James Webb realizes the second amendment isn’t about duck hunting:

I know first hand the importance of armed self-defense by law-abiding citizens as a deterrent to criminals, and in the long term, to would-be tyrants.

Mind you, the NRA is supporting his opponent. Says Webb:

Please help me clear up this deliberate distortion by an organization that I must regretfully conclude has more on its agenda than protecting the earned Second Amendment rights of our citizens.

Seems to be a pattern.

Update: In comments, bitter says:

No, it’s not a pattern. If you follow the comments thread over at Countertop’s, you’d see there’s more to the timing of this than Webb is admitting. He didn’t return the survey until later based on evidence available. Not to mention he’s only getting upset about this now after magazines were mailed more than a month ago. Most likely he’s been sitting on this and just now realized that there is a strong gun vote in Virginia that could throw just enough votes to Allen to help him hold onto his seats.

Still, his quote about tyrants is righteous.

On the poll about how I would vote, here are the results so far:

Gay marriage ban:

No 21%
Yes 19%
Hell no 60%

Seriously, do 19% of you even read this site? I will be voting No.

Special privileges for old people:

No 38%
Yes 25%
Hell No 36%

I will be voting No, though I don’t think I’ve discussed it here.

Senate:

Bob Corker 43%
Harold Ford, Jr. 41%
Bo Heyward 8%
Big Stupid Tommy 8%

Ford is simply out of the question. The choice becomes do I vote for Corker because I think Ford may win? Or do I express my displeasure with Republicans by voting for the real conservative. Or do I express my displeasure about the whole thing and write in Big Stupid Tommy? I still don’t know.

Governor:

Phil Bredesen 60%
Jim Bryson 40%

I should vote for Bredesen. I voted for him the first time (actually, I voted against Hilleary). He’s done a decent job. He’s solidly pro-gun. But I just dread the lame-duck governor and a push for income taxes. Won’t matter though as this race isn’t even going to be close. Heck, even I don’t know this one. As I said, Bredesen deserves my vote but I fear his lame-duckness.

I find it sad that, built into our campaign laws, is a millionaire clause. Late for Dinner spells it out:

By injecting $2 million of his personal money into his campaign, Bob Corker has triggered the “millionaire’s clause” which raises the personal contribution limits for his opponent Harold Ford Jr. from $2100 to $12,600 per person for the general election.

Local news anchor Gene Patterson says:

A check of the WATE sales department suggests that Ford may have been anticipating Corker’s move today. The sales folks say Ford made additional buys just today. Corker also has inventory on our air over the next several days as we wind down to November 7.

I imagine if you check with the other stations here in Knoxville and in the other media markets in the state, similar purchases by the Ford campaign were also made.

Competitive races like the Corker/Ford senate race mean big bucks for TV stations. We and all the other stations charge premium prices for airtime. That’s the good news for us.

Some reading on the Supreme Court’s handling of the second amendment. Via GLN.

Some things, the .gov does a fairly decent job at. And by decent, I mean they don’t screw it up too bad. One of those things is roads, though by looking at Knoxville you wouldn’t know that. Now, there’s talk of toll roads in Tennessee:

The chairman of Tennessee’s House Transportation Committee said Monday he is drafting legislation that would set up a panel to oversee toll roads and public-private road partnerships statewide.

“Right now, there is no toll road commission,” said state Rep.

Well, there shouldn’t be since there are no toll roads. More:

Phillip Pinion, D-Union City. “We have to look at toll roads and public private partnerships. We have to look at all alternative funding.”

The planned legislation comes as state transportation officials struggle with how to raise money to fund public transportation.

Just take it from the schools, that’s what you usually do. Say, hasn’t the state been running at a surplus for the past few years? What about that money?

So, the anti-gun American Hunters and Shooter Association has made it’s first endorsement. As GLN says:

Last summer, when the American Hunters and Shooters Association first made its existence known, I had one prediction. Gun grabbing politicians would use them as a supposed progun endorsement. Well here is their first endorsement. On the plus side, they don’t seem to push her gun rights record; there is not one. They push her conservation position.

I’m with Radley, this sounds made up to me:

A highway patrolman who crashed into a pickup last month, killing himself and two others, had not been drinking even though an autopsy showed alcohol in his system, officials said Tuesday.

An analysis conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration on trooper Joshua Risner found he did not drink any alcohol at least 16 hours before his death, the State Highway Patrol said in a statement.

The finding contradicts an earlier post-crash autopsy that found Risner’s blood-alcohol level was 0.08 percent, the level at which a person is considered drunk under Ohio law.

“This test tells us that alcohol got into his system post-mortem, after death,” patrol Col. Paul McClellan said…

Who watches the watchmen? Someone’s got to since they can’t seem to watch themselves.

Street prices are up after Bloomberg’s campaign:

Many handguns are selling for about $200 more than they were, averaging about $700 to $1,000 apiece, the source said. Rifles are selling for about $300 more, averaging between $1,200 and $1,500, the source said.

Wow. Those are pricey. Of course, in NYC you have to pay a few hundred bucks in permits/permission slips to legally buy a gun legally there so it’s probably a wash.

Bloomberg now thinks that all those handgun carry permits that New York City has issued as political favors to friends of mayors and actors should be cut back:

The city should slash the number of people who are allowed to carry concealed weapons, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday.

“We’ve taken a look at it to see whether we couldn’t have fewer,” Bloomberg said. “I can tell you one thing: We will keep it to as a minimum as we possibly can.”

Bloomberg added that he has asked Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to tackle the issue.

“If you want a gun permit, you should have to really show that your life is in danger, and that having a gun will protect you, will improve the chances of you surviving,” the mayor said.

Poor Robert DeNiro. How will he defend himself? Still, it is amusing to me that Bloomberg thinks fewer carry permits will make NYC safer.

Raw Story:

Faced with escalating hostilities from communist rebels and a volatile Muslim insurgency in the south, the Philippine government is planning to recruit and arm civilians to help maintain peace and order in the country. Under the government’s strategy, the armed civilian militias would become “force multipliers” in the fight against insurgency, terrorism and crimes by gathering intelligence, serving as back up to troops and conducting community patrols.

The plan brings new meaning to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s call for stronger cooperation between a vigilant public and government security forces.

Today’s spam message came from a person calling themselves: J J Mc Anally. Ok, then.

I won’t let them make me into somebody I am, that’s wrong.

God Bless those in the U.S. Armed Forces. It is important to have a sense of humor.

There is likely no elected politician who is more pro-gun than Ron Paul. But the NRA has given his opponent, Democrat Shane Sklar, an A rating and Ron Paul a B rating. The NRA has endorsed neither candidate, which is odd.

Everyone is doing these posts on how they voted and they want you go guess. Well, mine is different. I haven’t voted yet. So, How will Uncle vote:

Pro-Gun Progressive notes that Violence Policy Center’s made up statistic that 1 in 5 cops killed with weapons that look like assault weapons isn’t even affected by the sunset of the assault weapons ban:

The VPC claimed 1 in 5 police officers were killed by so-called assault weapons, so what has happened to police deaths since the ban lapsed?

In 2005, the FBI records exactly 3 police deaths resulting from criminal use of rifles — that is out of 50 from all all firearms (42 using handguns and 5 using shotguns). I don’t know how many of these 3 rifles were semi-automatic rifles with large replaceable magazines, pistol-grips and bayonet lugs — the FBI doesn’t say.

…

Fewer were killed with rifles than were killed by deliberate assaults with vehicles.

Looking through the “Summaries of Officers Killed” …, I count that 47 of the 54 killers (87%) had prior criminal records. In several of these instances lacking a prior record, the killer is not known with certainty.

There were problems with their made up numbers any way that had little to do with the ban’s expiration. Such as:

They have to cheat to win.

Seen at publicola’s, I really love this tune:

Update: I hear there is a new version of this song coming out. It’s about Al Gore. It will be called Cult of No Personality.

On Halloween, why do you think it’s a good idea to drive your kids trick or treating? Because let me tell you that, as a family who did it the old-fashioned way by walking, you’re a pain in our ass. Your vehicles are always in the way. Would it kill you to cut the lights so that you’re not blinding a 5 month old in a stroller?

I mean, I realize your lazy and all but, man, that’s just inconvenient to other people who are walking on a narrow road in a subdivision. And let’s be honest, you (and your kids) could probably use the walk. I know walking the whopping 100 feet from one house to the next may be strenuous but it might be good for you.

As you were.

Update: Sarah feels my pain.

Update 2: And Tom does too.

In the UK:

DEVASTATED mother Irene Woods has vowed never to let her toddler son have a toy gun after his older brother died after mistakenly shooting himself in the head.

On what happened:

An inquest on Christopher heard last week how he had been at a friend’s house in Anfield, smoking cannabis and playing computer games.

Friends say Christopher, who was refused entry into the army because of a heart murmur, had pointed the gun at each of them then placed it under his chin and pulled the trigger.

Tests later revealed the “crude” replica weapon, which had been converted to fire steel ball bearings, was faulty.

Well, not pointing it at yourself would have taken care of the gun’s faults.

Seen at Joe’s:

Can anyone name a U.S. political party that openly says, “We are opposed to the people having the right to keep and bear arms.”? Certainly there are individual politicians that work to subvert it and are openly for gun control. But they don’t dare make it a party platform.

Well, we do have a Jesus-loving, gun-supporting believer that family should come first, that taxes should be lowered running as D here in Tennessee.

Florida Gun Lawyer. And check out his post How much is enough.

Heh:

Usually all a Republican has to do to win an election is to shut up and let the Democrat talk.

Time has a map of the United States with population density histograms.

anybody else get the feeling that voting machines aren’t quite ready for actual use? The early voting in Florida is done on machines and the machines are revolting.

Broward Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman Mary Cooney said it’s not uncommon for screens on heavily used machines to slip out of sync, making votes register incorrectly.

Well, at least the mistakes cut both ways so it will average out. Oh wait, every instance they’ve found has skewed votes for the Republican candidate.

Mauricio Raponi wanted to vote for Democrats across the board at the Lemon City Library in Miami on Thursday. But each time he hit the button next to the candidate, the Republican choice showed up.

But at least somebody is monitoring the problem, right? Um…

[T]hey don’t know how widespread the machine problems are because there’s no process for poll workers to quickly report minor issues and no central database of machine problems.

Setting aside the Diebold conspiracy theories, the machines just don’t work very well. At least with paper ballots, there’s a paper trail.

Speaking of what government does, how’s this:

When two unshaven men wearing camouflage pants and plaid shirts walked into Cappy’s Chowder House in Camden on Thursday afternoon, owner Johanna Tutone thought she was about to feed a pair of hungry duck hunters.
After the men presented badges identifying themselves as federal fish-and-wildlife agents and said they had come for her 150-year-old stuffed gull, Tutone concluded it had to be a prank.

“I thought they were joking,” she said. “I thought any minute someone would come up the stairs and say, ‘Gotcha!'”
But the men were serious. Based on a complaint they had received from a customer, they told her they had come to confiscate the stuffed Greater Black Backed Gull that has been perched upstairs in her restaurant for more than 20 years, mounted under glass and surrounded by an ornate frame.

But, maybe, people are paying attention:

A quarter century after the Reagan revolution and a dozen years after Republicans vaulted into control of Congress, a new CNN poll finds most Americans still agree with the bedrock conservative premise that, as the Gipper put it, “government is not the answer to our problems — government is the problem.”

The poll released Friday also showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans perceive, correctly, that the size and cost of government have gone up in the past four years, when Republicans have had a grip on the House of Representatives, the Senate and the White House.

Discretionary spending grew from $649 billion in fiscal year 2001 to $968 billion in fiscal year 2005, an increase of $319 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Queried about their views on the role of government, 54 percent of the 1,013 adults polled said they thought it was trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. Only 37 percent said they thought the government should do more to solve the country’s problems.

It’s a pity the Reagan revolution died when Republicans suddenly found themselves in charge.

Terry Frank has an interesting post this morning on First Amendment rights. The story is about a Christian student who has been punished for opposing homosexual adoption on religious grounds. The ADF (Alliance Defense Fund) is suing Missouri State University on behalf of student Emily Brooker.

MSU student Emily Brooker faced an “ethics” committee after school officials informed her that she stood accused of a Level 3 grievance for violation of the School of Social Work’s “Standards of Essential Functioning in Social Work Education.” The Level 3 grievance is the highest level of grievance that an individual can bring against a student. University officials told Brooker she had violated three of the “Standards of Essential Functioning”: Diversity, Interpersonal Skills, and Professional Behavior.

One of Brooker’s MSU professors, Frank G. Kauffman, assigned to his students a project promoting homosexual foster homes and adoption. The project required the entire class to write and individually sign a letter to the Missouri Legislature in support of homosexual adoption, a letter Brooker refused to sign due to her religious objections.

On Dec. 16, 2005, Brooker faced a two-and-a-half hour interrogation by faculty members, who allegedly asked her personally invasive questions such as, “Do you think gays and lesbians are sinners?” and “Do you think I am a sinner?”

The question I have is would there have been a difference if Emily Brooker was a Muslim? I have a feeling that MSU professor Frank G. Kauffman would not have filed a Level 3 grievance for violation of the School of Social Work’s “Standards of Essential Functioning in Social Work Education” if Brooker was a Muslim. Do we have freedom of religion in this country or are some religions more “free” than others?

G = Guns

We got some snakes. Our new lot lines up to a field and a creek. So, it’s not surprising we’d have some legless lotmates. The Mrs. hates snakes. I step outside on the back-porch with The Second this Sunday to see Politically Incorrect Dog engaged in an epic battle with what is probably the biggest black snake I’ve ever seen (I’m guessing it was a good four feet long). And by epic battle, I mean Politically Incorrect Dog is playing with it as though it were some sort of self-propelled stick to be fetched and released and fetched again. I call the dog in, put The Second down, alert the Mrs., and get the Walther P22. I don’t mind black snakes as they eat vermin (including other snakes) and are not venomous. But at the time I was not 100% sure that’s what it was. And I’m not risking a 0.01% that I am wrong. I get back out and he’s gone. Not a trace. I was almost convinced he was gone never to return and then it occurred to me he might be in the dog house. Crap. Well, I’m not crawling in there looking for him. So, I get a garden hoe and attach a mirror to it so I can look around the corner (yes, the dog house I built has rooms – gotta keep the wind out, ya know). No snake. And no snake killed. It’s win-win.

The second snake wasn’t so lucky. Yesterday, I was at work and the Mrs. called to tell me she just hacked a brown spotted snake (her description – I have not yet examined the carcass to determine what kind it is but I’m guessing copperhead) to death with a hoe. Again, with the hoes. She said she was out in the yard checking something and noticed the gnarly, 2 feet long beastie and wasn’t taking any chances. So, she went to the garage, grabbed the hoe, and hacked him into bits. She said she was wearing shorts and flip-flops and, in between hacks, was dodging an understandably annoyed snake.

I say to her: I’ve gotta get you to the range. The old Walther P22 would have dispatched the alleged copperhead with minimal fuss and risk.

The Second, who is 5 months old, likes to sleep on his belly. He sleeps more soundly and for a longer period of time on his belly. When he sleeps on his back, his naps are short and he gets cranky due to lack of sleep. Trouble is, since he’s a big boy, he has a bit of trouble rolling from his back to his belly. He can roll from his belly to his back just fine. So, when we lay him down for nap time, we place him on his belly. So did daycare. Until two weeks ago.

You see, appropriate sleeping procedures vary from decade to decade. One decade, parents are told baby sleeps on his tummy. The next, it’s on his back. And this flip-flops all the time. That’s what my parents tell me. Apparently, this is the decade where it’s on the back. When The Second first got in daycare, they asked us to fill out a form telling them it was OK to let him sleep on his belly, which we did.

Now, some arbitrary state agency with nothing better to do has decided that parental permission isn’t good enough. No, you see, The Second needs a note from his doctor stating that the daycare staff can put him in his crib on his belly. Yes, that is correct. Let me repeat the stupidity: In order for him to be placed on his belly and get an adequate nap, parental consent isn’t good enough. You need a note from a doctor. If baby rolls on his belly by himself, that’s fine. But he can’t be placed there.

We call the doc and say Hey, doc, this is really stupid but can you sign a note saying it’s OK for the second to be placed on his belly for nap time? Doc says Well, I would but current guidelines say I shouldn’t. So, I can’t really. I’m not sure what guidelines he meant but I’m sure it’s some other arbitrary state agency with nothing better to do.

Bitter notes gunnies have money:

Researchers found the average lifetime outlay for firearms, ammunition and other gear totals $20,219 per person. When purchases for licenses and lodging, food and fuel, magazines and meat processing, dues and contributions, and other associated items are added, the average lifetime grand total rises to $109,568 per person.

A new report spells out the most dangerous cities:

A surge in violence made St. Louis the most dangerous city in the country, leading a trend of violent crimes rising much faster in the Midwest than in the rest of nation, according to an annual list.

Here’s a link to buy the actual report. Brick, New Jersey is the safest but, err, that doesn’t grab headlines. Violent crime (danger, I suppose) is based on rates for murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.

New Jersey also made second most dangerous with Camden, which topped (or bottomed?) the list last year.

The KNS reports that four Tennessee cities made the top 100 dangerous cities. The are Memphis (359 of 371), Nashville (333), Chattanooga (315) and Knoxville (297). The KPD disputes the list claiming it is flawed:

Knoxville Police Chief Sterling P. Owen IV was not immediately available for comment. KPD spokesman Darrell DeBusk said the study appears flawed as far as Tennessee numbers are concerned.

Law enforcement agencies in Tennessee use a more comprehensive and detailed crime reporting system than that used in most other states.

“It’s like comparing apples to oranges,” he said. “All Tennessee law enforcement agencies use an incident based reporting system, versus the Uniform Crime Report system that most law enforcement agencies in the county use.”

In Tennessee, four separate crimes will be reported if, in a single incident, a house is burglarized, the homeowner stabbed, the house vandalized and the homeowner’s car is stolen. “But in the uniform crime report system, all of that is reported as a single crime, the most serious one.”

The FBI has recommended the incident based system as more accurate, but only a few states have adopted it so far, DeBusk said.