Messenger Ecology Watch

As Israeli model Bar Rafaeli enjoys a frolic in Saint-Tropez, notice how clean and clear the water looks.

John Edwards: A BABY DADDY FOR BOTH AMERICAS

by Ann Coulter

"The mainstream media really seem to imagine they can prevent Americans from knowing information by refusing to mention it in newspapers or on TV.

For those few Americans without an Internet connection and to whom I have not faxed the National Enquirer stories: Evidence is accumulating that John Edwards is right -- there really are "two Americas." There's one where men cheat on their cancer-stricken wives and one where men do not cheat on their cancer-stricken wives.

To put it another way, it would appear that ambulances aren't the only things John Edwards has been chasing lately.

Last year, the National Enquirer broke the story about New-Age divorcee Rielle Hunter, formerly Lisa Druck, telling friends she was having an affair with Edwards and that she was pregnant with his "love child."

Who knew that "my father was a mill worker" could be such a great pickup line? In his defense, Edwards had to do something to kill time between giving $50,000 speeches on poverty.

I guess the Enquirer is lucky Edwards isn't a trial lawyer! A sleazy carnival sideshow trial lawyer wouldn't even need to start channeling unborn children before a jury -- as Edwards did in the junk-science cases that made him a multimillionaire -- to win a defamation case if these charges are false. The "love child" allegation could be easily disproved by DNA testing.

Which brings up a fascinating legal question: Would it be admissible for Edwards to channel the very love child at issue during such a proceeding? Reminiscent of his performances in medical malpractice cases, he could say: She speaks to you through me and I have to tell you right now -- I didn't plan to talk about this -- right now I feel her. I feel her presence. She's inside me, and she's talking to you, she's saying: "John Edwards ain't my daddy!"

When the National Enquirer story first broke last year, the Edwards campaign denied that Edwards was the father, pawning the affair off on an apparently very loyal Edwards campaign official, Andrew Young. Like Edwards, Young was married with children, but also like Edwards, Young is a Democrat, so it was possible.

Except that, not only has Young's wife not left him, but she was perfectly copacetic with her husband's mistress moving into their gated community for the duration of her pregnancy, and even joining her, Andrew and the kids for dinner.

Back on Earth, that doesn't happen. The Edwards campaign better start looking at its backup plan of claiming Nathan Lane is the father.

It also didn't smack of innocence that the Edwards campaign stripped Hunter's videos from the Edwards Web site when the story broke.

Soon after Edwards met Hunter in a bar in New York, the Edwards campaign began paying her more than $100,000 to make "hip" videos of him for the campaign Web site. Unfortunately, Edwards' hair stylists ate up most of the budget.

As Herculean a task as it would be to make John Edwards look hip, the videos can't be worse for the campaign than the Edwards staffer who said of the Catholic church's position on birth control: "What if Mary had taken Plan B after the Lord filled her with his hot, white, sticky Holy Spirit?" So why did they take down Hunter's videos?

With the MSM still pretending the Internet doesn't exist, last week the Enquirer staked out the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles after receiving a tip that Edwards would be going there to visit Hunter and the love child, who reportedly has her mother's eyes and her father's dramatic flair in front of a jury.

According to the Enquirer, Edwards entered Hunter's hotel room around 9:45 p.m. and left at 2:40 in the morning. Seeing reporters as he left Hunter's room, Edwards sprinted to a hotel bathroom and blockaded himself in until hotel security came to rescue him. Even more suspicious, while Edwards was barricaded in the bathroom, no one reported hearing sounds of a blow dryer.

When asked about the Enquirer story at a press conference a few days later, Edwards looked as flustered as Rep. Robert Wexler did after being asked if he really lives with his mother-in-law in Florida while running for office in that district.

First Edwards pretended to be unfamiliar with the story, a preposterous pose even if the story were false. Then Edwards dropped eye contact and said: "That's tabloid trash. They're full of lies. I'm here to talk about helping people." He couldn't have looked more guilty if he had broken into a cold sweat and lit a cigarette. Britney Spears has responded more credibly to questions about tabloid stories.

Meanwhile, the only way consumers of the old media might ascertain that Edwards is embroiled in some sort of scandal is that, starting last Thursday, his name was summarily dropped from lists of possible vice presidential candidates.

If only Republican Larry Craig had been in the bathroom, the MSM might have covered it."

The internet is the only method of communication that, so far, is doing the job of reporting for the sake of passing along information and little else. And I don't mean websites like the NY Times and other fossils from the Jurassic Press, but places like Little Green Footballs that broke the phony Bush memo scandal, something the un-august Times could have done in a nanosecond given its gargantuan resources.

Walter Winchell once said, the same thing happened today that happened yesterday but to different people. The Yellowstream Media only follows the bad things that happen to Conservative minded people and are losing credibility on a daily basis, but instead of understanding this and regaining their massive audience they choose to go down with the liberal ship.

Leopards. Cannot. Change. Their. Spots.

Jon Voight:: Obama Sowing Socialist Seeds In Young People

OP-ED

by Jon Voight

"We, as parents, are well aware of the importance of our teachers who teach and program our children. We also know how important it is for our children to play with good-thinking children growing up.

Sen. Barack Obama has grown up with the teaching of very angry, militant white and black people: the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers and Rev. Michael Pfleger. We cannot say we are not affected by teachers who are militant and angry. We know too well that we become like them, and Mr. Obama will run this country in their mindset.

The Democratic Party, in its quest for power, has managed a propaganda campaign with subliminal messages, creating a God-like figure in a man who falls short in every way. It seems to me that if Mr. Obama wins the presidential election, then Messrs. Farrakhan, Wright, Ayers and Pfleger will gain power for their need to demoralize this country and help create a socialist America.

The Democrats have targeted young people, knowing how easy it is to bring forth whatever is needed to program their minds. I know this process well. I was caught up in the hysteria during the Vietnam era, which was brought about through Marxist propaganda underlying the so-called peace movement. The radicals of that era were successful in giving the communists power to bring forth the killing fields and slaughter 2.5 million people in Cambodia and South Vietnam. Did they stop the war, or did they bring the war to those innocent people? In the end, they turned their backs on all the horror and suffering they helped create and walked away.

Those same leaders who were in the streets in the '60s are very powerful today in their work to bring down the Iraq war and to attack our president, and they have found their way into our schools. William Ayers is a good example of that.

Thank God, today, we have a strong generation of young soldiers who know exactly who they are and what they must do to protect our freedom and our democracy. And we have the leadership of Gen. David Petraeus, who has brought hope and stability to Iraq and prevented the terrorists from establishing a base in that country. Our soldiers are lifting us to an example of patriotism at a time when we've almost forgotten who we are and what is at stake.

If Mr. Obama had his way, he would have pulled our troops from Iraq years ago and initiated an unprecedented bloodbath, turning over that country to the barbarianism of our enemies. With what he has openly stated about his plans for our military, and his lack of understanding about the true nature of our enemies, there's not a cell in my body that can accept the idea that Mr. Obama can keep us safe from the terrorists around the world, and from Iran, which is making great strides toward getting the atomic bomb. And while a misleading portrait of Mr. Obama is being perpetrated by a media controlled by the Democrats, the Obama camp has sent out people to attack the greatness of Sen. John McCain, whose suffering and courage in a Hanoi prison camp is an American legend.

Gen. Wesley Clark, who himself has shame upon him, having been relieved of his command, has done their bidding and become a lying fool in his need to demean a fellow soldier and a true hero.

This is a perilous time, and more than ever, the world needs a united and strong America. If, God forbid, we live to see Mr. Obama president, we will live through a socialist era that America has not seen before, and our country will be weakened in every way."

Wow. A Hollywood actor dissing Lord Obo. Good for you, Jon. Sorry you just ruined what was left of your career, but honor above everything else, right pal?

“I’m trying to save the planet; I’m trying to save the planet,”

"With fewer than 20 legislative days before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, the entire appropriations process has largely ground to a halt because of the ham-handed fighting that followed Republican attempts to lift the moratorium on offshore oil and gas exploration. And after promising fairness and open debate, Pelosi has resorted to hard-nosed parliamentary devices that effectively bar any chance for Republicans to offer policy alternatives.

“I’m trying to save the planet; I’m trying to save the planet,” she says impatiently when questioned. “I will not have this debate trivialized by their excuse for their failed policy.”

Not like she's all that, but give her credit for wearing a scarf to cover her wrinkly old neck while Martha stands as the poster boy for turkey head. Luckily, the country will survive her "leadership" because in most cases when Congress does nothing that is a good thing.

The moratorium on drilling for oil might very well become the straw that broke the fence-sitters back, though, as it becomes more and more difficult for the libs to convince people that expensive gas is preferable to the cheap kind we'd get by digging for more. The Republicans "failed policy" brought us fuel at $2.50 a gallon, and a great part of the reason it crested the $4 barrier was the market knowing that with the Dems in charge we weren't setting up new derricks anytime soon.

Bottom line: The woman is quite insane.

Ill-Annoy Cops Tell Victims To Scream Real Loud

...And It'll Chase Away The Muggers And Rapists

CHAMPAIGN- Another attempted sexual assault on the U of I 's campus has police talking about self-defense.
A 20 year old student told police she was grabbed by a man Saturday night and dragged between two parked cars. A witness scared the man away. Add this to the growing list of recent sexual and attempted sexual assaults on campus, four since mid-June.
Police say the key to safety is education, and being pro-active about your safety.
Linda Goby has been studying self-defense under U of I police Officer Tony Ortiz for ten years. She's taken her safety into her own hands.
"If you're a little bit more aggressive you're going to get that guy to leave you alone," said Goby.
In Ortiz's course R.A.D. rape aggression defense, he teaches women to take on an attacker. Number one never look like a victim, watch your stance, alertness and demeanor.
"Do you look tough?Do you look mean? Do you look like you'll be a hard target?" asked Ortiz.
The R.A.D program usually takes 12 hours over a four week period, but we can learn something right now, you have to project yourself and yell no!
"You yell no, no, get away, leave me alone, no," said Goby.
Statistics show most rapes are avoided by screaming and fighting back.
"With the way our society is anymore, you just have to be prepared," said Goby.
And a college campus is no different. A mixture of new surroundings and walking home drunk can make a female student an attacker's perfect victim
"Is it important to you going to some party or something, or your safety? Which one is more important," asked Ortiz.
A question officer Ortiz begs students to ask themselves before they wander the streets alone and if they do, he wants them to be ready."

Define for me, "fighting back". It's Illinois so of course the police wouldn't recommend learning to use weapons, but time and again we see rape after rape after homicide due to the simple fact that men are stronger and more aggressive and are going to win far more often than not.

In modern times, victims are made, not born. This is the 21st Century for chrissake, and for nearly 200 years there have been firearms suitable for female use. Gone are the days where the weaker sex must grin and bear it, unless of course they happen to live in a socialist paradise such as Ill-Annoy.

Men such as Officer Ortiz should be telling the truth and teaching gun classes instead of how to shout real loud and look mean, but why should he care?

He carries a gun and so I guess that the loud & angry deal doesn't apply to those special people. How's about putting your money where you mouth is, pal? How about going on patrol with one arm tied behind your back and nothing but a scowl and a shout as weapons.

Didn't think so.

Cowardly frig.

Brit Father and Gang Sentenced for Stabbing Boy in Face

"An angry British father and his vigilante gang were sentenced Tuesday for kidnapping and torturing a 17-year-old they wrongly believed sent abusive text messages to the man’s daughter, The Daily Mail reported.

James McPhilbin, 50, thought his daughter, Kelly-Ann, 18, had received the messages from Sam Valentine. In McPhilbin’s quest for revenge, he and a group of family and friends kidnapped Valentine and stabbed him three times – including a stab wound to the cheek and one to the chest that punctured a lung, the Mail reported.

Officials later reported that no abusive text messages were ever sent to McPhilbin’s daughter.

McPhilbin, of Stretford, Greater Manchester, started his 16-month jail sentence Tuesday after pleading guilty to false imprisonment.

Judge Peter Lakin told the gang members they had committed a “frightening, sustained and brutal attack,” the Mail reported.

The 2006 incident happened four months after Valentine and his friends had a fight with Kelly-Ann at school. Kelly-Ann’s relatives believed she had received offensive text messages despite her denials that Valentine was to blame."

Now, here's how something like this can be handled, that wouldn't even scare the liberal gun bloggers all that much:

Someone is harassing a family member, you intercede and request that said harassment cease forthwith, with an apology to come. If that proves to be to no avail, then you grab the little sucker and make him watch as you punch his father's lights out. None of this kidnapping and using gangs and stabbing people. More and more, I just don't understand what happened to the Brits. Seems like each and every day brings some new stupidity to marvel at.

Seven detained after mall brawl

RALEIGH - "Shoppers strolled peacefully through Triangle Town Center on Sunday after a Saturday night brawl involving hundreds closed the mall early.

It took police officers from three agencies an hour to evacuate the mall and fully restore order after the fight in which seven teens were detained, a 15-year-old was stabbed and a police officer injured.

Raleigh Police Department spokesman Jim Sughrue said the brawl was a gang-related incident and that some of those involved have known gang associations. He declined to say whether those arrested are gang members.

According to Sughrue and arrest warrants, those arrested are:

* Tyrell Eugene Brantley, 18, 1609 E. Lenoir St., charged with inciting a riot and disorderly conduct, $5,000 bond;

* Darryl Anthony Bobbitt, 18, 1411 E. Lenoir St., charged with inciting a riot, second-degree trespassing and resisting an officer, $5,000 bond;

* Christopher James Gamble, 17, 4031 Northstone Drive, Apt. 102, charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, and inciting a riot, $35,000 bond;

* Laquavis O'Neal Jordan, 16, 1701 E. Lenoir St., charged with inciting a riot; released on $5,000 bond;

* Ricky Ladd Williams, 16, 3321-101 Quail Ridge Road, charged with inciting a riot; engaging in an affray; held on $10,000 bond;

* Javonnie Nicholson, 16, 512 Bradkin Court, charged with inciting a riot, misdemeanor assault on a law enforcement officer, second-degree trespassing, $7,000 bond.

Nicholson is the lone female charged in the fracas. Police also are filing a juvenile petition against an unnamed 15-year-old who was also detained.

In a news release, police said some of the people involved are known to be associated with gangs and that the fight started as a gang-related incident. They didn't, however, name which gangs may have been involved. A bond sheet for Williams says he has a recent conviction for conspiracy to commit armed robbery "with gang conditions."

Sughrue said more arrests are possible if police are able to identify others who were involved."

Gee. And they look like such outstanding young citizens, too.

The only way to end this gang crap once and for all is to figure out a way to let them kill one another off, without harming innocent people.

I Love The Smell Of Smog In The Morning...

Especially in Peking.

Reminds me of...

NOT a place that should be holding an Olympics.

Tom Hanks; Gun-Loving Yahoo

"HAS Tom Hanks metamorphed from liberal peacenik into gun-loving yahoo?

That's the question being posed in rural Idaho, where the superstar actor has installed a pistol-packing security guard to patrol his posh Sun Valley getaway."

Ya really think the good folks of Idaho are losing sleep because Mr. Hanks hired an armed guard?

"As Page Six reported last month, Hanks has warred for six years with Storey Construction, which built his spread in 2002. The star and his actress wife, Rita Wilson, withheld the final $3 million payment, claiming "shoddy construction," but were later forced to pay up. They're now appealing to get back $2.5 million.

The lawyer for contractor Gary Storey, who has the right to inspect the site to gather evidence for his defense, says his workers are spooked because Hanks, who won Oscars for "Forrest Gump" and "Philadelphia," has a guy with a semi-automatic and two clips of ammo eyeballing them.

"It's as hazardous a condition as you can have," lawyer Miles Stanislaw told us. "The other day, the guard tripped and fell on a piece of plywood with his gun on him. It could have gone off and had fatal consequences. It is inconceivable a person like Tom Hanks, who claims to be the voice of the little people, could tolerate this."

Truly, I for one cannot imagine a more hazardous situation. Then again, if all 35,000 NYC police officers tripped and fell at the same time, all of those there guns going off might shoot a hole straight through to China.

"Hanks' rep, Leslee Dart, responded: "One security guard had to be hired after Storey tried to force his way onto the Hanks' property at 7 a.m., unannounced, with five pickup trucks full of his cronies. The one guard that was hired is an off-duty police officer who, by Idaho law, is allowed to carry a gun." Stanislaw called Dart's dawn raid allegation "a total fabrication."

Meanwhile, the security guard himself, Shane Gilbert, told us: "I'm very well-trained and capable. Security guards don't pack heat just to go around shooting people."

Whew. This makes me feel a whole lot better. Since he's a specially trained and capable officer of the law then I don't see what all the fuss is about. As an affirmed supporter of anti-gunner B.O., that's Barack Obama for those dialing in from Rio Linda, one couldn't expect Mr. Hanks to be packing heat himself, now could one. He did what any self respecting liberal should. Hired himself a gun-loving yahoo.

The terrifying 4-inch key fob gun used to shoot clubber 'in row over girls'

"At just four inches long, it fits easily in the hand and could be a key fob of the type used to open car doors by remote control.

But this tiny device is in fact a lethal weapon - a gun capable of firing two 0.25-inch bullets.

Yesterday, a thug was jailed for nine years for using one like it to shoot a man for 'disrespecting' him in a nightclub.

Marcus Henry's weapon was converted from a pocket gun designed to fire miniature flares, a gadget which is legal in Bulgaria where they cost £15.

Around 100 are believed to have filtered into Britain from Eastern Europe in the latest worrying illustration of how weapons once found in the realm of spy fiction are falling into the hands of criminals.

The double-barrelled gun is fired by pressing buttons on the side.

Henry, 27, shot Yaw Darko Kwakye from nine feet outside the Departure Lounge club in the City of London on December 16 last year, hitting him in the shoulder.

Mr Darko Kwakye survived because, due to the short barrel of the weapon, the bullet did not fire straight but rotated through the air and hit him side-on. Henry was jailed at the Old Bailey yesterday."

So let that be a lesson to all you short-barrel lovers out there. The experts have had their say, and since the tiny tube of this Bulgarian mini-flare-gun is, well, too tiny, count on your .25 ACP's tumbling head over heels too.

What I'm having trouble understanding is what went wrong with England. Time was you never saw a cop with a gun let alone a bad guy, and seemingly overnight certain Brit cities have turned into free fire zones. Can't be the fact that they let their minorities run amok and now its too late to do much of anything but kill 'em all. Can it?

No Hussein...Dot Com

Thanks to Woody, I ruined a perfectly good morning by clicking into NO HUSSEIN, and you can as well.

Messenger Spotlight On: Tanzania

Albinos murdered for their parts

"Tanzanian police say another albino man has been murdered - the 26th victim in less than a year. His wife, also an albino, was hurt in the attack.

Unidentified attackers reportedly severed his right foot and genitalia.

Witchdoctors want the parts for potions which they say make people rich, says the BBC's Vicky Ntetema."

In 1964, after receiving independence from England, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form Tanzania. You may find Tanzania bordering the Indian Ocean, somewhere between Mozambique and Kenya. Why in the name of all thats holy would one WANT to find it? If you wish to purchase albino body parts...since anyone who is not jet-black is considered a particularly clever demon with inherent magical prowess...Tanzania is the place to go. Not that they're racist, mind you. Everyone knows that it is impossible for blacks to be so. They simply grow people for their parts then cut them up and sell them. But be careful when visiting, as their idea of an albino is anyone not a negro, so watch out for them there parts.

Florida Woman Attacked by Fox, Then Shot By Husband

MORRISTON, Fla. — "Authorities say a Levy County, Fla., man accidentally shot his wife while trying to hit a fox that attacked her.

The couple told deputies they spotted an animal in their yard Friday morning and went outside to see what it was.

The fox bit the woman on the left leg and wouldn't let go, so she told her husband to get a gun.

The man fired a .22-caliber rifle seven times, killing the animal but also hitting his wife in the lower right leg.

The woman was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The dead fox will be tested for rabies, but authorities say the results won't be available until next week."

Can't you just picture this mayhem...

Woman screaming and wriggling, fox screaming and wriggling, and a startled man trying to take aim. Little .22 round won't cause her much damage. Just be careful next time a python wraps around your neck, darlin'.

T. Boone...OR T-Bonehead

"Formerly reviled for funding the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" campaign against Sen. John Kerry, he's now adored by the Left — unfortunately, for trying to gaslight the rest of us on energy policy.

This column recently spotlighted Pickens' proposed plan to get America off foreign oil by substituting wind-generated electricity for natural gas-generated electricity and then using the natural gas to replace gasoline.

Already having addressed the proposal's flaws — and Pickens' plan to profit at taxpayer expense from it — let's consider how Pickens' marketing shades the truth.

On his Web site and in TV commercials, Pickens tries to frighten Americans about being "addicted to foreign oil."

"In 1970, we imported 24 percent of our oil. Today, it's nearly 70 percent and growing," he intones.

Aside from the fact that the Department of Energy (DOE) puts the import figure at a more moderate 58 percent, Pickens gives the impression that imported oil is scary because it all comes from the unstable Mideast.

His TV commercials feature images of American soldiers fighting in Iraq and he likens the annual $700 billion cost of foreign oil to "four times the annual cost of the Iraq war."

But hold the phone. Only 16 percent of our imported oil comes from the Persian Gulf — barely up from 13.6 percent in 1973, according to the DOE. Imports from OPEC countries are actually down — from 47.8 percent in 1973 to 44.5 percent in 2007.

Contrary to Pickens' assertion that oil imports are growing, the DOE expects oil imports to decrease by 10 percent by 2030.

Pickens tries to shame Americans because, "America uses a lot of oil ... That's 25 percent of the world's oil demand, used by just 4 percent of the world population."

Some might think these figures make us sound greedy and wasteful.

But what Pickens omitted to mention is that the size of the U.S. economy in 2007 was about $13.8 trillion and the size of the global economy was $54.3 trillion.

This means that the U.S. economy represents about 25.4 percent of the global economy. So what's the problem if a nation that produces 25 percent of the world's goods and services needs 25 percent of the world's oil output?

Would he prefer that we shrink our economy by 84 percent to match our share of world population?

Pickens plays the hope-squasher.

"Can't we just produce more oil?" he asks. "The simple truth is that cheap and easy oil is gone," he responds.

But there are hundreds of billions of barrels of oil in the form of oil tar sands and oil shale in North America, not to mention the more than one hundred billion barrels of oil in the outer continental shelf of the U.S. and on public lands like the Arctic National Wildlife Preserve (ANWR).

And don't forget that coal-to-liquids technology can convert our 268 billion tons of coal into 20 times the nation's current crude oil reserves, according to investment analysts. We have liquid fuels to burn.

While producing this oil may not be as easy as it was in 1859, when crude oil bubbled out of the ground in northwest Pennsylvania, it is much more feasible and far less expensive than Pickens' fantasy of replicating the entire existing U.S. wind supply system every year for the next 15 years in addition to building the national infrastructure for natural-gas filling stations."

So what if his facts and figures are all wrong. Have you ever listened to this guy? Good oilman, no doubt. Just should stick with his day job.

Ex-Astronaut: Aliens Are Real and Government Knows It

Former NASA astronaut and moon-walker Dr. Edgar Mitchell — a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission — claims aliens exist.

He says extraterrestrials have visited Earth on several occasions — but the alien contact has been repeatedly covered up by governments for six decades.

Mitchell also claimed human technology is "not nearly as sophisticated" as the aliens' and "had they been hostile," he warned "we would be been gone by now."

Pictured: Photograph claimed by some to be first snapshot of visiting extraterrestrial.

No Death Penalty...No Problem...

Just Lay On Heavy Sentences And Await A Parole Board's Mercy

"FOUR hundred years is not enough.

My only hope is that something awful happens in prison to Robert Williams - the unspeakable creature who tortured a Columbia grad student for kicks and giggles - before he's able to maim, or kill, someone else.

At a time in this city when young women no longer feel they have to look over their shoulders or risk being attacked, Williams effectively ended the youth of one student. He kidnapped the young lady in her own apartment in April 2007, and repeatedly raped and subjected her to pain so unendurable, she begged him to kill her.

Luckily for her, as well as everyone else in this city, the brave woman lived. Luckily for the next lady Williams would have attacked, this victim defied the beast's best efforts and maintained her sanity and her sight. She lived to calmly identify him in court. She put him away.

Justice Carol Berkman gave Williams 422 years to life for a raft of charges, from attempted murder, to kidnapping and sexual assault. It was the best she could do, but it's not enough.

Williams continued to try to manipulate the courtroom yesterday, much as he manipulated his way into his victim's home. He tried to avoid court by refusing to leave his warm bed at Rikers. His increasingly ridiculous-sounding lawyer, Arnold Levine, argued that Williams' reluctance to show up merely proved he was insane. I don't think so.

It took six members of an "extraction team," done up like ninjas in shields and helmets, to haul the thing into court. He sat there, mute. He didn't care.

Prosecutor Ann Prunty lashed out at him, saying this is no ordinary criminal but a "brutal and sadistic monster" who gets off on watching his victims suffer. Prison walls won't calm him.

"He's going to continue to be violent while incarcerated, we can be sure about that," Prunty said.

As for his victim, "I'm afraid to go outside," she said in a heartbreaking victim impact statement.

"Every man I pass on the street I view in terms of how easily he could overpower me."

One thing to remember when unluckily landing upon a variant of "Law & Order" while channel surfing. The cops invariably threaten a suspect with "THE NEEDLE", even though the writers...as well as the actors...know full well that the death penalty is illegal in NY. The latest go-round has certain politicians asking for the executions of cop-killers, because, after all, they are infinitely more special than a simple run of the mill citizen, but that'll never happen either.

The populous is disarmed, villains know this and certain neighborhoods teem with them. And young women walk the streets in constant fear of being overpowered.

Just like the liberal politicians want them to feel. Afraid, beholding, and childlike as they pray for society's protection.

Hell Hath No Fury...

...As A Blogger Scorned

Or something like that. Mike Vanderboegh presented an interesting letter to the editor, and since it was less than Mary Poppins'ish he has been enduring lotsa slings and arrows.

The War on Guns has the links to both Mike's letter, and acrimony from Snowflakes in Hell as well as The Bitch Girls.

Teasers:

Mike:

Dear Editor:

"Joe Bialek from Cleveland proposes the licensing and registration of all weapons currently in civilian hands. My question is, how exactly do you propose to do that, Joe?

There are some of us "cold dead hands" types, perhaps 3 percent of gun owners, who would kill anyone who tried to further restrict our God-given liberty. Don't extrapolate from your own cowardice and assume that just because you would do anything the government told you to do that we would.

Are you proposing to come yourself, or do you want someone else's son or daughter in federal service to take the risk?"

Sebastian:

Could we please …

"...not make gun owners look like lunatics in the media for all to see?"

Bitter:

"Apparently, one gun owner forgot to follow my tips for writing a letter to the editor. Well, maybe he did and he didn’t realize that threatening to kill people and start a one-man civil war against the people of Wisconsin is generally not the way to win hearts and minds."

And in the comment sections, a cast of thousands. Well. Dozens, at least. As for myself, I feel that writers like Mike are necessary, and who cares if he...gasp...says precisely what he thinks? I could go on but its getting late and tomorrow is chockablock with Hogtown Irregular duties that are going to be tiring to say the least.

In summation, I would not go quietly into the night were heavily armed men to assault Fort Fits with a plan to disarm the occupants. I would kill as many as I could. There. I'm a gun-nutcase too.

What If...

Just think. If Bush had paid attention to the Surrender-At-All-Cost demands from the Obamanation's who rule the sinister side of Congress, Hussein's plane would have been shot down long before the final approach to Baghdad's airport. He would then have been tossed into a mass grave alongside hundreds of thousands of Iraqi men, women, and children.

So, see? There's an upside to every stupid plan the left imagines.

Bears Eat 2 Men at Russian Mines

MOSCOW — "A pack of enormous bears searching for food killed and ate two men at mines in Russia's Pacific Kamchatka region and have kept hundreds of geologists and miners from reaching the mine, news agencies reported Wednesday.

A pack of up to 30 Kamchatka bears—which are similar to grizzlies—prowled around two mines of a local platinum mining company where they killed the two guards on Thursday, local officials were quoted by the Russian ITAR-Tass news agency as saying.

About 400 company workers have refused to return to the mines for fear of the bears, which stand 10 feet tall on their hind legs and weigh up to 1,500 pounds, Interfax reported.

About 10 bears have also been seen near the village of Khailino sniffing fish remains and other garbage.

Village official Viktor Leushkin was quoted by ITAR-Tass as saying that a team of hunters will be dispatched to shoot or chase off the bears.

"These predators have to be destroyed," Leushkin was quoted as saying. "Once they kill a human, they will do it again and again."

Rampant fish poaching in the Kamchatka tundra often forces the bears to seek other sources of food, such as garbage. Bears frequently attack humans in the scarcely populated peninsula region."

Don't these Russkies know that all one needs in some pepper spray, and bells, tiny little bells sewn into ones clothing, to chase away bears? And whats this hogwash about bears "frequently attacking humans"? Thats not what the Discovery Channels says.

Anyhoot, this is what happens when a disarmed society comes up against an unforgiving nature. Team of hunters my ass. They're sending in the army. You or I would just drag out a suitable rifle and shoot the damn things. Bear that big would make one helluva winter coat, or a cool rug. Never much liked bear meat but it'd do if thats all there was. Guess the bear feels the same way.

Pictured: Man holding the paw of a 1200 pounder.

GUN-SEIZURE LAWSUIT

"An outspoken Long Island gun owner's home was raided by Nassau County detectives, who seized two dozen weapons he lawfully owns just one day after Rep. Carolyn McCarthy's office made a 911 call about him.

Freeport resident Gabriel Razzano claims he was targeted in the spring raid for his "unpopular" political beliefs.

He's now filed a $5 million federal lawsuit against the Nassau PD and McCarthy, charging they joined forces to strip him of his guns unconstitutionally.

The case pits Razzano against McCarthy, the most outspoken gun-control advocate in Congress. A crazed gunman murdered her husband in the infamous 1993 Long Island Rail Road Massacre.

The flap arose on March 19, when Razzano visited McCarthy's Garden City office to discuss an article about an illegal immigrant who was deported but was later nabbed in Freeport for the attempted murder of a cop.

"The office staff felt that Razzano's behavior was disruptive and threatening," said Lt. Kevin Smith, a police spokesman.

Razzano's home was raided the next morning."

By "threatening", the witch means that Gabe is famous for speaking his mind, and can't do that to a Queen. No siree.

My Aunt lived on Long Island and through that side of the family I knew of Gabe, but really can't even refer to him an acquaintance. Hasn't stopped me from calling the cousins to see what they know of this travesty, so far no luck. Gabe had a tiff with her highness, and she made him pay for it. Case seemingly closed. She had him disarmed because of her feeling that he was a threat to the community, and of course there is no dearth of cops who will gladly break down doors just for the fun of it all.

Second Amendment Foundation and Smith & Wesson Partner on Commemorative Revolver

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., July 21, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Engraved Model 442 Will Recognize District of Columbia vs. Heller Decision

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and Smith & Wesson have partnered to create a commemorative revolver designed to recognize the historical significance of the District of Columbia vs. Heller decision and to acknowledge the six original plaintiffs that united to challenge the gun ban in Washington, D.C.

As part of the project, an engraved Smith & Wesson Model 442 revolver will be presented to each of the six plaintiffs - Shelly Parker, Tom Palmer, Gillian St. Lawrence, Tracey Ambeau, George Lyon and Dick Heller - for their key roles in working to protect the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Smith & Wesson will make the commemorative revolver available for consumer purchase in Fall 2008 and will direct a portion of the proceeds to the Second Amendment Foundation to acknowledge the organization's pivotal role in the Heller case and its ongoing efforts to preserve the Second Amendment rights of U.S. citizens.

"We are proud to work with Smith & Wesson on this project," said Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation. "June 26 saw a landmark victory for the Second Amendment, and for all Americans. This is a fitting way to commemorate a significant moment in history, and support future efforts that will continue to strengthen our constitutional rights."

The Smith & Wesson Model 442 will be laser engraved with an insignia to commemorate the ruling by the Supreme Court. On the right side plate of the revolver, the scale of justice is depicted with the wording "D.C. vs. Heller" across the scale. The balance is in favor of the "Heller" name with the court date of "June 26, 2008" positioned across the top. Underneath the scale, the side plate reads "Second Amendment" and "The right to keep and bear arms" in white lettering.

"We at Smith & Wesson are pleased to honor the six original plaintiffs in the case while at the same time offering to consumers a firearm that will help in the preservation and protection of the Second Amendment," said Tom Taylor, Vice President of Marketing for Smith & Wesson. "The Second Amendment Foundation has worked diligently on the Heller case along with several other cases in the last two decades by promoting legal scholarship. Their contributions have helped to dramatically change the legal landscape and we are honored to partner with them on this project."

Will they have a Hillary-Hole?

Certainly. S&W drops trow for the Anti's by manufacturing revolvers that can turn into eccentric paperweights, and Mr. Gottlieb praises them for supporting the 2nd Amendment. And S&W is pleased. Pleased to get some cheap publicity when they should instead be making six-guns without faulty "safeties" if they really wanted to show us they were back on our side.

Mark my words; should Obama become the next President, S&W will be the first gun manufacturer to participate in the next round of ludicrous design features to please their new master.

Partner this.

Talking Back to a Cop is now a Crime...

"Talk back to a cop and go to jail! -- at least in Lafayette, Colorado where it is now a crime to verbally disrespect authority. An article in the local Daily Camera provides background as of Sunday the 13th. According to a local commentator on the news item, the ordinance pass in council on Tuesday the 15th.

The ordinance states, "It is unlawful for any person to make forceful contact, strike, or do bodily harm to, attempt to make forceful contact, strike, or do bodily harm to, threaten to make forceful contact, strike, or do bodily harm to, either verbally or by action or gesture, to any peace officer in the performance of such officers official duties, or attempt to perform such duties. Profane, abusive, insulting, taunting, or provoking language directed to a peace officer which may reasonably promote a violent response or reaction shall be deemed a violation of this section, whether accompanying the aforesaid actions or not." [Emphasis added]

In short, around a cop, you have no freedom of speech. Nor do you have any real idea what he might consider "provoking language." Apparently the police in Lafayette are so badly trained that cuss words can "provoke" them into uncontrollable violence. Since this is the same police force that recently tased to death a 19-year-old kid accused of growing marijuana, this assessment may be true. Which is all the more reason to give them less and not more power over your life...let alone the power to regulate which words may come out of your mouth. On the other extreme, perhaps the cops of Lafayette are so delicate that rude words shatter their fragile psyches. Perhaps the ordinance was inspired by a court incident where a 200 lb cop broke down on stand and wailed, "Your honor the defendant was mean to me!"

Cops already abuse their authority with near impunity; they can literally get away with murder. Now a Lafayette cop can arrest you for uttering words that -- in the sole opinion of that judge-and-jury officer -- are obstructive or provoking. Do you really want to live in a country that gives that authority to men with guns?

On the bright side...and, yeah, the situation is so oppressive that I consider this to be a glimmer of hope...maybe Lafayette just wants your money. Maybe they see monitoring your cuss word as a cash cow and they are actually indifferent to imposing social control beyond what is necessary to make you stand still as they pick your pocket. I suspect the ordinance is inspired by a combination of both motives. Moreover, even if it is fiscally-motivated, it is sure to be misused by "sensitve (sic)" cops who will gladly crack your ribs for being disrespectful."

It doesn't amaze me that such laws are on the books. Not at all. Were I to be a member of the legislature and had to listen to that incessant weeping and never ending whining and outright bawling at the drop of a hat, I'd probably weaken, give in, and help to pass any laws these weak sisters wanted, just to get some peace. But thats just me. I'm a sucker for a little kid with a pouty face, and hey, someone's gotta follow around the speeders and the scofflaws, and lock down a school when someone sees a janitor with a piece of pipe. Without them, insurance companies would be bugging us to fill out more accident report paperwork, and we'd have to quiet noisy drunken neighbors on a regular basis and that can't be much fun.

Not that their jobs are more dangerous than a cab driver or a construction worker, and forget ever comparing them to our marvelously gallant military, but something must be up if they're forever begging for more rights than anyone else gets.

We just haven't figured it out yet. So, as a favor, if YOU catch on before me, drop a line so's I can "get-it" too.

Thanks to The War on Guns for the link.

NYC Wants All Civilians Guns To Be Beaten Into...Coathangers

"At least two guns arrived at the big buyback in Victoria's Secret shopping bags.

"Annie Oakley," said an investigator who worked on the one-day program run by the Brooklyn district attorney's office and the NYPD at six borough churches on Saturday.

Three more handguns were brought in by a man who arrived with his wife. The investigators figured that was the whole family cache, but the wife then produced a pistol of her own.

"I have my own gun!" she proclaimed.

Among the 12 assault weapons turned in were two Intra-Tec 9-mm., known on the street as Tec-9s. A senior police commander imagined aloud a bad guy discovering that somebody in the household had decided to make a quick $200.

"Somebody's going to look under the mattress and say, 'Where's my Tec-9? I know I put it there,'" the commander said.

All told, 660 guns were turned in during six hours, a startling number meriting cheers, but also imparting a chill.

"It's remarkable, but it's also worrisome as an indication of what's out there," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. "The city is awash in guns."

Kelly noted that the NYPD has a long-standing program offering a $100 bounty for each gun brought into a stationhouse, but had only taken in 4,600 guns in six years.

The six Brooklyn churches brought in an average of more than 100 guns an hour.

"Responding to a higher power," Kelly said with a smile.

Kelly was speaking along with Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes at a podium set behind big tables that had room only for a third of the guns.

The weapons on display included the two Tec-9s as well as two Glock automatics. These guns are particular favorites of crooks and would sell on the street for hundreds more than the $200 bounty offered in the buyback program, which suggests that more than money was involved in turning them in."

"Annie Oakley." "Responding to a higher power." The hits just keep on comin' as they poke fun at mere civilians thinking they're special enough to have guns of their very own.

And of course more than money was involved. Getting caught with an "illegal" gun in NYC means hard time...unless you're a crook, then there's plenty of help on the way to prove you were just an innocent lad gone bad...so dropping off your stolen property for two C-notes is far less hassle than dealing with the backstreet pawn brokers who'll offer you chump change.

Pictured: An old shot of NY Senator Charles Schumer making believe he can take care of himself.

PS: Don't tell them that GLOCKS won't make quite as many wire coathangers as a Tec-9.

Barack Obama Quote Generator!

"These people haven't had everything on heaven and earth for fifty years. So you can't be surprised if they get bitter and cling to their rats and their commies and their liberals. That's what my campaign is about. Teaching all the little people in this country that they can have guns."

You too can speak just like Obo by clicking the headline link.

Much thanks to Badanov over at Free Fire Zone.

Florida Giveth, Then Taketh Away

Retired law enforcement officers qualifying for national gun permit

BY SOFIA SANTANA |South Florida Sun-Sentinel

SUNRISE - "For some retired law enforcement officers, the sense of duty hasn't faded.

On Saturday morning, 40 retired officers -- many of them New York Police Department retirees -- completed a shooting course at the Markham Park gun range to qualify for a relatively new kind of concealed weapons permit that is honored nationwide.

The aim of the national program is to get the retirees to demonstrate that they can still handle a gun so that they may legally carry one almost anywhere and be ready to act if they happen upon a violent crime.

The Broward Sheriff's Office hosted the tests and has planned additional sessions at the park on Aug. 16 and Nov. 15.

Retired New York Police Office Alan Rich, 72, was among the students Saturday morning. He said he spent most of his career as a detective in Brooklyn.

"I haven't carried my gun in 31 years, since I retired," Rich said, beaming as he passed the 40-round course using his Glock 38.

The course is the same required for active law enforcement officers statewide.

Florida lawmakers in 2007 approved the course as a means to qualifying retirees for the concealed weapons permit. In 2004, Congress passed a law creating the permit and leaving it up to each state to decide how to qualify retirees, including former federal agents.

Though other local law enforcement agencies are offering the shooting course only to their retirees, the Sheriff's Office program is open to retirees from any agency as long as they live in Broward.

"It was something we felt we needed to do," said sheriff's spokesman Jim Leljedal."
_________________________________________________________
Sure. Anything that perpetuates the myth of superiority, right, Jim?

While back I was speaking to a hotshot lobbyist who was telling me that there's some interest in allowing career military personnel to qualify for the same type of universal concealed carry permit. "It's still on the ground floor and we need to shoot this sucker all the way to the top," he said, or as reasonable facsimile thereof as my dander was rising faster than a 16 year-old on Viagra. I've had many episodes of auditory exclusion, some times even before an explosion and this was one of those times so I can't be certain. I stopped myself before playing see-if-the-little-guy-bounces-or just-goes-splat, and calmly (ha) offered that any Marine participating in such a travesty would be on my personal list of them to ass kick until the cows came home.

I don't give a rats ass what the cops do. Those participating in such a gee, aren't we special program have proven that the oath they swore was so much bullshit to be said then done with, and I'll be damned to be seen in such company. All gave some, some gave all, and the whole idea was to be honored to protect and defend what was willed to us by giants among men.

These "men" make me sick.

Slippery-Fingered Burglar Gets Just Desserts In The Gunshine State

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - "Police say a St. Petersburg resident surprised a burglar in his house then fatally shot the intruder with his own gun.

The resident walked in the back door of the house Friday afternoon and was confronted by the masked and armed burglar. The two struggled and the burglar dropped his gun. The resident picked it up and killed the intruder.

Police have not yet identified either person."

Now I could be dead wrong about this, but to seems to me that Mr. Bad Guy wasn't all that conversant with the ways and means of his firearm so I'm taking a wild ass guess that the gun wasn't his and he'd not taken the time to familiarize himself with both the weapon and the job he was trying to accomplish.

On the other hand, Mr. Home Owner fought like an enraged lion to protect what was his and his alone and won the day. This is the sort of shit Mr. Aesop used to make parables about. Too bad he wasn't a cartoonist as well.

South Park Takes On...Re-Re-RE-Releases...Sans Any Nasty Guns

And thanks to The War on Guns for the link.

Bloomberg Re-Defines Poverty

"If you're wondering why Mayor Mike is suddenly pushing a broader official definition of poverty, here's one guess: He may fear that fewer and fewer New Yorkers these days are actually poor.

And that could mean fewer public-assistance programs. Heaven forfend!

Think about it: Hizzoner wants to jack up the poverty line, boosting the number of people who count as poor in New York by about a fifth, perhaps paving the way for a major expansion of government "antipoverty" initiatives - a la John Lindsay 40 years ago.

Meanwhile, the revolution that began in the Giuliani era - moving hundreds of thousands off welfare and into jobs - shows no sign of letting up.

Gotham's welfare rolls have shriveled to 341,329 cases in the latest figures - the lowest since 1963 and an impressive 26 percent plunge since Mike took office.

And ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani by then had already pared some 700,000 cases, or about 60 percent, from the rolls."

You're reading that right. Actually, they're being kind, as NYC had one and a half MILLION people on public assistance in its heyday as the single most liberal entity on the planet. For all of Rudy's faults that came to light under the withering eye of a Presidential campaign, there wasn't a quality of life issue that he didn't at least TRY to improve.

"By enforcing standards, targeting fraud and nudging folks toward productive lifestyles, Giuliani & Co. reversed the city's longtime approach to welfare - sending a simple but stern message: Anyone able to work . . . must work.

National welfare reform in '96 reinforced that notion, limiting how long a person could stay on the dole.

Liberals predicted doom. Instead, armies of would-be advantage-takers adapted: They acquired skills, found jobs, even formed families headed by two adults rather than just one."

Ahem. Someone addresses, sort of, the elephant in the room.

"Not only did taxpayers get a break, but those forced off lives of dependency benefited enormously as well.

Indeed, the new approach turned out to be America's most successful social experiment in decades.

Mike, to his great credit, built on Rudy's foundation. He resisted attempts by liberals to water down the rules, shored up ties to employers and held job-training and placement agencies accountable.

Throw in a humming economy and presto - even the supposedly "hard-to-place" folks were dropping off the rolls and into work.

Bloomberg's big-government mind-set seems to be a victim of his own success (and Rudy's) with welfare reform.

Taxpayers should hope his response - simply labeling more people as "poor" - meets a similar fate."

Since no one not having lived in NY really hasn't a clue as to how much of the good fight was, and continues to be waged against the vocal minority of lunatics, here's a simple breakdown. 4 types of people live there. Those who'll take a handout, those who want to keep them that way, those shamed into believing the bullshit that blacks and hispanics truly are inferior, and Conservative Republicans. Since the media as a whole is on the side of all things liberal, the literal millions of Conservatives never stood much of a chance when going against the Clinton-Kennedy plan to make and keep as many beholding slaves as possible.

Politics and social issues can be made to appear incredibly complex, but the simple fact remains that a city the size of NY can expect billions worth of play money when pointing to the huddled masses of poor minorities that just can't seem to make it on their own. It goes something like this; WE made them that way, they can NEVER change, so taking care of them is the least we can do since its all our fault anyway. And the reason why blacks and spanish speaking peoples despise one another?

Both fighting for the same handout.

Wanna Know Something...

Those jokes about Obama meeting and greeting every thug and wastrel extant, but afraid to set foot in a Fox news room? Hells bells but they're true. The man is all balls to the wall when it comes to sipping wine and munching pate, but to get down and dirty with someone not a worshiper, he simply has no stones, no stones at all now does he.

The smart money says he reads from a prepared script at each and every stop. The LAST thing his keepers want is for him to think for himself.

9 Iranians Convicted of Adultery Set to Be Stoned to Death

TEHRAN, Iran — "Eight women and one man convicted of adultery are set to be stoned to death in Iran, activists said Sunday.

Lawyer and women's rights activist, Shadi Sadr, said the nine were convicted of adultery in separate cases in different Iranian cities.

"Their verdicts are approved, and they may be executed at any time," she told reporters.

Sadr, who has been leading a campaign in Iran against stoning deaths since 2006, said trial protocol was not applied properly in the cases. Six of the nine were convicted based solely on judges' decisions with no witnesses or the presence of their lawyers during their confessions, she said.

Most of the nine come from areas of Iran that have low rates of literacy and some did not understand the cases against them, she said.

One of Sadr's colleagues, Mohammad Mostafai, said his client, Malak Qorbani, had plead guilty to adultery even though she did not know the meaning of the charge.

The nine are between 27 and 50 years old, among them a male music teacher who was convicted of adultery for having an affair with one of his students, the activists said.

Under Iran's Islamic laws, adultery in the only capital offense punishable by stoning. Other capital offenses in Iran include murder, rape, armed robbery, apostasy, blasphemy, drug trafficking, prostitution, treason and espionage.

The punishment is also applied in some other countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Nigeria.

A man is usually buried up to his waist, while a woman is buried up to her neck. Those carrying out the verdict then throw stones until the condemned dies."

Well. Can't say they go spending lots of money taking care of business. Something to be said for handling things the old-fashioned way. Just not in this case. Barbaric little bastards, aren't they though.

"In Soviet Union, Only The Very Rich Had Access To Plastics..."

MSNBC Gun Poll...

You can get to it here.

	Do you agree with the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Washington D.C.'s handgun ban? * 27015 responses
	Yes. The Second Amendment clearly establishes "the right of the people to keep and bear arms." 88%
	No. The Second Amendment's wording of the right to bear arms refers to militias, not to individual self-defense. 12%
	How do you feel about gun control? * 27077 responses
	The regulation of all firearms is necessary to facilitate public safety. 10%
	The right to individual gun ownership is necessary to ensure freedom and personal security. 67%
	Americans have the right to bear arms, but certain types of guns should be restricted. 23%
	Do you own a gun? * 26739 responses
	Yes 73%
	No 27%

Woman Sues Wal-Mart, Others for Discrimination Against Her and Her Pet Monkey

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — "A southwest Missouri woman sued Wal-Mart, local health officials and Cox Health Systems, claiming they discriminated against her and her monkey named Richard.

• Click here to view photos.

Debby Rose of Springfield said in the lawsuit that the 10-year-old bonnet macaque helps curb a social anxiety disorder that can cause her to have panic attacks in public.

The suit contends the Springfield-Greene County Health Department lacked the authority to decide that Richard is not a service animal under the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Health officials in 2006 sent letters to restaurants and grocery stores, advising them not to let Rose in with the monkey.

Rose also alleges she was denied access to Cox Health Systems facilities.

The three entities declined to comment on the lawsuit."

More and more nutty gals are calling for various animals to be classified as necessary for their very existence, and ask any bus driver in this neck of the woods and he or she will tell you that these wackjobs try sneaking them onboard dressed as babies, and in carriages, strollers, and those papoose slings that were all the rage a while back. When confronted they pitch the mother of all hissy fits and some need to be physically restrained lest they injure themselves. Cats, dogs, snakes, monkeys, ferrets, gerbils, squirrels even. Time was they'd dose 'em with laudanum and/or relocate these nuts to their very own rubber room. Now they find lawyers to help them sue and it costs all of us plenty of money.

Pictured: Example of creature being hailed as a necessary companion animal.

Gun Registrations Off To Slow Start in D.C.

I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would willingly live in D.C.

Aside from politicians and those that make a living following them around, the District is certainly not a place one simply says, "Hey, honey! Pack your bags. I've finally managed to swing our move to D.C!"

The climate sucks, the place is full of battling minorities, lawyer types, and talk show hosts who never said a damned word about the lack of 2nd Amendment rights until it became fashionable.

Now they've offered an amnesty period where those who've kept guns illegally can have them examined, test-fired, and registered.

"Officials said they expect that most of the gun owners who show up to register weapons in the weeks ahead will be people who kept revolvers in their homes illegally during the ban and who want to take advantage of a six-month amnesty period that began yesterday.

Others, such as Heller, might have purchased revolvers legally in other jurisdictions, including Maryland and Virginia, and then left the guns in the care of friends or relatives when they moved to the District. As Newsham told Heller yesterday morning, those guns can be legally transported into the District, provided that they are taken directly to D.C. police headquarters for registration.

The only application received yesterday was from a woman who brought a revolver to the registration office under the amnesty program, officials said.

After the gun was test-fired and the woman completed registration paperwork and a written test, she went home with the gun to await a decision on her application.

By law, she must keep the gun in her home, unloaded and either disassembled or fitted with a trigger lock, and she is not allowed to use it, even for self-defense, unless her application is approved. The process involves a background check for disqualifying factors such as a felony record or history of mental illness.

Von Breichenruchardt stressed that Heller did not need amnesty because he broke no laws. He called the semiautomatic handgun ban "foolishness" and said it almost certainly will be challenged in court.

"The Supreme Court has given its ruling," he said. "Mr. Fenty and the city council are not above the Constitution of the United States."

Fenty and the city council have always been above the Constitution. Liberals are like that. Since they don't trust themselves and are forever bitching and moaning and predicting doom, they figure everyone else must feel the same way and so of course they shouldn't have the ways and means to go postal at the drop of a hat.

Anyway, I had a busy and productive day shooting hogs with various platforms and munitions to determine real-world penetration and stopping power. No hunting season for hogs here in Florida. See 'em, shoot 'em, case closed. Now if we could only breed them to walk on their hind legs and wear lots of layers of denim they'd be the perfect depository for unwanted rounds.

JUDGMENT YOU CAN TRUST

My assessment is that the surge has not worked and we will not see a different report eight weeks from now.

Barack Obama. July 18, 2007.

His assessment. Like the guy has half a clue, even.

Can I Get One In Nickle?

Taken from Florida Sportsmen. Found at The War on Guns.

One Click Does It All

Interesting doohickey that lets you write a letter to the editor after finding your local papers for you. Here. Don't let the Freedom States Alliance name throw you. Bunch of marxist nitwits who want us disarmed and yesterday isn't soon enough.

Found : The War on Guns

At: Armed and Safe.

Who Does Obama Think He Is?

Well, I'll tell you who he thinks he is, then read Krauthammers extended version.

For years he's been told that he's oh so special, not because of anything he's accomplished, but because his forebears were treated harshly. This means the entire country, nay the world, should genuflect because he believes that his people happened to be the only ones ever kept as property. Yes, he's had a liberal education and doesn't know any better, but thats part of what makes him so funny.

WASHINGTON -- "Barack Obama wants to speak at the Brandenburg Gate. He figures it would be a nice backdrop. The supporting cast -- a cheering audience and a few fainting frauleins -- would be a picturesque way to bolster his foreign policy credentials.

What Obama does not seem to understand is that the Brandenburg Gate is something you earn. President Reagan earned the right to speak there because his relentless pressure had brought the Soviet empire to its knees and he was demanding its final "tear down this wall" liquidation. When President Kennedy visited the Brandenburg Gate on the day of his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, he was representing a country that was prepared to go to the brink of nuclear war to defend West Berlin.

Who is Obama representing? And what exactly has he done in his lifetime to merit appropriating the Brandenburg Gate as a campaign prop? What was his role in the fight against communism, the liberation of Eastern Europe, the creation of what George Bush 41 -- who presided over the fall of the Berlin Wall but modestly declined to go there for a victory lap -- called "a Europe whole and free"?

Does Obama not see the incongruity? It's as if a German pol took a campaign trip to America and demanded the Statue of Liberty as a venue for a campaign speech. (The Germans have now gently nudged Obama into looking at other venues.)

Americans are beginning to notice Obama's elevated opinion of himself. There's nothing new about narcissism in politics. Every senator looks in the mirror and sees a president. Nonetheless, has there ever been a presidential nominee with a wider gap between his estimation of himself and the sum total of his lifetime achievements?

Obama is a three-year senator without a single important legislative achievement to his name, a former Illinois state senator who voted "present" nearly 130 times. As president of the Harvard Law Review, as law professor and as legislator, has he ever produced a single notable piece of scholarship? Written a single memorable article? His most memorable work is a biography of his favorite subject: himself.

It is a subject upon which he can dilate effortlessly. In his victory speech upon winning the nomination, Obama declared it a great turning point in history -- "generations from now we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment" -- when, among other wonders, "the rise of the oceans began to slow." As economist Irwin Stelzer noted in his London Daily Telegraph column, "Moses made the waters recede, but he had help." Obama apparently works alone.

Obama may think he's King Canute, but the good king ordered the tides to halt precisely to refute sycophantic aides who suggested that he had such power. Obama has no such modesty..."

Click here for the full magilla, and thanks to our friends at The Smallest Minority from whence the link originated.

Which Serenity Character Are YOU?

Your results:
You are Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)

Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 100% Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 80% Wash (Ship Pilot) 80% Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 75% Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 65% Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 60% River (Stowaway) 60% Alliance 50% A Reaver (Cannibal) 20% Derrial Book (Shepherd) 20% Inara Serra (Companion) 20%

Honest and a defender of the innocent. You sometimes make mistakes in judgment but you are generally good and would protect your crew from harm.

Click here to take the "Which Serenity character are you?" quiz...


Thanks to everybody's favorite Ride Fast & Shoot Straight 'er

Then There's This One...

If its hilarious, Cookie either has it or soon will.

Snagged This One From Cookie

As For Me...I'd Like To Try One On A Pig...

"This weapon injects a freezing cold ball of compressed gas, approximately the size of a basketball, at 800psi nearly instantly. The effects of this injection will drop many of the world's largest land predators. The effects of the compressed gas not only cause over-inflation during ascent when used underwater, but also freezes all tissues and organs surrounding the point of injection on land or at sea. When used underwater, the injected gas carries the predator to the surface BEFORE blood is released into the water. Thus giving the diver added protection by diverting other potential predators to the surface."

Dang thing is pricey at $380 but its a cool idea. Got the link from The War on Guns, and but of course the Brits have gotten wind of this and are staining their undergarments as we speak...

Britain on alert for deadly new knife with exploding tip that freezes victims' organs

Wow. The entire country on alert. Good thing plain old regular knives aren't easily adapted to a WASP or all of Europe would simply move out and head for Canada.

Army Shoots Pigs To Simulate Battle Wounds...PETA Breaks Down And Cries

HONOLULU — "The Army on Friday was holding an exercise involving shooting live pigs and treating the gunshot wounds in training it says is critical to saving soldiers' lives but which has sparked outcry from animal-rights activists.

The training, held at Schofield Barracks for Iraq-bound troops, is being conducted under a U.S. Department of Agriculture license and the careful supervision of veterinarians and a military Animal Care and Use Committee, said Maj. Derrick Cheng, spokesman for the 25th Infantry Division.

"It's to teach Army personnel how to manage critically injured patients within the first few hours of their injury," Cheng said of the medical trauma training.

The soldiers are learning emergency lifesaving skills needed on the battlefield when there are no medics, doctors or facilities nearby, he said.

PETA, however, said there are more advanced and humane options available, including high-tech human simulators. In a letter, PETA urged the Army to end all use of animals, "as the overwhelming majority of North American medical schools have already done."

"Shooting and maiming pigs is [as] outdated as Civil War rifles," said Kathy Guillermo, director of PETA's Laboratory Investigations Department.

The Norfolk, Va.-based group demanded the exercise be halted after it was notified by a "distraught" soldier from the unit, who disclosed a plan to shoot the animals with M4 carbines and M16 rifles.

"There's absolutely no reason why they have to shoot live pigs," PETA spokeswoman Holly Beal said.

The bloody exercise, she said, is difficult for soldiers because they sometimes associate the animals with their pet dogs.

Cheng said the exercise is conducted in a controlled environment with the pigs anesthetized the entire time. He had "no doubt whatsoever" in the effectiveness of the instruction, which he called the best option available at the base.

"Those alternative methods just can't replicate what the troops are going to face when we use live-tissue training," he said. "What we're doing is unique to what the soldiers are going to actually experience."

Cheng didn't have details about the number of pigs, how they were acquired or the weapons involved in the training.

The soldiers being trained are with the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, which is deploying to Iraq this year.

"We understand [PETA's] concerns and point of view. At the same, the Army is committed to providing the soldiers with the best training possible," Cheng said.

Disappointed at the Army's decision, PETA on Thursday instructed its 2 million members to inundate the Army with calls and e-mails.

"We're hoping at the 11th hour here that we can have this stopped. We have to hang on to hope," Beal said.

PETA believes the U.S. military has conducted similar training using pigs and goats at other bases."

Well dammitall to hell, ya weepy sisters. We'd MUCH prefer using the real thing but them there moslems got an even better lobbying bunch then the pigs do.