When the BATFE asked for comments regarding their recent proposal to create a federal long-gun registry in the southwest US, the other side won. 70 percent of comments were in favor of the registry. Most of those comments were identical emails from a bulk emailer program courtesy of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
While some might argue that such measures are distasteful, the only figure that is going to be reported by the BAFTE is the one that says that 70% were in favor of an illegal registry.
John Richardson at No Lawyers - Only Guns and Money and reader 'P.T.' have put together a similar program to even the odds.
Please head on over and type in your first and last name and email address into the boxes. City and State are optional. The commenting period closes May 31st.
Link
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Home Invasion in Pima County, AZ
It's May 5th at 9:00AM. Jose Guerena had gotten two hours of sleep in his bed after working the night shift at a nearby mine, when according to his wife Vanessa:
Jose, a formerly-serving-Marine and two time combat veteran, grabbed his rifle and confronted the home invaders. Jose did not raise his weapon or point it at the invaders, he did not even take the safety off. One of the assaulters fired a shot, then the rest opened fire with their military-style weapons. He was shot at least 60 (edit: 22) times in seven seconds, with 71 shots being fired in his direction. His wife rushed into the room and says she heard him moaning before one of the black-clad figures grabbed her and dragged her out of her home.
The invaders were members of the Pima County Sheriff's Department SWAT Team.
They had a warrant (which is sealed from the public). They were looking for drugs. They found nothing illegal.
Paramedics arrived on scene two minutes after the shooting and were not allowed into the home for 1 hour and 14 minutes while SWAT searched the house with a remote-control robot. Jose Guerena died at the scene.
The justification for the no-knock home invasion? A vehicle from the residence followed a detective's car for an unspecified distance.
This is why no-knock warrants are a Very Bad Idea. When The SWAT team entered the Guerena's home, they were yelling 'search warrant'. They were dressed in 'tactical' uniforms with POLICE emblazoned on them. Criminals will, and have, conducted the same types of raids wearing the same types of clothing and play the part of police until the family is tied up. Then they torture their victims for the location of valuables. Often the invaders ensure that no witnesses remain.
This in only possible because police are entering homes in the same way.
No-knock warrants must be stopped for the sake of everyone's safety, citizen and police.
(Hat tip to William Grigg, Tamara K.)
"When I saw this guy, like, pointing me at the window (she makes a 'gun' gesture) so I got scare, and I got, like 'Please don't shoot, I have a baby.' So I got my baby and I put my back into the window and I tell Jose 'Jose, wake up!"Vanessa had more reason than most to be afraid. Two members of her sister-in-law's family, Cynthia and Manny Orozco, were murdered last year during a criminal invasion of their Tucson home.
Jose, a formerly-serving-Marine and two time combat veteran, grabbed his rifle and confronted the home invaders. Jose did not raise his weapon or point it at the invaders, he did not even take the safety off. One of the assaulters fired a shot, then the rest opened fire with their military-style weapons. He was shot at least 60 (edit: 22) times in seven seconds, with 71 shots being fired in his direction. His wife rushed into the room and says she heard him moaning before one of the black-clad figures grabbed her and dragged her out of her home.
The invaders were members of the Pima County Sheriff's Department SWAT Team.
They had a warrant (which is sealed from the public). They were looking for drugs. They found nothing illegal.
Paramedics arrived on scene two minutes after the shooting and were not allowed into the home for 1 hour and 14 minutes while SWAT searched the house with a remote-control robot. Jose Guerena died at the scene.
The justification for the no-knock home invasion? A vehicle from the residence followed a detective's car for an unspecified distance.
This is why no-knock warrants are a Very Bad Idea. When The SWAT team entered the Guerena's home, they were yelling 'search warrant'. They were dressed in 'tactical' uniforms with POLICE emblazoned on them. Criminals will, and have, conducted the same types of raids wearing the same types of clothing and play the part of police until the family is tied up. Then they torture their victims for the location of valuables. Often the invaders ensure that no witnesses remain.
This in only possible because police are entering homes in the same way.
No-knock warrants must be stopped for the sake of everyone's safety, citizen and police.
(Hat tip to William Grigg, Tamara K.)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Happy 1911 Day!
On this day 100 years ago John Moses Browning's M1911 pistol was adopted by the U.S. Army. variants of it are still in use with elements of the military today, making it the second longest-serving firearm in the U.S. arsenal (after the Ma Deuce).
Go out to the range and celebrate!
(Thanks for the reminder, GNM)
Go out to the range and celebrate!
(Thanks for the reminder, GNM)
Monday, March 28, 2011
Corroboration of Collaboration
Bitter and Sebastian over at Snowflakes in Hell have posted some interesting information regarding a Minnesota Public Radio correspondent's acceptance of a $5,000 grant from a gun control group with the understanding that the articles he wrote would "have a major public policy impact."
In my crazy fantasy world we call that 'bought and paid for' reporting.
In my crazy fantasy world we call that 'bought and paid for' reporting.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
A Low Point for National Public Radio
I'm a little late on this, but I figured that I should talk about it. A friend of mine considered the story unreliable because it was originally published by a blog, and not an 'accredited news source'.
This email was supposedly sent out from one of the NPR show On Point's staffers' personal Gmail accounts (which is impossible to verify) and only sent to one blogger that subsequently posted about it. The reportedly legitimate email shows NPR shopping around for a specific opinion. As far as I can tell, it might be a fake story by the blogger, an over-zealous staffer at On Point, or simply a way for them to solicit opposing viewpoints. I believe that the blogger is an honest source, but it's understandable if you do not. That portion is he-said-she said, though the On-Point segment page is very defensive about the guesting and does not deny the well-publicized accusations. 'Not denying' is not the same as 'admitting', but you should take that into account.
They say that the proof is in the pudding, so let's examine the 'ingredients' in the pudding. Here are the guests that were selected to speak on the show:
Robert Levy, a pro-gun lawyer who was co-counsel on D.C. V Heller, which positively established the 2nd Amendment as an individual right.
Tracee Larson, an unknown 'pro-gun' blogger who had posted exactly twice before the segment and had worked on the advisory board for the purely Democrat supporting false flag American Hunters and Shooters Association (not long after the presidential election ended the AHSA's website went down and has not come back up). In her blog post after she did the NPR segment she stated "Why the average gun owner needs more than 10 bullets in a magazine is beyond me", so we can guess which side of the issue she started on. It was her opinion that was reportedly sought to help balance the piece.
Next, Carolyn McCarthy, the Senator who is introducing the magazine ban bill.
Lastly, Paul Helmke, the president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (the primary anti-2nd Amendment organization in the nation)
Listen to the audio. Listen to the way the host phrases the questions. Listen to how much time Paul Helmke gets compared to Robert Levy. Listen to how angry the host gets when Mr. Levy asks for a chance to respond to Mr. Helmke's accusations. Listen to how the host uses questions in a way intended to keep Mr. Levy on the defensive.
So to recap we have a one pro-gun lawyer who is given very little time, one *pro-gun* newly minted blogger who supports this specific piece legislation, the senator who introduced the legislation, and the president of the Brady Campaign all interviewed by a host with an agenda.
I often enjoy NPR's programming, and I realize that this was only one segment on one day in a whole bevy of segments day in a day out all year round, but it really was a terribly one-sided setup presented as showing all sides of the issue. If their intent in sending out the email was to solicit a specific viewpoint for the show, they certainly did. You can be the judge of how balanced their guesting was.
This, in my opinion, was not a high point for journalistic integrity.
This email was supposedly sent out from one of the NPR show On Point's staffers' personal Gmail accounts (which is impossible to verify) and only sent to one blogger that subsequently posted about it. The reportedly legitimate email shows NPR shopping around for a specific opinion. As far as I can tell, it might be a fake story by the blogger, an over-zealous staffer at On Point, or simply a way for them to solicit opposing viewpoints. I believe that the blogger is an honest source, but it's understandable if you do not. That portion is he-said-she said, though the On-Point segment page is very defensive about the guesting and does not deny the well-publicized accusations. 'Not denying' is not the same as 'admitting', but you should take that into account.
They say that the proof is in the pudding, so let's examine the 'ingredients' in the pudding. Here are the guests that were selected to speak on the show:
Robert Levy, a pro-gun lawyer who was co-counsel on D.C. V Heller, which positively established the 2nd Amendment as an individual right.
Tracee Larson, an unknown 'pro-gun' blogger who had posted exactly twice before the segment and had worked on the advisory board for the purely Democrat supporting false flag American Hunters and Shooters Association (not long after the presidential election ended the AHSA's website went down and has not come back up). In her blog post after she did the NPR segment she stated "Why the average gun owner needs more than 10 bullets in a magazine is beyond me", so we can guess which side of the issue she started on. It was her opinion that was reportedly sought to help balance the piece.
Next, Carolyn McCarthy, the Senator who is introducing the magazine ban bill.
Lastly, Paul Helmke, the president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (the primary anti-2nd Amendment organization in the nation)
Listen to the audio. Listen to the way the host phrases the questions. Listen to how much time Paul Helmke gets compared to Robert Levy. Listen to how angry the host gets when Mr. Levy asks for a chance to respond to Mr. Helmke's accusations. Listen to how the host uses questions in a way intended to keep Mr. Levy on the defensive.
So to recap we have a one pro-gun lawyer who is given very little time, one *pro-gun* newly minted blogger who supports this specific piece legislation, the senator who introduced the legislation, and the president of the Brady Campaign all interviewed by a host with an agenda.
I often enjoy NPR's programming, and I realize that this was only one segment on one day in a whole bevy of segments day in a day out all year round, but it really was a terribly one-sided setup presented as showing all sides of the issue. If their intent in sending out the email was to solicit a specific viewpoint for the show, they certainly did. You can be the judge of how balanced their guesting was.
This, in my opinion, was not a high point for journalistic integrity.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The Art of the Tactical Nap
In every deployment the time between when you leave theater and when you get home is a form of limbo. And not the fun kind with tiki torches and drinks with little umbrellas.
You are given a few briefings and go through Navy Customs, but most of your time is spent waiting. You wait for your flights, you wait for the buses, you wait for take-off. The amount of actual time spent varies, but inevitably it seems to take longer than it 'should'. Delays happen at every available opportunity and cause an increasing sense of frustration for everyone involved.
The best thing you can do is practice the art of napping. There is a civilian version of this, of course, but the military has perfected a more rugged variant ideal for extended periods in uncomfortable positions. Anyone who has been through Basic Training knows about this. Flat concrete pads and gravel roads are equally as usable as a down mattress to an experienced military napper.
It passes the time very quickly, and that's all anyone could want when waiting to go home.
You are given a few briefings and go through Navy Customs, but most of your time is spent waiting. You wait for your flights, you wait for the buses, you wait for take-off. The amount of actual time spent varies, but inevitably it seems to take longer than it 'should'. Delays happen at every available opportunity and cause an increasing sense of frustration for everyone involved.
The best thing you can do is practice the art of napping. There is a civilian version of this, of course, but the military has perfected a more rugged variant ideal for extended periods in uncomfortable positions. Anyone who has been through Basic Training knows about this. Flat concrete pads and gravel roads are equally as usable as a down mattress to an experienced military napper.
It passes the time very quickly, and that's all anyone could want when waiting to go home.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
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