I have switched to using Blogrolling to create the blogroll in the sidebar. It's just less confusing for me than using my Bloglines subscriptions.
My blogroll is made up of blogs that I read regularly, which means pretty much every day. It also includes blogs that have put me on their blogroll, which means I will be reading them quite regularly also, just to see what's up.
A brand new addition today is Featherless Biped. It has been weeks since I last did a Blogrolling search, and this website turned up which looks quite interesting.
There are quite a few blogs that I check into less regularly. There are also some blogs that I'm still deciding about.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Saturday, August 20, 2005
John Lott on Canada's gun problem
John Lott has written an excellent article regarding Canada's recent blaming of their "gun problems" on the United States:
Of course, there is a minor little problem with the attacks on the U.S.. Canadians really don't know what the facts are. The reason is simple: despite billions of dollars spent on the Canada's gun registration program and the program not actually solving any crimes, the government does not even know the number of crime guns seized in Canada, let alone where those crime guns came from. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported in late-July that they "cannot know if [the guns] were traceable or where they might have been traced." Thus, even if smuggled guns were an important problem, the Canadian government doesn't know if it is worse now than in the past.
Five Personal Idiosyncrasies
I'm really a pretty boring sort of person. And I never really try to participate in memes. However, this one sounded interesting, so I thought I'd rack my brain and see if I could come up with five things. I picked this up at Cowboy Blob's.
I hate clowns. Circus clowns, anyway. I have great respect for rodeo clowns.
I actually believe that sometimes certain items simply vanish. No one took them--they are just gone. I compulsively place certain important items in the exact same spot every time I put them down because of this. I want to make sure that when they vanish, I know it wasn't my fault.
I have an aversion, shall we say, to amphibians. Toads are the worst. Frogs are slightly less bad. I'm not too fond of turtles, either.
You know how Spiderman had his "Spidey-sense"? Well, I have the same thing, except that it's specific to exposed female cleavage. I'm serious. If there's any within eyesight, I know about it, even if I haven't turned that way to look yet.
There are certain foods that I absolutely cannot tolerate. I mean, they actually make me physically ill. Macaroni makes me vomit, although I love spaghetti (I don't know why, since they're both pasta). The mere sight of guacamole makes me queasy. No kidding. Someone once made me a sandwich and smeared some of that stuff on it, and on my first bite I had to make a run for the bathroom. I can't handle pineapple or coconut either.
I have an odd habit of laughing at things that no one else sees humor in, and not laughing at things that some other people think are funny. A new-age girl I once knew said this was because I was the archetypal Fool (from the Tarot deck). I like to think it's because I have a highly refined sense of the absurd.
I like to sleep with my head under a pillow.
I have had "The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe" in my nightstand for about 20 years now. I occasionally just pick it up and read a couple of poems at random.
I have a number of old gospel hymns so well memorized that if the world of Fahrenheit 451 came to pass, I would be the guy they go to for old gospel hymns.
A long time ago our local PBS station showed Dr. Who every weeknight at 10:00 PM. They started at the very beginning and showed every episode that has survived right through to the end with Sylvester McCoy. I taped almost every single episode, and I still have all the tapes. (And yes, I know the series is being revived).
A friend of mine and I have a habit of using random lines from Monty Python as titles for our emails, although the lines usually have no relation whatsoever to the content of the email.
Well, I said at the beginning that I was a pretty boring sort of person.
I hate clowns. Circus clowns, anyway. I have great respect for rodeo clowns.
I actually believe that sometimes certain items simply vanish. No one took them--they are just gone. I compulsively place certain important items in the exact same spot every time I put them down because of this. I want to make sure that when they vanish, I know it wasn't my fault.
I have an aversion, shall we say, to amphibians. Toads are the worst. Frogs are slightly less bad. I'm not too fond of turtles, either.
You know how Spiderman had his "Spidey-sense"? Well, I have the same thing, except that it's specific to exposed female cleavage. I'm serious. If there's any within eyesight, I know about it, even if I haven't turned that way to look yet.
There are certain foods that I absolutely cannot tolerate. I mean, they actually make me physically ill. Macaroni makes me vomit, although I love spaghetti (I don't know why, since they're both pasta). The mere sight of guacamole makes me queasy. No kidding. Someone once made me a sandwich and smeared some of that stuff on it, and on my first bite I had to make a run for the bathroom. I can't handle pineapple or coconut either.
I have an odd habit of laughing at things that no one else sees humor in, and not laughing at things that some other people think are funny. A new-age girl I once knew said this was because I was the archetypal Fool (from the Tarot deck). I like to think it's because I have a highly refined sense of the absurd.
I like to sleep with my head under a pillow.
I have had "The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe" in my nightstand for about 20 years now. I occasionally just pick it up and read a couple of poems at random.
I have a number of old gospel hymns so well memorized that if the world of Fahrenheit 451 came to pass, I would be the guy they go to for old gospel hymns.
A long time ago our local PBS station showed Dr. Who every weeknight at 10:00 PM. They started at the very beginning and showed every episode that has survived right through to the end with Sylvester McCoy. I taped almost every single episode, and I still have all the tapes. (And yes, I know the series is being revived).
A friend of mine and I have a habit of using random lines from Monty Python as titles for our emails, although the lines usually have no relation whatsoever to the content of the email.
Well, I said at the beginning that I was a pretty boring sort of person.
Rewilding America
When I first heard of this, this past week, I thought, cool, let's let wild lions and cheetahs loose in North America. The only way to control their populations is hunting, and this would mean those of us who could never afford a trip to Africa could get a chance at big-game hunting right here in the good ol' U.S. of A!
My second thought was, nope, can't be that simple, Bubba.
Some spokesman (I didn't catch his name) was on NPR's Science Friday this week. Now Ira Flatow isn't really one to ask hardball questions, but this spoksman was so lame that Ira actually kept asking him the same question at least twice, maybe three times. The basic question was, Yeah, but how are you actually going to do it?
The spokesman seemed to be about three hints short of a clue. All he could do was go back to a species of tortoise that is nearly extinct here, and by starting with them, re-introducing them back to the wild, and using a "science-based process," we would eventually work up to lions, cheetahs, elephants, and camels. These are all animals which had prehistoric counterparts living on this continent some 15,000 years ago, so it only follows that these modern-day versions of them should thrive here now. His logic, not mine. Personally, I would love it if a wombat population were established here, because I just love the word "wombat" and try to work it into everyday conversation as often as possible, but I guess there were never any sabre-toothed wombats living in this neck of the woods.
(By the way, camels were given a chance already, and didn't make it. The Army tried using them in place of horses in the southwest back in the old days. Eventually the project was discontinued and all the camels were set free. They weren't able to establish themselves and survive. But then, they weren't subjected to a "science-based process," whatever that is).
This person also loved using the reintroduction of wolves in the west as an example. Of course, these were the same kinds of wolves that were essentially wiped out within the lifetimes of humans living today. He failed to clarify how this was the same kind of thing as reintroducing contemporary cousins of prehistoric species.
But, it's really worse than just some goofball coming up with some goofball idea. Liberty Matters has a good roundup on this, of which I will quote some, and although this is an older article, its age shows that this has been brewing for a long time:
Maybe I'm way behind the curve on this one, and maybe I'm wrong. But it seems plenty sinister to me. Note especially the words I emphasized in the last quoted paragraph above. Sinister, because he is talking about animals that do not even live on this continent now, and never did (although their prehistoric cousins did).
I still think it would be cool to go elephant hunting in Arizona. All I would need is to find somebody who would rent me a .416 Rigby.
My second thought was, nope, can't be that simple, Bubba.
Some spokesman (I didn't catch his name) was on NPR's Science Friday this week. Now Ira Flatow isn't really one to ask hardball questions, but this spoksman was so lame that Ira actually kept asking him the same question at least twice, maybe three times. The basic question was, Yeah, but how are you actually going to do it?
The spokesman seemed to be about three hints short of a clue. All he could do was go back to a species of tortoise that is nearly extinct here, and by starting with them, re-introducing them back to the wild, and using a "science-based process," we would eventually work up to lions, cheetahs, elephants, and camels. These are all animals which had prehistoric counterparts living on this continent some 15,000 years ago, so it only follows that these modern-day versions of them should thrive here now. His logic, not mine. Personally, I would love it if a wombat population were established here, because I just love the word "wombat" and try to work it into everyday conversation as often as possible, but I guess there were never any sabre-toothed wombats living in this neck of the woods.
(By the way, camels were given a chance already, and didn't make it. The Army tried using them in place of horses in the southwest back in the old days. Eventually the project was discontinued and all the camels were set free. They weren't able to establish themselves and survive. But then, they weren't subjected to a "science-based process," whatever that is).
This person also loved using the reintroduction of wolves in the west as an example. Of course, these were the same kinds of wolves that were essentially wiped out within the lifetimes of humans living today. He failed to clarify how this was the same kind of thing as reintroducing contemporary cousins of prehistoric species.
But, it's really worse than just some goofball coming up with some goofball idea. Liberty Matters has a good roundup on this, of which I will quote some, and although this is an older article, its age shows that this has been brewing for a long time:
The Wildlands Project is a massive program for restructuring society around nature as the organizing principle. The concept is Foreman's, but the plan was developed by Dr. Reed Noss under grants from The Nature Conservancy and the National Audubon Society. It was first published in Wild Earth, a publication of the Cenozoic Society, of which Foreman is chairman.That's a big quote, but then it's a long article. And yes, this is just another facet of the "all humans must die so that the earth can be preserved" movement.
Funded by the Ira Hiti Foundation for Deep Ecology, 75,000 copies of the plan
were produced and distributed. The Wildlands Project was set up as a corporation with offices in Arizona and Oregon; Foreman is Chairman of the Board; Reed Noss is a Director.
Working in tandem with the Wildlands Project is the Biosphere Reserve Program, a creation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The objective of the program, conceived in 1971, has been to designate sites worldwide for preservation and to protect the biodiversity of chosen sites on a global level. Toward that end, the Sierra Club has redrawn the map of North America into 21 "bioregions."
In turn, each of the 21 bioregions has been divided into three zones:
1) Wilderness area, designated as habitat of plants and animals. Human habitation, use, or intrusion is forbidden.
(2) Buffer zones surrounding the wilderness areas. Limited, and strictly controlled, human access is permitted within this zone.
(3) Cooperation zones, the only zones where humans will be permitted to live.
According to Dr. Michael Coffman of Environmental Perspectives, Inc., a strategy to implement reserves and corridors (in the northern Rockies, for example, see map on page 4 [Ed. Note: Not reproduced here; see maps at http://www.libertymatters.org/MapWild.html ]) would be to:
1) Start with a seemingly innocent-sounding program like the "World Heritage Areas in Danger." Bring all human activity under regulation in a 14-18 million acre buffer zone around Yellowstone National Park.
2) Next, declare all federal land (except Indian reservations) as buffers, along with private land within federal administration boundaries.
3) Next, extend the U.S. Heritage corridor buffer zone concept along major river systems. Begin to convert critical federal lands and ecosystems to reserves.
4) Finally, convert all U.S. Forest Service, grasslands, and wildlife refuges to reserves. Add missing reserves and corridors so that 50 percent of landscape is preserved. [Based on United Nations World Heritage Program; United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, Article 8a-e; United Nations Global Biodiversity Assessment, Section 10.4.2.2.3; U.S. Man and the Biosphere Strategic Plan (1994 draft); U.S. Heritage Corridors Program; and "The Wildlands Project," (published in Wild Earth, Dec. 1992). Also, see Science, "The High Cost of Biodiversity," Vol. 280, June 25, 1993, pp.1868-1871.]
Investigative reporter Karen Lee Bixman, in her article, "The Taking of America," states that "each of the 21 bioregions will be governed by bioregional councils. Although in its infancy stage, the setting up of such a council is taking place [now] in the south in conjunction with the Smokey Mountain National Park in Tennessee. When these councils come into play, local, state and national government will not be able to interfere with their enforcement. It will be under the strong arm of the UN.Environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy and other green organizations will be given the green light [to be] the enforcement arm of these councils at the local level." [Karen Lee Bixman, "The Taking of America," The Investigative Reporter (Huntington Beach, CA), March 1996, .3.]
It cannot be too strongly emphasized that this is a radical agenda designed to control not just the land, but all human activity, as well. Under the Wildlands Project, at least 50 percent of the land area of America would be returned to "core wilderness areas" where human activity is barred.
Those areas would be connected by corridors, a few miles wide. The core areas and corridors would be surrounded by "buffer zones" in which "managed" human activity would be allowed, provided that biodiversity protection is the first priority. Reed Noss's words put it very, very plainly: "the collective needs of non-human species must take precedence over the needs and desires of humans." ["Rewilding America," eco-logic Magazine (Publ. By Environmental Conservation Organization, Hollow Rock, TN), November/December 1995, p.20.]
Maybe I'm way behind the curve on this one, and maybe I'm wrong. But it seems plenty sinister to me. Note especially the words I emphasized in the last quoted paragraph above. Sinister, because he is talking about animals that do not even live on this continent now, and never did (although their prehistoric cousins did).
I still think it would be cool to go elephant hunting in Arizona. All I would need is to find somebody who would rent me a .416 Rigby.
Something I just discovered...
I installed a search tool on this site, mainly for my own use in hunting down previous posts. I picked one that has a very large limit, which it will be a long time before I reach, and also one that I can index manually.
I discovered something. I found this out simply due to a hunch, based on no conscious technical knowledge on my part.
A while back I went into my Blogger settings and changed "Add your blog to our listings?" to NO. I did this so that my blog wouldn't be included in the "next blog" button function anymore. This way my web stats would be a lot more accurate, and the web counter that I recently installed would be more accurate, because it would eliminate random hits from that "next blog" thing.
Whatever this "NO" setting does, it also prevents the site from being spidered by certain search engines. I'm not sure exactly which ones or how extensive, except that, for sure, Picosearch and Freefind are both rendered inoperable by this setting.
I discovered something. I found this out simply due to a hunch, based on no conscious technical knowledge on my part.
A while back I went into my Blogger settings and changed "Add your blog to our listings?" to NO. I did this so that my blog wouldn't be included in the "next blog" button function anymore. This way my web stats would be a lot more accurate, and the web counter that I recently installed would be more accurate, because it would eliminate random hits from that "next blog" thing.
Whatever this "NO" setting does, it also prevents the site from being spidered by certain search engines. I'm not sure exactly which ones or how extensive, except that, for sure, Picosearch and Freefind are both rendered inoperable by this setting.
Some Minutemen in Texas will be carrying concealed weapons
Talk about stating the obvious. But of course, this is a problem for some.
The Houston Chronicle reports:
Also note that they are not actually using a discounted fee as a recruiting tool. They have a smaller fee for those with concealed weapons permits because they know those people have already been through background checks. Those background checks aren't free, you know.
This article also points out that Chris Simcox has a gun-related criminal record:
The Houston Chronicle reports:
Leaders of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps of Texas had earlier said volunteers observing Houston's day laborers in October would carry nothing but video cameras.So now the Minutemen have finally become targets of gun bigots. Notice the emphasized paragraph above. They can carry concealed if they comply with all the laws. So that means they are all going to be armed and looking to kill illegal aliens at their whim. Yeah.
But leaders now say those involved in the operations targeting local illegal immigrants will be allowed to carry arms as long as they comply with all federal and state laws.
In fact, those who have a concealed-weapons permit are being offered a discount on joining the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. An Arizona-based organization, the Minutemen started out by patrolling the Arizona-Mexico border in April to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing, but the group has announced it will conduct a variety of operations here this fall.
Members are normally charged $50 to join, with the money used to conduct a criminal background check. Those with a valid concealed-weapons permit can have that fee waived, since they already have undergone a background check and met other requirements, such as a handgun course, to get the permit, said George Klages, spokesman for the Minutemen in Houston.
Also note that they are not actually using a discounted fee as a recruiting tool. They have a smaller fee for those with concealed weapons permits because they know those people have already been through background checks. Those background checks aren't free, you know.
This article also points out that Chris Simcox has a gun-related criminal record:
He was convicted of entering a federal park with a loaded weapon and offering false information to a federal officer, both misdemeanors, and was sentenced to two years' probation, court records show.Bad boy, Chris. We all know federal parks are completely free from crime and violent attacks.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Arizona and Sonora to team up on border crime
Border Governors Implement Safety Plans from AP:
The governors of Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora on Friday announced stepped-up plans to combat border-related crime, saying they were prompted to act in part because their respective national governments have been slow to help.I never expected the Mexican Federales to do anything about border problems. Any real work will have to be done by the states. Pretty much just like in this country.
Arizona will create a new detail of officers to help target vehicle theft -- a crime often linked to transporting of illegal immigrants -- and to gather intelligence to identify people taking large amounts of cash from the United States to Mexico, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano said.
In addition, police in the border-area cities of Nogales, Bisbee and San Luis and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department will assign dozens more officers to combat vehicle theft, drug trafficking and other border-related crime, Napolitano said.
Meanwhile, Sonoran Gov. Eduardo Bours announced the establishment of four new checkpoints in Sonora where officers will try to identify and detain people engaged in smuggling and vehicle theft.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Attention XD owners
I like my XD40 so much, that for the first time, I wish there were some good lasergrip sights for it. (If someone else already makes them, I don't know about it). In the Crimson Trace forum, it has been stated that they are looking seriously at the XD series, but there are no firm plans for development...yet. So hop on over to the Crimson Trace request page and vote for the XD series.
And you can join Free Lasergrips Drawing while you're there, for a chance to win Lasergrips for one of your other guns.
And you can join Free Lasergrips Drawing while you're there, for a chance to win Lasergrips for one of your other guns.
Austin Community College tells veteran he is no longer a Texan
The Star-Telegram reports (bugmenot: bugmenot2004@yahoo.com/hasnone):
Carl Basham was born in Beeville, registered to vote in Travis County in 1998, holds a Texas driver's license and does his banking in Austin.This is important to him because as a resident, his tuition would only be about $500 per semester. As a non-resident, it's about $2,600 per semester. I think bad P.R. is going to win the day on this one.
So he was shocked when Austin Community College told him a few weeks ago that he didn't qualify as a Texas resident 'for tuition purposes.' Basham, a former Marine corporal, said he was even more shocked when officials told him why: After two tours of duty in Iraq, he's been out of the state too long to qualify.
More bad news for Texas land-grabbers
Eminent Domain Bill Sent to Governor Perry:
The government's power to take private property for economic development would be limited under a bill approved today by the Texas Senate.
The eminent domain measure now goes to Governor Rick Perry, who says the bill provides common sense protection for every private property owner. Perry last week added the issue to the call of the special session on school finance.
The Senate's 17-to-6 vote of approval came as any hope of passing a school finance measure appeared to have faded for good. The bill was filed in response to a June U-S Supreme Court ruling in a Connecticut case. That decision lets governments take land for private development to generate tax money.
Texas is one of at least 25 states that have considered changes to eminent domain laws this summer.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Right Hand of God comments on Intelligent Design
Right Hand of God comments Intelligent Design. I have nothing to added. Except, perhaps, amen.
Toronto Mayor wants to fight gun-smuggling by disarming residents
Apparently, the mayor of Toronto believes that illegal gun-smuggling is the fault of "lax gun laws" of the United States, and to solve the problem wants to collect all firearms from residents of Toronto and store them in a centralized location. The National Post reports:
'There's no reason to own a gun in Toronto -- collector or not. If you are a collector and you have a permit, the guns need to be stored in a way that they can't be stolen. And perhaps a centralized facility of some kind could accomplish that goal,' Mr. Miller told the National Post. 'The law requires gun owners to have proper storage, but obviously not everyone adheres to that.'Chicago is his example. Yeah. But not everyone is buying it:
Following a spate of shootings in Toronto, the Mayor has asked city lawyers and the police to determine whether the municipality has the 'legal ability' to require individuals to store their weapons at a secure facility such as a gun club.
'It's a very serious issue and I don't have all the answers to it, but I've spoken to the [Police] Chief as well as our own legal department to see what we can do,' Mr. Miller said.
The Mayor has repeatedly blamed lax gun laws in the United States for some of Toronto's violence, saying half of the firearms in the city originated in the United States.
While pressing the federal government to stem the smuggling of guns across the border, Mr. Miller said steps must also be taken steps to address domestic gun problems.
[...]
Mr. Miller noted several U.S. cities such as Chicago have passed ordinances restricting handgun ownership. But legal gun owners argue the new rules would only make life simpler for criminals.
'It would just put all the firearms in one place so they could all be stolen at one time,' said Eric Greer of the Ontario Arms Collectors Association. 'That would be a wonderful thing.'
Mr. Greer added the Mayor's proposal would not prevent criminals from acquiring weapons, noting Canada enacted its first handgun registry in 1934.
'It hasn't made one iota of difference. And the reason is the people that registered their handguns don't commit the crimes. The people who commit crimes don't register their guns. It's as simple as that,' he said.
Other gun owners said they are tired of being conflated with murderers and thieves.
'There are legal gun owners all over Ontario who don't go around brandishing their guns, who go through the whole rigamarole to get licensed properly,' said Bill, a member of the Maple Leaf Revolver Club, who asked his last name not be used citing safety concerns. 'The Mayor's not thinking properly.'
He added most gun owners would support tough sentences for individuals caught using firearms to commit a crime.
"At most of the clubs, you will hear people say, 'Arrest the guy, look at the law and if the law says to throw him away for five years or 10 years, do it,'" the gun owner said. Mr. Miller agreed the courts must be more stringent, noting individuals caught with weapons currently are routinely released on bail.
More news on Anthony Diotaiuto
More from the Sun-Sentinel.
An ounce of pot, 10 bullets and one failed drug war:
An ounce of pot, 10 bullets and one failed drug war:
In the annals of drug takedowns, this wasn't much. Three quarter-ounce bags of marijuana in a bedroom refrigerator, a joint and another loose gram on top. Four grams scattered on a dresser. Six pipes with pot residue, three ashtrays with less than a gram each, three packs of rolling paper and a digital scale.If this is the "war on drugs," I want no part of it. My original opinion, that a bigger pusher turned in his name as part of a plea bargain, seems supported by this paragraph:
Thanks to the efforts of the Sunrise Police Department, today a pothead in west Broward might have to go an extra 10 blocks to score some smoke.
And Anthony Diotaiuto is dead. All for 30.2 grams of weed, a little more than an ounce.
The drug inventory above is what Sunrise police said they found in Diotaiuto's home the morning a SWAT unit shot him with 10 bullets in a pre-dawn raid.
No coke. No heroin. No ecstasy or meth.
'What in the hell were they doing with a SWAT team?' asked Eleanor Shockett, a retired Miami-Dade circuit judge who advocates a sweeping overhaul of drug laws. 'To break into someone's home at six in the morning, possibly awaken someone from a deep sleep, someone who has a concealed weapons permit? What did they expect to happen?'
This is a tragedy that never should have happened.
Even if Diotaiuto, 23, was a small-time pot dealer, which his friends and family deny, the methods used show the madness of our country's war on drugs.
No discretion. No proportionality. No sense.
'Using SWAT in this case is like using a sledgehammer on a fly,' said Jack Cole, a former narcotics detective for the New Jersey State Police who heads Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a drug-law reform group. 'I'd much rather use a little bit of stealth.'
Cole spent 14 years as an undercover agent and nearly three decades as a cop. He doesn't understand why such a huge show of force was necessary, why it needed to be done at 6:15 a.m., or why detectives couldn't detain Diotaiuto when he left his house for work.
'When you kick in a door, all it does is alert them that someone is coming that they don't want to see,' Cole said.
Broward Circuit Judge John Frusciante on Aug. 3 granted the search warrant for Diotaiuto's home. According to warrant details released Monday, Diotaiuto didn't even have to be home during the search. The warrant affidavit said a confidential informant bought an ounce of marijuana from Diotaiuto there last month. That came two weeks after an anonymous tipster told Sunrise narcotics officers that "cannabis and cocaine were being sold at all hours" at the house.Either that, or a real drug "kingpin" used this method to eliminate some small-time competition.
Monday, August 15, 2005
San Antonio suddenly discovers an already existing technology
Someone finally realized they can synchronize traffic lights. And I must say, it's about time. WOAI reports:
Say good-bye to driving one block down main streets like Bandera Rd, Commerce St., or San Pedro, waiting at a red light, then driving one more block and waiting at another red light. City officials today announced plans to synchronize traffic lights on all of the major thoroughfares.
I haven't checked this one out thoroughly yet...
...but I think this website should prove both informative and amusing (and possibly scary as well). NK News catalogs propaganda from that goofball extraordinaire Kim Jong Il:
NK News is a searchable database of North Korean propaganda. This site contains nearly every article published on the KCNA's website, in English and Spanish, since Dec 2, 1996--over 50 MB of hard-core Stalinist propaganda! And each article written in that unique and indelible style of the KCNA.There is also a KCNA Random Insult Generator:
You bourgeois stooge, your accusation against the DPRK is no more than barking at the moon!
More rampant "political correctness"
ClayCalhoun.com reports: not-gun prop gun carried by a cartoonish mascot is too traumatic for the faint of heart, I daresay.
LAS CRUCES - Pistol Pete, the gun-toting mascot for New Mexico State University, may have a battle on his hands to keep his job.Because the mere sight of a
Talks are under way about whether the time has come to retire the mascot, who has donned his huge cowboy hat at Aggie games and other events for 40 years.
NMSU President Michael Martin said no one has decided that Pete needs to go, but it's at least time for a makeover.
The current Pete costume is decades-old and scares children, Martin said.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Random Notes
Welcome other TTLB Gunblogger Community members. I'm happy to be part of the fun.
For some time now, there has been a small script on this blog that shows me the 10 most frequently clicked links for the day, thanks to MyBlogLog. Now, also from MyBlogLog, is another short script that shows any viewer how many times that day a link has been clicked by other visitors. Just hover your cursor over any link and if anyone else has followed it that day, it will show you how many.
Since I am actually starting to get a little traffic, I finally installed a hit counter on the site, thanks to StatCounter.
And last of all, someone actually subscribed to this blog with Bloglines!
For some time now, there has been a small script on this blog that shows me the 10 most frequently clicked links for the day, thanks to MyBlogLog. Now, also from MyBlogLog, is another short script that shows any viewer how many times that day a link has been clicked by other visitors. Just hover your cursor over any link and if anyone else has followed it that day, it will show you how many.
Since I am actually starting to get a little traffic, I finally installed a hit counter on the site, thanks to StatCounter.
And last of all, someone actually subscribed to this blog with Bloglines!
NRA-ILA picks up the ball
Excerpt from NRA-ILA news:
You might have recently heard of a new organization claiming to represent hunters and gun owners. The new group calls itself the American Hunters and Shooters Association, a friendly sounding name designed to earn the trust of gun owners and hunters. The reality is that AHSA is nothing more than the enemy in camouflage.UPDATE: Previous references #1 and #2.
At first glance, everything about AHSA sounds just fine. They even have one useful tool on the website, a history of wildlife conservation laws in America--strange thing is it was lifted nearly word for word from http://www.nraila.org/.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
NRA-ILA Newsfeed
There is supposed to be a newsfeed from the NRA-ILA in the sidebar. For some reason, it has the bad habit of disappearing for hours at a time. So when the sidebar title says "Newsfeeds," it isn't a typo. There really should be two newsfeeds there.
Bittersweet stoplight update
Reference previous posts here and here. According to the portable flashing sign on highway 87 now, the stoplight will go into operation on Tuesday 8/16. It has been about three years since the extension to FM 1346 turned this into a four-way intersection which has been plagued with numerous accidents and more than one death.
I am convinced that if a real stoplight had been installed at this intersection in the beginning, as it should have, many of these accidents would have been prevented simply because of better traffic control. I also believe there would be a very good possibility that that little girl would not have been killed.
When this highway extension first opened, and I was utterly astounded to see that they were not going to put a stoplight there, the first thing I said to my wife was, "I wonder who will have to die before they put up a real stoplight." Unfortunately, now we know.
Some readers of this blog might be wondering why I'm harping on this. I guess this is the only way I can say "I told you so, you stupid !@#$%&* idiots." The little girl who lost her life here was the same age as my daughter, and they attended pre-K at the same time, though in different classes. I was horrified at the time it happened, and writing this has made me realize the horror still hasn't worn off very much.
I am convinced that if a real stoplight had been installed at this intersection in the beginning, as it should have, many of these accidents would have been prevented simply because of better traffic control. I also believe there would be a very good possibility that that little girl would not have been killed.
When this highway extension first opened, and I was utterly astounded to see that they were not going to put a stoplight there, the first thing I said to my wife was, "I wonder who will have to die before they put up a real stoplight." Unfortunately, now we know.
Some readers of this blog might be wondering why I'm harping on this. I guess this is the only way I can say "I told you so, you stupid !@#$%&* idiots." The little girl who lost her life here was the same age as my daughter, and they attended pre-K at the same time, though in different classes. I was horrified at the time it happened, and writing this has made me realize the horror still hasn't worn off very much.
A notable ruling for Mississippi
The Clarion-Ledger reports:
A faulty jury instruction prevented Ardes Johnson from being allowed to argue that he killed a man in self-defense, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled.This goofball judge thinks that preparing oneself for any eventual violent attack is the same as provoking attack. Thank goodness a higher authority had the sense to tell him he was wrong.
The Supreme Court on Thursday threw out Johnson's 2004 murder conviction and life sentence in Bolivar County Circuit Court.
Johnson was convicted in the 2003 stabbing death of Terrell Davis outside a store in Shelby.
Johnson claimed at trial that Davis had threatened him by displaying a gang sign and he felt his life was in danger.
Johnson said he was carrying a folding knife for protection.
Johnson also claimed he was defending Shirley Landrum, Davis' girlfriend, after she was struck by Davis.
On appeal, Johnson challenged a 'pre-arming' instruction given by the judge to the jury.
In the instruction the judge told jurors that if 'a person provokes a difficulty, arming himself in advance and intending, if necessary, to use his weapon and overcome his adversary, he becomes the aggressor and deprives himself of the right of self-defense.'
Chief Justice Jim Smith, writing for the Supreme Court, said the instruction deprived Johnson of his claim of self-defense.
'The type of pre-arming instructions has repeatedly been denounced by this court,' Smith said.
August Range Report
I did manage to get to the range today, taking with me the XD40 and the Single-Six. Shooting the XD went pretty much as expected. I used up 100 rounds of Wolf Polyformance plus 20 rounds of Winchester JHP without a single problem. The reloads that a friend recently gave me were another story. Now at 300 rounds plus, I think the XD is sufficiently broken in and has proven itself reliable, as long as I'm using decent factory ammo and not reloads. I just need to keep working on it to improve my accuracy. I'm always kind of worried that I'm going to look like a real incompetent at a public range, but I went straight to the 15 yard line. Four other guys there were shooting at the 7 yard line and were doing no better than I at half the distance. So I guess I was doing okay.
The Single-Six was a problem. I don't know how, when, or why, but the sights were way off (high and to the left). Another kind soul there gave me one of his Shoot-N-See targets so I could see those tiny .22 holes, and it helped, but by the time I had started to get the hits where I wanted them I had run out of ammo. I think I might even go out in my big "back yard" later today or tomorrow and work on it some more. At least my grouping with this gun was quite good, I just had to keep adjusting the sights and never did get it into the center where I was aiming.
One note about this range, Bullet Hole Shooting Range. They hold CHL classes every Saturday (and CHL renewal classes every Sunday). There must have been about 30 people there for the class today (the shooting qualification for which is held on a separate range from the "public" range). If they have that many there every Saturday...wow. That's a lot of people getting CHL's.
The Single-Six was a problem. I don't know how, when, or why, but the sights were way off (high and to the left). Another kind soul there gave me one of his Shoot-N-See targets so I could see those tiny .22 holes, and it helped, but by the time I had started to get the hits where I wanted them I had run out of ammo. I think I might even go out in my big "back yard" later today or tomorrow and work on it some more. At least my grouping with this gun was quite good, I just had to keep adjusting the sights and never did get it into the center where I was aiming.
One note about this range, Bullet Hole Shooting Range. They hold CHL classes every Saturday (and CHL renewal classes every Sunday). There must have been about 30 people there for the class today (the shooting qualification for which is held on a separate range from the "public" range). If they have that many there every Saturday...wow. That's a lot of people getting CHL's.
Anthony Diotaiuto update
Sun-Sentinel reports:
Police seized 2 ounces of marijuana at the Sunrise home of Anthony Diotaiuto after shooting him 10 times, according to information on the drug raid released Tuesday.So maybe my condemnation was too swift. Or maybe they screwed up. It seems pretty shabby to treat him like Manuel Noriega because he had 2 ounces of weed. I still don't like it. As for "plastic bags and weight scales," I have those as well. Who doesn't have plastic ziplock bags in their house? I suppose many people own a small dietary scale such as I have to weigh food portions. I still don't like it.
[...]
In addition to the marijuana, Voss said, officers seized plastic bags and weight scales from Diotaiuto's home. Possession of 2 ounces of marijuana is a felony, according to state statutes.
It takes a personal connection
The Brownsville Herald has this very misleading headline: Oliveira succeeds in passing amendment to help cousin - again. They do fill in the details later:
For the second time this summer, state Rep. Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville, introduced in the House, and had passed, a measure that will directly benefit his cousin, an Austin business owner.One more strike against the land-grabbers, and good for him. I don't care if his cousin does directly benefit. And by "second time," what they really mean is he changed his first amendment to apply to all universities, instead of just University of Texas.
On Tuesday, Oliveira introduced and the House passed an amendment to an eminent-domain bill that would prohibit universities in Texas from taking private land and using it for hotels and other private ventures.
Let there be light...
Some scientists say they have proven conclusively that the sun was shining before the Earth existed:
Our Sun was already shining brightly more than 4.5 billion years ago, as dust and gas was swirling into what would become the planets of the solar system, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.How about that?
They said their finding is the first conclusive evidence that the so-called protosun affected the developing the solar system by emitting enough ultraviolet energy to catalyze the formation of organic compounds, water and other elements necessary for the evolution of life on Earth.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Right to Self Defense gaining ground
Perhaps in the wake of Florida's recent law that expanded the right to use deadly force, a bill has been introduced in Alabama that would expand the citizens' right to self defense. The Daily Sentinel reports:
This is something I've been thinking about for a while. Many states now have legalized concealed carry. I think self defense and RKBA advocates should also be focusing more on the right to use your arm. Expanding some conditions under which deadly force may be used is a good start, as well as protection against lawsuit for someone who justifiably and legally uses deadly force. For example, under this bill in Alabama, deadly force would be justified against someone "committing or about to commit a kidnapping in any degree." Unless the law has changed since my book on Texas gun laws was issued, in Texas deadly force is only allowed against someone who is committing aggravated kidnapping. This is one quirk of the law that I flatly disagree with, and if some allegedly unarmed thug tried to grab my child, I believe I would prefer to take my chances with a jury.
tnx to NRA-ILA
The bill would expand the circumstances under which a person may use force, including deadly force, to defend himself or herself or another person against an aggressor. The bill would make legal presumptions that a person is justified in using deadly force against an aggressor and would not require a person to retreat from an aggressor intruding into an dwelling, residence or vehicle.The article goes into further details of what would and would not be allowed if this bill becomes law.
Also, the bill would provide immunity from criminal prosecution and civil action for persons justified in using defensive force against an aggressor and would allow the court to award certain fees and expenses to persons immune from civil action if they were sued.
According to the bill, a person would be justified 'in using physical force to defend himself or herself or another person from what he or she reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of unlawful physical force by that other person and may use a degree of force which he or she reasonably believes to be necessary or the purpose.'
This is something I've been thinking about for a while. Many states now have legalized concealed carry. I think self defense and RKBA advocates should also be focusing more on the right to use your arm. Expanding some conditions under which deadly force may be used is a good start, as well as protection against lawsuit for someone who justifiably and legally uses deadly force. For example, under this bill in Alabama, deadly force would be justified against someone "committing or about to commit a kidnapping in any degree." Unless the law has changed since my book on Texas gun laws was issued, in Texas deadly force is only allowed against someone who is committing aggravated kidnapping. This is one quirk of the law that I flatly disagree with, and if some allegedly unarmed thug tried to grab my child, I believe I would prefer to take my chances with a jury.
tnx to NRA-ILA
A couple of different examples reported by John Lott
I think we can safely say that this is an example of stopping power, tnx to John Lott's Website:
A sanitation worker who unloaded six .357 Magnum slugs into an armed kidnapper won't be charged with a crime, officials said Wednesday.Mr. Lott also brings us an example of gun defense which didn't require discharging the firearm:
A citizen armed with a .44 Magnum stopped a suspected thief long enough for sheriff's deputies to make an arrest Tuesday morning.Fortunately for the thief, he decided to surrender rather than get his head blown clean off.
[...]
Estes didn't keep the gun -- a revolver with a 6-inch barrel -- pointed very long, he said. He holstered it immediately after determining the suspect didn't pose a threat, he said.
"I made it very clear to stay in the car and that he was not at risk and that I was not a threat," said Estes, 40, who has a concealed weapon permit.
Blah blah blah...
Two recent items that apparently have no bearing on each other whatsoever:
PETA DEMANDS JAIL TIME, PSYCHIATRIC INTERVENTION IF ALLEGED JOURDANTON DOG KILLERS ARE CONVICTED:
PETA DEMANDS JAIL TIME, PSYCHIATRIC INTERVENTION IF ALLEGED JOURDANTON DOG KILLERS ARE CONVICTED:
Jourdanton, TX--This morning, PETA sent an urgent plea to District Attorney Rene Pena in Floresville, urging him to vigorously prosecute animal control officer Chantan Morin and other Jourdanton city workers who are reportedly being investigated for cruelty to animals. The city employees allegedly drowned at least five dogs on July 11 at the city's sewage treatment plant. According to news sources, one witness alleges that the animals were confined to cages and then lowered into the water. Those who escaped were evidently strangled with noose poles and then held under water, struggling and flailing, until they died.And...
'Animal care workers are trusted to protect animals from abuse, which makes the alleged actions of Morin and the others all the more troubling,' says PETA Animal Sheltering Advisor Teresa Chagrin. 'Mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider cruelty to animals to be a red flag.'
PETA is also sending its anti-violence public service announcement hosted by actor Dennis Franz to TV stations serving the Atascosa County area.
But she told a news conference there was no indication of "pain or suffering" among the 18 animals that police in Ahoskie, N.C., found in a shopping center garbage bin or the 13 found in a van registered to PETA. The animals received lethal injections, Newkirk said.I'm not saying these guys in Jourdanton didn't screw up--it seems they most certainly did. I have no idea why they would euthanize dogs that way. If they only wanted to save money, as they said, ammo is pretty cheap and very effective. But for PETA to jump in and start crying about it, I can only say: Pot, meet Kettle.
Adria Joy Hinkle, 27, of Norfolk, and Andrew Benjamin Cook, 24, of Virginia Beach, appeared Friday in Hertford County District Court and their trial was set for July 19. Each faces 31 felony charges of animal cruelty and nine misdemeanor counts -- eight of illegal disposal of dead animals and one of trespassing.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Firearms ownership in Russia
This is a must-read opinion piece from the Russian News & Information Agency, detailing the red tape one must work through to legally own a firearm in Russia, and the restrictions on the types of arms that are allowed.
How I bought a rifle for self-defense in Russia:
How I bought a rifle for self-defense in Russia:
American statistics are the main argument of Russian firearms advocates. According to the U.S. Justice Department, 34% of all criminals were wounded or detained by armed civilians, while 40% have altogether given up an idea of an attack for fear of reciprocal fire. In those states that allow citizens to carry concealed arms, the level of murders is lower by 33 %, and of robberies by 37%.Yeah, I bet they're really afraid of an increase in crime. I bet they're more afraid of something else: armed civilians. The writer of this piece also voices problems with owning but not having quick access to reliable firearms (something I'm sure we've all thought about):
Advocates of legalizing firearms in Russia often refer to the experience of neighboring Latvia: After the relevant law was adopted, street crime dropped by 80%, and the Latvian police force has been cut.
The Russian Interior Ministry is adamantly against allowing firearms. The ministry is afraid that the crime rate will go up, and especially family shootings. Gennady Gudkov of the State Duma Committee on Security voiced a typical opinion: 'If we throw 10 to 12 million guns into the streets, any teenager will be able to seize a pistol from a woman. He will start shooting whenever he can. Guns will be stolen from cars and desk drawers. The number of lost weapons will go up hundreds of times, and they will be beyond control, i.e. ready for crimes. This is a dream come true for Russian criminals.'
Successful use of long-stemmed guns is depressingly rare. Burglars have already broken in while you're still fiddling with the key to the case to get hold of your favorite gun. It is not allowed to carry such guns, or have them assembled and uncovered in a car. As for a 'rubber' pistol, an attempt to use it for self-defense often only infuriates the attacker.Read the whole thing.
Righteous self-defense in Richmond, VA
The Times-Dispatch reports:
The third instance, which is still in question awaiting toxicology test results, involved a teenager who tried to rob someone with an unloaded .22, to which he had duct-taped a large-caliber magazine in order to "make it look more menacing."
Since March, there have been at least three fatal shootings of armed suspects by armed victims. In at least two of those cases, Richmond prosecutors say it was in self-defense.And that is how it's done.
The Richmond commonwealth's attorney's office has concluded that the martial-arts instructor who fatally shot former NFL cornerback Mike Brim during a confrontation last April in South Richmond acted in self-defense.
Prosecutors have also decided that a pizza deliveryman acted in self-defense in March when he fatally shot a teen who attempted to rob him in the Hillside Court neighborhood, also in South Richmond.
Officials said they are awaiting toxicology reports before reaching a conclusion about the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old boy. Police said the boy attempted to rob a 47-year-old man with an unloaded rifle in the East End in June.
'It does appear to us in the commonwealth's attorney's office that a lot of people are armed with weapons,' said Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Learned D. Barry, the city's top homicide prosecutor.
'And because of that, situations like these are becoming more and more prevalent.'
Investigators said that Brim, 39, trailed Gary Miles to a house on Pineway Drive from his workplace at the American Karate Center on Huguenot Road on April 19.
A police investigation found that Brim, a former Virginia Union University standout who played eight seasons in the National Football League, opened fire on Miles, shooting at him several times and striking the instructor in one leg. Miles, who was also armed, returned fire, striking Brim in the torso, killing him.
'Based on the fact that the deceased followed Mr. Miles to the scene and fired at him first, we have no choice but to rule it self-defense,' Barry said.
'There were multiple rounds from Mr. Brim's gun, and only one from Mr. Miles'.'
The third instance, which is still in question awaiting toxicology test results, involved a teenager who tried to rob someone with an unloaded .22, to which he had duct-taped a large-caliber magazine in order to "make it look more menacing."
The fact that Brown's rifle was not loaded won't make a difference in the determination of whether he was shot in self-defense, according to officials.
'The victims have no clue if it is a real weapon or loaded weapon or not,' Barry said. 'And they have to protect themselves.'
Images From the Battleground
No, not the one in Iraq. The one along the U.S./Mexican border:
tnx to All Things Conservative
At 11:30 a.m. on April 22 this year, a Mexican helicopter landed in the Robinsons' backyard. Arivaca resident R.D. Ayers had driven to the ranch that morning to visit his injured dog, then under Dr. Robinson's care.A long article, all worth reading.
Ayers describes stepping outside the house to see what he describes as 'a military Huey-type helicopter' circling, at the same time that a truck from the Tucson Fuel Co. was pulling into the yard. The Tres Bellotas gets its power from diesel generators, and that fuel has to be delivered.
As he approached the chopper, Ayers says six men in black, commando-type uniforms stepped out. Five had ski-type masks over their faces, and they wore body armor and carried automatic rifles. On their sleeves, Ayers saw the word, Mexico.
They stood in a defensive posture around a sixth man, their leader, who identified himself as a member of the Mexican police. He pointed aggressively to the fuel truck and asked what it was doing there. Ayers, in Spanish, told the man he was in the United States, not Mexico, and that he had no business in this country and needed to leave.
But the commander refused to listen and began walking toward the truck, at which point Ayers placed himself between the commander and the truck, again telling him to scram. After a few minutes, the tense confrontation ended when the commander ordered his troops into the chopper, and they split back across the border.
Ayers suspects that the Mexicans--one of Robinson's cowboys identified them as federales, Mexican federal police--were escorting a drug shipment to Tucson, and wanted to haul it in the fuel truck. Or they wanted to steal the fuel. The chopper had followed the truck much of the way down Tres Bellotas Road.
'Men with fully automatic weapons and masks don't just show up to say hello,' says a still-outraged Ayers, owner of a backhoe company and a former EMT in Arivaca. He added that if he'd had his gun, he might've fired on the invaders. 'I wasn't going to back down. This is my country.'
These drug incursions occur with some regularity along the border. The Kays and Robinson say they're personally aware of three such incursions this summer alone, and it's worth noting that the men who recently shot two Border Patrol agents near Nogales also wore black, commando-type gear.
But this episode, like the others, has disappeared into the vapor of national security. Tucson Fuel refuses comment. The Border Patrol won't talk about it, saying its agents got to the Tres Bellotas too late to learn much of anything. The FBI in Tucson took a report the same day and forwarded it to Washington, but they're not talking, either.
As for Robinson, he was gone from the ranch that day, holding a veterinary clinic on the Tohono O'Odham Reservation--ironically enough, under a contract from the Department of Homeland Security. 'I really don't know what happened,' he says. 'But I know my cowboys were so scared, they hid in the barn.'
tnx to All Things Conservative
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Another editorial from my home county newspaper
Elaine Kolodziej writes:
Why not the Texas White House? Right now, the Bush-haters are having a field day attacking the president for being out of touch because he is 'on vacation' at his ranch in Texas.And there's more.
The liberal press bills it as the longest vacation in 30-something years and practically accuses him of dereliction of duty because he likes to spend so much time at his Crawford ranch. Some of these East Coast liberals might be surprised that we have more than cactus and barbed wire in Texas.
We actually have Internet and cell phones and everything else high tech. You are not out of touch with the world just because you are in Texas.
We Texans would like to know how staying in the White House could mean that you are in touch with the world? Why, for heaven's sake, would politicians have 'town hall meetings' that take them out to the hinterlands unless they understood that the way to get in touch with real people is to get away from Washington and actually spend time with real people.
Of course, the European idea of the United States and most especially Texas is that we are all cowboys with morals. We tend to be pragmatic rather than politically correct. To them that very simply means that we are out of touch.
But we know there is no better way to get in touch with reality than to come to Texas where you can take a deep breath, see the clear-blue skies, and even feel the dirt. Physical exercise is more than putting on designer sweats and high-priced Nikes to go to the gym. You can work up a sweat in Texas just by going outside in August. That keeps you human. It helps keep you grounded and balanced and in touch.
Well, what do you know? I am surprised!
In reference to this post from yesterday, today on my trip home I was astounded to see that the hardware for a real stoplight has been installed at the intersection. It's still only operating as a flasher, but I would guess that it will be working like a stoplight in a day or two.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
But what they didn't say...
Floresville, TX::
However, you will notice that she did, in fact, have the right-of-way.
This is what they didn't say...
This is a relatively new intersection, and as soon as it opened up, everyone who lives around here could see the problem. A petition was immediately circulated, and promptly ignored.
The problem? At this point on Highway 87, the speed limit was still technically 70 mph during daylight (during which time this collision occured). FM 1346 leads directly to an elementary school. During the time that school is letting out for the day, a massive amount of traffic is fighting to get into and out of this intersection--most of which traffic is made up of vehicles carrying small children.
This intersection has two flashing lights: a yellow one for traffic on 87 and a red one for traffic on 1346.
The petition that was circulated was to try and get a real stoplight installed at this intersection.
What did they do? They put up a sign claiming that the speed limit is reduced to 55 for this area, and put some reminder bumps across the road. This intersection needs a real stoplight, not some feel-good speed limit sign and some reminder bumps.
Here's what they really didn't say...
This has not been the only collision at this intersection, nor has it been the only death, because of failure to yield right-of-way, which really means they miscalculated the speed of oncoming traffic.
This intersection needs a real stoplight, now. They got one in Sayers to handle all the traffic coming out of East Central. Why can't we have one here?
A superintendent for a South Texas public school system faces drunken driving charges stemming from a fatal traffic accident that claimed the life of a 4-year-old La Vernia girl.In my opinion, this woman should be nailed to the wall for driving while intoxicated.
Donna Sue Cole, who is the superintendent of the Vanderbilt Industrial School District, has a pretrial hearing set for Aug. 18 at the Wilson County Courthouse.
Cole was behind the wheel of a 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe that struck a 1993 Ford Explorer at the intersection of U.S. 87 and F.M. 1346 in October 2003. Kristi Billings, a 25-year-old La Vernia woman, drove the Explorer into the path of the oncoming vehicle while entering the intersection from F.M. 1346, according to a report filed by the Department of Public Safety.
Cole, who was traveling south on U.S. 87, had the right of way when she crashed into the side of Billings' sport-utility vehicle. Billings' daughter, Samantha, was seated in the left rear passenger seat near the point of impact.
Investigators subsequently filed a charge of intoxication manslaughter against Cole for her role in the collision. Breath analysis indicated that Cole's blood-alcohol content was .11 percent after the collision occurred.
DPS officials turned over the results of their investigation to the 81st Judicial District Attorney's Office. The charges were never brought before a grand jury because prosecutors believed they could not prove that Cole's alcohol consumption played a significant role in the fatal accident, authorities said.
DPS officials then followed up by filing a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated against Cole. Her legal counsel, San Antonio attorney Eduardo Garcia, filed a waiver of arraignment that was filed in the Wilson County Clerk’s office on July 5.
Cole remains employed as the superintendent of the Vanderbilt Industrial School District.
However, you will notice that she did, in fact, have the right-of-way.
This is what they didn't say...
This is a relatively new intersection, and as soon as it opened up, everyone who lives around here could see the problem. A petition was immediately circulated, and promptly ignored.
The problem? At this point on Highway 87, the speed limit was still technically 70 mph during daylight (during which time this collision occured). FM 1346 leads directly to an elementary school. During the time that school is letting out for the day, a massive amount of traffic is fighting to get into and out of this intersection--most of which traffic is made up of vehicles carrying small children.
This intersection has two flashing lights: a yellow one for traffic on 87 and a red one for traffic on 1346.
The petition that was circulated was to try and get a real stoplight installed at this intersection.
What did they do? They put up a sign claiming that the speed limit is reduced to 55 for this area, and put some reminder bumps across the road. This intersection needs a real stoplight, not some feel-good speed limit sign and some reminder bumps.
Here's what they really didn't say...
This has not been the only collision at this intersection, nor has it been the only death, because of failure to yield right-of-way, which really means they miscalculated the speed of oncoming traffic.
This intersection needs a real stoplight, now. They got one in Sayers to handle all the traffic coming out of East Central. Why can't we have one here?
Monday, August 08, 2005
California activists want arrestees to have fair chance at injuring or killing police officers
Watsonville, CA:
Batons: get within arm's reach, opening up the opportunity for a knife attack or wresting the baton away from the officer.
Pepper spray: Doesn't work.
Handcuffs: Doesn't the arrestee have to be subdued before you can use the handcuffs?
Activists are pressing concerns about law enforcement's use of Taser stun guns.Correct me if I am wrong, but...
Last week, Santa Cruz resident Kristian Vega was acquitted of resisting arrest and public intoxication charges during an encounter outside a bar where Santa Cruz police subdued him with a stun gun.
[...]
Activists suggest using batons, pepper spray or handcuffs.
Batons: get within arm's reach, opening up the opportunity for a knife attack or wresting the baton away from the officer.
Pepper spray: Doesn't work.
Handcuffs: Doesn't the arrestee have to be subdued before you can use the handcuffs?
Ferndale, MI libraries want to ensure their patrons remains easy targets
From The Oakland Press:
The words are still there in red on the Ferndale Public Library's front door.Apparently the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners isn't considered to be part of the "public."
'Absolutely no weapons including those permitted by concealed weapons law may be brought into this facility.'
The statement remains, even though the courts have said the rule is not enforceable for properly registered concealed weapons.
[...]
In 2001, Ferndale's City Council took a bold stand and voted to ban guns from its city buildings.
The move - called groundbreaking by some - spurred other cities to take similar stands. Soon Detroit, East Lansing, Saline and others had passed their own bans.
A gun rights group, Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners, took Ferndale to court.
[...]
In 2002, an Oakland County Circuit Court judge upheld Ferndale's ordinance, and the gun rights group appealed.
In May 2003, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that communities can't add restrictions to state rules on where gun owners can carry weapons.
In September, 2003, when the Ferndale backers carried the case to the Michigan Supreme Court, the court refused to hear an appeal of the decision, assuring the victory to gun rights groups.
[...]
Ferndale City Manager Barwin feels otherwise, and wants the township to try again.
'My feeling is the public is very supportive (of the gun ban).'
Raging Against Self Defense: A Psychiatrist Examines The Anti-Gun Mentality
Here is an older article from JPFO examing the psychology of those who are opposed to self defense.
Raging Against Self Defense: A Psychiatrist Examines The Anti-Gun Mentality, By Sarah Thompson, M.D.:
tnx to Gun Watch
Raging Against Self Defense: A Psychiatrist Examines The Anti-Gun Mentality, By Sarah Thompson, M.D.:
'You don't need to have a gun; the police will protect you.'Lots more worth reading.
'If people carry guns, there will be murders over parking spaces and neighborhood basketball games.'
'I'm a pacifist. Enlightened, spiritually aware people shouldn't own guns.'
'I'd rather be raped than have some redneck militia type try to rescue me.'
How often have you heard these statements from misguided advocates of victim disarmament, or even woefully uninformed relatives and neighbors? Why do people cling so tightly to these beliefs, in the face of incontrovertible evidence that they are wrong? Why do they get so furiously angry when gun owners point out that their arguments are factually and logically incorrect? How can you communicate with these people who seem to be out of touch with reality and rational thought?
One approach to help you deal with anti-gun people is to understand their psychological processes. Once you understand why these people behave so irrationally, you can communicate more effectively with them.
tnx to Gun Watch
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Good grief
I thought I'd try getting in on Mr. Completely's e-Postal Handgun Match, the "Flyswatter." After warming up with 12 shots into a Shoot-n-See target at 10 yards and pretty much turning the 10-ring all yellow, I went to shoot some flies. Something was just not right. It seemed like the holes were appearing several inches from where I was aiming. I just don't know what was going on. After shooting up one target and hitting one fly, I gave up.
One thing I did notice. I was using an old box of CCI CB Caps to keep the noise down in my big extended backyard (I live on a heavily wooded rectangular 5-acre lot that is over 800 feet long). They didn't all sound the same. Some went pop and some went crack.
I was planning on taking the Single-Six to range on my next range day anyway. I gotta figure out what's going on. Maybe I'll try the next match.
One thing I did notice. I was using an old box of CCI CB Caps to keep the noise down in my big extended backyard (I live on a heavily wooded rectangular 5-acre lot that is over 800 feet long). They didn't all sound the same. Some went pop and some went crack.
I was planning on taking the Single-Six to range on my next range day anyway. I gotta figure out what's going on. Maybe I'll try the next match.
Well, well, well...
I just discovered that the bogus anti-gun group at the url www.huntersandshooters.com has a suspiciously similar url to another, pro-RKBA group, the Hunter's Shooting Association, whose url is www.huntershooter.com.
UPDATE: Triggerfinger noticed it, too.
(Boy am I feeling smug. I beat somone else to the punch on this one by a whole day).
UPDATE: Triggerfinger noticed it, too.
(Boy am I feeling smug. I beat somone else to the punch on this one by a whole day).
I'm going to have problems explaining myself
I have made fun of "ACLU stoners" several times on this blog. That is because of when they were smoking marijuana. At the time, they were supposed to be monitoring the Minuteman volunteers, which should be a serious job, maybe even a dangerous job (according to their own hysterical rantings)--even though it turned out to not be dangerous. This was no time for getting high. If they want to go home afterwards and chill out with a smoke, that's their business. Openly and flagrantly smoking dope while they were supposed to be watching a so-called "vigilante" group is just stupid.
It boils down to this: I don't care if someone smokes marijuana, as long as it doesn't interfere with me. If they have a small toke when they want a buzz, that's their risk and their problem. There are legal ways of getting high, and there are illegal ways. If they choose an illegal way then it's their risk of getting caught. Plenty of people make it a point to get loaded on beer or other alcohol on frequent occasion and no one thinks anything of it because alcohol is legal. I am of the opinion that many things that people think are bad, are not really when used in moderation. This includes alcohol and marijuana.
So, here is another article regarding Anthony Diotaiuto :
They seized shell casings. What gun owner does not have some shell casings laying around somewhere. I am not even a reloader and I have a couple of big plastic bags full of empty shells.
They found cannabis. How much, exactly? Three or four ounces? Three or four kilograms? I really want to know.
They also seized "drug paraphernalia." For anyone not familiar with marijuana use (come on, I know you're out there somewhere), this could include an alligator clip. You know, the kind that you put on the end of a wire for electrical/electronics purposes.
So here he have a man who worked two jobs, went to church every Sunday, had done everything he should to get a concealed weapons permit, and smoked a little dope.
Here's my crackpot theory: he was made an example of. Somepusher distributor of an illegal drug got nailed, and to lighten his sentence, he gave the police the names of some of his customers. Someone else, doing standard research on the names, noticed that one of them had a concealed weapons permit. And he was made an example of.
I just want to once more point out this paragraph:
He's an example for all of us.
It boils down to this: I don't care if someone smokes marijuana, as long as it doesn't interfere with me. If they have a small toke when they want a buzz, that's their risk and their problem. There are legal ways of getting high, and there are illegal ways. If they choose an illegal way then it's their risk of getting caught. Plenty of people make it a point to get loaded on beer or other alcohol on frequent occasion and no one thinks anything of it because alcohol is legal. I am of the opinion that many things that people think are bad, are not really when used in moderation. This includes alcohol and marijuana.
So, here is another article regarding Anthony Diotaiuto :
The search warrant, provided by Diotaiuto's family, shows that the SWAT team was looking for money, bookkeeping records, firearms and other evidence that Anthony Diotaiuto sold drugs.It has already been said that Mr. Diotaiuto owned two firearms. He had a handgun, to go with his valid concealed weapons permit, and he had a shotgun. These two weapons make perfect sense to me. A handgun for when you have to leave the house, a shotgun for when you're home. These two weapons are exactly, and I would even say only, what a person needs who is concerned only with protecting himself and his family. A hunter would need more firearms, and a collector would definitely want more. Yet, undoubtedly (I'm just waiting for it), someone is going to call two guns an arsenal. So that's how "firearms" were seized. Also notice that they seized a BB gun. (Cough).
An inventory of items seized from the home listed 'cannabis' and 'drug paraphernalia,' as well as shell casings, firearms, and a BB gun. It did not say how much cannabis, or marijuana, or what type of paraphernalia was found.
They seized shell casings. What gun owner does not have some shell casings laying around somewhere. I am not even a reloader and I have a couple of big plastic bags full of empty shells.
They found cannabis. How much, exactly? Three or four ounces? Three or four kilograms? I really want to know.
They also seized "drug paraphernalia." For anyone not familiar with marijuana use (come on, I know you're out there somewhere), this could include an alligator clip. You know, the kind that you put on the end of a wire for electrical/electronics purposes.
So here he have a man who worked two jobs, went to church every Sunday, had done everything he should to get a concealed weapons permit, and smoked a little dope.
Here's my crackpot theory: he was made an example of. Some
I just want to once more point out this paragraph:
The search warrant, provided by Diotaiuto's family, shows that the SWAT team was looking for money, bookkeeping records, firearms and other evidence that Anthony Diotaiuto sold drugs.Firearms, there mere possession of them, apparently, would be evidence that he sold drugs.
He's an example for all of us.
Massive screw-up by SWAT team in Florida
I am so outraged by this that I'm going to copy pretty much the whole thing.
Sunrise, FL:
UPDATE: Turns out this man had a previous record of drug possession. I still think he was killed for doing the right thing. Armed intruders broke his door down early in the morning, only a few hours after he'd returned home from his night job and he responded the only way he could--with his own arm. He probably had only just gone to sleep and didn't even know what was going on. His previous record of drug possession was one arrest for marijuana seven years ago, when he was 16 years old. Big freakin' deal. (Just a note: in Texas this would have prevented him from ever getting a CHL). I'm sure this one instance of marijuana possession by a 16-year-old kid will be used to paint him as a fiendish 23-year-old pusher.
Sunrise, FL:
The SWAT team assembled outside Anthony Diotaiuto's home in Sunrise Golf Village early Friday morning, expecting to find drugs and guns, authorities said.So. A poor guy working two jobs to provide his family with a decent home, a poor guy who goes to all the trouble to jump through the hoops to get a concealed weapons permit is murdered because they know he has a permit and is likely armed. I doubt he had anything to do with drugs. That kind of slime doesn't usually go to the trouble of holding down two legitimate jobs--it would get in the way of their drug-dealing. If I were a member of his family, I would do all in my power to make the lives of everyone involved--from the one who pulled the trigger and all the way up the chain of command--a legal hell from which there would be no relief, until they were all reduced to driving the golf cart in a Walmart parking lot.
Inside, Diotaiuto had been home for only a few hours after his night shift at one of the two jobs he kept to help pay for the home where he lived with his mother. He had a valid concealed weapons permit and kept a shotgun and a handgun for safety, friends said.
It was about 6:15 when the SWAT team smashed in Diotaiuto's door and shot him dead.
Officers were right to expect him to be armed, said Lt. Robert Voss, spokesman for the Sunrise Police Department.
'He had a gun and pointed it at our officers,' Voss said Friday morning. 'Our SWAT team fired.'
Later Friday afternoon, he didn't sound as certain about whether Diotaiuto, 23, aimed his weapon.
'In all likelihood, that's what happened,' Voss said. 'I know there was a weapon found next to the body.' He also said he did not know if detectives found any drugs or whether Diotaiuto fired any shots.
The shooting outraged and confused Diotaiuto's friends, who said he had no criminal record, was not violent and didn't sell drugs.
Diotaiuto was the third person killed in police-involved shootings in the past three days in South Florida. Earlier Friday, a federal drug agent in West Palm Beach shot and killed a man in an unrelated investigation. And on Tuesday, a Miami police officer killed a drug and alcohol recovery patient after the man pointed a gun at an officer, officials said.
Many of Diotaiuto's friends protested his death Friday afternoon outside his home. His mother, Marlene, collapsed when she heard of her son's death and was too upset to speak, friends said.
'They killed an innocent person,' said Charlie Steeves, who said he was Diotaiuto's best friend. 'He didn't sell drugs. He worked two jobs to buy that house.'
Voss said information about drugs at Diotaiuto's home led to the search warrant. The search warrant was not available Friday and Voss did not know what drugs were suspected or what information the warrant contained.
The concealed weapons permit, was a 'major factor' in the department's decision to involve the SWAT team, Voss said.
'The potential for violence was there,' Voss said. SWAT officers must knock first and announce their presence, Voss said. If no one answers, the door comes down. 'Unfortunately, this is one of those that's gone bad,' he said.
Diotaiuto worked as a bartender at the Carolina Ale House in Weston and as a DJ on weekends. Steeves said Diotaiuto got the concealed weapons permit because he didn't feel safe coming home from work at 3 a.m. He thinks Diotaiuto panicked when he heard someone break in.
'What would you do if your door was knocked down and you were asleep?' Steeves asked.
Steeves buried his head in his stepfather's shoulder, overcome by grief as friends continued to gather on Friday afternoon.
'I know, I know,' comforted the stepfather, Nils Zetterlund. 'I would jump in front of a bus for this kid.'
UPDATE: Turns out this man had a previous record of drug possession. I still think he was killed for doing the right thing. Armed intruders broke his door down early in the morning, only a few hours after he'd returned home from his night job and he responded the only way he could--with his own arm. He probably had only just gone to sleep and didn't even know what was going on. His previous record of drug possession was one arrest for marijuana seven years ago, when he was 16 years old. Big freakin' deal. (Just a note: in Texas this would have prevented him from ever getting a CHL). I'm sure this one instance of marijuana possession by a 16-year-old kid will be used to paint him as a fiendish 23-year-old pusher.
New Braunfels reporter jumps on the bandwagon
This article has nothing to do with the Minuteman Project. In fact, it's another story about residents being allowed to remove signs in their neighborhoods. But that didn't stop the writer from taking a quick jab at another citizens watch group:
Vigilantes might soon be forming ranks on New Braunfels streets, prepared to take back their neighborhoods.More power to them, I say. But exactly how does this story validate jumping on the "Minutemen are vigilantes even though they are doing nothing illegal and in fact pointing out horrific problems in border control" bandwagon.
No, they are not an inland regiment of the Texas Minutemen - they are the Bandit Sign Police.
Armed with trash bags and walking sticks, the BSP will hunt down abandoned signs and return the city's rights of way to its natural beauty.
New Braunfels citizens have always had the right to remove the illegal signs, but with an ordinance change vote before city council Monday, Planning Department staff and members of the Sign Ordinance Committee hope to bring more attention to the public's role in attending to the city's aesthetics.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Cassini gets photo of Saturn's "Death Star Moon"
This is a great picture. The Cassini spacecraft recently got a picture of one of Saturn's moons that looks like the Death Star:
The great eye of Saturn's moon Mimas (MY-muss), a 130-kilometer-wide (80-mile) impact crater called Herschel, stares out from the battered moon in this raw image taken by the Cassini spacecraft during a flyby on Aug. 2.
The Herschel crater is the moon's most prominent feature, and the impact that formed it probably nearly destroyed Mimas. Cassini flew by Mimas at 62,700 kilometers (38,800 miles) above the moon's surface, bringing it closer to the little moon than ever before.
Triggerfinger says: Beware of Brady's in camo...
Triggerfinger alerts us to another allegedly pro-gun group at www.huntersandshooters.com that isn't what it seems:
It's pretty pathetic when these people have to try and trick people into supporting them to be able to fund their agenda. They should just tell the truth, and stand or fall on that.
UPDATE: John Lott has more information on this group.
UPDATE the SECOND: Further developments from John Lott.
And we can't trust these folks. How do I know?And there's more, be sure to read the whole thing.
Their President is Ray Schoenke, who seems clean at first glance... but in 1996 his firm donated $1000 to the campaign of Torricelli (D-NJ). New Jersey is a gun control paradise and Torricelli has voted consistently in favor of gun control. Ray himself ran for the Democratic nomination for governor of Maryland.
Their executive director is Bob Ricker, infamous traitor to the gun industry. He used to lobby for us, before he decided that the role of Brutus was better suited to his temperment. He's provided testimony in prominent firearms-liability lawsuits -- testimony against the gun industry.
Their president is John E Rosenthal, who has worked with the 'gun violence prevention efforts' of Boston, Massachussetts. He co-founded the gun-control group 'Stop Handgun Violence', and suggests that the gun laws of Massachusetts should be the model for the country. He's spent a great deal of money on anti-gun advertising, including a national billboard campaign in collaboration with Handgun Control president Michael Barnes.
It's pretty pathetic when these people have to try and trick people into supporting them to be able to fund their agenda. They should just tell the truth, and stand or fall on that.
UPDATE: John Lott has more information on this group.
UPDATE the SECOND: Further developments from John Lott.
Friday, August 05, 2005
If they can keep from getting too stoned...
"The American Civil Liberties Union plans to train volunteers to keep an eye on the Minuteman project along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas and New Mexico, and document any abuses of human rights or violence, said Claudia Guevara, a coordinator for the ACLU's Legal Observers program in El Paso."
The ACLU stoners should be careful. In Texas, the Minutemen will be patrolling private land by permission of the landowners. It will be quite difficult for the ACLU goofballs to "monitor" the Minutemen without also being on this private land. If they are there without permission of the landowners, they will be there illegally and will probably get busted for trespassing.
The ACLU stoners should be careful. In Texas, the Minutemen will be patrolling private land by permission of the landowners. It will be quite difficult for the ACLU goofballs to "monitor" the Minutemen without also being on this private land. If they are there without permission of the landowners, they will be there illegally and will probably get busted for trespassing.
Gag
I haven't really mentioned pipe smoking very often on this blog. But this article about a restaurant, or something, in San Antonio caught my attention:
I once referred to a particular Perique blend of which I am fond in this way: I puffed a wreath of smoke that smelled like some kind of antediluvian fruit fermenting on the bottom of a Louisiana bayou on a hot August night.
Between sips of bottled water, fruit juice, tea and soft drinks, they take drags on plastic hoses attached to elaborate water pipes filled with fruit-flavored tobacco, engaging in an Arabic custom that originated more than 500 years ago: spending a leisurely evening with friends over a shisha, also known as hookah.A harmless enough pastime, I am sure. But fruit-flavored tobacco? Ye gads. I had enough of that in times past with a pipe. As Bill the Cat was often wont to say: Ack! Just give me a briar and something with lots of good American Perique. And since there is no direct link to this section of this article, I'll copy it here:
In contrast, perhaps the most strongly-flavoured of all tobaccos is the Perique, from Saint James Parish, Louisiana. When the Acadians made their way into this region in 1776, the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes were cultivating a variety of tobacco with a distinctive flavour. A farmer called Pierre Chenet is credited with first turning this local tobacco into the Perique in 1824 through the technique of pressure-fermentation.Info from http://tobacco.biography.ms/
The tobacco plants are manually kept suckerless, and pruned to exactly 12 leaves, through their early growth. In late June, when the leaves are a dark, rich green and the plants are 24-30 inches (600 to 750 mm) tall, the whole plant is harvested in the late evening and hung to dry in a sideless curing barn. Once the leaves have partially dried, but while still supple (usually less than 2 weeks in the barn), any remaining dirt is removed and the leaves are moistened with water and stemmed by hand. The leaves are then rolled into "torquettes" of approximately 1 pound (450 g) and packed into hickory whiskey barrels. The tobacco is then kept under pressure using oak blocks and massive screw jacks, forcing nearly all the air out of the still-moist leaves. Approximately once a month, the pressure is released, and each of the torquettes is "worked" by hand to permit a little air back into the tobacco. After a year of this treatment, the Perique is ready for consumption, although it may be kept fresh under pressure for many years. Extended exposure to air degrades the particular character of the Perique. The finished tobacco is dark brown, nearly black, very moist with a fruity, slightly vinegary aroma.
Considered the truffle of pipe tobaccos, the Perique is used as a component of many blended pipe tobaccos, but is too strong to be smoked pure. At one time, the freshly moist Perique was also chewed, but none is now sold for this purpose. Less than 16 acres (65,000 m²) of this crop remain in cultivation, most by a single farmer called Percy Martin, in Grande Pointe, Louisiana. For reasons unknown, the particular flavour and character of the Perique can only be acquired on a small triangle of Saint James Parish, less than 3 by 10 miles (5 by 16 km). Although at its peak, Saint James Parish was producing around 20 tons of the Perique a year, output is now only a few barrelsful.
While traditionally a pipe tobacco (and still available from some specialist tobacconists), the Perique may now also be found in the Perique cigarettes of Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., in an approximately 1 part to 5 blend with lighter tobaccos. A similar tobacco, based on pressure-fermented Kentucky tobacco is available by the name Acadian Green River Perique.
I once referred to a particular Perique blend of which I am fond in this way: I puffed a wreath of smoke that smelled like some kind of antediluvian fruit fermenting on the bottom of a Louisiana bayou on a hot August night.
Carnival of Cordite #25 is up...
...and I have a couple of items in it. I also really enjoyed reading this range report from Life in the Great Midwest.
UPDATE: I didn't pay much attention to the pictures I took of that old .22 rifle. In fact, I just glanced through my post to see if they looked halfway decent and let it go at that. But Gullyborg went and posted the full-sized version in the Carnival, and in looking at it again I have suddenly realized that I really need to clean up my front yard. And how did that lawn mower get uncovered? I was sure I had the dog-dipping tub turned upside down over it to keep the rain off, just in case it ever rained. It actually did rain today. Sigh...
UPDATE: I didn't pay much attention to the pictures I took of that old .22 rifle. In fact, I just glanced through my post to see if they looked halfway decent and let it go at that. But Gullyborg went and posted the full-sized version in the Carnival, and in looking at it again I have suddenly realized that I really need to clean up my front yard. And how did that lawn mower get uncovered? I was sure I had the dog-dipping tub turned upside down over it to keep the rain off, just in case it ever rained. It actually did rain today. Sigh...
Forget design improvements, how about aiming improvements?
Tipton, IN:
(Poorly controlled double-tapping is to blame, is what I think).
Police officials are considering design changes to a firing range after a stray bullet struck a home about a mile away.And who was doing the shooting at this time?
Deputies quickly alerted several members of the Noblesville Police Department, who were conducting firearms training at the range.Meanwhile, I suppose they are looking for a new range with more than a mile of vacant land behind it.
[...]
Police are speculating a shooter lying in a prone position, aiming upward at a target, must have sent a bullet up and over the mound of tree-covered earth at the back of the range about 30 miles north of Indianapolis, Russell said.
"It must have went off at least at a 45-degree angle to get that far, kind of like an arch," he said.
[...]
Russell and Tipton County Sheriff Craig Henderson said that until improvements are made on the county-owned property, it is unlikely officers will do any more shooting there.
(Poorly controlled double-tapping is to blame, is what I think).
JFPO Alert: Is S. 397 a Trojan Horse?
JFPO sends an alert regarding Is S. 397, and to me it does sound worrisome:
UPDATE: David Codrea at The War on Guns has also posted about this, as well as reminding us of a particular BATFE agent's firearms expertise.
UPDATE the SECOND: Triggerfinger has some further research that it may not be as bad as all that.
Part Three is where the trap is really sprung. Because this part instructs the U.S. Attorney General to 'conduct a study to determine whether a uniform standard for the testing of projectiles against Body Armor is feasible.'JFPO also gives us a reminder of a reality check on the U.S. government's sloppy firearms testing procedures.
NOTE WELL: The tests to determine whether or not ammo is 'armor piercing' are NOT to be conducted against armor plate, such as that used on military combat vehicles. The tests are to be conducted against body armor. And as anyone knowledgeable about firearms knows, VIRTUALLY ALL RIFLE AMMO WILL PENETRATE BODY ARMOR. So will some pistol ammo.
We asked firearms maker Len Savage if the warning we received was well-taken or whether this was simply a misinterpretation of the proposed law. Here's Len's reply:'Yes. This gives the A.G. the power to say what is and is not 'armor piercing.' There is no language for what type of test is to be conducted (other than ballistic vests). If the test were on 1 inch 'rolled homogeneous armor plate' then there would be no problem. If the test is a level I 'vest' material, then EVERYTHING including .22 longs, are going to be illegal ammo.Just as "Saturday-Night specials," "military-style assault weapons," "cop-killer bullets," and "sporting purposes" have all been used as deceptive, emotionally loaded key words to justify regulations and outright bans, it now appears that the designation "armor-piercing ammunition" is likely to be mis-applied in an attempt to deprive Americans of their rights.
'The bill would effectively give the power to decide to ONE person. NO vote, NO appeal, NO rights. (Just like the current mess with [the sloppy, no-standards testing practices of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms].)
'I figured it was a matter of time before they got around to figuring out: Control the ammo and you control the guns. Of course there would be born a 'black market' for ammo, very close to the black market for marijuana, in size, scope, and risks. Next will be the sentencing recommendations for possession, and distributing (dealing). Components will be viewed as constructive intent of illegal manufacturing of 'terrorist material.'
'This is a dangerous path for America. I am forced to ask myself: Why the continued attack and obvious methodical disarming of American Citizens? There is only one answer: control and power.
We should all be asking some serious questions about the real impact S. 397 will have on our freedoms if it becomes law. One important question is: Why are our "leaders" so desperate that they would attempt to slip such a potentially draconian provision into a supposedly pro-gun bill?
UPDATE: David Codrea at The War on Guns has also posted about this, as well as reminding us of a particular BATFE agent's firearms expertise.
UPDATE the SECOND: Triggerfinger has some further research that it may not be as bad as all that.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Three completely unrelated links...
Montague, New Jersey:
UPDATE: Four! Four completely unrelated links! Juneau, Alaska:
A bear bit a sleeping camper and tried to drag him away from a shelter along the Appalachian Trail at High Point State Park last month, state officials said Monday. The bear was killed Friday after becoming ensnared in a trap at the same campsite, officials said.Duluth, Minnesota:
The male camper, whose name has not been released, was sleeping with a group around 6:30 a.m. on July 13 at the Mashipacong Shelter when the bear bit him on the leg and attempted to drag both him and his sleeping bag, said Karen Hershey, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
A 50-year-old Holyoke woman said she punched a black bear in the nose as it attacked her, but the bear didn't flinch.Southport, CT, Newport, NH and Prescott, AZ:
"It was totally ineffective," Mary Munn said of her attempts to fend off the bear during Friday's attack. The ordeal lasted less than a minute, but in that time the bear bit her in several places, as Munn's dog tried to distract the 150 to 200 pound animal.
UPDATE: Four! Four completely unrelated links! Juneau, Alaska:
As Geri walked quickly back to the bedroom, the bear followed her eight feet down the hallway.
"I felt him," Geri said. "I just turned around and started walking away really fast, and I got down the hallway, opened the door and closed it and said, 'Bob, there's a bear in the house.' I just fell apart, I was so scared."
Another movie, possibly the second greatest ever
As a meter reader, and a fan of the greatest movie ever, I have a solemn duty to inform you of this:
Billy Bob Thornton and 'Napoleon Dynamite' star Jon Heder are teaming up in comedy remake 'School for Scoundrels,' Variety reports.Sweet!
The film, a redo of the 1960 laugher, centres on a down-on-his-luck meter reader (Heder) who enrolls in a confidence class so he can win the love of his dream girl.
He gets more than he bargained for when the teacher of the class (Thornton) has his eye on the same woman.
The movie is being directed by Todd Philips and written by Scot Armstrong, who previously worked together on 'Old School,' 'Starsky & Hutch' and 'Road Trip.'
'School for Scoundrels' is scheduled to begin an October shoot in New York and Los Angeles for a spring 2006 release.
More news on Patrick Haab (bad this time)
Way back in April, during the initial Minuteman Project activity in Arizona, I posted this article about Patrick Haab, an Army reservist and apparent veteran of Iraq, who performed a citizen's arrest of 7 illegal aliens. Now this turns up:
When Patrick Haab was arrested in April for holding seven undocumented immigrants at gunpoint at an Arizona rest stop, the Army reservist described himself as an Iraq war veteran and used that status to generate financial support and sympathy from around the country.Deceptive, yes. But one fact remains: he performed a justified citizen's arrest of 7 people who had crossed into this country illegally. He may have lied about himself, but the arrest was just, in my opinion, and in this instance, he did nothing wrong.
But military records obtained Tuesday by The Arizona Republic show that Haab never served in Iraq and indicate that he was on the verge of being removed from the military because he was paranoid, threatened to kill himself and pulled a knife in an altercation with fellow soldiers.
In February 2004, Haab was removed from his unit in Kuwait, the records show, after he reportedly told a commanding officer during an Arabic cultural awareness class that he 'just wants to kill all of the camel jockeys,' including a Muslim soldier in his own unit.
As a result of that incident and an apparent suicide attempt moments later, Haab was transferred back to the United States for a mental health evaluation at Fort Bragg and Walter Reed Medical Center, records state.
The records are in stark contrast to the picture Haab painted of himself at the time of his arrest: a dedicated and meritorious soldier who just wanted to return to duty.
The Mental Health Crisis That Wasn't
Or, How the trauma industry exploited 9/11:
Therapism is a worldview that valorizes openness and emotional self-absorption; it assumes that vulnerability, rather than strength, characterizes the American psyche, and that a diffident, anguished, and emotionally apprehensive public requires a vast array of therapists, self-esteem educators, grief counselors, workshoppers, healers, and traumatologists to lead it through the trials of everyday life....
In fact, there is no evidence that large segments of the population are in psychological free fall. On the contrary, researchers who follow the protocols of social science find most Americans-young and old-faring quite well. If they're crashing and burning, they don't seem to know it. This has proven true even in the wake of terrible disasters.
In October 2001 Sharon Kahn, a senior psychologist at Coney Island Hospital, manned the phones at a televised call-in show sponsored by PBS and called Reach Out to Heal. Experts described the symptoms of traumatic stress, and viewers were urged to phone in with questions and to get referrals for help....
Kahn took calls all evening. She referred a grand total of two people for therapy. The vast bulk of the calls were queries about the resumption of regularly scheduled programming.
In New York City on September 11 there was a strong, spontaneous show of collective resolve and organization. Near Ground Zero, members of one tenant association helped direct the streams of people running from the World Trade Center; they formed an "urgent needs" team to check on homebound residents; they acted as volunteer cashiers in stores when paid employees could not get to the area. The calm and orderly behavior of workers evacuating the World Trade Center towers themselves surely kept the death and injury tolls from rising. In the largest waterborne evacuation in our history, half a million people left lower Manhattan. Barges, sailboats, and ferries, with no instructions, put into the port as the towers burned. "If you're out in the water in a pleasure craft and you see those buildings on fire," the Rutgers sociologist Lee Clarke said to The New York Times, "in a strictly rational sense, you should head to New Jersey. Instead people went into potential danger and rescued strangers."Another long and interesting article from RedNova. I post this because to me, this is another aspect of the Cult of Victimhood which plagues us, trying to tell us that we are better being victims than defending ourselves and/or picking ourselves up and recovering when something bad happens. These are the "we're sorry for everything" people who seem to think that the more victimized you are, the more highly evolved you are. Or something.
According to the sociologist Henry Quarantelli, a pioneer in the field of disaster research, such constructive responses are typical. "Mythical beliefs to the contrary," he writes, "disaster victims do not panic, they are not passive, they do not become caught up in [selfish and] antisocial behavior, and they are not behaviorally traumatized." Monica Schoch-Spana, a medical anthropologist with the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies, laments the predominance of the "pathological model." So often, she says, officials and mental health planners neglect the positive human elements that crisis elicits, such as "reasoned caution, resourcefulness, adaptability, resiliency, hopefulness, and humanitarianism."
New Lovecraft comic available online
Slashdot reports:
There's a new Cthulhu Mythos comic out called "Return to Arkham". It's set in 1933, and includes beautiful, moody black & white art depicting H.P. Lovecraft's town of Arkham. In support of Lovecraft's belief in stories developed by Divers Hands, this comic has been released with a Creative Commons license, allowing anyone to create and release their own versions of the comic.The comic can be found at Lovecraft Country.
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