People-Tracking RFIDs

Claire Wolfe tells us it's begun.

At least now we'll be able to keep track of Tommy Thompson.

The High and the Mighty

[WARNING--CONTAINS MOVIE ENDING SPOILER--PROCEED WITH THAT KNOWLEDGE]

Turner Classic Movies has been playing a resurrected John Wayne film, just recently released to DVD and apparently seen on TV for the first time: "The High and the Mighty."

I enjoyed it--from the soapy melodramas among the passengers, to scenes that were obvious sources* for the "Airplane" parodies, right down to Robert Stack thanking John Wayne for slapping him when he lost his cool: "I needed that."

I half expected to see Lloyd Bridges declaring it a bad week to give up sniffing glue, or Stack warning "That's just what they'll be expecting!" when the control tower ordered the runway lights turned on.

But what really struck me were the assumptions of the time: A stewardess (before the pc days of "flight attendant") lighting a passenger's cigarette--indeed, the pilots smoking in the cockpit. Not that I miss that, but you know what?--that choice ought to be determined by the market rather than dictated by the fedgov.

And then there was the handgun--carried by a passenger who was stalking a man he believed to be his wife's lover. He carried it right in his coat pocket.

He got on a plane without going through metal detectors. TSA didn't grope him or wand him down or make him take off his shoes. The other passengers took it away from him. One kept it in his pocket for safekeeping, and gave it back when the guy promised to be good! And because there was no harm/no foul, no SWAT team was waiting to take the guy out when he got off the plane--he disembarked down the stairs and walked across the tarmac to the terminal. In San Francisco!

I was two years old when this movie came out. I see the changes in assumptions that have happened in my lifetime, and wonder what assumptions will change when my sons are my age.

I guess that all depends on what we as a culture will tolerate and allow, doesn't it?

And the sad thing--a real letdown for me--is knowing guys like John Wayne and Charlton Heston paved the way for this to happen by supporting GCA '68.

* The main plot and inspiration for many scenes was from "Zero Hour!" which is now a hoot to watch.

UPDATE: To my knowledge, Wayne did not come out and publicly support the bill. But Heston, Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, Hugh O'Brien and Kirk Douglas did.  High and mighty, indeed.

S.397 Passes Senate With Bike Lock Amendment

I'm sure there are a hundred-and-one uses for the damned thing as long as it never touches a gun.

Plenty on "our side" have already begun minimizing the impact on blogs and in forums, the apologetics centering around how most manufacturers already include locks with their products anyway.

Ain't that a shame? And why do they do this?

Oh, yeah, to keep from being sued.

How very circular.

The thing is, most gun owners feel this is no big deal, and the general public has been conditioned to respond that gun locks are only common sense. The mandate is acceptable to more people than it's not.

Let's see what else is tacked on in the House. I think the real question here is, do the powers pushing for this want it bad enough, and do they think they can sustain the fallout if they make a few other tiny concessions that are acceptable to more people than they're not?

Things like closing "the so-called gun show loophole" and regulating those icky .50 BMG rifles.

"Bring the Heat"

[Use BugMeNot to bypass site registration.]

The breaking poop on Berserkeley's latest "gun death":

"Moments before she was shot to death, 19-year-old Meleia Willis-Starbuck was heard by witnesses telling a friend on a cellular telephone to "bring the heat," which Berkeley police say was an apparent reference to a gun."

Just remember:

"No one blames anyone in this. We are all caught in this matrix created by too many handguns."

If you don't believe me, just ask Richard Hourula.

Take This USA Today Poll

Should gun makers be protected against lawsuit damages resulting from the illegal use of a firearm?

Don't let the fact that it's currently 92% to 7% in favor of "yes" deter you. Pile it on.

Yeah, it's "nonscientific," but it sure shows which side can mobilize the most people.

Analogy of the Week Award

Sent by an editor I know:

A new category, Analogy of the Week Award, has been added to the Sentence of the Week Award in honor of the following quote:

"The trigger stop on the 87 Target sent to me for testing reminded me of the description of JFK's adrenal glands at autopsy: atrophied to the point of disappearance."

"Black Arrow" Review in GUNS

I guess the September issue of GUNS Magazine must be out. I haven't received my comp copy yet (I think somebody at the Post Office is reading it first), but Vin Suprynowicz writes me about my review of "The Black Arrow":

By the way, I thought the write-up in "Guns" looked great. Thanks for the "how to buy" info.

Though I'm not sure how to deal with one $24 check that arrived here in the handwriting of an apparently very old fellow from Tennessee, made payable to "David Codrea" and itemized "for the Black Book."

For the record, I told him to send me the check so I could sign and return it to him.

"They're Always After Me Lucky Charms"

"THE IRA will destroy its vast arsenal within eight weeks after yesterday’s historic pledge to surrender all its guns.

"Provo godfathers have agreed to get rid of every last weapon, bullet and ounce of explosive by October — bringing to a close 36 years of bloody war with Britain." [More]

Right.

And I believe in these:

"Purpose will be available..."

"Purpose will be available..."
"Purpose will be available..."
"Purpose will be available..."
"Purpose will be available..."

The usual suspects do their best to throw procedural spoilers in the path of S.397.

If this was any other activity, such behavior would properly be labeled obsessive-compulsive.

I just figured out what it reminds me of--that scene from this movie:

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY...

JUMP!

Helen Thomas is threatening to kill herself if Dick Cheney runs for president.

I don't know why the White House continues to allow this harridan a seat at press conferences--especially since she is no longer a reporter, as everyone else is required to be, but an editorialist. I know they made an exception out of some sort of respect for her status and tenure and all, but seriously, why does this old cow deserve it?

I don't even particularly like Cheney, but I'd love to see him declare his candidacy if for no other reason than to either call her bluff, or so she would go ahead and put herself--and the rest of us--out of her misery.

In any case, and seriously, her statement ought to be sufficient proof of mental instability to get her banned from being in the physical presence of our heads of state.

Helen, if you decide to do us all a favor, here's a little background music for ya.

A Dilemma in Amber

There was an Amber Alert when I was driving home today.

I wanted to keep my eyes peeled for a crime being committed, so I could report it to the authorities.

But I was afraid if I did, I might be branded a "vigilante"

I Don’t NEED to Know What I’m Talking About

Another Berserkeley intellect weighs in on the woman who got killed by friendly fire after she called in for ground support. Like his Daily Planet (which one?) colleague, he too recommends stabbing—and adds clubbing—as preferred methods of assault.

"No One Blames Anyone in This"

"We are all caught in this matrix created by too many handguns."

Sheesh.

Fish Or Man is right. I need to get out to the woods.

Another Idiot Jury

As a "whole people," we certainly seem to have the government we deserve.

I guess not one in 12 knows or cares anything about this.

Are These Not “Job Killers,” Too?

An Open Letter to the California Chamber of Commerce

The California Chamber of Commerce lists 20 bills it identifies as “job killers,” and recommends they be opposed.

Why is there no mention of Senate Bill 357, requiring serial numbers on handgun ammunition, and Assembly Bill 352, requiring handguns to micro-imprint firearm-identifying data to shell casings?

The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute, which establishes industry technical standards for the nation's leading manufacturers of sporting firearms, ammunition and components, has issued position papers opposing both of these bills, citing among other concerns:

SB357:

“Even if it took just a fraction of a second to laser engrave a bullet with a serial number, ammunition production would be slowed down dramatically. SAAMI estimates that it would take as much as three weeks to make what is now manufactured in a single day! No manufacturer can withstand such a massive slow-done in production. They would cease to be profitable. Instead manufacturers would have no alternative but to abandon the California market. This is because the tens of millions of dollars needed to comply with SB 357 far exceeds the reasonable profit a manufacturer could ever hope to make selling ammunition in the California market. The cost to comply would bankrupt any manufacturer that tried. Even abandoning the California market comes at a cost. Manufacturers will suffer lost sales and profits; but the lesser of two evils remains to abandon the market.”

AB352:

“Dramatic Price Increases and Reduction in Supply. Compelling the use of this unproven and untested technology will dramatically reduce the product selection available to law abiding consumers in California, because some manufacturers will choose to abandon the California market rather than incur the massive costs associated with complying, which include purchasing very expensive equipment and patented technology...and completely redesigning their manufacturing processes, plant and equipment...Clearly, any attempt to comply with the requirements of this bill would force a radical and complete redesign of time-tested, finely tuned and efficient manufacturing processes. It would cost millions of dollars to do this.”

Will you add these bills to your list of “job killers” and publicly oppose them, encouraging your members to do the same?

If “yes,” what will you do to inform your members, the media and those in government whom you lobby?

If “no,” why not?

Sincerely,
David Codrea
The War on Guns

A Meaningless Poll

I received the following email from KeepAndBearArms.com:

"Cast Your Vote In New Poll; Should gun owners and gun rights organizations support Senate Confirmation of Judge John G. Roberts to the US Supreme Court? If you have not already done so, go to KeepAndBearArms.com and cast your vote in the poll on confirmation of Judge John G. Roberts to the US Supreme Court. The poll appears in the left hand column of the web page. A number of national radio talk show hosts and leaders of gun rights organizations are monitoring this poll closely."

Poll results at this writing:

Yes 79.7% 534 votes
No 5.8% 39 votes
Undecided 14.5% 97 votes
Total Votes: 670

On what basis can gun owners make any kind of informed judgment on the Roberts nomination?

Can KABA point to any meaningful indicators on Judge Roberts' sentiments on the Second Amendment? Unless something new has been disclosed that I'm out of the loop on, even NRA, with all its Washington connections and insider information has been mum on the subject of Roberts and guns.

Here's what we do know:

Hillary is reported to be ready to confirm him. Feinstein is "impressed" with him. Schumer's only 2A-related concern is whether or not he agrees with a prior high court decision to overturn the "Gun Free School Zones Act."

Nearly all of the debate concerning the Roberts nomination revolves around Roe v Wade. On the gun issue, all we really have is that he voted in favor of the petition to rehear the Seegars case, and for some reason, that information has disappeared from the blog that reported it.

Perhaps gun owner support comes from some sort of innate trust for George Bush's judicial picks?

I know--Bush saying he was for the "assault weapons" ban was some sort of ploy to get elected. Bush AG Alberto Gonzales saying he also was for the "assault weapons" ban was some sort of ploy to get confirmed. And BATFU Gauleiter Lewis P. Raden, who works for Gonzales, who works for Bush, unilaterally, and without warning or prior communication issuing an edict to halt the importation of frames, receivers and barrels must be some kind of ploy to prove what, exactly?

How can any gun owner vote "Yes" in this poll and claim to have an informed opinion? How can they even claim to have a rational basis for wishful thinking?

Quick, Everyone, Stop Enjoying Yourselves: Rosie's Disgruntled Again

"Rapper Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs has angered celebrity neighbor Rosie O'Donnell after throwing an extravagant fireworks show that left her children in tears.

"O'Donnell is upset after spending all night calming her frightened puppy and consoling her four sobbing kids who were left terrified by the loud display."

Rosie, what are you doing to those children to where their reaction is one of terror instead of wonderment? How do those poor kids stand a chance with a self-admitted headcase like you as their primary adult role model? How have you described yourself? Oh yeah, “one of the haunted…with an absurd ability to deny the obvious.”

I don't suppose it's possible they were reacting to your reaction? Do they cry often in situations where other children do not? Do you?

It's also telling how something that leaves you inconvenienced and disgruntled also leaves you feeling entitled to trivialize true disasters like "a war zone -- downtown Baghdad -- a subway in London -- a hotel in Egypt and on and on and on," which in turn trivializes sacrifice and tragedy and horror. You hearing fireworks from your mansion equates with human carnage?

But then, it's all about you, isn't it, Rosie, and getting attention by letting everyone know how miserable you are? And making them miserable in the process?

A Snap of it's Fingers?

The Washington Post at its hysterical worst. The implication is clear: by bringing the frivolous gun lawsuit bill to the Senate floor, NRA sidelined a "critical Defense Department appropriations bill," endangering us all.

Suddenly, these subversives are for defense.

There can be no peace with these creatures. We cannot coexist. They won't let us.

This really illustrates the foolishness of those companies that cave in the face of legal pressure. They have bought themselves temporary respite at the cost of giving the enemy a beachhead from where it can fortify its position and threaten everyone.

Whose Side Are YOU On?

I designed this graphic over 10 years ago, back when I was active in the Westside Firearms Association, which became the NRA Members Council of Westside Los Angeles. It was originally produced on a t-shirt which we sold as a fundraiser. I also posted it on the old GunTruths.com website.

The only copy I had to date was pretty grainy--I discovered this cleaner version on an old floppy disk I found while going through some old stuff, and figured I'd better save it elsewhere before it was lost forever.

Consider it saved. Although maybe the best course of action would be to just redo it from scratch to produce something really clear...

I still have my shirt, but it's getting kind of worn. Maybe I'll make some more up.

Don't Mess With This Mom

From an anonymous correspondent:

Your piece on "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" got me thinking. I have a few images sitting around and I thought you might make use of them at some time or another.

The female in the images is my wife. She's not acting for these images. She was ambivalent towards firearms until a few years ago. She finally agreed to go to the range with me and the rest is history. She almost broke the bank last year with the number of handguns she purchased in addition to buying our 9 year old son his first .22 rifle. She's a wife and a mother of three. Unlike the "million moms," she has told me that our sons and daughter will not leave home until they have become thoroughly proficient in their defensive shooting skills.

My correspondent is quite an accomplished photographer. I'd like to see him start a website to post his portfolio on. He's also pretty fortunate to have such a rational life partner.