The myth of the hero cop

The myth of the hero cop: Police unions have spread a dangerous message about America’s law enforcement officers.:

It’s hard to prosecute cops. There are two main reasons for this: The first is the special deference that jurors, judges, and prosecutors show officers thanks to the widespread perception that they are heroic public figures valiantly trying to protect us. The second is the bevy of special laws around the country that are designed to shield police officers from the very tactics the police regularly use on ordinary suspects.

Thank you, David Feige of Slate, for your in-depth review of all the reasons why (in your mind) police are not subject to the same scrutiny as 'common citizens' are ... because of "special laws .. to shield police ... "

One thing:  yes, there are "Bad Cops", and as we are all human I'm pretty sure that most cops are flawed.

So .. three questions:

One:  Do you have a gun to protect yourself?  Or do you rely on 911 in case you are assaulted?
Two: Have you ever been mugged?
Three: have you ever been arrested?

The thing is, you appear to reside in New York City.
And .. the bromide is:

A Liberal is someone who has been arrested.
A Conservative is someone who has been mugged.

So, although you have not offered any "full disclosure", we're assuming that you were arrested for drug charges?  Marijuana?  Or a more mind-altering substance?  (I'm guessing something more powerful than Weed .. cops generally trend to ignore Grass arrests, because there are too many of them among the Liberal Community to do anything more constructive than issue a 'ticket', which can incur nothing more onerous than a fine.  Which would explain the grudge you obviously have against police officers.)

Getting back to Question 1:  I'm guessing that you rely on the police to protect you.  Which they cannot do, of course, because those "highly paid" public servants have too many clueless citizens to
"Protect and Serve".

So, you don't have a gun.  Well, of course you don't.  You live in New York City, the town that FORCES you to rely on local police to protect you.  But you don't appreciate that, because you know that there are 10,000  (plus)  police who are paid FAR too much money for giving you very limited protection.

Please note that the reason why you cannot have a gun to protect yourself is because your liberal friends made it illegal.  Not the cops; your Liberal Friends.

Clue-bat notice:  The police aren't there to protect you.  They are there to solve crimes, and arrest miscreants.  Perhaps you are uncomfortable with that situation.  I don't blame you.  If I relied on the cops to protect me, I would be similarly disappointed that they are NOT liable for failure to protect you from assault.  Or robbery, or anything else.  Is that the reason you're so down on cops, Binky?

Given the restraints on cops, it's no wonder that you are disillusioned.  That's okay .. it's not their fault.  Your Liberal Representatives have made sure that you can't sue cops when they can't protect you.   Someone seems to think that personal protection is YOUR job, not the cops.

Let's get to the part where you claim that the police are corrupt and .. what was your term?

Unfairly protected

Oh, yeah; we just covered that.  You think they are "unfairly protected"; but the fact is that if you are mugged, the cops don't much care.  The same if someone steals the radio out of your car (which you don't OWN, because you know it's too dangerous and too expensive to own a car in NYC because .. theft) the cops have no way to deal with minor thievery.  Beat Cops take reports, and pass them on.  Beat Cops are also the first responders, and when it's the murder of an infant in her crib (for example), they have to go home and tell their wife that it was 'just another  day on The Job", and hope they don't keep her awake when they can't sleep that night because of the images that they can't wipe out of their memory .. which lasts for decades.

Yep.  It's an easy job, and they are certainly overpaid.

You complain that:  " ...  the average beat cop costs the taxpayers more than $150,000 per year."
Sounds like pretty good bread.  So, why didn't you apply to the police department, go through the training regimen, and become a cop?  By your perception, it's an easy job with little or no risk, and the pay is great!

Could it be because you just don't have the guts to put your life on the line for your fellow New Yorkers? Or you don't care to deal with the 'seamy underside of New York" on a daily basis?

Strange .. you don't seem to consider that it's a risky business, underpaid and under-financed, and the only way cops can make a decent living it to volunteer for overtime hours.  Often this is just standing in the rain for hours on end, directing traffic.  But sometimes that's actually facing people who are violent, insane, vengeful and .. oh, did we discuss that POLICE ARE TARGETS FOR BAD MEN?

But you're pretty well focused on that $150,000 per year paycheck ....
... even though you don't seem to have considered the horrible working conditions they regularly endure to feed their family.  And BTW .. $150,000 year is pretty much what sanitation workers in major cities draw.  They all get The Big Bucks because nobody would take that nasty-ass job if they didn't get compensated in proportion to the unsavory nature of the job they accept.

The reason for the one hundred fifty dollar paycheck (which requires a TON of overtime in the cesspool which is a major city) is that it's a crappy world, and these folks are on the front line .. they see the disincorporated body of the 29-year-old executive who just jumped from the 80th floor of his executive condominium, and they go scour the block to pick up the pieces.  

Then the detectives wander by, take reports, and go back to talk to the Captain.

And then some asshole like you writes an article complaining about cops who are not heroic at all.

You are SUCH a jerk.  If you spent one day doing what these stolid men and women do EVERY DAY, you would puke your guts out and spend the next week in bed.  With the covers over your head.

And you would hate yourself.   Rightfully.

Baltimore’s streets are quiet again. Baltimore’s state’s attorney Marilyn J. Mosby moved quickly in securing indictments against six police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, and her decisive action has calmed the city for now. But getting a grand jury to indict police officers is a lot easier than getting convictions at trial. That’s because like any prosecutor trying to hold cops accountable, Mosby will be working on an uneven playing field. To prove her case, she won’t just need sufficient evidence. She will also have to overcome a number of deep-seated structural impediments to convicting police officers of crimes—no matter how guilty they are. 

No matter how guilty they are.  Do you hear yourself?  No trial, and you have already proclaimed them GUILTY, because .. because you can.

Asshole.

Cops and Black Protests

 After reading a 34-page summary of the case, the judge made it clear he disagreed, saying that "Brelo's entire use of deadly force was a constitutionally reasonable response to an objectively reasonably perceived threat of great bodily harm from the occupants of the Malibu, Russell and Wiliams."

I wrote about this some time ago.  At the time, I wondered if this would not initiate another "Death By Cop Protest".

Apparently, the local 'community' (which was unable to disuade the two felons in the car that Brelo stopped in a barrage of bullets from the hood of their car) has chosen to rise in righteous indignation.

We're not pleased here at Geek Central to learn that the prognostication was confirmed.  One would prefer not to be so 100% able to forecast ghetto indignation.

On the other hand, when one identifies with a community which has historically been plagued by oppression, it's difficult to resist the urge to riot.

Would the Jews in 1938 Berlin embraced the same approach, they might have lost a few million of their families.  I know, that sounds cold.  But those peoples were faced with a truly oppressive armed police force, one which had the publicly espoused goal of 'resolving the Jewish Question".

I don't think we're at that point yet, now, here.  But when Black citizens protest the death of their brothers and sisters at the hand of the police, they do have a point.  Even if the black deceased was a criminal, engaged in violent crime, it's not a situation which they can ignore; the death of one diminishes all.

(Wish they could get past the criminal behavior which draws the attention of the police, but only the community can deal with that.  Maybe they will, maybe they will not.  Their choice.)

The thing is, the Jews faced racial extinction; the blacks face what they perceive to be an institutional drive on the part of the folks with the power (you know, the guys who have the guns?) to keep them down and out.  Not quite on a par with racial extinction, but from the point of our black bretheren ... the distinction is vague.  Who can blame them for over-reacting when the lesson of the Jews is to stomp on this oppression before it becomes "institutional"?

I don't believe that the police in major cities are consciously (or 'deliberately') trying to put down the black community.  I do think that the attempt by the black community to be as high-profile as possible is their "Come To Jesus" Moment.   Or at least, a way to make sure that America is not comfortable with accepting their plight.

What I DO believe is that Black People in America are determined to keep their issues right in the bitch-slapped face of What America, if only so that people of conscience will not be 'comfortable' with ignoring their issues.  Do I think their situation is, today, as dire as they portray it?  

No.

But their best game plan is to over-state every situation, to keep those of us (including me) on the edge of our Strat-o-Lounger Easy Chairs wondering if maybe we might be part of the problem; because it's quite clear that our comfort is no part of The Solution.

SO:

Was Michael Brelo justified in jumping on the hood of Tim Russell's Mailbu and emptying his Glock into the bodies of  Russell and his friend Malissa Williams?

I don't know.  I wan't there.  All I know is what I read in the newspapers.\

I'm pretty sure there was some crime involved, and that Russell and Williams did not meekly surrender to police.

And the "African-American Community" (I HATE the hyphenated American terminology) is not happy.  Don't much blame them; if it was me I'd be pissed, too.


(If you're looking for some wisdom, and solution to a vaguely stated problem, or something more than questions ... hey!  Don't look at me; I'm as confused as everyone else is.)

I LIKE Gamers!

 A semi pro competitor by name of Rick Birdsall recently shot this 3 Gun stage where he slid underneath the stage wall and completed the course of fire. Pretty neat and a great use of time. Before people start ringing bells about safety, he cleared his actions with the RO before the match and if you look carefully, he completes his action with a magazine inserted, but no round in the chamber, and loads it on the other side of the wall. There was some criticism voiced on his page but overall it was conducted in a safe manner.

This has been written up on a couple of other gun blogs.    For those of you who have already seen the video I won't bother including it (go to the FIREARM blog link for the video ... they need the traffic).
  But as an IPSC competitor for thirty years, I have something to say.

This is about competition.  USPSA competition.

And I like that this guy chose to shoot the stage his own way; that's what IPSC is all about.
Whether he gained any actual competitive advantage from his approach is immaterial.  He shot the stage the way his way, and this bullshit about whether the score should be protested ... it's just bullshit.  Screw 'em if they can't take a joke; it's legal!

Gun Nuts Are Safer

When you look at mass shootings, one thing is clear: the people who are shooting people are folks that buy guns to shoot people.

Statistics show that people who might be described as "Gun Nuts" are less likely to be involved in Mass Shootings than people who only want to be executioners.

In fact, almost ALL "Mass Shootings" are caused by people who have (relatively) NEVER used a firearm for hunting, or for competition, or for any other "Legitimate Gun Use",

Most frequently, they (a) just bought the gun, or (b) they just stole the gun, or (c) they just murdered a family member so they could steal the gun out of their gun safe.  Which doesn't say much for the "Safe Gun Retention" laws we're seeing a lot of, recently.

Indiana Wants me

Allow concealed carry across state lines:

The House and Senate may soon take up outstanding legislation that would help return the existing, constitutionally recognized and protected right of Americans across the country to keep and bear arms. The proposal, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (S.498), also referred to as mandatory concealed carry, was introduced in the Senate by John Cornyn, R-Texas. Under this legislation, it would eliminate a state's ability to infringe upon constitutionally protected gun rights of individuals from another state who can carry guns within its own borders. 

.... Making good people helpless will not make bad people harmless, and I encourage you to contact Sens. Joe Donnelly and Dan Coats and urge them to honor their constitutional oath to protect our individual rights.
(Indiana State Rep. Jim Lucas - R-Seymour on May 23, 2015)

What he said.

Excuse me .. AMNESTY INC accuses Hamas???

Amnesty International accuses Hamas of torturing, killing Palestinians in new report on Gaza conflict | Fox News: 

Amnesty International accused Hamas militants Wednesday of abducting, torturing, and carrying out summary executions of Palestinians during last year's conflict in the Gaza Strip.

We have never before seen AMNESTY point the finger at anyone but Israeli's in the Mid-East Conflict.   Those  "Hamas Militants" must have done some seriously Bad Shit to be cited by A.I.

Or is there some dissension in the TransNational Progressive Love-Fest?

 (Enquiring People want to know.  *_I_* want to know!)

It's extremely rare for the Transnational Liberal Progressive Community (hey, they chose the label, not me!) to target people who actually choose to unibomb buses and schools and places of worship in non-combat moments to be The Bad Guys.  Usually, AMNESTY INC points the fingers at the Israeli's because they are mean to Palestinians.

(You know, the Israeli's allow Palestinians to become citizens, and vote, and not get their women whipped because their burkas are too short, and all that oppressive shit?  Unlike HAMAS Dudes.)

So when Amnesty, Inc. accuses Hamas of the same stuff that Amnesty, Inc. has been accusing the Israeli's of for decades, it's like .....
.. uh ...

I don't know.  My mind is too boggled to present cogent thoughts.

You think it through.  Let me know if you can figure it out, okay?

A case for totally unrestricted firearms access

True ‘common sense’ from an Indiana lawmaker - Seattle gun rights | Examiner.com:

Reflecting what appears to be a national trend — it certainly is here in Washington State and literally anywhere else one keeps track of concealed pistol licenses — Lucas notes, “Applications for concealed carry permits in Indiana continue to explode as hundreds of thousands of Hoosier men and women realize that they are the first line of defense in protecting themselves and loved ones.”

Just off the top of my head .... why are there any restrictions at ALL of citizen access and carry of firearms?

It just makes the ATF folks look bad in the press; wouldn't it be a whole lot easier to ignore those silly laws?   The only ones who pay any attention to them are the "Honest Citizens".

Wanna-Be Heroes

Borepatch: Heroes Part II:

When someone says, "Yea, I was in the service. I was a clerk typist.", and tells you funny stories of boot camp and maybe the stuff he and his buddies did in Japan in 1975, you can believe that. We've all heard of Stolen Valor and there are groups of veterans that dedicate a lot of time exposing guys who claim to have been super combat vets, SpecOps operators, Navy SEALs, wearing uniforms with rows of ribbons they bought on-line. What isn't as obvious is the guy who was in the service and just embellishes what he did. Now he can talk the talk, knows the units, lingo and details. Maybe he was on the base in a non-combat role but in a support unit that fixed the boats. It might start out no more than saying, "Yea, I served with the SEALS. No, I don't want to talk about it.", to his ...

And I don't much care, really.

I've read a lot about the "Stolen Valor" movement, lately, and frankly it seems like a tempest in a teapot.  Sure, some guys are envious of people who "get the glory or War" but were unable to acquire the experiences.  And probably, it's because they were unwilling to volunteer because HEY .. a guy could get HURT in a Combat Zone!

So, for their vanity, they *(these wanna-be guys)* portray themselves as war heroes.

And real war heroes resent that, so there is this movement to 'out' the charlatans.   Why?  Because they demean .. they STEAL .. the VALOR of the people who actually served in a combat situation.

Look, these guys are pathetic wanna-be's.

But if you were a warrior, you weren't there for the recognition.  You were there either because (a) you were drafted (as I was), or (b) you were enlisted.

If you were in a combat zone, and if you were involved in combat, you know who and what you are.

 You would probably like it if folks recognized that you chose NOT to move to Canada to avoid the draft.  (For me, it was something I thought about; but I couldn't face the promise of having to spend the rest of my life knowing that I was a LOSER!)

So. I'm uncertain about why some people are so (forgive the expression) so MILITANT about exposing losers?

I remember the story from my home-town, in the 1970's, about an acne-faced 17-year old who was found in the local Greyhound Bus Station wearing a full Class-A uniform.  He had Master Sgt Chevrons on his arm, and gold oak-leaves on his collar.  He claimed to be a "Sergeant Major"!

(Okay, it's an apocryphal story, but it's typical of the desperation these people are for respect .. albeit un-earned.)

Frankly, I was as embarrassed for him (even though I only heard the story 3rd-hand) as if he had been found masturbating in public.

But like the song about "the girl who just couldn't say 'no'", he was more to be pitied than censured.

Look.  If you have been around the world and seen the elephant, you know what you have contributed.  And if you did it so that other people would admire you ... you did it for the wrong reason.  Which you did not.

So why in the world do you care if someone who couldn't get an erection at the urging of the most talented Saigon Hooker decides he wants to get a little imaginary penal twitch?

Please, explain it to me.  Do so without using the words "Stolen" or "valor" or "Wannabe".

And please, don't talk about your 'fallen comrades".  I've got a few of my own, and I don't find these pitiful pop-in-jays to be any threat at all to their memory.  I'm thinking .. they would laugh, and buy the next round.

"STOLEN VALOR"?  You were not there for the accolades.  You were not trying to establish yourself as a "valorous warrior".  You were just there to do a job, one that nobody else would do.

When you treat these wanna-be's with contempt, you're drawing attention to them.  And they like it.

Fuck 'em.  It don't mean nothin'.

No Name Noticed

Police search for motive after US airman shoots Wal-Mart workers, self in North Dakota | Fox News:

Police in Grand Forks, North Dakota, are trying to find out what prompted a U.S. airman to walk into a Wal-Mart Supercenter and kill one worker, injure another and then fatally shoot himself.

It's tempting to be facetious here, but people died and others were hurt.  So maybe we should take a closer look at the motivation for this kind of  "senseless, random attack".

So here are my first two thoughts:

1. Because he wanted to do it.
2. Because he could.

You and I know nothing about  this specific attack, but we've seen this shit before. Some depressed 'poor soul' has no life, decides to end his, but desperately craves to find 'meaning' in what's left before he destroys himself.

And the only alternative to 'nothing' is to ruin the lives of others ... because somebody might remember his name.   We cannot forget the innocents he took with him, but we can refuse to acknowledge him.

Because that "acknowledgement" seems to be his sole reason for cold, calouse murder.

So, I don't want to know the name of this desperate soul, and I hope it is never published.

  I don't care why he decided on this route to infamy ... depression, drugs, bad karma, his Mister Coffee machine broke down, he can't get a date, or he got fired from his job.  It doesn't matter; if he can't deal with the same hazards of daily living that the rest of us seem to be able to cope with, he's a total loser, and we're better off without him.

The only way to discourage this sort of thing is to deny these people the notoriety they crave.

I'm going to call these .. depraved creatures ... NNNs ... No Name Noticed.

If the best use you can find for your wasted life is to be Noticed, then we shall turn a blind eye on you.

You will not be "Noticed"; merely mentioned in passing, like a broken mongrel dog we see lying beside the freeway on our way to work in the morning.  (Too bad .. hope the highway people scoop it up before it starts to smell.)

Pity that you might have taken someone with you who was worth more than the waste of air YOU turned out to be.

NYC: Why should you need a firearm?

Judge nixes New York City gun permit for firearms dealer | Fox News:
(May 24, 2015)

A judge won’t let a traveling firearms dealer carry a concealed weapon in New York City to protect himself and his wares from “criminals and terrorists.” Cavalier Knight applied for a gun permit from the New York City Police Department in 2014. He went to court when the application was denied. He claimed the NYPD violated his Second Amendment rights. But in a decision posted Friday, a judge rejected that claim while upholding New York’s tough gun control law, the New York Daily News reported Saturday.

The judge's decision was based on the premise that it was "pure speculation" that he might be subject to attack, and;

1. why should he be any more at risk than others in his business, who haven't asked for similar 'rights', and;
2. he has been selling guns for years and he has not been attacked yet, so why should he now be concerned?

Am I missing something here?

The Attack on Self-Defense

Front Page Magazine offers a counter to the argument that  if you use a gun to protect yourself, you expose yourself to even worst tragedy; or as stated in the story: "... a gun is “not a particularly good defense strategy.”


(H/T to Clayton Cramer)

The Attack on Self-Defense:
(Front Page Magazine; May 22, 2015)

 Some years back, a public service TV ad depicted patients being told by a doctor that they had a tobacco-related illness: lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, etc. It asked, “If you’re not planning to quit smoking, then what are you planning?” So let me ask: If you’re not planning to use a firearm to defend your home against invasion, what are you planning to do? Modern liberalism has long mocked even the possibility of citizen self-defense:

A woman who  experienced a 'home invasion', and who abandoned two of her sleeping children to save the two she COULD rescue, is convinced that standing her ground to protect her entire family would be a scenario fraught with risk.   Why?  Because if you point a gun at the bad guys, it may only serve to escalate an already bad situation.   They may take your gun away from you.

What if you have a gun, and they don't?  Then the bad guys are in a bad situation, not them.

And if they already have guns?  What choice have you except for making their "Boys' Night Out" more dangerous for them?

Home invasions DO happen.

How has our civilization degraded to the point that Rudyard Kiplings "The Female Of The Species" is no longer applicable in America?

WHEN the Himalayan peasant meets the he-bear in his pride,     He shouts to scare the monster, who will often turn aside.     But the she-bear thus accosted rends the peasant tooth and nail.     For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.

"Social Justice Org" accused of Exploitation ... of blacks hired to protest in Ferguson

Ferguson Rent-A-Mobs Exposed:

ACORN’s successor group in Missouri has been paying protesters $5,000 a month to generate civil unrest in Ferguson, the troubled St. Louis suburb where black youth Michael Brown was killed by a white police officer last August. We know this because some of the protesters haven’t been paid and, now, they are demanding what they were promised. They held a sit-in at the offices of Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE) and posted a demand letter online.

Apparently, the 'rioters' were motivated more by a promised paycheck than "justice".

But then MORE paid them LESS.  Or more exactly, they stiffed a bunch of protesters who had been hired to put the face of "race" into "Racial Injustice".

We're not all that surprised to learn that the protesters were hired to create an incident (riot?).  But that the liberal organization would then stiff their under-the-counter hired goons  agitators adds injury to insult.

Still, this is America,    If an Honest Politician is "one who stays bought", then an Honest Liberal is "one who pays his goons".

No Honest Liberals here.    (I guess it's really not that surprising, when you think about it.)

So now, the Protesters are Protesting THEM:
 From Gateway Pundit:  "We're Gonna Just F*CK YOU UP!"

Is this a great country, or what?

Another death-by-cop protest?

Ohio patrolman acquitted in 2 deaths amid 137-shot barrage - Yahoo News:

CLEVELAND (AP) — A white patrolman who fired down through the windshield of a suspect's car at the end of a 137-shot barrage that left the two unarmed black occupants dead was acquitted Saturday of criminal charges by a judge who said he could not determine the Cleveland officer alone fired the fatal shots.

High-speed chase, a cop ends it by shooting driver and passenger through the windshield while he was standing on the hood of their car.   And the dead speeders were unarmed.

No problem, says judge.  Can't determine if those shots were the cause of death. Case dismissed.

Russell, 43, and Malissa Williams, 30, were each shot more than 20 times at the end of the Nov. 29, 2012, pursuit. Prosecutors argued they were alive until Brelo's final salvo but medical examiners for both sides testified they could not determine the order in which the deadly shots were fired.
The case hinged largely on the less than 8 seconds — 7.392, to be exact — during which Brelo fired his final 15 rounds.

Winchester Shotgun "OOPS!"

RECALL: Winchester Shotgun Recalled Over Possible “Unintentional Discharges” [VIDEO]:




HT:  Guns Save Lives

Shooting Sports ... it's the people we meet that make it worth-while

A couple of days ago, I received an email from a friend who had volunteered to officiate at a State Match for USPSA competition.

There were a couple of Range Officers who did not have 'timers', and unfortunately that had been overlooked during the match timing.

So my friend got online to his associates, and asked if anyone could loan one to the two Range Officer Volunteers who needed one.

I had one, and offered it to him.  He responded that he already had received one from someone else, and thanks for the offer.

Today, he posted this email message to his circle of friends:

I really love this sport.I think the world of the people that belong to our clubs.
I asked if we could barrow a timer, and within 6 hours I had 7 offers with more still coming in. 
I now have one in my possession.
Thanks folks, your the best.           WALT

He's right, of course.  The joy of competitive shooting isn't just that you get to blast a lot of rounds 'down-range'.  It's that you meet the nicest, most polite, and most generous people in the world through shooting sports.

"Spongey Projectile" generates Fear and Loathing in NJ Elementary School!

NJ fifth-grader suspended for bringing a foam 'bullet' to school, says mom | Fox News:

New Jersey fifth-grader Aarin Moody got a lesson in his school's zero tolerance policy after being suspended all of last week for bringing a foam Nerf gun bullet to school, according to his mom.

I don't know about you, but *I* am quite intimidated!

Not by the foam rubber 'bullets'; the scarey school folks, though, freak me out.
*Did I mention that this was New Jersey?*

When I was in Grade School, in a Previous Century Not To Be Named, we (students in 6th Grade) were trading miniature replicas of pistols and rifles like they were Sports Cards.  No special reason, they were just cool.

The same thing could get a sixth grader jailed today.  Funny ... we didn't have any school shootings back when guns were just 'stuff'.

I remember once I brought my father's "exotic" bullet collection to school for Show And Tell.  Everybody wanted to take a closer look at them.  But I don't remember anyone killing anyone because they got too excited.

I guess we weren't as "cool" as we thought we were.

Tough Call. *Who will you believe? John Kerry or Islamic Jehadists?"

ISIS capture of Ramadi renews concerns about US troop pullout, weapons left behind | Fox News:

Secretary of State John Kerry also said Monday that he was confident about defeating the Islamic State and about Ramadi being retaken “in coming days.”

Who are we to believe?  Enemies of The State Jihadists, or "Unfit At Any Speed" John Kerry?

I know.  It's difficult to choose between declared enemies and ... well, libotards.

My money is on the declared enemies.  They may be bad, but they may not be congenital liars.

Unlike John Kerry.

Outlaw Biker Mantra. "Hey Man, you spilled my beer!" BANG!

Another Shoot-out in Waco!

(NEXT DAY: THE ARRESTS RESULT IN CHARGES FILED AGAINST 170 BIKERS!)

Rival motorcycle gangs kill 9 in Texas gun battle - NY Daily News:
(May 17, 2015)

 A trio of rival motorcycle gangs is believed responsible for a large gunfight that killed nine bikers and injured 18 outside a Waco, Texas restaurant, authorities said Sunday.

Charming.  I'm sure.

The good news is: no 'innocents' were killed or injured.   Good shooting on the part of the bikers?  More likely, non-involved people were smart enough to un-ass the neighborhood.  When the going gets tough, everybody who wants to live through the day get out of the bar.

Oh, yes.  Some news sources called the establishment a "restaurant"; but others called it a "Sports Bar".    It's all about what your meaning of "IS", is.  Personally, I've never cared for spectator sports, but when it comes to a shoot-out, my first choice is "NOT THERE".

Another Shootout in Pennsylvania!
There's nothing unique in this "event".  In January in Pennsylvania, a couple of rowdy groups mixed it up.

Another Shootout in Chicago!
And in Illinois, after a brawl between "The Outlaws" and (civilians?), the Outlaws want their leather vests back.

Well, you can't blame them.  it's all about honor, y'know?

So while the rest of the world is worrying about Trevon Martin, Ferguson, Baltimore ... there is an entire subculture which thrives on violent confrontations.

It's A White Thing; you wouldn't understand it.

That's okay, neither do I

The Thing Is ....

... this is the sort of thing that many people consider the "Gun Culture".

It's not, of course.  The American Gun Culture is responsible people who are non-violent, but are prepared to defend themselves against violence.   That sounds a lot like waffling, I know.

What is "The Gun Culture"?

My definition of "Gun Culture" is this:

I grew up in a 'gun family'.  My father was an avid hunter all of his life.  His hobby was to take old military rifles (1903-A3) and convert them into modern sporting rifles which were an expression of his art.

He bought me my first deer rifle when I was 13, and I was thrilled to finally get to go hunting with him.  More frequently (because it didn't depend on a 'season') we would go 'varmint hunting'.

And as bloody as it must have seemed to the varmints, it was a much more humane solution than the alternative.  (Of course the hares and the rodents of all kind probably resented our predation.)

I did some hunting of deer and antelope, and the meat which they provided to our dinner was welcome.  Mom was never a good cook, but fresh venison is a welcome supplement to our diet.  I ate Deer, Elk, even Bear meat.

I became involved in competition shooting.  For 15 years I was a Gallery Rifle shooter, both indoors and outdoors.  I spend a few summers working in harvest (both wheat and peas) so that I could buy a Valment "Lion" Free Rifle, with which I won a few junior matches.

In later years, I chose to shoot pistols in competition.  I'm now certified as a "not very good, but determined"  shooter in three divisions of USPSA shooting.

People enjoy shooting.  It's like throwing darts in a pub, only louder, and without the drinking.

Some people are more involved in self-defense shooting.  Nobody wants to hurt anybody else, but sometimes the circumstances are such that one needs to protect Hearth and Home, Self and Family.

But that's not what a lot of people envision when they think of the term: "Gun Culture".

THIS is the image that they see:

I know it was free, but it didn't come from us ... so you can't DO that!

School freaks out over boys baseball storage shed | Fox News:

Don't you just love a government that doesn't do anything FOR you, but they go out of their way to undermine your efforts to do for yourself?

We're from the Government, and we'll be your Crash-Test Dummies for today

Inspector General report says Secret Service agents 'likely' alcohol-impaired in March incident | Fox News:

A report by the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General has concluded that two senior Secret Service agents were "more likely than not" impaired by alcohol when they drove an official car through a secure area outside the White House this past March.

And:

No field sobriety tests were given that night and both men were allowed to drive their government vehicles home from the White House.

Sounds like poor judgement is the standard in the White House.

Oh, poop! This SO sucks!

How do you go to the bathroom in space? | Fox News Video:
 How do you go to the bathroom in space? May. 13, 2015

Stan Freberg --- will never die

Stan Freberg Dead: Acclaimed Satirist Was 88 - Hollywood Reporter:
(April 07, 2015)

Stan Freberg, whose freewheeling comic career in advertising garnered him worldwide acclaim and whose satirical entertainments abounded on TV, the radio and on records, has died. He was 88.

Stan Freberg did more with words and your imagination than the movies and television ever did; he kept the spirit of radio alive even after my parents bought their first television (a Packard Bell in Danish Blond ... to compliment Mom's Orange Deep-Shag Carpet and Mint Green Sectional, I Kid You Not!)

Mister Freberg lives on in You Tube.  Here are two of my favorite skits:

"Stormin' Norman" got it wrong ...

THIS is "The Luckiest Man Alive"

  Irons in the Fire:

Class Act

Life is tough.  When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Everyone else finds someone to sue.

Pennsylvania university student suing school after failing required class twice | Fox News:

A Pennsylvania university nursing student is suing the school after failing a required course twice, saying anxiety and depression made it difficult for her to concentrate. Jennifer Burbella claims her Misericordia University professor did not do enough to help her pass a class on adult health patterns.

Who would want a whiner for a nurse?

Family who mourned for 6 days after told daughter died not allowed to sue | Fox News Latino:

 For six days, the family of 19-year-old April Guerra mourned her death because they thought she was killed in a car wreck. It turns out, she wasn't. Arizona's highest court said Friday the family cannot sue the state for negligence after officers mistakenly told them Guerra died in a 2010 rollover crash west of Phoenix. The officers confused Guerra's identity with that of a close friend who was killed in the Interstate 10 wreck.

That woman's parents stood vigil at a hospital with a paralyzed and badly bruised Guerra, thinking she was their daughter.

So the response of the Guerra family is not to thank God that their daughter is alive, but to sue the police for making a mistake.

 "Never Let A Crisis Go To Waste"

"We're from the Government, and we're here to help."

It could have been worse.  They could have ignored their prisonor's worsening physical condition until he almost died.

Oh.  They did.

You know that weird guy across the street? He's a Terrorist!

Fox News Poll: Voters believe White House incompetent, US still in recession and ISIS has moved next door | Fox News:

Six in 10 voters think it is likely terrorists are living in their hometown (60 percent). That’s up from 48 percent who felt that way in 2007, the last time the question was asked, and back to about what it was nine months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In June 2002, 58 percent thought terrorists were in their community.

(Note to my neighbors:  No, it's not me.  It must be you.)

How can you identify a terrorist?  Well, if he points a gun at you, or his garage blows up because the bomb he was building had a slight design flaw, that's one clue..

They don't need to be wearing towels or fencing masks across their faces over the all-black floor length robes.  Remember Timothy McVeight?  He blew up this government building in Oklahoma a while back?  He looked normal.  Sort of.

(Actually, he looked a lot like my cousin Charley.  I don't talk to Charley much.  After today ... probably not at all.)

Living in America today is much like being Howard Keel in "The Day of the Triffids" .. except that Howard had a simpler way to identify the 'bad guys plants'; if they were six feet tall, looked vaguely like sunflowers, and could kill you for reasons and in ways you didn't understand, they were triffids.

Come to think of it, Terrorists are not unlike Triffids.

Hmm ... I may need to rethink my original thesis.

Never mind.

Here's a primer, in case you need it.

Antigtun Activist Advises Additional Archaic Acts Appropos Ammunition Availability

Sipsey Street Irregulars: Checking for chipmunks, collectivist congresscritter cogitates coitally crippling Constitution.: "Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman targets online ammunition sales.''

(1).   There is nothing new in this tactic.  Democrats have been using this approach for decades.
(2). Case in point:  Danial Patrick Moynihan proposed a 1000% tax on ammunition sales, in 1993.
(3).   Calfornia is attempting the same underhanded political tactics (too many references to cite ... you know what their tactics have been for the past several decades) and for the same reasons: the Libs think they are right and we are wrong, and they are determined to prevail because they are F*cking SENATORS, and we're NOBODY!

Why do these Libtards keep trying to undermine the second amendment?  Lots of reasons:

Hoo-Raw The Witch Is Dead! (not quite)

Section 215 of the Patriot Act Expires in June. Is Congress Ready? | Electronic Frontier Foundation:
(January 29, 2015)

 You may have heard that the Patriot Act is set to expire soon. That’s not quite the case. The Patriot Act was a large bill, as were the reauthorizations that followed in 2005 and 2006. Not all of it sunsets. But three provisions do expire on June 1st: Section 215, the "Lone Wolf provision," and the "roving wiretap" provision. 

All of these sections are concerning, but Section 215 takes the cake. It’s the authority that the NSA, with the FBI’s help, has interpreted to allow the U.S. government to vacuum up the call records of millions of innocent people.

The article includes information about how you can contact your representative to state your case for or against the NSA legally monitoring ALL of your (supposedly) private electronic communications.

“It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.”

From John Farnham's DTI QUIPS (H/T "GMan")

My friend Gary the T-Man subscribes to John Farnham's DTI QUIPS, which is a newsletter version of his website daily posts.

Mr. Farnham's writings are confrontational and very opinionated.   Not like mine, at all.  But I appreciate his thoughtful insights, as he challenges us to revisit our private opinions.

This is one of Farnham's recent articles.  If you found it thought provoking, you can go to his website to read more

This article is available here.

Big Brother IS watching you! (And don't you forget it)

Winston Smith feared rats:  Myrna Arias fears XORA!

Worker fired for disabling GPS app that tracked her 24 hours a day [Updated] | Ars Technica:
(May 11, 2015)

A Central California woman claims she was fired after uninstalling an app that her employer required her to run constantly on her company issued iPhone—an app that tracked her every move 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Plaintiff Myrna Arias, a former Bakersfield sales executive for money transfer service Intermex, claims in a state court lawsuit that her boss, John Stubits, fired her shortly after she uninstalled the job-management Xora app that she and her colleagues were required to use.

Coming soon to a workplace near you.  Click the link above for a demonstration video of the XORA system.   It's awesome, it's so 1984, it's so not-you!

Your friend is down and bleeding, freaking out, and fading fast. What DO you do?

I watched a man die .. in Viet Nam; late '69, early '70 .. who can rememmber after all those flaccid years?

And it pissed me off.

"Doc" * galloped through a now-known mine field to save Chief (Point Man) and Moshe (Pace man, right behind Chief) and while Chief's injuries were relatively minor, Moshe's injuries were a pointed blow to the heart.  Moshe had caught grenade shrapnel in the heart, and it was probably only a matter of seconds before he died.  But while Doc tried to insert an airway ("Esophageal?  "Tracheal"?  I forget the nomenclature) Moshe was too freaked out to do anything but grit his teeth .. which rendered all of Doc's efforts ... what's the word for "useless"?

Oh, yeah.  Useless;

Cocktails will kill you

Brazilian bodybuilder almost lost arms after injecting oil and painkiller cocktail into muscles | Fox News Latino:

Just three years ago, Romario Dos Santos Alves, 25, was your average bodybuilder in Goiania, Brazil. Going to the gym, he noticed some of the guys building a lot muscle at a fast rate and he befriended them to get some tips.

Now, doctors still aren't sure they won't have to cut his arms off to save his life.



Fortunately, I'm in no danger of finding myself in the same situation.

I'm a Geek  THE GEEK!

Appeasing the M16 Gods

Lee Williams: Down With Poly AK Mags! | WeaponsMan:

We also don’t think loading only 28 rounds buys you anything. The difference in pressure is nominal. This goes back at least as far as Vietnam and was a ritual practiced by troops (although, there it was putting 18 rounds in a 20-round magazine) who were neither trained on the rifle nor given a supply of replacement magazines. It was something they did to appease the M16 Gods

In response to this off-hand statement (in reference to an entirely different magazine-reliability issue), I note that in September, 1969, when I was assigned as a brand new Platoon Sgt (as an E6 Staff Sgt ... a full grade below TO&E standards), Infantry troops were carefully drilled in loading only 18 rounds in a replacement magazine, because a fully loaded (20 rounds) magazine was too difficult to quickly and reliably seat into the M16 A1 or A2 during a combat situation.  It usually wouldn't seat without the soldier being distracted from the primary mission at hand ... not getting shot!

Oh, and the much-vaunted 30-round magazine?  We never saw them, either.  We were just happy to get the 20-round magazines; we knew THEY worked (as long as you didn't expect them to hold 20 rounds.)

I will also note that even after spending a year in training I never received complete training on care and maintenance of the M16 A1 or A2 in the field.  We just did the best we could, which was not much since we were never issued cleaning materials.
(See the video here for information which we were never given.)

You're So Lame, I Bet You Think This Song is About You

Shooting yourself by accident | tacticalprofessor:

If IDPA and USPSA Production Class do nothing else other than to train people to draw their gun without putting their support hand on the holster, that’s a great contribution to the shooting community. For those who say IDPA isn’t training, I would counter that it’s excellent training in safe gunhandling. There’s nothing like getting disqualified for a safety violation to make the point that someone’s gunhandling needs work.

H/T: Cornered Cat
  ... who says "Putting a loaded gun into a holster is the single most dangerous thing anyone ever does in a professinal firearms training class."


I do agree with both Cornered Cat and Tactical Professor.

Both IDPA and IPSC/USPSA are great training grounds for pistol competitive shooters.
(Also, 3-gun, Multi-Gun, and various other forms of competitive "actiion" shooting.)

I have no qualms about this statement, except that it doesn't go far enough:

After 30+ years of competitve shooting, both as a competitor and as a Chief Range Officer, I've seen more experienced competitors endanger themselves during the draw, than while holstering their pistols.

That's Anxiety.  It's not training, nor necessity.

The Competitive Shooter Community

I usually cringe when I hear "politically correct speech" terms such as "community".   It's like a buzz-word, and has connotations of people sitting around doing macrame' while singing Kumbaya.   Which is okay in its place, but I've never been much into quilting bees and such.

Which is why I realized that an IPSC match is very much like a quilting bee ... only, like, more competititive than "a communal effort".

Competition is either a team effort or an individual effort.  Never having enjoyed spectator sports (what's the attraction in watching someone else play???) and having been a skinny kid, I never went in for team sports.

Oh, I was on the Shooting Teams in Junior High, High School and College.   And some in post-war adulthood.   But that's still the accumulation of individual efforts.  Essentially, the people on the "team" from one match to the next (this was gallery rifle and outdoor small-bore competition) were those who had fared best in previous matches, many of which were postal matches.

Change-Up:
Today I attended an IPSC (USPSA) match, for the first time in about a year.  For various reasons, I have not been competing for the past couple of years.  Those times I did show up for a match, I often quit early.

Unpopular Speech and the First Amendment

All The News That's Fit To Print

That's the motto of the New York Times, and today The New York Times one again shows its true  colors by coloring its opinion according to their radically leftest political bent,  In doing so, the Newspaper of Record reveals itself as being inimical to the Constitution of the country which it purports to love.

New York Times Victim-Blames Pamela Geller: 'Achieved Her Provocative Goal' by Causing Terrorist Attack - Breitbart:
(May 07, 2014)

 On Thursday, The New York Times editorial board announced that Pamela Geller, the activist behind the Mohammed-drawing contest in Texas, brought a terrorist attack upon herself by hosting the event. The Times paid lip service to the notion that Geller’s speech falls under First Amendment protection but then added, “It is equally clear that the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest in Garland, Tex., was not really about free speech. It was an exercise in bigotry and hatred posing as a blow for freedom.”

Let us once again discuss the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

That Constitutional Amendment was designed to protect z?Unpopularz"  (or "Provative") Speech .. by restricting its ability to pass a law against it.

The New York Times can say anything it wants to about Pamela Geller and her statements.

And Pamela Geller can say anything she wants to about ... anything.  

The American Government is not a partner to the dialogue.

Unless you consider the NY Times a partner to the Obama Administration.

z

HardGrave Diggers: Rodents over Remains

Grave problem: Feds blamed as prairie dogs invade Okla. cemetery, digging up bones | Fox News:
May 06, 2015)

In CIMARRON COUNTY, Oklahoma, surviving family members are without the political power to to stop prairie dogs from digging up the graves of their ancestors.

Bones are being brought to the surface by the rodents.  Surviving family members are pissed.

 “It is very devastating to those who have family buried there. The dogs are undermining the cemetery and causing destruction that no one wants to see.” Local cemetery officials claim that the U.S. Forest Service has neglected the job of controlling the destructive prairie dogs, and protections over another specie are preventing action being taken. “It all comes down to [The Forest Service] wanting to introduce an animal called the black footed ferret. The ferret has never lived here and we’ve never seen any in all of our years maintaining the premises,” 

They can't shoot 'em, the can't poison 'em.

” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recovery plan for the black footed ferret is expected to cost over $150 million by 2040."

Hardly Saving Private Ryan!

The Last Bulwark?

ISIS Names U.S. States for Attacks | PJ Tatler:

 “Out of the 71 trained soldiers 23 have signed up for missions like Sunday, We are increasing in number bithnillah. Of the 15 states, 5 we will name… Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, California, and Michigan,” the posting continues. 

Interesting:   we have a lot of states with strong gun control laws, and those are are ares which are threatened?

I just watched a Fox News video where we (individual citizens) are encouraged to protect ourselves.


That seems entirely reasonable to me.  Unfortunately, people in some states ( Maryland, Illinois, California and Michigan including others such as New York and New Jersey smf D.C.) will have problems protecting themselves when they have no guns because their LEGAL access to personal firearms is highly restricted by state/district law.

Because ... NOT Second Amendment Friendly. (Note: attached image from 2013 regarding Concealed Carry laws; not all information may be accurate today.   That might change tomorrow if the Dems have their way.)

Let's look at these states:

• VIRGINIA: What they really mean is DC.  Strong resistance to apportioning Concealled Carry Licenses.  Nobody likes guns except for (a) gangbangers and (b) those who want to defend themselves against gangbangers.   
• MARYLAND: See Virginia.  Read: BALTIMORE.
• ILLINOIS: Stay out of Chicago, ISIS.   The only ones with guns there are the gangbangers, but they ALL have guns.  Chi-town is just pleased as punch when they only have 499 murders per year within the city limits.   Recommend you look at MORTON GROVE.
• CALIFORNIA: Making strong inroads toward restricting "authorized" ownership of many most all firearms, because SAFETY.  Wide open to illegals of all sorts; y'all stop by y'hear?
• MICHIGAN: Thoroughly democratic to the point where they're almost as opposed to anyone owning a firearm as they are opposed to electing a non-Democrat to any public office ... right down to the Commissioner of Police in any major city ... both of them.   Avoid DETROIT; Nobody there has a job or any money, but they all have guns and they have nothing to lose.

Still .... we know what Colorado citizens said when their Governor started demanding restrictive firearms laws:   Shall Not Comply.   This is a new trend, and the timing is right because if ISIS Assholes Warriors start invading any Shall Not Comply state, they may discover that the police are as reluctant to enforce gun-control laws as the citizens are reluctant to obey those laws.   Politicians be damned, this is a true American State and the 'whole' population will not be ruled by the namby pambies who occupy Denver like a plague of locusts.

American Democrats hav always been just a little bit ... iconoclastic.  They think that 'cherished beliefs and traditions' are based on "error, superstition, or lack of crativity".

Not at all.  We're still pioneers in America, and we won't be ruled by Geneva.

American Conservatives "cleave to their guns and their God" (the nicest thing that President Obama has ever said about Conservatives), and not are so much invested in "Hope and Change". 

(We've seen how well that has worked out.)

In a very quirky way, this latest threat from the Muslim Fanatics serves to validate the Second Amendment.

For decades, Conservatives have insisted that the Constitution defines and supports traditional values and beliefs, and have ignored Liberal extremists who contend that we must change our ways, because the 'old ways' are outdated (and therefore wrong!)

Maybe the Second Amendment is the first bulwark against not only an American leadership gone wrong, but also against foreign intervention.

You think?

Rock 'n Roll ... Aging America

Get ready to rock ‘n’ roll old age .:

President Obama proclaimed May as Older Americans Month, continuing a 52-year tradition since this month of recognition was first established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

(NO ACTIVE LINKS BELOW THIS POINT!)

The original article went on to talk about ... 1963.

Screw that; the folks that wrote it don't know about `63.

Beatles
Vietnam
Riots (racially motivated)
Marches on Washington
Presidential assasination (I remember where I was when Kennedy was shot ... do you?)

I also remember where I was when the California Earthquake scared the crap out of my neice ... who was in Oakland at the time.
I remember where I was when the Twin Towers fell.
I remember where I was when the Oklahoma Bomber blew up the federal building ... and
      (I remember that there were little children in that building.  Do you remember that?)
I remember where I was when the feds were shooting citizens in Waco, and Ruby Ridge..

I remember where I was when ... oh hell, you can list as many incidents as I can.  The bad thing is, that I remember more than I would choose to, had I been given a choice. Amd yes, I do realize that Obama was not in office during ANY of these "incidents".

It's not HIS fault.

Fortunate Son, that he never had to deal with a REAL National Crisis.

This is all reminiscent of the 19450's and '60's/  Lots of Hope, but no real Change!

Except that Obama is no Eisenhower.

Excessive Dishonesty (ht: Hobo Brasser)

Pappy Boyington: "Ba Ba Black Sheep"

Pappy Boyington

1:

Original Quote:   

"Oh, the whole damned thing was Hollywood, but I guess that's showbiz. Yes, there was a Brig. Gen. James Moore, chief of staff of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, and he was a real stand-up guy. He took care of us and kept Lard off our backs. Lard [Lt. Col. Joseph Smoak, operations officer of Marine Air Group 11] was a real bythe-book Marine, but unlike most of the characteristic backstabbers, he had pulled his time when it counted. He had served in China, and I respected him for that. I was simply the kind of officer he could not understand. I have no ill will toward him or anyone."

Yeoman Rand has left the starship

'Star Trek' actress Grace Lee Whitney dies at 85:

 Grace Lee Whitney, who played Captain Kirk's assistant on the original "Star Trek" series, has died. She was 85.

Star Trek remembers Yeoman Rand, as do we.

Live long, and prosper.

Libs don't grok TANSTAAFL

Baltimore Whole Foods backtracks after being blasted for supporting National Guard:

......   But while soldiers were getting free meals from Whole Foods, an [sic] some on social media pointed out that many children who regularly receive free or reduced-price school meals went without lunch on Tuesday since all public schools were closed. It didn’t take long for outraged users across all social media platforms to hit back at the upscale grocery chain for their apparent “tone-deaf” attitude toward the community.

(Emphasis Added)

TANSTAAFL:  "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

*Thank you, Robert Heinlein*

Let this be a lesson to you, Children:  Liberals want everything to be free.  Because you will pay for it.

And after they become accustomed to sucking on the public teat the freebies that you pay for, if you don't pay for it for even as much as a single day ... you will have become a MEAN PERSON because  LIBERAL.

.. and that's all I have to say about this

This is just ... stupid

First responders save shirtless man stuck in basketball hoop | Fox News Video:

I have no idea how one man can get his foot stuck in a basketball hoop.

Self-Guided Bullets ... no, really!

DARPA demonstrates breakthrough in self-guided bullets | Fox News:
(April 29, 2015)

“True to DARPA’s mission, EXACTO has demonstrated what was once thought impossible: the continuous guidance of a small-caliber bullet to target,” Jerome Dunn, DARPA program manager said in the release. “This live-fire demonstration from a standard rifle showed that EXACTO is able to hit moving and evading targets with extreme accuracy at sniper ranges unachievable with traditional rounds.”

Holy Moly, Batman!  Was it only a couple of days ago (April 28) that I was joking about curving bullets?   I guess the folks at DARPA are reading my blog .. no wonder my stats are up this week!




 I'm going to use this as my Primary Alibi at my next IPSC match.

Miss the target?

Damn EXACTO bullets!  The target wasn't moving, no wonder I missed it.

'Draw Muhammad' is not (necessarily) a challenge

Two Suspects Killed, Guard Shot 'Draw Muhammad' Contest in Texas - NBC News.com:

 Two suspects were killed and a security guard was shot outside a "Draw Muhammad" contest in Garland, Texas, police told NBC News.

Apparently, some reader mis-punctuated "Draw Muhammad" and thought it meant "Draw, Muhmmad".  So they accepted the challenge, drew and shot down a security guard.

Even though "... The event was heavily policed with up to 40 extra officers assigned at a cost of $10,000 to the organizers", some idiots still made their way through the Wall of Blue Steel and attacked.

(Video interview of event organizer Pamela Geller  highly recommended for her defense of the first amendment rights)

 Geller says that the event was attended by 200+ people.  The videos I have seen show ... well, if there were more than 50 people there, I'll give you my Cadillac!

If this had occured in England, the local Bobbies probably would have issued an ASBO  (Anti-Social Behavior Order) on the shooters and sent them home to ponder the error of their ways.

DIxon Diaz Political Cartoons

(from an email, directly and without apology; H/T Big Dawg)

The  cartoonist, Dixon Diaz, can say more in a few little squares than the New  York Times,  The  Wall Street Journal & the Kansas City RED Star, can  combined...

(Take THAT, you Salon-Posting Gun-Gontrol nuts!)

For those who don't enjoy spectator sports

Victory for Baltimore: Orioles beat White Sox in empty Camden Yards | Fox News:

(Loss for Baltimore: nobody got to go to the game.)

As tempers smoldered and the cleanup of riot-ravaged Baltimore continued outside, the city's beloved Orioles beat the White Sox in an eerily empty ballpark Wednesday afternoon. The game at Orioles Park at Camden Yards was played out before 47,000 empty seats amid safety concerns for spectators.

One of the few 'team games' I will watch is Baseball ... primarily because if you nod off from boredom, when you wake up you haven't missed much.   I haven't watched a baseball game in 20 years, and I haven't missed much.

Other people, though, do like watching ball games.

• Note to Baltimore:  Y'all did this to yourselves.

And that's the truth.  BLATTTTT!.

Curving Bullets! Really? Angelina, I'm here for you Babe!

Activist Post: DARPA Announces Successful Live-Fire Test of EXACTO "Smart" Bullets:

A rather low-quality video of the 50-caliber round sought to demonstrate the potential for a "state-of-the-art sniper system (that) combines a maneuverable bullet and a real-time guidance system to track and deliver the projectile to the target, allowing the bullet to change path during flight."

(SEE LINK FOR VIDEO!)

And I'm not really buying into to this:

Angelina, I'm here for you Babe!: "WANTED" (Angelina Jolie):

Perhaps your role in life is to serve as an example to others

Police: Alabama woman who shot home invader shot by officers after failing to drop her weapon | Fox News:

Police in Alabama say officers shot a woman who had shot an intruder during a home invasion after she didn't drop her weapon.

Learn from this.  The cops are just as frightened as you are.

Baltimore Mom

"A single mother of six children".

No single mom can keep track of six children.  Especially when at least one of those children is a male teenager. This woman has her work cut out for her.  At least she's not a "Welfare Mom" ... she's holding down a job, and has a right to expect that her older children help her with the rest of the family.

Uh ... the video includes some earthly language, so rate this NSFW.

Baltimore Mom beats Son on Live TV for Rioting Toya Graham 'Mom Of The Year' Beats Son For Rioting

e:

I'm inclined to have low expectations for the children of this demographic, but this mother knows where to draw the line ... and make it stick!  Looking at the last few minutes of the video, son has a decidedly hangdog expression.   Good for him; he may learn something from the experience.

That might very well be the only good thing to come out of these troubled days in Baltimore.

--- OR ---

Who Knew?

"Tolerence" is apparently a One Way Street.

Oh, the irony!


Johns Hopkins Bans Chick-fil-A From Campus: ‘Microaggression’ Against LGBT Students - Breitbart: The Student Government Association (SGA) at Johns Hopkins University has banned Chick-fil-A from its campus, claiming the restaurant chain is a “microaggression” against its students.