A Day to Commemorate

Have a reflective Constitution Day.

Reflect that Google considers the Moon Festival and the First Day of School in Bulgaria more worthy of celebration.

Oh, and Happy Birthday, younger feral son Qusay.

I Just Dropped in to See what Condition His Condition Was In

T.L. Davis relects while going through the needed steps to heal, and reveals he's one of the few strangers who can stare down feral sons Uday and Qusay when they're not on the leash (albeit they had just been fed). [More]

For the Children

 Prominent California Democratic strategist Nathan Ballard — a longtime friend and adviser to Gov. Gavin Newsom — was arrested and jailed on two felony domestic violence charges in Napa that include an allegation of attempting “to suffocate a child with a pillow.”… [More]

Hey, since it was a pillow, that doesn't invalidate his demands to protect children by locking up guns, does it?

I can't begin to tell you how many times I tried to smother feral sons Uday and Qusay when they were growing up... probably because the answer is "0." But they weren't completely protected from lethal dangers. Did I ever tell you about the time a Newsom administration had armed men sent to my house?

Fortunately, none of them had pillows.

[Via Michael G]

Teach Your Children Well

Father Kills Son in Shootout Over Who Would Walk Dog: Police [More]

I can't tell you how many times something similar has almost sent me and feral sons Uday and Qusay on a course of no return.

If this doesn't validate Snuffy's contention it's the guns, nothing will.

Still, I'm in a bit of a quandary: How do I update my law to accomodate people who can't be trusted with dogs?

Yul is absolutely no help.

And forget it Jake...

[Via Neil W]

Well...Bye

Not really, but I am getting out of here for a while and will be back around Aug. 3 or thereabouts. Feral sons Uday and Qusay will be let out of the basement to prowl the house until then and hopefully won't run out of intruder bones and escape.

I've turned off blog comments because I won't be moderating. Please hold all email and social media tips as I just won't be able to get to what accumulates when I return.

I do have two more AmmoLand articles due out soon-- one on Lori Lightfoot and Chi-Town (UPDATE: Just published), and the other on the always-wretched John Kasich. You can look for them on my "landing page" and do the same with Firearms News columns you haven't seen yet.  As always, if you get value from any of them, send the links to anyone else you think may get the same.

Be seeing you.

UPDATE: This was recorded a few weeks ago and just got released:

The Question on Everyone's Mind

Will Jude Law's Dumbledore be openly gay? [More]

A personal anecdote about the whole "Harry Potter" phenomenon: We did not expressly forbid it to them as some parents have for religious reasons, but feral sons Uday and Qusay just were never interested. All the hoopla has been driven by pretty much the same "progressive" demographic that never gave up comic books and thus changed who they're written for.

Right, Archie?

I Don't Know Art, But I Know What I Like

Hundreds of Vietnamese Americans demonstrated Saturday outside a provocative art exhibit in Santa Ana that had featured Communist symbols that protesters claimed mocked their painful experiences as political refugees. [More]

I so love hip, artsy Southern California libs.

I remember years back, the modern art museum held an Andy Warhol exhibit, and had plastered banners of his Mao portrait all over town, even hanging from street lamps, which means they had local government endorsement. The section I was driving through was known for its large Jewish community. Matter of fact, the reason we were there was to go to my favorite deli.

I remember at the time wondering if it would have been so enthusiastically supported/ passively accepted had the banners featured Hitler's portrait. Or are some genocidal monsters more acceptable in enlightened society than others?

My favorite interaction with modern artists--and in the interests of full disclosure I deem most of them ridiculous frauds-- is when we took the kids to the LaBrea Tar Pits museum and decided to have lunch at (the now-closed) Johnnie's a block or so down...

In order to get there, we had to pass the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and they were having some kind of local artists' sidewalk exhibit--my wife pushed the stroller with youngest feral son Qusay peacefully slumbering, and I held hands and walked behind with eldest feral son Uday, probably four at the time...

To make a long story short, the kid has always been precocious, to my continued amazement and joy. Anyway, as we walked past the various exhibitors, he decided on his own to size up their work and give on-the-spot critiques.

The wife, who is more sensitive (and an all-around nicer human being) than I am, was properly mortified. Me, I could barely suppress the laughter seeing the reactions as we passed each canvas, the danged munchkin pointing and pronouncing "Good...good...crap...crap...crap..."

Isn't that what art is supposed to do? Give us new ways of exploring truth...?

Still Under the Weather...

Believe me, I'm more sick and tired of it than anybody.

The good news is I'm on the mend. The bad news is, overdoing it would be stupid. So expect less for a while.

As such, I'm going to be doing an abbreviated set of posts, to give you some of what others of you want me to talk about (and I won't mind if the emails slow down a bit for a while longer--honest), and stuff I want to point out.

In the interests of making my job as effortless as possible, please forgive me if I don't get to your submission, and also if I don't go through the detail work of adding links to contributor names.

Together, we shall persevere through these dark days...or some such.

As always, please do what you can to evangelize my Examiner columns. I know I sound like a nag, but really--it's not like I have a tip jar or anything, and regulars here want to see me be able to feed feral sons Uday and Qusay their daily crust of bread, I trust...?

We're the Only Ones on a Jihad Enough

I'd say Supervisor Chris Norby has it exactly right, and Sandra Hutchens needs to be confined to the Hut of the Unclean. Go on over and lend some support in "Comments." [Via Maureen]

We're the Only Ones Released Enough

Tell me Oscar Grant would have made bail had he executed Johannes Mehserle. Plus the guy already ran to Nevada once--why isn't he considered a flight risk? [Via Maureen]

Meanwhile, Across the Pond in Sarah Brady Paradise

It looks like the entire culture has been infected with mistrust. No wonder they don't trust each other with guns--spouses don't even trust each other with computers.

Fairfax Rumor Control

If it's a legitimate concern, rest assured your NRA-ILA will promptly address it and will give you the straight story.

Just like they did with the Holder nomination!

And I guess Olofson and Fincher aren't legitimate concerns.

Less than Understanding

A local school district has suspended a member of the Young Marines youth leadership group after students saw drill props in her vehicle.

Read this and seethe. Can you imagine being Tustin Amhole...oh wait, that's Amole...

The schools says they have no discretion. Right. Like anyone would dare haul them away if they did the right thing.

You can contact these excremental administraitors here. [Via Tom S]

At Least He Didn't Make the "III" Sign

Tough to know if he was stalking. If he was, no sympathy, but the principle involved ought to raise some flags.. [Via Ed M]

Explosive Revelations

The vans included homemade explosive devices connected to remote detonators, firearm silencers and jugs filled with sulfuric acid, a known agent for accelerating the decomposition of a body, authorities said.

A fake mustache. Good grief.

Hey--what do you want to bet he got all that stuff at one of those damned American gun shows? [Via Ed M]

This Day in History: September 17

On September 17, 1787, forty-two of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention held their final meeting. Only one item of business occupied the agenda that day, to sign the Constitution of the United States of America.[More]

Also, happy birthday to younger feral son Qusay.

So Finger-Wagging Isn't Enough...?

Buford Tune, owner of the Academy of Personal Protection and Security, believes parents should give hands-on training to their children. [More]

Bingo!

Feral sons Uday and Qusay got range training early, starting with seeing what could happen before they were ready for hands-on. More on that, along with the requisite pointing and laughing at cud-chewers, here....

Captain's Log

It's been a while since I did one of these -- I guess Herschel was concerned about not over-burdening me after surgery. It's like I just got done telling some friends, my health is gettng back to normal -- I can still beat the stuffing out of snarling feral sons Uday and Qusay while clenching a stogie between my teeth.

• Worthless Heirs of the Sons of Liberty
• Hillary's Protection Racket
• Coming Soon, to a Nachbarschaft Near You
• We're the Only Ones Maternal Enough
• Notes

More KoolAid, Please

Election Day is different from other public events.  [More]

Oh, bullshit.

You don't know.

Neither do "they":

“Cases can be very misleading to the public because it’s a past historical event. Because of our lack of testing, cases are just the tip of the iceberg. ... We will not have an accurate picture of that,” Acton said.

On top of that, pediatrician/PR flack Amy is not credentialed for this nor can she cite a single peer-reviewed study to back up her earlier "safe" call. And on top of that, were the assurances true, they would not be scrambling to replace polling locations deemed too "high risk" because they're at retirement communities and the like.

Government was useless at protecting anyone from anything and now they're talking out their asses.  While we do all the paying. And DeSwine ignores his own culpability.

There is no "100" magic number.  And regardless, senior voters and poll workers who are mostly seniors would still be in the "at risk" category.

And I note nobody's having a bash anytime soon.

For the first time in years I will not be working the polls. Between my age and the fact that I'm still taking prescription medication for a respiratory problem that doesn't quite seem ready to leave, along with the lack of knowledge and the demonstrable fact that the politics über alles crowd is lying to us (and, based on removing and then retroactively disallowing YouTube comments, suppressing challenges to their lies) I'll not be there tomorrow,

What I can say with certainty is there is no way to "sanitize" things with 100% effectiveness. I know the process from start to finish.  There's no way.

My "solution"? Hey, I'm just commenting on what is, not what should be.

I voted absentee. Perhaps postpone things a month and see where we are then. It'll be interesting to see how many poll workers opt out at the last minute, meaning it could be a mess and the queue could soon go way over 100.

My only point is for them to be ordering all the extraordinary closures (younger feral son Qusay is a chef and he's out of work now until told he can go back) and then turn around and assure us it's safe to gather and have multiple interactions with multiple people is demonstrably not credible and motivated by factors other than health.

And I expect people from "our side" to be a bit more skeptical of government assurances before sounding the "All clear" to their followers.

If you do go to the polls in Ohio and wherever else primaries re happening tomorrow, I suggest wearing an effective mask (you can make one if you can't find one) and disposable gloves.

UPDATE:

No duh.

Except a judge says "Die!"

We're the Only Ones Adult Enough

A male officer, who was trying to pull the girl in from the other side yelled, "Sit up! You're acting like a child, stop" -- to which she responded, "I am a child!! What the f***?" [More]

It's like these guys could write Police Squad! scripts.

Looking back, I wish I'd had superior "Only Ones" training and judgment back when feral sons Uday and Qusay were going through the Terrible Twos because this surefire compliance technique that comes so instinctively to them never once occurred to me.

This Time I Really Mean It!

Trump gives Mexico one year warning to stop drugs before tariffs, border closure [More]

I remember when younger feral son Qusay was little and I told him to stop doing something and he replied "What's the magic word?"

"NOW," I growled, immediately convincing him that compliance was the only alternative where things would end well for him.

Fire

Handed the camera to younger feral son Qusay on way home from breakfast when we passed this happening (near? at?) Russell Equipment in Twinsburg. Not that I expect this to be of concern to readers here-- this is just a parking place with one convenient url so I can share them with folks who may be interested without having to send attachments.

Video One
Video Two
Video Three
Video Four

A Plea for Understanding

Folks, I'm working my tail off. I even have to go to the library today to do some research. I have two book reviews in the queue (meaning I have to find the time to read them first), a ton of marketing effort to do for my column, and literally hundreds of emails I process every day--I read them all and try to reply when I can, although of late I must apologize for not being able to.

In short, I am forced to make a decision between:
a. Working on the priorities on my overflowing plate
b. Processing and responding to every news tip I get (many of which are repeats)
c. Having a life, which includes a wife, two sons and a yard and house screaming for attention, not to mention my other professional commitments.

Please, please understand if I don't feature your tip or even reply. It does not mean I don't appreciate your interest, and I apologize if you think it's rude.

There is only one of me, and I'm doing the best that I can. I don't even plan to post on WarOnGuns any more today because of that afore-mentioned library trip, which I hope will result in a pay-off I can share with you soon.

Thank you in advance for understanding and not attributing non-responsiveness to not caring.

Oh, and if you do understand and want to help, share my Examiner column links. Page views help keep meager gruel in feral sons Uday and Qusay's bowls. I've heard some intentionally won't link to my GRE columns because of that.

Opposite Day 'Progressive' Professional Conduct

Watch MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell’s Unhinged Outtakes [More]

Oh, him.

The great egalitarian. Funny how the vaunted principles always seem to take a back seat to personal privilege.

If I'd gone on a foul-mouthed tirade in front of employees on any job I've ever held, I'd have been justifiably canned. I never put up with abusive language, either.

As I told feral sons Uday and Qusay when they embarked on their careers, no job is worth your dignity.  Speak your mind when appropriate. Don't brown-nose. Tolerate no bullying.

The worst they can do to you is fire you. On a scale of 1 to 10 compared to a real life challenge, that barely registers.

Potentially Harmful Language Warning

 I'd like to wish all WarOnGuns readers a reflective Constitution Day.

I sure hope that doesn't offend anyone.

I've made that mistake before.

Oh, and happy birthday, younger feral son Qusay.

Words as Weapons

Changing Reality with Words - Beware of euphemisms. [More]

I'm reminded of "Framing the Terms" from our old GunTruths site, observations still relevant to the discussion...

As an aside, feral sons Uday and Qusay have been known to crack up at an old movie when a character says he or she are feeling gay.

[Via Mack H]

We're the Only Ones Belting One Down Enough

The teenager accused Elmore of beating her with a belt in an argument on Nov. 18. The prosecutor, Forest Worgum, says her bruises were visible for nearly a month.

I agree with Fits. And I don't understand the mindset of some who have commented on "gun boards" about how a good lickin' never hurt them. Good lickin's don't leave bruises for a month.

Sons Uday and Qusay are now 13 and 17, and I can't recall the last time I laid on hands--possibly to separate them when being young animals, meaning being boys, but not to actually smack them with any force. I do recall some bottom-swatting when younger for things like bolting off the sidewalk into a parking lot, but that was an instant reaction/immediate lesson thing. Formalized beatings were never part of the toolkit and were never needed or even considered, and all the normal frustrations aside, I could not ask for two more endearing sons.

I wasn't raised that way either. I remember in High School, I was joking with another kid in Art class and the teacher walked up, backhanded him across the face and tried to do the same to me. I blocked it, looked him in the eye and told him if he wanted to hit me, he would need to call my father first and ask permission. If Dad said it was OK, I'd let him, but otherwise we were going to have a problem. We didn't have a problem.

Back to "Only One" Elmore: I know children can push and frustrate you to the brink of reason. But if he can justify doing this to someone he ostensibly loves, imagine what he would be capable of doing to someone he doesn't. The young woman is old enough for tough love if her behavior is intolerable--meaning she lives by the rules of the house or lives on her own.