Amazing how some sleep helps you hit the right keys

So the PRC must be in a real hole: too many people know what's going on for them to just disappear the problem into camps and graves. So they agree with some points. As to whether they'll actually honor the agreement, we'll see.


So 'ultra-realistic' Nerf guns are a threat to the mental health of the children...


At that point Monckton asked him to acknowledge that the science was nowhere nearly as clear cut as he had proclaimed. The official refused to do so, asserted “I have work to do,” and walked off.

Josh had been filming the entire exchange, but now an aide put a hand over the camera lens. When I remarked that just walking off was bad manners, the aide said “You are not worth debating.” I replied, “All he had to do was answer two simple questions.” I was amazed when the aide responded, “He is the Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organisation. He does not have to answer your questions.” The aide then walked off just as rudely as his boss had.
What, you expected Annointed Ones of AGW to answer questions from peasants? Really.[/sarcasm]


Make no mistake: These bills aren't simply unconstitutional, they are anticonstitutional. They would allow for the wholesale elimination of entire websites, domain names, and chunks of the DNS (the underlying structure of the whole Internet), based on nothing more than the "good faith" assertion by a single party that the website is infringing on a copyright of the complainant. The accused doesn't even have to be aware that the complaint has been made.



Yeah, I want to see it

Hey, that's Watson as Bilbo!


Damn.
When Sara got an offer to go watch the Houston Texans play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, she jumped at the opportunity. She knew her husband would have loved to have gone to Reliant Stadium to watch his beloved team play. Plus, she and Landon had never been to a game before.

... the team brought Sara to the game under the pretense that she and her son would be part of a halftime ceremony in which Landon would receive a bike and Scott's memory would be celebrated by the 71,500 in attendance. Both those things happened, but a much bigger surprise awaited.

The team told Sara she and Landon would be receiving a custom-built, mortgage-free house in a Houston suburb. It's courtesy Operation Finally Home, an organization that builds houses for wounded and disabled veterans or their widowed families.
Damn. That's excellent.


Ah, the wonderful people of the Brady Campaign; lying by, ah, 'leaving out' some inconvenient information... just the kind of thing we've come to expect of them.

Speaking of these bigots, yeah, it must have been painful to write it:
Brady Campaign Amicus Brief, DC v Heller, 2008:

I. In holding that the Second Amendment protects
ownership of handguns for private purposes such as
hunting and self-defense, the lower court read out of
the Amendment its first thirteen words, thus violating
the fundamental rule that the Constitution must be interpreted
to give meaning to all of its words.... etc.

Brady Campaign Amicus Brief Embody v Ward, 2011:

Because assault weapons, unlike handguns, are not widely used for defensive purposes, and because such weapons pose particularly acute public safety concerns, restrictions on their possession and use do not offend the Second Amendment.

I have the image of a Gollum-like "AHHHHHHHH! It BURNS!!!" as they typed it.


Also, speaking of gun bigots, some commentary on their arguments(which often seem primarily to be insults and bullcrap)


My, the Sheriff seems to have upset the feds a bit.


And that's it for the morning.

So; while that idiot Goldberg has 'my fingers crossed'

for communism, in the PRC,
The villagers continue to police themselves but remain on alert for government snatch squads.

Lin says he believes the authorities will keep their word to avoid more unrest.

"Zhu and other officials stressed over and over again they would not come in the village and arrest people," he said.

"If they do not agree to our three requests, with the release of Xue's body pending within about 10 days, we will go on the march as planned," he warned.
The PRC probably doesn't know just how many people it's killed in the name of communism; North Korea was one of the finest examples of what communism tends to be; people still risk their lives to get out of Cuba, Venezuela is being ruined, and on and on, and idiots like Goldberg still have hopes for it...

I'll note she was the clown who defended the drugging and rape of a girl because 'it wasn't RAPE rape'.

Gotta agree with Reynolds, if you're boycotting Chiquita

that's an interesting image

So Mitt Romney supports the 2nd Amendment; but only IF... Updated

Handgun Ownership: In order to understand Mitt Romney’s actions here, it is necessary to give a little background information about Massachusetts gun control laws: In 1998, Massachusetts established a list of “safety” criteria for handguns sold in the state. The criteria were designed to disqualify most handguns. The Roster is the list of those few makes and models which have passed the testing requirements.

Mitt Romney created two exemptions: One for handguns already licensed in the state prior to October 21, 1998, and one for “match-grade” pistols (high-dollar handguns purpose-built for shooting competitions).

The 1998 exemption is significant when one understand the “preban effect”: Some gun laws are written with an effective date, where firearms sold after the date are subject to the law, while those sold before the date are “grandfathered”. Since there is a limited supply of grandfathered items, the sale price of those items skyrockets.

The net effect of Mitt Romney’s exemptions was this: In Massachusetts, a person now has three options for legally owning a handgun: 1) an expensive pre-1998 handgun; 2) an expensive “safety-approved” handgun; 3) an expensive match-grade handgun.
Much more at the link. Including how his "We worked this out with the support of gun owners, And It Was Good" line is a load of crap.

Update: from Jay G in comments:
Mitt Romney had nothing to do with the 1998 Gun control Act in MA.

That was Paul Cellucci.

Mitt Romney signed the 2004 Assault Weapons Ban in MA.

Completely different animal, but same sentiment. I can own a 17 year old magazine that holds 11+ rounds, but not a new one. I can't have a bayonet on my new AR-15, but if I find one made before Sept. 1994 it's fine.

Romney sucks on 2A issues, but he can't be saddled with the 1998 GCA.

Just what kind of effing idiots does Las Vegas hire

for their LE people?
Las Vegas police had a plan to end an hour-long standoff with an unarmed Gulf War veteran: One officer would fire a non-lethal beanbag shell at the window of the man's Cadillac, and another officer would follow-up with pepper spray to force the man from the car.

But that plan went awry when another officer fired a military-style assault rifle into the car, killing 43-year-old Stanley Lavon Gibson, police said Friday.

"Almost immediately after the beanbag round penetrated the rear passenger window, a second officer discharged seven rounds from an AR-15 rifle, striking and killing Gibson," police said.
One of the questions that comes to mind: was this a AR15, or a M16 variant? If the latter, dumbass may have had the selector on 'full'; if the former then the brainless moron actually pulled the trigger seven effing times.

I finally made it to this place;

if you're in central OK and have a chance, you should. I mean, they've got a freakin' whale skeleton hanging up there! And gorillas, and people, and birds, and snakes, and an elephant, and... a bunch of other critters.

Added: Dirty Jobs did a segment at Skulls Unlimited a couple of years back, found part of the show here

Our noble AG Holder: "You're just after me because you're a racist!

Oh, that's not really what I meant!"

Also, some comments on the NYEffingTimes clown Charlie Savage and his sucking up to Holder & Co.

Speaking of Gunwalker, Sipsey has something interesting, printed in full:
Interesting new ATF internal document generated the day before the 4 February "withdrawn" (lying) DOJ letter to Grassley.
The link for the pdf of this letter is here.

U.S. Department of Justice

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

www.atf.gov

February 3, 2011

MEMORANDUM TO: Special Agent in Charge, Dallas Field Division

THRU: Resident Agent in Charge , Lubbock Field Office

FROM: Gary M. Styers, Special Agent, Lubbock Field Office

SUBJECT: Contact with Congressional Investigators

On February 2, 2011, at approximately 1500 hours, ATF Special Agent Gary Styers was contacted telephonically by Robert Donovan and Brian Downey, representing United States Senator Chuck Grassley and the Senate Judiciary Committee. Downey and Donovan after identifying themselves asked Special Agent Styers if he would be willing to answer some questions regarding the time Special Agent Styers spent on a detail to the Phoenix Field Division, Phoenix Group VII Office. Special Agent Styers said he would be willing to answer questions to the best of his knowledge.

Special Agent Styers was asked if he was familiar with the large firearms trafficking case in Phoenix Group VII and Special Agent Styers said he was. Downey and Donovan asked if Special Agent Styers knew the name of the case and he responded that it was "Fast and Furious". Downey and Donovan then asked if Special Agent Styers knew who the case agent was and Special Agent Styers said it was Special Agent Hope McAllister. Special Agent Styers was also asked who the supervisor of the group was and Special Agent Styers said it was Group Supervisor David Voth. Downey and Donovan also asked who helped Special Agent McAllister, Special Agent Styers said that Special Agent McAllister had a CoCase Agent from hnmigration and Customs Enforcement CICE) as well as an agent from Group VII. Downey and Donovan asked who was the Agent from ICE and Special Agent Styers told them it was Lane France.

Downey and Donovan asked Special Agent Styers ifhe knew what the agents were assigned to do on the investigation. Special Agent Styers explained that a group of agents were assigned to the case and that since the case was in the stage of an active wiretap, some agents were working within the group and others were working at various functions related to the wire. Special Agent Styers further said that he did not specifically know the role of each individual agent.

Downey and Donovan inquired as to the role that Special Agent Styers had in this case and Special Agent Styers advised that he had assisted with some surveillance operations with the case. Special Agent Styers was asked to describe the operations and relayed that one of the operations was a suspected transaction that was to occur at a gas station and detailed agents were asked to cover the transaction. While positioning to observe the suspects, Special Agent Styers and other detailed agents were told by Special Agent McAllister that agents were too close and would burn the operation. Special Agent McAllister told all the agents to leave the immediate area. While the agents were repositioning, the transaction between the suspects took place and the vehicle that took possession of the firearms eventually left the area without agents following it.

Downey and Donovan asked Special Agent Styers ifhe ever saw guns actually go into Mexico. Special Agent Styers said he did not see any firearms cross the border to Mexico. They also asked if Special Agent Styers had worked with any agencies in Mexico, Special Agent Styers relayed that he had not, but had knowledge that other agents within Group VII spoke of communication with other ATF Special Agents assigned in Mexico.

Downey and Donovan then asked if Special Agent Styers had any knowledge that Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) were reporting suspected straw purchasers. Special Agent Styers explained that FFLs were indeed reporting such situations and that Special Agent Styers had numerous contacts with FFLs in the Phoenix area and had also worked inside of an FFL in an undercover capacity, while an individual attempted a large scale straw purchase. Special Agent Styers told Downey and Donovan that in speaking with the FFL holder and owner of the gun shop, he told Special Agent Styers that he had asked ATF to install cameras inside his shop and to have an undercover agent inside on a more regular basis. Downey and Donovan inquired as to what the procedures were and who handled the calls from the FFLs when they reported such suspected transactions. Special Agent Styers told them that he had no knowledge of any special procedures. If the FFLs called during normal business hours, Special Agent Styers assumed that, if they called the office number, their call was handled by the Group Supervisor.

Special Agent Styers also told Downey and Donovan that if the FFLs were calling individual agents within the group, he had no direct knowledge of those calls and what the ATF response was to those reports. However, Special Agent Styers did tell Downey and Donovan that he had heard from within the group that FFLs were calling case agents.

With regards to statistics and reporting, Downey and Donovan, questioned Special Agent Styers as to whether he had any knowledge of "padding of statistics or inconsistent reporting". Special Agent Styers advised them that he had no knowledge of a wide scale effort to skew statistics. However, Special Agent Styers relayed that he did question the Group Supervisor as to why he wanted Special Agent Styers to trace firearms that had not been recovered. Special Agent Styers was assigned to the investigation and provided the ATF Form 4473s, the Firearms Transaction Record, and told to trace said frrearms. Special Agent Styers asked as to why, when ATF has the Suspect Gun Database, which is designed for such firearms that have yet to be recovered by law enforcement. Group Supervisor Voth said he wanted them traced so that if someone else traced the firearms, they would know the firearms were connected to the case Special Agent Styers was assigned. Special Agent Styers relayed that even though he disagreed with the requested procedures, he follow the request of Group Supervisor Voth. Special Agent Styers also informed Donovan and Downey that he asked several agents also assigned to Group VII if they had to submit similar firearms traces and they replied that they in fact also were told to trace all firearms in a similar fashion.

Special Agent Styers was then asked about his general impression of the Fast and Furious case. Special Agent Styers stated that the case had systematically divided and isolated agents from the group. The case agent had solicited the advice of numerous experienced agents, inclucding Special Agent Styers, regarding how to conduct and end the wiretap operations and case overall. Special Agent Styers gave the case agent his honest opinion and advice since Special Agent Styers had worked two wiretap investigations in his career. Special Agent Styers felt that his advice and opinions, as well as other agents' advice and opinions were widely disregarded. Along with other agents within the group, Special Agent Styers explained that he was no longer asked to assist with Fast and Furious and concentrated on his assigned cases and provided necessary assistance to fellow agents within the detail and group.

Downey and Donovan asked Special Agent Styers what he felt was incorrect about the way the Fast and Furious case was conducted. Special Agent Styers explained that first and foremost, it is unheard of to have an active wiretap investigation without full time dedicated surveillance units on the ground. Special Agent Styers relayed that no agents in the group were assigned to surveillance on the Fast and Furious case. Special Agent Styers said that other agencies or task force officers may have been used to conduct surveillance and respond to calls of FFLs, but it seemed that either the case agent or Group Supervisor would poll the office for agents who were available to respond at short notice.

Secondly, Special Agent Styers said that it appeared odd to have a majority of ATF Agents working on a wiretap investigation, who had never worked such a case. Especially, when numerous, permanent Group VII agents and detailers had previous wiretap experience.

Special Agent Styers was provided with contact information for Downey and Donovan and the conversation was ended. Special Agent Styers contacted the Lubbock Resident Agent in Charge, Jim Luera at 1545 hours after the conversation with Downey and Donovan ended, to inform him of the contact. Special Agent Styers was later asked to document the conversation herein and attempted to do so to the fullest extent possible.

Respectfully,

Gary M. Styers

Special Agent, ATF

I heard this morning that one of the worst communist dictators

in modern history died. Due to circumstances I've been concentrating on trying to sleep instead of listening to news, so I wonder: have any of the major media weenies talking about his assumption of ambient temperature mentioned the 'communist dictator' part?
(someone just said about reports of people 'wailing in the streets' over the death: "Yeah, tear gas does that to you.")


Speaking of that part of the world, ran across this on the current 'mass incident' in China.
...since farmers are neither allowed to negotiate directly on the compensation package, nor are they allowed to develop their own land for non-agricultural purposes. They have to sell their land to local government first, which defines the price then leases the land to industrial and commercial/residential users for a profit. As land prices keep rising in China, it is not surprising that farmers with rising expectations are becoming increasingly unhappy. As a result, mass incidents, sometimes as violent as in Wukan, are inevitable. Local authorities in China, in their pursuit of revenue via aggressive urbanisation and industrialisation, are also undermining the country's grassroots democracy.
He says that almost like he's surprised a bunch of communists would screw up a move toward actual representative government.
A little further along,
One township party secretary I interviewed in Fujian province said: "If election rules are followed strictly, [we] will lose control of the rural society. Village cadres will be afraid of villagers, not the township government. They can put off assignments from the township government and compromise the tasks during implementation. Therefore … local officials are willing to introduce rules that subvert the true meaning of village democracy. This is also the case in Wukan in which farmers are protesting not only against local governments, but also against villager cadres who worked with the authorities in abusive land requisition.
Gee, that sounds like communists and corrupt officials wanting to keep running things, doesn't it?


In opposition to the dictator, Vaclav Havel died the other day; I doubt he'll get as many good mentions as the Nork dictator, since he opposed communism.


Rep. Nancy Pelosi: corrupt bitch.


On this day in 1944 a bunch of under-equipped troops in absolutely effing lousy weather were stopping the last major German attack in the west. Some units, with lots of replacements fresh out of training, broke; a bunch of them in small groups still kept annoying the nazis. And they stopped them.

I read a couple of years ago that Patton didn't want to move to relieve Bastogne; he wasn't really worried about the Airborne holding it. He wanted to drive something like 15-20 miles up the German left flank and THEN turn west, and cut them off. Experience had shown that troops unable to receive supplies and replacements were a lot easier to convince to surrender, and easier to kill if they didn't. And he was still pissed about the number of German troops who escaped from the Falaise Pocket and had to be fought again later because he wasn't allowed to close it off completely*.


Speaking of dealing with enemies: Joe Biden; is there any level of stupidity he can't stoop to? 'The Taliban is not our enemy' my ass.


No, that is NOT a comforting thought


War dogs. One question: how the HELL did a Yorkie wind up in the bloody New Guinea jungle?


*Until I read about some of this, I didn't realize just how badly a lot of people, including a lot in the British Army, despised Montgomery. Apparently the only thing keeping him from getting thrown off the Staff was political considerations; he tended to write checks his troops couldn't cash. Tough, experienced, GOOD troops, but if you get them into something they can't do in the time allotted...

People they really shouldn't have messed with

It's 1939 New York, and a diminutive Jewish gentleman is strolling the streets, just generally going about his business, which may or may not revolve around being Jewish and tiny -- we're not here to assume. And then he spots a sign outside an unadorned building simply reading "No dogs or Jews allowed." Anger wells up within him, and despite all better judgment, our 5'4" hero storms off to fetch himself a ladder and a bat. When he returns, he tears the sign from the wall and hurls it to the ground, where it lands ... right at the feet of the 20 or so angry Nazis watching from below.

Yes, the building was a Nazi headquarters, and it was just chock full of violent, racist assholes. They knocked over the small man's ladder and closed in on him from all sides. One thing was for sure: Somebody wasn't walking away from this fight.

And that "somebody" was 20 Nazis.


and #2,
In Manchester, England, a group of lazy car thieves were walking down the street, just trying all of the car doors and hoping for an open one. Lo and behold, glory and hallelujah, they found one! Geoff's gettin' his Burberry on tonight, yo! Inside, the boys found a sweet haul of stereo equipment, personal valuables and, oh yeah -- four armed members of the British Army's Special Air Service.

The whole list here

I'd forgotten this: a Christmas Story

from Lawdog

Never saw this strip before

Now I'll slowly be catching up. Damn you, Correia!

In other news, whatever tripped my allergy, I really wish it'd go away.

"Looks like they’re replacing the kilt with a skirt."

Anyone caught carrying a knife in town and city centres in Scotland in the coming weeks faces a potential four years in prison, under a new crackdown announced today.

The six-week pilot scheme will see cases automatically prosecuted as more serious offences, increasing the length of jail terms available to sheriffs from one year to four.
Not for actually doing something bad, mind you; just for carrying a knife. Like the pocketknife I never leave home without. Because it's the objects, not behavior, that's important.

Have I ever mentioned how glad I am some of my ancestors got the hell out of (fG)Britain before it turned into what it is?

Two critter posts:

one funny
Well, I wasn’t about to let go of the damned gun. Yes, there was an insane ravenous hellbeast on the other end of it, but the last thing I wanted was an insane ravenous hellbeast in my backyard with a GUN, right?


And the other, not funny in the least
With confirmation the other day by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game that at least two wolves were responsible for killing a young high school teacher, the debate about wolf management in the Pacific Northwest has erupted anew.
Years back did some reading on the subject of maneaters(ok, a lot of reading over time) and one thing that's kind of striking is the way wolves have been, call it 'cleansed' of such things in North America, at least among the many affected by Disney Syndrome. Look at the history in Europe, Russia and some of Asia and they've got a long record of people-munching, though it tends to get clouded over nowadays; but in the US it's largely been, as I say, cleansed. Reason more of a record in the Old World? Probably a combination of better records and more population for a long time there, combined with- in many areas- the peasants being rather discouraged from having weapons suitable for killing them. Here the critters were facing people armed as a matter of course, which probably made things quite a bit more difficult*.

Simple situation: put big predators back- in numbers- in places were there are people, and the people are prevented from killing the predators(sufficiently to instill a bit of respect for the two-legs) and people are going to get munched.

Hard to disagree with the Terry family

Terry’s family wants Obama administration officials held accountable with criminal charges.

“Our priority continues to be the successful arrest and prosecution of all the individuals involved in Brian’s murder,” the family said in a statement. “However, we will continue to press for answers and accountability from our government. Those responsible for such a misguided and fundamentally flawed operation must be held fully responsible for their decisions which allowed so many weapons to flow to the criminal element on both sides of the border. We now believe that if it can be shown that laws were broken, then all those responsible for Fast and Furious should be held criminally liable.”
...
“The family believes in the rule of law,” McGroder told TheDC. “Brian Terry upheld the rule of law and all they want is to ensure that whoever may have criminal culpability as measured by the investigation’s results and the discretion of the U.S. Attorney’s office that whomever may have criminal culpability is brought to answer for those criminal charges. That’s all they’re saying. They’re not pointing the finger, they’re not trying to do the job of the FBI, they’re not trying to do the job of the U.S. Attorney’s office — they’re simply ensuring that that which Brian stood for, and that is upholding the rule of law, in fact does apply to their family.”
Let's add to that 'those who lied under oath should be prosecuted to the fullest extent for doing so.'


Speaking of whom, the reason some don't want Holder fired or to resign:
If Eric Holder resigns, it could bring the investigation to a halt, because in the public’s mind, that would suggest Holder was admitting responsibility and falling on his sword as the 2012 re-election bid of his boss, Barack Obama, shifts into high gear.
Which may mean Obama will start pushing for Holder to resign, possibly for reason of health("You stay in place and ruin my chances for reelection, I'll see you dead!" possibly?)

And don't let people forget:
Fast and Furious is even worse than Watergate for one simple reason: No one died because of President Nixon’s political dirty tricks and abuse of government power. But Brian Terry is dead; and there are still 1,500 missing guns threatening still more lives.

What did Mr. Obama know? Massive gun-smuggling by the U.S. government into a foreign country does not happen without the explicit knowledge and approval of leading administration officials. It’s too big, too risky and too costly. Mr. Holder may not be protecting just himself and his cronies. Is he protecting the president?—Jeffrey T. Kuhner, Washington Times

Well, yeah

Baldrick: "What I want to know sir, is before there was a Euro there were lots of different types of money that different people used. And now there's only one type of money that the foreign people use. And what I want to know is, how did we get from one state of affairs to the other state of affairs"

Blackadder: "Baldrick. Do you mean, how did the Euro start?"

Baldrick: "Yes sir"

Blackadder: "Well, you see Baldrick, back in the 1980's there were many different countries all running their own finances and using different types of money. On one side you had the major economies of France , Belgium , Holland and Germany , and on the other, the weaker nations of Spain , Greece , Ireland , Italy and Portugal . They got together and decided that it would be much easier for everyone if they could all use the same money, have one Central Bank, and belong to one large club where everyone would be happy. This meant that there could never be a situation whereby financial metldown would lead to social unrest, wars and crises".

Baldrick: "But this is sort of a crisis, isn't it sir".

Blackadder: "That's right Baldrick. You see, there was only one slight flaw with the plan".

Baldrick: "What was that then sir?"

Blackadder: "It was bollocks".

Found at Theo

yeah, Obama seems allergic to the word 'victory', doesn't he?

At least when applied to the US.
Those are fine and inspiring words to be sure. But what is more notable is the one word America's commander in chief could not bring himself to say to the assembled troops: Victory. He called the end of the American sacrifice in Iraq a "moment of success." And he called it an "extraordinary achievement." He even called it the fullest "expression of America's support for self-determination than our leaving Iraq to its people." But he didn't call it a victory, even though by his own description, Iraq was, before the arrival of American troops, a land of intense suffering under one of the most cruel and ruthless dictators in history. Today, the people of Iraq are no longer terrorized by their own government; they are instead its masters. If that result does not deserve to be called a victory for America, Obama owes an explanation to the families of the 4,500 Americans who gave their lives to bring it about.


The PROM State Police: "We don't want to, so we won't; screw you peasants." When cops start acting like a Praetorian Guard, it's bad. Seriously bad.




Ah, Texas:
A few folks may remember the killing and shooting on Falcon lake down here. I know bass fisherman from Michigan like to fish the lake. The Sheriff down here requests you be armed(sure hell won't see that in the PROM). Well I am happy to let the tourist fishermen know the first Texas DPS Gunboat (There will be atleast 6) has been commissioned today. And yes, those are machineguns. Texas is not counting on the Feds anymore to protect bass fishermen or jet skiers on the border! Come on down and visit!

Gun mounts are a twin M240 (7.62) in the front, single mounts on the sides. Secondly, these things were built expressly for Lake Falcon and the border down by Brownsville.
Son spent a lot of time with the M240; he likes it. A lot. Reliable, accurate, and .308.

Yeah, this has downsides, on the 'militarization of law enforcement' problem. It's also probably their only real option: when the feds won't do crap, the state will have to. And when they're dealing with armed drug/illegal alien/weapons smugglers(and considering the information on Hezbollah working with the cartels), there's no telling what they'll run into.
Found at Sipsey; other links here and here
I'll note that in Oklahoma, the Lake Patrol is part of the Highway Patrol, but nothing like this. Of course, we don't have lakes on the border with Mexico, either.


"We broke the law, and got people killed, which proves we need more gun laws!"
"Earlier this year, the House of Representatives actually voted to keep law enforcement in the dark when individuals purchase semi-automatic rifles and shotguns in Southwest border gun shops," Holder said. "Providing law enforcement with the tools to detect and to disrupt illegal gun trafficking is entirely consistent with the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens."

But Republicans take issue with that point.

Law enforcement was not 'in the dark' when individuals purchased Fast and Furious weapons, they say. Rather, ATF agents received real-time -- and sometimes advanced -- notice from cooperating gun dealers when suspected straw buyers purchased weapons. Buyers frequently called in their order before showing up. Gun store owners would give the straw buyers a pick-up time specifically to give ATF agents plenty of time to set up their cameras and surveillance teams.

In one email, Burke called the gun stores 'evil' and ATF brass in Washington also cooperated for a story in The Washington Post in December 2009 suggesting border-state gun stores were responsible for Mexico's cartel violence.

Internally, ATF officials admit cooperating gun stores like Lone Wolf in Phoenix -- singled out in the Post story -- actually helped the operation, dutifully faxing the names, addresses and serial numbers of the guns that the straws bought, often the same day. Lone Wolf also allowed the ATF to install cameras inside the store, giving ATF officials coast to coast real-time information about purchases and purchasers.


This shouldn't be a surprise: you make it hard for businesses to operate, and you want to ban/restrict what a company makes, they'll start looking for another place to set up.
Hey, S&W: Oklahoma would love to have you move here.


I'll borrow a post from Sipsey(again, for those who can't go there):

From Tickle the Wire:

Thomas E. Brandon, the straight-shooting, well respected and extremely able veteran of ATF, who was sent around the country this year to try and mend some of the agencies pressing problems, has been named ticklethewire.com’s Fed Of The Year for 2011.

Brandon, an ex-Marine who is currently ATF’s number two person in Washington, started the year off as special agent in charge of ATF’s Detroit office, where he was very well respected.

In the spring, after the agency started coming under Congressional fire for Operation Fast and Furious, Brandon was sent off to Phoenix to head up that office and try and improve morale and straighten out matters. . .

In late August, acting director Ken Melson stepped down. In October, as part of a major shakeup at the agency, Brandon was summoned from Phoenix to become the number two guy in Washington.

Much respected? Yes. Even the guys at CleanUpATF.org welcomed him. "A straight shooter"? Well, you be the judge. Sources tell Sipsey Street that right after he was transferred to Phoenix, Brandon screwed up. That is, he took his charge to clean up Phoenix seriously. In the process, he began to follow the leads that the dissident agents of Phoenix Group VII had followed before being pulled off the surveillances of the straw buyers which were leading to the smugglers and money men.

In short order, Brandon was told to back off, say our sources. He continued to push -- until he was summoned to a meeting with the FBI and DOJ higher ups and given the "national security" warning. The FBI paid informant that the ATF agents had unknowingly identified was a "piece of slime, but a protected piece of slime," according to one source. Brandon was ordered to back off and he very meekly did.

My sources say that the Issa Committee could very profitably interview this "stand up guy" for information on who warned him to stay away from the protected FBI paid informant.

So, is he "Fed of the Year"? Oh, yeah, I'll go along with that. Brandon is everything craven and cowardly that we have come to expect in the senior executives of the ATF and FBI.

Fed of the Year? Yeah, I'll sign that.

Yeah, sounds like someone Issa and Grassley should talk to.


Oh man, if I had one of these it'd be the centerpiece on the dinner table.


Nancy Pelosi really is a corrupt bitch, isn't she?

People where Great Britain used to be freak out over pocketknives. I do have to note that just having that in (fG)Britain will get you thrown in jail, even if all you use it for is opening boxes, cutting rope and other useful purposes.


Jennifer also notes
A: Reporting that was an attempt to be thorough, but someone who should have had a gunny check it before publishing, and
B: Some really bad gunhandling by a cop.

Obama's DoJ really doesn't like whistleblowers

Especially when they get in the way of his 'save Gaia' scheming.

Should be a rule: you see something really bigoted/idiotic/stupid on a site,

save it, so when they realize just what they've done, it'll still be around. Among other things, I like the "Jews who aren't as well-educated and experienced as I might fall for something bad here" crap.


Yes, Breuer and Holder and every other clown who lied under oath should be prosecuted for it. As to whether there's enough ethical sense and balls in DC to do it, that's a question.



If the OWS movement had any brains, they'd throw this frickin' idiot out. Immediately.

And that's about all I feel like putting up today. More later, if I start feeling more like a human being.

The Empire Strikes Back is the title at one blog;

seems a reasonable assumption.
CLIMATEGATE UPDATE: UK police seize computers of skeptic blogger in England. Hmm. Could it be politically motivated? Some think so.
Two links there with lots more. Might it be that some government weenies with a stake in AGW hysteria are upset over the second batch of Climaquiddick e-mails?

About the NTSB demand to ban cell phones while driving,

found this through Insty; an excerpt:
Yes, texting while driving is inherently dangerous: It takes your eyes off the road and your hands off the wheel. That is presumably why texting while driving is already illegal in Missouri for drivers under 21. But there’s a big leap from the Missouri accident to the NTSB’s suggestion for a broad, new national ban.

First, the Missouri crash was largely caused by more mundane safety issues that the NTSB seems to have deliberately downplayed. For all the discussion of the dangers of texting and driving, the NTSB report contains this rather significant finding: “Had the driver of the following school bus maintained the recommended minimum distance from the lead school bus, she would have been able to avoid the accident."

That’s right: Don’t follow too closely, just like they teach you in driver’s ed. And why did the first school bus rear-end the pickup? According to the NTSB, that was “the result of the bus driver’s inattention to the forward roadway, due to excessive focus on a motorcoach parked on the shoulder of the road."

So, despite the focus on texting as a cause of this particular accident, and on this accident as purported evidence that drivers should be banned from using portable devices, NTSB’s own report shows that the drivers involved in this scary wreck were involved because of driver inattention having nothing to do with cellphones, texting, or any other personal electronic devices. It was just the old-fashioned kind of driver inattention that has caused most accidents since the beginning of the automobile age, and that could have been prevented by a little attention to proper following distance and the road ahead.

Yet the No. 1 recommendation of the NTSB to the states is to "ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices (other than those designed to support the driving task) for all drivers." This selective focus suggests an agenda, and certainly those of us who have been paying attention to the various pronouncements coming from the NTSB and other highway-safety advocates have noticed a strain of hostility to cellphones and other devices for quite some time, despite a paucity of evidence suggesting that such devices are especially dangerous. (As the Cato Institute’s Radley Balko notes, while the number of cellphones on the road has skyrocketed in recent decades, traffic deaths and traffic accidents have declined.)

My suspicions here are only supported by the NTSB’s leap from the already-banned texting to something completely different: talking. The Missouri accident had nothing to do with hands-free talking, and it’s not at all clear to me that talking on a hands-free cellphone is any more distracting to drivers than talking to passengers in the car—or having screaming kids in the back seat, something that the NTSB has not, as yet, sought to ban.