Notes from the Resistance...
But what the hell--since when did the powers that be really care for economic sense anyway? If you have a cashflow problem, simply bleed the peasantry some more.
I'm not asking anyone else to send money to something I myself don't contribute to. My check is going out in this morning's mail.
Police on Long Island have a new weapon to help them keep guns from returning to the streets.
It's a gun crusher. Authorities in Suffolk County showed it off yesterday in Yaphank.
I've written a fair amount on firearms, and I'm usually careful to point out that a gun is morally neutral, as are knives, swords, sticks, stones, etc. How a person uses an object gives it a moral value for that act, and that act alone. An object just is. Humans -- rightly and wrongly -- imbue objects and ideas with moral overtones.
"Can You Name the One Tool that Isn't Morally Neutral?"
Thumbscrews?
Cat-o-nine-tails?
Iron Maidens?
Racks?
Suicide bomber explosive vests?
You could argue they could be used as museum pieces, but that would not be using them for the purposes they were designed for...and while the thing itself isn't evil, the purpose for which it was designed sure seems to be...
Can something specifically designed for evil purpose truly be considered morally neutral?
PARENTS whose children died in Dunblane have condemned the publication on the 10th anniversary of the killings of a book funded by pro-gun campaigners that challenges the firearms ban introduced in the wake of the tragedy...
The book includes allegations of a cover-up involving senior police officers and legal figures about their links with Thomas Hamilton, the gunman who shot dead 16 pupils and a teacher before killing himself on March 13, 1996, at Dunblane primary school.
It claims Lord Cullen, who conducted the inquiry into the massacre, was deliberately denied access to more than the 1,000 witness statements and concludes that the handgun ban was unnecessary.
By Gary Marbut
Dear Friends of Angel,
So many of you have asked for updates about Angel's situation, and I am sooo swamped dealing with this situation, that the only way I could hope to keep you informed is to add you all to a general email list - my "Friends of Angel" list. That's why you are getting this email.
The information I broadcast here will be somewhat generic, because I must consider it to be in the public domain.
Angel moved to Michigan to be close to his son, a very high priority in his life.
Because of a malicious complaint (my opinion) that Angel was dangerous and had unregistered guns, a SWAT team raided his domicile yesterday. I was tagged to be something of a nexus in the recovery effort partly because I was on the phone with Angel when the SWAT team showed up at his door, partly because I'm also a friend of Angel's, and partly because of the curse or blessing of my get-it-handled-now personality.
As soon as I knew that Angel was in jail, I called Alan Gottlieb of SAF to get a referral for a local attorney. I found one from the SAF list who had his cell number on his office answering machine, and who answered his cell phone promptly, a bit after 5 PM CST. This attorney got after Angel's situation immediately, and I phoned Nicki of KeepAndBearArms.com next to hatch a plan to get the word out and start the reference letters coming. These letters will be delivered to Angel's attorney electronically, Monday morning.
Today, an associate of the attorney I contacted yesterday appeared to represent Angel at the arraignment, and got him sprung from jail on a bond (the bond was not steep). I was out of the loop in the middle part of the day today because it was the scheduled Annual Meeting for MSSA in our State Capitol, Helena, Montana (yes, thank you, I am still president).
I talked to Angel on the phone within 20 minutes of his release (and several times since). Of course, he's angry, frustrated, bummed, and distraught - who wouldn't be under these circumstances? But, he's coping.
Angel has an immediate need of protection from the consequences of any more malicious police reports. We're working with some Michigan folks to provide Angel with company to document his whereabouts and activity until this is resolved. If you know anyone in Michigan (Detroit/Pontiac area) who might help with this, let me know.
We are also sketching out a fundraising plan for legal expenses that should come together within about 48 hours. Stay tuned for more about this.
In the mean time, Angel is facing four misdemeanor charges, three of which are for guns that were not yet registered properly under Michigan law, but which Angel was in the process of trying to get registered. Bad timing and a malicious complaint - what can I say.
But, I believe, your many and kind letters will help establish with the court that Angel is an upstanding guy.
Thanks loads for your concerns, your help, and your many offers to help more. I'm sure Angel would want me to go heavy on thanks to you too.
I am scheduled to teach the second day of a two-day precision riflery class tomorrow, and will be out of the loop all afternoon. Other than that period, I will keep you updated as new and significant information becomes available.
Best wishes.
Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association
http://www.mtssa.org
author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com
Comment by: Tomahawk (3/4/2006)
Message sent. Hope it helps, though. You never know if some anti-judge gets angry for all the leters and decides to "send us a message". Wish we had some details, though. Hey Nicki, can you get us some info? I just signed my name on a letter to a judge and I don't really know what's going on; just blind faith in Angel, really.
Andy
Comment by: AvgJoe (3/4/2006)
I have no problem with helping out but have a few questions. The laws there are in place and known, why did he get busted. Is this a case that is being made to force a case into the federal courts.
It's real simple if I can't be armed in any state I don't go to that state and if I do and take a gun and get popped I have to deal with that.
There's a lot missing to this story and I think we should be let in on the facts before being asked to sign a letter.
Comment by: codrea4@adelphia.net (3/4/2006)
Avg Joe-if the laws in place say you must turn in your arms, will you obey? You can only avoid going places for so long-what will you do if the laws come to you?
There is simply no more information to be had at this time. Angel's friends are on top of this and making things known as we find them out.
Tomahawk said it well-sometimes, a little "blind faith"-based on known reputation-is needed. Joe, we are guests here in a house that Angel built. We all know him well enough to send a letter of support.
Those who want us disarmed are counting on our inability to cooperate on so simple and undemanding a task. If we won't even write a letter, what are the chances we will ever band together and really oppose them?
Five rogue law enforcement officers were part of a robbery crew that spent three years invading people's homes dressed in uniform, and stealing cash, drugs and other valuables, prosecutors revealed Thursday.But if you fight back, you get the death penalty.
A jury found a former Minnehaha County jail worker guilty of first-degree rape and sexual contact with a child Wednesday.Yeah, I know. Technically a jail worker isn't the same thing. But how could I run across this story and not include it in the ongoing saga...?
Prosecutors said Ramon Garcia, 46, of Sioux Falls, forced a 5-year-old girl to perform oral sex on him last May. Garcia's wife was the child's babysitter but was unavailable one night, and Garcia took her place.
"I asked him, 'Why are you doing this?' " the 42-year-old beauty parlor owner and mother of two said Wednesday. "He would not talk. He just kept raping me. I couldn't run. He was armed. He was a cop."Yep. Good thing Sheriff Lee Baca has a policy of his guys being armed and the rest of us being defenseless.
A 15-year veteran of the Huntsville police force was arrested Tuesday on charges of possession of child pornography.
See, yesterday, I was hobbling around a VA hospital, jumping through bureaucratic hoops so I could go home. The last hoop to stumble through was to pick up my travel pittance (disabled vets get that). Actually, I'm being unfair. The funds allowed, per mile, are more than adequate if you hitchhike, sleep in a ditch, and look at the whole thing as fasting practice.
Anyhow, the lady at the cashier's window was about 45 or so, her face crisscrossed with stress lines, the corners of her lips turned down-- the saddest permanent frown I'd heretofore seen. Red-eyed, unkempt.
On her cubicle's right was the reason:
Photo of a very-young Marine-- likely the first time he'd worn his dress blues. "11-01-05" and "Iraq" told me that sometime last November he'd worn those one last time, forever.
It would have been totally inauthentic for me to ignore something as plain as that -- at least, something plain as that to someone like me. So I offered the sincerest condolences I could, that I could find words for -- and as neutrally put as I could.
I also told her that I write, sometimes well enough to be appreciated by some of the few who, remarkably, still have an interest in the printed word. And I told her I intended to fashion something to illustrate the meaning of her child's dying.
I have no idea what that something will be. But I'm certain what I want it to do: I want just one person to turn off their fucking television set for a while, and in its stead read something outside that silly, stupid Media paradigm. Something to facilitate learning just a little bit about how and why -- and most important! -- the fact itself, viz. that the person has been living in a world built of lies... one where even the simplest of mental processes have been skewed, so skewed that the most blatant of obvious nonsense is routinely lapped up, like a dog eagerly licking at the ploppings from a baby's diaper.
I want that person to begin learning to see what I saw in that shattered mother's face. I want that person to begin to think.
--Stieger
The danger won’t come from Bug-Eyed Monsters or Little Green Men, ravings from the loopy peacenik crowd notwithstanding. The real danger traces directly back to those who decry self defense—for sovereign nations as well as sovereign individuals. But in the Orwellian world of the internationalists, fear of flying saucers merits treaties. Fear of global government bent on a monopoly of power is gibbering paranoia from conspiracy kooks.
We sent hundreds of emails throughout the day urging the council members to vote against it. We went to the City Council meeting. The subject of the ordinance came up around 7:30 PM. The city attorney advised the mayor that he recieved an email from Chuck Michel, the NRA's attorney, of a lawsuit if this ordinance passed. The mayor wanted to postpone the vote, but Councilman Yousefian insisting on voting & killing the deal once and for all. At that point, the other 3 voiced their support for the 2nd Amendment and how they gave an oath to the Constitution when they were elected.
So basically, it went down 4 to 1 and we won. The motion was withdrawn forever (until next time at least).
By the way, there is a show at Glendale this coming Saturday & Sunday.
