The Voices of Reason

More flash movies at Toufee.com

The computerized voices are a little rough, but the idea comes across--thanks to Blogonomicon for the resource--not that I'll ever get skilled enough to progress beyond crude attempts like this.

It doesn't appear to shut the sound off after the slides, but you can left click to activate controls, then right click to pause the damn thing after it starts to get irritating--which for some will no doubt be sooner than later.

Kopel on Paul

Is Paul still a longshot? Yes, but so were George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, and Gary Hart. It is true that Republicans have, for over half a century, nominated whoever was leading in the first Gallup poll after Labor Day. But the past doesn’t control the future. Until 2000, for instance, no-one who had lost the New Hampshire primary had ever won the general election.

Polls show that about quarter of Americans are libertarians, in a general sense, so Paul has lots of room for growth. If he can keep raising enough money to get his message out, then with some strong finishes in the early states, he will start getting earned media.

But the "conventional wisdom" tells us he can't win--that is, the people who always tell us to give up without a fight and to negotiate from an initial position of compromise and appeasement say don't even try...

If half the gun owners who mindlessly parrot this line would throw their support behind him, they might be surprised at what can be accomplished.

I saw this same defeated-before-engaged "strategy" play out in California, where the establishment Republicans and weak-kneed gun owners proclaimed a Tom McClintock loss a foregone conclusion--even though Gallup polls at the time showed he had a substantial lead over the top democrat if Arnold--an avowed gun grabber--was not in the picture. The result? Welcome to the first and only state (thus far) to ban a bolt action rifle based on caliber.

Ah the hell with it. Tell me I'm wrong and put your faith in a "lesser of two evils." The skids are already being greased by some in the "gun camp" to fall behind Giuilani because of the Hillary threat. Besides, why enter the fray and actually do something based on principles when we can just make a dismissive comment and give up now? Isn't that the way revolutions always happen?

I read a comment on KABA Newslinks this morning that I really like:

If supporting the Constitution makes you unelectable we're doomed anyway.

If We're "The Only Ones"...

...that makes you the "Average Joes."

I think a new term may have been born.

The BATFU Runaround

The ATF is continuing to go back and forth with our Electronic Acquisition/ Disposition system that we have been leasing. ATF Director of Industry Operations Richard Van Loan had stated earlier that he would not have revoked our license if we would have gotten a computerized system.

More Catch-22 from everyone's favorite JBTs. It has to be obvious to even a judge that this is a sick game of cat-and-mouse revenge.

We're the Only Ones Skating Enough

Former Tuxedo Park police Chief Robert Culhane could have faced jail time and probation. Instead this morning a judge said his public embarrassment and loss of career was punishment enough.

Yeah. Why on earth would anyone expect an "Only One" to face the same felony conviction as a regular citizen, not to mention being categorized a "prohibited person" ?

[Via Declan]

We're the Only Ones Slip Sliding Away Enough

If the Cosmillos had made their pool baby-proof, police would not have been called to the scene, there would have been no water on the floor, and Eichhorn would not have hurt herself, he said.

"It's a situation where the Cosmillos have caused these problems, brought them on themselves, then tried to play the victim," he said.

Nice. Call for help, suffer an unimaginable tragedy and get sued by the "Only One" responder with the sterling employment record. Why do I perceive she did a particularly excellent job in her assignment as "a prostitution decoy"?

And I can't imagine a more heartless comment. This character Heil is appropriately named.

[Via Vaughn Croteau (who gave me the title) and SailorCurt]

We're the Only Ones Not All Present and Accounted For Enough

Police Chief James W. Tuffey told Albany lawmakers recently that dozens of machine guns secretly purchased by Albany police officers had all been recovered and destroyed.

But two sources familiar with the matter said several of the automatic weapons, which were obtained by Albany police officers and at least one civilian in the early 1990s, remain missing.

Now see, if we had background checks, registration and microstamping, this wouldn't have happened. And if we can't even trust highly trained and ethical "Only Ones," how in the world are we supposed we trust you?

[Via Declan]

We're the Only Ones Roughing You Up Enough

"They never said to us, 'Stop, this is Seattle police,' or that they wanted to talk to us," De Jong said. "You know how cops in movies show badges? Nothing like that happened. I thought they wanted to fight."

To serve and protect--"Only Ones" style.

[Via Matt Maynard]

We're the Only Ones No Longer Elite Enough

After weeks of worsening revelations about the Chicago Police Department's elite Special Operations Section, a beleaguered interim superintendent finally pulled the plug Tuesday, disbanding the scandal-plagued unit and sending most of its officers back to more strictly supervised assignments.

What, you have them busting up rocks on a chain gang?

[Via HZ]

[More from "The Only Ones" Files]

Forgive Snuffy His Trespasses

Criminal charges of trespassing against Reverends Jesse Jackson and Michael Pfleger, filed after a protest outside a south suburban gun store, were dropped Tuesday, officials said.

Yeah, the prosecutors didn't have enough evidence.

Try leading a mob to City Hall and inciting them to "Snuff out Mayor Daley!" and see if they can come up with a charge or two.

[Via HZ]

So Much for Diversity

Hamline University has suspended student Troy Scheffler after Scheffler replied to an e-mail from Hamline Vice President of Student Affairs David Stern to the Hamline community offering counseling for Hamline students in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings. In his reply, Scheffler wrote that a ban on students’ right to carry concealed firearms on the Virginia Tech campus was part of the problem and that Hamline should eliminate similar policies. He also criticized the school’s diversity programs.

Disagree and they exile you and coerce you into a mental evaluation (I wonder if this would meet the criteria for the proposed NICS expansion bill?). And their "invitation" is mandatory.

You know who else employed such tactics, right?

The Run and Hide Defense Strategy

Police believe Coon targeted the two teachers he shot Wednesday. He also shot two students while others hid in closets and bathrooms or ran out of SuccessTech Academy alternative school...

And we wouldn't have it any other way. Right, Wayne?

Chalk another one up for those rare and exceptional "law enforcement officers [and] trained security personnel."

[Via Maureen]

This Day in History: October 11

The naval Battle of Valcour Island, also known as the Battle of Valcour Bay, took place on 11 October 1776, on Lake Champlain in a narrow strait between the New York mainland and Valcour Island during the American Revolutionary War. It is generally regarded as the first naval battle fought by the United States Navy. Although the American ships under the command of Benedict Arnold were mostly destroyed, the campaign delayed by one year the British attempt to cut the colonies in half and eventually led to the British military disaster at Saratoga in 1777.