Somewhere in Maslow's Hierarchy* Between Boils and Chlamydia

"And we need, and I need, Michael Moore in my life." [More]

Madonna. Is there anything she can't advise us on?

Why not put a little Michael Moore in your life?

*

Collateral Damage from the Olofson Case

While common sense, history, and principle are firmly on Savage’s side, a technicality and guile might lean toward the proven manipulative, vindictive, and duplicitous ATF.

This is the best summary I've seen. Do yourself a favor--go read it and then share it.

We're the Only Ones Not in the Habit Enough

"We're not in the habit of going to homes and shooting peoples' dogs," Ellis said. "If we were, there would be a lot more dead dogs around the county."

That's gotta be one of the more chilling "Only Ones" statements I've ever seen in print.

There's a video here.

I guess it never occurs to these flash-bang types that if you calmly and quietly go about your business, you can get results minus panic. It's like TASING somebody and then doing it again because they went into seizures instead of stayed still.

Most family dogs are approachable if you display the right attitude of confidence and calmness. One big thing I've always found helps is to not be a chickenshit on steroids. And even for those animals that stay aggressive, there are plenty of capture/restraining devices that make a lethal response one of last resort--just ask the town dogcatcher--they do it every day. A little training in animal control techniques is too much to expect from those empowered to employ lethal force?

I don't know what part the "persons of interest" played in all this, and the irony of a person who makes laws that others must obey--or else--being caught up in the system isn't lost on me. But anybody could have sent that package--a rival, an enemy--and for the cops to be right on top of it raises the question of "how?"

And do we really want dynamic entry teams with guns a-blazin' over a box of pot?

[Via John G]

We're the Only Ones "South of the Border Down Mexico Way" Enough

A Soledad police officer and a Monterey police officer were arrested Friday while trying to smuggle firearms into Mexico, police said.

Watch the accompanying video to hear an "Authorized Journalist" intone "5,000 rounds" with shock and awe. I guess that and a couple of pistols is an "arsenal."

Still, it's interesting how it took the one cop "losing" three guns to get him canned while on probation.

I wouldn't put too much stock in this story being anything but an aberration--after all, the "Only Ones" have assured us that Mexican criminals get the lion's share of their firepower from American gun shows, and if we were to question that, we might as well just suspect them outright of having an agenda.

That's just crazy talk, isn't it?

[Via Dave Licht]

No Thanks to Bob Barr

When Lou Matteo got his handgun collection back, town police averted a legal battle based on a new U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding an individual's right to own a gun.

Matteo, 75, turned over his firearms in March after a verbal spat with his wife led to an order of protection against him. Guilderland police refused to give the guns back, citing a federal law barring anyone under an order of protection from possessing firearms.

"Gee," mused Bob Barr bewilderedly, "why is everybody mad at me...?"

[Via Jeffersonian]

Burma Rave

Rangoon is seething with frustration after last year's failed protests, which were led by monks. The government's callous handling of the cyclone in May which killed at least 140,000 people has increased popular anger.

Some now talk about taking up arms against the government after the failure of last year's non-violent protests.

A group of young men in a Rangoon bar spoke openly about wanting to attack the army. "If we could find guns, we would do it," said one English-speaking teenager. "I marched last year, we were shot at and we had nothing to shoot back with."

They ought to knock that kind of talk off. It's not pragmatic and they're going to scare yellow people.

[Via Tom H]

This Day in History: August 3

I Inclose Agreable to your Excellencys desire a List of Such Officers in the army as have received Commissions from the Congress of this Colony: and Also the Resolves of the Congress: which though Inaccurate may serve to Shew in what manner the Congress Intended to Rank the several Regiments raised in this Colony.

SiteMeter IE Issues Resolved

So I put the widget back in the margin.

We're the Only Ones Who Shouldn't be Questioned Enough

When police arrived, they found Hutchinson under an overpass on U.S. 65 Saturday morning, Springfield's KY3 News reported. The boy had fallen 30 feet off the overpass and was lying on the shoulder.

When the boy didn't respond to police, they Tasered him, repeatedly.

I'll bet that got a response.

Authorities say their use of a Taser weapon should not be questioned, because they were trying to help Hutchinson to safety.

We're going to help you or else. What's that road to hell paved with again?

[More from The "Only Ones" Files]

That's Pretty Funny There

Peter G says about links to gun grabber sites:

I wouldn't click them with *your* mouse.

"I Wouldn't Say No"

Well somebody should.

See, It's Old Subversives Like This...

...that make a Mike Vanderboegh response a necessary part of the toolkit, regardless of any condemnation you might hear from the more amenable. And incidentally, 45superman confirmed what I suspected and would have reported on yesterday had I not been locked out: All the PSH over that, and I mean all of it, came from that camp.

When a paper bills itself as "You Progressive Voice," I have no problem speaking to communists and their supporters like the genocide-enabling dogs they are.

That includes you, Amitai. That you fled from Nazi Germany and yet still embrace "gun control" and"communitarianism" as "a carefully crafted balance between rights and responsibilities and autonomy and order" makes you especially contemptible.

Foolish Homeowners Endanger Selves and Children

Alexander Erion Neal, 20...and two other armed men had kicked in the door and were trying to rob the house, when they encountered an elderly couple and their adult sons, police said. One of the sons, who is in his 20s, was armed with a high-powered rifle, Lt. Brian Whitten said. The man opened fire on the intruders, killing Neal in the doorway.

How sad--another "child gun death."

Don't these people realize the statistics about a gun in the home? They're lucky the assailants didn't take that rifle and use it against them.

And "high-powered"? I wonder what it will turn out to be...

Why "They" Hate Us

Because we're free, of course.

Federal agents may take a traveler's laptop or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.

Guaranteeing More Marios

"If we see someone calling the police, then we target them," said Mario Garcia, 20, who describes himself as a former tagger trying to become a professional artist. "You are trying to stop me from what I live, what I believe in and what I breathe? We are not going to let no one get in the way."

Let me explain something, young and ignorant savage. When human beings suffer property damage from territory-spraying animals, they either neuter or eradicate them, depending on what's most cost-effective. When the animal proves dangerous, it's generally the latter.

You know nothing about honor--you seem to have it confused with a psychotic demand to have everything your way or you'll attack. That you find yourself a jackal among sheep is merely your good luck. Try that crap around men, stupid little boy, and you'll be lucky if all they do is kick your worthless ass. I'm envisioning a large red smear on a wall left as a warning--I don't know art, but I know what would amuse me.

So naturally, the "official position" is to let the animals run wild on the streets and let the trained, professional "Only Ones" handle everything. Talk about guaranteeing more Marios...

There and Back Again--Sort Of

Well, I'm no longer blocked from posting. But Google must have done something in their "fix" to screw up IE. I'm doing this in Firefox, and Safari also works.

Someone suggested clearing the cache, but that can be a pain, particularly if you do it and it still doesn't work. I'll do some searching around--I know there are other Blogspot blogs this is happening to, so rather than try a local fix, I think I'll see what's happening globally first.

Anyway, expect blogging to be haphazard this weekend. My goal is to be up to full speed by Monday.

Many thanks to all of you who generously offered me assistance of all kinds--I may indeed end up taking some of you up on it as soon as I figure out the direction I want to go.

UPDATE: A cursory search as well as comments by some of you here, on the WordPress site and via emails showed the "culprit" to be the Site Meter code. I gather the folks there are doing some upgrading and didn't count on the legendary stand-offishness of Microsoft to play well with others. I removed it and IE is now working. Pity--it was more useful for quick snapshot access to BATFU visits than Stat Counter. Perhaps after they work the bugs out, I will restore the code.

UPDATE: Here's the bird's eye lowdown on Site Meter. They're doing an upgrade and it blew up in everyone's face. The thing is, I went to their site and they say nothing about this, so it's a double screw-up on their part that we have to find out from others.

My suggestion, bearing in mind that I have the computer savvy of a coral reef: Remove the code from your site (but copy it and save it somewhere). Also record the numbers so you know where to reset (this probably isn't necessary because deleting the code should not terminate your Site Meter account, which ought to have the code and last count, but I've always been a big Department of Redundancy Department fan in situations where not having backup might mean either everything I've worked for all these years is lost, lost and gone forever, I tell you, or else it's readily retrievable and restorable.

UPDATE: Bottom line, it's Bill Gates' fault.

Turns out that this was the result of a bug in Internet Explorer, which the Sitemeter developers didn't account or test for. The technical details and a description of the bug involved are here. Does this still mean that Sitemeter are to blame, or are we about to see the backlash shift to Microsoft because of a known bug and a developer not testing.

This Day in History: August 2

Capt. Oliver Parker of Col. Prescotts Regiment, tried by a General Court Martial whereof Col. Glover was President, for “defrauding his men of their advance pay, and by false Returns, imposing upon the Commissary, and drawing more Rations than he had men in his company, and for selling the provisions he by that means obtained” is by the Court found guilty of the whole charge against him and sentenced to be cashiered, mulcted of all his pay and rendered incapable of future service.

"Zero Tolerance"

On Board Restrictions
For everyone's safety and comfort, Greyhound asks that customers please follow certain restrictions while on board. Federal law does not permit smoking on Greyhound buses. We have a zero tolerance for alcohol, drugs, weapons and unruly behavior.

Yeah, right.

Go Greyhound and leave your safety to us.

Fight or Flight

It's one of several Illinois communities — reluctant to spend money on legal fights — rushing to repeal their gun bans after the court struck down a Washington, D.C., ban, even as cities such as Chicago and San Francisco stand firm.

For some reason, that bit about Frisco doesn't sound quite right. But the hold 'em/fold 'em reactions to these post-Heller challenges bring to mind a question for those more pragmatic than me: Say a liberal court like the Ninth Circuit twists the ruling and allows a ban to stay. Then say SCOTUS ducks the issue and refuses to hear the case.

What next? Elect better representatives and change the law? In California?

Is that it? "Majority rule democracy" is the end word? And until that changes, tough luck for blue-staters and urbanites who wish to exercise their rights?

Under those circumstances, you'd condemn civil disobedience and self defense against those who would deny rights? Would this apply across the board to all rights, or just to RKBA?

Since some of the "radical" sentiments expressed by some of us are dismissed out of hand, I think it's fair to ask where more moderate guidance could ultimately lead us.

Is there a pragmatic line in the sand? What is it? What happens if it's crossed? (Assuming discussing it openly won't traumatize the melanin-deficient, of course...)

What'll it be--fight or flight? Assuming there will always be a place to flee to if no one ever make a stand...

[Via Jeffersonian]

Zargonians Issue Ultimatum

Alabama Boy Gets Death Threats for Hunting 1,000-Pound ‘Monster Pig’

Anonymous cowards wishing death on children they hate. How very courageous.

My feel is, the boy could no doubt take 'em.

On a positive note, if the Zargonians are resorting to psy-ops instead of direct engagement, it means we've got 'em on the run.

[Via Zachary G]