So, the powers that be spending your money have decided that the economy needs to be stimulated. Remember when you got the $300 check? You might get one again. Is it an election year? They’re gonna refund you some of your own walking around money. Don’t get me wrong, I want my money back. IIRC, last time you didn’t actually get it back. You got it, claimed it on your returns, and were taxed on it. Dunno if this is the same thing or not. If it is, this is just stupid.

Additionally, there will be tax breaks for businessess. Hey, they’re onto something now.

And the .gov backed lenders will have their cap on lending raised.

And they’re gonna extend the amount of time people can draw unemployment.

Whoopie! We are saved.

So, here’s the question: If the government can stimulate the economy and that is allegedly good for the economy, why don’t they do it every day?

Need a hint?

The government can’t control the economy. They’re a player in it, of course, but it’s beyond their control. Period. If they could control it, we’d never have depressions, recessions, inflation, stagnation and all those other -essions and -ations. The .gov also cannot control unemployment, other than to the extent that they hire people. Period.

The only controls over the economy they truly have are tax rates. And the impacts of those are debatable.

Spate = three.

Seems people are calling the utility company in opposition.

So, there was that protest in Virginia I mentioned yesterday. The pro-gun side outnumbered the anti-gun side substantially. And at least one person on the anti-gun side became violent. How does the press report it? Like this:

Va. Tech families urge gun control

Instead of gun rights activists oppose gun bill.

People on both sides of the gun control debate clashed yesterday as families and friends of Virginia Tech shooting victims and survivors of the tragedy flooded the Capitol in support of legislation designed to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from buying firearms at gun shows.

Reports I read indicate that the flooding was done by the pro-gun side. And, of course, the bill in question is not designed to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from buying firearms at gun shows. It’s designed to mandate that private sales go through NICS. Mind you, the bill would not have prevented Cho from obtaining his weapons.

Tensions escalated as about 100 supporters of a bill that would close the so-called gun-show loophole lay on the Capitol lawn to honor victims of gun violence. About 200 opponents surrounded the group holding signs that read, “Here Lie Disarmed Victims,” both sides jostled for turf and one gun rights advocate posed questions to a survivor of the April 16 Virginia Tech shootings.

Hey, we finally mentioned numbers! Note those numbers don’t fit the narrative. And that’s the supposedly conservative Washington paper. What about the other biased Washington paper? Glad you asked:

A bill that would have restricted certain gun sales in Virginia and that had received passionate support from survivors of the Virginia Tech massacre was defeated by a Senate committee Wednesday, ending the major gun control effort of this year’s General Assembly session.

The legislation had failed repeatedly over the years but had taken on a greater urgency this year because of the April 16 shootings. Supporters had said this year was their best chance of winning approval because of the Virginia Tech tragedy, and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) had made it a priority.

Urgency? For what?

But Republicans and rural Democrats on the Senate Courts of Justice Committee teamed up to reject the bill, which would have required background checks for buyers at gun shows.

Incorrect. Sales at gun shows are subject to the same federal laws as sales not at gun shows. It would require background checks for private party transfers at gun shows.

Between 22 percent and 35 percent of gun show vendors do not have licenses, Virginia State Police say.

Probably because they’re selling beef jerky, holsters, and /20~ p@\/1 T-shirts.

And an outright lie from Kaine’s office:

“He has said many times that either you believe a felon should be able to buy a gun or you don’t,” spokesman Gordon Hickey said. “This vote indicates that some believe a felon should be able to buy a gun at a gun show.”

And, finally, eight paragraphs in:

Gun rights groups had opposed the bill, saying that Seung Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech student who shot and killed 32 people and then himself, did not buy the two semiautomatic weapons he used in the shootings at a gun show. Gun control advocates, however, said it would close a loophole in state law that could allow convicted felons and other dangerous individuals to buy guns and commit similar crimes.

Finally, the truth about the bill! They said it could. Nice reporting there.

It may pass this time thanks to Rep. Briley getting drunk and acting the fool:

State Rep. Rob Briley is no longer a member of a key House subcommittee that under his guidance in the past has been a roadblock to passage of so-called “guns in bars” legislation and similar bills.

[…]

The bill died in the Criminal Practice Subcommittee after passing the Senate. The panel has also posed problems for similar measures, such as a bill by Rep. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, that would have allowed people with carry permits to take guns into state parks and other recreational areas.

Yes and no. Last time, the bill actually died because Naifeh cheated to win. More details on that here.

Nice to see Tom Humphrey still isn’t talking about that.

Seems Paul Helmke of The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership is happy with the DOJ brief in Heller. Sebastian notes:

Bush has offered Brady two things with his brief. The first is a way out of their nightmare. An individual rights ruling that means nothing is something Brady can work with.

In TN, there’s a proposed law to add a bittering agent to anti-freeze so it doesn’t taste good to dogs and kids:

With the help of State Sen. Raymond Finney, Sevier County resident Haley Ham’s dream of keeping animals and young children safe from antifreeze poisoning may soon get a boost.

Or, you know, you could put the anti-freeze out of reach of children.

After the vasectomy, Junior was confused. See, she knew I went to the doctor. Yet I came home sick. Which to her, makes no sense because you go to the doctor to get better.

Chris mourns the loss of darkness. In these parts, I have plenty. I recall moving from Knoxville to The City (my The City – which is not really so much a city) and thinking about how nice it was to see the stars.

You’ll recall there was a police officer killed in a no-knock raid. The homeowner is charged with first-degree murder (first degree because he, of course, planned on the raid I suppose). So far, there are reports that weed was found. And the original report mentioned nothing of drugs being found. Yet, the complex growing operation the guy was alleged to have had was not found. And the police are tight-lipped.

But this is troubling. On a police message board regarding the incident, a commenter responds:

OK, I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I am getting SICK AND TIRED of hearing about Officers getting shot and our fellow Warriors not returning fire! Hello, F-ing cover fire Gents, get the job done! This is really something that pisses me off, we are breeding a bunch of victimsnot warriors! If your fellow Warrior is going to be on point and he/she takes a round or gun fire???? Lay down SUPPRESSIVE FIRE A.S.A.P. so you can get your fellow Officer out of the kill zone!

Warrior? You’re an officer of the peace. Protect and serve ring a bell? Suppressive fire? Good lord, the ninjafication is out of control.

Self, if you ever make the mistake of accidentally getting your carry weapon aboard a plane, do not do the right thing. It’s not worth it.

In Blount county, there are allegations that the sheriff has threatened people who had the audacity to ask questions about 28 vehicles the sheriff department has misplaced. I’ve heard nothing about this in the local paper. I wonder if that’s how they paid for their new crime lab and SWAT vehicle?

Laser Grips for a Kel-Tec P3AT. Via Jay.

It seems everyone is eulogizing the conservative side of the Republican party.

Relax, guys, the conservative wing has been dead since Pappy Bush. Oh sure, a little life was breathed into them in the house when Clinton was in power but that was just a marketing gimmick that was abandoned once they ran the show.

Though what is odd to me is that from 1988 to the present, two families have occupied the white house. If Hillary wins, that could mean, assuming reelection, 28 years of the executive branch controlled by two families. We have our own royal families!

Lyle in comments:

You smash in my door, announce that you’re a cop. And I’m supposed to believe you?

The fight begins March 18. Also, Gura on the DOJ’s position:

The Department’s fears about the implications of securing a meaningful Second Amendment right are overblown and not grounded in fact or law. Look for our response to their brief, and the others, on February 4.

Even the Wall Street Journal jumps in:

The amicus brief filed by Solicitor General Paul Clement agrees with this part of the D.C. Circuit ruling. But then it goes on a bender about violent felons wielding machine guns, urging the Supreme Court to reject the legal standard applied by Judge Silberman. Instead, the SG invites the Supremes to hand down an elaborate balancing test that would weigh “the strength of the government’s interest in enforcement of the relevant restriction” against an individual’s right to bear arms.

This is supposedly necessary because of this single phrase in Judge Silberman’s 58-page ruling: “Once it is determined — as we have done — that handguns are ‘Arms’ referred to in the Second Amendment, it is not open to the District to ban them” (our emphasis). This has alarmed the lawyers at Justice, eliciting their dire warnings that somehow Judge Silberman’s logic would bar the regulation of M-16s, felons with guns, or perhaps even Sherman tanks.

Heh.

In Virginia, there was some sort of protest. Said protesters were pushing for a law that would not have stopped the VT massacre in the name of the victims of the VT massacre. Seems the pro-gun side outnumbered the bad guys 3 to 1.

And why are anti-gunners so violent?

We had one member assalted by an anti who shoved him out of the way, saying, “This is OUR protest!”

Sailorcurt has a long report, including tons of pictures.

And the antis did an aptly named lie-in.

Your bias against guns is showing.

Boy, you confuse cholesterol with carbohydrates once when you’re 19 and it haunts you forever.

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.

Les Jones:

The founding fathers were wise enough to keep the government out of religion, but not wise enough to keep the government out of education.

Well, I don’t think they’d have imagined it would come up.

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.

Be in bed most of tomorrow. Maybe blog, may not.

“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.”

An haiku in memoriam of my vasa deferentia:

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.

How slow is he? He’s so slow that his latest post comes to you already debunked.

Kinda odd that a group with anti-defamation in its title would defame a group of people, eh?

There’s a noted increase in bank robberies. If I ran a bank, I’d probably hire some more guards or put in more cameras. But a bankers association has a pretty dumb idea:

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.

This time, it was an officer who was killed:

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.

Eric has more and asks:

What are you supposed to do if you are in your home at night, and suddenly hear the sound of your door being smashed open?

Well, I start shooting.

Indeed.