"Just a Victim of Circumstances"

A funeral was held Saturday for Willie Posey. Posey was the bodyguard and friend of Chicago Bear Tank Johnson.

Many relatives attending the funeral spoke out against guns and violence...

"As a great man, a great father figure. I looked up to him growing up. It's just, you know, wrong place at the wrong time. That's how I feel. Just a victim of circumstances, basically," said Jerry Sanders, Posey's cousin.

Yeah, blame guns and circumstances. It's not like we have any control over choices we make in life or people we associate with.

We're the Only Ones Sobbing Enough

A policewoman's gun and badge were stolen from her New York City home as she slept -- and the bandit apparently also made off with her car...

"My son and I were asleep upstairs," she said. "I thought I was safe in my own home because of the work I do," she said later.

Neighbors said the 10-year veteran officer sobbed as she spoke about the break-in, The New York Post reported.

OK, I'll give up my guns and trust this hysterical wreck of an hormonal "Only One"-- who can't even protect herself and her own family-- to protect me and mine.

And watch any misuse of that stolen gun exploited by Bloomberg & Company as further reason to disarm us all.

Apocalypto

Saw it yesterday. Loved it.

I was initially not interested, wondering how Gibson could possibly have us empathize with people so culturally remote from us. Not a problem. There were times we were laughing so hard along with the characters on screen I was gasping, and, of course, times for other intense emotions.

Yes, it's not for the visually squeamish, and yes, I took the kids, 12 and 15, who have been raised properly and know how to view such things in proper context. They thought it was great.

Love, hate, individualism, courage, family, good, evil, blinding societal hubris, and especially allegory--they're all here. Two M1 thumbs up.

We're the Only Ones Audited Enough

Tuxedo Park has hired a forensic accounting firm to sniff out any "possible village monies or property allegedly stolen by former employees" of the police department, according to a resolution passed by village trustees last week.

But I thought they were "The Only Ones" who could be trusted with...

[Via Declan]

Dial "B" for BATFU

By now you've probably heard of suggestions by Wayne LaPierre and others to call the BATFU hotline and report Michael Bloomberg's self-proclaimed "straw purchases."

Tommy Sherman tried it, and here are the results:

David,

I called the ATF 800 # hotline to complain about Bloomingberg's obvious violations of the laws in his straw purchase scam. The call was answered in DC by a booger picking dweeb that wasn't the least bit interested in taking any calls about any illegialities. I was transferred to another dweeb in DC that referred & transferred me to the NY ATF office. No one answered at NY, obviously too busy out investigating minor infractions.

Tommy Sherman

Nah, I'm sure they're just all hot on the trail of Mark Wahlberg...

"Shooter"

Well,
well,
well...
Pokey-Poke with another gun...

Yeah, those "props" sure look fake...I'm sure there'd be no way to talk to the production people and determine if they were.

I mean, it's not like he's Wayne Fincher, and they have a newspaper photo of him or anything...


Poster © Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

This Day in History: December 24

On this day in 1745, patriot, physician and social reformer Benjamin Rush is born in Byberry Township, Pennsylvania. The two great "Benjamins" of the revolutionary generation, Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush, shared status as Renaissance men and Philadelphians. Despite Franklin's greater fame, Dr. Rush was actually the better-educated, more widely traveled and more broadly experienced of the two.

Merry Christmas, Wayne Fincher

I'm also sending him some paper, envelopes and stamps--we'll see if they let him keep those.

They didn't.

I can't think of a single legitimate security reason for denying an inmate paper, envelopes and a handful of stamps, and am surprised the ACLU hasn't challenged this practice on First Amendment grounds.

Heartless pricks could have at least passed my letter on to him, to let him know people are thinking of him. I get this back the afternoon of the 22nd, and there's no way to get him a new message by Christmas to assure him he's not been abandoned. Here's what my letter said:

Dec. 8, 2006

Dear Mr. Fincher,

I hope this finds you strong. I just wanted to write and let you know that you have not been forgotten. I have included copies of what I have been posting on my blog, The War on Guns, since learning of your persecution.

Note that some of these are merely links to other sites, which I have not pasted into this letter—in those cases, just be aware that others are writing about you as well.

I don’t know if they will let you keep such things, but I am enclosing a few extra sheets of paper, envelopes and stamps for your use in case they do.

You will be in my prayers, and in the prayers of others.

Respectfully,

David Codrea

I'll try again, this time without any extras.

Related Posts

We're the Only Ones Correct Enough

City police arrested a state correction officer allegedly for possessing cocaine and a handgun.

Jeffrey M. Matthews, 36, of Watervliet, was already suspended without pay at the time of his arrest, said Linda Foglia, spokeswoman for the state Department of Correctional Services. She declined to say why, though Troy police reports state he was suspended after an earlier arrest in Albany.

Doesn't sound very self-correcting, does he?

[More from "The Only Ones" files...]

Padre Pistolas

This jolly 240-pound man isn't dressed in red, and he doesn't rely on reindeer to pull a sled. Instead, he drives a pickup and packs a .38 pistol as he delivers toys. And though he looks like a cowboy, he's a man of the cloth.

Meet Alfredo Gallegos Lara, the parish priest of tiny Chucandiro, in the central state of Michoacán, 200 miles west of Mexico City. Dubbed "Padre Pistolas" (Father Guns), the towering, singing priest will deliver toys to the neediest children this holiday season and bring smiles in a region torn apart by heavy migration to the U.S. and a violent turf war between drug traffickers...

And here's the money quote:

"But we judge for his actions, not for what he says, and he does more than any other priest, certainly more than the government."

Don't Call it "Extortion." Call it a "Public/Private Partnership"

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Friday that the city will team up with a South Carolina gun dealer to make sure guns do not fall into the hands of criminals on New York City streets.

Go "team"!

Wayne Fincher Docket Posted

From Paul W. Davis:

The Docket for Wayne Fincher's case is posted at the following url:

http://usvfincher.110mb.com/docket/

Wayne's attorney has already seen this and approved. Please give this the widest dissemination possible.

I will be working with another individual to keep this updated.

Related Posts

This Day in History: December 23

On this day in 1783, following the signing of the Treaty of Paris, General George Washington resigns as commander in chief of the Continental Army and retires to his home at Mount Vernon, Virginia.

Bush Administration Reverses Ashcroft Interpretation of Second Amendment

I received an email reply to my inquiry about the FAA declaring the Second Amendment a "collective right" in their recently issued spaceflight security regulations.

Dear Mr. Codrea:

Thank you for your comments on the human space flight requirements. This rule, including its security requirements, underwent coordination and review within the executive branch. It was reviewed and approved by the Executive Office of the President.

Your comments will be placed in the docket.

Sincerely,

Laura Montgomery

Laura Montgomery
Senior Attorney
Office of the Chief Counsel
Federal Aviation Administration
(202) 267-3150

This is what I sent back:

Dear Ms. Montgomery,

Thank you for your reply. You did not say who in the executive branch signed off on the security requirements, but I must assume they would not authorize policy that conflicts with the chief executive's direction and approval. Just so I don't misconstrue the position you appear to have articulated, am I to understand that the president of the United States considers the Second Amendment to be a "collective right," and the "individual rights" opinion AG Ashcroft stated during his tenure is not the official position of the Bush administration? And who in the executive branch approved the requirements on behalf of the president?

Sincerely,
David Codrea

When John Ashcroft penned his "individual rights" opinion, it made headlines around the world. Terms like "sea change" were thrown about, and we were told how significant the opinion was for gun rights. The Bradys went nuts. 18 state attorneys general followed suit and drafted their own letter of concurrence. And this was used to tremendous advantage to convince gun owners to throw their support behind the Bush administration.

But now we have it from one of the top attorneys in that administration that the "collective rights" language "was reviewed and approved by the Executive Office of the President."

Ladies and gentlemen, most will not realize this, but this is news, and it is significant. But chances are, this insignificant blog is the only place where you will learn of it, which means most gun owners will not.

Proof that it's the Gun's Fault

Three members of an armed teenage gang who killed a woman as she cradled a baby at a christening party were illegal immigrants with a string of convictions.

And that's why we need to keep you from having a gun. See, it all makes sense now.

Diverting from the main topic, here's something else the "authorized journalists" do that has bugged me for a long time:

A 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted of murder.

If I have a budding Jeffrey Dahmer living near me, or some twisted little emo who sets fire to kittens or molests pre-schoolers, I'd just as soon know about it, thank you very much. Crusading editors have no problems publishing names of CCW holders for "the public good", but seem to think the age of the monsters among us require some sort of special protection--"for the children."

Gun Buy-Back Could Reduce Violence

Sure it could.

And if "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas.

Unwholesome and Offensive

Not only will the sale of guns be prohibited in the village, but also within a mile of Addison...

Village attorney George Marchetti said a state statue allows any village to prevent guns from being sold within a mile of that town.

“I believe the village has the discretion to determine that firearm sales are an unwholesome and offensive business,” he said...

[Mayor Larry] Hartwig said he doesn’t believe in the sale of guns and wants to protect residents from dangerous weapons.

The village has a webpage where they invite citizens to "Ask Mayor Hartwig" questions for his monthly cable access show. I would, but the only things I can think to say are unwholesome and offensive.

[Via HZ]

More Neocon Kool-Aid, Please...

But if Giuliani can make those issues seem secondary to a broader defense of American civilization, he's got a chance to go all the way.

Not if activist gun owners sick and tired of "moderate" republican treason have anything to say about it. We might as well vote for Sarah Brady.

You idiots just lost both houses and it looks like the presidency will be a democrat slam dunk. Here's the way things are turning: Enough of us--the critical mass by which most elections are won or lost--aren't falling for the "lesser of two evils" fear tactics that have served GOP apologists so well for all these years. The hell with that and the hell with you.

We don't get what we want, you don't get what you want. We'll just have to hold on and defy any new bans. There aren't enough JBTs to come after all of us, and if it's tried, my bet is the frog will finally jump. I think those who have been maintaining the illusion that they are in control fear that--or will learn to.

Sanctioned "dissenters" like Jonah Goldberg being passed off as voices of conservatism is one of the great frauds perpetrated by the "authorized journalists." That and NRA being extremist and unyielding on the Second Amendment.

This Day in History: December 22

On Friday, December 22, 1775, the Continental Congress creates a Continental Navy, naming Esek Hopkins, Esq., as commander in chief of the fleet.

MRI Busters?

An incident recently occurred at an outpatient imaging center in western New York State, in which a firearm spontaneously discharged in a 1.5-T MR imaging environment with active shielding. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of such an occurrence. The event confirms previously reported theoretic risks of a firearm discharging in an MR imaging environment [1]. In this report, we examine the incident in detail from the official police and ballistic reports

I saw this over at SayUncle a few days ago and I just now remembered it.

Yeah, I guess, but I'd still like to see the results duplicated on Mythbusters before I totally buy into it. I mean, it's not like we haven't seen "Only Ones" and negligent discharges before...again and again and again...

I guess the way you submit stuff for testing is to join their message boards--no time here, but someone else feel free. Tell me you wouldn't watch that show...