My Faux Cleveland

Ron Paul Democrat

And they've been running this self-promoting commercial about how extensive their political coverage will be ad nauseum.

"Authorized Journalists."

Tell me no one noticed, or a management decision wasn't made that they don't want to spend the money to re-do this bit and provide correct information to the electorate.

Besides, it's not like Faux News hasn't done what it can to derail the Paul campaign every step of the way--and it's not like they still have any public trust left to betray.

We distort, you decide.

The conduct of this organization has been nothing short of subversive throughout this entire campaign. Anyone still believing they represent a "conservative" voice either knows better and would rather be in denial, or is oblivious.

This Day in History: March 3

Brier Creek, BATTLE OF ( 1779 ). Colonel Ashe, of North Carolina, was sent by General Lincoln, with two thousand men, to drive the British from Augusta. The latter fled when Ashe appeared on the opposite side of the river, and pushed towards the sea, led by Lieutenant- Colonel Campbell. Ashe crossed and pursued as far as Brier Creek, forty miles below Augusta, on the Georgia side of the Savannah River, where he encamped. He was surprised (March 3, 1779) and utterly defeated by General Prevost, who was marching up from Savannah to support Campbell. Ashe lost almost big entire army by death, captivity, and dispersion. Some were killed, others perished in the morasses, and many were drowned in attempting to pass the Savannah River. This blow deprived Lincoln of about one fourth of his army and led to the temporary re-establishment of royal authority in Georgia.

A Little Sunday Overtime

"I'm Jack Nicholson and I Approved This Message"

So does the USMC have anything to say about Jackie-Boy (he's "on the list") or any other civilian appearing in their uniform to promote Hillary Clinton's presidential bid? Yeah, I know the clips were taken from "A Few Good Men," but they were never intended for political endorsements.

Seems to me complaints could be filed with the Corps and the FEC. I wonder what the value of this would be, including labor and equipment to produce this bit, plus the use of corporate-owned film clips for which we can presume no royalties were paid, as an "in-kind contribution," and if any of this has been reported?

Independent inquiries and follow-up are encouraged.

UPDATE: HuffPo says "The Hillary Clinton Campaign released [the] video..."

We're the Only Ones Jumping Out of Gear Enough

WARNING: Contains strong language. Sound begins 26 seconds into the video.

This may not be quite as stupid as the Lee Paige video, but it sure comes in a close second.

I like the way he laughs it off and then resumes writing the ticket on the guy he pulled over, as if that's where the moving violation occurred.

Why, thanks, Officer Only One. I'll take your safety lecture seriously, you freaking goofball. You gonna write yourself a citation now, seeing as how your actions endangered oncoming traffic by a matter of seconds, and could have killed someone? No? Why not? By the way, what was it your cruiser hit that stopped it?

Nice running form, too. Glad to see standards are being maintained. And I'm still trying to figure out which cartoon character your voice reminds me of.

Yeah, the car "jumped out of gear." I believe that. So is your department--the same people who will write one of us peons up for a burned out taillight-- putting vehicles with potentially lethal hazardous mechanical defects out on the street? Was the cruiser inspected afterward, and certified for safe operation? Or more likely, did we just witness incompetence and a face-saving lie? What did you put down on the incident and insurance reports?

I don't know how long ago this dashcam video was taken and can't find anything else about it. If someone can shed some light on the story behind it, please do so.

[Via Kiwitoo]

We're the Only Ones Keeping in Touch Enough

A bill that cleared the Senate floor this morning would require any person convicted of a violent crime against a law enforcement official to register in a database.

Not just "law enforcement officials"-- the title of the bill includes "AND OTHER PUBLIC SERVANTS."

Because we all know "Only Ones" count more than "Ordinary Ones," and there's no more noble calling than "public service."

In reality, all the requirements, the anual registration, the notification triggers, all of this seems a bit much for someone to be able to follow--read the bill yourself and see if you think it's likely that many will find it too complex to follow, particularly in Mississippi, where:

Mississippi's challenges in achieving this vision are particularly acute. For instance, in the river city of Vicksburg, 41 percent of the population ranks at the lowest literacy level measured by NALS, and 23 percent of the city's residents live below the poverty line. The situation in Vicksburg is not an isolated example. Municipalities across the state have significantly lower literacy levels and higher poverty rates than the national averages.

It would seem to be easier to just move out of state.

[Via Stephen Stamboulieh]

The Bases Are Loaded

Scott told of one situation several years back when he was at a Houston gas station and was confronted by a man carrying a shank.

"I didn't pull my gun on him," Scott said. "I would have if he had gotten close enough, and I would have shot him if he wouldn't have backed off. But all I had to do was lift up my shirt and put my hand on [the gun] and I said, 'Can I help you?' He stopped in his tracks.

I could argue with some of the things brought up, but on the whole, stories like this help, having personal defense firearms associated with people who are accepted and positively viewed by the public.

Andy McPhail certainly can weasel-word with the best of them...

Cavalry Arms Update

In reference to comments by "Rose J" copied here:

The only interaction between CAV ARMS and PRG is that they have been kind enough to donate AR15 furniture to the State IDPA matches we have held for the past few years. These go onto a prize table, and are awarded by random drawing. The post on KTAR is assumed to be by our former range master, who was let go, and apparently has a grudge against the members on the board of directors and his replacement. So far to date, he has sent the EPA out to the range on a bogus and harassing charge, and we believe he was behind sending an OSHA representative out, also on a bogus charge.

TO STATE EMPHATICALY: PHOENIX ROD AND GUN, NOR ANY OF THE MEMBERS LISTED IN THAT POST ON KTAR, HAVE EVER PURCHASED OR RECEIVED RIFLES OR ANY COMPONENTS COVERED BY FEDERAL FIREARMS LAWS FROM CAV ARMS, NOR HAVE ANY OF US BEEN INVOLVED IN TRANSFERING ANY ITEMS OTHER THAN THE STOCK SETS DONATED BY CAV ARMS.

Don Reed, President
Phoenix Rod and Gun Club

Posted :: 3/1/2008 7:15:44 PM

This Day in History: March 2

General Howe cannot, by the best intelligence I have been able to get, have less than 10,000 Men in the Jerseys and on board of Transports at Amboy: Ours does not exceed 4,000: His are well disciplined, well Officered, and well appointed: Ours raw Militia, badly Officered, and under no Government. His numbers cannot, in any short time, be augmented: Ours must very considerably, and by such Troops as we can have some reliance on, or the Game is at an End. His situation with respect to Horses and Forage is bad, very bad, I believe; but will it be better? No; on the contrary, worse, and therefore, an inducement, if no other, to shift Quarters. General Howe's informants are too numerous, and too well acquainted with all these circumstances, to suffer him to remain in ignorance of them. With what propriety, then, can he miss so favourable an opportunity of striking a capital stroke against a City, from whence we derive so many advantages, the carrying of which would give such eclat to his Arms and strike such a damp upon ours? Nor is his difficulty of moving so great as is imagined. All the heavy Baggage of the Army; their Salt Provisions and Flour; their Stores, &ca. might go round by Water; whilst their superior numbers would enable them to make a sweep of the Horses for many Miles round about them (not already taken off by us).

Anniversary

So which of these is the anniversary of the Waco raid? Celebration? Consecration? Commemoration? Perhaps, you may come to understand as I do, that it is a little bit of all three.

Mike Vanderboegh has written another gem, this time about an anniversary we discussed yesterday.

I have not been able to break away to do the formatting needed to post it, but see that Chris Horton has saved me the trouble.

Go on over and give it a read.

Cavalry Arms Assistance Plan

There's nothing new in the news, and still no word from the Cavalry Arms website on what is going down, but activists on AR15.com are being proactive about helping out. Follow the title link to see what the plan is, and how you can get involved.

A Utah BATFU Wannabe?

However, Van Wagenen and his attorney, James "Mitch" D. Vilos, believe that any errors discovered through the October 2006 audit by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives are innocent mistakes, not a deliberate disregard for rules.

"The Van Wagenen Finance Company has ... had hundreds of thousands of gun sales," Vilos said. "As far as I know, the vast majority have been absolutely legal and perfectly maintained. We're looking at the allegations closely, trying to figure out how some of those records were less than perfect."

Oh, you mean what BATFU calls "willful violations"?

"In order for us to pursue this charge, we need to establish that his conduct was done willfully and intentionally," Grunander said. "We are confident that we can prove this case at trial."

How predictable was that?

It looks like the Utah Deputy Attorney is tag-teaming with the feds on this.

With everything else going on, I don't see anyone else keeping an eye on this, so why don't we?

A False Alternative

No, you from "The Winning Team" may end up registering your guns, and you may even aid and abet the enemy in encouraging your countrymen to turn themselves in.

And what next?

What will you do when they order you to get their permission to own your registered guns in the form of paid licenses with arbitrary and mutable qualifying standards?

What will you do when they tell you that your license application has been rejected, that your registered guns have been banned, that you must turn them in or face arrest and imprisonment?

We know what "The Winning Team's" answer is: Surrender them, like "any honest, law-abiding American would do."

So register to vote and then do what?

Vote McCain?

You go right ahead if you want to. I'm sure some can even convince themselves they're being fierce and pragmatic freedom fighters doing so.

I'm taking a different route. If more did, we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

I will not register.

I will lose my rights only if I surrender them.

And I will not disarm.

I'll leave that to the men with nice offices and thousand dollar suits who have convinced so many followers that they are their leaders.

Shriek hysterically about losing and then stampede the cattle.

Let them lead, that is, herd you to surrender. I want no part of it and will lead myself.

It Is the Economy...

Clay tells us why.

Wayne to the Rescue

The day a gunman killed five students at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, it was more than an hour before Dr. Connie Catellani knew that her son Tony Skelton, an NIU senior, was safe.

So she's used her new-found indignation to presume to dictate on our right to keep and bear arms, and the ignorance, hysteria and distrust she employs are straight out of the Brady playbook.

And because she's a doctor, the media accords her more "authority" on the subject than they would if she were, say, a sex worker. Not (completely) meaning to be facetious, but would either of those professions be consulted for meaningful input if your TV was on the fritz, or your car had a funny noise coming from the transmission?

But because this person is an MD, we're supposed to listen to her on RKBA? Couldn't using that as a credential to give her voice special credibility be considered malpractice of sorts?

Someone who does have credentials, John Lott, was given the opportunity to present a rational alternative to "gun free zones." But what I found disturbing was that Dr. Catellani's most damaging argument against him, at least as far as the general public is concerned, came from someone ostensibly on "our side." Listen at 25 minutes 50 seconds into the recording (access via link on Lott's post--it's a big file, so those of you on dial up will need patience), and who does she cite? Not Paul Helmke, Peter Hamm or Sarah Brady, not Josh Sugarmann, but the biggest name in "gun rights."

And what does she cite?

This:

First, we 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.

We believe America's schools should be as safe as America's airports. You can't talk about, much less take, bombs and guns onto airplanes. Such behavior in our schools should be prosecuted just as certainly as such behavior in our airports is prosecuted.

[Via HZ]

We're the Only Ones Inadvertant Enough

A federal trial for a man accused of taking a police officer’s handgun ended in a hung jury this week.

What was this, another "takeaway" incident?

Authorities said the officer inadvertently left his duty belt under a street bench near Matt Talbot Kitchen at 19th and R streets the evening of Oct. 7. The belt included a police radio, a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun and .45-caliber magazines. Police got a phone call a few hours later from someone who said Livings had a police officer’s weapon. Authorities found him the next morning with the gun and magazines at an apartment near 23rd and Q streets.

"Inadvertantly."

So the homeless guy is "The Only One" who faced charges? And the only one the "Authorized Journalists" chose to name?

[Via Blackshirt]

Nudging Northland News

Russ Stewart a former Duluth city councilor and gun owner says the new law is needed to give people adequate right to self defense.

Be sure and watch the video, as the narrative is a bit sloppy (misspelling "conscience," etc.), and yeah, I got the "give" part...

This is a follow-up to this and this, and I want to use it as an object lesson on how you, as an individual, can affect information the public sees and hears on RKBA--all by your own self, without any direction from anybody else.

When you see something grossly unfair in the media, take the time to contact them, challenge them on it, appeal to their sense of journalistic ethics and professional pride, give them correct information and press for a follow-up with their audience. We're always complaining we don't get equal time and reports are biased, but very few of us take personal action to fight back, or to do so effectively.

Here's a case where all Minnesotans would have seen on this is the "gun control" side unless someone took the time to do this. In this case, it happened to be me, and I was fortunate that Mr. Stewart then stepped up to the plate.

I'd also been in contact with Joel Rosenberg, one of the most knowledgeable authorities on Minnesota gun laws this side of Joseph Olson (who I'm told is up to his neck in things, because I tried tapping him, too) and the reporter spoke with Mr. Rosenberg at length, so we'll see if anything results from that interview. I suspect because it was over the phone she used it for background and to understand the issues, then opted for the guy who could give her face time with a camera.

My point is, every gun owner ought to be acting as a leader, and ought to be banding with his friends as force multipliers. Take it on yourself to take the intiative and challenge your local media when you see something that isn't right. Because if you're going to wait for some guy in a different state to get the ball rolling, it rarely will.

Good job, Russ. I know you had a lot more to say that was edited, and your time was limited by the format, but you not only made an important counterpoint to the original report, both you and Joel have established the credibility with these people to communicate with them on future stories. Both the reporter and her news manager now have a new awareness that this issue requires balance, and they now know where to get it. Plus, it's coming from local citizens, not from a funded lobby group that can be dismissed as a special interest.

Thank you both for speaking out on this. We all benefited from it.

This Day in History: March 1

The Articles of Confederation

...ratified and in force, March 1, 1781.

The 1% Solution

For the first time in U.S. history, more than one of every 100 adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report documenting America's rank as the world's No. 1 incarcerator.

And remember: They hate us because we're free.

We're the Only Ones Returning to the Scene of the Crime Enough

Today marks 15 years since the Branch Davidian standoff began at Mount Carmel when the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms attempted to execute a search warrant at the compound. Gunfire was exchanged, resulting in the deaths of four ATF agents and six Davidians.

...[F]our carloads of federal agents left the compound this morning after paying their respects to the ATF agents who died a decade and a half ago.

I guess the bright side is, while "four carloads" of BATFUers are giving themselves a paid day off on the taxpayers' dime, they're not out there victimizing anyone. I also notice there's nothing about paying respects for the 76 people, including two pregnant women and 21 children, 12 under five, who weren't "Only Ones."