Which is More Green, Prius or Hummer?

The Recorder: Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage Of course it never works out quite the way you think it will, but this is sad....

Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer that is on the road for three times longer than a Prius. As already noted, the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the ‘dead zone’ around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles.

The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius’ battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario, becoming every environmentalist’s nightmare.

“The acid rain around Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down off the hillside,” said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper.

That isn't the end of the Prius problems, not by a long site.

And the moral of the story?

So, if you are really an environmentalist - ditch the Prius. Instead, buy one of the most economical cars available - a Toyota Scion xB.

Neighbors are "Shocked"

KATV Channel 7 - Homeowner Claims Self Defense in North Little Rock Shooting Sounds like self-defense to me.

(Officer Carmen Green, North Little Rock Police Dept.) "The resident heard glass break outside his residence. When he opened the door he saw a black male crouched down behind his vehicle. When he stepped out onto his porch that's when the individual stood up turned towards him and fired one shot. And returned? Yes and he returned fire."

The homeowner wounded the guy, who ran away. He died later in front of a vacant house.

The neighbors?

(Sharea Yancy, Neighbor) "I knew there was somebody over there laying down because I seen the white sheet."
...
(Yancy) "It's just shocking. I was kind of shaken. It just shocked me."

The police have not arrested the homeowner, though the investigation continues. Self-defense is a human right.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

A Review of the Pink Pistols

News & Culture in San Jose, CA | Pink Pistols It is a fairly good view of a few California branches of the Pink Pistols.

It has a really funny commentary by the spokesperson for the "Left" that hates guns.

[Shelly] Prevost understands this contention, and admits that, in certain situations, there's not much one can do—if an attack is in progress, the options are either run, or shoot, But she wants preemptive action be taken. She suggests that groups rally to attend school board meetings where, for example, legislation calls for anti-bullying. She also encourages men and women to create art, like she did, that promotes dialogue toward openness within communities. She says that education, not violence, will modify beliefs.

Now she has a point. Education will (or can) change beliefs, but when you are faced with a group of attackers - gay bashers almost always travel in packs - unless you can hit them over the head with the art, you need a firearm. And the point of self-defense is in that instant when it is "shoot or run" not all of us can run very fast. Does it then become run or get bashed?

She trots out the Left's "You can't stop violence with violence," but like everyone on the Left fails to explain why they believe that. (Didn't Normandy and Ardennes stop Hilter?)

Prevost also talks about warning shots. I don't know about CA, in FL warning shots are illegal. You don't draw your weapon until it is needed to defend your life. Warning shots are not defense.

Anyway, it is an interesting look at an interesting organization with some Leftist hand-wringing along the way.

Cops Behaving Badly - and Being Held Accountable

Police Officer Charged With Raping 14-Year-Old - Local News It doesn't surprise me that some cops behave badly. They are human, and as in any large group, there will be some bad apples. What bothers me is when they close ranks and protect one (or more) of their own. Not this time.

"I think Philadelphia police officers should be and must be held to a higher standard and if we do violate the law, I think it should be handled as harshly as possible," [Chief Inspector Bill Colarulo with the Philadelphia Police Department] said.

This is the way law enforcement - all of law enforcement - should think. [via KABA]

Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic

Home Office splits to join 'today's world'-News-Politics-TimesOnline So the Brits split the home office in 2. So what? Have they changed the policy of letting criminals go? Have they started handing out jail sentences instead of anti-social behavior orders (ASBOs) - which do nothing? Have they allowed the average citizen of the UK to defend themselves when attacked? No.

I wonder if Gore agrees?

"Greener" buildings could slow global warming: UNEP - Yahoo! News:

Avoid building a bigger house than you need

But then he needs that estate....

The Louis Vuitton Cup 13th Act Starts April 3

32nd America's Cup Official Website - Tick tock – the countdown to racing advances The 13th Act of the Louis Vuitton Cup is race that picks the challenger for the America's Cup. The America's Cup is a match race - head to head between 2 boats over many days - to see who is best. The Louis V. Cup is more standard regatta - many boats on the water at one time, all racing to win the L.V Cup and compete for the America's Cup.

The L.V Cup's final act will be from April 3 through April 7. The America's Cup Match will run from June 23 thru July 7. The venue this time around is Valencia, Spain. The defending team (for the America's Cup) is boat out of Switzerland, but the America's Cup is a salt-water race, so they selected Valencia.

I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it is because in addition to the fact that the sea changes and the light changes, and ships change, it is because we all came from the sea.

John F. Kennedy made these remarks in 1962 at a dinner for the defenders and challengers a few days before the match race began.

Well Said

Paul at Right Side of the Rainbow has a great observation about the myth that the police will protect you. (A myth that the Left loves to treat as fact.)

It’s statist myth that the law exists to protect us. It does not. The law exists to 1) provide formal notice of conduct punishable by fine, imprisonment or death and 2) to afford due process to those accused of such conduct. Both of these functions are important to liberal societies, which value justice under law. But neither of them can keep you from getting raped or maimed or killed.

Around The Blogroll

Alphecca says One Pennsylvania Mayor Gets It Right

Grizzly Mama has a Grizzly Report on the Gathering of Eagles

Queer Conservative says The New York Times Gets It "Wrong" Again...

Bitter has an update on Christian Trejbal

I have to admit, I get a strange joy knowing that just about every decision I make in life pisses him off.

And it seems Tam is easily amused... Overheard on the porch...

Why Can Corporations Deny Us Our Rights?

NRA-ILA :: A Letter to Marion Hammer When I drive on the public roads, my car remains my property, and the police do not have the right to search it without probable cause. Why do corporations have the right to search my vehicle, and to tell me what I can and cannot lock in my car? Can they restrict political literature, or religious texts?

Dear Ms. Hammer:

I am an attorney in Orlando, Florida. I understand that you are supporting the proposed Personal Private Property Protection Act introduced to the Florida Legislature this year. I wanted to bring a matter to your attention that relates to this Bill.

I represent Doug and Linda Gray, a husband and wife who were both employed by the Walt Disney World Company. They worked similar shifts, and traveled to work together. The Grays had to begin their commute before sunrise, and had to travel through some less than safe areas. In fact, they had been accosted on their commute to work in the past. They contacted law enforcement about this and were advised that they should purchase a firearm for their own protection during their commute. Based on this advice, Mr. Gray purchased a revolver to protect he and his wife. When the Grays arrived at work, the revolver was locked in their vehicle.

The Grays were both hired by Disney on November 13, 1996. They met at Disney during the final entry interview process, and were later married. Just 17 days before their 10th anniversary of employment at Disney, they were both terminated. While Mrs. Gray was being asked about an absence from work, she responded that her husband was unable to attend, and she didn't feel safe traveling into work without him. Upon further questioning, Mrs. Gray revealed that Mr. Gray had the firearm in their vehicle for their protection. Disney had the vehicle searched, and the firearm was found, locked in the vehicle where the Grays indicated it was. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gray were terminated. Additionally, Disney had the Orange County Sheriffs issue a trespass warning against Mr. and Mrs. Gray, so that neither could step foot on any Disney property again.

I attempted to intervene on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Gray. However, Disney would not allow me to participate in their review of this incident. Disney claimed that they had a zero tolerance policy with respect to firearms on their property. They would not listen when they were told that the revolver belonged to Mr. Gray, and that Mrs. Gray had never even handled the same. They would not listen when they were told about the Grays' commute and how it was dangerous for them to travel to work at the times they were scheduled.

Moreover, Disney showed no leniency toward the Grays whatsoever. The punishment for Mrs. Gray was the same as for Mr. Gray, because she knew that he kept a firearm in the vehicle and the vehicle was titled in both of their names. Disney did not take the Grays' years of service into account when they were terminated. Disney did not take into account the fact that the Grays voluntarily reduced their hours in the post-September 11, 2001 tourist slump, so that Disney would not have to lay off as many employees. Disney would not even withdraw the trespasses against the Gray so that they could bring their grandchildren to the parks when they visited on vacation. Mr. Gray was originally granted unemployment compensation, but Disney fought that as well and now Mr. Gray is obligated to pay back the unemployment benefits he was paid.

Doug and Linda Gray are good people. They had recently bought a house and were working hard to pay for the same. They worked for Disney for almost 10 years, and they no plans to change their careers. Unfortunately, it is not a perfect world. The Grays had been threatened by criminals on their commute to work during the pre-dawn hours. Mr. Gray purchased a firearm for the sole purpose of protecting himself and his wife so that they could continue to show up for work at Disney. However, when Disney discovered that there was a firearm in its parking lot, Disney fired these hard working, long time employees without hesitation, without remorse, and without any recourse. When Disney was given the opportunity to show leniency, it failed to do so.

In short, Mr. Gray lost his job because he wanted to protect himself and his wife when they were traveling to and from work. Mrs. Gray lost her job simply because her husband wanted to keep her safe during their commute. Their lives have been thrown into upheaval because they were willing to take responsibility for their own safety. Certainly Disney did nothing to keep them safe during their commute; to the contrary, in complete disregard for the safety and welfare of its employees, Disney prohibits employees, such as the Grays, from protecting themselves while traveling to and from work.

The Grays understand that there was no law preventing Disney from terminating them as it did. However, they have asked me to share their story with you and with the Florida Legislature, so perhaps other good citizens of Florida are protected from similar actions in the future.

If I can provide any additional information on this topic that would be useful to you or the Florida Legislature, please do not hesitate to contact me. Until then, I remain,

Very truly yours,

Ernest J. Myers, Esq.
Orlando, FL 32801

Self-defense Works

Hurricane man kills attacker, police say in self defense - ABC4.com Firearm overcomes multiple attackers.

There are still a lot of questions, but here's what we know based on information from the police and neighbors. Just after 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, two men show up at the door of apartment "C" at 167 East 200 North in Hurricane. At least one of the men had a pipe and uses it to start beating the man who answered the door.

The man tried to get away while the beating continued. He somehow got a gun and fires at least twice. One shot fatally wounds the attacker.

The other guy ran like a frightened rabbit.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

The Enquirer - Slain intruder shot five times: Man tells police he was attacked with sledgehammer (More details on an earlier story) Like a scene from a bad movie, a maniac with a sledgehammer breaks into your home and attacks you.

HAMILTON -- Jamie Buck was asleep early Friday when a sledgehammer shattered his side door’s window and a stranger burst into his rented home, demanding money or jewelry.

That was the last demand Millard Brandenburg would ever make.

Preliminary investigations find that the shooting was justified.

Buck, who works as a roofer, called 911 and calmly told police: “This guy broke into my house…He tried to kill me with a sledgehammer, sir…He is lying dead in my kitchen.”

The guy lying dead in the kitchen was released from state prison in May, but then was in minimum security lock-up until February second.

During the past decade, he had been cited into Hamilton Municipal Court on more than two dozen offenses including traffic citations, ethnic intimidation, assault, resisting arrest and forgery.

So to any and all on the Left... Do we need sledgehammer control? How would the world be better if the law-abiding homeowner hadn't been able to defend himself?

Just to help the LLama Butchers with their link-whoring

The LLama Butchers: Episco-Blogging That and it is a funny joke.

Jesus said to them, "Who do you say that I am?"

They replied, "You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground of our being, the kerygma of which we find the ultimate meaning in our interpersonal relationships."

And Jesus said, "What?"

New Orleans Residents Arming Themselves

FOXNews.com - New Orleans Residents Arming Themselves - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News No surprise really that in what has become the murder capital of the US, the law abiding are arming themselves.

NEW ORLEANS — Sixty-four-year-old Vivian Westerman rode out Hurricane Katrina in her 19th-century house. So terrible was the experience that she wanted two things before the 2006 season arrived: a backup power source and a gun. "I got a 6,000-watt generator and the cutest little Smith & Wesson, snub-nose .38 you ever saw," she boasted. "I've never been more confident."

The one disappointing thing... Fox News tries to down-play the idea of self-defense.

While many are buying guns for protection, only two defensive killings of criminals by civilians took place in New Orleans in 2006, according to police. No charges were filed against the shooters.

I realize that they were talking about murders earlier in the story, but why restrict yourself to defensive uses of a hand-gun that result in death? Injuring the miscreant isn't good enough for Fox News? I guess they are members of the "journalism profession" after all.... in other words, gun-haters. [hat tip John Lott]

U.S. Marine Gets UK Award

U.S. Marine pilot given British honor | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle The Lefty press doesn't seem to think that this is a big deal. Not if you base your assessment on the amount of ink anyway.

It is the first time since WWII that an American has received the Britain's Distinguished Flying Cross.

He braved hostile fire to evacuate a wounded British officer in Al Amara province, Iraq in June 2006. He braved hostile fire to evacuate a wounded British officer in Al Amara province, Iraq in June 2006.

More at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.

Armed Self-defense in Florida

59-Year-Old Homeowner Shoots Intruder - Local News You are sitting quietly, reading the morning paper, when a miscreant threatens you. What do you do.

John James told police he was drinking his coffee and reading the paper when Bobby Lee Whipple broke through his fenced yard and threatened to assault him. Whipple allegedly told James that he was "going to kill him."

That is when James said he grabbed his .22 Magnum handgun and shot at Whipple, hitting him in the stomach.

If the miscreant survives the gunshot wound, he will be facing charges that bring a 25 year sentence.

It is a good thing, James said, that he happened to have his gun nearby. Police said they agree.

Self-defense is not just a human right, in Florida, it is your legal right.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

The Enquirer - Intruder killed by homeowner Ohio homeowner kills intruder who threatened him. That last bit is important, since Ohio doesn't have a decent version of the Castle Doctrine.

In Ohio, homeowners are justified in killing or attacking intruders if they break into their home and threaten them or their family

Just having a stranger in your home at 1:30 AM, should constitute a threat. How am I - when I just wake up from a sound sleep - supposed to determine their intent?

Oh well, it looks like this will come out right in the end, though the homeowner was injured in a "scuffle."

Cops Behaving Badly - also on tape

Source: Video Catches Philadelphia Officer Shoplifting - Local News And even with the tape, no charges have been filed.

Now most cops are decent hard-working, law-abiding types. Most, not all. When they get caught doing something like this, LEOs need to come down hard on them, if they want to keep (regain?) our trust.

The actions of the cops jack-booted thugs after Katrina killed most of the trust they had. [KABA]

Cops Behaving Badly - and then covering up for one of their own

cbs2chicago.com - Off-Duty Cop Caught On Tape Beating Bartender A vicious attack by a drunk - a drunk cop - on a bartender who refused to serve him another drink. All caught on video.

The Chicago Police Department made a unilateral decision that they were going to charge him only with a misdemeanor without telling the State's Attorney’s Office," said [Attorney Terry Ekl who represents the alleged victim].

But prosecutors took over and filed felony aggravated battery charges.

You mean cops are subject to same laws as everyone else? Probably only when they are caught on tape carrying out a brutal attack.

More charges - like intimidating a witness - may be added later.

He was one of 100 Chicago police officers who had been hired despite having prior drug or alcohol related driving offenses.

Chicago's Finest.

Quote of the Day

Warning - here is a real bull-winder of a rant. If you are a whiny Leftist, better stand aside, and let this train roll through.

Individ:

Why Would You Not Leave When Someone With a .223 Tells You to Leave?

North Platte Telegraph - NP woman shoots intruder He forces his way into a home - looking for her boyfriend - and when she tells him to leave, he rushes her. Of course at the time she was armed with a Ruger Mini-14.

Police found the man lying inside the front door of the home and identified him as David Allen, 37, of North Platte. Ryan said paramedics were called to the scene, and they determined Allen had died at the scene.

I guess he didn't think she would really shoot. [KABA]

Chase Bank HATES Their Customers!

The Michael Bane Blog: Chase Bank HATES Their Customers! Just go read it.

Free Speech Still Lives on the Internet

U.S. Judge Blocks 1998 Online Porn Law - washingtonpost.com This was a bad law, and I glad to see that it has been struck down.

When I was young, everything about being gay or lesbian - not porn per se, but just general information - was deemed to be "harmful to minors" by "contemporary community standards." Hell, you can attack just about anything under that standard. Graphic depictions of the war in Iraq, photos of the the destruction of the World Trade Center, discussions of evolution, real information about the true causes of global warming: all of these could be attacked under this vague standard.

And why was this law enacted? Because we don't feel (as a country) that parents and teachers should be responsible for what kids see on the internet. It is apparently easier to control all of the internet than to control your kids.

But of course, this law never applied to web-sites hosted internationally, so it was worse than useless. If upheld, everyone would have thought the web was "safe" for kids, when in fact porn would have been available in any number of foreign countries. Next would have been a Chinese-like ban on foreign websites. "It's for the kids," is an easy mantra in which to cloak authoritarianism.

'Political correctness is killing our freedoms'

'Political correctness is killing our freedoms' | International News | News | Telegraph There is a similar move in the US, but it is not as far along as it is in Europe.

Do you value Freedom? Do you think free-speech is a good thing? Then be prepared to be insulted. Political Correctness is authoritarianism, plain and simple.

"I was 18 years old when a democratic revolution came to my country. Before we could not read the books or listen to the music we wanted," he says, speaking in his 13th-floor office in the Berlaymont building in Brussels. "I am radical on these matters. If there is an excess of freedom, it is better to have excess than less."

No one remembers the childhood rhyme that began, "Sticks and stone may break my bones," and as a result, we are seeing the end of free speech.

But not if enough of us wake up to the fact in time.

I Suppose it Made them feel Like "Real Men"

wcbstv.com - Four Plead Guilty In Bias Attack On Gay Singer Four guys beat up one guy because he is gay. The plead to reduced charges to get reduced sentences - still pretty stiff at between 6 and 15 years. Better than the 25 they faced if they went to trial.

The four -- Akino George, Gregory Archie, Jarell Sears and Gerard Johnson -- admitted that last summer they chased, jumped and beat Kevin Aviance.

The four began following Aviance around 1:30 a.m. on June 10, 2006, calling him derogatory names, police said. They threw two garbage bags and a paint can at the singer before attacking him, police said.

Four guys between the ages of 17 and 21 attack a 39-year-old singer. They broke his jaw, among other things.

Monsters. Goblins. But hardly freaks of nature. This kind of thing happens way too often. At least there is some justice in this case.

Self-defense in the People's Republic of Illinois

Homeowner fires shots at intruder | Chicago Tribune So I wonder if they will press charges against the homeowner? If this happened in Chicago, I am sure they would have.

The 53-year-old unidentified homeowner, who had been awakened earlier by the repeated ringing of his doorbell, answered the door and saw the suspect walking away, police said. The suspect then allegedly walked back to the house and began kicking the front door.

The homeowner went to his bedroom, called 911 and retrieved a small-caliber handgun, police said. The resident heard the suspect enter the home, and he confronted him in the hall outside the bedroom.

He shot "at" the burglar at close range, but police are not sure if he was hit or not.

Self-defense and Domenstic Violence

Husband Wounded in Domestic Dispute | WDEF News 12 | News, Weather and Sports for Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley When I am looking for articles on domestic violence, it is rare to find an instance where the battered spouse has enough moxie to defend themselves.

Investigators say Catlett and his wife Gayla got into an argument.

They believe she got a gun and fired it once after he threatened her with a knife.

So far no charges have been filed.

It doesn't work out this way very often. Consider the other case in the news.

WEAU - Woman Shot by Estranged Husband She called 911, but was shot in the head a short time later. He committed suicide when the police showed up at his home.

Now while it is unfortunate that someone got shot in the first story, at least both are still alive. A more tragic waste than murder (or attempted at this point) followed by suicide is hard to imagine.

The Religion of Peace is Making Threats

Ex-Muslims get threats after forming society in Germany Islam doesn't take nicely to criticism, we know that from the whole cartoon kerfuffle. They really don't like people who say that they are ex-Muslims.

A group of former Muslims in Germany who have formed a society of atheists have been sent threatening letters, have been pronounced fit for death and have been given police bodyguards.

They have been told that they will be shot in the back. (Isn't that the mark of coward? Another trait for the Religion of Peace.)

Why? Because this group doesn't think women should wear veils, or be stoned, or in general have the 2nd class status that Islam tends to force on them.

Hydrogen Cars? Not Soon

Hydrogen cars face technological hurdles: experts - Yahoo! News A million dollars a piece. A range of less than 150 miles on a full tank. These are only 2 of the problems.

That's because hydrogen is put in a car as a liquid at very low temperatures, but reverts to being a gas as it warms. It dissipates into the air even if the vehicle is not being used.

"You have boil off, you are ventilating hydrogen," said BMW vice president of clean technology Frank Ochmann.

"After a certain time, after a week, say, the tank will be empty. This is a certain headache that we still have, but we're working on this."

I wouldn't place any bets on the "hydrogen economy" that the federal government hyping just yet.

Hey idiot, its over

Cops: Plymouth man tried to gas his ex Why can't they just admit that it is "over" and get on with their lives?

He tried to fill the house up with carbon monoxide and natural gas by tampering with the furnace. Once police got all of the information together, he was booked.

Officers then arrested him on four counts of attempted murder, breaking and entering in the day with intent to commit a felony, violating a restraining order and larceny from a building.

60 days - no bail. This woman had better plan for what he will do next. (I would get a gun and some range time.) He "wasn't going to let her break up with him." What an idiot. I hope they throw the book at him for the attempted murder.

Some Questions for Straights

Why do straights hate gays? - Los Angeles Times I don't agree with everything in this article (come on, it's in the LA Times!), but there are some tough questions that people need to think about.

Don't any of you wonder why heterosexuals treat gays so brutally year after year after year, as your people take away our manhood, our womanhood, our personhood? Why, even as we die you don't leave us alone. What we can leave our surviving lovers is taxed far more punitively than what you leave your (legal) surviving spouses. Why do you do this?

The death tax, that a Republican Congress and a Republican President failed to do anything about in 6 years hits us much harder than it does straights.

If you are opposed to gay marriage and civil unions, would you be willing to give up your immunity from the death tax, your ability to decide who makes medical decisions, and all the other financial benefits of marriage? I didn't think so.

The Castle Doctrine in Action

The Cincinnati Post - Intruder in home today shot, killed Kentucky has a pretty good version of the Castle Doctrine, so it is unlikely charges will be brought against the homeowner.

I mean, it someone breaks into your home at 3:30 in the morning, what would you do?

"We believe the victim (Setzer) and the other person in the house were in fear of their lives at the time," [Lt. Col. Spike Jones, spokesman for the Covington Police Department] said. "It's our belief at this time that the homeowner was fending off a continuing assault."

(Spike Jones? Probably no one remembers the musician by that name.)

Police are not saying what caliber handgun was used nor are they saying how many shots were fired.

Gotta Love Her Attitude

Granny's got a gun A nice story about an elderly couple who got concealed carry permits in Alabama. Frances Babington, 65, has a great attitude.

would-be criminals take note! The next time you attempt to rob or break and enter into the home of an elderly, gray-haired lady, it might be me. If you enter my home I would consider my life to be in peril and would not hesitate to blow you out of your socks.

I don't think that she or her husband will have many problems. [CDSdB]

3 out of 4 ain't bad

Home invader shot by tenant | www.tucsoncitizen.com � Four people try to invade a home. The resident is armed and shoots one of them.

About 30 minutes later, a representative from St. Mary's Hospital called police telling them a man who had been shot had gone to the emergency room with three of his friends.

The injured guy and two friends are arrested. One gets away.

Actually the injured guy is in serious condition.

(And yes, we have another news organization that can't tell the criminals from the victims. You can write to them, and explain the error of their ways.)

First Gay Civil Union in Mexico City

First gay couple 'marry' in Mexico City So which country is more progressive and which more traditional?

This is not the first gay civil union in Mexico....

The capital was the first in the predominantly Roman Catholic country to approve such a law, but a similar measure later approved in the northern state of Coahuila went into effect first, at the end of January. On Jan. 31, a lesbian couple officially registered their union

Add Mexico to the list of countries (and states) allowing Civil Unions.

With all this "undermining of the sanctity of marriage" going on all over the world, it is wonder that straight marriage still exists.

How to Stop the Violence?

Inside Bay Area - Slaying exposes restraining order law's weaknesses Discussing the murder last week, of woman on her way to church when she was gunned down in the parking lot - in front of witnesses - 20 minutes before services were to begin, a Kalifornia paper makes following statement.

As a result, the only way to stop harassment is to call the police every time a violation of the order occurs.

Every violation of the restraining order (beatings?) results in 5 days in jail.... at most.

I would say the other way to stop the violations is to be armed and defend yourself from violent attack.

"Getting a restraining order is only the first step," said Carolyn Russell, operations director for A Safe Place, an organization in Oakland that provides shelter to domestic violence victims. "Sometimes, the only option for the (victim) is to go into hiding."

In a state that denies the rights of individuals to defend themselves (and if you deny me the means to defend myself, you deny my human right of self-defense) this is probably true. Will going into hiding lose you your job, your home, etc? The "victims' advocates" don't care. Without a constant supply of victims, they would be out of work.

Women and men who have restraining orders against ex-spouses, violent stalkers, whatever, need to be able to be armed for self-defense. Furthermore, they need to be armed exactly when those on the Left (and parts of the Right) want to disarm them - when they are on a known schedule at a known location. These times and locations include to and from work, picking up and dropping off kids from school and daycare, to and from religious services. This is when they are most vulnerable to attack.

The suggestion is made that the victim should not have gone to church that day. Should she go to work? Should people in that position take their kids to school or the doctor?

A gun may not have kept this woman alive. There are no guarantees in this life. Defending herself may not have been her wish, or have even been possible, but relying only on a restraining order for protection from a violent person is trusting in something that cannot help you when you need it most. In most cases the police will only be called after you have been beaten or killed. Restraining orders are interesting legal documents; they are not bullet-proof vests.

I Love a Story with a Happy Ending

STLtoday - Man with concealed weapon shoots alleged robber Pellet-gun-wielding robber picks wrong intended victim.

[The goblin] went off to a hospital with wounds of the hand and leg; the victim went on his way with the congratulations of police.

OK, so this is a repeat. That statement is worth it!

It is also worth noting that the intended victim handed over wallet, necklace, watch, etc. He cooperated with the robbers. Afterward, they pointed a gun at him. Turned out to be a pellet gun, but at night in the heat of the moment, it looked like a .45 caliber semiautomatic. What happened to "cooperate and they will leave you alone?" That has always been a myth. [KABA]

Gay Man Murdered for Unwanted Advance

Authorities say man was killed because he was gay | theledger.com I wonder if the "real man" who killed this gay man because he made an advance, believe that all women would be justified in killing any man who made a similar unwanted advance?

A witness came forward and said Skipper was killed because he made an advance toward [this goblin].

No, I didn't think so.

I don't think this crime should receive special treatment as a hate crime, it should just be treated as the horrible crime it is, and prosecuted accordingly. Florida does have the death penalty after all.

Why all the fuss?

Court Rediscovers 2nd Amendment, Liberals Fear Other 'Rights' May Soon be Found by Mac Johnson - HUMAN EVENTS A great discussion of the recent DC appeals court ruling on the Second Amendment, and why the Left has got its collective knickers in a knot.

Another Review of 300

PREVIEW: True Thermopylaes This one highlights where they got the history wrong, and the fact that most of it is right.

Armed Self-defense Works

KTBS :: Would-be robber flees after clerks pull gun on him

That attempted robbery occurred Thursday afternoon at a Citgo station on Louisiana Avenue. A man pointed a gun at a clerk, but fled when two other clerks in the store pulled their own guns.

Police think the same guy shot at an officer who was trying to question him. He was captured by a K-9 unit. The goblin suffered minor bite wounds from the police dog.

[He] was booked on charges of attempted first-degree murder, attempted robbery and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

Philosophical Discussion of the Week

Dr. Sanity: LOOKING FOR HUMOR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES ? Why can't the Left make a judgment? Why does it consider the word "evil" to be so problematic? Why are they so screwed up? Go take a look.

People for the Eating of Tasty Animals

Yourish.com � The Fifth Annual Intl. Eat an Animal for PETA Day: Thursday, March 15th Why does no one tell me about these things in advance?

Don’t forget, this Thursday, March 15th, is the fifth annual International Eat a Tasty Animal for PETA (IEATAPETA) Day, the day on which we annoy vegans the world over, and PETA

I mean I did have a burger, but I would have had a steak to celebrate! I guess the roast-beef sandwich I had for lunch will have to do. (Now I'm hungry!)

"People for the Eating of Tasty Animals" is completely fictional, I wish it weren't. [Hat tip to the Geek]

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

MyFox Houston | Deputies: Homeowner Kills Intruder You're at home with your kids when an urban goblin breaks in. What do you do?

Deputies said a man who broke into a home in the 6700 block of Dusty Dawn near Coral Stone at about 8 p.m. Tuesday was shot and killed by the homeowner.

I thought that's what you would do.

Authorities said no charges would be filed against the homeowner.

Self-defense is a human right.

University of Utah Stops Fighting Self-defense

U drops federal gun lawsuit - News It was a losing battle anyway.

Utah passed a state law (or changed and existing law) allowing concealed weapons permit holders to carry on university campuses. The powers that be at the University of Utah were dismayed. People would not have to rely on the state for their safety. Taking individual responsibility for you life and safety was now legal. What was next? Free enterprise? The end of Tenure?

The university president said guns would make students feel unsafe. What about the students who would feel unsafe because of being disarmed? I guess they aren't as important.

I think you could sum this up by saying that they are shocked to discover that the university is actually located in the real world. [KABA]

The Murder of Hina Saleem

Comment is free: An uncomfortable silence Hina Saleem was murdered by her father for the crime of being a normal Italian teenager. He wanted her to be a Muslim teenager. He buried her in the back yard.

The Left is strangely quiet about the case, since they are afraid of seeming anti-Muslim.

Far from joining themselves to the civil suit Ms Gemelli had brought, feminist associations had "not lifted a finger", she said. Her explanation, which at least one noted feminist agreed with, is that Italy's women's groups - all of the left - were scared witless of seeming racist or anti-immigrant.

This is not really a story about Italy at all. Another woman commentator said feminist groups in Germany had reacted in a similarly paralysed fashion to the case of a lawyer of Turkish origin who had been beaten up for defending the rights of Muslim women.

In fact the only group who sent a representative to Saleem's funeral was the "post-fascist" National Alliance. The Left is not interested in Women's rights unless they can bash white males. Taking immigrants to task is just to distressing. [Hat tip iFeminists.com]

Jack-booted Thugs

Police don't care about your rights. What happened after hurricane Katrina proves that.

OK, you can't embed this video. Click on the video and watch it at YouTube.


[Hat tip No Looking Backward]

Homeowner Defends His Family

HCSO: Homeowner Kills Burglar During Home Invasion - Local News You're at home with your spouse and children when you realize someone is breaking into your home. What do you do?

Ovidio Reyes, his wife and their and two children were inside the home at the time of the home invasion, detectives said.

Reyes realized what was happening and grabbed a gun to defend his family.

The burglar was armed and shot at the homeowner. The goblin is dead, and no charges have been filed against the homeowner.

Self-defense may be a human right, but I believe parents have a moral obligation to protect their children from harm. I salute Mr. Reyes.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

The Global Warming Swindle (parts 1 and 2)

Google moved the video (and cut it into 8 parts) so the links around the blogsphere are broken.




Find the rest of them here

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

KSDK NewsChannel 5 - Man Shoots Attempted Robbers At Bridgeton Motel Interstate concealed carry reciprocity lands one criminal in jail.

He told police he shot at two men who tried to rob him.

Shortly after they arrived, police found one of the suspects in the parking lot of Jack's Ironhorse Bar on St. Charles Rock Road. That suspect, ... had been shot in the hand and leg. [The goblin], who is now charged with robbery and armed criminal action, has previously been convicted of robbery, burglary, and drug charges.

The other guy is still on the run. [h/t John Lott]

Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide!

This chemical is used in the production of Styrofoam, and many pesticides. It is used in nuclear reactors and is found in most of the foods you buy at the grocery store!

This is classic. You can get a bunch Lefty Tree-Huggers to sign a petition to ban water (everyday drinking water) if you give it a "horrible" chemical name and use the vocabulary of extremism.


You also have to look out for hydric acid. That's a hydrogen molecule (H), together with a hydroxyl group (OH) making HOH or H₂O

In the words of Bugs Bunny, "What a bunch of Maroons!" [Hat tip to My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy]

Update: Facts About Dihydrogen Monoxide:

Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the unstable radical Hydroxide, the components of which are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.

(I couldn't resist!)

Inconvenient Gore

Scientists have inconvenient news for Gore - Environment - smh.com.au This article from Australia is a bit more even handed, but even the NY Times is forced to admit that Gore went overboard.

The Australians don't seem to have quite as many political axes to grind.

There is a rising chorus of concern, extending even to "moderate" scientists with no political axe to grind, over the former US vice-president's tactics and advocacy.

The nub of their concern is a belief that he has over-egged his case. That, in trying to sell to the public the dangers of complacency in combating global warming, he is guilty of a number of convenient untruths or distortions.

Climate change is always going on. Gore presents no evidence that climate change in the 20th Century is outside of these normal changes.

And while it is warmer than at anytime in the past 400 years, that is quite a bit different from the claims made by Gore.

Professor Easterbrook disputed Mr Gore's claim that "our civilisation has never experienced any environmental shift remotely similar to this". Nonsense, Professor Easterbrook said. He flashed a slide that showed temperature trends for the past 15,000 years. It highlighted 10 large swings, including the medieval warm period. These shifts were up to "20 times greater than the warming in the past century".

He goes on to say he never took a dime from oil companies and is not a Repub. (Gore attacks anyone who dares disagree with him personally. Ad hominem attacks are SOP for the Left.)

Roy Spencer, a climatologist at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, said on a blog that Mr Gore's film did "indeed do a pretty good job of presenting the most dire scenarios". But the June report, he added, shows "that all we really know is that we are warmer now than we were during the last 400 years".

Don't even get started on Martian warming, or climate change on Jupiter. That doesn't let the Left preach its refrain of "Capitalism is bad." (I don't think even Gore claims that SUVs are running around the planet Mars.

Crime Spree Ended by Citizen With a Gun

Bradenton Herald | 03/13/2007 | Manatee home invasion suspect shot in Clewiston I love it when a bit of lawful self-defense puts an end to a string of crimes.

MANATEE - A string of home invasions that started in Manatee County ended when a homeowner shot one of the suspects in Clewiston, authorities said Monday.

Two 20-year-olds, a man and woman, were arrested and are suspected in the Saturday home invasion in Manatee County, where a 92-year-old man was beaten and pepper-sprayed, and another one in Polk County, where an 85-year-old woman was beaten.

They thought they were preying on the weak, but they got stopped.

According to the Clewiston Police Department, Luke Irons, of St. Petersburg, and Chrisanthe Apergis, of Seminole, armed with a BB pistol and a tire iron, forced their way into the home of two elderly homeowners at about 7 p.m. Sunday.

The suspects struggled with the victims, a 74-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman.

The man broke free, grabbed a handgun and fired twice at Irons, hitting him both times, according to a police report.

They fled the house, but the injured goblin collapsed in the driveway. Both are under arrest.

It should also be pointed out that the two miscreants traveled from St Petersburg (not NYC but what passes for the big city in this part of Tampa Bay) and drove to rural (not suburban) communities to wreak havoc. Living in the country stopped being protection from crime when Henry Ford marketed the Model-T. And the police are likely even farther away than in the city. (Though they may still get to you faster.)

Break into enough homes, and you will eventually find an armed homeowner. Armed self-defense works and is a human right.

(To anyone on the left: how are 70 and 80 year-olds supposed to defend themselves against attack by young - or younger - people armed with tire irons, if the victims do NOT have firearms? You can see what happened in the first few home invasions where the victims were not armed. Just leave the response in the comments - I WILL post it.)

Good Guys 2, Bad Guys 0

The Brits Wring Their Hands Over Domestic Violence

My sister was killed while the police did nothing | UK News | The Observer The citizens of the UK are screwed, big time.

Unable to defend themselves, they rely on "professionals" for saving. But those professionals lie to them, and generally do nothing. Consider the following.

Astonishingly, the control room wrongly claims that armed police are 'now' on their way: 'We are actually trying to approach carefully... with a loaded gun.' In fact, it is another seven hours before officers will approach the house. Behind it are dense woods into which Julia might run. But believing help is imminent, she stays put. By providing reassurance, the operator has deprived her of her only chance of escape.

Was anyone punished for that lie? Of course not.

The "professionals" the citizens of the UK are forced to rely on, do nothing.

In the weeks before they were murdered, both women had experienced not only death threats but attacks on their property, almost certainly by their eventual killers. Rana's car brake pipes were deliberately severed, but despite the background of harassment, the police broke two appointments to visit her home near Slough. Finally, her brother, Simon, said: 'She went to the police station and dumped the pipes on the reception desk.' At last the police took a statement. But there was no investigation; no attempt to locate Griffiths, much less arrest him. Two days later, Rana was dead.

They won't even fill out the paperwork.

The government is in CYA mode, as the families are suing - something I guess you can do in the UK.

But no one will suggest that the only way to give these women (and yes, it is mostly women) a fighting chance is to give them a 9mm, a case of ammunition and some shooting lessons.

Once the bad-guy is on the premises, the police are too far away. There are few seconds or minutes that make a difference between life and death. The police will talk to you for minutes on the phone before doing anything. The only chance you have, is to defend yourself. And in the UK it is worse, since police will not approach the scene of an active shooter. (7 hours?) I mean be fair, it is a dangerous situation.

A Review of 300 by Lest Darkness Fall

Lest Darkness Fall: 300: A Fantasy Movie About Thermopylae An interesting review of what promises to be an interesting movie. (There is one error -- sorry LDF, but V for Vendetta was penned by Alan Moore and David Lloyd.)

Cautionary note:

While I recommend this movie to any adults who like a mix of fantasy, glory and historic battles, I do not think it is appropriate for children. Leave your kids with a sitter unless you really want them to see graphic depictions of people being riddled with arrows, stabbed with spears and having various limbs removed. While the stylized violence is less traumatizing than an ultra-realistic rendering, it still delivers a small taste of the horror of massive-scale melee combat.

I am always amazed at the movies people think are appropriate for kids. Graphic novels such as Sin Cityor 300 or V for Vendetta or Maus are NOT comic books in the Archie and the Gang format. (Mausis a fairly brutal depiction of the Holocaust.) Movies based on these novels are not your Saturday morning cartoons.

UPDATE: March 12, 2007

Oh. My. God. Was that a good film!

And LDF's "cautionary note" misses the mark by about an order of magnitude. This is most definitely NOT a film for the young ones. It is "R" rated for good reason. But man oh man is it a powerful film.

Canadian Firearm Facts and Humor

Katey's Firearms Facts

Making someone laugh is the best way to teach. [hat tip to Liberty Belles]

Preacher Shocked to Find that his Church is in the Real World

Oroville Mercury Register - Woman slain in parking lot of Oakland church Then he goes on to blame guns for the action of a man.

A woman was basically executed in the parking lot of his church, in front of large numbers of witnesses. The preacher's reaction?

"We feel shock, grief, sadness and pain," he said. "The church is supposed to be a safe haven and now it seems like it doesn't make a difference."

He is "shocked" to discover his church is in the real world, not some fantasy land.

Here is a description of the event.

They saw her arguing with the man and then they could hear her say `Stop, stop, stop.' She starts running away and he starts shooting. She fell and then he walked up and stood over her and shot her again and then calmly walked away.

Does he have strong words for the evil men in society who do such things? Does he preach about sin and trying to get people to change their ways? Or did he even invoke fire and brimstone and call for even tougher sentencing of repeat offenders? (Do you think the first crime someone committed was to execute a person in broad daylight in front of witnesses? Neither do I.)

Of course not. He blames the inanimate object. I suppose murders never took place before the introduction of the semi-automatic pistol, and the world was right next door to Eden. Or, maybe not.

John R. Lott Jr. Describes Gun Laws of the (recent) past

THE ALL-AMERICAN GUN By JOHN R. LOTT JR. - Postopbooks - New York Post Online Edition He starts out hard-hitting.

Did you know that in New York City through 1969 virtually all the public high schools had riflery teams?

Thousands of students carried their rifles on subways, buses and streets on their way to school, when they went to practice in the afternoon and on their way home. And until 1963, all commercial pilots were required to carry guns and were allowed to carry guns until 1987.

And goes on from there. [KABA]

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

Suspected Intruder Shot And Killed - News You could also file this under, "Don't bring a knife to a gunfight."

Paul Meoaur told Channel 2 Action News that the man had a kitchen knife, that was about six inches long. He says tried to bust through his friend's locked bedroom door. He told police the man didn't stop, when his roommate warned him that if he didn't leave, he would shoot. Moments later the roommate did just that.

The suspect died of his injuries at the hospital.

Pick the wrong home to invade and you will end up like this smoked goblin. [Hat tip Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog]

A Gun Trumps Pepper Spray

6abc.com: Man Shot in Foiled Armored Truck Heist Think pepper spray will help you in an attack? This goblin apparent thought so.

When the armored car security officer went inside the Pathmark he was approached by a man who pepper sprayed him. The security officer pulled out his gun and started firing, hitting the suspect.

The man fled but then collapsed behind the building.

The goblin is in the hospital. No word on his condition.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

Strange to see this review in the SF Chronicle

REVIEW / Strange world of Sparta is not for the meek Of course they do point out one thing about 300 that I would expect from San Fran.

There are probably as many six-pack abs on the men here as you'll find on the statues in Rome's Capitoline Museums. It's worth noting, incidentally, that those sculpted bodies make this one of the great beefcake extravaganzas of 2007.

Still, they don't get caught up in thinking this is a parable of our time. It is a view of an ancient time.

Watching "300," there's the arresting sense of eavesdropping on another time. Things happen that make little sense to us, in terms of our own practices. For example, when King Leonidas -- the commanding Gerard Butler - gets annoyed at a Persian messenger, he kills him and his entire retinue. I particularly like the little grace note: Before he does it, he steals a glance at his wife, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), who nods. We think the nod means "Spare them." It means quite the opposite. This is our welcome to Sparta. The movie is letting us know that we've never been to a place like this.

The story of the Battle of Thermopylae, is an epic story, out of Greek history - or what passes for history from that era. Both Heroditus and Thucidides (the only reliable historians of that era) were prone to exaggerate. Still, it is the best we have, and probably true in the whole - though not as presented in the movie.

A small, elite fighting force, fights a rear-guard action, giving civilians a chance to evacuate and other forces a chance to prepare for the coming battles. They fight a losing battle - lost from the start. But their sacrifice was not in vain. Greece survived. And thrived... to produce Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the democracy of Athens, and all that came down to us survived and was nurtured by that sacrifice.

Epic indeed.

(And no, I haven't seen it yet. That will be for next week, since I have to drive quite a distance to see it.)

Top Gun - Chinese Style

The JF-17 is the most advanced military aircraft for the chinese air force. China with Pakistan have developed this modern jet, that looks similar to the F5 and F20 american jets

Tell Me Again Why Democrats Envy Europe

Investor's Business Daily - Europe Lags As U.S. Races Ahead With its climate of too many taxes and too much regulation, the European economy sucks.

This isn't just our opinion. It's the basic conclusion of a study by Eurochambres, a continentwide business think tank. It concludes that the European Union is roughly 20 years behind the U.S. in economic development. Twenty years.

This should set off alarms in Europe, which continues to tie its future to government-run schemes rather than free the region's educated and talented work force to create an entrepreneurial boom.

According to the Eurochambres report, the U.S. reached Europe's current level of economic development — as measured by GDP per person —back in 1985, a 21-year deficit. Europe also lags behind in a number of other measures, including productivity (17 years), employment and R&D (28 years), and Internet use (four years).

You'd think this would be big news. But it rose no further than page 4 of London's Financial Times, which said: "The conclusions suggest that despite last year's growth spurt and an acceleration of economic reforms, the EU is still far from matching America's economic clout."

Even last year, when the EU touted its strong rebound, growth came in at just 2.9% across the continent — compared with 3.3% in the U.S. So even with its "growth spurt," Europe lost ground.

But that is exactly what the Dems want for the US. More taxes, more regulations less "dynamism."

What is really telling is the numbers. Take a look at this chart! You raise a people's standard of living on the back of GDP and productivity. And you can't do that if you are keeping most of your workforce on the dole. [hat tip Absinthe & Cookies]

Chaos Reigns in Philadelphia School(s)

Another Philly Teacher Assaulted - Videos - WCAU Why would anyone A) want to teach in public schools in a major urban center, or B) send their kids to those schools.

Three ninth-grade students attacked a teacher sending him to the hospital. One is arrested and charged with aggravated assault. (This is apparently a "new" policy by the Phili school district. Who wants to bet that the old policy was to do nothing?)

Appeals court overturns D.C. gun ban

Appeals court overturns D.C. gun ban | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle The best news I have had in a long time!

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court overturned the District of Columbia's long-standing handgun ban Friday, rejecting the city's argument that the Second Amendment right to bear arms applied only to militias.

In a 2-1 decision, the judges held that the activities protected by the Second Amendment "are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual's enjoyment of the right contingent" on enrollment in a militia.

SCOTUS will review, of course.

Good News for the West

Elite Iranian general defects with Hezbollah’s arms secrets So we get some intelligence on the connection between Iran and Hezbollah.>

An Iranian general who went missing on a visit to Turkey last month appears to have defected to America, taking with him a treasure trove of his country’s most closely guarded secrets.

Ali Resa Asgari, 63, a general in the elite Revolutionary Guards and former Deputy Defence Minister, vanished on February 7 after arriving in Istanbul on a flight from Syria. He had reservations at the Ceylan Intercontinental Hotel but never checked in.

Turns out he is the first high-level Iranian offical to defect to the west in the 27 years since the revolution. Probably indicates that only the very top of the Iranian government is insane (as they clearly are).

[Hat tip A Tangled Web]

More Sanity in Texas

Dallas Morning News | Joe Driver and Jeff Wentworth: Securing your castle.

A review of the Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground in Texas. With a comment or two about why the changes are needed.

Second, the bills state that you have "no duty to retreat" from an attack if you are in a place where you have a right to be, did not provoke your attacker, and are not engaged in criminal activity.

This was essentially the law in Texas until the mid-1970s. Under current law, the use of deadly force to protect yourself outside your home is justified only "if a reasonable person in your situation would not have retreated." Victims should not be required to retreat simply because a criminal decided to attack them in a parking lot as opposed to waiting until they got home to perpetrate the same crime.

You know no legislative body enacted such a law. This requirement was laid on citizens by the courts.

Many opponents falsely claim that in the first year after Florida's law took effect, 13 people shot someone, claimed self-defense under the new law and got off free and clear. However, a review of those deadly force cases by an Orlando newspaper showed that authorities cleared five individuals, charged three and continued to investigate the remaining ones. Hardly the "Get Out of Jail Free" card opponents claim it is.

But then the opponents of gun rights never limit themselves to facts (or the truth). [NRA-ILA]

Self-defense works - even in Philadelphia

Caught On Cell Phone Video: Diner Owner Kills 1 In Robbery Attempt - Local News Restaurant owner defends his business (and his wife and customers) from two armed hoodlums. 1 is dead; 1 is in "guarded" condition. The video starts after the shots were fired.

Good Guys 2, Bad Guys 0

Good Guys 2, Bad Guys 0

WBIR.COM - Kentucky man shoots home invaders 2 goblins break into a home impersonating police officers. They tie the homeowner up in the bathroom, but he gets free and retrieves his 9mm handgun.

The sheriff's report says Daniels was in a "shooting stance" and opened fire when the men headed back toward the bathroom. Chapman was shot the chest, shoulder and wrist.

Keelin says the two then fled, with the wounded Chapman crashing through a bedroom window of the single-story frame house. The other intruder, identified by Keelin as 22-year-old Adam Justice of Summitt, drove Champman three miles to to Kings Daughters Medical Center in Ashland and left him outside the emergency room.

The wounded guy died in the hospital. The other guy is charged with "burglary and impersonating a police officer." In Florida, he would also be charged with murder since a death occurred as a result of his unlawful act.

No charges have been filed against the homeowner. I have no idea what the state of the Castle Doctrine is in Kentucky, but this is surely a clear-cut case of self-defense.

Armed Citizens and the Public Good

WBIR.COM - Armed citizens stop Memphis street shooter No shots were fired by the good guys, but their weapons let them intervene.

Brothers William Webber and Paul Webber told police they stopped their car and pulled their own pistols when they saw a man firing a handgun yesterday.

The brothers said they ordered the man to drop his weapon and then held him at gunpoint until police arrived a few minutes later. Police say the Webbers did not fire their pistols.

I say that qualifies as their "good deed" for the year.

The goblin who was firing into traffic is in police custody. [KABA]

The Genocide No One Remembers (or Recognizes)

As genocide anniversary approaches, Armenian group prepares exhibit - Dover-Sherborn Press Turkey and the US don't even admit that it took place.

More than 1.5 million Armenians died during the genocide which took place between in Turkey between 1915 through 1918 and then again from 1920 to1923 when the country was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Several governments, including those of Turkey and the United States, do not officially recognize the genocide.

Of course there is a first amendment law suit... the state removed some Turks exhibits that paint a different picture. That's what hate speech laws get you - government censorship.

Quote of the Day

Today's quote comes from Flavius Vegetius Renatus, who lived in the late 4th century, in Rome, and wrote De Re Militari

Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Which means, "If you want peace, prepare for war."

Actually, he wrote, "Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum," or "Who desires peace should prepare for war," but that just isn't as euphonious.

How do you respond to a world that is full of people (at home and abroad) that are ready to do you violence? I write every day about home invasions and attempted robberies where prepared people survive. People have blown up buildings with truck bombs and airplanes. What should our stance be?

Bad Guy Shot, Police Determined to Charge Homeowner

Well, after saying how Florida supports self-defense just the other day, today we have a story where the police seem bound and determined to charge the homeowner, even though they admit he didn't shoot the bad guys.

Police investigate who killed robber. A couple of masked goblins break into a card game, and threaten everyone with weapons. One of the card players - not the homeowner - shoots both of them, killing 1.

SARASOTA -- About nine shots rang out in the seconds after two masked men entered a Newtown house and yelled "get down" as part of a home-invasion robbery, the homeowner said.

The homeowner doesn't know who shot. He says police are not buying that story. Still, whoever shot, it seems like a clear-cut case of self-defense.

As for the guy who died, he was an 18-year-old high school student. The Brady Bunch will count his death as a "child killed." The fact that the child was armed and committing a home-invasion robbery is beside the point (at least to them). Grief counselors are meeting with his friends, so I expect to see stories in the next few days about how great he was and how he didn't deserve to die, etc. etc.

No where will anyone mention to those friends that if you want to avoid being shot, one good thing would be to refrain from home-invasions. Sometimes people on the other side of that door are armed. No, that would be too much like asking people to be responsible for their own actions.

Iran Afraid of Strong Women

Feminist Wire Daily Newsbriefs: U.S. and Global News Coverage: It is funny that the MSM is not covering this. Or is it?

The Iranian Judiciary will hold a trial on March 4 to prosecute four female activists for peacefully protesting Iran's discriminatory laws against women. The four women, Nusheen Ahmadi, Khorasani, Parvin Ardalan, Sussan Tahmasebi and Shahla Entesari, were detained by Iranian police after gathering in a public demonstration and calling for reform.

Actually a lot more women have been arrested (about 30) but these four are going on trial.

What law were they breaking? Complaining about their treatment. (Bad-mouthing Islam, that is.)

Of course this is nothing new in the country ruled by the "Religion of Peace"

These four women are not the first to be prosecuted for activism in Iran. In February, three journalists and activists were arrested on their way to a journalism conference in India, and in June 2006, Iranian police violently disrupted a peaceful women's rights protest.

[Hat tip iFeminists.net]

Islam exterminating other religious groups

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iraq's Mandaeans 'face extinction' Or as Girl on the Right put it, "Convert or Die." I recommend both of this articles to your attention, the BBC story and Right Girl's comments on the same.

They can get at the Manadeans today, but they want to do this to everyone.

Smoked Goblin in Miami

cbs4.com - Traffic Ticket Lawyer Guns Down Would-Be Robber Some would call this a miracle....

Scott Hidnert was driving out of his office parking lot at 720 NW 102nd St. on Thursday evening when he claims a would-be robber pulled the trigger of his weapon, but the gun jammed.

No words were exchanged. Hidnert snapped open his glove compartment, grabbed his handgun, opened the driver's side-door and fired “several shots,” according to Jonathan Bennett, office manager of the Traffic Ticket Office, founded by Hidnert.

But not the Brady Bunch.

“I don't expect any charges. He had a gun and was aiming at me,” Hidnert said. “If his gun didn't jam, he would have shot me.”

The Stand Your Ground Law makes it very unlikely - next door to impossible - for the Miami/Dade DA to prosecute this case. Self-defense is not only a human right, in Florida it is also your legal right.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

KAIT - Jonesboro, AR: Homeowner Hits Would-be Robber in Head with Shotgun This is why I always tell people to leave the pistol grips on the pistols and keep the regular stocks on the shotguns.

Police say that 22 year old Walter D Hatton of Jonesboro kicked in the door of Ray Horton's home early yesterday morning.

Hatton fired a shot at Horton, who was in bed, but missed. Police say the two struggled, and the homeowner hit Hatton in the head with the barrel of a shotgun.

Yes folks, it is necessary to aim a shotgun.

Anyway Hatton ran down the street where he was captured by police a short time later.

At a court hearing yesterday, Craighead County District Judge Keith Blackman found probable cause to charge Hatton with criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, residential burglary and felon in possession of a firearm.

The bad guy is in jail awaiting his day in court. ("Innocent until proved guilty" and all that.)

“It doesn't get any better than that!”

Blogging will be light, so I leave you something to enjoy...
Mail Call and Knob Creek.

A Bit of Sanity in Texas

Dallas Morning News | Opinion: Editorials

Let's be clear about what the "castle doctrine" bill working its way through the Texas Legislature would not do:

It would not give Texans the right to sit on their front porch and squeeze off rounds, vigilante-style, at a neighbor who offended them. It would not allow them to fire from their pickups at anyone who cuts them off in traffic.

The streets did not run red with blood when state law gave Texans the right to carry concealed handguns. And they won't if the castle bill passes into law, as we believe it should.

Unusual to see this in a newspaper. Texas must be a good place to live.

A Bit of Sanity in Georgia

Ga. lawmakers want to toughen no-knock warrant requirements After cops took a questionable bit of "intelligence" from a questionable source and executed - and I use that term in all its meanings - a "no-knock" warrant on a house and killed a 92-year-old woman who thought she was being attacked, there is finally a move afoot in Georgia to reign in no-knock warrants.

"Every citizen ought to be safe and secure in their homes," [Democratic Sen. Vincent] Fort said. "A no-knock warrant should be a special warrant, not a standard. And that's what it's evolved into."

An Associated Press review of all no-knock warrants filed in Atlanta's Fulton County last year found that the authorities involved often give scant detail when applying for the warrants.

The cops informant claimed that there was cocaine in the home. There was not. (Of course the informant now has a different story from the cops.)

But what do cops think is going to happen when they kick in a door? I would react in the middle of the night the same way this woman did. I don't know who is breaking down my door - they specifically asked for the authority not to tell me ahead of time. How do they think I am going to react?

I just hope that other states follow Georgia's lead in this matter.

A Quick Tour of Switzerland

Meme of the Day - Literature

Robert Llamabutcher, apparently reads the London Telegraph - my estimate of him goes up a lot based on this! (I think this is one of the finest news organizations on any continent.)

It seems the Telegraph has a list of the 100 best books. And so Robbo devised a meme in its honor:

Anyhoo, on to the meme. Standard rules: Bold the ones you've read, italicize the ones you especially like, strike through the ones you hate and feel free to add comments.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible - Well, parts of it.
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8= Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
8= His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (Hated the first one.)
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare - Well, okay, I've read most.
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien can't stand this story
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy - One of these days.
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky Absolutely wonderful
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood too disturbing!
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding less disturbing
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce never finished this
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray - I really should.
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker Had to for school. Ack.
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad Nostromo is much better.
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare I agree with Robbo - "Why this gets singled out from Shakespeare's other works above, I dunno."
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

I would quibble with a few of the items and some of the ones left off the list, but hey it isn't my list. [And it was a "people's choice" type list, so I guess it is understandable that some stuff is missing.] The selection of Science Fiction is odd. Herbert's Dune, but nothing by Heinlein or Clarke? With one or two Russians thrown in, for geographic flavor no doubt, but any number of prominent American volumes (The Red Badge of Courage?) are missing. And why include Ulysses by Joyce, and nothing else?

Only including Shakespeare in the "classical" area seems wrong. Nothing from Greece or Rome? Even if you are sticking to fiction there are things that could be included, like Homer, for example.

The Insanity of Gun-fearing Weenies

My Boys Like Shootouts. What's Wrong With That? - washingtonpost.com Zero Tolerance = Zero Intelligence. And this guy is a liberal.

You will never look at Top Gun the same way

Kontraband is a strange site.