With Friends Like These...

Just two days after winning the Democratic nomination for the 2006 general election, Blagojevich called on the General Assembly to approve an assault weapons ban over the objections of the National Rifle Association...

The rifle association held a counterpoint press conference Thursday hoping to blunt the governor's message and keep the assault weapons ban off the table.

"The solution is simple: Enforce the laws on the books," ISRA President Richard Pearson said.

Thanks, Richard. But just for the record, when you call for enforcing the laws on the books, do you mean like this...?


Or like this...?



You're right, though, Richard. Those are pretty simple solutions.

The Definition of Insanity

Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein announced yesterday the start of a joint federal-local initiative designed to crack down on gun crimes in Prince George's County, where the vast majority of last year's record number of homicides were committed with firearms.

At a news conference at the U.S. District Courthouse in Greenbelt, Rosenstein said that under the program -- Prince George's EXILE -- federal and Prince George's law enforcement officials will collaborate more closely to identify and investigate violent offenders who use firearms, to crack down on illegal gun traffickers and to use the threat of tough federal sentencing laws to pressure defendants to plead guilty to gun crimes in state court...

The initiative went into effect this month, Rosenstein said. He said it was too early to measure the results.

Oh come on, Rod. The results will be predictable.

Admit it. This is all about expanding your power, prestige and influence with federal grant money.

We're the Only Ones Acting Properly Enough...

An unidentified elderly Horn Lake couple were hospitalized Thursday after police burst into their home thinking it housed a methamphetamine laboratory...

A man and a woman _ both in their 80s _ were injured as TACT team members secured the house although no drugs were found. There were children in the house also, but they were not awakened, Beshears said.

Beshears said the woman received a dislocated shoulder and the man received bruised ribs. Both were taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto, but both asked police not to identify them...

Police Chief Darryl Whaley said...he believes his officers acted correctly and followed procedures when they entered the first home.

"Obviously, a mistake was made and it was regrettable," he said. "But, I stand by my officers. I think they acted properly."

I wonder what would have happened had the occupants of the invaded home "acted properly"?

And the Whiny Hoplophobic Male Award Goes to...

Select One:

_____"We teach our children to never touch a gun. The kids were scared to death. They didn't want to be part of this."--Ron Meredith

_____"I don't want my child firing a gun at school."--Terry Hunt

_____"[W]e don't want guns on school property."--Mike Prock

_____"[W]e believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools. That means no guns in America's schools, period ... with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel."--Wayne LaPierre

One Man's Terrorist...

Jed comments on a Virginia state employees terrorism brochure, posted at Virginia News Source, that he learned about from Wolfesblog.

Interesting--parts of it read kind of like a Jeff Foxworthy routine: If you believe in property rights, or that you are the militia, or that people should influence the government, you may be a terrorist. And naturally, their tips for protecting yourself in a Homeland emergency, or items to include in your disaster preparedness inventory, make no mention of firearms.

As a caveat, I have not personally verified the authenticity of the brochure, but if it is genuine, I have a question for the state of Virginia, and governor Mark Warner, under whose imprimatur the brochure purports to be released: Is it really your position that defenders of their homeland--resisting brutal foreign invaders who had conquered and subjugated their people--were "terrorists"?

From Your Warm, Live Fingers

If you are stopped by police in Kansas, don’t be surprised if the officer pulls out a little black box and takes your fingerprints.

This reminds me of a little project we did at "ATF Night" several years back.

Then Los Angeles Councilman Mike ("Der") Feuer had proposed requiring ammunition purchasers to submit a fingerprint. I brought an ink pad and a sheet of paper, and several dozen of us in attendance made our impressions and signed our names to a letter asking him to guess which finger we had used.

For the Birds

Signs warning of bird droppings were posted along a stretch in downtown Orlando this week after cars, benches, sidewalks, plants and even people are hit and covered by the white bird waste...The problem began when city workers removed cypress trees on "bird island" at Lake Eola in Orlando...Federal law prohibits the bird nests in Orlando from being disturbed.

...as Wall Street figures out how to profit from the bird flu...

[Orlando story via Jim Peel]

One Ring to Bring Them All and in the Darkness Bind Them

The NYPD is installing 505 surveillance cameras around the city - and pushing to safeguard lower Manhattan with a "ring of steel" that could track hundreds of thousands of people and cars a day, authorities revealed yesterday.

Turning America into a prison: one cellblock at a time...

Richmond "Gun Violence" Up

A recently released report evaluating the federally funded Project Safe Neighborhoods program in Virginia suggests that gun violence has risen steadily in Richmond since 2000.

The report, completed in January, also suggests that nearly two-thirds of Richmonders do not feel safer today than they did five years ago. And it concludes that six out of 10 city dwellers don't believe the aggressive media campaigns to raise awareness on gun violence have prevented people from carrying illegal firearms.

Oh
my
goodness.
Who
could
have
possibly
foreseen
this?

You boys care to back that turnip truck up so we can climb back on and fall off properly next time?

Hoplophobe Home Care to Elderly Gun Owners: Suffer and Die For All We Care

A Nova Scotia woman with multiple sclerosis has lost her home care after a single incident of her husband forgetting to store his rifle in a gun cabinet...

Northwood Home Care hasn’t been back since.

Spokesman John Verlinden said it doesn’t matter that the homeowner’s guns are registered, or that the rifle’s trigger lock was on.

"Any risk where a home support worker feels it is an unsafe environment or there is some risk for them, that would trigger an assessment," he said.

If the guns are removed, the homecare company would carry out a fresh assessment, and consider starting up service again.

What a nice company.

Ask Capital Times!

Dear Capital Times,

Lately everybody's been up in arms over "concealed carry." But what about UNconcealed carry? Both the U.S. and Wisconsin constitutions guarantee the right to keep and bear arms. Does that mean I could be like Marshal Dillon, strap a big gun on my hip and go pretty much anywhere I please, as long as I'm not trying to hide the fact that I'm armed?-- Richard S. Russell

Dear Richard,

Capital Times approached two experts, Capt. Brian Willison of the Dane County Sheriff's Office, and Brian Blanchard, Dane County district attorney. We have translated their responses for you, because, being establishment journalists, it's our job to make sure you understand your duties as a citizen when it comes to obeying the state.

Good questions, Richard. Basically, the word "right" means whatever we say it does. Hell, even your "gun lobby" giants have their members convinced that bearing arms is a licensed privilege subject to fees (kind'a like the good old days of poll taxes-- remember those? ), approvals and tests , limitations, restrictions, revocations--and it goes without saying, outright prior restraint denial.

At this point--and remember, this is all depending on where you live and what we feel like at any particular moment--we pretty much won't go ballistic if we see you armed in an approved venue AND you can produce a license on demand or demonstrate to our satisfaction that you are pursuing a legitimate (defined by us) sporting purpose.

But God forbid you play citizen lawyer and decide for yourself you understand better than us what terms like "bear arms" mean. If we see you even thinking about acting like a free man...

Here's the thing, Richard. You'll notice Capital Times came to US-- a cop and a prosecutor. We're on the same team, represent the same client. And if we DO decide you need taking down, assuming you survive, guess what ? The judge also works for the Big Boss. And don't think a jury's gonna save you, because they'll do as he instructs--despite some troublemakers who think they know "the law" better than WE do trying to convince a few smelly anarchists that they have a right to judge the law as well as the facts.

Nope, Richard. The courts are ours. And good luck getting the judiciary to hear a Second Amendment case--right now, settled law in a good part of the country says there IS no individual right to keep and bear arms.

Don't look to the other branches, either. The legislature? We control it. And the enforcers...I mean, the executive branch--well, like we just said, they're the enforcers.

And you know what clinches it for us, Richard? Your neighbors! Look around. Ask 'em what they think about "assault weapons" or guns in schools (hell, ask Wayne LaPierre that one), or "common sense gun control." Guess whose side the bleaters are gonna take, Richard? Guess who's been conditioned to wet themselves and call US if they see you walking down Main Street with a shouldered rifle or a pistol strapped to your leg?

Ha, ha, ha! Richard. That's our ultimate trump card right there.

"The People"? Gimme a break!

Despite what the Constitution says, we can pretty much do anything we want, Richard, and there's really not a damn thing you can do about it. Check and mate.

So the short answer to your question is, "No," Richard. "You can't." But we won't particularly mind if you try. It'll give us an excuse to roll out our new equipment and be heroes in front of the fawning press like these useful idiots at the Capital Times. Plus, it will scare your fellow cud-chewers into demanding more protection against dangerous, evil bogeymen like you, who threaten the harmony and tranquility of the herd with dangerous notions like "freedom." Talk about justifying tax/budget increases!

In our line of work, Richard, we call that a "Win-Win."

So there you have it, Richard. We at Capital Times hope you're clear on your responsibilities for submitting to authority.

Anybody else have a stupid question?

We're the Only Ones Special, Weaponed and Tactical Enough...

Dr Salvatore Culosi Jr had come out of his townhouse to meet an undercover policeman when he was shot through the chest by a Special Weapons and Tactics force...But he had been under investigation for illegal gambling and in line with a local police policy on "organised crime" raids, the heavily armed team was there to serve a search warrant...As officers approached with their weapons drawn, tragedy struck. A handgun was accidentally discharged, fatally wounding Dr Culosi...Peter Kraska, an expert on police militarisation from Eastern Kentucky University, says that in the 1980s there were about 3,000 Swat team deployments annually across the US, but says now there are at least 40,000 per year.

As the person who called this to my attention observed, "Uh, huh – 'accidently.'”

We blogged about this story earlier. I see we still don't know the executioner's name.

The most to-the-point passage in this article:

"The problem is that when you talk about the war on this and the war on that, and police officers see themselves as soldiers, then the civilian becomes the enemy."

Burn that one in.

[Thanks to JM]

Got "THE BLACK ARROW"?

... If not, this may be your last, best shot at acquiring a personally signed copy!
Vin Suprynowicz will visit The Book Store in Elko, NV for his last scheduled book-signing stop of The Black Arrow tour on Saturday April 22, 2006. Paperback and leatherbound editions will both be available at the event.

When:
April 22, 2006, 11 am to 1 pm

Where:
The Book Store
1372 Idaho St
Elko, NV 89801-4019
Phone: (775) 738-5342

We hope to see you there!

Mountain Media
3172 N. Rainbow Blvd #343
Las Vegas, NV 89108
702-656-3285
-----------------------------------------------------
Vin Suprynowicz is assistant editorial page editor of the
daily Las Vegas Review-Journal and author of the books
Send in the Waco Killers, The Ballad of Carl Drega, and
The Black Arrow. For information call 702-656-3285, or visit
www.TheLibertarian.us or www.LibertyBookShop.us.

The Blame Game

While gang prevalence and poverty are undeniable factors in the rate of gun violence nationwide, gun manufacturers shoulder the bulk of responsibility, a national activist said during a service at Spring of Hope Church of God in Christ yesterday.

The Rev. Lennox S. Yearwood made his comments during a sermon following a town hall-style discussion comprised of representatives from local and statewide organizations aimed at stopping handgun and youth violence.

Isn't it curious how often we seem to hear about
gun control
proponents who
themselves have experienced
problematic incidents
involving guns.

No wonder they don't trust us.

I personally would have no problem with all adherents of Rev. Yearwood's philosophy voluntarily registering with the government making them ineligible to own firearms.

Police Van Targeted

A marked police van carrying a sergeant and eight officers was hit by gun fire in Brooklyn, police said.

Goodness. Is no one safe in New York?

Perhaps they should enact some "common sense" gun laws?

MMMVII

Welcome to the seventh installment of The Million Moon March.

This week, we feature "jimmy," courtesy of ivymike.

"Call me provincial," he writes,"but I opted for a decidedly New England flavor. In case you don't recognize the mug, it's James J. 'Whitey' Bulger, South Boston gangster, former Alcatraz inmate, FBI snitch, drug dealer, mass murderer (20 that they know about) and pedophile. Back in the '80s, he owned every crooked FBI agent in the Boston office."

Considering jimmy's background, it's not surprising that he prefers the general populace to remain unarmed, and his pals at Control Arms heartily agree.





I have no idea WTF this one is about, but I'd hate to think that all barcode-tattooed nude dwarfs in cardboard boxes are enemies of freedom--perhaps "Andrew" is just an anomaly. Ya think?

Grading the Graders

I thought I would do a little statistical research myself to see if the Brady Bunch's grading system had any merit other than whining, crying, and pouting.

Sometimes, The Mad Hatter concludes, there are worse things than a failing grade.

It's Just Our Bringin' Up-ke

Cabarrus County law enforcement officials say a new strategy they're adopting will reduce gun-related crime by helping habitual offenders shed their criminal past and start their lives over...

Officials will target habitual violent offenders with arrest histories, including those convicted of homicides, robberies, aggravated assaults and felony gun charges who are on probation, Lang said.

A rousing chorus of Gee, Officer Krupke, anyone...?

We're the Only Ones Adult Enough...

Jamming the barrel of a handgun into a fifth-grader's belly, an enraged Queens parent threatened to shoot the boy in his school playground yesterday - all because he had punched the man's son - the boy and witnesses said...

Antoine said he was walking through the schoolyard of Public School 50 in Jamaica at about 8:15 a.m. when Carlos Ugarte, a federal immigration officer, ran up and grabbed him by the collar.

From this account, it sounds like the reason there was a scuffle in the first place is because the fruit didn't fall very far from the tree. Nice to see he got put on administrative leave. It sure beats what would happen to one of us if similar charges by eyewitnesses were made.

My Kind of Town

I received the following email in response to yesterday's post on rogue Chicago cops terrorizing South Side residents. I have corresponded with this person in the past and found his information and observations to be reliable and insightful--he wishes to retain anonymity because he is concerned about possible reprisals:

I've personally spoken to people in this city who've experienced similar things to what's described in the article. One who comes to mind now is a fellow who was beaten to a pulp and had drugs planted on him by members of the Chicago Police Department.

In another local court case I heard about recently, an (alleged) carjacker who was on parole for attempted murder at the time of the crime was let off the hook even with convincing evidence of his guilt. The jury just wanted to set the guy free and go home. One of them said, "Look, if we get into an argument about this we're gonna have to stay in a hotel tonight!" They made the dissenters as uncomfortable as possible until they got their way.

Garbage like the above is unfortunately quite common. People seem to have lost their sense of outrage. I believe that the populace can be conditioned to police-state tactics and gross injustice until they are apathetic, and that's what seems to have happened in Chicago.-- A Friend of Freedom