging its feet investigating. He also addressess parts of the summit.
Jeff notes Bloomy is threatening Congress.
More as I get it.
The 9th Circuit has upheld ATF’s requirement that certain dealers (those with 10 more trace requests and some other details) to report used firearms sales directly to it.
If your only defense to your position is that well, I have a right to say it then you’ve lost. You having the right to say it doesn’t mean that other people can’t call you a fucking retarded for saying it.
When it comes to the governance of the United States, I happily take a Locke-ian Enlightenment position. This does not mean I disbelieve in God’s ultimate law. It merely means that I believe there is no way possible to translate the perfection of God’s law through the designs of Man. Any attempts to do so ring false, and seem as though the Men who would desire to pass those laws are trying to elevate themselves to the position of God.
Or, you know, keep your God out of government and the government out of God.
The first case the Supreme Court takes on the merits of the 68 individual-collective rights issue will be critical. This area of the law is no exception to the precept that the Court’s door should be knocked only with the utmost seriousness and preparation.
Harvard’s assault on gun rights continues:
States with the greatest number of guns in the home also have the highest rates of homicide, a new study finds.
The study, in the February issue of Social Science and Medicine, looked at gun ownership in all 50 states and then compared the results with the number of people killed over a three-year period.
The research, the authors said, “suggests that household firearms are a direct and an indirect source of firearms used to kill Americans both in their homes and on the streets.”
[...]
In states in the highest quarter of gun ownership, the study found, the overall homicide rate was 60 percent higher than in states in the lowest quarter. The rate of homicides involving guns was more than twice as high.
Among the possible explanations for the higher homicide rates, the study said, is that states with high gun ownership tend to make it easier to buy guns. There are also more guns that can be stolen. And the presence of a gun may allow arguments and fights to turn fatal.
This nothing new to readers of this site who know the researchers are full of it. But it is significant that the NYT is pushing this blatant hackery. The reason it’s quite suspect is that overall gun ownership has increased yet overall homicides have declined:
During the past decade we’ve added a minimum of 30 million new firearms in public hands – at least 10 million of which were handguns. Since 1993 we’ve gone from 21 states with “shall-issue” or unrestricted concealed-carry legislation to 39. We’ve had an influx of “assault weapons” and “pocket rockets” – supposed engines of death and destruction far more lethal than the weapons available in the 60’s.
Yet homicides declined. Non-fatal firearm related crime declined.
John Lott has a more detailed look at the numbers. He notes:
I have just spent a short time looking at the study, but there are some of things that are pretty obvious: 1) They excluded the District of Columbia without any explanation, 2) they use other crime rates to explain the homicide rate (by the way, they don’t use anything like an arrest or conviction rate, nothing to do with law enforcement), 3) they use purely cross-sectional data that never allows one to properly control for what may cause differences in crime rates, and 4) data from different years is used without any explanation (for the sake of argument I will use what they did, but it is weird to have the unemployment rate from 2000 to explain the homicide rate from 2001 to 2003, etc.).
They excluded the murder capitol of the world? Why is that?
The reason for that is quite simple: They draw the conclusion they want first then work back from there to get it. It’s like creation science.
You’ll recall that Neteller recently got out of the online money transfer business for gambling sites after its founders were arrested while changing planes. But that pesky market has already created an alternative.
But those pesky feds are now going after not only gambling sites and transfer services but investors who invest in and acted as underwrites for the IPOs of those sites:
The subpoenas were issued to firms that had underwritten the initial public offerings of some of the most popular online gambling sites that operate abroad. The banks involved in the inquiry include HSBC, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Kleinwort, these people said.
While online gaming sites like PartyGaming and 888 Holdings operate from Gibraltar and their initial public offerings were held on the London Stock Exchange, companies that do business with them and have large bases in United States have come under scrutiny by regulators in Washington.
WBIR:
DNA evidence has cleared a Georgia man of rape, after 21 years in prison.
Willie Williams is being set free sometime today. Prosecutors say they’re convinced he didn’t do it.
Wow. A whole life wasted. More:
A group that helps wrongly convicted individuals asked for a test after it received a letter from Williams in 2005 saying he’d been wrongly imprisoned. He was convicted based on eye-witness testimony by the victim.
Authorities have started an investigation to find the actual rapist in the 1985 attack on a woman at an apartment complex parking lot.
I’d also find the eyewitness and consider throwing the book at her since her testimony basically ruined this guy’s life.
Knox County Commission Meeting from Monday January 22nd. The first four parts are the Resolution by John Griess for a Special Election to select replacements for the eight term limited Knox County Commissioners.
David Hardy notes that, once again, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership and the facts are not in agreement:
From the Philadelphia Inquirer: “Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Center and former mayor of Fort Wayne, Ind., said the ATF had been greatly weakened by pro-dealer legislation Congress passed, including some laws dating to 1986. For example, if ATF agents make a surprise visit to a gun shop suspected of breaking the law, they are not allowed to make another surprise visit for 12 months, Helmke said. During that period, the ATF must warn the dealer in advance that they are coming.”
Bullpucky. I’ll put the real law in extended remarks below.
They have to lie to win.
I am guessing that Cohen did not get the memo about the Stacey Campfield fracas.
Black Caucus: Whites Not Allowed
Freshman Rep. Stephen I. Cohen, D-Tenn., is not joining the Congressional Black Caucus after several current and former members made it clear that a white lawmaker was not welcome.
“I think they’re real happy I’m not going to join,” said Cohen, who succeeded Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn., in a majority-black Memphis district. “It’s their caucus and they do things their way. You don’t force your way in. You need to be invited.”
Cohen said he became convinced that joining the caucus would be “a social faux pas” after seeing news reports that former Rep. William Lacy Clay Sr., D-Mo., a co-founder of the caucus, had circulated a memo telling members it was “critical” that the group remain “exclusively African- American.”
Other members, including the new chairwoman, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., and Clay’s son, Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., agreed.
“Mr. Cohen asked for admission, and he got his answer. … It’s time to move on,” the younger Clay said. “It’s an unwritten rule. It’s understood. It’s clear.”
The bylaws of the caucus do not make race a prerequisite for membership, a House aide said, but no non-black member has ever joined.
Support for Gun Control Down Among College Freshman. But they also support big government. Of course they do. It’s the only government they’ve ever known.
Bloomberg does the opinion piece for mayors against guns a gun control organization that is funded by the Joyce Foundation. Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam is a member of the anti-gun coalition of mayors (see background info here) and that is why I personally am boycotting Pilot Oil. Nothing new in this misguided screed but I found this interesting:
At today’s summit, we will be joined by representatives from the American Hunters and Shooters Association, because — as a new national poll shows — the vast majority of gun-owning Americans support common-sense measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, including eliminating restrictions on gun trace data.
The vast majority of Americans don’t know what current gun control laws are. You remember the American Hunters and Shooters Association? They are an anti-gun group masquerading as a pro-gun group. Seems they’re now on board. I find this significant because mayor Haslam has indicated, the one time I’ve heard him actually address the issue, that being against illegal guns is reasonable. However, this organization doesn’t just target illegal guns. They advocate gun control. They are a gun control group who support ludicrous pipe dreams such as microstamping. They also want access to trace data for data mining purposes, which even the ATF has said does nothing to indicate criminal activity. And they oppose standards for revocation of federal firearms licenses. And you would think that a group concerned about illegal transfers of firearms would support modernizing that process. They do not. In short, their goal is to limit lawful access to weapons. And, of course, they’re trying to sue gun dealers out of business. One other mayor has left the group due to its anti-gun agenda. But Mayor Haslam continues his membership in an anti-gun group.
Bloomberg talks about illegal guns and common sense measures. Apparently, he thinks a common sense measure is to commit a felony while conducting bogus investigations. This is precisely what he did when he paid investigators to lie on ATF Form 4473 and commit straw purchases. That is illegal.
The other issue is that guns that are illegal in NYC aren’t illegal in, well, most places. And most places don’t register firearms nor do most places require you to pay $439 in fees to obtain a permit to own a gun. That’s not common sense. That is prohibition.
Update: Jeff reminds us that they’re meeting today. I hear there will be protests.
Porn has always been quick to adapt to the latest formats. If it weren’t for porn, there’d be no VCRs, DVDs, or even Al Gore’s Internets. Unfortunately for porn, HD doesn’t do it any favors:
… pornographic movie studios are staying ahead of the curve by releasing high-definition DVDs.
They have discovered that the technology is sometimes not so sexy. The high-definition format is accentuating imperfections in the actors — from a little extra cellulite on a leg to wrinkles around the eyes.
Or, you know, ass pimples.
OK folks, time for another blog fest. I’m thinking of holding it February 10th to avoid Super Bowl conflicts.
I’ve been requested to move the bash out to the west for a change, and someplace a little more family friendly.
Any suggestions?
The sounds of two or three rounds of semi-automatic gunfire peppered 4th Avenue in Salemtown last night just before 10:00. We heard the shots from our house, and like several others we immediately called the police, who showed up in several crusiers in a matter of minutes.
I’ve been around a lot of guns and heard a lot of gun fire. But I doubt that I could distinguish the sound of semi-automatic gunfire from the gunfire of, say, a revolver. I mean, if I heard the bolt clank then maybe. Or if it’s the quite distinctive action sound of a Kalashnakov.
The Sun is midway through its stable hydrogen burning phase known as the main sequence. But when the Sun enters the red giant phase in around 5 billion years things are going to get a lot rougher in the Earth-Moon system.
During the red giant phase the Sun will swell until its distended atmosphere reaches out to envelop the Earth and Moon, which will both begin to be affected by gas drag-the space through which they orbit will contain more molecules.
The universe: somebody stop it before it kills someone. And we all know how I feel about the universe. I guess it beats getting killed by a mathematical concept.
Sorry but thems the breaks. Meanwhile, some linky and no thinky:
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership and math.
The first pro-gun candidate for president is in, Bill Richardson. Funny that the first pro-gunnie is a Democrat. I’m not sure how pro-gun he is since he voted for the assault weapons, though rumors are he voted mostly for the crime bill. The NRA has endorsed him for Governor twice. That doesn’t mean much since they’re also recently friendly with anti-gunner Mitt Romney. Update: Whoops. The NRA was not friendly with Romney but the NSSF was. Thanks to Bitter for the clarification.
People are (again) calling for Bloomberg to be investigated for violating gun laws.
This year, we’ll begin a revolutionary innovation in crime-fighting: Equipping “911″ call centers to receive digital images and videos New Yorkers send from cell phones and computers something no other city in the world is doing. If you see a crime in progress or a dangerous building condition you’ll be able to transmit images to 911, or online to NYC.GOV. And we’ll start extending the same technology to 311 to allow New Yorkers to step forward and document non-emergency quality of life concerns holding City agencies accountable for correcting them quickly and efficiently.
Not a bad idea. It’s like 911 goes digital.
Hackett will not be charged for drawing down on some crooks. Background here.
An individual or group of individuals commits domestic terrorism if the individual or group of individuals are not affiliated with a local, state or federal law enforcement entity and associate with another individual or group of individuals as an organization, group, corporation or company for the purpose of patrolling to detect alleged illegal activity or to individually patrol for the purpose of detecting alleged illegal activity and if the individual or group of individuals is armed with a firearm or other weapon.
SHOT Show Round Ups at The Gun Blogs and The Kallini Brothers and Defense Review.
Received today:
Say Uncle!?
Why shouldn’t I sue your ass for repeating and posting Les Jones libel against me too!?
You Rightwankers get a little carried away don’t you? Like piranhas feeding.
My lawyer is one of the absolute best around! Brian Krumm, UTK law professor so I
would suggest that you remove all that horseshit about me les posted and the other inbreds comments from your Bubba babbling web site now!! – Larry Henderson
Here’s his webpage. Brian Krumm is listed as a professor at UT’s Political Science Department.
My reply:
Sue me for what, exactly? For linking to and allowing Les Jones to comment on a website I pay for? And a website that you agreed to abide by the rules of when you commented there? You did read the terms of service?
If you sue me, you have a pretty stupid lawyer. Or a smart lawyer who likes to take money from idiots.
Given your history of threatening to shoot people with whom you disagree, if you contact me again, I will have a restraining order taken out against you. Future correspondence with me should be from your lawyer at this email address should you decide to waste your money losing a lawsuit. I will happily forward his correspondence to my retained legal counsel.
Regards,
For the last several months that I’ve read the WKRN blogs of Brittney and AC, they have each been out sick more times than I’ve been out sick in the last ten years. And that’s counting the times I’ve called in Sick of Worktm.
Update: I was just having a bit of fun and, in comments, ACK makes feel like a bag of dicks. Sorry about that.
While residents in DC generally can’t own guns, those who do have safe storage requirements. But the FBI doesn’t and lost some subguns:
Seven weapons, including two submachine guns, were stolen last weekend from an FBI agent’s vehicle in Southwest Washington, the agency said yesterday.
Also taken were ammunition, a police radio, bullet-resistant vests, body armor and photography equipment, the FBI said.
…
The FBI vehicle belongs to a 35-year-old member of a special response team who was authorized to take it home. It was one of about 20 vehicles randomly vandalized in the 800 to 1100 blocks of Water Street between midnight Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday, according to D.C. police and the FBI.
Oops. I love this bit:
“We understand the seriousness of those weapons in the hands of untrained individuals,” said Joseph Persichini Jr., head of the FBI’s Washington field office.
Well, SayUncle (an untrained individual) doesn’t leave his guns where they can be stolen. Well, without considerable effort any way.
Just to own one: $439. Gun not included. And, remember, disarming poor people is a common sense gun law.
Gluttony? I can see that. I do blog a lot about vices like gambling, porn, chicks with stars on their nipples, and all sorts of other things.
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
Uncle Pays the Bills
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