No Excuses, BUT...

Suljo Talovic said he would not make excuses for his son, but did not understand how a teenager could buy a gun in the United States.

"The authorities are guilty for not alerting us that he bought a gun. In the U.S., you cannot buy cigarettes if you are underaged, but you can buy a gun," he said.

I feel for you, Mr. Talovic. I really do. I can only imagine the hell you and your wife are going through, and I pray I will never experience the loss of a child.

But you're not going in a direction with this that will do anyone any good.

[Via HZ]

New WarOnGuns Poll: Would You Carry Concealed Without a Permit?

See the new poll in the left margin.

Here are the results of last week's poll (click on image to enlarge):

A Pirate's Life Redux

Pirates hijacked a cargo ship delivering UN food aid to north-eastern Somalia yesterday, according to officials...

The pirates use speedboats equipped with satellite phones and GPS equipment. They are typically armed with automatic weapons, anti-tank rocket launchers and grenades, according to the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia.

As I wrote in "A Pirate's Life for Me!" (GUNS & AMMO, April 2002):

Aye, pirates there still be. But the blackest tale o' treachery on the Seven Seas comes not from cutthroats. It comes from anti-defense globalists, that is, the people reporting the increase and chartered to do something about it-- the scurvy knaves at the IMO and the privateers who follow in their wake.

Crossed anchors over a UN logo on the IMO ensign evoke nothing so much as a Jolly Roger, and despite their objective of "improving maritime safety," the world agency could be considered a buccaneer's best friend. Not only are they powerless to help victims of piracy in progress, but they actively oppose the only proven deterrent, armed defense.

Is this where I say "Harrr"?

We're the Only Ones Harassing Enough

Lately, the talk around the bar, on street corners and at the strip club on Route 12 has turned to Plainfield’s embattled police chief, Gary L. Sousa, a 26-year veteran of the force who was recently suspended because of accusations that he sexually harassed three women: two current town hall employees and one former town employee.

Hey, baby, wanna touch my baton?

Am I going to have to hold another Leoerotica Convention?

[Via Declan]

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

We're the Only Ones Exposed Enough

The Federal Security Director for the Transportation Security Administration in Boise resigned today, after charges surfaced that he exposed himself to a number of people at an Idaho Falls hotel early last week...

Police reports indicate Melvin entered the swimming area, removed his clothing and walked around naked – exposing himself to staff and hotel guests.

The police report indicates Melvin was masturbating in front of a window at the hotel, in view of an elevator.

He was probably fantasizing about patting down bodies and making people take their shoes off...

[Via joefm]

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

We're the Only Ones Permissive Enough

Quincy Police Chief Robert Crowley, for instance, said shortly after taking the job in 2004 that his style in issuing permits would be more restrictive than his predecessors.

Crowley’s policy requires that people applying for a handgun license have some reason more than self-defense. The policy has triggered intense criticism from gun-rights activists from across the state, as well as legal challenges, but he has never backed away from it.

‘‘I have not budged. I still believe what I said originally. I want a good reason, and a need, then I will give you a license to carry a firearm,’’ Crowley said this week.

If someone, for instance, says he needs to carry a firearm because he walks at night, and would feel more protected if he was licensed to carry a firearm, ‘‘well, my mother used to walk at night, and she never carried a firearm,’’ Crowley said.

‘‘If someone says ‘I carry large sums of money,’ well nobody ever said what a large sum of money is,’’ Crowley said in explaining why that person might be denied.

On the other hand, if a person owns a restaurant or other business that necessitates making nightly cash deposits, ‘‘to me, that is reasonable,’’ Crowley said.

‘‘I do not deny a person a permit because I do not like them. I deny them for a specific reason,’’ he said.

My rights, Chief Crowley, are not subject to your inane opinions, and are certainly not going to be held hostage waiting for your permission.

The thing is, if someone did get caught "illegally" carrying concealed, there would be no shortage of self-styled forum warrior "gun rights activists" complaining how "that makes us all look bad."

[Via Declan]

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

This Day in History: March 4

Under the cover of constant bombing from American artillery, Brigadier General John Thomas slips 2,000 troops, cannons and artillery into position at Dorchester Heights, just south of Boston, on this day in 1776. Under orders from General George Washington, Thomas and his troops worked through the night digging trenches, positioning cannons and completing their occupation of Dorchester Heights.