The Borg Collective Wants YOU

These are some of the statements that are made about the ATF in their recruitment video:

*The one phrase that defines an ATF Agent is someone that is committed to improving the public's quality of life.
*One of the best and most respected federal law enforcement agencies
*Voted best places to work in the federal government
*Self motivated people who seek a sense of honor and loyalty
*Strive to uphold the highest level of standards and integrity
*Value each other, as well as the citizens we serve
*Exciting place to work with many wonderful people

Me, I like where BATFU tells us they have their "roots going back to the creation of the American Constitution" (yeah, like enforcers for tyrants were the reason the Founders wanted to place strong, unequivocal restraints on the central government).

That and the close-up showing the field agent knows how to tie his boots ("Make two bunny ears. The bunny runs around the tree. The bunny jumps in a hole. Close it up tight!").

I'm also relieved to know that--at least when they stage takedowns for the camera using stand-ins for "criminals," they look like they know how to apply proper restraint, as opposed to what happens in the real world.

And I repeat my call to make sure all required-by-law federal procurement regulations were followed in the making of these videos. Too bad Leni Riefenstahl passed on. She would have been a natural at producing these...

We're the Only Ones Not Going on Trial Enough

A former Idaho Falls police officer facing felony weapons charges plans instead to plead guilty to a misdemeanor to avoid a trial that could have put him behind bars for years, his lawyer said.

Todd Ericsson, now a U.S. Department of Defense contractor in Iraq, is charged in 7th District Court with two counts of grand theft for receiving stolen property from Kimball Mason, the disgraced former Idaho Falls prosecutor now serving a prison sentence for stealing weapons from the city's police evidence locker.

Plus he'll end up with a clean record. But I'm sure, under the same circumstances, you know, stolen property, lying to investigators, transporting evidence out of state, all the normal, understandable stuff, that the prosecutor would have offered you and me the same deal.

Meanwhile, as long as we're in Idaho (and transporting stolen firearms across state lines to Utah), we might ask where's BATFU in all this? Tell me no federal violations were involved. Oh, yeah--making cartoons and recruitment videos--and destroying a family business.

[More from "The Only Ones" Files]

And the Larry Hincker Award Goes To...

Former state police Superintendent W. Gerald Massengill said yesterday that he is willing to personally support restrictions on sales of firearms at gun shows.

Stepping into a volatile political issue that he said will take on a new urgency and tenor in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, Massengill described himself as a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights but as a man who has witnessed an intolerable rise in gun violence and gun presence.

"We can't allow the proliferation of guns to continue," he said, speaking before The Virginia Center for Public Safety, a nonprofit group that is part of a coalition of gun-control advocates.

What...?

And the Winner Is...

The award, considered the UK benchmark for awarding campaigns on the basis of results, credited the campaign with leading to an 86% rise in calls providing information on gun crime, and a 15% reduction in actual gun crime.

Yeah, right.

Good grief.

We're the Only Ones Groping Enough

A former stripper testified that she was humiliated and then terrified when an on-duty Toronto police officer allegedly groped her breasts and pointed his gun because he did not like her attitude...

The traffic services officer was on duty and in uniform when he visited the For Your Eyes Only strip club in downtown Toronto on Oct. 8, 2004, near the end of an evening shift.

"Near the end of his shift," as in "still on duty."

Interesting the way the Canadians do it--identifying "The Only One" and protecting the name of the Citizen...

We're the Only Ones Making False Arrests Enough

Prosecutors have dropped the case against a TV reporter who was arrested carrying a loaded gun near a high school while working on a story on school violence, authorities said Tuesday...

Weinsier had been charged with armed trespass on school property, possession of a weapon, violation of carrying a concealed weapon and resisting arrest without violence. But he was not on school grounds when police approached him and ordered him to leave, Gerson said.

It's nice that he's considering civil legal action, but my question is why the officers involved (what were their names again?) haven't been arrested for kidnapping, false imprisonment, assault, battery...

Actually, there is something kind of transfixing about watching "Authorized Journalists" and "Only Ones" collide...

Permissible Restrictions

What restrictions on gun possession and use would be permissible? Almost no one argues that 2nd Amendment rights are absolute. After all, under the 1st Amendment, the right to free speech does not protect disturbing the peace; religious freedom does not shield human sacrifice.

I'll go along with that.

...Indeed, the appeals court acknowledged that Washington might be able to justify such things as concealed-carry restrictions, registration requirements and proficiency testing.

I won't go along with that. But chances are that's exactly the interpretation we'll get--if the Court takes the case, and if they "rule" in favor of individual rights.

There are some highly respected names in Second Amendment scholarship--people with a lot more formal academic credentials and wider name recognition than I'll ever have--who are on record stating registration would not be an infringement. To back this up, they cite militia laws and practices employed in the Founding Era, where a Citizen would be required to muster with certain predefined arms and accoutrements and subject them to inspection and being recorded into the rolls.

That I have no problem with. If the sheriff puts out a general call to arms (right), I expect him to ensure those of us answering the call won't end up being a detriment. But I see nothing in early militia laws suggesting the people of that era would have considered arms not brought to muster as anybody's business, and am unaware of any widespread legal parallel for recording what people of that time kept in their homes, or bought, sold or bartered.

As always, I'm willing to be educated. That said, the historic lessons of registration ought to be brutally clear to all, and the answer based on that alone ought to be "No."

As an aside, it's nice to see these sentiments getting ink in The Los Angeles Times.

We're the Only Ones Giving the Brush Off Enough

The mother of an unarmed, mentally ill teenager who could be heard on a 911 call yelling "I've got a gun!" cautioned police that she didn't think he was armed before officers killed him in a 20-bullet barrage.

But police officials insisted Tuesday that Khiel Coppin, 18, gave five officers no choice but to open fire after he suddenly charged them outside his mother's home with a black object in his hand; the object turned out to be a hairbrush...

The officers backed up and ordered him to stop, police said. When the teen refused and kept approaching them, they began shooting from a distance of 5 to 7 feet, police said.

"5 to 7 feet," and Bloomberg's highly trained ("all with at least 10 years of experience") "Only Ones" can't tell the difference between a brush and a gun? I was prepared not to even comment on this story until I read that sentence. Had he been farther away, what with moving rapidly and all, I'd have been able to accept that they couldn't be sure. And since when in their training do they let a suspect with a gun get that close?

Naturally:

Patrolmen's Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch was quick to come to the officers' defense.

Well, yeah. The kid lifted a finger.

There does seem to be something missing from this story, though, and maybe you can help me put my finger on it. We know the victim's name. We know his mother's name. We know his brother's name and his stepfather's name, and even the family attorney's name. Shoot (sorry), we even know the neighbor's name (Hi, Bernice!) Now as we all know, the Associated Press assigned three "authorized journalists" to this story (and we know their names, too), so why do I have the nagging feeling that these highly trained professional watchdogs of government left something out...? Oh well, it probably wasn't important.

This Day in History: November 14

Now we are upon the subject of Grievances, I am constrained to observe, that I have a variety of Accounts, not only from Prisoners who have made their escape, but from persons who have left Philadelphia, that our Private Soldiers in your hands, are treated in a manner shocking to humanity, and that many of them must have perished thro' hunger, had it not been for the charitable contributions of the Inhabitants. It is added in aggravation, that this Treatment is to Oblige them to inlist in the Corps you are raising. The Friends of these unhappy men, call daily upon me for their relief, and the people at large insist on retaliating upon those in our possession. Justice demands it. However before I would proceed to a measure my feelings recoil at, I thought it right to mention the facts to you, and I would propose, that I may be allowed to send a suitable person into the city, under the usual restrictions, to examine into the Truth of them.

Court Takes No Action in Guns Case

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court took no action Tuesday in the case involving the District of Columbia's ban on handguns.

The justices discussed the case at their private conference on Friday, but reached no resolution.

See AAARRGGHHH!!!! and Heller Watch, below, for further details.

AAARRGGHHH!!!!

Court takes no action on gun case

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007 10:02 am Lyle Denniston
The Supreme Court on Tuesday announced no action on a new case testing the meaning of the Second Amendment. The next date for possible action on it is likely to be November 26, following a pre-Thanksgiving Conference set for November 20.

What's the matter, people? 68 years isn't a long enough time to make us wait?

As an aside, if you follow the title link on "Heller Watch," below, at the time of this posting there is nothing filed by the "authorized journalists" who get paid grand money and have billions of dollars in facilities and resources at their disposal to bring us all breaking news. Remember that the next time you hear them bemoaning the unprofessionalism of mere bloggers--or the government declaring we are not to be recognized as sanctioned media.

Since this has only appeared at this writing on SCOTUS Blog, I've "pulled rank" and called SCOTUS itself to verify the report, identifying myself as a field editor for the magazine. The receptionist promised to have the Public Information Officer call me. Sorry to take advantage of my royal blood, but I figure the need for accurate and timely reporting may cause some of you to excuse line cutting and surface hypocrisy.

I'll update this if I get a callback, or once this starts showing up as confirmed in the "official" media.

UPDATE: "Official media" has now reported this, and as of 11:47 AM EST, the promised return call has not happened--I doubt it will now that the story is out, because my message said I was calling to verify the SCOTUS Blog report. That's now not necessary.

But speaking of folks with resources, not to mention dedicated paid staff AND a strong vested interest in informing gun owners, I do find it curious that at this writing, our leaders are yet again not leading us.

[Via Joe's Crabby Shack]

Heller Watch

The title link should take you to the Google news results page for the Heller case, where the Supreme Court is expected to announce today if they will hear the case.

Check back on occasion to see the latest updates, and I will do the same.

The roller coaster is clacking as it's slowly towed up the first incline...

A Czar for Mary

All around the cathedral the saints and apostles
Look down as she sells her wares.
Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling
Each time someone shows that he cares.

The Old Bird Woman must die! And leave it to Bürgermeister Bloomberg's New York enforcers to come up with a jackbooted police state final solution.

Look, I know the flying rats can be filthy as hell, and I really have no problem with finding incentives to discourage their out-of-control propagation, but a freaking "Pigeon Czar"? And as I usually ask whenever that term is employed, how come we never call them Führers?

If you find Mary Poppins too saccharine and treacly for your tastes (not me, I'm a sap for that kind of stuff, and having raised two cubs still know most of the Disney Sing Along Songs by heart), try this as a counterbalance.

Hey Kids: It's BATFU Toon Time!

What is interesting though, is that these videos must have cost tax payers quite a bit to educate dealers. However neither I nor any other dealers that I had asked, had any ATF employee notify us about them.

Yeah, I think an FOIA demand to see who authorized this, how much they paid, who produced these and whether or not all federal procurement competitive bidding regulations, including requirement considerations for small/disadvantaged/woman-owned/minority businesses--and if there even was an IFB or RFP--were adhered to.

These same thugs will whine about how they don't have the resources to do their "job," but have money to burn on this silly crap. Maybe that's a good thing, come to think of it...

[More on Red's Trading Post and BATFU from WarOnGuns]

[Image from "A Brush With Politics: The Life and Work of John Frith"]

We're the Only Ones Electrified Enough

Wis. officer accidentally Tasers himself

Another Lee Paige, the Godfather of "The Only Ones," in the making...

[Via Plug Nickel Times]

BBC...Fair and Balanced ...NOT!

From WarOnGuns Correspondent 1894C, we have a list of examples of "authorized journalism" in its purest and ultimate form. Seeing as how the BBC is an appendage of the state, that it would work toward their interests, rather than those of British subjects, is hardly surprising. Still, it's instructive to note how glaringly evident the anti-defense agenda is, or would be if people weren't conditioned to consume news as mindlessly as they do snacks:

Britain's changing firearms laws

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7056245.stm

How guns get into the hands of crooks

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6937453.stm

Who supplies the guns on our streets?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6937457.stm

Gun crime: A glossary

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6286562.stm

Who makes the world's guns?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6294242.stm

What can be done about gun crime?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7047649.stm

RELATED INTERNET LINKS (On BBC Page)

Gun Control Network

http://www.gun-control-network.org/GCN02.htm

Mothers Against Murder and Aggression

http://www.mamaa.org/

Stop The Guns (Operation Trident)

http://www.stoptheguns.org/

The notion is crystal clear, guns are violent (imagine the absurdity of an inanimate object being violent, but reason has nothing to do with it), gun owners are evil, and relinquishing your sovereign rights is the path to security. This message has blatant support by government across the UK in defiance of logic or facts, it is simply accepted. It is the future here unless gun owners stop it.....

Cave Creek Misery

A Cave Creek resident is taking a stand against what he calls a dangerous sport in town.

Herb Natker filed an appeal recently in his complaint against Cave Creek buffalo wrangler T.C. Thorstenson...

Let's see--a guy gets thrown from his horse three years ago when a hayride wagon spooks it, so that means mounted cowboy shooting must be banned. Yeah, I follow that.

I did some checking on this Herb Natker character, and it seems he's continually complaining about something or other. Maybe some people apparently just can't stand to see other people having a good time, and feel so strongly about it, they'll even demand employing the coercive power of the state to stop it, with it's "obey or be destroyed" enforcers to impose their will.

I'll bet'cha if he'd have just taken an interest in the goings on at the outset, and maybe had his wife bring over a tray of hot muffins, his whole outlook would have been changed. I guess some people would rather be miserable, and make life miserable for everyone around them.

[Via Featherless Biped]

This Day in History; November 13

On November 13, 1775, General Richard Montgomery led American troops in the capture of Montreal.

That's Actually Pretty Funny

Wayne Fincher Appellant Principal Brief.

The principal brief has now been filed on Wayne's appeal. The brief was filed in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals by Quentin Rhoades of Montana as pro bono counsel with the assistance of Stewart Rhodes of Nevada.

The Government's response is due within 30 days. There will then be opportunity for rebuttal argument.

The link to the actual document is on the page the title link takes you to. Paul W. Davis wanted people to read the update before downloading the brief.

I posted an announcement about this yesterday, because this is an important document to read, not just as it pertains to the story of Wayne Fincher, but also because of the legal and historical information pertinent to the Second Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms that it contains. I urge everyone to read it completely--if you can't do it now, set aside an hour later today or this week when you can. Then share this link with other gun owners.