Wednesday, March 28, 2007

And the Christian Trejbal Award Goes To...

..."Criminal Justice" reporter Mike McWilliams, Publisher Mike Beck, and News Editor Teresa Thorpe of The Iowa City Press Citizen, for irresponsibly, and with hatred aforethought, printing the names and addresses of Johnson county concealed weapon permit holders (I'll not directly link to that list here).

Must a person who got their CCW because they have cause to fear someone finding them get hurt or killed before "authorized journalists" are held accountable for their actions?

CCW holders aren't the only people with addresses that can be posted, but I don't fight that way.

[Via Tavis]

Sounding Off on Bill Brown

My philosophy is to issue CCWs sparingly, according to our policy, if there is a valid reason.

And you're the sole arbiter of what's valid, right, Sheriff?

This is the text version of the "web paper" story I linked to earlier.

I registered and added this comment:
I guess the real question here–and it flat out baffles me that no one from the media has looked into this–is why did NRA endorse Brown for sheriff and give him their coveted “A” rating, which is supposed to be reserved for 2nd Amendment champions? Why did they mail postcards to their members and supporters informing them of this? Why did they encourage their members to support Brown? How many members donated time and money to the Brown campaign based on this endorsement? How many voted for Brown and encouraged their gun owner friends to do so as well?

And most importantly, now that Brown’s philosophy has been revealed in practice (and to my knowledge, he never hid it to begin with or changed positions after elected–in other words, he has always been publicly pretty consistent in his opposition to concealed carry), why is NRA now silent on this, ignoring long time members who ask them to explain themselves?

I’d like to attribute this to a political mistake, but anyone with just a little knowledge about the Association’s past practices can tell you this is not the first time “A” ratings have been awarded to undeserving candidates–and not the first time questions about this practice have been ignored.

So how about it, Daily Sound–are you going to call NRA and ask them for the record why they endorsed Brown? If not, why not?

Feel free to add your own comments to their site--maybe if enough people show interest and lead them by the nose to a story, the "authorized journalists" will ask a pointed question or two.

More on Bill Brown

[Via Larry Rankin and Russ Howard]

Ah, But There's the Rub

"Who knows what the intention of the individual was?" Irvine said.

Irvine said if Higgins had a concealed-weapons permit, he would not have been arrested.

Well you have a gun, Lieutenant. Who knows what your intentions are?

Oh, but I forget. You're an "Only One." You're more trained, competent, smart, loyal, trustworthy, brave, kind, reverent and clean than the rest of us unwashed masses.

Just tell us one thing, though: How the hell does someone without special connections get a permit in LA County?

Teaching Credentials

Mrs Mitchell travels the country educating people about the dangers of firearms and imitation weapons.
Doesn't "educating people" presume the educator knows what the hell she's talking about?

Baby One More Time

The undercover officer, a retired policeman, ran out of the Hollywood church, aimed his weapon and shouted: "Get out of your car, get down."

He then handcuffed the photographer and accused him of trying to run over a traffic policeman before eventually releasing him.

So it was church security and not Britney's personal bodyguard?

My favorite line from the story:
This is a church, not a concert.

I find this whole episode particularly hypocritical, because it occurred at the Bel Air Presbyterian Church.

Why?

Because of this:
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a thirty year history of support for gun control legislation.

Unauthorized Journalists Need Not Apply

Parliament rejected his application for accreditation, saying he and other bloggers do not meet the legal definition of a journalist.
And we've seen time and again here at WarOnGuns how only "Authorized Journalists" can be relied on to give us complete, fair and balanced coverage while holding governments' feet to the fire.

We're the Only Ones Who Give a Hoot and Don't Pollute Enough

The acting police chief and three officers in a small resort town on Fire Island were indicted Tuesday in the beating of a vacationer who had been picked up for littering.

The victim was beaten so severely he suffered severe internal injuries, including a ruptured bladder that required 10 days in a hospital...

The Ocean Beach police department, which has 2 full-time members and 24 part-time members, had been the subject of a county grand jury probe since December.

Last week, five former police officers claimed they were wrongfully fired by Hesse, who they said associated with a drug dealer, had sex in department headquarters and covered up cases of brutality.

Well I know where I'm planning my next vacation. Tourism "Only Ones" style!

Let's see, "Things to Do on Fire Island"...

Hemorrhage...

[Via Declan]

This Day in History: March 28

Upset by the Boston Tea Party and other blatant acts of destruction of British property by American colonists, the British Parliament enacts the Coercive Acts, to the outrage of American Patriots, on this day in 1774.