Seen at Rich’s joint:

If yo remember, a little while back, I wrote about a court case in Virginia. A 16 year old boy and his parents decided to pursue alternative treatment for his Hodgkin’s Disease after conventional chemo gave only temporary improvement.

A social worker decided that the boy and his parents had no right to decide what was best for their family, and promptly filed suit to have the boy removed from his parents and forced to undergo treatment.

Well, the decision is in.

Juvenile court Judge Jesse E. Demps has ruled that the boy must undergo chemo as prescribed by his doctors, and that his parents were being neglectful by supporting his decision, so they must continue to share custody with the county Social Services bureau.

So, the state decides your child’s medical treatment and not you (but, Uncle, that’s what marriage is all about). I’m not sure the particulars of this case but if the state can decide this issue it’s one Hell of a precedent. As Rich says:

I’ve argued this before, and most folks tend to disagree. Of course, it’s usually religious parents and the alternative therapy is prayer, so the objectors throw out a few buzz words like “fanatic” or “ignorant hicks” and go merrily about their business. I then warn that if the state has the right to interfere, soon, it won’t just be in the case of religious folks.

And here we are.

A 16 year old can be tried as an adult, and sentenced to prison for life, or given the death penalty. If they’re responsible enough for that, then aren’t they responsible enough to make decisions about their health care?

Crebralfix looks at a cross between cowboy action and IPSC.

Radley has a piece on botched police raids at FoxNews.

I think Tam is fishing for hits.

It’s offical: 1/3rd of leanleft has gone nuts; drank the kool-aid; been Chomskied; or something. I mean, after all, there’s no crazy leftists, right?

Sundquist backs Corker? That’s the kiss of death. I may have to take it all back. Well, except that part about being a pussy.

Fake conservatives backing fake conservatives.

I’m late getting to it but Blake’s latest video blog has a song dedicated to me. I loved that show. But, Blake, the URL here is saySuncle.com not sayuncle.com (note the S).

On google that is.

Yesterday, I was tipped off by a few folks that the attacker who stabbed some people in Memphis was detained by an armed citizen. I scoured the news looking for confirmation and found none. Well, today, that has been confirmed:

Eyewitness News just talked to one man who says he saw what was happening, ran to get his gun and held the accused stabber at gunpoint until police arrived.

The stories I read yesterday morning mentioned nothing about it.

Colt CCO tells you how to make your four or six position stock have fewer positions.

The Carnival of Cordite is up for your gun blogging needs.

And the 219 zipper.

Oh glory day, the end is near! If you’re wrapped a little too tight around the cross, the appropriate reaction to Middle East turmoil is all-out celebration. Hooray for the end of the world and the people perverse enough to welcome it.

Praise God! We are chosen to be in these times and also watch and spread the word. Something inside me is exploding to get out, and I don’t know what it is. Its kind of like I want to do cartwheels around the neighborhood.

What’s especially brilliant is that the Rapture Ready website is down. It’s like their own private little end times over there.

For the scientists in the audience. Does ground level Ozone contribute to Global Warming? If so, then shouldn’t we do everything we can to reduce ground level Ozone? Sort of a two for one special, help your health and help the planet.

Ozone is a good thing if it is high in the atmosphere. There would be no life without the protective shield of Ozone around the planet. When Ozone is lower near the ground it is one of the chief components of smog. Here in East Tennessee we used to live in one of the best places anywhere on this planet but in the last ten years Knoxville has Ozone concentrations that are in the top ten worst in America.

Michael Silence wrote on February 23, 2005, “”Diesel & Health in America: The Lingering Threat” ranks Knox County in the top 10 percent of counties nationwide in adverse health effects from diesel pollution.”

What has been the response from our elected leaders? The Orange Route and the new Interstate I-3 from Savannah. More ground level Ozone, more sprawl, and of course more ground level Ozone. But what is more important, economic development or your health? When you don’t vote you give your answer by proxy.

Read the rest of this entry »

Just got bad news from the vet. Looks like Politically Correct Dog has a tumor by his spleen. 75% chance it’s cancerous and, if it is, he only has 3-6 months. Removal will be attempted but it’s not guaranteed. So, if you’re the praying sort (and the praying sort who prays for dogs), we’d appreciate it.

Good luck, buddy.

I was in the garage last night working on the 9mm AR-15. Junior was there with me. After some prodding, she looked at me and said:

Ay Ahh Fifee

Which is 2-year-old for AR-15. I was so proud.

AC:

Our system is rigged against independents and third parties. A third party isn’t even allowed to be identified on the ballot. An individual libertarian may not be able to campaign and get his name out but people still know what a libertarian is. If they were listed by party, people would know SOMETHING about that candidate.

He concludes:

Everything — to the two parties. To the people, nothing.

Ayup.

There’s some little political tussle going on in my fair state for Senate. The three Republican candidates are duking it out, while Ford is waiting to see who precisely is going to beat him. Some notes on it:

Corker, with his own cash and support from the Good Ol’ Boy machine, is buying this thing. He gave his campaign about $1.7M yesterday. He can outspend everyone and he will. Corker was the mayor of Chattanooga and made his fortune in development and real estate. It’s amusing to watch his commercials lambasting illegal immigration and telling us that citizens should speak English knowing full well that part of his fortune was amassed on the backs of illegal immigrants because such cheap labor tends to be a mainstay in development, contracting and real estate ventures. I even heard some illegal aliens were arrested on his job sites.

Ed Bryant seems to have a lot of support on Al Gore’s Tubes of Internets. But it kinda seems to end there.

Van seems to be a non-issue other than the fact him being in the race may be the reason Bryant can’t win.

Blogs as political indicators: Quite frankly, they suck at it. If you read the Internets and the blogs, you’d think this race was going to be a close race between Bryant and Ford. But you’d be wrong. It’s going to be Corker with Ford jumping up and down in the background saying pick me, pick me like the slow kid who always gets picked last when choosing dodge ball teams in the fifth grade. I say that based on the backing of the local political machine and who business is backing. I’ll bet a beer on it.

That’s not an endorsement of Corker at all. I don’t care for him. All three Republican candidates spend their time telling the voters exactly why they’re all the same (in case you didn’t know, they’re all against abortion; against gay marriage; against illegal immigration; and for fiscal conservatism). Then, they say things like well I’m more against abortion; against gay marriage; against illegal immigration; and for fiscal conservatism than these other two. Or that the other two are less against abortion; against gay marriage; against illegal immigration; and for fiscal conservatism than I am. Ford’s message is roughly the same, only less believable.

Guys, try telling us how you’re different from each other.

And whenever I see the commercial of Corker on the Arizona border in his flannel shirt and jeans, trying to look all outdoorsy, and yammering about immigrants, I notice that his jeans are pulled up too high on the waist. He walks in an awkward and uncertain manner with his thumbs in his belt loops. And he meanders sans confidence. And I have one thought and it is: Man, this guy’s a pussy. And this pussy will be the next senator from Tennessee.

Update: Oh, yeah. I’m not endorsing anyone but since you guys know that I:

1 – Don’t like Ford because I don’t believe him when it comes to guns; and that he’s too buddy-buddy with Schumer, who is everything I hate in a Senator;

2 – Have explicitly endorsed Not Hilleary

3 – Think Corker is a pussy;

Well, I’ll hold my nose when I do it. Or vote third party.

ETA: Oh, and that’s not to say I’ll hold my nose because I think Bryant is a bad guy or anything like that. He seems to be the most sincere and straight forward candidate. He’s just not someone I can get real excited about.

Over at The Gun Blogs (or as I like to call it, Rustmeister’s blog that I pay for*), Rustmeister asks:

At some time in the (hopefully) near future I plan on getting a new pistol, so I’m looking for suggestions.

It needs to have the following features:

* Full size
* Minimum capacity 12+1
* Minimum caliber 9mm +P
* Stainless
* Under $500 if possible

* Note: I’m not bashing Rustmeister. I’m just disappointed more folks don’t post material there. I set it up to be a blog that any gunnie could post too and it seems only a few do. So, if you want to blog about guns, head over there; register; and start posting.

In Maryland, a federal judge overturned a law that required Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to spend at least 8 percent of its payroll costs on health care for its employees:

U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz ruled that the law violates the Employment Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), a federal law that sets minimum standards for pensions and health plans. The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down similar state laws that conflict with the federal law, ruling that ERISA pre-empts any state law related to employee benefit plans.

Or he could have struck it down because Wal-Mart should decide how Wal-Mart spends its money. Insert reference to communism here.

Via Publicola, JPFO has an interview with Richard Celata on the recent raid on KT by the ATF and some Canadians:

Richard: On June 6th we were raided by the ATF, the FBI, and the Canadian ATF. The search warrant said that they were looking for firearms and other items pertaining to the manufacturer of sale and receipt of such items. They also claimed that we were manufacturing without a license, which obviously isn’t true because we don’t make anything that requires a license. All our products are nonlicensable.

…

Aaron: … Your lawyer, Quentin Roads, has suggested that he thinks this whole raid was really a fishing expedition. Can you comment on that?

Richard: We believe that at the time because of items that they took and things that they didn’t take, questioning me more about militias and that activity, and just the records that they were after, the types of records, my client list and sales receipts to things I purchased and resold to someone else, so we think it was geared on that.

Aaron: So, they wanted to know who your customer base was?

Richard: Right.

…

Richard: Well that is what it comes down to is their interpretation. We have known from previous determination letters that they really don’t mean much even after they issue one. They have issued several letters claiming that the AR15 in such a configuration is not a firearm along with also the 1911s, yet it is arbitrary. You can send in two 80% frames to the ATF at two different times and get two different answers. One time one person will look at it and say it is a firearm and another time another person will look at it and say, no it is not, so there is not much determination on that of what constitutes that, but the general rule of thumb that they go by is that if it cannot be assembled in any manner and fire a single round, it is not a firearm. It would take a considerable amount of time, depending on your skill level; of course, my skill level is above most average people who buy these, so it would take me less time than someone else who would not have my skill level, but still the AR15 style rifle, you can’t assemble it, you can’t put a hammer trigger, you can’t put the buffer tube in, you need to drill and tap. I think it is pretty much about 18 or 20 holes in it before it will work properly and if you don’t do the hammer and trigger hole properly, it will never work. The sear will not engage. So it is not like you just buy something and assemble it and 10 minutes later, you have a working firearm. Most people take an average of between 20 hours to finish one to bring it to 100% receiver.

There’s a lot more but it looks like they are going after the DIY folks.

Les notes:

I won’t buy any Norinco because of the company’s horrendous ethical violations. Those violations are detailed in Norinco’s Wikipedia entry, and include illegally importing and selling 2000 fully automatic weapons to undercover agents posing as Mafia in 1994 (and offering mortars, anti-aircraft missiles, and other weapons) and selling “missile-related goods” to Iran in 2003, which led the Bush administration to impose a two-year ban on Norinco imports. Besides all that, any money spent on Norinco guns goes directly to China’s military industry.

The New York State Rifle and Pistol Association notes:

The City Council yesterday passed a series of bills aimed at bolstering gun control and cracking down on gun crime. The measures, introduced jointly by Mayor Bloomberg and the council speaker, Christine Quinn, require any person convicted of a gun crime to register with the city and prohibit a person from buying more than one handgun in a three-month period.

So, like sex offenders, gun criminals are now registered. And one handgun every three months? Remember, they said the one gun per month was just to prevent illegal dealers. This law will only prevent the law-abiding from buying them. Bloomy issues a statement:

These four bills – the first of their kind in the nation – will make it harder and riskier to buy and sell illegal guns in our City, and help make the safest big city in America even safer.

No, they won’t. More:

As I have said many times, the City has no objection to law-abiding citizens who own guns …

Then why do you punish the law-abiding when criminals simply will not obey this law. They don’t obey the others after all.

… and gun dealers who play by the rules.

Is that why you conducted an illegal sting operation against gun dealers who were playing by the rules and are now getting sued for it?

I can’t help but notice, if you work at a bank and you’re not a teller, you must be a vice president.

From Cam Edwards:

Attorney and former Congressman Bob Barr announced today that he and the Law Offices of Edwin Marger, of which he is Of Counsel and is located in Jasper, Georgia, will be pursuing legal action against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on behalf of Adventure Outdoors. Bloomberg, in May of this year, named Adventure Outdoors, a family owned hunting supply business in Smyrna, Georgia, in a federal lawsuit against “rogue gun dealers.”

Bloomberg conspired with others named in the lawsuit to deceive Adventure Outdoors in order to falsely and fraudulently purchase a firearm. By doing so, the conspirators falsified an ATF form which is a clear violation of federal and Georgia laws. Furthermore, Bloomberg then released misleading statements to national news media, which damaged the reputation and business of Adventure Outdoors in this scheme to defame and violate the law.

In his statement, Barr expressed his confidence in a successful outcome for Adventure Outdoors and further stated that “Mayor Bloomberg’s and the other players’ actions were careless, willful and clearly illegal.

Is there a fund to contribute to?

Background here.

Update: Press coverage here and here. Think the NYT will run it?

I thought this guy looked familiar. Gun porn too.

Though perhaps slightly off-topic completely on-topic for this blog, I can’t resist mentioning the Observer’s list of 50 great albums. What sets this list apart from all the other Top 50s out there is that it ranges widely through many styles and also lists the acts that descended from these ground breakers.

I’m missing a bunch of these albums. Maybe I’ll work my way through them. The list covers musical styles I normally avoid, but the seminal work of a genre is usually pretty good, no matter what your normal tastes are.

Aunt B. has a lot on the subject. There’s also a debate going on in the comments. She also seems to be disappointed that I haven’t chimed in (well, until now). The reason for that is twofold. One, I’ve said it all before. And two, I realize that this Christian Grantham person is either a disingenious hack or an idiot. Doesn’t matter which he is, he’s not worth my time.

New York did it. So did Boston. Memphis has set up a special gun court:

Anyone caught carrying a gun illegally in Shelby County will get special attention from the criminal justice system starting next month.

Criminal Court Judge Louis Montesi Jr. will hear all illegal gun cases in the general sessions court system on a special “gun docket” beginning Aug. 1.

With this year’s Memphis homicide rate already just a few bodies short of 100, the gun docket is the centerpiece of a cross-jurisdictional initiative to get tougher and more consistent on illegal gun possession violations and curb gun crime.

Hopefully, the guy knows a thing or two about guns and gun laws. The mayor says:

We want to underscore the fact that there is no such thing as the trivial possession of guns in a civilized society

Actually, I think trivial possession of guns is indicative of a free society and a civilized society. I have trivial possession of many of them, personally. More:

Gibbons sent a letter this week to Memphis, Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville and Millington police departments asking them to arrest instead of cite unlawful gun possessors, as can be allowed under state law.

After the arrest, the initiative “will result in people spending some time in jail or more time in jail when they otherwise would not,” Gibbons said.

Maybe I am reading that wrong or it is poorly worded, but it seems the court is set up to violate state law, which requires citation and not incarceration. More:

“It sends the signal that illegally toting a gun in this community is not acceptable. That’s the bottom line.”

The initiative is an extension of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods program, which primarily involves felony illegal gun possession by ex-convicts.

Tennessee law requires only a citation be issued for misdemeanor unlawful possession of a weapon with exceptions that include suspects who have outstanding arrest warrants, are considered a danger or are unlikely to appear in court.

With the new program, after the arrest, anyone found unlawfully possessing a gun could get more than a slap-on-the-wrist fine or citation.

Looks like I wasn’t reading it wrong.

This is not from the Onion.

“We are making an all-out assault on the Constitution of the United States which, thank God, will fail,” said Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Wow.