Seems there is some dispute over whether or not John Moses Browning was born on January 21 or 23. No big deal, we just need a four day holiday. Anyway, from Tam:
Were he alive today, he’d be 153. And we’d have frickin’ death rays.
Blank-firing adapter successfully installed. All went well. I got a shot of happy stuff, which the doc said was like six beers in 30 seconds. Clearly, he’s never seen me drink and another half dose would have been nice.
Interesting note is that your vasa deferentia are white. Yeah, I watched. Even more bizarre, so did the Mrs.
“Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people.”
You will be severed
Thanks for carrying my genes
Now, to shave my dudes
In case you couldn’t tell, it’s vasectomy day! We’ve decided we’re done having children.
By the way, all the literature my doc gave me on the procedure has images. In all those images, the jimmy in question is standing at attention. I don’t think that during such a procedure, that would be the case. But we can’t show flaccid ones lest we shatter our male egos. I blame the patriarchy.
Responding to a more than one-third hike in bank robbery, the Florida Bankers Association is urging its members to adopt new rules.
Not additional guards or cameras, but a dress code for customers.
The group rolled out a “No Hats, No Hoods, No Sunglasses” program, which includes lobby signs asking customers to remove those items before approaching a teller.
Those who refuse would be directed to an area with more security or a more experienced teller.
Yes, because robbers will comply with those directions.
Officer Jarrod Shivers was shot and killed while executing a search warrant in Cheseapeake, Virginia Thursday night.
The suspect had no criminal record (at least in the state of Virginia). And he says in an interview from jail he had no idea the undercover cops breaking into his home were police. The suspect, 28-year-old Ryan David Frederick, also says a burglar had broken into his home earlier this week.
As of yet, there are no reports of drugs found at the scene.
Sadly, these sorts of deaths are pretty much avoidable.
It’s disappointing. I want Fred to win. But it appears that it’s over barring some miracle. I said the same thing about South Carolina, so it’s time to realize that the miracle just ain’t gonna happen. I hope he can turn it around but that’s unlikely. Fred is not media friendly. He takes complex positions on issues that don’t fit neatly into soundbytes. He doesn’t have catchy jingles. And the media can’t go with that. As Bob Krumm said, Since the media only print sentences don’t talk in paragraphs.
If Fred drops, then who? Err, nobody. I don’t like anyone in the Republican field. So, like I did last year, I’ll waste my vote on the crazy libertarian guy in protest. For the second election in a row, I would rather waste my vote on the crazy guy than any contender the establishment offers.
The only other thing I have to say is I hope it’s not Romney. I mean, a Romney v. Hillary or Romney v. Obama is no choice at all.
Bob Krumm on lessons learned. Additionally, Bob is advocating contributing to Fred and Bob is putting his money where his mouth is.
Update: Glenn has more, including: Some people think it’s time to teach the party a lesson. Fine, but I thought 2006 was supposed to do that. Did they learn anything?
Apparently not.
Update 2: In comments, Xrlqy Wrlqy reminds me that this is also a game of longball:
If you think I’m exaggerating when I say the next 20+ years, consider the infamous Ninth Circuit. Nearly all the judges on that circuit who make it so notoriously whack are Carter appointees. Think long and hard about that before throwing your vote away in November.
Speaking of, I often hear the black rifle crowd yammering on about how the NRA doesn’t look out for them. I dunno, have you read any recent issue of American Rifleman? It seems to me to be peppered with ads for EBRs and EBR accessories.
Lemme ’splain. No, there is too much. Lemme sum up.
See, if you think that there is a rational and lawful basis for jury nullification, you’re retarded. If you think that judges should decide the law while juries decide the facts, you’re just following orders and a Nazi. Does that cover it?
Any way, my thoughts are that juries should be fully informed on matters of fact, law and, hell, legal strategy. But the courts don’t do that. In fact, if a lawyer looked at jury and said Guys, you can just decide this is bullshit then what’s going to happen to him? We can’t, after all, have the people judging the law. There’d be anarchy!
Yeah, the cops have discretion aplenty on whether to arrest or merely warn you. The Prosecutor’s office has discretion aplenty on whether to charge you for a crime or crimes (and what charges to bring, and what penalties to ask for). The judge is a tinpot god in his own courtroom.
But if the JURORS show the slightest bit of independent thought, civilization will collapse into flaming ruin.
The other issue that gets bandied about by people who are not fans of jury nullification is that you, pesky troublemaker, took an oath to uphold the law! And if you renege on that then you’ve perjured yourself. Having read a sample oath, I don’t buy that argument. I see no prohibition in there stating that judging the law is verboten. Even if it did, taking an oath to uphold the law is not going to override my moral convictions. And I’m not saying I’d lie to get on jury.
Anti-gunners have to do it. And the press just repeats it. Example one:
Lawmakers have tried and failed at getting this bill passed before, but last year’s shootings at Virginia Tech have led several groups to make another push.
A group called Protest Easy Guns is planning to bus people in from all over the state for a demonstration Monday on Capitol Square. They’re planning to lay down on the front lawn of the state capitol to drive home the impact of the Tech shootings.
The implication being, of course, that somehow closing the Evil Gun Show Loophole would have stopped the VT massacre. That, of course, is not the case.
This is a lie designed to help him make his case. By lumping the federally restricted sawed-off shotgun in with the political construct “assault weapons”, he elevates both to “oooh, scary” status and lends credence to his argument.
Senator Kilby thanks all those who have contacted his office to oppose the legislation. He very much appreciates the information that has been shared with him and the fact that our fanciers, enthusiasts, and concerned dog owners did so in a polite and respectful manner.
Where I live, if I hear gun shots then I figure it’s farmer Bob up the way trying out his new shotty or a neighbor dispatching some varmint. Squeaky doesn’t.
Not only do worshipers of /20~ p@\/1 infest your comments when you mention his name. So do ƒ£µ0r1Ð3 detractors. See here. Comments from folks who I don’t recognize as regulars telling me how wrong I am.
EX-SOVIET Georgia’s army began to switch from the Russian-designed Kalashnikov to the modern US M4 rifle, pro-Western president-elect Mikheil Saakashvili announced.
“Today is a historic day for the Georgian armed forces: we start to switch to Western armament. From today, we will use the best weapon in the world – the M4 assault rifle,” Mr Saakashvili told troops at a new military base at Gori, in the north of the strategic former Soviet republic.
Mr Saakashvili, who has angered neighbouring Russia by pressing for NATO membership, said on Rustavi-2 television that the armed forces were purchasing “new armoured vehicles which meet the NATO standards, and new artillery, which also meet NATO and Western standards.”
He advocated for a state law that would require gun makers to equip weapons with high-tech bullet tracking, but also pushed for DNA testing of anyone who is arrested.
Officials said that many of the weapons – including powerful handguns and semiautomatic assault rifles – are purchased legally at shops and gun shows, and that Houston and Dallas are two of the top sources. The guns are typically carried south across the border by multiple couriers whom some officials referred to as an “army of ants.”
Even black-market military-style weapons, such as .50-caliber machine guns, bazookas and grenades, have been seized in raids.
.50-caliber machine guns, bazookas and grenades are all either 1) illegal in the US or 2) heavily regulated in the US. They’re also, generally, unlawful to export of course. So, Mexico’s weapons of this sort are likely coming from somewhere else. But ATF to the rescue:
In Mexico City, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey said the goal of what officials are calling Project Gunrunner is to dry up the cartels’ arms supply in the U.S. by punishing gun dealers who knowingly sell weapons to “straw” buyers who then resell them illegally.
Or just look for the dealers who sell .50-caliber machine guns, bazookas and grenades because they’re likely already breaking the law.
One of the politicos in the city (my the city) decided a few years back that fluoride had evil spirits in it or something. So, there was a successful push to get rid of fluoridated water. No shit. With kids, me and the Mrs. had to start buying fluoride drops for the rugrats to keep their teeth healthy. Anyway, someone got some sense and the water will soon be fluoridated again.
In particular, the standard arm of the US military is considered a machinegun by law (M-16, as it can fire more than one bullet per trigger press). But because it is a machinegun, it can be banned for public safety reasons under the federal government’s ability to regulate, for the purposes of ensure a well-regulated militia, what arms the People can Keep and Bear… One more time: The government may ban the civilian possession of the standard arm of the military under its ability to sure that the militia is effective. IE – to ensure the militia is effective (well-regulated) the government may ban arms demonstrably suitable for the individual soldier.
The trooper who pulled over local porn starlet Barbie Cummings and, despite getting a little something, decided to write a ticket anyway, has been sentenced to probation.
Everyone keeps saying Fred! Thompson is done for. Fred! is finished. Yet, he’s always the target of the the dirty tricks, like this recent push poll and Romney’s dirty pool. If he’s done, why the all-out-push against him?
TN Senator Tommy Kilby (BTW, you look over the age of 8 shouldn’t it be Tom or Thomas?) has proposed a bill to make the possession of pit bulls (as very loosely defined in the bill) unlawful:
It is an offense for any person to knowingly own a pit bull dog in this state.
And this is awesome:
This act shall take effect July 1, 2008, the public welfare requiring it.
We seem to have gotten along without it thus far. You can contact Tommy and let him know that breed specific legislation is pointless at:
District Address
118 Henry Heidel Lane
Wartburg, TN 37887
Nashville Address
10A Legislative Plaza
Nashville, TN 37243-0212
Phone (615) 741-1449
Fax (615) 253-0237
Staff Contact: Nadine Korby, Jeremy Davis, Research Analyst
It is imperative that Tennessee dog owners contact both their State Senator and State Representative and voice their strong opposition to SB 2738.
To find your Tennessee State Senator, go to the Tennessee General Assembly home page. On the left side of the page, click “Senate”, then click “Members”.
To find your Tennessee State Representative, go to the Tennessee General Assembly home page. On the left side of the page, click “House”, then click “Members”.
I don’t know how we ensure this never gets out of committee, but we’ve got to do it. Tell me, folks what can be done and I’ll be at the capitol doing it.
Seattle weighs in. Apparently, 11 cities support handgun bans. Also:
Seattle, Milwaukee and other large U.S. cities are warning the Supreme Court that gun-control laws around the nation would be jeopardized if the justices decide to eliminate the local District of Columbia ban on handguns.
I normally like NCIS on CBS, but this week was extremely disappointing. This week’s show entitled “Tribes” starts off with the absurd claim that “Nearly 30 percent of all gun related deaths are the result of the owners’ own weapon.”
I seem to recall reading that a fairly high number of police officers are killed with their own weapon.
I’ve addressed misinformation in cop dramas before, including that they get you acclimated to the notion that you don’t have certain rights and that cops are better than regular citizens.
A federal agency has ordered the Energy Department to reinstate a training specialist fired after a Pantex probe into illegal Internet sales of government-issued rifle scopes and laser aiming devices.
Details:
A special agent testified that Bilodeau sold Sizemore a government-issued rifle scope and a laser targeting system similar to those used by Special Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bilodeau testified that he issued some items to Sizemore, but expected him to return them under the agency’s “honor system” policy.
The administrative judge assigned rejected the government’s findings and ordered it to reinstate Bilodeau. The Energy Department has not appealed the ruling.
Over 75 percent of the firearms purchased by Novick retailed at less than $170. This information is not consistent with firearms being purchased by an individual purchaser for enhancement of his personal collection
So, I’ve mentioned in the past that I was getting spam in Spanish, Chinese, and other languages. Now, I’m getting it from myself. Seriously, its says it’s from me.
Tennessee State Sen. Jamie Woodson’s office has introduced legislation to the Tennessee General Assembly that would require convicted sex offenders in Tennessee to provide all electronic communications information to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
On its face it doesn’t sound so bad does it?
Michael Silence writes, “Wow, am I conflicted on this one. On the one hand I’m a father of a princess who will be four in March. On the other hand, I have consistently decried the loss of civil liberties, privacy and individual freedoms.
Adam Kleinheider writes, “First They Came For The Deviants…”, alluding to the fact that is doesn’t take long to lose freedom.
Any of you every wonder if we allow the Constitution to be discarded for child molesters or sex offenders that someday soon it might be discarded for us?
If this is a condition of probation then fine. That is a legal contract. People can surrender their rights with a legal contract. That is a completely different issue.
But if a person has served their full sentence this should be unconstitutional.
“Governor Woodson”, I don’t think so. Ms. Woodson, your homework assignment is to study the United States Constitution. You should be ashamed. How misinformed can you be?
I hate to go all ACLU on this but defending the Constitution is one of the most important things any America can do. And it means making some unpleasant positions. The Constitution must apply to ALL citizens. The moment we allow it to be vacated for certain groups of people is the day we allow the Constitution to be destroyed.
I find this to be repugnant. This is how you lose your freedom. It starts with a law to control the worst of the worst. In the end, there is no personal freedom or rights.
Asked his opinion of the Second Amendment and the Solicitor General’s request that the DC Circuit Court remand the appeal back to the trial court for “fact-finding”, the lawyer turned Senator from Tennessee said the Bush Administration was “overlawyering” and stated that he opposed remand and that the case should move forward to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Today, I thought the old blog would hit the 2,000,000 visitor mark. But Sitemeter is malfunctioning and says no one has been here since about 5 in the morning. Bummer.
So, Dennis Kucinich, in an effort to remove all doubt that he is a Communist, sued and got some retarded judge to force MSNBC to allow him to attend a debate aired on MSNBC, paid for by MSNBC, and that is MSNBC’s property. I guess we know where Dennis stands on free speech too. Good thing the Nevada Supreme Court is smarter than commies.
Our Governor (who I now regret not voting against his second term – though I liked him after the first term) said:
“One of the great things about being governor is you get to take taxes away and later give it back and people are happy,” Bredesen said. “Is this a great job or what?”
Actually, we’re not happy. And that may be one of the dumbest things a politico has ever said. But it’s also likely the truth. If there’s one thing about politicians, it’s that they’re fairly brazen about spending your money.
In VA, they want to ban rubber testicles. They say it’s a safety issue because it could distract other drivers. They, apparently, think their constituents are retarded. And if they believe that, they are.
State Rep. Doug Overbey (R-Maryville) announced today his intention to seek the Republican nomination for the State Senate – 8th District, now held by Sen. Raymond Finney.
Finney’s been a bit of an embarrassment, what with his legislation to get the state to study God’s existence.
Jeff has the transcripts from their debate. Clinton wants a registry of felons and no pre-emption of local laws by the feds (no one tell her about Heller). So, another registry of felons? How many of these laws need passed to get that? We’ve now had three. And she wants to reinstate her husband’s ban on weapons that look like assault weapons.
Obama wants to license and register gun owners. But says it can’t be done. References trace data.
Edwards opposes registration. But says of the ban on weapons that look like assault weapons: I’ll do everything in my power to reinstate it.
The self-defense instructors from Atlanta Budokan showed off what to do if you are grabbed — if you can, fight, kick, and use what they said is your best weapon — your voice.
Your voice is only good at drawing attention and it’s only effective at that if someone is within earshot. A 45 does that too. Oh, and it can actually stop an attack.
Sergeants-at-arms in the Tennessee General Assembly would be allowed to carry guns under legislation being proposed by Sen. Raymond Finney.
The Maryville Republican said the legislation is necessary to protect visitors and members of the General Assembly.
Under the legislation, “special” sergeants-at-arms would be appointed by speakers of the House and Senate and vested with police powers while on official duty.
They would be required to have a handgun permit and “must demonstrate annually firearm safety and marksmanship proficiency equivalent to … that members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol are required to demonstrate,” according to the bill.
As to why:
Finney said the legislation is needed because of recent shootings in schools and other public places. Both the Capitol and Legislative Plaza already have metal detectors and armed police who guard entrances and patrol the grounds.
But Finney said armed sergeants-at-arms — who are normally at the entrances of each chamber — could act quickly if there’s trouble within the chambers.
“If you have someone open fire in the Senate chamber, you don’t have 10 minutes to run down and find an officer,” he said.
So, what about the schools? Are we going to arm people there? Or allow the law-abiding to carry there? Just asking. Apparently, our friends at the capitol are afraid after a bunch of people in wheelchairs staged a protest.
Also, seems odd to me to give control of state troopers to the senate and house. You know, separation of powers and all. I thought they operated under the direction of the governor.
So, /20~ p@\/1 keeps beating 9iu11ani. I guess there’s hope for the future since more people are willing to vote for a libertarian than an authoritarian nanny.
Update: Even more hope for the future, Hillary gets 60% v. nobody.
A prosecutor says in a report to Cleveland city officials that at least two Cleveland police officers lied under oath and Police Chief Wes Snyder illegally ordered arrests but they won’t be charged.
Tenth District Attorney General Steven Bebb said Monday that instead of prosecuting the offenses, he will seek “a spirit of cooperation” with the Cleveland Police Department.
[...]
City Manager Janice Casteel said no one in the police department will be fired or punished as a result of the report.
No charges, no firing, no mention of disciplining? Instead, we have touchy feely hippie sayings like a spirit of cooperation. If I lied under oath, what do you think would happen?
Abiding by international peace and disarmament policies, the Peruvian General Directorate for the Control of Security Services, Guns, Ammunitions and Explosives [that's a frightening name, isn't it - ed] for Civil Use (DICSCAMEC) is to incinerate 35,240 firearms within the next several months.
Since DICSCAMEC depends on Peru’s Ministry of the Interior, it is waiting for the Ministry to define the date on which the firearms will be destroyed, said the general director of DICSCAMEC, Ricardo Ganiku.
He explained that the firearms to be incinerated consisted of pistols, revolvers, shotguns, rifles and carbines.
According to the general director of DICSCAMEC, the firearms were confiscated from criminals, people that had obtained them illegally and from people that did not have a license or had an expired one.
International disarmament policies that are overseen by the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission.
Given the laws in Mass, you’d assume everyone there was anti-gun. But not The Guy From Boston. Language warning, but you should have known that since he’s from Boston.
A Fal receiver. In other news, a hunk of metal is so dangerous it requires a locked case and a trigger lock, even though it has no trigger. Ah, good ol’ reasonable MD gun laws.
So, I grew a beard for the first time in about a year and a half. After a couple days’ growth, the Mrs. looks at me and says you look good with the beard. Cool, she likes it. Then a day or so later she complained a bit about how the beard didn’t feel good during a smooch. So, I trimmed it up. She said that didn’t help. So, bummer, she doesn’t like it.
So, I shaved it off.
I come into the living room and she asks why I shaved it. I said because I thought she didn’t like it. She informs me that she likes the look of it but not how it feels. I ask So, would you rather I look good or feel good? She says look good. Who knew?
Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness has revoked concealed weapon permits of a gubernatorial appointee and a state parole official while also vowing to overhaul permit record keeping, both in the wake of a Bee investigation.
And, of course, the issues with it:
The Bee reported that at least 30 of the 550 people issued local carry permits from 1996 to 2007 had records of criminal convictions – and at least seven had failed to disclose them in their concealed weapon applications. Most of those permits were granted by McGinness’ predecessor, former Sheriff Lou Blanas.
Good to see San Mateo County police so hard at work:
Police in San Mateo County, California apparently first spent months investigating the small-stakes poker game. From this firsthand account, it looks like a couple of the officers were playing regularly for several weeks before sending in the SWAT team, guns drawn, last week.
Depends. In some places, it’s a crime because you’re avoiding taxes and registration. In other places, it’s because you’re too stupid and untrustworthy to decide how to waste your money.