Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona was charged with conspiracy, mail fraud and witness tampering in a wide-ranging indictment unsealed Tuesday that also implicates his wife, his “longtime mistress” and two former assistant sheriffs...Well, that sucks. It always baffled me how he would be honored at CRPA banquets because he was a bit more liberal about scraping CCW crumbs on the floor for gun owners to scramble for. I fantasized at one such occasion, when he was being feted as a champion of RKBA, to publicly ask him if he was prepared to arrest me in front of the audience that was honoring him if I revealed I was carrying without a permit. Knowing what the certain answer would be (and mindful of the number of "pro-gun" cops at the event), I didn't see much payoff in having my life destroyed to prove an obvious point (that is, if I was truly carrying. Heavens. What kind of scofflaw radical white people-scaring extremist would actually engage in covert civil disobedience instead of just talking about it?)--and besides, it would have upset the ceremony where everyone was congratulating each other and passing out plaques over what a fine job they've done protecting gun rights in California.
The Los Angeles Times reported in 2005 that he had issued badges and concealed-weapons permits to campaign contributors without proper training or background checks.
All this aside, here's the part of this story that "really grinds my gears":
In August, Carona agreed to a settlement with the state Fair Political Practices Commission and paid a $15,000 fine after he incorrectly billed his campaign committee for thousands of dollars in non-itemized expenses.
Anyone care to explain why the FPPC economically destroyed Russ Howard's life with over $800,000 in fines over "infractions" nowhere near as serious, when he was trying to do the right thing?
[Via M.S.]
[More from "The Only Ones" Files]
I am glad you didn't, David. Gear grinding aside, they have the power to do as they please and we do not. I expect they'll play a tune after the ball as well.
ReplyDeleteIf only Russ had been an "Only One"...
ReplyDeleteAnd, of course, the NRA really stepped up to the plate to help Mr. Howard. NOT
That bullshit FPPC railroad of Russ Howard still sticks in my craw.
Look! We all know the only defense against that kind of tyranny. Don't we?
ReplyDeleteAnd until we realize just how not extraordinary this type of crap is, we won't make use of it.
That is why the MSM media emphasis, or lack of it. is so dangerous to us. That is also the reason we are starting to see calls for regulation and taxation of the internet. If they can keep it from being known that instances such as this are the norm, instead of isolated miscarriages of justice most believe them to be, they can continue their depredations of the citizenship.
Otherwise, they know knowledge of the ubiquitous nature of these abuses will cause their downfall.
Fortunately for them, and unfortunately for us, most people are fat, dumb and happy and perfect willing to remain ignorant to maintain that status.
That is why I am so impatient with those supposedly on my side who, though for the most part, are more educated than I, cannot add two and two and come to a reasonable conclusion.
That's kinda why I do what I do, SA.
ReplyDeleteThe other day, one of my posts was linked to on KABA, and one of the commenters wrote: "David, you shouldn't be surprised."
I didn't see much point in telling him that he was mistaking decades of commenting on this kind of crap to people who are either oblivious--or if newly awakened argumentative because they mistake the fact that they have an opinion with being informed--for novelty.
One of the reasons I keep this pain in the ass blog going--despite the amount of work, the pathetically low readership, and the personal exposure-- is because of the quality of the commentators here. But honest to God--I figure if gun owners don't get it by now they are unreachable, and my time would best be spent keeping a low profile and storing my nuts for the winter.
The best way to "store nuts" is to bury them. Ask a chipmunk. I know a few nuts that need to be buried deep.
ReplyDeleteDamn Kent, but that was bad advice. I like to never have gotten out of the back yard after taking you advice.
ReplyDeleteDavid,
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work.
I think that perhaphs Thomas Paine could have been safer by keeping a low profile. But thank God he did not choose to do so.
You do a service to the Republic for which we are all grateful.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke