This article was submitted to the Liberty1st site by Paul A. Ibbetson. He maintains a website devoted to researching the Patriot Act here. I am still on the fence when it comes to the Patriot Act and that is why I find articles like this fascinating and thought provoking.

The Patriot Act: Searching for Monsters in the Closet

When you were young, did you have a monster in your closet? Many a child has lost sleep to the monster that must certainly reside just inside the bedroom closet. If you think back on your monster, it probably was the end product of watching late night horror movies or creative tales spun with school buddies on sleepovers. Everything is fun and games until the monster actually comes to visit the next night when all your friends are long gone. Now the thing about the closet monster is that it’s crafty and clever. It won’t show itself when friends are around and never in the daylight. No, it waits until your head is turned or, worse, when you’re sound asleep. The closet monster has power, a power that can make you freeze for endless minutes fearing that any slight motion might cause it to burst from the closet, ending in your certain death. Thank goodness a magical thing happens somewhere along life’s path. We grow up. It does not happen all at once but step-by-step we gain perspective about what’s real and what’s not and the monster loses some of its power. Then on some special night this gained knowledge bolsters bravery to the point of a confrontation with the closet door and the monster is exposed for what he really is--nothing.

It would be nice to say that there are no monsters in real life, but that would not be true. As a nation, America has seen monsters in many forms. Adolph Hitler’s Nazi Germany or Hideki Tojo’s Japan are examples. America, though always diverse in thought and ideas, came together in a united effort to defeat those monsters at a time when indecision could have cost the world freedom as we know it. Our country is again at that crossroads. While it is reasonable and logical to draw distinctions from World War II and The War on Terror, there are chilling similarities.

Hitler wanted to eliminate all groups of people not fitting the mold of the master Arian race. Al-Qaeda and other radical Islamic groups have an unholy mission to exterminate Israel and its ally, America, which both fall into the category of “the Zionist unbelievers.” Similarities are evident between the Japanese kamikazes of World War II and the terrorists of today are willing to fly passenger planes into buildings, or strap explosives to their own bodies. Yes, monsters existed in the past and they walk amongst us today.

Hitler walked across Europe, taking country after country, forging deadly alliances and double-crossing all those naïve to his deadly intentions. On December 7, 1941, America was struck with a devastating surprise attack at Pearl Harbor.Al-Qaeda, under the leadership of Osama bin Laden, along with terrorist groups that share this warped mentality, have repeatedly attacked American interests (e.g., 1993 World Trade Center Bombing,1998 U.S.S. Cole Bombing, Embassy Bombings in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania)  Osama Bin laden funneled money to terrorist cells around the world for the purpose of Jihad. In 2001, America was struck with a second devastating surprise attack, suffering a death toll that surpassed the number of deaths at Pearl Harbor. At both times in history this country faced a monster that wanted to destroy it. 

Unfortunately, America is not responding to today’s monsters the same way America responded in the past. Part of the problem is that many in the country have become terribly confused in what makes up a monster, and what does not. Some civil rights groups portray the Patriot Act as an uncontrollable monster that roams the streets gobbling up people’s rights. This fear maintains, even though after years of usage there have been no documented cases of abuse. In case that slipped by I’ll repeat it, NO CASES OF ABUSES! The Patriot Act has been audited for abuses by many organizations, including the ACLU. In fact, the Patriot Act has served to move national security forward by leaps and bounds by clarifying ambiguous laws, updating outdated laws, and, yes, strengthening some older laws to help in fighting a new type of war. Regardless of the obvious factual basis for the existence and usage of the Patriot Act, groups such as the ACLU maintain a constant search, with torches and pitchforks at the ready, for any reason to slay this law for protecting our national security. 

Others have identified the President George W. Bush as the monster for everything from the usage of National Security Letters (NSL’s) to when the wind blows the wrong way. Any attempt to challenge these naysayers with facts is met with the usual accusations that “fruitful debate” is being quashed. Meanwhile time passes and division, indecision, and, worst of all, inaction, is the order of the day. The failure of the Patriot Act to be renewed after the creation of a compromise package bill is a glaring example of the fact that many Democrats feel the war on terror should be prosecuted in a different manner.

Surpassing the issue of the Patriot Act renewal, Democrats have set a dangerous precedent in time of war by the actions of the “Coalition of Opposition.”  Our enemies are coordinated and motivated. Their agenda is clear--destroy America. The impression resulting from an inability of Congress to come together on legislation for fighting terrorism, and the willingness of some to kill the Patriot Act altogether, will be seen by our enemies as a sign of weakness. We know that Hitler advanced on those who appeared weak; we should expect no less from today’s fanatical terrorist groups. Democrats have failed to learn what all children come to terms with, that is, eventually you have to confront the monster.

Paul A. Ibbetson is a published author and lecturer on the Patriot Act. He is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and is currently completing his PhD. in sociology at Kansas State University. Author of the book “Living Under The Patriot Act: Educating A Society” coming out in early 2006, Paul welcomes questions or comments on this, or any other of his Patriot Act related articles at:  contact@patriotactresearch.com or visit the Patriot Act Research Website at: www.patriotactresearch.com

Titled:   Son says he used gun to break up family fight

This is a confusing story from Macomb county in Michigan. It seems that a teen intervened in a fight between his mother and his step-father with a .22 caliber rifle. After shooting his step-father in the leg, and a resulting tussle over control of the firearm, his mother was accidently shot in the toe. So far there doesn't seem to be anything too complicated there. It is not illegal for a 19 year old to own a rifle, and from the report it seems that the boy genuinely believed he was coming to the aid of his mother, saving her from serious injury.

He is, however, out on bail, facing charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, possession of a dangerous weapon and using a firearm during a felony.

Now, they did find a selection of firearms in his room - six rifles, two shotguns, a BB gun, 10 long knives, a cache of ammunition and a homemade pipe bomb. But that seems secondary to the event itself, and apart from the pipe-bomb would seem like a reasonable collection to a non-hoplophobe.

Without further information, I can't see why this isn't a case of a self-defense shooting, assuming that the step-father was able to cause serious bodily harm to the teen's mother or himself. I guess the upcoming court case might reveal further cause. The pipe-bomb alone is enough to get him into trouble, and he deserves what he gets for that.

At 19, it is hard to expect clear judgement as to how dangerous a new step-father can be, especially in the stress of the moment with a fight between adults in your own house. Police say three or four shots were fired, and this may even have involved a warning shot. By shooting his step-father in the leg with a .22 rifle, when he had easy access to a shotgun, I would think it would be hard to prove that he was doing anything other than trying to stop a felony in progress.

I'll try to follow up when the case comes around.

Titled:   Why Radical Muslims and the US Don't Mix

The first protected right of the people of the US is the Freedom of Speech.

US Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in United States v. Schwimmer (1929):

"The principle of free thought is not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought we hate."

When 12 cartoons - published last September by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and republished in a Norwegian paper this month - included an image of the muslim Prophet wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse, the reaction from the Religion of Peace was anything but peaceful.

The religion that thinks nothing of calling for the death of unbelievers, started a string of protests, flag burning and boycotts.

Things took a more sinister turn yesterday when 15 masked gunmen armed with hand grenades, automatic weapons and anti-tank launchers took over an EU office and demanded an apology. They behaved, ironically, much as the cartoon they were protesting against had depicted.

Pakistan's Daily Times reported that they left after half an hour, without an apology, but still angry:

 “We are calling on the citizens of the two countries to take this threat seriously because our cells are ready to implement this all over Gaza,” said one of the militants.

This morning, the UK's Gaudnian (yes, they are bad at spelling) reported a change of mind and a full apology, following further threats and attacks on Danish citizens as far away as Saudi Arabia. 

Denmark's largest selling broadsheet newspaper last night issued an apology to the "honourable citizens of the Muslim world" after publishing a series of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that provoked protests across the Middle East.

Just so you didn't miss it, those are the honorable citizens that threaten civilians with anti-tank missiles.

CNN.com reports that a Danish muslim group has accepted the apology:

A spokesman for Denmark's Islamic Faith Community, Kasem Ahmad, said on Danish radio Tuesday that "we will clearly and articulately thank the prime minister and Jyllands-Posten for what they have done."

But they await the reaction from muslims in other countires.

Can you imagine how this would play out in the US? An armed group of terrorists threatening an office of civilians not even connected with the publication of cartoons? Followed by apologies and retractions from the President and the press? Denmark is in the grip of dhimmitude.

We must ensure we protect the liberties we have before we end up like our European cousins.

Update:    France enters Muslim cartoon row

A French newspaper has reproduced a set of caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad that have caused outrage in the Muslim world.

France Soir said it had published the cartoons to show that "religious dogma" had no place in a secular society.

Under the headline "Yes, we have the right to caricature God", the paper ran a front page cartoon of Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and Christian gods floating on a cloud.

It shows the Christian deity saying: "Don't complain, Muhammad, we've all been caricatured here."

The full set of Danish drawings, some of which depict the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist, were printed on the inside pages.

Titled:   GOP Libertarians: Rebels with a Cause

Hammer of Truth shows the latest in the trend of articles about GOP-leaning Libertarians or Libertarian-leaning GOP'ers. This one is from Salon, and seems to be an anti-Bush piece, but nonetheless has good things to say about Libertarianism.

Whether Republican Sen. John Sununu, Idaho’s Larry Craig and their small band will actually be able to make a difference in the fight for Liberty remains to be seen.

Titled:   PC CPU Price vs Performance

Random Fate brings us news of an eight-round contest between Intel and AMD's new dual core processors. Satisfy your inner geek and read the rest of the CNET review.

The result is unanimous.

Titled:     Questions from the Audience?

The Smallest Minority has facts, figures, graphs and thoughtful comment on gun violence in the USA.

Hat-Tip to SayUncle

Titled:     Tiananmen

Ever wonder what it is like living under Chinese-style censorship?

As the world sees Tiananmen on Google

As the Chinese see it on Google

Titled:  Saddam's Missing WMD

AlphaPatroit points to an interesting and potentially game-changing story about Saddam's WMD involvement. Not only is there now a new solid source that his WMDs were moved to Syria, but also that Iraq was preparing a chemical strike against Israel on the eve of the First Gulf War.

The NY Sun reports:

The man who served as the no. 2 official in Saddam Hussein's air force says Iraq moved weapons of mass destruction into Syria before the war by loading the weapons into civilian aircraft in which the passenger seats were removed.

The flights - 56 in total, Mr. Sada said - attracted little notice because they were thought to be civilian flights providing relief from Iraq to Syria, which had suffered a flood after a dam collapse in June of 2002.

The book also says that on the eve of the first Gulf War, Saddam was planning to use his air force to launch a chemical weapons attack on Israel.

The most interesting thing here for me is what happens if this is proven true and the WMDs are recoverd - the left would have a lot of answering to do.

"Bush lied - people died" becomes "Bush told the Truth - people died because the lunatic left lied about it for political gain".

For the GOP, ideally this will all come to be in mid 2008, just prior to elections, when the dems will be repeating the "lied" mantra as loudly as they can.

The fact that suppport for military action in Iran is as high as 57% already, despite the left's hatred of the action in Iraq, points to further gains if the central plank of their anti-war ideology is removed.

Maybe the GOP already knows the facts but can't prove them yet. Letting the Dems continue to build their party around the WMD issue could by Rove's best move yet.

Titled:   Wisconsin Governor Vetoes Concealed Carry Bill

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle says he will veto a bill that would legalize the carrying of concealed weapons in Wisconsin.

"Violence is not the answer," said Doyle. "If we keep guns illegal, the police will know that whoever has a gun is a criminal."

Asked how victims should protect themselves, Doyle responded that they shouldn't. "We have to stop the cycle of violence," said Doyle. "Allowing victims to return fire only perpetuates the cycle. Victims should 'turn the other cheek' to their attackers."

Doyle asserted that most criminals will not shoot unarmed victims unless it is necessary to eliminate them as witnesses. "If you avert your gaze from your attacker he may see that you will not able to identify him and let you live," observed Doyle. "Even if the criminal does shoot you, we will have just a single casualty. If victims return fire we could have multiple casualties."

Where does one start? Perhaps by trying to understand how Wisconsin allows someone this detached from reality to be Governor.

He is quite clearly saying that if you are being shot at, you should remain passive in case the perpetrator gets injured. If, as a CCW holder, I get shot, then surely I am one person who can no longer stop the criminal from harming others.

As for averting your gaze in the hope that a psychotic killer might decide you didn't see anything and let you live - I think Gov. Doyle is just crazy. You cannot project your mindset onto another human who is already working outside of your own frame of thought. In other words, you can't expect someone acting abnormaly to think the same way you do, and have the same morals, ethics and thoughts as you. If you are not the type that routinely attacks innocents with lethal force, then what makes you think you can understand those that do. That is the major mistake people make when dealing with criminals, terrorists, drug users and downright crazies. You cannot assume they will do as you would do.

I refuse to become that "single casualty" whose life is in the control of someone who is deciding whether or not I'm a potential witness. And that's why I also refuse to visit Wisconsin, live in Wisconsin and invest in Wisconsin while people like Gov. Doyle are in power and its citizens support people like him.

Titled:   Legislator apologizes after accidentally firing gun in his office

An Henrico County legislator apologized to the House of Delegates on Thursday for firing his handgun in his legislative office.

Republican Jack Reid said the weapon went off accidentally about 9 a.m. while he was ejecting the clip from his .380-caliber Kel-Tec handgun.

The discharged round was stopped by a bullet-proof vest that was hanging on Reid’s office door. No damage was done to state property, according to a report filed with the Capitol Police.

From an earlier post:

As a public service to folks out there who have trouble with the obvious, here are a few laws to follow:

1. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.

2. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

3. ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

Keep any ONE of these three and you are likely to be safe. Ideally, follow ALL three. And kids - just keep away and let an adult know.

So he was trying to complete Rule #3, probably broke Rule #2 but at least followed Rule #1, at least by accident. Pointing the gun at a bullet-proof (resistant) vest is likely to have been the safest place to aim it, if you have to shoot it in the office. At least it wasn't pointed at a member of staff or his head.

Proof again that following one of the three laws, even if by accident, will probably keep you safe.

Titled:   Judge lets 6,000-square-foot garage stand

Paul Piscopo's garage covers 6,000 square feet and has room for 28 full-sized trucks.

It seems that his neighbors weren't too chuffed to see what he had built in his yard.

Several of Piscopo's neighbors contended the 150-foot-long, 60-foot-wide, 20-foot-tall corrugated sheet metal building - which they dubbed the "Monster Garage" - has hurt their property values and ruined the residential feel of their sedate neighborhood.

Maybe they would have prefered vehicles all over his lawn?

... Oakland County Circuit Judge Michael Warren reversed a decision by the Troy Board of Zoning Appeals demanding the garage be reduced in size or torn down.

The court ruled that a garage of this scale was allowed under the Troy zoning ordinance as it and the house didn't cover more than 30% of the lot and was far enough from the boundaries.

 Now all he has to be worried about now is eminent domain abuse.

Following on from yesterday's voting theme, it appears that the newly-minted democracies have failed to learn one big lesson; that the people get the government they deserve. If they don't educate themselves about the options and just blindly vote, usually the result is far from optimal.

Take the recent polls in Palestine. Hamas wins 76 of the 132 seats and gets invited to form a new government.

The world's reaction: So far almost uniformly negative.

Israeli interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ruled out any talks with "an armed terror organisation that calls for Israel's destruction".

In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that the US would not give any direct aid to a Palestinian government under Hamas, which it brands a terrorist organisation.

So already the decision is likely to lead to not only a huge step backward on the road to peace in the Middle East (assuming such a thing is even possible), but also a huge reduction in income for the country which wasn't exactly in the rich league to start with.

Already, news comes of clashes between Fatah and Hamas, showing that internally the country is anything but agreeable.

Sure, Hamas removed talk of eliminating Israel from its political campaign, and the process of democracy has the outside chance that it will civilize the group now they have some politcal power. But given the long term campaign of terror, the bus bombings, carnage and death, peace still seems a very long way off.

Of course the Palis aren't alone:

Islamist candidates were embraced in municipal elections in Saudi Arabia; Hezbollah, another US-declared terrorist organisation, was handsomely endorsed as the parliamentary voice of Shiites in Lebanon; the Muslim Brotherhood won 88 of the 150 seats it contested in Egypt; and Iran's newly elected president is a radical who seems to be thoroughly enjoying Western anxiety over Tehran's nuclear program.

Democracy is a double edged sword, increasingly a curved one.

Titled: Vote early, and often!

What a great country. They let you vote even when you're dead! It seems that in the fine State of Washington, 11,500 dead voters are still registered, and 36,000 are registered in two counties.

What the article didn't say was which party they usually vote for. I guess its a question of getting help to get to the polls.

Titled:   New Federal Police

UrbanSurvival.com brings us news of a new uniformed federal police force, as laid out in Section 605 of the USA PATRIOT IMPROVEMENT AND REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005.

This new development doesn't seem to be initially for general nation-wide use, but mainly for anywhere the President, VP or other home and foreign dignitaries may be stationed or visiting. The US SS Uniformed Division will be armed, carry police powers and will be at the command of the Director, United States Secret Service.

It also provides protection for former Presidents and their spouses. Look for pictures of Hillary flanked by the new secret police uniformed police soon.

Titled:   Italy approves self-defence law

The Italian parliament has passed legislation allowing people to shoot robbers in self-defence.

The new law will allow people to use legally registered weapons to protect themselves or others, and their property and the property of others, from harm.

It applies if there is a danger of aggression and the attacker does not desist.

Wow. It sounds like the Italians finally get it.

Justice Minister Roberto Castelli backed the new law.

"Today criminals will have more to fear while there will be fewer problems for honest people," said Mr Castelli, who belongs to the Northern League.

However, the centre-left opposition expressed concern that it would encourage violence and lead to increased use of firearms.

Hopefully it will encourage violence and the increased use of firearms towards the perpetrators, not the victims as has been the case.

We should keep an eye on the crime figures over the coming months.

(Hat-tip to John Lott)

Titled:   Police say man thought gun wasn't loaded

Police say a man who fatally shot himself in the head with a .45-caliber handgun did not think the gun was loaded.

This stunning piece of insight comes to you from the New Hampshire police. How they arrived at this conclusion is at this time unknown, although it may have something to do with the fact that this was clearly not a suicide but another stupid accident.

Rules of safe firearm handling might need a new rule:

Do NOT point a gun at your head (or anyone elses) and pull the trigger even if you KNOW the firearm is not loaded. Failure to follow this rule will probably result in a loud bang, a very brief headache and the even briefer, stunning realization that something is not quite right. Often, local police will make obvious statements about you in the press later.

As a public service to folks out there who have trouble with the obvious, here are a few laws to follow:

1. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.

2. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

3. ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

Keep any ONE of these three and you are likely to be safe. Ideally, follow ALL three. And kids - just keep away and let an adult know.

Titled:   Poll finds surprising optimists

Iraqis and Afghans are among the most optimistic people in the world when it comes to their economic future, a new survey for the BBC suggests.

In Afghanistan, 70% say their own circumstances are improving, and 57% believe that the country overall is on the way up.

In Iraq, 65% believe their personal life is getting better, and 56% are upbeat about the country's economy.

Oh, how it must have hurt to write that. Of course the report was not without a dig too:

The experts at polling firm Globescan, who conducted the survey, venture the guess that war may have created a "year zero" experience of collectively starting again.

Yes - Afghans and Iraqis can't remember anything from before the war - it erased their memories. So they must all be deluded, the poor simple idiots, probably brainwashed by Carl Rove and mind control waves.

Zimbabwe and France appear to be at the bottom of the table with over 80% pessimism about the future.

The detailed findings also report a drop in the ratings for the UN, an average of ten points.

The US MSM takes a hard hit too:

No country was more negative about the news media than the United States. Sixty-four percent of Americans felt the media was a negative influence; only 28 percent saw it as positive.

On the self delusion front, Iran had the strongest majority positive about world public opinion with 68%. Yes - Iranians think that the world loves them.

By a substantial margin Americans have the largest percentage giving a negative rating of world public opinion—39 percent. This may be a reaction to polls revealing negative attitudes toward the US over the last few years.

Thank you MSM! We think everyone hates us. And thanks to some of the stories publishes in the last few years, they probably do.

Titled:    Unarmed Cop Shot At By Gun Nut

It is hard to believe how quickly a country can go from a respect for firearm rights to their total demonization. This story comes from Airstrip One the UK and is full of the rich language of gun hate that is now creeping into US media reports. The longer this type of language appears and the more frequently it is used, the more it gets ingrained into the minds of the readers.

An unarmed policeman had a miracle escape when a gun nut fired a hail of bullets during a terrifying late night chase, it emerged today.

The gunman fled on foot after cops pulled over his Volkswagen Passat in south London in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The unarmed officer, who has not been named, cornered him in an alleyway off Croxted Road in Dulwich, but the ruthless thug pulled a gun and opened fire.

The brave cop dived for cover, escaping unharmed.

So lets look a little further into the miraculous escape: 

Police marksmen surrounded the scene but found no trace of the gunman who is believed to have fired at least three rounds.

Three rounds - a hail of bullets? Must have been one of those machine-gun thingys.

Chief Superintendent Ian Thomas, head of Southwark Police, vowed to hunt the gun nut down.

He said: "This was very serious. For someone to fire at officers with absolutely no provocation is extremely worrying.

"Absolutely no provocation" such as a car chase with sirens and flashy lights, a chase on foot with a cop carrying a long stick, handcuffs and probably pepper-spray, plus undoubtably some criminal guilt thrown in? I'm sure the gun nut, gunman, ruthless thug guy was in fear of his personal liberty for the next few years at least for firearm possession alone.

They sure do have fun writing this stuff.

Titled:   Iris Scanning For New Jersey Grade School

Iris scans have become part of everyday life at a New Jersey school. Everyone that wants to enter the school has to provide a drivers license for initial registration and submit to a scan:

When a parent arrives to pick up their child at one of three grade schools in the Freehold Borough School District, they'll need to look into a camera that will take a digital image of their iris. That photo will establish positive identification to gain entrance into the school.

Funding for the project, more than $369,000, was made possibly by a school safety grant through the National Institute of Justice, a research branch of the U.S. Department of Justice. "The idea is to improve school safety for the children," said Phil Meara, superintendent, Freehold Borough School District, on Monday. "We had a swipe-card system that operated the doors, but the technology was obsolete."

It seems crazy to install such an expensive, high-tech system for such a low tech purpose. If you wanted to gain access to the school to do harm, you would expect a criminal just to walk in with someone who is registered on the system, probably at knife or gun-point. The security system wouldn't know any different. And it would probably stop external responders from coming to the rescue too.

Wouldn't it just be easier to issue RFID keytags? Or are they obsolete too? Or an armed guard?

Titled:   Bills give victims more right to use force

An encouraging piece that shows the move towards protecting users of firearms is gaining ground across the nation.

What makes this unusual is that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution starts with a very bi-partisan message:

Republicans, Democrats and the National Rifle Association are backing bills this session that would give people more leeway to use deadly force to defend themselves and others from serious crimes, such as robbery and rape.

A House version, sponsored by Democrats, even offers protections against civil lawsuits.

Democrat support for the rights of gun-owners? Almost enough to make me choke on my cornflakes! So I read a little further and all became clear. Despite the support of a few Democrats, their true nature still poked through:

Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur), an attorney, said: "I am very concerned about any legislation that expands the perception that people should use guns against other people.

"There's too much gun irresponsibility, and there are too many trigger-happy people for me to feel comfortable giving people the perception they can shoot people in their yard anytime they want to."

Yup - that's a good weekend for us simple gun-owning types - sitting on the porch shooting at passers-by. I don't see anything that says that people should use guns against other people. This is about using guns to protect you and your family against criminals invading your home and car when you are in them. If you shoot without reason, the full weight of the law will still fall upon you. I guess that is just too difficult for this representative of the people to understand. Maybe she went to college recently? 

Titled:     Just for fun

Something new for a change

 

Titled:   First Pistol

Thinking of buying your first pistol? Say Uncle points to an excellent short piece by Catfish on the Texican Tattler.

His advice comes down to a choice between a Springfield XD and a Glock, pushing aside Say Uncles favorite Sig. I know that our very own Buck is rather partial to the SIG too, though he too considered the XD.

I have both a P226 Sig in .40 S&W as well as a Springfield XD9 Sub-compact. When I bought the SIG as a first handgun, I wanted it for home defense and range shooting. When I made the transition to CCW a little later, it was a concealed carry weapon too. And very heavy it was, with that dig-in-the-kidney character. Still, it was supposed to be comforting, not comfortable.

The XD Subcompact was an attempt at compromise. It is certainly compact and comes with a great reputation. I wanted an XD40 too, but after 3 months, was unable to find one, so I settled on a 9mm from a Lansing gun show. It cost a lot less than the SIG too, almost by half, and is a neat Bi-tone color, with extra magazine and holster.

Carrying became easier, more comfortable and more frequent. And soon I took up IPSC competitive shooting to get real acquainted with it under pressure. It shoots very well, functioning a lot more reliably that most of the 1911 race-guns there. I can't say its a competition winner - it is after all handicapped by my ability, the low power rating of the 9mm round, short 3 inch barrel and the 10 round magazines that the Production Class calls for. But it doesn't let me down.

After a year or so, I remembered the SIG back in the gunsafe, and I took them both out for range time together. I had always assumed that the SIG would outperform the XD. But next to each other I was better at and preferred the XD. The SIG had the edge on long distance slow shooting, but for up-close speed and accuracy, the XD works best for me.

So if the bump in the night happens, and I reach for a handgun, which would I choose?

Probably the XD.

And that says it all.

Titled:     Capital gun crime rises by 50 per cent

The War on Guns Blog highlights continued coverage of the UK's slow-but-steady slip into depravity.

Not content to criminalize victims and remove what little rights to self-protection there were in the UK, they are now casting about for new reasons to blame for the violence. As if drugs, gangs and racial hatred weren't enough.

Record levels of gun crime are being blamed on the fact that more people than ever are carrying firearms as fashion accessories.

Figures published this week by the Home Office are expected to show that offences involving guns have soared by as much as 50 per cent in some parts of the country.

The greatest rises have been in the number of people found in possession of firearms and in the number of attempted murders.

So the new culprit is fashion? Seems like another ban will be needed...

Titled:    More Eminent Domain Thievery

SayUncle points to a worrying article of eminent domain abuse. It seems the Port of Houston is taking someone's land that has been in his family for a hundred years for less than a cent an acre.

The guy concerned is not a speculator or some wealthy investor. The land had been in his family over 100 years. But even if he'd just bought it the week before, he should be entitled to more than a fair price, to make up for the fact that the state is taking it at the point of a gun, whether he wants to sell or not, and his expenses of fighting the condemnation, which he did not ask for, and fairly evaluating the land should rightly fall on those initiating the suit. Last I checked, it wasn't a crime to own land. Even felons and illegal immigrants and foreign nationals who never set foot in our country are permitted to do so. Why are we punishing our own citizens?

Read the rest at Searchlight Crusade while you still have a house to live in.

Titled:     A pretty vote for Yucca

With nuclear power looking like the only route to energy independance in the near future, the ever-present question of waste disposal comes up. With all the controversy about the Yucca Mountain deep burial facility, a new, refreshing view comes from miss Nevada herself.

When 23 year old Crystal Wosik was interviewed by judges about her views of the Yukka Mountain project she answered:

 "It has to go someplace and Yucca Mountain is the best built facility in the country."

A follow-up question asked what would happen if people died. Her straightforward answer was:

"We just have to take one for the team."

This view was met with outrage from many quarters. Peggy Maze Johnson of Citizen Alert (who is not going to win  Miss America any time soon) said,

"Before she gets up there and starts representing the state of Nevada, she needs to find out more about what the issues are. Instead, she's shooting from the hip with a ridiculous statement that feeds into many people's idea that Miss America contestants are bimbos".

It certainly beats comments on world peace and starving children to those of us that watch the show "purely for the articles."

Titled:    Big Nanny Is Watching You

A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Roger Valdez, director of tobacco prevention for Public Health–Seattle & King County. He is in charge of Seattle-area enforcement of the statewide smoking ban approved by voters in November. I call him the tobacco czar.

We were talking about how enforcement was working out, including the 25-foot rule. In the midst of our chat, Valdez said something remarkable.

"Americans think they have a lot of rights they really don't have. Smoking is one of those things where people think they have the right to smoke, but you don't." He used "you" in the plural. "You have no right to smoke. It's an addiction. It's something you should see a doctor about."

He went on to tell me that people have no right to smoke even in their private residences.

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."- Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution.

If Iraq needs a good constitution, written by clever men, guaranteed to provide liberty and justice for all, they could use ours. We don't seem to use it anymore.

Titled:    Hitlery Hillary, The Germans and the Mad Mullahs

Quite clearly this is a week for forgetting where you are going. Hillary Clinton, Carpet-bagger-in-chief, has finally forgotten all the well-meaning advice that her party gave to the administration over Iraq. Namely, pre-emption and unilateral = BAD, multilateral = GOOD.

"I believe we lost critical time in dealing with Iran because the White House chose to downplay the threats and to outsource the negotiations,"Clinton said. "I don't believe you face threats like Iran or North Korea by outsourcing it to others and standing on the sidelines."

Then suddenly, in an effort to pander to her Jewish constituents, Hillary becomes an honary Jew and accepts a degree from Yeshiva University. How quickly they forgot about her kissing Arafat's wife in 1999 in the West Bank.

And the Germans? Mark Steyn points to Donald Rumsfeld's metting with Speigel to discuss Iran and other matters. This amusing conversation shows that the Germans have clearly lost the plot with Iran too:

SPIEGEL: How concerned are you about Iran?

Rumsfeld: All of us have to be concerned when a country that important, large and wealthy is disconnected from the normal interactions with the rest of the world. They obviously have certain ambitions, powers and military capabilities ...

SPIEGEL: ...and nuclear ambitions...

Rumsfeld: That's apparently what France, Germany, the UK and the International Atomic Energy Agency have concluded. Everyone wants to have the Iranians as part of the world community, but they aren't yet. Therefore there's less predictability and more danger.

SPIEGEL: The US is trying to make the case in the United Nations Security Council.

Rumsfeld: I would not say that. I thought France, Germany and the UK were working on that problem.

SPIEGEL: What kind of sanctions are we talking about?

Rumsfeld: I'm not talking about sanctions. I thought you, and the U.K. and France were.

SPIEGEL: You aren't?

Rumsfeld: I'm not talking about sanctions. You've got the lead. Well, lead!

SPIEGEL: You mean the Europeans.

Rumsfeld: Sure. My Goodness, Iran is your neighbour. We don't have to do everything!

SPIEGEL: We are in the middle of regime change in Germany...

Rumsfeld: ... that's hardly the phrase I would have selected.

Meanwhile the Mullahs continue their evil plots against us:

‘Iran will resume uranium enrichment if the European Union does not recognise its right to do so, two Iranian nuclear negotiators said in an interview published Tuesday.’

So they will if we don't let them. And if we let them, they will. Hmm.

Titled:    Study: College Grads Are Dumb

Rob at SayAnything brings us news of a recent study into the abilities of the nation's brightest:

Nearing a diploma, most college students cannot handle many complex but common tasks, from understanding credit card offers to comparing the cost per ounce of food.

Those are the sobering findings of a study of literacy on college campuses, the first to target the skills of students as they approach the start of their careers.

More than 50 percent of students at four-year schools and more than 75 percent at two-year colleges lacked the skills to perform complex literacy tasks.

That means they could not interpret a table about exercise and blood pressure, understand the arguments of newspaper editorials, compare credit card offers with different interest rates and annual fees or summarize results of a survey about parental involvement in school.

Almost 20 percent of students pursuing four-year degrees had only basic quantitative skills. For example, the students could not estimate if their car had enough gas to get to the service station.

They have a point here. If you see a stranded motorist, they always seem to have alumni stickers in their rear windows.

Titled:      Study finds fire retardant in Great Lakes

Yup - that would be that water stuff - absolutely full of it, they are...

Titled:     Gun Rights Group Criticizes Illinois Gov's 'Boondoggle'

Blagojevich urged the Illinois General Assembly to pass House Bill 2414, which would ban the manufacture, possession, and delivery of semi-automatic firearms, certain attachments, and the .50 caliber rifle. He is working closely with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley on the bill.

"These weapons fire bullets rapidly and can fire at multiple targets. In addition, the military-style features make these guns even more dangerous," according to Blagojevich.

It is becoming so obvious that gun-grabbers aren't even thinking about what they are saying - they're too busy concentrating on the regurgitation of lies and stale sound-bites.

Look at this: "These weapons fire bullets rapidly and can fire at multiple targets."

I've yet to find a reasonable weapon that fires bullets slowly. Or a weapon that fires bullets on its own, without someone firing it. It's hard to even conceive of a weapon that can only fire at one target. Maybe a one-use Stinger-type missile might just fit that description. Hardly common street weaponry.

As to the old "Military-style features" argument - I would love to hear them explain how a bayonet lug, on its own, can make any weapon more dangerous. Why not just ban the bayonet itself if they fear a rise in drive-by bayonetting? All the lug does is make the barrel a little heavier, making it incrementally more difficult to carry and maneuver.

Hopefully he won't get enough votes to pass these new restrictions, but it is Chicago.

Titled:      This is the end...?

Ravenwood is considering throwing in the blogging towel:

That's why, after more than 44 months of official "weblogging", it is with great regret that I must walk away. I must take a vacation, at least for now. I know what you're thinking. He'll be back. It's too hard to stay away. Just like those that have quit before him, Ravenwood will eventually return. That may happen. But for now, I'm looking forward to the time off...
To all my loyal readers and friends, I say goodbye at least for now. I may be back eventually, but for now I really need a vacation.

Ravenwood is one of the blogs that became a daily staple for me and inspired me to give this blogging lark a go.

Have a good vacation Ravenwood, and come back refreshed. Please.

Titled:    Ted K's secret love child a secret no more

The National Enquirer splashes this week with a shocking story about Sen. Ted Kennedy’s secret love child with a Cape Cod woman whom the mag says he dated during his days as a swinging single.

According to the tabloid’s source, the boy, named Christopher, just celebrated his 21st birthday and is “mature enough to make his own choices about his background and biological father.”

A Kennedy family confidante told the Enquirer, “This is one of the biggest secrets in the Kennedy family and known to only a few people including Ted’s ex-wife, Joan.”

Allegedly, the split between Kennedy and Caroline Bilodeau, Christopher's mother, occured after an arguement over names for the unborn child. Caroline was outraged at Kennedy's suggestions, namely Bob, for a boy, or Bridgit, for a girl.

Miss Kopechne is still unavailable for comment.

Titled:      Michigan officials view anti-terror driver's license law as costly to taxpayers

 DETROIT - Newly obtained documents reveal that Michigan state officials are concerned that federal legislation called the Real ID Act will require extensive changes to existing practices at the Secretary of State Office, will be extremely difficult to implement by the Act's deadline and will carry heavy expenses that will have to be absorbed by Michigan taxpayers and license applicants. 

The Act, passed by Congress last spring, imposes federal regulations on the design, issuance and management of state driver's licenses - turning them, for all practical purposes, into federal identity papers. 

“Civil liberties groups, conservative groups, immigration groups - we've all been saying that Real ID will be a real disaster and needs to be revisited by Congress,” said Kary Moss, ACLU of Michigan executive director. 

“These documents indicate that Michigan officials - the people actually responsible for carrying out this ill-conceived law - also have serious problems with Real ID.”

The documents are part of a national survey of state motor vehicle officials' views and preparation for complying with Real ID that was conducted by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA).

What does Real ID mean for you?

Nothing at all unless you want to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments, or take advantage of nearly any government service.

Is this a national ID card? News.com answers:

It depends on whom you ask. Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's technology and liberty program, says: "It's going to result in everyone, from the 7-Eleven store to the bank and airlines, demanding to see the ID card. They're going to scan it in. They're going to have all the data on it from the front of the card...It's going to be not just a national ID card but a national database."

At the moment, state driver's licenses aren't easy for bars, banks, airlines and so on to swipe through card readers because they're not uniform; some may have barcodes but no magnetic stripes, for instance, and some may lack both. Steinhardt predicts the federalized IDs will be a gold mine for government agencies and marketers. Also, he notes that the Supreme Court ruled last year that police can demand to see ID from law-abiding U.S. citizens.

Entertainmentwise.com carries a story on 50 Cent's new movie ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’.

50 Cent has defended his film ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ saying that it condones gun crime and violence. The flick has received a lot of criticism for its apparent violent themes and the advertising poster which featured Fiddy holding two guns. But speaking to BBC six o’clock news, the rapper said: “No way was it in my head to capture a film that glorifies violence."

Meanwhile Ireland Online and most other media reports carry a different slant:

50 Cent says his film 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin' does not condone violence and gun crime. Speaking at the UK premiere of the film he said: "No way was it in my head to capture a film that glorifies violence."

Either Entertainmentwise.com senior editor Scott Colothan doesn't know what "condone" means or else 50 Cent accidently revealed his true feelings about gun crime and violence.

Titled:      Winchester Rifle Plant Prepares to Close

U.S. Repeating Arms Co. Inc. said Tuesday it will close its Winchester firearm factory, threatening the future of a rifle that was once called "The Gun that Won the West."

"It's part of who we are as a nation just like it's part of who we are as a city," Mayor John DeStefano said.

The announcement touched off a lobbying effort by city officials and union leaders who hoped to find a buyer for the plant before it closes March 31. If no buyer comes forward, it could spell the end for nearly all commercially produced Winchesters, said Everett Corey, a representative of the International Association of Machinists District 26.

John Wayne would not be pleased.

Titled:   Oh, what a dilemma...

Wizbang brings us an example of the nature of taxes and government. They're a little like hydrogen and water - when added togther you just get a lot of noise and steam. And once they're together, they're very hard to get apart:

Massachusetts finds itself on the horns of a rather tricky dilemma. Last September, the legislature voted to earmark $25 million to help house, feed, and take care of Hurricane Katrina refugees. It was a great gesture, showing that the Commonwealth can, occasionally, do the right thing.

But now they've found themselves in a slightly embarassing position. The refugees are pretty much all gone (I suspect that New Orleaners weren't capable of handling a New England winter on top of everything e