Justice in England; Delayed, and Demeaning

It has been a while since I picked on The Brits (those stalwart defenders of the Bastions of Anti-Gun Laws).   I must be getting soft.

There's so much to abhor in The Late Great British Empire, it's sometimes hard to choose.  Fortunately, my attention was drawn today to an article I wrote in May, 2005 titled "Yob Meat".  About halfway through it, I presented a 'sidebar' instance of one Linda Walker from Manchester.  Her home and family were being harrassed by a gang of YOBs ("BOY", spelled backwards; we call them Hooligans or Juvenile Delinquents a half-century ago) and finally attempted to drive them away during a front-stoop confrontation by firing a pellet-gun at the sidewalk.

Nobody was injured, but as a consequence the teacher Walker was fired from her job and imprisoned!

(Go read the original article for the details;  the "SCOTSMAN" link is still active, although the current date is cited rather than the original date of publication).

While I reread my own article, I wondered .. just what happened to Linda Walker?

According to a 2008 BBC article, they released her from prison:

At a General Teaching Council hearing she was given a reprimand which she must disclose to any employer inquiring about her registration status.
The reprimand will last for two years.
'Learnt her lesson'
Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Walker said: "I am thrilled to bits."
She added that she now wanted to teach adults and hoped to put the incident behind her.
Nadine Bristow, chairwoman of the General Teaching Council committee, said: "The reprimand is appropriate because Mrs Walker has shown insight and remorse into her behaviour - she has said she is ashamed of her conduct."
She said Mrs Walker "appeared to have learnt her lesson".
Mrs Walker taught children with behavioural problems at New Park High School in Eccles, Salford, when the gun incident happened.
She was jailed for six months for possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and affray.
The appeal court later quashed her jail sentence, replacing it with a 12-month conditional discharge. 

DELAYED:
The woman was trying to defend hearth and home and family .. with a pellet gun against a gang  ... and it took four years for England to 'rehabilitate' her back to active status at her chosen occupation (teaching).

DEMEANING:
The council hearing was not convened until  it was 'appropriate':

Nadine Bristow, chairwoman of the General Teaching Council committee, said: "The reprimand is appropriate because Mrs Walker has shown insight and remorse into her behaviour - she has said she is ashamed of her conduct."
She said Mrs Walker "appeared to have learnt her lesson".


Yes, Mrs Walker has learnt her lesson.  She now knows that the only way she can earn a living in her native country is to kowtow to absurd judicial mandate.  She must hang her head, allow her government to shame her publicly for years until she is completely broken.

I'm reminded of Les Miserables and the plight of Jean Valjean, who stole a loaf of bread to feed his family and was sentence to years as a galley slave, rowing ships back and forth while being whipped by overseers.

Okay, that was a little melodramatic.  Not, perhaps, an entirely inappropriate comparison, but over the top anyway.

LESSON LEARNED?:

If anything, I'm personally grateful to George Washington, Nathan Hale, et al, who broke the chains of British rule a couple hundred years ago.  I'm sure that "Oh, to be in England in the Spring" was an appropriate sentiment for British Soldiers in India during "The Raj", but it would break the heart of any 19th Century Tommy who looked at England today.

I've often commented on the British tendency to turn Citizens into Subjects; but in retrospect this looks far to much like being broken by the whip.

Oh .. "1984", that classic novel by George Orwell ..  wasn't Orwell British?  Didn't that have something to do with complete subjugation of the populace by a dictatorial government?  Apparently, Orwell wasn't all that far wrong.  He was only 20 years early in his timeline.  Well, The Brits have always been "conservative" on social issues, haven't they?



There is a lesson here, for America.

M&P Shield Pistol Safety Alert

Shooting Wire:

Smith  Wesson Issues Safety Alert and Inspection Procedure for M&P Shield Pistols 
SPRINGFIELD, MA --- Smith & Wesson Corp. announced today that the Company has identified a condition where the trigger bar pin could damage the lower trigger in certain M&P Shields in a way that may affect the functionality of the drop safety feature of the firearm, potentially allowing the pistol to discharge if it is dropped. 
This Safety Alert applies to all M&P Shield pistols manufactured before August 19, 2013. We believe this condition is largely limited to recently manufactured M&P Shield pistols. However, out of an abundance of caution, we are asking all consumers of all M&P Shields manufactured before August 19, 2013 to immediately inspect their pistols for this condition. 
Any unintended discharge of a firearm has the potential to cause injury, and we ask that you STOP USING YOUR PISTOL IMMEDIATELY UNTIL IT HAS BEEN INSPECTED AND, IF THE CONDITION IS FOUND, REPAIRED

 See the SHOOTING WIRE link at the top of the page for the complete safety warning text.

(... and a supplemental note from Shooting Wire:)

To make it simpler for those of us who find gunsmithing not in our skill-set, there's a video online at MPShieldSafetyAlert.com to give video instructions for inspecting your Shield. 

A Modest Proposal

Justice Department to sue Texas over voter ID law | Fox News: WASHINGTON –

The Justice Department said Thursday that it will sue Texas over its voter ID law and, separately, look for ways to intervene in a lawsuit over the state’s redistricting policies -- in the latest volley in the ongoing dispute between the feds and the Lone Star State.


[Attorney General Eric Holder] ... said the step marks the department’s “continuing effort to protect the voting rights of all eligible Americans.” He added, “We will not allow the Supreme Court’s recent decision to be interpreted as open season for states to pursue measures that suppress voting rights.”

Holder’s announcement follows a June 25 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that effectively removed a vital portion of the Voting Rights Act that required 16 jurisdictions to seek pre-clearance from the DOJ before making any changes to election laws and redistricting laws.

Following the ruling, Holder called the court’s decision and its reasoning behind it “flawed,” and vowed to find other ways within the law to challenge the ruling. He planned to do this by targeting other provisions in the act that would allow plaintiffs to present cases where they were unfairly targeted by the law.

“The Department will take action against jurisdictions that attempt to hinder access to the ballot box, no matter where it occurs,” he said. “We will keep fighting aggressively to prevent voter disenfranchisement.”

I have to admit, I'm not sure what Holder's problem is.   (Okay, we've all been saying that for years now, but I was talking about this specific issue.)

It's this whole "voter disenfranchisement" that confuses me.  I understand poll taxes and literacy tests to have historically been the 'litmus test' of disenfranchisement.

The stationing of two uniformed "New Black Panthers" outside the Philadelphia Ward 4 voting site in 2008 was not, however, "disenfranchisement".  Passive intimidation?  One wonders why else one of them felt obliged to brandish a club, but perhaps that's just his "pacifier".  Holder's Justice Department declined to prosecute the two, having determined that they had broken no laws.

Why, then, is Mr. Holder planning to sue Texas for doing something that other states are allowed to do?  That is, require voters to prove their identity before being given the ballot prepared for that registered voter.   Oh, what a tangled web we weave!

However, if Mr. Holder's fiefdom is permitted to sue Texas for requiring voters to prove their identity, and wins, then perhaps the rest of us can use that precedent to protect our own civil rights.

For example, I am currently required to present government issued photo ID before I am permitted to purchase a firearm.  And the Second Amendment is as clear on my right to Keep and Bear arms as other amendments are clear in protecting voting rights.

I believe that this is an illegal and unconstitutional impediment on my civil rights.  Specifically, it's a deliberate attempt to undermine German-Irish rights in America!   Look to other rights protected by Constitutional Amendments:

• The Fifteenth Amendment extended the right to vote to former male slaves in 1870
• women gained the vote with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920
• American Indians gained the vote under a law passed by Congress in 1924
• The Twenty-Fourth Amendment eliminated the Poll Tax in 1964
•  The Twenty-Sixth Amendment lowered the legal voting age to eighteen in 1972

The national habit of using constitutional amendments for antidisenfranchisement purposes has been well established.  (And yes, I did just coin that word!)

Therefore, if the Justice Department sues Texas and wins, then he has established a precedent for the prevention of any other laws which require the use of a photo ID to prove my eligibility to exercise my constitutional rights. Such as, the right to keep and bear arms.

Obviously, the requirement for me to present a photo ID to rent a motel room or a car, or to cash a check or enter a tavern -- those are not constitutionally protected rights; they're privileges or mere monetary transactions.

So Mr. Holder, I put it to you that the Slippery Slope argument is alive and well in America.  Especially since the only people who would be 'disenfrangised' by this law are those who are attempting to commit voter fraud.

Put up or shut up.

[ apologies and appreciation to Jonathan Swift ]

Ammunition Deficit Redux

not having any in mind other than sharing "What's Happening now" stuff with my sister this morning, I realized that I had just reproduced an earlier Blogspot Comment to my family member.

Not that there's anything all that NEW in here .. I just found it interesting that I was preaching to my Liberal Democrat Family Member, without even thinking about it.

Wow!  Talk about Knee-jerk Reactionism!

Here's how it looks when you just sort of .. seque .. into it:

----

I got my gun back!  My gunsmith finished replacing the barrel, the grip, and a lot of other stuff for about $400 parts and $150 labor.  The sights were loose, too, and some other minor issues.  So I have my gun and I can start using it for competition again.

Unfortunately, most of the ammunition reloading components are not currently available.  I have lots of powder because I bought a big job lot (twenty pounds) a couple of years ago.  but I'm running out of bullets, and they are NOT available on today's market.  Nor are primers.  Reason?  When Obama got elected, there was a huge run on guns, ammunition, parts and reloading components.  Much of it [the source of the increased demand is ...] federal ... Homeland Security, and military.  Ammunition component manufacturers are building new plants like crazy, but it will be one or two years before they can gear up to meet the demand.

The reason for shortage?  Demand has sky-rocketted.  When Obama was first elected, we saw an increase in firearms purchases, including reloading components.  Then when he was running for second term, we had almost recovered.  Then Federal agencies started  [to] buy increasing [amounts of] ammunition, in the billions of rounds PER YEAR instead of millions.  And people got scared again, and manufacturers couldn't keep up with the demand.   Homeland Security alone is buying 1.6 BILLION rounds of .40S&W hollowpoint ammunition in the next 3 years .. for training.  Manufacturers place emphasis on government contracts because they KNOW they have the market.  And I can't get bullets, or primers, or brass for my competition pistol, because they [the manufacturers] can't meet the government contracts AND the civilian market demands.

I'm about to quit shooting in competition, because I have less than 1,000 rounds of bullets, which won't last me through the year in even an abbreviated competition schedule.

Why am I telling you all of this?

Partly because I'm frustrated. 

Mostly because I wonder why my government needs ammunition for "Homeland Security" more than I need it for competition.

I don't know what they know that I don't know.

BTW .. hollowpoint ammunition isn't advantageous for training; it costs more to produce than standard ammunition.  It's only advantageous for combat situations.  I'm wondering why Homeland Security needs to specify HOLLOW-POINT ammunition for 'training', as the ballistics are similar to the less-expensive 'standard' ammunition.

Okay, right now you're thinking: "My brother is paranoid!".

At a ratio of one-million-to-one, are there more than 1,000 terrorists who need to be shot at?  With a half-BILLION rounds left over for 'training'?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphbenko/2013/03/11/1-6-billion-rounds-of-ammo-for-homeland-security-its-time-for-a-national-conversation/

Google it.  I'm just saying ...

----

This is probably too personal for publication, but my point is one of consistency;  While I don't mind saying to YOU these paranoid/conspiracy things, I am surprised when I discover that I'm making the same points to my Liberal sibling .. who will NOT consider for a moment that my point of view includes any fact-based reason for concern.

And people wonder why my blogging had diminished dramatically?

Why I Don't Subscribe to Cable TV

CBS blackout by Time Warner goes into 2nd day | Fox News:

 LOS ANGELES – Time Warner Cable's blackout of CBS continued Saturday, and neither side indicated a resolution of their dispute over fees is imminent. Time Warner dropped CBS Friday in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and several other cities, leaving three million customers without the network's programs. The issue is fees that the cable company pays CBS to air its programs. Each has accused the other of making unreasonable demands. On Saturday the two sides even seemed to disagree on the status of negotiations. A Time Warner spokeswoman said Saturday afternoon that negotiations are ongoing. CBS said it expects talks to resume soon, but the decision rests with Time Warner.

People, People .. can't we just all "get along"?

The ongoing threat of EEVIL Assault Cars!

1 dead, 11 hurt after car drives into crowd on LA boardwalk | Fox News: LOS ANGELES –

 One person has died and 11 others have been injured after a car drove into a crowd of people walking along the famed Venice Beach boardwalk early Saturday evening before the driver fled the busy Los Angeles tourist site. 
A Los Angeles Police spokesman said late Saturday that one person had been detained for questioning in nearby Santa Monica, though it was not immediately clear if the person detained was the driver. 
Police were looking for a dark-colored Dodge Charger or Avenger.  [emphasis added]

The driver was a man described as having sandy blond hair and estimated to be in his mid-20s, [emphasis added] authorities said. Multiple witnesses reported that the driver appeared to be "moving purposefully" and in control of the car as it plowed through the crowd, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. The car was still moving as it drove out of sight of firefighters and the people who were hit.

When is America going to wake up to the ongoing threat of unregistered Assault Automobiles?  Why do we allow our young people, who are obviously too immature to understand the terrible responsibility they assume when they buy Assault Cars (which are available to anyone at Car Shows  without background checks!) to possess these Weapons of Mass Destruction?

Shouldn't we at least require purchasers of Full-Auto Assault Cars to demonstrate a proficiency in the operation of these high-power weapons?

This is clearly a situation which begs .. nay, REQUIRES ... Federal control.

In the past, there were no restrictions; anyone could buy a car.  But that was back in the days when cars had only small, two-cylinder engines.   Cars then couldn't travel much more than walking speeds.

Now anyone can buy a V8 engine.  Surely our forefathers did not envision the day when eight-cylinder engines were available.  If they had, they would have established restrictions on cars with more than two cylinders!  Imagine if they had realized that cars could be purchased which had a terminal velocity of over a hundred miles an hour.

In a Nation which famously established a speed limit of 55 miles an hour, there is clearly no NEED for a car which can travel at over twice that speed.  Even interstate freeways have a speed limit of no more than 65 or 70mph.  Why do the irresponsible car manufacturers persist in building cars with the possibility of going more than the legal speed?

Conservatives point out that the 55MPH speed limit, which was a progressive movement in the 1970's, had proven to be "less than effective" at meeting the stated goals of that Federal law.  We all know that the true purpose was to keep irresponsible car owners from unregulated access to Weapons of Mass Distruction ... Assault Cars!

But they, the evil Conservatives, had a Secret Weapon:  The AAA!

This nefarious Special Interest Group lobbied senators,  threatened Representatives with the withdrawal of political (and financial) support, until our poor beleagured Congressmen had to choose between bowing to the powerful Lobbiest or facing defeat at the polls.

This is the result of powerful Special Interest Groups.  Even though the AAA has over 60,000,000 members, it is unconscionable that our elected representatives should bow under lobbyist pressure on an issue which is so clearly vital to the safety of the American Public.

It's clearly time for right-thinking Americans to rise up against these Special Interest Groups.  Write your congressman!  Tell him (or her, or it, as the case may be) that you are opposed to the ... well, perhaps not illegal, but clearly WRONG .. pressure exerted by these special-interest voting blocks.

Who cares if the AAA has all those votes in their pockets?  Clearly, it is time that our brave senators and representatives rise up and Vote Their Conscience!  The votes of millions of Americans count as nothing when compared to those of dozens of Right-Thinking (okay, Left-Thinking) Americans who KNOW that the average citizen is neither bright enough, not responsible enough, to be trusted with an Evil Assault Car!

Now .. go  vote for Obama  and help him stop this travesty now!

You know it's The Right Thing To Do.       Do it for the children.

Ka-POP!

I've been a Bad Blogger lately.

Too distracted by personal events, I haven't kept up with news that I think is interesting to this audience.  Well, that's Hubris.  Still, things have been going on in my life that *_I_* think are interesting.  Here's an example:

Wimpy Loads:

Last Friday (last weekend in July) .. I received a communication from The Hobo Brasser to the effect that he was going Under The Knife soon for repairs to his knee(s), and the Saturday match at Dundee was the last time he would be shooting until he and Spicy-Lady would Snowbird to Texas for the Winter.  I agreed to meet him at the match so we could squad together.

Scene shift to Geek Central .. that cluttered garage where I keep my reloading equipment and supplies.  Since the GeekGun (10mm STI Edge) was still hors d'combat at the gunsmith (a consequence of a KaBOOM! in March of this year), I decided that The Beloved Kimber was the only viable alternative for last-moment rearmament.

I hadn't loaded .45ACP ammunition for well over two years, so I was pleased and surprised to find a box of 300 Semi-wadcutter 200gr bullets (made by a man who hasn't been in business for 10 years), some Winchester Large Pistol primers, and half of a 1-lb canister of Vihta Vourhi N330 powder.  Checking my loading log, I determined the 5.0 grains of VVN330 was the correct load, and I set my Bullseye powder measure accordingly.  My records indicated 1.275" OAL was adequate, but I settled for 1.262 as my preferred bullet-seating depth because .. I just had a feeling.

I only managed to load 100 rounds, because it took me a while to swap my dies from the Dillon XL650 Turret to the Lee Turret press ... the XL has not served me will lately, as it does not cycle primers properly.  But that's another story.

The next day, Saturday, I showed up late at the Dundee match but was pleasantly surprised that the squad was still on their first stage.  When my turn to shoot came up, I was confident that I had fresh ammunition and I was eager to shoot.

When the buzzer went off, I engaged the first of 12 targets (at point-blank range) and The Beloved Kimber went .. Ker-POP!

The load was so light that, although the bullet cleared the barrel and put a solid A-zone hit on the target .. the slide didn't cycle properly!  It ejected the spent brass, but the following round jammed.

I cleared the jam, tried the next round.

Ker-POP!


Okay, one more time:

Ker-POP!

It wasn't a fluke.  EVERY round in my magazine was too lightly loaded to properly cycle the slide.  I gave up.  The match fee was $17, and the cost of gasoline for the 170 mile round trip was .. well, more than that.

I stuck around for an hour, but as Norman the Ungrateful pointed out:  "IPSC is not a spectator sport".  I went home to pout, and to contemplate my sins.

A couple of days later, Guy Neil ("Front Sight" Reloading Guru, who lives in the area) emailed me to ask what happened.  His impression was that I got stove-pipes.   I explained that the empties ejected okay, but the following rounds weren't seated in the chamber because the load was too light to cycle the slide correctly.

Then I started thinking.  Where, exactly, did I get that load of gunpowder? And why was it inadequate to the purpose?

I realized that this was part of a 3-pound batch which I picked up at the prize table at the 2003 Open/Limited Nationals in Bend, Oregon.  This stuff was ten years old!

Later, I went back to re-examine the canister.  The markings on the label indicated that the batch was actually manufactured in 1998 ...15 years ago.

The powder didn't appear to have drawn moisture, and it was tightly sealed so I don't think that moisture contributed to the problem.

No, my best guess (and it's only a guess) is that the gunpowder deteriorated in a sealed, water-tight container due only to age.

There's a moral here, and that is that if you don't test your ammunition before you got to a match, you probably are setting yourself up for failure.

I had experienced that once before, in 1996, when I loaded a batch of 9mm with a new 115gr LRN bullet and took it to a match.    The OAL was okay, but the bullet shape was one I had never tried before (I had been shooting conical bullets).  Turns out that the mere bullet shape was sufficiently different that the round wouldn't seat in the chamber of my SW659.  Go figure.  (At least that time, since I hadn't shot a single round, I got my match fees back!)

I'm pretty sure there's a moral to this story. 
I don't care.
I'm still pissed.

Rifle Basics: Cycling the AR charging handle | Shooting Wire

Rifle Basics: Cycling the AR charging handle | Shooting Wire:

The charging handle is a critical component of the AR rifle. Knowing how to use it properly is essential to operating the AR. And, while in theory it seems simple, like most aspects to gun handling there's a lot more to it than most people realize.

With all weapon manipulations consistency is the key to safety and efficiency. So, when cycling the handle the right-handed shooter uses the left hand. To perform a chamber check or lock the bolt to the rear the right hand works the handle.

As usual, The Shooting Wire (click here to subscribe to their informative daily newsletter) provides useful tips on a wide variety of shooting-related interests.  And as usual, I read every article and even followed up by clicking links which lead the reader to more detailed info.

But when it comes to the AR frame ... I tend to holler "Whoa, Nellie!"

I got a bad feeling about AR style rifles.  And no, it's not about the "EEEEvil Black rifle" thingie.  It's all about my experiences with the AR Model 16   (M16) during my so-called Military Career.

You may be old enough to remember what a controversial subject the original M16was, during the Vietnam War Era.

They got dirty in Vietnam .. red dust coated the working mechanisms, and the rifle required frequent cleaning with a special lube to be applied after the rifle was determined to be 'clean'.

The special lubrication medium was a thick grease, looking a lot like Vaseline, and it attracted dust like a magnet attracts iron filings.

Not rust .. dust!

In the early days, soldiers died because their M16's jammed early in a firefight; often after the first shot.  The model was modified to include a 'forward assist' plunger, which was useful when the bolt failed to return to battery because of particle fouling.   The familiar "Tap/Rack/Bang" immediate-action drill was not available to U.S. Soldiers in Vietnam until that necessary feature was added.

                   

From top to bottom:  

1. M16 A1
2. M16 A2
3. M4 A1
4. M16 A4

By the time I got to Vietnam, I had read everything available in Gun Magazines about the M16, including the emphasis on frequent/thorough cleaning and lubrication.

Some of the literature included descriptions of the "incredible maiming power" of the fast, lightweight bullets.  One article I recall included graphic x-ray photos of the arm of a Viet Cong who had been wounded.  The upper arm bone was clearly shattered by the bullet.

The article also mentioned, in passing, that M16 rounds (5.56 MM) were frequently "deflected" .. or more appropriately "exploded", but contact with trees ... twigs ... leaves.

In case you are not familiar with tropical jungles, there are more trees, twigs and leaves there than there were "targets"  (Viet Cong, NVA).  And when American soldiers found themselves in a firefight, they often found themselves outgunned by the enemys' AK47.  Bigger bullet, slower velocity.

As a consequence, many American soldiers chose 'other' arms to defend themselves.

M14

Designated "Point Men" (those who walked at the head of a squad in the jungle) were given first choice of the limited number of M14 rifles; firing the venerable .30 caliber bullet (.308; 7.62 NATO), those magazine-fed rifles were so effective in the jungle that the 'first responders' had no doubts that their semi-automatic fire could and would disrupt the organization of a Viet Cong ambush.

Unlike the Garand (which fired a similar, but not identical cartridge and amazed the .30-06 advocates of the 1903/A3 Springfield), this rifle was magazine fed. Which allowed American troops to shoot more often (20 times instead of 8) and reload more quickly than the clip-fed Garand.

M1897 Trench Gun

Medics often opted to arm themselves; their choice of weapon was a WWI 'Trench Gun" ... a short-barreled 12-gauge pump shotgun.  It held 5 12-gauge shotgun shells and when loaded with buckshot could cut through the shrubbery with great efficiency.  There were few of these available via legitimate military sources, which explains why medics ALWAYS got those few available.  And none of us complained; we knew that the one man who ALWAYS received first priority was he who would keep us alive until the dust-off chopper arrived.  I personally witnessed three occasions when our medic (always called "Doc") saved live and/or limb of men in our platoon; on the one occasion when he lost a man who had been too badly wounded by a grenade fragment to the heart, he cried on his knees in the middle of the battlefield.  We always protected our medic, and he was always high on Librium.

M79 Grenade Launcher

As a Platoon Sergeant, I chose to use an M79 grenade launcher.  That shoulder-fired, single-shot 40mm break-action weapon offered not only a wide variety of ammunition (fragmentation grenade; double-ought shot shell with more .32-caliber 'pellets' than a 12-gauge shotgun; parachute flare; starshell flare) but it was so intuitively 'point shooting' friendly that most grenadiers removed the sights.  I only experienced one time when I regretted that my "Thump Gun" was sightless; when we spotted an ammo can in the field, and I tried to detonate the suspected booby-trap by hitting it with grenade rounds at 50 yards.  (It turned out to be .. and empty ammo can, nothing more.)

The advantage to a commander was obvious.  Our division (FirstI Infantry) was a light infantry division, which means we didn't carry heavy packs and we typically operated in small units.  Think ... the Platoon Leader (lieutenant) took two squads on on mission while I, the Platoon Sgt (E6 Staff Sergeant) took the other two squads on another mission.

The M79 is an 'area weapon' ( like a mortar round ), a 'signalling tool' (like a starshell), a night-time illumination tool (like a parachute flare), and a small-unit shotgun (again, the 'buckshot' round).

The Thump Gun allowed me to use my weapon as both an offensive weapon and as a "command tool".  My job was not to shot at the enemy; it was to direct the fire of my element .. my two squads .. toward the element.

I could walk through the jungle with a buckshot-round loaded, and it provided the 'area' firepower of a shotgun with twice the one-shot coverage of a 12-gauge shotgun.

I could use the grenade round during a firefight to not only bring pain to the enemy, but also to signal to my men where they should be directing their fire.

I could use the parachute flare when we ambushed Viet Cong forces at night, so that we could safely sweep the "kill zone".  Usually, we called upon support artillary to fire "Flare Rounds" so we had light to see potential (not-dead) enemy who might return fire as we assaulted the kill-zone; with the M79, we could assault sooner and more quickly for the initial pass over the killing grounds.  Division Artillary often took several minutes to register the target area and to load for illumination rounds.  I and my M79 was right there, right then .. we didn't have to either stumble through the dark nor to wait for the wounded enemy to crawl away before we swept the area.  We found wounded Viet Cong in kill zones who turned out to be valuable sources of military intelligence, because we COULD see them, dominate them, and capture them up before they left the battlefield.  We never lost a man in the aftermath of a night ambush, simply because we could see immediately who remained in the kill zone or in the near vicinity.

And when we called for external ground support after a night ambush (usually, that would be an armored platoon or squadron,  the starshell gave the support troops their initial guide on our immediate location.  It's impossible to overemphasize how important that ability could be to a unit which has just ambushed a Viet Cong unit which has only been decimated ... not destroyed .. an whose surviving members are conceivably loitering in the area with 'payback' on their mind.

(They  might counter-ambush us .. but they will not fire on mobile armored forces!  There's nothing quite so militarily overwhelming as a tank firing a cannister round from it's main gun down the gulch through which a NVA raiding party has advanced against an ARVN base camp .. and then used the same route to didi out of the kill-zone.)

Back to the M16:
So, what part did the M16 play in Vietnam?

It got a lot of American troops killed, when their maintenance turned out not to have been adequate to the job at hand.

Yes, it allowed American troops to carry more ammunition than those American troops could carry during WWI and WWII (.30-06) and even Korea (still .30-06).   But the M16 was "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing".    For example, the only reason why more American troops were not killed by "Blue-on-Blue" attacks (friendly fire) is that the 5.56mm M16 round was so ineffective in deep jungle vegetation.  I witnessed several accidental "Blue on Blue" firefights which would have been much more deadly if  "real rifles" had been used.

M16: or ... "You Can Tell If It's Matel; It's Swell!"




What's It All About?

So it's obvious that my personal bias against the M16 and it's descendents (the M4, etc) is based on negative personal experiences .. especially when compared to 'real guns', such as the shotgun, the grenade launcher, and even (omg!) the 1911.

(In a personal note; this week I exchanged an series of texts with my Navy Cop Son  "The Squid" in which he called me a "1911 snob".)



So .. yes, I am preternaturally (?) biased against small-caliber, high-speed rifles which jam easily and .. especially! .. need detailed instructions on how to LOAD THE NEXT ROUND so as to preclude a feeding failure.

I look for reliability first in a firearm, and stopping power next.  I don't see the AR frame as one which has proven to meet either criteria, especially in a combat situation.

I have been told that the 'current generation' is much more reliable than my experiences of .... omg, has it been 40 years ago now?

On the other hand, the Beretta 92 in 9mm has replaced the 1911 .45 acp in most American Military Units .. except in units which DEMAND both Reliability and Stopping Power.  In those units, the 1911A1 in .45acp (or its varients) are still the standards.

This article (okay, go back to the top and click on the link) suggests that anyone whose life depends on their AR-style rifle needs to know just how frail and tempermental it is.  I'm uncomfortable with that. I think that any combat rifle which requires a "forward assist" is fatally flawed.

"Fatally Flawed":  that's an euphemism for "piece of shit weapon which will get combatants killed".

No, I have ALWAYS  been uncomfortable with American troops having to nursemaid a tempermental rifle.  Why have we gone to that option, when better rifles are available.

Is it the cost?  Maybe .. they're being bought at around $1,000 per rifle, which is dirt cheap.

I have pistols which cost more than that! And I'm only shooting in competition ... not in defense of my life in a combat situation.  Back in The Day, M16's cost a whole lot less, in inflation-adjusted dollars.

Is it because the troops can carry more ammunition?  Is it because the emphasis on American military training has changed from 'accuracy' to 'volume of fire'?

Perhaps both of these factors.
_________________________________________________________

I'm not going to reach a conclusion here.  But you might.  And ... I think I've spent enough of our time for you to make up your own mind about whether the AR frame is better as a military arm (at $1,000/unit) or as a competitive arm (at considerably greater expense, but less cost in terms of fatalities).

You probably wouldn't agree with me.  But then, perhaps you've never seen a kid crying and cussing over a jammed AR when the bullets are flying.

We're havin' a Heat Wave!

Temperatures in the 90's ... approached 100 degrees yesterday. Too hot to type up here in The Hell Room. Blogging temporarily suspended until it snows. This is OREGON? Linda Ronstadt - Heat Wave - YouTube

Lax gun laws vs. Trayvon Martin's life: Our view

Lax gun laws vs. Trayvon Martin's life: Our view:  [USATODAY OPINION: July 16, 2013]

Just about every aspect of why and how George Zimmerman came to fatally shoot an unarmed teenager on Feb. 26, 2012, is open for debate. But one conclusion ought to be obvious: If Zimmerman had not been carrying a gun that night, Trayvon Martin would be alive today.

 OPPOSING VIEW: Armed Zimmerman was no Dirty Harry

An unarmed Zimmerman probably would have heeded police advice to stay in his truck after seeing someone he believed was "up to no good." And even if the neighborhood watch volunteer had left the vehicle, his altercation with Martin is unlikely to have turned deadly if a firearm had not been involved.
Viewed from that perspective, the Zimmerman case is a byproduct of a society that in the past three decades has made it easier for people to buy guns, to carry concealed guns, to take guns into more places, and to bear less responsibility to retreat from dangerous situations.

 My view:

Opinions are like .. rectums; everyone has one.

I've tried to stay away from the Florida trial and its ramifications, but this one hits straight into one of what are two of my most  personally important ideals: Personal Responsibility, and the Second Amendment.

I want to address each statement in this opening paragraph (the rest of the article is no better) to demonstrate the difference between "guns are bad" and "each situation must be considered in view of the facts" philosophies.




Point 1: If Zimmerman had not been carrying a gun that night, Trayvon Martin would be alive today.
 
Counterpoint: If Zimmerman had not been carrying a gun that night, George Zimmerman may not be alive today.

 It has been proven in court that Zimmerman was being savaged by (the bigger, stronger) Martin, who had the Neighborhood Watch Captain on the ground, underneath him, and who was beating Zimmerman's head against a concrete sidewalk.  The Florida Courts and a jury were willing to accept that Zimmerman was in fear for his life .. especially in view of Martin's shouted threat that "you're going to die tonight".  Zimmerman at that point had the option of thinking that Martin was merely speaking insincerely, or believing that Martin intended he would die that night.

Point 2: An unarmed Zimmerman probably would have heeded police advice to stay in his truck after seeing someone he believed was "up to no good."

Counterpoint:  I concur that Zimmerman made a monumentally bad decision.  Two stupid people made stupid decisions. The one with a gun failed to die before he could be beaten to death by his attacker.  Zimmerman should not have allowed the confrontation to occur, but how was he to know that the 'suspicious person' would turn violent?

Point 3: And even if the neighborhood watch volunteer had left the vehicle, his altercation with Martin is unlikely to have turned deadly if a firearm had not been involved.

Counterpoint:  Disagree.  As was accepted at the trial, Martin had voiced a death threat while he was in a position to make it happen, and he was obviously doing his best to beat Zimmerman to death.  Zimmerman was physically overwhelmed and, with no apparent other recourse, used his legally carried pistol to stop his assailant from murdering him.

Point 4:  Viewed from that perspective, the Zimmerman case is a byproduct of a society that in the past three decades has made it easier for people to buy guns, to carry concealed guns, to take guns into more places, and to bear less responsibility to retreat from dangerous situations.
 
Counterpoint:  Suddenly, this 'dialogue' shifts from specific allegations to societal/political issues.  This society has, in the past three decades, begun to pay attention to the nuances of the Second Amendment; it has ceased to abridge the right of The People to Keep and Bear Arms.

The fallacy of the Opinion published in the USA Today article is demonstrated in the last phrase: "... and to bear less responsibility to retreat from dangerous situations."

This statement completely ignores two of the most significant facts of the trial of George Zimmerman:

1. Zimmerman's attorney never raised the question of the Florida 'stand your ground'  law;
2. The 'stand your ground' law was not applicable, because Zimmerman had no opportunity to retreat.  He was on the ground, being pressed against the sidewalk by his larger, more aggressive attacker, who was trying his best to beat Zimmerman to death.  He could NOT retreat!

In any state in the union, a man who is being beaten, who has been verbally threatened (believably) with death,  who finds himself in a situation where he has no lesser defense against his attacker, and in his own defense can offer no better response than to use a weapon ... that man would not be charged, let alone tried, of felonious murder.

I have offered before that both actors in this tragedy were idiots.   But they at least had the small defense that they were acting in the heat of the moment, and had NO time to consider their actions in a calm, reflective manner.

The author of this Opinion article in the newspaper, however, has no defense against his careful statement which he has apparently been considering for days, if not months.

There is nothing more dangerous than a careful, reasonable idiot; the danger is that someone may not recognize him for one of the class of politically "Useful Idiots" to which he so obviously, proudly and cluelessly belongs.

George Zimmerman verdict: Former neighborhood watch leader not guilty in death of Fla. teen Trayvon Martin - Crimesider - CBS News

George Zimmerman verdict: Former neighborhood watch leader not guilty in death of Fla. teen Trayvon Martin - Crimesider - CBS News:

George Zimmerman verdict: Former neighborhood watch leader not guilty in death of Fla. teen Trayvon Martin

I've been very careful to NOT comment on this story until the jury verdict was rendered.

Yeah, like I'm going to affect their decision.

Now that it's all "over", and I can speak freely, here's my opinion.  As if anyone is interested:

The guy .. Zimmerman ... didn't have to be there. He didn't have to get out of his car.  He didn't have to be carrying.  He didn't have to confront "The Trespasser".  (T. Martin)

He (Zimmerman) was looking for a confrontation, and he got one.   He got to pull the trigger, and that's what he was hoping for.

The "perp", Trevon whatshisname?  He was bad news looking for a confrontation. He was trespassing,  he dismissed the 'security guard' (Zimmerman) as "a cracker"?  Come on, what does that matter?  Zimmerman didn't know, Martin's opinion had no influence.

It speaks volumes to Martin's attitude, and intentions.

Two hyped-up guys looking for a fight .. each found one.  The difference was, one brought a gun to the fight.

Stupid freaking idiots, neither one of them had any business being there.

Martin died.  What a shameful waste.  Any human life is worth saving.\
Zimmerman was acquitted .. of what?  Second Degree Murder?  I'm not sure whether he deserved judicial punishment, but come ON!  The guy is an idiot.  He makes people who carry firearms for their own defense look bad. Do I think he was fearful of his life because his head was being pounded into the sidewalk?  I don't know all the facts .. but I think he put himself into the situation, whatever it was .. willfully.

Would I have behaved differently?
I hope I wouldn't have been confronting the trespasser alone.  Don't these guys have radios, or cell phones?

Oh, didn't he phone 911?  yes, he did; the operator warned him to NOT challenge the interloper.
Zimmerman ignored what was, probably, in these circumstances ... good advice.


Bottom Line:

A pox upon both their houses!

Bottom line:  two idiots, one gun.

Stupid.  Stupid. Stupid.  If either of these congenital idiots had been stopped before they met, NONE of this had to happen.

If there was a federal law against being a stupid butt-****, Zimmerman would have been rightfully convicted.

Or, if it turned out differently, Martin would have been convicted.

Is there "No sex in Federal Lock-up?"   I know I'm being disingenuous here; work with me, okay?

If either of them had ended up in prison, and was deprived of the opportunity to have a woman in the room with them, the human race would be improved due solely to the fact that they would not have been allowed to reproduce.

Which is my fervent hope for "Not Guilty" Zimmerman.

In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny:
"What a bunch of Maroons!

Quinn Suspends Illinois Lawmakers' Pay

Quinn Suspends Illinois Lawmakers' Pay | NBC Chicago:

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced Wednesday he will use his veto power to suspend state lawmakers' pay after they missed his deadline to deliver pension reform. "This is an emergency," Quinn said. "This is a crisis. This requires the full attention of those who were elected to the General Assembly." Quinn said he informed the comptroller of his intentions to suspend all legislative salaries and stipends for the General Assembly and for himself until the reform is on his desk. 

He described the pay halt as a wake-up call for those who have failed for two years to take action on the state's pension crisis. 

[emphasis added]

No, this is a wake-up call for the legislature because they overrode his veto on the Concealed Carry bill!

... Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Buffalo Grove) said the move does "nothing to move us toward a solution to our pension crisis and only serves as an unnecessary distraction."
Quinn's gubernatorial opponents called it a stunt.
"The pension crisis won’t be solved by political stunts," Bruce Rauner said. "It will be solved by bold leadership that’s willing to take on the powerful interests in Springfield."
"It is obvious to everyone by now that this governor is long on press conferences and short on results," Bill Daley said. "This media sideshow doesn’t get things done, in fact it stands in the way."

The move comes a day after the Illinois legislature handily overrode Gov. Pat Quinn's amendatory veto to the concealed-carry bill.

This is The Illinois Machine talking.  

Imagine, only yesterday I thought I couldn't be more disgusted by Power Politics.

Now I realize that I can .. I am!

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Quinn-major-budgetary-announcement-214908511.html#ixzz2YhZETwCi

Good News for Chicago; Bad News for "The Machine"

Illinois Becomes Last State To Approve Concealed Carry | NBC Chicago:

Both the Illinois House and Senate on Tuesday voted to override Gov. Pat Quinn's revised gun bill, making the state the last in the country to allow firearms to be carried in public. 
The Senate voted 41-17 after the House's 77-31 vote to override Quinn's amendatory veto that wanted to keep guns out of places that serve alcohol and impose a one-gun limit. The votes came just before a midnight federal appeals court's deadline to allow Illinois residents to carry concealed guns. 
 Quinn used his amendatory [sic] veto last week to make changes to the compromise concealed carry bill already passed by the legislature.

In a not-so-surprising move, Illinois State Legislatures decided to support the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (as interpreted by the Supreme Court of The United States - SCOTUS) and over-ride the wishes of the Governor of that not-so-great state.

We in the rest of the country have heard that The Machine .. the political entity which controls politics in Illinois and especially in Chicago ... was and always will rule the state regardless of any 'outside' influence; such as SCOTUS.

Quinn's "amendments" would, among other points, limit the number of firearms one person could carry "concealed" to one (?), limit the number of magazines to one, and limit the number of rounds of ammunition carried to ten.  It would also mandate that the firearms carry 'concealed' would be "CONCEALED!" .. whatever that means.

Local Trepidation:

Not everyone in Illinois is jubilant about the new gun laws:   In an MSNBC article,  (titled:

Despite Chicago bloodshed, Illinois will allow concealed carry

...   one writer offered:

Some lawmakers from urban jurisdictions like Chicago voted against the concealed carry law, fearing it would lead to even more gun violence. The city has struggled to bring down the rate of murders and shootings, but over the 4th of July holiday weekend, at least 60 people were shot and 12 were killed in Chicago. Over Father’s Day Weekend, more than 40 people were shot and seven were killed by gun violence.
Tuesday’s passage was a significant victory for the NRA, after Congress failed to pass a bipartisan bill that would have strengthened background checks for all commercial gun purchases. Although President Obama continues his pledge to pressure Congress to pass stricter gun legislation, the state where he served as a senator voted to expand gun rights.

Oh, was anyone unaware that Chicago and Illinois are the center of Liberal Democrat politics?

But of course, it's all the fault of the NRA. 

The assertion that Chicago has " .. .struggled against gun violence ..." seems somehow a violation of the 'you can't have it both ways' rule.  "Gun Violence" is already rampant in Chicago, specifically, and  Illinois, generally.  Are shooting deaths going to go UP just because people can now defend themselves?  If so .. it's going to be the gang-bangers who suddenly must consider that the home-owner they are accustomed to terrifying may now be armed.  Wouldn't THAT be a rude awakening?

Increased restrictions on private possession of firearms hasn't worked, so what has the Governor of Illinois done to 'struggle against gun violence'?  He has tried even harder to prevent honest citizens from possessing the means to prevent Gun Violence and protect themselves.   Doesn't sound to ME that Governor Quinn has 'struggled' all that hard, considering that he is protected by armed guards at all time.

The proposed "concealed carry permit" would piggyback on a fee for a license to own a handgun, and why the CCP would cost $150.  (Not known yet whether that is per permit or per gun, but one assumes that it's "per permit" .. surely no responsible local government would double-bill a "per gun" permit!)
Nobody has yet mentioned that this would constitute an intolerable tax on the poor, who can probably ill-afford to purchase a firearm except at street-prices; expect stolen-gun prices to go up in the immediate future, by the way.  It's just business, driven by the Democratic Machine and their whining juvenile efforts to ensure that if they don't get to have everything their own way ... somebody else is going to pay!

For a comparison, some counties only charge $65 for a CHL ... but I'm sure Illinois knows best how to serve its citizens.  After all, they've done so well to date.



Significance:


Back in the early 1960's, then-President Dwight David Eisenhower posted armed federal marshals at the entrance to public schools in the Deep South to ensure that black students could attend 'mixed race' schools depending on their residential address .. not "separate but equal" schools, based on their race.

This Illinois acceptance of a Federal mandate is perhaps equally as significant as the true integration of educational opportunities.

Which is to say, not only must the states pay more than 'lip service' to the Constitution, but the states must also be prevented from undermining the clear intent of the Bill of Rights by imposing draconian and pettifogging restrictions on the civil rights of their citizens.

Chicago, we're looking at you here.  No more Tammany Hall; no more one-man rule.

This is a HUGE step forward for Gun Rights Advocates:

For too many years, we have heard of, and read the words of, citizens who have decided to leave their home state and move to where they can freely exercise their Civil Rights.  In this case, we're talking about the Second Amendment.

But this is not the only reason to move;  gay rights, excessive taxation, and other 'local rules' have brought about a forced migration.  It doesn't much matter what your personal issue is, or whether you are personally in favor of (or opposed to) the display of a Christian Cross on public land .. to cite just a few examples.   The Constitution is The Law of The Land, and this simple document defines the freedom of America.

It is  "Rule By Law".

Tough Time in Chicago

I know there are going to be 'troubles' in Chicago.  Somebody will take advantage of the new laws, and will be found guilty of 'brandishing' a firearm when he or she feels intimidated.  They will go to jail.  Some people will be shot; some of those people will not deserve it.

When you've been held down for so long, and you finally have the RIGHT to defend yourself, you may be lost in the heady reality of personal choice.

Illinois already had a tragic history of stupidity. Senseless shootings are reported on a DAILY basis.  Now, there will be a new twist for reporters; it's not just gang-bangers shooting the innocent, it will be the Honest Citizen who hasn't learned to merge his new freedoms with his new responsibilities.

But I am going out on the limb here and suggest that gang-bangers will learn a new brand of civility.

In the words of Robert Heinlein:  "An armed society is a Polite society."

Chicago may take a while to learn the lessons of civility, but the penalty for slow-learners has just increased.  Other states have learned these lessons with relatively few "hiccups" let us hope that Illinois citizens can learn to be Free Citizens rather than Subjects as easily, and with as few over-reactions.

And that's "A Good Thing"!

"Linked" text

It has come to my attention that recently sometimes text is red-highlited and, when it is clicked on it leads to some pop-up comment or explanation of the individual word.

You will recall that I mentioned a while back that I inadvertently (read: "stupidly") allowed some unwanted software was loaded on my computer.  This is one of them.  I'm still searching for that, and other "features" so I can delete them.    So far I haven't found all of them.  I can't even find the vendor on this one, so I can't do an "UNINSTALL".

Yes, I have gone through the control panel looking for recent installs;  Also, I've looked through my huge list of 'cookies', and everything else I can think of.

I'll continue to work on the problem.  If you have any suggestions, I'll be pleased to see if there's anything I've overlooked.

In the meantime, I beg your patience and forbearance.

This is embarasing!

Joe Biden: "The Distinguished Windbag from Connecticut!

I realize it's probably  ... low-brow to blog oneself, but this 2006 commentary on Joe Biden (The then-Distinguished Senior Senator from Connecticut" and today "Vice President of the United States of America did then, and remains today, the pro-typical and recalcitrant vision of our Fearless (almost) Leader (almost).

I'm reminded of this because, as of today, this is the most popular blog entry in my entire umpteen (okay, almost 9) years of blogging.  I prefer to consider that statistic to be an exemplar of the few, the very few blog articles which have reverberated in America's heart ...

okay, and maybe I feel a little vindicated in the sense that perhaps I'm not the only man in America who considers Joe Biden to be a bloviating Windbag!

Read and believe.  Or not.
It's an opinion article from a lustrum of prescience about the ineffectuality of Joe Biden in any governmental office whatever .. and that our new (a while back) President chose him for his Vice President speaks volumes about his own ineffectualiyt.

Cogito Ergo Geek: Yin and Yang: Peggy Noonan: Yesterday I called Mark Steyn "one of my all-time favorite political commentators". That hasn't changed, but now I see it's time to introduce another: Peggy Noonan. Ms Noonan often writes for the Wall Street Journal (see the link on the sidebar, under WSJ Opinion Journal), and if Steyn's style is to go for the gonads (in the nicest possible way), Noonan's style is to go to the heart (in the deadliest possible way). Steyn and Noonan are the Yin and Yang of political commentary. I love this lady. She has style, she has verve, and she has the sharpest knife in the drawer. She can slice and dice you in 600 words, and you wouldn't feel a thing as she cuts out your heart. Today her target was Joe Biden. For twenty years, I have referred to him as "The Distinguished Windbag from Delaware". Imagine how rewarding it is to read the following paragraph from today's column, as Ms Noonan typifies the congressional interrogation of Judge Samuel Alito by Senator Joe Biden. In part:

Go, and read the whole thing.

Or not.

Illinois towns reject call to pass assault weapons bans | Fox News

Illinois towns reject call to pass assault weapons bans | Fox News: SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –

 As Illinois prepares to become the last state in the country to allow the concealed carry of firearms, few of its communities appear concerned that the window allowing them to ban assault-style weapons will rapidly begin closing next week. 
Despite encouragement from Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon -- and on the verge of almost-certain enactment next week of a law allowing residents to carry concealed weapons -- only four communities have adopted semi-automatic gun restrictions out of more than two dozen taking them up. 
 According to interviews and information from gun-rights groups such as the Illinois State Rifle Association, 14 communities have rejected or decided not to act on proposed bans. Ten have yet to vote or have delayed consideration. All of them are in the Chicago metropolitan area. 
Those adopting bans -- Highland Park, North Chicago, Melrose Park, and Skokie -- join eight other cities, also near Chicago, that already regulate possession or sale and transfer of illegal weapons, according to research compiled by the Illinois House Democrats' staff.

High Hopes and Low Expectations.

Until Illinois gets rid of its ineffectual politicians (Illinois governor Pat Quinn, and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, there is little or no hope that the people who actually have to LIVE in this state .. outside of gubernatorial mansions .. will ever feel safe.

Islamic extremists kill 30 in school attack in northeast Nigeria | Fox News

Islamic extremists kill 30 in school attack in northeast Nigeria | Fox News: POTISKUM, Nigeria –

Islamic extremists have killed 29 students and one teacher in an attack on a boarding school in northeast Nigeria. Survivors being treated for burn and gunshots wounds say some students were burned alive in the attack before dawn Saturday on Government Secondary School in Mamudo town in Yobe state. As he wept over the bodies of his two boys, farmer Malam Abdullahi swore he would withdraw three remaining sons from a nearby school. He complained there was no protection for students despite the deployment of thousands of troops since the government declared a state of emergency mid-May in three northeastern states. Dozens of schools have been torched and unknown scores of students killed among more than 1,600 victims slain by extremists since 2010.

Apparently, it's not just Chicago which cannot find a solution to violence in the streets.

When will politicians notice that laws and troops don't bring peace when only the lawless are armed and that a peaceful society is not effected by the application of gutted laws and gutless troops?

A Case for Soccer Ball Control?

Brazil soccer referee killed during match; his head displayed on stake midfield | Fox News:

A soccer referee was beheaded and his head displayed atop a wooden stake at midfield after a match erupted in violence in Brazil.
 The bloody brouhaha began when the match’s referee, Otávio Jordan da Silva de Catanhede, became embroiled in an argument with player Linda dos Santos Abreu over a disputed call during a game in the town of Pius XII.
 The argument reportedly ended with Jordan ejecting Abreu. Following the player’s ejection from the game, Abreu and Jordan began to fight. During the fight, Jordan produced a small knife and stabbed Abreu, 31, who reportedly died of his injuries en route to a local hospital.
 “A crime will never justify the other." - Valter Costa, law enforcement official Friends and family of the deceased subsequently rushed the field, tied up Jordan, 20, fatally stoned him, quartered his body, and then, according to the Associated Press, which cited local media accounts of the murder, staked the referee's head at midfield of the soccer pitch.

Obviously, Brazilian Style Soccer will never survive a holiday weekend in Chicago.

Which is possible the single viable argument in favor of the municipality of Chicago.

On the other hand .. can't we just nuke them all?

Okay, that statement is definitely out of line.
In the words of Gremlins2: "Fun, but in no sense Civilized!" (paraphrased)

Media Slant: I have no respect for "The Media"

Aaron Hernandez leased secret ‘flop house’ with boxes of ammo found by�police | SI Wire:

The evidence continues to mount against former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez.
 After being charged with first-degree murder in June for the execution-style shooting of acquaintance Odin Lloyd, and subsequent findings of links to other shootings and incidents, the 23-year old Hernandez is now reported to have rented a secret “flop house,” a place typically reserved for minimal services such as storage.
SI Wire: Report Aaron Hernandez involved in domestic disturbance incident last year
According to a report Wednesday from the Associated Press, Hernandez, who is now one of 29 NFL players arrested since the Super Bowl, had reportedly leased a $1,200 per month apartment in Franklin, Mass., where state police found boxes of ammunition, a sweatshirt and a baseball cap, among other items.

I don't really know what the facts are behind this story.  I don't care for spectator sports (such as football) and certainly I don't pay much attention to sports stories.

But this story caught my eye, because of the way the media instinctively slants news stories to support their preconceived notions.

Primary in their first three paragraphs are the words "flop house" and "boxes of ammunition".

First ... a $1,200 apartment isn't a "flop house" to most of us.  I recognize that Hernandez (about whom I've never heard before this week, and I know absolutely nothing about .. what's his first name?) is probably making more money in a month than I make a year.  But $1200 a month isn't chump change to most of us.

The use of words to make a point is the definition of  'yellow journalism'.  The author is painting a picture which exists in his mind's eye.  It doesn't exist in mine.

Second, the use of the phrase "boxes of ammunition" is vague ...

• Five boxes of .45 ammunition (the caliber of the shells found on Lloyd’s body), five boxes of rifle ammunition, and one box of .22-caliber ammunition.

Let's interpret:

1.  ... five boxes of .45 (one assumes that's ".45 ACP") is at 50 rounds per box ...  250 rounds of .45 ACP ammunition.  I take that much ammunition to a single IPSC match, because the minimum round count at even a club match is ~130 rounds, and you never know if you're going to have to reshoot a stage or two.  For some people, that may constitute "an arsenal"; for others of us, it's the Minimum Daily Requirement for "A Day At The Range".
2.  ...  five boxes of rifle ammunition.  That's also the MDR for a day of varmint shooting. At 20 rounds per box, it's 100 rounds.  A bit more than I would usually carry for deer hunting, I admit.  But when you add in sight-in days at the range before the start of season, it's ample for the entire annual season if you want to be sure that all of your ammunition will perform at the same level of expectation.
3. ... one box of .22-caliber ammunition.  Again, that's at 50 rounds for box.  (NOTE: a "BRICK" is ten boxes, for a total of 500 rounds.  The article said "Box", not "Brick".) Generally speaking these rounds are appropriate for plinking, or small-size varmint hunting, or for target shooting.

Given the level of hype which The Media has apparently applied to this story, it's impossible to tell what the kid was planning to do  with this ammunition.  And  that's The Point.

The Point is that the news story presents the possession of less ammunition as "A Bad Thing" .. by strong inference, since it's the main issue of the story.

NOBODY has been convicted of a crime in court, as well as I can determine.

NOBODY has even charged with the egregious  attempt to overthrow the government with (at my best guess) 400 hundred rounds of mixed ammunition.   Somebody died in relation to this individual, the "Hernandez".

Here, the Media in the person of Sports Illustrated Wire has not-too-subtly insinuated that this individual must have had nefarious intent when he accumulated 400 rounds of ammunition in a "flop house" .. the inference is that he kept the ammo in a throw-away residence for the purpose of nefarious activity.  Yes, I know know I used the word "nefarious" twice;  that's the effect of the article in it's yellow-journalism phraseology.

I have no views on the Hernandez meme in terms of the presentation .. which is hypothetical at best, and misleading at worst.  As I said, I don't know the facts of the story and I don't much care.

What bothers me more (with apologies to Hernandez, if I seem to be ignoring the main point in HIS life story) is the careless use of inference that mere (legal) possession of (legal) ammunition somehow infers or implies guilt.

After all, if he was an "Honest Citizen", why would he need to own 'so much ammunition'. And why would he 'hide it' in a 'flop house'???

The answer is .. the man has broken no laws here.   IMPLYING that he has done so, or that the mere possession of ammunition suggests that he had nefarious intent, is entirely irresponsible for a publication which purports to be about sports; not about politics.

THAT, my friends, is the very definition of Yellow Journalism.

And it sucks.

To Live and Die in Chicago

At least 9 dead, dozens wounded in Chicago during holiday weekend shootings | Fox News:

CHICAGO – Shootings in Chicago during the Fourth of July holiday weekend have left at least nine people dead and several dozen wounded, including two boys shot in different parks.
Gov. Pat Quinn said Sunday that such continued violence underscores why he dramatically altered a gun bill that will end Illinois' last-in-the nation ban on carrying concealed firearms -- a prohibition that's been declared unconstitutional by a federal appeals court.
 "That ought to be an alarm bell to all of us that we need strong laws that protect the public safety, especially when it comes to guns," the Chicago Democrat told reporters after speaking at a church on the city's West Side. "It's time to end the violence."

 Definition of "Insanity":   Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.

Open Letter to Illinois governer Pat Quinn:
Dear Governor Pat,
one of the greatest cities in America, the most free nation in the history of the world, has one of the most pitiable histories of firearms violence .. and restrictions.

Yet in Chicago there are some of the most extreme restrictions to firearms restrictions in the country.  You and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel have supported bans on firearms ownership, carry, and usage.  You are, I hope, aware that there are only two legal gunshops in the near vicinity of the Chicago metropolis?

You blame the constantly expanding ownership of guns on imports from other states.  You pass more laws restricting ownership for the purpose of .. what?  Keeping them out of the hands of criminals?

The recent spate of shootings in Chicago underlines the success of your programs, and you response is to impose even more laws.   It ain't working.

Pat, you are a well-beloved and dear, personal friend.  You and Rahm and I have spent many pleasant evenings over drinks in the comfort of the private "Chicago Club" chatting about this problem.  I have often suggested that you reconsider your policy of imposing restrictions on ownership of firearms by honest citizens, and you seem deaf to my friendly suggestions that ... it's not working, pal!

May I once again suggest that the problem is not that the laws aren't well-intended.  The problem is that the people who are causing all the problems aren't the people who obey the laws.  The problem is that you have a bunch of drugged-up gang-bangers who see no reason why they shouldn't just go out and blast away at will.

Doesn't it seem reasonable to experiment with allowing your honest citizens to arm themselves in self-defense?

What do you have to lose?

The common objection to "Concealed Carry" is that "... there will be slaughter in the streets!"

Well .. what do you have now?

You and Rahm both know that otherwise-honest people have guns, even though you haven't allowed them to do so legally.   But most people there are honest and law-abiding; they're reluctant to break the law, because of the risk that they will be imprisoned for their attempts to depend hearth, home and family.  They're just struggling to do the best they can, without any help from you or Rahm.  And you're fighting tooth and nail against federal changes to this arbitrary restriction:

Quinn, who has advocated for a statewide assault weapons ban, spent much of the holiday weekend discussing the violence. He drastically altered a concealed carry bill that lawmakers sent to him, calling it a matter of safety.
Illinois lawmakers have to come up with a law by Tuesday and are expected to override Quinn's changes, which call for a one-gun limit on the number of weapons a person can carry and a ban on guns at establishments with liquor licenses, among other things.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/07/authorities-at-least-dead-dozens-wounded-in-chicago-during-holiday-weekend/?intcmp=trending#ixzz2YQg8OfqW

Pat, an 'assault weapon' is any gun that you deem it to be; you deem every weapon an 'assault weapon'; and as long as you restrict access to all firearms, your citizenry .. your constituency .. is being slaughtered in the streets.  Pretty soon, you'll only get votes from gangsters.  Pretty soon, the only people left in Chicago will be gangsters.

It occurs to me that you and Rahm .. and his predecessors, and your predecessors .. have been trying for decades to resolve this "Gun Violence" issue by putting more laws on the books.  It should be as obvious to you as it is to your constituents and to outside observers that Gun Control just ain't working for you.  Or for them.

Why?

Because the gang-bangers and the crazies have no fear of reprisal  Sure, once in a while your cops ("Chicago's Finest!") arrest someone for a shoot-em-up-in-the-streets.  He becomes a hero to his brothers, and the beat goes on.  Nothing changes, and more people die because they can't defend themselves or their families.  These honest people already know they can't depend on YOU to defend them.  The nation is amazed that there are still a few targets left in Chicago for your hoods to hunt down and slaughter.  God knows YOU aren't establishing any effective measures to stop the slaughter.

If you let people defend themselves, maybe some of these hoodlums will get shot down.  It's an accepted significant statistic that 10% of the people cause 90% of the problems.  If enough of those bad guys die while killing innocents, it won't be long before you see a decrease of gun violence.  And the headlines will soon be running less headlines about  "Firearms Violence" and more about "City Remains Peaceful During Fourth Of July Week"!

They'll hail you for your imaginative leadership, and you'll get re-elected.

What's that you say?  You expect to get re-elected anyway?

I'm sorry you feel that way, Pat.  I can only offer two words of advice to a man who won't look at a situation and be willing to try another approach.

STUPID JACKASS!

Yes, you and your buddy Rahm, too.

Thank GOD I don't live in Chicago!