Friday, November 25, 2005

Shock and Awe

My senses were assaulted the other day while in the supermarket checkout line by the usual smut passing for celebrity tabloids and "women's" magazines.

One that stood out--even over speculation about Britney and K-Fed, Brangelina and Jen, Mary-Kate's bony back, Nick and Jessica's impending split, Lindsay's engagement ring, and Cosmo's latest technique for busting his balls while employing tricks that'll drive him wild in bed while still being a feminist while increasing your bust size(I wish they'd make up their minds)--was the December issue of Glamour, featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones as cover girl.

"I am in awe of women who stand up for their rights," the Welsh actress gushed.

Really, Ms. Jones? Does that include the right of women to keep and bear arms that your punk husband and his UN handlers keep trying to eliminate?

Canadians to Galaxy: Disarm, Eh?

Seeing how well this policy has worked locally, the Canadians, the UN, Alfred E. Neuman understudy Dennis Kucinich , and even a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, have all agreed that ray guns are bad, mmm-kayyy...?

"We're Your Neighbor"

Blognomicon tells us of a Gary, IN woman robbed at knifepoint at a CITGO station--and the clerk refused to dial 911! If you have a blog, please consider telling your visitors about this, along with CITGO's contact information.

My email:

An Open Letter: Is This CITGO Corporate Policy?

Your website claims “We’re Your Neighbor.”

Your “Community Involvement” page tells us “At CITGO, we take ‘community’ seriously. Lending a hand to those in need is important to us.”

Yet, according to the Associated Press, when a paying customer asked a Gary, IN, station counter clerk to dial “911” after getting robbed at knifepoint, he refused. And your manager confirmed this is standard practice.

Is it?

What is CITGO going to do about this?

And why, with all the competition out there, should the public do business with a company that shows such callous and cowardly disregard for the welfare of its customers?

Your reply, or lack of one, will be publicized. How much depends on the swiftness and acceptability of your reaction.

Doing the Math in Gun-Free Schools

A high school math teacher was arrested after she brought an unloaded revolver onto school grounds in her vehicle...Barbara A. Rhoads, a math teacher at Pender High School, was charged Tuesday with felony possession of a weapon on educational property...A telephone tipster told Principal Robbie Cauley about the gun in Rhoads' vehicle...She acknowledged she had a handgun in her locked vehicle and gave consent for a search...

Let's see, she's a math teacher, so do the math. There are 10 Amendments in the Bill of Rights. Take away the Second, and you have...

We need to keep an eye on this as it unfolds--perhaps she was unsound, and a caring family member stopped a tragedy. Or, perhaps this is simply a case of a snitch getting revenge, in which case, such bravery and loyalty to the state deserves public recognition.

Too many people are unaware of their rights and the repercussions of ceding them. She should have refused the search and demanded to consult her lawyer. The cops would have gotten a warrant anyway, but it could have thrown a probable cause roadblock in the way of the prosecutor--who doesn't seem inclined to give her any consideration for her cooperation, what with the felony charge.

If convicted of keeping and bearing arms in a verboten zone, maybe she'll get put in with the general violent prison population where she can get stomped to death for taking cuts in the chow line. I know one person her going to the slammer will suit just fine--won't it, Wayne?

We're the Only Ones Pro...Oh, Hell, Not AGAIN...

Easton police have launched an internal investigation after a sergeant left his loaded department-issued handgun in a bathroom at the Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon in Palmer Township.

That's not the Easton PD's only problem:
The missing gun is the latest in a string of incidents that have plagued the department this year. City officials are looking for a new police chief, and a state grand jury is investigating the fatal shooting of officer Jesse Sollman at police headquarters in March.

Nor is this the first incident for the hapless officer Smith:
A source said Thomas Smith and another officer were disciplined last year when a shotgun Smith was handed went off during a domestic disturbance call. No one was hurt.

This account says Clouseau was "promoted to inspector."

And this version suggests the public servant got a bit surly with the private ones. Hey, not everyone can provide the same level of excellence he does.

Because, as we've seen time and again, folks like him are the only ones professional enough.

Nothing Like a False Sense of Security

Some gun locks handed out for free by the San Mateo Police Department as part of a gun safety program may be defective...According to the lock supplier, malfunctioning locks are missing a ball bearing needed to secure the device's cable in the padlock.

Now here's a case where I could support suing the manufacturer and distributors...

Brazil's Police 'Execute Thousands' For Peace

Hundreds, possibly thousands of people are shot by police every year in Brazil, a BBC investigation has found.

Yet ten Nobel Peace Laureates supported the Brazilian gun ban referendum. And here's another Nobel Prize for Peace and Literature nominee who thinks people should disarm.