Scenes From My Local Wal-Mart

This subject could be an entire blog unto itself - no shortage of blogworthy material. Of course, that would all depend on your definition of "worthy". Given what happened a few weeks ago, this might have to become a regular feature here.

I was walking out of Wal-Mart with one of my kids in tow. We stopped at the crosswalk and waited for traffic to stop so we could cross. Halfway through the crosswalk, I realize that the guy in the car to my right hadn't stopped but had merely slowed to a crawl, and decided to keep on going.

We stopped and watched him drive right by us, completely oblivious to out presence. When he turned right to look for a parking spot, we saw his license plate - CLUELES. Can't fault the guy for his honesty.

Fast forward to this morning.

First, there was the guy I passed on the way to the coffee section who looked like a 50-year-old version of Danny Bonaduce and Larry Bangor's lovechild. Creepy. Trust me.

Then, I get to the coffee section, where I see that some idiot had dumped half of a five-pound bag into the coffee grinder and then abandoned his coffee-purchasing plans after spilling ground coffee all over the place, and leaving the grinder full of beans.

At the frozen foods section, I grabbed a box of corn dogs with the instructions to "KEEP FROZEN AT ALL TIMES" printed on the front of the box. ALL times? I gotta think the kids will enjoy them more if we warm them up a tad.

Next, while looking for a big margarita pitcher, I walk past a rack with some cheesy movie-related merchandise, including a Pirates of the Caribbean bath scrubby thing - you know, just like real pirates used to use at bathtime.

I finally get all my shit together and head to the checkout, where I got carded for the beer I was getting. That hasn't happened in a while.

Last up, the red mustang I passed on the way home. License plate "40-S&W".

God bless New Hampshire.

UPDATE: Had to go back for a big plastic beverage tub. On the way in, I passed a father and son walking out with what I assume was the kid's first Daisy BB gun. Nice.

I'm Down With This

Fellow Granite Stater, Jay Tea at Wizbang, has a few modest proposals for campaign finance reform. I wouldn't object to seeing this one become law.

Once every two weeks, candidates must produce a NASCAR-style jacket bearing the names (for individuals) or logos (for organizations) of their top ten contributors. These jackets must be worn by the candidate and designated spokesmen at any and all campaign-related events.

Works for me.

Fred Thompson's Announcement Announcement

From the official Friends of Fred Thompson, Inc. e-mail:

Dear Friends,

On September 6, 2007, Fred Thompson will be announcing his intention to run for President of the United States with a webcast available to millions at www.imwithfred.com. The launch of the video will be followed by a five-day campaign tour through Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

[...]

So, when September 6th rolls around, are we all supposed to act surprised now? Because this e-mail kinda takes the wind out of the old sails a bit.

One thing is certain, his not being at the NH GOP debate at UNH the night before is gonna give his opponents something to talk about. There's been a lot of talk about how Thompson might have dragged out his "testing of the waters" a little too long. I'm still thinking he'll be OK, but he's got to come out throwing heat.

We'll see how this plays out.

These People Have Lost Their Minds

Via Rob at Say Anything:

Fun Facts About the House Energy Bill

One of the key issues that Congress will need to address when it returns in September is legislation to restrict energy production in the U.S. It's not framed that way, of course. The legislation being considered is ostensibly supposed to help produce more energy, but that's not the effect it will have.

Among the myriad problems with the House bill for example, is that it allows anyone 'harmed' by global warming to bring suit against any federal agency that fails to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions as required in the legislation. Plaintiffs are specifically authorized to recover $1.5 million, and to be compensated for legal fees win or lose, as long as the court determines it to be 'appropriate.'

That is some reeeeeal scary shit right there.

Sometimes, I wish these weasly little pricks would just introduce in Congress the "Complete Dissolution of America Act of 2007". It's time that quit beating around the bush, already, so we can settle this shit once and for all.

I Wonder (Not) What Will Become of This

Suspect In Norton Shootings Didn't Need Gun Permit

The man who police say shot his girlfriend and two of her daughters in Norton didn't need a license for the gun he used because it was an antique.

Legislation to close the "antique assault weapon loophole" hits the floor of the Massachusetts state legislature in 10, 9, 8...

Police say Robert McDermott used a .44 caliber black powder revolver. But McDermott would've needed a permit to buy ammunition for the gun.

Um...apparently not.

That headline really says it all.

Just like all the gangbangers in Boston who didn't "need" a gun permit to commit all their shootings on the city streets, this scumbag didn't "need" permission from the government to use a firearm in a violent, highly illegal manner.

Anyone who thinks Elizabeth Cann would be alive today had McDermott not been able to get his hands on a firearm is a fool (and, likely, a Democrat). He was going to kill her that day. She had no chance.

Unsurprisingly, the UN Considers This Bad News

UN warns of 'armed' Darfur camps

The UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, John Holmes, has described the refugee camps in Darfur as militarised.

Mr Holmes told the BBC that some of the 1.2 million refugees are impatient, politicised, and armed.

I didn't think I sold that many stickers.

He said having thousands of disaffected men cooped up in camps in which weapons were available, was dangerous.

As opposed to the safe and happy land of buttercups, roses, and fluffy kittens. in which they were living before picking up a few AK-47's of their own.

He believes the situation in the camps is bound to lead to clashes, and reflects the fact that there is no peace settlement in place for Darfur.

Oh, no! Not "clashes"!

As if the one-sided slaughter of unarmed civilians is somehow a more favorable outcome. God forbid, the people being raped, beaten, and murdered on a daily basis were to actually want to fight back for a change.

That is SO not very "progressive" of them.

They should lay down their arms at once and wait for the UN to come save them. It won't be long now. I hear they've nearly come to terms with what shape the table will be at their next round of "peace settlement" talks.

Hey, Cut the Senator Some Slack

If he says he's not gay, he's not gay.

A flaming bisexual, probably, but not gay.

As If You Needed Further Proof...

...that John Edwards is a pompous, hypocritical, elitist piece of arrogant, big-government filth, fraudulently waving the pro-choice banner with no knowledge, whatsoever, as to the true meaning of the phrase.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards told a labor group he would ask Americans to make a big sacrifice: their sport utility vehicles.

The former North Carolina senator told a forum by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, yesterday he thinks Americans are willing to sacrifice.

Edwards says Americans should be asked to drive more fuel efficient vehicles. He says he would ask them to give up SUVs.

Tell you what, Pretty Boy. The day you tear down your multi-million dollar waterfront vacation home and turn it into a safe nesting ground for the local piping plover population, transform your palatial 28,000 sf mansion into a 200-bed inpatient rehab clinic, and move your family into a modest 2,000 square foot home on an acre of land is the day I think about recognizing you as more than an annoying little speck of dust on the coffee table of humankind.

Heck, I might even let you keep your SUV and even buy more if you want. You see, I have no problem with you driving whatever kind of vehicle you choose. Nor, do I have any problem with you living in a house the size of Rhode Island. It's called "freedom", dipshit. But, then again, I'm funny in that bizarre "respecting one's right to choose" kind of way.

But, what you want is for us lowly peasants to make "sacrifices" and live meager existences, while you and yours enjoy the opulent lifestyle that most Americans can only dream of. And, you have the nerve to go on national TV and carry on about what you perceive as "Two Americas"???

Look in the damn mirror, bitch.

Of course, none of that should come as a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention. I mean, we are talking about the guy who thinks taxpayer-funded entitlements and handouts are inalienable rights, and that the ability to purchase a handgun is a privilege to be doled out by politicians, such as himself, to the "chosen ones".

Now, I'm not terribly fond of criticizing total strangers, about whom I know very little [not that that's ever stopped me from doing so], but if you have a John Edwards bumper sticker on your car, or a campaign button on your backpack, you are an idiot.

And, not just the garden variety "Why does this milk still taste so funny?" idiot. We're talking the full-blown "tongue in the light socket" grade here.

Fun With Numbers

I suppose I should chime in on this feel-good news story before it's completely blog-flogged to death. Though, it's about 10:00 at night, so I might a little late for that.

Via Reuters:

U.S. most armed country with 90 guns per 100 people

I'm guessing "U.S. most freedom-loving country with 90 guns per 100 people" probably wouldn't have made it past the editors' desks there at Roto-Reuters.

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said.

U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies.

About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, it said.

"There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people," it said.

OK, I understand what they're doing with the math here, but I find this whole "guns per person" reporting of the survey data to be a little on the silly side. I've got a family of four, and eight firearms in my house. But, it's not like my two five-year-olds are each walking around with twin 1911's on their hips.

Well, not yet, anyway.

Putting aside the somewhat ambiguous nature of the "guns per capita" reporting of the numbers involved, there are a few interesting observations contained within the results of this survey.

First up, from the Department of the Painfully Obvious:

On a per-capita basis, Yemen had the second most heavily armed citizenry behind the United States, with 61 guns per 100 people, followed by Finland with 56, Switzerland with 46, Iraq with 39 and Serbia with 38.

France, Canada, Sweden, Austria and Germany were next, each with about 30 guns per 100 people, while many poorer countries often associated with violence ranked much lower. Nigeria, for instance, had just one gun per 100 people.

Well, that would certainly help to bolster that radical notion put forth by many of us in the Dead Horse Flagellation Society that guns themselves don't actually cause violence.

And, then there are these happy little observations.

The report, which relied on government data, surveys and media reports to estimate the size of world arsenals, estimated there were 650 million civilian firearms worldwide, and 225 million held by law enforcement and military forces.

[...]

Only about 12 percent of civilian weapons are thought to be registered with authorities.

While I find that 12 percent to be a little high for my liking, the anti-freedom fascists and fuckwits prancing around the UN can't be all that pleased to see how far they are from eliminating civilian ownership of small arms.

Good.

UPDATE: Kim's two cents:

Some people are going to greet this news with glee. I’m not one of them.

Come on, people: everyone knows that you need at least a handgun, a shotgun and a rifle to be a functioning member of society. So the correct ratio should be 300 guns per hundred population. (And, as I’ve said many times before, we should ignore .22 rifles from the count, of course, because they are not weapons, but a household commodity like salt or sugar.)

Oooh...That's Gonna Leave a Mark

Alternate Post Title: Don't Bring a Handgun to a Shotgun Fight

From KAKE-TV (Channel 10 - Wichita):

Officers say 27-year-old Alexander Mies entered Salyer's Pharmacy at 10:47am with a bandage over part of his face, exposing just one eye. He asked to pick up a prescription under an alias name. Mies then pulled out a handgun and pointed at the clerk.

At that point, a 58-year-old employee shot Mies once in head with a shotgun.

Good guy breathing, bad guy pushing up crabgrass.

Not the preferred outcome for the American left, but I'll chalk it up as a win.

A Matter of Semantics

You say hypocrite, I say flaming cockmonkey.

Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before

From the land of the "Most Effective Gun Laws in the Nation"^TM and last year's "Major Success"^TM of a gun buyback program...

Boston's weekend is marred by assaults and violence

During a sweltering weekend, Boston police responded to a significant amount of street violence late Saturday and early yesterday, including a particularly violent eight-hour stretch, officials said.

Police said that four people were shot on Delano Street in Dorchester about 4 a.m. yesterday. One of the men, whom police did not identify, was shot several times in the chest and back and was listed in critical condition at Boston Medical Center.

The other three victims had non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

[...]

[Boston police spokesman Eddie] Crispin said that there is no indication the shooting was linked to the annual Caribbean Carnival, which drew about 75,000 people to Franklin Park in Dorchester Saturday.

There were at least four stabbings reported on Saturday evening and yesterday morning near where the festival took place.

Ob-la-di, ob-la-da...

The Song Remains the Same

No new news here, really, just more plans for the redistribution of wealth being proposed by the neo-Marxist wing of the Democrat Party. If this doesn't give you an idea of what a Hillary Clinton presidency would be like (tax the rich, open the borders, disarm the law-abiding, expand the government), nothing will.

WASHINGTON - Amid a severe housing market slump, Rep. John Dingell is raising eyebrows with a proposal to eliminate interest-tax deductions for owners of big houses.

The Michigan Communist Democrat says doing so would discourage excess energy consumption and lessen emissions linked to climate change.

Dingell said Friday he plans to introduce legislation next month that would eliminate the tax deduction on mortgage interest for owners of so-called "McMansions" - houses bigger than 3,000 square feet.

What a load of garbage.

This has absolutely, jack-shit NOTHING to do with "saving the planet", as Representative Dingell and the rest of the Algorians would have you believe. This is merely another attempt (in a long line of attempts) to punish "the rich", for their having succeeded in life, through additional, burdensome, confiscatory taxes, the revenues from which would then be used by Dingell and his "progressive" cohorts in the legislature to feed their insatiable appetite for vote-buying entitlement schemes.

The cause of global warming and climate change is merely the vehicle used by these assholes to push this "from each according to his ability" horseshit past an ignorant electorate. They've tried it with global poverty, world hunger, AIDS, and education - pretty much any cause that can have a heartstrings-tugging picture of a fawn-eyed child attached to it.

Remember - it's always "For the Children"^TM.

Their justification may change over the decades, but their goal remains the same: Tax the rich to buy the votes of the poor. And if the American economy is irreparably crippled as a result of it, who cares? At least, we'll have finally achieved a state of pure "social justice", in which we'll all be "equally" miserable.

Well, not quite all of us. Those folks fortunate enough to have derived their wealth from tax-free municipal bonds (Mrs. John Kerry, please call your office) or shelter their assets in a manner unavailable to the vast majority of Americans, will continue to live their lavish lifestyles, flying their private jets to their multiple vacation homes, whilst dictating to us how to live our lives, what kind of cars we can buy, what kind of food we can eat, where and how we'll be allowed to have our children educated, etc.

Now, as much as I've implied otherwise on many an occasion, these people (Dingell, Clinton, Kennedy, Edwards, et al) are not, I repeat, not morons. They're all highly-educated people who know exactly what they're doing.

Never confuse malevolence with stupidity.

On the other hand, the voters who actually fall for this bullshit and help to keep these scheming assmonkeys in positions of power are about as rock-headed and ignorant as they come, ideologically blinded past the proverbial point of no return.

To buy into this latest round of Communist claptrap being put forth by Representative Dingell, you would honestly have to believe that a brand-new, 3,000 square-foot home, built with the newest, most energy-efficient materials, doors, windows, insulation, and appliances, consumes more energy than a 100-year-old, 2,000 square-foot home with drafty windows, uninsulated attic space, and 40-year-old appliances.

That reality is irrelevant to the "progressive" community. In their strangely mutated world, it's only the actions and choices of the "rich" people that are destroying the planet.

Anyone who buys into this is either an idiot or an unapologetic, anti-American jack-off.

This is no different than the recent, yet unsuccessful, attempt by the liberal ruling class in the town of Brookline, Massachusetts to impose a surtax on SUV drivers in their town, based on the misguided principle that doing so will help to save the planet from a fiery death.

They'd have you believe that a 2007 Jeep Liberty represents a more egregious waste of fossil fuels, and is therefore a bigger threat to Mother Gaia, than a '75 Volvo station wagon drinking oil like a Kennedy going through the liquor cabinet. But, of course, just as it is with the evil McMansions, it's only the "rich" folks driving all those SUV's who must be punished to be made to pay their "fair share".

These Commie assclowns can kiss my fair ass.

I think I'll hop in my big-ass, earth-murdering, Dodge Ram and go to the range this morning. Might even leave it idling, while I'm shooting, just to keep the AC going.

And You Thought Gun Registration Was Bad

Starting next year, parents in the UK will be required by law to register their children with the State.

Senior social workers have given warning of the dangers posed by a new government register that will store the details of every child in England from next year.

They fear that the database, containing the address, medical and school details of all under-18s, could be used to harm the children whom it is intended to protect.

Gee, what could possibly go wrong?

The database, which goes live next year, is to contain details of every one of the 11 million children in the country, listing their name, address and gender, as well as contact details for their GP, school and parents and other carers. The record will also include contacts with hospital consultants and other professionals, and could show whether the child has been the subject of a formal assessment on whether he or she needs extra help.

I wonder if mandatory rabies vaccinations is part of the deal. And, will collars with little metal ID tags be handed out to the parents free of charge upon registration, or will they have to purchase those separately?

It will be available to an estimated 330,000 vetted users. Some of those allowed to check records, such as head teachers, doctors, youth offender and social workers, are uncontroversial, but critics have questioned why other potential users, such as fire and rescue staff, will have access to the database.

[...]

Concerns have been intensified by the admission that, while every child under 18 in England will have a record, ministers have allowed some children to be given extra protection. The “shielding” mechanism will mean that information on the offspring of some politicians and celebrities could be left off the main database.

But, of course. It's for the other children.

Children’s rights campaigners and computer security experts say that this amounts to an acknowledgment that the database will not be secure. “The Government acknowledges the risks by instituting these protocols on celebrity and vulnerable children but all children are potentially vulnerable,” Terri Dowty, of Action on Rights for Children, said.

If any of this comes a shock to you, you have not been paying attention. The once-great British Empire has been going down this road for decades.

I can't wait to see what the punishment is for failing to register one's children with the proper governmental authorities. I'm guessing it will be in the neighborhood of five to six times more severe than the harshly-worded letters currently being handed out as "punishment" for aggravated assault.

Here are my final 1,000 words on this.



UPDATE: Via reader John S. in the comments:

I'm guessing embedded RFID chips will be mandatory -- remotely programmable and GPS capable, I'm sure. And maybe they can tattoo a serial number on the forearm as a courtesy detail.

Hammer, meet nail.

We Have a Winner

The results from my Chain Saw Recommendations post are in:

Husqvarna - 9
Stihl - 7
Echo - 1

And, seeing how I have the smartest, most knowledgeable reader base of any blog out there, I'm going with your advice and have decided on the Husky 345e.


Of course, for an extra six bucks, I can get it with the 18" bar, instead of the 16". Yes? No?

Assault Doodles

I fear for the future of the Republic when I read such ass-munchingly idiotic crap as this.

MESA, Arizona — Officials at an Arizona school suspended a 13-year-old boy for sketching what looked like a gun, saying the action posed a threat to his classmates.

The boy's parents said the drawing was a harmless doodle and school officials overreacted.

"The school made him feel like he committed a crime. They are doing more damage than good," said the boy's mother, Paula Mosteller.

The drawing did not show blood, bullets, injuries or target any human, the parents said. And the East Valley Tribune reported that the boy said he did not intend for the picture to be a threat.

OK, I'm doing this from memory, and it was close to 30 years ago, but here's what my notebook looked like on any given schoolday. These dimbulb, youth-indoctrination fuckwits in Mesa would shit themselves in abject terror if they saw anything like this today.



Buncha wussbags.

Sure makes homeschooling look more attractive.

What's next, a directive from the school board forbidding the use of the letters F, L, and T? I mean, they look about as gun-like as that half-assed drawing of a gun that kid drew.



UPDATE: OK, just how many "guns" did this kid supposedly draw? The Fox News story linked above has this picture from eastvalleytribune.com:



Somewhat gun-like, I'll admit. But, here's the picture accompanying this story from KPHO (Channel 5 - Phoenix):



If that's a gun, then any kid who's ever drawn an oval on a piece of paper should be suspended for making violent hand grenade threats. Better cancel all your geometry classes, lest some vulnerable disenfranchised youth gets sent over the edge by all those deadly, mind-altering parallelograms.

What I'd like to know is if the first picture was made by a member of the school faculty to show the press what the offending drawing allegedly looked like. If that's the case, then they're deliberately misrepresenting the facts in this case for the sole purpose of screwing this kid over and covering their authoritarian asses.

I'm with Frank J. on this.

If your son has not drawn a gun at some point in his childhood, there is something wrong with him.

The school officials behind that suspension need to be pistol whipped.

Chain Saw Recommendations?

I'm getting myself a chain saw for my birthday this year, and was wondering if anyone had any constructive feedback or commentary on the subject.

I'm not looking for anything to take down a sequoia, just a good saw ($200-$250 range) for clearing some dead trees out of the woods behind my house to build up the wood pile for my outdoor firepit.

And, maybe scaring the piss out of some of the neighborhood kids this Halloween.

Here's what I'm looking at right now.

Husqvarna 142 (16")

ECHO CS-346 (16")

Stihl MS-210 (14")

Any thoughts?

These Things Are Edible, Right?

Elusive Emu Roaming New Hampshire Towns

Follow-up question: What's the appropriate load for emu?

Ouch

That's gonna leave a mark.


And that was only the first half of today's double-header between the two teams.

(Alternate Post Title: Ravens Stymied, Settle For Field Goal)

Ten Bucks is Ten Bucks, Eh?

Wear a Red's Trading Post hat in support!

There have been so many people asking how they can support us, some have contributed financially, some have gotten our story our there, many have signed our online petition, contacted Congressional Delegates or even blogged about what is going on with the ATF shutting down dealers.

Here is another way, Wear a Red's Trading Post hat in support. They are $10 shipped, as you can tell we are not trying to make money off of them but just wanting to get the word out. I want to thank everyone again for your support and kindness, I may sound like a broken record but I just want to thank all of you every chance I get.

UPDATE: YOU CAN EITHER PAY BY PAY PAL, CREDIT CARD OR CHECK
RED'S TRADING POST
215 SHOSHONE ST. SOUTH
TWIN FALLS, ID 83301-6001
(208) 733-3546
ryan@redstradingpost.com

I just ordered mine, but in the likely event it doesn't fit my big melon ("one size fits all", my ass), I'll be running some kind of stupid contest to give it away.

To Paraphrase Rusty Griswald

Dad, I think they're gonna pork us.

The pork twins: Hodes, Shea-Porter love earmarks

REPS. Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes said they would bring New Hampshire values to Washington by pinching pennies and voting against special interests. They must have meant "Republican special interests" because they have voted to waste millions of taxpayer dollars on useless pork projects requested by their fellow Democrats (and one influential Republican).

Read the whole thing.

Not surprisingly, they both thought John Murtha's fictitious "Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure" (actually a front for a wealthy campaign donor's private NPO) was a perfectly deserving recipient of a $1,000,000 kiss on the cheek.

But, hey, it's not like it's their money. What the hell do they care?

I guess now it's "Live free or die, but waste millions in taxpayer dollars on stupid/corrupt shit like this as if the world were gonna end tomorrow."

November '08 can't come soon enough.

Mmmmm...

Scotch.

That is all.

As you were.

You Had Me At "Car Keys"

Union Leader: Stephen seeks seat held by Shea-Porter

MANCHESTER – Former NH Health and Human Services commissioner John Stephen today announced he is forming a campaign committee to run for the Republican nomination for the District 1 U.S. Representative seat.

Stephen filed his Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, and established a committee to begin raising funds for the race. Stephen finished second in an eight-person field when he sought the same seat in 2002.

"Five years ago, I ran for Congress for one reason, to bring New Hampshire values to Washington," said Stephen. "Since then, what we have seen is a whole bunch of Washington values sent back to New Hampshire."

"It’s time to take the car keys away from this Congress. We need to get back to low taxes, fiscal discipline and personal freedom and responsibility. These are the values that make New Hampshire great," he said.

Amen, brother!

Country Music Lyric of the Week

This one's for Jay.

Come on in boy, sit on down
And tell me 'bout yourself
So you like my daughter, do you now
Yeah we think she's something else
She's her daddy's girl and her mama's world
She deserves respect, that's what she'll get, ain't it son
Now y'all run along and have some fun
I'll see you when you get back
Bet I'll be up all night
Still cleaning this gun

"Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)" by Rodney Atkins

File Under: Who'd Have Thunk?

A quick update on the Edgewood Park Defense Patrol down in New Haven, CT (my previous blog posts here).

For the past two months, Mr. Greer, Mr. Brooks and fellow volunteers in the Edgewood Park Defense Patrol — half of whom carry guns — have walked and biked through this neighborhood nightly to bring a sense of safety to an area they said had experienced an increase in crime and a decrease in police patrols.

Though Mayor John DeStefano Jr. has called the patrols a "recipe for disaster," members of the group said that they had not once pulled out a gun, and the authorities acknowledged that violent crime had gone down in Edgewood since the patrols began.

American citizens protecting their community while carrying privately-owned firearms. Why, one could almost draw the conclusion that the Second Amendment is still highly relevant after all these years, despite the incessant ramblings of bigoted, anti-gun rights politicians, such as Mayor DeStefano there, and the rest of the PSH Brigade.

Quote of the Day

"Freedom is for adults. It sounds like Fred Thompson is about to remind us all of this important truth."

- Star Parker

The New Guard Dog - UPDATE

If our home is ever besieged one night by an army of windswept leaves, I'll be sleeping soundly upstairs, knowing Finn is on the job. The leaves won't know what hit them.

Also, if licking one's balls were a sport, he'd win his division easily. Or, at least, clinch the wild card spot. He is only a rookie, after all.

(previous Finn posts here)

Stories That Warm the Heart

Here's a good one to kick off the weekend.

CHESTER – A would-be jewel thief learned an important lesson Thursday: Don't mess with Sharon Neville.

When the 61-year-old homeowner found the guy going through her jewelry boxes, she beat him up with a hard cardboard tube that had materials wrapped around it and chased him out of her house.

[...]

It all started when Neville, who was upstairs in her sewing room on the second floor, heard some noise coming from the master bedroom. That's when she found the man and started yelling at him. It didn't get physical until she took the tube and started wailing on him, Chief Bill Burke said.

I'd say the guy got off easy.

Of course, had this story unfolded across the pond in the United Kingdom, where defending one's self in one's home in such a manner is a violation of the law, this woman would have been arrested, detained, interrogated, and brought up on criminal assault charges.

And, for "good measure", she'd likely have a sample of her DNA forcibly taken from her for inclusion in the State's genetic database of criminal offenders.

A picture, as they say, says 1,000 words.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Giving it to the Massachusetts taxpayers in the shorts, that is.

US sees flaw in Zakim Bridge

Six steel plates that hold in place support cables of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge show signs of warping, and the state needs to quickly determine whether they present a hazard to tens of thousands of people who cross the bridge daily, according to a federal inspector general's report obtained by the Globe.

The report labeled the deformed plates an "immediate or dangerous condition" and said they could be a sign that the plates are overstressed.

No doubt, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley will be putting out a press release soon detailing her plans to file criminal charges against the owners of the mine, from which the raw iron ore was extracted.

But a top state official said last night that an investigation by his agency had already determined that the plates became warped when they were originally welded and thus do not reflect excessive stress or pose a safety risk.

"It is not a safety issue, but rather a defect associated with the installation," said Bernard Cohen, the state transportation secretary and chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which maintains the bridge over the Charles River.

Ain't that reassuring?

What's Wrong With This Picture?

You're going to need some working knowledge of both the bar scene in Boston and the geography thereof to get this one.

UPDATE: Also, on a Bosstones-related note, this video for Devil's Night Out makes for a nice trip down memory lane for those of us who were barhopping in Boston in the 80's.

Vickheads in the News

Vickhead (noun): Any dickhead who would attack an animal for no reason other than to cause it to suffer unnecessary pain.

From Adams, Tennessee:

A horse is expected to recover after it was found Wednesday with a hatchet stuck in its skull between the eyes. The hatchet used for cutting tobacco plants was removed by veterinarian Dan Hitch, who stitched up the wound. The blade did not strike her brain and just missed some vital nerves.

And, in Massachusetts:

A man has been charged with animal cruelty after he allegedly hit a woman's dog on the head with a metal pipe while she was taking it on a walk Tuesday afternoon, New Bedford police officials said.

Police said the woman was walking her pit bull on a lease on Mill Street in the west end of New Bedford when her estranged boyfriend, Brentwood Knowles, pulled up to her in his vehicle, jumped out and attacked the dog.

The dog immediately fell to the ground after being hit in the head with the pipe, suffering serious injuries and bleeding from its head and mouth, police said.

I'll bring the metal pipe.

Can I Get a Clarification?

That whole "cruel and unusual punishment" thing only applies to humans, right?

A 10-month-old boy from New Bedford has died and prosecutors say he was a victim of shaken baby syndrome. His mother's boyfriend is now charged in the attack.

28-year-old Manuel Lopez was arraigned Tuesday morning on assault and battery charges in New Bedford District Court. Police say the charges are expected to be upgraded as a result of the child’s death.

A larger version of one of those Home Depot paint can shakers should do the trick.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

AFP caption:

An elderly Iraqi woman shows two bullets which she says hit her house following an early coalition forces raid in the predominantly Shiite Baghdad suburb of Sadr City. At least 175 people were slaughtered on Tuesday and more than 200 wounded when four suicide truck bombs targeted people from an ancient religious sect in northern Iraq, officials said.(AFP/Wissam al-Okaili)

"Fake, but accurate", in the eyes of the AFP, no doubt.

(link via The Autonomist, via Insty)

Country Music Lyric of the Day

I guess that's one way to get into a girl's pants.

'Cause I'd like to see you out in the moonlight
I'd like to kiss you way back in the sticks
I'd like to walk you through a field of wildflowers
And I'd like to check you for ticks.

Guess I Better Say Something About This...

...before anyone else links to my blog, sending people here looking for my response only to be disappointed by my overwhelming lack of giveashit.

Gun permits drop 25% in Bay State

The number of licensed gun owners in Massachusetts has declined by more than a quarter in the past six years, a falloff driven by restrictive laws, higher licensing fees, and cultural change, according to police officers and gun owners.

Well, seeing as the number of PEOPLE in Massachusetts has declined steadily over the same time period, where's the story here? What would be surprising and newsworthy would be a story about gun owners moving INTO Massachusetts.

The drop is especially dramatic in the eastern part of the state and in urban areas. The number of licensed gun owners fell at least 30 percent in Boston, Springfield, Quincy, Fall River, and Waltham. It dropped at least 20 percent in more than 220 of the state's 351 communities.

The number of licensed owners climbed in about 40 mostly smaller communities in the central and western parts of the state. It also rose in a handful of eastern suburbs and cities, such as Weston and Brockton, according to data from the state's Criminal History Systems Board, which tracks licensed gun owners.

Overall, the number of people in Massachusetts with a license to carry a weapon has declined from about 330,000 to about 240,000 from 2001 to 2007. Over the past three years, the number of licensed owners has declined by 15,000.

So, by my math, from 2001 to 2004, the number of licensed gun owners in Massachusetts dropped an average of 25,000 a year, and over the following three years, an average of 5,000 a year.

From the Boston Globe - April 2006:

The estimates show that between 2000 and 2004, more residents left Massachusetts than moved to the Bay State -- with an average annual exodus of 42,402 people.

You'd think that there would be some concern among state officials about so many gun owners - people who have proven themselves to be upstanding model citizens - leaving for greener pastures, so to speak.

But, then again, it's not like don't have a plan. They'll just make up the difference with the illegal aliens coming in to Massachusetts for their free healthcare, discounted college tuition and state-issued government identification, and everything will be fine.

While some law enforcement officials praise the decline, police, politicians and antigun advocates caution that there are still plenty of illegal guns on the streets, contributing to a steady pace of violence.

It's funny how these idiots can look at law-abiding gun owners and see actual human beings - reckless individuals, in their minds, who are to be vilified as imminent dangers to society and themselves. Yet, it's the "illegal guns", not the non-law-abiding criminals, that are "contributing to a steady pace of violence" in the inner city.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose.

"Fewer firearms on the street makes life safer for everyone," said Robert F. Crowley, Quincy's police chief. "The average citizen who has a gun 24-7 I don't believe has the experience, knowledge, and training to know when and if they should use a firearm."

Ah, yes, our old friend Chief Crowley. I think I may have mentioned him before.

Many attribute the drop to a 1998 state law, the Massachusetts Gun Control Act, and subsequent changes, which dramatically changed the gun licensing landscape by increasing fees and making it more difficult for people with old legal problems to renew their license.

Yeah, not to mention those dangerous folks who, over the years, had committed the heinous crimes of forgetting to update their home address on their automobile registrations, failing to return a movie to Blockbuster, or living in a building with loud neighbors.

I'm shocked that the Globe didn't feel it was necessary to mention that in the years following the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1998, the state's rates for homicide, robbery and attempted robbery, and aggravated assault all saw a reversal in their downward trends from the years preceding the passage of the "most effective gun laws in the nation".

It now costs $100 for a six-year license for a handgun, shotgun, or rifle. It costs $25 for a six-year permit for a chemical repellent, with no renewal fee. A lifetime permit for a rifle used to cost $2. It can take about two months to get a license.

Unless, of course, you suffer the outrageous misfortune of living in Boston, in which case that C-note is just the tip of the iceberg, my friends.

There's the required safety course. That's another $100 (minimum).

There's the "mandatory" gun club membership, another $100-$200 a year.

There's the "mandatory" range test, which is only offered during the work week (hope you can get time off from work or find someone to watch your kids for a few hours). And, oh yeah, you're going to want to practice a little bit with a .38 revolver prior to taking that test. Gun rentals and ammo costs add up pretty quick.

Whatever you do though, don't dare suggest that we start requiring people to show a photo ID in order to vote. why, that would amount to a discriminatory poll tax, according to Ted Kennedy, who cringes at the thought of his constituents being forced to pay for their constitutional rights.

"People come in to renew and are shocked it's $100," said Keith MacPherson, deputy police chief in Waltham.

"Shocked"? I really don't think so.

Pissed off enough to pack up their shit and move out of state, maybe, but certainly not "shocked", per se.

Other New England states do not appear to have experienced a similar drop, although comparisons are hampered because permitting and records differ widely.

Wow. There's a news flash for you. The other New England states less hostile toward gun owners aren't seeing their gun owning population packing up and moving into Massachusetts.

Who'd have guessed?

Limited data show that the number of nonresident permits have increased by more than half in Maine and have more than doubled in New Hampshire since 2000 and 2001, respectively. Pistol permits are down slightly in Rhode Island and are up slightly in Connecticut.

"We saw a big increase after 9/11," said Sergeant William Gomane of Maine's State Police.

The law in Massachusetts was changed in 1998, and in later years, so that anyone convicted of a violent felony is disqualified from ever obtaining a state license. Those convicted of a misdemeanor or a nonviolent felony are also disqualified for five years following conviction or release. People convicted of assault and battery on family members, or crimes involving drugs or guns, are also disqualified.

"A slew of people are now prohibited," said Dennis Collier, a police captain in Revere.

Even before the new law, license applications were filed with local police chiefs, who have some discretion for granting or denying licenses.

If, by "some", the writer means "complete", then sure.

For instance, a person whose state and local background check shows he or she has been on trial for violent crimes, but not convicted, can be denied a license by the chief.

Welcome to Massachusetts: Innocent until...nah, fuck it...GUILTY!

Of course, the same bunch of "progressives" who hail that as "common sense" gun control are the same folks who are losing sleep over the fact that our government is holding enemy combatants, captured in the field of battle, without giving them a fair trial in an American court room to determine their guilt or innocence.

Being a Massachusetts leftist means never having to say you're consistent.

With even tighter restrictions, some gun owners have been infuriated, considering it an unjust and a transparent attempt to deny honest hard-working residents their right to own a gun.

Um...yeah. Who's arguing it isn't?

Edward Arsenault, 70, of Fairhaven, was turned down for his license renewal earlier this year because he had been convicted in juvenile court of stealing a chicken from a chicken coop when he was 9 years old, in 1946.

I bet all the families living on Bowdoin Street in Dorchester are sleeping soundly in their beds tonight knowing that their state government is devoting precious public resources toward disarming dangerous monsters like Mr. Arsenault here.

Arsenault said he barely remembers the incident.

"I have no problem with gun control or background checks, but let's not get ridiculous," said Arsenault, a gun license owner since the 1980s. "Something done when someone is 9 years old carries over until they are 70? We're not talking about robbing a bank; we're talking about stealing a chicken."

He appealed the ruling to New Bedford District Court in April and won, at least partly thanks to Fairhaven Police Chief Gary Souza, who testified on his behalf. It was the first time in more than four years on the job that Souza stood up for someone who had been denied a license, he said.

And, of course, he was duly compensated by the State for all the legal fees he racked up while fighting in court to have his rights restored.

Oh, wait. No he wasn't.

Massachusetts: Keeping those uppity poor folks from defending themselves since 1998, and proud of it.

In Boston, the number of licensed owners fell from 7,577 in 2001 to 4,374 this year, a drop of 42 percent. In the same period, gun licenses in Cambridge dropped 25 percent to 782; 71 percent to 484 in Brookline, and 33 percent to 1,150 in Newton, state records show.

"We're pleased that the number of gun owners has decreased in our city, but the real issue is illegal guns, and we need more laws to deal with illegal guns in our cities," Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston said in a statement.

Translation: "We're pleased that the ratio of law-abiding citizens to violent criminals has significantly decreased in our city. It's best for the children."

Hey, don't look at me. I've never accused him of being overly perceptive.

Mayor James E. Harrington of Brockton, a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a national organization, said that while it is good fewer firearms are around, the bigger problem is guns that make their way to the street illegally. He would like more restrictions on bulk out-of-state sales of guns by dealers.

Again, an elected official in Massachusetts proudly blurring the line between guns owned by responsible, licensed gun owners and guns being carried by gang members and drug dealers in the inner city neighborhoods in the state.

John E. Rosenthal, founder of nonprofit Stop Handgun Violence, said the drop in ownership is primarily because of the law, but might also be because of increased awareness of gun safety and violence. Maybe "moms who are the primary caregivers are concerned about guns in the home and maybe they are influencing the men in the home," Rosenthal said.

Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, you disingenuous stooge.

The drop did not surprise Andrew Arulanandan, a spokesman for the 4-million-member National Rifle Association.

He attributed the reduction to higher fees. "When you add additional taxes on any universe of people, there are going to be people who are forced to give up whatever pursuit that is being taxed. The victims here are the people with limited means and not the criminals. The criminals won't stand in line to...pay the tax."

Don Hunt, owner of Hunter's Trading Post, a gun shop in Weymouth, thinks the dropoff is partly because of negative media stories, which he said poison young people's minds toward firearms.

"This is not a gun sport friendly state," he said.

No shit.

I had no idea.

Attitudes toward firearms vary widely. Many people in rural areas and in the western part of the state enjoy hunting and guns.

In Chester, nestled in the foothills of the Berkshires, "the joke is, you don't live in Chester unless you own a gun," said Police Chief Ronald Minor. The town of 1,300 has about 185 licensed gun owners. Owning a gun "is like second nature, like having a car," Minor said. "It's just a different way of life."

Imagine that. A state government enforcing, with great vigor, a whole slew of restrictive laws that deprive a minority population of their rights and freedoms, just because they enjoy a different lifestyle than those in the majority.

How very progressive, indeed.

Later, Mater

Blogberrying from a top-secret, not-so-remote location in the Maine woods.

Back whenever.

In a World Without Guns

Sort of.

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. - A 77-year-old man killed his wife and then himself with a commercial-grade nail gun, police said Tuesday.

I can already smell the engine burning in the New Jersey Feel-Good Do-Nothing Nanny State Law Generator from all the way up here. Also, you gotta love the way it's described as a "commercial-grade" nail gun, as if it's not something that should be in the hands of ordinary citizens.

"The homeowner was subsequently charged with unlawful possession of a commercial-grade nail gun without a state-issued contractors license, and held on $25,000 bail."

That would be funny if it weren't teetering so freakin' close to the brink of reality.

I know one thing. They can have my Milwaukee 7110-20 when they pry it from my cold, dead hands. This thing frikkin' rocks!

Fisking the Ignorant in Ten Words or Less

And, that includes the quoted portion of the article fisked.

From commenter 'gruhn' on this post at keepandbeararms.com

I feel...

My liberty is not subject to your feelings.

Do give that linked article a read. I wish I could say, in a non-sarcastic manner, that I was shocked at the lack of knowledge or factual information pertaining to Massachusetts gun laws therein, but it's pretty much what we've all grown to expect over the years.

I'm Shocked!

Not.

If you aren't prepared and/or able to stand up and face the opposition in the public arena of ideas, you gotta go to Plan B: Smear, smear, smear.

So, congratulations, Henry Reynolds of 500 California Ave. #5 (P.O. Box 7443) in Santa Monica, California! You're this week's winner of the coveted "Big Stupid Douchebag Award".

UPDATE: It seems Mr. Reynolds didn't care too much for the attention he was getting from all those mean bloggers (all part of some nefarious right-wing smear machine, no doubt) who called him out as the pathetic, little asshole he's proven himself to be.

Original link above has the latest from Ed at Captain's Quarters.

UPDATE II: He's also a cat person. Why am I not surprised?

First Big Dig Indictment Handed Down

I'll have a longer post up later, in which I will explain why, in my professional opinion and based on what I've read and heard, I think this is total bullshit.

Things That Rule Pretty Hard

1. Cape Cod Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper potato chips
2. Central air conditioning

That's all for now. As you were.

Daily Show Takes on Senator Swimmer...

...and the rest of the hypocritical, faux-environmentalist elites.



Priceless.

(link via this guy via this guy)

Throw the Book At Her

And, the little punk-ass scumbag kids, too. Doesn't matter which book, specifically, as long as it's in the 25 to 30-pound range and thrown from eight or nine stories up.

Woman Charged With Giving Teenagers Guns

DERRY, N.H. -- A Derry woman has been charged with giving guns to two teenage boys involved in a fight outside of her home.

Janice Murphy, 40, was charged with two counts of criminal liability for the conduct of another and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Police said that on July 6, Murphy gave a handgun and a rifle to two boys, ages 14 and 15. The boys had apparently called up two other boys with whom they had been fighting.

The other boys showed up at Murphy's home expecting a fistfight, but, police said, they encountered the teenagers armed with guns. Police said that one of the guns was fired. Investigators said Murphy originally told them she had fired the shot, but they determined that one of the teens did.

"There had been some sort of discussion about a fistfight with some other juveniles who showed up at the home," Capt. Vern Thomas said. "It's alleged that Ms. Murphy provided firearms to the individuals in her home, juveniles who then went outside and had a confrontation with the kids outside. One round was fired."

Murphy was released on $2,000 bail and is due back in court later this month.

Or, we can waste our time and resources passing unnecessary laws that make her actions here even more "illegaler".

I Don't Care Who You Are...

"...B-list Aquaman villain."

That's funny, right there.

You Have Right to...um...

From the Eagle Tribune (Lawrence, MA) opinion page:

Three cheers and a replacement bottle of fish sauce for Ross Vannarith, the owner of a Methuen liquor store who fought off a would-be robber with the help of his son and a bottle of the salty condiment.

Vannarith had just returned to the Methuen Package Store on Route 110 when he saw a man pointing a gun at his daughter behind the register. Vannarith crept up behind the man and wrestled him to the ground, where he and his son beat him into submission with the first thing that came to hand, a bottle of fish sauce.

[...]

Police have not charged the Vannariths with any crime related to the beating. Nor should they. People have a right to defend their lives and property.

While I stand behind that sentiment 110%, it just rings hollow coming from the land of the "most effective bigoted gun laws in the nation". And, it just screams out loud for this classic Python tie-in.

Judith: [on Stan's desire to be a mother] Here! I've got an idea: Suppose you agree that he can't actually have babies, not having a womb - which is nobody's fault, not even the Romans' - but that he can have the *right* to have babies.
Francis: Good idea, Judith. We shall fight the oppressors for your right to have babies, brother... sister, sorry.
Reg: What's the *point*?
Francis: What?
Reg: What's the point of fighting for his right to have babies, when he can't have babies?
Francis: It is symbolic of our struggle against oppression.
Reg: It's symbolic of his struggle against reality.

If a people are denied the means with which to defend themselves by their government, they are denied the very basic right to self-defense. Essentially, their lives no longer belong to them. The responsibility for what happens to their bodies is no longer theirs, but now belongs to whomever is in charge.

From that point on, they cease being free. Yet, in places in and around Boston, these people continue to live under the false impression that they are free and sovereign, and therefore should be afforded the rights of a free citizenry.

When I hear folks from Brookline or Cambridge (or Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC, etc.) crying out about how their rights and liberties are being violated by the Bush administration's wiretapping policy, or by a proposed law that would restrict, in any way, a woman's "right" to have an abortion, I can only shrug my shoulders, and offer this simple suggestion.

Quitcher bitchin'.

You ceded your personal sovereignty over to the government years ago - and your "right" to bitch about it along with it - when you voted all those totalitarian, elitist, Massachusetts "progressive" busybodies into office. They own you. They own your body. You've got exactly the government you deserve, so do us a favor, and shut the hell up.

And, one more thing, STAY IN MASSACHUSETTS!

Deval needs you.

This Just In!

Consuming excessive amounts of beverages loaded with sugar and foods high in acidity is bad for your teeth!

Color me stunned.

Hey, Look! I Did a Scientific Study Too!

A quick Google search on the phrase "Americans are under-taxed" yields 132 results.

The phrase "Americans are over taxed"? 806.

The evidence is overwhelming!

Click here for an explanation of this new and exciting scientific research method. Just make sure you got your laughing pants on first.

UPDATE: Well, this settles it, then. The scientific evidence is irrefutable. Here endeth the discussion.

Glocks suck = 272,000
Glocks rule = 756,000

I figured it would have been a lot closer a contest than that.

Gun Control...

...because the right of some scumbag to track down his ex-girlfriend, in violation of the restraining order against him, and brutally stab her to death at a birthday party in front of 40 or 50 onlookers is more sacred than the right of an armed citizen to try to prevent him from doing so.

SEATTLE -- A birthday party turned to chaos Sunday morning when a woman was stabbed to death by her ex-husband in front of dozens of people, and then the man was shot and killed by a man who witnessed the stabbing, Seattle police said.

Police say it all happened just before 1:30 a.m. at the VFW Post 6599 and Ladies Auxiliary Building on Martin Luther King Way South in South Seattle.

Witnesses told police there were group of about 40-50 people there celebrating a birthday when a man walked in looking for his 33-year-old ex-wife, who had a...

A what?

Any guesses?

...who had a restraining order against him.

But, of course.

They say the man found his ex, and then grabbed her and started stabbing her. Other people tried to hit him with chairs and tables to stop him, but they say the man kept stabbing the woman -- even cutting other people in the process -- until someone else pulled out a gun and shot him.

Handgun 1, Furniture 0.

Medics tried to help the victim, but she had already died. Her ex-husband was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he later died.

It sucks in a huge way that this woman was killed by her dirtbag ex-husband. But, there's no telling how this story would have played out or how many others might have been injured or killed had there not been a law-abiding gun owner there to end the assault as quickly as he could.

Though, there's one thing, of which we can be certain. Had he not intervened, the victim of this horrific attack wouldn't be any less dead.

(link via keepandbeararms.com)

The Good Old Days

Remember when these were called window fans?



UPDATE: Remember when people had enough common sense not to stick their body parts into rotating steel blades?

Wanted (Desperately): Editor - Apply Within

From the Sunday Times (UK):

(click to enlarge)

(link via Sharp As a Marble)

The Eyes of a Killer

Finn 1, Mr. Hedgehog 0.

Child Injured at GOP Machine Gun Shoot Fundraiser

Ban car doors now!

PELHAM – Manchester Republicans traded bullets for bucks yesterday in an unorthodox and controversial fundraiser at a Pelham firing range.

The city Republican party's first-ever "Machine Gun Shoot" lured hundreds of thrill-seekers and Second Amendment advocates to the Pelham Fish and Game Club with promises of a rare opportunity to wrap their hands around an automatic weapon.

"That was an experience, wasn't it?" said Ken Stargill, 27, smiling broadly after blasting 30 rounds from an AK-47.

About 350 people participated, with proceeds split evenly among the party, the Fish and Game club and the gun supplier, Manchester Firing Line Range. City Republican committee chairman Jerry Thibodeau estimated the party made upward of $2,000 on the day.

No one was hurt, he said, except for one girl who slammed her finger in a car door.

A good (though expensive) time was had by all. Gun rental fees were based on magazine capacity at 75 cents a round.

I dropped $45 to wreak havoc on some defenseless bowling pins with the Tommy Gun and the suppressed MP5. While German beer isn't exactly my beverage of choice, those Krauts sure make a nice submachine gun.

Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before

According to Boston Mayor Tom Menino's twisted brand of logical thinking (for lack of a better term), we'd all be best served by blaming the the National Rifle Association for this latest example of a violent criminal being allowed to roam the streets of Boston.

From Michele McPhee at the Boston Herald:

On a hot summer day last year - Boston’s bloodiest in a decade - Gregory Lodge pulled a .38 from his waistband on Dakota Street in Dorchester and threatened someone with it, police say.

“What are you going to do? Shoot me?” the victim asked Lodge, according to a police report.

The answer was yes, according to police. Shots were fired, but no one was hit. Police were called. The gun was recovered.

And Lodge, 24, was soon arrested. His fingerprints were lifted from the Smith & Wesson .38 recovered after he was busted. He was identified by the victim and witnesses.

This month, Lodge was brought to trial in the Suffolk County gun court, where a jury found him guilty of unlawfully carrying a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and carrying a loaded firearm earlier this month.

I guess actually shooting at someone on the street isn't a crime anymore in Boston. Any bets on whether or not Mr. Lodge took the time to be sure of his target and what was beyond?

But guess what?

Despite that conviction, Boston Municipal Court Judge Michael Coyne - who makes $129,369 a year - thought it was appropriate to give the convicted gun-toting thug a “stay of execution,” so he could get his affairs in order before he began serving the alleged mandatory 18-month sentence for illegally carrying a gun.

Can Coyne explain to me what kind of "affairs" an unemployed hooligan has to get into order before going to jail? The possibilities are scary.

Lodge was supposed to return to gun court last Tuesday so Coyne could sentence him. The con was a no-show.

Wow. Couldn't have predicted that one without a Magic 8-Ball.

And now he is on the lam.

Another great victory for Massachusetts liberalism.

I blame Ted Nugent.

Now, let's shift gears a little for a round of "What's wrong with this paragraph?". Here's McPhee's closer.

The National Guard could join forces with the BPD this morning and sweep through hot-spot neighborhoods to bust every gun-toting lowlife in the city - but unless the judges who are responsible for protecting us from the ugly growth of gun violence step up, it is the citizens who crave nothing but peace who will continue to suffer.

There are actually two answers to this one. First up, this news flash for Ms. McPhee.

Judges are as responsible for protecting people from violence as the governors who appointed them and the career politicians who voted them onto the bench. The responsibility for protecting the citizenry in this country falls primarily on, believe it or not, the citizenry - each and every one of us who calls the United States of America home.

Sadly, in the more "progressive" strongholds of America, like Massachusetts, the government has done everything in its power to make it as difficult as possible for a person to assume responsibility for his or her own security, while at the same time, doing everything in its power to ensure a steady supply of armed and dangerous criminals walking the sidewalks of our cities, towns, and neighborhoods.

One thing is certain. Should Hillary "It Taxes a Village" Clinton win the White House, this "exception to the rule" will become the national standard, as the scope of governmental control over our lives goes through the proverbial roof.

The second answer is hardly worth mentioning, as it's been the recipient of so many dead horse beatings here that I've lost count. So, I guess one more flogging couldn't do any harm.

By repeatedly referring to it as "gun violence", all Ms. McPhee and her colleagues in the media are doing is aiding and abetting the anti-gun politicians by shifting crime fighting attention and resources away from the criminals and focusing it, instead, on some of the tools they're using to assist them in their criminal activities.

Their inability/refusal to address the larger picture and their insistence on continuing their present course along the "Guns cause crime!" highway are the reasons their efforts fail. They're "fixing" a leaking boat by arguing over the color of the oars.

As I've said on multiple occasions, if all the guns in the world were to magically disappear one day, the strong, criminal subset of the population would still prey upon the weak.

Drugs and gangs would still be just as prevalent as ever in our inner-cities and beyond.

Innocents would be harmed and killed by the violent offenders being set free on a regular basis by Judges Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Mayor Menino would still be carrying in his back pocket a handy reference list of all the people, places and things (the NRA, George bush, Vermont, pay phones, t-shirts, foliage, tourists, etc.), on which he can blame his city's failures and shortcomings.

New Hampshire's violent crime rate would continue to be a fraction of the crime rate of our "progressive" neighbor to the south.

And, John Rosenthal and his ilk would sit back in their pastel-colored Adirondack chairs on the veranda, drinking wine spritzers and stroking each other's nether regions in congratulatory fashion for having been successful in lowering the state's "firearms fatality rate".

Something to Keep In Mind....

...the next time you hear one of the Democratic candidates for president call for the immediate and permanent repeal of the super-evil Bush tax cuts.

Despite the "inconvenient truth" that federal tax revenues have been pouring into Washington at a record pace in the years following, these idiots will insist on reading from the same bullshit talking points memo, telling us how the country simply "can't afford" to keep those tax cuts permanent.

Well, the day they put an end to insidious bullshit like this is the day I might start to actually pay attention to what this latest batch of Karl Marx wanna-bes has to say. Not that I'll agree with any of it, but I'll possibly give them a few more seconds before changing the channel..

If you’re a fellow C-SPAN geek like me, you’re watching the House in session on a Saturday night. Lots of action tonight. Right now, the defense appropriations bill is being debated. Jeff Flake is on the floor lambasting the 1,300 earmarks in the bill: “There’s an earmark in here for a ‘cold-weather hand protection system.’ We’re givin’ an earmark to a private company to sell gloves!”

The first one Flake is challenging is an amendment to restore the parade ground at the Presidio. Jack Murtha, of course, opposes Flake’s move.

Flake challenges Murtha to identify the sponsor of the Presidio earmark. Murtha won’t say. Flake names the sponsor: It’s the Speaker of the House.

“Why are we earmarking defense money for this? The taxpayers deserve a little better than this…It just seems wrong.” Flake mocks the euphemisms used in earmarks. Holds up a pen and says it would be referred to as a “stenographic polymer communications device” (or something like that) if it were in an earmark.

This Flake guy should be blogging.

I've Found Religion

Well, not really. But, now I know where bad people go after they die.

Quote of the Eon

James Madison:

"Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpation"

AMEN!

Via the Gipper:



That's good stuff.

I knew there was a reason I voted for him in '84, even though I had the political acumen of a piece of camp furniture back then.

UPDATE: After you've listened to the first couple minutes of that Reagan clip, read this telling bit from Hillary "To Each according to His Need" Clinton speaking at the Yearly Kos convention.

Clinton was asked what three lessons she learned from her failed health care reform effort during the presidency of her husband, Bill Clinton. "It is not enough to have a plan. You've got to have a political strategy," the New York senator said.

I'm trying to come up with a more original derogatory phrase to describe this deplorable cancerous growth on humanity and sworn enemy of all that is decent and free, masquerading as a United States senator, but all roads seem to bring me back to an exceedingly unappetizing and somewhat vulgar reference to a woman's urinary tract.

Gimme another minute or two.

Gotta Get Me One of These Knives

Headline: Framingham Officer Shoots Man With Knife 4 Times

Dear NASA:

You guys have got to get in touch with the folks over at Kellogg's and find out what they put in the Rice Krispies that causes the cereal to permanently graft onto the kids' near-empty cereal bowls if they're left unattended for all of two hours.

If you could incorporate some of that cereal adhesion technology into the formulation of the glue used to hold the ceramic tiles to the exterior skin of the Space Shuttle, I'd say your problem of tiles popping off will fast become but a faded memory.

You're welcome.

- Bruce

This Just In!

Apparently, the more words toddlers learn, the more they talk.

What a scam. I should have been a professional "researcher".

What's next? A study to determine the effect of Everclear punch on freshman girls at fraternity parties? Or a study to show that drinking drain cleaner is hazardous to your health?

Add your own in comments.

So...Who's Going?

I'll see you there.

Details here.

Too Late, Dickhead

Headline: McCain changes course on immigration

Quote of the Year

I'll have to go back through my archives and see if I've already awarded "Quote of the Year" honors to someone else. If so, I may have to rescind that award, in light of this gem.

"CAIR can go to Hell and they can take their 72 virgins with them."

Michelle Malkin has more.

Would a Blind or a Treestand Be Best?

Either way, I'd say this calls for a week or so of sleepovers with Mr. Shotgun and Mrs. Rocksalt.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- A local Little League field has been vandalized for the third time in less than a month.

Officials with the Manchester Central Little League said that they arrived at the field Thursday morning to find the locks broken, doors smashed in and food taken.

League volunteers said that the clubhouse and concession stand has either been vandalized or broken into three times in two weeks, but they said Wednesday night's burglary was the worst. Locks were broken, fire extinguishers were set off, freezers were left open and 16 donated walkie-talkies were stolen.

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This Just In!

Apparently, people have sex because it feels good.

And, it only took researchers (privately-funded, thank frikkin' God) five years to figure it out.

Expanding One's Horizons

Quote of the Day:

It never hurts to try to learn a little more about the things you don’t like and the people you don’t agree with, you may find out you didn’t know enough about them to have an opinion in the first place.

Go. Read. Now.

(link via Sharp as a Marble via Say Uncle)

This Can't Be!

How can it be that some of the more violence-prone neighborhoods in Boston have seen a decrease in the number of shootings, compared to last year? Mayor Menino told us that in order for that to happen, we here in New Hampshire would have to adopt Menino-style*, gun control laws.

And, that ain't happened.

Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis attributed the decline to an increased police presence in the neighborhoods, targeted investigations, and arrests of suspects police believed were responsible for shootings.

Arresting criminals can result in a lower crime rate???

Wow!

I had no idea!

He also cited resources added to the city's job, youth, and recreation programs.

But, what of Mayor Menino's gun buyback program, which he proclaimed last year to have been a "major success"? Ed must have just forgotten to mention it.

To help keep the numbers down, Davis said, police will continue to investigate and round up suspects they believe are responsible for shootings, but whom they have been unable to arrest on gun charges, by pursuing drug charges, parole violations, and other offenses.

Could it be that the light of reason is shining through the once-thought-to-be impenetrable haze of inept leadership in that town?

* Racist policies that enable rich, white folks to arm themselves and exercise their natural right to self-defense, while at the same time, telling low-income residents in the city's minority neighbors they're simply shit out of luck, and that the Constitution doesn't apply to their kind.

Just don't tell Ted "I *heart* minority votes rights" Kennedy about this. He'll be outraged.