Open Letter to Americans United for Separation of Church and State

To: americansunited@au.org I see you're trying to get the IRS to revoke an evangelist's 501(c)(3) status for his statement that a vote for Mitt Romney is a vote for Satan. One comment is all it takes for you guys to go ballistic? Have I got a case for you. Can we rely on your consistency to do something about Snuffy Pfleger? See:

• Snuff Out Mike Pfleger
• "Snuffed Out"
• Hey, Look Who Showed Up
• "Thousands Of Guns Taken Off The Streets" (which has the added bonus of public funds and manpower being expended on church projects)
• or simply use the search term "pfleger" at The War on Guns.

I'd say these links provide way more evidence of tax exemption abuse than a fundamentalist preacher decrying Mormonism to his congregation, wouldn't you? Can I count on your prompt investigation and follow-through with the IRS on this? Awaiting your response, David Codrea [WoG visitors--if you agree, feel free to send an email of your own.]

"The Gang" at Reds

From Ryan Horsley:

Red's Trading Post is pleased to announce the JPFO's decision to premiere their latest documentary The Gang in Twin Falls Idaho. The Gang exposes the abuses of the BATFE, this truly is a movie they do not want you to see.

This will be shown FREE OF CHARGE and Red's Trading Post will also be raffling off a Ruger 10/22 Rifle and other prizes to those who attend.

Where:
Lamphouse Theater
223 5th Ave South

When:
June 13th and 14th at 7pm

For more information on The Gang visit the website at:
http://www.thegangmovie.com/
For more information on the JPFO: Jews for Preservation of Firearm Ownership visit their website at:
http://www.jpfo.org

Related to this, I completely missed Ryan's May 22 JPFO interview. Go give it a listen--good stuff I wasn't aware of, and I've been following this pretty closely.

We're the Only Ones Extraordinarily Blundering Enough

A police marksman is under investigation after accidentally shooting a colleague in an extraordinary blunder.

The victim, a civilian employee, was seriously injured in the accident at a lecture room at the HQ of Thames Valley Police near Oxford.

He was apparently being shown the workings of a police Glock pistol when it went off, blasting him in the torso.

The victim, aged in his 50s, was left writhing in agony with blood pouring from the wound.

Cryptic Subterranean brings us more outstanding professionalism from our old mates, the Thames Valley Only Ones.

"Snuffed Out"

Hannity and Colmes cover the Mike "Snuffy" Pfleger brouhaha. By the way, the above is just a graphic--you need to click on the title link to get to the actual video player.

As expected, Alan dives right in to misdirection and apologia. The difference between this and an Ann Coulter column, Alan, aside from her well-known employment of satire as a literary tool, is she's not hysterically egging on a frenzied mob with street language right in front of anyone's doorstep. And as for your cynically referencing "the great Christian tradition of forgiveness," that sure doesn't sound like what the commie priest is doing.

The double standard is palpable. If I used the same terminology and applied it to our elected Chief Executive or one of the campaigning hopefuls for that job, I'd fully expect a visit from the Secret Service. If I said it in relation to the director of an abortion clinic, or, Allah forbid, a leader in our Guest Mufti Program, I'd expect the "terrorist threat" card to be played. Still, we can expect the wayward Snuffy will get away with this, and to tell you the truth, I'd rather we played more loosely with the First Amendment than tighter.

I believe everybody is missing the point. I believe all this noise will result in nothing. Is that what we want the outcome to be?

We've already seen a jury of his peers nullify charges where his committing the deed was never in question. And we've seen the Church hierarchy abdicating any authority to rein in their maverick.

I believe the key to shutting him down, the way to truly hurt his subversive operations, is through the tax issue I raised a few days ago (and incidentally, over a year before that). And that's why, it's with no small amount of frustration that I see this issue totally ignored not only by all "authorized" media, and not only by any "pro gun" organizations, but also by any other gun blogs save a few allies.

I just got the following from an EA ("Enrolled Agent"--a tax specialist) that convinces me I'm on the right track with this:

Mike Pfleger's 990 or 990EZ would have been due May 15 if The Beloved Community, Inc. is a calendar year filer and if it received total revenues in excess of $25,000 in 2006. (I suspect you will never see the 2006 returns if the organization has gone mostly inactive, there would not be enough revenue to force filing)

I would suggest that our friends in Chicagoland pay a visit to the location where the books are kept (per the 990 you have) and demand to see the organization's public records and be furnished with photocopies of same. See IRS instructions for form 990, page 11, for details: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i990-ez.pdf

I wouldn't mind seeing that, but as I indicated previously, it looks like everything is being done under the auspices of St. Sabina, which files no return because it's a church. I think it would need to be their books examined for donations and expenditures related to affecting legislative outcomes--including use of their assets for same, such as work product and correspondence stored on computers, telephone bills, vehicle use, etc.

If you're interested in kicking Snuffy in the nuts, this is the tack to use. Focusing on his hate speech, while useful for gaining some temporary attention, does little more than visibly divide people into their respective camps.

[Video link via 45superman]

Restoring the Norm

"It really is a matter of defining things very carefully and balancing maintaining one's rights and what has become the norm of society. It's something we're really going to have to examine."

There's an easy solution for that, Post Falls City Administrator, that is, public servant Eric Keck. More people need to start exercising their right to keep and bear arms so that fewer people are "alarmed". It's not like they freak when they see an armed "Only One."

[Via ChareltonHest]

[More on Zach Doty from WarOnGuns]

"That's the Kind of Lowlife that They Are"

[Scroll down the "News" video selection panel to "Pastor accused of making threats towards gun shop"]

Mikey is the victim. Poor Mikey.

And you people are just a bunch of lowlifes.

[Via Paul Grant]

A Panel of Experts

One might think that the only thing people would be interested in hearing from "Father" Michael Pfleger is a retraction of, and an apology and explanation for, his call to "snuff out" gun shop owner John Riggio, along with unnamed pro-rights legislators. One would, apparently, be wrong. Next Wednesday, he'll be on TV, as part of a panel, in a bit of irony too bizarre for decent fiction, on reducing youth violence in Chicago.

I suspect this panel--government coercion proponents all-- couldn't find a solution with both hands and a mirror, but that won't stop ABC7 from passing them off as the best and brightest in the field.

I contacted the station via their online form:



Here's the complete text of my message:

How can you people even feign objectivity with the panel of citizen disarmament zealots you have assembled? How do you have the absolute gall to present this under auspices of "news," as opposed to agenda-driven statist propaganda? And who will violence-stopping Mike Pfleger recommend snuffing out this time? You want real news, try asking him how he operates a tax-deductible 501 (c)(3) while engaging in legislative advocacy. But that would require two things you obviously don't possess based on the insultingly biased composition of your panel of "experts": objectivity and an interest in the truth.

If you agree that ABC7 is engaging in propaganda vs news, please go to their comments page and protest their selection of panelists. Why is it they can't seem to find even one participant who can demonstrate the only solution to preventing violence is if potential victims have the means to discourage it?

Please do this, spread the word, and encourage others to follow suit. It would be nice if fellow gun bloggers and pro-2A forums joined in too.

Fair is Fair

A leading pro-abortion group, Catholics for Free Choice, is attacking Priests for Life, a top pro-life organization, and claiming that it is violating its status as a nonprofit entity by posting videos of pro-life Sen. Sam Brownback on its web site.

So posting a video on a website is all it takes for the left to demand repeal of tax emempt status?

So why can Mike Pfleger run an anti-gun legislation campaign on his?

We're the Only Ones Savage Enough

[Use BugMeNot to bypass site registration.]

The DirecTV installers were struggling.

They'd been fiddling with the satellite TV system for two hours at Julie and Steven Pyle's home in Savage. The installers called DirecTV at one point, saying they were being "held hostage" on the job.

Then things really went haywire.

A DirecTV dispatcher called the police, who showed up at the Pyle house with guns drawn. Savage police forced Julie Pyle to the ground in her driveway and handcuffed her, even after the DirecTV installers told officers there'd been a mistake, the Pyles say.

"But they were all pumped up..."

Well, DirecTV says it beats cable. I didn't realize they could also arrange to have the same thing done to their customers.

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

[Via geedub17]

We're the Only Ones Kinderphotoing Enough

Who doesn't think it's strange that an adult male with a badge and a gun would take pictures – would stalk for hours – (my) 5-year-old daughter?"

Good thing the cops kept his camera (but gave him back his gun...)!

And it's better thing this didn't happen in New York, where "lifting a finger" can be lethal.

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

[Via Jeff]

This Day in History: June 1

That all men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent and natural rights, of which they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; among which are, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.

Look Who Else Showed Up

So--is the Cardinal gonna strap 'em on and finally do something about this rebellious embarrassment to the Church (and to humanity) or not?

Hey, Look Who Showed Up

I wonder if the IRS looked at this particular computer, how much political activism-related work product and correspondence they'd find?

Shameless Plug: Grabbers All

So we need to vote Republican, right?

Yeah, if you agree with Rudy Giuliani that we need federal licensing and testing to own a gun, and that semiautos should be banned...

Or take John McCain—please!

...The third “big” name among GOP contenders is former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney...

"Grabbers All" is my Rights Watch column for the July 2007 issue of GUNS Magazine, on sale now at gripping newsstands throughout the Republic. (I actually liked my working title, "Heil to the Chief!" but then again, no one ever accused me of being tactful and delicate.)

Also, a psychologist wrote a nice letter about my Frank Melton article in the Crossfire section (pg 6).

BONUS: See pg 92 to find out how you can win a Vega Diamond Double Elite over & under 20-gauge shotgun, imported from Turkey by ADCO Sales.

The Pfleger Cover-Up Begins

Vince Clark, a spokesman for Pfleger, told Cybercast News Service Wednesday that the pastor wasn't aware of the violent connotation of "snuff" and didn't mean to threaten bodily harm. (Listen to Pfleger's comments)

"I've never heard that compared before with the word murder," Clark said. "He [Pfleger] was never aware of that. If that was the case he would never have used that language."

Right, Vince. The guy lives in da hood, throws out street slang like "the Benjamins," and no one has any idea what snuffing someone out means. And for gun owners to protest this lunatic's rantings "is uncalled for."

As for that Church hierarchy we're hoping will do something about this:

James Accurso, a spokesman for the Chicago Archdiocese...told Cybercast News Service that the church had no plans to take disciplinary action against Pfleger.

No, of course not. They're afraid of him, afraid he'll make a big stink, leave the priesthood and take his congregation with him. They have abdicated all authority for St. Sabina. It's no longer God's house, it's Mike Pfleger's. The rogue is calling the shots.

OK, what about the "authorized journalists," like our pals at The Trib? Nope, nothing there about this controversy, and that's no surprise to those of us who have been paying attention. Yuri Orlov gave us the reporter's reaction yesterday in a comment to a related post:

"Thank you for writing. If you read my story, you saw that I included very little of what was said at this rally. I was assigned to cover this story and assigned a certain amount of space for it. I did not include Father Pfleger's comments because I did not find them germane to the subject. I also will say it did not strike me as a threat of imminent violence. It sounded like a typical rally speech."

Well, we can see how much help we can count on there.

And what about the tax exempt issue reported by WarOnGuns? Forget coverage by any major media. And if you look at the links to that post, not many gun bloggers consider it meriting a mention, either, although I am grateful to KABA for posting it, as well as you few others.

Ah well. We do what we can.

MORE:
Armed and Safe (45superman has done a great job spreading the word and posting to forums. Many thanks, Kurt.)

We're the Only Ones Knee-Capping Daddy's Little Girl Enough

An off-duty New Haven police officer shot and wounded his 18-year-old daughter, apparently mistaking her for an intruder after she sneaked out of their Stratford home and re-entered through the basement.

Cryptic Subterranean has some threat assessment advice for us non-"Only Ones."

We need it, because unlike Cappy Pappy, (or would that be Coppy Poppy?) we would probably be charged.

Idaho Rifle Clinic

Western Rifle Shooters Association is having an intermediate rifle clinic on July 7/8 in Kooskia, ID.

Follow the title link to learn more, including what you'll need, what you'll learn, where you'll stay, how much it will cost, etc., and please pass the info on to your gun owner friends.

Nebraska Gun Owner Action Alert

From JoeMerchant24:

We need help here in Nebraska.

LB97 passed this morning, expanding the number of gun-free zones.

We need to get all of you to call Governor Dave Heineman at 402-471-2244 and politely ask him NOT TO SIGN LB97!!!!

There are so few days left in the session, we can pocket veto this.

There are talking points to be made to the guv at joemerchant24.blogspot.com

Thanks;
JM24

He has several posts explaining more. Please pass this info on to your friends in Nebraska and ask them to make the calls and spread the word.

MORE:

John Lott
The War on Guns

I couldn't readily find if NRA or GOA have action alerts out to their members to ask the governor to veto this bill, but due to time constraints only gave their respective sites a cursory once-over. If anyone can shed some light on this, please enter a "Comment," below.

This Day in History: May 31

Whereas by an Address presented to his Majesty by both Houses of Parliament in February last, the American Colonies are declared to be in a State of actual Rebelion, we conceive that all Laws and Commissions confirmed by, or derived from the Authority of the King or Parliament, are annulled and vacated, and the former civil Constitution of these Colinies for the present wholly suspended...

That the several Militia Companies in this county do provide themselves with proper Arms and Accoutrements, and hold themselves in Readiness to execute the commands and Directions of the Provincial Congress, and of this committee.

Snuff Poster

Sorry, couldn't resist.

And yeah, I know turning someone in to the feds is not conducive to "freedom." I'd have titled this "Heh," to indicate it's a joke, but I never was very trendy.

Still, if you don't want to get hit in the teeth with a stool, it's a pretty good idea not to start bar fights.