"Honor Killing:" Not Acceptable in America!

British Muslima: 'Still alive' while boyfriend beheaded her with kitchen knife - Wilmington Conservative | Examiner.com:

April 2, 2014 "She like me but I raped her ..." An 18-year-old woman in the North of England was recently discovered by police decapitated apparently at the hands of her boyfriend, and a jury was just told by prosecutors that she was still alive as her murderer carved her head off with a kitchen knife, as reported by both The Sheffield Star (of Great Britain) and the Brietbart.com news portal on April 2, 2014.

I'm reluctant to report this kind of thing here, for obvious reasons.  It's gruesome, it's subject to misinterpretation ("Gee, The Geek is inflicting Western values on Eastern cultural values!"), and it probably sounds like I'm saying "This Is Wrong!" when I don't really understand the cultural background.

(Photo courtesy publishers of the original article)

Well, it's not up to the Western Culture to pre-judge the actions of members of the Eastern Culture.  They have their ways of dealing with family values ... and we have ours.

Confessing to "manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility" but denying the more severe murder charge, Aras Hussein, 21, a native of Iraq, was apparently the beau of the murdered girl.

Far be it from me to prejudge the boyfriend of this girl ... apparently, he had not proposed marriage or the news story would have identified him as the "affianced" of the girl.

But  still, he murdered her in the most gruesome imaginably way because ...

HE's A FREAKING RETARD!

What is WITH people who kill the people they supposedly love, because that person doesn't look or act the way their murderers think they should look or act!

Clooney's Hottie; socially unacceptable chick fliks

George Clooney Engaged to Amal Alamuddin – Fashion Style Magazine:

Long Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor, George Clooney looks to be settling down at last – a source confirms he is engaged to Amal Alamuddin.

I'm sure there's some socially redeeming purpose here, but I don't know what it is and I don''t care.


The photo speaks for itself.  Or not.

As I said .. I don't care.

Lost

Kerry: US will aid in hunt for kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls | Fox News:

Secretary of State John Kerry vowed the U.S. will help Nigerian officials in their hunt to find hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamic militants last month. “The kidnapping of hundreds of children by Boko Haram is an unconscionable crime,” Kerry said Saturday, according to The Washington Post. “We will do everything possible to support the Nigerian government to return these young women to their homes and hold the perpetrators to justice.”

John Kerry To The Rescue!

Our sympathies to the families of the kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls.

If John Kerry is in charge of the efforts toward their rescue, then we can assume that they are lost for all time.

This self-serving political nincompoop couldn't marshal an effort to find his own fanny with both hands, his wife's fortune, and a platoon of Swift Boat commanders to help him.   Let alone a multi-national attempt to find and rescue hundreds of African children.

It's bad enough that we must accept his so-called "leadership" as Secretary of State.  He is the worst possible choice for that job, even considering his predecessor Hillary Clinton (see: "Bengazi")

It's despicable that America the American President has chosen him for such an important job.  Bad enough that he leads our nation's diplomatic community, but that he is the choice for such a worthwhile effort?

Please, President Obama, quit appointing incompetents to one of the world's most important positions.

Do it for us.  Do it for them.  Replace Kerry.

If it saves just one child ....

NJ Whores

New Jersey’s Magazine Ban Law is Set to Move Forward Next Monday:

The following story is via the NRA-ILA, 

On Monday, May 5, the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee is scheduled to hear Senate Bill 993. Sponsored by state Senator Loretta Weinberg (D-37), S.993 seeks to restrict the maximum capacity of ammunition magazines from 15 to 10 rounds and ban many popular firearms. 

Under the guise of public safety, anti-gun politicians continue their efforts to erode the Second Amendment rights of New Jersey residents. New Jersey is one of only a few states which already has a magazine restriction, and another arbitrary limit will have no impact on crime or criminals. Instead, this legislation demonstrably favors criminals who prefer to prey on unarmed victims.

(H/T: Guns Save Lives)

Slippery Slope:

I know this is third-generation information.  If you haven't read this news item elsewhere, though, you need to think about it.

NJ is just one of the MANY states working assiduously to restrict Second Amendment Rights ....
... One Step At A Time.

If YOUR state is unwilling to accept magazine restrictions of 10 rounds, they'll sell you on a 15-round limit.

And then they will turn around and change the law from 15 to 10 rounds, because ... well, you have already shown that you are a whore; what they are doing now is merely dickering about the price.

What's next?  Probably, a five or six round ban, which will essentially eliminate all firearms except revolvers .. if that .. and then all guns will be banned by administrative fiat.  At that point, you won't get a vote.

For the benefit of those states whose citizens are currently dickering with their legislatures; take note of where this "Road To Perdition" will take you.

Aliens M41A conversion.

Aliens M41A conversion. Yes it shoots real bullets - The Firearm Blog:

 Lage Manufacturing made this one off Aliens M41A Pulse rifle. It is a M-11 in 9mm shoved into the body of a M41A Pulse Rifle. They used a Remington 870 AOW/SBS for the grenade launcher portion of the Pulse Rifle.

I spend ... not a little time ... reading other gunbloggers.  This entry is a good example of why I find it so informative AND entertaining.

You'll have to go to the link to see the video.   I could give you the YouTube link, but then you might not go see what else is on The Firearm Blog -- and what's the fun in that?

H/T: Gunbloggers.com

XP? Stop using Internet Explorer right now

This is why you should stop using Internet Explorer right now | KDVR.com - Denver, Colorado News, Weather, Sports and more: DENVER —

A warning for Internet users: this is a serious enough security flaw that the Department of Homeland Security is warning you to not use Internet Explorer until a fix is found. The problem could put your personal information at risk, and give hackers access to private things like your email accounts. With so many computer bugs out there, Internet users rely heavily on anti-virus software and patches to keep up with each new virus. This time, that’s not good enough.

From Forbes: (April 28, 2014)

A few days ago a new zero day exploit for Internet Explorer made the headlines (for the uninitiated a zero day is a new exploit that is made public before the security or technology community have patched against it). In another blow for Internet security and trust after the recent Heartbleed issues this exploit allows cyber criminals to deploy malicious code to your computer silently, without your permission as you visit any given web page with the nasty code on it. 

This exploit is particularly nasty as it impacts 6 different versions of Internet Explorer ranging from 6 to 11 (you can see more details on the impact here if you are interested) and allows fairly reliable distribution of malicious code that could do anything from stealing your data to turning on your webcam. This exploit is perfect for a drive by download where you visit a web page and the nasty code silently loads.

(from an unattributed source ...)

A newly discovered security hole in Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer—the default Web browser for many users—could be particularly troubling for those still running Windows XP.

 

Personally, I'm only running XP on my laptop ... and that's due to be updated this summer.   And I don't use Internet Explorer any more.   I was a big fan of Mozilla (FireFox) but that has so much 'overhead' that it uses 80% of available (2GB) memory just to start up.  So I've been using Google Chrome lately, and it's much more economical of resources.

Not to mention that it seems to have fewer "holes".

Most of us already know that Explorer has historically been one of the most vulnerable software applications in the world.  It's virtue is that you can run ANYTHING on it; the problem is that the same structure which makes it "universally" applicable also seems to allow Junior High School students to hack it.

Just saying; full disclosure - I'm not a software engineer so don't take my word for anything I say about computers.

Kennesaw Laws

FedEx Shooting and the Debate Over Gun Ownership Laws - Washington Wire - WSJ:
(April 29, 2014)

There’s a sad twist to the shooting Tuesday morning at a FedEx facility in Kennesaw, Ga., where an employee injured six co-workers before turning the gun on himself. Kennesaw is one of several U.S. cities and towns that have an ordinance requiring every household to own a gun.

That's true.  It is always "sad" when a fellow employee "goes postal" and attacks his co-workers.  Sad, tragic, disheartening, and ... morbid.

Those adjectives are especially poignant in Kennesaw, where the town passed an ordnance in 1982 "... requiring each head of household to own and maintain a gun".

But as World News Daily reported almost 7 years ago exactly, in an April 19, 2007: article entitled "25 Years Murder Free in GUN TOWN USA",   that small Georgia town enjoyed over a quarter of a century of freedom from murder until, as the WSJ article says, "...  in 2010 a former employee of a Penske truck rental facility there shot five people, killing three."

Lacking other evidence, that seems to add up to 28 years without firearms violence.

Here in the small Oregon College town of Geekistan, we can't claim such a record.  And I wonder, how many other American towns, no matter how small, enjoyed such a lengthy respite from fatal mayhem?

Not many, I would guess.

So ... why now?  Why, in a town where each head of household is "...[required] to own and maintain a gun ...", would a successful attack be reported?

First, note that there are no laws requiring anyone to actually carry a gun.

Second, consider the evidence of this photo (taken from the original article):

See the signs?  Just forward of the armored walking figure (the picture was obviously taken after the shooting) there are not one, but TWO signs of a pistol in a red circle, with a diagonal slash.  This is the universal signal of a Gun Free Zone.

TWO "GFZ" signs?  That's fairly emphatic.

If you're crazy enough, or evil enough, to be looking for a place where it's 'safe' to go on a shooting rampage .... this is the insignia of "COME SHOOT ME, I CAN'T FIGHT BACK!"

Kennesaw tried, but couldn't hold back the tide of Political Correctness.

The municipal laws didn't cover self-protection in the workplace .. only in the home.

The poor bastards never had a chance.

That's sad.

Oh, to NOT be in Chicago in the Springtime

PressTV - Chicago violence: 4 killed, over 30 injured:

 Sun Apr 27, 2014 11:29PMGMT

 Four people have lost their lives and more than 30 others have sustained injuries in several shootings in the city of Chicago since Friday night, US police say.

Easter seems an appropriate season to talk about death, murder, random acts of violence in the murderous city in the nation.

For Christians, it's a time to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.

For Chicagoans of every ilk, it's just another weekend when it's not safe to leave your house.

Four people have lost their lives and more than 30 others have sustained injuries in several shootings in the city of Chicago since Friday night, US police say.

Other later sources provide updated statistics:

(by Allison Geller; Monday, April 28, 2014)
Another violent weekend shook Chicago with shootings killing five people and injuring 35 others between Friday and Sunday. 

There must be a reason why Chicago is such a violent town.  Some people (such as the Chicago press), the finger are beginning to point toward Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Microstamping: Not Your Father's Second Amendment

PROLOGUE:
From February through July (with updates into December) 2008, we ran a series of articles on "Microstamping", as exemplified by Todd Lizotte's "Pie In The Sky" scheme to offer this unproven technology to  ... well, essentially, to states who wanted to so impede the ability for citizens to purchase firearms at an affordable price.  This series includes a Q&A email interview with the progenitor of the 'technology'; Todd Lizotte

(You can read the entire series here; unfortunately it is in reverse order by date, so the last is first.)

Recently, California decided to "Bite the Bullet".  (In this case .. to byte the casing, or the primer.)  In 2007. the California Assembly passed a law which required that all new firearms purchased in California "microstamp" unique data on the primer (via the firing pin) or on the face of the cartridge case (via the breech block) to identify the gun(s) which fired the bullet.

Never mind that the firing pin may be replaced by a generic model without the 'microstamping', or the slide; or that a casing which has been fired by many similarly 'microstamped' firearms may have overlapping imprints which preclude accurate identification of firearms similarly equipped.

(Note that while the primer is unique in each firing, firing pins which are legally required to carry the unique identifiers are prone to error; the cost of "replacement firing pins" bearing the same legally required identification is absurdly expensive and is prone to being 'avoided' by simple means.  Firing pins are "consumables", and cheap without microstampings; they may be readily purchased from outside the restrictive state without microstampings.) 

 Also, the casing may have been 'picked up' on the range and may thus carry multiple microstampings .. each of which might overstamp each other, rendering the stampings unreadable.  Also, a criminal will simply pick up his brass at the scene of a crime.  If the firearms is a revolver, the microstamping requirement does not apply.)

Gun Control is Bullshit!

Penn & Teller: Bullshit! - Gun Control - YouTube:

Published on Dec 16, 2012 Penn & Teller Commentary

(NSFW!)
[F-bomb ... well, you know, it's Penn Jillette!)

Tongue-tied; and "Gun Industry Blood Money"

Gun Owners of America | Facebook:
Gun Owners of America GOA's Larry Pratt leaves MSNBC host tongue-tied

(H/T David Codrea and Gun Owners of America)

There are SO many quotable quotes here, I'm not even going to try to cite them here.  You must go watch-the-whole-thing.  This is perhaps the most productive interview that Larry Pratt has ever given.  He was entirely on-point during the too-short episode.  Including that:

• ... George Washington understood that citizens must have access to firearms available
• ... matching firearms currently available to the military
• ... and citizens have the right to use firearms to protect themselves from both personal assault
• ... and to protect themselves against their own government
• ... and that the Second Amendment Rights are equivalent to the First Amendment rights!

Any argument about the first two amendments to the Constitution must be taken hand-in-hand.

The First Amendment has been ruled by the Supreme Court to include speech which was not available to Americans in the 18th Century, including email and the Internet in general.

These speech platforms were not available in the 18th Century, but the Supreme Court has held that freedom of speech extends to all currently extent speech platforms.

Since the First and the Second Amendments specifically speak to individual rights, many rulings on the 1st Amendment apply equally to the 2nd Amendment.  (The third to the tenth amendments generally apply to impositions of the government upon its citizens.)

When Pratt changed the direction of the dialogue, and began speaking of the First Amendment Rights, the moderator interrupted him:  "You mean the Second Amendment."

Pratt replied forcefully:  "No, I mean the First Amendment!"

That simple statement, equating the two Amendments, completely changed the dialogue.  Neither the Moderator nor the Opponent knew how to respond to the realization that individual rights were equivalent.  And so the discussion was terminated before anyone had a chance to respond to the canard about "Gun Industry Blood Money".

I'm loving it, when the mild-mannered Pratt brings opponents to their knees.

In the background, if you listen closely, you can hear "the lamentations of their women".

Suspicions Confirmed

Gun deaths are exaggerated by the media:

In 2012, the U.S. was No. 3 on the world list in gun deaths. Remove the numbers from four Democrat-controlled U.S. cities with draconian anti-gun laws (Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans and Washington, D.C.), and the U.S. falls to fourth from the bottom.

I'm not surprised to hear this about Chicago, Detroit and DC; but New Orleans?

I had no idea.

That they are all Democrat Enclaves ... well, most metropolitan areas are Democrat-controlled.

That's where the Welfare Mothers live.   That's were the drug gangs live.

Metal Storm

Deadliest weapons ever invented- Metal Storm - YouTube:

Uploaded on Dec 22, 2009 Discovery Channel owns this video Category Science &Technology  

Chicago -- 8 wounded in separate city-wide shootings

8 wounded in separate city-wide shootings - chicagotribune.com:

A 14-year-old boy is the youngest of at least 8 people shot across the city Tuesday afternoon. 

Police said the shooting, which stems from an ongoing gang conflict in the Marquette Park neighborhood, happened about 6:40 p.m. 

The boy was approached by two others in the 7300 block of South Maplewood Avenue. The two asked him if he had marijuana before firing at him. They shot “multiple times” and hit him once in the arm, police said. The boy was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in good condition. \ 

The seven others wounded ranged in age from 18 to 56 and were shot as far north as Logan Square and as far south as Roseland. 

The latest shooting happened at about 7:31 p.m. on the 1700 block of 71st Street in the West Englewood neighborhood.In that shooting, a 23-year-old man suffered a wound to his leg and was being treated on the scene as of 8:10 p.m., said police.

Chicago ... again.

You're tired of hearing about Chicago Shootings, aren't you?.  I know I am.

When are we going to read that there were NO shootings in Chicago, for ... like .. a whole week?

Now, that would be a "Man Bites Dog" article which is worth writing about.

In the meantime,  Liberal commentators continue to talk about "GUNS ARE THE PROBLEM!", instead of talking about the factors which truly promote violence.

• Families without Fathers
• Drugs
• The Society of Violence
• The "Make Your Bones" imperative in Ghetto Communities
• oh hell, the whole "Ghetto" thing!

Gun violence isn't about Guns; it's about Violence.  When the Libs "get" that, their whole message will change.

I know ... ain't gonna happen.  It's not conservative values which promote violence in a fatherless community ... it's liberal values that ignore the core issues of poverty, disenfranchisement, and "what it takes to be A Man".

“The Scene Had a Problem, and the Problem Was the Gun.”

Never Yet Melted 
 “The Scene Had a Problem, and the Problem Was the Gun.”:
24 APR 2014

Isn't it always "The Gun"?

Sometimes ... it's not the fact of the gun, but the dimensions.

(Hat Tip to .. well, you know)

Wayne LaPierre To Announce He's Breaking Up The NRA

Wayne LaPierre To Announce He's Breaking Up The NRA - Misfires And Light Strikes:
(April 22, 2014)

Faced with overwhelming and relentless opposition from Michael Bloomberg’s grassroots “Every Town For Gun Safety”, Wayne LaPierre will announce that he’s disbanding the National Rifle Association at the conclusion of this week’s NRA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis.

“Look, everyone”, Wayne said at a press conference today, “We gave it a good run, but it’s over. We just can’t win against the dozens of people who have joined Michael Bloomberg on his new crusade. I mean, have you seen what they’re doing on social media to show how they can get people involved in gun safety and educate people about the realities of firearms? The NRA just can’t compete with that kind of know-how, so it’s time to call it a day and go home.”

 Michael Bloomberg was busy purchasing the entire state of Rhode Island as a location for his new mansion and was unavailable for comment.

[emphasis added]
(April Fools' Day came late this year)

Drinkin’ and gunnin’

Oklahoma Gazette Chicken Fried News: Drinkin’ and gunnin’:

Darwinism at it's finest!

Because some of Oklahoma’s finest contributions to the advancement of human civilization have started with the words, “Hold my beer and watch this,” an Oklahoma City gun range has taken the steps necessary to be the first gun range to serve liquor by the drink.
 According to a report on Fox News, Wilshire Gun has plans to have firearms lanes, archery lanes, classrooms and a VIP lounge, making it the first of its kind in Oklahoma.
 According to the same news brief, Jeff Swanson, the owner, has said, “This is where the shooting sport is headed.”
 He’ll need to be careful when guests hit the lanes and then the lounge, and not the other way around.
Because that way, Okies, lies madness. And perhaps a Darwin Award

[emphasis added]

"This is where the shooting sport is headed"?
( I most sincerely hope not! )

I am against it.  Remind me to not travel to Oklahoma for a match this year.

Next year?

No problem.  All the trouble-makers will be dead.

Heinlein

I was determined to clean out my garage last week, and I was making remarkable progress until I ran across an old printer-paper box on the top shelf, marked "HEINLEIN".

In it, I found 33 paperback novels, all written by Robert A. Heinlein, "The Dean of Science Fiction".

Need I mention that the garage is still a cluttered mess?  And so is my bedroom, as there are 33 paperback novels by Heinlein, sitting on the floor ... 25 of them yet to be read.

Oh, the frabjuous joys of Retirement!  I can read all I want, and I have.  Three books a day, about 200 pages (paperback format) each, means I can read three books a day -- six hours total --  and I only need to worry what to read after the 11 scheduled days I've put aside for 'catching up' on books I haven't read for 30 years.

To my chagrin, I went right to my favorites the first day.  "Tunnel in the Sky", "Space Cadet", and "Have Space Suit, Will Travel".

I'm holding off on "Podkayne of Mars" and "Starship Troopers", and "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" because ... hey, I'm not some SF Junky!  (Besides, they were written ca 1963, and I've decided to sort them into copyright-date order and read them in the sequence they were written.  More or less.

Okay, I read "The Star Beast" out of order, too.  So sue me.   Discovery Day was a long one, reading 4 books.

The first book in the series (I won't bore you with titles from now on) was an anthologies; the first story there was written in 1939.  I'm tempted to list all of the 'inventions' that Heinlein predicted decades before their actual denoument, but I'll limit myself to cell phones and Skype ... both described with fair accuracy in 1939.

Heinlein was careful to state that he wasn't making "predictions" ... and those which he DID make he assigned 'reasonable' timelines.  For example, in 1941 he predicted that man would walk on the moon by 1978.  Very close .. but we beat him by ten years.

On the other hand?

1980 ... rocket ships between solar planets.  Boo, I was wanting to be like D.D. Harriman and die on the moon by now!

However, he DID predict that there would be a hiatus in 'rocketry' in the 1980's, due to cultural upheavals.  Witness Obama's defunding of NASA last year; who would have predicted that kind of Change?

A lot of the stories that R.A.F. wrote were for Boy's Life Magazine, so these early books are called his 'juveniles'.  I suppose it's significant that I enjoy them so much; many, if most of his heroes are teenage boys  (see "Tunnel in the Sky") who achieve much during their adolescence.  And even his mature male protagonist (Harriman in "The Man Who Sold The Moon") have never been able to allow their childhood dreams to be thwarted by the Adult pastimes of making millions in business.

We won't address "Lazarus Long" here, except to mention the expertise with which Heinlein managed to seque into a Timeline Which Would Not Die.

(If you don't "Grok" the cultural reference, you're probably not interested in this theme anyway.  And if you do ... I don't need to explain.)

Finish:  I have the books, you don't, and they're in such bad condition that I am NOT going to loan them to you.

But they're still readable, for those who appreciate the joys of a favorite author rediscovered.

Crazy Carry

Open Carry, Concealed Carry and Crazy Carry - Bloomberg View:
(April 22, 2014)

I often focus on the dangers of reckless people with guns, rather than criminals with guns, for two reasons. First, reckless people seem very plentiful. Second, they are invariably ignored in gun-rights rhetoric. The gun-rights movement advances a Manichean vision of criminals and "law-abiding citizens," with the latter always and everywhere in need of heavy firepower to defeat the former.

National Rifle Association Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre's rhetoric about criminals -- "so deranged, so evil, so possessed by voices and driven by demons" -- is basically pornographic at its peaks. But LaPierre is silent about the legion of gun-toting clods, bumblers, stoners, wife-beaters, fools and drunks who kill, or injure, Americans every day. (Once in possession of a gun, you don't need to be actively stupid to produce tragedy; you can be passively stupid.)

A dialogue between a bloombergview.com commentator (By Francis Wilkinson   and John Pierce, co-founder of OpenCarry.org)

A surprisingly 'balanced' discussion.  Since Wilkerson, the author (and an apparent Bloomberg supporter) seems to have presented both sides of the conversation, I'm pleasantly surprised that he has resisted the temptation to bowdlerize the exchange.

It's not that long.  Go, read the whole thing.

"Oh, Sorry About That"

US homeowner Byron David Smith heard taunting dying teens in audio of killings | News.com.au:

(April 23, 2014)

A HOMEOWNER can be heard calmly telling a teenage girl “oh, sorry about that” and calling her “bitch” as he shot her and another unarmed teen dead after they broke into his house.
Byron David Smith, 64, is on trial for the murder of 18-year-old Haile Kifer and her 17-year-old cousin Nicholas Brady on thanksgiving two years ago.
Smith had fitted his home in Little Falls, Minnesota, with recording devices after repeated break-ins. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune , the devices captured the chilling audio of the teens’ killings.
The paper said the crystal clear recordings were played to the court. On them glass is heard breaking then two shots then a groan from Brady followed by another gunshot and Smith saying, “You’re dead”.
Smith is then heard moving Brady’s body to a workshop, to keep him from staining the basement carpet, as he later told authorities. Some minutes later Kifer can be heard whispering, “Nick”. There are more gunshots and then the sound of Kifer falling. Smith says, “Oh, sorry about that.”
Kifer can be heard screaming, “Oh my god! Oh”. Smith then responds, “You’re dying,” and after more gunshots, “Bitch.”

The Castle Doctrine?

Or murder?

Proof that Concealed Carry permit holders live in a dream world, - VPC

Proof that Concealed Carry permit holders live in a dream world, Part One - YouTube:

Uploaded on Apr 21, 2010

The controlled study documented in these videos show that concealed carry permit holders are fooling themselves if they think they will be able to react effectively to armed aggressors. Most CCW holders won't even be able to un-holster their gun. They will more likely be killed themselves or kill innocent bystanders than stop the aggressor. For more details, see "Unintended Consequences: Pro-Handgun Experts Prove That Handguns Are a Dangerous Choice for Self-Defense."
http://www.vpc.org/studies/unincont.htm.
 CCW permit holders don't protect innocent people. They kill them.
Category News; Politics

Part 2:

The controlled study documented in these videos show that concealed carry permit holders are fooling themselves if they think they will be able to react effectively to armed aggressors. Most CCW holders won't even be able to un-holster their gun. They will more likely be killed themselves or kill innocent bystanders than stop the aggressor. For more details, see "Unintended Consequences: Pro-Handgun Experts Prove That Handguns Are a Dangerous Choice for Self-Defense."

Bring back Clean Nuclear Energy?

Energy Plant in Oregon Burning Aborted Babies From Canada to Generate Electricity | LifeNews.com:
(April 23, 2014)

An energy plant in Oregon is reportedly burning aborted babies from Canada to generate electricity. UPDATE: Local officials say they will stop the practice while they look into the situation. Following the LifeNews story below that received national attention, the Marion County Board of Commissioners issued the following statement:
Today the Marion County Board of Commissioners learned that the Covanta Waste-to-Energy Facility located in Marion County may be accepting medical waste containing human tissue from outside sources. In response to an April 21 article in The B.C Catholic, the board took immediate action to temporarily halt the acceptance of boxed medical waste at the facility.

This hits too close to home.


[update 5/1/15 - featured in SNOPES]

Drink Out; Dust In

Feds approve the sale of powdered alcohol | Fox News:

Ever tried to transport a bottle of alcohol only to give up because it was too heavy or it broke? Meet your new best beverage friend: powdered booze.

A patent for Palcohol has now been approved by the Treasury Department, reports Lehrman’s Beverage Law.

According to the product website, Palcohol is expected to launch this fall. Six versions are on tap to be released including a Vodka flavor that has been distilled four times, a plain rum powder, and four cocktail powers – Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Powderita (Margarita), and Lemon Drop. All you need is a little water to get the party started.

 The product is gluten free and has about... (obscured in the original article.

 The site is even touting its potential as a condiment, right up there with salt, pepper, and a little Parmesan cheese. This is from their website, according to Lehrman: ...

Pack it in your pocket, along with your grass.   The good news is, there's no distinctive aroma to give you away at the Football Game!

"Better Living Through Chemistry"

Chicago gang shootings go on as Mayor Emanuel boasts crime at 'record low'

Chicago gang shootings go on as Mayor Emanuel boasts crime at 'record low' | World news | theguardian.com:

The gap between Gakirah Barnes’s front teeth when she smiled, whether she was celebrating on the basketball court or messing around with friends, made her look even younger than the 17 years she spent in south Chicago before being shot to death last weekend. 

“At least I don’t have to constantly worry about what’s going to happen to her out on the street no more,” said her mother, Shontell Brown, who wept as she inspected the cemetery plot where Gakirah will be buried on Monday. Her father, who was gunned down on her first Easter Sunday, lies nearby. Her twin brother, who saw his best friend murdered in 2011, will be at the funeral. 

Though mourned as a victim by her family and her girlfriend, Gakirah – one of five Chicagoans killed and 36 wounded over the city’s warmest and bloodiest weekend of the year so far – was, according to police and neighbourhood  (sic) sources, also part of the problem: a hip-hop-fuelled gang war that is raging even as Mayor Rahm Emanuel boasts that crime is at a record low.

Gakirah Barnes was shot 9 times while she was chatting on the front stoop with a friend .. who was not injured and obviously not the target.

There are two issues here:

1. WHY are children still being murdered in Chicago; and
2. WHY does Rahm Emanuel insisting that crime is at a "Record Low"?

(Yes, I'm picking on Chicago again.  As my Daddy told me: "Always take the easy ones first".  And besides, The Brits have done nothing equally as egregious ... lately.)

Flying With Guns: Things are much different today

Editorial: Guns discovered at airport checkpoints on the rise | The Herald-Dispatch:
(Apr. 18, 2014 @ 12:00 AM)

 Some readers may have been surprised to read that a loaded .32-caliber handgun was confiscated from a woman's carry-on luggage at Tri-State Airport in Ceredo this week. Passenger screening for commercial air travel has been in place since the 1970s, and with the increased airport security since 9/11, Transportation Security Administration officers search through bags for pocket knives or anything remotely resembling a weapon. 
How do you miss that memo? 
But believe it or not, the number of guns detected at checkpoints across the nation is on the rise, the TSA reports. The agency's officers found 1,813 firearms in carry-on bags in 2013, up 16.5 percent from the year before. More than 80 percent were loaded.

We've talked about this before.

Frankly, I can't understand how you can 'forget' that you have a gun in your baggage.  No more can I understand how that isn't the most important thing.

It's not the Twin Towers, but ...

New drone strike in Yemen kills 55 Al Qaeda militants | Fox News:
(April 21, 2014)

A suspected U.S. drone strike in southern Yemen killed 55 militants Monday, in the third deadly attack on an Al Qaeda training camp in the area in several days. Yemen's interior ministry says among those killed in an hours-long campaign of strikes on the camp in the rugged mountains of Mahfad between Abyan, Shabwa and al-Bayda provinces were three senior members of Al Qaeda. The ministry said the identification process for those killed is ongoing.

It's not the Twin Towers, but it's a good start.

I hope THIS was not the same strike!

Because I Don't Wancha Here! (part 2?)

Righets watch: use the first, lose the second. - Free Online Library:  (sic)
April 19, 2014

All he wanted was to talk to his representative about a political issue--something supposedly guaranteed by the First Amendment's right to petition clause. True, being an activist with the Minutemen and wanting to discuss concerns over criminal illegal alien activity wasn't exactly something he "expected" would resonate with Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), but over the years, Gabriel Razzano had established a rapport with her chief of staff, who had even visited him at his home.

(Hat tip to David Cordrea, including "The Shooter's Log" and "The War On Guns")

Welcome to New York "The Empire State"  (... if you are Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, it's your empire and you can do anything you want there).

A man wants to talk to his Congressional representative about a political 1st Amendment issue.  She says he's not her constituent, quit bothering her.  He gets official confirmation (with papers to prove it) that he lives in her district and she IS his representative, and then goes back to try to get an appointment.  She calls a guard, who gives him the Bum's Rush.

Subsequently ... well, you go read the story.  Bottom line, they confiscates his firearms, revoke his pistol license, and accuse him of being a thoroughly naughty boy.

All because he wanted to talk to his Congressional Representative.


Okay, I'm incensed.

Rep. McCarthy must be The Incredible Hulk --- you don't want to make her mad!

Oh .. wait a minute.  Could it be because she's a "L I B E R A L"?

(See my March 24, 2014 article "Parasite:  I don't wancha here!")

Definition of "Liberal":  see above.

MANY States Let School Employees Carry Guns

Colorado rejects bill to allow armed teachers
 (February, 2014?)

DENVER (AP) — The targeting of a Colorado schoolteacher by an armed teen last year didn't sway Colorado Democrats on Tuesday to allow teachers to carry concealed weapons on campus.

A Democratic House Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 to reject another Republican bill to expand gun rights. The bill would have allowed school districts to decide if they wanted to let teachers, not just designated school resource officers, carry concealed weapons.

Similar Republican proposals have been made before without success, but the suggestion had additional resonance after last year's shooting at Arapahoe High School, in which a student targeted a teacher.

"I can think of no safer way at this point to address school violence," said Steve Reams, a Weld County Republican running for sheriff there.

Supporters of the idea were far outnumbered by teachers and students who packed the hearing to speak against the idea.

 
A 2013 scholastic article  suggests:

Ever since that shooting [Sandy Hook] has happened there have been five states who have allowed teachers to carry guns on campus grounds. Those five state names are Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Oregon. In this small essay I will be stating on why k-12 teachers should be carrying a concealed weapon, which has many advantages. Not only for the victims, also for their family and friends.

So, not EVERYONE in the world is convinced that allowing teachers to arm themselves in school is entirely a bad idea.

Further, the "FINDLAW" website (January 15, 2013) seems to have correlated a more extensive list:

Texas already allows teachers to carry firearms to work, so long as the principal approves it. And Alabama lawmakers have proposed legislation that would give schools the option of letting their teachers or administrators carry guns, reports NBC. One school board in Ohio has even voted to allow school janitors to carry guns, the Toledo Blade reports.
The full list of the 18 states that allow guns in schools with certain restrictions, according to NBC News, are:

• Alabama
• California
• Connecticut
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Massachusetts
• Mississippi
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Texas
• Utah
• Wyoming

States that are considering whether to allow guns in schools include Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee. To learn more about gun laws in your state, check out FindLaw's page on State Gun Control Laws.

Mountain Biking Daredevil

Helmet Cam Captures Death-Defying Mountain Bike Ride Down Narrow, Rocky Cliff | Video | TheBlaze.com:

Geoff Gulevich’s endorphin-hyped run through the Red Bull Rampage race was captured from the racer’s point of view, and the sights are just part of the amazing video. Onlookers shout “C’mon Gully!” throughout the ride and ask the gutsy biker how the wind is treating him. With deep, shaky breaths, he responds, “I don’t like that wind.”

This is not your Father's bicycle ride.



Personally?  I wouldn't even try to walk that trail.

13-minute 911 call: 15 minute response

13-minute 911 call: Hallucinating man shoots wife in the head during 911 call - Jacksonville Top News | Examiner.com:
 (April 16, 2014)

A Denver woman's 13-minute 911 call in which she explained to the 911 dispatcher that her husband was hallucinating and that he “was talking about the end of the world,” ended with her tragic death. Kristine Kirk, 44, was killed by her husband with a gunshot wound to the head, NBC News reported today.

---

It took the police 15 minutes to arrive at the home and when they did, authorities found her dead with the phone still in her hand. The fatal shot was fired at the thirteenth minute of the call, investigators say.

When Seconds Count, the police are only minutes away.

Under the current system, Police cannot protect you ... and  are not required to do so.  Your hubby goes bat-crap crazy?  You're on your own, lady.  Chances are that the police will NOT be there when you really need them.

We won't bother to belabor the already over-debated question of 911 response time; enough to mention that it is inadequate; usually, and everywhere.

But what if she was one of those rare individuals who understands and accepts that she is responsible for her own survival?
 
What if she was able to wrestle the gun away from her husband's hand?  Or find another gun in the house and defend herself?  

Lightningwear Deep Concealment Holster

Lightningwear Deep Concealment Holster:

 As you can see from the video below, holsters of this type are basically a hi-tech padded pouch that holds your weapon securely about 3"-5" below your belly-button, right at your center of gravity. The Lightningwear holster has a wide, adjustable, velcro strap across the back, and double bands of elastic on both sides, evenly distributing the weight of a weapon across your back and both hips. Because it is self-supporting, it puts NO extra weight on your belt, and can be worn with a wide variety of clothes (like jogging wear or beach wear) that don't have a belt. Have back problems? The Lightningwear holster is the BEST holster for back problems, and can often be worn when any other holster would cause back pain!

(Go to the website to watch the video)

There's a blurb on the website saying:

all of your questions are probably answered here

My (unanswered) question is:

How do you pee?

Grunts Without Guns (LONG!)

Reference "Another Ft. Hood Massacre", (which incident has been talked up much better elsewhere) ....  I'm still fuming about the practice of not allowing American military personnel to be armed "in camp".   This policy, established 20 years ago by President Bill "Willy" Clinton, actually goes back much farther.

Which explains part of my ire, which has been with me since 1969.

And which just might not be defensible.

Georgia lawmakers pass controversial 'guns everywhere' bill | MSNBC

Georgia lawmakers pass controversial 'guns everywhere' bill | MSNBC:
(March 21, 2014 .. revised March 23, 2014)

The Georgia House passed a sweeping gun bill late Thursday night that allows firearms in bars, nightclubs, school classrooms and certain government buildings that lack security personnel or devices. Lawmakers moved the bill through the House during the last hour of the night on Thursday, meeting their midnight deadline before the end of the current legislative session. If signed by the state’s governor, the law will give religious leaders the option to “opt-in” to allow guns on their worship premises, where violators cannot be arrested or fined more than $100 each. Additionally, it could grant citizens the right to carry firearms in bars, nightclubs, libraries, sports facilities, senior citizen and youth centers, and on K-12 premises by authorized administrators and teachers.

Not surprisingly, this MSNBC article presents a rather biased interpretation of the new Georgia laws, in order to present a view which accords with the author's anti-gun prejudices.


I intend to present a different interpretation, based on my own personal PRO-gun prejudices.

Now you know the "Full Disclosure", which is more than the MSNBC author allowed you; hopefully, you will evaluate both interpretations and find your own understanding to fall somewhere in the middle ground.

Kansas: Gun RIGHTS, not Gun CONTROL

Senate preparing to pull trigger on gun-rights bill | CJOnline.com:
(April 01, 2014.   The Topeka Capital-Journal:  H/T: The Gun Wire)

Kansas is preparing to eliminate all existing and proposed restrictions on Concealed Carry.

The Senate endorsed a sweeping bill Tuesday limiting authority of local governments to require employees to disclose if they hold a concealed-handgun permit and abolishing power of cities or counties to spend tax dollars on gun buy-back programs. Legislation scheduled for a final vote Wednesday would require elimination of all city or county regulations, ordinances or policies regulating the open carrying of firearms. The bill would allow municipal governments to post signs on buildings to ban open carry of weapons, but violators would face no criminal sanction for ignoring the signs. The Senate bill also would make it a misdemeanor to operate, possess or carry any firearm — not just a concealed handgun — while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Chicago CHL holder "Unclear On The Concept?"

The whole point to CHL (Concealed Handgun License) is that if you apply for and receive a CHL, you understand that you represent the Responsible Gun Owners who deserve the trust of --- well, people who are frightened by people who carry guns.

NW Side man is first concealed carry permit holder arrested in Chicago - Chicago Sun-Times:
(March 30, 2014) 

A 54-year-old Northwest Side man who allegedly pulled a gun during a property dispute is the first concealed carry permit holder arrested in Chicago, police officials say. William P. O’Connell, of the 7200 block of North Oleander Avenue, lost his permit as a result of the arrest, said a spokeswoman for the Illinois State Police. In January, a new state law kicked in allowing people to carry concealed weapons as long as they have a permit. O’Connell was involved in a quarrel over rent money with a 52-year-old man on March 23, police said. O’Connell allegedly pointed a handgun at the man and threatened to shoot him.

The sad truth is, some people just cannot live up to the expectations.

The "Shall Issue" rule in Chicago is .. what, less than four months old?  (Effective January, 2014 ... Who can keep track of Chicago?)  And already it is being abused by a man who presumably met the necessary background checks and references to aver that he was qualified to responsibly carry a concealed handgun.

I'm disappointed.  Embarrassed for him, and for the people who have fought for so long to get Illinois into the "More Guns/Less Crime" mindset.   His only job was to prove himself worthy of the trust, and he mucked it up the first chance he got.

He has, of course, been deprived of his license to carry a gun.  I hope they charge him with every felony they can think of, from 'brandishing' to felony assault.

There is no excuse for pulling a gun on a person, unless it is a matter of defense of self, or others.  Property?  Maybe, under special circumstances; I don't think so highly of most of the 'things' I own that I deem them worthy of a life.  On the other hand, if I'm present when I'm being robbed, I would be concerned that the robber would prove to be a threat to me, personally.  It still comes down to "Things" vs "People", and I can't fault people who decide that they are at risk during felonious assault.

But .. arguing over RENT?

Geez, think of all those judges who aren't getting paid to settle property litigation!

On the other hand, now the Chicago Judiciary has a juicy "Menacing"  (or better, "Assault") charge to try.

Chicago.  There's always something.  Maybe it's the Mercury in the lake waters.

You think?

  [Hat Tip:  "Say Uncle"]

Another Ft. Hood Massacre

Four dead, 14 injured at Ft. Hood, Texas congressman says - latimes.com: KILLEEN, Texas —
(April 2, 2014 @1718)

Authorities are investigating a shooting at Ft. Hood that left four people dead and 14 others injured, according to a Texas congressman. The sprawling military base was on lockdown as investigators tried to determine whether there was a second gunman.

The shooter was among the four dead soldiers. Count of wounded has not been confirmed yet.

Ft. Hood remains on lockdown and everyone at the Texas Army base is to "shelter in place."

The 1st Cavalry Division, which is based at Ft. Hood, sent a Twitter alert telling people on base to close doors and stay away from windows.

 That Base Sign is beginning to look like a tombstone.

It only lacks one more shield:

The Legacy of Piers Morgan: A True Believer!

Bottom line on GUNS in America : Guns in 21st Century America : Naples Blogs : Naples Daily News: Local Naples, Florida News Delivered Throughout the Day.:

• By Joe Yurko
• Posted March 30, 2014 at 5:18 a.m.

Love him or hate him this man always went to the bottom line and said what he believed. He let those of different views say thier [sic] piece too, without the cut-offs, shout-downs and bullying you see today on the Fox cable show. Piers Morgan even took his show into the lions den in the largest gun and shooters shop in Texas. The owners demostrated [sic] thier [sic] best, most popular guns and ammo. At that time it was the AR-15 Military style assault rifle, 100 plus shots in less than a minute, wonderfull [sic] . Killing made fast and easy. Piers words speak for themselves. I agree with most of them and the respectfull [sic] way he says them and proves his point.

Oh, where to start.

America's Newest Firearms Superstore Opens in… California?

America's Newest Firearms Superstore Opens in… California? | Virtual-Strategy Magazine:

Despite California's increasing intolerance for firearms, a new firearms manufacturing superstore proudly opens its doors. Complete with an e-commerce website, Full Spectrum Firearms brings innovation to firearms enthusiasts across the nation. Fresno, CA (PRWEB) March 31, 2014

Really!  I'm amazed.

BARRETT
In 2005 I posted an article which described Ronnie Barrett's decision to discontinue servicing Barrett .50 BMG rifles owned by the LAPD after California declared that his rifle was EVILLLL!

STI and MICROSTAMPING
And in 2007 I posted an article which described the STI (Strayer-Tripp, Inc.) decision to discontinue selling their pistols to California LEO organizations when it appeared that CA would implement the Micro-Stamping requirement on new gun sales.

DROP TEST
There was also a point around that time (a cursory search of this website didn't find the exact post) when California was implementing a new law which required that EVERY model, make and caliber of pistol which the manufacturer expected to sell in California must submit a sample production exemplar of that pistol to California.  There it would be subjected to extreme "Drop Test".  As I recall, the requirement was that the pistol would be repeatedly dropped onto a concrete floor from a height of six feet, while cocked and with the safety off.  If the hammer dropped, the model was rejected and would not be allowed to be sold in California.

Of course, the testing was a "to destruction" process, so the submitted firearms were not in a condition to sell .. whether the firearm passed the test or not.

STI (and other manufacturers) backed away from that loser law, too.

So, with this very limited experiential history as a basis, I'm wondering just WHY anyone would want to start a new firearms manufacturing business in ... Kalifornia?

NY OFFICIALS AGREE TO NOT ENFORCE 7-ROUND MAGAZINE LIMIT WHILE GUN CASE ON APPEAL

Test NY OFFICIALS AGREE TO NOT ENFORCE 7-ROUND MAGAZINE LIMIT WHILE GUN CASE ON APPEAL 
(April 1, 2014)

Second Amendment Foundation: BELLEVUE, WA – 

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico have agreed, in a stipulated order, to not enforce a section of the state’s controversial SAFE (Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement) Act while an appeal is underway in one of the legal challenges to that statute, amounting to a small but important victory for the Second Amendment Foundation in a challenge to the constitutionality of a provision in the law.

Well, isn't that special?

 At issue is the arbitrary seven-round limit on magazine capacity that was included in the SAFE Act under Section 265.37 of that law. At
trial in the case of New York State Rifle and Pistol Assn, Inc. v. Cuomo, Judge William M. Skretny ruled that the section dealing with the magazine limit is unconstitutional. He upheld other provisions in the Act.

 "... arbitrary seven round limit on magazine capacity ....."

Unless I am sadly mistaken, most of these 'arbitrary ... limit on magazine capacity" laws are disingenuous at best.  The usual practice is to accompany the 'mag capacity' rule with verbiage to the effect that " .... the following firearms are restricted in that they allow the use of a magazine with a capacity of holding more than (x-number) rounds".  The only variable is the "arbitrary"  number of rounds.

Make no mistake, that number is entirely arbitrary.  Is a seven round magazine acceptable, but an eight round magazine is "evil"?   Those who would mandate a magazine capacity limit would very much prefer a maximum of ONE round, but they feel magnanimous in "allowing" us to have up to <gasp!> SEVEN rounds of highly dangerous ammunition. 

One supposes that they feel this is a quid pro quo measure.

That is, they will "give" the citizens of their state the ability to carry SEVEN round of ammunition  (presumably because the WWII magazines in a 1911-frame .45 accepted 7 rounds).

In turn, they expect you to swallow, smile, and say "thank you, that was very good for me".

Those of you New Yorkers who have foolishly bought 8-round magazines, or even worse 10-round magazines?  Well, y'all are just shit out of luck because you know that this appeal process is going to fail in the long run.

Why?

It's the governor of New York, that's why.

And you thought Cuomo was a Good Guy because he stood up with GW Bush on 9/12.

The fact is, of course, that restricting magazine capacity DOES "infringe" upon the 2nd Amendment.

Salem Oregon: New indoor shooting range!

Marine veteran opens indoor shooting range | Statesman Journal | statesmanjournal.com:

An indoor shooting range where individuals can learn about gun safety, sharpen their skills, go through training simulations or purchase a weapon is now open in Salem. Tritac Shooting Solutions at ...

1400 Sunnyview Road NE 

... had a soft opening March 26. Co-owner Martin Weiss, a Marine Corps veteran, decided to open the facility to provide gun enthusiasts and law enforcement officials a place to sharpen their skills away from the elements. “I felt there was a need for a safe facility,” he said.

---

 Although I do not live in Salem, I live very near there.   "People Who Shoot" need to be aware of, and support, independent facilities as they become available.

If YOU live near Salem (Oregon), I heartily encourage you to patronize this new business. 

Website:  http://tritacshooting.com/http://tritacshooting.com/

Facebook (and map):  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tritac-Shooting-Solutions/259698797515451?sk=page_map

About

TriTac is committed to providing the highest level of training and safety to the general public and security professionals in Salem and surrounding areas.

Description

TriTac Shooting Solutions offers six lanes of live-fire indoor shooting for pistols and rifles; high-definition video training simulator; gun and ammo rentals and sales; instructional classes for beginners to advanced shooters.


-30 Days of unlimited range time with the purchase of a firearm!
-The only place in Salem where you can try out a gun through our rental program before you buy one!
-Ammo in stock, no limits!
-TriTac is a great place for parties and dates!
-Watch for updates about special ladies' nights.
-Group training available for law enforcement, military, and security personnel.
-Open 7 days a week

Membership Information
-Unlimited lane use
-Priority reservations- No waiting!
-Special deals and discounts
-Free eye and ear protection
-Free TriTac t-shirt

April Fool's Day!

NOTE:

No stupid April Fools Day tricks here.  

Unless you count Obama's jubilation over having met his 'benchmark' for Affordable Care enrollment.

Well ... and that's His trick.  How many have truly signed up, considering that as of March 1 nobody expected  enrollment to reach six million, let alone seven point one million, and Smarmy Biden was "lowering expectations" from 7 mill to 6 mill a month ago?

Imagine, after all these months to get six million enrollees,  when it came down to the wire and they absolutely had to show progress .... they got ONE MILLION PEOPLE to sign up for Obamacare in just four weeks.

How'd they do that?
It's a freaking MIRACLE, that's what it is.

Yes, We Can!

Question:  How many of the enrollees have actually actually sent a check?

OH, and ....

According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2009 there were 48.6 million people in the US (15.7% of the population) who were without health insurance. (source as of July 2013)

Assuming that 7.1 million are now insured, thanks to the wonder of ObamaCare ....
 
Where are the other forty million?

NSF: "Climate Change; The Musical"

National Science Foundation funded climate change musical to tune of $700,000 | Fox News:

Your Tax Dollars At Work!

The National Science Foundation has spent nearly $700,000 on a climate change-themed theatrical production, leaving some in Congress questioning if the organization's grant funds could be put to better use.

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, questioned White House science czar John Holdren in a hearing last Thursday about the way the NSF is using taxpayer money -- including on the grants for the play, a New York production called "The Great Immensity."

“I support basic research, which can lead to discoveries that change our world, expand our horizons and save lives,” Smith, chairman of the House Science Committee, told FoxNews.com. “But NSF has funded too many questionable research grants.

 Spending taxpayer dollars to fund a climate change musical called ‘The Great Immensity’ sounds more like a waste of taxpayer dollars -- money that could have funded higher priority research.”

(emphasis added)

Yes, the article is describing exactly the boondoggle it sounds like.  A stage show which is intended to .. not research, but to glamorize the theories behind the research.   It's an actual stage play, produced to champion the cause of Awareness of Global Warming, and financed by Your Tax Dollars.

This kind of project might marginally be 'understandable' (if not  'acceptable') if it was endowed by NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) ... we already know that is a wildcat experiment designed to pay lunatics to pee into a mason jar and call it "Art".   But no, this is ... Science!


A stage play is ... science?


Performance Art?


Here's the kind of performance which this project is funding:


SOL ...  A Climate Change Musical!

Spreading the message through music and theatre. [sic]

We need to come off the carbon, but we can't.  We're locked into a cycle of production and consumption that just seems too set in it's ways to change direction.
It's not for want of information or know-how.  It's rather our self-belief and the will to act for our collective  future which needs to be re-kindled.  We need to become emotionally engaged with new stories about ourselves and our planet if we're going to have any joy in adapting our behaviours to the new situation we find ourselves in.

and ...

A song of our warming planet -- understanding Climate Change through music

When faced with the challenge of sharing the latest climate change discoveries, scientists often rely on data graphics and technical illustrations. University of Minnesota undergrad Daniel Crawford came up with a completely different approach. He’s using his cello to communicate the latest climate science through music.

Well, isn't THAT special?

Woody Allen (who probably did NOT deliberately contribute to this tree-hugging liberal bullshit) once said:  "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work... I want to achieve it through not dying."

Can't argue with that.

Here's MY take on Climate Change: The Musical:

"I don't want to save the earth by paying for Liberal Tree-Hugger bullshit programs; I just want to die before the bill hits my mailbox!"

Chicago: 17 people shot in 30 hours!

2 Dead, 15 Wounded in Chicago Shootings Since Friday | NBC Chicago:

Two men were fatally shot and at least 15 others have been wounded in shootings across Chicago since Friday.

(Sunday, March 30, 6am)

Seventeen .... which was the median age of the victims (except a FedEx courier and a 41 year old man who was in the company of a 16-year-old victim of the same incident) ... people shot.  One of the "wounded" was shot in the head; prognosis unavailable.  

(According to the rough timeline provided in the article, all of the shootings occurred between Noon Friday and 4:30pm Saturday.)    

One 'victim' was killed by a Chicago policeman; the 'victim' was pointing a pistol at the policeman at the time, during a home invasion of the officer's residence, and had refused to put down the gun.  As nearly as the reader can tell, that was the only incident in which both parties had displayed a gun.  Were the shootings entirely random?  The article doesn't delve deeply enough to determine causality.  Apparently, even the local NBC affiliate was overwhelmed by the spate of Gun Violence in Chicago.

Yes, the term "Gun Violence" seems appropriate; but the emphasis should be on the word "violence", not "guns".   Note that only ONE incident was characterized by an intended 'victim' having a gun.  That was the Chicago policeman who shot a teen who was defending his life, his property, and his family during a home invasion.

According to the article in only one shooting 'gang-related'. Yeah, right.

Let's talk about this for a minute: