We're the Only Ones and You're Not

An Allentown police officer has been suspended with pay after he shot another police officer in the arm with a pellet gun inside the police station Saturday, according to a statement released Wednesday by police Chief Roger MacLean...

Police withheld the names of the officers involved pending the outcome of an internal investigation and would not release the incident report...

Suspended with pay, name and report kept confidential...Yeah, you and me could expect the same treatment if we shot a cop with a pellet gun.

No doubt about it.

[More from "The Only Ones" files...]

Alligator Problem? Call Tom Lyons

I mean, heck, the gator was barely 3 feet long, if that.

Though Frey is disabled and uses a cane to get around, she wouldn't expect to lose a fight to the death with a gator that small.

All it needs to do is sever an artery and she could have bled to death, Tom. Why on earth would a human choose to "fight to the death" with an animal, when we have tools that can give us instant mastery of the situation?

And you know what, Tom? Golden retrievers aren't small dogs. They instinctively know how to hunt, and this one was reluctant to attack. What did a dog know that you apparently don't, sitting in witless, smug judgment in your cubicle?

As for calling instead of defending herself, three women have been killed by alligators in the past week, and the hotline is "swamped." But you're one of those "Dial 911" types, aren't you, Tom? So I'm sure you won't mind pointing out to your readers the Florida law that makes state wildlife officers liable if they fail to protect a citizen's life?

What, you can't? They have no legal duty to do this, with consequences should they fail?

And what about if she had run away to call and the reptile had snatched a toddler?

Some of us won't cede our birthright to animals, Tom, including the 2-legged kind.

Tell you what, you self-impressed snot: Let's see you go after a 3-foot aggressive gator barehanded. Or better yet, a 2-foot possum, or a 1-foot rat.

I mean, heck, working at a major newspaper, you shouldn't have any problem finding large rats...

Canadians OK With Scrapping Gun Registry?

Many adults in Canada think the federal government should do away with a highly controversial program, according to a poll by Ipsos-Reid released by CanWest Global. 54 per cent of respondents say the gun registry is badly organized, is not working properly, and should be scrapped.

Now hold the phone just a damned minute here. I posted on this a few days ago, and the results being touted by the National Post quoted the Ispos-Reid VP stating:

The concept of a gun registry has taken root across the country. There's a majority, 67 per cent, that's not a small majority, who believe that Stephen Harper shouldn't be doing away with all gun registries.

I think the most salient observation on this came from Jay in the "Comments" section, who noted:

If memory serves, a majority of Canadians said "screw you" at the ballot box to ex-Prime Minister Paul Martin and the Liberal Party. To me, that is a much more convincing opinion poll.

Agreed.

This Day in History: May 18

On this day in 1783, the first United Empire Loyalists, known to American Patriots as Tories, arrive in Canada to take refuge under the British crown in Parrtown, Saint John, Nova Scotia (now New Brunswick), Canada. The town was located on the Bay of Fundy just north of the border with what is now the state of Maine.

Which may explain some of the differences in national psyches...

I also forgot to post yesterday's May 17 entry. Workin' 7 days a week here, with hours in double-digits. I'm bound to forget something...