Phillipines: We're the Only Ones Exempted Enough

THE Commission on Elections yesterday began accepting requests for gun ban exemption.

James Arthur Jimenez, Comelec spokesman, urged gun owners to come forward and apply for an exemption from the gun ban, which takes effects on Jan. 14 until June 13 next year.

Security agencies, members of the National Police and the Armed Forces, and security personnel for government officials could be granted an exemption, Jimenez said.

Citizens...? Anybody see anything about exemptions for citizens...?

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

Sniff Dogg Redfines Hypocrisy and Gall

Snoop Dogg has called for a world gun amnesty.

The rapper - who was arrested in October for possession of drugs and a firearm - wishes the planet could be free of guns so no more lives could be unnecessarily cut short.

Sure thing, Sniffster. You first.

Return from Mountain Paradise

What a great mini-vacation. The kids hardly ever see snow, and we got it, about 8" yesterday. I'd forgotten the magic of walking through a heavy snow (when I was living in it, it hardly seemed magical), and I was delighted to find that with purpose and discipline, this old man can still outpace two teenagers.

I got a chance to catch up on some reading, enjoy some good Cabernet and an excellent maduro and single malt, and just generally have nothing to do--which for me is an almost alien experience.

The drive back down was picture perfect. The road was plowed and the sky was blue, and the switchbacks hardly iced at all, even in the shade.

If I had access to the internet, I could probably find some reasons for never coming back down...

This Day in History: December 28

British troops commanded by Major James Henry Craig are posted at John’s Island, just outside of Charleston, South Carolina, on this day in 1781. Craig had evacuated his troops from Wilmington, North Carolina, a little over a month earlier on November 14. The Patriots planned to remove Craig and his men from the island with troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee and his famed cavalry from Fort Ninety-Six in the South Carolina backcountry. Lee aborted the attack when a column led by Major James Hamilton arrived too late and was unable to cross the Wapoo River, which was only fordable once or twice a month.