Good Guys Came Out on Top

A store clerk was able to defend himself from attack. Robber killed in struggle for clerk's gun at East St. Louis market - STLtoday.com

[Illinois State Police Lt. James Morrisey] said four men were able to force their way through a locked door that may have been weakened from damage in a break-in a few weeks ago. The store is open 24 hours, but does business only through a small walk-up window after 11 p.m.

The clerk, 21, had a pistol for his protection, Morrisey explained. "The robbers wrestled with the clerk over the gun, the gun discharged during the struggle and struck one of the bandits in the chest."

Two were arrested when they dropped the injured guy off at a hospital. Charges are waiting on further investigation.

Illinois is a state that has felony murder (not sure if that's what they call it).

Under state law, an accomplice of someone killed while committing a felony can be prosecuted for murder.

It isn't clear if there were more than 3 bad guys.

It is clear that the good guy was unharmed, and was able to successfully defend himself when faced with violent attack.

What We Need is Common-sense Baseball Bat Control

Why, it is possible to buy these vicious weapons through the mail with no ID. Man hit with baseball bat, mugged near Pike Place Market

Seattle police say three males set upon a man in a parking lot near First Avenue and Pike Street about 2:30 a.m. Thursday, hitting him with a baseball bat and robbing him.

The man managed to fight back. He was eventually taken to Harborview Medical Center.

Or maybe we should pass a law making robbery illegal.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

It looks that way to me. Sorrento homeowner shoots and kills suspected burglar -- OrlandoSentinel.com

The property owner, Shane Biel, awoke to his alarm sounding. He looked outside and spotted a silhouette figure out by his lawn equipment trailer, Herrell said. Biel had been the victim of prior lawn-equipment theft, he said. And there have been other equipment thefts in the area recently.

The suspect had not entered the enclosed equipment trailer but was inside a fenced area.

Biel told another family member to call 911 and then he went outside to confront the suspect with his handgun. Biel told authorities that Canada moved toward him in "an aggressive manner," and that's when he opened fire out of fear for his safety, Herrell said.

The dead guy was no boy scout, and police say the evidence supports the homeowner's story.

Self-defense is a human right.

The UN has their knickers in a twist

Maersk Alabama was attacked by pirates. Again. Except this time, they had armed guards on board. US ship repels pirates with guns and sound blasts

The Maersk Alabama was captured by pirates in April, and Capt. Richard Phillips was taken hostage. US Navy Seals freed him killing 3 bad guys along the way.

Guards aboard the Maersk Alabama used guns and a sound blaster Wednesday to repel the second pirate attack in seven months on the U.S. vessel at a time when ships are increasingly hiring armed security teams to thwart hijackings.

Despite an increased international flotilla of warships off the Horn of Africa, maritime figures indicate the number of ship boardings has remained about the same in the past year.

The UN is all upset that people are recognizing relying on some nebulous system isn't working.

The U.N.'s Maritime Safety Committee says members should "strongly discourage the carrying and use of firearms by seafarers for personal protection or for the protection of a ship." The concern is that bringing guns aboard ship will encourage violence.

Sounds an awful lot like the predictions of "wild west shootouts" that gun-fearing-weenies predict every time a state passes concealed carry.

Guns don't cause violence. And anyway, encouraging violence against the pirates - "the enemies of all mankind" - is a good thing. (Violence in the service of defense is not a bad thing.)

Pirates are violent bunch, and people are dying.

On Wednesday, a self-proclaimed pirate said the captain of a chemical tanker hijacked Monday had died of wounds suffered during the ship's hijacking. The pirate, Sa'id, who gave only one name for fear of reprisals, said the captain died Tuesday night from internal bleeding. The chemical tanker Theresa was taken Monday with 28 North Korean crew, the EU naval force said.

But with million-dollar paydays being handed out in the form of ransoms, the end of this problem is not in sight.

And in case you are wondering, not everyone agrees with the UN.

"Due to Maersk Alabama ... embarking security teams, the ship was able to prevent being successfully attacked by pirates," said Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. "This is a great example of how merchant mariners can take pro-active action."

Four suspected pirates in a skiff had approached the Maersk Alabama, firing with automatic weapons from about 300 yards away, a statement from the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain said. The ship responded with evasive maneuvers, small-arms fire and a Long Range Acoustic Device, which emits earsplitting tones.

Even with a host of naval vessels in the area around Somalia, the pirates are still taking ships. "Calling 911" and waiting for rescue isn't really an option most of the time.

The Way Chicago Doesn't Work

Trade shows are (used to be?) important to Chicago. 2nd big trade show leaves to save cash :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Business

Actually the number is three, but the Sun Times story has some info on why the exodus.

Why would electrical costs for one booth for one exhibitor be $4,000 in Orlando, where the trade group previously had a show, and $40,000 in Chicago? Those numbers were quoted by the sponsor of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society show, which announced last week it's moving from Chicago to Las Vegas.

David Causton, general manager at McCormick Place, didn't deny the numbers, but said that electrical service prices vary widely depending on the type of extra work needed to set up a booth. In Chicago, he said, union electricians install trusses and exhibit lights as they have historically done. In Orlando, such work might be handled by stagehands, he said.

Unions promise to "work a little bit harder" to be competitive. Great. I wonder how that will work out?

This is the mindset that runs Chicago (and now Washington DC.) Screw everyone who isn't supporting you politically.

Once upon a time in Chicago, there was work that got done. Now the taxes are so high, I am surprised any business stays there. (Sales tax is more than 10%.) Very few reasons that trade shows should move to a more welcoming environment.

That Was Pretty Fast, Considering

Considering that one cop said gays basically could expect to get killed. Suspect charged with murder in slaying of gay teen in Puerto Rico - CNN.com

Lopez Mercado was beheaded, dismembered and burned because he was gay. The suspect is expected to claim something like the gay panic defense.

Practice on Patients

Not enough senior staff. Not enough time for training. The blissful state of health care in the UK. Doctors were told to practise on patients, says whistleblower - Telegraph

The radiologist said junior doctors were sometimes given notes on how to do a procedure and “being told to go and practise it on a patient.”

But they are saving money.

Obama Plans Surrender

Barack Obama to set out 'end game' for Afghanistan - Telegraph

His remarks immediately raised concerns among allies that setting a limit on American military involvement would encourage the Taliban to lie low until US troops had pulled out, rather than forcing them to reconcile with the Kabul leadership.

A Western diplomat told the Daily Telegraph: "Reconciliation is more likely to happen if the Talibs realise that they cannot simply wait you out.

Not unexpected.

No good guys injured

One would-be robber got away. One did not. Clerk Kills Robber: Police | NBC Philadelphia

Two gunmen came into Favor's Liquor Store on S. Walnut Street around 9:30 p.m. and ordered the clerk to give them the money in the register.

When the gunmen came around the counter to try to get the money themselves, the clerk opened fire, hitting one of the masked men, police said.

The guy who was shot staggered outside and collapsed. The other guy ran like a rabbit. Police are searching with dogs.

Self-defense works, and it's a human-right.

Classic Government Accounting

So where is the money going? Jobs Saved or Created in Congressional Districts That Don't Exist - ABC News

Here's a stimulus success story: In Arizona's 15th congressional district, 30 jobs have been saved or created with just $761,420 in federal stimulus spending. At least that's what the Web site set up by the Obama administration to track the $787 billion stimulus says.

There's one problem, though: There is no 15th congressional district in Arizona; the state has only eight districts.

Slush funds are de rigueur in Chicago politics. Not that I think our fearless leader would involve himself in corruption. (Like a real estate deal with Tony Rezko?)

The folks in charge say "Never fear" these are mere errors because folks don't know what district they live in. (Do you? Do you know how to find out what district a given address is in? It isn't hard to do.)

Pipe Dream

This is incredible.


Snopes had this to say...

The device depicted in this video does not exist, at the University of Iowa or anywhere else. It's an example of a computer-animated music video, this one entitled "Pipe Dream" and taken from one of several similar segments on a DVD produced by Animusic. An excerpt of the original can be viewed on the Animusic web site.

Animusic - might actually be worth owning a high-definition version of all they have to offer!

Big Brother Moves Forward in the UK

If they are paying for your health care, they should be able to ensure you are "safe." Health and Safety inspectors ‘sent in to family homes’ - Telegraph

Officials will be sent to carry out formal assessments on items such as stair gates, oven guards and smoke alarms, under draft guidelines drawn up for the Department of Health.

Hospital records and social services papers would be trawled to find families to target for further investigation and GPs, midwives and health visitors would also be asked to make checks as a matter of “routine.”

Information on families’ home arrangements could then be stored on a new health and safety database available to councils, NHS bodies, housing associations, police and the fire brigade.

Some would say that privacy died a long time ago, but this is beyond invasion of the home by the state.

The citizens of the UK seem to have lost control of the beast that is government.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

Home invader meets armed homeowner. Armed Indinanapolis homeowner captures burglary suspect | IndyStar.com

The "burglar" broke into an occupied home. (Makes him a home invader, at least to me.)

When Barrera [the "burglar"] began looking around the house with a flashlight, Leonard Dartagan [the homeowner] saw the beam of light.

Dartagan grabbed a .357 caliber Magnum revolver and fired one shot, striking a glass door, according to the report. Barrera tried to run out the back but couldn't open the door. Dartagnan, then pointed the gun at Barrera, told him to lie on the floor and called police.

Self-defense is human right.

File this under... WTF?

Golden burglar makes himself at home in victim's shorts - The Denver Post He was wearing stolen boxers. He had food in the fridge. He told 2 real-estate agents he was the owner. He wasn't.

The homeowner said when he arrived at his house in the 1200 block of Mesa Court he found a white Lexus parked in his garage and items in his home that were out of place.

He fetched his pistol from a bedroom and called out, police said. Gonzales answered, he told police. The man confronted Gonzales and ordered him to leave the house.

Gonzales allegedly argued that the pistol was not real and "moved aggressively" toward the homeowner, who fired a warning shot, police said. When police arrived the homeowner was still holding Gonzales at gunpoint.

I wouldn't have fired a warning shot.

Oh, and there were the makings of methamphetamine in the garage.

Two Out of Four in Custody

50 percent isn't great, but no good guys were injured. Detroit homeowner injures teen intruders | freep.com

A Detroit homeowner shot one teen and whacked another in the head after he heard someone breaking into his home Sunday night, according to police.

The 2 injured home-invaders are expected to recover. 2 others ran like rabbits.

He is annoyed that his actions become political issues?

Un-freakin-believable. On the subject of Date Night.... Barack Obama on the "one thing" that has annoyed him since becoming president - Telegraph

If I weren't President, I would be happy to catch the shuttle with my wife to take her to a Broadway show, as I had promised her during the campaign, and there would be no fuss and no muss and no photographers.

That would please me greatly.

The notion that I couldn't take my wife out on a date without it being a political issue was not something I was happy with.

If you weren't President no one would care. You are President. People DO care. (Since we have to pay for it.)

Do you want some cheese to go with that whine?

Or, if you don't like living in a fish bowl, and dealing with the criticism of everything you do, and don't do, I suggest you get out of public life.

Nevada Becoming as Dangerous for Burglars as Texas

Criminals haven't gotten the memo that homeowners are armed. Home Invasion Suspect Shot and Killed Early Saturday Morning - Las Vegas Now

For the second time in three days a home invasion suspect has been shot and killed by a homeowner after breaking into a home.

They actually grabbed the 13-year-old son for a time. When they let him go shortly after that, the father shot one in the chest with .40 caliber pistol.

The guy who got shot died. His partner ran like a rabbit, and is probably still hiding.

Self-defense is a human right.

Obama Gets an A- for "Not Being Bush"

Obama's Report Card It has its moments.

On the subject of stabilizing the economy via the "stimulus."

The reality: The Obama Administration claims that the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has created or saved more than 600,000 jobs, and estimates that number will be more than 3 million by the time all the money has been paid out. Multiple examples of numbers-fudging have been uncovered (last week The New York Times reported that a $1,047 ride-on lawnmower purchased for a cemetery in Arkansas was being credited with creating or saving 50 jobs).

That was graded "incomplete." He gets C's and D's in various other things.

I Predict This Will Be Very Unpopular

Plea for UN troops in Mexico

Mexican business leaders have appealed to the United Nations to deploy peacekeepers just metres from the US border to help stem the rampant violence of the country's drug cartels.

Self-defense Works

Elderly man was able to defend himself, because he had a gun. Police: LV Homeowner shoots, kills intruder

Lt. Lew Roberts says the intruder and an unknown number of others kicked open the front door of the home near Rancho and Vegas drives Thursday night.

A struggle ensued and the elderly man got a gun and shot the suspect, who died at the scene.

So what would have happened if he hadn't had access to a firearm? Luckily, we will never know.

Self-defense is a human right.

A Surprising View from Chicago

Surprise! Disarming victims ends badly :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Other Views

Go read it - it isn't long, and it gets to the point.

Defenseless Victim Zones, are not safe places. It may make some people "feel safe" to believe that no one around them has guns. But it doesn't mean they actually are safe.

And turning military bases into defenseless victim zones in the middle of a terror war when you know your enemy likes to strike unexpectedly is worse than stupid.

RSS Feed to Twitter Woes

RSS2TWITTER is flaky. It says the previous 2 posts were posted to Twitter, but they weren't really.

TwitterFeed only posts titles...

What to do?

The System Can't Protect You

Cops were only seconds away (not the usual minutes). It wasn't good enough. Slaying suspect broke through back window as police kept watch in front, sources say - Los Angeles Times

Officers who specialize in domestic violence talked to the woman and, at some point, drove her back to her home near Cochran Avenue and Pico Boulevard. Law enforcement sources said the officers went into the apartment with the woman to make sure the suspect was not there. They thoroughly checked the apartment and then went to their car.

The officers decided to keep watch on the street, worried that the suspect might come to cause trouble, sources said. Police believe the man sneaked into the apartment through a small back window, sources said, possibly scaling the roof to get there. The sources spoke on the condition that they not be named because LAPD policy does not allow public comments on open cases.

The officers heard the woman's screams, ran into the apartment and saw a man stabbing the woman. They opened fire, fatally wounding the attacker.

Both the victim and her attacker are dead.

Cops drove her to the apartment and checked to be sure it was safe. It wasn't safe for very long.

Cops are usually minutes away. In this case they were only seconds away. It didn't help.

In that instant when you are confronted by a violent maniac intent on doing you harm, you are probably going to be alone. You need a plan for how to deal with it. (Dialing 911, relying on police, etc. is probably not going to keep you safe.)

This woman was only alone for a few seconds. Those few seconds were the rest of her life.

Now if she had owned a gun, and had it with her in the apartment (very questionable given the law in the People's Republic of California) she may not have prevailed. Owning a gun, carrying a gun, does not make you invincible. But relying on others for your safety only makes you a disarmed victim. A lot of bad things can happen in a few minutes. In this case it only took a few seconds.

What a Surprise - Obama Ready to Surrender Afghanistan

Barack Obama 'to reject Afghanistan war options in favour of plan with clear exit strategy' - Telegraph

According to US reports, it is not the first time he has asked for the four options thought to have been presented to him to be rewritten and he is putting up considerable resistance to the strategy put forward by the Gen Stanley McChrystal, the US Nato commander in Afghanistan, to increase troop numbers by 40,000 for a counterinsurgency drive.

Other options on the table include sending between 10,000 and 15,000 troops who will focus on training Afghan forces.

Not a surprise.

Strange Images...

German Carnival starts 11/11 at 11:11.

More images here.

A Mother Defends Her Children

What would you do if faced with an intruder threatening your family? Police: Woman In Home Kills Intruder

Investigators said a mother of three children shot and killed an intruder who was trying to get into her home Tuesday night.

This woman had a gun, and she had the training she needed in how to use it. When someone tried to break down her front door, she was ready.

The police found an injured guy on the doorstep, but he died before paramedics could arrive.

Self-defense is a human right.

It Is Good to Know the President is so Respected Abroad

My liberal friends always say how important it is that our President is respected. Is he? Not enough about him? Barack Obama skips Berlin Wall ceremonies – Telegraph Blogs

There was one world leader absent for today’s commemorations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Surprisingly enough, it’s President Barack Obama, who found time last year to give a campaign speech there last year, which Der Spiegel summed up as “People of the World, Look at Me”.

The White House has cited a packed schedule, though looking at it he had nothing much on yesterday (brief chat to reporters about healthcare – by far his biggest priority) and just blah briefings and a bill signing today until a metting this evening with Benjamin Netanyahu. This time, Der Spiegel has reported it as “Barack Too Busy”.

Funny how he had time to jet over to the IOC meeting, and I'm sure he won't be too busy to pick up his "I'm not Bush" Nobel Prize in December.

But a commemoration of the downfall of the Soviet Empire? A remembrance of the most critical political event of the last 50 years? (Well, if you discount his election, I'm sure!) I guess that health care thing is taking up more of his time than I realized.

Several people have made the statement that the Obamas are going to be remembered for vanity. (Counting the number of times they said "I" or whatever during their IOC speeches seemed excessive to me.) While I won't go that far, I have to concede that those people have a point.

Self-defense Works

Even when the bad guys can seem to have the upper hand. 20-year-old Shoots Armed Robber, Two Suspects Flee

They assaulted him as he approached his home, and forced him inside demanding money.

While upstairs in the master bedroom, the victim got into a struggle with one of the suspects. During the struggle the victim located his own pistol and began firing.

One of the suspects was hit multiple times, and made it as far as the driveway before collapsing. The other suspect jumped in the getaway car and left the scene.

The guy who was shot was rushed to surgery in critical condition. The victim of the attempted robbery was treated for minor facial injuries.

Self-defense is a human right.

Quality Health Care Costs Money

Politicians love to talk about how we are going to save money on health care, and usually in the same sentence say how good health care in the United Kingdom. Too bad it isn't true. Poor care 'could be killing patients' - Telegraph

One in three patients who died within days of being admitted did not receive acceptable standards of care, an independent health watchdog found.

The study reveals delayed operations, complications left untreated and surgery not carried out because theatres closed at night or during weekends.

There is a list of anecdotal evidence, and some statistics - though they are based on small samples. Still the study is disturbing.

“Some of the examples are shocking,” [Katherine Murphy, from the Patient’s Association, said.]

“Life-threatening complications left untreated, poor notekeeping, seriously ill patients deteriorating without prompt action, lack of facilities for emergency surgery, avoidable complications contributing to patient death.

“We're told patient safety is the number one priority for the NHS - this report suggests otherwise.”

Cost savings. Time limits. These are the kinds of things bureaucrats talk about (and measure). Quality of the care received? Tougher to measure that.

The Blissful State of UK Health Care

It seems not all is going well in the Socialist Health Care regime in the UK. Eight in 10 hospital infections going unreported 'because of Government targets' - Telegraph

Government is tracking two infectious diseases running rampant in UK hospitals: MRSA and C. Diff. And rightly so. They had a serious problem (have a serious problem?) with these two diseases. Except that doesn't cover the broader issue of infections generally.

Many dangerous infections are on the rise in hospitals across the country, despite ministers claims they are winning the fight against the two most notorious superbugs MRSA and C. difficile.

The failure to monitor the other bugs - which account for 80 per cent of all infections - means it is impossible to know how many people are dying from infections they pick up in hospital, MPs warn.

Statistics that miss 80 percent of the problem are pretty poor statistics.

And it isn't a small problem.

Every year more than 300,000 patients in England acquire an infection in hospital.

A lot of infections. Ignoring 80 percent of that number is worse than dishonest.

A voluntary reporting system run by the Health Protection Agency found that bloodstream infections in hospitals rose by 30 per cent between 2003 and 2007.

Cases of E-coli, which account for around one in five bloodstream infections, rose by 33 per cent over the same time, and cases of Klebsiella bacteria, which can cause pneumonia, by a similar amount. Cases of MSSA, a bacteria similar to MRSA, increased by 9 per cent.

All three infections can be as deadly as MRSA, the report warns, and analysis shows that E-coli and Klebsiella infections are becoming increasingly resistant to key antibiotics.

Drug-resistant forms of disease are getting to be a real problem.