Gun Control Means...

...not leaving your gun in the shitter at the donut shop.

Deputy sheriff's gun lost in Pembroke, found in Weymouth

PEMBROKE -— Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph McDonald on Sunday night confirmed that the gun of a Plymouth County deputy sheriff lost in Pembroke Thursday night has been recovered by the Weymouth police after it was dropped in a mailbox.

McDonald said Pembroke police on Sunday received an anonymous phone call that the 40 caliber Glock handgun had been dropped off at a specific mailbox.

The caller said he initially removed the gun out of concern that a child might find it, which is admirable. But, would you want to risk having a postal service employee being the person to find it next?

Naturally, we here at mAss Backwards will be keeping a well-trained eye on this story for future updates.

Any bets on what kind of punishment will be handed down to this highly-trained law enforcement officer? One thing is certain, were this to happen to a licensed "civilian" gun owner here Boston, you could bet it would be the last firearm that person legally owned in this state. Does anyone think this deputy sheriff will now be deemed "unsuitable to be licensed" by the chief of police in his hometown?

What's also interesting is that this incident took place in Pembroke. If you think we have it bad in Boston when it comes to being licensed, try getting a Class "A" in Pembroke. The last time I was at Four Seasons Firearms in Woburn, I spoke to a gentlemen there with a Class "B" LTC issued out of the Town of Pembroke. He said the police chief there won't even accept applications for a restricted Class "A" license.

I guess he's afraid that would lead to all sorts of scary guns flooding the streets (or Dunkin' Donuts restrooms) of his fair town. Remember, kids, gun licenses are for "professionals".

"...but some are more equal than others." ~ Orwell

Quote of the Day

Are you sitting down?

"This is not one of the names I've suggested to the president."

~ Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, on President Bush's nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.

Newsday link via Michelle Malkin who adds (with no disagreement on my part):

This is a good sign.

Happy Halloween!

Let's get one thing straight.

I'm not screwing around anymore.

If you're a kid looking to knock on my door tonight, expecting piles of free candy and shit, be warned. There will be a new set of rules in play this evening. The first two - and most important - new rules are as follows:

RULE #1: Wear a Friggin' Costume!

Do I look like a god-damn welfare office? Nothing's free, my friends. If you are one of the 15-year-old losers that showed up on my front porch last year without even the slightest hint of a costume on, there will be no candy for you - Mr. Nice Guy is on sabbatical this year. Instead, you will receive a small pack of low-sodium, fat-free pretzels.

Got a problem with that? Go screw.

It's simple, wear a costume that shows a modicum of planning and preparation on your part, and great riches await you. I've loaded up on 20-pound duffel bags of candy from Costco, and it'll all be flying out the door tonight, provided you play along.

RULE #2: Parents, Don't Disarm Your Children!

Pirates without cutlasses, soldiers without M-16's, police officers without sidearms, and swordless Zorro's will have their candy allotment reduced significantly. Sorry, kids, but you'll have to take it up with your sissy parents. It's my house, my rules.

Conversely, the children of parents who allow them to carry their weapons of doom and destruction will be showered with all sorts of unhealthy, rot-your-teeth-out crap.

These rules (to be amended as necessary, as the day progresses) will be strictly enforced tonight, and all decisions of the judges (that's me) are final.

OK, I know it's hard sometimes to come up with a good, scary Halloween costume every year, so I have decided to help you all out in that regard. Click HERE for my free costume kit, guaranteed to scare the piss out of any real American you might encounter tonight.

Stay safe, kids.

Amendment #1: I'm offically adopting Rule #4 from Phelps:

Rule #4: Say "Trick or Treat"

If you shove a bag at me and act like you are entitled to the product of my work, you will be sadly mistaken. If your child is too young to manage anything resembling "trick or treat", then you should say it for them. And don't let language be an excuse. I'm not grading pronunciation or enunciation. Just effort. "Treekor Tree" works for me. Especially if you roll one of the Rs. That always cracks me up. Laughing rednecks give more candy.

Parents, this is just plain manners. It is your job to teach your kids this crap. Just like it is your job to teach them to say Sir and Ma'am and Thank You. If they don't, you failed.

From My Hard Drive To Yours - vol. 7

If you can listen to this song without thinking of The Deer Hunter, then you need to get your ass down to Blockbuster.

Today.

You're Just Too Good To Be True - The Four Seasons

More Politically Correct Horseshit

How much more of this crap are we expected to take?

Student ghosts unmasked in Newton

NEWTON -- When students at Underwood Elementary School walk to their classrooms on Monday, there will be no witches, SpongeBob SquarePants, or Johnny Damons there to greet them.

No skeleton paintings or Frankenstein tattoos, either.

The school's principal said yesterday he acceded to the complaints of a handful of parents who said that because the school's traditional Halloween celebrations offended their religious beliefs, they would not send their children to school if the revelry continued this year.

A third-grader dressed like a fucking cartoon character offends your religious "sensitivities"?

Fuck you. It's fucking Halloween, asshole!

I've got more vitriolic thoughts I wanted to get off my chest here, but the repugnant actions of these pathetic assclowns have temporarily short-circuited the synapses in my brain that control my ability to form coherent sentences.

Castelline said the school instead planned to hold a "celebration of fall" next Friday. Later in the year, he said, the school plans a costume celebration in which teachers and perhaps students will be encouraged to dress as their favorite literary characters.

Ooooh...doesn't that sound like fun?

Fear not, kids. As a helpful guide, I have put together this short list of some well-known literary characters for you to consider.

Dracula
Spiderman
Batman
Fireman
Robot
Spongebob Squarepants
Johnny Damon
Karl Rove

Though, top prize in this category goes to a caller to the John Depetro show this morning who suggested getting as many kids as possible to dress up as the most famous literary character of all time.

__________________________________

UPDATE: Yes, this is the same Newton Shool Department that sponsors an annual event focused on educating students about the gay-lesbian-transgendered-etc. lifestyles and tells its students...

"...if students are uncomfortable or their parents are uncomfortable, the students can instead go to the library."

When a group of parents complained, do you think school administrators entertained, for one second, the notion of cancelling that event on the grounds that the subject matter being presented "offended their religious beliefs"?

[insert crickets chirping here]

No double-standards at play here. Nope. None at all.

But, honestly, would you really expect anything different from the same school department that decided recently to place less emphasis on the teaching of mathematics in their math classes in favor of...well, I'll let Tom Mountain's Newton TAB column on the subject speak for itself.

In 2001 Mr. Young, Mrs. Wyatt and an assortment of other well-paid school administrators, defined the new number-one priority for teaching mathematics, as documented in the curriculum benchmarks, "Respect for Human Differences - students will live out the system wide core of 'Respect for Human Differences' by demonstrating anti-racist/anti-bias behaviors." It continues, "Students will: Consistently analyze their experiences and the curriculum for bias and discrimination; Take effective anti-bias action when bias or discrimination is identified; Work with people of different backgrounds and tell how the experience affected them; Demonstrate how their membership in different groups has advantages and disadvantages that affect how they see the world and the way they are perceived by others..." It goes on and on.

NOTE: The Newton TAB link has expired. His column can be found here in its entirety.

Officer Wheelman - Revisited

The Boston Herald has an update on the story I wrote about in this post - Officer Wheelman - from last February.

Then:

A Boston police officer faces allegations that he rode away with his cousin in a getaway car from a Randolph nightclub, just after the cousin allegedly shot and killed a man, according to three Boston police officers with knowledge of the investigation.

[snip]

The suspended officer, 26, who joined the Boston Police Department three years ago, was seen leaving the scene in his car with DePina, the three officers said. They said he did not contact authorities about the shooting. It was not clear whether he was the driver or the passenger.

The suspended officer, who works in District C-11 in Dorchester, has been stripped of his badge and gun. "They went and grabbed his equipment the other night," said one of the sources.

Now:

A Boston cop awaiting trial on charges he was the getaway driver in a murder in Randolph last January has a judge's blessing to leave the state and party it up this weekend at Foxwoods Casino.

"...but some are more equal than others." ~ Orwell

I Gotta Advertise Better

From the Roslindale Transcript:

A Hyde Park man came into the District E-5 police station and turned in a .32-caliber revolver that he found while cleaning out his family home on Russett Road.

And, of course, he turned it in to the police station, where it will be promptly pocketed destroyed.

Uh huh.

I need to head on down to Kinko's today to get some more flyers printed for my Firearm Removal Program. I guess I missed this guy's street the first time around.

Hypocrisy, Thy Name is Hollywood

I heard Howie Carr reading from this story on the radio yesterday, but I couldn't find a link for it. Thanks to Lee at Right-Thinking for putting this up.

From the New York Post:

L.A. LIBERALS PACKIN' HOT LEAD

I won't bother cutting and pasting much here, just one nauseatingly arrogant paragraph:

Even gung-ho action director Richard Donner ("Lethal Weapon"), who has a concealed weapon permit, was reluctant to talk. "I am anything but a gun enthusiast," he said in a terse statement. "The only reason I would ever own a gun is for the protection of my home, my environment or my family under the circumstances in which I am forced to live."

I'll let Lee take this one.

The rank hypocrisy is evident in his statement above. He has no problem with himself owning a gun for protecting his home or family. You know, because protecting yourself with a firearm is a daily necessity for a multi-millionaire director who lives in a 30-room Bel Air mansion. Of course, when it comes to other people using firearms to defend their home or family -— you know, poor people who live in crime-filled neighborhoods -— he has no problem making sure that minorities who live in poverty are utterly defenseless.

What a fucking scumbag.

Behold, the joys of discretionary licensing laws.

"Denying low-income, minority citizens the means to defend themselves from violent crime? Yeah, I get off on that. What's it to you?"

- Massachusetts State Senator Jarrett Barrios, foremost gun control zealot of the Commonwealth and proud graduate of the "John J. Rambo School of Firearms".

UPDATE: I know it's hard to tell, but that quote accredited to Senator Barrios was embellished slightly on my part.

What he really said was, "Yeah, I totally get off on that shit.", and the name of his alma mater is, in fact, the "John Rambo School of Firearms" - no middle initial.

I apologize for these inaccuracies.

Shocking News Out of Brighton

Literally.

22-year-old Susannah Richardson says a man followed her from a T stop in Brookline to her Brighton apartment Wednesday, and attacked her there with a stun gun.

But, but...that's against the law!

Chapter 140: Section 131J Sale or possession of electrical weapons; penalties

Section 131J. No person shall possess a portable device or weapon from which an electrical current, impulse, wave or beam may be directed, which current, impulse, wave or beam is designed to incapacitate temporarily, injure or kill...

Golly, what do you know? A low-life criminal scuzball with no respect for the law, walking the streets and preying on the defenseless women of Boston. Will wonders never cease?

And the Menino legacy rolls on...

and on...

and on...

and on...

Did the NRA Kill Kevin Garces?

That's what West Roxbury High School teacher, Tim Casey, would like you to believe.

Death of a teen and the NRA

October 27, 2005

FORGIVE MY anger, but I have to express my outrage over the juxstaposition of two stories in the Oct. 25 Globe. Kevin Garces, the teenager who was killed over the weekend, allegedly for his leather jacket (City & Region), was one of my students. He was one of the nicest kids I had ever met. He was a hard worker, his attendance record was excellent, and he always made me laugh. I was priviledged to know him. I've spent this afternoon going over his grades and crying. Our city has lost an outstanding citizen, and we are all poorer for it. Unfortunately, I am sure that I will have a long list of such tragic endings to promising lives before I retire from teaching. Every one of them will rip my heart out.

After reading of Kevin's death, I read that the NRA has guaranteed that anyone being given shelter in a FEMA facility will have the ability to be armed to the teeth in case they get angry at their desperate situation and decide to lash out at others around them.

Kevin's blood and the blood of millions of other children is on the hands of the NRA and every one of its members.

TIM CASEY
Roslindale

The writer is a science instructor at West Roxbury High School.

And this man is in charge of educating our children?

Mr. Casey, I will forgive your anger. Anger is a natural human response to a senseless tragedy such as this. But, I refuse to forgive your ignorance on this matter. I honestly don't even know where to begin the process of blowing holes in your inane attempt at rational discourse here.

Is it the NRA's fault that an 18-year-old was going out late at night in Roxbury "to have some beer and then go dancing" wearing an expensive leather jacket? While I wouldn't place the blame solely on Mr. Garces for his murder, I'd be hard-pressed to argue he exhibited sound decision-making that night.

To blame the nation's law-abiding gun owners for the poor judgment of an individual who should have known better, and the actions of a sub-human criminal scumbag is, well, pretty typical, actually, of the enlightened "progressives" in our neck of the woods here.

I'm going out on a limb now and predicting that when Mr. Garces killer is arrested, it will be learned that he has an extensive criminal record, including - but not limited to - assault and battery, unlawful possession of a firearm, and armed robbery.

And I will guarantee that somewhere along the line in the judicial process, this individual has stood before a "compassionate" judge who saw him as a helpless "victim of society", and offered him a lenient sentence on the condition that he promised to behave himself in the future.

Will that have been the NRA's fault?

Recent scientific studies have shown that criminals doing time at Cedar Junction in Walpole do not shoot people in the head on the streets of Roxbury. I know that might come as a bit of a surprise to someone of your intellectual capacity, but there you go.

And if you honestly think that posting "No Guns Allowed" signs anywhere will have an impact on the criminal use of guns (or hatchets, tire irons, steak knives, Oldsmobiles, etc.) against defenseless law-abiding citizens located within these "gun free" fantasy zones, then you - like so many others I have encountered in similar discussions - are likely beyond any level of psychological help I could provide on this website.

The fact that you are being paid (with my tax dollars) to "educate" the children in our community is more than a little troubling to me.

UPDATE:

Two For Tuesday

For the second time in one day, a suspect has escaped from custody while in the back seat of a police cruiser. When I wrote about the first story, I had this advice for the police officers involved.

Might I suggest the use of handcuffs next time, officer?

Well, not only was the guy in this story cuffed, but...

Aside from breaking and entering and resisting arrest, Anderson now faces a charge of larceny under $250. That charge comes from the theft of [Gardner police Sgt.] Wrigley's handcuffs during his escape.

Heh.

Understatement of the Year

"The Astros need a spark."

- One of the idiots on Fox in the bottom of the ninth, with Houston down by a run

You think?

Well, the spark never came.

CONGRATULATIONS, CHICAGO WHITE SOX!

This is Sickening

Any bets on whether or not this Mother of the Year candidate "heard voices"?

A San Diego woman has been charged with pushing her two-year-old son into the path of an oncoming trolley.

Witnesses told police the woman led the toddler by the hand onto the tracks and then pushed him in front of the trolley last night.

I say hang her.

The driver was able to stop before hitting the child, who was pulled to safety by a security officer.

I say hang her anyway.

Anyone who could do that to her own child doesn't need to be depriving the rest of us of perfectly good oxygen.

UPDATE: OK, after we're done hanging her, can we strap her corpse into the electric chair and light her up like a Christmas tree?

It turns out she pushed her kid in front of the onocoming trolley only AFTER her attempts to have him run over by the nearby freight train failed.

I'll bring the eggnog.

From The "Stupid Criminals" Files

Here's a "What would you do?" scenario for you.

You're a prisoner in police custody on your way to a court appearance. You suddenly see an opportunity to escape and decide to make a run for it.

Where do you go in your efforts to get away from the police?

If you're this genius, a donut shop.

A prisoner on his way to court bolted from a state police cruiser parked at the Middleboro barracks on Tuesday, carjacked a vehicle and made his way to South Middleboro before local police apprehended him.

[snip]

On Tuesday just before 8 a.m., state police Sgt. Henry Bushfan placed Judge in a cruiser and went to get another prisoner out of the barracks.

That is when Judge made his escape.

Ryan said Judge ended up at the Dunkin' Donuts at routes 28 and 105 and stole a car.

Might I suggest the use of handcuffs next time, officer?

Meanwhile, this guy is giving new meaning to the phrase "a couple logs short of a campfire".

Investigators say 34-year-old William McMahon went into the Shell station on Central Street late Monday night, bought two dollars worth of gas in a plastic container and then left the station.

They say he came back moments later, poured the gas over the counter and inside the station, lit a cigarette lighter, threatened to ignite the gasoline and demanded the attendant's car keys.

The attendant didn't comply right away and police say McMahon poured more gas over the counter and floor and lit the lighter again.

Well, if anyone's looking for an example where a firearm would not be the most effective tool for self-defense, I'd say standing in a room full of gasoline vapors would make the list.

Doctor(ed) Rice

Via Michelle Malkin, we learn this morning that the "fair and balanced" photo editors at USA Today have published a blatantly altered photograph of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and (as if I have to point this out) it wasn't done to remove any unsightly lines or wrinkles.

I just checked the USA Today website, and it appears as though they've removed the doctored photo. But thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I was able to grab a screenshot of their website earlier today and archive it here.

For the RTF Circular File

Study: Delaware No. 1 for Work Environment

BOSTON - Delaware ranked first and Louisiana last in a University of Massachusetts study that tried to measure where workers are treated best, based on factors including job opportunities, job quality and workplace fairness.

[snip]

The "Decent Work in America" study, released Tuesday by UMass Amherst's Political Economy Research Institute, compares states based on 2004 data covering average pay; job opportunities; benefits; percentage of low-income workers; fair treatment between genders; and ability to unionize.

As is the case with any "scientific" study of this nature, you have to look at the reasoning behind the parameters used for data acquisition, and take it for what it's worth. And, in this case, not surprisingly, not everyone seems to agree with its findings or its methods.

A Texas economic development official criticized the survey, saying the abundance of small states near the top of the ranks indicate criteria may be too narrow.

"The top five states represent states with fairly small state economies that are not nearly as broad and complex as ours," said Carlton Schwab, president and chief executive of the Texas Economic Development Council, a private nonprofit association of economic development professionals. "They have a fraction of the economic activity that we have in our state. Oftentimes, it may not be a fair comparison."

Kathy Walt, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry, said, "This is a survey done by a university with a very strong liberal bias, that has driven a survey to fit its world view."

With that in mind, let's see how the six New England states stack up*.

Complete state rankings here.

1 Delaware (89)
2 New Hampshire (81)
3 Minnesota (80)
4 Vermont(77)
5 Iowa (73)
6 Connecticut (72)
7 Wisconsin (71)
8 Indiana (71)
9 Nebraska (71)
10 South Dakota (70)
11 North Dakota (69)
12 Maine (68)
13 Pennsylvania (68)
14 Rhode Island (68)
15 New Jersey (67)
16 Kentucky (66)
17 Missouri (66)
18 Massachusetts (65)

Yes, I'll be adding this to my "101 Reasons to Flee" file. SEE UPDATE BELOW

* Inspired by my personal belief that ties are for losers, I took the liberty of eliminating the ties by calculating the averages based on the data shown to the nearest tenth. Yeah, I know this bumps Massachusetts up a notch to 18th place instead of 19th as shown on their list , but what can I say? I'm all, like, fair and balanced and shit.

UPDATE: As reader, BostonShepherd, points out:

For those MassBackwards readers who might care, it’s eye-opening to read in the study entitled “Decent Work in America” what metrics were used in the calculation of “Job Opportunities”, “Job Quality”, and “Workplace Fairness.” Measurement criteria (on page 1) read like a wish list from the Massachusetts Teachers Association and Ted Kennedy’s office.

Where else but in this dreamland would right-to-work legislation count against you, while a higher percentage of union employment increases your score?

Upon further inspection of this "study", and after reading the "interview" with the study's author, it's pretty clear which "file" this one belongs in.

James Heintz, PERI's Associate Director and Assistant Research Professor, is one of a team of three authors who designed the Work Environment Index. He is interviewed here by Kate Cell, PERI's Communications Director.

Ready for some real hardball questioning?

KC: The states that are doing worst in the WEI are historically slave/Jim Crow states and/or have high immigrant populations. What do you think labor history in these states has to do with the current environment provided for workers there?

JH: Racial and ethnic differences have always had a profound impact on the distribution of economic opportunities in the U.S.

Wait for it.

The WEI captures some of these dynamics in its assessment of the overall work environment. If a state fails to provide decent employment opportunities to African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, or immigrant communities, for example, this will tend to pull down its ranking. In some cases, unfair outcomes in terms of job opportunities are symptomatic of other inequalities – for instance, in terms of educational opportunities or the distribution of wealth.

Raise your hand if you saw that one coming.

However, it could also be the case that the commitment among politicians to improve conditions for the most vulnerable workers simply isn't there when the workers belong to different racial and ethnic groups.

Kanye West, please call your agent.

Until states are able to overcome these barriers and make lasting improvements, they will tend to score lower relative to others.

Translation:

KC: I see a lot of southern states that voted for Bush in the last election don't rank very high on your list? Why is that? Does that correlate, in any way, to his hatred for black people?

JH: Oh, indeed. That, and the fact that we don't care much for ignorant, redneck cracker-types here at the University of Massachusetts. Therefore, we have devised a system that inflates the scores of those states that most stridently adhere to the tenets of Marxist philosophy and most warmly embrace the soft racism of lowered expectations for people of color.

And what better way to conduct a study than to have your results predetermined before you even begin to crunch the numbers?

KC: Do you anticipate any big changes in the rankings for next year?

JH: I'm sure that the rankings will change somewhat from year to year, but improving a state's work environment is a gradual process, something built up over many years. Therefore, I don't expect to see big changes from one year to the next. If we track changes over 5 years, or 10 years, then we might see some significant shifts.

Having said that, there are a few changes that should affect the scores of particular states next year. Florida will undoubtedly improve, since voters approved a new minimum wage law. Indiana and Missouri may slip down slightly, since their governors have decided to restrict the ability of state-level public sector workers to bargain over their conditions of employment.

Translation:

JH: Florida will be receiving more bonus points since the voters there have approved legislation that opposes a free-market economy. We totally get off on shit like that.

OK, enough of that toad. I feel like I need a shower from just reading that, never mind cutting and pasting it in here.

Let's revisit those numbers for New England now. Only this time, we'll eliminate the "Marxist Mark-up" column.

New Hampshire (84) +3
Connecticut (68) -4
Vermont (66) -11
Maine (57) -11
Rhode Island (57) -11
Massachusetts (57) -8

Stunning.

Not.

Boortz On Parks

This just 'bout sums it up.

What most of us today don't understand is the tremendous courage this gentle lady showed 50 years ago when she refused to give up her seat on that bus in Montgomery, Alabama. We would be well served to spend more time honoring people like Rosa Parks rather then hanging on every word of crass opportunists like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

This Just In

The new James Bond is a gun-fearing wussie.

New Bond: I hate guns

By This is London
25 October 2005

Daniel Craig will have a problem playing the new James Bond - because he hates guns.

The actor will wield 007's famous Walther PPK in the movie Casino Royale.

But he revealed in OK! magazine: "I hate handguns. Handguns are used to shoot people and as long as they are around, people will shoot each other.

"That's a simple fact. I've seen a bullet wound and it was a mess. It was on a shoot and it scared me. Bullets have a nasty habit of finding their target and that's what's scary about them."

I'm putting this one in the "Too Stupid To Fisk" pile.

Turns out, though, he's not the first James Bond actor to have an irrational fear of small metallic objects.

Roger Moore, who played the superspy from 1973 to 1985, said after quitting the role that he hated "that awful pose" of Bond with his gun which has become an iconic movie image.

The actor later became an ambassador for children's charity Unicef and declared: "Today I am completely opposed to small arms and what they can do to children. I played every role tongue-in-cheek because I don't really believe in that sort of hero. I don't like guns."

(link via Drudge)

The Mumbles Chronicles (cont.)

Tommy Menino's leadership skills are on prominent display in the pages of the Boston Herald this morning.

Menino adviser resigns

A day after being outed as a deadbeat dad with a checkered criminal past, Menino appointee Kevin Peterson resigned as co-chairman of a key Boston election reform task force and backed out of a weekend public event with Sen. John Kerry and gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick.

Peterson stepped down from Mayor Thomas M. Menino's Advisory Task Force a day after the Herald reported he owes $41,000 in back child support for two kids, was wanted on a criminal warrant for motor vehicle violations and has had two restraining orders taken out against him.

Mayor makes move on unmarked cars

Mayor Thomas M. Menino yesterday ordered municipal plates affixed to six unmarked city cars just hours after the Herald obtained the vehicle records.

"The mayor has determined those vehicles will now carry the traditional blue MB (Municipal Boston) plate,'' Menino spokesman Seth Gittell said last night.

After nearly a two-month delay, Gittell's office coughed up a list of unmarked city cars at 5 p.m. yesterday, which was soon followed by the mayor's pronouncement.

[snip]

After repeated inquiries about unmarked cars used by the city of Boston, Mayor Thomas M. Menino yesterday decided to mark six of the vehicles.

Might I suggest a new campaign slogan for the mayor?

Tom Menino: Doing what's best for Boston - once he and his friends get caught doing otherwise.

If anyone thinks these stories would have found their way in to the pages of the Boston "Menino By A Landslide!" Globe, were the Herald not around, I've got a tunnel downtown to sell them - only leaks on days ending in "Y".

"Unfortunate Events"?

Making life a little more comfortable for those who would seek to do a woman harm - it's not just a campaign slogan anymore. It's a way of life.

Election board boss brings trail of troubles

A non-profit boss tabbed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino to head up a board organized to clean up Boston's elections is a deadbeat dad currently wanted on a criminal warrant.

Kevin C. Peterson, who was appointed by Menino in August to co-chair the Mayor's Advisory Task Force, owes more than $41,000 in back child support to two women for his two children, according to Department of Revenue records.

He has also had two restraining orders taken out against him by ex-girlfriends, one of whom accused him of abuse. There is also currently a criminal warrant for his arrest out of Dorchester District Court for a host of motor vehicle violations, officials said.

[snip]

Menino spokesman Seth Gitell said last night the mayor was unaware of Peterson's background.

Welcome to Boston, Massachusetts.

What's that, you say? You actually want to own a gun?

Well, get ready to bend over, pal. The city's coming up your ass and they're bringing a microscope with 'em to look for anything in your background they can get their hands on to disqualify you from doing so. And, you'd best get comfortable, too. This could take a while.

You want a hack position at City Hall heading up one of Menino's feel-good, do-nothing "task forces"?

Sign here.

"The mayor's office will look into this immediately," Gitell said.

Jesus, if that guy doesn't have the easiest job on the planet, I don't know who does.

Mayor Menino Press Release Generator

1. The Mayor is [outraged/delighted] over this latest development. (choose one)

2. The Mayor was [unaware of/responsible] for much of what you read in the papers this morning regarding this incident. (choose one)

3. The Mayor will [look into it/schedule a cocktail reception] immediately. (choose one)

Anyway, back to the story at hand.

In addition to several motor vehicle charges, Peterson's rap sheet includes a 2001 rape case in which he was accused of sexually assaulting an ex-girlfriend while she slept.

The rape and kidnapping charges were dismissed after a superior court grand jury failed to return an indictment.

While the rape case was pending, his accuser told cops Peterson showed up at her house, banging on the window, and called her 66 times.

"I think he intends to harm me if I persist with my court action against him for sexual assault," the woman wrote in a June 6, 2001, affidavit.

In 1997, another ex-girlfriend accused him of stalking and harassing her and breaking into her Jeep.

"I have been physically abused in the past by Kevin Peterson," the woman wrote in a restraining order affidavit.

So, he likes preying on defenseless women? Now, that's Tommy's kind of guy. Let's see what the esteemed Mr. Peterson have to say for himself?

"These were unfortunate events that have happened..."

Poor baby just had a streak of bad luck. That's all.

Considered a leading voice in the city for voters' rights, Peterson has been featured on National Public Radio and has written op-ed pieces for the Boston Globe.

I guess you really can tell a lot about a man by the company he keeps.

No News Here

*** POST UPDATED - SCROLL DOWN ***

Just another weekend in the land of the "most effective gun laws in the nation".

Five Teens Arrested, Charged With Armed Robbery

Five teens will be arraigned in the Boston Juvenile Court on charges of delinquency to wit and armed robbery.

Excuse me.

"Delinquency to wit"?

Oooh, I'm sure that's got 'em shaking in their Timberlands. I don't suppose "delinquency to wit" would bear any resemblance to "aggravated assault", or "assault with a deadly weapon", by any chance, would it?

The five boys, a 14 and 15-year-old from Roxbury, a 16-year-old from Avon and a 15-year-old from Boston, are accused of robbing a victim at gunpoint on Boston’s Boylston Street and Park Drive Saturday night. The victim says the five teens approached him, pointed a gun at his abdomen and the back of his head, took his bag and fled the scene.

Damn, that wasn't very nice of them at all. There should really be a law against doing shit like that.

But hey, at least we won't have to worry about these little choirboys a year from now, once they've been sprung from juvenile lock-up. With the kind of record they'll be carrying, they'll never be able to get a License to Carry a Firearm in this town.

Problem solved.

By the way, you all did purchase the extended warranty service plan, as I recommended, when you had your sarcasm filters installed, right?

Meanwhile...

Day of violence: Slaying followed by multiple Hub shootings, stabbings

A violent weekend in Boston was punctuated by the murder of a homeless man who may have been brutally gunned down in a case of mistaken identity.

[snip]

The homicide was followed by two early-morning shootings and a stabbing in Dorchester and stabbings in Roxbury and the Fenway neighborhoods. A 26-year-old black man was shot twice on Floyd Street in Dorchester at 4:10 a.m., witnesses said. An hour later, a 38-year-old woman was stabbed at the intersection of Hampden and Kimball streets in Roxbury, Boston police said.

Damn it! Someone get me Attorney General Reilly on the phone, I have a consumer complaint against Ruger Firearms I'd like to to file with his office. My new gun is defective. I've had it for a month and a half, and it hasn't caused any crime yet.

UPDATE: Oops...missed one.

Boston Police Investigate Fatal Shooting Of Teen

An 18-year-old is dead after he was shot on Bragdon St. in Roxbury last night. When police responded to the call of shots fired, they were told that the shooting victim drove off. The teen’s was later found inside the vehicle on Columbus Ave. and Cedar Street.

Stay tuned for the press release from Mayor Menino's office expressing his outrage (form #23-B) over this latest shooting - to be immediately followed by calls for additional restrictions on my ability to protect my family from the more violence-prone faction of his voter base.

UPDATE (10/24): It's getting hard to keep up.

From the Boston Herald police logs:

A 20-year-old man walking near Harvard and Gleason streets around 1:30 p.m. yesterday was riddled with bullets and taken to Boston Medical Center, where his injuries were miraculously said to be nonlife-threatening. The victim, a Dorchester resident, told police he didn't recognize the shooter or the gun blasting away in his hand.

I'll start a new post for Monday's shootings.

UPDATE (10/25): Damn it, I missed another one.

A man brandishing a handgun tried to rob a 13-year-old and an 18-year-old from Roxbury as they walked to church Sunday morning.

The victims were on Clifton Street in Uphams Corner when the would-be robber shoved the boys up against a wall and pressed what appeared to be a silver semiautomatic handgun into the back of their heads, police say. "Empty your pockets," he told the teens.

When the two boys showed the attacker they didn't have any money in their pockets, he fled up Clifton Street.

No need to be alarmed. The mayor assures us that this one incident of armed assault is just that - ONE incident. Now run along.

And remember...vote Menino! He knows what's best for you.

From My Hard Drive To Yours - vol. 6

This week's cut comes from one my all-time favorite , must-have CD's: Live from the Middle East by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, recorded at one of the Hometown Throwdown shows in December of 1997.

Two words: Buy it.

Devil's Night Out (live) - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Enjoy.

Senator Creedon, Client on Line Two

It looks like Lisa O'Connell of Dedham is going to be need a good lawyer.

A 19-year-old Dedham, Mass., woman will face charges of vehicular homicide Friday morning for allegedly plowing her car into a group of Bridgewater State College students, killing one of them.

[snip]

Police arrested the driver of the car, Lisa O'Connell. She will also be charged with operating a car under the influence of alcohol.

So, if you know Lisa O'Connell, please give her this contact information for State Senator Robert Creedon of Brockton. He's apparently got nothing better to do these days.

Senator defends taking OUI clients: Creedon sees no conflict of interest

The top senator on the legislative committee that approved a weakened version of "Melanie's Law" was in court defending an accused drunken driver with a history of alcohol offenses as the clock was running out on time to finalize the bill this month.

Sen. Robert S. Creedon Jr. (D-Brockton) acknowledged yesterday he successfully obtained a not-guilty verdict before a Brockton District Court judge on Oct. 5 for his client, Craig A. Hirtle. This was at the height of negotiations over Melanie's Law within the conference committee Creedon co-chaired.

Christ, a three-day old dog turd on my front lawn could recognize the conflict of interest at play here.

State Representative Eugene O'Flaherty was unavailable for comment.

Vacation trumps OUI bill: Jet-setter guts law, hits Spain

A powerful Beacon Hill lawmaker who helped gut a highly touted anti-drunken-driving bill jetted off with colleagues for a European vacation yesterday as final debate on the measure began, to the disgust of victims' advocates.

Eugene O'Flaherty was among a half-dozen lawmakers who left for a week in Spain and Portugal as work continued on the measure called "Melanie's Bill" in honor of a 13-year-old girl who was killed by a repeat drunken driver.

Hope you are enjoying choke on the paella, asshole.

O'Flaherty was the House Democratic chairman of the conference committee that worked to reconcile House and Senate versions of the bill. An attorney, he has close ties to the state's defense bar.

To employ the phrase "reprehensible scum" here would be a grave insult to scum everywhere.

UPDATE: Senator Creedon was just on The John Depetro Show on WRKO adamantly denying that his involvement with this legislation was, in any way, in conflict with his financial interests as an attorney representing drunk driving defendants.

Anyone buying that?

Here's the pertinent chapter of Massachusetts General Law he kept referring to in his defense.

CHAPTER 268A. CONDUCT OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES

Chapter 268A: Section 6A Conflict of interest of public official; reporting requirement

Section 6A. Any public official, as defined by section one of chapter two hundred and sixty-eight B, who in the discharge of his official duties would be required knowingly to take an action which would substantially affect such official's financial interests, unless the effect on such an official is no greater than the effect on the general public, shall file a written description of the required action and the potential conflict of interest with the state ethics commission established by said chapter two hundred and sixty-eight B.

CHAPTER 268B. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE BY CERTAIN PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES.

Chapter 268B: Section 1. Section 1. Definitions.

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise,

[snip]

(p) "public office" means any position for which one is nominated at a state primary or chosen at a state election, excluding the positions of Senator and Representative in congress and the office of regional district school committee member elected district-wide;

(q) "public official" means anyone who holds a public office, as defined by clause (p) of this section;

Seems the only issue remaining would be whether or not he filed the required paperwork with the state ethics commission. Based on his stance that no conflict of interest exists, I'd wager the state ethics commission received nothing from him on this matter.

Remember, just because it's a law doesn't mean it applies to those who make the laws.

"Plus ça change...", indeed.

Silly Reporter, Laws Are For Commoners

Crime statistics? You don't need no stinkin' crime statistics. Run along, now. Everything's fine. And, oh yeah...VOTE MENINO.

Shots in the dark: Cops keep quiet

Even as shootings and other violence spike citywide, Boston police are keeping the public in the dark about crime by withholding statistics, silencing commanders and denying access to daily police logs in violation of state law.

What's that? The higher-ups at BPD flagrantly violating state law? Gee...there's something awfully familiar about that bowling ball.

After refusing to provide crime data for days, the department finally released shooting numbers yesterday to the Herald. The figures confirmed unpleasant election-year news for Mayor Thomas M. Menino: shootings are up 23 percent from this time a year ago, and up 85 percent over 2003.

At the neighborhood level, six out of 11 precincts turned away Herald reporters who, presenting themselves as citizens, asked for logs of local police activity. Under state law, detailed accounts of crimes and complaints must be made freely available by police.

Even logs made available proved sketchy or outdated. A citywide journal log provided yesterday at police headquarters, for example, made no mention of Tuesday's shooting of City Council President Michael Flaherty's car.

"It's the same thing over and over again," said Barry Mullen of the Florida Corridor Neighborhood Association in Dorchester. "They will not release stuff."

What say you, Mr. Mayor?

Menino denied election-year politics is behind the overall pattern of BPD secrecy. "There's no attempt by anybody not to give away information," he said.

Ignorance or arrogance? I report, you decide.

Puttin' the Mum in Mumbles

As you read this, keep in mind that Massachusetts is touted as having the "most effective gun laws in the nation".

Menino spinning murder mystery: Mayor mum on homicide stats

A day after City Council President Michael Flaherty's car window was blown out by a bullet as he drove along bustling Dorchester Avenue, Boston police refused yesterday to make public the total number of Hub shootings so far this year.

The refusal – as Mayor Thomas M. Menino is seeking re-election – comes amid a rash of recent public gunplay that has alarmed city residents, and despite clear indications that shootings have jumped from 2004 to 2005.

It also flies in the face of the Boston Police Department's stated mission, at the time it unveiled its Tactical Intelligence Center this year, to track gun violence closely and produce fast, simple statistics so cops and community groups could focus on troubled districts.

[snip]

"Shootings are out of control, but City Hall does not want anyone talking about them," said the law enforcement source, who asked not to be identified.

It's just stunning that the Mayor would be looking to prevent meaningful dialogue on the subject. I can't say I blame him much. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't want to be exposed as a complete, bumbling fraud in front of the voters, either.

Menino's spokesman, Seth Gitell, had no comment, saying "it's a police matter."

That's how it is with this jackoff. It's ALWAYS somebody else's fucking fault!

The Police Commissioner is withholding the release of crime statistics? That's a "police matter".

Too many guns on the street in the hands of criminals? Why, that's Vermont's fault.

Not enough police officers on the street? Too many potholes? Why that's the federal government's problem.

Bands of drunken idiots setting cars on fire and vandalizing buildings in Kenmore Square? That's Boston University's responsibility.

Detect a pattern yet?

The sad part is this clown will probably breeze through and win re-election to his fourth term.

T-Minus 30 and Counting

Only 30 days to Ammo Day!



What is Ammo Day?

Glad you asked.

See No Evil, Hear No Evil...

...speak no evil intelligible phrases.

OK, I've never been one to shy away from labeling Boston Mayor Menino a bumbling, out-of-touch buffoon suffering from a severe case of recto-cranial implantation. And I can't say this story is likely to make me change my opinion of him any time soon.

Mayor nearby as gunfire shatters night

Mayor Thomas M. Menino said he had just left the Blue Hill Avenue Boys and Girls Club 10th anniversary celebration yesterday when a 19-year-old let loose with thunderclaps from a .357 Magnum a half-block away, firing six rounds at a man whose sweatshirt was torn by two bullet holes.

It was the first of two shooting incidents close to city leaders in a matter of hours yesterday.

Menino insisted to the Herald he wasn't there and didn't hear any gunfire, but a police source said Menino was there when the shots rang out, prompting the cops in attendance to rush out of the Boys and Girls Club toward the shots on nearby Harvard Street, where detectives collared Shaka Dyette of Dorchester. Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole -– also present -– told the Herald she didn't hear the shots either.

But the source said, "Everyone heard it. Boom. Boom. A couple cops ran out of the Boys and Girls Club."

As Derek commented on this previous post:

Maybe that will make them pull their head out of their asses.

I have my doubts. It raises a valid question, though.

What will it take for our "leaders" to dislodge their heads from their collective poop-chute, step outside their worlds of "progressive" oblivion, and and take in a deep breath of reality along with the rest of us?

I'll tell you this. If six rounds out of a .357 Magnum a half a block away won't get their attention, then we've get a far more serious problem on our hands than I originally thought.

Local Pol Dodges a Bullet

And, I'm not talking about Mayor Menino dodging City Councilor Maura Hennigan's recent challenge for additional pre-election debates.

From the Boston Herald:

A bullet missed City Council President Michael Flaherty by inches as it hurtled through his car window last night, spraying him and an aide with glass as they drove down Dorchester Avenue.

"There was just an explosion, a ka-boom!" a shaken Flaherty said last night, picking shards of glass out of his silver hair after filing a police report of the incident. "It happened so fast. I can't fathom what would bring someone to do something like that. It was so random, so brazen, with absolutely no regard for anyone or anything."

I'm shocked.

"It's outrageous when you are driving down Dot Ave. at 7:40 in the evening and you get your window shot out. Fortunately for me and Tim, we were not hurt," he said, his voice quivering with anger. "What would bring someone to commit a random act of violence like this? It's upsetting."

"How do you prevent something like this? To combat random acts of violence on unsuspecting citizens?"

Isn't it curious that this discussion would even be taking place in the city with some of the most restrictive firearms regulations in the state with the "most effective gun laws in the nation"?

A BPD commander who asked not to be identified said shooting incidents have skyrocketed 20 percent citywide in recent months, and as much as 200 percent in neighborhoods like Jamaica Plain. The most recently statistics made publicly available date from July, and efforts to obtain more recent figures have been unsuccessful.

Sadly, the most likely response forthcoming from Senator Barrios and his Twisted Panties Brigade will consist of cries for more gun control laws aimed at restricting my rights, while those who habitually ignore the law will continue to, um, ignore the law.

From the Boston Globe's account of the incident:

"I'm at a loss for words for what would cause someone to do something like that," said Flaherty.

At a loss for words? And you're the president of the Boston City Council? Boy, Mikey, you need to get out more often.

Try these on for size:

1. A complete lack of anything resembling moral values.
2. No regard for the laws of the Commonwealth.
3. Little or no respect for the lives of others.

Yet, we continue to "solve" this problem by enacting laws aimed at restricting the rights of only those citizens who possess all three of the above traits, and calling it "common-sense".

Had enough?

Your Reading Assignment

The must-read column of the week can be found at townhall.com, and comes from ABC News "20/20" co-anchor and author, John Stossel (and, for my regular readers, the DHBA is in full effect here today).

The doomsday provision

Guns are dangerous. But myths are dangerous, too. Myths about guns are very dangerous, because they lead to bad laws. And bad laws kill people.

[snip]

I wanted to know why the laws weren't working, so I asked the experts. "I'm not going in the store to buy no gun," said one maximum-security inmate in New Jersey. "So, I could care less if they had a background check or not."

"There's guns everywhere," said another inmate. "If you got money, you can get a gun."

Talking to prisoners about guns emphasizes a few key lessons. First, criminals don't obey the law. (That's why we call them "criminals.") Second, no law can repeal the law of supply and demand. If there's money to be made selling something, someone will sell it.

A study funded by the Department of Justice confirmed what the prisoners said. Criminals buy their guns illegally and easily. The study found that what felons fear most is not the police or the prison system, but their fellow citizens, who might be armed. One inmate told me, "When you gonna rob somebody you don't know, it makes it harder because you don't know what to expect out of them."

Who knew?

Read the whole thing. There may be a quiz later.

Welcome to the Blogroll

After reading posts like these, I'm amazed it's taken me this long to find Concurring Opinions. I can see myself becoming a new frequent visitor to their little corner of the blogosphere.

First up, it's this year's must-have Christmas gift:

The TSA Airport Screening Playset

Another oddity was that the toy came with two guns, one for the police officer and one that either belonged to the X-ray screener or the passenger. The luggage actually opened up, and the gun fit inside. I put it through the X-ray machine, and it went through undetected. Perhaps this is where the toy came closest to reality.

Next up is this bit of free advice for the local narcotics entrepreneurs:

Tip: If you run a crack house, don’t put up a sign that says "Crack House" when you’re open for business.

True words of wisdom, indeed.

Story of the Day

You can expect this story to dominate the local news today, as all eyes are on the Whittendon Dam in Taunton. Lots of fingers crossed this morning.

TAUNTON -- Authorities yesterday evacuated about 2,000 people living downstream from a century-old timber dam that began buckling under pressure from a rain-swollen river and threatening this community with a potential 6-foot flood surge.

State and Taunton emergency officials inspected the
Whittenton Mill Dam yesterday. (Justine Hunt / Globe Staff)

Your Tax Dollars Hard At Work

I wish I could say I was surprised to read this...

BOURNE -– Hurricane Katrina evacuees hastily handed $2,000 in federal relief money last month have been living it up on Cape Cod, blowing cash on booze and strippers, a Herald investigation has found.

...but it's about as much of a shock as it was to learn that Rosie O'Donnell doesn't care for the company of men.

Gas, Grass, or Ass

No one rides for free.

After years of riding the MBTA for free, dozens of state transportation officials are being forced to surrender passes that have allowed them to bum countless bus and train rides while ordinary working stiffs were forced to pay full price.

Gee, I'm all broken up - what a shame.

The Executive Office of Transportation has ordered its employees to turn in the ID cards by Oct. 31, ending what amounted to more than a decade of state-sanctioned fare evasion.

"They should absolutely be paying like everyone else," T rider Steve Almeida said. "If they were getting a free pass, I just don't think that's right."

Now, if we can just get the state legislators to pay for their own gas, we'd really be on the right track, so to speak.

Continuing the Dialogue

Adam over at Universal Hub linked to my post from last week on Jean Lampron, the woman in South Boston who suffered an apparent heart attack after being assaulted and robbed by an individual engaged in a little wealth redistribution scheme.

The comments over there range from remarkably "common-sensical" to the run-of-the-mill "guns are nothing but evil killing machines" crap we've all come to expect 'round these parts.

Adam kicks the thread off with this remark:

Bruce somehow knows that Lampron would been packing if not for Menino.

Close, but no cigar. Would have been nice had she been afforded the CHOICE, though, as commenter The Modern American's follow-up noted:

I think Bruce's point probably has to do more with the fact that she could have had a gun, and that a criminal might be deterred by the risk of being shot.

If you are thinking about robbing someone, even someone who appears harmless, you may think twice if there's a possibility she may have a weapon (or any other means to adequately defend herself).

Eliminating the chance that someone can defend him or herself only serves to make criminals more self-assured and bold.

He shoots. He scores! Give that man a cee-gar!

This is followed by much of the tired old strawman arguments we've heard over the years, where both sides look to engage in a game of "my statistics can beat up your statistics".

The bottom line is this. Mayor Menino has adopted the official position that the law-abiding residents of Boston do not have the right to defend their own lives our the lives of their children. Those residents who would CHOOSE not to own a gun need not actually make that CHOICE, as the government has made it for them. But that's not good enough for them, they insist that the government make that CHOICE for all Boston residents.

Freedom of choice: It's not just for abortions anymore.

Anyway, back to the comment parade.

Commenter 'Anonymous' (man, this guy gets around!) offers these words of wisdom:

I've lived in AZ, TX, SC, FL, WA, and CA. And believe me, you'll think twice about comitting a violent act against someone in AZ or WA. The violent crime rate is not higher there than it is in MA. However, you can be reasonably sure a that a buuegy weak liberal in MA is not packing (in short you can smack them), but you would not try that in AZ or you'll quite possibly be shot. Mass liberals and their foolish gun laws are just the tip of the iceberg. Follow a MA liberal around sometime and you will get to see all the way to the bottom of the well of human stupidity.

Hard to argue that.

Unless you're one of these enlightened folks:

Go back to Texas. They'll appreciate your shit a lot more there.

Um, that "shit" you're talking about to is also referred to in some circles as individual liberty and the ability to take responsibility for your own safety and well-being without subjecting yourself to the whims of the state.

Pass the shit, please. I'm starving.

So, what happens when criminals steal guns from law-abiding gun owners?

Well, in a perfect world, they get locked up. But this is Massachusetts, so I wouldn't bank on that happening.

Or if there's a situation in which both the criminal and the potential victim have guns?

OH, THE HORROR!!!

Because we've seen how better it is now with the criminals having the city-wide monopoly on gun ownership. I seriously have to wonder as to the mental state of someone who would actually ask that question.

I would think that, in most cases, the criminal would have more experience with a gun.

More experience than the average Bay State liberal? Hell yes. More experience than the average law-abiding gun owner? Hardly. I'd safely wager that every gun owner I know spends more time practicing with his or her firearms than the average police officer walking a beat in the city.

What happens if a witness happens to have a gun, tries to shoot at the criminal, and ends up shooting the victim or a bystander instead?

Well, they'd be treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than would a police officer who does the same, I can tell you that much.

This guy seems to agree with me:

Bottom line: If attacked, I'd rather have a gun than not have a gun. Having better skills than a criminal is easy, just take a few gun classes (something a responsible gun owner should do anyway).

OK, now, back to the world of fantasy:

Isn't it important to consider the whatifs? Situations don't always unfold in predictable ways. And you can "just take a few gun classes," but what about, like, 64-year-old ladies?

What is it with people who think that anyone over 60 is, by default, instantly rendered incapable of basic mental and physical function? Believe it or not, firearms safety classes are available to, like, everyone, man - even, like, 64-year-old ladies.

The thread predictably leads to the "Yeah, but you're 43 times more likely to kill..." argument.

Yawn.

Then, we have another equally-informed individual talking about the waiting period for gun purchases that some people think actually exists in the Commonwealth - in their dreams, maybe.

The thread closes with this nugget by 'a.w' offering us commentary from both ends of the Cerebral Function Spectrum:

Guns are bad no matter what happens.

Tell us, how's the view from inside your colon?

If anybody thinks guns are good, then move to new hampshire.

I'm working on it, pal.

I Hate Illinois Ohio Nazis

I was going to put up a post about the violence that's broken out in Toledo on the heels of a white supremacist demonstration there, but Clayton Cramer has just saved me the trouble.

Whose Side Are These Jerks On?

Fox News is covering the aftermath of a neo-Nazi demonstration in Toledo, Ohio. The neo-Nazi message includes many different offensive ideas, but one dominant theme is that blacks (along with other "non-Aryans") are stupid, emotional, violent, and incapable of controlling themselves. (I sense a little projection go on there.)

So what happened when the neo-Nazis held their rally? A crowd of largely black counterdemonstrators showed up, as is their right, to express an alternative point of view. Not surprisingly, some of the counterdemonstrators got angry, and started throwing rocks at the neo-Nazis. Dumb, but somewhat understandable. When the violence started, the police escorted the neo-Nazis out of the area.

So what happened next? The counterdemonstrators started looting houses and shops, and kicking in doors of homes in the area. The footage showed them not only stealing stuff from homes, from throwing television sets from second story windows. Theft, while wrong, has a certain logic to it: "You have something that I don't have, and I'm not willing to work to get it." Destroying stuff? That's something that someone who is stupid, emotional, violent, and incapable of controlling himself does.

I would dearly love for the police, after they arrest some of these idiots, to ask them this question: "Why did you work so hard to conform to neo-Nazi stereotypes of black people?"

Took the words right out of my mouth.

Move Along, Folks

Nothing suspicious here - just another corpse at the town dump.

A body has been found in the Taunton Landfill on Friday at around 12:30 PM. Both Police and the District Attorney say it is too early to say if it is suspicious.

From My Hard Drive To Yours - vol. 5

This week's selection was my wedding song.

Say what you will about Christy Moore. He might be (OK...he is) a rabid, anti-Bush Euro-leftist, but the S.O.B. sure can sing. I was incredibly fortunate to see him play McGann's Pub in Boston back in June of '97 - perhaps the greatest live musical performance I've ever experienced.

The Voyage - Christy Moore

The Butler Bicycle Did It

Headline: Woman Dies After Bicycle Attack

"Bicycle attack"???

Seems someone had a tough time spelling the phrase "Worthless, Low-life, Piece of Shit, Criminal Scumbag" correctly.

Friday Beer Blogging

It's that time of year - time for pumpkin beer!

I picked up a six pack of Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale this week.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale is our homage to the craft and heritage of America's brewers. Recipes calling for the use of pumpkins in beer date back to early colonial times, when brewers sought to extend their supply of costly imported malt with locally grown ingredients, such as squash and "pompions."

In that spirit, we brew our ale with the addition of pumpkin to the mash, along with traditional spices to create a delicious American original.

Warning - this one goes down fast. Hide the car keys.

Though, the winner in this category, hands down (IMHO), has to be Cambridge Brewing Company's Great Pumpkin Ale - the best (and perhaps the only) reason I can think of right now to venture forth into the People's Republik.

Back by popular (and incessant) demand, CBC'’s most sought after seasonal beer, Great Pumpkin Ale flows from the taps all Autumn long. Brewed with over 125 pounds of fresh, locally grown, organic sugar pumpkins in each batch, it has an appropriately ruddy orange hue. The subtle pumpkin flavor is enhanced by the addition of traditional autumn spices, and is guaranteed to please even the most finicky of harvest-time ale fanatics. Come raise a glass in honor of the Great Pumpkin!

Damn, but that's good stuff.

Archie and Jughead Would Approve

Given the overwhelming success of the city's creation of drug-free and gun-free zones in the Boston neighborhoods of Roxbury, Mattapan, and Dorchester, this latest proposal by Mayor Menino sure seems like the next "logical" step to me.

Menino unveiled plans yesterday for alcohol-free "entertainment zones" where college students and young people could gather to listen to music, eat, and talk, but not drink alcohol. The zones would be designated by signs, initially near popular nightspots such as Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Lansdowne Street.

WHOA!!! Slow down a minute there, Tommy Boy!

Do you mean to tell me these kids would actually be allowed to talk in these "entertainment zones"? Wow! I bet they'll be lining up for miles for a chance to partake in these festivities.

Useless, ineffective, taxpayer-funded, do-nothing, feel-good crap - it's not just for breakfast anymore.

Criminals Commit Crime - Who Knew?

POST UPDATED (unfortunately) - SEE BELOW

The neighbors of Jean Lampron, the 64-year-old women viciously mugged by some dirtbag in Southie yesterday, are speaking out.

"Why such a nice lady? I'm so angry."

I'll tell you why. Because "nice" people obey the law. Violent criminal scumbags do not. I don't know if I can put that in any simpler terms than that.

"It's getting bad over here. Lots of ladies are getting robbed."

What? You mean our "most effective gun laws in the nation" haven't brought about the realization of Senator Barrios' Utopian vision of the land of flowers, folk music, and love beads? Why, we should all be frolicking like drunken hobbits in the Shire by now.

Damn you, Karl Rove!

It's almost as if the criminals - whose very existence revolves around a total lack of respect for the law and for the lives of others - know their victims will be unable to defend themselves and take advantage of that fact to assault, beat, rob, and rape them at will.

And, that's how the Mayor likes it.

If that statement is inaccurate, then there's absolutely nothing preventing Mayor Menino from holding a press conference today announcing that any law-abiding resident of Boston who chooses to can apply for, and receive, a license to carry a concealed weapon, with which to defend themselves from the bands of thugs that continue to wreak havoc in our city.

Of course, the chances of that happening are slightly lower then the chances of me shitting a pile of gold bricks this morning.

City Council President Michael Flaherty said he was outraged by the attack on a "defenseless and harmless woman."

Notice he's not outraged to be part of a political system that, over the years, has successfully rendered these harmless women defenseless - in the name of public safety, of course. Apparently, he's outraged by the realization that criminals don't obey the law - as if this is some kind of new development.

Welcome to Boston.

UPDATE: I hope you're happy now, Mayor Menino.

Jean Lampron died this morning.

Your cunning scheme to create a target-rich environment for the city's violent predatory criminals through the disarming of the law-abiding citizenry is functioning flawlessly, as planned.

The hard-working, decent people in the City of Boston are being terrorized by lawless thugs on a daily basis, while you enjoy the protection of an armed security detail, paid for with Ms. Lampron's tax dollars - a luxury unavailable, needless to say, to the people about whom you pretend to care so deeply.

So, congratulations, asshole. And, please, give my regards to Senator Barrios at your next meeting with Handgun Control, Inc. You all must be beaming with pride this morning over all you've accomplished.

Keeping TABs On Things

The Brookline TAB brings us an update today on that reprehensible piece of garbage, Daniel O'Leary, who's been posing as a law enforcement officer in the Town of Brookline.

Hearing to trigger answer on gun license

Five months after Brookline police were supposed to determine if a United State Army lieutenant is a resident here, the cops still don't have an answer.

Though U.S. Army Lt. Kang Lu owns property in town and is a registered Brookline voter, Lu has been waiting since May to have Police Chief Daniel O'Leary determine if he meets the residency requirements to hold a Brookline gun license.

On Tuesday, a judge gave O'Leary one more week to decide whether Lu, who is serving in the U.S. Medical Corps in Washington, is a Brookline resident.

Though neither O'Leary nor Lu were present at a court hearing Tuesday, attorneys for both men appeared, and agreed that O'Leary would now decide the status of Lu's residency by Oct. 18.

And I thought I had a tough time getting licensed here in Meninostan.

Some free advice for Lieutenant Lu: sell the condo in Brookline, dissolve all your financial ties to the Commonwealth, and enjoy life in the shall-issue state of Washington.

Another Quickie

Woman Has Heart Attack In South Boston Mugging

A 60-year-old woman had a heart attack after she was mugged in South Boston Thursday morning.

A man on a bike tried to take her bag at the inersection of West 5th and D Street around 5:15 a.m.

The woman was dragged and struck her head.

The man ran off with the bag, leaving his bike behind.

A doctor happened to be driving by and stopped to help the woman, who then had a heart attack.

She was rushed to Boston Medical Center.

Her condition is unknown.

How can that be? A defenseless women hospitalized after getting attacked and robbed by a violent criminal who knew the odds of her being able to resist the attack were near zero? Right here, on the streets of Mayor Menino's "safe city"? Utterly shocking!

I blame...

(A) New Hampshire's lax gun laws
(B) The bicycle manufacturer
(C) Spongebob Squarepants

Welcome to Massachusetts

Yes, posting will continue to be on the light side over the next couple of days, but I couldn't let this one go without putting my two cents in.

From the Boston Herald:

Suspect nabbed in two rapes: Perv posed as cabbie

A fugitive with a seven-page rap sheet is being held on $2 million bail and charged with brutally raping two women he offered rides while posing as a cab driver outside Faneuil Hall last month.

Instead of taking the women to their destinations, Kevin Bennett, 33, of Arlington allegedly veered to a secluded area near One Alewife Center in Cambridge, where he tore off their clothes and raped them, prosecutors charged.

[snip]

Bennett has been on the run from authorities since April, when he skipped bail after being charged with an open and gross act in Harvard Square, according to prosecutors. His rap sheet lists 72 charges ranging from breaking and entering to assault and battery, 20 instances of skipping court dates and eight probation violations, prosecutors said.

What the fucking fuckety fuck???

This guy had skipped out on court dates 19 times in the past, yet some asshole, bleeding heart judge decided to give him just ONE MORE CHANCE to behave himself. This scumbag should have been locked up a long fucking time ago, and sharing a cell with every piece-of-shit judge who set him free time after time to continue his life of violent crime.

But, hey, it's not like he killed anyone...yet. And, clearly it's not his fault he gets his bone on by abducting, beating, and raping defenseless women. Maybe, that's just his way of expressing himself. Surely, you wouldn't want the government to deny an artist access to his paints and brushes, would you? This man does have rights, after all. Let's be "progressive" and show a little compassion toward this misunderstood victim of society.

Fuck.

That.

Shit!

The only "compassion" this guy deserves - and never let it be said I lack a compassionate side - is having the first shot to the base of the skull, instead of the kneecaps.

So, welcome to Massachusetts, everyone! A place where the concept of locking up repeat, violent criminal offenders is considered a gross violation of the perpetrators' "rights", but laws that prohibit responsible, law abiding citizens from having the means to defend themselves from the same are hailed as "common-sense" crime-fighting measures.

Just whose side are these assholes on, anyway?

As if I have to ask.

Light Blogging Ahead

I'm up to my ears in work this week.

Gotta pay the bills.

OK, Life Is Good Again

Yankees lose Game 5 to the Angels, 5-3.

So sad.

OK, This IS a Shocker

So, I'm reading the Boston Globe's news page on boston.com today and saw this in the sidebar.

Naturally, and entirely out of curiosity, I clicked the "More blogs and podcasts" link. Suffice to say, I wasn't expecting to be listed among the Boston Globe's picks for top local weblogs.

Note to self: grab a screenshot of that. It's only a matter of time until someone there actually reads this blog.

From My Hard Drive To Yours - vol. 4

Well, I was holding out for a last-minute surge in the voting to put "Unreleased Rush tracks" over the top. Alas, it was not to be. Of course, I could just take a page from the Massachusetts General Court Playbook, ignore the election results, and tell all you peons to go piss up a rope.

But, the people have spoken - Cheesy 80's Rock it is.

Mr. Roboto - Styx

Domo arigato for voting.

UPDATE: Screw it - my blog, my rules. Enjoy!

Garden Road - Rush

ALDS - Game 3

Well, the fat lady sang her balls off last night. There's only one thing left to say.

GO SOX!