Saturday, April 21, 2012

Ted Nugent Pays Fine for Hunting Violation

In this 2010 photo, Ted Nugent waits for hunting dogs to retrieve a pheasant he shot.
(AP Photo/Rapid City Journal, Aaron Rosenblatt)
via Mad Mike's America

Ted Nugent is a nasty, vicious human being, who has far less worth than the animals he regularly slaughters just for the fun of it.  Nugent, a member of the board of the National Rifle Association (NRA), recently made the news for indirectly threatening the life of President Obama.

He is not only a rabid republican but he is also a passionate hater of all things liberal.  He has uttered threats and roundly criticized the OWS movements, along with the government of the United States.  His big mouth and powerful friends didn’t protect him from the law however, as this Newser story summary points out:
More gun fun with the Motor City Madman. Ted Nugent has agreed to a $10,000 fine for illegally shooting and transporting a black bear in Alaska in 2009, according to a plea he signed with prosecutors there, reports the Anchorage Daily News
.

The Man Who Quit Money

John McCain on Mitt Romney

The Evolution of the 2nd Amendment

WBEZ reports

The evolution of the Second Amendment is expertly detailed in a spellbinding New Yorker story, “Battleground America," in the current issue.  Here are some highlights.

6.“In 1957, when the N.R.A. moved into new headquarters, its motto, at the building’s entrance, read, ‘Firearms Safety Education, Marksmanship Training, Shooting for Recreation.’ It didn’t say anything about freedom, or self-defense, or rights.” 

12.“According to the constitutional-law scholar Carl Bogus, at least sixteen of the twenty-seven law-review articles published between 1970 and 1989 that were favorable to the N.R.A.’s interpretation of the Second Amendment were ‘written by lawyers who had been directly employed by or represented the N.R.A. or other gun-rights organizations.’ In an interview, former Chief Justice Warren Burger said that the new interpretation of the Second Amendment was ‘one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word ‘fraud,’ on the American public by special-interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime’.” 

14.“There are nearly three hundred million privately owned firearms in the United States: a hundred and six million handguns, a hundred and five million rifles, and eighty-three million shotguns. That works out to about one gun for every American.” 

15.“According to the General Social Survey, conducted by the National Policy Opinion Center at the University of Chicago, the prevalence of gun ownership has declined steadily in the past few decades. In 1973, there were guns in roughly one in two households in the United States; in 2010, one in three. In 1980, nearly one in three Americans owned a gun; in 2010, that figure had dropped to one in five.”

All Right, All Right, the NRA is not Intentionally Alarmist

The Daily News published a fascinating article on whether the alarmist talk of La Pierre and others is justified or not.

Nelson Shields, the founder of the organization which later became Handgun Control Inc., said in 1976: "Our ultimate goal - total control of handguns in the United States - is going to take time. My estimate is from seven to ten years. 

The first problem is to slow down the increasing number of handguns being produced and sold in this country. The second problem is to get handguns registered. And the final problem is to make the possession of all handguns and all handgun ammunition - except for the military, policemen, licensed security guards, licensed sporting clubs and licensed gun collectors - totally illegal." "Intentionally alarmist"? 

In a 1993 editorial, a major newspaper urged Congress to outlaw almost all firearms: "Only by slicing away at this nation's already vast and deadly arsenal of guns will we reduce the violence and the fear. You will not feel safe, your children will not be safe, until there are almost no guns on the streets and in homes. 

No guns, period, except for those held by law enforcement officials and a few others, including qualified hunters and collectors. Can Congress impose such a ban? Federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have consistently upheld a variety of firearms restrictions, even prohibitions, over the last 60 years."
Wow, those are some statements. No wonder the gun-rights folks are worried.

What's your opinion? Do the sentiments of Nelson Shields represent the gun control movement at large? Did his ideas trickle down through Gun Control Inc., and into the Brady Campaign? Has his message simply evolved into a secret agenda?

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

After Trayvon It's All Downhill for Gun Rights

Christian Science Monitor

Will Americans leery of a decade of gun rights expansions stand their ground over the Trayvon Martin case?

The Feb. 26 shooting of the unarmed teenager in Sanford, Fla., by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman, and the initial police decision not to charge Mr. Zimmerman, sparked a national debate about race and violence in American society.

But so far, Trayvon’s death is having the biggest impact on the national gun policy debate.

The shooting, some say, may have set a potential high-water mark for gun rights after a decade of legislative expansion, which included measures like concealed carry and no-duty-to-retreat in public laws, and the landmark Florida “Stand Your Ground” law that’s been cited in the Trayvon Martin case.
What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Video Games and Mass Killers

CNN reports

Norway's alleged mass killer testified on Thursday that he played video games as a way to train for a shooting spree that killed 77 people last summer. In particular, Anders Behring Breivik said at his trial that he played "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" as a means of shooting practice, according to CNN's report.

The confessed shooter also said he once played the online game "World of Warcraft," a role-playing adventure with multiple players from around the world, for as many as 16 hours a day.

For people who have long suspected that there is some link between violent video games and real-world violence, the statement offered frightening new evidence for why the video-game industry should be more strictly regulated.
What's your opinion? Is it possible that those extremely violent games add the the problem?

In Breivik's case though, do you think there's a pattern developing?  First he said his acts were self-defense because of the Islamic infiltration of Scandinavia and the leftist governments failure to stop it. That's like blaming it on something, isn't it?  Now it's the fault of the video games.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Dynamite Women

Way to go, Aussies!

Australian ISP iiNet won a legal victory against the Hollywood studios who wanted to hold the ISP liable for its client’s downloads. Australia’s highest federal court today found in a unanimous decision that Perth-based iiNet could not be held responsible for the trade of thousands of pirate movies and music files by its customers.

I have to ad that iiNet has a similar attitude toward the illegal download issue as I do–make this materially available at a reasonable price. Stop looking the other way and start providing this to people who don’t have access to this material in their countries,

A Good Clean DGU

Local Tennessee News reports

A home invasion turned deadly after shots were fired Wednesday night at an apartment complex in Antioch.

The invasion and subsequent shooting happened just before 11 p.m. in the Brentridge Apartments on Bell Road.  

Metro police said a masked and gloved gunman later identified as convicted drug felon Michael Martin knocked on the door of the apartment that Michael Moffitt shares with his girlfriend.

When the couple looked out of the peephole, it was covered from the outside.

Moffitt directed his girlfriend to the bedroom and told her to call police.

Moffitt, who is a firearms enthusiast and had legal weapons in the apartment, retrieved an AR-15 rifle and again checked the peephole.

Seeing that it was no longer covered, Moffitt opened the door.

Police said at that point, Martin, armed with a semi-automatic pistol, forced his way in and shoved Moffitt hard into an interior wall. 

Moffitt opened fire on Martin, 35, with the rifle, fatally wounding him. 
What do you think? Is it safe for me to call this one legit? I suppose the home owner could have left the door closed and waited for the cops, but since he did open up and the bad guy barged in, it sounds clean. What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

3 Dead, 8 Wounded at Texas Cock-fight

The Washington Post reports

Masked gunmen opened fire during an illegal cockfight at a Texas ranch near Mexico early Thursday, killing three people and wounding eight others in what authorities described as a bloody massacre.

The attack at the ranch near Edcouch, a town about 15 miles northeast of McAllen, happened shortly after midnight and sent spectators fleeing from the makeshift bleachers surrounding the fighting ring into the brush. Authorities were searching for the attackers and for clues as to their possible motives, Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said.
We can thank the gun manufacturers, the NRA and the gun-rights fanatics for the tremendously easy access to guns by unfit and irresponsible people.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Another Shooting Near USC

The LA Times reports

Some USC students living near fraternity row said Wednesday that after another shooting near campus, they feel unsafe in their own neighborhood and fear for the reputation of their school.

In the latest incident early Wednesday, police say suspect Jeremy Hendricks, 24, approached four students -- three men and a woman –- and demanded items. Hendricks then placed the items in a backpack and fled on foot before students flagged down USC security, who tracked down the suspect and confronted him, authorities said.

An officer saw that the suspect was armed, said Lt. Andy Neiman of the LAPD. When Hendricks made a sudden move, the security officer shot him in the leg, Neiman said.
We can thank the gun manufacturers, the NRA and the gun-rights fanatics for the fact that America is awash with guns. When, oh when will it turn around.

 What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Ohio Woman While Struggling With Boyfriend over Gun

Local News reports 

 Police said that a woman and her boyfriend were struggling with a gun early Thursday morning when she was shot multiple times. 

The woman was shot in the face and shoulder inside a Whitethorne Avenue home at about 4 a.m., 10TV’s Shayla Reaves reported. According to police, the shooting was ruled accidental. 

Investigators said that the woman was attempting to harm herself when she was shot.
What do you think? Does it sound like one of those homes which were made safer because guns were there? Please leave a comment.

Infmous Scottsdale AZ Cop Wants to Retire on Disability

AZ Central reports

Officer James Peters, 37, who has been with the Scottsdale Police Department since 2000, has filed for accidental disability, which means that he suffered an injury on the job that prevents him from doing his job.


Peters was involved in seven shootings since 2002, six of them fatal, including the most recent incident on Feb. 14. That day, Peters shot 50-year-old John Loxas after police were called to a house in the 7700 block of East Garfield Street.


Neighbors had called 911 earlier and said Loxas had threatened them with a handgun. Peters, a former member of the department's SWAT team, was one of six officers who responded to the call. He fired at Loxas as he was holding a child in front of him.


Police said the shots were fired to prevent Loxas from re-entering the house with the child. Each of Peters' previous shootings have been determined justified through an internal investigation, as well as an external investigation by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. 

His previous fatal shooting occurred in March 2010, when Peters shot and killed a man suspected in a string of bank robberies. At the time, The Republic reported that the city had settled in 2009 with the family of one of the people involved in a different fatal shooting for $75,000 but denied liability. 

 In another case, Peters was honored for his actions in responding to a hostage situation and the hostage thanked the officer for saving his life and shooting the suspect.
What's your opinion? Does he sound like a trigger-happy cop, or what? Please leave a comment.

Jon Stewart on the Candidates

La Nozze di Figaro - Mozart - The Greatest Opera Yet Written

Avant-garde, innovative, bold music from 1786 Voi che sapete che cosa e amor, Donne, vedete, s'io l'ho nel cor, Donne, vedete, s'io l'ho nel cor. Quello ch'io provo, vi ridiro, E per me nuovo capir nol so. Sento un affetto pien di desir, Ch'ora e diletto, ch'ora e martir. Gelo e poi sento l'alma avvampar, E in un momento torno a gelar. Ricerco un bene fuori di me, Non so chi il tiene, non so cos' e. Sospiro e gemo senza voler, Palpito e tremo senza saper, Non trovo pace notte ne di, Ma pur mi piace languir cosi. Voi, che sapete che cosa e amor Donne, vedete, s'io l'ho nel cor, Donne, vedete, s'io l'ho nel cor, Donne, vedete, s'io l'ho nel cor. English Translation, You who know what love is, Women, see whether it's in my heart, Women, see whether it's in my heart. What I am experiencing I will tell you, It is new to me and I do not understand it. I have a feeling full of desire, That now, is both pleasure and suffering. At first frost, then I feel the soul burning, And in a moment I'm freezing again. Seek a blessing outside myself, I do not know how to hold it, I do not know what it is. I sigh and moan without meaning to, Throb and tremble without knowing, I find no peace both night or day, But even still, I like to languish. You who know what love is, Women, see whether it's in my heart, Women, see whether it's in my heart, Women, see whether it's in my heart.

Safe as Milk - Captain Beefheart - Drop Out Boogie

Avant-garde, innovative, bold music from 1967


You wanna do what, you wanna do what
I told you what, I told you what

You wanna do what, you wanna do what
I told you what, I told you what

Go to school, go to school
Just take, just take
Dropout, dropout

You getta job, you getta job
Dunno whattit, dunno whattit
What it's all about, what it's all about

You told her ya love her, so bring her the butter
You love her adapt her, you love her adapt her
Adapt her adapter, adapt her adapter
What about after that, what about after that

Support her, support her
She says she's no boarder
Getta job, getta job
You gotta support her
You told her you loved her
So bring her the butter
You love her adapt her
You love her adapt her
Adapt her adapter

Thursday, April 19, 2012

The Wire - The Greatest TV Series Ever - Here's Why



Michael Bloomberg for President in 2012




via Mudrake - Thomas L. Freidman writing an op-ed for the New York Times

I had to catch a train in Washington last week. The paved street in the traffic circle around Union Station was in such poor condition that I felt as though I was on a roller coaster. I traveled on the Amtrak Acela, our sorry excuse for a fast train, on which I had so many dropped calls on my cellphone that you’d have thought I was on a remote desert island, not traveling from Washington to New York City. When I got back to Union Station, the escalator in the parking garage was broken. Maybe you’ve gotten used to all this and have stopped noticing. I haven’t. Our country needs a renewal. 

And that is why I still hope Michael Bloomberg will reconsider running for president as an independent candidate, if only to participate in the presidential debates and give our two-party system the shock it needs.
I love the idea of shaking up the two parties, but would Bloomberg take votes away from Obama and enable Romney to win?  The gun-rights folks are already not voting for Obama.  What do you think?

Please leave a comment.

More on the Ted Nugent Remarks - Mitt Romney's Take

via TTAG where the comments never fail to entertain.


Josh Horwitz on the NRA Hypocrisy

Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right on Huffington Post.

At last week's National Rifle Association (NRA) Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) expressed anger about how "lawless individuals are using weapons ill-gotten."

Rep. Issa WASN'T talking about George Zimmerman, who had a track record of domestic abuse and had been arrested for assaulting a cop prior to shooting unarmed teen Trayvon Martin. Instead, Rep. Issa was ranting about his favorite topic: ATF's misguided "Fast and Furious" operation and Attorney General Eric Holder.
I admit I haven't followed the blow-by-blow of the Zimmerman case, pretty much the same way I've had more than enough of the "Fast and Furious" coverage, but this is the first time I've heard about Zimmerman's past record of domestic abuse and having been arrested for assaulting a cop. Wow.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Missouri Man Shoots Wife and Himself - Both Critical


Police said Harry James Young, 39, drove past his estranged wife, Kellie Young, 24, who was sitting in her car on South Carr with a man and two small children.

That's when Young turned around and drove back to where she was, got out of his car and shot Kellie in her arm and torso.

Witnesses told police Young also tried shooting the man in the passenger seat but he was able to run away, neither child was injured.

After Young left the scene he was stopped by a Sedalia police officer. As the officer was giving him commands, Young shot himself in the head.
I wonder if he was a lawful gun owner or if he held a concealed carry permit. Oftentimes in these dramatic scenes no one checks on that. But, the pro-gun crowd is quick to claim the percentage of lawful gun owners and especially concealed carry guys who do stuff like this is extremely low. I don't buy it. And besides, whatever the actual percentage is, in my opinion it's too high.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

California Man Arrested at Airport with a Gun for the Second Time





A Northern California man was arrested Monday while trying to bring a loaded gun onto an airplane at John Wayne Airport, authorities said.

Minhchau Pham was stopped by agents of the Transportation Security Administration when they spotted a .38 revolver inside his carry-on luggage at a security checkpoint, the Orange County Register reports.

This is the 43-year-old’s second offense. In 2005 he was also arrested for attempting to bring a loaded pistol on a flight to San Jose, authorities said
First offense, loss of gun rights, second offense, I don't know, maybe 6 months in county.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Vetoes Gun Bill





For the second consecutive year, Brewer rejected the measure backed by gun rights advocates to allow guns in public buildings, except where security personnel were posted at the entrances and metal detectors or X-ray machines were present.

Under current Arizona law, state authorities can ban guns from being carried into public buildings such as libraries, senior centers and city halls by posting a sign at their entrances.

The Republican governor said a "more thorough and collaborative discussion" is needed before such legislation could be signed into law.

"The decision to permit or prohibit guns in these extremely sensitive locations ... should be cooperatively reached and supported by a large coalition of stakeholders," said Brewer, in her veto message.
For me she's a bit of an enigma. Every once in a while she surprises.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Fat White Men and Women

Jon Stewart - Mitt Romney - Motherhood - Dignity

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Newt Goes Global with the 2nd Amendment




Florida Concealed Carry Permits


George Zimmerman is part of a large and growing class in Florida: He holds a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Or he did until last week, when he was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford.

A gun permit in Florida is suspended when the holder is charged with a felony. If Zimmerman is acquitted, he'll get his gun permit back.

Through March, 919,831 people held permits to carry a concealed weapon in Florida, or roughly one of every 15 adults in the state. (More than 106,000 permit holders live in other states.)

Four out of five are men. Most are over age 50.
That's a lot of guns. And the best part is how the pro-gun folks decribe it.

Rep. Dennis Baxley, the Ocala Republican famous as the House sponsor of the 2005 "stand your ground" law, vigorously supports concealed weapons and says the overwhelming majority of permit holders are careful, law-abiding citizens.

In a free society, people should have the right to arm themselves, Baxley says.

"These permit holders don't shoot people," Baxley says.

Is that some of the best narrow-minded biased nonsense you've ever heard? Is Baxley using hyperbole when he actually means not enough of them shoot people to worry about? Or is he really so far under the ether that he believes that stuff?

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Cosby Says it's a Gun Thing not a Race Thing

One NRA Member's Opinion of Wayne La Pierre

via Opposing Views
The NRA member added: "I think there are a lot of people in the NRA that are not victimized by some of the extreme language. A lot of people believe it because that’s all they hear but I don’t think our government is out to take away all guns."

"If you polled the people here, the majority of the people here would probably be on his side. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t an awful lot of people out there that just think he’s a wingnut."

Accidental Shooting of NC Man While Hunting Turkeys - No Charges



Deputies say a Kernersville man who was accidentally shot while hunting Monday has died.

Tommy Lee Clinard, 63, was found shot in a field near the 2300 block of Pisgah Church Road around 7 a.m. Monday, according to Chief Deputy Brad Stanley with the Sheriff’s Office. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Stanley said Clinard, who was hunting turkeys, was shot once by another hunter in the area.
What's your opinion? Is hunting a sick activity, or what. Not only is it about killing animals, which is sick, but every once in a while the hunters kill each other.

What do you think about that? Let us know.

Accidental Shooting of Washington Man by Himself - No Charges


Kuna Police Chief Cody Aldrich told KTVB that two men in their 20s were inside a pickup truck preparing to go hunting. The passenger was holding a pistol when it accidentally discharged, striking him in the leg.

His injury is said not to be life threatening. The man was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Aldrich says this was an accident and no charges will be filed.
This is a disgraceful report for two reasons. The gun didn't accidentally discharge. It was negligently fired. And secondly, the automatic default of not filing charges when it's determined to have been an "accident" is wrong. People who do that are a menace to themselves and others. To think that all or even most of them learn from their mistakes is a dangerous, and I believe a losing bet.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of SC Horse - Shooter Unknown




Obviously, the shooters "have no respect for life."

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Hollywood's Most Notorius Criminals



OJ is number 4. Check out the others.


Hollywood may be the land of big dreams and promises, but this place definitely sees its fair share of tragedies as well. From crimes of passion to money-motivated crimes, Hollywood criminals have been known to attack for any and all reasons. And we all know that one of the quickest ways to be a show stealer in Hollywood is to do something bad. Here are the eight most notorious criminals in Hollywood history.

Five Year Anniversary of the VA Tech Massacre


Ted Nugent at the NRA Convention 2012

The Immoral Minority: A woman in Florida "stands her ground," fires gun in self defense but injures no one, and now faces twenty years in prison. Oh, did I mention she's black?

The Immoral Minority: A woman in Florida "stands her ground," fires gun in self defense but injures no one, and now faces twenty years in prison. Oh, did I mention she's black?

Robert Farago Interviews Glenn Beck



Any thoughts?

Hidden Criminals and Time Bombs Within the NRA


Josh Horwitz wrote a wonderful article on Huffington Post which included a little story which Laci had posted about last month.

His name was Landon Jorgensen. Jorgensen lived the NRA's credo to the hilt. He carried a gun on his person at all times, even while inside his own home ("I'll keep that [shit] on me so that I'm prepared no matter what."). He refused to go to gun shows because of the requirement for attendees to unload their firearms before entering. When discussing private property where guns are prohibited, he remarked, "If you remain concealed anyway, how will they ever know?" And he frequented ConcealedCarryForum.com to encourage others to utilize permissive concealed carry laws in order to protect the "sheep" in their communities from crime.

But this proud NRA "sheepdog" turned out to be a wolf. On March 21, 2012 he turned his guns on his 25-year-old girlfriend, Adria Jordan Parker, and her five-year-old daughter, Eliza Kate Parker, before taking his own life.
Josh draws the obvious conclusions that too many unfit gun owners are carrying guns with little chance of being identified until they do something newsworthy.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Texas Gun Range Master by Himself - Investigation Underway


A range master for the city’s municipal shooting range shot himself in the hand Saturday while trying to unjam a pistol Saturday.

A shooter was having trouble with a small caliber pistol when he called range master Carl Fuchs over for some assistance.

As Fuchs worked to un-jam the weapon, it discharged, Texas City police Chief Robert Burby said.

The bullet struck Fuchs in the left thumb and exited his wrist. He was taken by ground ambulance to the University of Texas Medical Branch’s John Sealy Hospital.

The accidental shooting will prompt a review of the gun range’s safety procedures, Mayor Matt Doyle said.
Don't you love the way they downplay the responsibility of the shooter in these cases? The pro gun voices are always crying about how biased the media is against them, yet we always have quotes like this, "As Fuchs worked to un-jam the weapon, it discharged."

Obviously, what the police chief could have said, if he weren't trying to be a spin doctor for gun rights, is "the idiot pointed the gun at his thumb and pulled the trigger."

What's your opinion?  Aside from the sick irony of a supposed expert doing something like this, what do you think?

Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of NC Woman by Herself - No Charges


A shooting that injured a 25-year-old woman Sunday has been ruled accidental, authorities said Monday.

The shooting happened about 8 p.m. at Helton's home.

"She mishandled the gun," said Detective David Cowart, chief of detectives at the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.
It seems like they don't even consider filing charges if the person shoots herself. That's wrong. With the same exact negligence she could have shot and killed someone else. People like this are dangerous and we can't expect them to learn their lesson.

One-strike-you-re-out is the only solution.

What's your opinion? Please tell us.

Colorado Wants to Remove State Background Checks


A Colorado proposal to eliminate state background checks for firearm purchases has been tentatively approved by the Republican state House.

The bill would end checks done by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Republican Rep. Mark Waller, who sponsored the bill, said the state is spending unnecessarily on its background check program. Walker says the background checks duplicate ones already done federally.

A state review found that getting rid of the state background checks could save almost $2 million a year.

Many Democrats oppose the idea because they say Colorado's program is more thorough than the FBI's background check.
Isn't it obvious that the Federal background check system has so many problems, mainly with improper reporting, that the state check would identify some unfit and unqualified people who would otherwisg go undiscovered?

It makes you wonder what the Republican gun-rights champions are thinking? This would be a typical case in which the only benefit would be removing a small inconvenience for gun owners at the cost of certain dangerous people buying guns legally.

I don't even want to consider the savings as a true motivation. No state is so bad-off that 2 million dollars makes a difference.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Anders Breivik Pleads Not Guilty - It Was Self-Defense


With a defiant closed-fist salute, a right-wing fanatic admitted Monday to a bomb-and-shooting massacre that killed 77 people in Norway but pleaded not guilty to criminal charges, saying he was acting in self-defense.

On the first day of his long-awaited trial, Anders Behring Breivik rejected the authority of the court as it sought to assign responsibility for the July 22 attacks that shocked Norway and jolted the image of terrorism in Europe.

Dressed in a dark suit and sporting a thin beard, Breivik smiled as a guard removed his handcuffs in the crowded court room. The 33-year-old then flashed his salute before shaking hands with prosecutors and court officials.

"I don't recognize Norwegian courts because you get your mandate from the Norwegian political parties who support multiculturalism," Breivik said in his first comments to the court.

Breivik has said the attacks were necessary to protect Norway from being taken over by Muslims.

"I admit to the acts, but not criminal guilt," he told the court, insisting he had acted in self-defense.
The only thing I can say is thank goodness we don't have any nuts like that in the US.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Monday, April 16, 2012

The NRA Convention - Armed while Old, Fat, White and Crabby 3

Cross posted from Penigma:

Armed, and dangerous to everyone around them, including to themselves.

The dangerously paranoid delusions that have the armed and dangerous fat, white, elderly crowd ready to shoot at the wrong things was illustrated in the following interview. It makes it clear why the right wing crazies need to give themselves legal cover when they shoot unarmed, not threatening people, especially people for whom they harbor an unwarranted fear. The Shoot First laws are in place to help them get out of accountability for their mistakes, as has been demonstrated by not only the Trayvon Martin killing, but a wide variety of other Shoot First killings.

This is what the American Gun Nuts, as in crazy people who are not objectively connected to reality when it comes to properly identifying danger looks like to a neutral observer who represents the rest of the civilized world's view of danger in the context of long term declining crime rates, including violent crime, especially in our large cities where crime rates previously were highest:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

ANOTHER Armed while Old, Fat, White and Crabby incident! No One is Safer with This Kind of Shooting by Private Citizens on Our Streets

Again, cross posted from Penigma

A half-naked fat, old, white grumpy guy was caught on video having a shooting incident over a moped.

No one appears to have been hurt; the honor of owning a moped was upheld!

On the other hand........why do none of the people who are calling this old fool with a gun a hero question the risk to others of shooting six shots down what is presumably an inhabited residential city street?
This shooting appears to endanger others, while apparently not harming the would-be criminal. No one in their right mind should call this guy a hero; he was dangerously stupid.

1. No one should be carrying a gun in their pants pocket.
It is dangerous.
The old geezer is lucky he didn't shoot himself in the leg when he fell on his ass. Clearly, you can't use it if you need it - but the odds are you can't get it out of a holster quickly enough to be practically useful EITHER. But it makes it less likely you will accidentally shoot yourself or someone else if you use one.

2. No one acting intelligently while armed with a deadly weapon tries to pull their gun on someone when that person is already pointing a gun at them. You have already lost any possible advantage of shooting first; you will however dramatically increase the probability of getting shot yourself before you can fire. Even if you both fire your guns, you are going to be endangering others besides the bad guy. It does not appear any of the shots fired by this fat old white crabby guy hit the person he aimed at --- where did they go?

This guy was a dumbass to keep arguing with someone who pulled a gun on them.

3. Clearly, having a gun you can't get out of your pocket and that the would-be criminal doesn't know is there is NO DETERRENT to a crime. There is nothing heroic about shooting someone in the back, there is nothing heroic in shooting at someone after they have left. This guy is stupid and inept, not heroic.

Under normal laws applying to law enforcement, they are not allowed to shoot a suspect in the back, a suspect who is fleeing, if it endangers others. They are not allowed to shoot a suspect who is NOT a danger to others - and when this bad guy, a black guy in a hoodie!, left the scene, I would argue that he no longer presented an imminent danger to the mo-ped owner or anyone else.
He should have been reported to the police, but the fat old white grumpy guy shouldn't be shooting someone fleeing a failed crime scene. This is one more instance of a grump with a gun going vigilante on someone; no moped is worth shooting someone over. It's just a dumb MOPED for Pete's sake! No crook is going to outrun the cops on a silly old moped! (He probably couldn't outrun cops on ten speeds.)

Stop shooting and put on a shirt, PLEASE. You're not only endangering your neighborhood, you're uglifying it. Use better judgement, and please - better taste. You call the cops; we won't call the fashion police on you.

Children are Dying in Cities - Gun Control Is the Issue


via Kid Shootings from John Lake at BlogCritics.org

We live in a much different world than the world our founding fathers knew. The old west was still new, and police were far sparser than today's law enforcers. It made sense to allow Americans to carry firearms, but it doesn't make sense today.

Some may consider the thinking of the drafters of the Constitution, and of the members of the Supreme Court, as it applies to gun ownership for a standing militia, and to oppose a potential tyrannical government. This is a compelling argument, but it may also be outdated and unrealistic.
The author touches on some important points. People in America have been duped by the NRA and gun manufacturers to think gun ownership is a good thing. In most cases it is not.

Lets look at some relevant statistics. In homes with guns, a member of the household is almost three times as likely to be the victim of a homicide compared to a resident in a gun-free home. A study of 626 shootings in or around residences in three U.S. cities revealed that for every time a gun in the home was used in a self-defense or a legally justifiable shooting, there were four unintentional shootings, seven criminal assaults or homicides, and 11 attempted or completed suicides.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Former PA Governor Ed Rendell Hands Gottlieb His Hat - and His Bowtie

La Pierre Promises to Help Harlem Moms


via Baldr from The Daily News

A Harlem mom whose two sons were murdered by gun-toting killers stood toe-to-toe Saturday with a leader of the National Rifle Association.

Jackie Rowe-Adams traveled to the NRA’s national meeting and had a verbal duel with NRA CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, a slightly tense exchange that evolved into mutual respect.

“For a minute, for a second, I felt a little anger, because he was so determined to believe that his way was right,” Rowe-Adams said afterward. “But then he flipped on it, and started to listen.”
I'm holding my breath, how about you?

Accidental Shooting of Tyler Texas 4-Year-Old - Incredibly, No Charges




It could be a Class A Misdemeanor. What the hell is wrong with these people. Leaving a gun where a kid can get it should be a Felony that carries a 10-year jail sentence. In cases like this, the judge could waive the prison time, since the parent already lost so much, but the future gun rights have to go.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting of Idaho Boy - No Charges


The Fremont County Sheriff's Office in eastern Idaho says a boy has died following an apparent accidental shooting.

Authorities say emergency crews responded about 7:45 p.m. Saturday to an area near Newdale after a report of a boy being shot in the abdomen.

Police say the boy was flown to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls where he later died.

Police say they are continuing an investigation but the shooting appears accidental.

The Cost of Proper Gun Free Zones




At this writing, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is contemplating whether to sign HB 2729, which would mandate local governments that do not allow people to carry firearms into public buildings to meet several criteria.

Those criteria include:

• Posted signs saying guns are not allowed;

• Armed guards or police officers at entrances during all operating hours;

• Metal detectors and lockers for storing firearms.

An Arizona state legislative fiscal study found that the costs to secure buildings typically range from $5,000 to $113,800 per public entrance initially, with recurring costs of $54,400 to $108,800 per year.

And of course, this state mandate does not include any funds to help cities, counties or schools pay the cost of implementing this new law, so each local governing body faces the prospect of additional operating costs for each entrance to public buildings where firearms might not be the best idea.

Clearly the intent of this proposal is to push local governments toward acceptance of allowing firearms everywhere, based simply on the cost of creating “gun-free” public buildings.
What's your opinion? Is this a way for the governor to give the gun lobby what it wants without taking the blame for it? Or does the fact that setting up proper security in public buildings is expensive have nothing to do with the gun-rights issue?

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Bob Owens on Gun Ownership

Bob Owens wrote a paean to gun ownership on PJ Media that'll bring a tear to your eye.

For those of us who grow up in “gun cultures” where firearms are merely another tool and fact of life, getting your first gun may consist of getting a pint-sized .22-caliber single shot rifle almost as long as you are tall when you are a child. It is a simple and expected rite of passage that is a mark of growing expectations, trust, and new-found maturity.

We’re generally accompanied by an experienced and patient relative — a father, grandfather, aunt, or older sibling — and the time we spend with those first firearms fills us with nostalgia in later years. The adventures spent afield plinking at cans and paper targets or hunting is remembered as much or more for the bonding and the fellowship as it is for the experience of shooting a gun itself.
Then what happens for most normal people is they grow up. Guns stop being an important part of their lives just like the toy soldiers do.

Not so for a small minority though, who grow more and more attached to their guns. Some of them, suspecting something is wrong with their obsession, become gun rights fanatics as a way of justifying it. At that point, all connection with reality is lost.

These are the folks Romney was begging for votes over the weekend. The irony is there really are not that many votes there. The passionate ones who turn up for the NRA convention and write pro-gun blogs are actually a small minority of the gun owners at large. The membership of the NRA is only a few million, smaller than many large cities, and most of them according to some reports are anything but gun-rights fanatics.

What's your opinion? Could the vocal brashness of their message combined with tremendous monetary support from the gun manufacturers fool people into thinking they're stronger than they are, as a voting block I mean?

Wouldn't many gun owners turn their back on Romney for his obvious flip-flopping on gun issues, or his support of big business, or his anti-women positions or just because of his personal wealth?

I think so, what's your opinion?

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground in South Carolina

Daisy wrote a wonderful post about how it works in SC.

South Carolina's "Stand your ground" law, which is a provision in the "Protection of Persons and Property Act." This was defined by the SC Legislature in SECTION 16-11-440(C) and is considered an extension or clarification of the "Castle doctrine"--a concept discussed at length by my radio-show participants.

In my opinion, the Castle doctrine should be sufficient, so I am not sure why an additional law was necessary. The National Rifle Association (and how did you guess) was one of the main agitators for the PPPA, which makes me wonder if increasing gun-sales was one incentive for the law.
Daisy is one of those involved people trying to further sane ideas while surrounded by madness. Southern Beale is another one, she's in Tennessee. I have a personal appreciation and affection for these brave bloggers who faithfully carry the message of lefty, liberal ideals in Red States.

We need more like them.

Accidental Shooting in St. Louis - Shooter Questioned - No Charges


Police say a child was accidentally shot by his older cousin at a home in south St. Louis Friday night.

Police were called to the residence in the 4000 block of Pennsylvania around 6:30 pm. The victim's 18-year-old male cousin was taken into custody for questioning, but police say the incident is being handled as an accidental shooting.
Obviously this has nothing to do with the celebrating gun owners enjoying the NRA Convention across town, or does it? In a certain sense, they are to blame, at least partly. They are responsible for the lax and non-existent gun laws which allow easy access to guns by unfit and dangerous people.

They need to take responsibility for that.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

The Four Rules of Gun Safety

They are variously attributed, but usually written just like this.

1st - The Gun Is Always Loaded!

2nd - Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until Your Sights Are On The Target! 

3rd - Never Point The Gun At Something You Are Not Prepared To Destroy!


4th - Always Be Sure Of Your Target And What Is Behind It!


Over at TTAG, they'll forgive just about anything to post what they think are titillating stories.




Accidental Shooting at North Carolina Gun Range - No Charges


The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m., the police were called and statements were made, the management had temporarily shut down the range.

"The guy was trying to clear his gun pointed towards the floor and accidentally shot it.

Fayetteville police reported that the bullet struck the customer in the lower leg and went through his calf. The injuries were not life threatening and the victim was taken to Womack Army Medical Center.
No charges were filed, police said.
Some people seem to think my one-strike-you're-out rule is a bit too harsh when applied to accidents. Let me ask you this? Would you want to go shooting with a guy like this? Would you trust your life to the idea that he'd learned his lesson and is now safe to be around?

Not me. I figure anyone stupid enough to shoot himself while violating at least two of the 4 Rules of Gun Safety, is capable of anything, even doing it again.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Accidental Shooting Death Nine Months Later

A 17-year-old boy died Friday from a gunshot wound he suffered last summer when he accidentally shot himself in the face, according to authorities.

Rashawn Tucker, of the 1200 block of West 111th Place in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the Far South Side, was pronounced dead at Weiss Memorial Hospital early Friday morning.

He was handling a gun near his home on July 23, 2011 when it discharged and he was shot, Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said. The shooting did not appear intentional, he said.
This case illustrates the tremendous monetary and emotional cost that is associated with gun violence. While all those conventioneers are yucking it up in St. Louis, this is what's happening in the rest of the country, this and countless stories just like it.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

The Difference Between the Gun Rights Movement and the Gun Control Movement


The families of the victims killed and wounded in the Virginia Tech massacre do not come close to having such clout. For the tragedy’s fifth anniversary next week, they are having a hard time securing meetings with Washington politicians to fix the law that promised a more complete and up-to-date federal list of the mentally ill, who should be barred from buying guns. But two dozen states have submitted fewer than 100 mental health records each when tens of thousands should be entered, according to Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a national gun reform group. Financing to help state reporting efforts was supposed to be $1.1 billion over the last four years, yet Congress appropriated only $51 million. So goes the nation’s utter failure to deal with the gun menace.

Why do you think there's such a discrepancy between the power of the gun lobby and the gun control movement? Wouldn't you think that the million or so people affected each year by gun violence, that's the friends and family of gun-shot victims, would raise their voices against the dangerous expansion of gun rights? Over the last ten years there would have been 10 million people directly affected by it. Where are they? Why are those who do raise their voices so outnumbered by the gun-rights advocates?

Here's my theory. Indirect victims of gun violence, spouses, children, friends and loved ones, usually do not unite with others in the movement to stop that violence. Theirs is a lonely world of pain and loss. They suffer silently.

The gun-rights movement, on the other hand, is a natural magnet for enthusiastic gun owners. It provides the perfect justification through numbers for activities and behaviors that would otherwise be difficult to justify. It's got that perfect combination of resisting the impending tyranny of the government, a danger that exists only in their minds, and fighting tooth and nail against the "gun-grabbers," who in reality are the powerless ones themselves.

All this resistance feeds into their fantasies about being the underdogs in a cataclysmic battle of the titans. Depending on the personality type, some gun owners imagine glorious triumph over the enemy, these are the truly delusional ones, others picture themselves going down in a blaze of glory. I call that mania "grandiose victimism."

There's much more. There's the flag-waving pseudo-patriotism of the 2nd Amendment distortions and bastardizations. There's the god-given-rights angle, which combines that peculiar right-wing Christianity unique to the US with guns. And, of course, there's the empowering that comes with gun use and ownership. This is perhaps the single most active motivator in the entire gun-rights movement. Fearful, insecure men, find a type of delusional power and safety in guns.

How could the gun control movement, which is grounded in common sense and reason, compete with all that?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Republicans and the NRA

The New York Times has this to say about how top Republicans pander to the gun-owning voters.

President Obama has regrettably been avoiding the gun control issue. Still, Mr. Romney attacked him at the convention on Friday, promising to stand with the N.R.A. “for the rights of hunters and sportsmen and those seeking to protect their homes and their families.” This was a far cry from Mr. Romney’s 1994 campaign for the United States Senate when he assured centrist Massachusetts voters: “I don’t line up with the N.R.A.” Yet there he was in St. Louis, lining up. Newt Gingrich, in his over-the-top manner, urged a United Nations campaign to proclaim the Second Amendment “a human right for every person on the planet.”
What's Newt spouting such nonsense for? Hasn't he already lost the race?

Although I have less than a high regard for the average gun owner, I can't believe Romney will win many votes with this bizarre flip-flopping. Who could possibly believe a word he says? Yet, I suppose when you're addressing a group who disapprove of the incumbent president as deeply as gun owners do, you can't do much wrong.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.